《The Devil is Evolution Catalog》


 Chapter 1: A Depressing Chapter About a Heroically Depressing Death

    I¡¯m Mo Ke a 35 year old otaku. I have no close friends, and after graduating from high school, I didn¡¯t pursue a higher education.


    My parents died early, but fortunately for me, they left me a significant endowment and I was able to live my life peacefully. They had used their savings to purchase a 5 storey building near the street entrance.


    Each floor had an area of 90 square meters, enough for an apartment with a few bedrooms in it. Furthermore, this building was located next to the downtown area so it was a decent rental business.


    With the income from being the landlord, I led a decadent life consisting of video games and movies. As for girlfriends¡­there¡¯s lefty and righty. Plus, my computer had gone through a thorough inspection; it¡¯s definitely a girl.


    It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve watched a romance anime from the island country¡­should I give it a shot again? Meh¡­I¡¯ll just read a manga instead. Just gotta find that loli manga¡­


    Perhaps it¡¯s because of my older age, but my body seems to be experiencing a second growth spurt. I¡¯ve grown fat recently; but really only a little. This is definitely not just me saying so. I¡¯m not morbidly obese. I¡¯m 165 cm tall and my weight is not even 140 kg. I¡¯m not THAT fat.


    As a multi-class Wizard/Sage, I¡¯m not at all conceited about it, despite my obvious qualifications. I just don¡¯t understand how a qualified person such as me, who not only possesses a house but even a computer too, could still be single.


    This isn¡¯t just me bragging, but my video gaming skills are top notch. Whether it¡¯s LOL or Monster Huntsman, my dextrous hands are top notch. Are those rich/handsome men even as remotely impressive as me? Of course not! I have an ELO rating of Diamond in LOL. All those damned girls just don¡¯t get my charms.


    I¡¯m not sure when it started¡­but I¡¯ve become a good for nothing, manga-reading, video game-playing, otaku. This was probably due to my comfy lifestyle. The rent from this building allowed me to live a life where I did not have to work at all. It wasn¡¯t a wealthy lifestyle, but it wasn¡¯t poor either.


    Honestly, I wasn¡¯t so decadent before. I used to have dreams¡­.grand dreams. I wanted to become a pro LOL gamer, lead my team out of Asia and conquer the world! However, as I aged my reaction speed slowed, and now Diamond is my limit. I had no choice but to give up on my dream.


    Without any relatives or offline friends, my life could only be described as a disaster. This doesn¡¯t mean that I wished to change it; I¡¯ve had enough of society. Right after I graduated from high school, I went job hunting. However, those jobs just didn¡¯t suit me.


    In the real world, if your colleagues didn¡¯t like you or if you threatened their interests, they would go to any lengths to slander you in front of the boss. Take for example the very first job I took. It was a privately owned photography studio. My colleague was the branch manager of that studio.


    Branch manager might sound impressive, but she was a worker and manager at the same time. This was because she was the only one working in that branch until I started working there. I was assigned there to learn on the job for a week.


    Once, I caught her stealing from the cash register. However, a week later I was fired from my job. The reason? The boss heard a report that said I bragged about opening my own photography studio in a year¡­


    No matter how stupid I was, there was no way I would be so open about such a thing. This wasn¡¯t a thing you could randomly talk about. Besides, I didn¡¯t even plan on opening a photography studio!


    After getting fired by that studio, I entered a small advertising firm. My first job assigned to me was to move floorboards. Don¡¯t ask me why an advertising firm had to help their clients carry the floorboards or perform renovations! It just happened. My boss had me move these boards for hours. Within a span of three to four hours, I had climbed this 10 storey building a total of 10 times.


    After all that renovation work, I wasn¡¯t given anything. Not even a cent and not even an explanation.


    My next job was at a newly opened cement factory. It was originally a quality assurance position, but because a relative of the boss didn¡¯t want to be in charge of the warehouse, I was thrown there. What¡¯s worse was that they waited for me to clean up that abandoned office before furiously snatching the keys away from me as if I had done something wrong.


    It was at that moment that I found out I had been thrown to the warehouse.


    The story doesn¡¯t end there either. At my new post, all the unwanted jobs were dumped on me. No matter whether it was procuring supplies at dawn or taking charge of the delivery men, it was all done by me. These were supposed to be done by another person, but it had all been dumped onto me. I just don¡¯t understand why I am such a weakling. A submissive weakling that gets bullied at every turn.


    There was a time when I had seriously considered killing that man, but the penalty for doing so was the firing squad. I still had a lot of games to play, manga to read, and anime to watch. Being dead would definitely be a hindrance.


    To me, society is like the plague, something to be avoided at all costs. Since I still had a means of living, I chose to run away and ended up becoming a shut in.


    At one point, I could¡¯ve gotten married. About 10 years ago, I had a girlfriend. One that really liked me. We met in the first year of middle school. She was the one courting me, but I fancied someone else at that time.


    At the age of 25, I felt that I should consider getting a girlfriend and get married, so I decided to propose to her. She was truly shocked as knelt down and proposed. As I grabbed one hand, her free arm reflexively shot up to cover her mouth as if she had just heard a miraculous piece of news.


    Actually, I¡¯m only a little dense; I know that she still loved me. After all these years, despite our lack of contact, she must¡¯ve still loved me. Otherwise why would she steal my first kiss when I was 24¡­


    However, this romance did not end well. After a few days, I suspected that she was two-timing me.


    How should I say this? If your girlfriend was out till 11 in the night, would you send her home? Normally you would, wouldn¡¯t you? But she wouldn¡¯t allow me to. I didn¡¯t even know where she stayed. Whenever we went on a date, she would introduce me as her brother to her friends. There were even times when I called her apartment, and a man¡¯s voice came from the other end of the receiver¡­


    It felt like I didn¡¯t know her at all. She kept all her thoughts to herself as I continued brooding upon this. Soon I stopped looking for her. Given time, she noticed this as well.


    Our ending was a long awaited breakup. Yet, the moment when she broke up with me, I had a feeling that she was serious about me.


    However, it was too late and things had went past the point of no return.


    A short while after our breakup, I learned that she had gone to a different city. Judging by her Weixin friend¡¯s group, she seemed to be leading a happy life. [1]


    It was both comforting and sad at the same time. I¡¯m such a fool¡­


    No one needs me. Outside of videogames, I no longer have a reason to live. However, today is Valentine¡¯s day. It is another Valentine¡¯s day without a valentine but I¡¯ve had enough! No games today, I¡¯m going out.


    With my mind set, I threw on a coat and walked down the stairs. As I left, I said hi to the aunt who rented the first floor from me for her convenience store. Under her disdainful gaze, I left my home with my head lowered. Even after walking for 100 meters, her gaze still burned on my back like a branding iron.


    Why is everyone looking at me with such strange eyes? I made sure to shower before I left. My clothes are fresh, my teeth are brushed. Even if my shoes weren¡¯t clean, no one should be able to see it in the darkness of night.


    As I continued the adventure outside of my room, a seemingly endless stream of lovebirds walked past me. Argh! How vexing! I¡¯m painfully aware that I¡¯m single so you don¡¯t have to rub it in my face!


    F*ck! I almost tripped on something. As I turned my head back, I saw the culprit; a brick. Damnit¡­even you¡¯re bullying me. Why am I so unlucky¡­It¡¯s fine even if I¡¯m the only one left in my household. It¡¯s fine even if I¡¯m not needed. Even not having a girlfriend is fine. But even a brick is bullying me!? I just wanted to take a walk outside. What have I done wrong?


    Just as I was about to take revenge on this dastardly brick, I was interrupted by a couple of kids fighting. It was a boy and girl chasing each other. From the looks of it, both of them were 10 years old. The boy was chasing the girl, their feet unknowingly carrying them towards the center of the road.


    This was a remote area and didn¡¯t often see traffic. A little fight was usually not a big deal but today was an exception. Just in front was a truck careening towards them, its headlights illuminating the road ahead like a pair of luminescent pillars heralding the impending tragedy.


    The two kids were scared stiff by the truck¡¯s sudden appearance and stared dumbly at it; their feet glued to the ground. Due to my nearsightedness and the darkness, I couldn¡¯t see if the truck driver was aware of the two kids. However, it was safe to assume he wasn¡¯t as the truck had no sign of slowing down or braking.


    The onlookers merely screamed in horror but no one stepped out to save them. They couldn¡¯t do so either. They were simply too far to reach them. The only one close enough was me. What should I do? Save them, of course!


    I dashed out and flung the loli to safety. Now there¡¯s only that pretty boy. Well¡­ as long as the loli is safe, that pretty boy can go kill himself for all I care¡­Then should I leave him to die? No¡­if I had planned to do so, I wouldn¡¯t have flung the loli away.


    The truck was approaching ever closer by the second, its monstrous pressure weighed heavily on me, causing my chest to tighten. It was too late to run away so I gathered every ounce of strength I had and kicked that boy to safety.


    After that, I took flight¡­


    As for the rest of the story, I couldn¡¯t remember anything.


    Actually, my brain had already started hallucinating. I imagined that I had woken up once more in the hospital¡¯s emergency room. The doctor said there was no hope but I suddenly latched onto his coat like a person who had faked his death and pleaded with him. [I feel that I can still be saved].


    Truth be told, perhaps this was for the best. I was the only one left in my house, I had no reason to live and no one needed me. Dying was perhaps a blessing. No one would bully me¡­no one would stare at me with those eyes¡­I would no longer have to face this complicated human society¡­


    Plus, I¡¯m just a 35 year old worthless otaku. Using my life to save a couple of 10 year old kids was a truly worthwhile trade. My life was pretty much set and I couldn¡¯t do any good for society by living. But those two brats were different, they still had future. I only hope that they learnt their lesson and never messed around near the road again. It isn¡¯t everyday that an idiot will run out to save you.


    As I thought about their bright futures as scientists, doctors, policemen¡­the kind of people who could contribute to society. I finally felt at ease. That¡¯s right. I¡¯m just a self-indulgent fool. A fool that just wanted to be needed by someone. Even if it cost me my life, it was worth it.


    This way, I could scream to the heavens that: I¡¯m not a burden!


    Dying in order to save someone else, felt¡­real good¡­

 Chapter 2: A Broken New Family

    A vast blanket of white hung heavily over the scenery. The white fog suffocated every corner of my eyesight; swallowing, erasing, eradicating everything in sight. Was I dreaming?


    The next time I regained consciousness, I found myself in an unknown house. It was a simple house like the ones you would see in a village, littered with wooden furniture all around. The white hospital bed was now replaced by a simple mattress lying on a wooden bed frame. I felt the warmness of a hug as I laid there in a daze.


    ¡°Where am I?¡± was the first thought that came to mind as my eyes slowly opened. However, I didn¡¯t have much time to consider that question before a pair of warm hands cradled me up to someone¡¯s chest.


    My eyes blinked and then squinted in an attempt to make out the identity of the hands¡¯ owner. It was a handsome blond youth of around 20 years old, sporting a choppy layered hairstyle. He wore clothes made of a low grade cloth material similar to linen. However thanks to his handsome face, he didn¡¯t look like a peasant.


    ¡°cat$#$%D^^#$¡± (Honey, why isn¡¯t our son crying?)


    What did he say? Sounds like a foreign language. This is kind of depressing. Boy, with 35 years of age beneath my belt, I¡¯m your senior. Show me some respect will you? If you are going to communicate with me, you should at least use Mandarin.


    ¡°cat^&^%fd7$¡±(Honey, our son isn¡¯t crying¡­Is he born stupid?)


    The man continued speaking in that damnable foreign tongue while his arm swooped into my blindspot. The next moment, I was hanging upside down in the air by my left leg.With my new airborne position, I finally caught sight of the person who was hugging me on the bed.


    It was a long blue haired lady who was at most 20 years of age. She laid there, hair plastered to her face, a drained look upon her. However, her sickly countenance did nothing to hide her charms. She was a beautiful lady with an attractive oval face and a milky white complexion. If you asked me, she was better than Miss Sola Aoi and Miss Ran Asakawa combined¡­Wait that¡¯s not right¡­I definitely didn¡¯t know any Sola Aoi or Ran Asakawa! (Popular Japanese Adult Video Stars)


    While I was admiring this work of art, my butt felt a stinging pain. Did I just get spanked?


    My butt was definitely facing that boy so only he could spank me¡­Wait, why did I get spanked? Where is this place? Isn¡¯t this Earth? And why am I so small? I¡¯m a freaking 35 year old Wizard/Sage!


    *slap slap!*


    Hey hey, stop hitting me. Exactly when do you plan on stopping!It¡¯s not my fault my ass is pointing at you!


    How humiliating¡­I feel like crying¡­ My face scrunched up, tears glistening in my eyes; I was about to cry.


    ¡°potato^%&*¡± (Morran, stop hitting him. The boy looks like he is about to cry.)


    ¡°$%#$%FSD&¡± (Is that true? Crying is the norm though. Not being able to cry is the problem.)


    The boy finally placed me back on the bed and looked at my crying, scrunched up face. He then flashed me a damnable smile.


    My memory stopped at the point where the truck sent me flying so I wasn¡¯t aware of what happened in the interim. Did those two brats get saved? After flinging and kicking them that far, the truck shouldn¡¯t have been able to hit them right?


    But why am I a baby? Hmm¡­well this isn¡¯t too bad either. At least I¡¯m not dead, and with a fresh start to boot. But this family seems kind of poor. Their house was made of wood and they are still using oil lamps. Don¡¯t tell me this is a farming village¡­


    After a week in this foreign place, I still wasn¡¯t sure if I was in an alternate world or not. My ¡°parents¡± aka the couple hugging me with a silly look on their face, could also be citizens of a remote foreign country. We had never left this hut and there were no visitors either so I couldn¡¯t confirm the existence of any of the usual telltale signs such as magic or fighter¡¯s aura.


    My parents were a couple of normal people who spent their lives doing normal things like hugging me, housework, hugging me etc. etc. My dad, Morran, was your average hard-working handsome male farmer. He left at the crack of dawn and came back exhausted after a day of working the fields.


    The couple loved to sandwich me while sleeping. Perhaps it was due to Rhona¡¯s recent childbirth, but neither of them were worried that I had that sort of interest. Thanks to that, I got a little excited¡­No wait, I¡¯m not excited, I was anxious. Anxious that those two potatoes would roll onto me while sleeping and flatten me.


    I had already settled on a name I wanted: Mo Ke. In order to retain my naming rights, I would call out[Mo ke, Mo ke, Mo ke] whenever I was in front of Rhona.


    After a few days it seemed to have worked. Rhona would call out [Mo ke] whenever she wanted to summon me.


    As for this young couple, they had a lot to learn. However, educating them would come later. After all, I¡¯m still a baby. Since the heavens have given me a second chance, ending up as a lonely loser is not an option. I must set up my own harem! Using my two lifetimes of memories, I will create the greatest empire in history!


    Five months after my birth, fate took a cruel turn.


    While they were inexperienced as parents due to their young age, they truly cared for me and treasured me. This was the first taste of parental love that I had not experienced in a long time.


    However, during a bright sunny afternoon, everything changed.


    That man was a 190 cm giant clad in a set of leather armor. He was older than Morran by several years but still maintained a dashing appearance. He had a messy red mane of hair which made him look like Qiao Feng. (Qiao Feng is the charismatic chief of the Beggars¡¯ Sect who possesses strong leadership qualities and exceptional prowess in martial arts. He is part of the Demi-gods and Semi-devils series/novel by Jin Yong.)


    This man was known as Roscar. He used to be a mercenary but was now an intrepid hunter. He was Morran¡¯s best friend so upon receiving Morran¡¯s letter, he came over just to see me. The thick calluses on his hand were apparent to me even through my clothes as he hugged me. He was clearly a martial arts practitioner. If I had to give him a rank, he would be an elite mob in a video game.


    Accompanying him were his beautiful wife, Anna, and his adorable four year old daughter, Nicole.


    As we sat down for lunch, they began recounting an encounter they had while travelling here. In order to get here, they had to make a trip through the mountain pass. During this trip, they were set upon by bandits. These bandits were most likely the private army of the local lord. Nicole sat beside them, eagerly listening to Roscar recount the tale. At her side, Anna was picking out the bones in the fish for the children. Nicole said she wanted to let her little brother have it so she speared it and held it to my mouth.


    Should I accept her offering? She¡¯s such a cute loli but my teeth haven¡¯t even grown out. Can i even digest this?


    As I hesitated, Anna laughed and told her that babies my age still can¡¯t eat fish. She had no choice but to eat the fish herself with a disappointed look on her face. However, she recovered instantly and began pinching my cheeks energetically. If it had been a normal baby, he would have cried by now. But not me! Getting bullied by a loli was a form of enjoyment. So unlike the worried gazes the two mothers threw at me, I didn¡¯t mind one bit. In fact, I used this opportunity to suck her finger.


    I wasn¡¯t molesting her¡­I was just taking revenge.


    On the other side of the table, the men were ranting about the recent tax increases.


    Both of them were childhood friends who used to live in the same village. However, Roscar was able to activate his fighter¡¯s aura and that set him on his path to being a mercenary. Morran on the other hand, failed to do so and ended up as a farmer. Thankfully, he was good looking and managed to snag a beauty like Rhona. In a sense, he was a winner in life as well.


    Fighter¡¯s aura? My heart pounded as I heard this foreign term. Was this really an alternate world?


    However, unbeknownst to my young excited self, Roscar¡¯s visit was a portent to our tragic fate. This wasn¡¯t his fault, though. It was the fault of those damned soldiers pretending to be bandits. And that lord for allowing them to do so.


    The bandits chased away by Roscar didn¡¯t give up; they were merely biding their time. The army possessed expert trackers who could easily track down Roscar. They did just that, quietly tracking him to our home. In the dead of night, they snuck into our home and killed Morran, Anna and Rhona.


    However, this was the limit of their sneak attack. They were able to kill the three of them as they did not know martial arts. However, Roscar was different. The moment he detected something was wrong, he alerted Nicole. She grabbed me and went into hiding in a nearby closet. It was a small closet but thanks to our small sizes, we managed to fit in snugly. As we hid in the closet, Nicole watched the scene unfold while quietly sobbing and her hand covering my mouth. The assailants slew Morran, Anna and Rhona in an instant.


    Roscar howled sorrowfully into the air at this sight. In the dead of night, the fighting raged on as thunderous clashing of weapons mixed in with occasional screams, echoed in the air. By the time the closet door opened a few minutes later, a blood-drenched Roscar stood before us. His normally white sleeveless shirt and shorts were dyed red with blood. His sword was chipped from all the fighting and was dripping blood as he stood there panting heavily.


    As he had just slain the invaders singlehandedly, the stench of death was still heavy on him. It was as if a god of war stood before us at this very moment.


    ¡°Dad, where¡¯s mommy?¡±


    ¡°Anna¡­¡­¡± A sharp clang echoed in the air as his sword arm lost its grip, causing his blood stained sword to fall. Shortly after, his body followed suit. He fell to his knees, face contorted with sorrow and rage as the battle adrenaline finally faded. He was on the verge of mental a collapse¡­


    I guess this meant my parents were truly dead? Well it¡¯s alright. While they were my parents, we had only interacted for about half a year. I¡¯m not sad at all. I don¡¯t understand why my eyes were slightly warm nor did I understand why there was something flowing from them¡­


    ¡°How¡­how is this possible¡­¡± As the grief-stricken Roscar looked at my tears, his body received a jolt of shock as if he had just witnessed an impossible scene. He stammered as he forced out these words: ¡°Kid¡­so you felt it too¡­¡±


    Of course I knew they were dead! While it had only been a short five months¡­while they were younger than me by at least a decade, they were sincerely looking out for me. They were my parents. Without them, I wouldn¡¯t exist. And now, because of you¡­they are dead. DEAD! Tell me how am I not supposed to be upset!


    But deep down, I knew that I couldn¡¯t hate him nor should I¡­


    I desperately tried to clench my fist and bear the sorrow, but my tiny fists simply did not possess such a strength. Just the act of doing so made me tired¡­


    Perhaps my action had given him strength as he reached out and carried me. The metallic stench of blood wafted into my nose as he did so forcing me to sneeze. Roscar immediately returned me to Nicole¡¯s arm.


    Looking at his gingerness, I just couldn¡¯t bring myself to hate him.


    ¡°We should leave. Those greedy bastards must not find out that we are still alive¡­¡± Without giving it a second thought, he immediately rose to his feet and grabbed a torch and tossed it. Time slowed down as the torch flew towards the cold, lifeless bodies of my parents. I didn¡¯t even have the time to grieve or to lay them to rest before the cruel flames of reality engulfed them, taking with it my home and my short but happy family life.


    My home was located in a remote corner of the village so we had no neighbors. This conflagration should remove all traces of the battle. No one will ever know of what happened here; of the assailants nor of my family¡­

 Chapter 3: A New Life

    We ran throughout the night until we finally reached the borders of the kingdom. The frontier areas were chaotic and far from the draconic rule of that lord. This was the perfect place to hide out due to its safety.


    On our journey, we met with bandits several times. Some of them were soldiers pretending to be bandits and some of them were mercenary bandits. Of course, there were bandit bandits as well.


    Over these past few days, I had come to understand several things. The first of which was where we currently were. This was the kingdom of Tarnia and we were in the frontier village of Chaique. Roscar¡¯s plan was to settle down in this village, and so he hired a few villagers to build a two storey house near the forest.


    The next thing I learnt was the combat job system in this world. Combat classes could be broadly categorized into these two branches: Warrior and Mage. Both of these branches had several subclasses within them.


    For example, in our encounter with the bandits, we faced several sword wielding warriors known as a Swordsman and several Thieves. The subclass Thief was a unique subclass which fell under a separate branch as well, despite being a warrior. This was due to their unique fighting style.


    On top of these two subclasses, there were the Shieldbearers who wielded an enhanced shield as their primary weapon, and there were the Magisters who trained in both magic and martial arts.


    The Mage branched possessed many subclasses as well. A commonly known subclass were the Elementalists. They specialized in elemental magics such as Wind, Water, Fire and Earth.


    There were the Arcanists who used pure mana to inflict both physical and magical damage; the Illusionists who specialized in illusions and also the Alchemists who specialized in creating tools to support combat.


    Within the Mage branch was the Holy branch of magic. This branch included jobs like the Priest and the Inquisitor.


    Each class had a ranking system which ranged from One-Star to Ten-Star. An example would be Roscar who was a Four-star Swordsman. Each star level had its own unique requirements. For example, to advance to a One-Star Warrior, not only did you need to be familiar with your weapon of choice but you also needed to possess Aura Perception.


    What is aura perception you might ask? Aura Perception is the ability to perceive the Fighter¡¯s Aura inside one¡¯s body. This is one of the prerequisites for strengthening one¡¯s body with Fighter¡¯s Aura. This was also the reason why Morran could only be a farmer for life.


    A Two-Star Warrior required you to activate the Fighter¡¯s Aura within yourself and make it flow. Kinda like the Internal energy you see in those wuxia novels.


    In order to advance to Three-Star, one had to be able to wrap one¡¯s body in Fighter¡¯s Aura. In other words, to materialize your Fighter¡¯s Aura as an external defensive force.


    Four-Star Warrior had to be able to project their Fighter¡¯s Aura, like the Sword Qi used by martial artists in wuxia novels. Four-Star Warriors were able to project their aura in a ranged attack which meant they now had range capabilities.


    As for the star levels above four, I had no idea. Roscar was only a Four-Star Warrior at the moment.


    Compared to Warriors, Mages had a simpler star system. It was usually based on one¡¯s mana levels and spells. One simply had to pass the examination set by the Mage¡¯s Guild and attain the corresponding star level certification. Apparently, this came with a ton of perks as well. However, mages were a rarity. On our journey, we only met a few mages. They were the ones clad in long robes and always seemed to be in a hurry.


    Five days later, our new home was built. Truly an impressive work attitude; these villagers hired by Roscar not only built our house but also all the furniture as well. With its completion, it marked the beginning of our new lives in Chaique Village.


    Every day, Roscar would go for a hunt in the woods while Nicole did the housework. Due to her tender age, she could only perform simple housework while the Roscar had to take care of the rest. Part of her duty was to look after the baby aka me. While she wasn¡¯t the best babysitter, she was conscientious and made sure I didn¡¯t starve to death.


    As I slept, she would gently place me in the cradle before heading outside to practice. The method to initially activate one¡¯s Fighter¡¯s Aura was actually pretty simple : train until you¡¯re half-dead and then meditate. Essentially, training to enter the One-star realm was mainly comprised of training your body and trying to perceive the resulting aura.


    Perhaps it was due to her innate talent or perhaps it was the shock from losing her mother, Nicole successfully rose to a One-Star Warrior on her fifth birthday.


    As for me, I¡¯m at the crawling stage. After pretending to fall asleep, I would crawl to the doorway and spy on Nicole training. That was the first time I realized that the humans in this world had a different strength level than a normal Earthling.


    But first, regarding our dear loli. The five years old Nicole wore a white set of training clothes and sported a twin ponytailed hairstyle that was definitely not flashy. She had inherited the brilliant red hair of Roscar which made her flowing hair that much more beautiful. With oval face and rosy cheeks, she was super cute! Definitely a first-rate beauty when she grows up!


    Nicole was practising with her wooden sword on her usual practise target: a wooden dummy. With a precise swing of her arms, her wooden sword sliced through the air and landed on the dummy¡¯s head with a resounding thud. She immediately followed this up with another swing. Thud after thud resounded in the air as she continued; her strength apparent for all to see.


    After ten more swings, she was ready to make her move. Her feet pressed down onto the soil as she gathered energy into her legs. With a short shout, she took to the air and swung her sword down onto the wooden dummy¡¯s head.


    A cracking sound could be heard traveling through the air as the dummy¡¯s head caved in. Meanwhile, her sword being similarly made of wood, did not fare any better. It had snapped in half with one end still in her grasp while the other flew off into the distance¡­


    Was she always this powerful? S**t, should I continue fondling her loli boobs the next time she hugs me? No wait¡­they are all accidents!


    ¡°Aura Perception! I¡¯ve attained Aura Perception!¡± She shouted as she gazed at the broken sword in her hand. She flung her arms into a banzai as she screamed while leaping for joy. As she tossed her broken sword, her gaze fell onto a baby crawling out. The loli swooped down and picked me up in a tight hug.


    ¡°Little Ke, I¡¯ve done it. Your big sis has gained Aura Perception! Your big sis is a warrior!¡± She screamed in my ears as she furiously kissed me.


    Don¡¯t get me wrong¡­being hugged by a young beauty was definitely enjoyable, but aren¡¯t you a little too passionate¡­my face is full of your saliva! However, I¡¯ve got to admit, the scent of a loli mixed with the pungent smell of her sweat is pretty nice¡­


    ¡­I¡¯m definitely not sniffing her like a pervert. I¡¯m just admiring and praising her scent. Let¡¯s make things clear, I¡¯m not a lolicon. Those loli mangas you saw in my computer were there because of a virus.


    As night fell, Roscar got the shock of his life when he heard that Nicole had gained Aura Perception. As a comparison, Roscar gained his at seven while the youngest recorded human to gain Aura Perception was four. For Nicole who had gained hers at five, could only be considered a rare genius.


    Pfft, It¡¯s just Aura Perception. What¡¯s so great about it. This baby is a thoroughbred transmigrator. Just you wait and see, once my hack ability activates, I¡¯ll surpass you in no time. Which reminds me¡­when will I awaken my super powers? Even a X*X system is fine with me. I¡¯m not a picky guy.


    As evening time arrived, we sat around a small table and ate dinner. Well, they did. I was in a rattan basket next to Nicole.


    ¡°Has Little Ke been a good boy today?¡± As he ate his grilled beef, Roscar stretched out and ruffled my hair, ruining my clean, combed hair. Hmph! I turned my head away to avoid his hands. However, this didn¡¯t have the expected result; he laughed and pinched my face, stretching it. ¡°Kid, your old man just wants to pinch you and you won¡¯t even allow me! Are you trying to rebel!?¡±


    ¡°Dad, don¡¯t you dare bully Little Ke!¡±


    With a fork in her left hand, she slapped his wrist with her remaining free hand. Roscar retracted his hand and complained in a slightly resentful tone. ¡°Just because you¡¯ve gained a little brother, you don¡¯t want your dad anymore?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± She grimaced as she heard this. The metallic fork in her started shaking as she applied pressure on it. Just as I thought it would snap, she snapped at Roscar, ¡°Dad, you better not take your joke too far!¡±


    ¡°Dad has always been serious.¡± As he said, he abandoned his empty plate and dashed out to take care of the animal pelts.


    Due to our tender ages, Roscar was worried about our safety so he didn¡¯t venture too far to hunt. Most of his spoils were rabbits, foxes or other similar animals. There were definitely magical beasts in this world. They were animals who could fire off magic like mages and were mostly found in the depths of the forests. They rarely ventured into the out edges.


    Roscar had the ability to hunt these magical beasts, but because of the two of us, he had to limit his hunting time to under a day. This resulted in a low income for our household. It was just enough for us to accrue a bit of savings after paying for our necessities.


    The days passed by peacefully. Nicole continued her daily training and her strength grew day by day. As for me¡­I¡¯m still waiting for my old grandpa to awaken. I wonder what will he teach me when he awakens¡­I want my mythical, long lost, ancient techniques from the age of gods and demons¡­(TL:Grandpa : In a lot of Chinese web novels, the main character will receive guidance/techniques/ help from a disembodied spirit possessing him/her. Usually, this spirit is an old man but there are exceptions.)


    Before my second birthday, of my own accord I started practicing with a wooden sword at the training dummy. While I had a lackadaisical personality, the deaths of Morran and Rhona were forever burned into my mind. In this world, powerless people were like ants waiting to be stepped on by the strong. For a 37 year old soon-to-be Sage like me, I knew all too well the dog eat dog world of human society. So at the tender age of 3 I¡¯ve decided: I will grasp my own fate!


    Time flew by once more, five years have passed since my last monologue. It seemed like only yesterday that I was reading my loli literature; now my body had shrunk and the world, a completely different one. These few days were relatively uneventful. Grandpa was still missing, my X*X system still hasn¡¯t appeared and my super powers were still zilch.


    What¡¯s worse is that I¡¯ve yet to awaken my Aura Perception¡­ In other words, after spending 8 years in this world, I¡¯m still a helpless chicken waiting to be slaughtered.


    Damnit, damnit, damnit! No matter how many I hacked at the wooden dummy, the wooden sword wasn¡¯t able to leave a single a wound on it. By now, the 12 year old Nicole was able to have her Fighter¡¯s Aura flow within her body and had smoothly advanced into a Two-Star Warrior.


    Seven years¡­ It¡¯s been seven years and I¡¯m still stuck at this stage¡­ To think I even thought about setting up a grand harem and counting Nicole inside it. What ¡°I no longer wish to see anyone close to me die¡±¡­at this rate, I can¡¯t even protect myself¡­


    ¡°Die!¡± I channeled all my frustrations into a reckless swing down onto the wooden dummy. However, not only was it unscathed, the force even rebounded back onto me. My sword was sent flying by the rebound¡­yes¡­my wooden sword had left my hands.


    ¡°Just DIE!¡± Don¡¯t think about anything, just train. As long as I can perceive my aura, everything will be fine. As long as I can advance into a One-Star Warrior, everything will be okay. Since my sword was no longer with me, I channeled my obsessions into my fist and punched. However, the result was¡­the wooden dummy was still unscathed while my fist was injured instead¡­


    ¡°Ahhhhhh¡­¡± I¡¯m a goddamn transmigrator. Eight years! How could I not have any chance encounter within these long eight years. Wheres Grandpa¡­where¡¯s my hack ability, my superpowers¡­ I screamed in my heart as I rained down upon the wooden dummy with my fists and feet like a madman.


    ¡°Little Ke! Don¡¯t torture yourself.¡± Before I could react to the voice, a pair of clean, warm arms wrapped around me in a tight hug. Nicole¡¯s alluring scent wafted into my nose.


    ¡°Nicole¡­I¡­I just wanted to become strong.¡±


    ¡°But some things just can¡¯t be rushed.¡±


    ¡°¡­I know¡­¡±


    Nicole was already 12 years old by now, a mere 4 years older than me. By now, she had grown into a lovable teenage girl. With her brilliant red pony tails, lovely face and pure disposition, she would at least score a 95/100 in every area. If this was Earth, she would at least be at the level of Fan Bingbing. (TL: A pretty Chinese actress.)


    As she grew ever more beautiful, my sense of inferiority grew. This was a darwinistic world. If you are weak, you will become food for the strong. Just like Morran¡¯s death¡­like Rhona¡¯s or like Anna¡¯s¡­Only by being strong can you prey on others. A world built upon natural selection¡­ If Roscar was a six or Seven-Star Warrior, those imposter bandits wouldn¡¯t have dared to take revenge on him. They might have even tried to recruit him.


    If Morran was a noble, those imposters wouldn¡¯t have dared to cross him.


    In short, powerless people are just c**p. Just like me¡­


    Due to girls maturing faster than boys, Nicole was a full head taller than me. Each time I faced her, I felt like I was under a lot of stress. To be honest, I really wanted to make her the first member of my harem, but with the way things are standing right now¡­forget harem¡­I¡¯ll have to thank the heavens if my wife wasn¡¯t stolen by someone else.


    ¡°Little Ke has been working too hard lately.¡± She gently treated my fist as she consoled me. She was always such a serious girl. No matter what she did, she always gave it her all. Because she was so serious, she tends to be a little dense about things happening around her.


    Mhm, it¡¯s not that painful anymore. In order to allay her concerns, I replied to her in a bratty tone, ¡°I just want to protect Nicole!¡±


    ¡°¡­Silly boy, we are here for you. Both big sis and dad.¡± She lightly rapped my head as she said. With a gentle smile on her face, she teasingly played with my face, molding it into different expressions. ¡°Little Ke just has to be protected by us.¡±


    ¡°Big sister? I¡¯ve never admitted you as my older sister.¡±


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    ¡°But I am your older sister!¡± Her molding intensified as she pouted. ¡°Call me big sis!¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    You must be kidding me. This uncle has lived for 35 years. Plus the 8 years in this world, I¡¯ve lived for 43 years. Heck, I¡¯m even older than Roscar! How can I call you big sis! Though, I won¡¯t mind if it¡¯s on the bed.

 Chapter 4: Powerless

    While Chaique was located in a remote corner of the kingdom, its forests were full of game due to its proximity to the frontiers. As a result, there were a lot of villagers who relied on hunting for a living. Out of these hunters, Roscar was the undisputed champion among them. His strength had risen to a five-star warrior¡¯s level about three years ago.


    Five-star warriors could extend their fighter¡¯s aura to their weapon, boosting its penetration power. Usually in a duel between four-stars, a number of their aura attacks would cancel each other out. This is where wrapping your aura around your weapon came in handy, the aura would clash with your opponent¡¯s aura, expanding it. The weapon would then be able to penetrate your opponent unhindered.


    To put it simply, a four-star warriors¡¯ aura could only be used defensively in a clash of auras. While five-star warriors could use their aura offensively as well.


    This section of the world was known as The Human Realm of Westerra. On top of Tarnia, there were several other human kingdoms as well. Out of these, the three largest kingdoms had risen to the rank of empire. Their territory sizes were at least 10 times the size of Tarnia¡¯s land. As a comparison, Tarnia was the size of Qin Shi Huang¡¯s Unified China. (TL: First emperor of a unified China.)


    On top of these human realms, there existed several non human realms as well. There were the reclusive nature-elves in the southern forests, the beastmen in the north, the half-beastmen in the west and the mysterious merfolk of the endless seas in the east. Deep below the ground were the troggs of the Underdepths. Below the world of the troggs, were other strange creatures roaming the region known as The Black Chasm. Most of these creatures possessed a monstrous level of strength. As for the last member of the fantasy cliche races, the dwarves, their settlements were scattered around the world.


    As for the appearance of these races, the beastmen were similar to the catgirls seen in mangas from a certain island country. Half-beastmen closely resembled a certain green skinned race from a popular online game; definitely not a cute race.


    Essentially, humans were surrounded by a variety of unique races. Thus, the human kingdoms were under constant pressure which led to a focus on nurturing strong warriors and mages.


    In order to do this, each kingdom founded a specialized school to train these future talents. Their only requirement was for you to be gifted. As long as one was gifted, they were guaranteed tuition in these schools. This was a hefty investment, but one which was necessary to ensure the continued dominance of the human race.


    Humanity was known for its creativity. However, just as well known, was its greed.


    In most cases, a child would be sent to these schools once they achieved aura perception. A rare genius like Nicole was highly sought after by the various schools. She would be instantly accepted into any school she wanted, and on top of that, special treatment would be given to her. This could include free tuition, scholarships, personal tutors and even magic tools.


    However, Nicole chose not to do so because of me¡­she said she wanted to wait until I had awakened my aura perception before leaving for school.


    This wait costed her 7 years and the result was that I still didn¡¯t awaken my aura perception. Being a warrior might just be a pipe dream for me. Damn it! I¡¯m a transmigrator for heaven¡¯s sake. Where is my hack ability! Where¡¯s my grandpa! Did you get yourself killed or something?! Damnit damnit damnit f*ck!


    My wooden sword sliced through air and landed on the wooden dummy with a futile thud. *Bang Bang*


    My sword continued hacking away in an erratic barrage of anger and frustration but the dummy remained as unharmed as ever. The wooden dummy flashed me a crooked grin, silently taunting me with its lifeless eyes.


    ¡­Ingrate! I¡¯m the one who gave you that face!


    I¡¯m not sure when it began but my composure had slowly eroded over these few years. At the beginning, I thought that as a transmigrator, I would get a hack-like ability and breeze through this alternate game-like world. However, reality was as merciless as it was plain. I did not gain any superpowers¡­I¡¯m just a normal person.


    Normally this would not be a problem in a peaceful world like Earth, but this is an alternate world! A world where you could be killed by a group of ¡®bandits¡¯ in your sleep!


    Being powerless meant only one thing: you are trash. With my current strength, life in this world would be tough. I just can¡¯t bear to enter a relationship with Nicole with such a fate waiting in store for us.


    I did consider starting a business but I was just a damned otaku in my past life. Even if I possessed some business knowledge, this wasn¡¯t Earth. There¡¯s no guarantee that your hard earned money would be safe from soldiers, gangsters and robbers.


    Roscar was definitely strong but not to the point where he could take on a country single handedly. If we got into a conflict with some corrupt lord, he could simply dispatch a couple of five-stars and a hundred soldiers to wipe us out.


    There¡¯s simply no other way but to train myself; train until I could perceive aura and then obediently head off to warrior school to learn and build contacts. Only after graduating will I have the basic ability to protect myself. At that point, it would be much easier to enter the service of a random noble family or army. Alternatively, being a mercenary was possible as well.


    But all of these were based on the fact that I could even perceive aura¡­ Right now, I don¡¯t even possess Aura Perception.


    ¡°There¡¯s still the path of a mage if you can¡¯t make it as a warrior. Once Dad has saved up enough money, Little Ke can join a magic academy.¡±


    This was what Roscar had comforted me with all these years. But things aren¡¯t that thing simple. The fees at the magic academy aren¡¯t on the same level as the warrior school¡¯s. A normal warrior school required a yearly tuition fee of 50 gold coins or 500 silver coins.


    The magic academy on the other hand, was different. There was an upfront fee of 500 gold coins right at the start of the term. This was just the basic fee too. I still needed to get my magic staff, magic rocks and other magic materials. If I had to make a comparison, raising a mage was the equivalent of raising 20 warriors.


    And this was just the bare minimum! The Bare Minimum! If you wanted to provide a good foundation, a beginner¡¯s staff alone would set you back over a thousand gold coins¡­this wasn¡¯t even in the same league as a warrior.


    I tried multiple times in the past, to persuade Nicole not to waste her time on me and just head off to warrior school. But she would merely shake her head and say to me while pinching my face, ¡°Little Ke isn¡¯t there, Big Sis will be lonely.¡±


    Because of me¡­Nicole couldn¡¯t go to school. At this rate, she will miss her growth period and never climb to the peak of the warrior class.


    Because of me¡­Roscar had to hunt for magical beasts day and night. He wanted to provide the very best for me and send me to the magic academy. In truth, I had underwent an examination a few years back but the results weren¡¯t too good. But Roscar still didn¡¯t give up. ¡°One or two failures don¡¯t mean much. As you are willing to work hard, I believe that no one is destined to always fail.¡±


    No, you¡¯re wrong¡­I am that kind of person. Just look at my previous life¡­a textbook example of failure¡­


    I am just a burden on them¡­


    This fact haunted me as I passed the days. I had even considered running away from home several times, but when I thought about them potentially scouring the forests for me in a frenzy; I just couldn¡¯t bring myself to do so.


    Today¡¯s mission was to buy some of our favorite food and wine. This was the third day since Roscar left on a hunting trip so he should be back any time now. Knowing this, Nicole gave me a gold coin and got me to bring some food home to celebrate his return.


    A gold coin had the purchasing power of 100RMB on Earth so the most I could buy from a tavern was some meat dishes and some cheap wine.


    As I entered the tavern, the sour stench of a drunkard rushed into my nose causing me to cringe reflexively. I was an otaku in my previous life so I had never gotten drunk to the point of beating my wife¡­because I never had a wife¡­


    That¡­I seem to be in the wrong place or rather, this is the wrong time to be here¡­


    However, before I could turn around and leave, an arm reached out and clasped down onto my shoulders, rooting me in place. Look¡¯s like it¡¯s too late to leave.


    ¡°Look who we got here, it¡¯s Mo Ke.¡± This slurred voice came from a 20 year old piece of trash known as Yalid. As he said this, he forcefully turned my body around to face him and stared at me with a sinister glint in his eye. Another sour breath of air wafted into my nose as he spoke up once more, ¡°Haha, just as I was thinking about my beer money, Master Mo Ke shows up in the nick of time!¡±


    The stench grew stronger as his hooligan friend, Hank, joined in. He unabashedly reached into my pocket and fished for coins.


    ¡°You¡¯d better let me go, Roscar is coming back today.¡±


    Usually I would try my best to avoid these hooligans, but if I failed to do so I would bring out Roscar¡¯s name to ward them off. However, this time things were slightly troublesome.


    They were drunk. Their drunken state rendered my usual threat useless as their clouded minds could not process the potential consequences. Instead, this threat only angered them further.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think you¡¯re all that just because you have a hunter as your father!¡± *bam* A foot connected with my chest and knocked the wind out of me. Before I knew it, I was on the ground. My chest ached from the heavy blow, rendering me unable to get up. *bam* Another foot landed on me. This time, it was on my face. The nauseating smell of Hancock¡¯s feet wafted into my nose as my facial features were being flattened into the ground by the forceful stomp.


    I wanted to fight back but my body was reeling from the severe pain; it felt like my organs were being crushed. I hugged my stomach as I doubled over both in pain and in an attempt to shield myself.


    ¡°If you had given us the money earlier, you wouldn¡¯t have had to suffer; you stupid brat!¡± He fished the gold coin from Nicole out of my pocket and stashed it. With a whistle, he signaled to his buddy to continue beating me. Kick after kick landed on my back and face as I laid helplessly on the ground. Each kick was not just a kick on my body but a kick to my heart as well.


    A suffocating pressure grew in me as each blow landed squarely on my body. Even a couple of trash could beat me half to death¡­I¡¯ve had enough of this helpless feeling! I must fight back! Fight back!


    As I steeled my resolve, my hands drifted to the dagger hidden at my waist. Seeing my chance as he lifted his leg, I whipped it out and stabbed. It was a stab filled with my anger and resolve, but it was also just a simple stab. It was the kind of attack that could be easily avoided by a One-Star warrior.


    Thankfully, Hancock never once saw me as a threat so this simple stab unerringly bit into its target. However, this was the first time I¡¯ve used a weapon to injure someone. Furthermore, due to my wounds and this attack being an unplanned counterattack, its effect was less than expected; only a tiny gash could be seen at the point of impact.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± The pair were stunned by my sudden attack. Blood flowed from the wound as they stood stock still for several moments.


    I¡¯ve injured a person¡­ In the past, the most I¡¯ve ever done was beat up a goblin; this was the first time I¡¯ve injured a real human being¡­


    It was always Nicole standing up for me whenever I was bullied. This was truly the first time I¡¯ve hit someone. On Earth, hitting someone only meant prison and this fact was still deeply ingrained in me. Even as my mind was celebrating my successful counterattack, I was also picturing the scene of a policeman locking me up¡­


    This ended up costing me dearly, as I had missed the best opportunity at striking these two while they were stunned. They quickly recovered, especially Hancock. His eyes were like the eyes of an injured beast; the flames of anger and hatred burned in them, threatening to engulf me with his gaze alone.


    ¡°Brat, You¡¯re dead!¡±


    In that moment, a mental image of a gorilla superimposed itself onto him as he howled at me. He¡¯s going to kill me! Run, I¡¯ve gotta run!


    I didn¡¯t waste another second as I turned around and ran. Hancock wasn¡¯t able to catch up to me with his injured leg but Yalid was a different matter altogether. With his one-star warrior strength and reflexes, he was able to pounce on me a few seconds after I turned around. With one arm, he held down my shoulder and with the other, he clamped down onto my wrist like a vice, trying to disarm me.


    The strength of a one-star warrior was simply too much for an eight year old kid like meto bear. With a single squeeze, it felt like my wrist was about to break. I was forced to let go of the dagger.


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    Having lost my weapon, he was free to do with me as he pleased. With a casual toss, he flung me onto the ground once more with a loud thud. I tumbled on the ground in pain as my head recovered from its heavy landing. The toss had left me dazed with my knees and shoulders severely bruised to the point of feeling numb.


    ¡°Damned brat! You dare to injure me?!¡± Hancock howled as he hobbled towards me step by twisted step. However, I barely heard his curses as my head had been severely concussed.


    I might really die here. I finally got the chance to start a new life¡­only eight years¡­I haven¡¯t accomplished a thing yet¡­am I going to die now?


    ¡°Stop!¡± An elegant voice rang out across the street, halting Hancock in his tracks. A tiny silhouette appeared in front of me in a flash, blocking him. Despite only being able to see her back, I knew who it was. Nicole had arrived.


    ¡°You guys dared to pick on Little Ke¡­I swear I¡¯ll never let you guys go!¡± A fist punched through the air and sent Hancock flying. This was the punch of the two-star warrior, Nicole. While two-stars were only able to activate their internal Fighter¡¯s Aura, it was enough to boost their strength.


    Nicole¡­looks like you¡¯ve saved me once more¡­I¡¯m such a useless person¡­


    My head seems a bit light¡­tired¡­

 Chapter 5: Sares’ Shadow

    Hell can be split into three levels: Purgatory of trials, Gehenna of Ice and Abaddon of Sins. Purgatory was covered in flames and only devils could live there. On the other hand, Gehenna and Abaddon were freezing cold. If one wasn¡¯t thoroughly prepared for the cold, even your piss would freeze before it landed on the ground.


    Gehenna was the realm of the dead. While there were some ice devils living there as well, it was mostly populated by dead spirits.


    Abaddon, the last of the trio, was the most mysterious of them all. Its perimeters were covered in a pitch black miasma. I had attempted to penetrate this barrier several times but I ended up getting lost. In the end, I had no choice but to retreat¡­


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    __________________________________________________________________


    I did not know how long my unconscious state lasted, but by the time I woke up it was dawn. The first sight that greeted me was the tiny head of Nicole and her delicate back. Next to my bed was Roscar, seated on a wooden chair, his head resting on the table nearby.


    Judging from the dim lighting outside, it should be around five to six in the morning.


    My body protested as I gingerly got off the bed. Thankfully, there wasn¡¯t any internal bleeding or fractures. It was mostly external injuries.


    I guess I was saved by Nicole once more. Roscar is back too¡­I hope Hancock and Yalid didn¡¯t get murdered.


    Thinking about those two beaten to a pulp brought a smile to my face. However, this was merely a mask for my discomfort. I was painfully aware that it wasn¡¯t my own strength that accomplished it. If I had the strength, taking revenge myself would definitely be more appropriate.


    Just like if Auntie Anna was in trouble, Roscar would definitely kill that troublemaker. But if it was reversed, the powerless Anna would¡¯ve ended up like me, defeated. Thankfully I didn¡¯t end up like them, dead. Only the powerful Roscar lived, Anna, Morran and Rhona all died.


    Relying on others was clearly not a long term solution. As the saying goes, the only person you can rely on is yourself.


    As I thought about this, that tiny hint of satisfaction vanished.


    Amidst my brooding, Roscar woke up. I guess that¡¯s to be expected of a hunter, even the tiniest movement didn¡¯t escape his eyes.


    Underneath his shaggy mane of bed hair was a piercing pair of eyes that could scare anyone witless. However, as his gaze turned towards me, the fire in his eyes went out instantly; leaving a sense of warmth and happiness.


    ¡°Son, your old man was worried sick about you!¡± These words had barely left his mouth before he rushed over to give me a bear hug.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± His tight hug left me speechless figuratively and literally. I couldn¡¯t breathe¡­ ¡°Old man, put me down.¡±


    ¡°No way.¡± He gave me a solid pat on my back once¡­twice¡­thrice¡­ He finally stopped after 10 pats. ¡°Your old man has already taken care of those two beasts. The next time you see them, just beat them up. If they dare to retaliate, I¡¯ll break their legs.¡±


    This means they aren¡¯t dead¡­


    This stirred up a mixed bag of feelings in me. Should I be happy or disappointed. ¡°I was sure you would cripple the two of them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s only because of Sarla interceding on their behalf. He is the head of security here and to some extent represents the lord after all. Some respect has to be given.¡±


    At this moment, Nicole woke up as well. I guess this was to be expected, given the ruckus Roscar made. The first thing the loli did upon waking up was to pinch my ears. ¡°Little Ke you shouldn¡¯t have retaliated, you should have just let them take the money. Big Sis will make them pay for it later with interest.¡±


    Me: ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, you should have just tolerated their slight since you are still powerless.¡± Roscar made his opinion clearly known with that sentence. He was in agreement with Nicole. As he put me down, he ruffled my hair and said:


    ¡°Just remember the people that bullied you, and you can take revenge on them once you have grown stronger. If you can¡¯t wait that long, you can get us to help. If it hadn¡¯t been for your big sis tailing you in secret, by now you would have been¡­¡± By the time he finished consoling me, my blue hair had turned into a miniature bird nest.


    As they said, the situation then was truly dire, getting maimed or killed was definitely a possibility. A high one at that.


    Being powerless is truly unbearable. My grand dreams of crushing my enemies and dominating the world were just that¡­Mere dreams of a weakling.


    No matter where you were, Earth or some alternate world, reality was always cruel.


    After that robbery, I desperately trained myself. However, the results were just as fruitless as before.


    I guess I simply did not have the talent for Aura Perception. As for getting my magic tested once more¡­I didn¡¯t hold much hopes for it. This wasn¡¯t like an entrance exam: if you failed once, you can retake it next year after another year of hard work.


    Talent was something decided at birth. If you were talented, you would always be talented. If you were talentless, even dying on the training ground was a possibility. Fairness never existed in this world¡­


    Another two days passed by peacefully, the bulk of that time spent hacking away at my wooden dummy.


    ¡°Little Ke, Big Sis is back!¡± She shouted even before she got to the front door, her excitement apparent for all to see. She had just finished shopping for groceries.


    ¡°Mhm. Welcome¡­back¡­¡± I smiled as I laid down my sword. However, my smile quickly disappeared as I looked up.


    Nicole looked as stunning as ever as she waved at me, her brilliant red hair flowing in the wind behind her. However, it wasn¡¯t her that caught my attention this time. It was the person behind her. It was ablonde teenager, 16 to 17 years of age. He had a short clean cut head of hair that neatly framed a rugged but handsome face. He wore the typical combat uniform of a warrior school which complemented his dashing looks.


    Damn it. Sares is back!?


    As soon as he spotted me he walked up to me. He patted me on the shoulder as he said, ¡° It¡¯s been a while Little Ke. I heard from Nicole that you¡¯ve been pushing yourself too much recently.¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­for about half a year already¡­¡± In the face of his passionate greeting, I forced out a weak reply.


    ¡°I heard that Yalid and Hancock bullied you. Are you alright?¡±


    My discomfort only grew more in the face of his concern. I forced out another unnatural reply, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°As long as you are fine. I¡¯ll make sure to teach them a lesson the next time I see them.


    ¡°The old man has already given them a thrashing, I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll dare to show their faces in front of me for a while.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. I heard about that too. Roscar seemed to have given them a severe beating. I heard they are still lying in bed recovering.¡±


    ¡°Sares have you had your meal yet? If you haven¡¯t had it yet, you should join us for dinner. There¡¯s enough for all of us.¡± As she said this, she raised her grocery basket. A strange look which I had never seen before crossed her face as she said, ¡°I seemed to have bought too much food. If you don¡¯t help us finish it, Little Ke and I might stuff ourselves to death.¡±


    ¡°Ha ha, when you put it like that, I guess I have no choice but to stay.¡±


    ¡°Great! It¡¯s almost time for dinner; I¡¯ll go prepare some food¡­Oh right, we are having beef tonight.¡± Having received the answer she wanted, she ran into the kitchen with a definite spring in her step.


    As Nicole skipped off, the mood turned cold instantly. I didn¡¯t like Sares at all. He always seemed to give off that impression of falseness, but this merely stayed at the level of a conjecture; he hadn¡¯t anything wrong yet.


    From Nicole¡¯s previous performance, it was clear as day that she liked him alot. What I didn¡¯t know was whether that was the kind of fondness that one shows towards an idol, sibling or a lover. I guess this was the real reason why I hated him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll continue training, please make yourself at home Sares.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll come with you. I can teach you some of the training techniques we learnt in school.¡±


    ¡°¡­Alright.¡±


    Sares was 16 years old this year and was the sole son of Chaik Village¡¯s sheriff, Zarah. He had awakened his Aura Perception at 6, raised to the level of two-stars at 10 and now, he was a three-star warrior. His subclass was a swordsman and he specialised in large swords; the type that was taller than a person and extremely wide.


    These swords were classified as heavy weaponry and boasted tremendous attack strength. Whether it was humans, magical beasts or golems, large swords were able to take a chunk out of them.


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    As a result, this subclass tended to have the main offensive role in a adventuring party and also had a secondary function as a defender. Large sword users were known for their astonishing strength. In a fight with an equivalent three-star warrior, a large sword user would have a much easier time breaking through their opponents fighter¡¯s aura.


    ¡­I really did not like him because Nicole liked him. I know I am just being envious of his power and of his relationship with Nicole but I can¡¯t help it. Why am I, a transmigrator, without any hack abilities, without a grandpa, without any superpowers or even any magic talent¡­I don¡¯t even have Aura Perception.


    As a talentless hack, my dream of a harem will forever remain a dream. If you won¡¯t give me any special abilities, why did you have to throw me into this alternate world. You could have just let me reincarnate on Earth once more. I could have led a fruitful new life.


    During dinner, the two of them had a merry time, full of laughter and joy. However, I could only sit at the side mutely; I wasn¡¯t able to butt in at all¡­ It truly felt like Nicole was slowly disappearing from my life. After dinner, she sent him home. Judging from the time taken, she must¡¯ve sent him all the way to his doorstep.


    That night was a sleepless one¡­


    Sares came over again on next morning, at the break of dawn. We were in the midst of practice when he arrived. As usual, I was still unable to perceive my aura while Nicole was on the verge of breaking into three-stars. As for that guy, he was at the level of three-stars two years ago.


    Ever sharp eyed, Nicole spotted him right off the bat and eagerly approached him. Her intentions were clear: get him to join our practice.


    ¡°Sares, you¡¯ve come at the right time. I have something to ask you.¡±


    He glanced at her momentarily before smiling. He replied: ¡°Is it about breaking through to three-stars?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I discovered that the bottleneck is starting to loosen. I wanted to ask my Dad but he¡¯s not home so I have to bother you.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case.¡±He maintained his signature smile and accepted her request: ¡°I¡¯ll just give you a simple lecture on the differences between the two levels.¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± Nicole immediately perked up her ears, ready to listen. At her side, I was similarly ready.


    Sares nodded at the two of us and continued: ¡°As you know, one-star requires Aura Perception while two-star requires awakening one¡¯s aura. Actually, both of these levels can be grouped together. As long as one practiced hard enough and possessed the talent to awaken Aura Perception, advancing into the two-star realm was only a matter of time. However, three-star is a different matter.¡±


    ¡°Three-stars required one to have a talent in radiating and wrapping aura around one¡¯s body. This level is similar to one-star in that they both required talent. If one didn¡¯t possess the requisite talent, no amount of hard work will ever matter.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ are you sure that people without this talent¡­will never be able to unlock it?¡±


    Sares¡¯ views on talent wasn¡¯t a new one. I had heard it multiple times before from different sources, and each time it left me battered. However, no matter how bleak things might seem, I still persevered.


    ¡°This¡­¡± He glanced at my anxious eyes and Nicole¡¯s worried face before giving a dry cough. ¡°Actually, this isn¡¯t always true. I¡¯ve heard of a miraculous treasure which can awaken the aura perception of a talentless person. After his perception is awakened, he can train his aura like a normal person. I¡¯ve also heard of a heaven-defying treasure which can temporarily grant a person the power of a seven-star.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that treasure!? Does it truly exist!?¡± At this point, Nicole sounded even more anxious than me as she grabbed his arms and pressed him for answers: ¡°How do I get such a treasure?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of some large noble families having such a treasure but only in small amounts.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the name of these treasures?¡±


    ¡°There are various kinds of treasures like this. The most common among them was called an Elemental Core. It¡¯s extracted from the basic structure of the different elements. However, to produce such a core would at least require a six-stars¡­¡±


    Six-stars! I guess Roscar can¡¯t help me with this since he¡¯s only a five-star warrior. Plus, treasures like these aren¡¯t easy to obtain. Buying them would be a lot easier.


    ¡°How much does a single elemental core cost?¡±


    ¡°The only place you can obtain such an item is at the auction houses. Each time, it costs at least a thousand and most of the time, you couldn¡¯t obtain one without spending at least 3000 gold coins.¡±


    3000 gold coins! You¡¯re better off selling me.

 Chapter 6: Abyss of the Hear

    Nicole had been kidnapped.


    Ever since Sares came back, Nicole basically ignored me. She spent all of her time with him and none with me.


    On the surface the whole conservation looked like it was just about fighter¡¯s aura, but couldn¡¯t she have just asked Roscar? No matter how you cut it, a five-star warrior was a lot stronger than Sares.


    Roscar returned and he brought back his spoils for the day, a three-star magical beast called ¡®Bladed Ursa¡¯. From a distance, him carrying the corpse of this bear merged forming the strange sight of a man/bear hybrid walking towards us.


    This goes to show how strong warriors were in this alternate world. Just take that bear for example, it weighed in at an astonishing 500 kg, but Roscar was able to lug it home without breaking too much of a sweat!


    Think about it. The strongest weightlifter on Earth could only lift a total weight of about 500-600 kg and that was just a stationary lift¡­


    I have a confession to make. When I found out that I had no no talent in perceiving fighter¡¯s aura, I had seriously considered going the route of ¡°transmigrator bringing his tech skills to bear in an alternate but backward world¡±. However, this was easier said than done and reality was never like those novels.


    Guns weren¡¯t easy to make. Explosives were easier but they weren¡¯t able to break through the aura layer around a three-star warrior. Investing so much time just to beat a bunch of one-star and two-star weaklings seems kind of pointless. What¡¯s more, there was no guarantee that it would even work¡­


    ¡°Yo. Sares, you¡¯re back.¡± Roscar greeted them as he entered the house. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he noticed the kid, me, pouting at a corner and came over.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong son?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, I¡¯m probably just tired.¡±


    I came up with a random excuse and glossed over the question. I wasn¡¯t tired at all. It was just that the gaze he threw at Nicole and Sares worried me. That was the gaze of an old man looking at his son-in-law¡­


    ¡°Tired? Well you should go take a break.¡± As he said this, he dumped the 500 kg bear onto floor, kicking up a dust cloud. He casually turned towards Nicole and said, ¡°Nicole, go make some food. I¡¯ll just leave the spoils here; It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen this kid. I want to see how much Sares has improved.¡±


    ¡°Dad must be hungry after all that work. I¡¯ll fix something up right now. Sares, you should stay for a meal as well.¡± She threw down her wooden sword and left for the kitchen without even throwing me a glance.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Even as she left, the impeccably sunny smile on Roscar remained.


    ¡°Sares come over and let¡¯s spar.¡± He grabbed a large sword from the warehouse and tossed it over to Sares as he said this. As for him, he drew the broadsword on his back. Broadswords were wider and longer than short swords. Their hilt was also long enough for one to wield it as a two handed weapon.


    Due to their usage, they could be considered an exotic type of weapon. They didn¡¯t have the destructive power of a large sword nor the speed of a short sword but instead offered an average between the two types. Its users tended to be the all-rounded type. Whether it was a solo or group fight, these swordsmen were the hardest to deal with.


    ¡°Do we really have to fight?¡± As he caught the large sword, he grimaced. It was a real sword.


    ¡°Of course we have to fight. No food for you if you don¡¯t.¡± As he gripped the broadsword with two hands, he gave a flourish and took up an all purpose stance. ¡°If you don¡¯t come at me, I¡¯ll have to make the first move.¡±


    ¡°Alright alright¡­we¡¯ll spar.¡± Sares shook his head as he smiled helplessly. He focused himself and readied his sword, easily lifting it up into a combat stance. ¡°Here I come!¡±


    ¡°Quit dawdling and come at me.¡±


    Hurry up¡­my $&@) is hard from waiting.


    I should give his back a kick forward to speed things up.


    I was impatiently waiting for him to fail spectacularly. Only then would my self pity be alleviated.


    ¡°Watch yourself.¡± Sares charged as he said so. With a swift step forward at the end, he swung his large sword forward with the full force of his charge, the sword sundering anything that stood in its path. His plan was to suppress Roscar with his superior force.


    ¡°Interesting.¡± Roscar grinned and readied his broadsword. He raised his sword at the last moment possible and with a twist of his wrist, deflected the incoming large sword to his side. Sares¡¯ flank was exposed and open to counterattack from his faster sword. However, Roscar retreated a few steps back instead and put up a defensive stance once more. ¡°Again!¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Sares wasn¡¯t satisfied with this outcome either. He had clearly lost after that strike. If this was a battlefield, he would have received a fatal blow already. Furthermore, the fact that Roscar took his large sword head on and deflected it meant he lost terms of power as well.


    While he was used to being bullied by Roscar since young, he was also a genius from birth. He was the premier genius in Chaik village and even in school. Winning was a part of his nature.


    Whether it was facing the envy of his seniors or the praise of his juniors, all these only fed into his nature and pride¡­Perhaps it was because of this that he was unable to accept being defeated so easily. His life was just too smooth sailing.


    Sares attacked once more as he activated his aura layer. This was the first time I¡¯ve seen his aura layer. It was like a golden cloud wrapping around his body, forming an ever-changing defensive layer.


    The color of one¡¯s aura represented its element. Yellow represented earth, blue represented water, white represented ice, black was darkness, red was fire, green was wind and silver was lightning.


    Once a warrior reaches the level of three-star, his aura element was revealed. Each element had its own advantages. Sares¡¯ earth element gave him superior endurance, defense and power. This was why he chose the large sword and was also why he could bring out the full potential of this sword.


    ¡°Ahhhh!¡± Sares finally brought forth all his strength. At this moment, he felt that nothing could stop him.


    ¡°Finally getting serious? Too bad it¡¯s still not enough.¡± In the face of this furious strike, Roscar maintained his relaxed stance, neither attacking nor defending. The large sword careened through the air, closing the gap in an instant, its edge clearly visible at this distance. However, just as it looked like it would connect, Roscar disappeared in a flash, easily dodging the strike.


    *Boom*


    By this time, the momentum of his large sword could not be stopped. It crashed into the ground with a loud explosion, the resulting cracks spreading out like a spiderweb.


    ¡°See you.¡± With a casual smack of his broadsword, he dispersed Sares¡¯ aura and sent him flying. Sares tumbled back several meters, his sword still stuck into the ground at his previous position.


    That¡­looks kinda bad. It was almost like the scene of a car accident.


    Maybe not awakening my aura is a good thing after all. At least my body wouldn¡¯t get smacked around like a baseball.


    However, this pathetic thought was immediately banished. If I didn¡¯t have any strength, how could I defend myself from other people? By relying on Roscar or Nicole? I guess I could survive by depending on them but is that even considered living? Was this the kind of life I wanted? No. I must work harder. Even if it was just to become a baseball for Roscar to smack around, I must work hard!


    But is it truly alright for me to work hard to be a baseball¡­


    I don¡¯t know why but seeing him getting smacked around fills my heart with positive energy. At this rate, I might just be able to activate my aura perception¡­


    However, this positivity only lasted a mere two minutes before it was cruelly shattered by Roscar.


    ¡°Hahaha, not bad. As expected of an earth aura layer. Hardy as expected.¡± He helped Sares to his feet and patted the dust off his shoulders. ¡°You aren¡¯t injured right?¡±


    The reality of their power disparity was thoroughly beaten into Sares at this point. As he accepted Roscar¡¯s help, he could only smile bitterly. ¡°I¡¯m alright. If uncle Roscar didn¡¯t hold back his strength, I wouldn¡¯t even be able to stand up.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so modest. I¡¯m already a five-star warrior while you are just a three-star warrior. Just based on your experience with aura, I¡¯ve long surpassed you.¡±


    ¡°But uncle didn¡¯t even use his aura layer. That means you were only using the strength of a two-star warrior.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Roscar didn¡¯t answer Sares but left him hanging. ¡°Do you know why there¡¯s an insurmountable gap between a five-star and a six-star?¡±


    ¡°I heard that it was only a matter of time before a five-star could advance into the ranks of six-star.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Six-star warriors are known for their strengthened bodies. Simply put, you didn¡¯t need much talent to rise from five to six-stars. You only needed to reach the breaking point in order to advance.¡±


    Once one had become a two-star warrior, his aura would flow around his body and slowly strengthen it up to the level of five-stars. By then, one¡¯s body would would have been strengthened to an astonishing level. Just from the way Roscar could lug a 500 kg corpse around so easily, one could easily see how strong a five-star could get.


    Rising to six-stars had a transformative change on one¡¯s body. It was said that a six-star¡¯s lifespan was increased by 50 years when they advanced.


    As a comparison, a normal person could live up to 100 years but a majority of them only lived up to 90. By 60 or 70, one could just keep a coffin handy in their storage. A 50 years increase was massive. It could be counted as a type of evolution.


    Roscar was in such a state. His body was continually getting stronger. By the time he was ready to advance to six-stars, a one-star¡¯s attack would have no effect on him.


    Thanks to their strengthened body, five-stars had an astonishing endurance, speed and power.


    As a 16 year old three-star warrior, Sares was definitely a genius. Furthermore, he was a Chaiksman through and through. Not to mention he had a kind and just personality. Roscar¡¯s fondness of him was fully justified but this did not stop my heart from plunging into the depths.


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    ¡°Don¡¯t worry when you get to my age, you can find a kid of your own to bully.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡± He only smiled awkwardly at this comment as if to say he definitely wouldn¡¯t do this.


    Roscar was in a really good mood at this point. His grin reached up to his ears as he said, ¡°I have question for you. Do you like our Nicole?¡±


    Sares: ¡°¡­¡±


    Me: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Nicole is this village¡¯s ¡­no, she is the most beautiful girl I¡¯ve seen. Even the girls from school couldn¡¯t compare to her¡­I¡­I.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Roscar patted him on the head with a smile on his face.


    As for me¡­I could only give a dry laugh.


    ¡°Time to eat.¡± Looks like Nicole¡¯s done cooking. Nicole stood by the door as she called out. She then turned to the sulking kid in the corner and asked , ¡°Little Ke? Didn¡¯t you leave to rest?¡±


    Me: ¡°¡­¡±


    My existence seems to have gotten fainter¡­perhaps it would be more accurate to say there¡¯s only Sares left in your eyes¡­


    ¡°Hahahaha. Did watching us spar make you feel frustrated?¡± Roscar patted my back as he consoled me. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Once your old man has saved enough money, Little Ke can attend the magic academy. Haha. This Bladed Ursa is pretty valuable.¡±


    ¡°Little Ke just has to work hard and I¡¯m sure he will succeed.¡± Nicole clearly thought I was just frustrated so she came over to console me. But I really did not want to see her face right now¡­


    I simply nodded in response and followed Roscar out.


    ¡°¡­¡±Sares was slightly confused by this and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Little Ke, he seems to be in a bad mood.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s probably throwing a tantrum after seeing your prowess. Little Ke acts a little weird at times.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s eat. If we wait any longer, the food will be gone.¡± She beckoned to him as she said this.


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding.¡±


    ¡°Nope, Those two are gluttons.¡±


    At that moment, the pair were wolfing down the beef.


    ¡°Is there anyone who takes advantage of their dad in such a way?¡± He said in a muffled voice, his mouth full of beef.


    ¡°Haha, well I¡¯m sorry dad.¡±


    I didn¡¯t remember much about what happened after that but I clearly remembered Roscar and Nicole fawning over Sares¡­


    I wonder what kind of expression I should wear to face the next day¡­


    Sigh¡­Sares, why did you have to come back¡­

 Chapter 7: Leaving Home

    Species Name: Greater Lust Demon


    Original Sin : Lust


    Surname : Asmodeus


    Tier Level: Seventh


    Racial Characteristics: Control over Darkness, Fire. Excels in Psychic Magic


    Evolution Tree : Small Imp, Large Imp, Head Imp, Demon Child, Flame Demon Child, Succubus, Lust Demon, Greater Lust Demon


    Interests: Being a dominatrix. Possessing strong devils.


    Attitude towards Humans: Eats them if they aren¡¯t to her liking. If they are to her liking, play with them and then eat them. Premium quality men are kept alive.


    ¡ª¡ªFrom <>


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    I¡¯ve¡­run away from home¡­No, I didn¡¯t run away from home. I escaped¡­once again.


    I love Nicole, from the moment I met her, I¡¯ve loved her. While that initial love was mostly the lolicon in me talking, but as the years passed, I fell in love with her. I was the daily recipient of her tender loving care. No matter what it was, she was always the one who did it for me. Whether, it was feeding me when I was young, bathing me, washing my clothes¡­all of it was her. She was truly a major part of my daily life.


    She was the world¡¯s most caring older sister. She was a genius who could reach the peak of a human warrior. She was a one in a million beauty¡­No matter how you looked at it, she was flawless. A perfect existence.


    As for me? I¡¯m sure you already know; I¡¯m nothing but a talentless piece of garbage. A piece of trash that couldn¡¯t even protect a gold coin. The only thing I was good for was holding her back and getting in the way of others¡­since that¡¯s the case, there no point in me staying.


    Under the cover of night, I left. My only companions were a backpack and my weapons¡­I left. My head never turning back, not even once. I knew that if I did that, I might never take another step forward. That¡¯s why I had no choice but to leave in a hurry.


    My mind was full of conflicting emotions as I recalled the past few days. Nicole¡¯s care for me, Roscar¡¯s care for me. Then there was that dinner¡­their care for Sares, Roscar¡¯s question to Sares about Nicole¡­ I¡¯m thinking too much about this. I¡¯ve got to pick up the pace.


    With that in mind, I continued my aimless wander through the forest. As time passed, I began to feel that I was completely lost; my lack of experience outside clearly showing. In the past, I was merely an otaku. In this life, I was about the same. I rarely ventured outside. This wasn¡¯t a safe world for children after all. One misstep and you might find yourself on some slave trader¡¯s caravan as a pitiful slave.


    Time passed, and I felt that I had covered a significant distance. Even if I turned back, there was no way to go back home. By now, the skies were pitch black. My heart pounded in fear with every step I took in the darkness. Perhaps I shouldn¡¯t have left home after all. But it was just too painful¡­why did they have to focus their attention on Sares¡­because I¡¯m a burden? Or is it because I¡¯m trash¡­


    Since this world has aura and magic, that means there should be dead spirits as well¡­


    As I thought about this, my body shivered reflexively as a chill ran down my spine; my hairs standing on end. Even a slight breeze would scare the living daylights out of me given my current condition.


    But I can¡¯t go back! I don¡¯t want to go back! What¡¯s waiting for me at home? Damned Sares¡¯s face!


    ?


    I¡¯m scared but I don¡¯t want to go back. At this moment, I was just like a kid throwing a tantrum at no longer being the favorite son. I forcefully held back my fear and continued on. Thankfully, it was a relatively uneventful trek. Other than my occasional encounter with the boogeyman of the forest, the owl, nothing scared me¡­


    As I continued my aimless trek, the sun began to rise. I sat down on a nearby rock and took a break. I had some money from daily savings. It was meant to help me start a business but it had now become my travel budget. Without a destination, I could only try to stretch this budget as long as I could. If I met a bandit on the way, I could only pray he let me live in exchange for this sum of money.


    ?


    The plan was to continue on till I finally grew tired of traveling or was just too tired to move. At which point, I would make a pit stop in a village.


    Sounds pretty miserable, but wasn¡¯t this how the main character in those wuxia novels got a fortuitous encounter? Eight years have passed and I still had no Aura Perception, hack or grandpa. Hopefully, it¡¯s just that my fortuitous encounter hadn¡¯t come as yet. Perhaps this trip will be the start of my new life.


    A new day, a new beginning and a new hope¡­oh wait, and a new dawn.


    The night sky slowly retreated as the sun rose, radiating its brilliant rays of light.


    It¡¯s time to press on.


    The eight year old me, with a 43 year old soul, pressed on towards the rising sun, a new hope in my heart. My aimless journey began once more and stopped once more. After an hour of trekking, I stopped for a meal of bread and water.


    After that pit stop, I set off again. As I stood up and patted the dust off my butt, I heard a faint voice echo in my head. It sounded like a cry for help.


    Help? Why is there a strange voice asking for help in my head!?


    Should I reply? How do I reply? What if it¡¯s a trap? But if I don¡¯t go, this itch will never be scratched¡­I guess I¡¯ll go check it out.


    Having decided on a course of action, I began to gear up. I equipped a small iron-plated buckler on my left hand and a 60 cm short sword on my right. Perhaps it was due to the influence of <>, my first choice of equipment was a shield and sword. This was my plan, to become a Sword and Shield Warrior if I ever awakened my Aura Perception. (TL: I¡¯m MT: A satirical Chinese anime about WoW and being a main tank(MT))


    ?


    Lastly, I holstered a couple of daggers on both sides of my waist and set off to find the owner of this strange voice.


    To be honest, the moment I decided on this course of action, I was already prepared for the possibility of death.


    After another 10 minutes of trekking, I suddenly spotted a strange red creature running past me. I immediately took up a defensive stance, but this creature merely ignored me and continued on. In a blink of an eye, it had disappeared. I wasn¡¯t able to catch a proper glimpse of it before it vanished into the bushes.


    While I was slightly surprised by this, I continued on, my curiosity growing even more. That creature reminded me of a devil. But if that was a devil, shouldn¡¯t it have pounced on me right away. Why did it ignore me? There¡¯s definitely something going on.


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    ?


    I picked up my pace once more. After 10 minutes, a chaotic clamoring echoed in the air. From the sound of it, it was coming from right in front of me. I crouched down and and entered a shrub. From my bush, I spied a bunch of green figures a short distance away.


    The tallest among them didn¡¯t reach 1.5 meters and they all had an emancipated stature. They had a face that even a mother wouldn¡¯t love and wore matching grass skirts. They wielded a bunch of crude weapons ranging from wooden clubs to rusty blades. These were goblins!


    ?


    ?


    They numbered around a thousand strong and formed a goblin army. However, these dimwitted demi-humans weren¡¯t capable of maintaining a proper formation, so calling them a horde would be more accurate. On the outer edges of this horde were a bunch of dead goblins and those strange red creatures. Even the red creature I met on the way here was lying dead in that pile.


    The dense monster horde severely impaired my vision so I had no choice but to climb up a tree to survey the scene.


    From my vantage point, I spotted a strange purple-haired loli in the middle of the horde. They were surrounding her. She looked to be around 10 years old and wore a white princess dress covered in flower embroidery. From a single glance, one could tell that this wasn¡¯t something a normal person could wear. Her long flowing hair framed a lovely oval shaped face with a seductive pair of red lips and flawless white teeth as well. She looked like a little immortal from those Chinese novels.


    She sat weakly atop a large rock with a grim look on her face. Beside her were over a hundred devils protecting her. These devils had a similar physique as the goblins but were slightly stronger. They were the same as the red creature I saw previously. It was called a small imp, and it reminded me of those small green imps you saw in a certain MMO made by a certain company named after a snowstorm.


    These small imps possessed the combat strength of a normal adult human and were commonly found in Purgatory. They were the of the lowest tier in the devil world and had a status akin to a human peasant. They were also the original form of all Greater Devils.


    Within these 100 small imps, there were 10 of them that were particularly large. This was the evolved form of the small imp. It was known as the large imp.


    Large imps were one-star devils and were the equivalent of one-star warriors.


    The devils formed a protective ring around the loli and faced off against the goblins. In the distance were some sporadic groups of imps rushing towards the loli. These were her reinforcements, but in order for them to reinforce her, they first had to break through the ring of goblins.


    This was the beginning of the battle between the two races. The devils wanted to get in while the goblins wanted to block them. Their clash was inevitable and was a prelude to the upcoming bloodbath.


    The goblins¡¯ garbage grade weapons barely had any effect on the small imps, so the imps had the advantage in a solo fight. But these goblins had an overwhelming numerical advantage. If one wasn¡¯t enough, then what about two? What about five or even ten!


    ?


    Most of the time, each small imp had to face goblins on all four sides. This resulted in them only being able to kill around two goblins before getting swarmed to death.


    In the distance, I saw a goblin face off against a charging small imp with his wooden spear. It connected with the imp but it barely penetrated its hide before it was stopped. Having been injured, the small imp flew into a frenzy and charged headlong into that goblin, trying to claw him to death.


    ?


    However, another was lying in wait behind that goblin. This hidden goblin surprised the imp with a wooden club to its head, stunning it slightly. At its side, another goblin wielding a blade fragment saw an opening and charged at the imp, his target, its head.


    However, this imp was merely faking its weakness. As it saw the goblin charge at it, it flashed a toothy grin full of fangs. Ignoring the blade fragment, it reached out with its claws and latched onto the goblin biting down on its neck.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± The goblin¡¯s screams slowly faded as the imp¡¯s fangs sunk into its airway. Soon it was tossed away like a ragdoll by the imp.


    The imp¡¯s cruel methods terrified the surrounding goblins and they began retreating. It was at this moment that a burly goblin stepped forward. It wielded a buckler and a short-sword. From its equipment, it was probably the head of these goblins.


    The goblin pushed aside its terrified comrades and howled at them in an unknown language. At which point it turned its attention to the imp. Its mouth revealed a taunting smile that could only be found in a intelligent lifeform. It adopted a phalanx-like stance and charged at the imp.


    This well-geared goblin was clearly different from its fodder comrades who could only rely on numbers. It was much stronger than its comrades and its gear was obviously pieced together from the remains of human adventurers. In terms of combat strength, it was at least at the level of an adult human.


    The imp was of a similar level, but it didn¡¯t possess a weapon which put it at a minor disadvantage compared to the goblin. Furthermore, it was still besieged by the other weaker goblins. It wasn¡¯t long before a victor was crowned.


    The imp was swiftly killed by a stab to its heart.


    This was merely the fight of one imp. There were similar fights happening throughout the battlefield as the imps tried to breach the ring. Only the large imps were able to successfully breach the ring and rush to the loli¡¯s side.


    However, this wasn¡¯t all. As time passed, more and more devils joined the fight, and soon the goblin horde was the one being pressured.


    Goblins were similar to gnomes in that they loved to kidnap beautiful humanoid females. These females then faced the terrible fate of being a reproductive tool for the goblins. This was because the children born from a stronger female were much stronger than the ones born from a female goblin. As a result, goblins, gnomes and other similarly inferior races adopted the custom of kidnapping humanoid females to boost their races strength. This was common knowledge.


    I wasn¡¯t particularly interested in this custom. Instead, I wanted to know more about that purple haired loli. She actually had the ability to tame these devils! How did she do that!?

 Chapter 8: Goblins Vs Devils

    As time passed, more and more devils threw themselves at the goblin encirclement, tilting the battle further in the loli¡¯s favor. The goblins knew instinctively that they couldn¡¯t drag this on any further and split the horde into two. One detachment to block the incoming devils while the other attacks the loli and her devils.


    This was my very first encounter with a large scale battle. While it was just a low level battle between one-stars, it was still amazing. Even with my vast experience with large (movie) battles, the sheer scale of this battle still shocked me.


    From a high vantage point, it looked like a tidal wave of red ants had crashed into an ocean of green ants. The ants furiously tore into each other, littering the battlefield with corpse from both sides.


    In spite of the grand melee happening around her, the purple loli still maintained her passive condition sitting atop her rock. Even the horrific injuries of her bodyguard devils failed to move her into action.


    Based on my vast (movie) battlefield experience, this loli should be a novice on the battlefield. If she had ordered her bodyguards to charge at the same time as the devils on the outside charged the perimeter, the goblin encirclement would have collapsed. However, she did not do this. Which only meant that she was either inexperienced or was stalling for time.


    Soon, the number of reinforcing devils started decreasing; all the surrounding devils must have already arrived. The strength of the devils were plain for all to see, and while the goblins vastly outnumbered them; their numbers were still manageable to the devils. This resulted in the battle reaching a precarious stalemate.


    Both sides continued their bloody battle with no victor in sight. The goblins who had lost their weapons used their claws, teeth and whatever they could find to fight. Periodically, one could see some devils picking up the goblin weapons as well. The battle had truly reached a feverish point with no sign of abatement. The devil¡¯s superior abilities were countered by the goblin¡¯s cooperation as the devils only relied on their personal valor and prowess instead of coordination.


    This stalemate raged on for another two more hours. By this time, the number of participants had dwindled significantly. The battlefield was a field corpses and mutilated parts, with a river of blood running through this red and green mess. With the goblin boss just having been bitten to death by a large imp, the battlefield was reduced to a group of 7 goblins with varying injuries facing off against a half-dead large imp and the mysterious loli.


    The remaining goblins were on the verge of fleeing, the vicious death of their boss still fresh in their stupid minds. Their fear had made them ignorant of the large imp¡¯s numerous injuries.


    They were creatures who only dared to attack when they had sufficient numerical advantage. The large imp was aware of this point so he made a show of strength by fiercely bellowing at them. However, even within a stupid race like the goblins, there were bound to be one or two geniuses. Or perhaps goblins who were just too consumed by the urging of their lower half.


    A goblin dropped the wooden club in his hand and slowly picked up the curved blade of the goblin boss as if doing so granted him the strength and the status of a goblin boss.


    Apparently, it really did. The newly crowned goblin boss barked a few commands at his comrades and the other goblins merely hesitated for a while before charging at the large imp. This sudden display of courage stunned the large imp. He did not expect them to continue fighting back. However, this surprise only lasted a while as it soon turned into rage. He grabbed the front most goblin and while ignoring the attacks of the other goblins, savagely bit the goblin to death as he bear-hugged the poor thing in place.


    ?


    However, this was the last of the large imp¡¯s strength. While their comrade was being bitten to death, the remaining goblins wildly attacked the imp. Finally, one of their wild strikes got lucky and hit the deepest wound on the imp¡¯s back. The wound was deep to the point where one could probably hear its heart beating while standing nearby. As the lucky goblin drove his wooden spear into the imp, it penetrated its back piercing into the heart, dealing a fatal blow.


    ?


    If that imp fell, wouldn¡¯t there be nothing standing between the goblins and their future slave loli?


    ?


    Suddenly, that mysterious voice rang out once more in my head. Perhaps it was due to the proximity, but this time it was a much clearer voice: [Please save me¡­]


    No! I mustn¡¯t allow such a thing to happen! Forcing a girl was something I absolutely abhorred!


    Even though I was a damned otaku in my previous life, who sporadically read some strange books. Those were merely books! In the end, I¡¯m part of the pure love faction¡­Wait, why did I bring in my babies?


    ¡°Hey, you damned bunch of green shorties. Look over here!¡± I shouted as I jumped off my tree perch and rushed towards the loli. It was at this moment that the large imp finally collapsed to the ground. Ignoring the countless corpses in front of me, I charged headlong into the goblins, clanking against my shield with my sword while screaming at the top of lungs: ¡°Hey scrubs, look over here.¡±


    ?


    My taunt skill seemed to have worked as they all turned their attention towards me. They definitely did not understand human language, but I guess some gestures and words transcended the racial barrier. By this time, I was a mere 10 meters away from the closest goblin.


    One of the benefits of dying and reincarnating into a new body was my improved eyesight. I was no longer that nerd using a pair of magnifying glasses as spectacles. At this distance, I was able to see the unusual behavior of that loli. She sat atop her rock with her eyes shut and her body shivering as if she was under great pain. From the looks of it, she was severely injured. While it wasn¡¯t serious enough to kill her, if she was captured by the goblins¡­perhaps death would have been better. Either way, I¡¯m already here and I fully intend to save her.


    Hmm¡­with only 6 more goblins to go, I should be able to handle them.


    This reminds me of that hunting trip a year ago¡­


    Roscar brought me into the forest to train and my opponent then was a goblin. I was hesitant to strike at first, but its horrific stench and deformed looks left me disgusted and soon I was going toe to toe with that goblin. In order activate my Aura Perception, I imagined him as those damnable colleagues from my past life and charged. After an epic fight with the goblin, I finally won. The result? I gained a large amount of XP and even gained a level.


    Unfortunately, my Aura Perception didn¡¯t awaken¡­


    As I thought about this, my mood darkened. I guess a useless guy like me could only bully a bunch of goblins.


    The goblin boss pointed his curved blade at me and muttered a few garbled sentences. Upon hearing this, the goblin who stabbed the imp to death hesitated a while before he began slowly approaching me. Was he trying to test my strength? No wait, he¡¯s trying to capture that loli at the same time.


    As the spear goblin faced off against me, a pair of deformed goblins reached out to the purple loli, their aim clear; to secure the reproductive tool.


    Despicable lifeforms¡­I won¡¯t show you any mercy.


    With my buckler raised, I charged the spear goblin. My fierce charge seemed to have had an effect on this goblin. He hastily stabbed out at me with his spear, the anxiety apparent in his eyes. I easily deflected that light stab with my buckler and continued my charge. By now, I was a mere two steps away from his unguarded body. With a swift stab of my short sword, I pierced his chest!


    With that, I only had 5 more goblins to contend with. My body was shivering at this moment but not from fear. It was excitement! It had been a full year from my last encounter with a goblin and yet my body still had such a visceral reaction to this kill.


    ?


    I wonder where did this violent side of me come from? Perhaps it was from being repressed so much in my previous¡­ Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. Five more to go.


    With a kick to the corpse, I withdrew my short sword from the goblin¡¯s body, a stream of blood spraying onto my face. Damn, this sucks. But with the battlefield so saturated with blood and gore, I was already accustomed to the stench of blood.


    Seeing me kill that goblin with ease, the goblin boss barked a few more commands. The pair of goblins who were about to capture the loli fell back. To them, the loli was as good as theirs. They only had to take care of their new obstacle, me.


    *awo arooo!!*


    ?


    The howling goblin boss led the newly reunited goblin team in a charge towards me. He took the head of this charge in a show of bravery to the four survivors behind him. The remaining goblins were covered in wounds from the previous battle. In a solo battle, they wouldn¡¯t pose any threat at all. It was merely a matter of numbers. This was the first time that I¡¯ve faced five opponents at once.


    ?


    As we met face to face for the first time, the goblin boss swung his curved blade out at me. However, I was already prepared. My buckler in hand, I blocked that swing.


    *thud*


    Only allowed on Creativenovels.com


    ?


    The curved blade bit into the buckler with slight thud before coming loose once more while leaving shallow cut mark in its wake.


    ?


    Based on this initial clash, it was obvious who came out on top. It was ¡®the me¡¯ who had practiced tirelessly for seven years. I made use of this opportunity to lunge at the goblin with my buckler.


    *bam*


    The buckler crashed into the goblin¡¯s head and knocked him onto the floor. It seemed to have knocked him out. I immediately to tried to follow this with a killing blow, but the trailing goblins counterattacked and stopped me. A pair of steel barbed wooden spears stabbed out at my feet and head. I hastily dodged the spear to my feet and blocked the other with a raise of my buckler and swing of my sword.


    The short sword sliced through the air in a metallic flash, cleaving through the necks of these two goblins. A spurt of blood filled the air as their lifeless bodies crumpled to the ground.


    Only three left.


    Just when I thought my victory was firmly secured, I received a harsh slap to the face.


    ?


    Just as I prepared to face the two incoming goblins, a burning pain shot through my left leg. It was if the world collapsed at that moment as my body suddenly lost its balance and toppled. I barely had time to register this shocking change before I had to roll away to dodge an incoming attack. I tried to stand up but my left leg didn¡¯t listen to me¡­No, that¡¯s not right. It wasn¡¯t that it didn¡¯t respond, it was simply not there!


    My leg is gone!? I¡¯m crippled!?


    A sinking feeling filled me as I lowered my head. It¡¯s gone! Half of my left calf was gone.


    The goblin jumped to his feet at this moment with an evil grin on his face and his bloodied blade waving in the air. So he wasn¡¯t knocked out. He was faking it!


    This despicable fellow faked his unconsciousness in order to avoid my attention! Taking advantage of my distraction, he quietly crawled up to me and sliced off part of my left leg. It must¡¯ve been a truly sharp blade for it to slice through flesh and bone so easily.


    Losing my balance in the midst of battle had serious consequences for me. The other two goblins immediately took advantage of this and lunged at me; fully intending to finish this wounded dog off.


    ?


    Metal clashed against wood as my buckler deflected the goblin¡¯s wooden club. However, I wasn¡¯t able to counterattack due to my crippling injuries. The other goblin followed his partner¡¯s attack up with a stab of his rusty short sword. Its target, my lower abdomen. I mustered whatever energy I could and kicked my body off the ground with my remaining leg, dodging a fatal stab. However, this did not mean that I dodged it completely. The short sword penetrated my right thigh as it stabbed into the ground.


    ¡°Die!¡± My sword shot forward in a hate-filled stab. The goblin who had just nailed me to the ground wasn¡¯t able to react in time as he got skewered through the heart, the deformed smile on his face forever frozen in time.


    There was barely any time to celebrate this kill as I felt a rush of air near me. Soon, I felt a dull pain in my head as the breath was knocked out of me. A goblin had struck my head with a wooden club. Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t a heavy hit and I managed to resist the urge to faint.


    With a swing of my left arm, I smashed my trusty buckler into that goblin¡¯s nose, bloodying his face. I wanted to continue my attack but couldn¡¯t do so. The loss of my left calf and being nailed to the ground on my right thigh, severely restricted my movement. In a decisive move, I flung my short sword at the club wielding goblin, piercing his chest¡­


    *Arororo*


    The last remaining goblin stared at me with its green eyes, a myriad of emotions apparent within them. Hatred, anger, reluctance and fear¡­ He did not dare to approach the me who was currently shieldless and swordless. Instead of the word cautiousness, cowardice and weakness suited him more at this moment.


    He turned to the expressionless loli once more. Shortly after, he bent down and picked up a rock and tossed it at me. In the end, he was unable to resist the lure of this reproductive tool and chose not to flee.


    Goblins were a intellectually impaired demi-human race. This meant that their choice of weapons were usually restricted to the level of a caveman from earth. To a caveman, the rock was a commonly found weapon of mass destruction.


    As such, every goblin was a natural rock-tossing champion.


    While it was merely a simple rock toss by the goblin, it was a fast and accurate one. It flew unerringly towards my head, never once veering off course. Without my mobility, I was essentially a practice dummy for the goblin. I immediately blocked that rock with my arms but it was soon followed up by another rock¡­

 Chapter 9: Recognized

    Goblins are truly a stupid bunch of fellows. They are really stupid.


    ?


    Since you are smart enough to know to use a rock to attack from a distance, then you should at least know how to switch your targets right? Is there a f*cking point in constantly targeting my head?


    All the rocks were caught by me before they caused any damage. If he had just targeted my lower half, I definitely would have had trouble catching those.


    ?


    Well, thanks to his stupidity, I¡¯m now able to fight back. As I threw the rocks back at him, the goblin¡¯s eyes opened wide in surprise.


    He did not expect a cripple like me to fight back, and had to use his blade to knock it away. Seeing it fail, I added another rock to my attack. He batted it away once more but didn¡¯t have time to block the second rock and got hit on his left shoulder.


    In the meantime, I tried to pull out the sword that was nailing me down but failed to do so. There simply wasn¡¯t enough time to pull it out. Furthermore, the sword had penetrated too far in. That attempt had sent waves of excruciating pain crashing through my body, making me to break out in a cold sweat and causing my legs to go soft.


    *aroo awo!*


    Seeing me try to pull out the sword made him panic. My lack of mobility was his biggest advantage. Once he lost it, the fight would swing back in my favor. He finally gave in to his worry and decided to engage me in melee combat. Clenching his teeth, he charged me with howl, his blade flourishing in the air.


    He leveled the blade with my neck and prepared to slash at it while charging. This was it. This was the moment I had been waiting for. I calmed myself down and drew out the two daggers I kept at my waist. One clashed against the oncoming blade while the last one stabbed at the goblin¡¯s heart.


    Time slowed down as the dagger closed in on his chest. Just as it was about to finish him off, the goblin retreated a step backwards. The attack had failed. My loss of blood had caused my attack to lose its decisiveness, and this coupled with the natural short range of the dagger meant that it only grazed his chest.


    My heart sank to the depths of hell as the shortie backed away even further. His close encounter with death had thoroughly shaken him. He immediately circled around me and tried to attack my blind spot.


    Looks like nearly dying had knocked sense into his dense head. Too bad, this only doomed him even more. I was aware that my short range was my biggest weakness so I specifically trained in a throwing dagger skill. While it was definitely unable to hit the goblin when he was throwing rocks at me, a mere three meters was well within my effective range.


    I tumbled backwards and shifted my sights onto the goblin. With a flick of my wrists, both my daggers shot out one after the other.


    The goblin was caught off guard once more by my decisiveness. He did not expect me to go all out with this attack and was barely able to raise his blade in time to block a dagger. With the blade tied down by the first dagger, the second had a clear shot at the goblin. It flew unerringly into his lower abdomen.


    *hissss*


    I had completely forgotten about the sword stuck in my leg. It viciously tore into my leg as I tumbled, sending another wave of pain crashing through me once more.


    Damn, why wasn¡¯t it the heart¡­I¡¯m sure I aimed at the heart¡­


    The goblin lowered his head in disbelief and stared at the dagger sticking out of his stomach. He knew he was done for. With a last burst of energy, he took the last charge of his life¡­


    A minute later, he was dead but I would soon follow him. In that last desperate attack, he managed to slash my chest and even my face. Thankfully, they weren¡¯t deep but they were deep enough for me to abandon my last bit of reservation.


    ?


    I opened my mouth wide and chomped down on his throat¡­that taste¡­ I felt like puking for the next hundred years or so.


    Haha¡­worrying about taste at this time, I guess even in death, I¡¯m still the same old me¡­I guess, I¡¯m going to die again. I wonder if this time, I¡¯ll fall into an eternal slumber or will I reincarnate into a different world? Thinking about it, I¡¯m kind of looking forward to it. I¡¯m cheap aren¡¯t I? My life is so cheap.


    ?


    My left leg was gone, my right thigh was nailed to the ground and my chest was so cut up that I couldn¡¯t get up. Every second was a living hell for me as I waited for my impending death.


    This body won¡¯t last much longer¡­ As I lay there, the bloody stench of the battlefield filled my sinuses. Painful¡­It stinks¡­Is this the battlefield that I was looking forward to? A meaningless battle where no one won.


    Sigh, so meaningless¡­ I should have just stayed at home and be an obedient otaku. Would¡¯ve been so much safer.


    Nicole, what are you doing right now? Roscar, did you know that I¡¯ve left home? Sares, you¡¯ll treat Nicole well won¡¯t you? I have so much I want to say to all of you¡­I really didn¡¯t plan on dying¡­but now, it looks like I have no choice¡­


    My mind was a complete mess at this moment. My entire life flashed before my eyes as I laid there. All the regret, the pain and reluctance seemed to have numbed the burning pain wracking my body. Even my body knew it was pointless to feel any more pain.


    As time passed, I had even forgotten why I was in this mess in the first place.


    ?


    After an indeterminate amount of time, the purple loli finally moved. Her unmoving silhouette had been so firmly etched in my mind that I initially thought it was merely a trick of the light.


    ?


    She slowly raised her head and lifted her eyelids, revealing a cold expressionless pair of eyes. Paired with her regal purple hair, they gave her an aura of nobility. As her eyes opened, a pair of purple wings sprouted from her back in an angelic display of feathers and purple light.


    ?


    The loli surveyed her surroundings with her signature passive look. In her eyes, the blood and gore might as well be roses in an ordinary garden.


    ?


    As if right on queue, a gentle breeze blew past the battlefield, gently lifting up her white princess dress. A light indescribable fragrance wafted through the air, wiping away the stench of blood surrounding me.


    ?


    Such a perfect face. So much better than the lolis living in my 100gb hard disk¡­ Ahem, I mean she is really pretty, even prettier than Nicole¡­ No wait, Nicole is the best! Ah¡­even on my deathbed, I¡¯m thinking of such nonsense. She¡¯s like an angel but how could an angel be affiliated with the devil? Purple wings¡­must be a fallen angel.


    ?


    She¡¯s even a legendary triple iced loli; cold hearted; icy lipped; frozen faced. I thought they only existed in the 2D world!


    The loli slowly made her way towards me. From the looks of it, she hadn¡¯t recovered much. Every two steps she took was followed up by a hobble. In order to balance herself, she had to flap her wings periodically. Looks painful¡­I wonder what¡¯s so important that she was willing to endure this pain to approach me.


    ?


    Perhaps it was due to the excitement of having a loli approach me, my pain had mysteriously vanished. Even my mood had improved considerably; all that talk about death disappeared with each step she took. If my death could save such a cute loli, it was worth it!


    It wasn¡¯t long before the scent of that loli filled my nose. Ahh¡­so intoxicating. Being able to die while sniffing this heavenly scent was a kind of a blessing as well. After all, I didn¡¯t reap any benefits from my previous death and instead saved a damned pretty boy. I bet those two will end up as lovers in the future¡­


    ?


    Strange, despite being at death¡¯s knell, my thoughts seem to be unusually active. Perhaps, even a little perverted.


    ?


    ¡°Human, what are you thinking of?¡±


    ?


    The tripled iced loli finally spoke, her voice devoid of emotions as if she was soulless.


    ?


    ¡°Human¡­me?¡±


    ?


    ¡°Human, do you regret it?¡±


    ?


    ¡°No¡­¡± Regret? Why would I have any regrets? My death was already a done deal, what¡¯s the point of regrets. Besides, how could I stand idly by and watch such a cute loli get kidnapped by a bunch of goblins!


    She seemed to have taken issue with my smile as her eyes wavered slightly.


    ¡°Why are you smiling?¡±


    ¡°Happy¡­¡±


    ¡°Happy?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­just¡­happy¡­that¡­you are alright.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    She stood there stunned, unable to comprehend my chain of thought. Perhaps, she thought that the loss of blood had rendered me unable to speak too much, so she stooped down by my side. Her milky white arm reached out and rested lightly on my bloody forehead.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to speak, just use your thoughts to communicate.¡±


    [An item that can read a person¡¯s mind? That¡¯s pretty convenient. Can you really hear my thoughts?]


    ?


    ¡°Mhm. I can.¡±


    [That¡¯s great. At least I¡¯ll have someone to talk to on my deathbed.]


    ¡°Why did you save me?¡±


    [If I left a loli to her fate without even trying to help, I would¡¯ve lost the right to call myself an otaku.]


    ¡°Otaku?¡±


    [A mysterious life form. If you don¡¯t understand it, you can skip over it.]


    ¡°You really don¡¯t regret it?¡±


    ?


    [I wouldn¡¯t say that I have no regrets, but you are just too cute. Being able to save you made me feel blessed.]


    ¡°Blessed?¡±


    [It means to be very happy.]


    ¡°Don¡¯t you feel any despair?¡±


    [It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m just an unnecessary person after all. Useless¡­being alive would only be a burden on Nicole and Roscar¡­]


    ?


    ¡°Tears.¡±


    Only allowed on Creativenovels.com


    ?


    [It¡¯s not tears. It¡¯s water.]


    ¡°Tears.¡±


    [I already said it¡¯s not tears.]


    ¡°Tears.¡±


    [¡­fine. I¡¯ll admit it. I¡¯m crying. Are you happy now? I really want to see her one last time¡­]


    ¡°Sorry¡­¡±


    [It¡¯s alright. I guess it¡¯s my fate to die here. Did you know, I actually had a family. But my existence was only a burden for them so I chose to run away from home. This was my first day. Who knew I would meet you today¡­is this heaven¡¯s will? Dying to save a loli¡­I guess it really is my fate. Oh right, what happened to you? How did you end up here?]


    ¡°I secretly learnt some dimensional magic and ended up in an accident¡­got bound, couldn¡¯t move¡­¡±


    [Haha, so you failed. That¡¯s pretty funny. I didn¡¯t expect such a cute girl to have such a clumsy side to her. So cute¡­ But you must be more careful the next time around. Don¡¯t make anymore mistakes. You got lucky this time when you met me. The next time you might not be so lucky.]


    ¡°Mhm. There won¡¯t be a next time¡± She solemnly nodded and turned to me.


    ¡°Wish, what is your wish?¡±


    [My wish¡­]


    ¡°While it¡¯s not possible for me to fulfill them now, once I¡¯ve escaped from this predicament, I¡¯ll help you fulfill it. Money, land, women¡­no matter what it is, I¡¯ll get it for you.¡±


    [Hah¡­anything huh¡­if you had said this to me before I was injured, I probably would¡¯ve proposed to you in the heat of the moment. Haha. I¡¯m kidding. This might be our first meeting, but I can imagine how esteemed your status must be. There¡¯s no way you would fancy a piece of trash like me. Well, what should I wish for?]


    The loli tilted her head in puzzlement and asked in her deadpan voice. ¡°Marriage?¡±


    ?


    [Err¡­just forget about that. It was just a joke. Are you able to heal me?]


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    An expected reply came out of her mouth as she unexpectedly lowered her head. ¡°If I had my full powers or if we were at home¡­¡±


    [If that¡¯s the case¡­I¡¯ll just change my wish.]


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    [Honestly, I only have one simple wish: remember me. Don¡¯t ever forget about me. Tell me: ¡°You were very helpful.¡± That¡¯s all I need.]


    ¡°¡­¡± The purple loli¡¯s face distorted slightly at my wish. She did not expect my dearest wish to be so simple.


    [My name is Mo Ke. Can you tell me your name?]


    ¡°Yi Yi.¡±


    [In that case, Yi Yi, will you please remember my name. If you forget about me, then that means that there are no more traces of my existence in this world. Actually, my biggest wish is to be recognized, to be needed. I just wanted to be a useful person¡­I don¡¯t want to be powerless weakling¡­a burden¡­I¡¯m tired¡­]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    [So please¡­say it¡­]


    ¡°You¡­were very helpful. You were the one who saved my life and you have my deepest gratitude for that. You aren¡¯t a worthless piece of trash¡­If it wasn¡¯t for you, I would¡¯ve chosen to destroy my soul¡­¡±


    [Who knew¡­I was actually that useful¡­]


    ¡°That¡¯s right. You were outstanding.¡±


    [At last, I can pass away in peace¡­goodbye forever¡­]


    An image of Nicole and Roscar frantically searching for me flashed through my mind as I my consciousness slowly faded. They should be looking for me right? They should be desperately looking for me right?


    ¡­It¡¯s despicable of me to say so but I don¡¯t regret running away from home¡­because Yi Yi was saved¡­at least I did something useful before dying¡­being needed¡­is truly a blessing¡­

 Chapter 10: The Second Reincarnation

    Death came to Mo Ke like a fleeting dream. Unannounced and traceless but also peaceful and most of all, pleasant.


    Soon after, a flat buzzing echoed in the surroundings of the loli. Its source, the crystal pendant on Yi Yi¡¯s chest. It was shaped like pair of devil wings and had a blood red hue throughout; clearly an item connected to the devils. As expected, the vibration of the crystal was soon accompanied by a devil¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Yi Yi, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve fallen for that human.¡±


    Only allowed on Creativenovels.com


    The tripled iced loli remained as frozen faced as ever as if a talking pendant was the most natural thing in this world. ¡°Fudina, can he still be saved?¡±


    ¡°You want to save that human?¡±


    ¡°Mo Ke was unsatisfied¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m aware of that. Humans are always like that. One moment they aren¡¯t satisfied about their power and another moment later, they aren¡¯t satisfied that someone else¡¯s wife is prettier than theirs. At times, they are unsatisfied with their current wealth¡­The point is they are greedier than Mammon¡¯s race¡­¡±


    ¡°I think Mo Ke still wanted to live in the end.¡± She curtly interrupted Fudina¡¯s ranting and fell silent once more. Her icy face betraying nothing as usual.


    ¡°That¡¯s why humans are such strange creatures. They want to live on no matter the cost, but are willing to risk their lives to protect another; even if that person is a stranger. They might have accepted their deaths but their body still latches onto their will to live, desperately struggling for naught.¡±


    ¡°If Mo Ke had just stayed hidden, he wouldn¡¯t have died¡­¡±


    ¡°Then those goblins will do all sorts of *%%^&* to you¡­¡±


    ?


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Fudina brushed off her brusque comment and continued, ¡°Haha , either way this ending isn¡¯t too bad, though that human died in the end.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not Human.¡± Yi Yi immediately cut in with her deadpan voice.


    ¡°Hm? Not a human? Then what is he? A dog?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s Mo Ke, the one who saved Yi Yi.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine, fine.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s the first person to help Yi Yi without asking for anything in return. He¡¯s also the first person to unreservedly risk his life for Yi Yi.¡±


    ?


    ¡°In a sense, he did indeed hold nothing back.¡± After a deliberate pause, Fudina continued, ¡°But why do I get the feeling that he was seeking death.¡±


    ¡°Even so, that was in Yi Yi¡¯s service!¡±


    In face of her persistence, Fudina relented. ¡°Fine fine. My dear princess, whatever you said was correct.¡±


    ?


    ¡°Yi Yi wants to save him.¡±


    ?


    ¡°¡­¡±Fudina fell silent at her request. After a moment of deliberation, Fudina spoke up, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t¡­with your current magic power¡­saving him isn¡¯t as easy as you think.¡±


    This warning fell on deaf ears as she persisted once more, but instead of talking she bent down onto Mo Ke¡¯s body, her pink lips almost touching his nose. She opened her mouth slightly and inhaled. A wispy column of mist rushed out of Mo Ke¡¯s nose like a pair of translucent snakes coiling around each other as they ascended into her mouth.


    ?


    As more and more of the fog gathered in her mouth, it slowly formed a sphere. Once it had fully stabilized, she spat the sphere out onto her hand.


    The sphere was roughly the size of a lychee and had a face imprinted on it. It was the face of a slumbering Mo Ke. In middle of this sphere was a solid mote of light that was slowly leaking away on its outer edges. As the light dissipated, the outer edges became more translucent by the second. This was Mo Ke¡¯s soul slowly dispersing due to the loss of its protective body. A normal human¡¯s soul was simply too weak to survive without a body. This was why ghosts were a rarity in this world.


    Souls filled with a deep hatred before dying were an exception to this rule. These souls had a high chance of becoming vengeful spirits because their deep seated hatred would help stabilize the soul, while simultaneously feeding it by absorbing the hatred in the world. This applied to strong desires in general. However, whether it was hatred or strong desires, Mo Ke possessed no such thing so he could not stabilize his soul. Given time, his soul would disperse into nothingness.


    ¡°With the heavens and earth as my witness, I do hereby swear upon the highest echelons of Purgatory. I, Yi Yi, as one of the candidates for the throne of the Demon King of Pride accept this person as my fiancee¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey hey¡­ I don¡¯t want to enter a guy¡¯s soul¡­I¡¯m only 500 years away from forming a new body¡­I¡¯ll have to pass on this¡­don¡¯t make me do this¡­¡±


    ¡°Protect him well. I will aid your revival at the right time.¡± The pendant¡¯s words were ignored once more as she lowered it carefully onto Mo Ke¡¯s soul without seeking Fudina¡¯s consent.


    ?


    ¡°Fine, since you said so, I¡¯ll help this fellow just this once. With the power of the Chaos crystal, reincarnating a human is hardly worth mentioning¡­it¡¯s just¡­I would have to sleep for a while.¡± Seeing that he had no say in this matter, he resigned himself to his fate. ¡°However, I can¡¯tguarantee he will be able to survive in that place¡­¡±


    She threw a deadpan look at the crystal and said, ¡°If he doesn¡¯t make it, then you can accompany him in death.¡±


    ¡°¡­Fine, I got it. *Sigh*¡­I¡¯m just so unlucky. Hopefully this little brother will be fortunate enough to survive until I awaken.¡±


    ?


    ¡°It¡¯s Mo Ke.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine. Mo Ke.¡±


    ?


    As Mo Ke¡¯s soul came into contact with the Chaos crystal, the crystal slowly liquefied and seeped into his soul. It wasn¡¯t long before Mo Ke¡¯s soul had a faint red hue within it. It was initially a faint almost pinkish red hue but soon darkened into a dark red akin to blood.


    As the crystal did its work, the blood around the battlefield began consolidating at one spot. The red liquid began coagulating and started flying around in a purposeful manner as if it was the ink on an artist¡¯s brush. Soon, an intricate blood formation was formed on the ground.


    Yi Yi took a step forward and gently pressed down onto the magic formation. In that instant, the ground within the formation seemed to have been torn asunder. Fiery tentacles which could have only come from the depths of hell, sprouted out of the cracks and instantly reduced Mo Ke¡¯s body to ashes upon contact.


    Under the protection of the Chaos Crystal, Mo Ke¡¯s soul dove into the crack.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    ?


    ?


    Chaik Village.


    ?


    Roscar got up early to train as per his daily routine. What struck him as strange was the absence of a certain boy who would usually be up and training in the yard by now.


    He was probably tired¡­ As he told himself this, Roscar chose to continue his aura training until Nicole called them for breakfast. However, when the time for breakfast came, Mo Ke was still nowhere to be seen as if he wasn¡¯t even in the house.


    ¡°Little Ke, it¡¯s time for breakfast.¡± She knocked on his room door and entered the next instant without waiting for a reply¡­The room was empty.


    Her heart started pounding as a strange look crossed her face. She had a bad feeling about this as if something terrible was about to happen. She scoured the room and quickly found the letter left on the table by Mo Ke. She dashed out of the room and immediately brought the letter to Roscar. The two of them swiftly opened the letter and read its contents. It didn¡¯t explain why he wanted to leave but merely stated that he wanted to take a trip outside.


    Mo Ke was missing!


    ?


    Roscar left Nicole some instructions and immediately dashed out of the house. He frantically combed the village and soon came upon the tracks left by Mo Ke. He was an experienced hunter after all, tracking an eight year old was easy for him. He followed the trail closely, through its various twists and turns. Half a day later, he finally came upon the battlefield of the goblins and devils.


    The battlefield was devoid of anything other than the stench of death emanating from the corpses littered about. He quickly got down to the grisly work of flipping through each individual corpse, his mood visibly affected by the implications of this situation. After an extensive search, he only found a short sword engraved with a name and a buckler.


    As for that blood formation, he only knew it had to do with devils and nothing else. As he brought back what he thought was Mo Ke¡¯s relics, he was greeted by the sight of an anxious Nicole. By her side, was Sares dutifully comforting her.


    At that moment, Roscar seemed to have understood something¡­

 Chapter 11: Hunting in the Sea of Blood

    Where is this?


    How long has it been? Aren¡¯t I supposed to be dead?


    It was a sea of darkness around me. The only things linking me to reality were the sounds of waves crashing against the coast and the suffocating feeling I was experiencing. Is it a lack of oxygen?


    ?


    Damn it! Where am I? Didn¡¯t I die after saving that loli? Why am I still alive? And why are both my legs still attached¡­


    I tried to get a feel of my surroundings by waving my limbs around, however, I soon encountered resistance. It was thin and hard but not overly hard. My first impression of it was a wall.


    ?


    Only allowed on Creativenovels.com


    Have I been wrapped in some strange material? Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s really a wall¡­


    As I pondered these questions, I continued struggling around within this enclosure. Each time I slapped the wall-like structure, it echoed back a dull sound.


    As time passed by, breathing became more and more difficult. At this rate, I will suffocate to death if I do not break out of this enclosure soon.


    It would be an utter disgrace if I died before figuring out the situation. Don¡¯t tell me I reincarnated once more? I guess it¡¯s possible. I reincarnated from Earth into an alternate world so what¡¯s stopping me from reincarnating once more?


    With the assumption that I had reincarnated again, I increased my efforts to break out of this enclosure. I tried a variety of methods to escape, such as increasing the strength of my attacks and continuously attacking the same spot. Soon the wall relented and cracks began forming at the spot I attacked. As the spider web of cracks spread, beams of red light began to fill my sight.


    I guess this isn¡¯t the western human realms huh¡­ My curiosity only intensified as soon as I realized this fact. I doubled down on my attacks and soon a large hole was formed in the wall. My oxygen-deprived self immediately stuck my head through the hole and took a deep breath of fresh air.


    However, the expected relief came with a few surprises. The air was scorching hot and scalded my airways as I inhaled it.


    *cough cough*


    What¡¯s up with this air? Why is it so hot and is that sulphur I smell!?


    ?


    The sounds of waves crashing filled my ears once more but this time, it was much clearer. As I looked around, I discovered the identity of that wall; it was a red eggshell-like material. Behind that egg was a blood red sea crashing onto an equally eye catching blood red coast paved with gravel.


    *crack*


    I swung my head around to locate the source of that ¡®crack¡¯, and noticed several other egg-like objects around me. Some had already hatched while others quietly laid there, wobbling from time to time. Among them was an egg which had just hatched and from within it came a small imp.


    Oh¡­so I¡¯m in Purgatory. Purgatory!?


    Ahhhh¡­I just died once and now I¡¯m in such an amazing place! This can¡¯t be real!


    ?


    Cough¡­reality¡­forget it. I¡¯ve already died and reincarnated twice, reality can just take a back seat.


    Hmm¡­that imp climbed out of an egg and I climbed out of an egg¡­which means¡­no way. This joke aint funny at all.


    However, reality begged to differ as I looked down. It was a pair of skinny, scaleless and crimson hands, equipped with a sharp set of claws; a small imp¡¯s hands. My legs were a similar glossy red¡­I guess I¡¯m really an imp¡­¡­¡­NOOO! At least turn me into an esteemed race like the fallen angels! Can I get a reroll¡­


    I¡¯ve no idea why I react so strongly whenever a serious situation arises but becoming a devil is actually not that bad. At least I¡¯m alive and I could slowly evolve my way into a greater devil¡­who knows, I might even be able to make it back to the human world and find Nicole and Roscar.


    However, does time here pass at the same rate as the human world? Or is it like those Chinese novels where a year here is equivalent to tens of years in the human world. By then Nicole would be a granny with a whole herd of Nicolettes and Nicholases¡­or maybe it¡¯s not even possible to return!


    ?


    *rumble¡­*


    Who¡¯s making all that noise¡­oh, it¡¯s my stomach. Well, I guess now¡¯s not the time to be thinking about such things. First, I¡¯ve gotta secure some food.


    I mean, I¡¯ve never had an actual deviled egg¡­I wonder what would these eggs taste like. Does it taste like a chicken¡¯s?


    I picked up a stone and smashed into one of the unmoving eggs with the pointed side of it. As expected of a weapon of mass destruction! The eggshell barely stood a chance and cracked after two hits. An actual devil¡¯s egg¡­not those fancy smancy deviled eggs from Earth, but an actual devil¡¯s egg! I¡¯m getting excited just thinking about eating it.


    As the eggshell broke apart, a stench of death wafted into my nose. With a quick glance inside, I immediately lost my appetite¡­I guess calling it a devil¡¯s balut would be more appropriate. I think I¡¯ll give this a pass! (TL: Street food from Philippines, baby duck in its egg.)


    I think I¡¯ll pass on the other eggs as well¡­


    ?


    As I left behind the blood sea, I headed towards the outer edges of the beach. It was uncomfortable walking barefooted at first, but thankfully my feet were no longer the fragile feet of a human. Even stepping on a sharp rock was only a minor discomfort. It was just a matter of getting accustomed to it.


    The blood sea slowly faded into the distance as I continued on my path. Soon the sounds of battle crept into my ears, piquing my curiosity. I quietly made my way towards the source and found two small imps furiously fighting. Each of their attacks were aimed solely towards each other¡¯s weak points, their objective clear; to murder the other party.


    The battle soon devolved into who could strangle the other to death first as both their hands wrapped around each other¡¯s neck. As the razor sharp claws bit into the exposed neck, blood dripped down their hands.


    A minute later, one of them laid dead on the floor while the other was severely injured. The survivor was barely able to breathe at this point and would likely die a moment later. I approached them out of curiosity but as soon as that survivor spotted me, a frenzied look crossed his face. He roared at me and tossed the nearest rock he could find at me.


    The speed wasn¡¯t too fast and was easily caught by my hand. With a casual flick of my wrist, I tossed the rock back at him.


    *crack*


    The rock seemed to be unusually effective as it impacted the imp¡¯s chest with a loud cracking sound. Its body convulsed momentarily before falling still, his head tilted to the side with his eyes wide open. Dead.


    Me: ¡°¡­¡±


    Isn¡¯t he too weak?! I know it¡¯s the first mob encounter but is it alright to be so flippant about giving away experience points?!


    Hmm? I seemed to have inhaled some kind of soul after killing that imp. The spectral form of that red imp struggled desperately as its misty body rushed into my nose and mouth. I hastily covered them both but it was useless; the soul passed through my hands and into my body.


    Did I just eat a soul? Gross¡­what¡¯s with this horrible setting!


    However, that disgust was soon replaced by a welling sense of power and curiosity. As the soul dove into me I felt a warm rush of power in my body. My stomach was no longer growling and after testing out my punches, they seemed to have grown stronger.


    Huh¡­is this the effect of consuming that soul?


    As for the other imp that died earlier, its soul did not rush into my mouth. It must¡¯ve been consumed by that survivor or perhaps it simply dissipated. If killing a monster allowed me consume its soul as nourishment, haven¡¯t I turned into one of those RPG characters who kill monsters to raise their levels!?


    ?


    Woah¡­this is awesome! I finally have a hack-like ability¡­However where did this ability come from? And why did I end up in this strange place after dying in the human world?


    A multitude of questions to answer but none of them were important right now. For now, filling my stomach took precedence and that means it¡¯s time to hunt for some small imps.


    Other than small imps, this place was filled with even more small imps. The little scamps engaged in a deadly battle royale where the victor ate the loser¡¯s corpse, gaining the right to live and grow stronger in the process. As for me, I¡¯ll pass on consuming their corpses. As for their souls¡­don¡¯t you even think about escaping my clutches.


    Soon, I found my second group of prey. It was a pair of small imps currently engaged in a battle with each other. My trusty sword and buckler were gone so I had to rely on a pair of rocks as my weapons. While these were very primitive weapons, they still packed a punch with my current arm strength. This was even more so if I threw them in a dart-like fashion with the pointed edge targeted at the enemy.


    In a remote corner of Purgatory, beside a pile of rocks, these two imps battled to the death. They had a frenzied look in their eyes similar to the other two imps I met earlier. I guess they were newborn imps as well; driven into a frenzy by their hunger.


    It was a vicious fight where every strike left a bloody wound on the other. Soon, the fight devolved into a brawl where they grappled with each other as they fell to the ground, kicking and biting.


    Taking advantage of their fight, I sneaked towards them. After reaching the optimum range, I broke into a running charge and threw both my rocks at one of the imp¡¯s head. It rushed through the air and crashed onto the imp¡¯s head causing it to bleed.


    Thanks to his dimwittedness, the other imp misunderstood my actions as a sign of alliance and intensified his attacks.


    Kid, I¡¯m sorry about cheating your feelings¡­I picked up another rock and tossed it towards that silly imp without a trace of remorse on my face¡­


    After absorbing their souls, not only had my hunger been sated significantly, my body brimmed with power as well. As for those two corpses¡­truth be told, as I laid eyes on those two corpses, a strange feeling crept up on me¡­


    My hunger did not fade completely and instead the thought of eating those two corpses slowly entered my mind¡­ This wasn¡¯t normal. I didn¡¯t plan on eating these corpses but my body had the urge to consume their flesh¡­previously, I did not experience this urging when I had just broken out of the egg¡­


    In the end, I prevailed over the hunger. After all, I¡¯m not a true devil; I could not stoop to that level just for power. However, an interesting idea came to me.


    I placed the corpses next to a conspicuous looking boulder and climbed atop the boulder with a rock the size of a head tucked underneath my arms. I laid down with my trusty weapon of mass destruction ready by my side. The trap had been set and now I just had to wait for the prey.


    As expected, I did not have to wait long before another small imp took the bait.


    10 minutes later, a small imp found the corpses and rushed towards them. Since I was near the blood sea, this was probably a newly born imp. With its low intelligence, the thought of this possibly being a trap had never crossed its mind.


    ?


    The imp took a sniff of the corpse before surveying its surroundings. Having checked that its flanks were clear, it bit down on the left arm of the corpse. Delicious! That was the expression I saw on its intoxicated face. This was probably the first meal of his life and it was someone of his own race! However, this would also be its last.


    ?


    As he took his second bite, I made my move.


    *splat*


    The rock descended from the heavens, smashing his head in a horrific explosion of brains and gore, dying my face with blood and cerebral fluid.

 Chapter 12:Why Are You Kneeling?

    With the aid of this trap, I easily managed to kill 5 small imps; like shooting fish in a barrel.


    However, things took a turn for the worse as the bait finally attracted the attention of a hulking large imp. It was burlier than a small imp its arms and legs were thicker and it was at least a head taller.


    ?


    The large imp swaggered towards the rock, drawn by the scent of the dead imps. It wasn¡¯t long before he noticed the seven to eight corpses beneath the rock. Without a second thought, he charged at the corpse pile and frantically munched on the corpses like a ravenous monster.


    ?


    As I laid atop the rock, I stared at the rock in my hand before gazing back at the large imp, a conflicted look on my face. If it had not been for the battle I witnessed before dying, I might have already sprung my trap like a fool.


    I clearly remembered in the face of that goblin horde, only the large imps were able to break through their encirclement. Despite the large amount of small imps that charged at the horde, not a single one of them survived. The difference in power between the two was plain for all to see.


    This difference not only came from a difference in power, large imps had a much higher endurance and defensive strength. Furthermore, they possessed a ferocious desire for battle that the small imp couldn¡¯t compare to.


    Only allowed on Creativenovels.com


    It was precisely why I did not attack him. I wasn¡¯t foolish enough to take him with a mere rock just because I had the main character halo on my head. If I did that, I would¡¯ve been ripped to shreds and eaten¡­


    I¡¯ve gotta admit though, this fellow can really eat. I¡¯ve been waiting atop this rock for 2 hours now and he¡¯s still going at it. He was really planning to finish all the imps!


    During these two hours, there were a number of small imps who approached this spot but were immediately scared away by the glare of the large imp. Every one of them ran away with their tails between their legs to look for their mommas.


    I guess he¡¯s pretty strong¡­even though he just looks like a one-star piece of c**p to me. Ahem, I seemed to have no right to say this though, being a zero-star piece of c**p myself.


    With a casual pat on his stomach, the large imp finally finished the corpses and instead of leaving, laid down on the beach and dozed off¡­


    Sleeping right after a meal, without even a care for his surroundings¡­such a carefree guy.


    Should I ambush him now? What if he¡¯s just faking it? He might suddenly awaken andattack me the moment I approach him.


    Just as I was brooding over this, a group of small imps stumbled upon the large imp. Unlike the other imps I¡¯ve encountered, these three weren¡¯t fighting with each other but were instead sneaking up on the large imp. It wasn¡¯t long before they were right next to him.


    The three little scamps muttered sentences that sounded like eagles chirping. Perhaps it was due to my reincarnation into an imp, but I was actually able to understand what they were saying. I got slightly bored as their conversation dragged on. However, I was able to get the gist of it. They were discussing their plan of attack.


    A slightly smarter imp had the bright idea of using rocks. He knew that the rocks were harder than his fists so he grabbed a piece of rock. He made a hitting motion with this rock to signal to his companions to arm themselves. Before long, each imp was armed with their own weapon of mass destruction.


    The leader imp gestured the usual 3 2 1 countdown with his fingers as they prepared their attack. As the last finger went down, the three of them simultaneously smashed their rocks down onto the large imp¡¯s head.


    Unfortunately, the results weren¡¯t as expected. Instead of a mess of blood and gore, the three rocks had only caused three bumps on their large imp¡¯s head¡­


    Having been smacked on the head thrice, no matter how thick this large imp was, he would¡¯ve felt something. His eyes shot open as he gently rubbed the bumps on his head. Suddenly, he noticed the three small imps around him.


    ¡°What¡­are you guys¡­doing here?¡±


    ¡°We¡­we¡¯re¡­¡±


    ?


    Lower ranked devils were essentially retards when they were just born. As such, they did not know how to lie. Seeing that their plan failed, they nervously glanced at each other and without a second thought, two of them turned tail and ran. The remaining imp foolishly thought his allies were going to join in a head on fight so he charged at the large imp with his trusty rock in hand.


    The large imp stared dumbly at the two scamps running away, completely ignoring the brave little fool in front of him. *smack* His head was hit by the same rock one more time but it was still as pointless as before.


    *Roar* ¡°I¡¯ll eat the lot of you!¡±


    Having expended a significant amount of brain power, the large imp finally managed to squeeze out a complete sentence as he roared. With a swift scoop of his hand, he grabbed the small imp and bit down, his monstrous teeth tearing through the small imp¡¯s neck in an instant. However, by this time, the other two imps had already ran off into the distance.


    ?


    Why is this potato just sitting there munching on this imp instead of chasing the other two¡­


    I was left speechless by the sight before me. The sight of that large imp eating those 7 to 8 corpses was already disgusting enough, I didn¡¯t want to see him munch down on another¡­Didn¡¯t you just had your fill of imps?


    However, his eating speed wasn¡¯t as fast as before. Perhaps he wasn¡¯t hungry. After consuming half of the imp, he stopped. I originally thought he was finally full but this thought was soon proven wrong as I spotted a group of small imps charging towards him.


    What¡­? Are those ten small imps here to raid this dungeon boss?


    As I looked at the approaching imps, I spotted two familiar faces. While small imps pretty much looked identical, I was still able to make out the identity of the two imps leading the pack. They were the two potatoes who ran away.


    The small imps formed a circle around him as soon as they approached him. As for the large imp, he was still nonchalantly chewing on the imp as he stared at them. To him, they were merely food who offered themselves up to him.


    *roar*


    ?


    He set out a resounding bellow in a show of superiority. This was an intimidation tactic he often employed to scare away small imps. It was usually very effective however he had severely miscalculated. His pea brain simply wasn¡¯t aware of the fact that these 10 imps were all the imps he had scared away previously with said tactic. They met up with the other imps and banded together against him.


    They had a radically different approach from all the other imps Mo Ke had encountered so far. Despite, their roughly equivalent strength and independence, they chose to form a large party in order to defeat this large imp.


    The fact that these dimwitted newborns were able to do so was a miracle in of itself.


    A large imp was naturally an expert at fighting, having fought his way up from a small imp. He had the confidence of an expert. To him, whether it was ten imps or two, it was all the same; he would face them with a disdainful look on his face.


    Seeing his intimidation fail, the large imp got slightly impatient and flung the corpse in his mouth at one of the offending imps in a show of dominance.


    The unfortunate imp was sent flying by the corpse and crashed onto a rock. The little scamp grunted a few times as he tried to get up but ultimately failed. His head had been severely injured and would require some time before he could recover.


    The large imp¡¯s confidence was further boosted by his successful attack and raised his head proudly, roaring in laughter. As he did so, bits and pieces of his previous meal spewed from his mouth and splattered around his body. He truly looked like a devil from hell.


    ?


    However, this large imp was doomed to be disappointed once more. He had assumed this display of superiority might finally deter these imps but instead they were further riled up by this.


    ?


    ¡°OwwwAoo!¡±


    ?


    The little scamps dog piled the large imp as they roared. They latched onto his legs,hands, neck and whatever empty space they could find, biting and clawing. The large imp swayed momentarily before he collapsed under the combined weight of the 9 imps.


    The combined attack of so many small imps wasn¡¯t something a large imp could endure.


    In a short span of ten seconds, the large imp¡¯s body was riddled with gaping wounds and covered in his own blood. His normally fierce face began to show signs of suffering.


    By the time the small imps were done attacking, there wasn¡¯t an intact piece of flesh left on the large imp. He laid there limply like a ball of meat, moaning miserably.


    Given another round of attack, this large imp would¡¯ve been dead.


    However, it was at this moment that the imps decided to stop attacking and instead distance themselves from each other. They stared at each other with a multitude of expressions flashing across their faces.


    I could pretty much guess what they were thinking right now¡­they wanted to gain sole possession of the large imp¡¯s body and soul.


    I don¡¯t know from where it began but by the time I saw the fight start, the entire group was engaged in a deadly brawl. I sat atop my comfy rock watching the spectacle unfold before me. How exciting¡­all that¡¯s missing is a box of popcorn.


    It was a truly gruesome battle. Each of the small imps were evenly matched and none of them were armed. Blood and gore splattered in the air as they fought with their claws and fangs in a primitive battle to the death.


    Soon, all the imps were in a similar state to the large imp; not a single part of their body was whole.


    By now, the imp count had dwindled to five and an unusual stalemate had occurred. Because this was an odd number, one of the imps would be left without an opponent.


    Having been here from the start, I was clearly aware where this fifth imp had come from. He was the imp that was downed by the large imp¡¯s first attack. As he watched his comrades kill each other, he laid there impatiently waiting for his body to recover. By the time his head recovered enough for him to move, he practically leaped into the melee.


    Seeing his chance, he jumped into an ongoing battle between two injured imps and slew them in an instant.


    Idiot! If it was me, I would wait till the very end before getting up. That way, I would only have to fight one small imp before getting the large imp all to myself.


    However, just as the movie was nearing its climax, two of the imps in the face-off suddenly fell. Soon after, its miserable screams filled the air.


    I immediately turned towards that imp and found the culprit. The mastermind behind this murder was the large imp we had all left for dead!


    Amazingly, this fellow didn¡¯t die from his wounds but instead feigned his death and quietly watched the imps battle it out while he recovered. Seeing the five of them stop fighting, he became unbearably anxious.


    As they say, haste makes waste. Apparently, this not only applied to humans but to devils as well. The small imps¡¯ anxiousness to turn on each other ended up giving the dimwitted large imp a chance to turn the tables on them. As they were busy staring at each other, the large imp had silently crawled over and in an instant grabbed the legs of two of the imps. With a quick smash and bite, he took care of the two of them with his superior strength.


    Now, there were only three small imps left. The large imp had regained the upper hand and he was aware of this fact as well as he grinned devilishly at the imps.


    ?


    The scamps were thoroughly shaken by this turn of events and were momentarily stunned. They did not know whether to retreat or fight to the death.


    Wow! I can¡¯t believe you managed to turn the tables with your body in such state¡­you¡¯re good!


    Large imps were a lot stronger than small imps and this one especially so. He was probably one of the stronger large imps out there. For all I know, he was at the peak of his tier and could breakthrough at any moment.


    As for the three small imps, their combat prowess were definitely lower. If¡­.no¡­.there¡¯s no need for ifs, as those imps immediately turned around and fled in different directions.


    Seeing their frightened expressions, the large imp finally breathed a sigh of relief as he released his domineering facade. He flipped his body around and quietly laid on the beach, with his eyes drawn out in a grin as if he was thoroughly enjoying himself right now.


    Well¡­should I jump him? Definitely! Only an idiot would not ambush him now.


    With a rallying cry, I leaped off the rock and brought my trusty rock down upon the large imp¡¯s head.


    ?


    With the added force of my freefall accelerating my attack, my ordinary rock smash gave me unexpected results. What would¡¯ve normally been a concussion at most had instead smashed the large imp¡¯s head into pieces, killing him.


    Me: ¡°¡­¡±


    And here I was, thinking that it was going to be an episode¡¯s worth of a fight scene¡­


    The large imp¡¯s soul leaked out of its dead shell and rushed into my nose, filling my body with a warm sensation similar to a comfy fireplace. I closed my eyes as I savored the sensation of being in a virtual hotspring.


    *crunch*


    The sudden sound of footsteps echoed in my ears, interrupting my reverie. I immediately opened my eyes in alarm; the depths of Purgatory weren¡¯t a safe place after all. Before me were the three small imps who had ran away.


    Hah hah hah! So you guys are back! Well, this one has gotten strong so you guys had better wash your necks and wait for your impending doom¡­S**t, there¡¯s an uninjured imp among them¡­Can I really take the three of them on?


    ?


    Well only a fool would fight a losing battle so¡­it¡¯s time to run.


    ?


    ¡­But is it truly ok to run without even trying?


    I¡¯ll try to intimidate them first.


    With that settled, I flourished my newly acquired weapon of mass destruction and put up the most intimidating pose my skinny body could muster.


    Just as my eyes focused back onto them, those three potatoes were already on the floor¡­kneeling¡­

 Chapter 13: Subordinates?

    Atop the sandy beaches of Purgatory, a lone figure plodded on. It was a small imp covered in wounds and judging by his intermittent hobbling, a very tired imp.


    An imp like him could only be described as the perfect prey for the denizens of Purgatory and this was proven once more as he got ambushed by a member of his own species. The imp swaggered from behind his rock into plain view as soon as he confirmed the injuries on his prey.


    The injured imp finally noticed the newcomer and turned around in panic and ran. With a giant stride, he took off like the wind, his previously injured facade dissipating with the wind as well.


    ¡°No. 2! You idiot, you¡¯re running in the wrong direction!¡±


    Staring at the back of the escaping small imp, I jumped out and shouted at him in an exasperated voice. Thankfully, No.2 only ran a few more steps before hearing me. He suddenly recalled the plan we discussed beforehand and changed directions towards us.


    However, the newcomer imp immediately realized we were comrades and beat a decisive retreat. His tiny back faded into the distance as he ran further and further away¡­


    ¡°No. 2, you retard!¡± The prey escaped and I wasn¡¯t happy. I rapped his head with my claws, leaving a small bump behind.


    ?


    Behind me, two more small imps walked out. One of them was similarly wounded while the other was perfectly uninjured. Like a pair of monkeys, they mimicked me in openly reprimanding No.2¡­¡­


    Ahem¡­I guess I should explain the current situation.


    Remember when I had killed that large imp? There were three small imps who appeared shortly after. I originally wanted to kill them but those three potatoes bent the knee before I even had the chance to lift a finger¡­.


    And so, I came to possess three subordinates. While they were each dumber than the other, I didn¡¯t despise them as a result of that. Like the kind and caring person that I am, I sheltered them and gave them succour. Furthermore, I even went through the trouble of giving them each a well thought out name: No.1, No.2, and No.3.


    ?


    The injured ones were No.1 and No.2 while the uninjured one was No.3.


    The one who was baiting that small imp but ended up getting smacked on the head was No.2.


    After that fateful meeting, we made a pact. Whatever prey we captured, its soul would go to me while the corpse was theirs.


    On a separate note, the severity of this potato¡¯s injuries were all faked. His performance could only be described as oscar winning. If this was Earth, he would¡¯ve been an A-lister in hollywood. Too bad, he¡¯s stupid and couldn¡¯t even lure the prey into the right direction¡­


    Well being stupid is fine as long as he can be trained.


    I led No.1 and No.3 to our new hiding spot while No.2 went off to bait more imps. No.2 looked at me with a slightly pitiful expression as he rubbed the tiny bump on his head as if to say he¡¯s too hurt. However, I would have none of his crocodile tears. In the end, he obediently went off to be the bait.


    Two minutes later, No.2¡¯s running figure entered our sights. Closely behind him was another small imp. He did it! He ran in the right direction!


    ?


    Awesome, he deserves a raise¡­


    Just as I stepped out to kill that newcomer, an unwelcome sight entered my vision¡­why the heck is there two groups chasing No.2!?


    In the front there was only one imp but ten meters behind it was another group of six small imps¡­Jesus, are you trying to get me killed!?


    ¡°Hide, quick hide!¡±


    ?


    The beach was littered with several rock pillars which we quickly hid behind. Soon, No.2 joined us in hiding behind the rocks. Following closely behind him was the imp from the first group.


    However, this imp didn¡¯t attempt to find No.2, but instead continued running until he finally ran past us¡­


    Is he not a comrade of those six imps?


    Just as this thought occurred to me, the six imps ran past us as well, ignoring the fact that No.2 had simply vanished from their sights. Their dimwitted brains could not comprehend the implications of No.2 suddenly disappearing and was focused solely on chasing that red butt who was slowly fading into the distance by now¡­


    Just as well, I didn¡¯t intend on ambushing these six imps. We only had four members on our side and two of them were even injured, putting us at a numerical disadvantage. While they had all gotten stronger from consuming that large imp, No.1 and No.2 were still injured and were unable to fight at 100% of their power. Given this situation, retreating was the best option available.


    However, before I could give the order to retreat. That idiot No.3 had a lapse of sanity and rushed out at the leading imp of that second group. As he collided with his target, they tumbled onto the ground violently. The imp who had been ambushed had no time to react before his head collided with a nearby rock.


    As expected of an SSS ranked rock, the small imp was knocked out after that collision, allowing No.3 to chomp down on his neck unopposed.


    No.3 was the only uninjured one who ate the large imp¡¯s flesh so the strengthening effect on him was especially pronounced. His body was brawnier than the other two and naturally possessed a higher strength. To him, ripping a normal imp¡¯s throat to shreds was as easy as breathing.


    ?


    However, No.3 did not finish off his opponent. After confirming that his opponent was incapacitated by his bite, he got up and glared at the other five. He roared at the five imps who were still stunned from his sneak attack, his mouth dripping with fresh blood.


    The combination of his roar and the blood painted a truly terrifying sight.


    Damn, that roar¡¯s as good as a crowd-control skill.


    Seeing that No.3 had temporarily stunned the other five imps, I ordered No.1 and No.2 to attack. Upon receiving this order, they fearlessly charged into the fray and pounced on their respective targets. As for me, I charged one of the imps, with two rocks waving in the air.


    With three of the five imps being taken by my subordinates, the remaining two enemies turned towards me. However, before I could retaliate, one of them was bravely intercepted by No.3. With an additional imp to deal with, this battle heated up quickly. As they say, two hands are less than four, and No.3 was quickly forced into a defensive posture. Thankfully, it didn¡¯t look like he was about to fall.


    On the other hand, No.1 and No.2 were unexpectedly fearless as well. They swapped injury for injury as they relentlessly clawed and bit at their opponents.


    As for that meat head No.3, I honestly felt that he thought his muscles could accomplish anything¡­


    Being the smart little imp that I was, brute strength was beneath me. Naturally, my fighting style was more technique based. After all, all those years training under Nicole and Roscar weren¡¯t just for show. With the skills gained from my tireless training, even a pair of rocks could be turned into a pair of makeshift daggers, with deadly effect.


    A small imp¡¯s techniques were limited to a clawing attack and bites. From time to time, they might throw in some kicks and headbutts, but ultimately all of these were inferior to my human techniques. With a flashy flying kick, I sent my opponent flying and followed up with a relentless rain of strikes until he was unable to move.


    By now, No.1 and No.2 were in a precarious position, especially No.2. He had several close calls with his neck nearly being bitten at one point. Just as my eyes fell on him, he was sent flying by a kick and fell to the ground with a thud. It was a severe blow. His body was riddled with injuries prior to this and with this kick, his wounds opened up once more and blood streamed out of them.


    I didn¡¯t dare to tarry any longer. I swiftly rushed to his aid, ambushing his opponent with my trusty rock. With a single smack of my rock to his head, his body trembled as his eyes rolled back. That strike had nearly knocked him out.


    However, I wasn¡¯t done yet, *smack smack smack* I unleashed the raw destructive power of my rock upon his head another three to four times. Soon, his head was nothing but a bloodied mess of brains and cerebral fluid¡­disgusting.


    Having killed my opponent, his red soul was absorbed by me. However, the effects were significantly less. I only felt a tinge of warmth from this kill. It seems like I¡¯ve reached a bottleneck.


    With the enemy dead, No.2 finally had time to recover. He threw me a worshiping look before rushing off to help No.1. With the combined might of these two scamps, their opponent turned into a living punching bag.


    As for No.3, his situation had deteriorated since I last saw him. While he was stronger than No.1 and No.2, he was still just a small imp. If he was facing a single small imp, he would have trounced his opponent, but he was facing two instead. Given that he wasn¡¯t a large imp yet, facing two at once was difficult.


    I rushed forward and ambushed one of his opponents, injuring him. With the pressure on him significantly reduced, No.3 had no trouble suppressing his sole opponent. By now, our victory was a given and within a minute, the battle ended. Outside of some light injuries, it was a complete victory for us with zero casualties.


    With the battle over, the three little scamps anxiously rushed to collect their prizes; the corpse of the dead imps. As for the souls, they were absorbed by me long ago.


    Prior to this, an event happened that corrected some of my misconceptions. I learnt that absorbing souls wasn¡¯t some hack ability given to me, but was instead an innate ability of devils. Even the puny small imp had the ability to store souls.


    The unlucky scamp killed by No.1 and No.2 was absorbed by No.1 who handed it over to me after the battle ended.


    These six imps were probably part of a team. While I did not know who their leader was, judging from their actions, they definitely had one.


    If I was right, this meant that the other small imps were beginning to form teams. This also meant that any solo imp would now become the target of these teams. An alliance of small imps wasn¡¯t something to scoff at. Given enough members, even a large imp had to prostrate himself before them.


    As my subordinates had their fill, I chose to distance myself from them. I still had some reservations regarding cannibalism. Or perhaps, I should say eating humanoids. Furthermore, gory sights such as this made me uncomfortable so I averted my eyes whenever I could.


    It wasn¡¯t long before I spotted an interesting sight. As I distanced myself, I spotted that imp who had ran away at the start, peeking at us. As our eyes met, that fellow actually tried to run.


    He probably wanted to wait till both our parties were severely injured before jumping in to reap the benefits. Unfortunately for him, we had an overwhelming victory.


    Hah. Poor kid must¡¯ve been scared shitless. Don¡¯t worry, big brother is coming to bash you!


    ?


    That small imp had definitely intended to run away. However, after taking two steps, it mysteriously stopped. As he turned around to face me, his knees fell to the ground¡­damn it, he kneeled¡­


    ¡­How should I describe my current feelings¡­well, the end result was, I¡¯ve gained a new subordinate¡ª¡ª-No.4.


    ?


    The addition of No.4 didn¡¯t cause much of a stir among our group. Err¡­perhaps it would be more accurate to say that he was bullied the moment he joined us. He seemed a lot more timid and immediately turned into a punching bag for his three new seniors to help digest their previous meal. After a round of hazing, he knelt down to show subservience.


    After another round of bullying, they finally got bored and let him go. As the four of them stood in a corner talking, they pointed at me from time to time. A moment later, their peaceful conversation turned into a slight scuffle as No.4 started showing signs of rebellion. No. 1,2 and 3 immediately renewed their bashing, however, it didn¡¯t seem to be working.


    ?


    After a while, I could no longer stand the sight of them hitting No.4 so I walked over to stop them. Seeing me step out to save him, he immediately hugged my leg and refused to let go.


    His action caused the other three imps to stare at him, their eyes wide open. A look of envy and hatred clearly visible in each of them¡­


    Did they get into an argument? Weren¡¯t they getting along just fine? I don¡¯t get it¡­well I¡¯ll just leave it to them to settle it among themselves.


    I was worn out after such a busy day, and in-fighting was the last thing I wanted to deal with. After sternly warning them not to fight, I led the team away from the blood sea. As soon as we came upon a cave, we scoured the insides. After confirming that it wasn¡¯t too deep nor was it dangerous, I ordered the four scamps to stand guard at the cave entrance while I rested.


    Purgatory did not have a day and night cycle. It was eternally day here. However, the clear blue skies were instead replaced by a dark red sky. Once you¡¯re tired, you rest. Once you¡¯re hungry, you hunt for food. This was the lifestyle of a devil living in Purgatory. A life filled with fierce competition and murder.


    Is this the life for me? Can I adapt to it? No matter the answer, I¡¯ve decided to live on. Perhaps I¡¯ve really received the favor of the heavens; perhaps I could immediately reincarnate whenever I died. However, this wasn¡¯t an excuse for me to give up whenever I encountered adversity. This is why I must try my best to live on¡­


    As I closed my eyes, my mind began drifting off. The silhouette of Nicole appeared before me. She seemed to be looking for me¡­I wanted to tell her that I¡¯m fine, that I¡¯m okay. But my stretched out hand merely passed through her shoulders¡­


    ?


    As I awakened, I stared blankly at my hand. With this hand, I wanted to touch Nicole but¡­I failed. After all, it was just a dream.


    A bitter smile graced my lips as reality proves once more that it was a cruel mistress.


    So begins my second day in Purgatory¡­

 Chapter 14: Changes in the Sea of Blood

    Western Human Realms, in the Kingdom of Tarnia, Chaik Village¡­


    Nicole stood in front of the doorway in a daze, her eyes fixated on a wooden dummy in front of her. As Roscar looked at his daughter standing there with luggage in hand, he sighed. He was just as upset as she was. These seven years, he had treated Mo Ke as his own flesh and blood even to the point of favoring him over Nicole.


    This was an atonement of sorts for him. If it hadn¡¯t been for him, Mo Ke¡¯s parents would not have died those seven years ago. Even after all these years, the guilt still latched onto him, unwilling to let go. Even though the casualties that day included his wife, his guilt didn¡¯t ease one bit.


    Nicole was probably the same as him, she treated Mo Ke as her little brother and was willing to do anything for him. Both of them had feelings for him in some form or another¡­.If only things had not progressed as such¡­


    However, there were no ifs in life. As a result of Sares returning, Mo Ke ran away from home¡­


    ¡°Was it because of me not noticing it quicker?¡±


    Mo Ke was extremely intelligent for his age and was acutely aware of things around him. As such, he had a maturity that other children didn¡¯t possess. The fact that he wasn¡¯t his real father was probably known to him all along. He probably loved Nicole as well¡­although the fact that an eight year would know anything about love seemed absurd.


    Actually, whether or not he knew about love was secondary. What mattered was whether he knew how to be jealous; whether he could be driven mad by envy¡­


    ¡°Nicole, I¡¯m here. Have you packed your stuff?¡±


    The owner of this voice was Sares. He had just arrived and after politely greeting Roscar, he turned towards Nicole and asked that question.


    ¡°You¡¯re here¡­¡± Nicole looked at him with a complicated expression on her face. She wasn¡¯t stupid. She had long figured out that Mo Ke¡¯s decision to leave had something to do with Sares, but she just could not recall any time when the two of them had an argument.


    Only allowed on Creativenovels.com


    While logic told her that he was innocent her heart said otherwise. This clash of opinions made her frown whenever she looked at him.


    ?


    Roscar was in a similar situation as well. Because of Mo Ke, he became slightly resentful of Sares even though he knew full well that it wasn¡¯t his fault.


    After failing to locate Mo Ke, Roscar continued searching around the surrounding areas of that battlefield; he felt that that battlefield was extremely suspicious. This was due to the fact that he found Mo Ke¡¯s weapons there, but didn¡¯t manage to find his body. He theorized that Mo Ke had either been eaten or kidnapped. Out of the two, Roscar leaned towards the latter.


    Because of this, Roscar decided to search around for more clues. If it was possible, he wanted to find a mage who could use Devil Arts or people similar to a demoness. These sorts of people were ostracized by the general populace and were thus extremely difficult to find.


    As for Nicole, Roscar decided to send her off to Warrior School. Once she got stronger, she could aid him in the search for Mo Ke. Of course, what he really wanted was for her to be able to help him before she graduated.


    Sares had initially taken the search very seriously as well but as time passed this changed. He was a very logical man. He knew that blindly searching for Mo Ke was pointless so he suggested to Roscar to let Nicole attend Warrior School. He had even offered to send a recommendation to the school to allow Nicole to enter as a special student.


    Special students enjoyed various perks while attending Warrior School. This included free tuition, free lodging, personal tutors and even specialized weapons¡­


    One can only imagine how gifted one had to be in order to enjoy these perks. Special students could be counted as the geniuses among geniuses.


    As she stood there with Mo Ke¡¯s wooden sword in hand, and her backpack on her back; she teared up. This was the last time she could see Mo Ke¡¯s wooden sword. She turned to Roscar and said in a low voice, ¡°Dad¡­I¡¯ll leave Little Ke to you¡­once I¡¯ve become stronger, I¡¯ll join you in searching for him¡­¡±


    ¡°Mhm, leave this to me.¡± Roscar confidently replied with words that he himself did not believe. He slapped his chest and wore a ¡°I¡¯m dependable¡± look on his face as he continued, ¡° Nicole, you got to study hard as well. Only by becoming strong can you accomplish more in the future. As for Sares¡­¡±


    Roscar turned to look at the confident young man who stood there with his chest puffed up. After a period of awkward silence, Roscar finally managed to force a smile onto his face as he said, ¡°I¡¯ll leave my daughter to you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take good care of Nicole.¡± He flashed his confident sunny smile at the pair, but this didn¡¯t seem to catch on with the father and daughter. Sares¡¯s smile faltered slightly but he still said, ¡°Mo Ke is a lucky boy, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s fine. Finding him is only a matter of time. Even when I was young, I knew he was a smart boy¡­¡±


    ¡°Sometimes, being smart is useless¡­¡± Nicole teared up further as she stroked Mo Ke¡¯s wooden sword; as if this was her long lost brother. ¡°A lot of times, being clever is useless¡­if he encountered bandits¡­should I pray that he was kidnapped and sold off as a slave¡­?¡±


    ?


    ¡°Sla¡­slave¡­¡± Sares could only smile awkwardly as he continued to comfort her. ¡°All that about being slave¡­seems a bit much¡­for all you know, Mo Ke isn¡¯t in such dire straits¡­¡±


    Roscar seemed to agree with her as he said, ¡°Slave¡­I guess that¡¯s fine too¡­¡±


    Sares: ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Purgatory: The Sea of Blood.


    After waking up, my head was still slightly groggy. As I swayed around, my head bumped into a rock, waking up me instantly. I looked at my hands once more¡­. red skin, sharp claws¡­


    ¡­so it¡¯s not a dream.


    My stomach growled as usual, signalling its dissatisfaction. I stood up and continued with my daily ritual of visiting the washroom before training¡­but there¡¯s no toilet in Purgatory.


    Does this mean I have to dig a hole? Er¡­wait a minute, I only ate souls last night and that¡­shouldn¡¯t have any waste product right?


    Hold on! I didn¡¯t take a piss either¡­my pee pee! Where¡¯s my pee pee!? Pee pee where are you!? I haven¡¯t gotten to use it yet¡­why is it gone¡­


    ?


    Sigh¡­My brain just can¡¯t keep up with all the life and death battles and the whole issue of being a devil.


    It was at this moment that No.1,2,3 and 4 rushed into the cave. They probably heard the ruckus from when I woke up and came in to check. The four stooges surrounded me with their pitiful gazes. Ah¡­I get it¡­I get it, you guys are hungry too aren¡¯t you?


    A bunch of gluttons¡­


    As for my pee pee, I can think about that later. The most important thing right now is to secure some food, otherwise, these subordinates of mine might just rebel. As I led them to the cave entrance, I immediately noticed that something was off. How should I say this? It seems like the water level has risen!


    Strange, when I went to sleep yesterday we were at least a few hundred meters away from the blood sea. However upon waking up, the sea of blood seems to have risen right up to our doorstep. Some of the waves were even beginning to reach our feet.


    ?


    Don¡¯t tell me this blood sea moves?


    ?


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, we need to leave this place.¡± In order to avoid being trapped by the blood sea, I immediately led them away.


    Along the way we met several other small imps fleeing from the blood sea as well. Some of them were alone while others moved in small groups. Whenever we met with groups smaller than us, we killed them.


    Our group was five man strong which counted as one of the larger groups we¡¯ve seen so far. As such, most small imps avoided us, saving us a lot of unnecessary trouble. The exceptions were groups who had similar numbers or even larger numbers than us.


    ?


    I had given an order to those four scamps to capture any lone imps they found and force them to serve us. If they resisted to the bitter end¡­then just end them.


    For some strange reason, the latter scenario rarely happened. Nearly all the imps we captured, knelt down without much hesitation and begged for mercy. As such the plan to recruit more small imps went smoothly. In merely half a day, the number of subordinates swelled to 12.


    The moment we hit the two digits range, I shifted our focus to hunting. The rule was as always, the souls belonged to me while the corpses are to be shared amongst the rest.


    I have no way of confirming this but the food intake of these scamps seem to be growing. Plus, they seemed to be undergoing some sort of transformation each time they ate. Especially No.3. He was the strongest among them and also had the largest appetite. He even changed the most. At this rate, he might be the first to evolve into a large imp.


    As for the blood sea, I theorized that this body of water was responsible for giving birth to these small imps.


    It was highly likely that this sea was the origin point of hell, an existence similar to a mother.


    We are currently situated at the edges of the blood sea. The devils here are extremely numerous with the most common type being small imps and the strongest being large imps. As for the reason for this¡­it¡¯s probably because the sea is moving.


    ?


    If this sea did not move, the small imps who hatched earlier could just prey on the newborn small imps. As time passes, these small imps would only get stronger and stronger while the imps who were born later would be relegated to the status of cattle. In a situation like this, no matter how hard you tried, you can¡¯t beat those who were born earlier.


    As the source of all life in hell, the blood sea definitely did not want to become a breeding ground for trash. While I do not know if the sea possessed a mind of its own, the fact that it moved is proof that it didn¡¯t want this to happen.


    Because of the sea moving, the devils who were threatened by the sea had no choice but to distance themselves. As a result, the devils who were born earlier would gradually leave this region. As for living in the sea¡­there¡¯s a legend on earth that the sea was the source of all life and that humans were born from the sea as well. However, have you seen any humans being able to breath underwater?


    As if to prove my theory, another wave crashed onto the coast. With it, came several round objects and a few small imp corpses. Those round objects were none other than devil eggs.


    ?


    It was extremely obvious now. The blood sea would give birth to devil eggs while the waves would wash them ashore. Small imps would hatch out of these eggs and begin hunting around the coast. After realizing that the sea moves, they would distance themselves in order to protect themselves. After which, the next batch of devil eggs would be washed ashore.


    If that¡¯s the case, the sea¡¯s expansion should have a limit otherwise the entire Purgatory would become flooded. However, I will probably never know what that limit was. In order to save himself, I have to leave this zone as soon as possible. Who knows when this sea might suddenly decide to drown me in my sleep¡­


    Speaking of which, shouldn¡¯t we have encountered some large imps by now? Ah¡­speak of the devil¡­that seems to be a large imp ahead¡­


    With a body that towers over a small imp, he was clearly a large imp and judging by his face, he wasn¡¯t happy¡­


    Behind this surly large imp were five other small imps.


    On my side, our numbers came out to 13. Our numbers were definitely superior but the other side had a large imp. This tier of devil could easily suppress a bunch of small imps. In a one on one fight, a small imp couldn¡¯t last more than 10 seconds.


    ¡°Hey you. That¡¯s right, you. Get over here and let me have a look.¡± When he was 10 meters away from me, he pointed his finger at me and shouted overbearingly, ¡°Get your ass over here!¡±


    ?


    Surprised, I pointed at my nose and asked, ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, you.¡±


    Once a small imp evolves into a large imp, their intelligence will experience a boost which also increases their communication abilities.


    ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this? Why do you want me to get over there?¡±


    ¡°To have sex of course!¡±


    Me: ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Se¡­se¡­sex? The word sex just came out from a devil¡¯s mouth¡­and it seemed to be directed at me¡­how unpleasant¡­


    Which reminds me, this large imp doesn¡¯t have any boobs or a pee pee either. Is he a male or a female? But since he¡¯s trying to catch me, I guess ¡®its¡¯ a female? Also, how do devils have sex? I¡¯m kinda curious now.


    Er¡­what the heck am I thinking about! I should be angry about this! That¡¯s right, I¡¯m angry, very angry!


    ¡°Hey, hurry and get over here otherwise this one will kill all your subordinates before tearing you into pieces!¡±


    Before I could express my anger, No.3 stepped forward and shielded. ¡°You. Scram! Now!¡±


    ¡°Brat, you dare to disrespect this great one!?¡± The large imp was taken aback by No.3¡¯s rudeness but soon recovered and roared at him, his finger raised. ¡°You¡¯re dead!¡±


    No. 1, No.2 and No.4 were slightly slower than No.3 in coming to my aid. They arrived with the rest of the imps only after the large imp had declared his intent to fight.


    In this way, a strange battle was started.

 Chapter 15: Big 1

    The large imp blitzed ahead of the pack like an unstoppable panzer.


    No.3 bravely stood in its path, hoping to stop his charge with his enhanced muscles. However, the two imps weren¡¯t on the same evolutionary level. The large imp clearly had the strength advantage and this showed as he sent No.3 flying with a ram of his body.


    An imp quickly reacted to this momentary opening and clawed at the large imp¡¯s shoulder, drawing a line of blood as he did so. The large imp winced and grabbed the imp by reflex. Feeling flesh, he brought it to his mouth and bit down on the small imp¡¯s throat while tearing away.


    ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there, get him!¡±


    My knowledge of the large imp¡¯s prowess was renewed once more. The previous large imp took 10 small imps to take down. The large imp in front of me was definitely stronger than the other and needed our full attention.


    ¡°No.1,2,3,4 follow me! We¡¯ll get rid of the scamps behind the large imp. The rest of you can stall the big guy!¡±


    Using one¡¯s strengths to attack another¡¯s weaknesses was basic strategy. So was using fodder to stall their main strength.


    No.1, 2, and 3 were definitely my strongest followers. No.4 was a tagalong. Because he joined us earlier, he got more benefits and was stronger than the other small imps.


    The five of us circled around the large imp and struck at the five imps behind. The large imp tried to stop us but was blocked by my other imps. 7 vs 1. Even if they couldn¡¯t win, they could at least stall him.


    As always, No.3 was the first to charge ahead, and in a few swipes severely injured a small imp. No.1 and 2 weren¡¯t too shabby either. While they weren¡¯t as fast, they still managed to suppress their opponents in a short amount of time. No.4 on the other hand, had a weaker showing, he only managed to eek out a draw.


    My opponent was a small imp as well. Against him, I brought out my partners, Rocky and Stony. With Stony in hand, it was as if I had my buckler back as I blocked his claws with my rock. In a clash of rocks and claws, the rock was definitely harder.


    After a few clashes, the imp teared up as his claws began to break apart. I immediately took advantage of this slight opening and attacked. In a blinding flurry of rocks, I smashed his head apart.


    By now, No.3 had taken care of his opponent as well. He relied on his superior strength to surprise his opponent. By the time the imp discovered the strength disparity, it was too late to dodge. With a swift kick, he knocked his opponent to the ground. He grabbed his opponent¡¯s head and viciously slammed it against the floor. With each slam, a sickening crunch could be heard along with a spurt of blood.


    No.1 and 2¡¯s situation was pretty good as well. Even without help, winning was only a matter of time. As for No.4¡­he was suppressed by his opponent; his body covered in wounds from the battle.


    I sent No.3 to help No.1 and 2 while I went to help No.4.


    With the large imp¡¯s lackeys out of the way, we could finally focus our attention on it.


    When I sent those seven scamps to stall the large imp, I was fully prepared to lose all of them. However, things didn¡¯t turn out as badly as I imagined. Out of the seven, five of them were dead. One of the surviving imps was playing dead by the side while the other was desperately holding on.


    His situation was rapidly deteriorating by the second. By the time we turned to the large imp, he had just torn an arm off this brave imp. As for the other imp, he was still laying there with his head tilted and his tongue sticking out¡­


    Of course, the large imp didn¡¯t get out of this scuffle unscathed either. He was covered in claw and bite marks. The blood on him was as much his enemies as his own.


    ¡°Get him!¡±


    I threw the rock in my hand in a dart like manner at the large imp¡¯s head, stunning him slightly. His grip loosened and that brave imp fell to the ground with a thud. The brave imp grasped his throat as he coughed violently. Looks like he had been severely injured.


    No.3 howled as he rushed forward. With the momentum of his charge, he dove at the large imp¡¯s side and tackled him to the ground. However¡­that direction seems a little¡­


    The brave imp who stalled that large imp was put out of his misery by the combined weight of No.3 and the large imp slamming into him.


    No.3, are you a spy sent by the other side¡­


    As the two wrestled on the floor, their hands at each other¡¯s throat, No.1,2 and 4 rushed in to help him. The four scamps piled onto the large imp, immobilizing him.


    Upon seeing our side gain the upper hand, the other imp stopped faking his death and jumped onto the large imp¡¯s back, furiously biting.


    By now, our victory was decided. However, heaven had a different plan in store for us. The large imp suddenly flipped his body right onto No.1. He knew that he¡¯s finished so he might as well take one more down with him. He wrapped his hands around No.1 and tried to bite him, all the while ignoring the frantic attacks of the other imps.


    No.3 desperately pulled the large imp¡¯s neck back to stop him from biting No.1. The others continued clawing at the large imp in hopes of saving No.1.


    As for me, by the time I reacted to the sudden change, No.1 was strangled to death by the large imp.


    Meh, I guess he¡¯s dead. He had only been with me for a day¡­but why did I feel a tinge of sadness¡­I guess in the end, it was because he was my subordinate. No one would be happy about their subordinate dying.


    As for that imp who faked his death¡­I decided not to punish him. After all, he did help us in the end, I¡¯ll forgive him this time.


    As the surviving imps gathered the souls for me, a set of footsteps echoed from the distance. The burly silhouette of a large imp entered my sight. Behind him was ten small imps¡­


    I guess when it rains, it pours. Will this newcomer try to capture me to &@$! me as well? Is he even gay? Is my body¡­that much of a devil magnet?


    I signalled to my imps to stop working and get ready to run however these dimwits misunderstood my intentions and instead stood in front of me.


    Err¡­that isn¡¯t entirely true. Only No.2 and 3 were standing in front of me. No.4 and Mr. Faker were hiding behind me.


    As he approached us, I took the initiative to ask him, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you are here to capture me as well.¡±


    ¡°No, this lordship is merely a lowly slave to your alluring silhouette and your resolute soul.¡± The large imp bowed with his right hand swept in front of his chest like those noblemen from medieval times. His face seemed to radiate: ¡®I¡¯m not like that pervert who tried to $&,? you on the first encounter.¡¯


    He continued explaining in his weird accent, ¡°From the first time this lordship laid his eyes on you, he knew that you were a noble existence. One that didn¡¯t stoop to eating the lowly flesh of a small imp.¡±


    ¡°¡­You can tell all that from a single glance?¡±


    This was a stunning revelation. He actually knew I only ate souls. As for that alluring silhouette and resolute whatever¡­I¡¯ll accept the latter as for the former, I¡¯ll pass on it.


    ¡°Usually, the leader of the group would first consume the corpses. However, you chose to gather the souls instead¡­this one has confidence in his judgement.¡±


    ¡°Ah ha, thanks I guess.¡± His praises hadn¡¯t blinded me from an obvious question.


    ¡°Judging by what you said, you should¡¯ve been watching us from the start. Why didn¡¯t you help us?¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I had intended to wait till both sides were severely exhausted¡­However, the moment I laid eyes on your purity and determination¡­this one was hooked. No matter what, you have to accept this one¡¯s protection.¡±


    So you¡¯re saying you intended to reap the benefits of our labors, but gave up halfway for a stupid reason.


    As he said this, his ¡°lordship¡± bent the knee and declared his allegiance.


    As I looked at this gay devil, my anus tightened and my arms reflexively covered my butt.


    His offer of allegiance left me in a conundrum, I didn¡¯t put much stock in the words of a devil. After all, multiple sources (manga/anime) agreed, a devil¡¯s words are not to be trusted.


    However, I had no way of rejecting him. If he chose to act up, all of us would be dead.


    ¡°Ahh, get up first. There¡¯s something I need to clarify. Just because my pee pee is missing right now, it doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯m a female. I¡¯m a bonafide male devil and I¡¯m not interested in a homosexual relationship so please give up.¡±


    In the face of my solemn announcement, his lordship got even more excited. I got goosebumps just from his excited stare. Suddenly, he jumped to his feet and prostrated himself once more, ¡°You are the most unsullied existence in Purgatory¡­However, rest assured, even if I can¡¯t be your companion, this lordship will always protect you. So please accept this one¡¯s pledge, Master!¡±


    Me: ¡°¡­¡±


    I still think he¡¯s a bonafide pervert.


    After a nonsensical fight, I randomly met a fellow that, out of the blue, decided to declare his allegiance to me¡­


    Will I truly be alright in this nonsensical Purgatory?


    ¡°No matter what, let me make this clear, I absolutely won¡¯t perform any intimate acts with a man. I am not gay. I¡¯m absolutely, positively, not gay. Absolutely.¡±


    Important things must be repeated thrice.


    In this way, I recruited a bunch of new subordinates. One of them is even a large imp who referred to himself as his lordship. Regarding this potato, I named him Big 1.


    Big 1 personally harvested all the souls and offered them up to me while the other scamps under me divvied up the corpses, including No.1¡¯s.


    After finishing his share, No.3¡¯s body experienced an evolution of sorts. Simply put, his muscles became firmer, his strength increased and his height increased. He could probably become the first among my small imps to evolve into a large imp.


    Excellent, just keep on eating No.3. If possible, eat till you become stronger than Big 1. I just couldn¡¯t bring myself to trust Big 1. His allegiance was just too unexpected and it seemed suspicious.


    Even if he wasn¡¯t planning anything, being loved by a large imp was¡­I wouldn¡¯t want to do it with a female large imp let alone a male one like Big 1!


    Big 1 could be counted as a well connected devil. He knew a lot more about this area than me. For example, I did not know the blood sea was circular in shape. I also didn¡¯t know that if you ran in the opposite direction of the tides, you would eventually reach the entrance of the upper levels.


    As for what was beyond that entrance, the answer I got was ¡°I have no idea¡±. All the devils who entered the upper levels never came back.


    If so, this could only mean two things: one, they were all dead or two, they weren¡¯t allowed to go back down.


    My bet¡¯s on the latter.


    According to the rumors, the tide will eventually engulf this entire level so any devil who stayed behind will be drowned. Initially, I didn¡¯t believe this theory. If all the devils either died or were unable to return to this level, where did all these rumors come from.


    There¡¯s no internet in Purgatory.


    Later on, Big 1 brought me to his temporary base. It was a giant rock. Around it were smaller rocks arranged in a circular fashion surrounding the larger rock. On that giant rock, was a line of strange scribblings¡­Fine, they were the letters of the devil language.


    The letters talked about the reincarnation system of devils. It said that this was the lowest level of Purgatory and that tide happened once this level¡¯s population hit a certain number. After which, it will start to engulf this level.


    It took 13 human days for the sea to engulf this level after which it will retreat back to its original spot and await the next spawning season of the devils.


    After reading through this line, I grimaced.


    ¡°The tides started rising yesterday so we have to get to the next level¡¯s entrance within 12 days?¡±


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    ¡°Yes master. If we don¡¯t, we will drown.¡±


    Big 1 quietly stood by my left side after answering my question, staring at No.3 with an annoyed expression.


    I have to say devils are truly strange creatures. If I had a choice, I wouldn¡¯t want to stay in this place.

 Chapter 16: Beneath the Entrance

    I want to live. No matter the situation I¡¯m in, I will strive to survive.


    Big 1 offered 17 small imps to be my subordinates. Including the four imps who were still alive after that harrowing battle, I now had 21 small imps under my wing. With the combat strength of our group, we should be able to sweep through this floor, right?


    The schedule is kinda tight right now so I¡¯ll have to skip out on resting. We still have to make it to the entrance of the upper floor.


    As we made our way across this floor, the devils we encountered were enslaved or killed. While we had some losses along the way, it was still a net gain.


    After five days of journeying, our small imp numbers swelled to 35 while our large imp count rose to three with the addition of two more large imps namely, Big 2 and Big 3.


    A problem soon arose where our consumption rate threatened to overtake the amount of food(imps) we encountered. As such, I decided to stop enslaving more devils and just killed anyone I met, even the large imps.


    It was now the seventh day of our journey, we managed to kill a few dozen more small imps and a large imp. By now, Big 1 and the other named subordinates were used to harvesting souls for me to consume. With each consumption, I felt my evolution approaching ever closer. As my body transformed, a strange refreshing fragrance wafted through the air.


    All the imps, even Big 1, were thoroughly mesmerised by this smell, causing me to retch internally.


    Why was I disgusted? Because this fragrance came from my body¡­


    Damn it, what¡¯s with this strange fragrance. Brother¡¯s a bonafide boy. Get your act together my dead body! Wait¡­don¡¯t tell me¡­don¡¯t tell me¡­ I¡¯ve become a girl¡­


    Noooo¡­my pee pee¡­I haven¡¯t even used my pee pee yet¡­


    ¡°The smell is coming from over here¡­come on!¡±


    An anxious voice rang out in the distance. This was soon followed by the sound of footsteps closing in on us. A large group of imps which consisted of four large imps and over twenty small imps, came into view.


    These damned imps and their stares¡­giving me goosebumps. Don¡¯t tell me, it¡¯s another pervert like Big 1¡­


    The large imps led the group over the hillside and ran straight for us, their malicious intent clear for all to see.


    By this time, my subordinates were already preparing the defences. Big 1 led Big 2 and Big 3 to the front to shield me. On my flanks, were No.2 and No.3. As for No.4 and Mr. Faker aka No.5¡­as always they were guarding my butt from sneak attacks.


    After these seven days of journeying, No.3 was undoubtedly the biggest small imp among the group. He was on the precipice of breaking through, and as such should be able to handle a large imp as long as he had some small imps as support. As for the actual large imps, they should each be able to handle a large imp by themselves.


    In terms of numbers, we naturally held the advantage. Before the enemy completed their charge, the scamps behind me were already in a defensive formation around me. The sight of over 30 imps moving, while not as grand as a thousand cavalrymen racing across the battlefield, was still a sight to behold. For the lowest level of Purgatory, we were definitely a top tier power.


    This was proved by the reaction of the enemy as they saw our full numbers. Seeing our numerical advantage, they showed signs of wavering. Soon after, they completely gave up on attacking. The four large imps signalled to the small imps to retreat and soon retreated as well.


    Seeing them slowly retreat, I breathed a sigh of relief. With our opponent¡¯s numbers, even though we would definitely win, it would¡¯ve come at a terrible price. Them retreating was definitely the best outcome.


    As the final devil disappeared from my view, the stress was completely lifted off my shoulders. This bloodless confrontation had caused me a great deal of stress despite neither side coming to blows. This stress caused my body to emit that strange fragrance once more¡­


    Big 1 took a big whiff of that fragrance and couldn¡¯t help but lean closer to me. ¡°Master, your body smells really good¡­¡±


    ¡°Scram!¡± Feeling danger, I immediately kicked him to the ground and retreated a few steps.


    Having seen the fate of Big 1, Big 2 and 3 changed their minds about approaching me and stood there; a conflicted look on their faces.


    Damn! Don¡¯t tell me I¡¯ve really become a girl! But the last reincarnation was into a boy¡¯s body!


    Reincarnating into a female devil is something I won¡¯t accept!


    ¡°Keep moving, we need to reach the upper floor entrance as soon as possible.¡± I said as I forced myself to calm down. The matter of my gender has to be put aside for now. What we really need to worry about is not getting drowned by the blood sea. ¡°Also, No.3 will get an extra portion of food from now on.¡±


    That group actually had one more large imp than us. With the expanding blood sea, the amount of dry land will decrease as time passes. Soon, all the devils will be squeezed into an ever-shrinking territory. By then, the number of large imps we encounter will increase as well. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if we see a field of large imps especially since we are clearly near to the entrance.


    After another two days of marching, we finally reached the end point of the blood sea; which is the upper floor entrance. Nearby, there was a rock which stated in devil language that there was more than one entrance and one merely had to find one.


    The entrance in question was a tunnel in the shape of a fierce devil¡¯s face carved out of the cliff face in front of us. It was a realistic carving with the usual features such as a nose and a pair of eyes. The hole was inside a devil¡¯s mouth crowned with a set of razor sharp fangs that looked like they could close in on you at anytime, shredding any unfortunate soul it came into contact with.


    In order to reach this entrance, one had to climb a thirteen step high flight of stairs which was comprised of 10 meters long, 7 to 8 meters wide and half a meter tall steps. And right at this moment, these stairs were filled countless devil guards¡­


    Originally, crossing through the entrance was a simple affair but who knew, not every devil was a dimwit. There were those who came to this place early on and decided to guard the entrance. Their motive was obvious, to eat anyone who tried to enter the tunnel.


    Thankfully, the situation wasn¡¯t dire yet so there was no need for us to rush into that blockade. However, this was only true for three more days. After three days, the blood sea would have washed up to this area. At that time, we would have no choice but to charge into that blockade of deadly devils.


    From this hillside to the entrance was a 300 to 400 meters long stretch of road. The amount of small imps and large imps waiting in ambush along this road was uncountable. How strong would the head devil have to be in order to command so many devils? Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s a two-star head imp!


    What to do¡­wait, since the other party made such an obvious attempt at blockading the entrance, then there should be other groups who were roaming around here as well. They couldn¡¯t all have stupidly charged into that blockade!


    ¡°No.2, No.3, No.4, No.5, I need you guys to lead a scouting party with those scamps inside. See if you can find the other devil parties. Once you do, report to me immediately, do not engage them.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±


    No.2 and No.3 immediately responded and led their team away. No.4 stood there wringing his fingers and as for No.5¡­his face clearly said he didn¡¯t want to go.


    ¡°Get going!¡± I sent a kick flying towards No.5 and just as I was about to do the same for No.4, I realised he was already gone.


    Recently, the matter regarding my missing pee pee and my impending sex change¡­or could just be my devil nature, seemed to have made me more trigger happy with my fists and kicks.


    Half an hour later, the scamps were back. No.3, 4 and 5 brought back no news while No.2 brought back a small imp.


    Hmm, you actually caught one¡­didn¡¯t I say not to engage them? Forget it, since no one got hurt or lost anything, I¡¯ll leave it be.


    The captured small imp immediately knelt down upon seeing me. As he prostrated himself, he slowly made his way towards me, and even wrapped both his arms around my left leg. Then, he stuck out his tongue¡­is this the so-called ¡°bootlicking¡± I heard so much about?


    *bam*


    No.3 immediately sent a flying kick towards the little captive. He tumbled through the air several times before ramming into No.4¡¯s legs; finally stopping. As for No.4¡­he received a jump scare.


    What¡¯s happening? Don¡¯t tell me this guy is here to assassinate me? But then, why did he lick me? Is his tongue laced with poison?


    Just as I pondered this puzzling situation, No.3 swaggered up to the captive and kicked him several times shouting, ¡°You dare to lick our Master¡¯s leg with your dirty tongue. You lowly piece of trash!¡±


    Don¡¯t tell me bootlicking is some kind of taboo in Purgatory? A derogatory action? Ahem¡­well no matter what, my foot was just licked by a devil. Even if I wore shoes, I still wouldn¡¯t want to be licked unless it was by a beautiful girl. Even more so since I¡¯m not wearing any shoes.


    ¡°Good job No.3.¡±


    I nodded and praised him a little. No.3 gazed at me and flashed a flattering smile.


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    ¡°I haven¡¯t even licked Master¡¯s leg before, how could I let you lick it! Even if it needed to be licked, it would be me who licks it, you shameless scumbag!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! Even this lordship does not know the taste of our master¡¯s leg! B*****d, you better get in line!¡±


    ¡°Protect our master¡¯s innocence! Stop the foreign invaders from stealing our rights!¡±


    ¡°Bash him! Bash him good!¡±


    Following No.3 and Big 1¡¯s nonsense, the other devils began clamoring as well. Their goal, to procure the right to be the first to lick my feet.


    Me: ¡°¡­¡±


    Heavens, I¡¯ll no longer believe in love¡­No wait, I¡¯ll no longer believe that Purgatory has any normal person left!

 Chapter 17: Another One Bends the Knee

    Following a round of intimidation, the captured small imp happily agreed to bring us to his boss. After around ten minutes of walking, we met the group who tried to attack us two days ago. The group which had four large imps leading them.


    Their boss was shocked by our sudden arrival and immediately bellowed to the others to prepare the defences.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we aren¡¯t here to fight.¡± I said as I stepped out of the shadow of Big 1 and onto the center stage. While they were recovering from the shock, I pointed at the cliffs and continued:


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve already seen the despicable scum blocking us from our common destination over there. They are definitely out to kill us and consume our flesh and souls. I had originally planned to charge into the blockade, but changed my mind in the end because of their immense numbers. If it was just us alone, attacking them would be suicidal. However, I¡¯m sure we aren¡¯t the only ones having trouble entering that tunnel. I plan on gathering everyone, and with our combined might, break through that blockade! Are you guys willing to join me?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± The boss scratched his head. He looked at us before turning towards the stairs and said in a deep, low voice: ¡°Why aren¡¯t we the ones leading you?¡±


    Me: ¡°¡­¡±


    Idiot, does it look like you have the brains for it!?


    I wanted to burst out and say that however, I restrained myself for the greater good.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    With a wave of my hand, I turned their attention to the devil army standing behind me. ¡°Because our fist is bigger than yours!¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t know until we fight it out!¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re saying you want to fight?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


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    Silence. The large imp looked at me once more before turning back to the stairs; a conflicted look on his face.


    To be honest, I didn¡¯t want to fight either. If we really came to blows it would¡¯ve been a pyrrhic victory for us. Without our numbers, how are we going to break through to the upper floor entrance? Don¡¯t forget, there was only three days left before the blood sea engulfs this level.


    However, in order to subjugate these devils without fighting, I had to show them my tough side. If I falter here and let them take the reins, what awaited us was¡­..I really can¡¯t imagine a scenario where we wouldn¡¯t get into an argument with these muscle headed imps right as we combined forces.


    This was why I must be the one to lead this combined army.


    On the other side, the large imp was stuck in a dilemma. He wanted to defeat me, but he knew that even if he won, what awaited him was merely death at the stairway.


    Just as we entered this awkward stalemate, a domineering voice echoed from above us, ¡°Since you guys have no way to decide, let me decide for you!¡±


    Everyone present immediately turned their heads towards the source of this voice. It was a one-eyed large imp standing atop a mound of rocks. As the winds blew around him, his scarred visage painted a truly imposing picture.


    The one-eyed large imp was clearly enjoying the attention of our parties as he excitedly displayed a posture which screamed: ¡®Look at me, I¡¯m so powerful!¡¯ In accordance with his previous grandstanding, he leaped off the mound and tripped as he landed¡­


    *bang*


    After his magnificent fall, the large imp awkwardly stood up and coughed, ¡°Ahem, excuse me, my left eye is blind so I didn¡¯t see that rock. I thought it was flat ground.¡±


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡±


    Such a unique character.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Such an unusual entrance¡­why is Purgatory so full of potatoes like him¡­


    ¡°Me? Haha, just call me One-eye.¡± The one-eyed large imp pointed his thumb at himself as he said so. In a boisterous voice he said, ¡°I¡¯m looking for people to ally with. Let¡¯s join hands everyone and head towards a brighter future together! Under my leadership, we¡¯ll head towards victory¡­Hahahaha¡­¡±


    What¡¯s with this chuuni like behaviour¡­did he grow up reading japanese shonen manga? No wait, Purgatory has no internet, god damnit! (TL:Middle School Year Two syndrome: That feeling you had in middle school where you suddenly feel your mangekyo sharingan awakening but those adult plebs don¡¯t understand how much of a genius you are for doing so.)


    The other party¡¯s large imp reacted disdainfully as well to his proclamations. ¡°Huh? Alliance? Just you alone?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, there are people behind me!¡±


    ¡°Where are they?¡±


    ¡°Be¡­hind me¡­¡± The one-eyed large imp turned and looked. There was no one. He stood there stunned for a moment before bellowing, ¡°Get out here now! All of you. You dense bunch of idiots.¡±


    ¡°Boss, you are the one who told us not to come out without any orders given.¡± The source of this voice was a slightly skinny large imp. He led a large group of devils out of the shadow of the rock mound. Hmm? He¡¯s missing a finger on his left hand. Is he going to introduce himself as Nine-finger? Just like his boss.


    His fingers aside, Nine-finger led a large army of devils which amounted to over a hundred. Their large imps alone, numbered eight. With One-eye and Nine-finger counted inside, it would be ten.


    ¡°Boss, I¡¯ve always been an obedient guy.¡±


    ¡°Obedient? If this devil asks you to eat s**t, will you do it?¡±


    ¡°¡­Boss. You are too cruel¡­¡± The impudent imp balked at this suggestion. ¡°Again?¡­But I just had s**t yesterday¡­¡±


    Me: ¡°¡­¡±


    Screw you guys, are you all performing a crosstalk or something!? (TL: A Chinese comedic act where two comedians engage in a rapid-fire dialogue.)


    ?


    The appearance of these two stunned the crowd. I was so stunned that I forgot to get angry. Don¡¯t tell me these two idiots are here to perform a comedy skit? But that army behind them¡­


    ¡°Ahem, since my people are here, we can continue our previous conversation.¡±


    One-eye swept his gaze over both of our groups and began to speak. But he was interrupted by his sidekick with a nudge of his shoulder. He turned towards him and stared intently. ¡°Boss, that¡¯s some high class goods over there.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m aware of that.¡± With his grandstanding interrupted before he began, One-eye stared at his sidekick with his brows furrowed and pretended not to hear him.


    There¡¯s no point pretending¡­and what high class goods¡­damn it!? What the heck happened to my body!? Why do all the devils stare at me with such a weird look on their faces?


    Nine-finger¡¯s ¡®whisper¡¯ was clearly heard by everyone present. This included Big 1 and the others. Big 1, 2, 3 and No.2, 3 immediately stepped in front of me and surrounded me in a tight protective ring. As for No.4 and No.5¡­they were planning to step slightly forward but after comparing One-eye¡¯s body with theirs, they chose to defend my butt in the end.


    One-eye flashed what he thought was a dashing, but was actually extremely hideous, smile at me: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, even though you are really pretty, what¡¯s more important is getting into that tunnel¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you mean pretty!? I¡¯m handsome you hear me!? Look closely, I AM A GUY! G-U-Y, GUY!¡±


    How infuriating! Why the heck did all these Purgatory devils treat me as a beautiful female devil. What¡¯s more, it was the kind of beauty who brought calamity to their city and country. This devil is a man! The kind whose fists can support a person standing on them and whose shoulders can support a race track. An iron-blooded man! It¡¯s just that my pee pee took a vacation. There¡¯s no guarantee that he won¡¯t come back!


    ¡°Mhm, I¡¯ve definitely given it a thorough look through.¡± One-eye¡¯s sole eye gave me the x-ray treatment as he looked over my body. S**t, I got goosebumps again.


    Nine-finger whispered in his boss¡¯s ears: ¡°Boss, didn¡¯t you say that now wasn¡¯t the time for such things?¡±


    ¡°I know that, you don¡¯t have to remind me!¡± He smacked Nine-finger on the head before turning to us with a satisfied look on his face: ¡°Let¡¯s continue our talk about an alliance.¡±


    ¡°I feel that this alliance should be led by our boss, he¡¯s the strongest here and is definitely able to lead us all to a glorious future!¡± Just as One-eye finished his sentence, Nine-finger rushed forward with his bootlicking. After finishing, he asked in an ingratiating tone: ¡°Boss, did I say it correctly?¡±


    One-eye nodded, ¡°Mhm, not bad. A round of applause.¡±


    ¡°Applause!¡± Nine-finger took the lead in clapping. The others slowly joined in dribs and drabs, despite not knowing what applause meant¡­


    ¡°Thank you, thank you. Thanks for all the support¡­¡± One-eye cupped his fists in a showy gesture of appreciation. He raised his head as he did so, a satisfied look on his face.


    Wow, it¡¯s really a crosstalk act¡­.


    After his round of bootlicking, he finally remembered that he had something important to say. ¡°In that case, Boss should be the one to lead our charge into the entrance. Any objections?¡±


    Cough. Too tired to tsukkomi. (TL: Japanese comedic act. Tsukkomi is the straight man and Boke is the comic.)


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t we the ones leading?¡± The four imp group chimed in once more, reluctant to lose their leadership position.


    One-eye threw them a disdainful look and continued ignoring them.


    Nine-finger reverted back to his role as a court jester and coldly said: ¡°Because we are larger than you. If you don¡¯t listen to use, we will bash you to death.¡±


    After finishing, he even made a swiping gesture across his neck.


    The four man group kept quiet at this. While they weren¡¯t satisfied with the outcome, they didn¡¯t intend to resist to the bitter end.


    ¡°If you guys are the ones in charge, I¡¯ll back out of this alliance.¡± It¡¯s time to bring this comedy to an end. It¡¯s a matter of life and death right now. Rather than wasting time on this nonsense, I rather use the time to find new alliance members.


    ¡°Back out? Pretty lady, may I ask why you wish to back out? What do you plan on doing after backing out?¡±


    ¡°Pretty my ass! I already said I¡¯m a guy not a girl!¡±


    Seeing me flare up, One-eye immediately changed his statement: ¡°Alright, alright. This pretty¡­man, may I know what you plan on doing after backing out?¡±


    The veins on my forehead were about to burst at this moment, but I had no choice except to ignore that damned adjective of ¡®pretty¡¯. If it wasn¡¯t for his superior numbers, I would¡¯ve murdered him already.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just search around for groups I can recruit.¡±


    ¡°But we are the strongest power in this region, in terms of recruitment, we will definitely be faster than you.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll head further out to search.¡± I replied in a resolute tone.


    ¡°Pretty¡­man, why aren¡¯t you willing to ally with us? I¡¯m very strong and can protect you guys. What¡¯s wrong with being commanded by me? Isn¡¯t obeying the strong the natural instinct of our race?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because you are brainless! BRAINLESS!¡± Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. I pointed at my brain as I shouted: ¡°Pure strength isn¡¯t enough right now. You need to have brains!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s at least a hundred large imps guarding that entrance, not to mention the hordes of small imps. If I let you take command, you will definitely charge headlong into that blockade with us in tow.¡±


    ¡°Have you ever thought of leaving some reserves behind? Do you know how to grow stronger off battles? Have you ever considered that there might be a Head Imp leading that horde? Or even a Demon Child!?¡±


    This was the first time I¡¯ve ever vented my anger after reincarnating into Purgatory. It has hardly been two weeks since I¡¯ve arrived here, but Purgatory just rubs me up the wrong way. Everytime I look at the red viscous sea water, I have this strange itch in my throat. I wanted to spit at it but nothing came out.


    I had to endure these potatoes beside me messing around. On top of that, I had to witness numerous cruel scenes of imps killing each other. And those weird stares that these bunch of homosexuals keep giving me¡­ I¡¯ve had enough. I want to return to the surface. Back to the western human realms! No matter what, I want to return home!


    If a potato tries to stop me, I¡¯ll bury that potato! Even if I was to die, I want to die on human soil!


    ¡°Beautiful, dazzling, noble, determined, resolute, fearless, saintly¡­¡± In the face of my anger, One-eye suddenly knelt down, his sole eye tearing up. His eyes blinked furiously as if I was radiating light at the moment.


    ¡°Hey hey! What¡¯s the matter with you!? Why are you kneeling!?¡±


    I just scolded you, why are you kneeling before me? Exactly what¡¯s going on here? Don¡¯t tell me you are the legendary masochist?


    ¡°I¡­I¡­I think I¡¯ve fallen for you¡­¡± One-eye threw me a worshipful look as he continued kneeling. ¡°You are just too perfect, I¡­I¡­you must accept me as your subordinate¡­¡±


    Me: ¡°¡­¡±


    What the heck! I know I should be happy that someone is swearing their allegiance to me, but why do I feel like I just swallowed a hundred flies!

 Chapter 18: Scar-face

    Within these two days I recruited all the devils that I could. By now, devils from all over had gathered near the entrance to the upper floor. Their expressions were a complex mix of emotions as they looked at the horde guarding the stairs.


    Because of this, I was able to recruit the majority of the devils seeking to breakthrough. Only a small portion were mad enough to try and enslave me, but they were swiftly killed by Big 1 and the others.


    The food we gained from fighting was mostly given to the small imps who were about to evolve, like No.3. The rest were given enough to sate their hunger. This was originally met with resistance by some devils, especially the more powerful large imps.


    Initially, I tried explaining to them but the outcome wasn¡¯t as expected so I had to rely on One-eye and the others to suppress them. Thankfully, there were no deaths or serious injuries although Nine-finger wasn¡¯t happy about losing out on potential food.


    As expected, No.3 evolved on the second day of our alliance. Coincidentally, I was there to witness his evolution. His muscles started bulging and his bones started enlarging themselves. His body in general got bigger. In a few minutes, the process was complete and No.3 had evolved from a small imp into a large imp.


    Judging by their appearances alone, large imps were larger versions of small imps without any other defining features. However, the difference in strength was an entire tier apart.


    Large imps were able to take on anywhere from five to nine small imps depending on their power. An example would that large imp who killed No.1.


    Under this feeding scheme, No.3 wasn¡¯t the only small imp who evolved. Another eight more imps evolved within these two days, bringing the total number of large imps to over 60.Unfortunately, this still wasn¡¯t enough to face off against the horde guarding the stairs. We needed at least 150 large imps to win against them.


    Our subjugated small imp count crossed the 600 mark. Unfortunately, there were at least 2,000 small imps blocking our way.


    We were definitely at a numerical disadvantage but I had a plan. Do you know why humans were able to dominate Earth? Tools. That¡¯s why!


    I had long considered making weapons but Purgatory was poor resource wise, lacking metals or plants. Furthermore, we barely had any time to do so while we were rushing here.


    However, now was a period of preparation. I ordered the imps to scavenge around the area for materials. Chief on the list were the larger bones from any devil corpse they could find. While a bone spear wasn¡¯t possible, grinding these bones into a club or staff was definitely we could do.


    The enemy had the high ground after all. These weapons shouldn¡¯t fare too badly against them.


    While we were out recruiting, Big 1 was in charge of the weapon making. The process was really simple so as long as the imps had the materials, making them was easy.


    Just as we finished recruiting on the second day, No.4 ran onto the scene. He made his report as he panted heavily; its contents were within my expectations. ¡°Master, a group of devils we haven¡¯t recruited are charging up the stairs.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s the idiot?¡± I was kind of curious about the identity of this potato.


    ¡°It¡¯s Scar-face.¡±


    Scar-face. The head of a group with 30 large imps and 400 small imps.


    When we first encountered them, our side only had 25 large imps and 300 small imps, putting us at a disadvantage.


    As such, Scar-face decided to provoke us, me to be exact. As for what he said, it was the same old c**p. I didn¡¯t feel like taking his c**p so I summoned all my subordinates while stalling for time.


    After our group assembled, Scar-face became apprehensive after taking a count of our numbers. He wisely chose to retreat. He continued wandering around and judging from this report, he must¡¯ve recruited more forces.


    Devils were all a bunch of brainless idiots. Their brains contained two things: eating and muscles. Making a suicidal charge up the stairs was definitely a possibility.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go have a look.¡±


    I left half of the army with One-eye so he could continue recruiting while we went to check out Scar-face¡¯s battle.


    It wasn¡¯t long before we reached a hillside near the details. Below us, a fierce battle was currently raging.


    The first three steps of the stairs were breached and Scar-face was currently leading the attack on the fourth step.


    Scar-face was known for being a martial expert. The reason he was called Scar-face was because of the spiderweb of scars on his face giving it a gnarled look.


    In the middle of this chaotic battle, Scar-face bravely led the charge up the stairs. With a vicious thrust of his hand, he shoved a small imp he had caught right into the stone face of the stairs.


    Its eyes widened as the crushing palm continued ramming its head into the stone. Seams appeared all over the small imp¡¯s head as it crumpled under the overwhelming might of the large imp. With a visceral splat, the head broke apart in a burst of brains and blood.


    A large imp came up to challenge Scar-face. He had a body that was as brawny as Scar-face¡¯s. In fact, he seemed to have a slight edge over Scar-face in this respect.


    This was definitely going to be a tough fight, or so I thought. Scar-face surprised me with his variety of battle techniques which included kicks and other human-like techniques. Most of the time, imps only employed their teeth and claws. Any battle was essentially a match of pure strength and power.


    It was as if I was watching a martial artist fight with a common thug. His flurry of targeted blows went unblocked and soon he had his opponent dizzy from his ferocity. In a final show of superiority, he leaped into air and drove his elbow deep into his opponent. The large imp buckled under such a strong attack and after a few twitches, laid dead on the floor.


    Scar-face was actually this strong? He actually knew some MMA moves¡­looks like I¡¯ve underestimated these devils.


    Each step of stairs was vast enough for over a hundred devils to fight.


    From the top of these stairs, was a sea of devils rushing down. For every devil Scar-face and his subordinates took down, another would rush to fill in the gap. In order to breach the third step, he must¡¯ve paid a heavy price. By now, his subordinates were no longer able to hold up as their death rate increased. Even Scar-face was beginning to get worried.


    In just a short span of 20 minutes, a third of Scar-face¡¯s forces got killed.


    ¡°Move out. We need to help them!¡±


    I ordered No.4 to gather our scattered forces. After 10 minutes, he brought our remaining forces to the battlefield.


    ¡°No.4 and 5, bring these scamps along with you as you collect the corpses. With this amount, it should last us for the day.¡± I ordered as I stood at the base of the stairs.


    ¡°With the large imps as the lead, One-eye and No.3 I need you guys to lead a team up the stairs and bring Scar-face back, if possible bring the survivors back as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes, master!¡±


    After acknowledging the order, the two of them led a team of 50 bone club wielding devils up the stairs.


    These bone clubs weren¡¯t just fashioned out of any old bone. They were fashioned out of the thighbones of large imps and were extremely sturdy. Their mass was enough to ensure that any devil who got hit would be begging for mercy.


    As the first three stepss were already cleared by Scar-face, One-eye and the others were able to swiftly climb over the mountain of corpses on the way up to the fourth. It wasn¡¯t long before my subordinates joined the fight. With their aid, the tides started to turn for the defenders.


    The bone clubs gave the imps a decisive advantage over the barehanded devils. With their superior range, the enemy was well within the striking range of the club before their claws could even reach them.


    As they say, a meter longer was a meter stronger. The clubs left the defenders scrambling to form a counterplan.


    The sudden arrival of reinforcements had boosted Scar-face¡¯s morale. His tired face showed signs of renewed vigor as he upped the ferocity of his attacks. Our eyes met as he turned around, and I saw a sense of conflict within them.


    ¡°Scar-face, get your men to safety, my troops won¡¯t be able to hold on for long.¡±


    I shouted at him from the base of the stairs. Saving him was a decision made out of necessity. Due to the sheer volume of defenders, our only chance at survival was if both our groups combined. I didn¡¯t plan on dying here so I put up with the disgust in my heart and recruited anyone useful.


    As Scar-face retreated with his men, One-eye and No.3 began retreating as well. As they fled, a small portion of defenders chased after them, but having lost their height advantage, they were no longer a threat.


    These devils had completely given into their bloodlust and charged recklessly into our army.


    One-eye turned around to handle these mad devils. To him, it was merely a swing of his bone club. A moment later, a large imp was lying unconsciousness on the floor; a conspicuous bump on his head.


    The other large imps joined in the fun as well. With a swing of their clubs, the leading defenders were swiftly taken care of. The rest of the defenders took a hint and quickly retreated up the stairs¡­


    As we returned to our temporary base, I got No.4 and 5 to hand out the collected corpses to the army while Big 1 and No.3 were sent off to harvest the souls.


    Scar-face walked in front of my pondering figure with a blackened expression and stammered slightly before saying: ¡°Why did you save me?¡±


    I glanced at the ever-encroaching sea of blood and replied coldly: ¡°Tomorrow is the last day, once tomorrow¡¯s over, all this will be a part of the blood sea. I said it before, I will unite all our force in order to survive. That¡¯s why I saved you. Because you were still useful to me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Scar-face fell silent before lowering his head and saying: ¡°I¡¯ll accept your command for now, however, this is only true until we cross that entrance.¡±


    ¡°Alright, get your subordinates to rest a while. No.4 and 5 will hand out the food to you guys. Because of that battle, our food stocks should be sufficient. Oh right, our rules here is that all souls belong to me.¡± I turned to him with a deadpan expression. ¡°Any objections?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


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    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be going.¡± As I finished saying this, I left.


    ¡°Where are you going? The blood tide is almost here.¡±


    ¡°To recruit more devils! The blood tide being so near is precisely why I should continue recruiting. The threat of impending doom will aid our recruitment efforts tremendously. Every minute is precious right now.¡±


    As my back faded into the distance, a voice echoed from behind me: ¡°I¡¯ll admit my defeat now, but just you wait! I won¡¯t give up. One day, I will make you become my demoness willingly!¡±


    In the midst of my brooding, this voice struck like a bolt of lightning, nearly causing me to fall. Just as I was about to berate him, another voice echoed from another side, the source, Big 1: ¡°Master is this one¡¯s! Even if it costs this one his life, this one will not relent!¡±


    ¡°Me too, I won¡¯t give up as well!¡±


    This was One-eye.


    ¡°Go die in a fiery hole! Get to work!¡± My chest heaved as I shouted back at them, their fawning clearly getting to me.


    What the heck happened to my body¡­


    No.4 walked over at this moment and reported sights of more wandering devils. Before leaving to recruit them, I inquired about the status of Scar-face¡¯s team. From his report, they lost two thirds of their forces and only had slightly over 10 large imps and around 70 to 80 small imps left.


    A loss of over 20 large imps and over 200 small imps in a short span of 30 minutes. This battlefield was truly a meat grinder. There was still 10 more steps of the stairs that weren¡¯t breached as well. Furthermore, the quality and quantity of devils will only get higher as we progress up the stairs. I¡¯m starting to believe that there really is a two-star head imp atop those stairs¡­


    Forget it, we will deal with it as it comes. Thinking too far ahead will do us no good. All I need to do right now is find a way to survive.


    Nicole, where are you? Are you well?


    Even while in Purgatory, I still miss you. I hope we can meet again. I¡¯ll continuing praying for the day that we can meet again¡­ even on my deathbed¡­

 Chapter 19: The Battle at the Entrance

    Today is the last day. After today, any remaining devil will be drowned by the [Mother] who birthed them. This was precisely why the number of fleeing devils experienced an explosive increase. I stationed all my subordinates within 1 km at the base of the stairs in order to recruit these stragglers. Anyone who resisted was to be killed.


    These were desperate times and any mistakes made could potentially be our last. In just 12 hours, the blood sea will engulf this region. By now, our group had gotten as big as it could possible get.


    Over 2,500 small imps and 133 large imps.


    The army-like group of imps stood behind me clamoring incessantly. They were an undisciplined bunch but I didn¡¯t have the time to train them before today. It was a last-ditch gamble. While the overall number of devils on the stairs did not change much after Scar-face¡¯s charge yesterday, the first few flights of stairs were noticeably weaker than before.


    The small imps were broken up into four contingents and handed over to No.2, 3, 4 and 5 to command. As for the large imps, they were commanded by One-eye. While Scar-face¡¯s group was under my command in name, they were essentially their own army.


    After resting up yesterday, they went on their own recruitment drive and had gotten surprising results. By today, they were able to gather over 20 more large imps and over 300 more small imps. Along with their remaining forces from yesterday, they were a force to be reckoned with.


    Due to yesterday¡¯s battle, the first three out of the 13 steps were severely weakened, and had considerably less large imps and small imps. Their combined number came up to only slightly over 10 large imps, and as for small imps, there were roughly a hundred of them per step.


    With this mind¡­


    ¡°One-eye, take the large imp army and charge through the first three steps. Once you reach the fourth step, I¡¯ll send in the small imps.¡±


    ¡°Yes master. I¡¯ll get on it right away.¡± He cupped his hands in acknowledgement and proceeded with his usual grandstanding. With a swish of his imaginary hair, he pointed his bone club at the stairs and bellowed: ¡°Everyone charge! For the master!¡±


    ¡°For the Master!¡±


    Over a hundred large imps charged in their own version of the blood sea¡¯s tidal wave. As the first imp arrived on the first step, the curtains were drawn on what was to be a bloody battle for survival. The defenders began their retaliation atop their half meter high vantage point.


    However, while this height advantage might have caused problems for small imps, it was nothing to the charging large imps. What¡¯s more, they had my patented bone clubs as their weapons. With their superior range, they could easily hit the devils standing near the edge of the step forcing the defensive line back. With a breach quickly formed, the initial wave of large imps made their way up the half meter tall step. As they did so, they dragged any stragglers down to their comrades below to be beaten to death.


    The small imp defenders were naturally no match for this wave of large imps and so the first step was uneventfully breached.


    The devils on the second step tried to reinforce the first but were beaten unconscious by the bone clubs.


    In a short span of 10 minutes, the large imp contingent had conquered the first three steps and was setting up a defensive formation in front of the fourth in order to prevent the devils from the uppers steps from retaking the first three.


    ¡°No.4, lead your contingent to the fourth step and get those scamps to hold down the fort while the large imps recover their strength.¡±


    Our battle tactics were very simple, let the large imps take the weakened first three steps at which point the small imps will charge the fourth. Once the large imps are rested, it will be time for the large imps and small imps to attack the next step. The aim was to reduce the fatigue on the large imps while minimizing any loss of large imps as well.


    The plan worked flawlessly for the first three steps with zero deaths.


    No.4 balked slightly at my command, arousing my ire. With a swift kick to his shin, I shouted: ¡°Move it!¡±


    The little coward immediately charged with his contingent of over 600 small imps. Wave after wave of imps charged forward, stepping over the hundreds of corpses of friend and foe alike as they tried to breach the fourth step. The field of corpses did not scare these imps, but instead sent them into a bloodthirsty frenzy.


    As expected of devils. They were truly the incarnation of chaos and bloodshed. The more bloodshed there was, the more excited they became.


    The numbers on the first three steps combined were less than the number of defenders on the fourth step. There were 300 small imps and 20 large imps guarding this step. On our side, I sent forth over 600 small imps. They should be able to take this step easily.


    ¡°No.2, go harvest the souls and corpses. Souls for me while the corpses are to be handed out to the strongest small imps. I want to see more large imps being born.¡±


    No.2 accepted the command and brought his contingent along to carry out the harvesting.


    While No.4 was attacking the fourth step, One-eye brought his contingent of large imps to the second and third steps to consume the corpses. Upon seeing No.2 and his contingent, he threw his unfinished corpse to the first step and supported No.2.


    Back at the fourth step, No.4¡¯s battle wasn¡¯t going as smoothly as planned. A small imp¡¯s height was his fatal weakness. Asking these one meter tall imps to climb up that half meter high step was a pretty tall task for them. The enemy made use of this to defend against our superior numbers. Thankfully, our army had weapons. This included the small imps as well.


    As they climbed up the step, they engaged whoever they could with their clubs. After throwing down close to a hundred of the defenders, they finally breached the fourth step¡¯s defensive line. The fifth step immediately reacted by sending in reinforcements. Soon, the battle reached a stalemate. Looks like No.4¡¯s contingent won¡¯t be able to conquer the fourth step. I must send in reinforcements.


    Where is Scar-face? Why haven¡¯t I seen him yet?


    As I searched for Scar-face, I noticed that One-eye and the others were mostly rested. I guess this was to be expected. The first three steps were sparsely defended and only used a little of their energy. While this deviated slightly from the original plan, looks like there¡¯s no other choice.


    I shouted at the one-eyed large imp who was grandstanding once more: ¡°One-eye go conquer the fourth step.¡±


    ¡°Yes Master!¡± Upon receiving the command, he shoved No.4 aside as he rushed up the step. ¡°Move aside, I¡¯m going up¡­for the Master!¡±


    ¡°For the Master!¡±


    The hundred over chanted their slogan as they rushed forward; raising their morale. They roughly shoved the small imps aside and charged onto the fourth step. With them reinforcing No.4, the battle quickly changed in our favor. The defenders only had a small amount of large imps and were clearly not a match for us.


    ¡°No.5 march ahead first. Once the fourth step has been conquered, replace One-eye¡¯s contingent and attack the fifth step.¡±


    No.5 slowly opened his sleepy eyes and stared at me groggily¡­You are still freaking asleep?


    I slapped him on the back of his head. That seemed to do the trick as he immediately woke up and stood at attention. I didn¡¯t bother repeating myself and merely pointed at the step: ¡°Attack.¡±


    No.5 looked at me blankly, the word stupid written all over his face, before nodding his head and heading off to the step. I guess it¡¯s my fault for expecting anything¡­


    I slapped him once more: ¡°Bring your contingent along.¡±


    ¡°Oh okay¡­everyone follow me.¡± No.5 pitifully nodded and led his contingent forward. He only managed a few steps before I slapped him once more.


    This time the word stupid was capitalized.


    ¡°Get a move on it. Stop dragging your feet.¡±


    Seeing him finally attack the step, I turned around to face my remaining subordinates: ¡°We¡¯ll follow them as well. No.2 get your contingent to pick up the corpses and leave them on the step. After that, get ready to swap with the next contingent.¡±


    ¡°Yes master.¡±


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    No.2 was a competent subordinate and was very loyal as well. He executed my orders without any hesitation. Even if it was an order to charge, he wouldn¡¯t hesitate.


    As for me, I brought my contingent up to the base of the step but didn¡¯t step onto it. The step was pretty vast but it¡¯s surface area was still limited in the end. There was no way to accommodate all my subordinates. As such, unless our forces decreased past a certain limit, I won¡¯t join in the fight.


    The fourth step was finally conquered, but No.4 had lost half of his scamps. Luckily One-eye reinforced him in the nick of time or he would have been wiped out.


    As we pressed on, the number of large imps defending the next step increased. On the fifth step, there were at least 30 large imps!


    After conquering the fourth step, No.4 and One-eye retreated while No.5 took the lead. However, the enemy¡¯s forces had exploded in numbers as well. There were around 400 small imps on the fifth step alone.


    Damn it, the previous plan had some mistakes. I had assumed the enemy¡¯s forces only had about a hundred large imps. To think they knew how to hide their forces¡­If you added in the large imps who died on the previous steps, there were at least 70 large imps already. What are we going to do about the later steps¡­


    The next batch of souls had just been sent over by No.2 and I consumed them ravenously. My body began to burn and that damned fragrance began wafting out once more. It was as if every pore on my body was emitting this strange fragrance. The devils besides became excited as a result.


    The fragrance became even more apparent as I continued consuming the souls. When I consumed the last soul, my body exploded with a loud bang. I lost consciousness for afew seconds, or was it a few minutes, I was completely out of touch with the flow of time right now.


    The next time I got a look at myself, I found that I had grown taller. My limbs were slender while my skin was red with a tinge of purple, giving a strange sense of beauty¡­


    However, what concerned me the most was the other parts of my body. I lowered my head and looked. Chest¡­nope nothing there. I spread my legs and¡­cried. My pee pee still isn¡¯t there¡­


    I evolved. After eating a thousand souls, I finally finished my first evolution.


    While I didn¡¯t have the time to fully inspect my status, I knew that the evolved me was different from the normal large imps.


    Upon evolving into a large imp, their bodies were supposed to become bulkier while their limbs were supposed to become thicker. That was the complete opposite of my situation, my limbs had shrunk instead, becoming slender.


    Am I an exception? Or did my body undergo some change that I wasn¡¯t aware of? After saving Yi Yi that fallen angel, I should¡¯ve died¡­


    Why am I in Purgatory? Did she revive me?


    Countless questions swarmed around in my mind. Questions that I had no answers to. As they began to give me a headache, Scar-face¡¯s surprised face appeared next to me, an eager look mixed into that surprise.


    ¡°Do you require anything of me?¡±


    Didn¡¯t this fellow disappear? Why did he suddenly appear? And why is he so eager?

 Chapter 20: The Guardian of the Thirteenth Step

    ¡°Where did you go?¡±


    In the face of my questioning, Scar-face flashed me a mysterious smile, oblivious to my mood. ¡°I knew you would get into trouble, just leave this step to me.¡±


    Without waiting for my reply, Scar-face commanded his army to attack with a wave of his hand. ¡°Charge!¡±


    ¡°Wo!¡±


    Numerous amounts of devil responded with a resounding cheer. Scar-face broke into a dash towards the step while the devils followed closely behind his lead. Around 70 large imps and 700 small imps rushed towards the step like a tidal wave.


    What¡¯s going on? Why does he have so many subordinates? Did he go on a recruitment drive during the period he went missing? And here I thought he was planning to watch from the sidelines and reap the benefits after.


    Scar-face¡¯s fresh army gave our side the boost we needed to breakthrough. As Scar-face entered the fray, No.5 slowly retreated with his contingent, leaving the battle to Scar-face.


    Scar-face¡¯s methods were nothing if not savage. Kicking, biting, clawing, whatever it took to kill his opponent. His subordinates were just as savage as they fearlessly tore into the defenders. Soon, the entire step was suppressed and victory was now just a matter of time.


    I turned around to look at No.3. He was leading the team of small imps who were most likely to advance and got them to feed on the fourth step. Within his contingent, there were already 20 such imps. At this rate, we will have over 100 newly evolved large imps by the time we reach the thirteenth step.


    Among the scamp contingents, No.4 suffered the most deaths with over half the contingent dead. Next was No.5 with almost 200 dead. No.2 hadn¡¯t entered the fray yet while No.3 was in the middle of a mission. One-eye¡¯s large imp army still had no deaths but had a few that were lightly wounded.


    Scar-face led his army in a reckless charge through the fifth step, completely disregarding their personal safety. Soon, they breached the fifth step entirely and prepared to attack the 6th step. While their morale was high at the moment, their casualty rate had reached 20%.


    I immediately ordered them to hold their ground and defend while I dispatched No.5 and One-eye to assault the sixth step¡­


    The battle raged on in this manner. Every minute and every second, a devil died somewhere. By the time we reached the thirteenth step, the combined number of imps in No.2, 4, and 5¡¯s contingents came out to slightly under a hundred. It was nearly a wipe.


    The only contingent which had no casualties was No.3¡¯s. One-eye¡¯s large imp army was nearly reduced by half with their current strength at 72. As for Scar-face, he was much worse off with his small imps being completely wiped out while his large imp team had only 26 left.


    However, we finally made it to the last step. As I looked down my from the top of the stairs, the blood sea expanded into the horizon before me. By now, the blood sea had engulfed the entire level save for the stairs we were standing on.


    The entrance to the upper floor was located on a cliff face and one had to climb a several hundred meters tall slope in order to reach it. This slope was nearly gone by now.


    As waves crashed onto the ground near us, countless corpses could be seen floating and sinking on its crimson surface. It reminded me of the flooding of Jinshan temple in <>. [1]


    The last step was a giant platform that obscured any attempts at spying from the lower steps. This was the reason why I misjudged the enemy¡¯s numbers. After stepping onto this platform, I finally realized how large the enemy¡¯s forces were.


    120 hulking imps stood in front of the entrance to the upper floors; behind them were a thousand small imps. Commanding them was a horned large imp¡­wait¡­large imp?


    That potato is definitely not a large imp! His body is too large for that. A normal large imp was about 1.5 to 1.7 meters tall and did not possess a horn.


    The imp in front of me was different. He was at least 1.8 meters tall and had a horn which curved back like a scimitar; resembling a goat¡¯s horn. He must be a two-star head imp!


    ¡°You are finally here.¡± The head imp said in a sinister voice which grated on one¡¯s ears. From the moment I appeared, his blood red eyes had never left me.


    My brows furrowed as I endured the indignity of being treated like a female devil and questioned him, ¡°Why are you blocking the entrance? Let us pass through, fighting now would do us no good. Once the blood sea catches up to us, none of us can escape.¡±


    ¡°The one who can¡¯t escape is you guys.¡± The head imp laughed in a voice that sounded like [chet chet chet]. ¡°Of course, if you are scared, I can give you a chance. If you agree with my condition, I¡¯ll let you off.¡±


    ¡°I refuse.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so quick to refuse me, who knows, you might actually like it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even need to guess to know that your condition is me¡­¡± By now, I was very familiar with these devils¡¯ chain of thought. There was no way I would sell my body for a chance at living. I rather die than do so.


    My decisive refusal enraged the head imp. He roared at me: ¡°What¡¯s wrong with being my servant!? Shouldn¡¯t the weak serve the strong!?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just your viewpoint, besides to me, you are merely a foot soldier as well.¡± I threw him a disdainful gaze as I said so. With a wave of my hand, the final battle for the entrance began. ¡°Fight!¡±


    ¡°Fight! Fight for the Master!¡±


    Having received the command to fight, the hot-blooded masochist, One-eye, charged ahead with his contingent. By now, they were only left with a mere fraction of their original large imp count.


    Scar-face looked deeply into my eyes as if he had a mountain of things to say, but only threw me a short sentence: ¡°After this fight, I¡¯ll be free.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I replied.


    ¡°I won¡¯t give up on you.¡± Scar-face turned around and charged off with his scattered troops into battle before I could respond.


    I¡¯m so pissed¡­don¡¯t spew such nonsense during such a crucial period! These blind bastards need to open their eyes! In what way do I look like a female!? I¡¯m a bonafide man with steel in my blood!


    The combined forces of One-eye and Scar-face only came out to a hundred large imps and another hundred small imps. On the other side, they had a head imp, 120 large imps and a thousand small imps. No matter how you looked at it, we were bound to lose.


    But was it really so?


    Don¡¯t forget, I still had a fresh contingent in reserve. One that had never seen a battle up til now. That was No.3¡¯s small imp contingent!


    I had never dispatched this contingent to fight and instead fed them all the corpses we gathered. Because of this, out of the 600 small imps commanded by No.3, nearly a hundred of them had evolved!


    In the initial clash with the enemy, we came out ahead thanks to our bone clubs. However, this did not last for long. One-eye and the others weren¡¯t suited for long battles. Even if they were given time to rest, they would still be exhausted.


    As such, I gave No.3 his dispatch orders: ¡°No.3 it¡¯s time for you to fight. Flank them from the right and take care of the small imps. Send a portion to help One-eye.¡±


    ¡°Yes Master.¡±


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    It was finally time for No.3 to enter the fray. This newly evolved large imp was raring to fight. His body was shaking from excitement instead of fright. With a wave of his bone club, he howled: ¡°With me, kill those who stand in our way! For the Master!¡±


    ¡°For the Master!¡±


    With our army¡¯s signature chant, No.3 led his contingent of devils into battle. As planned, they flanked the enemy and threw them into disarray. This wasn¡¯t an exhausted army like One-eyes¡¯s, it was a fresh army that was brimming with energy. The only thing they were lacking was a place to expend this energy.


    With each swing of their clubs, a devil¡¯s head was split open like a watermelon. Their charge plowed through the field of imps like a sharp scythe; nothing could stand in their way.


    We had large imps leading this charge after all. With their superior strength and the denseness of the defenders¡¯ formation, each swing was able to hit a few imps.


    As No.3¡¯s contingent crashed through the army, a portion of the large imps split off to handle the enemy large imps while the remaining forces took care of the remaining 800 enemy small imps. With their bone clubs, this was an easy battle for them.


    However, this successful charge did not improve our situation as a whole. While the enemy was successfully separated, One-eye was just too tired. Even with No.3¡¯s reinforcements, they were only able to force the head imp led army to a draw.


    The head imp possessed a weapon the other large imps did not; his horn. While it was curved back, it¡¯s hardness made it a formidable ramming weapon. As he fought, he would suddenly bite at his opponents. If the bite missed, he could still ram his opponents. Nine-finger was one of the unlucky imps sent flying by his horn.


    After defeating the large imp guarding the head imp¡¯s flank, Scar-face immediately tried to ambush the head imp. However, this sneak attack only caused him to stagger a few steps before he managed to stabilize himself once more. He turned around to find a stunned Scar-face.


    He spun around and punched him with the force of his rotation behind it. Scar-face barely made it in time to defend against this attack with both his hands. However, even with his successful defense, the force behind the punch was just too great for him. Scar-face was knocked down by it, the bones in his arm cracking as he fell.


    Just as the head imp was about to finish off Scar-face, a black arrow whistled through the air and hit him on his shoulders, momentarily stunning him with a wave of pain. Seeing his chance, Scar-face wisely made his escape.


    As his prey escaped, the head imp furiously looked around and spotted me casting a darkness arrow.


    After evolving, a bunch of arcane knowledge entered my mind. Darkness arrow was one the skills I learnt from this knowledge.


    It was a skill which controlled the darkness element and compressed it into an arrow. The more one channeled, the greater its strength. It was a darkness skill similar to the one used by a caster in the world famous MMO <>. This arrow had to be controlled by the caster¡¯s psyche as it was formed and also when it was fired.


    Due to my inexperience with this skill, it takes me 5 seconds to cast it.


    That arrow I shot only blew off the skin on his shoulder. While the wound might look grizzly, it wasn¡¯t a serious injury.


    It was a dismal outcome for a skill which took 5 seconds to cast. Within this casting period, my legs couldn¡¯t move at all, rendering me vulnerable to any attacks. If he charged at me at this moment, I would be nothing more than a practice dummy.


    S**t, he¡¯s charging at me¡­

 Chapter 21: The Flames of Sorrow

    The darkness arrow still had three more seconds before it could be fired off. If I cancel the casting now, it would not only waste time but also waste this opportunity.


    The head imp made a bull rush through the battlefield, his target, me. He knocked aside another two more large imps as he charged. He was getting too close. However, just as I was about to cancel the casting, a towering silhouette stood in front of me. It was a large imp, a large imp that was slightly burlier than a normal large imp.


    ¡°This lordship will protect Master with his life!¡± Big 1 charged into the head imp with a resolute gaze in his eyes; to him death was no longer an issue. He tried to block the unstoppable force otherwise known as the head imp from approaching but was instantly defeated.


    However, his efforts weren¡¯t in vain as the arrow finally took shape. A pitch black arrow that seemed to consume the light around it, flew out from between my arms and crashed into the head imp¡¯s face.


    He had just tasted the pain brought on by the darkness arrow earlier and definitely did not want to again. However, his charge had rendered him unable to dodge the arrow properly and he could only twist his head in a desperate attempt to evade it. The darkness arrow struck the head imp¡¯s forehead where it joined with the horn like a lightning bolt.


    ¡°AHH!¡±


    The devil¡¯s horn was his weapon but at the same time, it was also his weakness. A devil who lost his horn would be temporarily weakened. That arrow did not manage to sever his horn but was able to inflict a great deal of pain on him.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­I¡¯ll kill you¡­I will definitely kill you¡­¡± The head imp clutched his head as he wailed in pain. His howls were drenched in his poisonous hatred, causing me to involuntarily shiver; my morale nearly failing at that moment.


    ¡°Stop him!¡±


    I quickly retreated a distance and hastily commanded the devils around me. I ordered them to stall the head imp even if it cost them their lives. As for me, I suppressed my furiously pounding heart and continued casting my darkness arrows.


    The battlefield was too chaotic at this moment. No.2, 4 and 5 had, unbeknownst to me, evolved into large imps in the midst of the bloodshed. Upon hearing my command, they immediately broke out of the crowd and ran towards me. At the same time, No.3, Big 2, Big 3 and Nine-finger rushed towards me as well.


    One-eye had the important role of being the commander of this battle so I had ordered him long ago to focus on commanding and to ignore anything else.


    Even the previously injured Scar-face had rushed over to protect me. He stared daggers at the head imp in front of him. His arms were no longer functional, but he still had his feet and teeth. He had a vindictive personality; any slight must be avenged, especially one this big! He wasn¡¯t the only one who came over, he brought his three large imp subordinates as well.


    In total, there were eleven large imps and with me included, it was a 12 vs. 1 match! With such a numerical advantage, we should be fine, right?


    I sneaked a glance at the ongoing battle. While our losses were immense, the enemy wasn¡¯t that well off either. As long as we took down the head imp, victory was ours.


    Scar-face ordered the three large imp subordinates to charge while he hid behind to prepare for a sneak attack. On the other side, No.3 led a group in encircling the head imp. The plan was to attack him from all sides and exploit our numerical advantage.


    The head imp¡¯s combat strength was truly terrifying. The first to engage with the head imp were the three large imps who were covered in wounds from a previous battle. Upon colliding with the head imp, they were swiftly knocked down in a couple of punches and kicks.


    Scar-face had intended to ambush the head imp while he was being held up by the large imps, but quickly gave up on this idea due to the opponent¡¯s overwhelming strength. Seeing this strength disparity, he had no choice but to temporarily retreat.


    Having just chased away Scar-face, the head imp was immediately ambushed from the back by No.3¡¯s bone club. The head imp tried to counterattack by grabbing No.3 but failed due to him retreating in time. Instead, he grabbed onto No.2 who had just charged forward. He lifted No.2 up into the air as he clutched onto his head like a vice, while No.2 desperately struggled. No.2 clawed and kicked as hard as he could but it had no effect on the steel-like hide of the head imp¡¯s arm.


    *crunch*


    The head imp clenched down with his fist and slammed No.2 onto the cliff wall. A sickening crunch rang out through the air. The cliff face was perfectly unharmed but No.2¡¯s head had split open¡­


    No.2 was dead!


    The third darkness arrow was ready and with a shove of both my arms, the darkness arrow shot towards the head imp¡¯s eyes.


    However, the head imp was prepared for this arrow and immediately dodged. The direction he tumbled in laid in the path of Nine-finger and Big 1. Big 1¡¯s had already swung his club prior to this and as a result, coincidentally hit the head imp¡¯s head. The head imp¡¯s body seized up momentarily as his head collided with the club. However, he quickly recovered and managed to catch the bone club as Big 1 was attempting his second swing. With a forceful twist, he snatched the club away from Big 1.


    With both his arms clasped around the bone club, he fiercely swung out, hitting Big 1 squarely on the jaw. Big 1 was flung away like a baseball into the distance.


    His stolen club began to crack under the impact of his forceful swing. At this moment, my fourth arrow shot out. However, with previous three encounters still fresh in his mind, he was clearly prepared. He lifted his hands and blocked the arrow with the bone club.


    *boom*


    The darkness arrow disappeared but the bone club had shattered under the impact.


    However this did not affect the head imp at all, as he casually tossed aside the stub of the bone club and viciously pounced at me. Big 2, Big 3 and Nine-finger immediately ran into his path to block him but were violently rammed aside. Big 2 was the most unfortunate of the three. The direction he was knocked to was right in the path of the head imp. Before he could get up, the head imp broke into a sprint and leaped into air, landing a moment later with the force of a sledgehammer, right onto Big 2¡¯s neck. That sickening crunch rang out once more as his neck got pulverized, his head tilting to the side as it lost its support¡­


    Big 2 was dead¡­


    Damn it, damn it¡­there¡¯s only five more meters. He¡¯s going to pounce on me in the very next second¡­


    I wanted to run but my speed was just too slow. Just as I was about to despair, No.4 suddenly leaped onto the head imp¡¯s leg and tightly hugged it. With his thigh hindered by No.4 , the head imp¡¯s momentum was abruptly halted, nearly causing him to trip. He tilted his head and stared cruelly at the imp hugging his legs, while a thousand murderous thoughts flowed through his head.


    No.4 was terrified by the head imp¡¯s gaze. He had always been a coward but this time was different. He valiantly held onto the head imp ignoring the impending threat of death. What happened to him? Where did all this bravery come from?


    ¡°Master¡­run¡­¡±


    He was terrified by his enemy¡¯s gaze but steadfastly held on; his eyes full of tears.


    As for me¡­that short sentence of ¡°Master run¡± had shocked me to the core¡­I knew No.4 was a bit of a coward, and I didn¡¯t look too favourably upon him. I had always thought he would be the first to run away when I got into danger¡­but it looks like I was terribly wrong. He was the bravest of them all.


    ¡°No.4!¡±


    I didn¡¯t know when but I had started crying. The speed of my casting had picked up as well. But in the end, it was still too slow¡­


    Before the darkness arrow could be fired, the head imp had bent down and grabbed No.4¡¯s head. With his other arm, he held onto No.4¡¯s shoulder. An instant later, he pulled out his head as if he was plucking out a radish!


    A stream of blood gushed out of his decapitated body like a geyser, drenching the head imp in blood. At this moment, he turned towards me with his usual savage face and smiled.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­!¡±


    The arrow I was casting dissipated before it had fully formed. I didn¡¯t know why but at that moment, I screamed at the top of my lungs. I clearly remembered a few days back, No.4 was beaten up by No.3 and the others and looked really pathetic then. But strangely, despite his fear of being beaten, when he turned towards me, that fear instantly disappeared.


    I don¡¯t know what kind of feeling this is and I don¡¯t want to know¡­but¡­it¡¯s so heart wrenching¡­it¡¯s just so heart wrenching¡­


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    Power! I¡¯ve already died twice and reincarnated twice, shouldn¡¯t I be a special existence!? Why am I so powerless!? I want power! More power!


    After murdering No.4, the head imp continued his advance forward.


    Seeing me in danger, No.3 and the others immediately charged forward. Even Scar-face and his three beaten subordinates got to their feet and desperately tried to block him. All the large imps in this battle rushed forward with one common goal in mind: to protect me.


    Big 3 had his throat torn out while Nine-finger was sent flying with a kick. Scar-face managed a kick on the head imp¡¯s back but it had no effect. Instead, he got a fist to the stomach and fell to the ground. His three nameless subordinates attacked the head imp¡¯s chest and flanks simultaneously but it was all in vain. The head imp took on their attacks as if they were nothing and swiftly took care of them with a few of punches and a kicks.


    No.3 tried to ambush the head imp once more and pounced at his calves. However, the head imp was already aware of his movements and leaped into the air to dodge. No.3 tried to pressure him further but was quickly defeat by a punch and a kick.


    Having gotten rid of all the obstacles, he slowly sauntered towards me, a taunting smile on his face.


    I lowered my head. My mind was a complete mess at this moment. Even the fact that we just got wiped out was ignored. Numerous thoughts flooded into my mind at this moment. Thoughts that I could not understand. Anger, an uncontrollable anger erupted like a volcano within me. Hidden beneath these raging flames was a deep sorrow. Following No.2, Big 2 and No.4¡¯s death, Big 3 was now dead as well. They died protecting me. As I thought about this, an indescribable pain filled my heart. My tears had dried up, leaving behind an indelible scar on my heart.


    ¡°There¡¯s no one left to save you now.¡± The head imp turned around and glanced at the defeated large imps lying on the floor; letting out a derisive ¡°chi¡± as he laughed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know, I¡¯m a head imp who is standing at the peak of two-stars. I can evolve into three-stars at any moment. With just this amount of underlings, you wanted to defeat me? You have to bring at least double what you have now in order to win. Now tell me, do you wish to become my demoness or do you wish to die?¡±


    The anger in me rumbled and flared up. I lightly closed my eyes and a moment later, opened them. The expressions on my face disappeared at that moment, leaving behind a deadly calm. ¡°Did you know, flames can reduce everything to cinders? The destruction it brings¡­that¡¯s why everyone is afraid of fire. Among them, there¡¯s a flame that not only hurts others but also oneself¡­¡±


    ¡°Is your head screwed on right? What¡¯s the point of telling me a story now!?¡± The head imp lowered his head and stared at me, his face a mere 10 cm away from mine. I could smell the stench from his mouth and nose. This was his attempt at mocking me. With a light poke on my forehead, he continued: ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve been scared witless by me?¡±


    ¡°Did you know, that type of fire hurts the body and the heart¡­it¡¯s called¡­the flames of anger¡­¡±


    As those words left my mouth, my body was suddenly engulfed in a reddish black flame. It came into contact with the head imp¡¯s finger and like a paper coming into contact with fire, the black flames rapidly spread from his fingers onto his palms and then to his arms¡­


    ¡°Ahhh¡­what¡¯s going on¡­why am I on fire¡­¡± Devils were born with a natural resistance to fire. To them, the average flames were nothing more than toys. As such, the head imp didn¡¯t pay much attention to the flames on his finger and even flicked his finger around as if to show that he was the master of fire. The result: the flames spread all the way to his arms without any signs of abatement.


    The head imp screamed in agony as he rubbed his flame-covered right arm onto my body. He thought this would put out the flames but he was sorely mistaken. Instead of putting them out, the flames grew even more.


    ¡°Flames of anger are truly frightening. Right at this moment, do you feel it?¡± I said with an expressionless face. With a light touch of my hands, the flames on my palms spread onto his body. A moment later, the head imp had turned into a living torch. He frantically sprinted around, tumbled around, whatever method he could think of he employed them. However, the black flames burned strong. Yet, whatever he came into contact with was spared from this fiery fate. He alone, was subject to the flames.


    At the very end, he wailed as he jumped into the blood sea, disappearing with the bloody tides¡­


    It¡¯s over, everything is over¡­

 Chapter 22: A new Environment and Situation

    Mo Ke was lying there unconscious, the nether flames had completely drained him. After the death of the boss imp, the opposing devils lost their will to fight.


    After the battle, One-eye recruited all the remaining imps and took count of the survivors. They had 50 large imps left from their side while the defenders had 62 large imps left, bringing the count to 112. As for the small imps, they had 214 small imps left while the defenders had 547 left, bringing the count to 761 small imps.


    Outside of these numbers, everyone else was dead. The entire battle had lasted over ten hours. By now, the blood sea risen to the third step. In another hour, even the stairs would be engulfed, by then, there would be nothing left of this level.


    ¡°Alright, since you guys have agreed to serve me, you are now subordinates of the Master. Listen up, move aside and let us pass through the entrance first.¡±


    The chain of command among lower ranked devils was very simple. After the strongest was determined, you either served or died. As such, One-eye wasn¡¯t afraid of them being rebellious. After giving that command, he ordered the army under him to pass through.


    As expected, the subjugated devils obeyed his orders and stepped aside. However, there seemed to be a problem with their own side.


    As he was about to lead the army through the entrance, he noticed Big 1 approaching the unconscious body of Mo Ke. He immediately rushed to block Big 1. With a forceful shove to Big 1¡¯s chest, he separated the two even further. ¡°Stand aside, keep your filthy hands away from our master¡¯s sacred body!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this? Master is unconscious and this lordship is going to evacuate him out of here!¡± The slightly disfigured Big 1 angrily rebuked him. Half his face had been damaged by the head imp and had only just started healing.


    He wanted to be the one to carry Mo Ke through the entrance but was interrupted by One-eye. Regarding his former commander, Big 1 had always kept a wary attitude towards him; even while under his lead. He had always seen One-eye as a rival. ¡°Don¡¯t think this one doesn¡¯t know, the reason why you¡¯ve stopped this lordship is because you want to carry Master yourself!¡±


    Having his intentions revealed publicly made him cough awkwardly. ¡°Ahem, I¡¯m not opposed to carrying Master.¡±


    ¡°Go and die! This might be the only chance this lordship will ever get to carry Master. This one won¡¯t give this chance up no matter what!¡±


    ¡°Let my Big brother do it!¡± Nine-finger suddenly butted into the argument, his intention, to help One-eye secure the chance. Under One-eye¡¯s grateful gaze, he leaned in and whispered: ¡°Big brother, I¡¯ll help you this time, but the next time such a chance comes up you¡¯ve gotta let me hug Master. I¡¯m counting on you!¡±


    One-eye : ¡°¡­Go kill yourself!¡±


    One-eye slapped his subordinate on the back of his head, causing him to fall. However, the cunning Nine-finger made use of this opportunity to fall towards Mo Ke which meant as long as his ruse succeeded, Mo Ke would be within arm¡¯s reach.


    ¡°If you are going to fall, do it in another direction. This lordship will protect the Master¡¯s innocence to his dying breath!¡± His plan was immediately seen through by Big 1 who sent him flying off in another direction.


    It¡¯s not like he will get pregnant from being touched¡­


    One-eye was was pretty apathetic about his cunning subordinate getting kicked, and even muttered: ¡°Serves you right.¡±


    At this moment, a seemingly bored looking No.5 yawned and casually walked towards Mo Ke. His plan was simple, approach Mo Ke by acting nonchalant. The two large imps were in the midst of a heated argument and naturally did not notice his ulterior motives. However, just as his fingers were about to touch Mo Ke, a large hand reached out and grabbed his neck.


    ¡°Do you think that innocent act would fool me?¡± With a swing of his arm, No.3 threw No.5 away from Mo Ke. ¡°Hmph, you¡¯re still too inexperienced to trick me.¡±


    With No.2 dead, No.3 was now the earliest member of Mo Ke¡¯s team. He was essentially a founding elder of the team. By now, the two large imps had noticed the ruckus and turned over to face their scheming comrades. They asked simultaneously: ¡°No.3 between this lordship and that fellow, who do you choose to help?¡±


    ¡°Help?¡± He snorted derisively and chuckled: ¡°Naturally, I¡¯ll choose to help myself. None of you have the right to approach the Master¡¯s sacred body. The only one who has this right is me. Among the devils present, I¡¯m the one who joined the Master the earliest and had also contributed the most! Naturally the honors should go to me.¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± x4


    Soon, the five named imps got into a stupidly heated argument that nearly ended in a fist fight.


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    ¡°If you guys aren¡¯t able to decide on a candidate, I¡¯ll be happy to volunteer myself.¡± Seeing Mo Ke¡¯s defenseless form on the ground, Scar-face¡¯s heart thumped. Having just recovered from his arm injuries, he was also able to participate in this sacred duty.


    ¡°Go die in a remote corner!¡± x5


    ¡°The blood tide is going to reach this level soon, if we don¡¯t leave now, it will be too late. I don¡¯t feel like dying yet so I¡¯ll leave you guys to your nonsense. Farewell.¡± As he left those words behind, Scar-face brought his 10 remaining large imps with him through the entrance, his small imps were nothing more than corpses now.


    Scar-face¡¯s sudden departure seemed to have ended the argument between the five large imps. By now the water had risen to the fifth step, if they dawdled any longer, they might not make it. Unlike Scar-face¡¯s smaller army, their side was significantly larger, and definitely needed more time to pass through the entrance. The imps collectively sighed at this grim reality.


    They knew that if Mo Ke were to wake up and find that their numbers had dwindled because of their incessant fighting, he would be very upset at them. In order to spare him anymore troubles, the large imps quickly came to a decision.


    ¡°This lordship feels that we should get a female devil to carry the Master.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°I guess this is the only way.¡±


    With this, the curtains fell on the grand battle of stupidity.


    ¡°Hurry, the blood tide is reaching this level!¡±


    No.3 and the rest led the remaining devils through the mysterious abyss in front of them known as the entrance to the upper level. As No.3 stepped into the pitch black dark mouth carved onto the cliff, he saw a flight of stairs formed out of stacked platforms. The vastness of his surroundings gave him the feeling of a mysterious dimension rather than a narrow tunnel. After carefully making his way up the stairs for a minute, he finally reached the last platform. With a step forward, he crossed into a new world.


    From the outside, it looked like No.3 had emerged from a dark hole in the ground.


    The new world¡¯s environment surprised him. He had on multiple occasions wondered what the upper level was like. Did it have fiery volcanoes spitting magma into the air or rivers of magma raking through the earth? Would the air be filled with a perpetual sulfurous smell as a result? What he did not expect as he took the first breath of this world, was the deathly chillness in the air.


    The deathly cold air pierced his skin as he looked around. The ground was no longer the familiar reddish black, but was now mostly black with a tinge of green and a frosty white.


    The world outside the entrance was just as devoid of life as it was within. It was a desolate world without any traces of life. As No.3 stood there in shock, One-eye stepped out of the entrance and looked around in wonder, a visible excitement apparent in his expression.


    ¡°We¡¯ve left the blood sea¡­we survived¡­¡±


    After another ten minutes, the rest of the devils had crossed into the new world as well. They made camp on a high ground nearby. By now, everyone was thoroughly exhausted due to the grueling 12 hour battle atop the stairs. Over 10,000 devils had fought in that battle, and now there were less than 1,000 devils left alive. Calling it a blood bath would be an understatement.


    With the female devil looking after Mo Ke, everyone could rest at ease. At the side, One-eye and the other named imps were having an idle discussion about how idiotic the head imp was. Anyone with a shred of intelligence would¡¯ve realized that if he didn¡¯t blockade the entrance, those 10,000 devils could¡¯ve have all passed through in peace. Was there even a point in forcing such a confrontation?


    Just as they were having fun badmouthing the head imp, the ground shook. It was as if a rampaging army of cavalrymen was passing through at this moment. Then, out of the black hole they climbed out of, a small imp corpse flew out of it. Then a second came out¡­a third¡­a fourth¡­13th¡­100th¡­1,000th¡­2,000¡­


    Small imps, large imps, all those who had died in the previous level were spit out of that black hole in a bloody rain of corpses¡­


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Western Human Realms, Tarnia Kingdom¡­


    Nicole had just finished a day of training and was on her back to her private accommodations. Her sweat soaked white training outfit stuck to her body as she walked, showing off her developing 13 year old figure. She was still the pure and beautiful ponytailed girl from Mo Ke¡¯s memory.


    As a result of Mo Ke¡¯s influence, Nicole chose the sword and shield as her main focus. Having spent half a year in the school, she had gotten used to the simple lifestyle here. It was a life filled with training and even more training. She trained as hard as she could, hoping to get stronger; strong enough to find Mo Ke. Even though in heart she knew Mo Ke could already be dead, but human beings needed goals in their life, and she was no exception. Even if that goal seemed to be nearly impossible.


    From time to time, she would receive a letter from Roscar. It detailed his current situation and endeavors. He had set up a mercenary company recently. However, it was only a small company of 10 men.


    The goal was to gather information on Mo Ke while carrying out missions to gain money. He would also frequent the slave markets and arenas of the cities he passed by. As long as he heard that a teenager was taking part in an arena match, or that one was being sold, he would rush over to check it out no matter how busy he was. However, his efforts were doomed to be in vain.


    He was furiously training himself as well by taking on the most dangerous of missions in order to push himself to the limit.


    As she returned to her assigned villa, she changed into a set of casual clothes. Just as she finished doing so, she heard a knock on the door.


    ¡°Nicole, if you are in there, could you open up for a moment?¡±


    It was Sares¡¯s voice. She hesitated a while before deciding to open it in the end.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter Sares?¡±


    She stood at the door, with no intention of letting him in. She silently gazed at the golden haired youth wearing a dazzling smile on his face. He used to be like a big brother to her; a radiant figure in her life. But after Mo Ke left, she felt a certain hollowness in her heart. This wasn¡¯t love. She knew that.


    ¡°I guessed that you were done with training and came to visit.¡± Nicole¡¯s obvious rejection made him upset. He knew why Nicole was so opposed to his advances; it was Mo Ke¡¯s departure. He had already guessed that Mo Ke had left home because of him. He was actually really fond of this mischievous little brother but in the end¡­


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. Here¡¯s a letter from Uncle Roscar.¡± Just as the letter left his pocket, it was immediately snatched up by Nicole.


    Nicole blazed through the letter and it wasn¡¯t long before she was done with it. She closed her eyes as she collapsed slightly onto the doorframe beside her, the weariness apparent in her demeanor.


    ¡°Still¡­no news?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Silence was his answer as Nicole leaned against the doorframe with her eyes closed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­it¡¯s not your fault¡­¡± She opened her eyes and found that the usually smiling youth was no longer smiling, but had his head lowered in a downcast expression.


    That¡¯s right, it wasn¡¯t Sares¡¯s fault. Nobody could¡¯ve predicted that Mo Ke would get so jealous that he would leave home. Sares was merely a scapegoat for their anger.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, did you manage to find the wallet you lost?¡±


    A while ago, Nicole had lost her wallet. To Nicole, that wallet was nothing. There was no money inside, but it held a very important item within.


    ¡°Nope¡­it should¡¯ve been lost outside the school¡­I made some purchases outside. After returning to school¡­it was gone¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡­was it really important?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­it was Mo Ke¡¯s stuff.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is that so.¡±


    Sares helplessly sighed once more. Ever since Mo Ke left, the mere mention of his name sent Nicole into a state of depression.


    Perhaps he had finally had enough of this gloomy mood as Sares decided to bid her farewell without even entering the villa. ¡°Nicole, since you¡¯ve received the letter, I¡¯ll head back first. As for your wallet, I¡¯ll try to find it for you. Perhaps I might have better luck.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­I¡¯ll leave this matter to you¡­¡±

 Chapter 23: Exploration

    Hmm? Why was I unconscious?


    This place seems new¡­well¡­it¡¯s not like this is the first time I¡¯ve found myself in an unfamiliar world.


    Ah, I remember now, I activated the nether flames and burned that head imp to death. After that, I fainted from mana exhaustion. That was the story up until now. As for the nether flames¡­well¡­I¡¯m not entirely sure either. I only knew that I was really angry and my brain was suddenly flooded with knowledge that I didn¡¯t understand; but seemed strangely correct. Using that knowledge, I conjured the nether flames.


    Does this mean I have a hack ability at last? Hmm, well now¡¯s not the time for this. I need to check out my surroundings first.


    Judging by the surrounding darkness and the eerily cold air, this should be a cave. As I looked up, I saw a ceiling packed with black soil; yup, it should be a cave. What about my devil subordinates? When I fainted, I was still on the last step before the entrance. Since I¡¯m not dead, I should be inside the tunnel.


    Guided by the faint bit of illumination in the cave, I slowly made my way out. The light slowly grew as I continued until finally I exited and saw¡­woah¡­an unbelievable sight.


    It was an underground world tinted in a mix of black, gray, green and white. Several steps in front of me was a precipice. Several hundred meters below, the terrain formed a giant natural basin. Inside it, were countless piles of devil corpses. The bulk of them were small imp corpses, but there were a lot of large imp corpses as well. They were unceremoniously piled together like a pile of garbage¡­


    Next to the corpses was a large group of devils. Their numbers didn¡¯t reach a thousand with half of them being large imps and the other half being small imps. They were currently feasting on the corpses in front of them without any signs of conflict. Whatever they wanted to eat, they were able to. It was truly a picture of peaceful and harmonious feasting¡­


    ¡­harmoniously feasting on their own kind¡­


    Forget it, it¡¯s not as if this was the first time I¡¯ve seen them do this.


    ¡°Oh, Master, you¡¯re awake!¡± A pleasantly surprised voice echoed from my left. I turned to the source and saw an elated but surprised No.5 leaning against the side of the cave entrance, staring at me, his drool still dangling at the corner of his mouth.


    ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t that No.5, what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I was watching over Master!¡± No.5 maintained his comfy position as he said so with a serious expression on his face.


    ¡°Oh, thanks a lot¡­¡± ¡­what am I going to do with you¡­


    ¡°Ah, Master is too kind.¡± The clueless No.5 earnestly accepted my ¡°thanks¡±.


    Just as I was starting to get fed up with his thick skin, No.3 walked out of a nearby cave and slapped his head: ¡°Next time, wipe that drool off your mouth before you say that!¡±


    Having beaten the potato, a satisfied looking No.3 turned to me and greeted me humbly in a half kneel position, his head lowered as he said: ¡°Master.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, this is the next level?¡± No.3 was as reliable as always, unlike certain imps. *cough* No.5 and Nine-finger.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on over there?¡± As I said so, I pointed at the mountain of corpses. ¡°What¡¯s with all those corpse?¡±


    ¡°Master, it¡¯s like this¡­¡±


    No.3 recounted what happened after I fainted, minus the nonsense.


    Recruiting the remaining devils, a geyser of corpses¡­seems like a lot happened while I was sleeping. And that corpse count¡­it must¡¯ve at least been several tens of thousands of corpses.


    So that¡¯s why that head imp wanted to guard the entrance¡­I thought he was just the cliched end level boss you see in RPGs. I guess he wasn¡¯t as stupid as I thought. I would¡¯ve guarded the entrance as well if I had known about this.


    ¡°Wait¡­you said those corpse were spit out by the hole?¡±


    ¡°Yes, master.¡±


    Must¡¯ve been quite a unique sight¡­


    In human time, I was out cold for a total of four days. In these four days, my little piggies had been living a carefree life of eating and sleeping and then more eating.


    Thanks to this mountain of corpses, half of my small imps had evolved into large imps while my original large imps had received a boost to their strength. As for the souls¡­since there was no tool to store souls, it was hard to preserve them. It would¡¯ve been alright if it was just two days¡­but I was out for four¡­


    After that gruelling battle, everyone had received some benefits except for their master, me¡­


    Well, there¡¯s no point throwing a tantrum now.


    ¡°Master, you must be hungry right now. I¡¯ll go hunt some souls for you.¡± The matter of me only consuming souls was known to all my subordinates. He probably thought my long sleep had made me hungry and so offered to hunt for me.


    ¡°Oh, what¡¯s there to hunt around here?¡± Truth be told, I didn¡¯t take too well to this new environment. After spending so much time near the blood sea and breathing in its sulfurous air, suddenly switching to such an eerily cold place made me slightly uncomfortable.


    ¡°This is place is full of walking skeletons and animated corpses. Their souls taste bad but are bountiful¡­¡±


    In short, it¡¯s like a buffet of undead souls. The taste isn¡¯t too great but it¡¯s all you can eat.


    ¡°In that case, let¡¯s have a look together.¡±


    I paid One-eye a visit and instructed him to look after the devils. In the meantime, No.3 instructed Big 1 to select 30 imps to accompany us on our hunting trip north. After heading down this direction for 30 minutes, we entered a desolate wasteland. The ground was pitch black and cracks weaved through the entire area due to the sheer dryness of the earth. Judging by this, there hadn¡¯t been any rain here for a long time or perhaps rain didn¡¯t even exist here.


    As we continued, a pile of bones not too far into the distance piqued my interest. From the looks of it, it was a complete set of small imp bones. I decided to investigate, but as I got within 10 steps of it, the skeleton started shaking and an upright imp skeleton was soon standing right before me.


    An imp¡¯s skull was very different from a human¡¯s, with its widened forehead and enlarged eye sockets, it was more alien than human. As it stood upright, a sinister green flame lit up in its empty eye sockets. It was an undead¡¯s soul fire. This was an important component in controlling their bodies, thus making it a conspicuous weakness.


    Once this was extinguished, the undead would experience true death. If the soul¡¯s container was destroyed before the soul was extinguished, it would merely fly away to look for another container.


    In a sense, they could revive themselves infinitely; though it was more akin to swapping bodies. Kinda like a Gun*am pilot switching Gun*ams.


    ¡°No.3 distract him for a while, I want to test out my magic.¡±


    ¡°Yes, master.¡± No.3 immediately stood in front me, shielding me with his towering body.


    No.3 charged right at the skeleton and let forth a deafening howl that almost scattered its bones as it retreated backwards from the shockwave.


    Darkness Arrow.


    Its casting time was now shortened to 4 seconds and with the time bought by No.3¡¯s stunning howl, I managed to fire off an arrow at the skeleton.


    *Bam*


    The skeleton crumbled into a pile of bones as its skull was knocked several meters away by the darkness arrow.


    Big 1 immediately rushed to the skull to harvest the soul and reverently presented it to me: ¡°Master, please help yourself.¡±


    The soul flame twisted about as it laid on his palm. With just one look, it was obvious this was different from the souls I¡¯ve eaten before. It¡¯s taste¡­wasn¡¯t that great. It had a deathly feel to it that reminded me of decaying corpses. However, the nourishment it provided was significantly better than what I was used to. Compared to a small imp¡¯s soul, it provided an additional 50% boost in nourishment.


    ¡°What¡¯s the combat strength of such a skeleton?¡±


    ¡°Equivalent to a small imp.¡± No.3 replied with an expected answer.


    ¡°Let¡¯s continue. We will wander around this area for a while, my magic test isn¡¯t over yet.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±


    As we wandered around, we encountered several small imp skeletons which were swiftly taken care of by No.3 and the others. Finally after 20 minutes, we met our first large imp skeleton.


    Judging from its appearance, it was definitely made up of a large imp¡¯s skeleton. As for its strength, my darkness arrow was no longer able to kill it in one shot. The most it could do was blow off a limb. This was due to the inherent hardness of its skull being stronger than the other bones. In order to destroy its skull, I would require at least three arrows.


    Judging by my arrow¡¯s consumption, my mana pool could definitely sustain ten consecutive shots. As for nether flames¡­unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t use it.


    I had a feeling that this flame required emotions as a medium in order to materialize. An example would be anger. Hmm, what other techniques did I have¡­oh, there¡¯s still the flame whip.


    I clapped my hands together, and as I did so, a bundle of flames wrapped around my right arm. Seeing this, I separated my hands. Simultaneously, a stream of flames formed in between my hands and took the shape of a whip.


    Only allowed on Creativenovels.com


    The whip was around five meters in length and gave off a scorching feeling as I waved it around. Mhm, not a bad skill.


    But a whip¡­aren¡¯t those usually used by women¡­


    Forget it, only a ¢á.idiot would care about minor details like these. (TL: Some Chinese joke about someone who can only count up to 9.)


    This new map was pretty cold especially for me. Being a picky eater that didn¡¯t want to eat meat, my physical body was weaker than most large imps. In this regard, the flame whip had another unexpected benefit. Due to its heat, it functioned as a heat source. As long as I kept it out, even if it wasn¡¯t in the midst of a battle, I could keep myself warm.


    In front of me was an ancient battlefield scattered with the bones of its participants; along with some weapons. Furthermore, the winds blowing from that area seemed to be much colder than the winds from the other areas.


    At first I thought it was merely my imagination, but quickly changed my mind once Big 1 reported that he felt this strangeness too. As I was planning to leave this eerie place, the sounds of bones clattering around echoed in the previously silent battlefield. During the next 10 seconds, undead could be seen rising one by one throughout the battlefield. Some of them were devils in life while some were human. Human?


    I was familiar with human skeletons from surfing the net in my previous life. Based on those images, these skeletons fit a human¡¯s perfectly. Adding to the credibility of this theory was the fact that they wore armor such as leather vests or plate mails. They also carried weapons commonly used by humans; such as shields, swords, hatchets and spears.


    There were quite of skeletons about. I roughly estimated their numbers to be over a hundred, with over 60 of them wearing equipment. I fired my arrow at one of the helmet wearing skeletons. Based on this test, the effects were pretty good. The arrows shattered the helmet along with the skull underneath and instantly extinguished the soul flame within.


    From this result, these armored skeletons were at the level of a small imp. With their weapons added into the mix, they were slightly stronger than your average small imp.


    ¡°Destroy them.¡± I gave this order without batting an eyebrow. Having tested my arrow, I had no further use for these undead.


    The 30 large imps on our side were more than a match for these skeletons. With their bone clubs and them being a full tier ahead of the skeletons, the battle was swiftly concluded within a minute.


    After the battle, No.3 stood by my side as a bodyguard; as Big 1 harvested the souls.


    However, before the souls were done being harvested, the ground quaked, and a withered hand shot out of the ground; vigorously trying to pull itself out. A short while later, a shriveled corpse broke through the dried ground in a flurry of soil and dust. A zombie! While its form was slightly different, I was still able to recognize what it was. This uninvited guest was a large imp zombie!


    Like the first signs of spring after winter, zombie after zombie could be seen digging their way out of the ground around the battlefield. Some of these were devil zombies while some were armored human zombies. The devil zombies all had a towering stature which exuded an aura of immense strength. As for the human zombies, they surprised me more as they seemed to know how to use their weapons.


    There were about 50 of these zombies in total. While their actions were sluggish, they weren¡¯t the slow zombies you saw in movies; they were faster than your average civilian!

 Chapter 24: The Flame Whip

    ¡°What¡¯s their combat strength?¡±


    ¡°About the same as a large imp, Master.¡±


    ¡°Weakness?¡±


    ¡°Their heads. Unless you destroy their heads, they¡¯ll keep on attacking. Even if you destroy their limbs, they will try to use their teeth to bite you¡­¡± No.3 seemed to have thought of something as he said this; his face had an unnatural expression on it.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a matter of focusing on their head.¡± Big 1 waved his bone club around in a show of bravado. ¡°No matter what, this lordship will protect Master!¡±


    Whether it was their defensive or offensive power, these zombies were at least a tier stronger than the skeletons we fought. Furthermore, they were a relentless army, they would not stop until their heads were destroyed. They did not sleep, eat or fear anything. They might even be infected with corpse poisons. Other than their sluggishness, they had no obvious weaknesses.


    They were the perfect foot soldier for an army.


    ¡°Retreat.¡±


    I quickly ordered a retreat.


    Our side had only 33 large imps including me, Big 1 and No.3. On the other hand, the zombies numbered 50. We were clearly outnumbered in this fight. Fighting now would only incur unnecessary deaths.


    With our superior speed, we quickly shook off the zombie army.


    ¡°Let¡¯s check out the other areas.¡±I still remembered the strange look on No.3¡¯s face when I asked about the zombies, so I pressed him further on this matter while we walked. ¡°While I was unconscious, did you encounter any special zombies?¡±


    ¡°They are really hardy and strong. Furthermore, the only way to kill them is by destroying their heads.¡± The expression on his face as he talked about the zombies was not one of fear, but rather of vexation. Meeting such a difficult opponent troubled him. ¡°Their claws and teeth were all poisoned, and had caused problems for our injured devils.¡±


    ¡°In what way?¡±


    ¡°Their limbs would start to feel weak, their bodies would feel hot, and they would cough up black blood¡­it would take a long time to recover from this poison.¡± My question seemed to have expended No.3¡¯s vocabulary as he struggled to find the words to describe the symptoms. The answer I got was pretty vague.


    ¡°Did anyone turn into a zombie?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Big 1 interrupted at this point: ¡°The dead would come back to life and bite us.¡±


    ¡°The living were unaffected?¡±


    Only allowed on Creativenovels.com


    ¡°They weren¡¯t affected.¡± Big 1 and No.3 simultaneously replied.


    This was pretty similar to the zombies I¡¯ve seen in movies, manga or novels from Earth. They had the ability to create more zombies by infection, and only a small amount were immune to this ability.


    I had two theories that could explain why this world¡¯s zombies could only inflict [weakness, fever, and coughing black blood] instead of directly infecting the devils.


    First: The zombie poison simply did not have that ability to directly infect people.


    Second: Devils were resistant to the zombie poison. If this was the case, humans would probably turn into zombies upon being bitten. Dying was not required.


    We picked a random direction and continued our exploration¡­


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    This was the fifth day since I woke up in this new world. I had gotten up early and walked out of my cave only to find that disgusting corpse mountain in front of me once more¡­truth be told, I¡¯m still a normal human at heart. What should¡¯ve been a productive and happy day was instantly ruined by that mountain of corpses¡­


    However, this couldn¡¯t be helped. Devils needed to eat to evolve. Given the choice of having such an easy source of food available, most would choose not to complain about the corpse mountain. After all, who didn¡¯t enjoy being able to feed without having to fight for it? Besides, my subordinates growing stronger benefited me as well so I just let it be.


    ¡°No.3, Big 1, our goal today is to head back to yesterday¡¯s zombie field and investigate it.¡± I ordered the two devils standing guard outside my cave.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to bring more imps with you. Around 200 large imps should do.¡±


    ¡°Yes Master.¡±


    After 30 minutes of traveling, we reached the ancient battlefield. It was still as desolate as ever; with a bunch of weapons and bones scattered about. From a distance, it seemed to be devoid of life. However, this was merely an illusion, as someone who had visited this place yesterday I can attest to that.


    The zombies were still there, but their numbers had grown to 60 since yesterday.


    Honestly, I still don¡¯t know where these undead came from. It had only been a day and the undead count had risen.


    Among the large imp zombies and human soldier zombies, was a slightly unique fellow.


    It was a heavily armored zombie that carried a huge sword. If it wasn¡¯t for the crack in its helm revealing the signature blackish green mouth and teeth of a zombie, I would¡¯ve mistaken him for your run of the mill human heavy infantry.


    He seemed to be at a two-star level, but that shouldn¡¯t be a problem as long as his speed was as slow as the other zombies. If we couldn¡¯t win, we could simply retreat.


    ¡°Maintain as much distance as possible and use your weapons to attack them. Make sure not to get injured. Also, avoid that particular zombie.¡±


    The large imps charged into battle with a roar. With our numbers, each battle were mostly stacked battles of three versus one. The large imps diligently obeyed my orders of avoiding that heavy infantry zombie by retreating immediately on sight. Whenever they saw it move towards them, they would abandon their current battle and prioritized retreating.


    As such, the battle proceeded as expected. Given our superior speed and numbers, the zombies were swiftly cleaned up by our clubs. Outside of a few careless imps who got scratched, there were no casualties.


    Finally, there was only that lonely heavy infantry zombie left. I turned to No.3 and Big 1 and said: ¡°He looks pretty lonely over there, we should pay him a visit.¡±


    ¡°Yes Master.¡±


    I opened the battle with my darkness arrow, but it didn¡¯t have any effect. As the mass of dark energy collided with the zombie¡¯s head, the helmet it wore faithfully carried out its duties rendering the arrow harmless. While the arrow got blocked, the helmet had suffered some damage as a result. Several fragments fell off its metallic surface as the arrow collided into it. A few more arrows should be enough to destroy that helmet.


    No.3 and Big 1 acted as my vanguard as they charged forward to engage it. With each of them taking a side, they sandwiched the heavy infantry zombie.


    ¡°Cripple his legs!¡±


    I threw out that order right as they were about to attack. Being battle-hardened veterans, they immediately knew what I wanted. After dodging a swing of that zombie¡¯s huge sword, the two imps stepped to its back and with a swing of their clubs, simultaneously struck at the zombie¡¯s legs.


    *bang*


    The zombie was still standing while the bone clubs laid there snapped in half.


    I forgot¡­they were called zombies because of their stiffness. If they were that easy to cripple, they would¡¯ve been called skeletons instead of zombies. Not to mention, this zombie might be a two-star monster!


    A huge sword sliced through the air in a wide arc as the zombie spun around to counterattack. With its two meter long blade, it would¡¯ve hit both of them if it weren¡¯t for them smartly retreating after seeing their attack fail.


    Darkness Arrow!


    I took advantage of him turning around to cast another skill at him. The arrow soared through the air and collided with the back of its helmet. However, unlike the first arrow, the helmet was only dented by this attack and not chipped. This helmet seems a lot more sturdier than I expected.


    Should I send in the rest of my subordinates since the other zombies were all dead?


    *bang*


    The zombie¡¯s huge sword impacted onto the ground once more as Big 1 skillfully dodged its swing. That miss had horribly scarred the earth at the point where it hit¡­perhaps I should leave the normal large imps out of this. There¡¯s no need to feed him kills.


    My nether flames were unusable, and at this rate my mana would run out before I defeated him. I need a better plan¡­perhaps I should use my flame whip.


    His sword was still stuck in the ground, and from the looks of it, would require some time to remove. No.3 and Big 1 made use of this time to rearm themselves with a bone club from their subordinates.


    Flame Whip!


    The flame on my right hand extended into a whip as I finished casting the skill. Once it had reached the desired length, I swung at the zombie. In a mere moment, the whip reached the zombie. As if it had read my mind, the whip automatically wrapped around the zombie.


    The flames of my whip roared as the metallic armor on the zombie was rapidly heated to a bright red hue. Black smoke rose from underneath the armor as the flesh beneath began to cook.


    *Owwww!*


    The flames were clearly its weakness. The zombie desperately struggled against the whip¡¯s binding in bid to escape from the scorching flames, but ultimately failed as the whip tightened up even further.


    This skill was a continuous drain on my mana and could be cancelled at will. It took a darkness arrow¡¯s worth of mana to activate it, and every 10 seconds it expended a similar amount of mana as well.


    This meant that given my previous two arrows, I had another 70 seconds worth of mana in me.


    It was said that undead hated the light, but in actuality, they hated the heat it brought. Except for some unique cases, fire was a fatal weakness of all undead, including zombies.


    This led to my flame whip having a better than expected result. The heavy infantry zombie could only struggle helplessly as the whip continuously burnt its armor. Furthermore, as time passed the heat increased, causing the damage to increase along with it. After 50 seconds of burning, the metallic armor could no longer withstand the heat and broke apart¡­


    The disgusting smell of its burnt flesh wafted through the air along with the black smoke. All the devils who smelt this covered their noses in disgust. It was a foul stench that one would never wish to encounter again.


    I had fainted after killing that head imp so I did not have any impression of eating that imp¡¯s soul. As such, I had no concrete comparison to judge if the heavy infantry zombie¡¯s soul was truly a two-star soul. After that tough battle, No.3 harvested the souls and presented them to me as usual. From a glance, I could immediately see the difference in strength between that zombie¡¯s soul and the others.


    Thanks to these souls, my mana was instantly replenished and had even received an increase equivalent to one more darkness arrow.


    Eating souls could increase one¡¯s maximum mana?


    I should hunt more souls to test this out.


    And so, the day continued uneventfully. By the end, we had a bountiful harvest of 500 undead souls. They were a mix of skeletons and zombies. However, we never encountered a second soul like that heavy infantry zombie¡¯s. It was probably a rare occurrence.


    As we made our way to base, I had no idea of the surprise awaiting us there¡­

 Chapter 25: Mountain of the Dead

    The nights in this new environment were quiet. There weren¡¯t any sounds of waves crashing against the coast here.There weren¡¯t any insects incessantly chirping at night. Nor were there any drunkards camping out in the streets at night, and there definitely weren¡¯t any hooligans waiting to beat me up.


    It was just silence. Silent in a variety of ways.


    This dead silence was completely destroyed by the devil¡¯s eating, yet this in itself brought a sense of life to this place. Because of the abundance of food, the devils happily feasted. Initially the abundance worried me. Would the corpses rot? Would the devils eat a bad corpse by accident and get some kind of sickness? However, these were unfounded worries as today was the fifth day and the corpses showed no signs of rotting.


    Perhaps it was due to this environment or perhaps they simply did not rot. Either way, I did not know how they maintained their freshness.


    Because of the lack of a sun, I would sleep once I started feeling tired. After sleeping for an indeterminate number of hours, I was woken up by the sound of the devils¡¯ clamoring.


    Damned potatoes, can¡¯t you let me rest in peace? You guys have a giant mountain of corpses to feed off, while I have to go out and hunt for my food!


    Before I managed to leave my cave and scold them, No.3 entered without my summons and reported: ¡°Master, there¡¯s a problem with the corpse mountain. Please evacuate immediately Master!¡±


    There¡¯s a problem with the corpse mountain?


    Anxiety welled within me as I asked: ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡±


    ¡°It would be faster if Master saw it for himself.¡± No.3 brought me out and pointed at the corpse mountain, ¡°The corpses are reviving!¡±


    The corpse mountain now and the corpse mountain before I went to sleep had a very obvious difference. It was the lack of devils feasting. This was because the devil corpses had been reanimated, and were unsteadily moving about while some were crawling around on the mountain. Their eyes were filled with an eerie green light that were devoid of any signs of life.


    Their strange movements reminded me of something¡­those zombies we met earlier¡­In fact, they were zombies.


    I was dumbstruck at that moment. Based on the width and height, this corpse mountain had to at least contain several tens of thousands of corpses! If they all became undead, my devil army is as good as dead! We might as well just kill ourselves now and join the party.


    Thankfully, not all of them became zombies. It was only a small portion that turned; about 5% of them. My subordinates defended against the zombie horde as they slowly retreated. Some of the unfortunate ones were atop the corpse mountain when it happened and got caught by a newly animated zombie. As they got tripped and pulled into the horde, their horrific cries filled the air as they were slowly eaten.


    They were being eaten alive!


    ¡°Listen up everyone, make sure to work with the people beside you as we leave this mountain together. We will gather at the east side of the mountain.¡± I raised my voice and tried to get them to cooperate. However, devils were a selfish life form. When things were going well they listened to you, but when things were bad, it was every man for himself. They clearly had no intention of cooperating.


    Even the efforts of Big 1 and One-eye to gather the devils had limited results.


    ¡°Go and gather those idiots. I want everyone at the east side.¡±


    No.3 hesitated as he heard my command: ¡°But there were would be no one to defend Master if I left.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s still this fellow.¡± I kicked the No.5 who was snoring loudly beside the cave entrance.


    ¡°Ah¡­what¡¯s happening¡­is there an earthquake¡­¡± No.5 woke upon being kicked, his drool still hanging off the corner of his mouth. His groggy expression wasn¡¯t the least bit endearing. As he looked around in a panic, he relaxed upon seeing my retracting leg. *phew*


    He breathed a sigh of relief and wiped his drool before smiled ingratiatingly at me. ¡°Master, you called?¡±


    ¡°See, this fellow is already awake. Even though his combat strength isn¡¯t much, he can still act as a meat shield. It will be fine.¡± I turned and smiled coldly at No.5: ¡°Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    ¡°¡­yes¡­¡± He was probably aware of my mood right now and immediately nodded. Even after hearing the word [meat shield], he smiled accommodatingly.


    ¡°No.5 has no ability to command so sending him would be pointless. Plus, if you keep on stalling, my losses would be even greater.¡±


    ¡°I understand and comply, Master.¡± No.3 accepted the command in the end and gave a half kneeling salute. As he got up, he glared at the confused No.5: ¡°Protect the Master well, if you dare to slack off again, I¡¯ll make sure you pay!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Since No.3 has gone to gather my subordinates, I should make my way to the east side as well.


    ¡°No.5, it¡¯s time for us to go as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes master.¡± No.5 sneaked a glance at me as he said so. However, he did not manage to gain much information from my expressionless face. Not like he could with that intelligence of his. He then glanced at the corpse mountain and immediately exclaimed as he was hit by a sudden realization: ¡°Master, why are those fellows acting so strangely!?¡±


    ¡°The corpses are reviving for some unknown reason and are turning into undead.¡± We continued walking as I explained the situation to No.5.


    ¡°The place we are living in houses a lot of undead. I suspect that this is the world of the undead so the corpses here will automatically turn into undead after a period of time.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­so those corpses were that scary. Luckily, I didn¡¯t eat much.¡± No.5 patted himself on the chest as he said so, with a look on his face that said ¡®I lucked out.¡¯


    Wait what did you mean [I didn¡¯t eat much]? Unlike you, all my subordinates were ravenously consuming the meat. Don¡¯t tell me you aren¡¯t interested in food? Do you have anorexia? What¡¯s more, whenever I see you, you are always sleeping by the side of my cave entrance. Exactly how much did you love sleeping?!


    Forget it, now¡¯s not the time for this. Getting to the designated point is more important.


    When I got to the designated point, Big 1 was already there with 200 large imps and was awaiting orders. These were the imps who were on the east side when I gave that order, so Big 1 had an easy time gathering them.


    ¡°Big 1, where were you when the corpses started reviving?¡±


    Big 1 half kneeled as he explained why he wasn¡¯t by my side protecting me: ¡°Master, this lordship was eating at the corpse mountain.¡±


    ¡°Did you fight with them?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s their strength?¡±


    ¡°The strongest I met were at the level of a large imp. The majority of them were at the level of a small imp. However¡­as it was a sneak attack, we suffered heavy losses.¡±


    ¡°I saw that.¡± While I didn¡¯t observe the situation for long, I was able to see that we had suffered significantly. The large imps were all unprepared for the zombies, and ended up getting surrounded and subsequently dying.


    Truth be told, if they had helped each other, their chances of survival would have been much higher. However, devils were selfish so the first thing they thought of when they saw what was happening, was how to ensure their own survival. They didn¡¯t even try to save their comrades. This was why our losses were so heavy.


    As time passed, the number of reanimated corpses rose. One-eye and No.3¡¯s group were essentially stranded on the north and southern sides. As I noticed this predicament, I immediately split up with Big 1 and sent help to both sides.


    One-eye and No.3 had each gathered over 200 large imps. As for the small imps¡­they were basically wiped out the moment the corpses started attacking.


    I brought No.5 and a hundred large imps to help One-eye at the north side. Standing between me and him were several hundred undead; which were still weak from being newly animated. Only a small portion possessed the strength of a one-star, the majority were at the level of a zero-star. However, as they continued to kill, they would get stronger so we needed to end this battle as soon as possible!


    ¡°I¡¯ll lead the charge. Take care of the undead on my flanks.¡±


    ¡°Yes Master!¡±


    Flame Whip.


    My scorching whip reared its head once more as I said so. With a chopping motion, I brought the whip down onto a stretch of road in front of me, its fiery body burning any undead unfortunate enough to be caught in its path. The air was soon filled with the foul stench of burnt corpses.


    Based on my previous encounter with that heavy infantry zombie, I knew that fire was the bane of the undead. This attack proved this theory once more as the undead were quickly dispersed by my flames. Wherever there were flames, the undead instinctively retreated several steps.


    I led the charge into the undead group with several swings of my flame whip to the left and right. We swiftly cut through the group in front of us, and within a mere 10 seconds, a laid open to One-eye¡¯s group.


    ¡°Get over here quickly!¡±


    ¡°Master!¡± His eyes practically shone with light as he looked at me. His sidekick, Nine-finger leaned in at this moment and whispered something, but instead got slapped by One-eye.


    Even in this situation, you guys didn¡¯t forget to express your love for each other¡­Exactly how loving are you guys?


    Having rescued One-eye, I checked on Big 1 and found that he was in trouble as well. With several more swings of my whip, I cleared the road to Big 1 and soon gathered all the scattered large imps.


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    It was around this time that my mana finally ran out and I had to cancel my flame whip. The army that was suppressed by the flames became active once more. Thankfully, our forces were ready this time and were able to repel them easily. With One-eye, Nine-finger and No.3 forming the spear tip of our charge, we quickly broke out and escaped from the undead horde.


    But why did this place feel so familiar? Oh, that¡¯s right. It¡¯s similar to that ancient battlefield where I met that tough zombie.


    Either way, it¡¯s time for a break. The devils are probably tired from that sneak attack by the zombies. Having decided on that, I collapsed onto the floor.


    ¡°One-eye, get me a head count.¡±


    ¡°Yes Master.¡±


    The head count was over in a short while. Not including the named imps, the number of large imps that had successfully escaped was 579!


    Damn, when we entered this world, we had nearly a thousand devils.


    Just as I was brooding, an anxious looking No.5 rushed into view. I had sent him out to scout the surroundings, and judging from his face, something bad must¡¯ve happened. This potato even tripped on a stone as he ran over, nearly falling¡­


    ¡°Master¡­we have a problem, those undead are heading towards us¡­¡±


    Me: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Master, what should we do?¡± Noticing the lack of response, he anxiously pressed me: ¡°Judging by their speed, they will catch up to us in half an hour.¡±


    Zombies had the speed of a normal human, so he was right to say that they would reach us in another 30 minutes.


    As time passes, I¡¯m sure that entire mountain would turn into undead. If all those bastards chased us¡­Forget it, I can leave that matter for a later time. What¡¯s more important is this impending crisis. Since we can¡¯t retreat, we just have to move forward.


    ¡°Everyone, we will move out in another 10 minutes¡­¡±


    Just as I finished saying this, I heard the familiar clattering of bones in the air¡­ Damn it, I guess there¡¯s really no rest for the weary¡­


    The skeletons had arrived¡­

 Chapter 26: The Tower Ruins

    Skeletons began appearing about one hundred meters away on our left flank. In just 10 seconds their numbers swelled to a hundred, and showed no signs of slowing down. We had just swept through this area recently so these must be the stragglers we missed. Their numbers shouldn¡¯t be that much.


    ¡°Big 1, bring 200 large imps with you and clear out those skeletons. Harvest all the souls and bring them to me, I need to recover my mana.¡±


    ¡°Yes Master, this one will go forth and collect the souls for you.¡±


    Truth be told, Big 1 was a pretty reliable devil. Whenever I issued an order, he would carry it out without batting an eye. If only he didn¡¯t treat me like a female devil¡­


    He quickly singled out 200 large imps and made his way towards the skeletons. With their bone clubs in hand, they charged into the skeleton army. With every swing, the sound of bones cracking and clattering onto the floor could be heard. This was an easy battle for the large imps. With their superior strength, the skeletons who were around the level of a normal human fighter, were basically fodder to the savage imps.


    Even a simple body slam from a large imp was able to take out a bunch of skeletons. Once in awhile, they would encounter a one-star that required several seconds to take care of, but overall it was a very low level fight. After all, these were imps who had undergone the baptism of bloodshed. Each of them were ruthless characters who had made it this far by killing their own kin.


    *twang twang twang*


    The sound of arrows being fired echoed loudly throughout the battlefield as I saw several dozens arrows fly over the skeletons and into the imp army; injuring them. However, with the large imp¡¯s thick hide, unless it was a fatal wound, they would barely flinch from normal wounds. These arrows were basically useless. Outside of an unlucky imp who got shot thrice in the head, most got off with a light wound.


    In the middle of the skeleton army were 35 skeleton archers who were nocking their bows and preparing for a second volley. They seemed to have learnt their lesson as this volley had a more impressive result of three deaths. Judging from their strength, these archers were probably one-star.


    ¡°Archers!¡±


    This was the first time I had seen skeletons that possess a warrior class. It was a shocking revelation to me; these skeletons clearly possessed a portion of the strength they had in life. Not only did they know how to use melee weapons, they were even able to perform the intricate task of firing an arrow!


    ¡°One-eye go and reinforce them with 200 more large imps. You see those archers? Circle around them and take them out in a decisive blow.¡± As I said so, I made a clenching motion.


    ¡°Understood, Master. I¡¯ll do as you say.¡± One-eye didn¡¯t dally long before dragging the exhausted Nine-finger with him as he roused the other exhausted imps with a kick. It was a simple but effective method, in less than a minute, the reinforcement team had set off.


    The skeleton archer team were neither too numerous nor too little. They had just enough members to suppress the charging imps. With their long range capabilities, they formed the core offensive power of the army, and were thus heavily protected by the melee skeletons. Their arrows alone had foiled two attempts by Big 1 to charge into the skeleton army, causing them to not only fail but also suffer losses.


    Thankfully, the large imps weren¡¯t too dim and were able to figure out a way to block the arrows. They used their bone clubs as bats to deflect incoming arrows, reducing the effectiveness of these archers.


    However, this put them on the defensive as their weapon had to be ready to deflect arrows. This dramatically lowered their offensive capabilities. Just as it looked like they were about to be in trouble, One-eye arrived in the nick of time. He had circled around the army while they were distracted by the large imps, and flanked them.


    They were undead after all. They had no intelligence outside of a few notable exceptions. Instinct was what drove their thirst for flesh and blood. It was what made them hunt the living, even to the point of forming teams to do so.


    One-eye¡¯s charge had the desired effect; wiping out the archers in one blow. Their bows had no melee capabilities to speak of, and they were swiftly overwhelmed by a few swings of the imps¡¯ bone clubs.


    With the loss of their archer corp, the skeleton army was done for. In a mere span of 10 minutes, the battle was over with the skeletons being wiped out.


    Big 1 and One-eye had brought back a combined total of 600 soul flames and presented them to me. As I replenished my mana with these soul flames, I formulated a plan. A minute later, No.5 came back to report once more. He reported that the zombie horde was now 20 minutes away from us.


    That damned skeleton army had not only cost us time, it had cost me 24 large imps as well. Half of them were done in by the arrows, while the other half were killed by the skeletons taking advantage of the suppressive fire. Damn it, if it wasn¡¯t for those damned long range attacks, we wouldn¡¯t have lost a single imp in such a low level battle!


    Fortunately, that corpse mountain was made entirely of devil corpses. If there had been any archer zombies in that horde, the only option left would have been to run.


    Large imp corpses were a valuable resource. While they had been my subordinates in life, in death they were merely a corpse. To the me who had stepped over a mountain of corpses in order to leave the blood sea, dead devils were merely food.


    Unknowingly, I had turned into a cold and heartless person.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, we don¡¯t have time to dawdle.¡±


    I knew the devils were still exhausted, plus, they were hungry as well. Those 24 corpses were definitely not enough to feed all the large imps in my army. So I decided to distribute the collected soul flames, with the battle¡¯s participants getting an extra share.


    They were the ones who had toiled to bring in these soul flames after all. They naturally deserved some form of reward. Especially in these dire times, maintaining morale was crucial in preventing deserters while on the run.


    I was now faced with a difficult choice: do I pass through that ancient battlefield or do I circle around it?


    We were in the midst of fleeing for our lives so every bit of distance helped. The quickest way to distance ourselves from the zombies was to take a straight line route through the battlefield. If we circled around it, the zombies would require less time to catch up with us.


    However, passing through the battlefield meant potentially going against the ancient undead resting in there. Without sufficient information about their strength and numbers, this was an extremely risky choice.


    We ended up circling around the battlefield.


    In the blink of an eye, two days had passed. During these two days of fleeing, we met with numerous undead ambushes. Thankfully, their levels weren¡¯t too high. Without any extenuating circumstances, our army had the upper hand in numbers and in quality.


    The zombie horde was extremely slow compared to us. Even with the frequent waylays and pit stops, we still managed to put significant distance between us and the undead horde. By now, they were a full day¡¯s worth of traveling from us. I just don¡¯t get why they were so insistent on chasing us down. Was this retribution for eating too many corpses?


    In front of us was the ruins of a tower. Within this desolate wasteland, the existence of such a man made structure piqued my curiosity. It was my first encounter with any sort of building since reincarnating into purgatory. The cylindrical tower was split in half at the center. Its head section of the top half was buried into the ground as it leaned against the bottom half, forming an inverse V.


    If it hadn¡¯t been destroyed, this tower would have been at least a hundred meters tall. Even in its current form, it was still tall.


    While there weren¡¯t any weeds growing out of it, the tower had long since lost its original hue. It was colored in a dark green which resembled the soul flame of the undead.


    I hesitated as I stood outside the tower. Should I enter it? If there¡¯s a high level undead in there, we¡¯re screwed¡­But I can¡¯t just leave it, what if there¡¯s treasure in there¡­


    As I stood there weighing the pros and cons, No.5 came back.This lazy fellow had been thoroughly trained by me these past few days. He was now the leader of my scouting team. I assigned 10 large imps to his team. Their mission was to monitor the zombie horde¡¯s movement.


    ¡°Master, I¡¯m back.¡± As he said so, he threw me his usual ingratiating look. He kinda looked like a dog begging for food. The only thing missing was a wagging tongue¡­


    I used my usual cold tone to reply: ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡±


    ¡°The zombie horde has split up. One group continued the pursuit while the other left in a different direction.¡±


    ¡°Split up?! Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m very sure. Furthermore, I noticed something very strange. Even after splitting up, their numbers didn¡¯t seem to change much.¡±


    Their numbers didn¡¯t change even after splitting up? The only way this was possible was if they had reinforcements!


    ¡°Did you notice anything other zombies in that horde? Like skeletons?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­hmmm¡­I think¡­there weren¡¯t any¡­¡±


    ¡°Was there or was there not any!¡±


    Without me having to even lift a finger, One-eye and the other named imps had latched onto his limbs and lifted him up.


    ¡°There¡­there were¡­there definitely were¡­¡± As his legs were lifted off the ground, he panicked and flailed his arms around wildly. However, he didn¡¯t manage to break free.


    ¡°You are sure?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­I¡¯m very sure!¡±


    ¡°If I find out that you have made a false report, I¡¯ll make sure that there¡¯s someone watching over you 24 hours a day to make sure you never get to sleep again!¡±


    A pitiful looking No.5: ¡°¡­¡±


    Damn potato, even in this situation, you can¡¯t make an accurate report.


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    Since their numbers didn¡¯t change and there were sightings of skeletons, this meant that the horde had joined up with other undead.


    ¡°What¡¯s their numbers?¡±


    As he was put down, he collapsed onto the ground on all fours. Having been questioned by me, he started counting with his fingers: ¡±Err¡­Ten? Hundred? A thousand?¡­it was uncountable¡­anyway they had more than us.¡±


    I pressed him once more, deeply unsatisfied with his answer: ¡°Give me an estimate.¡±


    ¡°In your words, they were at least five times as large as us¡­¡±


    Five times? That meant they were at least 3,000 strong. No, this was too important, I need No.5 to go and scout once more. I need more detailed information.


    The undead horde was a day away from us. Within this time, I needed to decide whether to enter that tower¡­or not¡­


    As if he had predicted my hesitation, Nine-finger made the choice for me.


    ¡°Ghost¡­there¡¯s a ghost!¡±


    Having just sent No.5 off to scout, Nine-finger suddenly burst into view in what seemed like a mix of sprinting and crawling. Behind him were two translucent maids floating in the air. Their white translucent bodies were tinged with a hint of green commonly found in the other undead. Judging from their appearances, they were probably vengeful ghosts.


    Based on the fact that he came from the direction of the tower, and that the door to said tower was open at the moment¡­.This idiot must¡¯ve taken matters into his own hands and ended up stirring up a hornet¡¯s nest. No wonder it felt like someone was missing when No.5 was making his report.


    As I hadn¡¯t decided on whether or not to explore the tower, I ordered everyone to distance themselves from it. Who knew that this idiot would approach the tower of his own accord and cause this much trouble.


    ¡°Why the heck are you running!¡± As his big brother, One-eye was thoroughly incensed by his little brother¡¯s disgraceful display. Before he even got a chance to slap the imp, Nine-finger had already hugged his waist and circled around to his back.


    With an eye peeking out from One-eye¡¯s back, Nine-finger pointed a shaking finger at the two floating ghosts and wailed: ¡°Ghost! There are ghosts here, Big Brother!


    ¡°Shut up, you retard!¡±


    After hitting him thrice on the head, Nine-finger finally quieted down. However, the fear in his eyes did not subside, as he continued staring at the floating ghosts.


    The vengeful ghosts had chased him halfway before noticing us. Noticing that he was now far away and that we outnumbered them greatly, the pair decided to return to the tower.


    It was at this moment that No.3 and Big 1 leaped into the air, their bone clubs brandished high. With a forceful swing, their clubs cut through the air and passed harmlessly through the back of the ghosts as if they had swung at smoke.


    The two vengeful ghosts laughed as they circled Big 1 and No.3, teasing them. Perhaps it was out of boredom or perhaps it was because of my nearing presence, they tossed me fearful look before flying back to the tower.


    Physical attacks were ineffective? I guess they were immune to physical attacks since they had no physical body. In that case, were they able to inflict physical harm?

 Chapter 27: Exploring the Tower

    ¡°I think you owe me an explanation and it better be a good one.¡± My finger shot out and pointed towards the closed doors of the tower as I said so.


    ¡°I got curious and entered¡­¡± Nine-finger pitifully lifted his head as he said so, his body pinned to the ground by One-eye¡¯s leg. ¡°It was really scary inside¡­there were those flying stuff that weren¡¯t afraid of my attacks¡­¡±


    ¡°So you came running back with them in tow?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, mhm.¡±


    Don¡¯t give me that puppy dog look, you aren¡¯t the least bit cute!


    ¡°Did you find anything else in there other than vengeful ghosts?¡±


    ¡°I found a strange chest on the third floor but just as I was about to open it up, those flying things appeared. They passed through the ceiling and started chasing me. No matter how hard I hit them¡­it just didn¡¯t work¡­it was terrifying!¡­¡±


    Those memories seemed to have scarred him terribly as he began trembling just from recalling them.


    The guardians appeared only when he tried to open the chest? If Nine-finger was able to stumble all the way up to the third floor without being challenged, doesn¡¯t that mean that all we had to do was kill off those two ghosts to get that chest? Plus, guardians equals treasure and treasure equals let¡¯s go!


    Just to be safe, I reconfirmed this with him: ¡°You are very sure that those two ghosts were the only enemies in that tower?¡±


    Nine-finger: ¡°Definitely! If there were other ghosts or monsters in there, wouldn¡¯t they all have attacked me at once?¡±


    Logically speaking, that was true but unexpected situations were considered unexpected precisely because you couldn¡¯t expect them.


    Anyway, it seems like there aren¡¯t many defenders in that tower so I¡¯ll just bring my elites along.


    Having made this decision, I turned to Nine-finger: ¡°Lead the way. No.3, Big 1, bring along another 10 more large imps and follow me in. The rest of you stay here and await further instructions.¡±


    ¡°Master, I wish to enter as well.¡±


    One-eye knelt down in front of me as he protested my decision. All this while, I had groomed him with the intention of making him my commanding officer. However, this wasn¡¯t because his combat strength was low. Just the opposite, his strength was definitely among the top few in my army. The reason why I chose him was due to a lack of options. Within this army, the only one who had a decent head on his shoulder was him.


    Take for example No.3, he loves to use violence to solve his problems. He was a typical muscle brain who didn¡¯t think much. No.5 was really lazy, to the point of being too lazy to gather food from the corpse mountain. He always instructed his subordinates to bring the food to him in a doggy bag. Big 1 was slightly off his rocker and as for Nine-finger¡­he¡¯s a potato.


    One-eye was definitely the better option out of all of them. Only by a bit though¡­even among dwarves, there was always a tall one.


    ¡°No way, you still have to command these devils.¡±


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    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be fine. Plus, you have the strongest leadership abilities within our group. You shouldn¡¯t squander that talent.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yes, your subordinate will manage your army well. Master doesn¡¯t have to worry about this as he goes on his exploration!¡± One-eye was extremely touched by my praise and readily accepted my order. From the looks of it, he would accept anything I said right now.


    ¡°Move out. It¡¯s time to have a look inside.¡±


    Having settled One-eye, I led our team towards the tower. Nine-finger gingerly followed us from a slight distance away. He clearly didn¡¯t want to go back in. and attempted to find an excuse for this.


    ¡°Master, as you¡¯ve seen, those two ghosts aren¡¯t afraid of our attacks¡­¡±


    ¡°That only means they are immune to physical attacks, magic should work.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t know any magic¡­¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    I shut him up with a sharp glare as I said so. Seeing my stern expression, he immediately shut up.


    As we approached the tower, the deathly coldness within the air grew stronger. Just by standing at its doorstep, I felt like the temperature had dropped by several degrees. The surroundings of the tower were surprisingly tidy and clean. Outside of the usual messiness of a ruin, there weren¡¯t any corpses or items scattered around.


    From up close, the tower seemed really oppressive. Its 30 meters tall reverse V and ghostly green exterior gave off the oppressive aura of a dark forest.


    ¡°Go open that door.¡±


    As I signalled to Nine-finger, his face immediately fell. He pointed at his face with his right hand as if to say ¡°You want me to go?¡±. I glared back at him, clearly not happy with the stupid look on his face.


    ¡°Alright¡­I¡¯ll go¡­I¡¯ll go.¡±


    Nine-finger gingerly approached the giant door and lightly pushed it as if he was a burglar breaking into a house¡­Naturally, it didn¡¯t budge an inch, putting him in an awkward situation. He gave up his stealthy approach and heaved on the large door. The metallic hinges on the door creaked as it finally began to open.


    We were greeted by a vast hall that was empty except for its messy floor, scattered with the shattered remains of various objects. There was a spiral stairway near the side of the hall, leading upwards.


    Each floor was 10 meters tall and filled with various rooms of unknown purposes. This continued up to the 7th floor where the tower was broken in half which meant the highest we could climb up to was the 7th floor. As for the other half of the tower, we can leave that for when we finish this half.


    The entire tower seemed to be made of a slightly luminescent material which gave off a bit of light. While it wasn¡¯t much, it was enough for us devils.


    Our excursion proceeded uneventfully, as Nine-finger said, all the way up to the third floor. Within a few minutes, we were in the room where he found the chest. It was large enough to accommodate all of fourteen of us, and even had enough space for us to brawl. Judging from the operating table in the center and the strange objects scattered all around, it seemed to be a large laboratory.


    Right at the back of this laboratory was a chest made of a special material. What made this material special was the unique color it came in. When Nine-finger mentioned the chest, my musings revolved around whether it was a gold chest, a silver chest, an iron chest or a wooden chest. They definitely didn¡¯t include a bone chest!


    That¡¯s right, that unique color was the easily recognizable creamy white color of bones.


    ¡°Master, this was the chest I encountered. One touch and those ghosts will come flying out¡­¡± Nine-finger tried to hide behind my back as he said so but was given a shove by No.3 and failed. If it had been a normal situation, the two would¡¯ve gotten into a fight, but the eeriness of this place suppressed any protest by Nine-finger.


    As for who was to open that chest, that duty naturally fell to Nine-finger. He trembled as he slowly approached the chest, clearly he was deathly afraid of things he couldn¡¯t harm.


    Just as he touched the chest, a group of vengeful ghosts entered the room from entrances only they could use, the ceiling, the floor and the walls.


    S**t, there¡¯s 15 of them! I¡¯ve been had!


    ¡°Protect the Master!¡±


    Big 1 and No.3 immediately formed a defensive formation around me as they wielded their bone clubs. The usual confidence that holding these clubs gave was noticeably absent today as they did so.


    ¡°Hey, hey¡­let me in¡­¡± Nine-finger loudly wailed from his vulnerable position outside the formation. No.3 who had been annoyed with him for a long time, kicked him once more towards the vengeful ghosts. It was a delicate looking teenage girl wearing a maid dress. As she saw Nine-finger tumble towards her, her face distorted into a wicked smile. Her normally delicate and cute face was replaced in an instant by a savage face.


    ¡°Woow woo!!!¡±


    The vengeful ghost pounced onto Nine-finger in that instant, her slender white arms transformed into a pair of ink black claws as she did so. With a vicious swing of her razor sharp claws, Nine-finger¡¯s hide was instantly ripped through, and blood could be seen flowing out of the gash.


    The vengeful ghosts were able to inflict physical harm!


    While Nine-finger had been scared stiff by the ghosts, this pain brought him back to his senses. He instinctively counterattacked and actually managed to send the ghost flying!


    ¡°This¡­¡± He stared at his arms in disbelief. Seeing another ghost approach him, he attacked her preemptively, his confidence boosted by his recent success. However, his fist passed through the ghost, and the ghost passed through his body harmlessly. As it passed through his back, the black claws appeared once more and viciously slashed at his back.


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t it working again¡­¡± Nine-finger¡¯s confidence was quickly crushed by this turn of events as he began avoiding the ghosts once more.


    ¡°Just defend first and avoid getting hit. When they try to attack you, counterattack.¡± Those two attacks had given me an idea. Those ghosts were able to inflict physical damage despite their incorporeal form because they assumed a corporeal form as they did so. As long as we made use of that opportunity to attack, we can defeat them!


    The devils immediately understood my hint and took up a defensive stance. They waited for the ghosts to attack before counterattacking. The results were good as expected. When they swapped injuries with the ghosts, their ethereal bodies shimmered out of existence in that instant, kind of like those old televisions which experienced a temporary loss of signal. After getting hit, those ghosts weren¡¯t as eager to attack the devils anymore.


    Their biggest advantage was their immunity to physical attacks. As long as we countered this advantage, the ghosts were merely at the level between a small and large imp.


    It was at this moment that an impatient imp swung heavily at a ghost with his bone club. The bone club passed through his target harmlessly as if he was hitting at smoke. Making use of this momentary vulnerability, the ghost materialized and attacked with its claws, leaving a horrific gash on his face, any closer and it would¡¯ve blinded him.


    He gritted his teeth and swung out once more despite the pain. Unfortunately, he was too late as it adopted its incorporeal form once more.


    Darkness Arrow!


    I aimed my arrow at the now incorporeal ghost and fired. The black mass of mana pierced through the air in an instant and shot right into the ghost¡¯s body, dispersing her body.


    The vengeful ghost gave a mournful wail as it dispersed into the air, leaving behind a black pearl.


    ¡°Ahhhh!¡±


    The other vengeful ghosts cried in unison as soon as that vengeful ghost died. It was a piercing scream that overwhelmed our ears and brains. We immediately covered our ears to prevent ourselves from going deaf.


    The vengeful ghosts didn¡¯t try to attack us during this moment of vulnerability but instead merged into an ever growing mass of ghostly energies. The new ghost finally stopped growing when it congealed into a 5 meter tall deformed apparition!

 Chapter 28: The Grimoire of the Dead

    That¡¯s against the rules! Aren¡¯t you supposed to shout [I¡¯ll form the head] before combining!


    Cough¡­that¡¯s not the point right now.


    The apparitions squirmed as they continued to merge into each other. The end result was an amalgamation of 14 human faces each with an expression of pain, hatred or anger.


    Darkness Arrow!


    Like a drop of water in the vast ocean, the darkness arrow barely made a dent on the human face it collided with. Under my orders, two large imps swung their bone clubs at the apparition, but both of them passed right through the apparition¡¯s thighs.


    I had hoped that their combined form would not be immune to physical attacks, but it seems life was never that easy.


    The deformed apparition¡¯s hands had no fingers, but instead had a human head attached to it. It possessed fang-like teeth and its neck replaced the wrists of the apparition. With a fierce swing of its arms, the two heads opened their mouths wide as if they were a pair of vicious pythons and swallowed the heads of the two large imps!


    In a mere two seconds, the two headless imps crumpled to the ground, dead.


    Flame Whip!


    It was just too strong. Based on its strength, it was probably stronger than the guardian on that last step. If you added in the special characteristics of a vengeful ghost, it could probably reach the level of a three-star. I knew this wasn¡¯t the time to hold back and immediately brought out my strongest skill which was also a deadly counter to the undead.


    The fiery whip coiled around the arms of the apparition with its snake-like body and immediately flared up. While the apparition was at a higher level compared to us, it still didn¡¯t dare to touch the whip, as like other undead, it was deathly afraid of flames and radiant light.


    The flames began to purify the deformed apparition¡¯s right arm, forcing the abomination to give up its arm in desperation as it slowly sank into the floor.


    ¡°¡­did we win?¡±


    Well, that was unexpectedly easy.


    Thankfully, my mana reserves were no longer as tiny as before. Due to all the souls I consumed, my mana had received a substantial boost of 50%, and I could now sustain the whip for two minutes. This was particularly useful now as that deformed ghost had only retreated temporarily. It could still come back. Furthermore, the casting time of this whip was quite long so keeping it out was the safest choice.


    ¡°No.3, get that chest.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Master.¡±


    While No.3 was slightly dim, he knew that time was of the essence right now. With a leaping step forward, he grabbed the chest and without stopping, retreated. The bone chest was roughly the size of two home PCs which was nothing for No.3 who had a body larger than most large imps.


    ¡°Move, quick!¡±


    I really wasn¡¯t sure if that abomination was dead. While the flame whip had an undeniable restraining effect on ghosts, it was pointless if the ghost kept hiding. I just hope it doesn¡¯t pop out at the last second and cause trouble for us.


    This hope was soon dashed as we apprehensively approached the second floor. A large imp was suddenly bitten in half by an arm that shot out of the wall. By the time we counterattacked, it was long gone.


    We began avoiding the walls since then, but the ghost merely attacked us from below the stairs. That arm rose up once more and bit down on a large imp¡¯s leg and threw him down the floor. With a staggering height of 10 meters, that large imp was definitely dead. Furthermore, it had even collided with a pillar on its way down to the first floor.


    ¡°Stay near me!¡± Avoiding certain areas wasn¡¯t the right strategy. The ghost had the advantage of being able to pass through all physical objects, so no matter where we hid, it would always been able to sneak up on us. If we did not do something soon, we would be all be dead.


    As we squeezed together, we cautiously made our way down the stairs. We didn¡¯t dare to rush as we had to look out for the ghost¡¯s attacks. However, squeezing together wasn¡¯t the right strategy either as the ghost merely targeted the large imps on the outside and threw them off.


    The flame whip was completely useless against this hidden enemy. Furthermore, as time passed, my mana began to run out as well. To make matters worse, one of the imps started wailing in a loud voice, ¡°It¡¯s over, we need to escape¡±, causing 4 of remaining normal large imps to run away.


    ¡°You must listen to the Master¡¯s orders¡­¡±


    ¡°Get back here! All of you!¡±


    No matter who it was, whether it was Big 1 or No.3, the deserters ignored them completely. Such was their self-serving nature, no matter who you were, what mattered the most was their own safety.


    Truth be told, it wasn¡¯t their fault either. If it was an opponent they could see or touch, they would have definitely fought to the bitter end. After all, the scariest thing in the world was the unknown. Whether it was humans or devils, this was the same.


    The one imp that surprised me was Nine-finger, the imp that I had always viewed as being deathly afraid of ghosts and an idiot, actually stayed. I honestly thought he would run away crying.


    One of the deserters seemed to have a hole in his head as he inexplicably ran up the stairs instead of down. As he stepped onto the second floor, he collided with a white wall. Soon his tortured howls could be heard as his body was enveloped by the ghost. Countless mouths bit down on him and within a few seconds, he was reduced to scraps.


    After killing that devil, it proceeded to attack our back. This was the first time I¡¯ve seen it since my flame whip injured it. The arm which I had burnt with my whip had already recovered and was just slightly shrunken.


    As it floated towards us, I immediately lashed out with my flame whip. Having tasted its fiery sting once, it knew not to mess with this whip and immediately retreated. Within a blink of an eye, it tunnelled into the stairs.


    S**t, it ran away.


    ¡°The rest of you stay close to me, don¡¯t stray too far away from me. Call out if you see anything weird.¡± As my flame whip lashed once more, chasing away the apparition, I turned to them and shouted: ¡°Move!¡±


    Thanks to the flame whip, the abomination did not dare to approach me and we managed to rush down the stairs. The tortured cries of the deserters rang out through the air as we quickly ran towards the exit on the first floor. As the last of the unnamed imps died, we finally stepped out of the tower.


    We sprinted for several tens of meters upon exiting the tower before finally stopping. Nine-finger was thoroughly exhausted by now, he panted furiously as he doubled over. My flame whip had already disappeared due to the lack of mana. At my side, No.3 stood silently with the bone chest in his arms. He was completely out of breath as well. Beside him, Big 1 was signalling to the distant One-eye to come over. Even if they couldn¡¯t help, they could still be fodder. We just needed more people here.


    As we gradually distanced ourselves from the tower ruins, the deformed ghost stood quietly at the entrance, staring at us. Its eyes full of emotions I couldn¡¯t understand. Hatred, resentment, fear, envy, pleading? There were even more that I did not understand.


    The both of us continued this staring contest for another few seconds before the apparition suddenly trembled, separating into 12 ordinary-sized female maid ghosts. When they had combined, they had 14 ghosts. Did this mean that those two disappeared as I burnt that arm?


    When we entered, we had 14 devils and now we only had me, No.3, Big 1 and Nine-finger. How should I even describe this exploration¡­well, I guess we should first have a look in this bone chest.


    ¡°No.3, give me that bone chest.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± No.3 gently laid the bone chest down onto the floor in front of me while the other devils, including One-eye, formed a circle around me and the chest. Well, they seemed to be pretty interested. I guess we can have a look together.


    Ah, opening chests¡­Brings me back to the times when I played World of Peacecraft. I used to love playing a thief; no matter what chests I encountered while grinding mobs, I could always unlock them. Such convenience.


    It¡¯s been a long time since I opened a chest. Should I go wash my hands first? Forget it, there¡¯s no water here. Plus, my hands are pretty clean. As I looked at the red skinned but surprisingly feminine pair of hands, I felt too tired to tsukkomi.


    Sigh, what should I do about this body of mine¡­forget it, it¡¯s time to open the chest.


    The bone chest was locked but it was merely a latch that kept it. In a short moment, we managed to open it. There was no blinding light that spewed forth or some ominous change in the weather though. There was merely a book quietly lying inside.


    It was a book made from a bunch of white bones and was 15 cm thick, 25 cm long and 20 cm wide.


    There was no name on its front cover and as I flipped to the first page, the words that greeted me were written in the language of the devils. The introductory paragraph stated that this was a magical tool used to learn Undead Magic. As I continued to flip through, I saw sections describing magical arts to summon zombies and skeletons. Further on, I found pages about dark alchemy such as using bones to construct basic weaponry. As I tried to turn another page, my head was suddenly struck with a splitting headache as if my psyche was spent and was on the verge of collapsing.


    This book is scary!


    Shouldn¡¯t this book be at the level of a divine tool?! Like those rocks¡­


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    According to the book, mana did not possess any innate elemental attribute. As for why some people were better at certain elements¡­it was because of their own elemental affinity. Some people were closer to the fire element, and thus the fire elements responded better to their commands. This applied to all elements in general.


    Which meant that as long as you had a magical art and the required mana, magic was possible. The difference caused by elemental affinity had to do with the time required to cast and the amount of mana required. For example, a person with high water affinity would be able to cast three water bullets with the amount of mana used by a person who had poor affinity to cast one.


    Now¡¯s the time to test my affinity for undead magic. I followed the magical art described on the book and began my first summoning. After ten seconds, I finally finished summoning my first undead. It was a ragged looking skeleton with several defects in its bone structure. As for the mana spent, it was two times that of the darkness arrow¡­as for that skeleton¡­it was reduced to a pile of bones by the curious Nine-finger who decided to poke it!


    &*^@! It¡¯s so weak! If this was Earth, I would bring you along to fake an accident. With that body of yours, one touch is enough! (TL: Faking an accident by bumping into person, car, bike etc. and then asking for compensation. In some cases, there will be an accomplice to accuse the victim of this scam. )


    After spending twice the amount of time and mana, I summoned a skeleton that was weaker than a goblin¡­failure, such a failure!

 Chapter 29: Bone Broadsword

    Does this devil self of mine not have any talent in undead magic? No way! Shouldn¡¯t devils and undead have an inseparable relationship? According to the legends, this world¡¯s undead was created by the devils!


    Forget it, now isn¡¯t the time to think about undead magic. That dark alchemy on the other hand¡­


    I used the skeleton I summoned as materials for the alchemical process and began channeling my mana into them. A rounded, black mirror began to form as I channeled my mana. As I slowly lowered the mirror onto the bones, the mirror ripped into the pale white bones like a paper shredder, grinding it into dust with every move forward.


    A few seconds later, the skeleton and mana mirror was completely gone, instead a bone broadsword took its place.


    The broadsword had the same shape as Roscar¡¯s broadsword, but notably differed in both material and weight. One was made of bone while the other, iron. I wonder which would fare better¡­


    Under the confused and worshipful eyes of my subordinates, I scooped up the bone broadsword lying on the floor. It was lighter than Roscar¡¯s broadsword. Giving it a couple test swings, I estimated that it was about 10kg. In order to create this sword, I expended five darkness arrows worth of mana.


    Next I tested the sharpness of the bone sword by stabbing it into the hardened ground. It wasn¡¯t a satisfactory result; it took considerable effort to do so which meant it wasn¡¯t too sharp.


    ¡°Big 1, One-eye, I need both of you to hold onto this bone club from each end. I¡¯m going to test out the new weapon¡¯s strength.¡±


    With the bone club firmly secured, I raised the bone sword up to my shoulders and lowered my hips as I brought the sword down in a decisive slash.


    The next second, the two bone weaponry collided into each other. I didn¡¯t look too favorably on the bone sword being able to cut through the club, but surprisingly, it managed to do so albeit with some difficulty.


    ¡°Ooooh!!¡±


    The devils gasped in wonderment as they looked at the ¡°divine¡± bone weapon in my hands.


    ¡°Master, Master! What¡¯s that? It¡¯s amazing!¡±


    No.3 was the first to speak, and with him as the lead, the others began clamoring as well.Soon, the situation spiraled out of control as the excitement overtook them.


    ¡°Master! This lordship wants a bone like this as well!¡±


    ¡°Master, can I have that bone please!¡±


    ¡°Master Master¡­¡±


    Oh boy, that escalated quickly. Thank god, these guys still have some self-control left and know not to snatch it from me.


    ¡°It¡¯s a broadsword, because it¡¯s made from bone, you guys can call it a bone broadsword.¡±


    Whether it was summoning a skeleton or this dark alchemy, they were all the outermost pages of the grimoire and could only be considered lower ranking spells. While the summoned skeleton wasn¡¯t too good, this dark alchemy was pretty formidable. If I had this with me as I went into that battle at the steps, the outcome wouldn¡¯t have been so razor thin.


    A large imp who wielded this bone broadsword could¡¯ve easily cut down a head imp!


    However, mana was an issue. Bones were found everywhere but my mana was limited. In order to prevent any in-fighting over these swords, I decided to give them out according to seniority.


    ¡°Creating a bone broadsword requires a substantial amount of mana so I can¡¯t mass produce it. I¡¯ll give it out according to who joined me first.¡±


    ¡°The first one is me!¡± No.3 had followed me since the beginning and naturally had no issue with this.


    Seeing that I was set on this method, the others didn¡¯t object as well and went along with it.


    ¡°Then this lordship is second!¡±


    One-eye swatted Nine-finger¡¯s hand down and assertively said: ¡°I¡¯m third, you¡¯re fourth.¡±


    As for No.5¡­*cough**cough*


    There¡¯s two goals for now: creating more bone weapons and leaving this undead region. Truth be told, I suspect that we are in Gehenna based on the stories Roscar had told me.


    For example, he said that hell was split into three regions: Purgatory, Gehenna and Abaddon. Purgatory was a fiery world so the blood sea shouldn¡¯t be a part of Purgatory. Gehenna sounded like the North Pole, but that was merely my own impression of it. Gehenna was the world of the undead and was crawling with the them. This description fit our current location, which meant that we might just be in Gehenna after all. As for Abaddon¡­Abaddon was too mysterious¡­even Roscar didn¡¯t know anything about it.


    Either way, whether this was Gehenna or not, there was only one way for me to proceed, and that was forward! Whether it¡¯s for my sake or for the sake of meeting Nicole, I have to advance forward! No matter the cost!


    ¡°Let¡¯s continue, there¡¯s no time to waste. Oh that¡¯s right, leave some traces behind so No.5 can find us easier.¡± I tossed the bone broadsword to No.3 and eyed the tower ruins a kilometer away: ¡°Find some skeletons for me on the way, I want to test if the strength of the weapon has anything to do with the strength of the bones.¡±


    As we set off on our journey, we hunted all the undead we encountered along the way, especially bone-type undead. After a couple more tries of my dark alchemy, I came up with three conclusions.


    While creating the same broadsword, when using a bone imbued with soul flames as the material for the sword; reduced the mana consumption of the alchemical process. This means that the soul flames was consumed as part of the process in order to aid me.


    When I used the bones of skeletons who did not serve me, there would be resistance; the speed of the mirror would slow down. Furthermore, it had gotten so troublesome, that I had to get No.3 and the rest to toss the bones into the mirror¡­


    During the alchemical process, adding in special materials increased the power of the sword produced. For example, while I was forging One-eye¡¯s weapon, I had a sudden stroke of inspiration, and decided to throw the black pearl I had obtained from the ghosts into the mirror. It disappeared and the resulting broadsword was no longer bone-white but a black sword surrounded by an ominous black aura.


    This black sword wasn¡¯t much sharper than its white cousin, but had the added effect of weakening any healing/regeneration effects. How did I know of this, you might ask. Well, that¡¯s because we recently encountered a group of devils.


    At the head of this group were two head imps with over 300 large imps as their subordinates. Upon seeing me, the two head imps screamed about making me their female devil without even giving me a chance to say anything and charged over.


    On our side, we already had three bone swords namely the ones held by No.3, Big 1 and One-eye¡¯s evil looking black sword.


    In order to test the effectiveness of these weapons, I got these three to face off against the head imps, with No.3 and Big 1 taking on one while One-eye takes on the other alone. As for me, I stood nearby ready to lend them some fire support. As for the 300 large imps, I left them to my 500 plus large imps.


    The head imps weren¡¯t blind either, they knew from a glance that we had no two-star imp holding down the fort. So as long as they captured me, subjugating the rest of my subordinates would be easy. It was a good idea, but they picked the wrong opponent.


    One-eye wielded his brand new weapon with the excitement of a child having just gotten a new toy. He immediately started the fight with a leaping chop towards the head imp. The head imp who had never seen such a weapon before, mistook it for a stick and tried to block the black sword with his body.


    The black bone sword easily sliced through the hide of the devil and right into its right arm, finally stopping after slicing through half of the arm. Judging from this result, it wasn¡¯t especially sharp and was around the level of the weapons made in a human kingdom.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    The head imp had never in his wildest dreams, imagined that we would possess such a strong weapon and ended up suffering for it. However, these head imps were still veterans who had killed their way up to this state. He gritted his teeth and counterattacked. With a punch from his left fist onto One-eye¡¯s chest, he sent him flying back.


    After tumbling a while, One-eye got to his feet and fearlessly pounced back onto the head imp, his black sword wildly slashing as he pressed down upon the imp. However, the head imp had learnt his lesson and did his best to avoid the sword. While he was in a miserable state, at least he didn¡¯t get hit by One-eye.


    On the other side, No.3 and Big 1 had managed to severely injured their enemy in the initial clash as well. Their swords had sliced into the left and right arms of the devil. Like the other head imp, he started avoiding the swords as well. However, unlike that imp, he was facing two swords. Defending for long wasn¡¯t an option.


    As they fought, he got injured several times by their swords without any chance of retaliating. However, having fought with them for that long, he managed to find a counterplan. He grabbed a nearby large imp and used him as a club, swinging wildly. The bone broadswords weren¡¯t heavy weapons after all, and both of them together still weren¡¯t able to match a head imp¡¯s strength. As a result, the tide of battle changed.


    The battle had now shifted in our enemies¡¯ favor.


    On One-eye¡¯s side, upon seeing his companion use a ¡°devil club¡± so effectively, his opponent mimicked him as well. He grabbed a large imp and began swinging wildly while pressing onto One-eye. One-eye had no choice but to retreat, knowing that his sword wasn¡¯t suited for such a head on fight. All this while, the head imp had a taunting smile on his face.


    However, idiots were in the end still idiots. His newfound ferocity had blinded him to the fact that while his companion was similarly injured as he was, scabs had long since formed on those wounds while his own injuries were still bleeding non-stop. This coupled with his furious swings rapidly weakened the head imp, to the point where he could no longer keep up with the speed and began to showing signs of passing out. A short moment later, his body came crashing down with a loud bang.


    One-eye was initially taken aback by this developed and had used several rocks to test if his opponent was still conscious, but after a minute, he was finally sure that his opponent was truly out of strength. He finally walked up and pointed his black sword at the back of the head imp¡¯s heart. With a forceful stab downwards, he shouted: ¡°Die!¡±


    While he had taken care of his opponent, No.3 and Big 1 were still busy being chased by that head imp. He immediately joined their battle. Under the cover of his companions, he took the risk of getting hit by the devil club and bravely stepped in, slashing at the head imp¡¯s arm.


    After that, the battle was pretty much set. The bleeding on the head imp¡¯s arms didn¡¯t stop and finally caused him to collapse from severe blood loss.


    One-eye lifted his sword into the air and prepared to drive it through the imp¡¯s throat. Before he could deal the finishing blow, the head imp turned to me and pleaded in a weak voice: ¡°Please forgive me¡­let me become your slave¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you regret it?¡±


    ¡°¡­Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Too bad we don¡¯t sell any medicine for regret.¡± I snatched the sword from One-eye as I said so. I stamped triumphantly on his chest and aimed the sword at his heart, and shoved the sword down!


    Because of his severe blood loss, there wasn¡¯t much blood splattering from the wound. The blood slowly flowed out of the wound as I coldly withdrew my foot from his chest: ¡°I really hate being treated as a woman.¡±

 Chapter 30: Bone Shield

    ¡°No.3, stay behind, One-eye and Big 1 go subjugate those large imps. Nine-finger, you¡¯re in charge of cleaning the battlefield. We are resting here.¡± I returned the black sword to One-eye before finding a relatively clean rock to sit on.


    Ever since reincarnating into a devil, it had been one exciting and tense day after the next. Whether it was killing or being threatened, I had gotten used to it already. Recently, I¡¯ve had some strange impulses. For example, wanting to kill someone with my own hands. I even began to experience mood swings. Simply put, I was becoming more emotional.


    And it wasn¡¯t just normal emotional changes, they were extreme and unpredictable. One moment I was laughing and joking around and the next I was waving my sword, lusting after blood.


    I guess this was my devil instincts at work; chaotic.


    Right now I had three pressing questions to answer; if I continued down this path, what¡¯s at the end? Or should I say what¡¯s waiting for me at the end?


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    Consuming souls was the common gift of all devils. Due to the lack of meat, I was able to gain some insights regarding this gift.


    If my subordinates were to solely subsist on souls, it would take one soul of their equivalent level, in order to ensure that they didn¡¯t starve to death. Three souls satisfied them while five filled their hunger. The hungriest among my imps, No.3, felt bloated after eating 10 one-star souls. He had even grown slightly bigger as a result; his strength increasing along with it.


    As for me¡­well, I couldn¡¯t really say. When I was in the blood sea, it took me almost ten thousand souls to evolve, and that only happened at a crucial moment. Furthermore, consuming souls never actually sated me, which meant that I had a bottomless pit for a stomach!


    The third question was; where did those devils we just met come from? Were they here from the start? Or were they from the blood sea like us, but just from a different entrance?


    I knew so little about this world after all. But I believe given the vastness of the blood sea, there were bound to be other regions like the one I was in. The beach I woke up on was probably just a drop of sand in a vast desert. In other unknown regions, there were probably other entrances as well!


    Well, there was no point in thinking about these questions I could not answer. I¡¯ll just question a captive.


    ¡°No.3, get me a captive. There¡¯s something I want to ask him.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Master.¡±


    A short while later, No.3 brought a similar looking large imp to me. It was one of the captives from the previous battle. Speaking of which, our casualties were once again minimized thanks to our weapons. We only suffered 30 deaths while the other side lost over a hundred large imps.


    ¡°This is my Master.¡± No.3 dropped into a half kneel as he introduced me. The imp¡¯s first impression of me was shock and admiration. The kind that you showed upon seeing a work of art; I bet he didn¡¯t have the desire to possess me either. It was precisely this that pissed me off, but I didn¡¯t beat him to death in the end.


    After standing there in awe for a moment, he finally lowered his body in a half kneel and greeted me: ¡°Master.¡±


    The large imp had a deep and rough voice, the kind you would instantly associate with a crass person.


    ¡°Rise, both of you.¡± As I turned to the large imp, I continued in a deadpan voice: ¡°I have something to ask you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±


    ¡°Where did you guys come from?¡±


    The large imp scratched his head in confusion as he stared at me silently. My question seemed to have stumped him so I had no choice but to be more specific: ¡°Do you know of the Blood Sea?¡±


    ¡°Blood Sea? I¡¯m aware of it, that¡¯s where I came from.¡± His intelligence might be lacking, but he definitely remembered the place where he was born in. ¡°When I had awoken, I found myself in the blood sea¡­¡±


    He then recounted his journey following the two head imps all the way from the blood sea up to this level.


    Those two head imps had teamed up since the blood sea. Because of their inherited memory, they knew about the entrance right from the start; and had rushed to blockade that entrance. They ended up succeeding in doing so.


    As the blood sea washed up all the corpses onto the land of the undead, they got their subordinates to feast on the corpse mountain while simultaneously suppressing their evolution in order to maintain their rule. Later on, they faced a situation similar to us where the corpses started turning into zombies. At which point they had to escape as well; turning into wanderers.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying you are about to evolve?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±


    Among my subordinates, the ones who were about to evolve were No.3, Big 1, One-eye and Nine-finger. The current situation in the land of the undead was that we didn¡¯t have enough food so evolving was especially difficult. Thankfully, I knew dark alchemy and was able to create weapons to make up for the difference in strength.


    ¡°No.3, put down your weapon. I want the two of you to spar. Oh right, no killing each other.¡±


    The sight of two large imps fighting was as expected, a no holds barred match. A fist here and a fist there. Just when you think he¡¯s going to throw a fist at you, he kicks you instead and bites you.


    Due to my strict order of not killing each other, they refrained from using any killing blows; so the match lasted for minutes without a winner being decided. However, as they were allowed to use their teeth, both of them were soon covered in bloody teeth marks. Thankfully, their regeneration rate was pretty high.


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s all for now.¡±


    After separating from No.3, the large imp stared at me as if something had just occurred to him. He immediately knelt down: ¡°Master.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, from today onwards, you are Big 4.¡±


    One-eye and Big 1 had just finished subjugating the remaining large imps. There was a total of 200 new additions to my large imp army, bringing the count to over 700.


    The battle had given us a supply of 100 corpses to hand out. My plan was to prioritize those who were about to evolve, and so I got One-eye to set aside half of the corpses for them. As for the other half, I set it aside for my named subordinates, in hopes that they would evolve soon.


    ¡°Master, these are the souls you wanted.¡± Following Nine-finger¡¯s voice, I turned towards the souls laid out on the ground. I activated my soul consumption ability and like a stream of milk, they flowed into me. Thanks to this sumptuous meal, my maximum mana count received a boost as well. My body began to heat up and¡­that slight fragrance reared its disgusting head once more¡­


    S**t, that fragrance again!


    This was Big 4¡¯s first encounter with this alluring scent, and needless to say, it had a noticeable effect on him. His nose perked up as he sniffed and turned towards me. However, with the obvious look of displeasure on my face, No.3 immediately stepped in and gave his shoulder a slap; bringing him back from that bewitched state.


    Exactly what is happening to my body¡­what is up with this fragrance¡­


    Two days later, No.5 brought back news once more. The zombie horde had split up once more, forming three hordes now. Each horde had around 3,000 members.


    After compiling the information from Big 4 as well, I concluded that the land of the dead was connected to the blood sea; all the devils who escaped the blood sea would end up here. Because of the vastness of this place coupled with the random direction that each devil took, and the various undead ambushes, the devils we met later on would probably be much stronger. In contrast, the numbers would fall as well.


    I ended up setting aside most of my mana to create more weapons. That encounter with the skeleton archers made me consider the possibility of defensive weapons like shields so that my devils can defend against long range attacks.


    The bone shields that I made were 80 cm long and 50 cm wide and had the shape of a U-shaped scutum. [1]


    The shields were all 2 cm thick, as I knew that the large imps¡¯ strength would allow them to wield such a heavy shield. Thus, the added weight wasn¡¯t much of an issue, and it also boosted their defensive prowess. Not to mention this added weight made it perfect for shield bashing. With such utility, these shield were a decent set of equipment.


    As for the costs, it cost me roughly the same amount of mana, but twice the amount of bones to create. All in all, I was pretty satisfied with this new addition to our arsenal.


    After another two days of hunting and replenishing my mana with soul flames, I was able to squeeze out 25 sets of swords and shields. Other than my named imps, I was able to use these to form a 20-imp strong team of personal guards.


    As we continued our aimless wander for another half a day, we came upon a flat clearing. It was littered with various remains of an ancient battle. From the looks of it, no one had touched this place. There were corpses littered all around with weapons damaged beyond repair by the sands of time.


    It was another ancient battlefield. I wanted to circle around it but it was just too big. From a glance, I was unable to determine the end of this battlefield. Judging by its size, it must¡¯ve been an epic battle of at least a hundred thousand men. As we closed in, the scent of the living stirred the slumbering undead. Countless withered hands shot up out of the ground in a tiny eruption of soil and dust.


    The bones began forming into skeletons while the zombies crawled out of their abode in the earth. As they wailed in their lifeless voice, an eerie wind blew through the field, welcoming a group of deathly green vengeful ghosts.


    *whoosh whoosh*


    A rain of arrows blotted out the sky as nearly a hundred skeleton archers fired off into the air.


    ¡°Get into formation! Raise your shields!¡±


    Upon entering the battlefield, I had already ordered my personal guards to stand in front of the army in formation. The intention was to prepare for such an attack. A row of 20 imps wielding a bone sword in their right hand and a bone shield on their left stood ready to block the incoming arrows. With a simultaneous hoist of their shield arms, they welcomed the incoming arrows.


    As the arrows landed, the unique sound of wood crashing into bones echoed in the air. Some of the arrows were stuck in the shields, but with a slight shake, they fell off. While the others, failed to even penetrate the shield slightly and got deflected harmlessly.


    Outside of two unfortunate scamps who, were in the range of the arrows and yet not under the defensive shield, dying, there were no casualties on our side. Those 20 shield-bearing imps were completely fine as well.


    ¡°Form up behind the personal guards and charge with them as the spearhead!¡± I shouted an order before falling in behind the shields as well with No.3 and Big 4. As I did so, I made sure to watch out for those floating vengeful ghosts circling above us. They were definitely going to attack us, the question was when.


    One-eye took the lead as he brought his follower, Nine-finger, and his other subordinates in breaking through the skeleton and zombie wall. A few minutes later, we reached the skeleton archers. All this while, they continued firing at us but unfortunately for them, our shields were ready and waiting.


    Low level undeads were as such. They had no intelligence to speak of and didn¡¯t know how to change targets even after seeing the shields block them. Instead they focused their attention on these devils instead.

 Chapter 31: Skeletal Horsemen

    With the bone broadswords and shields aiding the guards, the lower level undead didn¡¯t stand a chance. In just a couple of strikes, one-star skeletons were reduced to a pile of dog bones. One-star zombies were slightly troublesome due to their innate traits, but at least a single strike to the head was enough to kill them.


    However it was precisely due to these fodder that the skeleton archers were able to sneak in some shots at our army. Due to them focusing on the melee defenders, the archers were able to make use of that opportunity to fire at them.


    Regarding casualties, I had a counter plan waiting at the rear of the convoy. I instructed 100 large imps to act as backup for the 20 guardsmen. If one of them fell, one of the backups would pick up the fallen sword and shield and fill in that hole.


    And so we proceeded forward in this manner under the constant rain of arrows. When we finally reached the last 10 meters, the skeleton archers suddenly realized that they were in trouble and tried to retreat. However, with the devils¡¯ superior speed, retreat was not an option for them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let them escape!¡± One-eye bellowed at the army as he led the charge forward. In a split second, he was upon them, his black sword waving wildly in the air with the guardsmen following closely in tow. In a mere ten seconds, 10 of the archers had been downed.


    ¡°Wwooo!¡±


    It was at this moment, that the floating ghosts stepped in to reinforce the archers. Unlike the ghost maids we met in the tower, these ghosts were pitch black apparitions, and only two of them were female vengeful ghosts. Instead of wearing a maid costume, they were akin to soldiers. As for those two females, while their features were pretty, it was overshadowed by their twisted expressions and savage looking teeth.


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    Flame Whip!


    Unfortunately for them, this move was well within my expectations. I kept my eyes on those ghosts all throughout the fight and upon seeing them get ready to attack, I immediately prepared my flame whip.


    With a wide sweep of my whip, the flames crackled in a fiery arc above One-eye¡¯s head, catching two of the ghosts off guard. As the flames came into contact with the deathly entity, the radiant nature of the flames quickly reduced their body to cinders amidst a few mournful wails.


    Seeing their companions so easily defeated, the reinforcing ghosts began to back away in a bid to protect themselves from the raging flames.


    They tried one more futile attempt at stalling us but were quickly repelled by my whip, and in the process losing a few of their companions. Having learnt their lesson from the two failed attempts, they retreated behind the archers and used their ultimate move¡ª¨CFusion!


    Over ten ghosts twisted together to form a strange ectoplasmic fog, from which a short while later, sprouted four limbs and a head. Not this time! I immediately swept away the undead in front of me and readied myself. No.3 and Big 4 braced their shields in front of themselves and charged forward like a tank; bulldozing through the undead blocking the way to those ghosts. With the way cleared, I descended upon the ghosts in an instant. By now, they had just formed a pair of legs.


    *crack*


    With a sharp flick of my wrist, my flame whip shot forward, burning its way through their body and right into their core. As they were still in the process of merging, they weren¡¯t able to separate off the burning parts and soon the flames began to spread throughout their entire body.


    They had no choice but to end the merging process, splitting into individual ghosts once more. Some of the ghosts were fine, but the others were still on fire. Those that caught fire would soon die and as for those who weren¡¯t, they smartly chose to distance themselves from the battle. In other words, they ran.


    Their cowardice did not surprise me in the least. Just from those ghost maids in the tower, one could tell that while vengeful ghosts were also undead, they were much smarter than the normal undead we had met before; they knew a lost cause was when they saw one. They are apparitions after all, among the ranks of the undead, they naturally ranked higher than zombies or skeletons.


    With this problem out of the way, my 700 over imps were able to unleash their destructive force on the archers without worry. They swept out from the backs of the guardsmen and flanked the archers in a pincer movement, thoroughly crushing them.


    The vengeful ghosts had fled while the archers were mostly wiped out. The only thing left were the normal skeletons and zombies; they shouldn¡¯t be a problem right? As if in response to my questions, reality showed me its cruel side once more.


    The thunderous sounds of hooves bearing down upon the ground echoed throughout the battlefield, the source unknown. Out of nowhere, a small team of skeletal horsemen wielding lances descended upon our left flank. As they pierced through our flank, a large number of imps were caught by surprised and were severely injured by the stampeding horses or killed by the lances.


    There were only 10 horsemen in this team. They each rode a skeletal warhorse which looked extremely frail. These horsemen did not wear much armor, with the most armored one only sporting a tattered leather vest which barely covered its chest cavity.


    While they didn¡¯t look like much with their small numbers, their sudden charge had caused immense problems for my army. Their charge had struck fear into some of the imps who upon seeing their comrades being trampled to death, began to panic and run. However, with the denseness of my army, they only managed to collide with another nearby imps, causing both of them to fall and get trampled by the imp army. Overall, their stupidity cost us more than the actual cavalry charge.


    ¡°Steady! Don¡¯t panic! They only have 10 men!¡± One-eye and Big 1 tried their best to calm the imps down but the effects weren¡¯t too obvious.


    The galloping sound approached us once more and by the time I turned to them, they were almost within striking range!


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    No.3 charged at the oncoming horses with a spirited shout, blocking the horses that were heading straight for me. The skeletal horses were halted by his charge, however the impact had also thrown him back.


    The soul flames in the skeletons¡¯ brains controlled their movements via radiating a strange looking form mana. Without this ominous looking mana, the skeletons were merely a pile of bones. This was demonstrated when my flame whip wrapped around one of the horsemen and burned him. Under the intense heat, the ominous mana was quickly dispersed, cutting off any protection for the bones. With a quick jerk of my whip, it broke apart.


    I swiftly trampled the skull with my feet, dispersing the soul flames within.


    No.3 was at the peak of one-star and based on power alone, he should be unmatched in this tier. The fact that he got knocked back meant that these horsemen were probably two-star.


    Just as I took care of that horsemen, as No.3 laid there another horsemen charged through the large imp barrier. With a giant two meter leap into the air, he flew over the heads of any remaining large imps; his target, me!


    ¡°Master!¡± Big 4¡¯s heavy set voice rang out beside me. He was one of my two bodyguards and was constantly stationed beside me. As this second horseman tried to spear me, he hastily raised his shield, deflecting the lance.


    The lance was diverted by the shield, creating a momentary weakness that Big 4 swiftly took advantage of. With his remaining hand, he swung his sword at the oncoming horsemen who still hadn¡¯t reacted to having his lance diverted. As the two collided, the sword cut cleanly through the ribcage of the horsemen, even severing the horse¡¯s skull in half. As for Big 4, he was blown back by the impact.


    After knocking away Big 4, the horsemen tried to attack me, but couldn¡¯t take more than two steps before the almost headless horse crumbled. As it fell to the ground, it crashed down upon its own spine which had been injured by Big 4, completely crushing it¡­it was a pyrrhic victory.


    With a crack of my whip, I finished off the struggling horseman, reducing him to cinders.


    After the two failed attempts at my life, they no longer tried a third. By now, One-eye had brought the guardsmen over to shield me. Any further charges were instantly stopped by their shields before they even came close to me. However, a number of the guardsmen had fallen prey to their hooves as a result.


    The guardsmen played a pivotal role in this confrontation. Therefore, while their original members had suffered heavy casualties, their numbers were quickly replenished by the imps waiting in reserve.


    My imps managed to hold off the two-star horsemen due to their superior numbers and equipment. Furthermore, due to the horsemen¡¯s limited numbers and their two failed attempts, our side held the advantage in this face off.


    Not to mention, there were still a ton of club wielding large imps nearby!


    The 1,000 or so normal undead were basically wiped out by now, leaving the 8 horsemen to face off against over 600 large imps encircling them; with the guardsmen pressing them from the front.


    Having lost their mobility, their combat strength experienced a significant dip. But even so, they still managed to surprise me by exhibiting the strength of a one-star. Furthermore, even without sufficient space to charge, the horses were still able to aid their masters by kicking at the imps with their hooves.


    These hooves were no laughing matter as several large imps soon found out; as they were sent flying. They even managed to knock a guardsman¡¯s shield away.


    Thankfully, we had the numerical advantage. Even if they managed to knock some of the imps away, there were still imps ready to strike from the back. The horsemen were quickly overwhelmed by the waves of imps.


    Notably, One-eye¡¯s black sword wasn¡¯t as effective as before. These skeletons had no blood after all.


    As we cleaned up the battlefield, the horsemen¡¯s bones were separated from the rest and their soul flames given to me. Their bones were earmarked for the next set of equipment. The soul pearls of the ghosts we killed were also harvested. All 7 of them were set aside to create the black swords for my stronger subordinates.


    To think there were even cavalry undead, as expected of an ancient battlefield!


    However, these two-star undead weren¡¯t much of a concern as long as they didn¡¯t form a horde. With my flame whip and hundreds of imps backing me up, there was no way I could lose.


    What concerned me the most was encountering even stronger undead in the future. This was merely the outer edges of the battlefield and we had already encountered a group of vengeful ghosts, nearly 100 archers and a cavalry unit!


    If we advanced further, would we meet with a skeletal mage or some other elite¡­


    Are there even skeletal mages? Roscar used to tell me bedtime stories which had skeletal mages in them, however I¡¯ve never actually met one.


    Truth be told, he didn¡¯t need to tell me stories to get me to sleep. I could sleep just fine unless Nicole was nearby. If she was, I would be too mesmerized by her to sleep. That¡¯s why my childhood insomnia is all her fault! (Oh, Mo Ke, that was a smooth way to shift the blame. I¡¯ll give you a 9.5/10, the 0.5 is so that you won¡¯t get conceited.)


    ¡°Master.¡± One-eye had just finished taking a head count. ¡°We suffered¡­87 deaths¡­¡±


    ¡°That much!?¡± Our original strength was slightly over 700, with these 87 gone, our numbers had dropped back to slightly over 600.


    Ever since we¡¯ve entered this undead land, we fought numerous battles. The hardest battle we fought so far was at the corpse mountain and due to us getting ambushed. The next battle would probably be this one¡­


    ¡°When the horsemen charged, there was chaos within the ranks¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Vexed, I turned and glared at One-eye who had averted his eyes at this moment and lowered his head.


    Truth be told, those 10 horsemen wouldn¡¯t have caused much damage to our army if not for the imps panicking. Out of all the deaths we suffered, half of it was probably from their stupidity.


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡± I¡¯m so fed up with these idiots. They are dumber than pigs!


    But I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible to train these selfish devils into a disciplined army like those in the human world¡­


    ¡°Master, this was my mistake, please punish me.¡± Seeing me sigh, One-eye sank to his knees and immediately pleaded, his eyes still averting mine out of fear.


    ¡°Forget it, I¡¯ll think of a plan to deal with the horsemen. In the meantime, we will retreat and avoid this region the best we can. The last thing we want is to rouse more undead, those damned undead are like bloodhounds, a tiny whiff of life and they will come after us!¡±


    For now, the plan was to avoid advancing into the battlefield. At least until we formulated a counter plan for the horsemen.


    I guess that only leaves one more matter to take care of¡­


    ¡°Get someone to find No.5 and ask him for a status report about the zombie horde.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±

 Chapter 32: The Altar atop the Mountain

    With the battle over, it was now time to split the ¡°spoils¡±. The dead imps were dismembered and evenly distributed among the survivors, while the majority of the undead soul flames were sent to me. The remaining portion was split between the named imps. Except for No.5, all of them were on the verge of evolving.


    With their swords and shields, they would be undefeatable within the two-star level once they evolved.


    We camped out at this spot for two days before No.5 finally came back. As always, he had that wronged look on his face whenever he saw me.


    ¡°Master, you finally remembered me¡­¡±


    ¡°Has their numbers changed?¡±


    ¡°¡­it increased a little, it¡¯s probably at 4,000 now.¡±


    ¡°How long until they get here?¡±


    ¡°4 to 5 days¡­¡± he said as he counted his fingers.


    Four to five days? That¡¯s not enough, looks like we have to stall for time.


    ¡°Continue observing them, we need to find a way to stall for time. Be careful and make sure not to alert them.¡±


    ¡°But Master¡­I¡¯m tired.¡±


    ¡°So are you saying you wish to stop working?¡±


    ¡°No, no, I was just wondering if I could take a break?¡± No.5 looked at me with his puppy dog eyes as he asked. If he had stuck out his tongue at this moment, he would¡¯ve looked like a dog.


    ¡°Sure you can, you can take a break forever.¡± I nodded benevolently and pointed at No.3, Big 1, One-eye, Big 4 and Nine-finger. ¡°Whose stomach do you wish to rest in? Take your pick.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± No.5 jumped back in terror at these words. Under the strange gazes of his companions, he threw me a smile that looked more like a sobbing face and said: ¡°Stop joking Master, I still wish to work for you.¡±


    ¡°No conditions?¡±


    ¡°No way, toiling on the Master¡¯s behalf is this servant¡¯s honor!¡± Having said that, he immediately ran off, behind him One-eye and the others were chortling at his expense.


    We weren¡¯t idling around in the two days when we were waiting for No.5¡¯s intelligence report. I began designing new weaponry for the imps. One such design was the heavy bone shield.


    To produce this new bone shield, I needed 7 units of mana and 7 sets of bones. It was made with the intention of fighting off devil zombies, but there were other uses as well. (Each unit of mana was equivalent to one Darkness Arrow¡¯s worth of mana.)


    The new shield had the same shape as the previous and was strictly speaking, a larger version of it. This new design was 1.5m long, 1m wide and a staggering 5 cm thick. As for its weight, I have no idea. It probably weighed about 150 kg.


    It was designed for personal use but it could also be used by multiple people simultaneously.


    The heavy weight meant that only my strongest imps could use this shield without having their mobility severely impaired. If it was a human, they would probably have to be two-star to be able to use this shield.


    Unlike the other shield, this was a purely defensive weapon so in order to complement this shield, I designed a bone Mo sabre. (TL: A polearm with a very long blade.)


    Mo sabres were weapons popular during the Tang Dynasty, and were deadly weapons against cavalrymen and infantry in general.


    While it was called a bone Mo sabre, calling it a Mo sword wasn¡¯t too far fetched either. It was formed of two sections, a sword body and and long hilt. The sword body was similar to a broadsword. However, it had a wider sword tip and tapered on both sides. Essentially, its blade was double edged.


    This was specially designed to bring out the offensive characteristics of a Mo sabre. It allowed for hacking, slicing, stabbing and chopping; unlike the long spear which only allowed for stabbing. The sword body was 100 cm long and 1 cm thick.


    As for the long hilt, it was a simple hilt design with a length of 150 cm. Combined with the sword body, the entire weapon was an astonishing 250 cm long.


    This length made it easier for the wielder to fight off cavalrymen; as you could chop off the horse¡¯s legs to restrict its movement or hack at the rider¡¯s head.


    With the new heavy shields in mind, I changed our formation to one where the heavy shieldbearers would stand in front of the army and stab their heavy shields into the ground to form a static defensive line. In order to prevent the enemy from forcefully toppling this shield wall, I stationed some large imps between the shieldbearers and the sabre wielders. Their job was to help brace the heavy shield against any oncoming impact.


    At this position, the Mo sabre¡¯s offensive prowess could be unleashed from safety. The sabre wielders merely had to mount their long weapons on the heavy shields and use the double edged blade to chop left and right as if they were harvesting wheat.


    Perhaps it was due to the stricter requirements of the sabre¡¯s long hilt, but the bone Mo sabres required an astonishing six units of mana and five sets of bones to craft.


    Clearly, time was an issue as these weapons required an enormous amount of mana to craft. I must stall for time so that I can create more of these weapons. The surrounding undead have already been cleaned out during these past two days so I need the imps to venture out further. If I¡¯m lucky, they might encounter more devils to recruit.


    As of now, the amount of special infantry in my army was 20 guardsmen wielding swords and shields, 5 shieldbearers wielding the new heavy shields and 5 sabre wielders. (Named devils not included)


    With just these numbers alone, fighting off the 4,000 strong zombie horde would be difficult. Winning was a given but at what cost? The losses would be catastrophic, even to the point of losing my entire army.


    In order to increase our chances, I decided to lead the zombie horde around in a circle. While we marched, we would hunt the nearby undead and harvest their flames. While at the same time, recruit any devils we encountered on the way using any means necessary. As my army was doing this, I would be crafting more weapons to prepare for the coming battle.


    And so, we circled around the edge of the ancient battlefield for two more days. On the second day, I discovered a mountain range in front of us. To be exact, it was bunch of giant black rocks connected to each other in a seemingly endless chain.


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    As of now, we had killed roughly 2,000 undead, and yet like spring shoots after the rain, they kept popping up no matter how many we killed.


    Due to the lack of plant life in this world, objects in the distance were clearly visible. Atop a mountain peak, was an altar-looking structure which piqued my interest. Ever since I¡¯ve acquired the Grimoire of the Dead, I¡¯ve gained a passion for exploring unknown regions in hopes of stumbling upon more treasure.


    While the silhouette of the altar was clearly visible, it wasn¡¯t close to us at all. The most I could make out was a tall stone pillar-like structure in the middle of the altar.


    ¡°Master, there might be some loot in that place.¡± No.3 pointed at the altar and said: ¡°Should we head towards it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I was just thinking about that.¡±


    ¡°Master, this lordship will accompany you as well!¡± Big 1 firmly expressed his wish to follow, as if to say that he would be extremely unhappy if he was left behind.


    ¡°No way, it¡¯s my turn to go this time!¡± One-eye crossed his arms as he said this, standing in a [I¡¯m such a cool guy] pose. ¡°I was left out of the previous exploration, so please bring me along this time. I promise that I will bring Master victory!¡±


    ¡°Big brother¡­just forget it¡­¡± Nine-finger said, clearly scarred from his previous encounter with the ghosts. With a slightly pale face, he patted One-eye and said: ¡°Big brother¡­it¡¯s too dangerous, there might be ghosts¡­¡±


    ¡°You idiot! You¡¯ve just disgraced me! All you can say is ghost this and ghost that! Can¡¯t you show some backbone! Just go and eat s**t in a corner! Useless fellow.¡±


    He felt embarrassed by his little brother¡¯s spineless display and broke into a furious tirade. By the end of it, Nine-finger was hanging his head in shame.


    However, after considering for a moment, he seemed to have come to a decision on something. He pounded his right fist onto his left palm as if he had suddenly realized something and said: ¡°If eating s**t is all it takes to skip out on this exploration, I¡¯m willing to eat s**t¡­¡±


    ¡°F*ck you! Can you please grow a spine!¡±


    What ensued was a round of savage beating provided by One-eye, as Nine-finger continued attempting to explain himself.


    ¡°But I really haven¡¯t eaten s**t in a long while¡­I kinda miss it¡­Big brother stop hitting me¡­didn¡¯t we agree not to hit the face¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, since Nine-finger is so adamant about staying, how about¡­¡± Under the hopeful gaze of Nine-finger and the unhappy gaze of One-eye, I lightly smiled and said: ¡°Big 1 you can stay behind. The rest of us will bring ahundred imps with us to explore.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­Master, isn¡¯t this lordship accompanying you?¡±


    ¡°Oh come on, you should look after the house once in awhile.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Nine-finger was quietly crying by the side, thinking about his shattered hopes and dreams¡­You potato! Did you really want to eat s**t that badly!?


    In terms of leadership ability, Big 1 came the closest to One-eye so leaving him behind was a safe choice. Furthermore, because I left One-eye out the previous time, he was slightly resentful of that fact.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t dare to voice this out, but from time to time, he would give that resentful look. While I wasn¡¯t afraid of my subordinates talking bad about me, that look he gave me was pretty annoying so I decided to bring him along.


    Another option which crossed my mind, was to bring everyone along. However, the mountain path was too treacherous to allow this. Furthermore, there was no telling how long this exploration would take. The undead horde¡¯s movement was unpredictable; if everyone left, they might just occupy this area in our absence. Another matter to consider was if there were any guards on that altar.


    If we couldn¡¯t beat them, retreating would be an issue as well. The less we brought, the easier it would be for us to retreat. Plus, the people at the base of the mountain could provide cover for us as we retreated. In short, one shouldn¡¯t put all his eggs in one basket.


    Two days later, I managed to craft 5 more sets of heavy bone shields and bone Mo sabres, bringing the respective imp count to 10 each. Of these, I brought along 5 of each type of imp and all 20 of my guardsmen. On top of that, I brought 70 reserve imps along with No.3, Big 4, One-eye and Nine-finger.


    The mountain road wasn¡¯t as rough as I had expected. Unlike the human world, there were no plants or rain to speak of. However, the weight of the heavy shields was an issue as they slowly drained the stamina of their bearers. In the end, I had the reserve members help carry the shields as well.


    (Note from author: Regarding water¡­here¡¯s an explanation: Devils are able to extract the water content from the blood and corpses they eat. As for Mo Ke, he is able to fulfill his water requirements by consuming souls so it¡¯s safe to say that he hasn¡¯t eaten/drunk anything since he reincarnated.)


    After journeying for two hours, the altar came into sight. It was built on one of the plateaus atop the mountain and had a rounded shape which took up a vast plot of land; larger than a football field.


    That ¡°pillar¡± that I saw from the distance revealed its identity as well. It was the skeleton of a giant dragon; a dragon commonly found in Western mythology. It stood there domineeringly gazing at us with its hollow eye sockets, its giant wings were slightly expanded, as if it was covering the entire world. Thankfully, there was no eerie green flame to be found in its eye sockets. I definitely didn¡¯t want to fight this 20m tall dragon!


    This majestic dragon stood atop a rounded platform which was connected to the altar below by a flight of stairs. The steps were around the height an average human could step over, and were built in a fashion similar to the Egyptian pyramids. With its 100 steps tall stairs, it was just as majestic as those pyramids.


    At the foot of the dragon was a shrine where one laid their offerings. It was made of bones and looked pretty ordinary. Considering that this was the land of the undead, a shrine made out of bones was indeed, pretty ordinary.


    ¡°Master¡­there¡¯s a situation.¡±


    As I was busy observing the dragon¡¯s majesty, No.3 suddenly interrupted me with his warning. I turned towards the direction he was pointing at and saw the silhouette of a person dressed in a black cloak, standing at the foot of the dragon. My first thought was that the undead were here, but considering that he didn¡¯t attack us on sight and his cloak hid his identity, I put aside that thought for now.


    He slowly made his way towards us, his body swaying left and right as he did so as if he had not eaten for days¡­

 Chapter 33: Dark Alchemist?

    The humanoid figure continued its unsteady sway towards us. As it came within 50 meters of us, the figure finally revealed its identity. A section of the robe slid off its finger as a result of its unsteady gait, revealing a pale white bone finger.


    Undead!


    We immediately got into formation with No.3, and Big 4 rushing in front to shield me, their bone shields raised high and ready.


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    Under One-eye¡¯s command, the five shieldbearers marched to the front and with as much strength as they could muster in an instant, drove their heavy shields into the ground with a loud bang. The shield wall was erected just like that, a wall reminiscent of the city walls of medieval times; sturdy and safe.


    A set of orderly footsteps came up from behind as the trained saber wielders marched forth. Soon, their Mo sabres were in position atop the walls, their fangs ready to strike.


    ¡°Stranger, please be at ease.¡±


    Upon seeing our defensive formation, the robed skeleton stopped in tracks. As he looked up at us, his hood was immediately blown back by the surrounding winds, revealing his bone white skull.


    His jaws chattered up and down as he spoke in a surprisingly human fashion: ¡°Please do not attack, this old one merely wishes to greet the intelligent life forms. It¡¯s been several hundred years since this old one has had any visitors.¡±


    ¡°Can we talk?¡± He asked in the devil¡¯s language. The fact that he was able to talk without any vocal cords was strange but then again, I¡¯ve already reincarnated twice in this world of swords and magic; so I guess it isn¡¯t that strange after all.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, this old one desires the simple pleasure of having a conversation.¡± As he said this, his bony white arms reached out from under his robes, revealing that he no weapons hidden underneath; this was a sign of his peaceful intent. He then continued: ¡°Living by myself for such a long time has made me¡­lonely.¡±


    ¡°Hold it right there, just stay where you are and don¡¯t come any closer!¡±


    He seems like an amiable sort, for an undead. But is that really so? In this land of the undead, all the undead we¡¯ve encountered so far possessed no intelligence of their own, at least while they were low level¡­wait, while they were low level?!


    The skeleton halted after hearing my demand. As he stood there looking at my reaction, he stroked his chin in an inquisitive fashion: ¡°Stranger, you seem troubled.¡±


    ¡°Can you tell me your level?¡±


    *gulp* This is bad¡­he¡¯s definitely higher level than me and I¡¯m still unsure of his intentions. Furthermore, can an undead¡¯s words really be trusted?


    ¡°This old one¡¯s level cannot be revealed, but this old one can guarantee that you are no match for this one in a fight.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s give it a try then!¡± One-eye¡¯s black sword was pointed at the undead in a taunting pose as he said so, his shield ready by his side to defend me. ¡°You can look down upon us, but I definitely won¡¯t allow you to look down upon our Master! Our Master is the greatest, purest¡­¡±


    Before he could continue his embarrassing string of praises, the robed skeleton¡¯s soul flames burst to life. A second later, the black sword in One-eye¡¯s hands was engulfed by a green flame and began melting from the center out.


    Having lost the center of its body, the blade fell to the ground in a slightly molten pile of flames and bones. This mix of green and white flame began eating into the ground as well. In the blink of an eye, a hole the size of a fist was formed with no signs of abatement as the flames continued its ravenous rampage¡­


    One-eye leaped back in surprise, quickly tossing away his melting sword just in case the molten liquid spreads to his body.


    ¡°This¡­this¡­¡± The sudden turn of events left One-eye speechless. As for his follower, Nine-finger, he was already hiding behind the heavy shields, enjoying the sense of security it gave.


    No.3 and Big 4¡¯s faces weren¡¯t any better, but they maintained their position in front of me, as if to shield me from the eyes of the skeleton.


    ¡°Now, do you believe this old one?¡± He said in an offhand tone that was more suited to a question like [Would you like some tea?]. The soul flames in his eyes danced as if they were mocking One-eye¡¯s ignorance as he said this.


    ¡°Hmm¡­I got it. You guys can stay where you are while me and this¡­sir, have a chat.¡± As the words left my mouth, I pushed No.3 and Big 4 aside, and under their disbelieving gaze, I was crossed over the shield wall and walked towards the skeleton.


    As I stood in front of the skeleton alone, I asked in a formal and slightly humble tone: ¡°What does sir wish to tell us, or is there some way we may be of assistance to sir? Or did we stumble into a place we shouldn¡¯t be in and ended up disturbing sir?¡±


    ¡°Such an understanding kid. All the kids I met with in the past either tried to flee or attack me after I displayed my powers. You are the first I¡¯ve seen who managed to calm down and make a well thought-out decision.¡± The robed skeleton gave a strange smile as he continued: ¡°More often than not, those kids just charge at me the moment I appear.¡±


    What he said could be interpreted as praise, but this didn¡¯t make me happy at all. The reason was that he¡¯s still a potential foe whose powers were currently unknown, but were definitely higher than mine. Right now, I¡¯m merely a defenseless sheep standing before a wolf.


    Before I stepped out, I had already evaluated our situation. If he had wanted us dead, he could have used that strange flame right as he saw us. But he didn¡¯t do so! As for his intentions, whether they were friendly or taunting¡­This was a gamble that I had to take. Even though my luck had been bad so far¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this old one isn¡¯t an unreasonable person.¡±


    ¡°May I know of sir¡¯s motives?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because you have that in your possession, so I decided to have a chat with you.¡± He pointed behind me with a subtle expression that looked like he had just pointed out the most obvious thing ever. At least, that¡¯s what I thought it was; having no flesh to speak of made discerning his expressions, difficult.


    What did I have in my possession? There¡¯s nothing in my hands right now¡­Wait, if he means behind me!


    I turned around and gazed at the female large imp hugging the Grimoire of the Dead¡­


    That female imp was also the one who had carried through the entrance to this floor. From that moment on, she was always by my side like a shadow. It had gotten to the point where I had forgotten about her existence. After I found that grimoire, I decided to leave it in her care since it wasn¡¯t a weapon, and most of the time I had no use for it. More importantly, it was heavy.


    Hmm, if I had to describe their gender differences, male and female large imps were pretty similar. Both had flat chests, the female imp didn¡¯t have any extra lumps of flesh on her chest. As for what¡¯s between their legs, both male and female did not have a pee pee or a little sister respectively.


    However, there was a vague sense of distinction between the two that us devils were able to pick up on. In short, they judged who was a female or male by feeling. It was precisely because of this that I was often mistaken for a female¡­


    Truth be told, males all had a pee pee, it¡¯s just that it¡¯s always hidden from plain sight.


    ¡°Book!¡± I took the grimoire from the female imp as she brought it over, and stared at it. Was he after this book? Or was he planning something else? Should I give it to him? If I don¡¯t, will he kill us¡­


    ¡°Relax, I won¡¯t snatch it from you.¡± He said while nonchalantly waving his hands. My hesitation had clearly been seen through. He continued with his reassurance: ¡°I¡¯ve detected a hint of my race on you which means you can be considered as half an undead.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Well, I¡¯m grateful for your reassurance, but I¡¯m not the least bit happy about it! Why should I be happy about becoming a skeleton or a zombie!


    ¡°Haha, since an interesting kid, the ripples in your soul are so fascinating.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Calm down¡­but why does it feel like he can read whatever I¡¯m thinking.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s continue with our conversation.¡± He pointed at the weapons in the devils¡¯ hands and said: ¡°These are your creations? Fascinating designs, as toys their strength are sufficient.¡±


    ¡°Toys¡­¡± Ah, don¡¯t use such a hurtful term to describe my babies. I expanded a lot of effort in order to create those ¡°toys¡±.


    ¡°Objects created by dark alchemy will follow the user¡¯s designs during the creation process, automatically shaping themselves to the design. While this might seem convenient, it comes with several issues as well¡­like the fact that it¡¯s a one-off process that cannot be interrupted. So you must have a clear design in mind before proceeding¡­The product¡¯s strength is also determined by the materials¡­¡±


    As he continued explaining, his aura seemed to change. If he was in my previous world, he would probably be some kind of professor giving a lecture. Judging from his confident tone, he might just be a master dark alchemist.


    ¡°Regarding that¡­¡± Unknowingly, I had risen my hand like an elementary school kid in a classroom. ¡°May I know why my creations are nothing more than toys?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps to you they seemed perfect, but to me they are merely toys.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Such a displeasing review¡­


    ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, why don¡¯t we have a test?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a normal experiment, not many people would die, don¡¯t worry.¡± The robed skeleton suddenly stood up and gave me a strange smile. Ah, a skeleton smiling is just something you can¡¯t get used to.


    Before I was able to react, he retreated back to the foot of the giant dragon where we first saw him. The soul flames in his eyes danced once more but this time his skeletal hands were covered in a dark green glow as well.


    The earth began to shake, to be exact, the mountain began to shake. Outside the altar, undead began crawling out of the ground. There were skeletons, zombies and even two skeletal mages who had that same green glow on their hands!


    The undead were all equipped with bone weapons and armors. As for the mages, they wore a set of tattered rags similar to robes. They had appeared in a circle around us, and while there weren¡¯t too many, each of them gave off an unexpected feeling of immense power.


    ¡°Master, please retreat.¡± No.3 and Big 4 immediately escorted me back to the safety of the shield wall.


    ¡°Kill them!¡± After confirming my safety, One-eye grabbed a bone sword from one of the devils and pointed it towards the road leading down the mountain. ¡°Clear the road for the Master! Charge! For the Master!¡±


    ¡°For the Master!¡±


    With their morale raised to the limits, they roared and charged towards the path. However, before they could even take a second step, a three meter tall bone wall rose from the ground, sealing off our escape route!


    ¡°Damn it!¡± One-eye relentlessly struck at the bone wall but it refused to budge an inch.


    Surprisingly, the undead didn¡¯t make use of this opportunity to attack us, but instead gathered together. They formed up ranks in front of the robed skeleton; with the normal melee undead in the front, the archers in the middle and the two mages right at the back.


    Unlike the unorganized hordes we met in the past, this was a proper army! One that I had almost mistaken for an army of disciplined soldiers.


    The reason why I was able to notice all this was because there was no bone wall between us and the robed skeleton¡­I guess it going to be a battle afterall¡­


    Hmph, I don¡¯t care how strong you are, anyone who bares their claws at me will have to pay a price.


    And so, our first ever fight with a proper army of undead began¡­

 Chapter 34: An Awful Defea

    The shieldbearers set up their shield wall once more and huddled behind their massive shields, bracing them for impact. Behind them, the saber wielders stepped up and lowered their Mo sabres onto the shield wall; ready to intercept any charging undead.


    The guardsmen split up into two teams, each guarding the left and right flanks of the shieldbearers. Behind them were the reserve team who carried their primitive bone clubs and quietly awaited orders. (One of the guardsmen only had his shield remaining after having his sword stolen by One-eye.)


    On the undead side, they had 100 people as well. 50 of them wore a light set of bone armor and carried a buckler on one hand with a short sword on the other. As for the unarmored skeletons, 30 of them carried a giant hammer, 18 of them wielded a bow and the final 2 were mages. Except for the mages, all of the 98 undead were one-star.


    My curiosity was piqued by the upcoming battle. After all, this was my first time seeing skeletal mages; I wonder what kind of abilities they had. Judging from their aura, they were at most, at the level of two-star. Either way, nothing is scarier than the unknown, best focus them down first.


    Due to the bone wall blocking our escape route and the lack of information on the undead in front of us, we were forced to adopt a defensive stance.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I just want to show you why your vaunted weapons are nothing more than toys. These undead are armed with some throwaway creations of mine; they are at most slightly better than the weapons you have¡­¡± Without waiting for my response, he waved his skeletal arm: ¡°Let the battle commence.¡±


    The first to advance were the skeletons armored from head to toe in bone armor. With their short swords raised high above their head, they advanced upon the stalwart shield wall in front of them.


    ¡°Mo sabers!¡±


    Due to the lack of Mo sabers in the past, they mostly took part in the battles as individuals. This was their first battle as a team together. However, I had confidence in their killing power.


    As they received the command, the saber wielders took up position behind the heavy shields, their sabers ready and waiting.


    However, the first to reach us were the hail of arrows from the archers¡­


    The heavy shields did not provide the promised safety. Instead the arrows bypassed the static shields as they rained from the heavens. Due to their high ground and the parabolic trajectory of the arrows, they landed directly on the saber wielders and the reserves¡­


    ¡°Ahhhh¡± The pained cries of the imps echoed through the air before I could even react to the arrows. My Mo saber team had lost two members while the remaining were all severely injured!


    ¡°Reserve team!¡±


    The hurried shuffle of imp feet mixed in with the groans of the injured imps as they were swiftly replaced. The reserves had undergone some basic training just for such a situation like this. Thanks to this, the handover was quick and the Mo sabers were ready by the time the undead reached the wall.


    As expected, the length of the Mo sabres were able to reach just high enough to hack at the heads of the armored skeletons. Unfortunately, their armor not only covered their torso, but also extended all the way to their heads. Despite being light armor, they were enough to block the non-metallic Mo sabres!


    While these skeletons were weak and dimwitted, they were perfect for the human wave tactics employed. As the Mo sabres hacked down at them, they fearlessly charged in, soaking the brunt of the attack. Thanks to their armor, the damage was mostly mitigated with only a chip at where they were hit. The skull beneath the armor was completely unharmed.


    Furthermore, this initial wave revealed a glaring weakness in my plan. The Mo sabers were very long and thus had a wide area of attack. This was normally an advantage but in this confined space, it became its downfall. The limited width of the heavy shield meant that the Mo sabers had to be stacked closely together causing them to frequently clash with each other as the imps attacked¡­


    ¡°This¡­¡± This was the invincible formation I spent days formulating?¡­It¡¯s so weak!


    The clashing Mo sabers created a scene of chaos in front of the wall, which the skeletons swiftly took advantage of and began climbing over the shield wall.


    ¡°Reserves!¡±


    One-eye shouted for the reserves to join in the battle while he himself readied his sword and shield.


    ¡°Go join in the fight as well.¡± I turned to No.3 and Big 4 beside me and continued: ¡°Dispose of them quickly.¡±


    ¡°As you command, Master.¡±


    The bone armor might have been sturdy enough to withstand my slashing weapons, but the bone clubs were a different matter. They were blunt weapons, which meant that even if the armor didn¡¯t break, the impact would still be transferred into the skull beneath. That impact would damage the soul flames within, and even if it didn¡¯t kill the undead, it would at least stun them momentarily.


    Plus, these armors had to have seams at certain locations. As long as the imps were able to strike at these points, even the slashing weapons could easily penetrate the armor.


    However, just as this problem seemed to have solved itself, the rain of arrows came down once more, piercing the heads and limbs of the imps. Another wave of casualties appeared.


    Damn it! Aren¡¯t you afraid of hurting your own guys¡­oh wait, I¡¯m a retard¡­why would these skeletons be afraid of arrows.


    In the past, I had considered salvaging the bows from the archers we fought but this idea was quickly squashed.


    Firstly the bows needed arrows, and unlike the skeletons, the devils weren¡¯t able to turn their own bones into arrows. I could craft some arrows with my dark alchemy but the mana required was simply too much for a consumable item. It made more sense to spend this mana on making melee weapons instead.


    Next was the fact that devils didn¡¯t possess the aptitude for archery. Not just these potatoes, even I didn¡¯t know how to use a bow. My accuracy was at the level of a potato! As for drawing the bows¡­Once, I got an imp to draw a bow, but within seconds the bow began to emit slight cracking sounds. I quickly stopped the imp since the bow itself would¡¯ve probably snapped in half otherwise¡­


    The last and probably the most important reason was¡­undead didn¡¯t even fear arrows!


    The weak point of most undead creatures were their soul flames which was usually hidden in their skulls. As long as this area was well protected, no amount of arrows piercing their bodies would¡¯ve made a difference. They were able to shrug it all off.


    Without the aid of magic, melee combat was the best option against the undead.


    Thankfully, these skeleton warriors were slow and we still had the advantage of numbers; so we managed to suppress them. The shield wall was still standing strong but the occasional rain of arrows would bypass them, taking the lives of the imps as they did. I considered attacking the archers but this was obviously a bad idea.


    Firstly, there was a wave of skeleton warriors in the midst of our army. Secondly, those hammer wielding undead were slowly making their way towards us. While they were unarmored, their zombie flesh was tough enough to function as armor.


    As they hobbled towards us, they maintained an orderly formation not seen in the previous zombie hordes we encountered. Upon reaching the wall, they split off a portion to handle the guardsmen while the remainder attacked the shield wall. With their gigantic rounded bone hammers, each strike probably had the weight of several hundred kg behind it. A single strike would¡¯ve probably been able to flatten a cow.


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    The shield walls wobbled with each massive swing of the hammers. The imps behind them desperately braced the shields but each strike caused them to shake violently from the impact.


    As undead, these zombies would never tire out as long as their soul flames did not run out of energy. As such, merely bracing the wall wasn¡¯t a viable option for us. Under their tireless smashes, the shieldbearers began to tire out and were soon on the verge of collapse.


    However, what gave out first were not the imps but the seemingly impenetrable heavy shields. A loud cracking sound filled the air as one of the giant hammers impacted a shield, the tireless pounding had finally won out. A few seconds later, the other four shields joined their companion in death as their bodies finally cracked under the pressure¡­


    While all this was going on, the guardsmen were caught in a desperate situation of their own. On one side were the hammer wielding zombies and on the other were the armored skeletons who broke through earlier. The three mixed together in a chaotic dance of death while the shields slowly buckled under the pressure.


    ¡°My shields¡­¡±


    I had chosen to watch from the sidelines up until now, as I had thought the Mo sabers and heavy shields were enough. Furthermore, the mages including the robed skeleton had not taken action yet; so I didn¡¯t see the need for me to interfere. However, the results were as seen¡­


    *clap*


    The crisp sound of bones clapping together rang out in the air just as it looked like we would get wiped out. The undead, as if having received a signal, began to retreat leaving behind the battered imps. Under the now broken shields, the shieldbearers cowered like babies with their hands over their heads.


    As the undead retreated, the defeated survivors stood in shock as their unexpected survival finally registered. I wonder which was more shocking to them, the fact that they were alive or that the impenetrable shields were reduced to such a state¡­


    A minute later, the entire army had obediently retreated to the side of the robed skeleton.


    I stood in abject horror as I surveyed the wreckage of this battle. I had lost 49 large imps while the undead army had only lost 22 melee undead. The archers were completely unharmed, while the mages had not lifted a finger before our defeat was sealed. The only silver lining was that all the named imps were merely injured and not dead. Even that female imp was fine.


    This was the first major defeat I had suffered since reincarnating into hell. From the moment I was born in the blood sea, my side had always won; even with smaller numbers. In an even match, we dominated our opponents. However, this time was different. It was a complete loss for us.


    ¡°So what¡¯s your thoughts on this?¡± The robed skeleton asked me as he dispersed his army; an expression of curiosity hung on his face. Expression seemed to be a weird word to describe a fleshless skeleton, but his skeletal face truly gave off that feeling right now.


    ¡°My weapons weren¡¯t good enough¡­¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°They weren¡¯t sturdy enough¡­¡±


    Truth be told, I had some inkling of what he meant when said toys. The heavy bone shields weren¡¯t sturdy enough; it only took several hits of the giant hammers to break them. The length of the Mo sabers worked against themselves. We not only had no long range capabilities but also had no way to counter them¡­


    If one looked closely at that battle, there were truly a lot of faults to be discovered. Regarding the sturdiness of the my equipment, I had experimented with adding in metallic elements but had ultimately failed.


    The dark alchemical process was extremely picky about what kind of materials I could use. Only materials like flesh, bones or souls could be used. Essentially anything that sounded sinister. Materials like metal or rocks were completely out of the question.


    ¡°Honestly, your designs weren¡¯t too bad, but they were let down by the sturdiness of the equipment itself.¡± Seeing my dejected and silent figure, the robed skeleton decided to interrupt my brooding and said: ¡°While I¡¯m unable to teach you anything regarding designs, I can share my experiences regarding strengthening equipment.¡±


    ¡°Really!?¡± I¡¯m not dreaming am I? A complete stranger was offering to teach me how to strengthen my equipment?


    ¡°Yes.¡± He beckoned me to follow him before turning around to leave. ¡°Follow me, I have something to give you.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Just as I was about to follow him, One-eye blocked me with his arm and said: ¡°Master, it might be dangerous to follow him¡­¡±


    ¡°Danger? Do you think that we aren¡¯t in danger already?¡± I said with a self-deprecating laugh. I pointed at the bone wall behind us with my thumb and said: ¡°Do you think we can leave without his permission?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± One-eye fell silent.


    ¡°Clean up the battlefield and harvest all the souls, I have use for them.¡± I sighed helplessly as I stared the figure disappearing into the body of the skeletal dragon. I picked up the pace as I followed him in, with the Grimoire of the Dead hugged closely to my chest.

 Chapter 35: The Grimoire can Evolve?

    In the shadow of the dragon¡¯s legs was a set of stairs that led underground. At the mouth of the stairs, the robed skeleton patiently awaited my arrival. Upon seeing me, he slightly nodded then proceeded down the stairs in an unsteady fashion.


    ¡°Siii¡­huuu..¡± With the grimoire resting in arms, I breathed in deeply as I began my trip down the ominous-looking set of stairs.


    Surprisingly, the stairs weren¡¯t as dark and dreary as I had initially thought. As I took my first step underground, I was greeted with the sight of fairly lit cavern. The sides of cavern wall was peppered with numerous luminescent stones, lighting the cavern up as they fought against the consuming darkness.


    After a minute of walking, I was brought to a giant laboratory. At least, I think it¡¯s a laboratory, I don¡¯t know of any other term that suits this place.


    It was a vast room filled with the various prototypes of his experiments; which included weapons. Right in the middle of the room was an operating table made of stone. It was probably used to experiment on undead or devils.


    Next to it was a bunch of untouched containers filled with strange objects. These were most likely materials for his experiments. Why? Because the materials within those containers are also what I had used for my own experiments; bones, claws and the like.


    The robed skeleton continued to the right as he ventured into the room. The right side of the room was relatively less cluttered. Was that a row of bookshelves? Kind of reminds me of those libraries you saw in university. So the undead read books as well¡­


    Not counting the bookshelves, everything on the right side was alien to me. Behind the row of bookshelves was our destination; a dark hallway.


    As we walked down the hallway, I peeked at one of the rooms I happened to pass by. I wish they had medicine for regret¡­it was a biology laboratory. Within it, were numerous glass containers filled of organs, limbs and even whole corpses. As for where these came from, they were naturally the body parts of devils¡­


    Don¡¯t tell me he¡¯s going to dissect me¡­s**t, I¡¯m going to cry¡­.Is it too late to go home¡­where¡¯s that medicine for regret¡­


    Having experienced the horrors within one of the rooms, I was in no mood to check out the others that we passed by. With every step I took, my heart pounded furiously as I wondered if the tour guide in front was going to dissect me¡­best not to think about it¡­it¡¯s too horrific¡­


    This hair raising stroll finally ended as we entered a luxurious room. The room was at least 100 square meters. Right in the middle of the room was a obsidian-esque crystal. It was roughly the size of a human fist and looked like a perfect gem from a certain game about devils, made by a certain company named after a snowstorm.


    Half of this obsidian gem was fused into the ground, and around the exposed half, fine lines drawn with an unknown ink extended outwards in an extremely complicated concentric pattern. It was a magical formation. Just by standing near this formation, I could feel the mana being sucked towards that obsidian gem as if it was a black hole.


    ¡°Please give me a moment.¡± The robed skeleton said as he turned around to face me. He then turned back to the gem and focused on chanting an unknown incantation. It was definitely the devil¡¯s language, but why didn¡¯t I understand it? I¡¯m a devil!


    As the incantation droned on, a blackish green aura appeared around his body. In front of me, the magical formation experienced some changes as well. Initially, the outer edges of the magical formation began to pull back. It was as if time was being rewound right before my eyes, as the mysterious lines began retreating along the formation.


    As this unusual sight continued for some time, the magical formation continued shrinking until it finally disappeared.


    During this period of chanting, I had considered giving the skeleton a good knock on the head, but after careful consideration, I abandoned that idea. No matter what, he was still leagues above me in terms of strength. Given that I still did not know his level, and that he hadn¡¯t shown any ill intent as yet, turning on him wasn¡¯t a good idea. Biding my time is the best option for now.


    More importantly, this was his territory; he definitely had some tricks up his sleeves; so resisting was pointless. Caution is my best choice now. After all, an excess of caution never hurt anyone.


    As I concluded my harebrained scheming, the robed skeleton had finished his incantation as well. The magical formation was now gone, leaving only the obsidian gem behind. It no longer sucked in mana and merely looked like an ordinary ornamental crystal.


    ¡°That is now yours.¡± He said in a grave tone as he pointed at the obsidian gem.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Touch it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± I have a bad feeling about this¡­


    As I looked at the skeleton¡¯s fleshless but expressive face, a chill ran down my spine and my heart skipped a beat. I sheepishly smiled at him and said: ¡°Err¡­Can I say no?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    He didn¡¯t answer me but his calm eyes gave me all the answer I needed.


    ¡°¡­all right¡­I get it¡­¡± I said in a resigned voice, as I reached out with trepidation in my heart towards the obsidian crystal. Will it try to absorb me? Or perhaps it might drain me dry of mana¡­Damn it, all this reluctance is pointless! In the end, I still have to obey that skeleton.


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    If I dared to disobey him, I would be turned into a pool of blood in an instant!


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this old one won¡¯t harm you.¡±


    Easy for you to say! Aren¡¯t your actions a little too suspicious!


    Even after all that whining, what¡¯s meant to come will come in the end. I closed my eyes and reached out to the crystal with my left arm¡­


    A sudden warmth rushed into my fingertips as the obsidian crystal liquefied and flowed up my hands and onto my body. Wherever it flowed, a warm comforting feeling followed it.


    Soon, that obsidian fluid reached the grimoire resting in my embrace and what happened next could only be described as shocking. The obsidian fluid began rapidly expanding turning into a slime-like monster that swallowed the grimoire whole before I could even register the sudden change.


    What the heck just happened¡­Why the f*ck did the crystal turn into a liquid? Why the f*ck did the liquid eat my grimoire? Ahhh!! So many questions!


    However as time passed, things didn¡¯t turn out as badly as I had thought. Instead, the string of surprises continued as the now swallowed grimoire left my embrace and began to float in the air. The black fluid turned into numerous arcane lines and began spreading out over the book in an intricate and elegant design.


    Amazing, such an amazing world! What just happened? Why does it look like my grimoire had just evolved!? Is it some kind of treasure?!


    As I stretched out both of my palms, the Grimoire of the Dead landed onto them of its own accord. The grimoire was back in my control once more. It didn¡¯t fly into the air in some blinding burst of light¡­neither did it become sentient; thank god.


    ¡°This¡­what just happened? It¡¯s unbelievable, it¡¯s a miracle!¡±


    ¡°The true miracle has yet to come.¡±


    He gestured for me to open the book; which I did so obediently. As I opened it, the first thing that struck me was that its contents had significantly increased! On top of the summoning spells and basic dark alchemy spells, it now had two more spells I could learn!


    The first spell was a dark alchemy spell¡ª-Alteration!


    Alteration was essentially a spell to strengthen or modify any dark alchemical creations.


    In the past, my alchemical spell couldn¡¯t modify or strengthen my creations. If I tried to forcefully strengthen my equipment, the end result would only be a tragedy. Just like in those Eastern MMORPGs, the only outcome awaiting you was your legendary equipment turning into a pile of junk.


    Furthermore, repairing any broken weapons was impossible as well. Once it was broken, it was broken forever.


    However, with this Alteration spell, I¡¯m now able to modify, repair and strengthen any existing alchemical weapons.


    The second spell was an undead magic¡ªBone Wall.


    This was the spell that the robed skeleton used to block our retreat just recently. It was definitely a powerful spell. Just based on the fact that my devils were unable to break through it no matter how hard they tried; showed the immense strength of the wall. Even an hour of non stop attacking would¡¯ve been pointless.


    Truth be told, while these two spells were both extremely useful, I was still wary of his intentions. These gifts still weren¡¯t enough to cloud my judgement.


    ¡°May I know, what are your intentions?¡±


    There was no point putting off the inevitable so I decided to cut straight to the point.


    ¡°Nothing really, I¡¯ve just taken a liking to you.¡± He avoided my question with a vague reply and proceeded to bring me out of the room. As we walked down the same hallway we took before, he said: ¡°Let¡¯s go, young devil. Next, we can discuss any questions you have regarding dark alchemy.¡±


    Soon, we reached the initial room filled with weapons. As he sauntered about, he casually pointed at a pile of bones and said: ¡°Try creating a weapon.¡±


    ¡°What kind of weapon?¡±


    ¡°What about a broadsword? The ones used by your subordinates.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    I inputted five units worth of mana and one set of bones and began channeling; the bone broadsword quickly took shape.


    Once my prided creation, but now merely piece of junk, a toy¡­looking at this newly forged bone broadsword filled me with a complicated sense of sadness.


    The robed skeleton casually picked up one of his own short swords and turned towards me: ¡°Use your broadsword to strike at this old one¡¯s short sword.¡±


    ¡°¡­sure.¡± I meekly obeyed his commands. Up until now, I still wasn¡¯t sure of his intentions. What did he intend by making me do this? Was he trying to harm me or help me?


    As the two swords clashed, a ringing sound filled the air followed by a whole load of nothing.


    ¡°Again.¡± The robed skeleton inexplicably told me to continue once more. I did as he asked.


    Strike after strike filled the otherwise silent room with a clear ringing sound. This continued until finally at the tenth strike; something happened. The short sword finally broke into two halves. As for the broadsword, it was cracked all over and was basically a pile of scrap.


    On the surface, it looked like my broadsword was the winner but in actuality, I lost¡­

 Chapter 36: Refined Bone Broadsword

    The broadsword held a decisive advantage over the short sword in terms of weight and strength. Furthermore, I was the one attacking and these 10 strikes were all aimed at the same spot. The result was, the short sword broke but my broadsword was damaged beyond use as well.


    Such a result¡­how could I not accept my defeat?


    ¡°This¡­how is this possible¡­¡±


    Are my creations really that bad?


    In the previous battle, I was too stunned by our strength disparity to check the conditions of my army¡¯s weapons. When I think back on it, if we had continued fighting not only would our bone swords be destroyed, but our shields wouldn¡¯t have fared much better either!


    ¡°Do you how this old one created this short sword?¡±


    Before I had the chance to consider his question, he created a whirlpool of mana in his palm. With a wave of his right arm, three sets of bones flew out from a nondescript pile of materials nearby. As they flew into the whirlpool, they were quickly devoured by the mana whirlpool. In a short span of 10 seconds, the whirlpool was gone and all that remained was a freshly forged short sword.


    Three sets of bones!


    Oh my god, he actually used three sets of bones, I only used one set during my forging¡­how much mana did this guy have?! The more materials you used increased the amount of mana that had to be expended.


    Forget it, there¡¯s no way an unfathomable expert like him would lack that bit of mana. Only a pauper like me would cut corners to save that little bit of mana.


    Truth be told, while forging all these weapons, I had noticed a similar situation as well. For example my broadsword, I could¡¯ve spent more mana to refine the materials in a fashion similar to the way blacksmiths remove the impurities from their metals. The resulting product would be smaller, but would be a lot tougher.


    Simply put, the robed skeleton made use of refined materials to craft his sword while I merely used the bones as is. As such, my weapons were naturally inferior to his.


    But it¡¯s not like I had a choice¡­the more materials you used increased the amount of mana that had to be expended. My mana pool was already limited as is, and time wasn¡¯t our ally as well. The only viable option was to use a simplified forging process. Not to mention I had experimented with refining once. The mana cost was exorbitant and I could only use two sets of bones to craft one broadsword.


    As for the robed skeleton, he was able to refine and use three sets of bones just to craft a much smaller shortsword¡­in terms of technique, he was head and shoulders above me!


    ¡°Sir¡­¡±


    I had unknowingly reverted to polite speech once more. It couldn¡¯t be helped, he was just too mysterious and too strong. While I hadn¡¯t guessed his intentions yet, it didn¡¯t matter.


    An expert like him¡­he could probably hold me down with a single finger; so resisting was pointless. Even if I resisted he could do whatever he wanted with me, and I would have no choice in the matter. It¡¯s better to just let it go. After all, no matter how much he tried, he still had no pee pee. As they say, a dead pig isn¡¯t afraid of scalding water¡­


    ¡°Do you wish to learn how to do this?¡±


    ¡°Definitely!¡± My mouth reacted faster than my brain as those words leaped out. I hesitated slightly before saying: ¡°Err¡­is there any way I can help you?¡±


    ¡°This old one said so before, this one has just taken a liking to you.¡± His teeth chattered as he laughed, the sight of him talking without a larynx was just as unsettling as before.


    Seeing that I still had some reservations, he stopped talking and instead took out something similar to a goat-skin scroll and handed it over to me.


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    ¡°This is?¡±


    ¡°A record of all my findings regarding dark alchemy.¡± He yawned as he said so in a bored tone. With his bone hand covering his mouth as he did so, he pointed at the exit and said: ¡°You may leave now, this old one is tired.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Is that it? What the f*ck, we just started this conversation and you are already trying to chase me away. Director, there¡¯s a problem with the script.


    Shouldn¡¯t this be followed by a friendly chat; where the both of us talk about our lives and form a close bond with each other? For example: ¡°From now on, you now will be my trump card; if this brother gets into trouble, he will give you a call. After which you will die for this one, but not without leaving your beautiful daughter to this one. This brother will then make an oath to avenge you, with your daughter as a witness, setting me on the path to become the overlord of the universe.¡± Shouldn¡¯t this be the norm for Xuanhuan novels! Why aren¡¯t you following the norms?!


    After that round of bitching, the robed skeleton was nowhere in sight. With nothing I could do about this, I had no choice but to leave. Just as I reached the top of the stairs, I heard the devils under my command shouting.


    ¡°Master! Master! Where are you?¡±


    As I resurfaced, I immediately noticed the giant bone wall standing between me and the devils. They were unable to come over nor were they able to check out the situation. I guess that¡¯s what all the fuss was about. I even heard the sounds of them attacking the wall. They are surprisingly loyal.


    The robed skeleton probably predicted that they would try to follow us, and so, laid down this wall.


    Well then, how should I get over there¡­eh, look¡¯s like the problem resolved itself. As I was pondering, the bone wall slowly began to lower itself into ground, disappearing without a trace as if it had never existed.


    ¡°Master!¡±


    As I looked ahead, the sight of Nine-finger appeared rushing to hug me with an inexplicable look of excitement on his face.


    I immediately sidestepped, dodging the incoming bearhug. With a cursory gaze at One-eye, I said: ¡°You know what to do.¡±


    One-eye nodded and in a couple of steps, reached Nine-finger and gave him a solid kick on his butt: ¡°B*****d! You actually dared to blaspheme the Master! I¡¯ll skin you alive!¡±


    ¡°Big brother¡­nooo¡­I was only concerned about the Master¡¯s safety¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think you can fool your big brother! I knew exactly what you were planning the moment you averted your eyes.¡±


    *slap slap*


    ¡°Master, are you alright?¡± No.3 and Big 4 asked in a more normal show of concern.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, we need to leave as soon as possible. This was a pretty fruitful trip, I need some time to digest all this new information.¡±


    While the trip had ended with significant casualties on our side, I had also received a lot of guidance and help from the robed skeleton; so we netted a profit in the end. Overall, I was pretty pleased with this trip.


    I secured the scroll I got from the robed skeleton onto the grimoire and tightly hugged it. I no longer handed it over to the female devil. I turned to look over at the couple of stooges and said with a light smile: ¡°One-eye, Nine-finger, let¡¯s head out. We wouldn¡¯t want those undead to catch up to us after all.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The large imps stared at with their mouths wide open. Just as I was about to ask them what¡¯s wrong, a mesmerized Nine-finger spoke up: ¡°Master, your smile is so lovely¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­scram, the whole lot of you, get your asses down this mountain right now!¡± Screw you, I¡¯ve said so many times, I AM A GUY!


    After meeting up with Big 1 at the base of the mountain, I immediately gave the order to continue our routine of hunting and avoiding the zombie horde.


    The robed skeleton had given me a lot of help, but this also left me with several complicated feelings. His decision to help me unconditionally was puzzling. What¡¯s up with [I¡¯ve taken a liking to you].


    Forget it, I have more important matters to attend to, like that goatskin scroll.


    Its contents were written in the devil¡¯s language which I knew from birth thanks to my inherited memories. It recorded down the method he used to refine materials. By using this method, the resulting weapons would definitely be stronger, but the resulting mana consumption was horrifying.


    The mirror constructed by the robed skeleton took the form of a whirlpool or vortex while mine was a flat surface. Just from their appearances alone, one could tell there was a big difference between the two. I tried out his method and found that it wasn¡¯t too difficult. After several tries, I managed to condense my mana into a vortex.


    I tossed three sets of bones into the vortex as a trial run. Soon, a familiar bone broadsword came out of the vortex.


    It looked nearly identical to the previous ones except for one glaring difference. The new sword was even whiter than its weaker cousins. Its body had a smooth jade-like lustre on it unlike the coarse teeth-yellowed luster of my previous attempts.


    Time to test its strength¡­


    I got No.3 to hold onto a coarse broadsword while I aimed at it with my newly forged bone sword. In a flash of white, the two swords collided momentarily before the sword in No.3¡¯s hand fell to the ground; severed. As for the sword in my hand¡­it wasn¡¯t in the least bit damaged.


    ¡°That¡­Master¡­that sword is too powerful!¡± He immediately tossed the junk in his hand and stared unblinkingly at the jade-like sword in my hand: ¡° Master¡­err¡­umm¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be such a wuss, if you want it, I¡¯ll give it to you.¡± I handed the sword to him in a jovial manner. His hands slightly trembled as he received the sword with both of his hands, a loving look in his eyes. If one didn¡¯t know better, you would think the sword in his hands was his beautiful wife. I looked at his silly face in a half exasperated, half amused manner: ¡°A simple sword got you that excited? *Sigh*, where¡¯s your backbone. Once this brother gets stronger, he will create even better weapons for you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Master!¡±


    ¡°Mhm. Just do your job and you will be rewarded well.¡± Seeing him happy, made me happy as well. He was the oldest and most loyal subordinate under my command. If there was anything good to be had, I would naturally prioritize his share over the others.


    After sending off No.3, I checked on my mana pool. After all the hard work I had done, my maximum mana was now 30 units. Creating that refined weapon cost me 10 units. According to my calculations, I would be able to create a maximum of three such weapons in one go, given some replenishment.


    Hugging that heavy grimoire had gotten me tired so I handed it over to the female devil and continued creating more refined swords. A short while later, another bone sword was completed and this time, it seemed to have tired me out even more.


    As I rechecked my mana pool, I received a startling shock. What¡¯s happening¡­didn¡¯t it cost 10 units the first time around, why did it suddenly cost me 15 units¡­

 Chapter 37: Abandoned Village

    During ancient times, the lands were rife with conflict and war. Back then, humanity was much weaker. Humanity was sandwiched between all the major races of the world, putting them in a dire situation where even survival wasn¡¯t guaranteed. Chief among the culprits responsible for humanity¡¯s dire situation were the devils and the undead. They were relentless in their pursuit of humans, seemingly bent on wiping them out.


    According to the history books, the Sea of Sadness used to be a fertile plot of land where the strongest human kingdom once stood. Under the leadership of their king, the military withstood countless devil invasions, until one day, they angered the demon god.


    In one night, the country was wiped out and all that remained was a bottomless abyss¡­As time passed, the fields were replaced by a sea of water. And so, the kingdom became the Sea of Sadness.


    ¡ª¡ª¨CFrom <>


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Oh, so that¡¯s why¡­


    That issue of my two refinements having different costs has been solved. It didn¡¯t take too long nor was it some complicated reason¡­it was simply because of that Grimoire of the Dead!


    The grimoire had an enhancement effect on any magic that I casted as long as I hugged it. The grimoire also reduced the mana cost of any spells I casted, undead or otherwise.


    Furthermore, undead spells received a boost in strength while I held it. For example, summoning a skeleton with the grimoire in hand created a skeleton that was stronger than most of the wild skeletons we encountered. Any bone wall created was sturdier as well.


    What¡¯s even more unexpected, was that this unfilial b*****d of a book was even fighting with me over souls! Are you trying to rebel? How dare you steal my food away from me, your master!


    I can¡¯t throw away this rebellious book either. I would lose a trump card if I did that. Not to mention I still relied on it for magical knowledge. Plus, those benefits I just mentioned more than made up for this defect. At least, this was the conclusion I came up with after calming down. This defect wasn¡¯t that bad¡­


    Besides, isn¡¯t the fact that the grimoire was able to absorb souls, miraculous in of itself? That¡¯s right, I should have the attitude of [I wonder what this book¡¯s final form will be like?].


    The thought that it could one day try to attack me, had occurred to me; so I decided to perform the textbook master-servant ceremony on it. I dripped a drop of my blood onto the grimoire¡­..and three seconds later, nothing happened¡­except for the blood getting absorbed.


    Is it because there¡¯s not enough blood? I decided to drip more blood¡­just to be safe. The result a few seconds later was, a whole load of nothing¡­


    F*ck, I was almost angry enough to toss the grimoire away.


    Damn you, if you can¡¯t recognize a master, can¡¯t you at least give me a heads up?! Did you really have to make me lose all that blood before you were satisfied!?


    Ever since that day, I would constantly hug the grimoire; whether it was while eating or even sleeping. From time to time I would flip open the book, but not to read¡­just to casually flip through the pages. Heh, I bet it¡¯s pissed at me right now. Well too bad, this brother is petty that way.


    As for my Mo sabers, after conducting a weapons test on the refined versions, I had an idea. Due to its piercing capabilities, it could serve just as well as a long spear. The saber wielders could hide behind the heavy shields as usual, and merely had to treat the Mo sabers as long spears due to the space constraints.


    (Weapons made from dark alchemy had a mold imprinted into the spell beforehand. The materials and mana would then be employed to create a weapon fitting this mold. As such creating a long spear takes up the same amount of resources as making a Mo saber. In that case, the Mo sabers were naturally a better choice due to their versatility. This is why Mo Ke decided to stick with the Mo sabers.)


    With the Alteration spell, I could now repair and modify my old creations, thus saving me a lot of mana. With that in mind, I prioritised modifying my old creations over creating new refined weapons.


    The zombie team created by that robed skeleton had left a deep impression on me. The sight of them wildly swinging their giant hammers and ruining my heavy shields had changed my views about hammers.


    In the past, I didn¡¯t favor unwieldy weapons like hammers due to their lack in speed. However, that encounter made me realize the sheer destructive power of such heavy weaponry. Not to mention, the hammer was especially suited to killing the slow and mindless undead.


    With that in mind, I would use any spare mana I had to create some long hammers. These were then given out to the stronger large imps under my command.


    As for why I didn¡¯t try to summon a bunch of undead little brothers¡­ Firstly, lower ranked undead were mindless, and this made them difficult to command. Secondly, without a large mass of them, they were useless. Summoning so many was also not feasible due to my lack of mana.


    In the end, I settled on my ready-made devil subordinates. After all, they were usable even without weapons. What¡¯s the point of sacrificing the now for the distant future.


    Creating these refined weapons took up roughly two times the amount of mana and provided nearly triple the boost in power. Plus, with the grimoire aiding me, the mana cost was also reduced by one third. As such, it only took about 50% more mana for me to create refined weapons, but the resulting gains were over 100%.


    The weapons test for the new broadswords yielded amazing results. I tested the broadsword against a sword wielding one-star skeleton, and with one slash, I sliced through his sword. With another, I took his head. The sensation was similar to cutting paper; by the time I noticed the resistance, its head was already sent flying¡­


    I stepped forward and scooped up the skeletal head, holding it up before me. The green soul flames began to stream out of the skull¡¯s eye sockets. Just as it was about to enter my mouth, the soul flames were immediately sucked away in a different direction, like a fish getting reeled in. With a silent whoosh, it disappeared literally under my nose with nothing but a tiny trace of green left behind¡­


    Ahhhhh¡ª-You god damn broken piece of c**p book, every single time! I raised the grimoire high above my head, thoughts of slamming it down and stomping on it floated through my mind¡­in the end, I couldn¡¯t bear to do so.


    After a few days of walking, we stumbled upon an abandoned village¡­or what was left of one.


    This was the third sign of civilization we encountered during this month of wandering in the undead lands. The first was that tower where I attained this damned grimoire; the second was the altar where I met that robed skeleton; and the third was this village.


    The layout of the village was similar to a human village. The houses were tightly packed together, but had a fixed distance between each of them. Most of the houses had an empty space in front of them and were all collapsed. Those that weren¡¯t, were full of holes and functioned like a flute whenever the wind blew through them.


    Regarding these structures, I had a conflicted view of them. On one hand, they were most likely fraught with danger, and on the other, I didn¡¯t want to miss out on any opportunities.


    Who knows what I might find in here. Perhaps enemies? A fortuitous encounter? Either way, I mustn¡¯t let it go. I must search through this place. Whatever secrets it held, they must be revealed to me.


    In a split second, the decision to explore the village was made.


    It was a large village. Judging from the size, it probably held close to a thousand people. Strange, how did such a place end up in the land of the undead? Logically speaking, there¡¯s no way I could enter the human territories from the blood sea. But this world was littered with traces of human civilization.


    For example, those skeletons and zombies that looked like human soldiers. Furthermore, that tower had vengeful ghosts dressed in maid costumes. That robed skeleton was likely a human in life as well. With this village added into the mix¡­there¡¯s so many questions in my head right now.


    The scouring proceeded at a rapid pace. For this trip, I split our team into several groups, with one being led by me. As we scoured, I came upon a noteworthy structure; it was a chapel-like structure. It had its signature large door, but half of it had collapsed, while the other half was still futilely fulfilling its duty. What was left of the door was tightly shut, but it didn¡¯t obstruct our field of vision much.


    Within the confines of the chapel, over 10 head imps held a mini feast in front of the chapel podium. Blood and flesh were splattered around the ruined chapel floor as their teeth tore through what could only be another devil. Barbaric¡­


    The chapel reminded me of the more austere Protestant chapels from Earth. There were hardly any decorations, and the entire chapel consisted of a simple walkway flanked by the usual pews; or what was left of them. The floor was littered with the various remains of the pews, with barely any section of it left clean.


    Our arrival was quickly noticed by the head imps. Having been interrupted in the middle of their feasting, they were naturally unhappy. However, as they gazed at us, their bodies froze; the shock apparent on their faces; the meat in their mouths falling to the ground. They stared at me with eyes full of undisguised passion, their disgusting drool dribbled down the sides of their mouths as they did so¡­


    Not this again! This brother isn¡¯t a girl, EMPHASIS on BROTHER! Are you guys Pigsy or something?! (TL: Zhu Bajie from Journey to the West)


    The first to approach us was the strongest out of the ten. From the looks of it, this imp was on the verge of breaking through to three-star. The other imps immediately followed him, not wanting to be left behind.


    While that leading imp had a chipped horn on the left of his forehead, it did not decrease the aura of strength he exuded. Based on this aura, he was at least twice as strong as the others. It was common knowledge among humans that losing their horns made a devil weaker. However, this head imp seemed to defy that consensus. He seemed to be even stronger because of his horn being chipped!


    ¡°You, belong to me, rest, doesn¡¯t matter.¡± The head imp with the chipped horn pointed coarsely at me, before making a sweeping gesture that covered the other devils under my command.


    ¡°How dare you insult our Master!¡± No.3 and Big 4 immediately stepped up to shield me from them. Both of them were the two largest imps, they were nearly half a head taller than the rest. But they were still shorter than the head imps in front of us by at least a head.


    ¡°Master?¡± He took in that word for a moment before saying: ¡°Isn¡¯t she your plaything?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± In what way do I look like a plaything!


    ¡°Die!¡± No.3, ever the loyal subordinate, immediately charged at them upon seeing me being insulted. He swiftly slashed out with his refined black broadsword; with the momentum of his dash aiding him. His opponent smirked disdainfully and met No.3¡¯s sword with his fist. The instant his fist, which was the size of a casserole, met with the black sword, the razor sharp edge of the blade mercilessly sliced through his hide, leaving a gaping wound on his arm.


    However, No.3 didn¡¯t get out unscathed either, his opponent managed to counterattack with a kick to his abdomen, sending him crashing into several broken pews.


    ¡°Charge!¡±


    I immediately ordered my subordinates. The battle had already begun and there was no more room for hesitation.


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    Due to the vastness of the village my men were separated, and right now I only had a portion of my imps with me. These included Big 1, Nine-finger, One-eye, No.3, Big 4, the unnamed female devil and my 20 personal guardsmen. Each of them wielded my refined weapons as they faced off against the imps that were a whole tier higher than them.


    In a head on fight, they might not be able to win against the higher tiered imps, but this didn¡¯t matter. They only had to stall for time. Given the ruckus of our battle, the remaining hundreds of imps in my army would swiftly come to our aid.


    Big 4 was unable to look after the fallen No.3, and neither was he able to meddle in the battle. As my bodyguard his only duty was to guard me, so he hadn¡¯t taken a single step away from me since No.3 started fighting.


    17 head imps versus the 23 armed imps on my side.


    While they had my refined weapons aiding them, the disparity in strength was still there. The battle started off with our side being in a disadvantaged position.


    Our imps were inferior in terms of power and strength. Black swords would¡¯ve helped remedy this problem, but we didn¡¯t have enough soul pearls to go around. So not all of the guardsmen were equipped with the enchanted black sword that prevented wounds from closing.


    Furthermore, while the head imps looked clumsy and slow, in actuality, they were much faster than the large imps. In a one on one fight, they could easily dodge the weapons of the guardsmen while waiting for an opportunity to strike. Even with the refined bone shields aiding them, the guardsmen still had difficulty retaliating.


    Considering that we were facing devils, fire attacks like the flame whip wouldn¡¯t work. Looks like the only choice left was the darkness arrow. But the arrows were simply too weak¡­


    As an arrow streaked across the space, crashing into the head of the chipped-horn imp, it harmlessly dissipated leaving behind a tiny lump; the expected bloodshed nowhere to be seen!


    ¡°Ahh!¡±


    The furious chipped-horn imp traced the path of the arrow all the way back to the culprit, me. He bellowed at me in a thunderous voice, but this wasn¡¯t enough to satisfy him. With a speed rivalling the arrow I fired and a strength rivalling a tank, he charged, knocking away the shield wielding Big 1 as he headed towards me in a straight line!

 Chapter 38: The Fierce Battle in the Chapel

    Seeing the oncoming tank of an imp, my bodyguard immediately stepped forward to block the head imp, his shield raised and his broadsword pointed out.


    With his arm still bleeding from No.3¡¯s black sword, the sharpness of those swords were still fresh in his mind as he charged. Instead of blindingly charging in as before, he was prepared for Big 4¡¯s sword, and dodged right as the black sword came within inches of him. With a swift sidestep, he circled around Big 4 and continued on.


    Big 4 tried to turn around and retaliate, but his sword barely left his side before he was swiftly kicked away by the head imp in a fate similar to No.3.


    With my bodyguards out of the way, the head imp had a clear path to me as he continued his lust driven rampage. As he reached out with his giant hands, his mouth broke into a wicked grin; his prize was within reach right at this very moment. If I don¡¯t dodge now, it would be over for me¡­but I can¡¯t dodge it. It¡¯s not that my reflexes were too slow, he was just too fast. Plus, I didn¡¯t expect Big 1 and 4 to be so helpless before him.


    Am I going to be caught?


    Just as I was about to give up hope, a strong force pushed me from behind.


    Time slowed down as his arm barely grazed my face, as I fell to the side from that sudden push. As my figure toppled, the silhouette of my savior came into view¡­it¡¯s her¡­that female large imp who has been hiding behind my back all this while¡­she was still in that pose from when she pushed me!


    How is it her! How could it be her? Why would she push me away¡­wasn¡¯t she always the one seeking protection¡­to think she would put herself in danger just to protect me¡­wasn¡¯t she the timid kind¡­?


    I wasn¡¯t the only one startled by this sudden turn of events, the chipped horn imp was just as assured as I was of my impending capture; so my last minute escape had left him stunned as well. His brows furrowed as his face took a drastic turn from elation to fury. His fiery gaze locked onto me, who was lying on the ground a meter or two away. With a swift grasp of his hand, he captured the female devil, all the while staring at me.


    He hadn¡¯t given up yet. He still wanted to capture me.


    However, his opportunity was gone. My plight hadn¡¯t gone unnoticed, as One-eye and Nine-finger immediately disengaged from their opponents and rushed to my side. The ruckus caused by the fight had begun to attract the attention of my other imps. They streamed in tiny groups of twos and threes with the quickest already nearing the door of the chapel.


    Seeing this, the chipped-horn imp knew that he couldn¡¯t stay any longer. As he stood at the broken doorway to the chapel, he made the decision to retreat immediately. While his arm had been injured, his combat strength hadn¡¯t been reduced by much. With one arm grabbing the female devil, he made his escape without a hint of hesitation.


    I knew right away what he intended to do. As my hands tightened around the grimoire, I summoned a bone wall in nearly an instant to block the broken doorway.


    However, his strength was greater than I had imagined. The head imp didn¡¯t even require a running charge to break down the wall. He merely lowered his head and rammed it directly into the wall.


    Truth be told, a hastily erected bone wall like that couldn¡¯t be considered sturdy, but it should¡¯ve at least been able to withstand one attack from the head imp¡­this outcome had totally exceeded my expectations¡­


    The bone wall shattered instantly under the full force of his headbutt like a block of soft tofu getting punched¡­


    He glared at me one last time before making his escape with the female devil tucked under his arms. In the blink of an eye, he circled around the chapel and left my vision. As for the reinforcements, they were still 10 meters away¡­


    The remaining head imps quickly noticed the reinforcements as well, and immediately knocked down the guardsmen blocking them; even at the expense of taking a few extra hits. With all the obstacles gone, they decided on breaking through the walls in order to escape. In those few seconds, they cunningly made the decision to split up during their escape as well.


    With a roar to signal their retreat, they scattered in multiple directions.


    ¡°You think you all can escape? All of you aren¡¯t going anywhere!¡± There¡¯s no way I would let them go that easily. I tightly clutched my grimoire once more and cast another bone wall in front of one of the escaping imps.


    As the bone wall rose out of the ground in a cloud of dust and debris, the head imp had no time to retreat from the sudden wall that appeared in front of his face, and collided with a loud bang. The bone wall was cracked by the impact, but unlike that previous one, it held up. The resulting impact had dazed the imp slightly and caused to him fall over due to the loss of balance.


    Looks like a normal head imp isn¡¯t capable of breaking through the bone wall in one strike.


    With this thought in mind, I repeated the same action with the other escaping imps, blocking them off. In a few seconds, my scattered forces finally arrived en mass. They stepped over the bone wall broken by the chipped-horn imp and streamed into the chapel.


    I finally had the time to evaluate our current situation. Most of my guardsmen were defeated. As for my named imps, they were stronger than the usual imps so outside of No.3 and Big 4, there weren¡¯t any serious casualties.


    ¡°Surrender or die.¡±


    With my grimoire in hand, I coldly gazed at them from the middle of my assembled army of large imps. These head imps had, to some degree, sustained some injuries; with some still bleeding from their severe wounds.


    *ROAR!*


    A head imp roared in anger at my words and shouted back in a disdainful tone: ¡°Let us go or we will capture you. Your henchmen are too weak and won¡¯t be able to stop us. As long as we wanted to, we can break out of here in an instant.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead and try.¡± His obstinance instantly destroyed any desire within me of allowing them to surrender. As the flames of anger burned within me, I waved my left arm and gave out an order: ¡°Shieldbearers to the front, saber wielders prepare yourselves!¡±


    As the shieldbearers took up position, a series of sequential loud bangs echoed within the chapel as they shoved their shields into the ground. In a short moment, a shield wall formed of 15 heavy shields was erected. 15 reserves immediately rushed up to the shield wall and braced the heavy bone shields.


    As the final piece of the formation fell into place, the Mo sabers stood ready at the forefront of the shields, their murderous aura clear for all to see.


    Due to the constraints of my mana pool, there were still only 10 Mo sabers in my army, but all of these had been refined by me. Their killing power was leagues ahead of the old Mo sabers.


    Another issue was the training required to wield these sabers correctly. Due to the width of the heavy shields constraining them, an inexperienced saber wielder would end up clashing into the others. Therefore, I decided to put off creating more sabers until the training was done.


    In the few days after the stopover at the altar, I frequently got the saber wielders to participate in solo battles in order to train them. The length and refinement of the saber ensured that they were able to kill any undead from a distance easily; as long as they weren¡¯t heavily armored.


    By now, these saber wielders were veterans of the battlefield.


    Perhaps they hadn¡¯t expected me to reject them so decisively and take up a battle stance, but the imp who had issued that threat was now looking at his comrades with worry on his face. He turned around to check the exits left behind by some of his lucky comrades and instead of finding a hole in the wall, he saw a mass of club wielding large imps standing ready.


    There was no escape for them now. They could either surrender or try to capture me.


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    ¡°Let¡¯s attack, there¡¯s nothing to think about here. Rather than serving a lowly female devil, we might as well give it a last shot!¡±


    *Roar roar!* ¡°Kill!¡±


    In the midst of their chaotic howls, the head imps charged at my refined bone shield wall.


    What greeted them was the terrifying Mo sabers. With their boosted penetrating power, the two leading imps were instantly skewered by the saber wielders!


    The head imps didn¡¯t expect the saber wielders to ignore some of them and instead focus their thrusts onto a single imp. Over three Mo sabres descended onto each unprepared head imp instantly penetrating them. This sneak attack left the two with several holes all over their bodies.


    The remaining 5 head imps collided with the shield wall. While they were all injured, their strength was still impressive, and was not something two large imps could hold back. The shield formation was instantly toppled by their charges. Thankfully, their target was me and so they didn¡¯t bother with the other large imps.


    The desperadoes stepped over the bone shields and large imps and continued triumphantly towards me.


    Bone Wall!


    I had expected the shield wall to topple so I made some preparations for my bone wall prior to their charge. With a large amount of mana already channeled into the spell, a nigh impenetrable wall of bones rose from the ground, shutting down their advance. Punch after punch landed on the wall, but it was all in vain as their flurry of blows did nothing to the sturdy wall.


    This was a wall that I had ample time to erect, they definitely had no hope of breaking through it.


    With their hopes of breaking through the wall dashed, they decided to circle around the bone wall. However, as they turned around, they discovered that the paper-like shield wall they had toppled was now erected once more!


    The large imps worked together and slowly closed in on the head imps, driving them slowly into a corner with the furious thrusts of their Mo sabers. It was too late to escape!


    By now No.3 and Big 4 had already recovered from their bout of unconsciousness and joined the other named imps in blocking off the head imps¡¯ escape.


    With the bone wall blocking them from the front, the Mo sabers closing in on their flanks, and the armed large imp army blocking off their rear; they had no way to escape. Soon a few more head imps were stabbed to death by a couple of sabers through their heads.


    ¡°I¡­surrender¡­¡±


    ¡°I surrender as well¡­¡±


    The final two imps knelt down and surrendered upon discovering they had no hope of escape.


    The devils stopped attacking at this instant. They knew I enjoyed recruiting new subordinates. This time was likely the same as well.


    As I dispelled the bone wall, I coldly smiled at them and said: ¡°Surrender?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we are willing to serve you, great Master. Please accept our utmost loyalty.¡±


    ¡°Great Master, I¡¯m willing to serve you as well.¡±


    ¡°Surrender? You should¡¯ve done so earlier.¡± Without a hint of anger in my voice, I gave out a soft command as I turned around and left the chapel. ¡°Leave none alive.¡±


    ¡°¡­nooo¡­I¡¯m willing to surrender¡­¡±


    ¡°Spare me¡­Master spare my life¡­¡±


    ¡°Understood, Master!!¡±


    As both their tortured howls finally dissipated into the air, the village was quiet once more.


    As for why I didn¡¯t accept their surrender, I wasn¡¯t sure either. My head was in turmoil at the moment and my heart was hurting badly.


    I thought of that female devil who got kidnapped because she pushed me away. She was always quietly by my side like a shadow; never leaving me for long. While I had suspected that she had ulterior motives, I didn¡¯t chase her away, but didn¡¯t give her a name either.


    After reincarnating into a devil, I had been saved multiple times by my subordinates, so I thought that I was already numbed to this fact. At least I thought I wouldn¡¯t be as shaken as I was when No.4 saved me¡­he¡­I had always seen him as being the weakest and most cowardly subordinate among my named imps¡­but he still made the choice to save me, and for that¡­.he died.


    Even as he died, I couldn¡¯t see a hint of regret or pain in his eyes. All I saw was the relief in his eyes upon seeing that I was safe¡­I don¡¯t understand, I really don¡¯t understand¡­I don¡¯t understand why that memory always brought me to tears¡­


    That relieved look on the female devil as she got kidnapped¡­it hurts so much. No.4¡­that weak and often bullied little fellow. Even though he had a name, his standing was even worse than No.5. In spite of that, he saved me, in order to save me, he died¡­


    I don¡¯t understand¡­why did these devils have the desire to save others even at their own expense?


    What will happen to that female large imp who got kidnapped? Will she really become food for them?

 Chapter 39: New Weapons and Evolution

    As we left the village, I attempted to track the chipped-horn imp by following his footsteps. However, that plan ended prematurely after two kilometers of tracking.


    The footsteps had disappeared at that point. No, rather than disappearing, they were covered up by the large mass of undead footprints.


    As for the source of these footprints, they were wandering about in front of me at this very moment. Just as I spotted them, they spotted us as well and charged at us with their signature wailing.


    Darkness Arrow! Bone Wall! Flame Whip!


    I beat a hasty retreat behind my devils while throwing out a myriad of spells, all the while with my two bodyguards by my side. No.3 and Big 4 were itching to fight, but held back out of concern for my safety.


    As for One-eye and the others, they weren¡¯t charged with protecting me at all times; so they charged with reckless abandon towards the undead, swapping injuries for injuries as they viciously attacked. It wasn¡¯t long before the battlefield was a field of properly dead undead.


    While it was a complete victory for us, the trail had ended here. Since I wasn¡¯t a hunter or a scout, I didn¡¯t possess the necessary tracking skills to continue the chase. In the mass of undead footprints, all I could make out were said footprints.


    Perhaps¡­she¡¯s beyond us now¡­


    It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t try hard enough to save her, there just wasn¡¯t enough time to do so. That chipped-horn imp was simply too strong for the normal imps to handle. So I decided to handle the rest of the head imps before pursuing that chipped-horn imp. Once our forces were gathered, we could then pursue this stronger target.


    If I had recklessly chased after him, the most likely outcome would¡¯ve been that I got captured as well, and the other head imps from the chapel would¡¯ve gotten off scot free.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Seeing me stand there in silence, made them worried. One-eye cautiously approached me but just as he was about to continue talking, I glared at him, frightening him into silence.


    ¡°Leave.¡± I don¡¯t even know how a glare was able to terrify a devil, but at least I knew how cold my tone was at this moment. Without waiting for their response, I turned around and left with only the grimoire as my company.


    As I slowly made my way to the village, a storm of complex emotions brewed within my mind. Behind my silent figure was my army of subordinates who were just as silent. They knew what awaited them if any one of them spoke up.


    As the sight of those damned head imps entered my vision, I pointed at their corpses and said: ¡°You guys can have these corpses, the souls as well. You had better evolve after this¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± The imps looked at each other helplessly. It¡¯s not like they didn¡¯t want to evolve faster as well. That last sentence was definitely uncalled for.


    However, it was to be expected. When a person was in a bad mood, they tend to do things that at the best could be explained as [He¡¯s in a bad mood], and at worst be called [Mad].


    After resting in the village for half a day, I led the entire army in the direction where the tracks ended. Even though I knew that there was basically no hope that he would continue down this path, I still chose to do so.


    Perhaps it was merely out of gratitude or perhaps it was merely to vent my anger, but either way it¡¯s not because I liked her¡­lower tiered devils had a pretty unique appearance after all. Definitely not my taste. Besides imps were simply too low level for me, after all this brother has even seen a fallen angel and had even teased her.


    As we continued down the last known direction of that chipped-imp, the path took us through several detours that roughly formed a triangle.


    As we searched, we were set upon by undead from time to time. Whenever their numbers were small, we wiped them out. As for when their numbers were large enough to cause deaths on our side, we avoided them completely and searched in a different location. Logically speaking, that chipped-imp wouldn¡¯t have passed through those areas either. Instead he would¡¯ve avoided them by passing through the opening between the undead hordes.


    And so three days passed in the blink of an eye. My determined efforts still have not borne any results. While I was able to make use of this time to craft more equipment, the lack of results still frustrated me.


    The only good news that came out during these three days, was that No.3 and Big 4 had evolved into two-star head imps. Big 4 was the first of the two to evolve. It happened last night after a round of feeding.


    The skin on his forehead began to split open and two goat-like horns slowly grew out of his head. His body grew larger as well. His stature grew taller while his limbs grew significantly stouter, creating a strange imbalance in his body proportions. He was actually really tall, but thanks to his limbs he looked like a short and stubby imp.


    Next was No.3. His evolution was about the same as Big 4, resulting in the two of them looking nearly the same. If they stood next to each other, they would¡¯ve looked like a pair of identical twins.


    By now, they were taller than One-eye and the others by more than a head. They stood at a towering 2 meters tall and truly looked like a pair of mountains. If one didn¡¯t look carefully, they might miss the slender me standing in between them.


    With their new body proportions, their old weapons were no longer suitable for them. The bone broadswords looked and felt more like toy swords in their giant hands. The bone shield wasn¡¯t much better as well, looking more like a squarish buckler than a scutum.


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    And so, I decided to change their shields into a large rounded shield similar to those worn by Spartans on their forearms. I enhanced the overall thickness of the shield along with widening it into a circular shape. It was now 1.5m in diameter and could be secured to their forearm, making it not only convenient but safe as well.


    With these new and improved round shields, No.3 and Big 4 were even sturdier than the shieldbearers thanks to their improved defenses.


    Their weapons were remade as well into a pair of spiked maces. The entire mace was 2 meters long with the handle being 1.6 meters and the spiked head being 40 cm long. With its hedgehog-like appearance, it sent shivers down one¡¯s spine just by looking at it


    The reason why I chose a mace instead of a sword wasn¡¯t because I liked maces, but because of a head imp¡¯s frightening strength. I still clearly remembered that shocking scene were the chipped-imp broke through my bone wall. That scene made my heart jump into my throat.


    Besides, for the simple minded imps, sword techniques and the like were clearly not suited for them. A simple but effective mace was better suited to their brute strength.


    Given that these two had finally evolved, my guess was that One-eye and others were on the verge of evolving as well. In that case, we need to pick up our hunting pace. The faster they evolved the better.


    Just as I thought about this matter, No.5 who I had not seen in days, sprinted into view. With his body covered in dirt, he ran with all his might as he shouted for help. Behind him was an army of 100 undead chasing him.


    Over 10 skeleton archers halted in their tracks and fired off a volley of arrows at the escaping No.5. As he turned around and saw the arrows raining down upon him, he nearly peed in his figurative pants. He immediately adopted what could only be described evasive maneuvers.


    From tumbling to crawling, he performed a series of unpredictable movements as he attempted to dodge the incoming arrows. Surprisingly, they were extremely effective; with him coming out of that hail of arrows with just a few minor scrapes. Not a single arrow managed to get a clean hit on him!


    What the heck, when did you learn such an impressive skill? I had honestly thought that he was done for.


    ¡°Master¡­save me!¡±


    He cried as he jumped towards me in a flying embrace.


    ¡°Scram! Don¡¯t come near the Master¡¯s sacred body!¡±


    No.3 raised his newly minted round shield and blocked the flying imp, sending him tumbling away with a pained cry.


    ¡°Arrgh¡­Master, it hurts¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmph, you deserved it.¡±


    Nine-finger stuck out his tongue at No.5 before turning to look at the new weapons wielded by No.3 and Big 4 with envious eyes. He was probably unsettled by this sight. Putting aside Big 4, when they first encountered me, he was definitely stronger than No.3, but in the end the one who evolved first wasn¡¯t him or One-eye, but the relatively low key imp, No.3. As for why this was so, perhaps it was due to talent?


    ¡°Master¡­¡±


    Ignoring his pitiful expression, I turned to look at the oncoming skeleton army with furrowed brows. They were merely zero-star with some one-star archers and soldiers thrown into the mix.


    ¡°Master, watch out!¡± While I was busy evaluating their army, the archers weren¡¯t idle either. With a mighty pull of their bows, they took a distant shot in my direction.


    Due to my forward location and close proximity to No.5, the majority of the incoming arrows ended up heading towards me instead of No.5. Thankfully, No.3 and Big 4 had quick reflexes and were able to react to this attack. With a step forward and a raise of their left hands, they covered their heads with their round shields.


    The round shields had an astonishing diameter of 1.5m which created an extremely wide defensive barrier against the arrows. With the two of them combined, it was as if a giant umbrella had appeared above my head. Not only shielding me from the rain of arrows but also the light as well; as my surroundings got dark in an instant.


    *thud thud thud thud¡­* A wave of thuds echoed in the air as the arrows landed on the shields instead, leaving me unharmed.


    ¡°Master, you¡¯ve created another batch of equipment? They look pretty handy, can you give me one¡ª¡±


    The potato had long since hidden beneath the safety of the shield umbrella by crouching at Big 4¡¯s feet¡­he knew that No.3 couldn¡¯t stand him so he chose Big 4. However, it turned out that Big 4 didn¡¯t like him either, and kicked him away after the arrow rain ended; before he even had the chance to flatter Big 4.


    Not expecting Big 4¡¯s lack of respect, he immediately got to his feet and rebuked him: ¡°Hey, newcomer, don¡¯t think that you are so great just because you¡¯ve evolved. I¡¯m a founding member of this army. Other than third brother, I¡¯m the next oldest member in Master¡¯s army¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up, just get your ass back there if you don¡¯t want to die.¡± I hated people who were useless and yet loved to wave their qualifications around.


    No.5 was startled by my shout and immediately ran to my back to take shelter, his embarrassed look now gone with the winds.


    At this moment, One-eye ordered the shieldbearers to setup their shield formation. As of now, we had 20 heavy shields with 20 corresponding bearers. Unlike our previous battles, they advanced with the heavy shields instead of driving them into the ground to form a shield wall. Behind them were the 10 Mo saber wielders; closely following.


    The newly replenished guardsmen squad now had 22 members in it, they were stationed by my side, ready to protect me with their shields.


    ¡°Master, we want to test out our new weapons.¡± The pair looked at each other momentarily before No.3 stepped forward to present their request.


    Truth be told, as the head of my bodyguards, requesting that both of them leave my side was slightly unreasonable, but I could understand their desire to test out their new weapons.


    ¡°Go ahead, and bring the guardsmen along with you. I¡¯ll be fine standing behind the shieldbearers.¡±


    ¡°Many thanks Master!¡±


    Having received my approval, the two muscle heads leaped into the fray all the while yelling with excitement.


    Did you guys have to be so happy? It¡¯s not like I sent you off to get married¡­

 Chapter 40: Skeletal Assassin

    The power of a two-star head imp combined with the newly refined weapons was apparent for all to see. With a simple shift of their arms, the colossal shields immediately covered the bulk of No.3 and Big 4¡¯s body.


    They lowered their bodies slightly as they stuck out their shields, and with a massive kick of their legs the pair of imp tanks rammed their way through the battlefield with the 22 guardsmen following closely behind. In a few seconds, the gap between the two armies was closed.


    As they cleared a path through the skeletons, their shields perfectly deflected all of the incoming attacks as if the weapons in the every skeletons¡¯ hands were nothing but harmless toothpicks. In contrast, mere contact with the massive tank-combination of bone and imp sent the skeletons flying. Behind them, the guardsmen rushed forward to clean up the skeletons that were knocked down.


    Naturally the skeleton archers tried to stop these approaching imps, but compared to the refined round shields their arrows might as well have been toys. Merely crafting one of these shields cost me more than half of my mana and used up 25 sets of bones. The resulting shield wasn¡¯t something any old skeleton could break through.


    No.3 was the first of the pair to break into the archer squad. As his spiked mace swung through the air, any bones that stood in its way broke apart from the sheer force of the impact in an explosion of bone fragments and dust.


    Soon, Big 4 joined in the massacre and within a few seconds, half of the 20 skeleton archers were reduced to a pile of bone shards.


    Meanwhile the guardsmen were in charge of the cleaning up the other undead. Thanks to the considerable advantage of their refined equipment, they could easily dispatch any ordinary undead. Even the undead wearing armor were chopped apart like vegetables. Within those same few seconds, the melee undead were reduced to half as well.


    With that unfair advantage in strength and equipment, No.3 decimated the opposition. He was clearing enjoying this, judging from his slightly arrogant laughter. Even his battle stance had become more careless. He began casually swinging his spiked mace without any regard to defense, confident in the fact that his attacks would definitely destroy the opponent.


    This was the attitude he began showing towards the one-star archers as well; and this came back to bite him. Instead of the usual denseness showed by its fellow comrades, one archer decisively chose to abandon its short bow and swiftly back stepped, dodging the incoming mace.


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    As its skeletal body leaped backwards, both of its arms reached to the back of its leather armor and drew out a pair of33cm long daggers.


    Now that its uniqueness had been exposed, the fact that its bones were skinnier than all the other undead became obvious as well. Without even steadying itself, it immediately launched into an attack. It was now time for No.3 to pay for his bout of arrogant carelessness. Not even in his wildest dreams would he imagine that an archer would suddenly change into a nimble melee assassin!


    In a flash of white, it dodged No.3¡¯s mace once more, and in that brief window where he couldn¡¯t move, the assassin sprinted past him. A brief flash of metal, that was all he could see before he felt a sharp pain on his right arm!


    Thankfully, his hide was too tough for the tiny daggers. All the attack did was barely break through his hide, leaving a thin line of red. There was some bleeding, but not much. Given his regenerative capabilities it would only take a few seconds for this to close up.


    ¡°ARRHH!¡±


    Seeing his bosom buddy No.3 get hurt, Big 4 immediately focused his attention onto the assassin. With a furious roar, he swung at the assassin¡¯s back with a clear intent to kill.


    ¡°Stand aside, don¡¯t interfere with this fight. This guy belongs to me.¡±


    No.3 shouted amid his ragged breathing. This assassin had clearly incensed him and the only way to wash away this humiliation was to defeat it in a solo battle.


    ¡°¡­¡± Big 4 threw him a exasperated look before turning around to handle the other skeletons.


    ¡°Now, there¡¯s only the two of us.¡± No.3 gave a cursory glance at his now healed wound before smacking his bone shield with his mace in a taunting gesture. Without even caring if the assassin understood him, he proceeded: ¡°Let¡¯s have a fair fight.¡±


    The skeletal assassin turned to survey the battlefield. Right now, the skeleton army was on the verge of being wiped out. There were only slightly over ten one-star skeleton soldiers holding on. Without Big 4, they would probably be able to hold on for another few minutes; but with Big 4, this boss level mob, a few minutes was clearly not possible.


    It turned back to face No.3 who was still standing there quietly awaiting its response. He wanted a fair fight and for devils of his age and tier, this was likely to be true. Most of the devils at this level were still innocent potatoes, so a fair fight really meant a fair fight; at least in No.3¡¯s case.


    With a casual flip of its dagger, it adopted a battle ready stance; wielding a reversed dagger in one hand and a normal dagger in the other. If it had been the initial No.3, he would¡¯ve probably charged at it by now, but having been injured by the assassin, No.3 was aware of his opponent¡¯s skill and didn¡¯t dare to be conceited.


    What else did this assassin have up its sleeves?


    The two stood there silent in a tense face off, neither side moved an inch as they glared at each other. *crack* As Big 4¡¯s spiked mace descended once more onto another skeleton, a loud crack echoed through the air, signifying the end of the skeleton army. All that was left was the assassin.


    As if on cue, the assassin burst into action. All that remained where it once stood was a bone-white afterimage, the stillness now replaced by a speed that could only be achieved by one unbound from the limits of flesh.


    With a graceful bound of its skeletal feet, it nimbly dodged the mass of spikes crashing down upon its head, landing softly upon the giant round shield that covered the span of No.3¡¯s body.


    Did it plan on taking No.3 head on? However, in a logic-defying feat of acrobatics, it somersaulted over No.3, using his shield as a springboard!


    This unexpected move shocked and mesmerized everyone present, including me. With its feet on solid ground once more, it took off in a straight line. Perhaps it was merely coincidence but the path it took led straight towards Big 4 and several other guardsmen.


    ¡°Haha, that¡¯s more like it!¡±


    From the way it ran after passing No.3, it was likely trying to escape. While it¡¯s unthinkable for a low level undead to ever consider running away, this was the only logical explanation for its actions. Since it planned on escaping, if Big 4 interfered now it couldn¡¯t be counted as offending No.3. After all, his inability to defeat the skeleton meant that the skeleton was now up for grabs.


    He readied his shield in a charging stance as he prepared to ram the incoming assassin. This might seem like an illogical move against the nimble skeleton, given the precedent of No.3; and you might even think that Big 4 was a moron for doing so; but you would be making a big mistake by assuming that.


    Upon seeing the round shield charge towards it, the assassin employed its mesmerizing acrobatics once more. It dove at the shield, and with what could only be described as godlike reflexes, reached out with its bony arms momentarily grabbing the shield before launching itself into the air with a mighty push of its palm.


    However, this was exactly what Big 4 was waiting for. He was naturally a part of the audience and witnessed the assassin¡¯s previous display of acrobatics; so this leap was well within his expectations. As the skeleton began its somersault, he raised his spiked mace high into the air, right into the path of the assassin¡¯s leap. Unless it changed course mid-air, there was no was escape for the assassin.


    Unfortunately for Big 4, the skeleton did just that. Having seen through his tricks, the skeleton forcefully changed its course with a fierce twist of its wrist. With its center of gravity shifted, the skeleton fell awkwardly to the ground beside Big 4, narrowly dodging the mace.


    That dazzling display ended with the skeleton disappearing from Big 4¡¯s line of sight before he could even react. Big 4 continued his charge for several steps before braking suddenly, a look of confusion appeared on his face as he swivelled around looking for the missing skeleton. By now, all that remained was the shadow of a skeleton leaving.


    Ahhh, what¡¯re you doing! You¡¯re even dumber than No.3 by a mile!


    This was the last straw for me. I abandoned my passive role as an observer and with a wave of my arm, cast a bone wall in front of the assassin. However, the assassin had already retreated a step as if it had predicted my move, completely avoiding the wall.


    With its 1.6m stature, leaping over the 3 meter tall bone wall was definitely possible, but that would take time and this wasn¡¯t what the skeleton wanted. It tried to circle around the bone wall but before it could even take two steps to the side, another bone wall was erected in front of it, blocking its route.


    The soul flames within its eyes flickered as it threw me a glance, after which it immediately gave up the idea of circling around the wall. However, instead of charging at me in anger, it chose to climb over the bone wall. I was well aware of this possibility beforehand so I had already prepared a darkness arrow.


    This was my only long range attack, and while it didn¡¯t have much offensive power, it could still be used to harass an enemy.


    By the time it reached the top of the wall, the darkness arrow had almost reached it as well. Facing the incoming arrow, the assassin was left with only two options, leap into the air or give up on climbing the wall. If it leaped into the air, my arrow would definitely hit it. Given its undefended state, the damage would definitely be severe.


    If it chose to give up on climbing the wall, the next bone wall would be ready and waiting, along with another darkness arrow. Checkmate, or so I thought, as the skeleton chose not to abandon climbing the wall. Instead of colliding with the arrow as expected, it backflipped with one hand on the wall. With the other hand, it took out its dagger and threw it!


    As the dagger careened through the air, it landed squarely in the center of the incoming arrow, blocking it.


    With my arrow successfully blocked, there was nothing stopping it from escaping. However, instead of jumping down the wall immediately, it straddled the wall and gazed at me, its intentions unknown. After that gaze, it leaped over the wall and made its escape¡­


    Casting magic usually required vision of the target, if one couldn¡¯t see or sense the target, casting most spells was impossible. Bone wall was one such spell where line of sight was important. As such, I wasn¡¯t able to hinder the assassin¡¯s escape once it leaped over the wall and left my line of sight. By the time I thought to cancel the wall¡­it was too late¡­


    ¡­I guess even I had occasional bouts of stupidity¡­


    That skeleton must¡¯ve at least been a two-star undead, from its agile and unpredictable movements, one could tell that it must¡¯ve been a powerful expert in life.

 Chapter 41: Returning to the Village

    Ever since I¡¯ve reincarnated into a different world, I¡¯ve encountered a lot of strange things. Resurrection, corpses turning into zombies, etc. all these were just side dishes to me. However, after meeting this low key expert¡­I feel so cheated¡­I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to love anymore¡­Oh wait, I mean I won¡¯t be conceited anymore.


    Big 1 got the devils to form a line and performed a sweep of the battlefield. As for me, I pulled aside No.5. This potato was usually a lazy bum known for his cowardice¡­who would¡¯ve thought that he actually dared to attract the attention of an undead army. Furthermore, his dodging prowess surprised me as well. I was sure that hail of arrows would¡¯ve at least severely injured him.


    ¡°Master let¡¯s leave quickly, there¡¯s¡­there¡¯s still that zombie horde behind us¡­¡±


    This little jinx¡­alright¡­you win.


    I hastily distributed the souls; the large ones were mine while the others were distributed to the named imps. As I led the army away, I turned towards No.5 with a slight look of displeasure on my face and questioned him.


    Isn¡¯t he supposed to be out scouting¡­why did he suddenly come back with an undead army in tow¡­


    As he walked beside me, he shrunk back pitifully and stammered, his eyes darting back and forth as he did so: ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened either, I just took a nap and suddenly woke up to see a bunch of undead surrounding me¡­¡±


    My face fell and my brows furrowed as I continued: ¡°What about the large imps that went with you?¡±


    ¡°Dead¡­I think¡­¡± No.5 mumbled, but upon receiving my angry glare he immediately added: ¡°They could¡¯ve escaped as well¡­¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that they might be alive?¡±


    ¡°Mhm. Mhm.¡±


    ¡°Moron, there¡¯s no difference if they don¡¯t come back!¡±


    Besides, given the amount of undead about, being able to make It back alive is stranger. Not everyone has your strange dodging ability.


    No.5 lowered his head as I scolded him, not daring to make a sound.


    Truth be told, I had no intention of scolding No.5. After all, every one of my devils had some sort of shortcoming of their own. No.3 was impulsive, Big 4 barely talked, Nine-finger was slightly handicapped in the brain and One-eye loved showboating. Big 1 was probably the most normal one of the lot, except for his habit of referring to himself as lordship.


    As for No.5¡­he loved to sleep. The moment I asked him to monitor the undead, I knew that there would be a possibility of him slacking off.


    Having ran out of things to say, we quietly continued on our way. As we travelled, we continued with the previous plan of hunting the weaker undead and avoiding the larger hordes. And so half a month passes by without much incident, until one day, I stumbled upon a stone tablet carved with words.


    It stood there, alone in the middle of a wasteland that was conspicuously devoid of any undead. Perhaps it had some unknown power that kept the surrounding radius of 10km clear of undead.


    According to the stone tablet, this land of the undead was once a human kingdom in the western human realms. Because of a huge battle, it ended up being teleported here. What this stone tablet didn¡¯t say was exactly who had the power to actually teleport a whole kingdom to this world. But anyone who could do so was probably a God.


    Of course, it could also be the work of a large organization.


    Upon being teleported here, the kingdom came under the influence of Gehenna¡¯s strange powers. The dead began to rise up naturally. Any whole corpse would turn into an undead over time. Even if that corpse had no resident soul, the land of the undead would naturally bestow one upon it.


    So this is the lands of a human kingdom¡­at least it was. Now it was the land of the undead.


    If so, that robed skeleton was probably a human in life. He might even possess the memories of his past life even after turning into an undead.


    The purpose of the blood sea was to birth new devils. So logically, the connecting level should lead up to a different level of Purgatory. At least, this was what I had thought, but what greeted us instead was the land of the undead.


    At the end of the stone tablet was a strange note: Prison of the Dead¡­different world¡­guardian¡­sacrifice¡­


    After that line of words was a picture engraved onto the tablet. Within it was a strange semi-circular object. By my guess, it was a half buried skull with the portion below its nose buried beneath the ground.


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    The skull had only one eye, but it wasn¡¯t like the eye you saw on the deity Er Lang. Instead, it was a horizontal eye with a line right across the center. It wasn¡¯t an unusually large eye, but given the fact that there was only one eye, it was unusual enough. (TL: Deity with three eyes.)


    Does this mean that in order to leave this place, we need to first find that strange skull and then defeat that guardian before finding a sacrifice?


    Seems like a quest from a RPG¡­


    Forget it, I¡¯ve already run out of tsukkomis for this world, best take each step one at a time.


    Within these past 15 days, I was able to craft a large number of equipment. The Mo Saber team had increased to 20 devils, the guardsmen to 40 and the shieldbearers to 20. Another piece of good news was that One-eye, Big 1 and Nine-finger had all evolved into two-star head imps.


    ¡­As for No.5, he¡¯s still napping in that corner. That potato¡¯s truly frustrating; up to now, he still hasn¡¯t shown any signs of evolving into two-star.


    As for me¡­my maximum mana had risen to 40 units. On top of that, each time I consumed a large amount of souls, my body would begin to emit that strange fragrance again. This meant that I was going to evolve soon.


    Other than that, there was a more annoying problem. It was the Grimoire of the Dead. It could now fly¡­or perhaps floating would be more appropriate. It would slowly float about from time to time and would even shake occasionally similar to when a boat rocks when it encounters a wave.


    Even though its speed was slow, it still managed to give me a headache from time to time. It would occasionally fly far away from me and wander about like a curious child, causing me to have to hunt for it. And so, I came up with a solution. I used my dark alchemy to create a bone chain which connected my left wrist to the grimoire.


    After that, things worked out beautifully¡­the grimoire would float around as always, but when it tried to go on its little adventures, the 3m chain would stop it from wandering too far no matter how much it struggled. After a period of acclimatization, the grimoire finally behaved itself.


    It would mostly float around me or lie quietly in my embrace. From time to time, it would float in circles around me¡­what the heck, I¡¯m not into turtle binding! (TL: Japanese nsfw techniques)


    Due to a lack of clues on the Prison of the Dead, I decided to let the grimoire lead us around. Like a rider with absolute faith in his horse, I followed the grimoire around for a few days and¡­


    Isn¡¯t this that damned village we set off from! The place where that brave female devil sacrificed herself to save me¡­


    Unlike the time we left it, the village was now full of undead wandering around. I wonder what they¡¯re doing here?


    However, before I had the time to ponder this question, the pair of undead meandering at the village entrance turned towards us. Judging from the way their soul flames danced, they must have picked up the scent of the living from us.


    *raaarrhhh!!!*


    The zombies let out their signature hoarse cry that sounded worse than a knife scratching glass.


    As their cries echoed throughout the village, more undead started crawling out of the ground. The majority of them were zombies but there were also some skeletons clad in rusty armor and weapons.


    But there were no archers! This was the conclusion I came to after sweeping my gaze over the horde.


    ¡°Shieldbearers form the wall, Mo sabers get to your positions, the guardsmen will take the flanks, as for the rest, you guys are on reserve duty. Hold position and await further instruction.¡± I gave a set of simple instructions and began waiting for the undead to throw themselves onto us.


    By now, our army¡¯s formation was roughly set in stone. Big 1 would take command. The shieldbearers would form a defensive wall on the spot, while the mo saber wielders would await the attackers from behind the safety of the wall. The guardsmen were led by One-eye and Nine-finger respectively on each side. No.3 and Big 4 were in charge of my personal guards¡­although they don¡¯t have any subordinates right now.


    To any undead horde without ranged support, this formation was a death machine. All we needed to do was wait for them to throw themselves into the meat grinder.


    ¡°Master, for you to think of such an impressive formation, you must be a genius!¡± said the irresponsible No.5 standing behind me with his bone shield and broadsword, his flattery annoying me once more.


    ¡°Why are you standing behind me?¡±


    No.5 flashed me his usual goofy smile and said: ¡°To protect Master of course!¡±


    ¡°The undead are all in front of Master, if you really wanted to protect Master, you would charge ahead instead of standing behind your master.¡± No.3 said as he glared at him. Regarding this good-for-nothing imp, his impression of him was at rock bottom.


    ¡°Because¡­because I was afraid that the Master would get ambushed from the back.¡± He gave No.3 an ingratiating smile and continued: ¡° Brother Three, do you still remember that slippery fellow from before? That fellow was simply too strange, aren¡¯t you afraid he might attack us from the back?¡±


    ¡°¡­hmph, I guess you have a point.¡±


    In terms of eloquence, even with three No.3s combined, they still wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against No.5. Furthermore, the fact that he let the assassin escape weighed heavily on him as well. As such, he naturally didn¡¯t dispute this point.


    Big 4 on the other hand was much more reserved, he merely glared at No.5 with a gaze that could kill. The gaze had its desired effect as No.5 began to tremble slightly. As they say, the dogs who bite aren¡¯t the ones who bark¡­


    While they were busy arguing, the zombie and skeletons had already begun their charge. However, despite their spirited attempts at clawing and slashing, the shield wall refused to budge, making them safe targets for the saber wielders to slaughter. By now, the saber wielders had gone through enough training to strike at their heads with pinpoint accuracy. They were even able to throw in some sweeping attacks from time to time without clashing with each other.


    The guardsmen also received a boost in their equipment, which made their style of counter attacking after a successful shield block much more effective. This coupled with their innate strength as large imps, allowed them to easily suppress the undead.


    As for One-eye and Nine-finger, they were armed with the new round shields and spiked maces just like No.3 and Big 4. As they commanded the guardsmen, they swept through the battlefield with their overwhelming strength. Each wave of their spiked maces took the lives of multiple undead as its spikes smashed through their heads like watermelons.


    Victory was ours!


    As I stood in middle of the reserves, I carefully surveyed the entire battlefield. By now, the undead horde had already lost a third of its original 1,000, and this was only after a short span of 10 minutes. As for us, the morale among the large imps rose with every second that passed. As of now, we had 0 deaths.


    However, things always had a way of going wrong just when you thought that everything was set in stone.


    Just as the thought of 0 deaths flashed through my mind, one long bone spear descended from the heavens and pierced the head of a saber wielder, killing it on the spot!

 Chapter 42: Skeletal Mages

    The death of that saber wielder had scared the shieldbearer to the side of him greatly. The suddenness of his death had stirred up memories of the skeleton assassin and its unpredictable moves, causing the shieldbearer to jump up in shock. This moment of carelessness was not only a costly mistake, but also his last.


    *whizz*


    Another bone spear whistled through the heavens and pierced the skull of the shocked devil; the look of shock frozen on his face for all eternity.


    With his death, the lonely heavy bone shield was all that was left standing against the relentless charge of the zombies. Without a bearer, all that was propping that section of wall up was the tiny section of the shield stuck into the ground, and this was naturally insufficient. As a zombie crashed into the shield, it toppled instantly like a house of cards. The undead horde now had a path into the heart of the devil army.


    The orderly battlefield soon descended into a chaotic melee as the zombies poured in through the hole created, right into the Mo saber wielders. At this range, the length of the sabers were not only a hindrance but also a fatal weakness that left them vulnerable to the clawing and biting of the zombies.


    Seeing that the formation was breached, Big 1 immediately ordered the reserve army to fill in the gaps. A large imp rushed to the fallen heavy shield as the saber wielders stood aside to clear a path for him. However, before he could plug the breach, a couple of bone spears descended once more, killing two more shieldbearers!


    By now, the shield formation was on the verge of collapse.


    ¡°Reserves, plug that gap! Get those undead out of here!¡±


    ¡°Rawr!!¡±


    Thankfully, the recent string of victories had left everyone including the reserves with high morale. Even the recent deaths did nothing to dampen their fearlessness as they charged into battle. Soon that gap was plugged up with the other reserves clearing up the zombies who broke in.


    Up until now, the reserves were still equipped with primitive bone clubs, but thanks to their innate strength, even these primitive weapons were effective against the undead. Each hit could stun the zombies momentarily and scatter any skeletons it came into contact with.


    The anomalies did not stop with only the shieldbearers. On the sides of the guardsmen, they encountered an old foe, the skeletal horsemen. Two teams of 10 horsemen rode out of the collapsed buildings in a thunderous concert of hooves. Their target, the guardsmen guarding each flank. By breaking through these guardsmen, they could then flank the main army, throwing them into chaos.


    Even with their refined equipment, their combat strength was still lacking compared to the two-star horsemen. Thankfully, they still had the advantage of numbers to counter this. However, being cavalry units, the skeletal horsemen possessed an innately high charging ability and an added advantage of having a one-star horse accompanying them.


    These two factors added together had a multiplicative effect on their strength that more than made up for any number advantage we had. Furthermore, their sudden appearance had caught us by surprise! The first charge alone knocked away several guardsmen, clearing the path for their continued charge into the reserves.


    With regards to this, we had previously encountered such a charge as well. The outcome then was similarly horrific.


    The incoming mass of bones struck terror into the hearts of the reserves. Those that could run, ran; while those that couldn¡¯t simply lost their will to fight.


    That one moment of cowardice had thrown the entire army into disarray. Some wanted to fight back while the rest wanted to flee. Those that fled ended up wrecking the formation of those who wanted to fight back, and even with Big 1¡¯s shouting, the army was no longer able to mount an effective counter-offensive.


    If nothing was done to fix this, things would only get worse over time.


    This cavalry charge was definitely not something our broken formation could handle correctly. The familiar flow of mana filled my body once more, as I began casting a pair of bone walls. With the grimoire in my left hand and a wave of my right, two bone walls rose up from the ground directly in the paths of the cavalry charges.


    However, these walls weren¡¯t as strong as I would have liked them to be due to the lack of time. Thankfully, the majority of the force behind the charge had already been dispersed. As the leading horsemen rammed into the bone wall, it cracked under the impact but still managed to severely damage the horsemen. The horse and rider were violently separated with the rider nearly being broken apart.


    ¡°The Master has stalled them. Everyone, charge!¡± Upon seeing my bone walls seal off the horsemen¡¯s mobility, the devils under Big 1 regained their courage and began to gather for an offensive.


    Whether it was the violent stomp of the horses¡¯ hooves or the piercing power of the the riders¡¯ lances, both were devastating attacks that no mere imp could withstand. This naturally included the guardsmen as well. Even with their refined shields protecting them, the initial charge had inflicted significant damage, more so since they bore the brunt of the charge.


    One-eye and Nine-finger immediately called for the reserves to take up the fallen guardsmen equipment before sortieing against their hated enemy, the horsemen. With their mobility sealed, now was the time for revenge.


    All in all, our losses were severe. Our formation had been thrown into disarray with the zombies striking at us from the outside and the horsemen running amuck on the inside. Thankfully, both of these were now under control. With their mobility sealed, they were only slightly stronger than the guardsmen. With our massive number advantage, 40 guardsmen and 500 reserves, wiping them out was only a matter of time.


    In the previous chaos, the Mo saber wielders had lost their usefulness and had to retreat momentarily. However with the failed charge of the horsemen, they now had a convenient target for their long sabers.


    With hundreds of devils tying the horsemen down, they were essentially stationary target dummies for the saber wielders. Using their advantageous long range, they hacked at the horsemen from a distance away.


    The battle was slowly swinging in our favor but there was still the matter of those bone spears. Where did they come from? As I traced the path of the bone spears, my eyes locked onto an empty rooftop. Wait¡­on that roof a hundred meters away¡­what are those two moving objects?!


    It was merely a faint hope that made me scan the surroundings for the source of the bone spears, but surprisingly, it paid off. Atop the roof was a pair of bone staff wielding skeletons.


    The soul flames in their eyes blazed with a vigor that I¡¯d never seen in any other undead. Their fleshless jaws chattered up and down as they chanted a string of words inaudible to me from this distance. With a downward wave of their staves, a pair of bone spears appeared on the left and right of them and flew in the direction their staves pointed at.


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    The spears flew through the air one after the other and pierced the heart and throat of two saber wielders who were currently attacking the horsemen, instantly killing them!


    Skeletal Mages!


    Their casting was not only quick, but also accurate. Each spell flew unerringly into a fatal point of the imps, instantly killing them.


    Why are there skeletal mages here? The last time I was here, this village had no undead at all¡­how did this place change so much in just half a month!?


    There¡¯s no time to think about that now though. I need to get rid of those two first.


    As I thought this, the mages seemed to have picked up on my presence as well. They turned their sights on me and began chanting once more. Soon, a familiar pair of bone spears were sent hurtling towards me.


    ¡°Protect the Master!¡±


    No.3 and Big 4 reacted immediately by stepping in front of me, their rounded shields raised high, ready to intercept the spears. With an earth-shattering crack, the bone spears resoundingly collided with the rounded shields and broke apart. Looks like my rounded shields won out in the end, although the force of the impact had momentarily stunned my bodyguards.


    Seeing their attacks fail, the mages jumped off the roof and disappeared from sight.


    Damn it, I mustn¡¯t give them a chance to attack again. That long range capability will only cause more casualties on my side. With that in mind, I immediately made the decision to leave the army. ¡°Big 1, you¡¯re in charge of the army. No.3, Big 4 and I have something else to attend to.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­where are you going?¡± The commander, Big 1, was slightly taken aback by my words, but quickly responded: ¡°The battlefield is dangerous, please remain in a safe place.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no safe place to speak of right now.¡± I shook my head as I said before leaving under the worried gaze of Big 1. I intended to circle around the fighting and hunt down those mages.


    Big 1 wanted to follow me but was afraid that the situation might fall apart once more. However, he still wasn¡¯t confident about letting me leave just like that. He turned to One-eye who was in the midst of smashing a horsemen to pieces with his spiked mace. ¡°One-eye! Take your squad with you and protect the Master.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± One-eye nodded his head before taking off with 20 guardsmen, following behind me closely.


    The horsemen were basically wiped out by now. As for the other undead, their numbers were rapidly dwindling as well. Without the mages and horsemen supporting them, the battle was much easier than before.


    However, I still needed to find those mages. I mustn¡¯t let them have their way with my army anymore.


    Along the way, we encountered several zero-star skeletons, but they were swiftly taken care of by the spiked maces flanking me. By now, One-eye had already caught up to us, with his guardsmen closely behind him. They surrounded me as we continued our hunt as a precautionary measure against assassinations.


    ¡°You guys split off and search around. Make sure to check the rooftops, those mages could be hiding there.¡± While the houses were relatively short, coming in at roughly 5 to 8 meters high, it still wasn¡¯t that easy for the mages to climb up and down.


    Magic relied heavily on line of sight. Without sight of the target, you couldn¡¯t launch your spells. This was probably why those mages were standing atop that roof. In that case, as long as we searched the rooftops, we should be able to find them easily.


    As expected, we quickly found them atop one of the rooftops. Their bone spears appeared and hurtled towards the backs of my guardsmen. After confirming their successful kills, they hid themselves once more.


    The refined bone shields were definitely able to block the spears, but not if it was an attack from the back.


    I had considered creating a set of bone armors but there simply wasn¡¯t enough time nor resources. I wasn¡¯t even able to create enough weapons for my army, let alone set aside more mana to create armor.


    Having learnt that painful lesson, I immediately ordered the guardsmen to stick closer together. This change showed its effect soon after as the mages attacked us once more. However, they weren¡¯t able to catch us off-guard this time. Thanks to the proximity of each guardsmen, they managed to warn their comrades.


    This was the case with one such large imp, who upon discovering a spear immediately rushed in to shield his comrade¡¯s back. The spear was successfully blocked but the sheer impact broke his left arm.


    ¡°Over there! In that direction!¡±


    To devils, a bone fracture was nothing to fuss about. The injured imp excitedly shouted as he pointed in the direction of the mages.


    Turning in the direction he pointed towards, I spotted those two mages standing atop a roof 50 meters away; preparing their next volley of spells.


    ¡°Surround them!¡±


    He shouted fiercely as he waved his hands, the frustration of losing to these sneak attacks clearly affected him. The 15 remaining guardsmen quickly encircled the mages while I sprinted towards them as well.


    After all the trouble you¡¯ve caused me, it¡¯s time for payback.


    Judging from their guerilla tactics, these mages probably had a degree of intelligence in them. Those skeletal horsemen were probably controlled by them as well. It¡¯s no wonder that I¡¯ve never met more than these two mages in my numerous encounters with the undead. Their intelligence made them that much rarer.

 Chapter 43: The Cellar

    The guardsmen quickly surrounded the skeletal mages, preventing them from coming down. However, this didn¡¯t mean that the guardsmen were able to climb up either. Their vantage point gave the mages a clear shot at the guardsmen.


    As soon as they discovered that they were sealed in, they began to fire off bone spears in rapid succession as if their mana was endless. Within a short span of time, they were able to fire off 10 bone spears, keeping the guardsmen at bay.


    However, this didn¡¯t faze me as I calmly got my subordinates to maintain their positions. Instead, I stood nearby firing off darkness arrows at them. Their alertness surprised me as the mere action of my spell locking onto them seemed to draw the attention of one of the mages. As the mass of darkness energy hurtled towards the mage, it immediately erected a bone wall to shield itself.


    As the bone wall rose from the floor of the rooftop, the building itself began to tilt to the side from the additional weight. Its dry aged walls were already on the verge of collapse due to the ravages of time. If the bone wall wasn¡¯t removed soon, the entire rooftop would collapse.


    The mage was aware of this fact as well and immediately cancelled his spell. After a slight tremble, the building stabilized once more.


    The danger of collapse was averted, but not for long. My eyes lit up upon seeing this as a plan rapidly formulated in my mind.


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    I had originally planned to have my guardsmen wear out the mages, or perhaps tear down building, but now there was a much easier and safer way to bring them down!


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    ¡°All of you, retreat further back.¡± The devils temporarily retreated under the confused gazes of the mages. What they didn¡¯t know was that one of the mages had just dug their own grave for them. As I locked onto an empty spot next to them, I summoned a bone wall!


    One, two, three¡­bone wall after bone wall rose in succession until finally at the third bone wall, the decrepit building started shaking. A moment later, the cracks spread out across the rooftop like a spiderweb before collapsing entirely in a loud burst of dust and mortar.


    Due to the sudden collapse of the rooftop, the two mages were unable to react in time and fell along with the rubble, getting buried alive in the process.


    After a minute or so, the dust from the collapse settled, and I could finally inspect my handiwork.


    As expected, the mages were buried under the rubble with parts of their limbs sticking out from underneath, their condition unknown.


    ¡°No.3, Big 4, go take care of them. Also, be careful, they might be faking it.¡±


    With their round shields, sending them was the safest bet. The bone shields of the guardsmen were simply not in the same league as No.3 and Big 4¡¯s shields in terms of defensive power, so sending them instead might cause unnecessary losses.


    After all, the cunning of the two mages was demonstrated on multiple occasions. I highly doubt that they would die so easily. In fact, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they were lying in wait, ready to ambush us.


    As later events would show, my suspicions were well founded and my caution well rewarded. Those two mages weren¡¯t dead or incapacitated, they were merely faking their deaths, awaiting the chance to deal us a mortal blow. However, No.3 and Big 4 weren¡¯t just any old imp. They were seasoned veterans.


    REPORT AD


    With my reminder still fresh in their minds, they slowly approached the rubble with their shields raised in front of them and their spiked maces extended.


    They had intended to prod the rubble with their maces to check out the situation, but as their maces closed in, a couple of odd-looking globes of green fluid flew out of the rubble and landed onto their raised shields.


    *Hisssss* As the green fluid flowed down the shield, a loud hissing sound filled the surroundings followed by an unknown stench wafting about in an ominous cloud of blackish-green smoke.


    That fluid¡­it¡¯s corrosive! Damn it, they even had this up their sleeves¡­


    All this while, I thought they could only cast bone spears, but to think they actually brought out an entirely new spell in such a crucial moment. Furthermore, that spell seems really ominous¡­that smell and smoke¡­


    ¡°Quick! Toss those shields away! Kill them!¡±


    The sudden turn of events made me panic. I didn¡¯t know if I should get them to prioritise killing the mages first or to protect themselves first.


    Devils were known for their vicious and cruel nature, especially these two devils. They were exceptionally cruel, whether it was to their enemies or to themselves.


    REPORT AD


    To them, safety was something you thought about as an afterthought. They brandished their spiked maces and began wildly smashing the pile of rubble, determined not to let the mages release a second volley of spells. Only after confirming their deaths did they finally remember to toss away their shields.


    However, it was too late. That green fluid had already penetrated their shields and made contact with the two potatoes¡¯ arms.


    Its destructive rampage didn¡¯t slow down either. Upon making contact with them, it rapidly dissolved into their skin and began to corrode their arms. Within a few seconds, the forearms of the two imps fell off because of the corrosive fluid!


    However, it wasn¡¯t satisfied with just their forearms, the corrosion continued on its destructive path up their arms, threatening to swallow them whole.


    ¡°Chop off those arms! Quick!¡±


    Upon receiving my reminders, the two potatoes finally reacted to their dire situation. They sprinted to a pair of guardsmen and snatched away their boneswords, and without a moment of hesitation, sliced off what was left of their arms!


    Ignoring those two bleeding potatoes, my gaze never left their severed arms for a second. The reason? Those arms had completely disappeared except for a inconspicuous puddle of blackish-green fluid¡­


    What the heck, isn¡¯t that spell a little too powerful!? Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s some three-star magic! If that¡¯s the case, are those two mages three-star as well? That can¡¯t be right. If they were, they should¡¯ve used more magic instead of only using those bone spears, and that strange corrosive magic right at the end.


    ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there, go get some meat to eat.¡± Eating was the fastest way for devils to heal up their wounds. Souls worked as well but they weren¡¯t as effective as pure flesh and blood.


    I had instructed the two imps to grab a bite, but instead of doing so they merely looked at each other before walking up to my side. Instead of healing up, they chose to guard me, the same as always, as if they weren¡¯t wounded. Only after my safety was ensured did they finally get some of the guardsmen to bring them some corpses to eat.


    Sigh, to think that they remembered to guard me even when they were injured¡­but the loss of their arms was problematic¡­their daily functions weren¡¯t impaired but combat would create some problem for them. However, wasn¡¯t I able to reincarnate into a different body? If even that was possible, regrowing a pair of arms should be easy, except I still don¡¯t know how to do so.


    These two were extremely loyal to me. Whether it was from an emotional standpoint or from a practical standpoint, I would never abandon them.


    ¡°Master, here are the soul flames of the skeletal mages.¡± One-eye brought the two soul flames to me before respectfully bowing; a strange look apparent on his face. That corrosive magic must¡¯ve scared him quite a bit. If it had been him who got hit, he might¡¯ve been crippled.


    At the same time as we destroyed the skeletal mages, the battle on the other side had ended as well. The ordinary undead were naturally not a match for my devil army; all one thousand of them were wiped out; though at great cost.


    My devil count was already low at 600 before this battle. After the battle, our numbers had dropped to slightly over 500. If you added in the fact that No.3 and Big 4 had lost an arm each, our combat strength had suffered a significant hit.


    Given the vastness of the land of the dead and the frequency at which we encountered enemies, refilling our devil ranks was going to be tough. In the two months we¡¯ve been here, I¡¯ve only encountered two groups of devils. The first was the group with Big 4 and the other was that group of head imps we met half a month ago.


    Speaking of those head imps, I wonder how that female devil was doing¡­after such a long time, they¡¯ve probably eaten her already¡­


    After the battle ended, I brought No.3 and Big 4 to the chapel where we met those head imps. As I stood before the now completely doorless entrance, my head was a whirlpool of emotions. Was it agitation or perhaps just the complex mix of emotions within me? Either way, I was anything but calm.


    However, I was not the only one who wasn¡¯t calm. The Grimoire of the Dead was extremely excited at this moment. This mysterious book flew into a particular direction, insistently tugging on the straightened bone chain as if it wanted me to follow it.


    As for why a book could do so, I was too lazy to comment upon it and merely followed behind it. Just as we came close to the podium, the book took a sharp turn, leading me to the side of it and into a small room.


    The room wasn¡¯t particularly large, coming in at a mere 20 square meters and had the familiar messiness seen throughout the rest of the chapel.


    The book brought me to the corner of the room before circling around a particular spot. It bounced up and down as it continued circling, as if to say that something was down here.


    Truth be told, I still didn¡¯t know what this book was up to. Is it telling me to break into the floorboards or walls?


    Seeing me stand there motionlessly for a long while, the book suddenly flew up and dived down, landing loudly on the floorboard. The resulting impact left me speechless. Did it always have this much strength? Before I could react to this, the book repeated its hammer-like action again, smashing into the floorboard. I finally understood what it wanted. This guy wanted me to break through the floorboard!


    ¡°Alright, alright. I get what you¡¯re saying. Don¡¯t do anything silly.¡± I tugged on the bone chain, pulling it back into my embrace. As I hugged it with one arm, I bent down and swept aside the dust in the air created by the book¡¯s hammering. ¡°Judging from the sound of those two hits, it should be hollow beneath this floorboard.¡±


    If I still didn¡¯t understand that the two spots it smashed created two different sounds, and that this meant that one of them was hollow underneath, then I should just die and spare the world from my stupidity.


    Most churches should have a basement, and it seems this chapel did as well. If I¡¯m not wrong, this should be a hidden entrance and there should be a mechanism nearby to open this hidden door.


    ¡°No.3 get One-eye and the others to come over, bring the guardsmen too.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±


    A while later, all of the named imps, including No.5 were gathered in this small room. As for the 40 guardsmen, they were stationed outside the room.


    ¡°There¡¯s a basement underneath.¡± I said as I stomped on the hollow spot. While there was no obvious cracks to indicate a hidden entrance, the sound it produced confirmed it. ¡°I wish to check it out. I want you guys to search the surroundings and see if you can find a lever or some sort of mechanism nearby. If we can¡¯t find it, we might have to resort to brute force.¡±


    ¡°Master, let me try to break it.¡± Just as I finished saying that, Nine-finger immediately raised his spiked mace and smashed it into the floor.


    *bang, bang¡­*


    The thunderous sound of the mace smashing into the floor, irritated me. It reverberated loudly in my ears as Nine-finger continued smashing the floor. Just as I was about to leave due to the noise, Nine-finger shouted in an excited voice: ¡°Master, there it is! The entrance to the cellar has appeared!¡±


    I turned around and looked. There really was a black hole leading into the ground. At the side of this entrance, I noticed those same luminescent stones I saw when I followed that robed skeleton into the caverns.


    As expected, who needs a lever when you have a devil. Brute force was the solution to everything.

 Chapter 44: The Underground Tunnel

    The underground stairway was part of a tunnel that wasn¡¯t especially wide, it was the kind where it was fine for one person, but a bit of a squeeze if there were two.


    Due to luminescent stones embedded in the walls, this underground tunnel didn¡¯t require any lights.


    As I lifted the hatch to the underground area, the sickening stench of blood and gore wafted up from the hole leading underground. My eyebrows jumped at this scent. Wasn¡¯t this an unused chapel? Why was there the scent of blood in the air¡­unless something died here recently.


    Don¡¯t tell me! A thought suddenly occurred to me¡­


    The urge to investigate hit me like a truck as I looked at the ominous stairs leading downwards. I anxiously got One-eye and Nine-finger to bring along 30 guardsmen to take the lead, while me and Big 1 stood in the center with another 10 guardsmen at the back. As for No.3 and Big 4, I forced them to stay above ground due to their injuries. No.5 on the other hand wasn¡¯t that strong anyway, so I got him to stay behind too.


    ¡°Hurry up.¡±


    As I walked down the stairs, what immediately caught my eye was the traces of blood staining the walls all over. From time to time I would even step on little fragments of bones. Something had died here¡­and from the blood, it looked like it was being chased by something.


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    A few steps down, I found a claw print that wasn¡¯t too deeply imprinted, but was still very conspicuous. I instructed Big 1 to place his own arm next to it as a comparison. The result was a pretty close match. This meant that the claw mark belonged to a large imp.


    The underground tunnel went really deep and it wasn¡¯t a straight tunnel either, as it took several bends along the way. As we proceeded down this snake-like tunnel, the scent of blood got even stronger.


    Strange, if this was a normal stairway to a cellar, shouldn¡¯t it have ended long ago? By now, we¡¯ve at least travelled over 100 meters and the end still isn¡¯t in sight.


    Just as I was considering this, a pained cry traveled down the tunnel from the guardsmen in front, throwing the devils into slight disarray.


    ¡°Guardsmen, get down here quick. There¡¯s an enemy!¡±


    One-eye¡¯s shout sounded unusually alarmed, making the whole situation that much more disquieting. The guardsmen immediately rushed down upon receiving the order. A few seconds later, One-eye¡¯s voice rang out once more: ¡°Master, you mustn¡¯t come down, get out of here quick!¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡± That was Nine-finger screaming, and judging from the sound of it, he was in a great deal of pain. Exactly what¡¯s going on down there!


    There¡¯s a bend up ahead, once I cross that bend, everything will be clear to me. Just from their cries alone, they must¡¯ve encountered some trouble, and it was the kind which could be settled right away.


    ¡°Master, please retreat.¡± Big 1 suddenly stepped in front of me, blocking the path forward. As he did so, he turned to the guardsmen with him: ¡°Get down there and see what¡¯s happening, if there¡¯s trouble make sure to help them. No matter what, you must buy enough time for the Master to escape.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The guardsmen were all loyal subordinates who immediately rushed down upon receiving this potentially life-threatening order.


    ¡°If there¡¯s trouble, then there¡¯s even more reason to let me have a look.¡± I was extremely pleased with their caution, but still, I must have a look for myself. What if it¡¯s really true¡­she¡¯s a benefactor of mine¡­even if it¡¯s a one in a million chance, I must investigate it myself. I need to know if she¡¯s still alive.


    ¡°Master, your safety is the most important matter now.¡±


    Big 1 adamantly blocked my way, his intention clear. I knew that they were doing this for my safety so I didn¡¯t insist too much and instead prepared to turn around.


    Just as I turned around, a furious roar echoed from further down the tunnel: ¡°So you¡¯re here as well! That¡¯s great. Hahahahah¡­in the end, you can¡¯t escape from my clutches¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s that chipped-horn!¡± That¡¯s the voice, the voice that haunts my memories whenever I think about that female devil. The first time we met, he was already on the verge of becoming a Demon Child, and led a group of 10 head imps. That encounter ended with him escaping. A number of his imps escaped as well.


    Even he knows that [The most dangerous place is usually the safest]. He must¡¯ve only ran for a short distance before hiding himself, all the while observing us. Once we fully evacuated the village, he must¡¯ve came back and hidden himself underground¡­


    ¡°Damned b*****d!¡± I cursed at his cunningness. To think he managed to fool us this way.


    ¡°Master, leave quick¡­¡±


    As I hesitated, another cry echoed from further down. My eyelids twitched as if to warn me of the danger ahead. Without even guessing, I knew that the situation ahead was dire.


    *bam bam bam* The heavy footsteps of a devil slowly closed in on me. With each step, the sound of someone being tossed and the cries of my subordinates filled the air. Big 1 immediately blocked the passageway, but before he could tell me to leave, a figure entered my sight.


    He greeted us was a swift punch of his fist. It was a fist wrapped in a layer of flames that upon colliding with Big 1, who stood in his way, immediately burned his skin in an explosion of heat and brute force. Big 1 was no match for this fiery first, as it crashed it into him, it broke his right arm and threw him to the side onto the floor.


    My heart jumped into my throat as I witnessed this sudden attack. As I instinctively backed away in fear, my vision rapidly took a nosedive as my entire body fell backwards. Due to it being a stairway, I had tripped on a stair as I retreated, causing me to fall on my butt.


    ¡°We meet again.¡± The owner of this domineering and arrogant voice was a red skinned, over two meter tall devil. As he looked down upon me, his signature chipped horn came into view. This figure¡­that¡¯s right, it¡¯s that b*****d!


    As those words left his mouth, he advanced a step and threw another fist in my direction. This sudden attack caught me off guard and I simply wasn¡¯t able to react in time. However, just in the nick of time, the Grimoire of the Dead suddenly flew out and blocked the incoming fist.


    The fiery fist had no visible effect on the grimoire itself, but the grimoire didn¡¯t have much force behind it either, and flew right back at me after one hit.


    Thankfully, there wasn¡¯t much force behind the grimoire as it collided with me. I only hurt my back slightly as I crashed into the stairs. I immediately checked the spot where the flames came into contact with the book. It wasn¡¯t hot¡­in fact, I couldn¡¯t feel any heat at all.


    Just as I stood there idly, Chipped Horn threw out another punch at me. However, just as he did so, his body suddenly jerked backwards slightly.


    At the same time, I finally came back to my senses and desperately tried to shift my body to the side. The fist barely grazed my shoulder as it landed on empty air behind me.


    ¡°Master leave quickly¡­leave¡­¡±


    So that jerk wasn¡¯t accidental, it was because of Big 1¡¯s fearless attempt at saving me. He desperately hugged Chipped Horn¡¯s leg and tugged backwards, causing him to jerk back missing his target.


    This opponent was just too strong¡­with just one punch, he managed to defeat my army¡¯s commander. I must run, now!


    I quickly crawled to my feet and dashed up the stairs, not daring to look back for even a second, my heart pounding with every step I took.


    Having broken his right arm, Big 1 had to use his only remaining arm to hug Chipped Horn¡¯s foot. Even so, he held on for dear life, refusing to let go. Seeing me leave his sight, Chipped Horn turned around and cruelly stomped on the hindrance of an arm. However, this didn¡¯t stop Big 1 either, with his left arm now broken as well, he immediately bit down on Chipped Horn.


    Ever since I¡¯d given them weapons, my devils had never used their teeth to fight. In the heat of the moment, this basic fighting style finally came back to Big 1 as he suddenly remembered that his teeth were his strongest weapons.


    ¡°Let go!¡±


    Chipped Horn furiously kicked back, his leg coincidentally landing squarely on Big 1¡¯s skull. The heavy kick sent him flying backwards immediately with a sickening crunch, whether he was still alive or not remained a mystery.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


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    As he flew backwards, Big 1 crashed into an oncoming guardsmen and ended up blocking the passageway, as the two of them laid on the floor in a tangled mess.


    By now, I had already reached the entrance to the underground tunnel. No.3 and Big 4 who had heard the ruckus downstairs had already gathered near the entrance, worry etched into their faces. Upon seeing me exit the tunnel, they breathed a sigh of relief. However, this relief was cut short by my following words.


    ¡°One-eye and the others are in trouble, they might¡¯ve even¡­quick, gather the shieldbearers and saber wielders. Hurry!¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± No.5 was usually a slippery fellow, but even he felt the seriousness of this moment. Without any hesitation, he sprinted off to gather the other devils while No.3 and Big 4 stood by my side, ready.


    I brought the two of them out of that small room, but did not manage to leave the chapel. Before the shieldbearers and saber wielders managed to get here, Chipped Horn had already caught up with us. Upon leaving the tunnel, the first thing he did was take a deep breath of air, an intoxicated look apparent on his face. He then turned towards me while flashing a disgusting smile.


    ¡°Go on, keep running, why aren¡¯t you running?¡±


    Since I had left the dim tunnel and finally regained my presence of mind, I got my first good look at his appearance. Chipped Horn¡¯s appearance was very similar to a head imp except for the fact that he was taller.


    The only significant difference between him and a head imp, was the thin black tail growing from his tailbone. At the end of the tail was a triangle shaped tip that was similar to devil tails you saw in popular culture back on Earth.


    ¡°You¡¯ve¡­evolved?¡±


    I asked with a hideously desperate look on my face, an image that looked worse than a sobbing devil. This was the only thing I could do right now; stall for time until the guardsmen below came up, or until No.5¡¯s reinforcements arrived.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯ve evolved.¡± His voice oozed confidence as he said this. He was absolutely confident in his victory, and didn¡¯t rush to capture me. As he clenched his fists it caught fire, but this flame didn¡¯t hurt him. In a brazen show of strength, he slightly closed his eyes and smiled as he revelled in his newfound power.


    ¡°I¡¯ve become the master of flames.¡±


    Demon Child, the evolved form of head imps and also the three-star tier of devils.


    Demon Child didn¡¯t mean that they were the children of devils, but instead meant that devils of this tier had a defining feature that separated them from head imps. Devils who weren¡¯t at least three-star couldn¡¯t control magic. Only by advancing to three-star could they gain the ability to cast some fire magic.


    Simply put, imps were the lowest tier of devils. They were basically at the level of cattle, this included head imps as well. The difference between a head imp and an imp was that one was a servant and the other a slave.


    Only after they had ascended to three-stars, were they finally recognized as devils by other high ranking devils. Demon Childs were in a sense newborn devils.


    I carefully shifted my feet backwards as he stood there, drunk in his revelling. Slowly but surely, I widened the distance between us. No.3 and Big 4 had wisely retreated with me as well, all the while maintaining an alert stance with their spiked maces ready in hand.


    While my plan was pretty well thought out, reality never seemed to follow it. As we stood there, the sounds of footsteps began echoing from that underground tunnel. The guardsmen were on their way! But if I could hear it, the three-star Chipped Horn was definitely able to hear it as well.


    ¡°Seems like your men are almost here so it¡¯s time to capture you.¡± Chipped Horn confidently declared. Beside me, my two bodyguards stood there agitated. While they knew that the three-star Chipped Horn was an entire tier above them, they weren¡¯t frightened one bit. Instead, this merely strengthened their resolve to fight to the death.


    Big 4 raised his spiked mace and charged towards Chipped Horn with No.3 following closely behind. As he left, No.3 left me these words: ¡°Master, please leave first, we¡¯ll hold him here.¡±


    As Chipped Horn looked at his two opponents, he smiled disdainfully: ¡°A pair trash actually dare to block my path. Die!¡±

 Chapter 45: The Arrogance of a Demon Child

    As the two spiked maces hurtled towards him, he jumped backwards, perfectly dodging them. With a quick kick of his two feet, he sprinted towards No.3 and Big 4.


    Before the pair could even recover from their missed swings, Chipped Horn was already within striking distance of No.3. With a forceful clench of his fist, the incandescent flames wrapped around his fists once more.


    *Bam*


    Before No.3 could even react, the flaming fist slammed into his chest and sent his entire body careening through the air.


    Next to him, Big 4 was able to recover his stance with the time bought by No.3. As No.3 was sent flying, he counter attacked with his spiked mace.


    However, this attack was immediately stopped by the steel-like palms of the Demon Child, who with a clench of his fist, immediately took control of the incoming mace. With a violent tug, the mace left the hands of Big 4 and was immediately tossed away by Chipped Horn. With a fiery punch to his body, Big 4 was sent flying as well, his injuries just as severe as No.3. The pair would probably be unable to get up for a while.


    In the short span of time it took for him to defeat No.3 and Big 4, I wasn¡¯t idling about either. As the familiar flames extended from my hands, I prepared my sneak attack.


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    Flame Whip!


    The snake-like whip coiled around the left leg of Chipped Horn without much trouble. As the flames crackled, my heart fell. His leg was unharmed.


    ¡°It¡¯s useless. Flames cannot harm me.¡± With a light kick of his foot, the flames binding it dispersed harmlessly into the air.


    I was aware of his flame resistance, but this was the only option I had.


    The darkness arrows were simply too weak. It was still effective against large imps, but against head imps, its effects were significantly weaker. The enemy in front was even stronger than a head imp, so casting them was merely a waste of mana.


    My nether flames were still sealed up, so I couldn¡¯t use them. As for the bone wall¡­he was already able to break through them when he was a head imp. That means only my flame whip had any chance of working. No matter how slim those chances were, I still wanted to take the gamble.


    Unfortunately, that gamble failed miserably. As expected, he was immune to my flames.


    ¡°Err¡­let¡¯s sit down and talk, there¡¯s no need for all this violence.¡±


    ¡°I want you!¡±


    Chipped Horn wasn¡¯t in the mood to waste anymore time. He glared at me for a moment before instantly pouncing towards me.


    Damn it, don¡¯t just jump straight into action after saying so!


    Bone Wall!


    In this crucial moment, I ended up relying on my bone wall after all. Even though I knew it was useless, I still struggled.


    The creamy white wall immediately rose up from the ground, blocking the path between me and Chipped Horn. He wasn¡¯t able to react to the sudden obstacle in front of him and rammed headlong into it.


    *crash*


    The tank-like demon child rammed right through the bones as if they were merely paper. With that, the bone wall crumbled into a pile of broken shards. This was soon followed by the sound of a second bone wall being destroyed, and then a third¡­However, at this moment my eyes flickered to his feet, and a bone wall instantly rose at the point where his foot was about to land.


    My plan was to trip him with my bone wall as he landed. The unexpected landfall would cause him to lose his balance and fall. Unfortunately for me, having evolved into a demon child, Chipped Horn seemed to have gained inhuman reflexes as well.


    The moment he noticed the bone wall, he shifted his weight towards the front, regaining his balance. With a light kick of his feet, he made a tiny leap off the rising wall, as if it were stepping stone.


    While he wasted time on this tiny wall, I prepared a 4th bone wall in his path. If everything went according to plan, he wouldn¡¯t be able to change his course midair and would crash right into that wall.


    However, tactics were meaningless in front of such immense strength. Even with my mana strengthening this wall, the outcome was still as bleak as the other three.


    While he wasn¡¯t able to change course as expected, he instead clasped his hands together and raised them up high. His muscles bulged as he brought them down onto the wall, cleaving roughly into the wall like an axe. The bone wall exploded in a mass of fragments and dust as if it was merely a glass wall¡­


    This monster was actually able to break through four of my walls with such ease¡­


    Run¡­that¡¯s all that went through my mind. At this moment, there was nothing else I could do but run. Thankfully, a number of my subordinates had already arrived at the chapel entrance. There were 10 ordinary large imps. With their usual howls, they rushed towards the chapel with their bone clubs raised high.


    Seeing the reinforcements, my panicking heart calmed down slightly. However, this good news only made Chipped Horn that much more anxious. He immediately followed his chop up with a punch towards me.


    With the previous incident still fresh in my mind, the image of my grimoire resurfaced once more as I threw it out at the incoming fist. Book and fist met once again and just like the previous time, the grimoire was harmlessly knocked to the side. His punch wasn¡¯t able to expend its full strength, and only caused the grimoire to fly away without breaking the bone chain.


    As it did so, the bone chain yanked me slightly to the side. Following its lead, I fell to the side, barely dodging the blow.


    This was the umpteenth time that I had dodged his attacks, and it was starting to get on his nerves. He immediately tried to attack once more. However, that previously missed attack gave the large imps enough time to reinforce me. As they rushed in through the doorless entryway, they stood between me and Chipped Horn.


    ¡°Stall him.¡± While 10 one-star imps were definitely not a match for the three-star Chipped Horn, I had no other choice at the moment. In order to live, I have to resort to whatever means I had at my disposal, no matter how ugly it was.


    ¡°Protect the Master!¡± Their loyal cries echoed in the air as they threw themselves at Chipped Horn.


    ¡°No matter how many you throw at me, trash will still be trash.¡± He coldly said as he swept his gaze over the incoming imps and stared right into my eyes.


    Without wasting a single second, he sent the front most imp flying. What followed was a one man show of Chipped Horn bullying the 10 imps. With his flames and terrifying speed, the large imps were simply no match for him. Their bone clubs were like mosquito bites to him; a slight discomfort and nothing more.


    His attacks on the other hand, took a life with each square hit he landed. Even those fortunate enough to live were badly crippled and could only lay at the side, moaning.


    In a short span of 10 seconds, the large imps were taken care of. As for me, I made use of this time to escape to the chapel doorway.


    At the same time as this, the guardsmen led by One-eye finally emerged from the underground tunnel. Nine-finger and Big 1 were still nowhere to be seen and of the 40 guardsmen only 35 came up. It was highly likely that they were either dead or severely injured.


    No.3 and Big 4 weren¡¯t dead but they weren¡¯t able to get up either. They tried multiple times to stand up but their attempts were all futile. Chipped Horn¡¯s punches had injured them greatly; on their chests was a clear imprint of a devil¡¯s fist. Judging from the way it caved in, the bones underneath were probably crushed as well.


    ¡°Master! I¡¯m back!¡±


    I would¡¯ve never thought that the day would come where that potato¡¯s voice would sound so sweet to my ears. Right in the nick of time, No.5 managed to bring the shieldbearers and saber wielders over. With the almost simultaneous appearance of my two armed forces, the battle was finally swinging in our favor.


    As the shieldbearers and saber wielders were a part of my main forces, they usually rested not too far away from me. Even so, the fact that No.5 was able to bring them over so soon was surprising.


    ¡°Surround him!¡± Under my command, 20 shieldbearers rush out in front of me and set up a straight line wall. Behind them, the saber wielders took up their positions, ready to defend the wall. Under the command of One-eye, the guardsmen began blocking off Chipped Horn¡¯s other escape route. And so nearly 80 armed to the teeth devils formed a fearsome encirclement around Chipped Horn.


    The survivors from the initial 10 large imps crawled behind the new defensive line, and as for No.3 and Big 4, a couple of guardsmen brought them to safety.


    In spite of his dire situation, Chipped Horn roared in a brazen display of arrogance, as if to say that he was the strongest devil under the heavens. ¡°Useless. It¡¯s all useless. The me right now is invincible! Gwhaahahah¡­!¡±


    Wow¡­don¡¯t you know that the [I¡¯m invincible] flag is a death flag. Whoever raises it will surely die.


    While his boasting only elicited a mental tsukkomi from me, it seemed to have frightened One-eye and the others considerably. They were relatively young devils after all. Even though they had inherited memories, their world was still limited to this land of the dead and the blood sea.


    Originally, we should¡¯ve have been able to dominate this land with our refined weapons, but we ended up meeting a three-star devil. Furthermore, it was in a narrow tunnel. Losing was a given.


    However, this loss still affected them mentally. The terrifying image of Chipped Horn¡¯s fists had traumatised them significantly, impairing their ability to think clearly. To be fair, three-star devils were significantly stronger than two-star devils. Putting aside Big 1, even No.3 and Big 4 were defeated in one blow. And that was with their new weapons!


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    ¡°Invincible my ass, how shameless can you get!¡± Out of all my subordinates, the only one who remained level headed was surprisingly, that idler, No.5. Even while everyone was suppressed by the pressure of the three-star Chipped Horn, this strange one-star imp was busy heckling him: ¡°Who the hell you think you are! Our Master is the strongest under the heavens!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± I almost gave myself a facepalm as he said this. This brother had just been toyed around like a little rabbit by this three-star, and you still dare to claim that I¡¯m the strongest? How am I the strongest? Is it my face? Or is it my disposition.


    Can you not be so shameless!


    Seeing my face fall, the ignorant little scamp turned to me and asked: ¡°What¡¯s the matter Master? Did I say anything wrong?¡±


    ¡°Attack, don¡¯t waste anymore time on useless bantering!¡± I glared at the potato, shutting him up. As Big 1¡¯s condition was still unknown, command of the shieldbearers and saber wielders fell to me. I swiftly assumed command and shouted: ¡°Shieldbearers advance! Saber wielders keep up with them.¡±


    ¡°Guardsmen advance!¡± One-eye ordered his guardsmen to advance as well. Knowing him, he should¡¯ve been right at the head of the charge. The fact that he was commanding from the sidelines meant that he was still wary of Chipped Horn¡¯s powers.


    ¡°Come at me! It¡¯s going to be a glorious battle!¡±


    Chipped Horn roared, flashing me a strange smile. Without wasting a second, he immediately charged at the shieldbearers.


    These shieldbearers were specialized defensive troops. Their sole job was to defend us with their colossal bone shields. Chipped Horn who had no experience fighting them, naturally didn¡¯t know of this and stupidly charged at their defenses.


    His charge managed to knock away two shieldbearers but that was the whole extent of his advance. As soon as he did so, three shieldbearers rushed at him with their shields raised. With his stance still in the process of recovering, he still managed to knock away two of the three shieldbearers.


    As for the third shieldbearer, he managed to succeed in his sneak attack. As he came in diagonally from the back, he was able to make use of the opportunity created by his four comrades, and bashed Chipped Horn squarely with his heavy bone shield, disrupting his balance.

 Chapter 46: The End of Chipped Horn

    Peasants in this new world had no surnames. That was because the nobility didn¡¯t allow the masses to have a surname. For example, in this world, I am called Mo Ke but that¡¯s only my given name. My surname isn¡¯t Mo, and my first name isn¡¯t Ke. Only those noble masters who had attained the rank of Viscount would be awarded a surname during their peerage ceremony. Some were bestowed one by a superior while some had the privilege of coming up with one on their own.


    Usually, only the king or high ranking nobles were able to bestow a surname. The common practice was to give the noble two choices, to choose their own surname or to raise their original name into a family surname. Then there was also the situation where a completely new surname would be bestowed while the noble¡¯s original name was retained.


    A person¡¯s nobility can be determined at a glance by whether he had a surname or not. Most of the time, those who did were either nobility or were a direct descendant of one. If they were not of nobility or were fallen nobles who had their viscount statuses revoked; their surname would be revoked. If they were still found using that surname, that person would be hanged for impersonating a noble, fraud and other similar crimes.


    Some nobility derived their surnames from their ancestors. An example of this was when a person of noble status had performed meritorious services but had died in the process. That person¡¯s family members would be awarded the rank of Viscount and have a surname bestowed upon them. Most of the time, it would be the name of the deceased family member.


    Some of these nobility had surnames that were rather long. For example, I met a noble girl in the city who was called Annabeth. Apparently, her full name was Annabeth. Falmanseth. Mosby. Mosby was the name of her clan¡¯s ancestor, Falmanseth was the name of the founder of her branch lineage. Of course, it could also just be her parent¡¯s name¡­


    Either way, names in this new world were complicated, kinda like those you see in western cultures. This girl¡­I get it, I get it¡­Nicole is getting annoyed by my lamp so it¡¯s time to sleep.


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    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C From Mo Ke¡¯s otherworldly journal <>


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    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    (That was a journal entry from Mo Ke¡¯s journal. This journal is currently in the hands of Nicole, but due to its contents being written in Chinese, only Mo Ke is able to understand it. At that time, both of them shared a bed, and his nightly activity of writing a journal always disturbed Nicole¡¯s sleep. Also, because Nicole was unable to read Chinese, she always thought that he was drawing some strange symbols. Charming but strange symbols.)


    While he was caught off guard by the shield bash, it had only caused his body to sway for a moment before he instantly regained his balance. His body whipped around in a roundhouse kick, squarely impacting the shield of his attacker. The shieldbearer had his shield ready and waiting, but the kick sent him flying, shield and all.


    The saber wielders advanced upon Chipped Horn under the protection of the shieldbearers. With a shieldbearer separating each of them, four of the saber wielders thrust out their sabers at Chipped Horn simultaneously.


    Seeing this, he violently latched onto the side of one of the heavy bone shields and lifted it up, bearer and all, blocking the incoming saber thrusts. The sabers rebounded harmlessly off the shield but the bearer wasn¡¯t so lucky. The saber wielders didn¡¯t manage to cancel their attacks in time, and he ended up getting skewered.


    With four sabers sticking into him, this unlucky imp no longer had the strength to hold onto his shield causing his limp body to fall onto the ground with a thud. His body leaked blood from multiple wounds and he could essentially be counted as dead.


    However, Chipped Horn wasn¡¯t satisfied with just half-dead. He immediately slammed the heavy shield down onto the dying imp, smashing his head into pieces; killing him instantly.


    The devils present balked at his savage display of cruelty. Not a single imp dared to provoke Chipped Horn. They didn¡¯t want to be the next imp who had his head smashed in.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you lot? There¡¯s so many of you and only one of him! Attack! Attack him together!¡± I have to admit, No.5 was an odd potato. He was like the sweet potato hiding among a field of potatoes. No matter how terrifying Chipped Horn was, he wore an expression that said ¡°Come at me bro, I¡¯ll counter whatever you throw at me!¡±


    Even the sight of Chipped Horn crushing his comrade to death couldn¡¯t dampen his excitement one bit, as he hopped up and down trying to raise our morale: ¡°What are you lot doing? Don¡¯t you want to protect our beautiful and noble Master?! Go on, attack! Protect the Master!¡±


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    ¡°Protect the Master!¡±


    In that instant, the adrenaline washed over them like a tidal wave as they let out a strange pant before charging, any semblance of a formation, gone like the wind.


    ¡°What do you mean by [beautiful and noble]?¡± While it¡¯s great that their morale was raised, but weren¡¯t words like [beautiful and noble] used to describe a female?


    No.5 licked his lips as he gave me that signature silly smile of his: ¡°Heh heh¡­Master, don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t find yourself beautiful?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± I should beat him up¡­but he did good raising our morale so I¡¯ll forgive him just this once.


    What really surprised me was the fact he managed to raise our morale with just one sentence. Was he that talented, or was it that [beautiful and noble] phrase that caused this phenomenon?


    Because of No.5¡¯s incitement, the battlefield descended into chaos. The shieldbearers maniacally charged at Chipped Horn, not caring if they even had the offensive power to harm him or not. The saber wielders were slightly more level headed; they maintained their distance as they relentlessly poked at him with their long sabers.


    The guardsmen were caught up in the heat of the moment as well. Like a swarm of bees, they swarmed the lone Chipped Horn in a flurry of swords and shields. Chipped Horn was slowly getting boxed into a corner by this incoming swarm. This was especially so for the guardsmen who wielded the deadly black bone sword.


    Due to No.3 and the others evolving into head imps, their black swords were swapped for spiked maces. These swords were passed on to the guardsmen. Furthermore, we managed to obtain more soul pearls in the meantime which I immediately used to forge more black swords. All in all, the count of black sword-wielding guardsmen or black guardsmen rose to 12.


    These black swords had once given Chipped Horn a serious wound that refused to heal up for a period of time; it was during our first encounter that he got a taste of these swords. He tried to capture me then, but failed, in the process getting wounded.


    I had wondered if he would simply bleed to death over time, but given his enormous strength, that thought didn¡¯t seem to gain much traction.


    After all, devils were able to consume flesh and blood in order to heal their wounds. He even had a large imp captive handy for such an occasion.


    Having experienced their lethality once, he definitely wasn¡¯t eager to experience it again. Even at the expense of getting stabbed by the sabers, he swiftly reached out for a heavy shield and blocked the incoming black swords. With his empty right hand, he caught one black guardsman¡¯s hand.


    *crunch*


    The imp howled in pain as his hand snapped like a pair of chopsticks despite him not using much strength¡­


    As they say, once bitten, twice shy. Chipped Horn was no fool either. He immediately snatched the now ownerless black sword and wielded it along with his stolen heavy shield as he counterattacked.


    Heavy shield clashed with bone shield as a guardsman was tossed aside by the tremendous strength behind Chipped Horn¡¯s shield. With a swift kick, he sent another guardsman who had just gotten close to him, flying off into the distance.


    As he wildly hacked around with the black sword, the ensuing bladestorm quickly took the lives of two guardsmen. His strength was simply too great for the pair as their hands soon became numb from blocking his sword swings. As their bone white shields fell to the ground, their heads fell alongside them¡­


    In a style that was unique to his overwhelming power, he managed to take the life of one of my imps with every attack he made. As for my subordinates, they weren¡¯t able to deal a fatal blow at all, any attempt was either evaded or blocked.


    While there were a few instances of him getting wounded, none of these wounds came from the black swords. He would rather take a few hits from the Mo sabers than take a hit from the black swords.


    As the battle wore on, his body became covered in wounds from our numerous attacks. However, this b*****d didn¡¯t play fair. While he fought, he would intermittently take a few bites out of my imps. As he chewed, those wounds would regenerate right before our very eyes!


    In his hands, that black sword became an omnipotent weapon that smashed, hacked, slashed and bashed; all the while not showing a single sign of breaking¡­why did I forge them to be so sturdy¡­


    ¡°Master, the reinforcements are here.¡±


    The battle dragged on for an unknown amount of time before No.5 suddenly announced the arrival of more devils.


    As I turned around, the massive sight of 400 devils awaiting at the chapel entrance greeted me. Each of them were uniformly equipped with a bone club as their weapon. While we had the numbers advantage, Chipped Horn¡¯s furious fighting style terrified me. Without a single thought given, I waved my hand and commanded them, a wicked smile on my face: ¡°Everyone get in here! Dogpile him to death!¡±


    As those words left my mouth, all 400 of the devils rushed into the chapel, ruining even the wooden doorframe of the entrance.


    Their boorish shouts filled the chapel as they charged at Chipped Horn without any semblance of a formation. Wherever there was an empty space, an imp would rush in to fill that gap. Soon, Chipped Horn barely had any room to maneuver, but this didn¡¯t stop me as I continued ordering them to dogpile him.


    Initially, he was still able to make use of his superior strength and control over flames to take on multiple opponents, but as time wore on, he began to run out of stamina. The frequency of his attacks became lower along with the strength of these attacks.


    ¡°Kill him, the soul¡¯s mine but his body is all yours!¡±


    ¡°ARRRROOO!¡± With the promise of such a generous reward, there were bound to be some brave takers. The large imps were whipped into a frenzy as they charged at the three-star demon child, hoping to get a bite of his flesh. These mad devils pounced at him without any regard for their lives as they bit down on his legs, his waist, his back, neck, eyes and whatever else they could get their hands on.


    This all-in move by me scared the hell out of Chipped Horn. Despite his claim of being the strongest under the heavens, he knew that he was in a dire situation. He was able to handle 10, even 100 imps, but fighting nearly 500 imps was a different matter altogether.


    As my subordinates swarmed him, he began to feel the creeping pressure of death bearing down upon him. He flailed his head around as he searched for an escape route, but none could be found. He tried to break out of the encirclement but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn¡¯t shake off the devils clamping down on his hands and feet.


    By now, he could barely move his arms and had to rely solely on his flames to defend himself. Unfortunately, imps were born with an innate resistance to fire, even small imps, it was just a matter of how resistant they were. The flames were only able to momentarily stave off the devils clinging onto him.


    Even so, the relief was only short lived as more imps immediately squeezed into the now empty space. As they did so, the Mo saber wielders ruthlessly thrusted at the pile of devils, not caring if their allies were in the way¡­


    It was a simple but shameless way to win. So what if you¡¯re stronger than us, I¡¯ll use my numbers to wear you out. So what if you¡¯re faster than us, I¡¯ll use my numbers to limit your mobility, let¡¯s see where you can hide then. Through these simple but shameless tactics, Chipped Horn was quickly drowned in a sea of devils.


    The bone clubs laid unused by the side as the ordinary imps piled onto Chipped Horn, biting furiously as they did so. No matter how much they evolved, their teeth would always be their most primitive but strongest weapon. Even a three-star Demon Child was unable to withstand a swarm of one-star devil bites.


    It wasn¡¯t long before the demon child finally breathed his last breath, but the biting didn¡¯t stop there. Instead their biting became even more impassioned. This was the flesh of a three-star after all. An additional bite of flesh might just give them the boost they needed to evolve. In the face of such temptation, the scene slowly devolved into a chaotic fight among allies. As the imps died to their allies¡¯ blows, the pile of meat grew even more.


    ¡°Everyone stop! One-eye get them under control, don¡¯t let them kill each other!¡±


    The chaotic scene shocked One-eye as well. He didn¡¯t expect his normally obedient subordinates to display such a ferocious side of themselves. He immediately separated the frenzied imps from the pack. On the side, the more level headed ones came to their senses after my reminder and stopped fighting.


    By the time the whole ruckus was over, Chipped Horn was nothing but a pile of bones. Only his horn had a bit of meat left on it, but that was only because the irregular shape of the skull made it difficult for the devils to get a clean bite. If I wasn¡¯t so used to them feeding, I would¡¯ve puked at this sight.


    ¡°Master, here¡¯s the soul you wanted.¡± With the army finally under control thanks to One-eye, No.5 immediately harvested the soul and presented it to me.


    Chipped Horn¡¯s soul was a lot more defined than the other souls I had eaten before. As I stared at the wispy mass, I could clearly see his face imprinted within it. His terror, resentment and unwillingness were clearly visible to me as I grasped his soul in my palm.


    ¡°I bet you didn¡¯t expect this ending.¡±


    Chipped Horn was the strongest enemy I had faced so far. Even in terms of cunningness, only the skeletal assassin came close to him. Just from an initial inspection alone, I¡¯ve lost nearly a hundred imps trying to kill him. Not to mention that Big 1, Nine-finger, No.3 and Big 4¡¯s conditions were still unknown.


    If only I could burn this b*****d¡¯s soul for 10,000 years!


    However, just as that thought crossed my mind, a certain book that had been quietly resting in my arms suddenly sprang to life. Its body opened up, revealing the pages inside as if they were its mouth, and with a sudden leap, swallowed Chipped Horn¡¯s soul in one gulp.


    ¡°My¡­you¡­you¡¯ve stolen my food again! You damn rebel you!¡±

 Chapter 47: The Land of the Dead: Finale Part 1

    The imps retracted their necks in fear as the entire chapel echoed with my angry screams.


    However, being angry was fine and all but I still couldn¡¯t throw away the grimoire. Thanks to it blocking that attack down in the tunnel, I managed to avoid certain defeat. Just based on that fact alone, I had no reason to get angry with it.


    Besides, it¡¯s not like this was the first time it stole my food.


    ¡°No.5, get me a head count.¡± After handing him his mission, I went to check on No.3 and Big 4. A hundred anxious thoughts filled my mind, as I took those few steps that seemed so close and yet so far. Thankfully, my worries were unfounded as both of them were mostly fine. They weren¡¯t dead but were too injured to get up.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± No.3 and Big 4 whimpered as they gave me a pitiful look. They probably blamed themselves for not being to able to protect me.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Everything¡¯s taken care of. Just rest up and get well soon.¡± With my worries put at ease, I turned around to look for One-eye. He was in the midst of supervising the corpse distribution when I found him. ¡°One-eye, give the two of them some corpses; as much as possible.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master. I¡¯ll get it done right now.¡±


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    One-eye nodded his head before immediately getting his subordinates to move more corpses over to the two of them. Seeing as they were severely injured and missing an arm each, I figured that they wouldn¡¯t be able to feed themselves properly. So I made special arrangements to have two female devils feed them personally.


    With that settled, I quickly left the scene. Even after all this time, I still wasn¡¯t used to the sight of devils feeding. Now that Chipped Horn was dead, the tunnel should be safe for exploration. As I headed for the tunnel, I beckoned to One-eye with my hand: ¡°By the way, have you seen Big 1 anywhere? Is the tunnel safe?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s safe. Master, about Big 1¡­¡± His words trailed off ominously as he lowered his head, not daring to look me in the eyes. Only after I pressed him further did he finally continue. He closed his eyes and clenched his jaw as he forced out the following words: ¡°Big 1 is dead¡­¡±


    ¡°Dead¡­¡± Dead¡­I guess it was to be expected¡­


    Chipped Horn¡¯s strength was something that I had witnessed personally. His ferocity and strength simply wasn¡¯t something one could take to the head and survive¡­


    Another subordinate died protecting me¡­I knew that this was the land of the dead, the upper floor of the blood sea¡­that this was the road I had to travel in order to pass through hell¡­that this wasn¡¯t some game where you could simply reincarnate multiple times by mashing A and B on a ***tendo console¡­


    Ahhh¡­my brain is getting messed up again¡­


    As those thoughts raced through my mind, I continued down the stairway until finally I came upon the corpse of Big 1.


    There was a footprint on his temple¡­I guess that¡¯s what killed him¡­


    ?


    I stared at his corpse silently. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I made up my mind. I clenched down on my teeth as I turned towards One-eye and said coldly: ¡°Get someone to bring the corpse up¡­give it¡­let No.3 and Big 4 process it¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­understood.¡±


    It hurts¡­it was a decision that I made¡­but still¡­my heart hurts so much! I¡¯m such a hypocrite¡­even though it hurt me so badly¡­even though he was my benefactor¡­I still made sure to fully utilize his corpse. I¡¯m probably even more ruthless than Cao Cao¡­


    ¡­my eyes are tearing up¡­so even devils can cry¡­


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    As I continued walking, I suddenly remembered that there was still one more named imp not accounted for, and so I turned to One-eye and asked: ¡°What happened to Nine-finger?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s fine. He¡¯s just unconscious from Chipped Horn¡¯s initial sneak attack.¡± After settling the matter of Big 1¡¯s corpse, One-eye¡¯s eyebrows jumped as if he suddenly remembered something. ¡°By the way, Master, there¡¯s something I must report.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Regarding that kidnapped large imp¡­¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Western human realms¡­the kingdom of Tarnia¡­


    The 13 year old Nicole had already risen to a three-star warrior. For a commoner, this level of talent could only be described as terrifying. Due to the domineering nature of fighter¡¯s aura, the amount of aura a human child could withstand was really low. As such, their cultivation speed would be lowered until they reached around 15 years of age. At which point, their cultivation speed experienced a growth spurt of sorts.


    Take Sares for example, he only reached three-star at the age of 14, nearing 15. All this could be attributed to the explosive growth of his cultivation speed.


    For Nicole to reach this level at 13, she was truly a genius among geniuses and fully deserved her status as a special student.


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    Outside of her usual training, she mostly kept a moderate social circle that was neither too large nor too small. A large part of this was due to her special student status which made her one of the elites within the fighter school. Her usual cheerfulness had been replaced by a cold aloofness ever since Mo Ke left home.


    She felt that she was the one who caused Mo Ke to run away and had placed all the blame solely on herself. It was this crushing guilt that slowly warped her cheerful personality into the reserved and aloof person she was now.


    Ironically, this aloofness combined with her heavenly beauty and status to create an image of a crimson-haired cultivation genius; turning her into the mascot for the fighter school. Calling her an idol wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration.


    As time passed, this fame started attracting both male and female students who admired her, creating the social circle we now see today.


    These students were mostly of the same age as her or slightly younger. They were mostly of humble origin, but there were also a few members of some status. Heirs of successful merchant families and even minor nobles.


    Initially, she didn¡¯t pay much attention to socializing, and instead focused her attention solely on her cultivation and school work. Her goal then was merely to join a mercenary troop and find Mo Ke as soon as possible. However, after reading Roscar¡¯s letter, she realized how vast the world actually was and how complicated society could be.


    Without any connections, her search for Mo Ke would only be met with all sorts of troubles and hindrances. And so, she began to prioritize her social life as well. She started by first getting close to her admirers and slowly built upon that. As time passed, her icy heart was thawed, and her usual cheerfulness came back.


    As she made her way to the training room, she was greeted by a long green-haired girl dressed in the uniform of the fighter school. It was a white, western ensemble that highlighted her adorable, rounded face. She grabbed Nicole¡¯s hand and excitedly shook them as she said: ¡°Sister Nicole, let¡¯s go on a date together.¡±


    The little girl was only ten years of age and was one of the younger students in the school. She came from an impressive background unlike the majority of Nicole¡¯s admirers. Her father was a successful businessman in the city and highly doted on this adorable daughter of his. It was precisely this doting attitude that allowed her to enter the fighter school.


    Her father had originally wanted her to take up the more esteemed position of a mage, but the heavens weren¡¯t kind to her. During her magic examination she was judged as having no talent for magic, and so her father had no choice but to send her to the fighter school.


    As they say, when the heavens closes a door, they open another for you. Upon entering the school, she was found to have an above average gift for cultivating fighter aura.


    In the face of the girl¡¯s infatuation, she was put in a slightly awkward dilemma. She revealed her signature affable smile and said: ¡°Little Nana, I¡¯m still not done with my daily training¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, Little Nana isn¡¯t interested in all that cultivation stuff. Today¡¯s the founding day of our kingdom, it would be a waste to squander such a rare opportunity just to train. Let¡¯s go have some fun.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s bound to be a lively event today with a ton of people attending, who knows, we might even find your little brother while we¡¯re out and about.¡±


    ¡°¡­alright then. But first, let me get changed.¡±


    ¡°Nice! That¡¯s great, Sister Nicole is going to play with me! Nana wants to get some crepes, and also a cute doll, oh and I want to watch a play as well¡­¡±


    Land of the dead¡­Ancient Dragon Altar¡­


    The robed skeleton was going about with his usual experiments. As his creamy white fingers hugged the test tube in his hands, the liquid inside began swirling of its own accord as if it had a life of its own.


    ¡°As expected, compressing several spiritual bodies combines them into a liquid. But it seems to throw their consciousness into chaos resulting in some strange anomalies¡­perfectly turning spirits corporeal¡­as expected, it¡¯s not something that can be done in a day or two¡­¡±


    The skeleton muttered to himself as he placed the test tube back into its rack and plugged it up with a tiny cork shaped bone.


    Just as he sealed up the test tube, the liquid in the tube began to swirl around once more. As it sped up, the liquid began to form a tiny human face that plastered itself onto the walls of the test tube. Due to its liquid nature, the face lost all semblance of a human face the moment it splattered itself onto the test tube¡¯s walls.


    The human face opened its mouth in a soundless scream as if it was in great pain. Soon after, several other human faces began forming in the neighboring test tubes. Within a second, the test tube was filled to the brim with their faces as their liquid bodies began to smash futilely against the bone cork.


    Those disgusting masses of liquid were essentially monsters made up of numerous human faces!


    As the robed skeleton monitored these test tubes, he etched out letters in the air with his bony fingers. They were written in the language of the devils and said:


    ¡°Unstable form¡­three-star strength¡­no consciousness? No, it just doesn¡¯t have anymore emotions¡­only negative emotions remain¡­is there no trace of happiness left? Humm, it would be weird if vengeful ghosts had any happiness left in them¡­what about the tiny bit of happy memories left in them¡­discarded? No need for happiness? Such decisiveness¡­¡±


    This went on for another half an hour before the human faces in the test tubes quieted down and changed back into a harmless pool of liquid.


    By now, the robed skeleton¡¯s musing had reached a thousand words. As they mysteriously hovered in mid air, they maintained their orderly formation while emitting a faint green glow, their clarity just as strong as when the skeleton started writing.


    With a wave of his hand, he summoned a female vengeful ghost from the walls of the laboratory.


    The female servant handed him a thick book made out of sheepskin. As he opened it, a dense sea of words entered his vision. He ignored these and instead flipped right to the end of the book. With another wave of his hand, the floating words began to file into neat lines before flying into the book in an orderly fashion as if they were moving into a new home.


    From the way they were arranged, it looked like they had originally been written in the book itself!


    This miraculous magic had been long lost since ancient times. Nowadays, no one was able to use this ancient magic. Researchers instead used an enchanted quill to record down their findings. The quill would take down whatever the researcher recited.


    The advantage of these quills was that they required little mana to operate. One merely had to recharge the quills with mana from time to time. However, a drawback was that the quills recorded everything the researcher said¡­that¡¯s right, everything. Everything from the actual findings to the random curse words the researcher spouted while the quill was active.


    Having finished his experiment, the robed skeleton turned his hollowed out eye sockets to a certain spot in the laboratory and peered intently at it. It was as if he was able to see through all the physical obstacles as he quietly stared into the ¡°distance¡±. As for what he saw, no one knew.


    This continued for a long while before the robed skeleton began muttering to himself once more: ¡°Teacher, junior sister has already chosen the person she wants¡­as for what¡¯s next, I can only hope that person can bring junior sister out of this place¡­also, after spending all these years with her, I never realized that she actually likes girls¡­¡±

 Chapter 48: The Land of the Dead: Finale Part 2

    The land of the dead¡­


    Mo Ci was a female large imp whose birthplace was Purgatory¡¯s Blood Sea. Back then, her days only consisted of wandering the beaches in a daze and feeding on any kinsman she found; brainless days driven solely by her primal instincts. It was in this caveman-like state that she encountered her Master.


    Master was a very special devil, she was very beautiful, like a goddess. Every waking moment she spent with her, she could feel the pureness radiating from her soul. Her disposition was noble and saintly, perhaps even more saintly than those angels in her inherited memories.


    She was just that beautiful, from the moment she met her master, she became infatuated with her.


    Mo Ci initially had no name, she didn¡¯t even think of having a name. Truth be told, small imps didn¡¯t need a name, after all, they were an existence akin to cattle. Would you name each and every one of your pigs? Obviously, no.


    Mo Ci¡¯s master could only be described as wondrous in her eyes. From birth, she had a heavenly appearance that separated her from the other small imps. It was precisely this beauty that allowed her to subjugate so many devils, including Mo Ci.


    At the start, Mo Ci could only gaze longingly at her Master from a distance as she quietly fulfilled the tasks given to her. This lifestyle continued till one day, they came upon their first ever trial, the battle at the entrance to the upper level.


    The entrance was guarded by a fiendish head imp who formed a blockade on the stairs leading up to the entrance. This was the momentous obstacle hindering her master. Thankfully, her beautiful master was as intelligent as the legendary Goddess of Wisdom.


    In order to make up for their lack of numbers, she got Mo Ci and the other devils to fashion bone clubs out of the thighbones of devils.


    These makeshift clubs were to be their weapons for the upcoming battles. While they had an average offensive power, their range exceeded the range of their enemies¡¯ claws and teeth. It was this advantage that allowed them to successfully breakthrough this obstacle.


    However, things weren¡¯t that simple. In order to defeat that fiend, her master had to exhaust every last drop of her mana, causing her to faint after the fiend got burned to death.


    This created a dilemma for her Master¡¯s lieutenants. Who is going to carry the Master¡¯s body into the next level? Such a simple question, but it was one that led them into a heated argument. After all, this was a legitimate opportunity to touch the Master¡¯s saintly body.


    This was a once in a lifetime opportunity for the lieutenants. None of them were willing to budge an inch with regards to this and so the argument escalated, almost causing a fight.


    It was at this moment that one of the lieutenants suggested that a female devil be given the task of looking after the Master. And so, Mo Ci was chosen.


    The moment Mo Ci¡¯s reddish hands touched her Master¡¯s body, she felt the inferiority in her. Her inferior self actually got to touch the Master¡¯s perfect body¡­¡­This moment was one that she would carve into her rapidly pounding heart.


    From that day onwards, she stayed besides her master. No matter where the Master went, she would quietly shadow her even though the Master didn¡¯t particularly need her for anything.


    Ever since the Master entered the land of the dead, she encountered multiple battles and triumphed over each and every one of them. It was in this battle-fraught yet mysterious land that the Master had a fortuitous encounter.


    The Master had obtained an omnipotent magic grimoire. This grimoire that gave the Master the ability to create weapons that none of us could ever imagine. These weapons allowed the Master¡¯s subordinates to dominate the undead in this land. Every battle ended with a bountiful harvest of undead souls for our side with barely any losses for us.


    The Master¡¯s greatness was one that didn¡¯t require saying although her evolution speed seemed to be lacking in comparison to the lieutenants.


    After taking for a round trip around the land of the dead, the Master led us to an abandoned village full of dilapidated houses. Prominent among these houses was an equally dilapidated chapel which housed a surprisingly large amount of head imps.


    Their cruelty knew no bounds as they even tried to capture the Master. However, ever-loyal Mo Ci would have none of this. There was no way she could allow these lowly imps to touch the Master. And so, she stood out. Without any regard for her safety, she immediately pushed her Master away causing her to get captured instead of her Master.


    Even though she knew what awaited her was a grim fate, she had no regrets. As she stared into the slowly disappearing eyes of her Master, all she ever thought of was her Master¡¯s wellbeing¡­


    The head imp that captured her was the strongest among all the head imps and was differentiated by the chipped horn on his head.


    This chipped horn imp didn¡¯t flee the village as expected. Instead, after distancing himself from the village, he hid himself and waited for the Master to leave.


    In order to prevent Mo Ci from escaping and also partly because he had suffered some injuries, he wrapped one hand around her neck and with the other clamped down on her thighs.


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    What ensued was a sharp piercing pain that tore through her body from her thighs up. Then, she was struck with a burning sensation followed by a sudden sense ofweightlessness.


    *rip*


    Another wave hit her once more before a nauseating chill enveloped her body. It was then that the head imp finally let go of her.


    As she looked down at her legs, all was saw was a bloody flower painted on the floor where her legs once stood. For some strange reason, he didn¡¯t kill her but only ate her legs.


    Once her master left, Chipped Horn made his back to the chapel with Mo Ci in tow. Within the chapel were the head imps who had managed to escape, leering happily at her. They brought her to the underground room beneath the chapel, their nefarious intent written clearly on their faces.


    The secret tunnel leading downwards was a very long one. It took several hundred meters of walking before they finally reached the end of the tunnel. It was a very wide room filled with some random clutter. Due to their human origins, she didn¡¯t know what they were for. All she knew was that a fate worse than death awaited her.


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    The devils shoved her against the floor and used the cruelest of methods to torture her. They shoved a strange pole into the region between her now eaten legs and injected a strange fluid. One by one, the head imps tortured her, never letting her rest for a second.


    As time passed, more and more head imps joined the group as they continued torturing her. She was merely a normal large imp and had even lost both her legs; she was powerless to resist them and could only take their torture.


    Every day, they would feed her till she was full before shoving those strange poles into her once more, their bodies banging into her as they did so¡­


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    These horrifying days continued for what seemed like an eternity to her. By now, she was on the verge of despair. However, what shocked her was that her stomach had inexplicably gotten bigger?


    This strange phenomenon had caused her a great of deal stress and confusion. She didn¡¯t know why her stomach had gotten big; she was very sure that she didn¡¯t eat anything strange so why¡­


    As she suffered the routine torture of the head imps, she closed her eyes and searched through her inherited memories. A long while later, her eyebrows jumped as the sudden realization struck her. She was pregnant¡­


    Time continued to pass in this manner. Every day, her stomach continue to grow till it finally reached the size of a soccer ball.


    As it grew, the despair in her grew along with it. She knew that she could no longer return to her Master. Her Master¡¯s purity was something that must not be blasphemed. With her tainted body¡­


    She cried as she thought about this. Even during these horrific days, all she could think of was her Master. She desperately wanted her Master to save her but she didn¡¯t want her Master to see her in this state. In the midst of these conflicting desires, the day finally came when her Master finally arrived. That¡¯s right, she has come¡­


    Initially, the head imps would leave the chapel on daily hunting trips after which they would feed her in order to ensure her continued survival. Later on, they suddenly stopped doing so for some unknown reason. The head imps stopped leaving the underground room altogether and instead focused on torturing her.


    From the bits and pieces of conversations she heard, she learned that the village above had been occupied by the undead.


    All living things required food and devils were no exception either. Due to the undead horde above, leaving to hunt for food was a quick way to die. However, if no one went hunting, they would die as well. In short, someone had to die in either situation so the head imps chose the safer option.


    And so, the head imps began killing each other. Due to their numbers, they had to kill two head imps each day in order to feed themselves however, this soon dropped to one a day and then once every two days. Finally, the 10 over devils living underground were reduced to just Mo Ci and Chipped Horn.


    The last remaining head imp suggested that they eat Mo Ci however Chipped Horn swiftly rejected this, the reasons for this insistence, unknown to her.


    Under the continued questioning of his companion, Chipped Horn merely replied : ¡°I want to leave this place so this female devil must survive. As such, it¡¯s time for you to die.¡±


    The first to strike was Chipped Horn. Due to his vastly superior strength, the other imp could only attempt to run away. As he sprinted desperately up the stairs, the ever-looming figure of Chipped Horn stalked him. As he was about to reach the exit, Chipped Horn finally caught up to him and slew him.


    After consuming this last head imp, Chipped Horn evolved into a three-star demon child.


    This last meal didn¡¯t last very long before Chipped Horn became hungry once more. But with no other head imp left, he had no choice but to starve himself. This fasting went on for two days. Within these two days, outside of some occasional venting, he didn¡¯t do anything else to her. Even the rumblings of his stomach couldn¡¯t force him to consume Mo Ci. All he did was torture her from time to time to stave off the biting hunger¡­


    These two days were the scariest days of her life. She was afraid that she would be eaten by Chipped Horn but what scared her even more was that she might not be able to give birth to the child in her stomach.


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    However, all that was about to end as the fateful day arrived.


    The hatch to the tunnel suddenly creaked open. Given that there was no one left except for her and Chipped Horn, who could it be?


    The figure that entered her sight was a large imp. In his hand was a familiar bone shield and bone broadsword. Upon seeing Chipped Horn and the legless Mo Ci, the new arrival was stunned.


    However, to Chipped Horn, this new arrival was merely food.


    Seeing the delicious meal before him, he immediately pounced on the large imp. With a flying kick to his bone shield, he sent the imp crashing into the wall and before the imp could even slump to the ground, he caught hold of the imp¡¯s head. With one arm locking down the imp¡¯s right arm, he brought the imp closer to him.


    *Chomp!*


    The razor sharp fangs of Chipped Horn tore through the neck of the one-star imp like paper, killing him in a few seconds.


    It¡¯s the Master¡¯s guardsmen!


    In the entire land of the dead, only the Master¡¯s devils had this sort of equipment!


    As this realization dawned upon her, her accumulated despair was washed away in an instant. The Master was here! She¡¯s saved¡­


    The death of this large imp was only the beginning. As the seconds pass, more and more devils flooded out of the stairway. Each of them was armed with a bone shield and bone broadsword. There were even two formidable looking head imps leading them.


    These head imps emitted an aura that Mo Ci was all too familiar with


    : they were the Master¡¯s trusty lieutenants, Nine-finger and One-eye.


    As One-eye walked out of the tunnel, the sight of Chipped Horn and Mo Ci stunned him for a moment but he immediately recognized who she was.


    Ever since the incident at the entrance, Mo Ci had always been by the side of the Master so it wasn¡¯t strange that One-eye was able to recognize her.


    He also recognized the newly evolved demon child beside her as well. As the pair stared at each other with hatred in their eyes, they didn¡¯t waste time with words and instead jumped right into battle.


    The prowess of a three-star demon child was something beyond the comprehension of normal imps. Lieutenant Nine-finger tried to bash him with his spiked mace but Chipped Horn merely took it head on. With a casual grab of his hand, the spiked mace was stopped in its tracks.


    And with an equally casual flick of his wrist, Nine-finger was tossed to the side along with his spike mace. As Nine-finger crashed into the wall headfirst, a loud thud echoed in the room followed by a pained cry before his eyes rolled over.


    Nine-finger was defeated in an instant. This fact didn¡¯t escape Lieutenant One-eye as he immediately adopted a more cautious approach. He ordered the other guardsmen to attack with him. Unfortunately, the strength of a demon child wasn¡¯t so easily defeated.


    Even without any weapons, Chipped Horn was able to trounce the guardsmen without even giving them a chance to fight back. In less than 10 seconds, another two guardsmen died.


    Seeing their unfavorable situation, One-eye immediately bellowed: ¡°Guardsmen get down here quick. There¡¯s an enemy!¡±


    ¡°That she-devil is here as well?¡± Chipped Horn must¡¯ve thought of the Master as he suddenly revealed a disgusting smile. ¡°That¡¯s great, this time I won¡¯t let her escape!¡±


    As he said this, he charged through the guardsmen and up the stairs.


    The guardsmen desperately tried to stop him but he was simply too strong for them. The sudden burst of flames on his fists and kicks raised his offensive power to a whole new level as they sent several guardsmen flying, their conditions unknown.


    By now, One-eye knew that this opponent couldn¡¯t be stopped. His thoughts immediately went to the safety of his master as he shouted: ¡°Master, you mustn¡¯t come down, get out of here quick!¡±


    However, it was too late. Chipped Horn had already broken through the guardsmen and now had a clear path up the stairway¡­


    Everyone was now gone, including Lieutenant One-eye. She slowly closed her eyes, ignoring the unconscious Nine-finger and the guardsmen. She couldn¡¯t do anything except pray, pray that her Master would be safe¡­praying, this was an action that definitely didn¡¯t suit a devil like her.


    But to the current Mo Ci, this was all she could do¡­


    After an indeterminate amount of time, the sound of footsteps echoed down the stairway once more. It was the Master and her henchmen! She was still as dazzling as ever, with her faint fragrance and aloofness which separated her from this blood filled world they lived.


    The moment her Master saw her, her jaw eyes widened in abject shock as she paused there.


    She couldn¡¯t imagine the kind of treatment she must¡¯ve endured.


    ¡°You¡­you¡¯re¡­still alive¡­¡±


    As if a giant weight had been lifted off her back, the Master revealed a joyous smile hidden behind a stream of tears. Even now, she didn¡¯t address her as Mo Ci. That is because even now, she still had no name¡­

 Chapter 49: Mo Ci

    ¡°You¡­you¡¯re¡­still alive¡­¡±


    With just a glance, I recognized who that legless, pregnant large imp was. She was the imp who got captured because she tried to save me.


    ¡°You¡­¡± I wanted to ask her what happened but¡­there¡¯s no need for that. It was obvious even without her saying.


    ¡°Mas¡­Master¡­¡± She weakly opened her eyes and smiled at us as she recognized who we were.


    That smile¡­wasn¡¯t beautiful at all.


    ¡°As long as you¡¯re alive¡­¡±


    No matter what, being alive was enough of a blessing already. Ever since she was captured, that look of blessing that she gave me as she was carried off had always haunted me. Whenever I thought of it, my chest would tighten up in sadness and my breathing would become constricted.


    Now that she was finally in front of me, all I wanted to say to her was ¡°Welcome back¡±.


    With that emotional weight finally gone, I calmly walked up to her in order to check for any external injuries but for some reason, she seems scared. It was as if she didn¡¯t want me to approach her.


    Her eyes were barely able to contain the panic in them as I walked towards her. With her legs gone, all she could was drag herself away with both her arms.


    ¡°Master¡­please don¡¯t come close to me¡­I¡¯m¡­I¡¯m¡­tainted¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±As I looked at the self-abased imp drag herself away in fear, all the while hanging her head in shame, my heart clenched up once more, the happiness in me was now gone, all that remained was grief.


    ¡°You¡­aren¡¯t tainted at all.¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± As I reached out to her, she turned away with tears in her eyes, dodging my hand.


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    ¡°¡­I understand.¡±


    I got One-eye to single out two female devils to be her attendants after which he led the guardsmen around to search for anything suspicious. All this while, the Grimoire of the Dead was inexplicably flying around the pregnant devil.


    Don¡¯t tell me, you brought me here in order to find her¡­


    ¡°That¡­is your child alright?¡± For some strange reason, her pregnancy seemed to have caught my attention.


    ¡°No¡­there¡¯s no problem.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want it, we can¡­¡±


    ¡°No¡­I want to birth¡­I want to give birth to it¡­¡± That last sentence seemed to have shocked her a great deal as she instinctively withdrew herself as if to protect her baby against a potential threat.


    ¡°Alright, calm down. Getting agitated isn¡¯t good for the baby.¡± Truth be told, her reaction seemed to be a bit excessive but then, human mothers were the same as well. Even if it was a b*****d child, most of them would¡¯ve chosen to give birth to it.


    It was at this moment that One-eye came back once more with a report from his search: ¡°Master, there¡¯s nothing suspicious to be found in the vicinity.¡±


    Sounds about right. If there was anything suspicious, the grimoire wouldn¡¯t just be circling about the pregnant devil right now.


    Coming in at roughly 100 meter square, the cellar wasn¡¯t a particularly large one and its environment wasn¡¯t pleasant either. Strangely though, it wasn¡¯t because of a lack of fresh air that made me hate this environment.


    In fact, the cellar seemed to have some unknown method of maintaining a suitable breathing environment. Instead, it was the years of neglect coupled with the artefacts left by Chipped Horn¡¯s stay here, that made this place unpleasant. In short, it stinks.


    While the main source of food in the land of the dead was souls, Chipped Horn and the others weren¡¯t able to hunt for souls. Instead, they had to kill each other for food and this resulted in their diet being comprised mainly of meat. This means that they needed to defecate.


    While they were smart enough to find a remote corner to finish their business, this was still an enclosed area after all. Even buried, it still stunk.


    ¡°Get your men ready, it¡¯s about time to leave.¡± I briefly instructed One-eye to lead his men away before turning to the pregnant devil and her attendants: ¡°As for the two of you, carry her up to the surface. Make sure to be gentle, I wouldn¡¯t want her to get injured.¡±


    Unfortunately, things didn¡¯t work out as planned. Despite my instructions and their best efforts at lifting her up carefully, they still won¡¯t able to carry her in a stable fashion. Is it because of her weight?


    As the attendants took a couple of steps forward, the pregnant female winced in pain. Their unsteady gait had caused her stomach to shake.


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    ¡°Wait.¡±


    With her stomach this big, any sudden movement might result in a miscarriage¡­


    Since she wants to give birth to it, I guess this place is as good as any other location. At least there won¡¯t be any accidents from us moving her.


    ¡°Master?¡± One-eye inquired upon seeing my pondering gaze. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re staying here for now.¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh.¡±


    One-eye replied in a surprised tone, his eyes blinked as if he had just thought of something. He turned to his devils and handed down the new orders to stay.


    Once his subordinates were all settled down, he came back to me and asked in a hesitant tone: ¡°Master, how long is our stay here?¡±


    ¡°How long¡­¡± I shifted my gaze to the pregnant devil on the floor. As she returned my gaze with an uncertain expression, I said: ¡°Till she has given birth.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± One-eye grimaced as he heard this.


    ¡°But Master, if we stay here for too long, those undead might attack us once more.¡±


    ¡°And we won¡¯t encounter any undead just by moving around?¡± I said with my eyes half-closed. ¡°When did you learn to question my commands?¡±


    His gaze only lingered for a split second before he immediately dropped to his knees, his head lowered. ¡°Master¡­I¡¯m your most loyal servant¡­if this is what you wish, I¡¯ll do my best to fulfill it, my Master.¡±


    ¡°Form a defensive perimeter around the chapel. Bring 200 reserves, all the shieldbearers, sabre wielders and half the guardsmen with you as you go hunting. The remainder will defend the chapel. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±


    ¡°Hold on.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything else?¡±


    ¡°Bring No.5 with you.¡±


    As he heard his name being called, the imp who looked like he was on the verge of dozing off was immediately jolted back to reality. With a dazed look on his face, he pointed at his nose and said: ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the plan.¡± As for No.5, I don¡¯t know what to do with him¡­he¡¯s lazy as a pig most of them but at least he steps up when times are dire. Given his talent for raising our morale, I decided not to treat him as badly as before. However, a little knock on the head is still called for from time to time.


    One-eye had probably noticed his laziness as well. With a exasperated look on his face, he grabbed his neck and dragged him up the stairs kicking and screaming.


    ¡°Big brother One-eye¡­don¡¯t be so forceful¡­my neck, my neck¡­can¡¯t breathe¡­argh¡­ouch ouch¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡­oh that¡¯s right, I haven¡¯t given you a name.¡±


    Strangely, whenever I looked at her, the name K*ng Ci from <> seemed to pop into my head. And so, through this strange stroke of fate, I came up with a new name for her: ¡°From now on, you¡¯ll be Mo Ci.¡±


    Judging from the excited look on her face, she seemed to be extremely pleased with it. While her face didn¡¯t suit my sense of beauty, her current expression wasn¡¯t that dislikeable either.


    Approximately half a day later, One-eye came back from his hunting trip with just 200 soul flames. Due to the migratory nature of the undead, the surrounding areas around the village have never been so empty. Our current situation reminded of the MMOs I played where the field would soon repopulate after being cleaned up once.


    ¡°Mo Ci, you can have these soul flames first.¡±


    As I said so, I signalled to her attendants to feed her. She earnestly thanked me before proceeding with her meal.


    In a single breath, 10 soul flames were consumed by her but she still wasn¡¯t full. In fact, she didn¡¯t seem to think much of those 10 soul flames and instead picked up the pace as she continued eating her meal.


    At my side, Nine-finger who had recently regained consciousness, stared at her, his lips pursed and his brows furrowed. To him, a devil who couldn¡¯t fight was essentially trash who was better off dead. After all, feeding such trash souls wouldn¡¯t increase their combat strength a tiny bit.


    In the face of this devil who had done nothing but still had the privilege of eating, Nine-finger was nothing if not jealous. He leaned in and whispered: ¡° Master, Isn¡¯t that Mo Ci eating a little too much?¡±


    ¡°You eat a little too much as well.¡± I gave him a cold evaluating scan before saying: ¡° If you needed tens of souls as well, I would¡¯ve still ensured that you were sufficiently fed.¡±


    ¡°Master, I don¡¯t mean it that way¡­it¡¯s just, you haven¡¯t eaten yet. For her to eat first¡­isn¡¯t that a little inappropriate?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing inappropriate about it. Either way, my stomach is a bottomless pit, besides¡­¡± The negative emotions flooded me once more but I quickly shook them off. ¡°This is what I owe her.¡±


    As I said this, she lowered her hands and stopped what she was doing. Judging from her awkward and guilty expression, she probably heard us. ¡°Master¡­I¡­I just¡­I don¡¯t know why but¡­I¡¯m just so hungry¡­I¡­didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, go ahead and eat, if you need more, I¡¯ll get One-eye to go hunt for more.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Mo Ci cried.


    The following days passed uneventfully as we settled down in this abandoned village. One-eye would bring No.5 and Nine-finger along with him as he went hunting for soul flames while my fully recovered bodyguards, No.3 and Big 4 continued their job of guarding me. Despite the loss of an arm each, I still had high hopes for them.


    Other than the souls needed to sustain everyone, every other soul was sent to me. With No.5 taking charge of this, there were basically no instances of them being siphoned away.


    Souls were a source of sustenance for the devils as well as a trading currency.


    Mo Ci required a large amount of soul flames every day but initially, she wasn¡¯t willing to eat that much. She was probably still worried that I would abandon her for doing so.


    I guess I can¡¯t really blame her for thinking so. Her appetite was frightening compared to the other devils. They were usually full after two or three souls whereas she was able to gulp down nearly a hundred soul flames in one breath. While this was nothing compared to my bottomless stomach, it was still pretty substantial.


    Regarding this issue, I could only assume that this was due to the child in her stomach. I had never seen a pregnant devil before so I¡¯m not sure if being pregnant increased their appetite. I merely tried to feed her till she was full out of sheer habit.


    These peaceful days continued until the 10th day of our stay here. The hunting party had returned earlier than expected and what greeted me was a anxious No.5 dashing down the stairway. Before he even reached me, he started shouting: ¡°Master, we¡¯ve got a problem¡­the wandering undead have suddenly increased by a lot¡­¡±


    ¡°A lot?¡± I raised my eyebrows: ¡°There¡¯s always been a lot of them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it, this time is different¡­¡±

 Chapter 50: The Zombie Horde

    In the end, what¡¯s meant to happen will happen.


    By the time I got to the outskirts of the village, I understood what he meant by ¡°a lot¡±. No wonder he didn¡¯t dare to elaborate¡­the devils were back, this time as a zombie horde.


    Previously, No.5 had brought back a skeleton army on his way back to ¡°report¡±. These were probably the vanguard of the devil zombie horde who made use of the fact that he was skiving to sneak up on him. Without any unnecessary flesh to weigh them down, they were naturally much faster than the devil zombies behind.


    At that time, the other devils who were with him had gone missing as a result of his momentary nap. Given that such a long time has passed without any one of them returning to us, it either meant that they survived for a month alone or were already dead¡­one whole month¡­most likely they were dead, the chances of survival in this land is a one in a million¡­


    In the midst of chasing No.5, the devil zombies must¡¯ve split up, this was why they were now gathered here in multiple groups of 100 or so zombies. Their slow speed was the reason why it took us resting here for 10 days before they finally managed to catch up to us.


    These devil zombies had only existed for at most 2 months in this land of the dead. As such, their flesh was still in a half-decayed, half decomposed state. Essentially, their flesh was still in the midst of being processed by nature.


    Compared to the fully decomposed zombies, they were much more disgusting with their missing bits and pieces of flesh, and exposed innards. Any remaining portions of whole skin left on these zombies mostly retained their former appearance but they had a tinge of dark green about them.


    It was probably because it had only been a short time since they¡¯ve become a corpse.


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    As I surveyed the other parts of the village, I found the same pockets of devil zombies wandering around the village outskirts which means we¡¯ve been surrounded.


    The enemies had vast numbers but thankfully, they were extremely slow. Furthermore, they were pretty spread out as noted before. All of these were opportunities ready to be exploited, which was exactly what I boldly planned to do.


    ¡°They are pretty dispersed at the moment so we can take them down individually.¡±


    During those 10 days of rest, I was busy crafting more equipment for the devils. By now, the number of guardsmen had increased from 40 to 60 while the shieldbearers¡¯ team and sabre wielders¡¯ team had each expanded to 30.


    As for No.3 and Big 4, since they had each lost their left hands, their spiked maces were no longer suitable for them and so I made a couple of long bone swords for them.


    ¡°Everyone listen up! From now on, each group will be made up of 20 guardsmen, 10 shieldbearers, 10 Mo sabre wielders and 50 reserves. The first group will be led by One-eye who will eradicate that zombie group right in front of us. As for anything further away, that¡¯s for a later time. Nine-finger will lead another group to sweep the northern areas, Big 4 will handle the west.¡±


    With only one front left unassigned, No.3 was itching to receive his orders, ¡°Master, what about the south?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave the south to you, while there¡¯s no more elites left for you to command, I¡¯ll aid you from the side with bone walls. The south is less populated and doesn¡¯t seem to have any special undead so 250 large imps should be enough. Just try your best to stall them.¡±


    Up till now, the reserves were still armed with the bone clubs from the blood sea. Without any advanced weaponry aiding them, killing the undead would naturally be much slower. As such, my plan for them was to rotate the refined weaponry between the tired devils and the fresher reserves. This way we can fully utilize our weapons.


    Of course, all these was predicated on the fact that the horde was still dispersed around the village. With a few kilometers separating the different groups, we should be able to kill off each group before the other groups were able to reinforce them.


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    ¡°Don¡¯t get caught up in the lust for battle. Our goal is to minimize our casualties and also all the loot must be surrendered to me, do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Understood!!¡±


    ¡°Alright, move out.¡±


    ¡°Roar!!¡±


    While One-eye and the others were out killing, I got No.5 to stay behind to supervise the equipment swapping.


    As planned, I sealed off the southern passages to the chapel with my bone walls but still feeling a little uncertain, I decided to station 50 more reserves to help No.3 guard the south. Their orders: kill any undead who approached the walls.


    With this urban setting around them, they should be able to handle even larger groups by either circling around them or stalling them with the complicated terrain.


    Setting up these bone walls had exhausted most of my mana but at least the preparatory work was now finished. I turned to No.3 and said : ¡°No.3, the rest is up to you.¡±


    No.3 briefly acknowledged the order before gathering his troops at the base of the wall.


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    With everything organized, I returned once more to the cellar in order to visit Mo Ci. However, just as I was halfway down the stairs, I heard the pained cries of Mo Ci echoing up the stairway.


    I picked up speed as I practically sprinted down the rest of the stairway, my heart pounding both from the exertion and from worry. As I reached the base of the stairway, the twisted face of Mo Ci greeted me. Her face had scrounged up from the pain and her eyes had nearly rolled over to the back.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter Mo Ci?¡± I immediately rushed in to check on her condition. Even now, the guilt from causing her to get captured still weighed heavily on my heart. Seeing suffer in such a manner, sent daggers through my heart.


    As Mo Ci noticed my approaching figure, her distorted face twisted even more as she forced out a reply: ¡°Master¡­it¡¯s so¡­so¡­painful¡­¡±


    ¡°Where does it hurt?¡±


    ¡°Stomach¡­hurts¡­might¡­birth¡­soon¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re about to give birth?!¡± *thump* My heart jumped at her reply. That¡¯s impossible¡­even if I assumed that she was pregnant since the day she got captured¡­that would at most be slightly over a month. How could she give birth so quickly? Devils aren¡¯t those chickens and ducks you see on the farm; not laying eggs won¡¯t get them killed.


    If it¡¯s human, they would take close to 10 months to give birth¡­wait¡­devils aren¡¯t humans so their length of pregnancy might be much shorter.


    To a pregnancy novice like me who didn¡¯t even know how much nutrition a pregnant devil needs, knowing how long their pregnancy would last was definitely out of the question.


    ¡°Does anyone have experience delivering a baby?¡± In my panicked state, I forgot that all my subordinates were essentially newborns themselves. They probably didn¡¯t even know what pregnancy meant or perhaps even what sex meant¡­


    ¡°We¡­we don¡¯t¡­we don¡¯t have any¡­¡±


    Her two attendants immediately shook their heads, expressing their lack of experience.


    Damn it! Without a midwife, who¡¯s going to deliver this baby? Without a B-scan, how am I going to determine the position of the baby? What if the baby comes out legs first with its head stuck inside¡­what do I do then¡­will it suffocate to death?


    ¡°Master¡­it¡¯s alright¡­it¡¯s¡­it¡¯s a devil¡¯s¡­egg¡­¡±


    Ironically, Mo Ci seems to be the calmest among all the devils here. Seeing my anxiety, she forced out that reply in order to allay my fears¡­why does it seem like I¡¯m the one giving birth instead¡­


    ¡°Oh, is that so¡­¡±Phew, if it¡¯s an egg, there¡¯s nothing much to worry about.


    However, that relief didn¡¯t last long before the anxious screams of No.5 echoed down the stairway once more. ¡°Master, we have a problem! Those undead seemed to have gone into a frenzy; their speed has increased tremendously. One-eye can¡¯t hold out for much longer¡­¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±This entire string of surprises today had truly caught me off guard. Surprise after surprise came without giving me any chance to catch my breath. Without even bothering about the imp gasping for air in front of me, I immediately sprinted up the stairways after leaving behind a short message.


    ¡°Mo Ci, just focus on your pregnancy, I¡¯ll go have a quick look.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­wait for me¡­don¡¯t run that fast¡­I¡­I can¡¯t run anymore¡­¡± The little potato stared pitifully at my disappearing back and sighed, the resignation in it clear for all to hear, ¡°Sigh, I just got here too¡­Master, wait for me¡­I¡¯m really out of energy¡­¡±


    As I stepped out onto the surface, what greeted me was the sight of a bunch of half broken bone walls.


    The devil zombies¡¯ brains were too simple to process the complex task of making a turn and so they decided to simply bash their way through the walls. Because the bone walls weren¡¯t constructed with too much mana to begin with, this mindless tactic actually worked out for them.


    Furthermore, the primitive weaponry of the reserves meant that they weren¡¯t able to cleanly kill off the undead and ended up getting gradually pushed back.


    As for the other battle fronts, Nine-finger¡¯s forces had almost retreated back to the chapel. One-eye and No.4 weren¡¯t in much better shape either; they were barely holding off the undead at the village entrances.


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    Truth be told, these devil zombies weren¡¯t that strong by themselves but they vastly outnumbered us. Furthermore, they seemed to have inexplicably entered a frenzied state. Did they get high on drugs or something?


    With their greater than usual combat strength and speed, my devils were pushed to the brink of collapse.


    The only silver lining in this cloud was that the devil zombies didn¡¯t manage to coerce much undead into joining them. Other than a smattering of some skeleton archers, all they had were skeleton warriors. There weren¡¯t any monsters like those skeletal horsemen or mages.


    ¡°Everyone, get back here! Form up at the chapel!¡±


    One-eye and Big 4 slowly retreated, fighting off the undead as they did so. As for Nine-finger, he was basically at the doorstep of the chapel and only needed to retreat a few steps before reaching our form up point.


    By my estimations, these devil zombies were only at the level of zero to one-star. Given their refined weaponry, most of my elites were almost at the level of two-star. Whether it was the bone swords or Mo sabres, they shouldn¡¯t have any problem slicing off their heads.


    There were too little skeleton archers to threaten my army so One-eye and Big 4¡¯s retreat didn¡¯t end up costing much. With the three of them back at the chapel, I took a quick head count. All in all, our losses were pretty low. We lost slightly over ten large imps. Thankfully, their equipment were retrieved.


    The biggest problem facing us now was No.3¡¯s team. The reserves were only armed with bone clubs which were clearly lacking for this level of battle.


    As I took count of the remaining reserves, the total number came out at 154¡­


    Just this one front alone lost significantly more troops than the other three combined. However, given their equipment, I guess this was an acceptable result.


    With the devils all recalled, it was now time to settle the loot. As batch after batch of soul flames was brought before me, I voraciously absorbed them, my mouth extended as wide as I could manage.


    Surprisingly, the Grimoire of the Dead didn¡¯t act up but instead, obediently laid at my side. It probably knew how dire our current situation was and that now was not the time to snatch away my food.


    As the over three hundred souls rushed into my body, that sensation of being filled up to the brim struck me once more. What followed was that familiar, mesmerizing fragrance which filled the tiny chapel, causing the devils present to tremble slightly.


    Some of the more fatigued large imps seemed to have recovered some of their strength just by sniffing my scent. In fact, they seemed to have gotten stronger and faster than before.


    As the fragrance grew stronger by the second, the devils began to enter an aggressive frenzy of sorts. The Mo sabre wielders violently swung their long sabres around, taking a few heads along with each swing. The normally defensive shieldbearers began to charge into the zombies, sending anything they collided with, flying. Each charge knocked down at least three to four zombies.


    As for the guardsmen, it was if they were on *** drugs. Their offensive power had reached the level of the Mo sabres as they split a zombie in half with every swing of their sword. No longer did they bother with targeting the heads as each of their ferocious swings pretty much guaranteed a kill.


    The reserves had gotten a significant boost as well. As their blunt clubs crashed into the heads of the zombies, the sheer impact sent waves rippling through their skulls, disrupting the soul flames within and stunning the zombies as a result. The zombies basically had no chance to counterattack.

 Chapter 51: The Prison of the Dead appears!

    ¡°Master is about to evolve, quick get those soul flames over here!¡±


    As always, the most level headed one among my subordinates was No.5. While everyone was overcome by battlelust, it was he who noticed my unusual situation first. Without any hesitation, he immediately ordered the other henchmen to send over the next batch of soul flames.


    While all this was happening, I was in an enthralled state and thus couldn¡¯t pay any attention to my surroundings. However, after all this time in hell, consuming souls had become an instinctual ability. Even without my consciousness piloting my body, my mouth knew exactly when to open up in order to absorb the soul flames being offered to me.


    As batch after batch were sent into my mouth, a new change began to emerge in my body. The first was my stature became even more slender, giving it the elegant and alluring silhouette of the world¡¯s most beautiful model.


    The next change happened atop my forehead. The skin on my forehead began to split open amidst the rapid changes in my body, revealing the signature horn of the devil.


    However, it was a single horn unlike the dual horns found in the other head imps. In fact, it¡¯s central positioning and outward growth made it more akin to the horns normally found on unicorns.


    While my body didn¡¯t receive any significant boost in strength, my mana did. As my horn sprouted, the mana in me experienced an explosive increase. From the original 50 units of mana I had when I started evolving, it began to rapidly increase: 51,52,55,61¡­all the way to 80!


    As the mana in my body began to stabilize, the changes in my body gradually stopped as well. My second evolution was finally complete!


    But just when I thought that things had settled down, the ground began to shake and it wasn¡¯t some minor tremor either. The earth shook as if it was trying to tear itself apart, sending shockwaves throughout the village that not only destabilized us but the undead as well.


    It had gotten to the point where some of the skeletons began to shatter under the violent rumblings of the earth. The sounds of knees falling to the ground echoed throughout the battlefield as zombies and devils alike began to fall to the ground.


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    What¡¯s up with this earthquake? This brother just had a simple evolution, is there a need to create such a grand display for me? It¡¯s a fricking earthquake after all! Not just some random party popper¡­it is an honest to goodness earthquake.


    10 seconds later, the earthquake was still going strong although it began to gradually slow down. However, just as I thought that the earth was finally going to calm down, it sent me another bolt from the blue.


    A thunderous crackle raced across the horizon as a colossal wave of energy began emitting from the ground up. The immense shockwaves rolled across the village like an invisible tsunami, knocking aside any large object in its path.


    The already dilapidated chapel collapsed under this immense pressure, followed closely by the neighboring houses collapsing in a concentric pattern radiating outwards. Soon, the entire village was covered in what looked like an avalanche of dust.


    It was at this moment, that the earth was torn asunder by a rounded, bone-like structure. As the earth and debris were flung into the air, more and more of the mysterious structure revealed itself. It was a giant skull similar to the one I saw on that stone tablet.


    Suddenly, the skull abruptly halted its upwards tunnelling at the midpoint of its skull.


    It had a 10 meter diameter at its widest point and had an exposed height of 5 meters where only the portions above the base of its nose were visible.


    As my eyes drifted upwards along the towering skull, something immediately caught my eye; it had the same horizontal cyclopic eye as that skull on that tablet! Right on its forehead was a hole that resembled an eye socket with a horizontal line drawn across the black abyss within.


    The Prison of the Dead?!


    That was the first thought that raced across my mind as I recalled the words on that tablet. Wasn¡¯t this the same skull I saw on that tablet?!


    A second later, mournful wails began to echo from the black abyss within the skull¡¯s eye sockets. My eyes narrowed as I focused on the bottomless abyss and caught what looked like a single phantasmal human face tunnelling out from the black hole.


    Another popped up in the corner of my and then another¡­and another. The wispy faces multiplied exponentially in a second filling the otherwise black eye holes with a field of wispy white apparitions.


    Not only were there humans within the mix, there were devil apparitions as well.


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    As more ghosts began to emerge, I caught sight of what could only be described as an abomination.


    It was a monstrous ghost formed from an amalgamation of several ghosts. Its body sprouted a multitude of heads and hands, each representing its constituent ghost in a ghastly display of unity.


    By now, a large mass of ghosts had already exited the skull, and judging from their direction, they seemed to heading towards me!?


    S**t, we haven¡¯t even taken care of these undeads and yet more show up?! Am I really that unlucky¡­is it my fate to die once more?


    However, just as I was about to give up, the ghosts circled harmlessly around me and flew straight at the undead. What greeted me next was an even more surprising sight, the undead started fleeing from the oncoming ghosts! If it wasn¡¯t for their ghoulish appearance, I would¡¯ve mistaken them for living breathing creatures who knew how to feel fear.


    In a short span of time, the undead surrounding us had mostly scattered to the winds. Those who didn¡¯t, were swiftly killed by the ghosts.


    Rather than kill, perhaps soul extraction seemed like a more appropriate description for the unusual scene unfolding in front of me.


    The ghosts had a strange method of dealing with these undead. They would hover around the target undead for a couple of seconds before reaching into their eye sockets with their incorporeal hands. A second later, they would withdraw their hands with the undead¡¯s soul flames in tow!


    However, instead of consuming the extracted soul flames, they merely tossed it aside. The strangeness didn¡¯t end there either; instead of falling to the ground, the soul flames would continue to hover around the ghosts as they continued on to the next undead.


    While the majority of the undead chose to flee, some would try to fight back. However, these low level undead were naturally not a match for these ghosts. They only had physical attacks and as such, couldn¡¯t damage the incorporeal bodies of the ghosts.


    Unless the ghosts materialized to attack them, their attacks were doomed to pass harmlessly through their wispy targets.


    Having seen the futility of their attacks, they attempted to run away but it was too late. In the few seconds it took for them to attack and turn around, the ghosts were able to harvest their soul flames, killing them¡­


    As the hundreds of ghosts plowed through the battlefield, the undead numbers were quickly reduced to nothing. With the village now empty of undead, the ghosts proceeded on to chase down the survivors.


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    It¡¯s¡­over?


    What happened to round two?


    ¡°Mas¡­Master¡­what should we do now?¡± No.5 asked me with a silly look on his face. However, this time, he wasn¡¯t alone; I had that same look on my face as well.


    ¡°Err¡­those ghosts shouldn¡¯t be back any time soon. Let¡¯s do a quick head count and see what our losses are.¡±


    After sending off No.5, I immediately rushed to check on Mo Ci. That skull appeared right above the chapel¡¯s cellar, does that mean that Mo Ci¡­damn it, I hope she didn¡¯t run into them¡­


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    Just as this thought crossed my mind, a stammering voice echoed from above me: ¡°Master¡­save us¡­¡±


    As I looked up, the sight of the two female attendants popped into view. They were looking down at me from atop the giant skull.


    ¡°Are you guys alright?¡± To think that these two were still alive and even landed up on top of the Prison of the Dead. Was it just sheer luck?


    ¡°We¡¯re fine¡­¡±


    ¡°What about Mo Ci? Did she manage to give birth to the baby?¡±


    ¡°Mo Ci¡­is dead¡­¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    I immediately ordered my subordinates to help them down from the skull but just as I did so, I suddenly noticed that one of them was hugging a devil egg.


    I had originally intended for them to simply jump down while we tried to catch them, after all the skull was only 5 meters tall and this wasn¡¯t enough to kill a large imp. However, after seeing their traumatized expressions and the devil egg, I changed my mind.


    Due to the lack of ladders, I ordered them my imps to form a devil stairway. The plan was to get the egg to safety first before helping the two attendants down from the skull. However, I was slightly worried about handing this over to my brutish subordinates and so I decided to call over No.5; the clever scamp was the perfect candidate for this delicate task.


    Soon, the football-sized egg was delivered gingerly onto No.5 hands who quickly passed it to my waiting arms.


    As I wrapped my arms around it in an embrace, my gaze was immediately drawn to the reddish-black tattoos running across the entirety of the egg in a flowery pattern. I had never seen these patterns before but one thing was certain: this was an egg unlike any other I¡¯ve seen before.


    In fact, it was probably of a much higher level than the ones I saw in the Blood Sea. After all, those eggs were a lot smaller than the football-sized egg currently resting in my arms.


    Despite its size, the egg didn¡¯t feel heavy in my arms at all. It even had a warm feeling to it that reminded more of a baby than an egg. As for why it was so, I had no idea.


    Since there¡¯s no way for me to find out either, I decided to leave the matter of this miraculous egg for another day and instead shifted my attention back to Mo Ci¡¯s situation.


    ¡°So tell me, exactly how did she die? And how did the two of you end up atop this giant skull?¡±


    By now, the two attendants had already been rescued and along with them, a shrivelled up corpse was brought before me. This ancient corpse¡­don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s¡­


    In the face of my cold questioning face, the two attendants began to tremble uncontrollably as they stood there not daring to even move a finger, their eyes reflecting their barely hidden fear.


    It was said that some devils were sensitive towards emotional changes and these two were probably a part of these devils. When I had questioned them, they must have sensed that I was ready to punish them. Of course, this was only if they had done something wrong.


    ¡°When¡­when she laid that egg¡­her body began to lose all signs of life¡­¡± The attendant who had handed over the egg replied, her fingers waving about as she drew out the scenario then.


    However, her ability to express herself was limited and despite her best attempts at depicting the situation, I garnered nothing useful from it. On the other hand, her words had given me enough clues for me to guess what happened to her.


    In the midst of laying that egg, she suddenly ran out of energy. Thankfully, there were still some left over soul flames in the cellar and so they immediately fed them to her. Unfortunately, this still wasn¡¯t enough to ensure the successful delivery of the egg. It had stopped right at the precipice of a successful delivery.


    Truth be told, Mo Ci could¡¯ve changed her mind at this point. Unlike humans, devils were able to abort the entire process just by getting someone else to destroy the egg before it left their womb. The nutrients from the broken egg will then flow back into the mother.


    While this wouldn¡¯t strengthen her by much, it would at least save her life. However, Mo Ci chose not to do so. Instead of saving her own life, she chose to walk down the suicidal path of laying that egg. The price of her doing so was her life force.


    Gradually, as the egg was finally forced out of her womb, she began to shrivel up and turn into the corpse that I saw before me¡­


    As for why those two ended up atop the Prison of the Dead¡­they had no idea as well. Judging from their recounting, the skull had basically appeared right below them and protected them with a mysterious force as the skull tunnelled upwards.


    ¡°No food? Couldn¡¯t you let her eat you?¡±


    By now, One-eye had already finished counting the losses but instead of reporting them to me right away, he confronted them about their failure. His natural-born thuggish nature reared its ugly head once more as just one question from him sent the two cowering in fear on the ground, like sheep to the slaughter.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough One-eye. There¡¯s no need to blame them any further. After all, they have no obligation to serve as cattle for her.¡±


    To him, these ordinary devils were nothing more than food but I knew that given the selfish nature of devils, it was impossible to expect them to sacrifice themselves without a good reason.


    Even those subordinates who died protecting me, No.1 , No.2 , No.4 and Big 1, had a reason to die for me. As for what that reason is¡­it¡¯s obvious without me saying.


    ¡°This matter is closed for now. By the way, how are our losses?¡±


    ¡°Our losses are heavy this time¡­the total large imp count has fallen to 347¡­¡±


    So we¡¯ve finally fallen below the 400 threshold¡­looks like there¡¯s no more time to waste. Inspecting my new skills can wait for another day, the most pressing issue now is to leave this place.


    Only allowed on Creativenovels.com


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if those strange ghosts will return but since the Prison of the Dead has emerged, we might as well make use of this opportunity to leave the Land of the Dead.¡±


    No matter what laid ahead, I must push forward.


    ¡°Send the word, gather up immediately.¡±


    ¡°Yes Master.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The criteria for summoning the Prison of the Dead: (Author¡¯s note)


    One: The birth of a new life


    ( The Land of the Dead was a world filled with death and as such, the birth of a new life was a momentous event for this world. This is why that egg being laid was considered the highest level of offering one could offer to this world.


    In Chapter 48, Chipped Horn had specifically said ¡°I want to leave this place so this female devil must survive. As such, it¡¯s time for you to die.¡± Based on this sentence alone, you can infer that he roughly knew about the method to leave this place. To him, Mo Ci was merely a tool to be sacrificed. )


    Two: A devil evolving into four-star. ( The Prison of the Dead will automatically appear before the devil.)


    Three: Sacrifice. ( Offer up over a thousand lives in a short amount of time. This doesn¡¯t include the undead.)


    The reason for Mo Ci¡¯s difficult delivery:


    The reason why she had difficulty delivering the egg was because its level was simply too high for Mo Ci. She was merely a large imp and definitely couldn¡¯t bear the burden of a high level devil being born.


    As for why that egg was so high level, it was because Mo Ke had given her too much souls. This caused the egg to naturally evolve while it was still in her womb. This was also why she needed that much food during her pregnancy.

 Chapter 52: Stepping into Prison

    The entrance to the Prison of the Dead laid within the black abyss in the eye socket of the giant skull. It was a relatively large entrance that allowed even the tallest imp among us, No.3, to pass through with ease.


    The only problem was that it was too high up in the air and so I had to use my bone walls to create a makeshift stairways for the devils.


    With the stairway completed, it was time for us to leave. However, what greeted me as I turned around to give out the order was a bunch of idiots staring blankly at me. Even the female devils were a part of this silly spectacle.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Is there something on my body?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. It¡¯s just that Master¡¯s body has gotten even more beautiful.¡± No. 5 replied in his usual ingratiating tone. ¡°At this rate, no one will be able to resist the charms of Master.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, mhm.¡± Even my usually serious bodyguards, No.3 and Big 4, wholeheartedly agreed with him.


    Nine-finger took it a step further by immediately leaping towards my left leg. ¡°Master, just let me touch you for a while¡­¡±


    ¡°B*****d!¡± One-eye swiftly stepped in and halted his advance with a swift kick to his shoulders. ¡°Who gave you permission to approach the Master?¡±


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    ¡°Big Brother¡­I¡­I¡­¡± Having received a withering glare from One-eye, he immediately shut his mouth up, not daring to speak anymore.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough! No more arguing!¡± Their chaotic behaviour had ticked me off once more. I pointed at the entranceway and shouted : ¡°Get in. All of you, get in!¡±


    Having received a stern warning, no one dared to mess around anymore.


    I got some of the smarter imps to act as a forward scout into the Prison of the Dead. Once their safety was confirmed, I finally gave out the order to march off.


    As One-eye and No.5 led the army through the eye socket, I made use of this time to inspect my powers. Each time I evolved, I would automatically learn some new spells. This evolution was no different either.


    Fireball: This is a pretty common spell but it is significantly stronger than my darkness arrows. It cost me 5 units of mana to cast it and it¡¯s also worth noting that this spell can be charged up.


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    Firewall: Its shape is similar to the bone wall and varied with the amount of mana spent on it. The more mana spent, the stronger than flames and the larger the wall.


    Shadow Guardian: Unlike the other two spells, this belonged in the category of innate abilities instead. In order for it work, I have to activate it beforehand. Activating it costs 10 units of mana at which point it will consume 1 unit of mana every 10 seconds.


    Its effect was to give my shadow a degree of autonomy. Once activated, my shadow would attack only those with hostile intentions towards me. This included both the living and the dead.


    In short, Shadow Guardian allows my shadow to come to life temporarily in order to protect me. Its weakness was that it must maintain a connection with my body. This meant that it couldn¡¯t just leave my side.


    The Grimoire of the Dead had its contents updated as well: Summon Wraith, Summon Skeletal Archer and Bone Spear.


    As for dark alchemy, there weren¡¯t any changes made to those pages.


    An important note has to be made that summoning the undead wasn¡¯t something you could do out of thin air. It requires the correct medium and environment to do so.


    For example, Summon Wraith is best used in an area where there has been a lot of deaths like a graveyard. Summon Skeleton is the same as well; a graveyard or a battlefield suited this spell the best.


    Furthermore, without the requisite corpse acting as a medium, summoning an undead would require much more mana and even stood the chance of failing.


    (Summoning an undead without the required corpse is impossible. When one tried to do so, the spell would open a dimensional link to Gehenna and transfer a corpse from there. As such, the spell then turns into a dimensional spell which requires a tremendous amount of mana.)


    Because the devils didn¡¯t know how to draw a bow¡­wait, that¡¯s not true, it¡¯s not that they didn¡¯t know how to do so, it was simply that I wasn¡¯t able to create a suitable bow for them.


    Sigh, those days where we had no ranged capabilities really sucked¡­thankfully, those days would soon come to an end. With Summon Skeletal Archers, I¡¯ll be able to create an archer squadron which would allow us to initiate the battle with a volley of arrows.


    Wraiths were a two-star undead that specialized in unconventional tactics. They didn¡¯t possess much combat strength by themselves but had the distinct advantage of being immune to physical attacks as long as they didn¡¯t initiate an attack themselves.


    Of course, this immunity came with a corresponding weakness as well. The world is a fair place after all. Wraiths took twice the amount of damage from magical attacks which means that magical fire attacks inflicted at least three times the amount of damage¡­


    (( ?¡ã ?? ?¡ã ))


    To me, this meant that they were more suited to being scouts and assassins.


    I attempted to summon one wraith as a test but¡­what the f**k, it actually ate up 50 units of my mana.


    Furthermore, it looked a little ugly¡­


    His face was genderless but given his ugly mug, he was probably a male wraith. My new wraith came dressed in a set of tattered prisoner clothes and even had the skinhead to go with it. As for his body, he had an average build that was neither muscular or slender and was missing the defining feature of a female, boobs¡­you can basically conclude that he is a male.


    Having spent 50 units of mana, I didn¡¯t have much mana left and so I decided to delay summoning any archers. After all, if it failed, I would¡¯ve wasted a ton of mana. Rather than take that risk, it made more sense to focus on the task at hand first.


    As I walked around, I monitored the performance of my new subordinate. I first tried to distance myself from him and the result was:


    Without any instructions, he would immediately fly back to my side once he found out that I was no longer by his side. Usually, he maintained a two to three meter distance from me.


    Based on that alone, it shows that this wraith possessed at very least, a basic level of intelligence. Interesting¡­


    With One-eye, Nine-finger and No.5 organizing the migration, No.3 and Big 4 were the only named devils accompanying me. As they stood by my side as usual, they would throw a cautionary glance at the wraith from time to time and adopt an alert stance.


    Seeing their strange behavior, I decided to find out what was going on.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Master¡­what¡¯s up with this guy?¡± No.3 pointed at the wraith shadowing me with a confused expression. ¡°Will it attack us?¡±


    ¡°Attack me? No way.¡± I chuckled. ¡°This guy was summoned by me and while I still don¡¯t know much about him, I¡¯m absolutely sure that he won¡¯t attack me. Oh right, I haven¡¯t given him a name yet.¡±


    The wraith seemed to have taken offense to his pointing and immediately set about getting his revenge. He began to circle around No.3 and would elongate his body into a snake-like form before turning back into his original form. While he did this, he would distort his face into various expressions in what looked like an attempt at scaring No.3.


    ¡°Shoo¡­don¡¯t come near me!¡± Obviously, he didn¡¯t take too well to the wraith¡¯s actions. To be fair, anyone would be uncomfortable around a creature they didn¡¯t understand and couldn¡¯t counter.


    No.3 would constantly try to shoo the bald wraith away as he guarded me; being teased must¡¯ve ruffled his feathers significantly. However, this seemed to have the opposite effect on the wraith as instead of being chased away, he instead closed in further on No.3 and intensified his teasing causing No.3 to fly into a rage.


    ¡°Scram, scram!¡± No.3 frantically waved his long sword around as he tried to hack at the incorporeal wraith. Unfortunately for him, these attacks merely passed through the wraith.


    Seems like this guy has a sadistic side to him.


    In that case, I¡¯ll just call him Vick. While I haven¡¯t watched a lot of Boonie B**rs, the sight of that potato elegantly eating a bunch of buns for breakfast was really¡­sigh, how nostalgic.[1] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boonie_Bears)


    The Prison of the Dead wasn¡¯t as dark as I had initially expected. While there wasn¡¯t a source of illumination, I was still able to make out my surroundings very clearly as if it was daytime.


    In front of us was a single stairway leading down. As this was the only route available, I wasn¡¯t worried about getting lost and casually followed the army of devils in front of me as I hugged the devil egg and my grimoire. Beside me were my two bodyguards, No.3 and Big 4, and the new addition to our party, Vick.


    It was a straight stairway that seemed to stretch on endlessly as we continued downwards. Finally after an unknown amount of time, the stairway came to an end and what greeted us was an area made entirely out of bones.


    The ground itself was made of a bone-like material. At least that was what I thought it was. The feeling I got when I stepped on it was very similar to the sensation of stepping on bones.


    The bone floor was pretty similar to those roads on Earth which were created by road rollers. As for the walls, they were made of bones and created a 20 meter wide hallway.


    At the end of this hallway of bones, we came upon a crossroads with a couple of identical bone hallways flanking us. Both of them had a ceiling that was roughly 20 meters above the ground and had completely blocked off any vertical movement. This must be a maze!


    As I stood there in a daze, the rest of my subordinates begun streaming in. As they looked at the maze before them, their faces betrayed a variety of emotions.


    I led the army forward and at the same time got Vick to try and pass through the walls. Initially, he didn¡¯t understand what I was saying and merely circled around me, causing me no small deal of frustration.


    Thankfully, I wasn¡¯t the only one who felt that way. After a few revolutions, Big 4 finally got sick of his circling and tried to explain my intentions to Vick. He walked up to the wall and rammed the wall lightly with his shoulders as if to say ¡°This is what you¡¯re supposed to do.¡±


    Amused by his actions, Vick tried to mimic his actions by ramming into the wall with his shoulders. Unfortunately, this didn¡¯t cause the results I wanted. The bone wall blocked out the wraith¡¯s innate ability to pass through walls.


    As I continued my research into the quirks of this place, the last thing I expected was to meet another ghost at the turn of a corner. Due to Vick¡¯s lack of training, he didn¡¯t understand a lot of my instructions and thus couldn¡¯t function as proper scout. As a result, the duty of scouting fell onto One-eye.


    It was at this moment that One-eye suddenly shouted: ¡°Master, there are enemies here. Quick, prepare for battle!¡±


    As soon as those words left his mouth, the scouts let out a surprised cry closely followed by Nine-finger¡¯s panicked wailing: ¡°Master, save us quick! These guys are too strong¡­ahh¡­spare me¡­¡±


    *poof poof poof¡­*


    A string of strange sounds echoed in the tunnels. A second later, the pained cries of my devils rang out in the air.


    I hugged my two treasures tightly before rushing forward. As I passed the corner, what greeted me was a chaotic mess.


    The 60 guardsmen led by One-eye were still able to maintain some semblance of order but the 100 supporting reserves were in complete disarray. Scattered around the floor were several reserves pinned to the floor by bone spears.


    All of these spears had been targeted at the fatal spots of the devils such as their hearts, heads, throats etc. As such, most of these pinned devils were dead or at the very least gravely wounded and would die without immediate aid.


    Bone Spears! There are skeletal mages here!

 Chapter 53: New Lifeforms

    The first volley of bone spears had caused a total of 10 imps to die on our side. Of these 10, only 2 were guardsmen. They were the two unlucky souls who couldn¡¯t react in time to the sneak attack and had died with a javelin through their brains. The rest of the guardsmen were able to harmlessly deflect the bone spears sent their way.


    The reserves weren¡¯t that fortunate however. They had no bone shields and given that they were merely 50 meters away from the enemy, they could only dodge to the left and right of this narrow hallway.


    Damned mages¡­at least I thought they were skeletal mages¡­


    However, things weren¡¯t as simple as I thought. The enemies which I mistakenly labelled as mages were actually skeletal javelineers.


    They resemble the usual skeleton warriors we¡¯ve met so far with only a level variation in strength. Their one defining feature was the weapon they used, or should I say weapons. They not only wielded a long spear but also carried three javelins on their backs.


    There were at least 20 of them within the undead ranks and all of them had another bone javelin ready in here. Judging from their stance, a second wave of javelins was about to come.


    *whoosh*


    As the second volley left their hands, I immediately conjured up a bone wall. The mana coursed through my veins as I hastily channelled whatever I could into the spell. Within a mere second, the bone wall had risen to an impressive height of 10 meters.


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    *crack crack crack*


    The hastily erected wall soaked up all the incoming javelins like a sponge. While they weren¡¯t able to pass through my wall, they managed to pierce through it before finally losing their velocity.


    With the second volley taken care of, I immediately cancelled the wall causing the 20 javelins to fall harmlessly onto the ground. There was only one volley left¡­


    Upon seeing my bone wall crumble into nothingness, the javelineers prepared to launch their last volley. With their javelins in hand, they broke into a running charge before hurling them at us.


    With the added momentum behind the javelins, I knew that this wall needed to be stronger than the last. Thankfully, I had already prepared my second bone wall before the javelins had even left their bony hands. With that additional time to channel my spell, I managed to erect a sturdier wall that successful blocked them all.


    ¡°Men, charge!¡± The moment my second bone wall crumbled, One-eye led the charge at the ammoless javelineers. As expected, without their ranged weapons, they whipped out their Long spears and met our charge head on.


    While my 58 guardsmen had a shorter range than them, their shields and numbers more than made up for this. With nearly a three to ratio one, we swiftly wiped them out.


    All in all, we lost 10 imps and all of these were from the first volley. The subsequent volleys were blocked by me and so there were no further casualties.


    As they began sweeping the battlefield, I approached One-eye: ¡°What¡¯s going on, why did we end up losing so many men?¡±


    ¡°Master, we were ambushed¡­they suddenly appeared out of nowhere¡­¡±


    He hastily explained himself upon noticing my darkened expression.


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    According to his explanation, some of these skeletons were originally hanging off the side of the walls harmlessly while the rest laid on the ground without any traces of soul flame in them.


    He assumed they were dead but decided on the more cautious route of scouting them out first. Who knew that these skeletons would suddenly come to life and attack them before the scouts were even dispatched.


    Sigh, in the end, our lack of ranged weapons cost us lives once more.


    ¡°No.5 go bring over a javelin.¡±


    Back in the Land of the Dead, the weapons wielded by the undead were extremely simplistic and worn out. For the most part, they were even worse than the bone clubs we had. However, these javelins were slightly different; their penetration power and ranged capabilities had piqued my interest.


    And so, I had No.5 fetch a javelin for me. Who knew that this potato would, in a moment of curiosity, try to test out its tensile strength and actually break it in half¡­.


    ¡°Mas¡­Master¡­¡±He looked down at the broken javelin and stammered with an expression that looked like he was on the verge of crying: ¡°Master¡­I didn¡¯t mean to¡­it¡¯s¡­it¡¯s just too fragile.¡±


    Without even waiting for my reply, he bent down and picked up another javelin. With a slight application of force, the javelin broke in half once more.


    Knowing how weak he was, it probably wasn¡¯t his fault. There were a lot of large imps who were stronger than him and so if the javelin couldn¡¯t even withstand his strength, it must¡¯ve been really fragile. After all, the only reason why he was a lieutenant in my army was because of his long service.


    If that¡¯s the case, the only logical explanation for their penetrating power was that they only worked for those skeletal javelineers.


    Damn¡­these javelins could¡¯ve solved our lack of ranged weapons. To think that even in death, they wanted to deny us this bit of benefit¡­how much they must¡¯ve hated us.


    With nothing left of interest here, I distributed this batch of soul flames among the combatants and continued our journey.


    Navigating this maze was truly a pain in the butt. One could easily get lost in its winding tunnels if they weren¡¯t paying attention. As such, I tried my best to stick to a straight line. If we absolutely had to make a turn, I would always choose the right side.


    Truth be told, the easiest way to navigate through a maze was to literally walk in a straight line, knocking down any walls one encountered on the way.


    This aggressive style of navigation was naturally known to me as well. I had even ordered my subordinates to test it out but after bashing at the bone wall for a period of time, we gave up. Despite our best efforts, we couldn¡¯t even leave a scratch on its bony white surface.


    And so, we continued our aimless wandering for another hour or so at which point we heard several strange cries coming from the hallway in front of us. Amidst these strange cries were the sounds of an ongoing battle.


    As we got closer to the source, I could make out two distinct cries. One resembled the chittering of a mouse while the other resembled a canine howling. Is this the famous ¡°rodent-nabbing dog being nosey¡±? Of course not, it¡¯s just my imagination running wild again. [1]


    (Note: It¡¯s taken from a phrase which roughly translates as ¡°a dog catches a mouse, deciding to be a busybody¡±. The origin behind this is that a cat is in charge of catching mice while the dog is in charge of guarding the house. And so, a dog who catches a mouse is nothing but a busybody.)


    ¡°Master, there¡¯s a battle ahead.¡±


    Having learnt from the previous ambush, I decided to send out a scout the moment I heard that strange cry. I gave No.5 and Vick a quick glance before quickly deciding on No.5. He was our most experienced scout after all.


    In comparison, Vick had the intelligence level of an idiot and hadn¡¯t undergone any training.In fact, he wasn¡¯t even able to talk. A job so full of prospects definitely isn¡¯t a good fit for Vick.


    No.5 being the lazy bum that he was, was reluctant at first but after receiving a kick and a glare from me, he obediently went about his duties. As he left, he still had a grin on his face as if he wanted to be kicked.


    Since he¡¯s back, it probably meant that he managed to get a sneak peek at the battle.


    ¡°Who¡¯s fighting over there?¡±


    ¡°Errr¡­it seems like the Abbadon Rodents and hellhounds are having a turf war.¡± Given that he had never seen either of them before, that pause must¡¯ve been him searching through his inherited memories.


    ¡°Abbadon Rodents and hellhounds?¡± One-eye began to search through his memories as well before continuing: ¡°Shouldn¡¯t those ratmen be in Abbadon? And aren¡¯t those hellhounds supposed to be guarding Purgatory? What are they doing here?¡±


    To every devil, their inherited memories were more akin to books than memories. If you didn¡¯t flip through this book, you wouldn¡¯t know about the information stored within. Furthermore, each devil had a different set of memories. Take me for example, my inherited memories were extremely little. Compared to the other devils, it was pretty much nil.


    In other words, I was an anomaly within the devils.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go have a look.¡± I said, the excitement barely contained within my voice; to someone like me who had no memories of these species, they were extremely fascinating.


    The Abbadon Rodents were a bipedal rodent that surprisingly didn¡¯t have the chubby exterior of a house mouse. Instead, they had a lean cut body which stood at around 1.5 meters tall. Based on their appearance alone, they seemed to be at the level of one-star.


    Facing off against them were the hellhounds. They were roughly 1.2 to 1.3 meters tall and resembled a large black dog. Their combat level was one-star as well.


    Judging by the 50 over corpses lying around the raging battlefield, they must¡¯ve been fighting since a while ago. Of these 50, a large portion of them were hellhounds.


    While the hellhounds had a slight strength advantage over the rodents, the rodents had a vast numerical advantage over the dogs. Just from a glance alone, I managed to count up to 200 rodents.


    The Abbadon rodents¡¯ claws weren¡¯t particularly sharp but their fangs were deadly. On top of being as sharp as a razor, they contained a toxin as well. While this toxin wasn¡¯t enough to kill the physically strong hellhounds, it was still able to weaken them significantly. One bite was enough to cause their limbs to go soft.


    It was a quick-acting toxin that started with minor signs of discomfort before rapidly weakening its host¡¯s strength.


    However, if one were to assume that the hellhounds were weak just based on this, they would be making a grave mistake. The dogs not only had a set of razor sharp claws but also had a bite force that could crush the bones of the rodents easily. Furthermore, they were able to channel their rage into a breath of fire.


    If they had equal numbers, the ones on the losing end would be those rodents instead. However, that ¡°if¡± never came to pass. The numerical difference was simply too large and it was only a matter of time before the dogs lost.


    ¡°Master, should we help them?¡± Nine-finger pointed at the two sides before continuing with a slight stammer: ¡°Isn¡¯t this battle a little too fierce?¡±


    One-eye coldly cut in: ¡°Help? Help who?¡±


    ¡°Err¡­how about those giant dogs.¡± Feeling the pressure of his big brother¡¯s gaze, Nine-finger immediately put on his ingratiating smile before throwing out a random answer.


    ¡°But the Abbadon rodents are winning right now.¡± No.5 pulled his eyes away from the battlefield and said: ¡°Let¡¯s help the giant rats.¡±


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    ¡°I feel that we should help the hellhounds as well. After all, they are fellow creatures from Purgatory.¡± No.3 chipped in before turning around to Big 4: ¡°Big 4, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°Help the hellhounds.¡± The ever-taciturn Big 4 expressed his support for No.3¡¯s opinion.


    ¡°You are all wrong.¡± One-eye shook his head dismissively before saying: ¡°We shouldn¡¯t help either side but instead let them fight it out. Once they are exhausted, we swoop in and turn them both into mincemeat.¡±


    Ruthless! That ruthless suggestion definitely suited One-eye¡¯s personality. He even wanted to turn them into food.


    ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter what we say in the end, it¡¯s Master who will make the final decision.¡± That conniving potato¡­he knew that his suggestion had garnered zero support and decided to dump the problem onto me.


    ¡°Master, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°Me? I kinda like doggies.¡± I smiled slightly and waved my hands: ¡°Go help those hellhounds.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±


    While my devils all had an evil personality, they had one thing going for them, and that was their obedience. As long as it was an order given by me, they will follow it to the letter.


    ¡°Shieldbearers advance, sabre wielders take up position behind them. Guardsmen, you¡¯re on the flanks.¡± As I gave out the familiar orders, I prepared my magic as well.


    As my devils slowly advanced, I stepped atop my rising bone wall and created a makeshift vantage point over the entire battlefield. With the grimoire and egg secured by my left hand, I raised my remaining arm and pointed it at the densest point in the ratmen crowd. Target: locked on!


    Fireball, charging up¡­

 Chapter 54: The Abbadon Rodents’ Defea

    Devils are capable of sexual reproduction.


    Under normal circumstances:


    ¢ÙHigh level devils are only able to give birth to high level devils. As for low level devils, if they are fed a large amount of energy during their pregnancy and also possess an original sin, the resultant egg might turn into a high level devil egg with a primal high level devil inside it.


    ¢ÚIf the fetus is fed more energy while they are in their eggshells, this energy will be stored. Once this energy reaches a certain threshold, the fetus will have a chance of evolving. However, this evolution only allows them to reach a maximum of four-star. If the energy stored is too much for the fetus to bear, it will automatically purge the excess energy. If it¡¯s unable to do so, the fetus will most likely die.


    With regards to the above points,


    ¢Ù£ºStrictly speaking, high level devils are devils who possess a surname. For example, infant illusion demons, infant devils, infant flame demons and other five-star devils are considered high level devils.However, not all high level devils are at or above the level of five-star. Some high level devils are only in the primal stage and thus are below the level of five-star.


    ¢Ú£ºThe primal stage refers to the newborn state of a high level devil with a surname. Devils in this stage have a power level of one-star to four-star. Five-star is the start of the infant stage.


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    (Simply put, if a devil has been fed enough energy and also possess an original sin, there¡¯s a high chancethat the inborn grade of the devil egg will be increased. Once that egg has been delivered, feeding it energy will merely increases its level and not the grade.)


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªFrom <>


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Casting a fireball requires five seconds of channeling and allows for more mana to be added to the spell even after these five seconds.


    This was exactly what I did as my subordinates began charging into the ratmen. The flames in my hand roared as the mana gradually flowed out of my hands and into the swirling ball of flames in hands. With every bit of mana I put in, the flames got that much bigger and hotter.


    By the time the shieldbearers made contact with the ratmen, the crackling of the flames had gotten to the point where it drowned out the sounds of battle and the heat itself warped my field of vision.


    This 1 meter wide miniature sun floated ominously in my hand as I looked down at my prey. Despite the scorching heat of the giant fireball, its flames didn¡¯t hurt me one bit as the fiery wisps playfully licked at my skin.


    With a light push of my right palm, I willed it towards the densest portion of the Abaddon Rodents¡¯ army.


    *BOOM!*


    As the giant fireball collided with a ratman, it engulfed the poor rodent, reducing him to cinders in a split second before exploding in a violent conflagration of excessive energy. Any ratman near the epicenter was seriously burned with some of them losing a limb or two to the residual flames from the explosion.


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    This deadly display of fireworks cost me an astonishing 15 units and while it was worth every unit of mana I spent, this spell wasn¡¯t something I could use regularly.


    Having recently summoned Vick, casting this fireball so soon after, left my mana pool severely drained.


    ¡°Vick, go help them.¡±


    In the midst of an ongoing battle, No.3 and Big 4 would usually stay by my side. As such, the only other noteworthy subordinate left was the two-star wraith, Vick.


    However, I soon regretted this decision as his stupidity came back to annoy me once more. The numbskull passed through my back with a whoosh and floated dumbly in front of me, looking at me with a pair innocent fish-eyes. Judging from his reaction, he probably didn¡¯t understand a thing after the word ¡°Vick¡±.


    ¡°Screw you, don¡¯t try to act cute with that ugly mug of yours. I told you to fight! Get it? FIGHT. Do you know how to fight?!¡± I pointed a trembling finger at the ongoing battle and shouted :¡± Go help them!¡±


    This time, he seemed to have gotten the message from my angry howling. He turned towards the direction I pointed in and paused for a second before eerily floating down to enter the battlefield.


    However, that little annoyance merely entered the battlefield and didn¡¯t actually attack anyone. Instead, he floated around the battlefield, teasing and pranking the participants like a mischievous little dog who loved to stir up trouble.


    Because this wasn¡¯t the first time they saw Vick, my subordinates knew to ignore the little numbskull as he flitted about the field.


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    On the other hand, the ratmen had no experience with Vick and his harmless pranks. After a round of his annoying antics, a ratman finally snapped. He lunged at the wispy annoyance and viciously bit down.


    His body lurched forward as the expected resistance of flesh never came, his mouth passing harmlessly through Vick, bringing his body along with it as his teeth clamped down upon each other. This unexpected development left the ratmen stunned in shock. He finally understood what sort of existence he was dealing with.


    Having been attacked for no rhyme or reason, the irate Vick decided to exact his vengeance upon the unsuspecting rat.


    While Vick was a peaceful person most of the time, this didn¡¯t mean that he won¡¯t get angry. Just the opposite, people like him tend to be extraordinarily wrathful when angered.


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    Vick floated to the back of that ratmen the very next moment and with a ruthless rake of his hands, dug out a chunk of bloody rat meat.


    *Chit!*


    The rodent screamed in pain as he immediately swiped back at the wraith. But no matter how he clawed or bit, they would pass through the now incorporeal Vick.


    As the micro-battle continued between the two, the rodent managed to score a couple of hits on Vick but given his strength, the hits were harmlessly soaked up by the wraith as if he was attacking a body of water instead. After that last attack, Vick¡¯s anger had mostly calmed down.


    ¡°Chit chit chit chit¡­¡± His maddened chittering filled the air as his futile attacks began to drive him to the brink of mental collapse.


    All this while, Vick merely stood by passively allowing the rodent to attack him as he wished while he watched with a taunting look on his face. From time to time, he would float around and taunt the rat even further.


    This game of ghost and mouse continued for another 10 more seconds before a change finally happened in the battlefield.


    Up till now, the devil¡¯s well-practised tactics and equipment had aided their happenstance allies, the hellhounds, greatly. In a mere minute, the Mo sabre wielders had slaughtered over 10 Abaddon rodents.


    All this was accomplished behind the stalwart safety of the heavy bone shields wielded by the shieldbearers. With a strength that was unmatched by any other large imp in my army, these shieldbearers formed an impregnable shield against the oncoming ratmen army.


    Against this brutish display of strength, the naturally weaker rodents were steadily pushed back by the advancing shield wall and the deadly thrusts of our sabres. They tried multiple times to break through our defensive line only to be repelled by the long ranged sabres.


    Some of the rodents had the clever idea of trying to flank the shieldbearers but unfortunately for them, all that awaited them at our flanks were the equally deadly guardsmen.


    These guardsmen were the elites of my army who had undergone careful grooming by me. If in the near future I¡¯m able to create a sufficient amount of equipment for my army, I would definitely promote these elites to the position of my personal guard where they would enjoy the highest standards of treatment.


    With their sword and shield in hand, they fulfilled an all purpose role within this battle. Whether it was on the offense or defense, their formidable combat strength would never disappoint me.


    As the rodents charged at them, the guardsmen would meet their charge head on with a quick bash of their shields swiftly followed up by a fatal stab at their now exposed bodies.


    With their impressive numbers and tactics, the timid rodents stood no chance against them. Within the short span of two to three minutes, there were already 50 over rodents lying dead on the battlefield.


    It was at this moment that the rodent who was being constantly harassed by Vick, gave out an ear-piercing squeal of pain that shattered the already low morale of the rats.


    This single squeal opened the floodgates for the collapse of the ratmen army; no matter who it was, devil or ratmen, facing the unknown was always a terrifying prospect.


    With such a perfect opportunity laid out before him, One-eye immediately rallied the devils into a thunderous charge. ¡°FOR THE MASTER!¡±


    With this, the curtains drew to a close on this battle between the hellhounds and the Abbadon rodents.


    The combined might of our devils, Vick and the hellhounds and had shattered their army. Their backlines began to flee without any regard for their comrades currently engaged in battle. The ratmen on the frontlines noticed this as well and began to beat a hysterical retreat.


    *CHIT CHIT CHIT CHIT!*


    All this while, the maddened squeals of a certain rodent continued to echo in the air, striking terror into the hearts of the rodents. Their battle formation soon crumbled as the fleeing rodents not only left a hole in the formation but also disrupted any rodent who still tried to resist.


    I had to admit, this numbskull did a good job today. The fact that we were able to defeat the ratmen so easily was in large part due to the psychological damage he had inflicted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let them get away! Kill them!¡±


    Nine-finger roared for the army to continue their pursuit. As he did so, his spiked mace would smash any rodent that failed to run away in time. One-eye joined in the chase as well but gave up soon after. The retreating rodents were simply too quick for them.


    Even so, the number of rats that managed to escape were less than 150.


    *Awoo~~~*


    With the Abaddon rodents gone, the remaining hellhounds began to gather together in a circle, growling at us as they did so.


    While I didn¡¯t understand their language, I was still able to deduce the meaning from their tone. They warned us against trying any tricks and also inquired about our intentions.


    The hellhounds had long since been aware of our appearance and while we were both creatures of Purgatory, the hellhounds didn¡¯t feel a shred of kinship with the devils.


    If it wasn¡¯t for the Abaddon rodents separating us from them, they might¡¯ve attacked us right from the start. After all, our relation could at best be described as neighbors. Without a strong leader controlling them, the devils and hellhounds would probably hunt each other down on sight.


    However, this didn¡¯t mean that they were blind to our previous display of aid. Due to our previous assistance, the hellhounds merely adopted a cautious stance instead of attacking us.


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    Of course, it could just be that we were too strong for them.


    ¡°HEY! (¥Î?Òæ?)¥Î, we just saved your asses and this is how you repay us?¡±


    As expected of the mentally handicapped Nine-finger, each word he utters is enough to start a war¡­

 Chapter 55: Violet Snow

    ¡°©d(¨RO¨Q)¡¨Grrr~~~¡±


    After that battle with the Abaddon Rodents, the hellhounds number less than a 100. Even so, they didn¡¯t show any intention of retreating even in the face of the devil army several times their size. Instead, they fearlessly bared their claws as they growled menacingly at us.


    However, their growls merely seemed foolish to me.


    ¡°I suggest that you get a better understanding of your situation before you growl at us.¡± One-eye readied his shield before aggressively smacking his giant spike mace into the ground.


    In his typical display of showboating, he taunted them with his nose pointing at the sky: ¡°If it¡¯s a fight you¡¯re looking for, we¡¯re more than willing to accept.¡±


    ¡°Grrr grrr~~~¡±


    The hellhounds ignored his provocations and merely stood there, neither retreating or advancing as they maintained their conspicuously defensive formation.


    Upon seeing them not take the bait, Nine-finger and One-eye turned towards me with an inquiring gaze in their eyes. Their intentions were clear, they wanted to attack these uncommunicative dogs who they felt were going to be our enemy.


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    It was at this moment that No.5 stepped in. He interrupted One-eye with a wave of his hand and flashed him a roguish smile before swaggering towards the hellhounds, not caring whether One-eye understood his message or not.


    He put on what was, in his opinion, a winning smile and slowly approached the dogs, all the while waving his empty hands to show his peaceful intent.


    As he approached them, the hellhounds didn¡¯t attack him but simply maintained their vigilant stare. Their inaction seemed to have given No.5 the answer he was looking for. He turned around to face One-eye and Nine-finger and gave them a smug toothy grin.


    Turning back to face the hellhounds, he reached out to pat one of the heads like a ¡°master¡± would do for his pet.


    And then, the conceited little scamp got the fright of his life¡­


    Just as he was about to pat that dog, the hellhound suddenly opened his mouth, displaying his razor sharp fangs for the world to see before giving him a warning chomp.


    While it clearly wasn¡¯t an attempt at hurting No.5, the displeasure was transmitted loud and clear through the bite.


    As the scorching breath of hot air left the hellhound¡¯s mouth and licked No.5¡¯s hand, he immediately withdrew it in panic before running away with his tail between his leg. He scampered all the way back to us and cowered behind my legs.


    ¡°Idiot,¡± his previous indignation completely vented as he scolded No.5.


    At the side, Nine-finger danced and sang around No.5. While the song was pretty horrible, No. 5 deserved that little bit of punishment.


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    Based on their low growls, it was clear that they didn¡¯t want us to approach them and given their circular formation, they must be protecting something in the middle.


    ¡°Master, I feel that we should just wipe them out.¡± He threw them an incensed look as he said so. He must¡¯ve been really annoyed that his grandstanding was so thoroughly ignored. It was, after all, an insult to his self-esteem.


    ¡°Master, I agree with One-eye as well.¡± As expected of his little brother, he was the first one to declare his support. ¡°They¡¯ve clearly rejected our attempts at communication, this is a challenge towards us!¡±


    ¡°Master, I second that opinion.¡± No. 5 stood by the side, innocently fanning the flames.


    ¡°Is that what you guys are really thinking?¡± Regarding their little schemes, I had seen through them since the very beginning¡­bunch of potatoes¡­


    ¡°¡­¡± With their inciting behavior exposed, the three potatoes smartly kept their mouths shut.


    ¡°Sigh, I¡¯ll have a look myself.¡± Their pea-brains were basically beyond saving by now. Having said that, I began to approach the hellhounds.


    ¡°Master, please reconsider your decision. There might be danger ahead.¡± No. 3 immediately stepped forward to block me with Big 4 joining in the very next second.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, the little doggies are all good kids.¡± I calmly weaved through the two imps and continued onwards with a faint smile on my lips. Because the grimoire and egg in my hands were obviously not a weapon, the dogs didn¡¯t express much hostile intent as I neared them.


    As I slowly closed in on them, the front few hellhounds started sniffing the air before visibly letting down their guard. If I had to hazard a guess, my unique fragrance was at work once more. Soon, they stopped growling and seemed to even welcome me.


    *scratch scratch*


    I reached out to the nearest hellhound and lightly scratched him on the underside of his chin. As my fingers gently raked through his fur, the hellhound slowly relaxed his mouth and eyes, clearly enjoying my petting.


    Seeing their comrade so happy, made the other hellhounds want to approach me as well. Soon they were all leaning in on me with their heads, their longing puppy dog eyes staring right at me.


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    ¡°You want some attention too?¡± I gently petted him without waiting for him to reply. Judging from the way he rubbed himself against my hand, he clearly didn¡¯t mind that bit of haste.


    ¡°Woof woof woof~~¡±


    To them, I was a harmless petting machine. They jostled their way towards me, each of them eager for their turn at being petted. With each rub, they would give out a light woof to express their delight.


    ¡°Master¡­Master¡­is so formidable¡­¡±


    The imps stared at me, slack jawed; they couldn¡¯t believe what they had just seen.


    As the dogs moved in for their petting session, their formation began to fell apart, revealing what they were previously guarding closely. It was a snowy white puppy¡­puppy?


    She looked like a newborn who had just weaned herself off her mother¡¯s milk. She had a lustrous snowy white coat of fur that had a slight purplish sheen on it. Her eyes were a brilliant shade of gold that had the natural beauty of amber. With such an adorable appearance, she would¡¯ve sent scores of women on Earth, squealing in delight.


    At least it would have, if not for the extremely dissatisfied look on her face right now. Don¡¯t ask me how I knew that she was upset, all you have to know is that her displeasure could be smelled from a mile away.


    ¡°Hello there.¡± While I didn¡¯t know if she understood me, I still greeted her out of habit.


    The little puppy ignored my greeting and continued glaring at me.


    ¡°¡­¡± Truth be told, I¡¯m starting to feel a little pressured. Ever since that little puppy appeared, the dogs quieted down, Their affectionate behaviour noticeably growing colder as they began to distance themselves from me.


    I had intended to recruit these hellhounds which was why I took the initiative to approach them but the appearance of this puppy had thrown my plans into disarray. Perhaps, it would be more accurate to say that she complicated matters.


    Ever since the day I was born in the Blood Sea, devils had been inexplicably attracted to me. This was how I recruited One-eye and the now dead, Big 1.


    They were both the bosses of their own little troop and were much stronger than me at that time. It wouldn¡¯t be a stretch to say that, if they wanted to capture me then, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to live as freely as I did now.


    Ever since that time, I¡¯ve been wondering why they offered to serve me. The answer soon revealed itself during my subsequent evolution. My body began to emit a strange fragrance which, in my opinion, was the main reason why they agreed to serve me.


    Which means to say that, my body was able to emit a strange scent that was able to mesmerize these devils, or should I say, it was a scent that they loved. It was also this scent that made them treat me like a high level devil.


    Exactly what kind of existence am I to these devils?


    It was an important question but one that should be put aside for now.


    Was there a subspecies of hellhounds that had white fur? Or was it an albino? A mutant?


    The white puppy calmly trotted over to me, as she did so, the hellhounds would make way for her, prostrating themselves as they did so. They tilted up their hind legs and lowered their chins with their paws stretched out in front in a pose that reminded me of people paying homage to an emperor.


    Coupled with the way the Abbadon Rodents seemed to attack them in a purposeful manner, it was clear for all to see that this puppy had a lofty status within the hellhounds.


    As the little puppy got closer, I began to feel slightly suppressed by her aura. I subconsciously gulped, all this while, my brain seemed to want me to retreat. However, I forcefully suppressed this desire. No matter what, I had my own dignity and this dignity wouldn¡¯t allow me to retreat in the face of a little puppy.


    If that¡¯s the case, I need to do something to change this atmosphere¡­AH!


    Didn¡¯t I just learn how to craft a bone spear?


    In order not to be seen as a threat, I summoned a half finished spear and slowly rounded out the already blunt edges. A few seconds later, a tiny toy bone laid in my hands, similar to those toys used by little puppies.


    I gave the toy bone a light toss over the white puppy¡¯s head. The cute little bone spun around as it arced over the white puppy and landed softly behind her tail. I lowered my back slightly, clapped my hands and said with a gentle smile on my face: ¡°Go on, fetch.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± The white puppy ignored the toy and continued trotting up to me and with a gentle tilt of her head, she gave me a look that seemed to scream ¡° Are you an idiot?¡±¡­


    ¡°¡­¡± I¡¯ve been spurned by a dog¡­T_T.


    ¡°Don¡¯t act in a way that only an idiot would, aren¡¯t you here to negotiate with us?¡± Even now, her eyes kept saying to me ¡°Retard¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡­you can talk?¡± It had never occurred to me that they were able to talk, in fact, it had never occurred to me that hellhounds had such a subspecies either.


    The white puppy replied in a deadpan voice: ¡°Is it strange for devils to know the language of devils?¡±


    ¡°No¡­it¡¯s not strange at all¡­¡± So hellhounds are devils as well¡­wait, so this white puppy is a devil as well?


    Somehow, that little puppy feels kinda domineering, if she was a human, she should be the queen type¡­


    I didn¡¯t really take to that kind of woman so I decided to steer the conversation in a different direction, ¡°Err, I¡¯m Mo Ke, what about you?¡±


    ¡°Violet Snow.¡± She had a melodious and slightly mellow voice that was pleasing to the ear. Unfortunately, this pleasing voice was owned by a dominatrix that had an overbearing aura of pressure.


    ¡°Violet Snow huh. It¡¯s a really nice name.¡± I nodded my head, casually praising her name after which I continued: ¡°Do you mind me asking if you are a boy or a girl?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Why did she give me that look again¡­

 Chapter 56: Hunting the Ratmen Part 1

    Despite our conversation that went nowhere, Violet Snow expressed her intent to join us. Surprisingly, she was only unsociable on the surface.


    While she wasn¡¯t willing to talk about her background, I vaguely knew that she was no ordinary hellhound. Her unusual white fur and small body coupled with the fact that so many hellhounds served her, all these showed that she couldn¡¯t be some kid from an ¡°average household¡±.


    As we explored the Prison of the Dead, three hellhounds led the way for us while I walked alongside Violet Snow, my two bodyguards beside me as well. Surrounding us was a ring of hellhounds followed closely behind by my subordinates.


    It has been an hour since we met them, during this time, nothing eventful happened except for that potato Nine-finger suddenly interrupting our conversation by shouting: ¡°Master, these Abaddon Rodents aren¡¯t enough for us to eat.¡±


    At that moment, I felt like I wanted to die from the embarrassment especially when she gave me that ¡°birds of a feather, flock together¡± look¡­


    When it comes to finding food, there¡¯s no way a bunch of newcomers like us could compare to the hellhounds who were basically locals by now. Besides, my imps didn¡¯t have a nose as sensitive as those doggies.


    And so an hour passes without us finding any food. By now, my subordinates were a little restless and began throwing the hellhounds a strange and nefarious look.


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    ¡°Hey¡­where are we headed to? Aren¡¯t there other sources of food nearby?¡±


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    Violet Snow gave me a cold glance before continuing without answering my question.


    Having had previous interactions with her, I was, to some degree, familiar with her personality. She had a cold personality or should I say, she wasn¡¯t willing to interact with people. She constantly had that cold, displeased look on her face as if someone owed her a million dollars.


    Even so, I still felt that she was only unsociable on the surface, although her acid tongue ended up causing me trouble from time to time.


    BUT, just look at that adorable face of hers¡­all these problems are only minor issues in front of this pretty little face¡­


    Gentlemen, I have a confession to make¡­I¡¯m a member of the good-looks club.


    After another few minutes of walking, I discovered some fur scattered around the bony floor in front of us. It was a grayish black fur which resembled those the rodents had.


    Just by looking at the scene, I could tell that there had been a battle here, it was just that the scars of battle had been cleaned up. Despite the lack of bloodshed and corpses left behind, I could vaguely tell that this battle had happened recently.


    ¡°These belong to the Abbadon Rodent?¡± After inspecting the fur that No.5 brought back, that was the conclusion I had to come. Only those ratmen had such a dirty looking fur.


    ¡°It¡¯s them.¡± She gave me a curt reply along with her usual cold stare before ignoring me once more as if another word would¡¯ve harmed her in some way.


    My face fell as a sudden thought occurred to me: ¡°Did you bring us to find the nest of those ratmen?¡±


    Violet Snow nodded her head and calmly replied: ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± That nonchalance was truly exasperating¡­


    ¡°Then do you know their rough numbers?¡±


    ¡°How would I know of such a thing?¡± She answered in a matter-of-fact tone. ¡°It¡¯s not like I took a walk in their home before.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± God damn it! You don¡¯t even know their numbers and yet you boldly brought us to their nest to kill them?! Are you sure you aren¡¯t trying to get yourself killed?


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Scared?¡±


    ¡°No, I just don¡¯t like your proposal.¡±


    What¡¯s with that disdainful look¡­this isn¡¯t being scared..it¡¯s called not having any assurance. How is charging into an enemy¡¯s base without any information, not a suicidal move?!


    ¡°If you are scared, you can choose to escape, but it¡¯s probably too late to escape¡­¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°Because we¡¯re almost there.¡±


    As she finished saying this, she ignored me once more and continued leading the pack.


    Her determined attitude left me stuck between a rock and a hard place. I didn¡¯t want to face this unknown threat and yet I didn¡¯t want to leave this adorable puppy to die. It was truly a love hate relationship that I had with her. Since I¡¯m not willing to let her go in alone, I could only sigh in resignation as I continued following her.


    Just as I sighed, Violet Snow suddenly stopped, her body rigid.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°The enemy is here.¡±


    As those words left her mouth, a bunch of ratmen stuck out their ugly heads from the corner ahead. They looked around in what looked like an attempt at stealth. Their eyes widened in shock a second later as their eyes peered in our direction. The poor sod probably didn¡¯t expect to encounter an enemy on a routine patrol.


    Bone Spear!


    Bone spear was a fast casting spell that only required a second of prep before I could toss it. Furthermore, it was even faster than my darkness arrow and fireball, making it perfect for such a sneak attack.


    Like a sniper¡¯s bullet, the bone spear pierced through the ratmen¡¯s head before he even saw it coming.


    Mhm, not bad. The damage isn¡¯t as much as the fireball but it¡¯s definitely a tier higher than my darkness arrow.


    ¡°Chit chit¡­¡± With his dying breath, he gave out a pained squeak that definitely attracted the attention of any nearby kinsman.


    ¡°Well, you definitely can¡¯t run away now.¡± She gave me an evil look, the kind where their eyes seemed to be laughing at you. Seems like she¡¯s pretty pleased with this development.


    ¡°Ah well, I never intended to run away anyway. It¡¯s just that I didn¡¯t feel too comfortable about fighting an enemy I had no information about.¡± I gave her a shrug as I said so.


    Guess there¡¯s no avoiding it now¡­with that, I sent out my orders: ¡°Battle formations!¡±


    Upon receiving the order, my devils immediately took up their positions like a well-oiled machine and within seconds, our formation was ready.


    ¡°One-eye, I¡¯ll leave the commanding to you.¡±


    One-eye: ¡°Understood, Master.¡±


    Violet Snow ordered her hellhounds to guard our flanks along with the guardsmen. Having done so, she turned to me and in a rare display of affection, reassured me: ¡° Don¡¯t worry, they only number around a thousand. They shouldn¡¯t be more than 1200.¡±


    Around a thousand? Judging from our previous battle with them, a thousand ratmen weren¡¯t that much, given their combat strength.


    However, just to be safe, I decided to reconfirm this fact: ¡° How do you know that?¡±


    ¡°We got here by following the trail of that army of ratmen. Normally, their hunting parties are around 20% to 30% of the total strength of the entire clan. That ratmen army we met was roughly 300 rats strong.


    ¡°This means that this clan should have a strength of 1000 to 1500 rats. 1500 is the the absolute maximum, their real numbers shouldn¡¯t be this much. Don¡¯t forget to count those dead ratmen inside that number as well.¡±


    ¡°Besides, I¡¯m not that stupid to challenge them without any assurances. Based on that previous battle, I¡¯ve noticed that your devils are exceptionally strong. Especially those geared devils, they should be able to handle a number at least three times theirs. With my hellhounds added into the mix, this battle should be a done deal.¡±


    ¡°¡­alright, you win.¡±


    This cute little puppy actually started plotting from the moment she met us¡­you really can¡¯t judge a book by its cover.


    While she technically took advantage of us, I still wasn¡¯t mad at her. Instead, her exploitative actions merely seemed smart to me. After all, she didn¡¯t actually force us to help her, she merely hid some information from us.


    During our previous battle, we basically suffered zero losses. While some unlucky guardsmen got infected by their toxin and thus were unable to fight now, their equipment weren¡¯t lost. As such, it was just a simple matter of swapping in some reserves.


    Furthermore, she was right about my devils being strong. With those refined equipment aiding them, the fangs and toxins of the ratmen shouldn¡¯t be able to kill them. In fact, their swords should be able to hack them to death in a slash. These equipment were after all, labors of my love.


    Just as the formation was set up, a large swarm of ratmen circled around the corner ahead of us.


    In just a few seconds alone, their numbers rapidly swelled as they crashed into us like a tidal wave of fur.


    ¡°Hold the line! Don¡¯t retreat! Hold that line!¡± One-eye shouted from behind the Mo sabre wielders.


    As usual, the shieldbearers were at the forefront of the formation, with a heavy slam of their shields, they rooted their bone shields to the ground, forming a shield wall. Under the command of No.5, a number of reserves went up to brace these shields as well.


    The ratmen swarmed at the shields in a maddened frenzy that threatened to overwhelm the shieldbearers. Thankfully, the reserves came in to brace the shields in time. It was then that the meat grinder kicked into action.


    With a deadly swing and stab of their razor sharp sabres, the rat swarm in front of the wall was quickly thinned out in a gory display of blood and death. Before the majority of the swarm could reach the wall, the sabres would lop off their heads or skewer them in a quick thrust.


    Within the ratmen swarm was an exceptionally large, black-furred ratmen. He had an extremely burly physique and was at least 2 meters tall. While he looked extremely powerful, he gave off a sense of clumsiness as well.


    Next to him were a group of 1.8 meter tall ratmen encircling him. They numbered slightly over ten and judging from their defensive stance, that giant ratmen in the middle was probably their boss.


    The ratmen boss was busy commanding the swarm in midst of that defensive ring. From his vantage point, he was able to see the deadly effectiveness of our Mo sabres. In just a few seconds, nearly 30 ratmen died before they even had the chance to touch our shield walls.


    Feeling the pressure of this, he immediately ordered the ratmen to avoid the shieldbearers and instead attack our flanks.


    While they had no information on the geared devils, they were basically long time acquaintances with the hellhounds. Both sides were extremely familiar with the other¡¯s tactics. And it was this familiarity that made him decide to attack our flanks.


    Truth be told, while these ratmen were one-star, they were probably at the bottom of the one-star rung. They didn¡¯t possess many ways to kill their opponents directly. Instead, their main offensive power was their toxin but this required time to kick in. Furthermore, they actually had to bite their opponents in order to spread this toxin.


    These two shortcomings were fatal to the Abaddon Rodents as they faced off against the stronger and well-armed devils. With their shields and deadly swords preventing the rats from getting a clear bite in, these devils were their natural nemesis!


    ¡°Chit Chit Chit!!¡±


    Under the orders of the ratmen boss, the ratmen on standby split into two groups, one to attack our left flank and one to attack our right flank.


    The lack of mobility was the biggest weakness of the shieldbearers. They couldn¡¯t change formations easily and required the cooperation of others to do so. Furthermore, they posed no threat on their own.


    It was precisely for these reasons that the ratmen boss decided to flank us.

 Chapter 57: Hunting the Ratmen Part 2

    The ratmen¡¯s plan was to overwhelm the guardsmen on the flanks. It was a sound plan that made full use of their numerical advantage.


    The ratmen had over 600 rodents in total versus the 60 guardsmen split between the flanks. Just based on this disparity alone, they had enough members to instantly swarm the defensive line in one charge, throwing the guardsmen into disarray.


    While the flanks were aided slightly by the Mo sabres and shieldbearers, they didn¡¯t have their fixed, orderly formations backing them up. And so, their sabres didn¡¯t create a significant impact.


    If it had been my army facing them alone, we would¡¯ve been in huge trouble by now but thankfully, we had the hellhounds backing us up. As the ratmen swarmed in, they pounced forward to block their charge.


    For every ratmen that tried to charge forward, they would be met with the deadly fangs of the hellhounds. With our canine allies holding the line temporarily, the guardsmen were able to reform their ranks.


    By now, the reserves had also reinforced their numbers. While they didn¡¯t have the deadly bone swords aiding them, their bone clubs were still able to stun the ratmen with a bash to their heads. These defenseless rats were swiftly stabbed to death by the guardsmen.


    Now that the guardsmen had stabilized themselves, the battle became much simpler with the hellhounds tying down the ratmen with their relentless bites and the guardsmen swiftly following this up with a slash of their swords.


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    This quick recovery was in large part due to the hellhounds¡¯ timely help. Having had his plans foiled once more by his old rival, the ratman boss was livid.


    With the wings now under control, One-eye withdrew the order to have the sabre wielders and shieldbearers participate in the battle at the flanks. He instead ordered them to reform the shield wall and hold positions.


    ¡°Chit chit chit~~~~~¡±


    As time passed, more and more ratmen joined in the fight. With this new batch added in, their numbers crossed the 700 mark.


    While their ferocity was just as fearless and frenzied as before, they didn¡¯t have the brains to back up their brawns. All we had to do was hold positions at our defensive lines and wait for them to attack us.


    ¡°Rawr !!!¡±


    With the arrival of the reinforcements, the ratman boss bellowed into the air and began to march forward. From the looks of it, he was finally going to join in the battle.


    Based on his body, he should be between the level of two-star and three star.


    As his gargantuan body marched forward, he shoved the other lesser rats to the side. With another thunderous roar, he rushed at us like the imposing truck which sent me to this world. As he madly careened through the mass of rodents, he knocked his own subordinates to the side without giving them a second look.


    With their boss now in the fray, those two-star ratman bodyguards joined in as well.


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    This was a disastrous turn of events for the shieldbearers. After all, the charge of over 10 two-star Abaddon Rodents was nothing to scoff at. Especially, since the shieldbearers were only one-star.


    While they were the strongest among my large imps and had the stalwart heavy bone shields to back them up. A pure clash of strength like this could be said to be their weak point.


    Their strength was the backbone for their formidable defensive power. But on the flip side, if someone came at them with strength greater than their own, this defense would crumble in an instant.


    While the rodents weren¡¯t known for their brute strength, the disparity in level ensured that even the weakest among the two-star rodents could at least match the shieldbearers. Furthermore, they still had the monstrous ratman boss backing them up, a formidable foe who might even have the strength of a three- star.


    The first to reach the shield wall was naturally the ratman boss. His first charge went basically unopposed as his immense strength sent even the two large imps bracing the shield, flying several meters back.


    With this breach created by their boss, the two-star rodents directly penetrated our defensive line. The sabre wielders were now like insects who had lost their carapace, without the shieldbearers, they were easy prey for the ratmen. The best they could do now was buy time with their lives.


    The shieldbearers were still able to hold off the attacks of the two-star rodents on their own but the sabre wielders didn¡¯t have the luxury of a sturdy shield. They were after all, a purely offensive troop designed to rely on the defensive shieldbearers.. As such, all they could do now was attack.


    Several Mo sabres stabbed ruthlessly at a single ratman bodyguard but the two-star ratman simply leaped into the air, dodging the spears. Compared to the unwieldy Mo sabres, these weaponless rats had a much easier time maneuvering around even in the thick of this battle.


    In fact, this disadvantageous situation was the biggest boon for the ratmen, bringing their innate agility to the forefront of this battle.


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    *swoosh*


    Another Mo sabre slashed at a ratman bodyguard. Without any armor protecting him, this sabre definitely had enough penetrating power to kill him. Whether it was the one-star rodents or the two-star rodents, they were all vulnerable to the Mo sabre. This bodyguard was no exception either.


    Sensing the impending danger, he nimbly dodged to the right, his body on a collision course with a nearby shieldbearer. Under normal circumstances, the shieldbearer would simply push the rodent back into the sabre. But this expected collision never happened. Instead, at the very last second, that rodent leaped into the air in a death-defying feat of acrobatics.


    As the rodent landed gracefully behind the shieldbearer, he immediately kicked the large imp away, snatched the heavy bone shield and braced it against the incoming Mo sabre.


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    *Bang*


    The sabre crashed into the shield with a resounding bang but outside of that, no harm befell the two-star rodent. All that remained of their collision was a tiny scar on the heavy shield¡¯s surface.


    This last minute improvisation by the ratman had stunned the sabre wielder but he quickly recovered from the surprise and began furiously stabbing at the shield. However, try as he might, the heavy shield bone didn¡¯t budge a inch from his rain of spear thrusts.


    After deflecting several of his blows, the ratman gave up on merely defending and instead charged at the devil with the shield.


    Like the medieval pikemen on Earth, mobility definitely wasn¡¯t the forte of the sabre wielders. In fact, the current situation was in large part due to their short-leggedness. This coupled with the fact that there was only two meters between the imp and the rodent, meant that the sabre wielder was basically a sitting duck for the rodent¡¯s charge.


    As my annoyingly well-crafted shield slammed into the devil, he was sent flying almost instantly by the impact.


    After which, the rodent immediately tossed away the shield. I guess the shield didn¡¯t suit his tastes.


    The reserves tried to stop the two-star rodent but their primitive clubs were basically useless against him and they ended up getting hurt for nothing. Soon, the casualties began to climb on our side.


    The moment I heard that roar from the ratman boss, I had already begun preparing my spells. Since I wasn¡¯t sure what level he was, I decided to play it safe by using my strongest spell, the fireball.


    With that much time to channel it, the fireball had reached an impressive diameter of 1 meter. I mentally focused on the ratman boss and hauled the giant ball of flames at the ratman boss.


    While I was busy doing so, the ratman boss was preoccupied with my army. He grabbed a nearby large imp and begun using him as a makeshift club. The ratman¡¯s strength could only be described as monstrous; with each of his devil club, the air pressure alone was enough to send the devils stumbling back a step or two.


    The shieldbearers tried to surround him with their shields but it merely elicited a disdainful snort from the rodent. He gave them a contemptuous sweep of his eyes before casually knocking them away with a swing of his devil club.


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    With such heavy forces bearing down on the poor devil, his body simply couldn¡¯t bear the burden and finally exploded in a gory mess of blood and flesh as his head impacted with the third shieldbearer.


    Now that his weapon was destroyed, the ratman boss had to search for a ¡°replacement¡±. But before he could do so, an overbearing heat began to bear down upon him. As he felt the rising heat upon his black fur, he looked up into the air and spotted the giant fireball I tossed towards him.


    By the time he had noticed this, the fireball was within meters of him. Dodging it basically impossible now and so he didn¡¯t. The ratman boss tossed away the ragged devil club and immediately reached out towards a nearby heavy shield with his right arm.


    With a forceful grab, he dragged the shield in front of him, bearer and all, and used it to block the fireball. As expected of the ratman boss, even in a tense situation like this, he managed to keep his cool!


    *Boom!*


    The bone shield shattered instantly upon impact. As the residual shockwave blew past the shattered shield, it careened into its intended target, the ratman boss. He was forcefully sent tumbling backwards, crashing into several devils and rats before finally coming to a stop.


    ¡°Chit Chit Chit!!¡±


    The ratman stood up right away after regaining his balance. Outside of a few singed hairs, the residual force hadn¡¯t done much damage to him. He gave his head a forceful shake, dispelling the bout of dizziness from his tumbling before turning towards me. He had traced the fireball¡¯s trajectory to my location and as he did so, he let out a wrathful roar.


    A second later, a devil ¡°missile¡± was sent flying towards me courtesy of the ratman boss. The ruthless b*****d had grabbed one of the winded devils nearby and tossed him at me.


    Thankfully, there was at least 10 meters between me and the ratman boss. Furthermore, my eyes had never left him so upon seeing him turn towards me. I had already prepared to cast my bone wall.


    As the devil ¡°missile¡± closed in on me, my bone wall rose up in the nick of time, blocking it.


    *Splat*


    While I was fine, the unfortunate large imp had been reduced to a pile of meat upon colliding with my reinforced bone wall.


    ¡°RAWR!¡±


    Seeing his ranged attack fail, he gave up any further attempts and instead charged right at me.


    Bone Wall! Bone Wall! Bone Wall!


    I immediately summoned three walls in his path but these hastily erected walls were no match for the approaching tank. The ratman boss tore through them like paper and continued on as if nothing had happened.


    ¡°Defense!¡±


    This ratman boss was just too strong for me to handle alone.


    ¡°Protect the Master!¡±


    My devils howled into the air as they recklessly tossed themselves into the ratman¡¯s path, any semblance of a formation, abandoned to the winds.


    However, their brave efforts were all futile. The strength disparity was simply too great for these one-star imps. With a simple kick and punch, the ratman boss sent any obstacle flying away in an instant.


    ¡°Master retreat, leave this guy to me!¡± One-eye roared as he leaped at the ratman with his spiked mace held high. Unfortunately, his usually formidable mace was nothing before the unstoppable momentum of the ratman¡¯s charge. In a split second, One-eye was knocked away. Even his sidekick, Nine-finger was sent flying with a simple kick.

 Chapter 58: A Fierce Battle with the Ratman Boss

    No matter who it was, whether it was the one-star imps or the two-star One-eye, none of them stood a chance against the rampaging locomotive known as the ratman boss. It barely took him a second for him to knock aside anyone who got in his way.


    A portion of the large imps were so terrified that they lost their will to fight. All they could do was stand there in a daze, dumbly watching as the rodent charged towards me.


    ¡°Master be careful!¡±


    ¡°Master stand back!¡±


    No.3 and Big 4 shouted as they rushed out to shield me. From the moment they saw him break into a charge, they had already adopted a vigilant stance. In just a short span of time, the formidable rodent had already knocked aside ten more imps as if they were nothing more than bowling pins.


    He had come. After forcing his way through hundreds of my imps, he was now a measly 50 meters away from me. At this distance, I could feel his hatred filled eyes boring into me.


    He picked up his pace even further. With just a few more seconds before he reaches me, there¡¯s no longer any need for hesitation or caution. He charged, the fury in his eyes growing more oppressive with each step he took.


    My heart skipped a beat as the sheer ferocity of his gaze stunned me for a second. Focus! I forcefully suppressed my body¡¯s discomfort.


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    Bone Wall!


    Just as he was about to collide with No.3 and Big 4, I erected my bone walls. Three massive bone walls rose out of the ground in a flurry of bone fragments and dust. Due to the sheer speed of the ratman, I couldn¡¯t channel too much mana into these walls thus resulting in the walls being significantly thinner than I would like.


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    While it definitely couldn¡¯t stop his charge, hindering him for a second should be possible.


    As the bone wall rose up without warning, the ratman boss¡¯s feet landed right on top of it, abruptly halting his stride, causing him to trip and nearly fall from the loss of balance. However, the ratman immediately reacted to this by stomping down on the brittle wall, crushing it in an instant before continuing his charge, leaving the bone wall to continue its pointless ascent.


    While this bone wall didn¡¯t slow the ratman down by much, it still succeeded in delaying him for a second.


    The timing of the bone wall must¡¯ve also been perfect as the ratman¡¯s pacing had been significantly disrupted by that minor trip. As he struggled to maintain his furious speed, he staggered a few steps before finally giving up and adopting a more primitive beastlike stance.


    ¡°Chit Chit Chit!!¡±


    It was still the same old chittering from the ratman but at this moment, he seemed more like a terrifying dragon from the legends.


    Having adopted a beastial charge, his ferocity rose even further. He tore through the remaining two bone walls as if they were paper and continued his charge unhindered.


    ¡°Go and die!¡±


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    No. 3 and Big 4 roared as he dashed to meet the ratman head on. Unfortunately, their lack of an arm made them that much weaker than One-eye. With a slight acceleration on his part, the ratman easily sent them flying.


    With the two hindrances gone, his focus locked back onto me.


    At this very moment, the only person who could protect me was the snow white puppy standing beside me. However, there¡¯s no way this newborn puppy could possibly stand up to this ferocious charge.


    Just based on the size difference alone, he could probably stomp her to death.


    ¡°Stop him!¡±


    In the heat of the moment, I had almost forgotten that I still had one more trump card to play. As I looked at the silent grimoire, I pinned my last hopes on it and tossed it at the rat in what was my version of the hail mary throw.


    Who knew that this b*****d would immediately betray my hopes. After flying for a mere two meters, it immediately flew back at me. It even flew above me, to a height where I couldn¡¯t reach even if I jumped!


    ¡°Hey! ©c(?_?)¥ÎWhat are you trying to pull here! It¡¯s a crucial moment right now, if you don¡¯t help, I¡¯m going to die!¡±


    As I hastily backpedalled, my right arm hugging the devil egg still, I yanked on the bone chain connected to my left arm, hoping that it would be enough to drag that little b*****d back down. However, the grimoire stubbornly refused to come down, leaving me in an awkward situation.


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    As all these happened, the ratman was still charging towards me. Without any other option left, I decided to take a gamble and activated my untested ability ¡ª-Shadow Guardian.


    As the mana instantly drained from my body, the shadow behind me began to stir of its own accord.


    By now, I could see the whites of the ratman¡¯s eyes. His mouth widened as if he was going to swallow me whole and howled with that rancid breath of his.


    The shadow guardian swiftly elongated itself and coiled itself around the ratman like a giant python. With a raise of his shadowy scythe-like hands, he hacked ruthlessly at the ratman¡¯s neck. However, this was merely a minor obstacle to the ratman.


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    He violently writhed around and a split second later, tore through the shadowy binding and began to attack me once more.


    He dove at me head and claws first. Up close, I finally felt the brunt of his oppressive, murderous aura. As my head blanked out in fright, I fell on my butt and dumbly stared at the impending doom, any thoughts of crawling away, totally forgotten.


    Is this the end? If there¡¯s no other surprises, I¡¯m definitely dying the very next second. No! I must hold on even if it¡¯s just for one more second.


    The shadow guardian only requires a second to reform after being destroyed; all it cost me was more mana.


    As the shadowy figure stirred from my shadow, it turned into a serpentine figure once more and coiled around the ratman. I knew the result would probably be the same. The shadow guardian is just not able to match this rat so all this is just a futile endeavor. All it could do was buy me one extra second of life.


    By now, my vision was filled with his furry visage.


    I¡¯m going to die again¡­there¡¯s no one left to save me this time¡­by the way, why aren¡¯t I dead yet? It¡¯s already been several seconds.


    Hey, what¡¯s with the mime show. If you are going to kill me, just do it, why must you mock me!


    Wait¡­something seems off. Why isn¡¯t he killing me. It certainly looks like he¡¯s trying, his claws are shaking from his tremendous effort right now but something seems to be holding him back.


    ¡°Did that scare you?¡±


    Violet Snow¡¯s deadpan voice rang out beside my legs. As I lowered my eyes to look at her, I caught a glance of the mysterious force holding back the rat.


    Unbeknownst to me, both of his feet had been fully encased in ice.


    ¡°This¡­this is your doing!?¡±


    My eyes widened in disbelief as I gazed at the harmless-looking puppy before me. She actually managed to bind this Boss-level monster.


    ¡°Chit chit chit!¡±


    The ratman boss continued with his violent struggling and finally after a few more seconds, the ice began to crack as he pulled out his bound legs. At the same time, the shadow guardian binding him was dispersed as well. Without the ice holding him back, the shadow guardian stood no chance on its own.


    Upon regaining his freedom, he immediately tumbled away, at the spot where he once was, was a pile of ice residue.


    ¡°Chit chit chit chit!¡±


    The ratman chittered angrily at me before resuming his murderous rampage. However, his target was no longer me but the white puppy beside me.


    Violent Snow calmly raised her right front paw and slapped the ground. An icy stalagmite rose from the ground the very next instant and rushed towards the rodent¡¯s belly. The ratman immediately tumbled away, dodging it at the last second. Having extended to its maximum range of two meters, the stalagmite was no longer able to reach the ratman.


    He resumed his charge but Violet Snow was already way ahead of him. As she opened her adorable little puppy mouth, she breathed out a frosty cloud of ice shards. Seeing the razor sharp ice residue hurtle towards him, the ratman immediately jumped to the side and latched onto the wall beside him.


    With a casual lift of his claws, he continued his charge while scaling the wall like a gecko!


    That icy gale only took a second of her time. Seeing that it failed to restrain the ratman, she immediately dodged backwards. As if she had predicted his moves, right as she did so, the ratman landed on the very spot she just occupied a second ago.


    As he busied himself with Violet Snow, I wasn¡¯t standing idly by the side either. I began channeling my fireball. However, this was a slow casting spell. Furthermore, this rat seemed to possess an agility inconsistent with his burly stature, making this a tough shot to make.


    Even so, this was the only spell I had, that could hurt him right now. If I didn¡¯t use this spell, I will have nothing left to cast.


    Having missed his mark entirely, the ratman boss stood still for a moment as he searched around for Violet Snow. Naturally, this once in a lifetime opportunity didn¡¯t go unnoticed by me. I locked onto him with my eyes and immediately shot out the basketball-sized fireball at him.


    As the fireball hurtled towards him, he began to feel the heat singe his hairs slightly. He instantly knew what was coming towards him. Without even turning his head, he attempted to dodge to the side. However, this bit of rashness cost him dearly as Violent Snow took this opportunity to strike at him.


    From the moment she dodged backwards, Violet Snow begun concentrating mana in her mouth. Just as the rat landed on the ground, she shot out a basketball-sized ball of ice. The iceball careened through the air and crashed into the ratman¡¯s legs before he managed to dodge my fireball.


    *Bang*


    The iceball shattered loudly upon impact and instantly encased the ratman¡¯s legs in a thin layer of ice, preventing him from moving. The next moment, my fireball crashed into his back. As the scorching flames burnt into his back, the rat howled in pain but unfortunately for him, no amount of howling could reduce the damage.


    ¡°Chit chit chit!¡±


    The ratman seemed to have noticed that he was clearly outmatched in this two versus one match. He gave us a furious glare before turning around and trying to leave.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think of escaping!¡±


    ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going!¡±


    My two little potatoes, No.3 and Big 4 showed up once more to try and stop him. Having not learnt their lesson from their previous encounter, the two one-armed heroes charged at the ratman with their large swords raised high and¡­they were knocked away once more¡­


    Lucky for them, the ratman boss was busy trying to escape and had no time to finish these two off. A moment later, the two of them got to their feet and glared helplessly at the slowly disappearing back of the ratman boss as it faded into the chaotic battlefield.


    With the unexpected retreat of their boss, the Abbadon Rodents¡¯ morale instantly plummeted and they began to flee for their lives as well. Now that their leader was gone, no one was stupid enough to stay behind and fight to the death. After 10 minutes of chasing after them, this battle was drawn to a close.

 Chapter 59: An Unexpected Figh

    Based on the casualty report by One-eye, the battle ended with acceptable results. We lost 57 devils while Violet Snow lost 24 of her hellhounds. On the other side, 243 one-star rodents were dead and the two-star bodyguards were nearly wiped out.


    What was unacceptable to me was, how was Violet Snow so formidable? Even that terrifying ratman boss didn¡¯t dare to take her hits face on.


    My expression must¡¯ve looked terrible to anyone looking at me right now. As I stood there with devil egg in hand, a vein popped on my temple as I asked in an annoyed tone: ¡°By the way, care to explain something to me?¡±


    ¡°Explain what?¡± Violet Snow replied in a puzzled voice.


    ¡°Explain exactly how you are so strong!¡± I don¡¯t what¡¯s the reason for this outburst but I knew one thing, I wasn¡¯t happy with her.


    I continued in an exasperated tone: ¡°Judging from your appearance, you should¡¯ve just left your mother¡¯s womb, how do you possess the strength to fight toe to toe with that ratman boss! This isn¡¯t scientific, not scientific! You hear me?¡±


    ¡°You said it yourself, [from your appearance], is there even a need for me to continue explaining?¡± She stared at me with that look again¡­the one you gave to an idiot.


    She threw me another look before adding on, her cute little tail wagging around as she did so: ¡°Besides, you didn¡¯t ask me.¡±


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    What¡­am I too blame for this?


    ¡°In order words, this was all within your calculations?¡±


    ¡°Of course, why else would I bring you here if I didn¡¯t have any assurances.¡±


    Up till now, I still couldn¡¯t wrap my head around her strength. Her body was so tiny that I could even hold her in the palm of my hands. Yet this tiny body contained enough power to rival that ratman boss! Unbelievable¡­or should I say scary.


    That ratman boss definitely had the strength of a three-star. Otherwise, how could he have defeated my two-star imps so easily.


    Right from the start, the battle had been completely under our control up to the point where he joined in the fight. Seeing that, his two-star subordinates joined in as well and ended up throwing my guardsmen into disarray. This was the main culprit for most of our losses.


    Essentially, we had too little experts in our army. Even with my bone equipment, they still weren¡¯t able to overcome the difference in levels. Furthermore, as we progressed, this gap in power would only grow ever wider.


    A zero-star imp is able to take on a one-star imp as long as he had a sharp weapon. Several large imps, armed with my bone broadswords would be able to take down a two-star head imp if they were lucky.


    This growing disparity got even worse at the three-star level. Five to six fully armed head imps probably couldn¡¯t even take on a three-star demon child. As the level increased, this disparity would probably increase exponentially as well.


    We got lucky this time with the unexpected aid of Violet Snow. If it wasn¡¯t for her handling that ratman boss, it might¡¯ve been the end of the road for me.


    This is bad¡­it¡¯s highly likely that we will encounter stronger foes in the future and yet I still don¡¯t have a three star devil in my army¡­at this rate, the Prison of the Dead might just be my final destination.


    ¡°As for the loot distribution¡­¡± Strictly speaking, Violet Snow was only a temporary collaborator and thus wasn¡¯t my subordinate. That was why I decided to bring up the matter of loot distribution. Discussing this beforehand would prevent any unnecessary conflict.


    However, this suggestion came a little too late as such a conflict ended up happening before we could even start the discussion.


    A short distance away, my devils were facing off against the remaining hellhounds. Between them was a barren plot of land that clearly demarcated the two sides. In the middle of that plot of land was a devil fighting with a hellhound.


    As they fought, the devils would cheer for that imp in their usual brash manner while the hellhounds would howl on the sidelines, seemingly rooting for their own kinsman as well.


    ¡°Stop it, the two of you!¡±


    Upon hearing my command, the large imp immediately stopped fighting but just as he was about to retreat, he was attacked by the hellhound. I guess this was to be expected, after all, I wasn¡¯t the master of these dogs.


    The opposing hellhound didn¡¯t show a shred of respect towards me as he immediately leaped at the imp who had stopped.


    Seeing that his opponent had no intention of stopping, that large imp was infuriated. Devils were impulsive creatures after all.


    After dodging that hellhound¡¯s bite, he performed a violent flip into the air and landed right on top of that hellhound. He reached out with both his hands and pulled upwards with all his might, his lower jaw pressing down on hellhound¡¯s head as he did so.


    Is he trying to tame that dog?!


    Having his neck strangled and his head pressed upon, greatly angered the hellhound. He began bucking like a wild horse as he violently attempted to shake off his unwelcome passenger.


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    Unfortunately for him, the large imp wasn¡¯t that weak either. He tenaciously held onto the hellhound¡¯s neck and as he did so, he wrapped his legs around the hellhound¡¯s stomach forming a cross beneath it.


    And so, this devil shamelessly weathered through the wild bucking.


    This posture¡­he really looked like a jockey training his wild horse!


    I mean, training his wild dog!


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    The hellhound finally realized his bucking was pointless and so employed a shameless tactic of his own. He began rolling around on the ground, his back slamming the devil as hard as he could, into the ground. And so, the dog training devolved into a brawl between hooligans.


    ¡°Quick! Separate those two!¡± I simply couldn¡¯t take it any longer and ordered my devils to pull them apart.


    However, Violet Snow didn¡¯t seem to share my concerns. She approached me and with a lift of her little furry head, said: ¡° There¡¯s no need for that, just let them continue.¡±


    ¡°But they are fighting! No matter what the reason, we shouldn¡¯t turn our fists against one another!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t understand her ¡°just let them continue¡±. A fight between subordinates wasn¡¯t a small matter, it must be stopped immediately.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a fight between two creatures from Purgatory. Isn¡¯t it normal for them to settle their disputes with their fists?¡± Her voice was just as calm and deadpan as always.


    ¡°Purgatory creatures should have the bearing of such. As their master, you just have to step in once the winner has been decided.¡±


    Me: ¡°¡­¡±


    Just what kind of custom is this¡­even a fight between companions can be justified so righteously¡­


    ¡°Master, I feel that what Miss Violet Snow said was true. Purgatory creatures have always used their fists to determine right from wrong. If both parties had a dispute, we would always turn to might to secure our interests.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know when but One-eye had approached me and explained this in a matter-of-fact tone. He didn¡¯t seem startled by the fight and even had a sense of impartiality about him as if to say he was on the side of justice and not kin.


    It wasn¡¯t that I was unfamiliar with this kind of ¡°might makes right¡± thinking.


    But on Earth, we had something called the law and this settled any dispute we had. However, this is a different world after all. This is the Prison of the Dead. There¡¯s no judges to be found here. Neither are there lawyers and there are certainly no sympathetic juries here to help you out.


    Over here, sympathy is the sign of weakness and cowardice. Only strength could be trusted.


    In a darwinistic world like this, fights are to be expected.


    However, this still didn¡¯t sit well with me. In the end, I was still an otaku who had lived in the peaceful world of Earth for over 30 years. I¡¯m still sensitive to such internal turmoil. To me, everyone was on the same boat together. If there was any problem, it should be settled via a civilized discussion instead of a brawl.


    Fists should be aimed at our enemies.


    Perhaps, my concerns were only signs of cowardice to these two. I guess it is natural for them to not understand me.


    I knew that my values are inherently different from the creatures of Purgatory and so I could only sigh in a resigned tone.


    ¡°I just feel that we shouldn¡¯t waste our men fighting like this.¡±


    ¡°Master¡¯s concern for us is a blessing to us.¡± He realized how improper his previous words were and immediately kneeled on one foot and expressed his loyalty once more.


    ¡°Please forgive my previous impropriety. I have only the deepest respect towards the Master.¡±


    ¡°Rise, it¡¯s not your fault.¡±


    I really wanted to say: we aren¡¯t the ones in the wrong here, what¡¯s wrong is this world.


    ¡°Thanks Master.¡±


    After standing up, he remained silent.


    ¡°Who can tell me the reason for this fight?¡± While I couldn¡¯t stop the fight, I at least wanted to find out the reason for it.


    Hearing this, No.5 immediately ran out, the chance to flaunt his existence was finally here. ¡°Master, the matter started like this¡­¡±


    So it all started because of a hellhound corpse¡­


    The Prison of the Dead was a cruel environment to live in, similar to the land of the dead. As before, the two ways of obtaining sustenance were:


    One, gathering soul flames from undead.


    Two, fighting the other life forms in this world and feasting upon their flesh and souls. The victors will get naturally get the spoils of war and this included the corpses of any fallen comrade.


    The Prison of the Dead didn¡¯t only have undead, hellhounds and Abaddon Rodents. There were devils like us, dogmen and other races as well. There were a multitude of races here and the named ones were merely the commonly seen races.


    The hellhounds had a custom where after the death of their kinsman, they would guard the corpse for one hour. Only after that hour would they feed upon the corpses of their kinsmen. Furthermore, they didn¡¯t allow the other races to feed upon their kinsmen¡¯s flesh and soul. This was the rule passed down by their ancestors.


    So, this fight started because that large imp didn¡¯t know of this particular rule.


    After the battle with the Abaddon Rodents, the devils and the hellhounds began sweeping the battlefield as usual. Right from the start, the hellhounds prioritized hauling their kinsmen¡¯s corpses to one side. This action caused the imps who had no prior experience with the hellhounds to become curious.


    I don¡¯t know what went through his head but one of these large imps decided to drag away one of these corpses and ended up getting caught by a patrolling hellhound. That hellhound immediately requested for the return of his kinsman¡¯s corpse.


    While that imp didn¡¯t understand the language of hellhounds, he wasn¡¯t that dumb either. Based on the actions of the hellhound, he concluded that that hellhound was after this corpse as well.


    All these devils who followed me here had undergone the baptism of war. They only managed to get here by climbing over a mountain of corpses. To them, food was everything and food wasn¡¯t something you returned so easily.


    Devils didn¡¯t have such a strange sense of kinship among themselves after all. To them, the dead were only useful for one thing, food.


    As the two fruitlessly tried to argue in their own languages, the hellhound finally lost his patience and leaped at the imp. And so, this unavoidable fight started.

 Chapter 60: Violet Snow’s Grief

    Suddenly, the two fellows stopped fighting. I don¡¯t know who it started from but, both sides began to relax their stance as they slumped to the ground in exhaustion. The large imp was the first to get up after which he went over to support the hellhound as it stood up.


    And then, the two of them formed a bromance¡­that¡¯s right, they became a couple of sorts.


    The large imp petted the hellhound¡¯s black noggin while the hellhound leaned in on his chest. This sudden display of affection left me at a loss for words as my jaw sunk limply to the ground.


    What the f***?! Weren¡¯t you guys just fighting to the death? How did this suddenly transition into a boy¡¯s love novel?!


    ¡°They¡¯ve made up.¡± Violet Snow smacked her tiny paws onto the ground a couple of times as she said this, it was as if she had expected this outcome all along.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­that¡¯s it?¡± I thought that there would be an even fiercer aftershow.


    ¡°Well, their combat strength weren¡¯t that far apart to begin with, given that they aren¡¯t allowed to kill each other, fighting up to this point is about their limit.¡±


    ¡°So they know how to hold back as well.¡± Having heard her explanation, I heaved a sigh of relief.


    She threw me a strange look and said: ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you wanted them to fight to the death?¡±


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    ¡°That¡­just forget it.¡±


    The ensuing aftershow was a little surprising to me. That large imp voluntarily gave up the hellhound corpse and even promised not to do so again as a sign of friendship. That hellhound quickly dragged away the corpse before returning right away to the large imp¡¯s side.


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    While they weren¡¯t able to understand each other, the large imp was able to read into the hellhound¡¯s actions. He wanted him to ride him. And so, the large imp jumped onto the hellhound¡¯s back and with a clasp of his feet, settled down on his back.


    This¡­they¡¯ve fused together?


    Ah, I guess it¡¯s more of a merger¡­no wait¡­either way, one thought stood out very clearly in my mind: Cavalry, training complete.


    A large imp riding a hellhound, isn¡¯t this a cavalry unit?!


    I¡¯m not even sure if a dog from Earth is able to handle the weight of a mere 10 year old child but right now, there¡¯s a dog being ridden by a large imp at top speeds.


    As the hellhound sped around the empty space, the large imp held on tightly to the dog¡¯s fur in order not to fall off. However, as time passed, the imp began to get used to the dog¡¯s undulating gait. He began to loosen up as he let go of one of his hands and started waving it around while giving out a few meaningless screams of joy.


    By now, my eyeballs were on the verge of popping out of their sockets; I never expected a hellhound to be able to support a large imp.


    ¡°They can support that much weight?¡±


    Violet Snow didn¡¯t answer me directly but instead threw another question at me: ¡°What do you think?¡±


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    There¡¯s no need to think, it¡¯s happening right in front of me.


    In fact, the hellhound didn¡¯t seem to be affected by the large imp at all. Even with the imp on his back, his speed didn¡¯t experience any significant decrease. Although, his agility naturally took a hit.


    Cavalry units were an important force during the era of cold weaponry. Under the same conditions, a foot infantry stood no chance against a horseman. In fact, a squad of well trained cavalrymen are able to charge into an army ten times their size.


    Not to mention that there were horsemen archers as well, whose accuracy even allowed them to hit a kite in the air while they rode on a horse.


    As I thought about all the possibilities in my head, a warmth began to build up in my body.


    Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t know how to create a saddle and reins¡­


    Just because the two of them were able to frolick around right now, didn¡¯t mean that they were combat ready. In the heat of battle, the lack of a saddle stabilizing him might cause the large imp to fall off the hellhound.


    Furthermore, the normal saddle and reins wouldn¡¯t fit these hellhounds.


    While the mouth bit doesn¡¯t completely restrain their mouth, it would still severely hamper the hellhounds¡¯ ability to attack with their mouths, causing them to experience an overall decrease in offensive power.


    Just thinking about these problems made my head spin¡­don¡¯t tell me my dreams of a cavalry squad will be dashed before they even start.


    ¡°What are you doing? Don¡¯t you think that you look weird scratching your head even though you have no hair?¡±


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    I seemed to have discovered another evil side to Violet Snow¡­


    While she voice was as calm as always, I was still able to pick up the malicious intent oozing from her words.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being bald¡­please stop making fun of me¡­¡± I felt like crying right now, being made fun of by a puppy was just¡­too damaging. What¡¯s worse was that I had just discovered that I couldn¡¯t even beat this puppy¡­


    The loot distribution was a lot easier than expected. It was an even four way split of the souls, namely, one to the grimoire, one to the devil egg and the other two to me and Violet Snow.


    In lieu of its callousness just now, I had initially planned on confiscating its portion but who knew that that little b*****d was so vigilant. Upon picking up on my intentions, it immediately gobbled down its own portion.


    This *****¡­unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t even do a thing to it. Even now, I still didn¡¯t understand this situation. Exactly when did it start having a personality?


    Up till now, the devil egg was pretty obedient, whenever I gave it souls to eat, it would eat them. Whenever I didn¡¯t, it wouldn¡¯t cause a scene either. Standing side by side that grimoire, it¡¯s obvious to see who had the better upbringing.


    Another surprising thing was the fact that Violet Snow only ate souls.


    As she ate the souls in front of her, she would meticulously and elegantly bring them to her mouth. What¡¯s even weirder was that she wasn¡¯t even slow despite that. Not to mention the fact that I still don¡¯t understand how this puppy was able to elegantly feast on souls. Who can tell me which family this dog came from¡­they brought her up well¡­


    Initially, I got my subordinates to bring her some meat and bones out of goodwill but she instantly snubbed it with a disdainful turn of her head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you like meat?¡±


    ¡°What? Is it that strange that I don¡¯t eat meat?¡±


    ¡°Not really, it¡¯s just that I¡¯m not used to a doggie not eating meat.¡±


    And then, that well brought up puppy stopped eating the souls and swivelled around to swear at me. ¡°You¡¯re the doggie, your whole family are doggies!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± This change was just too sudden for me to bear.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to concern yourself with my matters too much.¡± Having left me these words, she wolfed down the remaining souls and left in an angry fit.


    By the way, if you aren¡¯t a doggie, what are you? No matter how you cut it, you¡¯re a little doggie¡­


    While this little comedy skit was going on, my subordinates had already began splitting up the meat.


    The Abbadon Rodents were covered in a filthy coat of fur that reeked from a mile away. Once you got past this disgusting outer covering, you were left with a noticeably smaller chunk of meat.


    After crunching some numbers, I came to an annoying realisation, the reward didn¡¯t justify the risk we took. Essentially, we came out short whenever we hunted these skinny ratmen.


    Thankfully, devils weren¡¯t picky eaters. Even these disgusting piles of meat were delectable to them. It¡¯s just that they gave off a weird odour whenever they ate the ratmen¡¯s meat. Because I didn¡¯t want to stay near these smelly imps, I even ordered No.3 and Big 4 [to just stand there and leave me alone for a moment].


    After another half an hour, the battlefield was finally swept clean. All my devils managed to get their own share of the meat and the same applied to the hellhounds as well. Under Violet Snow¡¯s supervision, they managed to evenly split up the hellhound corpses.


    Having finished all that, Violet Snow sauntered up to me and with a haughty raise of her tiny little head, said: ¡°It¡¯s about time for us to leave.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, my subordinates have finished eating as well. Where should we head to next?¡±


    ¡°We should have a look at the ratmen¡¯s nest.¡± Without even waiting for me to reply, she turned towards the direction the ratmen escaped in and trotted off.


    ¡°After such a long time, they probably escaped.¡±


    I fully supported this opinion, after all, it had been a full hour since we stopped to clean up the battlefield, those rats must¡¯ve fled by now.


    Without turning around, she said in a solemn voice as she continued trotting along: ¡°What I want¡­they can¡¯t carry with them.¡±


    Truth be told, when those ratmen fled the battlefield, I didn¡¯t dare to chase them. That ratman boss was at the level of three-star and he still had a hundred over one-star rats. If we really forced them into a corner, the casualties would be tremendous on both sides. As they say, even a rabbit will bite when it is cornered.


    It was for this reason and also because we needed to gather the loot, that I decided to halt the chase.


    Those rats would¡¯ve probably fled back to their nests first and carried away whatever they could with them as they evacuated the nest. While it might be a little late to catch these rats, they must¡¯ve left some things of value behind, given that they didn¡¯t have much time to flee.


    With Violet Snow leading the way, we quickly navigated through the snaking maze and soon came upon their nest.


    Because the entire Prison of the Dead was just a giant bone maze, there was no soil or plants to speak of. What I referred to as a nest was essentially a just a corner of the maze.


    It was a dead end in some random part of the maze and was relatively wide. The area was extremely messy and was filled with a stench that stunk to the high heavens. Even spending an additional second here pissed me off.


    The ground was littered with a bunch of trash that basically consisted of fur and bones that were picked clean.


    The Abbadon Rodents had a degree of intelligence and so they designated a specific area to defecate and a specific area to dispose of the trash as well. The garbage point was at the entrance of their nest where a tiny mountain of bones was haphazardly stacked up to at least 10 meters high.


    Violet Snow lightly jumped atop the mountain of bones and began sniffing around. She continued her climb until she finally reached the peak of the pile where a canine skull rested atop it.


    The moment she came upon that skull, she solemnly lowered her head and gently rubbed her face against the skull while giving out a low whimper. As her frail silhouette stood atop that mountain of bones, she looked exceptionally sorrowful.


    As she raised her head, she sadly howled into the moonless ceiling: ¡°Aaawooof~~~¡±


    Awoof?


    Dogs go [woof woof] while wolves go [awoo], so what the heck is [awoof]?


    As her sorrowful howls echoed in the chambers of the nest, the other hellhounds began to howl into air as well, that same sorrow permeating through their cries.


    The doggies were¡­grieving?


    While I¡¯m not too familiar with their communal customs, I was at least able to hear the pain in their howls. And so, I chose not to interrupt them. Even the curious One-eye was stopped by me as he tried to inquire about this action.


    After 10 minutes, the sound of footsteps suddenly echoed in what was supposed to be a moment of silence. It was the unique chattering sound that could only be produced by bones stepping upon bones. Judging from this sound, they were closing in on us.


    In the Prison of the Dead, this meant only one thing: the undead have come.

 Chapter 61: Wandering Undead

    To a newbie like me, the ecosystem of the Prison of the Dead was a complicated question. I knew that the undead here had a habit of wandering around so encountering them was merely a coincidence.


    The hellhounds were circling around the bone mountain and so my devils ended up being the first line of defense. Judging from the clattering of the bones, they should be relatively close to us.


    ¡°Get ready for battle!¡±


    It was a simple command but One-eye should be able to handle the rest.


    The thirty strong shieldbearer squad formed up near the entrance and put up their shield wall as always. Behind them, the Mo sabre wielders took up position as well. At the sides were 60 guardsmen who defended the flanks.


    Just as we finished setting up our standard formation, the enemy arrived.


    They were a bunch of skeletons, numbering around 80 and were all clad in a light set of bone armor with a pair of bull horns sticking out of their helmet. Judging from their appearance alone, these weren¡¯t the same trash tier armor the undead wore in the land of dead.


    As if to confirm this fact, each of them carried a set of bone weaponry that were anything but simple. There were swords, shields, hammers, long spears and even javelins. Right at the very back of the army were about eight to nine javelineers.


    These javelineers were at the level of one to two-star and wore a set of light armor that looked a lot sturdier than the others. Looks like they were the elites of this army.


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    Upon noticing us, the melee skeletons immediately charged at us. Leading the charge were the agile skeleton warriors who wielded a sword and shield. They were the first to collide with our shield wall.


    Needless to say, our heavy shields withstood the brunt of this charge without any losses. The sturdiness of these shields and their bearers were proven time and time again in my battles.


    Not to mention that strength was never the forte of these frail looking skeletons. Being unable to break through the shield wall, all that awaited them was a swift counterattack.


    *clatter*


    The deadly Mo Sabres pierced through the air as always but this time, they were foiled by the bone shields of the warriors. Before the Sabre wielders had the time take in this fact, their Sabres were swiftly shoved aside by the shields, beneath them, the bone swords of the warriors had already shot out in another attack at the shield wall.


    These skeletons were fast! Unfortunately for them, speed alone wasn¡¯t enough to bring down my heavy shields. Without the required strength backing up these stabs, they deflected harmlessly off the shield wall.


    Seeing an opening once more, one of the sabre wielders tried to stab at the warrior but was instantly halted by an unexpected javelin to his heart.


    With their precise throwing skills, these javelineers were able to easily bypass the shield wall. Backed by the momentum of their running charge, the javelins whistled through the air in a parabolic arc and landed right atop the defenseless Mo sabre wielders.


    With the loss of their supporting sabre wielders, a number of the shieldbearers were put in the disadvantaged position of only being unable to counterattack. Thankfully, not every javelin was an instant death for us and for those that were, a reserve was ready to pick up the slack right away. And so, this disadvantage was only short lived.


    By now, the rest of the melee skeletons had caught up as well.


    The hammar skeletons were substantially stronger than the warriors. Each swing of their hammers would cause the shield wall to vibrate slightly but fortunately, that was all.


    Such strength was still bearable for the shieldbearers. Furthermore, without a shield of their own, these skeletons were easy prey for the Mo sabres who swiftly claimed their first victims.


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    Each javelineer had a total of three javelins on their backs. If we allowed them to freely throw all these¡­it would be disastrous for the current members of the Mo sabre squad.


    Thankfully, the hellhounds joined at this moment. With their superior mobility, they bravely leaped over the shield wall and agilely weaved around the undead.


    They performed quick hit and run strikes on the undead where every hound would quickly lunge at their target¡¯s weak points and move on whether or not the bite hit landed successfully.


    With their support, One-eye finally had the space needed to attack the javelineers. He dispatched Nine-finger along with his 30 guardsmen to wipe out the javelineers.


    As they circled around the clashing melee forces, they came upon 20 long spear skeletons who acted as the guards for the javelineers.


    These spears had a longer range than the bone broadswords and so what greeted the guardsmen as they charged in was a wave of spear thrusts. However, these imps weren¡¯t any old imps. They were seasoned veterans who had undergone numerous battles with me.


    With a casual raise of their bone shields, they harmlessly deflected the incoming spears with their trusty bone shields. The first wave of thrusts ended with only minor injuries inflicted on the bone shields and now they were completely open to our counter attack.


    As my bone swords hacked down upon them, their razor sharpness shone through once more. These were swords that had undergone my refinement process and would not lose out to any sword used by human armies. With just one swing of this sword, the skull of the skeletal spearmen were swiftly cleaved in two.


    Ten of these spearmen fell in the first wave of counter attack. The rest who survived were those that reacted fast enough and managed to dodge that fatal swing.


    *whoosh*


    The bone javelins descended from the sky once more. Their target, the guardsmen. Having just counter attacked, the guardsmen were unable to raise their shield in time to block the javelins and Nine-finger ended up losing four of his guardsmen in that sneak attack alone.


    Seeing so many of his subordinates die in one go, angered him greatly. With a thunderous bellow, he broke into a unstoppable charge. With every step he took, he would wildly wave his spiked mace around.


    His first victim was a spearman who tried to halt his charge head on with his spear. Nine-finger¡¯s spike mace crashed through the slender spear and sent the skeleton flying, spear and all. He then shifted his round shield to the front and took off once more, his head lowered and his body crouched slightly behind the gigantic shield.


    A couple of spearman tried to stop him but he continued charging at them with reckless abandon.


    *bang*


    Their spears collided with the rounded shield but the sheer force of Nine-finger¡¯s charge sent a shockwave right back at the spearmen. In the face of such force, their bony fingers buckled under the impact and ended up letting go of their spears instead.


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    Without anything left to stop him, Nine-finger easily rammed through the two skeletons, scattering their bones.


    Unfortunately for him, his brainless charge didn¡¯t work out in the end. The javelineers upon seeing him charge at them, cleverly split into two separate groups and distanced themselves in two different directions.


    With their last javelin in hand, they broke into a running charge once more and tossed it at Nine-finger from both his flanks.


    I had to admit, these skeletons were surprisingly smart. Since he had only one shield, this two-pronged attack couldn¡¯t be completely blocked.


    Nine-finger knew this as well and with a grit of his teeth, he made his decision. He chose to block one of the javelineer groups¡¯ attack while charging at them. As for the other, he planned to take the hits head on.


    With that settled, he charged without any hesitation at the nearest group, 20 meters away, his back completely exposed to the other group as he did so.


    ¡°AHHHHHH KILL!!¡±


    Nine-finger roared as he continued with his suicidal charge, fully aware that this could be his last.


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    All this time, I had been monitoring the battlefield from the sides. Upon discovering that Nine-finger had been given a solo mission, I immediately turned my attention to him.


    This potato was someone who messed up on a regular basis and so I wasn¡¯t too comfortable with leaving things to him. As expected, just two minutes after he got his solo mission, he got himself into trouble.


    Luckily for him, I began casting my fireball upon noticing his little bout of madness. The moment he made that inane decision to leave his back exposed, my fireball had already flown out.


    *Boom*


    I targeted the other javelineers with my gaze and with a forceful push of palms, shot out the one meter wide ball of flames. As it hurtled through the air, it reminded me of a meteor with its beautiful stream of fire trailing behind the sphere.


    The giant fireball landed right in the middle of the javelineer group and exploded upon impact, killing the four javelineers in dazzling but deadly display of pyrotechnics.


    The sheer force of the impact caused their bones to fly into the air before falling to the ground once more in a rain of blackened bone fragments.


    Hearing the loud explosion behind him, he gave his back a quick glance and saw the raining bone fragments land right in front of his eyes. He finally understood what happened. His ugly mug scrunched up into what looked like a chrysanthemum and shouted while waving his hands at me, ¡°Thank you Master!!! Ouch¡­¡±


    This potato¡­couldn¡¯t he have waited till after the battle to thank me! He¡¯s lucky those javelins didn¡¯t skewer him for his stupidity.


    In a strange stroke of luck, those javelins ended up missing their targets because he suddenly halted his charge. Only one of the five javelins missed their intended destination and ended up scratching him on the back.


    This idiot was lucky he didn¡¯t die then¡­


    In the meantime, the guardsmen under Nine-finger had managed to kill the remaining spearmen and had used this distraction to completely encircle the remaining javelineers. With their last round of javelins spent, they turned into long spearmen.


    However, the numerical advantage was too much for them and they were swiftly hacked to pieces by the guardsmen.


    And so, this battle was basically over. The undead army that attacked weren¡¯t that big to begin with. Furthermore, the sound of battle attracted more and more hellhounds and they were soon severely outnumbered.


    With the aid of these brave dogs, the shieldbearers were able to swiftly corner the melee skeletons allowing the Mo sabres to tear through the trapped undead. After approximately ten minutes, the battle ended with the skeletons being wiped out.


    The casualties were quickly tallied up and the count was: 10 dead large imps. As for the hellhounds, they merely suffered minor injuries as they only joined in midway. We managed to kill a total of 82 skeletons with every one of their soul flames being significantly richer than the ones we harvested previously.


    They must¡¯ve at least been one to two-star and were probably the kind that could advance at any time.


    With the battle over, Violet Snow carefully dragged the canine skull which was roughly as big as her, down the bone mountain. She brought it to me and with her tiny little paws pushed it towards me and murmured: ¡°Help me make something.¡±


    At that moment, I was in the midst of tallying up the loot. Vick the freeloader chose to float in at this time and attempted to freeload once more. He stretched out his incorporeal hands and attempted to grab a soul flame for himself.


    Seeing this, I angrily tossed the Grimoire of the Dead at him but ended up missing. This vigilant fellow immediately noticed the book and fleeted away before it even got close to him. At least it stopped him from stealing the soul flames¡­


    ¡°Hey, I said, help me make something.¡± Having been ignored, Violet Snow unhappily repeated her words once more, impatience dripping from every word.


    Having just chased away Vick, I finally noticed the little puppy standing beside my legs. Judging by her unnatural pose as she looked up at me, she probably wanted me to craft something with my dark alchemy.


    [Little doggie, looks like it¡¯s finally time for you to beg me.]


    And so, I disrespectfully pointed at the skull between us with and said: ¡°Using this thing?¡±


    ¡°Watch your tone!¡±


    Out of a sudden, she leaped into the air and smacked away my finger. Startled, I immediately withdrew my hands. As I turned to look at her once more, I saw the tears rolling down her eyes as she stared back at me with a pitiful expression on her face. S**t, I overdid it this time¡­


    Despite not knowing her for long, this sudden 180 in attitude caught me off guard.


    ¡°Alright, alright, it¡¯s my fault okay?¡± I bent down and with my other free hand, consoled her in the same manner as you would a small animal.


    Initially, she showed signs of rejection but later on, she just stood there quietly and let me pet her head.


    This was the first time I had ever touched her fur and it felt really good. It had a feel superior to the even the best silks in the world. This was especially so when I lightly brushed against it with my palm¡­that soft yet slightly cool feel was just so addictive.


    It¡¯s so comfortable¡­I might just get hooked on this, especially that faint fragrance coming off her, it¡¯s faint but it¡¯s still soothing to the soul.


    As expected of a little princess of who only eats souls, her aura is totally different from those guys who reeked of blood.


    ¡°Are you done touching me?¡±


    As I opened my eyes, my eyes stared directly into an impatient and extremely unhappy set of eyes. I jumped back in fright and instinctively withdrew my hands. The expression she had on right now was just so terrifying¡­


    ¡°¡­Ah, sorry about that. It just felt too good so I ended up touching your fur a few more times.¡±


    I guess this counts as a compliment of sorts.

 Chapter 62: Plans

    ¡°¡­¡± Violet Snow¡¯s face darkened in an instant, I could see the unhappiness just itching to burst out right now.


    In order to prevent the situation from getting worse, I immediately changed the topic: ¡°Err¡­so what did you need my help with?¡±


    ¡°Turn this into something I can carry by my side at all times.¡± She pointed at the skull between us with her lower jaw, her eyes tearing up as she said so.


    ¡°An accessory huh¡­¡±


    I gave a long hum as I mulled over what to turn it into. Violet Snow rubbed her tiny head against my finger and said in an almost pleading tone: ¡° I know you can transmute bones, those weapons your subordinates wielded were your works, weren¡¯t they? Don¡¯t deny it¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely help you.¡± I said, anxious to not let her misunderstand my silence as a sign of refusal. As I did so, I didn¡¯t forget to pet her head once more. As I basked in the fluffy paradise, I didn¡¯t forget to reassure her either. ¡°I was just thinking of what to turn it into.¡±


    I guess it has to be a dog tag.


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    But letting such an adorable dog wear a dog tag seems like a travesty of justice. Furthermore, doing that might just earn me a swat of her tiny paws.


    ¡°What do you wish for me to make?¡±


    I glanced at her, throwing the problem right back at her. An accessory for a dog¡­with my limited creativity¡­all I got was a dog tag¡­maybe a toy bone?


    ¡°Turn it into a dagger, it¡¯s fine if it¡¯s slightly smaller, just make sure I can carry it with me.¡±


    ¡°A dagger huh.¡±


    Based on her petite frame, the dagger would have to be at most five to six cm long in order for it to hang off her body which was smaller than most house cats. And there¡¯s still the issue of a chain¡­


    Well, I guess I can split the skull into halves and use it to make a chain. It will have to do till I find more materials.


    It wasn¡¯t long before the dagger accessory was fully crafted. There wasn¡¯t anything fancy about it but she accepted it nonetheless as I hung it over her neck. Based on her current size, the dagger almost touched the ground as it hung off her neck.


    I made it longer than needed in consideration of the fact that she will grow bigger with time but this still seemed a little too long. And so, I adjusted the chain and made it shorter.


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    She stared unblinkingly at the dagger shaped out of that skull, the sorrow clearly reflected on her face, thankfully, it wasn¡¯t as heavy as before. Once I finished the adjustments, she gave her adorable puppy head a light swish, her face perking up as she did so as if she had just swished away her grief.


    ¡°If you find it uncomfortable, just come find me, I¡¯ll help fix it up.¡± I gave her head a last pet before reluctantly withdrawing my hand.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± These two words were only slightly louder than a pin drop. Having said her thanks, she immediately turned away. Was it her pride acting up again or was it just a small tantrum.


    ¡°No problem, as long as you like it.¡± The thanks was kinda soft but since you were so sincere, I¡¯ll be magnanimous and accept it.


    ¡°I¡­I like it a lot.¡± She raised her head and stared at the sky¡­or was it something else? Either way, it wasn¡¯t at me.


    ¡°Oh right, are there any devils nearby?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re looking for devils?¡±


    ¡°Yup, it¡¯s been a long time since I replenished my army. The battles are getting fiercer with our enemies getting stronger as we proceed further. Putting aside my case, the advancement rate of my subordinates are just too slow. If I don¡¯t recruit new devils, I¡¯m afraid I might not be able to leave this maze.¡±


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    Recruiting more devils was definitely necessary. Ever since I left the Blood Sea, my subordinates had undergone countless battles with me. Over half of them died as a result and we only managed to replenish our numbers once in the Land of the Dead.


    If it wasn¡¯t for that robed skeleton¡¯s help and me finding the Grimoire of the Dead, I wouldn¡¯t have even made it here. Or at the very least, I wouldn¡¯t be able to get here so easily.


    I don¡¯t know how long the road ahead is but, there is one thing I¡¯m sure of: without strength, even surviving is difficult. Since I had the ability to subjugate devils, why shouldn¡¯t I use it?


    ¡°Nearby devils¡­hold on, I¡¯ll ask around.¡± She thought about this for a moment before going off to find a certain hellhound resting on the ground.


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    Based on his appearance, he was a rather old hellhound. His fur wasn¡¯t as glossy and black as the other hellhounds and there were even signs of balding.


    She walked up to the senior hellhound and conversed with him in their language before trotting back up to me.


    ¡°This is the oldest warrior in our pack. According to him, there is a nearby clan of devils just west of us. But they are one of the larger factions in this region and number over a thousand.¡±


    Over a thousand devils? Devils were stronger than ratmen and weren¡¯t that cowardly either so they were definitely stronger than the ratmen we just chased away.


    There¡¯s still the problem of how strong was their strongest warrior. ¡°What about their leader and what about their two-stars?¡± I immediately asked.


    If these devils were significantly stronger than us, they would definitely pounce at us with little more than a few yells. Compared to being my subordinate, they would probably want to capture me more.


    My ability to seduce devils wasn¡¯t a 100% effective all the time. Just based on the recent events, I realized that it had mostly to do with my unique physiology. At least, I haven¡¯t been able to find another devil who gave off the same fragrance as me.


    Furthermore, the stronger devils all had the tendency of trying to dominate me the moment they lay their eyes on me¡­as a bonafide male, being coveted by a bunch of male devils was just¡­embarrassing.


    In short, we had to be stronger than whoever we wished to recruit.


    Of course, there were always exceptions such as the recently deceased Big 1 and One-eye who was currently commanding my devils. Their decision to join was a surprise to me and until today, I still didn¡¯t understand why they did so.


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    Violet Snow conversed with the senior hellhound once more and said: ¡°Their leader is a three-star demon child and has nearly a hundred two-star head imps under him. As for the one and zero-star imps, we aren¡¯t too sure about that.¡±


    ¡°Three-star demon child¡­¡± Truth be told, this phrase still brought up unpleasant memories, that last encounter with Chipped Horn was just too traumatizing.


    Not only was he able to kill Big 1 in just a few hits, his strength was just too overwhelming. None of my subordinates were a match for him and in the end, I had to steel my heart as I told them to dog pile him.


    And now our target was just as or even stronger than Chipped Horn. Not only that, he had an army that was stronger than mine. How can I be anything but worried?


    After all that fighting, my devil army was reduced to less than 300. While they had my refined equipment aiding them, a head on battle would still be a disadvantage for us. Not to mention, that three-star demon child¡­I definitely didn¡¯t want to pluck the whiskers off a tiger.


    ¡°If you are worried about their three-star leader, I can help you with that.¡± Violet Snow looked at me with those prideful eyes of hers, an expression hanging on her face that said [you can ask me for help].


    ¡°While a one on one fight might be difficult, with you helping me at the side, taking him down isn¡¯t as impossible as you think.¡±


    ¡°But he has too many small fries under him, plus he even has nearly a hundred head imps with him¡­¡± I had less than 300 devils while Violet Snow had only 56 hellhounds left. In a head on battle with their thousand strong army, we definitely came out short.


    As for that battle with the Abbadon Rodents¡­that was nothing but a scam. It was that puppy Violet Snow who dug that pit for me to jump into.


    Luckily for us, those ratmen were extremely cowardly and didn¡¯t possess much strength in a head on battle. Once their leader fled, the other ratmen fled as well. That was the only reason why we won that battle. If they had chosen to fight to the end, we might¡¯ve just died there.


    ¡°So you wish to fight and yet don¡¯t? So exactly what do you want?¡±


    She threw a cold, arrogant look before turning her head away from me disdainfully as if to say that I was nothing more than a coward who only knew how to talk.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that I wouldn¡¯t fight. I just don¡¯t want to fight them without any assurances.¡±


    In order to placate her, I immediately told her my thoughts. ¡°Our armies combined are just too small. If we expend all of them, wouldn¡¯t you be sad. We should first find a way to expand our troops.¡±


    Hearing the phrase expand our troops immediately made her face freeze up. After a while, she finally said reluctantly, ¡° I will definitely not see the other hellhound clans.¡±


    ¡°I never asked you to do so.¡± I said with a slightly wronged look on my face, standing up as I did so. With a casual swat, I slapped at Vick who was circling us in an annoying fashion. While it didn¡¯t hit him in the end, that sudden burst of violence scared him and he fleeted away with an even more wronged look on his face.


    ¡°Then what do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Are there any other clans nearby?¡±


    ¡°Other clans?¡±


    Violet Snow still didn¡¯t understand the intentions of my words and so I had to explain my devious intentions to her, ¡°Best if they were timid and easy to subjugate.¡±


    ¡°Timid and easy to subjugate¡­you¡­¡±


    She finally understood my intentions and immediately turned back to that senior hellhound. Ten seconds later, she told me in a slightly doubtful tone, ¡° There¡¯s a dogman clan nearby. They number above 2000 and have a three-star dogman warrior as their leader. However, his combat strength is lower than the ratman boss so we should be able to take him easily.¡±


    ¡°Dogmen? It¡¯s them then.¡±

 Chapter 63: Strange Humanoids

    The Prison of the Dead was a gargantuan maze that stretched on endlessly. While she said that the dogmen were nearby, it still quite a bit of travelling to reach them.


    One of the most troublesome aspect of a maze was that one could easily get lost within its convoluted passages. Thankfully, the hellhounds had an inborn gift for navigation making them a whole lot more useful than my directionally challenged self.


    During our travels, we were waylaid from time to time by wandering undead. These undead attacked us in groups of ten to over a hundred. Each of them were at the very least one-star while very few of them actually reached two-star. As for three-star, we hadn¡¯t encountered any¡­yet.


    Thanks to the hellhounds, we always had the initiative during these fights. Their sensory abilities warned us well in advance of any potential encounters and so we had ample time to prepare for the battle.


    As of now, our losses hadn¡¯t even crossed the ten mark thanks to our good fortune and the warnings of the hellhounds.


    What struck me as strange was that since we met with Violet Snow, we had only encountered one undead party and it was a small sized encounter. But, ever since we left that ratmen nest, we had been ambushed by over ten parties of wandering undead and this was all within a day of travelling!


    Isn¡¯t the sudden spike a little much!


    Exactly what is going on here?


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    Due to the lack of a day night cycle, we scheduled our rest time based on our fatigue level. If we were tired, we merely rested at a nearby corner of the maze. The normal devils and the hellhounds would sleep on the outer edges of our campsite while a rotating roster of hellhounds and devils went on patrol duty.


    With our relatively large numbers and patrols, our campsite almost looked like a small base. Only the lack of actual tents marred this otherwise satisfying scene.


    ¡°The undead are too densely packed, can¡¯t we find a way to circle around and avoid them?¡±


    I quietly pondered as I leaned against the bone walls of the maze. The recent deaths of my subordinates had frustrated me. In my mind, the hellhounds should¡¯ve been able to lead us around the ambush in order to reduce our casualties.


    Our main goal was to recruit the dogmen, without sufficient military force, the plan might just fail before it even started. And so, I decided to discuss this matter with Violet Snow.


    ¡°Circle around? Putting aside the fact that this maze is extremely complicated and taking a detour might never lead us back to our desired path, if we avoid the undead, exactly what are we going to feed on?¡±


    Being on the receiving end of my griping, displeased her greatly. As she roused herself from her nap, she glared at me and said: ¡°Besides, fleeing is for cowards.¡±


    ¡°I never said that we were fleeing, this isn¡¯t called fleeing, it¡¯s called a change of tactics.¡± As the word ¡°coward¡± left her mouth, it mercilessly stabbed me in the heart, I sub consciously raised my voice.


    ¡°Tactics, it¡¯s called tactics, you get it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know any so-called tactics, all I know is that if we don¡¯t fight, we will starve.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Alright, you win. I have nothing to counter that argument.


    The loss of my subordinates had blinded me to the issue of food. This was an error on my part.


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    ¡°What¡¯s with those wandering undead? Aren¡¯t their numbers a little too much?¡±


    ¡°This is their territory. To them, anyone that is alive is an outsider.¡± She then proceeded to explain some of the basic knowledge of this world.


    ¡°As you know, this vast maze was at the very beginning an undead territory. The undead we¡¯ve been fight are basically patrols tasked with the mission of cleaning this entire maze.¡±


    ¡°So those undead we met at the ratmen nest was¡­don¡¯t tell me¡­those undead were actually on their way to attack the ratmen?¡± I blurted out my thought.


    ¡°You can see it as that.¡± She nodded. ¡°To be exact, those patrols are more like janitors. Their true goal was to clean up the bones stacked at the entrance of the ratmen nest. As for attacking the ratmen, it¡¯s more of a ¡°why not?¡± matter to them.¡±


    ¡°Cleaning? Haha, such a good cleaning¡­¡± I was actually attacked by this ¡°cleaning¡±.


    ¡°If you return to that nest, you will find that that area has already been cleaned by a different group of undead.¡±


    I¡¯m still a newbie when it comes to the ecology of this place but there was one thing I¡¯m sure of: if those were just janitors, then that means that there were other undead in charge of fighting. The janitors themselves were already one-star, what about the actual warriors? Two-star? Maybe even three. Gives me the chills just thinking about it¡­


    ¡°Then how far are we from those dogmen? We need to pick up the pace.¡±


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    ¡°I know you¡¯re worried about the safety of your subordinates but in this Prison of the Dead, a lot of things can¡¯t be avoided.¡± In an uncharacteristic move of concern, she continued trying to console me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about this, believe me, once we find those dogmen, you will have more subordinates.¡±


    Making that dagger for her must¡¯ve softened her slightly.


    ¡°What I¡¯m really concerned about isn¡¯t my subordinates.¡± For some reason, I wanted to make sure that she didn¡¯t misunderstand me.


    ¡°Then what are you worried about?¡±


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    ¡°Leaving this place.¡±


    ¡°Leave this place?¡± She paused for a second, her expression immediately switching from nonchalance to shock. ¡°Did I hear that correctly? Did you just say that you wish to leave this place? Leave the maze? Leave the Prison of the Dead?¡±


    ¡°You heard me right.¡± As those words left my mouth, my gaze changed, gone was the indecisiveness within them, what remained was only a steely resolve.


    ¡°I must leave this place. There¡¯s somewhere I must go to no matter what.¡±


    ¡°Somewhere you must go to?¡±


    ¡°The western human realms.¡±


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s a really faraway place. I heard my mother mention that that¡¯s the territory of the humans.¡±


    As she mentioned the human realms, her eyes lit up like a child picturing the wondrous scenes within her fairy tales.


    ¡°You wish to go there as well?¡± I was slightly surprised that she actually knew of the human realms.


    ¡°Mhm. You can say that.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­that mother you were talking about¡­¡±


    As those words left my mouth, her face immediately became solemn. She lowered her head and laid back on the ground once more, her chin resting on her tiny paws and her eyes closed. She laid there silently as if avoiding the topic or perhaps she was just crying silently.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Even a thick headed buffoon like me knew that I had just stepped on a landmine, for all I know, that skull might just be her mother¡¯s.


    From that moment on, we maintained that awkward silence between us.


    After another day of travelling we made camp once more but this time, we were attacked by a bunch of strange creatures.


    We had just made camp after a tiring day of fighting during which we encountered over ten groups of undead. Outside of these undead, we didn¡¯t encounter another race.


    Even after these two days of travelling, we still hadn¡¯t left the hunting grounds of the ratmen which was to be expected. This was the territory of large clan that had over 1500 members after all; a large hunting ground is definitely required to support them.


    These two days of fighting nothing but the undead made me relax my guard. To me, all we had to deal with were the wandering undead. It had never occurred to me that we might meet another race while in this hunting ground.


    The strange creatures numbered over a hundred and had a humanoid form to them. These humanoid monsters wore a primitive set of hide clothing and wielded bone clubs. Before they even closed in on us, their revolting stench had already assaulted my nostrils. The source of this stench was their grayish black body that had a coarse look to it.


    Paired with their off putting appearance was a dishevelled head of hair that was littered with numerous specks of black and dark gray matter. As for the other parts of their body , they were mostly fur-free.


    They had a large mouth that revealed a jagged set of teeth within them that painted a picture which would make any dentist cringe in disgust.


    They had a muscular build and were around 1.8 to 2.0 meters tall. If you didn¡¯t count their skin color, they looked very similar to orcs described in fantasy novels and games.


    ¡°Woo Woo Woooo Woo Wo~~~¡±


    A weird cry left their monstrous mouth, signalling the start of their attack. As they waved their primitive bone clubs, they charged at us.


    Thankfully, we were warned by the hellhounds prior to their appearance. That horrid stench must¡¯ve been terrible for their sensitive noses.


    As they closed in on us, I swiftly prepared a spell to attack the foremost orc. A split second later, a bone spear hurtled through the air, heading straight at that orc. His eyes narrowed as he focused on the incoming spear and with a quick swing of his club, knocked down the incoming spear.


    In order to buy my army more time to ready themselves, I immediately followed that bone spear up with five bone walls raised right in the path of their advance.


    ¡°Defense! Hurry up and get into positions!¡±


    Thanks to the hellhounds and my bone walls, they had plenty of time to prepare for the charge.


    These orcs were surprisingly quick. It had only been slightly over 10 seconds since we had received the warning from the hellhounds.


    Prior to that, most of the devils were still resting. Having fought for an entire day, they definitely didn¡¯t get much rest before they were reluctantly dragged back into formation. They weren¡¯t professional soldiers after all, the lack of discipline made their response sluggish and left our formation full of weaknesses.


    If it hadn¡¯t been for the bone walls, the enemy would¡¯ve reached us before our formation was even ready.


    A vexed One-eye shouted and kicked at the devils who still hadn¡¯t taken up positions yet. This bit of violence of his part seemed to have worked as the 30 shieldbearers finally formed up our defensive line.


    The orcs rammed into the heavy bone shields like a bunch of enraged bulls. In this initial charge, five of their stronger members actually managed to knock away one of the shieldbearers with their combined might. However, this success was in the minority as the majority of the orcs were merely deflected by the sturdy shield wall.


    Of course, the shieldbearers who deflected them weren¡¯t in a great shape either. Some of the weaker shieldbearers fell to the ground immediately after deflecting their powerful charge.


    With so many of the shieldbearers caving in, the shield wall collapsed, exposing the Mo sabre wielders to the orcs.


    Even though the shield wall was compromised, a vast majority of the orcs had been deflected. The sabre wielders made use of this opportunity to stab at the humanoid monsters.


    Having just traded blows with the shieldbearers, these orcs were naturally in no position to react to the deadly sabre thrusts and ended up getting skewered. Only those five who managed to knock away the shieldbearer, were able to charge at the sabre wielders.


    What awaited these unfortunate sabre wielders were a tragic fate.


    Due to their limited close range abilities, they were defenseless against the giant bone clubs of the orcs. As the primitive clubs swung down, one of the imps was struck squarely on his temples and died instantly, his eyes opened wide in pain.


    Thankfully, the other sabre wielders were merely knocked unconscious.

 Chapter 64: Demonic Half-Orcs

    The fact that these orcs attacked our shield wall first struck me as strange.


    These strange orcs were smart enough to carry weapons. This meant that they were at least more intelligent than the ratmen, as for how much, that¡¯s difficult to say. Either way, just knowing how to make and use a weapon, meant that they couldn¡¯t be that stupid.


    This was why I had assumed they would charge at the guardsmen guarding the flanks. After all, the shields they wielded didn¡¯t seem as sturdy as the heavy bone shields. However, the reality of the situation was that they chose the shield wall as their entry point.


    The reason: they had the confidence to break through it!


    The moment the leading orcs broke through the shield wall, the other orcs began streaming in from this breach as well. This sudden calamity made the shieldbearers and sabre wielders abandon their usual stance of counter attacking. Instead, they were forced into the passive position of being on the defensive.


    Upon breaching our formation, these two-star orcs now had to deal with the reserve army on top of attacking the sabre wielders and shieldbearers. The reserves were always stationed behind the Mo Sabre wielders with their mission being to replace the sabre wielders and if need be, protect them.


    While the two parties had the same equipment, that didn¡¯t mean that they were happy about it. The moment they locked eyes, they charged at each other, their eyes red with fury. The reserves were made entirely of one-stars but despite this, they bravely charged at the orcs, their clubs flailing wildly in the air as they did so.


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    Unfortunately for them, the first enemy they encountered were the two-star orcs. Each of these orcs possessed enormous strength and with a simple swing of their clubs, smashed the heads of a few reserve devils.


    As time passed, more and more orcs streamed into the breach caused by the two-star orcs. Without the stalwart shield wall protecting them, what had been an advantage for them now turned into a burden. This was especially so for the sabre wielders.


    Not only were they not able to go on the offensive, their long sabres even dragged them down. As they attempted to strike back at the orcs, their unwieldy sabres would hinder their own reinforcements.


    I had long considered giving them a set of secondary close range weapons but given that my army wasn¡¯t even sufficiently armed, I simply couldn¡¯t spare the mana to create more weapons for the sabre wielders. This was why the sabre wielders were put in this awkward position time and time again.


    With the formation in disarray, One-eye was severely distracted to the point where he even forgot to give out orders. Seeing that matters had devolved into this state, there¡¯s no need for a formation and so I decided to dogpile them.


    ¡°Guardsmen forget about the flanks. Leave a section behind to defend against the charging orcs while the rest of you attack the orcs directly. Reserves, help them as well. Shieldbearers and sabre wielders get out of there now!¡±


    Hearing my orders, One-eye finally calmed down and along with Nine-finger, led their guardsmen into the chaotic battle.


    By now, half of the orcs had already engaged with the bulk of my army. As for the other half, Nine-finger led half of the guardsmen to block the remaining 30 or so orcs. One-eye led the other half of the guardsmen to attack the orcs fighting against the shieldbearers and Mo Sabre wielders.


    With the two parties so thoroughly mixed together, I didn¡¯t dare to release any magic out of fear of friendly fire.


    Thankfully, the hellhounds finally joined in the battle. While they were only one-star as well, they had the advantage of mobility. They swiftly weaved through the crowd and struck at the heart of the battle. As beasts originating from Purgatory, they had terrifying offensive strength.


    Their claws and teeth were easily able to tear through the hide of the orcs and not only that, some of the hellhounds were even able to breathe fire.


    Usually this wouldn¡¯t matter much against the flame resistant devils but these orcs seemed to have a low resistance against flames. Whoever was struck with their flame breath, immediately wailed in pain and began rolling around on the floor.


    Things began to take a turn in our favor.


    ¡°These are the Demonic Half-Orcs. While they have an enormous strength, they are inhibited by their primitive weapons and hence do not possess the lethality you would expect from them.¡±


    Violet Snow finally returned, having recently left due to my inconsiderate question. As she explained this to me, she slapped the ground with her tiny paws.


    50 meters away, one of the demonic half-orcs was immediately set upon by a giant icicle sticking out of the ground.


    The deadly icicle had at least the circumference of an adult¡¯s palm and as it tore through the half-orc¡¯s lower body, it nearly split him in half as it skewered him through the chest. Naturally, this half-orc was as dead as dead can be.


    So this is what it means to have your chrysanthemum (anus) pierced¡­*shiver*


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    ¡°Demonic half-orc?¡± This was an unfamiliar term to me but judging from what I knew of them, they were probably a life form found in Abaddon.


    Any creature found in the Prison of the Dead was probably from one of the three hells, Purgatory, Gehenna and Abaddon. They definitely weren¡¯t from Purgatory. Most of the creatures in Gehenna were undead or had an affinity for ice. As for Abaddon, they were a complicated bunch.


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    Due to my lack of experience with Abaddon, I couldn¡¯t say for sure but even so, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if there were lifeforms such as these half-orcs.


    ¡°Demonic half-orcs have a strength that rivals your devils but they possess an abysmal resistance towards magic, especially flame magic.¡±


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    ¡°Even so, the casualties are still too great¡­¡± The enemy had at least seven to eight two-stars. As for our side, we only had Nine-finger and One-eye. And so, I turned to my bodyguards and said, ¡°No.3, Big 4, go help them.¡±


    ¡°But Master¡­your safety¡­¡± No.3 was reluctant to leave my side due to safety reasons. At the side, Big 4 stood there silent as always but judging from his eyes, he didn¡¯t seem to want to leave either.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have Violet Snow with me.¡±


    I gave them a dismissive wave of my hands and tried to send them off once more. Who knew that, No.5 would pick this moment to butt in.


    ¡°With me protecting the Master, there¡¯s nothing to be afraid of.¡± He gave his bone shield a smack of his bone sword, grabbing the attention of everyone present before boldly swearing, ¡°I vow to protect the Master to my dying breath!¡±


    ¡°You?¡­¡± No.3 glared at him. ¡°I hope you live up to those words.¡±


    No.5 cowered slightly at being glared. Perhaps he felt that he had just lost dignity and so he decided to double down on his words. He lowered his head while still adamantly insisting, ¡°If anyone wishes to harm the Master, they have to do so over my dead body!¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡± No.3 didn¡¯t respond but instead left for the battlefield with Big 4 in tow.


    My named subordinates had all shown signs of growth, barring those that were dead. All, except for No.5. This potato just didn¡¯t seem to be growing at all. Even those normal large imps were showing signs of evolving. By my estimation, they would soon evolve into head imps.


    But this sheltered potato¡­don¡¯t tell me you really need me to feed you till death!?


    It was at this moment that the shadowy figure of Vick appeared within the chaotic battlefield. I simply couldn¡¯t understand why a vengeful wraith would end up as a peace-loving ghost. But reality was as such, this strange fellow would never proactively attack another person. Instead, all he did was play pranks on the combatants.


    Thankfully, he knew how to distinguish friend from foe. As he fleeted about the battlefield, he limited his pranks only to the half-orcs. He would fly circles around one of the two-star half-orcs, infuriating his victim.


    In response to the taunting, the half-orc swung his club at the wispy figure but it merely passed through Vick without leaving a scratch on him. From to time, this mischievous ghost would make faces at the half-orc and even flashed him a thumbs down, causing him to fly into a rage.


    Unfortunately for him, there was no outlet for him to vent that anger. After all, Vick was immune to physical attacks; even if you wanted to get angry at him, there¡¯s no point in doing so.


    As the two bodyguards scanned the battlefield, they immediately locked onto the half-orc getting pestered by Vick. With the two of them teaming up on him, the poor fellow who was nearly driven mad, was swiftly hacked to pieces.


    Despite losing his toy, Vick wasn¡¯t angered a bit. He merely swallowed the half-orc¡¯s soul and immediately went in search of a new toy.


    Regarding his habit of stealing my souls, there was nothing I could really do about it. While it was a failure on my part for summoning him, I still didn¡¯t want to unsummon him. After all, he was already there, it would be a huge waste of mana if I got rid of him.


    Besides, he seemed to possess a will of his own and I even gave him a name¡­I¡¯ll just leave him be. While he didn¡¯t attack them, he knew to proactively distract the enemy. Besides, his immunity to physical attacks might just come in handy.


    Violet Snow stopped summoning that terrifying icicle of hers after killing another two more half-orcs. I guess those few casts must¡¯ve taken a toll on her. After all, casting such a spell with pinpoint accuracy in such a chaotic battlefield and at that range must¡¯ve consumed a ton of mana. Even now, her accuracy was something I didn¡¯t possess.


    With the addition of No.3, Big 4 and Vick, the half-orcs began to lose their advantage and soon the combined forces of the hellhounds and the devils began to suppress them.


    After ten more minutes, there were about ten or so half-orcs left. Having been surrounded by an army tens of times their size, they began to lose their will to fight.


    I got my subordinates to maintain this encirclement while I stepped forth. It¡¯s time for my charms to do their work.


    The devils obediently stopped their attack and the half-orcs weren¡¯t in a hurry to press the devils either. They were slightly confused by their opponent¡¯s decision to halt their attack despite their obvious advantage.


    The demonic half-orcs began to gather around the two remaining two-star half-orcs. Their intention was to tighten up their defenses by reducing the area they needed to defend.


    I strode forth with grimoire and egg in hand, behind me trotted the snow puppy, Violet Snow. Seeing me approach, my subordinates made way for me. No.3 and Big 4 made use of this time to return to my side, flanking me on both sides.


    ¡°Speak, why did you guys attack us¡­?¡±


    In the face of my curt questioning, the two remaining two-stars glared at me with bloodshot eyes. The more aggressive of the two immediately cut in before I could finish my sentence. As he opened up his giant mouth, revealing a row of blackish-yellow teeth, he shouted fiercely at me in an unknown language.


    ¡°%#@@%%%¡±


    ¡°A language barrier¡­¡± I clenched my fists and sighed. I swear my balls are hurting right now¡­if I had any¡­


    My interest was immediately dampened by this revelation. Being unable to communicate meant that recruiting was basically impossible. Does this mean I have to put them all to death?


    ¡°He said, you damned lust demon, don¡¯t even think of seducing me.¡± Just as I thought about whether or not to kill them, Violet Chime chimed in with an unexpected translation. ¡°He said he will never believe in another lust demon again. Furthermore, he said that even if you offered to be his female slave, he wouldn¡¯t accept you.¡±


    ¡°¡­murder that b*****d!¡±


    To think that even these half-orcs would¡­I¡¯ve had enough of this!!!


    ¡°Kill all of them!¡±

 Chapter 65: Deathmatch

    ¡°AHHHHHH!!!¡±


    Upon hearing my order to purge them, that aggressive two-star half orc immediately charged at me, a thunderous shout spewing forth from his large mouth.


    The sudden turn of events left the imps no time to react. One-eye stood there, too stunned to stop the half-orc as he easily rammed past three guardsmen who happened to be in the way. This entire sequence only took a few seconds, by the end of it, he was in front of me with his club poised to strike.


    ¡°Master, step back!¡±


    No.3 and Big 4 were seasoned bodyguards and were naturally used to such sudden attempts on my life. The pair simultaneously raised their long bone swords and thrusted them at the approaching half-orc, forcing him back. In order to avoid getting skewered, the half-orc abruptly halted his tracks.


    He stood there glaring at me for a second before speaking to me in his strange language.


    ¡°He wants to have a duel to the death with you.¡±


    ¡°Duel?¡± Are you kidding me, I have the advantage right now, why should I listen to a loser?


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    ¡°I suggest you take up his offer, that is if you still wish to recruit them. Of course, that¡¯s assuming you have confidence in your strength.¡± She slowly explained her reasoning: ¡°Demonic half-orcs only submit to the strong, if you can defeat their leader in a duel, there¡¯s a high chance the rest will follow you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sure about that?¡±


    She nodded and said in a tone without a hint of doubt: ¡°Yes, these half-orcs have a great respect for their traditions. They only serve the strong regardless of their race. As long as you defeat him, you stand a chance at getting their loyalty.¡±


    ¡°Is that so.¡± I waved my hand to signal for the pair to make way. ¡°Tell them, I¡¯ll accept this deathmatch!¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± She immediately turned towards the half-orc and spoke to them in their language. The moment he heard that, a strange look of surprise crossed his face. Judging from his reaction, he probably didn¡¯t expect me to accept the duel.


    ¡°Master, there¡¯s no need to risk yourself in a such manner. If it¡¯s a fight he wants, we¡¯re more than enough.¡± One-eye immediately stood out to stop me.


    No.3 and Big 4 soon followed his lead but I adamantly brushed aside their offer.


    The reason why I accepted this was because I had absolute confidence in my victory. In that previous battle, I discovered that while these half-orcs were physically strong, they weren¡¯t very agile. Furthermore, they weren¡¯t able to react to changes well. With my ever-changing style of magic, I should have no problem toying with him.


    Seeing my resolve, they reluctantly retreated to the sidelines. However, this didn¡¯t stop them from throwing me a few worried looks from time to time, their weapons gripped tight, ready to step in in an instant if things went awry.


    Everyone retreated and formed a circle around us, creating an arena ring of sorts for our deathmatch. The half-orcs were cordoned off at one side by my subordinates. However, this didn¡¯t seem to worry them at all. In fact, their excitement could be felt a mile away as they pounded their chests and cheered madly.


    I stationed a section of my imps to stand watch over them. If these half-orcs tried anything funny, they were to purge them right away.


    The half-orc growled as he flashed his jagged teeth at No.3 and Big 4, taunting them. Failing to elicit a response from them, he turned his attention to me and spewed a string of unintelligible words once more.


    ¡°Lust Demon, accepting the mighty Dewey Dan¡¯s deathmatch will be the biggest misfortune of your life. I will defeat you and right in front of your subordinates, I will¡­¡± Translator mode Violet Snow abruptly stopped at this point, a look of disgust on her face.


    I handed over the devil egg to a nearby female devil and as I turned back, I caught sight of Violet Snow¡¯s constipated expression as if she had just been greatly insulted. Thinking back on his words¡­I guess they didn¡¯t need translating for them to be understood.


    It¡¯s probably that thing that men and women did together. I totally get it. But when did this brother turn into a lust demon! Damn it, all of these people keep treating me like a female!


    Bone spears!!


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    In a fit of rage, I shot out three spears in a quick succession. They whistled through the air in what looked like one extremely long spear, their target, the half-orc Dewey standing a mere 15 meters away.


    *crack crack crack*


    The primitive bone club swatted down each of the spears. Having taken care of the long range threat, Dewey Dan stormed at me.


    I instantly cast a bone wall to block him. It was a brittle wall due to the lack of mana within it, but it served its purpose. As the bone wall rose right at the point the half-orc was going to step on, it disrupted his balance and tripped him.


    His massive body stumbled before falling forwards, as it did so, the bone wall he stepped on continued rising, bringing his feet along with it as his face fell towards the ground.


    While the half-orc wasn¡¯t exceptionally agile, he had a vast wealth of combat experience and strength. Upon sensing the impending danger, he stuck out both his hands immediately, forcefully halting the fall before his head impacted with the ground.


    With his hands as a support, he threw his body forward, legs first, and performed a slight tumble forward before righting his posture once more.


    He kicked off his massive legs and sprinted towards me once more. I immediately created another wall but this time, Dewey Dan ploughed right the brittle wall.


    As flesh collided with bone, the massive legs of the half-orc noticeably slowed down after breaking through the bony barricade. The half-orc seemed to have noticed this as well and decided to halt his failed charge. Standing a mere seven to eight meters away from me, he bellowed at me in what must¡¯ve been his attempt at showing off his strength.


    As he did so, the other half-orc captives roared in unison as if they were trying to cheer for their kinsman. However, the expression on Violet Snow face¡¯s seemed to say otherwise. She wanted to translate the ¡°cheers¡± but changed her mind in lieu of the ongoing match.


    After that bit of venting, he resumed his charge but this time, he was noticeably more cautious and slower, the humiliating experience from the first two charges obviously having an impact on him.


    This time however, I opted for a brute force approach. A large amount of mana flowed through my body as I channeled them into a much sturdier bone wall. The wall swiftly rose out of the ground, connecting the two sides of the maze, completely blocking off Dewey Dan¡¯s path.


    As my face disappeared behind the rising bone wall, a surge of blood rushed to the temperamental half-orc¡¯s head. He was furious, furious that his prey managed to escape once more despite being only a few meters away from him. He slammed his bone club down at the bony-white culprit in a maddened fit of rage.


    After a few hits however, the bone club snapped, no longer able to bear the brunt of his fury. He tossed it aside and began hammering the bone wall with his fists and kicks. With each strike of his grayish black limbs, the bone wall reverberated and gave off an ominously loud crack.


    Five to six seconds later, the bone wall finally gave way in an explosion of bone fragments. What greeted me was a pair of bleeding knuckles that grasped on the sides of the breach as they pulled forward the muscular titan behind them.


    ¡°Roar~~~¡± At this distance, I could clearly see the fury within his eyes but I was more than ready for it.


    ¡°I heard you guys are afraid of fire.¡± I derisively laughed at his challenge with flame whip in hand. With a flick of my wrist, the snake-like flames lashed out at the half-orc, binding him before he managed to dodge it.


    As the scorching heat bore into his flesh, the horrid stench of cooked meat wafted throughout the maze as Dewey Dan howled in pain. He struggled desperately against the burning snake but it was all for naught.


    The first to catch fire was his dishevelled hair, followed by his face and then his body¡­soon, there was nothing left but a blacked corpse on the floor. As I stepped over what remained of the half-orc leader, my flame whip dragged against the floor, leaving a black scorch mark wherever it touched.


    The remaining half-orcs trembled as they looked at me, some not even daring to do so.


    However, this situation didn¡¯t last too long as the surviving two-star half-orc suddenly cut in. He seemed to have gotten a portion of their support as they raised their voices in what seemed like opposition. While I still didn¡¯t understand what they were saying, it sounded like they didn¡¯t want to serve me.


    ¡°What are they saying?¡± Their words as unintelligible as ever, I had no choice but to turn to Violet Snow for help.


    ¡°They said that the deathmatch doesn¡¯t count, it didn¡¯t conform to their traditions.¡±


    ¡°Traditions¡­wasn¡¯t it to submit to the victor?¡±


    She gaved me a helpless look and said: ¡°Customarily, the fight would be between two fighters who competed with their martial skills and strength. There would be no magic used as it is considered a violation of traditions.¡±


    ¡°Violation?¡± No wonder they were making that much noise right at the start of the match. I thought they were cheering for Dewey Dan¡­so the real reason was they thought I was cheating. My face immediately blackened upon receiving that answer.


    ¡°So what this means is, they wish to renege on their words?¡±


    ¡°¡­Demonic half-orcs are kind of¡­if you don¡¯t explain clearly to them, they won¡¯t submit to you that easily.¡± She was clearly exasperated by this ¡°cheating¡± matter as well.


    ¡°You¡¯re asking me for an explanation? Then who should I ask for an explanation?!¡± It was a perfectly valid duel but now I have to deal with all these c**p? And what¡¯s with that b******t that Dewey-whatever was spouting earlier?


    As the anger built in me, a fireball rapidly formed in my right palm, the fire elements seemingly resonating with my fury. Soon, a meter wide fireball was seen hurtling towards the sole surviving two-star.


    It¡¯s all that b***ard¡¯s fault, if it wasn¡¯t for that guy flapping those disgusting lips of his, the other half-orcs would¡¯ve quietly submitted to me.


    *Boom!*


    The roaring flames engulfed that eyesore along with two half-orcs standing beside him, turning all three of them into a pile of cinders.


    As the shockwave spread out, bone fragments could be seen falling onto the ground and onto the heads of the half-orcs.


    The scene immediately quietened down. Time stood still as all the half-orcs froze on the spot, not even daring to blink.


    Sigh, I seem to be getting more and more temperamental. Perhaps I¡¯m getting used to the lifestyle here. Having blown those eyesores to bits, my heart was filled with a strange sense of elation. It egged me on, sweetly whispering in my head to continue killing.


    I should just continue killing these ignorant beasts¡­kill all life who aren¡¯t willing to submit to me¡­no, I mustn¡¯t do that¡­I still have to return to the western human realms, I still have to find Nicole¡­


    The strange bloodlust was immediately quashed as it appeared in me. If I had let it continue, who knows what I might turn into in the end. I knew how weak my will was and so I immediately banished these thoughts before they could take root within me.


    As I regained my senses, I found the half-orcs staring dumbly at me, their face full of fear. Hmm, in this situation, subjugating them should be easy.


    I coldly swept over the pale-faced half orcs before turning to Violet Snow.


    ¡°Tell them, there are many kinds of power in this world, there¡¯s no need to split it into some nonsense like magic or physical. As long as it can kill the enemy, it¡¯s power. This is their last chance, submit or die!¡±


    She was slightly taken aback by my icy stare but quickly recovered and nodded immediately.


    After a round of persuasion by Violet Snow, the remaining half-orcs finally let go of their hostility. While they might not fully accept me, at least they won¡¯t try to oppose me.


    After all, I had just killed two two-stars without even taking a scratch. Power of this caliber was more than enough to shut them up.


    Whether it was because of her persuasion or my fearsome magic, the half-orcs finally came to a decision amidst this life-or-death situation. They turned towards me and half-kneeled, pledging their loyalty to me in their unintelligible language.


    Truth be told, I didn¡¯t care if they were really loyal to me, I just needed cannon fodder.


    I beckoned to No.5.


    No.5 immediately ran over and gave me his usual ingratiating smile: ¡°Congratulations Master on getting more subordinates.¡±


    ¡°Leave the sucking up for later, I need you to tally up the loot.¡±


    ¡°Yes Master.¡±

 Chapter 66: A Puppy Who Doesn’t Know How to Hold a Conversation

    The combat record was abysmal this time around. After countless battles, my subordinate count had fallen to slightly less than 300. Now, it dropped even further, coming in at 237 after that damned attack by the half-orcs. The hellhounds had lost some members as well, their numbers only came out to 45.


    As for the half-orcs, they lost over a hundred people and only had 49 members remaining, all of whom were one-star.


    My face instantly fell as the numbers ran through my head. As No.5 continued recounting our losses, my face got darker and darker. At the side, the half-orcs were already shaking in their boots, not a single one dared to breathe too loudly for fear of catching my attention. While they didn¡¯t understand what was being said, certain things didn¡¯t need explaining.


    ¡°Ask them. Why did they attack us.¡± I sought out Violet Snow once more to be my translator. I still wasn¡¯t sure if any one of them could understand me so asking her to help would simplify matters alot.


    She found a relatively older half-orc and went about her translating duties.


    The two engaged in a surprisingly lengthy conversation. There were multiple times where I wanted to interrupt them but thinking about it, she probably had her reasons for talking this long. And so I decided to rest at one side while she continued her enquiries. A while later, she finally came over to deliver her report.


    As I hugged my little babies, (the grimoire and the egg) I quietly listened to her. Immediately, I was shocked by the first sentence that left her mouth.


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    ¡°These half-orcs originated from Abaddon but due to the civil war between half-orcs, their clan members ended up either being taken captives or being thrown here by the victors.¡±


    ¡°They were dumped here from the outside?¡± Due to the wide variety of unique races here, I had long suspected that this world was connected to the outside world via multiple channels. If this was true, the Prison of the Dead might just be the last stop in my journey to return home.


    ¡°Was that so strange?¡± She gave me a puzzled look, clearly not understanding the source of my surprise. ¡°I was thrown in here from the outside too.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± From her words, I concluded that ¡°thrown in here¡± was a common theme among the residents.


    ¡°Oh, I just realized, the Prison of the Dead should be linked to the ancient Blood Sea as well, shouldn¡¯t it? You must¡¯ve climbed up from there.¡±


    What¡¯s with that ¡°Ah hah¡± look you¡¯re giving me, why do I suddenly get the feeling that there¡¯s a lot of things you haven¡¯t told me!


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­true, I did climb up here from the Blood Sea so there¡¯s a lot of things I still don¡¯t understand. I hope you will explain them to me.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, where should I start¡­let¡¯s start with those half-orcs.¡± Her face scrounged up a little as she pondered this issue. Obviously, my lack of knowledge was giving her a headache.


    In the end, she decided to start with our initial focus point: ¡°As I was just saying, these half-orcs were originally from Abaddon, one day they were visited by a pair of uninvited guests, they were six-star lust demons¡­¡±


    The demonic half-orcs were a warlike race in Abaddon and as such played a decisive role in any conflict. In a sense, they were similar to the Hu people of Ancient China (includes the mongols) in that they were nomadic and warlike.


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    Their clans came in various sizes from large to small with a grand chief ruling over his own clan as well as having some control over the surrounding smaller clans.


    It was in this backdrop that the pair approached the head of one of the smaller clans. The head was entranced by one of the lust demons and ended up submitting to her. The first order given to him was to subjugate the surrounding smaller clans.


    Initially, this went well with the small clan only targeting clans weaker than it. This clan rapidly grew in strength as it did so until they finally ended up offending the large clan ruling them.


    In order to wrest control back from the lust demons, that large clan launched a blitz attack on them.


    Naturally, the smaller clan ended up getting dispersed. The might of a large clan simply wasn¡¯t something a small clan like theirs could compete with. Some of them were exiled while some of them were taken as captives. A small portion of these ended up being thrown into the Prison of the Dead. However, the vast majority of the clan weren¡¯t that fortunate and ended up getting killed in the war.


    These half-orcs standing before me were the survivors who got thrown away. When they first arrived here, they had around 500 people with their head being a three-star half-orc.


    Under the leadership of this orc, they quickly got used to living here. Since they were new here, they didn¡¯t possess a nest to call their own and ended up being bandits, robbing and killing whoever they encountered.


    ¡°Then, do you know of the method to leave this damned place?¡± If there¡¯s a way to throw people in here, there should be a way to send them out as well. Regarding their sob story, I couldn¡¯t care less, all I was concerned with was how to leave this place.


    I want to return to the western human realms to see Nicole once more. Of course, if given the chance, I would love to see that lovely fallen angel loli, Yi Yi, I still owed her my thanks for saving me.


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    If I wasn¡¯t wrong, being able to reincarnate in the Blood Sea was all thanks to her efforts.


    ¡°The method to leave this prison¡­I only know of two methods. The first is to evolve into a four-star and find the exit yourself. While the exit is guarded by multiple prison guards, these guards will not hinder a four-star from leaving. Of course, this only applies to you yourself.¡±


    ¡°If you insist on bringing along your subordinates, you can only rely on the second method.¡± Violet Snow rubbed the ground with her tiny paws before calmly continuing under the anxious gaze of my eyes.


    ¡°The second method is a lot easier, all you have to do is find the exit and breach it.¡±


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    ¡°What¡¯s their strength like?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen them before so I¡¯m not too sure. But I¡¯m sure they won¡¯t be lacking any four-star undead.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Why does the second method sound even harder.


    ¡°Oh right, didn¡¯t you mention that they had a three-star leading them¡­¡± Putting aside the matter of leaving, I focused my attention back on the half-orcs. ¡°During our battle, I didn¡¯t see any three-star leading them, don¡¯t tell me he¡¯s already dead.¡±


    She answered with an off topic response: ¡° I just learnt an unfortunate piece of news from that half-orc, it looks like you have to cancel that plan to subjugate those devils.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± She raised her head and looked at the bone ceiling before answering in a helpless tone: ¡°That enclave has at least two three-star demon childs guarding it. That three-star half-orc was killed by these two working together.


    ¡°¡­you¡¯re kidding me.¡± Such a coincidence¡­I just decided on this new target and two days later, I stumble upon this piece of intelligence¡­although it¡¯s a pretty terrible piece of information.


    ¡°That enclave is the largest among the local factions. While they are a mere 7 days away from us, I suggest you set your sights on a different target.¡± She pounded her paws on the ground to emphasize this need for caution.


    ¡°Master, here are the souls.¡± Having tallied up the damages, No.5 had the self-awareness to automatically offer up the gathered souls.


    In total, we harvested over a hundred souls which was delivered to me by several large imps. These souls were split into equal portions to be divvied out.


    Upon seeing the souls, the grimoire gleefully flew over and gulped down its share in an instant. It was at this moment that Vick popped out to try and steal some souls but the grimoire didn¡¯t take too kindly to his advances. It tossed itself at the wispy dunce, scaring him away in an instant.


    As for the devil egg, it seemed to have lowered its food intake. In the past, it would automatically absorb whatever was given to it. Now, it required me to feed it one by one. In fact, I actually had to place the soul onto its shell before it was willing to absorb it. Looks like it almost reached its limit or perhaps it just got sick of these souls.


    As I fed the egg, Violet Snow would constantly throw me a strange look.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    In the face of my questioning, she hesitated for a while before answering: ¡°Is that your child? That can¡¯t be true¡­you¡¯re obviously¡­¡±


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    ¡°Obviously what?¡±


    ¡°Nothing¡­¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­I absolutely detested this kind of people who left their sentences hanging like that. Even if that person was an adorable puppy, I still didn¡¯t like it although that anger only lasted only a couple of seconds. Being so pretty made it a lot easier to forgive her.


    ¡°It¡¯s not my child, it was birthed by one of my subordinates¡­¡± I gave a brief recounting of Mo Ci¡¯s story, all the while, she had an expression which said ¡°so that¡¯s why¡±.


    ¡°You¡¯re a really lucky fellow.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m really lucky.¡± Having cheated death twice, I was definitely a lucky person. At the same time, I was also really unlucky¡­as for why, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s pretty obvious¡­


    As I reflected on my life, Violet Snow unintentionally struck at my weak point once more: ¡°If you were the one who got caught, that role would¡¯ve probably fallen to you.¡±


    ¡°¡­there¡¯s¡­there¡¯s no way¡­I can give birth¡­¡± I had to admit, her words really hurt. Based on her words, she had always seen me as a female devil¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­a man! A bonafide guy!! You hear me? A guy!¡±


    In order to avoid a certain dog from mishearing me, important things must be repeated thrice.


    Unfortunately my indignant grief wasn¡¯t able to change her view of me. Her ears twitched a little as she gave me a disbelieving look. She slowly trotted up to me and gave me a good sniffing. After that round of inspection, this girl calmly looked at me and said:


    ¡°No matter how you look at it, whether it¡¯s your appearance, scent or soul, you¡¯re definitely a lust demon. Furthermore, you have a really high-grade bloodline. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if you had the royal bloodline of a lust demon within you. It¡¯s probably because of this status that you were able to gather this large amount of devils.¡±


    ¡°What lust demon! Let¡¯s set the record straight once and for all! I¡¯m a male! Except for my lack of a pee pee, how am I anything but a male! I still have a pure heart within me so don¡¯t use those tainted eyes to corrupt me!!¡±


    You¡¯ve got to be kidding me! Even though I didn¡¯t use a certain tool for over 40 years, thus turning into a sage, I still won¡¯t allow you to treat me like a female! Back in the good old days, I was a stud who could fire off 7 consecutive shots in one night just by looking at a loli book!!


    I¡¯ve decided¡­before I die, I must grow a pee pee and at least have a night with a beautiful girl. This is my sole wish in life so God, please help me¡­wait, that¡¯s not right. I¡¯m the enemy of God now, a devil¡­my head is getting messed up again.


    My protests fell on deaf ears as she relentlessly battered me with her words: ¡° Initially, I thought that you had relied on your feminine charms to maintain your control over these devils but clearly this isn¡¯t the case since you don¡¯t have that stench emitted by the carnal branch of lust demons in heat.¡±


    ¡°Neither do you have the stench of male fluid on your body. And so, I guessed that you belonged to the combat branch or the beguiling branch of lust demons. If you were a part of the carnal branch, I wouldn¡¯t have allowed you to come near me.¡±

 Chapter 67: A Sudden Rush of Anxiety

    ¡°I just said that I¡¯m not a lust demon!¡± Damn it, what will it take for you to believe me. An all female race like the lust demons simply aren¡¯t my cup of tea¡­oh wait, if they are willing to be my girlfriend, I won¡¯t object to that.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of a thief calling himself a thief.¡± She threw out that irrefutable analogy and instantly shutting down my objection. She continued her inexplicable soliloquy without paying me any heed.


    ¡°In the past, any male who dared to touch me would be put to death immediately, someone like you would¡¯ve died multiple times over. Also, those who stared at me for too long would have their eyes gouged out.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± What the heck, are you some kind of sacred maiden! Putting aside the fact that you execute anyone who touches you, what¡¯s with the eye gouging! Exactly how precious are you?


    ¡°Of course, that¡¯s all in the past.¡± As she said this, she sadly shook her head. ¡°While you¡¯re a natural born lust demon, I doubt you know much about your race since you were born in the Blood Sea. I¡¯ll give you a quick rundown so that you don¡¯t end up getting your gender mixed up.¡±


    ¡°Who are you calling gender confused! I¡¯m a male through and through, a female loving male!¡± This question of gender was driving me insane but no matter how I explained myself, she simply didn¡¯t believe me.


    ¡°Alright, alright. I get that you¡¯re a male lust demon. Just settle down and listen to me, who knows, your thing might actually grow out once you do so¡­pfft¡­¡±


    It¡¯s one thing to be snide¡­but you actually laughed at it yourself¡­.


    REPORT AD


    According to her, lust demons had three branches namely, the carnal branch, beguiling branch and the combat branch. While they were called branches, they weren¡¯t a subspecies of the lust demon race. Instead, they were methods of survival.


    Firstly, the carnal branch of lust demons. They formed the largest branch of lust demons, roughly 70% of the entire population fell under this category. As for what they did, the name says it all.


    Basically, the common view of lust demons originated from this branch. In fact, they were the reason why humans considered lust demons the avatar of carnal desires¡­technically, they aren¡¯t wrong about that either.


    The combat strength of the lust demons weren¡¯t particularly strong. Even though they controlled darkness and flames, their forte lied in their beguiling talents. Unfortunately for them, hell wasn¡¯t a conducive environment for them. To be exact, their forte didn¡¯t do much for their combat strength, in fact, their strength was lacking compared to the other races.


    Lust demons were an all female evolutionary path where there was only one requirement for its members¡ª-being female.


    This was the reason why they were gifted with an alluring appearance and beguiling talents. At the end of the day however, combat is still the main method of survival in hell.


    Due to the fierce competition in hell, it was much harder for female devils to survive. This was especially true for the more beautiful ones where their beauty ended up becoming a burden instead.


    Their beauty often made them a target for enslavement by stronger devils. It was in such an environment that the carnal branch was born.


    Since they were naturally weaker than the other devils, they decided to rely on the most primal method to secure their survival.


    Carnal lust demons would often serve a stronger devil, becoming a plaything for them. At times, they might even turn the tables on these stronger devils and end up assuming the dominant role.


    REPORT AD


    Simply put, it was using one¡¯s body to please another, in return, they were given a safe environment to live in. There were even lust demons who used their bodies to dominate male devils.


    They were kinda like a friend with benefits or a cheap prostitute and in some cases, like a female bandit chief who controlled her subordinates with her body.


    As for the beguiling branch, they roughly made up 25% of the lust demons in hell. This type of lust demon tended to specialize in psychic magic and were easily able to beguile the more simple minded devils. (Abyssal devils, flame demons and even some greater devils who were befuddled by their desires.)


    This form of beguilement was a combination of their individual charm and psychic magic. Every member of the beguiling branch were peerless beauties as well as master level mesmers (mages who specialised in psychic magic).


    They were not only able to make a person like them with a glance, some of their victims end up falling irreversibly in love with them at first sight, regardless of whether they are female or male.


    These lust demons tended to have what was known as ¡°queen syndrome¡±¡­which means they had a very high probability to creating a harem for themselves¡­furthermore, they didn¡¯t discriminate between men and women, with them as the dominant role.


    The biggest difference between the two was a matter of choice. Carnal lust demons were either playthings or actively seduced others, on the other hand, beguiling lust demons were able to toy with others.


    Combat lust demons were the most unique of the three. Unlike their kin, they possessed a terrifying gift for combat. If they were humans, they would probably be known as valkyries.


    Their combat strength was so terrifying, they actually equalled the fallen angels who were known as the strongest devil race in hell. It wouldn¡¯t be a stretch to call them the reapers of the battlefield.


    Their claim to prominence lied in their perfect control over flames and darkness. Combined with their peerless agility, they were able to overwhelm their enemies in close and long ranged combat.


    Their beauty and affinity with psychic magic allowed them to charm their opponents with merely a stare¡­coupled with their control over darkness and shadows, these lust demons were the perfect assassins. After all, with their control over shadows, who else could blend into the shadows as well as them?


    The biggest weakness of the combat branch was their rarity. Within the entire population, only 0.5% of lust demons were of the combat branch.


    Similar to human society, there was a big difference in prestige between genius and mediocrity. As such, you could imagine the joy I felt when Violet Snow praised me.


    ¡°I thought you were a carnal/beguiling lust demon at first, but it turns out I was wrong and you¡¯re actually a combat lust demon.¡±


    My face practically radiated confidence as I beamed and put on a ¡°I¡¯m really strong¡± pose. ¡°Is it because I¡¯m so adept at combat?¡±


    Seeing my confident expression, her mouth cracked into a rare grin: ¡°Actually, the conclusion is that I still don¡¯t detect any trace of a male devil on you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Will it kill you to cut me slack!


    Without giving me time to wallow in depression, she immediately followed this up with a serious question: ¡°What¡¯s your next plan?¡±


    ¡°Like you said, those two three-star demon childs are too much for us, at least for now. Even with our equipment, their numbers is more than enough to crush us. In that case, we have no choice but to keep wandering around.¡±


    I lightly rubbed the devil horn on my head, hoping to alleviate the headache I was getting from all the mulling. Two seconds later, I finally came to a decision: ¡°We¡¯ll go back to our original plan of recruiting the dogmen. Once we do so, we can proceed to subjugate the other races and bolster our troops till we can stand toe to toe with that devil clan.¡±


    ¡°After we subjugate that clan, we can search the surrounding regions for other clans to conquer while we look for the exit. The main goal is to get out of the Prison of the Dead as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Why are you in such a hurry to leave? The Prison of the Dead isn¡¯t a place you can leave so easily.¡± Despite her apprehension, I could detect a hint of longing in her voice. I could tell that she actually wanted to leave this damned place just as much as I did but she merely didn¡¯t have the confidence to do so.


    Judging from her tone, it seemed like she was in it for the long haul.


    That reminds me, exactly why did I run away from home in the first place? Oh right, it was because I was powerless and I didn¡¯t want to become a burden on my family. I didn¡¯t want Roscar to tire himself out, day after day, for my sake. I didn¡¯t want all his hard earned money to be wasted on my second magical examination.


    Nicole even delayed her admission into warrior school because of this; every single penny was kept aside for my sake¡­


    Furthermore, if she actually left for school, my powerless self would be an easy target for the village hooligans¡­why did I have such a delicate looking face¡­sigh, there¡¯s just so much pressure on me¡­


    More importantly, while I¡¯m messing around here, Sares is still by her side, watching and waiting for his chance¡­what¡¯s worse was that b*****d Roscar actually liked this kid¡­I just don¡¯t get it. What¡¯s so great about Sares? He¡¯s just a little talented and a tiny bit better looking than most people!


    I¡¯m pretty good looking myself! Well, things are different now, I¡¯ve attained a power of my own. This time, I¡¯ll get back to the western human realms and snatch her back with my own two hands!


    She¡¯s already 13 this year, if I don¡¯t hurry back within the next few years, she will have reached the marrying age. At that time, Sares might just¡­


    The last thing I want to deal with is a couple of Sares juniors¡­


    My heart pounded, sending the blood rushing to my head. As the fires of anxiety burned within me, I jumped to my feet and replied, my voice just as fiery as my mood, ¡° In a hurry? How can I not be in a hurry¡­if given the choice, I would immediately sprout a pair of wings and immediately fly out of this prison!¡±


    ¡°Err¡­even if you sprout a pair of wings, you can¡¯t fly out of here¡­¡±


    ¡°I know that! You don¡¯t have to explain it to me!¡± It was just a figure of speech.


    Because of my sudden outburst, a number of subordinates started peeking in my direction. My eyes swept across the area, staring down anyone who dared to look at me: ¡° What are you looking at? Go back to sleep!¡±


    Violet Snow stared at me dumbly, seemingly confused by my sudden agitation.


    ¡°Forget it, this isn¡¯t something I can explain to you.¡± There was no way I could tell her that I¡¯m a transmigrator, or that I was a 40 year old sage (virgin) or that my wish was to grow up into a real adult. How could I possibly tell her that!


    Not being one to badger a person, she left me to my devices upon seeing my unstable mood.


    As I stood there, alone, I was overcome by a sense of boredom and decided to look through the grimoire once more. The familiar words of the grimoire filled my vision as I flipped through the pages, suddenly I noticed a spell that I hadn¡¯t tried out yet. It was the new spell I attained when I evolved, Summon Skeleton Archer.


    Reading through the words, I was reminded of that terrifying encounter with the skeletal assassin. Initially, he was merely an unassuming skeleton archer but all that changed when my subordinates cornered him, forcing him to reveal his prowess.


    That encounter had traumatized me deeply, causing me a great deal of worry for a period of time. Given his strength, I was actually afraid that he might come back to assassinate me.


    Due to a variety of reasons, undead magic was put on the back burner despite its obvious usability in the Prison of the Dead. Not only was my affinity with it worse than my darkness and flame affinity, I simply didn¡¯t have the mana to spare after spending it on crafting weapons. As such, all it could do was gather dust till now.


    Despite all that I had I just said, it didn¡¯t mean that I couldn¡¯t devote a little time to a useful spell like Summon Skeleton Archer. Not only did it address a problem that has been plaguing me for a while, being in the Prison of the Dead meant that I didn¡¯t need to search for a skeleton before I test it out.


    I stood there, grimoire in hand and began channeling my mana. As I did so, the magical array lit up, growing ever brighter with each unit of mana I used up. At the side, the light show ended up drawing the attention of a curious Violet Snow who turned around to watch.


    Truth be told, it was kind of a shame I couldn¡¯t utilize the grimoire fully. It not only had the effect of reducing mana consumption, it also empowered my undead spells.


    However, my affinity with that field was simply too horrendous. Furthermore, necromancers weren¡¯t well looked upon in the western human realms. If it wasn¡¯t for these two points, I would¡¯ve definitely switched my main focus onto undead magic.


    Ten seconds later, the radiant green glow of the array began todie down. All of a sudden, a bony hand broke through the bone floor with a distinct crack. An instant later, a second hand broke through the floor, this one gripping a bone bow. It arced its bony joints and pushed itself out of the ground in a strange sight that reminded me of a mud monster appearing out of a pool of mud.


    Slowly but surely, the skeletal hands dragged its entire body out of the ground, revealing a relatively normal looking skeleton archer.


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    My eyes swept over the newcomer from top to toe, trying to notice anything unique about it.


    That skeletal assassin was pretty unremarkable as well. While it hid among the other skeleton archers, one would never single it out at first glance. Only after careful inspection would you discover that it was slightly shorter and more slender than the rest. If I had to make a comparison, if the other archers were normal humans in life, then that assassin must¡¯ve been an elf in life.


    After all, the legends I¡¯ve read all said that elves are shorter and more slender than an average human.


    Elven rangers were known for their long ranged capabilities along with their excellent close combat strength. A strong ranger is also by a definition a terrifying killer. They had after all, a much longer lifespan than humans. This meant that they had more time to hone a variety of crafts compared to a human who could only focus on one field in their limited lifespan.

 Chapter 68: Big 5

    Demonic werewolves are a subspecies of the werewolves normally found in the human world. They mainly live in Abbadon unlike their non-demonic cousins who usually hide themselves among humans.


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    The main difference between the two lies in the fact that demonic werewolves permanently stay in their wolf form while normal werewolves are able to switch between their human and wolf form, although this switching isn¡¯t as easy as it sounds. It is precisely because of this ability that the werewolves are able to infiltrate human society.


    Demonic werewolves are famously known for their temperaments. This fiery temper of theirs is partially why they aren¡¯t able to assume a human form. Another factor is the sheer adversity they have to face in Abaddon. In such a chaotic and violent environment, their weaker human form ends up being a burden to them which led to them slowly favoring their wolf forms more.


    After generations of doing so, they were no longer able to assume a human form.


    Werewolves possess a number of extraordinary abilities in their wolf form. This includes an enhanced agility and power, a logic defying regenerative ability that even allows them to regenerate their limbs in a short span of time and finally a resistance to illnesses and toxins. They are, without a doubt, one of the strongest demonic races in this world.


    As a side note, they don¡¯t have an antagonistic relationship with the vampires.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª<>


    REPORT AD


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Surprisingly, summoning that archer took up a lot less mana than I had expected; it only ate up 20 units of my mana. I guess the next thing to do is to test out its strength.


    I ended up choosing a guardsman to stand in as a target dummy for this weapons test. As he quietly stood there, 50 meters away with his shield raised, I got the newly summoned skeleton archer to fire off an arrow at the shield.


    The archer reacted nearly instantaneously to my command and drew out a bone arrow from an unknown source. It swiftly nocked the arrow onto its bow and with a resounding twang of its bow, let loose the bony projectile.


    The arrow whistled through the air at nearly the speed of a bullet. In just a blink of an eye, it crashed into the raised shield, staggering the guardsman slightly. However, before it could knock him further back, the guardsman came to his senses and with a firm grip of his feet, steadied himself without giving up an inch to the arrow.


    Overall, the shield successfully blocked that arrow but there was an obvious scar on its bony surface.


    To think it was actually able to leave a mark on my refined shield¡­it¡¯s power is pretty decent. For a one-star skeleton to possess such an offensive power was impressive in its own right. With such power, it should be able to penetrate the hides of those ratmen easily.


    However, these archers required a certain number before they could truly show off their offensive powers. Given that I currently possess a maximum of 83 units of mana, I can summon three archers a day with some mana leftover as an emergency. If that¡¯s the case, crafting weapons will have to be put aside for now.


    Recently, we¡¯ve had to deal with a myriad of creatures which was to be expected. The ecosystem of the Prison of the Dead was much more complicated than the Blood Sea and the Land of Dead combined. As such, getting this long range squad ready took precedence over reinforcing my melee squads.


    REPORT AD


    Absorbing souls would replenish my mana quickly but at the same time, I needed them to hasten my evolution¡­ah¡­so many problems, where should I even begin¡­forget it, I¡¯ll just focus on creating a 30 man squad first.


    ¡°Is everything ready?¡±I decided to put it aside for now.


    ¡°It¡¯s ready, Master.¡± One-eye respectfully replied.


    As always, he turned out to be a capable and reliable subordinate. He was in charge of managing all my subordinates and this included the half-orcs who I had just assigned to him.


    As instructed, the half-orcs formed up in a neat formation in front of them, their bone clubs resting in their hands as always but instead of their usual ferocity, a sense of lethargy emitted from them.


    I guess this low morale was to be expected. After all, they had just been subjugated and they weren¡¯t even the same race as us. Thankfully, I only needed a bunch of cannon fodder so I had no plans to groom them into proper subordinates. Their lack of morale was fine as long as they were able to soak some hits without fleeing.


    Upon confirming that Violet Snow and the hellhounds were ready as well, I gave off a lionhearted shout: ¡°Set off.¡±


    ¡°Yes Master!¡±


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    The devils roared in unison. A moment later, the bony hallways were filled with the thunderous sounds of a hundreds strong army marching through its cramped passageways.


    The journey didn¡¯t change much from yesterday¡¯s; all we encountered were a bunch of wandering undead. While these patrols were frequent, each patrol wasn¡¯t too large and so I decided to dispatch the half-orcs. Despite me labelling them as fodder, I still didn¡¯t want to risk their lives unnecessarily.


    Upon entering combat, these half-orcs immediately showed why they were the one of the foremost combat races in Abaddon, their lackadaisical attitude took an immediate 180 as they charged into battle, their clubs waving wildly in the air as they roared.


    These guys were even faster than my guardsman, it was as if a fire had been lit under them as they fearlessly plunged into battle. Their unexpected ferocity even gave me a scare the moment they started roaring.


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    However, as soon as the hundred over skeletons were defeated, I discovered a major problem: half-orcs weren¡¯t able to consume souls.


    In the Prison of the Dead, souls were an important source of sustenance for us devils. In terms of numbers alone, the undead formed the bulk of the population here and was naturally the most common food source. Next came the other races who were thrown here or had climbed up from the Blood Sea.


    If these half-orcs weren¡¯t able to feed on souls, that meant that they only had one means of feeding themselves: killing other life forms for their meat.


    The problem facing me now was why didn¡¯t these skeletons have any meat on them¡­wait¡­


    The real problem was that on top of hunting the undead for souls, I now needed to hunt down some other life forms in order to feed these half-orcs¡­


    No wonder these half-orcs didn¡¯t create a nest of their own after entering the Prison of the Dead but instead chose the life of bandits.


    Given that before meeting these half-orcs we went through two consecutive days of nothing but eating, sleeping and hunting undead, that meant that these half-orcs had to have starved themselves for at least two days before meeting another source of meat. I guess this was the only silver lining in the cloud right now; they were accustomed to starving themselves.


    Which brings up the next question, did the Abaddon Rodents have this same problem as well? If they weren¡¯t able to feed on souls, how did their thousand strong clan survive? And how did they maintain or perhaps even increased their numbers?


    Looks like there¡¯s a lot more for me to learn about this place. Asking Violet Snow was definitely an option but she probably omitted this because she thought this information was unnecessary. Of course, it could just be that she forgot about it¡­or that she simply felt that I was too stupid and thus couldn¡¯t be bothered to do so¡­


    After we managed to amass roughly 500 hundred soul, I distributed a portion of the souls to the elites in my army, in other words, the devils who were most likely to evolve into two-star. They numbered roughly 20.


    Surprisingly, one of them managed to evolve after eating these souls.


    Upon finishing his evolution, the newly evolved head imp stared at his hands in wonderment, he then gave his new horn a feel before looking around in a daze. As he took in the envious gaze of his peers, it finally dawned on him that this wasn¡¯t a dream and that he had really evolved.


    His mouth broke into an excited grin before letting forth a boisterous laugh.


    ¡°What are you laughing about! Get your ass over here and thank the Master for his generosity! Don¡¯t you know that these high- quality souls are normally reserved for the Master¡¯s own consumption. Feeding you guys these souls is such a waste!¡±


    Seeing the silly grin on the imp, an irritated Nine-finger swiftly slapped the imp on the back of his head, stunning the imp for a short while.


    ¡°Which b*****d actually dared to hit me, I¡¯m going to¡­¡± The elation of evolving had left him a sense of superiority which got instantly disrupted by that sudden sneak attack on the back of his head. Feeling exceptionally irate, he turned around intending to give the culprit an earful.


    However, the moment he did so, he came face to face with the equally irate Nine-finger. The sudden turn of events coupled with Nine-finger¡¯s seniority left the poor imp stammering for a reply.


    ¡°You¡­I¡­me¡­¡±


    ¡°Cut the c**p and go thank the Master.¡± Having not vented his anger sufficiently, he gave the imp another slap on his head. Seeing that the imp merely shrink back in fear without daring to speak up, he finally experienced the pleasure that he was looking for;the pleasure of bullying another. And so, he strutted off, extremely proud of himself as if he had just won a battle.


    The head imp didn¡¯t wait for Nine-finger to leave before immediately running up to me. He kneeled and said, with tears of gratitude in his eyes: ¡°Many thanks for the Master¡¯s gift, I will forever be your most loyal slave. May your beauty remain as unchanging as the Blood Sea itself¡­¡±


    Putting aside the matter of my gender, I had to admit that their eloquence had experienced a significant boost after evolving. Even their flattery had reached a new tier.


    The fact that they treated me as a lust demon was just as exasperating as ever but I knew that there was no point explaining this as long as my pee pee didn¡¯t grow out.


    And so, I simply went along with it: ¡°Since you¡¯ve evolved into a head imp, I¡¯ll bestow a name upon you. Not having a name for my two-star henchmen would be too much of a bother after all.¡±


    His excitement reached new heights as the words sunk in. He stared up at me with an expectant look on his face, the drool practically flowing from the corners of his mouth as he did so. I suddenly had the urge to kick his disgusting face but I suppressed it in time.


    Without bothering to cover up my lack of thought, I came up with a fantastic name for him: ¡°From now on, you¡¯re Big 5, got it?¡±


    ¡°Yes Master, Big 5 understands your words. I have a name¡­I¡¯m Big 5¡­I finally have a name¡­¡± He muttered to himself, leaping into air several times as he did so. He was in every way, a gullible child celebrating after having received a simple gift.


    This continued until he finally noticed the darkening look on Nine-finger¡¯s face, only then did he realise that he hadn¡¯t been given the permission to rise. His face paled and immediately fell to his knees once more.


    Perhaps it was out of fear of having his name rescinded but the newly christened Big 5 continuously kowtowed, not daring to look up, any trace of a head imp¡¯s dignity, gone with the wind.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not angry with you, you may rise first.¡± After finally settling this issue, I suddenly realised that he was the same fellow who was riding that hellhound.


    Even though he has gotten bigger since then, it seems like he was still able to ride that hellhound. Having received my forgiveness, he gleefully hopped onto his hellhound and rode around with a wide grin on his face.


    While all this was happening, Nine-finger stood there staring uncomfortably at the pair. I don¡¯t why but he seemed to detest this imp and constantly tried to cause trouble for him.


    How should I say this¡­truth be told, I found his personality rather¡­ unique, but then, all my devils had a rather unique personality as well¡­

 Chapter 69: The Demonic Werewolves and the Medusas

    The legend of Medusa was a tale that had gone through multiple retellings and had a ton of different versions floating around.


    One such version claimed that she was a priestess of Athena who, due to her beauty, caught the fancy of Poseidon. Poseidon visited her in Athena¡¯s shrine and raped her. Having been raped, her body was no longer pure and was viewed by Athena as being a taint on the shrine. And so as punishment, she was turned into a snake demon.


    Some claimed that Athena was unable to punish Poseidon and so ended up venting her anger on Medusa¡­


    Another version claimed that she was in a relationship with Poseidon despite being a priestess and was punished because of that. There¡¯s another retelling that said that Medusa was extremely narcissistic and even had the gall to claim that she was more beautiful than Athena and so she got punished for that¡­


    There was even a version that claimed that she was actually a clone of Athena¡­the Greek mythology is just so chaotic, completely unlike our Chinese legends. There was only one Yellow Emperor and that was Xuanyuan. There¡¯s no instance of his legend being cloned like what happened to Zeus and Jupiter.


    (In roman mythology, their king of gods was Jupiter who was also Zeus in the Greek mythology. There was a saying that goes: Rome conquered Greece with its might but Greece conquered Rome with its culture.)


    When I first encountered the Medusas in this world, I found, to my surprise, that they had no connection to the legend of Athena at all. In a sense, it was impossible for them to have a connection anyway.


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    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-<>


    (In order not to forget how to write in Chinese, Mo Ke would write down his musings from time to time in a diary of sorts. This diary contained some of the thoughts he had when he was free.)


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    ¡°Master, can I ride my hellhound into battle?¡±


    Big 5 stood anxiously at the side with his hellhound as I went about crafting a new set of equipment for him.


    ¡°You wish to fight while riding him?¡±


    Due to his evolution, his body had grown bigger, making it awkward for him to ride his hellhound. In the past, the pair were a perfect match for each other proportion wise but now, his feet nearly touched the ground as they rode along, creating an extremely awkward looking sight.


    I guess it wasn¡¯t strange of him to suggest such a thing. Furthermore, I originally had the intention of creating a cavalry unit but I ended up giving up on that idea since I didn¡¯t know how to create a saddle and reins. Since he took the initiative to ask me, I guess there¡¯s no harm in trying.


    Seeing that I had no intention of rejecting him, his enthusiasm grew even stronger. As he stared at me with longing eyes, he answered, ¡°Yes Master, I wish to ride him into battle, I feel that it makes me look cool.¡±


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    ¡°I have no objection to you being a cavalryman but I have no way to secure you to his back. If you aren¡¯t secured to him, it¡¯s highly likely that you will fall off his back. Plus, I can¡¯t teach you how to fight so you have to figure it out step by step. All I can do for you is craft a weapon.¡±


    Even after saying all that, the enthusiasm on his face didn¡¯t dim a bit. Judging by that, he probably already came to terms with these issues. Even so, I asked him one last time, ¡°Don¡¯t forget that you will be the only person in the cavalry unit for now. Before the other devils get the approval of the hellhounds, you won¡¯t have any subordinates to command. Are you fine with that?¡±


    ¡°Master, I¡¯ve already made up my mind, please allow me to do so.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I understand. If you¡¯re able to prove yourself in the coming battles, I will support you in creating your own hellhound cavalry unit.¡± I¡¯ve already received his resolve, all that¡¯s left for me to do as his master was to support him with a handcrafted weapon.


    Because I didn¡¯t know how to create a crossbow, I ended up making a variant of the Mo sabre that was significantly shorter at just two meters in length.


    Truth be told, this was merely an experiment to me, one that was unlikely to succeed. After all, the issue of the saddles was still up in the air, until that was resolved, the future of our cavalry unit seemed bleak.


    As for Big 5, his thinking was just as innocent as always. Upon receiving his own custom short Mo sabre, his face immediately broke into a silly grin.


    Thankfully, the hellhound¡¯s weight bearing abilities were still pretty decent. Even while carrying the slightly enlarged Big 5, he still didn¡¯t lose much speed. The only issue was the bumpiness of the ride.


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    Big 5 had to use his legs to support himself from time to time in order to maintain his balance, creating an extremely awkward scene. Furthermore, this style of riding was a heavy burden on the hellhound¡¯s fatigue; are dogs even suited to being mounts?


    The summoning of the skeleton archers proceeded as smoothly as projected. Within the first day, I managed to summon 15 archers. However, they didn¡¯t seem to work out as well as I would hope. Against the wandering undead, they were significantly less effective.


    I was only able to command them to fire in a general area, as for targeted shots, it was simply impossible. In other words, their archery wasn¡¯t that good.


    This became a huge problem when fighting the undead as their only weak point was their head. These skeleton archers had to fire directly at the skull of the undead in order to damage the soul flames within¡­this was the equivalent of asking someone who didn¡¯t know how to play basketball to make a three pointer shot right off the bat.


    So far our journey today was really smooth; we had zero casualties despite our battles. While we didn¡¯t acquire any meat for the half-orcs, they were still able to feed on the meat stored up from yesterday so they didn¡¯t have to starve.


    However, the issue of distance was truly a hair pulling one. According to Violet Snow¡¯s translation of that old hellhound¡¯s words, the dogmen were supposed to be quite close to us.


    It was this ¡°quite close¡± that scammed me. This ¡°quite close¡± was based on their galloping speed and their equally formidable stamina. My large imps definitely couldn¡¯t compare to them in either category.


    And so, even after four days of travelling, we still haven¡¯t encountered the dogmen tribe. In the words of that old hellhound, we still had another half a day¡¯s worth of travelling left, which means that my large imps had to march for another whole day¡­


    On the day I brought my archer count to 30, Violet Snow came to me with a long awaited piece of good news.


    ¡°We are about to reach our destination.¡±


    ¡°Are you referring to the dogmen tribe?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right but there seems to be a variety of scents nearby. Other than the dogmen, I picked up the scent of the demonic werewolves and the medusas.¡±


    ¡°Three different races? Is this the War of the Races or something?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡± She rolled her eyes at me, obviously not getting my sense of humor. Her eye ridges drew together in worry as she continued, ¡° If I¡¯m not wrong, those dogmen are either dead or enslaved.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this too much of a coincidence, we just got here and you tell me that my target is already gone?¡± I should¡¯ve checked my horoscope before leaving¡­if there¡¯s even such a thing here.


    It was at this moment that the scouting hellhound sent out by Violet Snow came back. He barked at her several times and she barked back several times as well. The two dogs barked at each other in what I assumed was them communicating before the scouting hellhound finally turned around and trotted off.


    She turned back to me, her face visibly darker. ¡°We encountered a patrol of demonic werewolves in front of us. They got into a fight with my hellhounds and we ended up leaving with the short end of the stick.¡±


    ¡°Can you confirm their exact numbers?¡± I¡¯ve never seen these werewolves before but so far, the monsters I¡¯ve encountered seem to somewhat follow the legends on Earth. These werewolves shouldn¡¯t be an exception either. They should be covered in a thick coat of fur with the head of a wolf and the body of a human¡¯s.


    They should have a set of razor sharp claws and teeth and also possess an astonishing strength level, speed and regenerative ability. Their weaknesses should include a vulnerability to fire and a lack of magic talent.


    ¡°The scents are too mixed up so I can¡¯t confirm it. However, the medusas and the demonic werewolves aren¡¯t allies so they should be fighting with each right now.¡± She paused for a while before proceeding to explain the characteristics of the werewolves.


    According to her description, it was pretty similar to what I envisioned a werewolf to be. With a new notable points such as their fur being a defensive tool. This meant that my arrows and archers were basically useless in this fight.


    Their weak points were their head, throat and heart. Attacking them elsewhere would have limited effect at best and as expected, they were afraid of fire.


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    I tried to think of a way to counter them but I ended up with nothing. In the end all I could do was pray that their human form was weaker.


    ¡°Can they turn into humans?¡±


    ¡°Demonic werewolves aren¡¯t able to assume a human form.¡± She immediately destroyed that last bit of hope I held. ¡°Due to the adverse conditions in hell, they¡¯ve evolved to always maintain their wolf form.¡±


    ¡°No human form huh¡­¡± The werewolves described on Earth had the weakness of a weaker human form. What couldn¡¯t kill them in their wolf form might just be able to kill them in their human form. I originally planned to fire off an arrow storm before they turn into wolves but¡­these werewolves weren¡¯t cooperating with me at all!


    ¡°The werewolves who were thrown here shouldn¡¯t be too strong but given that they are able to fight with the medusas, they should have a few three-stars.¡±


    Upon hearing her mention the medusas, my curiosity was piqued. ¡°What are the Medusas like? In my memory, their hair is made of snakes and their body is that of a snake¡¯s. Anyone who lock eyes with them are turned to stone and they possess an affinity for the bow. Furthermore, their blood is toxic.¡±


    ¡°What you just said pretty much matches my own except for the part about the bow.¡± She gave me a bland look and said, ¡°Medusas have their own unique ranged attack, they don¡¯t need a bow.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± I guess they aren¡¯t the same as the ones on Earth¡­


    Ignoring my wry smile, she continued explaining in that icy tone of hers, ¡°Medusas are one of the combat races of Gehenna just like the werewolves. While they don¡¯t have the regenerative ability of those werewolves, they have a strength that matched the werewolves¡¯. In terms of close combat, they are a force to be reckoned with as well.¡±


    ¡°As for their speed, perhaps it¡¯s because of their tails getting in the way, they simply aren¡¯t a match for the werewolves in terms of speed. As a comparison, they are about as fast as your large imps.¡±


    ¡°The medusas have a set of poisoned teeth which can paralyze any living creature they bite while the snakes on their head are able to spit out poison up to a range of 30 meters. It¡¯s a corrosive poison that can even chew through rock. The same goes for metal as well.¡±


    ¡°However, their most terrifying weapon is their eyes, anyone who stares at their eyes run the risk of being petrified by their innate magic though, this isn¡¯t a permanent effect¡­¡±


    ¡°From the looks of it, the medusas seem a bit stronger than the werewolves, after all, the werewolves didn¡¯t have a long ranged attack.¡± While I didn¡¯t have any particular fondness for these snake women, the facts simply suggested that they had the advantage.


    ¡°Actually, the sturdiness of their body allows them to temporarily resist the paralyzing effect of the medusa¡¯s bite. Plus their fur allows them to resist the corrosive poison shot out by the snakes. All in all, they have a pretty similar combat strength and neither side could claim a decisive advantage over the other.¡±

 Chapter 70: The Chaotic Battle With the Demonic Werewolves Part 1

    The reason why we were leisurely standing around was because our opponents were the werewolves. Against their speed, running away now was simply too late¡­


    Besides, if Violet Snow¡¯s guess was right, those werewolves should be fighting against the medusas right now. In light of that, they shouldn¡¯t be that brainless as to charge at us for no reason. At the very least they would try to discover our intentions and then try to avoid or bring us into the fight against the medusas.


    After all, fighting a war on two fronts wasn¡¯t the smartest idea. As long as they had some brains in them, they shouldn¡¯t do that right¡­


    Either way, I had a lot of room to maneuver. For example, I could pretend to be harmless and wait till both sides have exhausted their men before suddenly turning on both of them. By then, subjugating both sides should be easy¡­yup, sounds perfect.


    At least that was how I thought it would turn out.


    These were merely my assumptions but seeing as she didn¡¯t raise any opinions but instead took her time to explain these matters to me, she must¡¯ve had the same idea as me right¡­


    While I was busy making wild guesses, a hellhound rushed up to Violet Snow and reported something in their usual barks. After which, she nodded her tiny little head and said, ¡°Mhm, their attack is about to reach us. In that case, it¡¯s time for battle.¡±


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    ¡°¡­¡± What¡¯s with that nonchalant announcement! Wasn¡¯t the reason why we were standing here because you had some assurance that they wouldn¡¯t attack? What happen to our plan of ambushing at the right moment?!


    ¡°What¡¯s with that look on your face?¡± Upon discovering my strange expression, she turned her attention to me before giving out an ¡°Oh!¡±. In an instant, her gaze told me exactly what she thought of me at the moment, [Idiot, Stupid, Fool].


    ¡°Did you assume that they would ignore us in order to avoid fighting on two fronts?¡±


    ¡°As an intelligent life form, I feel that the least they can do is to send an emissary to find out about our situation, I¡¯m sure they wouldn¡¯t just attack us without¡­¡±


    While it was kind of awkward to be exposed just like that, it¡¯s not like my thinking was wrong¡­


    ¡°Anyone who thinks that they have a brain is brainless themselves.¡± She sighed and stopped talking. The adorable little puppy was at a loss for words to describe the retard standing before her right now.


    Well¡­it¡¯s not like this is the first time she¡¯s treated me as an idiot¡­


    I ignored the arrogant puppy and turned towards One-eye. ¡°Get ready for battle! One-eye, I¡¯ll leave the commanding to you.¡±


    ¡°Yes Master!¡±


    The formation was the same as always except the addition of the half-orcs at the back. These newcomers were given special care at the moment. I had given One-eye specific instructions to keep them behind the Mo sabres in order to prevent any unnecessary losses. After all, this wasn¡¯t the time to use them yet.


    It didn¡¯t take too long before the hunched over figures of the werewolves entered our sight. As they bore down upon us, they sprinted on all fours like a bunch of mindless beasts.


    They numbered roughly in the 60s and as expected. Their humanoid body was covered in a jet black coat of fur that extended all over their massive body from their razor sharp claws to their lupine head. Within that wolf-like head were a couple of rows of equally sharp teeth that looked more like a meat grinder than a mouth.


    If they were to stand upright, I would estimate their real height to be at least 250 cm. Their upper body proportions were significantly wider than most life forms. Just based on this alone, it looked like they were built for charging attacks. It was as if we were up against a bunch of (American) football players.


    They seem even stronger than I had initially thought¡­


    Their sprinting speed was exceptionally fast and could be said to rival the speed of the hellhounds. As they charged ever closer to us, they would give off a frenzied howl, spraying the battlefield with their disgusting spit as they did so. The howls probably had no meaning behind them but it was precisely this reason that they sounded even scarier.


    To us on the receiving end, it felt like we were up against an unfeeling berserker whose only purpose was to kill.


    ¡°Awwooo!!!¡±


    In a blink of an eye, they were less than a hundred meters away from us. Due to the height of the shieldwall, we weren¡¯t able to see them as they approached us. However, this made it that much scarier for the shieldbearers as the disembodied howls echoed in their ears. They trembled as their minds filled in the blanks regarding their strength.


    As for the other devils, they were just as unsettled. From their vantage point, they were able to clearly see the herculean physique of the werewolves. Only the hellhounds and half-orcs were unfazed by this display and were instead fired up as they readied for battle.


    ¡°Fire!¡± I gave off the command to the archers. As they were my summoned minions, this task could only be accomplished by me. On my signal, the 30 archers let loose a hail of arrows at the approaching werewolves.


    In face of this arrow rain, even the werewolves couldn¡¯t get away unscathed IF the arrows managed to hit them. However, that was an extremely big if. Due to the parabolic curve of their flight path, the werewolves had plenty of time to react to the incoming arrows. They slowed their charge down by a tiny bit, dodging the majority of the arrows, all the while maintaining their formation.


    As the distance got smaller and smaller, the blinding speed of their charge grew ever more apparent. A breath later, they had reached the shield wall.


    ¡°Boom boom boom¡±


    An endless chain of crashes echoed in the battlefield as black fur met with white bones. Right before they collided, the werewolves leaped off the ground with a mighty kick of their legs and dived right into the shield wall. Their speed was simply too great for the sabre wielders who couldn¡¯t even attack before the shields began toppling one after the other.


    What was an impossibly heavy shield to the large imps was merely a toy to the werewolves. To them, all they needed was a slap of their palms to send these toys flying.


    One of the sabre wielders finally came to his senses and immediately stabbed at the werewolf in front of him. At that moment, the werewolf was just about to rip into the large imp crushed under the bone shield beneath his feet. However, the sudden sabre thrust ended up foiling his attack as he was forced to retreat a few steps in order to avoid the lethal thrust.


    However, before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, the werewolf was already gearing up for a second attack. However, instead of stepping on the shieldbearer, he leaped at the heavy shield and with a casual lift of his arm, picked it up and threw it as if he was slamming down a wooden table.


    Just as that sabre wielder was about to stab at the werewolf, he was instead greeted with an ever looming wall of white¡­


    The heavy bone shield slammed into the sabre wielder with a loud smack, not only was he knocked off his feet, the two reserves behind him got caught up in the attack as well. The heavy shield crushed the three imps into the ground with the combined force of its weight and the werewolf¡¯s immense strength, killing two of them and severely injuring the other.


    This scene played out all across the battlefield; in a battle between my geared imps and the demonic werewolves, we lost completely.


    The ones who charged up first were obviously two-star werewolves. With herculean their strength, overpowering the one-star shieldbearers was a given. As such, the immediate failure of the shield wall was predestined.


    The eight two-star werewolves breached the shield wall in an instant, creating a gaping hole for the other one-star werewolves to swam in.


    While they were only one-stars, our broken formation meant that even these werewolves were able to inflict significant casualties on my imps.


    As I stood atop my bone wall, I was struck with a severe headache as I looked at the tragedy unfolding before me. Not only did the immense combat strength of the werewolves cause me grief, the rapid failure of the shield wall was another problem as well.


    The heavy bone shield was a creation of my own design. In my mind, it was to be an impregnable fortress but¡­it ended up failing battle after battle. As long as we met with a strong enemy, these shields would fail spectacularly, where it was thrown away, broken into pieces or even used against us.


    Because of this failure, the sabre wielders ended up being a high-risk occupation¡­the exact opposite of what I had intended. The moment the shield wall broke down, this entire formation became a death trap for the sabre wielders.


    I should revamp these heavy shields¡­no, what¡¯s more important now is to stop these demonic werewolves. No matter what, we mustn¡¯t allow them break through any further!


    Once again, the guardsmen had to put out the fire caused by the heavy shields failing. A portion of them led by Nine-finger were dispatched to plug up the breach while the others, commanded by One-eye, immediately tried to separate the sabre wielders from the werewolves. As long as they succeeded, the sabre wielders would be able to regain their effectiveness.


    However, those who had never faced the two-star werewolves before, were unable to truly grasp the terror of their combat strength¡­


    A guardsman bravely stepped forth and separated one of the sabre wielders from the werewolf. However, before his bone sword even had the chance to swing at the enemy, his body was swept away, shield and all, with a single swipe of the werewolf¡¯s claw.


    Given their strength, One-eye was barely able to hold off one of the werewolves. And so, I decided to throw all caution to the wind as I commanded my two bodyguards, ¡°No.3, Big 4, go ahead and help them as well.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­you can¡¯t always¡­¡±


    ¡°This is an order!¡± I immediately interrupted him and hurriedly said, ¡°Violet Snow¡¯s here, so just go!¡±


    ¡°Your will is our command, Master.¡±


    No.3 gave Big 4 a reluctant look before leaving helplessly for the battlefield together.


    Sigh, it must¡¯ve been hard on you guys to have such a willful master.


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    As the werewolves were mixed into our formation, the skeleton archers had no way to shoot without causing friendly fire.


    Realizing that, I summoned more bone walls, raising the entire archer squad seven meters into the air, giving them a much better vantage point to shoot. At this height, their arrows should have an even greater impact due to the high ground.


    While the effectiveness of their arrows were limited, this didn¡¯t mean that the werewolves were completely immune to them either. While I couldn¡¯t speak for the two-stars, the one-stars were definitely unable to take these arrows head on.


    With their suppressive fire, our dire situation was given a moment of reprieve. However, this didn¡¯t mean that it was time to relax, the battlefield was still a chaotic mess and if I didn¡¯t think of a way to turn this situation around¡­


    Just as I was mulling over our disadvantaged situation, the demonic half-orcs charged into battle in a shocking display of power¡­

 Chapter 71: The Chaotic Battle with the Demonic Werewolves Part 2

    Somehow, I get this feeling that I¡¯ll never understand the way these half-orcs think¡­I¡¯m the one who enslaved them and yet they¡¯re risking their lives to save me?


    Half-orcs were initially stationed among the reserves and so they were sufficiently close to the sabre wielders and the shieldbearers.


    My intention was to utilize them while minimizing any casualties among them. My concern then was ensuring that they didn¡¯t feel like I was treating them as cannon fodder¡­


    Technically, that was my original intention but still¡­sending them to die right after I enslaved them was just looking for trouble.


    However, from the way they¡¯re rushing into battle now, it looks like these muscle heads never intended to rebel against me in the first place.


    By now, the shield formation had fell apart from the werewolves¡¯ unstoppable charge. Behind them, the Mo sabres laid strewn across the battlefield, unwanted and untouched. The werewolves¡¯ had no use for ¡°toys¡± such as these; to them, their claws and teeth were much more trustworthy.


    It was in this unfavorable situation that the half-orcs decided, of their own volition, to join in the fight. The disastrous situation on the frontlines seemed to have no effect on their morale as the half-orcs plunged into the losing battle, their spirits high as they howled at the top of their lungs.


    The half-orcs split off a squad to help plug the breach in our frontline while the rest of them rushed in and picked up the scattered heavy shields and sabres. With their looted equipment in hand, they joined the fight against the terrifying werewolves.


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    Initially, this unexpected move by the half-orcs startled One-eye; he thought that they were planning to betray us. However, upon seeing them fight the werewolves, he knew that he was wrong. Reacting to their much needed aid, he immediately ordered his men to stall the werewolves in order to give the half-orcs more time to equip themselves.


    It was at this moment that No.3 and Big 4 joined in the fight as well. The pair immediately matched themselves against a two-star werewolf of their own.


    While they were both short an arm, their combat strength was still formidable. With the aid of their nearby allies, they managed to hold their own against the herculean werewolves.


    The hellhounds were Violet Snow¡¯s subordinates and so I had no control over them. Thankfully however, these clever hounds knew to cooperate with our forces in taking down these werewolves.


    While the half-orcs were gearing up, they took the initiative to aid this process. They would lunge at any nearby werewolf and stall them while some even brought the half-orcs their gear¡­


    Thanks to them, the half-orcs managed to swiftly arm themselves.


    These half-orcs had a natural affinity for weapons. Just based on the fact that they chose to wield a club was proof enough of this. Without any prior training given, these normally dim half-orcs instinctively knew what to do with their newly acquired gear.


    The shield wielding orcs immediately formed a frontline for their sabre wielding brethren who retreated right away behind the safety of the heavy bone shields. With their safety secured, they immediately focused their spear thrusts on the nearest werewolves they could find.


    Just based on this performance alone, these half-orcs clearly lived up to their reputation as the premier combat race in Gehenna; their talent for weaponry was clearly above my large imps.


    Thanks to their impeccable timing, the battle finally took a turn for the better.


    With the frontline stabilized, the suppressive effect of the bone archers¡¯ attacks finally shone through.


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    Given their relative safety, 100 meters away from the frontlines, the archers were able to rain death upon the werewolves with near impunity, causing them a great deal of pressure. These werewolves not only had to deal with the half-orcs, they also had to watch out for any arrows from above, lest they get skewered by them.


    This feeling of being cornered didn¡¯t sit well with the werewolves, if these archers were given space to act as they wished, their defeat was only a matter of time. And so, the werewolves split off four two-star werewolves to handle this problem.


    The four werewolves adopted their beastial stance once more and broke into a four-legged charge towards my general direction. Their target, the bone archers atop my bone wall.


    However, in order to do so, they first had to overcome the difficult task of breaking through my reserves and half-orcs.


    While they weren¡¯t a match for the werewolves in terms of combat strength, their numbers more than made up for this. There were more than 10 times the amount of troops on our side and if they were to focus on stalling the werewolves, even their two-star strength wouldn¡¯t help them much.


    This, however, would result in enormous casualties on our side and this was something I didn¡¯t wish to see, whether it was from a sentimental standpoint or a practical one. In order to leave the Prison of the Dead, such needless sacrifices must be avoided.


    ¡°Let them through.¡± I ordered my henchmen after which I divvied up the responsibilities.


    ¡°Big 5, you¡¯re in charge of stalling one. Violet Snow will take one while I¡¯ll take another. As for the last one¡­¡±


    He was taken away by Vick.


    This unpredictable fellow had always been prone to such sudden appearances. Perhaps it was due to the novelty of meeting these werewolves for the first time but Vick decided to charge at one of the two-star werewolves without even waiting for my instructions.


    As the wispy humanoid came into sight, the werewolf immediately picked up the speed of his charge. His lupine mouth cracked into a toothy grin as his muscular legs rammed even harder into the ground, propelling him forward with greater force. His plan was the same as always, ram into any obstacles standing in his way.


    Unfortunately for him, Vick wasn¡¯t any old enemy. He was a wraith and that meant he was immune to any pure physical attack.


    As his bulging frame rammed into Vick, a bone-chilling gust of coldness penetrated his body. His body trembled uncontrollably as his body temperature plummeted and his blood circulation slowed to a crawl.


    His limbs began to feel like lead as the penetrating cold worked its way throughout his extremities, forcing him to halt his charge and focus his attention on the enemy he had just charged through.


    As he did so, a curious Vick began circling around the furry humanoid.


    It was his signature move [Running Circles Around You]!


    The werewolf didn¡¯t understand the meaning behind the wraith¡¯s seemingly harmless circling but that didn¡¯t stop him from attacking Vick anyway. He leaped at Vick, his mouth wide open and his teeth glimmering in the air. Unfortunately for this dim-witted werewolf, he attack was doomed to fail once more.


    He passed through the ghost just like before without causing any damage on Vick. This frustrated the werewolf immensely who immediately began chasing his foe.


    As for Vick , he was in cloud nine at the moment, having just gotten a new playmate to tease. He would drift towards the werewolf and immediately retreat right as the werewolf¡¯s attack was about to hit him.


    I wryly smiled as I looked upon this scene. It reminded me of a dog wildly pouncing around as it tried to snap at a butterfly.


    Of course, this was just an analogy. Vick was too ugly to be a butterfly.


    Due to his lack of subordinates, Big 5 had been by my side this entire. This was to be his maiden battle riding his hellhound into battle and it showed on his face. His excitement could barely be contained as he rode off into battle, short sabre waving in the air as he did so.


    Instead of dodging his charge, the werewolf met it head on. Claw met with sabre as the two collided. As the dust settled on the titanic clash, both parties didn¡¯t manage to get a decisive lead over the other. The werewolf¡¯s fingers dangled limply by the side of his hands as the sabre ripped through leaving a wound of unknown depth on his claws.


    As for Big 5, the force of the collision threw him off his hellhound. Feeling the sudden lightness on his back, the hellhound immediately knew what had happened to his companion. However, instead of heading back to Big 5, he made use of this opportunity to tear into the werewolf¡¯s legs.


    ¡°Awoo!¡±


    The werewolf howled in pain as he viciously clawed at the hellhound, desperately trying to shake him off. Unfortunately for him, the hellhound had predicted his counterattack and with a nimble shake of his body, dodged it while he leaping back towards Big 5.


    I had warned him of this possibility beforehand, thankfully, his hide was pretty tough and so the fall didn¡¯t injure him.


    With this lesson learnt, he no longer thought of acting cool but instead fought on the ground obediently.


    Back when I crafted that Mo sabre for him, I was afraid of just such a scenario and so I shortened the Mo sabre from 2.5m to 2m. The range of the Mo sabre wasn¡¯t as advantageous in a melee fight as one would think. The length would end up being a burden if the enemy managed to get close to the wielder.


    The 2m Mo sabre was a lot better in this regard. While it still didn¡¯t measure up to shorter weapons in terms of agility, it was less cumbersome and given the shortage of mana, this was the best solution I could come up with.


    Big 5 had just evolved into a head imp and so was only recently given this weapon. As such, his combat experience with it was severely lacking but fortunately for him, he had a trusty sidekick by his side, the hellhound.


    Knowing that he couldn¡¯t take on this werewolf head on, the hellhound smartly chose to adopt the role of an assassin. While Big 5 handled the werewolf, he would sneak in attacks from time to time.


    Having just experienced the strength of Big 5¡¯s ¡°toy¡±, the werewolf knew not to face it head on and instead used his speed to dive Big 5. However, his plan didn¡¯t work out as planned as the hellhound was simply too capable to allow that.


    Whenever he tried to approach Big 5, his trusty hellhound would lunge in and despite his measly one-star strength, prevent the werewolf from advancing any further. The werewolf turned around to claw at the hellhound but before it could do so, the nimble hellhound had already retreated to safety.


    While the fight ended up being a close match, this wasn¡¯t the case on the side of Violet Snow where her opponent could only be said to be unlucky for getting matched up with her.


    Having been with her for a while now, I was basically sure that she was a three-star. However, she basically stood on the sidelines during most of our fights; perhaps she had an issue with her mana consumption and with her body not being suitable for close combat.


    Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that she was more of a mage-type character who had a few powerful spells which could only be used a few times.


    This explosive power of hers was probably the reason for the lack of stamina on her part.


    Her chosen werewolf barely got within several tens of meters of her before he was met with a speeding bullet in the form of a snowball. With a quick twist of his body, he neatly dodged the incoming bullet, however, this was the end of his good fortune. Just as he did so, an icicle the size of an adult¡¯s thigh shot out of the ground and pierced his abdomen.


    The sudden impact of the icicle, caused his speeding body to lose balance, tumbling off to the side and ripping apart the wound on his abdomen. Pain shot through his body like lightning as he barely managed to stumble back on his feet. His eyes locked squarely onto his foe, the hatred seeping from his gaze as he stood there panting heavily.


    ¡°Awoo¡­¡±


    Even injured, he didn¡¯t forget to express his anger at Violet Snow. However, his fate was sealed the moment he tumbled.


    As the howl left his mouth, his face suddenly froze, his eyes as wide open as his gaping mouth. Right in his blindspot at the back, was a similarly sized icicle piercing into his heart, skewering him like a shishkebab¡­even with their renowned sturdiness, a mortal blow like this spelled instant death for them.


    ¡°You¡¯re just too strong.¡± Her ever-changing magical attacks left me in awe once more.


    ¡°Instead of wasting time talking, perhaps you should spend it casting spells instead.¡± She ignored my praise and calmly trotted to the side, clearly not intending to partake in the fight any longer.


    ¡°Won¡¯t you consider taking on another?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s your¡¯s.¡±


    Fine, trying to skive in front of this ice queen was pointless to begin with.


    By now, the last werewolf was nearly within striking distance of me. I knew that my fireball couldn¡¯t hit him and so I opened up with my fast casting bone spears.


    As the bone spears hurtled towards him, the werewolf had to veer off course in order to dodge them, buying me enough time to summon up a bone wall to block his path. With the bone wall stalling him, I began casting my flame whip.


    The fiery elements converged on my palm, stretching out into a snake-like object as I pulled my hands apart. By the time my whip had fully taken shape, the werewolf had just managed to break through the bone wall.


    The bone wall crumbled as the werewolf¡¯s claws ripped through its chalky interior, revealing the face of my opponent once more. However, instead of charging right at me, the werewolf stood there for a second, his eyes wide open as he looked in the direction of the skewered werewolf.


    Seeing the tragic fate of his companion, he became wary of the snow white puppy beside me. This coupled with my recent display of magic, caused him to reconsider his actions.


    Unfortunately for him, the skeleton archers weren¡¯t nice enough to give a person time to do so. Due to the proximity of this werewolf, the tireless archers had designated this poor wolf as their main target.


    As the hail of arrows whistled through the air, the demonic werewolf didn¡¯t even consider taking them on and instead ran off with his tail between his legs¡­

 Chapter 72: Silver Furred Werewolf

    ¡°Awoo~~¡±


    As the two-star werewolf ran away, he gave out the characteristic howl of a wolf. However, it sounded slightly different from before; it was much weaker and almost seemed like a signalling howl.


    The howl rolled across the battlefield, bringing with it an immediate change in the werewolves. No matter their circumstances, they immediately tried to break away from their opponents even at the risk of getting injured. Soon, the werewolves were all gathered in one spot.


    As if they had rehearsed this before, the majority of the werewolves simultaneously turned around and ran leaving behind a smaller portion to cover their retreat. Despite the abruptness, these escaping werewolves managed to maintain to a semblance of unity as they tried to break through the devils.


    They succeeded initially but things were never so simple, especially in a chaotic battle like this with so many unknowns thrown into the mix.


    The two-star werewolves were significantly stronger than my imps, in fact, they were able to assist the other werewolves while taking on an enemy of our own. Initially, this created a favorable situation for the escaping werewolves.


    However, they were foiled right at the cusp of success by the unexpected intervention of the half-orcs in what could only be described as the second coming of the half-orcs.


    Due to the immense strength of the werewolves, a large number of our devils had been seriously injured by them, causing the battlefield to be littered with abandoned weapons. In the midst of this chaos, the half-orcs undertook a second round of scavenging, bringing the total up to 11 heavy shields, 14 Mo sabres and 8 sets of swords and shields.


    With these equipment in hand, their second wave of attack was both explosive and deadly.


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    While I certainly appreciated their continuous show of formidable might, I just couldn¡¯t understand the way these half-orcs thought. Don¡¯t forget, just a short time ago, these slaves were our mortal enemies!


    Initially, upon seeing the werewolves attempt to escape, I had planned on letting them go after putting up some nominal resistance. After all, even a rabbit would bite when cornered. Furthermore, I didn¡¯t want to lose anymore subordinates and so I decided not to push them further over the edge.


    However, this sudden outburst by the half-orcs made me reconsider my initial plans¡­


    With heavy shield in hand, the 11 shield bearing half-orcs rammed right into the werewolf blockade. Making use of the heavy shield¡¯s inherent sturdiness, they threw themselves at the werewolves with reckless abandon time after time.


    Shockingly, this brute force method ended up working as their third attempt finally succeeded in disrupting the werewolves¡¯ formation, allowing a breach to form in the blockade.


    The half-orcs immediately streamed through the gap and dashed past the fleeing werewolves. With a quick turn of their bodies, they formed a shield wall in front of the fleeing werewolves.


    These fleeing werewolves were all one-stars and so had no way to breakthrough this new shield formation. This last minute plan of theirs ended up being extremely successful.


    It was at this moment that the other half-orcs who were currently mixed in with the devils, engaged in another frenzied wave of attacks. The sword and shield half-orcs formed the took the lead and charged at the werewolves with the Mo sabres following closely behind.


    Compared to the devils, their take on our standard formation was significantly more successful. These half-orcs were able to bring out the full power of the bone shields as they clashed with the werewolves. Not only did they manage to efficiently defend themselves, they were able to interrupt the flow of their opponents¡¯ movements with a timely bash.


    Furthermore, these sword wielding half-orcs coordinated perfectly with their Mo sabre brethren in inflicting the maximum amount of damage on the disorderly werewolves.


    Ever since the demonic werewolves decided to abandon the fight, our side hadn¡¯t suffered a single casualty. This was in large part due to the half-orcs¡¯ dynamic offense. To be honest, the fact that I had considered using them as cannon fodder was a serious mistake on my part; it would¡¯ve been a severe underestimation of their abilities if I did so.


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    ¡°These half-orcs truly exceeded my expectations this time around.¡± I praised them, all the while making sure not to stay idle, with a wave of my hand, I instantly fired off a bone spear in the direction of a two-star werewolf.


    That werewolf was currently engaged with Nine-finger, all the while being flanked by a couple of hellhounds. In midst the of this dangerous situation, the werewolf not only had to deal with attacks from these three, he also had to contend with my sporadic bone spears. Naturally, this could only end in a tragedy for the poor werewolf.


    Just as I was certain of our victory, Violet Snow suddenly shivered at my side as if something had chilled her to the core.


    Knowing her, she wouldn¡¯t act this way without a reason and so I immediately checked in on her: ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°We have a problem.¡± She replied ominously as she threw a grave look in the direction the werewolves had just attacked us from. ¡°Getyour men to retreat now, we have a problem.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Retreat! Immediately! Now!¡±


    Retreat? Right now? Are you kidding me¡­we are just about to wipe out these bastards and you want me to give up?


    Sigh¡­


    In the end, I chose to place my trust in her words, even if I couldn¡¯t see a reason to do so.


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    ¡°Everyone listen up, stop chasing them and get back here immediately.¡±


    Upon receiving the order, my devils were just as stunned as I was. To them, beating on a defeated foe was exactly the situation they had been waiting for.Expecting them to stop now was the same as having to take a toilet break in the middle of an exciting fight.


    ¡°Awoo!!!¡±


    A high pitched howl echoed ominously across the battlefield, At the corner of my eye, I spotted a black shadow flash across the battlefield at an unbelievable speed. If I had to describe it, it was as if a flash of lightning had crackled across the night sky, eye-grabbing and startling at the same time.


    In the blink of an eye, the black shadow crossed the barricade set up by the half-orcs, knocking them aside as it rammed through. As it approached the werewolves, it gracefully leaped into the air, passing over the werewolves, devils and the mix of half-orcs and hellhounds. By the time it landed, it was already in front of my bone wall.


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    ¡°So strong¡­¡±


    What stood in front of us was a demonic werewolf. Her figure was roughly similar to the others we had encountered so far except that her body was slightly more slender than the others.


    However, as she straightened her back, her towering figure cast an immense shadow over the bone wall and beyond. She must¡¯ve been at least three meters tall!


    A glint of danger flashed across her golden eyes as she stared at me. Her razor sharp claws glimmered coldly in the dim lightning, adding a sense of sinisterness to her already deadly claws. On her chest was a V-shaped tuft of fur that resembled that of a asiatic black bear¡¯s.


    ¡°She¡¯s dangerous, step back.¡± As she said this, she began to attack the silver furred werewolf.


    Three snowballs the size of a soccer ball shot towards the silver furred werewolf, at the same time, five icicles stabbed at her from different angles, blocking off any avenue of escape. No matter what she chose to do, she would have to contend with an attack.


    However, instead of forcing her into the corner, the attacks turned out to be mere annoyances for her. The werewolf stomped her feet into the ground, directly smashing one of the rising icicles into the pieces.


    With a quick rotation of her body and a deadly flash of her claws, she sliced apart the four other icicles coming at her from the north, south east and west of her.


    While she was busy taking care of the icicles, the snowballs had already gotten within mere seconds of her.


    *splat splat splat*


    Instead of dodging, she nonchalantly stood there and allowed them to hit her. Upon impact, the snowballs began to freeze the werewolf¡¯ body starting from the point of impact, spreading outwards till it nearly covered over half of the body.


    However, just as we thought that it had worked, the werewolf gave another howl, shattering the glass-like ice wrapped around her¡­


    Having just fired off eight spells consecutively, Violet Snow was exhausted and from the looks of it, wasn¡¯t able to cast anymore spells.


    ¡°Run¡­quick!¡±


    She used her tiny body to shove me, signalling for me to run away first. However, the might of the werewolf had left me stunned and so I didn¡¯t react to her warning in time. Not that I was going to leave her behind anyway.


    Within the span of that slight delay, the werewolf leaped into the air, all the while withstanding the hail of arrows from the archers.


    She landed softly on my bone wall and stared down at me from her vantage point.


    ¡°Devil, get your subordinates to stop.¡±


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    Her voice almost sounded feminine to me but for the most part, she sounded like a typical warrior with steel in her blood. However, this tone reminded me of another matter. As I lowered my gaze, I finally noticed that her chest was slightly bulging out¡­


    She was actually a female werewolf.


    ¡°Devil, do you wish for me to repeat myself?¡± She reached out with one arm and lifted me up by the neck, her hand giant hand engulfing my shoulder and neck as she did so. At this distance, I bore the full brunt of the terrifying murderous intent emanating from her eyes.


    Truth be told, her order was sort of redundant. The moment she captured me, my subordinates had already stopped fighting. As a result of this, the remaining one and two-star werewolves finally managed to get a moment of reprieve.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    My throat was squeezed to the point of suffocation by her hand. Despite this, all I could think of was the safety of the devil egg. As I held my breath, I tightened my grip on the grimoire and egg, ensuring the safety of these two but at the cost of increasing the squeeze on my neck.


    As the crushing sensation of suffocation bore down upon me, my eyes began to glaze over from the lack of oxygen¡­


    Don¡¯t tell me¡­this is the end¡­


    Noticing that I hadn¡¯t said a word since the start, the silver furred werewolf finally realized that I was unable to talk in this state. She turned and surveyed the area, by now, the fighting had already stopped as per her request and so she jumped off the bone wall and finally released me onto the ground.


    As her crushing grip finally loosened its hold on me, I slumped onto the ground unceremoniously, gasping for air as I leaned against the bone wall. All this while, I didn¡¯t dare to shift my eyes away from her, even for a second; she was simply too terrifying.


    And so, I had to use my hands to check up on the devil egg. I gave it a cursory feel and upon discovering that it was still whole, I finally heaved a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Master¡­are you alright?¡± One-eye and the other named head imps finally caught up to the werewolf and immediately formed a protective ring around me, shielding me from the werewolf.


    Even though this was just a futile action in the end¡­


    ¡°Devil, while this battle was caused by the rash actions of my men, your army had picked a truly inopportune time to arrive. Right now, I suggest that you turn around and retreat.¡± Ignoring the five head imps around me, she reached out and waved her claw in front of me as if to emphasize my impotence.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think you¡¯re safe just because you have Mo En backing you up. If you choose to ignore my warning, your fate will be just as tragic.¡±


    Upon saying that, she turned around and left. The surviving werewolves hurriedly gathered up the corpses of their comrades and followed after her.


    In the face of such an overwhelming strength, I didn¡¯t dare to pull any tricks in front of that werewolf. Any request for battle was immediately shot down by me as I commanded them to stay put. However, I had forgotten about a certain idiot who was actually brainless¡­


    I didn¡¯t know when but by the time I had noticed it, the wispy green figure of Vick was already floating about the silver werewolf. As he circled around her, he gave her body a thorough scanning, his curiosity clearly getting the better of him. While this wasn¡¯t by any means an attack, it was still an annoying move on his part.


    Her brows furrowed at the irksome ghost in front of her, her claws swiping out at him as she did so. Vick stood there, without a trace of fear in him as he took her attack head on.


    After all, he was immune to physical attacks and this swipe clearly belonged in that category.


    However, the unexpected happened the very next moment. The werewolf¡¯s claw tore through his body, ripping his body apart as it cleaved through his supposedly incorporeal body¡­


    Vick wailed in pain and immediately flew away, his wounds shimmering in and out of existence as he did so!


    ¡°Ma¡­her magic¡¯s pretty impressive!¡± I wryly smiled as I turned towards Violet Snow. Didn¡¯t you tell me that the werewolves were bad at magic?

 Chapter 73: Baccarel

    Violet Snow rolled her emotionless eyes at my inquiring gaze as if to say: nothing¡¯s absolute in this world!


    Having chased away Vick, the silver werewolf gave me a cold stare, ignoring the barrier formed by One-eye and the others, her face deadpan as if she was looking at a dead prey.


    Don¡¯t¡­don¡¯t turn around¡­go on, just leave. Don¡¯t keep looking at me¡­it¡¯s not like I was the one who told him to bother you, I¡¯m innocent¡­


    Perhaps the heavens finally heard my prayer but right after that, she merely left after throwing me a bored look.


    ¡°Phew¡­¡±


    She¡¯s finally gone¡­those terrifying pupils of hers¡­scared me half to death.


    As her furry back finally left my sight, the pounding in my heart finally calmed down


    Just as I started celebrating, an earth shaking cry rang out from a distance across the battlefield , giving my poor little heart another scare. ¡°Maaaassteeerr, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere, do you need No.5 to give you a check up¡­¡±


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    Often in the heat of battle, this potato would mysteriously disappear only to show up after the battle ends. This time was no exception either, his ingratiating voice appeared as if right on cue, ready to take advantage of the situation.


    Regarding his skiving, I had already given up all hope on it, with a resigned wave of my hand, I signalled for No.3 to give him a quick kick while getting him to take count of our losses.


    ¡°Call the half-orcs over.¡±


    Upon receiving the command, One-eye left to summon the surviving half-orcs. After the battle, their numbers had dropped from 49 to 44, with basically all of them covered in injuries. Over half of them were still wielding the bone weaponry they scavenged in the middle of the battle.


    Regarding this matter, One-eye was still utterly opposed to it. He immediately yelled at them: ¡°Who allowed you to remain armed in front of the Master? Put down your weapons immediately, don¡¯t forget your place!¡±


    The half-orcs stared at the yelling imp quizzically. They weren¡¯t able to understand the language of devils but judging from his angry posture, they were roughly able to infer his intentions. A number of them fumed at the indignation and nearly threatened to attack him; the fierce battle must¡¯ve just forged an indomitable spirit in them. Thankfully, the more aggressive ones were immediately restrained by the their brethren.


    I had to admit, their bravery and contributions this fight were the crucial factor leading to our success this battle. However, I still didn¡¯t know why they were maintained such a ferocious warlike behavior, even to the point of risking their lives for me, their captor.


    Even so, this didn¡¯t mean that I was going to turn a blind eye to their prowess, in fact, I was planning to rely more on them from now on.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, One-eye.¡± I rebuked him neither too lightly nor too heavily before turning towards Violet Snow: ¡° Help me pass on this message, I¡¯ll allow them to keep the weapons and from now on, they will form their own team. They will also be given priority for any newly crafted weapons.¡±


    ¡°All I need from them is this, be obedient. On my side, I won¡¯t send them to their deaths unnecessarily. Fierce warriors like them are exactly what we need right now.¡±


    However, before she could begin translating, a member of the half-orcs stood out and knelt before me, putting down his sword and shield as he did so. He was a burly fellow but this wasn¡¯t an unusual sight among the half-orcs. ¡°Master, thank you for your trust. This one is unworthy of such honor.¡±


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    ¡°Devil¡¯s tongue¡­you actually know the language of devils?!¡±


    Truth be told, before this half-orc spoke up, I had always felt that these demonic half-orcs were slightly lacking in the mental department.


    Hold on¡­that silver furred werewolf spoke in the language of the devils as well¡­so they aren¡¯t just a race of muscle heads¡­


    ¡°Yes Master, this one has studied the language of the devils in Abaddon.¡±


    Even as he said this, he made sure to lower his head, his eyes never meeting mine in a show of reverence.


    ¡°This¡­this lordship¡­such a nostalgic way to refer to yourself¡­even though, it¡¯s only been a while since his lordship left us¡­thinking back on it, it almost feels like a lot has changed since then¡­¡±


    His use of ¡°this one¡± stirred up my memories of Big 1, the imp who loved to use ¡°this lordship¡±, the very same imp who in order to save me from Chipped Horn, ended up sacrificing his life.


    In return for his loyalty, I abandoned him¡­even though it was him who told me to escape, that desolation wracking my heart couldn¡¯t be erased so easily¡­


    Naturally, this half-orc wasn¡¯t aware of the reason for my sighing. ¡°Master, this one doesn¡¯t understand¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh right, do you have a name?¡±


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    ¡°This one¡¯s name is Baccarel, Master.¡±


    ¡°Baccarel huh¡­¡± I sighed once more. ¡°You¡¯ve performed well in the previous battle. Who was the one leading the half-orcs?¡±


    ¡°This one was the commander, Master.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s you huh¡­¡± My lips cracked into a slight smile as I praised him: ¡°From now on, I¡¯ll allow you to refer to yourself as ¡°this lordship¡±.¡±


    ¡°This, this lordship?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s the honor that only you will be bestowed with.¡±


    ¡°This¡­this lordship is unworthy¡­¡± He trembled from excitement as he received his new title. It was the same excitement a person felt having accomplished a momentous feat after years of being in the background.


    The so called ¡°honor¡± was just a random excuse I came up with but who knew that he would actually bite.


    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, you will be in charge of the half-orcs from now on.¡±


    ¡°But Master, according to the rules of our clan, the position of leadership shouldn¡¯t be passed onto me. Plus, I¡¯m not the strongest amongst my brethren, I¡¯m afraid¡­they won¡¯t comply.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to concern yourself with that, I¡¯ll handle the matter of your combat strength for you. All you have to do is make sure that you can manage your brethren well, as long as they serve me well, you¡¯ve done your job.¡±


    ¡°Leadership is what I¡¯m expecting of you. Naturally, you guys don¡¯t have to worry about me abusing your trust, you are all brave warriors and I¡¯ll be sure to treat you guys well.¡±


    ¡°Yes Master. This lordship will follow your orders to the letter. I¡¯ll be your sharpest sword, your sturdiest shield, your will is this lordship¡¯s command.¡±


    ¡°Very good, you may rise.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Master.¡±


    ¡°Master, letting them form an army of their own¡­isn¡¯t that a bad idea?¡± One-eye finally voiced the concern that he kept to himself all this while. He was afraid of interrupting us and so he waited till now to speak up: ¡°They just surrendered recently after all. Not long ago, they were our prisoners, if we give them weapons now¡­¡±


    At the side, Baccarel merely stood there silently, without any anxiety or guilt, staring right in the eyes of One-eye, not intending to give up even an inch.


    ¡°I believe that Baccarel is loyal. As the previous battle has shown, the demonic half-orcs take in pride in their battles and are in every way, valorous warriors. You should learn to view them in a different light, you¡¯ll find that they don¡¯t have such a dirty side to them.¡± I said with a stern glare.


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    Under the anxious gaze of One-eye, I continued: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t plan on changing my priorities. It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve seen the shortcomings of the imps and so wish to make up for them by using the half-orcs.¡±


    In the end, One-eye relented under my withering gaze. ¡°Perhaps you¡¯re right, Master.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, you may leave for now. Go check if the battle report is ready. If it isn¡¯t, get No.5 to hurry up.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master. I¡¯ll take my leave now.¡± He said, slightly disheartened. I could roughly guess why he was downcast. In that previous battle, the imps had clearly underperformed compared to the half-orcs. Unnecessary mistakes were made because of the chaos but instead of correcting them, they were magnified instead.


    In the past, there was no base of comparison but now, there were the half-orcs, next to them, the side that was lacking was clear from a glance.


    Whether it was in terms of coordination or talent with weapons, the imps clearly came out short compared to the half-orcs. While this might disappoint him, the contribution of the half-orcs were just that significant, not rewarding them simply wasn¡¯t an option.


    ¡°Baccarel, go organize your kinsman, if anyone opposes your appointment, get Big 4 to handle them.¡±


    ¡°But Master¡­this clan¡¯s traditions¡­¡± Baccarel hesitated once more.


    I immediately interrupted him: ¡° Then tell them that I¡¯m still their Master, you¡¯re just leading them on my behalf.¡±


    ¡°Alright, this lordship will pass on this message right away.¡±


    ¡°Hold on, I have a question that¡¯s been bothering me for a while.¡± Before he even had the chance to reply, I continued voicing my confusion: ¡°You were, until recently, my prisoners, why did you all risk your lives for me in battle?¡±


    Instead of a straight answer, he simply asked, without much thought given. ¡°In your opinion, we should¡¯ve chosen to escape in the middle of that battle?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    He continued, ignoring my silence, ¡°The customs of the demonic half-orcs dictate that we must follow the strongest. Since we¡¯ve chosen to submit, we shouldn¡¯t hold back because of that.¡±


    ¡°¡­You can leave for now, get Big 4 to help you secure your position.¡± Baccarel¡¯s answer had stunned me, I simply couldn¡¯t understand this seemingly childish behavior.


    What about the grudges of your fallen kinsman? How could you all submit so easily to the strong¡­the thinking of these half-orcs was simply something that I couldn¡¯t understand¡­


    ¡°Understood, Master.¡±


    With that settled, I turned back to Violet Snow, hoping to have a few words with her. However, I discovered that she had left during my conversation with Baccarel and was currently indisposed.


    It was that time again.


    After every battle, the hellhounds¡¯ would suffer some deaths and she would spend this time to mourn for them, though it wasn¡¯t too long.


    ¡°Master, the battle report.¡± The ever fawning No. 5 ran in once again announced by his toadying voice as he looked up at me.


    ¡°Master, our losses are pretty heavy this time¡­the hellhounds lost six hounds, bringing their total to 39. We lost 50 large imps, bringing the total to 187. However, there¡¯s a bit of good news. Two of the large imps have evolved into head imps.¡±


    ¡­that little huh¡­the less there are, the more dangerous it is for me¡­I guess that¡¯s not true either¡­no amount of subordinates would¡¯ve saved me from that silver furred werewolf. In the face of a monster like her, I probably can¡¯t even run away.


    Damn it, exactly how high is her level? Three-stars can¡¯t be that strong¡­don¡¯t tell me she¡¯s a four-star¡­but if so, why is she still staying in this god forsaken place?


    Didn¡¯t Violet Snow mention that four-stars are able to leave this place unhindered? Assuming they find an exit point of course.


    Also, who is this Mo En she mentioned? Feels like I was just saved by this name¡­

 Chapter 74: The Return of the Powerful

    Demonic half-orcs were a warlike race created by the God of Evil in the ancient times. They possess a sturdy body and an indomitable will. Their constitution is at least several times that of a normal human¡¯s. Whether it was their strength or their survivability, both were things a frail human couldn¡¯t compete with.


    These half-orcs valued tradition, respected valor and had a great sense of responsibility to their mission. To them, honor was more important than anything, each half-orc was and aimed to be an outstanding warrior.


    To their creator, they were flawless. However, they still couldn¡¯t win over the ¡°weak humans¡±. This was because they had a fatal flaw; they didn¡¯t like to think and also hated magic.


    In other words, they were a bunch of muscle heads who were without a doubt, stupid.


    ¡ª¨C From <>


    As the werewolf corpses were all carted away, I had no way of knowing their exact death count but it must¡¯ve at least crossed the 50% mark.


    Soon, Violet Snow came back from her vigil and I had a discussion partner once more. ¡°In your opinion, what¡¯s our next course of action?¡±


    Come to think of it, the whole reason we came here was to recruit the dogmen. But after arriving, we found that the dogmen were already spoken for. Even now, I still didn¡¯t even know if they were alive or not. Not only that, we ended up fighting the werewolves for no reason. What¡¯s worse was that we didn¡¯t even win¡­


    Regarding my habit of shirking responsibility whenever I¡¯ve met with adversity, she was, to say the least, unhappy about it. She blandly threw these words at me: ¡°You decide.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­should we follow them?¡±


    ¡°Do you have a deathwish?¡±


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    ¡°¡­not reallly, I¡¯m just sort of curious.¡±


    ¡°Ah huh.¡± She turned around and left in the opposite direction.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t leave, I was just kidding¡­¡±


    After finally coaxing her back, I could only smile wryly at her as I continued our discussion. ¡° About that werewolf, what tier do you think she¡¯s at?¡±


    ¡°Four-star.¡± Without any hesitation in her voice, that was the snow-white puppy¡¯s answer. ¡°To be able to take on my magic head on, she must¡¯ve have at least been four-star.¡±


    ¡°Four-star huh¡­why is she still here then?


    ¡°Who knows, four-star counts as the highest combat strength sustainable within the Prison of the Dead, perhaps she doesn¡¯t wish to leave.¡± She paused for a moment before continuing with furrowed brows: ¡° It could also be that the demonic werewolves have a strong sense of community and thus she couldn¡¯t bear to leave by herself¡­¡±


    Judging by words, four-stars were the strongest powers in the Prison of the Dead. It might just be like what she said: better to be the head of a chicken than to be the tail of a phoenix. Is it truly better to be a small fish in the vast exciting world or is it better to be a big fish in this god forsaken place? The answer was a pretty tough one.


    ¡°Let¡¯s put aside this question for now. Have you heard of this person called Mo En?¡± The name ¡°Mo En¡± had been on my mind all this while, after all, this was the name that ended up saving me. That silver furred werewolf probably thought that I was connected to that name which also means that she was concerned about this name.


    Either way, this was a name I couldn¡¯t afford to ignore.


    ¡°No.¡± Violet Snow shook her. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of that name. Perhaps my level is simply too low or perhaps we just haven¡¯t been in here long enough.¡±


    Just by looking at her, I could tell that she was extremely young, it wasn¡¯t strange for her to not know of some matters.


    ¡°Since we can¡¯t advance, we just have to check out the other areas. Who knows, we might just find another source of reinforcements.¡± Just as we started discussing this, I heard a commotion arising from my subordinates.


    The roars of Baccarel echoed across the bony hallways as he ordered the half-orcs into formation. The devils seemed to be readying themselves as well under the command of One-eye. The hellhounds didn¡¯t have much to prepare and so rushed to the devils at the first opportunity.


    As for the cause of this ruckus, it was a humanoid silhouette which seemed really familiar¡­that v-shaped tuft of silver fur¡­sh**, what is she doing back here¡­


    Standing in front of her was One-eye, the commander of my armies. Next to him, her figure looked even more slender despite her towering height of three meters. That figure is such a violation of the rules¡­wait, now¡¯s not the time to admire the beauty of the human figure.


    ¡°You¡­why did you come back?¡±


    Sister¡­why did you have to come back? Are you trying to drive us into a corner!


    Truth be told, I was extremely scared right now, scared that this uppity fellow was back to capture me. Even with all these henchmen protecting me, I didn¡¯t feel the least bit safe. Just thinking about her overwhelming speed gave me a headache¡­I want that speed too¡­


    ¡°I have a matter that requires you, come over here.¡± That was definitely a female¡¯s voice. Even though her valorous behavior had dulled this significantly, her voice still had the qualities of a lady¡­an extremely attractive lady. That giant black wolf head however¡­it¡¯s just a little too much for me¡­


    ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯m going over. I dare you to come over and catch me if you can.¡± Do you think I¡¯m stupid enough to fall for such a ruse?


    Seeing my defiant attitude, she immediately lost her patience and said: ¡°Devil, my patience is limited, you better get a move on it.¡±


    ¡°Come get me then!¡± Once a man says he won¡¯t go over, he won¡¯t go over.


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    ¡°Stubborn fellow¡­¡±


    Just as she was about to act on that dare, Violet Snow kicked my shins with her tiny little paws. ¡°I suggest you listen to her, if she really wants to capture you, you can¡¯t avoid her. It¡¯s only a matter of whether she has to expend that much more effort. If you aren¡¯t lucky, she might just decide to kill you instead.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Hey, I¡¯m still your teammate you know, are there any teammates like you who look down on their team members¡­


    Of course, this was all just in my head. Her words after all, made sense. If a four-star demonic werewolf wanted to capture me, there was no way this ragtag bunch of potatoes could stop her, even with Violet Snow aiding them.


    Fine fine, anyway I¡¯m not exactly a man right now either. There shouldn¡¯t be any problem with just having a chat. Just as I started walking towards her, No.3 and Big 4 immediately stepped out and blocked me. They looked at me with a mortified expression and said: ¡° Master, please escape. Even if it means that we have to die, we will buy time for your escape.¡±


    Big 4¡¯s knuckles turned pink as he gripped down on his bone sword. In a grave voice, he said: ¡°Master, please bestow upon me the chance to serve you.¡±


    ¡°¡­just forget it. This opponent isn¡¯t someone we can take on even if you risk your life.¡± I beckoned for a female devil with a wave of my hand. ¡°Look after it.¡± I instructed her as I gently handed over the devil egg.


    ¡°Master¡­¡±They were on the verge of saying something but instead were ignored.


    ¡°To think that, I would one day be forced into this situation.¡± I laughed bitterly as I looked up at the bony white ceiling. ¡°Why am I so unlucky¡­I just want to go home a little earlier¡­oh, that¡¯s right, if I¡­if something were to happen to me, you guys should follow Violet Snow¡­¡±


    ¡°Instead of bemoaning your fate, perhaps you should spend more time thinking of a solution.¡± As she said this, I felt something soft stamp down on my feet, followed by her deadpan voice echoing in my ears, ¡°As for writing a will, that can wait till you are actually on the verge of dying.¡±


    From the looks of it, the little puppy wants to follow me? And, what¡¯s with that sorrowful look you¡¯re giving me? Don¡¯t tell me you really see me as a person heading to his death?


    ¡°Master.¡±


    ¡°Mhm?¡±


    Just as I stepped in front of Baccarel, the ordinary looking half-orc called out to me, I paused for a moment as I turned to him. However, all I saw was him raising his hand and pointing in the direction of the silver furred werewolf: ¡°Charge! For the Master!!¡±


    ¡°For the Master!!¡±


    Without waiting for my command, the half-orcs suddenly broke into a charge. As his burly figure rushed off, he left behind a sentence: ¡°Master, please escape¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, wait a moment¡­everyone get back here! This is an order!¡± The half-orcs actually attacked out of their own volition in order to protect me¡­even though they know that they won¡¯t last that long, but they still did it without any hesitation¡­these guys¡­must they really make me cry before they¡¯re happy.


    The half-orcs didn¡¯t listen to my command and continued charging. Perhaps to them, this was the most advantageous move they could make for me and so they did it without even giving me a chance to object to it.


    Unfortunately, the result of this blind charge was a swift and decisive one. In just a few moves, the silver furred werewolf defeated the entire squad within seconds. Having lost her patience, she ploughed through the obstacles in front of her and leaped right to me.


    Before I could even register her proximity, her razor sharp claws reached out and grasped my exposed neck.


    ¡°Now, can we have a talk?¡± Her voice, icy and impatient, clearly irked by my previous display of resistance.


    ¡°Baccarel, just stop. You all are brave warriors but this battle is already over. There¡¯s no need for you guys to act now.¡± In the face of such overwhelming strength, what else could I do except smile bitterly?


    ¡°Master, it¡¯s our fault for being incompetent.¡± He said through gritted teeth before retreating, his eyes all the while fixed on me. To the honorable half-orcs, having their Master threatened in such a manner was an insult to them. However, it was their fault for being weak and so they could only swallow this shame.


    In such a life or death situation, there was no longer a need to hold back. Even though I had only heard of this name once, there was no other option left to me, even if that option was nothing but a bluff.


    Never in my life had I ever wished so much for the gift of the gab. Unfortunately for me, I was nothing but an otaku, persuasion was definitely not one of the skills I had on my character screen.


    ¡°With the way you¡¯re treating me, aren¡¯t you afraid that Mo En will hold grudge against you?¡±


    ¡°Why must I be afraid of someone at the same level as me? If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that he has so many devils, I wouldn¡¯t even give him a second thought.¡± Her claws closed in on my neck, immediately I was struck with a hot piercing sensation as I felt my skin break.


    Her lupine head leaned in and gave me a sniff before continuing, disdain dripping from her words: ¡° You¡¯re just a mere devil, there¡¯s no way Mo En would kick up a fuss over you. Besides, I don¡¯t smell his scent on you so there¡¯s no way you¡¯re his woman.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me, you aren¡¯t even his woman to begin with! There¡¯s no scent of a male devil on you!¡±


    ¡°What the heck! Exactly how do I look like a woman?! You need to get your eyes checked! No matter how you look at me, I¡¯m a bonafide man!¡± My temper erupted instinctively upon mentioning this taboo subject. Even if it means risking my life, there¡¯s some dignity that must be protected at all costs.


    Why does everyone treat me as a female devil, this brother is a sage of the highest order!


    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t your temper something, at least in terms of bravery I¡¯ll acknowledge you.¡±


    Her claws tightened even further. Instantly, my mind was struck with the overbearing sense of pain. In that moment, I truly felt the reaper¡¯s scythe on my neck.


    Even though I had already gone through reincarnation twice, there¡¯s no guarantee of a third time. Besides, will I even have the same strength as I have now? Will I even be able to stay in the western human realms?


    If I can¡¯t meet with her, what¡¯s the point of all my toiling? I want to see Nicole again¡­so much¡­


    ¡°Hmm, you scare that easily?¡±


    Upon noticing my stunned look, she broke into a grin as if she was mocking my lack of mental fortitude. Or perhaps she was merely laughing at herself for pushing things too far.


    It was at this moment that Violet Snow spoke up, shifting the focus of the silver furred werewolf off of me and onto her. ¡°Powerful and respected werewolf, I request for a negotiation on equal footing.¡±


    ¡°Equal? Brat, let me have a sniff and see who you are.¡±

 Chapter 75: The Determination to Break Through

    With a swipe of her left claw, she picked up the little puppy and brought her up to her nose for a quick sniff: ¡°sniff sniff¡­Abbadon hellhound¡­sniff sniff¡­Gehenna demonic wolf¡­sniff sniff¡­so you¡¯re a mutt.¡±


    She casually threw that out with a smile on her face.


    The anger overtook her reason as Violet Snow opened her jaws and spat out a ice ball, not even caring that she was currently trapped in the palms of her opponent. Clearly, the word ¡°mutt¡± was a taboo word to her.


    Due to her close proximity, the ice ball hit the werewolf¡¯s face upon leaving her mouth, freezing the werewolf¡¯s face in a layer of ice. The werewolf¡¯s claws immediately tightened upon being attacked, crushing her petite frame.


    Wait, weren¡¯t we having a peaceful conversation just a while ago?


    Upon seeing that things had fallen apart, I immediately tried to attack her but due to my lack of close ranged abilities, all I could think of was to toss the grimoire at her, turning it into a makeshift meteor hammer. The grimoire curved in an arc, slicing through the air and landing coincidentally on the frozen layer, shattering it in an instant.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this enough.¡± She tightened her left hand, forcing out a cry of pain from the puppy trapped within, the shock from the grimoire smash clearly not affecting her. Without even checking if the puppy was alive or not, she tossed her back to me as a way of ending this matter.


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    Just as I withdrew my grimoire, I caught sight of a fluffy ball of white fur flying towards me. I extended both my hands and caught it squarely in the palms of my hands, as I looked down, I discovered the identity of this fur ball. Isn¡¯t this Princess Snow?


    ¡°Hey, are you alright?¡±


    I gave her a shake with my hands, trying to rouse her. As if in response to the stimulus, her eyelids immediately twitched and slowly opened up. In a weak almost whisper-like voice, she said: ¡°Mostly¡­¡±


    You actually dared to beat up such an adorable puppy, are you even human?! I gave a pointed stare and shouted back at her, dissatisfaction clearly written on my face: ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re just here to humiliate us?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not as free as you think I am.¡± The werewolf ended the conversation with a simple reply, not intending to waste anymore time as she got down to business: ¡°I wish to borrow your subordinates.¡±


    If she was knife right now, I would be the fish on the chopping board. Borrow? I bet it¡¯s the kind of borrowing that doesn¡¯t have a return date.


    ¡°You sure make it sound nice. Rather than borrowing, why don¡¯t you just say snatching.¡± Towards this female werewolf, I had only one word for her, hypocrite.


    My anger rose once more, not only did she bully Violet Snow, she had the gall to try and ¡°borrow¡± my men.


    ¡°What if I don¡¯t lend them to you?¡± I replied in a challenging tone.


    ¡°Killing you would make them submit to me anyway.¡± Even though she said that, her eyes weren¡¯t focused on my men at all but instead darted to the weapons they wielded.


    It was at this moment that Violet Snow finally recovered enough to speak. As she stood atop my palms, she stared at her attacker head-on and said in her usual deadpan voice: ¡°You¡¯re after those crafted equipment aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I won¡¯t deny that. However, it¡¯s not because we covet them; demonic werewolves dislike relying on external aids like these, instead we put more faith in our own claws.¡± As she said this, she flashed out her own razor sharp claws as if to show off the strength of her innate weapon. At the same time, it was a veiled threat at us.


    ¡°Demonic werewolves do not use these¡­hindrances as they will lower our combat effectiveness instead. My true aim is for you guys to help defend against the attacks of the medusas. Those lowly creatures are truly an annoyance with their long ranged attacks.¡±


    ¡°If we agree to help you, what would we get in return?¡±


    While her immense strength terrified me, this was also an opportunity I couldn¡¯t pass up. As long as I¡¯m able to get them on our side, attacking the Prison¡¯s exit would be much easier. In fact, her immense strength makes it that much better for me.


    ¡°If you obey our orders well in the coming battle, I¡¯ll promise not to kill you all and will even provide food.¡±


    ¡­as if I couldn¡¯t hunt for food with an army of my own. A few patrols of undead is all it takes to fill our bellies and besides, food isn¡¯t what I¡¯m after.


    ¡°All these aren¡¯t the main issues, I would like to ask you a question.¡±


    ¡°What question?¡±


    ¡°Do you all wish to leave the Prison of the Dead?¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    Even though she¡¯s a werewolf, it seems her ears aren¡¯t working too well and so I had to repeat myself once more: ¡°Prison of the Dead, in other words, this maze, do you wish to leave this place?¡±


    The moment she heard me say this, her initial reaction was even more exaggerated than Violet Snow¡¯s. She continuously shook her head and stared at me as if she was looking at an idiot.


    ¡°Impossible! With your current level of strength, there¡¯s no way you can leave this place. Unless you guys can evolve into four-stars, there¡¯s no other way you can leave this place.¡±


    ¡°Four-star? That will take a long time and I can¡¯t afford to wait that long. I must leave now!¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I wish to leave this place as well but I just can¡¯t leave my kinsman alone. Unless I can bring them along with me, there¡¯s no way I¡¯m leaving this place. However, the guards at the exit do not allow for lower level creatures to leave. With their overwhelming power, there¡¯s no way for us to resist their commands either.¡±


    She said with a sympathetic tone. However, that sympathy only lasted a moment before it took a more oppressive tone. ¡°If you can¡¯t alter your terms, then there¡¯s no choice. I just have to say sorry to you.¡±


    Heading back to the western human realms is my ultimate goal. If I¡¯m unable to do so in the short term¡­don¡¯t tell me I have to wait up to ten over years? Do I really have to wait till Nicole¡¯s kids are old enough to listen in before I¡¯m able to see her? Don¡¯t f*** with me! There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll allow that to happen!


    In the face of this principal question, I had no intention of backing down as I rebutted: ¡°In that case, I¡¯m sorry as well. Helping us leave is my bottom line. If this isn¡¯t a part of the terms, there¡¯s no way I¡¯ll help you. Perhaps you might be able to kill me but once I die, you will never get what you wish for.¡±


    Having said that, I was fully ready for the firestorm ahead.


    Violet Snow threw me a strange look as she took in my words. She definitely didn¡¯t expect me to be so stubborn about this matter. To her, rising to four-star was only a matter of time, there was really no need to risk our lives for this matter. However, the issue still remained for me, exactly how long will that take?


    Regarding this matter, I had done some calculations in the past. For some unknown reason, my levelling speed was slower than a normal devil by more than a hundredfold.


    In our past battles, all the souls were handed over to me and so just taking into account the time it took for me to rise from zero to one-star, I¡¯ve consumed at least a thousand souls of similar level.


    Just as a comparison, that amount is enough to evolve a normal devil from zero to two-star.


    ¡°You have no say in this matter, if you really wish to hold onto this term to the bitter end, I can grant your wish right now.¡± She reached out and gave my neck a warning grip before continuing with a smile on her lips that didn¡¯t feel like one, ¡°Don¡¯t think that we will lose to the medusas just because you chose not to help us¡­¡±


    Hmph, scare tactics are useless against me, there¡¯s no way I¡¯ll change this condition, not even if you kill me! Each time I think about Nicole cozying up with Sares, a dagger was driven right into my heart.


    Who gave you the right to snatch Nicole away from me! What have I done to deserve this punishment! Is it really so hard to see her one more time!? No matter what, I must return¡­right now, I am a dead pig that isn¡¯t afraid of hot water. (nothing to lose)


    ¡°Habona, you need to be more courteous with our guests.¡± An old wizened voice echoed from the werewolf¡¯s back. Unbeknownst to us, a weather-beaten old wolf had begun approaching us from a distance. His back was hunched, his fur slightly ruffled. The senior werewolf was significantly shorter than her, coming in at roughly 2.5meters.


    The silver furred werewolf turned around with a slightly startled look on her face. Upon discovering that it was that wizened old werewolf, she exclaimed in an astonished tone: ¡°Grandpa! What are you doing here? I can handle things here, that side requires your attention more.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already settled that matter for today, I¡¯m just here to check up on the situation.¡± The old werewolf slowly walked up to us and with a gaze, signalled for the silver furred werewolf to loosen her grip on me.


    He turned to me with a wide amiable grin on his face as he evaluated me. Unfortunately for him, what might¡¯ve been a friendly smile merely made him look like a strange beast in my eyes. Instead of reassuring me, it instead made me more nervous.


    ¡°While we were the ones who attacked first, your timing was extremely unfortunate. Since both sides have suffered some losses, let¡¯s put aside this matter for now.¡±


    While I wasn¡¯t happy about him trying to suppress that matter, it was also a fact that I couldn¡¯t beat them so getting angry wasn¡¯t going to help either.


    Upon noticing my silence, the old werewolf must¡¯ve guessed that I was still silently angry and so he continued: ¡°I heard that you wish to leave the Prison of the Dead?¡±


    ¡°Who doesn¡¯t wish to leave this damned place?¡± Seeing that the discussion had taken a turn in my favor, I knew that I had carry on this train of conversation.


    ¡°Truth be told, it¡¯s not that we aren¡¯t willing to help but it¡¯s that the guards are simply too strong. Except for the four-stars, there are very few creatures who are able to leave this place.¡±


    The old werewolf then sighed: ¡°If we were able to leave this prison so easily, why would we stinge on providing this aid?¡±


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    ¡°¡­¡± The old werewolf¡¯s sincerity was extremely clear to me. Naturally, I knew of this as well. After all, who would choose to suffer in this place if they had the option to leave.


    Seeing me ponder, the old werewolf knew that I had taken the bait and so with a slight smile, asked me: ¡°If, we are willing to help, what do you plan on doing?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re willing to help us?¡±


    The old werewolf didn¡¯t agree to this immediately but merely threw out a non-committal response: ¡°First, you have to tell me your plans, assuming you have one.¡±


    ¡°I do, definitely¡­we had just recently climbed up from the Blood Sea¡­¡± I gave him a brief summary of our story up till now as well as my future plans. My goal was to create a large army while searching for the exit. Once we had done so, we would scout out their strength while accumulating our own and then push through the exit in one go.


    The old werewolf remained silent after hearing my plans. He looked at me, then at Violet Snow and finally the half-orcs, all the while not saying a word.


    Instead, it was the silver furred werewolf who spoke up. She had remained silent ever since the old werewolf showed up but upon hearing my plan, she felt the need to cut in once more.


    In a disdainful tone, she said: ¡°You actually think that you can lead the various races? Little weakling, don¡¯t kid yourself, who would agree to having a weakling as their leader?¡±


    ¡°Whether or not I can accomplish that is one matter, attempting to do it is another matter. If you don¡¯t even try, you will never succeed.¡± Even though, my various attempts at hard work had ended in failure on Earth, this didn¡¯t mean that I would give up here as well. No matter what, I won¡¯t lose the courage to work, to move forward!


    What kind of person am I if I were to give up right after encountering adversity? No matter the task, even if I had to break my back while doing so, I still wanted an outcome. Even if that outcome is a bad one, I will still accept it.


    If I didn¡¯t even have this basic realization, then what¡¯s the point of me reincarnating? I might as well just kill myself!

 Chapter 76: The Origins of the Battle

    Medusas are an offshoot of the Mesa race (A sub branch of the orcs; the snakeman). They share several similarities with the mesa race in that their upper body is that of a human¡¯s while their lower half is that of a snake¡¯s.


    The biggest difference however, is that the Mesa race have both males and females while the medusas are a female only race. The mesas possess a normal head of hair that resembles a human¡¯s while the medusas¡¯ have snakes for hair.


    Compared to the mesas, the medusas were more akin to monsters than humans.


    They also possessed a deadly toxin and a heart that was prone to envy.


    As they didn¡¯t have a male counterpart, these medusas weren¡¯t able to reproduce naturally. Whenever they entered their mating period, they would find a male from another race to mate with.


    No matter who it was, human, elf and even some devils, they were all targets for the medusas. The only requirement was that they had a male humanoid figure.


    Another unique feature of their mating ritual was that only females could be birthed and it would always be a medusa regardless of the male counterpart. The medusas had a genetic trait in them that rejected any genes that didn¡¯t belong to the mother.


    No one knows for sure when this species came about and after hundreds and thousands of years, this could no longer be determined. However, there has been no new sighting of medusas in the past hundreds of thousands of years.


    I theorize that the medusas had been infected with a mysterious virus or curse. In my opinion, this might just be a curse from the ancient God of Evil. Of course, there¡¯s also the possibility of mana corruption.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªFrom <>


    The old werewolf smiled as he stared into my eyes. Seeing me remain silent for a long while, he finally answered me: ¡°If you¡¯re able to gather sufficient troops, I¡¯m willing to rally the werewolves in support of your cause.¡±


    ¡°How many?¡±


    The old werewolf calmly spit out the following three words: ¡°Ten thousand one-stars.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Are you messing with me?! What is the hell is up with that number! There¡¯s no way I can gather that many troops! The ecosystem in the Prison of the Dead had always been a complicated one, while there were many races here, subjugating them wasn¡¯t easy with my current strength.


    By the time I¡¯m able to subjugate ten thousand men, I would¡¯ve probably evolved into a four-star. You old coot! Do you think I¡¯m still in the Blood Sea where there¡¯s an ancient hen lying right beside me churning out little devil eggs?!


    As they say, the older you are, the wiser you get. The old werewolf was one such example.


    He knew from a glance exactly what went through my head and with a shake of his head and a resigned smile, he immediately continued: ¡°Don¡¯t be in such a hurry to reject me. How many guards are there at the exit? How strong are these guards? These are all questions that no one knows about because all those that tried were either dead or had left.¡±


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    ¡°So you¡¯re saying no one was able to escape after witnessing their power?¡± At times, intelligence was more important than combat strength. Regarding this piece of news, it was absolutely vital to my cause.


    ¡°In actuality, the Prison of the Dead only allowed people to enter and not leave¡­¡± Judging by his expression, he wasn¡¯t being entirely open with me. He must¡¯ve known some other secret but wasn¡¯t willing to share them. However, there was nothing I could do about this. After all, I couldn¡¯t just place a knife to his neck and threaten him. Besides, I couldn¡¯t even defeat his granddaughter¡­


    ¡°Which means to say, you know where the exit is but you don¡¯t know their exact strength?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. There are a total of three exits. Twenty years ago, I had the fortune to witness an army assail the exit. Unfortunately, they only made it to the second floor.¡±


    As he said this, his face suddenly darkened as his mood got visibly graver. ¡°Back then, the army had a total of 5000 one-star warriors. As for two and three-stars, they weren¡¯t lacking those either. They even had two four-stars with them. Even so, they were only able to last for less than half a day. After crossing the first floor, they were thoroughly routed.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you contradicting yourself right now? If no one has ever made it out alive, then how do you know of this? How did you know where they got up to?¡± Truth be told, I didn¡¯t trust his explanation entirely as it was full of holes.


    However, he didn¡¯t seem to be willing to divulge anymore information and instead gave me a smile and glossed over this matter: ¡°You don¡¯t have to concern yourself with this matter. At that time, you will understand why. Of course, this is assuming you¡¯re able to fulfill my terms.¡±


    Based on his previous statements, I was able to determine that this old werewolf wanted to leave this place as much as I did but simply didn¡¯t have the strength to do so.


    Hmm¡­I guess I¡¯ll trust him for now¡­even though his condition of ten thousand one-stars was kind of inane. That reminds me, is it too late for me to return to the Blood Sea?


    I sighed helplessly, ¡°So you require ten thousand one-stars, what about the two and three-stars?¡±


    In response to this, he merely flashed me toothy grin and said: ¡°The more the merrier.¡±


    Me: ¡°¡­¡±


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    You b******, do you think you¡¯re General Han Xin or something? (He believed that more troops was always better)


    With this deal basically settled, the first thing I had to do was help the demonic werewolves fight off the medusas.


    Truth be told this entire matter between the two races had given me quite a shock. On top of negotiating our deal, that senior had also explained the origin of this fight.


    It went as such. A short while ago, the demonic werewolves¡¯ second-in-command, in other words, Habona¡¯s little brother, Harlow was captured by the medusas.


    The demonic werewolves had always been protective of their kinsman. When it came to the lives of their kinsman, it took precedence even over their own. Not to mention that the one who was captured was the leader¡¯s little brother.


    Thanks to their keen sense of smell that trumped even the hellhounds¡¯, they knew right away that the one who kidnapped their kinsman was a medusa, specifically, a medusa in heat.


    Medusas in heat were especially terrifying. Not only were they extremely temperamental, their attack power was several times stronger than usual. Furthermore, their mating sessions were notoriously long, coming in at an astonishing 10 hours long. Most of the males who had undergone this mating didn¡¯t last long after that.


    This wasn¡¯t just a result of the long mating but also due to the fact that the medusas ¡°fed¡± upon their husbands in order to nourish their babies.


    Wasn¡¯t this destroying the bridge after crossing it¡­I have to say, these medusas are pretty much black widows from Earth.


    A concerned and anxious Habona led her kinsman on the trail of her brother and ended up at the lair of the dogmen.


    Yet upon finding the werewolf in question, he inexplicably claimed to be in love with the medusa who captured him and actually refused to return to the clan. Mojasha the medusa counterpart of this relationship, declared that she wouldn¡¯t give up on this love as well. If someone tried to break them apart, she would protect her right to love with her life.


    Medusas actually knew what was love? You¡¯ve got to be kidding me, compared to these cold blooded snakes, the werewolves were practically model citizens.


    At the very least the female werewolves didn¡¯t eat their husbands.


    In her mind, Harlow must¡¯ve been bewitched by some sort of beguiling magic, after all, what¡¯s so great about those ugly snakes that reeked from miles away!


    ¡­at this, I had to interject once more: Habona, you¡¯re pretty ugly as well!


    The pair knew that Habona would object to their relationship and so they had long since subjugated the dogmen clan in order to fight against Habona. Just as the battle heated up, the medusas joined in as well.


    However, they weren¡¯t here to break up their relationship, just the opposite, they were fully supportive of it¡­


    Please allow me one last tsukkomi¡­I just don¡¯t understand why they worship love¡­no matter how you looked at it, it was a use and discard relationship. To them, killing their boyfriend was easier than killing a chicken. Was it truly that important to have a boyfriend then? Or did they finally come to the realization they could find a stronger male and share him publicly¡­alright¡­that was slightly off the beaten path.


    Anyway¡­the two sides ended up in an epic battle after failing to reach an agreement. During this chaotic battle, Harlow and Majosha suddenly disappeared and when the werewolves tried to chase after them, the medusas immediately stood in their way, resolved to defend their little tryst.


    By now, the dogmen were mostly wiped out or had escaped. The demonic werewolves and the medusas had suffered major casualties on both sides and were unable to secure a decisive victory over the other.


    It was at this moment that my army arrived and ended up in a confrontation with the werewolf scouts¡­


    As for the rest, it was pretty simple. The werewolves were worried that we were here to cause more trouble and so they dispatched a section of their army to attack us preemptively in order to prevent any potential attack on their backs.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that the issue now is that those medusas won¡¯t allow you to search for your little brother?¡± Having gotten the gist of it, I had this sudden urge to act philosophical and ask ¡°What is true love?¡± But I doubt these barbarians had the mental capacity to comprehend my genius and so I suppressed that urge.


    Habona pointed at one of the heavy bone shields wielded by my half-orcs. As she did so, she explained without a hint of courtesy in her voice as if she was the master and I was the slave in this relationship.


    ¡°Those snake hairs of theirs are able to fire an extremely corrosive poison. While our fur is able to resist this poison fluid, our fur would end up getting corroded. That is why I want those shields of yours.¡±


    While I can understand your plight of not having any long range capabilities and still wanting to fight against those medusas, I still had to say that your brother was a bonafide chuunibyo patient. Of all the people he had to choose, he had to choose a girl from a different race and she even had snakes for hair! Your brother definitely had some unique tastes.


    And you aren¡¯t any better either, if all you wanted was my shield, did you really have to threaten us?!


    While the half-orc didn¡¯t understand the language of the devils, he got a rough idea of what she intended.


    Surprisingly, that half-orc was pretty obstinate about his shield. While he wasn¡¯t able to beat her, that didn¡¯t mean that he had to show her respect and give up the shield willingly. He casually ignored her and turned to towards me.


    Seeing him ignore her, irked her. She shouted: ¡°I said I want that shield!¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, we are just allies. I am not your subordinate. While my strength cannot match up to yours, isn¡¯t your attitude a bit much?¡± I waved my hands and continued in a tone that was neither overly soft or overly harsh. ¡°When you are begging a person, shouldn¡¯t you be a little more respectful?¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m begging?!¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t?¡±


    At a towering height of three meters, I could only come up to her waist even after tip toeing. As a comparison, smaller houses in China came up to three to four meters in height and yet she was already three meters tall without even straightening her back. I bet if she lifted her head, it would hit the ceiling.


    In front of this giant mountain, I was but a tiny hill to her. As her crimson eyes stared daggers into me, the pressure I felt couldn¡¯t be described in words.


    It was as if I was a small animal standing in front of a giant. Even now, I was completely engulfed in the shadow casted by her body.

 Chapter 77: The Exchange Array

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Habona, the most important thing right now is to find Harlow and not to fight with our allies.¡±


    The old werewolf immediately stepped in to soothe the situation. Just from this alone, you could tell the difference in maturity. The senior werewolf was clearly able to weigh the situation and not let his emotions get the better of him.


    Evidently, the werewolves weren¡¯t just a race of hotheaded meat heads as I previously thought. At the very least there was one intelligent and logical member in front of me right now.


    She gave a cold snort and turned away: ¡°I¡¯ll let you go this time.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you say.¡± I left it at that and turned to one of my large imps. I instructed this shieldbearer to hand over his heavy bone shield to Habona.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to give the shield a try? Here you go.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, at least you know what¡¯s good for you.¡± She glared at me before snatching the shield from the devil. The 1.5m tall heavy bone shield was almost able to shield the entirety of a large imp but with that cheat-like height of hers, this heavy shield ended up being a normal shield in the hands of Habona.


    REPORT AD


    She gave the shield a spin before turning to me, brows furrowed. ¡°It¡¯s really light.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± That shield was almost 150kg and required an exceptionally strong large imp in order to wield it properly¡­exactly did that turn into a toy in your hands! Damn it.


    Habona gave the surface of the heavy shield a rake of her claws and instantly a set of claw marks could be seen etched into the shield¡¯s body.


    She actually ruined it just like that!


    That shield was created after I learnt to refine equipment from that robed skeleton! Even my refined swords were barely able to scratch it. How did it end up like a piece of paper in your hands?


    Sigh, that¡¯s why you can¡¯t use common sense to measure a four-star.


    Surprisingly, she didn¡¯t make fun of my work despite the ease at which she tore through it. Instead, she said: ¡° It¡¯s not bad, to a two to three-star warrior, this shield is pretty sturdy.¡±


    ¡°What if it¡¯s matched against the medusas? Will it hold up?¡±


    ¡°Their long range poison attacks aren¡¯t just physical attacks, the innate resistance of the heavy bone shields is important as well. Furthermore, this shield is too small.¡± As she said this, she gave the shield a couple of casual swings. What seemed like a door to me was simply a piece of paper to her. She tossed it around as if it weighed nothing.


    ¡°Small¡­maybe to you guys it is.¡± I sighed, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. ¡°I¡¯ve never encountered these medusas before but from what I heard, their snake hairs are able to spit out corrosive poison from a distance.¡±


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    ¡°And that¡¯s why I can¡¯t be sure that your shield will hold up.¡± Habona returned the shield to the shieldbearer standing at the side before turning back to me. ¡° I hope that you¡¯ll be able to create a larger and thicker shield.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that the demonic werewolves disliked using weapon?¡± Violet Snow suddenly came to life once more and taunted her with a deadpan voice as she laid within my arms. Previously, she had been bullied by Habona and had to recuperate in my embrace.


    ¡°Since you¡¯re so strong, why don¡¯t you take their attacks head on.¡±


    ¡°Little mutt, are you itching for a beating again?¡±


    ¡°Awoof!¡±


    She wanted to spit another ice ball at Habona but Habona had already predicted this and snatched her from my embrace before she could do so.


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    She gave her a warning squeeze in her palms and said: ¡°Weaklings should learn to respect the rules.¡±


    The rules¡­the weak is food for the strong: if you aren¡¯t useful to me or stronger than me, then you have live under my shadow. If you dared to resist, then all that awaited you was death.


    REPORT AD


    In order to live in this merciless world, there was truly a lot to learn.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, the two of you need to step back for a moment. Habona stop insulting Violet Snow so thoughtlessly. I promise that she will stop being hostile towards you.¡± This pair of females was truly a pain to deal with. The moment they talked to each other, they ended up in a fight.


    The issue was that one had an explosive temper while the other had a heart made out of glass; any insult was immediately met with battle. What¡¯s worse was that the glass hearted one couldn¡¯t win¡­


    ¡°Since you¡¯re still useful to me, I¡¯ll give her one last chance.¡± She handed Violet Snow back over to me and snorted derisively at her.


    REPORT AD


    ¡°Let¡¯s get back to business. I need you to create new shield that is bigger and wider. At the start of every battle, we had to endure a round of poison from them before we even got close. This is the main reason why we always started with a disadvantage. In a one on one melee, these medusas aren¡¯t a threat to us. That¡¯s why I need you to create an equipment that would allow us to approach them without any injuries.¡±


    I gently rubbed the puppy lying in my arms, signalling her not to speak up. The little fellow was sensible enough to know that she wasn¡¯t a match for her and so buried her head unhappily in my arms, having decided to swallow this humiliation.


    The average werewolf was about 2m to 2.5m tall and so they required a shield that was 2m tall in order to barely cover their body.


    According to my calculations, crafting such a shield would take well over two times the amount of mana required to craft a heavy bone shield. Which means, I could¡¯ve crafted three heavy bone shields with the amount I set aside for this task.


    As for materials, that didn¡¯t matter much considering this entire world is made of bones. The limiting factor is still my mana.


    ¡°Crafting these shields shouldn¡¯t be a problem but I require an enormous amount of mana. A shield like this would require me to use all my mana. Without any replenishment, the most I can make per day is one shield.¡± I voiced out the issue without giving it much thought. After all, since they wanted me to craft something, the cost would naturally have to be borne by them.


    Habona truly fit my mental image of a demonic werewolf. Without giving it much thought, she immediately blurted out the question on her mind: ¡°Then what do you need to replenish your mana faster?¡±


    ¡°Souls, if you want me to speed up production, I require a large amount of souls.¡±


    ¡°Souls¡­¡± Habona hesitated as she said that.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you guys feed on souls as well.¡±


    The ability to feed on souls was something I had only noticed in the undead and creatures from Purgatory. As for the various species I encountered from Abaddon, none of them fed on souls as we did. Naturally, this included the werewolves. Since that¡¯s the case, they should just hand them all over to me and we can both benefit from it.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way we can hand over all our souls. While we do not feed on souls, they have other uses here.¡± Her answer surprised me. I didn¡¯t expect the Prison of the Dead to have a currency system in place where they could exchange souls for food.


    It sounded pretty absurd at the start but once I thought about it, it seemed surprisingly acceptable. To be exact, it answered a question that I had been unable to solve for a while.


    Based on the hunting grounds of the Abaddon rats, it should be really hard for them to gather meat. Since they didn¡¯t have the ability to consume souls, exactly how did they feed their thousand over clansman? By chewing on bones? No way. There must¡¯ve been some other method.


    This was an issue that affected me as well. My half-orcs had the same problem as those rats in that they weren¡¯t able to feed on souls as well. This applied to the vast majority of Abaddon creatures.


    Then another problem arises, once I form a grand army, exactly where am I going to find the meat to feed them¡­as they say, before the three forces can move, the food must first be moved. Food was an important matter that must be solved as soon as possible otherwise, we would be plagued with problems down the road.


    (TL: In the past, the phrase used was ¡°before the cavalry and infantry could move¡­¡±. However, in modern times, it¡¯s common to see the phrase ¡°the three armies/ forces¡­¡± which refer to the air force, the navy and the army. Either way, it means that rations must be prepared before sortieing.)


    No matter what, hoping that they could fight on an empty stomach was ludicrous. Putting aside the possibility of rebellion, it was definitely possible for them to kill each other for food.


    The method to exchange souls for meat was simple: create a six-point star out of blood, bones or corpses and then place the gathered souls within it. A while later, the souls would automatically disappear and the array would create the corresponding amount of meat.


    Meat can¡¯t just be created out of thin air¡­that¡¯s not scientific¡­well I guess science didn¡¯t make much sense either in a world of magic and demons.


    But still, this strange system simply didn¡¯t make sense! Don¡¯t tell me that at the opposite end of this array was another bunch of fellows who had an unlimited supply of meat and needed souls. And don¡¯t tell me that this array is merely a channel for them to conduct this trade.


    That¡¯s practically an eBay for this world!


    With this array, I would definitely be able to feed my men. Furthermore, judging from the fact that all the meat created was the red meat of an imp. The other party was probably situated in Purgatory.


    This is just so unfair. We are both devils so why are they able to prosper just by sitting in front of a exchange array whereas I have to risk my life just to guarantee my freedom? No wonder the ancients said ¡°The same species of human but different lives, the same type of umbrella but different handles¡±¡­they weren¡¯t kidding me at all.


    ¡°Either way, if you wish to speed up the production, you need to give me souls.¡± I quietly sighed to myself. Initially, I had intended to fleece them of their souls seeing as they didn¡¯t need it. However, now that I found out that they needed the souls as well, I couldn¡¯t be too harsh with my terms and thus I had to lower my earnings.


    I didn¡¯t know if she noticed my bit of profiteering but she ended accepting my offer. After all, performing this sort of task required mana and she knew of this as well. She nodded her head and generously accepted my offer. ¡°Alright then, how much do you need?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t know the specifics before I craft the shield. Also, how many do you need? I paused for a second before asking: ¡°And how big?¡±


    She did a round of calculations before stating her requirements: a shield that was 2.5 meters tall and 1.5 meters wide.


    ¡­can the average werewolf even see with a shield this large?


    The reason why my heavy shields were so large was because I didn¡¯t need them to charge, I only needed them to hold the line. These werewolves on the other hand needed to do so. If you can¡¯t even see in front of you¡­wouldn¡¯t the result be tragic?


    ¡°Don¡¯t you guys need to look in front of you when you fight?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, just create a few holes in the front of the shield.¡± She didn¡¯t seem to think much of my question and instead dismissed it with a casual wave of her hand.


    ¡°Even if we aren¡¯t able to see, we can still use our noses to smell and our ears to listen. Besides, this maze isn¡¯t that wide,the werewolves wielding the shields can lead the charge in a line formation with a person commanding them from the back. They should be fine with just that.¡±


    ¡°In that case, how many do you need?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s start with ten.¡±

 hapter 78: I Miss You So Much

    With the cementing of our accord, we were given temporary residence in the werewolves¡¯ nest. As usual, this was just a corner of the maze where one wasn¡¯t vulnerable to a pincer attack.


    Having walked through their nest, my first impression was that they weren¡¯t as numerous as I had initially thought. According to my estimates, their numbers roughly came out to 500.


    Of these 500, only a small portion were the elderly. Surprisingly, there were werewolf children as well. While they were technically children, these werewolves were already much taller than my imps.


    The werewolves mostly viewed us with hostility due to our recent clash. Both sides had suffered significant casualties and so both sides had a grudge with each other. Logically speaking, the ones at fault were the werewolves since they attacked first. However, logic had no say in this lawless land; right and wrong was determined solely by one¡¯s fists.


    Truth be told, the reason why Habona provoked us time and time again was due to the discomfort in her heart. After all, while this was an accord in name, there was no binding force behind it.


    Previously, she didn¡¯t attack me because of my alleged connection to Mo En. The next time we met, the old werewolf interceded on our behalf. Plus, she also needed our skills and so she stayed her hands once more. However, once I was no longer of use to her, there was nothing in our deal that could stop her from swatting me to death.


    Despite this, I went ahead with the accord anyway. Leaving the Prison of the Dead was a main questline of sorts for me so I had to finish it. Besides, the old werewolf seemed just as eager to leave this place as me. Based on this point alone, the werewolves were worthy of my trust. At least when it came to leaving this maze.


    Even so, walking under the hostile gaze of several hundred werewolves wasn¡¯t something I enjoyed. My heart pounded with every step I took into their nest. I was deathly afraid that one of them might just lose control and rip me to shreds.


    Violet Snow felt this unbridled hostility as well. She jumped down from my arms and swept her gaze through the gathered crowds with an equally hostile pair of eyes. While she didn¡¯t hold much of a grudge towards them, there wasn¡¯t any good intention in her eyes either.


    The old werewolf seemed to have noticed this tension between us and immediately stood out. With a loud cough, he gathered their attention and placated them with a few growls and barks in the language of the werewolves.


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    A while later, they quieted down and no longer stared at us as if we were a bunch of meat. Evidently, this old werewolf had an influential status amongst his kin.


    It could be said that the werewolves and medusas were natural counters to each other in battle. In their previous altercation, the deaths both on sides were extremely little; a combined total of less than 10 people.


    In actuality, both sides were relatively small clans. If you added in the fact that the two lovebirds had an influential status in their respective clans¡­it wouldn¡¯t be a stretch to consider the other party as in-laws.


    While the werewolves didn¡¯t approve of this interracial romance, the medusas did. They had no choice in this matter after all. Who told them to be a female-only race that relied on males from other species to reproduce.


    In the end, what it boiled down to was that the demonic werewolves objected to this romance mainly because of their husband-consuming custom¡­Oh and by the way, are you sure these medusas aren¡¯t a distant kin of the black widows?


    Shortly after I entered our temporary residence, I spotted a medusa captive being escorted by four werewolves. This was the first time I¡¯ve encountered one and she naturally piqued my interest.


    Due to her snake tail, her height varied at times. However, her average height was under two meters.


    Just as the stories depicted, she had snakes for hair and a snake tail as her lower body. As she was escorted past me, I caught a whiff of her snake scent. It wasn¡¯t particularly foul smelling but it wasn¡¯t pleasant either.


    She had certain scent to her, similar to the fishy scent of fishes but instead of being fishy, it had a more earthy tone to it that reminded me of mud.


    In contrast to these undesirable traits, the medusa had a stunning appearance that trumped the petite face and melons of Aoi-sensei. While Aoi-sensei had a fantastic body, she wasn¡¯t that pretty to me¡­Ahem, I know nothing of this Aoi-sensei. (AV actress)


    Once the medusa had passed by, I instructed my subordinates to find a resting spot for themselves. In order to leave this place as soon as possible, I immediately got down to crafting they were settled down.


    Regarding their giant shields, I already had a design in mind. Other than the specified dimensions, I planned to fashion three spikes on the front of the shield. They were based off the design of an elephant¡¯s tusk in that they had an upward curvature. This would increase the effectiveness of the shield when these fellows decided to charge.


    Upon completion, this shield would definitely cross the 250kg mark. According to my estimation, it at least require a two-star werewolf to wield this shield.


    Given their immense strength, running around with a 350k kg load probably wouldn¡¯t affect them too much. And so, I didn¡¯t pull any punches with regards to the weight. As long as it increased the defenses of the shield, I made sure to add it in.


    REPORT AD


    Initially, I had intended to add a couple of eyeholes into the shield so that the wielder could see in front while holding up this shield. However, after giving it some thought, I decided not to. After all, Habona had mentioned that their nose and ears were extremely sensitive.


    In that case¡­those eyeholes aren¡¯t necessary. You guys can feel your way around with your senses while you charge.


    By the time I finished the first shield, I was thoroughly wiped out. It was every bit as exhausting as I had predicted. Just this shield alone cost me 78 units of mana which was to expected after all. Given its increased surface area, the amount of bones that needed refining increased exponentially as well. I guess I should be happy that I actually had enough mana to even finish the shield.


    Since that¡¯s the case¡­I won¡¯t hold back on asking for souls.


    Just as I finished the first shield, Habona appeared before me. Behind her heavy footsteps were a group of werewolves who carried at least two skulls each. Within these skulls were green flames that roared violently in their eye sockets. Based on this alone, one could see that the souls within were particularly energetic.


    Looks like impatient werewolves decided to make use of the time I took to craft the shield to go hunting. As they didn¡¯t possess the ability to absorb souls, they were unable to freely touch the souls as well. This was why they had to use such a clumsy method of transporting the souls. Not only did they bring back the souls of the undead, they brought back an actual part of them as well, the skulls.


    ¡°Hunting?¡± I stood up and welcomed them back with a slight smile. I pointed at the gargantuan shield beside me and said: ¡°Come have a look at the shield.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s done?¡± Without waiting for my reply, she casually lifted the steel door-esque giant shield with one arm and brought it up to her gaze. She immediately locked in on the tri horns on the front, clearly pleased with it. It must¡¯ve suited her sense of aesthetics.


    ¡°Such a gorgeous form, I really like it.¡±


    As she said that, she used her finger to flick the fang. Upon hearing a solid echo from the bone, she nodded her head, satisfied with it. She then brought it to her front and tested its sturdiness with a couple of shoves before saying: ¡°Not bad, if it had eye holes in front, it would¡¯ve been even better.¡±


    ¡°That¡­didn¡¯t you say that your ears and nose can replace your eyes¡­¡± Sister, this is the second time you¡¯ve contradicted yourself. Exactly how much tsukkomi do you require¡­


    She stared at me with half-open eyes and said, neither embarrassed nor concerned, ¡°I mean if we could use our eyes to see, that would definitely be the better choice.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Fine, you win.


    ¡°By the way, these are the leftover souls.¡± Ignoring my collapsing psyche, she clapped her hands, signalling for the hundred over werewolves to present their collected souls to me. ¡°These are all one-star souls, how many shields can you craft from these.¡±


    REPORT AD


    ¡°If they are all one-stars, I can only craft one more shield.¡± Based on my calculations, after deducting the amount required to sustain and replenish my mana, these souls were sufficient to create one shield with some leftover at the end.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case.¡± She paused for a moment and gave it some thought, judging by from the look on her face, she seems to have accepted my answer.


    ¡°I¡¯ll proceed to hunt at a further spot and gather as many souls as I can.¡±


    ¡°Alright. About that, I¡¯ll have to rely on you to provide for my subordinates as well. After all, I¡¯m unable to lead them hunting in the meantime. Besides, the surrounding areas have already been cleaned by you guys and wandering around aimlessly might just get us into trouble with the medusas.¡±


    ¡°I have no problem with that but I have a question to ask you.¡± With a deadpan look on her face, she pointed at a certain bald wraith circling around her. ¡°What¡¯s up with this guy?¡±


    REPORT AD


    ¡°Ah, you mean Vick? He¡¯s just a curious baby. He¡¯s probably fascinated by the fact that you were able to harm him and so he decided to stay close to you.¡± Come to think of it, when did he get attached to Habona? No wonder I didn¡¯t see him recently. I thought that he finally learnt to behave himself but apparently he just found a new toy.


    Unfortunately for you, Habona probably wouldn¡¯t allow herself to be your toy.


    ¡°Can you make him stop?¡± She said, her face as expressionless as before.


    ¡°About that, I have to apologize in advance. While he was summoned by me, he doesn¡¯t really listen to my commands. Perhaps it¡¯s due to an error in summoning.¡± Regarding this issue, as Vick¡¯s master, I was equally vexed by this as well.


    ¡°How annoying.¡± For some people, the more angry they got, they less the they showed it on their faces. Habona was one such person. She looked at me with an icy look on her face and asked in a matter-of-fact tone: ¡°Can I kill him?¡±


    ¡°¡­anything is fine except for killing. As long as he has the strength to float back, it¡¯s alright.¡±


    Upon hearing that, she finally revealed a trace of her anger. She took aim at the playful ghost and swiped at him with her claws, eliciting an immediate cry of pain from Vick who drifted away without any hesitation.


    She turned towards the direction he fled in and coldly smiled, ¡°Since he¡¯s already here, there¡¯s no need to worry about him being unable to return is there?¡±


    ¡°¡­go right ahead.¡±


    After teaching him a lesson, she resumed her hunting while I went back to my crafting. And so, the rest of the day passed by uneventfully.


    In the midst of my sleep, I dreamt of the eloping couple tangled up in each other¡¯s arms. While the sight of a wolf and a snake doing it together was exceeding odd and painful for the eyes, it also stirred up the melancholy in my heart.


    Even a wolf and a snake were able to get together¡­as for me? Am I a devil or a human? Probably a devil¡­I do have red skin after all. I didn¡¯t have any hair either and even had a horn on my head. Thankfully, I still possessed a humanoid form so I should still be able to be with Nicole, assuming I¡¯m unable to regain my human form¡­


    Nicole, where are you now? Is everything alright for you, did you try to find me¡­did you miss me? Did you and Sares end up together? You¡¯re already 13 this year. In just a few more years, you¡¯ll be of marrying age. As for me? I¡¯m still trapped in this god forsaken place¡­exactly how long will it take for me to leave¡­


    Or will I be trapped here forever¡­


    All of a sudden, I felt the urge to sing¡­swells of power rose up in my throat as the world around me quietened down, it was as if I was the only person awake in the world. This was the first time I¡¯ve heard my singing voice since I¡¯ve reincarnated. While my previous incarnation had an excellent singing voice, it couldn¡¯t compare to what I had now.


    It was a girl¡¯s voice, graceful yet sad, stirring yet desolate. It was a voice that brought tears to its listeners as its sorrowful waves rolled over them.


    Turn on the lights, the scene in front of my eyes


    The spacious room, the lonely bed


    Turn off the lights, it¡¯s all the same


    The wound in my heart, unable to be shared


    Life flows away with time


    turns old with gray hair


    leaves with you, no news of happiness


    fades away with the past


    falls asleep with my dreams


    leaves with the numb heart


    I miss you, miss you, but no trace is left


    I¡¯m still tiptoeing in missing you


    I¡¯m still letting the memories hover/spiral


    I¡¯m still shedding tears with my eyes closed


    I still pretend not to care


    I miss you, miss you, but I deceive myself


    Turn on the lights, the scene in front of my eyes


    The spacious room, the lonely bed


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    Turn off the lights, it¡¯s all the same


    The wound in my heart, unable to be shared


    Life flows away with time


    turns old with gray hair


    leaves with you, no news of happiness


    fades away with the past


    falls asleep with my dreams


    leaves with the numb heart


    I miss you, miss you, but no trace is left


    I miss you, miss you, but I deceive myself


    I miss you, miss you, I¡¯ll just make it a secret


    I miss you, miss you, so I hide it deep in my heart


    (Taken from jspinyin) [ÌK´ò¾G sodagreen ¨C ¡¾ÎÒºÃÏëÄã]Original Song Name]


    I knew that the lyrics didn¡¯t really fit our location but I still did it anyway, thrice. The first was in Chinese, the second in the language of the western realms and third in the language of the devils.


    I closed my eyes and shut off the outside world and sang. I sat with my back to the wall


    , hands wrapped around my knees as I swayed to the melody. The world was empty except for a twin tailed beautiful redhead beckoning to me. My mouth broke into a smile, my first smile ever since I became a devil.


    As the song ended, I vaguely sensed some movement beside me. I opened my eyes and got the shock of my life.


    When did so many people get here?!

 Chapter 79: Soul Bard

    Harpies are female demons with the body of an eagle but the face of a human. Notably, they have the ability to speak and possess an above average level of intelligence. Instead of arms, these birdwomen had wings with which they took to the skies and swooped down to rip apart their prey with their razor sharp talons.


    They loved raw meat and were natural born bandits thanks to their extreme speed. Their human face had a beauty that rivalled some of the peerless beauties in the human race. This coupled with their mesmerizing voices, allowed them to charm their prey and even caused them to hallucinate.


    However, their beauty only extended to their face and voice. Outside of that, these harpies possessed a litany of vices which includes, cruelty, promiscuity and bloodthirstiness. They were essentially the representatives of chaos.


    They were notorious for capturing males of other races and forcing themselves on them. These unfortunate creatures would not be allowed to rest until they were thoroughly drained by the harpies. If a male child was born as a result of this, the harpies would kill and consume these babies; only females were spared this fate.


    ¡ª-From <>


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Was I dreaming just now? In that dream, I seemed to be singing <>, and then¡­and then when I opened my eyes¡­


    REPORT AD


    Devils, hellhounds, demonic werewolves, demonic half-orcs, medusas¡­wait, why are there medusas here? Weren¡¯t we fighting with them?


    And there¡¯s not just one of them either, let¡¯s see¡­one, two, three, four, five¡­I don¡¯t think I have enough fingers¡­


    What¡¯s with their lack of clothing¡­exactly what are you guys plotting by showing me those weapons on your chest. Bunch of savages¡­I scorn you¡­now, let me count how many medusas I have to scorn, one, two , three, four, five, six, seven¡­I think I need to use my feet as well¡­


    ¡°Master, what¡¯s with that strange expression on your face and why are you panting?¡± I was suddenly pulled out from the tumultuous peaks of the medusas by that little potato, No.5. Having regained my senses, I gave the corner of my mouth a wipe despite there being nothing to wipe off.


    ¡°Ah, what are you all doing here?¡± Exactly what are these medusas doing here, what happened while I was sleeping?


    ¡°Master, were you the one singing just now? It was beautiful, please allow your lowly servant, me, No.5, to kiss your toes as an expression of my loyalty and humbleness.¡± Without even waiting for me to respond, he pounced on me, his arms and legs spread eagled in what looked like a toad stance as he reached out for my calves.


    *smack*


    Before his face got the chance to hug my legs, it was met was a painful flash of black. The Grimoire of the Dead smacked him loudly on the face, sending this lascivious guy rolling away like a gourd.


    ¡°Your singing wasn¡¯t bad.¡± Violet Snow trotted up to me and laid her front paws on my calf, her face betraying a hint of disbelief. ¡°It¡¯s just, I have a question for you.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    REPORT AD


    Violet Snow glanced at me with a serious look on her face, ¡°Why do you tiptoe when you reminisce?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I actually did that¡­it¡¯s probably because of that song¡­how I should know, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m the songwriter, why don¡¯t you ask that guy instead¡­


    As if on cue, her rival, Habona stepped out to answer her question. With a pat on my head, she said: ¡°That¡¯s because this fellow is too short.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I really want to cry¡­


    However, this comedy skit didn¡¯t last too long; I still wanted to know why were the medusas here. It turns out that after the werewolves retreated, the medusas left to look for Harlow and Mojasha but instead found out that they were captured by the harpies¡­


    Aren¡¯t those the second-tier dungeon faction units from Heroes of Mig** and Mag** III. I remember those birdwomen well¡­They had a human face and an eagle¡¯s body. When you upgraded them, they could attack without retaliation and even flew back to their original spot; perfect against those immobile factions.


    Oops¡­I went off track again.


    REPORT AD


    Basically, the lovebirds were ambushed by the harpies and Harlow ended up being captured. In actuality, he was safe for the time being but as time passes, the risk of him being drained by these promiscuous harpies increases.


    A couple of beautiful medusas¡­beautiful if you ignored their snake bodies and earthy smell¡­stepped out from the crowd of medusas.


    ¡­I just don¡¯t get what that werewolf saw in these medusas¡­just their stench alone could burn his sensitive nose¡­don¡¯t tell me he¡¯s in this for Mt. Everest?


    Truth be told, I had some difficulty telling all these creatures apart. Thankfully, the devils under me all had their own unique features and devils had their own unique way of identifying each other so I didn¡¯t suffer much in that respect.


    REPORT AD


    As for the others, that old werewolf was like the old hobo from down the street;definitely easy to recognize. Habona was three meters tall and even towered over her kinsman.


    Baccarel was on the plainer side but thanks to the bone headband I gave him, he was one of a kind among my subordinates; not only did it satisfy his need for honor, it made things easier for me as well.


    As for the Medusas¡­other than their tail color, I was basically unable to tell them apart. It¡¯s kinda like when a human looked at a bunch of apes. To him, they all looked the same. It was probably the same for the ape as well¡­


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    To me, they all had the same face, hair, nakedness, lack of clothing¡­even the short, tall, fat and skinny ones looked the same to me. If their tails were the same color as well¡­that would be a nightmare for me.


    A slightly puffy-eyed medusa slithered over with her companion, her posture slightly diminished. Judging from the redness around her eyes, she must¡¯ve just stopped crying. She had a brownish yellow tail while her companion had a black tail.


    The puffy-eyed medusa bowed before coming up to me, remnants of her tears dripping to the side as she did so. As her golden snake eyes gazed reverently at me, I could actually see the lingering grief in her eyes. She said, a pair of fangs revealing themselves as she opened her mouth: ¡° Greetings, honored Soul Bard, this medusa, Majosha, requests for your aid.¡±


    Majosha spoke in slightly husky voice that while wasn¡¯t awful, wasn¡¯t that great either. In light of my race, her request was delivered in the language of the devils.


    I carefully evaluated the bowing medusa in front of me. Her tiny snake hairs laid dormant at the moment, significantly reducing my aversion to them. Right below them was a pretty, delicate face that would¡¯ve been a solid 90 even among humans. That valley below her neck was extremely perfect, even in the entertainment industry, her melons would¡¯ve been top-notch.


    Especially that lack of clothing¡­ahem, for an honorable person like me, I absolutely despised those women who didn¡¯t wear clothes. This is my judging stare¡­so beautiful..ahemm¡­ as for their lower half, let¡¯s not talk about that.


    ¡°Soul Bard? Are you referring to me?¡± I pointed at my nose. She nodded in response to my question, yet my eyes still had the same confusion it had before: ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re referring to me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, honored Soul Bard.¡±


    This time, I was sure that Soul Bard referred to me.


    ¡°About that, can you explain to me what¡¯s a Soul Bard?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no time for that, I already told you that Harlow has been kidnapped. That¡¯s why Majosha is here with us right now. All you need to know is that we need your help in order to find him.¡± Her voice was unable to contain the anxiety she felt at the moment. It was to be expected after all, this concerned the safety of her own brother.


    Without waiting for me to respond, she lifted me up with her furry claws and set me down upon her shoulders. After confirming that I had settled down, she took off.


    ¡°Wait, I still don¡¯t understand how does this relate to me.¡± As I sat atop her shoulders, my field of vision expanded significantly. Not only that, her fur was surprisingly comfortable to sit on. Even as she sprinted along, her steady gait ensured that it wasn¡¯t a bumpy ride for me.


    However, being whisked without any reason still irked me. Even more so since I still didn¡¯t know what she wanted with me.


    In place of Habona, the other medusa came up to explain the situation to me, seeing as Majosha wasn¡¯t in a great shape either.


    ¡°My name is Manasha, Majosha¡¯s older sister. My younger sister has just lost her loved one and is shaken by it. I¡¯m afraid that she¡¯s unable to answer your questions and so I¡¯ve come to answer them in her stead.¡±


    Manasha was the black tailed medusa accompanying Majosha a while ago. As she supported her sister, she began to explain in a voice that seemed slightly more mature than Majosha:


    ¡°Soul Bards are individuals with a special ability. They are able to use their songs to overcome any language barrier and communicate directly with the soul. Even without knowing their language, a soul bard is able to use his or her song to transmit her words, her thoughts. Even the blood thirstiest of monsters aren¡¯t immune to this effect, just by listening to her songs, they will form an empathetic bond¡­¡±


    Based on what she said, Soul Bard must¡¯ve been a rare job. Soul Bards are able to use their songs to tame creatures, soothe pain and even communicate with all living things in this world. Of course, that last point seemed a little far fetched to me but as of now, it was the best tool I had to communicate with the harpies.


    The harpies were the most notorious bandits in Abaddon. With their mighty wings, they were able to soar to heights the naked eye couldn¡¯t perceive. They came and went like the wind and loved to swoop in and snatch the creatures they set their eyes on.


    They had a degree of intelligence that while wasn¡¯t exceptional, it didn¡¯t lag that far behind a human¡¯s intelligence either. However, they had no hands and so weren¡¯t able to create or use tools.


    Every harpy possessed a flawless singing voice with which they used to lure their prey into their trap. Because of their rapid speed, their hunting zone was extremely vast. As it stands, it might be extraordinarily difficult to locate their tracks.


    If we aren¡¯t able to locate Harlow soon, he must just end up being violated and drained after which they will consume him. As for how long it took to do so, that depended on Harlow¡¯s stamina. It was a fascinating ability but now was not the time to research it.


    In order to find them as soon as possible, the medusas needed to lure out the harpies which then brought up the question, how do they so? Both parties discussed this for a while but were unable to come up with a solution, at least till they stumbled onto a semi-conscious me singing <>¡­and so I was drafted.


    Do you know what I¡¯m thinking right now?


    Hmph, do those black widows even care if their husband was eaten? Fine, I guess they will be troubled by it. After all, that was still a piece of meat.


    ¡°I know the fact that we eat our husbands after procreation is difficult for the other races to comprehend but we have a difficult reason for doing so.¡± It might¡¯ve arose because she noticed my disdain or perhaps she simply felt that the matter required explaining, either way, she took the initiative to explain it to me while sighing regretfully.


    Seeing her sorrowful expression, a thought suddenly occurred to me. Don¡¯t tell me they did so in order to nourish their child?


    I cautiously broached the subject: ¡°Is it because the fetus requires nutrients?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±Manasha shook her head and slowly explained it, word by word, all the while looking extremely hurt.


    ¡°It¡¯s because they¡¯re afraid of us.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Sister, can you be a bit clearer about this. What¡¯s up with ¡°Because they¡¯re afraid of us and so we eat them?¡±

 Chapter 80: Overflowing Awe

    Hey, I was the one that was actually hurt!


    To think I actually thought that you guys had a human side and weren¡¯t all cold blooded animals, I was such an idiot! If a human couple ever had a situation where one side feared the other, the most that would happen was domestic violence or a divorce.


    You guys actually ate your husband and even put on a [I¡¯ve been wronged] expression¡­in all my three lifetimes, I¡¯ve never seen such a shameless display. Today, I¡¯ve finally learnt something new.


    This brother finally understands, for an honor student like me, there¡¯s simply no way to communicate with these medusas. We aren¡¯t even on the same page, the same dimension¡­


    The mission to rescue Harlow was one that required speed, and so the only people we had all together were namely me, Habona, Majosha and Manasha. With the slowest being me, Habona picked me up without a second thought and carried me all the way. On her sides, the two medusas slithered along, keeping pace with the anxious werewolf without much difficulty.


    Roughly half a day of sprinting later, we arrived at the spot where Harlow was kidnapped. There was no signs of blood or corpses nearby but judging from the remaining murderous aura, a battle had definitely happened here recently.


    Violet Snow had mentioned that the patrolling undead were essentially the janitors of the Prison of the Dead. This must¡¯ve been their handiwork.


    I had to admit these hardworking fellows were truly model workers. They toiled tirelessly without rest or respite to maintain the cleanliness of this massive maze despite of the constant battles.


    In my opinion, the Prison of the Dead was just a giant arena where countless organisms including the undead, lived together, fought against each other and suppressed each other. Every day was a bloody affair for the residents here and while this might seem like a meaningless endeavor, it helped to maintain the life of these lowly life forms.


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    In actuality, not everyone here could evolve into a four-star. After all, the issue of talent existed here as well. An analogy would be human society, while there were resources available for people to cultivate, not everyone had the talent to reach four-star. Instead, the majority would be stuck at one to two-star, doomed to be fodder on the battlefield. The best they could hope to achieve was being a squad leader of 10.


    Going back to the matter of my subordinates, under normal circumstances, we should¡¯ve had a large number of two-stars by now, given the amount of battles and food they¡¯ve consumed. However, we had less than 10 two-stars as of now, and as for three-star, not even one of them showed any sign of evolving anytime soon.


    This was an issue of talent, if they weren¡¯t talented enough, no amount of hard work would allow them to escape the fate of being cannon fodder.


    With this in mind, the rule which allowed a four-star to leave unhindered was a problematic one. While it wasn¡¯t impossible to achieve, only the few sitting atop this bloody pyramid could get to enjoy this privilege.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t just stand, start singing, quick!¡± She roughly lowered me onto the floor, which forcibly interrupted my ruminations and brought me back to reality.


    Ah, I went off track again¡­


    I shook my head and gazed at Habona: ¡°What should I do now?¡±


    ¡°Sing. Any song will do.¡± She hurried me, sounding more impatient than before. ¡°Harpies are jealous creatures; having someone sing better than them is the one thing they can¡¯t stand. As long as you sing well, those despicable birds will appear.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll just sing that previous song, *cough cough* mhm.¡± I cleared my throat with a light cough and immersed myself in the lyrics once more:


    Turn on the lights, the scene in front of my eyes


    The spacious room, the lonely bed


    REPORT AD


    Turn off the lights, it¡¯s all the same


    The wound in my heart, unable to be shared


    ¡­


    ¡­


    As the last words left my mouth, there were still no signs of the harpies anywhere.


    I opened my eyes, waking up from the sorrowful trance: ¡°Where are the harpies?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re probably too far away to hear you.¡± Majosha¡¯s face fell as she shook her head. A strange sight occurred as her head swung from left to right, the little snake heads at the end of her hair actually shook their heads in tandem with her.


    ¡°They were definitely here recently. Their scent is still strong amidst the smell of battle.¡± Habona furrowed her brows as she looked around. ¡° Perhaps we are simply just too far from their nest. Why don¡¯t we change locations?¡±


    ¡°They flew off in that direction with Harlow.¡± Majosha took the lead as she slithered off. A few hundred meters and a few patrols later, we came upon some crossroads. As there were traces of the harpies¡¯ scent on all three routes, Habona was unable to determine which way they took and so it fell onto me to try once more.


    Without much choice, I began singing once more, this time, I chose a happier song. While it wasn¡¯t as moving as the previous song, it had an energetic feel to its beat. Even the two worrywarts were infected with its energy and began swaying to the rhythm. Clearly , they enjoyed the song as well.


    Manasha even tried to learn a few lines from me but unfortunately her voice was slightly on the impaired side¡­she sounded like a siren, a siren who could kill with just her voice.


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    Seeing it fail to attract the harpies, I tried a different style of song but the result was still the same.


    Our brows tightened as we faced the same dilemma once more. With three choices to choose from, the likelihood of choosing the right one was low. While there was still some time before Harlow gets drained completely and loses his will, it might be time for us to take this risky gamble.


    Even though she had faith in Harlow¡¯s mental fortitude, Majosha couldn¡¯t help but cry as the thought of potentially losing her lover wrecked her heart. At the side, Habona busied herself with sniffing the surroundings once more, hoping to get a better lock on Harlow¡¯s scent.


    However, the harpies¡¯ scent were too strong and ended up overwhelming Harlow¡¯s scent. Even with their sensitive noses, such a cacophony of scents wasn¡¯t an easy mass to dissect.


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    In the end, we had no choice but to try my songs once more, praying that we were close enough to attract the harpies. If it failed once more, we would have no choice but to try our luck.


    ¡°By the way, why did you all capture Harlow? Was his genes that superior?¡± I suddenly blurted out an irrelevant and seemingly useless question.


    ¡°What¡¯s genes?¡± Majosha turned towards me with a curious look having never heard of this term before.


    As if I was teaching a bunch of illiterates, I began to feel a strange sense of achievement as I explaining the term to her.


    ¡°So, what I wanted to say was, why was Harlow chosen by the harpies? After all, there are a lot of males in the Prison of the Dead, for both parties to choose the same target seems to be to much of a coincidence to me.¡±


    To think that I am now a part of the smart kids faction, these otherworldly residents are so uneducated.


    Without feeling any shame about her reproductive preferences, she bluntly said: ¡°That¡¯s because mating with higher level creatures result in an offspring with higher talent.¡±


    So you¡¯re saying a dragon gives birth to a dragon while a rat gives birth to a child who only knows how to dig a hole?


    ¡°So what¡¯s Harlow¡¯s level?¡±


    ¡°Three-star.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Harlow is actually a three-star. I assumed he was merely a two-star since he got captured so easily by the harpies. If that¡¯s the case what¡¯s the level of this medusa over here? She had to be at least three-star¡­ perhaps even four.


    Since the purpose of their hunt was to aid in their reproduction, let¡¯s choose a more sensual song. Hmm¡­a sensual song¡­I haven¡¯t heard this song in a while¡­was it 10 years ago? Mhm, it¡¯s coming back to me.


    It¡¯s the kind of song that was not only sensual but was also extremely raunchy, the type you couldn¡¯t clean, even with bleach. The kind which would earn you a beating from your parents, the scorn of your classmates and would make your friend put on earmuffs¡­


    Ahh~Ahh~Ahh~Ahhh~AhhHahh~Hahh~Hahh~Hahh~Hahh~


    As the first line left my mouth, the black fur on Habona¡¯s body stood up immediately. Even the two medusas turned red from hearing the lyrics. Let¡¯s not forget that these two were extremely open about their sexual habits just a while ago!


    Luring people to pluck the forbidden fruit


    The sweet taste as I steal a nibble


    Reaching for the cherry within the depths


    Her body starts to shiver


    My tongue moistens her inner thighs


    ¡­


    ¡­


    I sang every word to the best of my abilities, however flirtatious it sounded was exactly how I sang it. It could be said that I expended every bit of my vocal arsenal to bring forth a faithful rendition of <> the devil¡¯s edition¡­


    In fact, the song seemed to tempt me into singing it. As I continued singing the lyrics, they filled me with an excitement and passion to continue singing. In the end, I sang it three times, back to back.


    Compared to the two medusas, Habona reaction was rather docile. The medusas were driven into a state of heightened coital agitation. Their snake tails coiled around each other as their somas writhed in a piquant manner. Their physiognomies abraded against each other, their tails smacking the floor in tandem with the swaddling of their dorsal surfaces¡­


    Is this the famous white lily league? How could two women behave in such a shameless fashion. Men being with women is a great dao of the world and obeys the laws of yin and yang!


    As an upright youth with morals and principles, I must condemn this action! In order to do so, I must get a closer look! Step by step, I stealthily crept up on them, all the while focusing my judging eyes on their every action.


    Just as it approached the climax, the pair suddenly stopped.


    Hey, why did you guys stop? Go on, don¡¯t mind me, I¡¯m not done condemning yet!


    Habona stepped in front of me, forming a wall with her towering figure, shielding me from the front. She lifted her head and looked in front, her ears twitching as she did so.


    A while later, she finally opened her mouth and with barely contained excitement, said: ¡°They¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°Here? Who¡¯s here?¡± By the way, stop blocking me, I¡¯m not done condemning them.


    ¡°The harpies are here, we can finally locate Harlow.¡± Her voice sounded relieved as she thanked me: ¡°Many thanks, Soul Bard.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± This brother has already sang so many songs and yet none of them even garnered a second look from you guys. Yet when I sang <>, you guys immediately flew over? Couldn¡¯t you have arrived a little later?! The shows had just started and you guys ended it abruptly¡­don¡¯t tell me this raunchy song is really that effective¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to resist when they capture you.¡± Habona turned around and lifted me up into her embrace. My tiny body was immediately wrapped in what felt like a comfortable fur blanket.


    ¡°You¡­what are you doing¡­¡±


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    Her sudden embrace immediately brought up memories of <>. Don¡¯t tell she¡¯s thinking of doing THAT after listening to Overflowing Awe? There¡¯s no way I¡¯m doing THAT with a wolfhead.


    I immediately resisted her embrace, causing her a great deal of discomfort as I violently writhed in her arms. She tightened her hug, nearly crushing my skull with her herculean strength.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, these harpies have the habit of bringing their prey back to their nests. As long as we don¡¯t resist, they will definitely escort us safely back to their nests.¡±


    ¡°Tig¡­ht¡­can¡¯t breathe¡­¡± I desperately forced out my opposition to her hug. Noticing this as well, she finally loosened her hug after which, I took the opportunity to climb upto her shoulders in order to get a better look in front.


    Hmm, they aren¡¯t here yet.


    ¡°CAWWW!!!~~~¡± Just as that thought crossed my mind, a sharp, half eagle, half female cry resounded within the bony corridor, followed closely by a flock of human faced eagles diving at us from a distance¡­

 Chapter 81: The Harpies’ Nes

    These strange creatures had a relatively large body, their upright height was at least two meters tall and their feathers were dyed in a diverse range of colors. Upon extending their wings, the harpies¡¯ maximum wingspan was at least three to four meters wide. From a distance, it looked like prismatic cloud was approaching us.


    They swooped down on us with terrifying hook-like claws and latched onto the two medusas before taking off once more. The pair kept their cool and allowed the harpies to carry them off without a fuss.


    Soon, it was our turn as well. Habona allowed the harpy to carry us off without a fight.


    I had never ridden an airplane before, so I didn¡¯t know what it felt like. However, as of now, I¡¯ve at least ridden a harpy and it felt¡­dizzying¡­


    Their speed could only be described as lightning quick as they zipped past the corners without slowing down a bit. After a mere ten minutes, we reached the nest of the harpies and the sight that greeted was shocking to say the least.


    Upon entering the Prison of the Dead, the first thing I attempted was to break apart the bony white walls of the maze. However, to my disappointment, it wasn¡¯t possible no matter what I tried.


    Later on, we encountered the Abaddon Rodents but they were unable to do so as well. If even a rat wasn¡¯t able to dig a hole in these walls, I simply couldn¡¯t picture anyone else being able to do so. This was the impression that stuck with me until today¡­


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    Right in front of me was a hollowed out section of what I originally thought to be impenetrable.


    The maze walls were 20 meters of bones that stretched to the ceiling or at least it was at the other nests I¡¯ve been to. At the 15 meter mark was a conspicuous lack of bones. Instead, that section all the way up to the ceiling had been hollowed and had even extended to the other side of wall. On that harpy-made platform was their nest.


    They actually managed to destroy that sturdy wall¡­and even built a nest on it! I couldn¡¯t even imagine the destructive power of the harpies that accomplished this feat!


    Another point of interest was the thousand over skeletons currently scaling that broken wall. Their target seemed to be the harpy nest.


    Hundreds of harpies flew out in response to the undead invasion. With a fell screech, they swooped in and picked up the undead. Their claws sunk in between their bony body. With a clench and pull of their claws, the skeletons shattered without any resistance, falling to the ground like a bunch of wooden toy blocks.


    The scenery changed an instant later as our carrier harpy ignored the battlefield and flew right to the nest.


    The harpies¡¯ treatment of captives were extremely rough; without any concern for our safety, they unceremoniously dumped us from a distance above the ground. Habona tumbled a couple of times before coming to a stop, all the while hugging me. The two medusas received the same treatment as well.


    As I got to my feet, a cacophony of smells crashed into me like a sledgehammer. It was an amalgamation of scents that was not only difficult to describe but also reeked. Mixed into the air was a scent that smelled like feces, blood and flesh mixed in with the pungent smell of decay.


    Just based on this foul stench alone, I could tell that hygiene wasn¡¯t one of their priorities.


    Shortly after dropping us off, the harpy landed near us along with nearly a hundred of her brethren, forming a tight circle around us. Looking closely, at their faces specifically, they were actually quite beautiful.


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    However, this beauty was instantly shattered as they opened their mouths and screeched at us¡­rows of disgusting, blackened teeth immediately burned my admiring eyes. There¡¯s no way anyone would willing kiss this mug.


    Being stared at by this bunch of monsters was truly disconcerting. However, what unsettled me even more was our audacious and perhaps suicidal infiltration of the enemy¡¯s nest. I gently leaned in on Habona and whispered: ¡°What¡¯re we going to do now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to locate Harlow¡¯s scent.¡± She slowly edged towards the medusas while keeping me protected behind my back. ¡°Just hide behind me once the battle starts, I won¡¯t able to keep my eye on you then. You need to watch out for yourself.¡±


    What do you mean watch out for yourself? Are you saying it¡¯s that dangerous?


    Fearing the worst, I employed the only solution I could think of, hurrying my teammates. ¡°¡­did you locate his scent yet?¡±


    ¡°The scents are too mixed up, I can¡¯t tell them apart.¡±


    ¡°Then what¡¯s the plan now?¡± Manasha brought her sister along with her, forming a protective triangle around me.


    In spite of our precarious situation, Majosha was surprisingly calm. She coldly glanced over the ring of screeching monsters around us and said: ¡°While the harpies aren¡¯t particularly smart, they know enough to separate their dining area from their mating area. Since we¡¯re all females here, they¡¯ve naturally brought us to the dining area.¡±


    ¡°I knew that even without your explanation.¡± Those piles of skulls aren¡¯t just for show after all. Not to mention the strong smell of blood and decay. Also, ¡°I¡¯m a male. Don¡¯t get my gender mixed up.¡±


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    ¡°Male?¡±


    The two medusas were stunned after which they gave me an evaluating look. Manasha took it a step further by simply reaching out and grabbing my non-existent package.


    After discovering the lack of a certain organ, she flashed me a roguish smile and said: ¡°You actually dare to call yourself a male without a p***s? Besides if you are actually a male, the harpies wouldn¡¯t have brought you here with us.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Alright, I¡¯m wrong¡­just don¡¯t bring up the matter of that place again¡­


    REPORT AD


    ¡°Since we have no luck in this matter, we¡¯ll just have to find him ourselves.¡± Habona abruptly cut in, her patience nearly stretched to its limits while we were busy discussing my p***s or lack thereof.


    Without even waiting for a response, she leaped into fray and lashed out viciously with her razor sharp claws. The scent of blood grew even stronger as her deadly claws tore apart a couple of unfortunate harpies, turning both of them into geysers of blood as they fell backwards limply.


    ¡°Ahh!!¡±


    The harpies sprung into action immediately. With a enraged screech, they dove at her in unison. However, Habona was simply too agile for them. With a casual sidestep, she avoided their talons and counterattacked at the same time. Flesh and blood splattered all over the floor as her claws easily tore through the feathers and hide of the unfortunate harpy.


    GIven her four-star strength, these harpies were clearly not a match for her claws. Even a light rake at their weak points was enough to kill these harpies in an instant.


    Due to the height at which the nest was built, there was only five meters of airspace to maneuver in and so the vaunted flight abilities of the harpies were powerless before the land bound werewolf¡¯s lightning speed and strength.


    There were about two to three hundred of these harpies. However, they were mostly one to two-stars. A small proportion were three-stars but this didn¡¯t matter as Habona¡¯s claws swept through them just the same.


    Habona¡¯s sudden attack on the harpies had triggered a chain reaction among the harpies. Without even giving me time to react, countless harpies leaped at me. Within them was one three-star who had a significantly larger body than her kin. As her blue-feathered wings flapped, it induced a violent gust of wind that nearly knocked me off my feet.


    Making use of this opportunity, she approached me, jaws wide open, ready to bite into me. By the time I reacted to her attack, I could already smell the horrid stench of her breath which nearly caused me to faint. I knew that it was too late to run now.


    I immediately summoned up my shadow guardian. I knew that it was powerless against a three-star but even so I had to try no matter how futile it seemed.


    As expected, the shadow didn¡¯t slow her down one bit. As it tried to coil around the harpy, she bit through it easily and continued charging at me. All it took was just one more step and she would be able to rip apart my exposed neck.


    Just as I was about to meet my makers, a earthy-yellow snake tail flicked across my eyes like a bolt of lightning and whipped the harpy away¡­


    ¡°Get behind us quick.¡± As she said that, the snake hairs on Majosha¡¯s head didn¡¯t let up on the offensive and continued spitting at the pouncing harpies. With every successful spit, the acrid of smell of burning flesh filled the air amidst a backdrop of tortured screeches.


    Manasha slithered forward in what looked like a charge and whipped out, cutting into throat of the wailing harpy with a sharpness that didn¡¯t lose to Habona¡¯s claws¡­


    Their immense strength came as a pleasant surprise to me. Not only was Manasha strong, Majosha was as well. A simple flick of her tail was able to send a three-star flying away.


    However, this wasn¡¯t the end of that three-star. After a couple of tumbles, she immediately got to her feet and stared daggers at the offending medusa before charging at her once more. If looks could kill, Majosha would¡¯ve been dead several times over.


    While her target was Majosha, I ended up getting caught in the crossfire between the two. As her fervent gaze swept over me, I was frightened stiff by it, temporarily forgetting to run away.


    Seeing my precarious situation, her snake tail immediately coiled around my waist and pulled me to safety behind her back. As for herself, with a shake of her serpentine waist, she slithered off to clash with the harpy head on!


    As snake clashed with bird, the final victor was unsurprisingly the snake. Her unstoppable charge instantly sent her opponent flying. However, she didn¡¯t stop there and instead pushed forward, her aim, to finish off her knocked down opponent.


    Her muscles contracted before snapping forth in a burst of speed at the end, coiling her tail around the harpy just as she landed on the floor. With a vicious gouge of her razor sharp teeth, she tore into the harpy¡¯s neck.


    ¡°AHHH!!¡± The harpy desperately tried to struggle free but Majosha¡¯s serpentine binding held strong, preventing her from even moving an inch. A few seconds later, the harpy fell silent. Whether it was the asphyxiation or the blood loss that killed her, it didn¡¯t matter as the harpy was without a doubt, dead.


    She actually did it! A three-star harpy was dead just like that, and in such a cruel manner too¡­so that¡¯s why Harlow got captured so easily despite being a three-star. He simply couldn¡¯t beat her¡­


    With the teamworks of these two medusas who I assumed were at least four-stars, no amount of enemies would matter. Assuming there weren¡¯t any four-stars within the group.


    After losing over a hundred of their kinsman, these idiots finally realized that they were no match for the three female monsters in front of them and began to take off.


    ¡°Is everyone alright?¡±


    A blood drenched Habona walked over, coldness radiating off her body with each step she took. The medusas were in similar situation as well; they were drenched in the foul blood of the harpies.


    ¡°We¡¯re fine¡­at least the three of us aren¡¯t hurt.¡± I gave her an evaluating look. ¡°What about you? Are you hurt?¡± I simply couldn¡¯t tell whether the blood was hers or not.


    ¡°I¡¯m alright as well.¡± She gave her claws a lick before spitting a second later.


    ¡°We¡¯ve managed to defeat them for now but this is their nest after all. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be back with greater numbers next time. We need to find Harlow, quick.¡±


    ¡°But we don¡¯t know where they bring their male prey to¡­¡± While we were talking, Majosha took the opportunity to survey the area. She slithered a circle around the area, trying to find some clues. Unfortunately, her efforts didn¡¯t pay off.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, while you guys were fighting just now, I spotted a harpy carry off one of their prey towards that direction.¡±


    While I wasn¡¯t of much help in the battle, I still maintained an alert stance. Upon returning to the nest with her prey, I immediately spotted the laden harpy and started tracking her path with my eyes.


    Given that these harpies were smart enough to separate their mating area from their eating area, by the process of elimination, that must mean that the area she was headed to was the mating area.


    ¡°Which direction?¡± The three females replied in unison, clearly anxious to hear about this new clue.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so hasty, I¡¯ll lead the way. Follow me.¡±

 Chapter 82: Saving Harlow

    The nest of the harpies was similarly built in a corner of the maze. Their nest was hollowed out in a ¡®U¡¯ shape with a portion of it leading through to the other side of the maze.


    Even now, we still didn¡¯t know how many harpies resided in this hollowed nest, nor did we know if there were any four-stars here. And so, it was imperative that we rescued Harlow as soon as possible.


    I led the party off into the direction I saw the harpy fly in. However, before I could take a couple more steps, I was abruptly lifted up by a furry hand and placed onto the shoulders of Habona. My speed was clearly too slow for these four-stars and so I was relegated to pointing instead.


    ¡°Forward, take a turn¡­ah, to the right¡±


    As I only knew the rough location of that harpy, I had some difficulty giving out directions. Strangely, our road so far had been pretty smooth. Except for the initial wave of harpies, we basically navigated through their nest unopposed.


    This struck me as being extremely suspicious, therefore I made a mental note of this as I continued guiding the party. This was, after all, the nest of the harpies, the lack of harpies wasn¡¯t normal and could just be a trap. Getting ambushed because of a moment of carelessness was simply not worth it.


    The nest was unexpectedly vast, but with our rapid pacing it didn¡¯t take long before we located Harlow.


    Perhaps the heavens finally smiled favorably on us but only after a few minutes of running, Habona was able to pick up the scent of Harlow.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got his scent. It¡¯s coming from this direction.¡± She growled excitedly as she took off, leaving the two medusas in the dust. As I sat through this rollercoaster ride of a dash, my body was pelted with fragments from an assortment of objects.


    After ten seconds of sprinting, we came upon an area where various species of organisms were held captive.


    I staggered around after hopping off her shoulder; her speed was simply too much for me to bear and had nearly knocked me unconscious. As I wandered around in a daze, I was hit with an odd smell. It was clearly an awful scent but it was strangely soothing. It felt like I could put aside all my worries just by being here.


    As I continued inhaling this strange scent, I felt a strange heat growing within my body¡­


    While I hadn¡¯t taken an aphrodisiac before, it was clear to me that this scent was an aphrodisiac of sorts.


    ¡°Don¡¯t inhale the air, there¡¯s something wrong with it.¡± Perhaps it was due to my unique constitution protecting me or perhaps it was due to my innate talents as a sage (virgin males above 40 but below 50) showing their true value, but either way I was unexpectedly resistant to its temptations.


    Of course, it could just be my lack of a pee pee at work here. Regardless, that strange heat began to rapidly cool down before it even had the chance to take effect.


    Habona on the other hand, didn¡¯t notice anything strange and instead waved her hand dismissively, ¡°It¡¯s fine, the bodily fluids of a harpy has a bewitching effect. It¡¯s only effective on males though.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Based on this piece of information, I¡¯ve learnt two things. The first was that the strange scent came from the bodily fluids of a harpy. The second was that I¡¯m¡­neither a male nor a female¡­


    ¡­nooo, I don¡¯t want to be a trannie!!


    Unfortunately or perhaps I should say, fortunately for me, I didn¡¯t have much time to mourn this fact as I came back to my senses and began scanning the area for our main objective, Harlow.


    Just based on the frightening sight before me, I could tell that this was the mating area of the harpies. There were over ten male creatures lying stock still on the floor; devils, demonic half-orcs, ratmen, dogmen and even three lizardmen.


    They came from a wide gamut of races but they all had one thing in common, that was that they were emancipated to the point where their bones could be seen through their skin. It was as if they were drained dry after countless assaults. The lifeless males stared blankly at the ceiling, not even noticing our arrival.


    Right at the corner of the area was the sole werewolf in the bunch. Unlike the others, he still maintained his original appearance, without the characteristic stoned look of the others. He probably hadn¡¯t been here for long; his condition was mostly alright albeit worrisome.


    He laid there spread-eagled on the floor, secured tautly by four ropes tied to a separate pole. His eyes were slightly glazed over as he stared mutely at the ceiling. On his dishevelled body was the pungent scent of the harpy¡¯s bodily fluid.


    ¡­is this Harlow¡­


    ¡°Harlow!¡± Habona¡¯s shout rendered any need to guess useless. She rushed to his side in a couple of strides and with a swift swipe of her claws, cut the bindings on herbrother.


    ¡°Harlow, wake up! It¡¯s me, your sister is here to save you!¡±


    She grabbed his shoulders and shook it excitedly. It didn¡¯t work and so she shook him even harder, shaking basically his entire upper body. However, he merely stood there dumbly staring at her.


    Seeing his lack of response, frightened her even more. She slapped him several times without giving it much thought. As the vicious slaps rang out across the mating area, his lifeless eyes finally began to stir.


    ¡°Sis¡­sister¡­¡± His unfocused gaze finally centered on the female werewolf in front of him. As he took in the familiar sight and scent of his sister, his puppy dog eyes watered up and immediately broke down into tears. ¡°Sis¡­it was terrible¡­they¡­they were just merciless¡­wah wah¡­¡±


    From the looks of it, he¡¯s had some rough experiences. I wonder how many times his little wolf was bullied¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Big Sis is here to save you, I¡¯ll bring you out right now.¡±


    Just as she lifted up the frail werewolf, his body immediately collapsed as his eyes rolled into the back of his head; he was simply too weak right now. Habona rushed in to catch his falling body, not caring about the filthy bodily fluids on him.


    ¡°Harlow!¡± The lagging medusas finally caught up at this point. With just a glance, Majosha immediately recognized her lover and slithered up to him with a few rapid shakes of her tail, pulling him into her embrace unabashedly. Given his height of 2.5 meters, he still managed to tower over her despite his slumped body.


    ¡°Sha sha¡­¡±


    While they hadn¡¯t been separated for long, the tumultuous events up till now made them miss each other even more. The reunion of these lovers could be said to be a long awaited one.


    He let go of his sister and returned the intense hug of his lover in a touching reunion scene of a wolf and his snake lover.


    I¡¯ve never been so touched in my entire life¡­even in hell, the heavens made sure to rub a PDA in my face¡­exactly how determined are you¡­(Public Display of Affection)


    ¡°Hey hey, that¡¯s enough hugging for now. How about turning around now? We still have to find a way to leave.¡± I turned around and looked at the other males with a pitying gaze. ¡°Should we help these unfortunate potatoes out?¡±


    Habona rolled her eyes at me and gave me an extremely pragmatic reason. ¡°Do you think they can even move?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± I guess you¡¯re right about that. Even Harlow who was in a much better shape than them, was thoroughly fatigued. His back and head were probably aching right now along with his jelly legs. Given that he had gotten off lightly, the other males were probably a lost cause.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you guys find it strange that we didn¡¯t encounter any harpies on the way here? I¡¯m afraid that they might be plotting something.¡± Manasha posited, clearly having the brains to back up her beauty. She was acutely aware of the strange behavior of the harpies and the potential danger it posed. Unfortunately, even she couldn¡¯t fathom what that danger could be.


    ¡°Screw them, no matter what plot they have in mind, I¡¯ll take them all on. In terms of strength, there¡¯s no way I¡¯ll lose to some harpy.¡± Having found her little brother had filled her with renewed confidence.


    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s get a move on it. I don¡¯t want to stay here for a second longer.¡± I didn¡¯t choose to come here in the first place and so I naturally didn¡¯t want to stay here either. Habona and the others seemed to agree with me as well. However, Harlow seemed to have taken some issue with me as he gave me a strange look.


    ¡°This beautiful lust demon sister¡­¡±


    ¡°This brother is a male! A guy!¡± While he was polite about it, I definitely didn¡¯t intend to forgive him just because of that. This was a matter that transcended even life and death. No matter what, I must fight for this bit of dignity!


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    ¡°¡­how¡­¡± As he laid his head on Majosha¡¯s shoulders he gave me a ¡°You¡¯re lying¡± look and smiled. ¡°You¡¯re such a kidder.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Kid, since you¡¯re out to get me, I¡¯ll just have to return that favor. So¡­I heard that medusas have a really strong sense of envy¡­


    I turned to Majosha and flashed her a devilish smile: ¡°Hey why is your husband flirting with me? Don¡¯t tell me he has picked up some bad habits from those harpies?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± The rumors weren¡¯t exaggerating the least bit. That simple question immediately had the desired effect on her as her face turned pitch black. ¡°Harlow! I¡¯ll let this matter of the harpies go but if there¡¯s a next time¡­hmph¡­¡±


    As expected, a half finished threat was a lot scarier than a completed one. I don¡¯t know what went through his mind as he heard that ¡°hmph¡±, but it clearly wasn¡¯t anything good judging from the cold sweat on his forehead. If it wasn¡¯t for his fur covering up his face, I bet his face would be a deathly pale right now.


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough horsing around for now. Our first priority is to find a way to leave this place.¡± Manasha interrupted the lovebirds, reminding her sister not to take things too far.


    ¡°Where did those harpies fly off to? Not knowing where they are is slightly disconcerting.¡±


    ¡°I only saw them fly out of the nest. As for the reason why, I have no idea what happened.¡± I was extremely concerned about this matter as well. If they were to suddenly show up and ambush us, we would be in an extremely perilous situation.


    ¡°Ah~ah~~ahh~~~~~ahhhhhh~~~~~~ahhhhh¡±


    Just as we were discussing the matter of leaving, a strange moaning suddenly filled the airs of the mating area. How was it strange? Instead of us hearing it, it seemed to be echoing directly in our minds. It sounded like a combination of a hundred, even a thousand sounds. While its pitch wasn¡¯t uniform, it sounded surprisingly harmonious and didn¡¯t give off a repulsive feel.


    Before I could ponder the meaning of this sudden intrusion, I heard Majosha issue a yelp before giving off a series of moans.


    ¡°Harlow¡­no¡­here¡­here¡­lower¡­¡± As I turned around and followed the moaning to its source, I saw the lovebirds engaging in an advanced form of PDA¡­


    What the f*ck, are you guys a bunch of exhibitionists or something? Now¡¯s not the time for this; Who knows when those harpies would show up and ambush us. You better shape up this instant, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve been corrupted that badly by the harpies!


    Seeing them engage in the act of fornication, made me angry for some unknown reason. I didn¡¯t know why this was so but I certainly knew that I wasn¡¯t happy about it.


    ¡°Lust demon¡­¡± Habona had a strange look on her as she leaned in on me. She gave me a sharp tug and pulled me into her embrace and proceeded to run her moist tongue all over my face and body.


    ¡°Hey! Habona! What do you think you¡¯re doing!? Even a sanctimonious b*tch like you wants to assault me? You¡¯re sick¡­scram!¡± Why did she suddenly turn into a pervert¡­


    I desperately struggled to break free but she was simply too strong for me. No matter how much I hit her, she didn¡¯t seem to budge a bit.


    ¡°Lust demon¡­let¡¯s do it¡­¡± My heart leaped into my throat as I heard the seductive voice of Manasha behind me. The beautiful snakewoman coiled herself around me and Habona. Being trapped between her cold scales and the warm fur of Habona felt like I was being sandwiched between two extremes.


    ¡°Hey hey hey¡­don¡¯t touch me there¡­I, I, I¡­no¡­mercy¡­I¡¯m on the verge of breaking through to a Grand Sage¡­¡± (Grand Sages: Virgin males who are at least 50 years old.)

 Chapter 83: Numila. Blaze

    The sudden change in behavior caught me off guard, barely allowing me to time react before I was accosted by the two perverts¡­thankfully, I had a clear idea of what caused this unusual change in the four potatoes; it¡¯s that strange chorus.


    Even though we all heard the same chorus, they were visibly more affected by it than I was. From the looks of it, I had some kind of immunity to this psychic attack. But, the issue is how to bring these four back to their senses¡­damn it¡­they are touching me there¡­


    In just a few seconds, I was pushed down onto the floor by the two perverts¡­one, a giant wolf and the other a giant snake¡­


    This fetish is a little too much for me¡­


    With my hands and feet bound by them, the only thing I could move was my¡­mouth! That¡¯s it, I can still sing my songs! Since the other party was able to control their psyche with sound, it should be the same for my songs as well. Either way, I have no better choice at this moment so I might as well do it.


    But what should I sing¡­with this wolf and snake assaulting me, I can barely concentrate¡­in that case, I¡¯ll do what those harpies did and just vocalize the emotions with sounds rather than words.


    With that in mind, I opened my mouth and moaned with the same ¡°ah~~~ah~~~¡± vocals the harpies used. However, the four potatoes didn¡¯t seem to react to it at all and continued with their business. Perhaps the sound wasn¡¯t loud enough? I increased the volume even more but it still didn¡¯t work¡­


    Don¡¯t tell me I¡¯m going to lose my virginity like this? Noooo¡­even if it¡¯s not with Nicole, at least make my first partner a proper human girl. Other races are fine as well but at least make it an elf or even a lust demon¡­why must it be these two barely humanoid females¡­demon waifus and such are perfect just the way they are¡­2D. As for the 3D world¡­they aren¡¯t that cute here.


    ¡°Wahh~~~~~wah~~~~why is my life so miserable¡­wah~~~¡±


    I began sobbing uncontrollably as the despair finally set in. Tears flowed down my eyes as I bemoaned my fate. Suddenly, I noticed that something was off. The pair of perverts weren¡¯t accosting me anymore?!


    ¡°What¡¯s¡­why are you crying?¡± Habona shook her lupine head as if she was shaking a load off. ¡°Why does my head feel so heavy¡­¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡± The two of them had managed to free themselves from the control of the harpies but Manasha seemed a lot more beaten up than Habona.


    At the other side, Harlow and Majosha came back to their senses as well, as they looked at us and then at their own entwined state, the two shameless fellows immediately blushed¡­at least one of them did. I couldn¡¯t see if Harlow¡¯s face was red as well due to his fur, but I sensed his embarrassment just the same¡­


    ¡°Exactly happened to us? What have we been doing¡­¡± Memories of the recent events began trickling back to her head.


    ¡°That should¡¯ve been the chorus of the harpies, their combined voices have the ability to bewitch others. While their individual voices aren¡¯t able to affect us, it¡¯s a different matter if they combined into a thousand strong chorus.¡±


    ¡°Lucky for us, we had this lust demon with us. Her being a soul bard ended up saving us from their mental domination.¡± Habona said as she turned to me with a smile, clearly happy about her choice to drag me along.


    Harlow threw this nightmarish place one more look but hurriedly turning to Habona. ¡°Sis, let¡¯s get out of here already, I don¡¯t want to stay here any longer¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Harlow¡­it¡¯s all over, we¡¯ll leave right away.¡± Sensing the mental trauma of her lover, she stepped forth and comforted him with another hug. She gently stroke his back and placated him: ¡°It¡¯s alright now¡­we can go home now¡­don¡¯t worry¡­¡±


    Such a shameless display of PDA is wrong! And don¡¯t you feel ashamed of yourself for being such a wimp! I scorn you!


    As abruptly as it began, the harpies¡¯ chorus ended without any warning; they must¡¯ve noticed that I had dispelled their mental domination.


    ¡°They¡¯ve probably realized that their plan has failed. They should be gathering outside right now to block us. We need to break through their blockade as soon as possible.


    Habona immediately assumed the role of a big sister and offered to take on the hardest role by herself. ¡°Majosha, you¡¯re in charge of protecting Harlow, I¡¯ll lead the charge, Lust demon¡­you¡¯re too slow so Manasha will look after you.¡±


    ¡°If no one has any objections with this then let¡¯s head out.¡±


    ¡°Oh!!~~¡±


    Unknowingly, we were swept up by her confident aura and ended up following her orders unquestioningly. Seeing this, she didn¡¯t waste anymore time and took off in a violent burst of speed. As she charged ahead, the other two medusas went about their task as well.


    Harlow was significantly taller than Majosha and so she had to hug him with both of her hands as she slithered behind. As for Manasha, she placed me on her back similar to a piggyback and slithered behind the charging werewolf as fast as she could.


    At our blazing speed, it didn¡¯t take long for the trio to reach the borders of the harpy nest. As I laid on top of her back, I peered at the harpy blockade in front of us. Surprisingly, they weren¡¯t flying when we first arrived but were all gathered on the ground,


    These repulsive birdwomen immediately took to the air upon noticing our arrival, blotting out the entire ceiling of the maze in an impressive but deadly display of claw and feathers,


    Being a creature capable of flight, these harpies naturally didn¡¯t require stairs in their nest. However, as land-bound creatures, we had no such luxury and that meant only one thing¡­we had to jump down in order to leave the nest.


    Habona barely paid their show of force any heed, she turned around to check on us one last time before leaping off the 15meter wall without a second though.


    What the f*ck, sister, that¡¯s a 15 meter wall for crying out loud¡­a gund*m is only 20 meters¡­err, I mean that¡¯s as tall as a five storey building! Hey hey¡­why are you jumping off as well¡­I¡¯m still not ready for thiiiisss¡­


    Shortly after that, Manasha leaped off the bone cliff as well.


    Having left the ground, we were completely exposed to aerial attacks due to our lack of wings. Taking advantage of this, the harpies immediately rushed in, claws first. However, Habona was already prepared for this scenario.


    She calmly grabbed onto the wings of an attacking harpy, breaking her fall slightly as the harpy desperately tried to stay afloat with one wing. The harpy furious flapped her remaining wing but that didn¡¯t change her doomed fate one bit.


    Another harpy swooped in in the meantime, determined to claw at the back of this hateful werewolf. As unfazed as ever, Habona nonchalantly batted away the cunning harpy with the makeshift club she had just attained. The two birds collided into each other with a sickening crunch. They screeched one last time before falling lifelessly towards the ground with their eyes glazed over.


    However, this violent display of power wasn¡¯t enough to deter the other birdwomen. Just as they saw Habona¡¯s bird hammer leave her hands, another pair of harpies swooped in to claw at her. With nothing left to aid her, it looked like that was the end for Habona.


    Or so I thought. As the two birds closed in on her, she used one of the falling harpies as a stepping board and leaped off gracefully as if she was a qinggong expert from one of those wuxia novels. She vaulted away from the pair and onto an unsuspecting harpy a short distance away.


    ¡­How vicious. Not only did she evade what I thought was an unavoidable blow, she even found a new bird hammer¡­


    It was at this moment that Habona transformed from a normal wolf into a flying demonic werewolf. As she savagely clubbed at the harpies with their own comrade, she would grab onto another harpy¡¯s wing, refilling her stock of bird hammers while simultaneously slowing down her descent.


    As she plummeted down the 15 meter drop, so did the number of harpies. With each passing second, the screeching in the air grew softer and softer as the blood rain grew ever denser. Seconds later, she landed gracefully atop a pool of blood and feathers. Judging from the height of that corpse mountain, there must¡¯ve been nearly ten harpies piled on beneath her¡­


    Such a strong aura of murder¡­


    Thanks to her savagery, Manasha and Majosha experienced a relatively uneventful descent. The only issue they faced was that they had carry another passenger while jumping off. In order to compensate for the additional bit of weight, each of them commandeered a carrier harpy with a whip of their snake tails.


    As the scaly appendage coiled around their bodies, the harpies furiously flapped their wings in a bid to stay airborne. Thanks to their hard work, our descent ended up being significantly softer.


    Upon landing, the first thing we did was to kill off these ¡°saviors¡± of ours.


    ¡°Move.¡±


    With everyone accounted for, Habona took the lead once more in clearing the way for us. Even in the face of the numerous harpies swooping in on her from the sky, her savagery wasn¡¯t slowed down one bit. With each swipe of her claws, a tiny mountain of meat was raked into her palms as she effortlessly ripped through the harpies.


    Behind her, the medusas didn¡¯t skimp on their poison spits either. With each step we took, the air echoed with the tortured cries of harpies having their flesh gouged out or melted. It didn¡¯t take long for the harpies to begin avoiding us. As our backs slowly faded into the distance, all they did was stare, none of them daring to move a muscle.


    To think our daring attack on their nest would end so smoothly. As expected, four-stars were truly the lords of the Prison of the Dead. Not only did these three barge into their headquarters, they even scared them into submission!


    However, just as I thought that the coast was clear, Habona abruptly leaped backwards and shouted ¡°Stop¡±.


    *Bang* A loud explosion echoed from the very spot she leaped off just a second ago. In its place was the fiery remains of a fireball, ominously crackling in the air as it painted the ground black.


    ¡°Show yourself!¡± She landed squarely on feet and tossed a look in the direction of the fireball¡¯s trajectory.


    Right at the end of that path was a 1.7m tall humanoid descending from the ceiling. She had a voluptuous humanoid figure that was covered in a luxurious coat of feathers. Except for her limbs which had claws instead of hands, every other part of her body resembled a human¡¯s.


    Her face could only be described as mesmerizing. It was delicately exquisite and had a older sister vibe to it.


    Her crimson hair flowed down her shoulders up till her waist, accentuated by her pearly white teeth and skin, her hair radiated like a brilliant sun. With a pair of fiery red wings on her back, she almost looked like an angel of fire, if you didn¡¯t count the feathers on her body.


    If it wasn¡¯t for those feathers covering the dangerous mountains on her chest, I would¡¯ve had to scorn her like the medusas.


    ¡°Numila. Blaze.¡± She swept her gaze over us and finally settled on Habona; ¡°What¡¯s yours? Oh mighty werewolf.¡±

 Chapter 84: Harpy Witch

    Within the harpy race, there were those who possess a stronger bloodline than others. Theses harpies are known as Harpy Witches. These witches possess an appearance similar to humans and have a pair of wings growing out of their backs; unlike their brethren who instead have wings for hands.


    With their natural affinity and talent for elemental magic, these harpies occupy the position of Queen within harpy society and take on a name corresponding to their element.


    Their talent for elemental magic lie in these three categories: fire, ice and wind magic. A witch would name herself Blaze, for the fire element, Frost, for the ice element and Gale, for the wind element.


    Other than evolving after birth, there was another way of producing a harpy witch. Every normal harpy has a chance of giving birth to a harpy witch. This was known as natural evolution.


    Based on the years of research conducted by my teacher, she theorized that the first harpy witch was born as a result of a union between a normal harpy and a male creature with strong affinity to a particular element.


    Not only did these witches look different from their normal brethren, they also had different mating habits. They weren¡¯t promiscuous and instead of capturing any male they came across, they were surprisingly¡­loyal lovers. It might just be a case of when things are taken to an extreme, they end up doing a reversal instead. They rarely showed interest in male creatures, but once they expressed their love, they would have unconditional loyalty towards their lover.


    Harpy witches naturally possess the ability to absorb souls. In fact, they rarely consumed meat, instead preferring to feed on plants or souls. If their offspring was a male, he would accompany their father. If it was a female, she would become the next generation of harpy witches.


    Regarding their bloodlines, traditions and habits, I had to admit that I didn¡¯t give a sh*t about them. What I really wanted to know was how is it possible for these women who grew up in what was essentially a brothel, to ever know the meaning of love?


    They are just a group of ugly, disgusting, despicable, contemptible, tainted, dirty¡­murderous wh*res¡­hey, don¡¯t stop me! I order you in the name of your teacher¡¯s spouse to let go¡­let me finish¡­this paragraph¡­


    ¡ª¨CFrom <>


    (The above book is the joint work of three authors. Namely, a certain magician, a certain magician¡¯s wife¡­and a certain magician¡¯s apprentice who was forced to keep the initial paragraphs of the log.)


    As she stood there staring at us, Numila¡¯s crimson body radiated a scorching heat that felt partly like an aura, and a natural phenomenon. Under her overbearing pressure, we could only stand there mutely.


    ¡°Habona.¡± Habona replied cautiously. Out of all of us here, she was the only one who wasn¡¯t affected by the harpy. She faced the domineering aura head on, back straight and eyes burning with rage.


    Numila glanced at the frail looking Harlow and then back at Habona. Her lips broke into a smile that didn¡¯t seem like a smile: ¡°I take it you¡¯re here to rescue him.¡±


    ¡°If you aren¡¯t going to fight then scram!¡±


    A simple and direct answer, without much consideration put into it. It was the rashness which characterized the demonic werewolves, including Habona. Even a simple question like Numila¡¯s was a hassle to them. All that mattered was: are we fighting or not?


    ¡°¡­¡± Numila¡¯s face instantly darkened upon being insulted, it didn¡¯t take long before this brewing storm burst forth: ¡°If that¡¯s what you want, then die!¡±


    Apparently, her temper was as fiery as her looks. With just one provocative sentence, a battle broke out between the two hotheaded females. With a wave of her hand, a snake-like flame appeared in her palm and immediately shot towards Habona who was standing five meters away, as if it had eyes.


    However, Habona was already prepared for this outcome the moment she taunted Numilia. As the flame snake seared through the air, she had already leaped to side. She twisted her massive body as her feet made contact with the wall, and with a mighty kick of her legs, propelled herself forwards like a dart flying unerringly towards its target.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    With that impossibly agile movement by her titanic frame, she was now within striking range of Numilia. Her claws opened wide as they readied themselves for the incoming feast. However, just as they were about to tear into Numilia, she revealed a mysterious smile followed closely by a sudden gust of wind.


    It was at this moment that her fiery wings lightly flapped, propelling her body backwards without any prior preparations whatsoever. It was a small step backwards, but it was enough to dodge Habona¡¯s claw attack by a hair¡¯s breadth.


    With another flap of her wings, she sidestepped Habona and sneaked in a flame-wreathed uppercut on her abdominal region.


    Unfortunately for Numilia, these flames ended up backfiring on her. As the flames rapidly closed in on Habona, the heat emanating from her claws immediately alerted Habona to the impending attack. With an inhuman reaction speed, she swiftly lowered her hands to receive the incoming blow.


    The clash of their claws ended as quickly as it started with both sides withdrawing swifty. Habona¡¯s claws were slightly scorched by the flames but while her fur was slightly charred, her hands were basically unharmed.


    This style of brawling was exactly the type of fight she loved. Once she began attacking, she would unleash an unrelenting torrent of blows upon her opponent. Now wasn¡¯t any different either, especially since she had already sensed that her opponent was weaker than her.


    Since her opponent¡¯s strength was lacking, then she would use her own power to overwhelm her!


    In the face of her follow-up attack, Numilia made use of her wings once more to perform an otherwise impossible sidestep. Habona¡¯s claws barely grazed the feathers on her body as she circled around the werewolf. As she did so, she prepared her next fire spell.


    This was the first time Habona had actually faced off against such a difficult opponent. She would never have imagined that someone was able to so easily circle behind her. After all, speed and power were always the forte of the demonic werewolves. However, right at this very moment, she was losing out in the battle of speed.


    This however, did not mean that her strength was only limited to such superficial advantages.


    With Habona¡¯s exposed back squarely in sight, Numilia sent a fiery kick flying towards this weak point. All she needed to do was land this kick and the battle would swing immediately in her favor. However, what she thought to be a perfect plan had one fatal mistake within it, she had forgotten about Habona¡¯s tail.


    Before the claws on her feet could rake at Habona¡¯s back, her wolf tail immediately swung out at Numilia, landing squarely on her claws and ankles. The unknown black mana on her tail instantly dispersed the flames on Numila¡¯s claws and crashed right into her ankles.


    She winced in pain at the surprise attack and immediately abandoned her attack. With a furious flap of her wings, she retreated back into the sky, her ankle coming into full sight as she did so. Right where the tail had struck was a conspicuous swelling.


    She gritted her teeth and glared at Habona. Despite losing that trade, her words didn¡¯t soften one bit. ¡°To think that your tail was a weapon as well¡­how dare you ambush me!¡±


    ¡°Blame yourself for being stupid.¡± She smiled derisively at her. ¡°While the tail might be a weak point for my other kinsman, mine is particularly strong.¡±


    ¡°So what if you¡¯re strong? Don¡¯t forget that you still have those two burdens behind you while I still have over two thousand kinsman behind me. If we decide to dogpile you, none of you would be able to leave here alive.¡±


    ¡°However, you won¡¯t get off unscathed either.¡± She flashed her a savage toothy grin as she scoffed at the countless harpies in the air as if they didn¡¯t even matter. ¡°If we were to go all out, how many of your kinsman would survive? Besides, do you honestly believe that we are only five people? We have over a thousand clansman behind us as well.¡±


    Only allowed on Creativenovels.com


    ¡°Devil, demonic half-orc, medusas¡­¡± Numila clenched her fists as she murmured to herself. She was a four-star herself and was thus extremely aware of how powerful four-stars were. Thus, she knew she had to swallow her anger. Furthermore, these four-stars had the backing of their clans behind them. If all of these clans were to attack them, it would spell the end for the harpies.


    Seeing her grimace, Habona couldn¡¯t help but smirk, all traces of her anxiety gone with the wind. ¡°So what will it be?¡±


    ¡°Damn it¡­let them go!¡±


    She tossed a fireball on the ground as she said so, clearly angered by the choice she had to make. As it scorched the ground, the shockwave blew over Habona, ruffling her fur. Habona waved at us as if nothing had happened and said: ¡°Let¡¯s go, don¡¯t tell me you guys are waiting for them to treat us to dinner.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­right.¡± The four of us were stunned by the sudden turn of events. Given the intensity of the battle, we had all assumed that the two of them would continue to fight, the last thing we would¡¯ve expected was that they would stop so abruptly. So much ado about nothing¡­


    As the nest faded into the distance behind us, a string of explosion could be heard echoing from behind us. Without even guessing, we knew that it was Numila venting her anger with her fireballs. I still couldn¡¯t believe that she allowed us to leave so easily and so I decided to ask Habona who was currently in great spirits.


    ¡°How did you know that threat would work?¡±


    Having rescued her little brother, she was in a jubilant mood right now. She readily accepted my question and explained it to me as we continued walking: ¡°Four-star is the highest strength level this maze could support.¡±


    ¡°There are only two types of people who would stay after reaching this level, lone wanderers and the various heads of the clans. There¡¯s nothing much to say about the lone wanderers and so I won¡¯t elaborate on that matter. As for the leaders, they stay behind out of fear that their clan will get wiped out if they leave¡­¡±


    Barring certain exceptions, those who were able to achieve a leadership position in a clan and attain four-star at the same time, were people who had already stayed in here for a long time. This meant that they¡¯ve most likely established a family or even a household of their own.


    In order to ensure the survival of their descendants, a portion of these four-stars would give up their right to leave the prison and instead stay behind to protect their offspring. Of course, there was always the possibility that they simply wanted to be a big fish in a small pond.


    Furthermore, according to Habona, that ¡®Numila. Blaze¡¯ was most likely born in the Prison of the Dead.


    By the way, exactly what did her birth story have to do with me? While her face was pretty, that body of feathers¡­truth be told, it¡¯s a little too much for my tastes. Even Habona would be a better choice if she had such a pretty face¡­ah¡­somehow that sounds even worse¡­


    ¡°Hey! Stop right there!¡± Just as I was making fun of her appearance, she actually appeared right behind us near the ceiling.


    ¡°You have business with us?¡± Habona asked coldly.


    Having received the cold shoulder, she didn¡¯t bother with any pleasantries and instead cut right to the chase. ¡°There should be a soul bard among you, right? The one who dispelled the mental illusion cast by 2000 of my kinsman.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Habona unceremoniously lifted me up and shook me in front of her: ¡°You¡¯re probably referring to her.¡±


    ¡°Imp, no, a lust demon¡¯s smell¡­¡± Her brows furrowed. ¡°What¡¯s your relationship with Mo En?¡±


    ¡°None that I¡¯m aware of.¡± I immediately replied, not intending to hide this fact at all.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me. I know that Mo En has a primal lust demon besides him!¡±


    What the heck, why does no one believe me when I¡¯m telling the truth! Don¡¯t tell me I have to lie in order for them to believe me!


    Just as I was mulling over this, she pointed at my nose and flashed a smile that screamed ¡°I got you¡±.


    ¡°You, you¡¯re Mo En¡¯s daughter aren¡¯t you!¡±


    The me who wanted to kill someone right now: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, so I was right. Don¡¯t even think about lying to this lady. After giving it some thought, I realized that there were no other person in the Prison of the Dead who could give birth to an imp who had the smell of a lust demon.¡±


    What¡¯s with that smug look on your face! Are you kidding me right now? It¡¯s one thing to mistake me for a female devil, what¡¯s with you randomly assigning a pair of parents to me!? Don¡¯t think you can bully me just because I have a good temperament. I won¡¯t show any mercy if you ruffle my feathers!

 Chapter 85: Mo En

    Even though I said that¡­after giving it some though, I don¡¯t think I can actually beat her even if I tried¡­errr, just wait till I finish cultivating my godlike techniques, I¡¯ll get you then. For now, I¡¯ll let you off. Be grateful for my benevolence, bird woman!


    Having to deal with that flying bast*rd once more, Habona was in a notably foul mood, ¡°Hey you, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re here to pick another fight?¡±


    Numila peered at me with narrowed eyes, clearly interested as her mouth broke into a smirk: ¡°I¡¯m just here to determine the identity of the soul bard. However, if we are still on opposing sides the next time we meet, I¡¯ll be the first to kill you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Now that¡¯s harsh¡­aren¡¯t you wasting that beautiful face of yours¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, as long as I¡¯m here, you won¡¯t be able to lay finger on her.¡±


    Habona put me back on the ground after which I immediately ran to her back. This bird lady¡¯s gaze was simply too piercing and she even wanted to kill me¡­should I seek protection from Habona? But that mat of black fur though¡­I think I¡¯ll just pass on it.


    Only allowed on Creativenovels.com


    ¡°Hmm, why don¡¯t you just try it then.¡±


    Numila¡¯s body instantly heated up and started radiating scorching heat waves. Just by standing near her made me feel cooked.


    ¡°The defeated shouldn¡¯t act so arrogantly!¡± With a kick of her feet, she shot into air, dispersing the heat as she hurtled right at the flying harpy.


    ¡°What did you say!¡± She shouted defiantly, her body erupting in a blinding flame that blocked her from my view. All I heard was her furious shouting. ¡°I was just careless the last around. This time I¡¯ll show you who is the real loser!¡±


    These two habaneros were just so temperamental¡­


    Previously, Numila ended up losing because of that surprise attack by Habona¡¯s tail; what should¡¯ve been a weak point turned out to be a deadly weapon and caused her sneak attack to backfire.


    This time, things were different, the same tactic won¡¯t work on her. Furthermore, she had confirmed that while Habona was stronger than her, her speed was inferior to her own especially since she had the ability to fly. This was a massive advantage against the land-bound Habona, one which she intended to make use of right now as she pelted the werewolf with long range attacks.


    First were simple fireballs, next came the fire serpents, fire whips and even a flame shower. As the two fought, the destruction they wrought became even more widespread and heated up. Several passing undead ended up getting caught the crossfire and were instantly reduced to ashes to by stray fireballs, soul flames and all¡­


    ¡°Are you about done? How about coming down for a fair fight!!¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s unfair just because you can¡¯t hit me? How stupid do you think I am to give up on my advantage of flight? You¡¯re mad if you think I¡¯ll do so just to engage in a melee fight with you.¡±


    ¡°Damn it! Despicable b*tch, DIE!¡±


    ¡°The one who should die is you!¡±


    ¡°Roasted chicken!¡±


    ¡°Mutt!¡±


    By now, Habona had been driven insane by the infuriating fire attacks of the harpy. Not only was she unable to hit her, she even got burned trying to do so. No matter how she tried to attack, Numila was able to evade by a hair¡¯s breath thanks to her wings.


    ¡°Errr, Harlow, is your sister going to be¡­alright?¡± By now, we were slightly concerned about our safety. After all, she was the strongest in our temporary party. If we were to get swarmed by harpies while she was engaged, the two medusas alone would have difficulty protecting us two baggages.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sis isn¡¯t as frenzied as you think she is. While we can¡¯t turn into humans thanks to our overwhelming rage, this doesn¡¯t mean that we are controlled by our rage. She might look frenzied now, but she will definitely come back to her senses when the situation arises, barring any exceptional circumstances.¡±


    As I was his benefactor, Harlow¡¯s attitude was noticeably respectful. Even his fiancee, Majosha had become significantly friendlier.


    ¡°You¡¯re sure about that?¡±


    This was her third attempt at hitting Numila. Despite her frenzied and reckless attacks, Numila¡¯s flight ability was proving too difficult for her to handle. With her impressive agility and command over fire, as long as she didn¡¯t stay stay too close to Habona, Numila¡¯s position was nigh assailable.


    ¡°If she really can¡¯t win, we should join in the fight.¡± She said this while staring intently at the ongoing battle. She coldly threw out a suggestion, ¡°My snake hairs should be able to hit her from this distance.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget about me, my accuracy rate is pretty high with my snake hairs.¡± Majosha chimed in, agreeing with her sister¡¯s suggestion.


    ¡°¡­maybe you shouldn¡¯t.¡± Would she be alright with our interference though? From the looks of it, she must¡¯ve been the prideful type who didn¡¯t want anyone to interfere in her fight.


    ¡°No!¡± Harlow anxiously cut in. ¡°Sis is really particular about a match¡¯s fairness. If you stepped in now, she would be furious.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure she isn¡¯t furious already?¡± She smirked as she pointed at the female werewolf who had been on the losing end since the beginning. ¡°She seems to be on the verge of losing it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a totally different matter. Right now, she¡¯s still in her normal state. Once she gets angered to the limit¡­she wouldn¡¯t even able to recognize me¡­¡± Harlow shrunk inwards as he said this as if he had remembered a traumatic experience. After a few seconds of silence, he finally broke out of his recollection with a head full of sweat. He hastily persuaded them not to interfere in the fight.


    ¡°Fine, she¡¯s your sister.¡± Manasha waved her tail dismissively and crossed her arms, ready to watch the show from the sidelines.


    Majosha, on the other hand was significantly more concerned. She was Harlow¡¯s sister after all. Once Majosha marries into the family, that sister would be her kin as well.


    ¡°Harlow, are you sure your sister will be fine?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, she hasn¡¯t shown her true powers yet.¡± He said confidently in what could be an attempt at assuring Majosha or a show of confidence for his sister.


    As we were discussing this matter, Habona leaped into the air once more and attacked Numila. Unfortunately, the harpy merely dodged it with a flap of her wings. With a wave of her hands, she launched a fire serpent, engulfing the furry werewolf in crimson flames.


    In the face of this aerial attack, all she could do was fall helplessly to the ground. Aerial battles weren¡¯t her forte after all. She roused the mana in her body and dispersed the scorching flames. However, this came a little too late as a section of her fur ended up getting singed black.


    ¡°My beautiful fur¡­my beautiful tail¡­you bast*rd!¡± Her eyes turned bloodshot as if they were about to bleed. Her damaged fur had stirred her anger even more.


    ¡°That ugly lump of fur? Even if it wasn¡¯t singed black, it¡¯s still ugly as sh*t at the best of times. Plus¡­¡± In a professional display of heckling, she waved her hands in front of her nose as if there was an odor lingering around, ¡°With that stench of yours, I would die from suffocation even without you lifting a finger. Meat-eaters are such a smelly bunch.¡±


    ¡°I smell?¡± She gave herself a sniff. Having noticed nothing, she bellowed in anger: ¡°¡­not like you don¡¯t eat meat.¡±


    Isn¡¯t it normal to be unable to smell the odor on yourself¡­


    Judging from the roiling black mana around her, she must¡¯ve been truly furious.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I only feed on souls.¡± She smugly replied.


    Habona: ¡°¡­¡±


    Based on this conversation, it almost sounded like she was of a higher grade than Habona¡­


    ¡°Ahhhh! That¡¯s it, I¡¯m definitely going to kill you now!¡±


    ¡°The one who is going to die is you!¡±


    With that, the halted battle resumed once more.


    ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t this an exciting scene.¡± Just as the two potatoes started fighting. A frivolous drawl barged into the scene, capturing the attention of everyone present. The previously heated battle ended up stopping abruptly.


    Following that voice, I turned around and saw what had to be the most hideous looking red imp I had ever seen in my short life, bouncing around the corner. As for why he did so, it wasn¡¯t that his leg was injured, instead it was a strange swagger born out of his sense of superiority.


    It was as if this barely one meter tall potato was a rich kid with a dad called Li Gang¡­ (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Gang_incident)


    Without showing any self-consciousness, the small imp flashed us a stupid smile and said : ¡°The weather¡¯s pretty good today, are you ladies having fun here?¡±


    ¡°Mo En!¡± x5


    Mo En? Mo En¡­don¡¯t tell me this mini potato is Mo En!


    Even though I¡¯ve never seen him before, I¡¯ve heard some rumors about him from Habona. He should be a four-star devil with an extremely strong faction under him. It was said that he had over 2,000 devil henchmen and even had a primal lust demon as his lover.


    All this time, I assumed that he must be some single horned, winged devil with a ferocious face and a hulking frame. The last thing I expected was to see a midget, with the face of plebeian, an extremely perverted one.


    Due to the huge disparity between my mental image and reality, I ended up blurting the first question that came to mind: ¡°This is Mo En? Are you sure it¡¯s not a case of mistaken identity?¡±


    ¡°Do you think that the five of us would make this mistake at the same time?¡± By now, Habona had already abandoned her fight and darted to my side.


    ¡°Mo En, shouldn¡¯t you be in your nest looking after your kids? What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°A fight between four-stars are a rare sight and so I decided to have a gander.¡± He eyes narrowed in a lascivious smile as he surveyed us. His eyes swept over the gathered females before finally stopping on me, staring at me intently. I suddenly felt an urge to bash him for giving me that uncomfortable look¡­but I didn¡¯t dare to do so.


    And so, several seconds passed before he finally gave me a gentleman¡¯s bow and said: ¡°This beautiful lust demon, would you happen to know anything about a soul bard appearing nearby?¡±


    Until now, I couldn¡¯t wrap my head around this small imp. His aura was even more domineering than Numila but that appearance of his¡­


    The five of them had simultaneously recognized him as Mo En so there should be some validity in this claim¡­a low-key attitude is probably best¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m not a lust demon¡­truth be told, I¡¯m a male. Perhaps your eyes needs to get checked.¡±


    ¡°Huh, you aren¡¯t a succubus?¡± Before Mo En could even react, Numila abruptly butted in. Ignoring the furious glares of the werewolf beside me, she reached out and grabbed my face, pulling it in various directions. She gave my body a thorough sniffing¡­even in that area. A minute later, my body had been thoroughly inspected.


    She finally withdrew her hands having finished her inspection under the livid gaze of my eyes and threw out a statement.


    ¡°You don¡¯t even have a d*ck and you dare to call yourself a male¡­That¡¯s gotta be funniest joke I¡¯ve heard in my entire life.¡±


    ¡­$#^@

 Chapter 86: Persuading Allies Part 1

    ¡°HAHAHAHAHA¡­¡±


    She actually roared with laughter and even dropped that arrogant tone of hers. Exactly how happy was this potato!


    ¡°Are you done laughing!?¡± I tossed the Grimoire of the Dead at Numila which was swiftly caught by her.


    She gazed at the black grimoire before tossing it back to me with a disinterested look. She turned back to me with an icy look, which while didn¡¯t contain any killing intent, gave me the sensation of being dropped into an icy ravine: ¡°You should be happy that you¡¯re not a male.¡±


    At that time, I still didn¡¯t understand the meaning of her words. It was only later that I found out about the key difference between a harpy and a harpy witch. It wasn¡¯t their strength but rather their unwavering loyalty to their husbands.


    The only men who could get off unscathed after touching a harpy witch were their husbands or their sons.


    ¡°She¡¯s with me so you better keep your distance.¡± Habona shooed her with a wave of her hand before turning to the midget imp. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, we¡¯ll be leaving.¡±


    ¡°Hold up, I¡¯m not done talking yet.¡± He waved his hands to stop her from leaving. No matter how domineering she was, Mo En was still the leader of a large faction, not giving him his due respect was not an option. Habona stood there gazing down at the ugly little midget.


    ¡°There we go, what¡¯s the rush. Let¡¯s all have a proper discussion. The reason I came here is to¡­mhm¡­¡± He abruptly stopped and surveyed his surroundings. A second later, he scrambled to a nearby wall.


    What¡¯s up with this mysterious little bean¡­first he goes off about having a discussion and then suddenly stops to find a wall? Was he looking for a prop or was trying to reflect on his actions? Don¡¯t tell me he¡¯s taking a piss¡­


    Just as my thoughts started straying off course once more, he suddenly turned around and with his back to the wall¡­


    ¡°Ah, should¡¯ve done this earlier. Standing and talking is simply too tiring.¡± As he said this, he slumped against the wall and sat down.


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡±


    Exactly how lazy are you¡­all you did was say a few sentences!


    Given their nonchalance, Habona and the others must¡¯ve had dealings with this eccentric imp before. Or perhaps it was his strength that made them slightly wary around him.


    However, it seemed that sitting down wasn¡¯t enough as he began twisting around trying to find a more comfortable position. He soon gave up and instead laid on the ground directly, not caring about the dirt as he rolled around with a slightly glazed look in his eyes.


    ¡°Ah~~~the whole point of being born a devil is to enjoy yourself~~~*roll* so comfortable¡­¡± He unabashedly sighed in satisfaction.


    What¡¯s with that philosophical tone you¡¯re taking! You¡¯re obviously just a lazy bones, you naked illiterate!


    ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, we¡¯ll be leaving, goodbye.¡± Ignoring his antics, she blandly said that and proceeded to lead us away.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be on my way as well. I¡¯m kind of tired after those two battles.¡± Numilia yawned in boredom as her eyelids began to droop.


    ¡°Wait wait wait! I¡¯m not finished yet!¡± He swiftly moved himself in front of us and then to Numila, all the while maintaining his supine position. As he did so, he anxiously stated his purpose: ¡°I¡¯m actually here to find the soul bard!¡±


    What the heck is wrong with you? Is that all you had to say? Why didn¡¯t you just say so earlier instead of embarrassing yourself¡­did you really have to dig yourself into a hole before you¡¯re satisfied, you potato.


    ¡°Alright then what business do you have with me?¡±


    ¡°Ah hah, it¡¯s like this, I¡¯m hoping you will marry my grandson¡­¡± He shyly smiled as he said this.


    ¡°¡­I just said that I¡¯m a male.¡± Will you please scram¡­


    ¡°¡­¡± He threw me a strange disbelieving look as he scanned my body. However, he didn¡¯t perform full body check-up like Numila did and instead adopted a negotiating tone: ¡°Then what about my granddaughter?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Why must I get involved with some ugly dude¡¯s kids.


    ¡°Why not?¡±


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    ¡°Because I don¡¯t think that your granddaughter will fit my sense of beauty.¡±


    ¡°¡­my granddaughter is extremely cute!¡± He adamantly tried to recommend his lovely granddaughter to me.


    There¡¯s no way this ugly midget could have any good looking kids. They are probably at the level of a potato as well.


    ¡°No thanks!¡±


    ¡°¡­exactly what¡¯s wrong my babies¡­just go have a look¡­¡± Having been rejected thrice, he laid there like a deflated balloon, dejected.


    Is this guy really the head of a few thousand devils? Are you sure he¡¯s not some imposter? Or perhaps his head shrunk along with his body¡­


    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case Mo En, we¡¯ll take our leave now. Don¡¯t take it to heart.¡±


    Habona placed me on her shoulders once more and began to leave. On the side, Numilia began to fly away as well having lost interest in this scene.


    Hold on, I seemed to have forgotten something important. Exactly, why did I agree to save Harlow? Because Habona agreed to help me break through the exit once I did so. If she can become my ally, why can¡¯t Numila and Mo En as well?


    ¡°Wait up, I have a question for everyone.¡±


    Hearing my sudden interruption, she stopped walking and turned to look at me with an inquiring look: ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Numila halted her flight and landed.


    ¡°So you¡¯ve finally come around! Is it going to be my grandson or my granddaughter?¡±


    ¡°¡­No, I just wanted to ask, are you guys truly satisfied with just staying here all your lives?¡± Did this guy even have any brains in his head or was it just filled with mush?!


    Before he even understood the meaning of my question, he chimed in: ¡°Of course not, I¡¯m going home as well. Once you guys leave, there¡¯s no one else here. How boring is that.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± I¡¯m wrong for thinking you had brains at all.


    Unlike Mo En, Numila clearly had an inkling of what I meant. ¡°You¡¯re talking about leaving the maze?¡± She said after giving me an appraising look.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I intend this leave place, as soon as possible.¡± I want to return to the western human realms, I want to have human food, I want to stay in a big house with a warm bed. I miss Roscar, Nicole and even Sares¡­I don¡¯t want to struggle alone in this world for survival¡­I can¡¯t even let the others find out that I¡¯m a human¡­because humans are cattle to devils.


    ¡°If it¡¯s you, becoming a four-star is only a matter of time, is there a need to be in such a hurry?¡±


    Numila had clearly seen my strong desire to leave. Given that I had chosen to recruit more people, it was also clear to her that I wasn¡¯t a rash person who allowed his desires to cloud his judgement and was clearly aware of the dangers of doing so. This contradiction between my rash desire and my cautious behavior intrigued her.


    ¡°I have my own reasons, I only want to know if you guys wish to stay here for the rest of your lives?¡±


    ¡°Haha, what a joke, the guardians at the exit won¡¯t stop a four-star from leaving. As long as I wished it, I could leave at any time.¡± Having finally understood my question, he rushed out to pad his sense of existence once more. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, you want to leave?¡±


    ¡°If you were willing to leave, you would¡¯ve done so long ago.¡± I couldn¡¯t be bothered to answer his question. After our short interaction, I¡¯ve come to the conclusion that he was an idiot, so there was no need for such wariness. ¡°The fact that you¡¯re still here means that you must¡¯ve had some reason for staying.¡±


    ¡°When you put it like that, I seem to have¡­exactly why did I choose to stay behind¡­why?¡± He scratched his bald head and began to mull over this question. However, no matter how much he tried to act like one, he clearly wasn¡¯t cut out to be a thinker. After a short deliberation, he gave up and with a wave of hands, said: ¡°I seemed to have forgotten.¡±


    Sigh, I guess I shouldn¡¯t have expected anything more from an airhead¡­


    In contrast, Numila was a lot more straightforward to deal with. Like her name, she was fiery and direct. ¡°The maze is too dangerous, I have to guard my clan in order for them to survive.¡±


    So it came down to their clan¡¯s survival after all.


    Regarding this harpy witch, there was clearly no need to probe her intentions and so I cut straight to the point and asked: ¡°Since you feel that this place is dangerous, shouldn¡¯t you lead them out of here?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible. The guardians at the exit aren¡¯t as simple you think they are. It¡¯s been said that since the creation of this maze, only four-star experts have been able to leave this place. There have been no records of weaklings ever leaving this maze.¡±


    She gave me a firm look and said: ¡°None whatsoever.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way that¡¯s true! There¡¯s always a way, if you don¡¯t even attempt it, you¡¯re destined to fail from the start!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re dead the moment you try!¡±


    ¡°You only know that once you¡¯re dead!¡±


    I don¡¯t know why but the negotiations ended up in a shouting match between me and Numila.


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible, just give up.¡± She lowered her voice and tried to persuade me once more. However, there was no way I would change my mind for someone who wasn¡¯t even an ally yet.


    I stared back at her, not intending to show any weakness as I rebutted: ¡°Then let me ask you, are you sure that all of your subordinates are willing to stay here and await their deaths as well?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± She was stumped by question.


    As long as there was a chance of leaving, who would willingly stay in this god forsaken prison?!

 Chapter 87: Persuading Allies Part 2

    A Summoning Zone was a special zone where the spatial barriers were significantly weaker than other zones. Any creature living in these zones could be summoned and were able to respond to summons from a different world.


    The summoner would open up a dimensional passage with a sacrificial rite where an offering or mana was offered up in order to summon the target to the summoner¡¯s side temporarily. However, this is not to say that only creatures within this zone could be summoned.


    In actuality, any creature could be summoned as long as one possessed the name of the target or a personal belonging of the target to use as a medium to summon the target. However, this requires a large amount of mana in order to tear through the dimensional barrier. Furthermore, the summoned target might ask for an offering of sorts.


    These zones have existed since ancient times and despite our attempts at researching them, we haven¡¯t managed to understand their construct. However, our ancestors have long since managed to attain the coordinates of the summoning zone within Hell. And thus, summoning as an art was born.


    Theoretically, anything can be summoned as long as one possessed the coordinates, however, there has always been an unresolved question plaguing the school of summoners: why can¡¯t we summon human beings (This includes demihumans such as elves, dwarves, orcs etc.)


    ¡ª¡ª-From <>


    Numila had been stumped by my question. Evidently, her subordinates wanted to leave this place as well, but the guardians were simply too terrifying for them. While she maintained her silence, Mo En took the opportunity to crawl up to us like a puppy. He looked up at with a silly grin on his face, all the while maintaining his crawling position.


    ¡°There¡¯s ample food here, why leave?¡±


    ¡°Ample food¡­that¡¯s only from your perspective. As the highest power within this prison¡¯s system, your livelihood is pretty much guaranteed as long as you don¡¯t rouse the other four-stars. However, don¡¯t you find it depressing to be constantly surrounded by these bones?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing but bones in this maze. Don¡¯t you wish to see the outside world?¡±


    My first impression of Mo En was, unfathomable. There¡¯s no way someone as powerful as him would be so¡­unmotivated¡­


    Truth be told, while it might seem that I was trying my best to invite him, this offer was at best, a probing one. I had already expected him to reject it before I even opened my mouth.


    As expected, he nonchalantly rolled his eyes as he glanced over me. He continued in blase drawl: ¡°I don¡¯t find it boring. After all, I have a method to visit the human world so I don¡¯t care about this.¡±


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    ¡°Human world?! Did you just say that you could visit the human world?¡± My heart pounded as a rush of blood blocked out all propriety. Without regard for our difference in status, I immediately pressed him, ¡°You¡¯re really able to visit the human world?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± He nodded his head in a matter-of-fact manner. As he did so, he turned his nose up, thoroughly pleased with himself.


    ¡°Is that world called the Western Human Realms?¡±


    ¡°Is there any other human world other than the Western Human Realms?¡± He scratched his head, a look of confusion flashing across his face as he turned to me. ¡°How do you know that the human world is called the Western Human Realms?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s none of your business. I just want to know how did you get there?¡±


    ¡°Get summoned there of course.¡±


    ¡°Summon¡­¡± If I¡¯m not mistaken, there were a number of occultists in the Western Human Realms. While there¡¯s no law against practising the devil arts, this occupation wasn¡¯t looked upon favorably. This discrimination coupled with the lack of talent has resulted in their numbers being relatively small.


    However, given the vastness of the human population, even a small percentage was a sizeable number.


    ¡°My nest is built in a summoning zone after all.¡±


    Summoning zone¡­according to my inherited memory, as long as one stayed in the summoning zone, there was a chance of being summoned by a summoner in a different world. Naturally, the circumstances of this summoning depended on the strength difference between the two parties.


    If the summoned party was significantly weaker than the summoner, the summoned party could be forcibly contracted. If it was the reverse, the success of the summoning ritual depended entirely on the mood of the summoned party.


    Long story short, as long as I stayed in his nest, there¡¯s a chance I might get summoned to the Western Human Realms!


    ¡°Mo En, I wish to visit your nest!¡± My eyes practically shone as I exclaimed.


    Who knew that this midget would end up providing such valuable information to me. If I managed to get summoned back to the Western Human Realms, the first thing I would do is find Nicole, check up on her and if¡­


    Ah, I¡¯m getting ahead of myself here, I still don¡¯t know if he will accept my request. If it¡¯s really not possible, I don¡¯t mind seducing his granddaughters¡­assuming they aren¡¯t ugly¡­


    ¡°¡­no problem, but you have to marry my granddaughter.¡±


    ¡°Sure, no problem. However, let me be clear about this, if your granddaughter isn¡¯t to my liking, I won¡¯t pull any punches.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, that¡¯s fine, my granddaughter is SUPER cute, you¡¯ll definitely like her.¡± Seeing me finally agree made him ecstatic. Two seconds later however, his elation was replaced with confusion as he scratched his head and asked me: ¡°Weren¡¯t you opposed to the marriage just a while ago? Why the sudden change of heart?¡±


    He agreed!


    ¡°Leave these matters to the adults, kids like you don¡¯t have to know about it. Just go play with some eggs in a corner.¡± Having taken a crucial step in returning to the human world, the heat of the moment ended up getting the better of me.


    Just as those words left my mouth, my heart sank.


    Who was Mo En? He was the leader of 2,000 devils, that¡¯s who! He was also a four-star expert and was rumored to have a four-star primal lust demon as his wife! Even his wife was able to crush me a million times over and I actually¡­will he change his mind and eat me instead?


    ¡°Oh, well I won¡¯t ask then.¡± He reacted blandly or perhaps I should say he didn¡¯t react to it at all.


    Me: ¡°¡­¡±


    Don¡¯t tell me he¡¯s truly a retard¡­


    Having settled this issue with Mo En, I turned back to Numila.


    ¡°Entering the Western Human Realms via the summoning zone isn¡¯t guaranteed to work. Without a named summoning, getting summoned was solely a matter of chance. Thus, my offer still stands. I won¡¯t give up on assaulting the exit of this maze. You should give it some thought once you go back. Ask your harpies if they are willing to spend their lives rotting away in this damned maze.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all I¡¯ll say for now. Once the time is right, I¡¯ll find you again. In the meantime, I hope you will restrain your subordinates and ensure that they won¡¯t attack the demonic werewolves and the other races under me. After all, we might just become allies in the near future.¡±


    She paused for a moment before finally nodding her head. As she peered at me, her eyes belied the complex mix of thoughts and emotions within her.


    As the guardian of her clan, she had a mountain of secrets and issues to handle. Her duty was to ensure the survival of her clan but as a creature with wings, she had her own innate desires as well. She wanted to fly underneath the vast boundless skies, bask in the warmth of the sun as she soared through the blue horizon. From the moment she accepted the role as guardian of her clan, her clan had turned into a chain, binding her down.


    There¡¯s no way she didn¡¯t dream of her own freedom one day. After all, even a shut-in like me needed a computer and a LAN cable, let alone this harpy witch who was born to take to the skies.


    And so, she left. At the same time, the slothful Mo En left as well. The plan was to first hand in my completed quest at the temporary camp of the werewolves and medusas. After which, I¡¯ll lead my subordinates to Mo En¡¯s nest.


    Without Numila¡¯s interference, our trip was an uneventful one. The occasional undead we encountered were swiftly taken care of by Manasha with their souls handed over to me.


    Throughout the trip, I sat atop Habona¡¯s shoulders, mulling over the issue of assaulting the exit point. Mo En was still an unknown but Numila¡¯s participation was basically a given by now. The werewolves had agreed to join in once I meet their terms and so all that remained were the medusas.


    ¡°Majosha.¡±


    The couple were busy flirting with each other when I called out to her. She immediately turned around and asked: ¡°How may I help you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like this. I¡¯m sure you know about that matter I discussed with Numila, and so I wish to ask you, what are you and your sister¡¯s reasons for staying here? Is it to protect the clan?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We have no males in our clan after all. Furthermore, we don¡¯t have the best of reputations and have garnered a lot of enemies over time. Not only that, our pregnancy period is rather long. Coupled with the fact that this maze doesn¡¯t produce food, our numbers haven¡¯t been able to increase for a long time. Without the protection of both of us, the others won¡¯t be able to hold on for long.¡±


    So you know that your reputation is c**p as well¡­speaking of which, where did this ridiculous custom of eating your husband because you¡¯re afraid of him, come from? Isn¡¯t that going overboard!


    I just won¡¯t feel comfortable if I don¡¯t tsukkomi this glaring issue!


    ¡°If, and I mean if, I ask you guys to join me in assaulting the exit point, would you all agree?¡±


    Tsukkomi aside, this matter wasn¡¯t one that brooked any sloppiness.


    She looked at me before turning back to face the mostly recovered Harlow: ¡°Harlow, are you going as well?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sis just told me about the conditions of the deal. Grandpa agreed to Lady Lust Demon¡¯s deal in exchange for saving me. Now that I¡¯ve been rescued, it¡¯s time for us to fulfill our end of the bargain. During her assault on the exit point, us werewolves will be there as well.¡±


    As he said this, a distinct fire could be seen within his eyes. He confidently smiled and said: ¡°Besides, I¡¯ve always wanted to see the world outside of this prison. Even if I break through to four-stars, I still won¡¯t be able to leave this place due to my clan commitments.¡±


    ¡°Normally, the issue of leaving without breaking through to four-star is a dead subject¡­but now, things are different. Lady Lust Demon¡¯s appearance has given me a chance at a new life. Truth be told, my biggest wish in life is to leave this prison and lead a life in Abaddon!¡±


    ¡°Harlow, you¡¯re so ambitious! That¡¯s what I love about you! Your bravery!¡± The couple entered into their own world once more as Majosha expressed her wholehearted support for him in a slightly submissive way: ¡°I feel like I¡¯m in love with you all over again!¡±


    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s not that great, I¡¯m just a little braver than others, hahahaha¡­¡± He flashed an honest smile as he scratched his head shyly.


    Well, that¡¯s a load off my shoulders. Initially, I was worried about what to do if your relationship ended up falling apart.


    By the way, is it really okay to be so loving in front of a 45 year old bachelor like me? Haven¡¯t you heard that PDAs are a quick route to death?! And, what¡¯s that about my gender!


    ¡°Can you not call me Lady Lust Demon. I¡¯ve said this multiple times already, I¡¯m a guy.¡±


    ¡°Guy?¡±


    ¡°Silly, guy means male.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so Lady Lust Demon is a male.¡± He slapped his head in realization. However, a look of confusion returned to his face merely a second later. ¡°But I don¡¯t smell a male¡¯s scent on Lady Lust Demon!¡±


    ¡°I said I¡¯m a guy so I¡¯m a guy, a potato like you shouldn¡¯t worry about all these unnecessary things.¡±


    ¡°But a scent will never lie¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve said so already, I¡¯m a guy. Just trust me on this.¡±


    ¡°But I trust my nose more¡­¡±


    Me: ¡°¡­¡±


    I really wanted to slap this stubborn wolf right now but in the face of his adorably stupid and innocent expression, I changed my mind in the end.


    Honest people are such a pain sometimes¡­

 Chapter 88: A Fight Between Sisters

    Ahh, what am I going to do about this issue surrounding my gender!


    Truth be told, I shouldn¡¯t blame him either. After all, the problem stemmed from my own body. However, the question then becomes, exactly what went wrong with my body that caused me to be neither a man nor a woman. Did I botch my reincarnation and ended up in a female fetus? Or did I turn into a female because of some strange reason?


    I still don¡¯t know the answers to these questions but I guess I¡¯ll have to put them aside for now. What¡¯s more important now is to stop him from calling me Lady Lust Demon!


    And so, I decided to draw his attention to my name instead. ¡°You can call me Mo Ke instead.¡±


    With this hint, Harlow no longer harped on the issue of my gender. ¡°Mo Ke? Your name?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. If you can call yourself Harlow, why can¡¯t I name myself Mo Ke?¡± I threw him a disinterested look before focusing back on Majosha who was currently leading the way. ¡°Your help is definitely a major boost for our cause, I¡¯m just not sure about Manasha¡¯s thoughts on this matter.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she doesn¡¯t want to rot in this maze either.¡± Habona chimed in. ¡°No one is willing to be confined for their entire lives.¡±


    Majosha nodded in agreement. ¡°Mhm, I think she will agree as well.¡±


    ¡°She won¡¯t.¡± Manasha abruptly turned around and broke her long kept silence. With a casual flick of her tail, she shattered the three skeletons that just came out from around the bend.


    She slithered towards us with an expressionless look on her face, completely disregarding the remaining skeletons as she curtly said: ¡°If you wish to assault the exit, that¡¯s your own business. It has nothing to do with me or my sister. You¡¯re free to get yourself killed if you wish but don¡¯t drag my sister along with you.¡±


    ¡°Sis watch out!¡±


    Making use of her momentary distraction, several skeletons launched a sneak attack on her turned back. In spite of the impending danger, her face was as unfazed as ever as her snake hair calmly reared their heads and spat out globs after globs of green fluid like a machine gun.


    The shower of green acid tore through the skeletons, sparing no one as it swiftly dissolved their bony white bodies. Soon, there was nothing but a pile of pus lying on the floor, their soul flames nowhere to be found.


    ¡°I said so already, there¡¯s no way I¡¯ll allow her to leave with you all. If she wants to leave the maze, she can do so by herself!¡±


    ¡°But Sis, Harlow is only a three-star, if I don¡¯t accompany him¡­¡±


    ¡°No buts!¡± She forcefully interrupted her and glared at her sister with a gaze that left no room for refusal: ¡°This time, you WILL listen to me!¡±


    Well, things seemed to have taken a turn for the worse¡­ I had originally thought that they would be in this together and she would be more than willing to help us. Even if she wasn¡¯t willing to, I didn¡¯t expect her to object. Unfortunately, reality was markedly different from my expectations; she had rejected us without a shred of hesitation. On top of that, she had even forbidden her sister from accompanying us.


    Weren¡¯t we comrades just a second ago¡­what¡¯s with the sudden change in tone¡­


    ¡°Sis, there¡¯s no way I¡¯m leaving Harlow alone!¡± In the face of her sister¡¯s refusal, she prepared herself for battle as well. She wrapped her arms around Harlow¡¯s arm and leaned in, clearly showing her intention to stay with him.


    ¡°From the moment he showed that he wasn¡¯t afraid of me, I knew that he was the one for me. I took an oath, from that day on, wherever he went, I would by his side!¡±


    ¡°Shasha¡­¡± Harlow was deeply touched by her courageous confession. However, just as he was about to say something, his weakened body gave way under the weight of Majosha and fell to the ground, pulling her along with him¡­


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Harlow¡­are you alright?¡± Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that her brother would be so¡­potato as to fall just from a female leaning on him¡­


    She immediately rushed in to help the couple up.


    ¡°Look at him, he¡¯s so weak, there¡¯s no way he can protect you.¡± Manasha threw him an exasperated and disdainful look. ¡°If you¡¯re a man, then you should have some self-consciousness. If you really wish to leave the maze with Majosha, you can do that once you¡¯ve reached four-star.¡±


    ¡°The only reason Harlow is so weak is because of those harpies.¡± Without even waiting for Harlow to respond, she stepped in to defend her boyfriend once more. ¡°What if I insist on leaving with him?¡±


    ¡°Then I will just have to make you stay.¡± As those words left her mouth, she rushed at Majosha without any prior warning.


    ¡°Sis! Don¡¯t take things too far!¡±


    ¡°The one who is going overboard is you!¡±


    The two sisters ended up in a furious brawl at the drop of a hat. Thankfully, both of them still maintained their sense of reason. The fighting was merely limited to their claws without any poison spits on both sides.


    ¡°Stop fighting¡­stop fighting¡­¡± He was beside himself with worry but he was simply too weak to interfere in this fight between two four-stars. With no other option available to him, he decided to ask his sister for help. ¡°Sis, help me pull those two apart¡­¡±


    Habona assented with a nod of her head. She lowered me onto the ground before leaping right into the heated fight. With a swift grip of her claws, she grabbed onto both their heads and tossed them to the side before their snake hairs could bite her.


    The entire sequence happened within the span of a breath. The lightning quick sneak attack gave the sisters no chance to react before she turned them into a pair of snake discuses.


    *bang bang*


    A couple of bangs echoed in the hallway as the sisters simultaneously crashed into the bony walls. The pair weakly slumped to the ground, their eyes glazed over from the violent crash. They laid there, stunned for several seconds before shakingly standing up. As they straightened their snake tails, they gave their head a good shake; the toss clearly had an effect on them.


    ¡°Sis¡­that¡¯s too much¡­¡±


    ¡°Big Sister Ha is amazing!¡±


    So this was how the demonic werewolves stopped a fight, this one has learnt something today.


    ¡°Shasha are you alright?¡± After raising his objection to his sister, he immediately rushed to his lover¡¯s side to comfort her: ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Sis to be so rough¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m alright.¡± Majosha lovingly gazed at her boyfriend¡¯s eyes. At the side, I was nearly blinded by their dazzling love for each other.


    Not again¡­this torturous display of public affection is just too much for me¡­if given a second chance, there¡¯s no way I would choose to work with you lovebirds again¡­


    On the other side, Manasha had recovered from her short flight as well. She unsteadily straightened herself before glaring at us. Her nails drew blood as her fists tightened in anger. Drop by drop, her anger boiled as her blood slowly dripped to the ground, dissolving the bones around her.


    ¡°It¡¯s your own business if you wish to kill yourself, but can you please leave my sister out of this!¡± She bellowed.


    ¡°I had no intention of forcing anyone to come. All I wanted to do was recruit more allies. If you are so opposed to the idea then I¡¯ll just stop mentioning it. Naturally, I don¡¯t plan on changing Majosha¡¯s views as well.¡±


    For things to escalate to this extent wasn¡¯t something I had expected. It had never crossed my mind that such a rift would form between comrades who had just gone through thick and thin together.


    The scene fell silent after those words left my word. This awkward silence continued for the rest of our journey as neither of us spoke a word.


    To be honest, her resistance was completely understandable. The exit point was truly a dangerous place. Even after countless years, there¡¯s been no accounts of anyone below the level of four-star leaving the Prison of the Dead. To the countless inmates trapped here, the exit point was a veritable grim reaper.


    Of course, this only applied to those below four-stars, after all, anyone who had reached that level could leave whenever they wanted to. However, this was easier said than done. The Prison of the Dead barely had enough food for its residents, let alone for someone who wanted to evolve into a four-star.


    It¡¯s similar to the difference between a school and a prison. Being locked up in prison wasn¡¯t conducive for learning. After tens of years of being locked up, any inmates you release would barely be able to integrate into society. In contrast, no matter how bad a school was, going through years of education would at least produce a few talented individuals from a pool of kids.


    The three hells outside of the maze were the schools in this analogy. Within the three hells were multiple treasures and fortuitous encounters you would usually find in a wuxia novel. Anyone fortunate enough to have an encounter would be able to change their fate and become stronger.


    At the very least, one could become a subordinate of a powerhouse and have their evolution path significantly smoothened out. After all, any old expert in the three hells could easily trounce a four-star from this beginner village known as the Prison of the Dead.


    This was the effect an environment had on making a man. No matter who you were, your environment would affect your life in some fashion. The Prison of the Dead was in every way a jail for us. And while the three hells weren¡¯t schools per say, they were several times better than this prison.


    The three hells, in comparison, were complete societies with a wide variety of residents inside them; from the lowly small imp slaves to the mighty demon kings of the three hells.


    In actuality, all these weren¡¯t important to Manasha. This medusa had already resolved herself to fulfilling her sister¡¯s wish even if it meant sacrificing herself. If she didn¡¯t feel this way, she wouldn¡¯t have said to wait for Harlow to rise to the level of four-stars before trying to leave.


    This stipulation had several implications. First, she didn¡¯t object to Majosha¡¯s pursuit of happiness on the condition that she was safe. In other words, the real reason why she objected to Majosha joining us was that she felt that ours was a lost cause.


    The second point was a deeper one. As we all knew, the environment here was an unforgiving one. Due to the lack of food, interracial conflicts were commonplace. This was especially so for the medusas who had to kidnap males from other races in order to sustain their all female race.


    For them, this prison was even more treacherous. In that case, having two four-stars was an important safety net for their race. Wasn¡¯t the main reason why these four-stars stayed behind because they wanted to protect their clans? In that case, having more four-stars was definitely a boon for the clan¡¯s safety.


    With this in mind, one could see how much she loved her¡­in a sisterly way of course. Manasha not only approved of her abandoning her duty to the clan, she had even resolved herself to pick up the slack.


    Unfortunately, her way of expressing this love was flawed and ended up causing this misunderstanding.


    This was why I chose to stand aside and allow the two sisters to work it out by themselves. As for Harlow¡­I don¡¯t think it¡¯s my place to interfere either.


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    Because of my interjection, the two sisters had temporarily made up even though they still had their misgivings with each other over this spat.


    And so, we set off with this awkward silence looming over us. It wasn¡¯t long before we reached the temporary base of the demonic werewolves. As we entered the base, we were welcomed by the senior werewolf and an entourage of werewolves. Mixed within the welcoming parties were my potatoes as well. Upon seeing me, Vick and No.5 sprinted forward to greet us¡­


    The both of them ended up suffering for it. Vick was instantly scared off by Habona¡¯s claw while No.5 managed to get a hug in before being kicked away by Habona¡­the reason was [You actually dared to take advantage of this lady¡­]


    As the grandfather met with his grandson after a close brush with death, the pair broke down into tears. A while later, the tears changed into a concerned chiding as the old werewolf beat him while giving him an earful: ¡°As if the medusas wasn¡¯t enough, you actually got yourself kidnapped by the harpies as well, do you wish to be a reproductive tool for the rest of your life¡­¡±


    ¡°Grandpa, please don¡¯t mention those harpies again¡­I¡­I¡¯m feeling faint¡­¡±


    If he actually used the word [scared], he would¡¯ve probably gotten another scolding; looks like his head wasn¡¯t that badly damaged after all.

 Chapter 89: Shadowfang

    Enchanted equipment was a broad category assigned to gear which have been infused with mana.


    Humans have created a grading system for their equipment, starting with Normal-grade for the most basic of weaponry and armor, followed by Exquisite-grade for higher tiered versions of normal gear. Anything above that are enchanted equipments which have their own grading system as well. It similarly starts with Low-grade, followed by High-grade, Epic, Semi-Divine and finally Divine.


    Each grading has a specific set of definitions assigned to it. Normal-grade weaponry and armor refers to the equipment forged by an adept apprentice. These equipments are usually mass produced and used to outfit a normal army.


    Equipment crafted by an official blacksmith falls under the umbrella of Exquisite-grade equipment. The majority of their users are either mercenaries, adventurers or are elites of a large country¡¯s army. These equipments are significantly more durable than Normal-grade gear.


    While they are more expensive than their lower grade cousins, they are still considered affordable and provide a good value for money, essentially you wouldn¡¯t be too upset if they broke. This grade was one of the more commonly used grades of equipment.


    Anything after that was a watershed in equipment grades; a master class craftsman was required to craft low-grade enchanted equipment. In order for them to craft these gears, they needed a certain degree of magic knowledge. The crafter has to know how to incorporate magical ingredients during the crafting process without causing a magical explosion.


    This expertise is important as a large amount of magical ingredients has to be incorporated in order to infuse a small degree of mana into the gear. Furthermore, the degree of infusion was random as a master class craftsman was unable to create a complete magical array with the ingredients given.


    Without an array supporting the equipment, it will only possess the bare minimum degree of mana. For example, it will only be able to cast one wind blade of average strength or create a weak magical barrier. This degree of mana is suitable for temporary spells such as levitation or other non-combat spells.


    Grandmaster class craftsmen are able to create high-grade enchanted gear. In order for a master class to advance into grandmaster class, he or she has to be able to incorporate magical ingredients while creating a complete magical array.


    During the crafting process, a grandmaster craftsman is able to engrave a magical array of his choice, bestowing a specific magical property onto the high-grade gear. The strength of this property is determined by the skill level of the craftsman.


    Not only does the strength vary between craftsmen, the number of spells infused are different as well. Some are able to infuse one high level spell while some are able to infuse several spells simultaneously into a single piece of gear. Each piece of high-grade gear is a crystallization of their knowledge and hard work. Thanks to their impressive creations, grandmaster craftsmen enjoy a prestigious position within society; even a king would welcome a visit from these craftsmen.


    Epic enchanted gear are a unique case of equipment. These gear used to be high-grade enchanted equipment but had undergone an evolution. However, they shouldn¡¯t be mistaken for any old high-grade gear. Due to having undergone a strengthening of some sort, they are several times stronger than a high-grade gear.


    Semi-divine equipment are slightly harder to explain as a concept. If a divine piece of gear could taken as a deity, then a semi-divine equipment has a mortal and divine side to it.


    Semi-divine equipment are failed attempts at creating a divine gear. While they can only be considered a defective product, they still possess a fraction of a divine equipment¡¯s might which explains the term ¡°semi-divine¡±.


    Divine equipment, an equipment with a divinity inside it. It is said they can rip the skies apart and shatter the earth. The defining feature of these equipments are the spirit residing within them that allow them to choose their own master.


    I know of only one way to describe them: these are works of God and aren¡¯t things a mere mortal can handle.


    ¡ª¡ªFrom <>


    Having reunited with my subordinates, my next destination was the nest of Mo En. Before that however, the issue with Harlow still has to be settled.


    If I had to describe his problem, it would be that he faced the problem all sons-in-law face. Habona wanted Majosha to stay with Harlow in the demonic werewolves¡¯ nest while Manasha would not budge about having the couple live with the medusas.


    This was a difficult situation to resolve. Normally in such a marriage, the female side would follow the male side which means Majosha should stay with the werewolves. However, Manasha had vehemently made the point that Harlow was simply too weak and so he should stay with them instead.


    A strong wife with a weak pretty face of a husband¡­it was a pretty disgraceful matter when one thought about it¡­well, I guess furry face would be more appropriate for Harlow.


    This stalemate nearly caused the two older sisters, Habona and Manasha to come to blows as both sides bickered with no signs of a compromise in sight. Thankfully, the pair were each restrained by their younger siblings. Finally, the matter was settled with the mediation by the senior werewolf.


    They agreed to having the couple rotate between the clans where Harlow would first stay with the medusas. After a period of time, the two would then come over to the werewolves¡¯ nest.


    However, this wasn¡¯t the end of this matter either. With the schedule worked out, the two older sisters got into another heated argument over the couple¡¯s future children. Even though their child would definitely be a medusa, Habona was rather accepting of this fact and had already counted her future niece as a part of the werewolf clan. She adamantly laid her claim on their future child who had not even been seminated.


    Naturally, Manasha didn¡¯t agree to this, after all, what right did she have to lay claim over the child? Majosha¡¯s future child would definitely be a medusa. She had only borrowed Harlow¡¯s seed. If this lady¡¯s sister wanted to give birth to a child, it didn¡¯t have to be your brother¡¯s seed! Anyone else would¡¯ve been fine as well!


    Such an unyielding statement¡­if she had said this in the human world, I guarantee a river of blood will flow right after.


    In the end, the old werewolf had to step in once more to mediate. The matter ended up being set aside for now.


    A while later, the agreement between the two in-laws was finalized.


    As Harlow prepared to leave for his new home, he stopped to discuss a matter with Habona. The two siblings barked to each other in the tongue of the werewolves, throwing me a glance from time to time. From the looks of it, Habona didn¡¯t take too well to his suggestion but finally acquiesced with a nod after his determined persuasion.


    All in all, the entire discussion about their child custody rights only took about an hour. Compared to the furious back and forths between a human couple, this could only be described as expedient.


    With matters settled, it was truly time for the lovebirds to depart. He momentarily stepped away from the loving embrace of a smiling Majosha to bid his farewells to me.


    ¡°Master Mo Ke, I¡¯m immensely grateful for your assistance, if it wasn¡¯t for you, both my sisters might have been ensnared as well. As a sign of my gratitude, I have a gift for you.¡±


    ¡°Gift?¡± He actually wanted to give me a gift¡­sounds interesting. It shouldn¡¯t be some bone or half-eaten jerky, should it?


    ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s a token of my appreciation for helping me and Majosha.¡± He spread out his empty palms and continued in a slightly helpless tone. ¡°However, the item isn¡¯t with me at the moment so you will have to wait for my sister to give it to you.¡±


    ¡°Ah, in that case, thanks for the gift.¡± Knowing that I was about to receive a gift thrilled me. No matter what it was, a gift was still a gift and naturally I was more than happy to accept it. I respectfully thanked him for his generosity before asking: ¡°About that, may I know what it is?¡±


    He blinked his eyes playfully and said: ¡°Haha, you will find out soon enough. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    With this final bit of business done, the pair bid us farewell with a wave of their hands before disappearing around the corner. Soon after they left, Habona came up to me and gave me a tap on the shoulder, signalling for me to follow her.


    I eagerly followed her, anxious to see what Harlow¡¯s gift to me was.


    After a short walk, we passed through a conspicuously large gathering of werewolves and came to a corner of the maze guarded by a team of werewolves. Right in the middle of these werewolves was a black pole stuck into the ground.


    Hmm¡­black pole?


    As I closed in on the item, the identity of this black pole became clear to me. This was no black pole! It¡¯s a sword!


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    Or perhaps it¡¯s a blade?


    Habona walked up to the unidentified weapon and easily pulled it out of the ground. She gave it a couple of reluctant looks before tossing it to me: ¡°Catch.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± I caught it reflexively. It was heavy. Roughly ten to fifteen kg in weight.


    I slowly drew out the weapon to find an eye-catching blade that was tinted pitch black. As the last bit of the blade left its sheath, the first impression I had of its entirety was that it almost looked like a large katana except that it wasn¡¯t as curved as one. However, this didn¡¯t mean that it was completely straight either.


    It was roughly two meters in length and only had a slight curve to its body that made it look a little like a single-edged blade.


    It had a very fine edge. While it was a bit much to describe it as a cicada¡¯s wings, the thickest point on its body was merely 7mm. I wasn¡¯t able to determine its constituent material from a glance and so decided to give it a cursory touch. The moment I did so, I felt a jolt in my body as I was suddenly struck with a sense of lightness.


    ¡°This¡­¡± Is this the legendary enchanted weapon I heard so much about?


    ¡°Shadowfang, an epic enchanted weapon.¡± She said with a hint of grief in her eyes. I could tell right away that this was a upsetting subject. ¡°It was my mother¡¯s weapon.¡±


    ¡°Your mother?¡± I paused for a moment before stupidly saying: ¡°Her relics?¡±


    ¡°¡­she¡¯s not dead¡­¡± Her face froze as those words left her mouth. She didn¡¯t elaborate any further.


    Not dead. From the looks of it, she wasn¡¯t in the clan either. That could only mean two things: she had either left the clan or wasn¡¯t in this maze entirely. No matter how I looked at it, the latter seemed a lot more likely.


    Strange¡­based on its length alone, Shadowfang doesn¡¯t look like a weapon suited to demonic werewolves¡­shouldn¡¯t Habona¡¯s mother be a demonic werewolf as well?


    In spite of her visibly sullen face, I decided to touch upon this sensitive topic once more: ¡°I thought that demonic werewolves didn¡¯t like to use weapons?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± She gave me a furious glare. Just as I thought she was about to eat me, she suddenly turned to the side and gloomily forced out a sentence: ¡°My mother is a pure werewolf¡­she tends to avoid her wolf form¡­¡±


    (Pure werewolves or original werewolves were those who normally looked like a human except at night where they would shapeshift into a wolfman. Demonic werewolves were a subspecies of these werewolves.)


    Phew¡­I¡¯m so glad she didn¡¯t hit me.

 Chapter 90: Inversion Cu

    High-grade equipment and experts were the backbone of a country. Human countries could be separated into three tiers, a principality, a kingdom and an empire. The kingdom of Tarnia naturally belonged in the middle of that tier system.


    It¡¯s said that each country has a high-grade enchanted gear that stabilizes the fortunes of its country.


    Epic enchanted gears are enough to support the formation of a principality while a semi-divine gear is enough to support the formation of a kingdom. In order to form an empire, a divine gear is needed to stabilize the fortunes of this vast country.


    All these had an assumption underlying them. That was that the humans of the Western Human realms created their countries based on might. The founding monarch was usually a peerless expert of his generation. After this monarch dies, his high-grade enchanted gear would be passed down as a national treasure, becoming the support for future generations.


    However why did they have to be experts themselves? On Earth, there were a lot of emperors who possess no martial prowess, there were even some who collapsed after taking two steps on their own. Didn¡¯t they manage to keep their throne in spite of that?


    Truth be told, it was a rather awkward subject.


    It wasn¡¯t a must for every monarch to possess an unrivalled martial might, but there was one thing that was absolutely necessary for these monarchs. They had to at least have a peerless expert standing behind them.


    On Earth, there was no such thing as a person being able to stand up to 10,000 men. On the other hand, the Western Human Realms had such people¡­some of these people were even able to stand up to 100,000 men¡­


    And that¡¯s where the crux of the problem lies, if your family dared to set up a country without such an expert behind you, I could easily destroy your country on a whim. All it takes is for me to dispatch one expert to your country for a quick tour.


    The expert merely has to go on a rampage, killing the citizens and any soldiers you threw at him. If he¡¯s unable to handle the army, the expert merely has to retreat and continue his slaughter elsewhere. With his mobility, there would be no way for the soldiers to lock him down. Given time, your country¡¯s collapse was a given. Given time, I can guarantee that that one person would be able to destroy your country by himself.


    With all that said, it¡¯s necessary to talk about the importance of high-grade enchanted gear. Long story short, gear superiority allows you to take on those at a higher level than you!


    This is why both gear and experts are the backbone of a country, lacking one or the other spells certain doom for a country.


    Now, there¡¯s a piece of gear right in front of me that is said to be able to support the formation of a principality¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re really giving this to me!?¡± I¡¯m getting dizzy just thinking about this¡­


    ¡°This weapon is more suited for humanoids, in our hands, it will only hold us back.¡± Habona said in a forthright manner while nodding her head. ¡°Besides, Harlow said he wanted to give this to you, since we aren¡¯t using it, gifting this to you isn¡¯t a bad choice either.¡±


    ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll help myself to it, I¡¯m still lacking a melee weapon after all.¡± I had nothing but gratitude for her show of goodwill. This was an Epic weapon! It wasn¡¯t some random bone weapon you found lying on the ground. Since she¡¯s so willing to give it away, it¡¯s only right of me to accept it.


    ¡°Thank you all, I truly like this gift. If there¡¯s any way I can help you in the future, please feel free to look for me.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± This time, she didn¡¯t say ¡°You¡¯re too weak¡± but instead proudly nodded her head.


    Given that the weapon was roughly 2m in length, it was slightly awkward for my 1.4m frame to carry it on my back. And so, I decided to use the wrist chain on my left hand to secure Shadowfang to my body. As for the Grimoire of the Dead, I ended up letting it roam free, as a side benefit, it could even help me look after Shadowfang.


    Recently, I¡¯ve noticed a serious deficiency in my melee capabilities. Perhaps it was because of my eating habits but my strength was significantly lagging behind the other two-star imps, although my speed had received a corresponding boost.


    Coming in at 1.9m in length with a 0.3m blade hilt, Shadowfang was a large weapon that I had to use both of my hands to wield. However, don¡¯t let its size fool you, despite its ridiculous length, it didn¡¯t hinder my normal movement. This was largely in part due to the floatation ability of the grimoire. With the bone chain secured to Shadowfang, I was able to hang it on the floating grimoire.


    Thanks to that, I ended up with a rather unique bearing. With the bound grimoire floating high the air, all the while dragging a black katana attached to my wrist with a bone chain, I almost looked like a Magister with my martial and magical abilities. If¡­and that¡¯s a big if, you ignore the red egg in my arms¡­


    With that out of the way, my next objective is to impose on Mo En¡­err, I mean pay him a light hearted visit. Simply put, I REALLY wanted to have a look at this so-called Summoning Zone.


    If I¡¯m lucky, I might just get summoned into the Western Human Realms, and if I¡¯m even luckier I might end up beside Nicole¡­fine, that bit of daydreaming was a tad unrealistic.


    As comrades who had just gone through thick and thin together, Habona volunteered to escort us to Mo En¡¯s nest.


    The plan was for me to scout out the place. If it was suitable, I would bring my subordinates over. If something unexpected were to happen, Habona¡¯s prowess should be enough to secure an escape route for us. As such, this trip was only limited to a small group of me, Violet Snow and Habona.


    After swatting away No.5¡¯s thinly veiled attempt at sexual harassment, I left some orders for One-eye, No.3, Big 5 and Baccarel to look after my subordinates in the meantime.


    One-eye was in charge of the guardsmen, No.3 the reserves, the shieldbearers and the sabre wielders. As for Baccarel, he was in charge of the remaining half-orcs. The hellhounds were given to Big 5 to handle since he had a good relationship with them anyway. With Violet Snow leaving her own set of orders, he should be able to manage them.


    As for my 30 skeletal archers, I left them explicit orders to remain still as a statue while I was gone. Even if they were attacked, they were not to retaliate.


    Before leaving, the old werewolf reassured me that he would look after my subordinates. Even with Habona gone, the werewolves still had a number of three-stars in the clan. As long as they didn¡¯t provoke a four-star, their survival was basically assured.


    As usual, I was given a ride on Habona¡¯s shoulders. In my arms were the devil egg and a resting Violet Snow. Habona maintained her blistering speed as always, even so, she was able to fend off any patrolling undead with ease while looking after me.


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    The surrounding areas had been cleaned recently and so there was hardly any meat to be found. Thanks to that, Habona had to rely on the magical exchange array to procure meat for herself. As for me and Violet Snow, things were much simpler as we could feed on souls.


    ¡°Being a devil sure is convenient.¡± She said as she looked enviously at me studying Shadowfang while wolfing down the meat she procured from the exchange array. ¡°Just having the ability to feed on souls means that you don¡¯t have to worry about food in this maze.¡±


    The resting puppy in my arms immediately turned her head at Habona¡¯s sigh, snubbing her. Clearly, that ¡°mutt¡± comment by Habona still stung her.


    ¡°It¡¯s an ability we were born with, there¡¯s not much use being envious about it.¡± I shrugged. Seeing that Habona had finished her meal, I gingerly drew out Shadowfang from its floating scabbard. As I did so, I noticed strands of black lightning crackle across its three finger wide blade. Just from its chilly aura of death, it looked like a peerless weapon that devoured souls.


    ¡°Shadowfang has got to be the best looking weapon I¡¯ve ever seen.¡± Regarding my new weapon, every second not spent looking at it was a loss. Whenever I had the chance, I would pull it out to give it an admiring touch and stare.


    ¡°You know how to use this kind of weapon?¡± Having finished her meal, she patted her hands clean and then straightened out her fur, removing any traces of blood from it. As she did so, she gave me an intent stare. ¡°I know that devils all have inherited memories however these memories aren¡¯t omnipotent either.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. I do have some expertise with weapons but my inherited memories do not possess knowledge on such blades.¡± I gave it a couple of test swings but each time I did so, I felt some resistance that prevented me from wielding this strange blade as I wished.


    After trying a couple more times, I confirmed the existence of that unnatural sensation and decided to seek Habona¡¯s help. ¡°Do you know the method to wield this particular blade?¡±


    Due to me standing up to test out the blade, Violet Snow had to leave her resting spot atop my legs. As she landed on the floor, her face soured as she glared at me with her beautiful ruby eyes. In response to her displeasure, all I could do was smile helplessly.


    Both of us had a close relationship but Habona was also a comrade who had gone through thick and thin with me.


    It¡¯s fine if the both of you are having a tiff, but don¡¯t drag me into that pit please.


    ¡°When I was young, I saw my mother use it.¡± She said with a reminiscing look on her face, her eyes closed as she paused there for a long while. I didn¡¯t dare to interrupt her and signalled for Violet Snow not to do so as well. The both of us stood there quietly not daring to move too much or breathe too loudly.


    Several minutes later, she opened her eyes revealing a pair of golden wolf pupils that radiated killing intent.


    It was as if a stone had been thrown into an ocean, stirring up waves from an otherwise still surface.


    The sudden burst of killing intent, nearly scared me into slashing out of reflex. Violet Snow had been visibly affected as well with her ice magic ready to fire off from her mouth.


    A short while later, the still Habona returned to her normal state, her killing intent completely withdrawn. Having confirmed several times from a distance that she had regained her senses, I immediately lowered Shadowfang and signalled for Violet Snow to relax as well.


    ¡°Don¡¯t scare me like that, suddenly radiating killing intent wasn¡¯t nice at all.¡±


    ¡°I recalled a matter from my past.¡± She abruptly ended her sentence, not intending to explain any further. She took a few steps forward, stopping two meters from me and suddenly swiped at me with her cold gleaming claws.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I stared with open eyes at the approaching claws, it was simply too fast for me to react!


    Noooo¡­getting ambushed by a comrade was simply too disgraceful of a death¡­


    However, that reality never came to pass. Just as those deadly claws were about to rip into me, the oppressive aura was suddenly lifted as my breathing became a lot easier. A few seconds later, having determined that I was still alright, I looked up to see her standing 5m away from me.


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing!¡± Not waiting for an explanation, Violet Snow swiftly shot out an ice ball at Habona having labelled her as an enemy.


    A cold glint flashed across her eyes as she stepped backwards and with a swipe of claws, cut the ice ball in half. An instant later, she appeared in front of Violet Snow without so much of a trace of having moved.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­that¡¯s¡­unscientific¡­¡± Why did it seem like she advanced even though she retreated and how did she retreat despite having advanced!


    During her initial attack, I clearly saw her rush me but at the end of that attack, she ended 5m away. When she faced off against Violet Snow, she definitely stepped backwards and yet a second later, she was suddenly in front of her. This doesn¡¯t make any sense!


    Not expecting her sudden appearance, the proud puppy immediately dodged backwards, firing off an ice spike at Habona¡¯s legs. Habona repeated the same move once more, stepping backward before mysteriously appearing in front of the puppy.


    Unlike the previous time, she didn¡¯t intend to let her go. She lifted the little puppy and swung her around rapidly. Ten seconds later, she finally stopped and put down the puppy.


    Violet Snow immediately slumped to ground head first, clearly stunned by the violent shaking.


    ¡°That was amazing!¡± Having no time for Violet Snow¡¯s plight, I immediately focused my attention on Habona, my eyes practically radiating admiration. ¡°What¡¯s that technique called!¡±


    ¡°Inversion Cut.¡±


    ¡°Inversion Cut! Just from the name alone, I can tell that it¡¯s some ultimate martial art!¡±


    Ignoring my obvious excitement, she half-closed her eyes before asking me in a solemn tone: ¡°Do you want to learn it?¡±

 Chapter 91: Mimiya

    ¡°In that case, all you need to do is follow my movements.¡± After throwing out those ambiguous words, Habona proceeded to perform the Inversion Cut twice. She first leapt to the left before leaping to her original position. As she performed the Inversion Cut, I definitely saw her center of gravity shift towards the right and yet it moved to the left instead.


    Having finished her performance, she turned towards me and nonchalantly said: ¡°Just do that.¡±


    ¡°Huh!?¡±


    ¡°Just do exactly as I just did.¡± She snapped; my silly expression had probably irked her.


    ¡°¡­¡± Lady, do you think I¡¯m some main character from a wuxia novel? Did it look like I was born with a photographic memory or a peerless comprehension ability that allowed me to learn any ultimate martial art with just a glance¡­I¡¯m just an average Joe. Wasn¡¯t it a bit much to expect me to learn this skill just by watching you jump a couple times?!


    ¡°You weren¡¯t able to catch all of that?¡± She roughly deduced from my expression that I still wasn¡¯t able to perform the Inversion Cut. ¡°I¡¯ll perform it a few more times, make sure to look closely.¡± She continued flatly.


    ¡°¡­lady, there are some things you can¡¯t learn just by seeing a few more times alright? If you¡¯re really serious about teaching me the skill, you should tell me how it works or even share the experience you had when you just started cultivating it, that might be a useful reference.¡±


    ¡°Experience¡­¡± She blinked her eyes at my words. ¡°I learnt this by watching my mother fight, if you want to learn this skill from me, you just have to keep on watching and practising.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± What the heck! Is this how you teach people¡­at least tell me how to exert my force!


    Unfortunately for me, this was exactly how she taught me. Even after that back and forth, we still ended up at ¡°watching and practising¡± with the end result being a few days of fruitless attempts. While I still didn¡¯t know how to execute the Inversion Cut, that strange impediment I felt while swinging Shadowfang had lessened significantly; I was able to attack and chain my attacks much faster as a result.


    Mo En¡¯s territory was surprisingly far from the werewolves¡¯ temporary base. Even with Habona¡¯s speed, we still hadn¡¯t reached his base after four days of running.


    At a glance, the Summoning Zone wasn¡¯t that much different from the other sections of the maze. The difference was a much more minute one that couldn¡¯t be perceived easily. If I had to describe this difference, it would be that it felt like I had stepped into a different dimension upon entering this zone.


    ¡°We¡¯ve just entered the boundaries of the Summoning Zone, it won¡¯t be much longer before we reach the nest of Mo En. Given our proximity, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if we meet some of his men on patrols. In order to avoid any misunderstandings, don¡¯t act rashly in front of them.¡±


    This warning by Habona wasn¡¯t directed at me but at Violet Snow instead. As for why she did so, it had to do with Violet Snow¡¯s proud personality and their unpleasant first encounter.


    During their first meeting, Habona had insulted her by calling her a mutt. Ever since then, Violet Snow had been at odds with Habona. Whenever the two met, they would end up in a fight with Violet Snow being the initiator and ultimately the loser as well. This ended up giving Habona the impression that she was a violent person¡­even though, she was actually the most violent of us three¡­


    ¡°Hmph.¡± She snorted rudely, not caring to answer the werewolf. That however, was enough of an answer for Habona. She knew that Violet Snow wouldn¡¯t act rashly.


    Having entered the vicinity of Mo En¡¯s nest, it wasn¡¯t long before we met up with a patrol of devils. Leading this patrol was a winged female devil who closely resembled a female child.


    On her forehead were two, three cm long horns that looked more like bamboo shoots like actual horns. She had the signature red skin of a devil and even had the devil tail and flesh wings commonly associated with devils. She was in every way, the model depiction of a devil, a primal devil in fact. (Earliest stage of a scythed devil.)


    The devil girl was only sixty to seventy cm tall which was roughly half my height. Her face had the exquisite sheen and redness expected of a devil and was framed by a short bob hairstyle with bangs that reached up to her brows. Her face was slightly rounded and had a petiteness that made it that much more adorable.


    She was clad in clothes crafted out of animal hides. It was a tiny garment that covered her torso and barely reached past her hip, revealing a pair of slender thighs and arms.


    While it clearly wasn¡¯t fashionable by any definition of the word, this was the first time I¡¯ve seen a clothed devil.


    At the time we spotted their party, they spotted ours as well. With a flap of her wings, she left her team and approached us. Whether it was intended or not, she had flown to a height of four to five meters, and this ended up giving her a slightly arrogant disposition as she addressed us from high above: ¡°Outsiders, you should not have come here.¡±


    Her voice was extremely pleasing to the ear with a sort of soft and waxy feel to it. The only issue I had with her was that she was too high up in the air¡­it would probably hurt my neck just looking up at her for a period of time.


    I jumped off Habona¡¯s shoulders and extended a friendly greetings towards her: ¡°Hello there, we¡¯re here to see Mo En.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re looking for Mo En?¡± She immediately puffed up her airport runway of a chest and said, in a slightly flaunting manner: ¡°That old coot¡¯s dead, you all can leave now.¡±


    ¡°Dead? That¡¯s not possible!¡± I refuted immediately. This was clearly news that I didn¡¯t want to hear after such a long journey to see this devil. But then, it¡¯s not like she had any reason to deceive me either¡­


    With a slightly hesitant tone, I asked her: ¡°I mean¡­is he really dead?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s really dead.¡± She nodded her head and told me in a tone as clear as crystal.


    Even so, I pressed her, not intending to let up on this issue: ¡°When did he die?¡±


    ¡°When?¡± She scratched her head before counting with her fingers. A while later, she was still counting, evidently she no longer had enough fingers to count with as she began hugging her thighs as she bent down to count her toes as well. Having used up those as well, she started counting her hair as well¡­


    Unfortunately for her, hair wasn¡¯t that easy to count with. It didn¡¯t take long before she lost count. The little devil girl ruffled her hair in frustration and said: ¡°Exactly when did he die¡­Mimiya just can¡¯t figure it out¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Where did this airhead pop out from¡­I was just asking when he died¡­if you didn¡¯t remember the exact timing, you could just say so. Was there a need to torture yourself by counting your toes and hair?


    It was at this moment that the rest of her team caught up with her. Unlike her, the ten large imps weren¡¯t simple minded enough to trust us and immediately adopted a guarded stance. As they weren¡¯t sure of our intentions, they immediately stepped forward, shielding Mimiya from us.


    One of the large imps noticed her continuous counting and asked out of curiosity: ¡°Missus, what are you doing?:


    ¡°I¡¯m counting when did Grandpa die.¡± She answered without lifting her head. Having said that, she returned her focus back to the task of counting.


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    Her reply stumped the large imp. He meekly looked at us before whispering in what he thought was a soft voice: ¡°Missus, Master Mo En¡­he¡­isn¡¯t Master still alive and well¡­¡±


    ¡°Mimiya knows that.¡± She halted her counting and looked at the large imp. She continued in a serious tone: ¡°But grandpa told Mimiya that if someone came looking for grandpa, Mimiya should say [Grandpa is dead]. But Mimiya just can¡¯t remember when did grandpa say this.¡±


    She pointed at me, ¡°And this fellow wants to know when so Mimiya is over here counting the date.¡±


    ¡­


    So he wasn¡¯t dead¡­he¡¯s just pretending to be dead. At the side, her answer had left Habona, Violet Snow and the other large imps just as speechless as I was¡­


    ¡°So he¡¯s not dead.¡±


    Sometimes, I just don¡¯t know what to say about this unconventional fellow.


    ¡°¡­NO NO, Grandpa is dead¡­¡± She began spinning around in circles as she anxiously tried to explain this to us. ¡°Mimiya just remembered. 100 days ago, Grandpa told Mimiya that no matter who came looking for him, Mimiya is to answer [dead] that way¡­¡±


    ¡°Grandpa?¡± A chill ran through my heart as a sudden realization hit me. ¡°Err, Miss Mimiya, are you Master Mo En¡¯s granddaughter?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± She stopped her spinning and answered with a furious nod of her head and an intent stare of her adorable golden eyes.


    ¡°His actual granddaughter?¡±


    ¡°His actual granddaughter!¡±


    ¡°Then how many granddaughters does he have?¡±


    ¡°Just Mimiya of course.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    What the heck is this answer that makes me want to cry. I get it now, Mo En wanted me to go for a marriage interview and the person I¡¯m to meet was his granddaughter¡­which was this potato in front of me¡­


    No wonder he emphasized how cute his granddaughter was¡­she really was that adorable¡­she was so dense that she was actually cute!


    ¡°Now then, can you bring us to meet Master Mo En?¡± It was probably better to be more direct with a potato.


    ¡°But Mimiya¡¯s grandpa is dead.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± I want to cry right now. Don¡¯t you have the self-awareness to know that your lie has been exposed. How stupidly adorable can you be! Can I have someone normal to communicate with!


    Just as my head was filled with thoughts of meeting Mo En and finding out how to get summoned to the Western Human Realms, a strange ringing echoed in my head. It was a very sudden appearance that seemed like it had come from within my head instead of being transmitted through the air.


    I focused my mind on the ringing. Immediately, I felt a force trying to pull me into some other region. It was an extremely forceful pull that brooked no resistance from me. Before I could even react to it, my body was struck with a sense of weightlessness as the scene in front of me began to distort.


    Not only did my vision begin to distort, my body began contorting as if it was a boneless mess. A distorted Violet Snow tried to tell me something but her voice simply couldn¡¯t reach my ears, as if there was an invisible barrier separating the two of us.


    What followed was a severe sense of dizziness that lasted over ten seconds or perhaps even a few minutes. The weightlessness disappeared and I found myself in a foreign yet familiar room.


    It was foreign as I had never seen this room before. As for why it was familiar, that was because¡­there was a human in front of me¡­and not just one either¡­

 Chapter 92: Conclusion End of Hell Arc

    A pentagram array formed entirely of mana suddenly appeared beneath Mo Ke¡¯s feet. Within seconds, Mo Ke was engulfed by the magical array, bringing Shadowfang and the Grimoire of the Dead along with him as he disappeared.


    The only thing that remained was the devil egg that fell to the ground having lost its master¡¯s support. Seeing this, Habona immediately reached to catch the egg, stopping it with her palm in the nick of time.


    Of those present, Violet Snow¡¯s relationship with Mo Ke was the deepest and was thus the most concerned by this sudden development. Having never been in a Summoning Zone, she naturally wasn¡¯t aware that he had been summoned away, and had assumed that Mimiya had caused him to disappear.


    Her concern got the better of her as she yelled at the equally confused Mimiya in a threatening bark: ¡°Speak! Where did Mo Ke go?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­Mimiya doesn¡¯t know either¡­¡± She stammered in a frightened voice. While it was merely a white puppy that yelled at her, Violet Snow¡¯s furious countenance had frightened her. She stammered, not daring to look the puppy in the eyes: ¡°Summ¡­summoned by an occultist¡­probably¡­¡±


    ¡°Occultist? Summoned?¡±


    Violet Snow was stunned by what she heard. Having had no experience on this subject, she wasn¡¯t sure of how to react.


    As long as one was a devil who possessed inherited memories, they basically knew about this occupation in the human world known as an occultist. Occultists randomly lock onto the Summoning Zones within the three hells via their chants, and with a summoning ritual, call forth a devil from within that zone.


    Without a specific medium to link to a devil, this ritual has an element of randomness to it. While there were chants that could target a specific species, targeting a devil in particular was difficult and wasn¡¯t guaranteed to work. There were even devils who grew old and died without ever getting summoned.


    On the other hand, there were those who got summoned the moment they entered the Summoning Zone. In terms of luck, Mo Ke was obviously not the former.


    ¡°That situation just now¡­Mo Ke had definitely been summoned by an unknown entity.¡± Habona was more knowledgeable than Violet Snow and had immediately guessed that he had been summoned upon seeing him disappear.


    ¡°Mimiya right, bring me to see Mo En, even though Mo Ke ended up getting summoned due to fluke, we should still greet him since we¡¯re already here.¡±


    ¡°But¡­grandpa is really¡­dead¡­¡± Mimiya insisted once more. ¡°That was what grandpa told Mimiya 100 days ago¡­¡±


    Habona: ¡°¡­¡±


    At least come up with a better reason!


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Tarnia Kingdom, The City of Azure, Azure Warrior¡¯s Academy.


    Recently, the academy had decided to hold a martial tournament for the new students in which every first year had to participate in. This annual event could be said to be a grand pageant and was one of the landmark events in a new student¡¯s school life.


    As a special student, Nicole was naturally under much more scrutiny than the average student. It was similar to how a normal person had to go on a murderous rampage in order to become newsworthy while a star merely had to sneeze to get the media¡¯s attention.


    Of course, this attention came with a corresponding pressure as well, of which Nicole wasn¡¯t particularly suited to. No matter where she went, she was unable to avoid the gaze of strangers.


    These strangers came from a complex gamut of backgrounds. Some were students, teachers, workers and even fans¡­there were even households who wanted to recruit her in lieu of her talent; and then there were nobles who wanted to marry her¡­


    Of these noble suitors, there was one noteworthy person. That was the son of this territory¡¯s lord, the son of an earl and also the nephew of this city¡¯s lord, Dean Baker.


    Unless something drastic was to happen, he would one day inherit his father¡¯s lands. One such territory was the City of Azure.


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    It thus goes without saying that he enjoys a privileged position in this city. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to call him a mini-emperor of this region. This noble young master was also a student of Azure Warrior¡¯s Academy. In fact, he was a senior student who was about to graduate.


    When he met her for the first time a month ago, he decided then that he had to have this fiery redhead who had the personality akin to ice.


    From that moment on, Dean would often appear at Nicole¡¯s side. This golden haired, handsome youth would always be seen with a rose in hand as he stood outside her dormitory waiting for her to appear.


    Even though she never once paid him any attention, this didn¡¯t deter him from badgering her. Truth be told, he wasn¡¯t all that either, ever since his thirteenth birthday, he had bedded at least 500 women. Given that he was 18 this year, he had bedded and discard over 100 women per year.


    However, Nicole was different from all of these women. She had an exceptional talent for cultivation. It was this talent that made her a treasure he must have; talented individuals like her gave birth to children with exceptional talent as well.


    It can be said that their child would have a talent that was one in ten thousand. A child of this calibre would elevate their household to a whole new tier and would solidify his position within the family. Whether it was out of lust or practicality, she was someone that he absolutely must have.


    And yet she wasn¡¯t someone he could force himself on. Nicole was the only special student in the million strong Baker Earldom and thus enjoyed an unimaginably high position within the academy. She was the headmaster¡¯s treasure, and this headmaster was the strongest martial expert in the entire earldom; making him an extremely influential personage in the Earldom.


    It would be still be alright if he courted her via normal means, but if he used despicable means and end up ruining her by accident¡­the old man would probably fly into a rage. As for the consequences of that¡­it was something he couldn¡¯t bear. Thus he didn¡¯t dare to force himself upon her, and had to resort to courtship in order to slowly work his way into her heart.


    Unfortunately for him, Nicole didn¡¯t love anyone, not Sares, not Dean nor any of the other suitors. Even her feelings towards Mo Ke weren¡¯t that of love but merely of concern. She only wanted to locate him as soon as possible or at least confirm his safety.


    With the freshman¡¯s tournament coming up, the time she spent training naturally increased as well. She shortened her rest time as much as possible in order to squeeze out more time for training. In the six months since she entered the academy, she spent so much time training, she could almost be called a robot who only knew how to train.


    Outside of her rare rest periods, her only destressing activity was going with Nana to the Goddess of Light¡¯s chapel for prayer service.


    The reason why she entered the Goddess of Light¡¯s chapel was naturally because of Mo Ke. During her shopping trip with Nana on Founder¡¯s Day, she met a priest by coincidence and ended up joining the Goddess of Light¡¯s chapel. To her, anything that could possibly aid her was worth trying, even if it was useless praying.


    What greeted her as she entered the chapel for the first time was a priest in the midst of his sermons. She quietly sat down on the pews with Nana and turned her attention towards his preaching. Time passed by unknowingly as she let the soothing droning of the priest wash over her. It was the first time she had ever felt such peace since Mo Ke went missing.


    Ever since Mo Ke ran away from home and Roscar left to create a mercenary troop¡­her days in school seemed almost surreal to her. She had never known that she possessed such a steadfast side. Even after losing the little brother she grew up with, even after being separated from her father, she never once shed a single tear.


    She never gave in and instead stood up and faced these challenges head on. In order to rebuild her broken family, she worked as hard as she possibly could.


    It was only after listening to the priest¡¯s preaching for the first time did the torrent of pent up stress finally revealed themselves as she wept subconsciously. She didn¡¯t know what the priest was saying but his soothing voice made her cry uncontrollably.


    She dried her tears and turned towards the 10 year old Nana sitting quietly besides her with her head tilted to the side as she dozed off¡­looks like her weeping would go unnoticed.


    Since then, she would go for prayer service whenever she was on break. Naturally, she brought her lucky charm, Nana, along with her as well.


    Today was one such day as well. She threw on an austere set of casual clothes and left her dormitory. What greeted her right as she left her dormitory was Dean standing still as a statue by her door, with a bouquet of roses in hand as always. On a flower bed nearby was an exquisitely packaged gift box.


    ¡°You finally decided to leave your room, did you know I had to wait a whole ten minutes for you.¡± He joked with a dashing smile on his face. With his eyes fixed intently on hers, he stepped forward and whipped out the roses he had prepared: ¡°These are the most beautiful roses in my garden, they were all handpicked by me to suit your beauty.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± She coldly looked at him before spitting out an equally cold sentence ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Without accepting his roses, she weaved around him with practised ease and left.


    Having been ignored, his face immediately froze. Before he met Nicole, there was no girl who dared to ignore him. However, he quickly suppressed his rage which threatened to burst forth and put on his dashing facade once more. He was the son of an earl after all, this bit of emotional quotient was to be expected.


    ¡°Please wait a moment¡­I¡¯ve prepared a gift for you, won¡¯t you have a look?¡± He stepped forward and opened up the gift box he prepared, revealing an extravagant formal dress within. ¡°I had to spend 1,000 gold in order to get this dress from the capital, it¡¯s the latest and trendiest¡­¡±


    After giving the dress a look, she emotionlessly sidestepped him before he could finish his words and walked off without a second look.


    ¡°Miss Nicole, the material of your clothes are just too low quality, they¡¯ll ruin your smooth skin¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your good will, oh Son of Earl.¡± She couldn¡¯t stand his badgering anymore and had no choice but to turn around and deal with this annoying fly. In a calm voice, she chided him: ¡°My martial arts teacher once said, true warriors do not require such extravagant things, indulging too much in such worldly objects would only dull our spirit, creating a barrier in our path to the top.¡±


    ¡°But isn¡¯t it a girl¡¯s nature to want to be beautiful? Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t want to show off a more beautiful side of yourself?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but the me right now has no time for such considerations.¡± She firmly rejected him in a soft voice. ¡°Furthermore, I won¡¯t accept any gifts from others. Please take it back, perhaps another girl might like your gift.¡±


    Having said this, she turned around and left.


    Having had to wait for 10 whole minutes outside her door, this outcome was clearly something he couldn¡¯t accept. Not only did she snub him, she walked off without even acknowledging his sacrifices. If he was to let her go like this, it would be a massive loss of face for him. He immediately chased after her, intending to stop her.


    A short distance away, the voice of a little girl echoed down the hallway, within it was a hint of forced anger: ¡°Sister Nicole, hurry up, we¡¯re going to be late for prayer!¡±


    Hearing this, Nicole¡¯s face warmed up immediately. Nodding her head, she turned towards Dean and said apologetically: ¡°I¡¯m extremely sorry about this Young Master Dean, I¡¯m about to be late for prayer service in the Goddess of Light¡¯s chapel, please forgive my rudeness.¡±


    Dean: ¡°¡­¡±


    Given her usual coldness, that apology was a considerable compromise on her part. With that powerful old man of a headmaster standing behind her, Dean didn¡¯t dare to push his luck any further. If he wasn¡¯t careful, he might just rouse the ire of the headmaster, at that time, the one to suffer would only be him.


    ¡°Sister Nicole!¡±


    ¡°Nana.¡±


    A long, blue-haired little girl with an adorable rounded face, dressed in a white school uniform leaped into the arms of Nicole without a care in the world. As she continously rubbed her face in her chest, she said: ¡°Sis, let¡¯s go for prayer, quick. Once that¡¯s over, we still have to get some crepes!¡±


    ¡°Mhm, today¡¯s crepes will be on me.¡±


    ¡°Wha? Sis did you strike it rich recently?¡±


    ¡°Nah, my father sent me some money a few days ago.¡± While Nicole was a special student and thus received a number of privileges, all her money was spent on cultivation tools. This resulted in her finances being rather tight despite her status.


    Nana was the child of a prominent merchant which meant her household was particularly wealthy. She would constantly pay for their meals whenever they went out. Nana¡¯s father was an astute merchant and thus knew the potential value of their friendship. This was why he was particularly lenient about her expenditure.


    ¡°You rejected me again¡­¡± Having been rejected again, his desperately wanted to force himself on her but he was simply too afraid of the headmaster¡¯s wrath¡­


    On the other side of the flower bed, Sares was quietly watching this entire exchange with a complicated expression on his face. He stood stock still, not daring to move a muscle until Nicole¡¯s back had completely faded into the distance.


    ¡°Nicole¡­¡±

 Chapter 93: The Black Robed Caster

    By the time I recovered from the disorientating sensation, I found myself in an empty room that was probably a basement given its lack of windows.


    I gave my person a quick run through to check for any losses. The grimoire was there and so was Shadowfang however the grimoire seemed to have lost some of its energy during the summoning and could no longer support its levitation. It laid there lifelessly like an ordinary book right next to the giant blade it was bound by chain to.


    With these two settled, all that remained to be found was the devil egg. However, I vaguely remembered it not being teleported along with me as I got summoned. I guess that made sense, after all, the egg had a soul of its own and could be counted as a separate entity. Since it was still in the maze, Habona and Violet Snow should be able to take good care of it.


    After checking that my body and limbs were all intact, I finally had the sense of mind to notice the demonic array drawn in blood beneath my feet. A short distance away was a group of three human men and a girl.


    Each of them had a noticeably different bearing to them. One was a black robed, red headed man roughly thirty years of age and had an arrogant look on his face as he stared at me with a devilish glint in his eyes as if he could see right through me. He was probably the master of this group and also an occultist.


    Flanking the occultist on either side was two burly bald men who looked almost identical to each other. Both were over 30 years of age and had a scar riddled face beneath their shiny domes.


    Their two meter tall frames were clad in chainmail that covered even their heads. Wrapped around their hands were a pair of black, metallic gauntlets that matched their sinister and bloodthirsty aura. Just from a glance, one could tell that these two were the stereotypical evil henchmen of a villain.


    (Chainmails were made by interlinking multiple metallic rings in order to form an armor. They boasted an impressive defensive ability that rose with the density of their chain links. These metallic rings were particularly suited for carving magical arrays and thus made chainmails the preferred armor for crafting enchanted gear. Due to the complexity of crafting their metallic rings, chainmails tended to be more expensive.)


    The last of the four was a little girl roughly 14 to 15 years of age. She was a rather pretty lass. With her fair skin, flowing black hair that reached up to her shoulders, she possessed a sort of ladylike beauty. At least it would¡¯ve been so if not for the gray shorts and shirt she wore that were clearly meant for slaves.


    However, I don¡¯t mind that slave teenage girl setting either. That tattered and bare bones piece of cloth gave a tantalizing view of her thighs and arms as she laid there shivering in fear while looking at me.


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    My head experienced a moment of silence as I spaced out from the shock of having just been summoned. What¡¯s up with these four? Don¡¯t tell me they¡¯re the welcoming party¡­more importantly¡­where am I? Is this the Western Human Realms?


    While I stood musing to myself, the only guy who seemed like a mage due to his robes, stepped and spoke to me in a slightly broken but understandable version of the devil¡¯s tongue. ¡°Oh devil, bow before me, your almighty master.¡±


    ¡°Master?¡± My lips curled into a disdainful smirk as I snorted. ¡°Ever since I¡¯ve been born, I¡¯ve always been the master. You actually wish to command me? I¡¯m afraid you aren¡¯t even qualified for that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a mighty three-star occultist while you¡¯re just a measly two-star head imp and yet you claim that I do not have the qualifications to be your master?¡± Perhaps my rejection had an effect on him but his face was noticeably darker as he emphasized the difference in our levels and even went so far as to brazenly threaten me.


    ¡°If you do not obey my command, I¡¯ll send you back to your damned home, hell!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±I didn¡¯t want to go back there, at least not for now. But to use this as a threat to restrain me, to force me to submit¡­I¡¯m sorry but it¡¯s still lacking.


    Having mistaken my silence as a sign of success, the occultist adopted a softer tone as he pointed at the shivering girl next to his leg: ¡°I know what you devils desire, look, this is the gift I¡¯ve prepared for you.¡±


    Oh so that¡¯s a gift, well wasn¡¯t he a thoughtful one. As I shifted my gaze to the girl, she shrunk back in horror, visibly terrified by my renewed attention on her. However, there was simply nowhere in this empty room where her panicked self could hide.


    Tears rolled down her eyes as she desperately scampered to the back of the occultist. Unfortunately for her, the black robed man would have none of that and wasn¡¯t going to be a gentleman about it. He kicked her on the shoulder, neither too lightly nor too heavily, telling her through his actions that being offered to the devil was her fate.


    She did not know what that fate would mean for her, but she didn¡¯t plan on finding out either. She stubbornly clung to her desire to live as she vigorously shook her head, expressing her silent resistance of my approach. From time to time, she would throw me a tear-filled look of curiosity as she did so.


    What a strange a girl¡­how should I say it, there seems to be a certain disarray to her soul as if there were two souls within it¡­wait, the position of that second soul¡­is in the abdominal region! It¡¯s not that she has two souls¡­she¡¯s pregnant!


    My emotions right now could only be described with one word, astonished. While there were cases of teenage pregnancy in China, as an otaku shut-in, I had not encountered one until today. This was my first time seeing a pregnant 15 year old¡­though her belly wasn¡¯t really that big on the account that she wasn¡¯t that far into her pregnancy.


    Devils had the inborn gift to evaluate a soul, while it wasn¡¯t omnipotent, a powerless girl¡¯s soul was definitely within its limits.


    ¡°A gift? This pregnant girl?¡± I turned to the black robed caster with a befuddled look that seemed to ask, ¡®exactly what should I do next¡¯. I didn¡¯t know what kind of answer I would get out of his mouth but I questioned anyway.


    ¡°Don¡¯t devils love tainted women?¡± He was equally befuddled by my reaction as he explained to me in a tone that seemed more like he was explaining it himself as well. ¡°This slave has been trained by me for a long time and is even pregnant with my child, shouldn¡¯t she be tainted enough¡­¡±


    ¡°No¡­what I meant was how exactly do you want me to use this gift of yours?¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s up to you. You can eat her if you want or you can play with her if you want, either way she¡¯s yours.¡± He waved his hands as if to accentuate his magnanimity and signalled for one of the bald men to toss the girl to me.


    Judging from their swift reaction, these men must¡¯ve followed him for a long time and knew exactly what he wanted. One of the men lifted her up by her hand like he would a chicken or a cat and tossed her to me without a second thought.


    No matter what, there was no way I could stand by and watch this girl get hurt. I rushed forward and caught her with my slender arms and gently lowered her to the ground. Perhaps the sudden turn of events had simply been too much for her but even after getting rescued, she was still shellshocked and could only lay there motionless like a dead person.


    ¡°How is it, are you satisfied with my gift?¡± Seeing that I had taken to the girl pleased the occultist greatly. He smiled at me with a satisfied look on his face and said: ¡°As long as you agree to serve me, she¡¯s yours. Not only her, I can give you more women as well just as long as you accept me as your Master!


    Is his head screwed on right? What¡¯s with the sudden calls of [submit to me, accept me as your master]. He even tried to gift another person¡¯s daughter away, and that was his woman too! I detested these kind of bast*rds who treated women as objects!


    ¡°Did you just say that the child was yours? So you guys have¡­done it?¡± In a moment of anger, I ended up asking what was a stupidly obvious question.


    ¡°Hahaha, of course we¡¯ve ¡°done¡± it. If we haven¡¯t ¡°done¡± it, how could there have been a child¡­hahahaha¡­¡± Hearing my question, the occultist couldn¡¯t help but roar with laughter. Even the two bald men at side were smirking derisively at me.


    Having your way with a girl and giving her away so callously¡­how much of a bast*rd are you? People like you don¡¯t deserve to live. Thinking about all the innocent women who might¡¯ve fallen victim to his clutches because of their young age or circumstances, my head was hit with a rush of blood and I yelled at the robed caster: ¡°You actually gave away your own woman!?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± The occultist was stunned into silence, clearly not expecting my vehement refusal. He blinked his eyes a couple of times, seemingly having understood something. He anxiously offered me new terms: ¡°So you prefer virgins¡­why didn¡¯t you say so from the start, all the women here have already been played with. If you want virgins, you¡¯ll have to wait a few days for me procure more goods for you.¡±


    This bast*rd! I should kill him right now but he introduced himself as a three-star occultist¡­


    Hmmm, at this distance, a mage like him should be at a disadvantage though¡­with Shadowfang, my melee capabilities are significantly higher that before¡­at this distance, I might not even lose to him.


    Then there¡¯s the matter of those two baldies¡­being his bodyguards, there¡¯s no way they were less than three-stars.


    In an ambush, my epic-grade weapon, Shadowfang, might just be able to kill one of them in a swing. Then the question was¡­would my hands go soft at the thought of killing a person¡­after all, I had never killed a person before.


    Sneaking a glance at the pregnant teenager shivering on the floor, I knew that I had to act. This time, I must kill¡­before that however, there was a mountain of questions I had to ask. At the same time, asking these questions should lower his guard.


    ¡°Fresh goods, that¡¯s what you said. You better not go back on your word.¡± In order to gain his trust, I went along with his suggestion. I licked my lips expectantly, fully playing into the part of a lecherous devil: ¡°Make sure they are beautiful.¡±


    As if in response to my action, he licked his lips as well before laughing uproariously, clearly happy that he had found a comrade: ¡°Hahahaha, don¡¯t worry. As long as you follow me, I¡¯ll guarantee an endless supply of virgins¡­hahahaha¡­hell probably didn¡¯t have beauties such as these¡­haha¡­¡±


    I don¡¯t know if he was mad or something but he seemed to laugh uncontrollably whenever he got excited. Truth be told, he was a pretty handsome fellow if only he didn¡¯t have that creepy laugh.


    ¡°By the way, will I end up returning to hell?¡±


    ¡°Do you wish to return?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± That was the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.


    Throughout our interaction, the black robed caster had been carefully observing my reactions. From my reaction just now, he probably assumed that he had found my weakness which was my strong desire not to return to hell. With this angle to work from, things should be a lot easier for him.


    Having confirmed this point, he nodded, satisfaction written all over his face as he gave out the answer I expected: ¡°I had to expend a lot of effort in order to summon you here. As long as I¡¯m still alive, my mana will be able to support your perpetual stay in the Western Human Realms.¡±


    ¡°Western Human Realms! You¡¯re saying this is the Western Human Realms?!¡±

 Chapter 94: An Unexpected Summoning Medium

    ¡°I just knew that devils preferred staying here.¡± He declared smugly, clearly confident in his assumption that he had grasped my weakness. ¡°As long as you listen to my commands, I can allow you to stay here perpetually, if you choose to oppose me, I¡¯ll throw you back to hell.¡±


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    ¡°One more question.¡± I said, paying his threat no heed. This was an extremely important matter that I had to verify. No matter how you looked at it, it was too much of a coincidence that I was able to get summoned right as I entered the summoning zone. That amount of luck would¡¯ve been equivalent to striking the five million jackpot in a lottery.


    ¡°Before I was summoned here, I wasn¡¯t readily available for summoning. The fact that you were able to summon me right as I entered the summoning zone was just too much of a coincidence.¡±


    ¡°Oh that, I would¡¯ve forgotten about that if you hadn¡¯t mentioned it.¡± As he said that, he took out a dainty but slightly shoddy red wallet. It was a common style of wallet that was found everywhere in the Western Human Realms. However, this particular wallet had something those other wallets didn¡¯t have. A tear that was very roughly stitched together.


    I know this wallet¡­it¡¯s Nicole¡¯s wallet!


    During my childhood years, I remembered repairing her wallet once. Back then, I sewed on a backing to the tear in order to patch it up. Due to my horrid sewing skills, the seam ended up being eye-catchingly crooked. While I hadn¡¯t seen this wallet for a while, there was no mistaking that bit of tailoring.


    ¡°This wallet¡­why do you have it¡­¡± If this wallet is in his hands, does that mean that Nicole had been captured by him as well?


    As I thought about that, it felt like a knife had been driven into my heart. My fists clenched tightly as a red haze began clouding my mind, wiping away all other thoughts, leaving only a desire to kill him behind.


    I¡¯ve just seen an example of how he treated women, if he really had Nicole, then¡­didn¡¯t he mention that he had already toyed with the women here? Does that mean that¡­Nicole had already been¡­


    There¡¯s no way that¡¯s true. Nicole¡¯s too strong to be captured¡­there¡¯s no way her fate would end up like this¡­she should be in some corner of the world safely waiting for me to marry her¡­there¡¯s no way I¡¯ll believe it! There¡¯s no way that wallet is Nicole¡¯s! That seam must be a coincidence, it¡¯s nothing but a coincidence!


    ¡°Wallet? You mean this thing? Hahaha, why can¡¯t I have it?¡± Having missed the point entirely, he proceeded to let forth an uproarious laugh as he haughtily admitted to his crime.


    ¡°While I¡¯m curious as to why this ended up being your medium, my guess is that you aren¡¯t interested in all these. Instead, the matter of this wallet¡¯s owner is probably of greater interest to you. As luck would have it, we have her locked up as well.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Nicole is here?


    However, he didn¡¯t stop there either. I didn¡¯t know what his motives were but he continued stoking my anger with his words: ¡°That little girl was pretty fun to play with. She initially tried to resist me but after a round of fixing, she became much more obedient. Oh right, truth be told, this wallet alone isn¡¯t enough to summon you. The main culprit is this.¡±


    He reached into the wallet and took out a knot of blue hair and gently toyed with it between his fingers: ¡°The real medium is this instead.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± I had nothing else to add in the face of that overwhelming evidence. No matter how hard I tried to lie to myself, there was no denying the facts now. The appearance of that knot of hair means that the wallet was really Nicole¡¯s¡­


    That knot of hair was placed inside the wallet after I had patched it up. A few days before that, I vaguely remembered my elementary school teacher on Earth mentioning that in the past, a suitor would pass a lock of hair to his or her target as a sign of love.


    While this custom didn¡¯t exist in the Western Human Realms, I couldn¡¯t help but cut off a lock of hair and sneak it into her wallet¡­in the entire Western Human Realms, I was probably the only one who would do so¡­


    ¡°Where is she?¡± I asked in a calm, piercingly cold voice.


    ¡°Her?¡± He stroked his chin as he thought about it for a moment before grinning as he happily declared: ¡°I got bored of her so I gave her to the Drump brothers. I¡¯m not even sure if she¡¯s alive right now.¡±


    Having been mentioned, one of the bald men stepped up to explain in a sonorous voice: ¡° Young Master, she¡¯s not dead yet. However, it¡¯s a shame that she¡¯s crippled.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to Big Brother¡¯s nonsense, Young Master. It¡¯s not just ¡°crippled¡±, her treatment could only be described as inhumane. She tried to run away a few days ago so Big Brother decided to break her limbs. We haven¡¯t fed her these past few days either so she¡¯s mostly dead by now.¡± The other bald man complained in a joking tone.


    ¡°It¡¯s all Big Brother¡¯s fault for being so vicious and crippling our toy. Now I don¡¯t get to play with her. Please give us another girl to play with Young Master.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®I was too vicious¡¯, you weren¡¯t any better either. Weren¡¯t you the one who stuck that wooden rod into her?¡±


    ¡°That was just a wooden rod. Big Brother, you actually brought in a male dog to toy with her. I lost all interest after watching that.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you bring in a horse, using that dog is nothing compared to your horse.¡±


    ¡°I only did that after you brought in the dog!¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, enough bickering. I¡¯ll get a new toy for you guys later.¡± While his words showed a slight annoyance at the brothers, his reddish cheeks told otherwise. All that talk had given him a few innovative methods of unleashing his beastial desires.


    ¡°You guys should know how to enjoy yourselves. This young master has always relied on a stick to conquer his prey, never before has he thought of using animals. Just based on this alone, I can¡¯t compare to your naughtiness.¡±


    ¡°Haha, thanks for the praise Young Master.¡± The bald brothers replied in unison.


    ¡°The next time you should compete with the dog and see who is better.¡±


    ¡°Alright Young Master. Don¡¯t worry we won¡¯t lose to some dog.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Big Brother will be first to unload.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Inhuman, beasts, monsters!


    As I listened to their filthy banter, my head was constantly bombarded by images of Nicole being humiliated¡­by the time I came back to my senses, my right hand was already grasping the hilt of Shadowfang.


    ¡°A two-star weakling like you dares to fight back?¡± The robed spellcaster reacted to my show of rebellion not with fear but with disdain.


    ¡°Drump, Frump, teach him a lesson. After spending so much effort summoning him, there¡¯s no way he is just some ordinary head imp. Putting aside his weapon, he probably has an exceptionally high growth factor. Make sure not to kill him.¡±


    ¡°Leave it to us Young Master, when have the both of us ever disappointed you.¡± The bald men confidently bumped their gauntlets, not even caring to take up a stance as they stood there haughtily with their arms folded. While their eyes were focused on me, there was naught but mockery in them. Clearly, they didn¡¯t see the two-star me as a threat.


    His decision to stand aside and spectate worked perfectly in my favor. As long as I was able to kill these two bodyguards, this mage shouldn¡¯t be an issue afterwards. Chanting requires time and given our proximity, even a three-star mage wasn¡¯t a problem for me.


    With my left hand on Shadowfang¡¯s scabbard and my right on the hilt, I cautiously advanced until I was a mere five meters away from the brothers. I felt a deathly stillness wash over the cells of my body as I recalled Habona¡¯s movements.


    The look on their faces grew graver as they watched my movements. While they didn¡¯t know the reason for the sudden change in my aura, they knew to be cautious. The brothers finally abandoned their ¡°folded arms¡± stance and began to take up a defensive stance.


    From their defensive stance, I could tell they had a great deal of confidence in their sturdy metal gauntlets. That means only one thing, they won¡¯t dodge this blow!


    An opportunity! Inversion Cut!


    With a slight lean forward and a lowering of my center of gravity, I broke the stillness¡­


    Truth be told, even I didn¡¯t understand why I was able to perform the Inversion Cut now. I was barely able to perform the stance back when Habona taught the move and yet under this blinding rage, the skill felt noticeable smoother.


    In a harmonious union of breath and force, Shadowfang shot out of the scabbard like a flash of lightning and under the disbelieving gaze of the brothers, sliced through their metallic gauntlets and chainmail, bifurcating the brothers!


    ¡°Im..impossi¡­¡± Before they could even finish their sentence, their bodies fell to the sides in halves.


    ¡°Impossible¡­that¡¯s impossible! Drump and Frump were three-star warriors that could advance to four-stars at any time¡­ All their equipment was low-grade enchanted gear and even had their defensive properties strengthened. How did you kill them in one slash! And I clearly saw you swing backwards¡­how did it¡­¡±


    The fact that a two-star devil was able to kill a couple of three-stars was definitely unbelievable so I could understand the shock he felt right now, not to mention that it was a single strike that cut both of them down.


    This success was in large part due to the overwhelming level difference my epic weapon afforded me and also the tricky Inversion Cut. A cut that looked like it was slicing backwards but was instead slicing forward? Rather than a warrior skill, it seemed more like an assassin¡¯s skill. It was this sense of disjointedness that allowed me to assassinate these two three-stars.


    Even after killing these two men, Shadowfang was still as pitch black as ever with not even a speck of blood on it. From time to time, a black flash of light would run around the blade¡¯s body, increasing its sinister aura. With the warriors dead, there was only one target left.


    With every step I took, his heart pounded in unison as he desperately retreated.


    Despair and fear me. For death has come for you¡­


    I want you to experience the utter depths of terror before you die!


    Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t know how to summon devils or I would summon a couple of imps to gnaw on his body.


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­don¡¯t come any close¡­if you come any closer, I¡¯ll strike back!¡± He weakly threatened me as he continued his helpless retreat, the arrogant smile on his face as dead as his two henchmen. All that remained was the fear of death.

 Chapter 95: Soloing a Three-Star

    Magical scrolls are one-use tools that have magic sealed within them. They come in a variety of types such as offensive scrolls, defensive scrolls, healing scrolls, dispelling scrolls and even curse scrolls.


    Scrolls were initially created with the purpose of overcoming the weakness caused by a mage¡¯s long cast times. However, their crafting process require a large amount of expensive magical ingredients as well as the expertise of a trained mage. This was especially so asthe stronger the sealed magic, the more difficult it was to craft the scroll.


    While it was created with the common mage in mind, reality ended up being completely different than what was envisioned. Due to the cost of crafting these scrolls, they couldn¡¯t become a staple of magic casting but instead ended up being a last resort for mages.


    As more research was conducted in this field, the scroll crafting process had become significantly simpler over the ages. Not only was it simpler, the materials required had become more refined, allowing for less materials to be consumed in the overall process.


    With the overall cost of crafting a scroll reduced, more and more mages were able to get into this field. There were even mages who specialized in scroll crafting as a livelihood. The addition of these scroll vendors boosted the supply of scrolls significantly.


    However, even with all these advancements, the price of a scroll was still expensive. Even so, it remains a viable last resort option when one¡¯s life was in danger. This was due to the low mana cost of using these scrolls which then only required the user to focus his mind on a target in order to fire the spell.


    Given a forbidden spell scroll, even a mage apprentice was able to threaten a city.


    ¡ª¡ªFrom <>


    So even bad guys can fear death.


    Seeing him pee in his pants didn¡¯t fill me with joy as expected. Instead, I felt a sadness in the depths of my heart. If you were so afraid of retribution, why did you create this tragedy in the first place?


    How should I kill him¡­flaying him alive would require too much skill, throwing him into a boiling pot of oil was too crass as well. I need to find a method that won¡¯t kill him instantly but would still inflict unending pain on him. As I pondered this matter, I ended up drifting off once more in daze.


    Spotting an opportunity, the robed caster who had been sneaking peeks at me all this while, chose this exact moment to make his move.


    All I saw was the moment he clenched his left fist as he targeted me before a fireball the size of a basketball shot out of the ruby ring he wore on his finger.


    By the time I was able to react to it, the fireball was already within inches of me. A second later, the fireball slammed into my head without even giving me the time to dodge¡­


    It felt like I had been splashed by a bucket of hot water followed up by the shockwave caused by the fireball¡¯s explosion which flung me to the ground unceremoniously.


    ¡°I bet you never expected that even without the necessary time to chant, I could still rely on a high-grade enchanted gear to cover for my long chant times.¡± Having regained the upper hand with his sneak attack, he abandoned his guise of a weakling and instead went on the offensive, firing off fireballs continuously, all the while laughing haughtily.


    ¡°I¡¯m a bonafide three-star occultist! Just in terms of mana alone, I¡¯m able to overwhelm you!¡±


    A torrent of fireballs chased my back as I dodged around, blasting me with a wave of hot air as they exploded. If it hadn¡¯t been for my innate devil resistance to fire, my back would¡¯ve been severely scalded by now.


    Initially, the appearance of enchanted gear had been to shorten the cast times of mages. A mage with a high-grade enchanted gear was at least several times stronger than one without. Take this occultist for example, if he didn¡¯t have that ring with him, I could¡¯ve broken his limbs and sliced off his tongue in the time he took to chant a spell.


    However, with that enchanted gear aiding him with its magical array, he was able to fire off fireballs instantly, stacking the odds significantly in his favor.


    Thankfully, due to my fire resistance, his fireballs mostly felt like splashes of hot water even if they hit my head. However, no matter how strong my resistance was, there was still a limit to it. Given enough hits, my hide would give way too and so taking them head on wasn¡¯t an option.


    Seeing that his fireballs barely hit me, the occultist probably thought that his fireballs were too slow and decided to mix it up. His right hand rose up, revealing a white glint that I did not want to see.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see how you dodged this!¡± Splitting his focus, he simultaneously activated his ruby ring and the white gemmed ring on his right middle finger which was probably of the ice element.


    *whoosh whoosh*


    A fireball and an ice spike shot out of his respective rings and hurtled towards me. With a dodge and a tumble, I easily dodged the two spells. This room was after all built for a summoning ritual, given the vastness of the room, there was more than enough space for me to avoid these attacks.


    At least that was how it was at the start.


    While the fireballs were mostly harmless once they exploded, the ice spikes were different. As their crystalline bodies exploded, they would leave behind a glistening layer of ice and water on the floor. Not only was the ice surface chilling to the bone, it was extremely slippery.


    All that, I learned first hand when I accidentally stepped on the ice and welcomed a fireball to the face as my body fell butt first onto the floor, my skin prickling with the spicy sensation of the flames.


    Despite my best efforts, I didn¡¯t make much headway into approaching the occultist. His defense was extremely tight; each time I came close to him, he would take out a scroll and rip it open without hesitation.


    While I haven¡¯t seen such scrolls in action before, I knew some basic knowledge about them. Normally, an offensive area of effect magic would be sealed in these scrolls which meant only one thing, trouble!


    I immediately halted my advance but it was still too late. With a savage grin on his face, his hands pulled apart the seal on the scroll as his grinning eyes locked onto me.


    A flurry of wind blades burst out of the scroll and flew straight at me the very next instant.


    I focused my energies onto my legs as I willed them to step backwards in spite of their forward momentum. With a tilt of my body, I simultaneously tried to dodge to the side as well. However, the wind blades were simply too fast and I knew that a portion of my body was bound to be hit.


    In the face of these unavoidable wind blades, all I could do was put my faith on my trusty blade, Shadowfang. As an epic blade, it clearly wasn¡¯t as simple as it looked. My desperate defense ended up working as the wind blades dispersed harmlessly on its gleaming black surface.


    Even so, this wasn¡¯t a method I could rely on as the enormous length of the blade meant it was difficult to wave around. Thus, the remaining wind blades had to be dodged.


    With the combination of Shadowfang and my dodging, the flurry of wind blades flew past my skin, barely missing me by an inch. Their sharpness was enough to give me goosebumps just from being in proximity; no matter what, this wasn¡¯t something my body could withstand.


    Even though I ended up avoiding them perfectly, in actuality, my heart was racing with anxiety. A single misstep would¡¯ve easily cost me a limb. If I hadn¡¯t thought to pull out Shadowfang at the last second¡­I would¡¯ve been a pile of minced meat.


    However with that out of the way, the danger should have passed. Scrolls were a rare magical tool and no matter how rich this guy was, he shouldn¡¯t have that many right? With that in mind, I rushed forward once more into another magical scroll¡­


    The occultist nonchalantly pulled out a fire scroll and with a quick stare, locked onto his target. As the ripping sound of paper echoed in the air, it was swiftly drowned out by the roaring sounds of a 2m wide giant fireball that easily crushed my feeble attempt at pressuring him. Sh*t, that thing¡¯s going to squash me!


    There was no doubt in my mind that that humongous fireball had the power to kill even a three-star flame resistant devil, let alone a two-star devil like me. If I ate that head-on, I would probably be lucky to be left with cinders.


    Thankfully, the room was nearly 100 meters wide and had more than enough room for me to dodge. With the first scroll as a reference, I wasn¡¯t as shocked at seeing him take out the second.


    Upon seeing the scroll, I erred on the side of caution and immediately retreated before he even tore it open. This bit of caution ended up saving me as the giant fireball landed at my previous location a mere second later. The resulting shockwave crashed into me like a sledgehammer, sending me flying into the wall.


    Had this been a normal building on Earth, this room would¡¯ve probably collapsed from this devastating shockwave¡­however, this wasn¡¯t Earth and this basement wasn¡¯t any old basement. In the face of that deafening explosion, it barely shook let alone collapse.


    This rich kid was just too scary; if it hadn¡¯t been for my tenacity, I would¡¯ve probably died god knows how many times by now.


    By now, my fury had built up to a never seen before level and yet my mind seemed to be clearer than ever.


    Having fired off over ten spells, his attack speed began to drop noticeably. This is the time! He probably ran out of mana by now so now¡¯s the time to rip him to pieces!


    However, just as I started rushing towards him, he whipped out a third scroll from his black robes and targeted me once more¡­


    Thinking back on the previous two scrolls, I immediately stepped on the brakes and retreated backwards.


    The occultist gave a satisfied nod upon seeing me retreat. And then, under my shocked gaze, pulled out a test tube filled with an ocean blue liquid. He bit on the stopper, pulled it out with a yank of his teeth and downed the liquid right before my very eyes¡­


    A creeping dread filled me as I saw the blue liquid stream down his throat. That couldn¡¯t have been a recovery potion, could it¡­


    ¡°Hmph, I bet you want to cry right now. The one thing this young master isn¡¯t lacking is money. Whether it¡¯s mana potions, high-grade gear or scrolls, this young master has plenty to spare!¡±


    Noticing that I had stopped my advance, his grandstanding habit kicked in once more: ¡°Seeing as you were able to kill those two brothers in one swing despite their low-grade gear, that black blade must be a high-grade weapon. My guess is that it had a sharpness attribute enchanted onto it, otherwise there¡¯s no way it could slice through two chainmails reinforced with the defensive attribute.¡±


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    ¡°¡­¡± Is his head screwed on right? Has he ever considered that this might be an epic blade?


    ¡°Don¡¯t think you can hide the truth by not talking. This young master is swimming in money; there¡¯s no gear he hasn¡¯t seen before! I¡¯ll give you one last chance, swear your loyalty to me and sign this slave contract. This young master will give you the best treatment as before and even allow you to feast on the tenderest of virgin flesh!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t push your luck!¡± He bellowed after not receiving a response for a long time. His eyes reddened as he shouted: ¡°Since you refuse to yield, then just die!¡±


    The rich bast*rd began tossing his fireballs and ice spikes once more, forcing me to go on the defensive.


    ¡°Ahh~!¡±


    In midst of my dodging, a sharp scream caught my attention. A short distance away was the offering he prepared for me, the underage pregnant girl. She was curled up in ball, with her hands wrapped around her head, at a corner of the room.


    The reason for her scream was a stray fireball that landed a few inches away from her. The scorching heatwave of the fireball scalded her beautiful face, giving it an unnatural orange look. On her forehead was a noticeable bruise; she must¡¯ve hit herself on the head when the shockwave blew into her.


    This unfortunate girl¡­she should be living a carefree life at her age and yet fate had dealt her such a cruel hand¡­


    ¡° *spit* Shut up, you wench!¡± He tossed her an annoyed look and fired an ice pick in her direction, his mouth never stopping its tirade: ¡°Either way I¡¯m done playing with you, since you¡¯re so afraid, why don¡¯t you just die. After all, you don¡¯t have to be afraid once you¡¯re dead!¡±

 Chapter 96: Pain

    Even though I didn¡¯t know this unfortunate soul, there was no way I could let her die before my very eyes, not even if I closed my eyes¡­and so I did something completely anathema to my supposed identity, save her!


    While my evolutions hadn¡¯t given me much in the way of strength, they had instead, given me an equivalent boost in speed and agility. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that speed was a forte of mine given that no other two-star devil could compare to me.


    Stretching out Shadowfang¡¯s two meter long body, I managed to deflect the ice spikes from taking the life of this terrified girl.


    ¡°Haha, you actually saved that girl. I¡¯m not hallucinating am I? A devil actually saved a human!? You are such a disappointment!¡± He laughed maniacally at what he thought was the most absurd thing he had ever seen.


    He couldn¡¯t wrap his head around the fact that a devil saved a human, a human he didn¡¯t know at that. To him, devils were vile heinous creatures who should care about human lives as much as they cared about the dirt on their feet.


    Regardless of his confusion, he continued his unending barrage of spells, never letting up even for a second. In fact, he had increased his speed upon seeing me rush to save the girl.


    A second later, another fireball came hurtling towards us. I swiftly sliced it apart as usual but unlike the previous times, I didn¡¯t manage to retract the blade in time. In my anxiety to save the pregnant girl, I had overestimated my own endurance.


    Having reached the limit of my strength, I was unable to retract Shadowfang in time, fully exposing my fatal weakness to the occultist. It was in this dire situation that the next ice spike came flying towards me¡­


    The weight of this enormous blade had always been an issue for me. Normally I would have this burden split between me and the Grimoire of the Dead but now¡­I¡¯m not sure if it was pretending to be dead or something but either either way, it wasn¡¯t helping me anymore.


    Without the grimoire¡¯s help and the constant need to dodge, my stamina was rapidly exhausted, leaving me unable to swing in rapid succession and deflect the oncoming spike¡­


    Sh*t¡­if that ice spike hits me¡­I can safely prepare for my next reincarnation¡­assuming I had one. Comparatively speaking, our ice resistance was as weak as our fire resistance was strong. In fact, it was in the negative range. An ice spell like this could definitely be said to be our nemesis.


    Damnit¡­I still haven¡¯t avenged Nicole yet¡­I don¡¯t want it to end like this¡­


    Even so, all I could do was close my eyes and smile bitterly at my incoming fate. Time seemed to slow down as my last few breaths were painfully drawn out¡­drawn out¡­wait I¡¯m still breathing!


    As I opened my eyes, I was filled with a joy that could only come from having survived a disaster by sheer luck.


    The Grimoire of the Dead had acted as a shield at the critical moment and blocked a fatal blow for me once again!


    The grimoire which had laid silent ever since I came to the Western Human Realms had leapt into the air at the very last moment and collided with the ice spike. As the ice shards scattered all over the grimoire, the ice mana rapidly chilled the black book, turning it into a block of ice.


    With no time to spare on the falling grimoire, my fingers tightly wrapped around Shadowfang as I raised it above my head in a sprinting overhead chop that caught the occultist off guard!


    Unfortunately, he was only stunned for a moment before his quick reflexes allowed him to pull out another scroll in time. Given our proximity however, any offensive scroll he planned on using would hit him as well. On the other hand, if he were to hesitate for even a second, Shadowfang would cut him in half before he could even rip the seal off the scroll.


    Shockingly, he decisively tore open the scroll and fearlessly locked eyes with me as if there wasn¡¯t a razor sharp blade rushing at him this very second. Was he going all in as well? Or was gambling on the fact that I would cherish my life more and block at the last second? Either way, there was no way I¡¯m withdrawing my blade now!


    Even if it costs me my life, there¡¯s no way I¡¯m letting someone who dared to hurt Nicole off the hook! At most, we¡¯ll die together!


    With that determination in heart, Shadowfang swung down without any hesitation.


    Seeing me advance, the occultist suddenly revealed a sinister smile as if his plan had worked out: ¡°I knew you would try to cut me, unfortunately for you, I¡¯ve made preparations long before this. There¡¯s no way you will ever harm me!¡±


    As he said this, he activated the necklace that hung around his neck. Having received a mote of his mana, the necklace began to glow a radiant blue hue, shortly after, a magic barrier the shape of a semicircle appeared in front of the black robed occultist!


    It was probably this piece of equipment that gave him the courage and confidence to tear open his scroll so decisively. At the same time as the barrier was finished forming, the magic in the scroll began to activate, firing off the same flurry of wind blades.


    While my vertical slash had sliced apart the majority of the oncoming blades, a sizeable amount still managed to make their way towards me.


    On the other end, the occultist was in a similarly dire situation. Under the horrified gaze of the occultist, the gleaming black blade tore through the seemingly fragile yet surprisingly sturdy magical barrier.


    Amidst his panicked retreat, Shadowfang bore down upon him, slicing through his nose and lips before making its way down his loose robes¡­if it hadn¡¯t been for that single step backwards, he would¡¯ve been bifurcated.


    At the same time, I was buffeted by numerous wind blades. My horn was sliced off while my face and body were covered in a field of cuts. Fortunately, none of these were fatal, the only major injury was my horn whose loss would affect my mana, everything else was minor.


    Similarly, the occultist was spared from any fatal injuries. Putting aside the blade wounds on his face, the cuts on his body were merely paper cuts compared to those on my own. However, his reaction was¡­how should I say it¡­magical? Either way, it was amazing.


    ¡°Ah¡­it hurtsss¡­it hurts so mucchh¡­my face¡­my nose¡­my mouth¡­they¡¯ve been split open¡­owww¡­it hurts so much¡­¡± He began tumbling on the floor, bemoaning the minor cuts on his body, his face more savage than handsome as the blood from his cuts smeared across his face.


    Truth be told, I¡¯ve had about enough of his whining¡­weren¡¯t they just a bunch of minor injuries? If you¡¯re a real man, you would stand up and continue fighting!


    I had originally expected this to be a tough fight but who knew that this potato was such a wuss. A non-fatal wound like that actually scared him into submission. If this potato could still be considered a man, then what about me who shrugged off all these wounds like they were nothing? Was I Superman?


    ¡°Hey, you better pull yourself together right this instant.¡± In order to prevent any further surprises, I immediately stepped up to him and gave him a vicious kick that sent him spiralling into another round of crying. In midst of this, I cut off both of his hands.


    As a precaution, I wanted to cut off his tongue as well in order to prevent him from casting more spells with his tools. However, I remembered that I still needed him to tell me about Nicole¡¯s location and so stayed my hand.


    ¡°Ahh¡­my hands¡­my hands¡­¡±


    ¡°Enough with the nonsense and bring me to the place where you¡¯re keeping Nicole!¡± I forcefully suppressed my desire to kill him and lifted him off the ground. With a forceful push, I slammed the wailing occultist against the wall.


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    Probably having never experienced such pain before in his life, the will to fight had completely left the man. With the pain from his wrists and the force of my slam, the occultist slumped to the ground in a pitiful display of weakness.


    As he did so, his bloodied stumps came into contact with the ground, welcoming another round of wailing that sounded like a pig being slaughtered.


    Was it really that painful? To think that I didn¡¯t even raise an eyebrow from being run over by a truck or from being bitten to death by goblins. Hmph, I guess this brother is a true man with blood of steel.


    Having been shocked back to his senses by the pain, the occultist stared at me with wide open eyes as he stammered: ¡°Your weapon¡­epic grade¡­impossible¡­even I don¡¯t have such an equipment¡­you¡­don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re the heir of that devil lord¡­¡±


    ¡°Cut the useless chatter and bring me to Nicole!¡±


    The occultist didn¡¯t seem to respond to my command. Having lost my patience, I kicked on his back once more: ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me? Bring me to Nicole!¡±


    ¡°What Nicole¡­I don¡¯t know any Nicole¡­¡± He whimpered with a face full of snot and tears.


    ¡°She¡¯s the owner of that wallet!¡± It was at this moment that I thought to find the wallet and the hair within. Unfortunately, they were nothing more than a pile of ashes now. My anger rose once more as I stared at the former wallet.


    ¡°You damned piece of dog sh*t, hurry up and bring me to Nicole!¡± I yelled while kicking him non-stop.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t have any Nicole here¡­¡± By now, his face could barely be called a human¡¯s. Even after all that beating and scolding, all he could do was curl into a tight ball while giving off an innocent and harmless look.


    ¡°Then die!¡± Damnit, how stubborn did you have to be in order to stonewall me even in the face of death. Just watch¡­I¡¯ll slaughter you and have you as a side with a bottle of beer¡­no, this fellow mustn¡¯t die¡­if he dies, I¡¯ll be thrown back to the Prison of the Dead again¡­


    Just as I was fretting about his stubbornness, the pregnant girl who I had forgotten about all this while suddenly came up to me and knelt. ¡°Sir¡­Devil, I might know the location of the person you¡¯re looking for¡­¡±


    ¡°You know of it?!¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­yes I do¡­¡±She lowered her head instinctively, clearly shaken by my fierce reaction. After confirming that I meant her no harm, she meekly continued: ¡°I know the rough location of the slave pens¡­¡±


    Her words were like a ray of light that brightened my downcast skies. In a moment of anxiety, I grabbed her shoulders and without giving it much thought, asked in forceful tone: ¡°Bring me there, quick!¡±


    My savior! Those two bald men mentioned that they broke her legs and hadn¡¯t fed her in a few days¡­who knows what condition she was in right now¡­


    ¡°But¡­but¡­¡± That sudden touch startled her once more but thankfully, she had already determined that I wasn¡¯t going to harm her. Suppressing the nervousness in her heart, she continued: ¡°But I can¡¯t confirm her identity¡­¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll go through each of them, one by one. One of them has to be her!¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­mhm¡­¡±


    With her guiding me, I no longer needed that occultist and so I gave him another kick, knocking him unconscious.


    And so, we left for the slave pens, my left hand dragging the unconscious body of the occultist while holding onto Shadowfang with my right. Along the way, his bloodied body painted a bloody trail¡­


    There were a number of women locked up in this basement but there was only one who had their limbs broken¡­.and that woman a complete stranger¡­she¡¯s not Nicole?!


    After confirming multiple times that this crippled, dying and naked woman was the ¡°owner¡± of Nicole¡¯s wallet, I truly wanted to thank the heavens¡­she¡¯s¡­she¡¯s safe.


    This search for the wallet¡¯s owner had truly been a rollercoaster of a journey for me. Truth be told, I was a bit of a purist¡­I only read harem novels and not those tasteless smut novels¡­furthermore, it must be the kind of harem that accepted all virgin women.


    The reason why I was still a virgin at 35 was because my first girlfriend wasn¡¯t a virgin¡­and also because we broke up¡­because I suspected that she wasn¡¯t a virgin¡­


    Throughout this journey, I constantly mulled over the question of Nicole¡¯s status¡­what am I to do if she had been¡­


    The result was that, even if I had break my teeth and swallow this bit of indignation, I would endure that bit of taint. Even though this decision pained me greatly, it was worth it for Nicole. That¡¯s because my love for her was more than the love for myself, even though I still had that dream of starting a harem¡­


    And then¡­I was given a serendipitous surprise. The dying girl in front of me wasn¡¯t Nicole at all; instead she was a thief that stole Nicole¡¯s wallet!

 Chapter 97: Questioning

    And so the pregnant girl took me on a tour through the slave pens, in the process saving over 20 other beautiful teenage girls, all of whom were between the age of 14 to 19. Some were locked up by themselves while others were locked up in groups of two or three. All of whom had one thing in common, which was their youthful and captivating beauty.


    All of them had a common reaction to my identity as a devil; fear and apprehension. They probably thought I was going to eat their souls after gaining their trust¡­


    And that¡¯s why I say, a devil¡¯s reputation is worse than a pile of dog sh*t on the sidewalk, even saving a person is hard.


    Because Nicole was still nowhere in sight, I wasn¡¯t in the mood to explain myself either, at least until the pregnant girl brought me to an isolated room¡­


    Using the key I looted off his unconscious body, the door opened with a click, unleashing in my opinion what had to be one of the foulest smells I had ever smelt since reincarnating, again. Considering I had spent time next to an actual mountain of corpses before, that was saying something indeed.


    It was a stench that could only come from having locked a beast in a sealed room for a long time. The only person who found this more painful to bear was probably that crippled girl lying in the middle of the room naked. Judging by her pallid expression, that must¡¯ve been the girl who the brothers crippled.


    Throughout this entire process of saving the girls, my heart would pound furiously as I stood outside each of the rooms. It was as if I was standing on a precipice, all it took was a single push to send me over the edge. Was it Nicole behind the door? Or was it¡­


    As the door swung ajar, what greeted me was a golden head of hair and a sudden change of perspective as I collapsed to the floor¡­that¡¯s right, my legs gave way at that instant¡­it wasn¡¯t Nicole¡­thank God¡­.


    ¡°*Bark Bark Bark!*¡± My attention was immediately drawn away, past the naked girl that was chained spread eagled to the floor by four poles, and onto three large yellow dogs that reminded me of a chinese field dog.


    (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tugou) (https://tinyurl.com/y99jupqh)


    Originally, these three potatoes were quietly gathered in a corner but upon noticing an intruder, me, enter, they immediately stood up and began barking.


    Dogs¡­broken limbs¡­don¡¯t tell me this is the girl who had Nicole¡¯s wallet!


    ¡°Dog¡­¡± Those brothers were talking about humiliating ¡°Nicole¡± with dogs¡­madness, how could dogs and man¡­ah, exactly what am I picturing in my head!


    ¡°Die!¡± Even though she wasn¡¯t Nicole, I was raging just the same, these people were worse than beasts! It¡¯s one thing for them to do it themselves but they actually used these dogs to humiliate her. Even the 18th level of hell wasn¡¯t enough for men like them! With righteous fury burning within me, I dashed forward and with a swing of Shadowfang, punished those dogs.


    With the dogs taken care of permanently, I finally turned to the poor girl lying in the middle of the room. She really wasn¡¯t Nicole huh¡­Nicole had a blazing head of red hair while hers was a radiant blond. Perhaps the recent events had gotten to her, but her hair seemed a little dull as if reflecting her current state.


    The blond girl was secured tightly to each of the wooden poles with her back facing the air and arced in a way to expose her butt and private parts¡­.which¡­had really been¡­


    Judging from the strange angle of her limbs, they must¡¯ve been thoroughly dislocated. Not only that, her body was covered in a gamut of burn marks, whip marks, bruises and even knife marks, criss crossing with each other to paint a gruesome picture on her body.


    ¡°You¡­are still alive right¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± She didn¡¯t reply me but neither was she dead either. Instead, she merely stared at me, her eyes completely devoid of life. Even in the face of an infamous devil, her expression didn¡¯t change a bit. From the looks of it, she had completely shut herself off from the world.


    In the midst of my musings, the pregnant girl chimed in: ¡°Master¡­she might not understand the language of the devils, perhaps you should let me translate instead.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Embarrassing.


    It finally dawned on me that I had been using the devil¡¯s tongue up till now. Even when I was conversing with the pregnant girl, we communicated in the devil¡¯s tongue. Putting aside the question of why she even knew this language, now that I knew where the problem lied, it was a simple matter to fix it.


    Changing to the tongue of the humans, I said: ¡°It¡¯s alright, you should release her instead, I¡¯m not even sure if her limbs can recover anymore.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­you can speak in our language?¡±


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    ¡°Mhm.¡± I nodded while hurrying her along with a wave of my hands, not even taking the time to admire her stunned expression. I instructed the other slaves to help her rescue the crippled girl as well.


    Having received my command, the slaves gingerly undid her bindings and found a relatively clean spot for her to sit. I even found a blanket to wrap her in, hiding her wound-ridden body; the last thing I wanted was to be constantly reminded of her pitiful state.


    With that settled, I got one of the slave girls to fetch her some water which she halfheartedly drank. While she still had that lifeless look in her eyes, the fact that she drank the water meant that there was still hope.


    According to their own words, the brothers had starved this girl for several days. Fearing the worst, I checked her body for any signs of bite marks. Given that the dogs were locked in with her as well, they might have gnawed on her flesh in a fit of frenzied hunger.


    However, this theory was quickly debunked not only because there were no bite marks but also because I had discovered dog food nearby¡­was it to prevent them from biting her to death or¡­


    The room wasn¡¯t a particularly large one, it was roughly 50 meters square in area but the majority of the space had been taken by a enormous collection of torture implements. There wasn¡¯t even a bed in the room. In order to accommodate her weakened state, I ended up holding my interrogation here.


    I got slave girls to gather together in the room and in front of them, kicked the black robed sleeping beauty on the floor.


    The sudden impact on his head jolted the occultist back to consciousness. As he looked around with dazed eyes, his gaze fell upon the stumps where hands once were. It finally dawned on him that all that wasn¡¯t a dream but was instead reality!


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­don¡¯t hit me¡­don¡¯t kill me¡­¡± Upon seeing the gathered slaves, he immediately realized how precarious his situation was. He struggled to climb to his feet but his desperate attempt was swiftly thwarted by a kick to his leg. Having lost his balance, he fell to the ground with a loud thud.


    I pointed at the catatonic blonde girl and asked emotionlessly: ¡°Did you get the wallet from her?¡±


    He glanced at the blonde girl before weakly answering: ¡°¡­yes¡­it¡¯s hers¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Nicole really wasn¡¯t captured¡­thank goodness¡­


    The gathered slaves stared at their former master with mixed feelings. Some were fearful while others were angry, either way, not a single one of them pitied his plight. After all, this beast was the entire reason why they were locked up. However, old habits die hard, even in his helpless state, the slaves didn¡¯t dare to take revenge on him.


    ¡°There¡¯s no one else here?¡± Having confirmed Nicole¡¯s safety, my mind was no longer stuck in an angry rut. Turning my gaze onto the slave who was the most mentally stable, in other words, the only one who wasn¡¯t that fearful of me, the pregnant girl, I said: ¡°While that battle didn¡¯t end up destroying the basement, I¡¯m sure it must¡¯ve caused a significant ruckus. If there¡¯s anyone nearby, they might just come over to have a look.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Master, there¡¯s no other living person in the vicinity except for us.¡± She replied, roughly guessing the concern behind my words.


    ¡°Young Master is an occultist after all, while they weren¡¯t as hated as the necromancers, being an occultist wasn¡¯t an honorable job either. This is why he built his villa in a remote area where no one would visit.¡± She calmly explained.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Having heard her explanation, my worries were put at ease. I grabbed a handful of the occultist¡¯s hair and violently smashed his head into the floor thrice, turning his face into a bloodied mess. However, he was still conscious.


    I let out an exasperated sigh. I wanted to smash his head again but I was worried that I might end up killing him, so stayed my hand temporarily. Seeing my troubled expression, the pregnant girl graciously offered her assistance.


    ¡°Master, if you wish to render Young Master powerless, there¡¯s actually a simple way to do so. In order for mages to cast their spells, they need to chant. Sometimes, this required hand seals or magical arrays. Since you¡¯ve chopped off his hands, all we have to do is take away his magical tools and seal his mouth and limbs.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, let¡¯s go with your plan then.¡± Who knew that this little girl was a talent as well. While her words weren¡¯t always on the mark, they were mostly logical and well thought out.


    I loosened my grip on the occultist who by now had wet his pants from the repeated shocks. I nodded my head to show my accent, at the same time, I reminded her: ¡°Make sure not to kill him.¡± The last thing I wanted was to get summoned back to Hell due to an accident caused by an angry former slave.


    ¡°I understand Master, I¡¯ll be careful.¡±


    With the matter of the black robed caster settled, my gaze subconsciously wandered back onto the blonde girl. Just by looking at those three dogs, I could roughly guess how much of an ordeal she had undergone. Even after being rescued, she didn¡¯t seem responsive at all, which was a problem¡­I still needed to ask her where she got that wallet from.


    While I could understand her plight, I would shut myself off as well if I had to go through that torture, but her unresponsiveness had truly put me in a bind.


    In the end, I decided to try my luck with a question: ¡°If you answer my questions, I¡¯ll hand over that occultist to you. You can do with him as you wish.¡±


    That sentence seemed to have some effect as the blonde girl turned towards me with her deadpan eyes and stared at me, silent as ever.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll take your silence as consent.¡± I pointed at the black robed mage bound by the remaining slaves and said in the sincerest tone I could muster. ¡°Look, your enemy is right over there. The two bald men have already been killed by me so all that remains is for you to take revenge upon him. As long as you tell me where you got that wallet from, I¡¯ll hand him over to you.¡±


    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t kill him, you¡¯re free to do as you please. Even if you wish to get a horse to f*ck his *ss, I¡¯ll support you. Just as long as you don¡¯t kill him. It would be a waste to kill him, after all you can¡¯t torture a dead person.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Having listened to my persuasive words, her eyes began to glint with life once more as her placid face began to take on an angry expression.


    ¡°Sto¡­Stol¡­Stolen¡­¡± She struggled to spit out that word. Not speaking for so long made it difficult for her to speak right off the bat.


    ¡°Where did you steal it from?¡± She finally talked¡­this is harder than questioning a prisoner¡­


    ¡°Az¡­Azure¡­City¡­¡±

 Chapter 98: Ancarin

    ¡°Azure¡­¡± I had some vague recollection of such a city during my brief stint as a human. It was the city closest to Chaik Village that possesses a warrior academy.


    ¡°If it¡¯s Azure, I know how to get there. We¡¯ll have to pass through several cities on the way. Without a carriage, it will take us an entire month of walking to get there.¡± She answered while simultaneously instructing the slave girls to look after the crippled girl.


    ¡°Master, you wish to travel to Azure?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, there¡¯s someone I have to find in Azure.¡± If it¡¯s just finding someone, there shouldn¡¯t be a need for me to hide my motives. Besides expecting someone like me who couldn¡¯t tell north from south to navigate on his own¡­it would be a miracle if I even had the map turned the right way up.


    ¡°Locating a person might be slightly difficult¡­¡± the pregnant girl furrowed her brows as she pondered for a second. ¡°May I know if this person has any special characteristics?¡±


    ¡°Characteristics huh.¡± I thought about it for while: if that wallet was stolen in Azure, that means that she had traveled to Azure, as for the reason why¡­wasn¡¯t the academy that Sares studied in called Azure Warrior Academy?


    So she ended up following Sares¡­she still chose him in the end¡­in that case, there¡¯s no need for me to be a third wheel¡­


    No, no matter what the result is, I must verify it with my own two eyes. I finally found my way back to the Western Human Realm. No matter what the cost, I must find Nicole!


    I decisively put a lid on any further discussion and said: ¡°The only reason she might be in Azure is to study in Azure¡¯s warrior academy.¡±


    ¡°If she¡¯s a student, that makes our search range significantly smaller but the academy has a pretty strict policy about visitors, usually strangers wouldn¡¯t be allowed in.¡± The pregnant girl gave her analysis once more, showing off an intelligence which I would¡¯ve never connected to the girl who just moments ago seemed to be on the verge of mental collapse.


    ¡°If Master is looking for a student in the warrior academy, it might be a little troublesome, we¡¯ll have to wait outside and pray we run into her¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with the sudden change in attitude? I remember you were deathly afraid of me when we first met.¡± I had to admit this girl¡¯s adaptability sure was something¡­


    ¡°This is all to repay Master¡¯s benevolence. Besides in the short time we¡¯ve known each other, Master doesn¡¯t seem to be as scary as the devils I¡¯ve heard out.¡± She gave a confident smile and said: ¡°Allow me to introduce myself. I¡¯m Ancarin, an apprentice mage.¡±


    ¡°¡­Mo Ke.¡± For some reason, it felt as if the initiative had always been on Ancarin¡¯s side whenever I had a conversation with this pregnant girl.


    ¡°Master Mo Ke, if you wish to visit Azure, I suggest you refrain from traveling alone. After all, your identity is kind of¡­¡± Her friendly banter came to an abrupt halt at the mention of my identity as she paused for moment, seemingly deep in thought. ¡°¡­sensitive.¡±


    ¡°¡­I guess you¡¯re right, my appearance is kind of a dead giveaway.¡± I said while staring at my red tinted hands. My appearance was that of a two-star head imp but instead of the usual burly physique of one, I had a leaner physique that had the elegant slenderness of a forest elf.


    If it wasn¡¯t for my red skin and horn, I could have passed for a normal human, an unusually thin and bald human. However, it was exactly this ¡®if¡¯ that prevented me from hiding my devil identity!


    Oh, right¡­my horn had just been sliced off, leaving a 3mm stump at where it stood. With a hood, I should be able to cover that up entirely.


    ¡°If you wear a hooded robe, your identity shouldn¡¯t be easily discernible, in fact it would almost make you seem like an elf. Of course, the skin is still a problem, so you¡¯ll have to wear a mask and probably gloves as well.¡± She continued on with her teasing that sounded like a compliment but yet was strangely wounding as well.


    She then blurted out a sentence that struck deeply into my wounds: ¡° A beautiful devil like you shouldn¡¯t be that common in hell right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a guy¡­¡± The words sounded almost like they had been squeezed through my clenched teeth.


    ¡°Ah¡­you¡­¡± Her perky self immediately quietened down as her face turned a deathly shade of white, as if something had just scared the living daylights out of her. Whether it was her or the other slaves, all of them had the same terrified look as they screamed and huddled together.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on with you all?¡± Everything was fine a second ago, how did it turn into this so suddenly?


    Truth be told, over 20 beautiful teenage girls huddling together in terror was a pretty interesting sight as well, especially given their rather enticing outfits. A few of them even had holes in certain strategic positions.


    The only person who wasn¡¯t terrified was the blonde girl laying on the floor. Was she really that brave or had she simply lost all interest in this broken jar known as her life? Either way, she had an uncaring look on her face.


    ¡°Hey, am I really that scary?¡± As I said this, I walked towards what looked like a mirror inlaid into the wall and gave myself a lookover. Come to think of it, this was the first time I¡¯ve used a mirror ever since I¡¯ve become a devil. What greeted me wasn¡¯t the usual ugly mug of a devil but was instead an enchanting albeit hairless face.


    Even without the hair, I had nothing but praises for my peerless face¡­but why does it look so feminine¡­before this, I had always assumed I was a man through and through except¡­for the lack of a pee pee¡­


    ¡°You¡­won¡¯t do anything to us¡­will you¡­¡± The one who spoke up first was as expected, Ancarin. Noticing me stare at the mirror for a long time, she finally gathered up the courage to approach my back and question me, her perkiness and intelligence seemingly gone with the wind.


    Even though she didn¡¯t mention it explicitly, I roughly knew what she meant by ¡°do¡±. I sighed and said in a helpless tone: ¡°Is it a must that I do all that to you guys?¡±


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    ¡°Then¡­you¡­¡± Having gotten the answer she wanted to hear, Ancarin was visibly more relaxed though she was still wary. Her eyes sneaked a glance at the sore spot beneath my waist before darting back up: ¡°You¡¯re sure you won¡¯t do anything to us?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± I wanted to pull the hair out of my head to express my frustration right now, but I didn¡¯t have any. Unfortunately, I still had to give them an explanation. After all, I couldn¡¯t exactly say ¡°I have no pee pee so you have nothing to worry about.¡±


    I smiled bitterly and said: ¡°If I wanted to do anything to you all, I would¡¯ve done so already. Why would I wait until now? Besides, given your strength, I don¡¯t think any of you can resist me.¡±


    My words were abundantly clear: I am the strongest here so what I say, goes. Since I haven¡¯t harmed you yet, there¡¯s no reason for me to do so in the future either.


    ¡°Phew¡­Master, you should¡¯ve just said so earlier instead of scaring us like that.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± So now it¡¯s my fault? Would you believe me if I told you so earlier? Don¡¯t tell me I have to carve ¡°I¡¯m good guy¡± on my head just to inform you!


    ¡°By the way, how¡¯s her injuries?¡± The sudden change in topic had thrown my thoughts severely off course. Having no recollection of what we were talking about, I pointed at the crippled girl and asked: ¡°It¡¯s not convenient for me to check on her so who here has some medical background and can treat her?¡±


    ¡°I checked her just now, her limbs have been broken and dislocated. Judging from the swelling they¡¯re in bad shape right now. Those two recovery potions you looted off Young Master should help with that though.¡± Ancarin replied with the slight aura of a learned person. She calmly retrieved the two test tubes full of red liquid and gave them a shake in front of me.


    ¡°If you¡¯ll allow it, I can use of these potions to treat her limbs. Given its efficacy, her bones might even be stronger than before.¡±


    That occultist was a veritable treasure trove of valuable loot. Not only did I manage to find over a hundred gold coins and ten test tubes of recovery potions, there were five more magical scrolls and the necklace he had used to create that barrier. All of these were high-grade enchanted gear that if sold, could easily fetch over ten gold coins with the most expensive being the necklace which could probably fetch over 10,000 gold coins.


    ¡°Let her use it.¡± I answered without any hesitation. She had already suffered enough at such a tender age. For all we knew, her despondency might be in large part due to her crippled limbs.


    Having received a definite affirmative, the blonde girl laid there as lifeless as ever but Ancarin on the other hand, was visibly more excited. Her eyes lit up as if she were the one who was getting treated instead. ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll get her fixed up right away.¡±


    She roped in a few slaves to act as her assistants while she went about inspecting the blonde girl¡¯s injuries. Having finished her initial examination, she swiftly popped the bones back in place with a practiced deftness and proceeded to pour the red fluid onto the girl¡¯s injuries.


    As the red fluid streamed onto the girl¡¯s skin, it was immediately absorbed into her blood vessels while Ancarin knelt by her side, securing her limbs to ensure that the bones were set right.


    The entire process went smoothly without much incident except for a few times when the blonde girl groaned from the extreme pain.


    Roughly twenty minutes later, the treatment was over. Ancarin briefly instructed the other slave girls to look after the blonde girl before getting up and giving her sore back a good stretch. ¡°It¡¯s finally over.¡±


    ¡°You seem pretty experienced.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I was a doctor before I became an apprentice mage¡­¡± As she said this, her cheerfulness suddenly disappeared, the pride from having just treated the girl vanishing without a trace.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Judging from her expression, she must¡¯ve inadvertently dredged up some painful memories.


    Without paying my question any heed, she turned to the bound and gagged occultist, her eyes burning with hatred as she said: ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to him!¡±


    According to her, the majority of the teenage girls here had all been tricked into coming to this place. He would frequent the cities and villages nearby and scout out young and naive girls. Most of the time, his handsome face and seemingly endless wealth were enough to win over the girls.


    Over half of the girls here fell to this tactic, of which the most severely injured of the lot, the blonde girl, was one of them.


    Ancarin was born into a doctor¡¯s household and had been groomed since a young age. When she was 12, she became an exceptional apprentice doctor. Two years later, her talents allowed her to graduate from apprenticeship, becoming a full fledged doctor. It was at this moment that the black robed caster approached and told her that she had a gift for magic and that he was willing to teach her.


    In this world, was there any kid that wasn¡¯t fascinated by magic and its grandeur? Putting that aside, the status that being a mage afforded was more than enough to drive a person crazy. Being a mage elevated one¡¯s status above the common masses and was a surefire way to nobility.


    Ancarin was no exception to this rule either. What she really wanted to become was a mage respected by countless people and not some doctor.


    (Author¡¯s Note: Medical treatments in the Western Human Realms consists of potions, healing magic and normal drugs. The red fluid belonged to the alchemical category of potions. Healing magic and potions were relatively rare in the Western Human Realms. The majority of the citizenry would instead rely on normal drugs to treat their illnesses.


    ?


    As such, there were a lot of doctors in the Western Human Realms. These doctors were only there to treat the problems of the commoners. After all, the nobility didn¡¯t lack money and were thus able to afford the rarer and more expensive methods of potions and magic. They were, after all, faster than conventional medicine.)

 Chapter 99: Duran’s Sin

    According to the person himself, the occultist¡¯s name was Duran Kefka, the legitimate son of an elder in some random mage clan; apparently, he was sent out as part of his training. However, beneath this prestigious upbringing was a veritable devil, a devil that was even more of a devil than the devil himself.


    His nature could only be described as sadistic with cunning coming in at a close second. He loved to force himself onto young girls; to him, he was a superior breed of human and ordinary people were nothing more than cattle.


    After taking in Ancarin as his apprentice, he was, for a time, a conscientious teacher. However, there was a sinister motive behind his uncharacteristic behavior. He wanted to summon a permanent devil servant. In order to do so, he needed the strength to suppress such a servant. If he didn¡¯t have that, a sufficiently attractive sacrifice could also be used to lure the devil into a master-servant contract.


    In other words, what he couldn¡¯t solve with his fists, he could solve with money. Given the right price, even a king would kneel.


    Naturally, devils weren¡¯t interested in gold coins and such. Instead, they were most interested in souls; which functioned as a currency of sorts. Gold coins were able to get you everything from clothes, food, houses, slaves and even power¡­it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that gold was something you couldn¡¯t live without in human society. Souls were the equivalent of gold coins for devils, in fact, they were even more important.


    Notably, souls were also a source of sustenance and evolution for devils. Mankind was definitely not able to feed on gold or use it to evolve, at least not directly. Devils on the other hand, could so so with souls.


    While Duran had a massive source of souls nearby, the neighboring human city, he wasn¡¯t audacious enough to slaughter a hundred humans just for a summoning ritual. Such a conspicuous move could be easily traced by mages who specialized in soul magic. Therefore, he decided to substitute quantity for quality.


    Then came the next question, how do you increase the quality of a soul? Increasing its inborn talent and power of course! And so, the occultist concocted a nefarious plan where he would groom a talented female into a mage and sacrifice her once she got stronger.


    It was then that he stumbled upon the newly graduated doctor, Ancarin. He saw in her an astonishing level of talent, and an ambitious heart that wasn¡¯t satisfied with just being average. Ambitious people tended to be hardworking people. Take for example, Liu Bei from the Three Kingdoms era.


    He dreamt of being an Emperor since young and worked towards it ever since. Despite his abysmal battle results, he persevered, never backing down from battles until finally he recruited the brilliant strategist, Zhuge Liang from which point his ambitions took off.


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    That is why what¡¯s scary isn¡¯t just ambition, but rather hardworking and ambitious people. Ancarin was just such a person, a girl who wanted to learn magic no matter what the price. Of course, this didn¡¯t include her chastity.


    Initially, he didn¡¯t particularly feel any lust for her. After all, he had an entire basement full of beautiful slaves to choose from, a number of which had the talent for magic as well.


    However, these girls didn¡¯t have the drive that Ancarin did. Compared to magical knowledge, they were more interested in the young, handsome and wealthy mage. Duran naturally didn¡¯t mind having a tumble with them but the problem was¡­there¡¯s no point if they didn¡¯t raise their power!


    If their power didn¡¯t increase, their souls would remain at the same low quality. Low quality means no devil and no devil meant that all this was for naught.


    Prior to Ancarin, Duran had taken in a number of talented apprentices as well. However, they didn¡¯t take too well to the tedium of daily meditation. Rather than the horrendously slow progression of mediation, buttering up Duran was clearly a quicker way to fulfill their dreams.


    He didn¡¯t mind their attention initially, however as time passed, he grew frustrated with this arrangement. Why? Because he suddenly remembered the original reason why he brought in these girls to begin with¡­


    Before he knew it, his plan to groom these constantly bickering, needy and envious girls into suitable sacrifices ended up turning into a harem.


    Reflecting back on his mistakes, he immediately demoted these girls into slaves and began to search for new prey. It was in this circumstance that he came upon the exceptional Ancarin.


    Why was she exceptional? Because unlike the other girls, she didn¡¯t waste time buttering him up but instead focused on her magical studies. Furthermore, her comprehension ability was high. In just under a year she managed to graduate from an acolyte to an apprentice mage.


    (Apprentice mages were one-star mages. Most of the time, it took an acolyte one to two years to progress from zero-star into a one-star apprentice.)


    During this entire year, Duran never once made a move on her as he didn¡¯t want to risk destroying such an exceptional sprout. Everyday, he would conscientiously teach her and stay by her side, rarely leaving the villa. Only when he truly couldn¡¯t take it did he visit the basement to relieve himself.


    This lifestyle continued until one day, Ancarin stumbled upon the truth.


    It all started with Ancarin asking for leave to visit her home. It had been an entire year since she came to his villa and she was getting homesick. Duran agreed to it readily as he knew that she would definitely come back to him. After all, this was the only place she could learn magic for free. After settling on a return time, Duran went on a trip as well.


    A year of being cooped up in that villa had nearly driven him stir crazy. All his time had been spent on teaching Ancarin, leaving no time for him to hunt for fresh prey. Playing with those broken toys of his in the basement was no longer enough to satisfy him. Ancarin was an enchanting girl and had a chaste body, but now wasn¡¯t the time to touch her¡­


    Like a rampaging horse, he made sure to have his fill of women before heading home, with a girl in tow¡­


    As for why he brought this girl back with him, it was because she once tried to steal something from him and had even tried to fight back when he caught her.


    Even after he forced himself on the bandit girl she didn¡¯t submit to him, and instead resisted even more. His patience finally snapped and he decided to kidnap her back to his base. Along the way, he used every trick in the book on her, their tumbles lasting an entire day at times.


    In actuality, this trip wasn¡¯t as fruitless as he had originally thought. Other than the bandit girl, he picked up a certain wallet as well, which to his surprise, held exactly what he wanted.


    It was a strand of blue hair that held a trace of demonic energy on it. For someone who was in the midst of preparing to summon a devil, there could not be a more fortuitous find than obtaining a devil¡¯s medium.


    Having been away for some time, Duran hadn¡¯t adjusted his mindset back to that of a conscientious mage teacher. After their usual magic lessons, he left in a hurry, eager to toy with the bandit girl once more. However, unlike the previous times, he didn¡¯t make sure to guard against Ancarin.


    With a question still hanging over her head, she wanted to approach him for clarification, but upon noticing his unusual hurried behavior, she decided to follow him out of curiosity¡­


    And thus everything was exposed. By the time she realized that her teacher was a deviant who enjoyed forcing himself onto women, it was too late for her.


    Now that she knew about his true identity, there was no way he could let her leave. In that case, there was no point in maintaining this facade. He forced her into a relationship while dangling the carrot of magic lessons in front of her, while at the side, he began the preparations for the ritual.


    The first summoning ended up in a complete failure; he could sense the hair forming a connection but the other party simply wasn¡¯t in the summoning zone, and his mana wasn¡¯t enough to forcefully tear through the dimensional barriers.


    Therefore the first ritual failed, however he wasn¡¯t particularly upset about it either. Rather, this only intensified his interest in the hair¡¯s owner. To him, a devil that could leave a medium of itself in the human world couldn¡¯t be just any old devil.


    A lot of devils would leave a summoning medium of theirs in different worlds in order to increase their chances of being summoned by a mage who specializes in summoning magic. If the target of the summoning was too strong or was already dead, there was a chance that his offspring would be summoned instead.


    It was precisely this reason that led him to believe that this particular devil was special. Thus, he decided to put this aside for now and wait for a more opportune time. In the meantime, it was back to paradise once more now that the cat was out of the bag.


    For Ancarin, it was the beginning of a never-ending abyss. On top of her forced meditations, she had to endure his constant abuse. In order to prevent her from retaliating, he made sure to only impart her the basics of meditation and accumulating mana without any spells to go along with it. His reasoning? One shouldn¡¯t get distracted while building their magical foundation¡­


    Truth be told, this was a valid reason and was a common occurrence during the initial stages of learning magic. It was like those wuxia novels where the student would focus on his internal techniques first before learning any sword techniques.


    A good foundation is needed to build a skyscraper. This was the same with magic as well.


    In order to increase his chances of summoning his devil servant, Duran set up a magical array for reconnaissance purposes. The moment the devil in question entered a summoning zone, the array would give off a faint blue light. Thus, several months passed without any reaction from the array.


    It was only after a month into Ancarin¡¯s pregnancy did the array suddenly react. After such a long wait, it was finally time for him to summon his devil servant.


    His heart pounded with excitement as he made his way to the prepared ritual room. The preparation had already been made long beforehand, and all that remained was to bring Ancarin to the ritual room in the basement.


    With the completion of the ritual what greeted him was a strange looking devil, which at a glance, looked like a lust demon yet didn¡¯t have the unique characteristics of one. Even though its face was that of a peerless beauty, as an occultist, he knew not to be fooled by a devil¡¯s appearance. Some devils were able to manipulate their appearances in order to beguile their targets.


    Thus, he had never considered the other party¡¯s gender. Instead he believed in the supreme quality of his sacrifice.


    After several months of training, Ancarin had become significantly more obedient. She had basically mastered all the positions and had even learnt to take on a more proactive role. Based on this alone, one could say that she had been stained with the sin of lust.


    A mage¡¯s soul was completely different from an ordinary person¡¯s soul. With a one month old fetus in her, Ancarin¡¯s body essentially housed two souls within it, raising the quality of this sacrifice by another notch. Not only that, the fetus was born of Duran¡¯s seed as well. This act of sacrificing his own flesh and blood could be counted as the highest grade of sacrifice ever.


    Thus, he had the utmost confidence in his choice of sacrifice. After all, which devil could resist the lure of not only a sacrifice of the highest grade, but also the chance of being able to stay in the Western Human Realms permanently¡­


    He had this all planned out in his mind: the devil would readily accept his sacrifice and in a moment of bloodthirsty frenzy, consume her, piece by piece while she was still alive. After which, it would enjoy the rare delicacy of a dual soul body.


    Unfortunately for him, the devil he summoned had to be me¡­

 Chapter 100: Trus

    As the slave girls were still afraid of me, interacting with them was difficult to say the least. Therefore I had the only slave who wasn¡¯t afraid of me, Ancarin, accompany me to the basement to finish looting the corpses.


    The first thing she did was search for the severed wrists of Duran. Her lips broke into a grin as she looted the magical rings previously worn by him. While these were only low-grade enchanted gear and wasn¡¯t much compared to the necklace she had looted, they were still a windfall for the apprentice mage.


    As for why she was given these rings¡­.it wasn¡¯t that I looked down on these magical aids, it also wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t need them. Instead¡­


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    ¡°Settle down, I¡¯m just giving these rings a look, I¡¯m not going to put them on!¡±


    Where should I start¡­


    Out of curiosity, I asked for the ring which Duran used to cast his fireballs. However, just as I did so, the Grimoire of the Dead began throwing a tantrum. For some unknown reason, it didn¡¯t want me to put on any other enchanted gear.


    As I tried to put it on, the grimoire rammed itself into the ruby ring, sending it flying onto the floor several meters away with a resounding cling. Thankfully, the ring was sturdy enough to survive the fall, and was swiftly picked up by Ancarin.


    ¡°Alright alright, I won¡¯t wear it.¡± Honestly, this wasn¡¯t the main goal of my trip downstairs. Instead, it was for the souls of those bald brothers. Both of them were three-star warriors and would definitely count as premium grade nourishment. However, their souls were nowhere to be found even after a thorough searching of the entire basement.


    Come to think of it, the grimoire of the dead seemed rather active¡­don¡¯t tell me¡­


    ¡°You ate them didn¡¯t you!¡± I strangled the grimoire with my hands, my teeth clenched and my eyes burned.


    ¡°Both of those three-star souls, you better spit them out right now!¡±


    I was wondering why it started acting up even though it had been so docile up until now¡­so that¡¯s why¡­it was bored after its meal.


    Speaking of meals¡­how long has it been since I last ate?


    Whether it was the Blood Sea, the Land of the Dead or the Prison of the Dead, all of them were places without a day and night cycle. Mealtime and rest time were all I had to rely on to count the days.


    But that wasn¡¯t a long term solution either, after all, I couldn¡¯t just count every nap as one day. You could say that my sense of time had been in disarray ever since I reincarnated. All I knew was that it had been a long time.


    ¡°What year is it?¡± The moment of truth¡­


    ¡°Year 1283.¡± She paused for second before she answered, clearly she didn¡¯t expect a devil to be interested in the calendar year. A moment later, she considerately added: ¡°7th day of the 12th month.¡±


    (Author Note: For convenience sake, the calendar of the Western Human Realms is the same as on Earth. 365 days, 12 years, 4 seasons but no leap years.) [Or daylight savings if you¡¯re into all that mumbo jumbo.]


    ¡°Year 1283, 12th month, 7th day¡­¡± If my memory serves me right, the day I died protecting Yi Yi was 02/12/1282. So I¡¯ve spent over a year as a reincarnated devil.


    [TL: Day/Month/Year , DD/MM/YYYY for convenience¡¯ sake.]


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Having roughly determined that I was harmless, Ancarin became a lot more forthright in her speech, abandoning some of her previous formalness.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± There¡¯s no way I¡¯m revealing the fact that I was reincarnated into a devil. It¡¯s not like anyone would believe me anyway, it was simply too absurd.


    She cocked her head to the side and asked once more in an adorable voice: ¡°May I know what¡¯s troubling you?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, there¡¯s nothing left to be looted here; let¡¯s head up.¡± I hurried her along. Having been denied my meal, my stomach was left wanting after that short excursion. ¡°I wonder what your sisters have whipped up for us. I sure hope it¡¯s something delicious, I haven¡¯t had any proper food in over a year.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve eaten human food before?¡±


    ¡°I had it daily in the past, later on¡­¡± Forget it, now¡¯s not the time to be thinking about mountains of corpses and those devils, that would just spoil my appetite.


    Returning back to the surface, we found that the dining hall mostly cleaned up by now. It was an enormous dining hall with an opulent chandelier hanging from above; as you would expect of a noble¡¯s villa.


    On the walls were the typical oil paintings that no one understood; but pretended to. The majority of the room was occupied by a long dining table with silverware laid on top of it; with an equally expensive looking fur rug below the table. At the corner was an ominous looking lucky charm that was bounded up like a rice dumpling (hogtied).


    All these could probably fetch up to fifty to sixty thousand gold coins¡­


    Sprawled out across the table was a veritable feast of meats, vegetables and fruits, some of which I had never eaten or even smelt before.


    I surveyed the room and did a quick headcount; all of the slaves were accounted for, including the blonde girl who still laid there on the floor. I thought some would try to escape while I was down there, but thinking back on it, staying was probably the better choice.


    After all, I was their savior and a pretty amiable master. Without much other information on me and my methods, staying was a lot safer than running away.


    The slaves stood by the wall, not a single one dared to sit before we came back. As I stepped into the room, their faces froze up. Having no prior interaction with me, they didn¡¯t know how to react and so they kept quiet.


    ¡°I¡¯m not really particular about the rules so everyone please sit. While everyone is here eating, let¡¯s have a chat about our future plans.¡± Having said that, I took the lead and sat down first; after which I gave the blonde girl laying on the ground another glance. Looks like she wasn¡¯t planning to fit in.


    With no other option available, I turned to Ancarin and in a slightly helpless tone, said: ¡°Help her up to the table so she can eat with everyone else.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Master Mo Ke.¡± She signaled for two slave girls to assist her in carrying the motionless girl to her chair. While she was adamant about pretending to be dead, she still sat down like a normal person.


    Having gone through that potion treatment, her limbs were mostly healed up and even those criss crossing wounds were nowhere to be seen. Based on appearance alone, one would¡¯ve never guessed that she had been through such a traumatic experience.


    With the blonde girl seated, the rest of the slaves sat down as well with Ancarin as the lead. I have to say¡­could this table be any longer? With nearly thirty of us seated, there¡¯s still plenty of seats left.


    The meals in the Western Human Realms were presented in an individual dining style with the dishes laid out on the table for you to take at your convenience¡­that is, if you were a peasant. Nobles naturally had someone to serve them the food.


    As Ancarin sat beside me, she did her part as a butler would, even though she technically wasn¡¯t my servant. The food wasn¡¯t particularly exquisite, especially not for our setting, but after not eating human food for over a year, it was more than enough for me.


    And yet, a certain blonde girl was still as adamant as ever about not fitting in. Even in the face of all these delicacies, the blonde girl remained as lifeless as ever without any signs of improvement. Does she even get hungry?


    *growl*


    ¡­even your stomach is protesting. Just eat already or do you expect me to feed you?


    I signaled for Ancarin to feed the blonde girl. However, as she brought the steak up to her mouth, this woman actually refused to open her mouth.


    So even feeding you isn¡¯t enough¡­was your mouth full of gold or something? Was that why you refused to open it? You won¡¯t speak nor eat so exactly what do you want to do?


    ¡°If you don¡¯t eat, you¡¯ll starve to death.¡±


    Even though her stubbornness was causing us trouble, it wasn¡¯t her fault she ended up this way. As I thought of this, I glared at our bound lucky charm in the corner, wishing for nothing more than to skin him alive for his transgressions against this poor girl.


    Even so, as long as you¡¯re alive, you shouldn¡¯t seek death. Going on a hunger strike simply isn¡¯t the answer. If you really don¡¯t want to live, why did you answer my question then? You didn¡¯t object to the potion treatment either.


    Reacting to my voice, she turned her lifeless eyes towards me for a second before swiftly turning away once more.


    ¡°Forget it, we¡¯ll deal with your issue later.¡± Let¡¯s settle the easier stuff first¡­


    I turned towards the gathered slaves and said: ¡°I know that everyone still has their own reservations about me, but seeing as no one escaped when I went to the basement, means that everyone here has some sort of faith in me.¡±


    ¡°Honestly speaking, I don¡¯t enjoy killing the innocent. Even as a devil, I don¡¯t take pleasure in the suffering of others. I have my principles. As long as no one provokes me, I won¡¯t attack either.¡±


    ¡°Plus, as you all have heard, I plan on going to Azure to find a person, so no matter how you look at it, I won¡¯t recklessly cause trouble.¡±


    While killing everyone was the safest and most optimal choice, I couldn¡¯t do it. I wasn¡¯t such a villain after all. It was already saddening enough that so many beauties were captured by that deviant Duran. How could I push them down into hell once more¡­


    The only option was to convince them with my words and actions. Besides, this method had an added benefit as well; they could serve as my cover while in the city.


    The girls¡¯ reactions were mixed, some were visibly relieved, others were still conflicted, while the rest clearly didn¡¯t believe that I could be a good guy.


    I bet if I was a handsome human or an elf they would¡¯ve leapt into my arms and proposed by now¡­sigh, the reputation of a devil was so difficult to overcome. Even doing nothing was enough to arouse their suspicions.


    ¡°Sigh¡­after this meal, you are allfree to leave. I won¡¯t stop you. All I ask is that you keep my identity a secret. All I want to do is find my¡­sister. She¡¯s a human that raised me since young. That¡¯s why I have no animosity towards humans, neither do I wish for them to become my enemy. I just want to see her again after being separated for so long¡­to see if she¡¯s still doing well.¡±


    After listening to my speech, the girls feel silent. One of them, the oldest among them, suddenly spoke up: ¡°If what you say is true, I¡¯ll give you my word that I won¡¯t expose you, but will you really let us go?¡±


    This green, long-haired girl was roughly 18 to 19 years old, and had a certain maturity in her voice. She was one of the girls who didn¡¯t believe in me, however, given that she just spoke, it meant that she had put aside some of her reservations.


    ¡°I just want to find her, that¡¯s all. Truth be told, I didn¡¯t expect to be summoned at all.¡± I looked at her with the sincerest expression I could muster and said: ¡°Whether you believe me or not, I¡¯ll release you all.¡±

 Chapter 101: Regine

    Trusting a stranger was the gateway to danger.


    While this saying wasn¡¯t exactly right, it had some sense to it. Wasn¡¯t that how all these girls ended up here? By trusting Duran.


    Being bitten by a snake once ended up with over 10 years of fearing ropes as a result. Being cheated and thus seeing everyone as a liar¡­while these were over-generalizing matters, they were to be expected.A person who had been traumatized wouldn¡¯t see thing the same way as a normal person would. The more serious cases would even involve delusions.


    Duran could be said to be an extremely successful liar. Before his true identity was uncovered, no one would have ever suspect him of being so evil. If one cannot even trust a human, trusting a devil like me would probably be even harder¡­


    Their suspicion was something that I could understand and unfortunately couldn¡¯t do a thing about. Thanks to that, the atmosphere at the table had gotten worse, forcing me to hasten the process of releasing them.


    As they say, the rabbit doesn¡¯t feed on the grass near its nest. Duran was no exception either. He would never target those nearby his villa, but instead head to the further cities to kidnap girls. Out of the 20 odd girls, the closest city they came from was two cities away from us.


    In order to dispel their distrust, concrete action was required. Right after dinner, Ancarin led the girls on a looting spree throughout the villa while I watched over Duran.


    Surprisingly, she seemed to have a talent for being a bandit. In just under a day, the entire villa was scoured, its valuables looted and stacked in front of me. In total, over 10,000 gold coins were found. As for magical tools, they found 17 scrolls, nearly a hundred potions, 12 enchanted gears of which 3 were high-grade enchanted gears.


    Half of the gold was given out to the girls as travel expenses and as compensation for their traumatic experience. After doing the math, each of them would get 300 gold coins.


    Gold coins had a significant purchasing power within the Western Human Realms; as a comparison, one gold coin was worth 1,000 Chinese Yuan (150 USD, keep in mind the difference in living standards and costs). 300 gold coins was definitely a huge sum of money for these peasant girls, though it still wasn¡¯t enough to make up for what they had to go through.


    However, at least with this sum of money, they¡¯ll be able to find a decent man who won¡¯t despise them. Of course, this does not rule out any further misfortunes.


    (Author Note¡¯s: Gold coins have been set as the common currency within the Western Human Realms in order to avoid any unnecessary confusion. It can be taken that the three major empires have jointly issued this currency.)


    The moment I handed them their gold and sent them on their way, I noticed a visible change in their attitudes. Some wore a look of disbelief while others broke down and weeped. Some cheered while some stood confused¡­either way, there was a whole gamut of emotions.


    There was even a girl who rejected the money as she feared I would take her soul for doing so¡­this story seemed to have made its way around, even crossing the barriers between worlds¡­


    After sending them off, I turned around to find that two of them had not left. One was Ancarin while the other was the blonde girl.


    Up until now, the situation with the blonde girl could be summarized as being horrendous. Throughout our meal, she hadn¡¯t moved a muscle. While she hadn¡¯t given up on life as yet, she neither ate, slept or moved, causing me a great deal of headache. Thankfully, Ancarin was a different story¡­


    ¡°I wish to follow Master Mo Ke to Azure.¡±


    That was the answer I was given. A short and to-the-point answer; so natural that she almost seemed happy about following a devil.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of me?¡±


    ¡°Not anymore.¡± Looking right into my eyes, she gave me a warm smile and said: ¡°I¡¯ll never forget that in my darkest hour, it was a devil that actually saved me, while a human tried to kill me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Were you referring to the time when that ice spike almost killed me? If it hadn¡¯t been for the grimoire flying up to take the blow, I would¡¯ve really died back then.


    While her gratitude was heartwarming, it concerned me slightly. The last thing I wanted was for her to have an unrealistic image of devils, so I had no choice but to clear up this potential misconception: ¡°Devils are evil, there¡¯s no doubt about that. You have not seen them before so you do not know. I¡¯m just an exception.¡±


    She playfully blinked her eyes and said: ¡°Because you were raised by humans?¡±


    ¡°¡­either way just remember that devils are evil, you won¡¯t always be so lucky to meet a kind-hearted one like me.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Master Mo Ke.¡± She solemnly nodded her head, losing the playfulness she had before. ¡°Other than you, I won¡¯t trust anyone else ever again.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Why did it seem like her thinking had become even more warped?


    Seeing my resigned look, she flashed me a slightly complacent smile: ¡°Plus your concern for her doesn¡¯t seem fake.¡±


    In order to divert attention off herself, she changed the topic back onto the blonde girl.


    At that moment, I had to point out that she was remarkably optimistic¡­


    As I sat on the dining chair, I rubbed my temples to ease the growing headache I was feeling. ¡°I¡¯m Mo Ke, may I know what¡¯s your name?¡± I turned and asked the blonde girl.


    ¡°¡­¡± She gave me a look which said silence was golden.


    ¡°Where¡¯s your family?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Your companions are gone, don¡¯t you wish to follow them?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a devil, aren¡¯t you afraid that I¡¯ll eat you if you stay here?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Me: ¡°¡­¡±


    I just couldn¡¯t get through to her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you wish to take revenge?¡± Just as I was about to give up, Ancarin¡¯s sudden interjection caught the attention of the blonde girl. The moment those words left her mouth, the girl who had been still these past few hours suddenly reacted. Her dead eyes suddenly held a violent murderous intent within them.


    That¡¯s right, violent and murderous.


    As a devil, I was particularly sensitive to these sorts of negative emotions; the kind where you wanted to take revenge but was unable to do so. I had experienced those exact emotions before.


    Seeing that this train of conversation worked, I immediately picked it up: ¡°Previously, I had said that you can take your take revenge on him but if you don¡¯t take the initiative to do so, how will you ever get your revenge?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± The blonde girl stayed silent for a moment. Just as I thought she was giving me the silent treatment once more, a dry, cold voice broke through her lips: ¡°Regine¡±


    ¡°Regine?¡± That¡¯s a first name isn¡¯t it? One without a surname, so she must be a peasant as well.


    I had to admit Duran was pretty precise about his targets. He made sure never to kidnap noble girls due to their powerful households. If he were to do so, he would run the risk of being exposed easily. Not only that, he might end up offending a foe he couldn¡¯t handle. Thus, he only targeted peasant girls who were as pretty as the noble ones.


    (Author¡¯s Note: Fallen nobility who had their noble status revoked are banned from using their surname under the penalty of death for pretending to be a noble.)


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave it up to you on how to punish him as long as you don¡¯t kill him; him dying would cause me a lot of trouble.¡±


    In order to ensure that I didn¡¯t get sent back for no reason, I made sure to remind her not to kill Duran. Thrice! Regine¡¯s piercing cold gaze shifted from me onto Duran and lingered there. She begrudgingly nodded her head before standing up.


    As she stood up of her own volition for the first time since we healed her limbs, she picked up a fork and knife.


    ¡°Remember not to kill him.¡±


    ¡°¡­mhm¡­¡±


    She staggered towards the unconscious Duran, her body swaying from left to right as it struggled under the effects of her malnourishment. The way she cocked her head as she made her way towards him with knife in hand, it almost reminded me of the Sab*r Alt*r from the manga¡­or maybe the nurse from Silent H*ll¡­either way it gave me, a devil, the chills just from watching her.


    Next came a scene that children should never witness¡­


    She viciously drove the fork right into his shoulder. While it didn¡¯t penetrate too far, it was enough to awaken the unconsciousness man. As for this potato¡¯s pain tolerance¡­I had some experience with it already¡­it was worse than a goblin¡¯s. As he screamed in pain, his pants had turned visibly moist from the fear.


    ¡°You b*tch, you actually dared to¡­no¡­my arms¡­it hurts¡­¡±


    Duran¡¯s daily routine of torturing the poor girl had led him to insult her instinctively, swiftly earning a stab to the back of his arms. He screamed in pain and began weeping for his mother and father, however this merely encourage the girl who derived pleasure from his suffering. With the knife in her left hand and the fork in her right, she stabbed them into both of arms.


    Perhaps it was her malnourishment acting up once more but each stab was mostly a shallow one, breaking through the skin and flesh while not causing too much blood loss¡­


    And so she continued stabbing him like she would a straw doll with needles. Roughly ten minutes later, his entire body was covered in blood. The urine in his pants had mixed with the metallic smell of blood to create a piercingly foul smell.


    The waterworks had stopped by now but not because he no longer felt pain. Rather, it was because he realized that she stabbed him even harder whenever he did so.


    As for Regine, she didn¡¯t look that well either. Due to their proximity, some of his blood had splattered onto her body. The right side of her face had been caked with a layer of dried blood.


    Her eyes widened and a strange smile crossed her lips¡­


    I immediately reached out and stopped her, barely preventing her from gouging out his eyes. Seeing me stop her, she turned around and threw me a bone-chilling question: ¡°You want to play as well?¡±


    ¡°¡­no¡­it¡¯s fine, thanks haha¡­¡±


    She¡¯s clearly talking about Duran so why did I feel a chill run down my spine¡­


    In order to prevent a repeat of that, I tried persuading her: ¡°Look, if you kill him now, he would at most suffer for that short period of time. If you truly wish to get your revenge, you need to let him experience a pain that will make him beg for death.¡±


    ¡°Beg for death¡­makes sense.¡± She had a pretty voice now that I had a better chance to hear it, it¡¯s just that it was so bone-chillingly cold. ¡°Ancarin, do you want to play as well?¡±


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    ¡°¡­no¡­I¡¯ll pass¡­¡± Not only Ancarin, even I was starting to get a little frightened by her.


    ¡°Then give me some medicine.¡±


    ¡°¡­sure¡­sure¡­¡± She stammered, clearly shaken by her savage visage. The clever but slightly timid Ancarin immediately went and retrieved a test tube for her and in a soft voice, told her: ¡°His wounds aren¡¯t deep so using a little is enough.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Regine was a bandit prior to her capture and possessed the strength of a two-star. She wanted to apply the medicine on him but yet was afraid that he would use this opportunity to escape. Thus, she used the table knife and severed his tendons, turning him into a cripple. With her grisly preparation done, she untied him and began applying the potion carefully


    As for why she asked for the potion and applied it so thoughtfully, it wasn¡¯t that her conscience got the better of her, but was because she didn¡¯t want to waste the potion. She knew extremely well how expensive these were; every bit she used meant that there was less available for us to use.


    However, she had gone slightly overboard with her games, causing him to lose too much blood. In order to prevent his accidental death, she decided to ask for a potion.


    Having finished the treatment, she stood up and stared at the half-empty potion with a satisfied look and a nod: ¡°Looks like I can kill him one more time.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Kill¡­girl, aren¡¯t you taking the alter route too far. (TL: FGO reference)

 Chapter 102: Preparations for a Trip

    Devils and other life forms who wished to cross into different worlds had a limited variety of methods available to them. Mostly, it boiled down to two methods. The first was being summoned. A notable point about being summoned was that the summoned life form would be returned to their original world should the summoner die.


    The other method was to cross into the desired world via a dimensional gate. A dimensional gate was basically an upgraded version of a teleportation array. What a teleportation array did was to allow instantaneous movement between any point within a world while a dimensional gate allows movement between worlds.


    Life forms who crossed through a dimensional gate would enter the world for real; which meant they were able to exist in that world permanently without a summoner. The downside was that in order for them to return to their original world, they would have to use a dimensional gate again¡­


    Dimensional gates were a masterpiece of a bygone era. According to rumors, the materials required to create such an artifact were extremely expensive¡­as for why it was ¡°according to rumors¡±, that was because the blueprints and the materials had been lost in an ancient war. Of course, there was also the possibility that they were hidden away on purpose.


    Dimensional gates were a must-have for any wannabe dimensional conqueror. With it, you not only gained the ability to tour the world at your whim, you also had the opportunity to conquer it! So take up your swords and axes, countless worlds await your mighty self, all you need to do is construct a dimensional gate!


    ¡ª¨CFrom <>


    (The author of said book was an accomplished magic researcher in the field of dimensional magic. He was an intelligent chap, but from time to time, he came down with a serious bout of chuunibyou.)


    Having taken care of Duran, Regine finally realized that she was hungry. Her body swayed left and right as she made her way to her seat. With her hands to her knees and her back straightened, she stared at me with an uncaring pair of eyes and opened her mouth wide? And then, she did nothing else.


    Are you telling me to feed you? Could you at least wipe the blood off your face before you try to act adorable? Besides, there¡¯s no way I¡¯ll see you as adorable after watching you ¡°play¡± with Duran like that, no matter how much of a ¡°cold loli¡± you are¡­


    Only allowed on Creativenovels.com


    This stalemate continued for a moment before Ancarin started to notice something. She prodded me: ¡°I think Regine wants you to feed her.¡±


    ¡°¡­that¡­I think you should feed her¡­¡±


    Physical contact right on our first meeting?! That¡¯s just improper, I just could not bring myself to do so. More importantly, she was just not my cup of tea. I prefered the warm, virtuous type like Nicole.


    ¡°Weep weep¡­¡± She balked at the idea, clearly ¡®Alter Regine¡¯ had given her quite a scare.


    Fine¡­it¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t expect the job to fall to me in the end¡­


    Regine¡¯s portion of the food was still left untouched on the table. Grabbing a clean set of utensils, I cut the steak with a practised ease and tried feeding it to her.To my surprise, she actually opened her mouth and unabashedly bit down on the meat without any sign of embarrassment.


    It was now my turn to be embarrassed¡­other than Nicole, this was the first time I fed a girl food¡­


    I awkwardly fed while Regine robotically ate, soon the plate of food was picked clean and yet her mouth remained open as wide open as before, her hunger seemingly unsated.


    I smiled bitterly as I handed over the plate to Ancarin. She nodded her head and said: ¡°There should be some leftover ingredients in the kitchen, I¡¯ll prepare them right away.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, I¡¯ll have to trouble you then.¡± I politely thanked her. As her petite back disappeared from my sight, I turned to face Regine.


    Due to my awkward feeding her shapely lips were covered in meat sauce, however she didn¡¯t seem to notice this as she sat there as quietly as ever. The more I looked at her, the more I felt sorry for her plight. Without giving it much thought, I instinctively put down the cutlery and reached out for a napkin.


    However, just as I was about to reach out and wipe her mouth, a thought occurred to me.


    Feeding her was one thing but what about wiping her mouth? Doesn¡¯t this seem more like a relationship between a boy and a girl?


    As that thought occurred to me, my hands froze there awkwardly, not knowing whether to continue or not.


    Regine on the other hand, wasn¡¯t infected by this confusion plaguing me. Her clammy hands latched onto mine and before I even reacted to it, pulled it to her lips. With that done, her hands returned to their resting spot atop her knees as if nothing had happened.


    My hand¡­was on Regine¡¯s¡­


    Err¡­I¡­I guess I should just wipe her lips, it¡¯s not like she¡¯ll get pregnant from me doing so.


    Just as I went about done wiping her mouth, Ancarin came in with a plate of mouth watering food in hand. As she looked at me, she opened her petite little mouth in shock as if she had just witnessed something unthinkable. A few seconds later, she recovered from the surprise, however the look she gave me had something extra mixed within it.


    With her hands covering her mouth as she set the plate on the table, she gave me a roguish smile. ¡°You guys are at it already?¡±


    Knowing that she was merely joking and that this wasn¡¯t a matter that was easily explained anyway, I couldn¡¯t be bothered doing so and blandly said: ¡°You¡¯re thinking too much.¡±


    Seeing that I didn¡¯t take the bait, she went back to her seat and obediently sat there watching me feed Regine.


    As the last morsel entered her mouth, Ancarin began cleaning up the table. With Regine fed, I had some spare time on hand and wanted to get some questioning in. However before I could do so, she got up and walked towards Duran with that half finished potion in hand¡­


    Fine, I¡¯ll come back for him once you¡¯re done playing.


    However, by the time she was done, it was too late for me to question him¡­


    As I returned from the study, I found Duran tied up in a bundle with his limbs dislocated and bent at odd angles similar to a contortionist¡­and stuffed inside a giant wooden bucket. His mouth had been sealed with a vent left open to prevent him from suffocating to death¡­


    While it might sound complicated, essentially Duran was processed in a way so that he could be stuffed into a bucket. And so, all I saw was the strange sight of a human head sticking out of a wooden bucket¡­


    Apparently she did know how important he was to me after all. In order to prevent him from dying accidentally, she put in extra effort into securing this piece of ¡°luggage¡±. After all, we were going on a long trip, therefore tying him up was best solution to avoid any unnecessary trouble. And thus, he was processed into the form I saw before me.


    As I had only been summoned into this world, his death would cause a mountain of problems for me. Out of safety considerations, she cut off his tongue¡­the reasoning, to prevent him from making any weird noises or committing suicide, and also to prevent him casting magic¡­


    More like you just wanted to torture him more¡­


    Without minding the germs one bit, she speared the severed tongue with a fork and, under Duran¡¯s horrified gaze, stuck it back into his bloody mouth¡­


    Did you think that potion of yours was omnipotent¡­not like it can reconnect a severed tongue¡­


    As for Ancarin, she went about packing our luggage without much incident. On a trip down to the basement, she managed to scrounge up a set of unused black robes with a hood attached that was large enough to cover most of my face. However, my crimson skin was still an issue.


    With that in mind, she prepared an expressionless white mask and some bandages for my arms. As long as my devil¡¯s scent didn¡¯t leak out, there was no chance of me getting found out.


    Thankfully, the horn on my head had been severed by the wind blades, otherwise I would have to do it myself. Hmm, wouldn¡¯t that be self-mutilation then¡­


    Ancarin and Regine had robes on as well, though they didn¡¯t put on the hoods.


    As I lugged the wooden tub outside, its occupant and all, I stumbled upon the scene of Regine killing horses.


    Wait, killing the horses?


    Ancarin was similarly shocked by Regine¡¯s sudden outburst and immediately retreated a few steps, just in case her bloodlust got the better of her.


    She withdrew her dagger from the head of the brown horse and coldly looked at the panicking Ancarin without saying a word.


    Sister, are you alright? You had your revenge already, it¡¯s time to let it go. However, I couldn¡¯t really blame her for being angry either, especially given what she suffered. Killing those horses were understandable and so I went over to Ancarin to console her while explaining Regine¡¯s actions.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s still three more horses¡­¡± I added at the end in a gentle tone, hopefully calming her down more.


    *stab*


    As I said that, her dagger saw action once more as it penetrated the skull of another horse¡­now there were only two white horses left in the courtyard. These were probably used by him to roleplay as the typical ¡°prince charming on a white horse¡±.


    Damn sister, I know you¡¯re feeling murderous and all but to swing your dagger like that without any warning¡­


    With her grisly deed done, she slowly drew out her dagger and wiped it clean on a handkerchief, discarding it right after, all in one dashingly smooth movement. All we needed now was the creepy background music from a horror movie.


    Given her decisiveness, those horses must¡¯ve been the bald brothers¡¯ steeds.


    Walking past the chilling scene, I patted a shivering Ancarin on the back, calming her down with my gentle touch.


    Having settled down, she turned to me and said: ¡°It¡¯s¡­alright¡­there¡¯s still two more horses¡­I¡¯ll get the carriage ready.¡±


    As she went about her work, I noticed an oddity in the whole situation. Normally, animals would react adversely to seeing their own kind being killed in front of them. However, instead of running away, these horses, merely stood there as their kin was killed, including the recently deceased one, not even moving an inch.


    If I was correct, these horses had probably undergone training in order for them not to run away.


    With two horses left, it was just enough to pull a carriage. As Duran¡¯s apprentice, Ancarin was familiar with the ins and outs of the villa and soon got the carriage ready.


    Like his villa, it was an opulent carriage with a width of 3 meters. Its black exterior gave its opulence a slightly reserved quality that was probably another essential component of his roleplaying kit. Just by looking at the carriage, it wasn¡¯t hard for me to imagine him acting as a mature prince charming.


    However, given its weight, whether or not the horses could even pull it was an issue. This question was quickly answered by Ancarin who pointed out that the carriage had an built-in magical array to reduce its weight by half.


    It¡¯s wheels and axles had all been reinforced with arrays of their own to reduce wear and tear. This ensured that the carriage would last even when travelling under blistering speeds. As for the horses, they were all raised on special feed that made them not only stronger than normal horses but faster as well. In fact, their endurance and speed eclipsed even that of a warhorse.


    As for the main body of the carriage, it had been reinforced to withstand the full might of a four-star mage¡­was this a carriage or the alternate universe¡¯s version of the president¡¯s limousine!!

 Chapter 103: Disguise

    The carriage came with two storage compartments, one large and one small. The large one stored Duran and his tub while the smaller one housed our travel necessities; food, clothes etc. As for us, Regine was in charge of driving while Ancarin and I sat in the passenger compartment.


    As a qualified thief, she had to pick up a variety of skills along the way. In fact, thieves in the Western Human Realm could be said to be the representatives of multi-talented individuals. At least the famous ones were¡­


    Unlike assassins, they didn¡¯t rely on killing for a living but instead robbed to earn money. Another point had to be made, the Thieves Guild and the Assassins Guild were two separate entities. While they weren¡¯t at odds with each other, their relationship wasn¡¯t that rosy either.


    They were, in a sense, business rivals, since both occupations dealt in the procurement and sale of information. However, this wasn¡¯t their main business, so their relationship wasn¡¯t too tense despite their rivalry.


    Thieves accepted missions from postings on the quest board within the Thieves Guild. These postings would contain a detailed introduction to the task in order to aid the thief in their thievery. During this process, the thief was allowed to harm a person but not kill them. This however, didn¡¯t mean they could cripple the person either; anyone who broke this rule would get censured by the guild.


    This was an ironclad rule of the Thieves Guild, at least while they were on missions. Outside of missions, the guild didn¡¯t stop their members from acts of murder.


    The Thieves Guild did not take part in the slave trade either, however this didn¡¯t extend to pets and other living creatures. As for the Assassins Guild, they would even murder the Emperor if you gave them enough money. Compared to the notorious Assassins guild, the Thieves Guild had a much better reputation, with quite a few Robin Hood-esque thieves coming out of it.


    The above could be spoken as common knowledge within the realm. However, the forty year old me knew not to take such things at face value. Just because they had such rules, did not make the Thieves Guild the good guys either.


    However, given Regine¡¯s current state, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she became an assassin sooner or later.


    During our previous search of Duran¡¯s villa, Ancarin emptied the villa of any magic book she could find. While it wasn¡¯t some treasure trove of arcane knowledge, there were at least a hundred books found; with the biggest being as thick as a dictionary. Stacked together, they could probably form a wall, or at the very least fill up our carriage compartment. Thus, our carriage trip was to say the least, uncomfortably cramped.


    As she held onto a book about occultists, she chatted with me while reading. She seemed to have taken a liking to our conversations.


    ¡°From now on, you are a mage who got disfigured from a failed experiment. Due to that failure, you gained a trauma about magical experiments and so decided to become a magister.¡±


    (Magister-> magic warrior)


    ¡°That¡¯s how we¡¯ll explain that giant blade on your back.¡±


    ¡°Also, while I don¡¯t know why your grimoire is so interested in other grimoires, you should probably make sure it doesn¡¯t stand out so much¡­¡± said Ancarin in an awkward tone as she pointed at the Grimoire of the Dead who was busy flipping through the other grimoires in the carriage.


    Naturally, I knew of this as well. While I wasn¡¯t guilty of anything, possessing such a strange object would make me a target just by association. If I was strong, possessing a divine weapon would lead to the fear and respect of the masses. However, I was merely a two-star potato, possessing such a treasure would just make me a juicy target.


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    Therefore, I decided to avoid using Shadowfang for now. The Grimoire of Dead would be kept within my robes most of time in order to prevent strangers from noticing its peculiarity.


    Not wanting to hide inside my robes, the grimoire began struggling furiously. With a slightly impatient look on my face, I hugged it with both of my arms and threatened it in a low voice: ¡°I already gave you those two horse souls so you better quiet down. Otherwise, I¡¯ll stop feeding you from now on.¡±


    That seemed to do the trick as the grimoire stopped struggling.


    As she looked at the comedic sight of me stuffing the grimoire into my robes, she chuckled and said: ¡°My identity is that of your apprentice and assistant. Regine is your follower. Also, we should ensure that strangers do not see that thing we have in the back or else¡­¡±


    ¡°If someone discovers him, can¡¯t we just say that he¡¯s a ¡°slave used for magical experiments?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Ancarin nodded but immediately rejected it again with a shake of her head. ¡°While there are a number of mages who perform experiments on humans, it is also a fact that most human countries ban human experiments. The reason being that such experiments usually deal with alchemy, healing magic and necromancy. All three of which cause the subject to turn into that¡­¡±


    I¡¯d probably be misunderstood as a necromancer won¡¯t I¡­then I would be chased by countless do-gooders under the banner of ¡°ridding the world of an evil necromancer¡±¡­


    Then the question remained, how would I explain Duran¡¯s existence should he be discovered, and in such a way that I would not receive a bounty on my head as a result?


    It was a complicated question that Ancarin mulled over while eating. As for Regine, I had to feed her once more¡­and I botched it, staining her face with a patch of sauce¡­


    As Ancarin looked at the now bearded Duran, she excitedly said: ¡°I got it! We can change our faces so that if something were to happen, we can just revert back to our original faces later.¡±


    ¡°Make-up huh, that could work.¡± I had to admit that this idea, while it wasn¡¯t the best, was the simplest workable solution we had right now. But make-up huh¡­we needed tools and skills for that¡­


    ¡°Do you have the tools for it?¡±


    ¡°¡­no¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you know how to apply the make-up?¡±


    ¡°No¡­I don¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Then why did you even bring it up¡­


    Having her suggestion shot down due to her lack of skill, she turned her hopes onto me, her eyes sparkling as she asked: ¡°Do you know how to apply it?¡±


    ¡°I know how to create a monster.¡±


    Ancarin: ¡°¡­¡±


    My face should¡¯ve been an answer already, was there a point in asking that¡­


    Just as we entered a period of awkward silence, a cold voice echoed from the side: ¡°Make-up, I know.¡±


    Turning around, I saw the girl who just seconds ago needed me to feed her, stone-faced as always, staring in my general direction.


    How could I have forgotten about our carriage driver! Other than her skill to be not at all adorable while acting adorable, she was a thief.


    Aren¡¯t thieves a bunch of jack-of-all-trades?


    Come to think of it, if a thief were to get seen while committing burglary, won¡¯t their face be all over the wanted posters? With the ability to disguise themselves, things would be a lot easier.


    I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the more masterful thieves were able to disguise themselves as the target¡¯s family members and simply walk in and out from the front door. Once everything was completed, they could revert back to their original faces¡­was there anything more convenient than the make-up skill?


    No longer would they need to climb over walls or windows, they would even have a scapegoat ready without any additional effort¡­just thinking about this gave me goosebumps.


    According to Regine, we didn¡¯t need that many tools after all, and thankfully, all of them were already in our possession. Previously, partly out of necessity and partly because the carriage was so large, I had instructed Ancarin to move anything remotely useful into the carriage, this coincidentally included some tools for make-up.


    Due to my fiery complexion, make-up was naturally out of the question. All I had to do was wrap myself in clothing. If anything were to happen, I would have to find a way out on my own. If worse came to worse, I could just kill Duran, sending me to back to Hell without any fuss.


    This whole discussion about disguises was more about the safety of Regine and Ancarin. Even now, I still wasn¡¯t sure why they chose to remain by my side and be my accomplices. The only reason I could think of was that they wanted to repay me for saving them. Seeing as they willingly put themselves in danger just to help me, thinking about their escape route was the only decent thing to do.


    Only those who considered all the possibilities survived.


    As I didn¡¯t need to undergo a round of make-up, I had spare time to visit Duran after feeding Regine. Previously, I had considered killing this bast*rd, but now I was trying my best to keep him alive. In a sense, his horrifying state right now was a form of atonement for his sins.


    For convenience¡¯ sake, Ancarin forced a sleeping potion down his throat. Given the right dosage, this medicine could knock a person out for an entire week. Not only that, it would even sustain him throughout that period and give him a pleasant sleeping appearance. It was in every way, a wonder drug for kidnapping. Seeing as one third of the potions we found in his villa were that type of potion, Duran had probably used those as well to kidnap girls.


    Based on the amount we fed him, we wouldn¡¯t have to bother about him for an entire year. All that remained was to ensure no one else found him.


    Even though he had undergone the cruelest of tortures, he was still alive. Normally, a cowardly fellow like him who feared pain should¡¯ve died long ago, but seeing as he didn¡¯t, it meant that he still wanted to live.


    While having his limbs and tongue severed might sound horrific, it actually wasn¡¯t that serious in the Western Human Realms. The medical standards in here were much better than that of Earth¡¯s. As long as your corpse was still there and your soul intact, a perfect revival was still a possibility. There¡¯s no better proof of this than me; after dying to a goblin¡¯s attack, I found myself alive and well in the Blood Sea¡­


    Duran was betting on the slim chance that he gets rescued¡­


    After checking on him, I got off the carriage to check on the girls.


    Ancarin stood there by Regine¡¯s side, curiously staring at the expressionless girl while she worked on her craft. She placidly ground a bunch of leaves and roots into a paste and wrung the juice out of them, mixing them into what looked like foundation¡­


    It almost looked like she was concocting poison.


    After 10 minutes of pounding and mixing, the final product was ready. It was an ordinary looking paste with a light pinkish hue to it that resembled a girl¡¯s complexion. As her back was facing me, I was unable to see the exact process as she slathered the paste onto Ancarin¡¯s face. In just a few minutes, her work was done.


    With that completed, Ancarin turned around to face me¡­who the heck was this sickly looking person¡­if I hadn¡¯t seen her put on the make-up myself, I wouldn¡¯t have thought that this was Ancarin!


    Her performance gets a 10/10 from me.


    Ancarin took out a mirror from her pocket and admired her new appearance. It was still pretty except for her pale sickly complexion. It gave her the look of someone who was cooped up in a laboratory all day with a sickly constitution from her erratic mealtimes. Instead of making her uglier, her sickly complexion gave her a sort of vulnerability that made you cherish her more.


    Reluctantly, she tore her eyes away from her reflection and slowly handed the mirror over to Regine after admiring herself for a noticeably long period. It was only then that Regine started on her own make-up, which to be fair, was to be expected; you couldn¡¯t put on make-up by yourself without a mirror after all.


    She snatched the mirror and began working on her own disguise.

 Chapter 104: Encountering a Wolf Pack

    After she applied a round of make-up, Regine had a more mature feel to her thanks to the knife scars she drew on her face. While they were faint, their proximity to her eyes made them especially conspicuous. Furthermore, they had a realness to them that made it seem like they truly belonged there on her face.


    With her face disguised, she took out a bottle of eye drops and dripped it into her left eye. A second later, the black in her eyes began to shrink as if it was blind. With that, a perfectly beautiful girl was turned into a scarred one-eyed dragon¡­even the most astute of people wouldn¡¯t be able to recognize her now¡­


    Strangely, after all that, she decided to put on a silver mask that was similar to my own¡­I don¡¯t even know what to say about you¡­


    Now that that bit of prep work done, we finally set off on our journey.


    Without a word, she hopped onto the driver¡¯s seat and waited patiently for us to enter the carriage. After confirming that we had settled down, she sent the horses galloping with a whip of the reins.


    As we sat idly in the speeding carriage, our conversation turned once more to the issue of safety.


    Shadowfang wasn¡¯t the most conspicuous of Epic-grade gear, however its sharpness was without a doubt at the level of an epic gear. The four pieces of low-grade defensive gear it sliced through could attest to that fact. (Author¡¯s Note: The chainmails and gauntlets worn by the two brothers)


    This was exactly what I feared. Therefore, in order to prevent any chances of it being recognized as an epic gear, I rummaged through the loot found by Ancarin for a replacement weapon.


    Of the three high-grade gear kept by Duran, there was a dagger, a straight blade and a mage staff.


    The dagger naturally went to the thief Regine, it had a weight reducing effect on her and boosted her speed. Not only did it boost her attributes, it also had a keen enchantment that boosted its own slicing power whenever one attacked, making it the perfect weapon for a thief or assassin.


    The mage staff went to Ancarin, our resident mage (apprentice). It had a mana cost reduction effect, reduced the time it took to cast a spell and even had a magical barrier built into it.


    That left the enchanted straight blade for me. It was an ornately decorated blade engraved with flaming red runes. Having never learnt to read runes, their meaning escaped me, but thankfully I had Ancarin here with me.


    Her one year tutelage under Duran had not been in vain as she recognized the words in an instant. This blade had a fire enchantment on it which activated whenever the wielder channeled his mana (aura) into it. On top of that, a three-star fire spell was also engraved onto it.


    This new blade was roughly similar to Shadowfang in appearance. However, where Shadowfang had a slight curve to its blade, this enchanted blade was complete straight. It¡¯s blade was 130 cm long attached to a 33 cm (1 chi)long hilt which allowed it to be wielded in one hand or with two.


    With that settled, I reached out for my new weapon. However, just as my hand came into contact with the blade, the previously silent grimoire stirred within my pocket; it probably wanted to be let out.


    Come to think of it, didn¡¯t it try to stop me from touching that enchanted ring as well¡­damn it¡­


    I hastily tossed the blade aside and took out the Grimoire of the Dead. With both my hands wrapped around it, I whispered to the grimoire, not caring if this arrogant little book could understand me or not:


    ¡°Stop throwing a fit over this, this is the Western Human Realms not the Prison of the Dead. If some human discovers my treasures or identity, they¡¯ll chase me to the ends of the world for that. Don¡¯t get me into trouble for this.¡±


    While I wasn¡¯t sure if it understood me, I knew for a fact that it had a will of its own. From the way it helped me block an attack multiple times or the way it helped me carry Shadowfang, I could tell that it had a consciousness. If only it wouldn¡¯t steal my food so often¡­


    With that bit of friendly persuasion, the grimoire finally quietened down and went to back to reading Duran¡¯s books. Or should I say, flipping through the books which it did at breakneck speeds. I barely had the time to read through a paragraph before it would flip to the next page. Sometimes I wondered, was it really able to read these books or was it merely fooling around.


    Having gotten used to its strangeness, Ancarin went about her business as usual, wiping her new staff with a cloth while admiring it.


    This staff had a bit of a story behind it. It not only belonged to Duran but was also his main weapon. During the day of the summoning, that trash was busy ¡®having fun¡¯ with Ancarin. As he was about to release his load, the reconnaissance array triggered, forcing him to end his fun prematurely. He immediately dispatched the brothers to the summoning room while he readied himself.


    In the heat of the moment, he left his staff behind in the basement. As a three-star occultist, the most he could summon was a three-star devil. With the brothers protecting him, by most accounts he should¡¯ve been able to handle anything that appeared, especially with all his scrolls and rings. Therefore he chose not to return for the staff. After all, with three of them, he should be safe right?


    In the end, the staff was found by Ancarin and now belonged to her. While it was not much, it was at least some form of compensation for her.


    While it couldn¡¯t make up for the humiliation she had to endure, my stance was the same as always, as long as he was not dead, you could do as you please.


    The enchanted straight blade and dagger were both bought from an auction house with each costing about 37,000 gold coins. According to Ancarin, this was slightly on the expensive side. Most high-grade enchanted gear would only cost 10,000-30,000 gold coins in a regular shop.


    I secured the blade to my left so that I could draw it easily with my right. As for Shadowfang, it was secured to my back. The two blades combined were a drag to carry around but it wasn¡¯t something I couldn¡¯t get used to. Besides, it was a kind of training in of itself.


    During the trip, we stuck to the side roads with less traffic in order to minimize any human contact. While it resulted in a lot of detours, it was a safer choice. Whenever we encountered strangers, we would say we were on a training journey and send them off. With it being a training journey and all, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll understand our curtness.


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    Before returning to the Western Human Realms, I had dreamt day and night of this place. However, now that I¡¯m actually here, I¡¯m feeling slightly unsettled. That whole running away from home stunt was truly a thoughtless move on my part. Putting aside the other consequences for now, Nicole and Roscar¡­were probably desperately looking for me.


    As an exceptional hunter with excellent tracking skills, Roscar should¡¯ve been able to find my tracks. Unfortunately, I wasn¡¯t alive long enough for him to find me¡­I wondered if he found my body in the end¡­would I see my own gravestone when I returned to Chaik Village?


    Forget it, it had already been a year of waiting, a few more days wouldn¡¯t hurt anyone. Safety was the most important thing right now.


    With that, we continued taking the deserted roads on our trip to Azure. For the next three days, we did not encounter a single human. Instead, due to our proximity to the forest, we ended up getting waylaid by a pack of wolves.


    That night, the three of us made camp in a clearing as usual. Due to the carriage being so cluttered, we had no choice but to pitch a tent outside. Having finished her meal first, Ancarin set about pitching the tents while Regine sat there with her mouth wide open, waiting for me to feed her as always.


    Unfortunately for me, there was no way for me to reject her¡­


    Halfway through the feeding, the woods echoed with the howls of a wolf. As the thief of our party, she was the most vigilant of us all. With a kick of her feet, she rolled behind a giant rock for cover, her dagger already drawn as she landed.


    Ancarin on the other hand didn¡¯t fare that well. The howls startled her timid self, causing her to lose her sense of bearing as she abandoned her half pitched tent and scampered to my side. With her staff tightly clenched to her body, she looked at with me puppy dog eyes as her gaze begged for protection.


    ¡­


    The least you could do was wait until the wolves show up before getting scared¡­don¡¯t you have that high-grade staff and aren¡¯t you a one-star mage yourself¡­show some backbone girl.


    Compared to her, Regine was a lot calmer. As she crouched behind her rock, she kept perfectly still while suppressing her breathing as much as possible. Turning back to Ancarin¡­..she¡¯s started hyperventilating, her perky breasts that had been fondled multiple times by Duran, rose and fell rapidly with each breath¡­at least I think he did that.


    With every passing second, her breasts rose and fell faster as she clung even tighter to me while shivering uncontrollably. Did she have some sort of coping issue?


    With no sign of her calming down anytime soon, I dragged her behind another rock where she could hide. In the gentlest voice I could muster, I tried to soothe her frayed nerves with the usual placating phrases.


    Whether it was the words or perhaps my previous show of might that calmed her, I would never know. Either way, she seemed to have taken some solace in my comforting, her heart which had probably jumped out of her body by now, finally returned to its place.


    Soon, the sight of over ten wolves crept out from the darkness of the dense foliage. They didn¡¯t reveal themselves out in the open. Instead they hid in the shadows of the trees, their bloodthirsty eyes were the only indication that they were there.


    From time to time, they would rear their lupine heads to check in on us, however, they mostly maintained their distance; probably out of fear of the campfire. While it was clear that they were apprehensive about approaching us, they weren¡¯t willing to leave us alone either.


    As time passed, their numbers grew to over 50 wolves. Even so, this stalemate continued until a few minutes later; the wolves finally made the first move. They began to disperse themselves, forming a ring around our campsite.


    The wolves began to split up into groups of three, closing in on us in an orderly fashion as if they were a platoon of trained soldiers. Was it their numbers that gave them the courage to approach us in spite of the fire?


    These wolves weren¡¯t magical beasts and were mostly zero-stars. Six of them were noticeably stronger looking than the others; these were probably the head wolves which should at least be at the level of a one-star.


    Looks like this battle can¡¯t be avoided.


    Initially, I didn¡¯t want to fight them. After all, I had just gone through a year of non-stop fighting and wasn¡¯t in a hurry to resume that lifestyle. Besides, who knew what other dangers lurked in the consuming darkness of the forest. The last thing I wanted was for the smell of blood to attract other predators to our campsite.


    Thus, whether it was out of exhaustion or safety I wanted to avoid this battle, which was why I had intended to use that campfire to deter these wolves. However, who would¡¯ve thought that these wolves would be so adamant about feasting on us.


    Hmph, these wolves don¡¯t know who they¡¯re messing with.


    After three days of learning on the road, Ancarin was no longer the defenseless slave girl I met in the basement. Thanks to her extraordinary ability to learn, she managed to pick up a fire spell, perfect for roasting these wolves.


    Under my direction, she plucked up the courage to begin chanting. As the monotonous chant resounded in the silent night, her staff began to emit an incandescent glow. Three seconds later, with her hands clasped firmly around the pulsating staff, she directed it at an approaching wolf squad and fired off a mini-fireball, 10cm wide.


    The globe of fire careened towards the wolves at the speed of a bullet, leaving a fiery trail in its wake as if it was a tracer round. However, just as it was about to impact, the wolf sidestepped it perfectly as if it had predicted her attack all along. The fireball exploded on the ground, harmlessly dissipating into the air without even singing a strand of fur on their backs.


    Impossible¡­aren¡¯t these wild wolves? How were they smart enough to dodge bullets? If they could do so, did that mean that police dogs are actually special forces in disguise?!

 Chapter 105: Plateau Hamle

    Putting aside the Canine Special Forces Brigade issue for now, they were in the end, just wolves, it¡¯s just that they were smarter than your average wolf.


    Seeing her first fireball miss, Ancarin continued chanting a second, unfazed by her failure. Even so, the fireball¡¯s sudden appearance had the effect of scaring the wolves even if it missed, especially that wolf who almost got roasted. It immediately fled behind a nearby rock, its tail hiding just in time to avoid the second fireball.


    The fireball exploded harmlessly on the rock, clearly not powerful enough to shatter the rock or harm the wolf hiding behind it.


    Not one to take this failure lying down, she began chanting a third mini fireball. However, her mana had almost been expended by now and her spell was forcefully cancelled mid-chant. Thankfully, her mana pool was relatively small and the mini fireball was the lowest grade of spells. The backlash from the spell failure merely caused her chest to tighten slightly.


    It¡¯s worth mentioning at this point not to underestimate these wolves. While their individual strength wasn¡¯t much, they were extremely coordinated and more than a match for anyone stronger than them thanks to their superior numbers. If I had to face these wolves alone, I might even suffer some losses.


    By now, the wolf pack had noticed the lack of fireballs on the part of Ancarin and had begun to stir once more. Under the assumption that she was out of mana, the wolves left their hiding spots and started closing in on us, their aim, to cut off our escape routes.


    It was at this moment that her lips cracked into a roguish grin. Her plan had worked! A clenched fist punched into the air, aimed directly at one of the wolves. Flames condensed around the ring in an instant, and shot off a fireball a split second later¡­that was the fire ring Duran had on!


    The wolf barely had time to react to the sudden attack before scorching flames consumed it within a fiery explosion. Its fur instantly caught fire while the sheer impact of the explosion tore through the wolf¡¯s hide and flesh, killing it as it stood there¡­


    Not bad¡­its destructiveness was passable for a fireball, the damage wasn¡¯t bad either. Basically a one-star warrior would get burned to death if he ate that head on. Against a life form that¡¯s weak against fire, it could probably cripple it.


    Without waiting for the flames to die she punched out with her right fist which still clasped her staff firmly and fired an ice spike.


    The translucent cone soared towards its target, covering the same distance in a fraction of the time it took for the fireball to do so. In the blink of an eye, the ice spike pierced through a wolf with energy to spare, landing a few meters away freezing the patch of earth around it.


    With that, Ancarin was well and truly out of mana.


    Even so, the wolves seemed to have learnt their lesson as they gave a few silly howls before turning tail and running.


    Wait¡­it¡¯s over?


    It wasn¡¯t just me who was left speechless either, even Ancarin who had just popped the cork on a recovery potion was equally surprised.


    In the past, I had pestered Roscar to bring me along on one of his hunting trips; during which we encountered a wolf pack as well. Back then, those wolves were ruthless to say the least. Even in the face of the vastly superior Roscar, they didn¡¯t back down one bit and instead focused their attacks on me who was still a human kid back then.


    Wolves hunted by first scouting out their prey, after which they would attack if and only if they were sure of their superiority in terms of numbers and strength.


    And yet the wolf pack we encountered surprised me. They actually fled after merely losing two of their members. I still clearly remembered those wolves I met while hunting with Roscar. They fled after losing half of their numbers, only because they had determined there was nothing to be gained¡­..How should I say this, the wolves we met today are a bunch of wusses.


    With the imminent threat gone, it was time to divvy up the loot. Due to the abundance of actual food in the Western Human Realms, I actually had the chance to eat proper food for once, thus I didn¡¯t need to feed on souls.


    The two wolf souls were handed over to the grimoire, who by now was hopping around in my pocket. Having gotten what it wanted, the book quietened down as expected.


    As the last of the wolves left my sight, I turned around to face a masked Regine staring at me.


    ¡°There¡¯s something suspicious going on here.¡± said Regine in a bland tone.


    ¡°I know.¡± I nodded in assent without elaborating, their behavior was strange, but I couldn¡¯t say how or why. After all, their reaction was normal by any definition of the word. With the roles of hunter and prey switched, it would be stranger if they chose to stay after discovering we were stronger than them.


    I hadn¡¯t encountered any wolves on Earth before but if the other animals in this world were anything to go by, these wolves should be a lot smarter than their Earthborn counterparts. That¡¯s why I could sort of accept the fact that they retreated so decisively¡­


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    ¡°It¡¯s time to leave, the scent of blood is starting spread out, it might attract other beasts to our location. Besides, their retreat still seems a little fishy to me, continuing to stay here is too risky.¡±


    The wilderness was a totally different beast in the night compared to the day, who knows what might show up after being attracted by the smell of burnt wolf meat and blood. Plus, there was no guarantee that those wolves won¡¯t just circle back and ambush us, which made staying here an even worse idea.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go pack up the tents.¡± said Ancarin, tacitly approving of my idea as she ran off to take down the half pitched tent.


    Today was a particularly hectic day, by the time we set up camp it was already dark outside. Thanks to that, the tents hadn¡¯t been fully pitched during the wolf attack, which ironically saved us a lot of effort since we decided to abandon this site.


    It didn¡¯t take long for Ancarin to pack up the tents; after which we rode off in a hurry. Roughly two hours later, we came upon a hamlet by accident.


    The entire hamlet only had about fifty or so households within it, bringing the entire population to slightly over a hundred people. As our carriage ground to a halt at the entrance of the hamlet, the men began streaming out of their homes to investigate while the women and children peeked out from their windows.


    Looks like our speedy but noisy arrival got us a welcoming party¡­


    While Regine and I had strange outfits on, Ancarin wore the telltale garb of a mage and even had a staff in her hand to sell that image. Our horses were barely fatigued even after pulling the excessively opulent and heavy looking carriage behind us. All these signs made it abundantly clear to the villagers that we weren¡¯t ordinary folk.


    As they watched us from a distance, some of the villagers wore a look of worry on their faces. The Western Human Realms was after all, not a very safe society. There were bandits who threatened villages, the lord¡¯s henchmen dressed as bandits who threatened villages and then there were just the plain old lord¡¯s henchmen who¡­threatened villages, not to mention the usual evil mages.


    Regarding these evil mages, there was really nothing much to explain. They were people who as the name suggested did evil acts like razing, kidnapping, raping, murder etc, kind of like Duran¡­Strictly speaking however, Duran was nothing but a small fry compared to the established evil mages. He didn¡¯t even have the qualifications to lick their boots.


    As the brains of our group, Ancarin quickly noticed the strange looks the villagers were giving, some even had pitchforks ready in hand. Seeing more and more people begin to gather, the beautiful apprentice flashed a sincere and radiant smile, charming some of the teenagers present.


    Noticing the drop in hostility, she began to explain our intentions in a soft soothing voice: ¡°Be at ease everyone, we aren¡¯t bandits or bad people. We¡¯re just ordinary mages on a trip, as we were in a hurry, we ended up in your village at an inopportune time. We won¡¯t interfere with your lives in anyway, we just need to make camp for the night and we¡¯ll be gone by morning.¡±


    With that, the villagers lowered their weapons, and some returned to their homes. Seems like they believed her words. Were they just that trusting or was it simply because she was beautiful? To the point where they actually forgot about the not so normal looking pair of masked and robed characters standing by her side.


    At least, they weren¡¯t bold enough to invite us into their homes, so they still had some sense of vigilance which was fine with me. I didn¡¯t intend to involve these ordinary folk in my business after all.


    As we began to set up camp at an empty plot of land next to the hamlet, the majority the villagers dispersed back to the homes; satisfied that we meant them no harm. Only a small portion remained led by a buff grandpa of sixty to seventy years old.


    The buff grandpa wore a white short sleeved villager¡¯s frock that looked like it had been washed countless times. Beneath his loose garments was a relatively shredded body that while burly, wasn¡¯t fat. Unlike a typical person of his age he didn¡¯t require a walking stick to support himself, and he seemed to walk even faster than the youngsters behind him. Even though, he had a full head of white hair, his disposition was notdiminished by it.


    ¡°It¡¯s an honor for our tiny hamlet to welcome Your Excellencies, this old one is Dylan, the chief of this hamlet.¡± He greeted us with a smile after which he stated his true purpose for approaching us: ¡° May I know if sirs have encountered anything unexpected on the way here?¡±


    ¡°Unexpected?¡± Knowing that I didn¡¯t wish to expose myself and that Regine wasn¡¯t that good at talking either, Ancarin took the lead in this conversation. She pondered for a moment before smiling at the village chief.


    ¡°We originally made camp in the wilderness but we encountered a wolf pack. Even though we managed to chase them off, we decided to continue travelling through the night, just to be safe.¡±


    ¡°Wolf pack¡­¡± His face blanched as those two words left her mouth. At his side, the other villagers seemed equally alarmed as they began whispering to each other in hushed tones.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Even under the dim illumination of the torches, his sudden change was not missed by Ancarin who immediately sensed that something was wrong.


    ¡°Is there something wrong with that wolf pack?¡± asked Ancarin.


    ¡°Sigh¡­truth be told, those wolves are¡­¡± The village chief breathed a helpless sigh and began explaining to us.


    According to him, those wolves belonged to the local bandit troupe known as the Wolf¡¯s Fang Bandits. Their leader had the ability to train wolves which he used to turn the wolves into scoutsand hunters.


    Normally, these wolves would be out searching for prey. Should they encounter a small merchant convoy, they would kill the merchants and guard the loot while one of them reported back to the leader. If it was a larger merchant convoy, they would stalk the convoy while one of them sent word to the leader; after which the bandit troupe would sortie to rob the convoy.


    Even though this was a remote village, it wasn¡¯t strange for merchants to come here. Being in the mountains, this village mostly relied on hunting to sustain themselves. Whenever there were extra pelts, they would store them up to sell to the people living in the city.


    However, the road here wasn¡¯t easy and so a bunch of entrepreneurial merchants realized they could capitalize on this to make a profit. They would take make the arduous trip here to purchase the furs at a lower price for resale. And wherever there were merchants, their nemesis, the bandits, wouldn¡¯t be far off.


    The Wolfsfang Leader wasn¡¯t an idiot either; he knew not to kill the goose that laid the golden eggs. Most of the time, the bandits wouldn¡¯t raid the village which formed the basis for their wealth. After all, if you killed everyone, there would be no more merchants to raid. Plus, killing this many people might just attract the attention of the army. Given all these negatives, it made no sense for him to raid the village.


    The bandit leader knew that the key to their survival was patience; other than the usual displays of dominance, the bandits would rarely approach the hamlet. Of course, there was still a need for the bandits to prove their dominance from time to time.


    Robbing some supplies, kidnapping some beautiful girls and heckling were all part of the course. Not only did these acts maintain their control over the village, it was fun too.


    Yet, in the midst of that explanation, we obtained a certain piece of information from the village chief: we had been followed by the wolf pack¡­

 Chapter 106: The Arrival of the Bandits

    Speaking of following and chasing someone, wouldn¡¯t Regine know the most about such matters, being a thief and all? I immediately turned towards the blonde girl and gave her an inquiring look.


    She turned towards me with a knowing look in her eyes and shook her head. However, two seconds later, she nodded instead and threw me a confused look. So are we being followed or not? Work me with here¡­


    In the midst of my bewilderment, Ancarin stepped forward to clear up the miscommunication: ¡°The wolves possess a keen sense of smell so they don¡¯t need to physically follow us. Just by following our scent, they are able to track us down.¡±


    Ah. Now that she mentioned it, that made perfect sense¡­damn it, does this mean we have to rush through the night? A fight was unavoidable if we waited for those bandits to arrive.


    Seeing the worried looks we gave each other, the village chief immediately guessed our intention to leave and anxiously interrupted us: ¡°If you leave now, our village will be¡­those bandits aren¡¯t the sort we can reason with. You might be able to evade their pursuit if you leave now, but once they discover that you¡¯re no longer in the village¡­our village will¡­*sob sob*¡­¡±


    As the old man rambled on, his words became garbled as he began sobbing in front of us. Some of the villagers who had gotten wind of the impending danger from the village chief¡¯s impassioned pleas, stepped forth to comfort the chief while the others pleaded with us to find another solution.


    The so-called solution they wanted was probably to have us wait like sitting ducks in the village¡­but then, this whole mess was caused by us in the first place¡­expecting these innocent villagers to bear the blame for us wasn¡¯t right.


    While the chief¡¯s wailing wasn¡¯t particularly loud, it was the dead of night after all; even a pin dropping would sound loud let alone the chief¡¯s grief-stricken sobbing. Soon, the villagers who had previously gone back to their homes came out once more, attracted by the chief¡¯s wailing; which must¡¯ve sounded terrifying the in dead of night.


    As the gathered villagers whispered amongst themselves, word began to spread that our sudden arrival had brought danger along with it. The informed villagers turned to stare at us one by one with mixed emotions on their faces.


    Naturally, the villagers didn¡¯t dare to openly offend us. Thanks to our showy appearance and carriage, they had assumed that we had a powerful background. However, this didn¡¯t stop them from worrying or throwing us a silent but pleading look. They desperately wanted to ask but kept silent out of fear of getting rejected.


    ¡°What should we do?¡± asked the soft-hearted Ancarin as she looked at the worried villagers. While it was technically a question, I could tell just by looking at her eyes that she wanted to help them.


    I turned around to seek Regine¡¯s opinion but was instead greeted with an expressionless silver mask that barred me from doing so.


    Forget it¡­since this mess was created by us, we¡¯ll be the ones who fix it..


    Having made my decision, I let out a slight cough to attract their attention. As their eyes swivelled towards me simultaneously, I took a deep breath and said:


    ¡°I know that our appearance has brought trouble to this hamlet, however this wasn¡¯t our intention. Since this matter was caused by us, we¡¯ll be the one to end it as well, you have my solemn word on this.¡±


    ¡°To make up for our mistake we¡¯ll stay here until the bandits arrive, and until this problem has been solved, we won¡¯t leave. Please be at ease everyone, this is solely a matter between us and the bandits so we¡¯ll be the one to end it. You won¡¯t get dragged into this matter.¡±


    As I said that, I tagged on another line in my head: assuming the bandits don¡¯t blame you for this.


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    With my clear assurances, the villagers were visibly relieved. At the side, the village chief busied himself with persuading them as well. Despite his embarrassing display just now, this old man still had some say in the village as he was able to send the villagers off to their homes with just a few words.


    As they left, I caught snippets of their conversations about how this excellency had a wonderful voice or how they wanted to see what was underneath the mask¡­etc. In the end, only the old village chief stayed behind.


    ¡°This old man is eternally grateful for Your Excellency¡¯s aid.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, we caused this problem to begin with.¡± I replied tersely, not wanting to continue this topic. ¡°We¡¯ll spend the night here, if you notice the bandits, you may contact us then.¡±


    ¡°Understood, I¡¯ll be sure to pass on the instructions.¡± He replied while bowing respectfully.


    ¡°May I know how to address Your Excellency?¡±


    ¡°Mo Ke.¡±


    Hearing my name, he let forth a deluge of praises till his face reddened from the exertion. ¡° So it¡¯s Lady Mo Ke, your voice is truly exquisite, I¡¯m sure that underneath that silver mask is an equally exquisite face¡­¡±


    Me: ¡°¡­¡±


    Due to my mask, the chief was unable to see my darkened expression and continued on, not sensing the awkward mood. ¡°From the moment I first saw you, I had a hunch: underneath that silvery mask must¡¯ve been a goddess made flesh. If not, why else would your voice be so alluring¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± I took a deep breath and continued: ¡°¡­a guy.¡±


    Village Chief: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha¡­¡± Ancarin burst out laughing at the spectacle but immediately cupped her mouth after a furious glare from me, her eyes averting their gaze from mine as if they were saying ¡°it wasn¡¯t me¡±.


    Regine on the other hand had a more muted reaction, not that I could it see thanks to her mask¡­but then I doubt this stone-faced girl would¡¯ve shown any expression even without it.


    Having dug his own grave with his bootlicking, the old man awkwardly switched topics, asking if we wished to stay at his home for the night. However, we politely declined his offer after which he left with a dry laugh.


    His offer was an attractive one but our carriage still had that ticking time bomb, Duran, inside it. The last thing I wanted was for his existence to be exposed while we weren¡¯t by the carriage¡¯s side.


    As the Grimoire of the Dead didn¡¯t require sleep or it could just be that I didn¡¯t know when it did, night duty was usually done by it. If there was any suspicious movement, it would wake me up with a forceful love tap to the face. However, tonight was a different story, with the threat of the bandit troupe looming over the village, I decided not to take any chances and so night duty was taken over by the three of us living beings.


    Watch duty rotation started with Ancarin followed by me and finally Regine. I wasn¡¯t particularly worried that they would not show up, after all the impression that wolf pack gave me was that they had undergone strict training. Not only did they know how to dodge magical attacks, they even knew when to retreat.


    Even if these wolves were merely scouts, all they had to do was report to their master about our expensive looking carriage and that would send those scoundrels scurrying to raid us. Although¡­how did a bunch of wolves communicate their thoughts? Don¡¯t tell me they spoke.


    At roughly six in the morning, I was awoken by a commotion at the village entrance. Just as I started putting on my robes, Regine crawled into my tent.


    ¡°Enemies. 89 people.¡± She reported with her usual terseness.


    I stared blankly at her with a pair of eyes that were still glazed over from sleeping. A moment later, I finally remembered what our situation was and asked: ¡°The Wolf¡¯s Fang are here?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    I briskly threw on my robes, put on my mask, shoved the grimoire into my robe¡¯s pocket and walked out with Shadowfang on my back and the straight blade in hand.


    ¡°Ancarin get up. The Wolf¡¯s Fang are here.¡±


    I reminded a groggy Ancarin who was in her tent as she peered around with glazed eyes.


    While she was still slightly groggy, my reminder had mostly woken her up. She dressed with the same haste and walked up to me with her magical staff in hand. With her necklace and rings worn on her self at all times and her tools stored within her robes, her preparations were completed significantly quicker than my own, that is, if you didn¡¯t count the time she took to put on her makeup.


    By the time we reached the village entrance, it was already surrounded by people on both sides. On the side of the village was ten villagers dressed in a hunter¡¯s garb with a simple bow and spear in hand. At their feet was a pile of dead game; boars, hares, chicken, deer etc. From the looks of it, they had just gotten back from hunting when they bumped into the bandits tracking us.


    Behind them, the rest of the village hunters could be seen dashing in to reinforce them. The hunters must¡¯ve thought that these bandits were here to raid the village.


    Facing off against them were a hundred odd bandits accompanied by ten plus wolves growling menacingly at the side. The bandits stood there with their weapons brandished and ready to strike, clearly confident in their number superiority. Leading them was a 25 year old dressed in the typical small fry bandit getup as he heckled the villagers.


    Judging by their actions, this wasn¡¯t the usual display of dominance.


    ¡°Last night, we, the Wolf¡¯s Fang Bandits, lost a pair of trained wolves. We know that the culprits are hiding within the village so if you know what¡¯s good for you, hand over them over and fork out 500 gold coins as compensation. If you don¡¯t, we¡¯ll just to take it by force!¡±


    Well¡­isn¡¯t this a confident potato¡­but he seemed to be biting off more than he could chew. Putting aside the part about the culprits, what¡¯s this I hear about 500 gold coins? That¡¯s right, GOLD not silver coins! That¡¯s the Earth equivalent of 500,000 yuan (75,000+ usd). That¡¯s more than enough to buy a 200 meter square house in China!


    All that for a pair of mangy wolves? Who do you think you¡¯re fooling here.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know any such culprits but this whole issue of two dead wolves¡­that¡¯s just an excuse isn¡¯t it?¡± said one of the hunters. The one who spoke was a burly man roughly thirty years of age and clad in a set of leather armor. He pointed his bow at the small fry and said: ¡°Plus, even if what you said was true, there¡¯s no way those two wolves were worth 500 gold coins.¡±


    The smallfry stepped back in fear as he saw who it was that spoke. However, he immediately stepped forth once more having remembered who it was that was backing him and said in a tone harsher than before.


    ¡°I was wondering who this arrogant prick was, so it¡¯s you George. How¡¯s your bones faring after being broken by one of our heads? These wolf killers I speak of truly exist and I know they¡¯re in your village so shove off. If you anger our chief, your beautiful wife is in for a world of pain.¡±

 Chapter 107: The Strange Chief

    ¡°Before that, I¡¯ll twist off your head.¡± George growled, not intending to back off one bit. Yet as he said that, his eyes flickered. It wasn¡¯t that he was cowardly but rather he was afraid of implicating his wife.


    The smallfry balked at his rebuttal and immediately shifted the topic back to the culprits, not at all willing to spend anymore time on the man.


    ¡°My words are still the same, hand over the culprits or allow us to enter the village to search for them!¡±


    ¡°Enter the village? Dream on!¡± George aimed his arrow at the smallfry as he said that, emphasizing his unyielding stance.


    ¡°Dawson promised us that as long as we paid our tribute on time, we would not get raided. Are you trying to renege on the agreement?¡±


    ¡°This time¡¯s different. The boss¡¯s wolves were killed by someone, and we need to find that person,¡± countered the smallfry in an angry tone. In the face of George¡¯s uncooperative attitude, the smallfry became increasingly agitated as he shouted: ¡°At this rate, anyone who has offended the Wolf¡¯s Fang will be able to take sanctuary within your village! Do you take us for fools? HUH?!¡±


    ¡°I know that Dawson¡¯s formidable and neither do I object to you guys searching for the killers but I won¡¯t allow you to enter the village.¡± George shook his head and replied in an even tone, choosing a more reconciliatory stance in the face of the smallfry¡¯s bullying tactics.


    And yet, the smallfry ignored his goodwill and continued with his aggressive tone: ¡°So you¡¯re set on defying us to the end huh?!¡±


    ¡°If the people you¡¯re looking for are really in the village, I¡¯ll find them for you, but I won¡¯t allow you to step into the village.¡±


    George flatly rejected him once more, adamantly refusing to allow the bandits passage no matter how much he threatened them. Truth be told, George¡¯s stubbornness was only natural. After all, they were dealing with bandits here. The village hadn¡¯t missed a tribute payment to date so there should be no reason for these bandits to trouble the villagers. Yet, wasn¡¯t it because they had no principles to speak of the reason they were known as bandits?


    It would be ok if they kept their hands to themselves after entering¡­but what if¡­they took a liking to someone¡¯s property or perhaps some unfortunate girl? What were they to do then? Endure it?


    With the conversation going nowhere despite his best efforts, the smallfry finally had enough. Rather than bear the humiliation of his failure, he decided to double down and put the final nail in the village¡¯s coffin.


    ¡°In the end, you just want to shelter those criminals, don¡¯t you? From the way I see it, those criminals might even be the villagers themselves!¡±


    ¡°I said so already, I just came back from a hunting trip so I don¡¯t know anything about some wolf killers or whatnot. If the culprits are truly in our village, I¡¯ll ask them to leave but there¡¯s no way I¡¯m letting you all into the village!¡±


    ¡°You dare to defy the Wolf¡¯s Fang Bandit Troupe?! You¡¯re a dead man George!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see about that!¡±


    Just as the two men were about to clash, the leader of the bandit contingent stopped the smallfry with a raise of hand.


    ¡°George,¡± he said as he peered at the burly man. ¡°I see you as a man worthy of respect, more than anything, I know of your forthright character. If you say you don¡¯t know, then it must really be so.¡±


    ¡°Yet we aren¡¯t lying about our wolves being killed either. Not only that, the wolves who were present then told us that the culprits had visited your village. I understand that you just got back and naturally don¡¯t know of this matter. In that case, you should ask the villagers right now. The last thing we want is to destroy our current relationship.¡±


    ¡°Third Chief¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± snapped the crew cut sporting, muscular man known as the Third Chief, silencing the smallfry who was unwilling to cease his taunting.Knowing not to push his luck, the smallfry astutely stood aside. Clearly, this man who held a grudge against George didn¡¯t have much influence within the troupe.


    With that, a temporary agreement had been reached between the two parties. During this time he took the opportunity to question one of the young hunters who had just rushed to the scene.


    ¡°Kevin, did any outsiders visit our village yesterday?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± The young hunter known as Kevin nodded his head before turning to the three of us standing at the village entrance.


    ¡°We did have three visitors last night, they were attended to by the village chief.¡± His long, blue hair bobbed up and down as he gave the older hunter an affirmative nod after which he began explaining the situation to him.


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    ¡°They¡¯re wandering mages who weren¡¯t aware of the Wolf¡¯s Fang and their wolves. The wolves had surrounded them, so they had no choice but to kill them in self-defense. When the village chief mentioned that the bandits would come and seek revenge, the three of them promised to stay behind and take responsibility for this.¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± George glared furiously at the smallfry, to be exact, his dissatisfaction which had reached its limits by now, was directed at the troupe as a whole.


    Not counting their other deeds, the act of waylaying travellers alone had caused the village significant hardships. With the roads becoming this treacherous, smaller merchants wouldn¡¯t dare make a trip to the village while larger merchant convoys wouldn¡¯t even bother with the miniscule revenue¡­


    With nowhere else to turn to, the hamlet had no choice but to offload their goods at a pittance¡­perhaps, calling it a tribute would be more accurate.


    Now, these shameless curs had the gall to ask for compensation from them, despite their wolves being the ones who attacked first; getting themselves killed in the process. How shameless could these lowlifes get!


    With me in the lead, Ancarin and Regine stuck closely to my back as we weaved through the hunters and came face to face with the bandits. As we got closer, the wolves became increasingly agitated, growling louder with each step we took while giving us a bloodthirsty stare that spoke volumes about their desire to rip us apart.


    Kevin leaned in and whispered into George¡¯s ears: ¡°It¡¯s them¡­¡±


    George nodded, not saying a word as he stood by passively.


    Judging by the wolves¡¯ reaction, it was clear to everyone who the culprits were, us. The Third Chief casually glanced at our group before saying blandly, without making a move: ¡°Looks like the perpetrators are here.¡±


    Yet just as he finished saying this, his eyes zeroed in on Ancarin¡¯s face, staring at it with unbridled lust.


    ¡°So you¡¯re the ones who killed our wolves.¡± Seeing that his chief was silent, the smallfry stepped up in his place to question us. However, did this potato not see the staff in her hands or did he think that the 100 odd bandits and 14 wolves behind him made him invincible? Either way, his arrogance didn¡¯t decrease at all as he said: ¡°Hand over your valuables, cut off one of your arms and we¡¯ll consider this matter settled.¡±


    ¡°And if I refuse?¡± Ancarin brandished her staff as her pale face perked up, putting her sickly charms on full display.


    ¡°Wow, aren¡¯t you a beauty!¡±


    Only now did the smallfry get a good look at Ancarin. His eyes widened as he noticed her beauty. At the same time, his mouth began salivating without his knowledge; it was an embarrassing display but his comrades behind weren¡¯t much better either.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry little beauty, you don¡¯t have to cut off your arm, all you have to do is follow us back to our mountain hideout for some fun. We¡¯ll be sure to raise you right and proper there.¡±


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s have a bit of fun. This brother guarantees that nothing will happen to you.¡±


    Their words became progressively more crass as their lust got the better of them, some even sticking their hands into their pants¡­oh god, my eyes!


    This was why you could not communicate with bandits! They were just too crude.


    ¡°Bast*rds! A bunch of uncivilized bast*rds!¡± The Third Chief yelled at his misbehaving subordinates, his booming voice stunned the men for a good few seconds.


    *slap slap* However, he didn¡¯t just stop there, with a swing of his arms,he slapped the two idiots who were cleaning their rifles in public. Just as his subordinates started wondering what was up with their chief, the burly man turned to Ancarin and flashed her a smile that made his face look like a puckered up butthole.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, Little Lady. Uncle has taught these hooligans a lesson, they won¡¯t bully you anymore. Isn¡¯t he really kind? By the way, didn¡¯t you kill a couple of wolves raised by Uncle¡¯s family yesterday? Don¡¯t you know how hard it was for Uncle to raise them? How are you going to repay Uncle?¡±


    Ah, that sudden change of tone¡­an old uncle coaxing a loli¡­


    ¡°It was them who tried to bite me first¡­I was scared so I defended myself¡­¡± Ancarin immediately picked up on his intentions and in the blink of an eye, turned into a naive loli. In the cutest voice she could muster, she asked the bandit chief: ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it¡­will you forgive little old me? Pretty please?¡±


    Even without the makeup on her face, Ancarin was a beautiful girl. But with that makeup giving her a sickly countenance, it made her beauty stand out even more. Just looking at her pale face made one wish to protect and treasure her. With her looks working in her favor, even her contrived acting managed to pass off as being real.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, don¡¯t worry. As long as you play a game with Uncle, Uncle will take it as nothing has ever happened, alright?¡±


    His face lit up at her coy expression, his mind already imagining how exciting it would be to deflower this beautiful little virgin¡­


    Sorry to break it to you buddy, but while she¡¯s young, she¡¯s definitely a veteran of the bed considering what she went through with Duran¡­besides she¡¯s pregnant, it¡¯s just that the pregnancy is only a month old so you don¡¯t notice it.


    The burly chief slowly closed in on her with his hands opened up like a pair of chicken claws; his lust clearly written all over his reddened face. All he wanted to do now was to grab her by the waist this very instant and carry her off to the hideout.


    However, before he could grab her, she scurried behind my back.

 Chapter 108: An Unexpected Confrontation

    ¡°You¡­who¡¯re you?¡± His eyebrows jumped as he laid eyes on my expressionless mask. However, for a man with good mental fortitude like the Third Chief¡¯s, such a fright was easily recovered from; of course, it could just be that idiots have more fun.


    The Third Chief puffed up his chest and threw me a look filled with disdain as if I was not worthy of his time ¡°Shoo, don¡¯t you know that your mask is hideous?¡±


    Me: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s have a discussion about the problem at hand instead.¡± Ignoring that, I steered the conversation back to the wolves with the intention of buying him off with money. Given their numbers and the hamlet¡¯s situation, a direct confrontation wouldn¡¯t benefit our side at all.


    ¡°You¡­¡± His eyes narrowed, staring intently at my mask as if he intended to see through it. Behind him, the bandits were just as unabashed while staring at my mask as he was, with some even salivating.


    ¡°How about taking off that mask and letting us have a looksee?¡±


    As those words left his mouth, he reached out for my mask and tried to peel it off. Thankfully, my lithe body allowed me to dodge to the side in the nick of time.


    ¡°Watch your hands.¡± I snapped, disgust rife within my voice. His lasciviousness behavior disgusted me, yet I couldn¡¯t just walk away from him as that would spell certain doom for Plateau Village. I swallowed my anger and disgust, forcing myself to maintain an even tone as I brought the conversation back to the matter of the wolves once more: ¡°What will it take for you to leave this village alone?¡±


    ¡°I have money¡­what I want is to see your face!¡± He declared grandiosely, his lip stretched into a lustful grin and his eyes narrowed to a pair of crescent moons.


    ¡°Just listening to your silky voice is enough for me to know that you¡¯re a real femme fatale. How about it? If you take off your mask and let Uncle have a look. If you¡¯re pretty enough, Uncle might just forget that this whole incident had ever happened. Isn¡¯t Uncle so dependable?¡±


    Dependable my ass! How is that even dependable!


    Even though my anger was about to boil over, even though I wanted to rip him a new one, I couldn¡¯t. For Nicole, for the hamlet, I swallowed my anger once more and explained in a deadpan tone: ¡°I¡¯m a guy.¡±


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡±


    The news hit the scene like a tidal wave as the unintended trap sprung on not only the bandits but the villagers as well, shattering their fantasies in an instant. Everyone¡¯s expressions darkened except for two particular ladies, Regine and Ancarin. With that mask on her face, Regine¡¯s expressions were naturally hidden away from us. As for Ancarin¡­her face was placid except for her biting her lips as her eyes bulged out slightly.


    After a few seconds of absolute silence, the Third Chief burst out laughing, his finger shaking as it pointed at me while his entire body doubled over. ¡°Hahahahaha, the lass is scared! Don¡¯t worry, Uncle isn¡¯t a bad man, you just have to let Uncle see your face, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m a guy.¡± I emphasized once more, ignoring the swelling anger and humiliation I felt. ¡°In the past, a magical experiment failed and¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop lying, that¡¯s just an excuse not to reveal your face!¡±


    As those words left the Third Chief¡¯s mouth, the bandits behind him began shouting as well.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like she¡¯ll lose anything by taking off that mask, don¡¯t tell me she¡¯s an ugly woman!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right that¡¯s right, hurry up and take off that mask, if you¡¯re pretty, our Third Chief might just take you back to our base. You¡¯ll have all the best food and jewelleries, all you¡¯ll have to do is spread your legs. Such an easy job with so many benefits!¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t take it off now, we¡¯ll take it off for you!¡±


    Damnit! How am I an ugly woman¡­wait, I¡¯m not even a woman! Endure it¡­endure it¡­if my identity gets revealed¡­the consequences will be dire¡­endure it¡­endure it¡­


    As I started chanting to myself, a boy¡¯s voice filled with righteousness rang out from behind me: ¡°Stop making things difficult for her, she already said her face was disfigured, what else do you want her to do!¡±


    It was a teenage boy with a fiery head of hair similar to George¡¯s. Judging from his youthful square of a head, he was roughly 16 to 17 years old and sported a crew cut hairstyle. Similar to George, he had on a slightly worn out set of hunter¡¯s leather armor with a half meter long blade by in his hand.


    The boy stood there with disgust in his eyes as he stared down the Third Chief, his right hand raised foolishly in a provocative stance that showed his readiness to attack.


    ¡°Whose brat is this? How about growing some hair down there before pretending to be hero? If you don¡¯t watch yourself, I might just kill you!¡± The Third Chief waved his hands dismissively as he gave him a fierce glare, clearly not taking his threats seriously. ¡°Scram, stop wasting my time brat.¡±


    After dismissing the brat, he turned his gaze back to me, ignoring even Ancarin as he did so: ¡°Babe, just remove that mask of yours and let Uncle see your pretty little face. If you¡¯re beautiful enough, Uncle will be sure treat you well¡­¡±


    ¡°Go kill yourself!¡± The red haired teen screamed with what seemed like shame-induced rage, shame from being ignored or perhaps some other reason. His short blade flew out before anyone could even register his words, its aim to kill the scumbag.


    Who would¡¯ve expected a kid like him to pull a sneak attack? Certainly not the Third Chief who was still fixated on me. His eyes barely caught the glint of steel before he was hit with a wave of murderous intent, causing him to dodge instinctively. However, this came too late as the blade bit into his shoulder drawing blood with its decisive swing.


    ¡°Dioh stop¡­damn it!¡± yelled George the moment he noticed that something was wrong. However, it was too late to stop the fiery teen from attacking. By the time, the words left his mouth, the Third Chief had already been stabbed.


    As he felt a wave of burning pain coming from his shoulder, he instinctively rotated his body preventing the blade from further injuring his shoulder. With a quick hop mid-spin, the Third Chief retaliated with a jumping back kick which sent the teen flying. Without waiting for him to get up, the Third Chief bellowed, his eyes fuming and his face red with anger: ¡°Brat, you actually dare to injure me? I¡¯m going to murder your entire village! Lads, get¡¯em!¡±


    ¡°Kill!¡±


    ¡°Kill them all! Men, women and children, all of them!¡±


    On the Third Chief¡¯s command, the bandits unsheathed their blades simultaneously briefly illuminating the night sky with their cold gleams.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let them in the village! If you consider yourself a man, halt their advance!¡±


    Since the hatred had been sowed, there was no avoiding a fight. With a quick shout, George rallied his fellow hunters and led the ten odd hunters who had just returned in a charge. It was at this moment, that the remaining sixty to seventy hunters streamed in from the back.


    However given the proximity of the two parties, they didn¡¯t dare to fire their bows recklessly and instead chose to abandon them, charging into the fray with their blades drawn. With that, almost all of the able-bodied youths in this tiny hamlet of four to five hundred people had gathered here.


    With his strength as a three-star warrior, George did not need to use his short blade. Instead he opted for a primal approach as he pounced at the bandit minions with his fingers fanned out like grasping claws, mimicking a ferocious and unstoppable tiger.


    With his fighter¡¯s aura wrapped around his body, it not only gave his muscles a surge of strength but functioned as a protective layer, dulling the attacks of the bandits. The most these ordinary blades could do was break the outermost layer of his skin while his ensuing counterattack, on the other hand, left their heads and bodies separated.


    As the majority of them were merely one-star with their squad leaders being at most two-star, the bandit henchmen could do nothing but watch as their comrades get torn apart by the vicious hunter.


    Without the might the of three-star Third Chief aiding them, George was like a wolf thrown into a herd of sheep, ferociously ripping through their numbers amidst their cries for help and their mommas. Combined with the remaining hunters behind him, the villagers easily suppressed the bandits right from the get go.


    As for why George dared to charge so recklessly at the bandit minions, it was because I had made my move as well.


    In order to prevent any unnecessary conflict, I endured and then endured some more. But who knew that before I could even make a move, a blockhead teen took the initiative to air my grievances for me¡­the world truly worked in mysterious ways.


    As he strode towards the fallen teen, the Third Chief drew his long blade that hung by his waist and without a moment¡¯s notice, hacked at the teen. The stunned teen sat there with his mouth hanging open as he watched the murderous blade descend upon him without even trying to dodge.


    Did the kid get scared witless? I immediately rushed forward with the enchanted blade drawn. However, it was too late to block the descending blade. Thinking quickly, I immediately diverted my blade towards the chief¡¯s exposed neck. As I did so, I focused my will on the enchanted blade channelling my mana rapidly into it causing it to ignite with roaring flames.


    At this distance and angle, there was no way I could miss. If the Third Chief continued attacking the boy, all that awaited him was death by my blade.


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    Knowing that even his fighter¡¯s aura wasn¡¯t enough to block my blade, the chief promptly withdrew his blade to defend. While he was a reckless daredevil, that didn¡¯t mean he was going to throw his life away needlessly.


    His body spun around swinging the long blade towards the fiery weapon, stopping it just inches away from burning him. Having blocked it in the nick of time, the chief willed his aura forth in an explosion of Fighter¡¯s Aura that pushed me back.


    As I righted my posture, I snuck a glance at Dioh and found that the boy was at least smart to make use of this opportunity to run to safety beside George.


    ¡°So you do have some skills on you, lass.¡± the bandit sneered before gazing at the shallow wound on his shoulder. From that brief exchange, he managed to discern that my strength was roughly at the level of a two-star. With nothing to fear from me, he flashed me a fearless smile as he said: ¡°You¡¯d best follow me back to our mountain hideout, if we fight for real, there¡¯s no guarantee I won¡¯t injure you.¡±


    Why does this potato keep insisting that I¡¯m a girl?! No matter how you look at it, I¡¯m a guy, A GUY! My pee pee is just on a holiday that¡¯s all!


    *inhale, exhale*


    I took a deep breath before exhaling for an equally long time. However, with the mask covering my mouth and the majority of my face, the exhaled air ended up being trapped behind the mask giving it an uncomfortable humidity. Originally, all that talk of ¡°lass this, babe that¡± had already irked me significantly, with that adding fuel to the fire, my anger finally boiled over: ¡°Lass your f*cking ass, go kill yourself!¡±


    I roared and broke into a charge with the intention of using the Inversion Cut to take him by surprise. However, this seemingly ultimate skill in my eyes failed to come through once more. Ever since I used it on the Drump brothers in the villa¡¯s basement, I hadn¡¯t been able to perform it again no matter how hard I tried.


    This time was no exception either. No matter how much I swung the blade, the Inversion Cut refused to show itself causing all my furious swings to be nothing but ordinary swings.


    Without the Inversion Cut, my melee abilities were dwarfed by the Third Chief¡¯s own abilities. The difference in power could be compared to the difference in height between a dwarf and a human, no matter how much I tried, I was unable to harm him. In fact, my rage-fuelled slashes were perfectly parried by him even without the aid of his Fighter¡¯s Aura.


    Thankfully, the battle as a whole was tilting in our favor. While the hunters had less people than the bandits, their combat strength made up for that discrepancy. After all, their occupation was one that battled with animals and magical beasts on a daily basis. Even their weakest member had some strength to him.


    Not to mention the minions were basically fighting without a leader while the villagers had the mighty George, a three-star, leading their charge. Against a bunch of one and two-stars¡­there was nothing that could stop him!


    However, that didn¡¯t mean that they suffered no losses either. This was due to the inherent weakness of their short blades versus the bandit¡¯s longer blades. As the saying goes, an inch longer is an inch stronger.


    By now, the bandits had suffered massive casualties from George¡¯s ferocious attacks. As for the villagers, there were some unavoidable losses but on a whole, the scales were still tipped in our favor.

 Chapter 109: Battling the Three-Star

    *awooo*


    With a resounding howl, the tamed wolves leaped into the fray turning the already messy battlefield into an even more chaotic one. A portion of these wolves went to aid the bandit minions while the remainder split off to harass me.


    The Third Chief was definitely a lot stronger than me. Had it not been for my high-grade blade being able to break through his Aura Layer, this fight would¡¯ve been over before it even started.


    What was originally a knife¡¯s edge fight for me was instantly thrown into disarray with the addition of the wolves.


    Just as I dodged the Third Chief¡¯s long blade, the first tamed wolf pounced towards me barely giving me time to react before I was forced to roll to the side. Yet before I could even regain my posture, another wolf pounced at me catching me completely off-guard.


    Its lupine mouth opened to reveal a menacing row of razor sharp teeth as it prepared to lacerate me. Right at the last second however, a fireball crashed right into it with an explosive roar of flames as it sent the wolf flying to the side.


    Without even looking, I knew that it was Ancarin who helped me. With no time to spare, I immediately activated the enchanted blade¡¯s flames as I stabbed at the third oncoming wolf; cauterizing its flesh as the blade pierced through its neck.


    ¡°Kill her! Attack her together!¡±


    As the flames burst forth from the wolf¡¯s neck, the Third Chief ordered the wolves to restrain me out of fear of approaching my blade. The wolves leapt instantly at his command without any hint of hesitation in their eyes as they tried to suppress me with their numbers.


    If I wasn¡¯t in the Western Human Realms right now with so many humans watching, this dog pile could¡¯ve easily been taken care of with a few bone walls and spears. Unfortunately for me, this wasn¡¯t an option as necromancers were even more of a taboo occupation than occultists.


    If my identity as a devil was ever uncovered, we could still pass that off as me being a minion of Ancarin. However, if it was ever discovered that we were necromancers, that meant only one thing¡­getting burnt on a stake.


    While the wolves kept me occupied, the Third Chief took the opportunity to close in on Ancarin having determined that her magic was currently the biggest threat. Seeing this, I instantly rushed forward to stop him but was immediately intercepted by the remaining eight wolves who leapt at me simultaneously.


    Having spent the majority of my childhood practicing with the sword and shield on that wooden dummy, I had attained a degree of familiarity with bladed weapons such as my enchanted blade. After all, the swords of the Western Human Realms were almost the same as blades; unlike the ancient Chinese swords that were mainly used to stab, they were also able to slash and chop as well.


    However, the lack of a shield often threw off my stance due to my open left flank. Naturally, I couldn¡¯t use the grimoire as a makeshift shield, which forced me to dodge often in order to defend against the combined attacks of the wolves while severely limiting my offensive options.


    Not only that, the wolves the bandit chief had brought with him were markedly stronger than those we met in the woods. With their one-star strength, they were probably the elites of their wolf army and this showed in their impeccable cooperation. Whenever I slashed at an exposed wolf, another would leap at my left flank, forcing me to retract my blade to defend.


    By now, the Third Chief was close enough for Ancarin to see the whites of his eyes. He raised his long blade high into the air and gripped the hilt tightly, ready to perform an overhead chopas he covered the last five meters between them. It was at this moment, that a sly grin crossed her lips as she raised her hands and fired off an ice shard.


    At this distance, he barely had time to react before the shard¡¯s crystalline exterior dominated his field of vision. With a swift tug of his hand, he drew his blade down towards his hips and sliced the shard in twain. However, while the danger had been neutralized, his blade was now encased in ice from the shard¡¯s residual freezing power.


    Even so, the bandit trudged on with his now frozen-solid club of a blade still raised high for what was now to be called a smash. And yet what greeted him as he stepped forth was a fireball aimed right at him.


    Forced to defend once more, he swatted the fireball down with his club causing an explosion of fire and ice as the frozen layer shattered leaving behind a steaming blade. Concerned that the fireball wouldn¡¯t be enough to stop the man, Ancarin threw up a magical barrier in the meantime as a precaution.


    The magic crystal atop the staff glowed blue with mana as she focused her will on it. A second later, a blue, dome-like barrier of pure mana formed in front of her. This was a barrier formed solely out of the crystal¡¯s stored mana which automatically recovered every 12 hours.


    As long as she activated it while it was charged up, the barrier wouldn¡¯t require any mana input from her. On the other hand, it also meant that she could activate the barrier as long as she was able to expend the required amount of mana.


    Living up to his reputation as a three-star fighter, the Third Chief¡¯s wealth of experience allowed him to remain calm even when faced with a sudden explosion. Without giving it any thought, he instinctively expunged his Fighter¡¯s Aura in a short burst, cancelling out the shockwave of the magical explosion.


    Even under that barrage of fire and ice, his blade had never swayed from its course as the Chief continued his relentless attack on Ancarin.


    *bang clang*


    The barrier shattered into transparent flakes of blue as it blocked the Chief¡¯s chop in a flash of blue magical energy. While he had successfully broken through the barrier, he had lost his grip on the blade at the same time.


    After being pelted continuously by her magical attacks, the Chief¡¯s hand was numb from the impact, and upon receiving the backlash from the barrier, finally caved in.


    A triumphant smile crossed her lips as the blade fell to the ground with a loud clang. This was the moment she had been planning for since the beginning. In the past, she had seen Duran use the staff to block an attack from a three-star warrior. The situation back then was exactly the same as what happened now.


    She immediately stepped backwards and prepared to finish off the bandit by turning him into an ice statue with an ice shard.


    However, reality was never as simple as it seemed.


    Even with his right hand out of commission, he still had his left. In an admittedly impressive display of focus, he activated his Fighter¡¯s Aura and channelled it towards his left fist as he punched out at the unprepared Ancarin.


    The bandit once again showed his wealth of combat experience with this decisive move. Given the speed of his fist, the punch would land before she ever got the chance to fire off the spell even though she was the one who made the move first. If this punch were to land, her left hand would end up crippled due to the massive disparity in their bodily strength.


    However, unbeknownst to the man, she still had one last trick up her sleeve.


    As the Grimoire of the Dead was vehemently opposed to me using low-grade gear, the majority of the loot was given to Ancarin. Even so, she knew that more wasn¡¯t necessarily better and wisely chose the tools that Duran had usually brought into battle such as potions, scrolls and enchanted gear. Thus, she actually had two defensive tools instead of just one.


    The aura clad fist tore through the air, the gap between itself and its target shrinking in an instant. Knowing that she couldn¡¯t match him in speed, she immediately withdrew her left hand while simultaneously activating her defensive necklace.


    Similar to the staff, the necklace was a high-grade enchanted gear, but unlike the fixed defensive strength of the staff¡¯s crystal, the necklace required the user¡¯s mana to activate and its strength varied depending on the amount of mana put in. In short, the more mana you put the stronger the barrier gets.


    (Author¡¯s Note: There is a maximum value on the necklace¡¯s barrier, channelling more mana past that value doesn¡¯t add to its defensive strength and if the mana channelled is more than the amount the necklace can take, it might break.)


    His fist punctured the barrier without any difficulty, tearing down the last hindrance standing between him and Ancarin. However, as his fist was merely flesh and blood, the barrier absorbed the majority of its impact.


    By the time it hit the staff she swung forward to block him at the last minute, there was barely 10% left of its initial power. Yet, this was enough to send her flying while knocking the staff away.


    It was at this moment that the forgotten masked girl, Regine, finally made her move. The girls had already agreed on a plan prior to this: Ancarin would distract the Third Chief while she waited in the shadows for the right moment.


    Putting aside the issue of morals, thieves and assassins were basically the same occupation with the majority of their skills overlapping. The biggest difference would be that one relied on killing for a living while the other relied on stealing. Thus during situations such as this, thieves could perform the same job as an assassin¡­a slightly inferior assassin.


    With Ancarin demanding all of the Third Chief¡¯s attention, she had the perfect chance to sneak up on the man. At the moment, his fist made contact with Ancarin, she revealed her murderous intent, her enchanted dagger baring its cold metallic fangs. Unfortunately, the wound wasn¡¯t a fatal one¡­


    The Third Chief¡¯s vast combat experienced saved him once more as his honed battle instincts alerted him right at the very last second. As a bandit living with death on a daily basis, he not only had to keep his guard up during their raids, he also had to remain vigilant against his own men.


    The rule of being a bandit was that there was no rules, strength was the only thing they respected; if you were strong enough, then you would be the leader. If you fell because of an accident or a plot, then your life would be forfeit. No one could be trusted in such an environment and those who survived were all cunning cutthroats.


    It was in such an environment that his instincts were honed giving him an extraordinary sensitivity to danger. Prior to her attack, the man had no clue that Regine was behind him yet the moment Regine let out her murderous intent, the bandit instantly picked up on it and realised that there was a killer lurking nearby.


    He immediately abandoned going in for the kill and instead focused on dodging the stab. However, due to the suddenness of her attack, he only managed to avoid a fatal wound.


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    Regine was a two-star thief and not a professional assassin. If she had been one, that stab would¡¯ve definitely penetrated his heart. Not being able to kill him in one strike was the decisive difference between one who trained in the arts of murder and one who merely dabbled in it.


    The assassination had failed and that meant only one thing: run. While it was a shame that she couldn¡¯t finish him off, her opponent¡¯s instincts were too sensitive and had exceeded her own estimations. Withdrawing her dagger, she instantly retreated without any hesitation.


    A split second later, a kick came flying towards where she had just been. Naturally, the kick missed its target and all he could do was rub his back in pain and anger as he tried to figure out the extent of the wound.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± asked the stealthy thief as she landed gracefully at Ancarin¡¯s side, handing over the staff she had picked up along the way to the girl who had just gotten to her feet.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she replied shakily while accepting the staff. Judging from the paleness of her face, that strike must¡¯ve given her quite a fright. Thankfully, she was a resilient girl. After a few shakes of her body, she recovered her presence of mind and turned towards me and the wolves: ¡°Master Mo Ke seems to be in trouble, you should help him instead. Leave this side to me.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡± While her face was as placid as ever, the expression on Regine¡¯s face clearly showed her reluctance to leave Ancarin alone to face a three-star warrior.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have this.¡± As she said that, Ancarin took out a magical scroll from her robes. Seeing the scroll, Regine finally relented with a nod and came over to aid me.


    ¡°A magical scroll!¡±


    With a just glance, he instantly recognized the rolled up parchment in her hands. Furthermore, he knew better than any of the bandits here how terrifying this piece of paper was. Ten years ago when he was merely a young mercenary, he was on a escort mission to protect a mage. Back then, their convoy had encountered a fearsome bandit troupe that they couldn¡¯t defeat.


    Just as it looked like they were about to lose, the mage ripped open a magical scroll and then¡­there was no more enemiesto worry about. At that moment, the young Third Chief made a decision which would forever change his life.


    At the dead of night, he murdered his client and stole all his possessions after which he fled. The mercenary group chased him endlessly until the day he faked his death and finally managed to shake off their pursuit, cementing his future as a promising bandit.

 Chapter 110: Peace Talks?

    Having tangled with these eight wolves for so long, the fact that they were able to toy with me up till now was without a doubt, an embarrassment. It goes without saying that I was lacking in certain areas, namely strength. Other than my speed, it could be said that my other attributes were definitely stronger than a one-star but barely comparable to a two-star.


    If I could use my bone walls to create a more favorable terrain or my instant cast bone spears, these wolves would not have been such a problem. In fact, if I just had enough time to cast my flame whip, I wouldn¡¯t have been in such a disadvantageous position. Unfortunately, the need for secrecy took precedence over everything.


    If my red skin was to get exposed by a stray bite, the consequences would be dire. And so I had no choice but to focus primarily on defense. All it took was for one wolf to bite off my hood and my secret would be revealed. Thus, this wolf encirclement was particularly troublesome for me; it wasn¡¯t that I had gotten weaker but rather I was unable to fight with my full capabilities.


    Furthermore, the situation on the other side concerned me as well. Regine and Ancarin were only two-star and one-star respectively. Facing off against a three-star warrior was already asking much of them, let alone expecting them to win. With all these issues distracting me, concentrating on the fight was difficult in of itself.


    Thankfully, Ancarin had a treasure trove of magical tools aiding her, most notably those magical scrolls. The Third Chief knew of the power of these scrolls and thus couldn¡¯t decide on whether to retreat or continue attacking.


    At the moment Regine launched a sneak attack on him, I managed to kill the second wolf.


    Having been reassured by the presence of those scrolls, Regine abandoned the fight with the bandit and instead came to help me. As a thief, she naturally had long range attacks of her own and thus didn¡¯t need to stand too close to the wolves. All she had to do was find the opportune moment to toss a couple of throwing daggers.


    With her superior speed and throwing daggers, she had a much easier time handling these wolves compared to me. The combination of my blade and her daggers ended up killing most of the remaining wolves.


    In the meantime, George and the other hunters had managed to defeat the minions that the Third Chief had brought along with him. That¡¯s right, defeat not kill.


    Logically speaking, George should¡¯ve been the one to face off against the three-star Third Chief right from the get go as they were the only three-stars present. Only should he falter would this responsibility fall onto us outsiders.


    Yet when George saw that I saved his little brother Dioh, he no longer paid any attention to the Third Chief but instead chose to fight the minions. While I could understand his reasoning, it still pissed me off nonetheless.


    If, during the process of fighting against the Third Chief we were to get killed or captured, there would no longer be a reason for the two parties to fight. While some minions might get sacrificed in the process, these minions were called small fries for a reason. With that in mind, it seems like the relationship between George and the Wolf¡¯s Fang Bandit Troupe wasn¡¯t as simple as it seemed on the surface.


    Of course, it could just be me overthinking things.


    Choosing to fight the minions instead could just as likely had been motivated by the desire to minimize the casualties on the side of the hunters. However, I had to admit that this fellow was truly ruthless. With every swing of his blade, a bandit would fall to the ground dead or crippled. Under such circumstances, it didn¡¯t take long before the bandits began to feel the pressure of their losses.


    With his minions defeated and George free to join in the fight, not to mention the other side still had magical scrolls on hand¡­the chief was basically stuck between a rock and a hard place.


    And so the Third Chief wisely chose to back out of the fight. Yet, this didn¡¯t mean that the matter was over either. As the man retreated, he shouted: ¡°George, you win this time but this won¡¯t be the last you hear of me. One day I¡¯ll make you pay for everything you¡¯ve done!¡±


    Having said that, he picked up the long blade he dropped and signalled for the surviving bandits to gather up. With a long sharp whistle, he commanded the wolves to stop after which he slowly walked past George and began gathering the survivors.


    With this battle over, George who was against this fight in the first place, finally breathed a sigh of relief and began marshalling the hunters. The uninjured hunters were tasked with escorting the injured ones back to the village first while he took care of one last piece of business.


    Without stopping to check the casualties, George immediately stepped forth and rebuked the bandit, knowing full well that if he were to show any signs of weakness now, the bandits would only get emboldened: ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have attacked my little brother.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get things straight here, he was the one who attacked me first!¡± Hearing this, the Third Chief immediately flared up once more. ¡°You should rein in that mangy brat instead and teach him the dangers of being impetuous!¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯re you calling a mangy brat!¡±


    Being a hot-headed youth, Dioh naturally wasn¡¯t willing to let that comment slide.


    ¡°Naturally, whoever it is that answered of course.¡± The Third Chief said with a taunting laugh as he threw the boy a contemptuous look.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°Dioh!¡± Seeing the kid try to rush towards his death once more, George immediately grabbed hold of his little brother and prevented him from running off.


    ¡°Big Bro, let me go!¡±


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    However, no matter how much he struggled, George refused to let go. After struggling for awhile, he finally realized the futility of his actions and quietened down. Thinking that the kid had finally calmed down, George released his grip on Dioh and turned his attention back to the departing bandit chief.


    Not even giving the moaning bandits on the ground a second look, the Third Chief turned his gaze onto me and said with a sinister grin on his lips, ¡°Lass, I¡¯ve set my eyes on you now. There¡¯s no way you¡¯ll escape from the palm of my hands!¡±


    How many times do I have to repeat myself to make you guys understand¡­I¡¯m a guy!


    ¡°There¡¯s no way we can settle this amicably?¡± Keenly aware of my desire to remain low-key, Ancarin stepped forth once more to mediate this issue with money. ¡°If we give you a low-grade enchanted gear as compensation, will you let bygones be bygones?¡±


    A low-grade gear was at least worth 500 gold coins with the more expensive ones being worth a few thousand. However, being able to settle this issue by paying one or two pieces of gear was still a worthwhile trade; given that we managed to loot ten of such items from Duran. Compared to having my identity potentially exposed, losing some money was nothing. With Nicole so close at hand, the safer choice was definitely the better one.


    Yet, the Third Chief didn¡¯t seem to think so. With a legion of henchmen under him and two other chiefs standing behind him, he didn¡¯t need to fear us at all.


    ¡°You wish to settle this privately? That price is just too low.¡± He declared arrogantly without a hint of fear in his eyes.


    ¡°Then two pieces.¡±


    ¡°Haha, as long as I catch you all, all your items will belong to me. Naturally, that includes your bodies as well,¡± said the Third Chief, revealing his unbridled greed with one sentence.


    Even though he had lost the battle, his aggressiveness hadn¡¯t diminished a bit thanks to his powerful backing. Ironically, it was us, the victors who seemed more concerned about any repercussions.


    ¡°Lass, you better wash up and be ready to get f*cked! Ah hahaha¡­lads, we¡¯re leaving for now. Once we¡¯ve had our fill, we can come back and settle the score!¡± He laughed for a moment before signalling to his henchmen to retreat with a wave of his hands.


    As for him, he made sure to threaten us once more to ensure we didn¡¯t abscond: ¡°Don¡¯t even think about escaping, if I come back to find ya¡¯ll missing, I¡¯ll raze this village! Women, children and all.¡±


    With those simple words, he cut off all our escape routes. No matter what we tried, whether it was money or just running away, the other party didn¡¯t intend to let us off the hook. Even though we could still leave after these bandits retreated, there¡¯s no way the villagers would allow us to do so as that would incur the wrath of the bandits.


    Given that the man was only ranked third, that meant that there was at least two other chiefs ahead of him. Since bandits only valued strength, the other two chiefs would definitely be stronger than the three-star Third Chief. In fact, one of them might even be a four-star.


    With that in mind, I could finally understand the feelings of that old village chief; not only could he not defeat them, he couldn¡¯t let us go either. If we had chosen to leave last night, the combined forces of me, Ancarin and Regine should¡¯ve been enough to break through any opposition, assuming that George and the others weren¡¯t there of course.


    Yet if we did that, the village would¡¯ve definitely had to pay the price. While there was no guarantee that the bandits would kill them all, the price would still be steep.


    At this moment, the looks the villagers gave us started to seem a little strange. They had done nothing wrong at all and yet they were now threatened with the possibility of annihilation thanks to us. We must¡¯ve looked like a bunch of jinxes to them.


    Unfortunately for us both, the reality of the situation was as such so there¡¯s no point blaming me. Who would¡¯ve known that killing a couple of wolves would bring out a whole bunch of bandits?


    Not only was the Third Chief unrepentant; not only did he walk at the very back of the contingent with his exposed back to us, his swagger gait was wide enough to form an upside down V! If one didn¡¯t know better, one would¡¯ve mistaken him for the reincarnation of a blonde orange.


    Hmm¡­what are we to do now? If we wait for him to come back, that would be the same as committing suicide. Even if we tried to escape now, the addition of George and these hunters ensured that our chances were basically nil.


    Just as I was mulling over this dilemma, a certain brat made the decision for me.


    The twang of bow resounded across the silent battlefield, bringing with it the signature whoosh of an arrow barrelling through the air as it shot right towards the back of the bandit¡¯s throat.


    However even in his non-combat state, the Third Chief didn¡¯t let his guard down for a second. The moment the arrow left the kid¡¯s bow, he immediately picked up on the sound. He swiftly turned around and swung his blade, landing it perfectly in the path of the arrow slicing it apart with ease.


    ¡°Mangy brat, you actually dared to attack me again!¡±


    As he turned his fuming gaze onto the kid, his eyes swivelled in time to catch the sight of a second arrow being fired by Dioh.


    That¡¯s right, the one who launched that sneak attack was Dioh. The kid who seemed to hate the man even more than me for reasons unknown, immediately loaded a second arrow with the full expectation of his first arrow failing.


    I had to admit though, this brat¡¯s archery skills weren¡¯t too shabby. Even with over ten meters separating the two of them, both of his arrows were aimed perfectly at his throat and heart respectively.


    Having been the target of two sneak attacks, the Third Chief was now dead set on killing Dioh. Yet, his attack was intercepted once more, this time by George who rushed to Dioh¡¯s side the moment he saw the second arrow being loaded.


    Before he fired off the arrow, George was completely unaware of what he had planned. Knowing that his big brother wouldn¡¯t approve of his sneak attack, the rebellious kid ran off to a remote corner and waited for an opportune moment to launch his arrow. In the end, he failed at catching the bandit off guard.


    Knowing that the first arrow was doomed to fail given the disparity between him and a three-star warrior, he decided to load another arrow.


    Truth be told, the second arrow was probably a stunt on his part. His aim, to attract the attention of the Third Chief while simultaneously telling his big brother that ¡°your little brother is about fire his load again¡­¡±

 Chapter 111: An Unexpected Departure

    Seen in that light, one might think that Dioh was a scheming potato, yet I knew that this was not the case. The hot headed teen had merely acted on his impulses with not much scheming to speak of.


    It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that this second sneak attack of his forced the Third Chief¡¯s hand. Whether it was to prevent a loss of face, to prevent a loss of face or even just to prevent a loss of face, this bandwagon wasn¡¯t one he could easily disembark from. If he didn¡¯t teach this brat a lesson now, how was he to survive in this dog eat dog world of his?


    ¡°You mangy brat! I swear I¡¯m going to kill you!¡±


    Screamed the bandit dead set on punishing Dioh. However, there was no way that George, as his elder brother, would allow this to happen; so the battle between three-stars began for real.


    While the Third Chief still suffered from injuries gained during the previous fight it didn¡¯t hinder him one bit. Instead it stoked the flames created by the numerous provocations he endured today. Fuelled by rage, the bandit abandoned any attempt at defense and instead went on a reckless rampage; which ironically gave him an unprecedentedly imposing aura.


    George on the other hand still hoped for a peaceful resolution in order to avoid the possibility of the bandits attacking their hamlet. They were after all, the weaker party in this confrontation. Should the bandits ever break through their defenses, the entire village might get massacred in order to set an example.


    Even if by some stroke of luck they manage to avoid such a fate, the entire hamlet would still end up as the possession of the bandits; while the villagers would become slaves for them.


    Thankfully, the situation hadn¡¯t worsened to that extent. The Third Chief had only sustained some injuries and wasn¡¯t dead. That meant that there was still a chance to settle this amicably. As for those small fries who died in this attack¡­did you honestly think that a bunch of immoral thugs would care about the death of their subordinates? Stop kidding yourself.


    Compared to the Third Chief¡¯s increasingly fierce display of power, the uninjured George seemed to be gradually losing ground. At least that was the impression he gave as he was forced into a purely defensive stance.


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    Logically speaking, George should¡¯ve been a lot stronger than the Third Chief. After all, it wasn¡¯t too long ago that he showed us his violent style of fighting where he ruthlessly hacked the bandits to death.


    And yet he seemed to have become significantly restrained in front of the Third Chief; did he take some laxative by accident or something? Did he have a sudden tummy ache?


    Either way, this situation seemed to have no connection to us at all.


    The bandits tried to help out their chief, yet as they stepped forward, the hunters raised their bows and immediately pointed their arrows at them. With their morale shattered from before, they swiftly caved in to the threat of the bows and backed off.


    George continued his passive stance as before but in the face of the Third Chief¡¯s furious slashes, his defenses began to show signs of collapsing. From the looks of it, he would lose in another 10 moves or so.


    As for Dioh, I honestly did not know what to say about this kid. For some reason, he seemed dead set on starting a feud with these bandits.


    The kid stood there with his bow drawn and his arrow aimed right at the Third Chief, and yet he didn¡¯t fire it off but instead merely kept it locked onto the bandit. ¡°Hey you thieving bast*rd, I got my arrow locked right onto you so you better watch out!¡± Dioh shouted that reminder out as if he was afraid the bandit might forget about him.


    As his long blade knocked the passive hunter back a few steps, he took the opportunity to sneak a glance in the direction of the taunting voice. The veins in his forehead bulged as his anger boiled over from the kid¡¯s obvious provocation. To think this kid actually dared to point an arrow at him while he was busy fighting George in a one on one!


    Having been pushed past the brink, the Third Chief swung his long blade out as hard as he could, forcing the three-star hunter to the side. ¡°YOU DAMNED BRAT, EVEN IF IT KILLS ME, I¡¯LL SKIN YOU ALIVE!¡± He bellowed at the kid not caring if this action ended up exposing himself to the hunter.


    Before anyone could react to his words, he charged at the bow-wielding teen with a mighty kick of his legs, leaving the hunter behind as he focused his attention on his young nemesis.


    Kid, did you practise your taunt skill while you were in your mother¡¯s womb or something¡­


    Yet before he could hack the offending teen to death, his long blade was blocked once more by George who managed to circle around him despite his earlier dash.


    As expected, George was the stronger of the two. In the face of the Third Chief¡¯s furious attempt on Dioh¡¯s life, George didn¡¯t dare to hide his true strength anymore. Which reminded me, how many times has this kid been saved already?


    When you think about it, this pair of siblings worked pretty well together; one taunted while the other blocked as if this was a well choreographed play.


    Naturally, the Third Chief didn¡¯t think this way. It was one thing when you were the one watching the show, it was a different matter altogether when you were the one being watched; especially when that show involved you being shot at time and time again without being able to retaliate.


    The bandit withdrew his long blade and gave the hunter a long pointed stare. He finally realized that harming the kid was impossible as long as this fellow was here. Then the question arose in his heart, who was more important? Dioh or the hamlet?


    ¡°Good. Very good.¡± Having no way to vent his anger, the chief laughed instead. However, it was a laugh that had a bone-chilling coldness to it. He pointed his long blade at Dioh before turning a hateful gaze onto George as if he was an injured serpent: ¡°I¡¯ll give you two choices. One, let me kill him.¡±


    Having a blade pointed at him naturally ticked the teen off who immediately tried to draw his bow once more. Unfortunately for him, his brother had seen through his intentions and promptly knocked the bow away before giving the immature teen a reprimanding glare.


    However, this bit of infighting wasn¡¯t enough to satisfy the Third Chief whose face was just as icy as before: ¡°Two, you let me kill off everyone in the hamlet.¡±


    ¡°You dare!¡± Dioh mustered the angriest face he could manage but was swiftly overpowered by the booming voice of George.


    ¡°SHUT UP!¡±


    He deftly confiscated all the weapons he could find on Dioh; a short blade and another hunting bow. Without any care for his brother¡¯s feelings, he tossed the weapons at the Third Chief¡¯s feet and tried once more to negotiate: ¡°I promise he¡¯ll avoid you from now on¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that!¡± bellowed the Third Chief with his eyes bulged and his face as red as blood.


    ¡°This brat has tried to kill me several times now and yet you protected him each and every time. So I take it you want him to live? In that case, pay for his life with your village!¡±


    ¡°Is there no room for discussion?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve said my piece, if I take it back now, how do you expect me to survive in this field!¡±


    With that, he demonstrated his unyielding stance. Like the man said, after being shot at by Dioh multiple times, if he couldn¡¯t even take care of the brat, how did you expect him to live this down?


    ¡°Is there truly no way to settle this peacefully?¡± George persisted with his pleading but the Third Chief wouldn¡¯t have any of that. The gauntlet had been thrown down and there was no way he would withdraw it now. Not to mention the fact that they seemed to be on equal footing in terms of strength; at least that was how the Third Chief saw it.


    From George¡¯s deliberate display of weakness, the Third Chief had determined the personality of this hunter. Despite his impressive strength, he was the type to sacrifice his own interests for the majority. It was this personality that gave the Third Chief the audacity to dole out such harsh terms without any regard for George¡¯s will; especially with the powerful backing he had.


    With his boss, Dawson backing him up, the Third Chief wasn¡¯t the least bit worried that George would dare to attack him for real. Killing those small fries was merely a minor issue that could easily be settled with money. However, if George were to kill him, a chief of the Wolf¡¯s Fang, that would start a blood feud between the village and them.


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Having failed to persuade the Third Chief twice, it seemed like he had no choice but to choose between those binary options¡­and yet just as I thought he would do so, he struck out. In the space of that sigh, he did something that stunned everyone into silence.


    Knowing that he couldn¡¯t change the chief¡¯s mind, there was only one option left to him since he didn¡¯t want to sacrifice his little brother¡­he went all out.


    As that sigh left his mouth, his short blade flashed out. With a ruthless swing of his arms, he sliced the man apart from his waist up to his neck. A second later, blood gushed out from that horrific gash, threatening to suffocate the hunter in a bloodrain. However, George was more than ready for this; his Fighter¡¯s Aura activated long before the crimson droplets could touch him and instantly expelled the fluid.


    So quick¡­I barely had time to register that flash of steel before the chief died a horrible death.


    ¡°Third Chief!¡±


    This sudden turn of events left everyone staring at the hunter in disbelief including me. Up until now, George had been extremely accommodating, going so far as to isolate us in order not to cause trouble for the village. I had assumed that he was terrified of the bandit troupe, yet when driven into a corner, he killed the Third Chief with a single swing of his blade¡­this disparity was truly frightening.


    However, my shock was nothing compared to the bandits whose morale seemed to be on the verge of collapsing. The shock from seeing what was in their minds, an impossibility, was nothing to scoff at after all. Even after his cold lifeless body collapsed to the floor, the bandits were still too stunned to process the sudden change¡­that disparity was just too much.


    Now that their leader was dead, the bandits naturally fled back to wherever they crawled out from. At the side, I gave Ancarin a look that said ¡°why does it feel like we had turned into a bunch of side characters?¡±


    From the time that fellow came looking for trouble, we had gone through a round of fighting, followed by negotiation, followed by another round of fighting, after which we negotiated once more, and then he got murdered¡­if that sounded confusing, you aren¡¯t alone in thinking that.


    ¡°Big..Bro?¡± Ignoring the fleeing bandits, Dioh turned to his brother with a shocked look on his face as if he couldn¡¯t believe that his brother had such an unyielding side to him.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± He grunted in response to his questioning look before turning to face the three of us, or should I say me. He stared emotionlessly at me for a good while before he said in an understandingly impolite tone: ¡°Why all this happened is no longer important, there¡¯s also no way for us to chase down those fleeing bandits now, so news of me killing Doran will definitely reach the ears of Dawson. At that time, I hope that you¡¯ll¡­help us defend the village.¡±


    ¡°Sure¡­no problem¡­¡± I nodded to show my complete support for his suggestion that definitely wasn¡¯t any way motivated by his terrifying countenance¡­


    Next came the task of tallying up the casualties. The bandits were roughly as strong as the hunters since their longer weapons gave them a slight edge. However, thanks to their three-star shirking his responsibility and leaving us to fight Doran, the hunters ended up scoring a decisive victory over the bandits who didn¡¯t have a three-star aiding them.


    In actuality, melee combat could be summed up as a battle of morale. Once one was able to suppress the other with their morale, the end result would be a crushing victory for one side.


    Take for example our recent battle, the hunters suffered 9 deaths with 7 others being severely injured and 31 others being slightly injured. As for the bandits, they lost 11 wolves and suffered 36 deaths with 12 of their members being left behind due to their injuries.


    Naturally, there was no need to guess what happened to these bast*rds. Leaving them here would just be a waste of food and medicine so the hunters threw them into the wilderness to fend for themselves.


    With that settled, next came the question of how to deal with the bandits¡¯ counterattack¡­but before that, there¡¯s something I had to do¡­


    I don¡¯t know why but¡­I have a tummy ache right now¡­

 Chapter 112: A Righteous Argumen

    The sudden tummy ache left me befuddled for a moment before Ancarin chimed in with the answer: ¡°Ever since I¡¯ve known you, I¡¯ve never seen you use the bathroom¡­¡±


    So my tummy ache was because of that¡­


    I¡¯ll give her that¡­I haven¡¯t actually gone to the toilet since returning to the Western Human Realms. To be exact, I¡¯ve only done a number one¡­


    How should I say this, I¡­ had gotten used to the simple lifestyle of consuming souls as a devil¡­these souls decomposed into a variety of nutrients when they entered my stomach and since they weren¡¯t corporeal, there was no waste product left behind. Thus, I never had to worry about performing a number two for the longest of time.


    Since I¡¯ve returned to the human realm, I¡¯ve eaten quite a lot of human food¡­while I did pee from time to time, the matter of a number two had slipped my mind completely¡­ (Author: As his pee pee is still missing, taking a piss while standing causes the pee to spill all over¡­so whenever he pees¡­you get the idea¡­)


    Sh*t, I just got screwed over by my own diet¡­


    With an anxious look on my face, I hastily asked Ancarin to lead me to the nearest toilet. As he watched us scurry off, George almost mistook that as us trying to escape. However, he quickly changed his mind when he noticed the direction we were rushing off to.


    Excrement had an important function in rural villages like this; they functioned as nutrients for their crops and thus the villagers had an idea to create a public collection point, otherwise known as an outhouse. Thus, with no mental preparation whatsoever, I entered this facility and then¡­I felt something within me die¡­


    With that bit of personal matter settled, Ancarin informed me that the old village chief was going to hold a banquet in his home to welcome us.


    During our battle with the Third Chief, this old man was noticeably absent even though he knew about the ongoing battle. To put it simply, he was afraid of dying so all he could do was welcome us with food and wine after the battle. Rather than welcome, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that he was doing whatever he could to keep us in the village.


    The village chief had a pretty decent house made of wood; two stories high and it even came with a courtyard of its own. It was in this courtyard that the banquet was held. By the time we arrived, the banquet table already had several people seated around it. The old chief, George, Dioh and a blue, long-haired youth with average looks. Atop the table were over ten dishes, the majority of which were meat with a couple of vegetable and fruit dishes at the side.


    Despite the slight impoverishment of the village, the banquet was surprisingly satisfying. This was after all, a hunting village. Thus other than farming, the village relied heavily on the mountain game for sustenance as well. Given the wide variety of meats available, our meal was pretty delicious in spite of the cook¡¯s average skills.


    During our meal, the village chief would bring up the matter of the Wolf¡¯s Fang from time to time which was understandable given their current circumstance. In truth, the Third Chief came here looking for us and yet the bandits ended up leaving with a vendetta against them¡­shouldn¡¯t we be the main characters here? I think there is something wrong with this plot¡­..


    As for Dioh, the main contributor behind this blood feud, he was currently sitting around the banquet table enjoying his food without a care in the world. Beside him was a stone-faced George who didn¡¯t show much expression even when offered a drink by the village chief. All he did was down the wine before he returned back to his sulking.


    ¡°Sigh, if those bandits attack us in force, our village is doomed¡­¡± Having taken a swig from his mug, the village chief let out a helpless sigh. ¡°Dioh¡­you¡¯ve really stirred up a hornet¡¯s nest this time.¡±


    ¡°What are you afraid of! If they dare to come, I¡¯ll make sure they never go back alive!¡± exclaimed the teen in question without any remorse on his face. As he took a massive bite out of a steak, he gave his chest a slap in a manly fashion and said: ¡°Even if I can¡¯t do that, there¡¯s still my big brother over here!¡±


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    ¡­Well, weren¡¯t you the considerate one, dragging your brother down with you the moment you realized you were not up to the task. No wonder he¡¯s so sullen, I would be too if someone dug a hole for me to jump into and bragged about it.


    ¡°All you know how to do is cause trouble!¡± George yelled at the teen, however upon seeing the kid turn his nose up at him defiantly, he lost the mood to scold him and instead gave a dejected sigh: ¡°Our parents died while we were still young so can¡¯t you just behave yourself.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with killing bandits?¡± he rebutted in the typical rebellious teen fashion. ¡°When I was young, you taught me not to fear the strong and to uphold justice. Do you know how much I idolized you back then!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± A constipated look crossed his face for a long while before he finally forced out a reply: ¡°Upholding justice requires strength. Only a fool would stick himself out for justice without any strength.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that¡¯s why you stood by idly as they got bullied!¡± Somehow the flames of war ended up spreading to our side of the table as well as the kid pointed a finger at me while yelling at George. Unfortunately for him, his glare had no effect on George.


    George glanced at the three of us before he promptly turned to his foolish brother and argued with him: ¡°Between the village and a bunch of strangers, who is more important?!¡±


    ¡°There is only justice in my eyes, there¡¯s no difference between a stranger and a friend!¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that as long as you¡¯re satisfied, it doesn¡¯t matter if the village gets massacred because of your actions!?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that, I¡¯m just telling you that justice is impartial. It doesn¡¯t discriminate!¡±


    ¡°Then do you understand that your ¡°justice¡± might just get our village massacred a few days later! Massacred, you hear me?!¡± Without waiting for his infuriating response, George tugged at the teen¡¯s collar and continued with his tirade: ¡°If Dawson were to attack us, exactly what do you expect us to do!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t we have you to defend us!¡± Not caring about his older brother¡¯s action, he maintained his sitting posture as he stared at the angry hunter right in the eyes and said unwaveringly: ¡°Aren¡¯t you really strong? That Dawson isn¡¯t even a match for you!¡±


    ¡°¡­hmph¡­¡± He released the kid¡¯s collar and slumped back into his seat, downing his mug as he did so. The pint of alcohol slid down his throat with several noisy glugs after which he slammed the mug back onto the table and crassly wiped his mouth with his sleeves.


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t fighting at his full strength then,¡± said George in a bitter tone.


    ¡°¡­¡± Dioh fell silent upon hearing that.


    From the looks on their faces and their conversation, George must¡¯ve fought with Dawson previously. Furthermore, it must¡¯ve been a pretty fair fight which ended in George¡¯s victory. According to George, he only won because his opponent went easy on him. However, putting that aside for now, it least meant that he won the fight.


    Was that why he was able to finish off the Third Chief with a simple sneak attack?


    ¡°Honestly, Dawson isn¡¯t the main problem here, our biggest problems are his minions which number over 500 and his two to three hundred trained wolves. They¡¯re simply too much for our village to bear.¡± He continued having calmed himself down slightly.


    George closed his eyes for a second before pouring himself a cup of wine, but instead of drinking it, he merely held it up and continued talking: ¡°Even if I do my best to stall Dawson, how are you going to handle the near thousand strong bandit troupe?¡±


    By now, Dioh had calmed down as well. He lowered his head and gave this matter some thought before answering: ¡°We can set some traps to stall them while everyone else whittles them down with their bows. There¡¯s no way we¡¯ll lose to those curs in an archery battle.¡±


    ¡°Those bandits aren¡¯t fools either. They know how to create traps as well and won¡¯t fall for ours so easily. Plus, you seemed to have pegged their intelligence at the level of a mere beast.¡±


    ¡°That is nothing short of foolish. They have long range weapons as well and in an archery battle, their 500 strong army is more than enough to overwhelm our skill¡­after the battle today, the amount of able bodied hunters in our village is less than 80 if you don¡¯t count the wounded and the dead.¡±


    ¡°I understand¡­¡± He said in an attempt at admitting his error. However, his face clearly said otherwise. Although the mention of casualties dampened his mood slightly, this show of sadness was quickly replaced by his bull-headed need to maintain his front.


    Don¡¯t be fooled by the kid¡¯s show of strength, deep down, he was just as saddened by this sordid affair as everyone else.


    ¡°I think we can try to rope in the nearby security forces,¡± interjected the Village Chief in the midst of this sudden silence. ¡°If we give them enough benefits, they should be willing to aid us. Plus, this plan wouldn¡¯t require much time either. A trip back and forth would only take a total of two days.¡±


    How ironic, the forces charged with protecting this region¡¯s security ended up turning into an extortion gig. What was to be their duty was now a chance for them extort money from the villagers; if you didn¡¯t pay the protection fee, they would not deal with the bandits¡­I swear this situation was so common nowadays.


    Before proceeding forward, it¡¯s worthwhile to elaborate on matters regarding the security forces in the Western Human Realm.


    Nobility could be divided into a number of ranks that started from, knight, baron, viscount, count, marquis, duke and finally ended in king. In theory, all kings were of the same level, but in reality there existed differences in each nation¡¯s strength which resulted in them having different standings.


    The lowest denomination within the security forces were villages. The security of a village was handled by the lowest grade of nobility, the knight. However, that didn¡¯t mean that every village had a knight that looked after it. Only villages located in strategic locations or those that were rich in resources could enjoy the protection of a knight.


    In short, only villages who could bring those noble masters some form of benefit were worthy of protection. This meant that Plateau Village didn¡¯t possess an officially sanctioned security force. For the most part, security was handled by the villagers themselves as no knight would want to waste their time in a poor village like this.


    This was why they ended up being bullied by the Wolf¡¯s Fang.


    ¡°The security forces are¡­useless. Dawson has men stationed out there as well. Even if we pay them, those knights will merely take our money and not show up.¡± George¡¯s mood could only be described as despondent right now. While it hadn¡¯t reached the point of giving up, he showed an unprecedented level of dejectedness.


    ¡°What about mercenaries?¡± said Ancarin after hearing out their opinions. ¡°As long as we¡¯re willing to pay, mercenaries will take on any job we give them. We should hire them to fight the bandits.¡±


    Agreeing with this point, Dioh gave the table an excited slap as he said: ¡°That¡¯s right, as long as we manage to hire mercenaries, we don¡¯t have to be afraid of those bad guys! Although hiring them would take a lot of money.¡±


    ¡°With the bandits nearly being a thousand strong, the amount of mercenaries we would have to hire is slightly troublesome, but given our wealth wiping out an entire bandit troupe shouldn¡¯t be a problem as long as we fork out whatever we have.¡±


    I thoroughly approved of this suggestion seeing as it only required money. With over 10,000 gold coins left in our coffers, it should be more than enough to hire the needed amount of mercenaries. Plus, killing these bandits should net us some loot as well. For all we know, raiding their nest might bring us enough loot to recoup our losses and more.

 Chapter 113: Reinforcements for the Village

    George gave the suggestion some thought before he finally shook his head and said ¡°Putting aside the problem of money for now, the mercenary guilds can only be found in the city and the closest city is at least 3 days away. If you add in the time it takes to hire one, the round trip would take at least 7 days. There¡¯s no way they¡¯ll make it back in time.¡±


    Time definitely was an issue here, after all, if the bandits were going to massacre the village in two days, it wouldn¡¯t matter even if you hired 10,000 mercenaries since the village would be a pile of rubble by the time you got back.


    What he said made a lot of sense and so I decided to take the opportunity to press him for more details. ¡°Then when do you think the enemy will attack us? And that Dawson guy is the head of the bandits right? Do you know him?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t wish to elaborate any further on the matter regarding Dawson. All I can tell you is that he is definitely the head of the Wolf¡¯s Fang.¡±


    He seemed rather evasive and judging from that expression, both of them probably knew each other and might have even had a grudge against each other.


    The blue haired teen who had been sitting there quietly since the beginning looked at me with slightly downcast eyes before quickly turning to George and saying, in a voice that sounded almost like a mosquito: ¡°About that¡­if you can hold back Dawson, I have a method that could work.¡±


    Seeing the shy teen interject, he gave the boy a reassuring nod and said: ¡°Oh Kevin, what¡¯s your plan?¡±


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    ¡°Mhm, it¡¯s just an idea¡­I¡¯m not sure if it will work or not.¡± The blue haired teen immediately blushed upon seeing our gazes focus on him, he twiddled his thumbs as he fidgeted in his seat. ¡°About that¡­please don¡¯t stare at me like that¡­¡±


    Looking at the fidgeting boy, Dioh¡¯s fiery temper was ignited once more as the boisterous fellow slapped the teen on the back and exclaimed:


    ¡°What are you, a girl? Stop being such a wuss! How many times have I told you already, you need to be more like a man and stop acting like such a wuss the moment you see a girl. How are you going to get a wife in the future!?¡±


    Kevin paused for a long while before finally murmuring: ¡°Dioh, they¡¯re still here¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that. This is my grandson Kevin. He¡¯s been a shy lad since birth especially around women¡­¡± The old chief interjected to dispel the awkwardness for his grandson before he quickly pressed him for more details: ¡°Kevin, what¡¯s this plan of yours? Hurry up and tell us.¡±


    Knowing that everyone was strapped for time here, he didn¡¯t waste more time fidgeting and answered the question. However before that, he made sure to sneak a glance at George and Dioh who gave him an encourage nod. ¡°Grandpa, I feel we should approach the other villages for help.¡±


    ¡°Those guys?¡± The old chief furrowed his eyebrows upon hearing that and without even giving it some thought, rejected the suggestion. ¡°That won¡¯t work. Those guys will never help us.¡±


    ¡°Grandpa, the situation is dire right now, they¡¯re our last hope.¡± Upon hearing his plan being rejected, the teen became agitated and in the heat of the moment, seemed to have cured himself of his nervousness.


    ¡°All these years, the Wolf¡¯s Fang has been bullying us. Near the end of last year, wasn¡¯t Uncle Io¡¯s father, Ivan, murdered by those bandits? What about Moranthal¡¯s fiancee? Didn¡¯t she get kidnapped by those curs? Eddison was beaten half to death before he tried to sell off some furs¡­they even robbed him after that!¡±


    As he continued with his speech, his preaching became more animated with each sentence. His spittle flew and his arms flailed about with each point he made as if he was giving a lecture about the state of the world.


    ¡°All these people should hate the bandits even more than we do. As long as form an alliance, the combined strength of our four villages shouldn¡¯t be that much weaker than those bandits!¡±


    Kid¡­we¡¯re talking about wiping out bandits here not ending world hunger¡­


    ¡°What you said makes sense but¡­¡± The village chief seemed to have been convinced by his impassioned pleas. At the very least, he wasn¡¯t as adamant about rejecting his plan as he initially was.


    ¡°But what about the relationship between our four villages¡­plus we¡¯re the village with the smallest population¡­even if we asked for their help, they would simply prioritize their own village assuming they don¡¯t just reject us¡­¡±


    ¡°Grandpa, we¡¯re the ones in a blood feud with the bandits, not them. And even if we have the smallest population, we have Big Bro! George was acknowledged as the strongest hunter among our four villages!¡± Gone was the shyness he showed a few minutes ago as he turned to look at George with confidence in his eyes.


    He took a deep breath and continued: ¡±Big Bro is a famous three-star peak warrior, as long as George does the persuading himself, our chances are pretty high. Besides, compared to us, they should hate those bandits even more than us. One of them lost a father, another a wife and one even lost their entire livelihood¡­if they are still able to endure this hatred¡­¡±


    Judging from his words, those three he mentioned must¡¯ve been the respective village chiefs or were at least people of influence.


    As the saying goes, ruining one¡¯s livelihood was the same as killing one¡¯s parents. Not to mention the bandits did in fact kill someone¡¯s parents and stole one of their wifes. It was one thing to swallow one¡¯s anger when one had no choice, but if they still chose to endure this irreconcilable hatred even when given an opportunity to avenge it¡­then they were just a bunch of cowards.


    ¡°If it really doesn¡¯t work out, George can¡­¡±


    ¡°Kevin, don¡¯t even bring that matter into this.¡± George threw the blue-haired teen a stern glare, silencing the boy mid-sentence. Realizing that he said something he shouldn¡¯t have, he lowered his head in remorse.


    Seeing that he realized his mistake, George softened his gaze and gave out sigh: ¡°No matter what, I won¡¯t make a deal with those bastards.¡±


    That was a strange exchange¡­either way one thing¡¯s certain¡­George has some sort of secret relationship with the bandits.


    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled that we¡¯ll approach the other villages for help?¡± Kevin threw him an expectant look as he asked.


    ¡°Sure.¡± George answered without even giving it a second of thought. ¡°Honestly, this is our only solution.¡±


    With the basic plan ironed out, now came the question of who to send as our emissary.


    However before making that selection, another problem popped up; Dioh actually asked why I wasn¡¯t eating anything.


    With my mask on, there was naturally no way I could eat, but if I took it off, my crimson skin would be exposed in an instant. That was why I hadn¡¯t even touched the cutlery since the start of the banquet, all that talk about the taste of the dishes¡­I was merely basing it off their delectable appearance¡­


    At that, George began to eye me with suspicion after which he turned his gaze onto Regine who hadn¡¯t touched her food either; she hadn¡¯t even said a word since the start.


    Noticing his gaze, she didn¡¯t say a word and instead took off her mask revealing a face blinded on one side and riddled with scars. While the scars weren¡¯t that gruesome, her blinded eye on the other hand¡­


    ¡°Your face¡­¡±


    Hah, what a brilliant move; relenting in order to advance. The moment Regine¡¯s masterpiece was revealed, Dioh jumped back in fright nearly toppling over. Kevin wasn¡¯t much better either with his noticeably paler countenance. The chief and George on the other hand didn¡¯t show much reaction to the big reveal.


    The chief had lived a long time and thus wouldn¡¯t be shocked by a mere one-eyed dragon. As for George, he was an adult in his prime with an impressive martial ability to back him up. Given his position and fame in the village, there was no way he would react to Regine¡¯s ugly mug.


    She promptly put her mask back on and settled down in her seat.


    ¡°Out of consideration for everyone¡¯s appetite, I¡¯ll refrain from taking off my mask¡±


    ¡°Cough cough cough¡­¡±


    Dioh coughed dryly for a spell while Kevin¡¯s face turned crimson red as he began apologizing profusely to us as if he had done something terribly wrong. ¡°Sorry sorry sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, we¡¯re used to it.¡±


    Pointing at my bandaged hands, Dioh asked in a slightly hesitant voice:¡± Then your hand¡­it¡¯s¡­also like that?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± As they say, less was more at times. I gave the boy a terse answer and promptly adopted a dejected posture. With such an obvious indicator, only an idiot would continue to pursue the issue of our appearance.


    Seeing that, Ancarin wisely diverted the topic by bringing up the matter of our reinforcements.


    ¡°About that matter with the other villages¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahem, about that, let me give you all a brief rundown of the situation with the other three villages.¡± The old man immediately picked up the conversation and diverted the topic back onto our main story questline. ¡°In the past, Plateau Village used to be a large village¡­¡±


    According to the old chief, Plateau Village used to have several thousand villagers that lived within it. With a thousand strong fighting force, most bandit troupes stayed clear of this fearsome village.


    Plateau Village had always relied on hunting to support the village and thus the strongest villagers tended to be hunters. Back then, Plateau Village wasn¡¯t all that wealthy but they weren¡¯t easily bullied either. However, due to certain unique reasons, the village ended up imploding with three other leaders appearing to form villages of their own.


    Each of them chose a nearby spot for their new village and named it Plateau Village as well. As their time of formation and locations were different, each of them ended up with a different name in the end. For example, the old chief¡¯s Plateau Village was the original village and so it¡¯s full name was Plateau Main Village or Plateau Original Village.


    As for the other three, they had their own names as well.


    Regarding those unique reasons¡­the first thing I thought was that they ended up in a dispute over the spoils¡­oh, I mean they had a disagreement over their inheritance.


    However, seeing my doubting look, the village chief immediately brushed it off with a made-up reason of ¡°the game was running low.¡±


    Fine, I guess it wasn¡¯t my business to pry into their private matters. Right now, all that mattered was how we were going to repel the bandits.


    George suggested that everyone present except for the village chief attend the negotiations. In principle, I wasn¡¯t opposed to the suggestion but considering that we still had that human doll, Duran in our carriage¡­I decided to leave Regine behind in case he woke up.


    ¡°My carriage requires a person to look after it. How about letting Regine stay behind instead. If it¡¯s just negotiating, me and Ancarin are more than enough.


    ¡°Alright.¡± George answered with a slap on the table, setting this entire matter in stone.

 Chapter 114: The Drunkard Io

    And so, the party was set with me, Ancarin, George, Dioh and Kevin; Regine will guard the carriage while we¡¯re gone.


    Under the leadership of George, we reached the first destination along our trip of aid-seeking. It was the village closest to the Plateau Original Village. Its founder was a person called Iroi, so the village was called Iroi Village. Apparently, Ivan, who the bandits killed was the son of Iroi.


    By the time we arrived and saw the son of Ivan, Io, three hours had already past. Io was a man roughly thirty years of age, and like George, was clad in tattered leather armor. Above that was a bushy beard that seemed to occupy the majority of his face.


    His blonde hair was slightly curly and had an oily sheen to it that made it look drab; it must¡¯ve been a while since he washed his hair. Even more likely given the fact that we found him in his courtyard binging on wine.


    If I had to describe him in a word, it would be ¡®drowning¡¯. He drowned himself in alcohol, bottle by bottle without any rest.


    They was a saying that wine could drown away all your sorrows, but like stopping a stream with a blade, all it did was speed up the flow around the blade. In a sense, worries and vexations are like a waterfall, no matter how you try to stop it, it just kept rushing downwards. Not only that, it was able to continue to bother you 24 hours a day; who told you to stay right next to the waterfall?!


    (Author: You can understand this sentence as being if your heart is calm, you¡¯ll keep your cool. If you are troubled by a matter, the best solution at times is just to let it go and let time heal your wounds.


    Even though people say that time was a quack that can heal a hundred illnesses, the fact of the matter was that it did heal your wounds. Originally, I didn¡¯t want to put this paragraph in but after giving it some thought, I decided to do so anyway to counsel everyone.


    Only allowed on Creativenovels.com


    Who doesn¡¯t have troubles in life? It¡¯s just that as time passes, these wounds gradually become fainter. So alcoholism isn¡¯t the solution. In life, one should be looking forward, being vexed for a moment is more than enough, let it go otherwise the consequences will be dire.


    TL: Originally, I didn¡¯t want to put in this paragraph because it¡¯s extra work for me. I still think so.)


    According to the other villagers, Io had been stuck in this rut for some time now; ever since his father was murdered by the bandits. Every day he wore an expression that said the world was ending while he drowned himself in wine. Over time, he turned from an outgoing adult that seemed to radiate sunshine, to the worthless drunkard before us right now.


    Roughly a month ago, Io¡¯s wife took their daughter and left him to return to her parents¡¯ home. She had attempted multiple times to convince him to stop drinking, but instead of listening he doubled down on the drinking. Finally, she couldn¡¯t take it and decided to leave with their daughter in tow. Her parents¡¯ home was in one of the villages we planned on visiting later.


    Speaking of which, I¡¯m beginning to wonder if he had a habit of beating his wife when he¡¯s drunk¡­


    Just looking at his features, he was a pretty handsome man. Unfortunately this was all ruined by his wretched behavior and aura.


    ¡°Stop drinking.¡± With a furious look on his face, George marched towards the man ignoring Kevin who tried to hinder him and snatched away the bottle in his hands.


    Having been separated from the wine bottle, he spat out the mouthful of wine in his mouth without caring about his image right at George.


    George seemed to have predicted this would happen and already had his Fighter¡¯s Aura ready to disperse the wine. There was even a portion of the wine that got reflected back onto the drunkard, drenching his face and hair in the wine he spat out¡­


    Putting aside the matter of having his drinking interrupted, this man actually drenched his face in wine, George must be really looking for a fight!


    Io abruptly stood up and without saying a word, punched out at George. With his Fighter¡¯s Aura coursing through his fist, it was a fast and ruthless punch that threatened injury should it land.


    However, George didn¡¯t back down from this challenge. With his aura wrapped around his right palm, he caught the incoming fist. At the same time, he stepped into man¡¯s strike zone with a twist of his body and in one fluid motion, crouched down and threw the drunkard over his shoulders and onto the ground!


    ¡°¡­we¡­weren¡¯t we here to ask for help?¡± Ancarin muttered to herself as she adorably shrunk inwards from the impact. ¡°Is this really alright?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, you¡¯ll get used to it.¡± Dioh shrugged as he continued watching the show with glee. On the other hand, Kevin tried to stop the two men but was blocked by Dioh who was still enjoying the fight from the sidelines.


    With a turn of his body, he placed the bottle back onto the table and for some unknown reason, walked back up to the fallen man and rained a volley of kicks and punches right onto his face¡­


    Haven¡¯t you heard the saying, ¡°when you hit a person, don¡¯t hit his face¡±? How evil can you get!


    Even though Io was still in his drunken state, he at least knew to block the blows with his hands; which prevented him from becoming a punching bag. After taking a couple of kicks to his shoulders, his drunken stupor had mostly been knocked out of him. Taking advantage of the moment George used to recover between kicks, he latched onto George¡¯s right calf and tugged downwards. With his left leg, he hooked onto the other leg George used for balance.


    Perhaps he deliberately went easy on the drunkard or perhaps he simply didn¡¯t expect Io to pull such a shameless move, either way, with his balance disrupted his body was no longer able to maintain its upright posture and swiftly fell backwards.


    With George¡¯s unexpected fall, it was time for Io to counterattack. With a leap similar to an injured beast, he straddled the fallen man and began furiously slapping George. Thankfully, he still had some sense in him and didn¡¯t bite George.


    However, it didn¡¯t take long for George to find a window of opportunity given his better physique and his lucid state. Yet with his drunken stupor and anger aiding him, Io was a lot stronger than usual and so the pair became locked in a stalemate with the two men tumbling around on the ground¡­the kind of tumble you did on the bed¡­


    Both of you can¡¯t be the top in the relationship you know¡­someone has to be the bottom in the end.


    After an exciting scuffle, the match ended with George successfully pinning Io to the ground. Yet even with his face pressed against the ground, he refused to yield the top position. Try as he might however, there was no escaping George¡¯s grip. And so Io turned into a gentleman, that¡¯s right a gentleman. Gentleman use their mouths and not their fists; before George could react to his move, he bit down on George¡¯s right shoulder.


    Without batting an eye, George ignored the bite and viciously pounded his fist into the man. The heavy blow caused the man with a jaw strength rivalling that of a wolf¡¯s to loosen his bite and ultimately succumb to George¡¯s furious pounding¡­that¡¯s right, his furious pounding.


    About that¡­they naturally weren¡¯t doing it in front of us, it¡¯s just their fighting ended up looking like up nighttime tumble from our perspective.


    Several blows and a bloodied mouth later, Io realized that this was a lost cause. Thus, he gave up on resisting and threw his arms to the side as if he was being crucified. With a twist of his head, he turned his cheek towards the man and gave him a look that said ¡°hit me I dare you, kill me if you have the balls!¡±


    Seeing his defiant attitude, George gave a cold harrumph and got off the man¡¯s belly. After straightening his back, he extended his right arm to the fallen man.


    This time his drunkenness had been thoroughly expelled. With a sullen face, he grabbed the man¡¯s arm and pulled himself up. As he did so, his eyes fell onto the conspicuous bite marks on George¡¯s forearm. Memories of their fight began to stream into his head; especially that of his frenzied bite.


    So this drunkard knew how to feel shame after all. At least he¡¯s a lot more obedient now.


    In actuality, the only reason he was able to leave those marks on George was because he let him do so. Three-star warriors weren¡¯t just potatoes you could find on the street after all. If you dared to bite them, a simple activation of their aura layer was more than enough to shatter your teeth. It was because Io realized this fact that he blushed red in shame.


    The two men stared at each other for a few seconds before Io turned around and sat back down at the table, pushing the wine bottle to George without saying a word. George slowly took his seat as well and downed the bottle without caring if Io¡¯s spit was on it.


    Judging by their behavior, these two were acquainted with each other after all. I guess this wasn¡¯t surprising given the proximity of their villages; not to mention that both of their villages were once the same some years back. For all we know, both families had some relationship that crossed the boundaries of space and time.


    Given that they were calm enough to drink together, it¡¯s probably time for serious business. After that exciting tumble, we were left a little wanting by that abrupt end. However just as we were about to take our seats, George dropped another bombshell on us.


    ¡°So I heard your wife ran away with another man.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± A pair of furious eyes that were red from murderous intent bored holes into the insensitive man. Io opened his mouth releasing the acrid smell of alcohol into half the courtyard as he said: ¡°Your wife¡¯s the one that ran away with another man!¡±


    ¡°My wife¡¯s still at home.¡± George stared right back at the raging man and very clearly said: ¡°I made sure three hours ago.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­.she went back to her parents¡¯ home.¡± What was originally an insult ended up leading into a proper conversation as he lost all desire to bicker after hearing George¡¯s serious answer.


    Feeling depressed once more, he reached for the wine bottle and downed it only to find that it had already been emptied by George. All he got from the bottle was a taste of George¡¯s saliva. The unfortunate potato swivelled his head around in search for an unopened wine bottle, but to his dismay, found that there were none.


    There were technically several wine bottles lying not too far from him, however, they had all been opened and he had no idea if there was any wine left within them. Even so, he tried his luck with one bottle and gave it a thorough shaking. It was empty.


    In a fit of drunken rage, he smashed the bottle onto ground, littering it with a carpet of glass shards.


    ¡°You should visit her parents¡¯ home soon. If you leave this matter hanging for too long, she might just come to her senses one day and marry another man.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean come to her senses and marry another man? It¡¯s marrying another man because she couldn¡¯t come to her senses! Are you f*cking messing with me or something! Go ahead, tell me what¡¯s wrong with marrying me?¡±


    His angry retort drifted through the air like a gentle breeze, passing through the magnanimous George without any effect. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about you first, exactly what happened to you this past year? How did you end up in this state?¡± George rebutted in a calm voice.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Io¡¯s silence elicited a sigh from George. Even though he wasn¡¯t there to witness it himself, he had naturally heard about his father¡¯s tragic death at the bandit¡¯s hands thanks to their proximity. That sordid affair took place roughly six months ago.


    Seeing as his friend¡¯s mood was basically at its lowest right now, he chose not to continue rubbing salt into his wounds and instead revealed the purpose of his visit: ¡°I killed Doran.¡±


    ¡°The third chief of the Wolf¡¯s Fang? That Doran?¡± Io immediately asked. Having been on the receiving end of their care, Io was exceptionally sensitive to the name ¡°Wolf¡¯s Fang¡±. Hearing George say that, he immediately perked up and pressed him for answers: ¡°Did you really kill him? When did that happen?¡±


    ¡°This morning.¡±


    George briefly recounted our encounter with the Wolf¡¯s Fang in the morning after which Io slapped his thigh and said: ¡°Good! That bast*rd got what he deserved!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no point cheering about that¡­we¡¯re in big trouble now thanks to his death. Dawson will definitely come looking for us with an army at his back. Against his thousand subordinates, our village won¡¯t stand a chance¡­¡±


    ¡°So you wish for my aid?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± George looked at Io in the eyes and said in an earnest voice: ¡°I know you have a grudge with them and that¡¯s why I came to you for help. Besides, these bandits have been acting more and more arrogant lately. If we don¡¯t use this opportunity to wipe them out, the consequences will be dire. Once we get wiped out, you three won¡¯t be able to stand against Dawson. At that time, you¡¯ll all be his next targets.¡±

 Chapter 115: A Polite Moranthal

    ¡°Targets huh¡­I know that¡­I want to slaughter those damned bandits as well but¡­not everyone in the village understands this logic.¡± Io clenched his fists and gritted his teeth as he said that. With a agitated but conflicted look on his face, he said: ¡°I want nothing more than to rip those curs apart! If only I was my own man¡­but¡­I¡­¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± George chose not to comfort him but instead shared his own feelings regarding the matter: ¡°Expecting these bast*rds to be reasonable was silly to begin with, yet not only are these fools short sighted but I am as well¡­¡±


    Would those short sighted fools be referring to the villagers¡­?


    As he said that, he turned around and glared at Dioh, the meaning within his eyes clear for all to see.


    ¡°Oh, Dioh and Kevin are here as well, you¡¯ve grown taller since I last saw you guys.¡± Due to his drunken stupor, he had only just noticed the two boys standing behind George. After greeting them as their senior, he turned towards me and Ancarin: ¡°And these two are?¡±


    Having said his greetings, Dioh rushed to introduce the two outsiders before George could: ¡°They are Magister Mo Ke and Mage Ancarin. As a side note, Ancarin is Master Mo Ke¡¯s student.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­so we have two noble mages here, no wonder their get-up is so weird.¡± Io joked with a derisive tone. ¡°So what are these two mages doing here?¡±


    Ignoring his tone, Ancarin answered placidly: ¡°Passing by.¡±


    ¡°So there will be mages backing us up in this battle?¡± Even though the question was directed at us, he asked George instead. Perhaps he was still drunk after all seeing as he lacked this basic amount of courtesy; a good thumping would solve that right away.


    ¡°There will.¡± Without waiting for George to reply, Ancarin promptly picked up the conversation. ¡°Truthfully, the reason why Mister George had to seek aid was because of us¡­¡±


    Ancarin spent the next two minutes recounting our encounter with the Wolf¡¯s Fang and Plateau Village, which elicited a string of sighs throughout from Io.


    ¡°Sigh, even though saying this might upset George, I still have thank you all for this opportunity¡­¡±


    As for why he said that, *cough cough* even a fool would understand without being told. Right after his dad was murdered, the man must¡¯ve definitely gone through a difficult period where he had to choose between revenge and survival. Seeing as he was standing before us right now, he clearly chose survival albeit unwillingly.


    It was this decision that ended up throwing him into a spiralling descent of guilt, alcoholism, pain and self-condemnation. Even when his wife, whom he had a great relationship with, left with their child for her parents¡¯ home, Io still hadn¡¯t pulled himself out of this torturous rut. Just the opposite, their departure threw him further into the depths of despair.


    Just as he was about to go through a mental breakdown, we arrived with an invitation to ¡°take revenge on the Wolf¡¯s Fang together.¡±


    The reason why he didn¡¯t rush off to take revenge after his father was murdered wasn¡¯t because he didn¡¯t care about the dead man but rather because he was a logical person. He knew very well that rushing in alone was nothing more than suicide. As for asking the villagers for help, he more than anyone else knew that they wouldn¡¯t do so unless they had a dire reason to do so.


    After all, living under the yolk of these bandits was still living. If they were to offend the bandits because of his grudge, they might end up getting implicated as well. Thus, Io chose to bear the burden of his guilt alone.


    In truth, Iroi Village wasn¡¯t the only village in such a situation. With Plateau Original Village included, all the villages basically adopted such a passive attitude towards the bandits. Those curs were simply too strong and combining forces might not even guarantee a victory.


    This was why the Wolf¡¯s Fang was able to prosper for so many years without any of them trying to stop them.


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve decided to stand with us, then you better start recruiting some men quick. With my understanding of Dawson, he will attack in two days tops.¡± Having finished our business here, George rose from his seat and prepared to leave. ¡°We¡¯ll be leaving now, we still have two more villages to visit after all.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not staying behind to eat?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no time for that, if we survive this battle we can have a celebration then.¡±


    ¡°Be careful, don¡¯t die out there.¡±


    ¡°I should say that to you instead.¡±


    ¡°By the way, about our numbers¡­¡± He awkwardly scratched his head sending off a storm of snow flakes as he did so. Despite this embarrassing scene, he chose to say it in the end; some things were too just important to be left unsaid. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how many people will join us for this battle, our opponent is just too strong after all¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡­understand. Just do your best.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Leaving behind Iroi village, we spent another three hours on the road before reaching South Plateau Village. By now it was already night time and the majority of the villagers had gone home for dinner with only a few idlers roaming outside.


    George was a kind of local celebrity in this village. Upon entering, his presence was immediately discovered by some of the more busybody villagers who immediately circled around him asking him about our trip here. George gave a cursory answer and asked to see Moranthal.


    Moranthal? Haven¡¯t I heard of this name recently?


    It seems I had accidentally vocalized this bit of confusion seeing as Ancarin immediately stepped forth to remind in a whisper. ¡°Moranthal is that poor man who had his wife kidnapped.¡±


    Ooooh¡­right right, that chump. It was said that the two greatest tragedies a person could suffer was the murder of their parents and having their spouse taken away. Today must¡¯ve been a lucky day seeing as how we encountered two such cases in less than half a day.


    I wonder what state of mind he is in right now, defiantly angry or perhaps he is drowning himself in alcohol as well. Probably the latter¡­


    As if acting in accordance with my will, we found a young man who was definitely under the age of 25 sitting in the courtyard of Moranthal¡¯s home, sullenly drowning himself in alcohol.


    So this is rumored man who had his wife kidnapped. He seemed kind of handsome with his refined features, his faintly green hair that parted down the center flowed to his shoulders and most of all his fair complexion that would turn any woman green with envy.


    While I did say that he was drowning in alcohol, his method of doing so was markedly more civilized that Io¡¯s. At the very least, he wasn¡¯t chugging at his wine bottles directly but instead used a small cup. Even so, his efficient drinking speed that seemed almost mechanical more than made up for the difference.


    Somehow I have a bad feeling about this. A person who could give off that sort of impression while drinking wine from an almost teacup-like vessel would definitely be a much harder opponent to tackle than Io.


    ¡°Moranthal, do you need me to keep you company?¡± George asked, clearly not intending to use the violent method he used on Io. I bet it had something to do with his more civilized drinking style.


    ¡°¡­George?¡± Moranthal raised his head and looked at George with glazed eyes. After several seconds of staring, he finally verified the identity of that voice. With a faint hiccup at the start, he asked in a fairly lucid voce: ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Naturally we have some matters to discuss with you.¡± As he said that, George walked into the courtyard and plopped himself down next to the man as if this was the natural thing to do. In a slightly teasing voice, he said: ¡°So I heard you¡¯ve been having some trouble lately.¡±


    ¡°*cough* What do you think?¡± Moranthal reached for a spare wine cup and filled it to the brim before gently pushing it before George. ¡°So what are you here for? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re just here to make fun of me.¡±


    ¡°Hah, I don¡¯t have that much free time to spare.¡± George picked up the cup and downed it in one gulp. He lowered the cup and waved his hand at us: ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re familiar with my brother and Kevin. Let me introduce these two to you.¡±


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    After a short introduction, Moranthal signaled for us to sit, but as he did so, he discovered that there weren¡¯t enough seats. He graciously went inside his house to retrieve a pair of chairs for us; unlike a certain someone who made us stand throughout the discussion.


    Not bad¡­well-mannered, civilized¡­seems like he was raised well.


    Moranthal swept his gaze over us; while it wasn¡¯t a wary one, it wasn¡¯t a curious one either. He asked in a fairly formal tone: ¡°Ever since those bast*rds showed up, Plateau Village rarely has any visitors anymore, I¡¯m sure these two have a story to tell.¡±


    ¡°Truth be told, this is what happened¡­¡± George picked up the question and roughly recounted our encounter with the bandits and their village.


    Moranthal remained silent for some time, tapping the table with his fingers while he did so. A moment later, he slowly opened up his eyes and squinted at us. ¡°You¡¯re here to request for aid, aren¡¯t you?¡± He said summarily.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. If it hadn¡¯t been for the time constraints, I would¡¯ve hired some mercenaries instead.¡±


    George answered in an unabashed tone, clearly not finding such a request to be embarrassing.


    Having received such a definite answer, Moranthal took a sip of his wine and said in an extremely amiable fashion: ¡°Alright then, you guys are free to recruit within this village. If anyone is willing to help, you¡¯re free to take them with you.¡±


    What an unambiguous stamp of approval. I wonder why I thought you would be more difficult than Io. I must¡¯ve taken the wrong medicine today. So sorry about that, I¡¯ve wronged you, you¡¯re a really nice man.


    Even though we had just received what was in my mind the best answer possible, George remained motionless in his seat and instead stared at Moranthal.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were in a hurry? Why are you still sitting here?¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t said that you¡¯re joining us yet.¡±


    ¡°Oh me..¡± Moranthal picked up the cup with his right hand, and with a tilt of his head backwards, downed its contents. His left eye twitched as if something had gone in it. While maintaining his previous position of having the wine cup raised in his right hand, he rubbed his eye with his left.


    After a period of rubbing, he casually threw out his answer under George¡¯s withering gaze: ¡°I¡¯m not really interested in this.¡±


    Me: ¡°¡­¡±


    Come to think of it, he did say we were free to recruit and not that he was willing to help us¡­which means¡­this bast*rd was toying with us from the start!! Damnit, how did I ever mistake him for a nice guy?!


    This potato¡¯s a tough nut to crack after all¡­


    At the side, everyone had the same expression of having something stuck in one¡¯s throat that couldn¡¯t be removed.

 Chapter 116: A Nonsensical Drama

    Dude, couldn¡¯t you have just said so from the start! Couldn¡¯t you have just communicated like a normal person, weren¡¯t we all adults here!? Did we really have to partake in this childish game at our age!?


    As if he had predicted this would happen, George¡¯s face remained calm as ever as he said: ¡°Sigh¡­I¡¯ve heard about your situation. Don¡¯t you hate the Wolf¡¯s Fang?¡±


    ¡°Hate? Why should I hate them?¡±


    Bro, wasn¡¯t your girlfriend kidnapped by them?Don¡¯t you know how important a girl was to an eternal bachelor like me? They¡¯re more important than life itself!! Couldn¡¯t you show even a tiny bit of anger? Wasn¡¯t this the legendary grudge of a stolen wife? Don¡¯t just treat it as nothing!!


    ¡°I heard you were there when they took Elona away. Are you really going to swallow this humiliation? Are you really going to accept what they did? As long as you¡¯re willing to join us, the combined forces of our four villages and these two mages should be enough to defeat those bandits.¡±


    ¡°In fact, we have a high chance of winning since they¡¯ve lost Doran, and Io is already preparing for battle. As long as we join together, our experts won¡¯t lose out to theirs.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    No matter how much he tried to persuade the man, George¡¯s entreatments seemed to have no effect on him as he continued to sip his wine quietly. Seeing that this persuasion was going nowhere, he decided to adopt a more aggressive tactic:


    ¡°If you¡¯re really man, you should be itching to wash away this humiliation with their blood! Do you really have no desire to do so!? If you¡¯re still a man, you¡¯ll aid us in this fight and at the same time aid yourself! Right now, there¡¯s an opportunity to do so right in front of you! Take it and come defeat Dawson with us and save your wife!¡±


    ¡°Elona isn¡¯t my wife.¡± Moranthal slammed the wine cup onto the table; the loud slam was a clear sign of his anger. Yet he didn¡¯t lose his temper as expected, but merely suppressed it once more.


    ¡°We weren¡¯t married yet! That¡¯s right, we weren¡¯t married! She¡¯s not my wife, she¡¯s not!¡± He spat out phrase after phrase as if he was trying to convince himself of something.


    You even repeated yourself twice. Each time. You definitely mind what they did so why are you trying to avoid reality? Could you really call yourself a man then?


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡±


    Having had enough of his escapism, Dioh rushed forth to voice his opinions once more: ¡°Rather than her being kidnapped, I bet you offered up your girlfriend instead to appease Dawson!¡±


    I guess we¡¯re turning this into an all-out war now¡­


    No matter how trashy Moranthal was, being censured by a junior wasn¡¯t something he could simply ignore. His face immediately flushed red, but seeing as Dioh was just a junior, he chose not to vent his anger on him. Instead, he suppressed his anger once more and said after a long sigh: ¡°My relationship with her¡­you won¡¯t understand it.¡±


    ¡°How can I not understand it?! You¡¯re just a masochist who loves being cuckolded. I know exactly what I¡¯m talking about, you¡¯re just a wimp who can¡¯t protect his fiancee! Just by looking at that wuss of a face of yours I can tell that you¡¯re a natural born CUCKOLD!!!!¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± The temples on his forehead began to pulsate like an earthworm was burrowing underneath his skin. ¡°What does a brat like you know!¡±


    ¡°How am I not understanding the situation!? Your lover should be someone you protect with your life!¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why I say you don¡¯t know a thing.¡±


    ¡°You keep saying I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m talking about, why don¡¯t you enlighten me then!? Go on, you cuckold boy!¡±


    Cuckold boy¡­when you think about it, it had the same meaning as cuckold but it seemed to stab even deeper into his psyche than anything. Just looking at the myriad of changes Moranthal¡¯s face underwent was more than enough to tell us how much this nickname affected him.


    While Dioh wasn¡¯t much help in a fight, no one could deny his value as verbal artillery. A couple of taunts from him was even more painful than having a knife shoved down one¡¯s throat. Not bad, this kid¡¯s a talent worth grooming.


    ¡°Elona left willingly!¡± Having been pushed to the brink, he blurted out what was plaguing his heart all this while and laid down on the table with his hands over his trembling head. From the looks of it, he was probably crying right now. In fact, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if there was a storm brewing underneath those arms right now. However since he didn¡¯t let out a single sound, all these were merely speculation on my part.


    Hearing his shameful admission, Dioh¡¯s face immediately froze up¡­it was the kind of surprise one experienced when they undercovered a major scoop.


    So Moranthal¡¯s woman wasn¡¯t kidnapped¡­she dumped him¡­no wonder he didn¡¯t give a damn when George came to him with that proposal. He didn¡¯t even want to take revenge on them from the beginning.


    Even so, this was a pretty interesting development in of itself. At the side, Ancarin¡¯s eyes practically lit up as she smelled the potential bit of gossip.


    Having given into despair, while lying prone on the table Moranthal revealed the entire sordid affair of how his woman fell in love with Dawson at first sight¡­


    In my mind, I pictured two figures with question marks for heads, one male and one female. As for their body¡­since I had never seen them before, I assumed that one was a hunk while the other was a voluptuous lady.


    In actuality, it was a really simple story. Not too long ago, Dawson brought his trained wolves out on a stroll during which those mutts came upon Elona who was busy picking herbs. Having been trained well, they knew not to attack a defenseless girl like her and instead surrounded her.


    Damaged goods weren¡¯t worth money after all so the trained wolves were specifically told beforehand not to attack any woman who seemed harmless.


    A terrified Elona began waving the tiny hoe in her hand hoping to chase away the wolves. Thankfully, the wolves were smart enough to know that this wasn¡¯t an attack, if not she would¡¯ve liked died there. Moranthal who was nearby searching for herbs immediately came to her aid upon hearing her terrified cries.


    Moranthal immediately recognized those wolves and began retreating slowly out of the circle with his wife. He was very familiar with Dawson¡¯s personality and the consequences of killing these wolves. If anything were to happen to them, Dawson would definitely raid their village and perhaps even kill him.


    Unfortunately for him, the wolves were only told not to attack defenseless women, there was nothing in their instructions that forbade them from attacking a man who seemed bent on resisting them. The intelligent mutts immediately realized that the man was trying to escape with their prey, so began to attack in hopes of delaying the man.


    As he didn¡¯t dare to injure the wolves, what was originally an easy battle became a complicated one. Thankfully, the wolves didn¡¯t try to pounce on Elona, so he was able to focus solely on fending off the wolves. Being a three-star warrior, these wolves were naturally no match for him, the only difficult thing was that he couldn¡¯t harm them.


    It was at this moment that Dawson showed up. The bandit chief clearly knew who Moranthal was and upon seeing him take their attacks so passively, decided not to trouble the young man any further. With a loud and clear whistle, he called off the wolves and threw down a parting threat: ¡°Don¡¯t let me see you here again.¡±


    Moranthal¡¯s body froze up from the tension as he watched the bandit chief appear and leave so abruptly. He held his breath and stared unblinkingly at the man¡¯s back until he finally disappeared from his sight.


    This was Elona¡¯s first encounter with Dawson and it was from that moment on that the tragedy began.


    From that day onwards, Elona would frequently sneak off to that same region without the knowledge of Moranthal. However, her frequent disappearance wasn¡¯t something that could be kept secret for long. He began to notice her strange behavior and her sudden aloofness. It got to the point where she flat out despised him.


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    Suspecting that something was up he secretly followed her, and to his horror, discovered that she¡­was having a tryst with Dawson¡­in fact it seemed like this wasn¡¯t the first time they had done it together¡­


    And now comes the climax of this story.For the most part, Dawson treated the girl with a cold aloofness. After all, he was merely toying with her. Since her boyfriend showed up, there was really no reason to keep this sort of used goods.


    Even so, Elona was dead set on following him even after he rejected her multiple times. And yet her shamelessness knew no bounds as she tried one last tactic. She threw her boyfriend under the bus without any hesitation, and right in front of a stranger, humiliated him with the worst possible insults ever.


    She said that Dawson was ¡°the only man for her¡± and that she suspected that ¡°this wuss couldn¡¯t even get it up¡±¡­


    Hearing her call him a wuss and an impotent, his heart crumbled in an instant especially since he clearly saw that this wasn¡¯t the first time they had done it either!


    However it was precisely these two phrases that proved to us and Moranthal, the love she had for Dawson¡­probably.


    What the heck! Did you think I protected and cherished you so much so that I abstained myself until our wedding!?¡­ And yet my good will was seen as ¡°can¡¯t get it up¡±?! You actually tumbled in bed with another man behind my back¡­well I guess, it¡¯s only a pile of leaves and shrubbery here¡­but still!


    By now, he could tell that his woman¡¯s heart had completely left him for Dawson. Compared to that stoic bandit, he was nothing more than a loser.


    Seeing the once-loving couple break up, Dawson coldly said: ¡°Seeing as we were together for some time¡­I¡¯ll allow you to follow me if that¡¯s what you wish.¡±


    And so, the world gained one more tragic man and at the same time, the Wolf¡¯s Fang Troupe gained a new female leader¡­

 Chapter 117: Unpredictable Matters

    While that story was slightly far-fetched, it actually happened to Moranthal. As if to prove that fact, right after he told his tale, he let forth a hysterical wail aimed right at our resident verbal artillery, Dioh.


    ¡°Her heart isn¡¯t even with me anymore, is there even any point of snatching her back!? Go ahead, tell me! Why won¡¯t you tell me!? Aren¡¯t you full of ideas!? Tell me then!¡± Having cried his heart out, I clearly saw a sheen of moisture at the sides of his eyes as he raised his head. As they say, a man¡¯s tears was never lightly shed; looks like this time he was truly despondent.


    Silence¡­


    In the end, Dioh proved to be a brat with a slightly formidable tongue. While he was busy shooting his mouth off, he had never once considered that there might be such an explosive secret behind Moranthal¡¯s behavior. In his eyes, the man must¡¯ve been a coward and that¡¯s why he lost his wife¡­in the end, well¡­


    At the side, Dioh could only keep his mouth shut as he took in the shocking revelation.


    Who would¡¯ve thought that the man who everyone thought had his fiancee stolen by bandits was in actuality, just a complete failure. His failure was even more tragic than having one¡¯s fiancee kidnapped. After all, your opponent had never even thought about kidnapping your fiancee¡­the man had lost before the competition even started.


    Based on what we know from his retelling, Dawson had never once come onto Elona, it was Elona who took the initiative instead. In fact, Dawson even tried to give her away at the end, but Elona refused to let go like a piece of chewed up gum; even going so far as to insult her own fiance.


    Such a scary woman, she even mastered the art of being a s**t without anyone teaching her. Not only had she two-timed him, she had done so in such a cruel fashion. I bet Moranthal might really become impotent after her ¡°can¡¯t get it up¡± comment.


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    One word, tragedy. Not only had he lost the woman, he had lost in life as well.


    ¡°About that¡­woman, just let it go.¡± While they might¡¯ve sounded cliche, these were the only words of consolation George could think of. ¡°Don¡¯t give up the entire forest for a tree.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Moranthal gave him a cold stare and remained silent. Even so, his expression said it all; this was a stubborn man. As expected, after a few seconds of silence, Moranthal stated his terms: ¡°You want me to help you guys? Alright, all you have to do is introduce to me a woman who¡¯ll never betray me, I¡¯ll gladly help you then.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± The heck, you might as well ask for the sun while you¡¯re at it! I¡¯m not saying that every woman was a two-timing s**t, but exactly how were we to know if she¡¯s going to betray you before it happens? That¡¯s just another ¡°did the chicken or the egg come first¡± question.


    Speaking of which, I didn¡¯t think it was possible rule out such a possibility no matter who it was; unless they were so ugly that even a mother wouldn¡¯t love them. Perhaps that¡¯s the answer then¡­how about we find an ugly freak for him. But then, this high and mighty prick would probably reject a girl who was born ugly.


    ¡°Stop messing around Moranthal. Can we have a proper conversation instead?¡± Said George with an exasperated look on his face.


    ¡°What do you mean messing around? I gave you a very serious term. As long as you find me such a woman, even just a look is fine, I guarantee I¡¯ll help you.¡±


    As he said that, his sombre face almost made me wonder if he was being serious about that.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see how that is serious in any way. All I see is a man giving into despair.¡± George rejected him with a shake of his head. ¡°Perhaps this episode was too much of a shock for you, but your life¡¯s just beginning. You shouldn¡¯t destroy it for a woman that doesn¡¯t belong to you¡­¡±


    ¡°A fortunate man like you would never understand how I feel!¡± His face flushed and his neck veins bulged as he spat out that sentence, his spittle flew all over as he did so. In what looked like another tantrum, he continued ranting:


    ¡°All I want now is just a woman that won¡¯t betray me. Even if that woman doesn¡¯t like me, I¡¯m fine with that, I can still pursue her. I won¡¯t even mind if she was ugly, all I want is love¡­a pure unadulterated romance¡­why¡­why must it be me¡­why¡­¡±


    You mean why, with so many people in this world, did it have to be you who got hurt?


    Regarding George¡¯s view that he had given into despair, I¡¯m in complete agreement with that. This guy was done for. In his eyes, George¡¯s normal marriage must¡¯ve made him seem like the legendary winner in life¡­in other words, he had already labelled George as a rival of sorts. After all, there was no way us singles-for-life could coexist with these winners in life.


    In the face of this disappointing display, George gave me a slightly exasperated look before asking in a tone that sounded like he was seeking my opinion while at the same time complaining. ¡°We might have to move onto the next village.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, our time is precious after all.¡± This was the first time I had spoken since we met Moranthal. By now, I had basically given up on recruiting this lost cause.


    Exactly how did a fine young man like him turn into such a mess? Not only did he give George a headache, he annoyed the heck out of me as well. How could a grown man like you give up so easily?! Exactly how did you live up to this point with that weak will of yours?


    You even had the gall to ask ¡°why¡± three times. I should ask you instead, why weren¡¯t you taking up arms with us and taking revenge on Dawson and that s**t!? Don¡¯t you think that a w***e like her deserves to have her life ruined?!


    Either way, this guy¡¯s a lost cause and we don¡¯t have the time to dick around in this village anymore.


    And yet as I finished my mental rant, the situation took an unexpected turn.


    Moranthal¡¯s head whipped up to face me, his burning eyes threatening to bore a hole in my mask as he stared intently at me. That gaze¡­did he always have such a scary gaze?


    ¡°Excuse me, do you mind taking off that mask of yours?¡± What was a disappointing meat sack just a while ago suddenly did a 180 as he flashed me a slightly reserved and shy smile. ¡°Err, I don¡¯t have any ill intentions, I just want to see your face.¡±


    Wait, something¡¯s wrong, why is this meat sack showing such an interest in me all of a sudden? I better be careful about how I reply to him: ¡°I apologize but that request is too hard for me to fulfill.¡±


    ¡°Can you tell me the reason?¡±


    In the face of his persistent badgering, I gave out the answer we had prepared long beforehand: ¡°Because of a failed magical experiment, my face was horribly disfigured.¡±


    ¡°That¡­is such a shame¡­¡± He muttered to himself with a tone full of regret, yet amidst that dejectedness was a hint of elation and celebration. ¡°However, your voice is really beautiful¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s move onto the next village, every second is precious right now!¡± I promptly cut him short with my suggestion which immediately garnered the approval of George. Understanding the severity of our situation, Kevin and Dioh accepted our decision without complaint. Yet a certain meat sack wasn¡¯t too thrilled about this.


    ¡°Err, Miss Mo Ke, if you don¡¯t mind, would you like to stay for a quick bite tonight?¡±


    ¡­that annoying look of his and what do you mean ¡°Miss Mo Ke¡±?!


    ¡°Which eye of yours was it that lied about my gender?! I¡¯m a bonafide man, more so than you!¡± That¡¯s right, I¡¯m more manly than you. At the very least, I won¡¯t allow some strange man to stay beside Nicole.


    ¡°¡­¡± He was startled by my sudden outburst but immediately recovered a couple of seconds later. With the same reserved grin on his face, he said: ¡°There¡¯s no way you¡¯re man with that exquisite voice of yours. Stop joking around.¡±


    ¡°In what way do I look like a girl!¡±


    As I said that, the meat sack actually gave me a serious assessment with those nightmarishly creepy eyes of his; which gave me the goosebumps just knowing he was looking at me. As he stared at me with a gaze that seemed to be able to see through my mask, I felt an unprecedented level of pressure from his evaluating eyes.


    After staring at me for a long while, he nodded and flashed a brilliant smile: ¡° Whether it is your voice or your body, there¡¯s no way Miss Mo Ke is anything but a lady, in fact if your face were to ever recover, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be drop dead gorgeous!¡±


    You¡¯re courting death! I swear I¡¯ll kill you, I¡­I¡¯ve just been mistaken for female again!! Even with my mask on, my displeasure was apparent for all who knew me. At the side, Ancarin was busy stifling her laughter with both hands covering her mouth.


    Ignoring my horrid mood, Moranthal spent a couple of seconds straightening out his clothes in a bid to impress me; even though he seemed more like a cockroach to me right now. Having touched up his clothes to what was, in his mind a satisfactory degree, he gave me that annoying brilliant smile of his and continued with his futile advances.


    ¡°Ahem, if Miss Mo Ke doesn¡¯t mind having a meal with me, this one will definitely put forth his best in aiding you against the Wolf¡¯s Fang Troupe!¡±


    After all that grandstanding¡­in the end you¡¯re just trying to da¡­blergh, disgusting¡­


    Suppressing my sudden desire to kick him, I did my utmost to maintain a calm voice as I explained to him: ¡°I¡¯ll have to pass on that meal, our time is limited after all. If you don¡¯t mind, please organize some men and hurry to Plateau Village as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do as you say.¡± A look of regret crossed his face as he took in my rejection. Even so, he gave me an elegant bow and said: ¡°Your wish my command, Miss Mo Ke.¡±


    ¡°Also, don¡¯t call me Miss, I¡¯m a man! You can call me Mister Mo Ke or just Mo Ke is fine. Just don¡¯t call me Miss, got it?!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I understand it perfectly, so I¡¯ll address you as Lady Mo Ke from now on?¡±


    You bast*rd¡­I¡¯ll kill you!


    Seeing me lose my temper, the ever vigilant Ancarin immediately stepped in to pull me aside: ¡°Master, don¡¯t act rashly, remember your status!¡±


    The word status might¡¯ve sounded to the others like a reminder for me to watch my image(feminine), but to me, it was a reminder not to forget about my devilish identity.


    Truth be told, this whole mess between the Wolf¡¯s Fang and Plateau Village was something I didn¡¯t have to stick my hand into. However, seeing as it started because of us, I had to stay even if it was merely to take responsibility. Thus, here we were, standing side by side with the villagers in their time of need. Not like George would have had it any other way¡­.


    Even if I hadn¡¯t volunteered Regine to stay behind, I bet George would¡¯ve found some way to make one of us stay behind.

 Chapter 118: The Fatty Eddison

    Having unexpectedly dealt with Moranthal, we didn¡¯t tarry any longer and instead pushed on to the next village. This was the last village we had to convince, and luckily it was really close to the South Plateau village; barely 2 hours of traveling was required to reach it.


    Even though night had fallen, we pushed onwards in midst of the darkness. Thankfully, the moon was out in force today so the mountain road wasn¡¯t as difficult as I had initially thought it would be. With no time to spare, we ate a simple meal of dried rations while we pressed on. Roughly 9 pm in the night, we finally reached our final destination.


    In order to avoid any potential accident, I abstained from eating dried rations while we walked. However, in order to avoid any suspicion I cleverly made use of the darkness to fake the eating motion.


    Caution was the name of the game after all. If my crimson skin were to ever get discovered, that would cause a stir among the villagers. More importantly, there was no guarantee that I would be able to convince them that I wasn¡¯t a devil¡­especially given that stump on my forehead.


    In the midst of my acting, George suddenly turned around and looked in my direction, attracted by the sound of me tossing away the dried rations. I immediately turned around as well and faked a wary look while looking around. Thankfully, the ruse worked.


    All this while, that brat Dioh would sneak a few glances in my direction. I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s up to but I¡¯m sure it¡¯s nothing good.


    The village was called East Plateau Village, formerly known as Plateau Village back when the four villages were still combined together.


    Being a peasant in the Western Human Realms, one didn¡¯t have too many leisure activities to pursue, especially at night. Thus, there weren¡¯t too many villagers out and about when we arrived. Those who witnessed our arrival chose to turn a blind eye to us. In all likelihood, the darkness of night had prevented them from seeing George¡¯s face.


    Thankfully, George knew his way around the village and was able to lead us through a maze of well-lit houses, bringing us to our destination in a mere three minutes.


    If my memory serves me right, our last target was a person called Eddison. According to Kevin, he was the one who suffered the least under the Wolf¡¯s Fang. Compared to having a parent killed or a fiancee that betrayed him, the loss of material wealth and beating he suffered was negligible and made him the luckiest of the three. Of course, luckiest was a relative term. If he was truly lucky, he wouldn¡¯t have gotten beaten up to begin with.


    However, with the lack of such a deep hatred, that meant that he had no real reason to duke it out with the bandits either. Thus before coming here, I mentally prepared myself for a verbal slog. As for Dioh, he was raring to show off his almighty cannon of a mouth in order to clinch us a victory. Even before seeing the man, his ammo was already primed and loaded.


    George stepped up and gave the door a hard knock. Without having to wait long, the door opened-up unleashing a torrent of incandescent light out into the darkness; which made the person who opened it seem that much taller. It was a fatty standing at the doorway, roughly 180 cm in height, who flashed us a jubilant smile the moment he saw George.


    ¡°Yo, isn¡¯t that George, what are you doing here in the dead of night?¡±


    ¡°Naturally because we have something to discuss with you.¡± In the face of his jovial smile, George¡¯s expression became noticeably stiffer. ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there, let us in.¡±


    ¡°Alright, everyone please make yourselves at home.¡±


    Eddison looked to be roughly the same age as George. He had a rounded face with cheeks tinged a healthy red flanking an ever present smile. Looking at his neatly combed head of short chestnut hair and his immaculate style of dress, my impression of him was one of a wealthy businessman. In short, this potato didn¡¯t seem like a fighter.


    Before meeting him, I had wondered what kind of person he would be. Would he be a drunkard like Io or a loser like Moranthal? In the end, what greeted us was an amiable looking businessman.


    Stepping through the doorway, we came into a relatively large parlor which was at least a 100 square meters large. A beautiful lady of roughly 20 years of age came up to us with a tea set in hand and set it down gently onto the large table in front of us.


    Without seeking any prior approval, George led us to the table and sat down. Not paying this action any heed, Eddison instructed the lady to bring us some hot water and tea leaves before signalling for her to leave.


    Tea leaves. The Western Human Realms did in fact possess such a product, although it was not a popular one it was not a cheap either. After all, growing tea leaves in such a backward society still required a decent amount of effort, and thus it was a luxury that the common folk couldn¡¯t afford.


    Roscar didn¡¯t have a habit of drinking tea. In fact, he barely had money for his own equipment let alone such luxuries after toiling day and night for our tuition fees. The weapons he used were at least several years old and yet he couldn¡¯t bring himself to spend the money required to renew them. This was the first time I had smelt a cup of tea ever since I reincarnated into this world. This smell¡­it doesn¡¯t seem as fragrant as I remembered¡­


    Picking up the piping hot cup of tea, my nose and mouth began twitching from the irresistible white wisps that wafted from its watery surface. I paused for a second, and deliberated on the potential consequences of what I was about to do. In the end, I gave into temptation, carefully removing my mask as I lowered my head gently into the cup and giving the tea a good sniff. It was slightly sour with an overpowering bitterness that lacked a certain dryness.


    As expected, this didn¡¯t even come close to the authentic Chinese tea from China. However, this familiar fragrance was enough to stir up a sense of nostalgia in a lone reincarnator like me.


    Due to my obsession with this cup of tea, I was basically oblivious to how the negotiations were proceeding. By the time I was brought back to my senses, George and Eddison were engaged in a heated argument.


    ¡°Why must I help you defeat Dawson?¡±


    Even though it was a question, the smile on Eddison¡¯s face was definitely a derisive one.


    ¡°If we don¡¯t make use of this opportunity to wipe out those curs, they¡¯ll never let us off. If Dawson¡¯s able to wipe out our villages today, he¡¯ll be able to wipe out yours tomorrow. Don¡¯t you know that if the lips are gone, the teeth are cold?!¡±


    ¡°I know that, but what does that have to do with me?¡± He answered with a nonchalant look on his face.


    ¡°What do you mean by that, aren¡¯t you a part of Plateau Village as well?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± He said without any hesitation. ¡°Our village is now East Plateau Village and have long since separated from Plateau Original Village. After several decades of being separated, our relationship is at best cordial. I¡¯m well aware of how Dawson works, he wouldn¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°If we combine our forces together, our military might is more than enough to wipe out those bandits. Only by doing so will we enjoy peace.¡±


    ¡°Just forget it, if you really want my support, go defeat Dawson first.¡± Eddison took a drawn out sip of his tea as he said that. ¡°I know you managed to defeat him before, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to do so again.¡±


    Easy for you to say¡­by the time Dawson shows himself, the battle will almost be over. By that time, if George was able to defeat Dawson, their morale would be crushed in an instant. At that point, all we needed was the might of the three villages to finish them off. Whether or not he took part wouldn¡¯t matter at all. On the flip side¡­we runned the risk of being wiped out.


    The whole point of this journey was to rope in the other three-stars in order to overwhelm Dawson. George said so already, he wasn¡¯t a match for Dawson and that¡¯s precisely why we needed more three-stars in order to win. In a fight between life and death, fairness could take a backseat.


    Seeing my confusion, Ancarin promptly stepped forward to explain the situation to me. Apparently, Eddison didn¡¯t have much of a grudge against Dawson and thus didn¡¯t care too much about defeating him. Furthermore, he didn¡¯t look too favorably upon George either. He felt that even with our combined forces, we would still lose to their overwhelming numbers.


    More importantly, these bandits not only had wolves backing them up, they had horses as well. As for their four villages, not a single one of them had horses; all the horses had already been confiscated by Dawson. This was precisely why we had to make this trip on foot. As for my carriage, that wasn¡¯t an option either thanks to a certain tied up potato.


    So exactly what did it mean to not have horses? It meant that we had no means of communicating with the outside world to trade. Previously, it was mentioned that the Wolf¡¯s Fang had sealed off all trade routes leading to and from the villages. The most direct way to achieve this was to stop any merchants from making the trip. Another way was to take away any horses that could potentially serve as a transportation tool.


    On top of that, not having horses meant that none of the villagers could escape from any potential blockade. Well they still could¡­in a bodybag. These were after all, ordinary villagers; there was no way they could outrun a horse without any martial training.


    In short, any resistance would be met with bloody consequences and with the lack of any viable escape methods, only a madman or someone with a blood feud would tangle with these bandits. Normal people would rather steer clear of this entire mess.


    His leeriness was understandable, if it was me, I would be wary about tying the fate of my entire village to a bandwagon with such a bleak future.


    However, then came the question of what were we to do. Without Eddison¡¯s cooperation, our plan was doomed before it even started; which meant we had to rope him in no matter the cost, even if it meant using force. At least that was how I felt.


    ¡°So you¡¯re willing to be a punching bag for them?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still better than losing my life!¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t die, with the combined might of the four of us, we will definitely be able to suppress Dawson. Furthermore, I¡¯ve already killed Doran so their side has lost an expert even before the fight has started. After all this, are you still unwilling to lend us your aid?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, so you killed Doran. Now I get it, so that¡¯s why you¡¯re so anxious to recruit me.¡± Eddison laughed coldly and said: ¡°Don¡¯t even think about dragging me into this mess. If you want to fight the Wolf¡¯s Fang, go find Io and Moranthal instead. I¡¯m sure those two will be more than happy to support you. After all, one of them lost a father while the other lost a fiancee.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve already agreed to help me.¡±


    ¡°Well isn¡¯t that great. Once you all are dead, I can swallow up the rest of the villages.¡±


    ¡°Even then, you¡¯ll still be exploited by the Wolf¡¯s Fang.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my business, a dead man like you shouldn¡¯t care so much about it.¡±


    George: ¡°¡­¡±


    Eddison: ¡°¡­¡±


    The two glared wordlessly at each other. Thus, their heated argument drew to a natural close without any resolution.

 Chapter 119: Persuading Eddison Part 1

    As Eddison and George stared daggers at each other, the rest of us glanced at each other with a worried look in our eyes. Unlike the previous two villages, this situation didn¡¯t look like it would resolve itself.


    That meat sack Moranthal inexplicably came onto us after some persuasion. That drunkard Io came on board after a good thrashing. Yet why did things become so complicated when it came to dealing with this damned fatty? I guess it came down to the fact that we didn¡¯t have a grasp of his weakness.


    Sh*t, if this negotiation fails, we¡¯ll lose the aid of a three-star and at least a hundred men¡­looks like it¡¯s time for me to make an appearance.


    With a light cough, I gathered the attention of everyone present and poised my question: ¡°Ahem, about that, I heard that Master Eddison was robbed by the Wolf¡¯s Fang a while ago while doing business. May I know if that¡¯s true?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? You are?¡±


    Looks like George didn¡¯t do us the favor of an introduction. Seeing his questioning gaze, Ancarin stepped forth to fulfill George¡¯s duty of introducing us: ¡°Greetings Mister Eddison, this is my professor, Magister Mo Ke. As for me, I¡¯m Ancarin, an apprentice mage. We are a pair of travelling mages who, due to a misunderstanding, ended up offending the Wolf¡¯s Fang.¡±


    ¡°Misunderstanding? You mean those trained wolves?¡± The fatty nodded his head while giving Ancarin an admiring look. ¡°Those beasts are ignorant to have attacked a beautiful mage such as yourself. Truly deplorable.¡±


    ¡°Hahah, beautiful, you¡¯re too kind Mister Eddison.¡± She gave an obligatory response to his praise before steering the conversation back on track.


    ¡°It¡¯s precisely because of this misunderstanding that we offended those despicable bandits. Not only that, we ended up implicating Plateau Village as well. This matter has caused us a great deal of guilt which is why we decided to stand against the Wolf¡¯s Fang. We hope that you¡¯ll aid us in this noble endeavor and help us overcome this obstacle.¡±


    Her words were soft and gentle with an alluring undertone you would expect from a typical seduction ploy. The fatty¡¯s body jiggled slightly in excitement from her advances, yet this still wasn¡¯t enough to change his mind. ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry. Normally I would make it my duty to accept any request from a beauty such as yourself, however, I do not possess the strength required to fulfill this request.¡±


    ¡°You really can¡¯t help us?¡±


    Ancarin gave a pitiful pout as she said that in a pleading voice. Even so, the fatty didn¡¯t bite. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I truly do not possess the strength to do so.¡±


    You damned tub of lard, why are you so damned obstinate about this. If you are truly that weak, why the hell would George even bother looking for you?


    Yet with all that cursing, the problem still remained that he wasn¡¯t being cooperative. It¡¯s not like we could force him to help us with a knife to his neck either.


    In the midst of their conversation, that beautiful lady came back once more with a platter of piping hot food in her hands. Laid out on the tray was bread, soup, vegetables and also some grilled meat.


    ¡°I¡¯m aware that this must¡¯ve been an arduous trip for all of you especially given the timing. I¡¯m sure none of you had the time for a proper meal while rushing here.¡± Eddison smiled at the girl¡¯s arrival and nodded in her direction. ¡°Is the fish ready?¡±


    Lady: ¡°It¡¯s almost done, Master.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, once the fish is ready, prepare some mashed potatoes as well.¡±


    ¡°Understood Master.¡± She lowered her head in response and left for the kitchen.


    Master? This fatty seems to be pretty well off¡­


    Mhm, this hall¡¯s pretty well decorated, from the looks of it, it must¡¯ve cost him a pretty penny. So¡­Io got into a blood feud with the Wolf¡¯s Fang because they murdered his father¡­.while Moranthal¡¯s grudge was because of his slutty ex-fiancee. As for this tub of lard, he was robbed while running a caravan¡­this hall though¡­why does it seem so different from the homes of the other village chiefs? I guess he pays more attention to his lifestyle?


    Mhm, let¡¯s go with that, after all this fatty¡¯s furniture seems to be on the expensive side, or at least they¡¯re more expensive than those of the other three chiefs. Just from a glance, one could tell that the furniture in the homes of the other chiefs were all made from their village¡¯s carpenters; they were slightly rough around the edges, but the emphasis was put on durability instead during construction.


    In comparison, the fatty¡¯s furniture were more ornate. Seeing as he was a merchant, he must¡¯ve purchased them from the city.


    That beautiful lady just now must¡¯ve been his maid. While she wasn¡¯t wearing a maid¡¯s costume, there weren¡¯t that many women who would call a man master. She¡¯s either a servant or his wife, but given her aloofness, it was probably the former.


    In order to maintain this lifestyle it must¡¯ve cost him a fortune, and that was probably why he does those trade runs. If that¡¯s the case, shouldn¡¯t this man be very particular about his money? After all, trade runs weren¡¯t allowed by the bandits and ran the risk of him getting beat up. Also, the fact that he could even transport the goods meant that he had horses¡­didn¡¯t those bandits confiscate all the horses? He must¡¯ve kept a hidden stable somewhere.


    When he was robbed, I¡¯m sure he put up a fight and yet he was merely beaten up and instead of murdered. That means he didn¡¯t go all out then¡­so we¡¯re dealing with a money-grubbing fatty that was afraid of dying.


    Alright, enough analyzing for now. I might¡¯ve messed up somewhere along the way but for the most part, I had just the right plan for such a fellow.


    As I pondered this question, the enticing fragrance of the grilled meat wafted underneath my mask, tempting me to eat it. Yet this clearly wasn¡¯t an option, so I decided to settle this problem as soon as possible.


    Gazing at the feasting Eddison, I directly offered up my proposal: ¡°If I offer 1,000 gold coins, will you help us?¡±


    ¡°*cough cough cough*¡­¡± In the midst of what was probably his second dinner, my sudden proposal caused him to nearly choke from the surprise. The fatty immediately wiped his mouth off with the cloth he hung in the front of his collar, coughing several more times before finally settling down. He then gave me a look you would only give when you saw your long lost father or perhaps when you stumble upon a million dollars.


    ¡°You¡¯re serious about that?!¡±


    ¡°Mhm, however this includes your village as well.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Hearing that, his grin turned upside down in what had to be a world record in falling out. With a shake of his head, he flatly said: ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    How was a thousand gold coins not enough?! That¡¯s the equivalent of a million Chinese Yuan (roughly 150k USD)! Don¡¯t you know the meaning of the word million? Why weren¡¯t you jumping at such a generous offer? Only a fool would reject it!


    At the side, Dioh stirred in his seat, clearly dissatisfied with the fact that he rejected such a princely sum. However, George knew that I was trying to win him over with money, so he swiftly silenced the teen before he could open fire with his mouth cannon.


    ¡°Then what will it take for you to help us?¡±


    ¡°Give me¡­¡± He halted mid-sentence as if he had just remembered something that prevented him from even extorting us. He closed his mouth and paused for a second before saying in a definite tone: ¡°No matter how much money you offer me, I won¡¯t accept the deal so just give up on this.¡±


    His love of money was already something I had verified so the fact he rejected me was probably because of his village?


    Not willing to give up, I upped the offer: ¡°2,000 gold coins.¡±


    ¡°No way, I¡­this isn¡¯t a matter about money.¡± I clearly saw his eyes waver at the mention of 2,000 gold coins, however, he still rejected the offer. Don¡¯t tell me we really have to put a knife to his throat to secure his cooperation?


    ¡°Not enough gold for you? Just state your price then.¡±


    ¡°I said so already, this isn¡¯t about the money¡­¡±


    His refusal left me at a loss for words. It was then that Ancarin spoke up: ¡°Mister Eddison, is the reason why you refuse our offer because you feel that we will lose?¡±


    He paused for a couple of seconds before saying, ¡°¡­yes.¡± With a nod of his head, Eddison confirmed her theory.


    ¡°Truthfully, I don¡¯t think that the combined forces of our four villages will be enough to defeat Dawson and once we fail to do so, we¡¯re all doomed. No matter what, I can¡¯t take this risk.¡±


    ¡°According to what I know, the bandit¡¯s suppression of your village is extremely severe. If you don¡¯t make use of this opportunity to defeat them now, I¡¯m afraid this chance will never come to you again.¡±


    ¡°Dawson is too strong¡­he might¡¯ve already become a four-star¡­¡±


    Only allowed on Creativenovels.com


    ¡°FOUR-STAR?!¡±


    His words had a varying level of shock on us, particularly George. He had suspected that the man was nearing four-stars, yet that was merely his suspicion. All this while he had operated under the assumption that, while he might not be able to defeat the man, he might not lose either if he went all out. And yet¡­reality was never as one thought.


    Four-star warriors have the ability to project their Fighter¡¯s Aura and thus could perform long-ranged attacks. If Dawson was really a four-star, he wouldn¡¯t even be able to get close to the bandit in a one on one match.


    ¡°Mhm, it¡¯s only a possibility though¡­¡± Eddison continued in an unsure tone. ¡°Truth be told, I only learnt of this through hearsay. Roughly three months ago, I heard that Dawson managed to slay a warrior who had just advanced into four-stars. While no one was there to witness it in person, the state of that man¡¯s corpse was telling enough. I heard that it was ripped to shreds.¡±


    As he said that, his lard jiggled in fright as if to emphasize the point.


    If Dawson was truly a four-star¡­then weren¡¯t we all in trouble? Was it too late for me to leave now? Hmph, when did I become such a coward? I caused this mess so I must be the one who fixed it. Besides, I couldn¡¯t just leave Regine to fend for herself. If I left now, what about those innocent villagers?


    One mustn¡¯t be too selfish; sometimes there are things which you mustn¡¯t avoid.

 Chapter 120: Persuading Eddison Part 2

    Honestly, all that meant just one thing¡­it was just too late to run away now¡­


    ¡°If the enemy is truly that strong then that¡¯s all the more reason I won¡¯t let you guys off the hook.¡± It was then that Ancarin showed a side of her which I had never seen before. While she was still smiling, that smile had a sinister undertone to it. ¡°If you¡¯re so adamant about rejecting us then I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to employ certain measures instead.¡±


    ¡°Hmph! A one-star like you?¡± Eddison said scornfully. A one-star mage¡¯s powers were clear for all to see. Even if she was a hundred meters away from him, he would be able to deflect her spells easily with his aura, let alone at this close distance. With a few rapid dashes, he could easily cover a hundred meters in mere seconds and punch her. Of course all this was under the assumption that she had no enchanted gear.


    ¡°Of course not, I still don¡¯t have the strength to defeat a three-star warrior, but in terms of forcing a person to listen to my whims, I¡¯m a lot stronger than you.¡±


    As those words left her mouth, Eddison furrowed his eyebrows partly in confusion and partly in alarm. Even I was confused by her baseless declaration.


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Asked Eddison.


    ¡°I know that you¡¯re unwilling to participate in a battle you aren¡¯t sure of, and I also understand that you¡¯re concerned about the wellbeing of your village. However, seeing as you aren¡¯t able to make this decision yourself, I¡¯ll just have to make it for you.¡± She declared once more with that sinister smile on her face.


    ¡°Just now, I mentioned that we killed a couple of trained wolves and ended up implicating Plateau Village. From this point alone, one can see that the bandits see us as enemies. Given their nature, what if we were to¡­flee to the East Plateau Village in the event of our defeat? I wonder what those bandits would do then.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± His face darkened in an instant, his gaze a bone-chilling cold. His eyes no longer held the admiration they had before and instead contained an undisguised hostility. ¡°I¡¯ll hand you over to them then!¡±


    ¡°Hah, the fact that I dare to say this now means that I¡¯m more than confident about being able to evade capture. Even a three-star like you wouldn¡¯t be able to catch a mage dead set on escape.¡± Ancarin tossed him a disdainful smile as she casually brought out several low-grade equipment and fiddled with them.


    ¡°All these are magical tools meant for escaping. This piece here increases my running speed. This hinders my enemies¡¯ movements. As for this, it has a levitation spell built into it, this¡­¡±


    As if reading off a catalog, she began introducing every piece of magical tool she had. With each piece she brought out, Eddison¡¯s face became increasingly more sullen. The moment she mentioned that she still had much more in the carriage, the fatty had basically given up on trying to capture her.


    According to her, should this plan ever fail we would flee to East Plateau Village and use it as a shield. While the village fought with the bandits, we would make use of that opportunity to escape. As we still had Duran¡¯s sports car of a carriage ready in the wings, being able to flee from the bandits was a guaranteed fact.


    When the bandits discovered that we were gone, the first people they would blame would be the villagers. Even if they knew that they weren¡¯t sheltering us, the bandits would make use of this excuse to raid the village. After all, by the time they reached the East Plateau Village, they would still be in the midst of a bloodthirsty frenzy after massacring the three other villages.


    Even if the intention wasn¡¯t to wipe them out, the bandits would still make use of this chance to show their dominance in order to deter any future resistance.


    ¡°So that¡¯s your plan?¡±


    Eddison naturally wasn¡¯t foolish enough to doubt what a bunch of strangers would do, so he posed this question to George.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry but I do not wish for the villagers to get massacred, so I chose to resist.¡± George avoided answering his question directly, but even so, his apologetic tone was evidence enough. While he wasn¡¯t going to take part in this scheme actively, he still gave his tacit approval to it. Deep down, he desperately wanted Eddison to join their side even if it meant resorting to such a threat. With several hundreds of lives in his hands, there¡¯s no trick too dirty to use.


    ¡°But I do not wish for my villagers to get embroiled in a battle we are bound to lose!¡±


    By now, he had completely abandoned his calm demeanour as he glared furiously at the girl. Yet just as he was about to continue yelling, the beautiful lady servant came in with a platter of portioned out fish.


    As if she hadn¡¯t heard a word we said, she silently served us our fish and ended with a ¡°I¡¯ll go prepare the mashed potatoes.¡±


    Eddison calmed down slightly at that. After waiting for her to return to the kitchen, he let out a long helpless sigh. ¡°Even if I join you guys in fighting them, you still won¡¯t win against Dawson. If that story is true, then even if he isn¡¯t a four-star, he still possesses the strength to kill one.¡±


    ¡°Four-star¡­even if four of us gang up on him, we still can¡¯t defeat a four-star. Not to mention that there¡¯s still Dohby, the Second Chief, and at least 500 bandit minions¡­¡±


    After a short introduction, I learnt that Dohby was the older brother of Doran, and was even stronger than him; making him at least a three-star peak warrior. While he might not be able to defeat George in a one on one, he could still stall for time.


    Thus, we were placed in a precarious stalemate; we wanted him to help us defeat Dawson but he was unwilling to do so as Dawson was too strong. If this farce continued any longer, the situation might take an unexpected and fatal turn. We might end up pushing him towards Dawson or force him to attack us instead. Even if he didn¡¯t do so, there¡¯s a chance he might fake allegiance and backstab us at the crucial moment.


    Looks like it¡¯s time we show him our trump card¡­


    I nodded at Ancarin to show my approval, after which she reached into her robes. ¡°Even if he¡¯s really a four-star warrior, there¡¯s no need for us to be too concerned about that either because we still have this trump card.¡± As she said that, she pulled out a bunch of magical scrolls. Each of these scrolls had a three-star spell enchanted onto it, which If used at the right moment, would even be able to kill a four-star.


    ¡°Those are¡­magical scrolls!¡±


    Eddison¡¯s eyes widened as he fixed his gaze onto the magical scrolls. As a merchant, he knew better than anyone how expensive these things were. A scroll with a three-star spell enchanted onto it could easily fetch over a thousand gold coins. Furthermore, this was a consumable item, meaning it disappeared after one use.


    ¡°All of these scrolls have a three-star spell on them and are a perfect counter to a four-star warrior.¡± She took out six scrolls in total and laid them out one by one on the table. ¡°I have more scrolls like these stored away in our carriage. Against a four-star like Dawson, that should be more than enough to handle him.¡±


    ¡°Not only that, we still have more magical tools in our carriage. While they¡¯re only low-grade enchanted gear, they are all high quality gear that can amplify a warrior¡¯s might. All these will be made available to you all as a loan.¡±


    Not like we paid for those things anyway¡­even if we end up losing them, we don¡¯t really lose out much. Plus, I truly hate bandits¡­I¡¯ll never forget what those fake bandits did to Morran and Rhona (TL:Dad and Mom if you don¡¯t remember)¡­I know that technically had nothing to do with bandits, but imagine for a second if this world was peaceful and there weren¡¯t that many bandits roaming about; those bast*rds wouldn¡¯t have dared to pose as bandits! No matter where they were, as long as they¡¯re active bandits, they all had a part to play in my new parents¡¯ death.


    ¡°Magical scrolls and magical tools¡­¡± Not only did this revelation stoke the already raging fires in George and the others, even the leery fatty began to salivate at this idea. No matter how you looked at it, this was a great opportunity, an opportunity to kill off Dawson once and for all! With these gears, George and the other three-stars would definitely be able to increase their might by at least 50%.


    Ever since these bandits started muscling in on their business, the four villages had grown increasingly impoverished with time. However as the villagers had lived there for generations, none of them were willing to leave in spite of this. Yet this was a problem as living in such conditions not only made them poorer with each passing generation, sooner or later they would become accustomed to such treatment and end up as slaves.


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    Right now with George and the other three-star warriors guarding villages, the bandits didn¡¯t dare to go overboard in lieu of the potential losses; this also didn¡¯t fit in with Dawson¡¯s policy of interests first. However if this balance was to change, you could be sure that these bandits would leap at the opportunity to return to their deplorable roots.


    Having been to all the villages, a certain fact was now apparent to me. Except for Plateau Original Village, the other three villages all received a challenge of sorts.


    Was this a deliberate move on Dawson¡¯s part? After all, the combined might of the four villagers was a force to be reckoned with. Even if they were weaker than the bandits, the difference wasn¡¯t that huge.


    Plus defeating the strongest warrior of the village in front of the villagers was a quick way to quell any resistance and thus gain true control over the village. There was, after all, a limit to how much killing and suppressing one could do before the villagers end up banding together.


    The four villagers of Plateau all had a three-star of their own while the bandits only had three; namely, Dawson, Dohby and Doran. Of the three only Dawson was a match for George. As for the other two, I was not familiar with Dohby, and Doran¡¯s dead so he¡¯s definitely out of the picture.


    With that in mind, the might of our experts was clearly greater than the bandits. If you add in the aid of the scrolls and tools, there¡¯s basically no way those bandits could win.


    ¡°We still have a bunch of potions on hand, they can heal injuries, cure poisons, recover mana¡­hmm, I think we have some that can restore Fighter¡¯s Aura as well although it¡¯s only a few bottles.¡±


    ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t think I have a reason to reject your proposal anymore.¡± That last revelation was the last straw that broke the camel¡¯s back. As Eddison said that, he let out a drawn-out sigh of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted off his back. He flashed us a sheepish smile and asked:


    ¡°Do you know why I insist on conducting those secret trade runs? It¡¯s because I know that the combined might of our villages isn¡¯t a match for these bandits and that¡¯s why I wanted to save up money to hire some mercenaries¡­¡±


    While these bandits were relatively restrained in their actions, they were a plague on the villages. After all, they were bandits and bandits relied on robbing to feed themselves. These despicable bast*rds would often raid the villagers¡¯ homes and empty them of whatever valuables they could find. However with the three-star warriors watching over the village, Dawson knew not to push his luck and only settled for stealing their wealth and not their wives.


    It was this bit of foresight that prevented any serious uprising against the bandits since none of them were actually in any mortal danger. What they lost was merely wealth and that could be re-earned given time.


    This was also the reason why George acted so passively in front of Doran. If it hadn¡¯t been for Dioh¡¯s provocative actions, George definitely wouldn¡¯t have killed the Third Chief.


    With that in mind, I could understand Eddison¡¯s wariness. He wanted to accumulate enough money in secret to hire some mercenaries to wipe out the bandits. Unfortunately, this required a large sum of money in a range of at least several thousand gold coins. If this was the Plateau Village of yesteryear, they might still be able to scrounge up this sum, but now¡­well, dreams are dreams for a reason.


    Having heard this, I now knew that this fellow actually had the mind to resist the bandits as well. It¡¯s just that he was lying in wait like a deadly viper waiting to strike. Unfortunately for him, we came along and now his plans had to be pushed forward.

 Chapter 121: Ancarin’s Tears

    Having taken care of the most troublesome fellow, we stayed the night in his home. The next morning, Eddison kept to his word and began rallying the men of his village. All in all, he swiftly recruited 120 hunters of which 17 were two-stars while the others were one-star.


    The same situation repeated itself for the other two villages bringing our total hunter count to 516 two-star and one-star hunters.


    According to George, Dawson should arrive in Plateau Village within a day, so we gathered there and prepared for the final showdown.


    Everyone gathered here was a hunter and thus had a lot of experience with archery and trap laying. With that in mind, Io volunteered to bring the hunters to prepare the battlefield. While the bandits were proficient in trap laying as well, these traps should still be able to cause some casualties and dampen their morale.


    George¡¯s plan was to settle this battle outside of the village. Therefore, he chose a nearby forest with a clearing within it as the battlefield. The hunters would place traps in the bandit¡¯s path and lay in wait for them at the opposite side. In order to leave the trap field, the bandits would have to step into the open clearing where they would be vulnerable to a volley of arrows from the hunters.


    All the while the trees would provide us with a natural cover and defense against their long-range attacks and charges. Of course, the bandits might just decide to retreat back into their side of the forest.


    As for the trained wolves, while these mutts were pretty smart, their intelligence couldn¡¯t be compared to a human in the end. They might be smart enough to avoid some basic traps, but the traps the hunters had set were anything but basic. All that awaited them was certain death.


    The first thing we did once we returned to the village was visit Regine. As she refused to eat without me feeding her, she ended up spending all this time locked up in the carriage without touching the food the villagers had sent her. By the time we returned, her stomach was already rumbling in protest¡­thank god she knew how to go to the toilet herself.


    Thus feeding her was the first thing I did upon returning. The last thing we needed now was a starving Regine. Because of this, we ended up wasting some time in the village, during which George led the hunters away to prepare the battlefield.


    Probably out of consideration of all the gear and tools I gave to them, George seemed to trust me a lot more than before. He no longer watched me as closely, leaving only his brave potato of a brother, Dioh, behind to follow us. For some strange reason though, this kid kept giving me a strange look throughout this journey, and it severely creeped me out.


    Having finished feeding Regine, we hopped onto the carriage and left. For this journey, Dioh was our driver and tracker. Without much difficulty, he drove the carriage along the tracks left behind by the hunters, and soon we came upon the temporary base set up by George.


    As they weren¡¯t an actual army, the base had a haphazardness to it; all they did was find a spot with water and cover. Thankfully, the hunters all had a wealth of experience living off the land, so they knew which areas to avoid while pitching their tents. The hunters pitched their tents as close to each other as possible, then scattered an insect and snake repellent powder around the base.


    Being so close to the forest, this camp was particularly vulnerable to a fire attack. But¡­considering that the bandit¡¯s had no mages and that battles in the Western Human Realms basically revolved around sword and spears, I guess it was understandable that George forgot about this matter.


    Sigh, there goes that dream of being called a military strategist in my first large battle while waving a feather fan¡­


    According to George, Dawson wasn¡¯t one to rely on dirty tricks, sneak attacks and the like. If he decided to attack you, he would give you sufficient time to prepare. So this was where he got the idea of two to three days¡­he based it on an estimate of his understanding of Dawson¡¯s personality. But weren¡¯t we fighting a war now? Was it really alright to leave your own safety in the hands of your enemies¡¯ morality¡­weren¡¯t they bandits?!


    Throughout this preparation period, I had this nagging concern that the bandits would suddenly launch a sneak attack on us seeing as, at the end of the day, they were just a bunch of despicable cutthroats. Not doing so would be the biggest surprise instead.


    On the day we killed those trained wolves, the Third Chief came looking for us at Plateau Village the very next morning. This meant that their mountain hideout must¡¯ve been extremely close to the village; probably several hours away.


    Seeing as we were the underdogs here in terms of quantity, George¡¯s tactics of using traps sat well with me. But¡­exactly what were these two potatoes doing!?


    Ever since we left the command tent, Dioh and Moranthal, these loafers, would stick to mewherever I went. At the start I thought that they were merely interested in Ancarin, seeing as she was pretty and thus naturally attracted men; anyone who didn¡¯t fantasize about her was either impotent or gay¡­I guess they could just be a gentleman as well.


    Who would¡¯ve thought that their target wasn¡¯t Ancarin but me instead!


    It was then that I was hit with the fury of a thousand f*ck yous.


    It might¡¯ve been that ¡°cuckold¡± remark at work here, but ever since that day, these two potatoes hadn¡¯t seen eye to eye with each other. Flanking me on both sides, they would follow me wherever I went. In the off chance that their eyes met by accident, one could see the daggers flying between their gazes.


    Originally, I merely wanted to take Ancarin out for a stroll to calm my nerves, but then these two potatoes came along with their potato antics. While we walked, one of them plucked a flower for me and the other grabbed a couple of fruits for me to eat¡­Naturally, I rejected these offerings. Yet whenever I did so, the other person would throw a mocking grin at their counterpart along with a few choice words.


    Didn¡¯t I tell you that I¡¯m a guy already? Can¡¯t you guys even get my gender right? And what¡¯s with that flower and fruit!


    Feeling my obvious displeasure, the pair immediately blamed the other for angering me and began arguing. They almost ended up coming to blows. That¡¯s right, almost¡­because Dioh was defeated within the first two moves.


    The two had an entire grade separating them after all; how could the two-star Dioh even stand up to the three-star Moranthal. Being the hot blooded kid he was, Dioh was naturally the first one to attack, yet Moranthal¡¯s retaliation ended up hitting him first. With a swift grab of the boy¡¯s hand, Moranthal immediately blocked his attack and twisted it behind his back.


    Subdued in a move.


    Dioh immediately tried to fire off the mouth cannon, but he was promptly interrupted by a kick to his butt¡­


    You guys have fun with yourselves, I¡¯m leaving¡­


    With Ancarin in tow, I returned back to the carriage where our resident thief girl stood guard. As we still had the slumbering Duran to worry about, she remained behind to guard the carriage while we went for a stroll. She must¡¯ve been bored to death by now.


    As night fell, the hunters stopped their trap laying and returned to camp where a piping hot meal was ready and waiting for them. Tomorrow was the day of the battle, it could be at dawn or even in the afternoon, but either way, Dawson would definitely attack us tomorrow.


    At night, Ancarin came to my tent unannounced and sat down uneasily beside me. She seemed slightly shaken up, her body and lips quivering silently for a while before finally managing to force out a question.


    ¡°Master, are we really staying behind?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± I nodded at the quivering girl.


    By now, all the low-grade enchanted gear that we didn¡¯t use were all given out to the hunters for them to distribute amongst themselves. The four three-star warriors naturally had first pick after which the remainder was given to the strongest two-stars amongst them. George and the other three warriors all received an additional tool in the form of recovery potions and aura recovery potions.


    It¡¯s said that potions had a number of wondrous effects as well. There were potions that could strengthen one¡¯s body temporarily, for example, your speed, endurance and power. Not only that, there was even a potion that boosted your defense by creating a layer of stone on your skin¡­etc etc. In short, there were a ton of potions with an equally large price range starting from ten gold coins to over thousands.


    Unfortunately, we didn¡¯t have such potions on hand otherwise our victory would¡¯ve been even more assured.


    The frightened girl leaned in hoping that would alleviate her worry. ¡°But the enemy is so strong and¡­this matter doesn¡¯t have any relation to us anymore¡­we¡¯ve already given them our precious magical tools and potions, that¡¯s more than enough.¡±


    ¡°But this matter started because of us so we mustn¡¯t be too selfish, that¡¯s wrong of us.¡± I smiled gently and softly ran my fingers through her hair. As she had just showered, her body still gave off a faint fragrance. Even though she was pregnant, it had only been one month since, so there was still no visible change to her stomach. Based on appearances alone, she was nothing but an adorable little lady.


    Her mouth fell open at my unexpected reply. A second later, her surprised look changed to a slightly touched one: ¡°Master doesn¡¯t seem like a devil at all, you¡¯re the kindest person I¡¯ve ever known!¡±


    ¡°Devil¡­that¡¯s right, I¡¯m a devil.¡±


    Speaking of that, it seems like I still thought of myself as a human. Facing off against devils, I barely batted an eye even after killing so many of them¡­yet when it came to humans¡­I tried my best to save those in need. Whether or not I was able to do so, I didn¡¯t wish for anyone to die as a result of my actions. That was why I decided to stay behind; not just because of some sense of responsibility but also because of this bit of compassion.


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    Compassion¡­a friend from China once told me: What makes a human a human is not his appearance but rather his compassionate heart. Without such a thing, what makes us any different from a bunch of beasts?


    Back then, I didn¡¯t understand what he said¡­but now¡­I think I do.


    Just think of how we categorize benevolent people as ¡°good people¡± and psychopaths as ¡°beasts¡± or ¡°monsters¡±. That¡¯s roughly what that phrase means, at least in my humble opinion.


    ¡°Can I have a look at your face?¡±


    I paused for a moment, pondering her request. In the midst of that, she reached forth and took off my mask. Staring at my crimson red skin, she sat there in silence for a long while before gently caressing my face, the tenderness in her actions showed just how much she cherished me.


    ¡°You¡¯re always that beautiful¡­whether it¡¯s your appearance or your soul¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Before I could reply, she closed her eyes and leaned in with her face slightly raised and her back straight. As her lips got ever closer, I could distinctly feel her warm breath washing over me. She had the distinctive scent of a woman on her. Perhaps it¡¯s because she was no longer a virgin or perhaps it could just be my mind at work, but either way that scent didn¡¯t seem as pleasant as Nicole¡¯s, not that I hated it.


    Was she trying to kiss me? What should I do¡­should I reject it or accept it?


    Feeling her lips close in, I anxiously tried to come a decision. Whether I was going to avoid it or accept it, I should take a stance either way. Yet all I felt for her was compassion and not love. Even if I really wanted to experience the embrace of a female, I just can¡¯t bring myself to take advantage of her¡­plus¡­.my pee pee is still¡­should I reject her?


    Just as I was about to make my choice, she didn¡¯t pulled away from me, her eyes opened and glistened in the dark as drop after drop of what looked like pearls fell from her eyes¡­she¡¯s¡­.crying¡­?

 Chapter 122: Unexpected Conflic

    Was she hurt by my hesitation, or did she suddenly remember something hurtful? Sh*t, I had no experience with this sort of situation¡­where do I even put my hands?


    This bit of clumsiness didn¡¯t escape her eyes as she giggled amidst her sniffling. She lowered her head and without wiping off her tears, took a few steps back and said: ¡°Like this is fine, this distance is fine¡­¡±


    As she said that, she continued her emotional roller-coaster of crying and laughing; however, she no longer tried to approach me.


    Was she belittling herself? I guess if a fat ugly chick were to force herself on me¡­I would want to kill myself as well. Even if Duran was handsome, it still felt bad as long as it wasn¡¯t consensual.


    Should I give her a hug and tell her it¡¯s alright? Wait, that would make it sound like we had a special relationship though¡­.and it sounded so hypocritical as well. Would I be any different from that bast*rd if I did that?


    Besides I didn¡¯t even have a pee pee¡­wouldn¡¯t it make me seem kind of immoral to talk about that stuff now?¡­No that wasn¡¯t right, I meant to say, shouldn¡¯t I at least have some moral standards if I wished to start a harem? Oh¡­why am I even talking about standards when I¡¯m trying to start a harem?! Damn it, could someone please tell me what to do?!


    However, in the midst of my delusions, the problem solved itself the moment Regine squeezed herself into our already small enough tent, and fell asleep without a word on my lap without her mask on. Was this¡­the legendary lap pillow?


    Regine¡¯s hair felt slightly wet to the touch, she probably just took a bath¡­didn¡¯t she just take one three hours ago though? So why was her hair still wet? Did she take another shower again?


    Speaking of which, she was a rather silent character most of the time, but who knew that she could be so considerate at the right moments; to think she could do something so charitable. From her stiff body and twitching long eyebrows, I could tell that she wasn¡¯t that comfortable about this either.


    However, after ten seconds of lying on my lap without being chased away, she finally calmed down; she gently turned her body and hugged my right leg with both of her hands. This posture¡­she almost seemed like a baby¡­


    Seeing my panicked reaction, Ancarin gave a sniffling laugh as she wiped her tears dry and without saying another word, took over my other leg; hugging it in the same fetal position as Regine.


    If all of you are sleeping here, then what about our carriage? If the matter about Duran was found out we¡­forget it, as long as you guys were happy.


    This was the first time I had ever slept with a beautiful girl other than Nicole, yet I felt no lust towards them¡­only¡­pity. They had suffered so much already, if possible, I hope that they could live a happy life from now on.


    Not knowing how to react, we ended up spending the night in this manner without saying another word, until finally we all fell asleep unknowingly.


    The next day, I woke up to find both of them already gone and both my legs numb from a night of being used as a pillow. Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t so serious that I couldn¡¯t move.


    As if nothing had happened last night, Ancarin prepared breakfast for me as usual while Regine quietly checked her gear. After ensuring that Duran was still safe and secured, I made way towards George to enquire about the day¡¯s mission.


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    If everything else went as planned, Dawson would arrive with a large group of bandits to exact his revenge. The spot we chose was a route he had to take in order to reach Plateau Village. While there were other routes as well, this was the nearest; while the others required a large detour on his part. As such, we merely had to wait here for them to take the bait.


    Yet despite waiting past a third of the day, the bandits had not show up. Instead we found several people from the other villages. Their numbers were not many, with a total of over ten and all of them were injured. Though they weren¡¯t serious injured, due to the fact that they had to rush over to us, they were deathly pale by the time they reached us.


    Some of them were let go on purpose by the bandits while others were those fortunate enough to escape right when the attack started. While their survival was fortunate, it also brought with them a terrifying piece of news.


    The bandits hadn¡¯t followed George¡¯s plan, and instead attacked the other three villages first; kidnapping all of the villagers¡­taking into account the time they needed to move the kidnapped villagers, they should be arriving in Plateau Village soon.


    George and the other three-stars nearly had a heart attack upon hearing this piece of news.


    ¡°Im¡­impossible¡­how could this be¡­¡± stammered a defeated looking George.


    Reality was no game after all, while we were busy plotting against them, they were busy plotting against us as well. Due to our recruitment, the four villages were basically defenseless right now and could barely defend against a wild beast attack. The bandits didn¡¯t even need to send that many men to raid them in that state.


    What a devious backstab on his part¡­now the bandits had a grasp on our lifeline; if they used them as hostages, this entire coalition could fall apart. While the other three villages might not agree to turn on us, the bandits could still force them to stand aside and leave us alone.


    The command tent immediately erupted into chaos; with Io and Eddison requesting for leave to lead their hunters away in order to save the other villagers. As for George and Moranthal, they wanted to stay behind and defend Plateau Village instead. They felt that the situation wasn¡¯t as simple as the other two thought it was and allowed no rashness on their part.


    Thus the debate became a stalemate that swiftly devolved into a shouting match which nearly came to fists.


    At that, I could no longer stand by the sidelines and watch. ¡°Stop arguing! Right now the most important thing is to try and save whoever we can and not turn against each other. All you¡¯re doing now is playing right into the palms of their hands. Whether or not you wish split up to save the other villages or defend Plateau Village, we still have to make that trip to Plateau Village.¡±


    ¡°Our first goal right now should be to save the one village that hasn¡¯t fallen, rather than start regretting once even that is gone. Arguing is the silliest thing we can do right now!¡±


    No matter what they thought of the situation, that scolding did indeed touch upon the crux of the situation; thus they unanimously decided to return to the village.


    Leaving behind all non-essentials, we made our way back to the village as quickly as possible. All those traps¡­sigh.


    Thankfully, the spot we chose to set up camp at wasn¡¯t too far from Plateau Village, so by the time we returned to the village the bandits had not arrived as yet; they were probably delayed by the sickly and elderly they had to move. Seeing that, the hunters who wanted to split off stirred once more, and soon the four three-stars were engaged in another verbal fight in the old village chief¡¯s home.


    ¡°The ones who were captured weren¡¯t your villagers, of course you¡¯re calm!¡±


    While Eddison¡¯s words weren¡¯t all that helpful, George couldn¡¯t refute it either as the fact was only Plateau Village was unharmed while the other three had been raided.


    ¡°Eddison, you¡¯ve gone too far with that remark,¡± said Moranthal, the calmest of the three at the moment. He knew extremely well what the true goal of capturing those villagers were: to stir up conflict and hopefully destroy their coalition without lifting a finger. While he was anxious as well, he knew that the best thing to do now was to remain calm.


    Unfortunately Eddison wasn¡¯t the only one who had lost his cool, Io was ready as well with some choice words: ¡°Of course you aren¡¯t worried, you don¡¯t have a family to care about, my wife and son are still in the hands of the Wolf¡¯s Fang¡­oh right, wasn¡¯t your fiancee kidnapped by Dawson, haha, I guess you¡¯re already used to such matters.¡±


    ¡°¡­you b*****d!¡± Yelled Moranthal with fists raised. However, all that earned him was a scornful spit by Io and another insult: ¡°Oh, the cuckold is angry?¡±


    Seeing that the two parties were about to fight, George immediately stepped forward to stop them. ¡°Everyone calm down, now¡¯s not the time to fight amongst ourselves.¡±


    At that, Eddison who wasn¡¯t too willing to join us in the first place, lost his temper and snapped: ¡°Easy for you to say, the ones who got captured weren¡¯t from your village.¡± Like a raging fat bull, he shouted with eyes fuming: ¡°What dog sh*t opportunity, I just knew that I shouldn¡¯t have joined!¡±


    To be honest, even if you didn¡¯t join us the outcome would¡¯ve just been the same; seeing as you would be the last village standing once we lost. The Wolf¡¯s Fang were afraid of all four of the villages uniting, not just one or two villages.


    The old village chief stepped forward to try and mediate this dispute, yet was completely ignored by both Eddison and Io; which left him in an awkward position. Thankfully, both of them still had the state of mind to not insult the old man.


    Had this continued for any longer, the two men would¡¯ve probably lost their cool and started fighting. Lucky for us, the bandits showed up before that could happen. Congregating slowly in front of the village was a contingent of bandits with a stream of villagers they captured in tow. This black mass of people was at least 3,000 strong.


    The over 2,000 villagers were kept under heavy watch by several hundred bandits with over a hundred trained wolves backing them up. Their fierce growling, glistening fangs and predatory green eyes were more than enough to scare the children into tears. The remaining young men in the village had been bound up while the other women, children and elderly were forced into one spot.


    The one silver lining in this whole situation was that due to the lack of time, the bandits weren¡¯t able to violate the women. Still, there were some women who were visibly underdressed and shaken. There were a number of young women who were dressed in nothing but rags and had to walk around with their hands wrapped around their breasts. Evidently, they had been targeted by the bandits.

 Chapter 123: Treachery

    Standing at the front of the bandit horde were two towering men; who by the looks of it were probably the two bandit chiefs, Dawson and Dohby. They were both mounted, with one riding a black horse and the other a chestnut brown horse. Beside them were over ten other mounted subordinates who were probably their personal guard.


    Horses were luxury goods in this medieval world, with a normal carriage horse already costing several dozen gold coins. For horses trained for combat like theirs, each would probably set you back at least a thousand gold coins.


    Having rushed here right after receiving the urgent message from the fleeing villagers, George immediately recognized the rider of the black horse. With a force that could shatter the teeth he was grinding, he yelled hatefully, ¡°DAWSON!¡±


    Riding silently atop that black horse was a handsome faced man with a head of medium length white hair; I could already imagine how that cool image of his managed to attract women. He was clad in a form fitting suit of leather armor, which showed off his toned but not overly muscular body. Slanted behind him was a giant greatsword that towered over his entire body.


    Riding next to him was a bandit that, judging by his uncanny similarity to Doran, was probably the other bandit chief, Dohby. While he wasn¡¯t exactly ugly, he had that typical bad guy look and wielded a similarly large greatsword.


    George led his furious pack of hunters out of the village and had them take up positions a hundred meters away from the bandits. Having recognized their trembling loved ones amongst those being held at blade point, the enraged hunters nearly rushed forward in a bid to save them. Luckily, they were held back in the nick of time by their more rational companions along with George and Moranthal¡¯s command to hold their ground.


    Thankfully, Eddison and Io weren¡¯t rash enough to charge at them either or the consequences would¡¯ve been dire.


    ¡°Dawson! You despicable bast*rd!¡± Having calmed his own men down, George was the first to step forth and rail at the bandit chief. ¡°Hurry up and let go of those villagers, they¡¯re innocent! This grudge is between us only, don¡¯t bring in these innocent people.¡±


    The head bandit chief sat atop his black horse and coldly glanced at George, but said nothing in the end. Instead, it was his second-in-command that spoke up having lost all patience with the man who killed his brother. Pointing his horse whip at George, he yelled: ¡°So you¡¯re the one who killed my younger brother, this chief is here today to exact revenge for him!¡±


    ¡°Every debt has a debtor, I hope you¡¯ll find it in your heart to release those who are innocent,¡± said Eddison with a pleading look. Amongst those captured, he spotted his female servant who thankfully was still unharmed but had a blade to her neck.


    ¡°Haha, isn¡¯t that Eddison? Do you still remember that beating I gave you then? You¡¯ve recovered so fast? I guess you should thank me for being so merciful!¡± Dohby had a scornful grin on his face as he taunted the fat man. With a casual wave of his hand, he commanded his men to bring the female servant to him.


    Bending down, he pinched the girl¡¯s chin and tried to force her to look up at him so that he could admire her beautiful face. As they were in a hurry earlier, he barely had any time to spare; now that he did, he was going to admire his prize.However, who would¡¯ve thought that the girl was such a fiery one; as he laid his dirty hand on her, she immediately turned her head away and tried to evade it.


    Clearly, the lecherous bandit didn¡¯t expect that as well. Having missed the first time, he forcefully grabbed her jaw and forced her to look up, not showing anymore softness in his actions as a show of his displeasure. The moment he saw her unyielding look, he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle: ¡°Haha, a virgin. Good! I like them fiery like that! Lads bring her away, once we¡¯re done killing them off I¡¯ll be sure to head back right away and make her bend to me in the great hall!¡±


    Random minion: ¡°Second Chief, that¡¯s not good, we still have eyes to watch you know.¡±


    Random minion:¡°Hah, don¡¯t you get it, Second Chief means to share her with us. Just look at those curves and that white skin¡­¡±


    Random minion:¡°Stop drooling you trash. Don¡¯t get off just by looking at her.¡±


    Random minion:¡°You¡¯re the trash, just watch! I¡¯ll show you my indomitable golden pole right after the Second Chief is done with her!¡±


    Dohby gave a boisterous laugh and said: ¡°Hahahaha, very good. Once we¡¯re back, you guys can have your way with her once I¡¯m done! Now hurry up and bring her away, make sure not to injure her once the fighting starts or we¡¯ll have nothing to play with, hahaha¡­¡±


    Eddison and his hunters were even more incensed by his declaration, but because of the hostages, there was nothing they could do about it.


    ¡°Marie!¡± He cried, calling out the servant¡¯s name as he helplessly watch her back disappear into the crowd. The girl bravely turned around and gave him a reassuring smile before disappearing for good.


    I don¡¯t know what she meant by that smile; did she mean for him not to harp on this matter, or did she mean to say that she didn¡¯t regret being implicated in this? Either way, I could clearly sense that she wanted him to be well.


    Eddison¡¯s eyes grew red as they almost burst out of their sockets, he immediately reached for his sword but was held back by an equally enraged George. With one hand holding back the fatty, he pointed a finger at the servant and yelled at Dawson with unblinking eyes, ¡°I always thought that you at least had some morals in you!¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have killed Doran.¡± In the face of George¡¯s accusation, he blandly stated the purpose of this attack. ¡°The moment you killed Doran, you should¡¯ve been aware of the consequences.¡±


    ¡°But I never thought that you would stoop so low as to use the innocent to threaten us!¡±


    ¡°Innocent?¡± Dohby laughed as he said that. He swept his right hand over the villagers, after which he swayed back and forth in an insane manner and rebutted: ¡°What do you mean innocent? Don¡¯t tell me these villagers aren¡¯t the kinsman of those bow and blade wielding hunters behind you.¡±


    ¡°You!¡±


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    As the majority of our fighting force came from the three villages, that move by him was nothing short of ingenious. Using those hostages, he could easily nullify this threat by forcing them not to attack. This was exactly what I was worried about.


    I had not been here long so I still wasn¡¯t familiar with the routes to the other three villages. However, being the local criminal gang, the bandits were definitely aware of these routes, and probably had their own spies among the villagers. In all likelihood, our movements were already made known to them.


    ¡°Gill! You brat, get out here!¡± Instead of arguing with the man further, George inexplicably called out an unfamiliar name, after which an extremely familiar person stepped forth¡­that¡¯s the¡­that¡¯s the small fry who kept taunting George on the day Doran died!?


    ¡°Big Brother George¡­¡± said the small fry with a guilty look on his face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me big brother, you aren¡¯t worthy! Good, very good, is this how you repay me?¡± George yelled from the bottom of his now broken heart.


    ¡°Big Brother¡­I¡­¡± he stammered as he tried to find an explanation but couldn¡¯t in the end. Dohby casually rode up to the kid and patted him on the shoulder, ¡°Don¡¯t blame the kid, I spent a large sum of money to recruit him.¡±


    So that¡¯s why¡­it wasn¡¯t that George believed in Dawson¡¯s moral standards, but rather he already had a mole in the Wolf¡¯s Fang from the beginning. Unfortunately for him, that mole wasn¡¯t a dependable one and sold him out at the critical moment. Man¡­the memory of those two quarreling is still fresh in my mind too.


    Back then I thought those two had a grudge of some sort¡­to think a mere fight between a medium sized bandit troupe and a village actually turned into such a treacherous game¡­how deep does this rabbit hole go?!


    This bit of treachery instantly raised the stakes in this otherwise run of the mill confrontation. I had to admit, I underestimated these otherworldly hicks¡­they weren¡¯t as brainless as I thought. Just the opposite, they were just as conniving as anyone you¡¯d meet on Earth. If you transmigrated over with a high and mighty attitude, you¡¯d definitely get destroyed in seconds by their cunning.


    ¡°They promised me¡­as long as I gave you false information, they would let go of Little Red¡­¡± said the bandit with an anguished smile that stabbed right into George¡¯s heart.


    Later on, I found out that Little Red was Gill¡¯s girlfriend; whose actual name was Scarlet. She was a lovely lass that had the misfortune of being kidnapped by the Wolf¡¯s Fang and ended up on rifle cleaning duty. As long as a bandit wished for it, he could fire as many shots as he wanted into her. She wasn¡¯t the only poor soul either, as of right now, there were several dozen other girls just like her who were still alive.


    Most of them were kidnapped by the bandits while a small number of them were prostitutes who were cheated into coming to the hideout. However, there was no way these women would ever get paid for their services.


    It was precisely because of Scarlet that Gill ended up joining the Wolf¡¯s Fang as George¡¯s spy. Unfortunately, his love for his girlfriend superseded the hate he held for the Wolf¡¯s Fang. Each time he saw his lover lifelessly cleaning the rifles of the bandits, his heart would bleed from pain and guilt. He hated the bandits for their savagery, but he hated himself even more for his weakness¡­


    That unbearable pain accompanied him each night as he went to bed. It was as if a giant hand was squeezing down on his heart each night as he stared at the ceiling with wide open eyes¡­so one day, he capitulated. Even though his lover had long since given up on life; even though she now bore the child of some man that she didn¡¯t know; even though she had turned into a base creature that couldn¡¯t live without cleaning rifles¡­he still loved her.


    Why was it that everything I witnessed ever since returning to the Western Human Realms had been nothing but tragedy after tragedy? Were humans truly worse than devils? At least under my supervision, my potato men didn¡¯t do anything like force themselves on a female devil.


    Yet what did I see right when I was summoned back to the human realm? A mage who abused his powers to cheat over a dozen beautiful girls, turning them into his toys and even allowing his henchmen to have their perverse ways with them¡­these bandits weren¡¯t any better either.


    Not only did they commit a bunch of atrocities that even heaven wouldn¡¯t stand for, in a ordinary confrontation, they actually kidnapped their opponent¡¯s entire village and used them as hostages. Didn¡¯t they know that the sins of the parents do not make the child!


    There¡¯s a Confucius saying that goes ¡°One shall not be judged for the iniquity of another¡±.


    (TL: I¡¯m not even sure if he said that but this is a popular saying. Whether or not Confucius actually said it, I¡¯m not sure or at least I haven¡¯t been able to find the line itself. Also, I¡¯m not sure if there¡¯s an ¡°official¡± translation for this but this is the best I¡¯ve got)


    Apparently others found this to be reasonable as well, as every gang movie ever made featured this theme. However, was this really so in reality? No, just the opposite, those gangsters would use any means necessary to get what they wanted. Whether or not you were a brother or a friend didn¡¯t matter as long as you stood in their way. All that talk of loyalty and family was nothing but drivel the directors added into those movies.

 Chapter 124: A Broken Alliance

    One shall not be judged for the iniquity of another; sounded pretty good, but reality was never that merciful. After all, while movies were just works of fiction, they had to have certain limits as well. The good guys always win and the evildoers always lose.


    Another example would be the ghost films in China: if those films actually had ghosts in them, they would¡¯ve never passed the review board, as China is pushing for a more agnostic and scientific view in recent years. The government has basically adopted a ¡°no supernatural¡± stance regarding this matter.


    Thus horror movies in China do not actually possess any ¡°real ghosts¡± in them. Instead, any supernatural incidents within these films are all man-made constructs. Everything you see must be explainable by science and as a result of actions made by man, even if it meant zombies¡­


    And that¡¯s why people who say that evildoers have a baseline are idiots.


    Plus, I would like to add that a pitiful person always had a hateful side.


    Did you think that Gill was a pitiful person? His girlfriend was turned into a RBQ (Rifle Brushing Queen) while he himself ended up joining the bandits in order to exact revenge. Yet, this man ended betraying his principles in order to save his pitiful girlfriend, he betrayed the friends he trusted¡­


    Thus, our greatest weakness was laid bare before the bandits, and by the time we knew of this, they were already waiting for us to step into their laid out trap!


    Even though he was also a victim here, and I did not deny that he was one, it was precisely this that made him that much more despicable.


    So how should we overcome this rotten situation?


    Unfortunately, Eddison wasn¡¯t the only one who risked having his will broken, there was also Io. His entire family, his wife, his son and his father-in-law were amongst those who were captured. Previously, he became a drunkard as he couldn¡¯t deal with the guilt of being unable to avenge his father. Because of this, his wife left him with his son in tow for her parent¡¯s home.


    Her intention was to provoke some sort of reaction from him while she temporarily stayed over at her parents¡¯ home and awaited his arrival. After a round of persuasion, he finally came to his senses and intended to bring them back after he wiped out the bandits; however, it looked like he would no longer have that chance¡­


    With a wave of his hand, Dohby commanded his minions to fetch Io¡¯s family. ¡°So this is your wife, Io. Isn¡¯t she just a beaut¡¯, such a pity she chose a worthless man like you.¡±


    He forcefully cupped the chin of a thirty-odd years old lady from his horse and stared at her face. Without waiting for Io to respond to that, he released her and turned his attention onto Io¡¯s six year old son. He swiftly grabbed the back of his collar and lifted him up to his eye level. Ignoring the kid¡¯s struggling, he let forth a sinister laugh and said: ¡°And this must be your son, he¡¯s pretty lively isn¡¯t he? How about giving him to me?¡±


    The sudden weightlessness startled the young boy into tears, ¡°Wah wah¡­I want Daddy¡­Daddy save me¡­¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t willing? Well that¡¯s alright, once your trash father is dead your mother will belong to me. When that time comes, remember to call me Daddy.¡± He gave a conceited laugh and tossed the kid back onto the ground. Having been thrown back onto the floor so abruptly, he wasn¡¯t able to react in time and fell on his butt with a loud thud. He paused for a second before wailing in pain.


    ¡°Wah wah wah¡­I want Daddy¡­you¡¯re not Daddy¡­¡±


    Io¡¯s wife immediately rushed forth to try and comfort him with a hug, but she was stopped by a nearby minion.


    ¡°Bast*rd! Let go of my family!¡±


    ¡°Heh heh heh.¡± He chuckled arrogantly as he stared at the helpless Eddison and Io; after which he signalled for his minions to bring the hostages away.


    Seeing that it was about time, Dawson stepped forth to play the good cop in this farce: ¡°We¡¯re only here to destroy Plateau Village, as long as the hunters from the other three villages do not resist, I guarantee that your family members will be returned to you safe and sound after the battle.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Everyone, including Moranthal instantly fell silent at that offer. After all, it was one thing to die, but it was an entirely different matter when one¡¯s action would cause the death of one¡¯s family as well.


    There were probably those who doubted his words, but with the hostages in his hands right now, what else were they to do? If they resisted, their family would definitely be killed to set an example for the others.


    As if he had just been given a lifeline, his guilty feelings immediately got the better of him. ¡°Will you really let them off?¡± He asked in a pleading tone.


    ¡°Yes, as long as you all don¡¯t resist.¡± He swept his eyes over the agitated Eddison and a mulling Moranthal before smiling for the first time since he showed himself. ¡°Other than those of Plateau Village, the same offer stands for anyone else. I don¡¯t require you to do anything else but stand aside. After this matter is over, I¡¯ll return your family members to you safe and sound. I swear.¡±


    ¡°Boss¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Dohby tried to say something but was immediately cut off by a sharp rebuke from Dawson. He knew exactly what his second-in-command wanted to say, but he wouldn¡¯t allow him to say it here. He then turned towards the hunters, lifted his head slightly and coldly stared at them. ¡°Fight or not, make your choice.¡±


    Oaths weren¡¯t something you could make lightly in the Western Human Realms as there were actually divinities in this realm. While there was no guarantee that those high and mighty gods would pay attention to such trifling matters, there was also no guarantee that they would not. Could you bet your entire life on this ¡®what if¡¯? All it took was one misspoken oath and some god in charge of oaths might just smite you.


    Thus, when Dawson threw out that oath, the furious hunters immediately quietened down and began contemplating his offer.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­I¡¯m truly sorry¡­¡± Having made his decision, Io turned towards George and gave the man a solemn bow with his eyes closed, not even daring to look him in the eyes as he did so. ¡°I can¡¯t lose my family again¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmph, how can you even be sure that he will uphold his end of the bargain after this? He¡¯s a bandit, breaking their word is as natural as breathing for them.¡± Dioh looked at the man as if he was a traitor and continued in a sarcastic tone. ¡°For all you know, he might just turn on your family members once he¡¯s done with our village.¡±


    ¡°I¡­I have no other choice¡­truly¡­I apologize¡­¡± He apologized once more and returned the magical tools we lent out to him, which left himself with only his bow and short blade equipped. Using this gesture as a sign of his determination, he turned to Dawson and sheepishly said: ¡°I choose to back out, can you return my family to me now?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Dohby immediately objected to that; he seemed to have set his eyes on the man¡¯s wife and didn¡¯t wish for him to surrender. However, he was immediately silenced by Dawson once more with a glare, and smartly chose to keep his head down.


    Having reprimanded his henchman, he promptly reassured Io with his words. ¡°It¡¯s definitely not possible to release them now, I¡¯ll do it after the battle.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, once our boss says something he will turn it into reality for sure. Why would he lie to a wuss like you.¡± Having been scolded twice indirectly because of this hunter, he made sure to sneak in an insult as a way to vent his frustrations. ¡°If you hesitate any longer, I might just decide to have some fun with your wife right here and now.¡±


    ¡°You!¡± However, that was the extent of his anger as he meekly walked over to the location designated by Dawson.


    In order to contain the villagers who surrendered, Dawson specifically designated a zone for them. Right as Io stepped into it, a bunch of minions promptly stepped forth to accost him. He immediately tried to resist them; if they were to bind him now, there would be nothing to stop them from going back on their words later.


    ¡°Put down your weapons and I won¡¯t tie you up. Don¡¯t give me that look, I don¡¯t have the time to bother about you once the battle starts. If I don¡¯t confiscate your weapons, how would I know that you won¡¯t cause me trouble later on?¡± Don¡¯t worry, once I kill off George, I¡¯ll release your family members as promised.¡±


    As he finished saying that, he threw a look at the minions who then disarmed Io but didn¡¯t try to tie him up anymore. With one hunter settled, he turned his gaze back to the others: ¡°Anyone else who is willing to surrender, I guarantee that you¡¯ll be treated well and your family won¡¯t come to any harm. If there is anyone foolish enough to test me, I don¡¯t mind taking you on. I just hope that your female kin aren¡¯t in the hands of my henchmen.¡±


    Seeing the beaten figure of their leader leave, the hunters from Io¡¯s village began surrendering as well, seeing as their family members were in the hands of the bandits also. As long as they resisted, they would die. Eddison was the next three-star to surrender. As he did so, he gave the same apologetic bow to George and returned the equipment we loaned to him before he left with a tired look on his face.


    In just a short span of five minutes, the hunters we recruited from the other three villages had all left us¡­except for¡­wait, why was Moranthal still here?


    Noticing my strange look, he feigned a dashing smile and said: ¡°I have no more family left.¡±


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    Previously, there were some members of his village who tried to persuade him to leave, but he rejected them all. He even persuaded the hunters who tried to stay behind out of loyalty to leave. He told them not to implicate their family members in this decision.


    I had to say, Moranthal was a good man, it¡¯s just that he was too nice of a person; to the point where everyone just took it for granted. In fact, there were probably those who misunderstood him as just being stupid. How do I know that? Because I was just like him as well in the past¡­looking at him, I was reminded of my past self as well.


    With that, everyone except for Moranthal entered the designated zone. With their weapons gone, there was now no turning back from their decision.


    As for our side, there were only 114 people left if you excluded me, George, Moranthal, Dioh, Kevin, Ancarin and Regine. Of those 114, only 12 were two-stars. The only silver lining in this whole mess was that each and every hunter returned the enchanted gear that I loaned to them; which I then divvied out to the other two-stars, temporarily boosting their combat prowess.


    ¡°And now all that remains are you guys.¡± The bandit chief pointed at George from atop his black horse and said: ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m a really merciful person. How about this, other than George and his family members, I¡¯m willing to let you all live as long as you surrender. If you choose to be stubborn, the consequences are yours to bear!¡±


    The moment he said that, the remaining hunters immediately began to waver. Given the choice to live, who would choose to die after all?


    Noticing this change, George realized he couldn¡¯t drag this on any further and took the initiative to challenge the bandit chief. ¡°There¡¯s no need for all that trouble, as long as you defeat me, the village will naturally surrender to you! Come on then, let¡¯s finish that battle we started long ago!¡±


    In order to prevent their morale from dropping any further, he had no choice but to do this. Without waiting for Dawson to reply, he nocked his bow and fired an arrow at the man.


    With a casual wave of his left him, Dawson deflected the incoming arrow and jumped off his black horse while unstrapping the greatsword on his back. ¡°You actually dare to challenge me, let¡¯s see how much you¡¯ve grown in this period of time since we last fought.¡±

 Chapter 125: Interrogation of the Soul

    Without wasting anymore words, George and Dawson began their battle in a corner.


    Dawson¡¯s greatsword was at least two meters long, while in comparison, George¡¯s blade was laughably small. Right from the start, this difference in weapon size put him at a severe disadvantage. With their roughly similar strength, Dawson was able to suppress him, while George couldn¡¯t do a thing to break through Dawson¡¯s barrage of attacks.


    With their Fighter¡¯s Aura enhancing them, their clashes ended with Dawson coming out on top constantly. For every strike, he would merely get pushed back half a step; while George was pushed back over ten steps in total since the start of the fight.


    It was in such a disadvantageous situation nearing defeat that George reached for his waist, and with a flick of his wrist, fired off a throwing dagger at the man¡¯s head in a flash of silver light.


    However, this wasn¡¯t the first time they fought, Dawson knew of his tactics beforehand. He promptly twisted his head evading the dagger calmly; which caused it to miss him by a hair¡¯s breath.


    Without giving him any time to counterattack, George rushed in with a swift slash from the side that whipped through the air. Greatswords were not suited for close combat thus Dawson had no choice but to back away from this confrontation. George knew of this fact as well and immediately closed the gap between two, not letting him gain a single step on him.


    The fight seemed pretty even up until now, but that rumor still nagged at the back of my head. If Dawson truly was able to defeat a four-star, then it would be impossible for George to win this fight.


    However, whether or not Dawson was hiding his might was a matter for the future; as trouble came knocking on the door right as their fight started. The Second Chief, Dohby, wasn¡¯t in the mood to watch some duel between experts; so he turned towards me with a bored look in his eyes.


    ¡°I heard my little brother wanted to take off a lady¡¯s mask before dying, I wonder who that lady is?¡± Dohby threw me a mirthless smile while staring intently at me; clearly he had already determined that I was the lady in question.


    The only masked people here were me and Regine, but there was only one person with Shadowfang on his back and a sword by his waist. It was only to be expected that he managed to recognize me instantly. However, calling me a ¡°lady¡±¡­¡­was something I just couldn¡¯t accept. Before I could correct him, Dohby did something that stunned everyone present. He jumped off his horse and pointed his greatsword at a defenseless old villager.


    Turning towards me, he said: ¡°Take off that mask or I¡¯ll kill him.¡±


    The old man was at least 60 years old and had an almost emaciated look as he stood there with a bent back. Being rushed here by the bandits had almost cost him his life, yet before he could even catch his breath, he was immediately taken hostage by Dohby.


    Even so, he didn¡¯t show any sign of weakness; instead, he stared right back at the man. His gaze plainly said that even if he was old, he still knew how to resist silently. That man must have been a hunter when he was young.


    *Slash!*


    Before I could even react, Dohby sliced the old man in twain and callously flicked the warm blood off his greatsword and onto the faces of the nearby villagers¡­


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    The sudden death of that old man instantly stoked the flames of rebellion within the hostages; especially in people like Io and Eddison who immediately stirred at that cruel display. Unfortunately, they were immediately suppressed by the surrounding bandits. Without weapons, they weren¡¯t able to put up a proper fight before they were put in place by a single sentence of Dohby.


    ¡°Whoever dares to resist, I¡¯ll murder their entire family! Io, Eddison, the two of you had better behave yourself or your women will pay the price, right here right now!¡± With that, the smoldering embers were immediately put out. He threw them a taunting look before turning his attention back onto me:


    ¡°Have you made up your mind? If you choose to be obstinate, I¡¯ll continue killing more villagers. Every ten seconds I¡¯ll kill one more till you take off that mask or until we run out of hostages.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    You actually tried to use some strangers to threaten me? Do you think I¡¯ll give in just because of that¡­..


    ¡­¡­.yes, yes I will¡­


    The moment Dohby killed an old woman who screamed ¡°Old Coot¡± with her dying breath and turned his demonic hands onto a crying boy, I finally relented.


    ¡°Master!¡±


    Ancarin shouted at me out of concern the moment she noticed me reach for my mask. Taking it off was the last thing she wanted, as my identity was one that must never be revealed.


    Regine was a lot more direct in her persuasion as she promptly grabbed my hands and stopped me from taking it off.


    Thus, the boy died the very next second¡­


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± wailed an elderly villager. He had originally been set aside by the bandits, but the death of that little boy was simply too much of a shock for him. He desperately tried to save the little boy, but unfortunately for him, this action was seen as resistance by the bandits. With a kick and a punch, a nearby bandit swiftly knocked him down and began to beat him into submission.


    With tears of blood in his eyes, the old man miserably crawled towards the severed halves of the little boy and tried to piece them together. Yet just as his wizened hands were about to touch the boy, a boot descended from the heavens and cruelly destroyed his futile efforts. With both of his hands and legs pinned down, all the old man could do was cry in pain.


    However, his pitiful cries fell on deaf ears as the bandits continued to beat him while laughing uproariously. These bandits knew no pity, only cruelty.


    I didn¡¯t know what his relation to that boy was, but one thing I knew for certain was that he wasn¡¯t going to take it like that. As he laid sprawled on the floor, he ignored the savage beatings of the bandits and fixed his bloodied eyes towards me, hatred clearly reflected within.


    ¡°Why won¡¯t you take off your mask!? All you had to do was take it off and my grandson wouldn¡¯t have died! My son and his wife are all dead, all I had left was my grandson¡­why wouldn¡¯t you save him¡­you cold blooded monster, you aren¡¯t fit to be human!¡±


    Cold blooded monster¡­not fit to be human¡­haha¡­but the bandits were the ones who killed them¡­not me¡­why am I the one getting scolded in the end.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­come to think of it, it¡¯s precisely because she showed up that you all ended up in this mess. If it wasn¡¯t for her, my little brother wouldn¡¯t have died and our bandit troupe wouldn¡¯t have bothered to be so rough with you guys. So in the end, everything started because of her.¡± He declared with a finger pointed at me.


    Taking a couple of steps to the side, he walked up to the old man who hated me and stomped on the man¡¯s back with his left foot. With his greatsword hanging just centimeters above his head, he counted: ¡°There¡¯s still 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0!¡±


    Then another head rolled onto the ground. Even in death, the old man never once looked at the bandit; instead, he stared right at me, his eyes full of hatred, hatred of me that even blood could not wash away¡­


    Exactly what did I do wrong¡­


    Four hostages had died as of now. The villagers¡¯ already frayed nerves threatened to explode at this very instant as some of them began cursing at the bandits¡¯ cruelty while some of them merely kept silent. There was even a portion of them who began throwing me strange looks. Within their eyes was distrust and coldness. To them, the real reason why the hostages died was that I refused to take off the mask, in spite of the fact that real murderer was Dolby.


    Without any weapons to speak of, the unarmed hostages could only swear at me; while the hunters of Plateau Village were a lot more direct in their response, with their bows aimed right at me.


    ¡°No! I¡¯m sure Lady Mo Ke has her own reasons!¡± At this very moment, the last thing I expected was that Dioh would step out and defend me; yet he did just that. Standing before me with outstretched hands, he stared down the pointed tips of his companions¡¯ arrows and their equally as sharp stares.


    Unfazed by that, he yelled: ¡°It¡¯s not like Lady Mo Ke is the one who killed them. If you all are so great, why don¡¯t you go after the real killers instead. What kind of men are you that bullies a girl like that?!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    At that, the majority of the hunters came to their senses and finally lowered their bows; except for three hunters amongst which was a hunter who was roughly the same age as Dioh. ¡°No matter what, the hostages died because she refused to do so. It¡¯s just her face, what¡¯s so hard about taking off a mask? Don¡¯t tell me her mask is more important than the lives of the hostages?¡± Rebutted the teen.


    ¡°That¡­¡± Dioh was left speechless by that rebuttal. To him, the lives of the hostages were obviously more important than my mask. After all, once you¡¯re dead, you¡¯re dead forever; not like someone could kill you just by looking at your face. There¡¯s no such absurd method of killing people in this world.


    Furthermore¡­I was merely a stranger who wandered into their village and brought them misfortune. In comparison, those who died might have been their kin. Weighing the two, it was obvious which was more important.


    If it was possible, I bet they would have preferred that I was the one who died.


    As the two argued, another hostage died. It was a fat uncle around 40 years of age. Apparently, he was a bachelor who, because of his laziness and gluttony, led a poor lonely life after his parents died early.


    That was the fifth person¡­Dohby really meant what he said. His plan was obvious. He wanted to slowly but surely turn the villagers against me. To them, this was merely a matter of my appearance and not some matter of life or death. Neither was it something that insulted my modesty; so was it truly worth all those deaths?


    Yet to me, this was in actuality a matter of life or death. In their eyes I might be a cold, heartless monster, but in Regine and Ancarin¡¯s eyes, I was merely defending myself.


    Was it truly alright to sacrifice your life to save a stranger¡¯s? Back when I ended up getting ran over by a truck while saving that loli and that pretty boy, I would¡¯ve answered yes without a doubt. Because back then, my life basically had no meaning.


    Rather than continuing to rot like that, it made more sense to save a couple of lives who still had limitless possibilities in their future. At the very least, it showed that I wasn¡¯t rotten to the core. With my dying breath, I was able to contribute to society and die as a brave, heroic person. Back then, with no other goal in life, there was basically nothing left for me to live for.


    As for that fight to the death with the goblins and ultimately saving Yi Yi, that was a worthy death without a doubt. There¡¯s no way I could¡¯ve lied to my true feelings and let a loli become tainted by a bunch of stinking goblins. In order to protect her chastity and to prove that my life wasn¡¯t unnecessary, that it wasn¡¯t useless, I was more than willing to exchange it for her safety even though I didn¡¯t know her then.


    Ironically, all this happened because I found out that Nicole loved Sares. Realizing that I had no right to snatch her back, the powerless me ran away from home and ended up dying again to save someone else.


    As for now? Should I sacrifice myself again? To save a bunch of strangers? Devils had a notorious reputation in the Western Human Realms, and it was also my presence that caused them to suffer such a tragedy in the first place¡­if my identity was revealed, how would they treat me? Like a jinx? That¡¯s probably the best scenario.


    To take it off or not to take it off? I don¡¯t know¡­why must such a decision be forced on me! Why must I endure such pain? I didn¡¯t even do anything wrong¡­all I wanted to be was a good person who performed good deeds¡­so why did all the blame get pinned on me! Why why why why why why¡­why¡­


    All I wanted to become was a happy person who had the power to protect his own loved ones. That¡¯s all I ever wanted, to be needed, to be treasured and to be recognized. I never wanted to do anything wrong or kill anyone. Everyday, I did my best to contribute to society so that I could make this world a better place.


    That¡¯s why I saved those kids who were about to get run over; that¡¯s why I saved that loli Yi Yi who would rather kill herself than be tainted by those goblins; that¡¯s why I promised the old chief that I would stay behind¡­after taking care of this grudge I would simply leave without implicating the village any further¡­


    Yet time after time, good deed after good deed, what did it all get me? Two deaths and a possibly humiliating death?


    Haha, this world was sure kind to me.


    ¡°Master¡­don¡¯t¡­master¡­¡±


    ¡°No¡­no¡­¡±


    The two girls tried to stop me, but no matter what, I must not remain silent anymore; because in that moment of hesitation, a one year old baby and his mother were just killed before my very eyes.


    ¡°Oops, I accidentally killed an extra one.¡± After ripping apart her clothes, he gave the breasts on her headless corpse a couple of squeezes before he picked up her dripping head and kissed her still warm lips. Having done that, he casually tossed aside the head before pointing his greatsword at the next target while smiling at me: ¡°5, 4, 3, 2¡­¡­¡±

 Chapter 126: The Difference between a Devil and a Devil

    Ignoring the girls¡¯ opposition, I reached for my silver mask and took it off, dropping it to the ground with a dramatic clang.


    With his goal accomplished, Dohby no longer had any interest in killing the hostages but instead turned his attention onto my obscured face. ¡°Raise your head and take off that hood!¡± He yelled impatiently.


    Now that we reached this point, there wasn¡¯t much point in hesitating any longer thus I obediently did as he said. As the golden rays of the afternoon sun shone onto my exposed face, I couldn¡¯t help but close my eyes from the glaring light.


    ¡°Red skin and a horn on her head?¡±


    ¡°De¡­devil!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s actually a devil¡­¡±


    ¡°How could it be¡­how could she be a devil!?¡±


    Having been exposed, the person who reacted the most wasn¡¯t Ancarin or Regine but rather Dioh. Even after seeing my face, he couldn¡¯t seem to accept the fact that I was a devil. The kid seemed to have gone mad with grief as he continuously tugged at his hair, turning it into a tangled mess while he wept hysterically.


    ¡°Impossible, there¡¯s no way Lady Mo Ke is a devil¡­it has to be a lie, it has to be¡­Lady Mo Ke, tell me, tell me you¡¯re not a devil, say it!¡±


    How should I face this kid who trusted me so much¡­it¡¯s not like my identity was something I could decide. The notion that devils were inherently evil wasn¡¯t something that could be changed overnight after all. Plus, you seemed to have gotten something wrong kid; it¡¯s not Lady Mo Ke, it¡¯s Mister Mo Ke. Please do not call me Lady. Damn it, now¡¯s not the time to be thinking about this.


    ¡°*spit* So it¡¯s a beautiful Lady Devil, no wonder she travels around with a mask on.¡± He said excitedly as he pointed a finger at me while lightly tapping on the other villagers with his other hand.


    ¡°I was wondering why your village seemed to be so unlucky recently, it turns out you had a devil hiding inside your village. No wonder I kept getting this urge to kill people today, haha, so it¡¯s because of you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± I, had nothing to say to that, such was the fate of a devil in the Western Human Realms; your mere existence would be blamed for any calamity and be used as an excuse for any evildoer. If I tried to explain myself¡­all I would get was a ¡°the words of a devil can¡¯t be trusted¡±. Thus the moment my identity was exposed, I was destined to be the center of a maelstrom.


    ¡°Die you devil!¡±


    Only allowed on Creativenovels.com


    ¡°Kill that devil! She¡¯s the cause of all our misfortune!¡±


    No matter how evil those bandits were, they were, in the end, humans. As for me, I was only a devil, a devil that everyone wanted dead.


    The villagers began clamoring for my death as they turned their hate-filled eyes towards me. Had it not been for Dioh being so close to me, the hunters would¡¯ve probably fired their arrows at me already.


    At a corner of the battlefield, the two three-stars were still in the midst of their fighting when the clamoring began. The clamoring grew ever louder to the point where even George and Dawson were startled by the reaction and ended up calling a temporary ceasefire as they turned around to face me, a broken horn devil.


    George¡¯s face underwent a gamut of changes as he took in the revelation; how he felt about this wasn¡¯t clear at a glance. As for Dawson, he was just as silent as George; however, he had a nonchalance to him as if this matter didn¡¯t concern him.


    In the minds of the villagers, I was the source of this calamity since I was the one who killed those tamed wolves and gave those bandits an excuse to raid the village. In a sense, they were right about that, but if Plateau Village was truly as peaceful as they thought then why would they even have a bandit troupe nearby? I¡¯m not the source of the calamity, I was merely the catalyst that accelerated it.


    However, humans didn¡¯t care about such nuances, all they needed was an excuse, an excuse that will explain ¡°why is it always me that is so unlucky¡±. My appearance just so happened to fulfill this role; especially given the fact that Dohby had been trying his best to slander me since he arrived.


    With his murderous greatsword and a few choice words, he had already begun pushing me to the opposite side of the villagers. The moment my identity was revealed, his plan experienced an unprecedented level of success.


    Right now, there was nowhere for me to run, all that awaited me was certain death. No wait, I could still kill off Duran. Without him as my medium, I would be sent back to the Prison of the Dead. But if I were to leave now, what would happen to Ancarin and Regine? Should I just leave them here? The angry villagers might¡­no, no way!


    ¡°Regine, get to the carriage now, the moment Master is in danger, you must destroy that thing.¡± Ancarin gave out that instruction with an undisguised anxiety in her voice. Due to all the witnesses nearby, she didn¡¯t dare to say ¡°kill him¡± but instead referred to him as an object.


    I immediately grabbed ahold of their hands and tightened my grip on them. Shaking my head, I said: ¡°Don¡¯t do anything silly.¡±


    If I were to get sent back like that, there would be no outlet for their fury, and these two pitiful girls would most likely end up as sacrificial lambs; frenzied beasts weren¡¯t known to listen to words after all. If it¡¯s possible, I would claim that these two were bewitched by me to become my followers. While some people might still detest them, at least this would garner some sympathy from them and guarantee their survival.


    They had suffered so much already¡­no matter what, I must protect them from any further harm.


    Sensing my intention, they no longer tried to leave and instead hid behind me without saying a word. It was then that a hunter finally couldn¡¯t rein in his anger and fired an arrow at me while yelling: ¡°Devil, let go of those girls!¡±


    That¡¯s right, my action just now was misunderstood as being evil. To them, it seemed like these two wanted to escape but were forcefully restrained by me after I realized their intention. A mere change in identity caused them to view my actions through rose tinted glasses. No matter what I did, it would be branded as sinister, as evil, as something that shouldn¡¯t be allowed to exist.


    Just as well, this saved me the trouble of having to explain to the villagers. As long as they were seen as innocent, that¡¯s enough for me.


    I drew my enchanted blade and sliced the incoming arrow apart, after which came a volley of arrows that forced me to use the Grimoire of the Dead as a shield.


    ¡°Stop! All of you!¡± Just as I prepared to block another volley, the man who everyone had nearly forgotten about, Moranthal, stepped forth and yelled with a never seen before ferocity. It was as if his body was lit with a raging flame that threatened to engulf the hunters who he turned his fiery eyes towards.


    He walked towards me step by step, and after getting a stable footing, yelled once more: ¡°You bunch of ungrateful bast*rds! Our real enemies are the bandits, and yet you guys are busy stirring up internal conflict amongst ourselves, do you not have any brains!¡±


    ¡°Moranthal, you¡¯re the brainless one, that lady devil is the one who brought calamity on our village.¡±


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for her, we wouldn¡¯t be surrounded like this and those innocent villagers wouldn¡¯t have died!¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha, I¡¯m brainless? Yes, I¡¯m brainless but at least I have a pair of functioning eyes!¡± Pointing at his eyes, he yelled in an even louder voice: ¡°All I saw was Dohby killing villager after villager while you all blame Lady Mo Ke who had been standing there all this while without even moving a finger. Now, you actually claim that she¡¯s the murderer? Hehe hahahaha¡­laughable!¡±


    Refusing to give up, a villager stepped forth to give his own interpretation of the situation ¡°Dohby just said he couldn¡¯t control himself, that must be the work of that devil¡¯s curse!¡±


    ¡°Curse? Which eye of yours saw her curse him?¡±


    ¡°It might be a wordless and soundless curse so we can¡¯t even detect it.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, since Lady Mo Ke is able to curse people so stealthily, why didn¡¯t she curse you all then? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re unaware of that fact that a curse¡¯s accuracy is affected by the strength disparity of the two parties.¡±


    ¡°Lady Mo Ke is merely a two-star. Instead of cursing a bunch of one and two-stars like you all, you¡¯re telling me she instead decided to take a huge risk and curse a target an entire tier higher than her? Do you think everyone has a pig brain like you?! Go on, prove me wrong. Don¡¯t forget that you¡¯re all closer to her than Dohby.¡±


    The opposing villager shut his mouth at that. Clearly, cursing a bunch of lower stars was more efficient than cursing a higher one since there was a greater chance of success and it cost less mana to do so as well.


    The mana cost of a curse was directly related to the strength disparity, distance and strength of the curse itself. Not only that, but a number of curses required a medium of some sort on top of a number of stringent requirements in order to succeed.


    ¡°In other words, if Lady Mo Ko wanted to harm you all, she wouldn¡¯t even need the Wolf¡¯s Fang to do so. In the period she was staying with us, she could¡¯ve done a lot of harm already. Besides, if she truly cursed Dohby, he wouldn¡¯t be so adamant about removing her mask since doing so was the worst possible outcome for her!¡±


    Moranthal flashed them a scornful smile as he pointed at one of the hunters who had his bow raised: ¡°If Lady Mo Ke was truly your enemy, none of you would¡¯ve even been able to fire an arrow at her because you would all be dead by now! Dead, you hear me!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± The hunters began to lower their bows along with their heads as they stood there mutely.


    Yet the world simply wasn¡¯t one where a person could act unimpeded just because he had logic backing him up. There were some people you simply couldn¡¯t communicate with because they only recognized an unchanging set of beliefs.


    An old man suddenly stepped forth with a golden leather book in hand called the <>.


    Raising it above his head, he strode towards Moranthal. ¡°Moranthal, don¡¯t be deceived by the devil, devils can¡¯t be trusted. Come, hold onto this Bible of the Light and recite with me ¨C [The Goddess¡¯ light illuminates the world, her benevolence reaches beyond the heavens and is vaster than the plains. We are the beloved children of the Goddess. We are borne of her blessing and grow under her gaze¡­].¡±


    Reciting the verse, the old man slowly made his way towards Moranthal with a gentle look in his eyes as if he was looking at a lost sheep.


    Moranthal shoved the book aside and ignored the old man yet the elder didn¡¯t mind this one bit and continued to look at him with a benevolent look in his eyes. However when he turned those same eyes towards me, I could see a myriad of thoughts within them, and not one of them had anything to do with gentleness.


    ¡°Devil begone! Go to the hells where you belong. Goddess please bless me with the might of the heavenly kingdom so that I may steel myself against the threats of the devil! Please, oh merciful Goddess, deliver this lost child before me. His soul has been corrupted by the devil, please bathe him in your warm, sacred light and cleanse his soul¡­¡±


    The old man continued with his chanting as if there was no one else there while Moranthal¡¯s face got progressively darker by the second in the face of his foolishness. Because of the old man¡¯s antics, the villagers began to sway against me once more.


    ¡°Stop causing trouble! Your Goddess isn¡¯t coming to save us at all! Because the people threatening our lives isn¡¯t the devil! It¡¯s¡­¡± Moranthal swept his finger over Dohby and the other armed bandits and yelled in a voice that was beyond agitated:


    ¡°IT¡¯S THEM! IT¡¯S THESE BANDITS! Do you think that these bandits will magically disappear once Lady Mo Ke is gone? No, you¡¯re all wrong! Before Lady Mo Ke showed up, these bandits had already existed!¡±


    ¡°Who was the one who prevented us from trading with the outside world? Who was the one who bought our goods with copper coins even though they were all worth at least silvers? Who was the one who stopped us from seeking outside aid? Who was the one who stole our goods? Who was the one who bullied our sisters and murdered our brothers? Was it Lady Mo Ke? Touch your hearts for a second and ask yourselves, who was it?! It¡¯s them! Everything is because of them!¡±

 Chapter 127: Massacre

    ¡°In order to help us exterminate these bandits, Lady Mo Ke made an arduous trip around the other villages asking for aid. After killing those tamed wolves, she originally could¡¯ve just distanced herself from this matter, yet she chose to stay behind in this village in the end. Why? Because she¡¯s a kind person.¡±


    ¡°It might be ironic to call a devil a kind person but you, you and you, just take a look at what you¡¯re holding in your hands right now. What is in your bags right now? Magical tools, potions all of which are top-grade goods that can fetch a combined sum of over ten thousand gold!¡±


    ¡°And where did all these items come from? Did they come from you all? No, it was all Lady Mo Ke¡¯s. She was worried that you all would get injured, she was worried that you all would get defeated, that¡¯s why she chose to selflessly loan out these treasures. Yet what did she get in return?¡±


    ¡°You all are nothing but an ungrateful bunch of trash that fell for the bandits¡¯ simple lies. To think that you would actually point your arrows at someone who sincerely wished to help you. Do you mean to say that even after all she has done for you all, she still isn¡¯t as trustworthy as a bunch of low life bandits? You guys aren¡¯t blind, you¡¯ve closed off your hearts!¡±


    That rant of a yell ended up suppressing the old man¡¯s prayers completely, who even now was still in the midst of praying even though no one gave him a single look anymore.


    While it was an effective outburst, it was also an unexpected one. Ever since we met, the impression Moranthal gave me was that he was soft. So soft that he even chose not to take revenge after his fiance left him for another man¡­.. though he did say that his fiancee did so willingly and wasn¡¯t forced¡­alright, I guess I shouldn¡¯t stick my nose into another person¡¯s love affairs. However, it¡¯s precisely this matter that cemented his soft image in my mind.


    Yet nothing in this world was absolute. A short while after I pinned the image of a wuss onto him, he suddenly stood up and showed me a entirely new side to him.


    He actually stood up for me, a devil, in front of all these people¡­that took a lot of courage. Perhaps he used up his entire life¡¯s worth of courage to do that but the fact remained that he did. Without any regard for himself, he took on the risk of being labelled as a devil¡¯s accomplice and defended me.


    After that performance, my impression of him couldn¡¯t be any better. This fellow was definitely someone you could entrust your entire life to. However, I¡¯m a guy so this rating was kind of pointless to begin with¡­


    Not only did his stirring performance win me over, it successfully turned the tables on the bandits. The hunters were completely invigorated by his speech leaving only that babbling old man who was still busy praying to his Goddess to send down her heavenly wrath and smite me.


    The fact that matters would take such a turn was completely unexpected even by Dohby. He had actually turned everyone against me but was foiled right at the crucial moment, and now he was nothing but a tool to prove my innocence.


    Naturally, he wasn¡¯t one to take this loss lying down. Tossing aside the hostage in his hands, he dragged his greatsword towards me: ¡°I see his mouth has been pretty well trained. Seems like he has fallen under your skirt. Not a bad showing, he¡¯s rather protective of his master.¡±


    ¡°Cut the slander!¡± Moranthal immediately stepped in to deny those allegations. ¡°I don¡¯t have any relation to Lady Mo Ke. It¡¯s true, I admit that I have feelings for her and want to pursue a romance with her, but what I just said came from the bottom of my heart. Lady Mo Ke has never hurt an innocent person unlike you, a human being, I bet you don¡¯t even remember how many people you¡¯ve killed so far!¡±


    ¡°Hmph, such a pointless argument.¡±


    Having lost the war of words, Dohby gave up on his initial plan and simply attacked the man. With sudden sweep of his greatsword, he forced Moranthal back a few steps.


    Compared to Dohby¡¯s greatsword, Moranthal¡¯s short blade was clearly lacking not only in quality but in weight as well, so he had no choice but to retreat while simultaneously looking for a chance to approach the bandit.


    At another corner of the battlefield, George was currently in the midst of a tenuous ceasefire with Dawson. ¡°You believe in that devil?¡± Asked Dawson as he threw the hunter a look.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if she is trustworthy or not but¡­at the very least she hasn¡¯t hurt anyone yet and is even contributing as hard as she can to help us fight you.¡± He gave a shake of his head as he said that. With a mix of doubt and determination in his eyes, he continued: ¡°However¡­until I see her hurt someone, I choose to believe her.¡±


    ¡°Compared to a devil, you find me more repulsive?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that just a fact?¡±


    ¡°Haha, such an interesting rating.¡± After raising his sword, Dawson charged in. ¡°Come then, let the battle commence once more!¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡± George began his attack as well with a cold snort.


    Back on our side, Moranthal had been forced on the defensive since the beginning. His combat strength was roughly the same as Dohby¡¯s, but thanks to the bandit¡¯s larger weapon and the fact that it also had a low-grade strength enchantment placed on it, Moranthal didn¡¯t dare to take his attacks head on despite that enchantment being run of the mill. All he could was constantly retreat backwards.


    Seeing that his defeat was only a matter of time, I promptly began channelling a fireball to aid him. With the enchanted blade in my hand, my fire magic actually gained a boost in casting speed; a fireball which usually required 10 seconds now only required 5 seconds.


    Seizing that window of opportunity created when Dohby forced Moranthal back with his attack, I threw a glance at the retreating hunter before swiftly tossing out my fireball. As the crackling ball of flames burned through the air, the astute hunter had already taken a couple of extra steps backwards having received my warning beforehand. At a safe distance of 5 meters, there was basically no chance of him getting hit.


    By now, the fireball had gotten to the point where even Dohby could feel its scorching embrace. However being a strength type fighter, he didn¡¯t have the speed to dodge it at such a close distance; thus he had no choice but to ignite his Fighter¡¯s Aura in a last ditch attempt to block the attack with his greatsword.


    *Boom¡­*


    The spell exploded with a thunderous boom that resounded across the battlefield. The shocking noise even reached the two other three-stars; who momentarily halted their battle and reflexively threw our side a glance.


    As the fiery cloud dispersed, a pair of tracks could be seen trailing backwards from where Dohby once stood. While Dohby had managed to block the attack successfully, his aura had been scattered while he himself ended up getting pushed back several steps. The title of the strongest attack spell wasn¡¯t just for show after all; even with a tier difference, the spell was able to push him back a significant distance.


    ¡°Blasted girl, you¡¯ve done it now!¡± Yelled the furious bandit as he noticed the singed hairs on his head and his aching body. Wrapping his body in aura once more, he charged at me with his greatsword readied like a raging bull. Moranthal immediately stepped in to try and block him, but the force of the charge was simply too much for him to handle and he ended getting knocked back by a single swing of Dohby¡¯s sword.


    Originally, I planned on firing off another fireball, but seeing the approaching bull, I had no choice but cancel my channelling and immediately focus all my attention on dodging Dohby¡¯s lethal attack.


    Yet the enraged bandit was simply too fast even for me. Even though I managed to dodge his greatsword, he took that opportunity to throw out an aura clad fist which barely grazed me. While it was just a graze, the fist of a three-star wasn¡¯t something that was easily countered either; that short moment of contact was enough to send me flying away, tumbling several times before I finally crashed onto the ground.


    As I picked myself up, a wave of lightheadedness hit me; which I forcefully suppressed with sheer willpower while I promptly went to pick up the blade I dropped. In the meantime, Moranthal used this chance to close in on Dohby as fast as he could in order to buy me time to recover.


    In such close quarters, his smaller weapon had an advantage over the cumbersome greatsword. Yet their strength disparity was such that even with this advantage, Moranthal could barely hold his ground.


    ¡°Damn it all, you adulterers actually dare to team up on me?! Well, I¡¯m done playing around.¡± He gathered his aura into a mighty punch and knocked away the pestering hunter. However, instead of pushing his advantage, he instead turned around to face his minions and yelled: ¡°Lads, I want you to kill all the villagers here!¡±


    At that, not only were the 2,000 over hostages stunned, even his own bandits were stunned as well.


    One of the squad leaders immediately chimed in with a question. ¡°Second Chief, are we really killing them all? Killing the hostages?¡±


    ¡°Are you all deaf? Kill all the men, you can leave the young women and children who are shorter than one meter!¡±


    ¡°Got it chief! Hahahaha, brothers it¡¯s time for a bloodbath!¡±


    Upon receiving that command, only a small portion of the bandits defied that cruel order while the majority of the bandits eagerly began massacring the villagers. In an inhuman display of barbarism, they began targeting any man or elderly woman that entered their sights.


    ¡°Dawson!¡± Seeing their savagery, George immediately yelled at the bandit chief. ¡°Is this what you wanted? Hurry up and stop them!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Without wasting a single breath, Dawson swung down at the hunter, using his actions to show his intent. Perhaps in his eyes the moment that order was given, there was no room for reconciliation anymore; thus he might as well double down on this order. They could simply sell off the women and children and relocate to another location right after.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± George¡¯s attacks grew even more frenzied as he desperately tried to rush off to help the villagers. However no matter how much he tried, he couldn¡¯t shake off this persistent opponent who made sure to stay as close as possible to him. Thus, he started attacking with reckless abandon, sacrificing any form of defense he had in order to boost his attacks. His goal was to settle this battle as soon as possible even if it meant a pyrrhic victory.


    It was only now that Io and Eddison finally realized how foolish they were; there was simply no reasoning with a bunch of bandits. They were struck with a deep sense of regret at that very moment, regret that they chose to abandon their weapons, and most of all, regret for their stupidity.


    As the hunters were all unarmed when the order was given out, the first wave of attacks ended up taking the lives of over ten hunters right away. Thankfully, even without their weapons, the hunters could put up a fight. Some of the stronger hunters managed to arm themselves with the weapons of their defeated opponents right away and began a counterattack of their own.


    The weaker ones on the other hand banded together and teamed up on a bandit. Their plan was to use their numbers advantage and swiftly rearm themselves.


    Amongst the surrendered hunters, two stood out in particular. Even without any weapons, Io and Eddison were able to take on dozens of armed bandit minions by themselves.


    With their backs to each other, the pair¡¯s combat strength exploded as they formed an invincible duo. At their current rate, they would be able to massacre all the bandit minions within five minutes seeing as the bandit¡¯s around them had no three-star of their own. Once that was done, they could finally go and rescue the hostages.


    On the flip side, the fact that they were able to mount such an effective counter offensive and turn the tables on their captors meant that what the hostages had to face was a one-sided massacre by the rest of the bandits. Because of the previous recruitment drive, there was hardly anyone left within the three villages who could stand against the bandits, especially not in their unarmed state.


    The only reason why they could even put up a smidgen of resistance was that there was simply too many hostages for the bandits to watch over, so their bindings weren¡¯t that thorough. Thanks to that, the remaining hunters didn¡¯t have to fight with their arms bound. However, the amount of hostages was simply too much for this tiny band of hunters to defend.


    In just a short span of ten seconds, over a hundred hostages died. What made things even worse was that they had to face the terrifying jaws of several hundred tamed wolves while fighting the bandits.


    Their participation in this battle frightened the defenseless hostages into a panic, all of whom wanted to escape but were blocked by the bandits and their wolves. Faced with such a difficult situation, the majority of them ran about in a panicked frenzy and ended up becoming a hindrance for the remaining hunters.


    At this very moment in the hostage section of the battlefield, there were around two to three thousand people and wolves running about in muddied field of flesh and blood.

 Chapter 128: A Volley of Flame Arrows

    Because of Dohby¡¯s order, the scene turned into a chaotic bloodbath in an instant. In the midst of the chaos, Ancarin, under the cover of the hunters, saved any villagers she could from the backlines while unleashing spells on the bandit minions. As for Regine, she stood guard by our conspicuously expensive looking carriage, killing any bandit who tried to approach it with her now well practised assassination techniques.


    Sigh, how could a human give the order to massacre others so easily¡­the whole point of me staying behind was to prevent this worst case scenario from happening and yet I seemed to have helped it along instead¡­


    Fear and panic was thick in the air as the bandits ran amok amongst the defenseless villagers. The old were cut down and the children were trampled while the women could only watch helplessly, crying out in anguish as the bandits had their way with them¡­this was the tragic fate of the weak. If nothing was done soon, there would be no more villagers to save.


    NO! There must be something I can do, anything! I must stop this madness right now, but¡­how?


    By now, the situation had spiraled out of control, even if Dohby or Dawson were to give the order to stop, it would probably be too late to prevent the impending disaster. The only option now was to kill off these two heads and shock the bandits into submission.


    If their leaders were to die, the bandit horde would naturally fall apart and flee. Of course, this was the best case scenario; it was entirely possible that they could, in the midst of their bloodlust, continue killing even if their leaders died.


    In the end, it all depended on luck¡­luck huh¡­I wonder if my luck could be considered bad or good?


    Putting aside the outcome, do I even have the means to kill their lead-¡­wait¡­I still have Shadowfang!


    Even without the Inverse Cut, Shadowfang was still an epic weapon that I could wield. Being such a powerful weapon, there¡¯s no way it was just an unstoppably sharp blade, there must be even more secrets hidden within it waiting for me to unlock. Even though there¡¯s no time to unlock its potential, I could still use its sharpness to pull a sneak attack on Dohby.


    Just one chop, that¡¯s all it took and he¡¯ll be in halves just like those two bald brothers; one chop and their bodies were bifurcated, defensive enchanted gear and all.


    Before that however, there was still one more trump card I could employ.


    The enchanted straight blade had a three-star fire spell engraved onto it which Ancarin identified as being an offensive spell. Although she wasn¡¯t entirely sure what it did exactly, judging from its engravings, it was probably an immensely powerful fire arrow type of spell.


    However, wasn¡¯t fire arrow a one-star spell? With enough mana, a powerful mage could boost its power to two or three-star but shouldn¡¯t a high-grade blade like this at least have a three-star spell engraved on it? ¡­did someone make a mistake somewhere?


    Whatever¡­with Moranthal keeping Dohby busy, now¡¯s the best time to use it¡­I just hope it works out.


    With that, I channelled all of my mana into the blade and prayed that this unknown engraving could create a miracle.


    In order to prevent any chance of friendly fire, I made sure to remind Moranthal with a quick yell: ¡°Moranthal!!¡±


    As the channelling dragged on, a circular magical array formed of flames appeared half a meter in front of me. From within it rushed forth a flame arrow that sped right towards Dohby.


    Just one¡­? As that question flashed through my head, the flames coagulated once more into a flame arrow and fired off followed by a third, a fourth¡­soon, an unending volley of flame arrows could be seen slicing an incandescent line across the air as they flew towards their target¡­how was this a magical spell? It¡¯s practically a machine gun!


    The ten over flame arrows flew in a straight line towards Dohby at a speed faster than the wind.


    Having been warned beforehand, Moranthal expended all his efforts into stalling Dohby until the instant my spell was finished channelling, at which point he immediately leaped to side. A giant sword sliced through where he was just seconds ago at which point the first flame arrow reached the bandit.


    Feeling the scorching heat up close, Dohby knew there wasn¡¯t enough time to dodge. He swiftly raised his greatsword in front of him as a pseudo shield, while he focused all of his Fighter¡¯s Aura into defense.


    *bang*


    As the flame arrows battered the metallic obstacle, they exploded in a raging display of fiery wrath that rapidly engulfed the man.


    Despite that fearsome display, I knew that he was still alive even without any visual confirmation. His soul was still there, it had merely been weakened, so it probably meant that he only sustained some minor injuries.


    I promptly sheathed the straight blade and charged at the bandit. As my feet drove into the ground, I reached for Shadowfang just in time to see the burly silhouette reveal itself amidst the dispersing smoke. It wasn¡¯t exactly a clear target but it was more than enough for me to confirm that it was Dohby.


    I lowered my back, gripped down tightly on the hilt and with the aid of my running momentum, swung it over my back in a¡ªdiagonal iaijutsu slash!


    While it wasn¡¯t exactly a traditional iaijutsu slash, this was still a slash by an epic grade blade. If he dared to block it, all that awaited him was death!


    ¡°Hahaha, bring it on!¡± As expected, he knew of my presence before I even reached. Standing there without even bothering to put up a defensive posture, he activated his Fighter¡¯s Aura and nonchalantly put up his greatsword in an arrogant display of overconfidence. ¡°A two-star demoness like you actually dares to fight me head on, hah, you¡¯re either retarded or overly confident¡­you¡­¡±


    It goes without saying what the outcome of the clash was. With his brimming confidence, it never once crossed his mind that I was a threat at all¡­.yet I was. His greatsword was merely a low-grade enchanted weapon and simply wasn¡¯t a match for my Shadowfang.


    As Shadowfang parted the metal like butter, it swiftly descended onto his Fighter¡¯s Aura and sliced it apart just as easily. With nothing left to block it, it cleanly cut the bandit in two, from his left shoulder down towards his abdomen.


    ¡°Your¡­weapon¡­¡± As those two words left his mouth, he finally breathed his last.


    Due to that magical explosion, our fight had already drawn the attention of most of the combatants. All of whom were staring at me right now with eyes as wide as saucers and mouths wide open, especially Moranthal whose eyes almost popped out from shock.


    ¡°Mo¡­Lady Mo Ke?!¡± He stammered with an astonished look on his face as if he couldn¡¯t believe what he had just saw. A three-star was sliced apart so easily?


    ¡°Behead him.¡± I said with a hint of disgust in my voice. While it was I who killed the man, I just couldn¡¯t get used to the gore. As long as it was possible, I would rather not dirty my hands like that.


    Moranthal stood there mutely not understanding my instructions. Thus I had no choice but give him a quick explanation. ¡°What are you standing there for! Hurry up and cut off his head and make sure everyone sees it!¡±


    ¡°Oh oh, got it.¡± Having understood that, he swiftly beheaded the dead bandit with a slice of his short blade and raised it high into the air before yelling at the top of his lungs: ¡°EVERYONE, STOP! DOHBY IS DEAD!¡±


    As the booming voice washed over the battlefield, even the fierce fighting wasn¡¯t enough to blot out the shock created by the words ¡°Dohby is dead¡±.


    *clang*


    The remaining combatants immediately turned their attention to us, their faces froze in shock as they glanced at the hunter who continuously shouted ¡°Dohby is dead¡±. As the words registered in their heads, the weapons in their hands unknowingly fell to the ground as their eyes remained rooted to the hunter and the bloody head in his hand.


    Dohby was dead and his head had been taken. As the severed head surveyed the battlefield, it stared at it with a haunted look in its eyes; a million things it wanted to say were reflected from within them. Unfortunately, he was now a dead man.


    Dawson had clearly heard the incessant yelling as well. With a forceful shove of his greatsword, he pushed away George and turned around to find the lonely head of Dohby hanging off Moranthal¡¯s hand. The moment he saw that, a veritable maelstrom ran amok in his heart. He was very familiar with Dohby¡¯s strength. With that low-grade greatsword in his hands, he was only slightly weaker than him in a head-on fight so how did he die in such a short time?


    It simply wasn¡¯t possible unless the enemy had an overwhelming advantage over him.


    With that in mind, he turned towards me. Yet the moment he laid eyes on Shadowfang, his face underwent a myriad of changes.


    This fellow actually recognized Shadowfang? There¡¯s no way he didn¡¯t recognize it given that reaction. But how did he recognize a weapon I brought out from the Prison of the Dead? That blade was given to me by the demonic werewolf Habano for saving her brother, and had been basically rotting in there all this while¡­so how did he recognize it? This doesn¡¯t make any sense!


    Yet, reality was as such whether I accepted it or not. His reaction upon seeing that blade however wasn¡¯t to snatch it¡­but to run. Run, with everything at his disposal to shake off George.


    With the death and flight of the bandit leaders, the minions of the Wolf¡¯s Fang were swiftly routed. The tamed wolves were all trained by Dawson, and upon seeing their master flee, they naturally fled as well. Without the wolves, the bandits were clearly outmatched and started fleeing in all directions.


    Thus, what was to be an even bloodier fight ended inexplicably with the death of Dohby thanks to his overconfidence and the unexpected flight of Dawson.


    It was only when the last of the bandits disappeared from our sight did everyone, including me register the fact that the battle had ended. Even now, we all couldn¡¯t believe what had just transpired. Yet, no matter how rapidly the situation changed, the living merely had to adjust to it in order to continue their lives, because the situation never changed itself for mankind.


    Io, Eddison and George brought along a team of hunters and chased after the fleeing bandits while Moranthal stayed behind to clean up the battlefield. In truth, that just meant tallying up the casualties, processing the bandits who were unable to flee and gathering the bandit corpses.


    There were no surprises here as they employed the tried and true method of throwing them both over the cliff. With their relations already strained before this massacre, there was naturally no need for mercy.


    As for the bandit captives who weren¡¯t injured¡­everyone¡¯s opinion was to process them along with the corpses.


    With that settled, next came the casualty tally. The living were mostly injured with a varying range of severity. Thankfully, the death count wasn¡¯t as horrific as I had first imagined. Even though the bandits and wolves attacked mercilessly, the hostages still had some hunters guarding them.


    The combined death count of the hostages and the hunters came out to roughly 600 in the end; a lot less than the 800 I predicted.


    Yet, 600 was still a staggering amount of deaths. One had to know that the combined population of those three villages was less than 3,000 which meant they had just lost 20% of their population in one go, and that¡¯s not counting any further deaths among the injured.


    The wolves were extremely vicious in their attacks and this resulted in a large portion of the villagers being severely injured despite not dying. Treating them was going to be a pain because of rabies¡­


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    Even in such a backwater world, the fact that wolves could cause rabies was still common knowledge. As people who had been hunters for generations, there was no way they wouldn¡¯t know of this either. Even after being trained, thus having this risk lowered, the chances of getting rabies from the wolves were still high¡­


    Thanks to this massive battle, I had gained countless souls yet I didn¡¯t consume a single one of them and instead handed them all over to the Grimoire of the Dead¡­looks like I still minded my human identity a lot after all.

 Chapter 129: Cleaning Up

    By the time Io, George and Eddison came back with the pursuit team, the clean up work was just about finished. They managed to kill off a large portion of the fleeing bandits, but the key figure, Dawson, managed to escape their pursuit.


    All in all, while the human cost had been great, their deaths weren¡¯t in vain either, we were able to defang the bandit troupe in one fell swoop leaving them with only Dawson left as their main fighting force. There were merely less than 200 bandit minions left over, but given that they still had the tamed wolves on their side, hunting them all down was going to be difficult as the wolves were proficient not only in tracking but escaping as well.


    If Dawson were to engage in guerilla tactics with the remaining bandits, the villagers would find themselves hard pressed to counter him. After all, it wasn¡¯t possible for the hunters to constantly act in a hundred strong grouping. Hunters were independent fighters who usually acted in small teams rather than large groups due to the restrictions that would pose on their lifestyles.


    Naturally all that was for the future. At present, with the main quest done, I think it was about time we left; though there were still some matters that had to be settled before that.


    The harrowing battle had left the villagers with simply too many casualties thus I instructed Ancarin to share our remaining recovery potions with the villagers. While some of them were still wary of my identity, the majority still accepted my goodwill except for a bunch of villagers who were devout followers of the Goddess of Light.


    Notably, the bible wielding old man was amongst this stubborn bunch. Even with a knife wound in his chest, he was still vehemently opposed to accepting my goodwill. Accepting help from the person who he felt was responsible for this tragedy was something he couldn¡¯t abide by even at death¡¯s knell.


    Truth be told, walking away from this stubborn old man did cross my mind, but watching an elderly man lie gasping on the verge of death in a pool of his own blood was just¡­something I couldn¡¯t bear to do.


    It¡¯s not like I had some kind of blood feud with this man; it was merely a religious matter that pushed us to opposing sides. I¡¯m definitely not some moral nutcase who felt the need to save everyone, but it¡¯s just a potion after all¡­being able to save a life with it sounds like a pretty good trade to me.


    Yet the man refused to relent. Even with the impassioned pleading of his family members, he refused to accept aid from a devil like me. The reason? Because accepting anything from a devil would cause his soul to fall into hell¡­


    In the end, his family members decided to force feed the potion to him. However, just as that decision was made, the old man heaved violently, coughing out a mouthful of blood before dying a short while later from the agitation.


    He deserved it¡­I really wanted to that say but I chose not to in the end.


    The recovery potions were all looted from Duran¡¯s mansion and weren¡¯t that many to begin with. With nearly all of the villagers being injured, that tiny stock of potions simply wasn¡¯t enough to heal them all. The best we could do right now was to use the small stock on the fatally wounded and save them from the reaper¡¯s scythe. As for those with light injuries, they were on their own; a potion was worth a life after all.


    Recovery potions weren¡¯t just some cheap goods a villager could afford. One vial alone could cost at least 10 gold coins or 10,000 rmb (chinese yuan, 1,500+ usd). Perhaps this might not sound expensive to some people, but look at it this way, if you cut your finger and had two choices available to you: an instant but expensive method or a cheap but slightly longer method. Which would you choose?


    I leave that choice to you.


    Let¡¯s be real here though, only the extravagantly rich would choose the former. The villagers were poor to begin with and given that they even shot arrows at me, accepting such an expensive boon from me was just¡­


    Perhaps they were merely reacting to my goodwill but ever since then, their gazes had become noticeably friendlier, or at the very least they weren¡¯t hostile like they were in the beginning.


    All in all, those potions were well-spent in my opinion.


    Unfortunately, that didn¡¯t change the fact that we didn¡¯t have enough potions to go around which was truly a shame. Like that old man who refused to accept my potion, I truly believed that he wasn¡¯t afraid of some nonsense like his soul being dragged into hell, but rather he knew that there weren¡¯t that many potions to begin with; he wanted to do his part and pass on this bit of hope to the younger generation who might be severely injured.


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    The reason why I had this view was because this same scenario played out several times with the other old villagers who, just like that old man, refused my potion and died from blood loss¡­


    With their dying breath, the majority of them expressed their wish to leave this valuable potion to the younger generation. To them, the best treatment should be left for their kids.


    Seeing this, the bystanders weeped, especially those who were their family members.


    Back in the day, I remembered that the heavenly dynasty experienced a particularly horrific earthquake. If you were to ask any of those present that day, they would all say the same thing: the apocalypse had come. It just so happens that I had an internet friend who was studying in one of the cities affected. [1]


    Their school was a particularly sturdy one and thus withstood the tremors unlike some of the other neighboring schools. Thanks to that, the majority of the student body and the staff survived that initial wave; while they could only watch in horror as the neighboring elementary school collapse in an instant like tofu¡­according to him, no one in that elementary school survived that day.


    They then spent the next few days awaiting rescue in the open field without food, water or clothes. Other than dead bodies, they were pretty much lacking everything else. It was under such dire circumstances that the male students decided to give up their portion of rations from the rescue effort to the more sickly female students.


    Back then I was still young and basically spent all my time at home, so I had never gone through such an experience personally. I couldn¡¯t understand the meaning behind such an action until my online friend messaged me and said this: ¡°Back then, everyone had goodness in their heart.¡±


    Hearing that, I finally understood the weight of the sacrifice they made that day. They were using their lives to save another who needed those supplies more.


    While the earthquake was a natural disaster unlike a man-made one like this bandit raid, the decision by the old villagers gave off the same solemnity. As I watched them die off one by one, each death felt like a stab at my heart.


    It turns out that in the face of a disaster, the virtuous side of humanity showed itself after all¡­perhaps people might be willing to commit unspeakable acts for a simple meal, but on the flip side, there were also people who were willing to go to any length to save another¡¯s life even if it meant giving up their own¡­these were virtuous acts.


    While humans were the closest beings to a devil, they were also the closest beings to an angel.


    ¡°Master, we¡¯ve run out of potions¡­¡± Ancarin scurried up to me and reported in an anxious tone. All the potions had been used up yet there were still so many more villagers to save; that amount of potions was merely a drop of water in a vast desert.


    ¡°If we¡¯ve run out of potions, we can simply buy more. Oh right, where is the nearest apothecary?¡±


    The lightly wounded could survive without the potions but the severely wounded desperately needed that healing liquid in order to survive. The best they could hope for was to suffer in agony for two more days before inevitably dying.


    ¡°I know of a store that sells potions under the counter, I¡¯m sure they will have recovery potions there. If we whip the horses, we can probably make a round trip in a day. The only problem is¡­we don¡¯t have the money for it¡­¡±


    Being a merchant, Eddison naturally knew of such matters, but the matter of money had truly stumped him. After all, all his money had just been stolen by the bandits so where was he to find the gold at such short notice? Steal it? Like those bandits? Putting aside whether he could do that, even if he could, he would be hunted down by the security forces of that town.


    ¡°How much gold do we have on hand now?¡±


    I asked while turning towards Ancarin who whispered in my ears: ¡°Master, we have around 10,000 gold coins left.¡±


    ¡°Then take out 5,000 gold coins and buy 50 recovery potions, the 100 gold coins type.¡± While recovery potions could go as low as 10 gold coins, those potions barely had any visible effect. The cheapest we could get was the 100 gold coin potion which just so happened to give a round number with 5,000 gold coins.


    ¡°Eddison, I¡¯ll get Ancarin to pass you the gold in a moment, I¡¯ll have to trouble you to make the purchases since you¡¯re probably the only one who knows where that store is.¡± There¡¯s no way Ancarin would leave my side and Regine still had to guard the carriage. Thus, this important task could only be completed by Eddison.


    The portly man turned towards me with a shocked look and exclaimed: ¡°But¡­that¡¯s 5,000 gold coins, that¡¯s not a small sum!¡±


    I turned to him with a solemn look in my eyes and said: ¡°Life is priceless.¡±


    ¡°¡­many thanks.¡± As he said that, I could see his eyes tear up slightly.


    Several minutes later, Eddison rode off on Dohby¡¯s chestnut horse with 5,000 gold coins in hand. Hopefully he will be able to make it back in time with the potions to save the villagers. With so many severely wounded villagers, every minute wasted could lead to a death.


    ¡°I¡¯ll find a way to pay you back.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, saving them takes priority.¡±


    At that, George gave me a torn look that seemed to say he didn¡¯t want to get too involved with me given my sensitive identity. My aid might end up attracting the demon hunters from the Church of Light.


    The Church of Light was the religion which worshipped the Goddess of Light. It was also the largest human religion without any close competitor. According to legend, the Goddess of Light was the arch-nemesis of all creatures of darkness. Devils, vampires, werewolves, undead and other monsters were all targets of purification by the Church of Light.


    While I did say that being a devil was a sensitive matter in the Western Human Realms, it¡¯s not exactly true that they will be killed on sight. However, these exceptions came with the requirement that you did no evil and was sufficiently strong. This was the only way a devil would be allowed to travel freely in the Western Human Realms. Unless of course you were a devil raised by some king or nobleman, if you were, you would be allowed to travel unmolested even without those requirements.


    However, if you were some wild devil¡­sorry bud, but get ready to be hunted by a team of demon hunters. If, in the process of being hunted you hurt someone¡­then that¡¯s your fault. If you were to be killed, then you would be judged as deserving death and your corpse will be turned in for a bounty. In short, this was the legendary ¡°dying in vain¡±.


    Thankfully, Eddison¡¯s female servant was unharmed during the chaos and was even helping out with the wounded after reporting in to Eddison. This was the reason why he even had the mood to go on this errand.


    Io¡¯s family were basically unharmed as well except for his father-in-law who was slashed in the arm trying to save his daughter. It was a deep cut that couldn¡¯t be healed with normal herbs, and without proper treatment, he was sure to lose his arm. Yet the moment he was offered a potion¡­he gave it up right away. He rejected it saying that there were plenty of others who needed it more than him, and that not treating this arm would at most cost him an arm unlike some who would die without a recovery potion.


    Suddenly, everyone seemed to have become selfless¡­

 Chapter 130: The Wolf’s Fang’s Bastille

    Even with the matter of the potions settled for now, we still had a lot to do.


    After that major defeat, the defenses of Dawson¡¯s stronghold was sure to be at its weakest. With that in mind, George suggested that we form a punitive expedition and finish Dawson off once and for all seeing as this was the best opportunity we would ever get. If we were to forego this opportunity, Dawson might just kidnap some hostages again¡­at that time, no one could predict what would happen then.


    With no better opportunity than this, this suggestion passed unanimously. Thus George, Io, Dioh and I formed an expedition of 400 hunters and advanced towards the Wolf¡¯s Fang¡¯s Bastille. In the meantime, the village would be guarded by Moranthal, Kevin, Ancarin, Regine and 100 other hunters.


    To be precise, Ancarin and Regine were to guard my carriage. While I had basically gained the acceptance of the villagers, they were still wary of my devilish identity. If they were to find that human doll in the carriage¡­that would probably spark another crisis of trust.


    Perhaps they might consider him a villain deserving of such treatment after learning of his deeds, but more than likely, they would judge me as cruel at first sight and suspect me instead of trying to find out what he had done¡­


    I had originally intended to leave right away but after seeing the sorry state of the village, not to mention that the biggest threat, Dawson, still wasn¡¯t resolved, I suppressed the strong urge to leave and search for Nicole.


    ¡­


    ¡­actually, it was just that George wouldn¡¯t allow me to leave¡­


    He hoped to borrow my powers in the coming fight while simultaneously paying back the loan with the money looted from the Wolf¡¯s Fang¡¯s Bastille. They were, after all, the local tyrants of this region, there was no way they didn¡¯t at least possess 5,000 gold coins.


    It goes without saying that he didn¡¯t do so out of the kindness of his heart. More than anyone else, I knew of the wariness he held towards me because of my identity. If it ever came out that they were connected in any way to a devil, even if it was just a loan, some of the more extreme elements of the Church of Light might just take offense to this.


    These extremists had no qualms about slaying anyone who ever had contact with a devil no matter who they were; common folk or nobility. A loan would probably be seen as colluding with a devil for financial reasons. No matter what reason you had. Thus, George insisted, vehemently, on returning this loan.


    To accept money from a devil was to sell one¡¯s soul¡­


    This was a common saying in the Western Human Realms that spanned several ages. According to it, a devil would employ whatever means it could to ensnare a human¡¯s soul. Given that they would rather die than lose out on a deal, there was no way a devil would help a person without any ulterior motives.


    The Wolf¡¯s Fang¡¯s Bastille was relatively near to the village being roughly a day¡¯s distance away on foot. However, thanks to the expedition leaving right after that intense battle, most of the hunters were thoroughly worn out, forcing us to set up camp for the night and setting off the next morning.


    Taking into account the time we took to set up this expedition, the bandits should reach the bastille before us; though not by much given the mobility of both our parties.


    By the time we dragged our fatigued bodies to the bastille, it was already nearing mid-afternoon.


    The Wolf¡¯s Fang¡¯s Bastille wasn¡¯t that much different from the typical mountain bandit stronghold. It had a wooden palisade reinforced by mud surrounding the perimeters. As predicted, the stronghold was already manned by bandit minions though they seemed to have no desire to fight whatsoever. Atop a watchtower, the scout in charge of warning the stronghold had already spotted us from a distance but was too shocked by our massive showing.


    The villagers had always been the ones being bullied so it had never once occurred to them that they would take the initiative to assault their stronghold. Yet as reality would have it, the villagers did just that. With several hundred hunters at our backs, we came knocking on their front door.


    The minions immediately gave up on resisting and instead fled for the back exit. For this purpose, a fight had even broke out between the bandits; not a single one of them doubted what fate would befall them if they were to get caught.


    By the time George and Io broke through the unmanned gates of the stronghold, all we saw was a scene of chaos with injured bandits groaning on the floor and loot scattered all over the stronghold grounds. This was the result of the bandits turning on each other. The reason was not only because of their rush to escape but also to take revenge in the midst of the chaos.


    Speaking of taking revenge, this reminded me of ¡°Camp False Alarm¡± during ancient times.


    ¡°Camp False Alarm¡± or ¡°Panicked Camp¡± was a common phenomenon in ancient times among the troops. One reason was the lack of nutrition during times of war that contributed to night blindness among the men. As military camps were exceedingly harsh back then, the soldiers tended to be in a constant state of stress while fearing that the next day would be their last.


    Exacerbated by their lack of education and the oppressive methods of their superiors, this tension resulted in the soldiers being in a constantly high-strung state. Not only that, grudges were easily formed thanks to the tyrannical methods of the officers.


    Any strange sounds at night might spook the soldiers into hysteria given their night blindness. Once a critical mass was achieved, things that these soldiers would normally not dare to do¡­ended up happening. Thus, taking revenge during the chaos of a ¡°Panicked Camp¡± was a common occurrence back then.


    (TL: There wasn¡¯t an english equivalent for this phenomenon so I decided to use a more literal translation in this case. I know it sounds horrible but it¡¯s accurate and honestly, it¡¯s a pretty stupid term that describes a very specific set of circumstances. Plus, the author really didn¡¯t need to put in this paragraph¡­


    ¡°Panicked Camp¡± just means mass hysteria among stressed out soldiers in the night, in the middle of a military camp as a result of some innocuous trigger.)


    Naturally, the scene before us wasn¡¯t that bad, but just from a glance, the ten or so dying bandits were more than enough of an indicator of oppression and revenge killings.


    ¡°Where¡¯s your Stronghold Chief Dawson? Why is the bastille in such disarray?¡±


    Ignoring the scattered gold coins, George strode up to a bandit who had been injured in the legs and questioned him. As he did so, Io led the rest of the hunters around and gave the prone bandits a finishing blow; whether or not they were alive didn¡¯t matter to the hunters, they would just give them a stab and let the gods sort them out.


    ¡°Big Chief¡­Big Chief hasn¡¯t even return yet¡­¡± Fearing the same fate as the other bandits, the minion smartly followed this up with a recounting of all he knew. ¡°After we fled yesterday, we ran all the way back here and awaited the return of the Big Chief, but he never came, even up to the point you tore down those gates¡­we all thought that the Big Chief would come back to organize the stronghold¡­¡±


    So Dawson hadn¡¯t shown himself since he fled? Where could that bast*rd have gone?


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    As the saying goes, a headless snake could not slither and a headless human could not walk. Without their Big Chief here to lead them, they naturally didn¡¯t put up any resistance after seeing us. The more cowardly ones fled immediately after they learned of our arrival, while the more daring ones took this opportunity to raid the treasure rooms before leaving.


    As for those scattered and cracked coins, those should be the result of the bandits robbing the ones who raided the treasure room. They probably felt that there wasn¡¯t enough time to raid the treasure room themselves or simply couldn¡¯t be bothered to do so and decided to prey on their former comrades.


    The bandit being questioned right now belonged to the daring category. Unfortunately for him, he was ambushed by a comrade who he had an alright relationship with. Not only was he robbed of several hundred gold coins, his right leg was permanently crippled during the sneak attack.


    This was the first time we had ever stepped foot in the Wolf¡¯s Fang¡¯s Bastille, not even George had done so before; thus this crippled bandit became our guide through the stronghold. Our sole guide to be exact, seeing as how Io was a little too diligent in his clean up work.


    The bandit had a crippled thigh that prevented him from walking so we ended up dragging him along with us¡­that¡¯s right, drag. At first, we planned on carrying him but given the hatred the hunters had for the bandits, there was no way that could feasibly happen.


    The hunter originally in charge of carrying the minion promptly dumped the man onto the floor and began dragging him by the collar of his tunic. Seeing that, George didn¡¯t make any move to censure the hunter which essentially meant: just don¡¯t kill him.


    This minion was a rather astute fellow that immediately picked up on our dislike for him. He knew not to test our patience and instead diligently performed his duties as our guide even while enduring the burning pain through gritted teeth.


    To speed things up, we had Io lead another team of hunters around to search the stronghold while George and I continued onwards with our team led by the bandit guide as we searched for the treasure room.


    Under the guidance of the minion, we ended up in Dohby¡¯s hidden stash; which for some inexplicable reason was an underground hidden room located in a remote corner near the stronghold¡¯s gate. As the majority of the bandits who escaped were close subordinates of Dohby, this tiny room became their first target the moment they decided to flee. This was also the reason why we ended up meeting our guide near the gate.


    Even so, the room was still filled with treasure despite the bandits raiding it prior to our arrival. There weren¡¯t that many who knew of this hidden stash after all; only his close subordinates and a few others who caught wind of it even knew that it existed. Most likely out of sheer lack of time, the entrance to this treasure trove wasn¡¯t even shut when we arrived. In the midst of the dreary darkness, the shining coins and treasures were particularly luminescent.


    By my conservative estimates, this mountain of treasure was worth over 20,000 gold coins which wasn¡¯t really that surprising when one thought about it. There weren¡¯t that many who knew of this stash, and those who did couldn¡¯t bring too much with them or it would hinder their escape.


    According to our guide, this stash wasn¡¯t always so full of treasure. It had only gotten this way thanks to the recent death of Doran. Because of his sudden death, Dohby had no choice but to transfer the treasure over to his own stash in a hurry and this led to the stash being exposed. Before that, the number of people who knew of this stash could definitely be counted on one hand.


    While I wasn¡¯t too familiar with the customs of these bandits, it looked like some truths didn¡¯t change no matter where you were¡­


    Now that we had cleaned up the Second Chief¡¯s stash, it was about time we moved on to the Big Chief¡¯s. Yet the moment we questioned our guide about Dawson¡¯s treasure room, he gave us a stunned look instead before telling us that no one knew where Dawson¡¯s treasure room was given his secretive nature.


    ¡°If you dare to lie to us, I¡¯ll kill you.¡± At this, the little brother who came along to participate in the festivities couldn¡¯t help but jump out and threaten the bandit. If the combined wealth of the second and third bandit chiefs were already worth over 20,000 gold coins after being raided, then exactly how much was the Big Chief¡¯s portion of the loot worth? 50,000? 100,000?


    Just thinking about the numbers made Dioh¡¯s eyes go green with envy.


    ¡°N-no¡­I¡¯m really not lying¡­the Big Chief was a secretive man, even his wolf training was done outside and not in the stronghold¡­¡±


    ¡°Wolf training? Couldn¡¯t he have done it in the stronghold?¡±


    The guide threw the teen a terrified look before swiftly explaining himself. One had to know that amongst the clean up crew, this teen was the most vicious of the hunters. ¡°The Big Chief said that wolves who had been caged up would lose their wildness; so he always trained them outside, and for the most part, they don¡¯t stay in the stronghold either.¡±


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t the trained wolves attack you?¡± Asked George, immediately picking up on a key problem of his explanation. If the wolves were all trained outside of the stronghold, didn¡¯t that mean that they basically didn¡¯t know the bandit minions? In that case, how did they communicate with the wolves and how did the wolves tell friend from foe?


    ¡°Because¡­because of this¡­¡± The injured bandit pointed at his tunic as he stammered. ¡°As long as we wear this kind of clothes, the tamed wolves won¡¯t attack us.¡±


    ¡°Clothes?¡±


    In truth, there was no reason to doubt the man at this stage. It wouldn¡¯t make sense for him to hide too much information from us as he himself knew that his life was over the moment we judged that he was worthless. It was precisely this reason that led to his compliance all the while. As long as he showed off his value, his life was safe.

 Chapter 131: Hostages

    ¡°I only came to know of this by accident; the clothes we wore had wolf fur mixed into them.¡±


    The fact that his clothes were made of a special material had escaped all of our eyes until the bandit guide pointed it out. Now that he mentioned it, everything finally clicked. No wonder the wolves didn¡¯t attack them and even listened to their simple commands, those wolves thought that the bandits were their kin thanks to the scent of the fur.


    ¡°So that¡¯s why the Wolf¡¯s Fang bandits smelt like wolves, I always thought that the wolves¡¯ scent had rubbed off on them since they spent a lot of time together.¡±


    I had to admit, this was a pretty ingenious move on Dawson¡¯s part.


    Leaving the hidden room, we made our way to the other portions of the stronghold, slaughtering any bandit along the way who was foolish enough to attack us.


    After a short and sometimes bloody tour, we heard a scuffle break out in the distance along with arguing.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on over there?¡± Asked Dioh who had his curiosity piqued. Yet as he did so, he sneaked a glance at me before looking away a split second later.


    What are you looking at me for? Are you sick or something?


    ¡°Over there is¡­¡± The bandit stammered, his eyes darting back and forth as he hesitated.


    ¡°Spit it out!¡± Yelled Dioh, startling the injured bandit. He crawled backwards reflexively and shut his eyes for a moment before stammering out an answer: ¡°That¡¯s the pros¡­prostitute camp¡­¡±


    Prostitute camp?


    I doubt there was anyone here who didn¡¯t know what that name meant.


    Upon hearing that, Dioh gaped in shock for a moment before swiftly understanding the meaning of those two words. He sneaked another glance at me, and after seeing that I had no reaction, turned around and said with crimson red ears: ¡°Pros¡­prostitute camp¡­alright, I got it.¡±


    With a wave of his hand, George signalled for the group to head towards that direction. It wasn¡¯t long before we stumbled into Io and his hunters who were currently facing off against ten bandit minions. These minions were particularly noteworthy in that they were currently surrounding several dozens of naked women, and from the looks of things, these women were their hostages.


    Notably, there was a familiar face within that group; that traitorous spy who sold out Plateau Village, Gill!


    At this very moment, Gill was holding the hands of one of the girls, and seemed to be protecting her as he kept her hidden behind his back. While he had a slightly guilty look in his eyes as he faced off against Io, he absolutely had no intention of backing down now as he argued loudly with the hunter.


    In front of Io were several bandits of whom I wasn¡¯t even sure if they were still alive or not. Their bodies were riddled with arrows and blade cuts which I assumed were from the hunters.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± George asked as he turned towards Io, ignoring the traitor completely as he did so.


    With a finger pointed at the bandits and the prostitutes, Io gave a basic rundown of the situation: ¡°Not long ago, I heard some screaming from the prostitutes and brought some people over to investigate. As for what happened after that, the situation is as you see right now.¡±


    If I¡¯m not mistaken, these bandit minions were probably trying to take the women away with them, but were unfortunately interrupted by the hunters who were lured here by the din they caused. With their arch-nemesis status, the two parties naturally engaged in battle at first sight with the outcome being obvious; a complete victory for the hunters who had the three-star hunter, Io, aiding them.


    Seeing the unstable look on George¡¯s face, Gill immediately begged for mercy, fearing that the hunter would give the order to massacre them: ¡°Big¡­George, you¡¯ve already won, there¡¯s no need to massacre everyone is there?¡±


    ¡°Massacre everyone?¡± George gave a cold laugh as he said that. ¡°Dawson seemed to had no qualms about massacring us just recently. What¡¯s the matter, are you all afraid now? I don¡¯t remember you questioning Dohby when he called for the massacre of the villagers!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Gill kept silent at that. Back when the order was given, he hadn¡¯t participated in the massacre. While he had sold out George and Plateau Village, he still had some basic humanity left in him and didn¡¯t kill the innocent villagers. Plus, if he had stood out then, Dohby would¡¯ve killed him on the spot to protect his reputation.¡±


    However, what¡¯s the use of saying all that now? Would saying that turn back the hands of time?


    The moment Gill sold out George to the Wolf¡¯s Fang, there was no turning back. A meeting between the two would have to end in the death of one.


    It was then that a towering, middle-aged bandit with three blade scars running down the right side of his face, pushed past Gill and took the center stage. He had a burly build with the back of a tiger and the waistline of a bear while his arms were probably as thick as a normal person¡¯s thigh. Judging from his stature, he was probably some troop leader within the Wolf¡¯s Fang.


    This troops leader clearly wasn¡¯t afraid of these two three-star warriors as he boldly pointed his blade at George and threatened him with his own unique yelling technique: ¡°I don¡¯t care what you all are here to do but right now I have these hostages in hand. If you¡¯re smart, you¡¯ll stand aside or else I¡¯ll murder all these women!¡±


    That¡­would it kill you not to come on so strong right from the start? Such murderous intent from the get go.


    Hostages huh¡­so the camp prostitutes ended up as a negotiation tool. These women were the poor souls who had been kidnapped by the bandits over time. They came from a variety of backgrounds: some were Plateau Villagers, some were from merchant families while a small portion were born into prostitution.


    Putting aside those who couldn¡¯t stand the humiliation or died for being too old, the hostage group did indeed contain some villagers. In fact, some of the hunters even recognized some familiar faces within the bunch.


    Seeing as the enemy held someone they cared about, saving the hostages was basically a must now. With that, Io began negotiating with the troop leader.


    The troop leader wasn¡¯t a fool either and knew that having this many hostages wasn¡¯t a viable option; so he asked to exchange the hostages for me¡­


    By the way, why did this end up being about me again¡­does this world have to troll me so many times? I was just here for some soy sauce (idling)¡­


    Well, now the question was whether or not I should give in to their demands. Truth be told, I¡¯m not really keen on risking my life but the dead fish eyes on those girls¡­each of them was a young beauty in their own right with the youngest being slightly over ten. The oldest was definitely younger than thirty as normal girls who had no Fighter¡¯s Aura like them would start to age more prominently from that point onwards. Older girls past their prime would definitely find it hard to even stay alive in the prostitute camp.


    While their ages might differ, they all shared the same tragic fate. Had it not been for this twist of fate, they should have had a bright future ahead of them; with a husband that loved them and a pair of lovely children, instead of being humiliated by these beasts clad in human skin as they lived a life that was worse than death.


    Besides, a number of the hunters were already giving me a torn look. I bet there was someone they cared about amongst those hostages. In their hearts they probably wished for me to step forward once more to save those girls. But no matter how you looked at it, this was an unreasonable request and they knew of this as well which was why they kept quiet.


    Glancing at those dead eyes and turning back to those hunters¡­I¡¯ll admit that my heart got the better of me once more. Even though they were strangers, I still wanted to try it. After all, all he asked was that I be his hostage. A life for ten was definitely a worthwhile trade, especially since it only required putting me in danger for a moment.


    Without Dawson backing them up, these bandits had no three-star warriors on their side at all. As long as I unleashed my full arsenal on these small fries, none of them stood a chance at all. With my Shadow Guardian and spells such as my Bone Wall to aid me, there¡¯s no way these two-stars stood a chance against me.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Under the shocked gazes of everyone present, I accepted the troop leader¡¯s offer. ¡°However, you must release the hostages first.¡±


    Hearing me accept his offer, a look of elation crossed the troop leader¡¯s face but was instantly replaced the moment he heard my conditions. ¡°Laughable, if I was to do that, what would happen if you reneged on your word?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not like you lot, I¡¯m trustworthy.¡±


    ¡°Hah, a trustworthy devil, you must be joking.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Exactly how did my devilish identity offend you all?


    With an annoyed voice, I asked: ¡°Then what do you suggest?¡±


    ¡°Simple, you come over first,¡± replied the troop leader in a voice that brooked no further discussion.


    So he meant to say that I should trust an immoral scumbag like him? If bandits could be trusted then the world ended in 2012.


    Just as we entered a stalemate with neither side willing to give in, the silence was suddenly broken by a pained cry: ¡°Damned wh*re, let go right now!¡±


    Followed by the cry of a woman.


    It turns out that a certain prostitute who couldn¡¯t have been older than 20, suddenly bit down on a bandit who promptly sent her flying with a kick.


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    ¡°Damn b*tch, do you think I don¡¯t dare to kill you?! Today, I¡¯ll¡­hmm? Aren¡¯t you that newbie? I heard your technique is pretty sh*tty. Hmph, since I haven¡¯t had a round with you why don¡¯t we go for a spin right now?¡± The bandit raised his blade high into the air as he prepared to kill the offending girl.


    Yet as he was about to kill her, his lower half suddenly interceded on her behalf. Any girl who managed to survive in the camp was young, beautiful and had a petite figure that probably couldn¡¯t survive a round with so many bandits. Killing such a specimen was truly a waste without first trying it out.


    Thus, in front of our disbelieving eyes, the bitten bandit actually undid his pants while pointing his blade at the girl¡­who would¡¯ve thought that he was actually sick enough to do that. Damn, was he actually planning to clean his rifle in front of us right now?


    As he did so, that girl quietly stared him down with a defiant look in her eyes. At the side, the bandit¡¯s comrades actually cheered him on instead of stopping him.


    Such depravity! I¡­just can¡¯t take it anymore.


    Recorded within the <> was the lives of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Initially they spent their days naked, but after being lured by Satan into eating the forbidden apple and gaining knowledge, they found their nakedness shameful and thus put on clothes. It was this act that gave away their treacherous deed to Jehovah.


    Based on this record, it¡¯s obvious that knowing shame was one of the characteristics of humanity. These bandits were clearly no longer fit to be called humans.


    Seeing this, the hunters were clearly incensed by it as well but that was the mere extent of their anger. None of them dared to speak up or save that pitiful girl out of fear of agitating the bandits further.


    ¡°Stop, don¡¯t touch her! I¡¯ll accept your offer but you had better hold up your own end of the bargain and release the hostages.¡±


    There was simply no way I could watch this tragedy unfold before me without doing anything. She was already pitiful enough and shouldn¡¯t have to suffer such inhumane treatment. Thus, I decided to acquiesce to his demands and be his hostage.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, bringing along so many hostages is a pain for us as well.¡± The troops leader clearly had the self-consciousness to know that he wasn¡¯t in any way a trustworthy character and thus he reassured me with a very practical reason: ¡°These women are too weak and won¡¯t be able to travel long distances.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope you keep to your word then.¡± I gave a deep sigh before nodding towards George and Io after which I took my first step towards being a hostage.

 Chapter 132: Dawson’s Ploy

    According to legends, the ancestor of the werewolves was a giant wolf know as Nightblade. He used to be the mount of the Moon Goddess till one day he decided to confess his love for his master. The Moon Goddess had never once thought that he would confess to her as Nightblade was merely a mount in her heart. Thus she felt insulted by his gesture which she felt had profaned her. In a fit of anger, she banished the wolf to the mortal realm.


    Nightblade¡¯s banishment pained him greatly as he couldn¡¯t understand why the Moon Goddess treated him this way especially since she had treated him so well prior to his confession. Every full moon, he would let forth an extended howl at the moon to express his longing for the Moon Goddess. It was his hope that one day the goddess would take him back and make him her mount once more.


    Unfortunately, this wish was dashed not long after as the Moon Goddess found a new mount. It was a giant wolf just like him except that it was a white wolf whose name was Frostblade.


    Having lost all hope of returning to the goddess¡¯ side, the heartbroken Nightblade was stricken by a deep sense of anger and despair as he realized that it was no longer possible that the goddess would ever come for him.


    This anger overwhelmed the wolf causing him to go on a murderous rampage where he tore apart any living creature he came across. Whether it was an animal or a human, none escaped his all-consuming wrath. As he continued his rampage, the number of victims rapidly ballooned. Among his victims were countless humans who mostly died except for a miniscule fraction who barely managed to survive.


    Yet these survivors found out that they had been cursed. Whenever the moon was full, they would turn into werewolves¡­


    ¡ª-From <>


    ¡°No, that¡¯s too dangerous Lady Mo Ke, you mustn¡¯t go!¡± Shouted Dioh who hadn¡¯t talked to me since I revealed my devilish nature,


    ¡°Saving lives is more important.¡± I threw him an expressionless look and while he had his head lowered in guilt, emphasized this next point: ¡°I¡¯ve said so many times already, don¡¯t call me lady, I¡¯m a man.¡±


    Dioh: ¡°¡­¡±


    In order to win the trust of the bandits, I silenced all the opposition and slowly made my way to the bandits. Yet just as I took a few steps forward, a bandit minion jumped out.


    ¡°Put down your weapons, the one on your waist and the one on your back as well.¡±


    Disarm myself? There¡¯s no way I would do something as foolish as that¡­without my weapons, I was basically a sheep walking into a den of wolves. But would they release the hostages if I didn¡¯t do so? They didn¡¯t seem that dumb either.


    Seeing as I refused to disarm myself, we entered another stalemate once more. However, this continued for only a few seconds before one of the bandits whispered into the troop leader¡¯s ears after which he gave a grandiose wave of his hand and said: ¡°Let her come over, just her alone. As for her weapons, so what if she has them? With so many people on our side, is there even a need for us to fear her?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Are you sure that¡¯s cerebral fluid in your brains and not glue? Is there even a person dumb enough to allow the hostage to keep her weapons of his own accord?!


    Thus, my armed self ended up as their hostage. The first thing they did when I reached them was to immediately surround me as a precaution. Putting aside my concern for the girls for now, I coldly swept my eyes over the gathered bandits. The majority of them were merely one-stars with the strongest being the troop leader who was a two-star. As for their weapons, they were ordinary weapons without any unique attributes to speak of. In a head-on fight, I was confident I could escape even if I couldn¡¯t win.


    ¡°Can you release the girls now?¡±


    ¡°Now? Like hell I will. That¡¯s not happening till we leave the bastille.¡±


    Seeing him try to go back on his words didn¡¯t surprise me one bit but given that I was already a part of this mess, I might as well see it through to the end.


    With unwillingness in their eyes, the hunters could only watch as I was brought out of the Wolf¡¯s Fang Bastille. In the midst of all that, the bandits tried multiple times to get acquainted with my body but was rebuffed by my unyielding attitude. I don¡¯t know why but it felt like he didn¡¯t want me to fight with his subordinates. It was probably because George and the others were still nearby so they didn¡¯t dare to act.


    So we continued onwards till it neared nightfall. Even after a day¡¯s worth of tracking, the hunters were still doggedly following our tracks so the troop leader made the decision to actually release the hostages just as he said. To think he actually he went through with his promise¡­and here I was mulling over what to do should he decide to go back on his word.


    Was it truly as he said that bringing them along with him was a burden? Either way, this was an unexpectedly better outcome than what I had envisioned.


    By now, the girls were indeed starting to lag behind because of their frail, battered bodies so perhaps he really did let them go in lieu of our mobility. Of course, it could just be that he was fulfilling his bargain. As the bandits began chasing away the women, they turned to me with moistened eyes which revealed a gamut of emotions within them.


    Some were stoic as they passed by me, some with stunned as they shuffled past me while some bowed as a sign of gratitude, either way, no matter whether they acknowledged me or not, they all left with tears in their eyes.


    A while later, I found out that not all the girls left as expected. Gill¡¯s girlfriend was the sole exception to that rule as she decided to stay behind while holding onto Gill¡¯s hands. In her eyes, I couldn¡¯t any trace of envy towards the leaving girls.


    I guess in the end that¡¯s the sad truth isn¡¯t it? After going through all that, those girls would probably never regain their bright future again. Even if they managed to get married, they would most likely be mistreated because of this sordid history. While they didn¡¯t ask for such a fate, reality wasn¡¯t one to bend to mankind¡¯s will. Whatever you did in the past, whether it was done of your own volition or not, might end up causing irreparable damage to your future.


    In a sense, you could take it as ¡°once a thief, always a thief.¡±


    {In the past, I remembered watching a drama called <>. In it was a female lead that played the role of a female student who had been raped in the past. After getting married, her husband often throw out this phrase whenever they got into an argument: ¡°Don¡¯t forget about your past!¡±


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    In other words, do not forget that you¡¯re not a virgin.


    Very good¡­such an upstanding character he was¡­


    Despite being ridiculed for that, the husband still thought that the girl had a part to play in being unable to safeguard her chastity.


    In of that light, Gill¡¯s girlfriend was extremely fortunate to have found a loyal boyfriend like him. If I¡¯m not mistaken, her name was Scarlet?}


    Forget it, talking about all that now was pointless, I just hope that the girls will be able to have a better future ahead of them. Perhaps they could flee to a place where no one knew them.


    As I saw them off silently with my eyes, I was unceremoniously dragged forward by the bandits. Yet, I held my tongue for now. Now wasn¡¯t the time to turn on them yet¡­these bandits might turn around and go after the girls once more if I were to attack them now. After all, I still wasn¡¯t completely confident in my ability to handle 10 bandits at once.


    By now, the sun had set completely and darkness had fallen. It was roughly seven or eight in the night when we came to an open forest clearing.


    As they had left in a hurry, the bandits didn¡¯t have time to pack any dried rations for themselves. Thus, having not eaten for an entire day, their stomachs were on the verge of revolting from hunger. For the most part however, their hunger didn¡¯t affect me. What was concerning on the other hand was the sporadic wolf howls I heard in the background. Night time was the hunting time for wild animals after all.


    Having roughly determined that the hunters wouldn¡¯t catch up to us for a while, the troop leader suddenly halted and stretched out his arm in a bid to confiscate Shadowfang.


    ¡°This spot should do. Devil, how about giving me that blade on your back?¡±


    ¡°Give it to you?¡± I sneered at the stocky man and said: ¡°Do you think that¡¯s possible?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget you¡¯re currently surrounded by us and those hunters won¡¯t catch up to us for a while. I suggest you don¡¯t endanger your life needlessly.¡±


    ¡°You actually dare to lay your hands on me despite knowing that George and the others are in the vicinity, aren¡¯t you a bold one.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, do you think they¡¯ll even have the chance to catch up to us? Those hunters are probably too busy to care about you right now.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± According to what I know, Dawson had already left the bastille for god knows where and there was no other leader figure left in the troupe who could stand against those two three-star hunters.


    Did I miss out something?


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother guessing, let me enlighten you instead. Still remember those wolf howls you heard just now?¡±


    Wolf howls! I get it now! Those wolves weren¡¯t out hunting in the night but were instead attacking George and the others¡­but how is that possible? The only person who could control such large numbers was Dawson but didn¡¯t that man leave the bastille already? Wait, we only determined that based off what those minions told us and not with our own two eyes.


    It was highly possible that Dawson sneaked back into the bastille and spread out false information about himself¡­


    Considering that the village still needed to settle some matters, the village needed a three-star warrior and some hunters to stay behind as an insurance against another raid. Thus, Moranthal had to stay behind. Furthermore, with all those casualties they suffered after that chaotic battle, recovery potions were a must in order to save that many villagers.


    However, such potions were expensive and posed a safety problem of their own. If the person buying them didn¡¯t have a large sum of money with him, he wouldn¡¯t be able to purchase enough potions. Yet if he did, he ran the risk of being robbed. In other words, Eddison was the only logical choice here that could safely run this errand especially given his merchant background¡­


    In other words, the villagers could at most send out two three-stars along with some hunters to chase after the bandits; in this case, it was George and Io leading the expedition.


    With that much strength, there was basically no danger of them being wiped out but what if¡­their goal wasn¡¯t to wipe us out?


    ¡°Dawson¡¯s over there?¡± Even though I didn¡¯t state a direction in particular, the troop leader understood the meaning behind my words.


    ¡°The Big Chief is indeed commanding the wolves.¡± The troop leader admitted nonchalantly. Looks like he was pretty confident about capturing me seeing as he had 10 people with him. Thus, he had no qualms about revealing Dawson¡¯s ploy.


    ¡°Big Chief knew that you all would come knocking so he ordered us to put on this show for you all. Who would¡¯ve thought that you would actually be dumb enough to risk yourself for a bunch of whor*s. Even I¡¯m starting to wondering if you¡¯re really a selfish devil. How about you take off that mask so I can have a gander right now. If you¡¯re pretty enough, I might just spare your life.¡±


    ¡°¡­Dawson¡¯s after this blade isn¡¯t he?¡± I gave the blade on my back a pat. ¡°Too bad for him, I¡¯ll never hand it over. If he wants it, he can come get it himself.¡±


    ¡°Hah, you¡¯re still trying to act tough in a situation like this, Demoness?¡± To some extent, the troop leader still had enough brains to not overestimate himself and instead commanded the other bandits to act. ¡°Get her! The Big Chief has spoken, as long as we bring him the blade, everyone will be heavily rewarded. As for that for demoness, her life or death is of no concern!¡±


    ¡°KILL!¡±

 Chapter 133: Dawson Reveals Himself

    The bandits minions immediately fanned out and surrounded me, slowly closing in on me with blades pointed forward and ready. One by one, their blades swung down on me without any reservation, their aim, to kill me. Thankfully, my identity had already been exposed so there was no longer a need for me to hold back.


    The moment the bandit troop leader barked out that command, I had already begun channelling my mana into a spell. As cold steel rained down on me, a bone wall rose out of the ground beneath my feet and propelled me into the air in a burst of dust and soil. With the rising momentum and the bone wall as a stepping stone, I kicked off into the air and flipped over the bandit encirclement.


    With my body slightly curled up, I drew my enchanted straight blade mid-air and swung downwards on a bandit minion who just happened to be in my flight path, cleaving through the unfortunate minion in a ruthless chop boosted by the momentum of my fall. Straightening up my crouched posture, I turned around to face the remaining minions, their comrade¡¯s corpse crumpling to the ground behind me with a thud as I began channelling my mana once more.


    The flames roared to life in my right hand and engulfed my straight blade in an instant as I willed my mana to materialize. In less than 2 seconds, a 7 meter long whip born of the flames crackled to life and flew out towards the minions. As the flames seared through the air, it carved out a fiery line across the battlefield that scorched the air itself along its destructive path.


    Having been strengthened by the enchanted blade, the flame whip not only grew two meters longer but had its offensive power boosted significantly as well. Those unfortunate enough to stand in the way of its serpentine body instantly caught fire and in just a few moments, were burnt to a crisp. It didn¡¯t take long before the clearing was polluted with the acrid smell of burning flesh and blood.


    Perhaps they chose this clearing as it made it easier to surround their target but this bit of cleverness ended up backfiring on them. With no trees and foliage standing in way, there was naturally no need for me to hold back on my fire attacks out of fear of causing a forest fire.


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    Truthfully, the moment I discovered that my enchanted straight blade had a fire enhancement property, I immediately began formulating a new battle plan. This whip attack was definitely not something I did in the spur of the moment but was instead a tactic I had deliberated on.


    Like the fireball, the flame whip was, strictly speaking, a growth type spell which meant it grew stronger the more mana you spent on it. However, unlike the fireball, the flame whip was all about sustained control while the fireball was more about a sudden and explosive burst of power. If one was to channel a fireball for too long, it would most likely cause a magical backlash from the volatile buildup of fire elements.


    In short, the flame whip was easier to control and was perfect for such close quarters combat.


    Speaking of which, close quarter combat was the common weakness of all mages especially when fighting against an assassin who could take advantage of his weak physical defenses. Even so, this weakness wasn¡¯t enough to cancel out the sheer power magic afforded oneself.


    Mages were after all, an occupation of the nobility while warriors were merely commoners. Nowhere was this difference in power more apparent than in their range capabilities. A warrior had to close in on his opponent before he could harm him while a mage merely had to fling a spell.


    Not only that, a mage of equivalent stars was significantly more powerful than a warrior, not to mention that a mage was able to control the weather and terrain once he reached the higher stars. Thus, a mage was in every way, a more superior occupation.


    Right now was a textbook example of how a mage was stronger than a warrior. Thanks to my sword training before reincarnating as a devil, I was more of a magister now (TL reminder: warrior+mage) and had both close and long range capabilities. With my snaking flame whip, I was able to easily keep the bandits at bay with a flick of my wrist. Even in the face of their throwing knives, I was able to rely on my warrior background to nimbly avoid their projectiles.


    In just under a minute, over half of the bandits were downed by my flame whip. As the flames licked their bodies, all they could was roll around on the floor while screaming in pain. Yet no matter how much they tried, the flames simply couldn¡¯t be put out.


    Seeing their encirclement fail spectacularly, their morale swiftly plummeted. Knowing that this mustn¡¯t continue on any further or he risked losing the remaining half of his troops, the bandit troop leader finally took to the battle himself.


    ¡°Move aside you lot, I¡¯ll deal with this demoness myself¡­die devil!¡± With his long blade raised high into the air, he broke into a sprint and lunged at me. Noticing this newcomer, I immediately lashed out at him with my whip yet his furious charge wasn¡¯t one to be stopped so easily.Ignoring the coils of my whip, he broke through the fire while swinging his blade downwards at me with his all his might.


    Given my horrendously low strength which was barely able to defeat a human agility focused warrior, strength type warriors like this troop leader were clearly opponents I couldn¡¯t take head on. In fact, that thought didn¡¯t even cross my mind as I promptly back stepped while attacking once more with my flame whip. With a flick of my right wrist, I swung the flames back towards the bandit in another coiling attack.


    Naturally, the troop leader was able to react to this and immediately tried to deflect the whip with his long blade. However, the flame whip was made of pure fire energies and naturally couldn¡¯t be damaged by such physical attacks. The flames wrapped around blade, dancing around its steely edge as it wrapped its crimson tendrils around the troop leader.


    Being a strength type warrior, agility clearly wasn¡¯t his forte. At this distance, there was simply no way for him to prevent the flame whip from coiling around him.


    ¡°AHH¡­.¡± yelled the man as his body burst into flame right away. As the scorching pain tore through his body, it instantly robbed him of any ability to fight back. All he could do was roll around desperately and hope that this would put out the flames. Unfortunately for him, his minions had already tried this and that didn¡¯t work for them.


    In the end, the bandit troop leader was merely a two-star warrior and two-star warriors weren¡¯t able to wrap their bodies in Fighter¡¯s Aura like the three-stars. This meant that they basically had no defenses against magical attacks and could only soak the damage with their bodies; last I checked, humans weren¡¯t born with an innate fire resistance.


    ¡°How¡­RUN¡­¡± Seeing their leader get taken out in a move, the remaining minions immediately fled, leaving their leader to fend for himself.


    Magical attacks were the biggest weapons in a mage¡¯s arsenal so the outcome of this fight was essentially decided before it even began. Without the ability to wrap oneself in Fighter¡¯s Aura, a mage could easily dominate a warrior.


    Assuming, of course, that there was sufficient distance between the two parties and that there was enough time for the spell to fire off and hit its target¡­mhm, hitting a target is important as well¡­don¡¯t forget, most mages were basically geeks.


    With that, those that could still move, fled while those who couldn¡¯t were basically dead or crippled.


    Regarding those who fled¡­I¡¯ll leave them be for now. The most pressing matter now is to check up on the hunters. Don¡¯t tell me they were really ambushed by Dawson and his wolves¡­and what about those prostitutes? Will the wolves attack them? And why hasn¡¯t Dawson shown himself yet? Isn¡¯t his goal Shadowfang? In that case, why¡­


    ¡°Ohh, you¡¯re already done? That¡¯s pretty fast, looks like I underestimated you.¡±


    Hearing that, my head whipped around to find a cold pair of eyes staring back at me. His lips cracking into a slight grin that seemed to flaunt his control of the situation as he said, ¡°Lucky for me I decided to put in the extra effort to check up on this area otherwise I would¡¯ve missed out on this opportunity.¡±


    ¡°Dawson!¡±


    That¡¯s right, the person standing before me now was Dawson. Standing 10 meters away from me was the bandit chief clad in the same outfit as yesterday, with his signature greatsword clasped behind his back.


    Without wasting any more words, he cut straight to the point and pointed at Shadowfang: ¡°Hand that blade over to me and I might just spare your life.¡±


    ¡°You want it? Come get it.¡± I knew right away that was no reasoning with this man. From the look on his face, I knew that he recognized Shadowfang. Even if he didn¡¯t actually know of it, he definitely recognized its power which meant that even if I handed it over to him, he definitely wouldn¡¯t let me go in order to prevent this news from spreading. Seeing as it was going to lead to a fight either way, there¡¯s no point wasting time on words.


    As I said that, I preemptively cracked my whip towards him, however this was easily dodged by Dawson with a quick flash to the side. By the time I located him once more, he was already on the opposite side of where he stood. With another flick of my wrist, I sent out the whip once more in a similar attack pattern.


    Dawson was naturally able to react to this but just as he was about to dodge it, his body banged into the bone wall I had summoned beforehand. With his escape route cut off, all he could do now was take the whip head on.


    *swish*


    Got him! With the hindrance of the bone wall, the whip was able to coil itself around the bandit chief; all that¡¯s left now was to burn the man. Yet Dawson didn¡¯t seem the least bit concerned about his impending demise. Glancing nonchalantly at the whip, he let forth a thunderous shout after which a burst of Fighter¡¯s Aura exploded from his body and tore apart the fiery bindings in an instant.


    Was this the power of his aura? Terrifying¡­


    Strictly speaking, the strength of the flame whip lied in its ability to deal continuous damage, the whip strike itself didn¡¯t do much instantaneous damage so it was particularly vulnerable to instantaneous abilities. Naturally, I knew of this weakness as well when I struck Dawson with my whip¡­it¡¯s just that I didn¡¯t expect his aura to dispel my whip¡¯s binding so easily¡­maybe he¡¯s just a unique case, mhm.


    Damn it, if only my flame wall could be erected instantly as well¡­I guess there¡¯s no ifs in life huh¡­the whole point I favored my bone walls was because they could be cast instantly in the first place while the flame wall had a short casting phase.


    With the flame whip taken care of, he immediately pounced on me with a lightning fast speed that barely gave me enough time to dodge let alone chant another spell. Focusing my will, I swiftly erected a bone wall to block the bandit but this was promptly destroyed by Dawson¡¯s charge. To the three-star bandit, these quick-cast bone walls which barely had any mana infused in them were nothing but a bunch of paper walls.


    Damn, here he comes again! I rapidly took a few steps back. In terms of melee combat, there was no way I¡¯m a match for him; he might even be able to kill me off in one move. Unfortunately for me, my retreat barely accomplished anything seeing as his speed was faster than mine in the first place. As I watched his looming figure close in on me, the only option left was to activate my Shadow Guardian, hopefully it will be able to restrain him for a moment.


    The shadowy skill activated with a mere thought and rapidly elongated itself in a strange manner as it shot out towards the approaching bandit. As its attacks came from the ground, its stealth factor was rather high. Dawson was completely clueless about the origins of this strange black attack even after he was hit but the¡­it¡¯s not like he needed to know either.


    With a burst of Fighter¡¯s Aura, he swiftly dispelled the attack.


    Damn it all, the level difference means that my Shadow Guardian is worthless as well!


    Thankfully, it was still able to buy me some time. With the straight blade in hand, I used it as an interim magical staff and boosted my casting speed to swiftly erect a flame wall right in the path of his charge.


    However, this fiery obstacle didn¡¯t even cause the fearsome man to bat an eye as he plunged straight into it with his aura clad body. It didn¡¯t take long before he charged through the wall and appeared right before me with greatsword poised for a deadly hack!


    Not daring to face that attack head on, I had no choice but to perform an emergency tumble to the side. As I scrambled to my feet several meters away, I unsheathed the straight blade and drew Shadowfang as fast as I could.


    With both my hands clasped tightly on its hilt, I broke into a running charge and stabbed at the bandit.


    ¡°So you¡¯ve finally pulled her out.¡± Seeing me reach for the epic-grade blade, he didn¡¯t make a move to stop me. In fact, he seemed excited as he declared: ¡°This is fine as well. Before I attain her, let me have a look at her prowess!¡±


    As those words left his mouth, the epic-grade blade pierced through the gigantic sword in his hands like tofu¡­without a shred of doubt, his weapon had been destroyed by Shadowfang.


    Thanks to his inhuman reflexes however, Dawson managed to retreat a step right as the metallic blade gave way and thus narrowly avoided being skewered.

 Chapter 134: An Unexpected Developmen

    ¡°Hahahaha, you were actually able to destroy my weapon in one blow, as expected of that legendary blade¡­¡± He tossed aside the broken chunk of metal and nonchalantly entered a barehanded stance. With a provocative wiggle of his fingers, he instead taunted me, all the while wearing a crazed look on his face: ¡°Even without my weapon, you¡¯re still no match for me. Come, I¡¯ll make you understand the difference between me and you.¡±


    I¡¯m the one who should be teaching you the power of Shadowfang! To think you dared to take me on barehanded and even wanted me to attack first¡­how much of a reckless idiot can you be?!


    Shadowfang, just from the name alone, you could tell that this blade was probably of the darkness element. When I used the straight blade as a staff, it enhanced my fire magic so did that mean that my darkness magic will be enhanced when I wield Shadowfang?


    Well, I¡¯ll know soon enough.


    Focusing my will onto my shadow, I instantly activated the Shadow Guardian once more. Having experienced its attack once before, Dawson naturally noticed the shadowy tendrils snaking across the ground towards him but instead of dodging it, he arrogantly allowed it to wrap around im.


    In a split second, the shadowy snake zipped around his body and coiled several times around him, binding him tightly. Under normal circumstances, its binding prowess was able to contain a two-star devil. As for a three-star warrior, that was clearly not possible. However what if Shadowfang¡¯s effect was added onto it?


    As reality soon proved, my assumption was right. While the shadow didn¡¯t undergo any visible changes, Shadowfang had indeed boosted its power. Dawson had already tried a couple of times to break free but failed to do so.


    Logically speaking, if Shadowfang hadn¡¯t boosted the spell, he would¡¯ve broken free already so clearly it had an effect on the Shadow Guardian.


    ¡°So this is your shadow? Interesting¡­HRRGH YIELD BEFORE ME!¡± With a thunderous yell, he stimulated the Fighter¡¯s Aura in his body and broke through the shadowy tendrils in an instant. Without wasting a second, he broke into a furious charge and hammered his fist down on me with a running leap at the end.


    I immediately faced the edge of Shadowfang towards the incoming blow; in a headon clash, Shadowfang should be able to cleave his fist apart.


    Yet how could a fight with Dawson end so easily? Right at the very last second, he withdrew his fist and with a twist of his body, flashed to the side and gave me a quick but heavy jab on my shoulder.


    With his speed, that jab was one that I couldn¡¯t dodge at all and like a lone boat in a roiling sea, the punch sent me tumbling head over heels for quite a distance before I finally stopped


    As a result of his heavy punch and the subsequent crash, I was severely winded for a while. My mouth opened to let forth a cry but nothing issued forth from my throat. Next to my neck, I could feel a throbbing pain in my shoulder which could barely lift up my arm now.


    So this is the power of a three-star¡­even with an epic-grade weapon protecting me, I¡¯m still no match for him.


    ¡°The blade is a good blade, too bad you aren¡¯t worthy of it.¡±


    Thanks to that punch, I was knocked a substantial distance away from Shadowfang. Being unable to stand up for the moment, all I could do was watch from my prone position as he strode towards Shadowfang. A wave of anxiety hit me as I desperately willed my body to move but no matter how much I tried, it wouldn¡¯t listen to me. That punch was simply too powerful; I couldn¡¯t even crawl over let alone stand up.


    It¡¯s over¡­he¡¯s bending down to pick it up¡­


    ¡°This blade¡­¡±


    Just as he was about to start trash talking again, he suddenly paused. A second ago, just as he bent down to pick up the fallen blade, just as his quivering finger was about to make contact with the blade, it suddenly moved?


    Hmm, it really moved. It¡¯s the Grimoire of the Dead! I don¡¯t know when you flew out of my pocket but good job! You¡¯re normally such a rascal but who would¡¯ve thought that you were actually so dependable when it really counted! That¡¯s right, keep tugging on that chain, pull it away and don¡¯t let that bandit touch my Shadowfang!


    Seeing a strange book suddenly deny him of his greatest desire, I bet his heart must¡¯ve felt like bursting apart right this instant. As he stared at the fluttering book, his eyes were practically fuming out of their sockets.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare make fun of me! I¡¯m a warrior who is about to advance into four-stars!¡± His arms flailed wildly about as he furiously jumped into the air and tried to catch the grimoire. It was as if I was watching an agitated hound trying to bite at its offender.


    Unfortunately for the bandit, the grimoire was able to easily evade his arms. As the anger overtook him, he began cursing nonsensically, ¡°ARGH! I dare you to come down and face me. IF you have the balls to do so!¡±


    Of course it doesn¡¯t have any balls¡­


    So he¡¯s about to become a four-star¡­that explains his overpowering strength. But just look at you now¡­jumping about like a madman while ranting at a book¡­by the way, why does it seem like you¡¯ve become dimmer?


    With Shadowfang as a bait, it began leading the bandit around by his nose as it flew around in circles. Thankfully, a defeated foe like me wasn¡¯t worth his attention so I ended up gaining time to recover my strength.


    It was times like this that I¡¯m thankful for being a devil. Their constitutions were truly hardy; just moments ago, I was writhing in pain and now I was already on the verge of recovering.


    So¡­what should I do now? The grimoire is currently keeping him busy but it can¡¯t stray too far from my side. Furthermore, Dawson seems a little off right now.


    If that plan to capture the villagers and use them as hostages was his idea, then even if this man didn¡¯t have an impressive foresight and intelligence, he was at least an ingenious schemer. So why was a man like him losing his cool over a blade? Was the appearance of this blade that much of a shock to him? Or was there some other reason for his sudden stupidity?


    Damn¡­I didn¡¯t expect this fellow to be so strong. Looks like the best plan right now is to stall for time and wait for George and the others to arrive. But exactly how many wolves were attacking them right now? What was their current status? Were they overwhelmed by the sheer number of wolves?


    There were simply too many questions and uncertain factors yelling at me to rely on myself instead of praying that someone else would come to my rescue. Then that raises the question of what could I even do? Rather, what other trump cards did I have that could defeat Dawson?


    My strongest trump card, Shadowfang, was already defeated so easily so what¡¯s left for me right now? The grimoire¡¯s ability to move had its limits after all, seeing as it relied on souls to fuel it. While it had a degree of mobility, it would start to slow down as time passed.


    Wait, if Dawson were to successfully attain that blade¡­would I die? Or would I be captured? Shi*, what if someone were to do that and that to me¡­wait, I¡¯m a man, why am I worrying about


    such stuff¡­ahhh, now¡¯s not the time for this!!!


    ¡°Yo, all this one did was take a slight nap and this one awakes to find you just as dishevelled as before.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± The sudden appearance of that frivolous voice startled the unprepared me back to reality. I wildly whipped my head around trying to find anything suspicious nearby.


    ¡°Haha, little brother is just as interesting as ever. Every time this one sees you, you¡¯re always in a prone position. Must be pretty hard¡­expending so much effort just to cheer this one up. Just looking at you makes this one want to laugh.¡±


    Found it. That mature female voice was communicating directly to my mind. Which means, even if I wanted to shut her out, I couldn¡¯t do so.


    ¡°Who¡¯s that? Who is that in my head?¡±


    ¡°Oh, little brother sure reacted fast. You actually found this one so fast although technically, this one isn¡¯t in your head but is in your heart. Also, is it really that important who this one is?¡±


    HUH?! Some stranger just popped into my head without my knowledge, of course it¡¯s important!


    ¡°Oh, this one isn¡¯t a stranger you know. This is the second time this one has come into contact with you.¡±


    Second time? And I definitely didn¡¯t say a word yet this voice was able to discern my thoughts¡­ she mentioned ¡°nap¡± and second contact¡­so, this fellow had been in my body all this while?


    ¡°Hey, this one has a name, enough with the she this, fellow that, how rude.¡±


    Ahhh, you¡¯re driving me crazy right now. You actually still have the mood to nitpick on such piddling things. Fine, fine, you have a name right? So what is it? And how did you end up in my head?


    ¡°Hmmm? Now isn¡¯t exactly the time for idle chatter. Little brother seems to be in big trouble right now so how about this sister give you a helping hand?¡±


    Hey hey hey, what¡¯s with the sudden topic change and what do you mean help? How are you going to help me?


    ¡°This is how.¡±


    Only allowed on Creativenovels.com


    As she said that, my body suddenly began heating up¡­this is¡­the beginning of an evolution?!


    How long has it been since I evolved? I don¡¯t even remember anymore, either way it¡¯s a really long time. (Author: About one to two hundred thousand characters ago. That¡¯s not too long.)


    The most primitive devil was born as a zero-star small imp after which they evolved into a large imp and grew bigger. Once they evolved into a head imp, their foreheads would sprout a devil horn. When they evolved into three-star, they would grow a corresponding devil tail. The me right now belonged to the tail-growing stage.


    My body grew taller while my ears started narrowing into a point similar to an elf¡¯s ear. While all that was happening, I felt a tingly feeling in my tailbone as if it was growing¡­rather, it was actually growing!


    As I noticed that growing sensation, a thin tail rapidly sprouted from my stub of a tailbone. It was a traditional tail alright, long and slender like the other demon childs but unlike theirs which was shaped like a triangle at the end, mine had an inverted heart at the end. The very traditional kind. The type you used to represent love.


    Just as I thought the evolution was over, my body underwent another change. Right after my tail grew out, a scale-like tattoo began appearing all over my body, from the fingertips of my left hand all the way up to the shoulder, neck and even my face, stopping just below my left eye. What¡¯s even stranger was that even though I wasn¡¯t looking at a mirror right now, I could clearly feel and even ¡°see¡± the changes happening to my entire body.


    Even though my face was now filled with a bunch of strange tattoos, they weren¡¯t ugly in the least bit but rather had a sort of unknown charm to them. It was as if one would become intoxicated by it after staring at it for while.


    This¡­exactly what¡¯s going on? Just as that question fleeted across my mind, the female voice in my head chimed in with an answer.


    ¡°Oh my, the original sin of Envy chose such a moment to surface. This one has really sinned haha, to think that this one has been suppressing your original sin¡¯s blessing all this while.¡±


    Your mouth might be apologizing but you don¡¯t seem the least be remorseful about it at all. In fact, why does it seem like you are pretty happy about this. I say, do you even intend to apologize at all?


    ¡°This one has already apologized, what else does little brother want? Sex? Well, this one doesn¡¯t mind but this one doesn¡¯t have a body right now. Plus, this one already has a person she loves so sex is out of the question.¡±


    What the heck¡­what¡¯s going on here! This brother is still a virgin and he doesn¡¯t plan on giving it up for anyone other than Nicole!

 Chapter 135: Transformation

    Werewolves the unexpected side product of Nightblade¡¯s rampage. Normally, they would spend their time in human form and only transform during the night. This transformation couldn¡¯t be done whenever they wanted to but could only happen at night and was best done under the moonlight.


    Werewolves who had less control over their bodies would begin to lose their rationality during this transformation, turning into a monster like Nightblade who only brought destruction. As time passed, the werewolves slowly learnt to control their emotions thus allowing them to stave off the frenzy even when they transformed. Of course, this wasn¡¯t effective all the time.


    The full moon was a notable exception. In Nightblade¡¯s eyes, the full moon was the period in which he was closest to the Moon Goddess thus he used this moment to vent his anger as a way of reminding the Moon Goddess of his existence. This irrational emotion ended up infecting the newer born werewolves who were thus forced to transform during the full moon.


    Not only that, whenever they transformed, their rationality would begin to decrease. You could also consider it as their intelligence being lowered. There were basically no werewolves who could control themselves during a full moon¡­


    ¡ªFrom <>


    ¡°What¡¯s so great about being a virgin, this one is a virgin as well!¡±


    ¡­


    I was just thinking it¡­I definitely didn¡¯t expect you to answer like that¡­wait, now¡¯s not the time for this. I should be inspecting my new powers instead and taking care of Dawson.


    The powers I gained were more complex this time around due to that unexpected mutation. Based on ¡°This One¡±¡¯s words, I seemed to have gotten some kind of blessing from the original sin of Envy which means I¡¯ve gained some new powers apart from my fire and darkness magic.


    Unfortunately, I no longer had the time to slowly analyze these changes. Because of my sudden evolution, Dawson gave up on catching the grimoire and instead turned his bloodshot eyes onto me. That¡¯s right, bloodshot. I don¡¯t know when but his eyes had turned blood red. Reflected clearly within them was a sort of beastial quality you would only see in a wild animal.


    ¡°You¡¯ve evolved?¡± He asked. However, before I could answer, he let forth a long sinister laugh, salivating profusely as he said: ¡°Ahh, you seem rather tasty right now.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Does this ¡°eat¡± refer to the more traditional form of ¡°eat¡± or the other kind of ¡°eat¡±, both maybe? And what¡¯s with that salivating? There¡¯s practically a tiny pool of drool at your feet right now. You¡¯ve got to take care of your image man, you¡¯re one of those ¡°cool guys¡± after all.


    ¡°Awooo!¡±


    Woah, my tsukkomis seemed to be working overtime this time around, they even drove the man insane.


    Dawson immediately pounced on me after that strange howl.


    Thanks to my evolution, my strength and speed had gained a significant boost, especially on the agility front which had been boosted to unprecedented heights. While Dawson¡¯s speed was still as swift as ever, I was able to handle his attacks by a comfortable margin now.


    Well, comfortable wasn¡¯t exactly true either. It¡¯s just that he had entered some sort of frenzied state which made his punches a lot more haphazard as if they were thrown by a beginner or worse. His opening motion was simply too large and the pause between each attack was so long I could comfortably dodge them while still having time to predict his next move.


    Thus, no matter how many times he tried to punch me or kick me, none of them were able to damage me. However, dodging was all I could manage as his attack speed seemed to be getting a lot faster by the second.


    Damn, that punch nearly grazed my face just now. At this rate, I¡¯m going to be the one in danger.


    By now, our dance of death had already taken us a full circle around the clearing yet there was still no end in sight. During this time, all his punches had missed me but trying to dodge them took up every bit of focus I had, leaving nothing for offense.


    Just when it felt like I was about to be overwhelmed by his relentless attacks, he suddenly stopped. His arms hung limply by his side as he leaned forward and began panting heavily, letting forth a loud gasp each time he breathed.


    ¡°Devil¡­don¡¯t you find the moon particularly beautiful today¡­¡±


    As those perplexing words left his word, his body began trembling violently. It started with his torso, his limbs and mouth elongating itself, then the hairs on his body rapidly grew out before my very eyes, taking on a greyish hue as they became thicker and longer. His ears shifted to the top of his head and tapered out to a point.


    At the end, his elongated mouth had a taken a lupine form with rows of razor sharp teeth¡­this¡­I¡¯ve seen this before¡­it¡¯s just like Habona¡¯s demonic werewolf form¡­Dawson is a¡­a werewolf?!


    That¡¯s right! It all made sense now. Not only did he possess the ability to train wolves, he even knew of Shadowfang which originated from the Prison of the Dead and used to belong to Habona¡­no wait, Shadowfang¡¯s original owner was Habona¡¯s mother who she mentioned was a werewolf¡­


    Those fur stitched into the bandit¡¯s clothes¡­those were probably shaved off his own body!


    I lifted my head and stared at the rising moon. It was a full moon¡­


    According to legends, werewolves were forcibly transformed during the full moon due to a curse from their ancestor, Nightblade. This curse was also the source of their fearsome strength. During this period, their emotions would go berserk and slowly affect their mental state. Some signs included: their actions becoming simpler, more violent and their rationality would start to disappear. I heard there were even some werewolves who couldn¡¯t remember what they did during a full moon!


    Back when Eddison mentioned that Dawson had once killed a four-star warrior, we all began guessing that he might have advanced into the next tier. Yet during the battle at Plateau Village, his performance seemed a bit lacking.


    Yes, he managed to suppress George but only by a margin. He seemed a lot weaker than the four-star we were expecting. So, this was the reason why¡­


    A werewolf¡¯s transformation gave it frightening strength and speed along with a monstrous regeneration ability. Seeing as he was at the peak of three-stars to begin with, it was only natural that his werewolf form could take on and kill a four-star warrior.


    So that¡¯s why he seemed a little dim tonight¡­he was on the verge of transforming!


    ¡°Do you know why I chose to steal Shadowfang today¡­it¡¯s because today¡¯s full moon would give me boundless strength!¡±


    That was the last lucid statement issued by Dawson. As those words left his fanged mouth, he completed his transformation into a werewolf. A werewolf covered from head to toe in gray fur and stood at a towering 2.5 meter. By now, the leather armor he wore had already been forcefully torn apart by his expanded body.


    As his bulging chest heaved with each heavy breath, a terrifying growl could be heard echoing in the silent night, a growl so frightening it could terrify a weak-willed opponent into submission¡­so this was a werewolf!


    This immediately reminded me of Habona and the way she tore through the horde of harpies like a terrifying juggernaut, bathing in their blood with each cleave while wearing a chilling smile on her face. It was as if a demon god had descended.


    ¡°Stand your ground, you have nothing to fear from this werewolf. Against a dimwit like him, all you have to remember is this: ¡°Hold firm and kick his as*!¡±


    That timely reminder did the trick, bringing me back to my senses and preventing a potential terror-induced retreat.


    Got it, but can I really win against that monster?


    ¡°You can, believe in this one. Come, let this one teach you a new move. First stare directly into his eyes¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Into those eyes? I guess I don¡¯t have any other choice but to believe in ¡°This One¡±, do I? His speed was leagues above mine so escaping wasn¡¯t even an option, all I could do now was pray¡­assuming the Goddess of Light didn¡¯t mind that I was a devil.


    Turning towards that bloodthirsty gaze, I forcefully suppressed the terror in me as I locked onto his bloodshot eyes, all the while ignoring the part of me that screamed for me to run.


    ¡°Very good, now you¡¯d better calm yourself down. Imagine a terrifying monster, the scariest monster you can think of and make it quick. Then focus your will and channel your mana into that thought.¡±


    Screw that, what¡¯s with all the steps and how do you expect me to calm down in this situation?! And what do you mean by channelling my mana into that thought? Fine fine, I¡¯ll do as you say¡­only because I want to live.


    ¡°Awooo!~~~¡±


    Howling at the moon. That was the one thing every werewolf had to do after transforming. It was because of this habit that I was able to follow ¡°This One¡±¡¯s instructions. I would¡¯ve probably been ripped to shreds if not for that particular quirk.


    The scariest monster I could think of huh? Alright, if you¡¯ll pardon my lack of imagination¡­the scariest thing I could think of now was¡­a dragon of course, an eastern dragon!


    A cow¡¯s head, a scaled mouth, antler horns, long whiskers, fish scales, a snake¡¯s body and a pair of eagle claws¡­bigger, as huge as possible, vast enough to cover the heavens. That was the eastern, five-clawed, golden-scaled dragon that came to my mind.


    ¡°That¡¯s a ¡°dragon¡±? Why is it different from the dragon in this one¡¯s memories? There¡¯s no wings so how does it even fly? Forget it, at least it looks stronger than those lizards. We¡¯ll go with that then. Now, focus your will into his eyes and picture¡­picture that ¡°dragon¡± chasing after him.¡±


    Only allowed on Creativenovels.com


    As I narrowed my eyes and began focusing on his, he had just finished his howling and proceeded to charge at me. With his hands and feet to the ground, he crouched down and kicked off with his muscular hind legs, his arms pushing him forward as he shot through the air in a beastial posture.


    As his murderous gaze stared unblinkingly at me, we locked eyes¡­


    I still didn¡¯t get what she meant by ¡°channel your mana into that thought¡± but at the very least, it seemed my body did. As that command flashed through my head, the magical energies in my body naturally condensed around that image. This motion came as naturally to me as breathing, like it was an innate part of me.


    By now, the meat tank was less than ten paces away from me at which point, his seemingly unstoppable charge suddenly came to an abrupt halt. He turned to the side and whimpered weakly into the empty space before him.


    Yup, that was unmistakably a whimper.


    What wild animals were known for weren¡¯t their ferocity but rather their honed instincts that allowed them to detect danger and the strength of their opponents. Simply put, preying on the weak and avoiding the strong was their basic nature. This was especially so for animals living in the untamed wilds. Without this ability, they wouldn¡¯t even be able to survive.


    Right at this very moment, a fearsome golden dragon that blotted out the sky was glaring right at the whimpering wolfman. Beside it, the winds howled and the skies raged with thunder and lightning.


    A bolt crashed into the ground beside his furry paws with a deafening crack, startling the werewolf. He was afraid. Right through to the deepest recesses of his heart, he was afraid. Dawson began quaking where he stood as his whimpering grew even weaker and shakier.


    ¡°The original sin, Envy, clan name, Leviathan. Each and every one of their members are born with a gift for illusions. Their complete form is a seven-star Greater Illusion Demon.¡±


    ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought that this one would end up absorbing so much of your energy while she slept and who would¡¯ve thought that returning some of this energy would cause this unexpected awakening of your second original sin¡­a devil with two original sins¡­that¡¯s a rarity even in the infinitely long history of hell. Who knows, you might just be some sort of gifted genius.¡±


    Illusions¡­so you¡¯re saying that Dawson was in the midst of a terrifying illusory world and couldn¡¯t free himself from it?


    ¡°That¡¯s right, because his transformation wiped out all of his intelligence and rationality, the success rate of your illusions had been boosted to an unimaginable level. Under normal circumstances, there¡¯s no way a newbie like you could deceive him.¡±


    Then how powerful can my illusions be?


    ¡°Once you¡¯ve advanced to a high enough level, you can kill off an army directly with your illusions. Unfortunately, you still don¡¯t have that ability so the task of killing this werewolf still has to be done by you. This one has no body after all.¡±


    Finish him off, got it.

 Chapter 136: Piercing Shadow

    Werewolves and the Blood Clan (vampires) were both creatures of darkness but were sworn enemies.


    The enmity between the two races went all the way back to the era of the Blood Clan¡¯s first ancestor, Cain.


    Bloodkin weren¡¯t able to act during the day as they were afraid of the sun. Thus, the easiest way to kill them was to find their nests during the day and finish them off. Because of their sensitivity to sunlight, the Bloodkin were basically comatose during the day. Even being staked in the heart or burntwasn¡¯t enough to wake them up; they would simply pass away in their dreams. In order to prevent the humans from using such despicable methods on them, Cain came up with a plan and that was to use the werewolves.


    During the day, werewolves basically spent their time as humans. Only during the night were they able to transform. However, there were exceptions to this rule, a select few werewolves were able to control their bloodlines to the extent where they were able to transform at will through some sort of medium. These elites could be said to be the pinnacle of the werewolf species and were worshipped by others.


    The pursuit of strength was a basic instinct of the werewolves, in fact, this was something they were more than willing to risk their lives for. To them, this was a pursuit they were more than happy to toil tirelessly for. Noticing this point, Cain promised these power hungry werewolves what they desired in exchange for loyalty towards him and his childes.


    Those who were willing to swear fealty to the Blood Clan underwent a mysterious ritual.


    It was an extremely secretive ritual that had been kept under wraps even till this day. All we know so far is that werewolves who underwent this ritual could transform into their wolf form at will and even maintain their lucidity.


    With the addition of more and more werewolves into the Blood Clan, the bloodkin gained the protection they wanted during the day. As for these bodyguards, they craved power and for that power, they paid the price of freedom by becoming the servants of the bloodkin. From the moment they joined the Blood Clan, they lost the pride of a werewolf and thus discarded their identity in the process. They were no longer werewolves but were instead a new lifeform¡ªLycans.


    ¡ª-From<>


    Since this was the first illusion I had ever casted, I couldn¡¯t even be sure when he would wake up so time was of the essence here.


    It was then that the Grimoire of the Dead came flying back to my side; it had probably noticed that the bandit was now under my illusion. With it, came Shadowfang which was still attached to the floating grimoire by a bone chain. I swiftly caught the dangling blade flying towards me and activated my Shadow Guardian.


    In order to prevent any unforeseen problems, I maintained a distance of five meters while I summoned the shadowy minion. Same as always, the shadowy tendrils snaked towards the hysterical bandit and coiled itself around him. Feeling the bindings around him, Dawson struggled to break free but compared to his previous attempts, it was clearly lacking in power and naturally failed.


    That eastern dragon was probably still working its magic on him and suppressing his power.


    In his mind, the shadow guardian was probably the claw of the eastern dragon. Faced against such an overpowering opponent, all resistance was futile so he simply gave into despair and waited to be torn into shreds.


    In that case, now¡¯s the time to strike while he¡¯s still occupied in that illusory world. Yet just as I moved to slice him apart, I accidentally activated a skill which I had never used before.


    As the murderous intent flashed across my mind, the shadow guardian stirred. With a sickening pierce, spikes grew out of the shadowy tendril wrapped around the wolfman, perforating the bandit before I could even react and turning him into a strange looking sea urchin.


    That¡¯s my new skill? Seems pretty strong¡­I guess that means he¡¯s dead?


    *shiver* Chills my spine just imagining those spikes penetrating his entire body.


    Ah¡­what¡¯s with this slight sensation of weakness? Was it that restraining spell I used just now? I must¡¯ve used too much mana¡­I need to replenish it¡­then¡­so dark¡­


    Thus, I fainted without even realizing it.


    Right now, I was lying in a not so soft wooden bed. Looking around, I was probably in some female human¡¯s room.


    What happened to the grimoire and Shadowfang?


    Eyes wide open, I jerked my head around and searched the surroundings frantically. Fortunately, it didn¡¯t take long for me to notice the grimoire silently lying on top of a counter beside my bed. As for Shadowfang, it was leaning against the wall in the corner of the room.


    ¡°Yo, seems like you¡¯re awake.¡±


    That rude greeting and sudden appearance in my head¡­it¡¯s ¡°This One¡± isn¡¯t it¡­so that wasn¡¯t all a dream¡­


    ¡°Hey, this one has a proper name, stop calling this one this one all the time. Don¡¯t think that I can¡¯t hear you just because you didn¡¯t say a word. This one isn¡¯t rude, this one was just too bored.¡±


    Ah, fine fine fine, by the way, can you keep it down for a second, all that ruckus right when I wake up is causing me a headache.


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s with that impatient attitude! A beautiful, noble, elegant, charming, (insert a million more adjectives here) female like this one doesn¡¯t deserve such impudence! The nerve, how rude!¡±


    Heavens, putting aside whether any of that nonsense about being noble, elegant or charming was true, shouldn¡¯t you show me a picture before you spout all that nonsense!


    ¡°¡­this one¡¯s body has already died don¡¯cha know, all this one can do is talk to you in this manner, don¡¯t you understand how difficult that is¡­¡±


    Seems like I stepped on a landmine there¡­sigh, not having a body does seem rather pitiful, I guess I¡¯ll comfort ¡°This One¡± a little.


    ¡°Hehe, this one doesn¡¯t need you to comfort her, but aren¡¯t you just precious. You¡¯re actually concerned about me, this one is so happy!¡±


    Ah¡­I forgot¡­this fellow can hear everything I think. Wait, doesn¡¯t that mean I have no privacy whatsoever!?


    ¡°Hahaha, that¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. No matter what you¡¯re thinking of, this one can see it. Which reminds me, Little Brother, you¡¯d better not lust after this one or else¡­*sinister laughter*¡±


    Hey, cut it out with the teasing, are you trying to start something here! Also, there¡¯s no way I¡¯ll lust after a woman whose appearance I don¡¯t even know of! If I¡¯m going to fantasize about anyone, that will be Nicole, who needs some shady character like you!


    ¡°Nicole, who¡¯s Nicole?¡±


    Only allowed on Creativenovels.com


    At that, my mind brought up an image of Nicole¡¯s lovely face and her braided twin ponytails.


    ¡°Whew, so it¡¯s a little beauty. Little Brother, you have good tastes, to think you managed to find such a beautiful girl.¡±


    That¡­Nicole¡¯s the cutest of them all!


    ¡°Hmph, she¡¯s still lacking compared to this one though.¡±


    Impossible, Nicole¡¯s the cutest!


    ¡°This one isn¡¯t going to compete in cuteness, if this one wants to compete, this one will compete somewhere else.¡±


    Is there even a need to compete? It¡¯s not like I can even see you.


    ¡°Hmph, then this one will let you have a look at her true appearance. Dun dun dun¡­¡±


    As that ¡°dun dun dun¡± resounded in my head, an image of a tall, slender lust demon entered my brain. She wore a fiery red dress that hugged her entirely body and covered every bit of exposed flesh except for her palms. Despite that, she exuded a seductive aura. As for her face, it wouldn¡¯t be an understatement to say that the word beautiful existed just to describe her.


    Her red skin didn¡¯t seem at all repulsive to me even though my sense of beauty remained that of a human¡¯s. It was as if that red hue was just the right color for her. Her long purple hair was tied into a bun behind her head revealing a pair of long sharp ears. On her forehead was a pair of devil horns that curved into a semicircle before tapering off to the back and pointing downwards like a queen¡¯s tiara.


    Such a ruinous beauty¡­plus she had even that aura of a queen. If she wore a pair of high heels, I bet there would be a lot of fools who would gladly let her step on them!


    That¡¯s what you look like??


    Unbelievable, I had to admit, ¡°This One¡± was really better than¡­NO, Nicole is the best! LOLI SAIKOU! (TL: Means supreme and this was what the author wrote.)


    ¡°Hahahaha, Little Brother has the most amusing expressions¡­hahahaha¡­¡± The image in my head doubled over in laughter, any semblance of a queen gone with the wind as laughed uncontrollably.


    Alright, alright, how about telling me your name. Calling you ¡°This One¡± all the time isn¡¯t a solution either. And, I guess it was pretty rude of me to do so.


    ¡°Mhm, listen very carefully, this one¡¯s name is Ferti¡¯nier.¡±


    Ferti¡¯nier huh, nice name but I¡¯ve never heard of it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve never heard of this one? It¡¯s only been over ten thousand years and this one¡¯s existence has already weakened to this extent?¡±


    Ah, were you famous back in the days?


    ¡°You could say that, this one almost managed to forge her divinity and become a demon god.¡±


    Demon God! That overpowered?!


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right, you may worship me now.¡±


    There¡¯s no way I¡¯m doing that, by the way, do you know why I fainted?


    ¡°Mana exhaustion of course, the cost of casting that Piercing Shadow varies depending on the opponent¡¯s strength relative to yours and the distance between you and him. Given the vast difference in strength and that you were even five meters away from him, managing to kill him was already an excellent result.¡±


    Is that so, then isn¡¯t this skill kind of useless then? Won¡¯t I just faint each time I cast it?


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s normal to lose control over the spell¡¯s strength during your first try, cast it a few more times and I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get the hang of it.¡±


    Oh, got it.


    In the midst of our conversation, the door swung after which entered a tiptoeing Ancarin who tried her best to be as silent as possible in order not to disturb my rest. The moment she stepped into the room, she spotted me sitting on top of the bed with a blank look on my face. Her beautiful but worried face immediately broke into a happy and surprised smile: ¡°Master, you¡¯re awake!¡±


    Come to think of it, when did she start calling me Master?


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    (IMPORTANT NOTE: TL:


    Near the start of the arc, I used the words Your Excellency instead of Master but I changed it to Master later on as I felt it sounded better and the meanings were pretty much the same. Both expressed respect and an elevated position so I didn¡¯t pay much attention to the change of words used by the author.


    This change happened in Chapter 121 (Excellency) and Chapter 122 (Master). It¡¯s not strange to address someone as Master XXXX as a form of respect and subservience without necessarily being in a master/servant relationship. This led to a decision which has now come back to bite me in the butt¡­


    Long story short, any use of Master by Ancarin/Regine before chapter 121 means Your Excellency and anything after refers to Master. Sorry about that unexpectedly bad decision. )


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    ¡°I just woke up.¡± I replied blandly and promptly voiced the biggest concern in my head right now: ¡°Hm, is the battle over?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s over, and was that werewolf¡­Dawson?¡± She followed that question up with a brief explanation of what happened after I fainted.


    Apparently, not long after I fainted, George and the others rushed to the scene to find me unconscious. Perhaps it was because of Dawson¡¯s death but for some reason, the wolves suddenly lost their will to fight and scattered to the winds. Following the tracks left behind by the bandits, George and the hunters swiftly found my mana exhausted body.


    Also, it seemed like Dioh had eagerly volunteered to carry me back to the village but¡­since they had always thought of me as a female, they ended up getting a female hunter to carry me back¡­seems like this room belonged to that female hunter.


    At the same time, George captured a few bandits who sneaked back to watch the fight and interrogated them. It was from their testimonies that he learnt that Dawson had turned into a werewolf¡­


    All in all, the death of Dawson meant that the biggest problem plaguing the four villages was now gone. With that, I should be able to search for Nicole without any worries.


    However, this mana exhaustion had left my entire body feeling a little under the weather and limp. I think I¡¯ll spend another day here and get a good rest instead¡­the road ahead is sure to be a bumpy one full of unknowns; not being in my peak condition might pose some problems down the road.

 Chapter 137: The Long Awaited…Village Departure!

    Originally, I intended to take a walk outside but in the end¡­that was interrupted by a visit from dumb and dumber, Dioh and Moranthal. I already told them that I¡¯m a man so why must I still be courted by a couple of man¡­blergh¡­disgusting!


    Well, at least their antics are amusing. However, their mutual backstabbing came to an icy end the moment the conversation drifted to a certain thorny subject.


    How should I say it¡­apparently, they found Moranthal¡¯s former fiancee. Mhm, that woman, the one who chose to follow Dawson, apparently she followed the hunters back to the village as well. Dawson had hidden her in a secret room which they only found after a second search.


    Having made her appearance once more, Elona was now a pregnant woman and thus lost some of her shapely figure though she now had the mature aura of a married woman. Elona¡¯s appearance came as a huge blow to Moranthal. No one had expected her to be alive after being brought away by Dawson and yet she did¡­


    Moranthal had kept the details of her departure a closely guarded secret so most people had assumed that she was kidnapped by Dawson. If we hadn¡¯t heard the truth from the horse¡¯s mouth itself, even we would¡¯ve thought so. After all, who would believe that a villager would willing leave with Dawson?


    Under the assumption that she was ¡°one of them¡±, the hunters brought her away. Naturally, she didn¡¯t object to this either. With the death of Dawson, she had lost her backing and thus offered no resistance, instead pretending to be a victim as they ¡°rescued¡± her.


    However, Moranthal had no intention of reuniting with this woman and Elona didn¡¯t seem to want to rely on Moranthal either. The pair went on their separate ways and unless something unexpected were to happen, they would probably have nothing to do with each other from now on.


    Having little time to waste, I left the two potatoes to their arguing and hid in my room while checking out my new abilities.


    Activating Piercing Shadow required my Shadow Guardian to be active first. Given the utility of those spikes, it was an extremely practical spell that could not only function as a restraining spell but also as a offensive and defensive spell.


    The next power I gained from my evolution was the Nether Flames. Three-star devils were known as demon childs and had the ability to control flames at a beginner¡¯s level. As I possessed the ability to control flames and darkness beforehand, my fire spells evolved along with my advancement, turning into Nether Flames. For example, my Flame Whip was now made of blackish-red flames and was several times more deadly than before.


    Of course, all these came at a price as well: the mana cost of my Nether Flame Whip was ridiculously high compared to before. My other flame spells had experienced a similar evolution as well.


    Next was my newfound ability to control illusions. In a sense, this ability reminded me of the genjutsu in <>. It was practically an invisible way of murdering people. According to Ferti¡¯nier,once my illusions were of a high enough level, I could even simultaneously dominate a large amount of enemies and force them to commit suicide.


    Finally, it¡¯s time to talk about the Grimoire of the Dead. This lovable yet detestable little scamp had become significantly more obedient recently and even came to my aid of its own accord. The whole reason I was able to evolve was because it bought me time by stalling Dawson during that dangerous situation. In a sense, it was my benefactor.


    This mysterious book would grant me reading privileges according to my level; the more powerful I got, the more pages I could access. This evolution brought me several new necromantic spells and while necromancy wasn¡¯t exactly my forte, learning more skills never killed anyone. Who knows, they might just come in handy one day.


    The new undead I could summon were all¡­old friends: the skeletal horseman and the skeletal javelineer. Also, I gained access to a weakening curse.


    It goes without saying that the horsemen and javelineers were rather decent summons, as for that curse, it had the ability to lower one¡¯s physical attributes. Truly, a detestable spell.


    Lowering one¡¯s physical abilities¡­that entails applying a malaise on one¡¯s constitution, strength, agility and other similar physical properties. To some extent, this curse affected one¡¯s psyche as well. If a newbie mage were to be cursed by this spell, he or she might actually end up so befuddled that he or she might forget to cast a spell.


    Naturally, this was a rare case and shouldn¡¯t be treated as the norm.


    In order to celebrate the destruction of the Wolf¡¯s Fang Bandit Troupe, the villagers of all four villages hosted a lively bonfire celebration which nearly everyone participated in. Even those who had recently lost a family member put aside their grief and took part in the revelries.


    Only a small portion of rather unique individuals didn¡¯t attend the banquet. However, compared to the number of villagers who did, the absentees were inconsequentially small.


    Of those who didn¡¯t participate, the most noteworthy people were the prostitutes who we rescued from the bandits. These women had suffered a severe blow to their psyche and mending that wound was extremely difficult.


    While time was a quack who could cure a thousand illnesses, being a quack meant that its treatment left a variety of lasting problems like how were they to survive from now on.


    I¡¯m afraid it will be difficult for these women to ever find a man that didn¡¯t mind their past, but¡­forget it, I¡¯m not some kind of messiah, I can¡¯t help them anymore than I did already. Although, if it was just a matter of money, I could fix that.


    Because I was the one who killed Dawson and had also contributed greatly to the bandit extermination, the villagers gave me a sizeable portion of the loot they recovered from the bastille. Not only did they return the 5000 gold coins I loaned to Eddison, they even gave me another 10000 gold coins which I promptly instructed Ancarin to divvy up between these pitiful women. Hopefully, they¡¯ll be able to lead a better life.


    As for the girls who were originally from Plateau Village, I imagine they would probably stay behind.


    Regardless of what choice they make, I won¡¯t interfere in their lives nor could I seeing as I had already left the village.


    On the day of our departure, the whole village came to send me off. Dioh, that little potato, even tried to sneak into the carriage but was swiftly apprehended by George who dragged him away by the back of his collar. As for Moranthal, he was strangely obstinate about following me even after I told him directly that he wasn¡¯t welcome. After our carriage left the village, he even rode off on a horse and quietly followed us from a distance away.


    Well whatever, the legs were his not mine, it¡¯s up to him what he chooses to do.


    Only allowed on Creativenovels.com


    The driver was, as always, Regine while Ancarin and I hid inside the carriage compartment.


    Ancarin spent most of her time reading through the magical tomes we looted from Duran while I conversed with Ferti¡¯nier in my head.


    By the way, how did you even end up in my body? Why don¡¯t I have any impression of such a thing happening?


    ¡°Oh that huh¡­that was an unpleasant memory that this one prefers not to recall¡­this one still remembers that very day. The weather that day was rather fine, this one was in her home at that time and had considered going for a walk or perhaps getting her nails done. Yet, when this one had just made the decision to take a bath first¡­this one discovered that she no longer had a body¡­¡±


    Are you about done? Get to the main point!


    ¡°Oh oh, this one was forced into your soul by Yi Yi.¡±


    Yi Yi! Such a nostalgic name¡­if I¡¯m not mistaken, Yi Yi was that fallen angel I saved a year ago.


    I had always suspected that it was her who revived me, looks like it really was her. I wonder where is she now, is she alright?


    ¡°No idea, but she should be fine.¡± With that indefinite answer, the mental image of Ferti¡¯nier in my mind raised her head by 45 degrees. In a rather melancholic pose, she stared at the sky and said: ¡°However, Little Brother, I bet you still don¡¯t know that¡­you¡¯ve gained a fiancee.¡±


    Fiancee!? How could I ever be tied to such a stirring word! Impossible! Definitely impossible! Wasn¡¯t I cursed by the gods to be single forever? How could I ever have something as lofty as a fiancee? You must be still be groggy from your long nap.


    ¡°Little Brother, I suggest you accept your fate, you¡¯ve really gained a fiancee.¡± At that, she gave an exasperated sigh and continued: ¡°Yi Yi was so touched by your selfless act that she signed a soul bond with you on your deathbed. Unless one of you were to die, this contract must be fulfilled.¡±


    ¡°I have to say though, Little Brother is a fortunate man. Don¡¯t you know that Yi Yi is the daughter of the Demon King of Pride. She lives in the upper echelons of Gehenna and is the loftiest princess of her species. However, you shouldn¡¯t get ahead of yourself after hearing this news. Your marriage is sure to encounter a host of hindrances so you had better be prepared.¡±


    Ah, so it¡¯s Yi Yi, I thought it was going to be some ugly freak¡­ah, that¡¯s not right. I mean to say that the women who fancy me were mostly visually impaired or blind¡­no no, I mean to say¡­ah, the more I say, the worse it gets. Anyway, you get what I mean.


    However, shouldn¡¯t my main wife be Nicole but Yi Yi has already sacrificed so much for me¡­it seems rather unfair of me to deny her the position of main wife. Sigh, both of them are just so exceptional, how am I going to choose between the two. How about I just make the both of them my main wife. Yup, sounds like a great idea, let¡¯s go with that.


    Hahahaha, who would¡¯ve thought that I would become a man with two wives. I must become greater than Wei Xiaobao, I must marry more wives than Wei Xiaobao and all of them will be unsullied virgins! Wahahahaha¡­ha¡ªcough cough¡­got too excited there. Almost choked on my spit¡­


    (TL: Wei Xiaobao is a character from the Deer and the Cauldron by Jin Yong. Essentially, he¡¯s a man with seven wives.)


    Ah, right¡­I still don¡¯t have a pee pee¡­won¡¯t that make it extremely awkward when I get a wife?! Wait a minute, since Ferti¡¯nier has been in my body since I reincarnated, then that means she should know something about my body. I should ask her why can¡¯t I grow a freaking pee pee.


    ¡°Ahem, I definitely don¡¯t know a thing about that.¡±


    Oh, is that so?


    I turned my metaphorical disbelieving eyes onto her image. She shivered slightly! There¡¯s something fishy here! Most of the time, she uses ¡°This One¡± to refer to herself so why did she suddenly change to ¡°I¡± the moment I mentioned my pee pee!?


    ¡°I¡­this one really doesn¡¯t know a thing.¡±


    Don¡¯t know¡­I remember you told me that I had two original sins, one was envy, clan name, Leviathan, then what¡¯s the other one?


    Female¡­female¡­among the seven original sins recorded in my hereditary memory, the only all female species are the lust demons¡­lust¡­Ferti¡¯nier aren¡¯t you a lust demon? Not only that, you¡¯re the demon king of the lust demons, aren¡¯t you¡­are you absolutely sure that my ¡°pee pee¡± disappearing doesn¡¯t have a single connection to that?


    ¡°Ah, you mean your lower half huh¡­sorry about that, this one didn¡¯t mean it, if you must blame someone, blame Yi Yi¡­¡±


    So you finally admit to it, how deceptive¡­


    ¡°Truthfully, it wasn¡¯t this one¡¯s fault. This one is the demon king of the lust demons, this one governs lust and an entire species of female devils¡­yes, Little Brother¡¯s soul aura is that of a male¡¯s but your soul was simply too weak compared to this one¡¯s soul aura¡­in fact, it¡¯s so tiny even a firefly was bigger than it. However, this one is an outsider after all and she has no intention of taking over Little Brother¡¯s body so¡­¡±


    So when I reincarnated, our soul auras melded together turning me into this neither male nor female devil?


    Ferti¡¯nier gave a weak nod of her head and said: ¡° Mm¡­mhm¡­that¡¯s about right¡­¡±

 Chapter 138: Search For Nicole

    I¡¯ll admit that blaming Ferti¡¯nier wasn¡¯t really going to accomplish anything seeing as she didn¡¯t scare away my pee pee on purpose. In light of that I should probably be more accepting of her as well but that still didn¡¯t tell me how was I going to coax my pee pee back.


    ¡°Once this one separates from you, all you have to do is undergo another evolution and the problem should fix itself.¡± She promptly chimed in with a straight-to-the-point answer. Looks like she at least felt a smidgen of guilt for causing this.


    That simple? Sounds a lot easier than I had initially thought¡­so how do we split up?


    ¡°First, we have to find Yi Yi.¡±


    Yi Yi huh¡­the legendary fiancee! Alright then, first we¡¯ll go find Nicole and then we can visit Yi Yi in Gehenna, that¡¯s settled then.


    Having dealt with the bandit troupe, the remainder of our trip to Azure City went by uneventfully. While my masked and hooded get-up was rather strange, it was still in vogue amongst the adventurers although admittedly, mask wearing adventurers were still in the minority. However, with so much thoroughfare passing through the city every day, our addition didn¡¯t raise that many eyebrows. In short, it wasn¡¯t strange.


    According to Regine, Nicole was a student of Azure¡¯s warrior academy so our first objective was naturally to head for the academy. With no time to spare for the city sights, we left straight for the academy, at least that was what I hoped to do¡­I still didn¡¯t meet the requirements to enter the school¡­should I pose as pizza delivery?


    Hmm¡­doesn¡¯t sound like it will work.


    Standing in front of the school¡¯s gate were two burly men whose stature was akin to those guardian deities you saw in front of Asian temples. With backs straight and body at attention, their eyes which reeked of danger, swept back and forth over the entrance as they watched for any suspicious person.


    Looks like the front entrance is out of the question with these two fellows guarding it¡­should I scale the walls? Hmm¡­that probably wouldn¡¯t work either, they probably had patrols and magical spells guarding the walls. For all I know, my reckless infiltration might end up triggering some magical alarm array.


    With no other choice left open to me, I decided to wait for a better opportunity.


    Thankfully, our previous two opponents were pretty loaded so money wasn¡¯t an issue for now. I rented a couple of rooms for us while we staked out the campus entrance. Thus began my daily morning routine of loitering around the front entrance which swiftly earned the guarded stares of those two guardian deities. If it hadn¡¯t been for the fact that I hadn¡¯t done anything overtly provocative, I bet they would¡¯ve already ¡°invited me over for a cup of tea¡±.


    Everyday, a large number of students would pass through the gates and yet after two days, there was still no sign of Nicole.


    As time ticked by, my heart grew ever more uneasy. Was she even in this city? Did Regine make a mistake or perhaps she decided to return home¡­these worries and questions swirled about my head as I stared intently at the bustling gate while pacing back and forth. It was as if I was thrown back to my high school examination days except this felt a lot more stressful.


    Just as my nerves began to fray, a diminutive silhouette caught my attention as it passed through the crowd of students. It was an adorable little girl that seemed to have come out of some 2D animation. She had long, blue flowing hair and a peach face which, judging by her youthful skin, was probably that of a 10 year old¡¯s. As she walked up to the fierce looking men, she would skip from time to time like an energetic and lively little girl.


    What drew my attention however, wasn¡¯t her appearance but rather the fact that I sensed the presence of Nicole on her.


    As a devil, I was able to pick up the traces of a person¡¯s aura and determine certain facts from it. Nicole¡¯s aura was one that I was particularly familiar so there was no way I could ever mistake that aura I felt on the girl.


    That girl definitely knew Nicole and their relationship should be rather close as well.


    In that case, all I have to do now is to approach her and ask about Nicole.


    ¡°Master, here¡¯s lunch.¡± From the nearby inn came Ancarin, with a basket of bread and juice hung around her arm. Ever since I began this non-stop surveillance two days ago, it was Ancarin who brought me food and drinks while Regine stayed behind in the inn to look after Duran.


    ¡°Food? Hold on, there¡¯s something I must handle right now, just head back first.¡± The little girl greeted the two burly men after which I saw them point at me from a distance away and mention something to the girl. She turned to look at me for a moment before answering them and leaving.


    Now¡¯s the time! In order to find Nicole, I must catch up to her, she¡¯s the only clue I got right now. No matter what, I mustn¡¯t let her go!


    ¡°Master!¡± Ancarin immediately called out to me, worry written all over her face as she did so. Seeing that I stopped and knowing that I was in a hurry, she cut straight to the point and said, ¡°I saw a number of robed people loitering nearby with a murderous aura surrounding them. They seemed to be searching for someone.¡±


    I immediately understood what she meant. Knowing her, she would never mention such a thing right now if she didn¡¯t think it was absolutely urgent, ¡°And then?¡±


    ¡°Among them was a girl who wasn¡¯t wearing a robe, if I¡¯m not mistaken, she was one of the girls who was captured by Duran¡­¡±


    Duran¡¯s captives had all been freed by me and I even gave them a small fortune when I sent them off. Seeing as all of them knew of my identity and my goal of coming to Azure, that could only mean one thing¡­they were looking for me!


    Damn it, why must this happen now! A lead to Nicole was just standing in front of me a few moments ago!


    No¡­I must catch up to him, I mustn¡¯t let this lead disappear.


    ¡°I know, you can return back to the inn for now, I¡¯ll take care of it later.¡±


    ¡°But Master¡­¡±


    Ancarin wanted to dissuade me but I immediately interrupted her, ¡°I know you¡¯re really worried about me but I have my own reasons. Just return to the inn first and wait for me there.¡±


    Understanding that nothing would change my mind, she finally nodded her head: ¡°¡­mhm, Master, take care.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    Without waiting for her to turn around, I took off after the little girl.


    The little girl turned around and looked at me, anxiety written all over her adorable face, she whipped her head forward and immediately broke into a run.


    Damn it, those burly men must have said something bad about me. That¡¯s the only explanation for her reaction. I need to catch her quick.


    As I was chasing after the girl, I was similarly being chased by several strangers, six of them to be exact. Five of them were similarly dressed in loose robes that not only hid their faces but also their bodies and genders. Between them was a teenage girl dressed in a green skirt that was currently trending among the common folk. She was rather young and her face was one that I vaguely remembered¡­a girl that I vaguely remembered¡­there weren¡¯t that many to begin with¡­only those I rescued from the bandit troupe and those I rescued from Duran¡­


    From time to time, the little girl would turn around and throw me a glance. Upon discovering that I was still tailing her, she would quickly whip her head back and make a turn into some convoluted alleyway. Behind me, I had that party of six hot on my heels. From them, I could clearly sense an aura of hostility.


    While they tried their best to hide it, I could clearly see their weapons jutting out from underneath their loose robes.


    Looks like they weren¡¯t here for a social visit.


    ¡°Yo, Little Brother, looks like you got yourself into some trouble again, this one smells the stench of a demon hunter from those six humans.¡± Seems like I wasn¡¯t the only one who noticed their aura.


    ¡°I sensed a total of five demon hunters, one five-star, one four-star, and three three-stars. They seem to be out for your blood.¡±


    Demon hunters! Hunters who specialized in hunting down creatures of the darkness!


    Then that girl following them¡­so I¡¯ve really been betrayed¡­even though I saved her life¡­


    On one hand was a clue about Nicole, on the other was a threat a my life, I¡­


    ¡°Little Brother, don¡¯t think too much about it. You can always find that girl later but if you lose your life now, it will really be over for you. Don¡¯t tell me you expect to be revived again?¡±


    Damn it¡­I know that, I¡¯ll make escape now but now that they have their eyes on me, there¡¯s no way I can return to the inn.


    In order to avoid implicating Regine and Ancarin, I made a turn into a crowded location in hopes that these demon hunters would stay their hands in lieu of the innocent citizens.


    Speaking of crowded locations, the one place that came to mind immediately was the city plaza. While I wasn¡¯t familiar with this city, I ended up in the city plaza just by following the flow of the crowd.


    The plaza was full of people as expected, yet my hooded appearance was still rather eye-catching. Looking at my robes, the citizenry immediately assumed that I was an adventurer and tried to avoid me. I briskly walked up to the memorial plaque in the center of the plaza. The over ten meter tall plaque was engraved with the history of Azure City and was apparently a popular attraction within the city.


    Around the memorial was a variety of roadside stalls that sold everything from snacks to daily necessities. There were even a number of buskers littered about the crowded plaza, performing their various acts in exchange for tips.


    Those demon hunters shouldn¡¯t be mad enough to attack me here, would they?


    ¡°Not bad, Little Brother. At least you know to come to such a crowded place. However, this is only a temporary solution. Last I checked, there were no nightless areas in the human world, once night falls, the crowd will disappear as well.¡±


    That¡¯s right, working in the day and resting by night was how a normal human lived, to some faithful, this was the life dictated by God.


    Must I really make my escape¡­I finally found my way into the Western Human Realms and even made it to Azure City. Even if I wasn¡¯t able to find Nicole, at the very least I wanted to let her know that I had been here¡­


    ¡°Little Brother you seem rather unwilling.¡±


    Of course I am. After all that hard work, I still ended up like this, how do you expect me to be satisfied! All I want is to see Nicole, just one look that¡¯s all, is that too much to ask?!


    ¡°Then this one will help you just this once. If it¡¯s only broadcasting your will, this one can let the entire city hear it.¡±


    Is that true? That would be a great help!


    ¡°Mhm, mhm. Don¡¯t forget, this one is a demon king, a demon king with the title of Soul Bard no less. Even without this one¡¯s body, such a matter isn¡¯t a problem.¡±


    Soul Bard¡­so the reason why I am a Soul Bard was because of you¡­either way, as long as it helps, I¡¯m fine with it. I¡¯ll leave this matter in your hands then, do you mind sending out the message of ¡°I was here¡±?


    ¡°Little Brother, I think you¡¯re misunderstanding something here, this one only said that she had the ability to help you broadcast something. Whatever you wanted to say or wanted to do has to be broadcasted by you yourself.¡±


    What¡­then exactly what should I do? Broadcast ¡°Nicole, I¡¯m back¡±? No, that¡¯s not possible. If I reveal my relationship to Nicole, I might end up implicating her. Then how should I communicate with her in a way that only she understood?


    Only allowed on Creativenovels.com


    Just as I was wracking my brain over this problem, the mental image of Ferti¡¯nier gave me a thumbs up and said, ¡°Little Brother, how about singing.¡±


    Huh? Singing?


    ¡°That¡¯s right, this one is a Soul Bard not a Soul Whisperer, all this one can do is help you broadcast songs. Normal sentences aren¡¯t possible right now.¡±


    Ah, in that case, I¡¯ll sing then. All I have to do is sing a song that only Nicole understands. Mhm, let me think¡­back when we were kids, I used to sing a lot to Nicole, I¡¯ll just pick one of those songs then.

 Chapter 139: Returning Home

    In the past, I died saving a loli and ended up coming to this world by accident. In order not to forget my true origins, I would often use Chinese while learning about the human languages of this world. I would pen my journal entries in Chinese; seeing as I was the only one who understood it, it felt kind of interesting to me.


    Later on when my parents were murdered, I was taken in by Roscar. However, because he was the sole breadwinner and what not, the job of looking after me fell on Nicole. There was nothing much to do back then so Nicole ended up learning some Chinese along with me.


    Back then, we would sometimes roleplay a make-believe family. Naturally, such a childish game was beneath me but since Nicole wanted to play it, I had no choice but to go along with her whims. Her role as the mom was settled but we ended up arguing over whether I should be the dad or the son.


    I remembered throwing a tantrum and saying that I wouldn¡¯t play if I couldn¡¯t be the dad¡­so Nicole ended up relenting every time. Acting spoiled was actually rather interesting. We were really young back then, barely half our current heights.


    Later on, we met Sares and our little circle ended up gaining one more person. However, Sares often went training so the amount of time he spent playing with us was little.


    How times flies¡­if only we could go back to those days.


    Thinking about that, I unknowingly started humming the words of a Chinese song. (Author: The name of this song is <>, it¡¯s pretty nice, if you¡¯re interested in it feel free to check it out. TL: Youtube ¡¶Ð¡Ð¡¡·by Joey Yung. )


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-Optional Content, feel free to skip if you aren¡¯t interested in the song¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    (TL: I¡¯m not exactly the most poetic person out there so deal with it.


    *Memories are like a storyteller, using an accent full of the countryside


    Skipping over the puddles of water, circling around the hamlets, waiting for that fated encounter


    You created a city of mud, and said that you will marry me in the future


    How many turns of my body, how many doors have we crossed, an innocent childhood.


    (TL: When you propose to someone or talk about marriage in general, it¡¯s common to say È¢XXßMéT which literally translates to marry ¡°person¡¯s name¡± into the door. Just means bringing someone into the household, you can picture it as the groom carrying the bride into house or something; that¡¯s how I picture it.)


    (TL: The next two verse aren¡¯t in the chapter so it¡¯s mostly for those who are listening to that youtube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQ9PLCXYFyk)


    Our tiny little vows still aren¡¯t stable, our tiny little tears are still persevering


    Tender lips, speaking of separation


    #My heart is now occupied by a person, mirroring the insignificant us of the past


    That year you moved that tiny little stool, enchanted by the play I followed closely


    I¡¯m looking for that person in the story, you¡¯re an irreplaceable part of it


    As you take a tiny little nap under the tree, the tiny little me waits foolishly


    Repeat *


    A tiny little throbbing as the rain fell, a tiny little awkwardness that makes me dote on you


    A tiny little person, that doesn¡¯t know to kiss


    Repeat #


    My heart is now occupied by a person, mirroring the insignificant us of the past


    Back when you mimicked a romance¡¯s script, the toothless you and your flawed pronunciation


    I¡¯m looking for that person in the story, you¡¯re an irreplaceable part of it


    A tiny little hand holding onto a tiny little person, guarding a tiny little eternity


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨CEnd of optional content¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Back then how many times did I tell you this: once I¡¯ve grown up I¡¯ll marry you. Yet you promised me back then so I had always taken your reply as an engagement because the tiny me back then felt, you were the only one I mustn¡¯t lose.


    As my voice rolled over the bustling plaza, the entire city fell silent in an instant. The din of the hawkers and the sounds of argument silenced themselves as the busy workers lowered the goods in their hands. All around, the passersby stopped to listen with rapt attention.


    It was as if the entire city had stopped because of me.


    By the time I recovered from my reverie, the city folks were still basking in the heavenly notes of the song.


    Suddenly, an unknown voice rang out across the silence plaza, stirring up a hornet¡¯s nest of discussion.


    ¡°That singing voice¡­it¡¯s so beautiful¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. It¡¯s just¡­what is that language? I¡¯m fluent in multiple languages and while I might not be familiar with all the dialects, I¡¯ve at least heard of them before and yet¡­this language¡­I¡¯ve never heard of it before¡­it¡¯s as if it¡¯s not even a language of the human realms or hell¡­don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s from the Underdepths or the Black Chasm?¡±


    (TL: I used Underdepth, BlackChasm in the past but I think this version is less tilting so I¡¯m sticking with this from now on.)


    ¡°How I wish I can listen to it again¡­it¡¯s a song about childhood love isn¡¯t it? How touching, if someone serenades me with such a song, I would marry him in an instant¡­¡±


    ¡°*sob sob* Why I don¡¯t have a childhood love¡­¡±


    An unending wave of lamenting was followed by the outburst of sobbing amongst many a person, most of them crying about their lost childhood lover.


    The clink of gold coins resounded across the plaza as a twenty-odd merchant, tore open his coin pouch, scattering it across the ground without any intention of picking it up and wailed: ¡°What¡¯s the use of earning all these coins¡­I rather return to that impoverished home of mine¡­Lina¡­please don¡¯t leave me¡­I¡¯ll treat you better in the future¡­¡±


    The young merchant wasn¡¯t the only one who broke down then as the sobbing grew louder by the second.


    ¡°Bubbles don¡¯t go¡­I don¡¯t want all these coins anymore, I just want you! I¡¯m coming to you right now¡­*sob sob*¡­¡±


    ¡°Buttercup, I¡¯m wrong¡­I shouldn¡¯t have caved in to power, I¡¯ll divorce that woman right now and marry you¡­¡±


    ¡°Scram! I don¡¯t want to see you anymore, if it wasn¡¯t for my parents¡¯ interference, why would I even date you! I detest fatties like you! So what if you have money, I don¡¯t care, I want to go home¡­I¡­I want to see my Dexter¡­¡±


    As this scene played out across the city, more and more people started searching for the singer, soon the entire city was embroiled in this chaos.


    This was the power of a Soul Bard! Using songs to pry open the doors of the soul and clearly injecting one¡¯s emotions within. How terrifying¡­if this power were to be used in the battlefield, it might even destroy the morale of an army in an instant.


    ¡°Little Brother, you¡¯re thinking too much. While the songs of a Soul Bard can destroy morale like what you said, there¡¯s no way the opponent wouldn¡¯t have a countermeasure ready. All it takes to counteract this is to get a warpriest to sing some warsongs. Every warpriest is able to rouse the troops with a song.¡±


    I guess that makes sense, while Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s criticism wasn¡¯t pleasant, it wasn¡¯t without its merits. If a song could end a battle like that, why would there even be the need for armies, all these countries could just focus their efforts into grooming singers.


    Taking advantage of this chaos, I promptly snuck out of Azure City. In order to avoid implicating Regine and Ancarin, I chose not to return to the inn at least till the heat had died down.


    Seeing as the news about the demon hunters was given to me by Ancarin herself, I¡¯m sure that intelligent girl would be able to figure things out on her own. What I really had to do now was watch out for my own safety.


    Now then¡­where should I go?


    It has to be home, doesn¡¯t it¡­


    Because I ran away from home, I knew nothing of what happened after that fateful decision. Even the news about Nicole being in the warrior academy was given to me by Regine¡­come to think of it, I had to thank Duran for all this as well¡­I should give him a good thrashing when I get back later.


    Only allowed on Creativenovels.com


    Roscar might still be at home waiting for me seeing as I didn¡¯t leave behind any news of my death the day I died. Besides, I had nowhere else to go now. At least with Chaik Village, I¡¯m able to ask for directions.


    Also, while Nicole still wasn¡¯t fluent in Chinese, she at least knew some songs. Since I used my song to broadcast my existence, she must be searching for me right now. For all I know, she might even be at home waiting for me right this instant. After all, the first time I sang that song was in the backyard of our home. That song would definitely stir up memories of that day and from there she should be able to recall the spot where we made that marriage arrangement.


    Home¡­that¡¯s right, I must return home.


    Travelling alone wasn¡¯t something I had experienced before but didn¡¯t people say that the road is in one¡¯s mouth; if there¡¯s something I didn¡¯t know, I could simply ask for directions.


    Along the way, I saw no more signs of my pursuers, hopefully that meant that they had given up on the chase. If that¡¯s the case, I should thank the heavens. Looks like all I had to do now was check if Roscar was still at home waiting for me.


    Chaik Village wasn¡¯t a large village, furthermore, it rarely had any visitors. Thus, it didn¡¯t take long before my arrival aroused the interest of several villagers. However, because of my unique appearance, none of them approached me and instead observed me from a distance with wary eyes.


    Amongst the eyes focused on me were those of Zarah, the village¡¯s security chief.


    Like his son Sares, Zarah was a blonde adonis that could charm a girl with a mere smile. He was in his thirties right now and usually wore the khaki uniform of the security forces, with a no helmet and a giant sword on his back. Even though he wasn¡¯t as gifted as his genius of a son, he wasn¡¯t that far off either. When I left the village, he was already a four-star and might even be a five-star now.


    Apparently, his straight shooting temperament had gotten himself into trouble with his superiors thus he was thrown to this remote village to be a security chief. And that¡¯s why no matter which world you were in, being savvy was a prerequisite for public service.


    Having been apart for so long, I couldn¡¯t help but call out to this familiar face. ¡°Yo, Uncle Zarah, how are you doing? I see you¡¯re still patrolling as seriously as before, did you find any suspicious person?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± The man stared at me with a baffled look on his face as if to say ¡°You are THE suspicious person¡±.


    Shoot, I forgot that he doesn¡¯t recognise my reincarnated form¡­just as I was mulling over what to do next, the man threw me an alarmed look and said: ¡°Woman? Forget it, I don¡¯t care who you are but how do you know my name?¡±


    ¡°Ah er¡­Chaik isn¡¯t a large village, it¡¯s not too hard to ask around and find out your name.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, you¡¯d better behave yourself here, I¡¯m watching you. Don¡¯t think that I will cut you any slack just because you¡¯re a girl.¡± As he turned around, he let forth a cold harrumph: ¡°And what do you mean Uncle, do I look that old!?¡±


    Phew¡­looks like I got through that with the skin of my teeth, however, it seems like my greeting had the opposite effect¡­when you think about it, a person who specifically asks for the name of the security chief can¡¯t be a good person¡­


    And, I¡¯m a guy, I¡¯m Mo Ke! Forget it, all this reincarnation mumbo jumbo is too fantastical even for me.

 Chapter 140: Split Personality?

    Under the wary gaze of Uncle Zarah, I returned to an empty home¡­


    Looks like Roscar left the house as well. Walking up to a nearby tree, I reached into the hole on its trunk and withdrew a dusty key that had probably been in there for at least a year and unlocked the door.


    A year¡­this was the first time I came home in over a year and yet nothing seemed to have changed since the day I left. The only difference was the layer of dust blanketing the entire home. Judging by the looks of it, no one had been in here for over a year. In other words, the both of them left shortly after I ran away from home.


    The flower garden in the backyard was one of Nicole¡¯s favorite spots and was normallymeticulously tended to by her. Yet it was now overgrown with weeds, with the flowers barely having any space to survive anymore. It was in this garden that Nicole and I played, each time I would tell her this: when I grow up, I¡¯ll marry you.


    As I stood in this familiar environment, memories of my childhood fleeted across my eyes as if it had just happened yesterday¡­a young Nicole smiling shyly at me with rose tinted cheeks as she allowed me to drape a red shawl over her; after which we went through the elaborate procedures of a typical Chinese wedding. Putting aside the flowers, insects and the lack of wedding guests, we were basking in the bliss of the moment.


    ¡­


    If Roscar wasn¡¯t home, that must have meant that he left to find me.


    Roscar was a good father¡­in order to raise me, he toiled day and night just to save up money to send a talentless child like me who couldn¡¯t activate his Fighter¡¯s Aura to become a mage. For my sake, he even sacrificed his one and only daughter¡¯s future. Even when she grew to a schooling age, he let her look after me just as before¡­all for my sake¡­


    In actuality, I understood why he did this. Because I wasn¡¯t able to activate my Fighter¡¯s Aura and yet wasn¡¯t satisfied with a normal person¡¯s life, he pushed himself even harder in order to save up money for me. He must¡¯ve thought that even if I lacked talent for the magical or warrior arts, he could at least save up enough money to purchase an elemental core and activate my aura perception¡­


    Day after day, Nicole would selflessly care for me, no matter what she did she always put me first¡­the love these two showed me was¡­simply too heavy. It was because of this crushing weight that finally made me run away; it was simply too much to bear for me.


    Honestly, there were a number of reasons for me running away from home. Being jealous of Sares was one of them, the other was that if I left, Roscar only needed to concern himself with sending Nicole to school. That way, Nicole wouldn¡¯t need to waste her schooling years away at home. She shouldn¡¯t have to waste her precious time looking after a piece of trash like me.


    In the end, the main reason was that my departure would be a good thing for them¡­I had never thought about hurting anyone by doing so, I just wanted them to have a better life¡­


    I don¡¯t know how long it had been since I started sitting in the backyard reminiscing, but suddenly I heard a set of hurried footsteps enter the house making their way through to the backyard within a few moments.


    ¡°Little Brother, seems like we have visitors.¡±


    I know, but I just want to be left alone for a moment.


    ¡°Then it¡¯s alright to ignore the enemies?¡±


    Mhm, just leave them for now.


    ¡°Is it really alright to be so willful now¡­¡± After not receiving a response from me for a long while, Ferti¡¯nier shrugged her shoulders in resignation and turned around, disappearing into the void in an instant. ¡°Alright then, it¡¯s your choice.¡± Her last words echoed in the recesses of my mind.


    At this very moment, my back was faced to the intruders as I continued reminiscing about the past. Perhaps it was my bewitching aura at work but none of them spoke up for over a minute until I finally turned around.


    The burly silhouette of Uncle Zarah was the first to enter my eyesight, beside him were three black hooded strangers. Perhaps calling them strangers wasn¡¯t right seeing as this actually wasn¡¯t our first meeting. These three strangers were part of the five man team chasing me in Azure. To think that they ended up catching up to me in the end, I guess they weren¡¯t called demon hunters for nothing. Just their tracking ability alone was enough to leave me in awe.


    ¡°How did you guys find out about this place¡­¡±


    My dried lips quivered as I muttered those words in a slightly shaky voice. The fact that they were able to catch up to me so fast was completely unexpected to me.


    When I stepped into Chaik Village, I had really thought that I had escaped their pursuit. Who would¡¯ve thought that they not only caught up to me but did so with such celerity.


    ¡°The one who sang in Azure City was you wasn¡¯t it. It was a lovely song, so was that unknown language. It made everyone lose themselves in the melody, even more surprising was that your voice didn¡¯t cause any malaises. That made me curious about what kind of existence you were.¡±


    The hooded figure in the front took off her black hood, revealing a beautiful face framed by long flowing, blue hair that draped over her shoulders. On it was a complex mix of emotions, cold placidness yet tinged with a hint of kindness at the same time.


    This girl couldn¡¯t have been older than 20 years old. She had a milky white complexion and a gallant disposition that seemed to bring out her beauty even more. Even though her robes covered up her figure, I knew that it must have been equally as beautiful.


    ¡°¡­¡± With my mask still on, she had no way of seeing my face, thus we stood there, facing each other in silence.


    Seeing that I had no reaction, the girl took the initiative to answer my question: ¡°That little girl you followed gave us a hint. She said that her friend knew this language as well, seeing as you were following that girl when we found you, I made a bold guess. You must¡¯ve had some relationship to that little girl¡¯s friend. So we searched for that girl who knew the song and found out about this place from her.¡±


    ¡°What happened to her, what did you do to her!¡±


    They found out about our home from Nicole? Then what about Nicole, what happened to her?


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, she¡¯s fine, we have no reason to attack an innocent person. But I really wonder, what¡¯s your relationship with her?¡± After informing me of that fact, she introduced herself. ¡°Oh right, I forgot to introduce myself, I¡¯m Tilith Adolph, the vice-team leader of the 137th squad of the 17th Demon Hunter Division of the Church of Light.¡±


    ¡°According to several testimonies, despite being a devil, you haven¡¯t harmed a single person and instead helped numerous innocents and even distributed your wealth to alleviate their burden. While I don¡¯t know what motive you have for doing so, you haven¡¯t done any evil yet as far as I know.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I do not wish to use force on you. If you¡¯re willing to believe me, please return to our branch with me and we¡¯ll conduct an investigation. If you truly haven¡¯t done any wrong, I guarantee that we won¡¯t trouble you any further.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Do you think I¡¯m some kind of three year old or something? Do you truly believe that I will allow myself to be scammed by a few flowery words? What am I going to do if you go back on your words?


    Seeing that I was as unresponsive as before, she immediately realized what I was worried about. Without wasting anymore words, she retrieved a sword shaped like a cross and raised it before her body with one hand. In a solemn voice, she declared: ¡°I swear by my honor, that if you are innocent, I Tilith Adolph will trouble you no more!¡±


    Adolph¡­looks like she¡¯s nobility seeing as she has a last name. A number of nobles place their honor before their lives, yet there were also those who didn¡¯t care about it. The girl before me was probably of the former, that was what her eyes told me.


    Should I believe her? If I resist, I would have to escape again and there¡¯s no guarantee that I will be able to do so either. Just based off her aura alone, Tilith was definitely a four-star warrior.


    In that case, should I believe her and follow her to the Demon Hunter¡¯s branch office? I heard that there are a lot of extremists in there that feel that devils should be put to death. If I enter such a place, will I even be able to leave there alive? But Tilith swore¡­


    Just as those confusing thoughts were swimming through my head, another intruder stepped into the scene.


    This robed figure took off his hood as well revealing a man¡¯s face. He had a muscular build that, coupled with his towering stature, made him look like a two meter tall mountain. His blonde hair had been shaved into a typical military buzz cut.


    In his right hand was a 1.5 meter long morningstar while his left hand held a kite shield that covered a little under half his body. As he walked up to us, his eyes stared pointedly at me. His bushy eyebrows quivered as he broke into a grin: ¡°There¡¯s no reasoning with a devil.¡±


    ¡°Team Leader!¡± Tilith and the other two demon hunters called out in unison. So this was their leader¡­


    With a ridiculing smirk on his face, the seemingly rash man did something uncharacteristic: ¡°Vice Team Leader Tilith, I see you¡¯re wasting your time once more.¡±


    ¡°But Team Leader, I feel that we should give her a chance since she hasn¡¯t done anything wrong.¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t done anything wrong? Hahaha then tell me, what¡¯s her gender?¡±


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    ¡°Female.¡± Tilith answered without any hesitation.


    ¡°See, isn¡¯t it obvious already?¡± Without waiting for the girl to respond, he continued explaining himself in an orderly manner:


    ¡°A certain portion of devils are able to acquire a person¡¯s memories by consuming their souls. It¡¯s a really unique and terrifying ability. Not only are they able to consume the other party¡¯s memories but also their experiences, strengthening themselves in the process. If such a devil were to consume an alchemist¡¯s memories, that devil might become an alchemist after sorting out these new memories.¡±


    ¡°Even though there might be some missing memories, the ability to gain such strength without much effort is still an attractive one. Unfortunately, such an ability has a fatal side-effect, after consuming a large number of souls, the devil might develop split personalities and even assume the experiences of the consumed souls¡­¡±


    ¡°Then she¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, didn¡¯t that girl say so herself, the human that taught her that language was a eight to nine year old boy. Just look at the devil before you, is that the stature of a eight to nine year old boy? Plus, she¡¯s clearly a female devil and if I¡¯m not wrong, she¡¯s a lust demon!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±Tilith had no counter argument to the Team Leader¡¯s words and could only stand there in silence.


    With a sinister smile on his face, the Team Leader stated his conclusion: ¡°In other words, your current personality is that of Mo Ke¡¯s isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Mo Ke! Having not heard my name for a long time, especially from a stranger¡¯s mouth, my body jerked in reaction. This tiny reaction ended up being turned into the most concrete proof that I had consumed an innocent boy¡¯s soul¡­


    ¡°See, there¡¯s a reaction to his name. I bet you¡¯re wondering how I know of your name. Haha, you¡¯ve probably forgotten by now, but you¡¯re different from the boy you ate, you¡¯re a female devil.¡±

 Chapter 141: Dual-sin Anointed Apostle

    I¡¯m definitely Mo Ke, so how did I become an imposter!? I wanted to explain myself, but it was too late.


    ¡°Impossible¡­how could he have been eaten by a devil¡­wasn¡¯t he kidnapped by slave traders¡­he was only 8 years old when he left the village¡­no wonder you used Mo Ke¡¯s words then, I even wondered why you were so familiar with that language¡­so it¡¯s because you were still trapped within his memories, that¡¯s why you thought you were him¡­¡±


    Hearing the news of my untimely ¡°death¡± from the demon hunter team leader, the previously silent Zarah suddenly roared at me without even giving me a chance to explain myself: ¡° You lowly imposter, bring back Little Ke!¡± Having seen me grown up, the sudden news of my death was in no way a small shock to him.


    But¡­I¡¯m the real Mo Ke¡­not an imposter¡­I don¡¯t have an ability to consume myself¡­


    Yet there was no way Uncle Zarah could hear my internal lamentations, even if he could he probably wouldn¡¯t believe it either.


    With a swift backstep, I avoided the incoming greatsword which crashed into the ground in a violent explosion having missed its target. However, this wasn¡¯t the end of his attacks as he immediately pulled out the giant sword and continued attacking; determined not to give me even a moment¡¯s respite.


    My eyes flickered as I stared at the oncoming greatsword. I truly wanted to tell him that I wasn¡¯t an imposter; but how should I even do that? Should I say that I ran away from home and ended up sacrificing my life to save a fallen angel, and that very same angel helped me reincarnate?


    No matter how you looked at it, that sounded like an excuse to avoid being hunted down¡­besides there was the matter of ¡°Devils are liars¡±; this was the commonly held truth among every living creature.


    Thankfully, Uncle Zarah was still at the level of a four-star and wasn¡¯t an agility type warrior either. I was still able to evade his attacks, although barely. However, there was still the issue of those demon hunters. Without a doubt, they were all experts in fighting devils, and any one of them would prove to be a troublesome opponent in a one on one battle; let alone in a four on one with their levels being higher than mine.


    No¡­I must escape¡­if I don¡¯t do something quick, this will really be my last day alive¡­


    Swerving to the side, I narrowly avoided his Fighter¡¯s Aura as I felt the wind brush against me. Had I not reacted in time, that would¡¯ve definitely resulted in a grave injury.


    My mind immediately drifted to Shadowfang but I immediately banished the thought. The last thing I wanted now was for it to be recognized by these people. This was the Western Human Realms after all and not the Prison of the Dead. Humans, with their wealth of knowledge, were more likely to recognize famous weapons such as these.


    If Shadowfang were to be recognized¡­they would definitely gang up on me in order to steal this epic-grade blade. At that time, escaping would be impossible.


    As I retreated once more, I activated my Shadow Guardian and stirred up a dust storm in front of me. He had not expected me to use such a dirty trick; the man¡¯s vision was obscured by the airborne particles causing his greatsword to miss its target.


    Taking advantage of the smokescreen, I immediately tried to run away from the backyard as fast as I could.


    ¡°You¡¯re aren¡¯t going anywhere!¡±


    Just as I took my first step, a lead morningstar flew out from my peripheral view and descended right in front of my planned escape route, cutting it off in an instant. The latest newcomer, the demon hunter team leader, rushed out from the dust cloud and stood right before me like a giant tower of steel that seemed to obscure all light as it cast a giant shadow over me.


    Startled by the sudden appearance of this towering hulk, I backstepped immediately in order to avoid any potential strike. Yet the man didn¡¯t attack me and instead restrained the rampaging Zarah and inexplicably smiled at me before picking up his morningstar.


    ¡°Tilith, this fight should be handled by you.¡± Turning around, he flashed the girl a toothy grin and said: ¡°No matter what, you mustn¡¯t show any mercy to a devil.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Having just guaranteed my safety, the noble girl was truly in a difficult position. Just looking at her wavering eyes and silence, I could imagine the turmoil in her heart right now.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You don¡¯t want to attack her?¡±


    ¡°Team Leader, I don¡¯t think she is as evil as you think, perhaps consuming the boy was simply a mistake¡­:¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t spell devil without evil.¡± With eyes that brooked no opposition, his smile disappeared as he tapped his kiteshield with the morningstar. ¡°If you aren¡¯t willing to attack him, then get out of my team.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Tilith slowly drew out her cross sword and with eyes staring right into my own, murmured: ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    So it comes down to this huh¡­


    My right hand reached for the enchanted straight blade at my waist and without showing any quarter, stared right back at her: ¡°Can you tell me, why did that informant betray me?¡±


    ¡°If you know the reason, will¡­will you forgive her?¡±


    ¡°Depending on the situation.¡± Having determined that it was one of the girls I saved, there was no way I could forgive such an act of betrayal from such an ingrate. However¡­if she had some reason that made her do this, I could at least feel slightly better about it.


    With that tiny bit of hope in my eyes, Tilith delivered the final nail into the coffin of my view of humanity.


    ¡°I feel that it would be better if you didn¡¯t know¡­¡±


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    ¡°What if I really wanted to know!?¡±


    Seeing the resolve in my eyes, she relented, and with gritted teeth said: ¡°For money.¡±


    As those words left her mouth, she shut her eyes.


    For money¡­didn¡¯t I already give her a sum of money? As long as she wasn¡¯t too extravagant, that amount would have been enough to last her for a lifetime, why did she betray me for money?!


    Humans¡­truly a complex life form. Didn¡¯t I save you from the depths of hell? I even gave you a huge sum of money, yet you still betrayed me for even more money. This greed, it¡¯s worse than a devils!


    If everyone was like this in the Western Human Realms then there¡¯s truly no hope left for this world. Even devils were more innocent than these people!


    ¡°The Demon Hunter Division has a rule, if a lead results in the slaying of a darkness creature, that informant would receive a portion of the loot without any questions asked. While this portion wasn¡¯t much, sometimes this sum is worth a fortune to some commoners.If they are lucky, they might even strike it rich in a night if the target was a rich one.¡±


    The team leader explained in an orderly fashion, while his morningstar continued to tap the kiteshield as he did so, albeit at a faster pace; clearly, he was starting to become impatient. ¡°Tilith, don¡¯t tell me you sympathize with this fellow? If the other team leaders were to find out about this, it would put me in a bad spot, you hear!?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Tilith shut her eyes and inhaled deeply before letting forth a loud, drawn out sigh. The next time she opened her eyes, they had a cold sharpness to them. She glanced at the team leader before turning back to me: ¡°I¡¯m about to strike.¡±


    A split second later, her sword appeared right before me, ready to end my life. With barely any time to react, I narrowly avoided being skewered, but my posture had been completely destroyed.


    Being a four-star warrior with exceptional sword skills, her cross sword was anything but slow as it darted at me like a snake¡¯s tongue. It wasn¡¯t long before her cross sword made contact with me, tearing apart the cloth material covering my right shoulder, revealing the crimson skin beneath.


    ¡°Red skin, so you are a devil.¡± As he said that, the remaining demon hunters split up and formed a ring around us, sealing off any exit out of the backyard. Now, even if I was able to escape Tilith, I would still have to contend with the other demon hunters.


    Just dealing with this girl alone was enough trouble¡­.


    Fighting a four-star like her was already a tall enough hurdle for a three-star like me without the other added obstacles. With the difference in level between us, my speed was inferior to hers. Under her withering attacks, I barely had time to counterattack before I had to evade her sword once more.


    It wasn¡¯t long before even my Shadow Guardian was defeated once more. Time after time, I activated it only for it to be defeated shortly after. All in all, I summoned it a total of three times in this fight alone. I had to admit, a fighter like Tilith countered me hard.


    Not only was her speed superior to mine, her strength trumped mine as well. While her cross sword wasn¡¯t a heavy weapon, I wasn¡¯t a strength type warrior either. Just blocking her sword with my straight blade was enough to numb my arm!


    And this wasn¡¯t even her full strength¡­


    Ferti¡¯nier, is there anyway I can escape from this?


    The moment I thought that, Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s mocking voice immediately resounded in my mind: ¡°Yo Little Brother, it looks like you¡¯ve stopped being willful.¡±


    ¡­I had to admit¡­whether it was her disposition or appearance, they were truly one of a kind.


    Does it look like I have time to be willful now! Don¡¯t give me that sass in such a situation! If I die, you will end up as a homeless soul as well!


    ¡°Oh my, Little Brother is angry.¡± She continued her teasing: ¡°If you address this one as good sister, this one might just decide to help you.¡±


    Is this really the time for you to be so disagreeable¡­good sister¡­there, is that enough? Now help me.


    ¡°There there, that¡¯s a good younger brother, how about another round of that, this sister hasn¡¯t had enough yet.¡±


    I¡­good sister¡­don¡¯t force your good younger brother to swear.


    As I was busy communicating with Ferti¡¯nier, my movements ended up becoming sluggish. In my emotionally charged state, I ended up missing her attack. While the slash didn¡¯t end up injuring me, it sliced my mask apart¡­


    The halves of my silver mask fell to the ground with a clang, revealing for all to see, my true face; a face tattooed with a snake scale-like pattern and a broken horn on my forehead.


    ¡°A lust demon, and that demonic symbol¡­an illusion demon!¡± Having seen my face for the first time, the team leader was first shocked into silence as he took in my bewitching contenance; however, that didn¡¯t last long before he came back to his senses.


    With a tense look on his face, he turned to the other surrounding demon hunters and shouted: ¡°Damn it, it¡¯s a dual-sin anointed apostle, what¡¯s a character like that doing here¡­you people better do your job properly, no matter what, don¡¯t let her escape!¡±


    A dual-sin anointed apostle? Are they talking about me? Ferti¡¯nier did mention that I was blessed by two original sins and was a kind of genius amongst devils. Looks like there¡¯s no chance of that so-called trial now¡­they are probably planning to kill me right here and now.

 Chapter 142: Conclusion Part 1

    ¡°Tilith, if you can¡¯t bear to finish her off then I¡¯ll do it! A frightening existence like her mustn¡¯t be allowed to exist!¡±


    The towering man gave out the command to kill without any hesitation, and from the looks of it, planned to step in himself.


    Tilith breathed another heavy sigh before shaking her head and saying, ¡°Team Leader, I¡¯ll be the one to do it.¡±


    Without answering her directly, the man nodded at her.


    With that, the momentary respite was over as the girl launched a barrage of stabs. Rather than calling it an attack, it would be more accurate to call it a light show as each stab transformed into a flash of light the moment she thrust out with her cross sword. With no way to dodge them, I was forced back bit by bit until finally I felt a chilling whoosh from behind me. Before I could react to it, I was hammered with a crushing force that sent me flying away right back at Tilith.


    Had she chosen to attack then I would¡¯ve undoubtedly died, yet unexpectedly, she didn¡¯t do so.


    ¡°Team Leader, you agreed to let me handle this alone!¡± The girl glared at her superior and even seemed to have adopted a posture to shield me.


    ¡°Haha, I apologize, but this fellow is simply too dangerous. If we let her escape now, it would cause a lot of trouble in the future.¡± The man smiled a smile that was anything but remorseful. Then he shrugged the shoulders which he had used to slam his shield into me, signalling to the girl to continue. ¡°Do it then, the credit for this kill is yours.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Just from our short exchange alone, her principled and honorable nature was more than made apparent to me. Despite having just declared a one on a one battle, her companion had attacked me with his shield just a few seconds later. She burned with righteous fury at my treatment yet there was nothing else she could do about it. The person who broke the rules was her superior, and he had done so under the sanctimonious banner of slaying a devil.


    If she chose not to attack me now, the other party could treat her hesitation as collusion¡­looks like these two had a rocky relationship.


    As I struggled to my feet, the girl stared directly into my eyes; her eyes wavering as she did so. She was probably reluctant to kill me because she felt I was a kind soul, yet the cruel reality was that I was a devil and devils were the nemeses of demon hunters like Tilith.


    ¡°Perhaps you are a good person but¡­I apologize, I have no choice but to kill you.¡± In a voice that only she could hear, she muttered to herself as she approached, sword drawn and pointed at my various weak points: ¡°I do not know what you are looking for but I can feel your unwillingness, however the world is as such, the good aren¡¯t always the ones who live the longest.¡±


    ¡°Haha, you make it sound like I¡¯m so despicable.¡± The Team Leader gave a dry laugh before rushing her once more: ¡°Cut the c**p and do it.¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Tilith turned her head around to avoid looking at her superior. At this distance, I could clearly see her knuckles whiten from tightly gripping down on the cross shaped sword as she prepared to send me on my way.


    ¡°Flames!¡± Thankfully, that short reprieve was enough for my hardy devil constitution to recover by around 50%. Gone was the devil who looked like she could barely lift a finger as I created a flame wall to block Tilith. After going through that recent evolution, my flame wall crackled with the blackish red of my Nether Flames, right from the very base of my feet¡­


    The sudden appearance of the flame wall forced the girl back as she didn¡¯t dare to take on the demonic flame; she leapt back immediately as the flames roared to life. The Nether Flames had succeeded but it came with a price of its own.


    The flames had engulfed my entire body by now, and while I had a greater fire resistance than other normal devils, this was not some ordinary fire. Nether Flames were known for their terrifying power and could easily reduce a weak person to cinders in an instant should they refuse to escape. Even me, their summoner, wasn¡¯t spared their fury as they ravaged my reddish hide.


    ¡°Nether Flames!? Damn it, how is a three-star able to control these forbidden flames! Tilith stand aside, leave this fellow to me!¡± The Team Leader shoved aside the girl who didn¡¯t dare to approach the flames while he himself dove right into them; a thick layer of yellowish aura wrapped around his body as he did so.


    I had intended to deter Tilith by summoning this wall, and while this had succeeded, I had forgotten about her superior standing nearby. That man was a five-star!


    With his kite shield whipped out in front of him, the five-star warrior charged right through my flame wall with ease like a raging bull.


    *bang!*


    I was promptly thrown backward by the titanic force, flying into the air like a helpless leaf within a raging tornado. After what felt like an eternity, but was probably just a couple of seconds, I finally landed on the floor with a loud smash, my body continuing to spin around despite that.


    A wave of lightheadedness hit me as my body throbbed with a numbing pain all over. Without a doubt, this was the end of the road for me. There was no one who could save me now unless Duran suddenly died. Without him as my medium, I would be thrown out of this world by the natural laws and be instantly teleported back to the Prison of the Dead.


    ¡°Little Brother, this one will send you back this time around but this one will have to slumber once more. However, it was fun talking to you during this short period of time. Besides, Yi Yi had requested this of this one, letting you die isn¡¯t an option¡­¡±


    Return? Return where? This is my home, the place where I lived for eight years¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so willful, this one has already ordered Ancarin to do it.¡±


    Ancarin? Do what? How did this suddenly involve Ancarin?


    My question went unanswered. As I sat there waiting for my death with a million questions in my head, my body was hit with a sudden sense of weightlessness¡­


    ¡­¡­


    Ever since he was summoned to this world, Mo Ke had done a lot of things; he had saved a lot of people, yet not all of them were thankful for that.


    Of those girls captured by Duran, there was a portion who stuck with him because of money. Mo Ke had saved numerous girls and had even given them 300 gold coins each. Yet, while this might seem like a huge sum to ordinary people, it was nothing more than a pittance to some of the more spendthrift ones.


    Samantha was one such person. When Mo Ke instructed Ancarin to hand out the 300 gold coins, her lips curled into a cold sneer. If one included all the magical tools in Duran¡¯s mansion, Mo Ke had at least gained several hundred thousand gold coins.


    Hmph, must be great earning so much money, but what about us sisters who had suffer through those days? 300 gold coins just for our silence? Did you think we were beggars or something? That was what the calculative girl thought.


    However, Samantha was no fool. She was extremely aware that Mo Ke held the upper hand at the time. If she were to protest, even a fool would know that she would lose. Thus, she chose to endure it.


    When Mo Ke released those girls, Samantha was naturally one of those girls as well. It was a sense of freedom that she hadn¡¯t experienced in a while, so she put aside her dissatisfaction for the time being and proceeded to the nearest city for a shopping spree. As for her chastity, she didn¡¯t give a damn about that. It wasn¡¯t like she hadn¡¯t done it before either. Long before Duran, she had used her comely appearance to latch onto a number of sugar daddies.


    In fact, her time in Duran¡¯s estate was more of a job to her than anything else. Thus when Mo Ke sent her off with 300 gold coins, she naturally felt that it was too little.


    Samantha loved extravagant things. On the day of her release, she went on a spending spree, buying all the latest clothes she could find. However, money was something that was hard to earn and easy to use up. In just five days, she managed to spend all of her money. Her wallet was as bankrupt as her morals at that very moment.


    Now that she was broke, what was she to do? As she basked in the pleasure that a male prostitute gave her, she suddenly thought of an idea, an idea that could bring her more money¡­


    Because Mo Ke had revealed his destination during that meal, Samantha was sure that Mo Ke would visit Azure City so she contacted the demon hunters¡­


    Everything after was as Mo Ke experienced it: being hunted down by the demon hunters and nearly dying in his own backyard without ever getting the chance to see Nicole.


    The moment Gaywitz (Team Leader) knocked Mo Ke out of the flames and prepared to kill him, the space around him warped. A second later, Mo Ke disappeared without a trace¡­


    All this was the handiwork of Ferti¡¯nier who now slumbered in the swirling crystalline object surrounding Mo Ke¡¯s soul. As she slumbered, her aura would influence his soul while simultaneously absorbing the souls absorbed by Mo Ke. The fact that Mo Ke was able to subjugate countless devils despite his low level was precisely because of Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s existence.


    In essence, this body belonged in part to Ferti¡¯nier as well, seeing as how her aura was infused into it. However, in her eyes this body was simply too low level to catch her interest, thus she had no intention of taking it over. Besides, there was still that promise with Yi Yi.


    Seeing as Yi Yi had barely no mana in her when she sent Mo Ke into the Blood Sea, the majority of the mana was taken from Ferti¡¯nier. Thus she had always been in a catatonic state until Mo Ke returned unexpectedly to the Western Human Realms.


    Ferti¡¯nier was once a demon king of the lust demon race and naturally possessed a vast soul. Compared to that, Mo Ke was like a tiny firefly standing before a full moon. Even if she had no intention of taking over his body, she ended up having an influence on him anyway, turning his body into one that was neither male nor female. However, such a change could be reversed as long as she left his body.


    The skills he had picked up when he evolved were actually all from Ferti¡¯nier who, because of their soul link, ended up transferring them over to him when he evolved. All these skills didn¡¯t need to be learnt, he merely had to unlock them in order to use them.


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    When Mo Ke was battling Dawson, she had already awakened; however, she chose to observe him and continued pretending to be asleep.


    In order to guarantee that Mo Ke¡¯s jaunt in the human realm wasn¡¯t a fatal one, she influenced the souls of Ancarin and Regine without Mo Ke¡¯s knowledge, turning them into witches who would only serve Mo Ke. From that moment on, Ancarin began addressing Mo Ke as ¡°Master¡± (TL: master-servant) instead of what she used to call him.


    (TL: Previously I used ¡°Master¡± in both cases since it can be used as a way of showing respect without both parties being in a master-servant relationship. Obviously, this ended up causing some issues. Either way, Master now refers to a master-servant relationship.)


    As a former demon king who almost created her divine core, she naturally had a host of unrevealed skills. Unfortunately for Mo Ke, her soul was still too weak especially after she transferred a vast amount of energy to Mo Ke during the fight with Dawson. Thanks to that, he was able to evolve on the spot, but that had used up most of the souls Mo Ke had absorbed up to this point.


    Just as Gaywitz was about to finish off Mo Ke, she activated her secret arts and sent a message to Ancarin stationed far away in Azure City. Her order was to kill Duran and sever the only link between Mo Ke and the Western Human Realms. However, the price of this secret art was that she had to sleep once more. Thankfully, this plan worked just in the nick of time.

 Chapter 143: Conclusion Part 2

    ¡°Damn it! How did she escape!?¡±


    Gaywitz¡¯s morningstar crashed into the ground with a loud bang, sending a cloud of dust and soil into the air while leaving behind a conspicuous hole. Yet no matter how strong his attack was, it was nothing but a joke if it didn¡¯t hit its target.


    The brawny man let out an exasperated breath before ordering his gasping subordinates to immediately reconvene with Samantha and their other teammate in Azure City.


    At the side was a slightly befuddled Zarah who was still coming to terms with the fact that Mo Ke had been eaten by a devil. However, his own two eyes wouldn¡¯t lie to him; that devil just now had no traces of Mo Ke on her. Without hesitating any further, he decided to pass on this news as soon as possible to Roscar, his old friend, who was still in the midst of searching for his son. Hopefully, he could withstand this shocking news. As for Nicole¡­that will be up to Roscar himself to handle.


    Within a certain inn in Azure City¡­


    Regine unceremoniously plucked out the dagger she drove into Duran and wiped it off with a nearby piece of cloth. The evil man was finally dead¡­that unending nightmare was finally over¡­


    Beside her, Ancarin threw a wary look at the hunter who shouldn¡¯t be here at this moment, Moranthal. Yet all the man did was return her doubting stare with a smile, ignoring the yet to disperse aura of murder surrounding Regine.


    All this time Moranthal had been following Mo Ke. In his mind, he had basically resolved himself to spend the rest of his life in this pit known as Mo Ke. However, he, more than anyone else, was clear that he did so willingly and that this wasn¡¯t the result of some charm. He had truly fallen in love with this kind devil with a heavenly singing voice.


    Originally, he had been stalking Mo Ke and naturally knew of the demon hunters as well. Yet, as he decided to step in and help, he was promptly bewitched by Mo Ke¡¯s rendition of <>. By the time he extricated himself from the song, Mo Ke had already disappeared without a trace. Thus, he had no choice but to find Ancarin and stand guard over them.


    ¡°I believe in Lady Mo Ke. There¡¯s no way she would kill an innocent, so that man must¡¯ve truly deserved it,¡± he declared as he turned to Ancarin with unwavering eyes.


    He believed in Mo Ke. More so than any theory he could come up with; he believed in his own two eyes and in the kindness he saw in Mo Ke that day. Not only did she spend all her wealth to help the village, she had risked her own life in order to save those prostitutes who had been taken hostage. He simply couldn¡¯t picture a saintly person¡­I mean, devil like her doing anything evil.


    While the man had expressed his disinterest, not explaining this matter to him would still leave a shadow within his heart. Thus, as a devout follower of Mo Ke, she attempted to explain the situation to Moranthal in hopes that he wouldn¡¯t get a negative impression of her master, even if this meant that she had relive those nightmarish days once more.


    After a drawn out sigh, she signalled for Regine to clean up any traces of the murder while she began recounting their traumatic experience.


    After a few heart wrenching and infuriating minutes, Moranthal could barely contain himself as he looked at the lifeless meat puppet of an occultist. He truly wanted to stab his corpse a few more times with his blade or even grind his bones into a pile of dust and scatter it into the air.


    Despicable¡­truly despicable! To think he actually laid his hands on innocent girls, and even worse, he actually tried to steal Lady Mo Ke away from him! If he didn¡¯t deserve death, who else did?!


    That¡¯s right, in his heart, Mo Ke was a lot more important than a lot of other things.


    By now, Regine had taken care of the bloody smell in the air and all that was left was the corpse-laden wooden bucket. Mo Ke had already returned to Hell and it was about time for them to leave Azure City as well. As for where they would go to, they had never really thought about it. At the very least however, Azure City was no longer a safe place for them to stay. If that snitch were to discover them, the consequences would be dire.


    ¡°Then where do you all plan to head to now?¡±


    In the face of the hunter¡¯s question, the girls had no forthcoming answer to give. Ever since their master saved them, they had decided to dedicate the rest of their lives to him. However, now that he had been forced back to hell, they were temporarily at a loss for what to do. Without their master, they had lost the core of their group. Not only was Regine stumped, the normally quick witted and intelligent Ancarin was as well.


    Where should they go?


    ¡°If you all have nowhere else in mind, how about returning to the village with me?¡±


    ¡°!¡± As if they had just heard the most unbelievable thing in this world, the girls raised their heads simultaneously and stared at the hunter who had sent out that invite. Both of them were witches who served a devil, and last they checked, humans weren¡¯t exactly on talking terms with devils. Moranthal¡¯s offer seemed a little¡­unrealistic.


    A witch: anyone who served a devil, evil god or any other strong, evil existence was labelled a witch. Witches were able to gain extraordinary powers from their masters and this power grew the more they were favored.


    Seeing as they served evil, they were treated the same as the evil they served by the masses.


    I remember back on Earth, Europe had undergone a painful period in history where the ignorant men ended up killing innocent women in the tens of thousands in order to weed out all witches. It could be said that they had nearly wiped out all the women.


    (TL: ¡­there¡¯s this saying that goes ¡°no one will think you are dumb just because you keep your mouth shut¡±¡­)


    Because the Western Human Realms had a tool to specifically detect evil creatures, that massacre didn¡¯t end up happening here as well¡­at least not to that extent. However, their treatment here was just as bad as what the witches on Earth faced.


    If anyone were to find out that they were witches, what awaited Ancarin and Regine would be the cruelest of tortures. With that in mind, what was Moranthal thinking when he made that offer? Was it pity or did he have some other goals in mind?


    Not to mention the fact that Ancarin had even thought of killing Moranthal in order to protect this secret.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that look, after all that Lady Mo Ke has done for our village, we have the obligation to protect you two. Besides, the villagers were saved by you all, not a single one of them has forgotten the aid Lady Mo Ke rendered. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be more than happy to do something in return for you all. Besides¡­¡±


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    As he said that, his face blushed. ¡°Besides, if you two stay in the village, Lady Mo Ke would definitely come to the village in search of you two when she returns to the Western Human Realms¡­¡±


    Such a hopeless fellow¡­


    Ancarin glanced at Regine, looking at the taciturn girl right in the eyes. Having gotten an answer from her eyes, Ancarin nodded at Moranthal, showing her acceptance of his offer before explaining in the sincerest tone possible. ¡°Master¡­is¡­he¡¯s a guy.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Moranthal¡¯s face cramped up as he barely managed to force a smile. ¡°This joke isn¡¯t funny at all.¡±


    However, whether or not he believed this explanation, Ancarin no longer had any intention of explaining this fact nor did she need to. She thumbed a horn-shape bump in her pocket, this was the horn that Mo Ke lost after he battled against Duran¡¯s Wind Blades during the first day of his summoning. Clasping it tightly, she closed her eyes and silently prayed.


    ¡°Master, Ancarin will keep this horn of yours safe. One day¡­Ancarin will definitely return to your side¡­¡±


    The three swiftly left Azure City without wasting another moment. On the way to the village, they stopped by a deserted location and buried Duran¡¯s corpse before rushing off once more.


    Currently, the four villages of Plateau were undergoing major reconstruction. Having learnt their lesson during the bandit invasion, the villagers now knew the importance of being united. Thus, under the guidance of their various village chiefs and elders, they began the work of uniting the disparate villagers.


    Back then, they chose to split up because of some minor dispute and now they were once again going to be united, this time out of safety concerns. The location for the new village had already been chosen. It was the same location as the old one, at Plateau Original Village. Seeing as everyone was familiar with that spot, none of them objected too much.


    Because of his important role in repelling the bandits, George was unanimously elected as the new village chief of the recombined village. At this very moment, George was engaged in a meeting with Eddison, Io and the various village elders about the upcoming village merger. Hearing that Moranthal had returned, they immediately left for the village entrance with a welcoming party in tow to welcome him.


    Welcoming him back together was in essence a way of showing their attitudes regarding the merger: now that the four villages have merged back together, everyone is now one big family so we¡¯re here to welcome you together.


    However, all these decisions including the decision to elect George had all been done after Moranthal left. Now that he was back, how would he react to the complete makeover his village had undergone? Would he be angry? Would he accuse George of trying to usurp power or would he simply flip out on the spot?


    With these concerns in his mind, George led the party which included Dioh, to the village gate where they found Regine, Ancarin and Moranthal together next to Duran¡¯s carriage.


    Seeing him return with the two girls who were deeply involved with a devil, his smiling face immediately cramped up. However, without waiting for his brother to say anything, Dioh immediately ran up to the party as if they were his kin and inquired about Mo Ke¡¯s whereabouts.


    [He returned home] was the answer Dioh got from Ancarin. As for what that meant, naturally it required no further explanation.


    Ignoring the crestfallen boy, Moranthal didn¡¯t react too much to the news of the merger and George¡¯s election as village chief; he merely stated his hope that the village could shelter Ancarin and Regine.


    However, George was noticeably silent about this. Had it been any ordinary person, the village was more than able to shelter them, but these girls were anything but ordinary thanks to their connection to a devil. The last thing George wanted was for the village to face another disaster should their identities ever be revealed.


    The only reason he didn¡¯t flat out reject this request was because of all the aid Mo Ke had rendered during his stay here. If he were to reject them outright, that would make him seem like an ingrate; so he chose to remain silent as a way of expressing his rejection.


    Seeing the expressionless look on his brother¡¯s face, Dioh immediately knew that his older brother didn¡¯t wish to shelter these two girls. He promptly tried to voiced his support for the girls. Like Moranthal, he didn¡¯t mind that Mo Ke was gone. As long as these two girls were here, Mo Ke would definitely return to the village one day.


    However, just as he was about to open his mouth, he was silenced by a glare from George. Yet, the Dioh today wasn¡¯t like the Dioh of the past, he returned his brother¡¯s glare with a steadfast glare of his own. After confirming that his older brother didn¡¯t plan on accepting the girls, he immediately blew up.


    ¡°After all that Lady Mo Ke has done for the village, after all the villagers she saved, how could you treat her companions like this!¡± Yelled the teen in a voice that was loud enough to attract the surrounding villagers. Hearing that sensitive name once more, the nearby villagers began to congregate around the entrance.


    In order to expand the village and create more living space for the villagers, the majority of the villagers were helping with the construction work near the gate. These villagers were all recipients of Mo Ke¡¯s aid and naturally reacted to Dioh¡¯s outcry. After learning of the situation, they unanimously expressed their hope that the two girls could stay behind.


    Having just become their village chief, his reputation wasn¡¯t cemented yet. Thus George couldn¡¯t risk angering the gathered villagers and had no choice but to accept the girls.


    Why was Dioh so adamant about helping Mo Ke? That¡¯s because he fell in love with him the moment he heard his voice. Thanks to his soul mixing with Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s, Mo Ke was reincarnated with an irresistible charm. Not only that, thanks to his identity as a Soul Bard, his voice took on a feminine tone that naturally garnered the favor of any man he spoke to, even if they couldn¡¯t see his face.


    His reckless actions against the Third Chief was precisely the result of this. It wasn¡¯t some sense of justice that drove him to attack the Third Chief; but rather that he fell in love with Mo Ke¡¯s voice the moment he heard it¡­the man¡¯s insistence that he take off his mask had angered Dioh greatly, so he decided to find an excuse to start a fight.


    Naturally, all this was not only to protect Mo Ke; it was also to show off his gallant side, and hopefully in the process curry favor with Mo Ke.


    He clearly knew that he wasn¡¯t a match for Doran but that¡¯s what his big brother was for; George could definitely own that scrub!

 Chapter 144: Conclusion Part 3

    In the end, the whole fiasco concluded with Ancarin and Regine being allowed to stay behind. However, the two girls themselves didn¡¯t stay in the village. With the help of Moranthal and Dioh, they built a small wooden house near the the village to live in.


    As a way of repaying Mo Ke¡¯s sacrifices for the village, the female villagers would often send over supplies and chat with them. Naturally, there were male villagers who visited them as well. They were after all, single and beautiful girls. It wasn¡¯t a surprise that they had their fair share of suitors.


    The ex-prostitutes who were saved by Mo Ke would visit the girls at fixed intervals, and at the same time, they would pray for the safety of their benefactor. As for Regine¡­she was just as stone cold as before towards everyone except for Mo Ke and Ancarin, of who she would reveal a sliver of emotion from time to time.


    Regarding Gaywitz¡¯s failure to kill Mo Ke, while he was disturbed by the failure, he didn¡¯t think too much about it and simply chalked it up to bad luck instead of his excessive showboating.


    Having returned to Azure City, the first thing Gaywitz did was send away that girl, Samantha. While her lead didn¡¯t result in a kill in the end, it was accurate. Thus, he generously gave her a princely sum of one hundred gold coins as a reward for her information, and expressed his interest in buying any further information should she come across any.


    While the greedy prostitute didn¡¯t end up getting what she wanted, she didn¡¯t dare to doubt Gaywitz either. Instead, she tried to invite the demon hunter team leader to dinner in a bid to find a new sugar daddy. Unfortunately for her, Gaywitz wasn¡¯t the least bit interested in her advances and summarily dismissed the girl.


    Seeing as his failure was due to luck, at least it was in his mind, he wasn¡¯t willing to give up on the hunt and tried to approach Nicole. Since she was the only one who understood that song, he deduced that the pair must have had some relationship. Yet, this pursuit didn¡¯t end up as smooth sailing as he had expected.


    Nicole¡¯s master, in other words, the headmistress of the warrior academy, stopped the man from meeting Nicole. Her reason was that the freshman¡¯s competition was about to start and she didn¡¯t want Nicole to be distracted. Naturally, this ridiculous reason was rejected by Gaywitz. How could a paltry freshman competition compare to news about a dual-sin anointed apostle?!


    Yet, whether it was ridiculous or not, he was immediately taught a lesson by the headmistress¡¯ fists about what the phrase ¡°not listening to your elders will end up biting you in the butt¡± meant.


    Nicole had never heard the song sung by the reincarnated Mo Ke, but she more than anyone else knew that there was no one else in the entire Western Human Realms who knew Chinese except for Mo Ke and herself. Unless¡­he decided to teach someone else.


    Gaywitz¡¯s previous visit didn¡¯t give her too much information regarding this subject, but her sharp instincts immediately picked up on several clues. Seeing as it was the demon hunters who approached her, then this matter must¡¯ve involved devils in some way. In that case, who was the person that sang the song and what was her relationship to Mo Ke?


    Nicole wanted to track down this mysterious singer but was unfortunately stopped by the headmistress.


    Her headmistress was a ravishing beauty whose looks captured the hearts of numerous men. At a glance, she looked like a woman approaching her thirties yet her real age was actually 67. With a head of long, flowing, white hair and a beautiful but cold face, she looked like an otherworldly immortal.


    Her almost boyish long robes would reveal a pair of shapely and perfect thighs as she walked through the academy. On her waist was an exquisitely decorated longsword that seemed more like a work of art than a killing machine.


    ¡°Master, Nicole wishes to¡­¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    She stepped in front of the girl cutting off her route out of the training room. Her beautiful yet icy face had an expression on it that clearly said no as she continued: ¡°The competition is about to start, your mission right now is to focus on your training and not be distracted by other matters.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    Nicole wanted to say something else but she was interrupted right away as the first word left her mouth.


    ¡°Master knows that you wish to look for your younger brother, but how will you even look for him by yourself? Just let Master handle this matter for you, Master will expend all the resources at her disposal to find your little brother. His name is Mo Ke right?¡±


    ¡°Is that true?!¡±


    Originally, she had resolved herself to search for Mo Ke alone but who knew that her master would actually offer to help herself instead. She was well aware of her master¡¯s special status in Azure City and even in the whole of Tarnia. As long as she was willing to help, finding Mo Ke was only a matter of time.


    Of course, all this was assuming that he was still in Tarnia¡­


    ¡°Mhm, as long as you obtain one of the top five positions in the upcoming competition, Master will definitely fulfill her promise.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great, I won¡¯t let you down Master!¡±


    With that promise in hand, she happily left for her sword practise. This was one of the rare occasions she smiled ever since Mo Ke left home. Only in front of her Master and Roscar would she throw them a forced smile from time to time.


    Staring at her beloved disciples happy figure, she let out a helpless sigh. Having stopped that boorish team leader just now, she gleaned a great deal of information from the man. In her view, that boy Mo Ke was probably not coming back. However, in order not to influence her disciple¡¯s future, she made the ruthless decision to lie to her¡­at least for the time being. Such matters could be left for the future.


    Having sent away Nicole, the headmistress returned to her office once more. Normally she wouldn¡¯t have to waste her time on such petty matters, but today was an exception. Just a few minutes ago, she received word from the Demon Hunter Division that their branch leader in Azure was about to visit.


    After waiting for a while in her office, a thirty-odd year old man man walked into the room dressed in a blueish white attire that looked like it belonged to some wandering swordsman. On the man¡¯s waist hung a thin, longsword. Perhaps it would be more accurate to call it a straight blade.


    The man had a dashing appearance and an aura that made him seem like a cut above the masses. His long black hair was tied up in a neat ponytail behind his almost expressionless face. However, looking carefully one could notice a slight smile on the man¡¯s face; the kind which naturally attracted people¡¯s favor.


    Just as the wanderer-esque man stepped into the room, the headmistress curtly cut the man off and questioned him with a slightly displeased look on her face: ¡°Clear Water Mirror, don¡¯t you have something better to do than visit me?¡±


    In the face of her obvious dissatisfaction, the man didn¡¯t mind it one bit and merely shrugged his shoulders while adopting a relaxed posture. ¡°Thousand Snow Crystal, don¡¯t give me that look right at the start, I¡¯ve come here on serious business after all.¡±


    ¡°You have something to discuss with me?¡± The headmistress asked with a cold laugh. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve come here because of that boorish subordinate of yours? When did the branch leader of the Demon Hunters Division become so free all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°Hah, are you talking about Gaywitz? Sorry to disappoint you but I¡¯m not here because of that boy. He needs a good thrashing from time to time. No, I¡¯m here for more important matters.¡± Wiping off that mischievous smile on his face, he shrugged his shoulders once more and said:


    ¡°Not too long ago, the prophets in our branch received a prophecy. A prophecy that states that the devil who sang that song in an unknown language a week ago was going to destroy our world.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Thousand Snow Flowers gave a cold harrumph. ¡°Is this some kind of bad joke?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± As he said that, his face turned solemn. ¡°It¡¯s because this matter is so important that I had to make this trip personally. I¡¯m hoping you¡¯ll be able to provide me with some clues.¡±


    ¡°What kind of clues can I possibly have?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t but your beloved disciple does.¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t as well.¡± Seeing as this involved the fate of the world, she dropped her hostile tone as she seriously explained her answer to the man: ¡°My disciple doesn¡¯t recognize that devil as well. In truth, she is also looking for that devil, as for the reason¡­I¡¯m sure you already know of it. If your subordinate wasn¡¯t lying, that devil should be in Hell right now.¡±


    ¡°Is there really no other way? For example a summoning medium of some sort?¡±


    Wearing a look that seemed like she was looking at an idiot, she snapped at the foolish man with eyebrows raised: ¡°We haven¡¯t even seen the person, how do you expect to find a summoning medium!?¡±


    ¡°But the prophecy¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, how much trouble can a three-star cause? I bet your prophets must¡¯ve suffered some kind of brain damage otherwise they wouldn¡¯t have made such a silly prophecy.¡±


    ¡°Well, I feel that fellow is rather unreliable as well¡­mhm, I must be worrying too much. Clear Water Mirror let out a helpless sigh but tried one last time to get his way. ¡°Will you ever let me see that beloved disciple of yours?¡±


    ¡°Sure, but that will only be after the freshman competition.¡± Thousand Snow Flowers continued with an additional term: ¡°Of course, that¡¯s under the condition that you gift that sword of yours to my disciple.¡±


    ¡°Haha, alright, I¡¯ll get someone to send the sword over tomorrow.¡±


    With the terms settled, he left the room with a broad smile on his face.


    As he stepped out of the room, the smile swiftly vanished as he tightened his fists and muttered in a voice that only he could hear: ¡°The destruction of the world¡­haha¡­hell huh¡­¡±


    Having sent off the man, she was about to resume her training when her servant suddenly rushed into the room and brought her an explosive piece of news.


    ¡°Emergency! Young Master is acting up for some reason and is going on about killing the Third Prince¡­¡±


    ¡­¡­


    In the Prison of the Dead¡­


    Ever since Mo Ke was inexplicably sent off to the human world, Violet Snow would periodically keep watch over the area Mo Ke disappeared from. This watch ended up lasting over a month.


    It wasn¡¯t a particularly long wait, but it was a wait that gradually wore down on her patience. Out of sheer boredom, she crafted a tiny igloo nearby; later only to find herself bored once more as she rolled her eyes at it. How boring¡­


    At her side, Mo En¡¯s little granddaughter would pace back and forth around her while staring intently at the tiny igloo. She desperately wanted to step on it when the little puppy wasn¡¯t looking, but unfortunately for her, her clumsy attempt was immediately discovered. Having been in an irate mood already, she slapped her tiny little paws against the floor and created an ice prison out of thin air, locking up the mischievous little devil.


    ¡°Hey, Little White Doggie, why did you lock this one up!? Release this one immediately! Hmph, so you don¡¯t want to release me!? This one can still tele¡­¡±


    As a primal demon, she had the innate ability to control the space around her and teleport a short distance. However, despite multiple attempts, she failed to teleport out of the cage; which was to be expected. While she had the appearance of a little devil, she was still nothing more than a newborn baby and naturally couldn¡¯t control her powers well.


    ¡°Ah¡­how annoying, why can¡¯t this one teleport out of this cage¡­¡± Having failed to extricate herself, she began to run around the enclosed area in an anxious fit. Unfortunately for her, this tiny cage was only large enough to fit her body. With each spin, her wings would slam against the icy pillar¡­


    ¡°Owwww¡­¡±


    Squatting down, she turned around to inspect her wings for injuries with a miserable look on her face. She glared at the bored puppy for a long while and¡­nothing happened.


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    Violet Snow glanced emotionlessly at Mimiya and said: ¡°You¡¯d better behave yourself or else¡­¡±


    ¡°Or else what, what do you think you can do! Don¡¯t forget, this one still has a grandpa!¡± While her voice wasn¡¯t particularly threatening, the meaning behind her words were clear: don¡¯t mess with me or I¡¯ll get my grandpa to bite you!


    Just as Violet Snow was about to return her a ¡®whatever¡¯, a tiny rift in space began to form nearby as space itself began to bend. A moment later, a black hooded figure bearing a two meter long black sword on his back appeared before the pair¡­the figure was lying down as he made his appearance¡­

 Chapter 145: Mo En’s Family

    Where am I¡­it feels like I was out for a long time¡­although, it also feels like I was out for just a few seconds as well.


    By the time I fully came to my senses and opened my eyes, my ears were filled with a multitude of voices, some familiar, some foreign.


    ¡°Awake¡­Master¡¯s awake!¡±


    Looks like there really was a crowd gathering around me. Violet Snow, Mimiya, One-eye, Nine-finger, No.3, No.5, Big 4 and the demonic half-orc Baccarel. There was also Mo En whom I had only seen once and a tall lust demon who was clad in garments sewn together from some sort of fur.


    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to sleep for a while more?¡± Mo En was just like before, shaped like small imp with a face that could only be described as wretched. As he said that, he lowered his body in what looked like an attempt at sitting; however, this was immediately hindered by a discreet kick from the lust demon beside him. His relaxed legs immediately straightened up.


    ¡°Mhm, either way being able to meet like this again isn¡¯t so bad. This is my precious granddaughter, the fiancee I was talking about before.¡±


    ¡°Yoo, how are you doing. Even though this one still thinks you look like a lust demon, this one is willing to consider your courtship assuming you¡¯re still interested.¡± The primal devil raised her hands as if she was a kid in a classroom, and in a serious voice said: ¡°This one will listen to grandpa.¡±


    You make it sound like I¡¯m forcing you with a knife to marry me¡­the problem was that if I didn¡¯t do so, I probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to return to the Western Human Realms at all. As recent events have proven, I was right in making that decision. While I didn¡¯t end up finding Nicole, waiting to be summoned was the right move.


    Even so, waiting patiently to be summoned wasn¡¯t an option either. Ancarin was still too weak for that, and by the time she got stronger, I would have evolved as well. By the time she was able to summon me¡­several decades might have already gone by.


    In the end, one should always depend on themselves first. Depending on others simply wasn¡¯t a stable solution.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, are you really not a lust demon?¡±


    The lust demon bowed before me with a faintly excited look in her eyes. In a humble tone, she asked, ¡°Then may I hazard another question, are you a Soul Bard? Are you of the warrior or bewitching branch, and that tattoo on your face¡­¡±


    This must be the legendary wife of Mo En. She¡¯s rather pretty, I have to admit. I bet she could be considered beautiful even amongst the elves who were known for their beauty, whether it was in terms of her figure or her face. Judging by her aura, she was probably a four-star as well.


    ¡°About that, probably both.¡± I smiled weakly before pointing at the tattoo on my face. ¡°Strictly speaking, I¡¯m not a lust demon but you may treat me as one¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really understand what you are saying¡­but I¡¯m able to sense an exalted soul within you, as if you were born to be our queen¡­I¡­I¡¯m not wrong, am I¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­mhm, because of certain reasons, I¡­you may see me as such.¡± I initially intended to tell her about Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s soul within me, but thinking about it, this news was too important to reveal so lightly. For all I know, I might end up committing some taboo. After all, devils were a life form known for their slyness and evilness.


    Thus the lust demon knelt down¡­


    ¡°My Queen¡­¡±


    Seeing his wife suddenly kneel, Mo En was momentarily stunned, but after being glared at, he stupidly knelt down as well.


    And this was how I inexplicably turned Mo En¡¯s family into my subordinates.


    Since I had become their master, that marriage with Mimiya was now nothing but a joke. In the words of that lust demon, she wasn¡¯t worthy enough to marry me since our relationship now wasn¡¯t an equal one. It was now of a master and his servants, rather than a marriage between equals.


    As for why this even happened, it goes without saying that it was the effect of Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s soul at work here. She was basically my transmigrator granddaddy now, though she wasn¡¯t a particularly dependable one.


    (TL: granddaddy / grampa ¨C typical old man that shows up and bestows you with powers etc in typical xuanhuan / wuxia stories)


    Mo En¡¯s wife was known as Julia, and she was a four-star primal devil as well. She possessed all the physical aspects of a lust demon¡­.the goat horns, the crimson long hair, the flesh wings on her back, her heart shaped tail and hoof shaped feet¡­mhm.


    The way to tell apart the grades of a lust demon¡¯s bloodlines was by looking at their feet. If her bloodline was of a high grade, her feet would be similar to a human¡¯s while a low grade bloodline was indicated by hooves.


    Julia¡¯s bloodline was of a lower grade; furthermore, she was of the carnal branch. Her strength didn¡¯t lie in combat but rather lied in tactics and charm. Julia was born alongside Mo En. While she was of the carnal branch, she didn¡¯t have a relationship with any other male devil. Not only that, thanks to his unique personality, the final say in their devil clan ended up lying with Julia.


    Using a highly appropriate quote from one of Zhao Benshan¡¯s skits: ¡°Before getting married, we had a discussion, serious matters would be decided by him while the minor matters would be handled by me. However, in these ten over years we¡¯ve been married, we haven¡¯t had any serious matters.¡±


    Mhm, that was the kind of feeling I was getting.


    Apparently, Mo En¡¯s son had already left the Prison of the Dead by himself, leaving behind a son and a daughter. The daughter was Mimiya while the son was a glutton who was rather fat. He was already a three-star and seemed to be an apostle of Gluttony. What¡¯s worse was that he seemed to have inherited his grandpa¡¯s unique characteristic; his brain wasn¡¯t functioning well¡­


    Being a glutton, Mo En¡¯s grandson, Mo Xixidi was naturally chewing on a piece of meat as he lumbered towards us. Judging from his massive girth, at least two meters tall body and those gigantic horns on his head, Mo Xixidi was probably a primal horned devil. Horned devils were, as their name suggested, known for their giant horns.


    He was essentially a tub of lard wrapped in the crimson red hide of a devil. His tail was noticeably thicker than an ordinary devil and his horns were at least two times as large as other devils. They were curved horns that almost reminded me of a bull¡¯s. While it might sound like a strange description, all you had to know was that it was a well-fed man sitting on the floor with a pair of bull horns on his head.


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    And he was also a retard¡­


    Most devils who saw me would immediately try to flatter me; however, Xixidi was different. The first thing this meat potato said was: ¡°Are you edible?¡±


    Based on the serious look in his eyes and the word eat, I could safely say that in his eyes any life form he encountered could be classified into three categories: Kin, edible, and inedible.


    Naturally, the moment that stupid question left his mouth, No.3 and Big 4 immediately stepped in front of me, shielding me fromthe meat potato with wary looks on their faces, glaring at the meat potato who had a puppy dog expression on his face at the moment. Then, he received a solid whipping from Julia.


    ¡°You actually dare to offend our Queen!¡±


    After a few cracks of her whip, Xixidi nonchalantly scratched his head: ¡°Granny, hitting me like that isn¡¯t painful at all.¡±


    Everyone who had seen this retard for the first time: ¡°¡­¡±


    Only Mimiya seemed happy about that reply as she happily cheered her granny on and clapped: ¡°Granny hit him harder, I can help out if you want, I¡¯ve always wanted to whip Big Brother.¡±


    Ignoring the girl, Julia let out a resigned sigh and kept her whip: ¡°Then I order you not to eat for the entire day.¡±


    ¡°¡­wah¡­nooo, I want to eat¡­ahhhh¡­Granny doesn¡¯t love me anymore¡­¡± He immediately broke down like a three year old kid and wailed. The hurt look on his face was at least a hundred times worse than when he was whipped.


    ¡°No means no, the next time you¡¯re rude to our Queen, I¡¯ll ban you from eating for a week!¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, it¡¯s not such a serious matter¡­¡± Feeling that his wife had overreacted and fearing for his grandson¡¯s stomach, Mo En tried to persuade Julia, but was immediately silenced by a glare from her. His head promptly shrunk back in fear and spoke no longer.


    ¡°Our Queen might still be immature but she is destined to become the queen of the lust demons. I hope that everyone will show such an exalted existence the respect she deserves, if not¡­don¡¯t blame me for being ruthless.¡±


    She swept her eyes over the scoffing Mo En, the crying Mo Xixidi and the nonchalant Mimiya: ¡° Don¡¯t think for a second that I don¡¯t know what you lot are thinking. For the future of the lust demons, I¡¯ll do my utmost best to serve our Queen, till my very last breath!¡±


    As she said that, a fire lit up in her eyes. With a fervent look on her face, she immediately got to her knees, humbly lifted up one of my feet with her hands and kissed its back¡­


    ¡°My Queen¡­your body is so exalted¡­your disposition is so saintly and pure, even the elven queen would lower her head in shame in the face of your beauty, your beauty has transcended the limits of this world¡­¡±


    Word after cringey word spewed forth from her mouth, nearly making me want to cry. Didn¡¯t I emphasize the fact that I was a guy?! That whole part about beauty wasn¡¯t necessary, was it?


    Just like that, I ended up gaining the support of Mo En and instantly gained 2,000 more devils; of which the four-stars were Mo En and Julia, while the three-stars were Mimiya, Xixidi and three other nameless demon childs. There were a total of 370 head imps while the rest were large imps.


    It had to be said that this was a much needed replenishment of my army. In order to break through the legendary, unassailable prison exit, I needed a lot of devils, the more the merrier. Having witnessed the terrifying dangers at the prison exit, Habona¡¯s grandfather once told me that we needed at least 10,000 one-stars before he would pledge assistance to our cause.


    Based on that alone, one could tell how dangerous that place was. It was said that anyone who had tried to break through forcefully were all dead!


    Who would¡¯ve thought that the problem I was mulling over when I woke up would instantly be lessened by 20% without me even lifting a finger.


    Truth be told, I was beginning to feel that the old werewolf¡¯s aid wasn¡¯t even that important anymore. It wasn¡¯t like their numbers were that many to begin with. Of course if I could recruit them I definitely would, but if it wasn¡¯t possible it wouldn¡¯t be such a terrible loss either.


    While the trip to the Western Human Realms ended without me finding Nicole, I ended up gaining an important lead while I was there. Thanks to Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s hint, the next step for me was to break out of this prison and find Yi Yi in Abaddon. If everything worked out as planned, I would regain my male body, after which I could begin planning for my return to the human world. By that time, I should have the strength to protect myself and not get chased to the ends of the earth by demon hunters.

 Chapter 146: Visitation Part 1

    Mo En¡¯s nest was just as I expected, a cave dug out of the maze¡¯s wall. When I asked him how he managed to do that, he gave me an answer that made me want to bang my head against the wall. Apparently, you had to sacrifice souls to it in order to dig through it¡­


    I remember back when I had just arrived in this maze, I tried every means possible to break through the wall but it ended up failing spectacularly. It was as if I was hitting a 3,000 DEF point wall with a 0 ATK sword.


    Using a special ceremony to offer up souls, one was able to dig through the walls. This was crucial to setting up a nest as the maze would spawn undead from time to time which made resting in the open dangerous. Only by hiding inside a cave would the undead not notice your nest.


    While this was an effective method to build a nest, not every race or clan knew about this ceremony. Take for example, the Abbadon rodents. Those overgrown rats had no cave to call their own and merely lived in a remote corner of the maze. That exposed location couldn¡¯t be considered a nest at all and was at most a camp of sorts.


    The ratmen didn¡¯t feed on souls so why didn¡¯t they offer them up instead? The answer was simple, only the four-stars knew about the ceremony¡­


    That was precisely why races like the harpies were able to construct a giant nest in the wall. It was all thanks to their four-star harpy witch.


    Given that, the medusas probably had their own nest as well seeing as they had Manasha and Majosha.


    Of course, there were also certain races who didn¡¯t have a nest despite having a four-star in their clan. The demonic werewolves were one such clan. Because of their marauding and nomadic nature, they chose instead to wander through the maze.


    At the end of the wall, that wall of text was simply to prove a point: the Prison of the Dead had given birth to a culture of its own. Although this seemed merely like a caveman¡¯s culture to me, who knows what things might look like a thousand years from now.


    However, that¡¯s enough useless chatter for now, it¡¯s about time for me to consider our future plans.


    ¡°Master.¡± Just as I was strolling through the maze and watching the guardsmen clear up a bunch of small fries as I mulled over that issue, I was interrupted by No.3¡¯s voice.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± With the devil egg in hand, I slowly halted my pacing and looked at No.3.


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    ¡°One-eye has been acting strangely recently¡­¡±


    At this very moment, there was only No.3 and Big 4 by my side. These two imps were my elite bodyguards handpicked and groomed by me. During the one month stint in the Western Human Realms, my subordinates had undergone a massive change. Other than that potato, No.5, all my named subordinates had basically evolved into three-stars. With that, even their severed limbs had regrown.


    It was an evolution speed that widely exceeded my expectations; although, thinking back on it, they were probably slowed down by my voracious appetite for souls. Furthermore, I had been observing the devils living in Mo En¡¯s nest recently. What I discovered was that, as a whole, they were slightly smarter than my devils¡­which was to say that, devouring souls actually increased their intelligence!


    Then another question arises¡­why am I still so stupid after consuming so many souls?


    Hmph, that¡¯s enough messing around for now.


    Regarding this matter of souls boosting one¡¯s intelligence, it wasn¡¯t that strange when one thought about it carefully. Different kinds of food had their own nutritional value. Take for example, if one didn¡¯t eat enough fruits during a sea voyage. They won¡¯t have enough vitamin C to sustain their body and would end up with problems such as internal bleeding or scurvy. Without a balanced diet, one¡¯s body might end up deformed.


    Right now, my subordinates were all basically retarded to some extent except for that disappointment of a potato, No.5¡­no matter how much he ate, he didn¡¯t seem to evolve at all. Although¡­his intelligence seemed a lot higher than the other devils¡­so did that mean that¡­he had been nibbling on my soul rations?


    Well, that¡¯s a matter for another day. No.3¡¯s words were clear enough to me, he wanted to say that One-eye was beginning to establish his own little faction. This probably had something to do with my sudden departure; which gave him the opportunity to control some of my devils.


    Given that he was the next strongest person after me, this was to be expected, especially given that most of the commanding was done by him as well. In terms of leadership alone, he was a cut above the rest and commanded greater respect.


    Prior to joining me, he had his own band of small imps other than Nine-finger; so it didn¡¯t come as a surprise that this former leader would try to create his own faction in my absence.


    Strictly speaking, there were six factions in my army now; One-eye and Nine-finger formed one, Baccarel and his demonic half-orcs were another. While the half-orcs were the smallest of the six, their extraordinary combat strength wasn¡¯t one to be overlooked. No.3 and Big 4 formed another faction as my elite bodyguards; these two were in charge of my safety. Mo En, who had just joined us formed another faction.


    The last was Violet Snow¡­mhm, while there was no clear master/servant relationship between us; she basically followed my will most of the time so her hellhounds counted as a faction within my army as well.


    As for the other devils I didn¡¯t mention, No.5 was basically of the neutral faction while Big 5, who was the first devil to befriend a hellhound, leaned more towards Violet Snow¡¯s faction.


    All these so-called factions were formed organically. As the saying goes: where there are people, there will be a jianghu.


    Regarding this problem of factions, it wasn¡¯t something I particularly cared about. As long as they followed my orders and refrain from internal conflict, I couldn¡¯t be bothered to micromanage such affairs.


    ¡°From now on, the guardsmen will be commanded by you, Big 4 and no one else. As for One-eye, I¡¯ll arrange for him to take command of the shieldbearers and the Mo Sabrewielders.¡± I turned my expressionless face towards him, and amidst his averting gaze, said: ¡°Among all my subordinates, you¡¯ve been with me the longest. You are the person I trust the most so I hope that you won¡¯t disappoint me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll forever be loyal to the Master!¡± As proof of his loyalty, No.3 half-kneeled and bowed to me.


    ¡°Master, don¡¯t forget about me, I¡¯ll forever be loyal to you as well!¡± Big 4 immediately chimed in and knelt as a way of cementing his existence.


    ¡°Mhm, I know you two won¡¯t betray me. As long you two are by my side, I have the confidence to proceed boldly.¡± Ever since these two joined me, they had always placed my safety above everything; their loyalty towards me was something that had been proved long ago.


    However, my eyelids seemed to be twitching a lot lately as if my instincts were trying to tell me something was wrong but I just couldn¡¯t see where. Either way, it felt like something was up but what am I missing here?


    Mo En¡¯s nest had now turned into my territory. However, the job of managing it was still handled by Mo En and the others. Leaving behind Mo En, Julia and Xixidi, I brought Mimiya and my other subordinates along with me as I continued recruiting allies.


    Our first stop was to visit Habona and her demonic werewolves.


    Back then, I had left Habona with a squad of my skeleton archers and that bald apparition Vick, who basically spent his days bullying the skeleton archers who I ordered not to move at all.


    When I came upon a row of motionless skeletons, I found a certain wretched looking apparition floating around the vicinity¡­Vick, this fellow had been having the time of his life weaving in and out of the archers¡¯ bodies while letting out a silly laugh from time to time¡­that image he painted was¡­truly idiotic.


    The first reaction Habona had when we arrived was: ¡°You¡¯ve killed a werewolf?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, a primal werewolf.¡± Werewolves were a tight knit bunch and placed the lives of their comrades over their own. That matter of me killing Dawson¡­I don¡¯t know how she found out about it but this couldn¡¯t have been a good thing¡­


    ¡°I bet the other party attacked first.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, he was a bandit, and he tried to steal Shadowfang.¡±


    ¡°Good job killing him.¡± She coldly threw out those words of praise.


    This¡­actually seemed like a reasonable response.


    Shadowfang was, after all, a weapon left to her by their mother. Since she gave it to me, that meant it was now mine; so what was that man trying to pull by attempting to steal it?


    Besides, our first meeting wasn¡¯t exactly a peaceful one either. At that time, Habona chose to let us off in the end; seeing as they were the ones who attacked first and she was in a hurry to save Harlow. Not to mention that she thought I was connected to Mo En at that time. Just from that alone, one could tell that Habona was actually a reasonable werewolf¡­probably.


    ¡°Was the human world fun?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡± My face slackened into a sullen expression full of resignation. Not being able to find Nicole made it a complete failure.


    But then, why was she asking whether my trip was fun or not, that wasn¡¯t like her at all.


    ¡°Do you still wish to break through the exit?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± I immediately answered without any hesitation. ¡°Truth be told, this is the exact reason why I¡¯m here today. I was planning to discuss this matter with your grandfather. That¡­about Mo En, he became my subordinate.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Hearing that, her face immediately cramped up: ¡°That joke wasn¡¯t funny at all.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± I sighed and sheepishly grinned. ¡°Honestly, it still feels like a dream to me.¡±


    ¡°¡­unbelievable.¡± She didn¡¯t say anything more.


    I pointed at the little devil frolicking around Violet Snow: ¡°This is Mimiya, Mo En¡¯s granddaughter, if you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask her yourself.¡±


    ¡°¡­truly?¡±


    ¡°Truly!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re good.¡± This time, it was genuine praise.


    I just hope your grandfather¡¯s offer still stands. That 10,000 devil army wasn¡¯t looking that far off anymore.


    It wasn¡¯t long before the old werewolf made his appearance. Harlow still wasn¡¯t anywhere to be seen meaning he was probably with the medusas.


    After a short discussion with the old werewolf, he expressed his willingness to consider working with us even without the 10,000 devils. He was initially just as shocked as Habona about Mo En¡¯s subjugation, but it was also this piece of news that finally put him at ease about cooperating with us.


    Without a doubt, this was a good thing for me. As a sign of goodwill, I also expressed my willingness to craft more weapons for the werewolves seeing as he had not so subtly hinted his interest in them. During a casual chat with the old werewolf, he had brought up multiple times that the shields I crafted for them were rather effective in reducing casualties amongst their hunting teams.


    With that, our discussion ended with both sides walking away with a satisfactory outcome.


    Next stop, the medusas¡­


    This time we had Habona as our guide to lead us to the medusas. She was planning to visit her brother and sister-in-law beforehand, so she might as well make use of this opportunity to bring us along.


    The trip ended up taking only two days since the two clans weren¡¯t that far apart to begin with. As expected, the medusas had their own nest that was guarded by a large number of medusas patrolling around. Seeing us, the medusas immediately entered an alert state.

 Chapter 147: Visitation Part 2

    As the Medusas were a female only race and had to rely on kidnapping males of other races to reproduce, their relationship with the other races were at best, rocky. Even the similarly all-female harpies had an adversarial relationship with them seeing as they were both in the same industry. Naturally, these harpies had a bad relationship with the other races as well.


    The moment our entourage arrived at the medusa¡¯s nest, the patrolling medusas immediately took up defensive stances. Their snake hair puffed up in alarm with every tiny snake revealing their razor sharp fangs.


    ¡°It¡¯s Habona! Quick, inform the two leaders, Habona is here!¡±


    One of the medusas who obviously recognized Habona immediately commanded her companion to call for reinforcements. Against a four-star like Habona, they were clearly outmatched.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, hurry up and call them, make sure to summon Harlow at the same time.¡± Habona gave the medusa who recognized her an emotionless stare before nonchalantly declaring, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t pull any tricks, I¡¯ll just wait here quietly.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± It was then that the medusa warrior finally remembered that Habona was Harlow¡¯s older sister and that Harlow was actually the vice-leader¡¯s husband¡­heavens, she was actually alive to see the day that one of their race would have a husband. That was¡­just fantastic, unbelievably fantastic!


    Having realized that, she knew that Habona wouldn¡¯t do anything rash ¨C thinking back on her anxious reaction ¨C she immediately blushed in embarrassment. She wanted to invite the werewolf into their nest but couldn¡¯t find the words to do so.


    A short while later, Majosha and Manasha slithered into view with the demonic werewolf, Harlow, in tow.


    Having not seen them for a while, the lovebirds¡¯ relationship seemed to have gotten even closer. The pair were basically joined at the hip now. Even while they were walking towards us, their arms were entwined with each other.


    By the way, don¡¯t you know that public displays of affection are the leading cause of death for single men?


    ¡°Big Sis!¡±


    Harlow tugged on Majosha and quickened his pace while calling out to his sister. Majosha averted her eyes shyly and joined in as well, ¡°How are you doing, sister?¡±


    Looks like Harlow did a good job of teaching his wife, at least he wasn¡¯t a disgrace in this aspect.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Habona nodded her head nonchalantly with a slight aura of superiority. Truth be told, the two races still had nothing much in common except for Harlow. Out of respect for this husband, the medusas would no longer lay their hands on males from the demonic werewolf clan. To the werewolves, this was naturally good news; though it seemed to Habona that she had sacrificed her little brother in order to achieve this. Thus, she still didn¡¯t take to this sister-in-law of hers; yet, seeing as her brother truly loved her, she chose not to say anything more.


    Manasha glanced at Habona and the pair nodded toward each other as a greeting of sorts.


    ¡°Master Mo Ke, I haven¡¯t seen you in a month, how have you been?¡± How she treated Habona was one matter, while how she treated me was another. Her face wasn¡¯t as icy cold as before, and while she wasn¡¯t smiling, at the very least she took the initiative to greet me.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, I guess.¡± I smiled wryly. I briefly recounted my experience in the Western Human Realms and also informed them that it was merely an accident that I was summoned.


    ¡°Amazing, I want to see the outside world as well!¡± Based on that exclamation, one could clearly see her interest in my one month trip in the Western Human Realms. While the human world was dangerous to creatures of the darkness like us, human civilization had its unique points that attracted everyone.


    ¡°Sis, we¡­¡±


    ¡°Mhm, I know.¡± Manasha interrupted Majosha and turned towards me: ¡°Master Mo Ke, I¡¯m aware of the purpose for your visit today, it¡¯s to recruit us into your army isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m forming an army to attack the prison exit. Mo En has already joined under my banner and the demonic werewolves expressed their willingness as well. As long as you join us, our chances will be higher.¡±


    ¡°How much confidence do you have in this operation?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, I do not wish to make any reckless guess about something I have no information on. But there¡¯s one thing you can be sure of, and that¡¯s the fact that I don¡¯t plan on seeking my own death.¡±


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    ¡°No one has ever succeeded in breaking out of this prison since time immemorial¡­we¡­alright, I understand.¡± Manasha gave it some thought before relenting under the pleading gaze of her sister. She nodded at Majosha before turning to me once more: ¡°My sister and I are willing to join your army but I can¡¯t be sure of the clan¡¯s wishes, I will have to ask my other kin.¡±


    ¡°Then how do you plan on persuading them?¡±


    ¡°Persuading them¡­¡± Manasha raised her head and stared at the maze ceiling for a second before answering: ¡°I plan to tell them that there¡¯s an endless supply of men to kidnap in the outside world¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Is it truly alright to use such a matter as bait?


    However, I couldn¡¯t find any trace of levity in her eyes as she said that. This goes to show how much they needed a male counterpart; to the extent where it had begun to significantly affect their reproduction rate. This prison really was lacking in everything except undead¡­


    Thus, the negotiation with the medusas went unexpectedly smoothly, without us even having to step into their nest.


    With our business concluded, Manasha invited us in for a tour of their nest, which I swiftly agreed to seeing as this matter had intrigued me for a while now.


    Their nest was basically the same as Mo En¡¯s, though it wasn¡¯t as large; this was probably because their clan wasn¡¯t as large as his. However, their criss-crossing tunnels still fascinated me. I wonder how much souls they paid to dig out this much real estate.


    A day later, we set off for the Numila Blaze¡¯s territory.


    In the entire Prison of the Dead, the number of people I knew weren¡¯t that many. Unless something else happened along the way, this trip to Numila¡¯s was most likely to be our last visitation. It was my hope that the entire harpy clan would join us given their vast numbers. In fact, their numbers were most likely on par with Mo En¡¯s.


    The last time I approached her, she didn¡¯t accept my offer though she didn¡¯t reject too strongly either. She seemed to be hesitant about something and that something was an opportunity I planned to capitalize on.


    ¡°So, Harlow, are you planning to follow us?:


    I glanced at Majosha whose eyes sparkled from the mere thought of travelling. As she stood there looking at her husband, her tail discreetly tugged at his claws as if to remind him to accept the offer.


    Yet the moment we told him of our destination, his face immediately paled. Had it not been for the fact that I knew the backstory surrounding this sordid affair, I would¡¯ve thought that he saw a ghost or something. Even his words became garbled as he struggled to reply:


    ¡°I¡­that¡­I¡­I¡¯ll pass on¡­that, hah¡­haha¡­¡±


    Seeing his disgraceful display, Habona glared at the werewolf as if to say: ¡°Spineless thing, stand aside and don¡¯t embarrass this sister of yours any further.¡±


    Harlow shrunk even further at his sister¡¯s glare. By now, he seemed more like a bullied wife with that pitiful look on his face; a look that everyone found comical, especially Mimiya who doubled over in laughter before falling down with legs thrashing in the air as she giggled.


    ¡°Hahahaha, what a silly potato!¡±


    That bout of laughing made the traumatized werewolf feel even more awkward as he stood there under our withering gazes.


    Truth be told, his fear of the harpies was to be expected seeing as those bird demons were famous rifle cleaners. Back when he was still a captive of those lascivious bird women, his rifle had been thoroughly cleaned out by them to the point where his entire self had gone limp when we tried to rescue him.


    I truly had to hand it to his mental fortitude for being able to interact so normally with Majosha right now. After all, the medusas were known for their exceptionally long rifle cleaning sessions¡­in fact, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if his rifle broke down one day.


    However, that¡¯s enough nonsense for now. Having said our goodbyes to the medusas and Harlow, we made our way towards Numila¡¯s territory.


    With Habona leading the way, we saved a great deal of time by avoiding any unnecessary detours. Along the way, we slaughtered a large number of patrols and rapidly refilled our food supplies.


    A few days later, we finally arrived in the territory of the harpies.


    Just as we reached the borders of her nest, wave after wave of ruffling feathers echoed in our ears. Looking up, I saw a flock of nearly a hundred harpies closing in on us with claws readied.


    ¡°We¡¯re here to see Numila, we have no hostile intentions¡­¡± Yet, just as those words left my mouth, the closest harpy dove in at us for an attack.


    Seeing as they had no intention of listening, I had no choice but to order my devils to take up a defensive position for now and not attack.


    For this trip, I brought along a large number of my named subordinates along with 20 of my strongest guardsmen. It was the shields of these guardsmen that firmly rebuffed the first volley of dives from the harpies without any casualties. Thanks to my timely command and the aid of Habona, Mimiya and Violet Snow, their first wave of attacks ended in failure.


    Having failed in their first attempt, the harpies swiftly took to the air with a resounding whoosh, hovering several meters above us as they looked for another opportunity to strike. Amongst the mass of flapping feathers, I noticed a couple of shrinking silhouettes in the sky. These were probably messenger harpies on the way back to report this situation.


    This mustn¡¯t continue on any longer¡­we¡¯re here to invite Numila to join our alliance not pick a fight with the harpies.


    I turned to the towering werewolf beside me and anxiously asked: ¡° Habona, do you have any method to stop their attacks without harming them?¡±


    Being a veteran of the prison for many years, she immediately gave me an answer: ¡°Of course, just give up all the males in our team.¡±


    ¡­wasn¡¯t that just a bad idea? If anyone dared to say otherwise, I¡¯ll make sure their heads have a long chat with the corner of my grimoire!


    ¡°How about a different solution?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    She leaped into the air and swung her claws at one of the harpies who was diving at us. Both parties ended up missing each other, but just as I thought it was over, she swiped out once more with her claws and swatted the harpy down onto the ground. Making use of the reaction force, she leapedup even higher and in a logic-defying display of acrobatics, swatted a second harpy down onto the floor¡­.followed by a third one¡­


    So the new method was just to beat them up? As long as we don¡¯t kill them it¡¯s fine?


    *bang* Another harpy crashed into the floor followed swiftly by another. Each of them had been temporarily knocked out of commission, though none of them had been severely injured.


    ¡­looks like this is the best solution we have for now.


    However, with some lingering doubts in my heart about her discretion, I couldn¡¯t help but yell a reminder at her: ¡°Be careful! Make sure not to kill any of them!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Everyone! Form a defensive circle and fend off the attacks. Just leave the harpies to Habona, all we have to do is make sure no one gets caught.¡±


    Only after half of their flock had been swatted down did those more bird than human harpies finally learn their lesson. They began to spread out more and avoided clustering together so that Habona couldn¡¯t use them as a springboard.


    She returned to the ground once more and thumbed her nose at the weaklings.


    How much cooler could you get big sister!

 Chapter 148: Visitation Part 3

    Our first visit to the harpies¡¯ nest was to save Harlow. Back then, we made a complete mess of Numila¡¯s home and ended up in a fierce battle with her. The whole matter ended haphazardly only after the interference of Mo En and because Numila wasn¡¯t able to capture us. Before we left, I did bring up the matter of breaking out of this prison but she didn¡¯t agree to it at that time.


    This time, we were here for that exact same reason again.


    While Habona¡¯s overwhelming victory over these bird demons might lead one to believe that the harpies were nothing but a race of small fries unworthy of recruitment, their combat strength wasn¡¯t actually that bad.


    There were a number of reasons why Habona was able to stomp on them so easily, chief of which was that she was a four-star. If you add in the fact that she was a demonic werewolf, one of the premier combat races of Hell that was known throughout the worlds, their defeat wasn¡¯t that unreasonable. Not only that, her mother had taught her, what was in my mind an overpowered skill, the Inverse Cut which put her at the peak of four-stars.


    It was kind of like a bunch of nobodies ganging up on some Xiantian Martial artist. No matter how many nobodies you threw at him, that expert would naturally triumph over all of them. Even if he wasn¡¯t able to, he could simply fly away with his Flying Techniques and there was nothing they could do about it.


    Against opponents at the same strength level as them, the harpies normally put up a much better fight seeing as they had the natural born advantage of flight. Against land-bound creatures, they had the advantage of the first strike and greater initiative while their victims could only defend helplessly.


    All that was under the assumption that they weren¡¯t armed. If I crafted a bunch of javelins for them, wouldn¡¯t they turn into some sort of invincible aerial army?


    It¡¯s worth mentioning that pilots would always receive a better treatment than the boots on the ground. Don¡¯t believe me? Just ask how much a pilot makes in a month and how much a truck driver makes in a month.


    If I had an army of harpy javelineers, our chances of breaking through the exit would definitely be much higher.


    Habona brandished her claws menacingly, promptly scaring away a harpy who tried to sneak in an attack. Having received a thorough thrashing, these bird women knew not to mess with this hulking warmachine and merely floated quietly in mid-air. Thus, we ended up in a tense stalemate with both sides staring at each other but not attacking.


    A few moments later, a fiery red silhouette swooped in from the sky with a horde of harpies behind her.


    Numila had come, her crimson feathers blazed as she descended from the sky surrounded by scorching heat like a phoenix of legends. Her face was just as perfect as I had remembered it; of all the women I had met so far, hers was definitely one of the most beautiful ones, though Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s was still a smidge prettier than her¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s you guys¡­the lust demon and the werewolf.¡± She landed on the ground by herself and stood before us, face noticeably sullen: ¡°Why have you all come? I don¡¯t remember capturing any of your people this time.¡±


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not like we caused any severe injuries and they were the ones who attacked us first.¡± I shrugged my shoulders before continuing with my explanation: ¡°We told them that we were here to talk to you but they attacked us anyway¡­¡±


    After hearing our explanation, she heaved a sigh of relief and placed her hands on her hips as she said: ¡°Since it¡¯s all misunderstanding, I¡¯ll leave that matter aside for now. Now, did you have something to discuss with me?¡±


    ¡°Mhm. Yes, I do. I wish to discuss that matter I previously proposed.¡±


    She furrowed her brows. ¡°That matter¡­do you mean assaulting the prison exit?¡±


    Looks like she remembered what we discussed. I nodded my head: ¡°That¡¯s right, Mo En, the werewolves and the medusas have all joined my army. If we add in your clan, the four most powerful clans in the prison will all be accounted for. With our combined might, breaking through the exit shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    ¡°Sigh¡­now¡¯s really an inopportune moment for such discussion¡­I¡¯ve encountered some problems recently¡­¡± She abruptly trailed off as she paused to consider her wording.


    ¡°What kind of problem?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all for now.¡± She promptly ended our conversation once more, clearly not intending to continue discussing this matter. ¡°There¡¯s something I must handle right now so I can¡¯t give you an answer for now. If you still wish to discuss this matter, we can do so after I¡¯ve settled this problem.¡±


    Something serious must¡¯ve happened from the looks of it. Even her usual arrogance was nowhere to be seen. Last I remembered, she wasn¡¯t so civilized.


    Seeing as she might be one of our important comrades in the future and also the best choice for our air force leader, I immediately stepped up and made an offer.


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    ¡°About that, if there¡¯s anything we can help you with, please tell me, I¡¯ll do my best to help you.¡±


    Her eyes wavered, seemingly deep in thought as she mulled over my offer. Yet, just as I decided to strike the final nail in the coffin¡­


    ¡°This is strictly a clan matter, your assistance isn¡¯t needed.¡± She flatly rejected my offer after which she turned around and prepared to leave.


    However, just as she was about to take off, a gray harpy descended from the sky and landed three meters away from us. Unlike Numila, this harpy¡¯s body was mostly that of an eagle¡¯s with only her face being human. Disgusting¡­however, I suppressed my protesting sense of beauty and patiently stared at the harpy.


    ¡°Please help us¡­¡± As she said that, her claws tilted to the side and her wings flapped open before resting on the ground in what looked like a harpy¡¯s version of a kowtow.


    ¡°Don¡¯t beg these outsiders for help!¡± Numila was visibly angered by her kin kowtowing to me. ¡°Get up right this instant!¡±


    ¡°But Clan Leader¡­what other choice do we have¡­with the other two clans attacking us¡­¡±


    ¡°No buts!¡± Numilia¡¯s shout immediately silenced the dissenting harpy who immediately reeled back from her furious leader. Looking at her quivering eyes, Numilia couldn¡¯t help but sigh as she realized that her yelling had unfairly frightened the girl. ¡°This is an internal clan matter after all, bringing in these outsiders isn¡¯t right.¡±


    ¡°I¡­understand.¡± The gray harpy lowered her head before retreating obediently to the side.


    ¡°There are two other clans attacking you?¡±


    ¡°This is a dispute between harpies, it has nothing to do with you.¡±


    ¡°Since it has nothing to do with us, there shouldn¡¯t be an issue with just telling us about it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Seeing her waver slightly, I immediately moved in for the kill: ¡°Just tell us, I really want to know.¡±


    ¡°From time to time, an evolved harpy like me would appear within the clan. Harpies like me are known as harpy witches and are born with the ability to control a certain element. Depending on which element we can control, we are given different clan names. For example, I possess the power to control flames so I¡¯m of the [Blaze] clan.¡±


    ¡°Other than flames, a harpy witch can also be born with the power to control two other elements, namely [Icicles of the Skyfrost] and [Windstorm of the Raging Winds].¡± She continued to explain some basic details of the harpy clans before moving on to the main issue. ¡°Recently, because of some disputes over resources, there¡¯s been some friction between us and the two other clans. While they were always weaker than me in a one on one fight, I¡¯m no match against the both of them combined¡­¡±


    Harpies were an all-female race who reproduced through the same methods as the medusas: forcefully mating males from other intelligent races. Which reminded me, if one only looked at their faces, they could be considered a race full of beautiful ladies.However, no matter what you do, do not look down¡­for your own sake, do not look down!


    Since they weren¡¯t able to bewitch the other races with their looks, violence was the only option left to them. Thus, the harpies were also known as a race of female bandits. Not only did they steal your possessions, they stole your men as well¡­


    Normally such conflict was rare in the outside world given the abundance of resources there, but this was the Prison of the Dead, and the Prison of the Dead was a sealed environment. Resources were scarce here, even feeding oneself was a problem that had to be solved via the exchange arrays.


    The medusas needed men and so did the harpies. Furthermore, there was no way either race would let their males leave due to reproductive reasons. In light of that, the question then became, since males had such a sought after position in the prison, where could I find the immigration papers?


    Oh¡­I mean, there was clearly a shortage of men especially since both races only gave birth to females. (Author: Harpies can give birth to male offspring but it is customary to consume the male babies.)


    There weren¡¯t that many living creatures in the Prison of the Dead to begin with. With all the fighting and killing plus the disproportionate birth ratios, both races were put in an awkward position thanks to this shortage.


    Long story short, to the harpies, males were a prized commodity valued over food.


    A lack of resources would inadvertently lead to conflict and conflict would breed war. Since time immemorial, harpies were a race that relied on their fists to negotiate; this was so for every clan member, from young to old, without any exception.


    Thus, it shouldn¡¯t come as a surprise that not too long ago, the harpy witches of Skyfrost and Windstorm came knocking on Numila¡¯s doorstep separately in search of resources. Naturally, they were both given a good thrashing before they were sent on their way.


    Having learnt their lesson, the two of them finally decided to team up on Numila and suppress her with their numbers. In a one on one fight, she naturally had the advantage, in a two on one fight however¡­


    It was precisely because of this reason that her clan had lost a significant portion of their territories, and their patrols end up having to be on constant high alert for any invasion. Even a simple rattle of bones was enough to ruffle their feathers.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that you are stuck between a rock and a hard place, and that you are besieged on all fronts?¡±


    ¡°While I don¡¯t know what this hard place you speak of is, besieged on all fronts is pretty accurate.¡± She answered in a hurry as she prepared to leave for combat. ¡°Now that you know the reason why, you should leave first. Once all this is over, I¡¯ll send a messenger to inform you.¡±


    ¡°Once all this is over? Can you actually win against those two?¡±


    ¡°¡­that¡¯s my own business.¡± She paused for a second, before continuing in a firm voice: ¡°Besides, rules are rules. Internal conflicts within the clan have to be resolved without any reinforcements from outsiders.¡±


    ¡°Just because we can¡¯t be your reinforcements doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t help you through other means.¡± I reached for the straight blade on my waist and handed it over to her.


    ¡°I got this from the human world, you can use it for now.¡±

 Chapter 149: I Can’t Just Accept an Engagement Like This!

    ¡°This is¡­a human¡¯s weapon?¡± Slightly wary of the blade, Numila didn¡¯t accept it right away, but instead asked, ¡°What are its uses?¡±


    ¡°This blade is able to increase the effects of one¡¯s fire magic, as for what that means exactly, you will know once you use it.¡± Shoving the blade into her claws, I smiled thinly before pointing at the hilt: ¡°You grip onto this and draw it out.¡±


    ¡°Like this?¡±


    While Numila had no hands to speak of, gripping a hilt was still possible for her claws. With her left claw wrapped tightly around the hilt and her right claw securing the scabbard, she gingerly tugged on the blade. However, the blade barely budged as she fumbled around with the scabbard.


    ¡°Not like that, normally you use your right hand to grip the hilt since that¡¯s the main hand.¡± I immediately corrected her while shaking my head.


    ¡°Oh.¡± She flipped her claws around and this time the blade instantly flew out in a shower of fiery sparks. In just a few moments, the fiery blade was in full view of the harpy witch. ¡°This blade¡­it¡¯s gorgeous!¡± She exclaimed with sparkling eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful, thanks for giving me this blade.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m lending it to you, not giving it¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, just lending huh¡­¡± She trailed off in a slightly dejected manner. Even so, that didn¡¯t stop her from waving the blade around enthusiastically with her right claw. With every wave, it seemed like the flames on the straight blade grew ever brighter until finally, even I was hit by a wave of scorching heat despite the distance between us being over two meters. This heat¡­wasn¡¯t it a lot scarier than when I wielded it?


    ¡°This temperature¡­this magical output¡­why does it feel like my flames have gotten hotter even though I infused less mana into it. Furthermore, this blade seems to be sharper than my claws! ¡°Unbelievable! Was this really created by humans? So humans were actually such amazing creatures¡­uncanny¡­unreal¡­un¡­¡±


    Auntie, are you about done with the uns? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve become a die hard fan of humans just like that?


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    ¡°Mhm, this blade was truly made for creatures with an affinity for fire. In the human world, such a blade could easily cost a fortune worth tens of thousands of slaves.¡±


    ¡°That much? That¡¯s more than ten times the size of my clan.¡±


    Even though she hadn¡¯t left the Prison of the Dead before, it seems like the word slave transcended cultural barriers. As a harpy, she naturally understood the term as referring to those poor males caught in her nest.


    Looking at that stunned look in her eyes, I suddenly felt a sense of pride for being a human: ¡°Such a powerful blade isn¡¯t something that can be crafted by any old craftsman, it¡¯s a high-grade enchanted weapon after all.¡±


    As she happily waved the blade around, within her she clearly felt the increase in strength caused by the blade. With a crazed ¡°Wahaha¡± she laughed, ¡°Kwah, you actually gave me such a treasure, I¡¯m so happy!¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m lending it¡­not giving it¡­¡± How did this suddenly turn into me gifting you the blade? Wasthis the so-called bandit nature of the harpies at work?


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind those minor details, if a girl¡¯s too miserly, her kitty cat will start to shrink.¡± After throwing out those words, which I couldn¡¯t find the energy to tsukkomi, she puffed up her chest and pointed her feathery weapons at me. Dang¡­those must¡¯ve been a pair of 36Ds if those feathers were removed.


    ¡°How many times have I said this already, I¡¯m a male not a female!¡± Just as that last word left my mouth, an alarming thought crossed my mind. What was her reaction again when I last said this? Didn¡¯t she inspect my lower ha¡ªthat, don¡¯t tell me she¡¯s going to do that again¡­no way!


    I immediately shielded my pee pee or lack thereof with the Grimoire of the Dead.


    ¡°Lies, don¡¯t think for a second that I¡¯m not aware of what a male has hanging down there, and you definitely don¡¯t have anything hanging down there.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m really not lying, that thing will grow out in the future, mhm, that¡¯s right, it will grow out in the future, definitely!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Really! Realer than reality!¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re really a male then I permit you to be my fiance, as long as you give me this blade.¡± Instead of the predicted inspection, instead she seemed unusually embarrassed and¡­when did I say that I wanted to marry you? Please spare me sister, I know demonic ladies are a genre in of itself but that¡¯s in the 2D world. What do you want me to do with all those feathers in the 3D world?!


    In the midst of my furious tsukommis, my silence ended up being taken as consent by the seemed-to-have-roasted-her-brains harpy.


    ¡°Hey, whatever you¡¯re thinking of right now, the answer is no¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯d you say no¡­isn¡¯t this one beautiful enough for you?¡± For a tomboy like her, who would¡¯ve expected her to have such a charming side when she spoke in such a gentle tone¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s not that, you¡¯re really pretty and all but our races are different¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, there are only females in the harpy witch race so we have to get our males from the other races anyway.¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡± How should I even say no to that? If I¡¯m too forceful will she turn on me right on the spot? But if I¡¯m too soft on her, she might just think that I was willing to marry her except that I had some other considerations¡­


    ¡°Are you worried about this one¡¯s ¡°thing¡±¡­don¡¯t worry, this one¡¯s body hasn¡¯t been touched by another male yet. Harpy witches are different from harpies, we are absolutely loyal to our mates.¡± As she said that, her bewitching face inched ever closer towards me¡­to the point where I was able to smell her scent, her musky¡­stimulating¡­scent.


    ¡°Men and women shouldn¡¯t¡­don¡¯t come so close¡­¡± Such an eyeful¡­there was nothing human-like about her except for her face and body shape, but that face of hers¡­it¡¯s just so pretty¡­and those curves¡­I bet any man would die for a chance to bury their head in those curves.


    Hey, get a hold of yourself, me! At this rate, I might just give into that allure and nod my head¡­sigh¡­3D demonic ladies are just too dangerous!


    ¡°Hmm, isn¡¯t your face a little red?¡± She reached out and cupped my face with her leathery eagle claws. Strangely, they didn¡¯t feel as bad as I thought they would. They weren¡¯t hard like I thought they would be; instead, they had an unexpected softness to them.


    As her thick musky scent filled every pore of my being, a haze seemed to form over my head. I subconsciously leaned in on her, lips parted as if I was going to kiss her neck¡­


    ¡°Then will you be this one¡¯s fiance?¡±


    ¡°O¡­okay, but I still have other fiancees¡­¡± I muttered in a half-lucid state.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. You¡¯re a man after all, how are you going to show off your charm and status with so little wives. But the position of First Wife has to be mine.¡±


    ¡°¡­First Wife is Nicole¡­or Yi Yi¡­¡±


    As if she had discovered something inconceivable, she gave an interested smile and said: ¡°Oh my, you are actually still able to resist, looks like those two girls are really important to you, then how about I compromise once more, the position of First Wife will be decided by our strengths.¡±


    ¡°¡­mmm¡­¡±


    She pressed her advantage once more: ¡°How about it, just promise this one.¡±


    ¡°Ok¡­okay then¡­¡±


    Thus, I somehow ended up with another fiancee.


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve accomplished what you wanted, how about waking her up now?¡± That entire process took place in whispers, so other than the two of us, only Habona who happened to be beside us at the time was aware of it at all. Seeing that Numila had managed to fleece a marriage agreement out of me, she folded her arms impatiently and snapped: ¡°To think that you¡¯re the head of a clan, you actually stooped to such underhanded tricks.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean underhanded, that was a proper marriage proposal.¡±


    Habona coldly snorted: ¡°You mean using your charm skill to propose?¡±


    ¡°Hng hng hng, it¡¯s one of our racial skills, what¡¯s wrong with me using it? Oh~ don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re jealous?¡± Numila threw the werewolf a derisive look and gave her a generous shove: ¡°Hey, if you want to join us I don¡¯t mind, but just remember, you have to be the concubine.¡±


    ¡°Shameless, utterly shameless. Don¡¯t put me on the same level as you!¡±


    ¡°Oh~ you dare to insult me! Are you looking for a beating!?¡±


    ¡°Bring it on! As if I¡¯m afraid of you!¡±


    Thus, their verbal sparring devolved into an actual fight between the two violence-prone tomboys.


    Brandishing her straight blade, a fire tornado immediately roared to life while Habona activated the illusory powers of the Inversion Cut; what was a backstep ended up turning into a charge. The fire tornado rushed at the oncoming werewolf neither too quickly nor too slowly. Twisting her body at the last moment, she lunged sideways at the harpy witch and swiftly appeared at her flank.


    Having never experienced the Inversion Cut firsthand, Numila wasn¡¯t aware of the skill¡¯s uniqueness. However, she was still a four-star just like Habona and wouldn¡¯t go down so easily, especially with the straight blade boosting her powers. Seeing the rapidly approaching werewolf, she spun the straight blade around, conjuring a fire whip which extended from the tip of the blade into a ten meter long fiery snake that immediately dove for the werewolf!


    In her usual display of logic-defying agility, Habona twisted her body in between the crevices of the whip and leaped right at the harpy.


    ¡°This harpy won¡¯t lose in a contest of speed either!¡± She lowered her body slightly, and with a few flaps, took to the air while easily avoiding the werewolf¡¯s claws. ¡°Don¡¯t forget, this harpy can fly!¡±


    Just as those words left her mouth, she violently flicked the straight blade in her hand, transforming the fire whip into a dozen flame bolts that swiftly surrounded the werewolf.


    ¡°Hahaha, this weapon is practically made for me. This harpy¡¯s fiance is just too nice to her, with this blade, this harpy will be able to stomp on all the other four-stars! Fighting those two b*tches to a draw might even be possible, in fact, this harpy might even be able to win!¡±


    ¡°What fiance?¡± With some vague memory that I had just done something earthshaking, I was finally brought back to my senses by the sound of their battle. What are these two women doing fighting with each other? Didn¡¯t we just start talking?


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s you, my dear fiance.¡±


    Seeing that I had come to my senses, the two of them knew to stop fighting without my instruction. However, that answer had just given me the fright of my life. When did I suddenly gain another fiance?


    A while later, everyone seemed to have come to their senses.


    Violet Snow immediately threw me a despising look as if to say ¡°Scumbag men who try to start a harem should go kill themselves¡±.


    As for the No.3 and the other potatoes, they all had a confused look on their face. How could a female devil like me become another person¡¯s fiance?


    Mimiya on the other hand, had an almost celebratory look on her face as she raised her voice: ¡°Congratulations to Master Mo Ke for getting betrothed!¡±

 Chapter 150: Windstorm and Skyfros

    Even though I had just inexplicably gained a fiance, the only fiance who was by my side in fact, why did I still feel this prickling sense of unease throughout my body?


    Was it because Numila¡¯s unique characteristics were simply too much for me?


    Naturally, just based on her face alone, she was without a doubt a rare beauty¡­but once you factored in the bottom¡­I just can¡¯t accept a demonic girl with a feathery lower half for my girlfriend!


    But, somehow I seemed to have agreed to this marriage?


    ¡­what should I do? I couldn¡¯t just go back on my words could I?


    Ever since I came to my senses, my growing unease had been the intense focus of Numila. Seeing my wavering eyes, she knew that I still had some apprehension about the whole deal, so she handed back the enchanted straight blade: ¡°Even though you¡¯ve already agreed, I won¡¯t force you to fulfill that promise if you truly don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Honestly, she wasn¡¯t that bad either¡­except for that demonic lady part of her. Besides, the whole adorable demonic lady genre was still thriving in my homeland; if those otakus were to ever find out that I was unhappy about being courted by such a demonic lady, they would probably lynch me.


    ¡°Once I¡¯ve promised something, I won¡¯t go back on it.¡± Especially not in front of the person herself.


    ¡°You won¡¯t regret it?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± As if regretting could solve the problem, if it could, there wouldn¡¯t be so much conflict in the world.


    ¡°I just knew that you¡¯re the best!¡± With a jubilant cheer, she rushed up to me and smothered her face against mine. Then, with hands grabbing onto my cheeks, lowered her rosy lips onto mine¡­did I just get molested¡­


    As her tongue did a fiery dance within my mouth, a wave of lightheadedness hit me. My nose was instantly assailed by the heavy scent wafting off her body. Her tongue wrapped around mine and held it still as her fiery wings closed in and encased us. That sensation was simply indescribable. It was as if I had lost myself in that instant. That warm feeling was exquisite as well, kind of like I was in a hot spring but a million times more comfortable.


    I didn¡¯t hate it¡­because she subsisted purely on souls, her body didn¡¯t have a single bit of impurity within it.


    My¡­that was my first kiss ever since I became a devil¡­


    ¡°Ahhhh¡­they¡¯re kissing, they¡¯re kissing!¡± The chaos-loving Mimiya exclaimed excitedly. At the side, she even began cheering us on while waving her little fist.


    Habona folded her arms and turned away in disgust.


    Violet Snow on the other hand, had her eyes wide open in shock. Just as it felt like I was going to faint from asphyxia, a snowy white paw shoved me aside and forcefully broke us apart.


    ¡°Little Doggie, what do you think you are doing!?¡±


    Having had her fun interrupted, Numila glared at the offending puppy who had a similarly sullen look on her face as well. Squinting at the harpy, she pointed her tiny little paws at the sky and said: ¡°Someone¡¯s looking for you.¡±


    ¡°Who!?¡±


    She whipped her head in the direction of Violet Snow¡¯s paws. At an ever shrinking distance away, was a horde of harpies led by two harpy witches.


    Like her, both of these witches had faces that could only be described as gorgeous. Yet, while their body was mostly humanoid, their feathery torsos, claws and legs was clearly not those of a human¡¯s. Their feathers were both unique in their own way, with one of them being snow white while the other being a beautiful shade of cyan and green.


    ¡°Elena Skyfrost¡­Eugenia Windstorm!¡±


    Skyfrost and Windstorm? Judging by their clan names, these must the harpy witches bullying Numila.


    ¡°Yo~, isn¡¯t that Numila, we were wondering where you ran off to all this while, seems like you were busy making out with that female devil over there.¡± It was Eugenia who spoke up first with that unabashedly taunting voice of hers.


    Elena Skyfrost was noticeably silent throughout this entire interaction. Like her surname, her personality was as frosty as the snow and elegant like the heavens.


    In comparison, Eugenia Windstorm was like a chatterbox, the kind who started off the conversation with a not-at-all veiled jibe, like the one she threw at Numila. Don¡¯t you know that she¡¯s now my fiance? Even more unforgivable was that you actually mistook me for a female!


    ¡°Hmph, so you¡¯ve found some help I see. Well, it doesn¡¯t matter even if you¡¯ve broken the laws of our race and found these outsiders to help you. No matter who you bring in, your fate is to fall by my hands today, Numila Blaze!¡±


    My brows furrowed at her provocations, yet before I could even refute her words, I was stopped by Numila¡¯s pleading gaze. ¡°My love, this is an internal dispute within this one¡¯s race, it should be handled by this one.¡±


    ¡°¡­mhm, al¡­alright then.¡±


    My love¡­when that normally crass harpy, who would usually address herself in the third person for no reason, suddenly shows a tender side like this¡­it¡¯s just so enticing¡­I think I might just fall in love here¡­


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She sent a flying kiss my way before turning around to face her two unwelcome guests. With the enchanted blade brandished, she yelled: ¡°I know what you¡¯re here for, you¡¯re here to steal my territory and position aren¡¯t you? Well, you¡¯ll have to ask this blade in my hands first!¡±


    ¡°Yo~, is that one of the so-called human weapons I heard so much about? Seems like an interesting toy.¡± Despite her lack of knowledge of its power, that didn¡¯t stop the chatterbox from roasting it, ¡°Come on then, let¡¯s have a gander at what that toy can do.¡±


    ¡°Toy? Hmph, you¡¯ll find out soon enough if it¡¯s a toy.¡± Turning to face Elena: ¡°Both of you can just come at me, I¡¯m too lazy to take you all on one by one.¡±


    The frosty harpy hovering above, gazed at her fiery counterpart from her lofty position and a second later, said: ¡°You¡¯re sure of that?¡±


    ¡°Bring it on!¡± Without answering her question directly, Numila took to the skies, weapon blazing as she preemptively lunged at the two witches. This was a declaration of war. She used her actions to tell them: I¡¯ll take both of you on at the same time.


    ¡°Hahaha, looks like that thrashing last time wasn¡¯t enough to teach you a lesson. Since you want to get beaten up so much, I¡¯ll just have to grant that wish of yours! This time, I¡¯ll make sure to hit you even harder so that you won¡¯t forget the pain anytime soon!¡± Ignoring Numila¡¯s domineering display, she turned to her ally: ¡°Windstorm!¡±


    At the same time, Elena chanted: ¡°Skyfrost!¡±


    Their wings flapped in unison, calling forth a maelstrom of bone-chilling winds formed from the union of Eugenia¡¯s violent gale and Elena¡¯s wave of frost.


    Facing off against the icy winds, she hovered there stoically and with a raise of her enchanted blade, slashed down on the air!


    The moment the crimson blade sliced through the air, flames roared to life along its path. Within seconds, a scorching flame wall materialized in mid-air, neither touching the ceiling nor touching the ground as it blocked the incoming maelstrom.


    This fire wall¡­I¡¯m able to conjure a fire wall as well, but under no circumstances am I able to do it without a point of contact like her¡­the fact that she was able to create one in the middle of the air was just¡­impossible! It was just as impossible as raindrops stopping in mid air.


    A look of astonished disbelief flashed across the two witches¡¯ eyes as they saw their combined attack thwarted so easily by a simple fire wall. While this wasn¡¯t the full extent of their powers, it was still a combined attack. Had it been the Numila of the past, there was no way she could¡¯ve deflected it so easily. But now¡­how did she do that? Was it that blade? That human weapon?


    That had to be the reason¡­it was the only logical explanation for her sudden surge in strength.


    ¡°Will she really be alright by herself?¡± Even though this fiance of mine came into my life without any warning, it was still a mutual agreement. In that case, I must honor my obligations; was she really alright fighting alone?


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, with that blade you gave her, her strength might even be higher than my own.¡± Being the only four-star present, Habona naturally knew that my question was directed at her, thus she promptly answered; an answer that completely caught me off guard. ¡°Numila¡¯s affinity with that blade is really high, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it evolved in her hands.¡±


    Evolved? Are you talking about the blade I gave her?


    Wouldn¡¯t that mean that it would turn into an epic weapon then?


    It goes without saying that an epic weapon¡¯s might couldn¡¯t be overlooked so easily. Just look at Shadowfang, despite my lack of knowledge of its powers, it still gave me a dominating edge over my opponents. It¡¯s indestructibility alone gave me the power to fight those who were of a higher star level than me, not to mention it strengthened my shadow spells by a significant amount.


    That enchanted blade had a similar strengthening effect on fire spells as well. Not only that, it functioned as a pseudo-staff of sorts. This attribute alone made her spells significantly more powerful; as anyone in the human world will tell you, the difference between a mage with a staff and a mage without one was the difference between heaven and earth.


    There were even new mages who lost the ability to cast simple spells because they lost their staff, which wasn¡¯t surprising in the least. The purpose of a staff was to aid a mage in spellcasting so true staves had the permanent effect of strengthening and simplifying spells. As for the extent of those effects, that depended on the quality of the staff.


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    In short, Numila was a mage with a staff and the other two witches were the poor souls who lost their staves.


    Either way, the lesson here was to avoid fighting rich players(whales) who had all the best gears in a MMORPG. Numila was the whale in this case, and the other two witches were the plebs. Depending on the game, all you needed was your credit card.


    This truth was confirmed once more as Numila¡¯s dominance was apparent for all to see. No matter how cold the frost wave was, and no matter how fast the blistering winds were, Numila¡¯s fire wall never faltered for a second. With the frost failing to put out the fire, all the wind did was fan the flames even more. It wasn¡¯t long before the two witches were swatted to the ground in a giant explosion of flames, ending their one-sided fight with a flashy bang.


    It was Numila¡¯s overwhelming victory!

 Chapter 151: Epic Evolution

    ¡°Do the both of you yield?¡±


    With enchanted blade in hand, Numila swept her smug eyes over her half-kneeling foes.


    ¡°How could you suddenly become so strong?¡± Eugenia slowly climbed to her feet. She had barely suffered any damage, instead it was the shock of her complete loss that inflicted the most damage on her. Until now, she still couldn¡¯t accept that their foe had trounced them so thoroughly.


    ¡°Hah, you want to know why?¡± A trace of elation could be heard within her voice. Having gained such a treasure, she naturally wanted to show it off; thus, without giving it much thought, she shoved me right into the spotlight and said: ¡°Naturally, it¡¯s because of my dear fiance!¡±


    ¡°Impossible,¡± Elena chimed in abruptly in a rare break from her usual silence, her eyes casting a doubting pall over the bragging witch, until finally, her eyes settled on the blade in her hands. ¡°That blade!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s the gift my fiance gave me! It¡¯s precisely because of this blade that I was able to get so strong!¡± As if to prove her point and leave a deeper impression on them, she activated the magic engraved onto the blade, despite never being taught how to do so. In an instant, over ten flame arrows fanned out in a row, spanning from side to side in an orderly fashion. Yet, instead of firing off like what she had intended, they actually combined together into a never-before seen form: a pair of wings made of actual flames.


    While these were only wings in appearance, the fact that it broke free from Numila¡¯s control was still astonishing.


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    A shocking amount of heat radiated from the wings the very next instant, at the same time sucking in the fire mana within Numila like a voracious beast. Immediately, the wings began to grow from the infusion of mana until finally it wrapped around the entire blade. This looks¡­it¡¯s almost like a cocoon.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? What is it doing it? It¡­it seems to be absorbing my mana¡­¡± She immediately tried to toss away the blade, but it stuck to her hands as if it had taken root. No matter how much she shook her hands, the blade refused to budge and even began to rapidly wrap her hands in flames. At this rate, it would only take a few more seconds before it completely swallowed her whole in its fiery maw.


    This was too much of a shock for the harpy witch who threw me a panicked look as if looking for help: ¡°Dearest¡­the blade¡­there¡¯s something wrong with it¡­¡±


    Truth be told, I was just as shocked by this turn of events as she was. Even though her feathers still weren¡¯t something I could digest, she was, in the end, my fiance. If she were to be burnt to death like this¡­wait, a flame harpy witch like her being burnt to death? That¡¯s not even a funny joke.


    ¡°Oh yea, it¡¯s burning! It¡¯s burning!¡± Not too far away, Mimiya, the little devil who couldn¡¯t wait for the world to crash and burn, was already beside herself in excitement as she pumped her fist into the air and cheered. Looking at her jump up and down like an excited child, she almost looked like a jester invited by a monkey.


    ¡°Hahaha, let¡¯s see how you brag while on fire.¡± Seeing her foe in danger, Eugenia couldn¡¯t be any happier as she guffawed. ¡°Burn faster! Burn that witch to death!¡±


    Next to her, Elena was just as entranced by the strange sight of a flame harpy being burnt as her companion. She shook her head emotionlessly and with the radiant sight of Numila burning still reflected in her white pupils, she softly declared: ¡°It¡¯s useless.¡±


    Did she mean that struggling was pointless, or was she talking about something else?


    Not willing to stand by idly anymore as her fiance, I promptly rushed forward to save her from this predicament. Yet just as I took the first step forward, Habona¡¯s claws grabbed onto my shoulders: ¡°Wait, observe the situation carefully for a moment.¡±


    ¡°But Numila¡¯s in grave danger right now!¡±


    ¡°I already said to wait, just have a proper look.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± I was still as confused as ever by her words but their calmness did have an effect on me. I squinted my eyes and peered at the burning mess.


    She wasn¡¯t burning! Was it safe to assume that those flames weren¡¯t harmful to her then?


    Slightly befuddled by this strange sight, I tried asking Numila about this: ¡°Numila, do you feel any pain?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­now that you mention it, I feel nothing except that my mana is still being drained¡­¡± Hearing my question, she seemed to have calmed down as well and noticed that this out-of-control fire wasn¡¯t actually trying to harm her. Realizing this, she lowered her head slightly in embarrassment as she apologized: ¡°Dearest¡­because this one suddenly lost control of her flames¡­she got scared and¡­you know¡­¡±


    Though she didn¡¯t finish that sentence, I roughly got the gist of it. In her defense, this whole incident must¡¯ve been a great shock to her. Being a flame harpy witch, she was born with an innate ability to control flames. Flames were basically like a friend to her, a friend that would never hurt her and would listened to her whims. Having such a friend suddenly ¡°turn on¡± her, it wasn¡¯t hard to imagine why she would show such a panicked side.


    Seeing that she finally calmed herself down, I breathed a sigh of relief as well. ¡°Just as you were then, oh right, how much mana do you have left?¡±


    ¡°Over half of my mana¡­but this one has this feeling that the blade hasn¡¯t eaten its fill yet¡­¡±


    Hasn¡¯t eaten its fill¡­meaning it still required more mana? I guess it was rather common to see magical implements draining their owner¡¯s mana once they ran out of charges but the fact that this wasn¡¯t planned was concerning. Would she even have enough mana?


    Most of the time, such mana charging was done with ample preparations since a person¡¯s mana pool had its limits after all. In the past, there were cases of mages being turned into a dry husk by some exceptionally powerful magical arrays. Once a person¡¯s mana was used up, any further attempt to drain his or her mana would forcefully convert their lifeforce into mana. In other words, the mage was playing with their life when they pushed past their mana limits.


    Want to experience the sensation of growing old in a day? All you needed to do was sign up over here right now, just place your hand right on top of this magical tool!


    Didn¡¯t that mean that Numila was in grave danger right now? Heavens only knew what that blade was planning to do with all that mana! Was it storing it in a bank somewhere or was it snacking on it?


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely an evolution, there¡¯s no mistaking it.¡± Unlike my pointless tsukkomis, Habona¡¯s observations yielded a much more useful conclusion of ¡®evolution¡¯.


    ¡°Evolution? What evolution?¡±


    Throwing me a placid look for a second, she turned back to the harpy who was engulfed in flames from the neck down and waist up: ¡°The blade you gave to her is about to evolve.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± That straight blade was going to evolve?! It¡¯s already a high-grade enchanted blade so did that mean it was going to become an epic blade now? Wasn¡¯t that the same level as Shadowfang then!?


    One had to know that when an epic weapon was wielded by an owner that it had an extremely high compatibility with, the increase in strength wasn¡¯t just a simple one plus one equal two kind of thing.


    I don¡¯t remember it acting strange when I used it, so why did it suddenly evolve the moment Numila wielded it? Man, she has all the luck.


    Just as I was lamenting about her main character halo, Habona chimed in with another sentence that squarely slapped me back to reality.


    ¡°You¡¯d better think of something quick, her own mana might not even be enough for the blade to evolve. If it doesn¡¯t get what it wants, it¡¯s highly likely that Numila will be turned into a dry husk.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± What the f*ck, I take back all those words of envy, this wasn¡¯t some main character halo, it¡¯s a damned death flag!


    It was then that a Numila who was beginning to feel her mana pool empty, turned towards me and pleaded for help: ¡°Dearest¡­my mana is about to run dry¡­what should I do¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡­don¡¯t you feed on souls as well, then you should also know how to convert souls into mana¡­you do know how to do that, right?¡±


    ¡°I do, I do, get me some souls quick¡­dearest, I¡¯m about to run dry¡­¡±


    ¡°I got it¡­¡± I hurriedly turned towards No.3 and instructed him: ¡°Quick, send over all the souls we collected on the way here. Big.4, I want you to go and hunt for more souls, wipe out all the non-friendly life forms you saw on the way here. Harvest their souls as fast as possible and get back here quick!¡±


    ¡°Understood Master!¡±


    On the way here, we had collected a substantial amount of souls from the undead, and while they mostly went to me, the grimoire, Mimiya and Violet Snow, I had set aside some of the souls as a gift, knowing that Numila fed on souls as well.


    Having been attacked by those two harpy witches shortly after arriving, I naturally forgot about this matter entirely, but there was no better time than now to remember it.


    Upon acknowledging my command, Big 4 immediately led his team away to hunt for more souls. No.3 immediately got down to work as well, commanding the devils to fetch the twenty over two-star undead soul fires with a wave of his hand. The souls were dumped in the vicinity of Numila seeing as she was still encased in flames.


    While the enchanted blade had no intention of harming her with those flames, that didn¡¯t mean that the flames were completely harmless to everyone else as well.


    Clearly frightened by the scorching heat, my subordinates hurriedly chucked the souls onto the ground before scampering off. Even so, there were still some poor souls who got caught in the flames and began burning¡­such a fearsome fire, even the flame resistant devils were afraid of it.


    As for Numila¡¯s harpies, they knew to start hunting for souls even without her command, leaving only Elena, Eugenia and their respective subordinates left on site.


    ¡°Hey you¡­do you need us to help?¡± Eugenia pointed at the blazing Numila and asked: ¡°We can¡¯t just stand here and watch her die, can we?¡±


    ¡°Move.¡± Elena was even more direct with her words and simply threw down a ¡°move¡± before taking to the air and leading her subordinates away.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a fast one¡­¡± Eugenia shaked her head helplessly and led her subordinates away as well.


    Were they planning to chip in as well?


    ¡°Dearest¡­the mana absorption seems to be gentler, hm? No, it¡¯s slowing down? I think it is worried about me¡­¡±


    Huh? Did she mean that the blade was worried about her? Wasn¡¯t it just an object? How could it worry about its owner¡­unless¡­this bit of consciousness was part of being an epic equipment?


    With the advantage of flight, the harpies¡¯ speed meant that they were the first ones to return with souls. In just a short span of 3 minutes, the first batch of soul fires was delivered to Numila. It wasn¡¯t much, roughly several dozen souls. Thankfully, with those 20 two-star souls we gave her just now, she was still able to hold on. At the very least, the blade wasn¡¯t consuming her lifeforce.


    As time passed, more and more hunting parties came back with souls and brought them before Numila and her evolving blade.


    Seeing her quietly endure the mana drain amongst the roaring flames, every second I stood there truly felt like a year. There was no feelings between us, yet when push came to shove, I couldn¡¯t help but be concerned about her thanks to this bit of connection we shared.


    It was difficult to put my finger on what kind of feeling it was. Perhaps it was simply my possessiveness at work here? After all, setting up a harem was my end-goal, so recruiting every girl I liked, was in a sense, my current goal. Dang, when did I turn into some main character of a harem novel?


    Time dragged on painfully until finally, at the one hour mark, the enchanted straight blade was finally satiated. Its metallic body began to melt slowly, turning into a rounded shape right at the end which looked a glowing ball of flames that was almost 10 centimeters wide.


    The glowing ball of flames began flying around autonomously, leaving behind a brilliant trail of flames like a jet propelled plane would as it flew about. However, unlike a jet plane, what it left behind was pure fire elements that sparkled for over ten seconds before finally disappearing.


    The ball of flames slowly circled around Numila as if it was celebrating its own birth.


    With the flames gone, a fatigued Numila breathed a heavy sigh before saying: ¡°Phew¡­the baby¡¯s finally out.¡±


    What do you mean it¡¯s finally out¡­

 Chapter 152: This Isn’t a Harem

    ¡°This one¡¯s survival is all thanks to you, Dearest. This one loves you to death!¡± Somehow it felt like she was a completely different person.


    With the danger gone, she leaped into my arms, and without caring about anything else, tightly pressed her weapons of mass destruction against my chest¡­surprisingly, they felt rather nice even through the feathers¡­especially that wafting scent and softness¡­


    After struggling for a few arduous minutes, I finally broke free and quickly changed the topic: ¡°That enchanted blade did not have a name previously, but now that it has evolved, I think you should give it one.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, what would be a nice name¡­¡± She pondered it for a moment before promptly tossing the problem back to me; looks like she didn¡¯t have a knack for naming things. ¡°Dearest should be the one who thinks of a name for this one¡¯s blade.¡±


    ¡°In that case, how about¡­¡± Looking at the ball of flame circling a couple of inches away, a name immediately came to mind which was rather good, if I had to say so myself. ¡°How about Flametail?¡±


    Seeing as it left behind such a beautiful trail of flame sparks as it flew about, Flametail seemed apt.


    ¡°Flametail? Sounds great, this one likes it. You¡¯re the best, Dearest!¡± As she said that, she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me on the head.


    Come to think of it, Numila seemed to have changed completely since we were betrothed. Instead of that fiery loose cannon we met previously, she seemed more like a teenager. A teenager in love¡­


    ¡°Hey, hey, hey, this Numila seems weird.¡± Eugenia nudged her frosty companion, eyes wide open and a face filled with incredulity ¡°What happened to that fellow who goes ¡°this harpy, this harpy¡± for no reason?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, a little, weird.¡± Elena nodded her head lightly, and without saying much more, added: ¡°Brains, not working well.¡±


    Now that the matter of Flametail had been settled, the matter of the harpy conflict was basically over.


    Numila loosened her arms and turned to the other two witches with a smug, authoritative look on her face: ¡°I still have to thank you two for what you did just now, you two actually went out of your way to hunt those souls for me.¡±


    Not realizing the subtle change in Numila¡¯s attitude, Eugenia crossed her arms and dismissed her words: ¡°It¡¯s not like we were planning to kill you, we just wanted to recruit you. All that was just a misunderstanding on your part not mine.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, hmph, isn¡¯t it a little too late for that?¡±


    ¡°What do you want then?¡± Asked Elena in a steady voice.


    ¡°What do I want? I want the two of you to submit to me.¡± Numila¡¯s lips cracked into a smile that wasn¡¯t the least bit like one, the look in her eyes ever changing as she stared at them. At the same time, Flametail started to revolve faster around her, the heat in the air rising as it did so.


    As the heat slowly climbed to sweltering levels, Elena was the first to back away from the fearsome weapon. While she hadn¡¯t suffered much injuries in the previous fight, her elemental nature made her particularly susceptible to the heat. However, it wasn¡¯t long before Eugenia had to back away as well from the blistering heat.


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡± The two witches stared at each other helplessly. Now that their defeat was basically set in stone, what else could they do other than submit to her as per their ancestral rules.


    The two witches dropped to one knee and used their actions to prove their loyalty.


    ¡°Eugenia, pays her respect to the Clan Leader.¡±


    ¡°Elena, pays her respect to the Clan Leader.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, good, you two may rise.¡± Numila promptly accepted their pledge of allegiance without any intention of making things hard on them. However, upon noticing that she didn¡¯t intend to press the issue, the ever capricious Eugenia immediately rushed to my side.


    With what looked like an awkward attempt at flirting, she batted her eyelashes at me and pushed her feathery self onto me: ¡°Hello there, this one is Windstorm, Eugenia Windstorm. This one really admires you so can you give this one a blade as well? As long as you give this one a blade, this one will marry you.¡±


    Like a cat that had its tail stepped on, Numila almost leaped to the air in anger upon hearing those words: ¡°Eugenia! I dare you to say that again! This harpy will pluck out all your feathers!¡±


    ¡°Hah hah hah, while this one has submitted to you, this one still has the right to pursue her partner, this one just so happens to like this lust demon, what¡¯cha gona to do about that!¡±


    ¡°He is this harpy¡¯s fiance, so you¡¯d better scram!¡±


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    ¡°Hah, this harpy this, this harpy that, you haven¡¯t changed one bit. You¡¯re still as boorish as ever, what makes you think any man will like you. This one is so much better than you, not only is this one soft and approachable, this one knows how to be coy unlike a brute like you.¡±


    ¡°Die!¡± Having obviously lost to Eugenia¡¯s cannon of a mouth, she immediately readied herself in a bid to teach this unruly subordinate of hers a lesson.


    However, Eugenia wasn¡¯t one to be intimidated so easily either: ¡°This one isn¡¯t afraid of you, don¡¯t forget, this one is about to marry Master Lust Demon, if you harm this one¡¯s body, Master Lust Demon will get angry!¡±


    What the f*ck, when did I end up in such a relationship with Eugenia, didn¡¯t we just meet each other? We haven¡¯t even spoken more than a few sentences with each other. But, now¡¯s not the time for this, they look like they¡¯re about to start another fight!


    ¡°Alright, alright, stop fighting, you two. Can¡¯t you all learn from Elena, see how calm she is compared to you two. At this rate, my ear drums will be damaged by your constant bickering.¡± I scolded the two witches while hurriedly stepping between them.


    At that, Elena¡¯s pale cheeks reddened slightly before throwing me a bashful smile. Glancing at me for a second, she immediately lowered her head in embarrassment.


    ¡°Elena doesn¡¯t mind marrying either¡­¡± As she murmured those words which made me want to spit out more blood, she bashfully averted her eyes from my own.


    Exactly¡­what¡¯s going on today, hmm? Why did all three of them propose to me in a day? It¡¯s probably that isn¡¯t it? They all wanted an elemental weapon that suited them; at the very least, I possessed that amount of self-awareness to know I¡¯m not that attractive.


    Looks like women really do go after successful men with money and power huh? Or maybe they just see me as a brainless, giant ATM?


    With the addition of Elena¡¯s own love confession, the three harpies started a whole new argument centered around me.


    ¡°You two can marry in if you want but this harpy has to be the First Wife!¡±


    ¡°Says who? This one feels that such a thing should be decided by your own hard work.¡±


    ¡°Says who?! Says this harpy because she¡¯s the first one to propose to Dearest!¡±


    ¡°Hmph, this one doesn¡¯t accept that reason, this one wants a fair fight!¡±


    ¡°Elena thinks this should be a fair fight as well.¡±


    ¡°Scram! Are the both of you trying to pick a fight!?¡±


    ¡°This one might not be able to win against you, but Master Lust Demon definitely doesn¡¯t like a brutish harpy like you!¡±


    ¡°Elena agrees.¡±


    Seeing this spectacle play out before her, Habona couldn¡¯t help but throw me a sneer: ¡°Your harem seems to have grown more chaotic.¡±


    ¡°What harem are you talking about? I don¡¯t even know anything about this matter so don¡¯t just go around sticking that tag onto me!¡±


    ¡°But aren¡¯t they fighting over you right now? If you don¡¯t stop them, they might just start a real fight.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­I know that, I know that.¡± Darn it, why must all the creatures of hell be so brain dead, don¡¯t they know how to solve matters without resorting to their fists? Can¡¯t we just have a nice, peaceful conversation and live in harmony together?


    ¡°Wooo! Fight! Fight! Mimiya wants to see a fight!¡± At the side, Mimiya once again stepped in to flaunt her existence. Her cheers grew as she watched the situation develop with rapt excitement. Devil knows what she was thinking right now, but it was probably something along the lines of this world wasn¡¯t chaotic enough.


    Violet Snow on the other hand, was a lot calmer. After attempting to dig a tiny hole in the floor with her adorable little paws, she threw me a side glance and said, ¡°Seems like you¡¯ve gained even more wives, huh.¡±


    ¡­I just met them today! And, I don¡¯t even know how this whole marriage with Numila thing even started!


    ¡°I say, are the three of you just about done here?¡±


    Hearing my voice, Eugenia immediately leaped at me with eyes that seemed to have turned into hearts: ¡°Dearest, this one missed you so much!¡±


    ¡°B*stard!, Open your potato eyes and see clearly, he¡¯s this harpy¡¯s fiance!¡± In an amazing display of hand-eye coordination, she swiped her claw between us and prevented her from coming any closer to me.


    ¡°Huh, if this one is a potato, then you¡¯re a potato as well since we belong to the same race!¡±


    ¡°Shut up, you idiot!¡± Once again, Numila¡¯s mouth cannon came out short and it wasn¡¯t long before the both of them were on the verge of fighting again.


    ¡°Elena wants a hug too.¡± Not willing to be left out, Elena promptly cut in as well. Taking advantage of their argument, she rushed in at lightning speed and hugged me.


    Don¡¯t be fooled for a second by her cold demeanor that seemed like a block of ice; her body wasn¡¯t the least bit cold, not at all like what I¡¯d initially thought. At most, it was slightly cooler to the touch but was still extremely comfortable. Plus, her body¡¯s scent wasn¡¯t like Numila¡¯s at all, it had a kind of minty freshness to it.


    Blooming proudly amidst a snowstorm, only the plum blossom treads upon the snow¡­


    That¡¯s right, Elena was as stunning as a plum blossom to me. Not just because the only snow flower my tiny brain could think of was the plum blossom, mhm. (Author: What do you think of a snow lotus?)


    Harpy Witches were all drop dead gorgeous, assuming you didn¡¯t look at their feathery body of course. Covering their feathers with a coat might work too; they would be angels if you did that.


    ¡°Ah, you actually dared to sneak in a hug! Unforgivable! This one wants a hug as well!¡± Eugenia swiftly broke off from her opponent, who was still in the shock from seeing me being hugged. With a leap, she grabbed onto my back; her breasts pressed firmly against me as she did so. A faint, elegant scent began wafting into my nose¡­so fragrant¡­why do all the harpy witches smell so nice¡­


    ¡°Hahaha, I hugged him, now he¡¯s my fiance. Now that you¡¯re this one¡¯s fiance, then this one wants a weapon stronger than Numila¡¯s as a meeting gift.¡±


    ¡°Elena wants one too.¡±


    ¡°You two harpies, let go of this harpy¡¯s fiance right this instant!¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    With me as the center, the three harpies began fighting again¡­by the way, I¡¯m the innocent one here, can you not tug on my clothes¡­ (Author: The black robes from the Western Human Realm.)


    Ah, who pinched me?


    And don¡¯t grab that spot between my hips¡­


    *weep* My life is so terrible, why must I experience such a carnage filled scene before I even open a harem?

 Chapter 153: Battle Preparations

    Hi there. Please Check out our new novel, Impulsive: Descendants of the Gifted


    Fine, that wasn¡¯t exactly a scene of carnage since none of them actually asked me who I liked or disliked¡­


    Speaking of which, even if they asked me¡­


    Due to Eugenia and Elena¡¯s clans being added to our army, we had almost reached our target number of forces.


    Adding up the harpies from Elena, Eugenia and Numila, that would mean that we had gained around 6,000 harpies. Adding that to the 2,000 from Mo En and the 1,500 or so from the medusas and demonic werewolves, we had almost reached the target of 10,000. However, one does not simply walk into battle like that. On top of numbers, there were a number of logistic problems to handle, for example, weapons.


    The main reason why my subordinates were able to possess a greater combat strength than their peers was because of the weapons I crafted for them. By that logic, if I were to distribute some weapons to the various elites of the clans, the various races should experience an explosive boost in strength as well.


    Furthermore, there was one more easily overlooked but critical issue we had to tackle, the issue of food.


    What was it like inside this so-called prison exit? No one knew for sure, but according to rumors, anyone who tried to forcefully break through were all dead. Plus, those four-stars who supposedly left the Prison of the Dead hadn¡¯t sent a single word back; so there was basically no news about this mysterious exit.


    Since we had no information about the exit, this brings us to another problem; the problem of time. We had nearly 10,000 troops on our side; exactly how long did we have to sustain these massive numbers for? How much food did we need to bring?


    Furthermore, what kind of traps awaited us there, and how many enemies did we have to face?


    Even though we had all basically agreed that a horde of undead awaited us in there, and we could sustain ourselves off those souls, I couldn¡¯t guarantee that there would be no regions that were just paved with traps. If we encountered such a region, what were we to do? Having no enemies means having no food too.


    Without food, we would be lucky if the army didn¡¯t just implode let alone fighting against the enemy. There¡¯s no way we could advance while feeding on our own.


    Plus, there were still a ton of details to iron out. Sigh¡­there¡¯s just so much to do.


    With the three harpy witches in tow, we returned to Mo En¡¯s nest. Until the day we set off for the prison exit, his nest was to be our temporary headquarters.


    The location of the exit had already been determined; roughly half a month¡¯s march from our current location. Along the way, we would definitely encounter the territories of numerous other races. However, if they knew what was good for them, they would join us. My army wasn¡¯t just for show after all.


    In this world, there were only two outcomes, eat or be eaten, there was no third option.


    Initially, I had intended to turn the harpies into javelineers, but none of them had hands to speak of since they had an eagle¡¯s body after all; though with a female human¡¯s head. Strictly speaking, harpies were half-beast monsters. While their claws were able to wield a javelin, their flexibility wasn¡¯t on the same level as a human¡¯s arm.


    I experimented with this idea several times but the result wasn¡¯t really ideal. The main issue was that their accuracy was too low, to the point where it shattered whatever pre-conceptions I had about them.


    Originally, I assumed that they would be fantastic javelineers since they had an eagle¡¯s eye and all. Plus, with their high ground, they should have a better view of their target. However, the lack of arms ended up sinking this idea in the end.


    Yet, taking into account that there were 6,000 of them, their individual accuracy wasn¡¯t such a crippling problem. After all, with 6,000 javelins raining down on the enemy, I¡¯m sure at least a few of them will hit.


    In that sense, me trying to turn them into elite air javelineers with their horrid conditions was simply nitpicking.


    This wasn¡¯t some YY (Chinese Discord) novel after all, there¡¯s no way one could casually encounter some unknown flying species that so happened to fit one¡¯s requirements. These harpies were experts at diving and auditory charms, not ranged attacks.


    Normally, this wouldn¡¯t be a problem, but the undead were immune to psychic magic so their own deadly weapon was basically useless against the undead.


    Right now, I was swarmed with a host of things to do since I was the only one who could use Dark Alchemy. As for the others¡­I tried to get them to help out, but the Grimoire of the Dead would have none of that. It wouldn¡¯t even allow any of them to touch it, or rather, it didn¡¯t allow any male lifeform to touch it.


    Besides, not everyone had the talent for magic, even if they were devils. At the end of the day, it was only me who could use Dark Alchemy¡­so tiring¡­how I wish someone was here to share this load with me¡­


    There were around 6,000 harpies so in order to arm them all, I would have to create 6,000 javelins. If I wanted to arm them with two javelins each, that would make it 12,000; if three, then it would be 18,000¡­someone kill me. There¡¯s no way this was possible with just me alone.


    Thus, I decided on a different plan. Under my command, my subordinates began gathering up bones and sharpening them into stakes. The length of the bones didn¡¯t matter; as long as they were sharpened, they could be used as shortspears. With their height advantage, the speed of these spears would get boosted by gravity¡­given enough speed, even paper can kill a person let alone a bone stake. (TL: Science!)


    The task of grinding these bone javelins were given to the devils. Though they were mostly simple brutes, sharpening bones shouldn¡¯t be a problem for them, plus, they had their brutish strength going for them. I ended up handing this task over to No.5, that little potato. This unevolved potato was no help in a fight, so if he couldn¡¯t even manage my army, then perhaps it¡¯s time to review my hiring policies.


    With the matter of my aerial forces settled, next came the problem of my mounted forces. For that, I would have to rely on Violet Snow and her hellhounds.


    Seeing as that oddity Big 5 was able to tame a hellhound and use it as his mount, that meant a hellhound cavalry was a possibility; at the very least, their backs weren¡¯t as weak as I had initially feared.


    During my little jaunt in the human world, I made sure to keep an eye out for saddle schematics, so in a sense, that trip wasn¡¯t a complete disaster. Thus, with my Dark Alchemy and the hides I skinned from some creature, I created the first ever doggie saddle¡­doggie saddle¡­why does that sound so weird¡­I¡¯ll just call it a saddle¡­


    The experimental saddle was basically a success; while there were still some kinks to work out, it performed its function of stabilizing Big 5 as he rode his hellhound. In a test fight between Big 5 and No.3, No.3 ended up being pushed back a couple of paces while Big 5 was still seated comfortably on his hellhound. Based on that, the saddle was a success. As for the kinks, I could work them out when I had more time.


    Now that we have a cavalry unit, we don¡¯t have to cower in fear from those undead horsemen anymore. All we have to do is charge right at them and I guarantee my saddles would do their job.


    The newly minted cavalry unit was naturally commanded by Big 5. However, due to our previous skirmishes, there weren¡¯t many hellhounds left, coming out at roughly 40. There were 5 other hellhounds, but those were Violet Snow¡¯s personal guard so naturally they couldn¡¯t be counted as part of the cavalry unit.


    While I did leave the cavalry unit in Big 5¡¯s command, in essence, it was a unit led by Violet Snow since she was the princess of those hellhounds. Who else would they listen to if not her?


    However, she didn¡¯t have much desire for authority, all she forbade was that I use her hounds as cannon fodder. It went without saying that I agreed to that. In my eyes, the hellhounds were basically an endangered species right now. Plus in light of my relationship with Violet Snow, these hellhounds were naturally treated as a sort of special forces and received the corresponding grooming.


    In order to prevent any unexpected casualties amongst the hellhounds, I even considered creating hide armors for them. Unfortunately, armors for animals were different from the usual leather armors made for humans; the fact that I had no experience crafting leather armors didn¡¯t help either. Not to mention that such an armor design was inherently more complex that normal leather armors. If it was too heavily armored, it would affect their mobility, yet too little protection would defeat the purpose of it as well.


    Thus, the whole plan was axed.


    With Mo En¡¯s nest as our gathering point, we created an alliance of races that was, for the time being, managed by me. My mission right now was to make the preparations for the upcoming assault, procure supplies and craft weapons.


    Coming back to the issue of food, I had to say this was a rather tricky one. Storing them was a whole issue in of itself. Souls dissipated easily while meat spoiled quickly. That was why we had only managed to bring close to two day¡¯s worth of food when we first entered the Prison of the Dead; any longer than that and the stench alone could probably cause us to have diarrhea.


    Thankfully, the medusas didn¡¯t require any equipment since their innate abilities gave them a ranged attack. The demonic werewolves were basically the same as well though they seemed to like the shields I sent them last time; I¡¯ll just craft a batch and send it as a gift then.


    Amongst my subordinates, the ones who required the most gear were actually the demonic half-orcs. While each and every one of them had a strength that was much higher than an equivalent devil, they had a habit of using weapons. Not only that, looking at their weapon clad selves, they almost looked like a proper army, not a very strict one though. Compared to their unruly devil counterparts, giving them a set of finely crafted gear would achieve much more than if I were to hand that same set over to the devils.


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    However, a more pressing issue was their small numbers. After killing off the head of the demonic half-orcs, there were less than 50 of them left alive, 49 to be exact. While I did make sure to prevent any losses, we ended up losing some anyway, and now there was only 41 of them left.


    What I had in mind for them was a lot more complicated than anything I had ever crafted before. Javelins, shields, longswords, long spears and maces; pretty much everything but the kitchen sink. More than anyone else, how could I not know what kind of potatoes were in my army? Trying to find the a tall one amongst these midgets, I decided to make use of this opportunity to create an elite force.


    (TL: ¡°make the best out of nothing¡±, essentially in a group of midgets you try to find the ¡°tall¡± one, but in the end they are all midgets. It¡¯s just a slightly taller midget)


    Who knows, these ¡°elites¡± of mine might end up giving me a surprise later on down the road.


    Their leader, Baccarel, wasn¡¯t the strongest of them but his ability to command wasn¡¯t half bad. He should be able to lead this team, which I had high hopes for, to victory.


    Of my devils, a third of them were tasked to gather bones while another third was instructed to sharpen said bones. That left one third of my devils to hunt for food.


    As for the werewolves and medusas, they were tasked with capturing more slaves for our army while finding food. The prison exit was a fortress that hadn¡¯t been captured despite the passing of countless years; one couldn¡¯t be too safe in the face of such a formidable fortress. Plus the fact that there was no news of those four-stars who had left concerned me deeply.


    After tens of thousands of years, no matter how stupid they were, some of them had to have thought of some way to send a message into the Prison of the Dead.


    ?


    It¡¯s called scouting out the enemy, dont¡¯cha know? Even the half-orcs who had muscles for brains knew the importance of scouting out their enemy.


    Thus, no matter how you looked at it, the fact that there was no word from them was highly suspicious.


    Even so, breaking through the exit was something I had to do. I simply had no time to waste here. More importantly, No.3 and my other potatoes were all subordinates that had been with me since the Blood Sea; I wanted to lead them out of this hell hole and into Abaddon. Once we were out of here, I planned to huddle up in some remote corner and slowly build up my power, while at the same time, look for Yi Yi.


    Speaking of Yi Yi, this little Abaddon Princess wasn¡¯t someone you could see just because you wanted to.


    Though my hereditary memory was rather lacking, there were still a mountain of useful information within. In Hell, power was everything; no matter where you went, your power was tied to your right to speak. Since I had already recruited a bunch of subordinates, there was no reason to abandon them was there? Besides, if I was alone, I might end up being surrounded by a bunch of brainless buffoons¡­so Ferti¡¯nier, when do you plan on leaving my body!?

 Chapter 154: The Captives of the Two Races Part 1

    So far the battle preparations were proceeding smoothly; in other words, I was working my ass off right now.


    It felt like every single task required my personal attention. Not to brag, but without me, these potatoes probably wouldn¡¯t even know their heads from their tails. As for how I knew this, that¡¯s simple. Because they were potatoes.


    Naturally, not all of them were that stupid, and simply lacked the required experience to complete the task; thus, their progress was painfully slow. Given time, I¡¯m sure their speed would slowly improve. The main problem was that there was some devils who were simply potatoing around.


    For example, remember those bone javelins I earmarked for my harpy air force? The materials required to craft them were bones and even more bones. However, bones from the undead skeletons weren¡¯t usable as they became brittle once they lost their soul flames. In that case, we had to use the bones from the other life forms in the prison.


    We would hunt the Abaddon Rodents, the dogmen and whatever other weak races we encountered. The benefits to this was that we not only gathered souls and gained meat to feast on, some of their longer bones could be turned into spears¡­somehow, it felt like I was turning more and more evil by the day. I¡¯m basically picking apart all my enemies at this point.


    The task of grinding the bones was actually really simple; it was basically mindless labor. However, here¡¯s where the problem came in. Who was the one in charge of this task? No.5, that¡¯s who. This little potato¡­back when I asked if he could do it, he said yes without any hesitation; yet, just a few days later, he was basically back to his lazy self. The entire task was thrown to his adjutant seeing as I basically had no time to monitor him, at least that¡¯s what he thought.


    After finally climbing out of that mountain of work I had to settle, I found that a certain portion of my devils were loafing around. The leader of these lazy bums was none other than No.5. Naturally, he received his usual serving of tender loving care from No.3 as his reward. However, that beating would knock some sense into him. If he didn¡¯t learn his lesson, I¡¯ll just have to get some of my more unique devils to clean out his chrysanthemum. Trust me, I¡¯d do it if he forces me.


    (TL: For those of you who don¡¯t know, the chrysanthemum is a flower that is used as a euphemism for the anus, and ¡°clean out his chrysanthemum¡± *cough* you know where I¡¯m going with this)


    As for training the harpies to throw the javelins, I didn¡¯t have to worry as much about that seeing as it was supervised by my three lovely monster girls, Numila, Eugenia and Elena. They promised to do their best, and that they did. They worked so hard that they even started to argue¡­


    ¡°Dearest, this one¡¯s subordinates have already mastered throwing the javelins and their accuracy isn¡¯t too bad either.¡±


    ¡°This one¡¯s clan is better than yours!¡±


    ¡°Elena will work hard too.¡±


    Numila¡¯s peeved mode: ¡°This harpy¡¯s clan is the greatest!¡±


    Eugenia¡¯s whatever mode: ¡°This one¡¯s clan is even greater!¡±


    Elena¡¯s calm mode: ¡°Elena trained them well, mhm.¡±


    Then, as the first two harpies were busy arguing with each other, Elena took the opportunity to pounce on me, hugging me tightly.


    ¡°Hugs¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah! You actually dare to hug this harpy¡¯s fiance without this harpy¡¯s approval, this harpy will kill you!¡±


    ¡°Elena, you pulled a fast one on us again! Damn it, this one wants a hug too!¡± Having said that, Eugenia leaped over as well and hugged me from behind¡­


    ¡°You two¡­how dare you two! This harpy will teach you two a lesson¡­¡±


    This time, Numila was truly miffed. The perpetually revolving Flametail started to radiate a frightening amount of heat, then a chaotic battle started¡­again.


    Such occurrences took place once or twice a day and I was basically used to it by now.


    Speaking of which, Mimiya and her birdbrain brother Mo Xixidi were relatively well-behaved in comparison. Mimiya was satisfied as long as she had a show to watch. Getting this troublemaker to help out wasn¡¯t really a realistic plan; however, as long as she stayed out of trouble I was alright with it. Right now, she was probably busy with Vick. Regarding these two little scamps, the combination of their playfulness could only be described as torturous, I just hoped they didn¡¯t set their eyes on any innocent devils.


    Xixidi on the other hand was more obedient than his sister. As long as he was fed, he didn¡¯t mind being a pig. Mhm, a demonic pig.


    As for Mo En¡­he was basically the same as his son. Whenever I asked him to help, he would crawl pitifully while lying on the ground, all the while displaying a ¡°I¡¯m dying¡± look on his face. ¡°Ah, once a devil gets old, there¡¯s no helping it¡­¡±


    In the end, the only helpful one of this bunch was Mo En¡¯s wife, the lust demon Julia. Julia was an extremely intelligent girl. After a round of testing, I found out that her management skills weren¡¯t too bad, and best of all, she had the talents for Dark Alchemy.


    While I still didn¡¯t understand why the grimoire was being such a pain about letting her touch it, it¡¯s not like I needed the grimoire to teach Julia Dark Alchemy; I could teach her myself.


    Dark Alchemy wasn¡¯t really a complicated field; rather, I should say that the Dark Alchemy spells I knew weren¡¯t complicated. All you had to do was create a mana whirlpool, toss the ingredients inside, set the designs, input the mana and that¡¯s it, all done.


    Basically, if you took away the chants and the magical array, that was all it took to craft an item.


    Julia didn¡¯t disappoint in this aspect. In just two days, she picked up the skill and was able to craft her very first alchemical weapon. Given her larger pool of mana, I¡¯m sure that her crafting efficiency would be a lot higher than mine. At least that was what I thought¡­


    ¡°My liege, this subordinate is worthless. Despite being a four-star primal lust demon, this servant¡¯s crafting speed isn¡¯t even half of my liege¡¯s speed. Not only that, the strength of the weapons are¡­if only this subordinate wasn¡¯t so useless, your lordship wouldn¡¯t have to work so hard. It¡¯s all this servant¡¯s fault, this servant is worthless, please punish this servant.¡±


    Within this cave filled with bones, Julia was currently prostrating herself before me with her forehead lowered to the point that it touched the ground. Despite her hidden face, I could clearly hear the despair and sadness in her voice.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, it¡¯s not your fault. You¡¯ve done well already. You¡¯re the only one who can help me in this field so don¡¯t be so hard on yourself. Besides¡­the reason I¡¯m able to craft so well is because of the Grimoire of the Dead.¡±


    I got her to stand up first before I began recounting how I obtained this miraculous book, while at the same time, telling her of its powers.


    ¡°Wow, so this grimoire is actually so formidable, the first time I saw it, I already knew that it wasn¡¯t some ordinary object¡­¡± As she said that, she threw me a fervent look of worship that was a little too impassioned for me. I bet if I got her to lay on the ground and let me have my way with her, she would probably do so¡­however, wouldn¡¯t that make Mo En a cuckold. Plus, my pee pee was still on a holiday. MORE IMPORTANTLY, I¡¯m not kind of person. Back on Earth, this brother was known as the Prince of Morals!


    The grimoire was able to reduce the mana consumption of my Dark Alchemy while simultaneously boosting its effectiveness. That was why my crafting efficiency was so much better than Julia¡¯s despite my lower mana pool.


    ¡°I bet you¡¯re tired by now, how about we take a rest for now. I¡¯ll take a walk outside and see how the others are doing.¡± Having crafted nearly a hundred weapons of various types, both Julia and I were tuckered out from all the casting. While we both had an endless supply of souls to feed us mana, we were after all, living creatures, and living creatures would get tired after working for so long.


    On this point, both devils and humans were the same.


    As she wiped the sweat from her forehead, Julia¡¯s body radiated the seductive charms of a young married woman. This was especially so for those dangerous weapons of hers that were wrapped in fur¡­


    Each time she breathed, they would jiggle a little. Truly a terrifying sight¡­sometimes I worry that they might just burst out of their flimsy bindings.


    Err, I¡¯m not lusting after another person¡¯s wife, I just felt that she wasn¡¯t wearing enough clothes. Hopefully, she realizes this and corrects this problem. It¡¯s not like I could tell her this straight to her face. No, that¡¯s simply too embarrassing. That¡¯s why I have no choice but to communicate with my eyes; mhm, hopefully she will learn this art of eye communication one day.


    Having left her side temporarily, I walked out of the cave. Hmmm, sure was lively outside, I bet it¡¯s Habona and her hunting party.


    ¡°It went pretty smoothly.¡± That was the answer I got after greeting the werewolf.


    Her task right now was to take charge of the hunting party, not only that, this hunting expedition wasn¡¯t any old hunting trip. It required that she hunted further away from the nest than usual seeing as she not only had to bring back food, but intelligence as well; intelligence about the surrounding races.


    Our current alliance was basically set in stone already. It was mainly comprised of the devils, the harpies, the demonic werewolves and the medusas. As for the hellhounds and half-orcs whose numbers were simply too little, they counted as part of the devils¡¯ faction seeing as they were my subordinates anyway.


    Habona¡¯s task was to find any other clans from these four races and recruit them into our alliance. If they weren¡¯t willing to join us, that wasn¡¯t a problem either. After killing their leader and enslaving them, I¡¯m sure they would be a lot more receptive to our alliance.


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    The demonic werewolves and the medusas were simply too rare; other than Habona¡¯s and Manasha¡¯s clans, we didn¡¯t find any other clans of their kind in the prison.


    During this trip, Habona stumbled upon a pack of lizardmen who she brought back with her¡­hmm, about a hundred of them. Putting aside the brief glance I got of them when we tried to rescue Harlow from the harpies, this was the first time I¡¯ve gotten a good look at these lizards.


    Lizardmen were basically bipedal lizards¡­sounds strange.


    In truth, these strange lizards had another name, drakeman; in other words, pseudo-dragonman. Because the western dragons were basically giant lizards with wings, it wasn¡¯t really a stretch to imagine that these lizards had some connection to the fearsome dragons. Of course, it could just be them trying to cook up some sort of fake connection. In light of that, I couldn¡¯t really say for sure if that name was an insult or an honorable one.


    The lizardmen were all over two meters tall. While they were still shorter than the demonic werewolves, it wasn¡¯t by much. Their scales weren¡¯t particularly sturdy looking, while their appearances were¡­well, they¡¯re lizards, what do you expect them to look like?


    ¡°They are the lizardmen from Abaddon, basically they aren¡¯t any different from any other lizardmen. For the sake of differentiating them, you may call them Abaddon Lizardmen if you want.¡± Habona pointed at one of the despondent lizardmen and said: ¡°Originally, I wanted to recruit them, but their leader wasn¡¯t willing, so I got rid of him and brought back these 108 slaves. Their combat strength isn¡¯t too bad, all they need is some training and weapons and they should be rather outstanding warriors.¡±


    Speaking of which, were the Abaddon Rodents in the same boat as well? The Abaddon tag was simply to differentiate their origins in the same way that there were Chinese, Americans and Japanese.


    Before I could continue talking to Habona, I heard some stirring a distance away. From the sound of it, it was probably another hunting party.


    Looking around, I came upon the sight of the hunting party led by Manasha. On top of bringing back some loot, she brought back a giant pack of slightly deformed looking Abaddon Rodents.


    Seeing me next to Habona, Manasha, Majosha and Harlow came over to greet us.


    ¡°Our hunting trip was a rather fruitful one. Not only did we procure a bunch of materials, we even managed to capture over two hundred Abaddon Rodents.¡± Having said that, she pointed at the imps who were busy carting off the bones: ¡°Your henchmen aren¡¯t too bad either. Their combat strength is kind of bad but they are pretty good laborers.¡±


    What do you mean pretty good laborers¡­were they only worth that much in your eyes?

 Chapter 155: The Captives of the Two Races Part 2

    Regarding those captives, I had them sent off for training. For those that did well, they would be promoted to an official soldier in my army and lose their slave status.


    Basically, this was all a grudge amounted to in this dog eat dog world. As long as you were alive, it was infinitely better than being dead.


    Recently, Big 5 had been training the hellhound cavalry units while Violet Snow¡¯s job was to search for other hellhounds and hopefully recruit them. Unfortunately, the hellhounds were a rare species in this prison and after an extensive search, Violet Snow¡¯s pack were the only hellhounds to be found.


    Thus, Violet Snow ended up being rather free recently. She would wander around with her hellhounds and help me monitor No.5¡¯s bone grinding while at the same time monitoring Baccarel and Big 5¡¯s training.


    It was around this time that Habona and Manasha came back with their spoils, so Violet Snow came over to have a look as well. That¡¯s when things started to take a turn for the worse. The normally calm Violet Snow suddenly erupted in a raging fit of anger.


    ¡°*Awoof*¡± Her unique bark that combined a wolf and a dog¡¯s was particularly loud and clear today; especially so since it was brimming with raw, negative emotions.


    Amongst the Abaddon Rodent captives, there was a larger ratman who so happened to turn around in reaction to that bark. Upon seeing the furious Violet Snow, this rat received the scare of his lifetime and immediately tried to run away with his claws wrapped around his head as if that would make him harder to spot.


    Violet Snow let forth a roaring bark, and in the blink of an eye, an icy prison formed of ice spikes rose from the ground. The icey prison quickly closed in on the fleeing rat, and like a giant hand, secured it firmly to that spot.


    What¡¯s going on?


    At the start, I couldn¡¯t wrap my head around the sudden change in this little puppy, but after giving it some thought, the answer easily came to mind. Back when I first met her, she was engaged in a fight to the death with these rodents; in fact, it was then that Violet Snow and I teamed up to take on the rodents and their leader.


    In other words, she had a blood feud with these rats. That dagger accessory around her neck was crafted by me from a hellhound¡¯s skull, back then I had a lingering feeling that this was most likely her mother¡¯s¡­


    Thus, it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that her grudge ran deep, as deep as the ocean even!


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    Back then, we defeated the rodent leader but accidentally let that rat escape. Don¡¯t tell me this rat had something to do with that ratman leader?


    ¡°Do you know this rat?¡± Even though I was quite sure of my assumption, it was still better to confirm it.


    ¡°Mhm, he¡¯s a subordinate of that ratman leader we fought.¡± Violet Snow coldly nodded her head before turning all of her attention to the trapped ratman. Eyes dripping with murderous intent, she opened her mouth: ¡°*chit chit chiit*¡­¡±


    What the sh*t¡­what the heck was with that [chit chit chiit]? Last I checked you were a dog¡­weren¡¯t you¡­I mean wolf¡­that¡¯s not right either¡­you were a wolfdog weren¡¯t you? What¡¯s with that chittering? Don¡¯t think for a second that that rat would suddenly answer you just because you decided to change races, mhm!


    In the midst of my usual ramblings, that frightened ratman unexpectedly fessed up obediently: ¡°*chit chit chit*¡­¡±


    The two then engaged in a back and forth that ended up taking quite a bit of time, despite it proceeding so smoothly.


    Even so, those piercing *chits* really got under my skin.


    ¡°Do any of you understand what they are saying?¡± You two seem to be engaged in a rather important conversation there¡­.weren¡¯t you? How about letting me in on that?


    ¡°We don¡¯t understand the ratman¡¯s language either.¡± Manasha shook her head: ¡°Most of the time we only treat them as our main source of food since they are so weak. The only reason I brought them back alive was because you needed fodder.¡±


    I guess you got me there, wasn¡¯t a snake eating a rodent the most natural thing in this world? Who would be so bored as to research the language of their dinner meal? Not like doing that made the food taste any better. If it could not be eaten, screw it!


    Basically, this was what the Prison of the Dead was like, if it could not be eaten, don¡¯t bother with it. After all, if you couldn¡¯t even fill your stomach, why bother with such trivial matters. Like the ancients say, food and warmth begets carnal desires. If you couldn¡¯t even fill your own stomach, let¡¯s see how you plan on chasing after that meow meow. I bet you would end up freezing to death upon insertion.


    (ED: meow meow¡­ pee pee ¡­¡­*cough*¡­.kill me please)


    Seeing as Manasha didn¡¯t know their language, Majosha probably didn¡¯t know it either. As for Habona and Harlow¡­I skipped them without a second thought.


    There¡¯s no way those muscleheads could ever produce a scholar, so don¡¯t even think about it, hah.


    Finally, their conversation ended. Her expression was noticeably better this time around; she probably managed to get the information she wanted. Even so, that chilly aura around her hadn¡¯t dissipated one bit and seemed to have gotten even worse.


    Ignoring the struggling rodent, she trotted up to me. With gritted teeth and an extremely sour expression on her face, she said: ¡°I remember you mentioned that you were in dire need of resources like bones, souls and meat.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, if it¡¯s possible, I would like some captives as well to be our fodder.¡±


    Given the unknown dangers ahead, having a bunch of soldiers I could toss away without a second thought would help tremendously. In fact, it would help even more if the soldiers were edible as well, given the issue of food freshness. Mhm, edible¡­


    ¡°I just obtained some information from that rodent over there; he mentioned that there was a giant gathering of the rats somewhere. As of now, they¡¯ve gathered over 5,000 rodents and were planning to sweep the nearby regions in order to conquer a region for themselves. If we don¡¯t take care of them now, we would probably end up encountering them near the exit anyway.¡±


    ¡°¡­5,000?¡± You¡¯re joking, why would they be considered weak if they had so many kinsdevil? Oh wait, those rats were pretty good at reproducing and running away so I guess it¡¯s possible.


    ¡°Not 5,000, at least 5,000.¡± Violet Snow emphasized that point and continued: ¡°That rat couldn¡¯t even be counted as one of their lesser leaders in the outer regions, so this bit of news might be outdated already. Besides, there¡¯s no guarantee that he wasn¡¯t lying about the numbers either.¡±


    That¡¯s right, he might¡¯ve reported a larger or smaller number than what it really was.


    It¡¯s one thing if he over reported their numbers¡­.if he underreported however¡­


    He might¡¯ve let out this bit of fake news to lure us to his nest. Once we arrive and find out that the enemy was actually several times larger than our own, our morale would crumble in an instant and then¡­


    Fine, that bit of imagination was a tad excessive, but who could say that these rats weren¡¯t so cunning, am I right?


    After all, you could never be too sure in life.


    ¡°Then can you help me interrogate a few more prisoners, make sure to question them thoroughly.¡±


    If these rats were truly out to consolidate their power, encountering them was inevitable; rather, we already encountered them, it¡¯s just that our intelligence was full of holes that had to be filled.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be thorough about it.¡± She nodded her head and accepted the mission. ¡°However, I¡¯m taking this lot of rodents away with me, any problem with that?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, you can kill them all if you want, I just want the intelligence.¡±


    ¡°I can kill them all then, you said so yourself.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, I said so, go ahead and do what you want.¡± If there¡¯s one thing I hated, it was rats. Even if I wanted to treat my prisoners fairly, this bit of kindness wouldn¡¯t extend to these filthy creatures.


    Having receiving my confirmation, she turned around to leave. Suddenly, another problem occurred to me and I hurriedly called out to her. Staring at me with those doubtful but adorable golden puppy dog eyes ¡ª so cute, I just wanted to hug you and cuddle you to death, however there¡¯s more important matters now: ¡°About that, how did you learn the ratman¡¯s language.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re being too meddlesome!¡±


    After throwing down those words, she ordered the imps in charge to lead the captured rodents away, including that rodent encased in the ice prison. Looking at that murderous silhouette, those rodents probably wouldn¡¯t live past a few days.


    To think that these rodents were actually forming a coalition, how unexpected. Thank the devil Violet Snow knew how to speak their language or we would¡¯ve been caught completely off guard.


    This kind of reminds me of a joke I heard back in China:


    A rat momma and her kids were out stealing food when they encountered a kitty. After seeing the kitty, the momma immediately led her kids into a nearby rathole to hide. However, the kitty had already caught onto their scent and began camping outside the hole.


    The hole only had one entrance, so if that kitty stayed there forever, they would eventually starve to death. It was then that the momma came up with a brilliant idea and began to roughly mimic a dog¡¯s bark. Hearing the bark, the kitty scampered away in fear.


    Having escaped from the kitty, the jubilant but surprised momma began teaching her kids: ¡°See that, kitty cat was scared away by Momma¡¯s dog barks, goes to show how important learning another language is.¡±


    Alright, story time¡¯s over, back to the regularly scheduled show.


    ¡°Err, is there anyone who knows the lizardman language?¡± If even these stupid rodents could scheme, who knew if the lizardmen could as well.


    Just as I was pondering about a potential lizardman scheme, an unfamiliar voice rang out from a short distance away: ¡°Your excellency, may I know what are your instructions?¡±


    Tracing the voice back to its source, I found myself staring at a lizard¡­when did these lizards learn to speak the language of the devills?


    ¡°Please do not be alarmed, we lizardmen communicate in the devil language as well.¡± It was a burly lizardman who spoke up. On his right and left shoulders were particularly large scales that fanned outwards. Beneath them, were a pair of arms that were slightly bloodied as if they had been raked by claws.


    ¡°Ah, that makes things so much easier then. I was worried that we might have communication problems.¡± Amongst these lizardmen were the old, the young and even some mothers who were cradling a half meter long baby. Truthfully, it was a rather surreal scene. Unlike the ratmen, these weren¡¯t healthy, strapping young lizards. In fact, it felt like there hadn¡¯t even been a violent clash at all.


    If there was actually a fight, Habona would¡¯ve probably killed off the old and the young by now. After all, we wanted fodder, these lizards would only be baggages and a drain on our food supplies. In other words, they didn¡¯t put much of a fight after they saw Habona¡¯s power?


    ¡°You all surrendered?¡±

 Chapter 156: The Start Of Our Conques

    Unexpectedly, what was supposed to be a probing question ended up eliciting a candid confession from the lizardman.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, we were all awed by Lady Habona¡¯s display of power.¡± As the lizardman said that, he threw a worshipful glance at Habona. A second later, he withdrew his gaze and humbly asked, ¡°May I know who this Excellency is¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you know about the prison exit?¡±


    Regarding my slightly disrespectful questioning that left his own hanging, the lizardman didn¡¯t show any sign of displeasure but merely nodded his head respectfully: ¡°I¡¯ve heard of it, according to rumors, it has never once been breached successfully and only the four-stars are able to leave at will and return to Hell.¡±


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    ¡°Well, I¡¯m in the process of raising an army to assail that legendary unassailable exit.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± The lizardman threw me a strange look: ¡°Are you joking?¡±


    ¡°So you think that it¡¯s impossible as well?¡±


    ¡°At the very least, I¡¯ve never heard of it succeeding.¡± Without outright rejecting that idea, he proceeded to touch upon his own views: ¡°The prison exit has always been a place of nightmares for us.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Why is everyone so pessimistic about my decision?


    Having my excitement dampened like that, I waved the lizardman away without even asking for his name. Tugging at Habona, I invited her to the side where we discussed the matter of that lizardman.


    ¡°Not feeling too well?¡± Seeing my dejected look, Habona asked the question anyway despite already knowing the answer: ¡°You should¡¯ve already expected this sort of response.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I want to break out of this place even more! Honestly, I don¡¯t even think the four-stars are able to leave this hellhole.¡± Walking up towards a deserted corner, I folded my arms while leaning against the bony wall. I began sharing the conclusions I had come to: ¡°Have you heard any word from those who left the prison?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­not really.¡± Habona¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly as she quickly picked up on the implications of my question. ¡°You¡¯re saying that the rumors of the four-stars being able to safely leave is false?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure either. At least till we find out for ourselves, this is merely an assumption of mine. However, Mo En¡¯s son has already left the prison, did you know of this?¡±


    ¡°A little. Apparently his son seemed to have received some kind of shock from the death of his wife and decided to leave prison, abandoning his children while they were still young. Even though that happened some time ago, I did hear of such a matter.¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s the problem, if he had truly left the prison, why hasn¡¯t he sent any word back to Mo En after all these years?¡±


    ¡°The Prison of the Dead is unique that way, you can¡¯t send any messages back in.¡±


    ¡°You can still send in messages via the prisoners.¡±


    ¡°Those messengers might die.¡±


    ¡°Then just send a few more!¡± Having shot down each and every one of her explanations, I then voiced my own suspicion: ¡°No matter what, this is where his birth parents and children are held and yet he hasn¡¯t even sent back a single word, even devils aren¡¯t that heartless. Don¡¯t you find this strange at all?¡±


    This oddity wasn¡¯t just limited to Mo En¡¯s son. Prior to this, I checked on every other devil who had some relative leave the prison after reaching four-stars. All of them never heard from their relatives again as if they had never existed at all.


    These stories were a common theme amongst the different races I surveyed. Not only did the medusas, harpies and devils experience this strangeness, I even heard rumors of the dogmen and the ratmen experiencing this as well.


    ¡°Numila told me some time ago that the previous leader of the harpies, her mentor,rushed off to the exit after grooming her to be a harpy witch. Before leaving, she mentioned that she would find a way to send word back to the prison. As for the result¡­not only Numila, even Elena and Eugenia experienced roughly the same situation.¡±


    Cupping my forehead with my left hand, I sighed deeply. ¡°Based on these facts, I¡¯ve come to the conclusion that all the four-stars who left had never been heard from again.¡±


    Hearing that, her normally cool expression changed to one of shock. ¡°So it¡¯s all a lie then?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­that was just a conclusion I pieced together after listening to all of those accounts. I can¡¯t say for sure if it¡¯s true but¡­choosing not to abandon your clan after reaching four-stars might be the smartest choice you ever had in your life.¡± After all, if you had left your clan then¡­we probably wouldn¡¯t have met at all.


    All these four-stars who stayed behind¡­Habona, Manasha, Numila and the other four-stars who couldn¡¯t bear to leave their clan behind or perhaps those who didn¡¯t care about where they lived like Mo En¡­no matter what their reasons were, choosing to stay behind might have inadvertently saved their lives.


    ¡°Let¡¯s put aside this weighty topic shrouded in eons of mystery for now, how about we talk about those lizardmen instead. How did you get them to eat out of your hands like that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you already know of their custom of worshipping the strong. A few days back while we out hunting, we happened to stumble upon these lizardmen. That was when I asked them to join our alliance but they said they only followed the strong thus I gave them a thorough thrashing¡­¡±


    So you¡¯re saying that you took on a hundred by yourself? Sister, can you get any more bada**? As expected of the werewolf who knows a terrifying skill like the Inverse Cut, this little brother is in awe of your strength once more!


    Back to the those lizards, while their scales might seem rather thin, in truth they were a lot sturdier than their flimsy exterior would suggest. Not only that, they possessed a razor sharp set of claws.


    As for their fangs, they were not only sharp but they possessed a host of toxins and viruses embedded within them that could easily take the life of any ordinary creature. In a head on battle, these lizardmen simply had to stall for time while their toxins finished off whatever opponents their formidable claws couldn¡¯t tear apart. Without a doubt, this was a combat race.


    In actuality, that lizardman who spoke to me just now was a four-star but strangely his clan seemed rather small, coming in at only 108 despite having a four-star like him. This question lingered in my mind till I finally found out from Habona that this clan was actually a split off branch from a much larger clan. Apparently, their old leader had died and this caused a succession war of sorts amongst the lizardmen. Obviously, their current leader was one of the failures.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that the main branch of the lizardmen is currently under the control of Westley¡¯s sibling?¡± Westley was that lizardman who surrendered to Habona. According to him, after failing to succeed the clan, he escaped with a group of his die-hard supporters and began wandering around the prison. It was roughly then that Habona stumbled upon them.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Supposedly they are largest lizardman clan in the prison with over 3000 clan members of whom the majority are of prime fighting age.¡± Habona casually relayed the information she learnt from Westley after which she asked: ¡°You want to subjugate them?¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s possible.¡± Truth be told¡­I still wasn¡¯t sure if this decision was right or not. I had considered waiting till I advanced to four-stars before leaving safely but the fact that none of the four-stars who left had sent any message back was simply too strange¡­it didn¡¯t make any sense at all.


    Besides, my levelling speed is abysmal and I don¡¯t have the time to wait for that. Even if I did decide to wait it out, that would mean that I have to leave my subordinates behind. Facing the great unknown alone¡­no matter how I looked at it, that seemed like a terrible idea.


    Time, my subordinates and the great unknown¡­these were the reasons why I was so adamant about breaching the prison exit.


    Clearly, I wasn¡¯t the only one interested in this endeavour as Habona couldn¡¯t help but ask: ¡°What do you think¡¯s awaiting us at the prison exit?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know but the more fodder we have, the better. Habona¡­I¡¯ll leave the matter of subjugating the lizardmen to you. Help Westley wrest back control of the clan and then all you have to do is control him.¡±


    ¡°Their numbers are too great though; there¡¯s simply not enough werewolves for this task.¡± Pausing for a second, she continued, not intending to back down even in the face of over 3000 lizardmen: ¡°I need the harpies to help me.¡±


    ¡°No problem, I¡¯ll get Numila and Eugenia to help you. It has been a while since those harpies started training, I think it¡¯s time for our harpy squadron to prove their worth.¡± Dispatching these harpies was something I had planned since the start. No matter how much practise they got, it was just practise in the end. Without any real combat experience, all that training would be for naught.


    There¡¯s a reason why you can¡¯t just use the tactics you learnt in a LoL AI match against real human beings after all.


    With two-thirds of the harpy squadron aiding the werewolves, those lizardmen shouldn¡¯t be an issue, right? It¡¯s not like we are actually going to war with them, the plan is just to support Westley¡¯s claim over the clan and help him retake what was originally his. I¡¯m sure those unrelated lizardmen would stand aside after seeing our fearsome army.


    As time passed, my sense of anxiety grew as our plans proceeded onwards. Slaves, fodder, prisoners¡­no matter how many there were, I wanted them all. Even if I had to pack the prison exit full of flesh and bone, I would do it as long as I could breach it!


    The next day, Habona set off as planned with her werewolves, the harpy squadron and Westley¡¯s clan in tow.


    The ground itself trembled as this 4000 strong army marched off towards the lizardman stronghold. Their goal, to snatch the reins of power back.


    Because I still had to supervise the operations here and also because I still had to craft more weapons, I had no choice but to stay behind and leave this operation to someone else. Hopefully Habona¡¯s trip would be a smooth one.


    Not long after they left, Violet Snow trotted up to me, having gone missing for a day, to report a matter.


    Yesterday, she left with over 200 ratmen. From the looks of it, she was probably here to report the results of her interrogation.


    Surprisingly, she wasn¡¯t alone. Next to her was a ratman who upon closer inspection, turned out to be a familiar face¡­hmm, wasn¡¯t that the ratman she trapped in that ice cage yesterday?


    ¡°I honestly thought you would kill them all off.¡± Staring in the direction of Habona¡¯s departure, I teased her: ¡°What¡¯s with this one? Are you going to torture him slowly later?¡±


    ¡°I need it to lead the way so I left it alive.¡± As she said that, there was an emptiness in her beautiful pupils¡­this stubborn puppy was probably thinking of her mother again¡­my heart ached just looking at her¡­


    Bending down, I gently picked up the little puppy and hugged her. Her plush fur gently brushed against my skin as I did so, it was a soft, slightly cold sensation that was extremely comfortable. Breathing in the light fragrance wafting off her, I asked in the gentlest tone possible: ¡°Have you decided?¡±


    Slightly tumbling around, her face had a weary look on it yet her voice was unmistakably determined: ¡°Enslave them all.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± Looks like the matter of our rat slaves has been settled, either way our conquest requires more fodder. Seeing as we can avenge her mother at the same time, there¡¯s honestly no reason for me to reject such a good deal.

 Chapter 157: Skills Tes

    Violet Snow brought away the ratman traitor, accompanying her was Big 5 and his hellhound unit, the medusas and Elena.


    Under her command were nearly 2000 harpies. Having gone through a period of training, this air force of mine should mostly be ready: the bone javelins were all stocked up and ready and everything was basically ready for a field test.


    In actuality, Elena wasn¡¯t the only harpy witch in this air squadron, Numila and Eugenia were as well. Numila¡¯s and Eugenia¡¯s main job however was to support Habona in her battle against the lizardmen. As for what this entailed, their main goal was actually just to aid Westley in his bid for power. In other words, they were there as deterrents rather than as combatants.


    If I wanted to gain some real numbers on my air force, the place to observe was still Elena¡¯s. The Abaddon Rodents weren¡¯t known for their combat strength and usually relied on vast numbers to overcome this fact. However, the medusas were basically the natural-born nemeses of such tactics with their fearsome long range attacks. With these snake ladies supporting the contingent, I have no doubt that their morale would suffer a huge blow right from the get go.


    Manasha and Majosha were both four-stars while Harlow was at least a three-star. In terms of elites, this contingent shouldn¡¯t be in any way inferior to the ratmen they were challenging.


    While the total contingent size was less than 3000, I wasn¡¯t that worried. With that many aerial assets, we simply had to toss our javelins into the enemy throng without ever coming into melee range.


    Even so, I made sure to leave Violet Snow a reminder before she left. A reminder to be cautious and to retreat immediately should anything seem amiss. According to reports, those rodents number at least 5000. Given how much time has passed since those reports, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if that number had grown significantly, these rats were a fecund bunch after all. It would be wiser not to underestimate their reproductive rate given that we still didn¡¯t know their exact numbers.


    Having sent off Violet Snow and the others, I summoned my personal guards and started a new round of research.


    While I was in the Western Human Realms, Ferti¡¯nier had transferred an enormous amount of energy into me, allowing me to directly advance into three-stars. Back then, the Grimoire of the Dead had gained a few new skills in response to my growth. However, I didn¡¯t have much time to test them out at least, not till now. With nothing much to do now, I guess a round of testing is in order.


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    Summon Skeletal Horsemen, Summon Skeletal Javelineers and Weakness.


    With No.3 and Big 4 in tow, I first began summoning the horsemen in a deserted corner.


    As the mana rushed into the spell, the skeletal figure of a horseman armed with a small bone buckler on his left and a bone blade on his right began surfacing from the ground, bones rippling apart as if they were a body of water.


    Seems like a human skeleton, that horse seems like an ordinary horse¡¯s skeleton too.


    With regards to horses, I wasn¡¯t too familiar with the subject in general let alone a skeletal one. However, there was no doubt that these horsemen had an impressive charging speed. While they weren¡¯t that heavy and belonged to the category of light cavalry, mounted units had a natural advantage in charges so it¡¯s fine.


    Summoning a horseman took up 80 units of mana, if I were to go all out, I could summon a total of three in one sitting. Having said that, this was merely a test so one was enough.


    ¡°Big 4, go fight with that skeleton over there and test out its sturdiness.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Master.¡±


    I had both of them stand 20 meters apart and after waiting for Big 4 to take up his stance, commanded the skeletal horseman to charge.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine if you break the skeleton, just use all of your strength.¡±


    ¡°Got it, Master.¡±


    Big 4 was already a three-star demon child so taking on a two-star horseman should be easy. Giving the horse a nudge, the horseman broke into a blistering charge that seemed that much faster probably because it had lost all of his flesh. In just the blink of an eye, that 20 meter gap was closed and with bone scimitar raised high, the horseman swung down, winds screaming behind it as the force of the its charge propelled the blade towards Big 4¡¯s neck.


    Big 4 was currently equipped with the usual set of gear I crafted for him a while ago, a bone shield and a bone mace. In the face of this furious charge, his first instinct wasn¡¯t to counter attack but rather to raise his shield in defense and take the charge head on¡­he actually wanted to use his body to take on a charge horseman!


    In the very next instant, both sides collided into each other with a thunderous bang. Unlike what its frail appearance suggested, the horseman didn¡¯t shatter on impact instead, it was Big 4, the one who tried to stand his ground, who got pushed back a couple of paces instead.


    Thankfully, a demon child¡¯s strength was a lot stronger than a horseman so even in the face of the horseman¡¯s swing, Big 4 still had the ability to block with his mace after which he gave the skeleton a heavy swing of his mace, sending half of the horseman¡¯s right shoulder flying away in the process.


    With that, their fight was basically over after just one round. Using his superior innate strength, Big 4 blocked the horseman¡¯s charge and despite his disadvantaged position, managed to get a serious hit in. However, I could vaguely see his hands trembling from my distant location ¨C looks like they were numb from taking on that charge.


    ¡°Halt!¡± Before Big 4¡¯s mace could shatter the horseman¡¯s skull, I yelled for the match to stop. Hearing that, Big 4 immediately lowered his arm while the horseman sat there stock still like a statue.


    ¡°Big 4, is your left arm alright?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Master. That skeleton¡¯s power was really strong. I should¡¯ve been stronger than him but I ended up losing that initial clash. My arm¡¯s was slightly numb just now but it¡¯s mostly alright now.¡± As he said that, he waved his arms around as if to prove to me that it wasn¡¯t injured. ¡°If there were more horsemen, I would¡¯ve been in a lot of trouble.¡±


    In that short clash, the difference between a two-star and three-star was prominently brought to bear once more. Simply put, there was almost no way for a lower tiered warrior to win against a higher tiered one without any external aid.


    Even so, once you allowed the horseman to break into a charge, they could still give a three-star a run for his money even if it couldn¡¯t win. Given sufficient numbers, I could see these horsemen killing off a three-star without much losses¡­too bad these horsemen cost too much mana and coincidentally, what I lacked was weapons, not soldiers.


    Next up was the curse, Weakness. Of all the spells I gained, this was the more troublesome one. Chanting this curse takes at least 10 seconds though that was probably because I still wasn¡¯t familiar with it. Once I¡¯ve completely mastered this curse, the casting time should decrease dramatically.


    I cast the curse on No.3 and merely a second later, I began to notice some changes within him. Noting down his oral account, I gained a test sample to work with.


    Curses were a branch of undead magic or necromancy, that specifically targeted living creatures. It was able to reduce the physical constitution of its target while simultaneously dampening the person¡¯s power and psyche. Perhaps it was my lack of experience at work again but, having gone through the curse himself, No.3 only reported an approximate 15% decrease in attributes.


    At that magnitude, it would at most cause the opponent to slip up from time to time. Strictly speaking, this spell was a dud that fell short of my expectations. However, 15% was still a rather useful result especially when fighting against a stronger opponent.


    Even so, it was a curse filled with weaknesses. (TL: No pun intended) Not only was it slow but it only targeted living creatures. Without a doubt, these were the two biggest problems it had considering that I was in the Prison of the DEAD and that I was assaulting an exit point full of the DEAD¡­in other words, this really was a dud.


    With nothing noteworthy happening, the time passed by in an instant. Before I knew it, half a moon had passed.


    Habona had sent word that Westley had basically taken control of half of the lizardmen clan. With Habona¡¯s help, the previous head was killed in front of his subjects leaving only a few pockets of resistance left in the clan. Unfortunately for them, what they were facing was a 4000 strong werewolf and harpy army that had air superiority. With no way of overturning this situation, all that remained was for us to subjugate the other neutral parties. This however, was a matter of time and couldn¡¯t be rushed.


    With the lizardmen basically in the bag, my air squadron wasn¡¯t really needed there anymore. Instead, what was important now was Westley¡¯s own efforts. Thus, Numila led her 2000 harpies away, leaving behind Eugenia as support for this puppet ruler of ours.


    Coincidentally, barely two days after Numila returned, Violet Snow sent word from her side as well. According to it, the ratmen¡¯s population had ballooned from 5000 plus to nearly 9000¡­those rodents were basically the overlords of a 1000 Li (500km) territory.


    With numbers vastly superior than what was reported, Violet Snow quickly realized that confronting them head-on was a mistake after two clashes. Thus, she decided to switch up her strategy.


    Before leaving, I emphasized to her the need to be flexible in her strategy, looks like she took it to heart after all. In order to avoid any unnecessary losses, she made use of the harpies¡¯ maneuverability and the medusas¡¯ ability to fire while slithering about to engage in multiple guerilla attacks against the ratmen horde.


    With no way to catch up to them, it was a massacre. In just one day, her army was able to cross from the eastern side to the western side¡­


    Yet, their numbers superiority wasn¡¯t something that could be overcome so easily. Having learnt their lesson about Violet Snow¡¯s superior mobility, the rats immediately hunkered down together and held their ground no matter how much Violet Snow prodded at them.


    My final goal was to capture a large number of rodents to be our fodder, in other words, a meatshield that so happened to be edible. Thus, while she could technically chip away at the rodents till they finally died off, that defeated the purpose of this whole mission. In order to break this stalemate, there was no other choice but to use force to wipe out all the rodents who potentially could lead the pack and enslave the rest.


    In that case, the purpose of this missive was clear: she wanted me to make a decision. If I still wanted to enslave these ratmen, I had to take to the frontlines myself. If I ignored this message, she would probably continue chipping away at the rodents till there was basically no one left to resist. By that time however, there would probably be less than 10% of the rodents left to enslave.

 Chapter 158: Aiding Violet Snow

    Should I or shouldn¡¯t I? After giving it some thought, I finally decided to go in the end. Putting aside all the other considerations, losing that much potential fodder wasn¡¯t something I could ignore. If I were to allow Violet Snow to have her way, all the Abaddon Rodents would be slaughtered and I would have to find another fodder race and that, was just a bother. Better to capture them now and be done with it. Finding a new target takes effort after all.


    ¡°Dearest, I heard that white puppy sent some news back.¡±Ever since that inexplicable engagement, Numila stuck to me like glue. Having just received that report myself, it didn¡¯t take long before she came visiting after receiving news of the report herself. ¡°Are you leaving to help her?¡±


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    ¡°Julia, you should go have a rest too.¡± Ever since I had Julia help me with the crafting, our weapon production rate improved decently. Each day, we managed to craft over a hundred weapons.


    Seeing that Numila was here, she might as well take a break now while I handled this. Pulling Numila out of the crafting area, ¡°I expected hardly any resistance on the lizardman front. Since you¡¯re back already and since Violet Snow seemed to have run into some problem, I think we should pay her front a visit. Those rats are numerous, just capturing half of them alive would basically solve our fodder problem.¡±


    ¡°So we¡¯re going to battle then?¡± Being a battle enthusiast, her eyes immediately perked up as she heard that. ¡°Dearest, when do we leave to help? Those lizards were just too weak, all we had to do was toss a couple of javelins and they just gave in¡­¡±


    Well, it¡¯s not like those lizardmen are idiots either. With no way to fly, why would they even take you head on. Besides, with that puppet ruler, Westley, as a mediator, I bet a majority of those lizardmen still thought that Habona was some reinforcement he brought in to contest the clan¡¯s leadership.


    Truth be told, the defensive quality of their scales weren¡¯t that bad. Had it not been for gravity boosting the penetration of those sharpened bone javelins, those shoddy weapons probably wouldn¡¯t be able to penetrate their scales even if you stabbed them till their tips wore out.


    Thus, Violet Snow¡¯s engagement with the ratmen was the true test of my air force. Furthermore, that was also the first time I deployed my hellhound cavalry. From the report I got, their performance wasn¡¯t that bad either and there weren¡¯t too many casualties.


    Seeing that Violet Snow tossed the question back to me, naturally, I would pick the choice that benefited me the most.


    ¡°Ready your kinsharpies, we¡¯re setting off tomorrow to aid Violet Snow.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Dearest¡¯s the best, this one just knew that you would bring her along with you!¡± Grabbing my face, she firmly kissed me before running off giggling. Seeing as we were about to head for war, she naturally had a lot of preparation to do.


    Such an anxious girl.


    Originally, I only intended to bring her along while getting my bodyguard team leaders, No.3 and Big 4 to come along. However, Mimiya ended up tagging along out of boredom. On the other hand, her brother Xixidi didn¡¯t seem all that eager to fight.


    Once I left, the daily operations of our base would be temporarily left to Julia who in all honesty was probably a better manager than me. She was an extremely capable lust demon and even though her combat strength was kind of lacklustre, her managerial capabilities more than made up for it. Unlike her, I was a deadbeat with zero leadership experience. From kindergarten all the way to college, I never even got the chance to be a team leader let alone a class leader.


    With the army gathered and ready to depart, the rest of the devils in the base came over to send us off. For the foot soldier section of this expedition, I brought along 2000 harpies and 300 guardsmen. At the same time, I had Numila, Mimiya, Vick, No.3 and Big 4 to accompany me as well.


    Speaking of which, Vick and Mimiya seemed to be getting along pretty well. In fact, these two potatoes seemed to had been made for each other, after all, every potato needed an accompaniment. However, at least these two potatoes knew to behave around me and were currently standing quietly behind me though, who knew if they were making faces behind me.


    ¡°Julia, while I¡¯m gone, all the matters in the base will be handled by you. Just make sure nothing major happens and don¡¯t overwork yourself.¡±


    Other than this lust demon, there really wasn¡¯t anyone else dependable amongst my subordinates. Before knowing me, she already had experience managing over 2000 devils. Seeing as Mo En was basically a henpecked husband and didn¡¯t care about such matters, she handled all the matters back then as well.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your Highness, I¡¯ll handle everything well in your absence. I guarantee the plan will proceed smoothly.¡± Giving a stealthy kick to her husband, ¡°You¡¯ll help me as well, right Dearest?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Initially, Mo En was standing in a daze beside her wife when she suddenly kicked him. Not being able to react in time, the potato groggily answered, drool still dripping from his mouth, ¡°Mhm mhm, the souls were delicious¡­¡±


    ¡°Dearest!¡± Seeing her husband act so out of line, her inner tigress immediately reared its head.


    Throwing a vicious glare at her dunce of a husband, she said nothing but gave him the ¡°you know what¡¯s going to happen¡± look.


    ¡°¡­¡± Realizing that he was in trouble, he immediately got to his knees and hugged her thighs as he pleaded, ¡°Noo¡­I still want to sleep on the bed tonight¡­you promised me already¡­you can¡¯t just go back on your words like that¡­¡±


    ¡°Idiot! Who told you to talk about that!¡±


    ¡°But I really want to sleep on the bed¡­¡±


    ¡°Idiot, how could you talk about such things right now¡­¡±


    ¡°But I really don¡¯t want to sleep on the floor¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    ¡°Woo woo¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahahahah¡­more more¡­¡±


    Behind me, I could already hear the gloating giggles of Mimiya. As for Xixidi, he didn¡¯t seem to mind at all that his grandfather was currently embarrassing himself in public and was instead busy smacking his lips while gleefully hugging a piece of meat, a silly looking smile crossed his lips as he did so.


    Sigh, looking at that family of clowns, Julia didn¡¯t seem all that reliable all of a sudden.


    ¡°Alright, while I¡¯m not here, make sure to pay more attention, Julia. Make sure nothing goes wrong.¡± With that potato of a teammate, Mo En, by her side, it looks like I really had to lower the difficulty of this task.


    ¡°If anything difficult crops up, just put it aside for now and wait till I get back. I¡¯ll leave the devil egg in your care as well, make sure to feed it souls constantly.¡±


    ¡°Understood, your Highness.¡±


    Other than that, there was basically nothing else for me to worry about. Training the troops in the nest was handled by One-eye while management was handled by Julia. Security¡¯s Mo En¡­there shouldn¡¯t be any issue there, right?


    Just as I turned around to leave, One-eye took the lead in taking a half kneel and chanted, ¡°May the Master forever fly the flag of victory!¡±


    ¡°May the Master forever fly the flag of victory!¡± Nine-finger and his cronies immediately kneeled as well and chanted like they were offering a prayer.


    Having lost the initiative in his bootlicking, No.5 immediately noticed his failure as a professional bootlicker and promptly chimed in to prove his existence: ¡°Ah¡­the Master is invincible, may the Master rule the world for a thousand seasons!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± His bootlicking left me speechless as always but when did One-eye learn to do so as well? I honestly didn¡¯t expect that from him. Good, good, this kid has potential.


    In order to speed up our progress, I had the harpy witches carry the devils. As for me, Numila was naturally the one who carried me. These harpies had an astonishing speed and carrying capacity. Even with a devil weighing them down on one claw, their speed didn¡¯t drop that much.


    In this manner, we rushed to the edge of the ratmen¡¯s territory in just four days. As for why I knew that this was their territory, that¡¯s because I could smell them even this high up.


    ¡°Send out the scouts, since there¡¯s traces of ratmen activity here, Violet Snow shouldn¡¯t be that far off either.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Numila immediately turned to her subordinates and ordered them to search around the vicinity. Roughly ten minutes later, we got our first report. In the distance, I spotted a lone harpy closing in on our location to report her findings.


    After waiting for the majority of the scouts to return, Numila then turned to me to deliver the collated information.


    ¡°Dearest, this one¡¯s kinsharpies reported that they found no trace of battle nearby however there were traces of the other races left behind. Even though it was faint, we can confirm that it belonged to Elena¡¯s clan. If you require us to track them down, we can follow this scent trail.¡±


    In this bony prison, there were undead cleaners who cleaned up the battlefields and repaired the maze in general. Even if the walls were to get damaged somehow, the cleaners would automatically come to repair them after leaving them alone for a while. In other words, it wasn¡¯t strange at all that they found no traces of battle.


    Thankfully, the harpies had an impressive tracking ability that could pick up such faint clues.


    ¡°Follow them, hopefully everything¡¯s still well at Violet Snow¡¯s front.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    With that, the order was given by Numila to set off in pursuit. The harpies picked up a devil as before and took to the air. As for me, I was pressed tightly against a couple of dangerous weapons.


    That¡­that Numila truly has a lot of meat packed up here¡­


    Following the scent trail, we flew for another two more days before encountering Violet Snow. When we found them, they were already in the midst of surrounding a group of rodents and slaughtering them. Judging from the corpses strewn all over, these rats really stood no chance against them.


    Of the dead bodies I could see, none of them were devils, let alone hellhounds, medusas or harpies.


    The majority of the rat corpses were peppered with bone javelins that were barely visible from a distance due to their short length. Compared to the hardy scales of the lizardmen, their defensive strength was notably lacking. Thus, it didn¡¯t take much for the airborne javelineers to skewer them.


    If the javelin hit a fatal spot, a couple of them were even able to kill off a rodent on the spot. Let¡¯s not forget that I gave each of these harpies four javelins and that some of these javelins could still be reused¡­


    At the end of the day, the ratmen¡¯s biggest weakness was that they had no ranged capabilities and neither were they able to fly¡­in other words, they were nothing more than a bunch of furry target dummies that moved¡­suddenly, this whole air force thing seemed so busted.

 Chapter 159: The Rodent Horde

    ¡°You¡¯ve arrived.¡± Long before our arrival, the scouts we sent ahead had already informed Violet Snow of our impending arrival so she wasn¡¯t all that surprised to see us now. She blandly acknowledged our arrival before continuing on, ¡°There¡¯s exactly 300 captives here with us right now, do you want them?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as too much fodder.¡±


    By now, the battle had already been decided. The hellhound unit was currently circling the survivors to prevent them from escape. Should they decide to make a concerted push, the cavalry devils would merely scatter before making using of their superior mobility to reform and charge. Naturally, the medusas would step in to stop the escapees as well.


    However, with the rodent¡¯s natural fear of the medusas and the airborne harpies ready to toss their javelins, there was basically no chance of them succeeding. Their previous attempts at escape ended in their complete defeat with them shrinking back in fear before ever touching the hellhound encirclement, the reason being that those who didn¡¯t try to escape weren¡¯t attacked at all. That was the lesson the escaping rodents swiftly learnt.


    Violet Snow¡¯s intentions were clear for all to see. Round them all up and wait for more rodents to show up. That was the tactic she was familiar with and employed to great effect.


    After all, baiting their enemies into a trap was a lot smarter than foolishly rushing into their stronghold. They even let a few rat children escape to ensure that their leader would receive their cry for help.


    ¡°Initially, those rodents tried to fight us head on but the moment they realized they couldn¡¯t win, they immediately fled. After multiple attempts at baiting them out, we finally managed to capture these rats who tried to ambush us.¡±


    ¡°The pack was mostly comprised of the young and healthy. They probably formed the backbone of their fighting force so as long as we keep them here, there¡¯s no need to worry about their leader not coming to save them. In fact, I¡¯m betting those three-stars in there have some sort of relationship to the four-star leaders.¡± Having roughly recounted what happened and what she was planning, she ended with this, ¡°Right now, all we have to do is wait patiently.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re that sure that the ratman leader will try and save them? I heard that these rats are pretty fertile, shouldn¡¯t they be more cavalier about their descendants?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll definitely come.¡± She barked without any hesitation in her voice. ¡°As long as we kill off these little rats, there will be a gap in their clan¡¯s inheritance (TL: genetic memory) and that¡¯s something they can¡¯t allow. Besides, after that thrashing I gave them recently, it¡¯s about time for them to break their silence and counterattack.¡±


    Recently, these rats started to have ambitions of ruling the Prison of the Dead. Being pushed around like this probably stung especially since such a cowardly display ran contrary to their grand ambitions of subjugating the prison. In that case, were those rodents planning to strike back soon?


    ¡°Is that why you called me over?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, even with these forces, I can¡¯t guarantee that I¡¯ll be able to hold off their concerted attack.¡±


    Despite what she said, there was still the option of running away if the situation looked grim. However, with Habona¡¯s smooth retake of the lizardman clan, Violet Snow¡¯s performance seemed rather lacklustre in comparison.


    For a competitive puppy like her, it was truly an awkward development. Don¡¯t forget, these two ladies weren¡¯t exactly on the best of terms either.


    As we discussed that, Numila came over having just settled some matters with her own clan.


    Even though she already spotted me from a distance away, she didn¡¯t run over and hug me like usual but instead nodded her head and in an emotionless voice, said, ¡°The scouts have just reported back, there¡¯s a horde of ratmen approaching us, roughly an hour away.¡±


    It was a short report but the moment those words left her mouth, Violet Snow¡¯s ears immediately perked up and a grin crossed her lips, an excited grin. ¡°So, they¡¯ve finally come.¡±


    The Abaddon Rodents are attacking!?


    Whether or not they were here to save their brethren or vent their anger, it looks like these rodents finally decided to put themselves on the chopping block. That¡¯s right, the chopping block.


    Given the extreme speeds of these harpies, the information brought back by that scout was definitely up-to-date. With just an hour left, we should start preparing right away.


    However, that report was didn¡¯t give me much to work with, for example, I needed exact numbers. Thus, I decided to press her for more information, ¡°How many are there?¡±


    ¡°Roughly ten thousand.¡± She replied, using that same, bland tone. However, the number that left her mouth was anything but normal.


    We had less than 50 hellhound riders and we didn¡¯t have that many medusas either ¡ªless than 600 or so¡ª other than my devils, we had roughly two thousand or so harpies bringing our combined numbers to roughly 4000 devils. Our opponent on the other hand was a whole digit higher than us¡­


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    Before the arrival of rodent horde, we still had a lot of preparations to finish. The first of which was handling those 300 rodent captives. What to do with them?


    Violet Snow¡¯s opinion was that they were a bother and we should just kill them off. Manasha was neutral on this while Harlow and Majosha simply followed her decision. Elena was as quiet as always while Numila basically had no opinion of her own and simply followed mine. Big 5 wasn¡¯t a part of the decision making process.


    As for my own opinions¡­I felt we should keep them alive for now. However, with the prison¡¯s desolate environment, there weren¡¯t any resources for miscellaneous objects like ropes. Thus, these defeated rodents ended up being handed over to Big 5¡¯s unit and 20 other medusas for safekeeping. Having been herded to a dead end, all they had to do was guard this singular exit.


    Seeing that was what I decided upon, the rest didn¡¯t express much objection to it either and followed my instructions.


    Thus, Majosha began the task of herding the captives into their corner. Faced against their natural predators, these 300 rodents didn¡¯t even dare to squeak as they obediently entered that dead end. The moment all of them were accounted for, Big 5 immediately blocked off the exit with his riders.


    With the other escape routes blocked off, the little rodents began to panic and tried to escape. Seeing as the riders stood in the way of the only escape route, they turned around and charged at the hellhound riders in hopes of breaking through the encirclement. Unfortunately for them, before they could even take a second step, the 20 medusas mixed in with the hellhounds, reared their snaky heads.


    The young ratmen at the head immediately braked, legs trembling as they fixed their panicked eyes on the medusas. Standing right before them, was a predator who specifically preyed on their race. In the face of such a terror, it wasn¡¯t strange that they froze with fear. After all, using a meat bun to beat a dog wasn¡¯t the smartest thing to do either, though it was probably a rat bun in this case and it was a snake that was the target.


    With the captives safely secured, the next thing we had to do was collect the bone javelins. Our previous clash with the rodents had basically expended all of the harpies¡¯ ammunition so recollecting these javelins was absolutely critical especially given our tight schedule. Hopefully, most of them were still intact.


    If I had known that such a colossal battle awaited us, I would¡¯ve instructed Numila¡¯s harpies to pack a couple more javelins before coming. Even though six javelins would slow them to some extent, these extra javelins could¡¯ve been split with Elena¡¯s harpies.


    A while later, all the serviceable javelins had been scavenged. Adding on the javelins that we brought and those that weren¡¯t used, we had over 10000 javelins to throw.


    With that, the captives and the issue of ammunition had been taken care of, next was rest. The devils in Violet Snow¡¯s army had just fought a battle so they were now in the midst of a break. They feasted on some ratmen meat and souls while waiting for the ratmen horde to arrive.


    Speaking of the horde, how does your mind even process 10000 over rats? The moment I laid eyes on such a sight with the help of Numila lifting me up into the air, I saw nothing but a sea of black flowing towards us like a wave. The prison hallway was filled to the brim with squirming furry dots with only the bony white walls serving a stark contrast to the sea of black.


    Fortunately, I didn¡¯t suffer from trypophobia or I would¡¯ve really suffered a major attack there.


    Looking at the spearhead of the ratmen horde, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit sorry for those poor souls. Without any weapons in hand, these ratmen rushed forward towards their death.


    Numila¡¯s and Elena¡¯s harpies swiftly took to the air before the advance party of the ratmen even arrived and without any hesitation, fired the first wave of bone javelins. With claws gripped firmly around the javelins, they built up some distance between their targets before tossing their payload in a short dive of sorts.


    The rain of javelins descended on the advance party and peppered their furry bodies. However, the first wave didn¡¯t accomplish much with less than a hundred ratmen dying while the others merely suffered minor injuries.


    While it might not sound impressive, let¡¯s not forget that the harpies didn¡¯t possess a pair of hands but merely the claws on their feet. Given such circumstances, they naturally weren¡¯t able to control their toss. All they could guarantee was that the javelins left their hands, as for whether it hit or what it hit, that was all up to luck.


    It was precisely this lack of accuracy that resulted in so little casualties. Even so, such a flashy method was perfect for damaging their morale.


    This reminded me of the first time I played LoL¡­back then, I didn¡¯t know what last hitting meant. As long as it was an enemy creep(mob), I just hit it with my basic attack, all the way from 100% to 0%. Basically, I was able to snag a couple of kills per minute¡­later on, I found out that this was called ¡°pushing¡±.


    The harpies were basically ¡°pushing¡± right now.


    Putting aside the matter of their accuracy for now, they clearly demonstrated the fruits of their training. Like a squadron of fighter jets, they were able dart around the air while firing off javelins. It merely took them two minutes to unload a complete volley. A total of four thousand javelins were thrown in this volley and the results were pretty good.


    There were over a thousand casualties with half of the survivors losing their ability to fight. While this wasn¡¯t much in the grand scheme of things, don¡¯t forget we still had over ten thousand javelins to go.


    As for why it took them two minutes just to throw their javelins, that had to do with the new method of reloading I taught them. Normally, the spare javelins were slung on their bodies. However, because they had no arms, they had difficulty reaching for their spare javelins. In fact, they would even drop the javelin by mistake¡­sigh, this racial trait of theirs was such a stumbling block. In fact, it almost made me abandon the idea after the first session of training.


    Later on however, I thought of an idea to solve this issue. Now, a harpy javelineer worked in pairs where they would help each other reload. Instead of grabbing the javelins themselves, they would snatch it from their partner. Being a race that acted like bandits most of the time, they took to this method like fish to water.


    Now that the first volley was completed, the four thousand strong squadron began reloading. Closing on each other, they promptly began the highly complicated aerial maneuver of using their claws to grab a javelin slung over their partner¡¯s breasts¡­


    With bone javelins in hand, it was time for the second volley.

 Chapter 160: Undying Flametail

    From time immemorial, once one wielded the high ground, it¡¯s over. Especially when said person was flying.


    The Abaddon Rodents had no ranged capabilities to speak of and neither could they fly though their wall climbing was nothing to scoff at either.


    Unfortunately for them, these harpies were simply too agile for them to hit even if they scaled the maze walls. Using the time-honored strategy of kiting, these bird women managed to dodge the majority of their pounces. From time to time, a few lucky rats were able to catch a harpy. However, before they were even able to clip their wings, they were promptly tossed to the ground by the harpy¡¯s comrades.


    Speaking of which, eagles had always been the natural predator of rats¡­let alone my eagle ladies who could toss javelins¡­


    With the completion of another volley, the ratmen lost another pack of rats. Even so, there was nothing they could do to remedy this situation. Even when they tried to stack up like totem poles, the harpies were able to evade their frantics swipes with a mere dodge backwards. As long as my air squadron still had javelins to throw, they were basically untouchable.


    By the time our javelins were used up, the battlefield was littered with rat corpses and maimed rats. In total, there were at least 3000 dead or maimed and another 4000 lightly injured rodents.


    As for our side, the number of harpies lost just hit the two digit range!


    Having run out of ammunition, I immediately ordered Numila and Elena to lure the rodents to the designated spot, under no circumstances were they to allow their kinsharpies to land and engage in melee.


    Glancing back at the scattered corpses, I couldn¡¯t help but sigh in amazement. Truthfully, I was initially concerned that the casualties would actually scare off these ratmen, who knew that the ratman leader was so incensed that he actually tried to chase down the harpies instead. Seeing the hail of javelins stop, it probably thought that their chance for revenge had come so the ratman leader immediately gave the order to chase.


    Naturally, there were some cowardly rodents who were terrified by the carnage they witnessed but the moment they tried to run, these poor souls were promptly executed to set an example for the rest. Truth be told, I had to thank the rat leader for his rash decision. It was precisely this decision that allowed my following plans to work.


    With the advent of these fearless fools, it was time for our hidden medusas to make their appearance.


    With their attention fixed squarely on their aerial targets, the rodents didn¡¯t even bother to look at what was in front of them. By the time they came to a T-junction, they were still chasing after the harpies like a bunch of possessed fools.


    Yet, just when they were about to catch up to the harpies, death descended upon them.


    Suddenly, the rats at the forefront felt a disturbance behind them. Turning around, they got the shock of their furry lives. The entire rat army had been cut in half by the medusas!


    The medusas had always been the natural predators of these rodents so the moment they noticed the medusas, they faces contorted with disbelief and terror.


    Because the medusas weren¡¯t present in the initial clash, the ratman leader made the foolish assumption that they had left the battlefield temporarily or perhaps they weren¡¯t there at all for some reason or another. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect that they would suddenly descend upon them at this crucial moment¡­did this guy think that their appearance was merely a coincidence?


    The existence of the medusas immediately had a suppressive effect on their prey, throwing the entire army into disarray with their mere presence.


    Having split up the rat army, the 500 over medusas proceeded to lay down a toxic trap, though could it really be considered a trap if you set up it in front of your opponents?


    Every strand of hair on a medusa¡¯s head was an independent snake that could spit venom.


    However, instead of launching a volley of toxic attacks, Manasha had her kinsnakes lay down a carpet of venom on the bony ground which covered an area 10 meters long after merely 10 seconds.


    With the way blocked off by a toxic zone, the rodents started scaling the walls in order to proceed. However, Manasha had already predicted this move and swiftly instructed her medusas to lay down a venom field on the wall sections connected to the ground. By now, the only safe zone was the ceiling yet there was no way the rodents could climb that high¡­


    Given that the toxic zone was 10 meters long, even the elites of the ratmen couldn¡¯t jump over it. The only rodent who could do so was the ratman leader but doing so was the same committing suicide!


    Thanks to that, we managed to successfully cut off reinforcements to one half of the rat army. With only 3000 rodents in the front half of the army, the medusas could easily slaughter these rats.


    Now that the plan had been enacted, Numila, Elena and the other harpies rapidly turned around and dived on the unfortunate rats who got caught in our trap. With nearly 4000 harpies descending at once, it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that they blotted out the sky (ceiling) with one dive. The effect was, to say the least, terrifying.


    With an army of eagles in front of them and an army of snakes behind them, what could these rats even do?


    The answer was nothing. The surrounded rats had basically given into fear while their comrades on the other side of the pond couldn¡¯t rush to their aid even though they desperately wanted to do so. The ratman leader even went so far as to get a couple of the sturdier rats to test out the venom. However, the moment they came into contact with the venom, these lab rats immediately collapsed onto floor, eyes closed and body writhing.


    The strength of the medusa¡¯s venom was so extreme, it rendered an area impassable permanently. Even if you were to scrub it for a long time, it still won¡¯t disappear.


    Once it reached a certain volume, it didn¡¯t even have to enter the victim¡¯s body in order to poison him; merely touching it was enough for the venom to seep into the victim¡¯s body through the skin(hide).


    While this might sound terrifying, this extraordinary effect only showed itself once there was enough venom secreted, before that, it wasn¡¯t that much of a threat. If one wanted a lethal venom, the medusas had a host of such venoms however only a few of them could penetrate the skin like that. Without a doubt, such a tranquilizing venom was exactly what we needed in a battle like this.


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    In a vast battle like this, even four-star experts weren¡¯t able to decide the outcome of a battle. The ratman leader normally had over 10 other four-star lieutenants under his command. Unfortunately, the majority of them had been separated from the front pack. Within that 3000 strong half of an army, there were probably more four-stars than the medusas had but just in terms of army strength alone, the medusas definitely had the upper hand.


    Excellent¡­looks like the plan worked perfectly. Looking at that flawless execution, even my anxious heart began to relax.


    ¡°Not a bad strategy, looks like the rats were successfully separated and we¡¯ve gained an absolute advantage over them.¡± Violet Snow, like me, wasn¡¯t at the level of a four-star yet so she stayed behind with me to survey the battlefield from the distance. From those words alone, I could tell she highly approved of my strategy.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it to work that well either. How should I say it, these ratmen were as brainless as expected?¡± I smugly stated as I swept my eyes over the perfection that was my trap¡­however, given that these were just rats¡­I couldn¡¯t help but think that them falling for the trap was only natural.


    However, now that the battle had progressed to this stage, it was time for my strategy to take the backseat while my army did its work.


    The following battle was truly a hot-blooded one. Whether it was the medusas or the harpies, none of them disappointed me. With nothing to worry about from the back, Manasha led her medusas in a bold charge into the ratman army.


    Swerving left and right, the medusas nimbly dodged the attacks of the ratmen before circling around to their exposed flank and raking them with their razor sharp claws. The snakes on their head functioned independently from the medusas and were essentially independent turrets that fired with deadly accuracy at long or short ranges.


    However, it was the tails of the medusas that truly struck fear into the rodents. Despite their harmless appearance, these tails were the ultimate melee weapon they had. Often, rodents who managed to flank the medusas were swiftly and fatally swatted away with a mere flick of their tails.


    Wherever the medusas charged, the battlefield was turned into a ratless scene of carnage!


    As for the harpies, while they no longer had their javelins in hand, that didn¡¯t mean that they were helpless either. Before meeting me, they basically employed a dive and raking tactic. Against the disorganized ratmen, it was like shooting fish in a barrel for them especially for Numila who gained an epic weapon, Flametail. With just a single flame spell, she was able to instantly slaughter a three-star rodent.


    Explosion after explosion rattled the bony walls of the hallway. Soon, the maze was filled with the stench of burning fur and roasted meat.


    Seeing that, two of the four-star rodents within the trapped army tried to sneak up on Numila. I had to say, they were pretty smart about it too. Making use of their numerous kinsrodents to camouflage themselves, they stealthily approached the harpy witch and pounced on her the moment she was in range.


    Unfortunately, Numila wasn¡¯t one to fall for such petty tricks. Before the two rodents even leaped into the air, she made the preparations for her own counter-attack, her plan, to meet their attacks head on with her own. Like a guardian moon orbiting around her, Flametail suddenly expanded and burned brighter till it resembled a miniature sun. Without even waiting for the two rodents to reach her, Flametail swiftly rammed into them. Bumped away by the orbiting sun, the two rodents fell flat on their rear ends.


    All in all, leaping, attacking and falling merely took place within the short span of two seconds.


    Normally, their fur was already susceptible enough to flame attacks. Even a normal flame was able to set them ablaze let alone the not-at-all ordinary flames of Flametail which only required a mere lick to set them ablaze.


    Initially, it was only their arms which caught fire. However, the moment they landed on the floor, the flames had basically spread all over their bodies. Eyes wide open in terror, they frantically rolled around in a bid to put out the flames. Unfortunately, their efforts were doomed to failure and all that awaited them was a painful, scorching end.


    Not only were these poor souls doomed to die, their tumbling around ended up dooming their comrades as well thanks to the sheer density of the ratman army. Every tumble of their blazing body spread the incandescent plague to another unfortunate rat.


    Furthermore, because these flames were just as inextinguishable, the unscathed couldn¡¯t blindly run away either or they might end up bumping into another comrade who was already on fire¡­thus, a couple of tiny flames ended up burning a countless number of rats.

 Chapter 161: The Ratman Captives

    ¡°This¡­¡± That was a thousand rats, a thousand rats burnt to death by a single attack, that¡¯s just imbalanced! Clearly, my companions agree with that statement as well!


    Puppy dog eyes wide open in disbelief, Violet Snow was just as shocked as I was. ¡°Isn¡¯t that Shadowfang of yours an epic weapon as well, can you do that?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± You¡¯ve got to be kidding me!? If I could pull such a stunt, do you think I would still be here? I would¡¯ve wiped out that demon hunter team who forced me back to hell in the first place.


    From across the pond, the remaining 4000 over rats were witness to this terrifying spectacle. Seeing the lethality of that attack, their faces immediately paled with a portion of them promptly breaking ranks. No matter how much the rat leaders tried to threaten them, none of them would have it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let them escape!¡± I hurriedly reminded my army: ¡°Numila, Elena, take your teams and stop them, the medusas can handle that front alone. Don¡¯t care about those on fire, prioritize the rats who managed to escape.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Elena was the first of the two to react. Signalling to the rest of her kinsharpies, they took to the skies, abandoning the desolated ratmen in favor of chasing down the deserters.


    ¡°Harlow, Majosha, make sure you guard that side, don¡¯t let any of them escape.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Sis.¡± As she said that, Majosha smiled at her husband. With the aid of the remaining harpies, they got a lift to the other side of the inferno and blockaded it.


    Thanks to Numila¡¯s fearsome display, the ratmen¡¯s morale was basically non-existent. All I could do to salvage this situation was to get them to focus on capturing the deserters.


    Truly, that strike of hers was just too fearsome for its own good. Having burnt a couple of four-star lieutenants to a crisp in one strike, even Numila was stunned by its effectiveness. It took that reminder/yell from me to bring her back to senses. Truth be told, she only intended to fend off the two rodents with that strike. Seeing as they were both four-stars, she felt that she had to put in her 100% for that strike in order to stand a chance at all. However, things clearly didn¡¯t proceed as she had envisioned.


    Wasting no more time, she rushed off with Flametail in tow and chased down the fleeing rats, her reassuring voice echoing across the battlefield as she flew off: ¡°Don¡¯t worry Dearest, just watch this Harpy¡¯s performance!¡±


    ¡°Amazing!¡± It was then that Mimiya chimed in with her excited cheering. Perhaps it was due to the tension of the battle, she had remained silent up till now. Vick on the other hand, wasn¡¯t affected by it at all however, he was promptly restrained by Mimiya when he tried to float away.


    Seeing how Numila wiped out a pair of four-stars in one strike, the already excited Mimiya practically erupted in flames as she exclaimed: ¡°That epic weapon is AWESOME! Do you have another one? You do, right?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s still Shadowfang.¡± I pointed at the blade slung over my back and shrugged: ¡°It was given to me by Harlow and Habona. Even though I still haven¡¯t unlocked its true power, wielding it felt really natural.¡±


    ¡°Ah, can¡¯t you give it to Mimiya?¡± Her eyes began to water up as she prepared her puppy dog eyes for an attack.


    ¡°If I find another epic weapon that suits you, I¡¯ll consider giving it to you.¡± Given that Julia and Mo En had basically sold their lives to me, there¡¯s no reason for me to be stingy with their granddaughter, besides, she¡¯s pretty cute.


    ¡°Let¡¯s be clear about one thing though, epic weapons are something you encounter by chance, not something you search for. I can¡¯t guarantee that we will find one that suits your attributes.¡±


    ¡°No problem, as long as you remember that!¡± With that promise in the bag, she happily skipped about, her adorable little devil wings flapping about as she bounced up and down. Her body lifted off the ground and did a strange twirl in the air. ¡°Hahaha, Mimiya¡¯s going to get an epic weapon as well!¡±


    Aren¡¯t you getting a little ahead of yourself here? I remember saying that I would only give it to you if it suited your attributes, didn¡¯t I¡­


    There was nothing much to talk about regarding the remainder of the battle. Thanks to the harpy nuke known as Numila, the majority of the rodents who she flew over smartly chose to surrender instead of resisting¡­


    Even if they had over 10 four-stars on their side, these leaders had completely lost all of their confidence. I couldn¡¯t blame them for that either, that skill which wiped out a thousand rats was just that terrifying; as expected of a weapon that can support an entire kingdom!


    Roughly half an hour after the battle ended, the battle report was compiled and ready to be submitted. With those rough numbers in hand, Violet Snow began her report:


    ¡°We lost 11 harpies in that battle, there were no losses within our cavalry unit, no losses for the medusas, no losses for the guardsmen¡­in total, we captured approximately 6000 Abaddon Rodents¡­the exact number is still being tallied.¡±


    Given that the guardsmen were basically on guard duty throughout that whole battle, it wasn¡¯t strange that none were lost. After all, I didn¡¯t even step into battle for a second so they had no reason to either.


    As for that impressive record of 6000 captives, don¡¯t be fooled by it; that number included the injured rodents as well. For example, the rodents who were injured in the initial volley of javelin strikes were included as well. Not only that, the rodents who were still kept under watch by the hellhound riders were included in that tally as well.


    Frankly, the rodents had suffered a crushing blow this time. The lightly injured ones were fortunate ¨Cat the very least, they could still be fodder after some minor tending. The heavily injured ones however, those were the unfortunate souls. With no other use for them, they were basically food for the army.


    ¡°Dearest, these are the leaders of that army, this harpy has brought them all over.¡± Chest puffed up, Numila dragged a column of ten ratmen who were noticeably bulkier than the rest of their comrades.


    ¡°Elena helped as well!¡± Now that the battle has ended, Elena was notably livelier. Realizing that I was in the vicinity, she immediately pounced on me and with arms wrapped around my head, shoved it into her soft weapons: ¡°Huggles¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± I¡¯m choking here, Elena¡­let go of me¡­I can¡¯t breath¡­ahhh, the scent is great and all but I¡¯m really going to die at this rate¡­you want an epic weapon, I get it¡­don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make sure to give it to you once I get a proper one¡­


    ¡°Let go of my hubby right this instant, you shameless bit*h!¡± Seeing her pounce on me, the rather jealous Numila immediately stepped in to pull us apart forcefully before pointing her right finger at Elena. Left hand wrapped around my head, she shoved my face into her waiting mounds: ¡°Dearest, this harpy is a lot better than ice block over there, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Numila, you need to stop messing around as well¡­I can¡¯t breath¡­also, both your sizes are roughly the same¡­


    After a round of unprofessional tomfoolery, I finally managed to pry myself from their wicked hands.


    As I took in a couple of deep breaths to refill my oxygen-starved lungs, I suddenly felt a pointed stare behind me. Following that sensation, I turned around just in time to see Violet Snow coldly smiling back at me: ¡°You seem to be having fun.¡±


    ¡°¡­what¡¯s so fun about that.¡± By the way, when did your tongue pick up that acid ability? Even though I really wanted to ask her that, I chose not to in light of that black expression she had on. Hmph, I¡¯ll endure your words just this once.


    Directing my gaze back onto the ten rodents, I asked: ¡°They are all four-star leaders?¡±


    Violet Snow nodded: ¡°That¡¯s right, other than a few who ran away in time, they¡¯re all here.¡±


    Apparently, not long after the battle started, a few of the more cowardly leaders turned tail and ran the moment they noticed that things weren¡¯t going well. In fact, they even escaped with their subordinates. The only reason no one noticed this was because their numbers were relatively small and the battlefield was extremely chaotic then.


    ¡°Is your nemesis a part of this group?¡±


    ¡°That grudge has been settled long ago.¡± As she flatly spat out those words, a hint of relief flashed across her eyes, however, it was only for an instant before it immediately disappeared. All that remained was a cold aloofness.


    ¡°As long as it has been settled¡­¡± Regarding Violet Snow¡¯s private matters, I didn¡¯t wish to pry too deeply into them. As long as she was happy, that was enough. All I could do now was support her quietly from the background.


    Since her nemesis wasn¡¯t a part of these rats, enslaving them shouldn¡¯t be a problem. With that in mind, I coolly turned around to face the rodent leaders. As my cool gaze swept over them, they trembled, claws dancing around as they flustered. Finally, I opened my mouth and said: ¡°Submit or die.¡±


    However, these rats didn¡¯t understand the language of the devil and merely looked at each other in confusion. Sh*t, I forgot they can¡¯t understand me, how am I going to persuade them to surrender then,? It¡¯s not like I can suddenly pick their rodent language.


    Thankfully, Violet Snow knew how to communicate with them and promptly stepped up to translate my words.


    ¡°I¡­I submit¡­¡± The moment they heard they could live, a number of the more spineless rodents immediately knelt and pledged their allegiance. Even though this was done in chit chits, kneeling down was the universal sign of submission.


    As for the braver ones, they made the smart choice to surrender after sneaking a couple of peeks at Numila who was in the midst of arguing with Elena. Other than the stubborn rat overlord, the other nine were all on their knees begging for mercy.


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    As for that rodent, I didn¡¯t appreciate his bravery at all, I was merely curious so I asked him: ¡°Ask that fellow whether he wants to die or not.¡±


    ¡°Chit chiit¡­woof¡­¡±


    ¡°Chit chhiiit chiit¡­.chit¡­¡±


    After a round of gibberish, Violet Snow turned around to submit the answer: ¡°The rat overlord wishes to negotiate the terms of surrender with you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± The f**k, who do you think you are? The Emperor or something? I swear you give meaning to the word foolhardy.


    Hearing that response, I burst out in laughter. Seeing me laugh however, that rat overlord mistook it as acceptance and smirked at his kneeling compatriots, a series of chittering escaped his mouth as he bragged in their faces.

 Chapter 162: Revolution Slice

    Terms of surrender? Hah, do you think I¡¯m some kind of kind-hearted samaritan?


    A cold smile crossed my lips as I waved my hands. ¡°Drag him away and kill him


    ¡°Understood Master.¡± No.3 signalled to a few guardsmen and began escorting away the ratman overlord.


    It was only when No.3 reached out for his furry shoulders did that foolish ratman finally realize that something was wrong. As he stumbled away from his captors, he desperately pleaded his case in his usual chitters.


    Though I still didn¡¯t understand them, Violet Snow was here to fulfill that role of translator, which she did so faithfully even now. ¡°He says that he¡¯s the overlord of the ratmen and that he commands a large number of clans. Furthermore, he says that he¡¯s an influential rodent and if we kill him like this, it would cause a mountain of troubles later on when we want to subjugate the rats.¡±


    ¡°A mere captive actually wants to negotiate with me and even dares to threaten me? If I accept his terms now, then I might as well forget about capturing any other prisoners of war. No exceptions, get rid of him right this instant.¡± With another wave of my hand, I firmly rejected this notion of negotiation.


    Hah, you actually want to f**king negotiate with me? How about you go have a chat with Hades in the underworld first.


    Just looking at his panicked eyes, I bet he was thought something along the lines of ¡°the devils will make an exception for me because I¡¯m valuable and that¡¯s how this story always goes.¡±


    Well too bad, all I can say is that you¡¯re thinking too much about it; we aren¡¯t even looking at the same story, got it?


    Now that No.3 and the other guardsmen were in arms reach, it finally dawned on him how much trouble he was in.


    Fortunately or perhaps unfortunately depending on whose perspective you took, his stupidity wasn¡¯t ingrained into his bones. The moment No.3 tried to reach out and grab him again, the ratman knocked the devil away with a punch. Tail muscles flexed, he swung his long, thick tail towards the other guardsmen like a metallic whip and swept them away.


    ¡°Chit chit!¡±It was an angry chit directed at me. The ratman overlord immediately rushed off to my right where the defenses were the thinnest. Looks like he had planned this from the very start, he probably thought that it would be easier to escape the blockade that way. Well, I¡¯m sorry for shattering that fantasy of yours but there¡¯s no escaping for you.


    At that same time, Violet Snow chimed in with a ¡°He swears that he will get his revenge.¡± Even with this surprise development, this little puppy didn¡¯t forget her role as a translator.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to translate that for me, I know what he¡¯s saying even without your help.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I never knew you learnt to speak rodent.¡±


    Ignoring the fact that she rolled her eyes at me, I coldly laughed and gave out another command: ¡°Surround it.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Master!¡± Having recovered from that punch, No.3 immediately got to his feet and rushed at the ratman overlord. However, No.3 was just a three-star Demon Child; in terms of strength, he was vastly inferior to the ratman. Dodging the morningstar in No.3¡¯s right hand, the ratman overlord used the centrifugal force of his twist to throw a forceful kick at No.3¡¯s bone shield and sent him flying.


    The ratman overlord immediately tried to resume his escape but unfortunately for him, No.3¡¯s distraction bought the rest of the guardsmen enough time to rush over and surround him.


    ¡°Dearest, this Harpy is here to help you!¡± Because of the ruckus occuring at our side, Numila abandoned her pointless argument with Elena and promptly flew over to aid us. With a forceful leap into the air, she instantly appeared above the ratman¡¯s head where her trusty weapon, Flametail promptly started to revolve around her once more and radiate that terrifying level of heat she showed earlier.


    ¡°Elena is here too!¡± Not wishing to be outdone by the more assertive Numila, Elena flew over as well and a second later, threw the ratman overlord below her a pointed, dangerous glare.


    Thanks to their extraordinary speed, it merely took the blink of an eye for the two of them to catch up and block the ratman. Now that he was beset by these two witches, the ratman slowed down his attacks on the guardsmen, instead choosing to focus on Numila and Elena.


    ¡°I detest rats.¡± My right hand reached for the hilt of Shadowfang as I slowly walked towards the ratman overlord. Seeing that, the two witches came to the conclusion that I planned to handle this myself so they lowered their altitude and merely tried to block the ratman from escaping.


    Even though an Abaddon Rodent was much weaker than their counterparts at the same star level, this ratman overlord seemed to be an exception to the rule. The strength he displayed so far was impressive to say the least and was several times stronger than the other four-stars under his command.


    Thanks to the addition of Mo En¡¯s forces upon my return to the Prison of the Dead, my guardsmen were at the very least two-stars now with some of the squad leaders at the level of three-stars similar to No.3 and Big 4. Armed with my crafted bone shields and bone broadswords, they definitely held an advantage over the empty-handed ratman overlord. Even so, these elites were powerless before the ratman overlord who shattered their shields as if they were made of porcelain.


    Fortunately, the arrival of Numila and Elena restricted his movements so he wasn¡¯t able to cause too much damage to my guardsmen. Every punch he threw, he made sure to reserve some energy to guard against the two harpy witches. This rodent knew full well that he had no chance of escaping.Still, he didn¡¯t give up his will to live and instead struggled desperately against the guardsmen surrounding him in hopes of a miracle happening.


    As his thick tail and giant claws raked through the air, guardsman after guardsman were thrown into the air without mercy. This was the third time No.3 was thrown away and as he fell onto the ground with a loud crash, I saw his body stiffen. From the looks of it, he won¡¯t be getting up anytime soon. For a race known for their sturdiness to be injured so greatly by the ratman, it only proved my point about this ratman¡¯s formidable strength.


    ¡°Ooooh, looks like you¡¯re going to fight now.¡± Seeing me walk towards the ratman overlord, the idle to the point of causing my nonexistent balls to hurt Mimiya clapped her hands excitedly and began cheering for me: ¡°Wooot, fight, fight fight! Mimiya is cheering for you!¡±


    At the side, Vick twerked his body as if he was dancing some strange dancing while smiling that silly grin of his. However, seeing how spooky his dancing was, I¡¯ll skip the description.


    ¡°Hmm, this is the first time I¡¯ve seen her fight alone.¡± Arms folded around her chest, Manasha threw me an interested gaze.


    ¡°That¡¯s Shadowfang, an epic weapon. Even though Master Mo Ke hasn¡¯t unlocked its full power yet, Master Mo Ke¡¯s stands a great chance of beating that ratman just by wielding it.¡±


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    As the son of Shadowfang¡¯s former owner, he naturally knew how powerful its true strength as. His words weren¡¯t hard to dissect either: the blade¡¯s impressive grade was enough to suppress the ratman and allow me to defeat an opponent above my grade.


    ¡°I believe in Harlow.¡± said Majosha. Though she was a four-star herself and knew how vast the gap was between a three and four-star warrior, she had no choice but to re-evaluate her views after seeing that awe-inspiring performance by Numila and Flametail. With such a terrifying power embedded within, she couldn¡¯t help but believe that even a weak three-star was able to challenge a four-star.


    As I approached the scene, the guardsmen automatically made way for me. Noticing my presence, the ratman seemed to have realized something and roared at me.


    No words were exchanged between us as we glared at each other. Within his eyes, I saw a faint trace of hope. He must¡¯ve thought that his chance had arrived; as long as he took me hostage, he could make his escape.


    The next second, the ratman overlord broke into a beastial sprint with all four of his furry limbs propelling him forward as he charged at me. Running at the fastest speed he ever managed in his lifetime, his elongated rat mouth briefly opened up and the pungent stench of his saliva wafted towards me.


    On my side, I broke into a sprint as well. With my right hand clasped around Shadowfang¡¯s hilt,I lowered my body and adopted a running pose similar to the ninjas you saw on the big screen.


    With neither side intending to retreat, the gap between us was closed in an instant.


    Just as everyone thought that we were about to collide, my feet seemingly stumbled for an instant. My body twisted in an unexpected angle and rotated away from the ratman, dodging his claws by a hair¡¯s breadth. At the same time I dodged that collision, I drew out Shadowfang.


    The sinister blade left a trail of blackened light as it flashed across the air and, under the disbelieving eyes of the ratman, sliced into the back of his right leg¡­


    I didn¡¯t even feel the least bit of resistance as I easily severed his right leg.


    Without his right leg to stand on, his body immediately lost its balance and stumbled away to the side several times before crashing into the bony wall nearby with a vicious crunch.


    That wall crash had inflicted even more injuries on the defeated ratman. From the looks of it, he won¡¯t be getting up anytime soon.


    In that very instant I felt my blade bite into his leg, I merely felt a smidge of resistance before it sliced through whatever it was that blocked it. This move, with it¡¯s physics-defying body rotation was a move I created recently by mimicking the moves I already knew. In other words, it was born from the Inverse Cut.


    The logic behind this move, which I named the Revolution Slice, was simple. It can be used on flat ground without any preparation of any sort or it can be used in a fashion similar to what I did just now. By faking a headon clash with my opponent, I could confuse and at the instant we were about to collide, rotate my body, cutting him with a slice reinforced by the centrifugal force of my nearly 360 degrees rotation.


    Originally, I intended to slice apart his chest. Unfortunately, it failed because of my lack of familiarity with the skill and the fact that his speed exceeded my expectations. Thus, the Revolution Slice only ended up taking away his right leg. However, this was fine. A powerless enemy suited my needs just as well.


    ¡°An instant kill! Dearest, you¡¯re the coolest husband in the world, this Harpy has fallen for you all over again!¡± Seeing my crushing victory over the ratman, her unease instantly disappeared as she launched into a frenzied celebration. Just like always, she leaped onto me and pressed my face into her mounds with a tight hug. ¡°Dearest, you¡¯re the best!¡±


    ¡°Elena thinks so too.¡±


    That icy sensation on my back was probably from Elena.


    By the way, that rat isn¡¯t dead yet¡­should we really be celebrating like that?

 Chapter 163: Spoils of War

    From the moment I defeated that ratman overlord, the look everyone gave me changed.


    In the past, they used to treat as a commander c*m auspicious item¡­truth be told, I kind of deserved that label seeing as my combat strength wasn¡¯t anything to write home about. Even after obtaining Shadowfang, I wasn¡¯t able to unleash its full power because I didn¡¯t possess the ability to use its corresponding skillset, and also because of a variety of other minor issues.


    Even after mastering that flashy Revolution Slice, Shadowfang was in its sealed form. However, at least my combat strength received a substantial boost since I learnt a skill that suited it.


    Just look at those quivering ratmen. In the past, they were only afraid of the influence I wielded, now they were afraid of me because of my influence and strength.


    ¡°Chit chit chit¡­¡±The ratman overlord used his unintelligible chits to try and communicate with me as before. However, this time I didn¡¯t need any translation to know what he was trying to say.


    Hmph, isn¡¯t it too late to beg for your life now, little ratman? I chuckled mentally to myself as I sneered at the rodent.


    ¡°It¡¯s begging for its life.¡± Once again, Violet Snow chimed in with her highly appropriate translations. ¡°It only wants to live, no matter what you want, it¡¯s willing to offer it to you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to listen to its nonsense, help me translate this to those nine ratmen, if you guys want to live, kill off that idiot together, if you can¡¯t do it, you can join him in death.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Violet Snow turned to the quivering ratmen lieutenants and in the midst of their astonishment, passed down the message I gave her.


    To kill or not to kill? In the face of death, was there even a need to hesitate? After exchanging a brief look with each other, all nine lieutenants came to the same decision¡­


    Ten minutes later, there was an unrecognizable rat corpse lying before me.


    Having done their ghastly deed, the nine ratman lieutenants turned towards me in unison and gave me a submissive smile. Needless to say, their intention was clear to me ¨Cnone of them wanted to be the next sacrificial lamb.


    Knowing the futility of resistance, their eyes burned with ingratiating fervor as they did their best to present their useful side to me.


    ¡°Go settle in your own subordinates, as for those slain ratman lieutenants, I¡¯ll leave it to you all to split the spoils.¡±


    Seeing that I had no intention of settling past debts, the lieutenants breathed a collective sigh of relief.


    After expressing their endless gratitude and thanks, they hurried off to gather the rest of their subordinates. Looking at them try to outdo each other, I bet they planned on stealing some subordinates in the midst of this chaos so as to better serve me.


    As for me, I didn¡¯t particularly mind them gaining more subordinates. After all, with that terrifying Flametail under my command, there wasn¡¯t even a need for me to fear a revolt given that one blast was all it took to wipe out a thousand ratmen.


    Besides, if they weren¡¯t able to defeat me with over 10 000 elite ratmen, I doubt any one of them would dare to even think about rebelling now that they had suffered such heavy casualties.


    Thus, the battle truly came to a close and the battlefield tally was quickly compiled.


    From that battle, we gained almost 6000 ratman slaves. However, over a thousand of these slaves were severely injured to the point where they would never recover. Thus, there was only one fate awaiting these burdens: ¡°ration duty¡±. The worthless didn¡¯t deserve any pity from me.


    Once we harvested their souls, bones and fed their flesh to our warriors, we would be left with nearly 5000 ratman slaves. Of these 5000, 9 were the four-star lieutenants I had just interacted with. Over 500 of them were three-star warriors while the rest were two or one-star warriors.


    Honestly, I had to hand it to Violet Snow. Her guerilla tactics worked out splendidly. Thanks to her constant taunts, the rats were thoroughly incensed to the point where they emptied their nest of elite rodents. Their plan was to wipe her out but we all know how that plan ended¡­


    The severely wounded rations were herded into a corner after which I left it to the medusas to handle their processing. Seeing as they didn¡¯t eat souls, there was no risk of them sneaking a few bites.


    However, the moment some of the other prisoners saw their kinsrodent get dragged off so violently by the medusas, they became agitated. Some of the more hot blooded ones even tried to rescue them. Unfortunately, in the face of overwhelming might, resistance was futile and these foolish rats ended up sealing their own fate.


    ¡°Drag out all the rebels and process them as well.¡± Naturally, the medusas didn¡¯t show any compassion as they carried out instructions. To them, these rats were nothing more than food.


    It didn¡¯t take long before the dissenters were dragged out, their limbs broken and dislocated before being tossed into the pile of heavily wounded rations.


    Seeing that, the nine ratman lieutenant grimaced.


    Well, tough luck, with that ugly mug of yours, how do you even expect me to forgive you guys? Don¡¯t you know that being handsome makes it easier for you to be forgiven?


    An hour passed and the harpies in charge of moving the souls began delivering ball after ball of freshly harvested souls right into my waiting arms.


    Seeing the heavens rain souls, I was suddenly struck by a conflicted emotion that I couldn¡¯t really put into words.


    Speaking of which, the mouths I had to feed with souls seemed to have grown. First was those three distinctly different harpy witches, Numila, Elena and Eugenia. They didn¡¯t consume any meat and only subsisted on souls. That was the reason for their fragrant scent.


    Second was Violet Snow for who some unknown reason, didn¡¯t eat meat as well. Next was Mo En¡¯s family. Other than Mo Xixidi, Mo En and Mimiya rejected meat and only consumed souls because of Julia¡¯s insistence. In the past, Mo En wasn¡¯t used to this lifestyle and would sneak a few bites of meat from time to time. However, his body gave off a foul odor whenever he did that which resulted in Julia kicking him off the bed every time¡­after that, Mo En learnt to be obedient.


    Because Mimiya was a female devil, Julia tried to groom her from a young age to be a refined lady. Unfortunately, she was too wild for Julia¡¯s re-education. Getting her to abstain from meat was the limit of her success.


    The first thought that came to mind when I learnt of that was: serves you two right for spoiling her.


    A flurry of feathers later, over 5000 souls were brought before me and dumped into a corner of the maze. Looking at the dazzling pile of souls, I suddenly felt like a rich devil. Yet the moment I feasted on 500 of the one-star souls¡­nothing happened¡­


    I know that I¡¯m a three-star and eating a bunch of one-star souls won¡¯t give me much of a boost but shouldn¡¯t the quantity have made up for the quality? That was 500 souls for crying out loud!


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    If I fed that terrifying amount of souls to a one-star, I could promote him all the way to two-star and perhaps even three-star. Yet, the moment I swallowed all those souls¡­nothing happened¡­that made no sense at all!


    In order to solve the mystery of my bottomless appetite once and for all, I fished out the soul of that ratman overlord.


    Unlike the other ethereal souls, his four-star soul was noticeably more corporeal as it was an actual physical object.


    The moment I swallowed that soul, my body began to heat up and two seconds later¡­it stopped¡­it was as if what I consumed wasn¡¯t a four-star soul but rather a warm cup of coffee¡­


    Why didn¡¯t it increase my mana? Disappearing like that goes against the laws of conservation of energy, dont¡¯cha know!


    Hmm? Wait a minute¡­isn¡¯t Ferti¡¯nier hibernating in my body¡­


    Truth be told, I had consumed quite a sizeable amount of souls recently. In order to craft those weapons, Julia and I would basically convert all the souls we ate into mana while we were in the base. Because of that, I barely gained anything from consuming them especially given my notoriously slow leveling rate. We were busy back then so I didn¡¯t pay much attention to it but now that we were out of the base¡­


    I bet all the energy from the soul I just ate was converted into energy in order to feed Ferti¡¯nier¡­


    Bah, forget it. She¡¯s my savior after all and was even assigned to protect me by Yi Yi. Besides, she¡¯s a pretty lady so I should at least give her some face.


    Because we had no way to store souls, exposed souls tend to dissipate rapidly. The speed at which they dissipated was related to their star level while they were still alive. For the higher starred creatures, their souls tend to be stronger so they had a more corporeal look to them. That was why that ratman overlord¡¯s soul was noticeably different from the other souls.


    Based on looks alone, one could essentially tell the grade of a soul.


    However, it wasn¡¯t true that all environments chipped away at exposed souls. Certain environments were able to incubate souls. Under those conditions, not only would they not get worn out, these souls would even get refined. Given enough time, these souls would turn into soul flames and if their corpse was still around, the soul flame would be bound to the body, creating a zombie. If the flesh had rotted away completely, a skeleton was created instead.


    As for vengeful ghosts, their formation was more special required certain conditions being met.


    Regarding the undead, their formation wasn¡¯t exclusive to the Western Human Realms. Even on Earth, there were such legends: ghosts, etc.


    I still had no idea when was Ferti¡¯nier going to wake up. In fact, I didn¡¯t even know how many more souls she required. Thus, I had no choice but to accept the situation as is and slowly accumulate, consume and digest more souls. As long as I consumed enough souls, she was bound to wake up one day.


    However, I wasn¡¯t the only one who needed souls, the Grimoire of the Dead needed a vast amount of souls as well. Needless to say, the grimoire was extremely important to me so starving it wasn¡¯t an option.


    As I continued feeding it, it became more and more lively to the point where I was beginning to suspect that some kind of beautiful girl would pop up the moment I fed it enough souls.


    Because over 5000 Abaddon Rodents died in that previous battle, we weren¡¯t lacking for food at all. Thus, there was no need for me to be shy about consuming these souls. Of course, my other subordinates, namely Numila, Elena, Eugenia, Violet Snow and even my guardsmen had their own share as well.

 Chapter 164: Nest of the Rodents

    Err¡­why did it seem like I missed out someone?


    Having been deprived of his share of souls, Vick was currently floating around me with a resentful look on his face. Unfortunately, his atrociously ugly mug and shiny pinball of a head wasn¡¯t the least bit appealing as he tried to badger me for souls. Even so, I had to admit that having this potato float around me all the time was annoying. In the end, I gave into the pressure and gave him some souls, only then did he finally leave me alone.


    Now that the spoils had been divvied up, it was time to move on with our main mission ¨Cassaulting the ratman¡¯s nest.


    Because those rodents sent out the majority of their elite fighting force and ended up getting defeated, their nest was extremely vulnerable now. According to our new road guides, there were only 15 000 rodents left¡­mhm, you heard me right, 15 000 or so rodents. However, this number wasn¡¯t as terrifying as one would expect because the number of combatants were less than 5000. The rest were the injured rodents or their wives and kids.


    Thanks to the harsh realities of Prison life, there was basically no place for the elderly who couldn¡¯t fight. The wives and kids mentioned in that report were their pregnant wives and kids who simply weren¡¯t old enough to fight.


    Strictly speaking, this was a giant haul for us.


    While boosting their strength also boosted their lifespan, the Abaddon Rodents as a whole were a lower race. Even if they wanted to boost their strength, their inborn talent limited their development. Thus, an ordinary Abaddon Rodent¡¯s lifespan was extremely short, roughly 30 years.


    Because of that, they adapted to have an astonishing fecundity. Their pregnancies only lasted for less than six months and their infants only needed a year to reach maturity. Upon reaching maturity, they already possessed a certain degree of combat strength. While it wasn¡¯t much, their numbers more than made up for it. Using human wave tactics or rather rodent wave, there was nothing they couldn¡¯t conquer, most of the time anyway.


    Within the nest, there were five four-star ratman lieutenants. Each had their own fighting force aiding them in the defense. Not long after they realized that their overlord¡¯s punitive force had been wiped out, our army, under the guidance of our new road guides, had already begun surrounding their nest.


    In order to stop them from escaping, I dispatched a group of devils under the leadership of Numila and a few of our new rat slaves out to be our advance party while I rushed the main army along. The plan was to have them stall for time and catch up before the battle escalated to the point of no return. Yet, the moment we rushed onto the scene, I discovered a different scenario than what I had expected.


    Like Mo En¡¯s nest, their nest was carved out of the Prison¡¯s wall by expending a large amount of souls.


    Littered around the entrance were a large number of rat corpses peppered with bone javelins. From the looks of it, these must¡¯ve been the ratmen who tried to resist but were gruesomely shot to death by Numila¡¯s forces.


    Having encountered our air forces before when Violet Snow attacked them, they knew to guard against our air squadron by turtling up in their nest. Should the harpies rush into the nest, they would lose their advantage of flight. Without that, there¡¯s no guarantee that these shedevils could win in a fight against the ratmen. Thus, Numila made the wise choice of holding position in mid air while I brought the rest of the main army.


    Given that stepping out of the nest guaranteed them a mouthful of bone javelins, those ratman defenders should be too scared to even show their ratty faces right now.


    Yet, I found that they had no intention of giving up¡­that was clear from the fact they hadn¡¯t sent out an emissary to declare their surrender yet¡­hmmm, could it have been a communication problem¡­


    ¡°Translate for me, surrender or I¡¯ll massacre all these rodents.¡±


    Naturally, Violet Snow wasn¡¯t the one to deliver this ultimatum. Instead, it was delivered by one of the four-stars who surrendered, they were of the same race after all. Having a ratman persuade them would undoubtedly raise our chances significantly.


    However, things weren¡¯t as simple as I had thought. Having just said a couple of words, a bone spear aimed directly at that ratman came flying out of the cave. Thankfully, that ratman was a nimble one and managed to sidestep in time causing the spear to barely graze against his black fur.


    This sudden show of hostility was truly an unexpected one. Glancing at the fallen bone spear, I discovered that it wasn¡¯t one of the javelins used by my harpies. Because of the vast number of javelins required, the javelins I crafted were made from a bunch of short bones which resulted in each javelin rarely being over a meter long. That spear was clearly not one of my works.


    Was that spear throw a sign that they were planning to fight till the end? Wait, that¡¯s not important right now. What was important was: were those rodents able to create bone javelins?


    That wasn¡¯t good news for us at all. If they had such long range weapons as well, forcefully breaking into their nest was no longer an option. After all, they had the home advantage here. Compared to that, we had a bunch of ratman slaves who couldn¡¯t even be deployed because they had just surrendered to us.


    Asking a disloyal army of slaves who had just surrendered to fight by our side was the same as having a ticking time bomb in our midst. Thus, I had Elena guard over these rodents in a distant location with 2000 of her brethren. Her mission was simple: just make sure they didn¡¯t cause any trouble.


    So, when did those rodents learn to craft bone spears? Pulling out those nine rodent lieutenants, I questioned them one by one and got a very uniform answer from each ¡ª a shake of their head and a simple ¡°no idea¡±. Even so, there was no ruling out the possibility they had colluded beforehand.


    Based on what we achieved so far, we still weren¡¯t any further along our mission to uncover more intelligence about this nest.


    In that case, attacking them blind was our only option. Given that Elena had to guard those rodents, our attack force was left with 2000 harpies, around 600 medusas, 40 hellhound riders and lastly, 300 guardsmen.


    Looking at the narrow pathway, it was clear that the hellhound riders were basically useless in this engagement thus I had no choice but to put them on reserve. At the same time, because we were fighting in a cave, the harpies lost their flight abilities. However, I couldn¡¯t exactly expect them to give up flying and turn into foot soldiers either.


    Thus at the of the day, the forces we could employ for this assault was reduced to the medusas and my 300 guardsmen. However, that wasn¡¯t even a thousand troops¡­less than a thousand troops to face off against an enemy that we had no intelligence on. To make matters worse, they had the home ground advantage as well¡­


    I guess I should be thankful that the medusas were experienced with fighting in constricted spaces. Given my guardsmen¡¯s equipment advantage, they shouldn¡¯t fare that badly even with those disadvantages either.


    However, was it really that simple? As they say, a cunning rabbit has three holes to hide in; a ratman that knows how to craft weapons shouldn¡¯t be that stupid, right? It wouldn¡¯t be surprise me if they had another exit somehow.


    After interrogating our helpful road guides once more, I found out that they did in fact have another two more exits just as I had expected. In that case, our job just got a whole lot harder as we had to split up our remaining troops to block off those exits.


    Sigh¡­I guess wiping out your opponent¡¯s homebase only happened in those crappy webnovels¡­


    Having finished my deliberations, I had Numila lead a separate division to guard the two other exits.


    Then, it was time for me to try and assault this nest.


    The cave entrance wasn¡¯t small, in fact it could probably fit ten devils walking in a row and they wouldn¡¯t find it cramped either. With that in mind, I had five of the guardsmen line up in a row and advance slowly with shields raised in order to scout out the cave. The end result was, having taken a few steps forward, they were immediately met with a hail of bone spears.


    Their accuracy was average at best so the majority of the bone spears were harmlessly deflected by the bone shields with only one spear making through and piercing the calf of a guardsman. Given that the shields were merely 80 cm tall and 50 cm wide, it wasn¡¯t that strange that a bone spear was able to make it through.


    Having lost one of the shields, the five devil formation quickly buckled under the withering fire of a second volley of bone spears. Of the five guardsmen, three died. The lucky two survivors stumbled shakily out of the caves, their minds still in shock from the close brush with death they just had.


    This¡­were they rats or porcupines?! Or maybe even bees?


    Gosh darn it, how do you expect me to wipe you guys out if you indiscriminately toss your spears like that¡­err, come to think of it, they probably learnt to do that from my army¡­in that case, I don¡¯t really have the right to blame them do I?


    Darn it, their caves seem rather complicated as well, if I send in our newly-recruited cannon fodder¡­it would basically be same as letting the tiger return to its mountain¡­what if I led that army myself¡­would they still betray us and join up with their brethren?


    The situation had definitely taken a turn for the worse yet I still wasn¡¯t willing to give up on capturing this batch of rodents. However, forcefully attacking them wasn¡¯t an option either since that would incur heavy losses for our army.


    Damn, must I really give up now? No, I already made the long trip here so how can I simply return home like this? If I really gave up like that, how will I show my face in public ever again? I might as well just slap my own face and be done with it!


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    Thus, in order to avoid any unnecessary losses, the only other option left was to seek reinforcements. Though that was embarrassing as well, it was still a lot better than returning empty handed.


    Come to think of it, weren¡¯t the lizardmen cave experts? With Habona¡¯s overwhelming might and Westley controlling them, the lizardman operation should be over by now. If that¡¯s the case, we could get them to send us some lizardmen.


    Since they weren¡¯t my direct subordinates, losing them won¡¯t really cause me pain anyway.


    With that in mind, I promptly had Numila deliver a letter to Habona in hopes that she could send us a division of lizardmen to aid in our war effort.

 Chapter 165: The Lizardwoman Weslin

    The harpy messengers I sent out were extremely fast flyers. However, the nest wasn¡¯t exactly near us either. If you added in the fact that the lizardman reinforcement couldn¡¯t possibly be faster than these harpies, the entire back and forth would probably take over half a month.


    While waiting for these messengers to do their job, I wasn¡¯t idling around either. I commanded the army to assault the ratman nest several times however they all ended in failure.


    After the third assault failed, I experimented with dispatching our new slaves into battle. I had a hundred rodent slaves enter the nest to scout it out. The plan was to have them prod around the nest and return once the spears came raining down. Surprisingly, the rodents inside the nest didn¡¯t attack them right away but instead waited for the rodent slaves to enter the nest and then¡­well, that was the end of the story.


    I couldn¡¯t hear any noise unique to fighting emanating from the cave and based on the movements within, it had basically been determined that they had left my control.


    In short, they were now escaped slaves.


    In the face of that, even I didn¡¯t know if I should consider myself smart or stupid. I already knew that those rat slaves didn¡¯t choose to be my slaves of their own volition but I still couldn¡¯t curb my desire to take a chance and finally dispatched them in an experiment. As for the results¡­having left the range of my supervision, they naturally went back to their visit their moms.


    Faced with the prospect of an unassailable rat nest, Numila first reacted with disdain, followed by indifference before finally becoming the annoyed harpy witch we see today. They were nothing but a bunch of walking steaks so why were they so damned hard to kill!? Numila found herself screaming that in her head one day.


    Strictly speaking, the whole reason for this stalemate was because I didn¡¯t want to suffer too much losses before we assaulted the prison exit. Besides, we didn¡¯t actually have any reliable intelligence on the interior of the nest. All we had was the information given to us by the lieutenants who surrendered. Whether or not that was even trustworthy was still up for debate.


    If I had to describe the situation we were in right now, it would be as such:


    Imagine you were playing League of L**ends and you were about to camp the bushes in order to ambush that lone enemy in the solo lane. Yet the moment you step into it, you found yourself surrounded by the five heroes from the other side¡­seeing you appear, they immediately pounce on you like a bunch of ravenous wolves and before you could even react, inflict an inhuman level of torture upon you ¡ª Crowd Control skills, focused attacks, weakening debuffs, the whole shebang ¡ª killing you in one wombo combo¡­


    In order to avoid such an awkward situation, the best option would be to avoid the bushes entirely and find some way to gain vision over the bushes. After all, there¡¯s no guarantee that there wasn¡¯t a Gare* squatting in the bushes waiting to jump you.


    That was basically my train of thought now ¨Cavoid the bushes and gather intelligence.


    Based on what we knew so far, the rat nest was in fact, occupied with enemies and their numbers weren¡¯t low either. They even picked up a ranged skill in the form of throwing javelins. In the field of ranged attacks, I dare say that I was the leading expert, at least when compared to the other creatures in the Prison of the Dead. With the enemy in the dark and us in the light, I truly didn¡¯t dare to launch a full-scale assault.


    Since an assault wasn¡¯t an option, what was? Calling in your brothers, of course.


    With regards to our passive situation, Numila wasn¡¯t the least bit comfortable with it at all. On multiple occasions, her temper would get the better of her but thankfully, I was there to stop her before she tried to assault the nest herself. What was hidden in that nest; who amongst us truly knew the answer to that?


    Was that report about the 5000 warriors true? Were there only five four-star rat lieutenants waiting for us inside? These were all questions we couldn¡¯t answer. After all, just because the rat slaves said something didn¡¯t mean we should believe them as is. The only people who would take their word at face value were¡­fools and the gullible¡­without any way to verify those claims, there¡¯s no way I would allow my direct subordinates to risk themselves any further.


    Thus, I needed those lizardmen to reinforce us. They weren¡¯t my direct subordinates anyway so who cares if they died.


    Naturally, Numila wasn¡¯t the only temperamental one here, Manasha was as well. However, after a round of persuasion, she calmed down as well. Since the medusas were lacking in numbers to begin with, that resulted in them picking up the excellent habit of not pushing themselves too much.


    Thus, after calming down, she wasn¡¯t one to foolishly risk her clan. Of course, she wasn¡¯t being cowardly but rather it was a matter of perspective. Had it been her only, I bet she would¡¯ve charged in already and slaughtered these rats, everything else can come after the killing.


    (TL: Honestly, I¡¯m not sure what the author meant by behavioral problems??? Anyway, I changed it to a matter of perspective. )


    The days we spent waiting for the reinforcements were drab but in order to prevent any unnecessary losses, we ended up sieging their nest for twenty days. On the twentieth day, the messenger we sent out finally returned along with a division of 2000 lizardmen.The lizardwoman leading the division was the sister of the current head of the lizardman clan, Westley¡¯s sister, Weslin.


    Weslin was one of the lizardmen captured by Habona. As the sister of the clan leader, she naturally held an influential position amongst her clan. However, because Westley ended up pledging allegiance to Habona after she beat him up, it wasn¡¯t a stretch to consider Weslin as one of us.


    Of course, that didn¡¯t mean that she was one of my direct subordinates.


    Because we already made the decision to wait for reinforcements, we ended up digging a hole near the ratman nest to use as a temporary habitat.


    It was Violet Snow who brought Weslin to my personal cave. At that moment, I was alone by myself so I decided to experiment with some new gear designs out of sheer boredom. I ended up crafting a few sets but because they were still ridden with flaws, I had no intention of using them immediately.


    Westley had seen me before and knew of my relationship to Habona. Thus, the fact that he sent over Westlin confused me. If I¡¯m not mistaken, he still had a younger brother so why did he dispatch Weslin? Shouldn¡¯t fighting and leading the troops be left to the males to handle?


    Putting down the prototype in my hands, I raised my head just in time to notice the lizardwoman approach me. She didn¡¯t seem to be in the best of moods but upon seeing me, she suppressed the dissatisfaction in her heart and even went so far as to throw me a forced smile.


    While her name, Weslin, sounded lovely, in reality, she was very bit a traditional lizardwoman. In other words, she was a bipedal giant lizard¡­in that case, how should I react to a female lizard smiling at me? As expected, it had to be that, didn¡¯t it: Flashing an accommodating smile amidst a shower of cold sweat.


    ¡°Now that Westley¡¯s the clan leader, are the other clan elders being compliant?¡± After exchanging some pleasantries, I immediately voiced the main concern I had. Regarding the progress of the lizard subjugation plan, Habona had sent some messengers with reports as well. However, these reports didn¡¯t contain much information and all I could glean from these reports was that the plan was proceeding smoothly though there was still some resistance.


    Now that I had a first party source on hand in the form of Weslin, I naturally had to question her. After all, the lizard subjugation plan was of extreme importance to me. To the me who wanted to assault the prison exit, their cooperation was invaluable.


    If the prison exit was akin to a dragon¡¯s roost or a tiger¡¯s nest, then the ratman nest which delayed me for over twenty days couldn¡¯t even be considered a childcare center.


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    ¡°We did in fact encounter some resistance, however all these hindrances were nothing before the might of Mistress Habona.¡± The moment she mentioned Habona, her face lit up.


    Compared to that forced smile she gave me, the attitude she had towards Habona was rather¡­how should I say it, anyway all you had to know was that it sent shivers down my spine. Plus, whenever she smiled, my eyes would inadvertently stare at her wide open jaws¡­that¡¯s right, it wasn¡¯t some dainty cherry but rather, it was a couple rows of razor sharp fangs. Fangs that could rip your head in a single bite, don¡¯t cha know!


    ¡°I just knew that Habona could handle it, instead it was us who needed her help, truly that¡¯s a little¡­¡±


    Whether it was out of the awkwardness of needing help or the spine-chilling rows of fang Weslin displayed, the expression I had on right now was a little awkward.


    ¡°Mistress Habona is the most dashing warrior I¡¯ve ever seen, the power she possesses is enough to put her at the top of the prison¡¯s food chain. Not only that, Mistress Habona is so gentle and treats me so well¡­normally she¡¯s so cool as well, she¡¯s just so perfect!¡±


    The moment she mentioned Habona, her overly excited reaction seemed to give off the impression of an obsessed fan?


    ¡°How is she gentle? That wolf who casually swears at the drop of a hat and has violent tendencies¡­¡± Come to think of it, weren¡¯t Violet Snow and Habona still on horrible terms? No wonder this little white puppy jumped out the moment she saw Weslin gush over Habona.


    ¡°Even though your status is higher than mine, I won¡¯t deny that, but I won¡¯t allow you to badmouth Mistress Habona!¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t retract your comments just now, I don¡¯t mind challenging you to a duel.¡±


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t say anything wrong, she really is an uncouth wolf!¡±


    ¡°Mistress Habona isn¡¯t uncouth at all, furthermore, her form is so elegant when she fights¡­¡±


    ¡®Habona isn¡¯t uncouth at all¡¯? I seemed to remember her picking up Violet Snow and calling her a mutt on our first meeting. Exactly how did you associate the word elegant with this fellow? How was she gentle? How was she not uncouth?


    Obsessed fans are truly scary¡­


    ¡°Err, Weslin, don¡¯t tell you¡¯ve fallen for Habona?¡± It was merely a probing question but who knew that she would actually lower her head in embarrassment at that mere thought. Even Violet Snow lost the desire to bicker¡­if Weslin was a human, I could imagine her beet red face right now.


    Seeing that look on Weslin¡¯s face, even Violet Snow was shocked into silence. Her jaws fell to the floor as if she was looking at the Lord Jesus himself. What the h*ck, this bit of revelation was just too stimulating, Weslin and Habona¡­a woman and another woman, was that truly alright?


    Come to think of it, how did I even notice a lizard¡¯s embarrassment? Fine, I guess that wasn¡¯t the main issue now. The main issue was that the moment I asked that question, she actually acted in a way that left me at a loss for words. She, knelt before me¡­


    Using a pair of pitiful eyes, she pleaded with eyes watering: ¡°Truth be told, Brother hoped that I could follow Master Mo Ke and¡­if possible¡­if possible¡­engage in an in-depth relationship¡­¡±


    Follow me¡­in-depth relationship¡­truth be told, I was disgusted. What the h*ck, we weren¡¯t even the same species and neither did we have the same sense of beauty, how does he expect us to get together? If I really had to fall in love with a giant lizard, I rather you killed me on the spot!


    Hearing that, Violet Snow threw me a sinister smile that seemed to say, so that¡¯s it. Until now, I hadn¡¯t realized that the normally icy cold Violet Snow actually had such a gossipy side to her.


    Were you picturing me spending time with that giant lizard? Well, that¡¯s impossible. All I can say to express my determination is: over my dead body!

 Chapter 166: Attacking the Nes

    Violet Snow threw me a look that screamed ¡°useless wuss¡±. However, I simply couldn¡¯t bring myself to do it with a giant lizard so I distanced myself even more in spite of her scorn.


    Oblivious to my look of utmost disgust, Weslin continued voicing out her true thoughts, head hung low as before. ¡°Frankly, I didn¡¯t wish for it to be so¡­but I don¡¯t like you, I can¡¯t like you either¡­frankly I¡­frankly the person I like is Mistress Habona! So¡­will you please let me go¡­¡±


    (TL: From now on, Mo Ke¡¯s thoughts will be enclosed in ¡® ¡¯ .)


    ¡®Let you go? Aren¡¯t you making a mistake here? I should be the one begging you to let me go¡­also, it¡¯s fantastic that you like Habona instead, thank the heavens and the stars.¡¯


    Noticing that I had the look of someone who had just survived a calamity, Violet Snow nearly choked herself to death with her laughter. However, the little puppy promptly put on an obedient facade after a furious glare from me.


    ¡°Err, it¡¯s fine, there¡¯s nothing wrong with liking Habona. Even though I won¡¯t support you, that dare-to-love and dare-to-hate attitude of yours is worthy of respect. In that case¡­¡±


    Initially, I had planned to continue talking in order to divert her attention but I was abruptly cut short when I discovered that she was looking at me with a shocked look on her face. Within her eyes, I could see a glimmer of expectation, gratitude along with a bunch of other hope-related emotions. Even her voice began to tremble a little as she said: ¡°Ah, you¡­you aren¡¯t going to force me to marry you?¡±


    ¡®Force you to marry me? Please, there¡¯s no chance the two of us will ever get together, you¡¯re thinking too much here.¡¯


    ¡°Haha¡­hah¡­¡±


    ¡®I dare you to chortle one second longer, Violet Snow. Do you believe that this brother will shave that fluffy white fur of yours in a second!¡¯


    Even though I really wanted to punish this little puppy, now wasn¡¯t the time for that. The most important task at hand was settling Weslin. Thus, I hurriedly put on the most casual look I could muster.


    ¡°Ah, ah,ah, not at all, not at all. There¡¯s really no need for that, I won¡¯t lift a finger to touch you¡­errr, I mean the fact that you like Habona seems extremely normal to me. Please don¡¯t worry too much about it. If you truly like someone, you should give it a shot. For all you know, Habona might swing that way as well.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m really sorry, my dashing and valiant wolf-sister Habona, but in this crucial moment¡­all I can do is sell you, my teammate, off.¡¯


    ¡®As the saying goes, I¡¯m not going to hell, how about you go instead. Am I right? Even Bodhisattva Dizang agreed with me when he said [I¡¯m not going to hell anymore]. So regarding Weslin, how about you be my fall guy, I mean fall wolf. I prefer girls who are more innocent and natural. As for the more eclectic girls, they really don¡¯t fall within my strike zone.¡¯


    ¡°*sob sob sob*¡­that¡¯s simply wonderful, you are the first devil to approve of my decision to court Mistress Habona¡­you¡¯re really a nice guy¡­¡±


    ¡®Hey hey hey, don¡¯t just turn on the waterworks like that. What if someone hears you and mistakenly think that we did it? Also, I don¡¯t want to be issued the nice guy card¡­¡¯


    Eyes gleaming with mischief, Violet Snow swept her gaze over the two of us and, with lips curled up at a corner, she quipped: ¡°Don¡¯t you know that Mo Ke¡¯s a devil? Is it really alright for you to call him a nice guy?¡±


    Perhaps she finally noticed the dissatisfaction on my face but after wiping off her tears, she gazed weakly at me before saying: ¡°About that, I¡¯m really sorry, Master Mo Ke. To think I actually called you a nice guy, I truly deserve to die. I bet a devil like you, definitely don¡¯t want to labelled a nice guy. I apologize, from now on, I¡¯ll remember that you are a bad guy, the most baddest guy in the world¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Why does that make me want to cry instead? I feel you should give me that nice guy card instead, it¡¯s not that inappropriate now that I think about it.¡¯


    ¡°Hahahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°No laughing!¡±


    No matter how much I fumed, it didn¡¯t stop her from continuing to laugh at my expense. However, it wasn¡¯t that bad having her laugh like that either. Normally, she had an icy look on her face as if I owed her millions of dollars.


    Truly, ever since we met, she seemed to have gotten a lot more cheerful. It probably had to do with her successfully avenging the death of her mother and finally letting go of that burden.


    ¡®Well, that¡¯s good to hear, she¡¯s a girl after all, being a little lively isn¡¯t a bad thing.¡¯


    ¡®However, since the reinforcements are here, it¡¯s about time for us to get down to business.¡¯


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    ¡®Speaking of which, aren¡¯t the medusas and lizardmen in an adversarial relationship?¡¯


    If it wasn¡¯t for the medusas¡¯ ability to petrify, the lizardmen would probably come out ahead in terms of combat strength. After all, the medusas didn¡¯t have a set of scales that could protect their vital points from all sorts of damage.


    Both races had toxins within them but the medusas were able to fire theirs from a distance while the lizardmen had their toxins concentrated within their oral cavities. In order to activate this toxin, they first had to bite down on their victims. However, the lizardmen had an advantage over the medusas in that their mouth toxins contained viruses as well. Thus, they were able to poison opponents who had a resistance to toxins.


    Both of these races had their own strengths but when you factored in the ability to petrify, it went without saying that the Medusas had a clear edge over these lizards. However, if one were to evaluate them based on defenses alone, the medusas couldn¡¯t even come close to the lizardmen who were born with a scale mail built into them.


    Thus, my plan was to have these lizardmen equip a bunch of shields and form the vanguard of my army while the medusas and the guardsmen trailed behind.


    Armed with my shields, they could basically ignore the bone spears of those rodents so all that remained was for them to cleave open a path for us. Naturally, I wouldn¡¯t mind if they were able to finish off all those who resisted us in one go.


    While the combat strength of two thousand lizardmen was already scary enough, I wouldn¡¯t mind if they grew even stronger. With that in mind, I had a two-star guardsman square off against a two-star lizardman.


    The scales of the lizardman were just able to deflect the slashes of my bone broadswords. As for that guardsman, should he ever get bitten, the outcome was obvious even without guessing¡­


    Thus, the first thing that lizardman did after exchanging a couple of blows with the guardsman was to nimbly circle around him and latch onto his shoulders. Jaws wide open and teeth bared for all to see, he attempted to bite the devil¡­


    Thankfully, this was merely a duel and not a fight to the death. Weslin stepped in before that happened and ended the match, narrowly avoiding a potential bloodletting.


    The lizardman won and that was even under unarmed conditions¡­¡®if I were to equip them with proper weapons and protective gear, their combat strength would definitely go through the roof.¡¯


    Other than the four-star Weslin, the lizardmen who came to aid us, included 200 three-stars with the rest of the 1800 consisting entirely of two-stars.


    ¡®These had to be the elites of their elites. I have to say, Westley really went all out to curry my favor.¡¯


    ¡®But the problem is that I still don¡¯t have that many equipment to hand out to them!¡±


    Even though I kept myself busy crafting a bunch of equipment in the interim where we waited for more reinforcements, those were mostly experimental prototypes. They were still usable in a pinch but even then there still wasn¡¯t enough to go around. Tallying up the numbers, I was barely able to gear up 500 lizardman.


    As I was mulling over the choice of whether or not to take the risk by attacking now or play it safe by crafting more equipment, Violet Snow chimed in with a plausible suggestion as to how we could send out a preliminary assault.


    ¡°I feel that we should gear up these 500 lizardmen first and send them on a reconnaissance mission. If we find that their resistance is lacking, we can dispatch a larger force then.¡±


    ¡®So we should test the waters first then? That¡¯s a pretty flexible strategy that works well with others. Given that these lizards have an impressive level of defence, they can just run away if things start to look bad.¡¯


    Truth be told, I had considered a diversionary tactic, in other words, faking an all out assault on one entrance while we focused the majority of our forces on another. However, the outcome of doing so was that we confirmed this piece of intelligence: no matter which entrance you attacked, the rodents had a roughly similar defence force stationed there.


    Thus it was clear to us that what we truly needed was a concerted push through one of these entrance and not a three way assault.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea, we¡¯ve dragged out this battle with the rodents for too long already so let¡¯s just start this quick.¡± I had Weslin hand out my assorted mix of 500 or so bone shields, swords, spears, hammers and whatever nonsense I concocted in my spare time. Having done that, these lizards even began to look the part of a lizard hero, what with all the weapons and armor I gave them.


    ¡°Leave the main assault to us.¡± She confidently declared as she thumped her chest. ¡°They¡¯re just a bunch of rats. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll perfectly show off the most valiant side of the draconic race!¡±


    ¡°Mhm, go then. As long as you¡¯re able to wipe out these stubborn rats, I guarantee I won¡¯t interfere in your affairs.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± With so many witnesses nearby, I chose not to reveal too much details. Weslin was no fool however and immediately understood what I was trying to say. Having gained my official assurance, her excitement skyrocketed.


    As if she had taken a shot of pure adrenaline, she rushed into battle, shield raised and spear waving. ¡°Follow me. Today will be the last we see of these stubborn rats!¡±


    ¡°Kill!¡± The lizardmen roared and charged in after their leader with spirits high.


    Having seen the effectiveness of my shields against their spears, Weslin wasted no time in having the three-star lizardmen form a mobile shield wall in front of the army. Behind them, the rest of the lizardmen formed up ranks after which they rapidly advanced through the nest.


    Not long they took their first few steps, a hail of bone spears descended upon them. While a portion of these spears ended up making it through the shield wall, their scales surprised me once more with their sturdiness when they harmlessly deflected the vicious spears of the ratmen.


    However, it wasn¡¯t actually that surprising once I gave it some more thought. Given that the spears were crafted from shoddy materials and that they didn¡¯t possess a height advantage like my harpies, it wasn¡¯t that surprising that their attacks failed especially since their opponents were three-star lizardmen. The higher one¡¯s star level was, the more sturdy their scales became.


    ¡°From the sounds of battle, it seems like the plan is underway already.¡±As Violet Snow and I stood at the entrance, there was only so much we could see from the outside especially since the already narrow width of the cave was filled up by the sheer size of these lizard big brothers. For the most part, we had to rely on our hearing to determine what was happening inside.


    (TL: I think he meant oni-chan instead of big brother but then, I¡¯m not too sure about it either.)


    Truth be told, the sounds of combat were actually rather easy to make out. The screams of pain all came from the Abaddon Rodents while the lizardmen hadn¡¯t even suffered a single casualty up to this point.


    Two minutes later, a lizardman ran out of the cave and under my anxious gaze, reported the news that I had been waiting for: ¡°Your Excellency, the fighting inside the cave was intense but the enemies weren¡¯t a match for our clan. Mistress Weslin has determined that it¡¯s alright to mount a full-scale assault¡­¡±


    As expected, fighting a war was all about finding the right counter to everything. While the medusas¡¯ offensive abilities were impressive, their defensive abilities were lacklustre in comparison. Against the aggression of the rodents, they would¡¯ve suffered heavy casualties even if I sent them in with shields. However, who would have known that such a difficult problem was nothing more than child¡¯s play for the lizardmen.

 Chapter 167: The Door of the Dead

    Even though the medusas were technically rated higher than the lizardmen in terms of combat strength, the end result was that they weren¡¯t even able to apprehend a bunch of stick throwing rats¡­ ¡®everything in this world had its own Achilles¡¯ heel I guess¡¯.


    ¡°Well what are you all waiting for, ATTACK!¡± With a wave of my hand, I ordered the remaining 1500 lizardmen to join in the full-scale assault. Having had a few days of worth of pent up rage in her, Manasha was raring to go, which she did so with a furious charge. Behind her, Majosha and her husband, Harlow, exchanged a couple of helpless glances before chasing after her.


    However, by the time they reached the battlefield, they found that there was basically nothing left for them to do thanks to Weslin¡¯s splendid performance.


    ¡°Numila, watch over these three exits and make sure none of the Abaddon Rodents escape.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry dearest, this harpy definitely won¡¯t allow any ratmen to escape.¡±


    ¡°If there are too many of them escaping, don¡¯t push yourself too hard either, just do your best.¡± Due to the lack of progress assaulting this cave, it truly felt like I had a fishbone stuck in my thraot these past few days. Now that we finally found a solution to that problem, it was only to be expected that I would go all-out.


    Having finally some form of catharsis for my sullen mood, I said: ¡°Don¡¯t push yourselves too hard, it¡¯s fine if some ratmen escape. Without their nest, it¡¯s only a matter of time before we round them all up anyway.¡±


    ¡°Alright, this harpy will listen to you.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m off.¡±


    ¡°Be careful, dearest.¡± Numila lovingly planted a wet one on my cheeks.


    Slightly moved and slightly exasperated at the same time, I gave her a smile before giving her a peck on her featherless forehead. ¡°Wait for my return.¡±


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    ¡°Mhm.¡± The Numila standing before me right now seemed more like a docile lamb than anything else, gone was the arrogance she showed during my initial encounter.


    Truth be told, I had a bad feeling about this nest. Even with our recent successes, I couldn¡¯t help but worry that the nest was hiding something else as well. After all, Violet Snow had been bullying these rats for some time now but they had never once shown any ability to craft spears.


    So why did they suddenly possess a long range attack the moment we tried to attack them?


    That contrast was kind of like if you attacked what was supposed to be a bunch of cavemen from the stone age but found out that they actually had bronze weapons and wooden armor¡­¡®these rats were supposed to be in the stone age so how did they suddenly advance to the bronze age? That makes no sense!¡¯


    I had some of the hellhounds sniff the bone spears just to be sure. Based on what they sniffed out, it definitely was the unique scent of the ratman lingering on those spears.


    ¡®Curious.¡¯ That was one of the reasons why I insisted on waiting for the reinforcements to arrive.


    As we navigated through the tunnels, we found countless ratman corpses scattered throughout. Just based on a quick count, there had to have been at least 500 corpses along the path we just walked.


    With Weslin acting as our vanguard and clearing the path ahead of us, there was nothing to worry about as we proceeded forward. As long as we continued following the trail of corpses, it would only be a matter of time before we caught up with Weslin.


    I had to admit though, the resistance these rodents were putting up was a lot fiercer than I had predicted. Normally, these ratmen were cowardly and avoided death like the plague, yet now these rats were actually engaged in a bitter fight to the death with us. Without any regard for their injuries or lives, they threw themselves at the lizardmen in a frenzied counterattack.


    Thankfully, the lizardmen had their sturdy scales to protect them from the ratmen¡¯s attacks. However, the razor sharp teeth of these rodents wasn¡¯t something to be underestimated. Even with their scales, a particularly vicious bite could as just as well reap the life out of their bodies.


    That was why I would stumble upon a few injured lizardmen from time to time. They were mostly covered in wounds that weren¡¯t too severe but even so, these wounds were starting to take a toll on their combat ability. In order to avoid any unnecessary losses, I handed them over to the guardsmen and instructed these devils to evacuate the wounded out of the cave where the harpies could take over.


    After proceeding forward for another four to five minutes, we finally caught up with Weslin¡¯s vanguard army. As for why it took so long to do so, it was because the Prison of the Dead was a maze to begin with, this nest being dug out of said maze was naturally just as snaking and easy to get lost in.


    Right now, Weslin was leading her lizardmen in a charge against the Abaddon Rodents¡¯ defensive formation. Opposite her, the ratmen were furiously tossing their spears as if they had an endless supply of them in hand. Unfortunately for them, the defenses of the lizardmen were simply too strong and no matter how extravagantly they wasted their spears, the most they achieved was cause some minor abrasions.


    Of course, it was a different matter entirely when those spears landed in a fatal spot like the eye sockets. However, the throwing skills of these rodents were only a smidge better than the harpies so for them to hit a target the size of a coin was¡­difficult.


    Thus, the lizardmen attack proceeded extremely smoothly. It was basically a bloody and merciless slaughter.


    Having been forced to retreat multiple times, the rodents¡¯ morale wasn¡¯t even that high to begin with. The moment they saw us arrive with the main army, they immediately despaired. Soon, there were signs of a massive retreat. Only those who couldn¡¯t escape tried to fight back by biting the lizardmen.


    ¡®This seems a little too easy, so easy it¡¯s almost like taking candy from a rat baby. This just feels a little too smooth, almost unnaturally so.¡¯


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Seeing me stop and frown, Violet Snow who had been by my side all this while, lifted her tiny head and asked: ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to advance?¡±


    Even though it might be wrong, I decided to share my concerns: ¡°Something feels off.¡±


    Manasha who seemed to have no interest in bullying these weaklings, so happened to be my side as well. Hearing my comment, she chimed in, voice slightly curious. ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you feel that everything seems a little too smooth?¡± I said while pointing at Weslin who was still in midst of slaughtering the rodents.


    It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t trust Weslin¡¯s capabilities, it also wasn¡¯t that I was unaware of how the lizardmen countered the rodents, but this was the nest of the Abaddon Rodents after all. These rats were simply too weak to the point where it felt unrealistic. But saying that this was all a set up¡­somehow, I just couldn¡¯t picture that.


    ¡°Not really, the lizardmen are really suited to taking on these rodents.¡± While Violet Snow didn¡¯t understand my worries, she still patiently explained herself: ¡°Their strongest point is their venom, as long as they are able to get a bite in, those who didn¡¯t have a strong resistance to poison would definitely suffer greatly.¡±


    ¡°However, the lizardmen are different from their usual opponents. They are protected by scales which not only deflected their bone spears, but also deflected their bites somewhat. Furthermore, they have an extremely high resistance to poison so that bit of venom won¡¯t even be able to harm them. It¡¯s only to be expected that the battle has proceeded so smoothly.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t overthink this matter. Truth be told, the medusas have an innate resistance to poison as well. If Manasha was more cavalier with her medusas, they would be able to achieve this much as well, albeit with some casualties.¡±


    Hearing that affirmative assessment, Manasha nodded her head as well seeing as she didn¡¯t intend to refute any claims that the medusas were stronger than the lizardmen. ¡°Rats are just rats in the end, don¡¯t treat them as something bigger than they actually are.¡±


    Having been forced to accompany me, Mimiya probably felt frustrated by the lack of freedom. Upon noticing my hesitation, the ever-restrained Mimiya immediately activated her taunting skill with no regards for friendly fire. ¡°All that talk about strangeness, are you sure you aren¡¯t just afraid?¡± At her side, Vick had an equally taunting look on his face ready to complement her, just as a competent sidekick should.


    ¡°Haha, perhaps I was really thinking too much into this.¡± Ignoring the two potatoes, I banished the doubts in my head and proceeded onwards.


    Whether it was the devils, the undead or the other lifeforms in hell, they basically all had one similarity, that was that their intelligence¡­tended to be a little low. Ever since I reincarnated into the Blood Sea up till now, I hadn¡¯t encountered a truly intelligent opponent and these ratmen clearly weren¡¯t an exception to this. I just couldn¡¯t imagine them digging a hole for me to jump in.


    Thus with this arrogant attitude of underestimation, we jumped right into the hole prepared for us¡­


    As Weslin hunted down the fleeing rodents with her troops, she revelled in the euphoria of being invincible. Unknowingly, she had lost her bearing. By the time we realized this, we found ourselves in a giant area which could hold over a thousand people.


    In order to dig a cave this large, a nearly endless amount of souls had to be sacrificed.


    I could understand how the rodents had an endless supply of spears; they had a habit of piling up the bones of their prey once they were done eating. Thus, it wasn¡¯t at all strange that they could amass such a number of bones for their spear crafting. However, such a vast cave was truly a rare sight in the Prison of the Dead.


    ¡®No¡­that¡¯s not right, I don¡¯t remember seeing a cave of this size before, even Mo En¡¯s largest space wasn¡¯t this vast.¡¯


    Floating around right in front of us was a mass of green fog that was slowly spreading outwards. Peering through the fog, I could vaguely make out a gate over seven meters tall and five meters wide on each side of the gate.


    (Author: Double doors are doors that can be opened on both sides, imagine those ancient doors.) (TL: He used the phrase double doors instead of gate, but honestly, it¡¯s just a freaking gate.)


    As the green fog continued spreading outwards, it wasn¡¯t long before they occupied slightly less than half of the available space. By now, the fog was spread a lot thinner so I was able to notice the giant pit in front of it that was over 10 meters wide and had an unknown depth. Laying within it were countless rat corpses which got to the point where the bloody red mass was able to fill up the giant pit¡­ ¡®How many rats had to die in order to fill that hole?! One thousand? Two, five or perhaps ten thousand?¡¯


    They were all thoroughly dead and from the expression some of them had on their faces, they died an excruciatingly painful death.


    ¡®Damn it, what¡¯s going on here? Don¡¯t tell me those rodents were into mass suicides as well¡­does the Falun Cult have a branch in this world as well?¡¯


    ?


    ¡®So who can tell me what¡¯s going on here? Why are all those ratmen dead in that pit?¡¯


    ¡°Not good, this is the Door of the Dead¡­¡±


    Manasha was the first to react to this strange sight, clearly she recognized this place.


    Curious, I asked: ¡°What¡¯s the Door of the Dead?¡±


    ¡°The Door of the Dead is what we commonly refer to as the prison exit¡­¡± Having recognized the place, she knew there was no time to explain this matter so she turned around and tried to drag us out of this place: ¡°There should still be enough time if we leave now, quick before¡­¡±


    ¡°This is the prison exit!?¡±


    Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine we would gain information on the prison exit under such circumstances. ¡®Yet when she said [There should still be enough time if we leave now], did she mean that we are in grave danger now?¡¯


    ¡®No doubt about it, just looking at their deaths, even an idiot wouldn¡¯t think that they killed themselves because they had nothing left to live for. It had to be that someone set this all up while we were busy attacking them. He probably conducted some kind of evil ritual while the rats bought time for him and then had them lure us here with their lives¡­¡¯

 Chapter 168: The Defensive Magical Array

    Looking around, there seemed to be only one way out of this cavern, and that was the way we came in. Yet just as we were about to evacuate via that exit, we discovered, to our surprise, that the green fog had already blanketed our escape route.


    Within that strange fog, I could vaguely make out a bunch of unknown silhouettes crawling out from beneath the bony grounds of the Prison of the Dead. These unknown entities didn¡¯t seem all that sturdy and would stagger with each step they took. As they did so, an audible click echoed across the vast cavern, it was a click that resembled the sound of bones colliding with each other¡­ ¡®undead!¡¯


    This place was actually summoning undead! However, they didn¡¯t seem all that strong.


    ¡®So that sinister looking ritual was to summon the undead, in that case, this must¡¯ve been a trap prepared for us beforehand.¡¯


    ¡°Charge through them!¡± Manasha was the first one to break the silence with her rousing yell. Even though the number of undead skeletons were still unknown, that didn¡¯t deter her one bit as she fearlessly charged into the unknown.


    As she closed in on one of the skeletons, she swung her powerful snake tail and with a resounding crack, scattered the bony bodies of three nearby skeletons into the air.


    To a four-star like Manasha, these newly summoned skeletons clearly weren¡¯t even a threat to her. Thus, it didn¡¯t take long before she managed to cleave a path to the exit point.


    However, the moment she tried to charge out of the exit point, her body was abruptly repelled backwards as if she had collided with some kind of sturdy wall.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± I asked as I rushed up to break her fall. At the same time, I turned my gaze to investigate what it was that repelled her. Strangely, I found nothing there. Other than that obviously non-solid mist, there was nothing but empty space.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to keep looking, the exit has already been sealed. If we aren¡¯t able to defeat the guardian army of the Door of the Dead¡­¡± Manasha left her sentence hanging there, though it wasn¡¯t hard to guess what came next. Only an idiot couldn¡¯t guess that unless we defeated these undead, we were stuck here.


    With the exit merely a few paces away from us, how could I be satisfied with just giving up like that? The answer was a definite no. I disbelievingly reached out to touch the exit point and as I did so, I gave the air in front of me a slight shove. To my dismay, I wasn¡¯t able to push past that point.


    It was as if there was an invisible magical force separating the cavern ,where the Door of the Dead resided, from the Prison of the Dead.


    ¡°Sh*t, what should we do now?¡± With no way to escape and our location still a giant unknown, my mind was thrown into disarray. With hardly any time to digest what was happening to us, it truly felt like we were grasping at straws.


    Beside me, Manasha had a visible look of displeasure on her face as she shook her head and said, ¡°I should listened to you just now and been more careful, we wouldn¡¯t have ended up in this situation then¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s no use saying that now. We need to think of a plan quick. Exactly how are we going to overcome this dangerous situation?¡± Even while we were panicking, the number of undead continued to steadily rise. Weslin was already in midst of repelling the skeletons with her lizardkin.


    In the midst of all that, No.3 and Big 4 swiftly rushed to my side while the other guardsmen sortied to reinforce the medusas¡¯ position. Because these were undead they were dealing with, the medusas were at a slight disadvantage. Given that their toxins were ineffective against the dead, they were forced them to engage in melee instead.


    Regret was pointless. That was something Manasha knew very well. Still, that didn¡¯t prevent her from feeling extremely frustrated at the fact that she had just been tricked by a bunch of rats. It didn¡¯t take long before that anger got to her head after which she promptly snapped.


    ¡°What else can we do, we fight!¡± Nose flaring as she yelled.


    By now, the coverage of that green fog had widened significantly and with that, the number of undead rising had increased as well. The undead that rose were merely skeletons; there were no wraiths of zombies in sight.


    Being skeletons, they were naturally just a bunch of weaklings. Yet, even for skeletons, they seemed weak. Their bodies would shake with every step they took as if they were on the verge of falling apart. Not only that, they were all unarmed. No shields, no weapons, nothing; not even clothing.


    One thing that caught my eye was the variety of skeletons attacking us. There were skeletons with horns on their heads ¨Cmost likely devils ¨C, stubbier skeletons belonging to the dogmen, ratlike ones, reptilian ones, orcish ones and even centaur skeletons. However, there weren¡¯t just complete skeletons, there were skeletons that lacked arms and legs¡­while not having arms was still fine, not having legs meant that these skeletons were slowly crawling towards us¡­either way, there was a whole gamut of skeleton types heading towards us.


    Standing in front of us was our end goal, the legendary Door of the Dead. Yet without making ample preparations, entering was definitely out of the question.


    ¡®What about retreating then¡­not an option as well¡­that invisible wall is still there blocking our escape route.¡¯ Since a mighty four-star like Manasha wasn¡¯t able to break down that wall, the thought of breaching that wall had never even crossed my mind.


    The only option left open to us was to advance and kill every thing that tried to kill us, that was the only route to survival. Thus, without even needing me to give out the command, Weslin knew to buckle down and focus on the fighting. After all, griping about how careless we were wasn¡¯t going to change a thing.


    With every wave of her spear, Weslin managed to sweep aside one skeleton at the very least. Armed with the shield I gave her, there was basically no chance of getting harmed either. In fact, it even functioned as a lethal weapon with the way she violently smashed a couple of skeletons that tried to approach her with a prompt shield bash. Though this was her first time wielding a shield, I had to admit, she wielded it well.


    Once more, the physical prowess of the lizardmen stole the limelight in this battle. While they had no magical talents to speak of, that deficiency was more than compensated by their excellent power, speed and constitution. As expected of the mighty draconic race.


    With all that said, it was worth noting once more how weak these skeletons were. I bet they weren¡¯t even a one-star mob, a gale could probably blow them away if the Prison of the Dead had winds.


    Naturally, these weaklings weren¡¯t a match for my army of 600 medusas, 2000 lizardmen and 300-odd guardsmen. The hellhound riders weren¡¯t suited for such close quarter combat so I left them outside with the harpies. It wasn¡¯t a large army per say but that was precisely why I took pains to choose the elites before rushing into the cave. Against these zero-star trash, they were clearly overqualified.


    Of the three races, only the medusas had one-stars amongst them. Even so, these one-stars weren¡¯t a hindrance to others in spite of the undead¡¯s resistance to toxins. They still had their frightening tails to aid them so all in all, their melee strength wasn¡¯t that bad either.


    While all that was happening, the mysterious green fog continued expanding as usual. Yet it seemed to avoid any living creature as if there was some kind of will guiding it to do so.


    Thanks to that, the rate of undead spawning had picked up as well. Thankfully, we still killed them at a faster rate than they spawned. With a mighty of sweep of her tail, the boss-class medusa, Manasha, easily took out a large swathe of skeletons.


    Nearby, Harlow¡¯s own impressive performance showed once more why the demonic werewolves were a fearsome combat race. With his razor sharp claws, he tore through the skeletons as if they were a bunch of tofu.


    However, the battle situation didn¡¯t seem to be changing despite our overwhelming kill ratio. With that in mind, I had no choice but to allow Mimiya to join the fray as well. With her dimensional magic talents, she pulled out a giant black scythe that was even taller than her from god knows where.


    Flapping her devil wings, she took to the air and begun spinning around wildly while she swung the terrifying scythe in what looked like a frenzied reaper¡¯s dance. The moment a skeleton approached her, it was promptly sliced apart before it could take another step further.


    As the little she-devil continued decimating the skeletons, another strange sight caught my eyes. Vick, the wraith whom I had pegged as an advocate of peace because he rarely attack anyone, actually joined the battle alongside Mimiya as a trusty sidekick should. With his incorporeal nature, he was able to freely float up to a skeleton and extend his ghostly hands right into their skulls in order to harvest the soul flames within.


    As he did that to one of the skeletons, that poor undead promptly collapsed to the ground leaving behind a soul flame floating on the palms of Vick.


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    Speaking of which, that reaper¡¯s scythe was actually something I made for Mimiya. It had the soul pearl of a three-star wraith infused within it and thus possessed a frightening level of lethality. It even possessed a gruesome ability to cause bleeding to whatever it struck and had the ability to cast a random curse as well.


    With regards to the origins of that scythe, there was one thing I had to say now: while Mimiya looked rather adorable, her personality wasn¡¯t the least bit adorable at all¡­


    Back when she first laid eyes on Numila¡¯s Flametail, she fell in love with such weapons and clamored for her own epic-grade weapon as well. However, I only had a Shadowfang on hand so there was no way I would give her one.


    I brushed her off by saying that I would find one later but who knew that she would end up losing her patience anyway. She said that it didn¡¯t matter if the weapon wasn¡¯t an epic weapon, just give her one for now so that she could play with it. Back then I was still busy with other matters so I rejected her. However, after being hounded by her for several days, I finally gave in and rushed out that black scythe for her.


    I doubt anyone wouldn¡¯t do the same if they were in my shoes¡­after all, who would want a little devil flying around their heads throughout the day¡­


    ¡°Yo, Violet Snow, aren¡¯t you going to fight?¡±


    ¡®Even Mimiya had entered the battle so what was Violet Snow still doing here?¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk about me, aren¡¯t you here as well?¡± As she said that, Violet Snow rolled her eyes at me as if to say, one who ran fifty paces shouldn¡¯t laugh at one who ran a hundred. Yet the moment she turned around to look at me, her head froze. That was because she finally understood that I hadn¡¯t actually been lazing around at all.


    (TL: One who ran fifty steps shouldn¡¯t laugh at one who ran a hundred:


    According to the Chinese wiki, this saying originated from the Era of Warring States. Mencius was having a chat with King Hui and he brought up this analogy,


    ¡°Once there were two defeated soldiers fleeing from the frontlines. One of them ran away for fifty paces while the other ran a hundred. The one who ran fifty paces ended up calling the other soldier useless for fleeing so far even though, at the end of the day, they were both useless. The only difference was how far they ran.¡±


    Essentially, ¡°pot calling the kettle black¡±. End of story time.)


    Sometimes I had to admit, the Shadow Guardian was truly a useful spell to have. It could be activated stealthily and once it was activated, its shadow could extend itself to bind an opponent. That was precisely what I was doing right at this very moment: using my shadow to aid our side.


    ¡°Your shadow magic is really convenient huh¡­¡± As she said that, she couldn¡¯t help but feel that her words had come back to bite her in her fluffy white tail.


    Truth be told, I couldn¡¯t blame her for not attacking. While her attacks were powerful, she didn¡¯t have much of a mana pool to back them up. In a long drawn-out battle like this, she couldn¡¯t sustain her attacks for long so it was only natural that she held herself back for crucial moments.


    Now was clearly not a crucial moment. Our side had an overwhelming advantage in terms of strength and while their numbers were a concern, they were still zero-star trash mobs. I bet some random muscle man could defeat these skeletons just by wielding a stick let alone my battle-hardened warriors.


    Yet even though that was the case, I could vaguely sense the falseness behind this security. Manasha probably felt the same as well otherwise she wouldn¡¯t have tried to escape in such a hurry.


    As if to prove my point, what I feared finally happened. After ten minutes of slaughtering these skeletons, the bony ground finally produced the first ever one-star skeleton. If this was anything to go by, there might just be two-stars as well in the not too distant future¡­


    With the appearance of that skeleton, the newly risen skeletons all had some form of basic weaponry and armor. While they weren¡¯t all that impressive to look at, their effectiveness wasn¡¯t anything to scoff at.


    At least that would have been the case if they were facing off against another army. To us, the only difference between a one-star and zero-star was that one required a smidge more force to break¡­

 Chapter 169: Evil Eye

    Initially, it didn¡¯t take much effort for us to farm these mindless replicating skeletons. However, after another ten minutes or so, the level of the risen skeletons increased once more. We now had to face an unending horde of skeletons consisting mostly of one-stars and a sizeable number of two-stars who formed an elite corp of sorts.


    The arrival of these two-stars undoubtedly made our job significantly harder as, unlike their one-star brethren, their direct combat strength wasn¡¯t that inferior though they still weren¡¯t a match for the lizardmen and my guardsmen. However, these skeletons gave off that ominous feeling of being endless which ,I had to say, was a major psychological stress factor.


    Just from a quick glance alone, I could see that stress being turned into physical fatigue that, in turn, made some of my troops lose focus as well. Given how they had been fighting at full throttle for over twenty minutes, I couldn¡¯t blame them for tiring out either. Thus, for the first time since this battle started, we were starting to show signs of faltering.


    ¡°Why won¡¯t these damned skeletons stay dead¡­¡± Exclaimed Weslin, voice exasperated and slightly ragged from the fatigue as well. This four-star lizardwoman was one of the first few to leap into battle and revel in that ensuing carnage. Yet at the same time, that meant she expanded a great deal of stamina and while her four-star status afforded her greater stamina than most, even she was beginning to tire out.


    While this amount of fatigue was still manageable for her, the almost sisyphean nature of this battle was beginning to grate on her nerves and threatened to throw her into the depths of despair. What truly concerned her was how long more would this battle last. Did they really have to maintain such a ferocity for the entire day?


    On the other hand, Manasha was noticeably more collected in her response. She seemed to have had experience with such battles before judging from how she calmly commanded her medusas. After suppressing the enemy, she had her troops split into two and set up a rotation where one stood guard while the other rested.


    ¡®So she already made the determination that this was going to be a battle of attrition?¡¯


    Noticing Weslin¡¯s panicked state, Manasha immediately reminded the lizard: ¡°Keep it together, it¡¯s going to be over soon. Before we entered the cavern, someone activated the defensive magical array of the Door of the Dead. That person must¡¯ve sacrificed a huge amount of souls as well, that¡¯s why the potency of this array seemed to have been magnified several times. After every ten minutes, the undead will advance by a level but under normal circumstances, it should stop at three-stars.¡±


    The two-star skeletons were noticeably stronger than the one-stars but thankfully, they made up less than half of the army, roughly a thousand or so. Yet, those one thousand two-stars were enough to give us a run for our money.


    In light of that, our forces had to put forth their best in order to counter the undead. As for me, I decided that it was finally time for me to do so as well.


    However, just as I was about to toss my conjured fireball, Weslin inexplicably led her troops in a charge towards the skeleton army. They violently dove into the skeleton horde and scattered their bony foes. All around them, the skeletons that stood in their way basically exploded in a shower of broken bones. Yet, they didn¡¯t stop there. She continued leading her lizards forward as if she was looking for something.


    ¡°Weslin? What do you think you are doing? Don¡¯t break away from the main force!¡± Unfortunately, my commands fell on deaf ears as she continued charging forward without even turning around once. Her reckless charge continued until, finally, they came to a stop in front of the valley of rat corpses that was more a blood pool by now.


    Seeing that, I became even more confused. No matter how I racked my brains, I just couldn¡¯t understand her actions. ¡®Just what was she up to?¡¯


    Then, a mere second later¡­there was no longer a need for me to rack my brains because she gave me the answer herself. Weslin violently swept aside the skeletons approaching her and with one claw extended forward, reached for one of the rat corpses in the blood pools. Fangs bared for all to see, she viciously bit down¡­ ¡®Was she hungry or something?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t just Weslin, the other lizardmen who followed her all charged to the blood pool as well and began wolfing down the corpses. While some wolfed down the corpses at breakneck speeds, some of them just swallowed the corpses whole, bones and all.


    ¡®The way you guys are behaving right now¡­exactly how many years has it been since you all ate? That can¡¯t be right, can it? As the saying goes, the emperor doesn¡¯t lack hungry soldiers, I know this logic well enough. I fed them well before we assaulted the cave and I even prepared a surplus of meat just in case so I¡¯m absolutely sure that they already had their fill of meat.¡¯


    ¡°You potato lizard, if you don¡¯t get back here this instant, I¡¯m never letting you meet Habona ever again in your lifetime!¡± I snapped, clearly displeased that my previous command was so thoroughly ignored.


    Though I¡¯m not sure what this lesbian had in mind when she decided to fall in love with Habona, her love for that shewolf should be genuine. Even though she probably knew that Habona would never love her, she still chose to hold onto this one-sided romance. Against such a lovestricken lizard, the threat of not seeing Habona was definitely a serious one. At least that was what I thought¡­even after throwing out the name [Habona], Weslin still didn¡¯t react to my words.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me that food held a greater position in your heart than Habona? That doesn¡¯t make any sense, it¡¯s too strange. How could Weslin ignore the word Habona like that?!¡¯


    ¡°Is there something wrong with her brains?¡± Asked Violet Snow. Like me, she knew how much Weslin liked Habona as well. The fact that she would ignore the word Habona like that, struck her as strange. There was clearly more to this situation than meets the eye.


    ¡°There¡¯s definitely something wrong with her brains and there¡¯s probably some special reason for it.¡± Even though I still couldn¡¯t figure out what was wrong with Weslin, I wasn¡¯t willing to give up on her either. Her position in my army was a delicate one so whether it was out of principle or out of deference to Westley¡¯s feelings, I couldn¡¯t disregard her safety.


    What made matters worse was that those skeletons had begun to notice the fact that a small portion of my army had broken off to feast on the blood pool. While they were still brainless as before, they at least had the intelligence to perform the almost instinctual task of picking on the weak.


    Soon, the skeletons separated a portion of their troops to surround the feasting lizardmen. Of these, the majority were one-stars while the rest were basically two-stars except for that one three-star thrown into the mix. That¡¯s right, the array was beginning to summon three-stars now.


    Unlike their two-star brethren, they were noticeably better equipped both in terms of armor and weapons. Each of them wore a bone jerkin and the majority of them wielded a longsword and shield. There were some that wielded a pair of long spears and some that wielded a long shaft hammer. Fortunately, there were still no signs of them having long range capabilities.


    By now, the nearest skeletons had begun to attack the feasting lizardmen but shockingly, they still didn¡¯t proactively attack the skeletons even after receiving their strikes. All they did was hunker down and swat at the offending skeletons should their actions directly interfere with their feasting. From time to time, they would flick their lizard tails at the annoying skeletons in order to shove them aside.


    For now, they seemed to be holding up well. However, such a situation wasn¡¯t tenable. While their defenses weren¡¯t low, they weren¡¯t that high that they could allow the skeletons to freely attack them either.


    It wasn¡¯t long before the first death appeared. It was a two-star lizardman who died under the spear thrust of a three-star skeleton. ¡®Damn it, these skeletons act fast¡­I need to find out the reason for their feeding frenzy as soon as possible.¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s not like she was a Mo Xixidi, her desire for food shouldn¡¯t be at that level where even the heavens shook and the earth wept, so why wasn¡¯t she striking back even after the being hit¡­it¡¯s so unnatural!¡¯


    ¡°This situation¡­I think I¡¯ve seen it before somewhere¡­¡± Muttered Manasha. I had to hand it to this medusa sometimes, her abilities were truly astounding. Even in the midst of this heated battle, she still had the presence of mind to observe her surroundings.


    The moment she noticed Weslin¡¯s strangeness, her eyebrows jumped as if she just thought of something: ¡°Weslin looks like she is under the control of some mysterious force¡­control¡­I¡¯ve got it, it¡¯s an evil eye!¡±


    ¡®Evil eye? That name seems to ring a bell.¡¯


    Before I could recall where I had heard of it before, Manasha suddenly yelled, finger pointing above our heads as she did so: ¡°Quick, look up there! It¡¯s up there!¡±


    ¡®What¡¯s up there?¡¯ As that thought crossed my mind, I raised my head and received the shock of my life.


    Floating right above us was a giant meatball. In the center of that meatball was a giant eyeball that at least took up half of its body¡­and that meatball was dangling upside down from the ceiling at this very moment¡­


    The meatball was fairly rounded and had several feeler-like appendages that helped secure itself to the bony ceiling. Its giant eyeball was currently focused in the direction of Weslin and as it did so, an indescribably frightening red light flickered in its pupils. It was precisely this light that allowed us to spot this strange ball hanging above us otherwise we would have never been able to notice it thanks to its beige coloring, a color that blended very well with the ceiling.


    ¡°That¡¯s an evil eye? Shouldn¡¯t it be a beholder?¡±


    Only allowed on Creativenovels.com


    ¡®Ah! I remember now, aren¡¯t evil eyes those monsters from the legends that can control your mind!? I still remember that time when I employed such a unit in some war chess game, its main skill was to control the opponent¡¯s units and it looked exactly like that meatball dangling above us. However, shouldn¡¯t it be called a beholder?¡¯


    ¡°Beholders are the next step in their evolution tree.¡± Her eyes fell on me as she said that. In the meantime, the snakes atop her hair reared their heads back and took aim. Mouths wide open, they fired their toxic payload at the dangling meatball.


    Countless thread-like streams of toxins flew into the air and precisely landed on the evil eye who was still focused on controlling Weslin. As they did so, this cavernous section of the Prison reverberated with the jarring hisses of melting flesh. All around the meatball, we could clearly see a mass of greyish smoke rise from the areas the venom struck.


    Having been caught off guard by this attack, its paper thin defenses promptly crumbled and the evil eye immediately lost control of its body afterwhich it fell off the ceiling. However, while a height of 15 meters might seem high, it wasn¡¯t actually so for creatures with a certain degree of power. At most, such a height would only cause some minor bruises.


    As it fell, the evil eye hurriedly wrapped its feelers around its meaty body just in time to protect itself from the fall. A second later, it crash landed and like a rubber ball, it actually bounced several times off the ground¡­


    The evil eye¡¯s feelers were probably around one and a half meter long while its ball, in other words its head section, was a meter long in diameter. It had no mouth, ears, nose or facial features to speak of, all it had was a giant eyeball. Truly, a strange looking creature.


    However, that wasn¡¯t the only unusual thing about it. As it landed on the ground, its exterior began to change color, taking on a meaty hue at the end of its transformation. At the top of its giant noggin were numerous patches of scorched flesh, those were clearly the handiwork of Manasha¡¯s venom, though their toxicity had basically run out now.


    Even so, it wasn¡¯t the sheer power of her venom that shocked me the most, rather, it was the fact that this meatball could disguise itself! Like a chameleon, it was able to change its skin color to suit its surroundings.


    ¡®I don¡¯t remember beholders having such a convenient feature back when I played that game! Weren¡¯t they just supposed to be long ranged units with an innate ability to hypnotize others and float? They also had horrid defenses and speed but that was about all I knew about them from the game.¡¯

 Chapter 170: Weslin Plays Squash

    ¡°An evil eye¡¯s talents lay in their psychic magic, however these magicks are bounds by severe limitations¡ª¡±


    Right in the middle of Manasha¡¯s explanation, the evil eye suddenly released the feelers wrapped around its body and,with its giant eye glowing a sinister red, fired off a psychic attack at the medusas in a bid to control her. Caught off guard, she abruptly halted her explanation due to the sudden interference.


    Strangely enough, she managed to instantly shake off the psychic spell as if she was immune to it. Prior to this, she had assumed that the evil eye was harmless after getting burnt by her toxin. Truly, it was a huge mistake on her part.


    Having lost control of its psychic spell, the resulting backlash immediately fired back at the evil eye¡¯s mind. Brains spasming from the rending pain, it desperately tried to alleviate its suffering by continually rolling around on the floor.


    ¡°You actually tried to control me, looks like you truly wish to die!¡± Her lips curved into a disdainful smile and a second later, her hefty tail lashed at the unfortunate meatball and sent it flying like a soccer ball. A few meters away, the meaty soccer ball collided into the Prison walls and then, bounced off harmlessly with its amazing elasticity¡­


    ¡®Come to think of it, why wasn¡¯t she affected by the evil eye¡¯s mind control?¡¯ While there hadn¡¯t been any clear indication of what level it was at, it had to have been a four-star given the way it managed to control Weslin and several dozens of lizardmen.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take care of the undead first, as for that evil eye¡­it doesn¡¯t have the ability to cause trouble for the time being, I¡¯ll just have Majosha look after it.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Now that the evil eye had lost its ability to fight, its control over the lizardmen and Weslin had been broken. The moment she woke up, she found, to her surprise, that she was in the middle of a skeleton horde. Around her, the lizardmen who had been placed under control were all in a bad shape with some even dying during their feeding frenzy. Of her remaining subordinates, only ten or so were still in fighting shape.


    ¡°What¡­what am I doing here?¡± She said, eyes slightly glazed over in confusion. Thankfully, even in the midst of her muddled state, her battle instincts weren¡¯t lost. Tossing aside the half eaten rat in her hands, she spun around in a deadly dance of tail and razor sharp claws. In just a few seconds, the skeletons around her were reduced to nothing but a pile of scattered bones.


    ¡°Those of you who are still lucid, follow me closely, we¡¯re charging out of here.¡±


    Thanks to her formidable strength, Weslin made it through their feeding frenzy completely unscathed. Her four-star strength was currently working at full throttle as she furiously zipped around the battlefield and saved her wounded brethren. ¡°Bring those that can be saved with you and follow my lead!¡±


    Without wasting a single second, she violently charged into the dense skeleton pack and forcefully cleaved a clear path for her breathren. Behind her, the ten or so lizardmen, all laden with a injured comrade, obediently stuck close to her and ran for their lives.


    Faced with a life or death situation, Weslin¡¯s mind was more focused than it had ever been and that caused her combat strength to skyrocket in response. No matter who it was, two-star or three-star skeleton, she swept through them, claws reaping a life with every swipe.


    ¡°Vice clan leader, we¡¯ll clear a path for you!¡±


    Up till now, the lizardmen who were fortunate to be spared from the evil eye¡¯s mind control were forced to mount a desperate defense to the death. Seeing Weslin lead the survivors back in a furious charge, their spirits were immediately lit on fire as they started charging into the skeletons in order to welcome their leader back.


    Thanks to that, Weslin¡¯s break through went a lot smoother and they ended up escaping without a casualty!


    Now that she was back, the battle had basically entered its closing phase. Just as Manasha explained, the highest level of undead the defensive array could summon was three-star with no possibility of anything higher. Without any elite forces of their own, our job naturally became a lot easier.


    With the four-stars acting as their spearhead, my melee forces mounted a full-scale assault on the remaining skeletons.


    Watching from the backlines, I diligently fired off my fire spells into skeleton army, clearing a giant patch of undead in an instant with my fireballs and cutting them off with a roaring flame wall. While they clearly weren¡¯t comparable to Numila¡¯s fire attacks which were boosted by Flametail, they still managed to take a decent chunk out of the enemy.


    From the moment the three-star skeletons joined the battle, Violet Snow began attacking as well. With a stomp of her tiny paws, she fired off wave after after of ice spells with ever growing ease. In fact, these ice balls and ice shards weren¡¯t just the usual ice spells from my memory, they had grown noticeably stronger and were even able to freeze a three-star skeleton with ease.


    Right at the very end however, she fired an ice area of effect spell that summoned a giant icicle from the ceiling and sent it crashing down on the skeleton army, wiping out the last ten three-star skeletons. ¡®This power¡­there¡¯s no way that could come from a three-star!¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ve¡­evolved?¡± Staring at her tiny paws, Violet Snow had a look on her face that was just as shocked as I was.


    Thus, the battle came to an unexpectedly flamboyant end. On the whole, we didn¡¯t suffer much losses and instead gained over 100 000 soul flames, though the majority of that came from zero to one-star undead¡­also we gained a four-star evil eye captive!


    ¡®Speaking of which, I still have a butt load of questions that need answers so I need that meatball to spit out all he knows.¡¯


    After ordering them not to approach the Door of the Dead, I had my guardsmen sweep up the battlefield while I approached the evil eye who was still wrapped up in its feelers. I lightly kicked the motionless meatball but it didn¡¯t seem to want to respond at all.


    ¡®Is it playing dead?¡¯


    However, just as that thought crossed my mind, the feelers unwound themselves rapidly, revealing the giant eye hidden beneath in an instant. Immediately, I was struck by an intangible psychic power as it turned its emotionless red eye onto me.


    ¡®Was this the psychic mind control of a evil eye?¡¯ It felt like a high powered drill had rammed into my head and was in the midst of drilling into my psyche in order to usurp control of my body. Thankfully, my psychic power wasn¡¯t weak either. After all, even after reincarnating I still possessed the APM of a 40 year old single man¡­I mean, the psychic reservoir of a sage; the boundless, limitless, infinite reservoir of a sage.


    ¡®As a sage with the prospects of becoming a grand sage, how could I be defeated by such a banal mind control spell!¡¯


    ¡®Actually¡­all that talk about a sage¡¯s psychic reservoir¡­that was just me messing around. In truth, the reason I was able to resist its mind control was because the Mark of Envy activated.¡¯ The Mark of Envy (TL: the tattoo he gained when he evolved.) was the hallmark of an illusion demon and had a mesmerizing effect on living creatures.


    Illusion demons were experts in psychic magic as well but unlike the demons, an evil eye¡¯s ability was to directly usurp control of a person¡¯s body. To be exact, it forcefully severed the connection between an enemy and his soul and asserted control over that body. In contrast, an illusion demon¡¯s magicks were focused primarily on illusions; spells that disrupted the senses and caused hallucinations.


    ¡®Hah, you picked the wrong devil to mess with, to think you actually tried to control this big brother, how foolish!¡¯


    Almost a second after he tried to control me, my mark automatically activated itself and dispelled his control over me. For his efforts, he was promptly rewarded with a decisive kick of my feet and the same horrific backlash he experienced just moments ago. Once more, the meatball rolled around in pain in a bid to distract himself from the pain.


    ¡°So this is the bast*rd that attacked me just now?¡± Looking at its pained figure, I was just about to give it a couple more kicks for good measure when Weslin came up to me with that question.


    Judging from the tone of her voice, she must have had some lingering resentment over the fact that she was mind controlled¡­ ¡®come to think of it, anyone would be uncomfortable with the way she embarrassed herself just now, even more so because I even pulled out the [Habona] card on her.¡¯


    ¡®By now, everyone probably heard of her special relationship with Habona¡­oh, what I meant to say was, Weslin¡¯s one-sided hope that she could be in a special relationship with Habona.¡¯


    Without a doubt, that had to be a stain on her reputation, for all we know by tomorrow, no, perhaps even half a day later, that bit of gossip would¡¯ve spread like wildfire amongst the other demons and devils and spawn a multitude of versions. After all, everyone was a little bored in this dreary hellhole.


    ¡°Hey, make sure you don¡¯t kill him¡­*thwack* I still have¡­*boing* a lot to¡­*thwack* ask it¡­¡±Seeing her approach the meatball eyes fuming and feet stomping, I hurriedly step in to remind her not to go overboard. However, before I could even finish my sentence, Weslin batted the rolling meatball away with a flick of her tail as if it was some kind of baseball and sent it bouncing against the wall. Flick, bounce, flick, bounce¡­thus this scene continuously played out with no end in sight.


    ¡®This¡­it was as if she was playing squash ball.¡¯


    ¡°Hey¡­Weslin¡­make sure not to kill him¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take my time with him.¡± As she said that, her head turned around for a brief moment after which her lips curled up into a sinister grin. Then, without missing a beat, she turned around once more and flicked her tail, striking the head of the evil eye just as it bounced back. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure he has a breath left in him.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± ¡®At least you remembered to do so, must¡¯ve been hard on you.¡¯


    Finally, Weslin¡¯s venting came to an end and I was able to question the meatball. However, its condition wasn¡¯t really stable by now¡­or rather, it was about to die any moment.


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    A couple of its feelers were broken and its bouncy head was leaking some kind of disgusting green fluid. No matter how one looked at it, it gave off the impression of a dying meatball.


    ¡°About that¡­weren¡¯t you a little¡­violent with your venting?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I think so too.¡± Seeing the strange look I gave her, she was slightly embarrassed as well. I distinctly remembered telling her to not to kill him, that meant beating him half to death not as good as dead!


    Thankfully, Manasha had some experience with such matters so she promptly had some soul flames delivered to the evil eye. The moment she did so, the evil eye practically rolled itself onto the soul flames and began absorbing them. A minute or so later, its condition was noticeably better. What were a bunch of bleeding wounds just a while ago had completely closed up and it seemed like a perfectly serviceable meatball once more.


    ¡®Mhm, if Weslin wants to play some more squash, perhaps¡­I could let her have another match.¡¯


    ¡®Sigh, why am I stuck with these bunch of potatoes who don¡¯t know how to hold back? Don¡¯t they know that I still have a lot of questions to force out of him¡­oops, I just said something bad, didn¡¯t I?¡¯


    Now that it was interrogation time, Majosha took the initiative to restrain the evil eye and prevent it from moving. As for Harlow, he had the self-awareness to hide in a corner to avoid any accidents.


    Like the lizardmen, the demonic werewolves were susceptible to psychic control.


    ¡°What language do these evil eyes speak?¡± Noticing its lack of a mouth, I was a little stumped as to how to proceed with the interrogation, like a rat trying to figure out a way to drag a turtle.


    (TL: The turtle hides in its shell so the rat has no way of tying a rope around it and dragging it along.)


    Yet in midst of my confusion, a strange voice that sounded neither male nor female entered my mind directly. This method of communication wasn¡¯t like Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s method communicating directly with the soul. Instead, it employed a psychic means to deliver its message to the mind without going through the ears.


    ¡°Esteemed Lust Demon, what enquiries does your excellency wish answered?¡±


    ¡°You¡­you can talk?¡± I stared wide-eyed at the evil eye for what felt like half a day. Having inspected its spherical body for a while, I truly couldn¡¯t find anything that resembled a mouth on it. Even when it absorbed those souls, it did so through contact. Its feelers would extend and suck on the soul flames as if they were a pipe.

 Chapter 171: Slave Contrac

    ¡°I¡¯m unable to speak but communication is possible with lifeforms via psychic means.¡±


    As the evil eye made mention of his talents, it couldn¡¯t help pitch his head high with pride. Unfortunately for it, it wasn¡¯t exactly in the best position to be proud and it swiftly realized this as well. Soon after it did that, it lowered its rounded body in what looked like a show of humility.


    However, since it was able to communicate, that made things a lot simpler. In the interest of time, I immediately opened up with the issue everyone had on their minds right now: ¡°Let¡¯s hear it then, exactly what is going on here?¡±


    ¡°Esteemed Lust Demon, can you elaborate on what you meant by [exactly what is going on here]? I¡¯m unable to comprehend your question.¡±


    ¡®Oh my, it actually knew how to play dumb as well.¡¯ The next moment, a sinister smirk crossed my lips as I turned towards a slightly distracted Weslin: ¡°Want to have another round with that squash ball?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a squash ball?¡± Asked a surprised Weslin.


    ¡°Mimiya wants to hit it too, Mimiya wants to hit it too!¡± Mimiya on other hand was pretty quick on the uptake. Without needing an explanation or even a reply for that matter, she grabbed the meatball and rushed off towards the nearest wall like a gust of wind¡­


    ¡®How is that even squash ball? That¡¯s just american football, you potato!¡¯


    After another round of friendly ball games, I had her release the meatball for the time being.


    ¡°So, still breathing over there?¡±


    ¡°Still alright¡­still alright¡­if you can give me some more souls¡­¡± Came the evil eye¡¯s telepathic response after hearing my slightly rude question.


    ¡°I heard dying is a lot easier.¡±


    ¡®¡­I swear, does this meatball not realize that all I need from him is the ability to answer questions? To think its skin is actually thick enough to ask for more souls, does it look like I¡¯ve forgotten about our grudge already?¡¯


    ¡°No, no, I still want to live¡­¡± Hearing the dangerous tone in my voice, the evil eye immediately started begging for mercy: ¡°Does the esteemed lust demon not have questions to ask, please go ahead, please.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯d just been a little more obedient earlier, you could¡¯ve saved yourself a world of hurt. Some meatballs just love to get beaten up.¡± After that snide comment, I promptly questioned him about his origins along with whatever matters I wasn¡¯t sure about.


    ¡°Do you have any other companions?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s just me.¡± It quickly answered. ¡°Us evil eyes are actually a race of lone wanderers. While we are in the lower star levels, we cooperate with each other to hunt for food. However, once we evolve into three-stars, we leave the clan to form our own enclaves seeing as we now had the ability to fend for ourselves.¡±


    ¡®So they are lone wanderers, and by lone it meant that they wouldn¡¯t stay with other clan members but that didn¡¯t mean they would stay alone forever.¡±


    While the evil eyes were still in their infant stages, their mind control abilities weren¡¯t strong enough to control the other races so they mostly stayed together. However, once they evolved into three-stars, their psychic abilities grew strong enough that they could start enslaving others to defend them.


    This ability sounded pretty impressive and it naturally piqued my interest as well. Thus, I continued down this line of questioning: ¡°Since your race tend to wander alone, how do you all reproduce?¡±


    ¡°We are hermaphrodites and can reproduce asexually.¡±


    At that, a strange thought jumped into my mind, ¡°So you¡¯re both the pitcher and the catcher at the same time?¡±


    While it didn¡¯t understand the meaning of those terms, it clearly got the gist of what wasn¡¯t really a bunch of complex terms in the first place. It immediately sent a correction telepathically: ¡°No, no, we¡¯re hermaphrodites¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± ¡®Either way, it just means you don¡¯t have sex, right? Nerd.¡¯


    Following that, I continued asking a whole swathe of questions which the evil eye answered one by one, though the answers he gave weren¡¯t really that important anymore.


    The reason why the Abaddon rodents gathered en masse like that was because it was controlling them from behind the scenes. Throughout the whole process, only the head rodent , also known as the potato who tried to negotiate with me, knew of its existence.


    Thinking back on that, its surrender terms probably would have included information on the evil eye. Unfortunately for both of us, I ignored it directly otherwise this evil eye wouldn¡¯t have been able to ensnare us so easily.


    As for those bone spears, that was another matter which arose from the death of that head rodent. The evil eye had implanted a soul mark on the head rodent, it was this soul mark which transferred the news regarding the head rodent¡¯s death back to it after activating upon said death.


    Thanks to that bit of foresight, it not only learnt of the rodent¡¯s demise but also that its nest might end up in trouble. Thus, as a last minute measure, it ordered the remaining rodent lieutenants to have their subordinates craft those bone spears as a defensive measure.


    As for why it didn¡¯t do so from the start, it was afraid that the rodents would expand too quickly after gaining such an advantage and that could potentially derail its plans. Given that there were limits to its psychic power, it was only natural that it wouldn¡¯t be able control everyone should such a thing happen.


    ¡®So it was basically thinking like an emperor from the past where the more ignorant the masses were, the more advantageous things were for those in power. That¡¯s how all that confucian nonsense about showing loyalty to your monarch took root. If the masses got too smart, you couldn¡¯t even bone a couple of women or kill a bunch of pigs without ending up on some trending news article on the web¡­oh, I seemed to have gone off topic again.¡¯ (TL: Word count w***e.)


    The Door of the Dead was the evil eye¡¯s last card in his deck. In fact, the door was the very reason why he enslaved these rats and built a nest nearby. The evil eye wanted to leave the Prison of the Dead just like us but it didn¡¯t dare to do so alone. Because it wasn¡¯t a moron, it surmised that the rumor about four-stars being able to leave might have been false. Thus, it decided to forcefully breach the exit, hence all that nonsense with controlling the head rodent.


    While the rodent¡¯s had an average combat ability at best, their numbers were massive. It could be said that they were the most numerous race in the entire Prison of the Dead so it wasn¡¯t strange at all that the evil eye targeted them.


    Initially, it wanted to stabilize its control over those rats before expanding to the other races after which it would form a giant army with those rodents at the core.


    Now that I¡¯ve gotten the gist of the situation, I decided to recruit this evil eye. It was, after all, an intelligent creature and devil knows I¡¯m lacking in servants like that who could share my burden.


    ¡°Do you wish to die or live?¡±


    ¡°Live.¡± It didn¡¯t even need to consider such an obvious question.


    ¡°Then serve me.¡± At that, I smiled sinisterly. ¡°If you aren¡¯t willing to¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll serve!¡± Naturally, it accepted my entreatment seeing as that was the only way for it to live.


    However, there was no way I would trust the words of an intelligent eyeball so easily. Thus, I posed it another difficult question: ¡°You¡¯re a clever meatball. That¡¯s why I knew that you would definitely accept my proposal. However, I have a condition to add to that, you must sign a slave contract with me. I want you to leave behind a piece of your soul for me to control.¡±


    ¡°Slave contract¡­¡± Those two words were extremely easy to understand. As the words suggested, anyone who signed that would become a slave and would never be able to make a comeback unless ,of course, the master willingly voided the contract and returned the soul.


    A slave contract was an extremely domineering form of contract that, once signed, would forbid the slave from ever refusing the master¡¯s commands and even more so, from betraying the master. In fact, even thoughts of betrayal weren¡¯t allowed or the slave would face a backlash from the contract that would leave anyone wishing for death.


    As for the master, he was able to force any command on the slave, suicide included. Without a doubt, this was an extremely lopsided contract that no one would ever sign unless they had no other choice.


    All that knowledge came from hereditary memory so I assumed the other devils knew of it as well. However, such a contract wasn¡¯t without drawbacks, rather severe ones in fact. If the strength disparity between the two parties was too large, the contract signing would fail the moment the enslaved party rebelled. Thus, such contracts were usually signed when one party was overwhelmingly stronger than the other or when the other party wasn¡¯t resisting.


    The evil eye was a four-star while I was merely a three-star so the only way this contract could succeed was if the evil eye was willing to submit.


    However, it clearly wasn¡¯t willing to. The moment those two words were spoken, it immediately shook its head profusely and even began to show signs of fighting back.


    Yet, the moment it saw the surrounding medusas close in on it with hostile intentions, it became a lot more docile.


    Clearly there was no way to escape so why bother with the futile resistance.


    Thus, the signing proceeded without a hitch. As I finished reciting the last bit of the contract, a thread of soul energy separated from the evil eye and fused into my body. With that, it could no longer resist till I released it or it died.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± It said out of pure instinct.


    ¡°Since you still don¡¯t have a name, how about I give you one right now, hmmm, you¡¯ll be¡­Evilin.¡±


    ¡®Since a person that¡¯s neither female nor male is called a man goblin, a evil eye that¡¯s neither female nor male¡­shouldn¡¯t it be called an evilin then? Mhm, makes sense.¡¯


    ¡°Many thanks for the Master¡¯s generosity.¡±


    ¡®The name sounds kind of strange but it seemed to like it so everything works out, I guess.¡¯


    (TL: Man goblin is supposed to refer to trannies and the chinese pinyin for it is xie yao which is also a homonym for laxative which sounds like xie yao as well.)


    ¡°Mhm, now, I want you to enslave the rest of the Abaddon Rodents, didn¡¯t you mention that several thousand rodents escaped while you setting up the defensive array? I order you to capture them immediately, I need fodder, lots and lots of fodder.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Master.¡±


    ¡°Weslin, I want you to accompany Evilin as well and make sure to bring more men.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Without much fuss, she promptly led a division of lizardmen away with the evil eye. ¡®She¡¯s quite an obedient one, isn¡¯t she.¡¯


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    It was at that moment that the soul flame collection finished up as well. Initially, collecting over 10 000 souls would¡¯ve taken a much longer time but the area around the Door of the Dead was slightly special in that it automatically absorbed any soul flames within range after a set amount of time. Thanks to that, the amount of soul flames collected wasn¡¯t as much as we had anticipated.


    In total, we collected roughly 3000 zero-star soul flames, 1000 one-star soul flames, 700 two-star soul flames and 300 three-star soul flames. While it wasn¡¯t the tens of thousands we had expected, at least it wasn¡¯t nothing.


    As for our losses¡­it had to be said that this battle was too much of a surprise for us, though our arrogance played a part as well. The lizardmen suffered over 200 deaths and 500 of their members were severely injured. My guardsmen suffered 100 deaths in total and the medusas suffered the least of us all. Their death count was less than 10 and in total, they had less than 100 casualties.

 Chapter 172: Setting Off

    (TL: From now on, the hermaphrodite evil eyes will be referred to as ¡°they, them and their¡±.)


    Back when the evil eye set up the defensive array, a number of rodents managed to escape because their mind control wasn¡¯t able to encompass such a large army. Given that all the exits were blocked by my subordinates, these same rodents were definitely still in the cave. Thus, having the actual architect of the cave, that evil eye, hunt them down was definitely the most efficient way to do so.


    As for those nine rat lieutenants who surrendered, I planned to hand them over to the evil eye to manage. In fact, whether it was the Abaddon Rodents or any future fodder races, I intended to hand them over to the evil eye to control. They were, after all, my contracted slave. That meant that they would never be able to resist me and had no choice but to be loyal.


    The soul flames we gathered up were divvied up as usual with me getting a slice of the total spoils. Truth be told, most devils wouldn¡¯t be able to eat as much as I did without getting stuffed to death. However, the Grimoire of the Dead and I both had rather unique circumstances, it was as if our stomachs were black holes. No matter what they were, all food was welcome and our stomachs were never satiated.


    For me, my appetite was a result of feeding Ferti¡¯nier, as for the Grimoire of the Dead¡­my guess was that it had an instrument spirit within it. In other words, it might have been a semi-divine instrument at its peak.


    Of course, it might just be a divine instrument as well.


    Discovering the Door of the Dead here was a complete coincidence but since we already discovered it, there was no reason to reject this bit of serendipitous fortune. I decided to turn the rat nest into another base of operations for us. All matters regarding this branch would be temporarily handled by the evil eye. Their responsibility was to control the rodents and have them guard the Door of the Dead.


    In light of that, I had Weslin stay behind with 1000 other lizardmen to aid the evil eye with their task. Undoubtedly, those rodents would fall in line once they saw the lizardmen.


    Recently, our plans felt rather rushed; I didn¡¯t even have the time to wait for the capture of those runaway rodents before enacting the next step of our plans. After handing out those instructions to the evil eye, I promptly left for our main base with Numila and the others. As we travelled, I would continue crafting more weapons for our troops while waiting for Habona¡¯s good news.


    Thus, a month passed by in the blink of an eye. Habona had finally managed to settle the lizardmen succession. Westley was successfully installed as their clan leader and those who resisted had all been sanctioned as well. As of now, all the lizardmen in the Prison of the Dead listened to one voice, and that was Westley¡¯s or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that, they listened to the voice of Habona who controlled Westley.


    At the same time I received that bit of good news, the evil eye sent news as well. With the aid of those 1000 lizardmen , they managed to bring all the remaining rodents under his control. Because of that, we now had 8000 rat fodders in our army. Also, they sent another piece of good news.


    According to their report, the dogmen gathered up a 10 000 strong army to take advantage of the Abaddon Rodents¡¯ misfortune. Not too long ago however, they were promptly trounced by the evil eye when they fell into their trap. The rodents themselves barely lost anyone while we managed to capture 3000 dogmen.


    Because of their generous gift, the number of fodder under Evilin¡¯s command crossed the 10 000 mark.


    As for the lizardmen, their numbers weren¡¯t that low either. From the report sent in by Habona, we now had over 8000 lizardmen under our control. Of those 8000, only 10% consisted of non-combatants such as children and there were barely any elderly lizardmen in that 8000. This was mostly because of the harsh environments of the Prison.


    The infant survival rate was extremely low and the elderly who lost their combat strength couldn¡¯t survive well either. Thanks to the unending wars between the various races over what meagre resources were left in this prison, the young and old naturally found it hard to thrive.


    However, all that was about to enter the annals of history as soon, I planned to lead all those races who believed me out of this damned prison and become the first batch of lifeforms to truly leave this prison!


    Throughout the past month, my preparations had never once slackened and by now, they were mostly complete. Truth be told, there was no such thing as too much preparation, however there was only so much we could do. We basically had to make our preparations blind because of the overwhelming amount of variables and lack of information we had of the Door of the Dead.


    As of right now, all we had to do was wait for Habona and her lizardmen grand army to meet up with us. Once they arrive, we would march on the ratman nest together.


    Yet no matter how much mental preparation I made, I was still overwhelmed by the surrealness of the situation. The moment I laid eyes on the 7000 strong lizardmen army, I couldn¡¯t help but think to myself¡­ ¡®I actually did it¡­the me who always failed in the past actually succeeded¡­I successfully created an unimaginably large army¡­¡¯ (Author¡¯s note: 7000 because the remaining 1000 were the lizardmen sent to help Evilin.)


    Right now, the most important thing was to leave the Prison of the Dead, enter Abaddon and find Yi Yi. For my future, for Nicole, for Ferti¡¯nier and for my pee pee¡­


    It was worth mentioning now that there wasn¡¯t any real leader-subordinate relationship between me and Habona. However, she didn¡¯t have any intention of fighting over power with me, compared to leading, she much preferred jumping into the thick of a fight.


    ¡°8000 lizardmen huh¡­that¡¯s not a small number at all.¡± It was a reunion after being apart for so long, seeing Habona approach, I couldn¡¯t help but get a little excited as I greeted her: ¡°As expected of the mighty Habona, such perfect control over these lizardmen.¡±


    Nodding towards me, her face was as placid as before and her voice as cool as always as she said: ¡°You aren¡¯t too bad yourself, I heard you subjugated a pretty useful slave.¡±


    That slave she was referring to was probably Evilin. Honestly, they were rather capable if I had to say so myself. Even before submitting to me, they were able to control over 10 000 rodents just by themselves. Though they were merely a mastermind working in the background, that was still an achievement that couldn¡¯t be denied. In the future, they just might end up as my military strategist assuming there were no better candidates then.


    ¡°The reason I called for you is because I think it¡¯s time we assault the prison exit. There¡¯s no second chance so we have to bring to bear all our forces. If we don¡¯t succeed, we die.¡±


    At that, Habona didn¡¯t refute my words but merely asked in a calm voice that almost seemed like she was about to take a stroll around some picturesque attraction instead of a potential deathtrap: ¡°Have you finished all your preparations?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible to finish preparing, there¡¯s just too much variables and I can¡¯t guarantee everything will proceed as planned once we step into the Door. Too much preparation might end up as wasted effort so I decided that rather than prepare any longer, we would use our absolute strength to overwhelm the exit!¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure if there had ever been an assault on the Prison exit with over ten thousand troops but there was absolutely no doubt in my mind there was never or ever will be, an assault like this.


    Over 8000 lizardmen, over 1000 demonic werewolves and medusas combined, 4000 over devils under my command or under the command of those under me, 8000 over ratmen, 3000 dogmen and finally 6000 odd harpies.


    Adding all that together, our army came out to an astonishing 30 000 plus¡­with such a grand army, we could easily sweep through the entire prison unopposed!


    ¡®With that much power, why should I cower before the Door of the Dead? Because of that legend that it was unassailable? No way, no one will ever be able to dampen my resolve to break out of this prison!¡¯


    Thus far, our operation had been conducted under tight supervision. By the time our grand army arrived at what was once the rodents¡¯ nest, we were greeted by the evil eye leading a portion of their dogmen and rodents. From the looks of things, they had been waiting there for a while.


    ¡°Master.¡± As they floated in the air, Evilin whipped out a feeler and slapped it against their chest before performing what was probably a bow: ¡°Your humblest servant, Evilin, welcomes your arrival.¡±


    ¡°Are the preparations complete?¡± Without wasting any words, I immediately cut straight to the point: ¡°Our army is too large now and would be a drag on resources if we have to maintain a supply line for line. If it¡¯s possible, I would like to minimize any time wastage and march on the Door of the Dead.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Master.¡± They turned around to lead us into the cave.


    What we were about to face was an unprecedented challenge. In order to streamline our command chain, I had my troops separated beforehand and each of my subordinates were already given their respective duties.


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    The four thousand over devils, hellhounds, demonic half-orcs were all a part of my faction and were assigned to my side to protect my safety. Numila, Elena and Eugenia were put in charge, as before, of their clans while Habona, on top of commanding the werewolves, had to support the lizardmen as well. After all, Westley was still more accustomed to Habona¡¯s command and not mine.


    Naturally, it wasn¡¯t possible for Evilin to control over 10 000 rodents and dogmen so I dispatched No.5 to help them as well. His job was simple, command those 3000 dogmen and ensure that when the time came, they were willing to risk their lives for me.


    By now, my guardsmen division grew to over 500 devils. They were still commanded by No.3 and Big 4 as always while One-eye was given command over the remaining 3000 or so devils. Violet Snow¡¯s command over the hellhounds and the riders was unchanged as before.


    As for the demonic half-orcs, they were still commanded by Baccarel. While there were only 41 of them left, their individual combat strength was not only impressive, they knew how to cooperate well with each other. Given their explosive strength, I had them assigned to my side as well.


    The medusas, under the command of Manasha, were to cooperate with the werewolves as part of my special forces. Because of their impressive combat strength, their main purpose would be complete some of the more unique missions. Besides, their numbers were low to begin with so they wouldn¡¯t be able to endure the losses involved in a direct battle.


    Mimiya had the ability to fly so I made her my communications officer. Julia was my personal assistant and as for Mo En and Mo Xixidi¡­they were mostly here to act cute, though these two ugly potatoes weren¡¯t cute at all¡­


    That was basically how our manpower was organized.


    It didn¡¯t take long before we reached the cavern where the Door of the Dead was located at. Thanks to the efforts of Evilin, that ominous green fog was mostly gone by now. All we had to do was push open the Door of the Dead and enter.


    Standing before the Door, I took a deep breath and slowly breathed out as I suppressed the furious thumping of my heat. It wasn¡¯t just excitement that made my heart race, even more so, it was fear of the unknown.


    Seeing that I didn¡¯t move for so long, Habona coldly spat out a word: ¡°Afraid?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± ¡®That¡¯s called hesitation not fear, alright?¡¯


    ¡°Why are you hesitating?¡±


    ¡°I¡­I¡¯m just slightly worried¡­I¡¯m not sure how many will die¡­¡±


    ¡°If I die, I won¡¯t resent you because it was my choice.¡± A furry claw reached for my chin and roughly lifted it up and made me look at the owner of said claw: ¡°No matter who it is, they have to be responsible for their choices.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Master Mo Ke, you don¡¯t have to worry so much. We all don¡¯t like the Prison of the Dead in the first place. If given the chance to leave, all of us would naturally take it. For freedom, we¡¯re willing to sacrifice a lot. Joining your army was our decision. Even if it means dying before making it out, we won¡¯t regret it!¡± Harlow spoke up to console me. Though it almost sounded scripted, it did in fact touch me.


    Speaking of freedom, I was suddenly reminded of a certain poem from Earth: Liberty, love! These two I need. For my love I will sacrifice life, For liberty I will sacrifice my love (Author¡¯s Note: S¨¢ndor Pet?fi <>)

 Chapter 173: Bone Pillar

    The interior of the Door of the Dead was almost the same as the outside; both mazes. Exactly like the Prison of the Dead, its hallways were 15 meters tall and 15 meters wide. In short, both of them felt the same to me.


    At least it was so if you ignored the slight chilliness in here¡­and also the darker walls on the side.


    Truthfully, the atmosphere within the Door felt oppressive to me though it might just be due to the overwhelming shade of black of around me. Upon entering the Door of the Dead, there was only one path laid open to us so we naturally took it.


    For the next ten minutes or so, we didn¡¯t encounter any enemies along the way as if this wasn¡¯t the right way at all. Even so, we pushed onwards despite some lingering doubts. It was only at 30 minutes mark that something finally changed ¡ªwe came upon a fork in the road.


    On the wall in front of the fork, I noticed a wall of strange text that would have looked like ghost scrawlings had it not been for the fact that I recognized the some of the languages. In actuality, the wall consisted of all the languages used by the various races in the Prison of the Dead.


    Because of the sheer amount of races, there was truly a wide variety of letters written in blood on the wall and just looking at them made my eyes swim. There was even a bunch of letters that looked like tiny crow¡¯s feet mixed into the wall of text. Apparently, these letters belonged to the Abbadon Hellcats. However, because they were a rather uncommon race, I didn¡¯t manage to encounter them at all.


    Of all the languages scrawled on the wall, the devil letters were the easiest to spot because they were placed in the most conspicuous location.


    Scrawled on the wall were the words [Solo] and [Team] for each of the paths. Both paths were different from each other in a number of ways but the most notable was that the [Solo] path was filled with an ominous black fog.


    In a sense, the appearance of these two methods of advancement made sense. After all, there were two known ways of leaving the Door of the Dead, one was leaving by yourself when you reached four-stars and the other was barging into the Door of the Dead with a team.


    Just to be thorough however, I had a three-star Abaddon Rodent proceed down the [Solo] path to test what would happen. Naturally, the poor rat that was chosen wasn¡¯t the least bit enthusiastic about this idea. Paws shaking, it warily stepped onto the [Solo] path and to its delight¡­it was repelled. That¡¯s right, that black fog actually blocked the rat from entering.


    ¡®Did that mean that only the four-stars were able to proceed down that path? Either way, I can¡¯t think of any other reason it would be rejected.¡¯


    ¡°Hey, what are you all doing! Get back here!¡±


    Just as I was mulling over the conditions for entry, Weslin yelled from behind me. Turning around to face the solo path, I found that three of the four-star rodents were actually trying to run into the solo path without my permission.


    In the first place, they were positioned rather close to the solo path so the moment they sprinted for the path, no one was able to catch them in time. Most likely they felt that this was the one chance they had at freedom so they decided to ignore Weslin¡¯s yelling and continue sprinting forward.


    Right as those words left her mouth, the first four-star rodent caught up with that three-star lab rat and forcefully knocked it aside as it selfishly rushed into the path. The moment it stepped into the black fog however, it instantly vanished.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Almost at the same time it vanished, the sound of its panicked screams echoed down the bony hallways as if something had happened to it right at that instant. And yet, merely half a second later, that screaming stopped.


    Next came the second ratman lieutenant. Just like the rodent before it, it rushed into the black fog after which we all heard a scream echo from within that only lasted for half a second. It was as if something had forcefully sealed its throat.


    Just as the third lieutenant was about to step into the black fog as well, Weslin finally caught up to the deserter and with a vicious smack, sent the ratman who still had a delighted look on its face flying.


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    ¡°Damned rats, can¡¯t you all be more obedient like the dogmen!?¡± Still annoyed, Weslin violently kicked the giant rodent who was just about to climb to its feet and knocked it down once more. Another punch and kick later, she still had that pissed off look on her face.


    Turning towards Habona, she seemed to have a slightly wronged look on her face. Knowing her, she probably wanted to perform well in front of Habona but things ended up backfiring instead. Because she let her guard down for one moment, we ended up allowing two four-star rodents to escape.


    However, Habona didn¡¯t seem to pay any heed to her at all and merely stood quietly by my side with a cold expressionless look on her face.


    Those two rodents who rushed into the black fog just now, did they scream because they discovered something shocking? Also, the fact that their screams only lasted half a second was suspicious as well.


    Somehow, it felt like neither of those rodents bumped into each other and furthermore, the fact that both of them were cut off like that was extremely suspicious as well. Was there some formidable enemy lurking about in the black fog? Were they killed right as they entered the black fog? Yet as I turned my gaze to the ground, I wasn¡¯t able to find any trace of blood on the floor.


    ¡®Well, whatever, the solo path isn¡¯t something we should be researching right now. Rather than waste more on this, it¡¯s probably time for us to enter the team path instead. As for the matter of those deserters¡­I should have those rodents be my scouts, fodders and main fighting force, hopefully they¡¯ll be able to last a few minutes.¡¯


    Seeing the displeased look on Weslin¡¯s face that screamed of a blood feud, I said: ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about that matter, just treat them as dead. It¡¯s time for us to move on.¡±


    Fearing that her lingering resentment might affect her ability to command, I reminded her once more, ¡°Just remember to keep a closer watch on the remaining slaves, if those two want to desert then just let them be, it¡¯s a good excuse to have the other rodents be our vanguard anyway.¡±


    Having said that, I paid her no more attention and nodded to Habona. Seeing that, she started to herd the remaining rodents into the team path.


    The path ahead of us was a flat one, at the very least I couldn¡¯t see anything resembling a trap waiting for us ahead. However, just to be safe, I had the rodents continue leading the way. Either way, this was a one way road so no matter how dim witted those rats were, there was no way they would get lost.


    As they continued their scouting, Weslin continued her unhappy sulk. Initially, I had her assigned to Westley¡¯s side but because she wanted to prove herself and attract Habona¡¯s eyes, she asked if she could join Evilin in managing the rodents. Thus, I had 4000 rodents placed under her command. Who would¡¯ve expected that such a mishap would happen so soon after she was given command¡­for two four-stars to escape like that¡­


    Truly, that mistake made her seem so inept that I couldn¡¯t blame her for feeling frustrated right now. All this while, her eyes had never once strayed away from Habona and that was how two four-star rats managed to pull a fast one over her¡­regarding this incident, I had only one thing to say: ¡®lesbians¡­¡¯


    With that change of formation decided upon, the four thousand rodent slaves were placed at the forefront of our army. At that position, it didn¡¯t matter what kind of plans they had when there was only one direction they could take, forward. Given that we had the way back sealed up, there was no way they could escape in the first place.


    As facts would have it, my decision to have the rats scout out ahead was right. Not long after we entered the team path, the rodents suffered a major loss.


    Initially, our scouting proceeded rather warily but after 10 minutes of nothing happening, the rodents, for some inexplicable reason, decided to let their guard down.


    It was at that moment that a strange bone pillar appeared in the middle of our path and nearly blocked it off completely. The pillar itself was roughly 10 meters wide and was completely made out of countless skeletons that connected the ground to the ceiling.


    And yet those giant rats didn¡¯t seem the least bit worried about this strange pillar and merely circled around it while excitedly chittered about it. In fact, some of the more daring rodents actually tried to touch the pillar and then¡­tragedy struck, naturally.


    The moment one of them approached the pillar, countless bony hands sprang to life and promptly grabbed that rodent, bones clattering in an eerie fashion. From a distance, it almost looked like a bunch of tree branches were whipping out at the rodent, at least that would be the case if that tree was made out of bones and wasn¡¯t a plant.


    Receiving such an unexpected attack, it was only to be expected that these timid rodents would immediately panic and start running amok. A portion of them started running ahead while some of them tried to retreat. However, because there wasn¡¯t much leftover space for them maneuver, knocking into each was unavoidable and a number of them ended up getting trampled to death.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± From my position at the back, I still had no way of finding out what happened at the front. Thankfully, I had some devils and harpies dispatched beforehand to monitor the rodents and they functioned as my eyes in the front.


    ¡°Master, there¡¯s an odd bone pillar at the front. Initially, it wasn¡¯t active but the moment the rodents tried to approach, the bones suddenly attacked them¡­¡±


    ¡®Bone pillar? Sounds like a strange construct indeed, up till now, I still haven¡¯t heard of such a thing appearing in the Prison of the Dead. However, since it was attacking us, that meant it was an enemy.¡¯


    I anxiously rushed to the frontlines to check out this bone pillar for myself and found that despite all its attacks against the rodents, it had never taken a step away from that position. Thus, one could conclude that the bone pillar wasn¡¯t able to move at all. Plus, its attack range was limited so long range attacks should be able to destroy it easily.


    ¡°Have the rodents settle down for a moment and retreat.¡± As I said that, I turned to the jittery lizardwoman who was still eager to prove herself. ¡°Weslin, be patient for now, let me have a try first.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± She obediently went off to pass on the message. ¡°All you braindead morons better get back here right away. That bone pillar can¡¯t even move at all so what are you all afraid of?! Truly, how stupid can you potatoes be, the amount of comrades who died to your trampling is so much more than the amount who died to those undead hands!¡±


    Hearing that, her stern attitude seemed to take effect as the Abaddon Rodents finally started to calm down after panicking for so long and started to retreat in an orderly fashion.

 Chapter 174: The Disappearing Soul Flames

    Because the bone pillar wasn¡¯t able to move, the rodents were quickly able to leave the danger zone. Yet when were things ever so simple¡­just as they were all about to make it back, the bone pillar, having realized that it couldn¡¯t catch the rodents, blew up¡­


    It was a bonafide explosion, one that sent a shower of bones into the air. To be exact, it sent a shower of skeletons into the air. Of these skeletons, some had a beastial form while some had a humanoid form, all of them however, looked dangerous. Plus, they turned out to be extremely fast as well.


    As the skeletons flew through the air, some of them directly landed on the heads of the rodents and that resulted in a prompt death by bone claw and teeth.


    A large number of the fleeing rodents ended up dying to this aerial ambush skill. Furthermore, because these were my fodders to begin with, I didn¡¯t bother training them as a division. Thanks to that, there was hardly any order to their retreat.


    Rat squeezed against rat as they hurriedly scampered back to our side. Yet, the more they hurried, the more chaotic things got. The more chaotic things got, the more panicked they became and that ended up causing even more of them to die from the skeletons.


    Initially, I had planned to test out the strength of the bone pillar once they retreated but who would¡¯ve thought that it would disassemble itself like that. Worse of all, these skeletons were noticeably stronger than the usual skeletons we encountered in the past. In the meantime, the morale of the rodents had basically crumbled to the point where none of them even considered fighting back.


    ¡°Stop them from retreating. I want them to hold off these skeletons right now. If anyone refuses to comply, just kill them!¡± Now that the battle had gotten so chaotic, I had to cancel all my previous plans so as to prevent the rodents from destroying our formation with their mindless escaping.


    ¡°Go, I want you to lead your brethren into battle. Make sure not to show any mercy, just cut down anyone who tries to escape.¡± I turned to Weslin as I gave out that merciless command.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Realizing that her chance to redeem herself had come, she discreetly threw a glance at the expressionless Habona before turning around to nod at me. Weapons raised, she boldly rushed into the chaotic melee while shouting for her brother, Westley, to send her five hundred or so lizardmen to aid her: ¡°Follow me, kill off all those rodents who try to escape!¡±


    Looking at all the fleeing rodents around her, a burning anger overwhelmed her as she bellowed: ¡°No escaping! You filthy rodents had better turn around and fight or I¡¯ll execute you myself!¡±


    However, with how chaotic this battle was, only a portion of the Abaddon Rodents heard her threat despite her loud voice. Furthermore, not all of them understood the language of the devils as well. Thankfully, I had the foresight to assign her rat translator beforehand just for such situations.


    Repeating her threat once more, the rodent translator loudly chittered. Unfortunately, it still seemed like some of them didn¡¯t receive the message or perhaps they simply pretended not to hear it. All these rodents who were dead set on escaping immediately tried to penetrate the defensive line of Weslin¡¯s troops but were easily slaughtered.


    Picking one of the rat corpses, she callously tossed it aside and knocked down a couple of fleeing rodents: ¡°Cowards must die, kill!¡±


    ¡°Kill!¡±


    As her five hundred lizardmen roared in unison, a cruel smile couldn¡¯t help but grace her lips. A claw swipe later, the brains of one unfortunate rodent ended up splattering against the bony hallway. Right after that, the figure of a rodent could seen flying across the air from her mighty tail swipe. ¡°We don¡¯t need deserters in our army, kill!¡±


    At that, her other brethren rushed into battle as well.


    While all that was happening, the hapless rat translator was stunned into silence and momentarily forgot its duty. Seeing that, Weslin threw the rodent a withering glare that almost made its poor rodent heart jump out of its body. Realizing its error, it hurriedly translated that last order.


    ¡°All those who wish to live had better turn around and fight!¡±


    Now that the situation had developed to this stage, the fleeing rodents finally understood that running away was nothing but a shortcut to a quick death. At least by attacking the skeletons, they still had a chance at survival.


    With no other choice, they could only turn to fight unless they wanted to face the ruthless lizardmen whose viciousness even made me uncomfortable.


    However, because there were several thousands of these formidable skeletons ,who honestly looked rather terrifying as well thanks to their strange bony shape, the rodents¡¯ morale was at an all time low. Yet with a supervisor like Weslin, the rats had no choice but bring out their will to fight to the death.


    Truly, a textbook implementation of [broken pots and sunken ships]. With no way to retreat, they ended up having to bring forth their best.


    Truth be told, I was truly worried that these rodents might end up destroying our formation with their escape. If that were to happen, my main force would be caught in an awkward position as they faced off against the skeletons. Thankfully, I didn¡¯t care all that much about their lives and promptly ordered Weslin to stop them from fleeing.


    And die they did. Thanks to the formidable offensive power of the skeletons, the hides of those rodents basically stood no chance against their bony claws and teeth. While all that was happening, I took the opportunity to observe the situation. The first thing I was able to confirm was that my previous concerns about an ¡°undead virus¡± didn¡¯t come true. Even after being clawed by the rodents, they merely bled and didn¡¯t turn into undead after dying.


    Given that revelation, all the intelligence that had to be gathered, had been gathered. Continuing to expend their lives would no longer reap any benefits. Thus, it was time for them to dispatch the reinforcements.


    ¡°One-eye, I want you to reinforce those rodents with your troops. Make sure not to break formation because of those rodents.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s right, those skeletons weren¡¯t a concern but rather what concerned me was that these rodents might end up selling out their comrades in order to live.¡¯


    Nine-finger scratched his bald head and with a dumb look on his face, asked: ¡°Boss, what if they don¡¯t listen to us?¡±


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    ¡°Then kill them.¡±


    ¡°Kay.¡±


    It was time for my devil army to make its appearance. After all those days of tireless crafting to equip them and after all that rigorous training, it was time for their impressive power to burst forth.


    Just as they entered battle, my well-crafted weapons immediately showed off their worth. Heavy shields raised, the bony claws of the skeletons barely left a scratch on their enamel exterior. Barely a second later, my razor sharp Mo sabres stabbed out from absolute safety and easily destroyed the first wave of undead.


    With the front temporarily clear, the shield wall parted and my new troops, the Lucerne devils, rushed forth. Armed with hammer mounted polearms, they basically swept through all that stood before them thanks to the sheer power of these squarish warhammers that exceeded even my expectations. Just from one swing alone, the sea of skeletons became noticeably sparser and these losses only grew by the second.


    Thus, 3500 devils easily cleaned up the rest of the skeletons and finished their mission with greater efficiency than expected.


    Thanks to the reinforcements I sent out, the Abaddon Rodents didn¡¯t experience a second routing and that meant that Nine-finger didn¡¯t have a chance to smash these rodents either. Clearly, these rodents enjoyed fighting a winning war as well.


    ¡°Sweep through the battlefield and make sure not to leave out any spoils of war.¡± Now that the battle was over, One-eye led the soul collection himself.


    It had to be said that this battle came as a huge surprise for us. Thanks to that, my first batch of rat fodder ended up shrinking by over a thousand. Some of these were caused by the skeletons while some were caused by my forces. As for the devils, their losses were surprisingly low, coming in at merely 17. In large part these results were thanks to my amazing heavy shields which forced the skeletons to climb over the shield wall in order to attack the devils. Naturally, my Mo sabres wouldn¡¯t allow that to happen¡­


    In other words, my grandmaster level weapons were the reason for our overwhelming victory.


    Given that our main fighting force didn¡¯t experience much losses, this was almost a perfect victory for us. However, that sense of elation didn¡¯t last long as One-eye promptly brought back a terrible piece of news.


    ¡°Master, we only managed to harvest one thousand souls¡­¡±


    ¡®A thousand?! That doesn¡¯t add up at all! Those rodents were all living creatures so they should drop souls upon death. Just based on their losses alone, we should have collected one thousands. While that was accounted for, what about the soul flames dropped by the undead? There¡¯s no way they didn¡¯t possess a soul flame or else they wouldn¡¯t be able to move at all so why was there only one thousand souls!?¡±


    ¡®Did someone siphon away the souls? Was it One-eye? No, that can¡¯t be right either, there¡¯s no way he could¡¯ve consumed so many souls in such a short time like the Grimoire and I. So, did the souls merely disappeared without a reason?¡¯


    Without a doubt, this was an issue that had to be solved immediately or it would impact our future survival. With that in mind, I tried to solve this mystery by placing a soul flame on the floor and observing it. My intention was to see if there was any difference between the soul flames we harvested here and those from the Prison.


    However, just based on appearance alone, I discovered nothing.


    And yet the unexpected happened right after. Right before my unblinking eyes, that lone soul flame actually disappeared after several minutes! ¡®No, it didn¡¯t exactly disappear, it was absorbed into the ground¡­sh*t, don¡¯t tell me this place has the ability to reabsorb souls?!¡¯


    I had to say, that was a truly troublesome revelation for us. Because of our massive 30 000 strong army, our supplies were low to begin with. Originally, my plan was to fuel my battles with battles but who would¡¯ve thought that we would be immediately stumped by such an unexplainable phenomenon¡­


    ¡®You¡¯re a maze aren¡¯t you, not some kind of Pixiu, let¡¯s get your identity straight for a moment!¡¯ (Author: Creature from ancient legends that were known for consuming the treasures of the world. They were a legendary black hole where whatever went in, never came out¡­)


    Based on that short experiment just now, I had basically come to the conclusion that the ground absorbed soul flames. However, it took some time in order to do so. Thus, as long as we harvested it quickly enough, we would be fine. If we failed to do so, our already tight supplies would become even tighter.

 Chapter 175: A Wait Filled With Unknowns

    The moment I decided to assault the prison exit, I had already come to terms with the fact that it would be extremely dangerous, that was why I prepared a ton of fodder beforehand. Essentially, that was what those 10 000 over dogmen and rodents were for.


    While both of these races weren¡¯t particularly strong, they were really fecund and that made gathering a huge number of them really easy even with the harsh conditions of the prison.


    Speaking of harsh conditions, the issue of supplies was something I had considered as well. Once more, that was why I prepared a ton of fodder beforehand. Not only were these dogs and rats great for suicide missions, they ended up as an alternative food source too. Plus, while conditions were harsh, it wasn¡¯t as if we weren¡¯t able to find food either, it was just hard.


    ¡°Gather up the soul flames, let¡¯s see if the exchange array works here as well.¡±


    In order to verify my theory, I had One-eye draw up the hexagram that made up an exchange array. While it might have looked simple on the surface, it actually contained a dimensional magic attribute. In this world, there were six basic attributes comprised of the following six elements, water, fire, wind, earth, light and dark. Other than these six elements, there were also derivative elements such as ice which came from water and thunder which came from wind.


    By combining these six elements, one obtained the attribute of dimensional magic. That was what that hexagram represented. My guess was that this exchange array was probably crafted with the Prison of the Dead in mind: not only was it unique, it was painstakingly crafted in such a way that even the most dim witted creatures could use it. Based on this fact alone, one could see that not all devils were muscleheads who only knew how to fight, some of them had brains as well.


    (Author: A reader pointed out that the hexagram was used for white magic and the pentagram was the one used by devils. Honestly, I chose a hexagram out of convenience because most people were familiar with it. At the same time, there was that whole setting of the six elements. Lastly, the ones who crafted this array weren¡¯t actually the devils¡­I¡¯m not sure if that reader is still reading this book or not¡­regarding the point that the pentagram represented devil magic, the setting I had for it was that there were only five points because the light element was missing.)


    The exchange array worked out smoothly, unexpectedly so even. After placing a few souls into the array, they promptly disappeared leaving behind a pile of meat in the center that reeked of blood. Based on that, I came to the conclusion that the prison exit didn¡¯t forbid such exchanges. In that case, we just had to focus on harvesting the fallen souls as soon as possible in order to prevent any further losses.


    ¡°Master, the exchange array is working fine.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± I then turned around to look at the expressionless Habona: ¡°Do you think we will encounter more of those bone pillars?¡±


    With a placid gaze, she merely answered: ¡°We¡¯ll just have to kill it again.¡±


    ¡®She wasn¡¯t wrong about that but those pillars were truly an enigma to me. Exactly how they were formed?¡¯


    After waiting for One-eye to finish the harvesting, we pressed onwards, leaving behind a hallway of scattered bones in our wake.


    Till now, the dogmen had mostly behaved themselves so I didn¡¯t make them scout ahead for us. Instead, I had them assigned to back support, for example they were tasked with moving the corpses of the dead rodents. That¡¯s right, corpses of the rodents.


    Truth be told, I only planned on using their corpses for food in dire situations but since these rodents were the first to defy me, it only made sense that I turned my blade towards them.


    Along the way, we didn¡¯t encounter any more bone pillars or any enemies at all during those ten minutes. However, that didn¡¯t mean that I let my guard down either. After all, accidents happened when one thought he was safest.


    Standing right before us was a strange looking shutter gate. Just as we approached it, the bony shutters gently rose up as it was welcoming us in.


    ¡°Get the rodents to enter first.¡±


    Weslin, who had been by my side all this while, promptly commanded a few three-star rodents to investigate what was behind that gate. Of those who were singled out, every single of their ratty faces paled instantly. They knew from experience that such scouting missions weren¡¯t pleasant at all. Just look at that bone pillar not too long ago: before they approached it, it was docile as can be but the moment they dared to approach it¡­thus, it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the fear of the unknown was always the most terrifying thing in this world.


    Having received their orders, the rodents left with an unwilling look on their faces, ratty arms shoving each other in order to not be the first to pass through the gate. Seeing that cowardly display, Weslin¡¯s face immediately contorted in fury as she endeavored to teach these rodents a violent lesson.


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    ¡°Don¡¯t hit them, at a time like this, we should employ other methods instead.¡± I stepped forth and halted her in her tracks; violence couldn¡¯t solve everything after all. Turning towards the ratman translator beside Weslin, I said, ¡°Tell them, go and in scout a little, as long as that person brings me some useful information, I don¡¯t mind releasing him from slavery and allowing him to be my subordinate. However, if they perform a slipshod job of scouting and bring back nothing or perhaps even false information¡­I¡¯ll make them regret being born.¡±


    Hearing those last few words, the ratman couldn¡¯t help but shudder, eyes filled with terror as it lowered its eyes to avoid my gaze. Fortunately, for him at least, he didn¡¯t forget a single word I said and dutifully tried to persuade his other rat brethren to scout to the best of their abilities.


    The moment word got out that they could become a real subordinate under me, their passion skyrocketed. There were even some fearless rats who volunteered to scout ahead for us.


    Of these newly energized rodents, Weslin casually picked ten of them and had them enter the area one by one.


    As the first rodent took its first steps past the gate, I couldn¡¯t help but worry that the shutters would suddenly slam down on us but thankfully that didn¡¯t happen so that rodent was closely followed up by a second and a third¡­


    Soon, all the scouts had entered the area. From our position, all we could discern was that it was extremely vast and dark. Based on the dimly lit region revealed before me, it was clear that the area ahead was significantly wider than the 15m hallways we just passed through. However, that was the extent of my knowledge thanks to the limited sight range.


    A short while passed and all ten of them unexpectedly returned as a whole without any injuries whatsoever as if they had just taken a leisure stroll within and came out¡­naturally, there wasn¡¯t much useful information to be gained from such a scouting mission.


    For example, all they reported was that the area was vast, very empty, a little dark but not blindingly so. Because their intelligence was lacking to begin with, they weren¡¯t really able to glean much information about the area ahead. Going through all ten of them, I mostly heard reports that they couldn¡¯t see the edges of the cavern; there were no walls or exits to be seen like it was a dead end.


    ¡®Dead end? What¡¯s going on here? It can¡¯t be a dead end, that sign clearly stated that this was the [Team] path so there has to be something strange waiting for us ahead. But those ten fodders I sent out all made it back safely¡­based on that, I can only conclude that leaving and entering through those shutters isn¡¯t restricted.¡¯


    With that in mind, the next step would probably be to enter it then. However, before I could send in the army, there was another matter I had to handle.


    ¡°All of you have done well, though there was not much important information brought back, I¡¯ve still decided to release you all from slavery to become my direct subordinates. As for what benefits that entails, well, I¡¯m sure you all know already. Also, tell the other slaves that as long as they perform admirably, I¡¯ll make an exception for them and release them from slavery as well.¡±


    Needless to say, the first benefit was that until the fodders were all dead, I wouldn¡¯t send my direct subordinates into battle right away. This was a form of protection for them and a sense of pride as well. At the same time, doing so had the benefit of encouraging these slaves; it gave them a reason to risk their lives.


    Ignoring what rippling effects this translated message would have on the rodents, I called on the pouting and obviously bored out of her mind Mimiya.


    ¡°Bring these ten Abbadon Rodents to Julia and tell her to gear them up. As for managing them¡­I¡¯ll leave it to Mo Xixidi for now. Oh right, tell your brother to control himself as much as possible. Who knows how long more this path stretches on so we might end up with a food shortage in the near future.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Mimiya understands.¡± Having received her orders, she obediently flew off with those ten fortunate rats in tow. While it might seem awfully generous of me to let them off like that, there was a practical reason for my decision.


    Having just joined the ranks of my subordinates, there was no way they could fit in right away. Expecting them to join the devils was naturally out of the question, I would be lucky if they didn¡¯t end up as burdens then. Thus I had that freeloader Mo Xixidi manage them. While I called it [managing], it was basically just watching over them and ensuring that they didn¡¯t cause any trouble out of sheer boredom. Of course, if the situation ever demanded it, I would still send them off to be fodder.


    After the departure of Mimiya, I had the Abbadon Rodents advance onwards. This time, my plan was to have the first batch of fodder pass through the shutters entirely in order to test out my theory. A moment later, all 3000 of them passed through the gates and yet nothing happened.


    ¡®Is it truly just a normal gate? Unlikely¡­but is there any other choice but to go in blind at this moment?¡¯


    Slightly doubtful, I turned to Habona for her opinion: ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Enter.¡± A simple and direct answer.


    ¡®Should I ask Manasha as well?¡¯


    As of this moment, the medusas were assigned to the mid section of the army while Numila, Eugenia and Elena were to act as our rear guard along with their harpies. At the same time, they were to watch over the dogmen and the remaining 4000 rodents.


    ¡®Forget it, I doubt Manasha would be able to provide a clear answer as well. Since ancient times, information regarding place had been perfectly covered up so I doubt any of us could provide any useful information. Those that could¡­they were probably dead by now.¡¯


    ¡°Everyone just enter for now. First off, the remaining 4000 rodents will enter, followed by the dogmen, the demonic werewolves, the devils, the lizardmen, the medusas and finally the harpies.¡± I quickly read out the order we were to enter in. Honestly, it was pretty much the order we were in right now except that the slaves were now placed in front.


    Stepping into the unknown, the first thing that struck me was how unremarkable the surroundings were. It was basically an endless field of nothingness. Other than that entrance, there was basically nothing inside the cavern.


    ¡®Wait, that¡¯s not right.¡¯


    Putting aside that door, this place was basically a world of pitch blackness but strangely enough, we could still see clearly, although we still couldn¡¯t find a path forward.


    The moment the last of the harpies stepped into this strange space, a thunderous boom echoed from behind us, closely followed by the surprised shouts of the harpies.

 Chapter 176: Black Iron Titan Skeleton

    ¡°What¡¯s going on back there?¡±


    ¡®Why did the harpies yell like that? Did something happen to Numila and the others?¡¯


    As I was about to say something, Mimiya took to the air and from her vantage point, surveyed our backlines. ¡°The gate closed.¡±


    ¡®The gate closed? Sh*t, those shutters pulled a fast one over us¡­I knew this place couldn¡¯t be that simple!¡¯


    Now that the shutters closed up, our surroundings began to change as well. The pitch black darkness started to fade and even though there was still no light source, the walls and ground regained their enamel coloring. It was then that I realized that we were in a huge rounded room. Looking around, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if this room was able to fit another 30 000 of us.


    The innermost ring of the room was made of the same bone walls we saw previously. There were, however, three gigantic shutter gates evenly spaced apart¡­¡¯this architecture style¡­it feels so familiar, an arena for beasts? Yes, it had to be an arena¡¯


    Soon after the shutter gate slammed shut behind us, a black whirlpool appeared roughly one hundred meters in front of us. It had an almost translucent quality to it that made it seem like an illusion. However, there was something decidedly real about it. A second after it appeared, a strange object surfaced from within the whirlpool.


    ¡®A fist?¡¯


    It was a fist that could easily contain a child in its palm if it opened up. That black fist had no flesh at all but was instead made entirely out of bone that seemed to have metal infused within it.


    ¡®Probably some undead we haven¡¯t seen before.¡¯


    Because this entire situation seemed too strange, I decided to observe for now. Though the thought of attacking right away had crossed my mind, I restrained myself in the end as I was afraid something else might surface from the whirlpool before we could destroy it.


    As the metallic bone arm pulled itself out of the whirlpool, its shoulders surfaced into view after which came its giant head. Peering into its eye sockets, I could clearly see the unusually active soul flame within it¡­


    ¡®Damnit, how could there be such a huge undead¡­it¡¯s a titan, isn¡¯t it?!¡±


    Even though only its arms and head had surfaced so far, the oppressive aura it exuded was enough of a warning for me already. ¡®We mustn¡¯t let it crawl out! It¡¯s too dangerous!¡¯


    Nether Fireball!


    Eyes locked onto that black whirlpool floating in mid air, I promptly channelled my mana and fired off a dark red fireball.


    Sizzling audibly as it hurtled through the air, the fireball quickly collided into the whirlpool but unfortunately, it caused no visible damage to the whirlpool. In fact, the moment it came into contact with it, the whirlpool seemed to absorb the fireball and grew even bigger. At the same time, the speed at which the skeleton titan crawled out seemed to speed up as well¡­


    ¡®That whirlpool is able to convert the mana it absorbed into energy for itself!¡¯


    ¡®This is bad, it was already halfway free and from the looks of things, it had to be at least 10 meters tall¡­¡¯


    ¡°My magic seemed to have an opposite effect on the whirlpool instead, do you know what is that creature?¡± I asked the more experienced Habona.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure as well, perhaps granddaddy might know.¡± Turning to her werewolf bodyguard, she said: ¡°Have the elder come over¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, I¡¯m already here.¡± Just as we mentioned him, the elder appeared right on que; he probably started making his way here the moment he spotted that strangeness in front of us. Pushing through the relative safety of the backlines, he quickly walked up to our side and turned his attention to the skeleton titan which was almost done crawling out by now.


    Mulling over it for a while, he finally spoke up: ¡°That should be an undead formed out of a titan¡¯s corpse. Furthermore, looking at its black metallic bones, it was probably a black iron titan in life¡­speaking of black iron titans, I remember hearing long ago that several titans were thrown into this prison.¡±


    ¡°They were a family and the weakest amongst them was three-stars while the strongest was six-stars. Back then, there was nothing that could stand in their way. One day however, they just vanished¡­some of us guessed that they left the Prison of the Dead¡­looks like they didn¡¯t leave but were killed here instead¡­¡±


    ¡®Weakest is three-stars and the strongest is six? I thought this prison was only able to confine creatures up to four-stars so how did a six-star¡­wait, I get it now¡­¡¯


    Right after that first titan made its way out of the whirlpool, a second closely followed behind it after which came a third and fourth as well. At the end, a total of nine titan skeletons crawled out of the whirlpool!


    Just like the old werewolf mentioned, these titans varied in sizes. The largest was naturally that ten meter tall fellow that appeared right from the start and unless I was wrong for some strange reason, that fellow should be the six-star titan. The smallest amongst them was roughly five meters tall and according to the old werewolf, it should be a three-star.


    Naturally, these titans weren¡¯t content to just sit and stare at us while their brethren climbed out of the whirlpool. Right after the first titan appeared, it immediately tried to attack us but was stopped by a strange invisible wall. After that, it gave up on attacking and we ended up suffering nothing more than a little jump scare.


    Soon after the ninth titan appeared, the black whirlpool closed up automatically. However, just before it disappeared, a strange psychic wave emanated from it and from this emanation, I received a chilling bit of news: between us and the titans, only one side could survive¡­


    If we were able to defeat these titans, the giant gate in front of us would automatically open up and if we couldn¡¯t, then it really didn¡¯t matter what happened next.


    ¡°Habona, can you take care of that six-star fellow?¡±


    A ten meter tall titan was no joke to fight. Putting it simply, all it had to do was roll around and a large portion of our army would get squashed to death. With that in mind, Habona was the safest bet we had against this titan. She was strong, that much was proven in all our battles. As for how strong she actually was, I wasn¡¯t entirely sure but there was one thing I knew for certain, our strongest fighter right now wasn¡¯t Numila and her Flametail but rather this female werewolf.


    ¡°Just because it was a six-star in life doesn¡¯t mean that it¡¯s a six-star now as well. There¡¯s no way for an undead to retain its full power from life plus skeletons have their own unique points that can be exploited. They are faster than zombies but not by much and more importantly, they have no brains.¡± Perhaps it was because this situation was rather unique, she was noticeably chattier than usual. Having said all that, what she probably wanted to say was, leave it to her.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave the big fellow to you.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


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    Having settled the issue of that six-star, that didn¡¯t mean there was nothing left to worry about. The remaining titans weren¡¯t weaklings either. The two nine meter tall titans were both five-stars and the two eight meter tall titans were four-stars. The remaining five to seven meters tall titans were probably at the level of three-stars.


    With regards to those two five-stars, my plan was to have Numila, Eugenia and Elena handle them. With their wings and magic, they clearly had an advantage over these towering skeletons. While I couldn¡¯t guarantee that they would win, if it was just a matter of stalling them, there shouldn¡¯t be any issue. As for the two four-star titans, I had Westley and Manasha handle them.


    Because this battle wasn¡¯t suited for fodder tactics ¨Ctheir attacks wouldn¡¯t even scratch the titans¡ª, the remaining titans were handed over to our elites. Should all else fail, I would then throw the rest of our army at them.


    With that, our battle plan was pretty much set in stone. However, the ones who I worried about the most weren¡¯t those three harpy witches but rather Habona. After all, she was facing off against a legendary six-star titan while she was just a four-star herself.


    ¡°About that, how about you hold onto this for now.¡± I took off Shadowfang and handed it over to her.


    ¡°I might not need it.¡± Though she said that, she didn¡¯t reject my goodwill in the end and promptly secured Shadowfang to her back. She was probably aware as well that her claws alone weren¡¯t enough to penetrate the defenses of a six-star.


    Black Iron Skeleton Titan¡­just hearing that name alone was enough to conjure up images of an impregnable defense. Its black metallic sheen was almost a reminder to its opponents that it had a formidable defense.


    Not long after our discussion, the titans finally couldn¡¯t restrain themselves any longer and rushed at us. As they did so, their massive feet pounded the bony floor and the resultant impact actually made me mistake the quaking for a minor earthquake.


    Of my forces, Habona was the first to enter battle with the titans. Fists raised, the six-star titan immediately punched out at the charging werewolf but it was nimbly avoided by a quick side step followed by a leap onto the titan¡¯s knuckles while its fist was still slightly buried within the bony floor.


    With nothing to interfere with her as she sprinted up its arm, she furiously attacked the bony exterior. However, she didn¡¯t start out with Shadowfang but instead chose to test out her claws on the skeleton. In a frenzy of swipes, she wildly swung her claws in front of her without ever slowing down her climb. Unfortunately, the effects were as we had both expected: nil. She simply wasn¡¯t able to penetrate its defenses. All her swipes accomplished were a spiderweb of faint claw marks on its otherwise unharmed exterior.


    Now that she knew her claws were useless, she didn¡¯t waste anymore time and drew out Shadowfang instead. Running up to its thick bony neck, she took up a quickdraw stance and readied herself for a powerful strike to finish the titan off in one strike.


    *shing*


    Slicing through the air at a speed invisible to the naked eye, the blade swiftly impacted with the bony exterior and broke through its defenses, albeit with some difficulty. However, though she managed to cut through its bony exterior, the expected bifurcation didn¡¯t happen.


    ¡®To think even Shadowfang¡¯s razor edge wasn¡¯t enough to cut its neck in half¡­¡¯


    However, such an outcome wasn¡¯t because Shadowfang was lacking but rather it was because Habona herself didn¡¯t have the strength to slice through its chunky neck.


    While the long dead titan couldn¡¯t feel any pain at all, it wasn¡¯t foolish enough to allow an opponent to run amok on its body. It immediately halted its charge and tried to swat at Habona with its giant bone palms. Thankfully, the moment Habona realized she wasn¡¯t able to behead the titan, she decisively withdrew with Shadowfang. Kicking off with her powerful wolf feet, she leaped off the titan¡¯s shoulders just as its palm descended and landed on the titan¡¯s ribcage.


    *Bang* The palm crashed into the shoulder with a resounding bang that sent violent tremors throughout the fleshless titan. Down below, Habona barely managed to prevent herself from falling off by hanging onto its thick chest bone.

 Chapter 177: Individual Battles

    With the advantage of speed on her side, Habona was able to run circles around her opponent and while she wasn¡¯t able to defeat it quickly, it was only a matter of time before she wore it down.


    As per my instructions, Numila, Eugenia and Elena engaged the two five-stars from mid air by tossing their magicks at them. Though their spells weren¡¯t able to inflict much damage or even break through their skeletal exterior for that matter, they were at least able to attract the attention of the titans.


    Turning their empty eye sockets onto those pesky harpy witches, the lumbering titans chased after the three, arms wildly swinging about in a bid to swat these annoyances. Naturally, their attacks were useless against the highly mobile harpies. Thus, they were slowly but surely lured away from their undead brethren.


    Seeing that scene play out before my eyes, it almost reminded me of someone chasing after a bunch of flies¡­ ¡®Oh¡­err¡­calling them flies would be rather rude. Those sisters were rather fetching after all¡­¡¯


    There were only two four-star titans in total and one of them was assigned to the medusa sisters, Manasha and Majosha. Using their snakes, they were quickly able to grab the attention of these mindless undead with a few acid spits.


    For the most part, the spits didn¡¯t deal much damage to the titans but despite that, the titans blindly chased after the medusas simply because they attacked them. I guess this was only to be expected since most undead below the level of seven-stars had no mind of their own. Had it been anyone else who fought the medusas, they would¡¯ve instantly realized that this was a ploy to lure them away.


    While they had no legs to run with, their speed didn¡¯t suffer much because of that. Slithering in an S motion, their speed was a notch faster than the titan skeletons chasing them. In such a way, they continued kiting the titans around the massive arena and while they weren¡¯t able to damage the titans, the act of distracting alone was advantageous enough.


    On the side of the lizardmen, Westley and Weslin weren¡¯t the only four-stars that came along for this final assault, there were at least six other four-star leaders. Not too long ago, they swore loyalty to Westley and given that Westley, in turn, was a willing subject of Habona, these lizardmen ended up being a powerful yet trustworthy force for us.


    With one more titan up for the taking, Westley led his sister and the six other leaders in a brave charge against the colossal skeleton.


    Because the lizardman race possessed no magical abilities, they could only call themselves the draconic race rather than an actual dragon. However, each and everyone of them had astonishing physical abilities to make up for this defect, abilities that wouldn¡¯t balk in the face of these titans.


    Diving head first, the first thing these magic-less lizardmen did was rush the titan and topple it with a powerful combined collision. Yet just as I thought that the battle was decided, the titan violently jerked its body and without any warning, flipped over onto two lizardmen who couldn¡¯t escape in time.


    Thankfully, their draconic bloodline afforded the lizardmen an astonishingly thick hide that, even after being squashed by a titan, allowed them to crawl out from underneath nearly unscathed.


    With no losses to speak of, the eight lizardmen, under the leadership of Westley, climbed onto the fallen black iron titan and tried to dismantle the skeleton with their brute strength.


    As for the remaining four-star skeleton titans, the tallest among them, the seven meters tall one, mostly likely had the power of a four-star while the other three were at most three-stars. Thus, I had the the three of them lumped together in my considerations.


    ¡°Mo En, I want you to distract that seven meters tall titan with two other four-star dogmen. Mo Xixidi and Harlow, you guys will handle one each with the remaining four-star ratmen. As for the last titan, leave that to me.¡±


    Having said all that, Mo En wasn¡¯t particularly receptive to my commands at first but thankfully, his wife Julia was here to save the day. Twisting him by his ears, she used her own brand of loving to make him submit. As for Mo Xixidi¡­


    Lips smiling but eyes cold, I threw out the most effective weapon I had against this glutton of a devil: ¡°If you refuse my orders, I will limit your rations.¡±


    Being the potato that he was, his brain couldn¡¯t process the meaning behind my words. Face scrunched up in confusion as he scratched his head, he asked: ¡°Didn¡¯t you already limit it?¡±


    ¡°What I mean to say is that if you don¡¯t listen to my orders, it will be limited even more.¡±


    ¡°¡­okay¡­I¡¯ll listen to you.¡± With my threat finally taking effect, he tossed the meat he had in his hands right into his mouth, swallowing it in an instant, and patted his hands while striking up a confident pose: ¡°Speak then, who am I fighting?¡±


    ¡°Just that.¡± I pointed at the five meter tall skeleton and smiled: ¡°I¡¯m not asking for much, just restrain him and prevent him from attacking anyone else other than you and the rodents assigned to you.¡±


    ¡°What if it doesn¡¯t attack us.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll dock your rations.¡±


    ¡°¡­drat¡­¡±


    Throwing a pitiful look at Julia, he attempted a last ditch effort at garnering her support. Too bad for him, Julia was my staunch supporter and merely brushed him off with a cold snort: ¡°If you can¡¯t even finish our Highness¡¯ task, I think you should lose some weight as well.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Raising his head into the air, he started to shed tears of pain as he yelled: ¡°Damned undead, time to die!¡±


    By now, Mo En had already engaged with the titan skeleton. Looking at his tactics, they were truly a strange sight to behold. Though they seemed really slow on the surface, each time the titan tried to attack him, he would always be able to dodge it safely. However, his offensive powers weren¡¯t as impressive and couldn¡¯t break through the titan¡¯s defenses. As for the dogmen I assigned to him, they might as well have been spectators.


    Unlike the slipperiness of Mo En, Mo Xixidi had a completely different approach to battle that was akin to the lizardman¡¯s own style. In other words, he used his brute force to tackle the titan directly.


    As a devil blessed by the sin of Gluttony, his evolution path took him down the road of a horned demon, purgatory devil and finally an abyssal devil. Devils of this branch of evolution were known for the being strongest in terms of physical power. Yet in spite of that, I was still astonished when I saw him take on that titan on equal grounds. Don¡¯t forget, that titan was at least five meters tall and was at least twice as tall as he was.


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    As for the rodents I assigned to him, they were busy spectating just like the dogmen¡­


    Being a demonic werewolf, Harlow¡¯s style of fighting was nearly identical to his sister¡¯s. His first action was to charge right up to the titan and cling onto it. With its clumsy and unwieldy attacks, it often missed the more nimble werewolf. However, because his opponent was only half the height of Habona¡¯s, he couldn¡¯t hang onto its body for long and could only dart in from time to time to try and extract its soul flame.


    As for the four-star rodents I assigned to him¡­they were actually trying to actively participate. Unfortunately, their speed wasn¡¯t on par with Harlow¡¯s and were promptly swatted aside after a few attacks.


    ¡°Summon all the three-star warriors, if we aren¡¯t able to take care of them ourselves, have them join the battle as well.¡± While the battle wasn¡¯t going too badly for now, it didn¡¯t hurt to prepare for a rainy day. After giving out those instructions to Julia, I rushed to face the smallest titan amongst the three.


    ¡°Master, let us take care of him instead.¡±


    Behind me, One-eye, Nine-finger, No.3 and Big 4 were all ready to substitute me for this battle. However, I knew very well that their attacks wouldn¡¯t even be able to penetrate the titan¡¯s defenses so I merely shook my head and rejected their goodwill:


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, your attacks are too weak and you guys aren¡¯t fast enough to dodge as well. Having you all attack would only put you guys in risk, just support me from the backlines.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­we¡¯ve failed you¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, it¡¯s just that this opponent isn¡¯t suitable for you all to handle.¡± I smiled at their crestfallen faces before promptly turning around. ¡°Be careful everyone, make sure not to get hit!¡±


    Without looking back, I charged at the titan I chose for myself. As his towering figure began to grow with every step I took, I was awestruck by its terrifying height. If I had to describe the situation right now, it was as if I was an elementary school student facing off against a Yokozuna.(Author: Yokozuna is the highest rank of sumo wrestlers.)


    Naturally, all that was merely a difference in body size. In actuality, my strength wasn¡¯t any weaker than my opponent¡¯s.


    No, I am definitely stronger than it. Just watch, I¡¯ll use Shadowfang to slice it in ha¡ª.¡¯


    In the midst of my charge brimming with confidence, I reached for Shadowfang and to my horror, discovered that it was missing¡­ ¡®that¡¯s right, I just lent it to Habona not too long ago¡­¡¯


    Thus, in midst of my heroic dash, I made an equally shameful dodge right as we were about to clash¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s really not my fault¡­it¡¯s just that my epic weapon isn¡¯t with me, alright¡­¡¯


    The fist which came my way was already bigger than my body and while it didn¡¯t leave a hole in the floor as it impacted just to the side of me, there was no doubt in my mind that one hit would be enough to blow me away.


    ¡®Hey¡­just wait a moment, stop chasing me, let me get my weapon back first¡­we aren¡¯t meant for each other, really, so stop chasing me¡­damn it¡­all I wanted to do was show off my dashing side¡­¡¯


    While I was busy being chased by that titan, Numila and Eugenia had just fired off a composite magic spell. Combining their fire and wind magicks, the resulting power of that spell skyrocketed, especially given that Numila had Flametail to boost her fire spells. An instant later, a roaring pillar of flames rose up from beneath the titan and completely swallowed it up as it took to the heavens like a mighty fire dragon.


    From the looks of things, its soul flame wouldn¡¯t last much longer especially since the undead were susceptible to fire, not to mention that Numila was still channeling more mana into the spell while all this was happening.


    At the other end, Habona¡¯s own battle was about to reach its conclusion as well; Shadowfang lived up to its reputation as an epic weapon once more. In face of Habona¡¯s nimbleness, its six-star power might as well had been zero given how unwieldy its movements were. From start to finish, Habona was able to run circles around the titan and when the opportunity came, she would sneak in a deadly slash from Shadowfang. After ten such slashes, Habona finally managed to behead the titan.


    And with that, the towering colossus collapsed to the ground with a thunderous boom¡­


    At that same time, Numila¡¯s flame pillar had just finished its work as well¡­

 Chapter 178: Titan Skeletons Wiped Ou

    ¡°Over here!¡± Yelled Elena as she continued delaying one of the five-star skeletons with her frost spells.


    Body covered in a thick layer of white frost, there wasn¡¯t a shred of joy to be found within its blackened bones. Thanks to the freezing effect of her spells, the titan skeleton¡¯s movement speed had slowed down drastically. This made the already lumbering titan even clumsier and slower.


    The giant lug continued waving its fists frantically in a brainless attempt at swatting Elena but unfortunately for it, she managed to nimbly dodge them all. It was at that moment that her other two harpy peers managed to clinch the first kill. Seeing that, she immediately called out to them for help.


    Throwing a quick glance between each other, Numila and Eugenia promptly flew over to join her in finishing off that remaining five-star; looks like they remembered my words after all. Yet, in what should have been a moment where all three harpies combined forces to wipe out their enemies, Elena took advantage of the fact that the skeleton was currently distracted by Numila and Eugenia and flew off¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me she¡¯s thinking about deserting?¡± Said Eugenia as continued flapping her wings to gather more wind elements. Having accumulated enough power, she fired off her wind spell in concert with Numila¡¯s own spell spell and summoned that terrifying pillar of flame once more. Roaring to life from the ground up, it quickly enveloped that skeleton which was still hindered by Elena¡¯s ice.


    ¡°Leave her, take care of this skeleton first.¡± Said Numila, eyes never leaving her opponent for a second in spite of Elena¡¯s strange behavior.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Eugenia turned her attention back onto channelling.


    That composite magic of theirs was a channelling spell which meant that before their opponent was defeated, the two of them had to continually channel more mana into the spell. Though they couldn¡¯t move in the meantime because of the need to focus, they were able to process some basic thoughts. It just so happened that Eugenia¡¯s basic thoughts tended to be affected by her active imagination¡­


    ¡°That harpy¡­don¡¯t tell she flew off to find my future husband¡­¡±


    ¡°Your future husband?¡± Hearing that, Numila paused in surprise for a second and nearly interrupted her mana channelling: ¡°Dearest is this harpy¡¯s fiance, he has nothing to do with either of you shameless harpies!¡±


    ¡°Hmph, this harpy isn¡¯t lacking in any way compared to you, it just so happened that you met him earlier, that¡¯s all. What¡¯s so great about?¡±


    ¡°Meeting him earlier is just that great!¡±


    ¡°For all you know, he likes a harpy like me.¡±


    ¡°¡­now¡¯s not the time for quarreling, we need to stop Elena¡­but the enemy is still alive and Dearest said to take care of it¡­¡±


    ¡°Cut all that c**p for now, kill off this damned undead first and then we can find that harpy!¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    The both of them finally came to an agreement while on the other side, Elena seemed to be beelining towards me.


    As of right now, I was still caught up in battle where my subordinates watched me continuously dodge the titan¡¯s attacks with bated breath from the sidelines. Even though my attacks weren¡¯t able to cause any damage at all, they rushed in to defend me after another wave of ineffective spells from me.


    ¡°Master, leave the defending to us. Your magic needs time to prepare so let us stall it in your stead.¡±


    Perhaps it was because of the sheer intensity of the situation, but even without my consent, One-eye had already made the decision to rush in and even commanded the other devils to help as well. Thankfully, they still had enough self-awareness within them to know that any devil who rushed in without being a three-star was basically committing suicide.


    Thus, the only devils who rushed in were No.3, Big 4, Big 5, Baccarel, One-eye and Nine-fingers.


    It was worth pointing out at this moment that because Baccarel was now a commander in my army, he received more spoils and managed to become a three-star before I returned to the Prison of Dead. In light of that, I upgraded his equipment to the same level as my other three-star demon childs.


    Naturally, my commander-class subordinates were all furnished with the finest equipment I crafted. However, the moment that titan skeleton knocked away the bulky Big 4, even with his shield raised, they finally realized how large the gap in power was.


    Though my crafted gear were powerful, that was only if they were stronger than or at the very least relatively close in strength with their opponents. If they weren¡¯t, then they would end up in an awkward situation like Big 4. Thankfully, that bulky devil had a tough hide and was able to get up after a couple of tumbles.


    Now that I had them to draw the attention of that skeleton, I was finally able to channel more mana.


    Nether Fireball.


    After ten seconds of channeling my mana, I managed to compress the magical energies, which had grown to the size of a water vat by now, to their utmost limits. Tossing it, the reddish black fireball scorched the air itself as it raced towards the titan surrounded by my six subordinates¡­


    ¡°Everyone, dodge!¡±


    Having fought with me multiple times, they immediately knew to abandon the fight upon hearing my command. With that, the Nether Fireball successfully collided with that titan without any friendly casualties. However, an explosion was unavoidable and the ensuing flash of light ended up blinding all of us.


    As the scorching winds blew through the battlefield, I instinctively raised my hands to protect my eyes.


    ¡®With that much force, it should be dead, right?¡¯ That was what I thought but reality soon proved me wrong.


    ¡°Master watch out¡­it¡¯s not dead yet¡­ahhh¡­¡±


    That sudden yell from No.3 sounded a little horrific. Turning towards the direction of his yells, I found the titan skeleton alive just as he said. With nether flames still wrapped around itself, it charged right at me but because No.3 rushed in to hinder it, the titan very casually kicked the devil aside and set him on fire with my own nether flames¡­


    By the time I realized this fact and tried to rescue him, it was already too late. His body was covered from head to toe with my reddish black flames. Just from a glance alone, I was able to tell that he was more dead than alive now.


    I hurriedly ran up to him and absorbed the torturous flames into my palms. Naturally, these flames would never hurt me seeing as I controlled them. However, that harmlessness didn¡¯t extend to others. Just the opposite, its terrifying heat meant that even the flame resistant devils weren¡¯t able to get out scot-free after being burnt by it.


    ¡°Mas¡­ter¡­I¡¯m¡­fine¡­¡±


    The burns were horrific. His reddish skin had turned completely black like charcoal and seemed like it would break apart at any time. Yet such a grisly sight didn¡¯t scare me in the least because No.3 only ended up in such a state because of my negligence¡­


    ¡°Get out of the way, all of you! Don¡¯t touch that titan!¡± I immediately ordered them to avoid the titan in order to prevent anymore injuries.


    From then on, it was a personal battle between me and the titan. Because I was the only one immune to the nether flames, there was no one else who could take it on.


    Yet, things rarely proceeded in the way you envisioned. Just as I gave out that command, the burning titan suddenly collapsed¡­in the midst of its charge, it collapsed¡­


    The titan skeletons were truly a formidable foe but my nether flames weren¡¯t any old flames either. Their burning effect could even harm a person¡¯s soul and was, without a doubt, a nemesis to the undead. Moreover, because nether flames didn¡¯t possess a purifying effect, the titan¡¯s soul flame wasn¡¯t destroyed. As long as I put out the fire beforehand, its soul flame could be harvested easily.


    ¡°Give this soul flame to No.3 for me, I still have to monitor the other battlefields.¡± As I said that, I handed the soul flame over to Big 5. Though I really wanted to check up on No.3¡¯s condition, the other battles were still ongoing and I had to live up to my responsibilities as their commander.


    ¡°Understood, Master.¡± Acknowledging the command, he immediately ran off towards No.3 without daring to tarry for even a second longer.


    ¡°Mas¡­ter¡­¡± Though I couldn¡¯t see the expression on his blackened face, I could tell that No.3 was extremely touched by my gesture.


    With that settled, there was no longer a need to worry about No.3; as long as a devil was given enough souls, he could recover from any injuries, it was only a matter of time.


    Just as I took a couple of steps forward, Elena descended from the ceiling and hugged me in her usual fashion except that it was done from the side this time. Cooling scent rushing into my nose, she turned her expressionless face towards me and in an equally cold voice, said: ¡°It¡¯s defeated.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, my battle has ended as well.¡± With regards to these three harpies, I was basically accustomed to their shenanigans by now so her hug no longer fazed me, though I still didn¡¯t understand why they were willing to tie their entire lives to me just for a weapon¡­


    Perhaps it was simply a case of things being taken to an extreme and ended up reversing but the harpy witches were completely devoted to their partners unlike normal harpies. In fact, their loyalty trumped even that of an elf¡¯s. Thus, even though I had my doubts about their attitudes¡­I accepted them.


    ¡°What about Numila and Eugenia.¡±


    ¡°Behind me.¡±


    Looking in the direction of her finger, I didn¡¯t see the aforementioned harpies but instead found Habona in the midst of a rampage with Shadowfang. In other words, she was hopping from battlefield to battlefield and aiding those who were still fighting.


    With her peerless speed and Shadowfang¡¯s unparalleled sharpness, she managed to finish off the rest of the titan skeletons in under five minutes.


    ¡°Here you go.¡±


    Habona handed over the epic weapon without any hesitation.


    ¡®To think she had no attachments to such a godly weapon¡­the demonic werewolves really didn¡¯t take to weapons, huh? Or should I say, Habona rejected Shadowfang in particular?¡¯


    No matter what the reason was, she ended up returning the weapon to me.


    ¡°Dearest¡­¡± X2.


    Just as I received the blade from Habona, Numila and Eugenia flew over from a short distance away. Landing, they promptly hugged me and shoved aside Elena in what looked like a coordinated effort on their part. Naturally, Elena wasn¡¯t all too pleased about that but there was something different about this compared to their usual fights. It wasn¡¯t a free for all like always but instead it was Elena against the other two.


    ¡®Something doesn¡¯t seem right here, why did Numila and Eugenia form an alliance? Did something strange happen while I wasn¡¯t looking?¡¯


    ¡°Things seem to be as lively as always.¡± Violet Snow, who hadn¡¯t participated in this battle, trotted over and upon noticing their jealous antics, chimed in with her usual sarcasm: ¡°So, have you decided on someone yet?¡±


    ¡°Choose me.¡± X3


    ¡°Why should he choose you!?¡±


    ¡°This harpy knew him the longest!¡±


    ¡°Elene feels that Elena is the best.¡±


    I had to admit, Violet Snow truly knew these three witches like the back of her paws. With just a single sentence she tore apart what looked like a budding alliance and threw them back into the era of the Three Kingdoms.


    ¡®Hey, after that difficult fight, our priority shouldn¡¯t be to start another one right away¡­¡¯


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 Chapter 179: Splitting the Loo

    Because only the elites of elites took part in this battle against the titan skeletons, there weren¡¯t any mishaps on our side except for No.3¡¯s unexpected run-in with my Nether Flames. Having tallied up our losses, we actually came out without any deaths though there were a few severely injured members. Thankfully, none of them were injured to extent of No.3.


    Now that the battle was over, it was time to split the spoils. The biggest reward we gained from that fight were the soul flames of those titan skeletons which were, unfortunately, useless to the lizardmen, the medusas and the demonic werewolves because they weren¡¯t able to feed on souls.


    In light of that, custody of those soul flames pretty much went entirely to me. As compensation however, I planned to use the bones of those titans to craft more weapons for them. Because their bones were particularly sturdy, that crafting job might just end up costing more mana than expected. However, the end result of my labors should end up proportionally stronger as well.


    ¡°Well then, Mo En, will you be able to evolve into a five-star if you consume this soul flame?¡± I pointed at the nearly one meter wide soul flame as I said so. While there was only a single star of difference between the two levels, the difference in power, however, wasn¡¯t just a simple as one plus one.


    It was worth mentioning that letting him have the most precious loot wasn¡¯t just to simply raise his combat strength, there was another reason as well. Mo En only submitted to me because of Julia. To me, his entire family were irreplaceable allies in this dangerous prison break. Yet before this, I had no way to express my gratitude. While it was true that I gave Julia the art of dark alchemy, that wasn¡¯t enough, not by a long shot. Thus, I came to the decision to give him that soul flame.


    Eyes curved into crescent moons, he smiled a silly smile as he gazed at that soul flame. Clearly, he wasn¡¯t going to reject it either way. ¡°Sure sure, I can feel my evolution coming already, I just need to eat that soul flame¡­¡±


    However, just as I was about to hand him the soul flame¡­


    ¡°You¡¯d better come clean here!¡± Julia suddenly walked out of his shadow and slapped this deceitful husband of hers on the back of his head. Only after giving a thorough thrashing did she finally stop: ¡°You¡¯d better come clean, if I see you lying to his Highness again, this wife of yours will break your leg!¡±


    Slightly confused: ¡°Lie? What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like this¡­¡± Julia glared at Mo En who was shuffling his feet about as we spoke before turning around to explain the situation to me. A short while later, I roughly got the gist of what she was saying. Truth be told, I had some rough theories regarding this matter but didn¡¯t pay much attention to it before.


    Why were there no life forms above the level of four-stars in the Prison of the Dead? Because of the restriction placed by the prison itself, that¡¯s why! Initially, I thought that once a creature reached five-stars, they either left of their own accord or were forcibly teleported out of the prison. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that the truth could be so far from my expectations.


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    In actuality, the prison wasn¡¯t just a chain on our freedom, it limited our levels as well. Simply put, every creature was only allowed to evolve up to four-stars. Even if you were already a five or six-star, your level would automatically be suppressed down to peak four-stars upon entering the prison.


    That was why Habona was able to match up so easily against what was supposed to be a six-star black iron titan skeleton. Those titans were strong, for sure, but their levels had all been suppressed to that of four-stars. Being at the same level as Habona, their lack of intelligence clearly put them at a disadvantage especially given the epic-grade Shadowfang.


    However, while their levels had been suppressed, those titans were still stronger than the average four-star devil. After all, while the prison was able to suppress one¡¯s level, it couldn¡¯t suppress the innate strength of a six-star¡¯s body. Given the fact that the titans were a race who specialized in defense to begin with, it wasn¡¯t at all strange that Shadowfang couldn¡¯t slice through that six-star¡¯s neck in one go.


    ¡®Speaking of which, if Mo En already knew that he would never be able to evolve even after eating that soul flame¡­then¡­wasn¡¯t he just digging a pit for me to jump into?¡¯


    Turning around, I found a rueful looking Mo En staring right back at me¡­thus, I relented.


    ¡®Forget it, in the first place, he¡¯s kinda pitiful himself. Because of his wife, he ended up having to serve me for no rhyme or reason. Besides, that soul flame was meant to be a compensation of sorts for him. However, since it can¡¯t raise his level, I¡¯ll just give it to someone else.¡¯


    ¡°Mimiya, here you go, you can have this soul flame instead.¡±


    ¡®Before you ask, this wasn¡¯t me trying to kidnap a loli with candy, it was just that her father couldn¡¯t benefit from it so I decided to have her eat it instead. As for why it wasn¡¯t Mo Xixidi¡­that¡¯s because it was Mo Xixidi¡­I did say I was a part of the Judging a Book By its Cover Society!¡¯


    ¡°Mimiya can eat it?¡± Eyes sparkling while they stared at this sudden boon from the heavens, she practically leapt into my embrace as she yelled. Arms and feet wrapped around my upper half, she proceeded to viciously smooch my¡­face, of course.


    As she did so, my eyes nearly glazed over from that unique fragrance of a loli: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Scram, you shameless woman!¡±


    ¡°Let go of this harpy¡¯s hubby!¡±


    ¡°Elena is going to hit you.¡±


    Not long after I was stunned by that dastardly loli, my forced-upon-me harem arrived on scene, wings and claws ready to defend their meat. However, just as everyone thought that Julia was about to start another lecture, she instead revealed a radiant smile: ¡°Remember to treat his Excellency well from now on, got it?¡±


    ¡°¡­mhm! Hehehe!¡±


    ¡°Looks like you gained another one.¡± Violet Snow rolled her eyes back as she delivered her trademark emotionless tsukkomi.


    After messing around, it was time to proceed on with the soul flame distribution. In just a few minutes, the remaining the soul flames were distributed as followed: the six-star soul was given to Mimiya, one of the fiver-stars was consumed by me while the other was given to Violet Snow. As for potato-faced Mo Xixidi, he naturally worked for free. Other than that soul flame I gave to No.3, the remaining titan souls were handed out to Big 4, Big 5, Nine-finger, One-eye and the Grimoire of the Dead.


    In what was most likely a lack of soul flames, only One-eye managed to evolve from consuming his share of soul flames. Because the majority of his soul flame was expended to heal his wounds, No.3 wasn¡¯t able to evolve as well.


    In his new form, One-eye grew a pair of red devil wings on his back and his body became a lot bulkier. Assuming nothing else changed, his evolutionary path was most likely that of Mo Xixidi¡¯s: the sin of Gluttony.


    The fact that he was the first of my named subordinates to evolve didn¡¯t come as a surprise at all. He was the strongest amongst them all and before meeting me, he was already the head of his own band of devils. His talents were naturally a cut above the rest.


    However, the fact that Big 4, Big 5 and Nine-finger weren¡¯t able to evolve still left me exasperated. Having three more four-stars would undoubtedly speed up our future progress. Because we still weren¡¯t sure about what hidden traps laid ahead of us, growing stronger was of utmost importance.


    Being a three-star prior to meeting us, Mimiya was naturally able to evolve upon consuming that six-star soul. Because she was born with the original sin of Greed in her, she was born as a primal devil destined to tread the path of an infant devil. Thanks to that, her form didn¡¯t change much after evolving; it was still that of an adorable loli.


    In order for her to become a newly-evolved infant devil, she would have to evolve to the level of five-stars first. Thus, her innate skills had only been partially unlocked. Her affinity with dimensional magicks had definitely increased substantially but it still wasn¡¯t to the level where she could teleport. In order for her to do that, she had to at least be a five-star.


    As for the Grimoire of the Dead, it was a bottomless black hole just like before. No matter how much souls I fed it, it would never be full.


    As for me¡­that five-star soul actually had no effect on me at all¡­undoubtedly, all those energies had been forcefully absorbed by the slumbering Ferti¡¯nier within me.


    Naturally, she made sure to leave me some scraps. As for how much that was¡­ ¡®let¡¯s have a looksie, about two percent? That damned woman¡­no wait, damned she-devil, once you wake up, I¡¯m going to make you cough up the rental fee!¡¯


    After reorganizing the army once more, we were now ready to set off.


    What was once a giant black whirlpool was now an immeasurably thick bone wall with a giant gate carved into it. The gate itself was over fifty meters wide and was already open as if it was inviting us in. However, that wasn¡¯t the only thing strange about it. The location where it appeared, in other words, where the black whirlpool used to be, didn¡¯t use to have a gate at all. In fact, when we first entered this cavern, those walls weren¡¯t even there.


    Even so, now that a road had opened up before us, we naturally had to take it. As for the way back¡­it was already gone.


    ¡°There¡¯s no time or mana to process those titan bones so I want the dogmen to take them apart and carry them for now.¡± Having dumped that task onto the dogmen, I continued: ¡°The Abbadon Rodents will continue serving as our vanguard. Weslin, make sure you watch them carefully, I don¡¯t want any mistakes.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be extra careful.¡± She nodded her head and as she did so, she gave those thousand rodents under her an evil glare: ¡°Listen up, if you perform well enough, you will get promoted. As for those cowards amongst you who don¡¯t dare to advance, death on the spot!¡±


    ¡°Chit chit chit chiiit cccchit¡­¡± The ratman beside her furiously translated her words for its brethren who upon hearing its words, immediately trembled. Chits flying about, they immediately rushed towards the mysterious gate.


    ¡°What did they say?¡± Slightly curious, I turned to Violet Snow who seemed rather bored right now.


    Rolling her eyes at me as usual, she said: ¡°They said: for food, for the does, we fight!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Does huh¡­


    (TL: Does: plural of doe. A doe can be a female hare,rat,deer, goat and some other animals.)

 Chapter 180: A Silent Hell

    Truth be told, I didn¡¯t care all that much about their shenanigans unless, of course, it affected me directly¡­which brings us back to this situation, wasn¡¯t doing ¡°that¡± in an open environment like this, immoral? That¡¯s why I forbade any uncivilized conduct that wasn¡¯t safe for work.


    Because of that, those rodents were unable to find a wife to get their bones honed, poor things. Previously, they used to be able to go spelunking in the slime cave whenever and wherever they wanted to; privacy wasn¡¯t even a concept to them.


    Compared to them, the dogmen were a lot more obedient and did their utmost to complete the task I set out for them ¡ªexactly like a real dog. In fact, I was starting to feel a little bad about treating them like back up rations.


    Speaking of dogs, after consuming that five-star soul, Violet Snow didn¡¯t end up evolving as I expected. Her body showed no outward changes at all and the only thing that was different was that her mana pool increased.


    However, setting aside all these unnecessary things, it was now time to push onwards. Just like before, the Abaddon Rodents were on vanguard duty.


    The traps I envisioned didn¡¯t appear in the end, in fact, we weren¡¯t even ambushed as we proceeded onwards. Naturally, there was no chance of us taking a wrong turn since it had been a completely straight road up till now without any forks. Thus, the days passed in such a peaceful manner and even I began to miss those undead attacks. As for why that was so¡­that¡¯s because we ran out of food.


    Prior to entering the Door of the Dead, I had no intentions at all of preparing too much rations. Back then, my plan was to fuel our battles with battles. Besides, food storage was extremely impractical in hell. However, as if fate itself was teasing us, we didn¡¯t encounter any large scale undead assault other than that bone pillar and those titan skeletons. Truly, there was no danger to be had at all. But that didn¡¯t make me feel happy at all because that meant my plan was ruined!


    ¡®In the end, there¡¯s really no choice but to eat ourselves,huh¡­oh, I mean to eat our comrades.¡¯


    As the saying goes, man is iron, food is steel, one meal missed is a day of panicked hunger. This was especially so since we were still faced with an unknown danger ahead of us; at any time, an enemy army could waylay and destroy us. Thus, our bellies had to be filled up in order to ensure we had enough stamina for any future battles. In the light of that, the only option available to us was what I had planned at the start¡­eat those rodents¡­


    (TL: Iron is weaker than steel so man is weak to hunger.)


    Just like that, with no food leftover to speak of, the Abaddon Rodents became our back up ration source starting from their lowest ranked members.


    On the second day of our food shortage, I gave the command myself to slaughter two thousand Abaddon Rodents in order to fill our stomachs. Truth be told, giving out that order left me feeling extremely helpless. After all, those rodents were my slaves and as slaves, I had still had a host of tasks for them to complete such as, being fodder, lab rats, etc. However, for the sake of our progress, I had no choice but to send out that cruel command.


    The moment that command was sent out, no matter who they were, whether they were the rodents who were about to be slaughtered or the dogmen who knew that they were only a little further up the totem pole, they all had a conflicted look on their faces. On the other hand, there wasn¡¯t that much of a reaction from the other races. Feeding on each other was something they were used to already.


    No matter how much those rodents protested, it was useless. In the face of absolute power, those rodents only had to obey. Those who resisted were slaughtered on the spot and became ration themselves.


    If they were humans, I definitely wouldn¡¯t have given out such a cruel command because I still identified as a human at the end of the day and not a devil. Perhaps deep down, I was nothing but a racist.


    Honestly, the moment those words left my mouth, I was struck with an indescribable sense of guilt. Yet, what was I to do if not so? Heading back wasn¡¯t an option anymore so all we could do was advance.


    Furthermore, allowing them to starve would have only worn down our army¡¯s unity and might even cause a rebellion. Lizardman might turn on lizardman for food. Even my trusted allies, the devils, medusas and harpies would most probably start a war with each other let alone the temperamental demonic werewolves.


    Thus, I had to nip this problem in the bud even though innocents would have to be sacrificed in the process. Besides, I enslaved them with the idea of using them as fodder and rations in the first place. Other than that sense of guilt, I wasn¡¯t all that opposed to it¡­probably.


    Unknowingly, I became an even colder person.


    For the next few days, nothing really changed. There were still no signs of an ambush and we had to subsist on rat meat. Because I didn¡¯t know how much longer this would last and also because our rat supply was dwindling to begin with, I had my warriors control their appetite to the best of their abilities. With each passing day, I lowered the number of rodents we slaughtered but even so, nearly all 8000 of those rodents were slaughtered in order to sustain us for ten days.


    Once the eleventh day passed, all the rodents, barring those I sent to Mo Xixidi, were all re-accommodated into our bellies. Even so, our bellies were never satisfied, not even for a day. With the spectre of starvation wearing down on our sanity, we had to find a food source soon or the entire army might collapse.


    As I had suspected, the lack of rations created a rift between the different races. The most combative race, the demonic werewolves, were already on the verge of revolting. Thankfully, Habona had an iron grip on her clan so the situation didn¡¯t worsen any further.


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    After the finishing off our last meal of rat steak, I summoned the heads of each race to discuss our future plans. However, neither of us were able to come up with a solution till Weslin finally made the suggestion that we feed on the dogmen for now. Thus, the dogmen became the next sacrificial lamb.


    Without a doubt, the ones who were most affected by that meeting were the dogmen.


    Throughout those ten days, those dog headed fellows were in a constant state of panicked wariness. They received the least rations of the races and yet they had to lug those titan bones around while enduring the strange stares the other races gave them. Even while sleeping they had to wake up from time to time to check if their companions were missing or if they were missing a limb or two.


    Thankfully, the planned massacre never happened because at the end of the eleventh day, we finally entered a new region.


    Without any warning whatsoever, the tunnel opened up into a vast clearing filed with tens, even hundreds of bone pillars. Each bone pillar were spaced far apart with at least a hundred meters between each of them


    Seeing that, I finally understood why no one was able to leave the Prison of the Dead after countless years¡­


    At the very beginning, we encountered that strange bone pillar that not only was able to disguise its intent but also possessed a veritable sea of skeletons within it. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if some careless idiot was caught off guard and ended up failing right away.


    Yet, that was merely the first obstacle.


    The next obstacle, those titan skeletons, weren¡¯t a joke at all. Their defense could be said to be invincible amongst those of the same level. Any army who didn¡¯t possess magical abilities able to counter such defenses or perhaps some weapon at the level of Shadowfang would have been shattered by those colossal undead¡­no, they would have been wiped out.


    There was one simple reason for that. The strongest titan skeleton was a six-star. Even though it had its level suppressed to four-stars, its defenses were still that of a six-star¡¯s. With no way to defeat it and the undead being as relentless as they were, that titan would eventually wipe you out unless you found a way to penetrate its defenses. After all, it doesn¡¯t matter how agile you were, as long as you were a living creature, you would get tired one day¡­


    The third obstacle was that Silent Hell we just endured¡­that was the name I gave to that stretch of road that forced us to feed on each other.


    In those ten over days, we encountered zero resistance which meant we had no way of replenishing our supplies¡­to survive, you had to kill your comrade.


    Before us, the majority of the teams who attempted to break out of the prison were probably of the same race.


    For example, devils would enter the Door with devils. There was basically no chance that another army of devils, lizardmen, medusas, harpies and demonic werewolves had ever formed in the long history of the Prison. In other words, even if those devils were able to make it past the second stage, they would most likely fail at the third.


    Sticking to one¡¯s race meant that said army wouldn¡¯t have much numbers to begin. Take Mo En for example, he was basically a local tyrant in the Prison. Even Habona, with her formidable skills, showed deference to him. Even so, he only had 2000 devils under him¡­while that meant their consumption rate was low, their combat strength would suffer proportionally as well. Because of that, passing the first two obstacles would have been impossible to begin with.


    As for those who made it to the fourth obstacle, I doubt their situation could have been any better than ours.


    Naturally, how our predecessors fared was none of my business. All I knew was that my warriors weren¡¯t in a good shape right now and the prolonged fasting had caused their tempers to reach a boiling point. Had it not been for the fact that we still had 3000 dogmen handy, a rebellion might have already occurred. Those 8000 rodents were only able to sustain our basic functions and prevent us from starving to death.


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 Chapter 181: Sea of Bones

    Because of the food shortage, there wasn¡¯t a single person who wasn¡¯t eager to jump into battle right now. So hungry¡­so damned hungry¡­


    The moment the bone pillars entered our field of vision, a certain bunch of potatoes, whose brains couldn¡¯t rein in their desires, immediately charged ahead without a second thought.


    Without my command, Mo Xixidi took off with a bunch of devils by his side: ¡°Follow me boys, there¡¯s food ahead!¡±


    ¡°Woohhhhh!!!¡± Heads filled with nothing but hunger, the devils charged ahead like swarm of bees while howling nonsensically.


    ¡®You pig-heads, can¡¯t you see how many enemies there are in front of you?! Or are you trying to say that you rather die in battle than die of starvation?¡¯


    Being a primal devil of the horned devil branch, Mo Xixidi¡¯s final form was that of an abyss devil which was known for being perpetually hungry. That was the biggest characteristics of those of the Gluttony branch. They loved to eat or collect treasure. Even if they knew that it was pointless to eat and even if they couldn¡¯t take a another bite, they would still gladly indulge in their desires.


    Given all that, the last ten plus days must have truly been torturous for him. However, even if I could understand his excitement, such disobedience mustn¡¯t be allowed.


    Because of Mo Xixidi¡¯s wilful actions, the lizardmen ended up rushing into battle as well, led by those three four-star lizardmen heads. Upon noticing Mo Xixidi¡¯s actions, they merely paused for a second before immediately rushing off as well. Perhaps they thought that I had given that order, or perhaps they simply convinced themselves that it was my order, either way, with that potato acting as the leader, they didn¡¯t have to worry too much about the consequences later.


    Assuming there was still a later¡­


    A single bone pillar was able to summon forth over a thousand skeletons. In that case, how many skeletons were 100 bone pillars able to summon? That was a question I didn¡¯t want to consider mostly because I didn¡¯t have the time to do so.


    With their growling stomachs egging them on, Mo Xixidi and his band of a thousand plus devils had already charged into range of one bone pillar. Behind them, were two thousand over lizardmen who were just as moronic and just as hungry. With their prey standing right before them, they didn¡¯t even bother considering the potential consequences of what they were about to do.


    Thus, as I had suspected all along, the moment Mo Xixidi set foot into the bone pillar¡¯s range, it exploded in a shower of skeletons. Around it, the other bone pillars began summoning skeletons as well as if that single bone pillar had set off a domino effect amongst the neighboring pillars.


    Ceiling darkening for a second, the giant pall of darkness immediately revealed itself as a shower of skeletons that crashed into the incoming devils. With no formation to speak, they were easily split apart in the first wave alone.


    In contrast, the lizardmen put on a much better showing than those red-skinned fools. Though their gait were unsteady from ten days of food deficiency, they still managed to summon forth an impressive burst of strength in front of their prey.


    Thanks to their draconic bloodlines, they were easily able to withstand the dives of the lightweight skeletons and even managed to rip apart several of their skulls before they could land.


    Thus, I had two complete opposites play out before my very eyes: a bunch of devils getting pushed around by falling skeletons while a bunch of lizardmen easily swatted aside said falling skeletons.


    Strictly speaking, the lizardmen held a distinct advantage over the devils because of their racial traits. On the other hand, the devils weren¡¯t actually considered devils till they evolved into a five-star. The reason was that five-star devils all had a common trait: their original sin blessing.


    Any devil below the rank of five-stars was basically a slave or fodder in devil society. The only exceptions to this treatment were those who were already blessed with an original sin and ended up evolving into their respective primal stages. For example, Julia, Mo Xixidi, Mimiya, etc.


    Naturally, two to three thousand skeletons weren¡¯t a problem for Mo Xixidi and his devils. However, what I was worried about was that the rest of the bone pillars might activate in response to their attacks. Not knowing whether or when they would explode, I knew that I had to recall that potato as soon as possible. It was either that or have them withdraw from battle as soon as possible.


    ¡°Habona, quick, I need you to¡­¡±


    Just as I was about to ask her to drag Mo Xixidi back here, the ceilings darkened once more and I knew that I was too late. One after another, the bone pillars began exploding in a shower of skeletons that swarmed towards Mo Xixidi and the others. Given their distance, it wouldn¡¯t be long before they were overwhelmed by these newcomers.


    ¡®I knew this was a bad time to attack, damnit! Those brainless gluttons!¡¯


    And yet while I hated his wilful decision, I couldn¡¯t leave him to die either. Whether it was out of consideration for Julia¡¯s feelings or our future combat strength, I had to rescue that potato. Even if I couldn¡¯t do so, I had to at least make an attempt.


    ¡­otherwise my relationship with Julia and the others might sour.


    Taking a deep breath amidst the anxious gaze of Julia, I had no choice but to announce the start of battle: ¡°Everyone, charge!¡±


    ¡®Damn it, I wanted to take this slowly too. We could¡¯ve just activated those bone pillars one at a time given how far apart they were and slowly replenished supplies while recovering our strength at the same time, now however¡­heck, even if things ended up going awry, I could¡¯ve at least made some preparations beforehand instead of running around like a bunch of headless chickens.¡¯


    Thankfully, the worst case scenario didn¡¯t happen and the activations stopped after ten or so bone pillars exploded. Assuming each had a thousand skeletons, that was merely 10,000 skeletons, roughly the same as our own numbers.


    Moreover, the individual strength of these skeletons weren¡¯t even that strong, the majority were one to two-stars with some random smattering of three-stars.


    ¡°Numila, Eugenia, fire off your composite magic. Elena, I want you to harvest those soul flames right away and carve out an exchange array.¡± While I did say to charge, it wasn¡¯t like I could brainlessly move my army to attack either. Some degree of planning was still required. ¡°Evilin, I need you to command the dogmen and get them to rescue the wounded.¡±


    Commands after commands were issued without any breaks, each other were dutifully acknowledged in an orderly fashioned.


    As for Mo Xixidi, his surroundings had long since devolved into a chaotic mess. Because the devils were able to consume soul flames directly, Mo Xixidi and his devils couldn¡¯t help but rush into battle. Arms bulging with each grasp, he easily broke off a skeletal beast¡¯s skull and sucked out the soul flame within as if it was a coconut.


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    With its contents emptied, he then casually tossed it aside and let forth a satisfied burp before looking for another target.


    Unlike the devils, the lizardmen weren¡¯t able to feast directly on souls and had to rely on meat to sustain themselves. Upon noticing this problem, the lizardmen at the forefront immediately tried to carve out an exchange array in the midst of battle; it was a rather simple process after all. Unfortunately, they ended up failing because there were simply too many skeletons swarming them.


    Being in a hungry state from the beginning, their initial burst of strength had already begun to wear off and soon the sea of skeletons began to overwhelm them as well.


    ¡°Dearest, we¡¯re ready.¡± It was then that Numila chimed in from above me ¡ª their channeling was complete.


    ¡®Hopefully, their spell would be able to keep that sea of bones at bay¡­¡¯


    Other than the dogmen and some harpies, most of my troops had already engaged the undead. In order to speed up our recovery, I had Habona spearhead a charge into the skeleton sea with a division of werewolves along with Manasha and her medusas. As for the soul flames, I had Elena and her harpies swoop in to snatch them before our surroundings could swallow them. Thanks to their flight capabilities, they were able to enter and leave as they pleased.


    The werewolves and medusas were all the cream of the crop of my army, and this was made abundantly clear in the initial charge alone. Tails and claws flying about, my elites immediately took a chunk out of the skeleton sea.


    A second later, the harpies dove in, talons primed and ready to pick up the soul flames as if they were hawks preying upon a field of mice. Roughly five minutes later, our first batch of soul flame were ready for the exchange array.


    Voice raised, I immediately recalled Westley and his lizardmen and had his brethren replenish their strength. The moment they were done, I had the next batch of lizardmen recalled.


    Because the devils had the ability to consume soul flames directly, I didn¡¯t recall them right away. In a way, this was Mo Xixidi¡¯s punishment for disobeying me.


    It was then that Numila and Eugenia finished casting their spell. High above, the two harpies witches fearlessly flew off in the direction of the sea of bones. Around them, the elemental energies crackled. Upon infusing mana into Flametail which was still circling around Numila, the energies immediately condensed into a giant fireball of wind and flames. From my standpoint, it was as if they had in their talons, a miniature sun of unimaginable heat.


    The instant the fireball stopped expanding, Numila tossed it right into the heart of the skeleton sea. By now, even more bone pillars had activated and the undead count seemed to be increasing without limit. It was precisely this reason that made her fire off the spell at this moment.


    *boom!*


    The world seemed to quiet down in the instant the massive ball of flames crashed into the ground with a deafening boom. Immediately, a wave of blinding light washed over us, followed by a scorching wave of heat. All around, the residual flames flew about in a veritable eruption of fire and sparks. Fanned by the howling winds, they immediately roared to life once more and enveloped the skeletons in a sea of flames that almost covered half of the battlefield. With just that spell alone, over ten thousand skeletons were wiped out and that was a conservative estimation on my part as well.


    Once more, magic proved itself as the eternal king of group warfare. It was said that a hundred warriors wouldn¡¯t even be able to output the same destruction as ten mages of the same level let alone a composite magic boosted by the epic-grade Flametail.


    As the flames swallowed up the countless skeletons, that suffocating heat began to roast my troops as well. A number of lizardmen began to show signs of faltering. Not only that, even my devils, known for their fire resistance, began to show signs of discomfort.


    (Want more Devil¡¯s Evolution Catalog? Visit patreon.com/catatopatch ,to read ahead of everyone else)

 Chapter 182: Harlow’s Predicamen

    Having witnessed its power multiple times now, I still couldn¡¯t help but marvel at Flametail¡¯s destructive prowess. As an area-of-effect weapon, it truly had no equal. Unfortunately, those flames of hers immolated souls as well¡­in other words, the moment Numila slammed her spell into the crowd, not only were our opponents wiped out, a sizeable portion of our spoils were destroyed as well.


    However, with the situation as it was right now, we really didn¡¯t have a choice either. There were simply too many bone pillars to the point where brute physical force wasn¡¯t an option.


    Truly, life was an annoying experience. A lot of matters ended up coiling around us like a tireless tendril, just like what we were experiencing now. Thinking back on our experiences, the moment we stepped into this strange pocket dimension, we were set upon by a horde of skeletons. Thankfully, our warriors were significantly stronger than the skeletons.


    After that initial tug of war with the skeletons, we managed to gain some minor reprieve and split our rations. Thanks to that, our energy was able to recover somewhat. Sending in a new batch of lizardmen to take over, I had the demonic werewolves and medusas gradually retreat to the backlines in order to feast and recover some strength.


    Throughout all that, the sea of fire erected by Numila continued to roar in the background. Because it was so massive, it managed to cut off a sizeable portion of the skeletons. However, even these brainless undead knew not to jump mindlessly into the fire. Clearly, their fear of flames had instilled an instinctive reaction in them.


    With that in mind, we hurriedly finished off the remaining skeletons on our side and rotated our troops between feasting and fighting. By now, the battle had gained a semblance of order unlike our initial foray.


    With time to spare, I turned my attention onto the sea of fire. Originally, I wanted Numia and Eugenia to expand the sea of fire even more in hopes that it would wipe out all the skeletons, however, I soon found that it wasn¡¯t an option because there was nothing flammable nearby. Given how massive the sea was, maintaining it with just magic alone wasn¡¯t viable. At most, the both of them would only be able to maintain it for two minutes.


    Since that was the case, I saw no point in having Numila continue like that so I had her stop channelling mana immediately. It wasn¡¯t like those skeletons were an actual threat anyway. It was merely their numbers that gave us a headache; the pressure itself wasn¡¯t much. Furthermore, my plan to rotate the troops seemed to be working out. The power of the lizardmen wasn¡¯t something to scoff at after all. In a fair normal, the average skeleton found it extremely hard to breach their stalwart scales.


    As long as they held out till Numila and Eugenia were done resting, the two harpy witches could easily roast these skeletons with another sea of fire.


    Or so I thought. Once more, just as I thought that I held within my grasp, the greatest killing machine and that their numbers was no longer an issue, reality viciously slapped me in the face once more.


    The moment the sea of fire calmed down, the bone pillars erupted once more. This time however, it wasn¡¯t just skeletons, there was a sea of zombies as well.


    That¡¯s right, zombies. Those detestable undead with a sturdy body that moved sluggishly but possessed a titanic strength.


    At the beginning, these zombies were hidden from view as they laid firmly within the core of these bone pillars. Now however, they were out in the open for us to see.


    Being known for their formidable defenses even amongst the undead, these zombies were slightly higher levelled than the average skeleton. Not only that, they carried a corpse toxin within themselves that was able to convert any race with low resistance to it into zombies.


    Truth be told, the appearance of zombies took me by surprise. Ever since we stepped into the Prison of the Dead, the only we undead we encountered were skeletons and more skeletons.


    It seemed like I wasn¡¯t the only one caught off guard either, judging by the looks on some of my devils¡¯ faces. Even those who had lived in the Prison for so long, like Mo En, had never seen an undead other than a skeleton appear within the Prison. Thus, it had always been the assumption that only skeletons could appear, till now at least.


    Honestly, the sudden intrusion of this new species was nothing but a headache for us.


    Thankfully, devils had an innate resistance to being zombified. Unless they died, there was basically no way for them to turn into zombies while alive. Plus, these devils were all equipped with my masterfully crafted equipment. Under normal circumstances, they should be able to maintain some distance from the zombies.


    What¡¯s not so fortunate was that other than my devils, the other races didn¡¯t possess a naturally high resistance to corpse toxins¡­in other words, the lizardmen, werewolves, medusas, demonic half-orcs, dogmen ,etc. , would mostly likely turn into zombies after being clawed by one. Thus, the bulk of our fighting force would have to come from the devils.


    ¡°To think there were actually zombies here¡­¡± Truly, their addition was like icing on the cake. Turning towards Harlow who had just finished his break, I couldn¡¯t help but voice my growing headache. ¡°Harlow, you guys need to be careful here, just leave the zombies to the devils to handle.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, us demonic werewolves have a sturdy constitution. The usual corpse toxin won¡¯t affect us at all.¡± As he said that, he thumped his chest and grinned a broad lupine smile that was supposed to put me at ease. Honestly, looking at those fangs of his, it didn¡¯t put me at ease in the least bit.


    ¡°Us medusas as well, in terms of poisons and toxins, we are the experts here.¡± Basically stuck onto Harlow like a shadow, Majosha nodded at me before continuing: ¡°We are about done resting now, it¡¯s time for us to take to the battlefield. I¡¯ll leave the commanding to you.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, leave it to me.¡± Although I said that with a slight tinge of guilt in my heart, I knew not to show my unease right now. More than anything, I needed to put on a strong front now. Only by downplaying the gravity of the situation could I give everyone the sense of security they needed. Only then would they have the confidence to tackle this predicament. Without a doubt, should I falter now, the army morale would drop and even cause us issues in the battlefield.


    Harlow himself had the strength of a three-star and shouldn¡¯t fare badly against these undead. Even so, I couldn¡¯t help but worry as the unexpected tended to creep up on you when you least expect it.


    Time passed and an hour ticked by just like that. By now, the bone pillars were about done with their eruptions and had filled the battlefield with countless zombies. While there weren¡¯t many variations in the undead they spat out, that didn¡¯t mean that their levels remained static. A certain portion of the newly minted undead were four-stars.


    Of those four-stars, one managed to leave a scratch on Harlow¡¯s arm. Trying to fend it off with an attack of his own, Harlow swiped at the offending undead. However, instead of dodging the attack, the zombie leaped onto Harlow instead and gave him a bear hug. Jaws creaking wide open with a sickening crunch, it then bit down on his shoulders¡­


    ¡°AHHHHH¡­¡± Screamed the werewolf. Yet, if he was going to extricate himself from this plight, he only had himself to rely on. Because of the hotblooded nature of his demonic werewolf bloodline, an uncontrollable bloodthirst overtook him the moment the battle started, spurring him to rush into the very front of the army where Majosha was situated.


    Yet because the advent of the four-stars was so sudden and with such numbers, Majosha ended up being tied down herself and wasn¡¯t able to look after Harlow.


    As a proud warrior of the demonic werewolves however, he merely roared to suppress the burning pain and even drew strength from it. Knuckles cracking and claws bared, he raked into the skull of the zombie with a violent jerk, tore into the undead¡¯s head and actually severed it right there and then!


    Throughout all that, black blood oozed from his ghastly shoulder wound and yet that didn¡¯t faze him in the least as he continued with his relentless onslaught. The undead who dared to stand before him were summarily tore apart in a frenzy of claws. It was almost as if he was a berserker.


    However, their numbers didn¡¯t seem to drop in the least bit and while we held the advantage in terms of combat strength, we were still living beings after all. In a drawn out slugfest with the undead, there was no way our stamina would hold out. With no other choice left, I ordered a shipment of souls to be sent to Numila and Eugenia in order to prepare for a second sea of fire.


    For the most part, the skeletons were extremely brittle, falling apart with merely a swipe from our warriors. Ironically, that ended up creating problems for Elena who was tasked with collecting the soul flames with her harpies. Barely touching ground for a second, she immediately had to fly off in another direction to harvest the new soul flames.


    ¡°Numila, Eugenia, I want the both of you to immediately cast that sea of fire the moment you two are done replenishing your mana. With that many undead arrayed against us, a physical slugfest would only end badly for us.¡± Right after I said that, I had Elena ship the souls to them before turning my attention back to the battlefield.


    As I did so, I so happened to witness the scene of Harlow tearing apart that zombie and also the fact that his shoulder was oozing black blood. He seemed to have been infected. Majosha, noticing this wound as well, rushed to alleviate the pressure off him.


    ¡°Evilin, have the dogmen bring Harlow back, quick. If he¡¯s not willing to do so, then¡­ah, there¡¯s no need for that, Habona has already left.¡±


    Having entered a battle state of her own, Habona had worked herself into a frenzy from all the killing. Before her, these lowly undead were nothing but fodder to sharpen her claws and yet in the midst of all that, she didn¡¯t forget her responsibility as the strongest fighter in our army. She made sure to monitor the situation of those around her at all times.


    Thus, the moment she saw her little brother get bitten by that zombie, she immediately rushed off towards him in order to forcefully separate him from the fighting.


    Unfortunately, Habona was a step too late and the toxin had already spread throughout his body. Although the demonic werewolves had some resistance towards zombification, it wasn¡¯t, at the end of the day, at the same level as the devils. Furthermore, his furious activity only accelerated the infection rate of the toxin.


    As she forced dragged her brother out of the battle, a noticeably shaken Majosha slithered behind them. Being the first to notice his bite wound, her worried self wanted to whisk him away as well but the battlefield being what it was, left her no say in the matter. Her strength simply wasn¡¯t at the level where she could interject herself and extricate him.


    The moment they arrived in the safezone, she lowered him onto the floor.


    ¡°Harlow, how do you feel right now?¡±


    As his wife, her concern for Harlow trumped even that of Habona¡¯s. As she held him in a tender embrace, her tail coiled circle after circle around the injured werewolf.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­fine¡­¡± Though his body was wrecked with pain, he managed to force out a reassuring smile in a bid to try and calm his wife instead: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my body isn¡¯t that weak.¡±


    ¡°But the toxin spreads really fast and your body¡­¡±


    Perhaps she still hadn¡¯t noticed it yet or perhaps she merely feigned ignorance but the Harlow right now reeked of death. It was the unique stench of decomposition that assaulted my sinuses as I looked at the fallen werewolf.


    ¡°We need to drain his blood, immediately!¡± Without wasting another second, Habona gorged out the wound on his shoulder before making a tiny incision on the artery on his wrist. Immediately, the black blood within Harlow gushed out followed by a pained grunt from the werewolf. Perhaps he didn¡¯t want to seem weak but right after that grunt, he bit down on his fangs and forcefully stifled any further expressions of pain.


    ¡°If you drain too much blood, he might die instead, we need to transfuse some blood immediately.¡± Looking at the water hose that was his wrist, I was struck with an ominous feeling in my heart. ¡°Losing that much blood now might worsen his injuries and even¡­¡±


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    Just like before, this warning came too late. Harlow¡¯s pupils suddenly widened and soon his body began to stiffen up. ¡®Was there no hope now?¡¯


    ¡°Harlow? Harlow? HARLOW?¡± Majosha continuously yelled her lover¡¯s name but there was no answer to be heard. As of this moment, Harlow was like a statue. No matter how much she yelled, he wouldn¡¯t answer. All he did was stare ahead with his eyes wide open and body motionless.


    It was then that I had no choice but to conclude that¡­that¡¯s right, there¡¯s no hope. Harlow was¡­dead.

 Chapter 183: The Case of Zombification and Schemes

    ¡°Harlow!¡± Majosha screamed in disbelief as she tightly hugged the corpse of Harlow. Unfortunately, his corpse had already begun to turn cold and harden. By now, it had completely lost any previous signs that it was once a living thing. Furthermore, the owner of this body had died from corpse poison, which meant that he could turn into an undead at any time¡­


    Knowing that, I wanted to persuade Majosha to let go of the werewolf but my words failed me at the last second. Deep down, I knew that she wouldn¡¯t listen to me even if I tried.


    Harlow¡¯s death came as too much of a shock for us. Poor Majosha had her heart ripped to shreds by the news of his demise and immediately broke down in tears. She simply couldn¡¯t bring herself to accept the death of her sweetheart. In contrast, Habona was a lot calmer despite being his sister. She gazed at his lifeless eyes without a single change in expression and then reached out for them. Yet just as she was about to touch his face, her hands were swatted away by a slap from Majosha.


    ¡°He¡¯s not dead!¡±


    Majosha desperately clung to her unrealistic version of reality. Moreover, you could tell from her gaze that she slightly resented this she-werewolf. She must have felt that if Habona hadn¡¯t tried to drain his poisoned blood, Harlow wouldn¡¯t died¡­at the very least, not that quickly.


    ¡®Even though there¡¯s really no difference between the two outcomes¡­¡¯


    Ignoring Majosha, Habona coldly withdrew her hand and silently stood there with a pensive and unreadable look on her face.


    ¡°Master¡­the zombies are too strong¡­we need help¡­¡± Suddenly, the weak and almost non-existent No.5 came running to me with an anxious look on his face. The harried imp hurriedly made his report: ¡°The recent pillar eruptions have produced a ton of zombies and they are all at least Three-stars. The Four-stars are swarming all over us¡­we can¡¯t hold out much longer¡­¡±


    ¡®A horde of Four-star zombies?¡¯ Shocked by Harlow¡¯s sudden death, I had completely forgotten about the zombie issue till now. From his report, I learnt that the pillars had basically unloaded everything they had and that other than skeletons, there were also zombies hidden within. Just thinking about those Three to Four-stars zombies swarming at us like bees, I couldn¡¯t help but get an excruciating headache. To make matters worse, the corpse poison they possessed seemed to be even more frightening than we had first imagined.


    Having heard No.5¡¯s report as well, Habona immediately turned around to join the battle, zero hesitation whatsoever. In fact, her decisiveness and coldness almost made me wonder if the Habona who had recklessly charged into battle to save her brother was the same Habona who was charging into battle right now.


    Surveying the battleground, I found the situation to be just as No.5 reported. The newly spawned zombies were all at least Three-stars and each had a varying degree of corpse poison stored within them, some more toxic than the others, The majority of those who were bitten quickly started showing abnormal signs and would probably fall dead if left untreated for long.


    Fortunately, while the corpse poison was deadly, the zombification aspect of it wasn¡¯t as quick as we had expected. Even Harlow, who had been bitten the earliest, hadn¡¯t turned into a zombie yet.


    However, that didn¡¯t mean that he wouldn¡¯t either. Living things who were bitten to death by such zombies would inevitably turn into zombies, even the poison-resistant devils. It was merely a matter of how long it took; the least resistant could even turn into zombies before dying.


    Right now, the biggest problem facing us was that we had no way to deal with the corpse poison. In other words, anyone who got bitten had no choice but to pray to their maker.


    While I did say that Habona was acting a little cold, I could still tell that she was affected by Harlow¡¯s death. Right before leaving, she took Shadowfang from my back and rushed off without another word. Though there was no emotion to be found on her furry face, I could see the roaring flames reflected within her eyes. Looks like she wasn¡¯t able to accept her brother¡¯s death as easily as her placid face would suggest.


    She needed to vent that anguish within herself, and so did I. Had it not been for me insisting on assaulting the Door of the Dead¡­Harlow would have probably been alive right now. He would have spent the rest of his life in the Prison of the Dead with Majosha. And even though that was basically the life of a small fry, at least he would be alive unlike the unmoving corpse laid out before us, that could even turn into zombie at the drop of a hat, and bite Majosha.


    Stepping into the heat of battle once more, Habona opened up with a furious dance of death, slicing apart a score of zombies with a single wild single of Shadowfang. No matter who they were, Shadowfang sliced into them unhindered. Yet, the zombie horde was simply too numerous and the skeleton horde even more so. No matter how many she killed, the enemies around her didn¡¯t seem to lessen one bit.


    ¡°Master, there¡¯s one more thing¡­¡± No.5 leaned in to whisper in my ears. ¡°Just now, I spotted two ratman zombies. Their bodies bore no signs of decomposition at all, in fact, it didn¡¯t feel like they had been zombies for long¡­¡±


    Still affected by Harlow¡¯s sudden death, my heart simply wasn¡¯t able to calm itself down and naturally wasn¡¯t in the mood for No.5¡¯s insinuations. ¡°Exactly what are you trying to say here?¡±


    Noticing my impatience, No.5 dared not beat around the bush any further. Lowering his head in a fashion that almost made it seemed like he had been wronged, he continued¡±


    Those two ratman zombies are the two ratmen who tried to sneak into the solo route when we first entered the Door of the Dead.¡±


    ¡°¡­you¡¯re sure about that?¡±


    Having been reminded of what seemed like such a distant memory, I couldn¡¯t help but recall that day. I remembered warning everyone not to enter the solo route then because there was something fishy about it. Thankfully, because the legends stated that only the Four-stars could pass through it safely, only those two ratmen dared to defy my orders, no one else even tried to do so.


    Back then, the two ratmen immediately screamed in anguish the moment they set foot on that road and that led me to suspect that they had met with some kind of accident.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure. It¡¯s definitely those two.¡± No.5 declared, cutting right to the chase. With a pat of his chest, he confidently reassured me: ¡°I still remember clearly how one of those ratman had a slightly thicker tail than the others and that it had a rather eye-catching tuft of fur on its head. The other ratman had a darker coat of fur than the other ratmen and was missing the tip of his tail¡­¡±


    ¡°Where are those two zombies now?¡±


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    ¡°Dead, One-eye and Nine-fingers killed them personally.¡± In a slightly confused tone, he elaborated: ¡°For some reason, even though the two of them had the strength of Four-stars in life, their combat strength seemed to have dropped after becoming a zombie¡­¡±


    ¡®To think those two ratmen popped out of those bone pillars, not only that, their strength decreased as well. In that case, is it safe to assume that those pillars are zombie incubators? Or perhaps they converted and even strengthened zombies?¡¯


    Previously, I had assumed that their strength regressing was an inevitable side-effect of turning into a zombie. Habona herself, once told me that living creatures, upon turning into an undead, would usually experience a drop in their strength. Most of the time, it would be impossible for them to reach their former peaks.


    ¡®Perhaps these bone pillars had something to do with it?¡¯


    At the very least, there was something I learnt from all this: ¡®So those who entered the solo route all turned into zombies¡­or should I say, they encountered something and then turned into a zombie. There¡¯s a high chance that the solo route is some kind of teleportation array that teleported those who entered, into the innards of a bone pillar and directly turned them into zombies. Well, that¡¯s my theory anyway.¡¯


    With that in mind, another problem came to mind. Numila mentioned that her predecessor left the moment she handed over the reins of the clan to her. Before leaving, that predecessor of hers mentioned that she was going to enter the Door of the Dead¡­given that she was alone, she most likely took the solo route.


    Then there was Mimiya¡¯s father, in other words, Julia¡¯s and Mo En¡¯s son¡­I remembered Julia mentioning that her son wanted to leave the Prison of the Dead. According to common knowledge, there was only one way of leaving the Prison¡­


    Adding on the Four-stars from the other races, the number might not seem like much on an annual basis. However, the Prison of the Dead had existed for a period beyond my imagination. Within all those years, exactly how many had died to the lie of ¡°Four-stars can freely leave the Prison of the Dead¡±?


    ¡®Exactly who was it that fabricated and spread such a lie, what were their motives in doing so? Perhaps the Prison¡¯s creator himself spread this lie, for who though? Why did he want to turn the Four-stars into zombies and not those below Four-stars? What were they scheming?¡¯


    Based on No.5¡¯s report alone, I managed to uncover an entire string of possibilities, each more shocking than the other. It truly felt like I had been implicated some kind of giant conspiracy.


    ¡°Dearest, we¡¯re ready.¡± Having spent some time digesting the massive shipment of souls, Numila and Eugenia finally finish charging up their mana, and were raring to go as they reported in to me. However, that liveliness went away immediately the moment they saw Majosha silently hugging Harlow in her arms. A look of sorrow crossed their eyes but they chose not to say a word in the end.


    ¡°The frontline¡¯s not doing too well, I¡¯ll need you two to cast your spell right away. If possible, widen the area of effect as much as possible and block off contact between the two armies, that way our soldiers can get some rest as well.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Not wasting another word here, the two harpy witches flew off to channel another sea of fire. In mere moments, a fiery line of separation was erected between us and the undead.


    With that, the battle came to a temporary stop. Even so, that didn¡¯t mean that our work was done. Elena promptly led her harpies to sweep the battlefield while Evilin instructed the dogmen to tend to the wounded. Those who were poisoned were all cordoned off into the same section after which food would be sent to them at a later time. The sturdier ones amongst them should be able to survive the quarantine, as for the weaker ones, only death awaited them.


    A small division of lizardmen were stationed as guards over the quarantine zone. However, they weren¡¯t there to guard the wounded. Instead, they were there to watch over the patients. Should they discover any zombification, as their guards, these lizardmen were to finish them off.


    In total, the sea of fire lasted for five minutes. As ordered, Numila tried to expand the range of the sea in order to blow up some of the bone pillars which hadn¡¯t erupted yet. As she did so, the undead, being deathly afraid of flames, desperately tried to flee but the flames were simply too fast for them and soon they were engulfed in flames.

 Chapter 184: Teleportation Gates

    Finally with some time on her hands, Manasha decided to comfort her little sister Majosha. Yet before she could even get a word in, Numila sent out a distress call: ¡°Dearest, my mana can¡¯t hold out for much longer, quick, get the others to prepare for battle¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Sweeping my eyes over the battlefield, I found that at least half of the bone pillars were still remaining.


    ¡®Looks like it¡¯s going to be another prolonged battle¡­¡¯


    Thankfully, Numila and Eugenia¡¯s composite magic so happened to be the bane of these undead. As long as we allowed them to recover their mana, they could blast off another sea of flames. Based on past experiences, a couple more should do the trick.


    ¡®The two of them are going to need some time to recover their exhausted mana, I shouldn¡¯t work them too hard in the meantime.¡¯ With that in mind, I immediately had the others prepare for battle.


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    This time, I planned on taking part as well. Even though my Shadowfang was still in the hands of Habona, rendering me unable to engage in melee, my speciality actually laid in magic so I was still fine on that front. Moreover, my nether flames had shown themselves a potent force to be used against the undead, the only drawback being that they consumed a lot of mana and I simply didn¡¯t have enough to support them for long.


    ¡®If only I could just borrow Flametail from Numila¡­¡¯ Too bad, so sad. Flametail is sentient now and recognizes an owner¡­


    The proceeding battle was a rather heated one and yet it was also a dry one. Upon recovering their mana, the two harpy witches would act in unison to cast another round of the sea of flames at which point it would be our turn to fight once more and buy them time. Thus, we rotated as such.


    Because their rapid recovery required massive amounts of Soul Flames, we wound up spending a long time between rounds, harvesting the Soul Flames of the undead. Thus, our melee engagement with the undead had to be extended as well. Such an extension came at huge cost to our forces, not only did we have to endure an encirclement by countless undead, we had to deal with the stress of our massive losses.


    Under those trying circumstances, we repeated this cycle of spell barrage followed by melee, without any rest whatsoever. After half a day, we finally managed to clean up all of the pillars. The fact that we were even able to accomplish such a feat with record timing, was completely thanks to the two harpy witches and their composite magic. Not only did Numila¡¯s and Eugenia¡¯s magic counter them completely, the rotting bodies of those zombies unexpectedly ended up becoming fuel for their flames.


    Upon discovering this little quirk of theirs, I specially instructed the troops to gather up the zombie corpses. After lighting up these flammable meat bags, I had the harpies toss them back into the undead horde. Thanks to this stroke of absolute genius on my part, the battle was shortened even further.


    Like that, the battle ended up as a victory for us, albeit a pyrrhic one. At least half of our troops died in the battle and of the remaining half, they all carried with them a certain degree of injury, some severe and some even crippling.


    All throughout the battle, the number of wounded in the quarantine zone continually increased. From time to time, there would be outbreaks of zombification but these were all swiftly handled by the lizardmen I stationed there. In total, these deaths accounted for over half of our losses this battle¡­


    Thankfully, no one I was close to died except for Harlow. At most there were a couple of minor injuries between all of us. Looking at it from another point of view, wasn¡¯t Harlow just unlucky?


    Another noteworthy matter was that, despite having laid there for half a day, Harlow never zombified. As for Majosha, she had no intention whatsoever of leaving his side so she just sat there quietly hugging Harlow¡¯s corpse. She neither spoke nor made eye contact with us. Other than breathing, she seemed to be completely motionless.


    It almost seemed like she was making a point with her silence, one that life or death didn¡¯t matter anymore and that she wasn¡¯t going to bother with it.


    Watching the last of the bone pillars burn down to dust, I finally heaved a sigh of relief¡­at last, it was over.


    With nothing to feed it, the flames soon died out leaving nothing but burnt corpses and scorched air that burnt our throats whenever we breathed in. However, before we could even go through our spoils and losses, the entire space suddenly lit up. Countless icy white marks sprung out of the ground and formed a formation of sorts. Judging by the pattern and the mana radiating off those lines, we were standing on an ancient magical array.


    It was a massive circular array that spanned at least ten km wide. Right in the very center of the magical array was the spot where those hundred bone pillars once stood. Now however, there were three different colored motes of light that were five meters wide and seven meters tall. Looking at them, they kind of reminded me of those dimensional gates in World of Peacecraft. One of them was an eerie green, another was crimson like flames while the last looked more like a mass of black fog.


    By now, I was so tired I could barely move a finger. As I tried to swallow a mouthful of spit, the parched air around me immediately assaulted my throat and eyes, forcing me to rub my eyes out of reflex. Pointing at those three strange motes of light, I asked: ¡°Anyone knows what those are?¡±


    ¡°I think they are most likely the teleportation gates of this maze.¡± The one who answered was Mo En. As always, this lazy bag of bones was busy lounging about on the floor with his tongue hanging out. He was just as tired as I was thanks to his admirable efforts in that battle just now. Being one of the precious few Four-stars in our army, it wasn¡¯t an overstatement to say that his powers carried us through that fight.


    ¡°Your highness, I think we should approach and observe it.¡± She then elaborated on this suggestion of hers: ¡°In order to prevent any accidents, we can have a dogman enter each of the lights. If any of the lights end up being a trap, the dogmen should be able to give us some warning beforehand.¡±


    ¡°Alright then.¡±


    As of right now, Elena and her harpies were in the midst of ferrying a boat load of Soul Flames to me for my personal consumption. I reached for one of the nearby Soul Flames and devoured it with a hungry gulp before nodding at Julia. ¡°We¡¯ll let the test dummies approach the lights then, the rest of us will stay somewhere faraway in the meantime.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Julia acknowledged the order with a respectful bow. Before leaving, I passed her some Soul Flames to help her recuperate as well.


    While she went about her work organizing the dogmen, I slowly swept my eyes over those around me. Most of them weren¡¯t doing too well; they were either injured or too tired to move. Perhaps it was the tiredness at work here, but those three harpies sisters weren¡¯t clamoring around me as well.


    ¡®That battle just now exhausted a great deal of our energy, if another enemy were to attack us now, it might just be game over for us¡­:¡¯


    ¡°For you.¡±


    A slightly dishevelled Habona stepped out of the crowd and handed me Shadowfang. Reaching out to receive it, I meekly gazed into her bloodshot eyes: ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, about Harlow¡­¡±


    ¡°That had nothing to do with you.¡± She immediately interrupted my self-admonishment. ¡°A warrior¡¯s fate is to die on the battlefield. The moment the battle started, Harlow decided his own fate. Following you into battle was a choice we made ourselves. Thus, we were only following our own will. Even without you, Harlow and I would¡¯ve walked this path but with less people and a much grimmer outcome.¡±


    The Habona standing before me right now was unusually chatty but amidst all that, I could tell that she held no resentment for me. ¡®Perhaps she truly felt that Harlow¡¯s death had nothing to do with me¡­but if I hadn¡¯t encouraged them, the outcome definitely wouldn¡¯t be like this¡­perhaps it might¡¯ve been a lot worse or perhaps it might not have¡­¡±


    Even though Habona didn¡¯t blame me in the least bit, my heart refused to calm down. Yet just as I was wallowing in the guilt, a furry, meaty paw slapped me on the shoulders. Habona¡¯s voice, completely devoid of anger, echoed over my head: ¡°Without you, Harlow would¡¯ve died in the harpy¡¯s nest already.¡±


    ¡®Is that so¡­I saved Harlow but he also ended up dying in Majosha¡¯s embrace because of me. In that case, was my involvement in his life a good or a bad thing? Perhaps it was really like what she said, without me, Harlow might have really died in that harpy¡¯s nest.¡±


    Not giving me anymore time to wallow, Julia came over bearing an exciting piece of news for us all.


    ¡°Your Highness, those motes of light should be teleportation gates¡­¡±


    Because the dogmen who entered the lights each had their own encounters and these encounters were clearly visible from the outside.


    Within the greenish light, a wasteland completely devoid of life was revealed. From time to time, one could see a skeleton or two wandering about. Having spotted a certain dogman running for its life, the skeletons immediately locked onto this piece of meat. Like that, with one side chasing and the other fleeing, the scene became one of a dogman sprinting away on all fours while a growing crowd of skeletons pursued it.


    Within the crimson light, an entirely different scene played out. It depicted a river of molten lava with intermittent rock platforms thrown in an almost deliberate fashion. Glimpsing through the light, I managed to spot a dogman panting heavily at the banks of the molten river; it probably couldn¡¯t stand the heat. In fact, it was sweating buckets as it laid there like a cooked dog. I saw it try to get up at times but failed due to the sweltering heat that made it lightheaded¡­finally, it fell into the molten river in a moment of carelessness, disappearing in an instant without so much as a bubble.


    The last mote of light was a rather special one. Within, I actually saw countless vegetation and a dogman busily harvesting a variety of fruits; was that a three meter tall fruit tree I spied?


    ¡°Master, that¡¯s Abaddon! That¡¯s where we used to live.¡± Seeing the dogman harvest fruits, Baccarel excitedly ran up to the light and after confirming once more, said that.


    ¡°Those fruits are edible and while I don¡¯t know what are their names, I¡¯ve eaten them before¡­¡±


    ¡®So the black light really can teleport us to Abaddon?¡¯


    ¡®The crimson light teleports us to Purgatory. That¡¯s why it¡¯s filled with lava rivers?¡¯


    ¡®As for the green light, that¡¯s Gehenna. Why? Because there are skeletons!¡¯


    ¡®Seems¡­seems like this is the end, huh¡­no, rather I should say that it¡¯s our victory! We broken through the limits set by this prison! we survived¡­¡¯


    The moment the news came out that the black light led to Abaddon, everyone went into a frenzy. Some cried, some cheered¡­no matter what kind of reaction they had however, this represented a successful prison break. In an instant, a multitude of emotions came crashing down on everyone.


    With this lifeline laid out before us, the dead no longer mattered that much. Bringing the injured with them, the troops began shuffling into the teleportation gate, watched over closely by the lizardmen.


    Including me, everyone¡¯s goal here was to reach Abaddon. The demonic werewolves, the demonic half-orcs, the dogmen, the lizardmen and etc. were all creatures of Abaddon. As for my reason for seeking Abaddon¡­that was to find Yi Yi. Ferti¡¯nier once said that in order to recover my male body, I had to split off from her soul. For that, we needed to find Yi Yi. That was non-negotiable. Thus, no matter what my reason was for doing so, seeing Yi Yi had become my main questline.

 Chapter 185: A Medusa’s Fortune and Misfortune

    As I stood there watching while the rest of my army entered the teleportation gate for Abaddon, my heart was filled with emotions that I couldn¡¯t really describe. I was the leader of this expedition and I decided that I would be the last to enter the gate. However, it wasn¡¯t just for the sake of appearances that I did so, rather it was because I wanted to persuade Majosha.


    Even now, Harlow¡¯s death remained a thorn in my heart that I simply couldn¡¯t remove within such a short period of time. To some degree, it all felt like a dream. I¡¯m sure Majosha felt the same way as well, that this was all a nightmare and that everything would be alright once we woke up.


    It was this false illusion that caused even Manasha¡¯s words to fail to reach her. No matter how hard her sister tried, Majosha wouldn¡¯t even look at her let alone listen. She merely sat there hugging Harlow¡¯s corpse, not caring at all that it could suddenly reanimate itself and bite her.


    We won and yet there was no sense of jubilation to be had. Was it because I was numb to it or perhaps it was because of Harlow¡¯s death?


    ¡°Dearest, this harpy will wait for you on the other side.¡±


    Numila pulled me into a tight embrace and buried me in her fluffy mounds for a good long while¡­she definitely said that she was going to leave first, but somehow it ended up like that once more¡­


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough for now, just wait for me over there.¡± Resisting the allure of that inviting fragrance, I pulled myself away from her and did my best to smile for her: ¡°Your clan still needs you to look after them, you should leave first, there are still arrangements to be made.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, Dearest, you should hurry too.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    Eugenia and Elena wanted to give me a hug and a kiss as well but unfortunately, they were dragged away by Numila before they could do so.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be making my move as well.¡± Said Habona with an unreadable expression on her face. Her eyes on the other hand, were a lot more open with their grief. In the end, she threw her brother¡¯s corpse one last look but coolly turning around to leave.


    ¡°Ah, Mistress Habona, wait for me.¡± Seeing the leader of the werewolves leaves, Weslin and Westley quickly greeted me before rushing off after her.


    As for Manasha, she was still busy persuading Majosha. Unfortunately, Majosha might as well have been deaf right now.


    Finally, as a hint of grief flashed across her serpentine eyes, Manasha gave up on persuading her sister. As the head of their clan, she had a heavy responsibility to bear on her shoulders. She simply couldn¡¯t give up her entire clan just for one person, even if that person was Majosha. Besides she herself knew how hard it was to find a male that didn¡¯t mind their snake tails and snake hair. If she had such a male die in front of her like that, she probably wouldn¡¯t want to live either.


    ¡°I know that what I say now won¡¯t reach you, but as your sister, I still have to say this one last time. For a male, will you really throw away your sister? What about the other sisters in the clan, do you wish to discard them as well?¡±


    It was a poignant question and yet Majosha still didn¡¯t react to it, not even a tiny bit.


    ¡°All right then, I get it.¡±


    Deeply sighly, Manasha no longer tried to persuade her but instead turned around to leave as well. At the last moment before she crossed the gate, she threw her sister one last look and there she found her sister looking right back at her. Majosha had finally lifted up her head and was whispering to her.


    Though I couldn¡¯t discern what those words were, I could roughly guess what they were: well wishes.


    Manasha sighed once more. Right now, all she could do was sigh and leave. The rest of the medusas continued streaming into the teleportation gate, each coming up to the crestfallen medusa to bid her farewell before leaving. However, Majosha was just as unresponsive as before. She was probably afraid to respond, afraid that if she were to respond, her heart would not be able to bear this separation and that she would leave with them as well¡­


    ¡°Your Highness, it¡¯s time to leave.¡± Julia didn¡¯t have much interactions with Majosha, neither did she really know Harlow either. In her eyes, this was merely a death and shouldn¡¯t occupy so much of my time.


    Looking at this loyal but frowning subordinate of mine, I ended up giving in to my emotions once more: ¡°You guys go ahead for now, I¡¯ll be the last to leave.¡±


    ¡°Alright, your subordinate understands and complies.¡± With that, she left as well with Mo En, Mimiya and Mo Xixidi in tow.


    Before leaving, Mimiya stuck her tongue out at me while Vick, who was floating beside her as any trusty sidekick should, pulled a face at me.


    At the same time as Julia¡¯s household departed, I left some instructions for my bodyguard, Baccarel, who had been guarding me nearby all this while. ¡°I want you all to leave with Julia. Given that¡¯s Abaddon, you guys should be more familiar with the surroundings than the other devils.¡±


    ¡°Understood, my Master.¡± He replied after a brief pause. He originally wanted to stay behind and guard me but upon seeing the injury-ridden members of his clan standing behind him, he accepted the order.


    ¡°Evilin, No.3, No.5, Big 5 and Violet Snow, you guys follow Baccarel as well.¡±


    At that, the majority didn¡¯t have much to say except for the severely injured No.3.


    ¡°Master, I wish to stay.¡± Said the severely burnt imp as he stood there supported by a female devil. Perhaps it was because of his severe injuries, his voice sounded exceptionally grating. Yet, I couldn¡¯t help but feel touched by his concern. ¡°I¡¯m the Master¡¯s bodyguard, ever since I recognized the Master as being the Master, I¡¯ve never left the Master¡¯s side. Unless I die, I would never leave the Master!¡±


    ¡°Alright then, you may stay.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­me¡­me too¡­¡± Big 5 wanted to stay as well but was rejected by me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you on the other side, don¡¯t keep me waiting.¡±


    As she said that, Violet Snow proudly turned up her little doggy head and gave me a small nudge on the knee cap. Smiling, I ruffled her fur: ¡°I got it, my little princess.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, as long as you get it.¡±


    Just like that, there was only Majosha and a tiny portion of my subordinates left.


    Sweeping my gaze over the surroundings, I was suddenly struck by the surrealness of the situation. Over ten thousand devils and humanoids, all gone, just like that. Rather, I should say that they left.


    With regards to these teleportation gates, I had to admit I was really fascinated by them. Back on Earth, humans could take to the skies and penetrate the very earth, and yet they could never cross dimensions like this. Because of that, I always held a deep sense of respect for this world. What the Earth had, this place didn¡¯t;what Earth didn¡¯t have, this place had. However, there was one thing Earth certainly didn¡¯t possess that this place had; the ability to raise the dead.


    ¡®It¡¯s about time for me to leave as well.¡¯ Truth be told, I still wasn¡¯t sure what I could do to persuade her. She had steeled her heart and resolved herself to accompany Harlow. Her sister couldn¡¯t stop her and, even more so, neither could I.


    Just as I was about to put forth my last ditch effort, she suddenly raised her head and stared me right in the eyes for several seconds before finally saying in a melodic but emotionless voice: ¡°The Medusa clan do not have any males. In order to reproduce, we have to find a mate from the other clans. If we stumbled upon a female, we would kill them for food, if we met a male¡­¡±


    Whether or not I wanted to hear her speak, she continued on without ever pausing. Seeing that, I gestured for the female devil in charge of the devil egg to pass it to me. With grimoire and egg in hand, I then played my part as a devout listener.


    ¡°Initially, when I first captured Harlow, he struggled for his life however he couldn¡¯t escape because I had him coiled up in my tail, just like now¡­he was a Three-stars and I was a Four. After being captured by me, there was no way he could break free¡­after that, we mated¡­for a long time. He was a strong fellow and he didn¡¯t seem to want to struggle the moment we started, in fact, he even took to it willingly¡­¡±


    As I continued listening, the tale became stranger by the second, it almost felt like I was listening to some kind of audio novel¡­however, I astutely chose not to interrupt her.


    ¡°In order to reproduce, I had mated with a lot of males before. Each time, I would pretend to fall asleep after finishing. All of those males would then try to escape or even kill me. No matter what their intentions were, whether it was to kill or escape, they all failed and ended up ripped to shreds and eaten by me¡­¡±


    Suddenly, the audio novel turned into a hunting novel¡­still, I maintained my silence and listened.


    ¡°Harlow was the only one who didn¡¯t try to escape but merely waited for me to wake up¡­I continued pretending to sleep as a way to test him. However, he didn¡¯t seem to harbor me any ill intention at all¡­later on, I asked him why he didn¡¯t try to run and guess what he did say then? He merely scratched his head with a silly look on his face and said that when he was young, his mother once told him that a man had to be responsible for his woman¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t understand what that meant back then but I knew for certain that I had gained a husband that day¡­a husband that would never leave me¡­from that moment on, I felt that I had become the most fortunate medusa in the world because finding such a husband who wouldn¡¯t fear us was the greatest wish of any medusa¡­the demonic werewolves were a race with a sensitive sense of smell and I knew that my body odor wasn¡¯t particularly pleasant to them so I thought of a number of plans¡­¡±


    The medusas ate their mates, that was common knowledge in this world. What people didn¡¯t know however was that they did so because their mates feared them and tried to harm them or escape¡­while saying that might seem a little messed up, I knew that at the end of the day, they simply wanted love, to have a husband that loved them. Unfortunately, the heavens cursed them with a snake body and a voracious sexual appetite that would scare off any potential male¡­truly, Harlow was a strange one to claim responsibility after being forced like that.


    ¡®In a sense, he was truly a man to be respected.¡¯


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    ¡°However, the happy days didn¡¯t last long. When the both of us left to find Habona, we stumbled upon a flock of harpies. These birdwomen were similar to us in that they only had females¡­Harlow was captured, Habona came looking for her brother and couldn¡¯t find him so she fought with my sister¡­¡±


    ¡®Huh, I guess the harpies snatching away Harlow can be considered the appearance of a love rival, does that mean that this is now a romance novel¡­¡¯


    Majosha then proceeded to give a simple recount of what happened after. Somehow, I ended up being persuaded by her even though I was the one trying to persuade her. Throughout all that, her tone never fluctuated once, other than when she talked about Harlow¡¯s good points. Thus, I came to the conclusion that she would never give up on Harlow.


    Perhaps in our eyes, they hadn¡¯t been together for long and shouldn¡¯t be too attached; a few simple persuasions should¡¯ve done the trick. I even considered finding her a new man in order to change her mind. However, we were all wrong, their relationship had deepened to a level none of us could imagine.


    With Harlow by her side, Majosha felt that she was the most fortunate medusa in the world. Now that Harlow was gone, did she perhaps feel that she had become the most unfortunate medusas in the world?


    Either way, I now knew that it was impossible to make her leave Harlow.

 Chapter 186: Conclusion

    Even up to the very end, I tried my very best to persuade her but it failed.


    After a lengthy exchange with me, Majosha finally came to a decision. Wrapping her tail around Harlow, she pulled herself right up to his face and, with hands clasped around his head and eyes locked with each other, she used her petrification power¡­to turn them both into a conjoined statue in one bright burst of golden light.


    Just like that, they would never be separated ever again.


    If there was ever an example of eternal love, it would be this. However, such an outcome truly was a painful one.


    ¡®As far as I know, a medusa¡¯s petrification power only works on living creatures so how did she petrify Harlow who was already dead? Well, thinking about that now is pointless, what¡¯s more important is entering Abaddon, everyone¡¯s still waiting for me.¡¯


    Taking a quick headcount of the remaining people, I counted One-eye, Nine-finger, No.3, Big 4 and two more female devils, one who was in charge of supporting No.3 and the other was the devil who normally carried the egg for me.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s just us now.¡± It was a pointless comment, in fact, I didn¡¯t even know why I said it. However, I just felt that if I didn¡¯t do that, my heart would feel even more uncomfortable so I said it. ¡°Let¡¯s go then, we mustn¡¯t keep them waiting for too long.¡±


    ¡°Master, how about letting me carry the egg for now. Besides, I¡¯ve been carrying it so much recently so it¡¯s really not a problem.¡±


    ¡°Mmm, alright, perhaps I¡¯m just worn out right now but even my hands and legs seem to feel a little weak. I might just drop it by accident.¡±


    Like that, I handed over the egg to the female devil. With regards to the devils under me, I had long grown to trust them without much question. Yet who would have thought that this bit of trust would finally come to bite me in the back in a such manner. Moments after I handed over the egg, she betrayed me¡­


    Hugging it tightly in her arms, she pretended to take a few steps forward before suddenly making a U-turn and dashing towards the gate that led to Purgatory¡­


    ¡°Hey, where do you think you¡¯re going?! Get back here!¡± Before I could even consider my own actions, I jumped in right after her¡­


    ¡°Master!¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Unlike its ominous name, Abaddon of Sins wasn¡¯t as hostile of an environment as one would think. Lush greenery made up the bulk of the scenery and the air teemed with life as if it was some kind of immortal paradise.


    ¡°Why hasn¡¯t Dearest crossed the gate yet?¡± Asked a slightly uneasy and anxious Numila. Even amidst such an idyllic environment, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to feel at ease at all. Ever since she used that bit of deception to trick Mo Ke into an engagement pact, she would constantly keep him in her thoughts.


    As for why she fell for him, it was simply because he gave her Flametail. The harpy witches were known to be fiercely loyal to their mates, because of that however, they were particularly strict in choosing one. Under the circumstance where both sides weren¡¯t familiar with each other, the fact that Mo Ke was willing to give her such a powerful weapon showed how trustworthy he was. Thus, he was a perfect mate for Numila.


    Naturally, the fact that he was so insistent on leaving the Prison of the Dead helped draw her to him as well because of his bravery. As for the other two harpy witches¡­they simply believed in Numila¡¯s evaluation and decided to jump on the bandwagon as well. After all, such a fine mate wasn¡¯t something you could encounter everyday, they might not be able to find one as generous as he was even if they tried.


    Because they were dragged away by Numila right at the end, Elena and Eugenia didn¡¯t get a chance to say their farewells and the two witches were clearly incensed about this.


    ¡°Is something holding our Highness up?¡± Asked Julia with knitted eyebrows. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me there are enemies over there?¡±


    ¡°Impossible, since the gates have appeared, there shouldn¡¯t be anymore undead.¡± As she said that, Violet Snow used her tiny little paws to fiddle with the lush carpet of grass beneath her. Sighing, ¡°To think Abaddon was actually this beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Abaddon was always this beautiful.¡± Manasha sighed deeply before closing her eyes. Was it the fact that they finally saw the light of day after so long that made her like this or was it because she was still thinking about her sister, Majosha? No one knew for certain.


    ¡°Perhaps the Master was held up by something, let¡¯s just wait here for a while. We demonic half-orcs are more familiar with this environment so leave the food foraging to us.¡± Offered the half-orc, Baccarel, due to their sheer experience with this place.


    High above, Evilin continued to survey the surroundings with its giant eyeball, feelers dangling below it like a jellyfish. ¡°The Master might have encountered some trouble, if we wish to wait for him here, it would be best if we constructed a base. Also, this location might not remain so peaceful for long¡­¡±


    ¡°What did you say? Dearest is in danger?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure. I¡¯ve signed a master/slave pact with the Master so should he die, I would die as well. Since I¡¯m still alive and well, he must have just encountered some kind of trouble.¡± Tactly answered the evil eye. That harpy might one day be the Master¡¯s wife so a casual explanation might end up coming back to bite him in the future.


    ¡°The teleportation gates are one-way, they are able to see into our side but we can¡¯t. If this one didn¡¯t know better, it would¡¯ve sworn that the newcomers appear out of thin air. If the Master¡¯s near the teleportation gate, he would know that we are still waiting for him. Yet he still hasn¡¯t showed up, thus it can be concluded that the Master was held up by some kind of trouble or worse¡­he might have taken the portal to Purgatory or Gehenna for some unknown reason.¡± Explained the evil eye patiently.


    ¡°¡­then¡­¡± Numila wanted to ask what were they to do but just as she tried to enunciate the words, she realized that there was nothing they could do but wait. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s build a base¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take charge of choosing the location.¡± Evilin nodded. Beneath its calm exterior however, was an evil eye even more worried than Numilia. After all, it still hadn¡¯t lived enough yet.


    ¡­¡­


    Unknown place in Gehenna.


    Atop a throne of bones sat a set of knight¡¯s armor dyed completely black. Looking at this creature which only had a pair of glowing red eyes that identified it as an animate object, one was struck by its awe-inspiring presence. A deathly silence pervaded the entire space. With the sheer lack of light nearby, a depressive pall seemed to perpetually linger over it.


    In this eerily still space, time itself seemed to stop or rather it wasn¡¯t there at all.


    ¡°80 000 years, the seal on the Prison of the Dead has finally been broken¡­even though we lost a number of potential soldiers¡­that deal¡­¡±


    ¡°Must be fulfilled.¡± The armor spoke up with a youthful voice that painted him around the age of 20 or 30.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, since we signed that deal, we must uphold its terms. Because of this deal, the connection to the Blood Sea was severed for over 80 000 years. Should this drag on any further, Lucifer might just lose his patience.¡±


    ¡°Then have you locked onto it? The coordinates for the new world.¡±


    ¡°I have, I¡¯m in the process of opening it right now. As you know, such a complex task requires a long time to complete.¡±


    ¡°We have gathered enough troops already. Even without the constant supply from the Prison of the Dead, we should have enough undead to conquer a dimension.¡±


    ¡°80 000 years¡­truly it has been a long time.¡± Shimmered a mote of light as it spoke those words. ¡°Should we investigate who it was that broke the seal?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. Undoubtedly that person would have some kind of connection to Lucifer.¡±


    ¡°Seems like his thirst for the mortal realm has reached a breaking point as well. I guess that only makes sense, given that it was the task handed down by the God of Creation.¡±


    ¡°Well, he doesn¡¯t matter. The human realm is no concern of ours, only that new world.¡±


    ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll go make the preparations, a dimensional holes takes a long time to drill after all.¡±


    ¡°Return only if you succeed.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    After Mo Ke disappeared from the human realm, Ancarin and Regine managed to return to Plateau Village thanks to the aid of Moranthal. By now, the villages had all combined into one.


    The two girls made use of the assets left by Mo Ke to create a tiny nest for themselves in the village known as Demoness Abode.


    Ever since they became Mo Ke¡¯s demonesses, they began grooming other suitable candidates as well. Initially, they invited the women who had received his aid, such as that woman from Plateau Village or the women Mo Ke rescued from the bandits¡¯ stronghold. If the situation would have allowed it, they would have loved to reach out to those women bullied by Duran.


    Naturally, they wouldn¡¯t say no to orphans born with excellent qualities. For that, Regine even made several trips to the city where she encountered a rather interesting pair of dark elf siblings¡­


    In order to make preparations for Mo Ke¡¯s eventual return, the two girls did what they thought was best, though it had to be said that Mo Ke wasn¡¯t aware of any of this at all.


    Because the people of Plateau Village had received Mo Ke¡¯s aid in the past, they didn¡¯t discriminate against the demonesses. In fact, some would even volunteer to help construct their house. In their own words, ¡°If devils were all like Master Mo Ke then they mustn¡¯t be as scary as the legends say.¡±


    Because Ancarin¡¯s stomach was growing larger by the day, Regine had a lot to handle as well. Ancarin would often stroke her own belly and say: ¡°If it¡¯s a boy, I¡¯ll kill him.¡±


    ¡°What if it¡¯s a girl?¡± Regine asked.


    ¡°If it¡¯s a girl, I¡¯ll have her serve the Master as well.¡±


    ¡°Do you need my help?¡±


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    ¡°No, some things have to done by yourself¡­¡±


    ¡°I hope it¡¯s a girl.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, a girl would be good, a girl would be good¡­¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Azure City¡¯s Warrior Academy


    Clear Water Mirror had just given Nicole an Epic-grade weapon. With the aid of the weapon, she won the freshman¡¯s martial competition. According to Nicole¡¯s deal with Thousand Snow Flowers, she was now able to return to her hometown. However, upon arriving, she found traces of fighting in the village and no clues whatsoever. She inquired about that matter with Uncle Zarah but he purposefully avoided answering her question.


    With that, the only hope of finding Mo Ke laid with her deal with Thousand Snow Flowers.


    Even now, Mo Ke¡¯s tracks seemed like such a distant thing. If it was possible, she hoped it was her who suffered instead, reality, however, wasn¡¯t so kind as to allow that.


    ¡°Little Ke¡­where are you¡­¡±


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 Chapter 186 Part 2: The Betrayer

    (TL: Technically, there is no part 2. The author mislabelled this chapter as 186 instead of 187 and ran with it. In order to avoid potential future mislabelling on our side, I decided to label this as ¡°part 2¡± and follow his numbering.)


    Stepping through the teleportation gate felt rather different from being summoned ¨Csimply put, you took a step forward and voila, you¡¯re in a different place. It was similar to Doraem*n¡¯s Dokodem* D**r in that sense.


    It was a difference of one step from the Prison of the Dead to Purgatory, and yet it took me from the slight chilliness of the Prison to the scorching temperatures of Purgatory.


    Purgatory was essentially comprised of two words, red and black. Red was the lava flowing throughout the area and black were the rocks that solidified from the magma.


    Because devils were born with an innate resistance to a certain degree of heat, my first foray in Purgatory wasn¡¯t met by a wave of sweltering heat but rather a more comfortable temperature. Standing in this fiery resort, I felt the mana in my leap in joy. However, now wasn¡¯t the time to bask in the changes in my body. I immediately rushed in front of the betrayer and blocked her off before the molten river, right hand raised: ¡°Return the devil egg.¡±


    She was merely an ordinary two-star head imp and clearly wasn¡¯t a match for me. Had it not been for the fact that she was still holding onto the egg and that I was worried that it would fall into the river, I would¡¯ve snatched it back already or even chucked the Grimoire of the Dead at her from a distance away.


    ¡°Mas¡­ter¡­¡±


    She was very afraid. Her eyes quivered in terror as she barely managed to look me in the eyes. ¡®If you¡¯re so afraid, why did you betray me in the first place?¡¯


    Before I could get it back however, a rush of air erupted from my flanks. I hurriedly tried to dodge but I still ended getting hit anyway and was thrown violently aside.


    My body landed on the solid ground of Purgatory with a resounding thud and continued rolling off into the distance till I finally impacted with a stone pillar nearby. The shock of the crash stunned me momentarily as I laid there sprawled out on the floor, unable to lift my head at all.


    ¡°It seems like you still haven¡¯t figured out your situation yet, my dear Master.¡± Came the voice of One-eye. He was completely relaxed at the moment as if he had just unloaded a heavy burden off his shoulders.


    Gritting my teeth, I raised my eyes to find his right arm wrapped around the female imp hugging the devil egg and his eyes sneering at me from that towering vantage point of theirs. ¡°I bet you¡¯re really confused right now. Honestly, it¡¯s not that strange at all. Who told you to be so alluring, my dear Mas¡ªhmmm, why am I still calling you Master? Forget it, that¡¯s just a minor detail.¡±


    ¡®D*mnit¡­I get it now, he¡¯s the mastermind behind all this! He used his position to bribe that female devil in order to have her lure me into this gate¡­that devil egg is an important legacy of Mo Ci¡¯s that she left to me¡­he knew I would chase after it without any hesitation¡­if even One-eye betrayed me¡­who else has betrayed me? Nine-finger is his subordinate so they¡¯re definitely in cahoots with each other. What about No.3 and Big 4? What are their views on this? Did they know that he was planning to revolt?¡±


    ¡®But I don¡¯t remember seeing One-eye interact with the female devil much, so how did¡­that¡¯s right, that period of time when I was summoned to the human realm¡­it must¡¯ve happened then¡­other than this female imp, who else did he bribe?¡¯


    ¡®Well, thinking about all that is pointless now, more importantly, what is he up to? What does he stand to gain from betraying me?¡¯


    ¡°Master, I bet you¡¯re wondering why I betrayed you, am I right?¡± As if he had seen through my thoughts, he coldly chortled twice before turning to the female devil beside him. Then, under the expecting and bashful eyes of that imp, he spat at her with a deafening *ptooey*. The look in her eyes turned into one of shock as One-eye swiftly withdrew the arm he had around her and gave her disdainful smile: ¡°Did you really think that I was interested in you? Don¡¯t you know that your body has a certain stench about it, the stench of a low level imp sickens me. I prefer a high-blooded female devil like the Master¡­¡±


    ¡°Boss, I can¡¯t hold them for much longer¡­¡±


    Just as One-eye was about to reach the height of his pretentiousness, that potato, Nine-finger, appeared from the teleportation gate and began yelling for help the moment he made landfall: ¡°Boss, save me quick¡­¡±


    ¡°You moron.¡± Snapped One-eye, his moment of triumph completely ruined by now. However, that didn¡¯t mean he was going to give up on Nine-finger either. After ensuring that I was incapacitated for the time being, he turned around to assist Nine-finger.


    Right now, Nine-finger could be said to be a mess. There was a noticeable claw mark running down the right of his face and his left arm was broken. Grinning toothily, he sprinted towards One-eye, not even bothering to fully get to his feet as if he was a dog that had finally reunited with his master after a long absence.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you even hold back one person? Exactly how useless can you get?¡±


    ¡°But¡­I can¡¯t beat Big 4 and No.3 together¡­¡± Pouted the berated devil. Seeing me prone on the floor, his next instinct was to try and help me to my feet. ¡°Master, what are you doing on the floor? Quick, let me help you up¡­¡±


    ¡°Scram.¡± One-eye swiftly kicked the devil, forcing him back four to five steps before he was finally able to stabilize himself. ¡°I haven¡¯t even had a chance to touch her yet so what makes you think you can? Also, you need to get your facts straight here, we are traitors now, stop with the Master this, Master that, so annoying.¡±


    ¡°Nine-finger, you b*st*rd, stop running!¡± It was then that Big 4 and No.3 appeared as well. Upon landing, they immediately set about chasing after Nine-finger. Unfortunately, Nine-finger now had One-eye, a four-star Demon Child, standing beside him. Even with the two of them, the power of a four-star wasn¡¯t something they could hope to resist. All it took was a couple of kicks and punches from the traitor to defeat Big 4 and the already severely injured No.3.


    ¡°Worthless, you two have always prided yourselves as the strongest protectors of the Master, well look at you two now. Alone, I was easily able to defeat both of you.¡±


    Completely confident in his victory, One-eye prattled on with his showboating. At the side, Nine-finger scratched his head in confusion before densely pulling out the rug from under One-eye: ¡°Boss, I thought you said not to use ¡®Master¡¯ anymore? Why are you still calling her that then?¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Snapped an incensed One-eye before giving Nine-finger a resounding smack on his face.


    ¡°Boss¡­¡±


    *crack, crack, crack*


    One-eye broke the arms and legs of No.3 and Big 4 before slowly making his way to me. As he sauntered over, he let forth a sonorous laugh. ¡°My dear Master, do you know how long I¡¯ve waited for this day?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Truth be told, I never expected the devils under me to betray me. Up till now, all my subordinates had shown themselves to be completely loyal to me. For example, the now deceased Mo Ci, Big 1 who enjoyed addressing himself as ¡®This Lordship¡¯, the slightly cowardly No.4¡­No.1, No.2, Big 1, Big 2, so on and so forth. All of them gave their lives for me and that made me believe that my devils would forever be loyal to me, that they would never betray me. Unfortunately, I was wrong, devils weren¡¯t as simple as I had thought.


    Devils themselves were known as the representatives of chaos, betrayal, murder and cruelty¡­any of those descriptors could be aptly placed on a devil. To them, another person¡¯s pain was their pleasure.


    Even though I was a devil myself, I actually forgot about that point. All this while, I had lived under the protection of my subordinates. Thanks to that, I viewed myself as extremely fortunate and even began to treat myself as some kind of main character who could go around recruiting little brothers willy nilly, the kind with their loyalty maxed out at Lv.100.


    As reality would have it, I was wrong. There were definitely a large number who were completely loyal to me, but there were also those who harbored ambitions and a traitorous heart. It just so happened that One-eye was the latter, a rather successful one no less.


    One-eye threw me a heavy punch that felt even worse to my weaker-than-normal constitution. Adding on the fact that One-eye was a strength-type devil to begin with, that punch left me severely winded and gasping for air.


    ¡°Mas¡­ter¡­¡± Body severely burnt and limbs broken, No.3 miserably dragged his battered body towards me but was summarily stopped by a scoff and a stamp on his head by Nine-finger.


    ¡°Even though I don¡¯t know why the Boss decided to betray the Master, but since the Boss told me to guard you two, you¡¯d better behave.¡±


    ¡°Good, keep them under watch, once I¡¯m done having fun, I might just reward you with the leftovers.¡± One-eye bellowed with laughter having said that.


    ¡°Boss, what¡¯s the reward going to be? Also, what are you planning to have fun with?¡±


    ¡°Moron, who else can it be other than her?¡±


    One-eye pointed his finger at me¡­


    ¡®Me? You¡¯ve got to be joking, I said so many times already, I¡¯m a guy, not a woman, stop mixing the two up!¡¯


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    ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, even though that¡¯s charming in of itself, I still prefer your smiling face.¡± Having spouted that goosebumps-inducing line, he continued walking towards me with a certain thirst in his eyes, hands extended forward in a groping motion as he did so. ¡°Did you know, from the moment I first met you, I decided that I would have my way with you, even if it was only just once!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The first time we met¡­the first time we met, my first impression of those two were that of a pair of tsukkomi and boke.


    ¡°Perhaps our first meeting left too much of an impression on you, that¡¯s why you always thought of us as fools. Truthfully, all that was just an act.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right, I¡¯m not stupid!¡±


    ¡°Shut up, you¡¯re the moron here!¡± Nine-finger immediately his shrunk inwards from being scolded. ¡°After all, no one would suspect a fool to be capable of betrayal.¡±


    ¡®He¡¯s right, no one would think that a fool would be smart enough to do such a thing. Even if said fool wanted to do so, he would mostly likely telegraph his intentions in some obvious manner.¡¯


    It was precisely because I saw all my devils as morons that I had never once suspected that the day would come where they would stand opposite me. Still, why was it One-eye who betrayed me and not the others? It was at that moment that a thought suddenly occurred to me. Around the time I returned from the human realm, No.3 reminded me that One-eye was busy creating a faction of his own and that he was one of the few subordinates who became a commander soon after pledging his loyalty.


    More annoyingly, I forgot one important piece of information, eating souls boosted one¡¯s intelligence!


    At birth, if devils weren¡¯t able to receive enough nourishment from souls, their intelligence tended to be lower than usual, in other words, a brain deficiency of sorts. Such a deficiency could not be made up for easily, no matter how much supplements one threw at the problem. As for One-eye, he was already a commander of a hundred devils before meeting me, back then he must have consumed all the souls just like me.


    The reason was simple, Nine-finger was a moron¡­if One-eye had given him some souls to consume, he wouldn¡¯t be so confused as he was right now. For all I knew, he still recognized me as his master, it was simply that One-eye held a higher position than me.


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 Chapter 187: Nine-finger’s Counterattack

    ¡°Why did you think we submitted to you?¡± Even without waiting for my answer, One-eye rushed off to his next monologue: ¡°At the very beginning, all I wanted to do was make use of you to leave the Blood Sea. My inherited memories told me that if we didn¡¯t leave soon, there wouldn¡¯t be enough time. Thus, I chose to submit temporarily. I originally intended to court you along the way but who knew that you would actually ignore me so thoroughly, did you actually think I was some kind of brainless fool?!¡±


    ¡®So he was never loyal to begin with. He willingly played the role of a subservient little brother only because he had the foresight to butter me up¡­¡¯


    Honestly, he was a really competent devil during his time under me. His performance was at complete odds to the first impression he left on me but because that impression was so engraved in me, I ended up pegging him as a moron from start till finish.¡±


    If I was a female devil, I might have really recruited him as a close aide. No matter how incompetent he might be, he would, at the very least, fulfill some bodily desires. Unfortunately for him, I was and still am, a man. Being a man, I wasn¡¯t too excited about any form of close contact with another male, thus his plan had failed by half from the very start. Ultimately, this aversion made him decide on another course of action.


    Using force.


    ¡°¡­is this the reason for your betrayal?¡±


    ¡°Betrayal? In my eyes, the real traitor is you¡­my former master.¡±


    ¡®Me? A traitor? Are you kidding me, exactly who did I betray?! I don¡¯t remember having any sort of relationship with you so what do you mean ¡®traitor¡¯?¡¯


    ¡°Do you know what I really want to do right now? To have a tumble with you of course!¡±


    ¡°One-eye! You dare to disrespect the Master like that! I¡¯ll never forgive you!¡± Still sprawled on the floor, Big 4 bellowed with all his might before dragging his battered body towards One-eye. However, just as his show of bravado started, Nine-finger gave him a resounding kick on the head after letting go of No.3.


    ¡°What my Boss wishes to do has nothing to do with you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my Master! That¡¯s your Master as well!¡±


    Nine-finger paused for a moment before scratching his bald noggin two seconds later and stating thusly, in a silly voice: ¡°I only listen to the Boss.¡±


    ¡°Well said, even though I won¡¯t share the prize with you this time, I¡¯ll make sure to reward you the next time we catch another female devil.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to reward me, Boss? What¡¯s the reward? Is it edible?¡±


    ¡°¡­just look after those two pieces of trash, don¡¯t let them spoil my mood.¡± Having reached a new level of being unable to read the mood, One-eye truly regretted not letting this subordinate of his have some souls in the beginning. However, having a silly subordinate did have its benefits as well; how else were they so loyal?


    ¡®That b*****d, he actually¡­actually¡­I¡¯d rather die than suffer through that!¡¯


    ¡°I just knew you would look at me like that, you d*mned les!¡±


    ¡®Huh¡­when did my sexuality change? I¡¯ve always been a man who loves woman, all right?!¡¯


    ¡®Not that saying all that would help anything right now¡­perhaps I had always been a woman in One-eye¡¯s mind. To think he actually betrayed me because he thought I liked those of the same sex. He probably assumed, rightfully so I might add, that he no longer stood a chance so he had to use force instead¡­well, now that has been confirmed, it¡¯s time for my own counterattack.¡¯


    ¡°Look me in the eyes!¡±


    Even while prone, that didn¡¯t stop me from invoking my control over illusions. My pupils immediately blazed with a blue light and as my voice resounded amidst the slight bubbling of the lava behind me, One-eye couldn¡¯t help but turn his eyes towards me. The moment we locked eyes however, his body shuddered and everything suddenly turned foreign in his eyes.


    The boiling river of lava turned into an eternal river of ice. The sweltering heat disappeared and soon, even a tiny gust of wind chilled his bones. How was this Purgatory, this was clearly Gehenna! By now, One-eye was beginning to suspect if he had entered the wrong gate. But he was in Purgatory just moments ago so how did it suddenly turn into Gehenna?


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think this magical tattoo of mine is rather strange? It¡¯s an illusion demon¡¯s.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but embark on my own triumphant speech even though I knew that One-eye probably couldn¡¯t hear a word I was saying.


    ¡°Even though I never expected that you would betray me, I still left a trump card behind, just in case¡­illusion magicks might not work against the undead, but against someone with a weak psyche like you, it¡¯s more than enough!¡±


    Upon reaching Four-stars, a devil now possessed the basic defining features of a devil: a horn on their head, a tail similar to that of a bull¡¯s, fleshy devil wings and the ability to control fire. Should that devil advance one more level, he would be gain the blessing of an original sin and become a true devil with a clan. However, One-eye¡¯s evolutionary path was now at an end. Today, he had to die.


    Bearing the burning ache running through my body, I slowly walked over to the ensorceled One-eye. By now, my numbed left hand was beginning to regain the majority of its mobility. As for my right, it reached for Shadowfang, still slung over my back.


    Still under the control of my illusion, One-eye was currently experiencing a wintery hell that left him completely buried in layers of snow. Because of the perceived pressure of the snow and the cold it left on his body, he curled into a defensive and completely harmless ball.


    Just as I was about to reach the incapacitated devil however, alarm bells began to ring out in my head. My chest suddenly felt constricted, my head felt light and my limbs began to weaken; these were all signs of mana exhaustion.


    ¡®Sh*t, I have to finish him off quick or he might just make it out of my illusion. No time now¡­¡¯ Shadowfang sliced through his body without meeting any resistance whatsoever. On my part, I felt no pity at all in killing off the head of this rebellion.


    Dead. Ever so easily, a Four-star flame demon-child was slain by me. At the same time as his death, I had a taste of that familiar weakness once more. My limbs began to collapse and my body started to convulse uncontrollably, though to a small degree only.


    ¡°BOSS!¡± Still in the midst of torturing No.3 and Big 4, all Nine-finger heard was the dying grunt of One-eye before he turned around to see my blade cleanly leave the corpse of his boss. It was then that my mana was exhausted as well. Abandoning No.3 and Big 4, he rushed towards me with bloodshot eyes: ¡°You dare to murder my Boss! I¡¯ll trample you to death!¡±


    As his feet stomped on my back with the weight of his fury, it felt like my body was about to explode from the sheer pain that ravaged my nervous system. However, that took effort and I clearly had no energy to even resist. One, two, three, four¡­he was like a tireless stomping machine right now. With every stomp, a mouthful of blood would spurt from my mouth. Once more, I tried to fight back but my body merely twitched in response.


    ¡®No¡­I mustn¡¯t give up like this. That moron, Nine-finger, actually didn¡¯t take away my Shadowfang, if only he used it, he would¡¯ve killed me in one stroke already. Replenish, I need to replenish my mana. I need souls for that¡­souls¡­¡¯


    ¡®One-eye¡¯s soul¡­that¡¯s right, I can consume his soul.¡¯ Thankfully, One-eye¡¯s headless corpse was just lying there right in front of me. With hope laid out before my eyes, I summoned forth the last bit of strength left in my body to slowly drag myself towards the fallen devil. With every inch I covered, I would suffer a stomp from Nine-finger. Yet even with that numbing pall cast over my body, I felt that I could hold out just for a bit longer¡­till I ate One-eye¡¯s soul.


    In midst of my crawling, the devil egg bearing devil suddenly ran over. She paid no attention to me whatsoever as she dashed towards the headless One-eye and knelt beside his corpse weeping. She was crying¡­for some b*stard who threw her aside? Perhaps she truly did love him, however, he never loved her back.


    ¡®Well, you can cry all you want, as long as you stay out of my way.¡¯


    However, I was too late. Just as I was mere inches away from his corpse, fate played a cruel trick on me once more. One-eye¡¯s soul was suddenly sucked away by a mysterious force that swiftly sent the semi-translucent mass flying into the egg still resting in the arms of that female devil¡­


    ¡®It absorbed his soul?¡¯


    ¡®D*mnit¡­why now? Not like this! If it was me who absorbed his soul, I would¡¯ve been able to recover a portion of my mana and slice Nine-finger apart¡­the script¡­it¡¯s not supposed to proceed like that¡­¡¯


    Nine-finger¡¯s stomping continued as viciously as before. It almost seemed like he enjoyed stepping on my back. Even with my armor, it wasn¡¯t easy enduring the stomps of a Three-star demon child.


    The problem was that I was still powerless to resist. No.3 and Big 4 were still severely injured and what was supposed to be my shot at a comeback ended up being absorbed by the devil egg in some cruel twist of fate¡­the me right now, was just a salted fish.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± My two loyal subordinates stared at me with bloodshot eyes that almost seemed watery with regret. However, tears were useless. They couldn¡¯t heal their wounds and neither could they replenish my mana.


    ¡®Is this truly it¡­even One-eye was slain by me and yet I¡¯m about to die to this moron, Nine-finger¡­haha¡­cough cough¡­ah, there¡¯s blood¡­the taste of Purgatory¡¯s floor isn¡¯t great at all¡­so painful¡­my body¡¯s about to explode¡­¡¯


    ¡®Looking at him, I doubt Nine-finger is even capable of having any inappropriate thoughts about me, I guess that¡¯s a silver lining?¡¯


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    ¡°Oh right, Boss said something about having a tumble with you? I don¡¯t know what a ¡®tumble¡¯ means but there¡¯s no way I¡¯m letting you off the hook so easily.¡± As if he was talking to himself but at same time tormenting me, he scratched his head while pondering the meaning of One-eye¡¯s words. He then turned his eyes towards the egg-hugging devil: ¡°Hey you, do you know what a ¡®tumble¡¯ means?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Still in the midst of her grief, she was stumped by this strange question. Head slightly addled, she replied: ¡°That¡¯s¡­it¡¯s doing ¡®that thing¡¯¡­¡±


    ¡°That thing?¡±


    ¡°Doing that thing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m asking what exactly is that thing!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± The female imp was left speechless and thoroughly shocked by the stupidity of Nine-finger.


    ¡°You dare to look down on me?¡± Perhaps her eyes gave away some sort of disdain; perhaps the long silence was all the answer he needed or maybe he simply wanted to show off his power, whatever the reason was, he tossed me aside and walked up to the female imp. Wrapping his hands around her neck, he lifted her off the ground. Having been strangled, the female devil finally released the egg in her arms.


    ¡°Speak, exactly what is ¡®that thing¡¯?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±It was a forceful question by Nine-finger and yet his grip was just as forceful. The female imp desperately wanted to speak but her throat simply wouldn¡¯t allow her to, thus all she could do was struggle. The female imp was merely a Two-star and naturally wasn¡¯t a match for a Three-star like Nine-finger. Like that, she was strangled to death after a mere minute.


    ¡°Dead?¡± Feeling the warmth leave the corpse in his hand, Nine-finger realized the female imp was dead. Casually tossing the body aside, he inexplicably muttered to himself: ¡°Ah. If you didn¡¯t want to talk then just say so, is there a need to kill yourself?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


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 Chapter 188: Breaking the Shell

    Tossing away the now-dead corpse of the female imp, Nine-finger turned his attention back onto me: ¡°Since that moron killed herself, how about Master tell me instead; what exactly is ¡®that thing¡¯?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± ¡®For the love of all p0t@t0es, have you no decency?! There¡¯s no way I¡¯m telling you that, not even if you kill me! But then if I don¡¯t tell him, would he strangle me as well? And kill me by accident before stupidly exclaiming with a shocked face: ¡°If you don¡¯t want to talk then so be it, was there a need to kill yourself?¡±¡­¡¯


    ¡°That thing means that thing, what else can it be. Don¡¯t you even know that, and you consider yourself a male, hmph.¡± Just as I was fretting over my inability to throw out a tsukkomi, the tender but clearly disdainful voice of a loli came in for a hard swing at Nine-finger. Looking down in response, I was stunned¡­


    ¡®That devil egg¡­it hatched?¡¯


    A conspicuous crack had formed across its egg shell and from within, a tiny loli head sporting an eggshell cap could be seen sticking out of it. She craned her neck around and surveyed Nine-finger, all the while keeping her body hidden within the egg shell except for her beautiful face and two little hands grasping at the sides of the egg shell. Looking at her, I was suddenly reminded of a manhua scene where a tiny dinosaur just popped out of its egg ¡ªjust too adorable! Unfortunately, the little kid¡¯s first words were just¡­


    Hatch? Wait, why did it hatch all of a sudden?


    Even though there was an egg shell blocking the view, her face was fully unobscured; it was one of a human child¡¯s, assuming you ignored that slight but noticeable tinge of reddish-pink.


    ¡®That¡¯s not the appearance of a newly-born imp¡­does that mean this little kid already has an original sin protecting her?¡¯!


    ¡°D*mned brat, what do you know?¡± Clearly not happy about being made fun of by a newborn, Nine-finger stomped off towards her with a sullen look on his face: ¡°I dare you to say that again.¡±


    ¡°Like this one is going to listen to you, bleh leh leh leh, *sticks out tongue*¡±


    ¡®Even her insults sounded so milky smooth and adorable¡­but now¡¯s not the time for acting cute, Nine-finger¡¯s a bad, bad devil, don¡¯t you know?! There¡¯s no way the little thing can handle him on her own¡­¡¯


    ¡°You asked for it!¡± Railed an incensed Nine-finger, not at all interested in anything else but what ¡®that thing¡¯ was, especially not her show of adorableness. To him, if someone dared to get in his way, that just meant he had one more shot at interrogating someone with a different method.


    ¡°Run away, QUICK¡­you can¡¯t beat¡­him¡­¡± And then, what I wanted to say was completely cut off.


    Just as I was worried that Nine-finger would flatten her into a pancake with his fist, the little kid gave a light ¡®hmph¡¯, extended forth her bare-skinned right hand and flicked her finger. Immediately, a snaking whip extended out from her finger in rapidly billowing clouds of darkness that finally gave a mighty crack before slamming Nine-finger out of sight and out of mind.


    ¡°Mama, did you see how great this one was just now?¡± She uttered a string of words that left me completely dumbfounded. However, that wasn¡¯t the only surprise I was about to get. Her little egg home wiggled ever so slightly as she squatted down and then, with an adorable hop, leapt a feet into the air. Like that, she made her way towards me¡­


    ¡®How did she even hop with her egg? Didn¡¯t she just squat down, what happened to the laws of physics?¡¯


    ¡®Hold on¡­laws of physics aside, what did she just say before hopping? Mama? What the heck is a mama? Is she calling me a mama?¡¯


    ¡°Mama, this one finally found you!¡± Pressing her shelly half into me, the little scamp wrapped her tiny arms around my head and rubbed her baby-tender face against mine just like how an energetic and adorable house pet would.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you making a mistake? I¡¯m a male, so it should be Papa.¡±


    Yet, the little scamp would have none of my explanation as she continued to rub against me in a satisfied manner: ¡°Mama smells so fragrant, so so nice, there¡¯s no way Mama¡¯s a Papa.¡±


    ¡°¡­but¡­but¡­I¡¯m really a male.¡±


    ¡°Mama¡¯s lying, there¡¯s no scent of a male coming from Mama at all.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± ¡®Ah¡­this again, breaks my heart just listening to it¡­just let me spend some alone time with Quiet, don¡¯t ask me who Quiet is.¡¯


    (TL: Some reference/pun about a female character in MG V.)


    ¡°Blasted brat, you dare to hit my face, don¡¯t you know that only Boss can do that?!¡± Before I could continue this discussion however, Nine-finger, who had just been sent flying by a whip, climbed to his feet once more and charged at us fist raised: ¡°Die!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too loud.¡± Frowned the little scamp before swinging her darkness whip once more and sending him flying away. This time however, he flew much further, dropping right into the lava river with a resounding *ploop* and an anguished cry.


    ¡®Ah, it¡¯s over, just like that? Somehow it all feels so surreal¡­¡¯


    ¡°Mama, did you see how great this one was just now?¡± Her eggshell-wearing head bobbed up and her eyes practically sparkled with pride as if to say ¡®praise me, praise me more, quick.¡¯


    ¡°Mhm, really great. Just remember that it¡¯s Papa next time.¡±


    ¡°Got it, Mama. This one will remember that next time, Mama.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    As time passed, the side effects of my mana exhaustion began to lessen. By now, I was at least able to sit up right so I decided to throw the little scamp another probing question: ¡°Hey you, how about coming out of that egg shell for now?¡±


    Hearing me mention the eggshell, the little scamp immediately blushed before answering in a panicked voice: ¡°Ah, this err¡­I can¡¯t, not right now.¡±


    ¡®What do you mean, not right now, Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve really claimed that as your home? Or is she trying to say that she only hatched because that female imp accidentally cracked the eggshell due to a slip of hand. Isn¡¯t that a premature birth then?! That¡¯s bad!¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­you haven¡¯t fully hatched yet?¡± Not knowing what else to do, I gingerly asked her that. ¡°Do you feel any discomfort somewhere?¡±


    ¡°This one¡­this one¡­¡± She stuttered and paused for what seemed like a half day before finally breathing a deep sigh. Then, she scrunched up her face as if making the hardest choice of her young life, and closed her eyes: ¡°This one is naked¡­¡±


    ¡°Naked¡­¡±


    A few minutes later, the little scamp put on my robes, my one and only possession which I brought back from the human realm, to comical effect as its obviously oversized sleeves draped onto the floor. As for me, I fashioned a simple set of armor from the bones of One-eye and the female imp, though it only covered my chest and pelvic region, revealing my thighs and belly for the world to admire. However, such a level of exposure was nothing at all. After all, I was and still am a bonafide male.


    I had to admit though, dressing like that felt a little odd as if I was wearing a female swimsuit. Ever since I reincarnated as a devil, I had basically lost any notion of remaining clothed. That changed when I visited the human realm after which I began to realize how weird it felt to not wear clothes.


    While taking care of the issue of garments, I took some time to portion out the meat I harvested from One-eye and gave them to No.3 and Big 4. As a Four-star flame demon child, the energies contained within his flesh were massive. Even so, they weren¡¯t enough to fully heal the injuries on No.3 and Big 4. At the very least however, they weren¡¯t in a such critical state anymore.


    With regards to these two loyal bodyguards of mine, I truly appreciated them. Despite just being betrayed by One-eye and Nine-finger whom I thought were loyal as well, I still believed that No.3 and Big 4 were genuinely loyal to me. To those that were loyal to me, I would never let down them.


    At least, that was how I thought then.


    In order for them to recover, more meat and souls were needed. However, Purgatory was an unfamiliar environment for me, to be sure. What were the factions here and how were they distributed? I still lacked such crucial information but the matter of their injuries was just as pressing as well. Without nourishment, their injuries would never heal up so I had to remedy this situation immediately.


    ¡°Mama, if it¡¯s food you¡¯re looking for, leave it to this one.¡± Said the little scamp sporting a no longer comically oversized set of robes. However, because there were thread and needles to be found here, I had no choice but to settle on a rough job by using Shadowfang to slice up the fabric. I shortened the garment so as to stop them from dragging all over the floor as she walked. Also, I cut a pair slits on the back just for the little scamp¡¯s wings to flap freely.


    Even so, its width was the one thing I couldn¡¯t change so the robes remained rather strangely proportioned as if they were meant for a human but weren¡¯t at the same time. In other words, it was still rather comical looking. Thus, I tied a sash made from the leftover fabric, around it as a temporary measure.


    The little scamp was a lust demon, bearing the signature heart shaped tail end and elegant twin horns of said race. Her purplish black wings were just beautiful as well and instead of hooves which you found on low level lust demons, she possessed a pair of human legs. That meant the little scamp shouldn¡¯t encounter too much difficulty when breaking through to the higher levels. As of right now, she was shorter than half a meter and yet she was already at the level of a primal lust demon. In terms of mana alone, she was a Four-stars.


    Her appearance could only be described as adorable and nothing else. The reddish-pink hue on her skin seemed so smooth and moist that you could probably squeeze water out of her skin if you tried. Her body had a faint milky aroma which seemed rather odd seeing as she hadn¡¯t any milk at all. However, there was one thing for certain, and that was that she was going to be a ruinous beauty in the future.


    ¡°It¡¯s worrisome if you go off alone like that, how about we go together instead? We can search the vicinity.¡±


    The plan was to have No.3 and Big 4 wait at this spot while we make a foraging trip. While the meat of One-eye and the female imp should be able to sate my two subordinates for now, leaving them alone wasn¡¯t safe so speed was crucial. Should we fail at finding anything, it would be wiser to return as soon as possible, at least that was how I thought. After all, in a foreign environment like this, caution was best.


    ¡°Oh, oh, oh,oh, time to find some good eats!¡± The little scamp flew into the air, momentarily flapping around in joy before plopping herself down on my shoulders, legs by the sides of my neck and hands on my head. ¡°Mama, that way, that way¡­Mama, let¡¯s go that way instead¡­¡±


    Like that, I ended up letting her drive us around seeing as my guess was as good as hers anyway. Not only could we familiarize ourselves with the surroundings, we could take a leisurely stroll as well, though that ¡®Mama¡¯ part still stung a lot¡­


    ¡®Still, this little scamp is just so adorable and I guess she isn¡¯t wrong in saying that either. My current body isn¡¯t exactly that of a man¡¯s so I¡¯ll just let her have her way for now. However, calling her little scamp forever isn¡¯t an option either.¡¯


    ¡°Oh right, how about we decide on a name for you first?¡±


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 Chapter 189: Change in the Grimoire of the Dead

    ¡°Okay, okay, this one want¡¯s a new name quick, Mama.¡± The little scamp cried with glee as she clapped her hands non-stop.


    ¡°A name¡­how about Mo Na?¡± Naturally her name would have to follow mine and since my surname was Mo, hers was as well. To be honest, I considered naming her Brigittte, Moirah, Chaikah, Lorel and etc., but after giving it some thought, I felt that Mo Na was more appropriate.


    ¡°Mo Na¡­Mo Na¡­okay, Mo Na is a great name, Mo Na likes it. As long as it¡¯s a name given by Mama, Mo Na will like them all!¡±


    Having received a name, Mo Na gleefully hugged my head and rubbed her face against my own. ¡°Mo Na, Mo Na, Mo Na has a name, it¡¯s Mo Na, hehehe¡­¡±


    Her scampish ways however, caused me to nearly fall over from lightheadedness.


    ¡° Ah¡­it¡¯s dark¡­Mama, Mo Na can¡¯t see a thing¡­¡± Suddenly, the rubbing stopped and the panicked voice of Mo Na filled my ears. Worried that Mo Na might have gotten into trouble, I hurriedly brought her down and then, laughed. It turned out that because of her excited swaying, the hood of her robes ended up wrapping around her¡­


    The robe she wore was a hand-me-down from me and naturally fitted my body. While it had been crudely altered by me, the hood¡¯s size remained unchanged and it ended up covering her entire upper half because of that.


    ¡°Alright, alright, stop moving, Papa will get it for you.¡±


    Gently taking off the hood, I returned her back to the world of light. Upon recovering her sight, the little scamp immediately hugged my neck and pecked me on the cheeks: ¡°Thanks Mama.¡±


    ¡°I said so already, it¡¯s Papa¡­bah forget it, not like you¡¯ll listen anyway.¡±


    Now that the little interlude was over, we resumed our foraging c*m exploration. As stated before, Purgatory was known for its scorching temperatures. But to a devil however, they were merely lukewarm and comfortable. In fact, the smell of sulfur wasn¡¯t as bad as I had initially imagined.


    From time to time, I spotted a few earthworm-like creatures floating about the surface of the lava lake. They were roughly the size of a fist and half a meter long. Because I wasn¡¯t a Four-star, I still couldn¡¯t bathe in the lava lake and thus I had no choice but to helplessly watch as those worms swam by me¡­ahem, honestly, I just didn¡¯t want to eat worms.


    Ever since we stepped into Purgatory, my memories gained a host of inherited knowledge which included the name of that worm, a young Demon Fire Worm. It was one of the main staple foods for low level devils in Purgatory. Apparently, its taste wasn¡¯t all that bad but that appearance however¡­either way, I didn¡¯t plan on eating worms no matter what people said.


    Because those below the rank of Four-stars weren¡¯t able to enter the lava lake, most lower levelled devils relied on tools to capture said worms. According to my inherited memories, a common tool was a netlike object crafted from the hide of a Demon Fire Salamander.


    Demon Fire Salamanders were the evolved form of a Demon Fire Worm and were at least Two-stars, with the highest being a Seven-stars. There were no recorded sightings of any salamanders passing the level of Seven-stars. The more powerful the salamander was, the deeper they dwelt. In other words, those we saw on the surface were the most harmless members of their race. The further down one went, the more powerful and frightening the salamanders became.


    The lava lake consisted of more than just Demon Fire Salamanders, a host of other strange and fantastical creatures lived there as well. For example, Fire Elementals, Demonic Fire Elves, the nemesis of the Demon Fire Salamanders, the Fire-eating Tuna, the Dark Flames Snails, etc.


    Naturally, there were more creatures who lived in the lake but those listed above were the most representative of the ecology here. It went without saying that those of the Flame Demon evolutionary path loved living in the lava lake as well. At that stage, it wouldn¡¯t be a stretch to say that their bodies were formed of fire elements. Unlike the Fire Elementals however, Flame Demons were beings of flesh and blood and not pure elemental creatures. Strictly speaking, they were hybrids, kinda like Hanyos from Dogyasha.


    Turning my gaze away from the lake, I found some foliage lying around the rock pillars nearby. Purgatory actually had plantlife, that fact alone shocked me. Truly, life was a miraculous thing but then, when one thought about it, living on the surface reall wasn¡¯t all that when compared to those creatures swimming in the lava lake.


    The plants themselves were roughly 20 cm rhizomes that grew upwards. Several dark red leaves sprouted off their tops which held a delicious looking red fruit the size of an orange.


    According to my inherited memories, these fruits were an edible source of food as well, known as Red Lotus. They contained pure energy within them and were an excellent source of nourishment, both as food and as a material. Because Purgatory as a whole wasn¡¯t conducive to growing life, such plants were rare and their fruits even rarer.


    For there to be an unharvested fruit just lying there¡­that probably meant that no one was nearby.


    ¡®Come to think of it, we arrived here from the Prison of the Dead and that had been sealed up for god knows how long. Didn¡¯t that mean that this location was uninhabited for a long time as well? Unless something strange were to happen, I doubt we will even encounter a devil, except for the odd scout or two.¡¯


    Truth be told, the moment I came to that conclusion, I heaved a sigh of relief. Purgatory was a foreign land for me and there was no way the highest level in this region would be Four-stars like in the Prison of the Dead. So how many experts were hiding out in this new land? To me, Four-stars were already experts because I was just some Three-stars small fry. For a Four-stars however, Five-stars were the experts and for the Five-stars¡­.


    ¡®Ah, how annoying, somehow I¡¯ve ended up at the bottom of the rung again¡­¡¯


    Suddenly, I started to miss the Prison of the Dead¡­even though that was a rather cowardly thought, at least the Prison was safe for me¡­


    Having harvested seven Red Lotuses, I rushed back with Mo Na. No.3 and Big 4 were still heavily injured and these fruits would most likely speed up their recovery. On the trip back however, my worries grew as I suddenly realized that the Grimoire of the Dead was a little too quiet.


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    Up till now, the grimoire acted in an almost sentient manner. It would float of its own accord, pull some pranks and even block attacks for me at critical moments. However, when One-eye betrayed me, it remained silent throughout, not even floating about at all¡­


    Giving a quick toss with my bone chain, I found that it was really inert¡­perhaps it didn¡¯t take too well to the local climate?


    I then experimented by opening up the grimoire and checking its content; they were the same as before, I could only flip up to the third page and nothing more.


    ¡°What¡¯re you doing Mama?¡± Just as I was fiddling with the grimoire, the little scamp on my shoulders turned on her curious mode and bent down to ask me: ¡°Mama, is this a book?¡±


    Instantly, my mood improved. Although the silence of the grimoire left me rather sullen, the birth of Mo Na was nothing but a huge piece of good news for me. She reduced the sense of loss I felt towards the grimoire¡¯s silence and as I ruffled her little head, I couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s an important book of Papa¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Can Mo Na have a look, Mama?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± I handed the grimoire over without any hesitation.


    ¡®My precious daughter, no matter what you want, Papa will do his best to give it to you as long as he has it.¡±


    The moment Mo Na came into contact with it however, the grimoire actually freed itself of my bone chains before turning into a thick cloud of black smoke. The smoky mass immediately wrapped itself around Mo Na and by the time I reacted to that, it had already tunnelled itself into her via her nostrils and mouth¡­


    ¡°Mo Na! What happened to you? Mo Na?!¡±


    I frantically reached out and hugged Mo Na, clearly spooked by the change in the grimoire. Her skin started to undergo a series of bizarre changes, from red to black, to green and sometimes to grey¡­


    My heart leapt into my mouth as I watched the sudden changes unfold before my very eyes. What if something were to happen to her? Was the first thought that ran through my mind. Thankfully, nothing happened and after a couple rounds of color changes, her skin finally returned to its normal pinkish hue. Her heaving chest began to settle down and upon touching her forehead, I found her temperature to be normal.


    ¡®Seems like she¡¯s just asleep. At least, she should be fine now but the grimoire is gone¡­¡¯


    With nothing else to be done about that however, I had no choice but to return to No.3 and Big 4.


    The two of them laid there on the ground just as I had left them. Given that their limbs were broken, they couldn¡¯t move anyway. Thank the stars nothing happened while I was gone. I fed them the Red Lotuses, two each to be exact. Right away, their injuries began to recover at a speed visible to the naked eyes and soon they even started to evolve¡­


    No.3 and Big 4 were already Three-stars, so another evolution would mean that they would become flame demon childes¡­why did it suddenly feel like I was losing out to my sidekicks¡­


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Unlike One-eye, the two of them didn¡¯t try to revolt just because they were now of a higher evolution form, instead they knelt before me weeping: ¡°We¡¯re useless, we¡¯ve failed the Master and even allowed the Master to suffer such a humiliation¡­*weep*¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, get up you two, stop kneeling.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±Seeing that annoyed look on my face, the both of them immediately got to their feet.


    ¡°Master, is the little Master asleep?¡± Asked No.3 in soft voice, eyeing the little scamp in my arms as he did so.


    ¡°You mean Mo Na¡­?¡± Now that he reminded me of that matter, I couldn¡¯t help but suffer another headache again. ¡°Probably¡­¡±


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 Chapter 190: Hair

    ¡°Mo Na and I just explored that side so you two can just take the other side, since you¡¯re both alright now. Make sure to watch your surroundings, also, if you find some Red Lotuses, just harvest them.¡± Not wishing to spend anymore time on the issue of Mo Na¡¯s comatose state, I sent No.3 and Big 4 away on scouting duty.


    ¡°Master, how about one of us stay behind instead, I¡¯m afraid that something might happen while we¡¯re gone.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I doubt anything dangerous will happen. Weren¡¯t you two lying there helpless just now while Mo Na and I were off foraging? Nothing happened then so it should be alright now as well. Besides, you guys are just scouting the nearby areas, there¡¯s no need to explore too far.¡±


    ¡°¡­Understood, Master.¡±


    Having been rejected, No. 3 didn¡¯t seem to react too badly to it. Perhaps even he himself didn¡¯t expect the suggestion to be accepted.


    Watching the two of them leave, I then carried little Mo Na off to a nearby stone pillar.


    ¡®Sigh, exactly what¡¯s going on with the little scamp? Why did the grimoire enter her body? I still don¡¯t know the answers to all that, neither do I know when is she going to wake up.¡¯


    Like that, Mo Na slept the better part of the day away. By the time she woke up, I found a new marking on her forehead. It was a tattoo in the shape of a black, swirling mass of gas, about the the size of a soybean. Its outer swirl was faint in color and got progressively darker as it reached the center.


    ¡°Mama, Mo Na just had a dream, there was a book chasing Mo Na all day. Mo Na was scared at first but then she wasn¡¯t. That book even played with Mo Na, it was so fun!¡±


    Upon waking up, the first thing this daughter of mine did was to horse around while hugging my neck. She continued recounting all the fun she had in her dreams, completely oblivious to how worried I was because of her fainting spell, even the fruits we picked went untouched because of that.


    I brought the little scamp to eye level and carefully inspected her. Thankfully, other than that marking on her forehead, there was nothing else that changed. Even so, I wanted to make sure so I asked: ¡°As long as you¡¯re awake¡­by the way, do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?¡±


    ¡°Nope, Mo Na feels great.¡± She batted her big, lovely eyes before giving me a confused look: ¡°Mama, your face looks weird, did something happen?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s just that you scared Papa a little by fainting just now.¡± Patting her little noggin, I handed a Red Lotus to her. ¡°I bet Mo Na is hungry now, have some.¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡± She happily snatched the Red Lotus from my outstretched palm and gobbled it down, finishing it in a few bites. Having finished the fruit, her body suddenly grew hot and her face turned significantly redder than usual: ¡°So full, sooo full, Mama, Mo Na¡¯s feel a little hot right now.¡±


    ¡°Hot?¡± ¡®Come to think of it, since the Red Lotus is like a supplement of sorts, isn¡¯t it kind of bad to feed someone the size of an infant, basically a giant ginseng packed into a red fruit? Is that what¡¯s happening to her right now? Because she was barely a day old, she couldn¡¯t accept such a massive surge of nourishment?¡¯


    In the midst of my panicked thoughts, Mo Na¡¯s breathless panting suddenly interjected themselves into the conversation: ¡°Mama, Mo Na isn¡¯t feeling that hot anymore but her think box is feeling kind of itchy.¡±


    ¡®Think box? I guess she meant her head.¡¯


    As she said, her head was undergoing a strange reaction at the moment. Before eating that fruit, her head was perfectly shiny and devoid of hair, now however, I could see a full head of purple hair growing out of her scalp at a speed visible to the naked eye, till her hair finally reached her shoulders.


    ¡°Ahh, is that hair? Mama, look, Mo Na has hair!¡± Grabbing the hair on her shoulder, Mo Na excitedly hopped around. ¡°Mama, is Mo Na¡¯s hair pretty?¡±


    ¡°Of course it is, honey.¡± ¡®Of course, my daughter¡¯s hair was pretty, was there ever any doubt there?¡¯ Like that, I inexplicably felt a sense of pride well within me. However, that was mercilessly cast down by her next statement.


    Fingers pointed at my head in excitement, as if she had discovered a whole new world by herself: ¡°Mama, look, you¡¯re bald!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®That hurt so bad¡­maybe I shouldn¡¯t bring up the matter of hair anymore¡­¡¯


    After that, I questioned her on what happened while she was unconscious, to which she responded: ¡°There¡¯s a ton of new things in my head.¡±


    ¡°New things?¡± I asked, surprised by what I heard. ¡°Exactly what kind of things?¡±


    ¡°Many many things, one of them is really simple too, it¡¯s a magic to move bones.¡±


    ¡®A magic to move bones? That¡¯s probably the summon skeleton spell. Nothing out of the ordinary so far¡­the fact that she learned something new like that after the grimoire inserted itself into her, was within expectations.¡¯


    ¡°You must be talking about summoning magic, other than that, what else did you learn?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, there¡¯s also a magic to wake up the dead but those who wake up will become smelly and disgusting, Mo Na doesn¡¯t like that.¡±


    ¡®Hmm, that should be the summon zombie spell, judging by that look on her face, I doubt she likes it much.¡¯


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    ¡°That¡¯s the summon zombie spell, don¡¯t worry, Papa hates it too, anything else?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, a lot lot more. There¡¯s one to create a long spear, a shield and a wall. Also, there¡¯s a magic to make people slow, stupid¡­and one more that can create a whole ton of thingies, so fun!¡± She flung her arms wide open to show exactly how many things she learnt before finally saying, in a slightly rueful tone: ¡°But Mo Na doesn¡¯t like that smelly wake up spell, everything else is great!¡±


    From what she said, it was safe to assume that the grimoire performed a knowledge transference on her and taught her a variety of spells, including Dark Alchemy. As for the magicks to make people slow and stupid¡­those were probably curses.


    Based on what she said so far, the grimoire entering her body was a positive thing and shouldn¡¯t cause too many problems¡­


    ¡®Well, even if it did, it wasn¡¯t like I could do anything about it anyway.¡¯


    Giving it a quick count, I discovered that the time the grimoire went quiet was slightly before Mo Na¡¯s egg was about to hatch.


    ¡®Perhaps it already chose her as a successor before she was even born.¡±


    Come to think of it, it could be said that Mo Na¡¯s true birthplace was the Land of the Dead. She then spent the most part of her life as an egg, incubating within the Prison of the Dead. Moreover, all she ate were Soul Flames. Adding that string of happenstances together, it probably led to her affinity for Undead Magic being extraordinarily high.


    With no other explanation in mind, I could only attribute the grimoire¡¯s choice of possessing her to that.


    Naturally, all that was just a guess, whether or not it was true¡­would become evident with time¡­in other words, it was all up to fate¡­


    Because each Red Lotus contained a highly concentrated mass of pure energy, it only took one fruit to fill up Mo Na. As for the remaining two fruits, I ate them both and as expected, I evolved to Four-stars¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Or not, I guess that was just me being overly optimistic. There was no evolution to be found after consuming the first fruit and nothing as well after the second. However, that didn¡¯t mean that those fruits had no effect on me.The moment I swallowed the last bit of the second fruit, my body started to heat up as if I had just ran a marathon. Furthermore, the heat seemed to be spreading even further, all the way up to my head.


    My whole head started to itch, in particular my forehead and¡­


    ¡®Hold on, my horn seems to be growing!¡¯


    My horn was severed by accident during that fight with Duran in the human realm, and remained severed ever since. Because of that, my magic always felt a little hampered. Adding on the fact that Ferti¡¯nier had absorbed a large portion of my mana, my horn remained severed even after I evolved to Three-stars. After eating those two Red Lotuses however, my horn began to grow, along with my internal mana pool. Though I didn¡¯t evolve in the end, my mana grew by at least a tier or two.


    Not only did my horn grow out, I even grew a whole head of long, blueish-purple hair¡­that¡¯s right, a whole head of sleek, shiny, deep blueish-purple hair that flowed all the way down my back.


    With my golden single horn and unusual hair color¡­it honestly felt like my body had grown a little strange.


    ¡°Mama, you have hair! And a horn too, so pretty!¡± Mo Na clapped her hands in excitement and surprise as she beamed at my unexpected change: ¡°Mama is so great, Mama is so great!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean great, I don¡¯t even know what¡¯s going on here.¡± Reaching to grab her head, I couldn¡¯t help but run my fingers through her silky hair as I patted her on the head. With each stroke, the feel on my hands just grew that much more comfortable.


    ¡°Mo Na wants to play as well.¡± Perhaps she thought that I was having fun playing with her hair, she decided to get in on the fun as well. Flapping the little wings on her back, she hopped into the air and leapt onto my neck where she promptly hugged my head and messed up my long hair. ¡°Mama¡¯s hair is so nice, so comfy.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, that¡¯s enough playing, No.3 and Big 4 are back.¡±


    This was the third time they came back from scouting. The first two times, the report they brought back was basically identical: they didn¡¯t encounter any other devils or danger. This time¡­judging by the expression on their faces, there was probably nothing new to report as well¡­


    However, something of note was the worm like creature Big 4 held in his claws. It was wriggling about impatiently, not quickly but certainly it was a concerted effort on its part.


    A Demon Fire Worm.


    ¡°Master.¡± X2


    ¡°Mhm, any discovery?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± No.3 shook his head. ¡°Basically the same except for some Red Lotuses we harvested. Oh right, we caught a Demon Fire Worm as well.¡±


    The Demon Fire Worms could basically be described as a fireproof earthworm, even its wriggling resembled that of an earthworm and creeped me out just as much. Thus, with one simple wave of my finger, I gave the order: ¡°Kill it.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Big 4 took the worm and gave it a forceful tear, ripping it in half in an instant. However, the noticeably bifurcated worm was still struggling even in its newfound state, spewing blue blood all over the ground as it did so.


    It was actually alive!


    ¡°Throw it on the floor.¡±


    Big 4 obediently tossed the halves of the Demon Fire Worm onto the floor and lo and behold, something miraculous happened. Both halves immediately began crawling towards the lava river upon touching the ground. Even more strange was that they ran away in different directions¡­did it have earthworm genetics as well?


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 Chapter 191: Biology Lesson

    Looking at the Demon Fire Worm run off in two directions, I was suddenly reminded of a joke from Earth.


    One boring day in the home of the earthworm family, the little earthworm had an idea to split himself into two for a round of badminton. The mama earthworm found it a great idea and decided to split herself into fours to play mahjong with herself. A while later, the papa earthworm turned himself into minced meat to which the mama earthworm asked, with tears in her metaphorical eyes: ¡°Why are you so dumb, don¡¯t you know that you will die when you split yourself so finely?¡± The papa worm weakly answered: ¡°¡­I suddenly wanted to¡­play soccer¡­¡±


    ¡®Soccer? Well, it¡¯s worth a shot.¡¯


    I pointed at the worm which looked half dead by now and signalled for Big 4 to act: ¡°Split it into tens and see what happens.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Master.¡±


    Even though he didn¡¯t understand why I wanted to harm the worm even further, he enacted it without question. Realizing that Mo Na might get a little spooked by the sight of us harming little animals¡­I turned around out of concern and found her actually watching with glee. Perhaps the thought of seeing it split up like that seemed interesting to her.


    ¡®I guess it¡¯s just me overthinking things again, like a devil would get spooked by little animals getting hurt¡­¡¯


    Devils weren¡¯t like humans at all. Simply put, they were a higher existence who possessed an inherited pool of knowledge that saved them a lot of learning time. They were born with an innately strong constitution and the ability to regrow limbs. Once they gained the blessing of an original sin, their fire resistance would rise to a certain degree. Furthermore, it caused their body to evolve from a very basic lifeform to that of a more advanced species.


    No matter how one looked at it, devils were clearly stronger than humans and yet they never managed to conquer the human realm¡­thus humans could not be underestimated as well. Though they were born weak, they possessed infinite potential.


    However, all that was a story for another day.


    Having been quartered, the Demon Fire Worm lost the ability to crawl. After it was turned into minced meat, it was clearly and beyond any shred of doubt, dead. It was an interesting set of results to be sure but the overall outcome was that it proved how strong their survivability was. Moreover, this trait might just be a common ability of those living in Purgatory.


    ¡°There¡¯s no soul?¡± I asked, clearly shocked. Every living creature had a soul, and this worm shouldn¡¯t be an exception or so I thought. Upon dying however, the expected soul didn¡¯t appear and instead, a husk of a soul could be seen dissipating into the air.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me their regeneration ability had something to do with their souls as well?¡¯


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    In order to figure the whole case of the disappearing soul, I had No.3 and Big 4 make another trip back to the lava river to catch another worm. Naturally, they were free to catch whatever fascinating lifeform they encountered on the way as well.


    It had to be said however, lest I be confused for some sicko, I wasn¡¯t doing this out of sheer boredom, rather it was in order to learn about the environment in Purgatory. Perhaps the two might have sounded unrelated but they were most definitely not.


    In order to adapt to their environment, living creatures would change to meet the challenges they faced. For example, pesticides, when used often and without change, might lead to the pests evolving resistances to said chemicals. Those who couldn¡¯t survive would be wiped out and this would continue till, finally, the pests adapted.


    Logically speaking, that should apply here as well, on that worm for example.


    It didn¡¯t take long for No.3 and Big 4 to return, having done the same not too long ago. As expected, they managed to catch another lifeform for me to experiment on. No.3 had two worms while Big 4 had in one hand, a worm, and in the other, he held a dark red fish and a salamander.


    ¡°Master, we caught something new.¡± Big 4 raised the fish and salamander as he called out to me: ¡°While we were catching the worms, we so happened to stumble upon this fish chasing after a worm so we caught it.¡±


    The fish in question was most likely a Fire Devouring Fish. It was roughly half a meter long, had a giant mouth full of teeth that made it look like a piranha from Earth. Unlike those carnivorous fish however, the Fire Devouring Fish had a sturdy set of scales protecting it as if it was wearing a shiny set of armor.


    The Fire Devouring Fish were the nemesis of the Demon Fire Worms, and treated them as their staple source of food. Based on their outer appearances alone, I concluded that these fish most likely had a powerful attack of some sort.


    ¡°First, I want a worm quartered.¡± That job was handed over to No.3 because¡­they truly disgusted me.


    No.3 immediately set about doing his job. Stomping on one of the worms to prevent it from escaping, he then ripped the other worm into quarters.


    Just like the previous worm we quartered, it slowly lost its lifeforce and just as it was about to die off, I spotted fragments of its soul dissipating into the air.


    ¡®Was the reason because it was split up into too many sections?¡¯


    ¡°Bleed the other worm dry, I want to see if it will die.¡±


    It went without saying that it would die in the end; that wasn¡¯t the point of the experiment however. The moment the last drop of its blood left its body, the worm died as expected and an intact soul popped out of its body.


    Looking at the intact mass, I roughly had an idea of what was going on here. However, just to be sure, I had No.3 continue the experiments. No.3 fetched the last surviving worm from Big 4 and then I had them bifurcate it before bleeding it dry.


    Upon dying, the worm produced two souls. Unlike the first soul, they were slightly smaller in size and significantly weaker. Judging by their faintness, any further damage to them would most likely result in dissipation.


    ¡®So that¡¯s how it worked, their soul split along with their body and that soul can only support one splitting before dissipating because of its weakness.¡¯


    With that, the worm experiments came to an end and all that was left was that fish. Being an offensive oriented creature, what was most likely a Two-stars Fire Devouring Fish, immediately started off by baring its teeth at me as if it was threatening me.


    ¡°Big 4, I want you to see how hard are its outer scales.¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­help me hold this.¡±Big 4 handed over the salamander who had never once given up on struggling before grabbing the Fire Devouring Fish¡¯s tail with his left hand. Using his right, he clawed its scales directly. Immediately, the sparkling scales shattered under his razor sharp claws, revealing a pinkish layer of meat along with crimson-red blood.


    With its scales broken, the Fire Devouring Fish started wiggling about violently in a desperate bid to bite the devil who injured it. Unfortunately for it, that was all for naught. It didn¡¯t even take the Four-stars Big 4 much effort to dodge all its clumsy attacks.


    ¡°Master, the strength of its scales are about the same as your shields.¡± Big 4 answered as he fingered some of the torn off scales.


    The results of that hardness test was shocking, to say the least. ¡®Its strength was actually comparable to my exquisitely crafted shields?!¡¯


    ¡°Place that piece of scale you got in your hand into its mouth and see if it bites.¡±


    Acknowledging the order, Big 4 did just that and the brainless fish bit down as I had expected, without any hesitation whatsoever.


    Upon contact, the first bite left a serious scratch on the scale. After a few more bites, it actually broke the scale in half!


    ¡®These fishes truly had a strong set of choppers! Those scales of theirs aren¡¯t too shabby either.¡¯


    In conclusion, my experiments had shown that Demon Fire Worms had regenerative abilities and were able to split themselves. Their attack power wasn¡¯t high but they were great at running away. The Fire Devouring Fish possessed an astonishing bite strength and sturdy set of scales, making them the perfect nemesis for the Demon Fire Worms.


    The worm¡¯s splitting and regenerative abilities were most likely a result of the Fire Devouring Fishes hunting them down. One bite from those deadly teeth would most likely kill them. Thus, in order to survive, they adapted those two defensive abilities where one half would stay behind to distract the enemy while the other half ran away and recovered.


    Truly, this was a case of survival of the fittest: unless one adapted, one died.


    ¡°Kill that fish.¡±


    Big 4 immediately stabbed his right hand into the fish¡¯s belly and ripped out its innards. However, even after such a grievous wound, the fish refused to die and instead it bit down viciously on Big 4¡¯s hand. Unfortunately for that struggling fish, there was no way it could ever win in the first place.


    Five seconds later, the fish was officially dead and its soul popped out in response.


    ¡°Mo Na, you can have these souls.¡± Rubbing the little scamp¡¯s noggin, I smiled at her gently and continued: ¡°That¡¯s if you still have room for them of course.¡±


    ¡°Mo Na still can eat some more!¡± With a free meal placed right in front of her, it would be remiss of her to reject it and thus she happily gulped down the souls with a grin on her face. Having finished the meal, her eyes closed slightly, a look of pure satisfaction written all over her face. ¡°Mama, those things were really tasty.¡±


    ¡°As long as you like them, there will be more to come.¡±


    ¡°Then can I eat this as well?¡± Asked the ever curious little scamp as she pointed at the corpse of the fish discarded by Big 4. ¡°That looks tasty.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to pass on the meat, the souls are meant for us.¡± ¡®Raw fish? My baby girl, aren¡¯t you disgusted by it at all?¡¯


    ¡°Kay.¡±


    We came to this foreign land known as Purgatory by accident instead of our true destination, Abaddon. Till now, we still weren¡¯t familiar with this new environment; it wouldn¡¯t be a stretch to call us blind at all. Furthermore, there were no signs of devils nearby and the harvesting rate of Red Lotuses weren¡¯t ideal either. That meant that in the long term we would have to establish relations with the local powers in this place. Thus, this day of experimentation came about. Knowledge was the key to victories after all.


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 Chapter 192: Mo Na’s Skill

    ¡°Mama, can this be Mo Na¡¯s toy?¡± As she said that, Mo Na pointed at the corpse of the Fire Devouring Fish, clearly excited by the potential she saw. ¡°The pointy things can be daggers and the pretty shinies can be little shields.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying you want to turn its teeth into weapons and its scales into shields?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, mhm.¡± Mo Na gave me an excited nod before continuing: ¡°Mo Na¡¯s head is just packed full of things to try out right now.¡±


    ¡°In that case, give them a try then.¡± Given how the grimoire was when it was with me, it most likely taught her Dark Alchemy as well. With that in mind, I neatly laid out the scales, bones and teeth of that fish in front of Mo Na and said in a voice brimming with expectation: ¡°Sweetie, how about starting off with some daggers and shields for now?¡±


    ¡°Got it, Mo Na will get right on it.¡± A little proud of herself, she stuck her nose into the air and summoned forth a black mirror of mana with a wave of her right hand; the classic start to any Dark Alchemy, as shown by the grimoire.


    With that settled, the rest of the process was basically grunt work and mana channeling. Naturally, I wouldn¡¯t allow my little sweetie to handle such heavy lifting so I had No.3 help her toss the materials into the mirror instead.


    ¡°Toys, toys, toys, toys¡­¡± Mo Na nodded her adorable little noggin as she continued chanting ¨Cwas it even accurate to call them toys?


    Not too long after that, the black mirror disappeared and was replaced by an extraordinarily diminutive dagger lying on the ground. For the most part, it was an ordinary looking dagger that kind of reminded of a kunai from those ninja movies. At just 10 cm long, thanks to the lack of materials put in, it was the perfect size for a little devil like Mo Na.


    ¡°Look Mama, Mo Na made this herself!¡± As if she was making an offering to me, she handed over the dagger with both of her hands before excitedly hopping back onto my shoulders, legs apart and arms wrapped tightly around my head: ¡°Mama, look at what Mo Na made!¡±


    ¡°Alright alright, Papa will have a look.¡± As I lowered my not-so-willing daughter onto the ground, I asked, out of curiosity: ¡°Other than a dagger, what else can you make, Mo Na?¡±


    ¡°A shield!¡± Eager to prove her point, she summoned another black mirror of mana and had No.3 toss the bones of the Fire Devouring Fish into it. Mere moments later, a little buckler, roughly 20 cm in diameter, took shape and was offered up to just like before with two hands and a wide grin. ¡°Look Mama, this is the shield Mo Na made!¡±


    ¡®I wonder¡­¡¯


    Buckler in my left hand and dagger in my right, I ran the tiny blade across the surface of the shield. The moment they hit each other however, a resounding clang echoed in the air. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me those bones and teeth were made from metal?¡¯


    ¡°Big 4, come test out the strength of these weapons.¡± I handed over the items in question for a quick experiment.


    Receiving them, Big 4 started off by raking his claws across the shield ¨Che managed to leave a scar along its shiny surface. Next, he gave the dagger a few test waves but soon discovered it wasn¡¯t too suited to him so he just decided to munch on it. *Clink* The dagger snapped¡­


    Big 4 ,slightly red in embarrassment, awkwardly reported the results: ¡°Master, I think it¡­broke¡­¡±


    ¡®What do you mean you think it broke, it clearly snapped in half, with a resounding *clink* no less!¡¯


    ¡°Mo¡­Mo Na¡¯s toys¡­waaah¡­bad man¡­Mo Na¡¯s toys¡­¡± Seeing her handcrafted toys destroyed and damaged like that, Mo Na immediately turned on the waterworks and hugged me even tighter: ¡°Pay up, Mo Na wants you to pay¡­WAAAHHH¡­¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Big 4 groaned, throwing me a look that seemed to say that he had been wronged. To be fair, he was,in fact, wronged. It was me who told him to experiment on those weapons after all; although I didn¡¯t expect them to snap like that either¡­ ¡®nice set of choppers by the way.¡¯


    Honestly, it would be remiss of me to have my little followers take the blame for me, but if they don¡¯t, who will?


    Like a wise man once said, ¡°I¡¯m fine with all my teammates dying as long as there¡¯s still one person carrying the team.¡± ¡®Rest in peace, Big 4, I¡¯ll remember you on this day every year and even burn three sticks of incense for you, I hope you don¡¯t mind this little bit of sincerity from me¡­¡¯


    Naturally, the matter ended amicably with Big 4 promising to find materials for Mo Na to craft more toys.


    Having signed that unfair pact, Mo Na immediately broke into a radiant but clearly devious grin, as she went back to hugging me once more: ¡°Mama, Big 4 is going to serve me from now on.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®That little scamp, where did she learn to scam her old man like that?!¡¯


    At the end of the day, Mo Na¡¯s little bit of mischief was nothing but a short interlude in our journey. After that experiment with Big 4, I managed to confirm that the weapons crafted by Mo Na possessed a strength rating higher than the materials themselves. Although the boost wasn¡¯t actually much, it was noticeable enough for Big 4.


    Simply put, Mo Na had a bright future ahead of her.


    Following that, I had Big 4 capture another Fire Devouring Fish which I used to craft a buckler and dagger. However, the results weren¡¯t as stellar as Mo Na¡¯s. Furthermore, because I no longer had the grimoire with me, I ended up spending double the amount of mana I usually would have¡­


    ¡®Awkward¡­looks like I have to rely on Mo Na for the crafting from now on.¡±


    Because we had no particular destination in mind, we could only proceed aimlessly for now.


    My original goal was to find Yi Yi but because of a sudden forced change in plans, I ended up in Purgatory and my new goal was to, once again, find my way into Abaddon. After all, until I find Yi Yi, the issue with my gender would never get fixed. That was definitely the biggest problem facing me right now¡­I honestly don¡¯t want to hear Mo Na call me Mama anymore¡­


    Having wandered around for quite a bit, we managed to confirm that we were in a deserted region. In the week since we came here, we found no signs of other devils and our lives basically revolved around living off the lava lake and its creatures. Red Lotuses were hard to come by, as expected; other than the seven we found on the first day and the three we found the day before, we found no more.


    For the most part, the creatures on the surface of the river weren¡¯t too much of a threat, seeing as the majority of the creatures we encountered were Demon Fire Worms. From time to time, we would spot a Fire Devouring Fish chasing after said worm. During such situations, I would often have No.3 and Big 4 catch that fish, skin it and then reserve the materials for Mo Na to play with.


    The fishes we encountered so far were mostly at the level of Two-stars though there were some One-stars. Because One-stars were considered infants, we rarely saw them loitering around.


    Naturally, those weren¡¯t the only creatures we encountered, we found some salamanders as well.


    The Demon Fire Salamanders were the evolved form of the Demon Fire Worms and looked remarkably similar to the Chinese Giant Salamanders back on Earth. However, they weren¡¯t as pudgy looking as those lizards, in fact, they looked almost slender in comparison. Their skin was the color of the lava and magma, making them really hard to spot while they swam around in the lake. Another striking feature of theirs was a pair of horn-like objects that grew backwards in at a 45 degrees angle, and were covered in tiny spikes.


    The first time I laid eyes on their impressive appearance, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder exactly how did that, that being those earthworm-like Demon Fire Worms, turn into that¡­however, the moment I remembered those ancient Chinese myths about snakes turning into dragons¡­it suddenly didn¡¯t seem all that strange anymore.


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    ¡®The world is truly a wondrous place¡­¡¯


    The salamanders were a hardy bunch of creatures, being at least as strong as those fishes. However, they didn¡¯t possess the body splitting ability of the worms, though they possessed a powerful regenerative ability of their own as well. As long as they were given enough nourishment, they could basically recover from anything, even from losing their lower half.


    By now, I had already experimented on these lizards thanks to that salamander Big 4 brought back a while ago. It was a newly evolved salamander and wasn¡¯t really all that different from a worm. Thus, Big 4 was able to easily capture it along with a Fire Devouring Fish.


    As for why he had a Fire Devouring Fish, that was because the two were duking it out when Big 4 stumbled upon them.


    The two of them ended their fight in a pyrrhic victory for one side. The salamander¡¯s teeth weren¡¯t any worse than the fish¡¯s teeth in terms of attack power. However, the salamander didn¡¯t possess those tough scales the fish had. Still, it made up for that by being stronger and having a much more advantageous body shape.


    In the lake however, the fish was a better swimmer than the salamander though its lack of strength still caused significant problems for it.


    For our experiments, I first had Big 4 rip off half of the salamander¡¯s body, causing a waterfall of blue blood as he did so. However, mere seconds later, the bleeding miraculously stopped and the wound even began regrowing before our very eyes. Perhaps it was merely my imagination, but while it was regenerating, the salamander seemed to be almost shrinking.


    ¡°Throw the fish into its mouth.¡± I ordered.


    Big 4 dutifully obeyed and tossed the fish into the injured salamander¡¯s mouth. Clearly not possessing much intelligence, the salamander merely chomped down on the meat, not paying us any heed at all. In fact, it didn¡¯t even bother spitting out the fish¡¯s teeth and bones, choosing instead to swallow them whole in a bid to fill its own belly as soon as possible.


    Seeing that, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if their bellies were made of iron or something.


    Upon devouring the fish, the salamander underwent an astonishing change. Its regeneration rate sped up to the point where I could see the meat reforming without any effort at all!


    ¡°Look Mama, that thing can grow itself.¡± She gleefully stared at the salamander as if it was a toy. As for what she planned on doing with said toy, I had no way of knowing.


    ¡°Go fetch some meat, any kind of meat.¡± I had No.3 fetch more meat for the salamander in order to further test out its regrowing powers.


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 Chapter 193: Fire Elementals

    No.3, upon receiving my order for more meat, jumped right away into the lake of lava and brought out two Demon Fire Worms soon after. These wormy creatures were so numerous, thanks to their splitting and regrowing abilities, that their numbers never seemed to drop no matter how many were hunted down.


    Initially, I was worried that the salamander would refuse to eat the worm, seeing as it was basically an evolved worm and eating a worm would be akin to cannibalism. Yet, as facts would soon show, I was overthinking matters once more. Even without No.3 doing anything, the salamander immediately issued a weird cry upon seeing the worm. Naturally, we didn¡¯t know what that cry meant, but that wasn¡¯t important at all. What was important, was that the worm understood it.


    The worm that was thrown before the salamander by No.3, immediately split into two with one bolting towards the lake while the other jumped into the mouth of the salamander without it even lifting a finger¡­


    As the weird cries continued, we saw a stream of worms crawl out of the lava lake. All of them were noticeably smaller than an average worm; clearly, they were all split-offs from another worm.


    One by one, they wiggled their way, in an orderly fashion no less, towards the waiting mouth of the salamander¡­


    With ample nourishment, the regrowing rate of the salamander sped up significantly. Its innards began to regrow, followed by its waist, its hind legs, its tail, etc. All in all, it took close to two hours for it to recover from what should have been a fatal injury. Had it not been for the newly grown skin being more tender than the old, I would have honestly mistaken the former for the latter.


    However, the extent of its regrowing wasn¡¯t the only thing that shocked me. What was equally surprising was how the Demon Fire Worms acted just now¡­to think they actually fed themselves to the salamander of their own volition¡­exactly what kind of relationship did the two have?


    Just based on what I just saw, there was no way the relationship between them was simply one of evolution.


    Having recovered completely, the salamander now threw me an extremely sentient looking gaze. For it to be able to do that, meant that it possessed some form of intelligence and was able to recognize the authority I held in this group. Like that, the salamander stared at me for a moment. However, I merely ignored it and that probably made it think that I had given it tacit approval. Because of that, or perhaps it simply wanted to take a gamble, it decided to turn around and crawl towards the lake unbidden.


    Before it could take a second step however, Big 4 swooped in front of him and cut off its path, claws and fangs bared. Immediately, the salamander shrunk inwards, stopped crawling and laid down on the ground. Its back straightened to form a line while its lower jaw dipped down to the level of its front claws. That was undoubtedly a prostrating action, seeing as such position was completely unsuited to a leaping attack; its hind legs weren¡¯t arced after all.


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    Had it been a human, that would definitely have been a kowtow.


    ¡°Let it go, there¡¯s no need to kill it anymore.¡± Truth be told, I was relieved to see it plead.


    As for why I released it, the reason was simple: because I was worried, worried about the salamander society as a whole.


    From the way the salamander was able to summon forth worms and have them offer themselves as food, it was obvious the Demon Fire Worms were nothing in the eyes of the Demon Fire Salamanders. Most likely, their status was akin to that of slaves. These worms were the most numerous lifeforms we encountered so far and no matter how many we killed, there seemed to be no end to them. In short, they were expendable. The salamanders on the other hand, were almost an entirely different lifeform; they held a leadership position unlike the aforementioned worms.


    With that in mind, I decided to let that salamander off the hook, out of fear of any unexpected repercussions.


    Hearing my command, Big 4 stepped aside for the salamander who then turned around and threw me a probing look. I nodded at it to show that I was letting it go. Seeing that, it nodded back at me as well before slowly crawling back to the lake. Every two steps it took, it would turn around and gaze at me once more. While I didn¡¯t know why it did that, I could tell that it held no malice in its eyes. Perhaps it was merely curious.


    Having sent away that lizard, we resumed our aimless wandering once more.


    Because we had no real sense of direction right now, I decided to just take a straight path in hopes that we would stumble upon some lifeform we could communicate with. Truth be told, I had mixed feeling about meeting any potential devil in Purgatory. While it was a fact that we didn¡¯t know the way to Abaddon and that we would most likely have to ask for directions, I couldn¡¯t help but worry whether or not those devils would take an interest in me¡­


    Ahem¡­what I was saying was that my appearance was basically unparalleled amongst the devils right now. But I was still a male in the end¡­I definitely didn¡¯t want to be captured and turned into some kind of trophy wife¡­


    Ever since we met that salamander, we stopped attacking any salamander we met, choosing instead to hunt Demon Fire Worms and Fire Devouring Fishes. Like always, the meat went to No.3 and Big 4 while Mo Na and I absorbed the souls.


    Our journey continued like that for over a week till finally, we came upon a giant pond that cut off our path forward.


    Faced with such a giant body of lava, we either had to fly or take a very long detour around it.


    Devils were able to fly thanks to their wings. However, that didn¡¯t mean they were able to fly well. Ever since No.3 and Big 4 evolved into Flame Demon Childes, they gained a pair of flesh wings. They would often practise flying with those wings but even so, their turning flexibility was still lacking. Most likely it had to do with their large bodies placing a lot of stress on their meaty wings.


    The giant pond in front of us had a markedly different color from the lava lake. While the lava lake, in general, was colored like a dark shade of magma, and seemed almost bloody at times, the pond in front us was a lot purer in color to the extent that it almost had a surreal beauty to it.


    Even more amazing was that I could see a bunch of humanoid flames leaping about at our distant flanks. Each of them had a look of joy as they frolicked about. Their bodies were made entirely of flames and they largely resemble humans except for the lack of their finer features.


    Because they didn¡¯t communicate in the language of the devil, I couldn¡¯t understand a word they said. However, it was still clear to me that they were having the time of lives, running on top of the pond.


    ¡®Are those the fire elementals from my inherited memories? Come to think of it, isn¡¯t it natural for Purgatory to have such creatures since it¡¯s basically a plane made of fire?¡¯


    Yet just as I was pondering how to face these elementals, the elementals discovered us. A shrill cry echoed across the lake for a few deafening seconds, and the mirror-like surface of the pond stirred in response. A mass of bubbles began forming all of a sudden, as if something was about to come rushing out of lava pond.


    ¡®Maybe we can still make it if we run now¡­¡¯


    It was too late. A fiery pillar burst into the sky from the center of the pond and a horde of fire elementals came rushing out of it. Their numbers were so numerous, my eyes began to swim just from trying to count them.


    ¡°Mama, they¡¯re coming towards us!¡± Completely unfazed by their numbers, she flew in front of me and with a flick of her wrist, summoned a long whip made entirely of dark energy. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Mama, Mo Na will protect you!¡±


    ¡°Master, we¡¯re here too, don¡¯t worry.¡± Big 4 and No.3 rushed out in front of me, weapons readied and spirits high.


    Needless to say, those weren¡¯t the same weapons they used in the Prison of the Dead; new weapons for a new place and all that. The new gear set was named ¡°Fire Devouring Claws¡±, crafted by Mo Na under my strict supervision, and shaped to resemble fist weapons.The gauntlet-like portion was crafted using the sturdiest portion of the fish¡¯s scales, and further enhanced by magical tempering. The claw section of the weapon was crafted using the teeth of the fish which, after going through Mo Na¡¯s skillful transmutation, had its killing power boosted by several fold.


    The design, in general, was that of a medieval knight¡¯s gauntlets, with allowance made for finger movement. Still, there was no helping the fact that there would still be some performance loss. Naturally, it wasn¡¯t practical for them to put it on at all times so I had a bone chain affixed to the gauntlets for easy storage on their waist.


    These black claws were specially designed by me with this environment in mind. Although No.3 and Big 4 were Flame Demon Childes, they couldn¡¯t spend all day in the lava lake either. Plus, their opponents would most likely be fishes and worms so I decided on claws instead of the usual weapon designs I had. After all, I couldn¡¯t expect them to go fishing with a bunch of maces or swords¡­that won¡¯t do at all.


    Upon assembling, the fire elementals didn¡¯t rush at us as expected but instead maintained some distance between us as they exchanged gazes with each other. Even so, their aggressive stance was more than enough to put us on high alert. For all we know, a simple provocation might end up triggering a violent response from them.


    Thankfully, the worst never came to pass. The moment they realized that we were just four lonely souls, they seemed to heave a sigh of relief. Naturally, they didn¡¯t actually show relief on their faces. After all, the majority of their faces were a fuzzy mess and there¡¯s no way anyone could discern a thing from that.


    Right ahead of us, the elementals continued talking to each other in their own unique language while we simply stood there watching, unable to leave but also unable to stay.

 Chapter 194: Push and Pull

    ¡°Mama, I think they aren¡¯t gonna attack us anymore.¡± Mo Na stowed her darkness whip before pointing at the ring of fire elementals ahead, still in the midst of their meeting. Curiosity piqued, she asked: ¡°Mama, what are those things?¡±


    ¡°They should be fire elementals.¡± I tenderly rubbed her little noggin and hugged her with my other free arm. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what caused this situation but from the looks of it, they seem open to talks. I don¡¯t understand their language though¡­hopefully one of them knows the language of the devil.¡±


    Just as I strongly wished for a chance to communicate with them, a fire elemental with comparatively more distinct features, stepped out and stopped roughly 50 metres ahead of us after which came a haughty, questioning voice. Because he spoke in the tongue of the devil, I heard every single word of his clearly.


    ¡°That devil over there, state your purpose, why have you come to the Raging Flames Lake?¡± The voice wasn¡¯t grating on the ears but neither was it pleasant either; mostly, it was an average-sounding voice.


    The one who spoke was a fire elemental roughly 170 cm tall (5¡¯7) with a balanced, mostly humanoid physique and no particularly defining features except that his facial features were a lot clearer than the other elementals. At the very least, his nose had a bridge and nostrils unlike the other elementals who merely had two holes for a nose or just nothing at all. The elemental had nothing identifying his sex but because his voice tended towards that of a man¡¯s, I assumed he was man.


    ¡°We¡¯re just passing travellers, we have no motives in coming here. If you feel that we¡¯re intruding on your space, we¡¯ll leave right this instant.¡± Having said that, I quickly threw a glance at No.3 and Big 4, signalling for them to leave this place post-haste.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about leaving! Do you think this is a place you can come and go as you wish!? State your affiliations and motives, or else!¡±


    I honestly intended to make a break for it there and then but who knew that the haughty elemental would be so unwilling to let us go. However, there was nothing we could do about his bully tactics either because of his overwhelming numbers advantage. ¡°I said so already, we¡¯re just travellers with no affiliations whatsoever, neither do we have any special motives.¡±


    ¡°Still you lie! This place hasn¡¯t seen a devil appear in 80 000 years, the fact that you suddenly appeared here must be part of some conspiracy.¡±


    ¡®Ah, it¡¯s that kind of person, isn¡¯t it? The kind of blockhead that never listens no matter how much you try to explain yourself. Looks like we¡¯re in for a fight then, but how do we handle a crowd of this size¡­¡¯


    ¡®¡­for the sake of our safety, I¡¯ll give it another try.¡¯


    Suppressing the exasperation in my heart, I replied in a calm voice: ¡°Either way, I do not wish to fight you all so we¡¯ll leave right now, alright?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, you¡¯re just scared of us, aren¡¯t you?¡± The haughty elemental folded his arms and then threw his head back, pointing his nose right at the sky as he did so. ¡°I bet you¡¯re worried that we might gang up on you.¡±


    ¡°I just said that we came here by unwittingly, exactly how do I make you believe me?¡±


    ¡®Hmph, you may be right about that last part but there¡¯s no way I¡¯m admitting to that.¡¯


    ¡°We hail from the Prison of the Dead, our original destination was Abaddon but because of some unexpected hiccups, we ended up in Purgatory. Having come here, we found no traces of any other devils so we had no choice but to wander around aimlessly in hopes of finding a method to enter Abaddon.¡±


    ¡°You say you¡¯re from the Prison of the Dead?¡± The elemental had his fiery eyes open wide in shock as he evaluated us.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I put on my most earnest look in hopes that it would be enough to convince him of the veracity of our claims.


    Naturally, all that earned me was a scornful laugh and a raise of his right hand in what looked a rallying signal to surround us. ¡°This might¡¯ve been the territory of the devils in the past, and like you said, the entrance of the Prison is near here, but do you know how long the Prison of the Dead has been sealed up? 80 000 years, that¡¯s how long! For 80 000 years, no living creature has been able to leave the Prison of the Dead! Do you honestly think I will believe your nonsense? There¡¯s no way any devil can leave that forsaken land!¡± Was his reply, delivered in the most scathing of tones as we well.


    ¡®Ahh, why is it so hard to communicate with this potato, I guess we really have to duke it out then. I just hope they are a lot weaker than they look¡­hmmm, best if they just keel over from one hit.¡¯


    ¡°No more excuses? Hah, I knew right from the very start you guys were lying. Bunch of audacious fools, I see those 80 000 years were enough for your race to forget the painful lessons they received.¡±


    Somehow, my silence ended up becoming all the proof he needed to confirm our guilt ¡ªmoron.


    The intellectually handicapped elemental then pointed at us and yelled, in the most arrogant voice possible: ¡°Well, what other excuses do you have?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bully my Mama!¡± Seeing that elemental point at me so rudely, my little baby immediately flew into a rage and took up a battle stance. Then, without wasting another word whatsoever, she swung her darkness whip at the offending elemental.


    ¡°You dare to strike me?! Everyone, stay back, I¡¯ll be the one to handle these foolish devils!¡± While he might have said that, the whip didn¡¯t actually hit him thanks to his impressive dodging skills. Clenching his right fist, he swung his fist in Mo Na¡¯s direction and fired off a ball of raging flames with a whoosh and a sizzle. As the ball of flames pierced through the air, it seemed to suck in the air around it and grow bigger with every meter it flew.


    Seeing that, Mo Na immediately withdrew her whip and flapped her tiny wings hard to make a swift dodge to the right. The telltale sizzle of the ball rushed past her ears an instant later, its fiery energies not even coming close to its target. Knowing that she had easily evaded the ball, she leaned forward and shot off like an rocket towards the fire elemental.


    From a distance away, the fire elemental clearly saw the speeding silhouette careen straight towards him but chose to do nothing about it, even when he saw her draw what looked like a tiny dagger from her waist right at the very last second. Faced with a potential dagger through his heart, he merely stood there arms folded and blurry lips curved into a smirk; his figure, a picture of absolute confidence.


    The dagger plunged into the belly of the fire elemental, and to our surprise, it passed right through the elemental as if it was some sort of ethereal apparition. Mo Na¡¯s body lurched forward from the unexpected lack of resistance, falling right through the fire elemental along with her dagger. An instant later, her robes burst into flames but that wasn¡¯t enough to startle the calm girl. She promptly gave her robes a sharp wiggle, and sent the flames flying away in a tiny wave that dispersed into the air soon after.


    Seeing that, the fire elemental didn¡¯t seem the least bit fazed by the ease at which she dispelled his skill, instead he gave an uproarious laugh of arrogance: ¡°Hahaha, we fire elementals are born favored by the flames themselves, even though you devils might have some pitiful semblance of fire resistance as well, don¡¯t think for a second that you are our match.¡±


    Like the haughty elemental said, for the devils to hurt them or fight them was no easy task at all. Fire elementals were creatures born of the elements and could be categorized under the broad category of Elementals. There were two broad types of elementals in this world, one corporeal and one incorporeal.


    Corporeal elementals were elementals who belonged to the earth element, magma element, ice element, etc. Their non-corporeal counterparts include those of the water element, the fire element, the wind element, the thunder element, etc. The difference between the two were obvious, those of the corporeal branch had a fixed body of sorts while those of the incorporeal branch couldn¡¯t be interacted with physically as they had no fixed form.


    Another difference, and arguably the biggest one, was that incorporeal elementals had the nasty trait of being able to remain permanently ethereal. Unlike undead apparitions however, their ethereal trait did not come with the side effect of receiving double damage from magical attacks. Notable, illusion demons also possess such a trait. For such creatures, they were able to remain immune to normal physical attacks while not receiving much drawbacks.


    Long story short, the reason why Mo Na passed through the elemental like that was because it was in a permanent ethereal state.


    However, that haughty fire elemental soon discovered that his gloating was a little premature as the seconds ticked by and the wound in his belly refused to heal up. Even more frightening was that his energy was draining out of that wound at a terrifying pace!


    ¡°You¡­what did you do to me?!¡±


    The fire elemental turned towards the smiling little girl, face aghast. Never did it ever cross his mind that there would actually be a weapon that could harm it like that. Such an unhealing wound could basically be counted as a mortal wound for these elementals since their bodies would start to lose their form after a certain level of energy was lost. Should that ever happen, death was the most likely outcome.


    ¡°Hah, scared aren¡¯t ya!?¡± Came Mo Na¡¯s lovely sounding but disdainful scoff, her dagger waving about in triumph. ¡°Try guessing what this thing is made of, why don¡¯t you?¡±


    The fire elemental was stumped but he dearly wanted to know the answer so he asked, eyes unblinking: ¡°What is it made of?¡±


    ¡°The teeth of the Fire Devouring Fish, of course, you dumbo.¡± Having said that, Mo Na stuck her tongue out at the elemental and even pulled a face at the stunned elemental.


    Fire Devouring Fishes, as the name suggested, were creatures who devoured the normally formless flames.


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    ¡°Fire Devouring Fish¡­¡± If elementals were able to sweat, I bet that elemental would¡¯ve been sweating buckets by now.


    It was then that those behind ran up to the haughty elemental to check on his condition. In the meantime, I hurriedly beckoned for Mo Na to return quickly. She obediently flew over as ordered and stood there as if this entire scene had nothing to do with her.


    ¡°Get behind me, quick.¡± I dragged her behind me immediately and reached for Shadowfang with my right hand. ¡°Once we start fighting, I want you to be careful. We¡¯ll do our best to make a break for it in one direction.¡±


    ¡°Mama, Mo Na can protect you!¡±


    ¡°Quiet, this is a matter between adults, kids shouldn¡¯t meddle so recklessly.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, Mama¡¯s a meanie.¡± She didn¡¯t seem to take too well to my chiding and promptly snubbed me with a turn of her head. ¡°Even though Mo Na is actually stronger than Mama.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± I glared at the girl, telling her with my furious eyes to be quiet or be spanked for making me lose face in front of my enemies.


    ¡°Hmph, all Mama ever does is bully Mo Na.¡±


    ¡°Stop being so willful, now¡¯s not the time.¡± I ruffled her hair to placate her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Papa will protect you.¡±

 Chapter 195: I’m Really Surprised

    ¡°Mo Na doesn¡¯t need Mama¡¯s protection!¡± While she was still rather peeved, she calmed down somewhat after my placating.


    ¡°Master, there are too many of them, please leave with the little Master, Big 4 and I will hold them off here.¡±


    As he said that, I could feel the steely resolve within his words; he suggested that knowing full well that he would die! At the side, Big 4 nodded his head without any hesitation at all: ¡°Master, please leave without us, we¡¯ll cover the rear.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, if anyone is going to leave, it will be together.¡± Their utter loyalty to me had been fully made clear to me. In the face of such devotion, there was simply no way I would ever think of sacrificing them unless the situation was truly dire.


    ¡°But the fire elementals¡­¡±


    ¡°No buts!¡± I interrupted No.3¡¯s anxious explanation and turned my attention to the fire elementals, eyes locked onto them unblinkingly. If they made a move, I would know immediately, and be there ready to exploit it. ¡°These creatures spend their entire lives in the Rage Flames Lake, I doubt they would leave it easily. As long as we withdraw out of range of the lake, they will most likely give up on chasing us. Besides, if I left you two behind¡­won¡¯t you two be dead then?¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡±


    The two of them, nearly moved to tears, exchanged a resolute gaze with each other and nodded their heads. ¡°Even if it means dying, we¡¯ll protect the Master¡¯s safety.¡± They said in unison.


    ¡°Now¡¯s not the time for dying.¡± I smiled faintly. ¡°How many obstacles have we overcome already? Do you really think that I will lose to these bunch of firemen?¡±


    Naturally, those were mere words of bravado, but at least they served as encouragement for No.3 and Big 4. Truth be told, I was terrified. After all they had over a thousand troops on their side. Looking at us, we only had four; such a disparity wasn¡¯t something we could overcome at all.


    No.3 and Big 4 were both equipped with Fire Devouring Fish weapons so their killing power was top-notch against these elementals. As for me, I had Shadowfang¡­till now, this Epic-grade weapon of mine had never let me down; I doubt it would do so now.


    Just as we finished preparing for battle, that elemental who spoke to us at the start, turned around and whispered something to his companions after which they all charged at us, fiery feet a blur and ripples spread throughout the entire lake.


    ¡®D*mnit, that a&&hole actually lied to us, wasn¡¯t this supposed to be a solo fight!?¡¯


    ¡®With so many of them rushing at us, there¡¯s hardly anything we can do now. But then, just running away isn¡¯t a solution either¡­let¡¯s give it a shot for now.¡¯


    ¡°Master, run!¡± Big 4 and No.3 strode forward to shield Mo Na and I, before hurriedly calling for us to run. They then charged at the oncoming horde without turning back.


    ¡®Blast it! Even if I¡¯m coward, there¡¯s no way I can leave those two to die like that!¡¯


    ¡°Mo Na, Papa is going now, if¡­and I mean if¡­just remember to run, okay?¡± Having said that, I rushed after my two subordinates without waiting for her reply.


    By now, No.3 and Big 4 were already in the midst of a fight with the fire elementals. While their numbers were numerous, their levels weren¡¯t actually that high at all. The highest was probably that moron that talked to us; he was probably a Four-stars. However, since Mo Na injured him, he refrained from entering the battle for now.


    For the most part, the rest of them were around One to Two-stars. At times, we would encounter a few Three-stars. Moreover, being fire elementals, their attacks were all flame attacks with a limited range that was almost melee.


    Having evolved to Flame Demon Childes not too long ago, No.3 and Big 4¡¯s control over fire couldn¡¯t be any better. Adding on their innate devil resistances to fire, the barrage of flame attacks might as well have been mosquito bites. Not only that, their Fire Devouring Fish weapons were innately resistant to fire as well.


    Thus, the two who heroically charged into a battle thinking that would be their last, found themselves in an unexpected, one-sided massacre; it wasn¡¯t even us to boot!


    The attacks of the fire elementals simply weren¡¯t enough to restrain the two Flame Demon Childes. In contrast, their weapons countered their the elementals¡¯ fiery nature completely. Thanks to that disparity, the battle ended up lasting longer than I had initially expected. As time grew, a fear grew in the hearts of the elementals; one of an undefeatable enemy.


    By now, the two had thoroughly trounced the thousand man army in front of them to a tragic degree.


    Ironically, because the elementals were permanently in an ethereal state, they couldn¡¯t use any physical attacks at all so they had no choice but to rely completely on their ineffective fire attacks. In light of that, was it any surprise that the battle proceeded in such a one-sided fashion?


    Those who were injured by Big 4 and No.3 soon found out for themselves the terror of their fishy weapons. Their wounds refused to close up and as time passed, they began to weaken and perish. Seeing that, the rest of the elementals grew even more afraid. Before long, the army was routed; these elementals probably hadn¡¯t been in a fight since the day they were born¡­


    ¡°Fiendish devils and your diabolic weapons¡­just you all wait¡­we¡¯ll be back¡­¡± Throwing behind those last words of promised revenge, the moronic commander of the fire elementals dove into the lake without ever looking back. With his departure, the rest of the fire elementals followed suit and soon there was none to be found anywhere.


    Looking at the calm crimson lake before us, I was suddenly struck with the surrealness of the situation: were those elementals ever here at all?


    ¡®How dare they! What exactly are they trying to pull here, leaving just like that after all that nonsense!?¡¯


    ¡®Bah, forget it. Let bygones be bygones and all that. Besides, it¡¯s not like I can chase after them anyway.¡¯


    ¡°Mama, are the bad people gone?¡± Not only was I confused, my precious little baby was dumbstruck by what she had just witnessed. ¡°After all that bragging, they weren¡¯t even that tough at all¡­¡±


    ¡°Err¡­I guess it¡¯s a matter of our weapons countering them.¡±


    To be honest, the only way they could¡¯ve harmed No.3 and Big 4 was by attacking with at least a Four-stars¡¯s fire attack. Anything less than that would simply be resisted by their frightening resistances. Unfortunately for them, the only person who had such strength had already been defeated.


    Truly, the decision to craft those Fire Devouring Fish weapons was a serendipitous decision on my part. I never expected to encounter such a foe so soon; such a rousing victory could only be chalked up to a string of fortunate, or perhaps unfortunate, depending on who you asked, coincidences.


    After all, when faced with weapons that could inflict an unclosable wound on you, would anyone be able stave off that fear? It was as if someone had their artery cut and was told that it wasn¡¯t treatable¡­anyone would panic in such a situation.


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    (TL: A bit of disclosure of here. I shortened three whole paragraphs here because the author was simply repeating the fact that their weapons countered the elementals and etc. Non-repeated points were still kept so don¡¯t worry.)


    Thus, this battle was one we honestly had no way of losing at all. A wise man once said, ¡°equipment, equipment, equipment.¡± Just like in a game, how else could you have an easy BOSS fight without equipping yourself well?


    ¡®Now that this whole fiasco is over, what should we do now?¡¯ I peered around the ripple-less Raging Flames Lake for a moment before deciding to leave in the end. After all, it wasn¡¯t really fleeing if you already won the battle.


    Just as I was wondering if we should turn around or circle around the giant pond, a certain Demon Fire Salamander popped up in a not too distant spot behind us¡­


    ¡®That salamander looks rather familiar¡­¡¯


    The salamander crawled up to us, neither too hurriedly nor too slowly, and called out in its unique language. Even though I couldn¡¯t understand what it said, I could tell that it had no hostile intent. However, just as I was caught slightly surprised by the salamander¡¯s appearance, the Raging Flames Lake stirred. A fiery pillar gushed out of the lava surface and a fire elemental sprouted from within.


    The fire elemental had comparatively more distinct facial features and his belly had a noticeable hole¡­it was that potato who Mo Na injured not too long ago. ¡®Didn¡¯t he run away already? What¡¯s he doing back here? Is he looking for a fight?¡¯


    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you guys left yet?¡± Seeing that we were still here, the fire elemental was visibly stunned. However, he immediately hid his flustered emotions and acted as if that never happened. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you had no motives in coming here? You mentioned you were going to leave, didn¡¯t you? So what are you still doing here then, are you still looking for another fight?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Shameless, truly shameless! How thick skinned can this guy be? He just had his butt handed to him by No.3 and Big 4 not too long ago and he had already forgotten about it? I swear some people just deserve to be beaten up.¡¯


    Towards such a person who didn¡¯t know the meaning of shame, I said, without any mercy whatsoever: ¡°Honestly, even if we fought again, I wouldn¡¯t be afraid of you guys at all. All I want to ask is, are you really not scared of us?¡±


    Having said that, I took a look at my two subordinates before them giving a sweep of my finger: ¡°Those two over there, I¡¯ll allow you to choose either one of them. As long as you can defeat one of them, I¡¯ll leave right away without saying a word.¡±

 Chapter 196: A Request for Help

    ¡°¡­Raging Flames Lake is our territory, don¡¯t get too cocky outsiders.¡± Even though his words were still as tough as before, his stature had diminished significantly. Clearly, he knew that his own might wasn¡¯t comparable to our own.


    Not giving me any chance to rebut, he turned his eyes onto the Demon Fire Salamander. ¡°What did you call me out for?¡±


    The salamander mooed a couple in response to the elemental who seemed to understand what it was saying. The two traded words for quite a while as I quietly listened in on the fascinating scene, taking care not to interrupt them.


    ¡°Hah, you¡¯re saying they have no hostile intent? Don¡¯t kid around, devils who come here are all up to no good.¡±


    ¡°Moo moo mooo.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding! You¡¯re saying the seal has been undone, after 80 000 years?!¡±


    ¡°Moo moo, moo mmoo.¡±


    ¡°¡­really?¡±


    ¡°Moo moo.¡±


    ¡°¡­I understand.¡± Their conservation ended but the fire elemental seemed visibly upset by its contents. Unwillingly, he turned to me and asked: ¡°Hey, that devil in armor, even though the Demon Fire Salamander has vouched for you, I still have to ask you one more time, you are really from the Prison of the Dead?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I nodded my head. ¡°Is there even a need to lie about such a matter? Besides, we don¡¯t know a single thing about these surroundings lands or we would have spun a more convincing tale already.¡±


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s true, looks like you really don¡¯t know a single thing after all¡­¡± The elemental sighed though it seemed that he was willing to trust us at least. ¡°Honestly, I chose to believe you all because of the salamander.¡±


    ¡°That Demon Fire Salamander?¡±


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    ¡°That¡¯s right. It said that after capturing it, you didn¡¯t try to kill it. Moreover, it saw you appear out of thin air and because your direction coincided with its own, it decided to observe you. However, it came upon a Fire Devouring Fish and in the midst of that ensuing battle, you captured it¡­¡± As he said that, he pointed at the salamander in question. Essentially, what all that was trying to say to me was that all my explanations weren¡¯t even worth a few moos from a salamander.


    Right at the very end, the elemental even made sure to make that point extra clear to me: ¡°All devils can¡¯t be trusted with their words, even now I still can¡¯t bring myself to trust you all.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t you need to trust us at all. We never intended to foster any sort of relation between us. So, if there¡¯s nothing else, we¡¯ll take our leave.¡± As I said before, this wasn¡¯t me running away, after all, I beat him once already. I simply didn¡¯t wish to waste more time here, mhm.


    ¡®Here it comes¡­¡¯


    ¡°Please wait, there¡¯s actually something I need your¡­hmm¡­help with¡­¡±


    ¡®I knew it¡­they wanted something from us after all. I could sense that yellow exclamation mark above their heads from a mile away¡­yes, I played World of Peacecraft, I¡¯ll admit it.¡¯


    ¡®I just knew there was a reason why his tone suddenly became so tame.¡¯


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I think I¡¯ll have to pass on that.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Even though his face was still a fuzzy mess, I could tell that it blackened the instant I rejected him.


    ¡°Fine, fine. What do you need of us? Let¡¯s be clear here, if it¡¯s too hard, I¡¯ll still say no.¡± Once again, my soft heartedness got the better of me, forcing me to reach out to those in need. However, it wasn¡¯t as if there were no merits to helping them either. Giving it some thought, I realized that since we were still unfamiliar with Purgatory as a whole, forming some connections with the local powers wasn¡¯t all that bad either, even if said local power was kinda¡­


    ¡°The problem we have right now is¡­¡±


    After confirming my consent, the fire elemental gave an excited nod before starting on an explanation of their situation.


    The natural world was truly a wondrous place, no matter what creature it was, they always had a natural born enemy or counter. At times, such a nemesis could be found just nearby or even from the same source. Take for example a snake¡¯s venom, while it might be able to poison most creatures to death, that same venom was also a crucial component in synthesizing antivenom.


    Similarly, while the fire elementals and the salamanders make their home in the flames, their nemesis could also be found in the same living space.


    The Fire Devouring Fish were a ravenous species that devoured everything in their sights. At times of extreme hunger, they would even consume their own. Just based on their own merits however, the Fire Devouring Fishes weren¡¯t all that strong. However, should they gather together as a school and start raiding their surroundings, they became the stuff of nightmares for those living in Purgatory.


    For the most part, they fed on the Demon Fire Worms and because of that, the two sides had a blood feud with each other. The Fire Devouring Fish had an ability which allowed them to feed on the energies hidden within the fire element, naturally that included the lava in the lake as well. However, because the fire elements within the lake contained too many impurities, consuming too much of it would cause them harm instead. Thus, they chose to attack the Demon Fire Worms.


    If the situation allowed it, they didn¡¯t mind paying a visit to the Raging Flames Lake either.


    Truth be told, the fire elementals were a formidable bunch. Compared to the other elementals, they were more combative and aggressive. Unfortunately for them, all that was useless before the Fire Devouring Fishes¡­to them, they were just food.


    By devouring fire elementals, the Fire Devouring fishes were able to evolve. Because of that, these fishes would periodically raid the settlement of the fire elementals. Being made entirely of fire, there could not be any worse enemy than those fishes for the elementals. Thus, they began searching for allies.


    ¡®The enemy of my enemy is a friend.¡¯ With that in mind, the fire elementals sought to ally themselves with the Demon Fire Salamanders who were feuding with the fishes. Like that, a close, symbiotic relationship was formed.


    Naturally, there was nothing in this world that was smooth sailing from the start, an alliance was no exception either.


    In the beginning, the salamander looked down upon the fire elementals for being so worthless in the fight against the Fire Devouring Fishes. On the other hand, the fire elementals scorned the salamanders and in their arrogance, labelled them as creatures with low intelligence.


    Still, the two races ended up allying because of two main reasons:


    One, they both had a common enemy.


    Two¡­the salamanders had no ability to devour flames. In other words, while the elementals might not be able to fend off the fishes, they were more than capable of fighting the salamanders. Moreover, while the fire elementals might have looked down on the salamanders because of their intelligence, in reality, the fire elementals were barely smarter than a rock¡­


    Naturally, any one-sided relationship where one relied on the other completely, would never last long. The salamanders had the ability to defend the elementals from the fishes and in exchange, the elementals possessed a unique ability that aided the evolution of the salamanders.


    Thanks to their elemental nature and body, any product of their body, even waste products, were considered rare ingredients in the eyes of human mages. Whenever an elemental was filled to the brim with energy and couldn¡¯t evolve, they would expel this energy as a waste product. These would then coalesce automatically into a flame red mineral known as Flame Crystals, a magical ingredient.


    Another thing of note was that the salamanders were able to evolve by consuming fire elementals as well. However, unlike the fishes, they didn¡¯t have an ability that could counteract fire so completely. Thus, the only way for them to reliably get their hands on these crystals would be to trade.


    In conclusion, the salamanders provide protection for the elementals and in turn, the elementals gave them crystals. Both sides benefitted and an alliance was formed, though perhaps they were more of customer-contractor than anything else.


    Back to our current situation, the whole reason why the elementals needed our help was because the salamander had just brought them a most unfortunate piece of news. The Fire Devouring Fishes were making moves again. And this time, they actually gathered up several schools of fishes together to form an insurmountable force.


    Because the of the abruptness of their attack, the distant fire elemental tribes were caught completely off guard and were mostly wiped out. The salamanders were just as unprepared as the elementals so by the time their response was prepared, too much time had passed. A number of smaller settlements like Raging Flames Lake were left on the wayside as a result.


    The salamander came bearing word that the salamanders wished for them to evacuate Raging Flames Lake and find shelter in the designated location in the salamanders¡¯ stronghold.


    For their own safety, the elementals naturally wouldn¡¯t say no. Still, even if they evacuated, they would surely meet some fishes on the trip. The salamanders weren¡¯t able to provide too much support on this front so they could only make this request of us.


    Even though we just fought with them, compared to the blood feud they had with the fishes, our fight was nothing but a little scuffle. Besides, with death knocking on their doorstep, who else could they rely on but us?


    ¡°So you want us to be your bodyguards?¡±


    The fire elemental threw us an uneasy look and said: ¡°Please don¡¯t refuse our request¡­¡±


    ¡°All right, no matter what, we are acquaintances of sorts. Besides, I don¡¯t like those fishes anyway. More importantly¡­I still don¡¯t know how to reach Abaddon¡­¡± Suddenly, I had this strange sensation of being in some sort of RPG. Feeling lighthearted at the moment, I decided to ask another question: ¡°If we help you guys, what¡¯s our reward?¡±


    ¡°Reward¡­¡± The fire elemental pondered for a second as if hesitating over something. That hesitation didn¡¯t last long however as he soon sighed and said: ¡°I have on hand, two Five-stars fire elemental cores. If you can ensure our safe arrival at the designated safe zone, I¡¯ll gift you two elemental cores as thanks.¡±


    ¡®Five-stars fire elemental cores?¡¯


    I was suddenly reminded of home by that nostalgic term. Back then, Sares told me of such an object which would allow those who couldn¡¯t cultivate to attain power. It felt so distant back then¡­now, thinking back on that day, that scene¡­it almost felt like it just happened yesterday.


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 Chapter 197: An Escort Mission

    The birth of an elemental and its environment were tied together by an inseparable relationship. For example, a fire elemental can only be born in a place of flames while a water elemental can only be born at a point where a river flows towards or a giant body of water. The strength of an elemental is decidedly in large part by the environment it grew up in because of the vast amounts of elemental energy needed while growing up. Naturally, a purer source would produce better results.


    The elemental production rate of such a special location was fixed on a daily basis. An elemental subsisted by absorbing a certain level of pure elemental energies from their environment. Only after meeting the basic requirements would any further absorption lead to evolution. However, that wasn¡¯t to say that merely absorbing energies was enough to evolve, other requirements still held true as well.


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    ¡°That Fire Elemental Core you speak of, what does it do?¡± Mo Na jumped onto my neck and curled her lips as if it was the most natural thing for her to do. ¡°Just two? Isn¡¯t that too little?¡±


    ¡°Those are the relics of the former head and the former former head!¡± The elemental cried, clearly agitated by her callous disdain. However, he immediately suppressed his anger upon realizing it: ¡°There are a wide variety of uses for a Five-stars Fire Elemental Core. If you give it to your two subordinates over there, they will probably evolve right away into an Infant Flame Demon. Not only that, they would also gain the ability to transform into flames.¡±


    ¡°Transform into flames?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know that?¡± The elemental scoffed at me. ¡°Once a Flame Demon reaches the level of Eight-stars, he gains a new ability called Flame Transformation. It allows the devil to temporarily transform his body into that of a fire elemental¡¯s, gaining unimaginable destructive powers in the process.¡±


    ¡°Such a perk exists?¡±


    ¡°You really didn¡¯t know about that?¡± He threw me another disdainful look as if not knowing that was some sort of sin.


    I, however, wasn¡¯t one to suffer such nonsense: ¡°If that¡¯s how you¡¯re going to act, then I¡¯ll just leave with my subordinates.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Naturally, things settled down from that point onwards and an agreement was reached with the promise of two such elemental cores as a reward. Honestly, such a show of generosity on their part truly exceeded my own expectations.


    With the deal settled, I asked the elemental if he knew about a method to reach Abaddon. His answer was a disappointing one to say the least but at the same time, it was only to be expected.


    The entrance to Abaddon was most likely a closely guarded secret. The fire elementals themselves spent their entire lives in Purgatory, not because they couldn¡¯t leave the place but because they couldn¡¯t survive in areas with scarce fire elements.


    Like how fish needed water and how humans needed oxygen, fire elementals needed a suitably rich environment of fire to live in. Thanks to that, these elementals rarely left their territory. Even if they were left it, they had to first ensure that their destination possessed a sufficiently dense level of fire elements in order to support them.


    Naturally, such denizens were clearly not cut out to be travellers so was it all that strange that they didn¡¯t know the entrance to Abaddon?


    Normally, the mission of escorting the fire elementals would have been done by the Demon Fire Salamanders. However, their hands were tied at the moment and they could only spare that one salamander to be a messenger. If they needed an escort, it would have to be that lone salamander. Should they encounter a large pack of Fire Devouring Fishes in the interim, they were doomed. As such, the head of the fire elementals had no choice but to plead with us.


    The temporary head of Raging Flames Lake was that fire elemental whom Mo Na beat up. His name was Arca, an insufferably arrogant moron.


    In total, there were over one thousand two hundred fire elementals living in Raging Flames Lake. Arca was one of the few Four-stars present in the settlement. Because he wasn¡¯t able to evolve into a Five-stars yet, he could only be considered a temporary head of the settlement. Should another fire elemental make it to Five-stars before him, Arca would then be replaced by this new elemental as the official head of the settlement.


    However, that had nothing to do with us at all, zilch. As long as we ensured Arca¡¯s safety up till the moment he coughed up those two elemental cores, our mission was complete¡­ahem, I meant Arca and his tribe.


    With no time to lose, Arca immediately summoned his fellow fire elementals upon closing the deal. Just like before, a majestic pillar rose into the air and over a thousand fire elementals spewed forth from it.


    Strictly speaking, the fire elementals were running for their lives right now and had no time to dally about. Thus, the salamander promptly led the way to the safe zone while Arca marshalled his tribe.


    That salamander was to be our scout for this journey. Should it discover any signs of fishes, it would immediately let out a cry to warn us. That cry would then be translated by Arca after which we would act. Unless we encountered some kind of large group, it was mostly No.3 and Big 4 who took care of the fishes along this journey.


    Like that, we safely made it through three days of fleeing. Suddenly, Arca stepped up to me and sighed: ¡°You truly are an unusual devil.¡±


    I was playing horsey with Mo Na at that moment so I didn¡¯t pay much attention to his comment and merely asked: ¡°Was that a compliment?¡±


    ¡°You can take it as that.¡± Was his irrelevant reply. He then shook his head and continued: ¡°Honestly, I was extremely worried that you would go back on your words¡­after all, with your Fire Devouring Fish weapons, our powers¡­don¡¯t even come close to yours.¡±


    He finally admitted their weakness. Even though I hadn¡¯t been with him for long, I could tell that he was a prideful elemental and admitting such was a big concession on his part. Truth be told, I knew their distrust of me as well. The fact that he even asked this of me was borne out of pure desperation. Besides, he most likely thought that if we really harbored any ill intent towards them, we could have done so by ourselves without waiting for the Fire Devouring Fishes to attack them.


    Naturally, I would never do such a thing. That wasn¡¯t me at all. I would never use my superior strength to bully the weak unlike the other devils. Normally, the most efficient method would just be to trick the elementals into coming out and holding them hostage for the cores.


    With enough strength, most devils would have probably done that.


    Even with that salamander vouching for us, Arca was still worried about us reneging on the deal. That¡¯s why the elementals adopted a scattered formation at the start. With such a formation, they could at least avoid a complete loss should we decide to ambush them.


    Perhaps in the eyes of others, I was some kind of unique devil but it wasn¡¯t so for me at all. Because I never considered myself a devil from the very start. From the standpoint of a normal human being, all I was doing now was accepting a mission, collecting the reward, that¡¯s all, nothing but a daily repeatable quest in a RPG.


    In fact, my little baby suggested just such a thing with a wink of her lovely eyes. Her intentions were clear: rob them of the reward. She even tabled a viable plan of action to which I promptly rapped her on the head.


    I told her then: ¡°Do unto others what you would have done unto yourself.¡±


    Mo Na rubbed her little noggin while giving me a wrong look. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    I tried to explain the underlying logic then: ¡°If I am stronger than you, does that mean I can have my way with you?¡±


    Mo Na nodded her head as if it was the most natural thing to do and answered: ¡°If it¡¯s Mama, she can do whatever she wants to Mo Na.¡±


    My mind was blown the moment she said that. ¡®Can I really do anything?¡¯


    Ahem¡­what I meant to say was that¡¯s how a normal devil thought of things. The strong ruled and the weak served ¡ªthat was their instinct. After all, not serving meant death.


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    The gathering spot the salamanders decided upon wasn¡¯t that far off from the Raging Flames Lake. It roughly took a week of travelling for us to reach it, during which we didn¡¯t encounter much problems. From time to time we would encounter some fishes but they were mostly lone wolves and easily taken care of.


    For the most part, the terrain we passed through was a simple mix of giant sea of fire plus black stone and lava.


    After spending time with that salamander, I learnt that other than the Demon Fire Worms, Fire Devouring Fishes and whatnot, there was also another race living in the lava lake, the Dark Flame Snails. My inherited memories spoke of these black-shelled gastropods, which were basically infinitely tougher versions of the common garden snail, but because we didn¡¯t see any on our journey, I assumed that they were some kind of rare species. It turns out that wasn¡¯t true at all.


    The snails were a food source for the Demon Fire Salamanders and were often found at the edges of those strange platforms in the lava lake. Speaking of those platforms, they came in a variety of sizes from big to small. The smallest could fit about ten people while the large ones were about the size of a basketball court. There was a wide gap between each platforms so they didn¡¯t look connected at all.


    It was there the snails frequented, soaking in the lava while staying near the edges of the platform. Thanks to their shells being of the same color as the platform, along with the natural barrier of lava, doing so afforded two layers of protection from their predators. That camouflaging was the very reason why I wasn¡¯t able to spot any snails till now.


    Having seen them for the first time ever, I found them to be surprisingly large. The smallest I saw so far was about the size of a human head in fact.


    Because their shells were known for being hard as rock, the Fire Devouring Fishes rarely preyed on them. While the fishes had a formidable set of teeth, it would still take them quite some time to chew through the shells of the Dark Flame Snails. Moreover, the snails themselves weren¡¯t very meaty or large once you removed their snails so the reward simply didn¡¯t match the effort required. With that much time spent, they could have just hunted down several worms.


    If even the Fire Devouring Fishes wouldn¡¯t touch them, it would seem like they had no natural predators within the lava lake at all. In reality however, that was simply a misconception on my part. Every living creature always had a nemesis. For the snails, it was the Demon Fire Salamander.


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 Chapter 198: Hin

    The Demon Fire Salamanders were of a sufficient size compared to the Dark Flame Snails. Furthermore, their teeth were comparable to the snail¡¯s. However, the most important factor that made them the nemesis of the snails was that they had a shockingly sturdy stomach. One so strong, they could contain and digest the entire snail, shell and all.


    For the most part, our escort mission proceeded smoothly except for some periodic encounters with the Demon Fire Fishes. By the time we arrived at the destination, a whole ten days had passed.


    The gathering spot for the fire elementals was a giant volcano that seemed to connect the heavens and earths themselves. It was completely black with random streaks of red running down it; those were streams of lava.


    Because the volcano itself was an elevated ground, the limbless fishes couldn¡¯t climb it easily, thus making this a safe spot for the fire elementals.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­that¡¯s Flame¡¯s End the volcano?!¡±


    Upon laying eyes on the towering volcano, the elemental, Arca, was visibly excited. From his puffed up chest and the slight glint in his eyes, I could tell he was welling with pride at the moment.


    ¡°What¡¯s so special about that volcano?¡±


    I casually asked out of curiosity. Who would have thought that one simple question ended up opening the floodgates to what felt like an eternity of gushing by Arca. Long story short, Flame¡¯s End was the biggest fire elemental gathering in Purgatory. All the Six-stars fire elementals and those above it were afforded a place in this massive settlement.


    Having spent over ten days with Arca, I picked up some basic knowledge about the fire elementals themselves. I discovered that they didn¡¯t require food but had to absorb a certain amount of fire element every day. If they failed to do so, their body would become weak and perhaps even dissipate entirely if such a state persisted for long.


    Back when Mo Na injured Arca, the wound in his belly refused to close up because the environment simply wasn¡¯t able to provide enough energy for recovery. After resting in the lava lake however, the wound had gotten noticeably smaller. Thus, it could be seen how important fire energy was to these elementals.


    The more powerful a fire elemental was, the more elements they needed to absorb from the environment each day. Notably, different regions had different supplies of such energy, which explained why these elementals weren¡¯t able to settle down for long in an unsuitable environment.


    If like what Arca said, Flame¡¯s End allowed all those who reached the level of Six-stars to live there and barred no one who met that criteria, it was only natural for the volcano to be considered a sacred ground for the fire elementals then.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying it has an unlimited supply of fire energy?¡±


    ¡°Whether or not it¡¯s unlimited, I¡¯m not entirely sure either. All I know is that those who met the requirements are allowed to join without restriction.¡± As he said that, his voice trembled. ¡°I initially thought of the entire raid as a disaster but who would¡¯ve thought that it would become a one in a million opportunity instead¡­¡±


    Perhaps to Arca, this entire Fire Devouring Fish raid was some sort of opportunity, but somehow it all felt a little off to me. Logically speaking, such an incursion should have happened in the past as well. This instance was supposed to be a unique occurrence but for it to require all the fire elementals to hide out in the volcano¡­


    Looking at it from another point of view, this couldn¡¯t have been some simple Fire Devouring Fish raid then, could it? At the very least, it was at the level where the salamanders couldn¡¯t handle it by themselves.


    Seeing the elemental prattle on like that, Mo Na begun to get a little annoyed so she cut him off halfway: ¡°Since we¡¯re here, isn¡¯t it time for you to give us those two Five-stars Fire Elemental Cores you mentioned?¡±


    ¡°The fire elementals keep their promises.¡± Even though he was still in the midst of his gushing, Arca suppressed the burning desire within him to keep on talking, and waved his right hand. Not too long after that, another fire elemental stepped out from behind him and held out two red pearls, both the size of a chicken egg.


    The pearls were nearly transparent and didn¡¯t contain a single speck of impurity within them. Their beauty was one that couldn¡¯t be put to words and had to be seen for oneself in order to do it justice. Compared to them, those so-called luminescent pearls from Earth might as well had been marbles.


    Even though he was reluctant to part with these pearls, Arca handed them over to us in the end. ¡°We are extremely grateful¡­you are a trustworthy devil who keeps a promise¡­¡±


    He should, in fact, thank his lucky stars since I actually had the strength to simply snatch them for myself.


    ¡°Perhaps all devils might seem bereft of good points to you, and are a bunch of vengeful and erratic fellows, but at the very least, I¡¯m not such a person. You should be glad.¡± I handed over the two cores to Mo Na before turning around to face No.3 and Big 4. ¡°Let¡¯s go, this isn¡¯t a place we should stay for long.¡±


    Just as I was about to leave however, Arca called out to me: ¡°Wait, if I¡¯m willing to offer another reward, would you stay to help us?¡±


    ¡®Stay? No way. Since we got our reward, it¡¯s time for us to leave, right this instant.¡¯ Even though I only managed to gleam some tidbits of information during this escort mission, they were enough for me to piece together a terrifying conclusion: something big was about to happen. As for what that was, I had no idea, nor did I wish to find out. A battle of this level simply wasn¡¯t one we could take part in right now. After all, with our current strength, we might just end up as fodder¡­especially since this volcano was the home of elementals who were at least Six-stars.


    For such a mighty settlement, at least it was in my eyes, to end up as a refugee camp, things truly had to have been bad. More importantly, there was still the matter of devils having a horrible reputation. A reputation so horrible, even devils didn¡¯t trust each other¡­ ¡®in short, don¡¯t trust a devil.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to pass on that, I¡¯m sure you know about our abysmal reputation as well. If I stay, can you guarantee that I won¡¯t encounter any problems because of that?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Arca fell silent for a moment. ¡°My considerations were lacking¡­¡±


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    ¡°Then we¡¯ll take our leave now.¡±


    ¡°Wait, I know you have no concrete plan at the moment. Even if you leave now, you¡¯ll just end up wandering around aimlessly. If you wish to find the area where the devils used to live, I might just be able to give you some clues regarding that¡­¡±


    ¡°The area where the devils used to live? Didn¡¯t you say that you had no idea?¡± I posed a question regarding that not too long ago. Back then, he told me that he had no idea and I wasn¡¯t all too surprised by that answer. What did you expect from a shut-in elemental? After all, shut-ins with a 100 out of a 100 in geography were pretty rare.


    Arca hesitated the moment I said that but he chose to fess up in the end: ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you then because I was afraid you would force me to speak¡­¡±


    ¡®Fine, I¡¯ll just have to chalk this up to a devil¡¯s horrible reputation again.¡¯


    80 000 years ago, this entire region used to be the territory of a Devil King. As for what that king was called, that information was lost to time. One day, that Devil King simply vanished into thin air, and along with him, all his subordinates disappeared as well.


    For some unknown reason, their territory ended up being shut behind a mysterious barrier and the devils who lived there simply disappeared without leaving much of a trace. However, that didn¡¯t mean that all the clues were gone either.


    The hint Arca gave us was to head east. As for what there was there, even he himself didn¡¯t know the details. All he heard was that devils used to live there.


    ¡®The east huh, I guess just knowing that is good enough for now. As for that disappearing Devil King and his subjects¡­thanks but no thanks¡­¡¯


    After all, I couldn¡¯t even comprehend what kind of an existence a Devil King was.


    Having said our farewells to Arca, we immediately set off without stopping. In order to avoid any accidental clashes, Arca even assigned us a few fire elementals to be our guide, at least up to the point where we completely left the boundaries of Flame¡¯s End.


    As expected, we ended up meeting several patrols of Fire Elementals. Their first reaction to us was naturally one of complete wariness and even hostility in some cases. Thankfully, Arca¡¯s bit of conscientiousness and foresight saved us from any potential clashes. He had specifically instructed the fire elementals guiding us to vouch for us.


    While I still wasn¡¯t able to understand their language, the gaze they gave us after that round of explanation was noticeably friendlier though there was still a tinge of suspicion buried deep beneath it.


    The moment we left the boundaries of Flame¡¯s End, our guides bid us farewell and left immediately, seeing as the area was no longer part of the safe zone.


    Because we still couldn¡¯t communicate, I could only wave my hands at them as a form of goodbye.


    ¡°Mama, do you think those elementals will drop these cores if we kill them?¡± Still in the midst of playing with those pearls, Mo Na narrowed her eyes at the departing figures and added: ¡°We can still make it if we chase them now¡­¡±


    With regards to her devious suggestion of robbery, my only response to pick her up by the cuff of her neck and slap her not-so meaty bottom thrice. Brows furrowed sternly, I chided her: ¡°Papa doesn¡¯t like children who are naughty so you¡¯d better not do bad things, got it?¡±


    ¡°But devils are supposed to do bad things.¡± Bottom spanked, she showed no sign of remorse and instead gave me a harrumph of dissatisfaction before turning her head away to ignore me. ¡°Devils who do good deeds are the devils who are bad instead.¡±


    ¡®Devils who do good deeds are the devils who are bad instead? That sounded so weird. Either way, this calls for another round of punishment.¡¯


    I lifted her face up with my finger and made her look me right in the eyes from that position. ¡°I don¡¯t care about the others but I definitely won¡¯t allow you to do bad things. I want you to be a good girl instead.¡±


    ¡°A good devil is one who does what she wants.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s for other devils, not for Papa¡¯s little baby.¡± For her to lean towards such deviant behavior was only to be expected of a devil. After all, devils weren¡¯t able to even understand the concept behind the term good samaritan. However, I was different. Even though that episode in the human realm left me sullen, I still couldn¡¯t deny the human nature within my soul. Because of that, I did not want Mo Na to be bad either. It was my wish for her to be kind-hearted or at the very least, not be a wicked devil.


    Bad girls just weren¡¯t adorable after all.


    ¡°Hmph, Mama isn¡¯t adorable at all.¡±


    ¡°Papa just has to look cool, not adorable.¡± Seeing as our little chat wasn¡¯t going to work out, I returned Mo Na back to her perch around my neck before addressing No.3 and Big 4: ¡°We¡¯ll find a place to rest first, after that we¡¯ll head east¡­I wonder how long this journey of ours will last this time.¡±


    ¡°No matter how long it takes, we¡¯ll do our best to protect Master.¡± The two of them pledged their loyalty once more, never once mentioning the two elemental cores.


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 Chapter 199: Eastward

    With regards to those two Fire Elemental Cores, I decided to put it aside for now after some deliberation. As for the reason why I did so¡­in part it had to do with my mistrust of No.3 and Big 4. However, the biggest reason had to be that I felt no sense of security at all.


    Because of my once-trusted subordinates, I was forced into a foreign environment where a single mistake might just be my last.


    Right now, the only person I could completely trust was Mo Na and no one else, not even No.3 and Big 4.


    In my mind, I knew very well that giving them the two cores would make our journey a lot safer but my heart simply wouldn¡¯t settle down. I was afraid that once they evolved into Five-stars, the Four-stars Mo Na and I would¡­I was afraid of betrayal, that¡¯s all.


    The evolution of a Four-stars into five wasn¡¯t just a simple raise in level. For the devils, it represented a turning point, a jump from one tier to another. The majority of the lower ranked devils found themselves stuck at the level of Four-stars for the rest of their lives. Those who managed to evolve however, were blessed with an original sin and a clan name. Compared to the imps they were before, such devils might as well have been a completely different lifeform.


    If one wanted to see how huge the power gap between having a sin and not having one was, Mo Na and I would probably the best examples available.


    Compared to an ordinary imp, we completely outclassed them in terms of raw strength. For example, when I evolved for the first time and gained the ability to use magic, none of the imps at my level were a match for me. When I advanced into a Three-stars, I was able to even challenge those of a higher level than me thanks to my original sin blessing countering some of my opponents completely; like One-eye or Dawson.


    As for Mo Na, she was able to destroy Nine-finger in an instant with her magic despite being born not too long ago. While that might not have sounded all that impressive for Mo Na who was a Four-stars, one had to know that it was basically impossible for Flame Demon Childes to learn magic and yet Mo Na knew it from birth.


    The impact an original sin made on one¡¯s power simply couldn¡¯t be overstated when seen in that light.


    Mo Na was a Four-stars Primal Lust Demon. Just from appearances alone, she seemed to be of the martial branch; I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she was able to take on No.3 and Big 4 alone even though they were of the same star level.


    Naturally, if both of them evolved into Five-stars, she wouldn¡¯t stand a chance at all¡­if those two were to harbor any rebellious thoughts then¡­it would be the end for us. Moreover, whether or not they would still be loyal to me after gaining an original sin, was in still in question.


    That was why I didn¡¯t give them the elemental cores. Originally, I wanted to have Mo Na consume the cores instead but unfortunately for me, she couldn¡¯t use them. Fire Elemental Cores were able to aid a devil¡¯s evolution, that much was proven. However, that only applied to Flame Demon Childes and Mo Na was already a Lust Demon. Her elemental nature was one of darkness, fire and death. A pure fire crystal like that wasn¡¯t enough to force an evolution for her. Not only that, it might end up harming her instead.


    By using such a pure elemental core of the fire element, her body might just get purged of every other element but fire. In other words, by using the elemental core, these three scenarios might happen:


    One, nothing.


    Two, the fire element in her might get strengthened.


    Three, after having her fire element strengthened, her other elements might get purged completely.


    In a sense, the Fire Elemental Core was like a rare cleaning tool, one attuned to fire, to be exact.


    Because Arca pointed out a general direction for us, our general goal was set for now. We simply had to follow the route and to be honest, it wasn¡¯t really all that hard as it sounded since Purgatory¡¯s terrain was rather simple.


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    Basically, you couldn¡¯t get lost unless you tried. Neither would you encounter many problems as long as you kept your head down and went on your merry way. Naturally, we did just that. Other than catching the odd Demon Fire Worm and foraging for Red Lotuses, we mostly steered away from everything else. Even when encountering the lone fish or two, we would ignore them entirely.


    After three days of journeying eastward, we came upon a huge school of fishes. From the looks of things, they were headed to Flame¡¯s End. Thanks to the fact that they could only move about in the lava lake however, we were basically safe where we were.


    Even so, I had to admit that I almost had a heart attack when I saw them swim by us for the first time.


    With their countless numbers, these fishes were actually able to fill up the entire lava lake as they swam in unison towards Flame¡¯s End. If someone with Trypophobia were to look at them right now, they would probably faint from all the swimming black dots. What was even more frightening was that the fish leading the school was actually the size of a shark, a Great White Shark to be specific. By my estimation, it had to be at least 6 metres long.


    Initially, I didn¡¯t even notice that there was a gigantic shark-sized Flame Devouring Fish swimming underneath lava. After all, that endless sea of black fishes behind it was enough of a shock already. The moment its humongous head broke through the surface, revealing a glossy coat of obsidian black scales that almost seemed like armor in the process, it turned its bloodshot eyes towards me. It was then that I knew what it felt like to have a reaper stare you right in the eyes. I could have sworn that my soul was being sucked into the bloody abyss that was its eyes. Yet amidst all that, I stood there paralyzed, unable to do a thing before the embrace of death.


    Time slowed down and my thoughts seemed to freeze up there and then. Then, it all went black. I knew nothing of what happened afterwards and by the time I woke up, the school of fishes was already long gone.


    Should I celebrate the fact that the fishes weren¡¯t able to walk on land? Or perhaps I should thank the heavens that they weren¡¯t interested in land creatures¡­


    ¡°Mama¡­ that monster¡­was so scary¡­¡± She dove into my embrace and tightly wrapped her arms around me, body shaking and lovely eyes crying. Seeing her like that, my heart couldn¡¯t help but ache.


    ¡®Even my little sweetie is shaking right now¡­I guess it can¡¯t be helped¡­she¡¯s a newborn after all and that had to be her first brush with death.¡¯


    Naturally, we weren¡¯t the only two affected by that sharklike fish¡¯s stare; No.3 and Big 4 were scared stiff as well. In fact, they literally stood there frozen, not daring to move a muscle, let alone cry or tremble.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright Sweetie, Papa¡¯s¡­¡± I gently rubbed her head and tried to comfort her. However, just as I was about to say ¡®Papa¡¯s here to protect you¡¯, I abruptly stopped.


    ¡®What If that happened again¡­what if a creature of that level were to take an interest in us or perhaps we stumbled on it while it was hungry¡­¡¯ I dared not ponder that question any further. In a vast world like this, there existed too many unknowns for the current me to handle. Exactly, what kind of fate would await us if I wasn¡¯t strong enough? That was something I didn¡¯t dare to think about but most likely it wouldn¡¯t be good.


    For now, I should at least celebrate my decision not to accept Arca¡¯s request otherwise we might just end up meeting that fish in battle¡­


    With that in mind, I suddenly had the urge to consume those two cores right away. However, I abandoned that impractical idea in the end. Putting aside the question of whether or not my body was even suited to that, so what if I consumed them? The majority of the energy would most likely be absorbed by Ferti¡¯nier, leaving nothing but scraps for me.


    Who was this Ferti¡¯nier, one might ask. Well, she used to be an existence who almost became a Devil God. At the very least, she was a demigod. While I might not know how powerful that actually was, it didn¡¯t stop me from guessing.


    ¡®Demigod huh¡­kinda reminds me of Hercules and his trials¡­oops¡­almost went off course again¡­¡¯


    Demigods were at a level beyond me, and Ferti¡¯nier was the elite of elites even amongst such beings. Looking at that from another perspective, there was no way the energy needed to awaken her would be small. For now at least, evolving would be harder than climbing the heavens themselves.


    In that case, the only option would be to raise Mo Na¡¯s level. Thus began our frantic search for Red Lotuses and souls. Anything that moved was killed and its soul harvested for Mo Na. By doing so, I hoped to raise her level to Five-stars in a short period of time. Only when she evolved would I have the confidence to give No.3 and Big 4 those two elemental cores.


    Perhaps it had something to do with her absorbing the Grimoire of the Dead, but ever since then, I¡¯ve never heard her say that she was full. Naturally, that didn¡¯t mean she starved all the time either.


    Just like that, our journey proceeded uneventfully for over a month. Along the way, we harvested whatever we could and hunted whomever we found.


    By now, I was beginning to wonder if Arca was messing with me with that so-called hint of his, but just as I did so, I found, to my great surprise, a lifeform that could be classified as a devil.


    ¡®¡­at long last¡­¡¯


    It was a hellhound with fur as black as the night. Not only that, it was a hellhound with three heads ¡ªa Cerberus.


    According to my inherited memories, Cerberuses had to at least be at the level of a Four-stars. That meant the hellhound spitting fire at a platform right in front of me was at least at the level of No.3 and Big 4. Even though we weren¡¯t that far off from it, there was something obscuring our vision so I couldn¡¯t discern what it was spitting at.


    The moment I spotted it however, the Cerberus stopped spitting fire and turned all six of its eyeballs towards us. It opened its jaws and growled at us in a low voice. Naturally, I didn¡¯t understand a word it said but having been with Violet Snow for so long, I could roughly figure out that it was warning us not to approach.


    However, there was no way I would listen to that warning. After all, this was the first sighting of something devil-like in over a month! There¡¯s no way I would leave without saying hello at least.


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 Chapter 200: Cerberus

    ¡°We mean you no harm, if you require help, we might just be able to help you.¡± I let Mo Na off my neck and then opened my arms to show that I was unarmed. With that gesture of peace, at least it was one in my mind, I slowly approached the Cerberus.


    ¡°Grrr¡­¡± Instead of reining in its aggression, the Cerberus seemed even more agitated by my actions. The closer I got, the louder it growled.


    Seeing that, I was reminded of a saying from Earth, ¡®Dogs who bite, don¡¯t bark.¡¯ Clearly that didn¡¯t apply here. Even with a river separating us, the hellhound didn¡¯t let its guard down at all. Realizing its warning wasn¡¯t going to work, it arced its back and a second later leaped into the air, crossing the 10 meter wide gap of lava between us in an instant.


    With a hound as large as a bull closing on me like that, I had no choice but to make an emergency dive to the side lest I was rammed into.


    ¡°Mama!¡± Mo Na flew over at that instant and hugged me before helping to pull me out of the way as well.


    *Bang!*


    The Cerberus crashed into where I was just seconds ago. So forceful was its ram that it took the combined strength of No.3 and Big 4 to finally halt the momentum of its leap and avoid being knocked away. However, because of the sheer power of that leap, the two were pushed back a significant distance before they finally managed to steady themselves.


    ¡°You dare to harm the Master? Unforgivable!¡± Hastily throwing on the Fire Devouring Fish Claws, No.3 lunged at the right most head of the Cerberus.


    *Thud*


    His fists struck the head with a resounding thud and yet not even the fur on its head was damaged by No.3¡¯s claws.


    ¡®Was this what the legends meant when they mentioned ¡®Thick-skinned¡¯ people?¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t kill it, I want it alive¡­well, just do your best.¡± Thanks to the efforts of No.3 and Big 4, I was able to safely extricate myself from danger. I reached out for Shadowfang with right hand just as before. But after giving it some thought, I decided not to draw it in the end. After all, this was the long-awaited encounter with a devil, unless there was really a need to, I didn¡¯t want to kill it.


    No.3 and Big 4 grabbed onto right and leftmost heads of the Cerberus, leaving the center one unrestrained to wildly flail about and bite at the other two, spitting fire at them from time to time.


    Perhaps it was because it had been spitting fire all this while, but its flames weren¡¯t as hot as I had expected and barely left a mark the flame resistant No.3 and Big 4. As if they were born of steel itself, the two devils stood there like immovable statues and held down the hellhound¡¯s heads. Whenever one of the heads tried to bite, the other devil would apply more apply force and drag the hellhound more to his side. Like that, No.3 and Big 4 rotated between protecting each other while neutralizing the threat of the hellhound.


    To prevent any potential accidents, Mo Na took this opportunity to tie down the last head with her darkness whip. At times, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder how an object made entirely of energy was even able to do that; truly marvelous.


    With that, the hellhound was completely restrained by us. Realizing that as well, the hellhound gave up on struggling though it still had that fierce look on its faces. Its heads were swiftly pressed down onto the floor, causing its limbs to follow suit soon after.


    For now, the Cerberus wasn¡¯t going to be a threat to us, especially since No.3 and Big 4 had their arms wrapped around its vulnerable neck. And yet while all that was happening, I couldn¡¯t help but notice the unusual lack of strength it showed. My instincts were telling me that this shouldn¡¯t have been all that it was capable of.


    Naturally, that judgement was based on my experience with Violet Snow and her hellhounds.


    Violet Snow once told me that a hellhound only evolved into a Cerberus once it reached the level of Four-stars. Moreover, just because it was a Cerberus, didn¡¯t mean its body would become as huge as a bull.


    However, this Cerberus only managed to display the strength of two Four-stars combined despite being the size of a bull. No matter how one looked at it, something wasn¡¯t right. Furthermore, taking into account that it had been spitting fire at a nearby platform¡­


    ¡®This Cerberus is probably in some kind of trouble.¡¯


    ¡°Sweetie, can you fly up to that platform and take a look for me?¡±


    Since I couldn¡¯t fly myself and No.3 and Big 4 were on restraining duty, that left only Mo Na free to check out the platform. Before doing so however, Mo Na channelled even more mana into her darkness whip and lengthened it so as to maintain the binding on the Cerberus while she flew up there.


    ¡°Woof wooff¡­¡± Seeing her fly up like that, the Cerberus immediately broke its silence once more and began violently thrashing about. It clearly was on its last legs but that didn¡¯t stop it from nearly throwing off No.3 and Big 4 with its last desperate attempt at breaking free.


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    ¡°Master, I think it has gone mad¡­¡±


    Finally, after considerable effort on their part, No.3 and Big 4 managed to restrain the Cerberus once more.


    ¡°There must be something really important to it, hidden up on that platform, be careful, make sure not to let it escape.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master, we aren¡¯t that weak.¡± As Big 4 yelled out that reassurance, he threw a look at No.3 who returned it as well. The pair nodded before simultaneously leaping onto the Cerberus¡¯s neck and gave each head a resounding punch, forcing the hellhound to its knees once more.


    ¡°Mama, there¡¯s a really big egg here but it looks like it¡¯s going to die.¡± Mo Na came flying down soon after but while she was empty handed when she flew up there, this time she came back with an egg almost as large as her body.


    ¡®I guess it¡¯s an egg? It looks like a chicken egg except for its pitch black shell riddled with intricate red engravings.¡¯


    ¡°The egg¡¯s dying? Let me have a look.¡±


    I waved at Mo Na and she obediently handed over the egg in her hands.


    Placing my hands on it, I was immediately struck by a slightly chilly sensation which was definitely unusual given where we were right now. By all accounts, one shouldn¡¯t feel cold in Purgatory at all. And yet as I touched the egg, I could almost feel the heat being drained out of it in realtime.


    If I wasn¡¯t mistaken, that sensation had something to do with the Cerberus spitting fire at it not too long ago. It was probably trying to keep the egg warm by doing so. However, the egg was most likely unable to absorb the flames within the Cerberus¡¯s breath or it could just be that the flames weren¡¯t able to keep up with the loss of heat.


    ¡®Of course, it could¡¯ve just been cooking the egg¡­but then, I don¡¯t remember the hellhounds having a habit of eating cooked food.¡¯


    ¡°Is this yours?¡± I slowly walked up to the restrained Cerberus and found all six of its eyes fixed intently on the black egg in my arms. It was as if it was afraid to blink for even a second, as doing so might just cause the egg to vanish from its eyesight. Seeing that pleading look in its eyes, my heart sank; it almost felt like we were committing some sort of atrocity right now.


    ¡®Honestly, I thought it was trying to roast that egg for food, mhm¡­well, at least now I know that¡¯s a mistake on my part. After all, trying to roast an egg that¡¯s already as black as charcoal is kinda¡­unthinkable.¡¯


    ¡°I know you understand the language of the devil. As I mentioned earlier, we mean you no harm. This is yours I presume, I¡¯ll return it to you but before that I need to make something clear, you are not to attack us once I let you go, got it?¡±


    Creatures categorized as devils knew the language of the devil from birth; it was merely the biological differences between the hellhounds and normal devils that prevented the majority of them from speaking our language. Naturally, Violet Snow was an exception.


    Upon seeing it nod its head several times, I gently placed the egg before the Cerberus as if it was some kind of expensive pottery. Having done that, I retreated several steps and then signalled to No.3 and Big 4 to retreat as well. At the same time, I waved my hands to Mo Na, signalling for her to loosen the whip around the Cerberus.


    However, that didn¡¯t mean that I trusted the Cerberus entirely either. While a peaceful talk would be best for us, there was no ruling out the possibility that it would not follow our wishes. Thus, as I told No.3 and Big 4 to retreat, I secretly told them to remain on guard for any sudden movements.


    Having regained its freedom, the Cerberus didn¡¯t pounce at us. Instead, as I had expected, it started spitting fire at the egg once more after confirming that we held no ill will towards it.


    As it continued breathing its fire, I could feel the heat from its flames get weaker with each spit. Yet, it still persevered.


    Barring any strangeness, this Cerberus was probably a hellhound that had just given birth and was most likely a Five-stars before pregnancy. For some unknown reason, the egg it gave birth to was the dying black egg we saw before us. Perhaps it was a failed birth from the very beginning or perhaps some other external factor caused it to be as such. Either way, it was an undeniable fact that the egg was unable to hatch and was slowly losing its lifeforce.


    Based on that theory¡­the so-called heat that I felt draining out of the egg, wasn¡¯t heat at all but rather its lifeforce¡­


    ¡®So that¡¯s why Mo Na said the egg was dying.¡¯


    With each breath of fire it spat out, the Cerberus would wail mournfully into the air. Hearing its grief, I couldn¡¯t help but share in its misery and tear up as well. My heart, which wasn¡¯t all that hard to begin with, softened even more. No.3 and Big 4 each threw me a look asking for instructions but I merely shook my head and remained silent. My intention then was to observe for a while more.


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 Chapter 201: An Offering

    Hellhounds were purely devils of the fire element. In order to treat their ailments, providing them with fire mana was often the most effective treatment method. However, the black egg was in its most primal form¡­it probably didn¡¯t possess the ability to convert mana into energy, at least that¡¯s what I thought. In other words, all that flame breathing was probably in vain.


    Still, the heart wrenching scene continued for another ten minutes or so till the Cerberus finally ran out of mana and was unable to continue. As it laid on the floor, the fatigue it had was laid bare for all to see. Even amidst all that however, the grief reflected in its eyes overwhelmed any sort of tiredness it felt, and stabbed into our hearts like a burning knife. It gave out a string of ¡®woof woofs¡¯ as if it was crying, all the while rubbing its three heads against the black egg. From time to time, it would give the egg a tender lick reminiscent of a kiss¡­


    Seeing that, my already broken heart shattered even further. The pitiful sight of it laying there and crying reminded of Mo Ci long ago. Back then, she didn¡¯t have to die at all; she simply had to give up on that devil egg and she would have survived. However, she didn¡¯t do that, instead choosing to give birth to that egg in a pristine condition. For that, she ultimately gave up her life¡­


    Was that a mother¡¯s love? Most likely. In order to protect their children, mothers were willing to do anything after all. If that wasn¡¯t love, what was?


    ¡®Perhaps there was something I could do to help it? That egg might not be of the same species as me, but it¡¯s still a child. Speaking of children, Ancarin¡¯s belly must be pretty big by now. By my estimation, there shouldn¡¯t be much time left before it¡¯s born¡­¡¯


    ¡°Sweetie, pass me one of the elemental cores.¡±


    ¡°Here you go, Mama.¡± Prior to this, I fashioned a tiny box for Mo Na to store those cores for the sake of convenience. The little box came with its own bone chain to prevent any accidental loss, and was attached to Mo Na¡¯s waist. The moment I gave it to her, Mo Na instantly fell in love with the box fashioned out of Flame Devouring Fish bones, and would often play with it.


    Opening up the box, she passed me one of the Five-stars Fire Elemental Cores. ¡°Mama, are you going to give this to it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, even though we had some unpleasantness between us just now, I can completely understand its desire to protect its child no matter the cost.¡±


    Such was my personality in this world and even back on Earth. Often I would do things that people found inexplicable simply because of my sentimental nature. Even after sacrificing my own interests to help a complete stranger, I wouldn¡¯t leave my name behind. That applied to people who were most likely out to scam me as well. Despite knowing that the other party was most likely a con artist, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to ignore a person asking for help. What happened if he really needed help? That was the biggest fear I had even amidst my fear of being cheated.


    Those who knew me would often joke about me embodying the term ¡®good samaritan¡¯ more than the words themselves.


    After all, I never left my name behind on purpose or even made a note of it.


    (TL: A reference to some Chinese drama figure was omitted here since it wouldn¡¯t translate well. The meaning was preserved though. )


    The cores were supposed to be given to No.3 and Big 4 but because of trust issues, I decided to keep them in reserve till now. Seeing as this mother was in dire straits right now, giving it to her was as good of a use for them as whatever I had planned before. Simply put, this was my way of showing respect for a mother¡¯s love.


    I received the elemental core from Mo Na and placed it beside the Cerberus.


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    ¡°Woof¡­¡±


    It listlessly stared at me but as soon it felt the surge of fire energies from the core, it abruptly stood up and gave me a disbelieving stare. It probably thought of devils like me as devious and the complete antithesis to the word ¡®kindness¡¯. Such a figure actually showed such generosity to a stranger and an enemy no less! That was something the Cerberus simply couldn¡¯t comprehend no matter how hard it tried.


    The Cerberus gingerly probed the core with its claw; perhaps it wanted to confirm whether or not the core was safe or perhaps it simply wanted to check if I was messing with it.


    ¡°That¡¯s for you, it might just be of use to you.¡± I pointed at the core before pointing at the almost lifeless black egg. ¡°That¡¯s a Five-star Fire Elemental Core, I¡¯m not entirely sure what it can do but it should at least be able to replenish energy.¡±


    Hearing that, the Cerberus gave me a grateful look before promptly pressing the egg against the core.


    Then, something miraculous happened. The moment the core came into contact with the black egg, the energies within the core flowed into the egg even without needing any sort of guidance.


    ¡®The egg knows how to absorb those energies by itself? Or was the core sending its energies into the egg automatically?¡¯


    I had no way of knowing which of the two it was but that really didn¡¯t matter now. As time passed, the energy within the core decreased while the life force within the egg increased almost to a breaking point.


    The moment the energies crossed that threshold, we heard a crack echo throughout the air. Soon after, a tiny little puppy¡¯s head could be seen sticking out of the egg.


    It was a black puppy that was completely jet black all over except for some red patterns running through its fur, and looked remarkably similar to a chinese farm dog.


    ¡°Bark bark bark bark!¡± The little puppy¡¯s clarion call was filled with life, completely different from the dying wreck it was just moments ago.


    The puppy surveyed its surroundings for a moment and upon noticing that Cerberus lying on the floor, it excitedly barked.


    By now, the Cerberus was beyond tired but the joy it felt was visible on its haggard faces. Lowering one of its heads, it gently licked the fur on its child¡¯s body. In response to that, the little black puppy hummed in pleasure before rubbing its little noggin against the fur of the Cerberus.


    Seeing such a heartwarming sight, I was instantly filled with a sense of satisfaction that could have only come from performing a good deed. Even if I had just lost a Five-stars core, it was completely worth it.


    ¡°Mama, look at them, Mo Na feels so happy right now.¡± As the little scamp wrapped her arms around my back, she quietly leaned in and whispered in my ears. ¡°Seeing that little puppy pop out of the egg like that is so interesting, Mo Na wants to give birth to a baby too.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± ¡®What the heck, you¡¯re just two months old! Did you really have to enter into the giving-birth stage right away?! Also, if any potato dares to touch my daughter, I swear I¡¯ll dice him up and feed him to the dogs! Don¡¯t doubt me for a second!¡¯


    Completely oblivious to the damage her words did to me but still aware of my sullen look, Mo Na asked in a concerned voice: ¡°What¡¯s wrong Mama? Your face isn¡¯t looking too good.¡±


    ¡°Sweetie, giving birth isn¡¯t something you should joke about. You¡¯re still young, wait till you¡¯re older before saying that.¡±


    In order to maintain the peace in our little group, I made sure to explain the matter to her. However, just after I said that, she said something that made me explode right away.


    As if she was swearing an oath, or just marking her target, she waved her fist in the air before saying: ¡°Okay! Once Mo Na grows up, Mo Na will have a baby with Mama!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®I swear she¡¯s trying to kill me here.¡¯


    No longer willing to waste more time on this topic, I promptly changed the topic: ¡°There¡¯s nothing more noble than a mother¡¯s love.¡±


    ¡°Mother¡¯s love?¡± She looked at me, confused. ¡°Did Mama say a mother¡¯s love?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. A mother¡¯s love is the unreserved love a mother shows to her children.¡± I gently rubbed her head and smiled. ¡°That Cerberus had been protecting her child all this while. Even though she knew that there was a chance that it wouldn¡¯t succeed, she still didn¡¯t give up till we appeared¡­perhaps in her eyes, we were potential threats to her baby so she attacked us¡­honestly, I never expected that we would end up helping her.¡±


    Mo Na blinked her eyes and in a voice as clear as day, said: ¡°But Mama¡­that big doggie¡­is a male dog.¡±


    ¡°Ma¡­le?¡±


    Mo Na nodded her. ¡°Mhm, male.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± ¡®Kill me please¡­someone tell me where¡¯s the nearest hole I can hide myself in¡­please.¡¯


    Looking around, I saw No.3 and Big 4 promptly turn their heads away as if they heard nothing at all; Big 4 even whistled a little ditty to emphasize that point¡­


    In the midst of my shame-induced mental collapse, the middle head of the Cerberus, which was still snuggling against his child, barked once to catch my attention. Seeing me look at him, he nodded his head at me before taking a few steps forward and turning around to face me again. Seeing me stand there, he called out once more and beckoned for me to follow him with his head. He then turned around and continued walking.


    ¡®He wants me to follow him?¡¯


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me my determination has finally been recognized by the heavens? Is this my reward?¡¯


    ¡°Follow it, quick. Let¡¯s see where he plans on leading us to.¡± As if I had just struck the lottery, I excitedly chased after the footsteps of the Cerberus.


    ¡®Doesn¡¯t this happen all the time in novels? After helping a sentient beast, they would hand out a reward like leading their saviour to a treasure trove or something. Judging by his attitude, it has to be something good! I wonder what kind of divine weapon will I find there? Honestly, I¡¯m not asking for much, just a divine weapon or two is enough. But if I¡¯m offered seven or eight of them, I won¡¯t say no either!¡¯


    ¡°Mama, where¡¯s the big doggie leading us to?¡±


    ¡°No idea, but Papa feels it¡¯s definitely going to be a good thing.¡±


    Mo Na tilted her head and asked: ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Really really.¡± I gave a confident smile and said: ¡°You must trust your Papa¡¯s instincts.¡±


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 Chapter 202: I’m a Sucker

    With hope in my heart and dreams driving me forward, I chased after the shadow of the Cerberus. Every now and then, the Cerberus would turn around to check if I was still following it. Whenever I lagged behind too much, he would call out to me and rush me along. If I stuck close to him however, he would merely continue onwards without saying a thing. Like that, we ran for roughly five to six minutes before coming upon a black mountain roughly a hundred meters high.


    The Cerberus brought us right up to the mountain base where I found a cave right ahead that didn¡¯t seem too deep. Upon reaching that cave, the cerberus hurriedly brought his kid into the cave without once turning around to check on me as if he was in hurry to be somewhere.


    ¡®Legendary treasure trove, here I come!¡¯


    With that thought, I took my first excited step into the cave and then I had my mind blown. ¡®Where¡¯s my divine weapon?! Where¡¯s my miraculous encounter?! Did I miss a flag somewhere?¡¯


    What I saw instead was a prone Cerberus with a half revealed belly. There I saw a hideous gash that leaked out blood each time the Cerberus breathed. Judging by how the pitiful hellhound laid there in a pool of its own blood, gasping for air and in an extremely weakened state, it wouldn¡¯t be long before that hellhound died.


    ¡°Wooof wooof¡­¡± The male Cerberus lowered his child right next to the body of his injured kin and there the little puppy cried. Even though the puppy was a newborn, it wasn¡¯t dumb. It clearly understood something the moment it laid eyes on that injured Cerberus. Though its wailing was soft, the grief within it was deafening to me.


    Seeing that, I roughly got the gist of the situation.


    ¡®An injured b*tch¡­err, I mean Mama dog¡­I¡¯m not trying to cuss anyone here¡­yeah, let¡¯s go with Mama Hellhound from now on.¡¯ Mama Hellhound must¡¯ve gotten seriously injured while giving birth to her child. Most likely that egg was the result of a premature birth and that explained why it kept leaking life force.


    Dog Daddy¡­Papa Hellhound brought the egg to one of the platforms floating on the lava lake because there was an abundance of fire energy there, unlike the cave we were in right now. Using those energies, he planned on breathing fire while recovering his mana at the same time. Like that, he managed to maintain his breathing for a much longer period of time.


    While my brain filled in the gaps, Mama Hellhound tenderly extended her head out to snuggle against the baby hellhound. Unfortunately, that simple act caused her wound to tear slightly, sending ripples of pain rushing through her body in an instant.


    ¡®I wonder how long has she been in that state¡­¡¯


    ¡®So this isn¡¯t a treasure trove of divine weapons¡­it¡¯s actually a giant pit waiting for me to jump into it¡­all that talk about Papa¡¯s instincts is nothing but a load of hogwash¡­based on that fact, I can at least say that I¡¯m still a man.¡¯


    ¡®After all, a man¡¯s sixth sense will never be able to compete with a girl¡¯s.¡¯


    ¡°I thought our child would never be able to survive¡­there must¡¯ve been some special reason for that¡­I can roughly guess who is responsible for that already¡­you have my thanks¡­beloved guests¡­¡± Mama Hellhound spoke, in fluent devil¡¯s tongue no less. The fact she was able to speak so fluently had exceeded my expectations, but not by much seeing as Violet Snow had already set a precedent for that.


    Seeing my lukewarm reaction, Mama Hellhound opened her mouth in what looked like an attempt at a toothy grin: ¡°Even though I wish to say that I¡¯m happy¡­seeing as my child¡¯s life is safe¡­but I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t have much time to live¡­¡±


    ¡°Your wounds aren¡¯t able to close up?¡±


    There was no need for formalities between us right now because I already knew Papa Hellhound¡¯s motive for bringing me here: he wanted me to save her.


    ¡°I was injured by a slash from a Purgatory Warhorse¡¯s horn¡­my child was birthed prematurely because of that¡­that childbirth drained too much of my energy¡­my body is¡­at least the child managed to survive¡­our child looks so healthy¡­I thought that even if we our child survived¡­¡± As she said that, tears rolled down all of her cheeks. However, she immediately apologized upon realizing how rude it was for her to cry in front of her guests: ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­I couldn¡¯t control myself there¡­¡±


    Seeing his wife cry like that, Papa Hellhound gave a couple of mournful ¡®woof woofs¡¯ and gave me an expecting look. What he was thinking right now was extremely clear to me.


    Fortunately for him, I rather liked hellhounds thanks to my time with Violet Snow. To be exact, I liked all kinds of tiny animals, cats, dogs, whatever. Hellhounds were completely different from devils, they were hounds. Engraved in their bones was a sense of loyalty to their masters. Even if they possessed an intelligence equal to a human¡¯s, they would never strike out against their master.


    Since I was here already, there was no way I would leave her to die like that.


    ¡°Will a Red Lotus help?¡± During our journey eastward, we managed to harvest quite a number of Red Lotuses. The majority of them ended up in Mo Na¡¯s belly but I made sure to keep a reserve just for such emergencies. I had Mo Na take out our emergency supply; there were three fruits left. ¡°I¡¯m sure you know better than I do what these can do for healing wounds.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m extremely grateful for the gesture¡­but¡­please take them back¡­they¡­are no longer able to help me¡­¡±


    From the looks of things, Mama Hellhound must have already eaten quite a number of them but to no avail.


    ¡°Wooof¡­¡± Papa Hellhound lifted his heads and howled at the tiny box attached to Mo Na¡¯s waist.


    ¡°Are you referring to this?¡± I had Mo Na take out the last remaining core stashed in the box. That was probably the real reason why he brought us here.


    Turning my head to face Mama Hellhound, I gently placed the Five-stars Fire Elemental Core in front of her: ¡°If it¡¯s this, I think it might just be able to heal your wounds.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a fire elemental core!¡± Seeing the crimson pearl brought before her like that, her hope was rekindled in an instant. Voice trembling, she asked: ¡°Is this really for me?¡±


    I nodded my head before giving her a faint smile: ¡° I¡¯ve already taken it out so there¡¯s no way I¡¯m keeping it again. Besides, I¡¯m an obsessive compulsive person, unless the ending¡¯s perfect, I can¡¯t settle down at all.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so grateful¡­¡±


    Having said that, she swallowed the core and closed her watery eyes.


    ¡­¡­


    While Mama Hellhound recovered from her injuries, I began pondering the whole situation we were in right now. According to her own words, that injury was from a Purgatory Warhorse¡¯s horn. Within my inherited memories were records of just such a creature.


    These horses had a black hide and a fiery red mane. Those above the level of Four-stars were adults and would grow out a lone horn as proof of such. Upon reaching Six-stars, there was a certain probability of evolving into a Nightmare Steed. These horses were able to traverse the dream world and cast illusions. Their Dreameater ability allowed them to even swallow an opponent¡¯s soul in his dreams. However, they had to spend a considerable amount of time to do so and this amount varied with the difference in power.


    If Mama Hellhound was really injured by a Purgatory Warhorse, did that mean that the two races were at odds with each other? Purgatory Warhorses were known for being arrogant. In order to ride them, one had to first gain their approval. As for Nightmare Steeds, they were considered a rare mount amongst the devils. Even within my inherited memories, there was no record of how these horses evolved into a Nightmare Steed; most likely there had to be some kind of secret requirement.


    ¡®Well, there goes that plan of keeping those cores for No.3 and Big 4. Somehow I ended up give them all away to other people¡­I mean to dogs.¡±


    In order not to interrupt her healing, I brought our little party out of the cave for a stroll. Having finally found a devil life form, I had a ton of question to ask, so for the time being I had no plans of leaving.


    Just as I stepped out of the cave however, Mo Na immediately wrapped her arms around me before asking a question filled with sarcasm: ¡° Mama, didn¡¯t you say that there was treasure here?¡±


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    ¡°¡­well, Mr. Treasure is not home today, he¡¯s out visiting his friends.¡±


    ¡°So when will he come home?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°Mama¡¯s instinct isn¡¯t accurate at all, Mama clearly said that there would be treasure here and yet there¡¯s nothing here at all. We ended up giving them two treasures instead.¡±


    ¡°¡­that¡¯s enough little girl, is it that fun making fun of your Papa?¡± I picked her up with my left hand and gave two resounding spanks on her little butt. ¡°Just look at them, their entire family of¡­dogs already have it so tough, we should help them if we can instead of nitpicking about such worldly goods. Life is priceless, got it?¡±


    ¡°Life is priceless? So Mama is saying we should protect the lives of others?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Clearly this was a mess I started so no matter what I had to see it through to the end. Thus, I said: ¡°Do you have a problem with that?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    However, having experienced my spanks of fury before, Mo Na didn¡¯t fear them one single bit and instead tilted her head before giving me devious smile: ¡°Mo Na has no problem with that but what about Mama? Mama kills so many Demon Fire Worms everyday and yet she talks about life being priceless¡­is that really all right?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t you dare doubt that I will teach you what a head to ground smash is, right here, right now.¡¯


    ¡°Master, the hellhounds are stronger than us, what if¡­¡± Amidst my moment of awkwardness, No.3 came rushing to the rescue while casually voicing out his concern: ¡°If they decide to betray us, I¡¯m afraid we¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all right. I¡¯ve been Violet Snow long enough already. She told me that the hellhounds are a race that will always repay their debts. They are utterly faithful to their masters while still possessing a formidable combat strength. Even if they don¡¯t reward us with anything, there¡¯s no way they would turn on us.¡±


    It was precisely because of all that time I spent with Violet Snow that I ended up learning so much about the hellhounds. Thanks to that, I ended up liking the hellhounds and ended up saving that pair of husband and wife.


    If I didn¡¯t save those two hellhounds, Violet Snow would most likely throw a furious fit the moment I saw her again.


    Thinking back to my time with that adorable puppy, I couldn¡¯t help but think of Numila, Eugenia and Elena as well.


    ¡®I wonder how were they doing right now, it shouldn¡¯t be too bad over there, right? They have so many people there after all. Besides, with Flametail by Numila¡¯s side, I doubt they will face too much trouble there in Abaddon unless someone really strong came knocking on their door.¡¯


    ¡®Even if someone came knocking, Habona¡¯s with them as well. The medusas are pretty strong too. Bacarel and his half-orcs lived there before entering the Prison of the Dead so they should at least count as half a native, even if the location they teleported to wasn¡¯t the same as where they lived before.¡¯


    ¡®They should be fine, right¡­those ladies¡­¡¯

 Chapter 203:Sinmosa and Sasani

    Regardless of how things were in Abaddon, our situation right now wasn¡¯t going to change one bit. For now, the best thing I could do was to find a way to enter Abaddon as soon as possible¡­lest I spent several hundred years wandering around here¡­the lifespan of a devil made such a wait technically possible but still, a few hundred years would be¡­unbearable.


    Having said that, I ended up spending the next half an hour or so loafing around before the hellhound family finally came out of the cave. Leading the pack was Mama Hellhound who looked noticeably livelier now. The hideous gash on her belly was gone and her body was practically brimming with mana. Looking at her, one wouldn¡¯t have thought that she was a dying hellhound just moments ago.


    ¡°Words cannot describe the kindness you¡¯ve shown us today, my savior.¡± Mama Hellhound stood before me with her family and then, prostrated herself along with family.


    Being a little puppy, the baby hellhound didn¡¯t take too well to the uncomfortable posture but just as it tried to stand up, Papa Hellhound forced it down once more with a pat of his giant paws.


    ¡®I guess I can¡¯t really blame the kid for that, after all who enjoyed kneeling, barring those who were craven.¡¯


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that at all, please, just stand up first. I have my own motives as well for helping you.¡± I rushed towards them and tried to get them to stand up with my hands. ¡°Truth be told, we just came from the Prison of the Dead. We intended to teleport to Abaddon but we had a little accident mid way and ended up here. A while ago, we helped some fire elementals and they pointed us in this direction. That¡¯s how we came to be here¡­¡±


    I briefly retold our story to Mama Hellhound who first expressed shock and then understanding.


    ¡°No wonder¡­actually, it has been over 80 000 years since we last had a devil appear here. Had it not been for our inherited memories, I¡¯m afraid we might not have recognized you at all¡­¡±


    ¡®80 000 years since the last devil? Then what was Arca talking about when he pointed us eastwards? Ah, perhaps in his eyes, hellhounds and Purgatory Warhorses were all different types of devils.¡¯


    Strictly speaking, they were all devils of the category, fiendish creatures, otherwise known as devil life forms. From a traditional perspective however, they weren¡¯t devils. To most humans, devils were considered humanoids who evolved from the imp evolutionary tree.


    In reality, devils weren¡¯t only the races blessed by the seven original sins. The seven clans built around the sins were merely the most well-known devils; there were still other comparatively weaker devil clans such as the Ice Devils living in Gehenna, or the Wendigos who were once humans but became devils due to their cannibalistic acts. Essentially, there were a huge variety of devil types that weren¡¯t known to humans.


    ¡°Can you tell me what happened 80 000 years ago, I¡¯m rather curious about that.¡± I had a ton of questions I want answered but like all things, they had to be done in order. ¡°According to legends, this land was once a prosperous territory ruled by a Devil King. That Devil King suddenly disappeared, resulting in the land¡¯s eventual decline. I heard all the subordinates of that Devil King disappeared soon after as well. Was all that¡­true?¡±


    ¡°They are, even though I wasn¡¯t there to witness it personally, but my inherited memories clearly held a record of such an event. The details aren¡¯t known but such an inexplicable event did in fact happen and the kingdom fell apart as a result. The kingdom was known as the Demonic Kingdom of Sable Radiance and was overwhelmingly powerful in its heyday. However, ever since its Devil King vanished, the entire territory has remained sealed up by some mysterious power that bars anyone from entering or leaving¡­¡±


    ¡®Kingdom? Demonic kingdom? So the devils actually created a kingdom and even had a king?¡±


    ¡°What was the Devil King¡¯s level?¡± Devil King, words you would normally find in a novel, and words you normally used to describe a powerful being. Such figures were often slain by heroes in those novels but that didn¡¯t mean they were weak at all. Just the opposite, they were terrifyingly powerful, it was just that the main character halo of those heroes were just that overwhelming. It was for that reason that the words ¡®Devil King¡¯ immediately perked my interest.


    Mama Hellhound pondered for a moment before finally giving an answer: ¡°Devil King¡­Devil Kings belonged to the realm of demigods¡­those above the level of Seven-stars were known as Lords, next came the Nine-stars Overlords, and finally the Ten-stars Devil King¡­¡±


    Just from the terms alone, I could tell how massive the difference between each power level was. As the name suggested, Eight-star Lords were basically commanders while the Nine-stars were the rulers of a territory. As for Devil Kings¡­they weren¡¯t even mortals anymore.


    According to the ranking system of the humans, Devil Overlords were of the same level as a Sword Saint or a Hierophant.


    One thing had to be made clear however, reaching Nine-stars gave one the ability to become an Overlord of a territory but it did not automatically grant them the title. Stil, it was basically impossible for anyone to become an Overlord without that level of power in Purgatory. Naturally, that didn¡¯t mean that there weren¡¯t Devil Overlords who were below the level of Nine-stars. While these exceptions were still known as Devil Overlords, that title meant a lot less when used on them.


    With regards to the history of Sable Radiance, Arca and Mama Hellhound both didn¡¯t have too much information on that subject. Thus, I was unable to uncover the truth behind the Devil King¡¯s sudden disappearance as well.


    In conclusion, the lands of Sable Radiance were now forbidden grounds that barred thoroughfare completely.


    Throughout all that, I also learnt the names of Mama Hellhound and Papa Hellhound; they were Sinmosa and Sasani respectively. As for the little puppy, it was nameless for the time being.


    Sinmosa was extremely grateful for my aid, and volunteered to follow us on this journey to find an exit to Abaddon.


    Her main motive was to repay the favor I showed them; a motive which I didn¡¯t mind one bit. Sasani and Sinmosa were both Five-stars experts and even their child was a powerful Three-stars hellhound. That was in large part due to the elemental core it absorbed at birth. Not only did the core replenish its leaking lifeforce, the core also levelled it up in general. All it needed to do was evolve one more time to become a Cerberus. Naturally, I was more than happy to accept them.


    Now that they had become our travelling companions, I took the opportunity to ask about our surroundings as well, before deciding on our next course.


    Accordingly, I made the decision to head West. To be honest, it wasn¡¯t even much of a decision at all. The south was the lava lake so that was out of the question for now. The north belonged to the Purgatory Warhorses. Those horses were communal creatures and preferred moving around as a herd ¡ªclearly not easy prey at all.


    As a side note, the reason why Sinmosa got injured in the first place was because she encountered those horses while foraging for necessities in the north. The northern regions were mostly grasslands and were home to a rare plant known as Flamegrass that boosted the fire element of those who ate it. More importantly, this strengthening effect would not only apply to Sinmosa if she ate it, but also to the egg she bore then. For a pregnant hellhound like her, there was no better nourishment.


    Were there parents who didn¡¯t wish for the best for their children? The answer was obviously a no. This hellhound couple was the same as well. They hoped to give their child a leg up in life so they decided to search for the Flamegrass despite knowing that it was a rare herb valued by the Purgatory Warhorses as well.


    Initially, they didn¡¯t think that they would have to venture deep into the lands of the Purgatory Warhorses, but because Flamegrasses weren¡¯t often found in the border regions, they ended up doing so anyway. As they cautiously traversed the grasslands, they prayed that they wouldn¡¯t be found by the Purgatory Warhorses. Naturally, there was no god who would listen to a devil¡¯s prayer so they ended up bumping into the horses. With just two of them, there was no way they would ever win against a herd of demonic horses. Thus, they fled with their tails between their legs. The fact that they made it out alive was a miracle in of itself.


    However, there was one thing about their story that struck me as strange. Purgatory Warhorses were communal creatures, that much was true, but weren¡¯t the hellhounds communal as well?


    If a question needed answers, then it had to asked, that was my motto. ¡°I remember hellhounds being communal creatures as well, are there not other hellhounds in this region?¡±


    ¡°There are¡­the reason why we had to live alone out here is because¡­because¡­¡± Sinmosa stuttered, word after word. Clearly, there was some kind of reason behind that decision that was hard to say out loud. However, she finally relented under my questioning gaze. ¡°Truth be told, Sasani and I¡­are siblings¡­¡±


    Nani?! Siblings?


    ¡®What the heck! Is it really all right for the two of you to act like that? Aren¡¯t you worried that your child might end being born with disabilities?¡±


    The moment that explosive bit of news hit me, I couldn¡¯t help but turn my eyes onto the little black puppy. As of right now, it was busy playing with Mo Na and from the looks of things, it didn¡¯t seem to have any intellectual disabilities¡­


    ¡®Ahem. Tripping on its own feet doesn¡¯t count, I think¡­come to think of it, how did a dog even trip on its own feet? Sounds really difficult to me¡­maybe that little puppy is actually a genius¡­in a certain sense¡­¡¯


    At first, I thought that Sasani must have had some kind of intellectual disability, since he couldn¡¯t speak and all, but upon giving it more thought, I realized how wrong I was. I was the one that was stupid instead. After all, wasn¡¯t Sasani the real winner in life? Marrying your younger sister and all that, didn¡¯t that only happen in fantasy novels¡­


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    ¡®A sister, a real life imouto! You b*stard, I curse you to a life ofinstant ramen without any flavor packets.¡¯


    That piece of news was a truly a shocking revelation. Even now, I still couldn¡¯t wrap my head around Sasani¡¯s unearthly fortune.


    ¡°Mama, if a pair of brother and sister can give birth, then Mama and I can as well.¡± Hugging the little puppy in her arms, Mo Na flew over for an adorable little quip: ¡°Mama, when can we have a kid? I want our child to be as cute as Blacky over here.¡±


    ¡°Shoo, stop messing around and go play over there.¡±


    ¡®This brother is still searching for his pee pee, what are you insinuating by asking me this?Also, I¡¯ve always treated you as my daughter and yet you wish to ride me¡­I swear I can¡¯t keep up with this world anymore¡­¡¯


    Seeing my ever-changing expression, Sinmosa immediately launched into another explanation about their backstory, fearing that I might misunderstand them if she didn¡¯t do so.

 Chapter 204: Walking in the Cold Wind

    Sinmosa lost her parents while she was still extremely young and ended up being raised by Sasani. For the siblings, acquiring food in the ruins of what used to be Sable Radiance wasn¡¯t easy as one might imagine, especially since Sasani wasn¡¯t that much older than Sinmosa either. Just feeding himself took a great deal of effort, let alone finding food for Sinmosa who still had no ability to hunt for herself.


    Back then, while the siblings were still staying with their clan, the elders in the clan would periodically organize a hunting raid. To Sasani, there was no better benefit to staying in the clan than that. As long as Sasani participated in the raid, the elders in the clan would give him a portion of the spoils and though that still wasn¡¯t much in the end, it was something. Because Sasani¡¯s parents died during such a raid, the elders in the clan would pay special attention to the orphaned Sasani since that was the custom then.


    However, Sasani was a rather headstrong hellhound and didn¡¯t like being showed favoritism. Thus, he was often the most hardworking hellhound in the raid, all that to feed his little sister. In order to gain more contribution for himself, so as to gain more rewards at the end, he would treat each and every raid seriously unlike the other hellhounds of his age who were only there to make up numbers. It was precisely this go-getter attitude that earned him the praise of his elders, and the scorn of his peers.


    To be honest, such a thing wasn¡¯t all that surprising. It was just like school back on Earth where there was always that one kid who didn¡¯t play with others,always scored well in tests and more importantly, had the favor of the teachers. Given such qualities, there was no way the underperformers would ever like that kid.


    Sasani was essentially ¡®that kid¡¯ in this story.


    During the times where there wasn¡¯t any raid, Sasani would go out hunting alone. He was only a Three-stars then, which honestly would have made him an expert within the Prison of the Dead. However, this was Sable Radiance, and in Sable Radiance, a Three-stars was nothing.


    Prior to becoming a Cerberus, Sasani wasn¡¯t able to hunt for Demon Fire Worms in the lava lake. Because of that, he could only hunt on land for food. Naturally, game was scarce on land, with the Demon Fire Worms rarely coming up to shore, the Dark Flame Snails even less so.


    Still, it wasn¡¯t like there was no way to lure those two creatures onto land. By using Red Lotuses or Flamegrasses as bait, there was a chance of luring them to shore. However, expecting a Three-star to forage for Red Lotuses and Flamegrasses¡­well, let¡¯s just say he would be lucky if he didn¡¯t die on the road.


    Those days of raising Sinmosa by himself were truly tough for Sasani but he still persevered. Like that, ten years passed by in an instant. Throughout all that, his sister always held the number one spot in his heart and that showed in the selfless sacrifices he made for her. It was under such circumstances that Sinmosa fell for him and then eventually got together with him.


    Procreation between those who were blood related was known to have a serious impact on the offspring produced. For example, there were increased chances of deformities, intellectual impairments and recessive genetic disorders.


    Those were unavoidable dangers that grew the closer a blood relation was. As a result, children born through inbreeding had a much higher mortality rate, several times more in fact, when compared to those born between parents who weren¡¯t related


    (TL: Please be advised, certain terms will avoided in order not to offend the sensitivities of certain vocal groups. Apparently, ¡®Beastial¡¯ is offensive, lul.)


    Naturally, all that was said with only humans in mind, they tended to be frail after all. Even so, that didn¡¯t mean that devils were completely immune to the effects of recessive genetic disorders either. Although their bodies were built a lot sturdier and thus had a lower probability of being affected by recessive genetic disorders, the probability wasn¡¯t completely zero.


    (TL: To clarify his poorly worded content, a human¡¯s constitution has nothing to do with recessive genetic disorders being passed on but they do suffer more from the effects of certain genetic traits when compared to the devils. Devils, being sturdier, do not suffer as much from said genetic traits even if they are revealed. Plus, devils would most likely possess more desirable traits to pass on than a human.


    For example, humans with Sickle Cell Anemia would suffer intermittent pain episodes because of the lack of blood. In a devil however, he might have a higher pain tolerance or some kind increased bodily function that nullifies this problem.)


    Take for example an arbitrary devil from Purgatory known as Devil A. Suppose Devil A liked hot climates and suffered from abnormalities in cold climates. Should he spend an extended amount of time in such frosty climates, Devil A might just end up developing some kind of disorder. Suppose that disorder was inheritable, while it might not necessarily pass onto the next generation, could one guarantee that it wouldn¡¯t pass onto the next?


    (TL: The following paragraph is added text because the author is really bad at explaining concepts¡­)


    {Assuming that the disorder was the result of a recessive gene, meaning that two copies of said gene had to be present in order for the disorder or trait to be present, there existed a chance of the gene being passed down or triggering even during a normal childbirth. Inbreeding would cause homozygosity, which meant that a cell contained identical alleles of a particular gene, which then increased the chances of said disorder triggering.}


    (TL: Technically, that addition still doesn¡¯t link up to his point about devils being stronger but the author¡¯s example was kind of lousy to begin with¡­I¡¯m just linking his lousy example to inbreeding¡­)


    Thus, even amongst the devils, inbreeding was viewed as taboo.


    Just based on that point alone, one could imagine how much resistance the pair must have met when they first announced their coupling, especially for Sasani who wasn¡¯t even that well liked by his peers to begin with.


    However, I had to admit that this child of theirs seemed like a healthy one. There were no intellectual impairments or deformities to be seen anywhere; it was probably a perfectly hale and hearty baby.


    It was precisely because of that reason that Sinmosa and Sasani treasured their child even more.


    Now, that she was done explaining their circumstances, Sinmosa proceeded onto a more detailed introduction of this land, the remnants of Sable Radiance.


    As mentioned before, the north belonged to the Purgatory Warhorses; that area was off-limits for now. The east belonged to the hellhounds and even further east was the territory of the Purgatory Shadowcats.


    The Purgatory Shadowcats were solitary creatures that could be identified by their mostly black fur, riddled with crimson streaks. Compared to the hellhounds, they had a smaller frame but were more agile, and they specialized in shadow magic instead of fire.


    For the most part, the relation between the two of them was lukewarm at best, neither too bad nor too good. There were barely any interactions between the two races except for a scuffle that happened several decades ago. In the end, neither side managed to make any significant gains so they ended up signing a truce in which both sides were forbidden from entering the other¡¯s territory freely.


    The Purgatory Shadowcats were a race famous for their wealth of strange knowledge. The elderly amongst them were renowned scholars despite being basically a bunch of shut-ins who rarely left their homes other than to forage for food. All that was only made possible by a unique ability of theirs:


    The ability to traverse the realm of dreams.


    Their Dreamwalking ability took effect only after they went to sleep. Their souls would enter a mysterious state of consciousness that was difficult to describe with words. Simply put, the Purgatory Shadowcats were able to penetrate dimensional barriers in their soul state. While they might not be able to affect reality in such a state, this Dreamwalking ability of theirs allowed them to gather a ton of useful and useless information.


    The Purgatory Shadowcats were originally creatures of Abaddon and were known simply as Shadowcats back then. Unlike their Purgatory cousins, Shadowcats in Abaddon were purely black and didn¡¯t possess crimson streaks in their fur. The streaks came about a long time ago when the first batch of Shadowcats entered Purgatory. Upon acclimatizing themselves to the climate of Purgatory, their bodies began to change into the what we knew today as Purgatory Shadowcats. The streaks were essentially formed to absorb energy from the heat.


    In actuality, there was not much difference between the two races except that the Purgatory variant was more resistant to heat and weaker to cold.


    As for news about entering Abaddon, Sinmosa and Sasani weren¡¯t able to provide much details on that matter. Thus, they gave me a suggestion instead: go ask the Purgatory Shadowcats.


    Of all the races here, they possessed the greatest wealth of knowledge thanks to their Dreamwalking. However, their personalities were a little on the eccentric side so requesting aid from them wasn¡¯t going to be easy.


    Still, in order to find the Purgatory Shadowcats, we first had to pass through the territory of the hellhounds. With regards to that prospect, the looks on a certain Cerberus couple¡¯s faces immediately turned unnatural. Judging by that look, they didn¡¯t seem to have much fond memories of their clan. As for the reason for that¡­naturally it was because of their controversial choice.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to go back, we can always circle around that area instead.¡±


    To me, Sinmosa and Sasani were both experts, being at Five-stars and all. With them as my bodyguards, I felt a lot safer travelling through Purgatory. While Five-stars wasn¡¯t really that powerful in the grand scheme of things, it was sufficient for most situations. After all, those above Five-stars rarely travelled alone so even if we met such a grouping, we would have to run away anyway.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, we¡¯re just passing through. All we have to do is let them know that the child is fine.¡± Sinmosa threw me another grateful look before continuing: ¡°Truth be told, the odds of a disorder occurring in inbred hellhound children is a lot higher than the other races. Thankfully, after a round of checkups, I found that our child was born perfectly healthy¡­no doubt that was thanks to your efforts¡­as long as we let them know the child is fine¡­¡±


    As she said that, she abruptly stopped. Seeing her eyes quiver, I could tell she held a strong attachment to the clan. It was after all, the place she grew up in; it would¡¯ve been weirder if she wasn¡¯t so attached to it.


    Another problem worth mentioning was the child¡¯s socialization. Being away from the clan meant that it wouldn¡¯t have any peers for the most of its childhood.


    Also, even though their child was born healthy, Sinmosa and Sasani still couldn¡¯t return to the clan because their existence was a rather unique one in the clan.


    To be exact, their punishment had to remain lest someone tried to mimic their actions upon seeing their punishment revoked so easily. For the clan as a whole, what Sinmosa and Sasani did was a major infraction of the clan¡¯s rules so punishment was an absolute necessity.


    Like what Sinmosa mentioned, the hellhounds were more prone to disorders appearing during inbreeding. In light of that, what they did was even more egregious and an example had to be made of them.


    However, the fact remained that being alienated from the clan would have a negative impact on their child. Without playmates at its age, it would grow up to be insociable. After all, hellhounds were a communal species. While a family might have been enough for other races, a family unit simply wasn¡¯t enough to perform the functions of a clan. Notably, once the little puppy grew up, it would be hard for it to find a significant other¡­


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    ¡®Come to think of it, I still don¡¯t know what its gender was¡­¡¯

 Chapter 205: The Reason for Being Together

    ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, your child doesn¡¯t have a name yet, do you need my help coming up with a name?¡± Having came up with so many good names for my subordinates in the past, I was rather confident in my naming sense so I decided to offer my services before asking one last question, a question that I had been concerned about all this while: ¡°Oh right, is your child a male or a female?¡±


    ¡°A female.¡±


    ¡®So it¡¯s a female, great, great, if it¡¯s a she then I don¡¯t need to take her out by accident. My daughter will be safe after all.¡¯


    Looking at the two little scamps playing together nearby, Sinmosa smiled a mother¡¯s smile. ¡°Miss¨Cter Mo Ke, if it¡¯s all right with you, can you name our daughter.¡±


    ¡°You were about to say ¡®Miss¡¯ weren¡¯t you¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± She gave me an awkward smile and neither denied nor confirmed that.


    ¡®Bah, I just knew that would happen sooner or later. It¡¯s not even worth my energy to refute it anymore.¡¯


    Intending to move on quickly, I threw out a quick explanation of my gender before getting down to her request. ¡°Whatever the case, you just have to know that I¡¯m a male. As for your daughter¡¯s name¡­how about we call her Lil¡¯Blacky.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that look, I was just joking, livening up the mood and all that¡­definitely not out of spite for what you did¡­if you don¡¯t like that name, I¡¯ll just change it so there¡¯s no need for that stare¡­believe me, it will be good¡­how about Cinderel?¡±


    The name Cinderel was something I came up with after thinking of that famous fairytale. It was a pleasant sounding name and had a pretty decent connotation behind it. After all, the heroine did marry a prince. And yes, the name was nothing but a rip off of Cinderell*¡­


    ¡°Cinderel?¡± Sinmosa paused for a moment, giving the name some thought before turning to her husband who had been listening intently to our conversation till now. The two began conversing in the tongue of the hellhounds after which Sasani gave a nod of his head, seemingly pleased with the name I gave. WIth that settled, there wasn¡¯t much reason for Sinmosa to reject either: ¡°My thanks, Mister Mo Ke. Our child will be known as Cinderel from now on.¡±


    Having said that, she turned her eyes back to the little black puppy still in the midst of horsing around with Mo Na.


    ¡®Hmmm really though, what¡¯s wrong with Lil¡¯Blacky, it¡¯s endearing and full of meaning¡­¡¯


    With regards to finding the Purgatory Shadowcats, it was rather simple, just head east. There was no chance of getting lost this time since we had Sinmosa and Sasani to lead us along the way. As an added bonus, we no longer had to waste time on trivial tasks like scouring for food thanks to Sasani. His familiarity with the surroundings meant that hunting was a lot faster as well.


    To the husband and wife, leading us around and accompanying us wasn¡¯t the most difficult part of the journey at all., Rather, it was the fact that they had to face their own kin that concerned them the most.


    Naturally, it would be best if we passed through the territory of the hellhounds without being noticed but was that even possible? After all, hellhounds were famous for their amazing sense of smell. For strangers like us to even pass through unnoticed was basically¡­impossible.


    On the second day of being in the territory of the hellhounds, we were discovered by a patrol. Coincidentally, the patrolling hellhound was someone Sasani knew, even more coincidentally and perhaps worse so, that person, dog, was Sinmosa¡¯s suitor. Emphasis on the was¡­


    With regards to this particular encounter, one had to first know about a certain life form in Purgatory before talking about this story. The territory of the hellhounds was a mountainous one with steep slopes and rock terrain abound. It was a difficult land to traverse, for us at least.


    The land itself barely had any plant life so the roads were mostly blackened stones with streaks of red lava peeking through the cracks from time to time. Within said streaks lived a number of strange insects that could be consumed as meat. However, those insects tasted horrible and most hellhounds avoided eating them unless they really had to. Even in the hardest of times, Sasani would never allow Sinmosa to eat those insects.


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    Because those insects were remarkably weak, their souls were extremely fragile as well. The instant they died, their souls would immediately dissipate into the air leaving nothing behind to be consumed.


    The hellhounds named these type of insects Meat Worms because of their remarkable resemblance to wood borers, except that they were painted red.Naturally, I avoided them completely, let alone think about eating them. Mo Na on the other hand, was fascinated by them but thankfully I managed to nip that fascination in the bud by force.


    Other than those worms, there was another source of meat known as the Flame Devouring Frogs. These frogs were basically the frogs from Earth but with a tunneling ability and no fixed habitat.


    They mostly reached the level of One-star with some even reaching Two-stars. These frogs were communal creatures and grew to be as large as a kitten while still possessing an impressive leaping ability. Their meat was known for being delicious so they ended up as one of the main food sources for the hellhounds.


    The whole reason why we bumped into Sinmosa¡¯s suitor was because Sasani so happened to bump into them while they were out hunting for frogs as well.


    Like that, the two Cerberuses met each other despite both assuming that they would never have to see each other¡¯s ugly mug for the rest of their lives.


    ¡°Ruff ruff!¡±


    ¡°Awoof!¡±


    Both sides gave out a warning howl. However, since I couldn¡¯t really tell the two apart, I almost mistook the new Cerberus for Sasani. Had it not been for the fact that Sasani was clearly the one standing nearer to us, and that his soul aura was familiar to me, I might have really mixed the two hellhounds up.


    ¡°What¡¯s up with those two?¡± I pointed at the two Cerberuses and turned around to ask Sinmosa who had just rushed over after hearing Sasani¡¯s howl: ¡°Aren¡¯t you guys from the same clan? Why is Sasani acting like he just met an enemy?¡±


    ¡°The one facing off against Brother is Neanderke, he used to be¡­¡± All three of her lips curled into a bitter smile having said that. ¡°He used to be my suitor¡­the most fanatic kind as well¡­¡±


    ¡°Ohh¡­¡±


    ¡®So that¡¯s why¡­.come to think of it, if I was fanatically chasing after another girl, but that girl ended up eloping with her own brother instead¡­I would¡¯ve probably lost my mind there and then.¡¯


    ¡®I totally get where that Cerberus is coming from now. I bet he and all the other suitors were thinking something along the lines of: at least choose one of us, anyone is better than your own brother! Or perhaps something along the lines of: are you siblings messing with us or something?! Perhaps even something the lines of: I treated you as my older brother-in-law and yet you stole my goddess from me?! Well, I¡¯m out of perhaps for now¡­either way the moral of the story is, poor Neanderke¡­¡¯


    ¡°Mama, looking at those two Cerberuses reminds me of a saying¡­¡± Mo Na furrowed her immaculate eyebrows and thought hard for a moment before enunciating the phrase, word by word. ¡°Men are naught but fortune¡¯s fools¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Soon after that stormy greeting, the Cerberus known as Neanderke discovered our position as well. His attention, however, was immediately captured by someone else entirely: Sinmosa. The moment she trotted into view, outsiders like us were completely erased from his sight.


    Tossing aside his hated love rival, he galloped towards the nearby Sinmosa and though his three dog faces still looked foreign to me, I could tell that they had on blissful smiles at the moment.


    Neanderke must have really liked Sinmosa. Really. He liked her so much, he even ignored the fact that she was already happily married. He liked her so much, he threw aside everything the moment he saw her and galloped right to her side, only to have his dream shattered right away¡­


    Standing right next to Sinmosa was not only me but also Mo Na, and in Mo Na¡¯s arms was a certain puppy known as Cinderel.


    To a hellhound like Neanderke, there was no way he wasn¡¯t able to detect the combined scent of Sasani and Sinmosa on the unknown little puppy.


    Just based on that alone, one could, beyond any reasonable doubt, judge that she was a child of those two.


    If I had to describe the poor hellhound right now, a certain song verse came to mind:


    I thought staying behind wasn¡¯t wrong


    I thought my hard work would be understood


    Yet even the falling leaves are mocking me


    .


    .


    .


    <>


    (TL:<> Go youtube it yourself.)


    (TL: Not going to translate the whole song because he wants to make up his word count¡­)


    Truth be told, I really pitied Neanderke. From his doggy dog faces, I could feel the immeasurable sorrow oozing out of them. It was as if the entire world had abandoned him despite all he had done. He probably thought that they would never meet again in this lifetime but fate decided to play a cruel trick on him. Not only did he meet his goddess once more, he even met the child she bore with his hated rival¡­


    ¡®Oh heavens, please send down your heavenly wrath to strike this d*mned love triangle¡­¡¯

 Chapter 206: Cruel and Unusual Punishmen

    ¡°Woof¡­woof¡­?¡± Neanderke barked, voice trembling with every woof he uttered.


    Sinmosa nodded and barked back at the Cerberus. As if right on cue, Sasani came up from behind and gave the stunned Cerberus a triumphant look before pointing all three of his noses high into the air and snorting proudly. Ever so deliberately, he strutted up to his wife and gently but intimately rubbed against her.


    ¡°Awooo!!! Seeing Sasani, his bitter rival, snuggle so blatantly against Sinmosa, Neanderke immediately flew into a rage and howled like an angered wolf.


    Just as the incensed hellhound was about to pounce however, Sinmosa barked gently at him. ¡°Aroo woo woof.¡±


    Hearing her response, the anger in him immediately dissipated and so did his contorted expression. What remained instead was forlorn look, as if there was nothing worth living for in this cruel world.


    While I might not understand the tongue of the hellhounds, a convoluted and messy relationship like theirs, a relationship that could probably give those korean drama shows a run for their money I might add, wasn¡¯t all that hard to figure out by filling in the gaps with one¡¯s imagination.


    Simply put, in the midst of hunting for food, Neanderke stumbled on what might have been an actual enemy in the past, judging by the anger he displayed on first sight. However, he found Sinmosa soon after and that anger faded. Unfortunately, before he could approach her, he found a certain little puppy hanging around her. To his horror, he found out she was their child¡­


    Unable to accept a shock like that, not to mention that timely snort from Sasani, he immediately flew into a rage but was abruptly stopped by his goddess once more. At that point, she probably said this to him: ¡°You¡¯re a good man(dog), I¡¯m sure you will find a better girl(female dog) in the future.¡±


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    The moment she said that, his entire doggy heart crumbled.


    This wasn¡¯t just a matter of meeting one¡¯s rival in love and being exceptionally angered, this was but nothing cruel and unusual punishment! Inhumane even! In fact, he wasn¡¯t even a human but a dog¡­


    Still, the fact that his goddess had married and even given birth to a child was already a done deal. After a moment to calm himself down, he finally came to terms with this cruel reality.


    This time, Sasani chose to stand aside so as not to incite his rival any further. Neanderke and Sinmosa then proceeded to converse together. Honestly, there really wasn¡¯t much to talk about now. All she did was to explain to him that they were merely passing through and wouldn¡¯t cause any harm to the clan.


    Clearly out of it, Neanderke merely gave a few cursory responses before drifting away with an ashen look on all three of his dog faces. Before leaving however, he barked one last time. Naturally, I still didn¡¯t know what he said but the words left Sasani in a shock.


    Looking at the slowly disappearing and slumped figure of Neanderke, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little curious so I asked Sinmosa: ¡°What did that hellhound say just now? Sasani seemed rather agitated by his words.¡±


    ¡°I asked Neanderke not to pass on news of our presence to the clan but he said that it was his duty to report anything of note to the elders¡­¡± Having explained that, Sinmosa gave a helpless shake of her head to Sasani. While it might have looked like she was addressing Sasani, she instead spoke in the tongue of the devil: ¡°What has to come will come in the end, we can¡¯t avoid it.¡±


    ¡®Looks like they really didn¡¯t want their kin to know of their return¡­¡¯


    ¡®Honestly, what they did was truly a debacle for the clan. They should¡¯ve known what kind of response it would trigger¡­but I guess sometimes men(dogs) just can¡¯t control themselves, especially when it comes to matters of the heart¡­¡¯


    While Sinmosa might not have given too much details on how they got together, I could roughly discern some information from the way Neanderke acted just now.


    Their departure from the clan was definitely planned well in advance and neither planned to give the clan any warning about it; they probably thought that they wouldn¡¯t ever return to the clan again.


    Thus their kin probably assumed that they had gone missing or had gotten into trouble. Given that assumption, was it any wonder that Neanderke was so excited when he saw Sinmosa? As for that hostile reaction to Sasani, I was pretty sure that it had more to do with the two of them being at odds with each other.


    I wasn¡¯t planning to stick my head into the affairs of their clan either way so Neanderke¡¯s departure really didn¡¯t matter to me. If we left Sasani behind and rushed off towards the east¡­


    Not long ago after Neanderke left, a visibly anxious Sasani could be seen pacing around incessantly. He must have really wanted to leave for the clan territory right away, out of fear of something bad happening.


    Given what Neanderke said before leaving, we would most likely meet that hellhound again, then however, he wouldn¡¯t be alone.


    Truth be told, I kinda pitied Sasani right now, mostly though, I was delighted at his misfortune¡­after all, he should have known that such an unorthodox relationship would earn them both the scorn of their kin.


    Moreover, he was the older of the two and being older, he naturally should have known better. Even if it was the two of them who committed something wrong, the older one had to take all the responsibility for it¡­or at least most of it. In such instances, the older one was always at a disadvantage, especially given that Sinmosa was a female¡­in a certain sense, Sinmosa was probably innocent in the eyes of others; Sasani was the one who should be quartered and sliced up¡­simply put, this sister-loving dog needed to be shot a million times!


    Just as I had expected, the moment we crossed the borders of the hellhounds¡¯ territory, the bull-like silhouette of an unknown Cerberus and Neanderke could be seen quietly watching us from an elevated position.


    The moment Sasani laid eyes on Neanderke and that unknown Cerberus, his face instantly froze up and stayed that way for a long way.


    ¡®Looks like there¡¯s going to be another show to watch.¡¯ Seeing that troubled look on that sister-loving dog, I couldn¡¯t help but want to chuckle.


    Trying his best to act calm, Sasani slowly trotted forward as if he never saw those two at all. Unfortunately for him, that gigantic Cerberus gave a long, drawn out howl the very next moment. Given the volume of that howl, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if even the deaf heard him. Sasani knew that the gig was up so he obediently changed course and trotted towards Neanderke.


    ¡°My apologies, Mister Mo Ke, it looks like we will have to spend some extra time here¡­¡±


    With regards to that summon, neither Sasani nor Sinmosa dared to ignore it seeing as it came from an elder. Thus, she had no choice but to apologize to me. She attempted to explain what was going on to me but it might as well have been her way of voicing out the situation to herself: ¡°That¡¯s our uncle¡­usually he treats us well but he tends to be a little too strict¡­¡±


    (TL: Uncle in this case refers to the younger male cousin of a father rather than a sibling of said father.)


    ¡®Oho, so that¡¯s their uncle, no wonder he¡¯s so huge. I just knew his level couldn¡¯t be low, he probably has some status in the clan as well. For their family to have such a scandal¡­how unfortunate it must have been for them¡­¡¯


    For some strange reason, seeing Sasani act like a wilted eggplant just gave me so much joy. If I had to describe what a wilted eggplant was like, it would be that it was even limper than usual. I honestly didn¡¯t know why I felt so happy about his misery, but I knew for sure that I was happy and that was enough for me.


    ¡®Poor Neanderke¡­¡¯


    ¡°Mama, that big doggie is so strong¡­¡± Being one of the rare moments she wasn¡¯t playing around with Cinderel, Mo Na returned once more to her perch atop my neck. As she sat there, eyes sparkling and head resting on my own, she stared unblinkingly at Uncle Hellhound: ¡°Mama, that big doggie looks so fierce.¡±


    Like she said, Sinmosa¡¯s uncle truly looked powerful. If I had to judge from his stature alone, he was definitely a lot stronger than Sinmosa, making him at least Six-stars¡­


    ¡°Mhm, that hellhound has to be at least Six-stars but don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s not an enemy¡­¡± I reached out and patted Mo Na on her little noggin.


    Having just said that, I spotted a flying hellhound zipping over my head and into the horizon¡­


    Mhm, that was the legendary slapped-by-your-uncle slap. A slap that surpassed the speed of light and broke the fourth wall.


    ¡°Rawr!¡±


    Uncle Hellhound roared at Sasani who was about to climb up to his feet and in a couple of strides, charged up to the struggling Cerberus and swatted him down with a paw. Even from such a distance away, I could hear the *slap slap slap slap* of his swats as if they were right beside me.


    Just from that alone, one could see how much force were in those slaps.


    Naturally, Sasani didn¡¯t dare to fight back and merely stood there. After another ten or so more slaps, the beating finally stopped though not because Uncle Hellhound pitied Sasani but because Sinmosa stepped in to plead, with Cinderel right next to her.


    The little puppy, upon seeing her papa get bullied like that, bravely rushed up and bit the bad Cerberus in his left shin as a way of getting revenge for her papa. She tugged and sawed at Uncle Hellhound¡¯s fur with all her might but unfortunately for her, her widdle teeth simply had no bite behind them and couldn¡¯t even leave a scratch on the old dog¡¯s fur.

 Chapter 207: Sidarth

    Having chewed at Uncle Hellhound¡¯s fur for what felt like half a day, Cinderel must have been thinking to herself right at that moment: ¡®This old dog¡¯s fur is truly hard.¡¯


    ¡°Little puppy, I¡¯m your Uncle, don¡¯t cha know. To think you actually dare to bite me, what if I decide to gobble you up in one bite?¡± Uncle Hellhound mischievously opened his jaws and made an ¡®ahhhh¡¯ sound as if he really intended to swallow her whole. As he did so, his pearly white teeth glittered with saliva and seemed to reek of cruelty itself.


    Because Uncle Hellhound spoke in the tongue of the devil, I heard everything he said loud and clear. Naturally so did the little puppy who paused in shock for a moment before immediately loosening her bite and scampering back to her mother¡¯s side.


    Seeing that, I couldn¡¯t help but express my admiration for that little whiz puppy. While she might be young, that didn¡¯t mean she was clueless either. She clearly knew that her papa couldn¡¯t stand up to Uncle Hellhound so she ran off to mama instead.


    ¡®Backers are only called backers when they can provide backup.¡¯ For little Cinderel to know that at such a young age, she had a bright future ahead of her!


    Faced with Sinmosa, Uncle Hellhound didn¡¯t show any intention of hitting her right off the bat. In fact, he treated her tenderly, choosing not to blame her at all.


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    ¡°If it hadn¡¯t been for Neanderke¡¯s report, I might have really missed this opportunity entirely. Sasani that b*st*rd, he actually¡­my child, have you been well? I bet you aren¡¯t¡­ever since you two went missing, I¡¯ve been searching for you two every day¡­but to think you guys actually covered up your tracks instead¡­¡± Uncle Hellhound gently expressed his concerns before suddenly pulling a Jackal and Hyde on Sasani.


    ¡°Sasani! You wretched thing, you actually did that to your baby sister¡­I truly didn¡¯t think you had it in you to commit such an act¡­¡± A barrage of scoldings ensued, all with the intent of shaming the irresponsible Sasani. As he stood there head lowered and lips sealed tight, the only way he could feel any worse was if he were to strangle himself.


    ¡°Uncle¡­please don¡¯t speak of Sasani in that manner¡­all of that was of our own will¡­¡± Whether as a sister or as a wife, Sinmosa couldn¡¯t bear to see Sasani berated like that. She stepped forth hoping to alleviate some of the fire on the beleaguered Cerberus but all that elicited was a brief look from Uncle Hellhound before he went back to chiding Sasani.


    ¡°If I only knew that you would commit such an act from the very start, I would have disposed of you long ago¡­¡± The scoldings continued, interrupted by intermittent slaps that almost brought him to tears.


    ¡°Uncle~¡± She tried to placate her uncle once more before throwing a furious glare at the side where a certain Cerberus was currently beside himself with joy at Sasani¡¯s misfortune. Feeling that withering gaze upon him, Neanderke promptly wiped that smile off his faces and pretended as if nothing happened.


    ¡°We were merely passing by this time, we had no intention of¡­¡±


    ¡°I know, even if you guys wanted to return, they wouldn¡¯t allow you to.¡± Uncle Hellhound interrupted her mid-sentence, eyes still gentle as before. However, amidst all that was an undisguisable sense of solemnity and weight in his eyes: ¡°The clan already knows of this matter, the clan leader is really angry¡­had it not been for me stopping him, you two would have been removed from clan registry a few days ago already¡­after all, such an act¡­even I can¡¯t accept it¡­do you two understand this?¡±


    ¡°We know¡­¡± Sinmosa lowered her head at that. ¡°Honestly, both of us knew that from the very start, it¡¯s just we still held some hope in our hearts that¡­that¡­¡±


    Sasani was just as crestfallen as his sister. Only Cinderel had on a puzzled look at the moment, clearly oblivious to what was going on.


    Being young, she couldn¡¯t comprehend the gravity of having one¡¯s name removed from their clan¡¯s registry. That was tantamount to having the times they spent there rejected by others, and not everyone could accept such treatment.


    ¡°The clan leader has promised that your matter wouldn¡¯t be made public but he made sure to emphasize that you two are barred from returning. For all intents and purposes, we will treat you two as missing hellhounds.¡±


    ¡°We never expected to be able to return¡­¡±


    Having said that, both parties fell silent for a moment.


    ¡°Sinmosa, how about introducing your new friend over there.¡± Uncle Hellhound was the first to break the silence after which he nodded at me. ¡°It has been 80 000 years since remnants of Sable Radiance last saw a devil appear. Let me guess where you guys came from¡­in my inherited memories, there are records of a certain region being linked to the Prison of the Dead via a teleportation gate. Don¡¯t tell me you all came in from that gate?¡±


    ¡®As expected of a high ranking member of a clan, he figured out our origin with just a glance. Well, it¡¯s not like we were planning to hide that fact since that would be pointless.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, we came in from the Prison.¡± The Cerberus threw us a quizzical look at that point.


    ¡°My name is Mo Ke, even though my appearance is that of a Lust Demon¡¯s, I¡¯m actually a male. What about you, esteemed Cereberus, may I have the honor of knowing your name?¡±


    ¡°Not bad, I like a well mannered youngster.¡± Uncle Hellhound gave me a thin smile while praising me. ¡°I am one of the elders of the hellhound clan, you may address me as Sidarth. As you¡¯ve seen, I¡¯m Sinmosa¡¯s and Sasani¡¯s uncle. They grew up under my watchful eyes and yet they ended up like this¡­¡±


    As we chatted, Uncle Hellhound became more and more sentimental, at times talking about how adorable little Sasani was and how despicable the older Sasani was. Having said that, he then went on to gush about how cute Sinmosa was and how smart she was now¡­how pretty she was, how popular she was¡­


    Out of respect for my elders, I diligently stood there listening, without ever interrupting him.


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry, I seem to have gone off tangent. Thankfully, you¡¯re a good natured one, to be able to listen for so long without getting impatient.¡± Realizing his error, Sidarth gave us an embarrassed smile.


    Truth be told, it wasn¡¯t that I was patient. Rather, it was because I didn¡¯t dare to show my impatience on my face, he was a powerful Cerberus after all. While he might seem amiable now, that didn¡¯t mean that respect wasn¡¯t needed, especially in this lawless hellhole where the strong was king.


    On Earth, there used to be a saying that went: ¡®treat others the way you want to be treated yourself.¡¯ If I act in a disrespectful, haphazard manner in front of Sidarth, what I would get in return would most likely be more of the same. While Sidarth might have been Sinmosa and Sasani¡¯s uncle and I was their savior, that bit of connection wasn¡¯t strong enough to be relied upon.


    Thus, manners had to be kept up lest I wanted to remain here permanently. After all, here was an expert that could swat me to death with one paw strike if so he fancied it.


    ¡°You are conscientious, very much so. This attitude of yours will help you avoid a lot of troubles in the future and perhaps even save your life someday, that I¡¯m sure of. However, such a cautious and reserved approach will dull your youthful vigor.¡± As he said that,his lips curled upwards in a manner that seemed like a smile yet didn¡¯t seem like one as well.


    ¡®Was he praising me or giving me advice? From those words alone, he almost seemed to be warning me.¡±


    ¡°The young tend to be the ones who die early.¡±


    ¡°It is as you say, hahaha¡± Sidarth gave a jovial chuckle. ¡°Truly an interesting youngster, definitely a lot better than these two over here.¡±


    As he said that, he threw a look at Neanderke and Sasani, instantly garnering a sullen look from both.


    ¡°From the looks of things, your goal must be the territory of the Purgatory Shadowcats.¡± Sidarth abruptly steered the conversation back to business.


    ¡°Well, I won¡¯t ask why you¡¯re heading there but since we¡¯ve met each other like this, I¡¯ll just give you a little help. While the Shadowcats tend to be solitary creatures, they do congregate under certain circumstances. If you proceed down this path, you will definitely meet that fellow, Anmi. He¡¯s the closest Shadowcat to us, location wise. I helped him before so if you require help of any kind, just tell him I sent you.¡±


    ¡°Anmi, huh, I¡¯ll remember it. My gratitude for the help, I¡¯ll remember your kindness.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, I¡¯ll be happy as long as you don¡¯t hold this against me. Besides, for my worthless nephew and Sinmosa to willingly help you, you must have done them a great favor or even saved them.¡± As he said that, Sidarth trotted over to Sinmosa¡¯s side, head shaking with every step, and gently pulled apart the fur on the side of her nape. Out came a little black puppy who gave her mom a scared little sniff.


    ¡°Even though this little child might seem healthy on the surface, I can sense a giant mass of energy residing in her that she doesn¡¯t naturally own. That energy is what¡¯s maintaining her life right now, moreover, judging from Sinmosa¡¯s injured posture, I can tell that she must have suffered some sort of fatal wound not too long ago. If I¡¯m not mistaken, you are the one who saved them, right?¡±


    While he might have ended that with a questioning remark, there was certainty in his tone.


    ¡®I have to admit, this old dog is a sharp one. With just a bit of information, he actually managed to guess most of what happened.¡¯

 Chapter 208: You Must Be Joking

    ¡°Uncle, then will Cinderel¡­¡± Hearing Sidarth mention that elemental core¡¯s power, Sinmosa immediately grew worried about her daughter. Up till that very moment, she assumed that her daughter was in the clear, having been born and all, yet that assumption was just proven false mere seconds ago.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right, as long as she receives timely energy nourishments, she should be able to hold out till Six-stars at which that malaise would disappear. Take care however, the little lass needs to maintain a sufficient level of energy or else. No matter what, she mustn¡¯t starve.¡± This matter concerned the life and death of his niece so Sidarth made sure to emphasize that last point in the gravest of tones.


    ¡°That energy source must¡¯ve come from a Five-stars Fire Elemental Core, I bet. The energies within that crystal are extremely pure and matches the lass¡¯s element perfectly. Thankfully, such strict requirements are no longer needed since the most difficult phase, childbirth, has already passed. Keeping her well nourished is a lot easier, energy in general is enough for that.¡±


    ¡®From the sound of things, we just have to feed her some high energy food then, souls should do the trick. They¡¯re easy to obtain and free of impurities.¡¯


    Naturally, feeding her more cores from Fire Elementals would be preferable but clearly that wasn¡¯t a viable option. Where would we find said elementals in the first place and even if we could find them, killing them for such a reason was just despicable. Besides, their strength weren¡¯t something to scoff at either; unlike the Flame Devouring Fishes, we had no way to counteract their abilities so souls was our best option for now.


    With that, the subject of Cinderel was settled for now, Sidarth turned to face me once more and said: ¡°Speaking of which, why would a devil help a member of the hellhounds for no reason?¡±


    ¡°Truth be told, I was allied with a hellhound back during those days in the Prison of the Dead. Because of that, I¡¯ve grown fond of the hellhound clan, that¡¯s why I decided to help out Sinmosa and Sasani.¡±


    (TL: Most of the time I try to reconcile the author¡¯s inane ramblings with the chapter, but this honestly has me stumped so I just left it as is. The bracketed text is unnecessary so feel free to skip it.)


    {We live in a very practical world: just because you treat someone well doesn¡¯t mean that he will treat you well in return. However, if you were to treat someone badly, he would most definitely treat you badly. No one is actually a complete villain, even if someone like that actually exists, the odds of meeting him are one in a million.


    The world isn¡¯t only a mirror but rather something more complicated than that. It can reflect your view of the world but can also show you a host of other things yet to happen as well. You merely can¡¯t see it then.}


    ¡°I knew I wasn¡¯t wrong about you, truly an outstanding youth.¡± Sidarth gave a laugh as he said that and then eyed Neanderke: ¡°Brat, get over here.¡±


    Being summoned like that, Neanderke wasn¡¯t all too willing to come over but did so anyway.


    ¡°Stop being so wishy washy about it and get here, what are you, a sissy?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± As instructed, Neanderke stood before me and Sidarth, faces filled with an awkward nervousness.


    Not long after that, Sidarth¡¯s lips curled in a beaming smile after which he gave the Cerberus a swift kick that caused him to stagger towards me and almost topple over. Ignoring the look Neanderke gave him, Sidarth turned to me before asking in an ingratiating tone: ¡°This worthless dog son of mine, what do you think of him?¡±


    (TL: It¡¯s a cultural thing here to talk about a child like that, the intention is to show humbleness rather than to insult the person in question.)


    ¡°Really strong, stronger than me at least.¡± Still confused as to what he was asking, I answered the question at face value. Still, the fact that Neanderke was his son surprised me. Thinking about it, was there even anything I could say about that dog? This was merely our second time meeting and if I really had to describe him, I would use the following words: ¡®your son is an a**hole.¡¯


    ¡°Originally, Sinmosa would¡¯ve been my first choice¡­regrettable, truly regrettable¡­¡± After sighing for an eternity, Sidarth finally got to the main point: ¡°Since Sinmosa has already married Sasani, I naturally can¡¯t tear those two apart. In that case¡­are you willing to be my daughter-in-law? Miss Devil?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡®Someone kill me¡­please¡­¡¯


    ¡°I said so already, I¡¯m a male, a male, a male! Don¡¯t tell me I have repeat everything important three times before you get it?!¡±


    In contrast to my sudden outburst, Sidarth was strangely calm about this entire affair: ¡°You aren¡¯t being very polite, youngster.¡±


    ¡°Screw your f****** politeness, I¡¯m a male, you¡¯d better get that into all three of your heads!¡±


    ¡°Your sex isn¡¯t decided by what you say, please get that fact straight, O beautiful devil. Even though my son might be a little dumb, if you¡¯re willing to marry him, I¡¯ll aid you in his human reconstruction.¡±


    ¡°What the heck is human reconstruction?! Also, why must I marry your stupid son? I already told you, I¡¯m a male! Don¡¯t tell me your brains have gotten foggy because of old age?! In what way do I look like a female?!¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re male, you should have ¡®that thing¡¯ too.¡± As he said that, he quietly glanced between my thighs before shaking his head and sighing. ¡°Youngsters nowadays, their mood swings come and go like the wind. Not too long ago you were so polite and yet just minutes later, you¡¯re here glaring at me.¡±


    ¡°That thing is just on vacation for now! It will come back eventually! You hear me? You old dog!¡±


    While calling him an old dog might not be very polite, there was no way I was going to back down after being prodded at my sore point.


    Naturally, Sidarth didn¡¯t plan on taking that insult lying down either. His relaxed tone immediately changed and the mood suddenly darkened: ¡°You¡¯re being too disrespectful right now, don¡¯t tell me I have to use force to resolve this?¡±


    ¡°Force?¡± The moment I heard the old dog say that, a chill immediately ran down my spine and I began shivering uncontrollably. With the way his aura seemed to press down on him, my breathing started to become ragged.


    ¡®Too strong, this hellhound definitely isn¡¯t just a Six-stars, he is probably a Seven-stars¡­¡¯


    Faced with an opponent as strong as a RPG Boss, all I could do was stare helplessly at the towering Cerberus¡­


    ¡°Master!¡± Suppressing that overwhelming pressure Sidarth emitted, No.3 and Big 4 immediately rushed to shield me: ¡°Master, please step back and leave him to us¡­we¡¯ll hold him back while you escape¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmph! Mo Na doesn¡¯t want Mama to marry some ugly doggy!¡± Clearly not fazed by the Cerberus, Mo Na flew in front of me and so happened to block my face entirely: ¡°Run Mama, Mo Na will protect you!¡±


    ¡°Bark bark bark!¡± It was then that Neanderke¡¯s excited barking echoed in the background. Because he spoke in the tongue of the hellhounds, I couldn¡¯t understand a word he said. However, judging by those agitated looks on his faces, it probably wasn¡¯t anything good.


    ¡°Uncle, are you being serious here?¡± Sinmosa threw her kin a disbelieving look before shakingly saying: ¡°Mister Mo Ke is our family¡¯s savior¡­we will never allow anyone to harm him¡­not even you.¡±


    ¡°Woof woof!¡± Sasani threw in an obligatory woof, just in case we forgot that he existed, before standing next to his wife in a show of support. Cinderel gave a couple of adorable ¡®ruffs¡¯ as well before scampering to her mama¡¯s side. Like that, the hellhound family was assembled as a united front.


    ¡°What do you mean, am I serious? When has your Uncle ever been serious?¡± As he said that, his oppressive aura faded away in an instant. Forcing a smile onto his face, he swatted Neanderke on the face: ¡°It¡¯s all your fault for being such a dunce, if not for that, why haven¡¯t you found a wife yet!? Even a devil finds you ugly, stupid and just plain stupid. I swear, do you even resemble me in any way? If I didn¡¯t know that your mother only loved me, I might even suspect that you aren¡¯t my son!¡±


    A scolding for the ages and a beating later, a pitiful Neanderke stood with all three heads lowered. At that point, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he started crying.


    Seeing her uncle give his son a thrashing like that simply because of his spinelessness, Sinmosa asked, albeit with exasperation in her voice: ¡°Uncle¡­I don¡¯t suppose you plan on saying that you¡¯re joking again right¡­¡±


    ¡°To be honest, that wasn¡¯t completely a joke either. After all, if I managed to gain a daughter-in-law just by scaring her, it wouldn¡¯t be that bad of a deal either.¡± With no remorse whatsoever at having taken a joke too far, that old dog, Sidarth, laughed uproariously while continuing to slap Neanderke: ¡°It¡¯s all your fault, you d*mn moron of a son, how can you not know the language of the devils even at this age, I should have just shot you into the ground back before you were born!¡±


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Shot him into the ground huh¡­¡¯


    Never once did it occur to me that Sidarth would actually be this unreliable but after seeing that debacle of joke he just pulled on us, I no longer had the mood to continue talking. After all, if that mad dog went on another rampage, we would be the ones on the receiving end. I hurriedly said goodbye to this man(dog) child and rushed eastwards.


    Now that we were a safe distance away from that father and son pair, I started to get a little curious about those barks Neanderke let out back when Sidarth tried to force that marriage on me.


    Hearing me ask that, Sinmosa¡¯s lips curled into a smile that didn¡¯t seem like a smile at the same time: ¡°Neaderke said this: ¡®That devil¡¯s so ugly, there¡¯s no way I would want her¡¯, or something along those lines.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m ugly? Haha, next time we meet, I¡¯ll definitely send him an imp babe to be his wife. I bet that old dog would be delighted.¡¯


    The territory of the Purgatory Shadowcats wasn¡¯t that far off now. If we were to increase our pace, we would most likely reach it in five days. By following Sidarth¡¯s directions, we soon found ourselves out of the hills.


    Unlike the hellhounds¡¯ territory, one which consisted of lava rivers and platforms, the territory of the Purgatory Shadowcats was basically a giant grassland. For the most part, it was a field of black weeds with some dark red mixed in. Other than that, the only other plant life we saw was a blackened tree that seemed more rock than plant. Even so, that lifeless tree somehow managed to give off the impression that it was still growing.


    ¡°An environment like this¡­¡± I muttered in slight disbelief. Truly, such an area teeming with plant life boggled the mind. There was clearly no source of water in sight, the closest thing to fluid here was lava, and yet there still existed so many plants.


    ¡°Before coming to Purgatory, the Shadowcats used to live in Abaddon. Back then, they made some preparations before making the move over. The plants you see before you are the preparation they made¡­¡± As Sinmosa said that, she almost seemed to project a wise, scholarly image.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying the Shadowcats planned this migration and also wanted to form a new evolutionary branch in Purgatory?¡±


    I didn¡¯t know much about the Shadowcats but the moment I heard that, I suddenly had the impression that they must have had some kind of pressing reason to move here.


    Only allowed on Creativenovels.com


    ¡°Regarding their exact motives, only the Shadowcats would know that.¡± Sinmosa shook her head. ¡°This is my first time coming here as well.¡±


    ¡°In that case, let¡¯s just follow Elder Sidarth¡¯s suggestion and find that Purgatory Shadowcat known as Anmi. However¡­I have to say¡­Elder Sidarth doesn¡¯t seem all that reliable¡­what if the person he introduced is also¡­¡±

 Chapter 209: A Lady Clad in Black?

    ¡°No way¡­even if our Uncle isn¡¯t the most reliable of dogs¡­at least he won¡¯t try and scam us¡­right?¡± Having said that, Sinmosa shook her head: ¡°Well our Uncle is kinda¡­ ¡®eccentric¡¯ normally.¡±


    ¡°How about we talk about the Purgatory Shadowcats instead. Being solitary, does that mean that each cat lives on its own plot of land?¡±


    ¡°Apparently, there aren¡¯t many Purgatory Shadowcats here so each and every cat has its own territory. The young Purgatory Shadowkittens would stay with their parents till they mature into adulthood at which point they would automatically leave.¡±


    ¡°Rumor has it the Purgatory Shadowcats have a Chief Overlord, a Cat King of sorts who possess absolute authority within the clan. This king has a large number of its kin serving it so that counts as a Purgatory Shadowcat Community of sorts.¡±


    ¡®So what you¡¯re saying is that they normally live alone or in small households except for the Cat King who is served by a large number of cats? And that¡¯s the only reason for them to form a community? Sounds pretty complicated to me. Don¡¯t tell me madness is a common trait amongst all cats, no matter which world they are from? I wonder if it¡¯s hereditary¡­¡¯


    Sinmosa continued explaining the matters regarding those cats but I still had a lot of unanswered questions regarding their living conditions. However, there was one thing I was certain of, and that was that the Purgatory Shadowcats weren¡¯t dumb. The reason for that was simple, to create such an environment rich with plant life required a great degree of intelligence.


    However, the question that continued nagging at me in my head was: exactly what forced those cats to migrate here?


    According to Sidarth¡¯s words, Anmi was the closest Purgatory Shadowcat to us. In other words, we were most likely in Anmi¡¯s territory already.


    ¡°Look Mama, we found a fruit!¡± Never one to stay idle for long, Mo Na immediately went exploring with little Cinderel in tow, right as we started talking about the Purgatory Shadowcats. It wasn¡¯t until they finally got tired that Mo Na came flying back to me with Cinderel in her arms along with some strange red fruit that looked kind of like a strawberry.


    ¡°Don¡¯t run about so much, this place isn¡¯t safe.¡± I picked up the little puppy and with my other hand, placed Mo Na around my neck.


    As she rode my neck, she lowered herself and pressed that dark red fruit against my mouth. ¡°Mama, this fruit is edible, try it.¡±


    ¡°How many times have I told you already? Don¡¯t eat strange things.¡± Being in a foreign environment like Purgatory, the first thing I taught Mo Na was the importance of safety. Unfortunately, with her personality being what it was, she didn¡¯t care too much for my advice and merely ignored them. ¡®Perhaps I spoiled her a little too much when she was young, that¡¯s why she dares to ignore my words like that¡­¡¯


    ¡°Aunty Sinmosa said these are edible. Besides, Mo Na and Cinderel already tried them, Mo Na thinks they are tasty.¡± She continued pressed that fruit against the corner of my mouth, swinging it before my eyes from time to time.


    ¡°I told you already, you mustn¡¯t eat such strange things¡­¡±


    ¡°Eat it, eat it¡­¡± She continued egging me on in that adorable loli voice of hers.


    ¡°Fine, fine, just this one time.¡± I finally caved in seeing as her incessant badgering wasn¡¯t going to stop otherwise.


    *gulp*


    Seeing me swallow the fruit instantly brought a smile to her face after which she promptly planted a wet one on my cheeks, several in fact. Not satisfied with just kissing, she excitedly licked my lower jaw, roughly caressing its contours with her tongue and causing it to itch slightly. That was how she usually showed her affection but sometimes, it just felt a little too much for me.


    The dark red fruit left a lingering sweetness on a tongue along with a slight spiciness that was caused by its fiery elemental nature.


    ¡°We should harvest more of these fire fruits for Cinderel.¡± I said while petting the little puppy in question. Turning around to face a smiling Sinmosa, I followed up with a question of my own: ¡°Do you know the name of this fruit?¡±


    ¡°This is my first time in the lands of the Purgatory Shadowcats as well so I¡¯m not too familiar with such matters. Normally, such an environment shouldn¡¯t be possible in Purgatory without some sort of terraforming; most likely that¡¯s the handiwork of the Purgatory Shadowcats.¡±


    ¡°Well, since the fruit is fine, we should harvest some more. Given Cinderel¡¯s special condition, being a little cautious would be better.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, I¡¯ll go pick some more with Sasani, it shouldn¡¯t take much time.¡± Sinmosa called out to her husband and the two trotted off into the distance.


    ¡°No.3 , Big 4, I want you two to go harvest those fruits as well. Also, make sure to observe the surroundings while you two are out there. I¡¯ll be waiting here in the meantime.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Master.¡± Upon acknowledging the order, the two of them left in a direction opposite from that of the Cerberus couple.


    As I stood there, admiring the slightly warm field of grass beneath me, my spirits couldn¡¯t help but be lifted by them. While their black and reddish hue was still a little depressing, the mere fact that they were grass made them a lot better than the rocks we had to contend with up till now.


    ¡°Yawwnn¡­¡± Yawned little Cinderel as she curled up in my arms and used my arm as a pillow. This little puppy was rather close to me, perhaps by nature even. In all likelihood, it was because she knew that I was the one who gave her that elemental core when she was still an egg.


    ¡°Mama, Mo Na has been having all kinds of strange dreams recently.¡± As she said that, she gently squeezed aside the little puppy to make space for herself in my arms. Having done that, she leaned in on me and rubbed against my chest, giving a satisfied purr every so often. ¡°In Mo Na¡¯s dreams, a beautiful big sister dressed in black always appear to teach Mo Na new things.¡±


    ¡°Beautiful big sister in black?¡±


    ¡°Mhm mhm, she¡¯s really nice. She teaches Mo Na all kinds of spells but Mo Na doesn¡¯t like some of them.


    ¡®Why is Mo Na dreaming about such things?¡¯


    ¡°Are they all real spells?¡±


    ¡°Of course they are. Just look at this.¡± Mo Na flipped her right palm around and summoned forth a cloud of white mist. Just from a glance, it looked like any ordinary cloud but after giving it another closer look, I started to notice the strangeness within it. Swimming about in that cloud was a barely visible outline that resembled a human¡¯s face. Even though that face lacked any contours whatsoever, having only holes for eyes and a mouth, I could still feel the intelligence dwelling within.


    ¡°What¡¯s that spell called?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called Vengeful Soul, it summons a creature of lower intelligence that can scout the surroundings for us. With its intelligence, it¡¯s still able to differentiate friend from foe but isn¡¯t really suited for combat because of its low combat strength. Also, the soul isn¡¯t suited to the environment of Purgatory and will dissipate given time.¡±


    Mo Na briefly gave me a run down of the spell. Based on what she told me and what I knew of such summoning spells, summoning such a soul would most likely require some sort of material. Furthermore, multiple instances of the spell should be able to exist concurrently.


    I reached forth and gently stroked her purple hair: ¡°Is there anything else?¡±


    ¡°There is, there is. Mo Na has a ton of other interesting spells!¡± As she said that, she gripped down on her right hand, dispelling the Vengeful Soul in an instant before then pointing at a distant patch of grass where a black mouse hid within. ¡°Look Mama, there¡¯s a mouse hiding in there.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, it¡¯s a mouse all right.¡± Cats loved to eat fish and mice, everyone knew that; since the Shadowcats made sure to terraform this environment upon arrival, it wouldn¡¯t be strange at all if they brought over some mice to rear as well.


    ¡°Mo Na can stop that mouse from running away.¡± Having said that, she spread her arms out before cupping them around her mouth. There, a cloud of green mist swiftly coalesced after which she gave the cloud a gentle blow and sent it on its way towards the hidden mouse, neither too quickly nor too slowly.


    Within mere seconds of being engulfed by the cloud, the mouse collapsed onto the ground twitching as it was under some kind of curse. It desperately tried to claw its way forward but no matter how many times it tried, it failed as if there was some kind of mysterious force immobilizing it.


    ¡°A curse?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s an Enfeeblement Curse. It can rob a person of his physical energy.¡± She then went on to describe how great and fun the curse was.


    ¡°Good girl, you¡¯ve learnt a lot of spells, didn¡¯t you.¡± I gently rubbed her on the head. Yet amidst all that, my heart couldn¡¯t stop pounding for a second. Whether it was the Enfeeblement Curse or the Vengeful Soul spell, they were clearly connected to the Grimoire of the Dead. Back when I still had the grimoire with me, I remembered seeing a ton of such spells recorded within. I even learnt a curse then, known as the Weakening Curse. Compared to the Enfeeblement Curse however, the Weakening Curse was at least a tier weaker.


    ¡®In that case, was the big sister Mo Na mentioned the Grimoire of the Dead? Come to think of it, the fact that it was even able to deflect lethal blows for me, was a miracle in of itself. Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s a Semi-divine tool¡­¡±


    ¡®So that big sister is the spirit of the tool then? But why would it fuse itself into Mo Na?¡¯ Truth be told, while I might not show it often, the fact that the Grimoire was inside Mo Na worried me a ton. After all, it was Mo Na we were talking about¡ªno amount of caution was enough.


    Only allowed on Creativenovels.com


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say that the big sister taught you spells you didn¡¯t like? What were they?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s that spell to revive those smelly zombies.¡± Mo Na rolled her eyes as she said that before continuing: ¡°Those zombies are just too ugly, I would rather summon skeletons instead, they¡¯re cuter.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, they are rather ugly¡­though they are stronger than skeletons¡­¡± With that, I could basically confirm that the big sister Mo Na mentioned was the Grimoire of the Dead. Still, what was it up to exactly? Mo Na¡¯s soul didn¡¯t undergo any change so it probably wasn¡¯t a possession.

 Chapter 210: Thieves

    Perhaps it was because I was a little too engrossed in my worries and ended up showing them on my face, Mo Na who seemed to have picked up on my mood, and was busy hugging my neck while gingerly asking: ¡°Mama, why are you frowning?¡±


    To avoid worrying her any further, I forced out a smile before lightly kissing her on the forehead: ¡°It¡¯s alright, it¡¯s just that there are some matters your Papa can¡¯t figure out, the more he thinks about them, the more engrossed he becomes.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s worrying Mama so much?¡±


    ¡°Nothing important, sweetie, don¡¯t worry, your Papa is fine.¡±


    While the changes in her body concerned me, that much was certain, there was nothing I could really do about it at the moment except to continue observing her. Fortunately, the Grimoire didn¡¯t seem to want to hurt her, I just hoped that remained true for the future as well.


    After having that little chat with Mo Na, Sinmosa and the others returned from their foraging. Their harvest wasn¡¯t bountiful, merely five fruits were handed to me by Sinmosa using her mouth. At the same time, Big 4 handed over four fruits they picked from their side.


    While nine fruits might not have sounded like much, considering this was Purgatory, such a harvest honestly wasn¡¯t that bad.


    I handed over the fruits to Mo Na before instructing her thusly: ¡°Keep the fruits in your little box for now, those are for Cinderel so don¡¯t try and steal them.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, like I would even.¡± Mo Na carefully stowed the fruits.


    Having settled that matter, our group continued eastward in search for the Purgatory Shadowcats. Because we were still in the outermost regions of their territory, the cats we would most likely encounter would be solitary ones, two at the very most. In some sense, it would probably be more accurate to say that we were hoping some adult cat would stumble on us, rather than us stumbling on them.


    Thus, while we travelled through their lands, we took extra care to observe our surroundings. Whenever we encountered those dark red strawberries, we would naturally stop to harvest them.


    Other than plants, the lands of the Purgatory Shadowcats had lava lakes as well. However, they were noticeably smaller and shallower; creeks would probably be a more apt name for them.


    Within those bodies of lava, there were traces of Flame Devouring Fishes. There were however, quite a number of Demon Flame worms. Moreover, judging by the depth of these ¡®lakes¡¯, I highly doubted any Demon Fire Salamander would even be able to live in them.


    For now, those were our basic food sources. The worms became our main food source while the fruits we harvested were all handed over to Mo Na for safekeeping. Whenever Cinderel got hungry, she would head over to find Mo Na for those fruits.


    For the most part, hellhounds were meat lovers, while they were able to consume souls as well, those were more of snacks to them; it was fine if they had them, but it didn¡¯t matter that much if they didn¡¯t. Because of that, the majority of the souls we harvested ended up being consumed by Mo Na and I. As for Cinderel, she ended up joining us in the Soul Squad as well because of her unique constitution.


    Just as we were munching on our respective food sources and wondering how long more it would take for us to encounter a Purgatory Shadowcat, a black and red shadow came speeding right at us from a distance away.


    First to react were Sinmosa and Sasani, who until not too long ago, were chewing on worm meat. The couple warily glanced in the direction of the approaching figure and howled.


    ¡°Nyaaaa!!¡±


    Before the shadow even entered visible range, we heard a piercing cat meow. However, thanks to its lightning speed, I still wasn¡¯t able to visibly discern what kind of creature it was; not that it was even necessary anymore since that meow=¨C gave me all the information I would ever need.


    The Purgatory Shadowcat standing before us resembled a normal cat except it was a lot bigger. It had a mostly black coat of fur that had red patterns streaking all around. As for its size, it was roughly the size of an average Chinese dog, moreover, its eyes were golden yellow. However, because it was furious right now, those beautiful pupils were marred by streaks of red instead. It opened its mouth and howled, showing off a couple sets of razor sharp teeth in the process. The fur on its back stood up simultaneously as if to show exactly how angry it was right now.


    ¡°Grrrrrr!¡± Naturally not one to take such a provocation lying down, Sinmosa and Sasani immediately put up an aggressive front as well. Yet even though the two of them were noticeably bigger than that cat, their stature seems almost diminished in comparison.


    The Purgatory Shadowcat in question clearly didn¡¯t like the hellhounds either. Its angry hissing didn¡¯t stop for a second as it arced its back and circled the hellhound couple. Moments later, its pressure wave came rushing out in full force, forcing the couple to retreat a few small steps back. Because Sinmosa and Sasani blocked the majority of its pressure for us, we were mostly left untouched.


    ¡°Sinmosa¡­can you communicate with it?¡± Seeing as we were the ones seeking their aid here, I didn¡¯t want to get into a fight right away with a Purgatory Shadowcat. Thus I made sure to remind Sinmosa not to act rashly, if possible, I wanted them to communicate with words instead of claws.


    ¡°Devil?¡± Finally noticing us, the Purgatory Shadowcat made the conscious switch to the tongue of the devil. ¡°Impossible¡­there are actually devils still alive in the Remnants of Sable Radiance?¡±


    From its tone, I could clearly sense the shock it felt towards our mere existence. However, was it really to be blamed for that? After all, the devils all disappeared 80 000 years ago and this entire region was sealed up for some unknown reason.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be surprised¡­even though I find it hard to believe myself¡­¡± Thankfully, the Purgatory Shadowcat standing before us knew how to speak the tongue of the devil despite what it just said. Given that they had the ability to Dreamwalk however, that really wasn¡¯t anything to be surprised about.


    In order to facilitate communication between us, I smiled gently and took several steps forward till I was merely five meters away from the Purgatory Shadowcat. I opened up my arms as a show of peace and said: ¡°Please don¡¯t be alarmed, the only reason we are here is because¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re a devil or a hellhound, all I know is that you all are a bunch of despicable thieves so die!¡± Without even allowing me to finish my sentence, the cat viciously swiped at me; it clearly didn¡¯t intend to be reasonable at all.


    ¡°Watch out.¡± Sinmosa and Sasani rushed out from my flanks to shield me.


    The two dogs clashed with the cat in all out brawl amongst the grass. Although the two hellhounds were significantly bigger than the cat, and although they had the numbers advantage, they still didn¡¯t seem to be able to come out on top in this melee.


    ¡°Blast it all, you all actually dare to gang up on me?! D*mned thieves, trash! Stupid dogs!¡± As it hurled insult after insult at us, it backpedalled furiously while dodging the double-pronged attack from Sasani and Sinmosa, at times throwing a couple of swipes of its own.


    Perhaps it was because of its superior abilities or perhaps because Sinmosa and Sasani didn¡¯t wish to deal a killing blow, the Purgatory Shadowcat managed to successfully escape from their encirclement.


    Taking advantage of that, I tried to reach out to it once more, hoping to calm it down in the process. ¡°We aren¡¯t thieves. We come here,with sincerity in our hearts, in order to seek the aid of the scholarly Purgatory Shadowcats¡­¡±


    Unfortunately, before I could even finish that sentence, a huge surge of mana burst forth from the feline figure.


    ¡°A thief is a thief, don¡¯t try to cover up your despicable ways!¡±


    Having pulled away from us far enough, it began channelling an enormous amount of mana infused with the elements of fire and shadow. As the flames roared to life on the cat¡¯s body, their crimson brilliance fed the strange snaking shadow beneath the cat, causing it grow ever bigger and ever more terrifying.


    Those flames were most likely born out of some novel usage of the fire element. Compared to that however, what truly grabbed my attention was that seemingly autonomous shadow¡­the way it wriggled about reminded me of my own Shadow Guardian.


    ¡°Be careful, it¡¯s able to cast two types of elemental magicks at the same time.¡±


    Having evolved into the Purgatory Shadowcats, these felines naturally picked up the fire element as well. However, that didn¡¯t mean that they had completely forsaken their shadowy nature either. Instead, their shadow element fused together with their newfound fiery powers, giving them even greater offensive capabilities.


    ¡°Mama, are you all right?¡± Mo Na reached out to grab me, all the while hugging Cinderel close to herself. ¡°That kitty is dangerous, Mama.¡±


    ¡°Master, please stay behind us.¡±


    ¡°Hold on, stop fighting for a while.¡± I squeezed my way through No.3 and Big 4, walked up to the center of Sinmosa and Sasani before calling out to that cat: ¡°That Purgatory Shadowcat over there, Mister Shadowcat, is your name Anmi?¡±


    ¡°Despicable thief, you actually know of my name?¡± The Purgatory Shadowcat was stunned for a moment before becoming even more furious: ¡°Since¡­since you know of my name, you still dare to steal my things. You all are trying to provoke me, aren¡¯t you?!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®That dumb cat probably has its stupidity level maxed out¡­I don¡¯t think we can even communicate with it.¡±


    ¡°Hey, that big kitty over there, you keep saying we¡¯re thieves, then how about telling us exactly what it is we stole?¡± Mo Na flew up to my shoulders in an angry huff, stood right up, cupped her hands around her mouth like a makeshift loudhailer and yelled: ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re trying to slander us?!¡±


    ¡°D*mnable thieves, how could us noble Shadowcats ever stoop so low as to slander someone else?!¡± Anmi turned his angry gaze onto Mo Na before yelling at the top of his lungs: ¡°The stolen goods are right on your person, don¡¯t even try to deny it!¡±


    ¡°¡­stolen goods¡­¡±


    ¡®Somehow I think I know where this is going already¡­¡¯


    That mention of stolen goods being on us immediately reminded me of a certain activity we partook in since entering this region: harvesting fruits. It just so happened that said fruits were on Mo Na right this very instant¡­


    Naturally, if I could figure this out, so could Mo Na; she wasn¡¯t a moron after all. Opening up the tiny box at her waist, she picked out two dark red fruits and then twiddled them around her fingers before smirking at the cat: ¡°Are you talking about these?¡±

 Chapter 211: Is This Cat Crazy?

    ¡°I caught you red handed, what else do you have to say for yourself!?¡±


    Eyes glued to the two fruits in Mo Na¡¯s hands, the flames around Anmi roared with an intensity matched only by his fury. Beneath him, the twisting shadow shot towards Mo Na like some kind of shadow demon.


    ¡°Step back.¡± Even while all the arguing was going on, Sinmosa¡¯s and Sasani¡¯s gaze never once left Anmi. Thus, the moment he launched that shadowy attack, the couple immediately dashed in front of Mo Na. Suddenly, the twisting shadow, upon being stretched to its utmost limit, waved about like a palm tree in a hurricane and sprayed a barrage of countless shadow blades at Mo Na.


    Seeing that, the two Cerberuses opened all six of their jaws and let loose a sea of flames from their mouths. Husband and wife working together, this showdown between fire and shadow merely lasted two seconds before the roaring flames completely overwhelmed the shadow.


    ¡°Nyaaa!!¡±


    Still surrounded in flames, Anmi hissed furiously before rushing forward in a blind fit of rage.


    Like that, cat and dogs met once more and a heated battle ensued.


    Sinmosa and Sasani were already at the level of Five-stars but Anmi was clearly stronger than them, though he still wasn¡¯t quite at the level of a Six-stars yet. Because of that, this battle was basically a done deal right from the get go. This was especially so since the Purgatory Shadowcats didn¡¯t really possess much of an advantage in a melee, let alone in one where they were outnumbered.


    While Anmi¡¯s shadow magic was still a fearsome and unpredictable threat, it wasn¡¯t to the extent where he could take on two enemies roughly at the same level as him.


    Seconds later, a visibly suppressed cat laid before us on the ground, held down by a paw from Sasani.


    ¡°Hmph, and here Mo Na thought you were some kind of super kitty. Look at you now, you ended up pressed against the ground after all.¡± Now that the battle was over, Mo Na was more than ready to resume her gloating, having stowed away some of the fear and shock she had on just now. ¡°Hah, next time pick a fight with someone your own size.¡±


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for them ganging up on me¡­I wouldn¡¯t have¡­oof pfft..lost in the first place!¡± Having been pressed to the ground by Sasani¡¯s paw, the furious cat struggled to even talk as pieces of black weeds entered his mouth from time to time, causing him a great deal of discomfort in the process. ¡°Pfft pffft pffft¡­let me go, you fiendish thieves!¡±


    ¡°Thieves this, thieves that, how annoying, ever since we met you, you¡¯ve been saying that we stole your fruits, well then, do you have any proof that the fruits belongs to you?¡±


    ¡°Those Meowberries were all grown by me, if I say they belong to me then they belong to me.¡± Anmi obstinately staked his claim over the fruits. However, the very next second later, he was thunderstruck by what Mo Na said.


    ¡°What a joke, it¡¯s yours just because you say so? Mo Na says these fruits were all grown by Mama and me.¡± As she said that, Mo Na lifted up a fruit to eye level and gave it a thorough look see. A long while later, she then shamelessly declared: ¡°You say this is a Meowberry? But I don¡¯t see your name on it, how about you call out to it and let¡¯s see if it responds to you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Anmi almost spat out blood upon hearing those words, his chest heaved and if looks could kill, his eyes surely would have murdered us all: ¡°You claim to have grown those Meowberries, well, are your names on it then? Will it respond to you if you call it?!¡±


    ¡°Names huh, of course they are, just give Mo Na a second, she will find them for you.¡± She then pretended to search around the fruit while in actuality, she was clearly etching her name onto the fruit in question.


    ¡°Alright, here you go, those devil words are Mo Na¡¯s name.¡±


    Mo Na lowered the Meowberry to Anmi¡¯s eye level and lo and behold, the devil words she mentioned were etched on it as she stated. The only problem however, was that they had clearly been etched on not too long ago¡­


    Furious, Anmi spat out each and every word with deliberate force: ¡°¡­I¡¯ve never met such a thick-skinned, shameless thief in my entire catlife¡­¡±


    ¡°Hehehehe¡­you¡¯re too kind.¡± Meowberry still grasped tightly in her hands, she placed a finger on her lips and gave a very, very smug smile.


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    For the most part, I didn¡¯t find her mischievous and carefree nature to be a bad thing. However, I knew I had to separate the two of them before she thoroughly incensed Anmi. After all, we still needed the help of the Purgatory Shadowcats and offending Anmi too much was clearly not a good way to start that off.


    *Ahem*


    Hearing me cough, Mo Na knew that the gig was up so she unwillingly stepped away albeit with a pout on her adorable lips.


    ¡°Mister Anmi, if I let you go, will you calm down and talk to us?¡±


    ¡°¡­isn¡¯t it a little too late for that¡­¡± Anmi tried to glared at me but he was swiftly fed a mouthful of dirt by Sasani¡¯s paw press. Clearly humiliated and in great discomfort, the restrained cat did his best to struggle free but upon discovering that there was basically no hope, he finally caved in: ¡°If¡­and I¡¯m just saying if¡­you all are willing to talk¡­¡±


    ¡®¡­you make it sound like we were the ones out for blood instead.¡±


    I nodded at the Cerberus couple and the two lifted their paws off the poor cat. Still not too sure of Anmi¡¯s trustworthiness, the two of them maintained a wary posture even after letting him go.


    Thankfully, Anmi still had some sense in him and cleverly chose not to fight back.


    Truth be told, he was a lot stronger than either Sinmosa or Sasani, but that was only if it was a one on one fight. Too bad for him, we clearly outnumbered him and as the saying went, ¡°Four hands are better than two.¡±


    ¡°We came here looking for you..¡±


    Just as I said that however, Anmi immediately cut me off and gave me a highly guarded look: ¡°How do you know of my name?¡±


    ¡°An elder introduced us to you, he was the one who told us to come find you.¡± Having mentioned that certain ¡®elder¡¯, I threw a dirty look at Sasani and Sinmosa. That unreliable dog uncle of theirs truly gave me quite a headache back then.


    ¡°Elder?¡± Following my gaze, Anmi looked at the two Cerberus who had just beaten him up, staring at Sasani in particular with shock: ¡°Don¡¯t tell me the elder you¡¯re talking about is a Cerberus?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, he even said he¡¯s pretty close to you.¡±


    ¡®So they do know each other, looks like Sidarth wasn¡¯t lying to me after all, I guess he¡¯s still pretty reliable in a pinch.¡¯


    ¡°Is that old dog named Sidarth?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± It was then that I realized something was up and as reality would soon prove, I was too immature, too simple in my thinking.


    The moment I nodded my head in confirmation, his face immediately changed. From the cooperative feline of just moments ago, Anmi straightened his body and his fur fluffed up in an instant once more: ¡°NYAAA! So you were sent here by that old dog to humiliate me, I knew it! No wonder you stole my Meowberries¡­this time I won¡¯t show any mercy, die!¡±


    ¡°Hey hey hey¡­calm down for a second, why are you acting crazy all of a sudden¡­¡± With just one answer, Anmi reverted back into a crazy cat. His mood swing came so inexplicably quick, my brain had difficulty processing it.


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    ¡®Weren¡¯t we just playing nice a while ago? How did we end up fighting again?¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s not enough that he tries to steal my Meowberries, he even asked others to form a group to steal them¡­how despicable, I won¡¯t stand for it¡­NO MORE!!¡±


    ¡®What is he raving on about this time? Ah, hold on, why does it seem like he only went crazy after hearing Sidarth¡¯s name? Don¡¯t tell me he has a grudge with Sidarth¡­that¡¯s right, that has to be it, why else would he act like a spurned lover who just had his partner stolen?! That d*mnable old dog¡­I knew he wasn¡¯t reliable!¡±


    ¡°Nya nya nya nyaaaa!¡±


    Anmi charged at us with maddened fury, this time not even bothering to defend. His fiery energies mixed with his shadow element and continuously lashed out at the two Cerberuses, causing a chain of explosions and shadow lashes. However, the two were more than able to handle such a relentless barrage of attacks. With perfect coordination, husband and wife split up to deflect each attack separately and once more suppress Anmi with their numbers advantage.


    ¡°Demon Flame Charge!¡±


    The more he fought, the worse his situation became. Whatever sense he had left in him told that defeat was inevitable if he continued like that. Thus, he decided to go all in. All we saw was his feline silhouette leap backwards several dozens of meters before h came rushing towards us in fiery, dark red mass of flame and shadows, ¡®Nya¡¯ echoing about in the air. Not only was he a mass of scorching hot flames, tendrils of shadow writhed around him as well, giving his flaming figure a fluid appearance that changed with every passing second.


    However, this fluidity wasn¡¯t due to some kind of flexibility but rather was caused by the instability of the skill, as if Anmi had turned himself into a ticking time bomb. The troublesome thing was that this time bomb was one we couldn¡¯t stop from exploding and not only that, it was one whose fuse length was unknown to us.


    As Anmi careened through the air, his figure seemed to blur and his speed surged. In just the blink of an eye, he rammed into Sasani with a speed that our eyes could barely perceive, and sent him flying over dozens of meters away. Because of that however, his speed dropped but the berserk Anmi wasn¡¯t one to mind such details. He immediately turned his sights on Sinmosa and blasted off towards her. This time, there wasn¡¯t nearly as much room to build up speed and with his already lowered speed, his charge ended up being blocked by Sinmosa.


    ¡°Raging Flame Charge!¡± Her body burst out in roaring flames that wrapped her in extreme temperatures. Unlike Anmi¡¯s charge however, hers was more stable and resembled more of a cloak of flames than a ticking time bomb.


    *BANG!*


    Dark red and crimson red collided in a deafening explosion that sent out a massive shockwave mere seconds later. Just watching them fight, I was nearly sent flying away with Mo Na hugged tightly in my arms.


    Like the faithful bodyguards they were, No.3 and Big 4 promptly stepped in front of me to absorb the raging forces. It was at that moment that Sasani came galloping back and he too joined in the protection duty.


    ¡°Sinmosa¡­¡± Vision obscured by the ensuing dust storm, I called out in concern to the mass of dust and soil ahead of men. Worried for his wife, Sasani rushed into the dust cloud without a second of hesitation.


    As the dust settled, what came into sight were three figures cut out of a gray backdrop. Of the three, two were lying prone on the floor, both just as injured as the other.

 Chapter 212: War?

    In this world, there was no such as equality, the vast majority of humans were born without the ability to cultivate their own Fighter¡¯s Aura, let alone the necessary Elemental Affinity required to be a mage. Compared to that, elemental creatures could be considered the favored children of Mother Nature herself. These creatures possessed an unassailable advantage when it came to their own elemental affinity. Even without studying, they were able to unlock countless spells within their respective elemental affinity. However, there is one thing I wish to make clear right here, right now. There exists a fundamental error in the way people perceive elementals. Elemental cores from Six-stars elementals can impart the necessary talents to unlock Fighter¡¯s Aura in a normal person, thus the vast majority mistakenly assumed that only Six-stars elemental creatures were able to produce elemental cores. This is a common misconception. No matter what level they were, an elemental creature possesses its own core.


    An elemental core, as its name suggested, formed the core of any such creature. It is the source of its life force.


    Seeing as we do not possess such gifts, it behooves us to steal them instead.


    ¡ª-From <>


    A lot of times, I wondered to myself: why do we struggle? Was it because of a sense of regret, or not wanting to look weak? Honestly, neither of those were true. The real reason was simple: just for the sake of struggling.


    Anmi was the perfect example right now. Even though he knew he couldn¡¯t beat us, he chose, time and time again, to attack us, three times in fact with the last ending in¡­failure.


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    ¡°That was a spectacular Demon Flame Charge.¡± Even without her husband helping her up, she managed to climb to her feet before the feline. Still, that didn¡¯t mean she was perfectly fine either. As she struggled to her feet, her limbs trembled ever so slightly till she finally got her footing: ¡°It¡¯s just too bad¡­I bet that skill of yours is a mimicry of our Raging Flame Charge¡­it¡¯s just too bad¡­¡±


    ¡°Too bad about what?¡± As he laid there in the grass, Anmi coughed up a gout of blood moments after speaking. He tried multiple times to stand up but failed each time.


    ¡°Too bad you weren¡¯t able to learn it.¡± Without any mercy whatsoever, she proceeded to list out the flaws of his skill: ¡°Raging Flame Charge uses the innate explosiveness of the fire element but your Demon Flame Charge uses two elements instead of just pure fire. While it might seem more powerful and more varied in its damage, it actually goes against the explosive essence of the skill itself. More importantly, you weren¡¯t able to balance the two elements. In practise, that shortcoming of yours¡­resulted in your defeat¡­did you notice it? When you crashed into me, you weren¡¯t able to exert your full force else I would have lost¡­¡±


    From her words, I chanced upon a rather interesting piece of news: Anmi secretly learnt the Raging Flame Charge from the hellhounds and even tried to modify it with his own element. Unfortunately, an imitation was just an imitation in the end. For all his efforts, he still couldn¡¯t compare to someone who had undergone the proper training required and only earned himself scorn instead.


    ¡°So that¡¯s why¡­*cough*¡± Anmi coughed up another gout of blood. After throwing up twice, he finally felt a lot better. ¡°Come then¡­kill me¡­I won¡¯t resist¡­¡±


    ¡°Kill you? Why must we kill you?¡± I rolled my eyes at Anmi as if I was looking at an idiot.


    ¡®Moron, how many times do I have to repeat myself¡­¡¯


    ¡°We¡¯re here to seek your aid not fight¡­¡±


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    ¡°Aid?¡± Anmi found himself at a temporary loss as to what to do: ¡°So you weren¡¯t sent here by Sidarth to humiliate me?¡±


    ¡°¡­why would we humiliate you?¡±


    ¡®¡­is it because we look too fierce or is it simply because you have a hole for a brain?¡¯


    ¡°Ah?? EHH?!¡±


    Sometimes, some matters had to be settled with fists first or the message won¡¯t get across. This time so happened to be one such case. In that sense, using violence wasn¡¯t that bad of an option seeing as words won¡¯t work.


    ¡®No wonder a certain video game waifu assassin always loved to say: ¡°Violence solves everything!¡±¡¯


    The sordid past between Sidarth and Anmi wasn¡¯t an easy one to understand. If one were to believe the words of Anmi, Sidarth¡¯s transgressions spanned as long as the Great Wall itself.


    Sidarth was an unreliable dog, that much I knew and experienced first hand. As for what he did to Anmi¡­that would be a story best left to Anmi to explain.


    Anmi used to be a carefree Purgatory Shadowcat. While his territory wasn¡¯t particularly large ¨Cit even bordered that of the Hellhounds¨C he never once resented his situation. Because he had a friendly encounter with a passing hellhound once, his impression of them as a whole was rather positive.


    The two races might have warred with each other in the past, the keyphrase being ¡®in the past¡¯, there were hardly any clashes between the two ever since they signed that peace deal.


    Anmi was a proponent of said peace deal and peace in general, at least that was how he viewed himself. He loved the plants in his territory, the Meowberries in particular were his favorite food. At times, he would snack on the Ashen Fur Mice who frolicked in the tall grass instead. To him, eating Meowberries and mice was a form of leisure, of enjoyment, a true appreciation of life¡¯s pleasures even. Thus, he was very particular about his territory. Whenever he had time on his paws, he would check on his Meowberries and then go hunt some mice once the hunger pangs struck. Naturally, there was also the option of just feasting on said Meowberries.


    Such an idyllic lifestyle truly suited a kitty cat like Anmi and it showed as well. He was truly satisfied with this simple life of eating and then sleeping. And yet such peace and harmony became a mere fantasy one fateful day when an unexpected dog invaded his territory¡­


    It was a shameless-to-the-max Cerberus with a body was big as a bull. It was at least ten times the size of Anmi and just by looking at its towering physique, Anmi almost lost his all desire to resist.


    Initially, that blasted dog didn¡¯t purposefully appear Anmi but its favorite thing to do was to frolick about in Anmi¡¯s territory, eating all his mature Meowberries and poaching all his Ashen Fur Mice who weren¡¯t fortunate enough to find a hiding spot¡­truly a nightmare with three heads¡­


    One fine day, a patrolling Anmi discovered that the Meowberries he had specially stashed away were all disappearing. Not only that, the population of Ashen Fur Mice was rapidly decreasing as well¡­those adorable and oh so tasty little fellows were now too terrified to even leave their mice holes.


    In order to uncover the causes for those mysteries, he embarked on what was to be the most calamitous investigation of his feline life.


    After three full days of investigating, he finally found the culprit: a Cerberus that was the size of a giant bull¡­


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    Upon discovering the culprit, his anger got the better of him and he furiously pounced on the offending Cerberus. A few seconds later, he was sent flying away with a speed even faster than when he attacked. A complete defeat! His face contorted with grief and fury but there was nothing he could do about this either.


    Ever since his identity was uncovered, the shameless son of a dog, Sidarth, abandoned all restraint and went into full on freeloader mode, coming over every so often to leech on Anmi¡¯s hard work. Should the poor feline ever try to resist him, Anmi would immediately be sent packing with a punch or a packing. That wasn¡¯t even the worst case scenario as well; at times, Anmi even had to prepare a doggy bag for the shameless Cerberus¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s precisely because you said you came from that blasted old dog that I thought you were here to humiliate me¡­¡±


    An ¡®aha¡¯ moment descended upon Sinmosa as she proceeded to say: ¡°So you¡¯re saying you secretly learnt that skill from my uncle?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­¡± Anmi lowered his head before proceeding on with an ashen look on his face: ¡°So that old dog is your uncle¡­does your family know that he¡¯s so shameless?¡±


    Sinmosa: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®I think I might have some idea about that¡­¡¯


    ¡°I never thought that my uncle would be such a scoundrel¡­¡± Sinmosa then proceeded to apologize: ¡°Even though this won¡¯t really solve your problem, I still feel that I should apologize on my uncle¡¯s behalf, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Woof woof.¡± Sasani was probably apologizing as well.


    ¡°Forget it, even if you two apologize, that uncle of yours won¡¯t change. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything I can do if he comes again.¡±


    Seeing that dejected look on his, I suddenly realized the strangeness of this whole situation: ¡°Isn¡¯t there a treaty between the Hellhounds and the Purgatory Shadowcats? For him to bully you so brazenly¡­even if the Hellhounds know nothing about this, shouldn¡¯t your clan do something about him, or are they really planning to endure his antics? Anmi, don¡¯t tell me you never reported this matter to your clan?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± The moment I said that, his face seemed to seize up as if there was something he couldn¡¯t tell me. ¡°Truth be told, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to report this matter, it¡¯s just¡­¡±


    He hesitated for a moment before finally saying: ¡°Our clan is in a state of war¡­¡±


    ¡°War?!¡± Back when Sinmosa described the surrounding clans in the region, she only mentioned that the Hellhounds neighbored the Purgatory Shadowcats and further east was the territory of the Demonic Fire Sprites.


    (TL: Used to be Demonic Fire Elves. The same words are used for elves and sprites in Chinese so I used elves initially.)


    The Demonic Fire Sprites were elemental beings like the Fire Elementals and like them, their habitat had to adhere to strict requirements. Given how much terraforming had been done by the Purgatory Shadowcats on their territory, the land was no longer suitable for these sprites to live in. Thus, there was really no reason for them to come to blows either.


    In that case, the Demonic Fire Sprites clearly weren¡¯t the ones warring with the cats; the Hellhounds were clearly not the culprits either. On our way here, we saw no signs of war at all so exactly what was going with this war Anmi mentioned? Who were their opponents?


    ¡®Perhaps if we helped them with this war, they might be more receptive to helping us once we showed them results seeing as we would be their benefactors then?¡¯


    With that in mind, I anxiously pressed the feline with another question: ¡°Who are your opponents, does your clan need my help?¡±


    ¡°Our opponents are¡­¡± The moment that word was mentioned, an undisguisable sense of awkwardness filled the air: ¡°It¡¯s a civil war¡­

 Chapter 213: Questions

    Civil war, words which most clan were undoubtedly familiar with. If a choice had to be made about the most harmful events that could befall a clan, civil wars would definitely clinch the top spot.


    Before coming to this region, I was told about an existence known as the Cat King. Cat Kings were basically the central authority of the clan. Although their power wasn¡¯t as absolute as those Emperors in ancient China ¨Cback then, they could basically order a person¡¯s death with just a snap of their fingers¨C the orders of the Cat King were usually followed as long as it didn¡¯t involve killing off someone directly. Just from that alone, one could see how prestigious the position was.


    It was precisely because of this prestige and power that made the position so unbearably tempting for those involved. Thanks to that, they found themselves in this whole debacle of hand versus feet, where siblings warred with each other.


    The elderly Cat King passed away not too long ago but annoyingly, he didn¡¯t appoint a successor before doing so. Even more annoyingly, he had two sons and one daughter¡­


    In order to ascend, these three siblings argued day and night, finally resorting to blows in the end.


    ¡°So a female cat can become a king as well¡­.the Purgatory Shadowcats seem pretty progressive.¡± At the side, Mo Na listened with rapt attention to the tale of how a younger sister warred against her two older brothers. Most likely, it was the fact that a female was involved that she became so invested in the whole story in the first place: ¡°Mama, once Mo Na grows up, she wants to become the Demon King!¡±


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    ¡°Ambitious! Your Papa approves.¡± Just like a parent who had just heard his child proclaim himself as a future scientist or president, my heart fluttered and I couldn¡¯t help but give her an appreciative pat on the forehead. ¡°Sweetie, Papa is sure you will succeed if you put your mind to it.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, mhm.¡± Mo Na vigorously nodded her head as she smiled back at me.


    ¡°If your clan is in the midst of a civil war, what are you doing here then?¡± Unlike Mo Na¡¯s off-kilter way of thinking, Sinmosa¡¯s question cut straight to the crux of the issue instead. Normally, under such extraordinary circumstances, Anmi shouldn¡¯t even have the time to mess around with Sidarth and yet just looking at him right now, he seemed rather carefree.


    ¡°Civil war huh¡­¡± Anmi lifted his head and stared at the depressingly grey sky above, doing nothing for what felt like an eternity before rolling his eyes at us and saying the following words in an extremely disdainful manner: ¡°What has that got to do with me?¡±


    Me: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re good, your whole clan is busy waging a war and here you are with your ¡°what has that got to do with me?¡± attitude¡­such callousness, are you sure you¡¯re fine like that?¡¯


    ¡®I think I get the whole picture now¡­it¡¯s precisely because of his callousness towards his fellow cats that he ended up in this state with Sidarth¡­¡¯


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t give me that look, I know exactly what you¡¯re thinking right now¡­honestly¡­other than me, there are a ton of other Purgatory Shadowcats who don¡¯t give a d*mn about those three siblings.¡± Anmi sighed in exasperation, voice still as disdainful as before.


    ¡°There are many who don¡¯t wish to get caught up in that mess, it¡¯s not just me, I swear. The majority of the clan doesn¡¯t care about this whole succession war¡­as long as it doesn¡¯t come knocking on our doorsteps, we do our best to keep our tails out of it.¡±


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    ¡°Why? Don¡¯t you guys feel any sense of loyalty to the throne?¡± If this was a human war, the rivers would probably be red with blood already. Even though everyone knew that such a war was a bloody affair, there wouldn¡¯t be any lack of volunteers thanks to the irresistible promise ofrewards.


    ¡°Why?¡± Anmi scornfully harrumphed. ¡°Because those three siblings are all morons.¡±


    ¡°Morons¡­¡± That had to be the first time I heard someone speak of their country¡¯s royal family in such a manner, in front of an outsider no less.


    Well, whether or not they were morons had nothing to do with me at all. My only goal was to find a Purgatory Shadowcat and attain the method of entering Abaddon.


    ¡°Let¡¯s put aside the matter of your clan¡¯s civil war for now, how about we talk about my requirements instead.¡± Seeing as that topic was basically spent, I prepared to lay my cards out on the table. ¡°Truth be told, I came here because I heard that you Purgatory Shadowcats have an ability known as Dreamwalking. That¡¯s why you guys are known as scholars, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± As he acknowledged that in a matter-of-fact tone, he tilted his head in the smuggest display I had seen thus far. ¡°So you¡¯re really here for help then? Speak then, I might just give you an answer seeing as you¡¯re so sincere about seeking help.¡±


    ¡°I did say we wanted your help¡­¡± Looking at his absolute confidence, I knew that this time, for sure, we were going to get the answer we wanted. Even though his smug face was rather off putting, I had no intention of aggravating the situation any further before I got my answer.


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    Thus, I asked the question that had been bothering me all this while, ¡°I wish to enter Abaddon, do you know the way?¡±


    ¡°¡­you wish to enter Abaddon?¡± His face froze up and whatever smile he had left on his lips stiffened: ¡°How about another question instead?¡±


    Me: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Mo Na just knew this kitty isn¡¯t reliable at all.¡±


    ¡°Hey, who are you calling unreliable?!¡±


    ¡°You of course, who else is there?¡± Mo Na dismissively waved him off before smirking: ¡°I bet you don¡¯t even know the way to Abaddon, do you?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Anmi had nothing to say to that. ¡®Seems like he really is stumped by that question.¡¯


    ¡°So you really don¡¯t know then? I thought your Dreamwalking ability allows you to freely traverse the dimensions?¡± His silence immediately dowsed my prior excitement.


    ¡°Honestly, that ability isn¡¯t as powerful as the legends make it out to be¡­besides¡­¡±


    After leaving that ¡®besides¡¯ hanging there for an eternity, he abruptly ended the conversation; he probably had his own considerations to look out for so he chose not to speak any further. It was at that moment that Sinmosa demonstrated her brilliance, a brilliance that Sasani could never hope to match:


    ¡°If you don¡¯t tell us the reason, we¡¯ll head back right now and I¡¯ll go find my uncle. I¡¯ll make sure to tell him that ¡®Anmi has hidden his Meowberries and Ashen Fur Mice.¡¯ Try guessing what would be his reaction then?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± At that, Anmi threw the devious Cerberus a mournful yet furious stare before saying: ¡°But I really don¡¯t have any more Meowberries and Ashen Fur Mice¡­¡±


    ¡°Well then, do you think my uncle will believe his niece more or an outsider like you?¡±


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s you¡­¡±


    Sinmosa smiled thinly and said no more. Just that look in her eyes was more than enough to pressure the cornered feline. Head lowered for a long while, he confessed.


    ¡°Truth be told, we¡¯ve already lost our ability to Dreamwalk¡­¡±


    ¡®So that¡¯s the real reason why¡­the truth¡­it hurts so much¡­¡¯


    ¡°Then why the heck did you act all high and mighty just now?¡± Honestly, I really wanted to murder someone right now.


    ¡°¡­because¡­I do actually know a lot of things¡­¡± Anmi answered weakly while glancing at Sinmosa. Upon discovering her rapidly worsening expression, he finally caved into the pressure: ¡°Yes, Dreamwalking is one of the unique abilities of a Shadowcat, but after turning into Purgatory Shadowcats, we slowly lost the ability to Dreamwalk¡­¡±


    Resisting that strong urge in me to punch him right now, I immediately cut him off with another question: ¡°Then tell me exactly who can help me enter Abbadon!¡±


    ¡°Those three morons¡­they¡¯re still Shadowcats¡­¡± By now, Anmi was on the verge of tears: ¡°Because their family is the only strain of cats that haven¡¯t turned into Purgatory Shadowcats, they possess the rights to the throne¡­¡±


    ¡®So the Purgatory Shadowcats didn¡¯t even see their transformation as an evolution but rather a mutation.¡¯


    With that in mind, we talked him into bringing us to see their royal family instead. Although his face clearly showed his unwillingness to do so, the lump on his head begged to differ¡­ ¡®This kitty is actually pretty cooperative after all.¡¯


    ¡­¡­


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    ¡°Past this point is the territory of the little Princess.¡±


    After travelling for roughly a week, we finally reached our destination. During the trip, we passed by several territories belonging to other Purgatory Shadowcats. Just like Anmi before them, they all abstained from the ongoing succession war. Whatever reason those siblings had for feuding was all in the past and that didn¡¯t affect them in the least bit. To these cats, a peaceful, average day was more important than anything else.


    As we proceeded deeper and deeper into the territory of the Purgatory Shadowcats, we discovered more and more strains of animal and plant life. Given how many we¡¯ve seen so far, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if their territory was the territory most teeming with life.


    Of those we saw, the majority belonged to the category of animals or plant life that shouldn¡¯t even exist in Purgatory and yet they did. Other than the Ashen Fur Mice, we saw some birds flying above us and found some strange insects crawling beneath us. All of them were lifeforms transported over from Abaddon. Naturally, they all underwent some form of mutation after the migration and now possessed some degree of fire element within them. After all, without fire resistance, it was basically impossible to live in Purgatory.


    ¡°So what¡¯s this little Princess like?¡± Right ahead of us was a castle town that was stacked and carved entirely out of stone. It had a rather unique pressure that could¡¯ve only come from a city in Purgatory. Its blackish molten rock gave the city an almost overbearing pressure.


    ¡°What¡¯s she like?¡± Hearing that, Anmi couldn¡¯t help but roll his eyes at the mere thought of the little Princess: ¡°You just have to know that she¡¯s really moronic.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Because his last words were truly worrying, we ended up spending the rest of our journey in tense silence.


    Finally, we arrived on the doorstep of the castle town, door being metaphorical in this case since there wasn¡¯t actually a door at all but rather a giant hole instead. There was basically nothing stopping a person from entering or leaving except for two cats standing guard outside who vaguely resemble Anmi figure wise. While it wasn¡¯t technically wrong to call them guards, it would take a rather loose definition of the word ¡®guard¡¯ to define their lackadaisical posture as anything but lazing around.

 Chapter 214: Princess Meisian

    ¡°Why is it everytime I visit, I find you two lazing about¡­¡± Anmi greeted the two guards with an unabashed tsukkomi you would expect from friends or close acquaintances.


    ¡°Sir Anmi, what are you doing here? Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to stay away from this fiasco? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve finally seen the light and decided to help Princess Meisian?¡± Replied one of the guards with an awkward smile. From the looks of things, this probably wasn¡¯t the first time they were caught skiving.


    Anmi gave a quick but discreet glance at Sinmosa before saying: ¡°Well, the reason is¡­complicated, mhm. How about helping me send word to the princess first. Just say that I have guests with me.¡± As he said that, Anmi made a show of how important his position was in the clan. ¡°Carry on then, my affairs aren¡¯t to be delayed.¡±


    In the midst of all that, Anmi continuously winked at the guardcat.


    ¡°Sir Anmi, what¡¯s the matter? Your eyes keeps on blinking so quickly, is there something stuck inside?¡± Asked the silly guardcat, clearly not getting the intention behind his actions.


    ¡°No¡­it¡¯s nothing¡­¡± Anmi¡¯s body immediately stiffened.


    REPORT AD


    I bet he really wanted to kill himself right now. Knowing him, he must¡¯ve wanted to send some kind of secret message to those cats but they were too stupid to realize that. Truly, was a there any better phrase to describe this situation than ¡®what¡¯s scary isn¡¯t an opponent on the level of God, rather it is the dumb-as-a-pig teammate who you should fear.¡¯


    ¡®Heh heh¡­maybe I should ask them in Anmi¡¯s stead: ¡°Does your family know that you¡¯re this stupid?¡±¡¯


    ¡°Just go!¡± With that howl, Anmi clearly ran out of patience for the two pig-cats.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go report in.¡± The guardcat who replied then proceeded to jump over the castle wall¡­ ¡®Jump over the wall? Isn¡¯t there a perfectly fine looking entranceway over there, why climb over the wall?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t, for the life of me, figure out why that guardcat decided to jump over the wall like that but judging by all the cat steps on the castle wall, it clearly wasn¡¯t some kind of ability unique to him. As everyone knew on Earth, cats were extremely agile animal who could scale anything with a bit of effort; given that then, it wasn¡¯t all that surprising to learn of their wall climbing ability in this world.


    The walls and cat steps were all pitch black and if one wasn¡¯t looking hard enough, he would most likely miss them entirely. That was why I didn¡¯t notice it till now.


    A short while later, that guardcat came climbing back over the wall, nimbly leaping off each step and covering the entire ten meters in mere seconds. Upon touching down, the guardcat greeted us: ¡°The Princess has decided to welcome you all personally, please enter the castle.¡±


    ¡°Just pass through that hole and you¡¯ll reach the main hall for receiving guests.¡± Anmi gave a gentle leap, climbing over the greater half of the castle wall before we even had to chance to react to his words.


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    Seeing that, the two Cerberus glanced at each other after which Sinmosa asked: ¡°Should we enter?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, after all that trouble it took us to get here, there¡¯s no way we¡¯re leaving empty handed.¡± I nodded my head and then took the first step ahead of the group.


    ¡°Wait for Mo Na, Mama¡­¡± Mo Na rushed off with Cinderel in tow, following closely behind her were No.3 and Big 4.


    Seeing that we had all left, Sinmosa gave a helpless glance at her husband before following closely in our footsteps.


    As we continued walking through the hole-like entrance, Sinmosa spoke up as if talking to herself: ¡°Strange, why would the Purgatory Shadowcats not use this entrance? Is it just a force of habit?¡±


    With regards to that question, I had previously given it some thought as well but soon tossed it aside. After all, we weren¡¯t some researchers studying the habits of Purgatory Shadowcats; such mundane matters really didn¡¯t matter at all.


    ¡°Haha, they really entered it.¡±


    ¡°Ahahaha, they entered the hole, they entered the hole¡­¡±


    Not long after we stepped into the entranceway, the ominous sound of cat laughter came echoing from behind us. ¡®Exactly what did they mean by ¡®entered the hole¡¯? This is clearly the main entrance don¡¯t cha know.¡¯


    The first thing we saw upon entering the castle was a field of black grass and some strange trees formed of rock. Right ahead was a two hundred meter tall, three-storied stone structure that was both wide and long, almost like those universities from Earth. From a distance away, the joined structures seem to form a prone ¡®T¡¯.


    There, Anmi stood waiting for us at the entrance of the first floor. This time, it was a normal looking entranceway with a couple of stone doors and a door frame.


    ¡°You¡­took the hole, I see.¡± Seeing us approach, he took the initiative to receive us with a wide grin on his face.


    ¡°What are you smiling about?¡± For some reason, that smile of his gave me the creeps.


    ¡°Oh, nothing.¡± He looked left and right before continuing: ¡°Alright, since we are all here, let¡¯s go see the Princess then, the faster we meet her, the faster I can return to my land.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡± Ever since we stepped into the castle, that fellow, Anmi, seemed to be acting a little strange¡­ ¡®Best not let him get ahead of himself right now.¡¯


    The moment we stepped into the building, we found ourselves in a hallway decorated with a bunch of strange ornaments like fish skulls, dried fish tails and even growing Meowberries. From time to time, we would come upon pools of lava ten meters square in size. Within its crimson liquid, I spied the familiar silhouette of Flame Devouring Fishes. ¡®Were they there for decorative purposes as well?¡¯


    The entire hallway took us roughly five minutes to traverse after which we found ourselves in a vast hall where Princess Meisian sat.


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    If I had to describe the hall, it had all the exoticness you would expect from a different race. The ceiling was at least five meters high with a bunch of ropes hanging off it. Each rope had a complete set of fish bones attached to it. Was it decorative as well? Or was there some other purpose I didn¡¯t know of¡­


    The entire hall was devoid of anything table-like or even chair-like, instead there were cushion pads on the floor that were meant for sitting, probably.


    Princess Meisian sat quietly atop a black platform close to the wall. Unlike the Purgatory Shadowcats, her fur was completely pitch black; only her eyes weren¡¯t black, being golden instead. Moreover, her body was extremely petite, resembling more of a normal housecat than anything.


    Next to her platform were several platters, one bearing Meowberries, one bearing some kind of dark red fruit juice, another bearing Flame Devouring Fish meat while another contained a serving of barbecued Ashen Fur Mouse. Seated there with delicacies at her side, was there any clearer sign of her position than that?


    Other than Princess Meisian, there were ten other cats who were probably bodyguards. Unlike those two guardcat at the entranceway, they were noticeably more lively. If I had to guess, they were her personal guards, kind of like the Forbidden Guardsmen of ancient China.


    ¡°Your Highness, Anmi has come bearing several friends, they wish for your Highness¡¯s aid.¡± While he might have been rather dismissive of this Princess, he at least knew to keep his head down in front of the person herself and show the expected etiquette.


    Meisian lazily scratched her head with a claw before speaking in a slow drawl: ¡°So even you knows how to return¡­after ignoring all those summons I sent out, what changed your mind all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± His face stiffened after which he muttered in a slightly exasperated tone: ¡°Your Highness, we have guests¡­¡±


    Before he could even finish speaking however, the Princess curtly cut him off: ¡°So what if we have guests? Just because we have guests, I can¡¯t scold you?¡±


    ¡°¡­yes yes yes, Your Highness is always right.¡± Fearing any further loss of face, he wisely chose to shut up instead.


    ¡®Speaking of which, this Princess of theirs is rather forthright, how interesting. I bet Anmi finds her boorish instead.¡¯


    ¡°Hmph, since there are guests here today, I¡¯ll let you off the hook for now. You¡¯d better be grateful for the magnanimity I showed today, got it?¡± Seeing Anmi cave in like that, she instantly felt a sense of satisfaction and smugly harrumphed at the poor cat before turning to us: ¡°So you¡¯re the guests that potato, Anmi, spoke of?¡±


    While that wasn¡¯t the most courteous of greetings, I fully intended to show her my friendly side.


    I took a step forward and with my left hand behind my back, I bowed, right hand placed at my chest. That, right there, was the greeting used by male aristocrats which I learned from reading mangas: ¡°Greetings, Your Highness the Princess, My name is Mo Ke, a devil who had just come from the Prison of the Dead. My original destination was Abaddon but due to some unfortunate accidents, I ended up in Purgatory instead. I¡¯ve long heard of the Shadowcats and their vast knowledge, thus I come bearing an audacious request. I hope that you will impart upon me the knowledge of how to enter Abaddon, this lowly one would forever be in your Highness¡¯s debt if so.¡±


    ¡°You wish to know the method of entering Abaddon?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I smiled as I looked her in the eyes. However, I ended up having to endure several seconds of silence before receiving an answer; perhaps she didn¡¯t find my formal greeting to her liking?


    ¡°Why should I help you?¡± Princess Meisian lowered her head and took a sip of her fruit juice before taking a bite of Ashen Fur Mouse meat. Mouth still chewing, she spoke in a slightly garbled voice: ¡°How would it benefit me if I were to help you?¡±


    ¡°Benefit¡­¡±


    ¡®Come to think of it, I don¡¯t really have anything to offer her¡­but still, aren¡¯t you a princess? Is it really alright for you to be so utilitarian?¡¯


    Seeing me stay silent for so long, she suddenly changed the topic: ¡°Oh right, how did you guys enter the castle?¡±


    ¡°The main entrance of course.¡±


    ¡®Where else but the main entrance? Don¡¯t tell me they expected us to climb the wall like cats¡­¡¯

 Chapter 215: Carrot and Stick

    ¡°So the hole then¡­.¡± Princess Meisian suddenly burst out laughing, moreover it wasn¡¯t some bashful giggle either but a full on guffaw. ¡°HAHAHAHAHA, to think someone actually tried to crawl in through the hole¡­you¡¯re killing me here¡­AHAHAHA¡­¡±


    ¡®Hole? What the heck is she talking about? That was clearly the main entrance, how did it turn into a hole all of a sudden? Hold on¡­those guardcats were laughing as well when we entered¡­ Anmi too¡­¡¯


    Looking around, I found that the normally stony faced guardcats were all chuckling as well, gone were their serious Forbidden Guardsmen demeanor with some even going so far as to double over in laughter.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious, those without doors panels are holes.¡±


    ¡°???¡±


    ¡®The heck is that supposed to mean?! Why did an entranceway suddenly become so complicated?¡¯


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    Princess Meisian laughed for a good long while before noticing the dumbstruck look on our faces. Still laughing, she explained the situation using a well-known Purgatory Shadowcat saying: ¡°You still don¡¯t get it? Cats climb the wall, Dogs crawl through the hole!¡±


    ¡®Cats climb the wall and Dogs crawl through the hole? Ah, I think I get it now¡­what she¡¯s saying is that cats are agile while dogs are clumsier and can¡¯t climb over most obstacles like cats. That¡¯s why they have dog holes but never cat holes.¡¯


    Because of that explanation, I finally understood the true extent of their maliciousness. It wasn¡¯t just me either, the Cerberus couple were the most affected¡­seeing as they were actual dogs¡­


    ¡°So this is how the Shadowcats treat their guests?¡± Sinmosa gave the princess a piercing stare filled with anger that threatened spill out at any moment.


    Sasani barked as well though most of us didn¡¯t know what he was saying. Judging from his contorted faces however, the contents were most likely the same as Sinmosa¡¯s.


    ¡°Hmph, those who come uninvited aren¡¯t guests.¡± Meisian swept her scornful eyes over the two Cerberuses and then smirked: ¡°Yo~, I never realized this before, we actually have two dogs in my house right now.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Sasani finally couldn¡¯t hold in his anger anymore, curving his back slightly, he prepared to launch a leaping attack. Realizing this as well, the ten guardcats immediately put up a defensive posture.


    ¡°Ruff!¡± Sinmosa immediately stopped her husband from acting rashly using the tongue of the Hellhounds. Still, that didn¡¯t stop him from glaring at Princess Meisian one last time before turning around to face his family. Fearing his rashness might harm his family, he chose to swallow this indignation in the end.


    ¡°Smart choice.¡± The princess threw the defeated dog a disdainful smile before raising her right claw, waving it about to signal to the other guardcats to relax.


    We were still inside her castle, meaning this was her homeground and fighting on someone¡¯s homeground was beyond foolish.


    The Hellhounds once fought a war with the Purgatory Shadowcats. In the end, both sides failed to make any gains and had to sign a white peace. Just from those words alone, it was clear how strong these cats were ¨Cat least at the level of the Hellhounds.


    Given that, what would happen to us if we caused a ruckus in their territory? The answer was obvious¡­


    If we were lucky, they would just kick us out. Depending on their mood, we might even end up dead or worse. Thus, fighting was definitely the worst choice we could make¡­ ¡®Absolutely no, no fighting, right now we¡¯re the ones at the disadvantage so we have to play by their rules.¡¯


    ¡°Your Esteemed Highness the Princess, how about we leave the jokes aside for now, we¡¯ve long heard of Your Highness¡¯s profound knowledge and so we¡¯ve come visiting¡­¡±


    It was a carefully balanced praise, that neither went overboard nor skimped out on the flattery. Still, it proved to be a fruitful one. The moment I praised her profound knowledge, I noticed her eyes narrow ever so slightly in appreciation while her head tilted back and the corners of her mouth curled up. In other words, she was saying ¡®praise me more¡¯. With that in mind, I quickly realized that flattering her was a more effective negotiation tool than force.


    Rushing to take advantage of her good mood, I immediately followed that up: ¡°Perhaps the answer which I seek might seem ever so insignificant to you, but I¡¯m sure a profound scholar such as Your Highness would definitely be able to solve my conundrum. While this problem might be more difficult than climbing the heavens for me, it is but a trifling matter for Your Highness. Still, this answer is of utmost importance to me so I beseech Your Highness, enlighten me.¡±


    Truth be told, even I felt a little nauseous from what I just spat out from my mouth. Being a d*mn shut-in in my previous life, I basically had no friends or bosses to suck up to. Words such as those would have never left my mouth back on Earth, except as a joke of course. Things were different now however, circumstances being as they were, I had to adapt.


    And that was why people always said, ¡®circumstances made the man.¡¯


    ¡°Mhm, you¡¯re really good at talking, but don¡¯t think you can get what you want for free with just a few pretty words.¡± Princess Meisian lazily licked her left claws before saying as such ever so slowly: ¡°One mustn¡¯t escape from their obligations after all, that would be immoral.¡±


    ¡®F***, I get it now, this d*mned cat must have some kind of task for us¡­well why didn¡¯t you just say so from the start, what¡¯s with all that sanctimonious talk about obligations and morality? Did you really have to put up a signboard announcing to the world that you¡¯re a b*tch? I swear¡­¡¯


    I truly wished to rail at her but I held back in the end. If I were to lose my temper now, all that I had done would have been for naught.


    ¡°And how may we service you¡­¡±


    ¡°Great question, I do in fact have a task for you.¡±


    ¡®Finally we get to the main point¡­¡¯


    Prior to this, I already knew that the princess was warring with her brothers. The siblings would periodically send out their armies to fight with each other. Sometimes, it was brother versus brother. At times, it was sister versus the oldest brother. Other times, it was the second brother squaring off against his sister¡­so on and so forth.


    Her army was evenly matched against her eldest brother resulting in their matches ending in a draw most of the time. Unless one side was able to subjugate the other with their overwhelming power, it was basically impossible for this civil war to end.


    With that in mind, the task she gave us was to infiltrate her eldest brother¡¯s castle while it was empty and defeat him, forcing him to give up the rights to the throne and acknowledging the princess as the successor in the process.


    ¡°Simple, isn¡¯t it?¡± Having laid out her plans, she smiled before lowering herself to take another sip of juice; all that talking must¡¯ve made her thirsty.


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    ¡°Will their castle really be as empty as you say? Don¡¯t tell me there aren¡¯t any Six-stars elders guarding him.¡± As I said that, I couldn¡¯t help but shiver from the thought of facing another Six-stars again. Even now, I could still vividly remember that overpowering aura radiating off that old dog Sidarth as if it was just yesterday. Should we encounter such opposition, this so-called assassination of us was just going to end in us becoming roadkill.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, as long as you state your purpose before fighting, and ensure them that you won¡¯t harm my brother, those elders above the level of Five-stars won¡¯t interfere.¡± She confidently declared.


    ¡°Well then, what¡¯s your decision? If you refuse me, you¡¯d better not regret that decision, after all, while I can¡¯t say for certain that we¡¯re the most knowledgeable race, I can at least say that in this very region, the Remnants of Sable Radiance, we Shadowcats are the most knowledgeable devils around.¡±


    ¡®When she puts it like that, was there even a choice then? I¡¯ll do it!¡¯ Before that however, I had a more serious problem that needed to resolve right now: ¡°If his castle is as empty as you say, I don¡¯t mind giving it a shot but we don¡¯t forget, we aren¡¯t Purgatory Shadowcats, would those elders even believe us if we say that we won¡¯t harm your brother?¡±


    The fact that we weren¡¯t Purgatory Shadowcats was crucial here. After all, it was more than likely that they would kill us on sight as intruders rather than listen to our story. The prince was a potential Cat King candidate, lest we forget.


    ¡°That, you don¡¯t have to worry about, I¡¯ll have Anmi aid you guys. Should you encounter any Six-stars elders, Anmi will explain the situation to them so worry not.¡±


    At that, all our eyes turned to the feline in question who was currently in the midst of sneaking away.


    ¡°¡­Your Highness¡­you were looking for me?¡± Discovered, all he could do was awkwardly scratch his ears and gingerly return to his previous location.


    ¡°Anmi, you were trying to run away just now, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°No, no, not at all, Your Highness. My legs just¡­shook a little, perhaps it might have looked like I was trying to run away, but I can assure you, there¡¯s no such thing at all.¡±


    ¡°Hah, exactly. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m some kind of monstrosity after all, there¡¯s no reason for you flee from me¡­RIGHT?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes , yes, Your Highness is too correct.¡±


    ¡°Since you think so as well, I¡¯m sure you know what you have to do next then?¡±


    ¡°¡­I do¡­I¡¯ll bring our guests to the castle of the Eldest Prince for a short excursion.¡±


    Satisfied, having gotten her way and all, she proudly declared: ¡°Remember to hurry back.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Whimpered a certain cat who was on the verge of tears right now.


    Just like that, we accepted the quest to pay a visit to the castle of the Eldest Prince, at the same time, we gained a new companion as well.


    The Eldest Prince was known as Weiderly. His castle wasn¡¯t that far off from Meisian¡¯s castle, roughly a day¡¯s journey on foot, however, that didn¡¯t mean that this was going to be an easy quest either. In order to get to said castle, we had to first pass through a battlefield¡­in other words, we had to step into the crossfire between Weiderly¡¯s armies and Meisian¡¯s armies.

 Chapter 216: The War of the Cats

    The laws of the new world and ours differ greatly. Even though this has resulted in countless dimensional tears between the worlds, these tears are simply too small to allow anything greater than a Two-stars undead to cross over¡­we have tried our best to widen the tears yet their self-regenerative powers are simply too much for us¡­I beseech your Highness to dispatch more reinforcements¡­with our current manpower, it would be difficult for us to enter the new world given how attuned we are to the laws of our current world¡­


    ¡ª<>


    ¡°Just a while more and we¡¯ll reach the battlefield, I hope you¡¯ve prepared yourself mentally.¡± Standing at the head of our little troupe, the kitty cat who was noticeably more wilted after a run-in with Princess Meisian, turned around to address us. Just looking at him now, I could have sworn that his entire feline self was about to crumble.


    ¡°Prepared?¡±


    ¡®Please, this brother has slain countless undead and devils during his time in the Prison of the Dead. No matter how bloody your clan¡¯s battles are, there¡¯s no way they can compare to my vast experience¡­-truly those were harrowing times¡­days where corpses piled as high as mountains.¡¯


    Seeing me so nonchalant, Anmi elected not to explain any further but merely said so in a steady voice: ¡°You¡¯ll understand once you see it yourself.¡±


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    Since he wasn¡¯t willing to dwell any further on this subject, I decided to ask something else instead: ¡°Anmi, is it really alright for us to¡­cause trouble for the Eldest Prince, Weiderly?¡±


    Normally, an outsider¡¯s interference during a civil war tended to draw the most hatred to themselves. Just thinking about that point was already enough to give me a headache as is.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, while Meisian might not be the most reliable cat in a number of matters, this task of hers is definitely not a trap. As long you all don¡¯t cause any lasting harm to Weiderly, the elders won¡¯t interfere.¡± With regards to this mission of ours, Anmi seemed extraordinarily confident about it, going so far as to say: ¡°Moreover, Weiderly has already dispatched his armies to fight against Meisian¡¯s. Those guarding him shouldn¡¯t number more than twenty. That, I¡¯m willing to stake my life on.¡±


    ¡®Hmph, such confidence, you¡¯d better watch out for when those words come back to bite you.¡¯


    ¡°Oh right, exactly how does your clan settle its succession disputes?¡± The importance of a succession dispute was never in doubt, else why would the three siblings ever come to blows over it. However, there was one point that left me confounded even till now, if they knew how important the war was, why weren¡¯t they commanding their armies? The fact that the majority of their armies were outside fighting while less than twenty of their soldiers stayed behind as guardcats just seemed a little odd no matter how one looked at it¡­


    ¡°How huh¡­¡± Anmi paused for a second before saying: ¡°It¡¯s actually really simple, both sides send out their armies to fight over territory. Once one side has successfully claimed the territory as theirs, it counts as a victory for them. Also, a castle is a private belonging of each cat, even if another cat wants to claim it, that can only be done at the last battle.¡±


    ¡°Is calling for outside help even allowed?¡±


    ¡°It is, to us, being able to call in outside help is a show of one¡¯s success. However, such help must not infringe upon the clan¡¯s interests. If a candidate betrays the clan¡¯s interests, the elders won¡¯t acknowledge him or her even if that cat wins.¡±


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    Having said all that, Anmi lowered his head and fell silent, clearly not intending to talk anymore. Seeing that, I glanced at Sinmosa next to me and gave a helpless shrug before moving on. As of right now, all we could do was handle the issues as they come.


    Honestly, if the worst was to happen to us, I had already planned for Sinmosa to leave us behind and escape with Mo Na. After all, we were visiting an enemy¡¯s castle here, no amount of preparation was enough and a single mishap might just lead to our downfall.


    With nothing else to talk about, the journey proceeded quietly till Anmi stopped in his tracks a short while later.


    ¡°Past this black forest is the battlefield¡­¡± As he said that, his mood was noticeably sullen.


    For Anmi to have such a crestfallen reaction was actually¡­rather understandable. After all, this was his clan¡¯s civil war, no matter what the reason was, the casualties at the end of the day would always be their cats. Was it so strange for him to be sad then? Did these rulers really have to use such barbaric means to settle their disputes; was there truly no better way or did the river have to run red before they would finally be satisfied?


    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared Mama, Mo Na will protect you.¡± For some reason, Mo Na seemed rather attached to this whole concept of ¡®protecting me¡¯ and would often throw out those words at the drop of the hat. Even though she was just a child and couldn¡¯t be that strong in the first place, my heart calmed down somewhat upon hearing her sweet voice. Was this what people called kinship? Right here, right now, all I could think of was how to guarantee her safety and that no matter what, I didn¡¯t want her to get hurt.


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    ¡°Good girl, Mo Na, but you seemed to have a made a mistake there, it¡¯s Papa who will protect you.¡± Patting her on the head, the worries on my face seemed to disappear with each rub and all that remained behind was the pride of a father. ¡°If something happens, remember to hide behind your Papa.¡±


    ¡°Kay~¡± She somewhat reluctantly acceded to that. ¡°¡­but Mo Na is really strong¡­¡±


    ¡°Mhm, Mo Na is strong but as long as Papa is here, it is Papa¡¯s duty to protect Mo Na, that is what it means to be a Papa.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean duty??¡± Blinking those lovely eyes of hers, Mo Na gave me a perplexed look. Even though she had her inherited memories to teach her, it seemed like duty wasn¡¯t one of those lessons passed down. Perhaps the devils didn¡¯t really have such a word in their dictionary.


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    ¡°Duty huh, duty means to do what has to be done. Just like how Papa has to protect Mo Na when she is in danger, that is ¡®Papa¡¯s duty¡¯.¡±


    Her fists tightened and she lifted them up in a forceful pose. She seemed to have understood what I was trying to convey but given how tiny and adorable she was, her posture just couldn¡¯t display the solemnity she felt, instead it just made her even cuter: ¡°Then Mo Na will protect Mama as well, don¡¯t worry, Mo Na take responsibility for Mama.¡±


    ¡®Why does it seem like we are on completely different wavelengths¡­¡¯


    ¡°We¡¯ve reached it¡­¡±


    Amidst our idle chatter, we unknowingly left the pitch black forest and entered the battleground. Lifting up my head upon his reminder, I found two armies facing against each other.


    On each side were hundreds of Purgatory Shadowcats with the closer army belonging to Princess Meisian. As for the other side, that naturally belonged to Weiderly. The two armies stood a mere hundred meters apart from each other and violently hissed at each other, filling the entire region with a tense atmosphere in the process.


    Right in the middle of these two armies were two lone cats who were chasing each other; from the looks of things, they were probably engaged in a duel of sorts. A leap here and a swipe there, their battle was truly a ferocious one.


    ¡°Is that the heads of each army squaring off against each other?¡± Looking at two giant kitty cats claw at each other, I was suddenly reminded of those generals from the Three Kingdoms era who would hold multiple general faceoffs in order to raise morale, at least it was so for the winning side¡­


    ¡°You could say that.¡± Anmi rolled his eyes and curled his lips sideways: ¡°Why is it those morons again¡­¡±


    ¡°The cats from your clan can only fight with their bodies? What about magic?¡± After watching them for what felt like a half a day, I never once saw them throw out a single spell.


    ¡°MMFFFFAAAAH~~!¡±


    Before Anmi could even reply, it seemed like a victor had been decided. All we saw were the cats biting on each other¡¯s tails¡­because of that, both cats gave off a muffled cry filled with indescribable pain. Still, both sides refused to let go of the other¡¯s tail no matter how much pain they were in.


    For cats, their tails were a sensitive spot which gave rise to the saying ¡®a cat which had its tail stepped on¡¯. Clearly such a saying wouldn¡¯t have existed if the pain wasn¡¯t excruciating.


    Even so, just as I thought that they would end up biting each other till one side collapsed, the two cats suddenly loosened their bites and collapsed, both falling towards each other and supporting the other.


    ¡®Eh? So they aren¡¯t fighting anymore?¡¯


    Just as I was about to ask Anmi however, the two cats suddenly stood up and as if pre-rehearsed, both sides bowed at each other like they had just come to some kind of agreement that only the other cat knew about. One of the cats bellowed: ¡°It¡¯s a draw once more.¡±


    A moment later, both sides erupted in cheers and the field was filled with frenzied ¡®NYAAHs¡¯ in an instant.


    ¡®What¡¯s going on here¡­¡¯


    Once both sides had finally quietened down, the other cat who had his tail bitten bellowed as well: ¡°With that, I announce the official start of the 38th Succession Battle between Prince Weiderly and Princess Meisian!¡±


    ¡°The topic of the first match will be¡ªhunting.¡±


    ¡°The rules will be the same as always, both sides will dispatch one team and within one hour, the side that brings back the most spoils will win¡­¡±


    Very quickly, two teams of five Purgatory Shadowcats were formed and sped off in opposite directions from each other. As for those two cats who had their tails bitten, they each took out an hourglass and placed it on the floor.


    The other cats on the other hand¡­began breaking off into groups of three to five and started playing games. Some started chatting while the more bored ones just went to sleep instead. Some even started teasing each other¡­essentially, they were all having fun.


    ¡°So this is the civil war you told me about?¡±


    ¡®How the heck is this even a war, it¡¯s just a bunch of cats horsing around!¡¯


    ¡°What¡¯s with wrong this? Don¡¯t tell me we have to duke it out till one side was decimated in order to qualify for the term ¡®civil war¡¯?¡± As he said that, he gave me a strange look of both complacency and embarrassment, either way, I didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry at them.


    However, I had to admit¡­this warring method of theirs truly exceeded my imagination. No wonder he didn¡¯t wish to speak about it then. Thanks to that, I mistakenly assumed it was some kind of horrific and bloody affair. I was clearly wrong about that however¡­the way those two cats were trying to bite each other just now¡­maybe it¡¯s just my imagination but¡­that just seemed like them being gay with each other more than anything else!

 Chapter 217: The Second Castle

    ¡°So what comes after the hunt?¡±


    ¡°After the hunt, we have a race, a rock-climbing contest and then an eating contest¡­¡±


    ¡°Eating contest huh¡­that sounds like a burden on one¡¯s stomach, what if the contestant becomes too bloated?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, we give out free antacid at the end of the contest.¡±


    Sinmosa: ¡°¡­you cats sure know how to play¡­¡±


    Anmi threw her a look: ¡°Thanks for your praise.¡±


    ¡®I¡­just¡­can¡¯t even find a tsukkomi for these cats anymore. Is this some kind of school festival from those japanese mangas¡­¡±


    REPORT AD


    No matter what, the road ahead required us to pass through this battlefield and Anmi had no intentions of hiding our presence either judging from how he openly led us into their midst. Upon noticing Anmi, the two ¡®gay¡¯ generals greeted him with a warm smile on their faces.


    One of the generals noticed us and threw a curious look at Anmi: ¡°Anmi, who are your friends, They seem to be devils? Also, where are you all heading to?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been tasked to visit Prince Weiderly¡¯s castle to handle some matters.¡±


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    ¡°Handle some matters?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to make him give up his succession rights.¡± Anmi answered truthfully: ¡°Her Highness the Princess wishes for us to enter Weiderly¡¯s castle and defeat him.¡±


    ¡®Anmi, you moron! That guy is clearly the subordinate of that prince you just said you were going to beat up! Aren¡¯t you afraid of him attacking you for that?!¡±


    To my surprise however, my furious signalling to that dumb cat turned out to be unnecessary as the so-called subordinate of the prince not only wasn¡¯t angered but instead gave us a jovial smile: ¡°Is that true? That¡¯s wonderful! Honestly, we¡¯re sick of this war already, I¡¯d rather plant some Meowberries and catch some Ashen Fur Mice instead¡­that would be so much more interesting. Oh right, since you guys are going to assassinate the Prince, I assume you¡¯ve made the necessary preparations already, do you guys still need some help?¡±


    ¡®Ehh? Something doesn¡¯t seem right here¡­isn¡¯t your boss the Eldest Prince, Weiderly, and not Meisian? You need to get your facts straight here! Maybe you¡¯re just lacking sleep, probably something along the lines of having a damaged brain thanks to being sleep and food deprived for three days and three nights?¡±


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    Ignoring my confused look, Anmi continued his happy little chat with Weiderly¡¯s subordinate: ¡°If you can accompany us, I would be extremely grateful.¡±


    At that, the cat in question immediately showed us a pleading look: ¡°Accompany you guys¡­spare me, please. All I can do is delay the troops and have them return a little later.¡±


    ¡°Well that will do then, best if they march off tomorrow instead.¡±


    ¡°Got it, if it¡¯s just that, I can still manage.¡±


    Just like that, I witnessed a subordinate sell out his prince for basically nothing.


    As for the general from Meisian¡¯s side, he passionately invited us to spectate their battle the reason being that since they were planning to stall for time anyway, they might as well make a grand celebration out of it, one that lasted a few days in fact¡­


    ¡®Seems like the cats on our side aren¡¯t too reliable either¡­¡¯


    Thankfully, I managed to stop Anmi just before he accepted their request.


    ¡°How about we finish our mission first, they¡¯re going to be here for a few days anyway, we can come back after that to have some barbecued Ashen Fur Mice.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s been so long since I had those¡­you know this as well, the Ashen Fur Mice in my territory have all been¡­¡± As he said that, he licked his lips before throwing a look at Sinmosa. While he didn¡¯t finish his sentence in the end, I basically got the gist of his message.


    ¡®Sigh, his life is pretty hard as well, isn¡¯t it, having to deal with a bad neighbor like Sidarth and all. However, our mission is pretty important as well.¡¯


    ¡°We can talk about this after our mission.¡±


    In spite of my resolute attitude, Anmi still seemed rather reluctant to leave.


    ¡°You really won¡¯t stay for the barbecue after this?¡± The two cat generals extended another warm invitation but were swiftly rejected by me.


    ¡°Such a pity, I¡¯m rather confident in my barbecued Ashen Fur Mice.¡±


    After dragging away the vehemently-adamant-about-eating-mice cat, I bid a hasty farewell to the two generals and continued towards Weiderly¡¯s castle. Before leaving however, the two generals introduced us to the troops present and told them that we were here to end this unending war by assassinating the Eldest Prince.


    ¡®¡­is it really okay to introduce us like that?¡¯


    Honestly, there was that one moment where I truly feared that they would rip us to shreds in a fit of anger. Instead, we were greeted with an uproarious round of cheers¡­


    With that done, all the Purgatory Shadowcats sent us off with a hero¡¯s fanfare as if we were about to assassinate their hated enemy instead of a Shadowcat prince¡­just from that alone, I could tell that this so-called prince really wasn¡¯t all his title made him out to be¡­


    ¡®I guess it¡¯s true when they say you experience more the longer you live¡­those cats though¡­¡¯


    For the most part, the castle of Prince Weiderly was strikingly similar to that of Meisian¡¯s, as if they were cut out of the same mold.


    The main entrance was a panelless hole as before and the wall was filled with cat steps. Just as before, there were two guardcats stationed there but unlike Meisian¡¯s castle, these two were just flat out sleeping.


    Given that we were already at their front door, there really wasn¡¯t much subterfuge left to pull so we simply greeted them. The following few minutes basically proceeded the same way as before with Anmi greeting the two guardcats as if they were friends. After a short chat, one of the guardcats climbed over the wall and leaped back over an instant later.


    ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect you to be such a socialite, do all the Purgatory Shadowcats know you?¡±


    The fact that every cat we encountered so far recognized Anmi was honestly enough to make him a winner cat in my books.


    And yet the cat in question didn¡¯t seem to think so: ¡°It¡¯s nothing, we Purgatory Shadowcats aren¡¯t natives of this land so our numbers aren¡¯t many to begin with, a thousand at most. With so little cats, it¡¯s only natural that the majority of them know me.¡±


    ¡®There are only a thousand cats here? Somehow, I thought there would be a lot more Purgatory Shadowcats.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that look, I¡¯m sure you aren¡¯t so stupid that you can¡¯t figure out the reason why.¡±


    His words immediately cleared the doubt in my mind: ¡°Because of the environment?¡±


    ¡°Ever since our ancestors arrived in this scorching land, an additional element appeared within our cat bodies in order to help us acclimatize to the temperature. While we might have gained some powers because of that, we lost a portion of our original powers as well. Rather than an evolution, it would be accurate to say that we mutated.¡± Having said that, he paused for a moment before continuing in a hesitant tone: ¡°Within the clan, there are some cats who feel that this change isn¡¯t even a mutation¡­rather it is a serious regression¡­¡±


    ¡°Because only Shadowcats can claim the throne?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡®I get it now¡­being the original form of the Purgatory Shadowcats, the Shadowcats were seen as a lofty existence within the clan and had always been tasked with the crown. The reason was simple: because only they possessed the ability to Dreamwalk. Like humans, these cats only realized the value of their ability after losing it.¡¯


    ¡°His Highness the Prince has agreed to grant you all an audience in the guest hall.¡±


    ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll be off first.¡± Perhaps it was because of the heavy mood, but Anmi seemed rather eager to climb over the wall; doing so with merely a few agile leaps.


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll be off too.¡± I gestured to my companions behind me after which Mo Na happily hopped onto my neck while No.3 and Big 4 acknowledged the order as usual. Only Sinmosa and Sasani seemed to be at a loss as to what to do. Beside them stood a carefree Cinderel, clearly oblivious to the conundrum facing her parents.


    Out of concern, I asked: ¡°Sinmosa, what¡¯s the matter? You guys seem to be acting a little weird.¡±


    ¡°We¡­¡± She glanced at the dense cluster of cat steps before turning her head back onto the panelless castle entrance. Nothing more was said after that but I roughly got the gist of it.


    ¡®¡®Cats climb the wall, Dogs crawl through the hole.¡¯ That saying of the Purgatory Shadowcats was truly a hurtful one to others¡­I mean dogs¡­¡¯


    Speaking of which, I was rather confident about my own agility. For me, climbing up the wall like a cat probably wouldn¡¯t be much of a problem. Mo Na, No.3 and Big were all Four-stars devils and possessed wings to fly. Cinderel was still little so she could still be carried. Sinmosa and Sasani however were different. They were all mature dogs with bodies nearing that of a bull¡¯s. No.3 and Big 4 might have been able to lift one of them up together but that sight would be, well¡­unsightly.


    That saying made fun of a hellhound¡¯s clumsiness. If the two of them weren¡¯t able to scale the wall through their own abilities and had to rely on our help instead, the Purgatory Shadowcats would still tease them anyway. At the end of the day, a racial trait such as this wasn¡¯t easy to overcome.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you two jump over the wall?¡± Being Five-stars, a ten meter tall wall shouldn¡¯t be too much of a trouble for them.


    ¡°With enough distance to build up speed we can, but still¡­¡± Sinmosa sighed at that point: ¡°That¡¯s just because we are Five-stars, a Purgatory Shadowcat on the other hand can freely scale the wall even as a child¡­¡±

 Chapter 218: Prince Weiderly

    She was right¡­¡¯Cats climb the wall, Dogs crawl through the hole¡¯, that saying was intended as an insult in the first place. If Sinmosa and Sasani were to jump over the wall using brute force, that would defeat the purpose of not taking the hole in the first place. The designer of this insidious, ingenious and infuriating trap clearly intended for the cat steps to be main focus and tool to bully the Hellhounds. As long as they do not use those steps, the result would end up the same.


    ¡°In that case, let¡¯s just stick to the old way then, let¡¯s walk in.¡± If I had to stand by and watch Sinmosa and Sasani get humiliated alone like that, I would rather not climb the wall. This husband and wife pairing was our main fighting force against the prince so leaving them outside to wait wasn¡¯t an option either.


    Strictly speaking, the only reason we had to go through all this nonsense about assassinations and princes in the first place was because of my request, in other words, it was a personal matter. Furthermore, one could say that the couple already repaid their debt by escorting me into the territory of the Purgatory Shadowcats. Yet the two of them still chose to accompany us all this while. If I had to make them suffer again because of my personal affairs, I wouldn¡¯t be able to live with myself then. As such¡­we crawled through that hole together.


    Under their slightly confused yet appreciative eyes, I took the first step through the main entrance of the castle.


    ¡®Hmph, a warrior¡¯s character won¡¯t be besmirched by such lowbrow insults, such blatant racism and discrimination is in itself deplorable. Not only did they not highlight their strengths, they only made me look on them even more.¡¯


    Like that, No.3 and Big 4 entered the hole as well, with Mo Na, still hugging Cinderel in her arms, following closely behind. Last to enter were Sinmosa and Sasani.


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    ¡°They entered the hole, they entered the hole.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to remind me, I can see for myself, can¡¯t I? Haha, they really entered the hole.¡±


    Just as we expected, the mocking sounds of the guards came echoing through the hole not long after we left. ¡®I bet that¡¯s probably all they have to entertain themselves with.¡¯


    Ignoring them, we calmly entered the castle and found ourselves in a carbon copy of Meisian¡¯s castle. Just like before, Anmi was waiting for us at the entrance to the main hall. This time however, he had on a rather surprised look as we walked towards him.


    ¡°What are you guys doing together? You all took the hol¡­door?¡±


    I bet he thought that us devils would¡¯ve just flown over the wall while Sinmosa and Sasani took the hole themselves. In the end, we came through as a whole and while that might have earned us another round of unnecessary ridiculing, I didn¡¯t think so at all.


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    All I felt then was a sense of comradery with the two of them, our relationship as a group being strengthened in the process. As the saying went, ¡®there are three bonds of steel in life: one where we bore arms together, one where we shared the same window and one where we went to a br*thel together.¡¯ If I might be so bold as to so say myself, that was exactly what we went through just now.


    (TL: Depending on who you ask, there may be three, four or five. Usually, there¡¯s four. The five are, if I¡¯m not mistaken about the last one: bearing arms together, sharing the same window, going to the br*thel, sharing an account and sharing a steel window. Naturally, some of the those aren¡¯t meant to be taken literally. Bearing arms means serving in the army together or going through a war together. Sharing a window means living together. Brothel refers to knowing each other¡¯s dirty secrets. Sharing an account means having a relationship involving shared interests. Steel window probably refers to jail. Essentially, the saying just means being a bro.)


    Turning to face our newest travelling companion, I immediately vented my feelings, no holds barred: ¡°Maybe the Hellhounds might not be as agile as you all, but does making fun of another race¡¯s shortcomings make you all that excited? Deriving self-confidence by putting another down is just scummy.¡±


    Were I my usual self then, I would have never taken such an illogical action, after all we still needed Anmi for our upcoming mission. In order to force Weiderly to give up his succession rights, fighting was unavoidable. Should he decide not to vouch for us in front of the elders then, we would definitely end up being beaten up into devil pancakes.


    In that sense, Anmi was our protective talisman; offending him now was clearly a bad idea. Still, I just had to say something because those cats truly seemed like a crazy bunch to me.


    ¡°To be honest, that saying didn¡¯t start out as an insult¡­¡± Even after my harsh words, not only did he not lose his temper but instead he calmly explained the situation to us, all the while having on an understanding expression: ¡°Initially, that saying was meant to highlight the different strengths of each race, it¡¯s just that it ended up being twisted over time¡­¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is¡­¡±


    ¡®Still, how is crawling through a hole, a strength? Someone explain this to me please, I¡¯ll be online all day waiting, anxiously in fact.¡¯


    While we were all being honest here, I kind of regretted snapping at him already. I was truly worried that he would simply walk off in an angry fit, thankfully, he did no such thing. The fact that he even tried to explain it to us was surprising in of itself.


    Such a method of speaking, where one used words to convey a meaning contrary to their outward meaning wasn¡¯t all that rare to be honest. For example, using words to deliver a praise which ran the risk of being construed as an insult¡­such situations happened often back on Earth as well¡­especially given how arcane some Chinese sayings were¡­


    After listening to Anmi¡¯s explanation, Sasani and Sinmosa softened their expressions as well.


    ¡°Once we enter, how should we act?¡± Although we had already infiltrated the castle of Weiderly, the next step in our plan was¡­honestly still a mystery. It was a miss on my part, that much I¡¯ll admit, but I was simply too preoccupied with thoughts about entering Abaddon as soon as possible that I neglected to think this through completely¡­thus, we had no plan now.


    Well, this might seem a little last minute of me, but at least it¡¯s still a minute¡­¡°How about we discuss our battle plan?¡±


    ¡°No need for that, just listen to my instructions later on. Trust me, I¡¯m the most reliable cat in the whole clan.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I guess¡­that¡¯s all we can do for now¡­¡±


    ¡®So he¡¯s the most reliable cat in the clan¡­where should I even start with the tsukkomis¡­¡¯


    Seeing that everyone didn¡¯t object to that, he led us into the guest hall.


    Like everything else we saw so far, the guest hall was naturally a carbon copy of Meisian¡¯s as well, even down to the number of guardcats present and the platform upon which a certain black cat sat. In all likelihood, that was the Eldest Prince, Weiderly. Based on appearances alone¡­he looked exactly the same as Meisian¡­at least it was so to my eyes. Had it not been for my ability to differentiate souls, I might have even mistaken him for the other, even though they were clearly of different genders¡­


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    The prince had a more sombre bearing than Meisian, at least he seemed so at a glance; his sides weren¡¯t filled with platters of food after all. Furthermore, his stiff back and piercing gaze truly gave him the aura of someone superior. If appearances were anything to judge by, he had to be a lot more reliable than that glutton of a princess.


    ¡°Your Highness, Weiderly, Anmi apologizes for the intrusion.¡± Anmi knelt on the floor and paid his respects to the prince.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± The prince nodded his head lightly and in a steady voice, asked: ¡°Your arrival¡­are you here to aid me, or perhaps to aid my sister?¡±


    Just like with those generals, Anmi¡¯s words were as straight as an arrow; at times, I wanted to ask him if that was a quirky habit of his¡­


    ¡°Her Highness the Princess has dispatched us here in hopes that you will give up your succession rights and acknowledge Her Highness as the next Cat King.¡±


    ¡°Hah, you wish to make me give up with mere words? Unlikely! Why don¡¯t you just ask me to hand over all my territories to that sister of mine while you¡¯re at it?¡±


    Faced with his barbed words, Anmi¡¯s retort was just as piercing, just in a different way: ¡°If you so wish it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Anmi¡¯s response left the prince choking on his own words for a good long while before he finally replied: ¡°Anmi, I see you¡¯re still as good with words as ever.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too kind, Your Highness.¡± Anmi fearlessly lifted his head to gaze at the prince, clearly not intending to back down at all.


    By now, Weiderly was more than incensed, as he sat on his platform clawing the strange contraption, we could hear the audible screeches echo annoyingly in our eardrums. Still, he didn¡¯t act right away and this tense state ended up lasting for several long seconds as if he was deep in thought. Finally, he revealed a crafty smile before saying: ¡°I just remembered, didn¡¯t my Royal Father once mention betrothing my sister to you¡­¡±


    The moment the word betrothing was uttered, Anmi¡¯s body stiffened considerably. He started shaking and coughing as if his cat self was going through some kind of terrible episode: ¡°Cough cough cough¡­Your Highness¡­we¡¯re discussing the matter of your succession right now¡­¡±


    ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll return to that question.¡± While he might have said that, the prince was beaming confidently at the moment as if he was a gambler who had just grabbed that ace he needed to complete a royal flush.


    ¡®Wait, that¡¯s it? Don¡¯t leave me hanging like that, let¡¯s continue that previous conversation instead¡­that whole part about Meisian being betrothed to Anmi¡­¡¯ Unfortunately, my internal monologue wasn¡¯t heard by any of them and the two cats naturally proceeded onto the question of succession.


    ¡°Do you really wish for me to back out of this succession war? Somehow, that seems awfully unlikely to me, this is my castle after all, exactly how do you plan on threatening me here? Those outsiders standing behind you? Hmmm¡­hold on, Cerberuses and¡­devils?¡± The moment he turned his eyes onto his, they opened wide in shock: ¡°There¡¯s no mistaking that appearance¡­they are devils all right¡­how are there devils in the Remnants of Sable Radiance? Don¡¯t tell me the teleportation gate to the Prison of the Dead has been reopened once more?¡±


    ¡°Greetings, Esteemed Prince Weiderly, we come from the Prison of the Dead, my name is Mo Ke.¡± I took several steps forward up to Anmi and did that same manga-esque bow I showed Meisian: ¡°I apologize for our unruly intrusion.¡±


    ¡°Greetings Devil, I¡¯m the Prince of the Purgatory Shadowcats and the one who will become the Cat King in the future, Weiderly.¡± He greeted me simply before proceeding to the meat of this discussion: ¡°You¡¯re with Anmi then? In other words, my foolish sister sent you here with the same mission, I take it.¡±

 Chapter 219: I Just Knew This Would End in a Figh

    ¡°¡­yes.¡±


    ¡®I have to say, admitting that I¡¯m here to assassinate someone in front of said person is something¡­I really can¡¯t get used to¡­but the circumstances have demanded so. Well, best not to act too arrogant for now¡­¡¯ Thus, I merely nodded my head in hope that I wouldn¡¯t draw too much hatred onto myself.


    ¡°Haha, my foolish little sister, to think she actually resorted to outsiders¡­we haven¡¯t met in a long while but still, I would have never expected her to stoop to such levels¡­hmph, you wish to force me to surrender¡­with just the lot of you?¡±


    Anmi swept his eyes over the ten guardcats before calmly stating: ¡°I doubt you have that many soldiers left after having your army delayed by Her Highness¡¯s own army. Just us is enough.¡±


    ¡°And if you add in the Elders¡¯ Consortium?¡±


    ¡°The rules state that as long as we do not cause too much harm to you, the Elders¡¯ Consortium won¡¯t act against us. Outside help is considered a part of one¡¯s arsenal after all.¡±


    ¡°Anmi, that mouth of yours has really grown quite sharp since the last time we met.¡±


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    Anmi placidly replied: ¡°You¡¯re too kind with your praises, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Praises? Does it look like I¡¯m praising you?¡± At that, the Eldest Prince fiercely swished his tail in the air and bellowed: ¡°My most loyal guardcats, arrest these fools who dare to belittle your master!¡±


    The moment that command was given, the ten guardcats immediately tensed up and an instant later, ten piercing set of eyes were locked right onto us, each ready to pounce at a moment¡¯s notice.


    At the end of the day, this was the prince¡¯s castle and as its master, he had the biggest say here. When one¡¯s lord was belittled, as soldiers, one would feel insulted as well. These guardcats were tasked with protecting the Eldest Prince and no matter what the reason was, if the target of their protection ended up being bullied, it would count as a dereliction of duty if they did nothing. To some extent, all that could have only happened because they were powerless.


    In China, there was an ancient saying that went ¡®a monarch¡¯s humiliation, a subject¡¯s death.¡¯


    ¡°NYAAAAH!!¡±


    The atmosphere tensed up in an instant.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, these cats are just bluffing. The strongest amongst them are those two Five-stars, as for the other eight of them, they are all Four-stars. We¡¯re more than enough to take care of them.¡± Because he had predicted this development, Anmi wasn¡¯t the least bit anxious as he reassured us once more: ¡°Stand strong everyone, they are just weaklings.¡±


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    ¡°Then who will handle Prince Weiderly?¡±


    ¡°Him? He won¡¯t interfere in a fight like this¡­¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence however, one of the guardcats¡¯ team leader cut him off with a sharp retort: ¡°Who are you calling weak, Anmi?!¡±


    The other Five-stars glared at Anmi as well: ¡°You¡¯d better run while you still can, otherwise, don¡¯t blame us for not showing mercy once the fight starts.¡±


    Anmi: ¡°Haha, who doesn¡¯t know how to boast? I don¡¯t need your mercy, I think you two should consider your own situation instead.¡±


    ¡°Together now!¡± No longer able to endure Anmi¡¯s taunting, the two guardcat team leaders exchanged a brief glance before simultaneously charging at him.


    ¡°FIGHT!¡± At the exact same moment, we let forth a battlecry as well.


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    Sinmosa and Sasani matched themselves against the two Five-stars team leader, both of whom initially planned on ganging up on Anmi instead, unfortunately for them, their plan was foiled before it even began by the two Cerberuses. Being Four-stars Flame Demon Childes themselves, No.3 and Big 4 weren¡¯t too shabby in the combat strength department either so they each paired off against a Four-stars Guardcat.


    Mo Na too was paired off against a single guardcat. Despite her multitude of talents which included flame, shadow and undead spells, she was still too young and inexperienced with fights to take on multiple opponents at once so I decided to play it safe for now. As for the remaining guardcats, they all surrounded Anmi, leaving me all by my lonely self. In their eyes, a Three-stars devil wasn¡¯t even a threat at all.


    Like that, I became the only person lazing about even though the battle had already started¡­whoops, there¡¯s still that prince and Cinderel resting in my arms.


    To be honest, this scene was kind of comical to me in an ironic sense: being the two instigators of this fight, the Prince and I ended up being spectators instead¡­


    Having fought with Anmi not too long ago, the Cerberus couple already had a plan in mind for this fight. They knew that they held the absolute advantage in terms of physical strength, thus they started with an all in charge against the two Five-stars team leaders.


    ¡°Raging Flame Charge!¡±


    ¡°Raging Flame Charge!¡±


    A mass of flames roared to life around the two Cerberuses an instant later as they both charged at the two guardcats. All around them, the already uncomfortably warm air began to heat up even further, reaching the point where it started to burn the throats of those who tried to breath in. Scorching winds blowing, those who stood in the way were hit with an oppressive wall of wind that seemed to close in around them.


    Right at the very last second however, the two Cerberuses suddenly crossed paths in an X that caught their individual guardcats off guard. The two Five-stars cats, having prepared for the Cerberus right in front of them, simply couldn¡¯t react in time to sudden and well-coordinated flanking attack from the couple and stood there stunned, though for only the slightest of seconds. Still, that was more than enough to decide their fate.


    With their strength already at a massive disadvantage, the two cats basically had no chance now especially since they had just lost the initiative thanks to that sudden swap.


    ¡°Meeeowww¡­.¡± The two guardcats gave out a long, drawn out meow before collapsing to ground, tumbling around several times in the process and fainting right after.


    I had to hand it to them, the couple¡¯s brilliant manipulation of their opponents was truly a testament to their unparalleled teamwork. With just one simple maneuver, they disorientated their opponents and clinched us a rousing victory right off the bat.


    On the other side where No.3 and Big 4 squared off against a Four-stars guardcat of their own, because both parties possessed a degree of flame resistance so the battle ended up being a tough one for the two Flame Demon Childes. While they clearly possessed a strength advantage over their diminutive opponents, their opponents, in turn, possessed an overwhelming advantage in terms of agility.


    Thus, the two devils ended up being thoroughly abused by the two cats. Perhaps it was merely out sheer habit of wanting to toy with their opponents, the two cats didn¡¯t try to end the fight right away but instead slowly wore them down, using their superior mobility to run circles around the two helpless devils.


    From time to time, they would swoop in for a quick swipe that wasn¡¯t all that heavy ¨Cthe kind which wasn¡¯t exactly painful but neither was it painless. As their claws raked across the crimson hide of No.3 and Big 4, they would tear open a blood-red line that was just enough to cause them to bleed but not enough to count as a major wound. Given the natural regenerative abilities of the devils, it wouldn¡¯t take long for them to heal up from such wounds. Thus, while it might have seemed like they were getting pushed around, the battle wasn¡¯t exactly over either; they could still counterattack from time to time.


    Having met with the anthropomorphized Grimoire of the Dead, Mo Na had been learning a number of spells throughout our journey, all through those dreams of hers. Previously, she didn¡¯t have much chance to practise with these spells, now however¡­her chance had finally come.


    With a Four-stars guardcat assigned to her, she excitedly flew off towards the poor feline and randomly tossed out curses in quick succession.


    ¡°Weakness Curse, Enfeeblement Curse, Slow, Aging Curse¡­¡±


    Faced with four great curses, what was once a cat raring to fight was immediately reduced to a jelly-legged wreck¡­


    Last was Anmi¡¯s fight. For a Five-stars cat, his strength was impressively strong. In a one on one, even Sinmosa and Sasani weren¡¯t his match at all. Thus when faced with a bunch of Four-stars, he clearly had a relaxed time dealing with them.


    ¡°Demon Flame Charge!¡±


    While his signature skill might seem riddled with weaknesses to a Cerberus, it was still extremely effective against his own clanscat. Wrapping himself in both shadows and flames, he dove headfirst into the pile of guardcats and sent them flying right away.


    With that settled, he even stepped in to help No.3 and Big 4 clean up their opponents with a quick slap of his meaty paws¡­


    ¡°Done.¡± It was then that Mo Na finished off her opponent as well by creating a black house of bones around the enfeebled and weakened cat¡­


    Ever so slightly, I could hear the pitiful meows of the cat hidden inside the house¡­


    ¡°Meeow, meeeooooww¡­¡± With the lights turned off all of a sudden for him, the poor fellow must¡¯ve been really frightened¡­I had to say, this black house of hers was rather cruel¡­


    As I stood there with Cinderel safely tucked away in an embrace, I basically had to do nothing at all but watch. In a sense, this was great¡­after all, who wouldn¡¯t want to win a battle just by acting as a flower vase.


    ¡°Alright then, Your Highness, how about we have a nice talk now?¡± With no more opponents to deal with, Anmi confidently and leisurely squared off against the Eldest Prince once more: ¡°About those succession rights¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not over yet¡­look I¡¯ve been injured, Elders, did you see that?!¡± As he comfortably sat there on his platform, he completely ignored Anmi¡¯s taunts and instead turned his head to face a certain room at the side: ¡°There are assassins here! If you don¡¯t come out soon, I¡¯ll be dead!¡±


    ¡®Elders? Sh*t, how could I have forgotten about the Elders¡¯ Consortium?! Even though they won¡¯t interfere in our fight, should the Prince ever get injured¡­¡¯


    ¡°Remember this Anmi, you forced my paws here. Time for my ultimate move, TAKE THIS!¡± The Eldest Prince raised his right claw up high and without any special effects whatsoever, or even any force for that matter, he then stuck that paw of his into his mouth and bit down¡­ ¡®Ah, there¡¯s blood¡­¡¯


    ¡°Ahhhhh, I¡¯m bleeding¡­someone is trying to assassinate me. To me! I need protection quick¡­I¡¯m injured¡­I¡¯m going to die¡­ahhhhh¡­¡± The Prince went off on some bizarre one-cat show¡­the moronic kind no less¡­


    ¡®You clearly bit your own paw and still you claim it¡¯s an assassination¡­¡¯ Putting aside his exaggerated acting however, this move of his wasn¡¯t without merits, at the very least, we were in deep trouble now.


    ¡®HEY! Be reasonable here! How can you pull out the big guns just like that? I swear¡­the worst part is that we aren¡¯t even the ones who hit you¡­¡¯ Just as I thought we were about to get beaten up by some giant kitty paw descending from the heavens, a sombre and stately cat voice echoed from within the room the Prince was currently focused on.


    ¡°That wound was self-inflicted, it doesn¡¯t count.¡±

 Chapter 220: Don’t You Dare Force Me, I’ll Force You!

    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean huh? How many times do you want me to repeat myself? It doesn¡¯t count if you bite yourself! What a bother, I swear there¡¯s nothing I hate more than having to say the same thing twice.¡±


    ¡°Blast it all, but I¡¯m clearly injured, why aren¡¯t you protecting me¡­¡± Having his request rejected so directly, the Eldest Prince looked more like a little brat who felt wronged than a cat prince. Not satisfied with the treatment he received, he yelled at the mysterious room: ¡°Get out here and help ! If I lose my succession rights, where do you think you lot will stay? Who else will provide you all with such luxuries?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s easy. Even if you fall, there¡¯s still your sister and little brother, don¡¯t tell me they can¡¯t afford to provide us?¡± Even though I still hadn¡¯t had the chance to catch a glimpse of this mysterious cat, I couldn¡¯t help but picture him as an utterly shameless kitty, someone(cat) that truly desired to be punched.


    ¡°Besides, ever since you grew up, you just keep getting less and less adorable by the year; Meisian is just so much cuter compared to you. I say, how about you just give up already, honestly, I¡¯ve thought about moving out of this dump for a while now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right, little Meisian is the cutest, she loved clinging to me the most in the past, nyah¡± Came the voice of another elder.


    ¡°You rotten cat, she likes clinging to me more!¡± A different elder exclaimed.


    Fourth elder :¡°No, that¡¯s me, nyah!¡±


    ¡°Despicable, after all I¡¯ve done for you freeloaders, you guys actually chose to abandon me the moment I¡¯m in trouble¡­¡±


    Ignoring the Eldest Prince¡¯s howl of grief, the first elder spoke up once more in a lazy drawl: ¡°Anmi, you guys can just take your time with this little chat of yours, even if that little brat chews himself to death, we won¡¯t step out so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°¡­hmph, heartless!¡±


    Based on that conversation, I was pretty sure that Weiderly was at the end of his road already. However, I still had to say: ¡®These so-called elders¡­don¡¯t tell me they are all a bunch of morons as well?¡¯


    With that promise from the unknown elder not to interfere, Anmi was a lot more relaxed as he turned to face the Eldest Prince, a slight smile plastered on his lips: ¡°Well then, Your Highness, about what we were discussing before¡­¡±


    ¡®Guards, check; elders, check. Yup, that¡¯s all the obstacles gone now; I just can¡¯t imagine how this Eldest Prince even has the slightest chance of a comeback anymore. I guess this marks the end of our quest then, once we get the verbal confirmation we need, I can find out how to enter Abaddon.¡¯


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    In the face of Anmi¡¯s vice-like pressure, all Weiderly could do was flash him a very awkward smile: ¡°About that, Anmi¡­I think we should sit down and have a good talk instead?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything left for us to discuss. Furthermore, with all your trump cards spent, why do I even have to bother with such a hassle?¡±


    ¡°That devil over there¡­the fact that you¡¯re helping my little sister must mean that she promised you some kind of reward¡­that¡¯s why you¡¯re here, right? How about this, I¡¯ll double whatever she promised you, no TRIPLE! So how about delaying this Anmi over here for me? As long as you help gain the crown, I¡¯ll give you even more benefits.¡±


    ¡®Hmph, to think he actually managed to unearth this tiny glimmer of hope after all the pressure we put on him¡­¡¯ I quietly thought to myself. Truly, his ploy was a rather ingenious one. Devils were basically the representation of deceit and betrayal however not everyone was so. Take for example, No. 3 and Big 4, they¡¯d never betrayed me, not even once, for now at least¡­The two of them were still perfectly loyal subordinates¡­once more, for now at least¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I don¡¯t have a habit of betraying others.¡±


    ¡°Is my reward too little? I¡¯ll give you five times then¡­TEN! Ten must be enough, right?!¡± Grasping at straws, the prince threw me an almost pleading look as he said that. In his mind, I was probably some kind of messiah right now¡­the one devil who could possibly save him. It was almost ironic the way I somehow became his one and only hope at a comeback despite the fact that I was here to beat him up.


    ¡°My words are priceless, once a promise has been made, I intend to see it through to the end. Even if I¡¯m unable to accomplish it, I¡¯ll still do my best.¡± As the saying went, ¡®Do unto others what you would have done unto yourself¡¯, there was no one who liked being betrayed, me included.


    ¡°¡­d*mn it, why did I have to meet a devil with such scruples!? Don¡¯t tell me those legends were lying?¡± Seeing that I was no longer a workable avenue, he immediately shifted his target: ¡°Those two Cerberuses over there, if you will help me take down Anmi, I¡¯ll award both of you a piece of land. Once I become the Cat King, I¡¯ll confer a position second only to me ¨Call the cats in this world will be beneath you save for one! Aid me, I¡¯m sure defeating Anmi is easy for you two.¡±


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    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry, we only listen to Mis¨CMister Mo Ke.¡± Having said that, she glanced at me to show who was she referring to.


    ¡°¡­¡± Finally out of options, the beaten prince slumped to floor in despair. It was the kind of posture where one¡¯s neck, back and belly all faced the ceiling. For animals, showing one¡¯s belly had a multitude of meanings from trust, acting cute, servitude and admitting defeat. As of right now, he was probably admitting defeat.


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve made that gesture, I take it you¡¯re giving up your succession rights then. With the Elders¡¯ Consortium as my witness, I believe Your Highness won¡¯t go back on your word.¡± As he said that, Anmi turned his eyes towards the room where the elders hid themselves. ¡°Elders, if you¡¯ll be my witness.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, since Weiderly has give up, then as the representative of this Elders¡¯ Consortium¡­¡±


    ¡®I guess this is it then. Since the elder has spoken already, I doubt he can do anything else. How lucky, this quest ended up being even easier than I¡¯d thought.¡¯


    ¡°Hold it, who said I¡¯m giving up!¡± It was at that moment when everyone assumed the prince was defeat that he suddenly stood back up and resumed his upright and orderly posture.


    Seeing him act in such an odd manner, Anmi couldn¡¯t help but furrow his eyebrows in unease. He stood stunned for a couple of seconds before asking: ¡°Your Highness, your trump cards are all spent and still you wish to fight?¡±


    Anmi¡¯s words were essentially the same as before but this time however, the Prince wasn¡¯t that dejected cat we dealt with before. He had regained his regal bearing and confidence as he stared right into Anmi, lips curling into a devious smile. ¡°Who said I have no more cards to play, don¡¯t you remember? Right when you first came in, I brought up that matter about your betrothal to my sister¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­you¡­what are you trying to say¡­¡± The winds had taken a sudden change; from Anmi pressuring the Prince just moments ago, the scene now played out in reverse as the hunter now became the hunted.


    ¡°Do you still not understand? Don¡¯t play dumb with me, I know you know what I¡¯m talking about.¡± The moment Anmi¡¯s eyes started to waver, Weiderly knew he had made the right bet. With that cryptic answer, Anmi was instantly bathed in a cold shower of his own sweat¡­


    ¡°¡­Your Highness, if all you wish to do is joke around, then¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha, who¡¯s the one joking around here? If you are really dead set on making me give up, there¡¯s honestly nothing I can do about it, that¡¯s assuming you really want to of course¡­the moment you dare to do that, I¡¯ll immediately set off to see my little sister and tell her about the betrothal our Royal Father set up before his death¡­at that time¡­nyah hahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­are you that heartless?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean heartless? You forced me into this. Besides, you¡¯re ten times more vicious than me, what right do you have to point fingers at me?!¡± As he said that, he lifted up his bitten paw and waved it before Anmi. Weiderly then guffawed and said no more.


    The tables had turned: it was now the Prince who was doing the pressuring.


    ¡°Mercy¡­¡± Perhaps he was no longer able to endure the pressure, or perhaps he really did not want to marry the princess, either way, he collapsed to his knees with a resounding thud. ¡°I beg you, don¡¯t mention this to Meisian or else¡­I don¡¯t want to live either¡­¡±


    Finally, I couldn¡¯t stand this scene any longer; the plot twist was simply too much for me to bear, in fact, I doubt anyone other than those two even knew what was going on!


    ¡°Hey, Anmi¡­exactly what are you trying to pull here?¡±


    Turning around to face me, he spoke up in a voice as deep as the abyss and just as devoid of life: ¡°I just don¡¯t want to get married to Meisian, is that so wrong?¡±


    On the surface, his request actually didn¡¯t sound all that wrong at all¡­but this was a princess we were talking, what¡¯s wrong with marrying a princess?


    ¡®Don¡¯t you know how many people dream of marrying a princess?! Are you dumb or have you just gone senile? Most people won¡¯t even get such a chance in all eight of their lifetimes and yet here you are acting so unwilling?!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that in the eyes of you Purgatory Shadowcats, Princess Meisian is the kind of cat who can cause blindness just by looking at her ugly face?¡±


    ¡°Rubbish! My little sister is more beautiful than any flower in this world, how could she be ugly!?¡± Before Anim could even answer, Prince Weiderly jumped in to defend his sister.


    ¡°You devils are the ugly ones here, that furless body of yours, those ears strangely situated at the side of your face and that bizzare nose¡­heck, even your teeth aren¡¯t as sharp as ours¡­what¡¯s worse is that you have no whiskers at all¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m talking to Anmi here, can you hold on for a second, Your Highness? I¡¯m not done questioning him yet.¡±


    ¡°Oh, go ahead then.¡±


    ¡°¡­thanks for your cooperation.¡±


    ¡°No problem, you¡¯re the guest here after all, such courtesy is only to be expected. As long as you don¡¯t hate yourself for being ugly, it¡¯s fine¡­after all, it¡¯s not your fault that you were born ugly, it¡¯s kind of your fault for coming out to scare others though¡­¡±


    With regards to their sense of beauty, I truly had nothing to say¡­still, it wasn¡¯t like I could not understand where he was coming from. We were from different races after all, it was only natural that we viewed beauty through different lens. I bet humans looked ugly in the eyes of pigs as well, not just cats¡­


    ¡°Since Meisian is an absolute beauty in your clan, then why aren¡¯t you willing to marry her?¡±


    For some odd reason, what was a discussion about the throne suddenly turned into marriage counselling in just the short span of two minutes¡­it almost seemed like I was reading some kind of gossipy forum right now. Even stranger had to be the fact that I was somehow a participant in this whole mess¡­well, who told me to be his companion. As his companion, I couldn¡¯t just stand idly by and watch him get driven into a corner by Prince Weiderly. Besides, who knows what might happen if I let things proceed like this¡­


    ¡®I¡¯ll just counsel him for now, I just hope it¡¯s not too late¡­¡¯

 Chapter 221: We Have a Traitor Among US

    ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of appearances¡­it¡¯s¡­you won¡¯t understand¡­¡° Anmi paused for second before staring at the ceiling full of hanging fish bones as if there was something be found there.


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    ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± I suddenly had a bad feeling about this whole situation, and it was getting worse by the second along with my unease.


    Ignoring my question, Anmi threw a pleading look at the Eldest Prince, Weiderly: ¡°¡­Weiderly, if you let me go this time, the next time I¡¯ll¡­¡±


    ¡°You help me now or I¡¯ll tell my little sister.¡± With that, Anmi caved in and a triumphant smile graced the lips of Weiderly: ¡°Choose one, those are the only two choices I¡¯ll give you.¡±


    ¡°Weiderly! Don¡¯t push this cat too far!¡±


    ¡°I dare you to try and kill me then.¡± Weiderly rolled his eyes at the raging cat, clearly not paying any heed to his murderous intent.


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    Just as Anmi¡¯s murderous intent was about to burst forth however, the hidden elder spoke up and warned the furious cat: ¡°Anmi, rein in that aura of yours, we permit you to force him into submission but we won¡¯t allow you to harm him.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± From the looks of things, the one who was driven into a corner wasn¡¯t the Eldest Prince but rather Anmi¡­


    ¡°Well then Anmi, what¡¯s your answer?¡± The Eldest Prince smiled as he sat atop his platform. Judging from his confident expression, he must¡¯ve already predicted that Anmi would never marry the princess. At the same time, he knew that should he bring up the whole matter of that betrothal, the Princess would definitely force Anmi into a marriage? That was roughly the whole situation as of right now. The biggest question however was why was he so adamantly against marrying the Princess?


    While I might have only seen her once, I honestly didn¡¯t see a reason for him to hate her so much.


    ¡°Anmi, if it¡¯s not convenient for you to act, you can just leave this matter to us.¡± In the midst of his hesitation, I took a couple steps forward and stood between him and Weiderly: ¡°As long as I don¡¯t cause him any lasting harm, the Elders¡¯ Consortium won¡¯t interfere, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, as long as you do not cripple or kill him, we won¡¯t interfere, however, try not to hit him too hard.¡± An unknown elder answered in a teasing tone.


    ¡°All right, even without crippling or killing him, I have a ton of methods that will make him regret ever being alive. Even for a cat, they should work.¡±


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    ¡°¡­stay away, nyahh¡­what the hell is that twisted smile supposed to mean¡­Anmi save me¡­save me¡­¡± Perhaps it was because my smile was a little demonic at the moment, but the instant I took a step forward, the Prince cringed back in horror, retreating step by step until finally he reached the end of the platform. Yet for some strange reason, even though he was clearly terrified of me, he never once thought of jumping off that platform.


    Speaking of which, I wasn¡¯t kidding when I said I knew a ton of torture methods. The Ten Great Manchurian Torture Methods and what not, I knew them all; the internet was full of information on that subject after all. With nothing much to do back then, I took a quick look and then branched off even further. While I might have not remembered all of them, I could say with confidence in my heart that my arsenal was still quite full and ready for the Prince, should he be so foolish.


    ¡°You fiends! Don¡¯t you know I¡¯m one of the candidates for Cat King, representing the pride and dignity of our clan¡­to think you all will actually sit idly by and watch me get tortured by an outsider¡­where is your sense of decency? Your sense of honor? Have they all been eaten up by dogs?!¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, I don¡¯t remember any dogs offending you.¡± Sinmosa glared at the Prince before turning to face me: ¡°Mister Mo Ke, if it¡¯s not too troublesome for you, how about leaving this chore to me instead, with regards to such methods, I¡¯m glad to say that I know a few as well.¡±


    ¡°Noo¡­don¡¯t hit me¡­nyahhh¡­¡±


    In the midst of all that, the elders began their own discussion as well: ¡°Is it really alright for us to watch him get tortured?¡±


    ¡°But the rules clearly state that as long as he doesn¡¯t suffer too much harm, we mustn¡¯t interfere, besides¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s rather fun to watch him get abused.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, mhm.¡±


    ¡°What a coincidence, I feel the same way as well nyah.¡±


    ¡®With elders like that¡­all I can say is¡­best of luck, Your Highness.¡¯


    Now that the tables had turned once more on the Prince, right here, right now, there was no longer any doubt in our minds that this matter was finally settled¡­except who would have ever thought that all that did was stimulate his boundless desire to live.


    The desperate Prince turned his furious gaze onto Anmi, the fires within so burning hot they could almost barbecue meat: ¡°Anmi, I¡¯ll ask you one last time, will you help me or not? If this continues, I¡¯ll have no choice but to pay a visit to my little sister. You¡¯d better get this straight, would you rather marry or MARRY?!¡±


    Anmi: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him, we¡¯ll turn him obedient. Besides, so what if Anmi stands with you, him alone isn¡¯t enough to defeat us.¡± Seeing him dig at Anmi¡¯s weak spot once more, I immediately tried to cut in and prevent the worst from happening. However, I was too late¡­


    ¡°Mo Ke¡­about that, I¡¯m really sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Anmi¡­exactly what do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to marry Meisian so¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± As he said that, Anmi lowered his head and took a wide step towards Weiderly before turning around to face us. Was that how he planned on showing his allegiance?


    ¡°I said so already, didn¡¯t I? Even if you stand with him, it won¡¯t change a thing.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong, the moment Anmi stood with us, all your fates were sealed.¡± The Prince bounced right up and regained his normal regal appearance. ¡°Did you all forget? This is MY territory.¡±


    Even though I could distinctly feel that something was up, appearances still had to be kept up, even if we were destined to lose, we mustn¡¯t lose in spirit at least.


    ¡°So what if this is your territory? Your guards have all fallen and the Elders¡¯ Consortium have clearly stated they won¡¯t help you. Sasani and Sinmosa can easily beat up Anmi so how is your defeat anything but guaranteed? If you really wish to continue resisting, don¡¯t blame me for being rough.¡±


    ¡°You say the Elders¡¯ Consortium won¡¯t act? HAHAHAH, have you all already forgotten why you guys were even able to enter my castle and assault me without getting attacked by the elders? It was because Anmi was acting as your witness! He is the very proof that you all were sent by my foolish sister. But now, he¡¯s my cat¡­as long as he doesn¡¯t confirm your status, then you all will change from my sister¡¯s external reinforcement to mere villains. Now that I¡¯ve spelt it out for you, do you understand my words?¡±


    ¡®¡­I get it now¡­even if the Purgatory Shadowcats allowed external help in their succession war, that only applied if said aid was guaranteed by someone of the Purgatory Shadowcats¡­since Anmi is the only proof we have that we were sent by the Princess, the moment he turns on us and calls us villains¡­the elders would immediately turn us into devil pancakes¡­¡¯


    Honestly speaking, the elders knew as well as I did that Anmi used to one of us, but things weren¡¯t as simple as that. I had no doubt in my mind that those elders would immediately turn on us the moment Anmi outed us. Why? Because all these d*mned cats were insane!


    ¡°Anmi¡­when we entered the castle, you told us you were the most reliable cat¡­I have to say, you¡¯re truly a reliable cat¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Those were the only two words he knew how to speak right now. Having said that, he turned his head away, not daring to look me straight in the eyes.


    Thus, from that moment on, we were the ones who were in trouble instead¡­


    ¡°Anmi, you giant baddie, you dare to betray Mama?!¡± Still standing beside me, a visibly incensed Mo Na railed at Anmi while hopping up and down. However, scolding him now wasn¡¯t going to change a thing and as such, I stopped her from wasting her breath any further.


    Seeing us driven into a corner, the Prince burst out laughing ever so despicably: ¡°Those devils down there, I¡¯ll give you all a chance, will you join me or will you continue to resist me?¡±


    Not only was the Prince beside himself with glee, even the shadowy elders seemed to be acting a little different now: ¡°Oh my, what a turn of events, I guess that brat still has some intelligence left in him after all. Being able to mount a counterattack at this stage¡­how amusing, truly.¡±


    ¡°If Anmi says those devils are here to cause trouble, should we act?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean act? Just get the guards to do it.¡±


    ¡°Good point, hey, you lot, enough with the acting and get up! If you don¡¯t stop right this instant, I don¡¯t mind tossing you all into the Lava Lake to feed the fishes!¡±


    With that irritable shout, those guardcats ,who we supposedly defeated, all stood up without a single scratch on their furry bodies. Seeing that, the Eldest Prince flew into a rage immediately: ¡°What the nyah am I even paying you cats for, isn¡¯t it to protect me?! You bunch of untrainable mutts!¡±


    One of the Five-stars guardcats: ¡°But Your Highness, we really fainted just now nyah.¡±


    The other Five-stars guardcat: ¡°That¡¯s right¡­sleeping was just an afterthought nyah¡­¡±

 Chapter 222: A Dribble of Scruples

    ¡°Hmph, fine, I won¡¯t fault you for what happened just now but I want you all to surround them right now, I don¡¯t want a single of them to escape!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The guardcats who had all just stood up, swiftly took up positions around us. In front of us was the traitorous Anmi and in the corner were the shadowy elders who were still carefully observing us¡­truly, this was a precarious situation.


    ¡°Your Highness, I don¡¯t remember us dogs having offended you.¡±


    ¡°Silence!¡± With the tides turned, the cowardly Prince who, not too long ago, was too afraid to shout at Sinmosa, was now more than brave enough to berate her. ¡®What a pathetic cat¡­¡¯


    ¡°Woof!¡± Seeing his wife get yelled at like that, Sasani let forth a furious bark but unfortunately for him, the Prince didn¡¯t even spare him a glance. Of course, it could¡¯ve just been that no one understood his barking¡­


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    ¡°Let¡¯s get this straight here, you¡¯re on MY territory!¡±


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s too late to leave now huh¡­¡± Given how sullen I looked right now, one would have thought I had swallowed a fly or something.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, those are the only two choices you have now.¡± Having said that, Weiderly smugly glanced at Anmi who still had his head lowered in a daze: ¡°Anmi, if they refuse my offer, you know what to do¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Anmi remained just as silent as before though he managed a nod soon after raising his head to look at the Prince.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take your silence as consent then.¡±


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    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Bah, I¡¯ll give you another ten seconds to consider, if you¡¯re willing to help me, I¡¯ll forgive your previous insolence and even prepare a suitable reward once I ascend to the throne. What my little Sister can provide, I can definitely do so as well, being her older brother.¡± Patience clearly at an end, he issued an ultimatum to us.


    Faced with a choice that could potentially ruin us if we weren¡¯t careful, the Cerberus couple chose not to say a word but instead threw me a trusting look.


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    If I were to reject his offer¡­the two of them them would undoubtedly throw their lot in with me as well. Then there was No.3 and Big 4: the two of them, from start to end, maintained a vaguely defensive posture as if they were ready to jump out in my defense at the drop of a hat. And then there was Mo Na and Cinderel¡¯s safety to consider as well¡­should I reject his offer, those elders would¡­forget them for now, even those ten guardcats and Anmi were enough to send us packing¡­in other words¡­defiance was a death sentence.


    ¡®I don¡¯t want to die, I¡¯m sure the others don¡¯t want to either¡­even if it¡¯s just out of consideration for the kids, I shouldn¡¯t reject his offer¡­¡¯


    For our survival, my principles had to take a back seat for now. Breathing deeping, I slowly exhaled amidst a furiously pounding heart that threatened to burst from my chest cavity right this very second. With no other choice left open to me, I caved in¡­was there even a choice to begin with?


    ¡°I can abandon the mission given to us by Meisian and help you instead, but I won¡¯t go after Princess Meisian. Also, once I help you ascend to the throne, you must tell me the method of entering Abaddon. If you can¡¯t promise that much, then I¡¯ll just have to say sorry.¡± Naturally, that sorry wasn¡¯t directed at the Prince or Princess Meisian. Rather, it was directed at those who put their faith in me, the Hellhound family, No.3, Big 4 and Mo Na¡­


    The moment I accepted his offer, I felt a certain weight fall off my shoulders¡­


    ¡°Smart choice, to think there would be such a loyal person amongst the devils, almost makes me want to keep you here with me.¡± Was he mocking me or was he actually praising me, that I didn¡¯t know but neither did that matter. Having said that, the Eldest Prince nodded his head and signalled for the guardcats to back off.


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    Once they had all retreated, the Prince resumed addressing me: ¡°So that¡¯s what my little Sister promised you, well, that makes things simple then. As long as you aid me in this fight, I¡¯ll naturally tell you the way to enter Abaddon. I¡¯m sure you know of our ability to Dreamwalk.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, I heard you are able to wander the dream state freely as a soul and accumulate knowledge despite being asleep.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why you don¡¯t need to worry that I will cheat you. After all, it¡¯s just telling you how to enter Abaddon, such a price won¡¯t affect me at all.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you require from us?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to handle my little Sister so rest at ease, regarding that front¡­I have plans of my own¡­¡± As he said that, his eyes narrowed and darted towards Anmi. However, given Anmi¡¯s unknown state of mind right now, the poor cat naturally didn¡¯t notice the scheming look the Prince gave him then.


    ¡®Why did it feel like he had just stepped out of the frying pan and into the fire¡­well since he agreed not to send us against his sister, that means there can only be one target left: the Second Prince.¡¯


    ¡°I need you to handle that dumb brother of mine.¡± As expected, the mission he gave me had to do with his younger brother.


    ¡°Same as before?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, after this fight with my little Sister, we¡¯ll have a three way battle. At that time, there won¡¯t be any cats guarding my little brother. All you have to do is walk into his castle and take care of him. How about it, simple isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°¡­I just hope so¡­¡±


    ¡®Maybe it might be simple for you cats, but everything that had to do with the Purgatory Shadowcats so far was anything but simple¡­can anything ever be simple when it had to do with a bunch of crazy cats¡­¡±


    ¡°As for your guarantor cat¡­how about I have Anmi follow you guys. My foolish Brother¡¯s castle isn¡¯t too far off from mine so you guys can rest for a couple of days and set off once his army has engaged with mine.¡±


    Weiderly then arranged for one of the guardcats to bring us to a resting room. Because we still had to wait here for a several days, I chose not to reject his hospitality and left with the guardcat who promptly brought us to a giant suite on the second floor.


    Like Meisian¡¯s castle, Weiderly¡¯s was split into three levels as well. The first floor was where the guest hall, office, kitchen and other miscellaneous facilities were all located. That was also where the majority of the guardcats and servant cats lived. The second floor was constructed as accommodations for guests as well as for cats of certain stature, like those elders or the guardcat team leaders. The final floor was the private area of the Eldest Prince; other than those close to him, this area was mostly off-limits to visitors.


    The room we were assigned to was huge, spanning at least several hundred meters square. Upon entering, we first found ourselves in a living room that had tables but no chairs; most likely that was because the cats themselves didn¡¯t need chairs. In general, the furniture was crafted in a very Purgatory Shadowcats-esque style, having been made almost completely out of that strange rocklike plant material growing around this region. Certain smaller furniture pieces were even decorated with bones while some were carved from stone entirely.


    Just like before, the ceiling was filled with hanging fish bones that I didn¡¯t know the exact purpose for.


    Right outside our suite was a well-lit balcony which was stacked full of squarish tables and flower pots filled with those same blackish red plants we saw growing outside.


    That was basically it for our room. I had to admit though, sleeping was probably going to be a pain because our beds¡­if it could even be called that¡­was a bunch of boxes shaped like a cat¡¯s nest¡­


    Probably out of consideration for a variety of body sizes, there was a number of boxes ranging from large boxes to smaller ones. While the small boxes weren¡¯t much, the large ones on the other hand¡­they could easily fit both Sasani and Sinmosa at the same time.


    Once our guardcat left, Anmi immediately tried to sneak away while we were still caught up in the atmosphere of being in a new room. Unfortunately for him, he was swiftly apprehended by the eagle-eyed Mo Na who forcefully dragged him back with a yank of his tail.


    ¡°Bite his tail, Cinderel, don¡¯t let him escape!¡±


    ¡°Ruff ruff!¡± Cinderel obediently dove for his tail and adamantly held onto it while trying to yank the traitorous cat back. Even though the little puppy¡¯s teeth were clearly not a threat against Anmi, he knew that he was in the wrong here so he chose not to resist but instead halted his tracks.


    ¡°So Sir I¡¯m-the-most-reliable-cat-in-my-clan, Anmi, how about giving us an explanation here? There are some things I really don¡¯t get.¡± As I said that, I glanced at Sinmosa, Sasani, No.3 and Big 4, who promptly encircled Anmi, cutting off any avenue of escape: ¡°We were clearly here on Meisian¡¯s orders and yet just look at what happened to us?! Why did you turn on us?¡±


    Though I said that, Anmi clearly had no intention of running away anymore. Instead, he lowered his head, averting his eyes in the process, and then mumbled: ¡°I just don¡¯t want to marry Meisian¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you hate her that much?¡± By now, even a moron could tell that he didn¡¯t want to marry her, that much I didn¡¯t need him to explain, what I truly wanted to know was why.


    ¡°I told you those three siblings are all morons¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to bluff your way out of this, I know you¡¯re hiding something for sure.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Silence is golden huh?¡± I glanced at the two Cerberuses: ¡°Pin him down, No.3 you know what to do, I want all his fur gone right now!¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­don¡¯t be like that, we¡¯re all companions here, aren¡¯t we¡­there¡¯s no need for such cruelty¡­¡± The moment he saw the two Hellhounds approach him, he immediately started to struggle furiously but with the two of them arrayed against him, and given that there was hardly any space between them to begin with, it only took a few seconds for them to apprehend him.

 Chapter 223: The Past of the Purgatory Shadowcats

    ¡°Companions? So now we¡¯re your companions? Well, aren¡¯t you daring one, to betray your companions like that.¡±


    ¡®Moron, if you hadn¡¯t mentioned the word companions, I probably wouldn¡¯t even be that angry.¡¯


    ¡°No.3 de-fur his body first, if he still won¡¯t talk, you can pull out the fur on his tail next, if he won¡¯t talk¡­then pluck out his whiskers!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk, I¡¯ll talk¡­just no pulling¡­.¡± Clearly outmatched, he promptly caved in before the nightmarish fate could get any closer.


    ¡°Well why didn¡¯t you say so from the start? Could have saved us the trouble of all that, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes. About that, can you have Sinmosa and Sasani let go of me first?¡± While he might have said that, I couldn¡¯t help but notice that glint in his eyes. That cat was definitely up to no good¡­was he still thinking of escaping?


    The Cerberus couple on the other hand, weren¡¯t able to notice his little scheme from their vantage point. All twelves of their eyes turned towards me as if to ask if they should release Anmi.


    ¡®Hmph, I know what all you cats are like, the whole lot of you have no scruples whatsoever, if I let him go now, who knows whether or not he will try to run away.¡¯


    Thus, my face darkened as I coldly stated: ¡°Keep him pinned down and stop him from moving. Anmi, how about you just fess up now, the earlier you talk, the less pain you¡¯ll be in.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Not only was I the only one p*ssed off at him, so were Mo Na, No.3, Big 4, Sinmosa, Sasani and even the newborn puppy, Cinderel. Seeing that, Anmi knew he was in big trouble now and that he truly angered everyone this time. Thus, he finally gave up: ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll talk¡­¡±


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    Initially, the Shadowcats weren¡¯t able to adapt to the harsh environment of Purgatory at all. Still, they forced themselves to acclimatize to the high heats and the sulfurous air and as time passed, a certain portion of the population changed.


    That was how the first batch of Purgatory Shadowcats were born.


    While life in Purgatory was hard, not every Shadowcat chose such a path of mutation. They knew that remaining purely of the shadow element made it hard for them to resist the temperature, but they still did so anyway.


    Back then, their mutated compatriots simply couldn¡¯t understand their obstinance, especially given how they all gained new abilities from their new element. Even so, their determination touched them but at the same time, they just seemed like morons as well.


    Perseverance was a hard thing to maintain, it was so for humans and it was so for cats as well. As time passed, those who chose not to mutate started falling ill from some unknown ailment; the kind that made them die writhing in pain.


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    Although it wasn¡¯t contagious, it was still a troublesome sickness. Its incubation period was extremely long during which the host cat became extraordinarily susceptible to any minor sickness. Essentially, it was a death sentence for those Shadowcats and not a single one of them was spared as well.


    In light of that, the minority who chose not to mutate finally had to acquise.


    Only a small portion of those Shadowcats chose to perseverance but of those that did, there was a certain researcher who actually managed to create a cure.


    Before that however, it was worth mentioning how the sickness killed its host cat. It was a multi-staged sickness that first started with the host¡¯s body feeling a little warm, along with that came a periodic sensation of being scalded. As this sickness progressed to the later stage, the water content in their body would completely disappear and worse¡­they would mysteriously burst into flames¡­


    What the researcher discovered was that everyone living in Purgatory had the fire element within them else they wouldn¡¯t be able to live for long in Purgatory, barring special circumstances. Having discovered that, another conclusion that was drawn was that all the food in Purgatory contained a dense amount of fire element within them. By eating such food, Shadowcats would start accumulating the fire element within their body. Being cats of the shadow element, this new element naturally didn¡¯t play well with their purely shadow bodies and in the long term¡­such an accumulation would explode¡­


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you all just avoid eating the food of Purgatory then. I heard the Shadowcats brought over a ton of plant life they collected from Abaddon, right?¡± Sinmosa couldn¡¯t resist the urge to interject then: ¡°All those plants we saw on the way here, and those Ashen Fur Mice, weren¡¯t they all brought over from Abaddon.¡±


    ¡°It is as you say, they aren¡¯t from Purgatory, but there¡¯s one thing you¡¯re not getting¡­¡± As he said that, Anmi frowned a little as if the mere thought gave him a headache.


    ¡°Because the environment of Purgatory was simply too harsh, all the plant life had to mutate as well in order to survive¡­even though we already knew that Purgatory was going to be a harsh environment, and even though we specifically chose those suited to high temperatures, the end result¡­was that only a few experimental products managed to survive¡­every other life form mutated¡­¡±


    In a sense, it was only natural for living things to try and adapt to their surrounding¡­so the whole reason why they died was because of an adverse reaction to their accumulated fire element¡­


    Furthermore, while every person(cat)s¡¯ body had their own autoimmune reaction to unwanted elements accumulating in their body, there was a limit to that as well. To begin with, a person¡¯s elemental balance was a fragile thing and should it ever get broken, the consequences would be dire.


    (Insert author¡¯s unnecessary analogy here)


    For the Shadowcats who first arrived in Purgatory, the initial period of habitation was still a bearable one, even with their average constitution. However, what was most troubling for them was that all their food was tainted with fire element and yet they had no choice but to consume said food or die from hunger. Even worse was that the very air they breathed contained some fire elements as well¡­truly there was nothing worse than that.


    Honestly though, there wasn¡¯t much of a difference in the big picture. Let¡¯s say for a second that the Shadowcats were frogs. Having the air filled with fire elements only meant that instead of being slowly poached to death, they were thrown into a vat of hot oil instead. The latter was a horrible croaky death while the former was like a warm blanket that slowly suffocated them in their sleep. Either way, they would end up cooked, it was only a matter of time.


    ¡°The researcher who uncovered all that then tried to synthesize a cure¡­¡± Having said that, Anmi abruptly stopped and a hint of grief flashed past his eyes.


    ¡°What happened next?¡± Mo Na, being one who loved stories a lot, was completely immersed in his recounting. To her, their tragic past was nothing more than an interesting bedtime story seeing as she hadn¡¯t experienced it herself.


    ¡°Next¡­¡± Anmi sighed: ¡°The synthesis failed¡­¡±


    ¡®So it failed huh, I guess the look he had on just now was already a dead giveaway. Still, using ingredients tainted with fire elements to synthesize a cure that can purge said fire elements¡­no matter how you looked at it, it was a crazy proposition¡­at least use water or something!¡¯


    Sinmosa on the other hand, was shocked. ¡°Failed? So the remaining Shadowcats¡­they mutated right¡­no, then what about those three candidates for the throne¡­¡±


    ¡°Even though the synthesis was a failure, that Shadowcat researcher managed to create a device that speeds up the elemental purging process thanks to his vast knowledge¡­¡±


    ¡°A device?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Anmi nodded his head.


    ¡®A device huh¡­that means both Meisian and Weiderly have it as well¡­thinking back, what the two of them had in common was¡­¡¯


    ¡®Hmmm¡­both of them had differing statues but they were still black cats more or less. Next, they were both sitting on that platfor¡ªplatform?! That¡¯s right, it¡¯s that platform!¡¯


    ¡®Not too long ago when I pressured that cat prince, he clearly could have escaped by leaping off the platform and rushing to the elders. If he did that, I couldn¡¯t have attacked him even knowing that the elders won¡¯t interfere. But he didn¡¯t do that, no matter how afraid he was, he never once tried to jump off that platform!¡¯

 Chapter 224: No Wonder

    ¡°That device you mentioned, don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s the platform they¡¯re sitting on¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, the very same. Those platforms are called Elemental Segregation Platforms and are one of the greatest inventions in our clan history.¡± Even though those words were clearly filled with respect, Anmi¡¯s mood was still noticeably low: ¡°Unfortunately, because too much time was spent on researching the platform, most of the already-dwindling Shadowcat population have already died from self-combustion leaving only the researcher and one other Shadowcat¡­¡±


    Wide eyes blinking, Mo Na proceeded to spit out another trademark question of hers that almost made me vomit blood in exasperation: ¡°Just two? What a coincidence for them to be a pair of male and female Shadowcats then.¡±


    ¡°¡­no¡­¡± Clearly incensed by her disrespect, Anmi was about to berate the little devil but upon seeing the raised fists of No.3 and Big 4, he caved in once more and merely continued explaining in a defeated tone: ¡°Both of them were females.¡±


    At that point, Mo Na adorably gave me a couple bat of her eyelashes before saying: ¡°Mama¡­how did those two female cats give birth?¡±


    ¡°Sweetie, that¡¯s not the point you should focus on¡­¡±


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    ¡®How would I know the answer to that and even if I knew, I wouldn¡¯t tell you. Speaking of which, how did those two female cats give birth? Perhaps there¡¯s a chance of a pure Shadowcat being born from two Purgatory Shadowcats?¡¯


    Anmi rolled his eyes at the little devil: ¡°Because one of them was already pregnant¡­¡±


    Initially, we only wanted to know why he was so vehemently opposed to marrying the Princess but as the conversation dragged on, it somehow ended up straying further and further off course. However, Anmi wouldn¡¯t have mentioned all that if they were truly irrelevant¡­


    ¡®Did that mean that the reason had something to do with all that? Hold on a second, can a Purgatory Shadowcat even bear a child with a Shadowcat? By mutating, the Purgatory Shadowcats have basically turned into a new type of Shadowcat. Although they might still have some traces of Shadowcat DNA, strictly speaking they aren¡¯t even the same creature anymore. In that case, if Anmi and Princess Meisian were to get married¡­would their child be a Purgatory Shadowcat? Or a Shadowcat?¡¯


    ¡®Given that only Shadowcats can succeed the throne¡­that¡¯s actually a very important question worth digging into.¡¯


    Because the environment within Purgatory was filled with fire elements, the platform itself had to be tuned up to a high setting. At that time, a portion of the Purgatory Shadowcats tried to use this device to return back to being a Shadowcat but all of them failed; the mutation was irreversible.


    Back then, there wasn¡¯t really much of a difference between the two species except for the addition of their fire element so no one really minded the difference. Other than those two surviving Shadowcats, no one paid anymore attention to this matter.


    As time passed however, the difference between the two races became more and more pronounced with the most problematic issue being that they lost their ability to Dreamwalk.


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    As the saying went, ¡®only by losing something will one realize how precious it was¡¯, only after they lost their ability did the Purgatory Shadowcats realize how much they relied on it. They were terrified, from the bottom of their hearts, they felt an overwhelming sense of fear. That one ability of theirs not only bestowed a wealth of knowledge onto them, it was also a part of their identity, their pride. With it, they felt a sense of superiority compared to the other races. Now that they had lost it, they felt incomplete as if a part of them had been wrenched out¡­


    In a sense, it was like having your favourite website taken away from you. Having browsed it everyday for god knows how long, one day you discovered that not only did the government block access to that website, they also fined anyone who had used it¡­that was exactly how those Shadowcats felt right now.


    Just like that, the two Shadowcats who persevered in their pure-bloodedness suddenly became objects of reverence. The Purgatory Shadowcats raised their status to that of a ruler¡¯s and thus the first Cat King was born.


    However, a tale when told too long tended to get dry. No.3, clearly bored and irritated by now, snapped at Anmi: ¡°What¡¯s the point of telling us all this historical nonsense? What we want to know is why you do not want to marry Meisian. Will you die or something?¡±


    ¡°I think I get the big picture now¡­¡± I turned towards Anmi and sighed: ¡°It has to do with that platform doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, at the end of the day, it has to do with that Elemental Segregation Platform¡­¡± Anmi gave a bitter smile before continuing: ¡°I said so before, the main purpose of that platform is purge all fire elements from our bodies. But us Purgatory Shadowcats are mainly made of fire elements now¡­once we lose that¡­¡±


    In other words, standing on that platform would cause him suffering¡­as for how painful that was¡­only he would know.


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    Because of their comparatively frail constitutions, the Shadowcats weren¡¯t able to endure any elemental imbalance in their bodies. That was why Meisian and that Eldest Prince would never leave their platform willingly.


    Given that, should Anmi marry Meisian¡­he would probably have to spend his entire life with her on that platform. The problem then, was what about the fire elements in his body?


    The platform would purge his body of said elements and cause him harm so how was he to spend an extended period of time on that platform? That was the unsolvable problem facing Anmi right now.


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    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that by marrying her, you would have spend your life on that platform?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not to that extent, but after getting married, I would have to spend quite a bit of time on it.¡± At that point, he shivered uncontrollably: ¡°If I were to stand on that platform, the mana in my body would rapidly deplete and that sensation¡­can only be described as torturous¡­¡±


    ¡°Still, there¡¯s one point that I¡¯m still rather curious about, if you were to marry the Princess¡­¡± The moment the word marry left my lips, Anmi shivered once more at which point I hastily explained that it was just an example, several times in fact before he finally calmed down: ¡°If you were to marry her and then have a child with her¡­will your child be a Shadowcat?¡±


    ¡°¡­that¡¯s¡­what I¡¯m most afraid of¡­if we didn¡¯t have to have a child, I could still accept this outcome. After all, I wouldn¡¯t have to spend every single moment on that platform. But given how little Shadowcats there are, if¡­¡±


    He abruptly stopped and banged his head against the floor several times before he managed to calm himself down.


    ¡°Purgatory Shadowcats are a mutation of Shadowcats so we still have some Shadowcat genes in our body. If¡­if¡­Meisian and I were to do that together¡­I would first have to spend an entire month on the platform during which I can¡¯t leave it, not even for a second¡­if that were to happen, my mana would be mostly sucked dry and my elemental balance would be destroyed¡­at that point, my shadow element would naturally be the dominant element¡­and the child we bear would most definitely be a Shadowcat¡­however¡­¡±


    ¡°You would end up as a cripple, wouldn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­I¡¯ll be ruined.¡±


    ¡®So that¡¯s why¡­his choices are basically die or live a life worse than death¡­truly a hard choice.¡¯


    ¡°In that case, Prince Weiderly, should he desire offsprings, would have to find a mate from the Purgatory Shadowcats as well?¡±


    ¡°Precisely. After all, the only surviving female Shadowcat is Meisian and doing that with a sister is¡­well, even us cats can¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Speaking of siblings¡­¡¯ I subconsciously turned towards Sasani and Sinmosa at which point they both awkwardly jerked their heads away. Just like that, the atmosphere suddenly became a little awkward with their little action bringing even more attention to them instead.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Noticing the stiff atmosphere, Anmi couldn¡¯t help but ask out of curiosity.


    He only knew that the two Cerberuses were married but what he didn¡¯t know was that they were also siblings¡­


    ¡®What¡¯s that proverb again¡­ ¡®There are no taels to be found here¡¯¡­¡¯


    (TL: The phrase ¡®There are no taels to be found here¡¯ stems from a story where there was once a man called Zhang San. After expending a great deal of effort, he finally managed to accrue 300 silver taels and was naturally delighted by that. However, he lived in constant fear of someone stealing that fortune away from him so he found himself a chest. He stashed the three taels in the chest and then buried it behind his house. However, that still wasn¡¯t enough to allay his fears so he thought of an ¡®ingenious¡¯ idea.


    He took a piece of paper and wrote: ¡°There are no taels to be found here¡±. Having done that, he stuck that paper onto the side of the wall and then walked off, fears completely put at ease.


    Unbeknownst to him, his little action was discovered by his neighbor, Wang Er. In the middle of the night, Wang Er dug up those taels and spirited them away to his own house. In order not to get discovered however, he left a note on Zhang San¡¯s wall, saying: ¡°Your neighbor, Wang Er, would never steal.¡±


    The next day, Zhang San woke up to find his taels missing and a new note placed on his note. It was then that he finally understood the error of his ways.


    Later on, this story became a way of mocking a foolish person whose attempts at hiding a secret ended up exposing it instead.)


    Truly, that was a vicious slap to the two dogs¡¯ faces but being out of the loop, Anmi had no way of knowing that. That however, just made the slap that much more painful¡­


    Now that the truth was out, we decided to let him off the hook for now.


    It had to be said however, that had he not come clean with us, none of us would have ever expected that a simple marriage would belie such a calamity¡­still, how did he even end up as the potential son-in-law of the previous Cat King?


    Seeking to change this awkward mood, I ever so naturally, turned the topic back to Anmi: ¡°Anmi, why did the previous Cat King choose you?¡±


    ¡°That¡­honestly, it has to do with a bit of a dark history during my childhood¡­¡± As he said that, he lowered his head in embarrassment.


    Like that, I was treated to another tragic tale of childhood ignorance.


    It turned out that the two cats used to play a lot with each other. In fact, it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that the two of them were childhood friends. Because of that platform, Meisian didn¡¯t have any other playmates other than her two brothers so the little princess treasured Anmi¡¯s companionship deeply. After all, he was only the one brave enough to stand on that platform and play with her¡­


    Even though his cat parents told him not to approach that platform, let alone climb onto it to play¡­he didn¡¯t pay heed to their warnings at first. Each time he played with her, his body would feel extremely weakened, however it wasn¡¯t to the extent where it couldn¡¯t be recovered just by eating some food. Because of that, little Anmi didn¡¯t pay much attention to it either. It was only after he spent an extended period on the platform did he finally learn his lesson. One fateful day, after playing with the little princess for a longer time than usual, he ended up losing too much of his fire element to the point where he fainted on the platform¡­

 Chapter 225: Gaiuz

    For the mainly fire leaning Purgatory Shadowcats, the fire elements within them were an integral part of their body and purging them would harm their core well-being at best; at worst, it was a form of delayed suicide.


    Having had to down a ton of nourishments in order to recover, Anmi learnt his lesson regarding that dastardly platform. It was then that little Anmi finally regretted crossing that uncrossable gully with Princess Meisian¡­


    ¡®I guess the saying really is true then, a newborn calf doesn¡¯t fear the tiger¡­a young one is a brave one¡­truly, was there anything kids didn¡¯t dare to do?¡¯


    For the next two days, we spent our time resting in the Prince¡¯s castle during which we gained a deeper understanding of the habits of the Purgatory Shadowcats. Simply put, they were all a bunch of crazy cats, end of story.


    ¡®Never try to figure out what a cat is thinking, because the cat itself doesn¡¯t know¡­¡¯


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    Throughout those two days, we would often hear the random cat nyahaha(laughter) or two while we walked the castle¡¯s stony hallways. The reason being that they found bipedal creatures highly amusing¡­furthermore, they would often critique our appearance as if we were some kind of rare creature. Just stepping out of our room placed us in the spotlight right away. At times, I wondered if we were really guests or just that new gorilla in the zoo.


    Even though I clearly stated that Mo Na and I did not eat meat, the cat serving us food still did so anyway¡­When I confronted the cat bearing the platter of grilled fish and mice, the reason he gave me was this¡­ ¡®Why should I listen to you just because you said so? Won¡¯t I lose face then?¡¯


    Other than that, there was still a whole list of exasperating experiences, all of which I had already given up on tsukkomi-ing. I guess that¡¯s why insanity was often compared to the starry sky: You could see them but never understand them.


    On the third day, Prince Weiderly invited us all to the great hall for an audience ¨Cmost likely, it was time to act.


    As we stepped into the giant hall, we found the Eldest Prince sitting atop his platform once more. Just looking at his sitting posture, I had to admit, he really had a regal bearing. Unfortunately for him, I had seen his depths; that d*mn potato was just a showboating moron. No matter how refined and regal he acted, his internal potato-ness would definitely sell him out.


    ¡°The reason I¡¯ve called for you all here today is because the time has come¡­¡± Upon seeing us enter, the Eldest Prince stood up and immediately issued us the mission: ¡°The battle will start soon, this time it will be a three-way battle with my moronic little brother participating as well. At that time, his defenses will be low. All you need do is charge in and just do what you did to me, to him. Remember, he must give up his succession rights!¡±


    ¡®What the heck is do what you did to me, to him¡­¡¯


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    Before leaving however, Anmi threw these last few, stern words: ¡°Remember our deal, once we take care of Gaiuz, you aren¡¯t allowed to threaten me with this matter!¡±


    ¡°No problem, it¡¯s not like I want you to be my brother-in-law anyway.¡±


    ¡°That had better be so.¡±


    Having settled that matter with Anmi, the Eldest Prince then turned his gaze onto me: ¡°Once you¡¯ve settled my foolish little brother, I¡¯ll defeat my little sister myself. As for when I ascend to the throne, I¡¯ll tell you the method to enter Abaddon so don¡¯t worry. I keep my promises.¡±


    ¡°As you say.¡± I obediently accepted his order. What else was I to do then? For the sake of entering Abaddon, all I could do was try my best and complete this mission.


    Just like that, our mission went from taking down Weiderly to taking down his little brother, Gaiuz.


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    Gaiuz¡¯s castle wasn¡¯t that far off from Weiderly¡¯s, roughly a day of travelling was all it took for us to reach our destination. Along the way, we did in fact meet some of the Second Prince¡¯s troops though we circled around them instead of greeting them.


    ¡°I honestly thought you would go up to them and grab a snack or something.¡± Frankly speaking, I expected Anmi, that sociable cat, to greet them and then ask for some barbecued Ashen Fur Mice. Instead, he took the initiative to lead us away.


    ¡°I already had something to eat at Weiderly¡¯s, besides, I¡¯m not in the mood to talk to those morons.¡± Having said that, we resumed our journey.


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    Upon reaching the Prince¡¯s castle, we found ourselves staring¡­at another carbon copy of the previous two castles. That¡¯s right, all three of them looked exactly the same, even down to the cat steps on the castle wall and that panelless hole¡­truly a strange phenomenon but real nonetheless¡­


    Unlike our previous two visits however, not only were there two guardcats stationed at the castle entrance, there was also another Purgatory Shadowcat standing there waiting. The moment we entered his field of vision, that waiting cat revealed a smile on his face.


    ¡°Anmi, so you¡¯ve really come¡­it¡¯s been a long time, nyah.¡± Without giving us any time to react, he took the initiative to welcome us before warmly greeting Anmi. ¡°Come then, His Highness is waiting for you all in the hall.¡±


    ¡°Lohmi, were you specifically waiting for us at the door?¡± Instead of reciprocating his warm greeting, Anmi instead voiced out that nagging question in his head: ¡°Don¡¯t tell me Gaiuz already expected us to come a long time ago?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, His Highness knew that you all would come so he had me stationed at the entrance.¡± Lohmi nodded at Anmi before smoothly turning his gaze onto me: ¡°This must be Mister Mo Ke then, it has been a long time since the Remnants of Sable Radiance has seen a devil, you are probably the first we¡¯ve seen.¡±


    ¡°I just so happened to end up here because of some misfortune.¡± Truth be told, the fact that our opponent sent someone to greet us was surprising¡­based on that, the Second Prince probably had spies implanted by the side of Weiderly¡­speaking of spies, those guardcats by Weiderly seemed a little suspicious¡­for them to fall asleep during a fight¡­


    ¡°Either way, I pray you would honor us with your presence, His Highness is most fascinated by your presence, come, let¡¯s enter the castle.¡± Lohmi courteously extended his paw in welcome. Naturally, I wasn¡¯t one to snub such politeness. What happened next however, stunned me. Instead of climbing over the wall, all I saw was him slowly walking into the entrance¡­in other words, the infamous ¡®hole¡¯ in ¡®Cats climb the wall and Dogs crawl through the hole.¡¯


    Having taken a couple of steps, the cat realized that we weren¡¯t following him at which point he merely smiled and repeated that same line from before: ¡°His Highness is waiting for you all in the hall.¡±


    ¡°About that¡­aren¡¯t you going to climb the wall?¡±


    ¡®How should I say this, do I have to remind you what the hole means¡­¡¯


    ¡°Ah, is that what concerns you, nyah.¡± Lohmi gave us a wry smile before proceeding to explain as such: ¡°I assume this has to be the effect of that saying, ¡®Cats climb the wall and Dogs crawl through the hole¡¯. Truth be told, that saying wasn¡¯t meant to belittle the other races but it ended up being misconstrued by my clancats over time. The real intention was to explain that each race had its own strengths and weaknesses and that we shouldn¡¯t look down on them for that.¡±


    ¡°To think there¡¯s such a maverick amongst the Purgatory Shadowcats¡­¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t say that, those are actually the words of His Highness. His Highness even said that no matter how lowly a creature was, they all had their mission to fulfill in life. We shouldn¡¯t look down upon it just because it is weak and neither should we cower in fear in front of the strong¡­¡± Judging by his tone, this cat was probably a diehard fan of Gaiuz. Throughout our short jaunt through the hole, Lohmi would constantly tell us about the Second Prince while not forgetting to throw in a praise or two.


    ¡®Well, not like there¡¯s anything really wrong with that, I¡¯ll just take it as storytime.¡¯


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    Another point to note was that unlike the other guardcats at the previous two castle entrances, Gaiuz¡¯s guardcats were remarkably lively; they neither lazed around nor slept while standing guard.


    ¡®For him to be able to whip those lazy cats into shape¡­this Second Prince must be a formidable character¡­¡¯


    Under Lohmi¡¯s guidance, we quickly entered the guest hall where we found Gaiuz, just like his siblings before him, sitting on the Elemental Segregation Platform. As for his appearance, there really wasn¡¯t much to talk about there¡­they all looked the same to me so I relied on my soul sensing ability once more.


    ¡°Your Highness, I¡¯ve brought them in.¡± Upon entering the guest hall, Lohmi announced our arrival in a clarion voice.


    At that, Gaiuz warmly nodded at the cat after which Lohmi smoothly made his way to the side of the Second Prince. It was then that I realized that there were no other guardcats beside Gaiuz other than Lohmi.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you all, guests from a distant land. My name is Gaiuz, one of the candidates for the throne of Cat King.¡± Unlike the regalness of Weiderly and the brashness of Meisian, Gaiuz¡¯s demeanor instantly endeared him to me though it had to be said that I wasn¡¯t sure why that was so.


    ¡°Gaiuz, I¡¯m sure you know why we are here.¡± Not intending to beat around the bush at all, Anmi immediately jumped straight into business. ¡°There are no guardcats here and our combined might is more than enough to defeat you. Also, don¡¯t even think about relying on the Elders¡¯ Consortium while I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°Anmi, I see you¡¯re still as direct as before. It has been a while since we last met, how about we have a chat instead.¡± Gaiuz calmly proceeded to say: ¡°According to what I¡¯ve gathered, you were supposed to help my little sister and yet you ended up as a tool arrayed against me by my foolish older brother. Truly fascinating¡­the way the world revolves so quickly¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmph, you¡¯re still as long winded as before. Well I can¡¯t be bothered to deal with all that¡­¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t give up my succession rights¡­¡±

 Chapter 226: Another Blasted Siscon

    ¡°So we¡¯re fighting then?¡± Anmi abruptly cut off Gaiuz while adopting a combative stance. Having learnt from that painful lesson in Weiderly¡¯s castle, Anmi decided to settled this mission as soon as possible. After all, his weakness was painfully apparent for all to see and in a war of words, his mouth cannon simply didn¡¯t compare to his opponent¡¯s.


    As for me, I was inclined to agree with that decision as well lest Gaiuz pulled the marriage card like Weiderly. At that point, Anmi would undoubtedly turn on us again and we would have to go through another tragedy¡­.


    ¡°Anmi, what are you so worried about, are you worried that I would bring up the matter of my sister¡¯s betrothal to threaten you? Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t do that, would never in fact.¡± Ignoring the cat¡¯s hostility, Gaiuz waved his hand dismissively and signalled for him not to overreact. ¡°Honestly, that foolish brother of mine is truly clever with those petty tricks of his, to think he would even make use of our little sister¡¯s happiness as a bargaining chip.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± The moment the word betrothal left the Prince¡¯s mouth, Anmi knew that things were about to fall apart. In an instant, his shoulders slumped over as if he was some kind of deflated kitty. ¡°What are you trying to say here?¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me this is going to end in another marriage threat¡­that¡¯s such an overplayed meme at this point!¡¯


    ¡°What am I trying to say?¡± He repeated Anmi¡¯s words before suddenly blowing his top a second later. No¡­it would be more accurate to say that he was extremely displeased as if he was looking at an annoying cockroach right now. ¡°There¡¯s no way you would ever be able to give my sister happiness, how would you even? Why¡­why did my little sister have to marry a cat like you?¡±


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    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Anmi jaw fell wide open, clearly confused by what he just heard. Thus, Gaiuz repeated himself once more: ¡°Why must little sister marry you? Why did that moron of a father have to marry her off to you?


    ¡°¡­that¡­it¡¯s not like I wanted that either¡­¡± The moment Meisian was mentioned, Anmi immediately caved in as he had been severely wronged. Looks like that childhood trauma from the Elemental Segregation Platform was still fresh in his mind¡­just the mere possibility of having to step on it terrified him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t want it? Are you saying my sister isn¡¯t pretty enough? AHH! Which d*mned eye of yours made that call, I¡¯ll toss it into the lava lake!¡± As he continued talking, the Second Prince gradually devolved from that well-mannered cat who gave off good vibes to an irate cat¡­truly a Jackal and Hyde situation we were witnessing right now¡­


    ¡®Didn¡¯t you just say that you didn¡¯t wish for the two of them to have any relationship? So why are you acting so furious now that he specifically stated his aversion to that? What a conundrum¡­¡¯


    ¡°Gaiuz, what are you trying to say here?!¡± By now, even the deflated Anmi knew to snap back given how much the Prince had just berated him.


    ¡°What am I trying to say?!¡± Gaiuz coldly harrumphed before saying: ¡°Exactly what kind of dementia made that braindead old man of mine choose you? Isn¡¯t it obvious that I¡¯m a better choice for my little sister?¡±


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    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®F***, so that¡¯s what this is all about, you¡¯re just a damn Siscon¡­if your father were to betroth his daughter to you, then he would truly be mad.¡¯


    The moment the conversation moved onto siblings, the mood instantly turned awkward, especially for Sasani and Sinmosa who were suddenly struck by how small this world was¡­


    ¡°Ahem, Your Highness, please control your emotions.¡± Amidst the growing awkwardness, the previously silent Lohmi cleared his throat lightly to remind the Prince of his impropriety: ¡°Your Highness weren¡¯t you saying how you wanted to discuss a certain matter with Sir Anmi?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, that was rude of me.¡± Gaiuz straightened himself out and from his slightly elevated position, peered down at Anmi: ¡°I know exactly what that foolish brother of mine is thinking right now, he wishes to force me out of this fight by using you, does he not? After that, he plans on using that marriage to handle our little Sister. Unfortunately for him, it never occured to his tiny little brain that I really had no reason to follow his plan at all.¡±


    Speaking of brains, I couldn¡¯t help but recall what Anmi mentioned the first time we met. Back then, I asked him why was he hiding in his territory catching mice while a civil war was ongoing. His answer then was a resolute: ¡°Because they are all morons¡­¡±


    Naturally, I had no way of understanding what he meant by that then, but now I did¡­those siblings were truly off their rocker¡­


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    ¡°Anmi, I¡¯ll give you two choices now, first, continue fighting me or two, help me.¡±


    ¡°¡­Gaiuz, I think you aren¡¯t getting the picture here, we¡¯re here to beat you up, why in blazes would I help you instead?¡±


    ¡°The one who doesn¡¯t get it is you, Anmi. If my older brother triumphs over me, what do you think his next move would be? To sell you off. After all, you¡¯re the only cat who played with my little Sister for an extended amount of time when she was young¡­nyah¡­I should just kill you¡­¡± As he said that, his Siscon mode started taking over once more.


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    Anmi, on the other hand, nearly choked on his own spit as he spluttered: ¡°¡­Weiderly is going to sell me off to Meisian? To trade for her succession rights?¡±


    ¡°Of course he is! If it wasn¡¯t for you, why would my little Sister even bother with the throne!¡± Gaiuz¡¯s brows furrowed the moment those words left his mouth, a hint of hysteria flashing through his feline eyes at that very instant. ¡°Why else would she if not for the privilege a Cat King has to pick their own mate!¡±


    ¡°That¡­how¡­why¡­would she go so far for me¡­¡± As if struck by lightning, his entire kitty face went pale as he stood there shellshocked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure about the exact details but still¡­I bet your brush with the Elemental Segregation didn¡¯t go too well, right?¡± Ignoring the slightly crazed and mumbling Anmi, Gaiuz continued: ¡°Well things are different now, as long as you help me seize the throne, my older brother can¡¯t blackmail you and the moment I ascend, I will announce my marriage with Meisian!¡±


    ¡®Another d*mned Siscon¡­¡¯


    With that in mind, my eyes unknowingly drifted towards Sasani. Knowing exactly what my gaze meant, all he could do was flash me an awkward smile but nothing more¡­ ¡®How boring¡­¡¯


    ¡°I¡­understand¡­I¡¯ll do as you say.¡± For sake of avoiding the platform, Anmi had no choice but to hang his feline head in shame and accept the Second Prince¡¯s offer.


    Now that he had caved in, Gaiuz then turned towards us outsiders with a thin smile: ¡°A wise choice, as for you all¡­¡± While the rest of that sentence wasn¡¯t spelled out for us, having gone through this exact situation once already, we were more than experienced enough to know what came next.


    ¡°I understand the situation as well¡­just proceed onto what we have to do¡­I need a way of entering Abaddon, whoever becomes the Cat King has nothing to do with me at all.¡±


    Honestly, what else were we to do then? Scruples be d*mned, I say, it wasn¡¯t like that was the first time we did so anyway. Since that unreliable traitor of a cat, Anmi, caved in with just a few words, there really wasn¡¯t much meaning to any further obstinance on our part. After all, I wasn¡¯t the first one to pull the trigger here, us devils were just innocent bystanders so why not just go with the flow.


    ¡°Very good, I do in fact know a way to enter Abaddon but I won¡¯t tell you now; I will only do so once I ascend. For the following days, I¡¯ll have to trouble you all to stay in my castle. I¡¯ve already thought of a plan of action so I just need you all to cooperate. I plan on having a three-way negotiation between us siblings. At that point, I need you all to step in as outsiders and restrain the both of them. Once you do that, I can officially become the Cat King.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Having laid out his plans, we were sent away soon after. Lohmi led us up up to the second floor of the castle where we found ourselves in an identical room; even the furniture inside our room was identical, down to its placement¡­


    ¡®Even the gossiping cats are the same¡­all that nonsense about bipedal creatures¡­and not eating Ashen Fur Mice¡­even that feeling of being treated like a spectacle is the same.¡¯


    The moment Lohmi left us, we surrounded Anmi once more. This time, we said nothing but merely glared at him.


    ¡°You¡­you¡­let¡¯s be clear here, anything but the face.¡± Surprisingly, he didn¡¯t try to resist but merely covered his head with his paws and put up a defenseless posture.


    Well, with all that fur on his face, I doubt anyone would notice the difference anyway.


    ¡°Forget it, it¡¯s not like this is the first time¡­¡± Seeing how spineless he was at the moment, I truly couldn¡¯t bring myself to get angry anymore: ¡°Well, what are your plans?¡±


    ¡°Plans?¡± Anmi was stunned for a moment before saying: ¡°Help Gaiuz become the Cat King, of course. What else is there to do but that?¡±


    ¡°Do you truly feel nothing for Meisian? Gaiuz said so himself, the only reason why she is even in this fight is because of you.¡±


    ¡°¡­don¡¯t joke around, that platform isn¡¯t as simple as you think. It will forcefully separate your element away from you¡­that feeling¡­those who had never experienced it before will never understand.¡±


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    In other words, he fully gave up¡­


    ¡®Fine, for that reason alone, you betrayed us twice¡­not only that, each time we confronted you, you would put on that pitiful face of a victim as if you were even more innocent than us¡­how should I even deal with you? I can¡¯t even think of any words to describe you anymore.¡¯


    Still hugging my neck, Mo Na immediately threw a jibe at Anmi: ¡°It¡¯s just a marriage, it¡¯s not like she expects you to die.¡±


    ¡°You just don¡¯t understand¡­that sensation¡­it¡¯s worse than death¡­¡± Anmi sighed once more but didn¡¯t argue back.


    Perhaps it was truly as he said, the Elemental Segregation Platform was the most cruel form of torture in this world, but there was still something I had to ask: ¡°Then does Meisian truly love you?¡±


    Hearing that, Anmi opened his mouth to speak but just as he was about to say something, the words got stuck in his throat: ¡°I¡­don¡¯t know¡­I really don¡¯t know¡­¡±

 Chapter 227: Setting Off

    Regardless of whether or not Anmi knew¡­time marched on. During those days we spent in Gaiuz¡¯s castle, we mostly lazed around while the staff serviced us. Even though I specifically said that Mo Na and I didn¡¯t want barbecued Ashen Fur Mice, the servings came unabated¡­even though my eyes clearly said that I didn¡¯t want to be a sideshow, the kitty cats still continued circling around us¡­truly an unpleasant few days¡­


    That was our experience with Gaiuz¡¯s cats in a nutshell.


    Roughly a week passed uneventfully like that till finally, Lohmi came looking for us with a message stating that the Prince wanted to meet us.


    Even without that meeting however, I could roughly guess what he wanted to say: the meeting had been set and all the parties had agreed.


    The moment we met, he said just that.


    ¡°My little Sister and that foolish brother of mine have agreed to the discussion. Even though we call it a discussion, it will probably end up as a competition between our armies in the end, with the final victor ascending. However¡­as they say, a little guile never hurt anyone, your mission is to hide in the Cat Nest I prepared for you and capture the two of them once the time is right.¡±


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    Having said all that, Gaiuz¡¯s gaze couldn¡¯t help but sweep over Anmi. Seeing the latter in such a distracted state, a flash of annoyance crossed his eyes after which Gaiuz glared at the cat. However, Anmi didn¡¯t respond to that. ¡°Sir Anmi, exactly what has you so enamored?¡±


    That finally did the trick in catching his attention, but Anmi still wasn¡¯t all that spirited as he said: ¡°I don¡¯t wish to see Meisian.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t wish to? Fine, I don¡¯t want my little Sister to see you anyway.¡± Gaiuz curled his lips further in annoyance and raised his voice: ¡°At that time, I just need you to settle that foolish brother of mine, as for my little Sister, leave her to me.¡±


    Gaiuz then waved his paws, signalling that we could leave.


    Just like that, the basic premise was all set with Lohmi filling in the details as needed.


    ¡°His Highness usually isn¡¯t like that. It¡¯s just with matters concerning Her Highness, Meisian¡­he tends to get a little¡­heated, nyah.¡± As we walked out of earshot of the guest hall, Lohmi explained thusly in a slightly apologetic tone while walking alongside us: ¡°Honestly, I can¡¯t agree with His Highness¡¯s behavior¡­I¡¯m sorry, that was inappropriate of me, nyah.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, we won¡¯t tell.¡± Badmouthing one¡¯s master as a servant was a taboo in an aristocratic society like this. In situations like that, a servant might have been dragged out and beaten to death but given that this was the Purgatory Shadowcats we were talking about, I bet the punishment would probably be something along the lines of no meals for a day¡­


    Either way, we didn¡¯t plan on ratting him out. Compared to Gaiuz¡¯s irate behavior, Lohmi was a lot more likeable.


    Having sent us back to our guest room, Lohmi left us, but not before saying: ¡°Truth be told, His Highness¡¯s behavior¡­isn¡¯t appropriate¡­nyah¡­I misspoke again¡­¡± He then left in a hurry.


    So exactly what behavior was he referring to? Naturally, he wasn¡¯t talking about his master¡¯s desire for the throne but rather it was the act of liking one¡¯s own sister¡­I still clearly remembered Anmi mentioning that even the Purgatory Shadowcats frowned upon such a relationship between close relations¡­Sasani and Sinmosa must¡¯ve wanted to bury all three of their heads when we touched upon that awkward topic¡­


    Still, what did Lohmi mean by those words? For a close aide to speak like that¡­were there not restrictions against marriage between close relations?


    Back then, Anmi only mentioned that the Purgatory Shadowcats weren¡¯t capable of such acts. Those were rather non-committal words considering the issue in question. In light of that, I highly doubted that there was actually a complete ban on such behavior even though, being highly intelligent lifeforms, they naturally knew the dangers of doing so.


    At least that was the conclusion I came to.


    I had a million questions in my head right now but no matter how much I thought about them, I wasn¡¯t going to get an answer so I finally decided to ask our resident expert instead: ¡°Anmi, what did Lohmi mean by those words?¡±


    With regards to that question, he raised his head and gave me a deadpan look that was somehow still infuriating even though I knew that he was merely depressed. ¡°Lohmi is a female, don¡¯t tell me you all didn¡¯t realize that?¡±


    ¡°¡­well, you know¡­you Purgatory Shadowcats all look the same to me¡­besides I have difficulty differentiating faces¡­¡±


    ¡®Hmph, I¡¯ll forgive you for now since you¡¯re down in the dumps. Looks like all that talk about Meisian really had a lasting effect on Anmi, but still¡­to think Lohmi is actually a female¡­awkward¡­sometimes this problem of mine just leaves me in such an awkward position.¡¯


    ¡°What do you mean look the same, Lohmi¡¯s fur is clearly more vibrant than mine and her body is more petite than mine too. Also, her scent is completely different from mine and her fur is a lot puffier. Besides, our faces are completely different, nyah! Did you even try looking at us! Don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t tell us apart when we walk side by side?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve been using my sensory abilities to tell you two apart up till now¡­¡± I sheepishly smiled at him before saying: ¡°You two really look so similar¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmph, you devils are the ones that look similar. I swear whenever I look at you lot, you all seem the same to me, especially that No.3 and Big 4 of yours. They might as well have come out from the same mold for all I know. Had it not been for my sharp nose being able to differentiate their scents, I would be the one having trouble instead!¡±


    ¡®Fine¡­I guess this is what people meant when they say that foreigners all looked the same to them¡­sometimes, I could¡¯ve sworn that those actors on the big screen were all the same people had it not been for their different clothes and hairstyles.¡¯


    ¡°Hmph, Mo Na and Mama are the ones who look normal here! How dare you compare Mo Na to those ugly potatoes!¡± She then pointed her little finger at No.3 and Big 4 who were listening in on the conversation all this while. Ignoring how wronged they felt, how pitiful they looked or awkward it was for them, she then turned her finger onto Anmi¡¯s snout before loudly yelling: ¡°Cinderel, get him!¡±


    ¡°Ruff, ruff!¡± Upon hearing that, Cinderel immediately lunged at the cat, widdle teeth sawing furiously away at his thigh. She clearly wasn¡¯t going to be able to hurt him but because Anmi was afraid of hurting the little puppy, he had no choice but to flee. Thus, the two ran around in circles while Mo Na flew behind, egging on the puppy throughout with a boisterous laugh¡­


    Seeing the three of them horse around so happily, whatever displeasure we felt towards him gradually disappeared.


    Thus, another few days passed by uneventfully and finally, the day of reckoning came when Gaiuz personally led us to the site. In the first place, the three castles were positioned roughly in the shape of a triangle so the site was naturally situated right in the center of all three castles. By travelling in a straight line, it roughly took the same amount of time from each castle to reach the discussion site.


    Unlike the previous battles, this battle required a round of negotiations between the three siblings so they had to set off their armies this time around.


    ¡®Ehh? Set off? Just as I reached the castle entrance, a thought suddenly occurred to me and I paused in shock.¡¯


    ¡®I thought the whole setting was that the Shadowcats couldn¡¯t acclimatize themselves to the environment of Purgatory¡­so how are they going to leave that platform of theirs? This doesn¡¯t make sense at all, I clearly remembered Weiderly staying on that platform no matter how much we pressured him¡­¡¯


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that the Shadowcats can¡¯t live in Purgatory¡¯s environment, so how is Gaiuz going to remain on his platform then?¡±


    As they said, when in doubt, ask.


    ¡°¡­¡± However, the moment I said that, Anmi gave me a scornful look as if he was looking at an idiot. ¡°Who ever said that the platform wasn¡¯t mobile?¡±


    ¡°That thing¡­can move¡­?¡±


    ¡°Of course it can.¡± Anmi nodded his furry head before walking up to the entrance and saying thusly in a slightly exasperated tone: ¡°Just see for yourself.¡±


    Looking in the direction of his gaze, all I saw was the sight of Gaiuz sitting atop his platform that was roughly ten meters wide and an inch and half thick. Naturally, that black platform was the Elemental Segregation Platform,but that wasn¡¯t the issue here. What was so amazing and bizarre was that it was actually floating in mid air, in clear defiance of gravity. In fact, there had to be at least a meter¡¯s worth of distance between it and the ground¡­


    ¡°That platform can actually fly¡­why didn¡¯t you tell me that before?¡±


    ¡°Did you even ask me about it?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± When he said it like that, I really couldn¡¯t help but agree that this really had nothing to do with him. ¡°But I don¡¯t remember Weiderly using that function even when he was cornered.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because the speed of the platform is really slow and requires quite some time to activate. That¡¯s why Weiderly never thought about doing that.¡±


    ¡°Oh I see¡­¡±


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    Seeing me flabbergasted, Anmi proudly said: ¡°Didn¡¯t I say so before, the Elemental Segregation Platform is one of the three greatest inventions in our clan. Since it is worthy of such a lofty title, it naturally had to do more than purge elements. Back when it was first invented, its inventor already thought about this issue of mobility. As long as the Shadowcats remained in Purgatory, they would forever be bound to the Elemental Segregation Platform, that¡¯s why the inventor specially added in this feature so that they could move about freely!¡±

 Chapter 228: A Cat Figh

    ¡°That¡¯s amazing. But there¡¯s no way moving such a behemoth doesn¡¯t require a ton of energy.¡±


    ¡°Hm, don¡¯t think that just because the platform is so gigantic, it can¡¯t be powered up. Just so you know, the Elemental Segregation Platform is powered solely by its user. Gaiuz for example, would spend his days on that platform during which the fire elements within him would be separated from him. The platform will collect these elements and store it within it¡¯s Mobility Furnace. Thanks to that, the platform is able to output unthinkable levels of performance during crucial moments.¡±


    ¡°Woah~~that¡¯s amazing.¡±


    Truly, that contraption surprised me to no end, up till that point, I honestly thought that those Shadowcats had to spend their entire lives stuck on that platform for their daily needs¡­even pooping¡­


    ¡°Amazing isn¡¯t it? From that look on your face, I bet you assumed they were stuck to that platform permanently.¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t then?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, even though leaving the platform might ultimately cause an Elemental Imbalance in their bodies, short term travel is still all right. You seem to have forgotten that whether it is Meisian, Weiderly or Gaiuz, their castles all have three levels in them. The first level performs an assortment of functions, the second is for guests and those of status, the third however, is their personal cat territory.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Now that he mentioned it, I do in fact remember him telling us that¡­¡¯


    Clearly happy to brag about his own clan, he continued to blow my mind with the following revelations: ¡°I bet you never noticed that there was a tiny platform hidden behind the platform in their throne rooms. Because that other platform is tiny when compared to the Elemental Segregation Platform, it¡¯s only understandable for you not to notice it. That platform was specifically crafted to allow quick travel between the third floor and the first. Their functions are similar to the Elemental Segregation Platforms except that they are smaller and noticeably faster.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    For this operation, Gaiuz had most likely sent out his entire army, numbering a total of three hundred or so Purgatory Shadowcats, all surrounding him in a protective barrier.


    By my estimation, the speed of that platform was roughly 15 m/s, which meant it was 54 km/h. At that speed, it would probably take us three to four days of travelling to reach our destination.


    Purely for convenience, Gaiuz prepared some mobile Cat Nests which basically served the same purpose as a tent. These mobile Cat Nests were shaped like carriages and were extremely wide, being only a smidge smaller than the platform itself. Just one alone was enough to fit our party though it would be a squeezy ride.


    One thing had to be said however, the ones pulling these Cat Nests weren¡¯t the Purgatory Shadowcats themselves. Instead, such a laborious task was dumped on another race known as the Demon Fire Arcane Lizards.


    The Demon Fire Arcane Lizards were another species transported over from Abaddon. Mostly, they were the equivalent of horses ¨Cweak and easily tamed. Before coming over, they were called Arcane Lizards and were a race known for their sturdy bodies, extraordinary strength and poisonous saliva. Other than that however, they were weak. Adding on the fact that they were tended to be rather dim as well, their race as a whole belonged near the bottom of the pyramid in Abbadon.


    Still, the fact that they possessed a degree of intelligence made them very obedient servants though still dim. Thanks to that, they were raised by the various races in Abaddon for labor.


    Like the Purgatory Shadowcats, these lizards had to forcefully change their constitution to suit the harsh environments of Purgatory. What their appearance was like before mutating, that was something I didn¡¯t know but with regards to their current appearance, I had only one thing to say, ugly¡­also, they kind of stank as well.


    The lizard pulling our Cat Nest was at least five meters long and possessed a thick set of limbs brimming with power. As for its head, it reminded me of those dinosaurs I saw in the movies albeit without a horn. Its scales were a dark shade of green. Perhaps it was due to its forced mutation, but on top of its inkish green scales, there were streaks of red running through its body that when combined with its scales, seemed to give it a fiery appearance. Most likely, that was the reason why the Purgatory Shadowcats gave them the name Demon Fire Arcane Lizards.


    Truth be told, those cats seemed more like a bunch of moronic potatoes than anything else to me, the reason being that the way they viewed things seemed so off kilter from my own. Take for example those so-called guardcats, a human guard would never fake his defeat and then fall asleep¡­furthermore, humans would show fear when they were scolded and would do their best to avoid getting reprimanded even further. After all, their lives were at stake here.


    Those guardcats however¡­the most memorable moment for me had to be when those two guardcat team leaders even had the balls to toss out that tsukkomi: ¡®sleeping was just an afterthought, nyaah¡­


    Truly, the Purgatory Shadowcats were beyond my understanding and that wasn¡¯t even all I had to say as well¡­


    Take for example where we were now¡­ After days of travelling, we finally reached our destination, known as Domeh Lake. It was a lake of lava just like everywhere else but instead of blackened rock, it was surrounded by lush foliage. Just based on its picturesque qualities alone, I had to admit that this lake was like a rare oasis in an unending desert of red and black.


    It was in such a scenic backdrop that three hovering platforms met and combined with each other. The three Shadowcat siblings met and immediately they started off with a customary round of snide remarks. Naturally, the main target of said remarks was Weiderly since Gaiuz would never insult his beloved little sister though the next in line was the latter himself¡­the reason being that Meisian hated her two brothers.


    Rather fascinating in of itself, I quietly listened in on their conversation with ears pressed to the wall of our Cat Nest.


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    Gaiuz: ¡°Foolish brother, I see your scruples have fallen once more.¡±


    Weiderly lowered his head: ¡°No they haven¡¯t.¡±


    Gaiuz: ¡°¡­truly, how stupid can you be¡­¡±


    Weiderly: ¡°You¡¯re the one who said that they dropped, that¡¯s why I looked!¡±


    Gaiuz: ¡°That¡¯s why I say you¡¯re stupid. How can you even drop such a thing?¡±


    Weiderly: ¡°Well, your scruples have fallen as well.¡±


    Gaiuz lowered his head to look: ¡°Is that so? No, they haven¡¯t.¡±


    Finally at the end of her patience: ¡°That¡¯s enough, did you two morons call me over just so that I can bear witness to your stupidity?¡±


    Weiderly: ¡°O foolish sister of mine, just looking at your furry face, I can¡¯t help but remember those fond memories of you peeing in your box when you were still a wee kitten¡­¡±


    Meisian: ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Gaiuz: ¡°My foolish brother, I heard our dear Royal Father mention that you used to wet your box as well.¡±


    Weiderly: ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Gaiuz: ¡°Hmph, as if I would shut up just because you told me to. Just for that, I won¡¯t. I still remember back in those days, you¡­¡±


    What happened next was a furious exchange of insults, snideness and tsukkomi-ing till Meisian finally had enough and yelled: ¡°That¡¯s enough of out you two morons! I¡¯m not here to see you two idiots duke it out, we¡¯re here to decide a Cat King! If you two keep arguing like this, I¡¯ll just fly back to my castle right now! You hear me?! Idiot! Idiot!¡±


    Seeing their little sister blow her top, the two of them finally settled down and moved onto the main topic for today.


    Still, amidst all that, Gaiuz could be seen acting rather strangely. At times, he would use his paws to slap the platform beneath him, sometimes quickly and sometimes slowly. When his slapping was rapid, it almost seemed like he was having seizures; when they were slow, they almost seemed more like gentle caresses. Because of that strange quirk, he ended up suffering quite a bit of teasing from the two other Shadowcats. While it was still fine when Weiderly was the one making fun of him, when it was Meisian doing the teasing, his face became noticeably more sullen.


    However, even with all that nonsense going on, the discussion proceeded barely impeded. In other words, just as slowly as before.


    Honestly, there really wasn¡¯t much to be discussed at all. This battle of theirs would most likely end up being those same few competition events plus some kind of Try-not-to-laugh competition as the finale.


    As for the contents of said competition¡­my face immediately darkened the moment Anmi explained it to me.


    The event was really simple: both sides would dispatch their own teams, both of similar strength. The two sides would then take turns performing for the other and should one side laugh or sleep, the contestant in question would be kicked out. The two sides would continue sending out people till one side finally ran out of cats.


    ¡®Could there be any more unreliable method of competition in this world? Not to say that the event was intrinsically bad¡­after all, it was full of entertainment value¡­but as a way to decide the future Cat King¡­¡¯


    ¡®I get the reasoning behind all those other events¡­hunting, racing, gathering and whatnot¡­but what the heck is this try-not-to-laugh competition¡­it¡¯s clearly just a comedy showdown isn¡¯t it?! What is even doing in this battle?!¡¯


    At times, I truly wanted to burst out in exasperation just from listening in on their discussion¡­


    Still, with the battle program basically ironed out, Weiderly was the first to leave. As he did so, he threw his two siblings a dismissive look before he left, as if it was beneath him to spend more time with them. Just like that, Weiderly sped off in in his Ferrari¡­oops, I mean Elemental Segregation Platform.

 Chapter 229: Try-not-to-laugh Challenge

    Meisian didn¡¯t leave immediately but chose to stay a while. Once Weiderly was out of the picture, Gaiuz immediately leaped to his paws excitedly and greeted his little sister.


    Gaiuz: ¡°Sister, it has been awhile, you seem even more beautiful than before.¡±


    Meisian: ¡°Gaiuz, you seem more disgusting than before.¡±


    Gaiuz: ¡°Can you not call me disgusting?¡±


    Meisian: ¡°Can you distance yourself from me?¡±


    Gaiuz: ¡°¡­¡±


    Meisian: ¡°¡­¡±


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    With just a few lines, the mood instantly took a nosedive. A while later, Meisian spoke up once more though with a scrunched up look as if she was looking at a pervert: ¡°Speak, is Anmi with you?¡±


    ¡°He is with me right now but I didn¡¯t mistreat him.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be off.¡± Upon receiving that definite answer, Meisian turned around and left without any hesitation as if she was trying to avoid the plague itself.


    ¡°¡­am I that detestable¡­¡± Watching her float away like that, Gaiuz couldn¡¯t help mumble to himself in a half doubting, half dejected tone. However, his sullen mood quickly recovered: ¡°O Sister of mine, I know you love Anmi but that trash doesn¡¯t even have the courage to step on the Elemental Segregation Platform, the only one who can keep you company and willingly sacrifice himself for you, is me¡­¡±


    Like that, the comedy skit between the three siblings came to an end and next up was¡­


    Not too far away from the platforms was our mobile Cat Nest, in other words, we heard everything that was said just now. For Gaiuz to be despised like that, was honestly well within expectations.


    Eyes as dark as the abyss itself, Gaiuz glared at Anmi while coldly asking: ¡°You saw everything?¡±


    At that, Anmi unabashedly laughed: ¡°I saw it, it was pretty funny. I swear there¡¯s nothing funnier than when you three get together.¡±


    Immediately, the Prince¡¯s already darkened mood worsened: ¡°Then I¡¯m sure you saw me shaking my paws as well, that¡¯s the signal to kidnap Weiderly and you all actually ignored it!¡±


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    ¡°That¡¯s the signal? I don¡¯t remember you telling us that beforehand?¡± Anmi deliberately blinked twice while putting on an innocent look on his face: ¡°So that¡¯s why, nyah¡­I thought you had suddenly gone mad for a second, I almost ripped a gut laughing.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Even though his answer was rather piercing, it did however remind Gaiuz of a certain, crucial point. And that was the fact that we didn¡¯t settle on a signal beforehand and that he had only mentioned that he would call for us. Thus, the blame laid squarely on Gaiuz himself.


    ¡®So all that was just a silly own goal on his part¡­should¡¯ve just told him to toss a cup as a signal instead. Assuming there was a cup to be thrown¡­


    ¡°Blast it, and that was such a good opportunity too¡­¡± Finally realizing his error, he immediately changed the topic to avoid any further embarrassment: ¡°Well, since this time is a bust, we¡¯ll just have to wait for the next opportunity. Remember, the next time you see my paws shaking like that, I want you all to charge ahead and take down my foolish brother.¡±


    ¡°Kay.¡± Anmi lazily answered.


    ¡°That¡¯s all for now nyah.¡± Having said that, Gaiuz drove off on his platform.


    ¡°I thought he was having a seizure too¡­to think that was him trying to give us a signal¡­too bad he didn¡¯t inform us of that beforehand.¡± Anmi muttered as he watched the Prince disappear into the distance. While he might have said that however, he wasn¡¯t at all shy about following it up with a snide remark: ¡°I told you guys he¡¯s a moron.¡±


    ¡°Whether or not he¡¯s a moron is none of my business, I just want to find a way to enter Abaddon¡­¡±


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    The fact that these cats were crazy wasn¡¯t news to me at all, what bothered me was how were we going to solve this problem.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the competition will end really soon.¡± Since the discussion has ended, we will probably have to wait a little till Gaiuz sees the need for us to step in.¡±


    ¡°Then what are his chances in a fair fight?¡±


    ¡°All three of them should be pretty evenly matched.¡± Anmi paused for a second in thought and then shook his head: ¡°There¡¯s no way of knowing till they actually compete. Like I said before, Gaiuz will definitely call for us when he needs us.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait then.¡±


    The next day, once everyone(cat) had rested up, the battle for the throne officially started. For the most part, it was the same few battles we passed by on the way to Weiderly¡¯s castle. Still, it was rather refreshing to see a bunch of cats messing around.


    The competition proceeded at a rapid pace, and also with a frenzied fervor. After three days of gruelling battles, all the battles(events) had ended except for the Try-not-to-laugh Challenge. Given how evenly matched the scores were, this last challenge would definitely be the tiebreaker.


    In short, the cat who was able to fully utilize this challenge to score points would become the Cat King.


    On a side note, the judges for all the events thus far was an elder.


    The Try-not-to-laugh¡¯s rules were simple: each side was to send out 10 contestants who would face off against each other. Once a side had been declared the winner, the remaining contestants would each score a point.


    First off, Gaiuz Vs. Weiderly.


    Both sides sent out their contestants to the match area next to Domeh Lake. Because this was the final event, all the cats from each side attended as spectators.


    Forming up into clearly demarcated ranks, the twenty cats took up their respective spots on the grass patch, with the right being assigned to Weiderly and the left being assigned to Gaiuz. Under the auspices of the judge, the two of them then exchanged their greetings and after a short chat, broke off. Because the side that started first obviously was at an advantage here, the starting side was chosen randomly.


    As for how, it was really simple¡­the judge plucked two strands of fur from had and had two contestants choose one. Whoever picked the longer fur would start first.


    In the end, it was Gaiuz¡¯s cat that won, earning the Second Prince a massive advantage. However, the first cat they sent out to compete was a little¡­


    The first thing that Purgatory Cat did was to furiously tumble about in grass patch, eliciting absolutely no response from Weiderly¡¯s cats. Instead, another cat from his team went ¡°heh.¡±


    ¡°No.7 from Gaiuz¡¯s team has been disqualified.¡±


    The judge immediately called out that potato who laughed at his own teammate¡­


    ¡°I object, it shouldn¡¯t count if we¡¯re the ones who made him laugh.¡± Gaiuz immediately stepped up to contest the ruling, clearly not happy to be handed an own goal right from the start.


    Unfortunately for him, the judge cat would have none of that: ¡°As long as he laughs, it¡¯s a loss. I don¡¯t care who is the one who caused it. Objection overruled, the match continues.¡±


    ¡°That crooked referee¡­¡±


    Just like that, Gaiuz: -1, Weiderly: 0.


    For the second round, the cat from Weiderly¡¯s team stepped out and then fell to the ground. He arched his furry back and gave a long drawn out yawn before¡­sleeping.


    ¡®What the heck is that supposed to mean? Also, why the hell are the two of you falling asleep¡­don¡¯t tell me sleepiness is contagious? But then why are all the Weiderly cats still perfectly fine?¡±


    After roughly two minutes of napping, the judge announced that Gaiuz¡¯s team had lost another two more cats¡­as for Weiderly¡¯s, it was still at full strength.


    For the third round, it was now back to Gaiuz¡¯s team on the offense, this time, they sent out their ultimate weapon¡­a cat trying to bite his own tail¡­normally, it wasn¡¯t possible for a cat to bite his own tail thus, Gaiuz¡¯s kitty cat could only spin around comically as he tried his to bite his own tail. Needless to say, it was a comical sight that successfully caused two of his teammates to laugh¡­this time however, three of Weiderly¡¯s cats laughed as well.


    Truly a pyrrhic victory¡­one that we couldn¡¯t afford right now; as of right now, Gaiuz had already lost half of his team while Weiderly had only lost three.


    Unable to stand this any longer, Gaiuz yelled furiously from the top of his platform: ¡°You stupid furballs, what¡¯s the point of laugh yourselves¡­¡±


    As he yelled that, his rear paw started frantically tapping his platform¡­ ¡®Is that the signal? Looks he¡¯s had enough of this event.¡¯


    Thanks to that clarification from him, we now knew what to do. Still, acting as an insurance, Lohmi came running up to us quietly ¨Cshe was the cat assigned to assist us in this mission.


    ¡°With His Highness Weiderly¡¯s guard weakened, there¡¯s no better chance than now to attack. As long as we pin him down quickly, the results of this battle won¡¯t matter at all.¡±


    ¡®So that¡¯s why he had this event scheduled near the end¡­I thought those contestants looked rather familiar as well¡­so it¡¯s those potato guardcats¡­¡¯


    ¡°Are you sure this will succeed? There¡¯s still over a hundred cats by his side.¡±


    With all his cats acting as spectators now, trying to ambush the Eldest Prince sounded like nothing short of foolishness to me.


    However, Lohmi clearly stated as such: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, all this is legal under the rules of succession. Even if Weiderly¡¯s cats try to stop us, our own cats will step in as well. They¡¯ll definitely be able to buy enough time for you.¡±


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    ¡°As long as a Cat King hasn¡¯t ascended, all sorts of tricks are perfectly fine.¡± Lohmi added. ¡°It¡¯s settled then, we¡¯ll act right before the event ends.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of events¡­this competition of yours is really bizarre¡­¡±

 Chapter 230: A Prince Withdraws

    ¡°Mama, those kitties are so funny.¡± Mo Na doubled over in laughter as she pointed a shaking finger at the contestants of Try-not-to-laugh.


    With regards to such comical sights, there was nothing that could compare to the good old sight of a bunch of crazy cats horsing around, when wanting to grab her interest.


    ¡°Well, you can make fun of them later, first, we have to take care of Weiderly.¡± Anmi awkwardly diverted the topic back onto business ¨Cperhaps he was a little embarrassed by the childish antics of his fellow cats as well. ¡°Lohmi will help us delay Weiderly¡¯s army, as for his guardcats, they are all competing against Gaiuz¡¯s own guardcats so all we have to do is focus on capturing Weiderly.¡±


    As luck would have it, things actually proceeded as smoothly as that simple plan would suggest seeing as everyone(cat)¡¯s attention was squarely focused on the Try-not-to-laugh Challenge. For the Purgatory Shadowcats, this comic event must have held some kind of special place in their hearts as every cat watched with rapt attention, laughed with rapt attention and even slept with an utmost seriousness¡­in short, there was no one(cat) who noticed our few dissonant figures.


    By the time we arrived at the side of Weiderly, Gaiuz¡¯s team was down to merely three cats while Weiderly¡¯s had six left¡­with nearly a 100% lead on their opponents, it was destined to be a crushing victory for Weiderly.


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    Knowing that as well, Weiderly was clearly in high spirits as he sat upright on his Elemental Segregation Platform and continually taunted his losing brother. As for Gaiuz, his performance was worthy of an oscar. From his furrowed brows, his downcast eyes and his curled lips, he was the perfect picture of a defeated kitty ¨Cexactly what was needed to draw away the attention of his unsuspecting brother.


    It was in such a backdrop that we hopped onto his platform and before he could even react, surrounded him.


    ¡°Anmi? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be locked up?¡± Never in his wildest dreams did Weiderly expect Anmi to turn up like this during his moment of triumph. With no guardcats by his side and us already surrounding him, Weiderly had no way of resisting and could only surrender to us.


    ¡°Just like how you forced a choice on me, your brother, Gaiuz, forced another choice on me as well.¡± As he said that, Anmi glared at Weiderly. ¡°This damned platform, gives me the shakes just standing on it.¡±


    ¡®Speaking of which, I feel pretty bad too. I guess that¡¯s only to be expected since this platform was made to purge a person of his fire elements.¡¯


    However, because of how my fire element was completely welded onto my being, the lost of energy was barely noticeable.


    ¡°To me, guards!¡± Even with how dire the situation was, Weiderly still wasn¡¯t addled enough to not call for help. However, no matter how much he yelled, it was already too late.


    His own troops were currently occupied with Gaiuz¡¯s own. Even if he was in danger right now, there was no way they could arrive in time, especially given how Gaiuz had dispatched Lohmi to command his troops beforehand.


    Turning around, Anmi announced to the Purgatory Shadowcats beneath: ¡°Stop! This battle has gone on for long enough. Today, I hereby declare our intention to not only end this farce but also to confirm a successor to the throne!¡±


    It had to be said that his words had a major impact on the cats present. To begin with, their nature was more lackadaisic than anything else so they didn¡¯t take too well to all these management and military affairs. Still, a succession war was one that required an army by definition and while these cats were relatively undisciplined, it wasn¡¯t to the extent where they didn¡¯t listen to commands at all. Thus, these cats followed the lead of the three candidates into what they viewed as a pointless battle.


    Even so, their dislike of this unending battle wasn¡¯t erased at all; each kitty cat wished from their bottom of their hearts that this blasted battle would end soon.


    Before meeting us, Anmi could be said to be the very representation of this school of thought. Even after being bullied to tears by Sidarth, he still chose to remain in his territory, instead of running off to Meisian, Gaiuz or Weiderly to ask for help. At the end of the day, he simply didn¡¯t want to get involved in this mess.


    Sometimes¡­it felt as if I would never be able to understand these cats no matter how much I tried. The moment Anmi finished his announcement, every cat stood stock still, no cat wishing to fight any longer, instead eagerly awaiting for this scene to play out.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll do our best to end this war and then every cat can return to their normal and peaceful lives.¡±


    ¡°Meooohhhhh~~~¡±


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    Hearing the words ¡®normal and peaceful¡¯, the gathered cats immediately erupted in some kind of weird cheer.


    Just like that, all the cats returned back to spectator mode, this time, with a markedly different show to watch. As for Gaiuz, he was in the midst of flying over with his platform, neither too quickly nor too slowly. Even though there were only 100 meters separating us, he still took over 10 seconds to reach us.


    Speaking of the elder acting as a judge, he already had his metaphorical popcorn ready for this show.


    ¡­¡­


    The two platforms lightly touched against each other before joining up. At that point, a smug Gaiuz sauntered over with a broad grin on his lips. ¡°My foolish brother, you¡¯ve finally fallen into my grasp.¡±


    Weiderly eyed the nearby Anmi who was still visibly shaken because of the Elemental Segregation Platform. Within his eyes were probably a multitude of questions especially given how Anmi was the mercenary cat he sent out in the first place. For his hired help to turn around and bite him in the tail, the humiliation must have been indescribable.


    ¡°Anmi was never locked by you at all¡­blast it, you tricked me¡­¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why I say you¡¯re stupid. Back when I told you that I had Anmi locked up, I actually didn¡¯t expect you to believe me at all and yet you did.¡± As he said that, Gaiuz disdainfully pointed at Weiderly¡¯s head: ¡°I just can¡¯t fathom how a moron like you is even my older brother.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, no matter what you say, I¡¯m still older than you.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine, right now you¡¯re still the eldest but soon that will change as well.¡± Gaiuz smirked: ¡°According to the rules, you¡¯ve lost, am I right?¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± While he didn¡¯t answer that question directly, Weiderly¡¯s act of turning his head away was a tacit admission of defeat.


    Throughout this entire ¡®assassination¡¯, Meisian sat quietly by the side, not showing any intention to interfere at all. Well, there was nothing really left for her to do now since the entire competition was now pointless thanks to our sudden intrusion.


    We handed over the captured prince to Gaiuz for safekeeping, and then returned to our mobile Cat Nest without being asked to as we waited for Gaiuz to conclude this succession war, and fulfill his promise.


    Even now, I was still a little puzzled by what had just happened despite being a perpetrator myself. I just couldn¡¯t wrap my head around the strange way in which the Purgatory Shadowcats fought their succession wars; wasn¡¯t a succession war supposed to be a bloody affair? Besides, as a candidate for the throne, why did Weiderly even think that it was all right for him to send his guardcats out into the competition like that¡­thanks to his foolishness, we encountered no hindrances whatsoever.


    Even more unbelievable was the fact that all the cat soldiers actually gave up because of Anmi¡¯s declaration¡­truly unfathomable, these cats.


    With no war to fight, what else was there to do for the remaining cats except to return to their own business.


    As for the two princes, they were actually having a peaceful meal together despite having just fought against each other not too long ago. Had this been a human affair, Weiderly would have probably been executed by now, or at least put under permanent house arrest.. In fact, if one were to ignore the constant snide remarks being thrown around, their meal was a picture perfect depiction of harmony¡­truly the Purgatory Shadowcats functioned in different ways from humans.


    ¡­¡­


    The next day, Weiderly led his cats back to his castle without putting up so much as a fuss. In order to fight for the crown, Weiderly had recruited a great number of cats into his army. Now that the war was over for him, they naturally dispersed as well, back to their homes or territories. No longer did they have to mess around with some foolish war under the leadership of a potato, instead they could finally enjoy their long-awaited peace and quiet.


    Now, there was only Meisian left to contend with. However, as we had agreed upon previously, that was not part of our mission. After all, she was the one who had sent us out in the first place and through a string of strange happenstances, we somehow ended up in Gaiuz¡¯s camp. Because of that, I just didn¡¯t think it would be right for us to strike out against her now.


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    With Weiderly out of the picture, Gaiuz happily flew off to find his little sister for a little discussion¡­as for the contents of that discussion¡­it was undoubtedly about persuading her to give up the fight¡­


    However, things didn¡¯t proceed as smoothly as with Weiderly, and his proposal was immediately and ruthlessly shot down.


    On the surface, it looked like Gaiuz had failed, in actuality¡­well, even I didn¡¯t know whether or not this cat had a way of persuading his little sister. Why? Because no one could ever understand the thoughts of a Shadowcat.


    As for me, all I cared about was how long it would take for them to settle these last few loose ends after which I would rewarded with the method to enter Abaddon.

 Chapter 231: Meisian Pays a Visi

    Logically speaking, we should have received our reward by now seeing as we had just taken out Weiderly for Gaiuz, and that Meisian wasn¡¯t part of our agreement.


    In reality however, he said that only after he became a Cat King would he tell me the method of entering Abaddon. Why? Because at the end of the day, his so-called ¡®way of dealing with Meisian¡¯ involved us.


    As long as we stayed by Gaiuz¡¯s side, it would send a signal to Meisian, one that we could strike at her anytime with just a mere signal. Naturally, we wouldn¡¯t do that at all but Meisian didn¡¯t know that. Essentially, this was an information asymmetry. Based on that alone, he could pressure Meisian into submission.


    To resist and get forced shamefully out of the fight, or to simply give up¡­those were the choices Meisian were faced with now. However, it wasn¡¯t like it was impossible for herself to extricate herself from this mess either, assuming she knew what her brother was planning of course. She simply had to get into contact with Anmi and¡­I guess, that¡¯s just my imagination running wild again.


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    Ever since that time when I stepped onto the Elemental Segregation Platform, I finally understood why Anmi was so afraid, going so far as to associate the word terror with Meisian, it was because the platform¡¯s purification powers were truly that terrifying. Initially, when I had just stepped onto the platform, that purification sensation wasn¡¯t all that noticeable, but as time passed, I began to notice a growing discomfort in my body. If I had to describe it, it would be like there was a void expanding inside of me as something vital leaked out of my body ¨Ca sensation that was hard to imagine, to be sure.


    Normally, most devils carried within them the element of fire and yet by removing said element from us, the mere act of stepping onto the platform was akin to an ice cube being thrown into a boiling hot of water; without a doubt, there was no good outcome when that happened. Like Anmi said, long term exposure to that platform would cause an elemental imbalance in one¡¯s body, in a sense, it was almost like we were talking about a sickness.


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    Like all sicknesses, human or feline, it can be prevented. In Anmi¡¯s case however¡­let¡¯s just say that he had to procreate sooner or later¡­


    Initially, elemental imbalance wouldn¡¯t cause too much problems but as time passed, paralysis and even death was a possibility. Essentially, this was the legendary ¡®horribly slow murder with an extremely inefficient weapon.¡¯


    Yet just as I was convinced that Meisian would never try to reach out to Anmi, she did so personally¡­to be exact, she was trying to find me.


    Without any subterfuge whatsoever, she daringly drove her Elemental Segregation Platform right into Gaiuz¡¯s camp and stopped right outside of our mobile Cat Nest.


    ¡°Meisian¡­wha¡­what are you doing here?¡± Hearing some movement outside of our Cat Nest, Anmi poked his head out of the Cat Nest and received the startle of his cat life. There she was, the object of his fear, driving right towards us on a hovering platform. Stunned and completely caught off guard, he stood there in a daze, unable to recover till she was so close that their eyes met.


    ¡®That galiant figure of her driving alone into Gaiuz¡¯s camp¡­I swear, is there anything more awe inspiring than that?¡¯ At the side, Gaiuz¡¯s cats had basically turned on their popcorn mode and was more than ready to watch this scene playout without any intention of interfering.


    REPORT AD


    ¡°Anmi, you were supposed to be on my side and look at what happened now?¡± Bringing her platform to a halt, she stared unblinkingly at the cat below her. Although she was merely the size of a house cat and Anmi was basically the size of a large dog, Anmi was clearly at a disadvantage in this face-off. Just in terms of morale alone, he had lost the battle.


    Like a domineering queen, she descended from the platform in her own personal carriage, in search of Anmi. Knowing this, the self-aware cat stepped out, lowering his head in the process as if he was trying to show submission.


    Naturally, we couldn¡¯t absent ourselves either. With guests at our doorstep, it would be remiss of us to leave her unattended, even if said guest wasn¡¯t all that welcome.


    Our entire entourage of me, Mo Na, Cinderel, Sasani, Sinmosa, No.3 and Big 4 strode out of the Cat Nest and stood before the princess whose expression darkened even further upon seeing us.


    Her thoughts were crystal clear to me: why were we helping her brother even though we were her hired help in the first place? For such a betrayal to befall her, she must have really been infuriated by it.


    ¡°My visit this time, isn¡¯t to find Anmi but rather to look for you, devil. You¡¯ve reneged on our deal.¡±


    REPORT AD


    ¡°Your Highness, given how things have worked out¡­I feel should you ask Anmi instead about what happened.¡±


    Truth be told, I was a little embarrassed by her straightforwardness, but this whole debacle was really wasn¡¯t my fault at all. No matter what the reason was, there was no way I would even consider taking the blame for Anmi. After all, I hadn¡¯t even settled my score with him yet, why would I ever repay his betrayal with benevolence?


    ¡°Anmi, the devil told me to ask you, so what do you have to say for yourself?¡±


    REPORT AD


    With my plot to divert the fire a success, the Princess turned her withering gaze onto Anmi who was currently quaking underneath his fur right now. Hesitating for an eternity, he finally managed to force out an answer.


    ¡°Nyah¡­it¡¯s all my fault, back when we faced off against Weiderly, it was me who forced Mo Ke to switch sides¡­Gaiuz too¡­¡±


    ¡®I actually did not expect this at all. To think Anmi had it in him to shoulder the responsibility like that instead of pushing the blame onto me. All this is still his fault though, I¡¯m just an innocent bystander.¡¯


    ¡°You¡­¡± In an instant, her regal bearing disappeared and what was left behind was the vulnerable look of a girl whose eyes burned with both fury and sadness as she glared at Anmi: ¡°Do you hate me that much?¡±


    ¡°¡­no, I don¡¯t hate you¡­¡± Anmi refuted her claim while secretly sneaking a glance at the Shadowcat¡¯s expression. Upon seeing her face lighten up, he couldn¡¯t help but breathe a sigh of relief as well.


    ¡°Then do you know why I¡¯m fighting for the throne of Cat King?¡±


    ¡°No¡­no, I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡®Come to think of it, didn¡¯t Gaiuz say that the Cat King can pick a mate, and from the way he said it, I doubt that mate has any say in it at all. Given that, I guess it¡¯s safe to say that Meisian is basically pursuing a one-sided love right now¡­sigh¡­as they say, the falling flowers wills it but the flowing water is merciless¡­perhaps Anmi might have liked her as well, but with that very practical obstacle standing between them, was there any surprise that Anmi was pushed to the opposing side instead?¡¯


    (TL: The falling flower wills it but the flowing water is merciless: just refers to romance between a boy and a girl where only one side likes the other.)


    ¡°Fine then, let me tell you why.¡±Meisian breathed in deeply upon saying that and bravely proceeded to confess her reason.


    Before she could speak however, Anmi was already sweating buckets. His heart was in turmoil right now. On one hand, he hoped that she would say that all this was for his sake, on the other, he hoped that it was for another reason as well.


    Should she express her interest in making him her mate, then Anmi would have nowhere to run to. Whether or not she ascended, there was no way he could ignore this comment.


    If it was for another reason, then he would undoubtedly be really disappointed¡­at the end of the day, he was caught between a rock and a hard place.


    ¡®Normally, in soap opera-like situations like this, this would be where some potato would cut in and interrupt the scene¡­¡¯


    Naturally, that didn¡¯t happen and Meisian proceeded to spell out her reason.


    ¡°Because I hate Gaiuz.¡±


    Anmi: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®What¡¯s with that dejected look on your face? Did you really expect a princess to openly confess to you in front of everyone? Don¡¯t kid yourself¡­you¡¯re just being a¡­er, that thing, you what that thing is right?¡¯


    Truth be told, hating Gaiuz was really enough of a reason for her to run for Cat King. After all, the Cat King held an absolute authority to pick his or her mate with no way for the other party to reject. Furthermore, Gaiuz was a rather unique cat to say the least¡­as everyone knew, he was a Max Lv. Siscon, and not everyone loved their elder brother unreservedly like a certain hellhound.


    ¡°Little Sister, why do you hate me so?¡± Speaking of the devil, just as Meisian brought up the matter of her brother, the cat in question popped up.


    Honestly, with how large the Elemental Segregation Platforms were, there was no way he didn¡¯t notice the ruckus she caused while flying here. The fact that he hadn¡¯t shown up till now was probably because he wanted to suss out what her intentions were. Now that she had made bare her distaste for him, he finally couldn¡¯t hold himself back anymore.


    ¡°Do I need a reason for hating you?¡± She gave the approaching cat an expressionless scowl: ¡°If you don¡¯t wish for me to hate you even more, you¡¯d best get out of my sight, NOW.¡±


    ¡°But Little Sister, this is my base¡­¡±


    Gaiuz originally intended to put up more of a fight but that little bit of resistance was quickly stamped out by a lazy but curt reply from Meisian: ¡°Scram.¡±


    Surprisingly, Gaiuz did just that. As he drove off, we could hear traces of his mumbling from his slowly shrinking figure¡­I doubt it was anything important anyway.

 Chapter 232: Secret Part 1

    Ignoring the devastated Gaiuz entirely, Meisian then turned towards me with eyes more serious than I had ever seen. Gone was the frivolity she showed when we first met, instead what faced me were deeply furrowed brows and a piercing gaze.


    ¡°Devil, I know you¡¯ve become Gaiuz¡¯s trump card. Back then, I only sent you away to cause trouble for Weiderly on a mere whim, to think it would end up like this now¡­in that case, I¡¯ll need to you leave, now.¡±


    ¡°Leave? You wish to attack me?¡± At that, Sinmosa, Sasani, No.3 and Big 4 all put up their guards and ever so slightly shifted their positions to surround the Shadowcat.


    Meisian ignored their aggressive posturing and continued speaking, with that same placid expression on her face: ¡°No, I wish to give you what you seek beforehand.¡±


    ¡°What I seek?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, the answer which you¡¯ve been searching for all this while.¡±


    REPORT AD


    ¡°¡­¡± I had to admit, her newfound seriousness spooked me a little and struck me as not at all adorable. Given a choice, I would rather she return back to that brash kitty who addressed us while munching on snacks. Even though there was no shred of propriety to be found in her then, it was kind of adorable in its own way, not to mention interesting.


    ¡°If I give you the answer which you seek now, there shouldn¡¯t be any reason for you to stay in this fight, nyah. From that moment on, the matters of our clan shouldn¡¯t concern you any longer.¡±


    Seeing that I was still confused, Meisian then proceeded to elaborate: ¡°I was hoping to simplify this mess by hiring you as my external help but seeing as you¡¯ve now become a hindrance, that clearly isn¡¯t true anymore. I do not have a suitable reason now to act against you and even if I did, Gaiuz would most likely interfere, making the entire mess even worse for me. Given that, sending you away would be for the best, if you catch my drift.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    In other words, as long as I lost the sole reason for my participation in this war, the method of entering Abaddon, I wouldn¡¯t have any reason to stay here and be a hindrance any further. In her eyes, our withdrawal was more a plus than anything else.


    To being with, she didn¡¯t want to hand us the answer for free when we first met because there was no such thing as a free meal in this world. Take for example, a person who so happened to dig up a chest of gold bars and thus became rich. While others might have construed that as merely being lucky and not working for his own riches, that wasn¡¯t true at all. The act of searching and digging up the chest was his labor and the gold, his fruits. ¡®You reap what you sow¡¯ that was the unchanging law of Earth and of this world as well.


    That was why she gave us that mission and just like that example above, while it might seem like I hadn¡¯t labored for this answer¡­the truth was that I did¡­so much so in fact that I¡­sigh, my scruples¡­


    ¡°I remember you mentioning that you all were sent here by a teleportation gate in the Prison of the Dead, am I right in saying that?¡±


    REPORT AD


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Can you give me a brief introduction? Like your origins and the situation in the Prison.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Given that there really wasn¡¯t much to hide there, I told her whatever she wanted to know: ¡°I first started off in the Blood Sea¡­¡±


    As I recounted our entire adventure thus far, the Princess listened with rapt attention, taking care not to miss out any detail. Upon finishing my explanation, she sighed deeply before falling silent. Even though I still didn¡¯t know what all these had to do with entering Abaddon, I had everyone keep quiet so as not to disturb her.


    Not long after, Meisian came back to her senses and inexplicably stated: ¡°So that¡¯s why¡­I think I roughly get what¡¯s happening now.¡±


    ¡°¡±Huh?¡± Hearing her say that, it almost seemed like we were the ones who gave her an answer instead¡­


    REPORT AD


    ¡°We are currently in the remnants of the ancient kingdom of Sable Radiance, you know that as well, right?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    ¡°Sable Radiance used to be a thriving kingdom till one day, in just the span of one night, every devil, including the Devil King, disappeared without a trace, you know of this as well right?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, I¡¯ve heard of this strange legend as well but I¡¯m not sure how much stock to put into that¡­how can there be anyone or thing powerful enough to cause the devils to vanish like that¡­or cause that mysterious barrier surrounding this region¡­moreover, only the devils were affected and not the other fiendish creatures¡­¡±


    REPORT AD


    ¡°How can you be so sure that the Hellhounds or the Purgatory Warhorses are perfectly fine? Besides, such a power does in fact exist¡­¡± Having dangled that tantalizing bit of information before us, she then took a deep breath before putting on a rather strange expression: ¡°Long ago, when our clan had nowhere to go, it was the Devil King of Sable Radiance who offered us refuge. It was thanks to his magnanimity that we were allowed a place to live in. The favor that he showed us that day was an enormous one. Back then, our clan desperately wanted to repay his kindness but one day, he simply vanished. Ever since then, our clan had endeavored to locate his Excellency and yet¡­who would¡¯ve thought that your coming was the clue we needed to solve this mystery¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still not too sure what you¡¯re trying to say but since my coming is a revelation of sorts, why didn¡¯t you notice anything when we first arrived in your castle?¡±


    After pondering on this issue for a long while, I finally decided that this tsukkomi was one that had to be tsukkomied.


    ¡°Because I didn¡¯t connect his Excellency¡¯s disappearance with the Prison then¡­¡±


    ¡°In other words, you messed up?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± She glared at me.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t give me that look, please. Continue, just continue, please.¡±


    Only allowed on Creativenovels.com


    She gave me an ¡®at least you know what¡¯s good for you¡¯ look before continuing on with her hypothesis. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, that particular Prison of Dead you broke out of was formed out of countless devil corpses¡­¡±


    *cough cough cough* ¡®A prison constructed out of countless devil corpses? So you¡¯re saying I¡¯ve been walking on devil corpses up till recently?! Also, didn¡¯t she just say that particular¡­there are more of those prisons out there?!¡¯


    ¡®I had considered that possibility before¡­but to think it was actually possible for an entire realm to constructed of bones¡­¡¯


    ¡°You mentioned being teleported to the Prison after leaving the Blood Sea, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m still in the dark about that too, why would the entrance of the Blood Sea link to the Prison?¡±


    ¡°If that is true, then the disappearance of his Excellency¡­might have to do with that being, nyah¡­no, it has to be connected to him¡­¡± Having said that, Meisian couldn¡¯t help but shiver as if she was frightened by the mere thought of something. She peered around for a second and upon seeing that nothing was amiss, relaxed somewhat.


    ¡°What does ¡®that being¡¯ mean?¡±


    From her actions alone, I could tell that the being she was referring to must have been someone great else why would she act so timidly as if she was afraid of being implicated in something.


    ¡°It¡¯s better for you to not know about his existence, in fact, don¡¯t bring this up in the future¡­that being is a deity that can easily wipe out his Excellency with a mere thought¡­¡±


    ¡°By His Excellency, do you mean the previous Devil King?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, the former Devil King of Sable Radiance, and the benefactor of us Shadowcats. Even though he might have had some kind of ulterior motive in allowing us to stay here, it didn¡¯t change the fact that we would have perished without his aid¡­well all that¡¯s in the past, let¡¯s talk about the present instead.¡±


    I could tell that she no longer wished to dwell on the past of her clan. Well, it wasn¡¯t like doing so would benefit either of us so I decided to skip right ahead.


    ¡°Your Highness, I¡¯m rather curious about this Ten-stars Devil King you keep mentioning, can you describe exactly how powerful he is?¡±


    ¡°You really wish to know?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, mhm.¡±


    ¡°See that mountain over there?¡± Meisian pointed at a distant volcano which had been terraformed to not erupt by the Shadowcats. While we were a good distance away from it, I could roughly tell that it had to be at least over a thousand meters tall.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a rather tall one.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s a Devil King, he can slice the mountain in half just with his bare hands.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®What the f***, that¡¯s a mountain we¡¯re talking about here, not some tree! A mountain that¡¯s over one thousand meters tall too, you¡¯re saying he can slice it in half, just like that? Are you sure you aren¡¯t exaggerating here? And for someone that powerful to disappear in one night¡­how strong did that being have to be¡­¡¯

 Chapter 233: Secret Part 2

    ¡°So that¡¯s how terrifyingly powerful a Devil King is¡­¡±


    ¡°You said it, nyah.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Other than abject shock, there really wasn¡¯t an expression I could think of right now that was appropriate.


    Humans¡­often it was said that ignorance was bliss because one couldn¡¯t fear what he didn¡¯t know existed. Those so-called supreme beings wouldn¡¯t show any interest in you and even if they did, you wouldn¡¯t know about it¡­


    Compared to those supreme beings, we were nothing but ants and insects. Was there anyone who cared about insects then? The answer was no, and even if they did, it wouldn¡¯t involve too much interference either; mostly at the level of a child toying around with ants. Adults rarely messed with insects, barring researchers of course.


    Right now, Meisian and I were the insects in the story. Just talking about ¡®that being¡¯ I could see her body shake ever so slightly ¨Cshe was definitely afraid. Yet us popcorn munchers were still blissfully ignorant and were all dying to get an answer. Please?


    However, the next sentence she said threw me into the abyss.


    ¡°Taking into account your words, I¡¯ve come to the conclusion that the Prison of the Dead was actually constructed to provide troops for the undead of Gehenna, though its original purpose was to serve as a gaol for criminals¡­mhm, at least before your arrival, the Prison of the Deads that I knew of allowed a devil to leave once he or she has cleared certain requirements.¡±


    ¡°About that, so what you¡¯re saying is that we might have just done something really crazy?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, at least to me, it¡¯s crazy.¡± Meisian shrugged her shoulders before giving me a helpless look:¡± Seems like you unknowingly destroyed one of the supply camps for the undead.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®If that¡¯s true, aren¡¯t I in deep sh*t?! I won¡¯t die a horrible death, right¡­¡¯


    ¡°Alright, enough talk about these unrelated matters, let¡¯s go back to the question at hand. If my hypothesis is correct, that prison you broke out of had connections to ¡®that being¡¯ since it was even linked to the Blood Sea¡­well, at least that¡¯s the only possibility I can think of, either way, you need to be careful from now on.¡±


    ¡°¡­don¡¯t scare me like that, my heart can¡¯t take it.¡±


    At that point, Mo Na flew over and with a confident pat of her chest, reassured me like some kind of tiny adult: ¡°Don¡¯t worry Mama, Mo Na will protect you.¡±


    ¡°¡­I haven¡¯t sunk to that level yet.¡± I wryly smiled before giving her a little pat on the head. Just like always, she then proceeded to wrap herself around my neck before closing her eyes to enjoy my warmth.


    Perhaps envious of our father-daughter interaction, a slightly sour Meisian suddenly interjected herself: ¡°Ahem, can I continue?¡±


    ¡°Ah, my bad, go ahead.¡±


    I promptly let go of Mo Na and turned my eyes onto the dainty little house cat in front of me, hand placating a noticeably dissatisfied Mo Na.


    Only allowed on Creativenovels.com


    ¡°Because the time of Sable Radiance¡¯s sealing coincided with the construction of that Prison you were in, I¡¯m unable to collect a lot of information. However, thanks to the barely sufficient amount of information you brought back, I¡¯m still able to remind you to be careful or else you might die.¡±


    ¡°¡­I just said not to scare me, can you just tell me the method of entering Abaddon?¡±


    ¡°Fine¡­since you¡¯re so insistent on it, I¡¯ll just be magnanimous and tell you just this once¡­¡±


    ¡°Prepare for trouble¡­and make it double¡­to protect the world from devastation¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­what are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°¡­my bad, you reminded me of someone so I couldn¡¯t help but remember something¡­¡±


    ¡®How about I call you Me*wth from now on, you¡¯re as arrogant as those three potatoes from Team R*cket after all. Well, I¡¯ll just bear with it for now, not like she will know what the heck is Team R*cket after all.¡±


    ¡°Is your head screwed on right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­please continue, this time I promise I won¡¯t interrupt you.¡±


    REPORT AD


    ¡°Hmph, then this Princess will be magnanimous just this once and continue, you¡¯d better remember not to cut in again, got it?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, mhm.¡±


    ¡°Very good. Because of that incident ten thousand years ago, Sable Radiance was sealed up from both the outside and inside¡­at least until you appeared and destroyed that quarantine. In a sense, you could say that ¡®the being¡¯ left you all devils a fighting chance¡­all that talk about the Blood Sea being sealed up¡­that¡¯s no joke at all.¡±


    ¡°You should know, the amount of Devils produced every year by the Blood Sea is a sizable amount even considering the entirety of Purgatory. For such a thing to even happen, that being must have reached some kind of agreement with the undead in which he agreed to change the exitway of Blood Sea to link to the Prison of the Dead. That way, the maximum amount of Devils would end up being processed by the Prison, not to mention those unlucky fellows thrown in by Abaddon and Gehenna¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± A cold sweat immediately ran down my back.


    ¡®C**p, I must¡¯ve just ruined some kind of realm wide conspiracy¡­well, what¡¯s done is done¡­I wonder if he will forgive me if I say that I know Yi Yi¡­still, I thought I told her not to scare me anymore so what¡¯s with this low blow.¡¯


    ¡°You must think that I¡¯m prattling on about some unrelated matters, but just think about what I said for a second, especially that last part, that was the MAIN point, the MAIN POINT.¡± Having seen through what I was thinking, probably because it was written all over my face, she made to emphasize the word main twice before finally giving me the answer I wanted.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve finally figured out how to undo the seal on Sable Radiance.¡±


    ¡°Huh? So you didn¡¯t know before this?¡±


    Suddenly, I had this creeping sensation that all those past days were spent for naught, without any guarantee of even getting paid.


    At that, her feline face seized up slightly in panic, though only for a split second before it regained its composure. ¡°¡­ahem, you must have heard me wrong, what I¡¯m trying to say is that I can tell you the answer now.¡±


    ¡°¡­forget it, as long as the answer is correct, all that doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡®Hmph, I¡¯ll be magnanimous here and let you off the hook just this once.¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s definitely correct.¡± She confidently threw her little head back and said: ¡°In the former palace of Sable Radiance, there¡¯s a giant statue of Fallen Angel in the courtyard, roughly 13 meters tall. That statue will give you the answers you seek.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°Yup, there¡¯s nothing else.¡±


    ¡®¡­after all that storytelling, all you have to tell us is to go find some statue in a palace?¡¯


    ¡®Oh right, one more thing, that Fallen Angel has six wings, make sure not to mix them up.¡¯


    ¡®¡­this cat, what a scam!¡¯


    Without waiting for an answer from me, she then drove off in her platform.


    Suddenly, I realized that there was another key point I didn¡¯t know yet: ¡°Hey, you still haven¡¯t told me where¡¯s this palace is!¡±


    ¡°Go north, through the territory of the Warhorses and continue further north.¡±


    ¡°¡­just a direction? How about giving a rough estimate of distance at least!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve been there before, how would I know?¡±


    ¡®¡­what an irresponsible cat.¡¯


    Like that, Meisian left while we stood there looking at each other blankly.


    ¡°Mama, should we leave now?¡± As she said that, Mo Na hugged my arm and gave it a tug: ¡°Mama?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Seeing me return to my senses, she then repeated the same question again.


    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s no rush for now.¡± I gently rubbed her little head and warmly said: ¡°There¡¯s still something we have to care of here.¡±


    As she hugged my waist, her eyes glazed over slightly in comfort. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°The choice of Cat King hasn¡¯t been made yet.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Silent and watching up till this point, Anmi suddenly gasped. ¡°Didn¡¯t she say that there¡¯s no need for that anymore?¡±


    ¡°You all seemed to have been confused about something, I only care about how to enter Abaddon and not who ascends to the throne.¡± At that point, I gave him a devious grin.


    ¡°¡­and¡­since you already know the method, there¡¯s no reason for you to stick your head into this matter anymore¡­right?¡± This time, it was Anmi who had to sweat buckets.

 Chapter 234: A Fight’s Conclusion

    ¡°Technically, that¡¯s true. But Princess Meisian seemed to have given me my reward prematurely even though I haven¡¯t finished my mission yet.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t she already say there¡¯s no need for that¡­¡±


    ¡°Who knows if she was merely trying to maintain that proud facade of hers.¡±


    ¡°Have you ever considered my feelings in this matter? If you do that¡­what am I to do then?¡± Anmi was panicking right now, given how much he sounded like a resentful wife, one might have mistakenly assumed that I had abandoned him irresponsibly.


    ¡°Your feelings? HAH!¡± I coldly laughed. ¡°Did you ever think about your companions when Weiderly forced us into a corner? Did you ever consider my feelings when you switched sides to Gaiuz¡¯s camp?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± He had nothing to say in his defence then. He knew that there was no stopping us now so he merely kept quiet.


    ¡®Heh heh, I¡¯m sure that Elemental Segregation Platform won¡¯t show any mercy then¡­Anmi, the matter of your betrayal¡­don¡¯t think for a second that I¡¯ve forgotten about it.¡¯


    REPORT AD


    Leaving aside Anmi, Mo Na excitedly flew onto my neck and plopped herself down on my shoulders: ¡°Mama, we¡¯re going to beat up that annoying Siscon now?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, we are going to beat up that d*mned Siscon, I never liked him anyway.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Sasani averted his eyes in awkwardness.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we weren¡¯t talking about you.¡± I initially wanted to comfort him some more but seeing all three of his dog heads lower even further, I changed my mind in the end.


    Now that the decision had been made, it was simply a matter of enacting it.


    The next day, Meisian and the d*mned Siscon proceeded to hold a meeting with their usual arguing before moving on to discuss who should be the Cat King. The normally compliant cat, Gaiuz, who would probably pluck the moon and give it to his little sister if he could, was unusually resolute in his desire not to give up the throne.


    Gaiuz swept his eyes over our popcorn munching selves, and then hinted at our existence to his little sister as if to show his willingness to resort to extraordinary measures in order to get his way.


    Seeing that however, Meisian merely curled her lips upwards and coldly smiled at her brother. She then swept her eyes over us as well before throwing her brother an equally resolute and challenging stare: ¡°Go ahead then, ask for their aid, I¡¯m dying to see what would happen then.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±Gaiuz paused in shock for a moment, unable to process her inexplicable fearlessness. In his mind, all he thought he had to do was reveal this trump card of his and his sister should capitulate. Even if things didn¡¯t proceed as simply as that, she should at least should have some sort of reservation. In reality, she not only didn¡¯t show any hesitation, she even dared to egg him on.


    REPORT AD


    Faced with an opponent who wouldn¡¯t play by the rules that so happened to be one he couldn¡¯t offend either¡­what was he do now? Clearly, this was a bad situation for him.


    Suddenly, it dawned on him and his face revealed the shock he felt in his heart: ¡°I thought you were there to only visit Anmi yesterday?!¡±


    Lazy to explain herself, she merely smirked at the wide-eyed cat and said: ¡°What do you think?:


    ¡°Ahem.¡± It was at that point that I cleared my throat and drew the attention of those present before slowly walking up to Gaiuz¡¯s platform. Behind me came No.3, Big 4, Sinmosa and Sasani as well. The four of them took up positions squarely in the way of Gaiuz¡¯s escape route, cutting it off entirely. Because of that, everyone(cat)¡¯s gaze was instantly drawn to me.


    ¡°Your Highness, the Second Prince, Gaiuz, if you give up your succession rights now, I will show mercy and allow you to leave unharmed.¡±


    ¡°And if I don¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Then I will help you leave.¡± Naturally, that ¡®help¡¯ wasn¡¯t going to be friendly.


    ¡°¡­d*mned devil, you actually betrayed me!¡± As he said that, his eyes blinked twice, first in surprise and then in anger. For one¡¯s hired help to end up helping another instead, was there anything worse than that in this world?


    He turned his eyes onto the elder who was still pretending to not see a thing before looking at Lohmi who was already trying to rush to his aid. Given our distance however, there was no way she could reach him in time. Realizing that he was truly at the end of his road, he yelled furiously: ¡°Do you not wish to find out the method of entering Abaddon, NYAH!?¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯ve already gotten it.¡± As I said that, I threw a look at the still silent Meisian. ¡°Yesterday, in fact.¡±


    ¡°Little Sister! You¡­¡±


    ¡°Truly, this is a bit of serendipitous fortune, nyah.¡± Just as surprised as he was, she said: ¡°I only expected them to withdraw from this fight, to think they even helped me clinch the throne as well. Is this what the humans mean when they say the world is unpredictable?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Gaiuz hatefully glared at me then. ¡°As expected of a devil, they are never to be trusted¡­I¡¯m done.¡±


    Just like that, Meisian became the final winner of this fight while the biggest loser had to be¡­Anmi¡­


    The next morning, Gaiuz brought his men(cat) with him and left, spirits low. As for us, we were in the process of leaving as well when Meisian came to see us off with Anmi in tow.


    ¡°Won¡¯t you at least stay till the ceremony is over?¡± She smiled at us as she said that. ¡°You have all done me a great service, how about staying for the coronation at least, nyah.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pass, besides the sooner we enter Abaddon¡­I think Anmi doesn¡¯t welcome us anyway.¡± Having said that, I turned around to face a sullen Anmi and smiled: ¡°Remember to get along well her Highness~¡±


    ¡°¡­I will.¡± He glared at me through gritted teeth before finally harrumphing in displeasure. If looks could kill a person, I would have undoubtedly been turned into mincemeat by now. However, just the thought of his future misery on that platform was more than enough to wipe away any sort of dissatisfaction I had of him.


    ¡°Mister Mo Ke, if you don¡¯t mind me asking, why did you help me?¡±


    ¡°Oh that, it¡¯s actually really simple.¡± I gave Anmi the sweetest smile ever and said: ¡°Because Anmi scammed us twice.¡±


    ¡°Is this payback, nyah¡­¡± Anmi said with a crestfallen face.


    ¡°Hahahah, so that¡¯s why.¡± As she laughed, she shook her head at my unexpected answer before half-jokingly saying to Anmi: ¡°You really can¡¯t offend a devil, nyah.¡±


    With regards to that, all Anmi could do was quietly sob.


    Having said our farewells to the two of them, we proceeded north, first towards the territory of the Purgatory Warhorses.


    Speaking of Warhorses, there was still that matter of Sinmosa and Sasani. The couple followed me into the territory of the Shadowcats out of gratitude. Now that we had reached the borders of Warhorse territory however, their debt had been fully repaid. Truth be told, I wouldn¡¯t mind having a couple of Five-stars fighters like them on my team but at the end of the day, they weren¡¯t my subordinates and I couldn¡¯t force them to follow me. Thus, I decided to broach this subject to them.


    ¡°Sinmosa, now that we¡¯ve gained a lead on Abbadon, my favor has basically been repaid. What are your plans from now on?¡±


    ¡°Plans?¡± She fell silent for a moment before exchanging a look with her husband. The two Cerberuses then proceeded to converse with barks.


    ¡°Mama, Mo Na doesn¡¯t want to be separated from Cinderel!¡± Realizing that she might have to leave Cinderel behind, she tightly hugged the little puppy and then said thusly in a sobbing tone: ¡°Mo Na wants to be with Cinderel!¡¯


    ¡°Ruff ruff!¡± Cinderel stuck out her pinkish dog tongue and licked Mo Na on the face as if she was trying to comfort her.


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    ¡°Sweetie, Cinderel isn¡¯t your pet, she has a family as well. Kids should follow their parents, just like how you wouldn¡¯t want to be separated from Papa as well. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, Mo Na will always be with Mama!¡± She nodded her head in what looked like comprehension and confusion at the same time.


    ¡°Cinderel is just like you as well, so you mustn¡¯t be too willful.¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­*weep* *weep*¡­but Mo Na doesn¡¯t want to leave Cinderel¡­¡± She sadly nodded her head but no longer insisted on keeping Cinderel.


    Just as I was done teaching Mo Na, the Cerberus couple seemed to have finished their discussion as well.


    ¡°Mister Mo Ke, I¡¯ve discussed this matter with my husband. Seeing as we have nothing planned at the moment and our ¡®situation¡¯ has already been exposed to clan, we¡¯ve decided to follow you for now since we no longer have a home in the clan. Who knows how long the road to the palace is but I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t be a smooth one. With us two protecting you, it should be somewhat easier¡­assuming you don¡¯t mind of course.¡±


    ¡°Of course, why would I?¡±


    ¡®Nice, here I was worrying that I would have no bodyguards too.¡¯


    ¡°With your help, I¡¯m sure our travels would be a lot easier, well, I¡¯ll be in your care then.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too kind, had it not been for Mister Mo Ke¡¯s help, Cinderel and I might have¡­¡± She threw me a grateful look before continuing: ¡°Such a small matter simply isn¡¯t enough to repay the debt we owe you.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for such talk of debts, we are companions aren¡¯t we? Helping each other is only to be expected.¡±


    ¡°Companions?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, isn¡¯t helping each other what it means to be companions?¡±


    ¡®Bodyguards secured!¡¯


    ¡°Woooo, this is great, Mo Na doesn¡¯t have to separate from Cinderel anymore!¡± With that settled, Mo Na began flying around me in excitement while Cinderel happily chased her in circles, barking in excitement form time to time.


    ¡®Come to think of it, if we had to pass through Warhorse territory as long as we travelled north, didn¡¯t that mean their territory was bigger than either the Hellhounds or the Shadowcats, seeing as it bordered both?¡¯


    Truth be told, that fact didn¡¯t surprise me in the least bit. After all, horses needed a field to run around in, as for cats and dogs¡­they were a lot cheaper to raise¡­

 Chapter 235: Hunting in the Wilds

    Our journey northward took us through a number of Purgatory Shadowcat territories of which some belonged to those who took part in the succession war. However, upon recognizing us, they didn¡¯t try to trouble us but instead treated us warmly, going so far as to offer us barbecued Ashen Fur Mice while enquiring about a certain cat couple¡­


    The moment I said ¡°Anmi is going to kick the bucket¡±, they all chuckled devilishly with their unique feline ¡°Nyahaha¡± before then expressing their good wishes while gushing about how fortunate Anmi was to marry a princess. Deep down however, they were laughing at the poor guy(cat), that much was certain by looking at their eyes.


    For the most part, our journey went rather smoothly and quickly thanks to our fair bit of strength. In roughly one month alone, we traversed through over a dozen Purgatory Shadowcat territories and formally entered Warhorse lands.


    Having left that terraformed region, the first thing that struck me was how drastic the change in environment was. Gone were the teeming plant life and scampering animals, instead we found ourselves surrounded once more by the characteristic lava lakes and blackened soil of Purgatory.


    That wasn¡¯t to say that there weren¡¯t volcanoes in the Shadowcats¡¯ territory, rather they were simply sealed so as to prevent any potential eruption that could wreck havoc on the lands.


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    Speaking of horses, my first impression of those beasts was that they were very fast, and that they ate grass.However, unlike the Shadowcat¡¯s lush territories, the Warhorses¡¯ lands were just filled with solidified magma. Without any grass to speak of, what exactly did those horses feed on?


    If I had to hazard a guess, it would probably be meat and souls. Being a fiendish creature themself, they possessed the ability to feed on souls, just like most fiendish creatures. Upon entering their territory for the first time, we so happened to stumble upon one of their hunting expeditions.


    Over a hundred Warhorses were in the midst of surrounding and attacking three gigantic monsters made entirely out of dark red molten rock. The biggest of the three had to be at least ten meters or so, the smallest, eight or so at the very least. Gazing at them, I found that their bodies were actually composed of irregular black rock with red sections that glowed. From time to time, these flowing red sections would shimmer as if they blood vessels.


    Seeing that, I was reminded of those breathing lights I used to have on my PC mouse¡­it really did look like that, huh.


    The rock monsters were humanoid in shape, but in terms of body proportions alone, they were more dwarven in stature than human. With burly limbs, they kind of looked like winter melons to me. As for their facial features, they were mostly a blur to me, with the rough shape of a pair of eyes and nose being the only visible parts. Their eye sockets were sunken in and within those pits, I managed to make out a pair of deep red crystalline objects that seemed to be in a burning state.


    Compared to those giants, the horses were noticeably smaller. An adult Purgatory Warhorse was at least two meters tall when standing and for the stronger ones, they could even grow to three meters tall.


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    In terms of appearance, the Warhorses were basically horses. Their fur was pitch black except for the tip of their tails which had a tuft of red fur. Their eyes were of a blood red hue and their teeth resembled that of a wolf¡¯s, the kind that seemed on edge no less. Mostly, I could tell that their bodies were extremely well-built and brimming with power. Whenever they galloped, flames would roar to life around them, giving one the impression of speeding fireballs when seen from far.


    Our unexpected arrival naturally caught their attention but upon discovering that we had no intention of approaching, they chose to continue with their hunt and merely ignored us.


    A while later, we came to a stop on a relatively tall hill where we were afforded a decent view of the ongoing battle. There, mostly out of curiosity, I pointed at the two species battling it out several hundred meters away and said: ¡°Those black horses are the Purgatory Warhorses, I assume, what about those rock monsters? Are they Earth Elementals?¡±


    ¡°Those monsters are known as Demon Fire Igneous Giants, a subspecies of the Giant clan. However, there¡¯s also another theory that their bodies were actually formed of Igneous Rock Elements and had turned into the monsters you see before you now because of the Fire Elements in Purgatory.¡±


    From the way Sinmosa had such information on hand, my guess was that she had interactions with these giants in the past. ¡°Igneous Rock Element is one of the evolved form of the basic Earth Element. For the most part however, Igneous Giants resembled the Demon Fire Igneous Giants.¡±


    ¡°There sure are a ton of creatures in Purgatory¡­¡± Truly, this was an eye-opener for me and proved that my inherited memories wasn¡¯t all-knowing either. For example, this Demon Fire Igneous Giant she spoke of wasn¡¯t in my memories at all so I had no information about them. Well, whether or not they were actually giants or just elementals, that I didn¡¯t know, but there was one thing I knew for sure, and that was that they were strong. Still, the two races were clearly as different from each other as horses and cows so what was up with those Igneous Giants?


    ¡°I bet you¡¯re wondering right now which race they actually belong to. In truth, this question has been debated for a very long time because the Demon Fire Igneous Giants possess both the traits of giants and elementals. The defining feature of an elemental is that they are comprised of pure elements and require nourishment in the form of elements to survive. The Demon Fire Igneous Giants satisfy such a criteria but they also possess something similar to blood flowing through them. That, is something only creatures of the flesh can possess.¡±


    Noticing my confusion, Sinmosa continued explaining, going the extra mile of being as detailed as possible: ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve already seen those that blood vessel-like sections on them that periodically gives out light. That¡¯s their circulatory system and that¡¯s also the reason why the Purgatory Warhorses are hunting them.¡±


    Entranced by the topic, I pursued this avenue even further: ¡°So you¡¯re saying the blood that runs through them is precious?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. For most creatures in Purgatory, the blood of a Demon Fire Igneous Giant is a rare treasure that not only enhances one¡¯s Fire Element, but also enhances one¡¯s body as well.¡± Having said that, she couldn¡¯t help but throw an envious look at the herd of Warhorses before saying: ¡°It¡¯s precisely because of this blood that the Demon Fire Igneous Giants aren¡¯t pure elementals.¡±


    ¡°I bet that blood would come in very handy for Cinderel.¡± Just from her description of that ingredient alone, I could tell that it was extremely suited for Cinderel. After all, that poor puppy was born prematurely and wasn¡¯t even going to survive in the first place had it not been for that Fire Elemental Core I fed her at birth. However, it was precisely because of that reason that she ended up being born with a rather special constitution that required her to maintain a certain level of energy, or fall into a critical condition.


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    Truth be told, the reason why Sinmosa and Sasani were still willing to follow me now was probably not due to some sense of gratitude at all, but rather it was due to their daughter. Given their current status in the clan, there was clearly no way Cinderel would get the nourishment she needed¡­In that case, why not just try their luck in the ruins of the Sable Radiance Palace? For all she knew, she might just get lucky and find some kind of treasure.


    While there was no doubting that our combat strength was rather¡­pathetic¡­that had nothing at all to do with luck, mhm.


    ¡°Too bad, there¡¯s just too many of them¡­¡± She left her words hanging there but just from that brief snippet alone, I could glean a lot. She had clearly thought about trying to snatch the blood from the Demon Fire Igneous Giants but thankfully, her rational side stepped in and showed her the vast difference in strength between our parties.


    At times, knowing when to give up was a victory in of itself; at the very least, we wouldn¡¯t end up dead for some inane reason¡­


    ¡°Oh right, is it really all right for us to stand here and watch them hunt?¡± Given that we were at least two hundred meters away from the battlefield, interfering in their battle was basically impossible so they shouldn¡¯t mind our presence, right?


    ¡°Us Hellhounds do not have a great relationship with them, but it¡¯s not bad either; standing here should be fine. As long as we do not interrupt them, they shouldn¡¯t try to trouble us.¡±


    ¡°In that case, time for the popcorn then.¡± At times, watching someone duke it out was fun too and with that in mind, there was no way I would miss out on this valuable opportunity.


    ¡°Popcorn?¡±


    Sinmosa paused for a second before asking. Clearly she wasn¡¯t familiar with the term popcorn or the point of eating it.


    ¡°It just means to spectate.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Still confused, she, however, chose not to pursue this topic any further.


    The attacks of the Purgatory Warhorses could only be described as being both frenzied and violent. In their galloping state, a single full speed ram was more than enough to stun a Demon Fire Igneous Giant, causing bits of rock to fall off it in the process. Having done some damage, each Warhorse would swiftly back away from any potential counterattack. However, given its massive girth and size, its defenses were extremely formidable as well though that came at a price ¨Cits speed.


    Upon receiving that fiery shock, the giant immediately tried to strike back but unfortunately for it, its clumsy swings were destined to miss their marks. Just as one Warhorse backed away, another promptly charged in a blaze of fire to take its place. This time, its powerful strike took a sizable chunk out of the giant¡¯s right arm.


    Rocks pitter pattering in the background, there was now a noticeable hole in the giant¡¯s arm.


    Just like that, over a hundred Warhorses took turns ramming the giant, each taking care never to face off against it directly. Instead, they merely galloped around and waited for their turn to attack before swiftly backing away right after.


    ¡°Mama, that stoneman is so clumsy, it can¡¯t even hit those horsies.¡± As Mo Na sat atop her usual seat on my shoulders, she would hug me tightly while throwing out the random comment or two.


    ¡°It¡¯s not the giants who are clumsy, it¡¯s the Warhorses who are too quick. Honestly, those giants are extremely dangerous and powerful. When at the same Star-level, those Warhorses wouldn¡¯t dare to try and take its hit.¡±

 Chapter 236: Counterattack of the Giants

    With their gigantic size, the sheer power of the Demon Fire Igneous Giants vastly outclassed the Purgatory Warhorses¡¯ own, despite being at the same Star-level. Given that one¡¯s size was directly proportional to his energy, one could only imagine how powerful these towering titans were.


    ¡°Oh right, what are the levels of those Warhorses?¡±


    ¡°The strongest is a Six-stars, 14 Five-stars and the rest are Four-stars. As for the giants, only one of them is a Five-stars, the rest are Four-stars.¡±


    ¡°Six-stars?!¡± That was a full tier higher than Sasani and Sinmosa, a Warhorse at that level had to have been a bigshot in its clan.


    ¡°The Six-stars is most likely an elder since any hunting party involving a Demon Fire Igneous Giant had to at least have an elder leading the team.¡± Sinmosa then proceeded to placidly state: ¡°The blood of those giants can be counted as a rare ingredient to any fiendish creatures; even us Hellhounds highly value it. Moreover, while that elder might be a level higher than the giant, there¡¯s guarantee that it can win either. One mustn¡¯t underestimate the power of those creatures.¡±


    ¡®So it¡¯s like a RPG boss then? Even if its level is the same as or lower than yours, its attributes are still going to be a lot higher than any player, making it impossible for them to be soloed. Essentially, those horses are fighting an instance boss right now.¡¯


    With that comparison in mind, I simply couldn¡¯t imagine such a powerful creature staying so helpless for long.


    ¡°ROARR!!¡±


    Enraged by the pesky Warhorses, the Five-stars Demon Fire Igneous Giants suddenly raised its head into the air and howled. Its boulder sized fist punched through the air, stretching out to its limits before crashing down onto the ground. With gravity boosting its roaring descent, the speed of the fist was a lot faster than before but it still wasn¡¯t enough to hit the galloping horses. Yet just as I thought that was the end of that attack, a rounded rock wall, measuring five meters in diameter and over ten meters tall, sprang up from the ground and abruptly cut off the escape route of a Warhorse who had just rushed in to attack.


    That unsuspecting horse gave the giant a rousing kick, smashing off a piece of rock in the process, before making a swift turn away. Probably still drunk in the elation of scoring a hit, the poor soul didn¡¯t realize that its escape route was now replaced by a towering wall of death. Unable to react to the suddenness of the wall as it made its turn, the horse smashed right into the black wall with a force so hard that I swore I could hear its bones cracking even from 200 meters away¡­


    ¡°Disperse!¡± Having suffered a casualty for the first time since they appeared, the leading elder promptly commanded his clansmen to retreat in the language of the devils, in order to avoid getting hit by another such attack.


    The Demon Fire Igneous Giant however, wasn¡¯t one to care whether or not they were of the mind to retreat. From start to finish, its attacks had never once ceased, and the wall summonings had never once abated. By now, several other Warhorses had already been trapped by it.


    ¡°Blast it, to think it actually knows a skill like that¡­leave the biggest one to me, the rest of you go take care of the other two. I¡¯ll go rescue our trapped clansmen so just be ready to receive me then.¡±


    Realizing that the giant had entered a frenzied mode, the elder Warhorse knew that he couldn¡¯t hold back any further so he ordered a retreat while charging at the largest giant.


    As fast as a falling meteor, and just as bright, the Warhorse rammed right into a nearby wall with a frightening speed, penetrating it in an instant like a burning laser. However, instead of continuing onwards, it took an abrupt turn towards another wall, charging right through that as well, with just as much as ease. ¡°Evacuate that unlucky fool, quick, I¡¯ll go rescue another¡­¡±


    The moment the word ¡®another¡¯ left its mouth, it disappeared in a flash, leaving behind a resounding boom in its wake as it crashed right through another rock wall. Just like that, the elder saved all the walled off Warhorses before finally stopping for a break, mouth heaving with each inhalation before exhaling out a mouthful of rubble a moment after. From the look on its face, it must have expanded the majority of its energy doing that; the following fight was most likely going to be a tough for it.


    ¡°Elder, you should take a rest first.¡± Seeing the elder in such a haggard state, one of the other Warhorses trotted up and tried to persuade him to rest. Unfortunately for them, this was no longer a fight that they had control over. Instead, it was the Five-stars Demon Fire Igneous Giant who held the absolute say in this fight.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, you lot just need to be careful, I don¡¯t want anymore injuries.¡± Disregarding the advice of his clansmen, the elder charged right into what was destined to be a desperate battle.


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    As for the other two giants, while they didn¡¯t have the ability to create walls, their attacks still contained a degree of Earth Elements within them. While they still weren¡¯t able to directly hit the galloping Warhorses, unlike their previous attacks, these attacks now caused a change in the ground itself. With one forceful stomp, a wave of Earth Spikes sprouted from the ground. With one grasp of the soil, a giant Earthball was created and projected soon after at a nearby Warhorse.


    Naturally, there was no way such a large ranged attack would cause much threat to the speedy Warhorses, the psychological effect it caused them, on the other hand, must not be underestimated. After all, should that two meter wide ball ever hit one of them¡­it would be an instant, grizzly death for that Warhorse. Thus, the moment that Earthball came careening through the air, all the Warhorses¡¯ attention was instantly drawn to it, causing a slight delay in their reaction time.


    Heads not being entirely made out of stone, these two giants naturally knew to take advantage of an opportunity when they saw it. Immediately, the two giants embarked on a furious barrage of swings and stomps while the Warhorses were still distracted, defense be damned. To begin with, was there even a need for defense? Their bodies were the strongest defense after all.


    ¡°To think those giants are actually this strong, even against over a hundred Warhorses, just three of them are able to hold their own¡­¡±


    I meant every word that I had just said, truly, their strength left me in awe. After all, that herd of Warhorses contained a Six-stars elder figure, ten Five-stars over dozens of Four-stars. Exactly how strong did their body have to be to fend off such a terrifying force?


    ¡°It¡¯s their racial characteristics after all, there¡¯s no helping that. With such a huge body, they are able to output a large amount of power. Not only that, these giants possessed the traits of both an Elemental and a Giant. As long as they remained in contact with the Earth Element, they have an infinite source of energy that recovers their mana and health in a short time. Defeating them is going to be a tall task.¡±


    ¡°Then how were those Warhorses ever going to win?¡±


    ¡°Roughly speaking, there are two methods of taking down these giants. One is to use an absolute level of strength to suppress them and finish them off in a short amount of time. The other is to maintain a constant level of damage such that it exceeds their recovery rate.¡±


    ¡°So a burst of damage or a sustained approach then?¡±


    ¡®That doesn¡¯t sound all that complicated¡­¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s right, other than those two methods, there¡¯s no other way to take them down.¡± Sinmosa nodded her head before saying: ¡°At least for us right now, there are no other methods but those two.¡±


    ¡®To suppress a giant like that with absolute strength would take at least a Seven-stars Hellhound or Warhorse¡­as for the other sustained method¡­that¡¯s not even viable without an army of a certain size. I doubt any of us have some method of recovering MP after all. Explains the sheer numbers those Warhorses brought to bear against three giants.¡¯


    However, reality was, and always will be, a capricious mistress that throws you a multitude of curveballs when you least expect it. A lot of times, an opponent¡¯s strength wasn¡¯t something that could be predicted; what this hunting raid was facing now was the best proof of that fact. Thankfully, the Warhorses had already accounted for this possibility by sending out so many Five-stars and even an elder.


    Even so, their opponent¡¯s new tactics had caught them off guard and had it not been for their prodigious speed saving their hides multiple times, who knew how many Warhorses would have been sent flying by a stony punch. This lack of familiarity with their opponent, while troubling and dangerous, wasn¡¯t something the Warhorses could remedy easily however. Given the rarity of these lumbering creatures, was it any surprise that the Warhorses weren¡¯t able to gather sufficient intelligence on the Demon Fire Igneous Giants?


    As time passed, the battle grew ever more intense and the pock-marked ground reflected just that. Just as damaged were the culprits themselves, the Demon Fire Igneous Giants. However, while the Warhorses might have succeeded in smashing the giants multiple times with their powerful hooves, the damage they caused wasn¡¯t truly effective. These creatures known as elementals had a special trait to them where, as long as their core wasn¡¯t destroyed, they would never die, assuming there was a steady supply of elements nearby for them to feed on.


    On the surface, their crumbling and hole-ridden exterior might seem serious to most outsiders, this degree of damage was basically nothing to the giant¡¯s themselves. Had it not been for the sheer number of Warhorses, their attacks would have been nothing more than mosquito bites.


    There was no real limit to the endurance level of elementals since they had no physical body to begin with. In a sense, they could considered ¡®perpetual motion machines¡¯. The Purgatory Warhorses however, were different. Each time they attacked, they had to retreat at breakneck speeds in order to avoid being hit. By fighting at such a blistering pace, their endurance was on the verge of running out any second.

 Chapter 237: I Thought We Were Just Here For the Popcorn?!

    The battle raged on¡­


    *Bang bang bang* The sounds of thunderous strikes echoed in the air. Because the Warhorses were starting to tire out, their speed had slowed down considerably to the point where the two Four-stars Igneous Giants managed to swat them away like ping pong balls. Those who were sent flying, while not dead, were severely injured and weren¡¯t likely to get up anytime soon.


    ¡°Strong¡­¡±


    ¡®That was a blockade of over a hundred Warhorse and yet those two Demon Fire Igneous Giants managed to mount a comeback¡­isn¡¯t that just a little too scary¡­¡¯


    ¡°Something¡¯s amiss here, those two giants are too strong.¡± Sinmosa voiced her doubts regarding the precarious situations the Warhorses found themselves in right now: ¡°Logically speaking, it should be impossible for the two Four-stars giants to make a comeback like that at their level, unless¡­¡±


    She paused then, seemingly deep in thought as if something had just occurred to her. Seeing that, I hurriedly pressed her for answers: ¡°Unless what?¡±


    ¡°Unless those two giants are about to evolve¡­¡±


    ¡°Evolve? You¡¯re kidding¡­isn¡¯t that just a little too coincidental? Oh right, what do these giants normally eat?¡± Because these giants were a strange hybrid of elemental and physical entities, I was rather intrigued by this topic: ¡°They do have to eat, right?¡±


    ¡°They¡­eat everything.¡±


    Seeking to end this harrowing battle as soon as possible, one of the Five-stars Warhorses galloped towards the flank of the giant and gave a resounding kick to its waist, taking a chunk out of that giant in the process. Having succeeded, it tried to use the igneous exterior of that giant to try and springboard away but unfortunately for him, he had underestimated its reaction speed and sturdiness.


    What looked like a serious injury was nothing but a scratch to the ever-regenerating giants. With just an effortless swipe, it managed to capture the fleeing Warhorse, encasing the poor beast in mere seconds with its palms that rapidly closed together like a rocky vice. Immediately, that Warhorse was squashed into an unrecognizable mess of blood and flesh that began gushing out of the giant¡¯s palm even before it fully crushed him.


    ¡°Hoh hoh hoh¡­¡± Having caused the first true kill in this prolonged battle, the Demon Fire Igneous Giant bellowed with pride after which he promptly, and unabashedly, tossed the corpse into its mouth and¡­


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    ¡°¡­it ate the corpse?!¡± As I watched the grizzly deed unfold before me, I was suddenly reminded of a chilling similarity this scene bore to a certain anime about attacking titans¡­


    ¡°Ahhhh¡­scary¡­¡± Mo Na was just as spooked by what she saw as I was and quickly hid behind my back, eyes averted.


    ¡°This is one of the main reasons why the Demonic Fire Igneous Giants are considered giants in the first place: pure elemental creatures do not need to eat.¡± At that, Sinmosa sighed before continuing: ¡°Not only are these giants able to replenish their energy by feeding on elements, they can do so by consuming flesh as well. With how mighty, inexhaustible and tough they are, the Demonic Fire Igneous Giants are basically invincible, if not for their lack of speed.¡±


    The first gruesome death amongst the Warhorses seemed almost like a danger signal of sorts to those present. As they watched helplessly by the sidelines as their companion was ripped to shreds and swallowed, their psyche began to collapse and soon, mistakes began to pop up one after the other. Those unfortunate enough to err, were soon picked up by a swift scoop of the giants¡¯ hands and summarily executed in the same way as their companion.


    Just like that, the number of deaths spiked within a short period of time. The more the Warhorses panicked, the more mistakes they made and the worse their situation got. Even though they still held the absolute advantage in terms of strength, they were clearly in a bad situation.


    At the other side, the elder Warhorse was still duking it out with the Five-stars giant. Had it not been for the fact that he had to expend so much energy to save those trapped Warhorses, he probably wouldn¡¯t have had such difficulty fighting the giant.


    Still, there was no doubting the power and ferocity of his attacks. However, the Five-stars giant¡¯s defenses were even more powerful than that, so was its recovery rate. No matter how much mana the giant expended, it was able to rapidly recover it just by maintaining contact with the ground.


    While the elder¡¯s combat level was a whole tier higher than the giant¡¯s, he still wasn¡¯t strong enough to deal a lethal blow in one strike. Given that his endurance was nowhere near the giant¡¯s, the outcome of this battle was basically decided.


    Fist after fist, the giant swung out at the nimble Warhorse elder who seemed to zip through the battlefield like a speeding bullet, and while all these attacks ended up missing, it was now only a matter of time before it would eventually score a hit thanks to its endless supply of energy.


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    Barely dodging another thunderous blow of the giant¡¯s by a hair¡¯s breadth, the elder was immediately bombarded once more by the cries of his kin nearby. Taking advantage of this momentary reprieve between attacks, he sneaked a peek at the other side and was immediately horrified by what he saw. In just thirty minutes, their party had lost ten Warhorses to those two Four-stars giants.


    Of those surviving Warhorses, there was clearly a sense of fear in their eyes as their formation steadily fell apart. Gone were the calm and collected strikes and retreats, and instead what remained what was a disparate and disjointed effort at maintaining some semblance of an offense.


    ¡°HEAR ME WELL, we¡¯re abandoning this hunt, everyone head towards the south!¡±


    Before their losses got any worse, the Warhorse elder made the decisive call to retreat.


    By now, the Warhorses were no longer eager to tangle any longer with these terrifying foes so the moment that order was given, they sped off like a swarm of bees towards the south.


    ¡°Mama, those black horsies are acting a little strange, why are they heading towards us?¡± As she said that, Mo Na pointed a finger at the furiously galloping horses heading our way. ¡°Isn¡¯t their home in the north?¡±


    ¡°Not good, they are trying to turn us into decoys¡­¡± The moment she reminded me of that fact,I immediately scooped her up and frantically called for our own retreat: ¡°Run away, quick, those horses are up to no good¡­¡±


    However, we were still too slow, or rather it would be more accurate to say that the Warhorses were too fast.


    Two hundred meters was nothing for a bunch of adult Warhorse; ten seconds was all it took for them to cross that distance and catch up to us.


    Having noticed us from the start, the Warhorses still had no intention of calling out to us but merely galloped around us and continued heading south. The last to pass us was the Warhorse elder who seemed to notice us and yet not see us at the same time, before zipping past us like a gust of wind.


    ¡°I¡­¡± really wanted to point a middle finger at him there and then¡­ ¡®I thought we were just here for the popcorn?!¡¯


    Having been picked up by me, Mo Na twisted about slightly and wiggled her way into a more comfortable position before saying: ¡°Mama, what should we do now?¡±


    ¡°Run of course!¡± Left arm still wrapped tightly around her, I lowered my body and scooped up a befuddled Cinderel before jumping onto Sinmosa¡¯s back. Clearly understanding what I had intended, Sinmosa sped off towards the Warhorses without saying a word.


    Behind us, No.3, Big 4 and Sasani started sprinting without any hesitation.


    As expected, the Demonic Fire Igneous Giants hadn¡¯t given up on the chase. Thankfully, their speed was woefully lacking and it wasn¡¯t long before the distance between us widened to a large degree. Still, even from such a distance away, I could hear the resounding booms of their feet crashing into the ground as they sprinted furiously towards us. With each step, it seemed like the ground quaked in fear from their powerful strides. Awash in the unending tremors, just standing there felt extremely discomforting for us.


    All in all, the chase lasted for another ten or so minutes before the giants finally gave up having realized that there was basically no hope of catching up to us. The three of them halted their tracks and after giving a quick look around, decided to head back. Even so, I could still feel the pounding of their footsteps despite their noticeably softer pace.


    ¡®We are safe at last¡­if that colossal thing were to ever land a hit on us¡­we would turn into devil pancakes in an instant¡­¡¯


    With no need to run anymore, we took some time to rest on the spot.


    Now that the road northward was completely blocked off by those giants, we had to reconsider our route once in order to proceed. Yet things weren¡¯t as simple as we had initially thought as the moment Warhorses realized that giants had give up, they immediately stopped running as well and then turned around to surround us¡­that¡¯s right, surround us.


    ¡°Hellhounds¡­and DEVILS?! What are devils doing here?¡±


    ¡®At this point, that reaction might as well just be added to the basic package of emojis¡­¡¯


    ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± As I sat atop Sinmosa, I hugged Mo Na and Cinderel even closer to myself, ever ready to force a breakthrough out of their encirclement at the drop of a hat. Even though I knew that was basically impossible now, appearances still had to be maintained.


    ¡°Devil, I don¡¯t care why or how you have come to stand before me now, I just hope that you will help us.¡± Ignoring my question entirely, the Warhorse elder went off on his own: ¡°I still have some kin who weren¡¯t able to escape and are lying wounded in that battlefield. Those d*mned giants must be heading back right now to finish them off. In order to avoid that, I need your help.¡±


    ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that you¡¯ll delay those giants while we rescue your kin?¡±


    ¡®Making such a request after surrounding us like that? Did no one teach this Warhorse some basic manners? Besides, don¡¯t think for a second that I didn¡¯t notice how you abandoned those poor horses. Your retreat wasn¡¯t so chaotic that no one had time to rescue them.¡¯

 Chapter 238: The Weak Have No Say In This

    Regardless of how many snide remarks I made in my mind, there was clearly no way he would have heard them. As for this talk about aid, the Warhorse obviously had something else to add onto that.


    Just as I saw him nod his head, the Warhorse elder then spat out a few words that almost made me want to murder him: ¡°The gist of it is correct but there¡¯s just a little something you got mixed up: the ones drawing their attention is you all, we are the ones doing the rescuing. I hope you don¡¯t get this mixed up later on.¡±


    ¡°¡­how about I just say no?¡± ¡®Hmph, only a moron would accept that, you clearly want us to be cannon fodder!¡¯


    ¡°How about no.¡±


    ¡°What if I¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry but we don¡¯t have a lot of time to waste. Every second we waste here, the chances of our kin getting injured becomes higher. That¡¯s why I hope you lot will be more cooperative lest I have to resort to force.¡±


    By my rough calculations, the Demonic Fire Igneous Giants took roughly ten minutes to chase us up to this point. If they were to take this exact route back, the distance and time taken would probably be the same as well. However, since they weren¡¯t chasing anyone this time around, their speed should be noticeably slower; given my recent experience with them, that should be about thirty minutes of walking.


    In order for the Warhorses to return to their kin, they would have to circle around the giants undetected, meaning they would have to take a longer time than usual, bringing the approximate timing to about thirty minutes as well. In light of that, it was basically impossible for them to rescue their kin.


    Naturally, there was no way the elder would accept such an outcome, especially given how much importance he placed on the lives of his fellow horses.


    It was precisely because of this reason that he was wasting time on us now, forcing us to be a decoy for them. While we held the attention of the Demonic Fire Igneous Giants, the Warhorses planned on rushing back to save their injured members. While it might have sounded difficult, it was basically just a matter of time difference. We simply had to delay the giants on their way back.


    ¡°Forcing us like this¡­I bet you already thought of this whole plan when you were retreating¡­¡± Gritting my teeth and holding back my fury, I stared unblinkingly at the elder.


    I truly wanted to give his horse face a resounding punch right now, but unfortunately I couldn¡¯t. He was clearly stronger than us and the weak had no say in such matters. I was but a piece of meat before the cleaver that was his power; resistance was futile. ¡®Looks like I really have to be a moron this time¡­¡¯


    ¡°One minute, if you can¡¯t come to a decision in one minute, I¡¯ll kill off one of you.¡± Dissatisfied with our hesitance, the elder coldly eyed us all before finally stopping on Mo Na, who was still in my arms right now.


    ¡°Mama¡­¡± The pressure of a Six-stars wasn¡¯t something an infant like Mo Na could endure right now so the moment his cruel gaze fell on her, she whimpered slightly before burying herself in me with a tighter hug, body trembling all the while. She was scared. For the first time ever, my little daredevil was scared.


    ¡°¡­we¡¯ll go.¡± Mo Na was my weak spot, that much was certain, and that d*mned horse actually used that to force me into submission. ¡®Blast it all¡­if only I was a little stronger¡­¡¯ As those thoughts ran through my head, I forced my head down and averted my eyes. ¡®Looks like there¡¯s no escaping this fate then¡­¡¯


    As the saying went in this world, ¡®never doubt the threats of a fiendish creature or you will not live to regret it.¡±


    ¡°All we need is thirty minutes.¡± Seeing that we finally understood our situation, the Warhorse elder instantly dropped the threatening attitude and instead put on an air of absolute generosity as he said: ¡°If you manage to kill the Demonic Fire Igneous Giants, the rewards are all yours, we won¡¯t try to snatch them from you.¡±


    ¡®Horsepoop! What makes you think we can magically take them down after over a hundred of you failed to do so! You¡¯re off your rocker, I swear! Even sarcasm has its limits, there¡¯s clearly just a hole in your brain right now!¡¯


    Unfortunately for him, all that would never escape my lips, doomed to forever be buried in my heart.


    In the face of an insurmountable foe, the best course of action would be to not provoke him. After all, the one who would suffer in the end would always be you.


    Just like that, we were sent on our merry way back along the same route we just passed by not too long ago. Right now, we were like flies rushing towards the light: even though we knew that it would spell certain doom, there was just no resisting that urge to do so. Why? Because the Warhorse elder was tailing us like a shadow in the distance so as to prevent us from escaping.


    Even if it was just him alone, there was no way we could stand up to him ¨Che was a Six-stars after all. Moreover, splitting up wasn¡¯t an option either as that would merely give him an opportunity to take us down separately¡­ Compared to facing him, delaying the giants would be probably the better option.


    After rushing forward for a few minutes, we finally caught sight of the Demonic Fire Igneous Giants. Naturally, the fact that we noticed them, meant that they could spot us as well. A mere moment after spotting them, they were alerted to our presence.


    Turning their lumbering bodies around to look, they so happened to see us rushing right towards them like an arrow. Immediately, all three of them did a complete one eighty to face us and charged towards us.


    As their figures rapidly towered over us, we began to deeply feel the tremors of the earth resonating within us. Thankfully, we didn¡¯t have to face these goliaths head on but merely delay them; that meant just luring them away was enough.


    Having successfully attracted their attention, I immediately signalled for Sinmosa to turn tail and run at full speed. As expected, the giants came chasing after us like bees to honey. However, as always, good things never lasted long. Perhaps they realized themselves that there was no way they could catch up to us with their speed, but merely five minutes later, the giants then turned around and gave up on the chase¡­


    In their minds, we probably weren¡¯t as attractive as those horse corpses and injured Warhorses. After all, those casualties couldn¡¯t run.


    Naturally, that Warhorse elder stalking us would have none of that. Like an evil slavedriver, he immediately barked out a few threatening commands to have us rush forward once more.


    Still, with his position being clearly superior to our own, we had no choice but to listen to his bidding and rush off towards our doom once more. Initially, our back and forth worked out pretty well but as time went on, the effectiveness of this tactic took a nosedive. Soon, the giants realized that chasing us was futile so they completely lost all interest in us and merely rushed back to the battlefield, no matter how much we taunted them. Even tossing rocks at them wouldn¡¯t force them to budge.


    Compared to us pesky flies, those helpless horses were more to their liking.


    Normally, this would have been great for us, but the moment those giants lost interest in us, the elder stalking us became interested instead. With no other choice in this matter, we rushed off once more, this time to engage them.


    To prepare for the gruelling battle ahead, my first instinct was to summon up some expendable skeleton troops but no matter how hard I tried, the spell would always fizzle and the mana refused to flow.


    ¡°Mama, are you trying to summon skeletons?¡± Being extremely sensitive to Undead magicks, she soon sensed what I was up to.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m planning to send some skeletons after the giants since they no longer have an interest in running targets.¡± I then proceeded to voice my confusion: ¡°But for some reason, the spell just won¡¯t work? I know that I can cast it, I did so before, extremely smoothly in fact.¡±


    ¡°Mama¡­don¡¯t you know¡­Undead magic requires a medium to work¡­¡± Mo Na gingerly said. ¡°There¡¯s no corpses or bones here so¡­¡±


    ¡°Undead Summoning magic requires a mediu¨C¡± The moment I voiced that thought out, I shut my mouth immediately. Was there even a need to ask such an obvious question? Of course, it did. Even back on Earth there were clear precedents for such a requirement; in all those games I¡¯ve played, wasn¡¯t a corpse a basic requirement for summoning undead¡­how did I even forget such a basic premise?!


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    ¡®Am I slowly turning stupid or something¡­no wait, it¡¯s not that I forgot¡­it¡¯s that the two areas I¡¯ve been in before, the Land of the Dead and the Prison of the Dead, both had something in common, and that was that they were filled with corpses¡­especially the Prison which was basically made out of bones¡­¡¯


    It was such a convenient setting that ended up creating a misconception in me that I could cast my Undead Summons anywhere, and without restrictions¡­


    Now that the plan was a bust, there was only option left to us¡­use ourselves as bait.


    ¡°No.3, Big 4, the two of you can fly so I want you both to fly around them. Be careful, don¡¯t fly too close, just grab their attention, that¡¯s all.¡± Based on my previous observations of them, I learnt that they had no effective long range attacks to speak of so having the two of them fly around should be relatively safe.


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡± The two took to the skies immediately upon receiving my command.


    Having now had time to acclimatize to their wings, their flying skill was impeccable. The two of them would maintain a distance that was just close enough to draw the attention of the giants and yet not close enough for them to be attacked. Like a deadly dance on a razor¡¯s edge, they would poke in and out, never once allowing themselves to be in striking range for long, in part thanks to their practised flying skill and in part thanks to the clumsiness of the giants.


    ¡®Very good, just like that, keep stalling for time¡­as long as we hit the thirty minute mark, we are free to retreat..¡¯

 Chapter 239: The Pursuit of Life and Death

    If a fly were to incessantly buzz around you, you would undoubtedly be irritated. However, what if you weren¡¯t able to swat it away despite your best efforts, what would you do then? In all likelihood, anger would be the answer. For the Demonic Fire Igneous Giants, No.3 and Big 4 were just such flies.


    Perhaps their constant pestering had finally gotten to the giants, but just as the pair were done with their usual poking, the smallest giant stirred. It opened its mouth with a roaring howl and then, just a split second later, a strange red light seemed to emit from its inky depths that rapidly blasted forth in a rain of red substance.


    Naturally, that substance was lava but by the time I realized that, it was too late.


    With a blanket of lava raining down from the sky, there was basically no hope of escape for my two subordinates who, as expected, were drenched in the scorching substance. Thankfully, devils were born with an innately high level of fire resistance so while it ate at their flesh, they were still able to bear with the pain and not fall to the ground.


    Teeth gritted, the two of them hurriedly distanced themselves from the Demonic Fire Igneous Giant, all the while making sure to fly away from us so as not to cause us trouble¡­


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    Realizing that the annoying flies who had been plaguing them all this while had been injured, they immediately chased after the two of them with a blood-induced frenzy.


    ¡°No.3, Big 4!¡± I yelled. Unfortunately, neither of them had any intention of turning around and merely flew ever further away from us.


    ¡®Damn it¡­¡± I turned around and glared at the elder watching us from the shadows, eyes blazing with hatred.


    ¡®If anything were to happen to No.3 and Big 4, I swear I won¡¯t forgive him no matter what!¡¯


    In response to my burning gaze, the elder merely snorted before throwing us a disdainful, cold smile. While he never said a word, his eyes told us all we needed to know and that was the most infuriating part about this whole debacle.


    Even though I really hated him, I couldn¡¯t do a thing to him at all. Moreover, he even treated us like ants, which was only to be expected after all. Whether it was strength or prestige, he was clearly superior to us and shouldn¡¯t even be mentioned in the sentence as us.


    Was there a point in caring about an ant¡¯s revenge? Clearly not, who would bother about such a laughably small matter?


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    That was why the elder had no qualms, whatsoever, about forcing us to help him. Our reward was most likely not being killed by him¡­perhaps not even that.


    Still, there was no choice but to obey or all that would await us was a swift and violent death.


    Truth be told, our current situation could be said to be the best case scenario. As long as No.3 and Big 4 kept those giants busy, we could simply wait out the mission in safety, assuming of course, that the elder didn¡¯t intend to go back on his words.


    However, the two of them were my loyal subordinates who would die for me at the drop of a hat¡­as long as I was still human, could I ever be so heartless as to abandon them? No matter what, I had to try and save them¡­for me, while there were things that I couldn¡¯t be bothered to do, there were also things that I had to do.


    With that, we chased after No.3 and Big 4¡¯s distancing figures under the surprised look of that Warhorse elder. He must have been shocked by our choice, given that we were safe as long as we stood there; there was simply no need to take this risk at all.


    As for the lives of No.3 and Big 4¡­all that had to be said was that living creatures were all selfish at heart. Take for example that elder, in order to save his kin, he needed someone to draw the attention of the giants. Naturally, he wouldn¡¯t allow his own clanhorses to take such a risk so he dumped that task onto us instead. After all, he couldn¡¯t just risk the lives of the majority for the minority. However, the lives of strangers were an entirely different matter altogether.


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    That was selfishness on a more macro level. Still, it was only to be expected of someone with his position. After all, if an accidental death were happen everyday, who wouldn¡¯t want for it to happen on someone they didn¡¯t know, instead of a close friend or relative?


    Being injured, there were limits to how far they could fly and that limit was fast approaching. Moreover, the lava was still eating into their flesh with its fiery embrace. Thankfully, No.3 and Big 4¡¯s innate resistance allowed them to maintain some degree of agility despite the pain they had to endure, and thus they managed to avoid all the blows thrown at them up till now.


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    The scene of them performing rolls after rolls, and swerves after swerves, was unimaginable for me had I not seen it myself. It was as if I was watching a smoking plane weave in and out of a withering barrage of anti-air fire¡­despite its unsteady flight path, it somehow managed to stay airbound¡­truly a miraculous sight.


    Seeing that the both of them were fine for now, I had Sinmosa maintain a cautious distance from the giants, one where we could respond at a moment¡¯s notice while not putting ourselves in too much danger.


    Behind us, the Warhorse elder continued his cold vigil, clearly not intending to interfere at all.


    Time ticked slowly by. Going by my calculations, roughly half an hour had passed thus I turned around to face that horse skulking in the shadows: ¡°Time¡¯s up, can we retreat?¡±


    ¡°Not yet, just a little more.¡± The horse flatly refused me while coldly ordering me to continue on with this dance with death.


    ¡°Time¡¯s up.¡±


    ¡°I know, but I haven¡¯t received any news from my kin yet. I don¡¯t know if they¡¯ve finished the task so you all will just have to keep on stalling for time.¡±


    ¡°Well then, how long is that going to take?¡± I was on the verge of exploding any second, my words dripping with barbs. ¡°My devils can¡¯t hold on for much longer¡­¡±


    ¡°Then just let them die.¡± The Warhorse snapped without any sense of pity or remorse whatsoever. ¡°If you can¡¯t bear to watch them die, you can jump into the fray yourself.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± There was no way I could do that, I had no wings after all. Neither was my speed up to mark so charging in was nothing but a death sentence. As for Mo Na¡­how could I even consider asking my daughter to risk herself!?


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    ¡®Blast it¡­that scum, once I become powerful, I swear I¡¯ll turn him into horse sashimi!¡¯


    While our little back and forth was ongoing, No.3 and Big 4 were still caught up in their desperate struggle with the giants. By now, their flying had become more erratic and strained. Even from this far away, I could tell how enormous the pressure they had to face was. At this rate, I might just end up losing two loyal subordinates.


    With no time to spare, I knew that now wasn¡¯t the time for hesitation. Thankfully, just as I was about to recklessly charge into battle myself, Sinmosa provided a more sensible out for me.


    ¡°Sasani can take over the shift for them, while the giants are busy with him, we can rescue your subordinates.¡±


    ¡°That¡­is it really alright¡­¡± ¡®For him to take on all those giants alone¡­wasn¡¯t that just a little too difficult?¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ve observed them enough myself. With their speed, they shouldn¡¯t pose a threat to Sasani. The most problematic ability would probably be that lava spit. However, as long as he maintains a certain distance, he should be fine.¡±


    ¡°But how is he going to grab their attention?¡±


    ¡°Those giants aren¡¯t the smartest rocks in the mountain, as long as Sasani does something threatening, they should notice him.¡± Having said that, she then turned to her husband standing beside her and nodded. Sasani nodded back in response before galloping off into the distance, reaching the striking range of the giants in a mere instant. As his galloping figure slowly turned into a speedy blur, his body suddenly burst in flames.


    Raging Flame Charge!


    At the same time as that, Sasani turned into a beam of crimson light that rammed right into the right calf of the rearmost giant. With just the power of a Four-stars, it was instantly staggered by Sasani¡¯s powerful charge.


    The giant immediately let forth a strained howl, indicating that it had probably been enraged. The other two giants then turned around, attracted by the howl of their companion, and then swiped at the offending Cerberus.


    In all likelihood, they probably saw Sasani as the real threat here unlike those two staggering flies in front of them. Thus, they instantly locked onto the speeding Hellhound.


    Having accomplished what he set out to do, Sasani immediately turned tail and ran. While the Hellhounds weren¡¯t as nimble as the Purgatory Shadowcats, their speed in a straight charge was more than enough to make up for that shortcoming. Punch after punch, spit after spit, Earthspike after Earthspike, no matter what was thrown at Sasani, he merely dodged them all by galloping ever faster ahead.


    Taking advantage of this respite, Sinmosa brought us around the giants towards No.3 and Big 4 who promptly landed upon noticing that giants were off their backs as well. Unfortunately for them, their bodies no longer had the stamina to finish this move so just as I saw their shaky figures descend, they suddenly plummeted into the ground with a resounding crash¡­

 Chapter 240: Nightmare Steed

    Nightmare Steeds are the final form of the Purgatory Warhorses. However, not every horse was able to evolve into such a lofty form. Even now, no one knew the exact requirements for becoming a Nightmare Steed, not even the Purgatory Warhorses themselves. Still, that didn¡¯t stop the Nightmare Steeds from being unreasonably strong.


    The most basic requirement that everyone knew about was that the Warhorse had to evolve from a Five-stars to a Six-stars. During that process, the Purgatory Warhorses had a chance of evolving into a Nightmare Steed. It was worth stating however that even if said Warhorse failed to evolve then, that didn¡¯t mean that it lost the chance to become a Nightmare Steed forever.


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    Each time a Warhorse raised its Star Level, it had a chance of becoming a Nightmare Steed. Thus, while it was said that entire process was secretive and hard to decipher, there were those who simply chalked it up to sheer luck.


    Nightmare Steeds had the ability to penetrate the Dream Realm, create an illusory Dream Realm of their own, control said realm and finally devour said realm. Such a unique ability is said to be of the psychic branch of magicks. Because of this ability, the Nightmare Steeds could be considered invincible, at least in the Dream Realm, especially since till now, there has been no known record of a way of resisting such a dream incursion.


    ¡ªFrom <>


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    Just based on the crunch of their bodies slamming against the ground, I could tell how hard their crash landing was. With their stamina completely spent, even maintaining some semblance of balance during descent was impossible.


    Sinmosa, still bearing me and the others, galloped at full speed around the line of sight of the Demonic Fire Igneous Giants till finally we came upon No.3 and Big 4. There I saw a sight so sorry, a wave of heat seemed to rush up to my eyes and caused me to nearly cry.


    There was barely any patch of skin left on them that wasn¡¯t horribly burnt. From top to bottom, they were covered in blackened scorch marks, and as they laid there twitching on the ground, they could barely move a muscle at all. Had it not been for the gentle rise and of fall of their chest, I would have honestly mistaken them for dead.


    ¡°Mama¡­will the two of them be alright?¡± Mo Na¡¯s brows were furrowed deep with concern as she asked in a quivering voice. Normally, she would have been coolheaded enough to realize that they were still alive but because of her young age, the anxiety caused her to lose her judgement for a moment.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, they¡¯re still alive.¡± Gently patting her on the head, I sighed with a heavy heart. Even in their barely humanoid state, they were still alive¡­At the very least, if there was something worth celebrating, it was that given a devil¡¯s immense recovery abilities, they would be able to make a full recovery once they pass this critical stage, assuming of course that I gave them the necessary nourishment.


    ¡°Sasani will be fine, right?¡± Even though Sinmosa assured me not too long ago, I couldn¡¯t help but worry for the Cerberus. He was, after all, facing off against three giants, not just any old dog, cat or slime you found in some random dungeon. Those were fully fledged super super rare class Elite monsters.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he will be alright.¡± Faced with the prospect of her mate getting potentially hurt, Sinmosa seemed unexpectedly calm. Perhaps this was because of her trust in him.


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    As facts would have it, Sasani didn¡¯t let us down. He successfully kited the three giants, not only dodging every attack in the process, but also managing to throw in a couple of attacks of his own. Thanks to that, he thoroughly earned the ire of those three giants who had no intention whatsoever of letting him off the hook at this point.


    While his attacks didn¡¯t inflict any effective damage to speak of¡­but for prideful creatures like them, how could they ever tolerate a rat nibbling away at their bodies?


    By now, it was clear that all that talk about delaying for thirty minutes was all horsepoop. Still, it wasn¡¯t like we could delay these giants forever so I decided to press that Warhorse elder once more.


    However, before I could even say a word, a black silhouette came speeding towards us, seemingly galloping atop a road of fire. In terms of appearance, the newcomer was a black horse, similar to the Warhorses we had encountered up till now. However, that was where the similarities ended as other than its figure, there were a host of features that set it apart from any ordinary Purgatory Warhorse.


    For example, the mane on the back of its neck and the bristles on its tail were all blood red. Its hooves were crowned with a similarly eye-catching tuft of red hair that, when paired with its mane and tail, made it seem like there were clouds of fire riding atop blood. Even more unusual was the fact that on the top of its forehead was a black single horn¡­was it some kind of corrupted unicorn?


    The black newcomer was clearly galloping in the air and yet I couldn¡¯t feel a single shred of mana emanating from it. In fact, the more I looked at it, the more unreal his form seemed, as if I was looking at a dream. Clearly, this was no ordinary bystander A.


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    The unknown black horse came blasting through the skies at lightspeed. In just a few moments, it crossed the distance of several hundred meters, bringing itself up to us, or more accurately, the Warhorse elder.


    Just like the arrogant elder, this newcomer didn¡¯t even bother to spare us a glance and instead addressed the other Warhorse in a haughty tone, spoken in the language of the devil: ¡°I received a distress signal, was that sent out by you, Warwraith?¡±


    ¡°Grand Elder Shade¡­¡± While the Warhorse elder, known as Warwraith, was significantly larger than this newcomer, he seemed more like a wronged child in front of the Grand Elder. ¡°It was I who sent out the signal, the target of our hunt this time are those three Demonic Fire Igneous Giants. They were tougher than expected so my calculations were thrown off and¡­and¡­we suffered losses¡­heavy losses¡­¡±


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    ¡°A Five-stars and two more Four-stars who are about to evolve¡­so that¡¯s why. For a party like yours, such a composition would be hard to overcome¡­¡±Said Shade, having turned his head around to face the three giants who were still being distracted by Sasani. ¡°Then what about these Hellhounds and¡­devils? What are devils doing in the Remnants of Sable Radiance?¡±


    Having never asked us about our origins, all Warwraith could do now was to awkwardly answer as such: ¡°I¡¯m not too sure myself, we just happened to stumble upon them while hunting.¡±


    ¡°Forget it, I¡¯ll take care of our prey first.¡± Upon saying that, he took to the sky and galloped towards the three giants.


    Seeing that this so-called Grand Elder was so confident in his abilities, my first thought was: ¡®Great, we finally don¡¯t have to be that Warwraith¡¯s cannon fodder.¡¯ My second thought however was: ¡®What if these black horsies decide not to let us off¡­¡¯


    Just a mere fifty meters away from the Demonic Fire Igneous Giants, Shade came to an abrupt stop and stared down the three giants with his bloody red pupils.


    While the three of them weren¡¯t able to sense any mana movements from his approach, they could clearly sense the power of this newcomer. Each opened their mouths wide and roared as if to warn off the Warhorse.


    However, all that earned them was a cold reply from the Warhorse as he peered deeply into the gem-like, fiery pupils of the Five-stars: ¡°Dream¡­¡±


    A second later¡­*boom*!


    The Five-stars giant who was on edge just a second ago, suddenly stiffened up before collapsing to the now trembling ground in a cloud of dust. From the way the ground shook, it was as if a mountain had crashed into the ground.


    Shade, on the other hand, paid no attention at all to the fallen giant and instead turned his eyes to the remaining two giants who had now abandoned Sasani as their target.


    ¡°Dream¡­¡±


    As before, he spat out that same chilly word. This time however, he didn¡¯t peer deeply into any of their eyes but instead casually tossed out that command. Soon after, their bodies stiffened up and collapsed, just like that Five-stars.


    ¡®What a strange and terrifying skill¡­all he said was two words and all three of those giants were taken care of¡­can someone tell me exactly what is going on here?¡¯


    In the midst of my confusion, Sinmosa calmly said this: ¡°Asleep.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡®What do you mean Asleep? What¡¯s asleep?¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m referring to those giants¡­that Purgatory Warhorse¡­no¡­that Shade is a Nightmare Steed, the final form of the Purgatory Warhorse.¡± Sinmosa explained to me with narrowed eyes. ¡°It was said that the requirements for evolving into such a form were secretive and unknown so their numbers are few. However, in proportion to their rarity, their strength is insanely strong, especially their ability to control dreams. Those three giants are probably trapped in some kind of dream state right now.¡±


    ¡°Nightmare Steed¡­¡±


    ¡®I remember those things¡­back on Earth, I saw a wiki page on them on the net. They were called Nightmare Beasts and were said to be born from the souls of dead horses. They not only had the ability to float, they also came with a ring or aura that frightened those around them. They could breathe fire that was able to melt everything in its path, even molten rock¡­a truly terrifying mythical beast.¡¯


    Perhaps it was born out of some need to prove her words but right as Sinmosa explained all that to us, the Grand Elder cast another hypnosis on those three giants by merely speaking as before: ¡°Hostility¡­¡±


    ¡®Hostility?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t understand what he meant by that, at least it was so for a brief moment.


    A mere second later, the three of them howled in pain simultaneously and began trembling¡­ ¡®were they having a nightmare?¡¯


    ¡®Wait, how were they even put under a psychic spell? Oh right, these giants aren¡¯t exactly pure elementals but are part giant as well.¡¯ In other words, they still had certain features of fleshbound creatures¡­for example, the need to eat or the ability to dream¡­


    The three giants struggled with their nightmares for a minute or so, during which they would periodically reach into the air and claw at nothingness while their legs flailed about wildly. Because of their massive stature and strength, every tremble was met by a tremor from the ground¡­truly a terrifying race¡­even more frightening had to be that Grand Elder who single handedly took them all down by himself¡­

 Chapter 241: Dream…

    Those three Demonic Fire Igneous Giants were not only subdued but the moment Shade uttered the word, ¡°Consume¡­¡±, the three giants immediately flailed about frantically as if they were trying to claw their way out of their nightmare. Unfortunately for them, it clearly wasn¡¯t going to work on this fabricated nightmare.


    Such a sorry sight continued for a while before finally, after ten seconds or so, the struggling stopped with the Four-stars giants being the first couple to quietly become still and then limp like they had fallen into an eternal slumber. They weren¡¯t dead however, at least that was what I felt from the flow of energy inside their bodies.


    ¡°Are those two big monsters dead?¡± As Mo Na tightly hugged Cinderel, she poked her head out from behind me out of curiosity, and asked while peering at the still giant bodies. ¡°How strange, they aren¡¯t moving anymore.¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t dead, at least not physically.¡± Sinmosa answered. ¡° Judging whether or not these giants are dead is actually really simple. Under normal circumstances, their lava-like blood will emit a red glow and as the fluid passes through its body, its glow dims and brightens with time. If the giant is truly dead, the blood flow will cease completely.¡±


    ¡®I think I¡¯m starting to understand what that ¡°Consume¡­¡± means, rather than consuming dreams, it would probably be more accurate to call it soul consumption, or some kind of psychic restraint ability. That¡¯s why those giants became vegetables¡­at least that¡¯s it should be.¡¯


    While I was mulling over that ability, the Five-stars collapsed as well, joining the fate of his two companions. With clearly no shred of psychic resistance to speak of, these giants never stood a chance against the dream attacks of the Nightmare Steed.


    ¡°Warwraith, have our kin come over and collect the spoils, it¡¯s time for us to return.¡± Never once sparing us a glance, Shade placidly gave the command to pack up, seemingly not at all interested in our origins.


    ¡°Yes, Grand Elder.¡± Answered Warwraith, not intending to pay us any attention at all.


    ¡®Well, that works out for us as well, not like we want any sort of relation to that monster of a Grand Elder. You go your way and I¡¯ll go mine, neither of us will have anything to do with each other from now on, mhm, sounds great.¡¯ Unfortunately, when were things ever so simple¡­what had to come will come in the end.


    ¡°Hnngh¡­ugh¡­¡± No.3 and Big 4 took turns grunting in pain behind me. Because they were still in a semi-conscious state, I wasn¡¯t able to ask them about their condition. Based on what I saw of their bodies however, I doubt it was anything good, in fact, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they were in a critical condition right now.


    ¡®This won¡¯t do¡­I need to find some kind of nourishment for them else¡­d*mn¡­I don¡¯t think meat or souls would help in this situation either¡­what should I do¡­¡¯


    ¡°Mama, what should we do¡­No.3 and Big 4¡­they¡­¡± Hearing them grunt like that, Mo Na was beside herself with worry as she tugged on my arm.


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    ¡®What to do¡­how do I know what to do¡­nourishment¡­even if I place some souls in front of them now, I doubt they can absorb it in their current state¡­but if they don¡¯t eat, they can¡¯t recover¡­it¡¯s just a deadlock at this point¡­¡¯


    ¡°The blood of those giants could save them.¡± Just as I panicking over what to do, Sinmosa chimed in with a solution, albeit hesitantly. ¡°The blood of those giants can be considered a miraculous panacea, even without ingesting it, it can allow them to evolve¡­however¡­¡±


    ¡®However huh¡­well, I think I know what¡¯s coming next even without her saying. A rare treasure like that¡­would those Warhorses even share them with us.¡¯


    Interests. At the end of the day, it was all about interests. The rarer the treasure, the less likely it was that a person would share it. The logic was sound but I knew that I had to give it a shot anyway.


    I had Sinmosa and Sasani, who had just returned not too long ago, stay behind to look after No.3 and Big 4, along with Cinderel and Mo Na. As for me, I gingerly approached the Grand Elder Shade and started with a full 90 degrees bow before tabling my request under his withering gaze: ¡°Your Excellency, Grand Elder Shade, if I may be so bold as to make this request, may I have some of the Demonic Fire Igneous Giant¡¯s blood? Even a few drops is fine.¡±


    ¡°Mongrel how dare you! Who do you think you are to make demands of the Grand Elder!?¡± Before the horse in question could even answer, Warwraith immediately berated us: ¡°Those three giants were personally defeated by our Grand Elder. How have you contributed at all? By what right do you make this request of us?¡±


    At the side, the Nightmare Steed stood silently watching this scene unfold.


    I had admit, right now, those flapping horse lips of Warwraith truly irked me. But there was no way I could show my true feeling especially given our clearly inferior position. As the saying went, ¡°Weak countries have no foreign diplomacy to speak of.¡± The weak were never afforded the right to make requests of the strong, whether it was back on Earth or in this world. Still, for him to say that we never contributed was¡­just going overboard¡­


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    ¡°We definitely contributed, it was us who delayed those three giants, if it wasn¡¯t for us, your rescue operation wouldn¡¯t have proceeded so smoothly in the first place.¡± As I said that, I did my best to keep my tone even and restrained. ¡°Without us, you would have to be the decoys.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, were you guys even willing to be decoys?¡± Warwraith threw us a scornful laugh before giving us an equally disdainful look. ¡°Had it not been for me forcing you all, you guys wouldn¡¯t have helped at all and ran instead.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, we didn¡¯t plan on facing those giants, they are just too strong for us. If I had a choice, I would have never chosen to be fodder for you at all. But it was because of you that my devils ended up severely injured, and on the verge of dying. I just hope that you can give me a little giant blood so that I can help them recover, is that too much to ask?!¡±


    ¡°Of course it is.¡± His annoying horse lips continued flapping: ¡°The spoils belong to us, as for that so-called contribution of yours, you¡¯ve already received it, don¡¯t be too greedy.¡±


    ¡°Received it¡­when did we receive it?¡±


    ¡°Not killing you all is the reward you¡¯ve received.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Blast it all, what do you expect me to say in front of such shamelessness? That thick skin of yours is even thicker than the hides of those giants.¡¯


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    Even though Warwraith said that he wasn¡¯t going to share the spoils with us, the one who truly had the final say here was Shade, the Grand Elder. With that in mind, I turned towards the Nightmare Steed: ¡°Your Excellency, we¡¯re in desperate need of the giant¡¯s blood, even a few drops is fine, as long as I can save my subordinates¡­please just give us some, once I become stronger, I swear I will repay this favor.¡±


    ¡°Repay? Favor?¡± The Nightmare Steed coldly gave me an appraising look before saying: ¡°With your current level of strength, you have no right to speak of repayment.¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m talking about the future¡­¡±


    ¡°Then we can talk about that in the future¡­whether or not you can live till that long is still an unknown, besides¡­¡± The Nightmare Steed paused for a second before narrowing his eyes in disgust, as if he was looking at some kind of insect: ¡°Why should I care whether or not your subordinates are injured?¡±


    Warwraith then interjected to hammer in the final nail in the coffin: ¡°That¡¯s right, we can¡¯t just hand out our spoils to any old random dog or cat who come knocking on our door, am I right?¡±


    ¡®These two scumbags, each more selfish than the other¡­how I wish I can just turn around and leave right now but No.3 and Big 4¡¯s injuries can¡¯t wait any longer¡­if I don¡¯t get help for them soon, I don¡¯t think they can even make it past the day¡­but those two clearly aren¡¯t going to give us the blood, even if I kneel down and beg them, I doubt they will relent.¡±


    I turned around to gaze at my two injured subordinates before deciding to give it another shot: ¡°What do I have to do to make you give me some blood? I can just¡­¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Warwraith flatly cut me off.


    ¡°But I will repay you¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re annoying.¡± In the face of my insistence, the Nightmare Steed¡¯s cold gaze finally erupted forth in a brilliant display of bright red as he glared at me. ¡°Dream¡­¡± He coldly declared.


    Dream¡­by the time I heard that word, my next instinct was to close my eyes and sleep¡­it was too late. Just staring into those ruby-like eyes of his, it felt like my consciousness was being sucked into them. My vision began to blur after which everything turned black, except for those two blood red eyes staring at me, like a pair of ghostly fires in the dark.


    ¡®Is this the dream realm created by that Nightmare Steed? Is my body lying on the floor like those three giants right now¡­am I going to die? I guess that¡¯s only to be expected¡­since I angered those who shouldn¡¯t be angered¡­blast it¡­I don¡¯t want to die yet¡­there¡¯s still so many things I want to do, I still want to return to the human world and see Nicole¡­I still have to find Yi Yi and get my body back¡­I still want to see Roscar¡­and also Numila and the others¡­also¡­¡¯


    There was no sense of time in this place so I had no way of telling how much time had passed in the outside world. Perhaps it had only been a second or perhaps it had already been an entire day, or even more.


    ¡°Fear¡­¡± The voice of that Nightmare Steed echoed sonorously in the void. While my surroundings were still as black as the abyss, it felt like there was a certain something extra thrown inside now.


    It almost seemed like I could hear footsteps¡­no¡­there really were footsteps. A person¡¯s silhouette slowly became cleared right before my very eyes. It was familiar¡­just like¡­Nicole¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s Nicole¡­even with all this darkness, there¡¯s no way I will ever forget that face!¡¯ I excitedly yelled in my head, even forgetting the fact that I was trapped in some illusory world created by that Nightmare Steed¡­

 Chapter 242: Consume…

    ¡®It¡¯s really Nicole¡­and her appearance hasn¡¯t changed at all, just like in my memories. Just like before, my red headed, twin tailed, not-at-all arrogant loli, but why is she giving me such a¡­hateful look?¡¯


    There was no mistaking the hatred in her eyes as she slowly approached me, dressed in the austere white garb of a swordsman, and fist clenched tightly around her silvery white long sword. As she got closer and closer, the murderous intent radiating off her only got stronger by the second.


    ¡°Devil, give me back Little Ke!¡± She yelled while diving at me, her words shattering my heart long before her sword drove straight through it.


    Never in my wildest dreams did would I have ever expected Nicole to attack me so my response was panicked, to say the least. My legs hurriedly stumbled backwards as I shouted: ¡°Nicole¡­it¡¯s me, I¡¯m Mo Ke¡­¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t fool me Devil!¡± Her attacks continued, not giving me a single chance to explain myself at all. Stab after stab, they came faster and more vicious than before.


    Thankfully, I wasn¡¯t the Mo Ke of yesteryears. After turning into a devil, my power and speed was no longer comparable to my human self. However, Nicole was just as speedy as well and to make matters worse, I didn¡¯t dare to fight back so I merely retreated.


    ¡°Nicole, it¡¯s really me¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare spout my name, Devil, it disgusts me!¡±


    She weeped while stabbing at me. There was absolutely no sense of order or rhythm to her attacks at all. They were just chaotic, pure and utter chaos, completely unlike that of a genius swordman¡¯s. Tears began to roll down and scatter about the air like tiny diamonds as she dove at me: ¡°Return Little Ke to me¡­return¡­return him to me¡­¡±


    Hearing her weep like that, it truly felt like my heart was being ripped into a million pieces right at that moment. In fact, other than retreating out of pure instinct, my mind was completely blank.


    ¡®Attack? There¡¯s no way I can do that¡­how could I even attack Nicole¡­but I¡¯m really Mo Ke¡­how else am I supposed to explain that to you¡­there must be some misunderstanding somewhere, I must explain myself¡­¡¯


    Yet that wasn¡¯t the end of my misfortune. As if one Nicole wasn¡¯t enough, another silhouette soon appeared from the darkness. It was broad-shouldered, muscular and as it stood there gripping an old broadsword, its muscles seemed to brim with power. Despite there not being any wind at all, the figure¡¯s red hair seemed to dance wildly in the air, gently caressing the unkempt beard on the figure¡¯s face from time to time. Looking at the expression on this newcomer¡¯s face, I could tell that he wasn¡¯t in a good mental state; mostly likely he had been drinking a lot¡­ It was Roscar¡­


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    ¡°It¡¯s you, you¡¯re the one who ate my son.¡± Before I even had the chance to explain myself, Roscar lunged forward with his broadsword raised high. ¡°DIE DEVIL!¡±


    ¡°Old man, it¡¯s me, I¡¯m Mo Ke¡­¡±


    ¡°Fiend¡­so you did consume my son¡­don¡¯t give me that look, you aren¡¯t him, don¡¯t you dare look at me with his face!¡± Eyes red with blood, Roscar ignited the Fighter¡¯s Aura within him and immediately his body erupted in a terrifying blaze as he charged at me once more. The sheer force of his pressure was enough to make me step backwards.


    ¡°Old man, I¡¯m really Mo Ke¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about fooling me¡­give me back my son!¡± His fist crashed into my chest. Instantly, I was sent flying back by the titanic force that threatened to mercilessly penetrate my chest cavity¡­


    His powerful shove momentarily robbed me of the control over my body, causing me to land heavily on the ground and tumble backwards so many times I lost track of the revolutions. Each time I spun around, my limbs scraped against the floor painfully and uncontrollably till finally I began to lose consciousness. It was then that the violent spinning finally stopped but just as I tried to climb to my feet, I found a sword sticking right through my chest; it was Nicole¡¯s longsword¡­


    As the cold steel tore through my flesh and bones, she unreservedly pushed it forward right through my heart, knuckles white from clenching. Turning around mechanically, I found her in a half squatting position, body pressed against the hilt of the sword as it loomed over me. As she leaned in with eyes watering, I barely managed to catch sight of her bloodshot eyes before my world began to darken: ¡°The two of you are just so similar¡­¡±


    Even though I had a sword sticking out of my right now, and even though I should be paralyzed with burning hot pain right now, I felt nothing because my heart had shattered long ago. The physical pain I felt right now simply couldn¡¯t be compared to the emotional turmoil I was going through.


    Through that thick pall of haziness around my senses, I managed to hear her saying something about similarity. I tried to open my mouth but the moment I did so, a gout of blood rushed up from my throat and caused me to cough violently. Forcing it down, I asked: ¡°¡­what¡¯s similar?¡±


    ¡°Your eyes¡­they are just like Little Ke¡¯s¡­just so similar¡­¡± As she said the words ¡®Little Ke¡¯, her eyes warmed up though she still had on a complicated smile. There was the elation of having accomplished her vengeance in that smile but at the same time, there was a certain sense of loss from having lost a goal. It was as if she just realized how empty she felt right now, and that there was no longer anything to think about; to need or even to care about¡­


    Roscar slowly strode to my dying body and without saying another word, sliced down with his broadsword, lopping off my head under my disbelieving gaze.


    ¡®Am I dead? My head was severed and my heart was stabbed by Nicole¡¯s sword¡­¡¯ Roscar then picked up my severed head and left with Nicole towards that hidden pair of ruby-like eyes which had been observing me all this while.


    ¡®Those eyes¡­I remember them now¡­those aren¡¯t even Nicole or Roscar at all, they are just illusions created by the Nightmare Steed. I¡¯m still in the nightmare crafted by it¡­¡¯


    ¡®Dream¡­Fear¡­I remember him clearly saying those words right as he brought me into this world. Dream should be the command word to bring me here and then Fear should be¡­that¡¯s right, isn¡¯t the thing I was most afraid of to fight against Roscar and Nicole¡­after all, there¡¯s no way I would ever want to harm them¡­no matter what the reason was¡­¡¯


    ¡®In other words, he¡¯s attacking me with my greatest fear¡­so Fear is just him magnifying my greatest fear¡­¡¯


    ¡°So you¡¯ve finally come to your senses.¡± As his red eyes slowly closed in, I was now able to see his horse silhouette. Trotting calmly up to me, I couldn¡¯t detect a sense of pride or satisfaction in his words at all. To him, winning over a piece of trash like me wasn¡¯t even worth mentioning:


    ¡°To tell you the truth, I¡¯m at a severe disadvantage in this realm when compared to you. In fact, this could be said to be your homeground, a place where I shouldn¡¯t even be able to win at all. Yet in all the countless dreams of living creatures I¡¯ve invaded so far, I¡¯ve managed to kill them. Do you know why is that? Even with my disadvantage, I¡¯ve always come out on top because of the word ¡®Fear¡¯. No matter who it was, they weren¡¯t willing to strike out against the target of their fear and that is why you¡¯ve lost.


    His words caused me to pause for a second before I finally understood the meaning he was trying to convey. Even if he was able to force me into the dream realm, was he truly able to create an entire nightmare? Yes and yet no at the same. At the very end of the day, this realm was still mine, nightmare or not.


    In a sense, it was kind of like a soccer match. While the matches might be decided by another foreign party, the fact that you still held the homeground advantage didn¡¯t change. After all, even if some foreign team was the organizer of the match, there was no way they acclimatize themselves to the climate, the food, the culture, etc. Even if all that wasn¡¯t true, jet lag was still an issue.


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    This was so for my dream realm as well. Because the battle took place in my dreams, whatever I thought about would happen. In this realm, I was God!


    The problem however was this so-called God didn¡¯t realize that he possessed such power. Taking advantage of this ignorance was what the Nightmare Steed did.


    ¡®In other words, as long as I will it, I can recover my original form¡­and even kill that Shade fellow¡­¡¯


    ¡°There¡¯s no use, the whole reason I told you all that is because you¡¯ve already lost the ability to fight back. Simply put, you¡¯re about to die.¡±


    ¡®¡­.no, how could I die so easily? I just discovered my own miraculous powers as well¡­all I need to do is think about my body recovering and¡­¡¯ Unfortunately for me, several seconds passed and nothing happened.


    I tried to open my mouth but without a throat to speak of, I couldn¡¯t really talk.


    ¡°Alright, since we¡¯ve reached this point, I think it¡¯s about time I sent you on your way¡­Consume¡­¡±


    Ready to unleash his final killer move, the Nightmare Steed opened his mouth as if he was trying to swallow me whole.


    While all that happened, Roscar emotionlessly carried my head towards the waiting mouth of the Nightmare Steed. Behind him, Nicole¡¯s figure stood there motionlessly like an inanimate object.


    As the Nightmare Steed¡¯s mouth slowly grew larger to the point where my eyes were filled with darkness, all I could do was helplessly stare at my impending fate¡­if I were to be swallowed now, it would truly spell the end for me.


    ¡®I don¡¯t want to die¡­but there¡¯s nothing I can do about this at all¡­¡¯


    Even though this was my dream per say, the Nightmare Steed had completely kicked me out of my own nest. WIth no way to resist him and death imminent, exactly what kind of expression should I put on?


    ¡®This is like what¡­the third time I¡¯ve died then? The first two, I¡¯ll accept since they were the results of my own decisions, and of my own powerlessness. But this time is different¡­this time I¡­really don¡¯t want to die¡­but I don¡¯t have a choice, do I?¡¯


    ¡®Nicole, Roscar¡­even if you two are just illusions, aren¡¯t you two a little too calm¡­how should I even react to that callousness¡­by crying?¡¯

 Chapter 243: You’re the Reincarnation of BLEEP?

    Crying was obviously not the answer to my current predicament. After all, I couldn¡¯t even cry anymore. With just a head left, what was I to do? Even speaking was impossible so what else was I to do but quietly wait for my death?


    No matter how reluctant and filled with regrets I was, I had to face my fate of being consumed by the Nightmare Steedbecause he was, in my eyes at least, an unstoppable force that overwhelmed me.


    ¡®I wonder if I will even reincarnate this time¡­if I die, what if Mo Na also¡­should I struggle for a little longer? But how should I even fight back? Since this is my dream, perhaps there¡¯s something else I can do?¡¯


    Perhaps it was out of sheer curiosity towards my calmness, but the Nightmare Steed didn¡¯t immediately swallow me whole as I had expected. Instead, he closed his mouth and gave me an intent look like cat toying with its prey¡­ ¡®I bet he was trying to guess what I was thinking right now¡­¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t see in you the fear that you would expect from someone who is about to die, are you not afraid of dying? The others had a truly colorful reaction when they were in your position. Some begged me to let them go, others offered to be a slave¡­yet I see nothing on your face at all. Are you really not afraid of dying? Most likely not, you¡¯re undoubtedly thinking about how to make a comeback.¡±


    Because I had no way of talking, I couldn¡¯t make my will known but my eyes said it all: I wasn¡¯t afraid at all. Even though this was clearly checkmate for me, and he clearly held the upper hand here, but I really didn¡¯t feel any sort of fear right now. If there was one thing I was concerned about, it would be that I was worried about my loved ones¡­maybe others would be terrified right now but me¡­I¡¯ve died too many times already, to the point where I¡¯ve almost become numb to it.


    ¡°Ah, I forgot, you can¡¯t talk right now. Even though this world still belongs to you, it¡¯s currently under my control.¡± He gave me a bored look before saying: ¡°Alright, since you can¡¯t talk, let¡¯s just leave it at that then, you¡­can go die now.¡±


    Having said that, the Nightmare Steed opened up his mouth once more and got ready to chomp down on the me that only had a head left¡­


    ¡®I guess that¡¯s it then¡­how could an ant ever hope to win against a human in the first place?¡¯


    However, no matter how much I wished to live, this ending would never change for me¡­or so I thought. Oftentimes, things in life were never so simple, choosing not to proceed in the way you would envision. This time, the tides seemed to be in my favor as moments after I closed my eyes to welcome the inevitable end, nothing happened¡­except for the awful cries of that Nightmare Steed.


    ¡®Wait, why is he making all those awful sounds? I¡¯m the one that¡¯s dying here¡­¡¯


    ¡°Ahhhh¡­¡± Came the panicked yet short-lived cry after which the illusion of Roscar disappeared. The same happened for Nicole as well who seemed to have never existed in the first place. All around me, the darkness of my dream rapidly dissipated, leaving behind a pure whiteness¡­and then, I woke up.


    Opening up my eyes, I found that I wasn¡¯t actually lying down but was instead standing erect. Because I had just woken up, my sense of balance wasn¡¯t steady yet, causing me to wobble violently. I almost collapsed to the ground then, but because of the innate physical adeptness a devil like me was born with, I managed to forcefully correct my posture in the nick of time.


    ¡°Blasted Devil, what did you do to Grand Elder Shade?!¡± I still hadn¡¯t taken stock of the situation when I was suddenly bombarded by that furious question from Warwraith.


    I turned around to face the Warhorse, and all I saw was a heaving horse, glaring at me with bloodshot eyes that seemed to spit fire as they focused on me. Yet amidst all that fury, I sense a strange sense of fear in the both of them. A Six-stars Warhorse Elder showing fear in front of a Three-Stars nobody-devil like me? Would anyone even believe such a ludicrous tale? Not me, that much was certain. However, the moment I turned my head to gaze at the collapsed Shade, orifices all bleeding at the moment for some unknown reason, I finally realized something¡­I was missing a crucial part of the picture here¡­


    Rather, it wasn¡¯t me who was missing the picture here, it was that something must have happened in the interim where Shade was supposed to have consumed my soul and when he was forced to halt the consumption process. Not only did that cause him to become severely injured, his orifices even started to bleed¡­truly a frightful display.


    ¡°What¡¯s he trying to pull now?¡± The shock was a little too much for me to handle right now so the addled me could only say this: ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, I should be dead¡­¡±


    ¡®Exactly what¡¯s going on here, wasn¡¯t he supposed to consume my soul, what is he doing on the floor right now¡­how did everything end up reversed?¡¯


    Thankfully, things didn¡¯t end up all that complicated as before Warwraith and I were even done arguing with each other, the Grand Elder in question woke up.


    The first thing he did was to softly harrumph before slowly climbing to his feet. From the slow, deliberate way he pulled himself up, I could tell that there was something up with his condition right now. He was weakened, very much so in fact, as not only his body showed signs of weakness, his psyche did as well.


    ¡°Warwraith¡­don¡¯t be rude¡­¡± As he said that, the Nightmare Steed eyed me.


    ¡®Was he trying to throw another dream at me? But judging from how he stopped Warwraith¡¯s hostility, I doubt he intends to harm me right now.¡¯ The staring continued for a long while before the Nightmare Steed sighed in a resigned fashion and said: ¡°To think your soul actually¡­forget it, it was an error of judgement on my part. You want the blood of those giants, right? Take it then, as much as you want¡­I just hope that you will spare some for us, since we¡¯ve put in so much for this hunt¡­¡±


    ¡°Grand Elder¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Still in the dark about what happened, Elder Warwraith was the first to express his displeasure about this new loot arrangement. But the moment he said that, he was strangely silenced by that shout from Shade. The Grand Elder was afraid of something¡­and that something must have had something to do with his failure to consume my soul.


    He was trying to say that something was hidden in my soul¡­as for what that something could be, only Ferti¡¯nier came to mind. Strictly speaking, Ferti¡¯nier was basically my version of that grandpa who mysteriously aided you along in cultivation as a spirit, in short a Cultivation Grandpa, or just a hack. Even though this cheat-like existence was basically in a comatose state right now¡­she was still an existence that used to be a Devil King. Moreover, as someone who almost forged a divine core for herself, her spirit was definitely a force to reckon with, even if she had no body right now.


    ¡®If it¡¯s Ferti¡¯nier we¡¯re talking about here, then it all made sense now.¡¯


    ¡®If his current attitude was anything to go by, Shade must have really been dealt a severe blow then and had no choice but to change his tact. He probably found out that I had a Devil King¡¯s soul hiding inside me when he was trying to consume me. At that point, he must have gotten a taste of his own medicine. Under such an unexpected circumstance, he probably assumed that I was a Devil King reincarnated.¡¯


    Still, the fact was that I was just an ordinary human reincarnated. A human who just so happened to have a Devil King residing in his soul and just so happened to be the fiancee of a princess of Abaddon¡­in short, ordinary. So while I might have looked frightening to him, my precarious situation hadn¡¯t changed at all.


    Seeing that I hadn¡¯t spoken at all, Shade gingerly raised his head to look at me. Seeing that I was deep in thought, his brows furrowed even deeper as if he was concerned about something.


    ¡°I apologize, not knowing of your exalted status was my mistake¡­I deserve to be punished, if this is able to quell your anger¡­the spoils¡­they are all yours¡­¡±


    Having said that, Shade took the rest of the Warhorses, along with Warwraith and quickly left the vicinity resolutely and without any intention of turning around at all.


    Not too far away, Sinmosa witnessed this strange sight as well. She left No.3 and Big 4 in Sasani¡¯s care before galloping up to me.


    ¡°Why did they leave? Also, why didn¡¯t they take those three giant corpses?¡±


    From her perspective, all she saw was that the Grand Elder suddenly collapsed for a second before standing up shortly thereafter. In the end, said Grand Elder hurriedly left the scene with Warwraith in tow. This entire sequence of events must have really confused her, I know, because I was confused as well.


    ¡°I¡­was dragged into the dream realm¡­¡± WIth regards to Sinmosa, she was a trusted ally so I didn¡¯t want to hide too much from her, but the matter of Ferti¡¯nier was special. ¡°He ended up losing completely¡­so he didn¡¯t dare to want anything from me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Her eyes betrayed her suspicion then but thankfully she didn¡¯t have any intention of unmasking my lie at all. She merely nodded her head and went along with me: ¡°Then you¡¯re sure they won¡¯t come back again?¡±


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    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but he specifically said that we could have the spoils, right before leaving.¡±


    ¡°¡­alright then, I guess this matter is over.¡± I could tell she was still suspicious but could she really be blamed here? Those giants were a treasure trove of ingredients after all, not to mention how much casualties and effort the Warhorses had to expend in this fight¡­for them to give up so easily was just¡­unthinkable.


    The fact that I was hiding something was a given but she chose to believe me in the end. ¡°Then I¡¯ll just go and remove the outer covering of those giants, it will be easier to extract their blood like that. Do you mind asking Sasani to bring No.3 and Big 4 over as well, it will be easier to dowse them in blood like that.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get right on it.¡±

 Chapter 244: Doling Out the Loo

    With regards to extracting the blood of those giants, it was actually a rather simple process.


    First, Sasani had the two devils, No.3 and Big 4, placed on the right and left of one of the Four-stars. There, laid a hole we had dug up prior and it was also there that we poured in the blood of the giants.


    The entire process started with Sinmosa tearing apart the rocky exterior of those giants with her paws. From that gaping hole, flowed a viscous lava-like fluid that slowly covered the two injured devils. While the blood flow was kind of slow, it was only a matter of time before the hole became a bloody pool.


    Initially, I assumed that the two of them would float to the top once we filled the hole with blood, but as I soon found out when the hole was filled, they didn¡¯t.


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    ¡°Are you sure they¡¯ll be fine like that¡­can they even breathe¡­¡± Even devils had to breathe so this treatment method of Sinmosa was rather¡­concerning, not that I was doubting it¡¯s efficacy.


    ¡°It will be fine. The blood contains the purest essence of those giants, by soaking them with one whole giant¡¯s worth of blood, there¡¯s no way they won¡¯t evolve.¡± She confidently answered me.


    ¡°The two of them are Four-stars right now. If we were to dowse them with giant blood, they will forcefully evolve into Five-stars and become a new race of devil; gaining the respective clan name and abilities as well. In a sense, it¡¯s a super evolution. Moreover, the blood of those giants contain a vast amount of pure energies. By soaking in that, they don¡¯t need air, in fact, the pollutants in the air would probably affect the chances of evolving.¡±


    ¡®She¡¯s right! The two of them are now at an important threshold. For them to be receive such injuries and then such nourishment, is actually a blessing in some sense. By evolving, they are no longer ordinary devils but are instead a different race entirely!¡¯


    What were ordinary devils? Those were devils similar to No.3 and Big 4 in their Four-stars form. In other words, imps and Demon Childes. Looking at it from another point of view, devils like Mo Na and I weren¡¯t ordinary at all, but were actually high level devils since we belonged to the Lust Demon branch. In this case, high level wasn¡¯t actually referring to our stars level but rather to the fact that we possessed an innate advantage over our peers.


    In the world of the devils, a lot of attention was paid to bloodlines and clans because the more prestigious one¡¯s bloodline was, the more potential they held. For example, the aforementioned imps and Demon Childes were basically the most primal form of the devil form. To the devils with higher bloodlines, these low level devils were basically dogs, slaves. This was especially so for the Small Imps whose low strength level relegated them to the level of food.


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    That was why the jump from Four-stars to Five-stars was a unique one.


    Either way, with one entire giant¡¯s worth of blood to nourish them, No.3 and Big 4¡¯s safety wasn¡¯t something I needed to worry about for now. At this moment, I was more interested in Cinderel¡¯s situation. According to that old dog, Sidarth, she wasn¡¯t completely in the clear yet. Because of her premature birth, Cinderel required nourishment on a regular basis, at least until she reached Six-stars. Should she experience an energy deficiency in the meantime, her life might be endangered.


    ¡°How about we let Cinderel have some as well.¡± I gently ruffled the fur on the little black puppy¡¯s head as she tumbled about with Mo Na. She was rather fond of me so my gesture was met with a tender lick of her tongue.


    However, that suggestion was rejected by a shake of Sinmosa¡¯s head. She had hesitated for quite a while before making that decision but in the end, she said this: ¡°That¡¯s not too good, is it? It¡¯s your spoils after all¡­we didn¡¯t contribute all that much. Escaping from that realm was entirely your work¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, all this happened because of an accident in the first place. Besides, No.3 and Big 4 don¡¯t require that much blood. Evolving too fast isn¡¯t good for them after all. More importantly, aren¡¯t we comrades? Also, you guys contributed as well, remember?¡±


    To me, Sinmosa was a trusted companion¡­even though I had purposely hidden the fact about Ferti¡¯nier from her¡­to be fair, it wouldn¡¯t have made a difference even if I told her¡­and telling her that a Devil King¡¯s soul was residing in me would be a little¡­absurd. Perhaps not telling her was actually the better choice, at the very least she wouldn¡¯t think that I was trying to lie to her with some poor excuse about possession¡­


    As for what she thought I was hiding¡­well, that was up to her imagination¡­my conscience was clear at least.


    ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s just give her some from No.3 and Big 4¡¯s giant.¡± Sinmosa gave her husband a brief look before saying that. In the end, their concern for their child convinced them to take up my offer. For parents like them, there was no way they would ever want their child to encounter any sort of danger. Besides, wasn¡¯t the whole point of following me to find some nourishment for Cinderel in the first place?


    ¡°Hmm, should we give her a little more?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s still young, I¡¯m not sure if her little body can even withstand that much so there¡¯s no point feeding her more.¡± Sinmosa picked up Cinderel from my arms with her mouth and then lowered her gently onto the floor. ¡°Besides, you said so yourself didn¡¯t you? Evolving too fast isn¡¯t a good thing.¡±


    Back on the ground, Cinderel instinctively snuggled herself against Sinmosa, rubbing her little noggin against Sinmosa¡¯s front paw while putting on a lovable expression.


    ¡°Oh right, how about you and Sasani have that Four-stars giant, if you¡¯re lucky, the two of you might just evolve into Six-stars.¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡± She stared in shock at me. She probably never expected a devil to be so generous.


    Truth be told however, I wasn¡¯t being generous at all. I had a reason for offering up one of the giants. Back when Sasani was dragging No.3 and Big 4 to the giant, he gave me a rather unfriendly look. Even though it was only for the briefest of moments, I still noticed the strangeness in that gaze. Back then, I suspected that Sasani was thinking about killing me to steal all the giants for himself. However, that thought was quickly banished by a stern glare from Sinmosa.


    Being a d*mned Siscon, a mere gaze from his sister was enough to shut him up. Naturally, he wouldn¡¯t do anything else to upset her either. Even so, that look was scary enough to warn me about a certain fact; I should share some of the spoils with them.


    First off, we were a team. No matter who contributed the most, the spoils should be shared amongst the entire team.


    As Confucius once said, ¡°Fear not poverty but ware inequality.¡± Just think about it for a second, recruiting for a treasure expedition was all fine and dandy what comes after it then? Internal strife, of course.


    In fact, such a played out conflict was basically a part of film culture by now.


    The situation we were in was basically like that. Being the strongest members of our team, Sinmosa and Sasani had to be given their share whether or not they contributed, else¡­well, our team wouldn¡¯t last past the day. Leaving the team would probably be an alright outcome then, the worst case scenario would be that they ganged up on me instead¡­our strength levels weren¡¯t equal after all¡­


    However, all that was basically nothing but a guess on my part. But given how Sasani looked at me then¡­sharing the loot shouldn¡¯t be a bad idea, right?


    Faced with her hesitation, I earnestly looked the couple in all twelve of their eyes and said: ¡°I said so didn¡¯t I? We¡¯re companions, no matter what, only unity and trust can take us further into the future. Honestly, I don¡¯t care why you two decided to follow me, but as long as there are benefits to be distributed, I would definitely reserve a portion for you all, that you can be sure of.¡±


    Without waiting for Sinmosa¡¯s answer, Sasani furiously nodded his heads; because he wasn¡¯t able to speak in the tongue of the devil, he had no other way to communicate with us. From the way he nodded however, I could tell that he probably wasn¡¯t harboring any nefarious thoughts¡­for now at least.


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    ¡°We do, in fact, need them¡­many thanks.¡±


    Unlike No.3 and Big 4, the two of them weren¡¯t in a comatose state so they could directly ingest the blood of the giants. Bringing Cinderel with them, they hopped onto the giant¡¯s body and opened up a hole before¡­drilling themselves into it? ¡®Are they planning to eat the giant from the inside?¡¯


    With that settled, I set aside the matter of those two Cerberuses for now and turned my attention to Mo Na who was currently staring at the last giant with wide eyes. ¡°Mama, mama, Mo Na wants to eat that one! But those three big monsters don¡¯t have any souls, how strange¡­¡±


    Now that she mentioned that, I was a little puzzled as well. ¡®Was it because of the fact they were part elementals that no souls came out of them? Did their souls enter their elemental cores upon death¡­did they even have cores? There¡¯s no guarantee that their souls weren¡¯t consumed by that Nightmare Steed either¡­after all, my soul was almost consumed while in my own dream realm¡­¡¯


    Truly, this world was a strange one, filled with all sorts of unknown mysteries and dangers waiting for me to stumble on. If I wasn¡¯t careful enough, I might just slip up and end up battered on the streets somewhere with my bones shattered completely.

 Chapter 245: She Awakens Once More

    Speaking of corpses, I was suddenly reminded of what Mo Na said before. Not too long ago, she told me that summoning magicks required a corpse as a medium; in that case, didn¡¯t we have three perfectly serviceable corpses right now?


    ¡°Sweetie, do you think you¡¯re able to summon a few undead from these corpses?¡±


    ¡°Mama¡¯s overthinking things.¡± She rolled her eyes at me: ¡°Demonic Fire Igneous Giants are part elemental so they aren¡¯t strictly flesh creatures either. It¡¯s impossible to turn them into mediums for summoning.¡±


    ¡°Is that so, that¡¯s a shame then.¡± I hopped onto the largest giant and drew forth Shadowfang, a weapon which I hadn¡¯t unsheathed since coming here, and stabbed it into the giant¡¯s chest cavity. As always, its sharpness never ceased to amaze or frighten me for that matter. Even a Five-stars giant¡¯s hide stood no chance against its razor sharpness. With one smooth motion, I was able to penetrate the rocky exterior and with another slash, widen the wound.


    Because of its unique viscosity and the prone position the giant was in when I sliced it open, the blood didn¡¯t come bursting out like a fountain. Instead, it laid there quietly in the giant¡¯s body, no longer flowing about like before; it almost looked like a pool of still blood¡­no, perhaps a pool of still lava would be more apt.


    Even now, I was able to feel a degree of warmth from within; ¡®it must¡¯ve been scorching hot just moments ago¡­¡¯


    Slightly curious, I reached forth to touch the lava-like blood in order to check its warmth. However, the moment my fingers came into contact with the fluid, the blood immediately rushed forth and wrapped itself around my fingers before continuing up my arm¡­ ¡®What¡¯s going on here, didn¡¯t I just touch it a little?! Why is it running up my body like some kind of living creature¡­¡¯


    ¡°MAMA¡­¡± Realizing my strange condition as well, Mo Na immediately yelled out to me but unfortunately for her, my body was completely covered in the viscous fluid by now; let alone hear her clearly, my face wasn¡¯t even discernible at all. On my side, it felt like my body was immersed in some kind of strange fluid¡­or perhaps I had fallen into its body¡­those were the only two possibilities I could think of.


    My consciousness began to fade as if I was falling asleep¡­ ¡®Exactly what is going on here?! What¡¯s happening to my body, I can¡¯t seem to find anything at all¡­time seems to be flowing slowly as well or maybe it¡¯s going so fast¡­either way, I can¡¯t feel a thing.¡¯ Finally, after an indeterminate amount of time, I heard a voice calling out to me.


    ¡°Mama¡­mama¡­*weep*¡­mama¡­¡± I could vaguely hear the cries of a little girl in the background; it sounded a little like Mo Na¡¯s¡­ My eyes slowly opened up and I found myself in an unfamiliar surrounding as if I was in kind of strange stone cave. Beside me sat Mo Na, crying and terribly shaken up as her tears flowed down unabated.


    ¡®Oh, this isn¡¯t a cave, it¡¯s the belly of that giant¡­I remember now, I was testing out the warmth of that giant¡¯s blood when I must¡¯ve fallen into the giant¡¯s body by accident¡­at least I think that¡¯s what happened.¡¯


    ¡°Mama¡­you¡¯re awake.¡± Seeing my eyes open, Mo Na wiped dry her tears before giving me a relieved smile. ¡°Mo Na thought that you weren¡¯t going to wake up anymore¡­Mo Na was scared¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you mean won¡¯t wake up anymore¡­¡± I gently flicked her on the head and upon seeing her fake a pained expression, I couldn¡¯t help but break into a huge grin: ¡°Sweetie, you look so comical right now, Papa likes you like that.¡±


    ¡°Bad Mama, after all the worrying Mo Na did for Mama, the first thing Mama does is bully Mo Na. Hmph!¡±


    As she said that, she pouted and faced away from me in what had to be the most adorable display of anger ever. Seeing that, I hurriedly tried to placate her.


    A good while later, she finally forgave me. However, the words she said next truly shocked me: ¡°Mama, you ate that entire giant, Mo Na didn¡¯t even get to touch the blood¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®I ate that entire giant by myself? Exactly how am I not bursting at the seams right now? That thing is even able to take on a Warhorse elder! A Six-stars!¡¯


    ¡®And I consumed that entire thing? Did I evolve?¡¯


    I quickly gave my body a quick look through and found, to my dismay, that nothing had changed¡­ ¡®Did all that energy get swallowed up by some dog or something? Hold on¡­I seem to remember a certain glutton¡­don¡¯t tell me, Ferti¡¯nier ate it all again, didn¡¯t she¡­¡¯


    ¡°Little Brother seems to have gotten smarter since we last met, he even remembered this one. You won¡¯t mind that this one had a little snack, right?¡±


    ¡®That teasing voice, and the way it communicated with me telepathically¡­there¡¯s no mistaking it, it¡¯s Ferti¡¯nier¡­¡¯


    ¡°Ohh~Little Brother still remembers this one then, this one is so happy~¡±


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    ¡®By the way, what¡¯s with that display just now? That wasn¡¯t just a nibble or two anymore, you ate the whole blasted giant! At least leave some scraps for my daughter or something.¡¯


    ¡®Daughter? Oh~~Little Brother is talking about that little sweetie over there? That child is pretty talented and all¡­but is it really alright for Little Brother to do that behind Yi Yi¡¯s back?¡±


    ¡®Oh please, you don¡¯t even know what happened to me¡­let¡¯s just say that without ¡®THAT¡¯, I can¡¯t even if I wanted to¡ª¡®


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Oh~~I see how it is then, so you¡¯re saying if your ¡®thing¡¯ is returned, Little Brother would cheat on her then?¡±


    ¡®Hey hey hey, don¡¯t put words into my mouth, when did I ever say that I wanted to cheat on someone¡­¡¯


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say so right then?¡±


    ¡®Let¡¯s be clear about something here, before confirming all this fiancee stuff with Yi Yi, I¡¯m not acknowledging this betrothal! We haven¡¯t even gotten married yet, and what do you mean by cheat? Don¡¯t spout nonsense!¡¯


    ¡°Is that so? This one thought Little Brother was a little more flexible when it came to such matters.¡±


    ¡®Stop using that innocent tone to make fun of me already. If you aren¡¯t going to be serious here, I¡¯m ignoring you from now on!¡±


    ¡°¡­fine, Little Brother is right, this one won¡¯t tease you anymore.¡± At that, she paused before resuming once more with that same old wily tone of hers: ¡°But since the two of you aren¡¯t related by blood, Little Brother is planning to groom her as a wife then?¡±


    ¡®HUH?!~%&@(*$¡­I¡¯m not going to be an On*chichi!¡¯


    (TL: Some reference to a ¡®mature japanese game¡¯ about stuff)


    ¡°What¡¯s an On*ch*ch*? Forget it, even if Little Brother doesn¡¯t say anything, this one can guess what it roughly means¡­¡± Sensing that I was about to lose my temper, she quickly diverted the topic: ¡°Mhm, now let¡¯s see where this one is at right now¡­oh~ isn¡¯t this Purgatory? Little Brother actually broke out of the Prison, not bad, not bad at all.¡±


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    ¡®That¡¯s right, it was tough, but we made it in the end. I wanted to head to Abaddon straight away but due to some reasons, we ended here.¡¯


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s fine either way. There¡¯s actually a passageway between the two hells, all you need to do is find it. But for some strange reason, this one still feels that something is off but she can¡¯t figure out why.¡±


    ¡®Of course you do, this is the Remnants of Sable Radiance.¡¯


    ¡°Remnants of Sable Radiance? Err¡­Little Brother, what are you doing here then?¡±


    ¡®I just said it was an accident, didn¡¯t I? I didn¡¯t intend to come here either. Still, there¡¯s something I¡¯ve wanted to ask you for a long while now. Since you¡¯ve awaken and all, please answer me seriously.¡¯


    ¡°What question? Don¡¯t worry, if it¡¯s Little Brother asking, this one will definitely do her best to answer.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯ll take your word for it then. So, are you the Devil King of Sable Radiance?¡¯


    ¡°You must be joking, this one isn¡¯t that old. If this one¡¯s memory is correct, this one hasn¡¯t even celebrated her 20 001st birthday yet.¡±


    ¡°This one is still very young don¡¯t cha know? Tehee~¡±


    ¡®What the heck is a 20 000 year old witch acting cute for¡­even a sage ,like this brother, feels he is old. To pretend to be young at 20 000¡­Isn¡¯t that skin of yours a little too thick¡­¡¯


    ¡®Speaking of which, back when that Nightmare Steed tried to consume me, it was you who saved me, I assume¡­thanks. If it wasn¡¯t for you, I would be dead now, let alone talking about giant blood. I guess that¡¯s why you had to consume that entire giant¡¯s worth of blood¡­once again, thanks¡­¡¯


    ¡°Thanks are unnecessary, this one was attached to you by Yi Yi in order to be your bodyguard anyway. Besides, our souls are bound together. The last thing this one wants is to be eaten up by some ignorant horse. Thanks aren¡¯t necessary, just remember to help with my bodily needs next time.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯ll have to pass on that¡­anyway, we¡¯re talking about serious business here, stop going off course!¡¯


    ¡°This one is being serious here, it¡¯s just Little Brother¡¯s mind that¡¯s being dirty here.¡±


    ¡®What¡¯s all that about bodily needs then¡­and you call me dirty¡­¡¯


    ¡°It means that I need your help to reconstruct my body, Little Brother is thinking dirty again.¡¯


    ¡®You managed to find an excuse for yourself? Fine¡­you win.¡¯


    ¡°Mama¡­Mama¡­Mo Na is talking to you here.¡± Throughout that mental conversation, I basically stood there in daze in front of Mo Na who was clearly worried sick by now. Concerned, she started to shake me continuously. ¡°Mama, why aren¡¯t you talking to Mo Na?¡±


    ¡°Sweetie, stop shaking, Papa is just doing his daily meditation, that¡¯s all.¡± For now, I didn¡¯t intend to tell anyone about Ferti¡¯nier, including Mo Na. ¡°Sweetie, let¡¯s go out for now, I don¡¯t know how much time has passed but No.3 and Big 4 should be done by now. Same with Sinmosa¡¯s family as well¡­I wonder if they¡¯ve evolved to Six-stars.¡±


    Having said that, I didn¡¯t wait for her response before scooping her up into my hands and stepping out of the rocky carcass.

 Chapter 246 Northward Once More

    The insides of the Demonic Fire Igneous Giants could only be described as vast and also hollow, as if their body was actually just a rocky container for the lava that used to flow within. As for how much energy I actually absorbed, I had no way of knowing, but the fact that Ferti¡¯nier was even able to wake up as a result of that, made it a rather profitable trade. At the end of the day, this former Devil King knew a lot more than me and as we Chinese liked to say, ¡®having an elder in your home was like having a treasure.¡¯


    Experience and wisdom was something you had to accumulate with time¡­ahem, that was basically all I had to say.


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    Having climbed out, the first thing I saw was Sinmosa and the Hellhound family standing not too far in the distance. Beside them were two lanky devils whom I had never seen before.


    To be exact, I had never seen such a form before. Both of them had a head that resembled a bull¡¯s with a pair of goat horns that curved towards the back. Their bodies were lean, muscular, beautiful even, if one were to discount the bull head on their shoulders and the goat hooves below. Their tail was slender like a bull¡¯s as well.


    Even though this was the first time I had seen such a form, the words Infant Flame Demon instantly came to mind.


    ¡°No.3, Big 4?¡± Although I had basically guessed the identity of these devils by now, I still couldn¡¯t believe my eyes and had to confirm it once more. ¡°You guys, evolved?¡±


    ¡°Master, we¡¯ve evolved!¡± Upon seeing me climb out of the giant¡¯s chest, the first thing the two of them did was to wave furiously at me while excitedly calling out to me as I walked towards them. Once I reached them, they suddenly fell to their knees and said with utter reverence: ¡°Many thanks to Master¡­had it not been for Master, we would have died¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, your loyalty is something I¡¯m fully aware of. No matter what, the blood you shed won¡¯t be in vain.¡± Seeing them in their new evolved forms, an indescribable sense of elation filled me. ¡®This was the result I achieved after risking life and limb ¡ªnot a bad result at all, if I had to say.¡¯


    Honestly, I wouldn¡¯t have been half as excited about them evolving had it not been for Ferti¡¯nier awakening. After all, I was still a Three-stars at the end of the day¡­having them outlevel me so much was disconcerting¡­ Naturally, I knew that the two of them probably wouldn¡¯t betray me, but the same could be said for One-eye as well¡­


    To me, Sinmosa and Sasani were mostly trustworthy since we were complete strangers back when we met; I doubt they thought about betraying or using me then. Even if Sasani was thinking about betraying me, that sister of his would fix him right up. In fact, it would be more accurate to say I trusted Sinmosa, rather than Sasani.


    Truly, trust was a scary thing¡­even now, I couldn¡¯t believe that One-eye would play me out like that¡­well, that was all in the past now, what mattered was the future.


    ¡°The energy in that giant is gone but Mo Na and you¡­I can¡¯t see any changes in the both of you at all¡­¡± Having chatted a while with No.3 and Big 4, it was then that Sinmosa trotted up to me and gasped with a look of disbelief in all six of her eyes. After giving me another look, she half-stated as such, in a voice dripping with curiosity: ¡°You aren¡¯t an ordinary devil are you?¡±


    REPORT AD


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®What should I say now..I still can¡¯t bring up the matter of Ferti¡¯nier, but the fact that an entire Five-stars giant was consumed and nothing had happened in Mo Na and I was also strange.¡¯


    ¡°Forget it, everyone has their own secrets, I was just a little curious, that¡¯s all. I didn¡¯t intend to pry too deeply¡­you can always tell me when you¡¯re ready.¡± Seeing that torn expression on my face, she chose not to ask any further, instead casually glossing over this subject with another. ¡°Cinderel has restored quite a bit of her energy already. Because she¡¯s still young, she didn¡¯t evolve yet. Sasani and I, on the other hand, received quite a few benefits. It won¡¯t be long before we can evolve into Six-stars.¡±


    ¡°That quick?!¡± For the two of them to evolve now was clearly good news for me given our current situation. Thus I said: ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll have to congratulate you two in advance. Oh right, when exactly will you two evolve?¡±


    Sinmosa paused for a second and then gave me an answer that I didn¡¯t know whether to laugh about or cry about. ¡°Roughly five years.¡±


    ¡°¡­well that¡¯s¡­pretty quick¡­¡±


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    ¡°I know, it was supposed to be 20 years too.¡± She didn¡¯t detect that slight bit of awkwardness in my voice and instead followed up with my comment as if everything was right in the world: ¡°After all, Sasani and I are¡­well¡­you get it¡­¡±


    ¡®I get it, totally. It¡¯s that, isn¡¯t it? German Orthopaedics, Yos*ga no Sora, and if Kyosuke actually did it with Kirino, I can add in Oreimo to the list as well¡­honestly, I had really had to hand it to that dog¡­¡¯


    (TL: German Orthopaedics: Some story in China where it was reported that a brother and sister did it each other and were found out by their father. The father broke the legs of the brother after which the brother flew off to Germany to get it fixed. The rest are all anime references.)


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    To be honest, before finding out about their ¡®unique¡¯ relationship¡¯, I had assumed that incest was a taboo only amongst humans, to think the Hellhounds had such a rule as well.


    ¡®Either way, since everyone is accounted for, it¡¯s time for us to set off once more.¡¯


    In order to save time, Sinmosa offered to give us a ride on her while the two of them galloped northward. Naturally, it wasn¡¯t that we had not thought about doing that before, but based on their speed, it would have been impossible for No.3 and Big 4 to keep up with their galloping speed. Now that the two of them had evolved however, their flying speeds were now significantly higher and their wings, significantly more agile. Thanks to that, the two of them had no problem keeping up with Sinmosa and husband all throughout.


    If I had to make a comparison between their current and past forms¡­it would be the difference between a World War One plane and a World War Two plane¡­hmmm, sounds about right.


    Along the way, I took the time to inquire about No.3 and BIg 4¡¯s newfound abilities. They were, after all, devils with a clan now, their abilities had to have increased. If I had to be perfectly honest however, I assumed that Infant Flame Demons were like Ragn*ros from World of W*rcraft, essentially devils in the form of elementals. Clearly my assumption was wrong.


    Within my inherited memories, they clearly stated that Flame Demons were borne of the flames, that was true, however, that didn¡¯t mean that they were entirely formed of flames either. With regards to these flame devils, in particular the Infant Flame Demons, there wasn¡¯t much information about them at all. Or rather, the information was sealed up, waiting for me to level up even further before unlocking. After all, allowing access to such skills wasn¡¯t necessary a good thing unless one had the required level to use them. In a sense, it was like magic. Trying to cast a spell above one¡¯s mana capabilities ran the risk of causing a backlash or worse.


    While the majority of a Flame Devil¡¯s abilities were still locked up, No.3 and Big 4 still managed to pick up quite a few abilities this time around. For example, they were now able to control flames as if they were a part of their body. Unlike the past where their control of flames was still a little unnatural, it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that theflames were now their limbs.


    In fact, as if to demonstrate that ability, when Big 4 had No.3 cut off his left hand with a crafted bone knife, something miraculous happened. Where his severed arm once laid, we saw a bundle flames that Big 4 calmly picked and reconnected to his stump of a wrist. Under our shocked eyes, that bundle of flames began to take on a hand shape before finally reconnecting and turning back into a hand flawlessly.


    I gave the new appendage a careful look through and found, to my astonishment, no difference at all between his previous hand and his new one¡­


    ¡°Turning one¡¯s body into flames is just a basic ability, there¡¯s no need for Little Brother to make such a big fuss about a parlor trick. That¡¯s just embarrassing.¡± As usual, Ferti¡¯nier chimed in with her teasing amidst my shock and awe.


    ¡®Embarrassing? How so? At least their evolutionary branch is strong¡­why can¡¯t us Lust Demons be as powerful as that?¡¯


    ¡°Hey, we¡¯re really strong!¡±


    ¡®Why do I feel so weak then? If it wasn¡¯t for Shadowfang, I don¡¯t think I can even defeat Violet Snow.¡¯


    In my mind, that was nothing but a little gripe on my part, who would¡¯ve thought that it would instead garner such a reaction from Ferti¡¯nier: ¡°The fact that you can¡¯t even beat a little white puppy is because you¡¯re weak, don¡¯t lump us together with your weakness!¡±


    ¡®Really? Lust Demons are strong? If they are so strong, why are there so many sub-branches, carnal, combat and whatnot?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­it¡¯s a female only branch¡­so they feel a need to compensate for that¡­¡±


    ¡®Sounds so true that I can¡¯t even think of a counter to that¡­¡¯


    Thanks to our internal squabbles, time passed rather quickly for me. Because we were still in the territory of the Warhorses, we encountered quite a number of roaming Warhorses during our jaunt northward. For the most part, they knew to steer clear of us. That¡¯s right, they were avoiding us¡­even though they were the masters of territory, they were avoiding us¡­no matter how I looked at it, we seemed more like unwelcome intruders more than anything.


    The fact that they were acting in such a manner was probably because of Shade. Perhaps they even thought that I was some kind of Devil King reincarnated¡­speaking of which, that whole incident was rather interesting in of itself. For a powerful Nightmare Steed like Shade to fear me like that¡­even fear wasn¡¯t enough to describe the expression he had on then.


    ¡°It¡¯s normal to fear this one, don¡¯t cha know¡­¡± Came Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s usual snideness.


    ¡°Still, to think that this is the Remnants of Sable Radiance, this one clearly remembered that this whole region was sealed off a long time ago. So it was actually linked to the Prison of the Dead¡­how secretive¡­since it¡¯s in a sealed off state, that passage to Abaddon shouldn¡¯t work as well. Little Brother, are you sure the answer is really in that palace?¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m not too sure either, it was a Shadowcat Princess who told me that.¡¯


    ¡°Shadowcats huh, the race that can Dreamwalk? I like those little kitties, I remember keeping a few kitties myself in my home, they¡¯re really fun to play with.¡±


    ¡®¡­I never knew you were a cat lady.¡¯

 Chapter 247: A Narrow Road for Enemies to Mee

    Ever since Ferti¡¯nier woke up, the time I spent ¡®meditating¡¯ was on a straight trajectory upwards. Talking to her was an interesting way to kill time; from her, I managed to learn a great deal of things that I never knew about. Naturally, the usual teasing and taunting were there as well. For Ferti¡¯nier, there really wasn¡¯t much for her to do other than to talk to me and sleep. It went without saying that I humored her as much as possible. After all, leaving a mature beauty like her alone, wasn¡¯t the gentlemanly thing to do.


    However, as a direct result of that, Mo Na became a lot more bored¡­ ¡®so that¡¯s why people always had trouble with their in-laws¡­¡¯


    While hugging onto Mo Na and Cinderel, the days went by uneventfully on the Hellhound express. Because we weren¡¯t exactly sure how long this journey would actually last, Sinmosa¡¯s galloping was kept at a manageable pace, neither too quick nor too slow, so as to ensure that she had enough stamina should a fight happen.


    ¡°Mama, Mo Na wants to listen to a story.¡± Seeing me in a daze once more, she started tugging at my arms in dissatisfaction, forcefully knocking me out of my ¡®meditation¡¯.


    With no other choice, I apologized to Ferti¡¯nier. Either way, it shouldn¡¯t matter too much since she could hear whatever I said to Mo Na.


    ¡°Sweetie, what would you like to listen to this time?¡±


    ¡°Mo Na wants to listen to the Little Mermaid.¡±


    For the most part, she loved listening to fairy tales like Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and the aforementioned, Little Mermaid; essentially those that had a witch in them. When I asked her why this was so, she answered thusly: Mo Na likes to compare with the witches in those story, Mo Na is sure she will do a better than job than those witches!


    In short, she was gaining experience for her future nefarious plots¡­to learn from past mistakes, so to speak.


    To inflict misery on other creatures was the traditional mindset of devils, in that sense, wasn¡¯t my goody two-shoes act a disgrace then? Perhaps I really was the black sheep of the devil race¡­


    ¡®Am I really doomed to walk the path least trodden, no matter which world I¡¯m in?¡¯


    ¡°Mama, a story, quick.¡±


    Being badgered like that, I finally started my storytelling with a wry smile. Besider her, little Cinderel had her adorable dog ears all perked up as well, ready to listen to my tale. Unlike Mo Na however, she couldn¡¯t speak the language of the devil so she had no way of expressing her comments.


    The tale was a rather long one so instead of starting from the very beginning, I picked up from where the prince met the princess.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Sweetie, what¡¯s with that disdainful look on your face?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, Mama, that witch must have never had any experience ensnaring people.¡±


    ¡°Oh, why do you say that?¡±


    ¡°Simple, because all the witch offered was to slice off her tongue and for her to experience excruciating pain while walking.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, this is the third time you¡¯ve listened to this story, so what¡¯s wrong with the witch¡¯s terms?¡±


    ¡°Of course there¡¯s something wrong. She clearly has no experience being the bad guy.¡±


    ¡°And what makes you think so?¡±


    ¡°Because the terms she gave out are all so superficial. Obviously, a mix of physical and mental torture is the best way to get the results.¡±


    Seeing Mo Na so animated and proud, I couldn¡¯t help but laugh and ask: ¡°Well then Sweetie, what¡¯s your expert advice then?¡±


    ¡°She can keep her tongue and the legs, without the pain even, but she has to have her face disfigured.¡±


    ¡°¡­that¡¯s a little much isn¡¯t it¡­¡±


    ¡®Now that¡¯s cruel¡­for a woman, her face was like her second life. If she were to become ugly, it wouldn¡¯t matter what other good traits she had, the prince would never like her¡­what¡¯s worse, she would probably have to live with this face for the rest of her life, even if she failed to court the prince¡­every day, she would have to wash her face with her tears¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s too much? You haven¡¯t heard the rest of it¡­¡±


    ¡®Maybe that¡¯s enough of this storytelling for now¡­at least, I shouldn¡¯t continue with Beauty and the Beast¡­¡¯


    (TL: I shortened this section to mostly conversations since it¡¯s REALLY pointless. Really.)


    Only allowed on Creativenovels.com


    About the time I was done retelling the tale of the Little Mermaid, trouble found us.


    ¡°Master, there are roughly 50 Warhorses ahead of us.¡± Came No.3¡¯s warning yell as he sped towards us, wings flapping furiously. Upon making an emergency landing, he proceeded to report as such: ¡°They seem to hunting down a Demon Fire Salamander.¡±


    ¡°Mama, should we go have a look?¡± Her eyes lit up at that point, clearly eager to cause some trouble after a long uneventful journey.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, let¡¯s circle around them.¡± I knew Mo Na wouldn¡¯t be happy with this decision, to be honest, I wasn¡¯t as well. After all, those Warhorses and those two elders treated us so horribly back then; with the memories just a few days old, was there any way we would have forgotten about that sordid past? Of course not! Just because he gave us a few trinkets(giants) as an apology, was our enmity wiped clean then? Absolutely not! If someone was to slap you across the face and then toss out a hundred dollar bill right after, would you forgive him? Only the truly wretched would stoop down, pick up the money and then laugh off the grudge with a smile. What would be worse would be if he even threw in a¡®Please come again¡¯¡­


    This debt between us and the Warhorse had to be settled one day¡­that day just wasn¡¯t today. We were still too weak. Only by becoming stronger would we be able to take our revenge one day¡­as for how long that would take¡­who knew¡­


    Let us be clear about one thing however, I wasn¡¯t admitting defeat or backing down. I was being Magnanimous, that¡¯s a capital M too.


    Unfortunately for us, while I might have decided to avoid the Warhorses, the other party clearly didn¡¯t agree with me.


    Just as that decision was made, the deafening sounds of a herd of horses galloping came thundering towards us. Because of the powerful stomps of their hooves, the ground itself began to shake. All around us, bits of earth and rock began to break loose from the blackened ground and dance about in the air, kept afloat by the wobbling ground that seemed more like wood than stone right now.


    The galloping sounds grew louder by the second after which we spotted the first silhouette of a Warhorse. I knew who that Warhorse was¡­even though their faces all looked the same to me¡­there was no mistaking that soul aura¡­ ¡®To think it¡¯s actually someone we knew¡­¡¯


    ¡°So it¡¯s you devils.¡± Warwraith came knocking on our doorstep with several dozen Warhorses. Within his eyes, I could see a hint of apprehension but for the most part, they foretold his probable troublemaking. ¡°I heard from my kinshorse that he spotted some devils while he was out on watch, I just knew it would be you lot.¡± He arrogantly stated.


    ¡®Really¡­what a small world we lived in¡­exactly why did we have to meet this horsepoop again?¡¯


    ¡°Elder Warwraith, you¡¯re in our way right now.¡± With regards to this bully of a horse who made us be his decoys, I had nothing nice to say to him. Had it not been for the fact that I couldn¡¯t defeat him, I would have definitely rushed up to him and given him a piece of my mind, or fists rather. Then¡­I would slice off his head and kick it around like a football.


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember blocking any path whatsoever, just look around you, the area is so wide and spacious, how am I blocking anything.¡±


    ¡°¡­let¡¯s go.¡± Not wishing to waste more time on this moron, I signalled for Sinmosa to circle around him. Yet just as we took a turn, a portion of the Warhorses, under the discreet command of Warwraith, came trotting up to block us.


    ¡°A good¡­horse, doesn¡¯t block the way!¡±


    ¡®Almost said a good dog there¡­thank the heavens I changed it in time.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m not the one who told them to do so, they did it themselves.¡± At that, he gave an exasperated sigh and said: ¡°You saw it yourselves, I had no intention of causing trouble but these youngsters¡­¡±


    ¡®You horsepoop, don¡¯t try and act all innocent in front of me!¡¯ Thanks to Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s presence, I wasn¡¯t as intimidated as before and my words reflected as such. ¡°Exactly what do you want? I don¡¯t have time to waste on your childish games, you¡¯re too old for that as well. How about you let out whatever c**p you have to say and be done with it.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, I¡¯m not the one playing games here. All I want is for you to give up those giants and we¡¯ll be on our way.


    ¡®There it is, that foxtail of his¡­ so he¡¯s still after the blood of those giants¡­too bad I drank it all already, with not even a drop of blood left¡­heh heh, if he wants it so badly, maybe I should just ask him to harvest it off No.3¡¯s poop.¡¯


    ¡°You want the blood of those giants?¡± I threw a scornful look at the Warhorse as I said that. ¡°You lot were there as well when your Grand Elder handed the corpses over to us himself. What¡¯s the matter? Regretting that decision already? Do the words of your Grand Elder not count anymore?

 Chapter 248: Don’t Try Me or I’ll Scare Your Figurative Pants Off In a Second

    ¡°Of course the Grand Elder¡¯s words still hold weight, but this is a personal matter between the both of us. This has nothing to do with the Grand Elder.¡± At that, his eyes narrowed. ¡°While I still don¡¯t know what kind of trickery you used to make the Grand Elder give up on the giants, don¡¯t think for a second that it will work on me. Today, none of you are leaving unless you hand over the blood of the giants.¡±


    ¡°Trickery? You think his fear of me is because of some kind of trick? Tell me then, exactly what kind of trick is able to scare your Grand Elder into such a wimp?¡± On the surface, I made sure to put on an uncompromising stance. In my mind however, I was scrambling to work something out with Ferti¡¯nier. The whole reason why I was even bothering to spew all those threats was because I was trying to buy some time.


    ¡®Gorgeous, are you there? I seem to be in a little trouble right now.¡¯


    ¡°Oh, this one knows you¡¯re in trouble, this one is having a lot of fun watching you right now.¡±


    ¡®Then¡­aren¡¯t you going to help me?¡¯


    ¡°This one wants to help you, but this one doesn¡¯t have a body so she can¡¯t help you.¡¯


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    ¡®Then at least come up with something¡­if I kick the bucket now, won¡¯t you die as well?¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s right, if you die, this one will accompany you as well¡­this one still doesn¡¯t want to die, so do you best to not die.¡±


    ¡®Sister, I¡¯m begging you for help right now, don¡¯t just sit on your bum and do nothing¡­¡¯


    ¡°Alright, since Little Brother is so insistent, this one will make an exception and help you this once.¡± Having said that, she flatly stated as such: ¡°Hand over your body.¡±


    ¡®Huh? What do you mean hand over my body?¡¯


    ¡°What this one means is to hand over the control rights of your body¡­sigh¡­how about you pull your mind out of the gutters?!¡±


    ¡®Ohh¡­so you don¡¯t want my body¡­got me excited for a moment there¡­I mean, worried. Well then, how do I do that?¡¯


    ¡°At the end of the day, this one is just a soul living in Little Brother¡¯s body, as long as Little Brother gives up on resisting, this one can temporarily take control of your body.¡±


    ¡®Alright then, I give up¡­hold on, are you sure you won¡¯t take advantage of this situation to steal my body¡­¡¯


    ¡°This one isn¡¯t that shallow, besides Little Brother¡¯s body isn¡¯t all that either. With a mug like that, this one would rather not.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m ugly? I can¡¯t even my tear eyes away from my own reflection and you call that ugly? How blind can one person get?¡¯


    Only allowed on Creativenovels.com


    ¡°Little Brother, now isn¡¯t the time to talk about your appearance.¡±


    ¡®Hey you¡¯re the one that started this fire¡­forget it, just get on with it, that horse is annoying me.¡¯


    ¡°Little Brother, your body is still rejecting this one, how do you expect this one to assume control of your body?¡±


    ¡®I¡­I was probably subconsciously rejecting her attempts at taking over my body¡­well, that won¡¯t do at all, that Warwraith is clearly losing his patience already.¡¯


    ¡°Devil, exactly how long more do you need?¡± The Warhorse elder in question snorted and then stomped on the ground with his hooves as if to express his dissatisfaction. ¡°Are you trying to buy time for yourself by standing there in a daze?¡±


    ¡°If you really want the blood of those giants, it¡¯s not impossible, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But what?¡±


    At that, I faked a confident look as I said thusly, smile curving deviously: ¡°You might just have to find more for yourself.¡±


    ¡°And where would that be?¡± Asked the elder, clearly not getting what I was trying to say. By now, there was nothing left of those giants except for rocks. If he really wanted more blood¡­he would have better luck just digging for it since I absorbed all the blood already¡­


    The whole reason why I was doing all this was naturally to buy some time. But no matter how much time or how hard I tried, the problem still remained: my body kept rejecting Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s attempt subconsciously. In front of me, the Warhorse elder was already looking rather peeved. In fact, for all I knew, he was about to blow his top¡­ ¡®this isn¡¯t good, I need to think of something¡­


    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, how about we use another method then?¡±


    ¡®What method? We don¡¯t have a lot of time right now so I¡¯m open to anything at this point, no matter how much of a scam it is.¡¯


    The moment I said that, I immediately noticed that something was up with my body. It was¡­not listening to my commands at all, going so far as to go against my wishes entirely¡­


    Even without my commands, it was performing a set of strange movements of its own accord.


    ¡®I¡¯ stared at the Warhorse elder right in the eye and, a mere moment later, my mana was sucked dry instantly. On top of that, my mana was being diverted into my eyes along with another strange set of mana. Soon after, I felt a palpable sense of fear cross his eyes.


    By now, I had basically come to the conclusion that Ferti¡¯nier was up to no good. I desperately tried to pry some answers from her but to no avail. Perhaps she was simply too engrossed in trying to control my body to answer me at this point. Or perhaps the lost of control also meant that my thoughts weren¡¯t being transmitted outwards any longer.


    At the very least however, the Warhorse elder¡¯s strange behavior was definitely due to Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s ability. His eyes were already widening in fear and his body began to shake in response. It was as if he was staring at the most horrific thing in the entire realm as it approached him while he stood there helplessly. In a sense, this situation was similar to that dream ability Shade used on me, though not entirely the same either. After all, his eyes shouldn¡¯t be open at all if Ferti¡¯nier was using some kind of dream ability. Also, he shouldn¡¯t even be able to jerk his head like that; that was clearly an attempt at diverting his eyes. Without a doubt, this elder was conscious and yet he seemed to be in the middle of a nightmare.


    ¡°Impossible¡­how could you¡­¡± He began muttering himself and the shaking grew even more intense by the second. Just standing there, he seemed more like a raving mad horse than a powerful elder.


    Exactly what was he looking at? That I didn¡¯t know, but it had to be something utterly terrifying in order to scare him into a little child like that. Thus, without wasting another word on me, he ran¡­without even saying a word to his other kin, he ran¡­as if he was a deserter running away from the battlefield¡­


    His sudden departure left the other horses in confused conundrum, eyes swivelling about as they tried to seek an answer from amongst themselves. This elder of theirs was clearly the mastermind of this plot; it was him who brought them here to seek revenge so what was he doing running away like that after a mere glance? What were they to do then? He should have at least said something before leaving¡­


    Now that the elder in question was gone however, there wasn¡¯t much reason for them to stay any longer. Besides, ¡®I¡¯ was acting a little strange at the moment and they seemed to have picked up on this change as well. One after another, they turned around and galloped after their distant elder. From the bloodshot and widened eyes on their equestrian faces, it was like looking at a herd of horses fleeing from some kind of ghost on a bright sunny day¡­


    Having miraculously chased away the elder, I soon found myself back in control of my body once more. And yet before I could even get an answer out of Ferti¡¯nier, I was bombarded by Mo Na¡¯s ecstatic cry: ¡°Mama is so awesome, the baddie got scared away with just one look!¡±


    ¡°Master, how did you do that? That was amazing, you¡¯re truly the almighty master!¡± No.3 and Big 4 both gave a fervent look of worship at the same time.


    As for Sinmosa and Sasani, they glanced at each other but astutely chose not to pry any further.


    Back when I faced off against the Nightmare Steed, I was somehow able to scare that Grand Elder off, entirely because of Ferti¡¯nier of course, but they didn¡¯t know that. Now that Warwraith came knocking, I was once again able to chase him off¡­if the first time was just mere luck, what about the second time then? Was there even a chance that it was luck then?


    In all likelihood, the two of them had revised their opinion of me from that moment on. After all, I was now an unknown factor to be considered.


    ¡®Hey there, Gorgeous, how about talking for a second, what happened back there?¡¯


    In the face of everyone¡¯s praise, all I could do was give them a silly grin while throwing out some superficial excuses. At the same time, I continued asking the Devil King in my body about what had just happened.


    ¡°Little Brother, this one is a little tired now, how about we talk about this later?¡±


    ¡®Alright then, to be honest, I can roughly guess what happened even if you don¡¯t tell me. I bet you forcefully took control of my body, right?¡¯


    ¡°Mhm, after all, your body technically belongs in part to this one as well, ever since Yi Yi had this one take up residence in your body. From that moment on, your body was no longer the same. Normally, this one is in a comatose state so you ended up in charge. Because of this one¡¯s long term sleep, this one¡¯s influence on this body grew lesser to the point where this one couldn¡¯t control it anymore¡­simply put, the cohesion rate between this body and this one had grown too low¡­¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s why you needed my unconditional consent?¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s right, because Little Brother wasn¡¯t able to unconditionally trust this one, this one had to forcefully take control of your consciousness¡­but this body still tried to resist this one¡­¡±


    ¡®And that¡¯s why you ended up so tired, am I right?¡¯


    ¡°Mhm¡­Little Brother isn¡¯t so stupid after all¡­well, this one is going to sleep now. Don¡¯t try and disturb this one before she wakes up¡­if Little Brother gets into trouble then¡­he will have to take care of it himself¡­¡±


    ¡®Ehh¡­why does this bodyguard of mine seem so unreliable¡­each time she helps me out of a pinch, she always ends with a ¡°I¡¯m sleepy¡± before proceeding to sleep¡­how is that even the bearing of a Devil King¡­she¡¯s more like a so¡ª Ahem, that comparison is a little uncouth so I¡¯ll pass on saying it.¡¯


    This little nap of hers was most likely the result of her expending too much mental energy to try and forcefully control my body. Based on that fact, her nap shouldn¡¯t last all that long. Still, our journey couldn¡¯t stop just because of that. Now that the Warhorse elder was gone, our journey should be a lot smoother¡­or not¡­when was our journey ever smooth¡­that was merely wishful thinking on my part¡­


    With how hurriedly they left, the Warhorses even forgot to take their prey with them so what stood before us now was a Demon Fire Salamander that was over 10 meters long. Its hide was a crimson red and it had a single chipped horn growing on its head. Its body was thoroughly battered at this point, with blood flowing out of multiple gaping wounds on its body.


    Thanks to their abrupt departure, this salamander, who had its left leg thoroughly mangled right now, was basically left to its own devices. And from the trail of blood leading away, I could tell that it was trying to find a lava lake to recover in. Unfortunately for it, the Warhorses lived in a giant plain with hardly any lava lakes to be found nearby.


    ¡®Exactly what was it doing here anyway¡­plus from its size and aura, it¡¯s probably a Six-stars.¡±

 Chapter 249: So After All That, We Still Have to Fight?!

    The Demon Fire Salamander, with its left leg a bloody mess, crawled along with utmost difficulty. With each step it took, a trail of blood would be left in its wake.


    ¡°Master, that was the salamander fighting against the Warhorses.¡± Big 4 stared at the salamander and gave a confident nod of his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s even a lava lake within miles of this region so what is it even doing here?¡±


    As a relatively flat region, there weren¡¯t that many lava lakes to be found here. To be exact, those nearby were more like tiny streams than anything else. The salamander could still fit in them, that much was certain, but that was the extent of all the streams could do. There was just no way a tiny body of lava like that could sustain such a huge Demon Fire Salamander for long.


    ¡®Like what Big 4 said, what was a large salamander doing here?¡¯


    ¡®In a sense, it¡¯s kind of like a shark somehow making it into a river from the ocean¡­there¡¯s no way it can sustain itself so why even make the trip?¡¯


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    ¡®Maybe it¡¯s looking for something¡­kinda reminds me of how I met Sasani and Sinmosa. Ah, seems just like yesterday when I ended up gaining their help after Sinmosa was injured by the Warhorses while looking for Flamegrass¡­to be honest, that couple probably wouldn¡¯t even have been in so much trouble had it not been for their baby who born with an abnormality thanks to their close relation¡­¡¯


    ¡®Wait¡­don¡¯t tell me that salamander is another Yosuga no Sora¡­¡¯


    (TL: Anime about a brother and sister.)


    ¡°Master, be careful, I think it spotted us¡­¡±


    Roughly the same time as we saw it, it saw us as well. It immediately, albeit painfully, swiveled its body around to face us, bloodshot eyes staring right into Sinmosa and Sasani. Without even wasting any time, it was instantly able to tell who was the bigger threat here. Assuming that we fought, of course.


    ¡°What now, Master?¡± Concerned that the salamander might attack us at any moment, my two trusty bodyguards, No.3 and Big 4, reflexively shielded me from the salamander and quietly awaited my orders. Having been with me for so long, they were used to not acting without my direct instructions.


    Seeing like that, the salamander stopped as well, abandoning its original intention of finding a lava lake to recuperate in.


    From within its eyes, I could feel an undisguised level of enmity and yet it didn¡¯t attack right away. Was it because its injuries were too severe? Or was it simply because it was sizing us up as potential nourishment, just in case we were too powerful for it to handle alone¡­either way, there were too many possibilities for me to go through one by one.


    Roar~~~!¡± In the midst of our tense silence, the salamander suddenly roared, having realized that we had no intention of retreating.


    ¡°Mama, that lizard is scary.¡± Unable to take the sheer pressure of its roar, Mo Na instinctively hid behind me.


    I gently ruffled her hair and in a gentle voice, placated her: ¡°Don¡¯t worry Sweetie, even though that roar might sound terrifying, it is actually the opposite, that roar is a show of weakness.¡±


    ¡°Mama, that¡¯s it showing weakness? Why does it sound like its trying to posture itself instead?¡±


    Still at a tender age, she only knew how to see things on a surface level. As the saying went, a dog that barked, didn¡¯t bite. Often, the truly dangerous dogs were those that were silently glaring at you. The only reason dogs growled so loudly were because they were afraid of us.


    For a beast, if they truly wanted to attack you, they would have done so from the start where they still had the initiative.


    Using my finger to flick her lightly on the nose bridge, I laughed while saying: ¡°Haha, it was telling us not to come close or it would cry.¡±


    ¡°Mama, you actually know how to speak the language of the salamander?! Mama¡¯s amazing!¡± Not caring in the least bit if my translation was actually correct, she gave me a fervent look of worship.


    Seeing that, I wanted to brag a little more but before I could even speak another word, a coarse voice interrupted me: ¡°I was clearly trying to threaten you just now, if you don¡¯t leave this instant, don¡¯t blame me for being rough. I¡¯ll eat you, I swear! Also, I wasn¡¯t begging for mercy!¡±


    ¡®Eh??? It can talk? But that salamander we met last time couldn¡¯t speak in the tongue of the devil at all so I thought that their race was a little¡­I even remember it asking that Fire Elemental for help in translating¡­ahem¡­well¡­¡¯


    ¡°So you can speak in the language of the devils, that makes things a lot easier then.¡± I shrugged my shoulders and with a radiant smile, expressed our lack of enmity.


    ¡°You seem really wounded right now. I bet you¡¯re at least a Six-stars in your peak period else that Warhorse elder wouldn¡¯t have brought so many Warhorses to try and attack you. We don¡¯t wish to fight you so how about we just pretend that we never saw each other and just be on our own merry ways, okay?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, a devil¡¯s words can¡¯t be trusted.¡±


    ¡°If you can¡¯t trust them, why are you even talking to me then?¡±


    ¡°I just couldn¡¯t stand you spewing all that nonsense.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t you know how to hold a conversation here¡­I was just teasing you, that¡¯s all¡­forget it¡­since we¡¯ve come this far, I doubt we can leave without a fight anyway.¡¯


    ¡°Master, there¡¯s no need to waste your precious time on such a stubborn lizard, let Big 4 and I take care of it.¡±


    ¡°Master, let us fight, now¡¯s the perfect time to test our new strength anyway.¡± As he said that, Big shot the salamander, that was as big as a tiny hill, an aggressive look. ¡°We haven¡¯t had the chance to fight since we evolved.¡±


    ¡®Now that he mentioned it¡­the two of them really hadn¡¯t had a chance to duke it out since they¡¯ve evolved. A test would be useful. Besides, that salamander was clearly trying to make me look bad, if I don¡¯t give it some trouble, that itch in me just won¡¯t subside.¡¯


    ¡°In that case, take care you two.¡±


    Having gotten my permission, the two of them excitedly smiled as they shouted: ¡°Understood, Master!¡±


    Seeing them act like that, was it simply because of some kind of newfound confidence from having just evolved? Either way, now that the order was given out, they immediately spread their fleshy wings and with a violent gust of wind, took to the skies. By the time I noticed that they were airborne, they were already high above me.


    ¡°Flames!¡± The two of them shouted in unison. Instantly, their bodies burst into flames but unlike the flames on the Warhorses, which were mostly on the surface only, their bodies actually turned into flames.


    ¡°Mama, how did the two of them turn into Fire Elementals?¡± Mo Na asked with eyes as wide as saucers.


    ¡°That¡¯s probably their innate Flame Devil ability. Remember how No.3 had his arm turn into flames not too long ago?¡± I answered though with a slightly unsure tone. This was, after all, their first fight after evolving and Ferti¡¯nier wasn¡¯t here to answer my questions as well.


    ¡°Their opponent is strong, is it really alright for just the two of them to attack?¡± Sinmosa asked out of concern. While the two of them might have evolved into Infant Flame Devils, they were still weak to the eyes of Sinmosa, even though of them were technically at the same Stars level.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just watch for now. I¡¯m not entirely sure what kind of abilities they have but they should have some kind of defensive ability to rely on should things turn bad.¡± I confidently stated, the source of said confidence stemming from the fact that the salamander wasn¡¯t able to fly, and that the two of them had entered an elemental state. Besides, the two of them had an impressive level of flying skills, comparable only to each other.


    For elementals, physical attacks were ineffective on them. While No.3 and Big 4 weren¡¯t completely in an elemental state right now, their physical resistance wasn¡¯t something to scoff at either. As for the salamander¡¯s elemental attack¡­the two of them were basically borne of flames, its attack would only feed them.


    Just looking at the salamander, I could tell it was seriously injured. There was a stump on its head where a second horn once stood and its left leg was completely mangled. Not only that, there were over a dozen cuts on it that were still bleeding as we spoke.


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    ¡®Cuts? I thought the Warhorses only used charging attacks, biting attacks, ramming attacks and also elemental attacks? They don¡¯t have any claws like the Hellhounds, nor did they have arms to use any cutting implements like humans¡­so where did all those cuts come from? They looked like blade or sword cuts even.¡¯


    ¡°Sinmosa, aren¡¯t the wounds on that salamander a little strange?¡± In terms of knowledge about the Warhorses, I was clearly inferior to Sinmosa so the first thing I did was to seek her opinion. ¡°Those wounds, they seem like cuts. Just look at the entry wounds, they are thin and show no sign of tearing¡­exactly how did those Warhorses cause such injuries?¡±


    ¡°Newborn Warhorses are sometimes blessed with a rare innate skill called Sound Blades. Those who have this ability can create a slicing effect with just sound. If I¡¯m not mistaken, that salamander must have met some Warhorse with such an ability.¡±


    ¡®As expected of the Hellhound¡¯s No.1 Beauty, she really knew a ton of things¡­¡¯


    ¡°A genius like that would definitely enjoy an elevated status no matter which clan they came from. Judging from the depth of the cuts, that Warhorse shouldn¡¯t be higher than Six-stars.¡±

 Chapter 250: That’s It For Now

    ¡®So that Warwraith is actually some kind of hidden boss himself¡­fascinating.¡¯


    To be honest, there were a wide variety of rare abilities one could be born with. For example, those who were anointed with an original sin like Mo Na, or being born with an elemental affinity like Elena, Eugenia or Numila; they were all gifted individuals in their clans. However, while there might have been a wide variety of abilities to inherit, those who did were far and few between.


    During the time when I was talking to Sinmosa, No.3 and Big 4 started duking it out with that Demon Fire Salamander.


    For the most part, they approached this fight intelligently, choosing not to fight it head on but instead choosing to make use of their natural advantage of flight to harass the salamander. After all, just because their target was riddled with wounds didn¡¯t mean it was a pushover. At the end of the day, it was a Six-stars.


    The two of them took turns to hold the attention of the Demon Fire Salamander. While one attacked, the other would distract the salamander without even needing any sort of communication between them. Initially, this tactic worked spectacularly and the salamander was left scrambling about to try and cope their tactics. Even worse for it was the fact that the both of them concentrated their attacks on its injured limb. If it even lost focus for a single second, it would be instantly met with a couple of lethal attacks from the front and back.


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    Because its left front leg was injured, it had a limited range of movement available to it. Adding on the fact that No.3 and Big 4 were able to fly circles around it with their superior mobility, all the injured salamander could do was feebly launch ranged attacks at them.


    Naturally, for a salamander at its level, it had more than just physical attacks in its repertoire. It had a ranged attack of its own as well, but it wasn¡¯t magical in nature. Instead, this ability had more to do with the scope of its innate abilities.


    Dive after dive, the two devils would take potshots at the helpless salamander who could only spit out pillars of fire at them, to not much avail. Because of that, we had the impression that those pillars were the only ranged attack it had in its arsenal¡­who would¡¯ve thought this was exactly what it was aiming for¡­in fact, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it had even more attacks after the showing that it was about to put up.


    Just as Big 4 completed another dive, confidence brimming as he soared into the air, he was suddenly onset by countless flame arrows that gathered together into a huge, blinding bunch of flames which soon exploded and engulfed him¡­


    ¡®Sh**, don¡¯t tell me he¡¯s done for¡­¡¯ Not only was I concerned, so were Mo Na, Sinmosa and Sasasni¡­


    Yet even our most optimist predictions couldn¡¯t be any further from the truth. With Big 4 as its core, the flames started rapidly fizzling out until only Big 4 was left floating in the air as before, not only uninjured but looking even more radiant than before.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me he ate those flames¡­if that¡¯s the case, I would have to thank that salamander then.¡¯


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    ¡°I guess flames really can¡¯t harm a Flame Devil, in fact, they feed the devil energy instead¡­but still¡­did the salamanders always possess such a long ranged attack?¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯ve never encountered such a case before.¡± Sinmosa answered immediately, without any hesitation whatsoever. ¡°Perhaps that¡¯s its own unique ability. After all, for a salamander to survive for so long under the onslaught of those Warhorses, it had to have something special in its arsenal.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. That sneak attack was really well executed, if Big 4 hadn¡¯t evolved into a Infant Flame Devil, he would have probably died then. Even a Flame Demon Childe¡¯s fire resistance isn¡¯t even to cope with a conflagration of that magnitude.¡±


    Once we discovered that its ranged attacks weren¡¯t going to harm them but instead help them, No.3 and Big 4 immediately dropped their wary stance. Clearly, with all of its ranged attacks ineffective, that salamander probably wasn¡¯t going to try and launch anymore ranged attacks at them. In all likelihood, this battle was going to be decided with a melee. While No.3 and Big 4 knew some fire attacks as well, that salamander had its own fire resistance so they couldn¡¯t deal it any effective damage either.


    Once again targeting its crippled limb, No.3 and Big 4 split up once more, each taking up a flank as they cycled through their attacks, one from the left and the other from the right.


    No.3 dove in, winds rushing around him as he delivered a resounding swipe at the crippled front left limb. Seeing that, the salamander immediately turned its sight onto the offending devil and counterattacked. On the other hand, while the salamander was distracted, Big 4 took the opportunity to sneak a swift punch and kick to its soft underbelly.


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    Naturally, the salamander was able to sense his approach but it simply didn¡¯t have to ability to react because of its injuries. Trying to cover its belly and limb at the same time, the salamander nearly collapsed onto the ground thanks to its awkward positioning. By the time it was able to stabilize itself and raise its head once more, it was met with the taunting gazes of No.3 and Big 4¡­


    With the way the two of them pestered the salamander, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it just got annoyed to death at this point.


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    My eyes were completely glued to the fight right now. It was then that Sinmosa coldly muttered: ¡°Weak¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s weak?¡±


    ¡°That salamander, it¡¯s too weak. There¡¯s no way a Six-stars Demon Fire Salamander could be so weak. Furthermore, just look at the way it keeps trying to protect its underbelly. From its standpoint, it would make more sense to just try and take down No.3 who keeps trying to attack its injured limb. Big 4¡¯s attacks might be powerful, but they aren¡¯t at the level where its own defenses couldn¡¯t handle them unless¡­¡±


    ¡®Deliberating protecting its underbelly¡­appearing in a region where it shouldn¡¯t be¡­why does this remind me of something.¡¯


    I turned my gaze onto its belly and gave it a hard look. There, I found no wounds whatsoever¡­even though its body was covered in cuts all over and drenched in blood, only that particular region of its body was completely clean.


    ¡°Is that a male or a female salamander?¡±


    ¡°A female.¡± Sinmosa immediately answered. While I wasn¡¯t the best at recognizing a creature¡¯s gender, Sinmosa clearly wasn¡¯t the case.


    ¡°Is it pregnant?¡±


    ¡°That¡­I can¡¯t tell.¡± She answered albeit with a slightly exasperated look. In her mind, she was probably saying to herself, how would she know¡­not like she was some kind of gynecologist for beasts¡­


    Since she had no way of telling if the salamander was pregnant or not, it was now up to me and my well-honed soul sensing abilities. Because of the salamander¡¯s significantly higher strength, I initially wasn¡¯t able to get much information from her soul. However, because of her serious injuries, I managed to make out a sea of soul fragments wandering about in her body, after some digging on my part. Normally, a soul only had one soul within its body, if there was more than one soul living within that body, then it would be safe to say that the creature in question was pregnant¡­naturally, I was an exception to this rule¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­it¡¯s about to give birth, isn¡¯t it¡­¡±


    That was the only possibility I could think of at the moment. The reason for her uncharacteristic behavior must have been precisely because of that; in order to stabilize her birth, this salamander came looking for Flamegrass from Warhorse territory. The Warhorses must have stumbled on her and she ended up as their prey¡­ ¡®So the salamanders like Yosuga no S*ra too¡­ahem, I think all that talk about blood relations is starting to get to me¡­not everything related to Flamegrass has to be about Yos*ga no Sora¡­¡¯


    ¡°Stop!¡± I yelled out to the two of them. ¡°Come back for now.¡±


    With that possibility in mind, I immediately halted their attacks. Still basking in the elation of being able to bully someone of a higher Stars level than them, my sudden command stunned them for a moment but the both of them soon recovered and returned to my side without any hesitation.


    By now, the salamander was basically a defeated lizard, completely unable to retaliate at all, or perhaps she simply chose not to, out of concern for its child. Prior to this, she had basically given up on all forms of attack and was busy protecting her own belly while crawling forward relentlessly. Unfortunately, her crippled left front leg meant that she could only slowly hobble forward with three of her limbs. With two devils harassing her from the side, it took all her attention and effort just to maintain some semblance of balance in her crawls. She knew she mustn¡¯t fall, else the first to make contact with the ground would undoubtedly be her belly¡­should that ever happen, that egg in her belly would definitely crack under the sudden force¡­


    ¡°Master, we¡¯re back.¡±


    As they landed beside me, the both of them had a look of confusion on their faces. In their minds, they probably weren¡¯t able to comprehend why I recalled them when the battle was about to end. Their foe clearly had no way of resisting so victory was merely a matter of time.


    To me however, it wasn¡¯t a matter of victory at all. What we were doing was ganging up on a pregnant mother who was ready to give up her life for her baby. No matter who it was, or what they were, this show of motherly affection was universal. For us to act against such a mother would just be¡­


    Besides, we didn¡¯t actually have any sort of blood feud with this salamander; all she did was make fun of me for a second or so. Now that I had taught her a lesson, there really wasn¡¯t a point in attacking her anymore.


    ¡®As they say, the cycle of hatred and all that¡­heh heh, just look at me, repaying her belligerence with magnanimity¡­I know, I¡¯m such a noble guy.¡¯


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, it won¡¯t be able to block our way anymore.¡±


    The moment I said that, everyone, including Mo Na and Cinderel, gave me a bewildered look as if I had just done something inexplicable¡­


    ¡°What¡¯s up with you guys?¡±


    ¡®I¡¯ll be honest here, that look you guys are giving me right now, creeps me out. Don¡¯t tell me you guys all got possessed or something¡­¡¯

 Chapter 251: Let’s Just Do It…

    No.3 gingerly asked me: ¡°Master, aren¡¯t we killing it?¡±


    Big 4, plucking up the courage to speak as well: ¡°The soul of a Six-stars is definitely going to be a feast¡­¡±


    Sinmosa shook her head: ¡°A high level prey like this doesn¡¯t come along all too often.¡±


    Sasani, still unable to speak in the devil language, merely nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Exactly, Mo Na thinks Mama is being wasteful as well.¡± As she rode on my shoulders, she folded her arms like a little adult and expressed her dissatisfaction: ¡°Mama is just too willful.¡±


    ¡°Woof woof.¡± Cinderel barked as well, seemingly agreeing with Mo Na.


    Just like that, a schism was formed on how we were to handle this salamander¡­fine, it was just me versus everyone else.


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    Naturally, my stance was that we should let her go while the others wanted her dead, pregnant or not. After all, this was Purgatory, and they were devils, not some kind of hot blooded warrior with a sense of honor. Survival of the fittest, by consuming the weak, one became strong. Kill or be killed, and all that stuff¡­


    Still, while the others were a little puzzled by my show of mercy, they accepted my decision in the end since I was the one making the decisions in this team.


    ¡°Well, it was No.3 and Big 4 who brought her down in the first place, so I¡¯ll leave the decision up to you.¡± Sinmosa said as such after exchanging a glance with her husband; this was her way of saying that they wouldn¡¯t interfere.


    ¡°We¡¯ll listen to the Master¡¯s wishes.¡± No.3 and Big 4 said in unison while acting like the loyal bodyguards that they were.


    ¡°Mo Na will listen to Mama as well.¡± There was still a clear look of reluctance in her eyes but this adorable daughter of mine clearly had no intention of defying me.


    ¡°Woof woof~~~!¡± Came Cinderel¡¯s barks, seemingly as a way to show her existence in the group. Naturally, I still had no way of telling what she meant by those barks but most likely they were barks of support.


    Thus, with everyone¡¯s support, the salamander was set free.


    On the other side, the salamander was already on its merry way eastward, as if it had never noticed us trying to decide its fate at all.


    ¡°Exactly what is it in the east that has her attention so captured?¡±


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    ¡°Master, there so happens to be a body of lava large enough to fit that salamander just three li away from here. She¡¯s probably heading there.¡± Having scouted this area from the air before, No.3 was the one who gave me that answer: ¡°She¡¯s probably trying to replenish her strength there.¡±


    ¡°Three Li? That¡¯s pretty close, in that case, let¡¯s be on our way then. That salamander should be able to reach that herself.¡±


    *Crack*


    As I said that however, her left leg suddenly caved in and with a loud bang, her body soon followed after.All around her, the ground trembled and the dust flew about, displaced by her massive body¡¯s crash. With injuries so severe, her body finally couldn¡¯t take the strain anymore and collapsed¡­


    ¡®This¡­you¡¯re kidding me¡­¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look.¡± Seeing my face darken, Big 4 volunteered to check up on the salamander even without me asking, returning mere moments later with this report: ¡°Master, I don¡¯t think she will last long.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Even without looking, I could tell how black my face was at the moment.


    ¡°So what should we do, Master?¡± Noticing that I hadn¡¯t spoken in a while, Big 4 asked as such in a perplexed voice: ¡°Should we just be on our way?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


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    ¡°Should we eat it then?¡± No.3 pointed at the weakened salamander who was breathing raggedly at this moment, and then made a eating gesture.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®What now¡­I swear, could my luck have been any worse? I already let the big fellow go and yet who would¡¯ve thought that she would drop the ball so soon after. We hadn¡¯t even left yet and she had already collapsed¡­well¡­should we kill her or save her?¡¯


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    ¡°She¡¯s most probably about to give birth.¡± Having had experience with this, Sinmosa was able to provide this precise assessment with just a mere glance at the salamander. ¡°The previous battle must have triggered the womb and brought the birth forward.¡±


    Hearing the word ¡®birth¡¯, I immediately asked: ¡°Will she be able to give birth safely?¡±


    ¡°Probably not¡­¡±


    ¡®What do you mean probably not, it is clearly a no. After being wounded so badly by the Warhorses, and after being bullied by No.3 and Big 4, how would she even have the energy to give birth¡­she¡¯s clearly about to die!¡¯


    ¡°Can we save her?¡±


    ¡°It will be hard.¡± Sinmosa then paused for a couple of seconds before sighing: ¡°Unless we have a Fire Elemental Core, Flamegrass or some other treasure at the level of those giants¡¯ blood¡­well¡­¡±


    ¡®I did have two cores, but they were all used up by Cinderel and Sinmosa. As for the blood, that was gone too. I have never even seen a Flamegrass before too¡­¡¯


    ¡°I still want to save her¡­¡± Had she not been pregnant, I would have never tried to save her, male or female; neither would I ever let her go like that. But once it concerned a pregnant creature¡­I simply couldn¡¯t ignore her plight. Standing idly by now wasn¡¯t something a human would do at all¡­though I technically was a devil now. Still, my heart was that of a human¡¯s. This was something I refused to budge on; there was just no way I would ever give up this benevolent heart of mine!


    With that settled on, I gave Sinmosa a resolute look as I said this: ¡°Tell me how I can save her.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? She was our enemy just a while ago too¡­letting her go was already merciful enough¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± I nodded my head and said so once more without any hesitation: ¡°I want to try and save her, no matter what, I want to give it a shot.¡±


    ¡°Alright then¡­I understand.¡± Sinmosa resigned herself to following my whims once more. At the very least however, the face she had on told me that she understood the salamander¡¯s plight somewhat. After all, she used to be in the same position as well. Thus she knew how painful it was to be unable to protect one¡¯s own child. For a mom, like Sinmosa and that salamander, the most tragic thing wouldn¡¯t be that they died but rather that their death wasn¡¯t even able to ensure the survival of their own child¡­


    Truth be told, I could vaguely tell that it wasn¡¯t only me who wanted to save that salamander, Sinmosa probably did as well, else she could have just kept silent.


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    ¡°Even though I never seen a salamander give birth before, I know that they will seek out a lava lake when it¡¯s time, and lay their egg in that lake¡­¡± Sinmosa then pointed eastward: ¡°It would be best if we placed her in that lava lake in the east.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible¡­¡± I stretched out my arms in order to illustrate my point. Just thinking about how huge that salamander was could give me a headache. ¡°Besides, with her current condition, moving her might just achieve the opposite effect, unless we are strong enough to easily lift her up¡­¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll just have to create the right environment here.¡± Having said that, Sinmosa turned her head to face Sasani, who was standing beside her idly all this while in a daze: ¡°There should be some Flamegrass nearby, Big Brother, how about you go find some. They should be in the west if I¡¯m not mistaken.¡±


    ¡°Woof.¡± Sasani nodded his head before galloping towards the west.


    ¡°How do you know that there are Flamegrasses there?¡±


    ¡°Normally, one would escape in the direction from which they came. Thankfully, the terrain around this region isn¡¯t complicated, with not much obstacles to speak of. Because of that, those who are travelling with a purpose would choose to take a straight line. Adding these two bits together, the fact that she was fleeing towards the east probably meant that she was heading towards the west previously¡­¡± She calmly laid out her deductions but upon realizing how much time it took her to do so, she stopped midway and turned to No.3 and Big 4 instead. ¡°Since we can¡¯t bring her to the lake, we just have to bring a lake to her.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re creating our own?¡±


    ¡®I just wanted to save a lizard¡­how did this whole affair suddenly become so huge¡­¡¯


    ¡°Based on what I saw from the previous battle, and the fact that they are both Infant Flame Devils, their superb control over flame should allow them to sense flame energies easily. There are countless underground lava lakes running through Purgatory. All we have to do is find one nearby¡­¡±


    ¡®Kinda like how people used to dig for underground water¡­so what she¡¯s saying is that she wants the two of them to dig for one¡­like a hot spring!¡¯


    As reality would soon prove, she was right. Not long after I sent the two of them away, they actually found one such underground lake with their senses. It just so happened that the lake was a mere two meters away from where that salamander was.


    ¡°Master, we detected the energy signatures of a lava lake here, roughly less than 10 meters below the ground.¡± No.3 pointed at the blackened ground beneath him and said so, chest puffed out. ¡°This is the spot, there¡¯s no mistaking it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s here.¡± Standing just beside No.3, Big 4 proceeded to give the ground a solid punch, creating a pothole in the process. ¡°It¡¯s rather hard too¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s get started then, try to create a hole that can fit her.¡±


    ¡°One that¡¯s just enough to fit her?¡± Big 4 scratched his head. ¡°The ground is pretty hard¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course bigger would be better.¡± I glared at Big 4 for his silly question. ¡°Start digging then you two, that salamander might just start giving birth any moment now¡­¡±


    ¡°Understood, Master!¡± Upon receiving my command, the two of them immediately got down to punching the earth. Fist after fist, they pounded into the earth and in just one short minute, they managed to dig a meter deep into the earth¡­though the width of their hole was a little lacking¡­rather than digging a lake, it was more like we were digging a well¡­


    ¡°I¡¯ll help too.¡± Sinmosa gave Cinderel a tender look as she said that. ¡°Speaking of which, had I not met you then¡­I might have just¡­this salamander is truly fortunate to have met you.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll join in as well.¡± Since Sinmosa was going to help as well, there was no reason for me not to.


    ¡°Mo Na too!¡±


    ¡°Woof woof!¡±

 Chapter 252: I Never Asked You to Trust Me

    ¡°Your levels aren¡¯t high enough, and your strengths not high enough as well. Forcing yourselves would only hinder our progress instead.¡± Sinmosa shook her head and flatly stated as such: ¡°If you guys really want to help out, just stand there quietly.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Who knew¡­Sinmosa actually had such a direct side to her as well¡­¡¯


    Since we were basically labelled as deadweight, we now had the honor of being audience members instead.


    With Sinmosa¡¯s participation, the entire digging process proceeded much faster. Sinmosa¡¯s digging method was quite different from the two devils who were basically bashing a hole into the ground¡­she was actually digging!


    Condensing a layer of mana around her claws, she then strengthened them and started digging into the ground like a normal doggy would. Because of how fast she dug, she alone was more efficient than No.3 and Big 4 combined.


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    ¡®I guess all that talk about cats something something wall and dogs something something holes was true after all¡­¡¯


    While waiting for the digging to complete, there really wasn¡¯t much to do so I approached the salamander, partly out of boredom, and partly out of concern. She wasn¡¯t looking too good. Her eyes were shut as if she was in a comatose state. Thankfully, I could still faintly see the rise and falls of her chest meaning that she was at least breathing and alive.


    Standing around wasn¡¯t going to accomplish anything however and it so happened that Cinderl¡¯s little tummy decided to growl then. Roughly taking stock of the time, I found that it was about mealtime anyway. Thus, I decided to take Cinderel and Mo Na with me on a little excursion to that lava lake, in order to find some food. Normally, this work would have been done by No.3 and Big 4 but since they were clearly busy today, I did it instead.


    Sharing this plan of mine with Mo Na, I was met with her delighted squeals after which she started tugging at me to go, clearly happy about this whole arrangement. Cinderel on the other hand, was more excited about the prospect of food as she happily scamped after us.


    However, the moment I reached that lava lake in question, which was roughly ten meters in width, I had a change of heart. The reason was because I found a normally sized Two-stars Demon Fire Salamander duking it out with a Two-stars Fire Devouring Fish.


    Such occurrences weren¡¯t rare between the two races but this time was different, at least it was to me¡­


    ¡°Mama, they are fighting over there, should we help?¡±


    While Mo Na might not have understood why I did the things I did, she clearly understood my inclinations and did her best to suit them. Had this been the past, she would have probably just waited quietly by my side for the two sides to tire themselves out before swooping in for the final kill. Now however¡­perhaps it was because I decided to help that Six-stars salamander, but it seemed like she had placed the salamanders as a whole on the Do-Not-Hunt List.


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    Whether that was a good or bad thing, that I didn¡¯t know. At the very least however, I knew that my words and actions were affecting her. In that sense, this whole affair was a good thing.


    ¡°Kill that fish, and capture the salamander.¡±


    ¡°Are we eating it then?¡± Mo Na gave me a quizzical look then.


    ¡°Not to eat, we¡¯re going to communicate with it.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    Mo Na was still slightly confused but she chose not to continue asking any further, because I had already started attacking. A whip, wrought of pure flames, burst to life from my left hands, swiftly snaking towards that fish and ensnaring it just as it was about to take a bite out of that salamander. I tossed the fish high into the air with a flick of my wrist and with my other free hand, I drew Shadowfang in a blinding arc, bifurcating the fish which had barely spent a second in the air. For the Epic-grade blade, its mighty scales might as well have just been paper ¡ªcompletely worthless.


    As for that slightly dazed salamander, I coiled my Flame Whip around it. With one quick flick and flourish, I brought it over to my side.


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    ¡°Grr¡­¡± The salamander tumbled about a couple of times before promptly springing to its feet. It cautiously retreated backwards while giving me a sharp, apprehensive glare.


    ¡°Get back here.¡± I sheathed Shadowfang and then tugged at my whip gently, forcing him closer towards me


    ¡°GRR!!¡± It knew that running away was impossible now thus all it could do was to warn me even louder. In truth, its growls seemed a little comical to me.


    ¡°I know you can¡¯t speak in the devil¡¯s tongue, but you should at least be able to understand what I¡¯m saying.¡± I flatly stated as such, ignoring its obvious show of bravado. Not caring at all whether it believed me, I went straight to the point: ¡°There¡¯s a high level salamander over there who is seriously injured. She¡¯s pregnant and is about to give birth. Because she¡¯s too big, we can¡¯t move her, and that¡¯s why I hope that you can help us summon the Demon Fire Worms over to feed her. In fact, it would best if you can help us dig as well, our digging speed is rather slow¡­¡±


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    ¡°Moouuu!!¡±


    Even though I still couldn¡¯t understand it, I roughly knew that it didn¡¯t trust me at all. To be honest¡­this whole communication thing was something I thought of on the spur of the moment.


    Not too long ago, when I had Big 4 and No.3 capture a salamander back to experiment on, I learnt it had the ability to summon worms to aid in its self-regeneration. Back then, that salamander we caught was in a similar situation as well and it was this similarity between the two salamanders that suddenly made me remember about its unique ability.


    In my opinion, that was probably an innate ability of theirs. The reason why she didn¡¯t summon the worms to her side was probably because they were too far away from her and even if she managed to, those worms probably wouldn¡¯t help all that much either, given how small they were compared to her relative size. More than likely, they would just be snacks for her¡­a final meal of sorts.


    Going back to the salamander before me, it was probably suspicious of words because of this fact as well. All salamanders had the ability to summon worms so why would we need its help? That other salamander could have just summoned the worms herself.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying you don¡¯t trust us then?¡±


    ¡°Mouu!!¡± The salamander nodded its head, clearly stating its meaning despite the language barrier.


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    ¡°Mama, since it doesn¡¯t believe us, what should we do then?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether or not it believes us, I¡¯ll make it believe.¡± I kept my whip coiled tightly around the salamander. ¡°Sweetie, I want you and Cinderel to head back first and call for Big 4.¡±


    ¡°Got it, Mama.¡± While she still didn¡¯t know what I was planning, Mo Na obediently flew off anyway.


    A while later, Big 4 came flying towards me alone.


    ¡°Master, I¡¯ve come.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, bring this fellow back with you.¡±


    I flicked my wrist, withdrew my whip and tossed the salamander, who was giving me a dirty look right now, right at Big 4¡¯s feet.


    ¡°Master, that¡¯s the food you caught?¡± Big 4 asked as he firmly caught the struggling salamander, and snuggly kept it by his waist. With his other hand, he scratched his head slightly: ¡°There doesn¡¯t seem to be enough food.¡±


    ¡°Did I ever say that it is food?¡± I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Just go back first.¡±


    ¡°Kay.¡± Seeing that I wasn¡¯t exactly in the best of moods, he gingerly lowered his head and averted his eyes from me.


    Probably triggered by the word ¡®food¡¯, the salamander, realizing that its days were numbered. immediately started struggling for its life. That however, merely annoyed Big 4. He tightened his grip on the salamander and by applying a tad more force on it, smashed the salamander against his waist. It writhed about in pain but at least it stopped struggling.


    Having subdued the unruly salamander, Big 4 gave a satisfied harrumph, proving his own dominance in the process.


    ¡°Be careful, I don¡¯t want it hurt. I still need it to go take a look at that pregnant salamander. If it dies on me now, I would have to find another one, and that, I have no time for. Go bring it back, quick.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Master.¡±


    With a flap of his fleshy wings, Big 4 flew off with the salamander while I sprinted behind him like a speeding car.


    By the time I returned to the salamander, I stumbled upon the sight of that Two-stars salamander anxiously mooing towards that pregnant salamander. From its frantic actions, I could tell that it was completely at a loss as to what to do.


    Seeing me return, it no longer showed any sign of enmity as it stared at me.


    ¡°Stop crying about like that, go summon your kin, quick. It might give birth anytime, or it might just die before that, either way, we have no time to lose.¡±


    ¡°Mou.¡± The salamander furiously nodded its head before sprinting off towards the lake in the east.


    However, its speed was simply too slow and its wagging tail and body just seemed to annoy me.


    ¡®Too slow¡­ at this rate, that salamander will turn into a popsicle before it returns.¡¯ Thus I turned to Big 4 and said: ¡°Big 4, give it a lift, and be quick about it.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Master.¡± Just like that, Big 4 became a taxi driver¡­for an unpaid two-way trip no less.

 Chapter 253: Nozala

    To be honest, that salamander¡¯s speed wasn¡¯t really that slow; it was just my irate mood that made me feel so uncomfortable.


    In terms of its speed, it was at least at the level of a sprinting human male. Furthermore, as a creature of Purgatory, one could be sure that its stamina was sufficient to cover the entire three Li even at that speed.


    However, when compared to Big 4¡¯s flying speed, that impressive level of speed was a little lacking then¡­


    Scooped up by Big 4 once more, the salamander didn¡¯t struggle at all this time. Instead, it obediently allowed the devil to grab it and fly away. From this, along with all my other experiences so far, I could basically conclude that the creatures of Purgatory weren¡¯t actually stupid¡­they simply weren¡¯t able to speak the language of the devils and that resulted in certain complications. However, simple differentiation was still all right. Moreover, they all had one thing in common¡­they were pragmatic¡­


    Looking at the soaring crimson figure in the air, I couldn¡¯t help but sigh in frustration. ¡®When would I ever be able to evolve into a Four-stars¡­also, you¡¯d better not kick the bucket after I did all this for you¡­live and lay that egg of yours¡­otherwise all my efforts would have been for naught¡­come to think of it, what is a devil like me doing, saving another person¡­ahem, I mean salamander¡­¡¯


    Roughly ten minutes later, Big 4 came flying back. Because his flying speed this time wasn¡¯t all that fast, I was able to get a good look at him along with¡­a horde of salamanders slowly appearing over the horizon, behind them was an even larger horde of wiggling Demon Fire Worms¡­


    Truth be told, this was the first time I had seen so many salamanders and worms gathered together. All of them were sprinting as fast as they could and given how the worms had no limbs at all and had to crawl ahead by contracting and expanding its body¡­the sight that bombarded my eyes was a rather disgusting one¡­


    Soon, the salamanders in front began to widen the distance between them and the worms thanks to their furious sprinting.


    ¡°Master, I¡¯m back¡­¡± His face was a little pale as he landed; most likely this was the result of all the pressure he was under right now. Even though those salamanders weren¡¯t likely to attack us, the pressure was still immense given how many of them there actually were¡­especially how those worms at the back looked like a horde of maggots crawling towards us¡­that pressure¡­it was as heavy as a mountain¡­so overbearing, it¡¯s almost invincible!


    Crawling up to me, one of the salamanders separated from the group and from the aura it gave out, it was probably a Four-stars. It was the largest salamander amongst its peers but when compared to that Six-stars¡­it was at most half of its size.


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    Still, it could be considered massive already, with its nearly 5 meters long body.


    ¡°Greetings, Devil, My name is Nozala, one of the salamanders living in the nearby lava lake. If it¡¯s possible, I would like to start with the rescue operation immediately.¡± Even though its tone was polite, I could feel its eyes boring into me all throughout the conversation. I could tell that it didn¡¯t trust me all that much. Should I even try anything funny right now, it and the horde behind it would undoubtedly dogpile me in a heartbeat. Still, in a real fight, we shouldn¡¯t fare too badly. At the very least, we should still be able to escape even against such a horde.


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s exactly why I was looking for you. Honestly, I hope she is able to safely deliver the egg as well.¡± Truthfully, Nozala¡¯s stare unnerved me somewhat but I wasn¡¯t going to harp on this matter now. After all, them coming here was a risk for them as well. This entire situation could have easily been a trap that I had set for them¡­given the horrible reputation devils had managed to garner for themselves across the worlds¡­


    I signalled for everyone to step aside in order to make space for the salamanders. Sinmosa quietly nodded her head and trotted over to my side. No.3 and Big 4 came flying to my side aside, keeping a safe distance from the salamanders.


    ¡°Hmm, we can¡¯t move her¡­looks like we just have to die into an underground lava stream¡­this location isn¡¯t half bad, let¡¯s keep digging downwards then¡­¡± After inspecting the pregnant salamander, Nozala couldn¡¯t help but sigh before commanding the rest of the salamanders to commence digging.


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    Prior to this, No.3, Big 4 and Sinmosa managed to dig a rather sizeable hole so all they had to do now was follow the general direction of their digging. Naturally, the over ten thousand strong worm army had no digging power to speak of. Moreover, those worms were still a good distance away because of their slower crawling speed so there really wasn¡¯t a point in expecting anything out of them.


    Upon making the necessary arrangements, Nozala then walked up to me, seemingly full of questions to ask.


    ¡°Devil, till now I have no idea why you are helping her, what is your motive? Exactly how is this benefiting you?¡± Before I could answer however, Nozala shook its head and said thusly: ¡°If you are trying to use her as bait, I don¡¯t think you will even be able to find a juicier target than her, so what exactly is your motive?¡±


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    ¡°I don¡¯t care if you believe me or not but I really have no ulterior motives here. I just couldn¡¯t bear to see a mother suffer¡­¡± At that, I sighed. ¡°If it hadn¡¯t been for me informing you of this news, she would¡¯ve been dead by now. Before this, none of you even knew about this situation.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. She¡¯s an outsider. I¡¯ve asked my other clan salamanders, they did, in fact, spot her passing by the outskirts of our territory. We assumed she was only passing by and had no intention of stopping at all, seeing as our territory is unable to support her needs anyway¡­¡± By now, it seemed like Nozala was starting to warm up to me: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, perhaps I was being overly sensitive. Perhaps you truly have no ulterior motives¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s understandable but I hope you get a few things straight here, we are all trustworthy, and the most important thing right now is to save her.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of that, her wounds are too severe¡­we can¡¯t ensure her survival¡­if only we had some Flamegrass..¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s about the Flamegrass, I think we can help you out there, probably¡­¡± Seeing Nozala wag its tail so anxiously, I decided to break this bit of good news prematurely: ¡°I have a companion out searching for Flamegrass, if it goes well, I¡¯m sure he will be back soon.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Then I couldn¡¯t be anymore grateful¡­I¡¯m truly sorry for doubting you back then¡­¡± Nozala¡¯s attitude instantly improved the moment I said that.


    ¡°No problem, truth be told, her injuries were in part due to me as well¡­¡±


    ¡®Err¡­¡¯


    Faster than I could say ¡®oops¡¯, Nozala¡¯s expression darkened. Its eyes took on a sharp, dangerous glint as it stared daggers into me: ¡°Exactly what do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­honestly, I found her fighting with some Warhorses and because those Warhorsesspotted us, they turned their attention tous instead and right at the very end, we managed tochase away those Warhorses and happened on her and¡­¡± I hurriedly explained myself. Unfortunately, my words were a little minced together so I wasn¡¯t all that sure if Nozala understood them. ¡°When we met her, she was already severely injured and highly suspicious of us. She thought we were trying to ambush her so she refused to let us pass through¡­so we ended up fighting and she lost¡­¡±


    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you kill her and instead save her?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like we have some kind of deep seated grudge. Besides, bullying a pregnant mother¡­an injured one no less¡­is just¡­¡± With no other way to explain my intentions, I said thusly: ¡°Either way, you just have to know that we mean you all no harm¡­¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s also a fact that you injured her, am I right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. No matter what, we did have a part in injuring her.¡±


    With no way to proceed with this conversation, the both of us fell silent and the mood instantly became heavy. The salamanders continued digging as always but I could now feel a certain portion of them keeping their eyes on us. Judging from their wary, battle-ready stance, their target would most likely be me¡­


    No.3, Big 4, Sinmosa, Mo Na and Cinderal, all noticed the strange atmosphere as well, each entering an alert stance. As of right now, both sides were just a hair¡¯s breadth away from fighting; all we were missing now was Nozala¡¯s command.


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    A well-intentioned act that ended up going awry¡­those weren¡¯t all that rare. For example, it wasn¡¯t rare to see a person trying to do a good deed but ended up achieving the opposite because of his incorrect methods or bad communication skills. What happened to us now was the perfect example of just that¡­all I did was let slip something and the mood instantly took a dangerous turn.


    Both sides waited with bated breaths, as if a pin drop could trigger an all-out war between the two sides. Yet just as I thought that Nozala was going to pull the trigger, it suddenly relaxed its aura.


    ¡°Forget it, even though I find it hard to believe myself, I feel that you mean us no harm. After all, if you hadn¡¯t told us about her, there was nothing stopping you all from just consuming her.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®When he put it like that, I really must say¡­I¡¯m such a moron¡­there laid a perfectly helpless piece of Six-stars salamander meat and I just had to open my big mouth and summon a whole army of salamanders instead¡­right now, we are basically caught between a rock and a hard place thanks to this blasted mouth of mine¡­¡¯

 Chapter 254: It’s Ou

    As the saying went, ¡®a leopard never changes its spots¡¯; some fundamental things were just too hard to change. Just like how a dog likes to lick strange matters, like how cats loved fish, or like how otakus had to love lolis, all of these were laws written into nature itself, facts, unchanging¡­


    In short, expecting me to abandon this silly streak of mine wasn¡¯t going to be easy.


    Still, at least from Nozala¡¯s words, I was able to tell that he wasn¡¯t going to try and trouble us any further. Honestly though, it didn¡¯t matter even if he did. Even if we couldn¡¯t beat them, we could at least escape; our mobility was leagues above theirs after all.


    (TL: I¡¯m assuming Nozala¡¯s gender to be male.)


    Thanks to Nozala¡¯s show of trust, that heavy mood that pervaded this scene just moments ago lessened considerably. Yet, it was the return of Sasani that ultimately expunged all the tension between us.


    His return could only be described as timely, and more importantly, he came back with a bunch of unknown matter in his mouth that looked like flames. Although I had never seen such a thing before, I knew right away that it had to be the legendary Flamegrass everyone had been talking about, the same one which was good for pregnant moms. It had to be said however, that this plant was only effective on creatures of the fire element, at the very least they had to have some form of fire resistance or else¡­it wouldn¡¯t even be usable, probably.


    Having just returned, Sasani was immediately shocked by the giant horde of salamanders facing him. He had clearly left this place with just one giant salamander and yet after a short excursion to find some Flamegrass, that number multiplied by several hundredfold¡­ Initially, the shocked Sasani was doubtful whether or not he had even returned to the right place so he merely galloped about on the outskirts. Most likely he was trying to determine the situation first or perhaps he was worried that something had happened to us, so he didn¡¯t want to alert the salamanders to his presence.


    Thankfully, it was Sinmosa who discovered his presence first and called out to him, at that point, he came trotting back to us with Flamegrass in mouth.


    It was then that I discovered that Flamegrass was actually a plant life that had no corporeal form and was completely formed of flames. While it was definitely made of pure of flames, one could still see the capillaries you would expect from a plant, running through them. That was probably the reason why this strange matter was called Flamegrass.


    ¡°Flamegrass¡­¡± The moment Nozala saw the Flamegrass in Sasani¡¯s mouth, his expression immediately changed. He desperately wanted the grass but in the end he chose to keep quiet. After all, we just had a bit of unpleasantness between us not too long; whether or not we would even hand over the Flamegrass was still an uncertainty to him.


    ¡°Sasani, give him the Flamegrass.¡± Upon hearing that, Sasani turned to look at Sinmosa first who nodded back at him, he then handed over the Flamegrass.


    ¡°Thank you¡­thank you¡­¡± He continuously thanked us before running off with the grass and placing it by the mouth of that Six-stars salamander.


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    Perhaps it was because she sensed the Flamegrass near her or perhaps Nozala had used some method to awaken her, either way her once-closed eyes slowly opened up and the pupils within swivelled about to take a look at the situation.


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember calling for you all¡­¡± Her voice was very weak, seemingly on the verge of being snuffed out like a candle.


    ¡°It was that devil over there who called us.¡± Nozala threw us a grateful look before continuing on: ¡°I¡¯ve already learnt about the situation from that devil. I know you mean well and do not wish to implicate us, but this time you were¡­¡±


    Nozala probably wanted to say that she was wrong then but because of their vast level differences, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to say such an accusatory word.


    ¡°Perhaps¡­¡± By now, no matter how dense she was, she should be able to discern the back and forth that happened before. Thus, she didn¡¯t blame Nozala for his rudeness but merely exhaled on the Flamegrass, causing it to sway a little in the wind: ¡°You are the one who brought this Flamegrass here?¡±


    ¡°No¡­it was the Devil who gave it to us¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­looks like I was really wrong then¡­¡±


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    She gave me an apologetic look while I simply smiled back at her. ¡®I bet I am glowing with white light right now¡­¡¯


    She inexplicably nodded at me and upon doing so, gulped down the Flamegrass in one go, and then closed her eyes once more, as if sensing the flow of energies given to her by the Flamegrass.


    It was at that point that the salamanders finally broke through into the underground lava streams, causing an eruption of lava to spew forth from the ground and fill up a miniature lake 10 meters wide. Naturally, this was only the beginning. The salamanders continued digging as before, hoping to dig a hole large enough for the pregnant salamander to soak in as soon as possible.


    It was then that the horde of Demon FIre Worms finally arrived. An almost endless wave of worms crawled towards us ,layer by layer, until there were only 50 meters separating them from the pregnant salamander. There, they started the process of splitting themselves off with one half crawling up to the side of the salamander while the other half proceeded to return. At that very moment, all she had to do was open her mouth and an entire feast would come jumping into it.


    Soon, the pregnant salamander was able to slowly open her eyes, most likely a result of the Flamegrass¡¯s nourishment. She opened her mouth wide open and the first wave of split-off Demon Fire Worms leaped into her mouth¡­*gulp*, the worms went down her throat while she kept her mouth wide open for the next batch of worms to jump in¡­


    No matter how many times I saw this, I couldn¡¯t help but be amazed by this spectacle. The world was a truly a vast place, filled with all sorts of oddities I could never have imagined or understood. The way they leaped into danger like that probably didn¡¯t make much sense to others, but for them, this was their existence.


    While the worms continued replenishing her energy, the other salamanders continued digging the lake. Soon, the massive salamander was covered in lava within their artificial lake.


    The seconds ticked by and soon I had even forgotten about them entirely. All I knew was that other than us observers, everyone else had their hands full with work. It felt like we had suddenly turned into freeloaders, even though all that work they were carrying out right now was basically done by us before¡­


    Childbirth was something I had never witnessed before. Whether it was Mo Ci¡¯s or Sinmosa¡¯s, I absent for either of them.This time was different however, I was witness to the entire process, not just the hatching.


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    By now, the salamander was completely covered in lava and the other salamanders soon stopped digging as well, once the lake reached twenty meters wide. One by one, the salamanders crawled onto the shore and quietly waited with bated breaths for the moment of truth. As for those Demon Fire Worms, they were no longer there¡­because she ate them all.


    No one spoke a word throughout this tense period. The pregnant salamander kept quiet as well while she soaked in the newly dug up lava lake, motionless as if she was hibernating.


    No one moved an inch and even our breathing was kept to an absolute minimum as the seconds ticked deafeningly by in our heads. Finally, the time that seemed to had frozen up till that point, moved.


    The lava surface started bubbling all of a sudden, as if something was about to come bursting out of the lava lake. Pieces of igneous rock started to float to the top because of this violent movement¡­


    ¡®Is she going to give birth?¡¯


    That was the first thought that occured to me. I stretched out my neck to have a peek, just in time to catch a glimpse of several unknown objects that looked just like frog eggs floating up to the surface. These so-called frog eggs were rather small, each coming in at only the size of an adult¡¯s fist. They weren¡¯t, however, as simple as their floating exterior would suggest. Under the crimson, viscous surface was layer after layer of said unknown object. In fact, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the entire section of that lake was filled with it, from bottom to top.


    These strange objects were most likely the eggs she had just laid. Other than a layer of white wrapping around them, the only other color I saw was a tinge of red within. Discounting the color, they looked exactly like frog eggs.


    *MOUU*


    The pregnancy was a success and the salamanders all cheered in response. Because of all the nourishment she received from the Demon Fire Worms, a miscarriage was avoided entirely. In short, the mother was safe¡­


    Having just gone through such a harrowing experience, the salamander was naturally worn out. She wanted to have a closer look at her babies but unfortunately for her, the demon known as sleep got the better of her, causing her to close her eyes and fall unconscious.


    Soon after she fell asleep, those newly laid eggs slowly turned a blackish red. During that entire process, I could clearly tell that they were absorbing the rocks and magma around them and slowly turning red and black as a result. At the same time, their gelatinous exterior started to harden and turn into the same rocky material that they absorbed not too long ago¡­


    That¡¯s right, those eggs were all turning into stone, the really hard kind too¡­


    The entire lava lake was soon filled with red and black rocks that if stepped on, would most likely feel exactly like solid ground¡­


    At the very least however, it was all over¡­I heaved a deep sigh of relief. This was the first time I had truly witnessed a life being born and I had to admit, I was rather excited. Even now, my heart was still beating furiously in my heart. ¡®How should I say this, it feels like I had just accomplished something! From today onwards, I¡¯m a man who had delivered a baby! Wooooo.¡¯


    Upon confirming her safety, Nozala slowly, and calmly walked up to me: ¡°I¡¯m extremely grateful for this, if it wasn¡¯t for your help, I¡¯m afraid our race might have ended up paying an exorbitant price¡­¡±


    The fact that I wasn¡¯t just ¡®the Devil¡¯ anymore, showed how much his attitude had changed.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for all that, since she¡¯s all right, we should be going as well.¡± I was rather happy right now, given how successful all this was. Not only was I part of this entire process, I played a crucial role as well. ¡®I don¡¯t know why but I amjust so happy and fulfilled right now.¡¯


    ¡°Leave? Right now? What¡¯s the rush?¡± Upon hearing me say that we were about to leave, a shocked Nozala asked as such: ¡°Where are you all heading to? If it¡¯s not too inconvenient, I would love for you all to stay a while so that we may show our gratitude.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I rather leave sooner. As for our destination, we are heading towards the royal capital of the former kingdom of Sable Radiance. I¡¯ve heard that all we have to do is head north.¡±

 Chapter 255: A Broken Down Golem

    ¡®I, the great Mo Ke, never leave a name behind when I perform a good deed, thus our departures are always dashing and gallant.¡¯


    In actuality, I tried to ask Nozala if he knew about the exact location of the palace of Sable Radiance, unfortunately, all I got was an ¡®I don¡¯t know¡¯. To be honest, all the different races in the Remnants of Sable Radiances were kind of like me in the past, a shut-in. Unless something momentous happened, they would basically never leave their territories. After all, there weren¡¯t any merchants here nor was there any sort of common currency here either. With no flow of goods or trade, each race basically holed themselves up and kept a close watch on their own property. There wasn¡¯t any sort of tourism here either¡­should one accidentally trespass on another¡¯s territory, they would basically be treated as invaders¡­who knew what would happen then.


    Speaking of invaders, there was something that had to be said about the Flamegrass Sasani brought back. It wasn¡¯t, in fact, found by him, rather, it was stolen from Warwraith¡­


    Simply put, that Warwraith was scared off by me so when planning his route, he made sure to avoid us entirely. He knew that we were heading north and that we would encounter that salamander for sure so he purposely took a route off our probable course.


    Flamegrass could be a considered a speciality of the Warhorse¡¯s plains, you could call it a treasure of their race too. Thus, they were often guarded by a Wahorse. It was precisely such a Warhorse that got into a fight with Sinmosa when she was out searching for a Flamegrass, and ended up wounding her.


    Going back to Sasani¡¯s story¡­he so happened to chance upon Warwraith while searching for Flamegrass. Upon seeing the familiar Cerberus, the Warhorse elder immediately paled and began shivering slightly, clearly frightened that we hadn¡¯t given up on seeking revenge upon him. However, once Sasani explained that he was here for some Flamegrass, and not to cause trouble for him, that elder immediately handed over said Flamegrass without any hesitation whatsoever¡­seems like our little encounter really left an indelible mark on him¡­


    ¡°So you already knew that there would be a Warhorse guarding the Flamegrass? Then why did you let Sasani go off on his won?¡±


    ¡°Either way, that old horse already had his bravery scared out of him so it should be fine even if Sasani went off on his own.¡± Sinmosa confidently stated as if she had already foreseen that all these would happen.


    ¡°Then how did you know that it would be that old horse guarding the Flamegrass?¡±


    ¡°Because there¡¯s always a temporary camp set up near the Flamegrass, that¡¯s how those horses operated. It¡¯s more likely that he would encounter Warwraith than not.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± ¡®I have to admit, she¡¯s pretty smart, being able to think through all that in such a short time. Still, for Sinmosa to generously offer up her husband¡¯s services like that¡­isn¡¯t she afraid that he might get into danger?¡¯


    Noticing the expression on my face, Sinmosa said thusly: ¡°Honestly, even if he wasn¡¯t able to grab the Flamegrass, he could just as easily have escaped.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s true, he could have ran if things go sour¡­¡¯ No matter what world it was, luring an enemy away from his nest was a valid and well-known strategy. Naturally, those Warhorses were aware of this as well and didn¡¯t dare to chase him too far either since he could have just been a decoy.


    Either way, that was enough reminiscing for now. At the end of the day, our final destination was the palace and that should be where we focus our attention onto.


    Having split off from Nozala, we continued heading north as before. And just like before, we met a number of Warhorses along the way who also avoided us like the plague, merely gazing at us from a distance away.


    Thus, our journey proceeded rather uneventfully for about a month. According to the number of paces covered by Sinmosa, we had roughly travelled over thirty to forty thousand Li and had finally left the Warhorse territory.


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    The territory we were in now could be considered ownerless. The reason was simple: it was dangerous. There were hardly any fiendish creatures who lived here, let alone those who formed a community.


    ¡°Master, she¡¯s still following us.¡± No.3 reported upon returning from his surveillance mission. His brows frowned as he told me: ¡°Since five days ago, she had been stalking us, I originally thought about speaking to her but¡­¡±


    The ¡®she¡¯ No.3 was referring to was a certain salamander who had just given birth. No.3 was the first one to spot her skulking behind us a few days ago. He had wanted to reach out to her then, but upon noticing No.3, she immediately ducked into a nearby lava lake.


    Truly, this was a conundrum for us¡­ ¡®Why is she following us like that? And why did she duck away then? Well, since you don¡¯t want to meet us, I¡¯m not going to waste time on this either.¡¯


    Just like that, I said to No.3: ¡°Leave her, I doubt she has any bad intentions.¡± Given how we had just saved her, I doubt there was even a smidge of possibility that she had come looking for revenge. Yet at the same time, it didn¡¯t seem like she was here to thank us either¡­ ¡®Meh, it¡¯s not like we¡¯re the ones hiding in the shadows, why should we be the ones fretting instead?¡¯


    With that out of the way, we picked a random clearing to rest while Big 4 went scouting ahead, Sasani went hunting for food, Sinmosa took up guard and No.3 continued his patrolling. As for me, I was on storytelling duty with Mo Na and Cinderel. That was basically our daily routine for the past few days. Until the day we reached the palace, this routine would probably go unchanged¡­probably¡­


    Just as I was about to start telling <>, something happened.


    The earth itself began to tremble slightly as booming footsteps slowly echoed in the surroundings.


    Sasani came galloping back, mouths conspicuously empty¡­to be exact, he did bring back something¡­a giant, chipped and single-armed golem¡­


    This newcomer was made out of reddish-black rock that was carved into armor in certain regions, giving it the impression of a heavily armored warrior. However, this warrior had no weapons to speak of and most likely relied on its fists and feet to fight¡­well, a fist, to be exact. The golem in question sent a powerful punch swinging right towards where Sasani stood just moments ago, destroying the earth in the process and sending dust and soil flying about, as if it had just struck a pile of flour. Missing its target, the golem easily pulled out its fist and continued the chase.


    The golem¡¯s speed wasn¡¯t too fast, at the very least it wasn¡¯t up to par with Sasani¡¯s. However, with the way its imposing figure seemed to loom over him, and with how the ground seemed to shake with every step it took, Sasani couldn¡¯t help but feel extremely pressured by the lumbering titan. What was most astonishing was the power it had just displayed ¨Cthat punch was at least at the level of a Five-stars!


    That staggering power was probably why Sasani didn¡¯t dare to pause for even a second as he ran right towards us¡­


    ¡°WOOF WOOOF WOOOF¡­¡± Came Sasani¡¯s loud barks. Upon hearing them, Sinmosa¡¯s face immediately paled as she yelled to us: ¡°RUN¡­that thing is really strong!¡±


    ¡°Master, let me have a go at it!¡± No.3¡¯s yell trailed slowly behind him as he sped off towards the unknown golem, not caring at all about Sinmosa¡¯s reminder. He had seen that golem attack as well; he knew that it was only at the level for a Five-stars and that stirred his battle instincts.


    Like a speeding comet, he dove at the golem with a powerful punch on its head, even without waiting for my prior approval.


    *BOOM!*


    As the fiery fist landed on the head of the golem, the sheer impact caused the flames of his punch to scatter about like a deadly fireworks show. A second later, he came bursting out of that conflagration, hand wrapped on the fist he had just punched the golem with. He flapped his wings furiously to try and widen the distance, brows furrowed in pain.


    Because he charged in without first confirming the traits of that golem, he ended up coming short in that brief scuffle: ¡°Blast it¡­why is that big lug so hard¡­¡±


    Golems, a mysterious construct whose origins were now untraceable. Even though the humans had always insisted that the initial golems were created by them¡­I believed that as well, given how ingenious we humans were¡­but upon seeing that golem before me in a place that had been sealed up for 80 000 years¡­I could safely say that the first golems weren¡¯t created by human alchemists. Most likely, the first alchemists probably copied the designs from somewhere. After all, human history wasn¡¯t longer than 80 000 years, as far as I knew¡­


    Depending on the design, golems could have a wide variety of traits. However, there was one thing in common with all varieties of golems: their defenses were always stronger than their power by at least one whole Star level¡­in other words, this broken down golem was at least as tough as a Six-stars¡­for No.3 to try and punch one like that, was there any wonder that his fist hurt so much?


    Thankfully, Flame Devils had an impressive innate regeneration ability in the form of their elemental transformation. By turning themselves into elements and then back, they could basically recover from most injuries. The drawback was that such a move consumed vast amounts of mana so it had to be employed judiciously in a fight.


    ¡°Master, I¡¯ve returned¡­¡± Hearing the commotion in the distance, Big 4 came rushing back just in time to see No.3 fail his attack: ¡°Master, what¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a golem¡­¡± In the past, Roscar had told me about such a construct. He said that human alchemists loved to use these constructs as guards but for the most part, the ones they created weren¡¯t that high level. A golem at this level could already be considered a high level golem.

 Chapter 256: An Inevitable Figh

    ¡°Big 4, come help me!¡± Not satisfied with giving up so quickly, No.3 charged at the golem once more. This time however, he had learnt his lesson. Prior to impact, he transformed into an elemental state and tried to use his elemental energy to hurt the golem.


    Infant Flame Devils weren¡¯t able to fully turn themselves into flames. At the very most, their ability allowed them to only convert a limb or a portion of their body. Thus, No.3 changed his right arm into its elemental form before smashing down onto the one-armed golem¡¯s head.


    There were no explosions to be heard anywhere, all we heard was a faint splutter, like iron coming into contact with cotton. Seeing that, No.3 wasted no time in retreating right away, avoiding the golem¡¯s counterattack in the process as he soared into the skies once more.


    ¡°Why is that piece of junk¡¯s fire resistance so high¡­¡±


    Whether it was his physical or elemental attacks, they had all failed in harming his opponent. Now sensing the vast difference between himself and the golem, No.3 tried to retreat but unfortunately for him, he had underestimated the golem once more.


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    With a thunderous creak, the golem bent its rocky joints and leaped into the sky, reaching an astounding height of over 10 meters despite its giant size. It had closed the gap between itself and the fleeing No.3 and instant. Using its last remaining arm, it easily caught both of No.3¡¯s legs with a quick swipe. It was then that the golem reached the peak of its flight and because of its unimaginable weight, plummeted to the ground in an instant, bringing No.3 along with it¡­


    Because No.3 had assumed that he had escaped, he wasn¡¯t at all prepared for the giant¡¯s sudden attack. Panicked, he desperately flapped his wings to try and break free of the golem¡¯s grasp. Unfortunately for him, that tiny pittance of strength was nothing before the mighty weight and strength of the golem. His fate had been decided from the very moment he was caught.


    Thankfully, his panic didn¡¯t get the better of him as he managed to transform his two legs into flames at the crucial moment, narrowly breaking free just as the golem was about to impact the ground.


    *boom*


    The golem came crashing down, in a shower of dust and fractured rocks. Having just rushed over, Big 4 reached for his waist and drew a black short sword he kept there. That was a weapon given to him by Mo Na not too long ago, after she had just crafted it from countless Flame Devouring Fishbones. With how refined it was, it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that it could even slice a strand of hair.


    One had to know that, as of right now, the bones of said fiendish fishes were the most suitable crafting material we had found for weaponcrafting. By condensing hundreds of fishbones into one single short sword, the sharpness of its edge was indescribable.


    Because such a powerful sword required so much materials, Mo Na was only able to create one sword, and that was given to Big 4 who was in charge of scouting ahead for us. Naturally, I wasn¡¯t one to make such a statement based on feeling alone. Back when it was first crafted, I had it tested against the igneous rocks nearby and it performed spectacularly, cutting through the hardened rock like it was just tofu.


    From that demonstration alone, one could tell how powerful the short sword was.


    Yet when Big 4 forcefully stabbed at the head of that golem, the short sword merely slid past the rounded surface, causing a screeching sound amidst a shower of sparks, and nothing more¡­


    ¡®The defenses of a Six-stars are formidable after all¡­to think that short sword isn¡¯t even able to leave a scratch on it¡­at this rate, only my Shadowfang could possibly hope to stand against it.¡¯


    As I thought that, my eyes travelled down to the stump of its former arm before taking another look at the multitude of wounds carved into its body. I could tell that it must have gone through a vicious battle in the end: ¡®Just how powerful was it in the past¡­¡¯


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    Having failed to cause any damage despite his confident stab, the look on Big 4¡¯s face immediately turned to one of shock after which it was blocked out by a forceful slap from that golem. Like a ping pong ball, Big 4 was sent flying over several miles away¡­


    REPORT AD


    Not expecting this turn of events at all, Big 4 crashed into the ground with a resounding crunch before he could even come to his senses, mind still too addled to even try and climb to his feet after that. However, the golem wasn¡¯t done with him at all. With a powerful kick of its legs, it charged towards the fallen devil, clearly not intending to let this newfound prey off the hook!


    Seeing the two of them engaged in such a difficult battle, Sasani had no choice but to charge right into battle once more, with the intention of using himself as bait to give Big 4 some breathing time.


    From his measured gallops and approach, I could tell that Sasani must have clashed with that golem before, and had probably suffered at its hands as well. Choosing not to face the golem head on, he circled around the lumbering construct while looking for a chance to launch a flanking strike.


    Even though the one-armed golem was surprisingly speedy for its size, it wasn¡¯t able to turn too well. Sasani knew that and was specifically exploiting this weakness to gallop around to the back of that golem before using his relatively more agile movements to leap on the golem¡¯s back. Jaws wide open, he bit down viciously into the back of the golem¡¯s neck, making sure to throw in a flame breath for good measure as well. And yet even this mighty attack was unable to pierce the defenses of that golem. With all his biting strength, Sasani was only able to leave a shallow scratch mark while the flames harmlessly scattered about in the air.


    The golem flailed its upper half about in a frenzy, trying its best to dislodge the annoyance stuck on its back. However, Sasani¡¯s vice-like jaws refused to let go and soon the two were locked in a heated wrestling match. On one hand, there was the golem who, because of the restrictions of its body, was unable to capture Sasani. On the other hand, there was Sasani who, while still unable to damage the golem at all, was still an annoying pest. For the time being, neither side was able to do a thing to the other.


    Seeing that, No.3 took the bold move of resuming his attacks while circling around the golem. Although they still weren¡¯t all that effective, they at least limited the movements of the golem somewhat.


    ¡°Sinmosa, if I rode on your back, can you guarantee that I won¡¯t get swatted by that golem?¡± With how powerful that golem was, I knew that the only hope we had now was the blade, Shadowfang, resting on my back. However, with all its flaws, I reckoned that as long as Sinmosa and I coordinated this attack together, it should work. After all, Shadowfang¡¯s sharpness had never once disappointed me.


    ¡°There won¡¯t be a problem there, but your strength¡­¡± She immediately answered without any hesitation. Seeing her husband engage in a deadly melee with the golem like that, she couldn¡¯t help but feel anxious as she said: ¡°It doesn¡¯t look it can turn too well, as long as I circle around it, I doubt it will be able to hit me, but your strength¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I still have this.¡± At that, I drew out Shadowfang, the blade which had I never used since I slew One-eye. Had it not been for the golem¡¯s obvious lack in speed, and the fact that it could only be hurt by physical means, I would have never made this offer at all. For the most part however, I was pretty certain that I wouldn¡¯t be any danger while on Sinmosa thanks to her speed advantage. All that left was, as she said, my strength, however that was something that had to be tested firsthand.


    ¡®Well, Sinmosa should be able to protect me even if Shadowfang isn¡¯t able to penetrate its outer shell.¡¯


    ¡°Mama¡­don¡¯t go¡­it¡¯s dangerous¡­¡±


    ¡°Sweetie, don¡¯t be scared, Papa will be alright.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, Mo Na believes in Mama too¡­¡± Her eyes started to water. ¡°Mama, make sure to come back¡­¡±


    ¡°Got it, Papa will come back for sure¡­make sure to take Cinderel and hide somewhere safe, don¡¯t distract your Papa, got it?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± She nodded her head vigorously before flying up to give me a peck on the cheeks and flying off with Cinderel safely in her arms.


    Had this been the past, Mo Na would have definitely clamored about trying to protect me. From that incident with the Nightmare Steed however, Mo Na had matured noticeably. No longer did she try to offer to protect me at the drop of a hat; in her mind, she probably thought that was some kind of mysterious power dwelling in me.


    ¡°We¡¯re off then.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, I¡¯m almost prepared.¡± As I said that, I breathed in deeply and forced my pounding heart to quieten down lest it jumped out of my throat. Had it not been for Sinmosa being with me, a small fry Three-stars like me would never have even thought of joining in the fight unless I wanted to get flattened like a pancake.


    This golem wasn¡¯t the most powerful foe I had faced down before, but it was the foe that I had to face right now. Without Ferti¡¯nier to back me up this time, this trial was one that I had to overcome myself with the help of my companions.


    Big 4 was still out of commission because of that powerful swat from the golem. Sasani and No.3 were currently working together to restrict the golem and buy more time for Big 4 to recover. Yet while they were doing that, they suffered some minor injuries from time to time. At the very least however, they managed to avoid any lethal blows though such a dance of death took a heavy toll on their stamina. Before their stamina was spent, I had to end this quickly or at least buy more time for Big 4 to recover and¡­run.


    Either way, I had to stand out now. Whether it was No.3, Big 4 or Sasani, they were all companions I couldn¡¯t give up on!


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± I yelled, partly to encourage myself, and partly to give Sinmosa the signal that I was ready.


    She said nothing but instead sped off like bolt of lightning towards the one-armed golem, taking a hard but fast turn to its right just as we reached it. Because the golem was missing its right arm, that flank was a gap in its defense we could exploit without ever worrying about resistance.


    Knuckles white from gripping Shadowfang, I clamped both my legs down on Sinmosa¡¯s back and secured a stable platform for myself. Blade reaching over two meters long, the jet black Shadowfang swung out a moment later towards the neck of the golem. Immediately, a powerful shock reverberated through the blade and back towards me, causing my hands to go numb instantly. Unable to stand up to that overwhelming force, I lost my grip on Shadowfang and it went spiralling away before piercing the ground nearby with a resounding stab¡­


    However, that wasn¡¯t the end of my problems either. Because of that powerful shock, I was thrown off Sinmosa¡¯s back. Never once in my life had I fallen off a horse, because I had never ridden one before. Yet now, in this strange world, I had experienced falling off a mount for the first time ever but with even graver consequences than it otherwise would have¡­

 Chapter 257: Near Death…

    My body slammed against the floor like a rag doll, causing a powerful wave of pain to wash over me in an instant. So strong was the pain, that it almost caused to me to have an out-of-body experience. My screaming nerves immediately seized control of my limbs, causing me to lie there, unable to move to at all while my consciousness faded slowly. My eyes were glazed over and my head felt hazy¡­I didn¡¯t even know if my slash had even struck the golem or whether it had even caused it damage¡­


    As I laid there spasming slightly in pain, my breathing became ragged and difficult as if there was something squishing me to the floor.


    From my prone position, I could vaguely make out the silhouette of that golem rushing at me.


    ¡°Master!¡± No.3 yelled as he swiftly scooped up Big 4¡¯s fallen sword and sped towards the approaching behemoth, sword drawn and ready. However, his frenzied attacks did nothing to halt the golem¡¯s progress as it stomped towards me steadily while brushing off No.3¡¯s swings with its left arm. As for the areas it wasn¡¯t able to shield, it didn¡¯t care that much either. It had already come to the conclusion that No.3 wasn¡¯t able to cause it much harm thus it ignored him mostly and was instead dead set on wiping me out.


    ¡°Sasani!¡± Sinmosa howled for her husband. Having jumped off the golem not too long ago, he howled back to her. The two of them immediately burst into flames and charged at the golem, each taking one flank.


    The Raging Flame Charge was both a physical and elemental attack and while the golem was mostly immune to fire attacks, physical attacks definitely affected it. Still, the combined charge of the two Cerberuses wasn¡¯t able to cause it much damage at all, but it was at least able to delay its march of death slightly.


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    With two blazing Cerberuses speeding towards it from the flanks, the golem finally had to defend itself. Unfortunately for it, and fortunately for us, it only had one arm so while it was able to block Sasani¡¯s charge from the left, it wasn¡¯t able to defend against Sinmosa¡¯s charge.


    As for Sasani, just because his charge was blocked didn¡¯t mean that his attack was ineffective either. All three of his jaws opened up wide the instant he rammed into the golem and bit down like a vice on its left arm. The golem raised its arm in response to his bites and started shaking it about, but Sasani stubbornly held onto its sole arm and dangled there like a fish stuck on a fish hook. Realizing that its efforts were futile, the golem lifted its leg to kick the offending Hellhound but that was quickly stopped by a timely charge from Sinmosa, whose attack from its undefended flank nearly caused it to topple over.


    Taking advantage of this temporary instability, Sasani released his bite and upon landing on the ground, swiftly scampered up the golem¡¯s back and resumed biting, this time at the golem¡¯s neck. Previously, he had bitten this particular spot before and this showed in the bite marks left on the back of its beck. This proved to Sasani that his attacks were indeed effective and that as long as enough physical force was applied, he could eventually bite through the golem, given time of course.


    ¡°Master¡­you dare to harm the Master?! I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    After a period of recovery, Big 4 was finally able to stand up. However, because of the severity of that swat just now, he still wasn¡¯t strong enough to access all of his powers and thus wasn¡¯t able to turn himself into an elemental state. As he stood there looking at my prone form, his first instinct was to reach for Shadowfang, which laid stuck in the ground not too far away from, him in order to avenge me.


    Unfortunately, as an Epic-grade weapon, it wouldn¡¯t allow just anyone to touch it. In fact, this was the first time that someone other than me or Habona tried to touch it; let¡¯s just say that the result was rather shocking.


    Even before his hand touched its hilt, Shadowfang actually backed away from him as if someone was controlling it.


    Initially, Big 4 thought that it was merely his eyes playing tricks on him so he decided to give it another shot. This time, his second attempt was met with a much more violent response. With an unexpected 360 degrees flourish, Shadowfang sliced off Big 4¡¯s hand¡­


    Thankfully, such a wound wasn¡¯t enough to cause any lasting problem for Big 4 who picked up his fallen hand and immediately retreated away from the deadly blade. Upon putting a safe distance between him and the blade, he reattached the severed part and turned it into flames to connect the two portions together. A few seconds later, his arm was completely restored.


    Still, that brief brush with danger was more than enough to teach him not to touch Shadowfang¡­


    Up till to that point, I truly did not know that Epic-grade weapons had the ability to recognize its owner¡­


    Unable to utilize Shadowfang, Big 4 joined the other three in circling the golem and attacking it. Thanks to their superior agility, all four of them managed to avoid taking too much damage but so did the golem, whose defenses were simply too strong even with their combined might. Once their stamina ran out, this fight would basically be over.


    ¡°Sinmosa, take the Master and leave first, we¡¯ll hold him here.¡± Soon after Big 4¡¯s arrival, No.3 realized the severity of their situation and tried to call for a retreat.


    As of right now, I was still laying on the ground in an extremely embarrassing pose but at the very least my condition had improved and the numbness had subsided somewhat.


    Sinmosa understood what No.3 was trying to convey in an instant. She answered his cry immediately and sped off towards me without any hesitation.


    WIth her gone, No.3, Big 4 and Sasani redoubled their efforts in order to cover for her. Unfortunately, their attacks were still as weak as before, being more akin to mosquito bites than anything else. While the golem might seem like a Six-stars on the surface, its defenses had to be at the peak of Six-stars. Moreover, the golem was practically immune to fire attacks so we could only rely on physical attacks.


    Unable to employ their main elemental attacks, was it any wonder that our members found themselves so hampered?


    If I had to make a comparison, which I definitely did, the three of them were like player characters who dabbled in magic and martial arts. When faced with an enemy who was immune to either skill category and highly resistant to the other, their damage output would drastically decrease, putting them at a severe disadvantage.


    That was basically the situation facing No.3, Big 4 and Sasani right now; the golem was the enemy in that example who possessed an overwhelming defense level.


    (TL: The author¡¯s example was slightly altered (mostly shortened) to make more sense. If you think I should remove it entirely, leave a comment below.)


    Switching back to Sinmosa, she had just arrived by my side when she immediately bit down on my armor and with a flick of her neck, tossed me onto her back.


    The golem, who seemed to have discovered Sinmosa¡¯sintention, promptly chased after her with an amazing burst of speed. From the way it came rushing towards us, I could have sworn that there was some furious gust of wind pushing it forward from the back. In a mere moment, it managed to bypass No.3, Big 4 and Sasani¡¯s blockade and rush straight at us.


    ¡°Hold tight!¡± Sinmosa yelled as her body did an emergency turn to try evade the golem. With how fast it charged at us, she barely managed to avoid the blow as it grazed her fur.


    While I might have recovered somewhat in the interim, it wasn¡¯t enough for me to cope with such a sudden jerk. My forceless grip was promptly ripped away and my body tossed aside soon after by the residual force of Sinmosa¡¯s turn¡­


    *bang bang bang*


    A cascading wave of booms echoed in my head, bypassing my ears entirely, coming instead from the direct impact reverberating inside my skull as I rolled about on the ground. Pain¡­an indescribable level of it, accompanied by that same numbing sensation that plagued me not too long ago¡­


    That was the second time I was thrown off Sinmosa¡¯s back. Thanks to my bad luck, I was sent crashing into a nearby rock that almost caused me to kick the bucket then. I inhaled sharply from the sudden shock and my eyes seemed to go black as if I was about to faint¡­


    ¡°Master!¡± I faintly heard the two of them whispering from a good distance away. ¡®Whispering? They must¡¯ve been really been yelling loudly then for me to hear them from this distance away¡­where am I even?¡¯ As I gazed around me, my eyes swimmed unsteadily, causing my vision to blur into a surreal picture, or illusion of sorts¡­that was probably how others must have felt when they were on the verge of fainting.


    The ground shook once more and I felt the earth beneath me tremble slightly. Something was causing the ground to react so violently ¨Cit was that golem rushing right towards me. No.3 and Big 4 tried to delay the golem¡¯s progress but they were swiftly slapped away by its last remaining arm as if they were merely flies.


    Finally, there was nothing standing between it and me.


    With my fate sealed, my eyes inexplicably drifted over towards the direction of Mo Na who was flapping her tiny wings furiously to try and reach me, eyes watering all the while and tears scattering about like tiny jewels.


    ¡®Sweetie¡­it looks like Papa won¡¯t make it after all¡­¡¯


    Ferti¡¯nier was still out of commission so there was no use hoping for her aid. But without her, I truly had no trump cards left to play. ¡®Even if I wanted to fight back now¡­I don¡¯t think it¡¯s even possible¡­looks like I was a little overconfident in my abilities after all¡­like a Three-stars could ever stand against a Five-stars just because of some Epic-grade weapon and some blasted Main Character Halo¡­if only I hadn¡¯t rushed at it with Shadowfang¡­but there are no ifs in this world¡­only cold hard facts¡­¡¯


    Suddenly, a huge shadow seemed to zip across my field of vision. ¡®A hallucination? To think my pain would actually cause me to hallucinate about a giant monster passing through my body¡­no wait, it did in fact leap over me! That field of red passing over me and blotting out the sky in the process must have been its belly.¡¯ Because of my poor angle, I wasn¡¯t able to get a good look at the monster before it leaped over me and rammed into the golem.


    *BANG*


    The two collided in what looked more like a scene from Ultr*man versus some kind of monster¡­


    Taking advantage of this momentary distraction. Sinmosa hurriedly bit down on my armor once more and dragged me out of the battlefield. It was then that No.3, Big 4 and Sasani came rushing back as well. Also, Mo Na, who was worried sick by now, came flying over with Cinderel in tow.


    ¡°Mama¡­¡± Just as I was placed on the floor, I had the wind knocked out of me by Mo Na who leaped onto me and stubbornly clung onto my neck while weeping. ¡°Mama¡­*weep*¡­Mo Na was so scared¡­¡±

 Chapter 258: Out of Danger

    The first phase of scouting has been completed. 1000 skeleton soldiers were sent out for this expedition and all 1000 had successfully made landfall¡­intelligence reports indicate¡­the soldiers managed to land in one of the human cities. The humans of this world are exceptionally frail, not advisable as a replenishment source. Modification is required. The humans of the new world possess a variety of strange weapons. They are able to fly by wearing a full suit of armor and possess a high degree of long ranged firepower. The expedition only survived for five minutes before they were completely wiped out. The mana in this world is limited¡­unable to discern the weapon type employed by the humans¡­initial reports indicate that they aren¡¯t magical weapons, energy source¡­unknown¡­


    The second phase is currently being prepared but the dimensional walls of the new world are repelling us. We beseech Your Highness to send more warlocks to reinforce us¡­


    ¡ª¨CA report from an invader of the new world


    ¡°¡­¡± Bearing with the pain coursing through my body, I reached out in order to pat Mo Na on the head. However, just as I tried to lift a finger, my muscles seized up in pain and my hand instinctively jerked in response. In my current state, I wasn¡¯t even able to talk, let alone raise a hand.


    ¡°Mama¡­what¡¯s the matter? Why aren¡¯t you talking¡­*weep*¡­¡± Mo Na saw the pained look I had on right now and it left her completely at a loss as to what to do. All she could think of was to hug me and weep.


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    ¡°*cough¡­it¡¯s¡­okay¡­Pa¡­pa¡­is fine¡­¡± Seeing her so upset tore my heart apart. Compared to the physical pain I felt then, the emotional pain I felt was much worse. I truly didn¡¯t wish for her to be frightened so badly. Thus, while bearing with the scorching pain in my body, I did my best to force out that response and assure her that my condition wasn¡¯t as bad as she thought.


    Hearing my voice calmed her down somewhat and she began to wipe away her tears with her little hands before giving me a silly smile: ¡°Mama is alright¡­¡±


    Naturally, a full recovery wasn¡¯t possible in the short term, but speaking was still barely manageable for me.


    ¡°Master, it¡¯s her¡­¡± Having just returned to my side with Big 4, No.3 pointed at the red monster tangling with the golem and exclaimed: ¡°It¡¯s that salamander!¡±


    I saw it as well. Someone of that size and stature¡­with such a timely arrival as well¡­was there anyone else but her who could have done so? Still, it wasn¡¯t like everything was alright now. While she was a fully fledged Six-stars, as compared to the golem being at the level of Five-stars offensively and Six-stars defensively, she wasn¡¯t at an overwhelming advantage either. Having just given birth, her strength wasn¡¯t at its peak yet so she still had some issues fighting with that golem.


    Unfortunately, that golem¡¯s defenses were simply too strong for us to break through and without Shadowfang to help us¡­none of us were of any use right now.


    The giant salamander first clawed at the golem with her two front limbs, restraining it in the process. With how large her claws were, almost half of the golem¡¯s upper body was covered in her palms. The salamander then opened her reptilian mouth and breathed a roaring pillar of fire at the golem. Flames raging, the powerful attack collided with the rocky hide of the golem in a blinding fireworks show that ultimately did nothing to the golem.


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    The golem immediately reacted by lifting up its leg and gave a solid front kick to the salamander¡¯s throat, forcing her to sputter violently while tiny motes of flames escaped her throat unnaturally.


    ¡®That must¡¯ve really hurt¡­having to choke on fire like that¡­¡¯


    Not paying attention to the pain in her throat, she took this opportunity to launch a counter attack at the golem¡¯s face using her tail. *CRACK* The golem¡¯s head was sent flying, just like that!


    ¡®Woah¡­exactly how powerful is she anyway¡­¡¯


    Not only were we shocked, that salamander was as well, judging from the dumbfounded look she had on right now.


    Still, now wasn¡¯t the time for us to let our guard down; just because the golem was now headless, that didn¡¯t mean the battle was over either. Golems were magical constructs and did not necessarily require a head to function. For all we knew, that head was just added on because the creator liked the look of it¡­after all, these golems were created with the humanoid form in mind so not having a head was a little¡­odd.


    Not to say that the head was completely unnecessary either; there was no such thing as a meaningless part when designing a golem. Thus, while the head might not function in the same way as our brains did, losing it was still a massive blow to the golem.


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    The golem immediately flailed its arm about, clearly unable to see or hear now that it had lost its head. It desperately tried to claw at the salamander¡¯s position but unfortunately for it, the salamander was no fool either.


    By now, she had already retreated several paces back and circled around it entirely. Sweeping out with her left front limb, she grabbed ahold of the golem¡¯s legs and toppled it before pressing down on its back with her right limb. Restraining it entirely like that, she prevented any chance of a comeback from it. The golem made one last bid attempt at knocking her off with its arm but was swiftly stopped by a bite from the salamander. Finally, after a period of biting and sawing from the salamander, its last remaining arm was torn off!


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    With that, the battle was basically over. Without a head or hand, and with its body completely restrained, the golem was no longer a threat. In this state, it merely took a minute for the salamander to smash it into pieces.


    ¡°How did its head get smacked away like that¡­¡± The fact that the golem was rendered headless so easily still shocked me even more. No.3, Big 4, Sinmosa and Sasani had all attacked it countless times but its rock hard body refused to budge an inch and yet all it took was one whack from that salamander¡­ ¡®that¡¯s just wrong¡­¡¯


    ¡°Because your slash just so happened to land on its neck. If your strength was just a little stronger¡­you could have lopped it off then.¡± Having had a front row seat to that, Sinmosa naturally knew what happened just before I was flung off her back.


    ¡®Like she said, if I had just been a little stronger¡­all this wouldn¡¯t have happened¡­the falling off twice, Mo Na¡¯s crying¡­in the end, I¡¯m just too weak¡­if I was just a little stronger, I wouldn¡¯t be lying on the ground like a dead dog. If I was stronger, I could¡¯ve just used Shadowfang to sliced that golem up into pieces and feed it to the dogs¡­not that Sasani or Sinmosa would eat it¡­¡¯


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    The Demonic Fire Salamander picked up the head of the golem and carried it up to me. It reared itself backwards slightly, bringing its height to roughly that of the golem¡¯s. Given how she had just taken out an enemy which we all failed to, her pressure seemed even more domineering than usual.


    Lowering her head, she gently dumped the head before me and gave me a complicated look. Because of her approaching us, No.3 and Big 4 became slightly anxious and hurriedly rushed to my side, separating me away from the salamander. Even Sinmosa and Sasani didn¡¯t know what to make of her now and took up a wary stance as well.


    Even though all that was really just useless before this salamander¡­


    Still lying on the floor, I peered into its eyes and saw no killing intent whatsoever. However, that didn¡¯t necessarily mean that it wasn¡¯t out for revenge either, not that I felt that she had any reason to do so.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already learnt¡­about what happened then¡­.¡± Because she was so huge and so near to me as well, her voice reverberated through my ears like thunder, causing my severely injured self to feel a little lightheaded :¡±Thanks¡­¡±


    ¡°No problem¡­I have to thank you as well. Had it not been for you, I might have already been¡­in that sense, we¡¯re even.¡± I forced out a smile from my aching face before asking something that had bothered me since her appearance: ¡°Was that why you followed us for so long?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± The salamander shook her head: ¡°I just wanted to know why a devil would help me without any reward. Not only did you not ask for anything for helping me, you did so even though we just had a fight¡­¡±


    ¡°*cough* You were pregnant then, how could I just ignore a pregnant mother in need of help?¡±


    ¡°I¡­don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°Oh right, let¡¯s not talk about these unnecessary matters for now, how are your children? Is it alright for you to be here like this?¡±


    ¡°The children are safe, they don¡¯t need my care.¡±


    Hearing her say that, I was reminded of that hardening phenomenon I witnessed when the eggs were born: ¡°Is it because they became as hard as rocks after absorbing the surrounding igneous rocks?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that layer is extremely sturdy, even a Flame Devouring Fish¡¯s teeth couldn¡¯t hope to saw through that.¡±


    But if it¡¯s that hard, how are they going to break out?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Her lips curled into a rather human smile then. ¡°Once the children are ready to come out, that layer will automatically fall apart.


    ¡°¡­¡± Sometimes, I truly felt that I was really stupid. ¡°Then they will all be Demon Fire Worms?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, our entire race all started out as Demon Fire Worms before evolving into what we are now.¡±


    ¡°Your race¡¯s method of survival is just so special, I swear¡­¡±


    ¡°Special? How so? Because we eat the split off section of a Demon Fire Worm?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, most people wouldn¡¯t think of jumping into someone¡¯s mouth to be eaten.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just how we survive. Besides, every Demon Fire Worm has the ability to split itself up. As long as they do not split themselves up too much in a short period of time, there won¡¯t be a problem at all.¡±


    After that short chat, I decided that it was roughly about time so I went straight to the point: ¡°Then where are you headed to now?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s put that aside for now, what about you guys? Where are you all heading to?¡±

 Chapter 259: Nola Joins Us

    ¡°Our destination is the ruins of Sable Radiance¡¯s Palace. According to the information I was given, we just have to head north but I¡¯m not sure how far we have to travel.¡± I could tell that this salamander wasn¡¯t going to harm us at all. Thus, I happily told it our destination without any reservation whatsoever: ¡°Based on the fact that we encountered that golem, I dare say that we are nearing our destination.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that your destination is close by?¡± The salamander paused for a second before adding: ¡°That¡¯s your guess?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, if something as monstrous as that golem has even appeared, I doubt the palace will be much further away.¡± At that, I gave that golem¡¯s head, which was half as tall as I was, a swift kick and then I smiled: ¡°Where else would you find such a powerful golem other than the palace, they can¡¯t be that common, right?¡±


    ¡°Long ago when I was still young, my elders mentioned that golems were hidden throughout these lands and they weren¡¯t in the minority either. When you least expected it, one could ambush you.¡± Her reptilian face darkened. ¡°Moreover, it¡¯s really hard to find food here or perhaps it¡¯s simply because there are so many golems here that the majority of the creatures ended up getting expelled, leaving behind those who possess some sort of unique ability. Are you sure this is really the place you¡¯re looking for?¡±


    ¡°It should be right, Princess Meisian was the one who told us to head north some time ago and that¡¯s what we¡¯ve been doing all this while. Even if my instincts were wrong, we still have to pass by this area anyway.¡±


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    ¡°So you¡¯re fine with putting your life in danger?¡± She gave me a confused look. ¡°Just like with that golem, if I hadn¡¯t followed you all¡­¡±


    ¡®If she hadn¡¯t followed us, I would probably be dead by now. But should I really give up my long held goal just because of that? I still want to see Nicole, to see Roscar. Also, how are Numila and the others doing in Abaddon? But if I don¡¯t visit the palace, will I be stuck in this god forsaken place forever? No¡­I must go, I want to return to the human world, I want to find Numila and the others. Yi Yi too; that fallen angel who even gave me a second chance at life by sending me to the Blood Sea¡­I should at least thank her personally¡­and talk about our marriage at the same time¡­ahem¡­I mean if I¡¯m marrying her, won¡¯t Nicole be as¡­¡¯


    ¡®C**p¡­I¡¯ve gone off the rails again¡­¡¯


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    ¡°Are you all right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine but if you¡¯re trying to persuade me to give up, stop. No matter what, my feet will never stop.¡± I knew she meant well by trying to stop me but I had too many considerations to back down now. Besides, I didn¡¯t want to be stuck here forever either. Thus, I resolutely shook my head and said: ¡°I want to leave, there are too many people waiting for me elsewhere and I want to see them again. Even if I die while trying, that¡¯s fine¡­but no matter what, I¡¯m not spending the rest of my life as a coward in this forsaken place¡­to me, both outcomes are just as bad.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­¡± She fell silent. During this period of silence, neither of us spoke. I was busy recovering while she¡­well, I had no way of telling what she was thinking now but either way, none of us was planning to break this silence yet. Ten seconds later, the salamander finally spoke up once more: ¡°Travelling northward in this injured condition of yours, and with this level of combat strength¡­that¡¯s just too risky¡­¡±


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    ¡°Huh? So what you¡¯re saying is¡­¡±


    Even though I had only heard the initial half of what she was trying to say, I could basically guess what came next¡­ ¡®don¡¯t tell me she wants to accompany us¡­¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ll travel with you all then, since you¡¯re so dead set on continuing.¡±


    ¡°¡­you want to follow us northwards? Didn¡¯t you just say that it is dangerous¡­why accompany us?¡±


    Truth be told, her offer was a pleasant surprise for me. Given our current level, proceeding forward would most likely result in our¡­death, even if we did our best to avoid those golems. How long could we avoid those golems and how many were there exactly? No one know. Thus, this entire endeavor was nothing but a suicide mission unless I found somewhere to train first. Naturally, that was out of the question as it would take too long.


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    Yet lo and behold, a salamander actually offered her aid¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± She nodded.


    ¡°Because we helped you in the past?¡±


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    ¡°You can say that.¡± As she said that, she flicked her head to the side in a display of feigned aloofness that honestly¡­was a little hard for me watch.


    ¡°What¡­what about your children?¡±


    At that, I got as firm an answer as you could possibly give, as if this was only to be expected. ¡°Whether or not the children can live is their own business. As a mother, my only job is to give birth to them.¡±


    ¡°¡­that¡¯s some personality, I gotta say¡­¡± How else was I to react then?


    ¡°Personality?¡± The salamander shook her head. ¡°This is the way of our race.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, I won¡¯t tsukkomi that anymore¡­¡±


    ¡°Tsukkomi? What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°¡­it¡¯s nothing, pay no attention to it¡­ahem¡­come, let¡¯s have a round of introductions then, we¡¯re all companions from now on after all.¡±


    After a round of introductions, we roughly had an idea of this giant salamander. Her name was Nola, a Six-stars that was almost at the level of a Seven-stars. Because of her pregnancy, her level dropped rather drastically but at least it was still within the band of Six-stars.


    ¡®Speaking of pregnancy, what about her husband?¡¯


    The answer I got then was this: ¡°Unlike the other races, we don¡¯t marry.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°Because we¡¯re hermaphrodites.¡±


    ¡®So they are all futas then?¡¯


    Speechless, I didn¡¯t know what to say except: ¡°¡­you salamanders are really quite special.¡±


    ¡°Special? How so?¡± Nola gave me a puzzled look and said: ¡°Honestly, I feel you devils are the strange ones instead. Why must you have two separate genders and even mate to give birth, isn¡¯t that just annoying?¡±


    ¡®Annoying¡­so a little piston action is too troublesome for you? Don¡¯t you know that the key to a healthy lifestyle is exercise? Also, isn¡¯t it the norm to have two genders. Anyway, you futas are the weird ones here¡­¡¯


    Just like that, Nola joined our merry band in our concerted push for the palace. With her addition, our progress picked up considerably. From time to time, we would meet some golems but they were all taken care of by Nola.


    Naturally, No.3, Big 4, Sinmosa and Sasani were a part of the fight as well, as the supporting role¡­unlike the main role they played not too long ago. For the most part, No.3 and Big 4 weren¡¯t upset by this relegation to the second string though No.3 was a little concerned at first about Nola¡¯s motives.


    He came up to me to discuss this concern but I rebuffed him by asking: ¡°What do we have that¡¯s worth stealing anyway?¡±


    Truly, we were downright broke right now. The only thing we had that was worth mentioning was Shadowfang but that was clearly unsuitable for Nola¡¯s body shape¡­ After giving it some thought, No.3 finally shook his head and said: ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡®Speaking of which, why was she following us if we had nothing then? I guess it¡¯s because she wanted to repay the mercy we showed her but for a creature of Purgatory to act like that is a little unexpected¡­¡¯

 Chapter 260: Food

    With regards to that one-armed golem, I checked it personally and found, to my surprise, a set of golden humanoid bones¡­so what was I to make of this? Well¡­the construction of these golems ought to have something to do with undead magic¡­whether or not the golems made by humans were the same or not, that I didn¡¯t know¡­for these golems at least, they were made thusly.


    Still, these golems weren¡¯t pure undead either. Strictly speaking, they were still magical constructs. One of the largest difference between the two had to be that undead creatures could consume souls to strengthen themselves while golems clearly did not; the golems had to rely on external modifications in order to strengthen themselves. To modify and strengthen these golems however, would require an enormous amount of expenses because of the materials required. In spite of that, golems were still a force to be reckoned with because their insane magical resistance easily covered the cost of modification.


    Simply put, undead creatures could strengthen themselves infinitely while the golems had material and physical restrictions to their strengthening. However, there was no such thing as a perfect creature in this world, alive or dead. Compared to magical constructs, the undead had a fatal flaw¡­their magical resistance; they were terribly afraid of Light and Fire magicks. The undead had basically zero resistance against those two particular branches, sometimes going into the negatives for the undead of the ghostly branch.


    Putting that aside for now, there was still the matter of how Sasani met the golem. I had asked him for details regarding this but because he couldn¡¯t speak in the tongue of the devil, he could only rely on Sinmosa acting as a translator.


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    Back then, while he was out hunting for food, the golem suddenly charged out from a pile of rocks, and started attacking him furiously. Initially, Sasani tried to fight back but he soon discovered it was futile. That was why he ran back to us barking wildly. As facts later proved, he was right in doing so¡­even the combined might of all of us couldn¡¯t handle that golem.


    Thankfully, Nola was there to save us in the nick of time.


    Because of her, our speed picked up a lot since most of the golems we met were handled by her. The golems we encountered so far were all riddled with scars and were most likely survivors of some great war. Because they didn¡¯t need to eat or drink, they could sustain themselves just by passively absorbing mana. As long as their body remained intact, they could basically last for an eternity.


    One fatal flaw, however, was that they couldn¡¯t perform maintenance on themselves so unless someone repaired them, they would eventually get worn down to nothing.


    With that in mind, the true Star Level of those golems we faced so far had to be at least¡­Six-stars, during their peak of course.


    For the most part, the appearance rate of those golems weren¡¯t actually as high we had thought. There was a sizable time gap between each encounter; we would at most meet a couple everyday. With Nola by our side, they weren¡¯t really a problem. What was the real problem, on the other hand, was food¡­


    Because of those golems, this land was basically bereft of living creatures other than us. Although the golems were now in an imperfect state, they were still unbelievably strong. Every one of them had the trait of wanting to attack anything living, as if they were some kind of intruder. From the way they were scattered about, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if they were placed in such a fashion so as to guard something.


    At the very least, I¡¯ve never heard of a country not guarding its capital heavily, whether it was the most advanced tech or the most elite soldiers. With that in mind, our destination should be close now.


    Food was still an issue though, no matter how elated I was about the fact that we were nearing our goal. While Purgatory creatures might be a sturdy bunch, being able to travel without food for a few days and all that, what about a week without food then? What about a month?


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    Normally, our food came from two major sources. First were the lava lakes. From there, we could hunt as many Demon Fire Worms, Flame Devouring Fishes and Dark Flames Snails as we wanted. The other method was to forage for Red Lotuses.


    Technically, there was also another method¡­for example, hunting down Demon Fire Salamanders, Warhorses, etc¡­well, that was clearly out of the question. The Warhorses were too strong and I couldn¡¯t exactly bring up hunting salamanders in front of Nola either.


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    For three days in a row, we found no food whatsoever and soon, the food we had prepared ran out as well. Hunger was an inevitable outcome. As time wore on, everyone started to show different levels of hunger-induced weakness. This was especially so for Nola, our main fighting force. She expanded the most energy and thus needed the most food too. In the most recent fight with a golem, this weakness had almost cost her the battle had it not been for Sinmosa, Sasani, Big 4 and No.3 stepping in. Upon discovering her unusual condition, the four of them immediately took up formation and delayed the golem.


    ¡°We can¡¯t go on like this, we need to find food¡­¡± As she said that, Sinmosa gazed at her suffering child in sorrow and then licked her dull fur. As of right now, Cinderel was lying weakly by her mother¡¯s side, panting heavily and raggedly.


    Our lack of food hit her the hardest, seeing as her condition was the worst of us all. That was naturally because of her rather special birth circumstances and defects¡­


    ¡®What to do now? Should we continue or head back? If I choose to press on, who knows how long more we would have to keep marching before we get out of this god forsaken place. In a sense, the fear of this unknown was the most terrifying thing now. But if we turn back now, we would still have to starve for another three days¡­no, given how weak we are now, the trip back would take a lot longer¡­¡¯


    Hunger had to be the biggest problem every living creature had to face. Not too long ago, I had faced a similar situation as well during the hunger trial in the Prison of the Dead. Back then, I had no choice but to use the Abaddon Rodents as food¡­had the trial not ended, I would have even set my eyes on the Dogmen¡­


    ¡®What about this time? How am I going to solve our hunger problems now?¡¯


    I swept my eyes over No.3, Big 4 before finally turning my gaze onto Nola, Sinmosa and Sasani¡­ ¡®Do I really have to eat them in order to survive? No! Putting aside the question of whether or not I can even beat them, we¡¯re all companions. How could I just do that because of such a small setback¡­but that look Sasani is giving me right now¡­it¡¯s scary¡­don¡¯t tell me he¡¯s thinking about which amongst us he¡¯s going to eat¡­¡¯


    Realizing this as well, Sinmosa immediately gave her husband a stern glare. Reprimanded, Sasani lowered his head in shame as if he had done something wrong. ¡®As expected of a Siscon¡­he really did fear his little sister¡­¡¯


    To be honest, I couldn¡¯t really blame him for thinking like that either. After all, I had a daughter of my own as well. While she might not have come from my flesh and blood, she was still my little treasure. If I had to sacrifice someone else to save her, I would do so without hesitation.


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    Sasani must have felt the same way as well. Without any food source, Cinderel would only grow weaker by the day. In fact, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she suddenly kicked the bucket.


    Thankfully, Sinmosa still had enough sense in her to realize that we had to be united in order to make it past this obstacle. The problem, however, was how were we going to overcome this obstacle?


    Having just taken apart one of the golems, I could tell that Nola was truly exhausted now. She casually tossed aside the golem¡¯s head before breaking the rest of its body with a tail swing.


    ¡°Master, how about Big 4 and I go search the surroundings for some food?¡± Although the two of them hadn¡¯t eaten for the past three days as well, their spirits were noticeably higher than mine. As Infant Flame Devils, they were able to withstand such periods of starvation better as they could transform their bodies into flames. Just like their elemental counterparts, they wouldn¡¯t have to rely on meat and blood to sustain themselves in such a form. All they needed was enough elements.


    With regards to their dangerous proposal, I planned on rejecting it: ¡°It¡¯s too risky, besides, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s even food to be found anywhere¡­¡±


    ¡°There is, food that is¡­¡± Laying flat on the ground near me, Nola suddenly chimed in but just as she was about to finish speaking, she stopped. From her expression, I could tell that she knew something but was hesitating about whether or not to say it.


    Hearing that, I immediately turned towards her with hope in my eyes. Even so, she still hesitated. Finally, after a long pause, she nodded her head solemnly and continued explaining: ¡°I saw several black insects pass by just now. I remember my seniors mentioning¡­because this area is a no devil¡¯s land, there¡¯s no food here at all, neither are there any treasures. Most fiendish creatures wouldn¡¯t come here at all, let alone make this their resting place. However, a certain race of black insects are an exception to this. They are known as Black Blood Insects¡­¡±


    According to her, these insects were one of the countless life forms living in Purgatory. They were similar to the ants from Earth except that, on top of their black carapace, they each had a pair of terrifyingly large pincers and a head that was as big as half a matchbox¡­

 Chapter 261: Let’s Eat This Then

    The Black Blood Insects were a rather fascinating insect life form. Strictly speaking, they were underground creatures. Though they sometimes came up to the surface to forage for food, those times were in the minority.


    Black Blood Insects fed on rocks, but not just any old rocks ¨Cthey had to be rocks with mana in them. Such a rock was abundant in Purgatory and it could be classified as an unknown mineral of sorts.


    Either way, all that wasn¡¯t important to me at all. What was important was that these insects were edible¡­Speaking of which, the reason these insects had the words ¡®Black Blood¡¯ in their name was because their blood was black and¡­contained trace amounts of poison¡­


    ¡°How are they edible then?!¡± No.3 frowned slightly to show his displeasure at being led around like that: ¡°Besides, can those tiny insects even produce a complete soul?¡±


    As we had discovered with those Demon Fire Worms, creatures who were too weak barely had any Soul Force. At the time of their deaths, their soul would lose the protection of their bodies and be exposed to the air. At that point, if a soul was too weak, the soul would start to fracture and dissipate rapidly.


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    Soul fragments weren¡¯t edible¡­not to mention that Mo Na and I didn¡¯t consume flesh either¡­not devil flesh at least, nor worm meat or whatever rubbish meat they had here in hell. For the most part, we had been subsisting on fruits and souls. Besides, the thought of having to eat those disgusting insects honestly made me want to throw up there and then¡­but what choice did I have?


    Since Nola mentioned that these worms were edible, she must have had some way to take care of the poisons within them. Thus, I wasn¡¯t all too worried about that at all. Rather, what I was truly worried about was would Mo Na and I starve to death if we didn¡¯t eat their flesh¡­


    ¡°Their poisons won¡¯t harm us too much. If we roast them, the poisons would vanish. While these insects might technically be creatures of Purgatory, their fire resistance is actually on the weaker side. Just dropping into the lava lake is enough to reduce them to cinders.¡±


    ¡®A purgatory creature that¡¯s afraid of fire¡­also, what she¡¯s telling me then is that by roasting the insects, their blood would evaporate and naturally the poison contained within the blood would disappear as well¡­heat really is the panacea for such stuff huh¡­¡¯


    ¡®If what she said was true, this plan might actually work, but¡­just looking at those things crawling down by my feet¡­is already off putting enough¡­expecting me to eat them is just¡­*blegh*¡­I¡¯d rather starve than eat them¡­¡¯


    ¡°Mama, those insects are hideous, Mo Na would rather starve to death than eat one¡­¡±


    ¡®As expected of my sweetie, our minds are one and the same on this matter¡­but if we don¡¯t eat them, how are we to survive then? Blasted things are so weak, their souls end up fracturing upon death so consuming their souls isn¡¯t even an option¡­¡¯


    ¡°There are insect queens amongst them as well, these queens are able to produce an edible soul upon death. Moreover, there are the soldier insects and general insects as well. They all leave behind a complete soul. I know that the general insects have a strength of One-stars but I¡¯m not entirely sure about the queens. Still, there¡¯s no way they would have a strength higher than the generals¡­all that was knowledge handed down to me by my elders long ago.¡± Nola then asked: ¡°So what do you think?¡±


    ¡°Well, if they can produce souls, there¡¯s really no reason to say no is there?¡± I exchanged a glance with Sinmosa and received an affirmative from her eyes as well. ¡°If there was such a perfect plan to begin with, why didn¡¯t you just say so earlier?¡±


    ¡°There aren¡¯t that many Black Blood Insect hives to begin with and more importantly¡­¡± She paused at that point, seemingly not too willing to continue explaining based on that troubled look on her face: ¡°You¡¯ll know when the time comes.¡±


    For us right now, only the word ¡®hunger¡¯ mattered. As long as those insects were edible, everything else could wait.


    These insects had built their hives beneath the ground and would rarely venture above ground. They fed on rocks with mana and possessed an impressive digging ability. In actuality, it wasn¡¯t only the blood of these insects that was poisonous, rather it would be more accurate to say that any fluid within their bodies was poisonous¡­


    For example, the spit of these insects had a corrosive effect which they used to first dissolve the rocks they found into manageable chunks before carting them to their hives with their pincers.


    Their society was split into four levels. Those of the lowest level were known as Black Blood Insects ¨Cthey were basically the worker ants of the hive. Their job was to harvest and transport rocks back to the hive to feed the queen. Also, they performed other menial tasks as well, such as feeding, looking after the larva, enlarging the hive, etc.


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    Upon evolving, these insects would become Black Blood Soldier Insects. Soldier insects had a head that was at least twice as large as the normal insects and their pincers became just as frightening as well. These insects weren¡¯t in charge of harvesting rocks but were instead tasked with the safety of the nest. At times, they were dispatched to safeguard the worker insects when they called for help.


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    Black Blood General Insects were the evolved form of Black Blood Soldier Insects. At this point, their bodies were usually over 15 cm long, roughly that of a grown rat¡¯s. Their appearance was basically the same as the Black Blood Insects except for a troublesome pair of wings that resembled Cicada Wings. Initially, I was a little puzzled as to why underground creatures would even require wings but I soon learnt the reason when we fought for the first time. Suffice to say, not every threat they faced came from below the ground¡­


    The job of these generals were basically the same except that they were now mostly in charge of guarding the queen, given their relative strength when compared to the ordinary soldier. On top of that, they had one more unique job and that was to feed themselves to the queen. That¡¯s right, feed not mate¡­


    And now, we move onto the Black Blood Queen Insect.


    The Black Blood Queen Insects were the highest authority in the hive but unlike normal insect queens, they weren¡¯t just in charge of breeding but also creating food for the hive as well. Mhm, creating.


    As mentioned before, rocks weren¡¯t directly consumed by the Black Blood Insects but were carted back to the hives, more specifically, they were carted to the queens. With their astonishing appetite, the queens would consume all the rocks. The rocks would enter their stomach and after going an indescribable process, it would then be passed out in an indescribable fashion as well¡­


    This excrement¡­was essentially poop and was also the food for the other Black Blood Insects. Those who weren¡¯t familiar with these insects would probably wonder how could a single insect consume so many rocks¡­the fact was that the rocks that were brought back were all stored in the stomach of the queens where they would be rapidly processed and then passed out. Because of the sheer speed of this process, the queens were able to continuously eat and poop at the same time.


    If someone were to carefully measure the inputs and outputs of this process, they would find that the rocks passed out by the queens were a whole 10% lighter than before. In truth, the queens didn¡¯t actually have to eat that many rocks, they were merely doing that to extract the mana within the rocks. Because of their low intelligence, these insects only knew how to extract said mana through the most primitive of methods: eating.


    Black Blood Queen Insects didn¡¯t have to mate. Instead, each queen would pick a general to consume and by storing the flesh and essence of this general in their reproductive organ in their abdomens, the queen would then lay innumerable eggs after some time.


    In that sense, these queens were really cruel mistresses¡­


    Anyway, since we¡¯ve decided to target these insects, there was no longer any sign of hesitation in Nola as she led us forward. By following one of the insects who was carrying a rock back to its hive, we easily located the entrance. All in all, we travelled roughly one kilometer before discovering something that looked like an ant¡¯s nest. There, the insect we followed all this while lifted its pincers and disappeared into the hole, rock still secured.


    Shockingly, the entrance of this hive was actually a meter wide in diameter. At times, we would spot a number of insects entering the hive from all the four corners with a rock in their mouths. Sometimes, we would instead spot some insects leaving the hive entrance without any rocks in their pincers. Although the rocks were all supposed to be found underground, there were still some rocks that made it to the surface. These rocks were what these insects were out looking for.


    ¡°This hole is rather small¡­can we even enter it?¡± As she sat there on my shoulders, Mo Na pouted a little before saying: ¡°Mama, Mo Na is very sure we can¡¯t enter.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Of course I know that we can¡¯t enter, who can even enter such a small hole¡­well, since it¡¯s Nola who tabled this plan, I¡¯ll just let her give us the solution as well. Still, I¡¯m very very sure Nola can¡¯t enter this hole¡­¡¯


    At that, our eyes all turned towards Nola in unison.


    Naturally, she knew what we were trying to say with our gazes. She gave us a relaxed shake of her head and said: ¡°There¡¯s no need for all that trouble, all we need to do is throw some fire into the hole.¡±


    ¡®Throw some fire into the hole?¡¯


    Before I could ask any further, Nola pointed her mouth at the hive entrance and spat out a ball of fire the size of a human head. As that ball of fire descended ever so slowly down the hole, the entire entrance seemed to light up in response. Soon after the ball disappeared, we heard a sharp cry echo from within its pitch black tunnel. Even without guessing, I knew that the cry was a sign that the insects were all rushing towards us.


    After all, what creature wouldn¡¯t flip out after having their home threatened like that?

 Chapter 262: Taste Testers

    Nola¡¯s flames were quickly snuffed but despite that, they had served their purpose. The Black Blood Ants were successfully angered though it was only several seconds later that we knew about that. From the section closest to the entrance, came a flood of Black Blood Ants that grew at an increasing and alarming rate. Finally, after ten seconds of growing, the entrance hole was more like a spurting hole than anything¡­the kind you would call a geyer.


    (TL: I¡¯m switching to Black Blood Ants from now on.)


    Initially, the ants we fought were all ordinary worker ants and didn¡¯t have much combat strength to speak of. Still, if these ants were to ever bite an ordinary person, that poor soul would probably spend a long time writhing in pain and perhaps even dying. Unfortunately, that didn¡¯t apply to us at all; they might as well have been a buffet for us.


    In a sense, they reminded me of Army Ants from Earth but since this was a world with magic, they were clearly more destructive than their Earthly counterparts, especially in a horde like this. However, their flame resistance was abysmal so when the wave came rushing towards us, pincers bared and glistening, all it took was a casual fire breath from Nola to thwart the oncoming ants. By swaying her head right and left, she blanketed the ants in a wide arc of sustained fire that easily roasted them to stillness in mere seconds. Immediately, I was hit by the stench of barbecued insect flesh¡­


    The might of a Six-stars wasn¡¯t so easily overcome, no matter how many ants they had to throw at her. Not only that, perhaps it was because she perfectly controlled the heat of her breath or perhaps those ants weren¡¯t actually so easily burnt, but for some strange reason, the ants that died were roasted to a perfect doneness¡­in other words, they were edible as is.


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    ¡°Can these actually be eaten?¡± For now, the ant horde had subsided probably because they were frightened by Nola¡¯s might, or it could just be that they needed time to muster their main force.


    No.3 bent down out of curiosity and used two of fingers to pinch one of the roasted ants. He gave it a thorough look before then bringing it up to his nose and giving a sniff. During all that, I saw his mouth open up wide as if it wanted to swallow the insect but had changed its mind at the last minute. ¡°It just seems a little strange¡­are you sure they can be eaten?¡±


    Taking after No.3, Big 4 picked up an ant and brought it to his mouth as well, eager and yet hesitant at the same time. He gave the devil standing next to him an apprehensive look, probably borne out of that strange stench that the ant was giving off at the moment, before nudging him and asking: ¡°How about you go first?¡±


    ¡°Why do I have to go first? Why don¡¯t you do it?¡± Previously in a daze till Big 4 abruptly nudged him out of it, No.3 gave Big 4 a dissatisfied glare that seemed to say ¡®Do you think I¡¯m stupid or something?¡¯. ¡°You go first.¡±


    Big 4 eyed the ant in his hand once more, mind probably still stuck on the warning Nola gave us about their poison. His mouth remained open for a good long while but he still didn¡¯t dare to eat the insect for real. Finally, he came up with some random excuse while trying to egg No.3 on: ¡°You¡¯re the one who picked it up first, so you go first.¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯m the one who met the Master first, I¡¯m the most senior here so I¡¯m ordering you now to eat it first.¡± Clearly, No.3 didn¡¯t dare to eat the Black Blood Ant either. Thus, he came up with some excuse about seniority to try and pressure Big 4.


    Normally, these two bodyguards had a rather amiable relationship with each other. This time however, No.3 attempt at coercing Big 4 with his seniority made the devil in question angry right away: ¡°Spare me all that nonsense, we devils only recognize strength. I¡¯m stronger than you so you have to listen to me.¡±


    ¡°HUH!? You¡¯re stronger than me?!¡± No.3 glared at Big 4 in defiance: ¡°We evolved at the same time so who knows which of us is actually the stronger one. How about we fight then? Let¡¯s settle who¡¯s the stronger one here!¡±


    ¡°Fine, as if I¡¯m afraid of you!¡± Big 4 waved a fist at No.4. ¡°Whoever loses will have to distance himself from the Master!¡±


    ¡°Hmph, you can forget about coming close to the Master, ever!:


    Big 4, in a confident voice: ¡°The one who will be losing is you!¡±


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    ¡°I say¡­that¡¯s enough out of you two. If you two have so much time to waste, how about helping out Nola instead?¡±


    ¡®What¡¯s with these two? They seem less and less reliable by the day¡­to think they actually got into a fight with each other¡­also, what¡¯s with all that talk about the loser having to distance himself from me?! You two potatoes had better explain yourselves!¡¯


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    ¡°They are edible.¡± Having said that, Nola lowered her head and scooped up some ants into her mouth with a swirl of her tongue. As she did that, she nonchalantly stated: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they aren¡¯t poisonous after being roasted, it¡¯s just¡­¡±


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    ¡°Just what?¡± I asked.


    Seeing Nola start eating, No.3 tossed the ant he was pinching right into his mouth in order to prove his bravery. Immediately, a loud crunch could be heard echoing from within his mouth, as if he had munched on something extremely hard; just hearing that crack was enough to make my teeth ache.


    Clearly not prepared for that assault on his teeth, No.3 promptly covered his mouth with his hands and spat out the offending object, kind of like how one would do so when one munched on a stone while eating rice. ¡°Why the heck is thing so hard¡­¡±


    No.3 wasn¡¯t the only spitting out right now, Big 4 was as well¡­in fact, Big 4 was a lot worse than No.3. In order to prove that he was braver than No.3, Big 4 tossed two ants into his mouth instead of one¡­he probably was trying to say that he was stronger than No.3 by doing that¡­the result was that he had to spit out twice as many ants¡­


    ¡°*ptooey ptooey*¡­what the heck was that, I almost broke my teeth there.¡±


    Seeing the two stooges in pain like that, Nola had on a rather uncaring expression as she slowly continued what she was trying to say just now: ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­because the Black Blood Ants subsisted on rocks, there would probably some leftover rocks in their bellies that hadn¡¯t been expunged¡­those things are really hard, seeing as the ants can¡¯t even digest them and have to pass them out¡­¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say that earlier then?!¡± The two of them yelled in unison but that didn¡¯t faze the giant salamander at all.


    ¡°I already mentioned that they fed on stones, isn¡¯t it obvious that they would have stones in their stomachs as well?¡± She answered in a placid manner as if all this had nothing to do with her at all. ¡°Besides, I was about to bring that up when you two decided to eat them right away, how is that my fault?¡±


    ¡°But we just saw you gulp down a whole bunch of ants, I don¡¯t see you spitting them out at all.¡± No.3 finally grasped the crux of the situation with that statement of his.


    Nola continued lowering her head to scoop up more ants. As she did so, she explained thusly: ¡°Do you honestly think that these tiny things would even be able to pose a problem for me?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Looking at her almost mountain-like body and then looking at those ants that were merely the size of half a matchbox¡­I could easily tell that the two were clearly in entirely different leagues. For her, those ants were too small to even require chewing. Besides, even if she couldn¡¯t digest those stones, she could simply pass them out.


    In a sense, it was kind of like how humans took in a massive amount of dust everyday but because of how tiny the dust particles were, they weren¡¯t harmful at all unless the amount was able to cross a certain threshold. Clearly those ants weren¡¯t as tiny as dust particles but they might as well be, given how huge Nola was.


    ¡®So Nola actually had such devious side to her¡­to think I actually thought that she was a thickheaded lug¡­¡¯


    Since they now knew that the Black Blood Ants might have stones in their bellies, Big 4 and No.3 knew to first take off the abdomens of the ants¡­more specifically, the parts closer to the butt. Having done that, they proceeded to munch down on the ants. However, upon eating the first one, the both of them promptly complained in unison about the taste¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s safe to eat.¡± Seeing that No.3 and Big had downed their third Black Blood Ant, and after confirming that they weren¡¯t suffering from any kind of sideeffects, Sinmosa finally had the confidence to declare as such to her husband. It had to be said however that from the very beginning, from that moment when the two of them picked up an ant, Sinmosa immediately turned her attention to the two potatoes. Thus it was after ensuring that the ants were edible that she finally allowed her husband to chow down on this rather sad feast.


    ¡®I must say¡­that was rather smart of her¡­¡¯ Mere moments ago, Sasani was also about to eat the ants just like No.3 and Big 4 but he was silently prevented from doing so by Sinmosa. By doing so, she had essentially turned those two into guinea pigs¡­in the end, her choice was right.


    Because Cinderel was still young, I was rather concerned about whether or not she could even digest those Black Blood Ants so I decided to have her share in the souls later on.


    Suddenly, the ground started to shake after which a giant horde of slightly larger than normal Black Blood Ants came swarming out, probably angered by our audacious actions. Not only were there soldier ants, who numbered over a thousand just by themselves, I spotted some winged general ants crawling out of the hole with bodies as large as rats.


    Soon after climbing out of the hole, they immediately took to the air and started to form an irregular black mass in the air. Right after that, they charged at us without any warning whatsoever¡­


    High above, there were the Black Blood General Ants. Down below, there were the Black Blood Ants. ¡®So that¡¯s what it¡¯s like when the heavens and earth are covered¡­¡¯

 Chapter 263: Should We Continue Eating?

    We had probably earned the ire of the Black Blood Ants. They were basically throwing the entire hive at us right now, having just climbed out of the entrance hole just moments ago and now already charging at us without a care for their lives at all.


    Still, no matter how imposing a horde chittering giant ants might have looked, they weren¡¯t that much of a threat to us at all.


    The reason I hesitated about attacking not too long ago was because these ants were simply too disgusting¡­and I didn¡¯t want to touch them for even a second.


    In a sense, it was kind of like how humans treated cockroaches. Some might play with, some might step on them and some find a tool of some sort that allows them to squish the cockroach without getting their hands dirty. Then there were those that screamed and jumped back in fright¡­because cockroaches were just that dirty.


    Sometimes, being ugly and dirty was actually a weapon.


    It just so happened that I despised these ants for being both ugly and dirty. If it was possible, I wouldn¡¯t even want to eat their souls¡­


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    But of course, reality always loved to play a trick on me¡­


    Going back to the swarm of ants, I merely snorted disdainfully at them before grabbing Mo Na and Cinderel and running to hide behind Nola.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, no matter how many that come, it won¡¯t change their fate as weaklings to be controlled by the strong.¡± Nola confidently declared. With an absolute advantage in strength over them, she knew that she had the guns to back up that claim.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave it up to you then.¡± I stated simply.


    Pulling out that same trick as before, Nola sprayed her flames all over the ants with a sway of her head. No matter what it was, general or soldier, they were all helpless before the roaring wall of flames rushing right at them.


    Just like that, in just the span of a couple minutes, all the ants were wiped out.


    As expected, the soldiers and generals all produced a complete soul upon death. Without a body to protect them however, their souls were already starting to show signs of decay and we had to harvest them right away.


    ¡°Mama, leave the gathering to me.¡± Mo Na admirably offered her services for this mission.


    Ever since Mo Na fused with the Grimoire of the Dead, her talents, at least when it came to the field of Undead magicks, were unrivalled.


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    Because of her impressive talents in this branch of magicks, not to mention that she had a beautiful big sister teaching her in her dreams, her progress in Undead magicks improved by leaps and bounds with no sign of ever having a bottleneck.


    For Necromancers, harvesting souls in an expedient fashion was the most basic of the basics. All they needed to do was pull a few parlor tricks and the souls would practically come flying to them.


    Mo Na started to draw circles in the air with her finger neither too slowly nor too quickly. As each circle was completed, mana continued to flow into the circle until a tiny mana vortex was formed. Having taken a stable form, countless ant souls began to slowly drift towards the vortex and accumulate within its mystical swirls.


    The massive collection of souls floated beside me like a filled up balloon and soon threatened to engulf me because of its sheer size. Faced with tens of thousands of souls left to harvest, Mo Na had on a rather troubled look as she said: ¡°Mama, there¡¯s too many of them, should Mo Na refine some of these souls?¡±


    ¡°Refine them?¡± That was the first time I had heard of this term being used in such a manner but I roughly understood what it meant right away.


    ¡°The black dress big sister just taught me a few days ago how to refine multiple souls into one. That way it will be easier to eat them.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s give it a try then.¡± I answered eagerly, clearly more than happy to see my little daughter show off her skills.


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    Mo Na was just as eager as well while she carefully channelled a tenth of the souls right into the vortex. Upon being sucked in by the vortex, these souls would rapidly break apart and disappear into the vortex.


    Soon, the vortex began to show a strange reaction. At times, it would expand and at times, it would suddenly shrink in on itself. This process continued for at least ten seconds before finally, like ice that had frozen over, the entire soul mass and vortex coalesced into a Soul Pearl!


    A Soul Pearl, roughly three cm wide hovered in the air before me, radiating with a strange light that made it seem more like an exquisite black pearl of some sort.


    ¡°It¡¯s done, Mama come have a look, this is a refined soul.¡± Having been refined, the Soul Pearl slowly descended into the palm of Mo Na and she gingerly handed the black pearl over to me like she was offering up a treasure to me.


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    ¡®Why does this remind me of that black pearl I found when after killing that vengeful apparition?¡¯


    Naturally, calling the two of them similar was a stretch, given that the pearl I looted was dropped and the pearl I had now was crafted. While the two of them might have looked similar, they were actually different items entirely.


    At the very least, I was quite certain that this pearl wasn¡¯t able to enchant a weapon with some special property.


    Just as a reference, the pearl I found then was able to give my weapons added sharpness and even cause a bleeding effect that couldn¡¯t heal up right away.


    ¡°Sweetie, you¡¯re sure this thing is really edible?¡± To be honest, its ethereal appearance freaked me out to no small extent. ¡®It feels like something bad will happen once I eat it¡­¡¯


    ¡°Of course, Mama. Here, Mo Na can eat it for you.¡± Clearly unable to discern my inner thoughts, she popped the black pearl into her mouth like it was some kind of candy. Because she was still small and had a small mouth, the black pearl immediately caused her cheeks to bulge out slightly as it took up the entirety of her mouth cavity.


    She did her absolute best to try to swallow the pearl. *crack* A solid bite later, a strange, almost woeful cry emerged from within the mouth of my baby daughter. It was as if there were countless babies undergoing the most inhumane of tortures within her mouth right now. The sound alone was probably enough to cause nightmares all throughout the night. The kind where you would picture babies crying out in pain inside your head once you closed your eyes¡­


    Up till now, I couldn¡¯t figure out why she had to bite then¡­ ¡®When did eating souls become so troublesome? Shouldn¡¯t it just be putting it into your mouth? Also, they aren¡¯t physical objects so biting shouldn¡¯t even be needed.¡¯


    ¡®Furthermore, what was up with that terrifying wail just now¡­and that bone crunching sound¡­¡¯ At the side, Mo Na was currently clasping her cheeks in bliss as if she had just swallowed the most decadent of treats¡­


    As my little baby swayed about in bliss, the wailing in her mouth grew even louder as if the tortures were getting more horrific by the second¡­


    Honestly, this entire scene spooked me to no end, kind of like a horror movie that refused to stop playing no matter how much you tried.


    ¡®¡­wait a minute, I¡¯m a devil now¡­in other words, they are the ones who should be afraid of me¡­so why am I even afraid?¡¯


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    ¡°Mama, it was so good¡­Mo Na wants another.¡±


    Seeing her act so adorably after that horrific spectacle truly wasn¡¯t good for my heart¡­ ¡°That thing¡­is it really that good?¡± I asked after hesitating for a moment. ¡°What I¡¯m saying is¡­is it really alright for you to eat a thing like that¡­a thing that can wail¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really good, Mama, Mo Na highly recommends it.¡± The moment she mentioned that pearl, her eyes lit up once more as she excitedly recommended the horrific delicacy to me. ¡°Once you bite into it, it gives out that intoxicating wail. Also, that texture¡­it¡¯s like crunching the bones of your prey. Coupled with that sublime cry of terror, simply perfection¡­Mo Na just loves that sound¡­if everything Mo Na ate was that wonderful¡­it would be paradise for Mo Na!¡±


    ¡®Paradise? Ahh¡­why is my little baby turning out to be a dominatrix¡­¡¯


    ¡°Mama, you don¡¯t want some? It¡¯s really good.¡± She asked, slightly puzzled by my troubled face.


    ¡°I¡¯ll pass, normal souls are enough for me.¡± Having said that, I reached out and grabbed one of the souls floating beside Mo Na, and popped it into my mouth. The taste was rather average and because the ants themselves were weak, their Soul Force was low as well. Merely consuming one wasn¡¯t enough to sate my hunger, clearly a lot more was needed.


    Seeing me start to eat, Cinderel started consuming the souls as well.


    Naturally, Mo Na tried to sell her newfound delight to Cinderel as well but the little puppy wasn¡¯t all that sold on it.


    With so many ants dead, the swarm finally quietened down, their leader probably afraid of us now.


    By now, not only us three had started eating, so did the others as well.


    Nola¡¯s appetite could only be described as terrifying, especially given the fact that the majority of our food was given to her over these past three days. Of the remaining half of our rations, that had to be split amongst No.3, BIg 4, Sinmosa and Sasani.


    I had to say though, hunger was the best spice for any food. Even though I couldn¡¯t stand those ants, the hunger in me made even that palatable.


    Just as we were immersed in our feasting however, the hive of the Black Blood Insect suddenly issued a strange sound.


    First to pop out of that nest was an unusually large head and pincers that was at least the size of a¡­.basketball.


    The extended head peeked around the surroundings and so happened to stumble upon us feasting¡­


    However, that really didn¡¯t matter to us at all. Given how hungry we were, even the disgusting flavor of the ants weren¡¯t an issue as long as we could fill our bellies, let alone having a spectator watch us eat.


    As for that ant who was most likely the Black Blood Queen Ant¡­Nola merely glared at her and said no more; her meaning made abundantly clear without even having to speak.


    Essentially, it was ¡®don¡¯t disturb us or I¡¯ll murder you¡¯ or something along those lines.

 Chapter 264: An Offering?

    Sensing Nola¡¯s evil eye on her, the giant ant gingerly pulled itself out of its hive and slowly crawled towards us, body shaking with every step.


    This ant was completely different from the other Black Blood Ants in terms of size; it was at least the size of a small calf and I could tell that the hole was made just to fit it. As it finally emerged completely out of its hole, I was able to get a glimpse of its belly¡­it was familiar¡­just like a termite queen¡¯s abdomen except that she was entirely black.


    With how big her belly, there was no doubt in my mind that she was the Black Blood Ant Queen.


    With a submissive look on her face, she slowly crawled up to Nola. As she did so, she had to drag her body through countless charred ant corpses; who knew how she must have felt then.


    Truth be told, we didn¡¯t intend to enter her hive at all. Our original plan was merely to eat our fill and then run away. Yet for some reason, the queen of said hive came out to meet us herself¡­exactly what was she up to here?


    Nola wasn¡¯t all that interested in the Black Blood Queen Ant. She merely gave her a quick glance and upon seeing that she wasn¡¯t going to resist, continued lapping up the roasted ants while lazily throwing the queen ant a look from time to time.


    Unlike Nola¡¯s nonchalance, I could tell from just a quick exchange of glances that both Sinmosa and I viewed this matter seriously.


    It had to be said once more that we honestly had no intention of wiping them out. The fact that she came crawling to Nola with a scared to death expression was beyond our expectations.


    Even without my command, No.3 and Big 4 had already abandoned their feasting the moment the queen ant came into view. Having been my bodyguard from the very beginning, this act had become a habit for them and had instilled a strong sense of self-awareness in them. Their eyes stared squarely at the Black Blood Queen Ant as they guarded me from my flanks. Given their position, they could easily rush out to kill that queen ant while still being able to defend me. Assuming the queen ant even dared to make a move now¡­


    With just three to four meters left between her and Nola, the Black Blood Queen Ant knelt in the most submissive manner possible¡­though she technically was kneeling to begin with¡­ Once she finally pulled herself up to Nola, I could feel her soul shiver slightly before freezing up. Simply put, she was deathly afraid that Nola would gobble her up in one bite.


    She lowered her head completely till it tapped the ground and then closed up her pincers. Then came a slightly hoarse but clearly female voice: ¡°Esteemed¡­Invader¡­please¡­spare my hive¡­¡±


    Her words weren¡¯t smoothly delivered and often she had to pause between each as if she was stammering. However, that should have either been because of her lower intelligence or because she wasn¡¯t used to communicating verbally with the tongue of the devil.


    ¡°We were merely hungry, even if you didn¡¯t come up, we would have just left after we had our fill.¡± Nola stopped her feasting and arrogantly looked down at the Black Blood Queen Ant. ¡°Even if you had just stayed down there, I wouldn¡¯t have gone down to find you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Hearing that, her face¡­to be honest, I couldn¡¯t make out a blasted thing on her face but I could ¡®see¡¯ that she wanted to kick herself for digging this grave.


    ¡°Please¡­spare¡­me¡­¡±


    ¡°Spare you? Why should I?¡± Nola¡¯s lips curled into a devious smirk: ¡°You¡¯re the one who offered yourself up, I didn¡¯t force you to do it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Truly, this grave was one she had dug for herself. If she was able to cry, she would have probably done so by now.


    ¡°I¡¯m willing to¡­offer¡­up¡­tribute¡­¡±


    ¡°Tribute? Well then, let¡¯s have a look see.¡±


    As she said that, Nola entered a negotiating mood, clearly interested in what this queen ant potentially had to offer.


    ¡°Under¡­stood¡­¡± From start to end, the Black Blood Queen Ant maintained a calm demeanour, even in the face of Nola¡¯s taunting. There was no sign of resisting or anger whatsoever in her eyes. Since she came up of her own volition, she knew full well how huge the gap in power was between the two of them. She was worried that we would dig all the way to the bottom so she decided to just come out and beg for mercy. With that in mind, I wasn¡¯t all too worried that she would try to pull anything funny now.


    Having accepted that request from Nola, the queen ant then opened her mouth and let forth a strange, piercing cry that penetrated through the ground and into the deepest depths of her hive. Soon after that, her cry stopped and it was then that a huge swarm of ordinary worker ants came crawling out of the nest. Each had a particular similarity shared between all of them: they had on their heads a strange, uneven and reddish rock that was roughly the size of a soybean.


    The reddish hue on those rocks looked rather familiar as if I had just seen it somewhere before and yet I just couldn¡¯t put my finger on where I had done so. Why? Because I was very sure that I had never seen this particular rock before and yet it still felt so familiar¡­


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Nola wasn¡¯t able to discern anything special about the rock so she asked the queen ant directly as such: ¡°Is it enough for your ransom?¡±


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    Hearing that, the queen ant answered as such, without any intention of hiding the truth at all: ¡°It¡¯s¡­poop¡­¡±


    ¡°Poop?!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­it¡¯s¡­our¡­poop¡­¡± Even though she had some difficulty enunciating that entire sentence, the meaning was very clear.


    ¡®So what she¡¯s saying is that she risked her life to offer up poop? Am I just that old that I can¡¯t even keep up with the world or is it the world that¡¯s changing too quickly? When did poop become valuable enough to be counted as tribute? Was she expecting us to return home and plant crops?¡¯


    By now, there was nothing but fury reflected on Nola¡¯s narrowed eyes and distorted smile. The queen ant had clearly stated that she had something to offer up and yet what she showed us was poop¡­not just any old poop, but a whole pile of it¡­ ¡®Who the heck do you think you are?! The pet of a Devil King or something?!¡¯


    Nola was already about to flatten the queen ant into an ant patty, while the queen in question was still in the dark about how she had offended this powerful invader.


    Yet just as I thought that it was all over for that queen, Mo Na pointed at the unending stream of worker ants carrying poop and exclaimed: ¡°MAMA, that thing looks just like the rock on those golems. Mo Na thinks they are one and the same¡­¡±


    ¡®What?! So the poop from these ants are similar to the rock materials used to create golems?!¡¯


    It was then that I finally understood why those poop rocks bugged me so much. ¡®So that¡¯s why I just can¡¯t seem to remember where I saw them from. But if that¡¯s true¡­that means the creator of the golems had asked these ants for their poop as tribute a long time ago.¡¯


    ¡®In that case, it makes sense that the queen ant would offer up poop once threatened¡­to her, the poop of her hivemembers must have seemed like some kind of treasured material for the other races¡­even though they were technically just useless poop to the ants.¡¯


    Hearing Mo Na say that, Nola lowered her claw temporarily. To begin with, she was only angered because she thought the ants were trying to insult her by offering up poop as tribute. It had never once crossed her mind that their poop was actually some kind of amazing ingredient¡­to be fair though¡­who would have even thought that something so¡­unassuming¡­would be so valuable, had Mo Na not pointed that out first¡­


    ¡°How did you know that they can be offered up as tribute?¡± I pointed at the reddish black stone and gave the queen ant a puzzled look.


    The fact that they knew to beg for mercy with poop meant that these ants must had some kind of connection to the golem creators long ago. But such a person would clearly have to be someone from the royal capital of Sable Radiance, a place which had been empty for over 80 000 years¡­


    The Black Blood Queen Ant was at most a Three-stars. And even though the lifespan of fiendish creatures were clearly much longer than that of ordinary creatures, there was just no way it would reach 80 000 years¡­so that Black Blood Queen Ant had to have picked up this bit of news from somewhere.


    Being the leader of a hive, the Black Blood Queen Ant wasn¡¯t a fool at all. By now, she had determined that I was one of the targets who shouldn¡¯t be offended as well. Thus when I posed that question, she answered it in a forthright, albeit hard to piece together manner that required some processing on my part.


    ¡°Elder tau¡­ght¡­hand over¡­tribute¡­spare¡­death¡­¡±


    The words Elder and taught was key here. From those words alone, I was able to discern several important facts. One, this queen was merely in charge of one of the branch hives. Two, the use of poop as tribute was an established practise and that meant the ants were definitely connected to the maker of those golems!


    ¡°What¡¯s your elder like?¡±


    ¡°Like¡­¡± She pondered for a moment, feelers twitching wildly for a good while before finally making a large gesture with two of her limbs: ¡°Bigger¡­than me¡­¡±


    ¡°I mean his age, not body.¡±


    (TL: Just something minor that can¡¯t really be translated too well. In Chinese, when you ask how old is someone, the same words can be used to ask how big is he.)


    The queen ant tilted her head to the side for a long while, eyes slightly glazed over in a daze. Finally, she answered thusly: ¡°Age¡­unknown¡­¡±


    Clearly, the queen wasn¡¯t the brightest creature ever. For her to dig her own grave like that, honestly, wasn¡¯t all that surprising anymore. Still, there wasn¡¯t really a point in bullying a dunce so I went straight to the point: ¡°Let me ask you then, in the past, was there someone who often asked your race for tributes?¡±

 Chapter 265: Test Subjec

    Sometimes, I truly wondered if perhaps this queen ant had her head kicked in by a donkey when she was still a larva. A simple question ended up requiring quite a bit of explaining on my part before she understood what I was trying to ask. By then, my patience had basically been worn thin.


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    As I looked at that look of epiphany on her face, I celebrated quietly. At the same time, I questioned whether it was in part because my explaining skills were lacking¡­


    ¡°The Elders¡­said¡­long¡­long¡­long ago¡­people¡­collected¡­protection¡­fee¡­often¡­¡±


    ¡®Protection fee, huh¡­so it¡¯s not just the triads who do that now¡­¡¯


    Her answer didn¡¯t surprise me all that much; it was perfectly understandable that someone would do such a thing given how many blasted golems there were littered about. Clearly, there was someone collecting poop to create golems.


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    With that in mind, it wouldn¡¯t be a stretch to say that golems were a part of the capital¡¯s defensive system. Having gained such an interesting piece of news, I continued pressing her for more information, which she did without holding anything back. At the end of that, I decided to let her go but just as I was about to tell her that, a thought occurred to me: ¡®If those golems were made from excrement, or poop, would those golems try and attack the Black Blood Queen Ants?¡¯


    As for why I suddenly had such a stroke of inspiration, I couldn¡¯t say for sure but in hindsight, I sure had a ton of reasons I could come up with to justify it.


    First, Black Blood Ants were a vital part of the production process for golems so the people of Sable Radiance probably wouldn¡¯t want to hurt them. Second, the ants themselves aren¡¯t really interested in their poop so there¡¯s no reason for them to attack the golems either. Given that neither side threatened the other, the golems really had no reason to attack the Black Blood Ants.


    Lastly, and also most importantly, from the way that queen ant talked, I could tell that the Black Blood Ants had some degree of intelligence, perhaps not as much as the other races, but enough to definitely create a society. In that sense, it implied that the people of Sable Radiance had engaged in some kind of unique relation with the ants for ant poop. While I wasn¡¯t entirely sure how close this relation was, it was most likely that of a master and a servant¡¯s.


    The weak served the strong. That was the law of nature, whether in this world or Earth.


    If these ants were really slaves of the kingdom, then they probably wouldn¡¯t trigger the external defense system as well! If the golems really won¡¯t attack them¡­ ¡®I think there¡¯s something we can exploit here¡­what if I were to bring along a queen ant and walk unopposed throughout the capital¡­of course, that¡¯s just the best case scenario.¡¯


    Still, I knew that this was something I had to act on in order to prove.


    ¡°Nola, are you about done with eating?¡± As I said that, I glared at the queen ant to warn her not to move. I then turned to look at the feasting Nola: ¡°If we end up meeting more golems later on, you should be fine, right?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± She turned towards me and nodded: ¡°If I were to meet one, I¡¯ll show you the results you want.¡±


    ¡°Good, then go prepare yourself first, I have no doubt the next battle will come soon.¡±


    Having answered my question, she returned to her feasting. ¡®Looks like those three days were really hard on her belly¡­¡¯


    ¡°Big 4, go have a look around, if you see a golem, try to lure it back here.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Master.¡± Big 4 sped off into the distance without any hesitation whatsoever, randomly picking a direction in the process. Because the golems were all roughly scattered about with no regularity at all, finding one was entirely a matter of luck and Big 4 had no choice but to search around aimlessly. If he was lucky, he should be able to find one soon enough, if not¡­well, who could say¡­


    ¡®If my theory is correct, that golem should ignore the Black Blood Queen Ant, otherwise¡­well I just have to say sorry then¡­and who told you to be born so ugly, am I right?¡¯


    The search for golem proceeded very smoothly, requiring less than 40 minutes of waiting before I saw Big 4 barrelling towards us with a fully-limbed golem chasing after him. While this golem had all its limbs intact, it had a gaping wound, over 10 cm deep, raked across its body as if something had clawed at it. With how ghastly the wound was, it was hard to imagine how any one single creature could accomplish such a feat.


    ¡°Master! We¡¯re back! There¡¯s a golem behind me too¡­¡±


    At the same time as his return, Big 4 yelled out a warning to us.


    No.3 immediately tried to rush out to help but I promptly stopped him with my voice: ¡°Steady there, No.3. I need you to carry this queen ant towards it first. I want to see if it will attack her.¡±


    ¡°Understood Master.¡± No.3 immediately caught one of the outer limbs of the queen ant and started dragging her forward. By now, no matter how dim the queen ant was, she could roughly tell what was going on. She immediately tried to fight back but unfortunately, she was no match for No.3 at all.


    ¡°No¡­no¡­¡± Unable to resist, all she could do was beg for mercy. The way she was moaning almost reminded me of a scene where a bad man was slowly dragging a frail lady into a dark alley corner¡­well, except that this particular lady was unforgivably ugly¡­at least that was how she seemed to me.


    Sensing the golem, Nola paused her feasting for now, turned towards the distant golem and howled. Having done that, she raked at the earth a couple of times as if warming up for a fight.


    ¡°Let the queen ant have a go first.¡± Worried that Nola might just charge in right away, I anxiously reminded her to wait patiently. ¡°I want to test if those golems would actually attack her. Of course, all this is just an assumption on my part so if anything goes wrong, I still need you to join in.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, got it.¡± Nola nodded her head and took up a wary stance. Should anything happen, she would immediately charge off into battle.


    Body hovering barely off the ground, No.3 crossed shoulders with Big 4 as he swiftly dragged in the queen ant. Shoulders tightening, he made sure to restrain the queen ant after tossing her onto the ground. From her position, squished against the floor by a power she couldn¡¯t resist, all she could do was wriggle her abdomen about in what to be the most pitiful sight I had ever seen in a long while.


    Deathly afraid of the golem trampling on her, she desperately clawed her way forward but was summarily stopped by a cruel kick to the face by No.3. She stumbled backwards uncontrollably and just as she tried to climb up to her feet, she found herself face to face with a fierce looking No.3. Finally, she understood her position and quietened down, like some kind of wife who was a victim of abuse.


    If she was lucky, that golem would simply pass over her harmlessly, otherwise¡­from the looks of things, that golem would most likely step all over her in its path towards us.


    In order to avoid getting attacked by the golem, No.3 took to the air while still maintaining a vigilant watch over the Black Blood Queen Ant. The moment she tried anything funny, he was prepared to swoop in and give her the beating of her life.


    As she sat there helplessly on the ground, the queen ant gazed forlornly at the airborne No.3. She wanted to escape but didn¡¯t dare to try. She knew very well what would happen to her after failing so many times already. No.3 was faster and more powerful than she was so even if she managed to avoid the golem, No.3 would immediately take her out¡­


    Still, even though she knew that she was just a poor test subject of mine, her will to live refused to die down. She waved her limbs about frantically while calling out to that golem using some kind of strange chittering sound. Even though I couldn¡¯t understand what she was trying to say, I could tell from her actions that she was trying to tell the golem not to attack her¡­


    With regards to that wishful thinking of hers, all I could say was: fat chance!


    The queen ant had only one thought right now: run. Because she couldn¡¯t, she was terrified. She wanted to beg for mercy but who knew if that would even work¡­what then?


    The golem continued its thunderous march towards her and us. Honestly, there was just no way that golem could understand her¡­right?


    Right when I was expecting to see an ant patty however, something amazing happened that left us all stunned. The golem suddenly slowed down and even came to a stop right in front of the Black Blood Queen Ant¡­


    With that, the Black Blood Queen Ant was temporarily spared a horrific death. She weakly laid on the ground and gasped, deeply and greedily. The golem quietly stared at the Black Blood Queen Ant, neither attacking nor moving away. It was then that the Black Blood Queen Ant knew that she wasn¡¯t out of the fire yet. It tried to crawl backwards but as it did so, her eyes came face to face with the golem¡¯s own.


    The golem¡¯s eyes were red like a ruby. Because it was a magical construct, it had no emotions whatsoever. Being stared at like that must have been really stressful for the queen ant. Thus, merely seconds after escaping the fate of being stomped on, she fell to her knees and started begging for mercy once more.


    What happened next truly exceeded our expectations. Just as the queen ant was about to wet herself, figuratively speaking of course, the golem suddenly turned around and left¡­


    That¡¯s right, it left, inexplicably and without any warning at all. It didn¡¯t even look at us before leaving¡­even though we were supposed to be kill on sight targets. Because of that lone queen ant, it abandoned attacking us entirely.

 Chapter 266 Ambush

    Magical constructs, in other words, contraptions made by magic. In this world, every living creature is basically a magical construct created by the almighty Creator. The only difference was that the Creator blessed us with the gift of life and its various traits, causing this world to be filled with a complex plethora of variations.


    ¡ªFrom <>


    Receiving an outcome like that was just shocking¡­at this point, there was no way anyone was going to convince me that the Black Blood Ants and the mysterious golem creators had no relation, not even if they were to beat me to death.


    With the danger gone, the Black Blood Queen Ant slumped weakly to the floor in relief. Just as the golem had lumbered off ten seconds in the direction from which he came, the Black Blood Queen Ant¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up as if something had just occurred to her. She quickly climbed to her feet and crawled after that golem. Circling around to the front of the golem, she started waving her limbs about while trying to say something to it.


    However, the golem ignored her and merely continued onwards. The queen ant, unwilling to let it go like that, pleaded with it desperately.


    ¡°Master, what¡¯s that bug doing?¡± Asked a puzzled Big 4 who had just returned from his mission. For a simple devil like Big 4, he naturally couldn¡¯t understand what that bug was plotting. I, however, was different. Even without understanding her words, I knew exactly what she was planning.


    ¡°That bug was trying to get that golem to attack us.¡±


    ¡°What! That d*mned bug, I¡¯m going to squish it to death!¡± Big 4 immediately roared like a challenged lion. ¡°I swear I¡¯ll tear that ugly bug to pieces!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for pieces but how about you go ahead for now, there¡¯s something I want to test out.¡± I had a bold theory in mind that, if unsuccessful, would place Big 4 in great danger. But without his help, there was no way I could verify it either. Thus, with trepidation in my heart, I had no choice but to ask this of Big 4: ¡°From the looks of things, that golem probably doesn¡¯t understand ant speak. I need you to follow that queen ant for now but don¡¯t stay too close to her or stray too far either. I wish to know if those golems will try to attack you if you are near a queen ant.¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯ll get right on it, Master.¡± Big 4 rushed off without any hesitation in spite of the fact that he might potentially have to face up against an indomitable golem. If I had to grade his loyalty right now, it would definitely be a 100/100.


    Given the relationship between the ants and the golem creator, what if, and that was a big if, being near the queen ant alone was enough to prevent the golem from attacking Big 4? That was exactly what I wanted to find out now!


    As a magical construct, it should have been created with some degree of language skills. But because it was made for combat and not for utility purposes, its intelligence shouldn¡¯t have been that high, at least not to the extent where it would understand a wide variety of languages¡­that was probably why it ignored the queen ant.


    No matter how much the queen ant cried, the golem refused to listen to it. Even after noticing Big 4 following the queen ant, it merely ignored him and continued lumbering forward. Most likely it had assumed that the queen ant was trying to speak up for Big 4¡­in short, it assumed that the queen ant¡¯s weird chittering was about Big 4 not being an intruder. While the golem wasn¡¯t able to understand ant speak, it could still recognize the frantic actions of that ant.


    Seeing that, I heaved a sigh of relief. Since the golem didn¡¯t attack, it meant that as long as he followed behind the queen ant, the golem would assume that we were a part of her gang.


    And yet just as I thought that everything was proceeding according to plan, the script suddenly took a change.


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    The queen ant, probably realizing that the golem didn¡¯t understand ant speak, decided to change to the Devil¡¯s tongue. In what had to be the most awkward and inferior use of the language ever, the queen ant uttered her cry for help.


    ¡°Save me¡­they¡­bandits¡­¡±


    While her devil speak wasn¡¯t all that good, the golem still managed to catch a few key terms. It immediately halted its tracks and turned around to look at the Black Blood Queen Ant. ¡®Was it waiting for her to finish speaking?¡¯


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    I had known that the Black Blood Queen Ant was still stubbornly trying to resist us but never would I have imagined that her goldfish level of intelligence was actually able to come back and bite us in the rear¡­ ¡®That golem¡­is it planning to help the queen ant? What a mess! Also, is that queen ant blind or something? Did she ever consider the vast difference in strength between us and the golem? For her to act so rashly because of a mere glimmer of hope¡­how reckless.¡¯


    Because of my mistake, the queen ant ended up saying what shouldn¡¯t have been said. More importantly, that golem actually understood her¡­


    Standing right before her, Big 4 had also noticed the strangeness in the scene right now. He hurriedly rushed forward and gave the queen ant a thump on the head to prevent her from talking. However, he was too late. Upon seeing him hit her, the golem immediately struck out at Big 4.


    ¡°Blast it, that unobedient bug! Nola, it¡¯s up to you now.¡±


    Already in an alert stance, Nola leaped at the golem like a bolt out of the blue. Her powerful limbs bent down ,causing the earth itself to crack and tremble from the sheer force she applied, before springing forth like an unstoppable bullet!


    ¡°Don¡¯t kill that bug, I still need her!¡± Worried that Nola might just squish that bug out of anger, I hurriedly called out after her rapidly shrinking figure. At the same time, I yelled out to No.3 and Big 4: ¡°BIg 4, No.3, go drag that bug back here, quick, and don¡¯t kill it¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll help as well.¡± Ever the sharp one, Sinmosa immediately offered to help with her husband while simultaneously handing over Cinderel to me.


    In order to prevent the queen ant from dying, all our available forces had basically sortied by now. Without a doubt, she was a crucial key to our future plans, at least that was what I thought.


    There was one simple reason why I valued her life so much¡­because her existence was indispensable. Based on my earlier observation, I was able to conclude that the golems won¡¯t attack her and that by staying next to her, we should be safe as well, assuming that ugly bug didn¡¯t try and turn on us of course.


    From the way that golem acted so swiftly and decisively, it was obvious that the queen ants were seen as important targets to be protected. To the golem creators, these bugs were probably a valuable resource, though exactly how valuable she actually was was still a mystery.


    With the combined might of No.3, Big 4, Sinmosa and Sasani, the bug was quickly, and forcefully, dragged back to a safe spot.


    At the start, that bug tried to escape, making use of that golem to distract us. She planned to do so by digging a hole but unfortunately for her, No.3 and Big 4 had already flown to her side by the time she only managed to dig a tunnel the size of half her body. By using their brute strength, they forcefully pulled her out of the newly dug hole just as Sinmosa and Sasani arrived.


    With the four of them guarding her, there was no way she could escape, or die for that matter. As for Nola, her fight with the golem probably wasn¡¯t going to end anytime soon, given how heated it had become. For now, the situation seemed rather optimistic for us¡­on the surface anyway.


    The ants, whom the queen ant had deliver tribute to us up till now, were still quietly carting up their poop from underground. Even after we started dragging away their queen ant, none of them even reacted in the least bit.


    For a species like them, such indifference was shocking to me. After all, the queen ant had to be their most important member. As long as the queen ant survived, their hive would survive. Without her, they were literally nothing.


    That was why after I had No.3 restrain that queen ant, I immediately turned my attention to the busy ants. As before, they were still minding their business, with no sign of having reacted to our actions at all. It had struck me as strange then but I merely brushed it off, assuming that it was simply because the queen knew that there was no way to resist us so she had them do nothing instead.


    Now however, I finally understood what she was planning¡­


    At my side was only Mo Na and Cinderel, these two kids. Nola was busy with the golem. No.3, Big 4, Sinmosa and Sasani were all busy with restraining the queen ant. In short, I was at my weakest right now.


    Thus, something happened. The ants who had been indifferent up till now, suddenly took action. Each of them abandoned the poop rock they were carting up to the surface and swiftly swarmed towards me like an army that had its sights on a target¡­unfortunately for us, we were said targets.


    ¡°Mama, the ants are coming!¡± It didn¡¯t take long before Mo Na discovered the strange actions of the ants and yelled out. Not intending to hide their hostility at all, they charged towards us without a care, especially those winged ants who rushed us like a horde of angry wasps.

 Chapter 267: Mo Na’s New Spell

    ¡°Bark bark bark¡­¡± The sudden curveball left us all flustered. Being the youngest of all of us, Cinderel, the little black puppy, was scared to death by the sudden swarm and swiftly hid behind me. All she dared to do was peek out with her adorable little doggy face and let out a few barks for help.


    ¡°Mama, let Mo Na handle this!¡± With no time to calm Cinderel down, I immediately readied myself for battle but just as I did so, Mo Na rushed to the forefront first. Without even chanting, she immediately started a strange spell that first began with her two hands coming together and her mouth opening up slightly. She then pried her two joined hands open slightly and lowered her head, touching her lips to her fingers in the process, and blowing.


    Right after that, the seam between her two hands started glowing with a strange, demonic green glow that shimmered between darkness and light. Her hands slowly swung open and pushed forward. At that point, the green light, upon coming into full contact with the air, dissipated into a green mist that slowly advanced forward.


    If I had to describe the mist, the first word that came to mind was eerie. Not only did it drift forward slowly, it would also expand from time to time.


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    In spite of that however, the ant generals who flew at the forefront of the army had no intention of avoiding the mist at all. Complying with their queen¡¯s orders, they mindlessly charged into the manufactured green mist at which point, cries of pain could be heard from within the eerie mist. As they writhed and twisted about in odd angles mid-air, I could almost feel the horrific pain they were going through right now.


    A few seconds later, these poor ants started dropping to the ground like flies¡­ By the time they came into contact with the ground, there was nothing left of their wings except for the roots of their wings. Not only that, their outer shell was riddled full of holes in the manner of a golf ball, the holes most likely the result of some kind of strong acid.


    Not only that, just as I thought that those ants, who had just lost their wings, would try and get up to charge at me, they instead flipped over, mouth chittering in a tormented fashion and shell scrapping the rocky ground in a jarring fashion. Soon, they stopped moving entirely.


    Just like that, all the Black Blood General Ants died from being in the green mist.


    For the One-stars ants to end up like this, the other ants were clearly not going to be any better off either. Mere seconds after they entered the mist, they immediately dropped dead in a similar fashion.


    Still, the ants frantically charged into the fog of death and still, the fog ended up killing them. Time after time, this cycle repeated itself until finally, there was a noticeable drop in the density of the green fog and the ants were slowly able to proceed further in before dying.


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    Seeing her fog start to lose its efficacy, Mo Na calmly joined her hands together and began the process of manufacturing more fog. Thus, this merciless slaughter continued unabatedly. Finally, after two minutes or so, the threat from the ants ended¡­


    Unable to proceed any further because of Mo Na¡¯s spell, the restrained queen ant finally realized that her efforts were futile. Not only that, her hive was steadily getting smaller without any return whatsoever. With no choice left to her, she wisely chose to give up. It was fortunate for her that she did so too. Had this continued any further, I would have probably made No.3 give her a good thrashing.


    The queen ant gave out a hoarse cry. The ants, upon hearing her command, immediately halted their charge and swiftly retreated back to their hive. And so calm was restored once more to the scene, assuming one ignored the field of ant corpses and Nola who was still locked in a heated battle with a golem¡­


    ¡°Mama, look! The ants are running away! Isn¡¯t Mo Na great?!¡± Mo Na yelled as she leaped into the air and excitedly hugged my neck, eyes curved into mini crescent moons.


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    ¡°Mhm, my little sweetie is the best.¡± Truly, her spell was impressive. If I had to categorize it, it would definitely be an AOE spell, I had to say though, its effect probably wouldn¡¯t have been so pronounced on stronger opponents. When used on this swarm of ants however, it was practically a miracle worker.


    ¡®It just goes to show how everything in this world has a purpose, the same goes for magic as well¡­Still, that was a rather interesting spell she used there. It¡¯s definitely from the Undead branch of magicks¡­I bet it was that mysterious big sister who taught her that.¡±


    ¡°Mama, look, Mo Na can protect you now too! ¡° As she hugged my neck, she passionately kissed me several times.


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    ¡®This kid¡¯s passion is really a bit too much for me¡­don¡¯t tell me she¡¯s really thinking about doing THAT with me¡­spare me please¡­¡¯


    Even though being loved by my own daughter was a great thing and all, now wasn¡¯t the time for that. I still had a ton of matters to settle so I quickly placated her in the most efficient manner possible before turning towards Nola.


    The golem Nola was fighting against was already covered in wounds before the fight had even started. Adding on the fact that the golems were more defensive in nature than offensive, the punch it threw really wasn¡¯t all that damaging to Nola. Compared to that, Nola¡¯s Six-stars strength meant that each of her attacks dealt it significant damage. Thus, from the very beginning, Nola had an overwhelming advantage over the golem.


    Had it not been for the golem¡¯s extraordinarily high fire resistance, Nola would have already wiped the floor with it using a combination of elemental and physical attacks, instead of having to struggle for so long.


    Before that however, there was a certain queen ant that had to be dealt with.


    I glanced at No.3 and Big 4, signalling for them to bring the Black Blood Queen Ant over. Because we had just been attacked by ants, Sinmosa and Sasani were more than a little worried about the safety of their little puppy so they anxiously rushed over first. Seeing her parents return, she dived into Sinmosa¡¯s embrace like a swallow who had just found a home. As for poor Papa Dog¡­well, he was often ignored while Sinmosa was around.


    While all that was happening, No.3 and Big 4 dragged over a sullen queen ant, hands clasped firmly on both her flanks. Seeing that ugly bug approach us, Mo Na¡¯s anger immediately got the better of her as she rushed over to give her a couple of slaps. However, just as she was about to rain fire and fury down upon the queen¡¯s face, she noticed the frustratingly thick outer shell on her face. Hesitating, she finally chose not to strike. Thus, she decisively made the executive decision to kick her instead¡­to be exact, she kicked the soft belly region of the queen who immediately cried in pain while trembling.


    Because that was where she had given birth to countless ants, it was a relatively weaker region than the rest of her body. Also, while this queen was technically a ¡®pregnant mother; I just couldn¡¯t bring myself to pity such an ugly and¡­perpetually pregnant bug¡­ Besides, we had clearly invaded her hive, slaughtered her children and even forced her to be our test subject without any regard for her safety at all¡­thus, it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that this feud between us was no longer one that could be smoothed over.


    In short, we were her nemesis.


    Actually, all that was just me saying that I hated her for being too ugly¡­


    Noticing the unfriendly look on my face, the queen ant lowered her head and dared not look at me or speak ¨Cthe perfect image of a victim, the ultra pitiful kind too.


    I knew what she meant by that but I paid her no heed at all and simply cut straight to the point: ¡°Do you wish to live?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± She answered almost in an instant, eyes raised and pleading. Honestly speaking, having a bug look at me like that was just disconcerting. But killing her wasn¡¯t an option either. I had just labelled her an important part of my future plans so I still needed her alive.


    ¡°After that debacle, I know that you aren¡¯t as dumb as you make yourself out to be. If you cooperate with me from now on, I can forget about this little episode between us.¡±


    ¡°Mama, she¡¯s bad, let¡¯s just beat her to death.¡± Upon hearing that, Mo Na immediately chimed in, clearly not understanding what my plans were at all. Not willing to put up with the bug, she started shaking me profusely. ¡°Mama, remember how that disgusting bug tried to bully us, she¡¯s despicable¡­¡±


    I definitely didn¡¯t want my little baby to be annoyed by the queen ant so I immediately tried to placate her: ¡°Sweetie, Papa still needs her to perform a little task for us, if she doesn¡¯t perform well, Papa will hand her over to you.¡±


    ¡°In that case¡­alright then, whatever Mama says.¡± She thought on it for a second before reining in her anger and putting on a fierce face to threaten the queen ant. ¡°Listen up, you nasty bug, since Mama still thinks you¡¯re useful, Mo Na will let you live for now. If you try anything funny again, Mo Na will kill you.¡±


    For the most part, Mo Na was an obedient little girl. Whatever I said, she listened. As the saying went, a child that knew how to prioritize an adult¡¯s words was always a favored one.


    As for that queen ant, she was so terrified by the threat that she dared not breath as she submissively nodded her head.

 Chapter 268: I Think We Made I

    ¡®Hmmm¡­how should I say this, I think we got ourselves a slave¡­ahem, what I mean to say is that her position is basically that of a slave¡¯s.¡¯


    Nola ended up tearing the golem apart as expected while we had a nice little talk with that queen ant. After ensuring that she wouldn¡¯t put up too much of a fight in the short term, we proceeded on with our journey. As for that so-called tribute¡­well, it¡¯s not like we had anything to do with it for now so we had the ants cart the poop back.


    ¡®Come to think of it, exactly how much tribute has accumulated in the last 80 000 years¡­I bet it¡¯s enough to make a horde of pooplems. Hmmm, if I ever manage to find the method of crafting golems, I should go back and harvest those poop rocks.¡¯


    Because we now had a forced companion by our side in the form of that queen ant, our food problem was basically settled for now. Before leaving her hive, we had her bring along a portion of her hive who would then provide her with daily nourishment while acting as walking rations. Mhm¡­they fed her and then fed themselves to us.


    All the marching we had to do essentially meant that the queen ant had no spare time to lay eggs. Thankfully, she was able to control her need to lay eggs else we would have to rub her out¡­just based on that alone, I could say that she was a pretty smart one. She knew that we would never let her off the hook for such a reason.


    The whole idea of bringing this queen ant along was to prevent any attack by some random golems. Even though we had the powerhouse of a salamander, Nola, on our side, numbers was still an issue. She was perfectly fine taking on one golem but what if there were two? She would have no means of protecting us all then. The fact that we discovered an additional use for the queen ant was crucial in preventing any further unplanned incidents.


    Naturally, her job wasn¡¯t only to act as a golem ward. She was useful in finding other hives at which point we would attack them for food. After all, the meagre amount of ants we took from her hive was definitely not going to be enough to feed us all.


    Thus, the ants became the tribute she offered up to us. It¡¯s not like she could find food for us, so feeding on her ant kin was fair and square. Right? If she dared to disagree, Nola was ready with a few choice words for her. I was, after all, a fair and reasonable person.


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    The thought of capturing more queen ants had occurred to me before but in the end, I decided that one was enough. Besides, these queen ants weren¡¯t as brainless as I had originally thought , neither were they the most docile of ants. The more we had, the harder they were to control. Whenever we attacked a new hive, we first had to wipe out a few waves of ants first, forcing the queen out of its hive and then making her offer up some ants.


    Throughout all that, I could tell that the our captive wasn¡¯t exactly being very obedient. But before we reached our destination, I couldn¡¯t exactly kill her either. Thus, I had no choice but to have No.3, Big 4 and Sasani keep a 24 hour watch over her, lest she tried to dig a hole and escape again. Or rat us out to some golem.


    As facts would soon prove, I was right to do so. After she confirmed that we were all asleep, the queen ant promptly started digging a hole to try and escape. However, she ended up being caught by the ever-vigilant Sasani and was apprehended right there and then.


    In order to teach this rebellious dunce a lesson, I had No.3 tear off one of her limbs as punishment.


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    Back when that punishment had just been enacted, she spent the better half of the day rolling about in pain, her insect face contorted in all sorts of weird angles. Yet just two days later, I found that her limb had regenerated, albeit shorter and weaker than before. At least it grew back¡­


    ¡®And that¡¯s why I say that the ability to regenerate is just invincible. To fiendish creatures, even a torn off limb is nothing but a small matter. Hmmm, what if we were to turn her into a meat farm then? Ahem, that was all Mo Na¡¯s idea.¡¯


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    With this ugly get-out-of-jail-free card leading the way, we smoothly passed through several defensive lines manned by golems and continued northward. All in all, we continued travelling smoothly for half a month before discovering a ruin.


    Like a city that had undergone some massive earthquake, the buildings, all constructed of black igneous rocks, as was the style of Purgatory, had all crumbled. Of those which were still standing, they were all crooked and were basically half ruined. There wasn¡¯t a single complete building to be found anywhere.


    Stepping into the ruin, we continued northward as before. Because Nola¡¯s body was massive, each step she took ended up crushing countless rubble along the way. Some of the buildings which had the fortune of surviving till now were finally put to rest with Nola¡¯s passing, either because she knocked into them or because her thunderous footsteps ended destroying them. Thanks to that, we now had to guard against any potential buildings from collapsing on us. Thus, I decided to avoid any road with buildings nearby lest we ended up getting buried alive.


    Also, I had Nola lead the way first, that way any building that could collapse, would collapse before we passed by. As for that queen ant captive of ours, she was restrained as before. Well, I really had no choice in this matter. Within the ruins, there was a noticeably higher concentration of golems. If I had to hazard a guess, this was probably the capital we had been searching for all this while. In other words, we finally made it¡­


    At times, we would stumble upon a couple of patrolling golems. The moment they spotted us, I would have that queen ant step forward to try and explain our presence to the golems. Right behind her was Sasani who was ready to bite off her throat in a split second should she try anything funny.


    Either way, all we needed her to do was show her face. Whether or not she spoke, honestly, made no difference. In fact, it would probably be better if she didn¡¯t speak at all.


    By now, she had basically realized that escape was impossible so she became a lot more docile and cooperative. After all, she wasn¡¯t exactly that indispensable either. We simply had to find a new queen ant after killing her; it was merely a matter of convenience.


    Having journeyed through the ruined city for two days, we finally stumbled on a relatively pristine building. Relative was the keyword there. It was a half collapsed castle that was surrounded by a completely black wall stretching over 100 meters tall.


    ¡®Really though, did they have to build a wall so d*mn high? I mean, even back on Earth, the tallest ancient city walls that I knew of only was only 20 meters high. I¡¯ve never been to a big city in the Western Human Realms, but of the towns and cities I¡¯ve been to, their walls were merely 20 meters too, 30 tops. And yet standing right before me now was a wall that was at least 100 meters tall¡­isn¡¯t that just a little too much?¡¯


    With that in mind, I turned to our tiny mountain of a companion, Nola¡­it was then that I realized why. Given that Nola¡¯s race grew with their level, a Seven-stars must have been humongous. She was at least 10 meters long now, should she ever evolve, she would undoubtedly grow a lot bigger. When seen in that light, a 100 meter tall wall wasn¡¯t all that weird anymore.


    After all, human walls were made to handle humans and devil walls¡­were obviously made to handle monsters¡­


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    We found a collapsed section along the wall that so happened to be near the gates. Because of that, there were two golems stationed there permanently. Behind them was a mountain of crumbled rock wall that had basically become a testament their lonely and lifeless vigil. Had they not turned around to face us right there and then, I would have honestly mistaken them for broken down golems.


    Seeing the half-ruined castle, I suddenly felt a heat rise up within me.


    ¡®We¡¯ve finally made it¡­our goal¡­In order to reach the Western Human Realms, I had to conquer all sorts of hostile terrain, endure all manners of hardships, survive betrayals, forge alliances, kill and so much more¡­all that within the mere span of two years. I swear, it almost feels like I had lived an entire lifetime in those two years¡­¡¯


    ¡®Finally, it¡¯s over. As long as I can find that Fallen Angel Statue in the garden, I can¡­speaking of which, that Meisian had better come through here¡­those kitties are all a bunch of kooks after all. If that little black kitty were to say to me now: Nyahaha, oops, I gave you the wrong bit of information¡­¡¯


    ¡®I swear I¡¯ll kill that stupid kitty, Anmi! Definitely! As for why it was Anmi¡­well, that was just a matter of different treatment.¡¯


    ¡®Still, what am I so worried about exactly? At this point, isn¡¯t it a little too late to be wondering whether or not Meisian is even dependable? Bah, forget it, it¡¯s not like I have any other choice except to trust her, right?¡¯

 Chapter 269: Everything In This World Has Its Own Place

    Throughout this whole journey, as long as we had the Black Blood Queen Ant lead the way in front of us, the golems would ignore us. This time was no different, or at least it should have been so. Heart pounding with anticipation, I had the queen ant proceed forward as always while Sasani carefully watched over him. With him there, that bug didn¡¯t dare to try anything funny.


    Yet what I thought would just be a routine flash of our insect access card ended up failing ¨Cthose two golems actually prevented her from proceeding!


    As before, the Black Blood Queen Ant gingerly approached the golems. Up till that point, we had all assumed that everything would work, though my breath and fists were all tight at that moment. Yet just as she was about to squeeze in between these two golem guards, they suddenly moved.


    The two constructs stepped out in unison and stuck an arm out to block the queen ant¡¯s passage. By doing that, they had not only blocked that flustered queen¡¯s way, but they had also tossed an icy cold bucket of water over my burning heart¡­


    Thanks to all our previous encounters with the golems, while that queen ant was also just as terrified as she was now, she had basically become accustomed to this sort of role. Thus, the fact that she failed now was truly a surprise for us all.


    The queen ant immediately retreated backwards in fright while we swiftly entered a battle stance. Yet just when we thought that a battle was about to break out, the two golems suddenly stepped back, following the exact path they used to step forward as if they were some kind of rewound tape. The both of them had returned to their original positions like nothing had ever happened.


    ¡®What¡¯s going on here¡­rather, what are you two trying to pull here? We were all raring to fight already and you suddenly just pressed the rewind button on us? Are you messing with me here?!¡¯


    Faced with such an unexpected turn of events, no one had any idea in mind so they all turned to me. At times like these, the decision making was often left to me since I was the leader. I turned towards No.3 who was also waiting for my decision: ¡°Have that bug continue trying.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Master.¡± Having received his command, No.3 walked up to the bug who was currently cowering behind a pile of crumbled rocks: ¡°Get on it, keep walking towards them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­scared¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re scared of death then?¡±


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    ¡°Yesss¡­¡± She nodded her head.


    Having his command rejected like that felt like a slap to the face of his ego so No.3 immediately lost his temper and yelled at the poor ant queen: ¡°You might die if you crawl forward now, but if you continue to not listen to us, I¡¯ll kill you right now! Don¡¯t you dare doubt me! Don¡¯t think for a second that you¡¯re all that, we can simply find another queen ant to replace you! After all, we can easily just run away anytime but what about you?!¡±


    ¡°*weep*¡± Being yelled at like that brought the queen ant to tears.


    At the side, Mo Na eagerly watched the spectacle with glee. The only thing she had to do now in order to qualify as a spectator was to clap her hands.


    Probably noticing the growing aura of murder that was enveloping No.3, the queen ant promptly turned around once more to place herself in harm¡¯s way. For that sliver of hope, she crawled ever so slowly towards the crack between the two golems. As she did that, she would turn around to find No.3¡¯s terrifying gaze staring right back at her at which point she would quickly avert her gaze and continue crawling forward, never speaking for the entire way. At times, her attention would turn towards those three pairs of blood red doggy eyes staring at her¡­I bet she really hated those two right now.


    Of course, it could just be me she hated.


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    For the second try, the queen ant tried to take a test step forward but just as she did so, she was stopped once more by the golems. However, the golems merely blocked her way and did nothing else.


    ¡®Ahhh, how annoying. It was working fine last time so why not now?¡¯


    With no other choice, the queen ant meekly crawled back to us. Seeing that, the two golems returned back to their posts as well. Had I not witnessed this entire process myself, I would have honestly thought that they had never moved at all.


    Rebuffed, the queen ant was deathly afraid that she would be tortured for failing once more. However, after that display by the golems, I knew that this wasn¡¯t the fault of the queen ant.


    ¡®Why isn¡¯t it working now? Don¡¯t tell me we¡¯ve maxed out our insect access card?¡¯


    Beside me, Sinmosa suddenly chimed ub, having pondered this problem for quite some time herself: ¡°Because it¡¯s a matter of her social status?¡±


    ¡®Social status? What kind of problem can she have there? I know she¡¯s our slave and all¡­but in the eyes of those golems, she should still be a slave of the master of Sable Radiance¡­wait¡­I¡¯ve heard of this before¡­a case where slaves aren¡¯t allowed to walk on the streets like normal people¡­¡¯


    ¡®In fact, I¡¯ve heard of more extreme cases in the human world where servants aren¡¯t even allowed to eat on the table as their master, let alone slaves¡­even speaking had to be done with the utmost respect. In short, both parties weren¡¯t on the same level, each had their own place in the social hierarchy so to speak.¡¯


    ¡®I doubt the world of the devils is any different either¡­so the reason why she was blocked wasn¡¯t because of some complicated reason, rather it was simply because her status was too low?¡¯


    ¡®If that¡¯s true, all we have to do is circle around the other way and pop through that hole in the city wall.¡¯


    I laid out my idea to the others who readily agreed to it since they had nothing better anyway. Either way, it was the queen ant who was leading the way so even if anything were to happen she would be the first to die¡­as for us¡­we had all the time in the world to run away and catch another need test subject.


    As facts would soon prove, my idea was right. We actually made it into the castle courtyard. Throughout all that, the two watch golems didn¡¯t even bother glancing in our direction and allowed us to pass through that hole in the wall.


    Now that we were here, we basically had no need of the ants anymore. Truth be told, having those ants follow us was rather disconcerting for me as well. For the time being, we shouldn¡¯t need them as food either. More importantly, the moment those ordinary ants tried to enter the castle, those two golems suddenly reacted and tried to chase them away. Most likely, it had to do with their status being too low.


    After all, if their queen was already a slave, what about them¡­


    The insides of the capital was a lot better than the scene we saw outside. At the very least, the buildings we saw were all intact. Thus, the moment I laid my eyes on what was supposed to be a castle structure, my excitement surged. Why? Because the so-called castle, rather than being a traditional castle, was actually a thousand meter tall mountain, standing tall as if it was some sort of pitch black sword.


    All the structures had been carved into this giant mountain, with steps leading from the base all the way to the peak. Even though it was basically impossible for me to see what was on the peak because of our angle, I could already tell that there was a giant palace waiting for us to explore at the peak. If everything went according to plan, that Fallen Angel statue should be there as well.


    Throughout the journey upwards, I discovered that the buildings here were all mostly for living, with no signs of any weapons factory at all. Truth be told, I was rather interested in finding out if there were any golem production facilities here. If it was possible, I would certainly love to find out how to create golems.


    However, reaching the peak took precedence now.


    From the multitude of buildings dotting the walls of this giant black mountain, I could tell that a large number of creatures must have lived here back in the day, not all of them were devils too. Most likely, the other fiendish creatures lived here as well. Though their rocky exterior was now worn out, I could tell that they must have been ornately decorated in the past. Yet after 80 000 years of wear and tear, was it any wonder that they were so dilapidated?


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    After all, time changed everyone, and that included buildings.


    ¡®If this was China¡­it would be miracle if those buildings even survived 80 years, let alone 80 000.¡¯


    Initially, I had thought that this place would be swarming with golems and yet I found none at all.


    Our road upwards proceeded smoothly and there, as I had expected, we found a giant palace waiting for us¡­ ¡®Hold on, that¡¯s definitely a palace but it¡¯s actually built by hollowing out this entire mountaintop!¡¯ The entranceway to the palace was built in the fashion of a giant arc similar to the Arc de Triomphe. What was amazing however, was that this giant entranceway seemed perfectly new and metallic. In fact, there was no signs of wear and tear at all as if those 80 000 years weren¡¯t even enough to leave a smudge on its impeccable face!


    With how huge the entranceway was, even Nola, with her mountain-like body, was able to fit comfortably through¡­ ¡®I bet even three Nolas can fit through this gate. Can this even be considered a gate anymore? Maybe it¡¯s actually a catapult for launching Gund*m¡­¡¯


    Just like before, I had the queen ant lead the way forward, just as a precaution against needless casualties. Still, it had to be said that the world we now found ourselves in was like a completely different dimension when compared to the outside world. If the outside city was an old photo taken by some black and white camera, then this palace had to be a perfectly realistic photo taken by the most expensive of cameras.


    Everything had a surreal feel to it. Even though it was merely a single step separating us and the outside world, it was like looking into two different realms altogether, one fantasy and one reality.

 Chapter 270: A Strange Garden

    The Black Blood Queen Ant wasn¡¯t all that interested in things of beauty. It cared not for the intricate carvings on the wall, nor did it care about the radiant torches which seemed like they could go on burning till the end of time. Having stepped through the gate not too long ago, it stopped; there laid three branching paths of which the middle one probably led to the main hall. The left path had no marking whatsoever so there was no way to tell where it led to. The last path was decorated with a bunch of withered flower pots.


    By looking at those flower pots, I roughly knew where I now had to go.


    ¡°This way.¡± I pointed out the direction for the queen ant who simply followed my instruction emotionlessly. At this point, she had basically accepted her fate and was probably just hoping that we would let her go after all this.


    In that sense, she was only partially correct. From the very beginning, we weren¡¯t planning to do anything to her once all this was over. In fact, it was basically a done deal that we would let her go after this, though whether or not she could even make it back to her own hive now was something we didn¡¯t know nor care about.


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    The insides of this castle city was basically the same as the outside, devoid of any life. In all likelihood, the pristine condition of this building was probably because of some magical array freezing the effects of time. However, while it could prevent the building from crumbling, it couldn¡¯t stop the plants from withering in their pots. Without anyone to care for them and without the soil to nourish them, the plants ultimately died off¡­which was a shame really. One had to know how rare plants were in Purgatory, especially ones like these that couldn¡¯t absorb the fire elements in the air.


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    Even though there were multiple roads branching off into the distance, there was only one path that was decorated with pots. It was this path that we took and walked down for nearly 30 minutes before reaching a garden.


    At the very beginning, I was worried that Nola wouldn¡¯t be able to fit inside the paths, given how massive she was. However, I soon found out that even the internal hallways of this castle were so huge that they could fit two Nolas walking side by side.


    Yet the surprises didin¡¯t stop there. When I was expecting an ordinary courtyard garden, I was instead met with a scene that¡­well, didn¡¯t feel like I was stepping into a garden at all but rather into a primeval jungle. Had it not been for the lack of towering monsters and strange beasts¡­I would¡¯ve honestly thought that I had transmigrated once more.


    Throughout this path through the garden, there would be intermittent braziers lighting the way ahead at set intervals. In spite of that however, walking down this path was a harrowing experience because the braziers themselves weren¡¯t that radiant to begin with. It was as if we were walking through some dark tunnel into the abyss, truly a surreal experience.


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    Having walked to the edge of this garden, I witnessed a sight that shouldn¡¯t have been possible in Purgatory at all. By now, we were already on the outer edges of the mountaintop, in other words, the garden was definitely outdoors. Yet what entered my eyesight was a dense mish mash of ancient plant life that entwined together to form a dome that blocked out the sky.


    Once more, it had to be said that it felt more like we had entered another world than the garden of a Devil King. Never had I ever seen such colossal plants that could even cover the sky. Cutting through the black igneous ground were tiny streams of lava that, instead of harming the plants, seemed to feed them like normal water would. At that point, I had No.3 test out the warmth of the streams ¡ªthey were the same as those outside albeit a little higher.


    ¡®Really, how do these plants even survive like this?


    Sweeping my eyes across the scenery, I was immediately struck by how many thorned roses there were. Roses formed the majority of the plant life here and came in a variety of colors from the more common red, pink and white, to the more unusual, light yellow, deep purple and black. Not only that, there were numerous vine like plants that were mostly as thick as an adult¡¯s thumb, all just as thorny as those roses. The moment the Black Blood Queen, who was still at the forefront, approached the vines, they actually struck out at her¡­


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    Fortunately, these vines weren¡¯t all that strong so their attacks merely bounced off her outer shell harmlessly. However, the same couldn¡¯t be said for her abdomen where her protective shell wasn¡¯t as thick. To make matters worse, the vines coiling around her back section had steadily grown to the point where they were now able to lift her into the air. If I had to describe the scene now, she was a like young girl who had been shoved into pile of writhing tentac¨Cahem, either way it¡¯s a strange sight that nearly traumatized me.


    Unable to fight back, the Black Blood Queen Ant was dragged nearly two meters off the ground. By now, only a tiny section of her body and head were visible amidst the coiling vines. That, however, didn¡¯t stop the queen ant from pointlessly struggling while calling out to us for help.


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    This strange garden wasn¡¯t as simple as it looked; that much was made abundantly clear to me. Thus, in order to have her be our vanguard for a few more times at least, I immediately had No.3 and Big 4 rescue that queen ant while I myself swiftly grabbed Nola and Cinderel, that adorable little black puppy, and ducked behind Nola¡¯s front claw. Should anything happen, Nola was definitely the best shield against danger we had. It was then that Sinmosa and Sasani rushed over as well to protect us.


    Wings flapping furiously hard, the two devils rushed to the side of the queen ant and surrounded her, one on the left and one on the right, before breathing a stream of flames at the vines. While the vines themselves fed on lava, the flames of a Infant Flame Devil weren¡¯t as lukewarm as some old lava stream.


    Unable to resist the flames No.3 and Big 4 created, the vines writhed about violently for a few seconds before they finally had to let go of their bounty. The queen ant promptly crashed into the ground belly first, having lost the support of those coiling vines.


    She cried out in pain and there, where her body came into contact with ground, I could see a number of cracks spreading out from the point of impact. Moreover, from where those thorn vines coiled around her lower half, black insect blood started flowing out. Thankfully, those thorns weren¡¯t poisoned so the bleeding mostly stopped after we let her rest on the ground for a while.


    During the time she let her rest, I carefully inspected our surroundings. I discovered that this garden wasn¡¯t as devoid of life as I had first assumed. There was a certain species of bee-like insects, roughly the size of a pinkie, crawling about the plants. My guess was that they fed on pollen since I once saw them enter a flower and crawl out with a powdery substance on their person.


    Naturally, not every insect was so lucky. There were those bees whom I saw enter a flower but never leave as the moment it did so, the flower petals actually closed up and swallowed¡­


    At that point, I bent down to inspect the carnivorous flower and found that there were basically no distinctions between the ordinary flowers and those that ate insects¡­ ¡®A disguise? Was that how it lured those bees into its mouth? In that case, were those vines one that coiled the queen ants one of its methods as well?¡¯


    Once more, I was shown how fantastical the life forms in Purgatory were, even the plants.


    ¡®A flower that disguise itself and vines that can attack creatures¡­I wonder what else is waiting for us in here? Dang it, is it so hard to find a Fallen Angel statue?¡¯


    ¡®Speaking of statues, I think I found one¡­right over there, not too far away from where we are ¡­though it¡¯s currently wrapped up in countless vines and only the tip of its wing can be seen. If I hadn¡¯t taken the time to look around, I honestly would have missed it. Assuming that¡¯s the only statue in here, then I think that¡¯s the statue I¡¯ve been looking for!¡¯


    ¡°Mama, Mo Na found something strange.¡± By now, it wasn¡¯t just me who had noticed that statue. Mo Na, who had been riding on my neck all this while, had spotted it as well and was pointing at it with her finger. ¡°Mama, is that the statue you¡¯re looking for?¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­I think that¡¯s actually it¡­¡± Realizing that it really might be the goal I was seeking all this while, a rush of blood clouded my mind. Unable to resist the excitement anymore, I unknowingly started walking forward, disregarding any potential danger whatsoever.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Afraid that I would get into trouble, No.3 and Big 4 promptly abandoned the queen ant to rush to my side. Sinmosa and Sasani exchanged a glance with each other before having to follow in my footsteps with little Cinderel in tow. As for Nola, she had already acted long before those two.


    As I drew ever closer to my goal, I was beset by a stream of complex emotions.


    Often, in crucial moments like this, a boss would suddenly pop out and block your way. At that point, we would have to combine our strengths to defeat the boss, gain some experience, loot some equipment and¡­something else or rather. Either way, we weren¡¯t in a RPG right now so nothing popped up to hinder me though those blasted bee insects managed to scare me a couple of times¡­


    It was only when I was near the statue that it dawned on me how massive this statue actually was. It had to at least be 20 meters tall by my estimation. Because there were simply too many plants blocking my view, I couldn¡¯t make out its exact details except that it was made out of igneous rocks and should be a Fallen Angel with its wings spread out and legs closed up. Because of the plants, I wasn¡¯t able to make out where its arms should be.


    ¡®It¡¯s here, right¡­the place I¡¯ve been seeking even in my dreams¡­it has to be here¡­¡¯

 Chapter 271: A Statue that Talks

    ¡°Mama, is this the statue?¡± Mo Na flew up to the statue and started picking up apart the vines wrapping the statue with a tenacity that could have only been fueled by curiosity.


    Seeing my little baby approach those vines like that immediately gave me the shock of my life. One had to know, those were the exact same vines who, until recently, had been attacking the queen ant ¨Cwhat if they were to harm my little sweetie?! But before I could say a word to stop Mo Na, she touched them. Thankfully, the worst didn¡¯t happen as the vines were of the docile variant.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem all that special.¡± As she said that, she gathered mana into her palm, causing it to burst into flames and coalesce into a blade. With blade in hand, she quickly made short work of the vines and was finally able to touch the statue itself. Surprisingly, nothing happened. She had even given the statue a couple of light pats and yet it didn¡¯t respond at all. ¡°It¡¯s just rock, Mama. Do you think that black kitty was lying to us?¡±


    ¡°Black kitty¡­¡±


    ¡®Sweetie, that little kitty you mentioned is probably even older than me¡­besides, she was right in saying that there was a statue here. Even though I still can¡¯t really make out its facial features, it should be a Fallen Angel statue.¡¯


    There was no way Purgatory would have a complete depiction of any Angel other than a Fallen Angel. Thus, Meisian wasn¡¯t lying to me and this had to be the statue she mentioned. More importantly, even though she hadn¡¯t been here before, she knew that there was a statue here! Just based on that alone, I could tell that she wasn¡¯t tricking me.


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    If I had to guess why it wasn¡¯t reacting, it was probably because we hadn¡¯t uncovered the right mechanism yet.


    ¡°Mo Na, get back here, don¡¯t touch that statue.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Mama.¡± She obediently flew back to my side.


    For some inexplicable reason, the statue just struck me as odd. After having my daughter return to safety by my side and having Big 4 and No.3 watch over the queen ant, I called out to Sinmosa, Sasani and Nola: ¡°Be careful everyone. Sinomsa, Sasani, Nola, I¡¯ll leave my daughter to you all. Best if Cinderel stays near her as well.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up? Is there something wrong here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but it just feels like this statue is calling out to me¡­¡± That was the best explanation I could give for now. My gut just knew that it was calling out to me; from the very moment I laid eyes on it, I had the urge to touch it.


    ¡°Yes¡­there is something off about this place¡­perhaps¡­perhaps we should leave first.¡± For the mighty Nola to be so apprehensive was truly a little out of character for her. Normally, she would be the first one to charge into the fray, just like how it was when we first met her¡­


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    ¡°If we back away now, all that we¡¯ve done would have been for naught¡­¡± I shook my head and rejected her proposal. Placing my little baby onto Sinmosa¡¯s back, I gently kissed her on the forehead and said: ¡°Sweetie, remember to stick close to Aunty Sinmosa, don¡¯t run about, okay?¡±


    Unable to understand the meaning behind my words, she tilted her head to the side in confusion: ¡°Mama, what are you up to?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure as well, all this just feels off to me, that¡¯s why I don¡¯t want you to run about for now.¡±


    ¡°Kay.¡±


    As if I had just settled my dying will, I took a deep breath and then exhaled. Despite that, my heart refused to calm down in the least bit. I was worried. Extremely worried that something bad might happen the moment I touched that statue. But if I didn¡¯t touch it¡­wouldn¡¯t all that we had done thus far been pointless? All those brushes with death¡­weren¡¯t they for this very moment?


    The statue was definitely calling out to me. I could feel that from the very depths of my soul. It wanted me to go over and it wasn¡¯t my place to reject it.


    REPORT AD


    Slowly walking up to the statue, I breathed in deep and then reached out with my right arm, gingerly pressing onto the statue with my finger¡­


    Suddenly, just as my finger made contact with the statue, a blackish-purple dome barrier blasted outwards and rapidly enveloped the surrounding area with that statue as its center. In the time it took for me to blink, my entire field of vision was covered in it.


    Panicked, I nearly tripped on myself as I stumbled backwards. I turned my head to look at Mo Na and found that not just her, but the rest as well, had all been frozen there as if some curse had caused time to stop for them¡­no¡­to be precise, time had indeed stopped for everyone except me¡­only me¡­


    REPORT AD


    ¡®What¡¯s going on¡­exactly what has happened¡­why aren¡¯t they moving? Why am I the only one awake¡­¡¯ My legs started to soften and my body crumbled powerlessly to ground. I hurriedly tried to break my fall with my arm but I still ended up landing butt first anyway.


    *crunch*


    The ancient plants beneath me cushioned my fall somewhat with a crunch. Even in their frozen state, I could sense and smell them crumbling before my body weight. There I laid, a complete wreck, torn apart by anxiety and doubt. What was happening to Mo Na¡­what if she¡­what if¡­


    In the midst of all that anxiety, regret and hatred for myself, I heard a confident boom from high above me: ¡°Scared?¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡± I raised my head and found nothing but that black statue.


    ¡°You can¡¯t see me? Aren¡¯t I standing right in front of you now?¡±


    ¡®In front of me¡­but there¡¯s only a statue in front of me¡­a statue¡­¡¯


    ¡°You¡­you can talk?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t see what expression I had on now but without a doubt, it had to be a silly one.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, it has been 80 000 years already. I¡¯ve forgotten that I can talk too¡­¡±


    ¡°Err¡­may I know the name of the Almighty Divine I¡¯m speaking to? Also¡­what about my companions¡­are they alright?¡±


    ¡°Almighty Divine? Hmmm, that¡¯s a rather interesting name. As for your companions, worry not, they¡¯re fine. I¡¯ve just stopped their time for now. They¡¯ll be fine, at least while I wish them to be so.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®In other words, you¡¯re saying our lives are in your hands right now.¡¯ To be honest, even if the statue didn¡¯t say that, I knew it from the beginning. After all, everyone other than me wasn¡¯t able to move at all. If the statue could stop time, it could definitely kill us easily.


    ¡°Alright, how about we get down to business then. I¡¯ve been waiting here for you for 80 000 years already. Do you know how boring that is?¡±


    ¡°¡­you¡¯ve been waiting here for 80 000 years? For me? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve known of my arrival since that long ago?¡±


    ¡®Holy potatoes, don¡¯t tell me my whole transmigration is because of this statue here? But why did it summon me here 80 000 years ago? Or rather, why did I only end up here 80 000 years later?¡¯


    I was overwhelmed by the information bombarding me right now. Suddenly, it felt like I had unknowingly gotten myself embroiled in some devious plot¡­ ¡®Come to think of it, am I going to be pursued from now? In all those novels I¡¯ve read so far, guys like me always end up getting pursued and getting progressively stronger after each encounter¡­assuming they didn¡¯t die of course¡­c**p, I really hope it¡¯s the former¡­¡¯


    Just as I was preoccupied with all sorts of nonsense, the statue suddenly fished me up from that miasmic abyss: ¡°Strictly speaking, I wasn¡¯t waiting for you but rather I was waiting for someone who could awaken me.¡±


    ¡°¡­so that¡¯s why¡­¡±


    ¡®I just knew all that talk about plots and schemes didn¡¯t suit me¡­what a relief.¡¯ Purely out of curiosity, I blurted out the following: ¡°So what are the conditions for awakening you?¡±


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    ¡°Simple, that person would have to be my direct descendent or have some kind of direct connection to one of my descendents.¡±


    ¡°Your descendents are devils?¡±


    ¡°To be exact, the Fallen Angels.¡±


    ¡®¡­why does it feel like I had just been thrown back into Plot & Schemes Central? Am I really doomed to be stuck with such a fate?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s have a look see, exactly what kind of connection do you have to my descendents¡­hmm, a fiance? Hah, how amusing, to think you made it here by reincarnation. Oh, what¡¯s this, there¡¯s another soul in your body¡­a direct descendent of Asmodeus? Haha, I would have never thought that you had so many secrets hidden in that tiny body of yours.¡±


    Like some sort of grisly dissection, my secrets were all slowly picked up and laid bare for all to see. Every word he spoke seemed to strip off one more layer of secrecy I had.

 Chapter 272: Genesis and the Apocalypse 1

    At times, it really felt like I was on some kind of operating table in a lab ¨Cpowerless and laid bare.Truly, had it not been for the fact that this statue couldn¡¯t read my mind, I would have honestly thought that it understood more about me than I did.


    In order to shift the initiative to my side, I decided to change the topic slightly: ¡°You mentioned that the Fallen Angels are your descendents, then who might you be?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re asking who I am?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, may I have the honor of knowing your name?¡±


    ¡®Hmm, why does it feel like he isn¡¯t all that willing to speak¡­well, since he answered, I¡¯ll just keep asking then, lest he uses his X-ray eyes on me again.¡¯


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    ¡°I have two names. Once, long ago, I was known as Lucifer. Later, I was called Satan, which of the two you think fits me more?¡±


    ¡°Lucifer¡­¡±


    ¡®Wha¨Cwhat the heck, what¡¯s a legend-class divinity doing in front of me? This doesn¡¯t make sense! No sense at all! But then¡­aren¡¯t I in Purgatory¡­and didn¡¯t I transmigrate after dying¡­that¡¯s not very logical either¡­¡¯


    ¡®What¡¯s Lucifer doing in a different world anyway? Isn¡¯t he supposed to be like the first angel created by Jehovah or something? Something about having six sevenths of Jehovah¡¯s divinity and all the shiny effects to go with it. Sacred Six Wings, Right Wing of the Lord, Second-in-Command of the Heavenly Kingdom, the greatest angel created by the Lord, blah blah blah. But all that¡¯s supposed to be from Earth¡­this is a different world so what is Lucifer doing here?¡¯


    ¡®I know this is a world of magic and fantasy, I know it¡¯s normal to have devils and angels, but for some random guy to pop up in front of me and claim to be Lucifer¡­impossible! This is¡­this has to be one of those famous names, right? It has to be!¡¯


    Just as I was lost amongst all the shocking revelations, the arrogant voice of that statue boomed once more: ¡°I think so too, my original name is still the best after all. Satan and what not, that just doesn¡¯t have the same ring.¡±


    ¡®Satan, the Hebrew word for enemy. Who would¡¯ve thought that even in a different world, this name would actually stick¡­¡¯


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    ¡°¡­¡± At this point, I really didn¡¯t know how to react anymore. Forcefully suppressing the excitement in my heart, I tried probing him once more: ¡°May I know what¡¯s your relationship with Jehovah?¡±


    ¡°Jehovah? Who¡¯s that?¡±


    Surprisingly, Lucifer actually didn¡¯t know who Jehovah was¡­that didn¡¯t make sense¡­impossible¡­.


    At this point, my brain was basically farting. Following this line of questioning however, I asked: ¡°Then may I know the name of the Creator? Isn¡¯t it Jehovah?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, what a funny little fellow, exactly who taught you this version of history? His name is obviously Yahweh. And who is Jehovah anyway?¡±


    ¡®Man, he even saw through that¡­I¡¯m sorry for learning history from the school security guard¡­still, for the Creator of this world to be Yahweh¡­hold on, that name sounds kinda familiar¡­where did I hear it before¡­¡¯


    ¡®Jeebus, I remember now, isn¡¯t that a different name for Jehovah¡­¡¯


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    ¡®Man this is New Testament vs Old Testament stuff all over again¡­I get that you guys like to fight, but why did you have to bring Lucifer over here too?!¡¯


    (TL: I¡¯ll be honest here, I cannot be f**ked to translate this author¡¯s nonsense sometimes, it¡¯s not even funny¡­all he did was spend three paragraphs describing stuff about Judaism, Christianity for no rhyme or reason at all.)


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    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me this world has some kind of connection to Earth? Is that why I transmigrated here after dying? Ahh, this is all so complicated. Should I tell Lucifer I¡¯m a transmigrator? Will I get dissected if I do that¡­¡¯


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, Almighty Lucifer, do you know of Earth?¡±


    ¡°Earth? What¡¯s that? Never heard of it.¡±


    ¡®¡­so he doesn¡¯t know of its existence. That means me coming over here had nothing to do with him at all.¡¯


    In order not to have him stuck on this subject any further, I hurriedly changed the topic: ¡°Almighty Lucifer, you mentioned that you¡¯ve waited for me for 80 000 years, I hope you will forgive my stupidity but I can¡¯t seem to understand what you mean by that.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, that huh. It¡¯s a long story so grab a chair.¡±


    Just like that, he embarked on a long tale by first setting the stage for it: ¡°This is the Kingdom of Sable Radiance, you know that right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I heard that 80 000 years ago, this place was destroyed and that the person who did was so strong, it boggles the mind¡­I heard the entire devil population disappeared in one night¡­¡±


    ¡°Mhm, that¡¯s about right.¡± He nonchalantly declared as such. His next words however, shocked me and almost made my soul jump out of its shell. To some extent, I had already guessed the answer he was about to give but guessing and knowing were two entirely different matters.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I did it.¡±


    A simple yet chilling admission. Even now, I still wasn¡¯t able to fathom how huge Sable Radiance actually was. All I knew was that all the lands we¡¯ve travelled through so far were all Sable Radiance territories,,,as for how large that was¡­according to my rough estimations, I had crossed a China¡¯s worth of kilometers. As for how huge the entire Sable Radiance¡­could it actually have been as large as Earth? That would mean that there used to be several billion devils living here¡­


    Given that, the fact that this so-called Lucifer actually made the entire population of the Earth disappear in one night¡­exactly how much power did that actually take¡­the sheer scale of that exceeded whatever meagre imagination I had¡­


    ¡®Hmph, all that talk about S*iyans, they are all weak sauce compared to Lucifer. Yes, they can blow up the Earth, but can they make the entire population disappear in one night?¡¯


    Now however, wasn¡¯t the time to dispute the veracity of his claims. To begin with, the proof was staring me right in the face so I had no choice but to believe his words.


    ¡°Then is it alright if I ask why did you do it? It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to answer¡­it¡¯s perfectly alright¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple really.¡± As the statue said that, his voice was perfectly even, with no emotional disturbance whatsoever. ¡°I needed their bones to create a bone prison.¡±


    ¡°¡­is it called the Prison of the Dead?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that should be what it¡¯s called. Didn¡¯t you just break out of there yourself? You should be more familiar with the name than me.¡±


    ¡®¡­I know you¡¯re a busy god and all but at least remember what you did in the past¡­¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that look, it¡¯s been 80 000 years. It¡¯s only natural that I don¡¯t remember.¡±


    ¡°80 000 years huh¡­I guess that¡¯s true. If it was me, I would be nothing but dust now. By the way, are you really Lucifer? If you¡¯re so strong, why are you a statue now? Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°Not really, to be honest, I¡¯m not actually Lucifer, I¡¯m just a clone. From the very beginning, Lucifer never intended to do all this himself so he created me to seal off this place and move all the devils into the closest Half-Plane that borders the Blood Sea. After all, their bones had already been reserved as the main building material for the bone prison.¡±


    ¡®The closest Half-Plane that borders the Blood Sea¡­what¡¯s a Half-Plane? Also¡­isn¡¯t the Blood Sea where I was born¡­also¡­¡¯


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    ¡®Didn¡¯t he say that he was just a clone¡­for a clone to do all that¡­that¡¯s just frightening. I can¡¯t even imagine how strong his true self is¡­so it¡¯s actually true that he has six sevenths of the Creator¡¯s divinity then?! If not, how can a mere clone possess the power to wipe out a kingdom¡­after all, a Devil King is on the level of a demigod and for someone that powerful, they would at least have to be as destructive as a nuclear bomb, right¡­to wipe out such a monster in one night¡­without even allowing the other party to see his face¡­¡¯


    ¡®I still remember those Christian priests telling me when I was young that Lucifer possessed two thirds of the Lord¡¯s divinity¡­I also heard that he possessed six sevenths of the Lord¡¯s divinity too¡­so which is true¡­given that they would definitely try to play down his power after his fall from grace in order to lessen his influence on mortals¡­also given what I learnt from this statue¡­the latter is probably more likely. I wouldn¡¯t put it past them to try and reduce his influence by spreading such lies. After all, there were plenty of ways to wage a war.¡¯


    ¡®In other words, Lucifer¡¯s power is infinitely close to that of the Creator¡¯s.¡¯

 Chapter 273: Genesis and the Apocalypse 2

    The formation of Half-planes is a subject we¡¯ve delved into multiple times. There was once a scholar who hypothesized that these dimensional planes were actually a failed creation of the Creator. The reasoning behind his theory was twofold. One was that a complete Plane of existence and a Half-plane both shared a significant number of similarities. Second, while the two were vastly similar, Half-plane lacked a day and night cycle. Moreover, Half-planes were directly linked to the endless void. Should a creature accidentally cross over the boundaries of the Half-plane, it would get devoured instantly. Normally, these Planes were devoid of life. Because there is no day and night cycle, ordinary plants aren¡¯t able to survive either.


    There are still a whole host of mysteries in this world for us to uncover. The Creator blessed mankind with intelligence which allowed us to apply our wits to solve a variety of problems. I believe that sooner or later, every mystery in this world would be unravelled by us humans. Perhaps this is the real test given to us by the Creator.


    ¡ªFrom <>


    ¡°Speaking of which, you¡¯re from the Blood Sea right? Have you ever wondered how the Blood Sea was formed?¡±


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    Because I was so overwhelmed by all the information I¡¯ve learnt thus far, I ended up unintentionally staying quiet for a long while. Probably bored and also a little impatient, the statue spoke up once more to disrupt my contemplations: ¡°I bet you don¡¯t even know why you¡¯re here right now.¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m here because the Shadowcat Princess, Meisian, directed me here¡­where I really want to be is Abaddon¡­err, is there any other reason I should know of?¡± Each time this statue touched upon this topic, I made sure to measure my words carefully. After all, the fact that I had transmigrated into this world was a miracle that boggles the mind. What I truly feared was that something bad would happen should this secret ever get out¡­not that an almighty divinity like him would care so much about me to begin with¡­would a human ever care about the thoughts of an ant? Clearly not, unless it had some kind of research value.


    ¡°I said before, being able to awaken me means that you must have had some kind of deep connection to one of my descendents. Perhaps you might think that all Fallen Angels are my descendents, that¡¯s where you are wrong. The kids who truly qualify as my descendents are far and few between. One identifying trait is that they all have purple wings.¡±


    ¡°Purple wings¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, ordinary Fallen Angels have black wings, only my descendents are worthy of a more regal purple hue.¡±


    REPORT AD


    ¡®Yi Yi¡¯s wings were purple then too¡­so that¡¯s why they weren¡¯t black¡­she¡¯s actually the descendent of Lucifer¡­then was the reason why she sent me here because of this statue? Why does it feel like I¡¯ve gotten myself into a whole new mess again¡­don¡¯t tell Yi Yi was using me from the start?¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve realized by now, you¡¯re not the first nor are you the only one sent to the Blood Sea. You are, however, the only one who successfully made it before me and that¡¯s why, you should feel proud.¡±


    ¡®Proud? What¡¯s that? I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about¡­¡¯


    Honestly, I had always thought of myself as a lucky person. Even after I died saving Yi Yi, I was actually satisfied. Although we barely knew each other then, but the moment she was that I was useful, I died with gratitude in my heart.


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    Putting it like that, it must have really sounded laughable to some. To die for another and then to feel grateful towards that person instead simply because of those simple few words¡­was there anything more ridiculous than that? But even so, I really felt complete then. At least, right on my deathbed, I managed to do something that I felt was right; I helped a girl that was in trouble and that girl even became my fiancee and helped me reincarnate, purely out of gratitude.


    From that moment on, I worked my hide off to try and reach Abaddon to find her¡­just like how I desperately wanted to return to the Western Human Realm to find Nicole. And yet, here, right now, the answer that I got was that it was all just some giant plot? A farce?


    REPORT AD


    If that was really the case, then what had I been doing all this while? What was even the point of my existence? To get married to Yi Yi? Or was it just to awaken this clone of Lucifer? No, that¡¯s not right¡­I was sent here in the first place because One-eye betrayed me. From the very beginning, I intended to head straight to Abaddon¡­then One-eye¡­was his betrayal a part of all this as well? Who was the one controlling One-eye? Or perhaps he was a spy from the very beginning?


    If Yi Yi¡¯s true aim was to have me awaken Lucifer¡¯s clone, then wouldn¡¯t Ferti¡¯nier be a spy as well¡­after all, she was present within my soul from the very beginning, and had, for a time, been hiding out in my soul, watching and observing me¡­


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    If all that was true, then didn¡¯t that mean that Ferti¡¯nier had predicted I would break out of the Prison of the Dead right from the very beginning? That was why she placed some kind sleeper curse within One-eye that would only activate under very specific situations¡­


    Like for example¡­when I was about to step into that portal¡­or perhaps she was already awake then and had used that opportunity to mesmerize One-eye¡­


    ¡®Blast it, there¡¯s too many possibilities¡­exactly what have I gotten myself into here¡­why does it feel like there¡¯s nobody I can trust right now¡­¡¯


    ¡°Why¡­why must it be like this¡­I was just an ordinary human back then. Because of my soft-heartedness, I ended up saving some purple winged girl and ended up dying thanks to that. Once I woke up, I found myself in some terrifying place full of red-skinned devils feeding on each other to grow¡­what¡¯s worse was that I was one of them as well¡­I always thought that she revived me out of gratitude and yet you¡¯re telling me that all that was just because of you¡­Ferti¡¯nier¡­Ferti¡¯nier, are you awake¡­I know you¡¯re awake¡­I bet you¡¯re enjoying the show right now, aren¡¯t you?! Answer me¡­get out here! Now!!¡±


    With so many questions bombarding me at once, I was almost on the verge of a mental collapse. All I wanted to know now was what the heck did I work so hard for¡­exactly what was the point of my existence? Was Yi Yi making use of me¡­exactly what was Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s position in all this¡­


    If awakening Lucifer¡¯s clone was the real reason behind my revival¡­that meant that Yi Yi had been using me all this while¡­all that talk about being a fiance¡­that was just a load of bovine poop¡­ ¡®Ferti¡¯nier, get out here now, I know you¡¯re awake, I bet you¡¯re having a good laugh right now¡­get out here, I have something to ask you!¡¯


    ¡°Stop shouting, whether you believe it or not, Asmodeus¡¯s daughter is actually still in hibernation. She must have forcefully used her soul energy, causing it to get damaged in the process. Unless she gets some form of nourishment, she probably won¡¯t be able to wake up in the short term.¡± Having had his fill of watching me yell like a mad devil, he finally decided to explain the situation to me.


    ¡°Even though I don¡¯t really have to explain this to you, I¡¯ll do so anyway since you look so pitiful. Sending a closely connected soul that required reincarnation was a rule set by my main self 80 000 years ago. As for the reason, I¡¯m sure you have some inkling about it as well¡­it has to do with the Blood Sea.¡±


    ¡®So what he¡¯s saying is that Yi Yi made me her fiance because of some ancestor¡¯s wish? In other words, she might not know the real reason for sending me into the Blood Sea as well? No, she should know some facts as well. The key is that she admitted our relationship¡­if that¡¯s the case, she technically isn¡¯t using me either. She was just fulfilling an ancestor¡¯s wish; it didn¡¯t have to be me who got sent down to the Blood Sea¡­even so, a fiancee huh¡­¡¯


    ¡®Also, that Blood Sea¡­¡¯


    ¡°Blood Sea¡­¡± According to what I¡¯ve learnt so far, the Blood Sea had been sealed up for 80 000 years. Since the whole link between the Land of the Dead and the Blood was created by Lucifer, did that mean that he was the one behind the sealing as well? Based on what little information I¡¯ve gathered so far, he was the only one who had the power to do so¡­the fact that the Prison of the Dead was linked to the Blood Sea was the best proof there was¡­


    After all, the Blood Sea was the birthplace of all the fiendish races. Even though the three hells now had enough devils and fiendish creatures to sustain their own populations, the Blood Sea must have still been an important source of replenishment. For such an important place to be sealed up for so long,¡­there was no way the devils wouldn¡¯t be angry¡­imagine if someone barred entry to your ancestor¡¯s tomb¡­clearly you would be angry.


    Yet throughout my journey, I saw no signs of such anger at all. Even though the majority of the devils I had come into contact with were all from the Blood Sea, there were still those who weren¡¯t. Back in the Prison of the Dead, a portion of Mo En¡¯s devils weren¡¯t born in the Blood Sea. I had chatted with them before and when I mentioned the Blood Sea¡¯s sealing, they didn¡¯t seem to react all too much at all.


    Truth be told, I didn¡¯t think too much about that either. Thinking back on it now, it was truly a strange situation. After all, if someone had boarded up my doors and kidnapped my family, I would definitely call the police or something. And yet the mother-like existence known as the Blood Sea had remained sealed up for 80 000 years without a single devil making a fuss about it¡­even if these devils were all selfish creatures and only cared about their own gains, shouldn¡¯t dominating the Blood Sea be enough of a merit?


    Based on that, it was safe to say that their placid reaction was nothing but unthinkable.

 Chapter 274: Genesis and the Apocalypse 3

    It was only now that I finally understood the reason behind everything. Lucifer was the main culprit behind the Blood Sea being sealed¡­Lucifer, the progenitor of all the devils¡­the Fallen Angel known as Satan¡­


    It was said that the more you knew, the less you knew; that was exactly how I felt right now. The moment I heard all that the clone of Lucifer had to say, I realized how ignorant I was before. Along with that came a host of unanswered questions.


    By now, I was thoroughly dumbstruck. At times, it felt like my lips were flapping but my brain wasn¡¯t the one moving it: ¡°Why did you seal the Blood Sea?¡±


    ¡°Because I had a deal with Hades to provide him enough troops for his war.¡± The clone answered with an eagerness most likely borne out of boredom from being alone for so long. ¡°That was the only way I could get him to not attack the Western Human Realm.¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re kidding¡­that¡¯s the reason? Isn¡¯t he supposed to be the Devil here, the one trying to destroy the world, why is he trying to protect the humans instead? But then, there¡¯s no reason for him to lie to me either. After all, I¡¯m just an ant to him; no one would lie to an ant, that¡¯s just pointless.¡¯


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    ¡°A deal with Hades? To protect the human world?¡±


    The instant I said that, I was suddenly struck by the image of a more awe-inspiring, messiah-like Lucifer.


    Naturally, that wishful and naive thinking was swiftly struck down by Lucifer¡¯s next few words.


    ¡°Protect them? No way, I merely wanted to destroy the world myself.¡±


    ¡°But if you wanted to destroy the world, does it really matter who does it? The end result is the same.¡±


    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s not the same. Some things you just gotta do yourself, someone else might have gotten it wrong.¡±


    ¡®Uhhh¡­I guess that¡¯s true¡­kind of like giving birth to a baby¡­ The result is technically the same if the purpose is just to procreate¡­but can a person truly ignore the baby¡¯s lineage?¡¯


    ¡°But by giving them unlimited access to the Blood Sea, won¡¯t that bag of bones just betray you once he has enough troops? Besides, where is he going to expend those troops if not the Western Human Realms?¡±


    The fact that Hades needed troops meant that he had an invasion target in mind. Given that the Western Human Realms were off limits, where else did he have then? The Devils? Clearly, that wasn¡¯t possible.


    ¡°Truth be told, Hades and I discovered a new world 80 000 years ago. A world completely different from our own. Back then, we had a hunch that this new world was created by the Creator as well; because the sensation we got off its dimensional barrier was familiar to me. Furthermore, that barrier ended up taking a long time to breach, even for us¡­¡±


    ¡°Creator¡­new world¡­dimensional barrier¡­¡± With so many information being thrown my way in one simple conversation, it truly felt like my brain was starting to fail. ¡®Also, a new world? Don¡¯t tell me he¡¯s referring to Earth¡­after all, I came here from Earth and Lucifer even mentioned he found a new world. There¡¯s a bible there too, and it even has a record of how the world was created. Chinese legends state that Pangu was the one who split the heavens and Nu Wa was the one who created humans¡­but then¡­didn¡¯t the legends also say that she used the earth to create humans? Just like the Lord¡­so both of them agree on that point, but who is the real version here and who is the fake? Somehow, things aren¡¯t looking too good for team Nu Wa.¡¯


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    ¡°That¡¯s right, the Creator must have created a new world after leaving ours, going so far as to even strengthen its dimensional barrier with his divine power. He probably predicted that we would come knocking if we ever found it. That barrier was extraordinarily tough but the Creator was mostly like absent by then as well. In other words, over the past 80 000 years, this barrier hasn¡¯t had the chance to replenish its energy. While I might have been hibernating for these past 80 000 years¡­Hades probably¡­well, I doubt there¡¯s much time left for that barrier¡­¡±


    ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is, the undead won¡¯t disrupt your plans to destroy the human world since they have a new target?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Hades has his own matters to attend to so he won¡¯t bother us here.¡±


    ¡°But what if their invasion progresses too quickly? Won¡¯t they end up coming over to destroy the human world? Wouldn¡¯t they end up as a burden to you then?¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t. Our goal is to destroy a world, as long as we each have a target, there¡¯s no real reason for either of us to get greedy. At least till the time that both of us destroy a world, what you just said would never happen.¡±


    From the way he spoke, I could tell that Lucifer had the utmost confidence that Hades would never betray him, at least up to the point where they both destroyed a world.


    ¡°Then what¡¯s the reason for destroying the human world? For fun? To prove something? Plus, isn¡¯t destroying the human world just a simple matter for you, is there a point in going about it in such a roundabout fashion?¡±


    Being such a high level divinity, Lucifer¡¯s thoughts were truly beyond me. Based on what I knew of him so far, he was basically immortal and even his clone had the power to destroy a world. Instead of doing that however, he decided to help the undead and even had them invade another world¡­


    ¡°What are you? Dumb? Clearly there are people who don¡¯t wish for me to destroy this world. I don¡¯t want to get into some random fight for no reason at all. Even though the lot of them aren¡¯t a match for me, if they combine forces, they can be rather annoying.¡±


    ¡®So what he¡¯s saying is that there¡¯s a bunch of guardian gods who are protecting the Western Human Realms? Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s the Archangel Michael or maybe Gabriel¡­¡¯


    ¡®Come to think of it, exactly whose side should I stand on since I¡¯m now a devil? Hold on, of course I¡¯m standing on the side of the humans. If not for others, then at least for Nicole, Roscar and all the people I know. Based on that alone, I can¡¯t fight against the humans. But what can a weakling like me even do against the entire devil race?


    ¡®Besides, the humans won¡¯t believe me either¡­just like what happened when I was summoned to the Western Human Realms¡­ All it took was a few words from those bandits and suddenly all the swords were pointed at me¡­though the misunderstanding was resolved in the end¡­but still¡­having the person you were protecting just a while ago turn on you¡­¡¯


    ¡°I said so before, didn¡¯t I? You probably don¡¯t even know how the Blood Sea was formed.¡±


    ¡°¡­exactly how am I supposed to know that¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. I doubt it ever crossed anyone¡¯s mind that the Blood Sea is actually one of the Creator¡¯s works.¡¯


    ¡°¡­no way, no matter how you look at it, the Blood Sea can¡¯t be linked to the Creator¡­¡±


    ¡°I bet you don¡¯t know that the Creator flooded the world once¡­¡± Even though the clone didn¡¯t actually smirk, I could clearly feel the disdain in his words. ¡°Because he felt that the entire world was sinful, he flooded the world which he had meticulously crafted. Other than the select few species he chose, everything died in that flood.¡±


    ¡°¡­Noah¡¯s ark?¡± The bible did in fact mention such a thing on Earth. Jehovah felt that the world was too sinful so he found one of the few virtuous humans, Noah, and had him build an ark¡­


    ¡°You actually know of Noah¡¯s Ark?!¡± The clone was shocked that I knew of Noah but thankfully he didn¡¯t press that line of questioning. ¡°That¡¯s right, other than the clan of Noah and some animals, the entire world was wiped out.¡±


    ¡°So after the floods subsided, Noah and his clan made landfall and created a home?¡±


    ¡°No, the floods never subsided. The Creator created a different world and that world was later named the Western Human Realms.¡±


    ¡®Western Human Realms¡­isn¡¯t that where Nicole is right now¡­holy potatoes, what¡¯s going on with this story? I thought the bible stated that Noah returned to the land once the floodwaters subsided¡­up to this point, the events in the bible had basically aligned with the events of this world so why was there such a huge discrepancy now? Still, based on what I¡¯ve seen thus far, Lucifer¡¯s words are more likely to be true than the bible¡¯s.¡¯


    ¡®After all, even if the bible contained the words of God, humans were, are, a species that loved to take things into their own hands¡­just like how they purposely misrepresented the strength of Lucifer¡­as if his power would diminish just because of a couple of words in a book¡­¡¯


    ¡®For example, even if I said the Earth was flat, would that change anything? Of course not, even if the entire population believed in my alternative facts, the Earth wouldn¡¯t suddenly turn flat.¡¯

 Chapter 275: Genesis and Apocalypse 4

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­this is the former human world, isn¡¯t it¡­¡±


    Putting aside all those issues for now, I had to admit, that was a rather huge secret I had just learnt there¡­ Even though the flood had been recorded in the bible, it still felt a little unreal to me, seeing as I hadn¡¯t experienced it myself. Speaking of which, there were actually quite a number of flooding legends from ancient times.


    For example, in China, there was a well-known story about Nu Wa patching up the sky. The backstory behind that was that the Water God, Gong Gong, was fighting the Fire God, Zhu Rong, at Bu Zhou Mountain. The Fire God ended up triumphing but because the Water God wasn¡¯t able to accept this outcome, he rammed his head into Bu Zhou Mountain in a fit of anger. According to legends, that mountain was the pillar of the world so its collapse meant that the sky collapsed as well. The rivers of Heaven started flooding into the mortal realm as a result of that¡­ Multiple versions of that story had popped up over time but the gist of it remained the same.


    (TL: Only translated that section fully since most people wouldn¡¯t know that reference¡­)


    Putting aside whether or not those floods on Earth had any relation to Lucifer, the fact that this world had been flooded was indisputable¡­


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    ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you a smart one now, you figured it out so quickly.¡± Amidst the taunting, he didn¡¯t forget to explain as such: ¡°The flood didn¡¯t recede as the Creator intended because I pulled a little trick there.¡±


    ¡°¡­so in order to ensure Noah survived, the Creator had to create a whole new realm called the Western Human Realms?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Prior to flooding the world, the Creator never expected how much negative energies would be created from this single destructive act ¨Cthat ended up biting him in the rear. Naturally, such energies wouldn¡¯t be a problem for him to handle, but what if I intervened as well?¡±


    ¡®So what he¡¯s saying that is that the destruction of the world created a mass of negative energies that could even affect the Creator. The moment the Creator tried to snuff out this miasmic mass, Lucifer ambushed him¡­ Because of the pressure the Creator exerted on the two of them, they had no choice but to join forces and face off against the Creator¡­that should be the gist of what happened¡­¡¯


    To be honest, I still had a hard time imagining the Creator being unable to accomplish something but as facts would have it, he really had no choice but to create a new world. After all, Lucifer possessed six sevenths of his divinity. Combined with the negative energies brewing from the world¡­Either way, that was why the human world and hell were in separate dimensions¡­


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    ¡®The Creator retreated before the two of them¡­or did he actually? For someone who can even create a world, wasn¡¯t that showing just a little too weak¡­hmm, what if he was weakened after causing that flood?¡¯


    ¡®Hold on¡­that statue mentioned Lucifer made a deal with Hades¡­so who is Hades then? What¡¯s his relationship to Lucifer¡­what if¡­given all that I just learnt¡­what if Hades is actually that mass of negative energies¡­¡¯


    ¡°Errr¡­Almighty Lucifer, you mentioned something about Hades, right? Don¡¯t tell me he¡¯s actually the negative energies created by the flooding of the world¡­¡±


    ¡°Mhm, it was precisely because we combined forces to fight the Creator back then that he understands how crucial it is for us to work together against the Creator. Without both of our powers combined, fighting against the Creator is impossible.¡± As the statue said that, he paused for a second. I had no idea why he did that all of a sudden but before I could even find out, he started talking once more.


    ¡°Later on, the majority of the floodwaters receded, leaving behind the Blood Sea. Because I had the Creator¡¯s divinity, I was able to create the Devil race using the Blood Sea as a core. As for Hades, he created the Undead with my help, using the corpses left behind during the flood¡­in a sense, the Undead can be considered one of my works as well.¡±


    ¡®In that case, Hades must¡¯ve wanted to destroy the world because of revenge. I can buy that¡­being borne of the world¡¯s resentment, I can totally understand why he would do that¡­but what about Lucifer? Is he only doing this because he¡¯s bored? He can¡¯t be that lonely right¡­¡¯


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    ¡®It can¡¯t be because humans were his enemies¡­the two weren¡¯t even on the same level¡­at the very least, I don¡¯t think the humans had or have any way of fighting against an existence like Lucifer.¡¯


    ¡°Is it true that you really wish to destroy the world?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Having said that, his tone took a more teasing approach: ¡°You want to know why?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because the Creator once said that the second Apocalypse will happen by fire and brimstone¡­¡±


    ¡°HAHAHAHA¡­¡± The statue suddenly burst out in maniacal laughter yet amidst all that, I could detect a distinct sense of unwillingness and self-deprecation. ¡°It was only after I created the Three Hells that I realized the Creator had already made such a prediction long ago¡­fire and brimstone¡­just because you made me, does it really mean that I¡¯ll never be able to escape your palms!?¡±


    ¡®Fire and brimstone for the Second Apocalypse? Didn¡¯t Earth have that saying too?¡¯ Back then I was joking with one of the faithful about how the world will get wiped out by a second flood for being too dirty. The look he gave me back then seemed to say: I told you to read more books, didn¡¯t I? Just look at you now, making a fool of yourself because of your ignorance. Right after that, he explained to me thusly in an exasperated tone: ¡°The bible states that the second Apocalypse will be one of fire¡­¡±


    ¡®So all the bible said was true then¡­to think it would be Lucifer who enacted the second Apocalypse¡­the former Archangel and the brightest angel under the Creator¡­¡¯


    ¡®It all makes sense now¡­¡¯


    ¡®The reason why the Creator allowed Lucifer to create the Three Hells was because of his prediction of fire and brimstone. More importantly, the Creator didn¡¯t stay in this world anymore but instead moved onto to create another¡­¡¯


    ¡®In other words, his departure wasn¡¯t because he was afraid of Lucifer but because it was all planned¡­in short, everything Lucifer did was what the Creator had intended for him¡­I still remember Lucifer used to be called the Angel of Freedom¡­when viewed in this light¡­it almost seems like a cruel joke now¡­truly sad.¡¯


    Still, why did the second-in-command of the heavens choose to become a Fallen Angel¡­on the surface, there shouldn¡¯t be anyone more powerful in this world already, other than the Creator. Was there even a need for betrayal?


    I had once heard a priest mention that Lucifer fell from grace because he wanted to achieve the same heights as the Creator, even going so far as to try and surpass the Creator. The clone of Lucifer also mentioned that he created the Hells, so wasn¡¯t he, in a sense, trying to prove that he had the same power of creation as the Creator¡­also, from the way Lucifer spoke of the Creator, he clearly saw himself as an equal.


    His pride was clear as day itself. But the question still remained, did he really fall from grace because he wanted to surpass the Creator?


    For me, all that talk about floods and the destruction of the world was just a little too weighty. Rather than talk about that, I was more curious about Lucifer himself. Having seen him in multiple depictions across novels and comics, I was more than a little curious about this legendary figure.


    Yet just as I was about to ask him why did he fall from grace, a purple mass of light suddenly descended from the skies. As it slowly landed, I could see a purple feather floating within that mote of light.


    ¡®Feather? What¡¯s that doing here?¡¯


    ¡°This is for you, think of it as a reward.¡±


    ¡®A feather as a reward? A purple feather¡­don¡¯t tell me¡­it¡¯s Lucifer¡¯s feather?!¡¯


    Even though I was pretty sure of my hypothesis, I couldn¡¯t stop myself from asking anyway: ¡°Is that¡­your feather?¡±


    ¡°Strictly speaking, it¡¯s the feather of the main body. At the same time, it forms the basis of my existence. Or perhaps I should say that the feather is me.¡±


    While his words might have seemed a little strange to any newcomers to this conversation, he was basically implying that Lucifer created a clone of himself 80 000 years using a feather. That feather was like a core of this clone; after all, Lucifer needed some way of linking his clone to his main body¡­ ¡®So a single feather destroyed Sable Radiance? Exactly how terrifying is he then? I shouldn¡¯t even think about it anymore¡­either way, all I need to know is that said feather now belongs to me¡­hold on¡­if that feather can destroy Sable Radiance¡­doesn¡¯t it mean that I¡¯m now overpowered as well?!¡¯


    ¡®A divine weapon! That¡¯s basically a god¡¯s weapon! I¡¯ll slap anyone who dares tell me otherwise!¡¯

 Chapter 276: Genesis and Apocalypse 5

    ¡®So the real identity of my Cultivation Grandpa is the clone of Lucifer¡­I just knew that transmigration must¡¯ve have come with some kind of benefit¡­it¡¯s been waiting here for me all this while! Great, just watch me soar to the heavens now with this feather. If God dares to block me, I¡¯ll kill him; if Buddha dares to hinder me, I¡¯ll murder him!¡¯


    My heart pounded furiously as my shaking hands reached out to grab the purple feather. The moment my fingers brushed against the mote of light enveloping the feather, it rapidly dissolved, exposing the feather which dissolved as just as rapidly and mysteriously into my fingers¡­


    ¡®Hold on, where¡¯s the divine weapon I was promised¡­why the heck is it dissolving into my body? Also¡­are you telling me that I have another ancestor living in my body now?¡¯


    Before I could even ponder this question any longer, I was suddenly beset by a rush of heat that you would expect just before an evolution; the kind where your first instinct would be to rush into the freezer.


    This time however, the heat had clearly exceeded all of my previous expectations. It was as if my entire body was about to melt ¨Cand it did just that, starting with my hand! Like molten wax, what used to be a part of my hand started to drip downwards¡­next was my hair, my golden colored horn, my nose¡­by the time I recovered from the shock of seeing my hand melt, it was too late. With no body to support the weight of my armor, it naturally fell to the floor with a deafening clang. At the same time, what remained of my body dropped to the floor with a floop, like a pile of mud.


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    It had to be said that the word ¡®mud¡¯ wasn¡¯t just some kind of expression, my body was literally a pile of mud-like goo right now.


    Despite all that however, my consciousness was still active. Even without my body, I could feel the scorching heat running wild within me. It wasn¡¯t a pain that burned the flesh, rather it assaulted my soul directly¡­


    ¡®Am I going to die again¡­how many times does this make? Blast it, I thought he said he was going to give me a reward, how it did that end with me dying¡­what¡¯s going on here?! Is he trying to ninja the loot or something? Regret¡­I don¡¯t want to die¡­I still need to find Nicole¡­I want to find out the truth from Yi Yi¡­Numila¡­my baby girl¡­and Roscar too¡­what about my companions and subordinates who have supporting me all this while¡­also¡­¡¯


    Just as I was in the middle of cursing my decision to come here, my eyes went black¡­


    Within the endless void, there was no flow of time to speak of. By the time I opened my eyes and confirmed that I was still standing before the clone of Lucifer, I wasn¡¯t even sure how much time had passed.


    ¡®I¡¯m not¡­dead? Thank god I¡¯m not a rash person¡­else I would have kicked that stupid Fallen Angel in his immortal rear. Even though it technically doesn¡¯t exist¡­¡¯


    Before I could even confirm if all my limbs were intact, I heard the taunting voice of that statue boom from high above me. Even without looking at his face which was still covered by vines, I could clearly tell that he was laughing at me.


    ¡°I bet you thought you were dying just now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I really thought that I was dead back there.¡± In front of such a powerful being, there really wasn¡¯t much point in hiding my thoughts so I said my piece fearlessly, transmitting not just my words but my attitude at the same time. Essentially, I was saying that I nearly dropped the F-bomb right there and then.


    The statue didn¡¯t seem to mind my sass at all and instead laughed in a bemused manner: ¡°You, little fellow, sure have some interesting expressions. If it was those other brats, they would have probably kept it locked up in their hearts no matter how much they hated me. They know very well that I might just kill them in a fit of dissatisfaction. Just based on that point alone, I can say that you are an interesting kid.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s not me who is interesting, it¡¯s you who has been too lonely over these past 80 000 years. That¡¯s why you think everyone is interesting.¡¯


    Because of that dizzy spell, I was still a little lost about the time. Thus, I had no choice but to ask the only other person here: ¡°May I know how much time has passed?¡±


    ¡°An hour.¡±


    ¡°An hour?¡± ¡®That¡¯s all? I honestly thought that half a month had passed or something, or at least a week.¡¯


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    ¡°Mhm, how long did you think you were out for?¡±


    ¡°I¡­just fainted, how would I know¡­oh right, Almighty Lucifer, what about my companions¡­can you release them?¡±


    Unfortunately for me, the fondness he showed to me only extended to me and not the others. ¡°They have no right to see me.¡± A clear and crisp rejection, with no room for negotiation whatsoever. With how hard he slapped that answer in my face, even striking my face with a rod wouldn¡¯t have been so painful. That cold arrogance oozing out of his words were such that even a single second more wasted on those he deemed unworthy would be asking too much of him.


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    In truth, I wasn¡¯t all that surprised by his reaction. The fact that he even treated me well was probably because I was useful to him, and also because I was Yi Yi¡¯s fiance. Had it not been for that, he probably wouldn¡¯t have talked to me at all.


    Just as I was sulking over his rejection. The Statue spoke up once more: ¡°Rather than caring about others, how about you look at your body first.¡±


    ¡®Look at my own body? What¡¯s there to see? Like I can change all tha¡­hold on¡­something¡¯s off here¡­why is there something on my back? It¡¯s sticking out of my back right now, it should be bones ¡ªI can even control it?!¡¯ As I moved those two objects on my back like a pair of fans, I started to feel a breeze around me.


    ¡®Bone-like¡­fan¡­don¡¯t tell me¡­¡¯ I tried to flap the unknown appendage on my back once more. Because I still wasn¡¯t used to it, it felt rather stiff and unwieldy. Thus, I had no choice but to turn around and have a look. There, what first entered my field of vision was a pile of purple¡­feathers?


    I seemed to have grown a pair of wings. Moreover, they are in the same shade of purple as those of Lucifer¡¯s descendents¡­my skin too¡­ ¡®Isn¡¯t it supposed to be red, why is it milky white now? Hold on, it¡¯s not exactly white either, it¡¯s more like an asian¡¯s yellowish white¡­well, to be honest, that suits me more¡­¡¯


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    The horn on my forehead was still there but because I had no mirror, I had no way of confirming what color it was now; most probably it was gold colored as well.


    ¡®So, my body was reconstructed then? That¡¯s right¡­how else would my skin have changed from red to yellow?!¡¯


    ¡®More importantly¡­¡¯


    *looks down*


    ¡®Oh thank jeebus, there¡¯s nothing growing on my chest, so I¡¯ve probably returned to being a complete guy then¡­ but why¡­why¡­even though there are no melons growing on my chest, why is there still nothing sticking out of my pelvic region?!¡¯


    ¡®Since I¡¯ve saved some meat by skipping out on the breasts, shouldn¡¯t they have moved down to create a pee pee then? Don¡¯t tell me logic has no place in a foreign world? I finally had a chance to reconstruct my body so why am I still stuck in a non-male body?¡¯


    ¡°Why am I still stuck as neither a male nor a female?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with how you look now? Besides Asmodeus¡¯s daughter is still residing in your body. For two souls of differing genders to reside in the same body, that¡¯s truly a rare and unusual phenomenon. Normally, that shouldn¡¯t affect you but during a body¡¯s reconstruction, both souls would automatically wrestle for control. More than likely, this struggle would end in a draw. For your body to turn out as it did is honestly a pretty decent result. Don¡¯t tell me you would rather both your chest and lower half to grow something as well?¡±


    ¡®My chest and lower half¡­in other words, a breast plus pee pee combination¡­come to think of it, I never knew that even a divine being like Lucifer had such tastes¡­this junior still has much to learn¡­¡¯


    ¡°But at the end of the day, I¡¯m still a male. Being stuck like this is just disconcerting.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, there¡¯s nothing wrong with how you are now. Even the Origin Angels had no gender separation.¡±


    ¡°Origin Angels?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, the first few angels were all like you, genderless.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because the Creator created them to be merely tools.¡± At that, the tone of the conversation turned dark.


    ¡®But if the original angels were all genderless, how did Lucifer have descendents? Besides, I clearly remembered that Satan had a lover called Lilith.¡¯


    Lilith was supposed to have been created as a female before even Eve; the world¡¯s first female¡­she was supposed to be Adam¡¯s former wife but had to leave the garden for certain reasons. The question, then, was why did she leave the garden? Exactly what happened after she left Adam? How did she end up in a relationship with Satan?


    ¡®More importantly wasn¡¯t Cain, the world¡¯s first vampire, cursed by Jehovah to have to consume blood precisely because he killed Abel?¡¯


    (TL: Cain was mistranslated as Obscuria in C136. I¡¯ve changed that already.)


    The reason why Cain was important now was because the legends stated that it was Lilith who taught him how to draw power from blood¡­as for why she did that¡­the forums on Earth were rife with varying theories but the predominant explanation was that Lilith and Cain were in a relationship¡­


    ¡®So Cain cuckolded Lucifer then?¡¯

 Chapter 277: Genesis and Apocalypse 6

    ¡®So Lilith was Adam¡¯s former wife, Cain was his son. Then the fact that both of them ended up in a relationship was, in a sense, revenge against him. But what about Lucifer¡­I wonder if he can even stand his wife¡¯s little lover¡­¡¯


    ¡®Still¡­for me to stray so far from just the phrase ¡®Origin Angels¡¯¡­gossip really is second nature to all humans huh?¡¯


    {Insert 1000 characters worth of nonsense here}


    ¡®Hmmm, so did Lilith really cuckold Satan?¡¯


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    ¡®That¡¯s a question of absolute importance¡­ah, my gossipy nature is kicking in again¡­¡¯


    Seeing me in a daze like that, the statue mistakenly assumed that I was still stuck on the fact that the Origin Angels had no gender.


    ¡°I said so already, didn¡¯t I? The Creator created the angels solely to use them as tools. Tools don¡¯t need gender separation, and those angels didn¡¯t care either.¡±


    If the Origin Angels were really just tools, I could understand them not having a gender, after all, who would care about the gender of a refrigerator, a television or your chair. As long as it was usable, who cared if your handphone was a female or a male?


    The fact that the angels themselves didn¡¯t care, made sense as well. Back then, humans didn¡¯t exist yet so the concept itself was foreign.


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    If I had to hazard a guess, their attitude then would have been similar to how Nola viewed us: why even bother with gender separation? Isn¡¯t it more convenient to just give birth alone¡­etc.


    ¡®At this point, being able to penetrate and take it yourself is almost a kind of racial talent¡­¡¯


    ¡°Then what about you¡­¡± If Origin Angels really had no gender, then Lucifer, being the first angel the Creator created, must have had no gender as well, right? So what about those descendents of his¡­were they actually of his flesh and blood or were they all like me, transformed by one of his feather? As I mulled over the question of his gender, I picked up my fallen armor and put it back on. Even though I technically had no gender right now so I had no modesty to outrage, having clothes on was still important.


    ¡°Do you know of the Angel War?¡± The statue seemingly ignored the question entirely.


    ¡°A little, you started it right¡­¡±


    ¡°It was me¡­¡±


    The so-called War of the Angels was naturally a fight between angels, more precisely, it was a war in the heavens. Such a battle had been recorded in the bible as well where it was said that Lucifer was the one who started it.


    ¡°Initially, the Origin Angels had no gender at all, in fact, they had no bodies at all.¡±


    ¡®No bodies? I guess gender is kind of a moot point then¡­honestly, a priest from the church that I used to loiter around in once told me that angels were actually just spirits. But didn¡¯t the bible also say that a number of angels had gone behind the Lord¡¯s back to marry human girls¡­so did they or did they not have bodies?¡¯


    Finally, the clone of Lucifer gave me the answer I was looking for.


    ¡°Humans were created in the image of the Creator so they had a spirit, a soul and a body, just like the Creator. In the beginning, angels were just spirits, they later evolved to have a soul but no body. So angels were actually a lower life form in that arbitrary sense defined by the Creator¡­¡¯


    The soul represented the mind and the memories; the control center for the seven emotions and the six desires. Simply put, back when the angels were just spirits, they were nothing but tools. Whatever their creator had them do, they just did.


    In ancient China, they used to have a saying that everything in the world had a consciousness. That was probably referring to the spirit. Simply put, the spirit was an intangible thing. A baby who had just been born wouldn¡¯t know a thing. As time passed, the spirit would accumulate enough experiences to give birth to a soul. Once the two combined, they had a personality¡­


    For example, those plant demons from legends. While they were still plants, they only had fuzzy memories but once they matured sufficiently, they gained the corresponding level of emotions.


    Origin Angels were similar in that aspect. The original angels, including Lucifer, only had a spirit to begin with but as they worked for the Creator, they naturally gained a soul, and thus desires as well.


    But the fact that the humans, like the Creator, had a spirit, a soul and a body, showed how much the Creator favored them over the angels. Was it strange then, that humans could be considered a higher life form than the angels?


    That was where the whole problem started. Even though humans were of a higher rank than the angels, they were vastly weaker than the angels. Even more problematic was that the first ancestor of the humans seemed like a piece of junk in the eyes of Lucifer. Yet somehow, this junk ended being known as the Son of God whom the Creator even had the angels kneel to¡­


    For a prideful angel like Lucifer, how could ever accept such a command? To him, the weakling, Adam, was no better than a pile of poop. Would he kneel to a pile of poop? Of course not, he¡¯d rather Adam die instead!


    Thus, Lucifer refused to kneel to Adam, along with a certain portion of angels as well. Just like that, the War of Angels started.


    Basically, what the clone of Lucifer proceeded to tell me fell in line with what I learnt on Earth. As for the details of this heavenly war, Lucifer chose not to go into details. Even so, the result was clear for all to see. He fell from grace and became Satan.


    On the surface, the Creator didn¡¯t take part in the War of Angels. In reality, the Creator did in fact take part. Lucifer had six sevenths of the Creator¡¯s divinity so there was no one who could stand up to him in a fair fight. Yet he still failed. Why? Because the Creator acted through Adam to defeat Lucifer!


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    Having lost the War of Angels, Lucifer had no choice but to flee from Heaven. Unwilling to accept defeat, he quietly snuck back into Eden and met with Lilith¡­


    ¡°The Creator actually made use of that useless Adam¡¯s body to defeat me¡­so I seduced Lilith had her doubt the Creator and hate Adam. In the end, she chose to leave the garden to come with me¡­Eve eating the forbidden fruit was because of me as well. I had a hand in Cain killing Abel as well¡­I even had Lilith teach Cain how to draw strength from blood¡­the expression he had on then was so amusing¡­¡±


    The clone of Lucifer summarily recounted the disagreements he had with Adam. Naturally, that could have been interpreted as his disagreements with the Creator as well¡­ As he did so, he made sure to show off his ¡®accomplishments¡¯. For example, how he stole Adam¡¯s first wife, causing him to have to rely on livestock for a moment. Or he turned into a snake to trick Eve into making Adam eat the forbidden fruit. Or how he made use of the fact that the Creator favored Abel more to goad Cain into killing his brother¡­

 Chapter 278: Genesis and Apocalypse 7

    All that I had heard so far truly left me on edge and dripping with sweat¡­ ¡®From now on, I should just avoid antagonizing devils, or at least kill them off should I do so¡­lest I end up getting hounded in the future¡­holy potatoes, how vengeful can one person get¡­¡¯


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    Because the legends I knew of stated that it was Lilith who told Cain how to draw power from blood, the fact that the statue told me it was Lucifer who passed on that secret instead, left me curious. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it Lady Lilith who told Cain the secret?¡±


    ¡°Lilith is my demoness, everything she has is given by me.¡±


    ¡®So she¡¯s a demoness worshipping Lucifer¡­in that case, all that talk about Lilith two-timing with Cain doesn¡¯t hold then¡­because to a demoness, the master they worship is their everything. Even if Lilith really had some kind of relationship with Cain, it was done with Lucifer¡¯s approval.¡¯


    Now that the gossipy section was dealt with, my thoughts then drifted to the question of how did the later angels gain a body. Yet just as I was about to ask, the clone of Lucifer started talking about the Second War of Angels¡­


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    On the whole, the Second War of Angels was simpler one. A certain section of angels who were dissatisfied with being lower than humans started clamoring for a body. As for the other side, they were staunchly in support of the Creator so the two sides ended up clashing. Naturally, Lucifer joined in the war as well, in support of the rebelling side to be exact. Unfortunately for them, the Creator intervened and ended this rebellion.


    In the end, the Creator, for some inexplicable reason, decided to bestow a body onto those angels who supported him. Even so, these angels were still of a lower rank than humans. After all, the angels were created merely as tools while humans were the true children of the Creator.


    With a body, their emotions started to become more complex. As the saying went, ¡®the body is the root of all desires¡¯. Upon gaining a body, the angels naturally gained a gender as well and that led to another important question¡­given how pretty the human girls were, should they bang them or should they bang them?


    Truly a serious and critical question¡­


    To begin with, the whole reason why the Creator did not want to give them bodies was because he knew that they would be affected by the desires that came with one. For example, the bodily needs. By not having a body, they could perform their functions as managers of this world better.


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    The bible on Earth also had records of angels descending to the mortal realm because they wanted to get a piece of the action¡­action being that, of course¡­ Coupled with the fact that humans ended up mucking up the world on their own,the Lord finally came to the conclusion that there were no virtuous men left. Thus, he decided to flood the world, probably.


    However, going back to the topic at hand, the same thing could probably be said of the Creator of this world and the humans. In some sense, the Creator¡¯s decision to give the angels a body led to him flooding the world¡­so was that his motive all along?


    Right after that, Lucifer shared another explosive bit of news with me that pretty much confirmed my suspicion: ¡°Do you know why the Creator was so adamant about wiping out the humans?¡±


    ¡°No idea, I just know that the humans were too sinful and that there were basically no virtuous men left.¡± My knowledge of the flood was basically limited to what I read in the bible and that naturally meant that it was limited to what the church allowed us to know¡­


    ¡°Man was immortal in Eden¡­¡±


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    Immediately, the first thing the clone said shocked me to the core. ¡®That¡¯s right¡­man used to be immortal¡­immortal!¡¯


    ¡°Ever since man left Eden, humankind started experience sickness, death and famine. As time passed, the lifespan of succeeding generations started to shorten. Adam lived for 930 years, making him the human with the longest natural lifespan. Even though a few of his direct descendents managed to live longer than him, it was only a matter of a few years. There was no better representation of the fear of the unknown as death. Because man feared death, humankind started researching ways to fight off death itself. Undying was the sole privilege of the Creator. Other than the Creator, every being had to die eventually, even the angels.¡±


    Before Jesus appeared, in other words during the Old Testament, there was no mention of humans rising to Heaven upon death. Only the New Testament made mention of such a thing; Jesus¡¯s appearance was to lead people to Heaven after death.


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    It was safe to say that those who lived in the Old Testament period didn¡¯t know a thing about the afterlife since the Lord made no mention of receiving their souls after death¡­truly, the unknown was a terrifying thing.


    ¡°So the humans were really researching immortality back then?¡± Even though I knew that their research ultimately failed, I was still rather hopeful as I asked: ¡°Did they succeed in the end?¡±


    ¡°In the end¡­they didn¡¯t succeed, but they didn¡¯t fail either.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡®How about being clearer please?¡¯


    ¡°The reason why the Creator decided to wipe out the world was because their research progressed down the wrong road. Rather, it should be said that their research progressed down a path that the Creator didn¡¯t wish for¡­¡±


    As he said that, the statue paused for a second, perhaps simply to build suspense or perhaps for some other deeper reason. Or maybe he had just gone senile. Either way, the statue¡¯s abruptness left me itching for the answer.


    ¡°Go on then, don¡¯t just stop at the crucial point.¡±


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡± The statue exhaled for a long time. ¡°Back then, what the humans researched was actually Undead magic¡­by daring to revive the dead in order to escape from death¡­they essentially created a new life form¡­more importantly, Undead magic was only in its infancy then, so a lot of live subjects had to be used for experiments¡­


    Live experimentation¡­the first thing that came to my mind was the infamous Unit 731 from World War II. As for what they actually did¡­even the most ignorant of peoples would at least know what they did, right?


    (TL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit_731 . The euphemism employed in their name is just sublime¡­you just can¡¯t get more morbid and insidious than that.)


    The live experimentation conducted by the researchers of Undead magicks was basically the same, perhaps even worse. After all, the most 731 did was to perform inhumane experiments on the psyche and the body. In those Undead experiments however, even the soul was targeted; death wasn¡¯t even a clean affair anymore. After the destruction of the physical body, the soul still had to undergo a variety of cruel experiments seeing as death was the true starting point of Undead research¡­


    As the saying went: respect the dead. Almost everyone knew not to disrupt the rest of the dead. However, Undead magic, by definition, was anathema to this rule.


    In that sense, the appearance of Hades wasn¡¯t really a coincidence either¡­moreover, the clone of Lucifer mentioned that he had aided the creation of the Undead so in other words, Lucifer perfected Undead magic?!


    ¡®No, maybe instead of perfecting Undead magic, he instead led the humans to create it¡­that must be it! So he¡¯s technically the ancestor of Undead magic!¡±


    ¡®In other words, Lucifer was also partly responsible for the destruction of the world in the ancient times.¡¯


    ¡®Not that it matters to me, of course; that was all in the past. What I would rather know is why did he leave a statue behind for me to awaken? There¡¯s no way you¡¯re convincing me that it is all a coincidence, not even if you beat me to death.¡¯


    ¡°Judging by that expression on your face, I bet you¡¯re blaming me for the destruction of the ancient humans.¡±


    Even though I never said it out loud, my expression betrayed me rather handily.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you realized yet? This is all a ploy by the Creator. Me sneaking into Eden to seduce Lilith, me tricking Eve and Adam into eating the forbidden fruit, even all that I had done after that, do you honestly think that he didn¡¯t know? He definitely knew what I was planning, I dare say he even tacitly allowed it. Back then, I was beside myself with joy at the thought of having fooled him¡­in truth, he already knew about everything from the start, from the moment he had me kneel to Adam, he knew I would rebel. Yet he still did it. Why? Because his goal was to destroy the world!¡±

 Chapter 279: Genesis and Apocalypse 8

    ¡°That¡­¡± I was speechless. There were no words strong enough to describe my shock at that point. However, was it even possible for others to guess the thoughts of an existence at that level? He was, after all, the Creator.


    Since he was the one who created this world, it could be said that the entire world was in his palms. Given that, the fact that Lucifer managed to sneak into Eden twice, complete his mission and extricate himself successfully¡­was that even possible? It was akin to trying to steal something from right underneath the nose of the Creator ¨Cclearly the probability of that happening was close to zero.


    So at the end of the day, the Creator¡¯s goal was to destroy the world? But why did he even create the world in the first place then? Why engage in such a contradictory set of actions? If I had to describe the situation now, the first word that came to mind was messy. With all the information I had now, I simply wasn¡¯t able to make a proper judgement. Besides¡­the divinity in question had already left so perhaps there was no finding out the truth anymore¡­


    ¡°Since the Creator wants to destroy this world so badly, I¡¯ll just destroy it then.¡±


    The clone of Lucifer declared as such before turning towards me once more: ¡°Little fellow, since you¡¯ve managed to come so far, that means my deal with Hades has been completed. The seal on the Blood Sea has been undone and the Prison of the Dead will no longer stop those who meet its requirements from leaving. From now on, a portion of those who choose to enter Purgatory will be sent to the Remnants of Sable Radiance. Your job is to make use of these newcomers to take over this wasted kingdom. Accumulate more troops and build an army for the Apocalypse¡­¡±


    ¡°Apocalypse? So you¡¯re saying that you wish the destroy the Western Human Realms then?¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re kidding me right now¡­I swear, all these sudden developments are making my head spin. Also, why do I have to destroy the Western Human Realms as well?!¡¯


    ¡°The Creator has completely left this world so what happens to it is no longer his concern. Once Hades has conquered the new world, he will send his troops over to aid you. You don¡¯t have to worry on that front. Besides, the greed of humans mean that they will never unite. Without a united front, we can easily divide and conquer¡­¡±


    Before the Creator left, he must have left behind some kind of restriction on the world, else why would Lucifer resort to all these unnecessary actions like raising an army? Just by himself, he could have easily wiped out a kingdom from the Western Human Realms with a single sneeze¡­so exactly what was restraining him? The Goddess of Light?


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    Unable to enter the Western Human Realms himself and wishing to still enact his plan via a non-divine rank battle, his only other option was probably to seal the Blood Sea and help Hades. In all likelihood, his idea was to first wipe out that new world and turn allthe inhabitants there into Undead soldiers so as to bring them over to invade the Western Human Realms¡­ The humans must have had some kind of special means to resist Devils and Undead, else why would he go to such lengths?


    Moreover, this so-called new world must have been weaker than the Western Human Realms, at least it was so to Hades and Lucifer. Although the clone mentioned that the both of them were still unable to tear down the dimensional barrier guarding that world, there was no doubt in my mind that it must have been born later than the Western Human Realms. In other words, the level on average should have been lower than the Western Human Realms¡¯s.


    In a sense, what he was doing was stealing a candy from a baby. Clearly, he, being the adult in this case, was going to win, right?


    ¡®Shoot, he has even offered the Blood Sea to feed Hades more troops¡­he¡¯s clearly out to wipe out the Western Human Realms! What should I do now¡­I don¡¯t want Nicole¡¯s world to be destroyed¡­to begin with, all that talk about destroying the world just doesn¡¯t feel that real to me at all¡­if it really happens¡­a lot of people will die, won¡¯t they? No¡­I must do something¡­¡¯


    ¡°Almighty Lucifer, even if you want me to invade the Western Human Realms, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible at all since Sable Radiance is still in a sealed up state. Besides, I¡¯m just a Four-stars pleb who has neither power nor troops. Even if my heart is in this, my strength isn¡¯t.¡±


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    ¡°The seal has been set to slowly undo itself once I awaken. This entire capital is a Summoning Zone as well so you can leave this area temporarily by being summoned. However, those outside of the seal still cannot enter Sable Radiance until the seal is completely undone. That¡¯s because you¡¯re still too weak right now. Before you become as strong as a true Overlord, you will never survive an attack from another Devil Clan. As for those few Overlords here, I¡¯ll send out a word to them. If anyone dares to touch you, I¡¯ll help you kill them in the future. And that¡¯s why all you have to care about for now is levelling up, gathering troops and conquering the rest of the clans in Sable Radiance. Once you¡¯ve done that, just await the day of Apocalypse.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯ll help you kill them in the future¡­hey, why is it in the future and not now?! Bah, I don¡¯t even have the energy to poke at his words anymore.¡¯


    ¡°¡­you¡¯ve¡­really thought this through, haven¡¯t you? But I don¡¯t have the strength to conquer the other clans for now. In fact, I don¡¯t think I can even recruit those devils from the Blood Sea¡­¡±


    ¡°Your lack of strength is definitely your biggest weakness now. However, I¡¯ve already prepared for that, catch.¡± Having said that, a chestnut shaped ruby, roughly the size of a fist, descended slowly from the air. My first thought was to reach out and grab it but on second thought, I decided to retract my arm. Not too long ago, I had suffered quite a bit at the hands of that feather¡­this time¡­


    Seeing me hesitate, the clone of Lucifer explained as such: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s nothing wrong with this ruby.¡±


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    ¡°¡­¡± Having my thoughts seen through like that left me slightly embarrassed. However, the one to blame here was me for thinking too much about such matters. After all, it wasn¡¯t like every object that fell from the sky had the ability to melt my body¡­


    My hands tightly gripped down on the ruby. It was strange; slightly warm to the touch but still pleasant.


    ¡°Almighty Lucifer, may I inquire about the purpose of this gem?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a key component in controlling the Abyssal Golems ¡ªthe Gem of Authority. As long as you have it, you can control all the Abyssal Golems in Sable Radiance and also give out control rights temporarily. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve met them already. Each golem is at least at the level of Six-stars with some of the higher grade ones even reaching Seven-stars. There¡¯s even a hidden golem that has the power of a Eight-stars. With its help, you should be able to conquer the entire Sable Radiance as long as the Overlords do not interfere.¡±


    ¡°Abyssal Golems¡­¡±


    ¡®Is that the name of those golems I encountered¡­I have to admit, those darned things can really deliver on the combat power, they are even immune to fire damage and have an impressive defensive power. As long as I have enough of them, I can pretty much run rampant throughout Sable Radiance. After all, creatures of Purgatory are all of the flame element. With their flame immunity, those golems can just stomp all over those clans who rely on fire damage.¡¯


    ¡®Like those Hellhounds for example, with their dual nature attacks, their power would basically be cut in half right off the bat. Adding on the fact that the golems were all built with an insane level of defense, they really can¡¯t do much except flee. Had it not been for Nola, I really doubt we would even be able to make it this far.¡¯


    By now, my mouth was basically watering at the mere thought of controlling those golems. I hurriedly asked: ¡°Almighty Lucifer, I¡¯ve encountered a number of golems on the way here, they are still outside right now as we speak. But where are these Seven-stars you speak of? Why haven¡¯t I seen them yet? Also, how do I activate this stone?¡±


    ¡°Use your psyche to communicate with it.¡±


    ¡°Like this?¡± I brought the gem up to my horn and as I did so, a wave of psychic energy started to flow into it via my horn. Immediately, the gem sucked up the outflow of energy before spitting it back out a second later, albeit a smidge lesser than before. However, that amount was truly insignificant and didn¡¯t affect my body all that much; basically a short rest should be enough to recover it.


    In exchange for that, I managed to establish a connection between the gem and me. Simply put, I could now use my psyche to communicate with it directly, not that it had any soul to speak of. Still, it was amazing the way I suddenly knew how to use it!


    Just as I was about to continue trying to communicate with the gem, the clone of Lucifer suddenly coughed lightly. Upon confirming that I had come back to my senses, he continued answering one of my other questions: ¡°Abyssal Golems were crafted by a Devil King who employed techniques learnt from the ancient humans. While they still look like toys to me, they are at least amusing ones. The remaining Six-stars and the Seven-stars are all stashed in the weapon factory hidden in the lower half of the palace. As for that Eight-stars Abyssal Golem, isn¡¯t it looking at you right now?¡±


    ¡°In front of me¡­isn¡¯t what¡¯s in front of me just¡­¡± ¡®Holy potatoes, so the carving of Lucifer is actually a Eight-stars Abyssal Golem?!¡¯


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve said what needed to be said, all you need to do is follow my instructions and I guarantee that you won¡¯t regret it.¡±


    ¡°If¡­¡±


    ¡°I know you used to be a human, but you aren¡¯t anymore.¡± Even without me speaking, the clone of Lucifer already knew what my mind was thinking. This time, his voice was chillingly placid as he laid it out for me: ¡°If you fail, well, good luck to you then.¡±

 Chapter 280: Genesis and Apocalypse 9

    ¡°¡­good luck to me¡­¡± ¡®Is he going to kill me or what? Well, it¡¯s not like there¡¯s a good ending waiting for me if I go along with his plan anyway¡­so¡­I guess my next mission is to destroy the Western Human Realms? Hmmm, destroying the world sounds great and all but¡­I really don¡¯t want to do bad things. I don¡¯t mind killing bad people but the problem is that I don¡¯t want to kill the innocent. But if I don¡¯t do it, the consequences¡­will probably be worse than death. After all, Lucifer is the creator of Undead magicks¡­¡¯


    ¡®Better to fight against an Overlord than to fight against a Necromancer¡¯ that was a common saying in the Western Human Realms.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve said what needs to be said, I¡¯ve completed my mission so it¡¯s time for me to return as well.¡±


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    ¡®Return? So you aren¡¯t going to stay in my body then¡­¡¯


    ¡°My main body will keep an eye on you often¡­Little Fellow¡­you¡¯re still too weak but the moment you accepted the Gem of Authority, you became the new Overlord of Purgatory¡­even though you technically do not possess the power of an Overlord¡­¡±


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    ¡®Purgatory Overlord? Me?¡¯


    Having said all that, a blackish purple mass of light appeared above the clone of Lucifer. It flashed for a brief moment before disappearing just as suddenly as it appeared. With its disappearance, the barrier created by Lucifer crumbled as well. As if it was actual glass, the purplish dome began shattering and falling to the ground. At that point, I was basically prepared to shield my head like a mouse, so as to prevent any potential injuries. Yet, nothing fell. Instead, the shards merely dissipated in the air.


    ¡®Geez, scared me for a second there¡­¡¯


    Soon after the barrier disappeared completely, the aura of Lucifer¡¯s clone vanished as well. The basis of its existence was that single feather of Lucifer. Now that it had entered my body, the clone was no longer able to sustain his existence. Besides, his mission was over and he had a report to make. From the way he disappeared so decisively, he probably was going to do just that.


    This little adventure could be said to be an important turning point for me. Just using the energy given to me by that feather, I successfully evolved into a Four-stars, and even reconstructed my body at the same time. As of right now, I was a unique Devil with the original sin of Pride, Lust and Envy dwelling inside me. And yet despite all that, I didn¡¯t feel the least bit excited at all. It wasn¡¯t because my pee pee hadn¡¯t reported back from its vacation yet, rather I was worried about the Western Human Realms¡­ ¡®I wonder¡­if I entered Abaddon directly and didn¡¯t get the chance to awaken this statue, would this outcome have changed?¡¯


    ¡®Ah, looks like I¡¯m overthinking things again. Ever since I reincarnated from the Blood Sea, I think it is safe to say that my days have basically been spent in one giant trap after another. I¡¯m not even sure if Yi Yi is using me anymore. Even if that clone said that she was merely following his wishes, the whole timing of this sordid affair is too just coincidental¡­¡¯


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    The whole reason for me being the last to leave the prison was because Harlow died and Majosha decided to accompany him in death. Because I was so touched by her devotion, I decided to stay behind till there were only the two of them left. It was only when I was about to enter the teleportation gate to Abaddon that One-eye suddenly stabbed me in the back, figuratively of course¡­


    On the surface, the whole issue laid with One-eye. However, it was important to remember that I had a Demigod level Lust Demon resisting in my soul who also specialized in psychic magicks. Moreover, she was a top-class Devil King who was about to forge a divine core!


    Back then, she should have been asleep but whether or not she was truly asleep, who could say? Unfortunately, there was no way I could verify or disprove this matter. In other words, it was entirely possible that Ferti¡¯nier deliberately hid herself and then used her powers to control One-eye and force me into Purgatory.


    After all, Ferti¡¯nier was the one sent to look after me by Yi Yi¡­but upon thinking back on that fateful day once more, I realized that Yi Yi was in a pretty desperate situation herself. Her mana had been all but spent and there was nothing much she could do. Had it not been for that, she would have never relied on a piece of trash like me.


    It was clear that she didn¡¯t possess the power to revive me and had to rely on the Crystal of Chaos to revive me. Because Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s soul was in that crystal as well, she ended up getting dragged into this whole mess¡­ Given all that, it was entirely possible that Yi Yi was merely focused on trying to save me, all that nonsense about Purgatory was merely a giant coincidence.


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    ¡®Ahh¡­my head hurts just from thinking about this¡­there¡¯s just too many possibilities. Who should I even believe¡­should I believe my gut that says she was merely trying to save me or should I believe in this giant conspiracy theory? But really, I don¡¯t think now¡¯s the time to be thinking about this either. Since Lucifer is basically forcing me to take part in the apocalypse, I can¡¯t say no or the consequences will be dire. But just obeying him is just¡­ I really don¡¯t want to hurt the innocents. I mean, if it¡¯s some other race or just someone who really didn¡¯t fit my sense of beauty, I will definitely not hold back at all. Even so, I won¡¯t go so far as to wipe them out either.¡¯


    ¡®But he wants me to wipe out the humans¡­Nicole is still there for crying out loud¡­if this so-called Apocalypse were to suddenly erupt, the humans would definitely suffer heavy losses. At that point, Nicole would have to join the war, seeing as she was a warrior. She might even rush to the frontlines¡­Even ordinary folk might get implicated¡­after all, an apocalyptic battle like that was everyone¡¯s business¡­not to mention that Lucifer¡¯s plan is to send in hordes of Undead as well¡­¡¯


    ¡®Hmmm, there are other races in the Western Human Realms as well but unless the situation is truly dire, they will never set aside their differences..¡¯


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    Just as I was basically stuck in an infinite loop of what ifs, Mo Na¡¯s adorable voice suddenly jolted me back to reality: ¡°Mama! How did Mama change all of a sudden?! Your wings are so pretty, Mama! Mama smells so nice too¡­¡±


    Just as I lifted my head, my sight was immediately overwhelmed by Mo Na leaping towards me, completely entranced by the scent of my body. She directly wrapped her hands around me and started kissing my cheeks till my entire face was full of her saliva: ¡°Mama, why are you standing there in a daze, is there something wrong with the statue?¡±


    Now that Lucifer¡¯s barrier was gone, Mo Na and the others had recovered their freedom as well. However, judging by the expression on their faces, they didn¡¯t seem to be in the least bit aware of what had just happened. In other words, their memory of me had stayed at the point where I had just mentioned wanting to investigate the statue.


    ¡°Mama, what¡¯s that, it¡¯s so shiny!¡± Mo Na stretched out her arm to try and touch the Gem of Authority. Because the gem itself had no offensive properties to speak of, I simply handed it over to my little baby.


    ¡°That¡¯s called the Gem of Authority, it can be used to control the Abyssal Golems.¡± I gently hugged Mo Na and explained as such with a smile on my face: ¡°The Abyssal Golems are those black and red golems we fought not too long ago. With this gem, those golems now belong to us.¡±


    ¡°Mama, this gem is so nice, it feels comfortable just hugging it.¡± As she wiggled about in my embrace to find a cozy position, she continued fiddling with the gem. ¡°Mama, how did your appearance change? At least Mama got prettier, Mo Na just knew Mama is prettiest in the world!¡±


    ¡°Master¡­you¡¯ve evolved!¡± Before I could even answer Mo Na¡¯s question, No.3 and Big 4 practically dashed to me and with a disbelieving look, blurted out as such. Had it not been for the fact that my soul signature hadn¡¯t changed at all, they probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to recognize me at all.


    ¡°How did you evolve into a Fallen Angel?¡± Sinmosa asked, having trotted up to me as well, with husband and child in tow. She first gave me a cursory sniff and upon confirming that it was really me, she then asked as such in an unsure tone: ¡°How did you suddenly evolve in the blink of an eye? Did something happen that we aren¡¯t aware of?¡±


    As she said that, little Cinderel came scampering up to me to give me a friendly snuggle with her little noggin. Even though my appearance had changed drastically, her friendliness towards me hadn¡¯t changed at all. She then stood on her two back paws and started pawing the air as if she wanted a hug too. I hurriedly had Mo Na made the necessary preparations after which I bent down to pick up our little doggy VIP. It was only after I finished hugging her that I finally had the time to answer Sinmosa¡¯s question.


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story¡­¡±


    Yet just as I was about to embark on said long tale, I paused, unsure as to how to start. What happened before was definitely not known to them but I wasn¡¯t exactly in a position to explain either, seeing as even I had difficulty processing the fact that I had just spoken to Lucifer. ¡®I need some time to think¡­¡¯


    Unfortunately, that clearly wasn¡¯t going to happen. Upon seeing my new form, the Black Blood Queen Ant immediately fell to the ground and crawled up to me in a prostrated form. Even with how much she was kowtowing to me now, her face showed no unwillingness at all. It was as if she was worshipping me.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on with you?¡± ¡®Why is that ant suddenly acting so reverently? The fact that she wasn¡¯t even faking it, had to be the biggest surprise here.¡¯


    ¡°Mas¡­master¡­!¡±


    ¡®She¡¯s actually calling me master now?! Wasn¡¯t she all hardcore rebel just a while ago? How did I suddenly turn from her hated enemy to her master? Did she hit her head somewhere or something?¡¯


    Just as I was busy being perplexed about it, Nola¡¯s gigantic mountain of a body came lumbering over to me. Upon reaching me, she curiously bent down to assess me. After pondering for a moment, she then spoke in an unsure fashion: ¡°I remember the elders in my clan once mentioning that the Devil King of Sable Radiance once had a pair of wings like yours. However, his head didn¡¯t have a horn, nor did he have a tail.¡±


    ¡°¡­so you¡¯re saying the queen ant might have mistaken me for the previous Devil King?¡± Turning away from Nola, I fixed my gaze back on the grovelling queen ant. ¡®I guess that¡¯s possible too.¡¯


    Curious about my current form, Nola asked: ¡°Oh right, how did you suddenly evolve? You were in front of us all this while but suddenly you just evolved¡­I can swear I didn¡¯t even blink too¡­¡±


    ¡°Some things happened¡­perhaps all this might have just been an instant for you all, but for me¡­it felt like an entire century had passed¡­¡± Unsure as to where to start, I decided to give them an abridged version: ¡°We can go into details next time, all you guys have to know now is that I¡¯m now the Overlord of Purgatory¡­¡±


    ¡°Overlord?¡± Sinmosa threw me a disbelieving look: ¡°You¡¯re the Overlord?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, even though my strength hasn¡¯t changed all that much¡­but I¡¯m now the Overlord¡­¡±


    (TL: The author added in a note here describing how Mo Ke looks. However, all that was written before the cover page of the novel was updated so¡­there¡¯s really no point in me translating it now. Just go look at the cover picture of this novel, that¡¯s how he looks like now. Mo Ke is roughly 170cm tall.)

 Chapter 281: Conclusion 1

    Dark Elves are a subrace of the Nature Elves. They live underground and worship the Spider Queen, Lolthe. They are a bloodthirsty and chaotic race. Their society is matriarchal and has more females than males. While they might be known as Dark Elves, they still resemble their cousins, the Nature Elves, with their pointy ears, slender bodies and pale, to the extent of almost being translucent, skin. They have silvery hair and crimson red eyes that have evolved to see in the dark due to their long term habitation underground. Their skill in the assassination arts is unparalleled. Moreover, just like their name would suggest, they specialized in dark magicks. However, it had to be said that their talent in Undead magicks tended to be on the low side, most likely because of their origins as a Nature Elf. Their matriarchal society, bolstered in part by their slave system, managed to establish an impressive power base in their subterranean world. Their favourite pastime has to be killing and mating. As long as the urge called for it, the females of the Dark Elf race don¡¯t mind mating with another race, whether human or even beast. On that point, the males differed slightly. They are at least more picky when it comes to their mates; they had to be humanoid at least.


    ¡ªFrom <>


    Roscar, who had been out searching with his self-established mercenary company, immediately rushed back from the outskirts of Tarnia upon receiving a letter from Zarah. He returned alone to Chaik village, leaving the daily runnings of the company to his second-in-command.


    Zarah, Sares¡¯s father and the one in charge of Chaik Village¡¯s security, dragged the anxious man on the day of his return to his home for a drink. Throughout the drinking session however, Zarah¡¯s brows were furrowed and his lips were sealed tight except when he needed to take a sip. Noticing the obvious heavy mood in the air, Roscar prepared himself for the worst.


    ¡°Old friend, how about you just speak your mind then. Your missive mentioned you had news of my son, if not for that, I would not have returned at all.¡± Having said that, Roscar reached for a mug of beer and emptied it in an instant as he eyed the silent Zarah, heart growing more anxious by the minute.


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    ¡°Let me say this first¡­this piece of news might not be correct at all¡­I¡¯m not sure how I should say this but¡­once you hear what I have to say, make sure not to act rashly¡­¡± Even though Zarah kept dilly dallying about, Roscar was no fool; he knew, based on Zarah¡¯s expression alone, that this piece of news wasn¡¯t going to be good.


    Deep down, Roscar knew very well how bleak the situation was. Mo Ke had no Fighter¡¯s Aura to speak of, neither did he know magic. On top of that, there had been no news from him since the day he left home. The last time he had even come into contact with something related to Mo Ke was on the day Mo Ke left home. Using his wealth of tracking knowledge, he retraced Mo Ke¡¯s footsteps to the forest where Mo Ke disappeared from. There, he found Mo Ke¡¯s engraved short sword and shield. Right beside them were piles of goblin corpses and lower level Devils.


    Based on the way the corpses were strewn about, it was clear that the Devils and goblins had fought for some reason or another. In that case, the fact the Mo Ke¡¯s shield and sword were found there with the owner nowhere in sight¡­what did that mean exactly? Most likely, he had died on that day¡­


    Since he knew that already, why did he still insist on searching for Mo Ke then? Because his daughter insisted on it, also, perhaps deep down he still held a sliver of hope that Mo Ke was alive somewhere. Ever since the day his old friend, Morran, and his wife died, he had always regretted his foolishness that day. From the moment he adopted Mo Ke as his own, he had treated him like his own son. With regards to Mo Ke¡¯s thoughts, he understood them more than anyone else. Yet at the end of the day, he was an adult and as an adult, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to believe in Mo Ke¡¯s miracle-esque wish¡­


    Up till now, what had sustained and even comforted him was that they had never found Mo Ke¡¯s body. As long as there was no body, there was no proof of his death. At the very most, they could only conclude that he had gone missing.


    Holding this laughable and pitiable bit of faith in his heart, Roscar created a mercenary company. Every day, he would go out on missions while simultaneously keeping an eye out for Mo Ke. Even till now, he still believed that their best chance of locating him was to search the various slave markets of the world¡­in short, finding Mo Ke in a slave market was basically the best outcome he could hope for now.


    Honestly, it wasn¡¯t that he was pinning all his hopes on a long shot either. He had attempted to contact several Occultists and Demoness over these past few years despite the fact that he hated them. For his son, he was willing to swallow his hatred and yet things weren¡¯t that simple either.


    Originally, he thought that he finally had a winning plan but because of the widespread influence of the Demon Hunters, there was barely any room for such fiendish factions to grow at all. As such, those that he found were all low levelled and weren¡¯t able to help him locate Mo Ke at all; they couldn¡¯t even give him a definite answer. That was why, even up till now, he didn¡¯t know that Mo Ke had been reincarnated into the Blood Sea.


    ¡°Just tell me what you¡¯ve found so far.¡±


    With no mood to beat around the bush, Roscar lowered his beer mug and stared his friend right in the eyes: ¡°Even though I can basically guess what I need to know from your eyes already¡­I still need to hear you say it directly¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like this¡­¡± Seeing his friend in a foul mood, Zarah decided to bite the bullet and tell him the bad news. ¡°Some time ago, some strangers visited the village. As you know, this village of ours is rather off the beaten track so most travellers wouldn¡¯t come here at all. The first stranger was an odd one, she seemed to be very familiar with our village. She even called out to me for no rhyme or reason at all. For some strange reason, her manner of greeting me felt rather familiar but I truly had no recollection of her at all¡­¡±


    Zarah slowly recounted Mo Ke¡¯s return to the village and then went on to talk about the Demon Hunters, making sure not to leave out any details at all. At the end, he added: ¡°The Demon Hunters claimed that Little Ke¡¯s soul was devoured by a Devil but because his soul was too strong, he ended up influencing the Devil¡¯s memories instead¡­as a result¡­the Devil mistook himself for Little Ke¡­¡±


    Having said that, Zarah gingerly sneaked a glance at Roscar and found his old friend sitting there stony faced with a mug of beer at his side. Like a statue, he merely sat there without moving a muscle.


    ¡°Old friend?¡±


    By now, Zarah was starting to worry that Roscar might just decide to smash the table out of anger. However, after a minute or so had passed, Roscar still remained as still as before.


    Yet just as he wondered if something had happened to his friend, Roscar gently lowered the beer mug in his hand and took a swig out of the keg itself.


    Zarah knew why he did that; Roscar was trying to drown his frustrations with alcohol. In a sense, it was at least better than smashing things. Thus, Zarah decided not to stop him or even try to persuade him. Just like that, he quietly watched over Roscar while he drank. Swig after swig, his drinking continued until he finally downed his third keg of beer. At that point, the beer was on the verge of running out and upon seeing that his friend clearly wasn¡¯t going to stop anytime soon, Zarah signalled to the guards standing at the door to fetch more from an inn.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that¡­¡±Roscar slammed the keg down with a thump after which he waved to the guards, signalling for them to desist. With his left hand tightly gripping the table, he lowered his forehead into his only free hand and exhaled a breath of air saturated with all the alcohol he had just drank.


    ¡°Honestly, I already had some inkling that this would happen¡­there were some things I didn¡¯t tell you before¡­on the day Little Ke went missing, I actually went out hunting for him¡­do you know what I saw that day¡­¡±


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    A shake of his head and nothing else, Zarah dared not over stimulate the inebriated Roscar, choosing instead to go along with his old friend.


    Roscar mournfully sighed: ¡°I found Little Ke¡¯s short sword and shield but not Little Ke himself. Let alone Little Ke, I wasn¡¯t even able to find a single trace of his body at all. Furthermore, the place where I found his gear was at a battlefield littered with goblins and Devils¡­¡±


    ¡°Devils!¡± Came Zarah¡¯s shocked yell as his heart thumped furiously¡­so that was the truth¡­in other words, Mo Ke was really eaten up by a Devil then? Zarah thought to himself. Other than that, there was truly no other explanation that came to mind.


    Seeing Roscar remain silent like that for so long, Zarah decided to switch the topic out of concern for his friend being overly aggrieved. ¡°So what do you plan on doing from now on?¡±


    ¡°Plans¡­¡± Roscar blankly stared at the window, eyes filled with murderous intent. ¡°Continue being a mercenary, continue killing Devils.¡±


    ¡°What about Nicole then?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell her the truth¡­¡±


    What they didn¡¯t know was that Nicole had already guessed that Mo Ke¡¯s disappearance had something to do with Devils¡­


    At the same time that Mo Ke evolved into Four-stars and was given the identity of Purgatory Overlord, the distant Nicole received her first hunting mission as part of Azure City¡¯s Demon Hunters¡¯ Division.


    Roughly half a year ago, Nicole completed her academy¡¯s Freshman Martial Tournament. She then decided to return to Chaik Village to have a look. Originally, she was expecting to find some kind of clue about Mo Ke¡¯s whereabouts there but instead she found a wrecked home. Her instincts immediately told her that a fight had occurred there.


    Her first thought was to visit the sheriff, Uncle Zarah, in other words, Sares¡¯s father. However, Zarah didn¡¯t want to tell her the truth so he tried to dodge the question entirely. Finally, he realized that Nicole was dead set on finding out the truth so he merely remained silent at that point.


    With no hope of getting an answer there, she had no choice but to ask the other villagers. However, the other villagers told her nothing as well, seemingly having been instructed not to speak as well. Finally, she managed to get the information she wanted after spending two silver coins to bribe a random bum on the streets. From there, she found out that Demon Hunters had entered her home and fought there.


    Why would Demon Hunters even do that? That was a question she already knew the answer to. Back then, a guy called Gaywitz came looking for her, introducing himself as a Demon Hunter. Demon Hunters were only interested in matters related to Devils so in other words, the fight in her home had something to do with Devils. Looking at it from another way, how were Devils connected to her little brother?


    Following this trail of breadcrumbs, she returned to Azure City and went straight to the Demon Hunters¡¯ Division branch and contacted the branch leader there, also known as Clear Water Mirror.


    Had she not been Thousand Snow Flower¡¯s disciple, she would have definitely not been able to meet the branch leader, at least not without expending a lot more effort.

 Chapter 282: Conclusion 2

    At the time that Nicole came looking for him, Clear Water Mirror was in the midst observing the basic training of the new Demon Hunters. Having paid her respects first, she then dove straight into business.


    With regards to this genius female disciple of Thousand Snow Flowers, he had always held her in high regard, going so far as to gift her an Epic-grade weapon¡­An Epic-grade weapon! A normal kingdom would have treated such a weapon as its national treasure and yet here he was just giving it out. In fact, Nicole actually became a target the moment she received this gift. That was due to her lack of actual combat strength in comparison to her weapon. In her hands, the weapon could barely exert 20% of its original power. As long as one avoided the weapon¡¯s edge, it really wasn¡¯t all that hard to snatch it from her.


    Thankfully, Nicole wasn¡¯t an ordinary girl at this point. She was the personal disciple of the headmistress of Azure City¡¯s Warrior Academy. Also, could a gift given by the mighty branch leader of Azure City¡¯s Demon Hunter Division ever be an easy target to steal? Unbeknownst to Nicole, Thousand Snow Flowers had quietly slain those who dared to eye her weapon. It was only then that those fools finally calmed down.


    Having met him for the first time since he gave her that sword, Nicole immediately asked the question she had regarding the situation of the Demon Hunters. Clear Water Mirror furrowed his brows in thought for a second before finally deciding to bring her to the casefiles room where he handed over a single folder to her.


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    Nicole ripped the document from his hands and anxiously tore it open. However, she merely read through half of it before collapsing to the floor¡­she simply couldn¡¯t bring herself to accept what was written on it.


    Seeing her lose her composure like that brought a sigh to Clear Water Mirror¡¯s lips. Nicole¡¯s condition was, in a lot of ways, similar to what he had gone through in the past. Afraid that she might just act rashly, he called for a female Demon Hunter to help her to her feet after which he personally escorted her to Azure City¡¯s Warrior Academy.


    At the time of their arrival, Thousand Snow Flowers was in the midst of mulling over a mess her nephew had started by trying to assassinate the Third Prince. In truth, her nephew wasn¡¯t the only troublemaker in Azure City. Ever since Mo Ke sang that song <>, the entire city seemed to have gone crazy. Because Mo Ke¡¯s body was host to Ferti¡¯nier who was a talented Soul Bard, he ended up inheriting her talents as well. The moment he poured his entire heart and soul into singing, a mysterious wave of sound energy washed over the city and resonated with those who had experienced a similar plight as him.


    Because the song was about love between childhood friends, anyone in Azure City who had experienced this before was immediately affected by his song.


    Those who were already in love fell deeper in love because of that. However, nothing in this world was all roses; everything had a flip side to it. A large number of people ended up risking everything in the pursuit of love. For example, there were those who eloped due to their circumstances and then there were those who resorted to more¡­extreme measures such as murdering his love rival¡­


    In short, a lot had happened to Azure City in the interim and not every story had a happy ending.


    For a mere song to cause such havoc, even Thousand Snow Flowers had no choice but to give the prophecy more credit. She was definitely still skeptical of the whole idea of ¡®the Singer can destroy the world¡¯, but gone was the disdain she once held of it.


    All in all however, she was still dismissive of the Apocalypse seeing as those of the Divine level weren¡¯t able to enter the Western Human Realms because of the Creator¡¯s rules. Even if all the Devil Kings managed to invade the Western Human Realms, the human race had their own Semi-divine experts as well. Besides, for an incident of this magnitude, the other races, like the Elves or the Beastmen, wouldn¡¯t sit still either. Because of that, she didn¡¯t buy into all that apocalyptic talk; it wasn¡¯t like there was a lack of such doomsayers anyway.


    However, even she had to admit the potentially devastating consequences of that Soul Bard. Just based on the fact that a single song was able to affect the entire city, that singer deserved her full attention. Not too long ago, she had made use of her family influence to send that prophecy Clear Water Mirror mentioned to the palace. As for how would that king react, well, that wasn¡¯t something she could affect.


    Now however, she had a more pressing, and arguably more annoying, matter to deal with ¨Cthe assassination attempt by her nephew on the Third Prince. Thankfully, her family¡¯s influence in Tarnia was strong, and the prince himself didn¡¯t actually get injured in the attempt either. Because of that, the entire matter ended with the family pledging to assist the Third Prince in his bid for the throne.


    As for why would her nephew even attempt such a foolish thing¡­it was because the Third Prince¡¯s fiancee was once his childhood friend¡­


    Thanks to this mess, Thousand Snow Flowers ended up having no time to supervise Nicole¡¯s training at all. It was about that time that Nicole told her about wanting to join the Demon Hunters to avenge her little brother.


    No matter how much Thousand Snow Flowers tried persuade her, Nicole adamantly insisted on joining the Demon Hunters and leaving the academy. With no way to persuade this disciple of hers, all she could do was ask Clear Water Mirror to look after her.


    Nicole¡¯s choice was one that Clear Water Mirror himself welcomed, especially given that Thousand Snow Flowers had gave her blessing as well. After all, Nicole was a top class talent in cultivating Fighter¡¯s Aura. She had even managed to clinch first place in the recent Freshman Martial Tournament. Even though that was in large part due to the Epic-grade weapon that Clear Water Mirror gave to her, her own abilities played a significant role as well.


    Furthermore, Nicole¡¯s opponent in the finals had an Epic-grade weapon as well. On the day of the match, it could be said that the entire audience stand was awash in shock that Nicole, for the first time ever in the competition, didn¡¯t have the advantage in terms of gear. In fact, she was now at a disadvantage given the lack of a powerful household to support her.


    Ever since joining the Demon Hunters, Nicole ferociously dove into learning their techniques. She took half a year to learn what would usually take others three to learn.


    With that, the time for assessment came as well. Clear Water Mirror called Nicole to his office and solemnly handed over the first mission of her demon hunting career¡­


    ¡°Teacher, you¡¯re looking for me?¡± Asked Nicole as she stood there dressed in a prim and proper white swordsman getup. On her chest was an ordinary looking breastplate that wrapped around her breasts. In her left hand was a 120 cm long sheath and plain looking sword that was devoid of any sort of marking, just like her own flawless yet emotionless face. Her blazing red hair was braided into a simple ponytail that seemed to strike an odd contrast to her cold demeanour.


    Nodding, Clear Water Mirror said: ¡°Nicole, in this past six months, your progress has been very fast. This time, I¡¯ve called you here because I have a mission for you. After completing this mission, you will be a fully fledged Demon Hunter. However, this mission must be completed by you alone. Even though it will be a tough one, you aren¡¯t any ordinary Demon Hunter either, what you will face in the future won¡¯t be ordinary as well. From this moment on, you need to be prepared to stare death in its eyes. Once you step out of this room, you will no longer be a child and neither will I treat you as one. Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Teacher, please give me the mission.¡± She bluntly stated, not wasting any unnecessary words or emotions in the process. She merely stood there quietly, patiently waiting for her teacher to hand out the mission.


    ¡°This morning, some of our members brought in three suspicious characters who are now kept in Cell 7. We¡¯ve confirmed the presence of a werewolf amongst them though we haven¡¯t been able to determine who it is. Given how adept they are at hiding, it will be difficult to uncover who it actually is unless he shows himself of his own accord. The three of them all claim to be innocent even after we exhausted all applicable methods. Your mission is to uncover who the werewolf is and kill it. Because all three of them are locked up together, I need you to protect the last remaining one. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°Go then, this mission must be completed alone. I won¡¯t send anyone out to help you no matter what happens.You will have to depend on yourself entirely for this mission.¡± Clear Water Mirror threw her a last look before saying: ¡°If you fail, you might just die. Let me ask you one more time, will you take this mission?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave first, Teacher.¡± Choosing not to answer his question directly, she merely turned around and left. Even though she never said so explicitly, Clear Water Mirror knew that she was heading to Cell 7.


    As he watched her dainty figure leave his office, he couldn¡¯t help but let out a silent sigh.


    The training every Demon Hunter had to go through was gruelling to say the least. One could only imagine how much effort Nicole had to put in to finish the three year course in just six months. It was her hate that drove her to such extents, that gave her the energy to take each step.


    The building of the Demon Hunters¡¯ Division could be roughly divided into five blocks: the residential block, the training grounds, the weapons warehouse, the guest block and the core block. The guest block was located at the main entrance and performed the same functions as a mercenary guildhall. It was there that missions were given out and received. Demon Hunters would visit that area to retrieve the necessary mission details from the administrative staff.


    The biggest difference between them and a mercenary company would be that their main mission was to hunt down creatures of the darkness like Devils, Occultists, Demoness, Necromancers, Werewolves, Vampires, etc. Mercenaries on the other hand, performed escort missions, exterminated bandits, killed magical beasts and even participated in wars.


    Next to the guest block was the residential block. It was there that the Demon Hunters lived and where their basic amenities were located; bars, diners and etc¡­


    The training grounds were located at the edges of the entire branch building. Because this was where all their training was held, the total area set aside for this purpose was nearly a third of the entire building.


    In order to reach the training grounds, one had to first pass through the core block and the weapons warehouse.

 Chapter 283: Conclusion 3

    The weapons warehouse was strategically positioned near the training grounds so as to facilitate easier access to weapons for the trainees. Not only did this block contain all the weapons, it was where all the craftsmen and blacksmiths worked as well. With how much fighting and by extension how much weapons they went through, a steady source of weaponry was needed. Whether it was research and development or maintenance, both functions were indispensible to the Demon Hunters.


    As such, the weapons department of the Demon Hunters¡¯ Division was always kept under close guard at all times. To the Demon Hunters, the weapons they carried was as important as their life. On top of storing weapons, there was also a materials storage house located within that block. As its name suggested, that place was stacked full of materials needed for crafting and research. Naturally, this positioning was made with convenience in mind; after all, smithing new equipment required a lot of materials and having to cart them around would just be a pain.


    The Core was sandwiched between the weapons and residential block. This was the most secretive and guarded block in this branch of the Demon Hunters¡¯ Division. The brass of the Demon Hunters worked here and it was where their top secret documents were stored as well. Should someone ever break into this block¡­it would be a disaster for the Demon Hunters. No matter which faction or organization they were, they all had a skeleton or two in their closets. The Demon Hunters were no exception to this rule either, despite focusing on only killing Devils.


    Moreover, the true treasure vault of the Demon Hunters¡¯ Division would always be located in this block, regardless of which branch it was. Only materials or equipments worth over 1000 gold coins could qualify for this vault and as such, one could imagine how terrifyingly expensive its contents were. By raiding this vault, one could easily purchase a Baron¡¯s, or even a Duke¡¯s fiefdom!


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    The gaol that Nicole was about to visit was located near the weapons warehouse. Why? Because new weapons needed testing, that¡¯s why!


    There were a total of 10 gaols in this branch, with at least over a hundred cells in total. Each cell was at least 20 meters square large, with the largest reaching 50 meters square. While it might seem rather wasteful to give inmates so much space, it was only to be expected since certain Devils were innately large. At the same time, these larger cells would function as a mass incarceration cell for the less dangerous Devils, like imps.


    Like their non-Devil counterparts, these gaols were all dreary and dark. The atmosphere within could only be described as stifling and uncomfortable, assuming one was being generous. At times, muffled cries of pain could be echoing throughout its dank halls. Adding on the fact that this entire section was dimly lit, those who were more timid didn¡¯t even dare to take a foot inside.


    As Clear Water Mirror¡¯s disciple in the Demon Hunters¡¯ Division, Nicole was naturally well-known amongst her colleagues, especially for beauty which had garnered her quite a following. Unfortunately for them, the Nicole right now only had eyes for revenge. As for other matters, they were nothing but distractions to her and a waste of time. Since the Devils killed her little brother, she would kill all the Devils then.


    The guards stationed at the gaol had long been informed of her arrival by Clear Water Mirror. The moment this icy beauty walked up to them, they merely let her in without a single question asked. From amongst them came a middle-aged guard who, after speaking with his companions briefly, waved to Nicole.


    ¡°Miss Nicole, the leader has informed us of your arrival, please follow me.¡±


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    Nicole didn¡¯t return his greeting but instead nodded mutely. The man knew of her icy demeanour so he didn¡¯t mind it all that much; he merely nodded back and signalled for her to follow him.


    Walking in a column, the two proceeded as such for roughly two minutes, passing by multiple filled cells in the process. The insides of said cells were home to widest variety of inmates one could imagine. From crucified vampires who were barely alive anymore, to Necromancers that were so skinny, they might as well have been bones. Throughout this morbid tour, she even passed by a werewolf who had its four limbs all chained up and a little girl who was actually a vicious Demoness killer. As she breathed out, her breath would reek of the signature smell of brimstone¡­as she wailed profusely, she would scream about her innocence. Finally, Nicole even passed by a vengeful wraith stored inside a special jar¡­


    ¡°Please step this way, this is where the cell is.¡± The middle aged man brought Nicole to a sealed up jail cell. Even though it was sealed up completely, the jail wall allowed one to see through it, though not for those dwelling within. It was clearly crafted from a special material.


    It was a bare jail cell, with nothing inside it except for three human males of different body sizes. All three of them were clad in the typical greyish, hemp garments of a peasant ¡ªshort sleeved shirt, long pants and nothing else. Their ages were similar: all in the thirties.


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    One of the men was seated in the corner of the cell, eyes downcast and head lowered. It was basically impossible to tell what he was thinking at the moment except that he had basically given up on life at this point. His body was in an extremely weakened state. Normally, a werewolf would be picture of health. Even in its human state, it was at least two times as strong as an ordinary human.


    In contrast to him, there was another man who, while still not too healthy, was at least spirited enough to pace around while mumbling to himself strangely.


    The last man was noticeably more burlier than the first two. From a glance, one could tell that he was used to manual labor. Furthermore, he had the typical laborer¡¯s face: rugged and dishevelled. This muscled man was practically brimming with the scent of violence. In fact, he was violently smacking against the jail wall right now. This however, had no impact on those guarding this cell at all. While the wall was translucent and allowed one to see inside, it completely shut off any sound from escaping. To those standing outside, this man just seemed to be miming some strange act.


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    Still, it was clear from his taut muscles and furious speed that he was trying to smash down the door.


    If there was a single person who could be a werewolf, it would most likely be him. The reason being that werewolves were famously known for being unable to control their tempers. Like a rabid dog, they had the tendency to attack on sight.


    Yet things couldn¡¯t have been that simple at all. Nicole had no doubt in her mind that if this was all it took for her to discern the identity of the werewolf, Clear Water Mirror wouldn¡¯t have given her this mission at all. It wouldn¡¯t have been a trial then.


    ¡°The three of them used to work in the same place. That rowdy one and the crazy one both worked as movers in a warehouse. As for that skinnier one, he was their manager. Despite all the methods we tried, we are unable to find out who amongst them is the true werewolf. Because they all worked at the same workplace, they ended up all having the stench of a werewolf on them.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve even tried using their most hated stench drug to try and suss out the werewolf but all three of them ended reacting to it¡­¡± The guard said in what seemed like an act of helpfulness.


    ¡®All three reacted? They can¡¯t all be werewolves, right?¡¯


    Nicole furrowed her eyebrows and asked: ¡°All three of them are?¡±


    ¡°No¡­I don¡¯t think the likelihood is high that all three of them are werewolves. That drug is not only effective on werewolves, it also affects humans who have more sensitive noses¡­¡±


    The drug the guard was talking about was a utility drug that was specifically created to distinguish werewolves. With its unstoppable stench, any werewolf who smelt it would immediately react by vomiting, gagging or fainting. However, it had to be placed right beneath their noses for it to be effective.


    Dogs and wolves were both extremely tough animals. However, there was one particular weakness that both of them shared, and that was their snouts. As long as one targeted it, the dog or wolf would basically be crippled even if it wasn¡¯t dead.


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    It was an effective drug to be sure, except for the fact that sensitive humans were affected by it as well¡­


    ¡°So you¡¯re sure they aren¡¯t all werewolves?¡±


    ¡°Unlikely¡­¡± The guard explained in an unsure tone: ¡°When we checked the scene of the crime, there was only a single set of werewolf tracks.¡±


    ¡°In other words, two of three are innocent?¡±


    The guard shook his head and continued: ¡°Probably..but there¡¯s also the possibility that there are two werewolves acting in rotations¡­¡±


    In short, one set of tracks didn¡¯t necessarily mean one werewolf. There could be two acting in concert to take turns and hunt. While one went out, the other would stay behind. This way, they provided an alibi for each other. However, there was also the possibility that the werewolf kept a normal human with an exceptionally sensitive nose by his side. This way, it could discard that human in dire situations and escape.


    Truly, it had to be said that while the werewolves weren¡¯t exactly the brightest race ever, they weren¡¯t dumb either. They at least knew of such tactics to try and foil their human foes.


    In order to avoid harming the innocent, most Demon Hunters would act judiciously. Unless they were sure that the other party was a fiendish creature, they would never casually show their hand. Naturally, the keyword was most¡­there was also a small portion of Demon Hunters who acted without restraint or regard for the common man¡­


    These Demon Hunters were basically punished once found out but all in all, this was an inevitable phenomenon. Given how dangerous this occupation was, it couldn¡¯t be helped that some would develop such negative traits.

 Chapter 284: Conclusion 4

    ¡°I¡¯ll be on my way then.¡±


    Nicole briefly stated as such before having the guard open the door for them. However, the guard didn¡¯t immediately open the door and instead asked her, in the most serious voice possible: ¡°Are you sure you do not wish to have another look?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, I¡¯ll check it out myself.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, let me get the door for you.¡± The middle aged guard retrieved a giant ring of keys and quickly thumbed through them for a second before singling out the key for the jail cell. It was an unusually large key, roughly the size of a fist.


    ¡°The branch leader has stated that this mission must be completed alone. Once you step through this door, I will seal it tight and won¡¯t open it till either the mission is complete or you have died.¡±


    ¡°I know¡­¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll open it?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    The middle aged guard unlocked the door neither too slowly nor too anxiously. Seeing that, Nicole reached out to grab the door knob, face still as unfazed as ever, and hands ready to give it that final turn at a moment¡¯s notice. Yet, it was at that last moment that he couldn¡¯t help but say: ¡°About that¡­even though the branch leader said not to help you¡­I¡¯ll make sure to stand watch outside. If anything happens, I¡¯ll rush in and help¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Her hands remained latched onto the door knob. Without moving a single step, she turned to face that man: ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Actually, my son really likes¡­¡±


    Before the middle aged guard could finish talking, Nicole opened up the cell door. Immediately, even before the door was done swinging outwards, a giant fist loomed from within the dank abyss that was the jail cell. It was the burly man¡¯s fist. She had opened it just as he was about to finish another round of punching on the jail door. Given how close she was to the door, this fist would undoubtedly disfigure her lovely face with just one hit.


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    However, because the insides of the cell was completely visible to the outside, she had already prepared herself for this scene. At the same time as the door swung open, she drove her right leg into the ground and fired off a swift kick to the man¡¯s chest using her left leg. One had to know, just because she might have seemed petite, that didn¡¯t mean that her kick wasn¡¯t powerful. It had been imbued with Fighter¡¯s Aura, and given the element of surprise, was it any wonder that the burly men was sent flying back several meters by her surprise attack. He ended up tumbling several times before finally managing to steady himself.


    ¡°Blast it¡­who kicked me?!¡± The burly man howled as his left arm instinctively reached out to the ground to steady himself while his right hand shot up to shield his chest. His eyes narrowed in pain as he looked up to see who it was that attacked him. As he did so, he came face to face with Nicole¡¯s cold, emotionless eyes.


    Realizing that it was a beautiful little girl who committed the deed, the embarrassed burly man practically yelled his lungs out as he cursed Nicole: ¡°B*tch, are you looking for death here? Don¡¯t doubt for a second that I will kill you!¡±


    ¡°Door¡­the door¡¯s open, I need to go¡­I must return home¡­I¡¯m hungry¡­¡± At the same time as the burly man swore at Nicole, the crazed man swivelled his head around to lock onto the door that hadn¡¯t been closed yet. He shakily made his way towards the door, clearly still not feeling well from his incarceration. With each step he took, he swayed multiple times as if his brain was having problems controlling his motion.


    ¡°Door¡­I want to leave¡­I¡¯m not a werewolf¡­I want to leave¡­¡±


    Perhaps it was purely by accident or perhaps it was on purpose, the crazed man ended up lumbering towards the back of Nicole.


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    At that moment, her attention was still solely fixed on the hollering man that threatened to pummel her. Her back was practically exposed to that crazed man, at least it seemed that way to the man.


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    The crazed man smoothly circled around to her back and upon confirming that she hadn¡¯t turned around to look at him, he bared his fangs!


    That¡¯s right, fangs.


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    His body suddenly expanded, growing from 170 cm to 210 in merely a second. Because of that, his shirt ended up exploding in a shower of torn fabrics.


    Not only that, his body started to rapidly grow fur while his fingernails extended into razor sharp claws. Along with those changes, his face grew larger as well. His ears started to shift to the side and point backwards. Instead of a rounded human shape, it now took on a triangular quality similar to that of a wolf¡¯s.


    ¡°Roooarr!¡± The crazed man who had now turned into a werewolf raised his claw triumphantly, poised and ready to strike at the unsuspecting girl. Yet just as he did so, a red flash zipped past his eyes as a searing pain struck him from waist up. Immediately, his sensitive nose was bombarded by the burning smell of fur and meat after which he felt a numbing coldness spread from beneath¡­


    A Flower¡¯s Windy Ballet, An Eye¡¯s Capture.


    From the very beginning, she had noticed him stepping towards her back. Whether it was Thousand Snow Flowers or Clear Water Mirror, both of her masters had taught her never to face her back towards a stranger because there was no telling if a knife would come flying towards you an instant later. Naturally, that applied to a crazed man as well. While it was possible that a normal person would be driven mad by the jail cell of the Demon Hunters, there was no guarantee that they weren¡¯t faking it either.


    Thus, the moment crazed man went around her back, she immediately noticed the strangeness in the man. Using her toes as a pivot, she nimbly spun around and drew her sword in a blinding arc. Metal met with flesh as the Epic-grade weapon¡¯s icy hot blade sliced right through the unfortunate werewolf¡¯s waist without meeting any resistance at all!


    Having done all that, she turned back to facing that violent man, as if she had never moved at all. That was because A Flower¡¯s Windy Ballet, An Eye¡¯s Capture was actually a quickdraw technique that spun one around in a 360 degrees circle.


    Nicole coldly sheathed her sword. As for that severed werewolf¡­because of a werewolf¡¯s abnormally strong life force, he was still able to crawl towards Nicole in a last bid attempt to at least hurt her. Unfortunately for him, this would never happen. An instant later, a casing of ice started to form around him while a raging flame burned within. Sandwiched beneath this impossible amalgamation of elements, he was soon reduced to ashes.


    This blade, known as Icy Flames, was a weapon specially crafted to kill fiendish creatures. Its icy effect could restrain an opponent¡¯s movements while its burning effect purified them. Being struck by this powerful blade was basically a death sentence for the average creature of darkness.


    ¡°Roar!¡±


    Just as she sheathed her sword, the burly man in front of her actually turned into a werewolf: lupine snout, fangs, smelly breath and everything else you would expect from one. Because he was already a hulking specimen as a human, his final height came in at a whopping 230 cm after transforming. Compared to Nicole who was only 160 cm, he was practically a tiny mountain.


    In spite of that, the blade wielding Nicole showed no fear at all because she already expected that there would be two werewolves from the moment she stepped into the jail cell. Eyes affixed to those deadly claws that threatened to rake across her pale, beautiful face, she stabilized her footing and gripped down on the hilt of her sword with her right hand. Her eyes were sharp and her will firm.


    Quickdraw Style: A Clear Mirror Like Still Water.


    Compared to her move, this was a much faster quickdraw slash that just as easily sliced the burly werewolf in half from the right of his waist to his left shoulder¡­


    Just like that, an opponent was taken down and Nicole habitually gave her blade a flourish before sheathing it once more, now free of blood stains. Even after all that, her face was just as emotionless as before. On her face was no joy or elation from having completed a mission. Neither was there any sort of panic from having just been in a dangerous situation.


    ¡°No¡­impossible¡­¡± The burly werewolf stared at Nicole with disbelieving eyes. His eyes started to dim as the twin elements of fire and ice started to rapidly corrode his consciousness and body. He knew that this was the end¡­


    Unexpectedly, the guard¡¯s words actually came true; there was in fact, or were, two werewolves in the cell. Having taken care of those two, there was now that sole man who had been sitting in the same corner throughout this entire fight.


    Perhaps because he was born with a slow mind, it was only now that the skinny man finally realized what had happened between Nicole and the two werewolves. He shakily raised his head and gave the entire cell a brief sweep with his eyes. The moment he laid eyes on the corpses of his two former companions, he gave out what to be the most cowardly shriek ever: ¡°Ahhhh¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re safe now.¡± Nicole stated.


    With the two werewolves dead, what should have been left was an ordinary man whose existence was theorized by the guard. Nicole attempted to placate the frazzled man but unfortunately for her, the shock was just too much to bear. He tried to stumble to his feet but because his legs had gone soft after sitting for so long, he promptly fell down on his butt.


    ¡°Mur¡­murderer¡­don¡¯t¡­don¡¯t come near me¡­¡± The skinny man seemed to be deathly afraid of Nicole. He continuously retreated from her but unfortunately for him, there was only so much room for him to retreat before hitting the icy cold walls of the jail cell. His face was a complete wreck, etched by his fear and moistened by his tears.


    Looking at him now, the words, ¡®normal and sane¡¯ seemed completely removed from him.


    ¡°I said you are safe now¡­¡±


    Nicole wasn¡¯t in the mood to pander to this worthless fellow or bother about why he feared her so much even though she was clearly here to save him.


    Furrowing her eyebrows, she tried to take a step forward to check up on his condition; perhaps he was under a curse of some sort. Yet who would have thought that the moment she came close to that skinny man, he would suddenly reveal a sinister smile.

 Chapter 285: Conclusion 5

    ¡°DIE!¡± Just when there were barely two meters separating the two of them, the skinny man abruptly transformed in an explosion of muscle and fur. The first to reach out of this changing mess was a set of sharp claws whose tips seemed to sparkle in spite of the overwhelming darkness of the cell. Each point dove unerringly towards Nicole, promising a grisly death for the beautiful girl.


    Three werewolves! To think that there were actually three of them, not two!


    This third opponent had grasped the timing of his attack perfectly. With so little time to react, it was basically impossible for her to even unsheathe her blade. Thankfully, Nicole wasn¡¯t one to panic even in the most dire situations. Seeing that the attack was going to hit her, she performed a half-draw at the quickest speed possible and deflected the werewolf¡¯s claws.


    ¡°It¡¯s no use, my claws are imbued with mana, even if you block them, the residual mana on them will still hit you¡­¡± As he triumphantly gloated over his attack, his claws crashed into the blade with a resounding clang. This werewolf was no fool however. He knew how terrifying the edge of Nicole¡¯s blade was so instead of facing it head on as he usually did, he diverted his claws at the last second to hit her sheath.


    By now, he was feeling pretty confident that his swipe would be enough to take down this girl. Unfortunately for him, things didn¡¯t work out as he had planned. She not only received his attack but also managed to inexplicably diffuse the mana imbued in his claws.


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    ¡°That¡¯s¡­not possible!¡±


    Under the disbelieving and shocked eyes of that werewolf, Nicole¡¯s Fighter¡¯s Aura seemed to burst out in flames and wrap around her left hand which forcefully shoved the werewolf away, using the sheath gripped in its fingers. Having done that, she sheathed her blade. A second later, a crescent shaped sword, composed of a myriad of strange energies, came flying out of the now filled sheath opening and cleaved the werewolf apart before he could even react.


    Interim Techniques: Clear Mirror Still Water.


    Now that they were all dead, Nicole turned around and left for the door. Just as she opened it, she was greeted by the stunned face of that middle aged guard who still hadn¡¯t recovered from the scene he had just witnessed.


    Ignoring the man, she merely continued on her way and soon passed by him. It was only then that the guard finally came back to his senses and reached out to stop her: ¡°Wait¡­please wait a moment¡­¡±


    ¡°Is there something?¡± She stopped for a moment and placidly turned around to face him.


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    ¡°How did you know that there were three werewolves?¡± Having had a clear view of the inside from his position, he could tell that she didn¡¯t trust any of them from the very start. That was why she was able to survive those three otherwise deadly attacks.


    ¡°If any one of them was truly innocent, you wouldn¡¯t have locked them all up together.¡±


    ¡°¡­but I just told you that there was only one set of werewolf tracks¡­¡±


    ¡°Sometimes, the information we are given isn¡¯t accurate. Often, the cunningness of our enemies end up exceeding our expectations. In order to fend against that, we have to be vigilant at all times.¡± She blandly stated while sweeping her eyes over the slightly embarrassed guard who had been caught lying to her.


    His intention was to lead her into falsely assuming that was at least one innocent man so that she would waste time trying to figure who it was. Who would¡¯ve thought she not only didn¡¯t do that, but she had also guessed that all three were fishy. Because of that, she was able to fake an opening and easily lure her opponents into a false sense of security.


    Having said all that, she left without turning around.


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    Watching her dainty figure disappear into the darkness of the hallway, it was then that the middle aged guard realized that his son would never be able to catch up to this frosty girl in his entire lifetime¡­because she was just that perfect and oh so icy¡­


    (Author¡¯s Note: A Flower¡¯s Windy Ballet was created by Thousand Snow Flowers and is highly suited for use by females. Clear Mirror Still Water was a set of techniques created by Clear Water Mirror of which Nicole managed to only learn two techniques so far.)


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    ¡­¡­


    Elsewhere.


    Regine would ever so often leave the Demoness¡¯s Abode to wander around. Each time she returned, she would bring with her some destitute woman or children. These children weren¡¯t all girls, there were boys under the age of 12 as well.


    They would be put under the foster care of George who had them join Plateau Village. In truth, he wasn¡¯t doing this merely out of the kindness of his heart. Not too long ago, because of the war with the Wolf¡¯s Fang Bandit Troupe, their village ended losing a lot of people, especially men. After all, beautiful young girls were clearly more likable to the bandits than strapping men.


    The addition of these boys brought new members to the labor force of Plateau Village. Once they grew up, they would undoubtedly form the backbone of the village¡¯s labor force, with some eventually learning how to wield Fighter¡¯s Aura and protecting the village. At the end of the day, population was an important resource, no matter which era or world it was.


    Jezsere and Reyage were a pair of Dark Elven siblings whom Regine had encountered not too long ago. Jezsere was an Occultist and had noticed the scent of a Devil on Regine. Back then, the two of them were being pursued by other Dark Elves. Thus, they sought help and received it under the condition that Jezsere passed on her knowledge of summoning. With that settled, Regine brought the two of them to Plateau Village.


    At the start, Regine assumed that the two of them would act like a typical Dark Elf: cruel and lustful and completely indiscriminate about their partners. Yet after being with them for a while, she found that Jezsere was more similar to those fabled Nature Elves than anything. In fact, her personality was almost cowardly. As for Reyage, he wasn¡¯t similar to the typical Dark Elf either. He didn¡¯t enjoy bullying the weak, neither was he lustful. In fact, he was more of an ice cube when it came to women¡­truly an odd pair of Dark Elven siblings.


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    Even though Ancarin¡¯s talents weren¡¯t too bad, she only had those few tomes leftover from Duran to study from. If she only had someone to learn from, for example Jezsere, there was no doubt that her proficiency in summoning Devils would improve by leaps and bounds. Once the time was right, they would summon their master. That was the driving force behind Regine inviting the siblings over. The fact that they were both harmless made the decision even easier to make for her.


    Normally, the Demoness¡¯s Abode was forbidden to men. It was even more unlikely that a man like Reyage would ever be given leave to stay or even spend the night. Thus, a small hut was erected for him that was right next to the Abode.


    With regards to this male Dark Elf, Regine and Ancarin had always maintained a wary attitude towards him. After all, the reputation of the Dark Elves wasn¡¯t really that good. The fact that he was so handsome did him no favors in that regard. His long flowing head of silvery hair, his crimson, almost ruby-like eyes and pale complexion that girls could only dream about in envy, all those traits combined with his exotically beautiful face just seemed to accentuate his iciness. With such qualities, it was hard to imagine any ordinary girl who could resist his charms.


    After all, the Appearance Association spanned countless galaxies and had conquered multiple worlds.


    At the very beginning, some of the women (and girls) of the Demoness¡¯s Abode would constantly loiter around, some even go so far as to approach him. While they were all victims of abuse in the past, the men who assaulted them were mostly ugly and probably didn¡¯t even have a tenth of Reyage¡¯s attractiveness¡­in other words, they didn¡¯t mind if he tried anything¡­all he had to do was ask or wave a finger.


    Their disgraceful behavior almost earned them a swift rebuke from Ancarin and Regine, who wanted to take this opportunity to remind them of the pain they suffered and the whole reason why they were in the Abode in the first place.


    However, things never progressed to that stage thanks to Reyage¡¯s iceberg of an attitude. At all times, his face maintained a stone cold demeanour that only thawed for his little sister Jezsere. As for the rest, they might as well have been non-existent, at least they wouldn¡¯t be viewed by him as being inferior. No matter how pretty they were, he treated them all the same way: as dogs or pigs¡­


    As time passed, their passion for him waned given how abundantly clear he had made it that he wasn¡¯t interested at all.


    Going back to the purpose of the Demoness¡¯s Abode, its formation was meant to aid destitute women and children who had nowhere to go, while providing a platform to gather worshippers for Mo Ke. Back when Mo Ke was forcefully removed from the Western Human Realms, he brought no material wealth with him; it had all been managed by Ancarin. Because of that, the two girls were able to set up the Demoness¡¯s Abode without meeting much financial difficulty.


    With how much financial power she had on hand, Ancarin would probably be able to maintain the Abode for a long time, assuming she spent the money judiciously.


    The reason why she was so fixated on gathering worshippers for Mo Ke was not without reason. When a faithful made their prayer, a special type of psychic energy was generated. This was often referred to as the Power of Faith.


    Once a Devil had reached a certain level of power, they could absorb faith. For that to happen however, the Devil in question had to at least be at the level of a demigod, in other words, a Devil King.


    Still, there were exceptions to this rule. Some Devils who had a more noble bloodline were able to absorb faith even before reaching the level of a Devil King.


    Faith was a unique form of psychic energy that could only be absorbed by its intended person since a target had to be specified. Naturally, if the specified target was a group, the faith would then be split amongst the members of said group. However, such cases were rare since gathering faith wasn¡¯t easy to begin with.


    The formation of Demoness¡¯s Abode was done under the instruction of Ferti¡¯nier; given that she was dwelling in Mo Ke right now, and that she was the Devil King of Lust, any faith directed towards Mo Ke would be absorbed by her. This state would continue until she left his body or perhaps until he was able to absorb faith himself¡­


    Today however, wasn¡¯t a day for discussing such matters. Today, was destined to be an eventful day for Plateau Village as this very day was the day Ancarin was expecting a child.

 Chapter 286: Conclusion 6

    ¡°Keep it up, Miss Ancarin¡­the child is almost out¡­¡± Cheered a roughly 15 years old Dark Elf, dressed in a black maid¡¯s outfit that seemed that much more striking because of her almost sickly pale complexion and burning red eyes.


    Laying on the bed, Ancarin continued wailing amidst a shower of sweat that made it seem like she was in a sauna of some sort, assuming saunas caused your face to contort horribly in pain.


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Other than pain, there was nothing that could be heard from her cries. Being a doctor herself, Ancarin knew better than anyone else how painful this ordeal would be for women.


    To be honest, the pain wasn¡¯t the main issue here. Rather it was the question that Ancarin was about to ask: ¡°Jez¡­sere¡­is it the head¡­first¡­¡±


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    ¡°It¡¯s the legs¡­¡± Jezsere gasped in fright after giving the opening a peek. ¡°Hurry, Big Sis, keep pushing¡­or the baby will suffocate to death¡­¡±


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    Normally during childbirth, a baby being born legs first wasn¡¯t an easy thing to deal with because the baby had a chance of dying before it could even leave the mother¡¯s body. If something like this had happened on Earth, the hospital would most likely perform a caesarean in order to ensure the safety of the child or mother.


    As a world focused heavily on magic, the Western Human Realms naturally possessed medical techniques that were far superior to that of 21st Century Earth. There were methods to handle such complications as well but the requirements were noticeably more stringent.


    For example, in order to retrieve the baby from the womb, Light or Water magic would be applied on the wound. However, because the Western Human Realms was a feudal society, such healers would only appear in the larger towns. A village like this would almost never have a healer. Even if there was one in Plateau Village, it still might not be possible to treat her wounds because she was a Demoness¡­a Demoness who worshipped Mo Ke¡­


    As a Demoness, Ancarin¡¯s resistance to Light magic was basically in the negatives. Even healing magic when used on her would harm her. Thus, it was only possible to heal her wounds using Water magic. Yet should her Demoness background be ever uncovered¡­she would probably be burnt on the stake before even being able to give birth.


    In short, finding a healer wasn¡¯t an option at all.


    In actuality, healers didn¡¯t only have to come from the Water or Light branch of magicks. Occultists were able to heal as well though their methods were more extreme. Instead of calling them healing spells, it would be more accurate to say that their spells exchanged life for life. By sacrificing another life form, they were able to heal wounds using the resulting life force. Compared to their Light and Water counterparts, such spells required a lot less mana to cast. Still, they were basically evil arts at that point¡­at least it was so for the majority of the world.


    There was, in fact, another method of healing wounds, and that was using potions. However, giving birth was already a difficult situation let alone when performed in such a backward setting. Adding on the fact that such potions were extremely rare and Ancarin so happened to have none at the moment, this method really wasn¡¯t viable at all.


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    As for normal medical methods such as stitching up the wound¡­Plateau did actually possess such a doctor¡­but he was killed in the bandit raid¡­


    At the end of the day, the only option left was Jezsere, their resident Occultist. The problem was that her personality was rather¡­timid. Who knew if she would end up making some kind of mistake out of fright¡­


    Long story short, it was a dire situation for Ancarin.


    Despite all that however, Ancarin¡¯s mind was focused on another matter right now. Bearing with the pain, she asked another question: ¡°Is it a boy¡­or¡­a girl?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Jezsere was stunned into silence by that sudden question. She simply couldn¡¯t understand why would Ancarin harp on such details at a time like this. Although Ancarin had explicitly stated that she wanted a girl before, Jezsere still didn¡¯t realize the implications of what those words meant. It wasn¡¯t like she was going to toss away the child if it was a boy, right?


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    ¡°¡­boy¡­or girl¡­¡± Seeing Jezsere in a daze like that, she managed to force out those words through a pained grunt. ¡°Sere¡­tell me¡­quick¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a girl, Sister Ancarin¡­¡±


    ¡°A girl huh¡­AHHH¡­¡±


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    Surprisingly, the moment that bit of news came out, so did the baby. All that talk about suffocation instantly became a moot point¡­


    ¡°Master¡­it¡¯s a girl¡­¡± As she laid on the bed, Ancarin affectionately leaned towards the baby who had just been wrapped up in a towel, and smiled.


    Even now, Jezsere couldn¡¯t understand the strange reaction Ancarin had just showed her. Even though Dark Elf Society was a matriarchal one, it wasn¡¯t like they tossed away their male babies either. Furthermore, even if males had a lower status than females, it was still a fact that they were lacking males so they definitely wouldn¡¯t do that.


    At the same time as Ancarin¡¯s childbirth, Elona lost her life. She was in the midst of childbirth as well, and just like Ancarin, her child came out leg first. Unlike Ancarin however, she didn¡¯t survive the entire process. Moranthal was naturally nearby to witness the process and take care of her.


    Still, while he might have done so, it wasn¡¯t because he bore any sort of feelings for his former wife who had callously abandoned him. It was merely because they happened to share a bond before so he decided to watch over her pregnancy, making sure to stop by often to check on her condition.


    In truth, his attitude towards her was probably the best she could have hoped to receive here. The other villagers bore no good will whatsoever towards her, given that she was the only one who willing went over to the bandit stronghold to be a wife. Furthermore, the man she chose was the head of those bandits¡­the worst part would be that she even bore that man, Dawson¡¯s, child¡­


    Thus, when Dawson¡¯s death was confirmed, a number of villagers, of whom all had lost family members to the bandits, rejected her and didn¡¯t want her to return to the village at all. Thankfully, Moranthal took pity on this former wife of his and pleaded with the villagers to let her stay and even stated that he would look after her. However, all that was merely because she pregnant and that they used to share a bond.


    Moranthal had no intention at all of reuniting with Elona, not even if Elona wanted so. Besides, Elona probably was too ashamed to make that request as well.


    Ever since that harrowing battle with the bandits, Moranthal had never once had a peaceful day. His dashing features belied the turmoil he had to endure in his heart.


    Elona herself wasn¡¯t any better off either. Her days were fraught with emotional distress, caused in part by the villagers who would often proactively curse her for what they had suffered at the hands of the bandit. Even though none of them actually used force on her, the emotional pressure they applied wasn¡¯t something a person could take.


    Adding on the fact that Moranthal no longer loved her and that there was basically no hope of a reunion since he had inexplicably fell in love with Mo Ke, her remaining days were basically a living hell. Had it not been for the baby in her belly, she might have just killed herself.


    Going back to the pregnancy, Moranthal naturally wasn¡¯t one to stand idly by and leave Elona to die like that, even if he had basically decided to sever all ties with her. He did his utmost to try and save her but alas, it failed. The only silver lining was that the child survived.


    Matters of childbirth wasn¡¯t something a man like him could handle so naturally the entire process had to be done by another female. However, because of her sensitive status as the wife of a bandit chief, Moranthal had no choice but to request aid from one of the women in the Demoness Abode who so happened to have experience with childbirth. In the meantime, all he could do was wait outside, heart still embroiled in a maelstrom of emotions.


    Throughout the entire process, the pained wails of Elona did nothing to affect his state of mind at all. That was because he, more than anyone else, was painfully aware that the woman in there wasn¡¯t his wife anymore, and the child she was birthing wasn¡¯t his either. It was only out of pity that he decided to take her in.


    Finally, after an indeterminate amount of time, right about the time when Moranthal became numb to her cries, an unfamiliar female voice could be heard gasping from behind the door.


    ¡°It¡¯s out, the child has been born¡­ah¡­this¡­how¡¯s this even possible¡­¡±


    The woman¡¯s surprised gasp caused Moranthal¡¯s heart to seize up momentarily. Thankfully, he still had enough self-control left in him to not barge in right away. He merely asked from the outside: ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°The child¡­has a tail¡­¡± Came the woman¡¯s garbled words. A long while later, the woman finally confirmed that the child was all right: ¡°It¡¯s a girl¡­she has a wolf tail and her ears are that of a wolf¡¯s too¡­¡±


    There was nothing else that needed to be said at that point. It was entirely possible that the child born between the two of them would end up with a wolf¡¯s tail seeing as how Dawson was a Werewolf. Normally, the child should have been a Werewolf as well but it was entirely possible for a Beastman to be born too¡­


    ¡°What about Elona?¡± Entering the room, the first thing he saw was a crying infant resting in the arms of a woman. It took all the energy he had to turn his eyes towards Elona who seemed to be sound asleep right now.


    ¡°She¡¯s¡­¡± As the woman tenderly wrapped the newborn baby in cloth, she said thusly in an even tone: ¡°Dead, she died the moment the baby was born.¡±


    Clearly, this woman didn¡¯t like Elona either.


    ¡°Dead huh¡­¡± His already complicated feelings became that much worse upon hearing that. He truly didn¡¯t know what kind of expression he should have on now. Even though he had told himself countless times that this adulterous woman no longer had any relation to him¡­even though Elona was the one who set on this path of no return herself and even though it was him who constantly used the word ¡®pity¡¯ to justify taking her in¡­those were all nothing but lies to fool himself. How could he ever sever ties with someone whom he had loved so deeply in the past?


    In a sense, Elona¡¯s death like this was a form of release for both her and Moranthal. After all, once Dawson died, she truly had no one to count on. Had it not been for Moranthal, those villagers would have never let her off the hook like that. Even if she was pregnant, they still wouldn¡¯t have let her off. To the villagers, the child in her belly was no better than a b@stard¡­

 Chapter 288: Conclusion 8

    ¡°Brother?¡± Jezsere was naturally more than happy to oblige their request since that was the very reason why she came looking for them in the first place. She knew very well that Devils who were able to contract Demonesses often only fell into these two categories:they were either immensely powerful Devils or Devils with noble bloodlines. Based on what she learnt from Regine and Ancarin over the past few days, their master was clearly of the latter type.


    Honestly, it didn¡¯t matter to Jezsere what kind of Devil Mo Ke was. Either way, it would only benefit her given how the villagers all gave Mo Ke glowing reviews when asked by Reyage. To think he was actually a kind-hearted Devil! As that strange idea sank into him, Reyage couldn¡¯t help but throw a look at his own little sister as well. There, was another fellow who was strangely kind-hearted as well.


    If Jezsere was really able to summon Ancarin¡¯¡¯s master and successfully form a bond with him, it would mean the unlocking of a portion of her potential. That was because once an Occultist was able to form a pact with a Devil, both sides would form a symbiotic relationship.


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    ¡°Let¡¯s give it a try.¡±


    Reyage nodded at Jezsere who returned the nod with a soft mhm. In actuality, she was deathly afraid of summoning Devils. Each and every time she tried that, the Devils ended up bullying her¡­to be fair however, it wasn¡¯t really their fault either, if there was anyone that had to be blamed here, it would be Jezsere for being so weak. With how cowardly she looked, who else were they to bully other than her?


    Ancarin gingerly handed over her daughter to Regine before reaching into her skin-tight underclothes and pulling out a golden horn. As she ran her fingers over the severed horn, a glimmer of moisture appeared in her eyes. A while later, she finally calmed down and it was then that she realized how she had been acting just then. She hurriedly handed over the horn to Jezsere: ¡°This is the horn left behind by Master, you can use it to summon the Master.¡±


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    Jezsere received the horn with care from Ancarin but just as she touched it, she felt a strange sensation run through her fingers. She couldn¡¯t put a finger on what it was exactly but if she had to describe it, it would be that it was complex and noble at the same time. However, that feeling didn¡¯t come from the horn itself¡­it was strange but she was somehow able to verify that the horn¡¯s Master was at least a full tier stronger than what Ancarin had described. Just based on that feeling alone, she was immediately able to judge that her current self wasn¡¯t powerful enough to summon Mo Ke. On top of her personal deficiency, they lacked sufficient sacrifices as well.


    ¡°Sister Ancarin, the owner of that horn¡­seems to be a lot stronger than you described¡­¡± She put on a slightly apologetic look as she addressed the clearly excited Ancarin. ¡°Based on my current level, it¡¯s impossible to summon the other party¡­in order to do that, I would need a large amount of sacrifices as well¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lacking sacrifices?¡± Even though Ancarin could roughly guess from her tone that she wasn¡¯t able to summon Mo Ke, she still held some hope in her heart as she asked that.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Big Sis¡¯s master, Sir Mo Ke has an extremely high grade bloodline¡­in Sere¡¯s opinion, the sacrifice would at least have to be at the level of a Seven-stars or a Eight-stars.¡±


    ¡°No way¡­the last time Duran summoned Master, he never used such an extravagant sacrifice. Don¡¯t tell me Master has gotten even stronger during his absence?¡± With no way of communicating right now, it was only natural for them to be unaware of Mo Ke¡¯s new body, the one which had been imbued with Lucifer¡¯s own feather, becoming a full fledged Fallen Angel in the process. With the sin of Pride, Envy and Lust all packed into one little package, his bloodline was even more noble than the most pure-blooded Fallen Angel. Adding on the fact he was a Devil Overlord appointed personally by Lucifer¡¯s clone, summoning him really wasn¡¯t a simple matter anymore.


    Ancarin turned to face Regine who had been standing beside her all this while. She emotionlessly shook her head in response to show that she didn¡¯t know as well.


    ¡°Sister Ancarin, can you give Sere that Horn?¡± Jezsere gently stroked the golden horn as if she was touching some rare treasure. She then said thusly in an excited voice: ¡°If Sere can use this horn as a medium, she can return to the clan and even use the clan¡¯s resources to summon Sir Mo Ke. I¡¯m sure Mother won¡¯t reject this idea since Sir Mo Ke is a Devil with a noble bloodline¡­as long as Jezsere can summon a Devil, she won¡¯t be useless in the clan anymore¡­¡±


    ¡°Sere¡­I¡¯m so sorry. The horn is an important treasure of the Demoness¡¯s Abode, I can¡¯t give it to you¡­¡± Truth be told, Ancarin really didn¡¯t want to see her upset because of that rejection. However, Mo Ke¡¯s horn was truly an important treasure of the Demoness¡¯s Abode, nothing could replace it. Furthermore, it was the proof of the Demoness¡¯s Abode¡¯s faith. Without it, the power of faith generated by them wouldn¡¯t be able to locate Mo Ke.


    At that, Jezsere fell silent once more. She knew how unreasonable her request was but at the same time, as long as she had that horn, she could officially make a return to the clan and no longer live the life of a wanted fugitive¡­


    Naturally, Ancarin knew that as well and was about to offer a compromise when Regine made the executive decision to simply wrest the horn away from Jezsere after handing over the baby she was carrying to Ancarin.


    It was at the point that Reyage lunged out as well but was promptly held back by Jezsere.


    ¡°Big Brother¡­don¡¯t¡­¡±


    His brows furrowed. Because of his sister¡¯s insistence, he was truly stuck in a tough situation right now. With regards to her little sister¡¯s requests, he had never turned down a single one before. Yet if he didn¡¯t steal the horn now, they would be thrown back to that miserable fugitive lifestyle. Even worse was that he couldn¡¯t guarantee that he would be able to keep his sister safe from their family forever¡­there was clearly an easy solution just standing there right now so why shouldn¡¯t he snatch it?


    Still, it was his desire of not wanting to see his little sister sad won out in the end. He quietly sighed to himself. Truly his sister was a little too kind at times. Had it not been for her unwillingness to see someone sad because of her needs, Reyage wouldn¡¯t have waited so long to act in the first place.


    ¡°Even though I can¡¯t give you the Master¡¯s horn, I can, however, give you another item of the Master¡¯s that you can use as a medium.¡± Ancarin stated in the midst of that tense face-off. She was very fond of Jezsere. Whether it was out of guilt or simply wanting her master to be summoned once more, she really had no reason not to table this proposal. Thus, she stuck her hands into her innerwear once more and fished out a small red purse that was four fingers wide.


    ¡°Sister Sere, this is for you.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s this, Big Sis?¡± Asked Jezsere as she received the little pouch from Ancarin. With her permission, Jezsere opened the little pouch and gave it a peek. There, she found a lone strand of slightly burnt blue hair. Surprised, she asked: ¡°Big Sis, is this hair?¡±


    ¡°It should be.¡± Ancarin then proceeded to explain: ¡°The first time I met the Master, it was during a summoning ritual where Duran used that hair to summon him. Give it a feel, will that work?¡±


    ¡°It will, by Sere¡¯s estimates, it should work as a medium but it won¡¯t be as good as that golden horn. A more precise array and even more sacrifices will be needed to perform the ritual¡­¡± Having confirmed that, Jezsere excitedly stowed away the pouch before bowing to Ancarin and Regine: ¡°Thank you, Sister Ancarin, Sister Regine, Sere will do her best to summon Sir Mo Ke as soon as possible¡­ is there anything I should tell Sir Mo Ke?¡±


    ¡°Tell the Master, Ancarin and Regine really miss him¡­¡±


    ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°Also..how old is little sister? I heard that Elves have a longer lifespan than humans, is that true?¡±


    ¡°Sere is 36 years old this year, Big Sister Ancarin.¡±


    ¡°36 huh¡­¡± Ancarin exchanged a shocked glance with Regine whose eyes were wide as saucers right now.


    ¡­¡­.


    By now, the forces of Mo Ke within Abaddon had started to take roots and make gains. With a former native like Baccarel to show them the way, living there wasn¡¯t all that difficult. Naturally, it wasn¡¯t easy either.


    Whether it was humans or other strange life forms, as long as a community was involved, a social hierarchy was inevitable. There was only ever a need for one leader but, annoyingly, there was never a lack of people who wanted that position.


    If Mo Ke was still present, he would have undoubtedly occupied that position and no one would question that. However, he wasn¡¯t there because of One-eye¡¯s betrayal. Initially, when they realized that Mo Ke might have gotten into trouble, it still hadn¡¯t occurred to them how severe the problem actually was. What they lost wasn¡¯t just a comrade but a leader as well.


    Thankfully, Evilin was still there. Being a slave of Mo Ke who had signed a pact with him, as long as he was alright, it meant that Mo Ke was still alive. It was precisely because of this that they still had the leisure of discussing the following topic.


    Back then, there were two candidates who possessed sufficient prestige to control the entire army. There was the leader of the Demonic Werewolves and also the person who suppressed the Lizardmen by force, Habona. Then there was Numila, the Harpy Witch who contributed in a major way in the previous battle with Flametail and was also the fiancee of Mo Ke.


    In terms of combat strength, Habona was the undisputed champion in their army. Yet with an Epic-grade weapon to aid her, Numila wasn¡¯t that far off either. In a single one on one fight, their fight would most likely end in an indecisive manner. Naturally, the odds were more in favor of Numila thanks to her flight abilities complementing Flametail so well.


    In terms of influence, Habona had the support of her own clan and the Lizardmen. Numila had the support of her clan as well and even had the identity of Mo Ke¡¯s fiancee to back her up. The Devils under Mo Ke, along with Violet Snow, all seemed to favor her as well. Of course, that probably because Violet Snow wasn¡¯t on good terms with Habona in the first place¡­


    As the last faction who hadn¡¯t taken a stand, the Medusas and their leader, Manasha, they didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of taking a stand. She was most likely trying to maintain a neutral stance.


    According to that tally, Numila ended up in command of the entire army.


    It was then that a dissenter appeared. The female Lizardman and also the most diehard fan of Habona ever, Weslin, objected to Numila¡¯s election as the temporary leader and even tried to have the Demonic Werewolves and the Lizardmen leave the army. However, she was rejected by Habona.


    Still, the issue of Habona wasn¡¯t something Numila could now ignore either. Her strength made her a force to be reckoned with. Moreover, there was the fact that she was also the one who gifted Mo Ke an Epic-grade weapon. Adding on the fact that their army truly needed a fighter like her right now, Habona ended up becoming the vice-leader of this army.


    Thus a new faction was created in Abaddon, one centered around Numila as its leader.


    In order to survive, basic necessities such as food had to be secured. With that in mind, Numila started sending out the Dogmen to scout for food. After all, was there anyone more suited to this task than them?


    The fact that they had formed a faction meant that friction with others was inevitable. As such, a page of a new bloody chapter was about to turn for them.


    ¡­¡­


    High above at the top of Abaddon was a floating island inhabited by the Fallen Angels. This island was known as Heaven¡¯s Gate. It was named as such by Lucifer all those years¡­as for what the intention was in choosing such a name, only Lucifer knew.


    Not long after Yi Yi sent Mo Ke into the Blood Sea, she managed to return to Abaddon. It turned out that the whole reason she was in the Western Human Realms in the first place was because she made a mistake while practising Dimensional magic. Yi Yi¡¯s father, An Qie¡¯er Lucifer immediately sent out people to find his missing daughter. By following the trail of her failed spell. It didn¡¯t take long for this search party to locate her. At that time, she had just sent Mo Ke into the Blood Sea¡­in other words, if Yi Yi had been just a little slower, Mo Ke wouldn¡¯t even have to go to the Blood Sea at all¡­


    At the time that Mo Ke awakened the slumbering clone of Lucifer, Yi Yi¡¯s father received a message from the clone of Lucifer. The clone told him to start amassing troops as soon as possible because the seal on the Blood Sea had finally been undone. From that moment on, countless Devils would start returning to Purgatory and Abaddon.


    The time for their offensive was at hand. Naturally, they still had to wait for Hades to finish conquering the new world.


    The seal on the Blood Sea had been undone? An Qie¡¯er couldn¡¯t help but gasp to himself when he heard that piece of news. Soon after that, he was reminded of another piece of news that his beloved daughter told him about. A piece of news that had to do with a certain person whom he would have loved to have chopped up into pieces and fed to the Hellhounds after which he would throw the person¡¯s soul into a volcano to roast for ten thousand years¡­


    It had to be said that An Qie¡¯er was a bonafide Daughter-con. In his eyes, his daughter was the best, his daughter was everything and if anyone tried to take away his precious, they would have to do it over his dead body else he would step over theirs¡­


    Each time he laid his eyes on his daughter, he would make a silent prayer to Lucifer that the human brat, who somehow was engaged to his daughter, would just die in a corner of the Prison of the Dead. Unfortunately, things never proceeded according to one¡¯s will. Not only did Mo Ke not die, he even broke out of the Prison of the Dead like a stubborn little cockroach¡­


    Holy Lucifer, that was a prison that hadn¡¯t been breached in over 80 000 years since its formation¡­how did a human brat even break out of that place?!


    Still, facts had a way of catching up to a person. No matter how much he didn¡¯t wish to believe that, it was an ironclad fact that Mo Ke succeeded in breaking out of the Prison and undoing the seal on the Blood Sea in the process. In a sense, he had made a contribution to the entire race on the level of a miracle, not that any of them appreciated it. In fact, they would loved to have a taste of his flesh and see how it differed from other Devils¡­


    Back to the topic at hand however, the moment Mo Ke broke out of the Prison and awakened Lucifer¡¯s clone, he had unknowingly sounded the bell announcing the beginning of Apocalypse.

 Chapter 289: You’ve Awakened Again I See

    Having suddenly turned into the Overlord of Purgatory, under the clone of Lucifer¡¯s direct orders no less¡­I honestly had to say that the pressure was as huge as a mountain. Lucifer mentioned that I should first conquer the other factions in Sable Radiance and that there would soon be a sporadic stream of Devils coming in from the Blood Sea¡­ ¡®In other words, the seal on the Blood had been undone? Also, doesn¡¯t that imply that there would also be some Devils going elsewhere?¡¯


    If that was truly the case, it meant that news of the Blood Sea being unsealed would soon spread across the Three Hells¡­¡¯What¡¯s next then? Will news of Lucifer¡¯s planned apocalypse spread as well? If that really happens, the Western Human Realms will most likely¡­well, there¡¯s no point in me worrying either. After all, I¡¯m just a Four-stars piece of junk¡­hmmm, I guess I¡¯ll have to raise my strength either way.¡¯


    ¡®Hmm, Ferti¡¯nier seems to be still asleep¡­I have to say though, while she might have saved me a few times, she had also caused me no small amount of headache. For example, causing my evolution rate to be lower than my subordinates, causing my body to be neither male nor female, causing¡­¡¯


    ¡°Yo, is my little brother talking bad about his big sis?¡±


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    The moment that teasing voice appeared in my head, I could¡¯ve sworn that all the hairs on my back were raised. The way her bewitching voice seemed to penetrate your very soul and latch onto it was just too intoxicating¡­¡¯still¡­what was she doing awake?¡¯


    ¡°Oh hoho, how did we end up here? That guy¡¯s statue is here too, not bad.¡±


    ¡®Hey, let¡¯s get something straight here, don¡¯t just take a nap at your own convenience and then suddenly bomb my mind with your voice. Also, when did I become your little brother?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it because my little brother is always hoping his own little brother to come back? This one thought that perhaps you would feel better if she addressed you as little brother.¡±


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    ¡°¡­I¡­you¡­¡± ¡®That¡¯s a practically a headshot at this point¡­this brother isn¡¯t in the least bit happy at all¡­and who are you to talk about my little brother?! You¡¯re the one who caused all this in the first place! Blasted potato, not only do you not pay any room rent, you steal my food and just nap without caring about my feelings at all. You even cause trouble for me when you wake. up..do you know how hard I¡¯ve had it since I got saddled with a freeloader like you?!¡±


    ¡°Little Brother¡¯s mood is a little unstable now.¡±


    Her tone was still as lighthearted as before, clearly not at all guilty about all that I had gone through.


    ¡®How does she expect me to be stable? That statue over there just asked me to destroy the world. Even worse, I have to participate in that battle too¡­¡¯


    ¡®Have you been here before?¡¯


    ¡°This one has never been here before, but this one has definitely seen that statue before. This one can easily guess where this is just by looking at it. It¡¯s the garden of Sable Radiance¡¯s palace, isn¡¯t it? Every Fallen Angel Devil King has a garden like this, there¡¯s really nothing unusual about it at all.¡±


    As of right now, I was still standing before that statue of Lucifer. Even though his clone had already left, I could still feel a strange sensation emanating off it¡­after all, it was a statue that once housed the clone of Lucifer, who could say that there wasn¡¯t anything special about it?


    Everyone else saw that I was dazing off as usual and knew that I was mulling over something again. Thus, they went on about with their own matters such as scouting the surroundings. Even Mo Na knew to pull Cinderel away to another spot to chat. For them to be so accommodating was exactly what I needed right now as I still had something to clear up with Ferti¡¯nier.


    ¡®Ferti¡¯nier, I need to ask you something, did you command One-eye to force me here?¡¯


    ¡°Oh little brother of mine, have you gone mad or just dumb? Why would this one ever do that to you? We¡¯re currently tied together; if you die, this one dies as well. Besides, that blasted Yi Yi promised this one that she would reconstruct this one¡¯s body if this one brought you to her¡­this one wants you in Abaddon more than even yourself!¡±


    Because I had no idea how to approach such a sensitive topic, I ended up asking her straight in the face. I would have never expected that her reaction would be so big.


    While it might have been a rather crude way of asking her, it also served the dual purpose of surprising her and perhaps even causing her to spill the truth by accident. Even so, her words seemed to ring true, given how sound her logic seemed.


    After all, who knew how long she had been stuck in that Crystal of Chaos. Being without a body must have been hard on her as well. Thus, it was only natural that she was in a hurry to reach Abaddon as well. Besides, she said so herself as well, if one of us died, the other died as well.


    Now that the suspicion over her had cleared, did that mean that my detour was nothing but a twist of fate? Lucifer¡¯s clone was here waiting for me so perhaps he already knew that someone would awaken him eventually. As for whether it had to be me who awakened him¡­that was something I couldn¡¯t know given my level.


    At the very least however, I had managed to clear Ferti¡¯nier¡­probably.


    ¡°Little Brother, did something big happen while this one was asleep? All this one did was take a short nap so how did you change so drastically? Your skin has turned white and you even grew out a pair of purple wings¡­this one can even feel a trace of that guy¡¯s bloodline in you¡­don¡¯t tell me¡­that guy left you something, didn¡¯t he¡­¡±


    ¡®Mhm, that he did. He left me a feather that practically melted my body like a candle. Throughout all that, my mind was perfectly lucid, throughout the entire reconstruction of my body, my mind was active and watching. However¡­he didn¡¯t tell me anything else other than giving me a mission. Even now, I still don¡¯t know what kind of powers I have.¡¯


    ¡°The powers of the Fallen Angels are extremely varied, and interesting too. If Little Brother wants to find out what they are, he needs to rely on himself.¡±


    ¡®I know, it¡¯s just a little hard to get used to, given how sudden all this was. However, this body is really really strong.¡¯


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    Prior to this, I had given my new body a quick look through. Whether it was my speed, power, psyche or mana, they were all top-notch. My previous self couldn¡¯t even hold a candle to what I was now. In fact, I doubt No.3 could win against me now.


    That was all without the use of Shadowfang too¡­speaking of Shadowfang¡­it had been left neglected in a corner since I was so fixated on putting on my armor. There it laid, lying on the floor just as I had left it not too long ago. Yet just as I was about to bend down and pick it up, it suddenly flew up to me as if I had tugged on some kind of invisible string.

 Chapter 290: Is it Really Okay For a Person to be Toyed Around by a Rock?

    There had always been legends about the Great Flood floating around in the Western Human Realms. These legends had never ever been confirmed by any divinity but after years of investigation, I found that almost every country had its own version of the Great Flood legend, even the desert countries. In other words, it was more than likely that such a thing really existed.


    I had once had the fortune of discussing this matter with an Occultist under the strangest of circumstances. Originally, I thought that he was going to stab me in the heart and use my blood in some summoning ritual. Yet the moment he approached me, he instead smiled warmly at me and said that he was my fan. He mentioned that he would collect every book I wrote and was even looking forward to my next book. At that point, I knew that I was probably safe.


    We ended up having an animated conversation in which he even told me about his hypothesis that the tongue of the Devil might actually be the language used by the ancient humans.


    When we parted, he even asked for an autograph although I had to say that the little scamp he had send over the pen seemed rather miffed about that¡­


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    Perhaps there might some of you who might now be scoffing at the idea of believing the words of an Occultist, but there is something I feel I should make known. Even Occultists had virtuous members amongst their ranks. Naturally, they tended to be in the minority¡­vast minority, but at the very least, there was that one or two out of a hundred or so¡­


    In a sense, this situation is kind of like how we fear snakes and their venomous bites. Yes, they might be able to kill but how many people actually knew that they are actually harmless? Unless provoked, they rarely attacked humans. In short, not every Occultist is a bad person. As for whether or not that Occutlist I met was a good person, that I didn¡¯t know¡­


    Whether or not the tongue of the Devil is actually the language of the ancients humans is still a mystery to me. Moreover, the vast majority of the world doesn¡¯t even believe in the existence of ancient humans. After all, the <> states that humans were created by the Goddess of Light in order to fight against Evil and Satan¡¯s Creations, in short, Devils.


    Based on that saying, it can be concluded that the orthodox point of view in the world is that the ancient humans didn¡¯t exist.


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    Furthermore, if what that Occultist said was true, didn¡¯t that mean that the ancient humans had turned into Devils or perhaps they were Devils to begin with?


    Clearly an outrageous proposition¡­


    ¡ªFrom <>


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The moment Shadowfang came flying towards me, I instinctively reached out to grab it before pausing in shock for a second. ¡®Exactly what is going here? All I did was think about it and it actually responded to me¡­¡¯


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    ¡°Oh? Seems like Little Brother has already picked up a new skill. Go on then, don¡¯t keep this one waiting. What is it?¡± She pestered me, clearly interested in my new ability.


    [I¡¯m not too sure myself, I just wanted Shadowfang to come over and it actually did¡­]


    (TL: Mo Ke talking to Ferti¡¯nier will be done in square brackets from now on. Technically, the author started doing this in the previous chapter but I felt that it was still manageable without it.)


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­my new ability is psychokinesis?¡¯ At that, I tried out that theory on a nearby rock but no matter how much I willed it to move, it refused to budge an inch¡­ ¡®at least wobble a little so I don¡¯t look bad¡­¡¯


    ¡®Strange¡­so why did Shadowfang come flying over while that rock didn¡¯t? Don¡¯t tell me that rock is looking down on me?¡¯


    I gave the rock a swift kick and as I did so, I infused a bit of my mana into it ¨Cthe intention was to send it flying further away from me. After it had done so, I couldn¡¯t help but think to myself, ¡®Let¡¯s see you try and fly back to me then, hmph¡¯¡­and as fate would have it, it actually did¡­


    That rock, the size of a baseball, suddenly made a physics-defying U-turn and flew right at me¡­¡¯Hey, that¡¯s just unscientific, don¡¯t you know!¡¯ Yet no matter what I had to say about that, it was an ironclad fact that it was already on its way back¡­


    I immediately deflected it with Shadowfang at which point it harmlessly fell to the ground and moved no longer.


    Once more, I tried giving it a mental command but it ignored me completely, like the sleeping b*stard that it was.


    ¡®What the potato is going on here? Why is it ignoring me again?¡¯


    ¡°You stupid potato, how about thinking back on what you did just now, what did you do when you kicked it?¡± Probably fed up with my idiocy, Ferti¡¯nier finally decided to step in herself and offer her scathing advice(taunts): ¡°Your mana! Didn¡¯t you infuse some of your mana into it just now?!¡±


    ¡®Mana¡­ah¡­I did do that, didn¡¯t I? So that¡¯s the reason why?¡¯


    With that in mind, I gave this whole experiment another try. I habitually slung Shadowfang over my back but just as I did so, I was met with resistance from my new wings. If I were to sling it over them like before, they would undoubtedly be very uncomfortable. Thus I had no choice but to temporarily place Shadowfang on the ground for now while my right hand picked up that stuck-up rock. I channelled my mana into it and then tossed it away.


    Watching it barrel away from me for a second, I then willed it: ¡®Come back.¡¯


    Then, like watching a miracle play out before my very eyes, it actually made a huge U-turn¡­


    I stretched out my arms and caught it, mouth and eyes wide open as I did so. How should I put it¡­the moment I laid hands on it, it felt like I wasn¡¯t gripping a rock at all but rather a living thing¡­ ¡®How is it suddenly alive?! Don¡¯t tell me this rock is made of some kind of special material? Or maybe it¡¯s some kind of Divine-grade weapon? But for me to just casually pick up a weapon of rocky destruction¡­what are the odds¡­practically zero I bet!¡¯


    Yet just as I busy being shocked by a mere rock and was about to investigate it further, the sensation of life started to gradually fade away until there was nothing left but a cold lifeless rock.


    ¡®This¡­why is it back to being a rock again? Hold on, maybe it¡¯s because my mana ran out¡­don¡¯t tell me¡­my mana can impart life onto an inanimate object?! If that¡¯s the case, what about Shadowfang?¡¯


    In order to prove my suspicion, I picked up another rock lying nearby and infused some mana into it. I then tossed it away after which I willed it to come back. Amazingly, it came flying back!


    It was at that point that it dawned on me how amazing this newfound power of mine was¡­

 Chapter 291: Shadow Guardian

    ¡°Little Brother, you¡¯ve really made a killing this time, to think the first ability you awakened would be this interesting.¡± Throughout that entire process, Ferti¡¯nier had been watching over my interaction with that stuck-up rock and its more obedient kin. As an experienced Devil King, she managed to spot the inherent specialness of my ability right away.


    ¡°That ability is called Consciousness Impartment, it can be used to impart a temporary consciousness onto inanimate objects. Even though it¡¯s temporary, the possibilities are endless. In fact, Little Brother can probably overthrow the heavens soon.¡±


    [Hahaha, well, I don¡¯t know about overthrowing the heavens but it does seem rather powerful, doesn¡¯t it?]


    ¡°That guy was once a part of the genesis of this world, since Little Brother is now a part of his bloodlines, it only makes sense that you awakened a portion of his abilities as well.¡±


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    ¡®A part of the genesis of the world huh¡­¡¯ The Origin Angels were all created as tools initially. Moreover, they were created before the Creator made the world. In other words, it was highly possible that those Angels had helped create the world as well¡­especially Lucifer who was the first Angel created by the Creator.


    Now that I had gained a new ability, it was naturally time for me to experiment.


    Consciousness Impartment was definitely a special power. Technically speaking, it¡¯s more of a passive ability than an active one. In a sense, it would probably be easier to understand if I said that objects touched by my mana would come to life.


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    However, such life was extremely weak since they would immediately die out once my mana ran out. That was why Ferti¡¯nier called it Consciousness Impartment and not Life Impartment.


    The actual effects of this passive wasn¡¯t all that complicated at all.


    In order to test out its effects, I performed a simple experiment with my Fireball. Had it been my old Fireball, it would have only proceeded in a straight line and never bend. Yet after gaining my new passive, any Fireball I threw out would now be imbued with consciousness. It was now possible for me to command it to make a turn or even evade an enemy¡¯s attack¡­sounds ridiculous, right? What was more ridiculous was that one of my techniques, one which I hadn¡¯t used for a long time, actually evolved after I gained that passive.


    In the past, my Shadow Guardian was able to tie up my enemies, stretch out to assassinate my enemies and even form a shield to guard me of its own accord. However, it had one fatal flaw: it couldn¡¯t separate from my body.


    In other words, it had to maintain some sort of connection to my body via its shadow.


    After gaining this new passive however, the intelligence of the Shadow Guardian was actually strengthened and it had even gained a new ability: the ability to function independent of my body for a short duration¡­in other words, my shadow was essentially a clone!


    Since its upgrade, I had taken to referring to it as Shadow Demon Guardian instead.


    Without anything to test it out on, I had no way to gauge its current combat strength but given that its combat strength was pretty high in the past, its evolved form shouldn¡¯t be that bad either, right?


    Other than that little bit of serendipity, I discovered another interesting fact. Not long after my Shadow Demon Guardian separated from my body, it sought out Shadowfang, which was still lying quietly on the floor, and ate it? Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that it had melded with it. Anyway¡­


    ¡®Hey hey hey! What are you doing eating up my weapons¡­don¡¯t think for a second that I won¡¯t hit you just because you are a part of me! Spit it out right now!¡¯


    Amidst my frantic calls, the Shadow Demon Guardian did just that¡­ Like a black cloth that had been ripped apart, Shadowfang slowly rose from its center until there was only a tiny portion of its body still connected to the shadow.


    Because both of them were equally pitch black, it was rather difficult to discern that fact.


    ¡®So what you¡¯re telling me is¡­my Shadow Demon Guardian is helping to look after Shadowfang for me? I guess that makes sense too. Shadowfang is said to be a fang from the Moon Goddess¡¯s steed, Nightblade. My Shadow Demon Guardian is of the Shadow Darkness Element while Shadowfang so happens to be one of the rare few Epic-grade Shadow Darkness Element weapons; their compatibility couldn¡¯t be any better. Since Shadowfang has a consciousness of its own, melding the two would only strengthen it.¡¯


    More importantly, by acting a portable storage, I no longer had to deal with lugging around a weapon that was bigger than my body.


    Speaking of which, the fact it was two meters long had caused me quite a great deal of trouble in the past. Just practising my drawing techniques took hours upon hours, and that was without my wings too. If I still had to deal with that while having wings, my mobility would definitely suffer a lot.


    I couldn¡¯t even stow it at my waist because of how long it was¡­


    And that was why I took extremely well to this little tidbit of serendipity. ¡®From now on, this brother would just have to draw Shadowfang from his shadow instead of dealing with that whole mess.¡¯


    ¡®Maybe I might even be able to scare off some of my more weak-willed opponents with my cool new blade drawing technique.¡¯


    ¡°Little Brother sure has gotten himself an interesting skill, I think you would only be astounded by how many potential uses it has.¡±


    [I never thought this whole encounter with Lucifer would bring so many benefits too.]


    ¡°Well, he gave you a mission, didn¡¯t he?¡± Ferti¡¯nier couldn¡¯t help but reveal a mocking smile. ¡°That fellow isn¡¯t some good samaritan, if he gives you a cent, you can be sure he will take away ten more from you.¡±


    [¡­let¡¯s not talk about that, that¡¯s just gonna make me even sadder¡­all I want to do is find Yi Yi, get back my male body, find Nicole and then¡­]


    ¡°Return to your village and get married?¡± She teased me in a coquettish voice.


    [¡­you know too much¡­]


    Having finished a round of idle banter with Ferti¡¯nier, or rather, after being teased by Ferti¡¯nier, I re-adjusted my condition and prepared to make a trip for the weapons factory down below. According to the clone of Lucifer, there was an army of Abyssal Golems waiting for me down there. Given how I had no troops or authority now, they were all I could rely on in my future conquest of Sable Radiance.


    ¡°Sweetie, come to Papa for a second.¡± Even though I still hadn¡¯t had a chance to test out my new powers yet,I could tell that they had improved to an incomparable level. The next step was to retrieve those golems and take over control of the palace. That was why I called for Mo Na.

 Chapter 292: The Quest for the Weapons Factory

    ¡°Mo Na¡¯s here, Mama.¡± Responding to my call, Mo Na came running towards me with little Cinderel following closely behind. The moment she came up to me, she leaped into my embrace and hugged me tightly, stubbornly refusing to loosen her grip at all. As she did so, she blissfully rubbed her tender face against my own¡­¡¯I swear, she just loves to cling to me so much.¡¯


    ¡°Woof woof woof.¡± Cinderel stood on both her little paws while clutching adorably at my shins . As she did so, her puppy dog eyes would give a pleading look that went straight to my heart. How could I reject such cuteness?


    With two little fellows to placate for the time being, we ended up standing there for a long while till the rest of our wandering companions came back from their respective strolls.


    REPORT AD


    After briefly explaining the situation to them, I left in search of the weapons factory with Mo Na, No.3 and Big 4.


    The castle had three main pathways running through it, one led to the main hall, the other led to the garden and the last led to, if I wasn¡¯t mistaken, the so-called weapons factory.


    The existence of this factory was made known to me by Lucifer¡¯s clone. He mentioned that the golems were all stored there and while he didn¡¯t mention how many there were, it should be quite a number. In all likelihood, these abyssal golems were probably a gift left for the person who awakened him¡­well calling it a gift wasn¡¯t exactly accurate either.


    After all, Lucifer¡¯s goal was to destroy the world. In that case, helping me, the person who so happened to ring the bell on the world, signifying its doom, was only to be expected.


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    Even his core, the feather of Lucifer, was given to me. Thank to that, my bloodline evolved into that of a Fallen Angel¡¯s¡­in fact, my bloodline was, strictly speaking, more noble than most Fallen Angels; normal Fallen Angels only had the blessing of Pride on them while I had three.


    Ferti¡¯nier once told me that there were Devils who possessed two sins as well. Such Devils were often more powerful than those that only had one. In that case, a guy with three sins like me couldn¡¯t be weak!


    As I was busy musing to myself, our entourage reached the bottom of the palace which was more like a basement than anything else. Because the entire palace was carved out of a mountain, it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to call it a cave either.


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    Thanks to their inherent size, Nola and our two Cerberuses could only wait outside for us. Thus, our party consisted of No.3, Big 4, each taking the front and back respectively while Mo Na and I stayed in the middle. In order to avoid any potential accidents, I decided to bring the Black Blood Queen Ant along as well. As of right now, she was leading the way through the palace.


    Bringing her along served two purposes. One, with her acting as our vanguard, anywhere she safely crossed would most likely be safe and devoid of traps. Two, since the golems were made of ant poop, it would be a lot more convenient to have her sniff them out. After all, her nose was rather sensitive and sniffing out poop should be an easy task for her.


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    Ever since I evolved into a Fallen Angel, the queen ant became absolutely subservient to my commands. To her, I was a master to be worshipped; she dared not have any rebellious thoughts at all.


    Throughout the tunnel-like hallway, there were sporadic lit braziers lining the cave walls, acting as illumination for us and the tunnel. As I quietly followed the lead of the Black Blood Queen Ant, I tightly gripped the Gem of Authority in my left hand while my right held onto Mo Na.


    The tunnel itself was rather straightforward and it didn¡¯t take long before we found the weapons factory. To be honest, finding the factory itself wasn¡¯t at all difficult because the entire road was littered with golems. Before entering, I would often worry about the possibility of a trap along the way. After entering and seeing how many golems there were inside however, I realized that it was an unnecessary worry on my part. Every ten steps we took, we would come upon a guard post manned by a contingent of golems. Every five steps we took, we would come upon a patrol of golems. With such a fearsome army guarding the place, was there even a need for traps?


    Furthermore, with how powerful the golems actually were, would traps even make a difference to an opponent whom the golems couldn¡¯t defeat?


    From a glance, I could tell that the golems here and those outside were all of the same model. Even their movements and appearance was basically the same except for one striking difference: those in the factory weren¡¯t damaged at all. Based on that, it was easy to conclude that they had never encountered any opponents at all.


    Even now, I still had no way of confirming whether or not the golems possessed something similar to memories. Whatever the case, they never once stopped the queen ant from proceeding forward and instead let her pass naturally. Us, on the other hand, were given a much more wary welcome. Their eyes would lifelessly stalk our every move at which point I would raise the Gem of Authority for them to see.


    Upon looking into the gem, the gem itself would emit a strange red light, the kind that flashed past as if it was a scanner.


    Once that happened, the golems who were probably about to pounce on us just moments ago immediately became docile as if they were guard dogs whom I had raised from birth. They would stand there silently and await my command.


    ¡°That stone is so cool, Mama! Mo Na wants to have a go too.¡± Mo Na swung my arm back and forth and mustered the most adorable voice in her arsenal to ask for that stone.


    By now, I had basically uncovered all the functions of this gem. For example, I could use it to flash the golems a red light signal which would make them obey my command. On top of that, I could hand over authority to someone else temporarily. If I were to hand over command rights to Mo Na temporarily, she could go around subjugating golems in my stead. Furthermore, even after all that, the command of those golems would still rest with me. As the temporary user of those golems, Mo Na only had the right to use them, not command them.


    The transfer of command rights was only temporary. I could, at any time, decide to withdraw those rights since the gem itself was bound to my soul. As long as I was still around, this authority would never leave me. Also, I discovered that I could actually allow Mo Na to control the golems without actually handing her the Gem of Authority.


    However, the one drawback to that would be if she encountered any stray golem who still wasn¡¯t put under the command of the gem. At that point, the golem would attack Mo Na as always.


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    Truth be told, the fact that these golems were still functional after 80 000 years was truly astounding.


    Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that the ancients humans were amazing. After all, these Abyssal Golems were modelled after the work of the ancient alchemists.

 Chapter 293: A Winged Abyssal Golem

    The inside of the weapons factory was like a giant assembly line. By using the Gem of Authority, our entourage managed to smoothly pass through the factory and right into its core.


    Because I didn¡¯t possess the creation method, all we did was give the area a general sweep. Based on that cursory glance, I noticed quite a number of golem parts scattered about, indicating that the Abyssal Golems were pieced together rather than being carved from a single piece.


    Passing through the assembly line, the Black Blood Queen Ant very quickly brought us to the front of the warehouse. There I had her sniff out the location where the smell was strongest¡­in other words, where there was the most poop. The idea was that since the poop was the main ingredient in crafting these golems, anything important related to the golems would be stored there as well. For example, materials or half-finished products.


    The warehouse entrance was guarded by two Winged Abyssal Golems, one on the left and one of the right.


    REPORT AD


    As a comparison, those damaged golems we encountered outside were technically false Six-stars. While they might have the defense of a Six-stars because of their innate quality, their wounds meant that they could only put out the power of a Five-stars. The intact golems we encountered in the castle were bonafide Six-stars, whether offensively or defensively.


    At this very moment however, there were two Abyssal Golems standing before me who were probably at least a full Star Level higher than the others. Those wings on their backs were definitely not just for show.


    These two golems were at least taller than the ordinary variants by two meters, bringing their overall height to over 7. In terms of appearance, there wasn¡¯t much change; still the same old blackish-red armored-looking warrior. They just seemed a lot stronger when compared to the other golems.


    The moment those two golems noticed us approaching, they immediately turned their heads around and their ruby-like eyes flashed us a dangerous look.


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    REPORT AD


    Under the fierce glare of the two golems, the queen ant instantly froze on the spot, not daring to even breath lest she angered the two of them.


    ¡°Watch out Master!¡±


    My two trusty bodyguards yelled as they instantly dashed in front of me and Mo Na, eyes stern and body ready to dash out at a moment¡¯s notice to buy time for our escape.


    ¡°Mama¡­¡± Mo Na gave me a slightly terrified look.


    ¡®To think even she has times when she is scared, how amusing¡­¡¯


    While I might have thought that, I knew for a fact that a pair of Seven-stars like them truly weren¡¯t a laughing matter. Even though these two high grade Abyssal Golems weren¡¯t actually alive, they were still powerful constructs, and entities of power always inspired fear in those who were weak. The fact they were able to exude a fearsome aura like that was probably because of some kind of unique craftsmanship.


    ¡°No.3, Big 4, I need you to stand aside for a while. Even though they might have wings, and even though their behavior is a little strange, they are still Abyssal Golems. In that case, they shouldn¡¯t be immune to the control of the Gem of Authority.¡± I allayed their fears briefly before gently ruffling my little baby¡¯s head and saying: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sweetie, just lift up the Gem of Authority.¡±


    ¡°Kay.¡± Feeling the warmth of my touch, her frightened nerves calmed down somewhat. She breathed in deep before raising the gem to her red lips and kissing. ¡°You two big lugs over there¡­look here¡­¡± She said in a slightly quivering voice.


    Upon hearing her call out to them, the two golems promptly turned around to face her, eyes swivelling right into the path of the Gem of Authority. The gem immediately glowed a bright red, and as expected, the golems were easily subjugated.


    Unlike the other Abyssal Golems however, they didn¡¯t stand still after being subjugated but instead stepped backwards slightly before performing a half kneel. They were paying respects to me¡­rather, it would be more accurate to say that they were paying respects to the gem.


    ¡°Mama, I think it worked.¡± Seeing them act so subserviently, Mo Na excitedly jumped into my arms and said so in the sweetest voice ever: ¡°Mama, that gem is so fun, how about letting Mo Na play with it?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, whatever my little precious wants, she gets.¡± I gently flicked her on the nose. ¡°Make sure not to lose it, alright Sweetie?¡±


    ¡°Got it, Mo Na will be careful.¡±


    Truth be told, whether or not she lost it didn¡¯t matter to me since it was soulbound to me. Even without the gem, those golems wouldn¡¯t attack me. Thus, I was more than at ease with handing her the gem since she was going to be by my side all the time anyway.


    Now that the guards were taken care of, it was now time to enter.


    Grasping the gem in her hands, she pointed it at the two guard golems and said: ¡°Take us in.¡±


    While the golems might not be able to speak, they were able to understand the language of the Devil. One of the golems nodded its head before turning around to press a certain section of the cave wall behind it. Just like that, what had to at least be over a thousand kg of stone door slowly rose into the ceiling.


    ¡°Black Blood Queen Ant, once the door is fully opened, I need you to enter first.¡±


    ¡°Understood¡­Mas¡­ter¡­¡±


    Even though I still found it a little strange that she suddenly decided to serve me, it didn¡¯t concern me all too much since she wasn¡¯t all that strong to begin with. Given how stubborn she had been acting all this while, I highly doubted that she would suddenly change tact in order to plot against us either.Moreover, given all the information I had gathered so far about their race being slaves and me looking like the previous Devil King, there was basically no chance of her rebelling.


    While she was stuttering in the same manner as before, thanks to her innately low level of intelligence, she no longer seemed as annoying given how much more obedient she was now.


    We quietly waited there for the doors to open.


    The entrance to the warehouse was roughly 30 meters wide and 30 meters tall. It was most likely constructed in such a manner to facilitate the golems moving in and out.

 Chapter 294: A Storage Full of Golems

    The mechanical stone door slowly rose up into the ceiling. As it reached the halfway mark, the once pitch-black storage room in front of us suddenly lit up withan orange incandescence. From the looks of things, this room was probably lined with brazier as well.


    Truth be told, I was still a little puzzled by how pristine this entire palace was. After 80 000 years, the buildings below had basically all but collapsed and yet the palace was so undamaged, it was as if no time had passed at all¡­unthinkable!


    The only explanation I could think of was that there was some mysterious magical array maintaining this structure. Perhaps it was providing the entire structure energy or even halting the flow of time.


    It wasn¡¯t long before the entire door rose into the ceiling with a final creak, and what had to be the most shocking scene ever entered my field of vision¡­


    REPORT AD


    The entire storage warehouse was packed to the brim with completed golems¡­Not poop. Not half-completed parts. ¡®Why is there a whole warehouse of completed golems here?¡¯


    ¡®Well, I guess they aren¡¯t technically complete since none of them have been activated yet¡­they are just standing there like soldiers at attention.¡¯


    Because of how vast the storage warehouse was, and how many golems there actually were, I had no way of getting an accurate estimate of their numbers right away. Just from a simple sweep, I could tell that there were at least over one thousand golems present in this warehouse. The majority of the golems were of the Six-stars common variant while about 10% of the golems were the winged variant.


    ¡°Those big lugs won¡¯t move, right?¡± Gem of Authority in hand, Mo Na wasn¡¯t at all concerned about being attacked by the golems as she boldly strode forward to check them out.


    From where I was standing, I could clearly feel that the golems were completely inert, like computers who had their power plugged out ¨Cunlikely to ever move of its own accord.


    Even so, that didn¡¯t stop me from worrying about Mo N and chasing up to her. She had just stepped into the warehouse when I scooped up her little body, after which I turned to the slightly lost queen ant and said: ¡°You go first.¡±


    ¡°Understood¡­Mas¡­ter¡­¡±


    Like that, she obediently moved ahead to scout for us while No.3, Big 4 followed behind in relative safety.


    ¡°Mo Na still has this, Mama, there¡¯s nothing to be afraid of.¡± Having adjusted herself to comfortably sit on my shoulders, she then leaned in, gracing with me a sweet fragrance in the process, and lifted up the gem in her hands. Her beautiful eyes stared unblinkingly at the queen ant who was about to approach a golem: ¡°See, Mama, that big ant is fine as well.¡±


    ¡®You little scamp, I swear¡­weren¡¯t you just terrified a moment ago? Now that you¡¯ve gotten yourself some backing, you¡¯ve immediately bounced right up again I see. Well, no matter what, I¡¯m not putting you down till I¡¯ve confirmed that everything is safe.¡¯


    It was only after No.3 and Big 4 had confirmed the inert state of those golems that I finally came in with Mo Na on me.


    Having just stepped in, Mo Na immediately started struggling a little before promptly hopping off my shoulders and sticking that gem right up to the face of one of the golems. The little scamp gave a thorough look around the motionless lump of poop for a good long while but was unable to elicit any sort of response from it.


    Over time, this failure started to grate on her patience at which point she unhappily punched the golem with the gem¡­


    ¡®Oh sweetie¡­can¡¯t you be a little gentler¡­and how can you use the gem like that¡­¡¯


    Seeing how unreliable she was and also out of concern of losing the gem, I immediately ran up to her and scooped her up once more, a bead of cold sweat rolling down my back as I did so.


    ¡°Sweetie, what do you think you are doing? Don¡¯t break the Gem of Authority.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Mama, this gem is tough as heck.¡± She nonchalantly smiled as she shook her head. ¡°See, Mama, it¡¯s still fine.¡±


    As she said that, she brought the gem up to my eye level. I carefully inspected the precious stone and saw that it was still as undamaged as before. ¡®It seems like it¡¯s not as fragile as I thought then. I guess that makes sense, it¡¯s a gem after all. How could it be so fragile?¡¯


    Confirming that it was fine once more, I then put her down and instructed her not to toy around with the gem again else I would confiscate it.


    Seeing that she had essentially gotten tacit approval from me, she happily nodded her head and promised not to smash the gem again with a grinning face.


    At that, I stooped down and pinched her on the cheeks. ¡°Again? You¡¯d better not think of doing it again.¡±


    ¡°Mo Na promises, Mama.¡± She adorably begged for mercy with watery eyes.


    Finally, I stopped my pinching. Immediately, my concern became whether or not I had pinched her a little too much just then.


    Yet just as I was about to ask if she was alright, the little scamp promptly dashed away¡­


    ¡®Well, I guess it¡¯s a good thing that kids are lively¡­but is it really alright for her to be so disrespectful of adults, hmm¡­¡¯


    I tried to call out to her again but found that she had basically disappeared from my sight; in all likelihood, she was out and about, hiding behind some inert golem. At the end of the day, those golems were massive, especially those winged ones that came in at over seven meters tall. It wasn¡¯t surprising at all that they were able to completely mask the presence of a child.


    ¡°Sweetie, where did you go?¡± I asked, ever the worrying parent. ¡°Sweetie, come out quick, Papa can¡¯t see you!¡±


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    Just as I was fretting over her disappearance, I suddenly heard No.3 yelling out to me from the side: ¡°Master, the little Missus is here.¡±


    Being one of my first few subordinates, he was normally in charge of protecting not just me, but my little baby as well. And despite the fact that he was a little dim at times, he at least knew how important Mo Na was to me so when Mo Na dove into the mass of golems, he made sure to keep track of her as well.


    Following the direction of No.3, I walked past several golems before I found her squatting in a corner.


    ¡°Sweetie, what are you doing?¡±


    Right at this very moment, she was squatting beside a black stone cupboard while gripping the Gem of Authority¡­


    ¡°Mama, let Mo Na explain¡­it¡¯s not what it looks like¡­¡±


    Honestly, she was probably about to smack that cupboard with the gem; there really wasn¡¯t a need for her to explain anything at this point. Thus, I had to take back my previous words¡­she wasn¡¯t just a little willful, she was really willful¡­

 Chapter 295: This is the Schematic?

    Mo Na chose not to explain her actions with words anymore and instead lowered the Gem of Authority gently onto the black cupboard. Yet who would¡¯ve thought that the spot she chose so happened to have a slot that fitted the gem snugly? Clearly not any of us observers. By the time the gem fully slotted itself into the hole, the stone cupboard sprang open like a safe.


    ¡°Look Mama, this piece of rock just opened up.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± ¡®Fine, I guess I was wrong about my little darling then.¡¯


    The stone cupboard wasn¡¯t all that big; roughly about the size of an ordinary safe from Earth. Its insides were rather empty except for a few items, namely three black gems of roughly the same make as the Gem of Authority, and a black leather book cover.


    REPORT AD


    I picked up the black gem with some trepidation, clearly expecting it to do something amazing, else why would it even be locked up in a safe like that? Placing it back down, the next thing I reached out for was that leather book. The pages were all undamaged by time, just like the palace it was stored in. Giving it a casual flip, I found, to my surprise, that it actually contained the schematics for those golems¡­


    ¡°Mama, is that the schematic for those big lugs over there?¡± Mo Na wrapped her left hand around my neck and pressed her soft body against my shoulders as she leaned in to have a peek at the book. A short while later, she gasped: ¡°Mama, Mo Na knows this too!¡±


    My eyes immediately darted to where she was pointing and found a diagram of a humanoid skeleton. Giving the page a closer look, my eyes opened wide at the stunning discovery I made ¨Cthe golems were actually made using these skeletons as their core!


    ¡®So they¡¯re actually a hybrid made from Undead magicks and Alchemy¡­in other words, they are Undead as well as Magical Constructs¡­no wonder those two winged golems gave off such a strong aura¡­for a moment there, I thought that they had gained sentience or something¡­¡¯


    ¡®It all makes sense now¡­that¡¯s why those golems are able to maintain normal functions even after 80 000 years of neglect.¡¯


    The Undead were famous for not needing any sort of fleshly sustenance. However, because they hadn¡¯t received any form of replenishment in those 80 000 years. They ended up losing a portion of their strength since their gradual energy consumption eclipsed that of their replenishment rate. Thus, those golems we met outside merely had the offensive strength of a Five-stars.


    Back then, I had already noticed a metallic skeleton poking out of the rubble of those golems, and that fuelled some speculations of my own; my theory then was that the golems had something to do with Undead magic.


    Now that I had given the schematic a brief look, my heart was more than excited. Since the construction of those golems had in part to do with Undead magic, that meant that making our own wasn¡¯t entirely out of the question either.


    With that in mind, I glanced at Mo Na who was busy pouring over the contents of that black leather book. In case one forgot, this little daughter of mine was an exceptional genius in the Undead arts, else why would the Grimoire of the Dead abandon me for her.


    Furthermore, she had clearly stated that she knew how to create the inner core of the golem. In other words, as long as we could find her the right skeleton, she could create a complete product.


    However, just being able to create the inner core of a golem wasn¡¯t enough. We needed to be able to create the outer covering as well, otherwise could it even be considered a golem then? It was their poop shell that made them so sturdy and even made them highly resistant to fire.


    Given that certain creatures of Purgatory possessed both Darkness and Fire in them, being highly resistant to fire would instantly render these creatures crippled right from the start. If one were to add on their nigh impenetrable poop shell, even those who were adept in both magical and physical arts would find it difficult to defeat a golem. After all, was it even possible for a creature of similar level to break through the defenses of golem? Highly unlikely.


    Speaking of their outer shell, my thoughts immediately drifted towards a certain queen ant, along with it went my gaze as well. Sensing my gaze, she hurriedly lowered her head subserviently.


    Since the outer shell of the golems was basically Black Blood Ant poop, having a queen ant beside us basically guaranteed us a steady supply of materials.


    Even so, there was still the issue of the inner skeleton. It was of a rather special variety. More specifically, it was probably that of a giant¡¯s. However, if that was really true, didn¡¯t that mean that I had to first kill a member of the giant race before being able to create a golem?


    Putting aside whether or not I could even kill one, did Sable Radiance even possess any living giants to begin with¡­was I supposed to create giants out of thin air or something?


    ¡®Geez, it¡¯s not like this is Attack on Grammar. I can¡¯t just turn into one all willy nilly just by biting on my hand!¡¯


    ¡®Forget it, I¡¯ll just search around the area for now, perhaps there might be other warehouses.¡¯


    ¡°Mama, Mo Na wants to spend a little more time on this book.¡± As she said that, she reached out to grab the leather book.


    ¡°Alright Sweetie, that works out as well. Perhaps there might be some other useful information in it. Maybe even the method of activation.¡± I handed over the book to her while she, in turn, returned the Gem of Authority to me since her little hands couldn¡¯t carry so much at her tender age. Having done that, she plopped the roughly 15 cm wide book on my head and unabashedly started using my head as a bookstand.


    ¡®That little scamp¡¯s asking for it¡­bah, forget it, I¡¯ll just leave her for now.¡¯


    Only allowed on Creativenovels.com


    I had No.3 and Big 4 secure the three black gems before leaving reluctantly for the giant doorway of the warehouse.


    In here, was at a least a thousand inert golems, of which 10% were of the winged variant. With such a vast army at my disposal, I could easily sweep through the entirety of Sable Radiance. Assuming I was able to activate them of course¡­


    Having left the warehouse, I had the queen ant lead the way once more as we continued our search for more warehouses. A short while later, she did, in fact, manage to find three more warehouses. In front of each of them was a high level golem guard.


    We easily subjugated these golems by raising the Gem of Authority to their eyes after which I commanded them to raise the doors.


    As I watched the familiar sight of massive doors rising into the ceiling, I couldn¡¯t help but chant to myself: ¡®Golems, golems, bring me some golems¡­¡¯ My hopes were that these three warehouses would be stocked full of completed golems as well. Unfortunately, I was doomed to be disappointed. The moment the first warehouse was completely unlocked, I found it full of nothing but raw materials. In short, poop.

 Chapter 296: The Conditions For Activation

    The junk I found lying in the warehouse left me slightly annoyed. Clearly incensed by the inability to open up something good, I glared at the Black Blood Queen Ant who immediately shrunk in on herself upon seeing my blackened face, mouth kept perfectfully shut by her fear.


    As for the next warehouse we found, it was better than the first, though not by much. Within, we found a pile of what looked like golem outer shells. Given that, all we needed to do was create a core and put the two together according to the schematics to create a functional golem, probably.


    ¡®The activation method is still a problem though¡­¡¯


    The third warehouse we stumbled upon practically made my eyes glitter. There were actually several hundred gigantic stone coffins within. Of those coffins, only a hundred or so ended up yielding something.


    Opening up one of the coffins, we found a golden set of giant bones, preserved so well one could have sworn that the giant had just died yesterday.


    REPORT AD


    Of those 100 or so coffins, 5 skeletons were noticeably larger than the rest and even had a pair wing-like bones growing out of their backs. If I had to hazard a guess, these were probably the skeletons used to craft those high level golems.


    Next, I had the Black Blood Queen Ant search for other warehouses, which she succeeding in doing, but the contents of those warehouses weren¡¯t really all that useful to us. They were all storages for weapons and war-related implements. However, the problem was that we had no soldiers¡­so they might as well have been display pieces.


    With nothing left to find, we decided to return to the warehouse with all the completed golems.


    ¡°Sweetie, have you found the activation method for the Abyssal Golems?¡± Throughout our scavenger hunt for warehouses, Mo Na had been busy scouring that black leather book while riding on my shoulders. Her eyes were glued to the book, completely oblivious to her surroundings and would have stayed so had I not called out to her.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± She paused for a second before finally coming to her senses. Realizing that it was me who called out to her, she promptly shook her head and said: ¡°Mo Na still hasn¡¯t found the method to activating those big lugs.¡±


    ¡°Not yet, huh¡­¡±


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    ¡®Ahh¡­that¡¯s a whole freaking treasure trove right there! Over a thousand Abyssal Golems just quietly waiting in front of me¡­and yet I can¡¯t use the¡­dang it!¡¯


    I took out the Gem of Authority and waved it around the golem¡¯s eyes, hoping that this little test would activate it. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t work.


    ¡®Blast it, exactly what do you want me to do in order to wake you up¡­¡¯


    ¡°Hoh, looks like Little Brother has met with some trouble, huh.¡± Just as I was busy cursing everything in the world, a gloating voice popped out within my head.


    [Ferti¡¯nier, you see this as well, don¡¯t you? All these golems are just standing there in front of me but I can¡¯t use them¡­Almighty Lucifer gave me a mission to conquer Sable Radiance and then invade the Western Human Realms, but without these golems, I can¡¯t even complete the first step¡­let alone the second¡­]


    Truth be told, I didn¡¯t want to invade the Western Human Realms, but if circumstances forced me to¡­perhaps I just might. However, regardless of what my decision would be, there was one thing I had to do now: get stronger. I needed to get stronger so that I wouldn¡¯t have to fear anyone¡­anyone not including divinities of course¡­


    ¡°Hahaha, this one just knew that fellow wouldn¡¯t make things easy for you.¡± She immediately followed up with another annoying laugh. The next thing she said however, completely caught my attention: ¡°You might not know the method, but this one does.¡±


    Even though I couldn¡¯t see her face right now, I could clearly tell that she was winking at me, the extremely sly kind no less.


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    [You know?! Tell me, quick.]


    Truly, this was a fortuitous surprise for me, for her to actually know of the method when all else seemed to have failed me. But was it really that surprising for her to know of it? Not really, she was, after all, a Devil King; her knowledge couldn¡¯t be limited.


    ¡°Is that the attitude you should show when making a request? Isn¡¯t it a tad too casual, why should this one tell you the answer?¡±


    ¡®I¡­I swear¡­you¡¯ve been squatting in my body for at least two years now. Not only do you not pay any rent, you don¡¯t even help me out when I need you to, me, your landlord! You¡¯re clearly dead set on being a jerk then, aren¡¯t you?! Why should I even keep you here then?!¡¯


    Just as I was about to explode from anger, Ferti¡¯nier teasingly said as such: ¡°Hohohoho, Little Brother, I think you¡¯ve forgotten something here, this one can hear your thoughts.¡±


    ¡®I¡­¡¯


    Other than bargaining with her, I really couldn¡¯t think of any other viable option right now. In fact, I was a little worried that I just do something rash like threaten to cut her up with Shadowfang¡­ahem¡­in other words, cut myself¡­


    [Speak then, what are your conditions?]


    ¡°It¡¯s really simple, Little Brother just has to promise this one a little favor.¡±


    [What favor?] I immediately asked.


    ¡°This one isn¡¯t sure yet, when she thinks of one, she will tell you.¡±


    ¡®Dang potatoes, why does this feel like some kind of Wuxia drama right now? Don¡¯t tell she¡¯s fallen for me? I seem to remember Zha* Min saying something like that in Heavenly Sw*rd and Drag*n¡­come to think of it, for her to fall in love with me¡­that¡¯s clearly not possible! She¡¯s practically ancestor-level right now! As they say, three generations is a ditch. Well, this 80 000 years old ditch separating us is practically a Mariana Trench right now.¡¯


    ¡®Me and her? Ahahaha, like that would ever happen.¡¯


    [Let¡¯s be clear here, if it¡¯s impossible for me or it goes against my principles, I won¡¯t do it.]


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, this one¡¯s conditions are definitely doable for Little Brother.¡±


    Like a fox that had successfully stolen the grapes, she grinned from ear to figurative ear. Even though I still couldn¡¯t see her face, I could tell from that annoying tone of hers that she was up to no good.


    Honestly, I wasn¡¯t sure if this was even a good idea. After all, this incorporeal Devil King had a terrible personality; I might just get scammed when I least expected it.


    But¡­did I really have a choice there? Without her, I had no way of activating the golems. Without those golems, how was I to conquer Sable Radiance?


    [Speak then, what¡¯s the method?]


    ¡°Simple, Little Brother just has to use the gem as a medium and activate the Soul Array carved onto the floor of this warehouse.¡±


    Only allowed on Creativenovels.com


    [How do you know there¡¯s a hidden array on the floor?]


    ¡°Because the book says so.¡±

 Chapter 297: Activating the Golems

    ¡®Book? BOOK! I¡¯ve been had¡­¡¯


    It was only then that I realized something. Since she had just woken up not too long ago, and since she was still stuck in my body, what kind of book could she have read? Rather, what book did I come across recently?


    Other than that black leather book, what other books were there!?


    Anger about to boil over, I reached out and snatched said book from Mo Na and burned through its contents. Yet no matter how many times I read it, I simply couldn¡¯t find any mention of a Soul Array.


    REPORT AD


    [You lied to me? There¡¯s nothing about any array in there at all.]


    At that, Ferti¡¯nier sneered before using that bewitching voice of her to explain: ¡°Why would this one lie to you? Little Brother, there¡¯s no use just flipping through the pages, the information about the array is on the back cover of the book, don¡¯t you know?¡±


    ¡®Back cover¡­¡¯ I hurriedly closed up the leather book and flipped to the back.


    All I saw was a black leather cover that had this line of words etched into it: ¡°The Soul Array can be used to activate the Abyssal Golems, but the use of the Gem of Authority as a medium is required¡­¡±


    It then proceeded to list the specifics of the activation.


    ¡®I¡¯ve¡­been defeated¡­why are Devil books so ridiculous? Shouldn¡¯t important information like that be written within the pages? Why would you etch it on the back?!¡¯


    ¡®Does your family know that you are such an amazing author?¡¯


    ¡°See it? This one wasn¡¯t lying to you so make sure to remember our little deal, hohoho¡­¡± After that round of gloating, she slowly disappeared into the recesses of my mind, laughter trailing in the distance. Even without asking, I knew that she had entered popcorn mode again.


    ¡°Mama, what are you looking for?¡± Because she just had her book snatched away from her abruptly, Mo Na was still a little confused by this whole debacle. ¡°Mo Na isn¡¯t done reading yet¡­¡±


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    ¡°Papa has found the method.¡± I handed over the book to her, back first. ¡°Look there, Sweetie. It says there¡¯s a Soul Array carved onto the floor and we just have to use the Gem of Authority to activate those golems.¡±


    Curious, she gave the back a careful look through for a good long while. ¡°Ooo, even Mo Na wasn¡¯t able to discover it¡­to think it was on the back all along¡­still, Mama is amazing, being to able to discover it so quickly!¡±


    ¡°Ahaha, it¡¯s luck, pure luck.¡±


    REPORT AD


    ¡®I¡¯m definitely not going to say that I only managed to find out the answer after jumping through a million hoops for Ferti¡¯nier. Speaking of which, she really dug a deep hole for me to jump into this time¡­to think I actually had to pay for something so simple. Hmph, you¡¯d better watch your back next time, else this brother will¡­ahem¡­dang it, I almost forgot, she can hear me here¡­¡¯


    ¡°Mama is the best! Mama is amazing!¡± My little baby stared at me with such worshipping eyes that even I was beginning to get a little weirded out. This awkwardness continued for a good long while before she asked as such, eyes filled with hope: ¡°Mama, since we¡¯ve found the activation method, how about we give it a try now?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, that¡¯s what I was thinking too.¡± I gently reached out to ruffle my little baby¡¯s hair before placing her on the floor. Having done that, I breathed in deep and took a moment to quietly memorize what was written on the back cover. I then reached out for the Gem of Authority and chanted: ¡°Spirit of destruction, slumbering soul, life that burns, a broken corpse¡­thou shall accede to this one¡¯s command, awaken, and bow before this one¡¯s sovereignty¡­where this one¡¯s sword points, thou shall follow¡­¡±


    I continued chanting phrase after phrase of middleschoolish gibberish, while I gently infused my mana into the Gem of Authority. As I did so, the gem began to slowly rise into the air and give out a strange red glow.


    Bit by bit, golem by golem, the eyes of over a thousand Abyssal Golems started to undergo a change. It first started with their eyes turning red and their bodies starting to shake. Their vibrations started off slow and completely in sync with each other, but as time passed, the magnitude of their shaking started to grow exponentially to the point where even my eyes began to ache. With how much shaking my ear drums seemed to pick up, it almost felt like the entire world was turning topsy turvy as a wave of unconsciousness started to wash over me¡­


    It was at that moment that a gigantic array appeared on the ground, red mana bursting forth from its insides like a roaring sea of fire. What appeared carved before us was a huge pentagram that almost covered the whole warehouse, and blanketed every single inert golem that was awaiting activation. As the red mana rushed out of the array like fiery tendrils, they started wrapping around each golem, whom allowed the flames to lick their bodies unopposed. From the outside, it almost looked like they had turned into gods of death from Hell ¨Ccold and murderous.


    Even amidst all that, the golems continued vibrating as before, seemingly ready to jump out at a moment¡¯s notice. Truly, it was a strange and mystical sight. I could vaguely feel them undergo some kind of change that just seemed to elude my understanding.


    Such a state continued for several minutes, or perhaps it could have just been several seconds. Either way, the shaking suddenly stopped and in that moment, I felt like this entire mountain was about to come crashing down on me¡­


    Yet the cave held up and the worst never came to pass. The fire had also disappeared in that instant as if nothing had ever happened¡­


    I stood there, eyes glazed over and hands still grasping the Gem of Authority. Had it not been for the fact that half of my mana was missing right now, I would have honestly questioned if everything that had just happened was real.


    However, there was no doubt it was all real ¨Cbecause the golems were all moving!


    The outside of these Abyssal Golems were all rocky and yet seemed to resemble metal at the same. As they lumbered about, their sturdy exteriors would give out a sonorous clanging sound that seemed to drown out all sound in the room, especially given how numerous these golems were. With over a thousand golems crammed into this warehouse, even a single step forward was enough to cause a deafening tsunami of clangs.


    Then, without any warning whatsoever, they half-knelt. My ears pounded furiously from the resulting cacophony of bangs but that did nothing at all to drown out the drumming in my heart as I swept my eyes over an army of kneeling golems. Given how excited I was now, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if my heart suddenly leapt out of my throat.


    ¡®It¡¯s done¡­the array actually worked! Ferti¡¯nier wasn¡¯t lying to me, it actually worked!¡¯


    Only allowed on Creativenovels.com


    ¡­¡­


    The moment I emerged from the tunnel, bringing with me an entire army of golems into the palace gardens in the process, Nola¡¯s reptile eyes went wide as saucers. Seeing so many golems come marching towards her all of a sudden, she had almost charged into them, and would have, had she not spotted us in the second row.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± She asked, mind still in a state of shock and disbelief. Given how densely packed this sea of golems was, she herself was starting to question her sanity.


    Prior to leaving, I had only mentioned that we were going to scavenge around the weapons factory in the bottom of the palace. Yet merely half a day later, we came back with what had to be the most awe-inspiring army ever on our backs. Even dreams couldn¡¯t be so generous!


    - my thoughts:


    Devils'' Evo Catalog''s Patreon has been temporarily halted for the time being since I have no time to keep up the translating on a timely basis.

 Chapter 298: I Thought You Said That This Isn’t a Trap?

    ¡°So those golems will obey your command?¡± Nola asked. However, before I could even answer that question she continued in an unsure voice: ¡°Exactly what happened down there?¡±


    ¡°Quite a bit actually, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll definitely be interested.¡± Truly, I had to admit, my luck had been on the upswing recently. Not only was I blessed with a feather from Lucifer himself not too long ago, I even managed to snag a thousand golems for myself. Of those thousand, there were at least a hundred winged golems too. As long as I flashed this army of mine, sweeping over Sable Radiance should be easy¡­ahem, assuming the Overlords didn¡¯t try and interfere.


    Hearing the commotion I caused, Sinmosa and her family came trotting over soon after.


    ¡°All these golems¡­they¡¯re yours?¡± Upon noticing the giant army of golems behind me, Sinmosa reacted in the exact same way as Nola did: with shock and disbelief. ¡°Exactly what¡¯s going on here?¡±


    ¡°Cinderel, come over here, quick.¡± Seeing her playmate, Mo Na hurriedly beckoned for the little black puppy who seemed to be just as excited as well. As she galloped towards Mo Na, tongue hanging in the air and tail wagging, she paid no attention whatsoever to her father¡¯s three frowning faces.


    REPORT AD


    ¡°I know we¡¯ve only been away for a short while but we¡¯ve really picked up quite a few stuff while we were gone.¡± My voice lightened up somewhat thanks to the heartwarming scene of Mo Na frolicking around with Cinderel.


    Since everyone was present, I took the opportunity to briefly go through our spoils from the weapon factory. However, before I could even finish, I was interrupted by Nola¡¯s disbelieving gasp: ¡°A thousand golems?! And those winged ones¡­they¡¯re Seven-stars aren¡¯t they?!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I took some time to count them just now. There were a total of 1077 Abyssal Golems with 107 of them being winged. According to the black leather book, they are the squad leaders.¡± I nodded my head in excitement. ¡°Because there were just too many of them down there, I only brought up a fraction of them. The rest are still awaiting orders in the weapons factory.¡±


    ¡°A thousand golems¡­¡± Sinmosa was just as dumbstruck by what she heard. ¡°Unbelievable, to think there was actually such a frightening treasure trove beneath our feet¡­no wonder this entire region is so heavily guarded.¡±


    With a thousand golems at my beck and call, I was no longer that nameless Devil, easily snuffed out by simple pinch. As long as the Overlords didn¡¯t interfere, I was basically invincible.


    Furthermore, lest one forgot, those Seven-stars Golems weren¡¯t my only trump card, I still had that Eight-stars Fallen Angel statue¡­I just didn¡¯t know how to activate it, that¡¯s all¡­


    ¡°Little Brother, do you wish to find out how to activate that statue?¡± Just as I mulling over that issue, Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s bewitching voice came floating through my head, helpful as always and ready to throw me into another pit of her own making. Instantly, my mind went on high alert.


    [You¡­what are you up to this time? Is there even anything left on my body worth taking away?]


    ¡°Hohoho, why is Little Brother acting so wary of this one?¡±


    [Let¡¯s be clear here, don¡¯t try and scam me into another agreement, I¡¯ve seen through you already. You¡¯re just a giant trap.]


    ¡°How is this one a trap?¡±


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    [You dare deny that?! What about that whole incident with the back cover of the book? You could¡¯ve just said so, instead you chose to start some nonsense about terms and conditions¡­I can¡¯t take it anymore, I tell you¡­just spare me¡­]


    ¡°Hmph, how is it this one¡¯s fault if you¡¯re blind as a bat?¡± She harrumphed with dissatisfaction. A moment later however, her usual levity returned: ¡°This one isn¡¯t trying to scam you at all, it was Little Brother who chose to jump into that trap himself.¡±


    Only allowed on Creativenovels.com


    REPORT AD


    ¡®I¡­I have nothing more to say¡­this discussion is done.¡¯


    Noticing my exasperation as well, she finally stopped rubbing salt into my wounds and instead said so: ¡°Little Brother, all you have to do is walk up to that statue and give it a tap with the Gem of Authority.¡±


    [That simple?]


    ¡°Mhm, just that simple.¡±


    Truth be told, I simply couldn¡¯t bring myself to believe her. Why was she acting so helpful all of a sudden? No matter what she said, it all just seemed like a trap to me then, but what was the point of scamming me any further?


    ¡®Bah, forget it, I¡¯ll just follow what she says for now. Not like there¡¯s a better option right now.¡¯


    I inhaled deeply and walked up to the statue, still covered in dense vegetation with only its feet sticking out of what looked like a twenty meter tall misshapen shrub. With merely a meter between me and the statue, I gave the statue a tap on its foot and then¡­it vanished?


    ¡®It¡¯s¡­gone?!¡¯


    ¡®@#$@, I thought you said this isn¡¯t a trap?! You lying potato, how is this not a trap?!¡¯


    ¡®I dare you to come out and face me, Ferti¡¯nier, I swear I¡¯ll only slap you around 9980 times!¡¯


    ¡®You promised me a Eight-stars golems, why is it gone now¡­ahhh, I don¡¯t even have anymore tears to shed at this point, what¡¯s going on here?! There was clearly a twenty meter tall statue over there so why is it gone?¡¯


    ¡°Mama, what happened to that statue?¡± Arms wrapped that black leather book, Mo Na came flying over as she called out in surprise. She made a tiny turn around to my side before saying: ¡°Mama, did you hide that big fellow somewhere?¡±


    Other than her, my other companions were just as shocked by what had just transpired.


    For something that was almost as huge as a tiny hill to disappear like that was truly quite ludicrous. However, it was an undeniable fact that the statue was gone, with no trace left behind at all. It was as if it had never existed in the first place.


    ¡°Huuu¡­¡± I gripped down on the Gem of Authority with one hand while my other shot up to my forehead to massage it gently. Ignoring Mo Na¡¯s question for now, I turned my attention instead to that lurking soul in my head.


    [Hey, you 10 000 year old hag, get out here right this instant! Spill it, where did that statue go?]


    ¡°Little Brother, have you gone senile or something? This one just said that she wasn¡¯t even 10 000 years old.¡±


    [Like hell I care if you¡¯re 100 or 10 000 years old, where did my statue go? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re still trying to scam me?!]


    ¡°This one already said this time is a freebie, why are you yelling at this one over the statue disappearing, this one never even touched the thing.¡± She then proceeded to say as such in a nonchalant tone: ¡°Just think about it for a second, what was the last thing you did before it disappeared?¡±


    ¡®Before it disappeared? Didn¡¯t I just tap it with the gem, what else was there? Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s one of those museum pieces where you can¡¯t even take a photo or it will crumble? Hmm¡­tap¡­¡¯


    ¡®I get it now¡­if I¡¯m not wrong, it entered the gem¡­¡¯


    I grasped the gem with both of my hands and placed it against my forehead where I connected to it with my senses. There, I was able to sense that it had gained something, albeit faintly¡­

 Chapter 299: How Hard is it to Establish One’s Divinity?

    After mucking around for half a day, I finally learnt that the Gem of Authority actually came packed with its own dimensional inventory¡­though that was only limited to the Fallen Angel statue¡­ Because the statue itself had been inert for too long, it would probably require another 24 hours before it finally awakened.


    [How did you know that the Gem of Authority had such a feature?]


    ¡°Because¡­¡± Her voice deepened at that point: ¡°Because every Devil King¡¯s castle has such a castle and gem, it¡¯s just a matter of what original sin it is.¡±


    ¡®Oh¡­so that¡¯s why.¡¯


    REPORT AD


    ¡®So every Devil King castle has such a statue placed inside it, that¡¯s it right?¡¯


    ¡°In order to absorb the power of faith, a medium is required. Each and every one of these statues possesses some sort of aura connection to a Devil God¡­just by placing such an artifact in the palace, they are able to siphon away a certain portion of the faith attributed to the Devil Kings¡­after all¡­¡±


    [After all?]


    ¡°We¡¯re all just toys of the Devil Gods at the end of the day.¡±


    REPORT AD


    ¡®Devil God¡¯s aura? Like that feather then? Also, what¡¯s this about the Devil Kings being toys? What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡¯


    ¡°At the level of a Devil King, the only way to advance is to create a Divine Core and establish our own divinity. While there might be a multitude of ways of doing so, the safest way has to be gathering faith¡­¡±


    Having said all that, I could basically guess the enmity that existed between the Devil Kings and the Devil Gods.


    Once a person or Devil reached Ten-stars, he or she had basically reached the pinnacle of what an ordinary life form could achieve. It wouldn¡¯t be an understatement to say that they had surpassed the boundaries of mortal men. That was why those of Ten-stars were known as Demigods while Devils at that level were known as Devil Kings.


    For them to establish their own divinity, they had a number of options, one of them being related to the laws of this world. By comprehending such a law, one could surpass his limit but it had to be said that this was basically a trap¡­ Other than the original few life forms who had existed since Genesis, there were basically no precedents of any Demigod achieving divinity like that.


    As such, there was really no point in harping on that method.


    The second method was a rather interesting one. It could be interpreted as establishing one¡¯s way by force. Simply put, one would start by compressing his energy to the absolute limit and gradually transforming his own body into one of pure energy. Finally, one would become a god¡­because he himself had turned into a Divine Core¡­


    However, this so-called second method was just as much of a trap as the first. By turning into energy, one would no longer have a physical body. In other words, he would lose his bodily desires as well. In short, a eunuch! Furthermore, the chances of success was barely a notch higher than the first¡­


    The third method was to bind oneself to a Divine-grade tool or weapon. By doing so, the tool would become that person¡¯s divine core. Whenever he used this weapon or tool, the item itself would receive a boost. All in all, this method had an extremely high rate of success. All it required was that the user had over 90% compatibility with the tool in question.


    However, by using such a method to achieve divinity, one basically bound himself to the strength of that Lifebound tool or weapon. Advancing any further was difficult as one would have to first evolve the tool¡­in short, it was impossible.


    As if that wasn¡¯t enough, the rarity of said tools meant that the chances of some random Demigod stumbling upon a high compatibility weapon or tool was basically nothing¡­


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    The fourth method was a more stable and reliable method. Basically, one just had to absorb the power of faith. In order to employ this method, one would naturally have to have devotees first. Once the faithful had reached a certain degree of faith, they would start producing faith.


    The more zealous the faithful was, the purer the energy he or she generated. As long as a Half-Divine continually absorbed such energy, it would only be a matter of time before he or she was able to construct his own Divine Core. This method was the safest method of the four, bearing no side-effects whatsoever. All it required was sufficient faith and any Half-Divine, whether Devil or human, could become a god.


    Finally, that Half-Divine would just have to survive the Divine Tribulation that came with becoming a divinity¡­


    Another unique selling point of the fourth method was that the power of faith generated by the faithful would automatically seek out its intended target. Normally, such power was impossible to steal.


    However, everything in this world had its exceptions. Take for example, the Fallen Angel statue that was awaiting activation¡­


    If I had to make one of my famous analogies, I would compare the entire Western Human Realms to a giant marketplace. In that case, the so-called Goddess of Light and Lucifer would probably be the biggest companies in that marketplace. As for those Half-Divines, they would be the tiny Ma and Pa companies trying to survive. With only so much space in the marketplace, it was only naturally for these giant companies to try and monopolize the place. Was it even possible for a tiny company to survive then?


    The power of faith could be used in a multitude of ways. However, just based on the fact that it could be used to construct a Divine Core, it was more than valuable enough.


    In order to gain more faith, Devils had constantly endeavored to entrap humans. In response to that, the Church of Light had to employ their own countermeasures as well. Just like that, an all-out war between the gods erupted over this tiny marketplace. Everyday, a fight would erupt somewhere that had to end in bloodshed.


    And that was where a certain issue started popping up. With only so much space to go around, and with so many juniors clamoring for a piece of the pie, how was this marketplace supposed to be divvied up? More importantly, whenever a fight erupted, people would die. These people were part of their flock as well so clearly their deaths hurt their pockets. This was especially so since a god could easily blow up an island with a wave of his hand¡­could the mortal world even endure such destruction? Clearly not. Even the Half-Divines would get wiped out instantly, let alone mortals.


    Finally, an accord was reached since neither side was able to gain a decisive lead. The end result was that those of the Divine rank would stay out of this fight and the mortal realm entirely. Simply put, they had to work through an intermediary in order to affect the lower realms.


    With that restriction in place, the gods had no choice but to appoint their own emissaries and representatives to carry out their divine work.

 Chapter 300: Inborn Divinity

    Just like that, beings at the Half-Divine grade were given the right to harvest faith as well. However, the majority of the faith they harvested would end up being absorbed by those above them, leaving them with nothing more than scraps.


    For example, the faith accrued from those of the Fallen Angel clan would end up automatically in the pocket of Lucifer. The same was true for those of the Church of Light; over half of the faith generated would eventually end up being absorbed by the Goddess of Light.


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    In short, it was a divine tax. As for the method of collecting said tax¡­the first thing that came to my mind was the Gem of Authority, and also that feather from Lucifer¡­


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    Putting aside that topic for now, the next revelation that surprised me was that the gods had actually warred against each other at one point. According to Ferti¡¯nier, the world would have been destroyed if it continued. While the Goddess of Light might have wanted to protect the world, what about Lucifer¡­didn¡¯t he just try to force me to destroy the world¡­


    In other words, wouldn¡¯t it have been better if the world was destroyed in that initial war of the gods? Why did he negotiate a peace accord then?


    ¡°My dear little brother, that¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong this time.¡± Still able to eavesdrop on my thoughts, she haughtily said so. ¡°Do you know what divinity represents?¡±


    [What it represents? Doesn¡¯t it just represent overwhelming divine strength, unfathomable, omnipotent life? What else is there?]


    ¡°That¡¯s right, establishing one¡¯s divinity does in fact confer you unfathomable strength and life. Those four methods mentioned by this one not too long ago all have to do with creating a Divine Core in order to establish one¡¯s divinity. However, not every divinity is created as such. There are those who were born divine¡­those who were here since the time of Genesis¡­they all possess an innate divinity¡­¡±


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    She then proceeded to explain this in detail. Long story short, while the Origin Angels might have been created purely to serve the Creator as tools, a better tool would naturally make running the world a lot easier. Thus, the Creator spent a lot of effort into designing these tools as well.


    Using one of my famous analogies to illustrate this point, tools had distinctions between each of them; some were bad and some were good. For example, back on Earth, computers could be found everywhere but clearly a 400 dollar off the shelf computer couldn¡¯t compare to a 3000 dollar custom built computer. Whether it was gaming or just daily tasks, the more expensive computer would definitely outperform the other ¨Cless blue screens, freezes, lack of space, etc.


    That was precisely the reason why the Origin Angels were created with an innate divinity, so as to allow them to govern a certain section of the world¡¯s law.


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    By doing so, they had essentially become a part of the world itself and were able to aid the Creator in running the world. As for those angels who were created later¡­they were merely meant to be workers, kind of like how every company had a horde of indispensable but ordinary salarymen underneath that one old, decrepit CEO.


    Because these divinities were created in a way that bound them to the world, there were certain consequences should one of them fall. The best case scenario was that the death of one such divinity would lead to another usurping his throne. At that point, the divine essence of that divinity would return to the world. The worst case scenario however, was horrid¡­for example, if that divinity¡¯s core was to shatter¡­then the world would lose a certain part of itself¡­


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    For example, should the Goddess of Light fall, and her core shatter, then the world would lose all light¡­without this law to hold up the world, it would start to crumble because of the resulting imbalance.


    By being a part of the world¡¯s fabric, inborn divinities were overwhelmingly more powerful than ordinary divinities. At the same time, they were also bound to the world¡¯s fate. Should the world ever get destroyed, they were doomed. Unlike ordinary divinities, who could simply pass through a dimensional rift and escape, inborn divinities couldn¡¯t exist without the world they were born in¡­ Looking at it from another way, should Lucifer ever decide to fight to the death with the Goddess of Light. The end result would be that both of them would die, win or lose.Thus, it was important that they ensured that the other party wouldn¡¯t simply self-destruct in the heat of battle¡­


    A war between gods was essentially a giant suicide spectacle. That was why a peace accord ended up being signed, lest everyone ended up dying because of one guy¡­


    It had to be said however, that the term ¡®world¡¯ wasn¡¯t just referring to the Western Human Realms or the Three Hells. Rather, it referred to all of them, including the divine realm!


    Lucifer¡¯s Apocalypse was merely about wiping out all life in the Western Human Realms, and not strictly to destroy the world.


    Should he ever succeed in doing so, those of the Goddess¡¯s camp would lose their faith sources. On the flip side, as long as the Devils still existed, those of Lucifer¡¯s camp would enjoy an unending stream of faith.


    In conclusion, while Lucifer¡¯s Apocalypse might seem like a matter of life and death to us, it was all nothing but a game of resources to him.


    [So you¡¯re saying that Lucifer himself won¡¯t participate directly in the conflict?]


    While most of what she had said was a little too abstract for me to handle, the implied meaning of her words were clear: Lucifer wouldn¡¯t directly intervene in the conflict. In other words, even if I didn¡¯t listen to his command, he wouldn¡¯t descend to smite me either.


    ¡°That fellow definitely wouldn¡¯t do that, aren¡¯t you thinking a little too highly of yourself there, my dear little brother?¡±


    [It¡¯s not that¡­I just don¡¯t want to murder innocents¡­]


    Hearing that, Ferti¡¯nier couldn¡¯t help but chuckle: ¡°But then, my dear little brother, have you ever thought about the fact that while he might not be able to intervene directly, he can still send down his clones.¡±


    ¡®Clones¡­well, there¡¯s no need to even think about how strong those things are¡­should one ever try to kill me, I wouldn¡¯t even get the chance to blink.¡¯


    The ability to wipe out a kingdom in one night¡­was it even possible for a tiny speck like me to resist?


    Resist? What did I possess that could even stand up to such a force? My identity as Yi Yi¡¯s fiance? Or perhaps my Fallen Angel bloodline?

 Chapter 301: A Discussion on Golem Construction 1

    Just thinking about the fact that one of Lucifer¡¯s clone could so easily destroy a kingdom was enough to send shivers down my spine, and cold sweat running down right after.


    ¡®Do I really have to invade the Western Human Realms? But if I don¡¯t do it, will I end up paying with my life? How am I going to face Nicole like that then? After all, there¡¯s no way she wouldn¡¯t get involved in a battle of that scale. What if I bump into Nicole or Roscar¡­¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t fret about it my dear little brother, as long as you put in a nominal amount of effort, that fellow probably couldn¡¯t be bothered to deal with you. You¡¯re just a fly to him after all.¡±


    Even though I knew that she was trying to console me, I had to say, it still irritated me somewhat. But then¡­she wasn¡¯t technically wrong either¡­I might as well have been an ant to an existence at that level.


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    However, upon giving it some thought, what she said made sense. Lucifer was definitely planning to launch an apocalyptic battle in the future, but there was no way he would ever involve himself personally in it. Even if he sent out a clone, the Goddess of Light would probably send out her own as well. Moreover, if Lucifer were to really do that, it would count as an infraction of their peace accord; the deal was that none of the divinities could participate after all.


    In other words, even if Apocalypse really happened, the worst case scenario would be that the Demigods and Devil Kings clashed.


    ¡®In that case, it would definitely be a load off my mi¨C like heck it is!¡¯


    ¡®There¡¯s no way I can stand up to a Devil King or Overlord with my current Star Level. I know I won¡¯t lose to anyone of the same level as me, but I¡¯m just a nothing in front of those monsters¡­hmm¡­maybe I shouldn¡¯t defy his wishes then? But what about Roscar and Nicole? There¡¯s still Ancarin and Regine too¡­and even though I haven¡¯t been in contact with them much, there¡¯s still those villagers in Plateau Village¡­Chaik Village too¡­all those stinking nobles can go kill themselves though. What about all those innocent people?¡¯


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    ¡®AHHHHH, such a pain, what should I do?!¡¯


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    ¡®Either way, it¡¯s going to be a huge mess for me¡­¡¯


    ¡°My dear little brother, you should stop mulling over this excessively, what¡¯s more important is to improve your strength now.¡± Just as I was on the verge pulling out my hair, Ferti¡¯nier stepped in with an uncharacteristically helpful consolation. ¡°Be at ease, no matter what you choose to do, that¡¯s all in the future. Even if you want to join the humans, it¡¯s still important that you get stronger now. If you¡¯re still too weak then, you wouldn¡¯t even have the qualifications to join that final war, let alone help the humans.¡±


    ¡®I get it¡­I get it¡­I¡¯m better off charging ahead rather than just standing here in a quandary¡­otherwise, I won¡¯t even get to choose then.¡¯


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    ¡®Speaking of which, since that statue has the ability to siphon faith, doesn¡¯t that mean it can spy on us as well?¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, that statue has lost all of its auxiliary powers, it¡¯s just a normal golem now.¡±


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    ¡®Sometimes, it¡¯s really not that bad having her around. At the very least, she can clarify my doubts. However, she¡¯s a huge pain most of the time¡­¡¯


    ¡°Big Sister here, isn¡¯t some pain, it¡¯s just that my dear little brother is too easy a target for teasing. As for your praises, this one will gratefully accept them. Oh right, is my dear little brother starting to fall in love with his big sister?¡±


    [My dear little brother huh¡­Ferti¡¯ner¡­when did you start calling me that?]


    ¡°Oh, you finally noticed, my dear little brother is really such a dunce sometimes. AHAHAH¡­¡± She then disappeared, laughter still trailing behind her.


    ¡®Hey , Ferti¡¯nier, Ferti¡¯nier! Is she gone¡­sigh¡­forget it, if she wants to be a turtle, that¡¯s her choice. Not like I can force her out of her shell anyway.¡¯


    ¡®What¡¯s more important now is that I raise my strength and not argue with her.¡¯


    With regards to that, the most helpful weapon for me now would probably be those Abyssal Golems. With their impressive strength and overwhelming numbers, I could basically steamroll over any difficulty I encounter. Because of that, the first thing I had to do was find out if we could even create said golems ourselves.


    With that in mind, my head reflexively turned to that black leather book which was currently being poured over by an eager Mo Na. She wasn¡¯t the only one interested in that book either. Right beside her was a little black puppy, staring at its contents with eyes wide and tail wagging, even though she probably couldn¡¯t understand a word that was written inside.


    ¡°Sweetie, how much have you understood of what¡¯s written inside?¡±


    This little baby of mine was definitely a bright one. Just based on the fact that my long-time companion, the Grimoire of the Dead, decided to take up residence in her was proof enough of that fact. Dark Alchemy had a lot in common with the Undead Arts; calling the former an offshoot of the latter wouldn¡¯t be wrong either.


    The golems were made from a combination of Alchemy and Undead magicks, and since Dark Alchemy was a combination of Alchemy and Undead magicks¡­did that mean that they were actually created with Dark Alchemy?!


    Most likely still lost in the world of that black leather book, it took two calls before my little baby finally responded to me. Realizing that I was calling out to her, she lowered the book before massaging her eyes lightly with her left hand. ¡°Mama, were you looking for Mo Na?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, so have you found anything, Sweetie? Given our current abilities, can we create some golems ourselves?¡±


    Looking at my eyes glittering with hope, she merely returned me a quizzical look: ¡°Mama wants to create more of those big lugs?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, Papa really needs those Abyssal Golems, the more the merrier.¡± I received the book from her and flipped a page. Even though there were detailed instructions written in that book, its complexity wasn¡¯t something I could decipher.


    With that in mind, all I could do was pin my hopes on my little baby.


    After all, she was a genius of the Undead Arts and given how invested she was in reading it¡­there was no way she came out empty-handed right?

 Chapter 302: A Discussion on Golem Construction 2

    Whether I was going to help Lucifer or aid the humans, I needed more strength, that much was certain. Besides, even if I didn¡¯t consider the future, my present needs were just as pressing. After all, the clone of Lucifer said so himself, the seal on the Blood Sea was on the verge on coming undone. At that point, a portion of the Devils from there would come streaming into Sable Radiance. Whatever my considerations for the future were, there really was no point in giving up free manpower. In the face of my overwhelming might, they would surely capitulate, willingly I might add, lest they wanted to get squished.


    Other than the impending wave of Devil newcomers, there were still the other races to deal with. Like the Warhorse, the Hellhounds, the Purgatory Shadowcats, the Demon Fire Salamanders, the Fire Elementals and those Demonic Fire Sprites whom I still hadn¡¯t had the chance to meet yet¡­perhaps even those Fire Devouring Fishes as well.


    For now, my plan was to consolidate the powers of Sable Radiance and quietly wait for Apocalypse.


    The more soldiers I had, the better. Whether it was by force, trickery or coercion, I fully intended to conquer every inch of Sable Radiance in the shortest time possible!


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    Yet, all that was predicated on me having enough Abyssal Golems¡­not just sufficient, but an unending supply as well!


    After all, my personal strength was worse than rubbish¡­


    When I asked Mo Na about creating those golems, I honestly wasn¡¯t expecting too much out of her either. While she might have been a genius, she wasn¡¯t even a year old; it was merely a wistful hope on my part and yet who knew that she would answer in such a manner.


    ¡°Mama, if it¡¯s just putting together those big lugs, Mo Na should be able to.¡±


    Her answer had truly exceeded my expectations then. Thus, with surprise and elation in my heart, I asked: ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re saying you can manufacture those golems yourself, Sweetie?¡±


    ¡°Mo Na can put them together, Mama, but she can¡¯t create that blackish-red outer armor.¡± Having said that, she lowered her head slightly in despondence before sneaking a peak at me with her jewel-like but concerned eyes. ¡°Mama, is Mo Na useless?¡±


    ¡®Oh¡­so it¡¯s just assembly¡­¡¯ A hint of disappointment flashed across my eyes at that instant but the moment I laid eyes on her despondent face, my heart started to ache. I hurriedly bent down to pick my little baby in a tight hug before gently consoling her: ¡°Being able to assemble them together is already impressive enough, my little Sweetie is the best!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± She looked up at me with expecting eyes.


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    Naturally, there was no way I would, or could, ever say no in that situation. Thus, I nodded my head before smiling. ¡°My little Sweetie is the best out of all the Devils out there, it¡¯s Papa who is useless, Papa can¡¯t even assemble those golems.¡±


    ¡°No way, Mama is the greatest!¡± She hugged me even tighter before plastering her soft face against my own. ¡°Mama is the nicest mama ever, Mo Na loves Mama!¡±


    ¡°Woof woof woof!¡± Came Cinderel¡¯s timely barks, lest her existence ended being forgotten. In the midst of our father and daughter bonding, Cinderel excitedly pawed at my thighs with her adorable little puppy paws in what had to be the cutest plea for a hug ever. I smiled and gently scooped up the little puppy, giving a little pirouette in the process to entertain the two little babies.


    ¡®Hmmm¡­come to think of it, she has only been woofing all this while¡­I wonder if she will even be able to speak the language of the Devil in the future. That¡¯s all up to how gifted she is but the daughter of Sinmosa couldn¡¯t possibly be a moron, right? But that daddy of hers¡­ah, somehow the future is looking bleak again.¡¯


    ¡®Also, when Mo Na said she could assembly a golem, she must¡¯ve meant putting together a bunch of completed parts from the factory.¡¯


    An Abyssal Golem was constructed from an outer covering of thick, rocky armor, while its internal structure was comprised of a skeleton core; both were still in stock in the weapons factory. Of the external armor-like covering, there had to be at least a thousand golem¡¯s worth of exoskeletons so we shouldn¡¯t have a problem there. The cores on the other hand¡­


    From the situation in the last warehouse, I could tell that the golem cores were all crafted from a complete set of Giant bones that had been preserved using special methods. Even after 80 000 years of wear and tear, those skeletons would most likely still be usable.


    Still, there weren¡¯t that many skeleton cores in that warehouse ¨C100 or so, max. In other words, once Mo Na has assembled a hundred golems, we would lose the ability to create more golems entirely.


    While the golems were indeed powerful, whether in terms of offense or defense, the road ahead was long and who could say what we would meet or how many golems we would lose. If it was just the matter of ordinary chips and bruises, Mo Na could easily patch up those damages. However, should the damage ever be so complete as to reach the innermost core, it would mean that the golem was forever lost to us, seeing as we had merely the method of creating golems but not the ability to do so.


    In all likelihood, the day that those golems ran out would probably be the day of my death.


    Naturally, all that could be avoided by me becoming stronger but with a certain glutton in my body, that was a lot easier said than done.


    ¡°Baby, I have to remind you, while those golems are really strong, our materials are limited¡­we have enough exoskeletons to last us quite a while but those skeleton cores would at most give us 100 golems.¡±


    ¡®Truly, this is such a pain. There¡¯s probably no more giants in Sable Radiance and even if there were, I can¡¯t beat them anyway.¡¯


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    After that bit of lightheartedness with the two of them, my thoughts started to take a darker turn. I knew that, in the future, what awaited me was one gruelling battle after another. With how limited the golems were, they were basically consumables right now. Unless I was able to truly become strong before those golems ran out¡­who knew what would happen to me then.


    That bit of worrying wasn¡¯t just me being paranoid either. After all, the entities I had to face in the future truly inspired despair in me. Was it truly alright for me to be a simple puppet in all these? Was it okay for me to stand by and watch millions of innocent people die? Was it alright for me to¡­murder humans?


    As those questions repeated themselves over and over again in my mind, the sheer weight of theses concerns began to bear down on me like an overwhelming mountain. To begin with, why should I even care about a bunch of strangers? I could just write them off as a bunch of ugly potatoes who had a face worse than those Black Blood Ants. Perhaps even worse than a zombie or a worm¡­


    As long as I gave up that bit of kindness in me, my life would be so much easier¡­


    ¡®My face must really be a trainwreck right now¡­I¡¯m such an open book after all¡­¡¯

 Chapter 303: A Discussion on Golem Construction 3

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mama, Mo Na can create a skeleton for those golems.¡± Having said that, she gave me a soft kiss on the cheeks before proudly arching her head back.


    ¡°Mo Na thinks she can use her Dark Alchemy to recreate a skeleton core, all she needs are bones of sufficient strength and length. It will just use up a lot of Mo Na¡¯s mana.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s right! Since Dark Alchemy is able to create tools from flesh and bone, it makes sense that it should be able to create a skeleton frame for the golem¡¯s core as well. As long as we are able to find out the exact dimensions and hardness, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem for Mo Na to recreate the golem.¡¯


    ¡®Whether it¡¯s one time, two times or three times, as long as we keep experimenting, we will eventually succeed.¡¯


    ¡°I just knew my little sweetie is the best!¡±


    By now, my mood had lightened up considerably as I grinned from ear to ear while hugging her. If she managed to succeed, we would no longer have to worry about this golem issue at all.


    ¡°Also, also¡­¡± Seeing me so happy, she excitedly brought up her next plan. ¡°Mo Na found out that those exoskeletons were created using tools in the weapons factory, those tools might still be usable even now¡­¡±


    Her eagerness to share that bit of information wasn¡¯t without merits. It was definitely a doable plan of action. However, we simply didn¡¯t have the ability to use those tools right now because of manpower issues.


    With that in mind, my gaze couldn¡¯t help but drift to No.3 and Big 4 before moving onto the three Hellhounds, Nola and finally the Black Blood Queen Ant.


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    ¡®Should I let No.3 and Big 4 operate those magical tools? No no, that¡¯s not possible. They¡¯re my trusted bodyguards, and are pretty good at it as well, I can¡¯t just leave them in the weapons factory. The Hellhounds might not be dumb but they don¡¯t have the limbs to operate the tools. Nola is just too big for the factory.¡¯


    ¡®As for that queen ant¡­she should just focus on giving birth instead¡­¡¯


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    However, that didn¡¯t mean that the plan was a bust. ¡®Didn¡¯t Lucifer¡¯s clone mention that the seal on the Blood Sea has come undone? He also said that there should be newcomers coming over soon. In that case, I just have to grab a few of them to be my workers.¡¯


    Now that the matter of recreating and assembling the parts had been settled, all that was left was to find a supply source for both the exoskeleton and the skeleton frame.


    The bones for the inner skeleton frame could be easily found by hunting some creatures so that wasn¡¯t an issue at all. As for the exoskeleton¡­those were created using the poop of the Black Blood Ants. While that might sounded disgusting to the casual observer, it wasn¡¯t without reason either.


    First off, the Black Blood Ants fed on rocks that contained mana. The queen ant would absorb the mana within the rocks and then pass them out as poop. Rather than poop however, it would probably be more accurate to call them hardened rocks, stripped of their mana. Next came the processing by the other ants, who upon eating it, would harden the rock further. At that point, who could say how hard the rock was?


    The answer was obvious even without any sort of experimentation. After all, if even the rock-eating ants couldn¡¯t digest these leftovers, what else could? With such a sturdy material making up their exoskeleton, their defenses couldn¡¯t help but be terrifying!


    In short, a steady supply of poop was needed to manufacture golems. Thus, I turned my gaze onto the prostrating Black Blood Queen Ant.


    ¡°Oh right, I haven¡¯t given you a name yet, have I?¡± Since she had been following me for so long and also because we still needed her in the future, it was about time for me to officially induct her into my ranks. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that she was a vital part of my future plans so the matter of her name was one worth considering.


    ¡°Na¡­me¡­¡± Hearing that, her ugly as poop head and bulging body started to shiver uncontrollably. At the same time, she stammered: ¡°May¡­I ha¡­ve a¡­name¡­Master¡­¡±


    Speaking of names, even I had to admit that I was rather talented at naming people. No.1,No.2,No.3. Big 1, Big 2, Big 3. All these masterpieces were not only easy to remember and easy to speak, they were usable both on young and old. More importantly, was there anyone who wasn¡¯t overjoyed at receiving a name from me? Clearly not. Thus, it was obvious how extraordinary my naming sense was.


    After mulling over it for a good long while, I nodded my head under the expecting gaze of the queen ant. ¡°Mhm, let¡¯s call you Mother Black Ant from now on.¡±


    ¡°Mother¡­Black¡­Ant¡­¡± As she slowly enunciated her new name, she seemed almost a little dazed.


    ¡°Do you like it?¡±


    With regards to that name, it was definitely one of my better masterpieces and if she didn¡¯t agree, I would make her start her ant life anew.


    Perhaps she had noticed my burning gaze or perhaps she truly loved her new name, but the moment she heard my question, her ugly ant face broke out in joy at receiving her new name.


    ¡®Mhm, she¡¯s Mother Black Ant from now.¡¯


    ¡°Is there even any difference between Mother Black Ant and Black Blood Queen Ant?¡± Sinmosa tilted one of her heads and whispered into Nola¡¯s ears.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± Nola replied after giving it some thought.


    Having been in the position to happen on their conversation, my No.1 fan, Mo Na, immediately rushed to explain my naming: ¡°How could Mama¡¯s names ever be bad?! The two of them are clearly different! Vastly different too!¡±


    At that, my No.2 fan, the little black puppy Cinderel, started barking as if to support her best friend.


    Sinmosa however, wasn¡¯t one to cave in so easily, even with her little puppy supporting an outsider instead of her. ¡°Oh, so what¡¯s the difference then?¡±


    ¡°That¡­that¡­.¡± Mo Na¡¯s dainty little brows furrowed as she tried her best to squeeze out something. Finally, her adorable little eyes swivelled around, and with the utmost surety, declared as such: ¡°Mother Black Ant is one whole word shorter than Black Blood Queen Ant!¡±

 Chapter 304: The Black Stone of Authority

    I decided to have Mother Black Ant settle down at the base of the palace. My plan was to locate a suitable location for her to lay eggs and then start her own nest. That way, she would be able to provide food for herself and ultimately grow the hive so as to provide us with poop.


    In short, it was more convenient to have a nest of Black Blood Ants nearby once I decided to start manufacturing those exoskeletons. However, it had to be said that the environment wasn¡¯t particularly conducive for these weak insects, given how many dangerous plants there were lying in wait.


    Because of that, I decided to dispatch a sullen Big 4 to help them out in their initial phase of expansion. Once their numbers reached a certain threshold, his mission would then be complete.


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    Ignoring the unhappy look he gave me, I made sure to impress upon him the need to not squish the ants by accident.


    As for No.3, his face was practically screaming ¡®I knew I was the most trusted henchman of the Master!¡¯. He gleefully gloated at his unfortunate compatriot who probably wanted to bite him so badly right now.


    With all that settled, it was now time for me to prepare for the conquest of Sable Radiance.


    First off, I had my other companions loiter around the garden while I searched the warehouses one more time. This time, I combed through the entire complex and subjugated every golem I came across. To my surprise, I found that there were actually 127 elite golems and there were1325 ordinary golems!


    Over a thousand of these golems were basically in mint condition. As for the damaged ones, I had them relocated to thr weapons factory for now. Once Mo Na picked up the necessary skills from that leather book, it would be up to her to repair these golems.


    Having returned to the garden, I found Mo Na sitting quietly on a black patch of grass, busy pouring over the black leather book without a care in the world. That was how my little baby was: curious to the point of obsessing over anything new, and also thirsty for knowledge.


    ¡°Sweetie, isn¡¯t Cinderel with you?¡±


    ¡°Cinderel is with her Mama, Mama. By the way, Mo Na has made a new finding!¡± As if she had just discovered the New World, she pointed at the leather book in excitement. ¡°Look Mama, there are pictures of a black stone here. The text says that¡­these stones can actually mimic a portion of the Gem of Authority¡¯s powers!¡±


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    My eyes drifted over to the portion of the book she mentioned and there I found a picture of a chestnut shaped rock. To be exact, I found a depiction of those black rocks we found not too long ago in that cupboard down below. At that time, I couldn¡¯t help but notice their uncanny resemblance to the Gem of Authority. To think they were actually so useful.


    ¡°These stones are called Black Stones of Authority, they are replicas of the Gem of Authority. By holding a stone, one can enter and leave the palace freely¡­¡±


    The main purpose of these stones was to allow the user to control those golems. Allowing a person to enter and leave freely was merely a side-effect. Given how the entire palace was basically guarded by golems only, being able to control them was basically a free pass.


    Still, the Black Stone of Authority wasn¡¯t actually the Gem of Authority. It wasn¡¯t able to subjugate golems and its control level was inferior to the Gem of Authority. All it did was allow temporary control over the golems, it couldn¡¯t actually transfer ownership to someone else.


    These stones were meant to be given out as a reward to trusted subordinates. But just as the stones themselves were completed, Lucifer sent down a clone to wipe out Sable Radiance¡­truly a tragedy.


    On top of all that was mentioned above, the Gem of Authority had one more function that the Black Stones didn¡¯t possess: the ability to bestow temporary control rights to another person.


    Because this entire region was guarded by golems and also because this region had been neglected by living creatures for 80 000 years, barring us of course, there was basically no food production source at all¡­


    This was the second day since we arrived here and I had to say¡­we were positively famished right now. Such a state clearly wasn¡¯t tenable for long and something had to be done soon or else.


    Given that this place was an important facility for producing golems, we had no choice but to settle down here and turn this entire palace into a base of operations. Thus, securing food was of paramount importance and was most likely going to be the biggest trial we faced.


    In truth, there was another matter that required my attention right now ¨Cwhether or not my companions planned to stay or leave.


    That was why I decided to call for a gathering.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Mo Ke?¡± Sinmosa asked as she came trotting up to us with her husband and daughter in tow. They were originally touring around the gardens and immediately came upon hearing the summons.


    Sinmosa¡¯s question so happened to awaken Nola who was napping quietly in a corner nearby. For some reason or another, this big salamander seemed to like the atmosphere of the garden a lot and would often find time to nap in it.


    ¡°It¡¯s like this. All of you have followed me up till now in order to aid me. My original intention was to find a way to enter Abaddon and well¡­sigh¡­long story short, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a way for me to leave Sable Radiance for the time being. That¡¯s why, I¡¯ve decided to take up residence here.¡± I paused in thought for a second at that point. In the end however, I chose not to tell them about my plan to take over Sable Radiance.


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    ¡°What about you guys? What plans do you guys have?¡±


    ¡°Plans?¡± Sinmosa paused for a second there before exchanging a glance with Sasani. The two of them quickly communicated with their eyes after which Sinmosa slowly nodded her head and said: ¡°I¡¯m not sure as well. The clan definitely has no place for us so can we stay here for now?¡±

 Chapter 305: Visitors from my Hometown?

    ¡°Is that so?¡± I solemnly nodded my head and flashed Sinmosa a smile: ¡°That¡¯s great then!¡±


    ¡°It should us thanking you instead.¡±


    With the Hellhound family settled, all that was left was Nola. I turned to the salamander in question and asked, fully intending to strike while the iron was hot: ¡°Do you have any other plans, Nola?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m only here in order to help you reach your destination. Since you¡¯ve done so, it¡¯s time for me to leave as well.¡± She firmly stated as such, her mind clearly made up long ago. ¡°I can roughly sense the presence of a lava lake nearby, approximately 300 Li away. I¡¯ll enter the lake and rejoin my clan there. If you all plan to set up residence here, feel free to visit that lake for sustenance.¡±


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    ¡°So there¡¯s a lake 300 Li away, huh. That¡¯s perfect. With a lava lake nearby, our food problem is basically solved.¡±


    While 300 Li might have sounded like an awfully long walk, it wasn¡¯t so for No.3, Big 4 or the Hellhounds. Given their speed, they could probably make a round trip in two to three hours which honestly wasn¡¯t all that long.


    ¡°Nola, are you really leaving us?¡±


    Sinmosa seemed eager to have her remain yet Nola paid no attention to that at all and merely shook her head: ¡°That¡¯s right. I can¡¯t stand being too far away from a lava lake. For us salamanders, there¡¯s nothing worse than being denied a nice soak in a lava lake.¡±


    Since she¡¯ve made it so clear, we really couldn¡¯t say much anymore. In light of that, we merely made the offer to see her off and procure some food at the same time.


    As stated before, Big 4 would be left behind to guard Mother Black Ant as she set up her hive. Before leaving, I handed over one of the Black Stones of Authority to him so as to facilitate his management of the golems, just in case someone wanted to invade the palace while we were gone.


    Naturally, I wasn¡¯t saying that someone would even try to do so, but it never hurt to be safe on a basic level.


    ¡°Master, please hurry back.¡± As he stood there at the northern city gate, the expression he had on was one of an abandoned kitty. ¡°Big 4 will be here waiting for your return¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, with me around, the Master will be perfectly fine.¡± No.3 proudly smacked his chest and even raised his head slightly like a victor would. ¡°Big 4, you just stay here and be a good bodyguard for Mother Black Ant. Hopefully we can see the first few ants being born once we return.¡±


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    ¡°¡­¡± Big 4¡¯s teeth gnashing was practically audible from a mile away as he glared at No.3. The Devil in question however, paid no attention to that at all. He was still drunk in the delight of having received his master¡¯s favor.


    With regards to this little rivalry between the two of them, I had zero intention of interfering at all.


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    The purpose of this trip was to send Nola off and procure some food. With that in mind, all of us departed post-haste, barring Big 4 and Mother Black Ant of course.


    Because I honestly didn¡¯t expect much danger along the way, I merely called for ten elite Abyssal Golems to follow us as guards while we went on our merry way.


    Strictly speaking, Nola hadn¡¯t actually been with us for long. But had it not been for her, we would have never made it to the palace. It wouldn¡¯t be a stretch to say that she was the person or Devil who helped us the most.


    Just because she was a humongous mountain of a salamander, that didn¡¯t mean that she was terrifying. On the contrary, her personality was rather likeable and she treated us very well. She was just a little hasty, that¡¯s all, and also a little obstinate. That was why when she said that she was going to leave the team, I knew that words were pointless at that point. She was truly of a one-track mind; just look at how our first encounter ended up¡­


    I tenderly placed Mo Na and Cinderel onto her wide back and began trying to fly beside them with a flap of my purple wings. In a sense, that was flying practise for me.


    If I had to describe flying in a word, it would have to be difficult. After all, I wasn¡¯t a natural born Fallen Angel, thus I needed to consciously consider a whole lot more things than would be otherwise needed. When I first started, the initial problem I faced was how to get off the ground.


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    I tried multiple times in the past to fly and each time ended up with me falling to the ground after taking off for a couple of meters. The reason was my lack of balance in flight. Thankfully, I was well prepared for that so I managed to soften my landing.


    ¡°Master, flying isn¡¯t just something you can rush, how about we start off slowly.¡± Worried that I would become despondent from my repeated failures, No.3 hurriedly came in with a few consoling words while imparting his own experience as well.


    ¡°When flying, wind direction needs to be considered as well. Flying with the winds and against the winds require a different set of motions. Also, using mana while flying can help with lightening the load on the body¡­oh, when we Flame Devils use mana, our bodies will turn into elements¡­I¡¯m not sure if Master can employ such a method as well, also¡­¡±


    Just like that, our journey proceeded uneventfully. Nola continued leading us along with Sinmosa and Sasani by her side. As for me, I was riding atop an Abyssal Golem while listening to No.3¡¯s lessons. Even while he was continuously imparting his valuable experience onto me, he made sure to watch his manners. No matter what happened, he ensured that he was always a step behind me as a sign of respect.


    This peacefulness continued until, finally, we spotted the signature red glow of a lava lake in the distance. What was an empty field just moments ago suddenly changed with a flash of red light. An instant later, a large group of red-skinned monsters appeared before us¡­no, those are Devils!


    The amount that appeared was staggering, going so far as to resemble a giant sea of packed red dots. If my estimates were right, there had to be at least a thousand of them standing right before us now. From time to time, the leader-esque Devils in front would spout some flames from their bodies to signify their own special status. Not only that, their bodies were significantly taller than the other Imps and their horns would curve backwards. Their triangled tails would flick around without much care as they stood there. The next thing that I noticed was that they had no wings at all, and also that their eyes seemed a little confused at the moment.


    ¡®Flame Devil Child!¡±


    ¡®So those leaders are actually Four-stars! I thought the ongoing theme was that there were no Devils in Sable Radiance?! Oh wait, didn¡¯t they just appear after that flash of red¡­don¡¯t tell me they came from the Blood Sea? Lucifer¡¯s clone did mention something along those lines but isn¡¯t this just a little too quick?!¡¯


    Because all this had happened all too suddenly, both of our parties were too stunned to react momentarily. All we did was to stare blankly in each other, brains unable to process what was going on.


    No.3, whom I had taken the liberty to pass on temporary control rights to a short while ago, was the first to react. He immediately rushed in front of me and had the elite Abyssal Golems form a protective circle around me.


    Eyes fixed at the other Devils, he asked: ¡°Master, what are Devils doing here?¡±

 Chapter 306: Back to the Old Days

    ¡°They were probably teleported over here.¡± I answered in an unsure voice. ¡°Don¡¯t act rashly for now, let¡¯s see how they move first.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Master.¡±


    At the same time, Nola, who was still carrying Mo Na and Cinderel, came to an abrupt stop as well. To her, even a thousand over Devils really wasn¡¯t that much of a threat. The only reason she stopped there and then was to see what sort of attitude I planned on taking towards those Devils. Should the fight ever start, she would undoubtedly be the only one needed to take them all out.


    ¡°Do you know these tiny fellows?¡± She turned to ask me.


    ¡°Nope.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t. The Blood Sea is vast and there¡¯s no way for me to know every Devil. However, they should be like me as well, Devils who had escaped from the Prison of the Dead.¡±


    By her side stood the two Hellhounds, Sinmosa and Sasani. Unlike her, these two Five-stars Hellhounds weren¡¯t able to take on an entire army of Devils of this size, though they weren¡¯t exactly weak either. Thankfully, both of them knew of the power of Nola and my golems so they weren¡¯t particularly fazed by their showing either.


    ¡°Hmm, who knows if other Devils will just suddenly show up as well.¡± Sinmosa peered at me solemnly as she said that. ¡°Best be careful for now.¡±


    Truly, their appearance was a strangely coincidental one, albeit expected one. That was because the Blood Sea¡¯s water level would rise periodically and flood the entire main land. Should those Devils not make it out in time, they would certainly drown. As a side effect of that, there were hardly any Devils who made it out of there as a Four-stars due to the lack of time. In that case, they were probably fresh from the Prison of the Dead.


    ¡°Hmm? A Fallen Angel?¡±


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    After exchanging glances for a while, the leading Flame Devil Child finally broke the silence. The first thing he noticed was me sitting atop one of the elite Abyssal Golems. Given that the golems themselves were over seven meters tall, one could only imagine how eye-catching I was as I sat there. Moreover, the fact that I had the soul of some unparalleled Lust Demon residing in my body didn¡¯t do me any favors either; I really couldn¡¯t look any more feminine even if I tried right now¡­not to mention beautiful¡­


    Still, I didn¡¯t want to converse with such low level fellows so I threw a glance at No.3 who promptly nodded in response. He walked forward on his own, eyes straight and chest held up high without a fear in the world.


    Standing in the middle of the two crowds, he haughtily asked: ¡°Are you lot from the Blood Sea? Or the Prison of the Dead?¡±


    In the world of the Devils, the strong ruled. Naturally, there were also those who served Devils who, while still weak, possessed an immense amount of potential. Conversation was definitely an option as well, but that was only if both sides weren¡¯t too far off in terms of strength.


    At this point, No.3¡¯s attitude was made abundantly clear: he felt that our strength more than outclassed their own so those low levelled Devils should just give in quietly. However, the other side seemed to have the exact same thoughts as well.


    Those Devils had just slaughtered their way out of the Prison of the Dead so their bodies still reeked of blood. While some of them were slightly injured, there were no heavily injured Devils to be found anywhere. In all likelihood, those had all been eaten up already.


    Given how bloodthirsty they were then, it was quite miraculous that they hadn¡¯t come rushing at us already since we didn¡¯t exactly look that imposing either.


    Unless Nola let forth her aura completely, she merely seemed like a giant salamander. While No.3, Sinmosa and Sasani were all at the level of a Five-stars, that clearly wasn¡¯t enough against an army of this size. As for the elite Abyssal Golem¡­one wouldn¡¯t know of its terrifying strength till one approached it.


    As for me, Mo Na and Cinderel¡­we weren¡¯t even at the same Star Level as No.3.


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    The leading Flame Devil Child stared at me with sparkling eyes that almost seemed as if he had just discovered the New World. As he did so, his mouth would water profusely¡­ Even though I really didn¡¯t want to do so¡­the only way I could describe his eyes right now was lustful¡­truly, there was no other way to describe that ugly and crass look on his face right now¡­


    ¡°Hand over that Fallen Angel and I might just let you all go.¡± The leader-like Flame Devil Child declared while pointing a finger at me. ¡°If not, you¡¯ll all have to die!¡±


    Having said that, he made the classic finger slicing across the neck gesture. He then followed that up with an audible chomp, as if he was trying to say that he would eat us as well.


    ¡®Ah¡­what a pain. Looks like I¡¯m back to being a female Devil trophy again.¡±


    ¡°B*stard. He actually dared to insult the Master¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t move for now, No.3.¡±


    Just as he was about to charge headlong into them in a fit of rage, I called out to him. Shortly thereafter, I inhaled slightly, brows furrowed tightly in annoyance. For such lowly creatures, words were wasted on them so I merely waved my hand at one of the golem and ordered as such: ¡°Go forth, break their formation.¡±


    Having received that command, one of the elite Abyssal Golems slowly lumbered out of the defensive ring, feet pounding into the ground with an ominous boom. Standing over seven meters tall and clad in an exoskeleton of rocky red and black, its domineering aura was made even more apparent with every step it took towards those Devils. Behind it, its Devil Wings flapped in sync with its steps.


    By now, some of the Devils were beginning to retreat instinctively in fear from the terrifying pounding that seemed not only to come from that approaching golem, but also from their own hearts. While they might not have seen such a golem before, these low level Devils weren¡¯t morons either; they knew a threat when they saw one, especially given how much pressure it was outputting right now¡­


    ¡°Boss, that big fellow seems really strong¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmph, how do you know that when you haven¡¯t even fought it?¡± The leading Flame Devil Child gave that spineless subordinate of his a shove.


    ¡°I want you to charge now!¡± He yelled right under the wavering gaze of his subordinate.


    ¡°RAWWWRRR¡­¡± With no choice but to do so, the Devil in question suppressed the fear in his heart with a throaty howl as he rushed right at the Abyssal Golem.


    In the face of that, the golem merely continued forward as before and just as that Devil was about to reach it, the golem lifted up its leg ¨C*splat*. Its gigantic left came crashing down upon the poor Devil, imprinting that Devil¡¯s silhouette firmly into the ground in the process.


    Instant death¡­just like that, a Four-stars Flame Devil Child was slaughtered and the other low levelled Devils were sent into a panicked frenzy.


    Yet just as all hell was about to break loose from them fleeing before the golem, the leader-like Flame Devil Child grabbed one of his fleeing Two-stars subordinate and¡­

 Chapter 307: It’s No Use Trying to Run

    As the leader of those Devils gripped down on that unlucky Head Imp, his hands burned with the flames of his fury which swiftly consumed the greater part of the imp¡¯s body, eliciting a horrific scream from him in the process. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, this ordeal merely lasted the span of two screams before his entire upper half was reduced to ashes!


    Even though Imps were born with an innate fire resistance, that was clearly nothing before the might of a fire conjured by a Four-stars.


    Tossing aside the burnt carcass casually, the leader of those Devils coldly swept his gaze over the rest of his fleeing Imps, and his lips curled into a bone-chilling smile: ¡°Well, what are you all waiting for? Charge! We have the numbers advantage here!¡±


    Having said that, the Flame Devil Child tossed a Fireball in the direction of the golem with his right hand. The Fireball exploded on impact, as expected, but all that amounted to was a mere light show as the Abyssal Golem¡¯s belly came out without a scratch¡­


    ¡°Char~ge!¡±


    At the same time, the emboldened Imps charged mindlessly at the golem, wits completely blotted out by the fierce call of their leader. However, their efforts were rewarded with a simple smack from the golem that promptly swatted aside over ten of their kin. With a casual punch, the golem sent another group of Imps flying in the opposite direction¡­next came a kick that sent them tumbling away a good ten meters like a football¡­


    It was then that the Imps finally understood how huge the gap between their powers were. As they stood there quaking in fear before the golem, none of them dared to advance an inch.


    ¡°Aaahhh¡­run away, quick¡­there¡¯s no way to win¡­¡±


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    Even their fearsome leader couldn¡¯t send one of them flying away like that after all¡­ Just like that, the entire army was routed, and no matter how much that Flame Devil Child howled or murdered, the Imps refused to listen. With the strength disparity made so painfully clear, all they could think about right now was to run. At the end of the day, Devils were selfish beings. Without a strong sense of loyalty, they would instantly crumble at the first sight of danger.


    ¡°Blast it! You cowards!¡± By now, the leader had murdered several fleeing Imps already but that still did nothing to stem the tide of fleeing Imps. It was only then that he realized something ¨Che had to flee now or else¡­


    Thus, he fled. His original plan was to overwhelm us with his superior numbers but because of his ignorance, he ended up failing to recognize the fact that WE were the ones who had the advantage here, not them.


    ¡°Stop them, if they dare to flee, kill them!¡± I commanded from high atop one of the Winged Abyssal Golems. I coldly smiled at that point before sending forth another command to No.3: ¡°I want that leader guy captured!


    ¡°Understood, Master.¡± His eyes just so happened to be on that fleeing leader, and his lips curled into a devious smile. His wings thrust open with a resounding snap as they reach full extension, and soon after that, a gale of wind buffeted me as he took to the air in the direction of that army.


    Sinmosa and Sasani had reacted to my first command as well, promptly chasing after any fleeing Imps and slowly herding into a bunch. With their blistering speeds, it merely took a moment before both of them were standing before the furthest Imp.


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    *Swipe*


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    Several Imps were instantly sliced into strips, and before they even knew what happened, their body parts fell to the ground like a pile of steaks¡­


    ¡°No running, you lot had better get back there or else.¡±


    Hearing that stern warning spoken in the language of the Devil, the fleeing Devils first reacted with shock, pausing for a mere second under the withering gaze of the Hellhound couple before obediently walking back in the direction from whence they came. Seeing that, the two of them exchanged a glance with each other before turning around to catch another group of fleeing Imps.


    Like hell they would do that! That was exactly what those Imps were thinking as they pretended to turn around and walk away. Upon seeing the Hellhound couple leave, they immediately resumed fleeing. They were, after all, Devils, lying was basically a national pastime. Yet such a benal show of trickery wasn¡¯t going to cut it at all. Because there was a certain giant salamander barrelling right towards them!


    Still bearing the two little scamps, Mo Na and Cinderel, Nola stood before them like an insurmountable wall that cut off any attempts at escaping by them.


    While the Imps were still clearly worried that they would killed after surrendering, when faced with that mountain of a salamander, Nola, they knew they had no choice but to quietly turn around. After all, she was just too big¡­


    ¡°Hahaha, this is so fun.¡± Mo Na guffawed as she hugged tiny Cinderel and that black leather book. As she swept her eyes over the scampering Imps below her, she couldn¡¯t help but smile evilly: ¡°Look at them, Cinderel, they¡¯re acting so funny right now¡­hehehe¡­¡±


    Not only were the Imps being chased down by No.3, Nola, and the Hellhounds, the rest of my Winged Abyssal Golems were a part of this operation as well. Their speed could only be described as uncharacteristic, given how huge and clumsy they seemed to be. Yet with their wings seemingly boosting their running speed, the golems were actually able to sprint faster than Sinmosa or Sasani.


    In less than ten seconds, the Winged Abyssal Golems managed to reach the edge of the chaotic battle where they split up into nine groups with the aim of preventing any Imp from escaping. Should any foolish Imp still try to break through their blockade, they would immediately be sent flying with a merciless smack¡­


    While all that was happening, No.3 continued staring at the leader of that army, who was practically beside himself with joy right now at having ¡®successfully¡¯ hidden himself amongst the chaos. Unfortunately for him, No.3 had already locked onto his aura long before he even had the chance to sneak into the crowd. Like a falling meteor, he landed with a powerful drop-kick on the back of that Devil¡¯s neck, causing him to tumble forward violently and knocking aside several other Imps in the process with a resounding *BANG*.


    ¡°To think you actually dare to offend my Master, you¡¯re truly a moron.¡±


    No.3 viciously gave the Devil another kick for good measure but before his feet could even land on that Devil, the seemingly heavily injured Devil suddenly sprang to life and tried to strike back with a knife made of fire.


    Because I had specifically asked for him to be captured alive, No.3 made sure not to kill off that audacious Devil with that drop-kick and merely tried to teach him a lesson. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect that Devil to actually have the energy to strike back at his feet and actually force a draw too! In fact, it was No.3 who came out slightly short in that brief exchange since that was merely a casual kick on his part.


    Still, the knife of flames did absolutely no damage to him at all. He was, after all, an Infant Flame Devil who had already been blessed with an Original Sin. However, the force of that strike was at least able to send him stumbling back a little.

 Chapter 308: Such Cheap Tactics Won’t Work on Me

    Seeing his full strength sneak attack fail so spectacularly, the leader of those Devils was once more faced with the cruel reality of how far apart their strengths actually were. Being a rather decisively spineless one, he immediately dove right into the mass of fleeing Imps upon realizing his inevitable defeat.


    ¡°You brat, I dare you not to run!¡±


    Faced with the prospect of losing his cornered prey, No.3 hurriedly chased after the slowly disappearing back. However, there were simply too many Imps blocking the way so he had no choice but to shove aside the hindrances with a flail of his hands and feet, all the while dealing with his ever-growing annoyance. Yet while all that might have just taken a couple seconds, that was more than enough for that fleeing Flame Devil Child to disappear completely.


    ¡®No.3 actually failed to capture that fellow¡­dang, that Devil is surprisingly slippery. Hmm, based on his showing just now, he¡¯s probably about to evolve as well. Not like it will matter anyway ¨Che¡¯s not getting away. After all, there¡¯s still Nola, the Hellhounds and the golems to contend with.¡¯


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    Given how tightly guarded the encirclement was, it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that there was an invisible barrier separating the outside world from this battlefield ¨Cthose who stepped over that line were mercilessly slaughtered.


    As time passed, the casualty numbers started to balloon. By now, even the more brainless Imps were starting to realize that we weren¡¯t actually out to murder them all, just capture them. If I had to hazard a guess, the pile of corpses forming a neat mountain near the edge of their encirclement probably gave away that fact.


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    As for our side, none of them had forgotten about my orders to just capture and not kill them. Thus, when the other Imps stopped trying to cross the line, Sinmosa and the others did not pursue them either, instead choosing to remain at their stations.


    In the meantime, No.3 was in the midst of a frenzied hunt for that fleeing leader. By now, he had managed to corner that Devil like a fox would when hunting a little chick. He casually tossed the poor Devil onto ground before stomping down on his back and keeping that leg firmly locked in place.


    At that very moment, the other Imps all knew who was the real boss here and promptly went to their knees to beg for mercy. The leader Devil, on the other hand, was still glaring at No.3 despite his compromising situation. While that poor fellow must have desperately wanted to give No.3 a piece of his mind and fists, a Five-stars Infant Flame Devil wasn¡¯t something he could ever hope to stand up to; he was basically an insect to No.3 at this point.


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    The Imps had settled down noticeably as well. Gone was the chaos, leaving behind a muted resignation born from those ten subordinates and comrades of mine encircling them. All they could do now was to obediently kneel there and await our judgement.


    ¡®Looks like it¡¯s for me to make my entrance then.¡¯


    I gently patted the golem beneath me, ordering it to bring me towards the Devil still struggling beneath No.3¡¯s foot.


    Looking down at his miserable sight, I couldn¡¯t help but think to myself: ¡®Even in this state, he is still a Four-stars, a Devil with over a thousand Devils under his command. Had it been just a month ago, fighting him would really have been an uphill battle.¡¯


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    Unfortunately for him, there were no ifs in this world. I had attained the feather of Lucifer and along with it, the right to control those Abyssal Golems. Against a foe like him, all I needed to do now was to dispatch a single golem to squish them all.


    Clearly in a superior position, my mood was noticeably better, having just basked in the elation of conquering someone. ¡°What did you say just now? Something about capturing me?¡±


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    ¡°¡­blast it! How dare you insult me like this! You¡¯re just a stinking harlot¡­¡±


    Unwilling to give up still, the leader Devil tried to push himself to his feet but was summarily thwarted by another firm stomp from No.3. Because of his crass language, this stomp was a lot heavier than before, causing him to grunt audibly in pain.


    ¡°You¡¯d better watch your tongue in the presence of the Master. I can take your life anytime I want. Got that, trash?¡± Was No.3¡¯s rude yet perfectly accurate answer.


    To be fair though, it wasn¡¯t like he had no chance against a Five-stars at all. Theoretically, it was possible for him to win if he managed to launch a sneak attack at the worst possible timing for his opponent. However, the chances of that happening was extremely low. Not to mention that the Flame Devil branch of Devils was the one branch he had absolutely no way to fight against since they both used fire attacks; to Flame Devils, flames were basically a kind of delicacy¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re just lucky that your subordinates are strong, don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know what your true strength is. You¡¯re just a Four-stars!¡± The leader Devil yelled in frustration. ¡°I dare you to fight me. One on one!¡±


    ¡°Oh, you want to fight me?¡± As if I had just heard the most laughable thing ever, I couldn¡¯t help but burst out laughing. ¡°Hahaha, what a joke, you¡¯ve already lost, why should I even fight you?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, a defeated cur¡¯s howling.¡± No.3 taunt immediately elicited a violent response from the Devil in question. Unfortunately for him, No.3¡¯s iron foot was still holding him down.


    A good long while later, he gave up and turned his sights back onto me. ¡°You¡¯re just scared! Scared of losing to me, that¡¯s all!¡±


    ¡°Scared? Pfft¡­¡±


    ¡®What a joke, as if I would ever fall to such a cheap provocation¡­¡¯


    No.3 swooped down and gave the trapped Devil a tight slap. ¡°Even in this situation you dare to use that tone, I swear you just don¡¯t know how the word death is written. As if the Master would ever fall to your cheap tactics¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright then, I just so happen to be looking for a target dummy anyway.¡± In the midst of No.3¡¯s curt reply, I unexpectedly agreed to his request.


    Ever since I had evolved into a Fallen Angel, I really hadn¡¯t had any chance to fight with someone. While I might have felt that I had gotten stronger, I couldn¡¯t gauge exactly how much that was without a proper test.


    ¡°Oh hoh? Did Mama just say she wanted to fight?¡± Mo Na¡¯s face was one of shock right now. ¡°But didn¡¯t we win already?¡±


    ¡°Woof woof~~`!¡± Still seated Mo Na, Cinderel excitedly barked for some inexplicable reason.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s fine either way. If Mama wants to fight, she can. Mo Na knows that Mama is the greatest!¡± Having said that, Mo Na waved her hands at me and yelled: ¡°Go, Mama! Beat up that trash!¡±


    ¡°Seems like Mo Ke wants to try out his new skills.¡± Sinmosa muttered as she trotted up to Nola with her husband by her side. As she did that, she continued staring in my direction. ¡°What do you think, Nola?¡±


    ¡°About his chances?¡± Nola turned to face Sinmosa, and after a brief pause, said so: ¡°Ever since his inexplicable evolution, he has gotten much stronger. Strictly speaking, that strength has more to do with his bloodlines though. A purple winged Fallen Angel is basically a legendary-class bloodline at this point. Yet with how recent his evolution was, I doubt he has had much chances to familiarize himself with his new powers. And his opponent¡­he¡¯s almost at the level of a Five-stars too¡­¡±

 Chapter 309: Don’t Worry, It’s Not Like I’ll Believe it Anyway

    Sinmosa gave Nola a resigned look: ¡°Well, if they start fighting later, we¡¯ll just have to be on our toes then.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, I was thinking the same thing as well. But my size¡­I¡¯m afraid my speed won¡¯t be as quick as yours¡­¡±


    ¡°Hah, don¡¯t just dump all the responsibility onto me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. Besides, I still have Cinderel riding on my back right now.¡±


    ¡°Alright alright, if there¡¯s any trouble later, we can just leave it to Sasani.¡±


    Sasani: ¡°¡­ruff?¡±


    However, no matter how unwilling he was to be dragged into this mess, he didn¡¯t have a choose right now, kind of like a stranded fish in a pond¡­


    ¡°Let him up then.¡±


    I hopped off the Abyssal Golem, wings flapping slightly to break my fall as I did so.


    ¡°But Master¡­¡±


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    No.3 clearly wasn¡¯t all too happy about this whole arrangement. He did not wish for me to personally fight since I might just end up getting hurt. However, while I might have understood his concern, it wasn¡¯t like I could just do nothing for the rest of my life either. In order to rule over the strong, one had to be strong himself ¨Cthat was the rule.


    According to the script given to me by Lucifer¡¯s clone, I would definitely have to face a variety of strong opponents in the future. Unless I was able to suppress them all by force, it would hard for me to subjugate any worthy fighter worth his salt.


    And that was why increasing my own strength was of paramount importance. Even though Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s existence had caused my evolving speed to slow to a crawl, that was no reason for me not to try and get stronger either.


    Using one of my world famous analogies, let¡¯s say a person suddenly maxed out his credit card and ended up with a mountain load of debt and interest to repay. Every month, that person would have to give up a portion of his salary to pay off this bill. What if this person wasn¡¯t able to repay this debt within his lifetime? Well, his death would automatically cancel out that credit card debt.


    So should he try to avoid his debt by dying then? Clearly, that wasn¡¯t an option ¨Ca person must be forward looking. Work hard and all that nonsense. That should be the choice of a normal person.


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    ¡®Mhm, stress isn¡¯t just a form of pressure, it¡¯s a way to motivate myself, to be strong and climb ever upwards. In short, GO ME!¡¯


    (TL: I did my best to shorten his analogy and sort of link it to the story better. It was supposed to take up half a page¡­)


    ¡°Hahaha, even your subordinates won¡¯t listen to you¡­what a failure¡­hah¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


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    ¡°What do you mean you, so you won¡¯t listen to your master¡¯s command then? Didn¡¯t she command you to release me, or did you not hear it at all? Perhaps you¡¯ve already been thinking about rebelling? Tell me then, how long have you been eyeing your master¡¯s position? I bet you want her as well¡­hahaha, don¡¯t deny it, I can see it in your eyes¡­¡±


    No.3¡¯s hesitance ended up becoming an excuse for that leader Devil to unload on him. Clearly, for a Devil to become a leader, he had to have something else other than strength. At the very least, he needed to have a brain. The moment this loud mouth picked up a whiff of weakness, he immediately latched onto it relentlessly.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you, I swear!¡±


    No.3¡¯s anger had almost overwhelmed his reason at this point. Yet just as he was about to give that loud mouth Devil the stomping of his lifetime, the Devil in question, happily raised his head, as if he wasn¡¯t afraid of No.3 at all and wanted to encourage him further. Eyes smiling with satisfaction, his lips curled into a devious smile as he said: ¡°Why the hurry to kill me? Is it because I revealed your inner thoughts? Looks like your subordinate is really planning to rebel.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­my loyalty to you will never change¡­don¡¯t listen to his lies¡­¡±


    No.3 seemed to be genuinely worried that the leader Devil¡¯s words might end up creating a rift between us. Looking at him like this, I couldn¡¯t help but be a little confused myself.


    ¡®Did his intelligence suddenly take a nosedive or something? Oh wait, that¡¯s not right, he was always a little lacking in that department. But why doesn¡¯t he trust me then? Haven¡¯t I always been saying that he¡¯s my most trusted subordinate?¡±


    ¡°No.3, what¡¯s the matter with you today? Did you hit your head or something? I know you¡¯re anxious but after that betrayal by One-eye, I¡¯ve already witnessed your loyalty.¡± I gave him a reassuring look before smiling slightly: ¡°I won¡¯t fall for his words so easily.¡±


    ¡°But Master¡­¡± No.3 left his sentence hanging there, not daring to finish it at all. However, even without that, I could roughly guess what he was thinking right now¡­Back when that Devil tried to provoke me into a fight, I could have easily rejected him instead of accepting his proposal. Perhaps to No.3, I must have seemed like an easily swayed person then?


    ¡°Dumby, why would I not believe you. Just stand down for now, leave this fellow to me.¡±


    As I said that, I waved my hands, signifying for him to make space for our upcoming fight. After confirming once more that I wasn¡¯t taken in by that Devil¡¯s words, No.3 finally relented. Most likely still a little concerned, he made sure to give that Devil one last warning glare before leaving.


    ¡°Hmph, I didn¡¯t expect you to actually accept that.¡± Having regained his freedom temporarily, the leader Devil started stretching his limbs without even bothering to look at the sulking No.3. He then gave me what had to be most annoying stare to date, coupled with an exceptionally disgusting smile: ¡°Truly a beauty, *lick*¡­¡±


    ¡®Hey! What¡¯s with that disgusting mouth action¡­I swear, I can¡¯t take his crassness anymore.¡¯


    I immediately tossed out what looked like an ordinary red Fireball.


    As for that leader Devil, while he might have been busy taunting me, he hadn¡¯t lowered his guard for even a second. The whole reason why he did that in the first place was to try and distract me and create an exploitable opening. Upon seeing the Fireball careen towards him, he didn¡¯t even bother trying to dodge it but instead stretched out his right hand to grab that football-size Fireball.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not done talking yet, trying to ambush me like that isn¡¯t good.¡±


    As he said that, he smashed that Fireball into his left hand, snuffing out the flames in a burst of sparks.


    ¡®Was that his way of showing off his might? Was he trying to say that fire had no effect on him?¡¯


    ¡°Ambush, I think you¡¯re overestimating yourself here.¡± I disdainfully laughed at him. Stretching out my left hand and bringing my palm up to the sky, I began channelling mana into a mote of black flames. Just looking into the endless abyss that was its blackness, one could have sworn that he glimpsed a vision of absolute destruction.

 Chapter 310: D@mn You

    ¡°Nether Flames¡­¡± The leader Devil barely managed a gulp as he said that. In all likelihood, his inherited memories had a record of such a flame so he knew what he was about to face.


    ¡°Even a Flame Devil Child like you shouldn¡¯t be immune to the effects of Nether Flames, am I right?¡± I whipped out my left hand and sent the mote of Nether Flames flying straight at him, its black abyssal tendrils coalescing into the classic Fireball shape as it sizzled through the air.


    This time, that Devil didn¡¯t dare to take the attack head on, instead choosing to dodge to the side to avoid it entirely. Yet when were things ever so simple? Even though he had clearly willed his body to the side, and even though he had clearly felt the rush of burning air pass by him harmlessly, he still ended up getting hit squarely on the back by that Fireball that somehow managed to make an abrupt curve in the air!


    ¡°How¡­I know I dodged it¡­¡± His body immediately burst into blackish-red flames on impact. The panicked leader Devil promptly tried to convert the searing flames using his mana but no matter how he tried, the flames stuck to his body, greedily eating into his flesh as if they had taken root in his body already. At the very most, his desperate attempts merely bought him several seconds.


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    Lest one forgot, one of the abilities I had attained upon evolving into a Fallen Angel was ¡®Consciousness Impartment¡¯. Thanks to that ability, my mana was now able to act as if it had a mind of its own ¨Cjust like what just happened to that Devil. The moment that Fireball, made entirely of my imbued mana, missed its target, it was able to curve around according to my direction and smash right into him.


    Truly, devious and hard to defend against¡­in a sense, it was kind of an ambush on my part.


    Nether Flames were known for their deadly stickiness. The moment it stuck onto flesh, it was extremely hard to remove it. Furthermore, with my Consciousness Impartment ability, the rate and lethalness of its spread gained a level up as well. Unless I was facing against a Five-stars Devil blessed with an Original Sin, anyone who had the misfortune of being hit by my Nether Flames was basically a goner.


    In just a few seconds alone, the flames had already spread from his back all the way up to his shoulders and neck. Even now, that poor sod was still struggling to rid himself of the flames. But try as he might, the flames continued their deadly march unabated. Should we leave him like that, it would probably take a short while more before he was burnt up.


    ¡®Just burn then, like I care.¡¯


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    ¡°Spare me¡­save me¡­I¡¯m begging you¡­I don¡¯t want to die¡­¡±


    He had already exhausted all possible means of extinguishing the flames ¨Cusing his mana to restrain it, tumbling about in an embarrassing fashion, even trying to fight fire with fire, you name it ¨Cbut all that was to no avail. After all that, he only managed to delay the spread of the fire by a few seconds. It was then that he realized that resistance was futile, so he knelt, with both knees firmly planted in the ground as he crawled his towards me and grovelled at my feet while hugging my thighs.


    ¡°So even you know how to beg for mercy? You should have done so from the start.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m begging you¡­I can be your subordinate¡­your dog¡­I¡¯ll bite whoever you want¡­just give the word¡­I¡¯ll be your most loyal slave¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± I coldly smiled. ¡°But I don¡¯t need you.¡±


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    ¡°I won¡¯t betray you¡­I can hand over my soul to you¡­so please¡­spare me¡­SPARE MEEE¡­¡±


    I dodged his filthy hands with a look of utter contempt on my face. No longer wishing to talk, I waved my right hand and sent a snake-like stream of blackish red fire right at that Devil.


    ¡°AHHHH¡­NOOOOO¡­¡± The moment the flames coiled around him, he was instantly engulfed in it, turning into a massive pillar of fire in the process and filling the air with an unpleasant barbecued smell. Even after all that, he continued to howl in pain, struggling all the way, both wretchedly and pointlessly. Finally, the screaming stopped and there was nothing left of him except burnt cinders and a naked soul.


    ¡®And here I was thinking that this was going to be a good chance to test out my strength¡­didn¡¯t he just go down after a simple Nether Fireball¡­exactly how did someone like him end up as a leader anyway? Maybe it¡¯s actually me who is super strong here?¡¯


    ¡®Killing someone at the same Star Level as me with one wave of my hand huh?¡¯ I glanced at those same two hands that had just burnt that Flame Devil Child to a crisp. For that briefest of moments, it felt like I was dreaming.


    ¡°Wooo, Mama¡¯s amazing, Mama¡¯s the best!¡± Mo Na came barrelling towards me from Nola¡¯s back, wings flapping and eyes sparkling as she prepared to hug me. Perching herself around her usual spot around my neck and shoulders, she happily rubbed her adorable little face against my own. ¡°That was fantastic, Mama, you beat up that big baddie in one move! Mama¡¯s the best, Mo Na loves her Mama!¡±


    As expected of my no.1 fan, she immediately gushed about my victory while smothering me with kisses¡­ahem, on the cheeks, of course¡­in fact, it was getting rather awkward with how much saliva there was on my face right now¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Sinmosa revealed a disbelieving look towards Nola.


    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Nola, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t all too fazed by it. ¡°He is a Fallen Angel after all¡­looks like we¡¯ve underestimated him a little¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Sinmosa sighed and then swept a brief glance over the nearby Winged Abyssal Golems. Finally, her eyes came to a rest upon those still as a statue Imps who were practically frozen with terror right now. ¡°Seems like Mo Ke¡¯s strength is about to go up as well.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that great then?¡± Nola asked in a puzzled voice while giving Sinmosa a brief look. Even though she had a giant brain, she just couldn¡¯t wrap her head around why Sinmosa would be worried. ¡°Mo Ke is a trustworthy fellow, he wouldn¡¯t betray his comrades.¡±


    ¡°I know¡­but¡­well¡­let¡¯s hope it won¡¯t¡­¡±


    Even though she agreed with Nola¡¯s words, her face seemed to indicate otherwise.


    Exactly what was she hoping wouldn¡¯t happen? That she never mentioned in detail. Her more simple minded friend, Nola, didn¡¯t bother asking either; she merely took it as she hadn¡¯t said it at all. In order to aid Mo Ke, she had spent far too long without a nice lava bath. As of right now, all she wanted to do was jump into the nearest lava lake and have a nice soak before returning to her clan.


    ¡°Master, here¡¯s the soul from that Flame Devil Child.¡± No.3 carefully presented the soul with both of his hands, one knee bent in a respect and head lowered entirely.


    ¡°Are you still worried?¡±


    ¡°Master, I¡­¡±


    Arms still wrapped around Mo Na, I gave him a smile before saying: ¡°It¡¯s alright, I know what you are trying to say. As for that soul, you can have it. Just remember, you are the subordinate I value the most. Back when One-eye and Nine-fingers betrayed me, only you and Big 4 were there by my side, that I will never forget.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡± At that point, he raised his head and his eyes began to water up, clearly touched by my words. In fact, his face was a such mess right now, I highly doubted he was even able to speak through that waterfall flowing from his eyes.


    ¡°Come on, stand up already. What¡¯s with all the bawling? Finish up that soul and get me a quick count of the those who surrendered. Don¡¯t forget, our main mission today is to send Nola home while finding the nearest lava lake.¡±

 Chapter 311: Igneous Rain

    ¡°Understood, Master.¡±


    Right away, No.3 got about to his task of counting the number of surrendered Imps. Because the battlefield was still guarded by Winged Abyssal Golems, those Devils could only sit there obediently while the counting went on. Naturally, there were those who tried to escape at first, but after the first few ended up as Devil pancakes, the rest quickly fell in line¡­


    The Abyssal Golems, being magical constructs, were foreign to the word compassion. Thus over the course of the entire battle, they had racked up quite a number of kills, resulting in a veritable mountain of corpses beside them.


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    With regards to the actual task of counting the numbers, it was bound to be a time consuming task so I decided to leave No.3 behind while the rest of us continued onwards to our destination. This way, we would save a lot more time.


    As a precaution however, I left No.3 with the control rights to five of the Winged Abyssal Golems. After all, you could never be too sure that none of the more paranoid Devils wouldn¡¯t try and make a run for it while the bulk of us were gone.


    Even though we still didn¡¯t have an exact count of how many Devils there were, but based on my rough estimate, there had to be at least 500 of them. That amount wasn¡¯t something No.3 could handle alone especially if one of them decided to start a rebellion. As such, it was even more important that those Winged Abyssal Golems stayed behind.


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    ¡°Master, I¡­¡±


    The moment I told him I was going to leave him behind, he tried to object but stopped midway, instead choosing to give the look of an abandoned pet. Even without asking, I knew he wanted to follow us. But with the situation as it was, that wasn¡¯t practical. These new Devils were a lot slower than us and harder to manage as well. The optimum solution would be to have him stay behind while we sent Nola off.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, I know what you¡¯re thinking right now. But even if the lava lake is nearby, we can¡¯t just leave those Devils behind without anyone to watch over them.¡± I knew his frustration wouldn¡¯t be satisfied just like that so I gave him one more carrot to nibble on.


    ¡°You¡¯re my most trusted subordinate and the only one I would entrust these Winged Abyssal Golems to. I need you to finish taking stock of our new recruits before I get back, got it? It won¡¯t be long.¡±


    ¡°¡­alright, Master¡­No.3 will wait here for your return.¡±


    Having said all that to him, if he chose not to listen still, I would¡¯ve really been disappointed in him. Thankfully, not only were his concerns swept away by my simple praise, I could even detect a certain skip in his steps as he happily went about his task.


    As we continued onwards to the nearby lava lake, we were hit with that familiar sensation of active FIre Elements. Elements of such a nature were a lot easier to absorb as compared to their inert cousins. In a sense, it was kind of like how an extroverted kid found it easier to make friends than an introvert.


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    Elements were the same as well; the more active they were, the easier they were to absorb.


    ¡°I¡¯ve¡­finally come home¡­¡±


    At about the time that we reached the lava lake, Nola pushed for the two kids sitting on her back to quickly dismount. Once that was done, she hurriedly dove into the over 100 meter wide lake. Based on a rough estimate, that lake had to be at least 500 meters deep ¨Ctruly a first for me to see such a huge lake.


    As the size of the lake grew, the more abundant it was as a food source; it was most likely this reason that the capital of Sable Radiance was built so close by. In that sense, some reasonings could be said to hold true across worlds. Back on Earth, it was common to find capitals close to a water source. Clearly that held true, not only for humans, but for Devils as well. After all, the most stable source of food in Purgatory was a lava lake.


    For a city with such a large population, it definitely wasn¡¯t viable for the inhabitants to survive by feeding on each other constantly. Thus, a large food source like this was needed.


    Nola flipped and flopped about in the lava for a good long while before finally popping out from under the lava surface to address us, lips curled into a wide grin: ¡°My apologies, I got a little excited there¡­ahem¡­¡±


    Given how long it had been since she had last taken a soak in a lava lake, I couldn¡¯t blame her for acting as such. Yet just as she finished saying that, she suddenly dove into the lake once more without saying another word. Furthermore, right after her body disappeared into the lake, we heard a strange, elongated cry bubble out from underneath the lake surface. If that wasn¡¯t some kind of prank on her part, it would definitely have to mean trouble.


    While we were still mulling over whether or not she was joking around, the lake suddenly started to violently bubble at which point countless Demon Fire Worms started wiggling out from beneath. Each and every one of them had their grotesque mouths wide open and screaming that weird cry.


    Since we didn¡¯t know their language, we had no way of discerning what they were trying to say. In fact, there was no time to do so anyway. Barely a second after that happened, a thunderous boom erupted from lake. A towering wave instantly loomed over us as Nola¡¯s gigantic body came bursting out at the same time as if she was a giant whale who had summoned the waves.


    Thanks to her mountainous body size, the surrounding molten rocks and lava were thrown violently into the air and sent flying all over like a hailstorm. Being right next to the lake, we were unfortunately the targets of said storm¡­


    ¡°Mo Na, Cinderel, get behind me quick!¡± Faced with that onslaught of rocks and lava, my furiously working mind immediately came to the conclusion that avoiding it was impossible. Thus, with both arms raised up high, I started channelling my mana into a makeshift shield formed of Nether Flames, spanning roughly 5 meters wide. Thankfully, despite its ordinary appearance, this hastily erected shield managed to block all the incoming molten rocks.


    As for the kids, Mo Na, the clever little girl that she was, had already made the executive decision to scoop up Cinderel and rush her to my back while the shield was forming.


    Sinmosa and Sasani, on the other hand, weren¡¯t affected by the sudden storm of lava and rocks at all. If they wanted to, they could¡¯ve joined Nola in her little lava bath. Not Cinderel however. She was still young and thus couldn¡¯t take their scorching temperatures yet.


    A second after Nola resurfaced, another gigantic silhouette came bursting out of the lava lake, stirring up another storm in the process. In the meantime, I still had my shield erected for the second wave which came so soon that I couldn¡¯t have dropped my shield in time even if I wanted to.

 Chapter 312: It’s Nautilus, Titan of the Depths!

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Asked Sinmosa as she took a few steps forward, braving through the curtain of falling lava in the process. While it might have seemed like she was about to jump into the lava lake as well, she didn¡¯t. Jumping in right now would be extremely foolish and she at least knew that much.


    Thus, she chose to quietly wait by the side of the lake till the skies finally quietened down.


    Seeing that the danger had passed, I took down my Nether Flames shield as well, before scooping up the two little scamps into my arms. My eyes quickly swept over the two of them to check for any signs of burns of cuts. Thankfully, there were none and it was only then that I had the presence of mind to check out what was happening at the river.


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    As of right now, Nola was engaged in a heated battle with a giant Flame Devouring Fish. The fish itself was about the size of Nola and yet its attacks were so fearsome, they seemed to pierce through Nola¡¯s thick hide with ease.


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    Nola¡¯s left front claw was completely stuck in its jaws while the fish itself thrashed about violently in a sawing motion. As it flipped and flopped about, it would stir up a mini lava wave that forced me to swiftly retreat backwards with the two kids. At the same time, I commanded one of the Winged Abyssal Golems to step forward and block the incoming lava.


    Throughout all that, Nola¡¯s regenerative abilities were halted thanks to the fish¡¯s unique trait. Still, she wasn¡¯t one to just take such an attack lying down even with such a handicap. She chose the most straightforward, and also the most violent method of fighting claw with claw, fangs with fangs. Thus, the two of them wrestled furiously in a deadly stalemate that last quite a while.


    Finally, Nola started to show signs of being worn down. Her left claw had now been bent at an odd angle ¨Cmost likely a result of the Flame Devouring Fish¡¯s monstrous strength. In contrast to that, the fish had no visible wound whatsoever since her teeth weren¡¯t even able to penetrate its scaly hide!


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    ¡°This won¡¯t do at all, we need to help Nola.¡± Declared Sinmosa. However, she didn¡¯t dare to recklessly jump into this fight as she was a Hellhound and not some kind of aquatic species. As a canine, her fighting prowess would drop drastically in the lava lake, resulting in her just being a burden.


    The situation, being as dire as it was, warranted immediate action so I did just that. Without thinking too much about the plan itself, I ordered my Winged Abyssal Golems to aid Nola. Yet in my anxious haste, I completely forgot that the Winged Abyssal Golems were magical constructs and thus couldn¡¯t exert any of their powers in the lava lake. That and the fact that they didn¡¯t have a swimming function designed into them¡­


    The moment the first WInged Abyssal Golem set foot into the lava lake, it sank right to the bottom with a resounding *flop*, closely followed by a second¡­


    ¡°Stop¡­quick, stop¡­¡±


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    Just as I said that, the third Winged Abyssal Golem¡¯s knees came to a grinding halt just as it was about to take that fateful step into the lake, body completely frozen halfway through its motion.


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    Because the golems weren¡¯t living creatures, they weren¡¯t all that intelligent to begin with; all they could do was blindly listen to commands. Regardless of what obstacles stood in their way, they would mechanically follow the command till another was given. Had I been even a second slower, I would have probably caused a third golem to fall to its watery death.


    The loss of those two Winged Abyssal Golems were truly a stab right through my heart. I wouldn¡¯t have minded as much if the both of them were merely ordinary Abyssal Golems since Mo Na could reproduce them. The winged ones on the other hand¡­their skeleton cores probably wasn¡¯t something she could easily reproduce. The materials required would definitely be of the rare kind, the kind where you stumbled upon by pure luck. For me to lose two just like that¡­I was truly devastated. The best I could hope for was that they were still salvageable.


    ¡®Hopefully they will still be working then¡­at the very least, don¡¯t turn into Nautilus, Titan of the Depths¡­twins no less¡­I guess they should be called Titan of the Lava then, since it¡¯s a lava lake.


    ¡®Either way, what¡¯s important is that there¡¯s no way to help Nola now! Blast it, if only No.3 was here. As a Flame Devil Infant, that lava lake would not only not lower his strength, but even boost it.¡¯


    ¡®Sh*t, sh*t. The rest of us can¡¯t step into that lake too, or we would just end up as burdens. What¡¯s even worse is that our strongest weapon, those Winged Abyssal Golems are basically useless as well¡­but if we don¡¯t do anything to help her, she might just lose¡­¡¯


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to help me, I¡¯ll take care of this fellow myself¡­¡±


    Most likely a result of that huge ruckus caused by my WInged Abyssal Golems taking a dip, Nola¡¯s attention was briefly drawn to our side as she retreated away from the giant Flame Devouring Fish temporarily. Afraid of messing up her own movements, she did not even cast us a glance as she said thusly: ¡°You guys need to be careful yourselves, I can sense some Demonic Fire Sprites nearby, very close by in fact!¡±


    ¡°Demonic Fire Sprites?!¡± Sinmosa¡¯s first reaction was to pause in shock for a second before sputtering out: ¡°What are they doing here?!¡±


    ¡®Demonic Fire Sprite? I know I¡¯ve heard that name before¡­aren¡¯t they elemental lifeforms like those Fire Elementals?¡¯


    The difference between the two was that they had a Darkness Element on top of being of the Fire Element. Their behavior was said to be more extreme. For example, even though they are Elementals, they weren¡¯t too fond of staying at one spot like their sedentary cousins. Instead, they prefer roaming about and stirring trouble. It would be fair to even consider them nomadic.


    Because the conditions required to birth a Demonic Fire Spirit were stringent, their numbers tended to be on the low side. Still, their presence was definitely felt in Purgatory, though not to the extent that they were a threat. Strictly speaking, every member was strong individually, but as race, they were considered one of the weaker ones.


    ¡°Demonic Fire Sprites are extremely fond of murder and destruction. And even though they are technically Fire Elementals as well, they aren¡¯t afraid of the Flame Devouring Fishes thanks to their darkness element¡­¡± Seeing me a little confused, Sinmosa took the effort to explain as such as she trotted up to me. ¡°In a sense, their races actually click very well with each other since they had a common nemesis in the form of the Fire Elementals¡­¡±


    ¡°Nemesis? Fire Elementals? Demonic Fire Sprites?¡± Having listened to her entire explanation, I paused in surprise for a second before a spark of inspiration seemed to flash across my mind and eyes. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that they might be in cahoots to try and take down the Fire Elementals since the fishes are immune to fire attacks?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I clearly remember those fishes organizing a raid against the Fire Elementals every so often. During those times, the Fire Elementals would seek out the Demon Fire Salamanders to aid them in their fight against the Flame Devouring Fishes since they are enemies as well¡­¡±


    Before Sinmosa could even finish her explanation, a couple of black silhouettes flashed into existence over at the other side of the lake. Their forms were blurry but it was still possible to make out their vaguely human shape. As they flew over the crimson lake, their speeds could only be described as lightning fast, and in the blink of an eye, they managed to close in on Nola and the Flame Devouring Fish.

 Chapter 313: Demonic Fire Sprite

    ¡°Demonic Fire Sprites!¡± Sinmosa immediately recognized the two silhouettes from a mere glance and hurriedly yelled out: ¡°Watch out, Nola!¡±


    For the most part, the Demonic Fire Sprites we saw were the same as the Fire Elementals appearance-wise. The biggest difference between the two would be their darker shade of red as compared to the red of a Fire Elemental.


    Just as the two of these unwelcome guests flew close to Nola and the fish, each of them threw out a couple of dark red Fireballs at Nola.


    It was also about that time that I noticed their presence, having been alerted by Sinmosa¡¯s yell. My first reaction then was to toss out six Darkness Arrows at them.


    Darkness Arrow was a spell I automatically picked up upon evolving to One-stars, those many moons ago. Back then, I was still extremely weak so each time I cast one of them, it would end up taking five whole seconds for me to do so. As my strength increased, that time shortened and now I was able to cast them instantly. Had it not been for the lack of scaling in such a spell, this handy spell would have probably been one of my most used skills already.


    Like a bunch of homing missiles, the Darkness Arrows immediately split up into equal groups and accurately sought out those two Fireballs. A second later, they collided with a thunderous bang born from an explosion. Thank to the unstable nature of those two elements combining into one Fireball, my Darkness Arrows were able to easily destroy that razor thin elemental balance before they even got close to Nola.


    The two sprites immediately turned to look in the direction of the Darkness Arrows and so happened to stumble upon me. They exchanged a brief glance with each other at which point of them broke off towards me while the other continued chucking Fireballs at Nola. Even though I wasn¡¯t sure if those Fireballs were even able to damage Nola, I wasn¡¯t about to find out either.


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    Because those Fireballs were of the same color as my Nether Flames¡­


    I let forth another three more Darkness Arrows right at the Fireball heading towards Nola. The other sprite, who was still flying towards me, promptly clawed at the offending arrows but just as he was about to make contact with the arrows, they suddenly made an abrupt curve as if they were alive. With that, his attack was easily evaded and the arrows managed to once again foil the efforts of those sprites.


    Never in his wildest dreams did that sprite ever expect those arrows to make a sudden turn like that. Thus, when his attack failed to connect, he was briefly surprised but soon recovered a second later. He knew very well that now wasn¡¯t the time for mistakes so he immediately continued flying towards his obvious target, me.


    Unfortunately for him, he was doomed to be disappointed as his flight path so happened to coincide with one of the Winged Abyssal Golems who was still at the side of the lake.


    Despite having wings, the golem itself wasn¡¯t able to fly, completely unlike the sprites who were able to fly despite their humanoid form. Still, while my golem was able to successfully delay the sprite, it wasn¡¯t actually able to hurt the agile sprite who was basically flying circles around it right now.


    To be exact, that sprite wasn¡¯t actually flying. From the way it seemed to swim across the air, it would probably be more apt to call that gliding.


    Because of its natural air superiority, the sprite wasn¡¯t restrained in its choices of attack angles like the golem who was stuck fast to the ground. A quick duck to the right and a quick dive to the right was all it took for the sprite to nimbly maneuver around the golem¡¯s attacks.


    It was then that the sprite became confident enough to attack the golem, which it did so in fact. However, the Fireball it threw out fizzled in a spectacular but harmless lightshow on the golem¡¯s head. The golem hadn¡¯t even tried to dodge or deflect the attack at all, choosing instead to take it head on.


    Soon after, the flames dissipated entirely, revealing a perfectly unharmed golem. As for that sprite, his body seemed to flicker for a second, like those old tube televisions, before returning to normal an instant later.


    Whether it was the Flame Element of the sprites or their Darkness Elements, both were destined to be useless against my golems. As long as it was a magical attack, the exoskeleton of my golems could easily handle them. After all, they were made from rocks that contained mana in the first place, and had even undergone repeated refining¡­though that refining was actually done by those Black Blood Ants¡­


    The fact that the sprite flickered for a second was probably because he used up part of his own elements to fuel that attack. Based on that alone, one could tell how powerful that attack was, at least it would have been if it hadn¡¯t landed on the magic immune exoskeleton of my golems.


    By now, it was obvious to the sprite that his attacks weren¡¯t effective against the golem so he immediately thought about abandoning this pointless fight. Back when he was zipping around the golem, he learnt that while the golem had powerful attacks, a magical construct like it had a fatal flaw in that it was extremely slow. It also had no ranged attacks to speak of. And it also couldn¡¯t enter the lava lake¡­


    Although the golem itself was a Seven-stars, it was a poor match against the nimble Demonic Fire Sprite¡­an extremely poor match to be exact. That sprite was simply too unpredictable for one golem to handle. But at the same time, I couldn¡¯t dispatch the other golems since I had to have them guard Mo Na and Cinderel. To make matters worse, because the sprite was able to fly, he could withdraw whenever he liked. Even if I did dispatch some golems against him, they wouldn¡¯t be able to restrain him.


    ¡°Leave that sprite to us.¡± Realizing how bad the situation actually was, Sinmosa promptly stepped forward with her husband, Sasani. Fully intending to surround that sprite together, she confidently declared: ¡°Those are Five-stars sprites so we should still be able to handle that sprite on the lakeside. While we can¡¯t stop him from escaping, we should at least be able to prevent him from causing trouble.¡±


    It was then that Mo Na landed on one of the Winged Abyssal Golems with a plop, tiny hands waving about as she did so. ¡°Mo Na can help too!¡±


    ¡°Sweetie, what are you planning exactly?¡±


    Worried that my little baby might get hurt, my first thought was to try and stop her. Yet before I could even do so, she firmly thumped her little chest and assured me: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mama, Mo Na will just stand here and use ranged spells, she won¡¯t rush into battle.¡±


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    ¡°Alright then, remember, no rushing forward, okay?¡±


    Hearing her say that, my fears were put to rest. If she was just trying to provide cover fire with her magic, she shouldn¡¯t be in that much danger. With a Winged Abyssal Golem by side, it was highly unlikely that anything would happen to her.


    ¡°Mhm, of course Mo Na understands.¡± She adorably stuck out her little red tongue at me: ¡°Mo Na isn¡¯t some kind of dummy!¡±

 Chapter 314: Summoning Stick Figures

    ¡°Bark bark!~~~¡± Cinderel galloped up to Mo Na as she stood beside that Winged Abyssal Golem. From the way she barked, it was almost as if she wasn¡¯t just trying to show off her existence this time, but was also declaring her intention to enter battle.


    Mo Na, however, shook her head at the excited little puppy: ¡°Cinderel doesn¡¯t have to help out.¡±


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    ¡°Bark bark bark!¡± She continued woofing as if she was asking, why couldn¡¯t she participate?


    ¡°Because Cinderel is still too little.¡± Mo Na explained after a brief moment of serious thought, the kind where you cupped your chin with your fingers.


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    ¡°¡­woof woof¡­¡±


    ¡°Mo Na isn¡¯t a child, Mo Na is a already an adult, a little while more and Mo Na can make babies with Mama!¡±


    ¡°Bark bark¡­woof¡­:


    ¡°That won¡¯t do, Mama belongs to Mo Na. Cinderel can¡¯t have her!¡±


    ¡®Oh my potatoes¡­what did I just hear? Can I even consider that an innocent conversation between children anymore?¡¯


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    If we weren¡¯t in a heated battle right now, I would¡¯ve went right over to give her a piece of my mind. Then I would tell her explicitly that there were some things that mustn¡¯t be said lightly.


    Throughout all that, the Demonic Fire Sprite, who had just rushed up to the side of the lava lake not too long ago, was in still stuck in a battle against my Winged Abyssal Golem, and the combination of Sinmosa and Sasani. No matter how much he swerved left or dodged right, his attempts at breaking through their blockade were all unsuccessful. Finally, after multiple failures, he realized that all three of them were actually flightless creatures so he immediately tried to take to the air.


    With a swift bend of his back, the sprite narrowly avoided a swipe from Sinmosa, at which point he took this opportunity to soar into the air while avoiding another punch from the Abyssal Golem with a timely swerve. Finally, there was nothing standing in his way. But just as he thought that he had succeeded, his vision went black as a mass of eerie black mist suddenly enveloped the sky above him. Not caring in the least bit, the Demonic Fire Sprite even increased his speed so as to better ram through that barrier of mist.


    However, things weren¡¯t as simple as he had first assumed. It was only when his head collided with the mist that he realized that something was amiss.


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    There was actually a ghastly face sticking right out of it! The face had holes for eyes and two smaller holes that were probably his nose. As for its mouth, it was naturally a hole as well, albeit a jagged one. Like those common movie ghosts, the face would constantly contort itself in pain while making a viscerally disturbing expression.


    *BOOM!* The mist exploded the instant the ghost impacted it.


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    Because all these happened so suddenly, the Demonic Fire Sprite had nowhere to hide at all, and could only raise both of his hands to guard its core from being shattered. For the most part, the explosion wasn¡¯t as fatal as the sprite had worried but it was more than enough to force him back to the ground. Not only that, the moment that sprite landed on the floor, he found that both his arms, his right shoulder and the right half of his face were all coated in a strange black substance. Said matter was even giving a strange sizzling sound right this very second.


    As the sizzling got even more pronounced, the areas smothered in black started to flicker, indicating the sprite¡¯s worsening condition.


    It was actually able to dissolve the sprite¡¯s body!


    Very quickly, the sprite was made painfully aware of how terrifying this unknown substance actually was. He immediately focused all of his mana into the affected areas and wiped them clean in a few seconds.


    Having just finished that, Sasani¡¯s claw came flying towards him and the sprite had no choice but to take to the skies once more. Yet just as he was about to do so, he was confronted by another frightening fact: unbeknownst to him, the black mist was now merely ten meters away from the top of his head¡­


    ¡°YAAY, it succeeded!¡±


    Cheered Mo Na who was beside herself for having forced the sprite down to the ground. As she sat on top of that Winged Abyssal Golem, she happily clapped her little hands together. In all likelihood, she was probably the one who created that black mist.


    Likely as a result of our growing success, the other sprite, who was still floating atop the lava lake, suddenly turned around and gave us what had to be the most arrogant and condescending thumbs down ever¡­by the way, when did thumbs down become a thing even in a foreign world?


    ¡®Hmph, what a naive little sprite, did you really think I have no way to attack you?¡¯


    It was true that my fire resistance had experienced a noticeable drop since I evolved into a Fallen Angel, to the point where I couldn¡¯t even take a bath in the lava lake anymore. As for flying¡­I would have to apologize in advance because my wings were temporarily in a state of being more aesthetic rather than functional. It was also true that by merely throwing long ranged spells at him, I wasn¡¯t going to threaten him all that much. Given all that, was I going to just sit by and let the other party attack Nola so blatantly? Of course not. In truth, I had a way of threatening that sprite even from this distance. Lest one forgot, I gained a certain spell upon evolving into a Fallen Angel, one that was similar to a clone: Shadow Demon Guardian!


    Since I had gained the ability to impart consciousness onto another, my magicks had their mobility significantly improved. For example, those swerving Darkness Arrows. It could be said that my spells had all levelled up, of which my Shadow Guardian probably changed the most. It was now able to act independently of my body after all!


    The moment the last bit of mana required was spent, my shadow immediately left my side in what had to be an extremely odd sight for those who witnessed it firsthand.


    With how featureless it actually was, the shadow truly resembled a stick figure, except that it had a pair of shadow wings sprouting from its back. What was worth mentioning however, was that it didn¡¯t just leave my side, it was now a clone of me. To be exact, it could probably be counted as a type of elemental lifeform!


    That¡¯s right, if one really wanted to go by the books, my Shadow Demon Guardian was actually a Shadow Darkness Elemental.


    Even though there were only six basic elements when the Creator created the world ¨Cnamely, Water, Fire, Wind, Earth, Light and Darkness ¡ª those six elements had in fact birthed several other branching elements. For example, the Water element gave birth to the Ice element. Wind birthed Thunder, Earth birthed Metal, Darkness birthed Shadow and etc.


    That was why even though there were so many elements now, they were all still basically part of the six basic elements. It was just a matter of ancient humans creating more categories.


    ¡°Stickman¡­ahem, that¡¯s not right, Shadow Demon, teach that moron a lesson for me!¡±


    With figurative wind blowing at hair and my chest puffed out, I gave that order to my Shadow Demon Guardian. Even though this was my first time actually using it, I was confident that it would definitely give that sprite the thrashing of his life.

 Chapter 315: Black Blades

    Perhaps it was because of my absolute show of confidence or perhaps it was because a strange stickman suddenly appeared out of thin air, but either way, that sprite immediately took up a guarded stance the moment he saw the strange shadow flying towards him. His gaze was immediately drawn to the Shadow Demon Guardian, as if he was expecting the shadow to suddenly throw out some kind of special killer move.


    Upon receiving my order, the shadow fully extended its wings out with a flourish and began flying towards the sprite like a perfectly straight arrow. Not only was its flight speed quick, it was extremely stable as well; there was absolutely no indication of this being its first flight.


    ¡®Ah¡­how envious¡­in fact, why is that fellow so good at flying in the first place? I¡¯m the original here, not it! Why must I fall like a ten tonne hammer whenever I try to fly? Also, also, what¡¯s the idea behind dodging that Fireball with such a flashy twirl? Is it looking down on me or something? Am I really being scorned by my own shadow¡­¡¯


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    Regardless of how much tsukkomi I had to offer, it was a fact that the shadow formed from my very own mana was darting towards that sprite, easily covering the span of a 100 meters in merely a second. As for that sprite, it was beginning to feel the pressure of the shadow¡¯s unerring advance so he promptly retreated backwards while tossing out another fire attack at it.


    Yet with its absurdly quick speed and absurdly light body that was not bound by physical concerns, it was able to pull off the most impossible of twists and turns imaginable. If this was Earth, this shadow of mine could probably even beat a cobra at Yoga.


    The moment my shadow stepped within 20 meters of its enemy, the sprite opened up its non-distinct mouth and spat out a jet of flames at it. The Shadow Demon immediately swerved to the left in order to dodge the attack but the sprite wasn¡¯t so easily foiled. Wherever my shadow went, he would doggedly hound it with that unending stream of fire.


    The Shadow Demon tried a multitude of ways to break past the stream of fire. In fact, I had even ordered it to try and face that attack head on as well. It violently rushed right into that roaring column of flames as ordered but just as it did so, its body was instantly engulfed in flames and started to flicker just as that sprite once did.


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    At the same time as that, I immediately felt a void in my mana pool that quickly ballooned the longer the shadow stood in the way of the flames. Thankfully, my mana pool had increased significantly ever since I became a Fallen Angel. Under normal circumstances, I could probably maintain the Shadow Demon for almost half a day.


    According to Ferti¡¯nier, I already had the mana reserves of a Six-stars. Still, it wasn¡¯t easy maintaining the Shadow Demon right now. During times such as this where it was hurt, I had to use my mana to stabilize its elemental body lest it dissipated entirely.


    In order to prevent the Shadow Demon from being destroyed, I had no choice but to channel more mana into it. By ,y estimations, it was possible for it to force its way through to the sprite. However, the mana expended would be horrific.


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    Ignoring every other consideration, I continued with my order to push through that stream of fire by sheer brute force. In truth, while doing so might have ate up a lot of mana, that sprite had to expend a great deal of mana as well. If I wanted to, I could easily turn this battle into a war of attrition. Yet with Nola in a dire situation, I had to rush to her aid as soon as possible. No matter what, I had to resolve this battle quickly!


    As a shadowy clone of myself, the Shadow Demon was completely obedient to my commands. Even if I were to command it to jump into a volcano, it would never hesitate. Thus, when that command was given, the Shadow Demon continued pushing forward despite the growing burns on its body. Truly, this was a dangerous situation to be in. If my mana channeling were to stop for even a second, all that mana expenditure would have been for naught.


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    By the time the Shadow Demon was less than five meters away from the sprite, my mana pool had dropped by a ton!


    Realizing that I was about to run out of mana, the sprite continued with its backpedalling while breathing out fire at the charging Shadow Demon. Just like that, the two of them continued chasing each other around for over a minute at which point the sprite finally stopped.


    ¡®Out of mana huh?¡¯ Yet just as that thought occured, reality came knocking with a tight slap to my face. Barely a second later, I saw that Demonic Fire Sprite leap into the lava lake and pop out a couple seconds later, head first. The bubbling lava not only didn¡¯t harm him, it instead recovered his mana¡­


    Having just stuck its head out of the lava lake, the first thing the sprite did was to chuck over a dozen Fireballs at the Shadowman. With such a barrage of flames, I knew that brute force was no longer an option so I promptly had my Shadow Demon dodge to the side.


    With a few dodges to the right and left, my Shadow Demon managed to evade all of the incoming Fireballs. Yet all that was merely a smokescreen for the sprite¡¯s true aim. The Demonic Fire Sprite wasn¡¯t out to finish off my Shadow Demon at all¡­


    While all that was happening, the sprite conjured up a two meter long blade of fire shaped like a crescent. Seeing that, I was just about to order my Shadow Demon to dodge once more when I realized that his blade wasn¡¯t flying towards my shadow at all. Rather, it was heading straight towards Nola who was still battling against that giant Flame Devouring Fish!


    Because she was still busy fending off the attacks of that fish, she was completely caught off by that powerful flame bade. Though she managed to perform a last minute dodge in the end, the sheer size of her body caused her tail to still be caught by that attack.


    It was at that very moment that my previous instincts about the flame resistant Nola being unable to endure an attack from the sprite were verified. Why? Because that flame blade actually managed to slice through her tail that was over half a meter wide!


    She immediately let forth a booming howl of pain. Even if such an injury wasn¡¯t a lasting one because of her regenerative abilities, that didn¡¯t mean that she was immune to pain either. What should¡¯ve hurt still caused her a great deal of pain.


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    That searing pain fuelled her rage even further, providing even more energy for her relentless attacks!


    She frantically sawed at the fish who was still stuck to her claw. This time, the rage of having her tail sliced off was enough for her teeth to pierce through the outer scales of the fish and draw blood.


    Now in as much pain as Nola, the giant fish began to furiously struggle. However, Nola adamantly bit down on it, refusing to budge in the slightest and fully intending to strike while the iron was hot. But just as she was about to do so, another flame blade came swinging towards her.


    In spite of that, Nola was fully prepared to finish off this fish even if it meant taking on that flame blade again. Realizing her near suicidal intentions, the fish knew that now was the time to let go. It immediately loosened its teeth and gave Nola a vicious ram to the side of her face. Struck, Nola¡¯s head shifted to the side slightly and her fangs loosened as well but not to the extent that they released their vice-like grip. Even in this state, she refused to loosen her bite¡­

 Chapter 316: The Right Way to Use Nether Flames, Yo~

    Just as Nola was struck a forceful blow that skewed her heads sidewards momentarily, a blade, made of pure flames, came roaring at it right that very instant.


    I didn¡¯t even have the time to react as a frightful gash was ripped right across her head, nearly revealing the white underneath in the process. A gush of blood spewed forth from her head, and along with it came her left eye¡­


    ¡®Oh shoot, Nola has no resistance to that black flame, if that giant fish were to attack her now¡­¡¯ Yet just as I was fretting over whether or not the fish would take this opportunity to finish off Nola, it unexpectedly dove into the lava lake.


    ¡®Wait, what is that fish even doing? Isn¡¯t this the perfect time to deal a final blow?¡¯


    However, no matter how confused I was by its inexplicable action, now wasn¡¯t the time for all that consideration ¨Cbecause the battle hadn¡¯t ended yet!


    Now that she was in such a bloodied state, Nola probably wasn¡¯t going to be a problem for the time being. Thus the Demonic Fire Sprite turned his sights back on my Shadow Demon and tossed out a dozen or so Fireballs which rose into the air like fireworks before veering straight towards a singular target: the Shadow Demon.


    Faced with a barrage of flame attacks, the Shadow Demon continued its previous tactic of dodging and as it did so, the distance between it and the sprite unknowingly became bigger. By now, there was a whole twenty meters separating the two of them. Barring any circumstances, such a wide gap would favor the sprite more since I had no way to employ long range attacks via that Shadow Demon. In other words, the Shadow Demon had no way of defeating the sprite unless that gap was closed.


    An equally troubling fact was the degree of Nola¡¯s injuries. Her left eye was gone and who knew if her brain had suffered any damage in the process. In fact, her condition was so bad right now, I had no way of telling if she was even conscious anymore as she slowly sank into the lava lake.


    ¡®She¡¯s not dead right¡­the lifeforce of a Demon Fire Salamander¡­it can¡¯t be that weak right¡­well, all we can do now is believe in her safety and break past this difficult situation ourselves!¡¯


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    Without our trusty comrade Nola, I knew we had no choice but to give our 120% right now.


    As I stood there at the side of lake, I ordered my Shadow Demon to perform another dive at the sprite, even if the sprite threw out that fire breath at us. This time I had no intention of evading his attacks anymore, not unless he created some kind of tsunami¡­


    ¡®Wait¡­¡¯


    Faced with the oncoming Shadow Demon, the Demonic Fire Sprite wasted no time in starting a chanting motion.


    *WHOOSH*


    Suddenly, it seemed as if the lava lake itself rose to cover the skies and was rushing right at the Shadow Demon!


    ¡®What the heck is that?! Did he really create a tsunami¡­¡¯


    I hurriedly had the Shadow Demon take to the skies to avoid the oncoming wave, barely managing to avoid the attack with the thinnest of margins. Yet in spite of that, the Shadow Demon¡¯s fate was already determined as while all that was happening, none of us had noticed that something hiding beneath the wave¡­


    Just as I thought that the Shadow Demon had reached a safe height, the wave suddenly exploded and a black silhouette came rushing from underneath. Like a world renowned surfer, it seemed to ride the lava wave itself as it took the sky like a rocket!


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    ¡®Not good¡­¡¯


    By the time I was able to get a good look at that silhouette, I knew that I¡¯ve been had¡­that speeding rocket was none other than the fish that had given up on attacking Nola!


    By making using of the wave, it launched itself right beneath the Shadow Demon and, with razor sharp teeth glittering in the air, chomped down on the Shadow Demon before it even had the chance to dodge¡­just like that, the Shadow Demon was ripped to shred¡­


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    Then, there was nothing¡­the moment the Shadow Demon was wrapped around by its teeth, there was no way it could ever survive/


    ¡°*cough*¡­*splutter*¡±


    As a clone of mine, it was only to be expected that some of that damage would end up reflecting back onto me when it died. In that very instant the Shadow Demon died, my heart felt like it had stopped.


    Fortunately, I wasn¡¯t some old human, and the body of a Fallen Angel was a lot sturdier than I had initially expected, especially given that I was of Lucifer¡¯s direct lineage. Not only that, I had three Original Sins on me so the backlash merely brought me a moment of discomfort and nothing more.


    With the last obstacle gone, the fish immediately turned around to dive back into the lava lake, right at the very spot where I saw Nola sink into the lake.


    ¡°Watch out Nola!¡±


    Regardless of whether or not she could even hear me, my first instinct was to try and warn her. Yet that was all I could manage before a blackish red silhouette suddenly appeared before me.


    In just the blink of an eye, the sprite circled around to my back and restrained me with a forceful grip.


    *sizzle*


    Having been hugged like that from the back, I was instantly struck with a burning sensation from where he touched me. Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t to the extent where I instantly blacked out. Furthermore, while the sprite¡¯s flame had the characteristic of being corrosive and scalding, being born of two elements and all, the former had no effect on me whatsoever. I was a Fallen Angel after, the Darkness was like an old friend to me¡­


    Because the sprite was currently stuck fast to me, I had no way to attack him with the golems since those mindless constructs would most likely hurt me in the process of trying to strike at the sprite.


    ¡°MAMA!¡±


    Mo Na was the first to realize that the Demonic Fire Sprite had me caught in a hug. My little baby immediately scrambled to try and help me escape but with how tightly bound we were, she really had no way of attacking that wouldn¡¯t hurt me.


    ¡°Curses. You big baddie, let go of Mo Na¡¯s Mama!¡±


    ¡°BARK BARK~~¡± Cinderel bravely barked at the sprite as well.


    ¡°Sssshhhhh¡­¡±


    Seeing the distraught Mo Na so anxious to attack but yet unable to do so, the sprite made a bizarre sound that I assumed was his way of laughing. It was the kind of laughter you wouldn¡¯t expect from a normal person, the kind of gloating laugh that you would only see from a villain.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sweetie. Papa¡¯s alright!¡±


    Even though I said that, the armor on my back had already turned black from the sprite¡¯s scorching flames and was about to turn to cinders. Yet it was in such situations that I was at my calmest; panicking was only going to hasten my demise after all.


    It was also at that moment that Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s voice made her timely appearance. As frivolous as her tone was, she actually gave me a pretty decent suggestion.


    ¡°Little Brother, you do know you can use your Nether Flames right?¡±


    ¡®Nether Flames?¡¯


    I paused for a second.


    ¡®That¡¯s right, I still have my Nether Flames. Even though it seems silly to throw fire at a Demonic Fire Sprite, it¡¯s not like his black flames are actually Nether Flames. Strictly speaking, they are just an amalgamation of the Darkness and Fire Element¡­¡¯

 Chapter 317: The Right Way to Kill a Person in an Instan

    Unlike the black flames of that sprite, Nether Flame was a flame of pure destruction that could burn down everything in the world. In terms of grade, it was innately more powerful than the sprite¡¯s black flames.


    ¡°At first, I thought that the flames on you were Nether Flames.¡± Still bound up by the sprite, I was more than calm as I declared as such: ¡°But now¡­I¡¯ve realized that it¡¯s not.¡±


    ¡°ROAARRR~~¡±


    Seemingly unable to speak, the Demonic Fire Sprite¡¯s words sounded more like the roaring of a beast instead. Not paying that roar any attention whatsoever, I immediately set about channeling my mana into Nether Flames that would coat my body.


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    The blackish-red Nether Flames immediately wrapped around my skin and, because of the contact with my skin, the sprite was covered in it as well. Having touched the deadly flames, the sprite was like a lighter that had been thrown into a barrel of oil¡­


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    ¡°ROAAARRRRR¡­.¡±


    He immediately let go of me upon being burned. He wanted to escape, right there and then, but with the flames already stuck to him, it was too late. As the sprite frantically sped away, his pained howls would echo ominously behind him. Then, after a minute or so, the howling stopped and that cunning fellow finally fell to the ground as a pile of ashes.


    ¡°Wooo! ~~Mama¡¯s the greatest!¡± Seeing me not only extricate myself but also kill off the baddie in an instant, Mo Na leapt into my arms and gave me a tight hug. As always, she shoved her tiny face into my own before saying: ¡°Mama¡¯s the best, Mo Na¡¯s Mama is the bestest in the world!¡±


    ¡°Woof woof woof!~~¡± Cinderel came trotting over as well, happily barking while circling around me as if she was chasing her own tail.


    ¡°Sweetie, now¡¯s not the time to be naughty, Papa needs to have a look at that fellow¡­¡± I had the two little scamps settle down for now before lowering Mo Na back down with her little playmate. Having done that, my eyes drifted over to the pile of ashes left by the sprite.


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    ¡®So he¡¯s dead then? Hmph, that was rather abrupt¡­¡¯


    Just as I was wondering whether or not the sprite was faking his death, Ferti¡¯nier came barging in with her usual teasing in my head: ¡°Of course he¡¯s dead, what do you think your Nether Flames are? Some kind of cabbage you find on the streets?¡±


    ¡®Are they that rare? Why doesn¡¯t it feel like that at all?¡¯


    In truth, I had already had a brief experience with those flames back when I was just a One-stars small fry. Back then, I used my Nether Flames to burn a Two-stars Head Imp to nothingness. After that, I had sporadically thrown out those flames as well but they weren¡¯t all that strong.


    ¡°Nether Flames are flames that can only be found in the deepest reaches of Hell. It is a flame of Sin. Its biggest characteristic is that it grows with the user¡¯s mana. In other words, the more mana the user have, the more deadly the flame becomes. Not only that, sins become fuel for the Nether Flames. By committing a variety of atrocities, the user can cultivate his flames. The more sinful the user is, the more powerful the flame becomes¡­¡±


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    As she explained that to me, I could feel the scorn dripping from her voice. At the very least however, I finally understood why my Nether Flames were so weak back then¡­ ¡®So it¡¯s not that they are weak, it¡¯s me¡­¡¯


    ¡®Since I have the same mana reserves as a Six-stars, does that mean my Nether Flames are at the level of a Six-stars as well? But aren¡¯t those sprites born of two elements? For them to die just from a little Nether Flame¡­¡¯


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    ¡°Only when they evolve to the level of an Overlord will the Demonic Fire Sprites be able to become Nether Flame Sprites. In truth, the black flames they use are the original form of the Nether Flames. By coming into contact with Nether Flames, they are essentially forced to evolve. However, that Five-stars sprite hasn¡¯t reached the requirements for evolution so it ended up being burnt to death instead.¡±


    ¡®Forcing him to evolve? What if he actually succeeds?¡¯


    ¡°In theory, it¡¯s impossible for a Five-stars to evolve right away into a Nine-stars. Besides, the Nether Flames you just used were extremely powerful as well. Ever since you, my dear little brother, evolved into a Purple Winged Fallen Angel, you¡¯ve also picked up a portion of the sins committed by Lucifer.¡±


    ¡®A portion of Lucifer¡¯s sins?¡¯


    ¡°Ever since ancient times when Lucifer chose to willingly fall into depravity, he has committed all manners of atrocities like luring Adam and Eve into eating the forbidden fruit¡­like luring men to Undead magicks and causing the first Great Flood. All those sins can be attributed to Lucifer and, as his direct descendent, you as well.¡±


    ¡®What the potato¡­where¡¯s customer support right now, I want to scold somebody¡­even though all that talk about Apocalypse and sins is really cool¡­I¡¯ve already past the age of a middle schooler¡­can I just give back all the sins, no refund is fine as well. I don¡¯t want to be some kind of world destroyer¡­¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s rich, my dear little brother is acting all innocent even after reaping a massive benefit.¡± Her voice was clearly laced with envy right now as she said this: ¡°Don¡¯t forget, once you add in the previous Original Sins of Envy and Lust, Little Brother has THREE Original Sins.¡±


    ¡®Ferti¡¯nier once said that those who were blessed with an Original Sin had far greater potential than others. Since I have three Original Sins, doesn¡¯t that mean my Devil Kinghood is guaranteed?¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s not that easy to become a Devil King. How about my dear little brother stop fantasizing for a while to handle the problems in front of him right now?¡±


    ¡®Well then, let¡¯s put all that aside for now. Time to handle that fish¡­but both Nola and it are still in the lake right now¡­I wonder what¡¯s going on down there.¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that big salamander, she should be able to handle that opponent of hers.¡± At that, her voice perked up. ¡°Oh right. O little brother of mine, this one has suddenly thought of something.¡±


    ¡®What thing?¡¯


    ¡°You¡¯re still too weak right now.¡±


    ¡®I¡­is there even a need to say that? How about you then? Don¡¯t you run around calling yourself Devil King. If that¡¯s true, how about giving me some pointers once in a while!¡¯


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s true. This one is still in Little Brother¡¯s body after all. If my dear little brother gets into trouble, this one would be troubled as well.¡± Having said that, she abandoned her usual frivolity and solemnly said as such: ¡°And that¡¯s why this one has decided to train you, my dear little brother.¡±


    ¡®Train? How? Is she really saying that she will help me raise my power? That thick-skinned freeloader is finally going to pay her rental fee?¡¯


    Hearing her mention training, all the irritation from being addressed as her little brother instantly vanished.


    ¡°In truth, the majority of the skills you, my dear little brother, have been using are all learnt from this one. That¡¯s why this one can¡¯t help but find them child¡¯s play.¡±


    ¡®Hey, how about not making fun of me right away¡­I¡¯ve done pretty well, don¡¯t you know!¡¯


    As if she had never heard that last comment at all, she said as such: ¡°Well then, let¡¯s start off by summoning that shadow clone of yours.¡±

 Chapter 318: A Fight That Didn’t Make Sense

    ¡®*cough* Shadow Clone? You mean my Shadow Demon? That was just ripped to shreds by that giant fish, can it even still be summoned?¡¯


    ¡°Shadow Clones are just clones made from mana. As long as you survive the backlash and you still have enough mana, summoning it again shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Dear little brother of mine, you know you could¡¯ve just summoned another one right away, although that would have probably been painful.¡±


    ¡®Oh, is that so?¡¯


    I tried summoning another one and it actually worked¡­


    As I looked at the Shadow Clone before me, I could no longer contain the swelling excitement within me.


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    ¡®I DID IT¡­if that¡¯s the case, I can just keep summoning it as a pin cushion for any incoming attacks. Also, since it¡¯s about as strong as I am, I can just send it off without any worry¡­safe, stressless and, more importantly, danger-free¡­mhm, important things should be repeated.¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s almost like a game where I can have multiple lives!¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t get all worked up so easily now, how about having that clone of yours go fight the sprite first.¡±


    As she suggested, I had my new Shadow Clone fly off to the other sprite who was still battling with Sinmosa and the others.


    Sinmosa and Sasani both gave their new reinforcement a quick look before turning back to the sprite without saying a word.


    ¡°Use your Nether Flames.¡±


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    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    ¡°Use your Nether Flames.¡± She repeated once more.


    ¡®My Nether Flames? Did I hear you right there? What do you mean by use my Nether Flames? My Shadow Demon isn¡¯t able to use magic just like that. And even if I could, will my clone just catch on fire?¡¯ In spite of my apprehension however, I did as she said.


    While this freeloader had a rather devious personality, she was a Devil King after; her words held a certain degree of weight. For the most part, I should probably listen to her commands¡­as long as they weren¡¯t too outlandish¡­


    No longer hesitating, I channelled my mana into a coat of Nether Flames. It was then that something miraculous happened. Just as my spell finished, the Shadow Demon, which was over 10 meters away by now, suddenly caught on fire as well¡­ ¡®Is that Nether Flame?!¡¯


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    My eyes went wide with disbelief. Yet I didn¡¯t have much time to stand there in a daze for long. Soon after that thought crossed my mind, I felt my mana reserves plummet with unprecedented speed. If I had to describe the sensation, it was like my Nether Flames suddenly started using up twice as much mana as before¡­


    Ignoring my confusion, Ferti¡¯nier continued with her promised lessons: ¡°Try tossing out a Fireball while controlling your Shadow Demon.¡±


    I nodded my head in response. Raising my right hand, I faced my palm towards that sprite and began channelling as she said. At the same time, my Shadow Demon raised its right hand as well, facing it in the same direction as I did. Within its palm was the same Nether Flame that was coalescing in my own.


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    This time, I didn¡¯t need to wait for Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s command before tossing out that Fireball once it was formed. Meanwhile, the Shadow Demon did the same as well.


    In response to that, the sprite only had one option left open: take to the skies. Yet there laid Mo Na¡¯s strange mist which the sprite promptly collided into before falling back down with a bang. This time however, there were two Nether Fireballs waiting for him.


    ¡®So my Shadow Demon can actually mimic my movements once I let it out. If I were to cast any spell, it would do so as well. Just like a shadow would!¡¯


    As a tradeoff however, I had to spend twice as much mana. At the very least, I gained a twofold increase in my battle power!


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    Being a clone of myself, I could control the Shadow Demon with my own will or let it roam free. The latter only afforded melee attacks and not magical ones. With that in mind, having it act autonomously was a big hit to its actual power.


    Still, there was still the matter of the twofold mana consumption if I were to control it manually. Regardless, Ferti¡¯nier had really done me a huge favor this time; thanks was in order for sure.


    ¡°If you really want to thank this one, just send more souls instead.¡± She made that request unabashedly upon hearing my thanks.


    ¡®Fine, it¡¯s not like I can stop her anyway. Seeing as she finally fulfilled her role as my own personal cheat handbook, I won¡¯t quarrel with her over such a thing¡­not like it would work anyway¡­¡¯


    With those two sprites dead, all that was left was that giant fish swimming about in the lake. From its size and battle power, it was safe to say that it was at least at the level of Six-stars, the elite kind no less.


    Up till now, Nola had been at a disadvantage against it. If one were to add on the attacks those sprites threw at her, she might just¡­


    *WHOOSH*


    Just as I was fretting over Nola¡¯s safety, a giant silhouette suddenly burst out of the lava lake. A silhouette that was as massive as a tiny hill and covered in red¡­it was the Demon Fire Salamander, Nola!


    Having appeared once more, that first thing that caught my eye was her body covered from head to toe in bite marks that sank so deep, they had penetrated a third of her flash. Thankfully, these wounds shouldn¡¯t take long to heal, given how formidable their regenerative powers were.


    That was also why there wasn¡¯t any blood flower from her wounds as she exited the lake.


    That said, the giant fish was nowhere to be seen. ¡®Does this mean we¡¯ve won?¡¯


    ¡°We won?¡±


    Seeing Nola return to us, I hurriedly retracted my Shadow Demon and sprinted up to her. Even though her return was basically a guaranteed sign of our success, I had to make sure. After all, the last we saw her, she was in a pretty bad situation.


    ¡®How did she end up winning all of a sudden?¡¯


    ¡°That Shadow Clone of yours can actually burn up on death¡­¡±


    Fully aware of what I was going to ask, she began recounting what happened thereafter in detail.


    It turned out that after eating my Shadow Clone, that fish wasn¡¯t in a good shape itself. The mana that was leftover in that clone entered the stomach and because it couldn¡¯t get digested in time, it actually turned into Nether Flames¡­


    ¡®No wonder it dove into the lava lake right after killing my shadow. It wanted to leave the battle right away¡­so even the Flame Devouring Fishes can¡¯t devour Nether Flames¡­¡¯

 Chapter 319: Sometimes, Even Trying to Leave is a Problem

    The new world doesn¡¯t possess any magical element. However, there does exist a certain, almost primitive, kind of energy¡­because we still aren¡¯t able to send over our Necromancers, the nature of this energy cannot be analysed¡­at the same time, the possibility of errors cannot be ruled out¡­after all, the low level skeletons we sent over haven¡¯t been there for too long themselves¡­


    ¡ªAn Invasion Report from the New World


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Just like that, the battle came to an abrupt end. Nola¡¯s injuries weren¡¯t as severe as they looked, or at the very least, they didn¡¯t hinder her from crawling up to shore by herself.


    ¡°What happened just now?¡±


    It was then that Sinmosa came galloping over with her husband and asked the same question I had asked Nola.


    ¡°It was the Nether Flames¡­once those sprites come into contact with Nether Flames, they will be forced to evolve. Those that can¡¯t evolve will end up like that¡­¡± I solemnly answered: ¡°In order for the sprites to control the Nether Flame, they have to at least be at the level of a Nine-stars. And that¡¯s why it is basically a death sentence for them to encounter Nether Flames before meeting the requirements¡­¡±


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    ¡°So that¡¯s why.¡± Sinmosa nodded her head to show that she understood my explanation before posing another thought-worthy question. ¡°Still, what are those sprites doing here then? I can understand why that fish would be here¡­but those two sprites were clearly in cahoots with that fish¡­don¡¯t tell me they have a settlement nearby?¡±


    The sprites were nomadic, that much we knew. Because of their destructive nature and lack of numbers, it was basically impossible for them to conquer any territory for themselves. Being elementals of part Fire, they needed Fire Elements to sustain themselves as well, just like the Fire Elementals.


    In other words, wherever would be best for habitation would also be swarming with Fire Elementals and given their lack of numbers, there was no way for them to actually gain a foothold unless¡­


    Unless a Fire Elemental settlement was destroyed¡­


    Not too long ago, there was a Flame Devouring Fish invasion. Nola, however, mentioned that it had been already been suppressed. Yet if the sprites were to ally with the fishes¡­well, not like that was actually my business. Given my current strength, I couldn¡¯t really afford to stick myself into an inter-race war. What was important now was to send off Nola, secure a food source and then research that golem production method.


    ¡°Sinmosa, we still aren¡¯t strong enough now so let¡¯s just leave it at that for now¡­¡±


    The sprites were an extremely nimble race. Just based on that point alone, they were able to completely outclass the Abyssal Golems in a fight. Should we encounter too many sprites at once, I really couldn¡¯t guarantee that we would win. Even if I was able to protect myself with Nether Flames, what about Mo Na? My little baby was just a normal loli-Devil. At the very most, she had an unreal level of aptitude in Undead magicks, but that was it. That only meant that she had potential to become strong, until that potential was realized, all that talk was pointless.


    ¡°Mhm, I get it.¡±


    Perhaps it was just my imagination, but ever since I became a Fallen Angel, I noticed that Sinmosa had been acting a little strangely around me. Whenever she faced me, she seemed to address me more respectfully instead of just being a normal friend.


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    ¡°Well then, you¡¯ve already sent me this far. It¡¯s time for me to return to my clan.¡±


    Nola lowered her head and allowed me to touch her chin, which I did, with a sense of longing. ¡°Nola, do you really have to go?¡±


    ¡°Your adventure has ended and my mission as well. I can¡¯t stay beside you forever.¡± Perhaps it was because she was so close to me, but she seemed to have lowered her volume significantly so as not to blow me away with a breath. ¡°Besides, as you are now, you don¡¯t need my protection anymore.¡±


    ¡°¡­I understand.¡±


    With her mind set, I knew there was no way for us to convince her otherwise. As they said, there was no party that lasted forever; some people would eventually leave you in the end.


    Faced with her obstinance, my mind couldn¡¯t help but drift to Mo Na¡­


    ¡®Once she grows up, I bet she will meet that certain b****** who will whisk her away from me¡­and that¡¯s why they say women aren¡¯t lasting¡­curses, just thinking about some person laying his hands on my daughter just irks me. I don¡¯t want her to marry¡­but I don¡¯t to be that kind of father either¡­¡¯


    Realizing that we were about to part, Mo Na scooped up little Cinderel before flying up to Nola¡¯s eye level. Even though she was basically as tiny as one of Nola¡¯s eyes, and that it looked rather terrifying precisely because of that, Mo Na didn¡¯t care about that at all.


    ¡°Big Salamander, will we meet again in the future?¡±


    ¡°Probably,¡± Said Nola, after pausing in thought for a second, seemingly not too sure herself. ¡°I think¡­we will have the opportunity to meet in the future again.¡±


    ¡°Woof woof!~~¡±


    Cinderel barked twice as if she was saying, ¡°I¡¯ll miss you.¡±


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    Nola smiled. ¡°After I¡¯m gone, you two had better listen to your parents. Don¡¯t cause trouble for them.¡±


    ¡°Mo Na is the most obedient girl ever!¡±


    ¡°Bark!¡±


    Having said their farewells, Mo Na flew back to the ground with Cinderel, both still clearly unwilling to see her go like that as they gazed at her. Several times, I saw them try to speak but stop before saying a single word. Undoubtedly, they must have had a ton of things to talk to her about but should they do that, she probably wouldn¡¯t have to leave at all¡­


    In truth, their relationship was a rather close. Whenever we had to rush, they would often ride on her back. Unfortunately, that was how adults were: they always had all manners of circumstances or reasons for leaving. As for the kids, all they could do was accept it.


    In the past, I had often heard the phrase ¡°Our departure is only a precursor to our next meeting¡± being said in animes. While it invoked an infinitely optimistic feeling, departures always induced sadness.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be off.¡± She said her farewells and turned around to leave.


    ¡°Nola, perhaps we might just meet again very soon¡­¡± Sinmosa trotted up to her till there was only one step separating the two of them.


    ¡°Perhaps.¡± Nola continued swimming forward without looking back. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to our next meeting.¡±


    Seeing her figure slowly disappear into the lake, my heart was a tangled knot of countless emotions. Suddenly, something occurred to me and I hurriedly called out to her: ¡°Err¡­Nola¡­can you delay your departure¡­¡±


    Hearing me say that, she probably thought that I was trying to convince her to stay again. Even so, she still patiently turned around to address me. ¡°Whether it¡¯s now or later, is there a difference?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that. I know you wish to return to your clan as soon as possible, and I have no intention of forcing you to stay either but¡­¡± Everyone gave me a puzzled look as if they were asking, ¡°What else could this be then?¡±


    Faced with the sudden interest from everyone, I awkwardly smiled before saying: ¡°About that¡­back when we were fighting, a couple of my WInged Abyssal Golems fell into the lava lake. They haven¡¯t surfaced yet¡­Nola, if you¡¯re not in too much of a hurry, can you help me fish them up?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Roughly three hours later, Nola finally finished fishing out the two golems from the lake. However, the weight of those two golems were truly a terrifying thing to contend with. Even with Nola doing most of the work in her own element¡­she ended up exhausted anyway.


    Seeing her sprawled on the ground like a panting dog, I couldn¡¯t feel anymore embarrassed even if I tried.


    ¡°Nola¡­are you really tired now?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Nola gave me an exasperated and exhausted glare before closing her eyes to rest.


    Seeing me like that, Sinmosa quietly giggled at the side before giving an extremely constructive suggestion: ¡°Looks like we have to rest here for a while more, how about we have No.3 bring the captives here?¡±


    Speaking of No.3, it was then that I remembered about my subordinate whom I almost forgotten. Back then, I had a ton of considerations in mind when I told him to stay there and watch over the prisoners instead of bringing them over.


    We were in a rush to send Nola off then so I didn¡¯t want to waste time watching over prisoners who might just slow us down. More importantly, it had never occurred to me that we would find ourselves in some random ambush while on our way to the lava lake.


    Since we were planning to take a break here, it only made sense to call for No.3.


    ¡°Indeed, we should summon No.3 back.¡±


    I had to admit, forgetting about him was an oversight on my part. Since we were planning to spend a day here, it really was a necessity to have him come over.


    Moreover, this one day would be the perfect chance to teach the prisoners how to procure food.


    ¡°Then me and Sasani will go call him over.¡± Sinmosa offered to accept this little errand. ¡°Either way we¡¯re the fastest here and we have nothing to do right now.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, I¡¯ll have to trouble you then.¡±


    She was right in that sense. Based on speed alone, she was the fastest amongst us, especially since I was still wasn¡¯t able to master flying.


    Given that she had the urge to go for a little bit of exercise, I honestly had no reason to refuse her at all. Dogs needed their exercise after all¡­ahem¡­that wasn¡¯t an insult.


    Watching the Cerberus couple leave, I began to consider what our course of action was once No.3 was brought over.


    In terms of food procurement from the lava lake, the most readily available source would probably be those Demon Fire Worms.

 Chapter 320: Thoughts of Captivity

    While talking about eating Nola¡¯s kin, the Demon Fire Worms, in front of her face was a little¡­ There really was no choice was there? Without a source of food, establishing a faction was basically impossible.


    Thankfully, she wasn¡¯t one to mind such matters. After all, she ate them too¡­


    As worms without any offensive attack whatsoever, they relied on their ability to split themselves into half and leave behind some meat in order to escape, similar to how a lizard severed its tail. Sometimes I wondered, how frustrating it must¡¯ve been for them to be so fat and juicy while being so defenseless at the same time.


    As long as one managed to catch these worms, they could have the worm split itself in half, leaving behind a piece of meat while the other ran away to the nearest lava lake. Just by sticking to that, I could ensure the survival of the worms and also guarantee a stable food source for my army.


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    The only problem with that perfect plan would be that my lower tiered Devils weren¡¯t able to enter the lava lake. Thus, my first objective was to fashion a tool for my Imps to go fishing for worms. For example, a net of some sort. Like those the fishermen used or a dipping net.


    First off, a dipping net¡­what should it be made of? The materials weren¡¯t actually hard to come by. I could have simply fashioned one out of Flame Devouring Fish bones and Demon Fire Wormhide. All that required was some combining via Dark Alchemy¡­


    The hardness of the fishbones were honestly quite high; issues like an overly long rod wouldn¡¯t trouble it at all. If you added in the pliable and sturdy nature of the wormhides, one had a topnotch dipping net just like that. One just had to be careful of it getting torn apart by Flame Devouring Fishes¡­speaking of which, what then?


    I clearly couldn¡¯t use fishbones in the construction of the netting as well¡­that would make it frightfully heavy, given that I had a trawl that was over half a meter in length in mind, one that was to be wielded by only one Devil too¡­


    Not only that, there was still the matter of the biting strength of those fishes to worry about¡­even if I used fishbones to construct the netting, there was a chance it would get broken anyway.


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    And now for the fishing net¡­that I had no intention of using at all. After all, it would just get torn apart by those fishes, even if it was made out of fishbones. Without trying it out, I could picture the outcome already.


    In light of all that, it had to be the trawl then.


    Speaking of which, the fact that a countless number of Devils stayed in the city meant that it should, at the very least, possess a number of trawls, or so it would seem. Because my underlings weren¡¯t that many to start with, this whole issue of food wasn¡¯t my main worry prior. Before reaching this lava lake, my focus on searching for weaponry, in other words for those weapon storages and not food. From the looks of things, a second search was needed and soon¡­hopefully the capital still held something of use.


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    My need for food could only be described as dire and nothing less. These newcomers which I had just captured were my future source of soldiers and as the saying went, to have a horse gallop, one had to feed it first. I needed to be able to sustain them, not just because they required it, but also because it was important for them to see that I was able to provide for them. Without that assurance, would they even be willing to serve me wholeheartedly?


    ¡®Hmmm, it¡¯s not like I can feed them to each other either¡­at the end of the day, no matter who it was that gets assigned to ¡®ration¡¯ duty, it would be my underling pool that takes the hit¡­¡¯


    While I was busy mulling over the issue of rations, the world around me continued to revolve at breakneck speed. It was only the sounds of heavy and disorderly footsteps that finally disrupted my brooding. Turning to the source, I found that No.3 had just returned.


    Standing at the forefront, he was leading a pack of listless Devils that was of a decent size, one that was neither too large nor too small. Stationed around them were my Elite Abyssal Golems who towered over them like giant sentinels that seemed to scare the living daylights out of them. None of them even dared to move an inch out of line let alone think of escaping; perhaps they themselves knew that it was futile.


    I gave the dispirited bunch a quick glance and it was then that I realized something was wrong ¡ªtheir number was more than I had expected!


    ¡°Master!¡± Having just spotted me, No.3 immediately flew towards me as if he hadn¡¯t seen me for over a decade. His blurred figure finally came to a stop mere meters away from me after which he stared at me, eyes sparkling and face excited as he said: ¡°Master, I just found something strange over in that direction there¡­¡±


    I nodded at No.3 before giving the back of him a glance. Before he could even finish talking, I cut him off with this question: ¡°Where¡¯s Sasani and Sinmosa?¡±


    ¡°Master, the two of them have decided to stay behind for now¡­it¡¯s like this¡­¡±


    No.3 immediately flew into an animated explanation of what had happened while we were separated from each other. His words were rushed with excitement while his hands seemed to fly about as he embarked on what promised to be an exciting tale, at least it was so in his mind.


    It turned out that, not long after we split up, the area which he was in charge of started spawning new Devils¡­more accurately, these Devil seemed to appear out of nowhere¡­only to bump into a waiting No.3¡­


    No.3 tried to subjugate these newcomers but, being the ignorant country bumpkins that they were, they started going off about how they would never bow down or how they would take him out in an instant. Naturally, all that was taken care of by a simple dispatch of one of the Elite Abyssal Golems¡­


    With a direct confrontation out of the question, the next thought they had was to run away. Which they did. In every conceivable direction, no less.


    No.3 originally wanted to send out the rest of the Abyssal Golems to chase after these Devil but after giving it a second thought he decided not to. The prisoners he had subjugated recently weren¡¯t all that settled in yet and doing so might just risk them escaping. Thus he had no choice but to settle for what he had and gather up those who were too scared to run or were too injured to escape. As for those severely injured Devils¡­


    However, it wasn¡¯t long after he settled the first batch of captives that another couple batches of Devil newcomers appeared. Even though the location of their arrival wasn¡¯t the same as the first, one could immediately tell that they were all centered within a certain radius. Simply put, the teleportation gates of the Prison of the Dead led to where I had stationed No.3. In fact, that area was probably a fixed arrival destination!


    So what did that all mean for me? It meant that I needed to have a guard stationed there since it would intermittently spit out newcomers!


    That was fantastic! Like an overpowered hero crushing all his opposition even! After all, that was an unlimited source of troops we were talking about, Not only that¡­it was an unlimited spawn point for mobs to practise on!


    ¡®Hmmm, so that¡¯s a fixed teleportation coordinate. Looks like we have to erect a sort of wall around that area¡­no, that isn¡¯t right either. Perhaps a structure of sorts would be better¡­that way, all those newcomers would immediately get what to do. Once they approach that building, the staff would tell them that this is the newbie vill¡ªI mean, tell them that this is the Immigration Bureau of Sable Radiance¡­those without permits had better be ready to become my slave¡­¡¯


    ¡®Ahem, well that¡¯s the main idea anyway.¡¯


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that the two of them stayed behind to watch over that region?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. That was what they had in mind. However¡­they still had no authority over the golems so I had the golems brought over since they can¡¯t control them anyway¡­I¡¯m afraid they might run into some trouble watching over the Devils¡­¡±


    ¡°I got it. I don¡¯t need them to do too much for now, I just need them to confirm that that is the area in which new Devils will appear in.¡±

 Chapter 321: The Small Imp who Recommended Himself

    ¡°Those were my same thoughts as well, Master.¡±


    ¡®So No.3 actually thought about the problem himself¡­now that¡¯s rare¡­¡¯


    Suppressing my desire to make fun of him any further, I paused in thought for a second before asking: ¡°Have you found anybody of use after conducting a headcount?¡±


    In truth, there was a reason why I asked that question, and that was because No.3 actually had a hidden talent ¨Ctalent scouting. Thinking back on the past, it was No.3 who recommended Big 4 to me. Thus, there was no doubting No.3¡¯s loyalty towards me. Not only that, he had an eye for talent¡­of course, it could have all just been a coincidence.


    ¡°Master, speaking of talents¡­¡±


    No.3 paused for a moment, brows furrowed as if he was mulling over a particularly annoying issue.


    I furrowed my brows as well. Based on a quick glance, I could tell that he had escorted at least 800 Devils over. Being Devils, these newcomers all possessed their own inherited memories which came with their own unique differences.


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    Just like how humans were born with their unique traits despite coming from the same parents, for example, being a natural athlete or a brilliant scientist, Devils also possessed such uniqueness. In short, anything was possible in terms of talents¡­just like this certain pair of siblings I met on Earth who were so different from each other it was shocking that they were even related.


    ¡®If memory serves me right, the Elder Brother was as skinny as a stick and the sister was basically a ball with four sticks sticking out of her and a sausage for a head.¡¯


    A famous German philosopher once said: ¡®No two leaves are ever exactly alike¡¯. In other words, even leaves from the same tree weren¡¯t alike, let alone Devils or Humans.


    What I was essentially furrowing my brows about was this: how could all 800 plus of those Devils be morons¡­there should at least be a couple of usable fellows¡­though such Devils would often be leaders¡­and the leaders were¡­basically squished to death by my Elite Abyssal Golems¡­


    ¡®Hmph, who told those potatoes to be so full of themselves!¡¯


    In short, I was in a bit of a pickle right now.


    ¡°Master, there¡¯s actually a Small Imp who claims to possess a unique talent, it¡¯s just¡­¡±


    No.3 paused once more. Looking at his hesitant form, my curiosity was immediately aroused after which I asked: ¡°Just what?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that fellow has no combat ability whatsoever¡­¡±


    ¡®A Small Imp that can¡¯t fight? That doesn¡¯t sound all that strange¡­hold on¡­from the Blood Sea to the Prison of the Dead and now to Sable Radiance¡­there¡¯s no way that Imp hasn¡¯t gone through countless battles. Not only that, he had to fend off his own comrades during times of hunger¡­feeding on the weak is the law of nature here after all.¡¯


    ¡®Come to think of it, there weren¡¯t any Small Imps in the battle just now since they were just too weak. But didn¡¯t No.3 just say that there was just such a being among the Devils he captured? Is he just a lucky survivor or is he hiding his true strength?¡¯


    ¡®Did I mention that he is still alive right now?!¡¯


    My curiosity was thoroughly aroused at this point. ¡°How did you discover this unusual fellow?¡±


    ¡°That Small Imp appeared right after Master left¡­¡±


    Through his explanation, I learnt of the rough situation surrounding this Small Imp.


    After we split up, No.3 encountered two more batches of Devils. It was in the second batch that No.3 captured this peculiar Small Imp. To be exact, he didn¡¯t capture said Small Imp, it was the Small Imp himself who intelligently chose to surrender¡­


    In other words, that Small Imp immediately thought about surrendering the moment he laid eyes on the Elite Abyssal Golems. In fact, he even tried to persuade his comrades¡­


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    ¡®Perhaps it was exactly because of this smooth talking on his part that led to so many of the newcomers surrendering¡­¡¯


    In truth, that was exactly what had happened. Thanks to the efforts of that Small Imp, No.3 was able to bring back over 800 Devils. Lest one forgot, captives weren¡¯t exactly the easiest of Devils to look after since they would escape at the drop of a hat. I had only given No.3 five golems with only one of them actually being combat ready. Essentially, he only had one golem who was capable of capturing those Devils, and that clearly wasn¡¯t enough.


    It was against such a backdrop that this glib Small Imp performed the crucial role of persuader¡­


    ¡®A smooth talking fellow who isn¡¯t good for anything else¡­that¡¯s basically No.3¡¯s assessment of him¡­that was probably why he didn¡¯t treat him too well either¡­hmmm¡­No.3¡¯s personality huh¡­if I was being generous, he could be considered a hotblooded Devil. If I wasn¡¯t being generous, he¡¯s just a musclebrain¡­ahh¡­brings back memories of how we first met¡­¡¯


    ¡°Call him over¡­oh, seems like he¡¯s already on his way here¡­¡¯


    Having heard all I needed to hear about this Small Imp from No.3, I was intrigued by this fellow. Yet just as I was about to summon him, I saw a Small Imp break off from the captive group. That little fellow first started off by warily glancing at the Elite Abyssal Golem standing not too far away from him. After realizing that it wasn¡¯t going to do anything, he heaved a sigh of relief before breaking into the most innocent smile ever..not that an ugly creature like a Small Imp could ever manage anything resembling innocent. Still, he maintained that strange smile while walking towards us.


    The moment he got close to me, he performed a particularly familiar action ¨Cwringing his hands. It was the kind of hand wringing you saw in a merchant when he was busy pushing his goods on you. Combining that with the image of a Small Imp¡­


    ¡°Greetings, honorable and esteemed Fallen Angel, this one is nothing but a lowly Small Imp. At Your Excellency¡¯s leave, this one prays that he would be given a chance to showcase his talents.¡±


    Just based on that introduction alone, the image of a merchant was firmly stuck to him in my mind.


    ¡°Master, that¡¯s the fellow I was talking about just now¡­¡± No.3 cracked his knuckles in an annoyed fashioned as he glared at the Small Imp. ¡°Who gave you permission to approach the Master?¡±


    Faced with this hostile questioning, the Small Imp didn¡¯t lose his cool for even a second and merely continued with his hand wringing as if No.3¡¯s aura wasn¡¯t affecting him at all. ¡°Oh my, this one was just taken aback by this esteemed Excellency¡¯s mesmerizing figure¡­just so alluring, so enchanting, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Shove it! I said so already, don¡¯t even think about approaching the Master without permission, now SCRAM!¡± Being the direct Devil that he was, No.3 just couldn¡¯t bring himself to like this smooth talking Small Imp who surrendered so easily. Seeing this annoying pest try to approach me, No.3 was just about to give him a good thrashing: ¡°Since you can¡¯t remember what I said, I¡¯ll just beat it into your body!¡±


    ¡°Stop.¡±


    I halted No.3¡¯s fist and, under the confused gaze of No.3, I continued evaluating this hand wringing Small Imp. Faced with No.3¡¯s fist, he showed no sign of trying to evade at all.


    Was he sure that I would stop No.3 or was he just so confident in himself that he could endure a punch from No.3? Either way¡­this Small Imp wasn¡¯t just any old Small Imp!


    ¡°You mentioned that you wanted to work for me?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Seeing me redirect the conversation back to the original topic, the Small Imp immediately broke into a confident grin below bowing towards me. ¡°Esteemed Fallen Angel, this one merely wishes to labour on your behalf.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± I smiled in a bemused fashion. ¡°So you¡¯re that confident then? Exactly what do you think you possess that is worthy of my attention?¡±


    ¡°This one believes, that with Your Excellency¡¯s esteemed bloodline, none of these common Devils could ever compare. As long as this one is given a chance, Your Excellency would surely notice the countless shining points this one possess. This one is absolutely confident of that.¡±


    ¡°What an interesting answer.¡±


    I smiled briefly. Yet just as I was about to say something, I noticed that the stunned look he had on when I smiled at him¡­


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Perhaps he noticed the strangeness in tone but as soon as I said that, he dared not meet my gaze. Lowering his head, he confessed as such: ¡°This one was just taken aback by Your Excellency¡¯s flawless smile¡­¡±


    ¡®F&&*!¡¯


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    Even though there was nothing coming from within my head, I was a hundred percent sure that that blasted hag, Ferti¡¯nier, was laughing at me right now!


    ¡®What are you laughing at, you old hag! The only reason this brother is in such a sorry state is because of you! Come to think of it, can¡¯t you just continue playing dead like you always do, why even stick your head out like that?!¡¯


    Realizing how annoyed I was right now, she merely teased me for a mere second before returning to back to her silent state. Because she had basically ignored my griping, my mood was even worse than before.


    ¡°Your Excellency¡­was there anything else this one had to answer? This one would never withhold anything he knows¡­¡±


    Seeing that subservient look on his face, my mood finally calmed down somewhat.


    ¡®Bah, forget it, it¡¯s not like he knows any better.¡¯ With that in mind, I took a deep breath before exhaling, mood significantly better at that point.


    ¡°You mentioned that you were useful, can you fight then?¡±


    Normally, a Devil was judged based on his combat ability. Because I knew for a fact that he couldn¡¯t fight, I purposefully threw out that question.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± The moment that problem was mentioned, the Small Imp¡¯s face immediately froze up. ¡°Esteemed Excellency, is it possible not to bring up this matter.¡±


    ¡°So you can¡¯t then.¡±


    Having guessed this outcome long ago, the only reason I asked that was because I wanted to see that devastated look on his face. ¡®Who told him to be such a bootlicker¡­¡¯


    Still, teasing was all well and good but enough was enough. I smiled faintly before moving onto the next question: ¡°Well then, can you construct buildings?¡±

 Chapter 322: No. 6

    ¡®As if a Devil would know how to construct buildings right from birth, silly me!¡¯


    In truth, I had a dire need for just such a person right now. After all, with how the entire capital was half ruined at this point, some sort of city planning was needed, assuming I wanted to turn this area into my main base of operations. At the very least, I needed to build houses. Based on how often these Devils were popping up left and right, it wouldn¡¯t be long before our headcount crosses the ten thousand mark, or even more¡­ Furthermore, by having a building that was grandiose and towering would give the impression to the newcomers that this area already had an Overlord.


    There was no doubt in my mind that, even if these newcomer Devils weren¡¯t willing to submit to me, they wouldn¡¯t try to oppose me at the very least.


    Naturally, all that was contingent on me having the ability to construct said building.


    ¡®So the biggest problem is me then¡­me, being a collective term that includes my subordinates as well¡­none of us knows how to construct a building¡­damn it, now I really wish I was an architect in my past life¡­¡¯


    All that was just to say that me asking this Small Imp about constructing buildings wasn¡¯t mean spirited, it stemmed more from a dire need within me.


    Yet not long after that question left my mouth, the still immensely confident Small Imp standing before me nodded his head and, without any hesitation whatsoever, said: ¡°Esteemed Fallen Angel, your eyes are as sharp as your blood is noble, this one does, in fact, know the art of building.¡±


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    ¡°You don¡¯t huh¡­such a sham¡ªwhat did you just say?¡±


    ¡®That wasn¡¯t just me imagining things right?¡¯


    The Small Imp smiled humbly before bowing: ¡°Honorable Excellency, this one is confident in his construction skills. May this one know what is needed of him? Constructing a Palace? A wall? Or just some ordinary houses?¡±


    ¡®He really can do it then?! No way! How can some random architect just pop up in front of me like that? That¡¯s even less likely than me striking the five million dollars lottery! And judging by that unfazed look on his face¡­don¡¯t tell me he is some kind of high level architect¡­¡¯


    ¡°Enough with the jokes, how could a Devil like you, who only knows how to talk, ever be able to satisfy the Master¡¯s needs!¡± Hearing the Small Imp reply so confidently, the ever annoyed by him No.3 immediately snapped back at him: ¡°You¡¯re just trying to attract the Master¡¯s attention, that¡¯s why you are lying about your capabilities! In fact, you don¡¯t know it at all, do you¡­you¡¯re just a liar who is good at talking!¡±


    ¡°This one wasn¡¯t lying.¡± Faced with No.3¡¯s angry accusation, the Small Imp calmly tried to explain himself to me: ¡°To be honest, this one can¡¯t lie about this at all. Because even if this one lied, it would be easily exposed right away. Rather than lie, it would be better if this one was honest from the start since lies are the most unreliable form of communications.¡±


    ¡°More lies, even after all that you are still trying to lie! I just hate Devils like you, always hiding something behind that smiling face of yours!¡±


    As the serious and honest potato that he was, I could fully understand why he would despise a glib-tongued Devil who smiled all day. In his eyes, that annoying smile of the Small Imp was nothing but a challenge to him. So, without any surprise on my part whatsoever, No.3 raised his fist once more and tried to pummel the Small Imp. Unfortunately, my words were there to stop him.


    ¡°Calm down, No.3.¡± I called out to the Devil before turning my eyes towards the Small Imp. I gave the little Devil a slight praising look but just as he expected me to commend him, my tone took an abrupt turn: ¡°You are very clever, and interesting, but should you really be provoking my subordinates like that?¡±


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    ¡°Honorable Excellency¡­this one realizes his mistake.¡± Having said that, the Small Imp bowed in apology towards No.3 ¡°Sorry¡­¡±


    ¡®This fellow¡­he¡¯s really quick to react, isn¡¯t he¡­I have to say, he¡¯s really smart and adept at this. He instantly understood the hidden meaning within my words without any difficulty¡­¡¯


    In truth, my words were a reminder to him. As long as he was capable, becoming my subordinate was an easy matter. But for him to antagonize No.3 before becoming my subordinate¡­perhaps No.3 wouldn¡¯t dare hit him since I was there to stop him but what if I wasn¡¯t? There was no way a Small Imp like him could ever stand up to No.3, a Five-stars Infant Flame Devil. By that time, did he expect me to punish a loyal subordinate who had been with me all this while for the sake of a corpse like him?


    ¡°Hmph!¡± No.3 turned his head away from the Small Imp. However, I could tell that he had basically accepted the Small Imp¡¯s apology.


    Now that this little spat was over, I lightly coughed: ¡°From now on we are all on the same side, try not to argue over the littlest of things.¡±


    Both of them honestly accepted my instruction at which point the Small Imp bowed to me once more before asking for instructions: ¡°Esteemed Fallen Angel, your wish was for this one to employ his construction skills, yes?¡±


    ¡°Mhm. About that¡­that area where you just came from happens to be a teleportation zone. While the exact area might shift from time to time, there will definitely be a large number of Devils being teleported there. I wish to construct a building that will show off our strength, I want those who see it to willingly submit to me. Simply put, I want that building for recruitment purposes.¡±


    ¡°Your Excellency, how tall do you wish for this building to be?¡±


    ¡°How tall?¡±


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    I paused for a moment. That was actually something I hadn¡¯t considered up till now. The only thing that I had in mind was, the bigger it was, the better it would be.


    ¡°So you wish for it to be as tall as possible then?¡± Even without me saying anything, my hesitation was enough for that Small Imp to understand my intentions.


    ¡°Mhm, that¡¯s about right. I wish for those who lay their eyes on it to be awestruck.¡±


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    ¡°¡­is that so¡­this one understands.¡± The Small Imp paused for a couple of seconds before giving out a confident answer.


    ¡°Well then, what kind of help do you require?¡±


    ¡°The more Devils I can get, the better. If possible, I would like those big lugs to help as well.¡± Without even a second of hesitation, the Small Imp pointed towards the Elite Abyssal Golems who were still guarding over our new captives.


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    ¡°Wretched thing, don¡¯t even think about pushing your luck any further!¡± For someone like him to ask for the golems so casually, No.3, who had just suppressed his anger not too long ago, immediately flared up once more: ¡°A newcomer needs to understand his place as a newcomer!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t give you the control rights over these golems.¡±


    Those golems were terrifyingly powerful; there was just no way I would ever hand that over to someone who had just joined us.


    ¡°Is that so¡­what if this one surrenders this to Your Excellency then?¡±


    Clearly expecting that response from me, he calmly reached for his bald head with his right palm. Seeing that, I could already guess what he was up to. A red glowing mass began coalescing in the palm right before my very eyes and before I could even identify that mass, I found that Small Imp kneeling before me with one knee on the ground. With both his hands raised reverently, he presented that object to me¡­a soul shard that was no longer than 3cm in length.


    It was a red soul shard that resembled a little broken chestnut shaped gemstone. As he presented the soul shard to me, I could see the grimace on his face. Without a doubt, this soul shard had to be his.


    Under my disbelieving gaze, the Small Imp grinned: ¡°Will Your Excellency¡­no, will Master believe in this one then¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, as you are now, I can trust you.¡±


    I accepted the soul shard from his hands which promptly caused the shard to meld into my own palms. From that point onwards, as long I willed it, his life was completely under my whims. It was, for all intents and purposes, a slave contract¡­


    ¡°From now on, you may refer to yourself as No.6.¡±


    ¡°This one is honored to receive a name from the Master.¡±


    The Small Imp, or rather, No.6 continued kneeling before me obediently. Seeing that, I couldn¡¯t help but compare him to my other subordinates who often acted in a careless manner before me¡­


    Yet underneath all that, while my eyes weren¡¯t on him, No.6 would quietly throw a glance at No.3 As the two of them locked gazes, he would suddenly toss No.3 a taunting look. A taunting look!


    ¡°Hmph!¡±


    Before I could even understand the meaning of that harrumph, No.3 knelt down and presented his own soul shard to me as well. In the most reverent manner possible, he lifted up both of his hands and said: ¡°Master, please accept No.3¡¯s soul shard.¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    I was stunned. In all honesty, his loyalty wasn¡¯t in doubt at all. More than anyone else, I was certain that he wouldn¡¯t betray me thus his actions simply caught me off guard.


    ¡°Master, please accept No.3¡¯s loyalty!¡± No.3 glared at No.6 who almost seemed to be mocking him at this point. ¡°In terms of loyalty, there is no one more loyal than No.3¡­¡±


    Disregarding No.3 obstinance for now, that Small Imp was actually winking at me right now, as if he was offering up his accomplishment¡­


    To be perfectly honest, until their soul shards were presented to me, there would always be that possibility of betrayal by any Devil, no matter who they were. In that sense, No.6 goading No.3 into presenting his soul shard was a way of preventing any potential trouble, even though I had no doubts about his loyalty¡­


    ¡®Ahh, what a headsplitter¡­perhaps taking No.6 in is a mistake after all¡­he¡¯s a little too smart for his own good¡­his personality seems kinda twisted too¡­¡¯


    ¡®Well, since he¡¯s so confident in matters other than combat, I should get him started on those then.¡¯


    ¡°No.6¡±


    ¡°This lowly one is ready.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave the task of persuading the newcomers to you.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Having accepted his mission, this little twisted Devil actually flashed No.3 a taunting look. Because the latter had just given up his soul shard, there really wasn¡¯t anything to afraid of now¡­


    ¡°Blast it!¡± No.3 was basically gnashing his teeth at this point. However, there was nothing he could do about it.


    ¡®Well whatever, I¡¯ll just leave them to work this out amongst themselves. Time to settle our food problem instead.¡¯


    With that in mind, I waved to the not so distant Mo Na who was currently playing with Cinderel. ¡°Sweeties, come over here for a second.¡±


    ¡°Mo Na will be right there, Mama.¡± Hearing me call out to her, she immediately flew to me with Cinderel snugly hugged within her arms: ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Mama?¡±

 Devil Chapter 323: So, Are Those Fishing Nets Working Out as Planned?

    I thoroughly explained the usage of the nets to my little precious, Mo Na. At times like these when she wasn¡¯t busy poking fun at me, she was truly a dear. This perfect little angel of mine didn¡¯t disappoint me this time either as she immediately got down to crafting the first fishing net the moment I finished my explanation.


    ¡®Speaking of which, it has been a while since I used my Dark Alchemy¡­¡¯


    Ever since I stumbled onto the fact that Mo Na was talented in Undead Magicks and Dark Alchemy, I was basically able to adopt a hands-free approach to those matters.


    ¡®I should just leave the equipment crafting to her from now on then¡­¡¯


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    With regards to the fishing nets, the material required to craft them were all gathered from the ten or so Flame Devouring Fishes and split off Demon Fire Worms that I had my new subordinates capture. Materials in hand, Mo Na¡¯s first move was to summon the signature black mirror face used during Dark Alchemy. She then channelled her mana to pick up the gathered ingredients and tossed them wholesale into the mirror face. A while later, the mirror face disappeared and all that remained was a jet black net that was half a meter wide and had a five meter long pole.


    ¡°So what¡¯s that for?¡± Even though Nola was exhausted, her fatigue simply couldn¡¯t curb the curiosity within her. ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like a weapon to me, seems really fragile too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a fishing net, as for its uses¡­you will find out soon enough.¡±


    I clasped both of my hands around the pole of the fishing net and slowly sauntered up to the lava lake, dipping it into the molten liquid shortly thereafter. As expected, there wasn¡¯t much reaction to the fishing net entering the lava seeing as the net itself was crafted from creatures who lived in said lava.


    A while later, I got my first catch of a couple of Demon Fire Worms. Staring at my catch, I couldn¡¯t help but recall the fond childhood memories I had of me and Nicole fishing¡­those were the days¡­


    With a bit of excitement in my heart, I pulled in the pole and dumped the two worms onto the ground. The two worms immediately started wriggling as hard as their white wormy bodies could to try and crawl back to the lava lake, but try as they might, their efforts were swiftly thwarted by a tiny paw on each worm from Cinderel.


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    ¡°Ruff ruff!¡±


    Paws stuck fast to them, the worms soon discovered that there was no way they could struggle free from this demonic little puppy¡¯s clutches. Thus, with unwillingness in their heart, they finally split into halves and crawled dejectedly back to the lava lake, their bodies bearing the scars of their shame.


    ¡®Success!¡¯


    The moment I saw the two worms split off, I knew I had succeeded!


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    As I had noticed before, these worms would split into halves as a defensive mechanism, just like how a lizard would sever its tail when needed. Naturally, this was a lot more high level than just some tail splitting. After all, I hadn¡¯t heard of any lizard being able to survive after having lost half of its body.


    Still, while the test was a resounding success, actually foraging the needed materials to craft this fishing net was still a hassle. Thus, I had to put off any plans of large scale fishing in order to have some of my newly captured subordinates, three Flame Childes to be exact, capture more live ingredients.


    Having done that, a thought immediately occured to me. ¡®Factoring in the speed at which my Flame Devil Childes captured those fishes, and then factoring the speed of Mo Na¡¯s crafting as compared to my subordinate count¡­crafting a sufficient number of fishing nets¡­would probably take quite a while¡­¡¯


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    ¡°Mo Ke, is your plan to capture the Demon Fire Worms as a means of procuring meat?¡± Nola¡¯s curiosity came knocking unannounced amidst my ruminations.


    ¡°Mhm, that¡¯s exactly what I had in mind.¡± Because I was a little worried that she would try to stop me out of a fear that I would fish those worms irresponsibly, I hurriedly followed that up with this: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will ensure that all the worms we capture split off. That¡¯s all we need from them. If they truly won¡¯t split up, I will just let them go.¡±


    ¡°I can see that even without your assurances, I just wanted to tell you that, if this is really your plan, I think I might have a solution to aid you.¡±


    ¡°You? Aid me?¡±


    I was stunned for a second. ¡®My ears aren¡¯t broken right, did she just say that she would help me catch Demon Fire Worms? From her standpoint, it would be a miracle that she didn¡¯t try to stop and yet here she was, offering to help me¡­¡¯


    ¡°What I¡¯m saying is that we can work together.¡± Nola paused for a second at that point as if she was thinking about something. A short while later, she firmly nodded her head and said: ¡°I have a proposition¡­¡±


    She then proceeded to lay out her thoughts for me¡­


    It turned out that she was alright with the worms offering themselves up to me. In exchange however, we had to extend our protection to the worms while promising not to needlessly kill or harm them. As long as the worm had just split off recently, we weren¡¯t to force it to split again in the short term.


    Basically, we were to run this whole operation like a sheep herder would. In that case, me and my newly minted subordinates would take on the role of shepherds or sheepdogs. As for the archenemies of the worms, the Flame Devouring Fishes¡­they were naturally the wolves in this story.


    ¡°I roughly get what you¡¯re saying here, but my subordinates¡­I don¡¯t have that many subordinates who can actually enter the lava lake and protect them.¡±


    I still had those Abyssal Golems, but those clearly couldn¡¯t step into the lava lake. Even if they weren¡¯t afraid of its scorching heat, they would sink like a rock thanks to their frightening weight. Plus, they probably weren¡¯t able to learn swimming either. With that in mind, I was left with a scant few who could actually operate in the lava lake. Even if I counted in Sinmosa and her husband, Sasani, that number wouldn¡¯t cross the ten mark.


    Truly, this was an awkward moment. Even if Nola was willing to cooperate with us, we had no way of meeting her terms.


    ¡°Actually, there so happens to be a Demon Fire Salamander Sanctuary nearby, I can have them come over to help.¡± Nola thought about it for a second before continuing: ¡°To be honest, the Flame Devouring Fishes massively outnumber us Salamanders. Had it not been for the fact there are so many Demon Fire Worms and they all possess the ability to split themselves¡­they would have most likely been wiped out by now¡­¡±


    ¡°Furthermore, once they split up, they would enter a temporary state of weakness. Their movement would slow down drastically, and they aren¡¯t able to split up in the meantime. They need a safe environment to recuperate¡­¡±


    ¡®A safe environment?¡¯ I paused for a second there. Suddenly, an idea struck me and I knew what I had to do.


    I turned around to face my precious daughter and, in a soft voice, said: ¡° Sweetie, can you help Daddy for a second? Go fetch No.6 for Daddy.¡±


    Mo Na batted her pretty little eyelashes before giving me a slightly confused look: ¡°Mama, do you mean that Small Imp?¡±


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    ¡°That¡¯s right, that Small Imp you just saw, he should be with No.3 right now.¡± I pointed at the not too distant location where the prisoners were being managed. ¡°No.6 should be persuading those prisoners right now with No.3¡±


    ¡°Mhm, Mo Na gets it. Let¡¯s go, Cinderel!¡±

 Devil Chapter 324: Initial Plannings of a Safe Zone

    After calling out to her puppy friend, Mo Na promptly turned around with a flap of her wings and sped off to the captives who were currently surrounded by a ring of Winged Abyssal Golems.


    ¡°Ruff ruff!¡±


    Cinderel happily barked as she sprinted off into the distance as well.


    No.6 was quickly brought before me by the pair and, just like before, he wrung his hands while looking like a shady merchant.


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    ¡°Master, you called?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, I have something important to discuss with you¡­¡±


    I briefly recounted what I had just discussed with Nola. Having heard all that, he nodded his head in quick succession, face full of anticipation and enthusiasm. However, all that soon disappeared¡­


    ¡°Master, that plan would work¡­but¡­we don¡¯t have enough subordinates¡­¡±


    His voice was strained, afraid even, as if he was scared that his words would set off my anger. Having just submitted to me, it wasn¡¯t that strange for him to act like this. However, he really did not have to. I wasn¡¯t the kind who couldn¡¯t take criticism, as long as it made sense, I would receive it wholeheartedly and try my best not to commit that same mistake.


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    ¡°If we really want to protect the Demon Fire Worms¡­this bit of Devils really isn¡¯t enough. In light of that, I¡¯ve thought of another solution.¡±


    ¡°Another solution?¡± This time, it wasn¡¯t just No.6 who was intrigued by my declaration, Nola was as well. ¡°What solution?¡±


    ¡°Simply put, because we don¡¯t have enough Devils right now, we can¡¯t create a safe environment for the Demon Fire Worms. But if you look at it from another angle, all they need is a safe environment and not 24/7 protection. So¡­¡±


    Strictly speaking, the worms only needed an area that sustained their basic needs; they needed no luxuries like entertainment. Furthermore, the biggest difference between those fishes and the worms were that they could walk on land while the fishes couldn¡¯t. With that in mind, I thought of what had to be my most brilliant plan ever¡­dig a fish pond!


    That¡¯s right, we¡¯re digging a fish pond!


    Since the worms were technically amphibious and those Flame Devouring Fishes were basically aquatic predators, we simply had to exploit this shortcoming and this whole case wasn¡¯t that hard anymore.


    As long as we separated these two species, the fishes would have no way to harm the worms.


    Since they couldn¡¯t cross that strip of land between the fish pond and the lava lake¡­


    ¡°This solution of yours is really¡­¡± Nola was stunned into silence by my genius. Based on her expression, I could clearly tell that this plan could really work.


    ¡°Mama¡¯s the best!¡± Mo Na flew up to me as always and began furiously kissing me while wrapping her arms around me. At the side, Cinderel happily pawed at my feet while ruffing. On the surface, it seemed like Mo Na was just being affectionate, but each time she did so, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if she was secretly taking advantage of me¡­


    Having seriously heard my plan, No.6 smacked his thighs before excitedly declaring: ¡°Master, that method is definitely doable, but the scale of work would be huge¡­ Furthermore, I¡¯m not sure if your wish is to create a safe zone for a portion of the Demon Fire Worms or for all of them¡­¡±


    Upon reaching that last word, No.6¡¯s face started to scrunch up a little. At the end of the day, our lack of manpower was really a headache inducing problem for him.


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    ¡°It isn¡¯t possible for us to create a safe zone for all the Demon Fire worms, what we can do is to create a zone for some of them to hide in. However, there¡¯s still the matter of their nourishment¡­¡± Having said that, I lifted Mo Na, who was still wrapped around my head, up on my shoulders before facing Nola: ¡°Nola, how should we solve the problem of the worms¡¯ nourishment?¡±


    Once the proposed safe zone was established, I had no doubt that the numbers of those worms would explode. When that happened, the amount of food consumed everyday would be frightening. I was dreadfully afraid that those worms who had no choice but to hole up in the fish pond would starve to death then¡­


    Faced with this seemingly difficult problem, Nola had a swift answer for me: ¡°That, is something you don¡¯t have to worry about. As long as they have lava, they can survive.


    ¡®Is that so? Who knew that they were actually so easy to raise.¡¯


    Since the worms had to feed on lava to survive, my plan of a sealed fish pond-like environment had to be abandoned then. After all, once the worms entered those ponds, the amount of lava we had to transport everyday would be a momentous task in of itself. Even if our manpower could cope with such a feat, it would still be a huge strain on us.


    Finally, we settled on the plan of having the lava flow into the safe zone¡­in that case, we had to create said flow. However, that would mean that the initial fish pond idea had just turned into a man-made lake. The first issue we would have to tackle then would be how to create a channel between the existing lava lake and what we dug out¡­


    Essentially, our workload had just multiplied since the labor required to dig a man-made lake was clearly more than a pond. Furthermore, this lake would have to have an entrance¡­in other words, the fishes had access to the safe zone as well¡­


    In order to prevent that, we had to maintain a tight security around the opening. However, in contrast to that behemoth of a task that was initially thrust upon us, guarding this man-made lake was a lot easier¡­since I knew exactly who would be the perfect guardsmen for this entrance.


    ¡°Just start the digging first, from this very spot all the way to the Royal Capital, I want a straight line linking the two¡­¡±


    My idea was to link the two locations, after which I might consider the idea of a moat as well. Having done all that, I would have the Abyssal Golems stand guard over the entrance! That¡¯s right, you heard me, the Abyssal Golems.


    The whole reason why the golems weren¡¯t able to fight in the lake was because it was simply too deep for them to operate. Since the golems were heavy, they would immediately sink to the bottom. However, all that only applied to a natural lake and not this safe zone that was beginning to take shape in my mind. Given that I wanted them to guard the entrance, I clearly had taken into consideration their weakness as well.


    The solution was actually just as simple; just make sure the entrance to the man-made lake wasn¡¯t deep enough to drown the golems. As for whether or not the lava flow would be too slow because of this¡­who ever said that a safe zone had to only have one entrance?

 Devil C325: Trial Run for the Safe Zone

    ¡®So the entry point for the lava will be initially set as three to four meters deep, as for the depth and width of the zone itself¡­hmmm¡­I guess we can make a decision when the situation arises. Sheltering all the worms clearly isn¡¯t possible but it¡¯s still worth a shot maximising the number we can squeeze in.¡¯


    ¡®After all, the more worms we protect, the more meat we have¡­¡¯


    ¡°If I were to have you start work on the recruitment point and the safe zone simultaneously, you would still be able to handle them both right, No.6?¡±


    ¡°Master, if this lowly one were to work on both tasks at once¡­this lowly one feels that¡­the manpower would probably be insufficient for that¡­¡± His brows knitted together at that, most likely due to the sheer difficulty of what I was expecting, or perhaps he was just worried that I might just start doubting his abilities.


    A while later, he finally came clean with the situation: ¡°Honestly, it wouldn¡¯t be hard for this lowly one to juggle between the two sides, but our manpower¡­even constructing the recruitment point alone is tough, let alone this massive task of digging a safe zone¡­it¡¯s just too big. Furthermore, this lowly one still has no idea as where the royal capital is after all this time.¡±


    ¡°The royal capital, huh¡­ Hmm, that was an error on my part, forgetting to tell you where the capital actually is, it¡¯s that way.¡± I pointed in the direction of the capital. ¡°If you were to travel in a straight line, this planned zone would probably span 300 miles or so¡­as for the diggers¡­what do you think of those Abyssal Golems?¡±


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    Having said that, I signaled in the direction of the seven meter tall Winged Abyssal Golem standing not too far away from us.


    ¡°Those giant¡­golems¡­¡± No.6 gulped at the point, his face showing what had to be the most expressive look he had shown thus far. Even at this distance, just a mere look was enough for the pressure of the golem to overwhelm his body. ¡°Your lordship is sure about using those giants to dig out the safety zone? But if they are merely ten¡­there just doesn¡¯t seem to be enough.¡±


    ¡°I never ever said that I had only ten Abyssal Golems.¡± My lips curled into a mysterious smile before diverting the subject in another direction. ¡°The manpower required for the safety zone isn¡¯t something you need to worry about. Just make sure the construction of the recruitment point doesn¡¯t fall behind either, we can¡¯t have any delay on that front either.


    ¡°For now, I¡¯ll hand over the management of our new captives to you. No.3 will stay behind to aid you as well. As for the control rights of the Abyssal Golems¡­I¡¯ll give you temporary rights over them. However, you¡¯ll have to follow me back to the royal capital first.¡±


    My plan right now was to have the golems dig up the safe zone while my new subordinates would be given the task of building a recruitment point. The reasoning behind that was that constructing a recruitment point required more finesse than just digging up a manmade lake. With how large the golems were, how strong they were and also how clumsy they were, there was just no way we could use them to construct buildings. On the flip side, these qualities made them perfect for digging the safe zone; that task merely required brute force after all.


    Up till this point, I could safely say that the initial skeleton of the safe zone had been ironed out. Before Nola left however, I needed to conduct a test on this plan of mine.


    I commanded five Winged Abyssal Golems to dig out a pit measuring twenty meters deep and spanning ten meters wide. Having done that, I planned to have two openings for this newly dug up hole, one being the exit point and the other being an entry point, both connecting to the lava lake. Once done, the two bodies of lava would form a U-shape together.


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    For now however, we only had the entry point dug out.


    In the final plan, the guards would be my Abyssal Golems. But with how precious my Winged Abyssal Golems, numbering only 127 as of right now, only my ordinary Abyssal Golems would be expended for this task. These golems were five meters tall so, with that in mind, I ran some estimations and had the entry point set as 3.5 meters deep. That was the depth that could maximize lava flow while ensuring that these golems wouldn¡¯t sink.


    As for whether or not these bodyguard-like golems would malfunction under lava¡­they came with my guarantee of being waterproof, fireproof and also seniorproof, hah.


    (TL: Just a reference to a Chinese couplet/joke on the internet. Goes something like this:


    Love your country, love your family, love your junior sister,


    Watch out for fire, watch out for thieves, watch out for your senior brother.


    With the way Chinese translates into English, the phrase can be fireproof or watch out for fire. Since watch out for water/fire didn¡¯t make sense there, proof would be better. There are multiple versions of this couplet¡¯s starting. )


    ¡­¡­


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    I had to admit, the speed at which those Abyssal Golems dug out the pit shattered even my greatest expectations. Their hands might as well have been giant excavators with how fast they dug out a huge chunk of blackened earth¡­honestly, with how efficient they were at building¡­they could probably build a hundred walls, without funding too.


    (TL: Didn¡¯t want to waste more time on this section¡­ Original text was about a technical university and how people made fun of them for the ads they put out. The joke was the golems were as efficient as 100 graduates from that university¡­not going to waste time on this section any further.)


    ¡°Over here, here and here¡­You go dig up that spot too¡­as for you, get here and toss those darn rocks away, they are in the way¡­¡±


    Because my little sweetie was intrigued by my whole plan, she bravely volunteered herself to be the commander of five Winged Abyssal golems as they dug up the hole.


    Faced with their breathtaking efficiency, No.6 was just that, out of breath and with nothing to say. Even if it was just five golems digging, the speed at which they dug this hole could outmatch the mightiest of authors, HAH¡­


    All in all, the planned hole only took half an hour to complete. All that was left was to dig out the entry point. With just 3.5 meters of depth to dig out, that was a lot easier to finish. As for the width, it was set as ten meters while the distance between the lava lake and the hole was set as twenty meters. Because this was just a test, I only had one entry point dug out.


    Having finished that as well, the lava immediately rushed in like a bubbling red tsunami into the dugout channel. The Demon Fire Worms, whom had been summoned beforehand by Nola to take up positions near the proposed channel entry point, started flowing into the dug out pit. Like a giant school of fish, they would swarm through the entry point as a couple of temporarily stationed Winged Abyssal Golems stood over them and the entry point like sentinels.


    As time passed, both the lava and the worms continued filling up the prepared pit, in other words, the test safe zone. Soon, the pit filled and the number of worms within that pit had ballooned, all as I had expected. However, just as I thinking about digging out an exit point, something that I did not expect happened.


    Suddenly, and without any warning whatsoever, the worms waiting to enter the tunnel leading to the safe zone started acting up. Seemingly scared out of their wits, they furiously struggled to crawl up to shore, frantic wriggle by frantic wriggle.


    Still new to this environment, No.6 was a little perplexed and asked: ¡°What¡¯s wrong with them?¡±


    ¡°The Flame Devouring Fishes have come.¡±


    As she said, Nola¡¯s eyes sharpened into a pointed gaze directed at the entry point. That spot was packed to the brim with Demon Fire Worms, resulting in all the panicked worms being unable to crawl up to shore. Because the entry point¡¯s tunnel was limited in width, not all of them were to able squeeze in either. If we chose not to do anything now, all they could do was quietly wait outside for the fishes to devour them¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, didn¡¯t we already predict this would happen¡­¡±


    I placated the slightly anxious Nola beside me. Even without me sending out another command, the two golems I had stationed there started lumbering towards the entry point. Because of how huge they were and the lack of control they had over their strength, each step they took managed to push aside a great deal of lava and worms, causing the two to jump in the process. Being golems, these guardsmen didn¡¯t know the meaning of the word gentle, all they had on their minds was their mission.


    Thankfully, the worms had a special body makeup that prevented the shock from these golems from killing them. At the very most, the resulting force only managed to shove them aside like the lava.


    By the time the two of them reached the entry point, the place had turned into a veritable paradise for the Flame Devouring Fishes. Dozens of fishes, all with varying levels, were busy slaughtering the worms still trapped in that tiny spot. As they ravenously dug into the feast before them, sounds of teeth gnashing pierced the ears of those of us present.


    The number of injured and dead continued rising. As it did so, I soon began to detect a distinct scent of blood in the air, one that left me slightly nauseous.


    Turning to the golems, I found that they were functioning perfectly as I had expected. While it might have been hard for them to operate in the lake, standing within the confines of the entry point was still manageable.


    One of the golems immediately reached out to try and grab one of the offending fishes but just as it did so, a Flame Devouring Fish, with a body that was at least half a meter long and with teeth even more terrifying than a bloody hacksaw, clamped down on the hand of said golem. Yet for all that, while it might have managed to bite down on one of the golem¡¯s fingers, it found that it wasn¡¯t even able to bite through the golem at all. In fact, its teeth might just break first¡­


    A Winged Abyssal Golem possessed the strength of a Seven Stars and thus had a terrifying level of defense that would leave any lower level opponent in despair. How could a mere fish ever hope to bite through its armor? Let alone a bite, even if it was given an entire hour to saw through that golem, there was no hope of it ever leaving a scratch on the golem.


    As for the golem, it merely closed down with its open palm and, amidst that unfortunate fish¡¯s belated attempt at escape, blocked said fish from our sights. By the time it had opened its palm once more, there was nothing but a pile of fish meat leftover¡­


    The killing speed of the two golems was anything but slow. The difference in strength between the two of them was simply too great to overcome. Without the previous worry of them falling into an endless lake of lava, the golems were free to do their job by simply reaching out and squishing a nearby fish.


    By now, even if those fishes weren¡¯t all that bright, their one-tracked minds should have had all the time they needed to realize that they couldn¡¯t harm the golems. In spite of that, should they decide to continue throwing themselves at the golems, I had only this to say to them: you asked for it.


    It was a one-sided slaughter for our side. In just the span of a few minutes, the entire fish army had basically been wiped out, or at least it would have been had it not been for the few bright sparks who were at least smart enough to run when things started to go wrong¡­


    Because the golems weren¡¯t able to enter the lava lake, they could only watch as the fishes swam away from the battlefield.


    ¡°You think you can leave just like that? Fat hope.¡± Came Nola¡¯s furious roar just as I had thought that this whole saga was about to end. With a rumble, her mammoth body dove into the lava lake¡­even without guessing, I knew that she had gone hunting for those fishes.


    ¡®Was she planning to chase them down to the ends of the earth?¡¯


    With her strength, Nola was basically able to run rampant throughout this zone so I wasn¡¯t worried at all as I commanded those two golems to resume their duty.


    Now that the fishes were all defeated, the scattered worms started swimming over to the entry point once more. So began the mad squeeze towards the pit¡­

 Devil Chapter 326: Improved Magic

    The Demon Fire Worms continued streaming into the pit which was now filling up fast. At the side, there werea bunch of fat worms who actually knew how to climb up to shore to avoid the traffic, through what had to be eithera stroke of brilliance on their part or who knows what¡­


    Having just been driven off, it was highly unlikely that the Flame Devouring Fishes would return anytime soon.


    Furthermore, this battle wasn¡¯t a complete waste either. In truth, it was the perfect opportunity to verify whether the golems could overwhelm the fishes under such circumstances.


    By the time the pit was about full, Nola, who had gone chasing after the fleeing fishes, had just returned along with several dozen lower starred Demonic Fire Salamander.


    ¡°I¡¯m back.¡±


    Salamanders in tow, she swam up to shore, dragging a wave of lava up with her at the same time. In the meantime, her gigantic limbs plopped down with thunderous rumble, as if she had no inkling about how huge her body actually was.


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    ¡°Dead?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Nola nodded her head before sweeping an eye over her salamander kin. Tone relaxed, she said: ¡°These are some of the temporary guards I managed to find. They will aid in guarding the entry and exit points, they can also communicate with the Demon Fire Worms. If there is anything you wish them to do, just tell them.¡±


    With regards to the unplanned decision by her to bring more salamanders to help, I wasn¡¯t that surprised. As a fellow carnivore, she was probably worried that we would force the Demon Fire Worms to split or even kill them off before they did.


    Regardless of what reason she had, this was within my expectations. Rather, what concerned me was whether or not they could speak the tongue of the Devil.


    ¡°Can they speak Devil?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± She shook her head before explaining:¡± For us salamanders, learning Devil isn¡¯t an easy feat. Normally, only Five-stars and above Salamanders would know how to speak in the tongue of the Devil. Even so, they can understand it at least.¡±


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    ¡°As long as they understand, it¡¯s fine.¡± It wasn¡¯t like I could make too much demands of them anyway. With that in mind, I turned around to face No.6 who was respectfully waiting by my side. ¡°No.6, go familiarize yourself with them for a while, you guys would probably be working together in the future for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Master.¡±


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    No.6 was a clever fellow. He knew how to read the moment and he was eloquent as well. Amongst the Devils, he was truly a rare talent. If he really managed to construct a recruitment point to my satisfaction, I wouldn¡¯t mind employing him heavily once more. It wasn¡¯t like there was any chance of him betraying me anyway, what with our master and servant pact. More importantly, in a world of meat brain Devils, trying to find someone smart wasn¡¯t easy.


    While No.6 started communicating with the Salamanders, I turned my head to face my little sweetie who was currently running circles around the new pit with Cinderel.


    ¡°Mona, come to Papa for a second.¡±


    Hearing that, she happily flew over with Cinderel while calling out in her melodious voice that sounded almost like a chime: ¡°Mona¡¯s coming, Mama.¡±


    As always, she dove into me and started slobbering all over me. A while of having fun passed before I reached out with my hand to try and stop her. However, she deftly shifted herself to the back of my neck while her legs locked themselves securely on my shoulders in what had to be her favorite position thus far, the pony riding stance.


    I left her to her own adorable devices for a while longer. Finally, when she had calmed down somewhat, I asked what had been on my mind for a while now: ¡°Sweetie, Papa wants to know, exactly what was that black magical fog you used a while back against that Demon Fire Sprite?¡±


    ¡°That was Mo Na¡¯s personally modified magic, it¡¯s really fun.¡±


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    ¡®Modified magic¡­so what you¡¯re saying is my little girl is a 100%, absolutely no take backs, bonafide genius?! For her to modify and improve upon spells¡­unthinkable! Can her talent be anymore unreal, she¡¯s not even one years old yet!¡¯


    ¡°You used the Vengeful Soul spell as a base?¡± That fog was vaguely familiar to me, it was out of the blue that I remembered her showing off this particular spell to me in the past. Back then, the form of the spell was roughly similar, only the color of the fog was different.


    ¡°Mhm, that was an improved Vengeful Soul.¡± Mo Na answered confidently. ¡°Mo Na increased the mana capacity of the spell andadded a Shadow Darkness element to it to give the spell a corrosive effect. Plus, plus, it¡¯s now more flexible than the original one, it can even avoid some physical attacks because it is smoke¡­¡±


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    When it came to her modified magic, Mo Na held nothing back as she told me animatedly about her magical expertise. I had to admit, based on what I observed then, this improved Vengeful Soul was definitely a lot more powerful than before. Not only did it perform its role as a observation spell, its destructiveness had doubled, truly a useful composite magic.


    ¡°Sweetie, can Papa learn this spell?¡±


    ¡°Mama wants to learn it too?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, Papa is fascinated by this convenient spell.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay!¡± As she sat atop my shoulders, Mo Na happily clapped her little hands in joy: ¡°Let¡¯s start right now then, Mama¡±


    ¡­


    Vengeful Soul was an Undead spell that required certain conditions to be met in order to be cast, being of the Summoning branch and all. To cast it, one had to first trap a soul¡­Necromancers had a variety of methods to do so, Mo Na was naturally no exception either. This spell had a broad range of uses, of which included observation and killing. Unfortunately, it had one downside in that it was a one-time use spell. On the bright side, as long as it was only used to observe an enemy, this spell could be reused multiple times.


    When used for combat purposes however, it had only one way of fighting, and that was to approach an enemy and blow itself up. Its explosive power was derived from the mana it had stored; kind of like an alternative world version of a human bomb.


    For ordinary Necromancers, the casting conditions for this spell wasn¡¯t easy. First of all, a soul was needed. Things were different for me however. Because my mana had a degree of intelligence, me casting Vengeful Soul would cause my mana to automatically coalesce into a being of low intelligence. In other words, all those requirements didn¡¯t apply to me.


    ¡°Can it be enhanced with flames?¡± Having seen what Mo Na did to the spell, an interesting thought occurred to me which I voiced out. ¡°Those of the Lust evolutionary branch have always found themselves most talented in Flames and Shadow Darkness. Since the Vengeful Soul can be enhanced with Shadow Darkness, shouldn¡¯t Flames be¡­ah¡­ahem¡­I almost forgot, Flames are the antithesis of the Undead¡­¡±


    ¡°Mo Na tried that before as well, but the Flames always ended up countering the Undead aspect of the spell. Every try so far has ended in failure.¡± Having said that, her eyes turned a little gloomy.


    ¡®Seems like my little baby has been trying out a lot of things while I wasn¡¯t looking.¡¯


    Having paused for a second in thought, Mo Na continued, albeit in a slightly unsure tone: ¡°Mama, perhaps you can try it out with your Nether Flames¡­those flames are special after all¡­¡±


    ¡®Nether Flames? That¡¯s right, each time I used them to burn an enemy, their bodies would burn up but their souls would be intact, didn¡¯t that mean that the Nether Flames aren¡¯t harmful to Souls? Or perhaps I can control it such that it won¡¯t cause harm to souls?¡¯


    ¡®Wait¡­that might be true for others, but not me. If I were to cast the spell, I wouldn¡¯t have to trap a soul beforehand since my mana acts as a complete subsitute. And since those Nether Flames are born from my mana¡­doesn¡¯t that mean that I can just use the Vengeful Souls to summon Nether Flames, then¡­what should I call this new spell? Nether Flames Vengeful Soul? Or perhaps, Burning Vengeance?¡¯


    ¡®Hold on a second, isn¡¯t ¡®Burning Vengeance¡¯ that Brand guy¡¯s¡­bah, forget it, let¡¯s just try it out for now.¡¯


    In order prepare myself well, I first lowered Mo Na back onto the ground before following the steps she taught me.


    It was a complicated process, not to mention that I was trying to modify it right off the bat. Thanks to that bit of greediness, I had to attempt several times before it finally succeeded.


    *Whoosh*


    A fiery black skull, composed entirely of Nether Flames, coalesced into a floating object on my right palm. This was my version of the Vengeful Soul. Even though it differed a lot in terms of appearance from Mo Na¡¯s one, the important thing was that it was more destructive than her modified version, by not just a few times too! After all, these flames were destruction incarnate.


    ¡°Whaa~~Mama¡¯s amazing!¡± Seeing me succeed, she immediately threw me a fervent look full of worship. The little scamp seemed even more excited than when she had learnt something new herself. With a clap and a jump, she continued cheering: ¡°Mama¡¯s so amazing, Mo Na¡¯s spell was improved upon just like that!¡±


    Naturally, I was more than happy to accept her worship.


    With regards to how smoothly this all went¡­how should I put it¡­the spell itself was extremely suited to me and my unique strengths. Thanks to that, I hardly encountered any difficulties in picking up this spell. Had it been any other spell, I probably would have gotten a headache.


    ¡°That¡¯s an interesting spell you got there¡­¡± In the midst of her break, Nola¡¯s interest was immediately aroused by my summoning of the modified Vengeful Soul. ¡°That must be the flames you used to kill that Demonic Fire Sprite and the Flame Devouring Fishes¡­truly fascinating¡­¡±


    ¡°How about you try it out then?¡±


    Seeing her so intrigued by the flames, I couldn¡¯t help but poke fun at her, directing the fiery black mass towards her in the process.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t point that thing at me¡­¡±


    As the modified Vengeful floated towards her, Nola practically leapt out of her skin as her four limbs frantically retreated backwards in an unexpected show of feebleness while trying to distance herself from that black mass.

 Devil Chapter 327: This Time, I’m Leaving for Real…

    ¡°Keep that away¡­it¡¯s dangerous¡­¡±


    Her voice tense, her nerves clearly rattled by the deadly Nether Flames. Could she be blamed for that though? After all, a couple of Five-stars Demonic Flame Sprites and a Six-stars Flame Devouring Fish were all wiped out not too long ago by said flame without any hope of resistance whatsoever. One had to know that all three of them were flame based organisms¡­for them to be burned to death like that was truly ironic.


    Even though Nola¡¯s resistance to flame was ludicrously high, she was no fool. She naturally knew that an ordinary flame simply couldn¡¯t be compared to Nether Flames. For her to be so fearful was only to be expected, right?


    Seeing her acting with such trepidation was truly a new and intriguing experience for me. One that couldn¡¯t help but bring a cheeky grin to my lips as I said: ¡°So even Nola has times when she is afraid.¡±


    ¡°Who said I¡¯m afraid¡­I just don¡¯t want that THING to touch me¡­¡± She desperately tried to deny it. Unfortunately for her, her ever softening voice was a dead giveaway.


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    However, I could roughly tell from her expression that this joke had almost run its course by now. Thus, I cut off my mana supply, causing the Vengeful Flames to disperse into nothingness in a puff of black and red¡­


    ¡°Phew, that scared me.¡±


    ¡®Who knew she was actually that scared of Nether Flames¡­¡¯


    Still unaware that she just let the cat out of the bag, Nola immediately glossed over the whole incident while giving me a quick look: ¡°Next time, don¡¯t mess around with a toy like that, I ended up being dragged into this charade too.¡±


    ¡°Toy?¡± I twisted my wrist a little in a summoning motion. ¡°So you really aren¡¯t afraid then?¡±


    ¡°Why would I?¡± She proudly raised her chin. ¡°There¡¯s just no way.¡±


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    ¡°How about I call it out again then?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s¡­let¡¯s not¡­¡± Staring at her stiff smile, I didn¡¯t know whether to be exasperated or to laugh at her obstinance.


    However, that was enough horsing around for now. With that little episode behind us, I turned my eyes to Mo Na.


    ¡°Sweetie, Papa¡¯s mana is a little special so this spell belongs only to Papa. How about we change the name as well? Just to differentiate them.¡±


    Since she was the creator of this spell, I felt I had to at least consult her opinion on such matters, even though I knew that she would definitely support me.


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    ¡°Okay~ What does Mama want to call it then?¡± As expected, she agreed while clapping her hands in glee: ¡°Since it¡¯s based on the Vengeful Soul, with flames added in, how about we call it Vengeful Flames?¡±


    ¡°Vengeful Flames¡­¡±


    ¡®I wonder if it¡¯s alright to blatantly steal the name¡­¡¯


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    ¡°Hmm, is the name bad?¡± She tapped her lips while tilting her head to the side. ¡°Mo Na thinks it¡¯s pretty good.¡±


    ¡°Ahem, it¡¯s decent, but maybe we shouldn¡¯t use this name¡­¡± The last thing I wanted to deal with was a copy strike, even though there were no heavy-handed corporations in this world¡­


    ¡°Then what name does Mama want?¡±


    ¡°Name huh¡­¡± I gave it some thought before finally coming up with something more basic: ¡°How about Nether Flame Soul.¡±


    ¡°Nether Flame Soul?¡± Mo Na repeated the name to herself several times before suddenly rolling her eyes at me. Then, with all the seriousness in the world, she said: ¡°Mama, that¡¯s such a middle school name!¡±


    As the two of us continued with our banter, time marched onwards tirelessly. Second by second, minute by minute, time pressed regardless of our will. By now, roughly eight hours had passed since our last battle. Nola had finished resting, the initial features of the safety zone was done, and we had successfully set up a communication pipeline between the salamanders and us. Simply put, there really wasn¡¯t any reason for Nola to stay behind anymore, at least that was she reckoned.


    No matter how much we wished for her to stay, she was adamant about leaving. Given that she wasn¡¯t going to change her mind no matter what, I decided it would be better if we just let her go then.


    ¡°I¡¯m off then.¡± With half her body submerged in the lava lake, Nola turned around to look at me before declaring as such with a deadpan face: ¡°This time, I¡¯m leaving for real.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Just go then, you don¡¯t have to repeat yourself.¡¯ I purposely put on a relaxed face as I waved at her to leave: ¡°I get it, I get it, I won¡¯t stop you.¡±


    ¡°¡­take care then.¡± Nola nodded her head before sinking into the lake, her body stirring up a huge wave in the process as if she was a giant ship taking a nosedive. Soon, her body disappeared entirely into the lake without a trace.


    ¡®So she decided to leave in the end¡­¡¯


    However, now wasn¡¯t the time for me to mope about because of her departure, I still had important matters to attend to. According to No.3, that teleportation zone would periodically spawn new Devils. Those were my current targets. By enslaving these newcomers, our faction would balloon in strength.


    Clearly, that was a good thing. At the very least, I had never heard of anyone being resentful that their power grew stronger, especially given how much I wanted to become stronger.


    In order to enslave them, I would have to prepare a food source for them, and that was the safety zone I was building right now. Even though the worms that had split up weren¡¯t able to sustain us with their soul fragments, their meat should suffice in feeding this army.


    After all, souls were kind of like diamonds for the lower starred Devils ¨Ca luxury.


    ¡°No.3, I¡¯ll leave this place in your care for now. I¡¯ll give these four Abyssal Golems to you to guard the entry. I¡¯ll head back to the capital with No.6 first. As for the safety zone, just follow the current setup and expand it as needed to connect the two points, got it?¡± With Nola gone, my mind was now in full gear working out a plan for the future. ¡°Also, I¡¯ll leave those Devils who surrendered here for now. Weren¡¯t there three Flame Childes who surrendered to us? Have those three manage the newcomers, as long as nothing happens, it¡¯s fine.¡±


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    Having taken in all my instructions, No.3 had a look of despair on his face as if the entire world was about to come crashing down upon him. ¡°Master, you¡¯re heading back? Without me?¡±


    ¡°Our mission here is too important, you¡¯re the only person I can trust¡­we just don¡¯t have enough manpower¡­¡± I sighed, interrupting No.3¡¯s incoming pleas. I then turned around to face the sniggering No.6. ¡°Let¡¯s go then, first we have to find Sinmosa and Sasani, I still want to check if there are any new Devils that teleported in while we were busy¡­¡±


    ¡°Understood, Master.¡± No.6 wringed his hands together like a perfectly trained lackey before throwing a glance at No.3. The taunting look he had in eyes, coupled with his conspicuously raised eyebrows, infuriated the helpless No.3


    In terms of intelligence, No.6 was truly leaps and bounds ahead of No.3, even the timing he chose to taunt the latter was perfect. He knew that even if No.3 wanted to lash at him, he couldn¡¯t do so right now. In fact, No.3 tried to do so several times already but held back in lieu of me being so nearby.

 An Understanding with Sinmosa

    No.6 obediently followed in my footsteps, taking care to proceed only when I did and to stop when I did.


    With me were Mo Na, Cinderal, the aforementioned No.6 and six other Winged Abyssal Golems, as we finally stepped into the Teleportation Zone. As expected, I found Sinmosa and Sasani standing guarding over the area. They weren¡¯t alone, however, as I found roughly a hundred Devils squatting on the ground obediently, not daring to even to move a muscle under the couple¡¯s watch eyes.


    With how titanic my golems were, our arrival, heralded by thunderous footsteps that shook even the ground itself, had the unfortunate effect of stirring up the rabble who tried to escape while Sinmosa and Sasani trotted up to greet us. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately for us, the intent of these ten or so Devils was quickly sussed out by the hawkeye Sasani. With a leap as swift as the wind, he easily caught up to the escapees just as they took their first steps out of the crowd. His three heads snapped down on two of the poor sods who weren¡¯t quick enough to leave, after which he casually started gnawing on their heads¡­ Just like that, two Large Imps were fatally relieved of two large chunks of flesh¡­


    Sasani spat out the lifeless meat sacks in his mouth before galloping ahead, his sprinting speed nearly untouchable by ordinary Devils when he had a straight, clear road ahead. Like a deadly panther, he bore down on the remaining Devils before they even had the time to regret their foolishness.


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    At the end of the day, he was a Five-stars Cerberus; his speed wasn¡¯t something any old Devil could hope to match.


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    A while later, the deed was done, no mercy whatsoever. Having done that, he gave the remaining Imps a placid stare with a chill so biting that they couldn¡¯t help but shiver, just like a bunch of students who had just been given the evil eye by a teacher.


    Just like that, this little hiccup was forcefully snuffed out and quickly smoothed out. Sasani gave a bunch of nearby cowering Devils a pointed glare. Seeing that, ten Big Imps promptly stepped out and obediently picked up the souls of the dead Imps before quietly lining up behind Sasani.


    Once the souls were gathered up, Sasani trotted off to Sinmosa without glancing back for a second. As for those corpses¡­corpses! It was only then that I realized that there was a sizable pile of Devil corpses nearby, at least two hundred by my estimates. The corpses were all piled up in a miniature mountain. Judging from the bites and claw marks, their deaths were most likely the handiwork of those two ferocious hellhounds¡­or should I say, pawwork?


    Having offered up the souls to Sinmosa, those Big Imps promptly carted off the dead bodies to the corpse pile without even being told to so¡­ and that was how things were in Purgatory. Devils living there never hesitated to kill. Even the normally warm and welcoming Cerberus husband and wife had their dark side as well. The kindness they showed was only applicable to their own people. Should they enter into battle, they would instantly turn into bloodthirsty killing machines, carving a bloody swathe through their enemies without any hesitation.


    ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± Seeing us arrive, Sinmosa was the first to trot forward to greet us in a respectful manner. ¡°I thought you all would make it back sooner.¡±


    ¡°Bark bark bark~~¡± Cinderel immediately leapt towards her mama. As for her papa¡­she merely gave him a quick snort before burying her head into mama¡¯s embrace.


    ¡®Well, looks like Sasani just got the cold treatment again¡­ who told him to be covered in that awful blood scent.¡¯


    Finally, after the Hellhound were done with their family time, I replied Sinmosa, ¡°I have an interesting idea, I did a simple test on it just now over at the side of the lava lake.¡±


    ¡°Idea?¡± Sinmosa paused for second, then all three of her lips smiled. ¡°What have you cooked up this time?¡±


    ¡°My original intention was to create some worm catching tools. Thanks to Nola, I managed to come to an agreement with the salamanders over that. We would be in charge of guarding the worms while they provide meat.¡± I sweeped my eyes over the imps nearby who were all frightened stiff. ¡°In order to feed those idiots, I planned on heading back to the capital to create some tools¡­but there¡¯s no need for that now.¡±


    ¡°Nola actually agreed to that?!¡± Sinmosa gave me a shocked look: ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for your massive size difference, I would have thought that both of you were¡­¡±


    ¡®When did Sinmosa start talking like that exactly¡­¡¯


    However, I had to say that I was surprised Nola agreed as well, but Sinmosa would most likely be less surprised after hearing what I had to say next. ¡°We¡¯re not killing them, just letting them split up. Those that have, will be guarded by us. In their wild state, such an occurrence shouldn¡¯t be rare at all. As long as they receive enough nutrients, recovering shouldn¡¯t be an issue.¡±


    ¡°But the split worms don¡¯t have a complete soul.¡±


    Sinmosa was extremely family with my picky eating habits; no meat, only souls. Mo Na was the same as well. As everyone knew by now, a worm who had just split won¡¯t be able to recover its soul so killing them at that point would result in only meat and unusable soul fragments.


    ¡°Well, I have my own plans regarding that.¡±


    ¡®Speaking of souls, those devil souls just now¡­ those two rascals must have had a bomb feasting on them¡­forget it, I¡¯m not hungry now anyway, I have other things to tend to now.¡±


    ¡°Oh right, Sinmosa, these are the newcomers who popped up after No.3 left?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, a whole bunch of them appeared but we weren¡¯t able to capture them all. Only a small portion ended up being captured, they aren¡¯t very obedient either, trying to escape every so often¡­¡± Sinmosa frowned. ¡°That¡¯s why we had no choice but to kill some of them.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, troublemakers like them need to be punished a little.¡±


    ¡®So that¡¯s how they ended up with a mountain of corpses?¡¯


    In truth, I fully supported Sinmosa¡¯s style of listen or die. Between devils, there really wasn¡¯t any morals to speak of, if one refused to yield, there was only death.


    While the end result was a lot of devils escaping, that was because No.3 left with the golems as well, seeing as he was the one with control rights anyway. The couple¡¯s original aim was just to confirm the location of the teleportation zone and the rules surrounding it.


    With regards to the frequency at which they appeared, they found that there was no set location or rule. Without the golems, it was impossible for them to capture all the imps too, even with their star level superiority.


    In light of that, the result they showed me wasn¡¯t all that great, but it was enough. Because all I really needed to ascertain was that there would be an unending supply of devils appearing, the rest was up to No.6.


    Before setting up this recruitment point however, I needed to bring No.6 on a field trip back to the capital first.


    ¡°Sinmosa, can I trouble you to continue keeping watch over here? I will transfer temporary control rights over four Winged Abyssal Golems to you. If you meet any newcomers, they will do their best to help you. As for those who escaped already¡­we will deal with them once No.6 has returned.¡± I turned to her six eyes and earnestly said, ¡°I¡¯m starved on manpower, I really need you help now, so I¡¯m counting on you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know what to do.¡± Sinmosa gave me a hellhound smile. ¡°In exchange, I¡¯ll have to leave the babysitting of my daughter to you, alright?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll treat her like my own.¡±


    Just like that, we came to an understanding.


    It was a rather strange thing really. Little Cinderel¡¯s favourite devils were Sinmosa, Mo Na and me instead of her father. At times, she even seemed a little dismissive of him¡­ ¡®come to think of it, is Sasani really her father? It has been said that daughters tend to cling to their fathers like glue, but this pair¡­that so doesn¡¯t describe them at all¡­ don¡¯t tell me there¡¯s a Mr. Next Door Dog involved here?¡¯


    I inexplicably turned to look at the despondent Sasani and quietly mourned for him¡­ ¡®You¡¯ve suffered, brother¡­everyone else has to deal with being cuckolded just once, but because you have three heads, you have to deal with it thrice.¡±


    Naturally, I knew very well that Cinderel wasn¡¯t spawned from the seed of Mr. Next Door Neighbor. After all, there was no such thing as a next door dog in the hellhound clan¡­


    Having handed the control rights as planned, we set off once more. This time, it was a straight dash to the capital.


    As for why I was so adamant about bringing No.6 back to the capital, there were a ton of reasons really.


    Firstly, No.6 didn¡¯t know where it was exactly so I had to teach him. It was a way of showing how much I valued him. Being my main base in Purgatory, and him being an important subordinate, it was only natural for him to familiarise himself with the capital.


    Second, even though No.6 was a newcomer as well, he had signed a soul contract with me, thus he had my complete trust. All his future missions would only be of the critical sort. His main task now was to govern the recruitment zone and the construction of the safety zone. For me right now, these two tasks were of utmost importance.


    Together, both of them provided a supply of troops and a supply of food. Without them, the enemy would only need a few troops to level my base. After all, how would we even persuade troops to join us without those two?

 Returning to the Royal Capital

    ¡°So¡­this is the royal capital of Sable Radiance¡­how majestic¡­awe-inspiring¡±


    The moment we stepped into the royal capital, No.6 was the very definition of disbelief. I could only imagine how much this sight shocked him. After all, he was a devil who just crawled out of the Blood Sea, through blood, claw and luck, just like what I had gone through. But just like me, there weren¡¯t that many structures in our path here.


    Even though No.6 claimed to know have some architectural experience, I was still on the fence about believing that. It was true that there were differences between each devil¡¯s inherited memories, but for the difference to be this great¡­one was an ordinary grunt and the other was a natural born architect¡­quite unbelievable.


    Something had to be said here however. Though I was implying that he was lying to me, that in of itself was amazing. Devils who spawned from the Blood Sea¡­ well, this was the first time I saw a devil like No.6 who could lie like a professional. Truth be told, the impression Blood Sea born devils gave me was that of a potato, like No.3¡­


    Perhaps it was precisely because he could tell how much more intelligent he was that No.6 looked down on No.3. It was like how ancient scholars used to look down on soldiers¡­hmm, but in Purgatory, it was martial strength that was respected.


    ¡°Master, please do not give your servant that look.¡± Perhaps the stare I was giving him was a little too telling, No.6 suddenly interrupted my contemplations. ¡°Your servant really does possess architectural knowledge, there is no question there at all. If Master does not believe your servant¡­¡±


    ¡°As of right now, I¡¯m willing to believe you, because if you don¡¯t satisfy me¡­¡± I grinned at No.6. ¡°Well you know what will happen.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±No.6 immediately broke out in cold sweat. ¡°Your servant does in fact possess that skill set. Your servant will do his best¡­no, your servant will definitely satisfy Master¡¯s wishes¡­¡±


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    ¡°Mhm, very good, work hard then, shounen.¡±


    ¡°Shou¡­nen?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I order you to forget those words, thank you very much.¡± Having just let slip a little bit of useless quipping, I lightly bit down on my teeth. ¡°Don¡¯t make me help you forget them, thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­yes¡­¡±


    No.6 shrunk inwards, not daring to speak at all. ¡®I bet he must thinking what a scary master I am right now¡­¡¯


    ¡°Master, you¡¯re finally back!¡± Just as we arrived at the entrance of the royal capital, Big 4 came out to welcome us with a bunch of Abyssal Golems. The moment he neared us, he knelt down. ¡°Master, you sure took your time¡­Big 4 really missed you, don¡¯t you know¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, don¡¯t just kneel like that all of a sudden, get up.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Big 4 stood up, swept his eyes over our group before revealing an uneasy look. ¡°Master, what about No.3?¡±


    ¡°Oh, No.3? That fellow is still at the lava lake. I have some construction planned for that area and I¡¯m lacking manpower right now.¡±


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    ¡°Construction plans?¡± Big 4 was clearly stumped by those words as he blinked at me.


    ¡®Really¡­that stupid act isn¡¯t cute when used by an Infant Flame Devil¡­¡¯


    ¡°All you need to know is that he stayed behind to complete some work for me.¡± I always felt that his brain was a little inadequate, so even if I laid it out for him, he most likely won¡¯t understand anyway. With that in mind, I diverted the topic. ¡°And Mother Black Ant?¡±


    Big 4 paused for a second before promptly replying, ¡°She¡¯s busy laying eggs in a dug up hole. She mentioned that the first batch will be out soon, should I bring Master to have a look?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, we still have other matters. Go look after her first, once the eggs are ready, come find me in the palace.¡±


    ¡°Understood Master¡­¡± Just as those words left his mouth, he realized that I wasn¡¯t planning to bring him along at all. ¡°Master¡­so I have to stay with Mother Black Ant? But aren¡¯t I your bodyguard¡­without No.3 to accompany you, I have to be your side¡­¡±


    ¡°Not for now. There¡¯s no danger within the vicinity of the royal capital. Even if there was, the Abyssal Golems can take care of it.¡± Looking at that dejected expression on his face, I was a little lost as to how to react. ¡°Alright, alright, I still have a lot of plans to enact, I¡¯ll be sure to bring you along then.¡±


    Having just received that assurance, Big 4 broke into a beaming smile. As for me, I beckoned for No.6 now that the kid that was Big 4 had just been placated.


    ¡°Master, is this your castle?¡± No.6 had no intention of interacting with Big 4 either, just like what happened with No.3. Realizing that I was about to walk off, he promptly kept pace with me while maintaining a certain distance like a loyal dog would. His eyes almost swivelled out of their sockets as he took in the sights around him. Then, he asked of me probingly, ¡°Master, how many of such Abyssal Golems are there? These structures have all been damaged, do you require your servant to fix them? Master¡­¡±


    At that point, I had just picked up my two little babies, Mo Na and Cinderel, concerned that they were puffed out from all that walking. The two little scamps were extremely comfortable in my arms and that showed immediately in how they started horsing around adorably. Ever since I evolved into a Fallen Angel, my body had strengthened substantially so carrying these two scamps up the capital¡¯s sloped road wasn¡¯t as difficult as before. Still, No.6¡¯s questions were starting to grate on me, plus the questions themselves were a little questionable.


    I stopped and blandly asked him, ¡°I honestly thought that you would ask about Mother Black Ant first.¡±


    Unable to contain his curiosity, No.6 answered with a smile. ¡°Ah, your servant is in fact intrigued by that creature known as Mother Black Ant.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a clever devil, the kind I¡¯m currently lacking. Because you handed over your soul fragment to me, I¡¯m not afraid of you turning rogue either.¡± I began warning him as we travelled up the capital¡¯s mountainous road. ¡°But you¡¯re not the one and only either. Truth be told, I used to have over tens ofthousands subordinates before coming here. Had it not been for a certain accident, I would have been in Abaddon instead¡­ Even though intelligent devils like you are rare, but as long as I set out to do so, it¡¯s still possible to find some, so you¡¯re not that special. There are a mountain of such devils who could replace you. My plans won¡¯t stop just because you¡¯re gone, it¡¯s just a matter of expanding some more effort.¡±


    Having said that, I stopped a while and turned around to look him straight in the eyes.


    No.6 fell to the ground kneeling with a thump. Lips quivering, he pledged as such, ¡°Your servants understands completely. Whatever Master wishes of your servant, he will do his utmost to accomplish them. Your servant will refrain from being too nosy, he knows his own worth and will endeavor to be more productive and less talkative¡­¡±

 Chapter 330: Plans

    ¡°You may rise.¡±


    Seeing that this fire had been stoked enough, I called out to No.6. His legs were trembling as he slowly stood up, head still lowered as if he was kneeling. His body most likely understood the meaning of the phrase ¡®to serve a king is like serving a tiger¡¯.


    In truth, I was a lot scarier than that so-called king since I had a fragment of his soul. With just a single thought, I could make him wish that he was dead. No matter where he was, I could locate him through this fragment. In fact, I didn¡¯t even have to go through all that trouble at all ¡ªI could just shatter that fragment thereby shattering his whole soul.


    That was the true power and terror of a slave contract!


    The following journey was decidedly solemn, barring the horsing around noises of Mo Na and Cinderel.


    A short while later, we came upon the main gate of the palace. The moment No.6 laid eyes on the blackish-red Arc de Triomphe-esque gate, his face paled like he had just seen a ghost¡­ Clearly, something about that gothic style severely stirred up his psyche.


    ¡°This is¡­¡± No.6 asked in an unsure voice. Yet even without me answering, he already had his answer. That¡¯s right, this was the entrance of Sable Radiance¡¯s palace, a massive gate that could fit even three Nolas!


    What followed was like a journey through a dream for No.6. Despite being over 80 000 years old, there were no signs of decay as if time itself had been stopped.


    I didn¡¯t bring him down to the underground weapons factory, instead I had him wait in the garden alone. In the meantime, I brought Mo Na and Cinderel down to the factory where I had five hundred Abyssal Golems moved up to the garden.


    ¡°Master¡­¡±


    Even though No.6 knew that they were allies, he could not help but retreat a couple of steps.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. These are all the helpers I found for you, they will be in charge of constructing the safety zone. You can also have a portion of them handle your safety, since new devils will pop out every so often.¡± Having said that, I handed over two Authority Gems to him. ¡°Here are two Authority Gems, tools you can use to control the golems with. You can also use these to gain control over the golems, one of them is for you, the other is for No.3, got it?¡±


    ¡°Understood, Master.¡±


    As a matter of convenience and also a matter of precaution, I had Mo Na create a bone chain to secure the gems. That way even No.6, with no pockets whatsoever, could store the gems easily.


    Naturally, I hadmy little baby create a bone necklace chain for my own gem as well. Just like that, I had a lovely red gemstone hung around my chest.


    No.6¡¯s hands shook with excitement as he received the chained gems. Being the intelligent imp that he was, he knew that this was the moment that he became one of my important subordinates. Truthfully, the reason why he managed to climb the ladder so quickly, other than the fact that he offered up his soul fragment willingly, was that I was lacking manpower right now. I really lacked manpower.


    I had a mountain of matters that had to be settled urgently and those were matters that I couldn¡¯t leave to a pair of muscles-for-brains like Big 4 and No.3. Based on the intelligence they displayed, I just couldn¡¯t picture that ending well.


    It was in such a situation that No.6 appeared, No.6 with his ability to handle such tasks independently. It could be said that he was my only choice right now¡­


    After giving No.6 a brief rundown of the safety zone and the recruitment zone, I hastily sent him off, the faster the better.


    The whole process of constructing the safety zone was epic in scale. From here to the lava lake, there was a straight line distance of three hundred li. Just hiking that distance was terrifying enough, let alone digging out a canal that was larger than normal and with a depth of at least twenty metres¡­ Yet that was considered simple when compared to creating a recruitment zone. After all, digging that canal only required brute force. Once the start and end points were designated, it was just a matter of digging. There was no skill required at all, what required actual management was the recruitment zone.


    It had toinspire awe and terror in the newcomer devils with just one glance, it had to portray an image of immense strength. Without a doubt, such a task wasn¡¯t simple. Yet, with my lack of experience in building, all I could do was leave it to No.6, an imp who claims to have expertise in such matters.


    Either way, everything was handed off now. All No.6 had to do was follow the guidelines I gave him and nothing major should go wrong.


    Five hundred Abyssal Golems and another Eight Winged Abyssal Golems was a massive task force that should allow him to accomplish much on his own. As for how he went about it, that didn¡¯t concern me at all, what I really cared about was the results.


    According to my plan, the first step was to have No.3 stay behind to supervise the digging of the safety zone. Even though it was a boring task for him, it wasn¡¯t particularly complex. All he had to do was be a little vigilant and guard against any Flame Devouring Fish incursion.


    The devils who managed to escape previously could handled by Sinmosa and Sasani, along with some Abyssal Golems.


    Because there were still damaged Abyssal Golems patrolling the vicinity of the royal capital, there were barely any lifeforms nearby. Anyone brainless enough to wander in was basically doomed to a fate of being squished by the Abyssal Golems for being an intruder. Based on that, it could be concluded that those escaped devils would have no way to procure food. Starved, they would have no choice but to kill each other¡­


    ¡®I should find a chance to recall those golems¡­¡¯


    The strong fed on the weak, that was the law of nature. Yet amongst all the muscle-brained devils who came here, there were still a few smart ones. These unusual devils could serve as administrative officers for me, these were the devils I severely lacked in right now. Because of that, I wanted to avoid any unnecessary casualties as I endeavored to bring more devils under my wing.


    Then, there was the issue of the recruitment zone. In all likelihood, it had to be built by devil hands; the golems would probably only be able to assist in tasks like stone cutting and delivery. The golems were incapable of tasks that required a deft hand; we clearly couldn¡¯t expect a robot to build a home by itself after all¡­ that was clearly impossible, for now anyway.


    Regardless, all I wanted was results, the process didn¡¯t matter. As for the matter of food¡­ work had already begun on the safety zone so the number of worms should increase by the day. Given time, I was sure that their needs would be met by the increasing number of worms.


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s all I have for you now. You may leave first, if there¡¯s anything urgent, you may find me here.¡±


    I waved No.6 away as I said that. Without any question to ask, he obediently bowed to me before leaving.


    ¡°Hold up.¡±


    A problem suddenly occurred to me so I called for No.6. Not daring to show any sign of impatience, No.6 turned around with head lowered as he quietly waited for my following command.


    ¡°If you meet any devil with unique talents in the future, I want them all singled out. Have No.3 send them over periodically¡­got it?¡±


    ¡°What kind of unique talents, Master?¡±


    ¡°For example, being unusually intelligent or strong, like being innately blessed with a Sin. As long as they have something that sets them apart from other devils, you can have No.3 send them over to me.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Master.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you may leave now.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Watching his tiny figure disappear, I heaved a sigh of relief. Regardless of how capable he actually was, he was the only devil I had right now that was able to manage or build. Hopefully he won¡¯t disappoint me.


    ¡®What to do next¡­¡¯ My eyes instinctively turned to the two little scamps horsing around nearby. ¡®That¡¯s right, the next urgent task would be assembling more golems¡­there¡¯s still a mountain of golem parts down below, they just need to be put together¡­probably¡­who knows. Either way, it¡¯s not like I can give up on such a massive source of power.¡¯


    ¡°Baby, come to Papa for a second.¡±


    As of right now, Mo Na was busy teasing Cinderel who was tumbling about in a black plant. Upon hearing me call for her, the little scamp happily flew over to give me a hug. ¡°Mama, Mo Na¡¯s here!¡±


    Her little sidekick, Cinderel, came scampering as well.


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    The fact that this little daughter of mine was so clingy was a point of pride for me.


    On the surface, Mo Na seemed like an innocent and harmless little girl. In truth¡­I really wasn¡¯t sure what was in her inherited memories. However, there was one thing I was sure of: she wasn¡¯t as innocent as she seemed.


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    Most of the time, she enjoys teasing me and saying things that brought a blush to my cheeks; that bit of affection was real, no doubt whatsoever. Yet, there were also a lot of times where I just couldn¡¯t figure what her adorable little head was thinking. Was she really going to push me down¡­that¡¯s just¡­grea¡­no, no, that¡¯s horrible. I don¡¯t want to be that kind of Papa, absolutely not!


    Lucifer¡¯s clone left no clue as to the exact timing of the apocalypse so all I could do was strengthen myself to the best of my abilities. Regardless of who I helped in the end, I needed a certain level of strength. The golems were like powerful war machines, ones that I was deeply interested in mass producing in the upcoming days.


    I bent down and ruffled my little baby¡¯s hair and smiled. ¡°We have a lot more work to do next. Sweetie, do you mind heading down to the factory to research the method of creating more golems?¡±


    ¡°Mama, Mo Na is really interested in that as well but she¡¯s really hungry right now.¡± As she said that, she gave me the puppy dog look before rubbing her belly. ¡°Cinderel is hungry too, right?¡±

 Chapter 331: A Third Teleportation Point?

    Upon hearing Mo Na¡¯s question, Cinderel barked three identical ¡°Barks~¡±, as if to say that important things had to be said thrice. Based on that, I could that her little tummy was empty.


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    Faced with these two kids and their comedic act, I could only smile with exasperation, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go get us something to eat.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, Mama¡¯s the best!¡±


    Even though having to go out foraging right after returning was a pain, I couldn¡¯t exactly let my precious daughter go hungry either.


    Scooping up the two rascals, I randomly picked ten Winged Abyssal Golems and headed towards the royal capital. Halfway down, I bumped into No.4.


    He bowed, ¡°Master.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± I casually nodded back. ¡°You¡¯re here to see me?¡±


    This devil of mine was tasked with guarding Mother Black Ant. If he was here and not with her, that meant he had news regarding her to report.


    ¡°Master, Mother Black Ant has successfully hatched her first batch of eggs, roughly a thousand.¡±


    ¡®That fast? Hasn¡¯t it just been two days, was she giving birth and incubating at the same time? Either way, it¡¯s worth a visit.¡±


    ¡°In that case, bring us to her, I just so happen to have an idea but let¡¯s head there first.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Master.¡±


    With No.4 leading the way, we quickly found ourselves near the northern city gates where a black ant hole laid. Without even guessing, I knew that was Mother Black Ant¡¯s.


    Walking up to it, No.4 called out twice. Soon after, Mother Black Ant¡¯s insect head wriggled its way out of the hole and into view. She peered around for a second and, upon noticing me standing near No.4, she quickly crawled out of her hole and past No.4.


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    ¡°Master¡­Mother Black Ant¡­pays her respect.¡± She spoke in her awkward version of the devil¡¯s tongue, though the tone was definitely one of respect.


    Looking at her subservient behavior, I decided not to bully her this time round and cut straight to the point, ¡°I heard from No.4 that your eggs have hatched. How¡¯s your body holding up?¡±


    ¡°Mother Black Ant¡­is grateful¡­for the¡­Master¡¯s concern¡­she¡¯s doing¡­well¡­¡±


    ¡°As long as nothing¡¯s wrong¡­¡± I nodded my head and continued, ¡°Will your kids be able to function without you? In your current state, can you make a long trip? I have something I wish for you to try. Perhaps it might not require too much travelling, but it will require an extended period of absence.¡±


    She lifted her ugly insectoid head to look at me. Looking at her, I could tell she was slightly surprised, even though there really wasn¡¯t any expression to be gleaned from that so-called face of hers. ¡°What does¡­the Master¡­wish of¡­Mother Black Ant¡­¡±


    ¡°I wish to unite the surrounding ant nests under your command. Based on a number of factors, including communication barriers, I felt you would be the better choice, at the very least you can talk to them.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­Mother Black Ant¡­wishes¡­wishes¡­to go¡­¡±


    Upon hearing my suggestion, she immediately perked up, not at all weakened or fatigued as I had assumed she would be. Perhaps there really was no side effects to speak of, or perhaps she was simply used to it, seeing as queen ants like would often give birth to a whole pile of eggs everyday¡­


    ¡°No.4 will stay to guard the place then, I guess?¡± Because I was leaving, No.4 naturally had to stay behind to watch over the place in my stead. Reluctant to do so, he initially thought about protesting that decision. However, he knew very well that he couldn¡¯t change my mind, not to mention that there had to be someone guarding the place.


    ¡°I understand, Master¡­¡±


    I could tell he was disappointed, but who told me to be so short of manpower right now¡­


    To make it up to him somewhat, I smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ll bring back some souls for you on the way back.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, thank you, Master.¡±


    There was no devil who didn¡¯t like souls, yet No.4¡¯s response was clearly muted just now. Just like No.3, I knew that he would like nothing more than to follow me around and act as my bodyguard. But what else was I to do when we were so short on manpower? It wasn¡¯t like I wanted to leave two muscle brains behind to manage everything, especially when they themselves didn¡¯t have enough brains to go around. This was the best solution I had out of a bunch of horrid choices. I couldn¡¯t just leave the place unattended after all.


    There wasn¡¯t much chance of an intruder¡­but what if?


    Hopefully, No.6 would have some usable talents for me soon¡­leaving these two to manage things really wasn¡¯t the best idea I¡¯ve ever had.


    After settling matters with No.4, I left the royal capital heading westwards with the ten Winged Abyssal Golems, Mother Black Ant, Mo Na and Cinderel.


    Truth be told, it really didn¡¯t matter whether it was westward or eastward. Either way, the plan was to subjugate the surrounding ant nests and grab a quick snack on the way. Depending on our luck, we might just encounter some roaming Abyssal Golems. Damaged though they might be, the royal capital had more than enough spare parts which I¡¯m confident could be employed soon to repair them.


    Another matter worth mentioning was that Mother Black Ant was the one leading our merry little band. To her, finding ant nests was a simple matter, at which point we simply had to dig out those nasty little insects.


    Yet just when I thought I had everything figured out, something unexpected happened -we stumbled upon several Zero-Stars devils!


    ¡®How can there be devils here? Shouldn¡¯t that teleportation point be¡­hold on, did I miss out something?¡¯


    ¡®Back when we were teleported to the Kingdom of Sable Radiance, it wasn¡¯t near some lava lake but was somewhere else instead. So there¡¯s two of them?! No, there¡¯s three now. After all, I doubt these devils came from my planned recruitment area, that was over three hundred li away. Plus there¡¯s just too many obstacles preventing them from reaching here, like those roaming golems.¡¯


    At the same time that we spotted those devils, there was a damaged golem chasing them around. It was an ordinary Abyssal Golem that was missing its left palm. Standing at over five meters tall, it looked extremely unwieldy, though its running speed was anything but.


    Naturally, whether or not their speed was fast was relative to their opponents. When compared to the Hellhounds, their running speed could only be counted as manageable. But when compared to those devils¡­ It would be hard for them to shake off that golem, not to mention that the golem wasn¡¯t alive so it had no stamina issues to speak of. In contrast, those devils would tire out sooner or later.


    ¡°Look at that big fella over there, Mama! Mo Na¡¯s gonna capture it!¡± Without even waiting for me to answer, she took off the Gem of Authority from my neck and sped off.


    However, I wasn¡¯t all that worried about her decision. She was able to fly unlike that golem ,and that put her at a decisive advantage. I merely hugged Cinderel tighter.


    Rubbing her little head and fur, I whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t run off, Cinderel. Mo Na will be fine on her own.¡±


    ¡°Ruff ruff~¡±


    She reluctantly barked a couple of times then slowly leaned in on my chest, mood a little unhappy.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be unhappy, little fella.¡± I tapped her lightly on her noggin. ¡°Safety¡¯s number one.¡±


    Mo Na had wings of her own, so she was clearly safe. Cinderel, on the other hand, was different. Not only was she not able to fly, she was a newborn Hellhound as well. She was clearly more likely to get into danger than my baby so how I could let her go running off like that? Especially not when Sinmosa entrusted her into my care.


    The five devils being chased by the golem soon came up to me in the midst of their frantic escape. Upon noticing me, their first instinct wasn¡¯t to attack but rather to turn tail and run. Understandable, really. There were, after all, ten Winged Abyssal Golems standing behind me right now. Given how similar they must have looked to those devils, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they thought I was in cahoots with that golem.


    However, I only had a single word for those simple fools who thought they could escape like that -naive!


    Shadow Demon Guardian.


    I immediately activated my guardian which I had on permanent standby. Its shadowy body swiftly darted towards one of the scattered devils, closing the gap of a hundred meters in what felt like a split second. The Shadow Demon Guardian easily knocked it unconscious. Flapping its shadowy wings, it promptly sped off towards another fleeing imp.


    Just like that, the five imps were secured within the short span of two minutes. With its immeasurably lightweight body, being weightless and all, and its ability to fly, those five lowly devils never stood a chance.


    As for Mo Na, her side was sorted out quickly too. With the power of the Gem of Authority, there was no way it would take her more than two minutes to settle one golem, even if she was intent on toying with it.


    Without waiting for her to bring that golem back to me, I had my Shadow Demon Guardiandrag the five imps to me.


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 Chapter 332: your whole family is a *bleep*

    The Shadow Demon Guardian¡¯s method of binding was, to say the least, extremely amusing. Its left arm would stretch out into a rope-like object before coiling itself around the five unconscious Devils, dragging the poor sods before me like a bunch of trash bags. However, what left me even more speechless was that, despite being dragged along by the Shadow Demon Guardian, ground viciously tearing into their unconscious forms, these unlucky Devils were still completely knocked out.


    ¡®Seems like its methods are rather effective; a simple thwack and those low level Devils are all knocked out cold.¡¯


    Recalling my Shadow Demon Guardian, I gave the foremost Head Imp a kick of my bony right shoe that was neither too heavy nor too light. No response. I frowned a little. This time, I gathered a portion of my mana into the tip of my shoes and prodded his noggin, directly transferring the mana through the tip of my shoes into his brain like a spike.


    Perhaps that prod was a little too forceful for him, but I had barely made contact with his head for a second before he leaped to his feet and out of his unconscious stupor. Eyes glazed over, he rubbed his aching head.


    ¡®Looks like that idiot¡¯s awake at last.¡¯


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    A moment later, his lax shoulders stiffened up as he took up a wary stance against me.


    ¡°Who are you Devils?!¡±


    ¡°Idiot.¡± I chuckled scornfully at the Head Imp¡¯s surprise. ¡°Tell me, where did you all come from?¡±


    ¡°And why should I answer you?¡±


    As expected, that Head Imp was truly a blind idiot. In this situation, where I was the chef¡¯s knife to his live sashimi, he actually still had time to waste on such stupid questions. If I was a more violent fellow, much much more violent even, his head would already be torn off his shoulders.


    Not one to waste more time on a brainless Devil, I continued my previous action of kicking their heads to wake them up. The other four Devils were all Large Imps, unlike the first, ones that seemed completely normal to my eyes.


    A second later, when they were all awake, I repeated my question. ¡°Tell me, where did you all come from?¡±


    ¡°We came from that direction¡­¡± One of the smarter looking Large Imps replied before pointing in the direction they came from. ¡°That¡¯s the place¡­¡±


    ¡®Not the direction of the recruitment zone.¡¯ I mused to myself as I gave the jittery Imps a thoughtful gaze. My lips curled into a fiendish smile. ¡°Bring me there.¡± And that was the difference in power between us, because I was stronger, they had to listen, or die.


    ¡­¡­


    Mo Na seemed absolutely taken with the Gem of Authority I had given her, choosing to play with it whenever she had the chance to do so. Well, it wasn¡¯t like I had any intention of taking it back so I left her to her devices.


    As we marched onwards, Mo Na happily commanded the Abyssal Golem to follow behind us. Though the golem she commanded seemed battered on the surface, it was still a force to be reckoned with -at the very least, my current self couldn¡¯t guarantee a solo victory against it. Perhaps it was fortunate then that its battered limbs didn¡¯t have to travel far, seeing as we quickly arrived at the teleportation point with the guidance of those Imps.


    The new teleportation point was a barren zone, its desolation only broken up by two nearby mounds that resembled the humps of camels. That was basically the landscape of the areas surrounding the old capital of Sable Radiance. The only nearest lava lake was the one we had at our safe zone. Perhaps that was why that lake was so unbelievably long.


    Yet the landscape wasn¡¯t just devoid of features, the surrounding areas were devoid of life as well, barring the Black Blood Ants; a side-effect of those roaming golems, no doubt. With no other lifeform to speak of, and no nearby lava lake either, scavenging for food was difficult for those Devils who just arrived at this teleportation point. It stood to reason that those who managed to survive under such arduous circumstances couldn¡¯t be in the best of shapes either.


    ¡°You¡¯re sure this is the place?¡± I asked, voice a little doubtful. Due to the lack of any Devils appearing in the area, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to fully trust that this was the teleportation point in question. However, the more pressing issue was that Devils who teleported over would always have some variance in where they landed. That was why any confirmation would only apply to a small area.


    Still, that shred of doubt was perhaps enough to terrify the Imps as they rushed to explain, ¡°We went through the Prison of the Dead¡¯s teleportation gate not too long ago, this was where we appeared¡­ O beautiful and magnificent one¡­¡±


    ¡°Beautiful and magnificent?¡± I paused for a second, seemingly having just realised that my looks in the eyes of Devils could only belong to the category of an absolutely stunning woman¡­ no, it wasn¡¯t just Devils. As long as that race held a similar sense of beauty, they would immediately raise me to that pedestal with a mere thought¡­ blast it all. What was even more mortifying was that I still couldn¡¯t be sure what gender I was¡­ a transexual? A trap?


    ¡®Sweet heavens, what sort of creature should I even consider myself as¡­ a genderless Origin Angel? No, you¡¯re the Origin Angel, your whole family is an Origin Angel¡­¡¯


    ¡°From now on, I had better not hear any mention of the word ¡°beautiful¡±, or anything similar to it.¡±


    Putting aside other matters, I truly was in a foul mood right now. Perhaps that was why my body seemed to be oozing the word ¡°menacing¡± out of its every microscopic pore. That obvious show of hostility made the Imps instinctively retreat a step, not even daring to look up as they did so.


    ¡®Bah, now¡¯s not the time to be nitpicking on such matters, punishing them would be pointless as well. What¡¯s more important is solving the problem in front of us.¡¯


    ¡°Other than your own comrades, have you all seen any other Devils?¡±


    ¡°Our group was over ten strong when we teleported over. But because we ran into that big fellow¡­.¡± Having said that, one of the Large Imps pointed a shaking finger at the battered golem standing right at the back of our group. Voice shaking unnaturally, ¡°That thing was so powerful, we could only run¡­¡±


    I gave the area a quick sweep. There were no corpses nearby to be found, which meant that were likely no casualties¡­ Hold on, there was a trail of blood ahead, and some shredded flesh¡­ the flesh of a Devil!


    I immediately grasped the crux of the situation. ¡°When that golem was chasing your group, did the rest split off into other directions?¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ I think they did¡­¡± The Large Imp gave it a couple of seconds of thought before answering. ¡°I seem to remember them running off in a different direction¡­¡±


    Fine, at least some of them seemed to have grown a brain, probably because of the extra soul nourishment they got.


    ¡°We had a Four-star leader, he was a Flame Demon Child -very powerful- but even he couldn¡¯t defeat that big fellow¡­¡±


    Based on that Large Imp¡¯s lacking explanation, I was able to somewhat piece together the situation then. The Four-star faced off against the battered golem -who still maintained the power of a Six-star despite its injuries. Naturally, in a fight between a Four-star and a Six-star, a punch was all it needed to flatten him. Which meant that the pile of flesh over there was most likely leftover by the now deceased Flame Demon Child. As for the rest of his body¡­ the rest of those Devils probably snuck back later on. After all, the corpse of a Flame Demon Child was a massive source of nourishment for low level Devils like them; wasting all that would truly be a shame.


    ¡°They shouldn¡¯t have made it far, we¡¯ll follow them through the trail of blood.¡± Yet just as I was about to set off along the trail, the previously silent Black Blood Queen Ant suddenly stepped up to me¡­


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 Chapter 333: An Unexpected Betrayal

    It had to be said that whenever the Black Blood Queen Ant presented herself before me, it was always in a submissive pose. Even now, as she wriggled her way towards me, she did so in a grovelling manner, as if that was the only proper way to show her loyalty towards me.


    ¡°Master¡­ Mother Black Ant¡­hass¡­felt¡­the presence¡­of her kind¡­.¡± As the Black Blood Queen Ant finished her choppy statement, she turned towards the direction in which we were planning to leave for. ¡°Therrre¡­¡±


    ¡®Presence of her kind? So there¡¯s a Black Blood Ant Nest nearby then? Probably.¡¯


    As if by providence, the direction she pointed coincidentally aligned with the direction in which the Devils who stole that Four-star¡¯s corpse fled towards.


    ¡°What luck then, another reason we have to have a search in that direction.¡± I smiled before gesturing for her to lead the way. ¡°Go on then, we have no time to lose.¡±


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    Yet we barely took a couple of steps before the high-pitched screams of Mo Na and Cinderel¡¯s yelping came crashing in from behind us.


    ¡°AHH¡­what do you think you¡¯re doing¡­die!¡±


    ¡°Woof woof woof!!!¡±


    My head whipped around in an instant, stopping just in time to find Cinderel viciously gnawing at a Devil whose leg was barely two meters away from Mo Na. Closely following that, Mo Na instantly summoned forth a tiny bone spear that looked to be less than half a meter, and tossed it towards the Devil, penetrating two inches into his chest without any difficulty whatsoever.


    That Devil was the first Devil the Shadow Demon Guardian dragged to me like a pile of trash, the Three-star Head Imp. Because it happened so suddenly, I had no way of discerning what actually happened between the three of them. Still, it surprised me that he actually provoked them simultaneously into attacking him.


    Chest still pierced, the Head Imp briskly pulled out that spear, fresh red blood still dripping down its bony exterior. Grisly though the scene might be, such a wound wasn¡¯t much for Devils. As long as it wasn¡¯t a fatal wound, injuries rarely proved a hindrance for Devils. With a forceful kick of his leg, he threw aside the little Hellhound who was adamantly gnawing on his leg. With another stride forward, he took off in pursuit of Mo Na who was furiously beating her wings to try and take off.


    Faced with such a situation, and as Mo Na¡¯s father, there was only one thing I could do: side with my daughter. While I still wasn¡¯t sure what sort was animosity both parties held towards each other, I summoned forth my Shadow Demon Guardian without any hesitation and set it against that audacious Head Imp who was still trying to attack my daughter.


    In the blink of an eye, the Shadow Demon Guardian appeared behind the Head Imp, raised its right hand which had transformed into a black razor, and mercilessly swiped at the Devil¡¯s neck¡­ an instant decapitation¡­


    Just like that the battle was over. Mo Na flapped her way around the now headless Head Imp and barrelled straight into my embrace. She desperately clung to me, chest heaving as she took in deep breaths after deep breaths, body slightly warm, a clear sign that the short skirmish before had thoroughly startled her.


    ¡°Mama, that bad Devil wanted to steal Mo Na¡¯s gemstone¡­¡± She finally complained after a moment to calm down, launching soon after into a detailed account of what happened.


    It turned out that the Head Imp was pretending all this while to be subservient since he realised he couldn¡¯t beat us. He knew that, based on his prowess alone, he had no way to ever beat us and our golems. What sparked his rebellion just so happened to be those same golems. More accurately, it was the Gem of Authority which could control them.


    Not too long ago, he witnessed Mo Na subjugating the battered golem while it was chasing after himself using the Gem of Authority- truth be told, even I couldn¡¯t be too sure whether this Devil was really stupid or just pretending to be stupid; he actually guessed that the gemstone Mo Na had could be used to control the Abyssal Golems. And what truly made him think that his plan had a chance of success was that, while Mo Na was a Four-star Lust Demon, the melee strength of a Lust Demon was¡­ famously bad. Every Devil knew that, amongst all the strains of the Seven Original Sins, the Lust Demons had the lowest melee ability¡­


    As the old proverb went, the common man was innocent till the day he came upon a windfall, if one owned a priceless artifact but lacked the ability to safeguard it, being robbed was only to be expected.


    Based on this incident, it was clear that Mo Na needed work on her close combat skills. For a Four-star Devil to lose to a mere Head Imp was just¡­ As for Cinderel¡­ she just had to keep being so bloody adorable, that¡¯s all. Speaking of which, where¡¯s Cinderel¡­


    At the same time that Mo Na was explaining, I suddenly remembered that the Head Imp had sent our little black Hellhound flying with a kick of his leg. I immediately scanned the surroundings. It was then that Cinderel came up scampering up to me. I hurriedly stooped down to hug the little puppy who was busy woofing in a slightly pitiful but oh so adorable manner.


    Still a little worried about the kick she suffered, I promptly rummaged through her fur to check for injuries. Thankfully, there were none.


    ¡°Cinderel was so brave just now, protecting your big sister like that.¡± I praised her while patting her on the head. I was immediately rewarded with the sight of her little Hellhound eyes closing in sheer bliss as she enjoyed my gentle pats.


    With Cinderel safe and sound, I commanded the Shadow Demon Guardian to fetch the Head Imp¡¯s soul before offering it up to Cinderel. Not one to stand on ceremony, she happily gulped down the soul. Having done that, she stretched her tiny paws and laid them on my chest before stretching out to give me a tender lick on my head¡­ that was her way of showing gratitude.


    ¡°All right, all right, that¡¯s enough for now, Cinderel.¡± I smiled as I declined her little face washing service. Placing the two little scamps on the floor, I continued, ¡°We still have work to do so you two be good, got it?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, Mo Na¡¯s will be good!¡±


    ¡°Woof!~¡±


    The two kids then raced off towards that same battered golem; clearly they weren¡¯t affected at all by that little scuffle.


    ¡®No wonder they say that Devil kids are a brave lot¡­¡¯


    By now, no one should be stupid enough to try and steal Mo Na¡¯s Gem of Authority, right? I emotionlessly swept my eyes across the remaining Imps, only to find that they were already tightly grasping at each other while shivering profusely. Sensing my gaze upon them, the four burly Large Imps instinctively shuddered.


    ¡®Exactly how scared of death are you guys¡­¡¯ Well, it wasn¡¯t like they were scared without reason.


    That Head Imp used to be one of them, and in the rulebook of Devils, the sin of one was the sin of many -all had to be punished equally¡­ That was to say, if Devils even had a rulebook¡­ On Earth, that was commonly known as collective punishment.


    Strictly speaking, collective punishment wasn¡¯t a concept amongst Devils. Basically, what they were really afraid of was being implicated in the wrath of another. It wasn¡¯t uncommon for those of a superior status to kill those below him on a whim, especially if there existed a huge gap between the two, more so when the one being killed had no background whatsoever¡­


    ¡°Please¡­spare us¡­we didn¡¯t know he would¡­would¡­.¡± Under my withering gaze, their instincts immediately took over, forcing them to their knees as they begged.


    Well, it wasn¡¯t like they participated in that tiny rebellion, they probably didn¡¯t know about it either. I wasn¡¯t maniacal enough to vent my anger on them either.


    ¡°You may all rise, none of you took part in his betrayal so I¡¯ll believe in your innocence, but don¡¯t let there be another¡­or else¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Yes¡­someone else tries to do that, we¡¯ll kill that betrayer before you even lift a finger¡­¡±


    Yet no matter how much they pleaded, I had no sympathy for their plight. The only reason I gave them a free pass this time was because of what I said earlier: I didn¡¯t want to vent my anger on another. But if they ever dared to touch my precious daughter, let there be no doubt that I would grind their bones into dust.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want a repeat of that again.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­yes¡­¡±


    They vigorously nodded their heads, knowing that they successfully escaped death this time around.


    With the curtains lowered on this little drama, we proceeded onwards. Roughly ten minutes had passed like that when we spotted something out of blue as we climbed a tiny hill. Peering down from the top of the hill, we spotted a cluster of black dots a couple hundred meters away. The dots were all closely packed together like a black cloud as they crawled over six or so corpses¡­


    ¡°Master¡­same¡­kind¡­Mother Black Ant¡­¡±


    What she meant was those were all Black Blood Ants. As for the corpses, they were without a doubt the corpses of Devils.


    ¡°Your kind eat meat as well?¡± Leaning forward, I took a closer look at distant ants busy dissecting the corpses of those Imps.


    ¡®Were they planning to eat them? I thought they only ate minerals infused with mana?¡¯


    ¡°Meat¡­we eat¡­meat¡­past¡­not¡­dare¡­.¡±


    Garbled though her words were, I roughly got the gist of it. They were probably omnivores by the looks of things. Naturally, they wouldn¡¯t say no to meat either, it was just, as a slave race of Sable Radiance, it wasn¡¯t all that appropriate to eat the meat of a Devil who was the master race¡­


    Naturally, that ended when Lucifer decided to whisk away all the Devils in the kingdom. Yet the golem patrols remained, so for tens of thousands of years, there were no large-scale migrations into the former capital of Sable Radiance. In the eyes of the other Purgatory races, the empty capital was basically a death zone¡­


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    To be honest, those roving golems were probably not the only reason why the other races didn¡¯t dare to act up. Another crucial reason was that the clone of Lucifer was still hibernating in the palace of the capital¡­that right there was a catastrophe-class entity. Exactly who would be so sick of living that they would try to disturb him? While not all the surviving creatures might know of Lucifer¡¯s existence, surely there would be those who were strong enough to sense the existence of Lucifer¡¯s clone, right¡­ even stupidity had its limits.


    ¡°How about we pay them a visit, Mother Black Ant?¡± I pointed at the distant ant blob. ¡°Can you control them?¡±


    ¡°No¡­they are not¡­ Mother Black Ant¡¯s¡­children¡­¡±


    The queen ant unambiguously shot down that thought. By the looks of things, there was a major limit on the scale of her control, and that had directly to do with bloodlines.Please go to


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 Chapter 334: A Battle With No Declaration

    While it had occurred to me before that the Mother Black Ant might not be able to control every Black Blood Ant we encountered, a thought which was just confirmed by her, I still brought her along anyway. The reason was twofold. First, I needed a method of communication. Second was, to be very frank here, I couldn¡¯t be sure that the other Black Blood Ants would submit to me the same way that Mother Black Ant did just because I was a Fallen Angel.


    ¡°If you were to go over now, what would happen?¡±


    ¡°Mother Black Ant¡­doess¡­not know¡­¡±


    ¡®So even she doesn¡¯t know how they would react¡­¡¯


    Strictly speaking, every Black Blood Queen Ant had their own territory. And it wasn¡¯t like we hadn¡¯t encountered any other Black Blood Queen Ants¡¯ nest prior to now. It was just that we didn¡¯t have much chance to communicate then, seeing as they weren¡¯t loyal to me and probably wouldn¡¯t be in the mood to be so either. Before now, it had never occurred to me to learn much about them, resulting in my current lack of knowledge about their race.


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    ¡°Try talking to them first, if they try to attack, I¡¯ll burn them to a crisp with my Nether Flames.¡±


    ¡°Mother Black Ant¡­understandds¡­Masss..ter¡­¡±


    Not one to disobey me ever, she began wriggling her way towards the countless horde of ants ahead of us. I gestured for the others to follow closely, maintaining a five meters distance between us and Mother Black Ant. With her decent crawling speed, the distance of 200 meters was easily covered in a moment.


    ¡°Chit chit chit~~~¡±


    Upon seeing a foreign Black Blood Queen Ant appear before them, the horde of ant-like creatures responded with a strange chittering. While I might have been able to understand their strange language, I could see they were extremely excited, based on their waving feelers and agitated movements.


    As per my command, Mother Black Ant tried to communicate with them, unfortunately that failed. The ant horde didn¡¯t seem to understand her at all and were already swarming towards her. She knew she was clearly no match against their numbers, so her only option really was to retreat.


    ¡°Mama, let Mo Na handle it!¡±


    Having flown to my side early on in Mother Black Ant¡¯s attempted negotiations, Mo Na took the opportunity to act before I could, waving her adorable little hands in the air, calling forth a ten meter long wall of flames in front of Mother Black Ant.


    It was a wall of immense heat, flames so hot that even the surroundings seemed to bend to its will. It was at a level that these ants could never resist. But still they charged fearlessly into the fiery abyss before them, on a journey with no return. Why? Because their brains were the size of an insect¡¯s! That¡¯s why. Had it been any other lifeform, they wouldn¡¯t have done so. But not the Black Blood Ants, because they were on such a low level that their intelligence was basically that of an insect¡¯s.


    Faced with such a one-sided massacre, Mother Black Ant once again felt the sheer power we wielded, and that would only make her fear and respect me more. Prostrated like a supplicant, she dragged herself before me, head lowered as she seeked forgiveness.


    ¡°Master¡­Mother Black Ant¡­guilty¡­¡±


    Her meaning was clear enough, but I never had any intention of blaming her to begin with. After all, she mentioned it before, she wasn¡¯t entirely sure if she could even communicate with Black Blood Ants not under her. Thus I skipped straight to the point. ¡°What did you tell them just now?¡±


    ¡°Mother Black Ant¡­saidd¡­meet¡­queeeen¡­ant¡­¡±


    In other words, she stated her request but they just charged at her like flies attracted to a light¡­brainless¡­


    Because the ant swarm had just fought with some Devils, there were a number of soldier ants mixed in the swarm. These mindless insects endlessly threw themselves to their deaths. If only they knew how to make a turn¡­that wall was only ten meters long after all¡­if they knew how to turn, they could easily route around it. Yet as facts would have it, they would rather die than curve in their ant path¡­


    Just as the death toll was starting to reach for the heavens, a strange fluttering echoed in the air from the not too distant horizon. If I had to describe it, it was like the sound of a locust swarm closing in on us¡­the Black Blood General Ants¡­I could already see their winged silhouettes, each about 15 cm long, homing in on our location¡­


    These ants were the last line of defense in a Black Blood Queen Ant¡¯s arsenal. Each of them had at the very least the power of a One-star, with some of their elites even reaching Two-stars. Furthermore, because of their sheer numbers and ability to fly, they were a million times worse than locusts.


    Thus a giant cloud of black came swarming towards us and right over the wall that Mo Na created.


    Faced with an uncountable number of adversaries, those four Imp recruits were immediately scared limp, each scurrying to hide behind the nearest golem they could find. In all honesty, I wasn¡¯t afraid of these ants. No matter how many came at me, I could simply activate my Nether Flames around me and burn them. However, I now had a more effective method of dealing with them.


    I first grabbed hold of Mo Na, activating my Shadow Demon Guardian soon after hugging her. Born of my shadow, this guardian of mine was like a clone of myself. In some ways, it was even stronger than me, the main body¡­


    As an ability I gained after evolving into a Fallen Angel, this was one of my favourite techniques. Reason being a simple one: it was convenient, fast, and it flew¡­


    With that, the battle started, or rather the massacre.


    Nether Flames wrapped around itself, the Shadow Demon Guardian charged right into the ant swarm. With just a mere touch of the flames, every flying ant was burnt to a crisp, dropping to the ground like a bunch of fried potstickers. The sight of blackened potstickers raining down from the heavens was truly a terrifying one. Yet what was even more terrifying was that before they could even land, these potstickers were all consumed by the Nether Flames they touched¡­returning once more to the earth¡­dust to dust¡­ashes to ashes¡­ All that was left were their fragile souls which the Nether Flames left intact¡­


    Because gravity really wasn¡¯t an issue for a shadow, the Shadow Demon Guardian¡¯s speed was unmatched. To its eyes, these flying Black Blood General Ants might as well have been crawling in the air, like a film being run at a tenth of its original speed. If I had to describe the scene, it was like Kirah riding the Gundamn Stryke Freedom against the lowest of the low, the Zahku¡­in all honesty, these Black Blood General Ants weren¡¯t even better than an antique Ford¡­


    Without taking five minutes, the skies were clean once more. The huskless soul rain came to a silent end as well.


    Unlike the destruction faced by the Black Blood General Ants, those on the ground were still charging into the flame wall Mo Na summoned. Even though what they were doing was pointless from the very beginning, and came at great cost, they still endured on their anty path to destruction¡­Please go to


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 Chapter 335: a Stubborn Black Blood Queen An

    Just as I was sure that this Black Blood Ant Nest would stubbornly resist to the bitter end, the rushing ant wave suddenly stopped. Their insect legs slowly backed away till there was a safe distance between them and the raging wall of flames.


    ¡°So it¡¯s finally here.¡±


    Based on their performance, I could roughly tell that the queen ant controlling them had finally arrived, and that conjecture was confirmed right away.


    ¡°Masterrr¡­the queen ant¡­arrivesss¡­¡±


    ¡°Why is it that you guys always wait til the situation is so dire before appearing?¡±


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    ¡°¡­¡± Clearly my sublime questioning had just whooshed over her head and flew past the boundaries of her intellectual capacity. her only response was a confused stare, one that wasn¡¯t entirely sure as to how to react.


    In the midst of the Mother Black Ant¡¯s dazed staring, another almost identical queen ant popped out from the other side of the flame wall and began wiggling its fat body towards us. As it pressed through the ant swarm, the surrounding ants all made way for it as if it was an actual emperor making an appearance.


    ¡°Baby, put out that wall of yours for now.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Mama.¡±


    Mo Na obediently dispersed her magic, and I too retracted my Shadow Demon Guardian while lowering Mo Na who was still in my arms down onto the floor.


    Right here. Right now. Our Mother Black Ant knew exactly what to do even without my guidance. She steadily made her way to face the opposing queen ant. In such a hostile environment, with both parties in a staring death match, neither wanted to be the first to break the ice. Yet just as I thought that this stalemate would continue, the entire ant swarm behind the queen ant suddenly moved. However, they had no intention of advancing, instead they retreated a small distance.


    ¡®What are they planning?¡¯


    ¡®Either way, it looks like the two of them are starting to talk now.¡¯


    Because I couldn¡¯t understand what either of them were saying, I could only guess the contents by looking at their body language. How should I put it¡­ it didn¡¯t seem good.


    The opposing queen had already witnessed my Fallen Angel form, but it didn¡¯t prostrate itself before me like Mother Black Ant did. In fact, it seemed almost distrustful, wary. It would often sneak a glance at me, and not a very friendly one at that.


    After a long conversation, no consensus was reached. Finally, a garbled mess of chittering exploded in the air and the two queen ants broke off unhappily. Mother Black Ant made no further moves, merely returning to my side while the other queen ant seemed adamant on leading her pack away.


    ¡°A failure?¡±


    ¡°Failuree¡­Masterr¡­¡±


    ¡®A failure then¡­no matter, not like I had ever expected things to be smooth sailing.¡¯


    While I might have wanted their loyalty, that didn¡¯t mean I was about to let a bunch of blasted ants ignore me either. I certainly wasn¡¯t planning on letting that queen ant wiggle her way out of this so nonchalantly either. Thus I released my Shadow Demon Guardian once more. It instantly appeared behind that queen ant, its arm forming into a rope that restricted a greater part of its body.


    ¡°Chit chit chit!!!¡±


    The Black Blood Queen Ant wildly chittered. Not expecting such a move from me and not at all a match for the Shadow Demon Guardian, that was the only resistance it could offer. Unfortunately, it was a pointless one as well.


    The ant swarm immediately rushed to the aid of their queen, but fortune wasn¡¯t in their favor either. My precious Mo Na promptly erected a wall of flames in their path.


    Once more, the ants began their suicidal charge, not at all afraid to risk the chance of being incinerated¡­ all for the sake of rescuing their queen.


    Even so, the Shadow Demon Guardian had no trouble at all as it forcefully dragged the queen ant before me, unceremoniously dumping her on the ground like a trash bag before retracting its shadowy rope arm.


    Freshly freed from its bindings, it immediately turned around and fled without a second thought. However, before it could even take its second wiggle, it was once more bound up by the Shadow Demon Guardian¡­ the same one that was clearly standing right behind her¡­ did she not see it or was she just¡­dumb?


    ¡°I know you can understand me. Now, how about we have a chat?¡±


    Regardless of how dumb I thought it was, I knew for certain that she understood the language of the Devils. I had the Shadow Demon Guardian release her once more as a way of asserting dominance. It was my way of saying, you can¡¯t escape.


    The Black Blood Queen Ant raised her head and stared right into me with her insect eyes, stubborning defying me with her silence. As our silent confrontation wore on, the other Black Blood Ants continued their frenzied charge, every one of them dead set on rescuing their queen. Yet just because their resolve was there, it didn¡¯t mean their combat strength had increased. The same ants, who were afraid of fire and yet didn¡¯t know how to circle around it, still continued rushing into the wall made of said fire¡­ and then turned to ashes¡­


    ¡°In¡­vaderrr¡­¡±


    When the casualties finally reached an intolerable level, the queen ant finally had no choice but to break her silence. Her voice was just as awful sounding as Mother Black Ant, and her Devil speak was just as bad. I could barely make out what she was saying.


    ¡®Invader? Now that¡¯s an interesting title¡­¡¯ Regardless of what happened before, I was now the lawful inheritor of Sable Radiance, I was anointed by Lucifer¡¯s clone after all. Since I¡¯m now the master of this area, anyone who won¡¯t serve me -those remaining factions out there- they were all targets of my rightful purging.


    At least that was how it should be¡­


    ¡°Serve me, or die.¡±


    I didn¡¯t wish to waste any more words on her so I cut straight to the point.


    ¡°¡­no¡­Devil¡­Black Blood Antss¡­will not¡­enslaveee¡­¡±


    The Black Blood Queen Ant¡¯s resistance was strong, just like Mother Black Ant in the past. I wasn¡¯t all that surprised by her display. I merely turned around to face the prostrated Mother Black Ant.


    ¡°If I kill her, can you control the rest of the ants?¡±


    ¡°Mother Black Ant¡­doesn¡¯t¡­knowww¡­¡±


    Having given me that uncertain answer, Mother Black Ant began explaining exactly what would happen should a Black Blood Queen Ant die.


    According to her, the Black Blood Ants would normally scavenge for food outside the nest, offering everything that they could find to the queen ant. That food would then be partially redistributed back to them. This system was built on their servitude cemented along the lines of blood. Based on that, one could see the integral part a queen ant played in Black Blood Ant society.


    Should the controlling queen ant suddenly perish, the remaining ants would fall into chaos, and this chaos would continue till a new queen ant appeared. Before that however, the chaotic ant nest would go through a tumultuous period of upheaval. Societal collapse¡­ A sudden desire to meet their ant maker¡­ In-fighting¡­

 Chapter 336: Hurry Up and Cough Up the Rent!

    Antnihilation was almost guaranteed till a new queen ant was found. Yet, under the rarest of circumstances, and with the slimmest of possibilities, a Black Blood Ant might mutate into a queen ant. Once the nest had a new queen ant, then all the chaos would vanish. And all the bloodshed would stop with the ants having found a new target to swear their fealty to¡­


    What I wanted to confirm was whether or not Mother Black Ant could replace the command of that disobedient Black Blood Queen Ant.


    I raised my hand and fired a bone spear, piercing the brain of the Black Blood Queen Ant, nailing its disgusting head to the ground. Yet the lifeforce of a Black Blood Queen Ant was extraordinarily strong, even with a spear sticking through its head, it still managed to stay alive.


    ¡°Chitt¡­cchhitt¡­chit¡­¡±


    Using the last of its life, the Black Blood Queen Ant let forth one last cry. Though it wasn¡¯t a loud chitter, it was surprisingly enough for all the ants to hear.


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    The ants immediately ceased their brainless charge into the flame wall, instead turning around to furiously scatter in all directions.


    ¡®Hmph, you think you can get away from me so easily?¡¯ With a single thought, the Shadow Demon Guardian was off at the speed of light. Focusing my will through it, I summoned forth my Nether Flames around its legs as it sped through the air, creating a ring of fire around the ants. Wherever its shadowy feet touched, a meter wall of flame would roar to life, incinerating any ant that dared to cross its fiery boundary, leaving naught but the soul intact.


    ¡°Go on then.¡± I eyed a slightly lost Mother Black Ant. ¡°Try and see if it works, if they will listen to you, all the better.¡±


    ¡°Understood¡­Masterr¡­.¡± Mother Black Ant gingerly wiggled around the corpse of the recently deceased Black Blood Queen Ant, and with the fastest speed it could muster, approached the headless chicken that was the ant swarm. Because the majority of the flying ants were already dead, these landbound ants were basically trapped by the Nether Flames.


    ¡°Baby, recall that Flame Wall of yours for now, let Mother Black Ant go in and have a try.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± She obediently recalled the wall before flying up in the air and perching herself in her favourite position, my shoulders¡­


    To prevent any sudden attacks on Mother Black Ant, I had my Shadow Demon Guardian protect her as she stepped past the charred boundary of Mo Na¡¯s extinguished flame wall. The moment she did so, a portion of the ants near to her immediately charged. Pincers clicking loudly, they fiercely waved their heads as they prepared to close their scythe-like pincers around her, as if this fight had just turned personal for them.


    With its protection, Mother Black Ant was able to easily find her footing amongst the chaotic ant swarm. She continually chittered to the ants, trying to persuade them to switch sides. Unfortunately for her, her cries only served as a beacon for more ant attacks.


    This continued on for a long time till finally all the ants were either incinerated by the Nether Flames, whipped to death by my Shadow Demon Guardian, or dead because of in-fighting¡­to think that not a single one of them was willing to join us¡­


    ¡®Unthinkable, crazy even¡­that swarm was in the hundreds of thousands and not a single one of them was afraid of death¡­or perhaps their simple brains didn¡¯t even possess a concept of cowardice to begin with?¡¯


    ¡®What a stubborn race¡­idiots.¡¯


    With no other choice, I could only back off from this failed plan and proceed with the soul harvesting. Of the dead, only those of the rank Soldier Ant and above left behind a complete soul. The soldier ants naturally accounted for the bulk of the souls, numbering in the tens of thousands. Faced with such a huge bounty, it almost felt like a shame to eat them all now. If possible, I would have preferred if some were brought back to the palace.


    One reason for that was my need to finish the research on golem production as soon as possible. Although we had the schematics, that didn¡¯t mean we could completely replicate the golems either. We still needed a lot of time to research the details involved. That meant I needed a quiet environment to work in, one with sufficient food to sustain myself. That was exactly what our bounty was for. With so many souls available, I could probably sustain the research for a long while as long as I ate sparingly.


    Naturally, all that was only possible if we could store the souls for long periods.


    ¡°Yo~ my dear little brother, aren¡¯t you overthinking matters here. Since you aren¡¯t hungry, and those souls aren¡¯t even that tasty to begin with, how about your big sister here help get rid of them for you?¡±


    One to always appear at opportune moments, Ferti¡¯nier appeared once more to stick her finger in the proverbial pie. As long as she was in an awakened state¡­without any doubt whatsoever¡­this blasted Devil queen would love nothing more than to take advantage of me¡­


    ¡®Ferti¡¯nier, do you understand how much trouble we are in right now? We need to crack the method of golem production and create a production line in the shortest time possible. These souls, they are just what we need¡­¡¯


    ¡°So do you have a method of storing them?¡± She immediately shut me up with a single sentence. ¡°Once a soul is exposed to air, it won¡¯t survive long without starting to dissipate -Purgatory doesn¡¯t allow any soul to become a Vengeful Soul. Even if you¡¯ve thought about trying to preserve them, I bet you don¡¯t have the method, am I right?¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s true¡­but there¡¯s no way a person like you who almost established her divinity wouldn¡¯t have such a method! Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know that souls are the most favored form of currency amongst Devils!


    ¡°Hohoho, your big sister does in fact know the method of creating a Soul Phylactery. Seems like my dear little brother has gotten smarter.¡±


    ¡®Hmph, don¡¯t think that bit of flattery will fool me.¡¯


    ¡°But why should your big sister give you the method of creating a Soul Phylactery?¡±


    ¡®Blast it all, let¡¯s make something clear here: you¡¯re the one staying in my body! It¡¯s one thing that you haven¡¯t ever paid any rent, you should at least give me some benefits!¡¯


    ¡°And how is giving you benefits any different from paying a rent? Either way the idea is to be a freeloader, so whatever is easiest works best.¡± Having said that, her tone then took a sharp turn. ¡°It¡¯s not like your big sister over here even wanted to stay in a man¡¯s body, she wasn¡¯t even willing in the first place!¡±

 CHAPTER 337: SOUL RING

    I had to admit, when an old hag like Ferti¡¯nier wanted to be shameless, she really was invincible. More importantly, I actually didn¡¯t have a way to deal with her. She knew that too; that was why she was always so flippant with me.


    In order to preserve a soul, asking a high level Devil who had traded in souls would be the first choice. If that wasn¡¯t possible, the next option would be to deal with the only occupation that transacted in souls¡­ the Necromancer!


    Speaking of Necromancers, I myself was half a Necromancer, and then there was Mo Na¡­


    ¡°Baby, Daddy has something to ask you, do you know how to create a Soul Phylactery?¡± The moment it occurred to me that my precious little daughter might actually know the method, my face lit up with expectation. ¡°Daddy over here wants to bring back these souls, but he doesn¡¯t have a container for them¡­does Mo Na know how to make a phylactery?¡±


    ¡°Mo Na does know how to make a Soul Phylactery, Mama. But¡­ doesn¡¯t Mama always gobble up all the souls in one go anyway?¡± Mo Na nodded her head, confirming my suspicion, before throwing me a puzzled look. ¡°It¡¯s not like Mama will get full no matter how much she eats, so why make one?¡±


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    ¡°¡­¡±¡¯


    ¡®This isn¡¯t a problem of whether or not I have a huge appetite, it¡¯s just I have a black hole living in my body!¡¯


    ¡®Bah, pointless jibes aside, what¡¯s urgent now is that Mo Na creates a Soul Phylactery. Without one, these souls can¡¯t be transported back.¡¯


    ¡°If Mama wants a Soul Phylactery, just use this.¡± Just as I was about to ask my precious little baby about the materials she needed to create a Soul Phylactery, she pulled out a ring adorned with a blackish-green gemstone. She handed the ring over, completely ignoring the wide-eyed look I had on right now. With a tinge of pride in her precious cheeks, she gave me that ¡°praise me now¡± look. ¡°So Mama does need Mo Na some of the times!¡±


    ¡°So no materials then?¡± My face was about to fall apart as I fingered the blackish-green gemstone ring.


    ¡°Oh Mama, isn¡¯t it obvious? Mo Na already had a Soul Phylactery since a long time ago.¡± My baby girl pulled a face at me before cheekily continuing, ¡°Mo Na is a Necromancer after all, why would she not have a Soul Phylactery to store souls?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    That was right, unlike a half-baked potato like me, she was the rightful necromantic successor to the Grimoire of the Dead. To a Necromancer, souls were an important reagent for their spells, and also an important experimentation subject. There were plenty of spells that required souls to cast, like the most recent one I learnt from Mo Na, the Vengeful Soul¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s a Soul Ring Mo Na specially prepared for Mama, don¡¯t lose it, okay Mama?¡±


    ¡°Yes yes yes. Daddy will treasure it.¡± I finished with a sigh.


    ¡°Baby, is there any reason why Daddy can¡¯t wear the ring on his middle finger?¡± I asked, puzzled by my daughter¡¯s strange actions.


    ¡°That¡¯s because Daddy once told Mo Na during storytime that there¡¯s a blood vessel extending from the ring finger that links to the heart.¡±


    ¡®Did I say that?¡¯ I was a little taken aback by that revelation. There were countless stories I told her so I couldn¡¯t confirm if I had ever told her such a story. Plus, I was very responsible when I told her stories; all blood vessels led back to the heart at the end of the day, no matter which finger.


    ¡®Hold on, all that talk about blood vessels aside, the key is why did she slip the ring onto my left ring finger?¡¯


    ¡°Even if Daddy did mention that in the past, Daddy never said that a ring had to be on the ring finger right?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, Daddy never said that. But Mo Na just wanted to put it on Daddy¡¯s left ring finger.¡±


    ¡®Was this some kind of riddle?¡¯ I thought to myself.


    ¡°But what¡¯s the main reason?¡±


    ¡°The main reason is¡­¡± She dragged that last syllable. Having made sure my entire focus was now on her, she happily said, ¡°The main reason is that this ring is Mo Na¡¯s engagement ring for Daddy!¡±


    ¡®Oh¡­an engagement ring¡­that does have to be worn on the left ring finger then¡­hold up¡­why does she have to put on an engagement ring for me?!¡¯


    ¡°Since Daddy is wearing Mo Na¡¯s engagement ring, Daddy is now Mo Na¡¯s!¡±


    ¡®Hmm being a bleep father does sound rather exciting¡­but¡­¡¯


    Thwack


    I unceremoniously knocked her cute little noggin, causing her to reflexively cover her head with both arms while she crouched on the floor and gave me a rueful look.


    ¡°What was that for, Mama?¡±


    ¡°When children speak out of line, they need to be punished.¡± I glared at her fiercely and silently. I then turned around and began sucking up the souls with the Soul Ring. Even though I wanted to change the position of the ring, after giving it some thought, I decided against it. It was just a tool after all, no point being so serious about it.


    Just like how I was busy sucking up souls, a certain dastardly female Devil was busy filling my head with her laughter. ¡°An engagement ring of all things¡­hahahahaha, how much funnier can this get¡­hahahaha¡­¡±


    ¡®Go on, laugh. Keep laughing, take care that you don¡¯t choke on your laughter!¡¯


    Other than cursing, I actually had no other way to get back at Ferti¡¯nier. It was precisely because I was so helpless that this blasted Devil queen kept acting more and more lawlessly. Her dominance was my submission¡­thankfully she couldn¡¯t take over my body, else I would really flip my bleep.


    Having been with her for a while, ignoring Ferti¡¯nier was now a daily routine. ¡°You lot, are you all hungry?¡± I turned around to face the four Imps who were all huddled up till this very moment due to their sheer fear. ¡°If you are, these ant corpses are yours.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The four Large Imps were stunned for a moment but quickly recovered, scurrying off in an instant, not forgetting to express their hasty thanks. Perhaps they were truly hungry or perhaps not, either way, they ravenously tore into the ants¡­ a horrific scene which I won¡¯t go into details¡­ just disgusting¡­


    ¡°Woof woof~~¡±


    Cinderel seemed a little tempted by the ant corpses as well. Her little Hellhound paws ever so slowly inched towards the four feasting Large Imps¡­ was this her trying to sneak a bite?


    ¡®Well, that won¡¯t do. She can¡¯t just go gobbling up some random trash.¡¯ I hurriedly scooped her up into my arms, not forgetting to give her a friendly fur ruffling on the head. ¡°You need to be careful about what you eat, if it¡¯s not clean, it might just give you an upset tummy.¡±


    Hearing that, Cinderel whimpered, stuck out her little tongue and licked my palm gently.


    ¡°Alright, alright. I know you¡¯re hungry. I¡¯ll split some of the souls we harvested with you.¡±


    Those words were the exact words she was waiting for it seemed, based on her happy yelping.


    As for those four Large Imps busy feasting on trash¡­well¡­


    Now that the Black Blood Ants were dealt with, we continued westward for about a day before we came upon another ant nest. This time, the Black Blood Queen Ant greeted us in a decidedly different manner. Upon recognising my Fallen Angel form, she immediately surrendered to us, using the humblest possible posture a queen ant muster to wiggle her way towards me and swear fealty.


    It was then that I understood something: there were two major factions within the Black Blood Ants. One that was still loyal to the Fallen Angels, and another that refused to be enslaved once more.


    For the most part, both factions weren¡¯t at war with each other since the entire Sable Radiance had been sealed up for over eighty thousand years; there was no actual ruler to be loyal to or be enslaved by. In that case, there was no reason to fight either.


    It was precisely this reason that led to the peace enjoyed by the Black Blood Ants, each nest basically having their own territory full of resources and free from strife. In fact, it could be said that for eighty thousand years, the idea of two factions wasn¡¯t even a thing. And that was where I came in -the problematic factor.


    My appearance was destined to stir up waves in the Demonic Kingdom of Sable Radiance, that much was certain. Yet, what I never expected was that the first wave would come crashing down upon the Black Blood Ants.


    Upon ascertaining the fact that there were two factions amongst the Black Blood Ants, a rather amusing idea occurred to me. I could just recruit the surrounding nests which were friendly to me and have them attack the other faction. That would allow me to bring their entire race into my fold in the shortest possible time.


    It wasn¡¯t a complicated plan, but what was truly problematic was that I lacked the manpower to enact said plan.


    ¡®Well, I could just let Mother Black Ant take charge, if worst comes to worst. She seems to be able to communicate with her nest even at a distance too.¡¯


    Mother Black Ant¡¯s loyalty to me was unquestionable, plus it would be better if the matters of the Black Blood Ants were settled by one of their members.


    Just like that, I proceeded to recruit another two more queen ants. Including Mother Black Ant, I now had four queen ants working together. In other words, they had an ant army that could essentially sweep through the four corners of the lands.


    Now that the first steps of my anty conquest were complete, I finally had the time to bring Mo Na, Cinderel, my golems, and those four scaredy cat Imps back to our base.

 CHAPTER 338: BIG SIS?

    When we passed the teleportation zone, we just so happened to encounter a few more Devils wandering around, needless to say, they were all captured and brought back to be slaves, naturally.


    While I did call them slaves, I was actually saving them, since there was no food around this area at all. Who knows, they might have even bumped into one of those old golems, or the only other edible source of food nearby, the Black Blood Ants. But in a match of ant swarm versus a few wandering Devils¡­who would end up on the dinner plate might not be as clear cut.


    Based on where we met those Devils, it was certain the teleportation zone was here. Unfortunately, I had no one dependable Devil to hand this task off to¡­ Don¡¯t ask me why I won¡¯t use those four cowards¡­ with the bravery of a chicken, there was just no way I could ever hand them power, in fact, how did they even survive up till now?


    With that in mind, I turned my eyes to the four Large Imps who were the first to be captured by us. At the level of an Imp, it was basically impossible to discern their gender physically. That was because a Devil¡¯s gender was determined by their soul. That was also why I constantly emphasized that I was a man, yet those potatoes of mine kept treating me as a female Devil¡­ In the first place, all of this was because my soul had a certain freeloader staying inside it!


    I gave the four Large Imps a closer look. It was then that I realised that those four Large Imps were actually female¡­ in other words, these four were that recently deceased Head Imp¡¯s harem¡­ and since I slew him, I automatically became their master¡­


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    Based on how they were now, and if they were ever fortunate enough to evolve to Five-stars, they would definitely end up as Lust Demons of the Carnal branch, Devils who could only survive by serving someone stronger. That was because they were just weak.


    Now as for the problem of managing the teleportation zone, my plan was to head back and inform No.6 of the situation, he could come up with something then. Whether he chose to come here personally or delegate the task to another Devil, that would be his decision to make. After all, the gift of five hundred golems wasn¡¯t a small one; he had better earn his keep.


    After another day of travelling, we were now in viewing distance of the half collapsed wall of the capital. The first Devil we saw near the city gate was Big 4, scanning his surroundings like a hawk. Upon noticing our return, he came flying towards me like a dog that had gone missing for over half a month. ¡°Master¡­you¡¯re finally back¡­¡±


    ¡®Hmph. Touching reunion my foot, I just have two words for you, dream on.¡¯


    Perhaps Big 4 had gotten smarter in the time I was gone or he just had nothing else to say, he actually knew to break the awkwardness with a situation report. ¡°Master, nothing unusual to report while you were gone, don¡¯t worry, the city is fine.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± I nodded my head then pointed at the dozen or so Devils marching behind me whom I captured from that teleportation zone. ¡°Bring these Devils to No.6, then tell him that I found another teleportation zone. I need him to take a look as soon as possible, best he sends someone to guard the point¡­¡± I blandly stated.


    ¡°But Master, you still haven¡¯t told me where the teleportation zone is.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Just tell him what I told you, you don¡¯t have to bother about the rest.¡±


    ¡°Understood¡­¡±


    I handed him some other instructions then sent him on his way. Before leaving, he made sure to give me a wronged look, the kind a puppy would make when its master abandoned it¡­ let me tell you, that sort of innocent of look doesn¡¯t suit you at all¡­ an Infant Flame Demon is already ugly enough, so please have some respect for your terrifying looks and not try to be cute!


    Having sent them off, the only Devils left were me, Mo Na and Cinderel.


    Because I was still fixated on the construction of more golems, I brought the two little scamps right away to the underground weapons factory while I had the golems move the required materials to the warehouse where we kept the titan skeletons. Then, our research began in earnest.


    ¡°Mama, if it¡¯s just piecing together the golems, it¡¯s not that difficult.¡± Mo Na quipped as she simultaneously commanded my Shadow Demon Guardian while referring to a book. ¡°But there¡¯s one thing Mo Na doesn¡¯t understand, why can these golems move?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it normal for them to move?¡±


    While all that happened, I made a mental note to myself to have some of the stronger Devils come assist Mo Na. The golem exoskeletons were all too heavy to be moved, while the golems themselves were too clumsy for such precise work.


    However, there were no such Devils available right now so I could only call for my Shadow Demon Guardian to work. That also meant that I was now very free even though I was supposed to be busy. With nothing to do, I spent my time playing with a certain energetic Hellhound while chatting with Mo Na from time to time.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that, Mama, don¡¯t you find it weird at all?¡± Upon having the Shadow Demon Guardian mount a basic shoulder part, she stopped the Shadow Demon Guardian for a moment. She then walked over and flipped open the black leather book she was referring to. Her slender finger pointed at one of the pages. ¡°Look, Mama, this page has the entire process recorded down, but the last step is missing¡­¡±


    ¡®The last step?¡¯


    Looking at the half assembled exoskeleton before me, and looking at the completed golem guarding outside, I could roughly guess what she meant.


    If these golems could be seen as robots, then what moved them was a source of power and programming. Because of their own unique traits, the golems had no particular requirement on the power front, but in order to make them move, what we really needed was the programming¡­ because the black leather book made no mention of such a thing¡­


    ¡°Little brother, are you in trouble again?¡±


    Just as Mo Na and I were stumped, Ferti¡¯nier, ever one to show up whenever I was stuck, chimed in to offer her help, or should I say ¡®help¡¯. Either way, she was a bit of a mixed bag for me. At times, I wanted her to come out for some casual chit chat, at times I absolutely hated that she came out to bother me. Such a mixed bag¡­


    ¡°So that¡¯s how you view your sister over here. Hmph.¡± Her little endearing act instantly dispelled my annoyance¡­ Truly, there were times when I really wanted to give her a good spanking!


    ¡°Heheheh, so our little brother has that kind of f*tish.¡± Able to read my mind, she naturally knew about my desire to discipline her. Yet she wasn¡¯t angered by that, in fact, she seemed a little expectant. ¡°Wait till your sister over here gets a new body, then our little brother can have his way. Now, the question is where to hit. Over here? Or maybe here?¡±


    ¡®This demoness¡­I just can¡¯t win against her in an argument. Why can¡¯t she be a little more reliable, she¡¯s at least ten thousand years old by now.¡¯


    ¡°Your sister has so said many times already, she isn¡¯t ten thousand years old yet.¡± Having said that to my exasperated face, she continued, ¡°Alright. Alright, enough fun for now. Your sister knows what her little brother wants, and she even knows the method of creating a golem core.¡±


    ¡®So she does know the method, no wonder people always say that to have an elder in the home is to have a treasure!¡¯


    ¡®Quick, tell me already!¡¯


    ¡°What do you mean elder? Your sister isn¡¯t that old yet!¡±


    ¡®Yes, yes, yes. Our Ferti¡¯nier is forever eighteen, forever our invincible eighteen year old sister, always the prettiest.¡¯


    ¡°Hohohoh, our little brother has really gotten better at his words recently. Whenever there¡¯s trouble, he¡¯s always at his most obedient, always so adorable.¡± She teased me for a moment.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like your Sister can¡¯t give her little brother the method, but she has a condition.¡±


    ¡®I knew she would say that¡­there¡¯s no such thing as a free lunch in this world¡­but it¡¯s not like I have any choice either.¡¯


    ¡®Alright, what¡¯s your condition¡­and let¡¯s be clear, you¡¯d better not ask for the stars!¡¯


    ¡°Listen well, what your sister wants is that whenever her little brother addresses her from now on, it will be as ¡°Big Sis¡±. Got it?¡±


    ¡®Big Sis? That was unexpectedly simple¡­by the way, why did you come up with such a strange request all of a sudden? Isn¡¯t it a waste? You could have asked for something difficult.¡¯


    ¡°But my dear little brother, as you are right now, what can your sister ask of you anyway?¡± Just as I was questioning her motives, she took this opportunity to ask me something I had no way to answer. ¡°Has my little brother gotten strong enough that he can help his sister reform her body? Or perhaps he has some other method?¡±


    ¡®I¡­don¡¯t actually have that ability¡­¡¯ It was at that moment that I felt an unprecedented sense of defeat. Even so, I still hoped that she would have asked something more difficult of me. Because such a nonsensical condition was just a reminder of how weak I actually was¡­

 CHAPTER 339: NO.6’S SCHEME

    I knew that this was a lost cause, so I closed my eyes and prepared my mind for the worst. ¡®Big¡­Sis?¡¯


    ¡°Mhm, not bad. Not bad. How about another one?¡± Came Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s alluring voice.


    ¡®Big Sis¡­¡¯ Ah, something broke inside me¡­


    ¡°Hohohoho, remember now, you have to address your sister over here as Big Sis from now on. Little brother, you mustn¡¯t be so rude in the future, addressing your sister by her name directly like that, got it?¡±


    ¡®I feel so ashamed¡­¡¯


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    ¡°Hahaha, that¡¯s the look. That¡¯s the look your sister adores.¡± Her laughing continued for a good long time while I quietly waited for her to laugh herself to death. Unfortunately, that hope would be dashed as well.


    A while later, and because I didn¡¯t try to throw a jibe at her like the past, she got bored and nonchalantly told me how to create a golem core. Having listened to her explanation, I finally understood why the exoskeleton required the skeleton of a titan inside it¡­the golems were actually a form of undead¡­a conclusion I should have come to earlier¡­ the core that moved a golem was actually Necromancy¡­


    The method was to use the Gem of Authority to invoke the undead summoning. Should the summoner¡¯s mana be insufficient to invoke a Six-stars or even a Seven-stars undead, then we still had another method available to us: a refined soul.


    My own Necromantic talent wasn¡¯t all that outstanding. Even though I had the mana of a Six-stars, I wasn¡¯t able to cast Six-stars undead magic. Because of that, I couldn¡¯t activate the golem by invoking an undead spirit. As for Mo Na, she was a Four-stars baby. The most she could command was the mana of a Four-stars. Her talent in this field was outstanding, to be sure, but that didn¡¯t change the fact that her body wasn¡¯t up to the task.


    With that option out of the question, the only other method was to refine souls.


    With regards to soul refining, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little apprehensive. It was just that the thought of eating a soul that had been refined struck me as¡­evil¡­well¡­this time it won¡¯t be used for eating.


    Using the Gem of Authority as a medium, we should be able to refine countless souls into one composite soul gem that could run a golem. In other words, refining multiple souls till it reached the level of a Six-stars.


    However, that was easier said than done. The amount of souls required would be massive. After all, it wasn¡¯t like the quality of the soul was improved in the process, refining merely combined more souls into one. Furthermore, ordinary refined souls weren¡¯t enough to control a golem.


    Mo Na attempted to use the Gem of Authority to produce a Six-stars soul gem, but that ended in failure. The reason being that the amount of souls we brought back wasn¡¯t enough; the resulting soul only came up to Five-stars¡­


    ¡°Mama, the soul gem isn¡¯t strong enough. The Gem of Authority is rejecting it¡­¡± Mo Na complained with a pouting face. She then handed me the thumb-sized black pearl-like object. ¡°A failed product¡­nothing else to do with it except eat it.¡±


    ¡°¡­Daddy doesn¡¯t eat this stuff, how about you have it.¡±


    The moment I recalled that spine-chilling shriek I heard when Mo Na refined her souls, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little guilty. Eating something like that was just¡­ an affront to myself¡­


    ¡°You sure, Mama? It¡¯s really good.¡±


    As if to tempt me, Mo Na waved the soul gem in front of my eyes. Barring other concerns, that deep black luster it possessed, and that alluring scent that only a soul could emit¡­ No. No. Putting that in my would make it shriek like before¡­ There was just no way I could ever picture myself munching on something that shrieked so horrifically while I was savoring it¡­


    ¡°Baby, how about we take a stroll outside.¡± I immediately redirected the topic away from eating the soul gem. There was no way I would ever eat something that disgusting.


    To be perfectly honest, my suggestion of taking a stroll wasn¡¯t just motivated by that. It wasn¡¯t like the golem would just manufacture itself just by us staying in the factory. We would be better off just taking it easy, while getting some flying practise at the same time.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Mo Na didn¡¯t object to my suggestion. She stooped down to pick up a bored out of her doggy mind Cinderel and jumped into my arms. With practised ease, I caught the two scamps and left the factory.


    But that was truly a head scratcher we had on hands¡­ for the golem manufacturing to prove so difficult¡­ Putting aside the complexity of manufacturing the outer shell and the inner exoskeleton, just the amount of souls we needed to create a golem was already enough of a headache for us.


    Naturally, it wasn¡¯t like we didn¡¯t have a plan to tackle those. But the feeling of one¡¯s own inadequacy halting research really didn¡¯t sit well with me.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go have a look at No.6¡¯s progress with the recruitment zone, then we can look around the safe zone as well.¡±


    I brought the two little scamps to the northern gate, stumbling onto Big 4 in the process. Looking at us, he immediately knew we were about to go on an outing, so he instantly put on a sad face.


    This time, I didn¡¯t give him all that much chance to feel wronged, agreeing to him following us in an instant.


    ¡°You can come along as well.¡± Leaving him behind all the time to guard our home was rather pitiful after all. And the safety of the capital wasn¡¯t really a pressing issue either, given the special circumstances surrounding this area. As long as the golems were here, it wasn¡¯t necessary for Big 4 to stay behind.


    ¡°Master¡­you finally brought me along!¡±


    Ignoring his shameful crying, I habitually picked out ten Winged Abyssal Golems and left for the safe zone.


    ¡°Master, wait for me¡­¡±


    The trip was an uneventful one as I practised with my purple wings from time to time to acclimatise myself with that feeling. Even though my flight wasn¡¯t steady yet, it was only a matter of time before I broke free from the chains of the earth.


    In less than half a day of travelling northward, we first came upon No.6¡¯s recruitment zone. This was his most important task at hand. Unlike the last time I came, construction had already begun as per schedule.


    Seeing the work he accomplished, I had to admit that No.6 did possess a talent for construction. He knew to use the golems to harvest stone blocks, then use the weaker Devils to pile up the blocks, just like how the ancient Egyptians built their pyramids -though it had to be said that the current progress was that of a foundational stage. Still, I could tell that No.6 was planning something big just based on what I saw now.


    Because of the soul pact we shared, and because I wasn¡¯t actively trying to block it, No.6 could sense my arrival beforehand. He brought two ordinary golems and a few Three-stars to greet us. Falling to one knee, he shakily said, ¡°Master, what¡¯s the purpose of this visit?¡±


    ¡°Nothing in particular, just thought I should have a look.¡± I swept my eyes over the bustling construction site then said in an even voice, ¡°Have you made arrangements for the other teleportation zone?¡±


    ¡°Your servant has already sent someone to guard the area. Once the recruitment zone¡¯s construction is settled, your servant will personally visit the area.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, and how¡¯s the safe zone? It¡¯s our supply of food after all, is it alright?¡±


    ¡°The safe zone is being handled by No.3. But just digging a tunnel is a simple task, plus the golems can be used to dig as well, its progress is much faster than the recruitment zone. According to your servant¡¯s calculations, the safe zone should be able to support the daily consumption of thousands of Devils.¡±


    ¡°Very good. Right, how many captives do we have right now?¡±


    ¡°Reporting: our captive number is approaching 1500.¡± No.6 promptly said. Seeing that I was silent, he worriedly added on this, ¡°My sincerest apologies, Master, I haven¡¯t found another talent we can use¡­¡±


    At that, I blandly stared him in the eyes. His frail body immediately began to shake, and his lips started to quiver.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me that this fellow was afraid that I would try and replace him so he tried to get rid of all the competition? Judging by how he¡¯s acting, it might just be that. Still, I can¡¯t push him too hard, but neither can I let this go on.¡¯


    ¡°I need more talented Devils, understand?¡±


    I emphasized that last bit. Hearing that my tone hardened, No.6¡¯s body immediately stiffened up. Based on that, I could tell that he must have done something while I wasn¡¯t looking. Even so, I had no intention of pursuing this matter further.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let it pass this time around, but don¡¯t let there be another.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­yes¡­your servant understands¡­¡±


    ¡°Right, what about Sinmosa and Sasani?¡±


    ¡°The Hellhound couple brought some Winged Abyssal Golems along with them in their hunt for the fugitive Devils. Normally, their excursions wouldn¡¯t exceed one hundred hours. Based on that, they should be back soon, does the Master wish to wait for them?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. When they return, just tell them to find me in the capital, and bring along some Devils.¡± Having said that, I glared at No.6.


    ¡°My goal is to subjugate the entire kingdom, and not just some tiny corner. Widen your horizons, as long as you perform your job well, I won¡¯t mistreat you.¡±

 CHAPTER 340: THAT WILL TEACH YOU TO TRY AND STEAL MO NA’S MAMA

    On the road back to the capital, I tried out my flying once more, squeezing out every bit of practise whenever I could. This time around, I managed to pull off a full range of wing movements. Borrowing the seven meters of height a golem possessed, plus my own jumping ability, I managed to open up my wings mid-air, before landing safely on the ground.


    Compared to the previous time where I simply nosedived to the ground, I had to say that massive improvement had been made. At the very least, I wasn¡¯t like a penguin taking flight anymore¡­


    My original plan of touring the safe zone was cancelled, thanks to my spoiled mood. That No.6 was definitely scheming something to protect his own position, like how a subject would try to be an Emperor¡¯s right hand man by eliminating everyone else. However, I wasn¡¯t in a position to allow such excess yet. If he was allowed to continue unchecked like that, the consequences would be dire. Thus, I made sure to nip this problem in the bud right away, though I couldn¡¯t help but be a little annoyed anyway. Hopefully, he learnt his lesson, or else I would have to kill him.


    With our uneventful return to the capital, Big 4 was back on patrol duty once more, while I brought the two scamps treasure hunting around the palace.


    In truth, we had already gone through most of the structures in the palace, but this was mostly a leisurely stroll. There was no actual searching to be had. Perhaps there might still be some secret room or trapdoor somewhere, but at the very least I wasn¡¯t aware of any.


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    Speaking of which, shouldn¡¯t the capital¡¯s treasure vault be located in the palace as well? But I just can¡¯t seem to find it. Even when I asked Ferti¡¯nier, all I got was disappointment.


    ¡°Do you honestly think that a Devil King won¡¯t have a storage ring of his own? Anything of value would be kept in the ring¡¯s dimensional space. Any so-called treasure vault would probably just be for decoration, and even if it contained something, it would most likely be a pile of trash.¡±


    Having gotten that answer, I still wasn¡¯t about to give up on locating the fabled treasure vault and having a look see for myself. In the end, I actually found it, and it was just like what Ferti¡¯nier said: the so-called vault was just for decoration. With a storage ring of their own, anything valuable would undoubtedly be safer on their own person. And if they were dead, well, then those treasures would be useless anyway. Rather than letting them rot in some vault, it was simply smarter to carry them around and perhaps use them in some battle.


    Their return was something worth noting, thus I promptly led my two babies to the main hall.


    The moment I stepped into the main hall, Cinderel immediately jumped out of my arms and right at her mother, her happy little Hellhound tail wagging furiously while she barked in a lethally adorable manner. Sasani happily went up to his daughter for a kiss, but all he got was the cold shoulder from Cinderel who simply hid her face in her mother¡¯s embrace¡­ Sasani had taken a lethal blow, his eyes clearly showing the despair in him¡­


    Seeing that familiar scene again, I barely held back a chortle as I walked up to Sasani. Yet just as I was about to pat him on the shoulder, he gave me a decidedly unhappy glare. Even though he still couldn¡¯t speak the language of the Devils, I could surprisingly tell what he wanted to say.


    ¡®Exactly why does my daughter like you so much?! I¡¯m her father, not you! Go kill yourself! A curse upon you!¡¯


    ¡®Alright, alright. Since you¡¯re in grief right now, I won¡¯t hold this against you.¡¯


    While daughter and mother were busy snuggling, the Devils behind them all exchanged a glance with each other. In what almost looked like a coordinated effort, they neatly lined up before me and bowed.


    ¡°Master¡­¡±


    I eyed the group. Their average level wasn¡¯t high, the strongest amongst them was just a Two-star, and the weakest was even a Small Imp. Yet for a Small Imp to appear here was a miracle in of itself. After all, whether it was the Blood Sea or the Prison of the Dead, neither were environments conducive to a Small Imp -unless that Small Imp possessed some kind of unique talent, or he was just the illegitimate child of lady luck.


    Strictly speaking, it didn¡¯t matter whether it was the former or the latter, the fact he even made it this far showed how unique his case was.


    ¡°Did No.6 send you all here?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was Sir No.6 who sent us to service you, Master.¡±


    ¡®Service?¡¯ Hearing that, I couldn¡¯t help but feel something was off with that word, but I just couldn¡¯t figure out why. It was only until my daughter, still riding on my shoulders as always, suddenly spoke up in an odd voice. ¡°Mama, all these Devils seem quite good looking, but Mo Na doesn¡¯t like handsome Devils, Mo Na prefers Devils like Mama! Heheheh¡­¡±


    ¡®Good looking?¡¯ Because of her mentioning that word, I immediately felt that something was up. I gave their souls all a quick scan and found that every one of them, without any exception, were all male. Not only that, whether it was their soul scent or their appearance, they all looked like Korean pop idols who had undergone plastic surgery, at least it was so to a Devil¡­


    Up till now, I had never gotten used to the habit of looking at someone through their soul. Decades of being human made this difficult to accomplish; I was still too used to looking at someone through my physical eyes. Yet a low level Devil possessed no outward gender defining feature, which meant my method of looking made it difficult to distinguish their gender¡­


    Either way, low level Devils were more like animals to me -not really worth all that hassle of distinguishing them, like how one wouldn¡¯t pay much attention to the minor differences between a pet¡¯s fur and another¡¯s. Since they were all the same, why even bother differentiating a male from a female.


    ¡®So these ten can all be counted as good looking in the eyes of Devils? Blast it, what¡¯s going on here? Exactly what was No.6 thinking? Is he trying to find a partner for me?¡¯


    In an instant, my face turned red with fury. With one withering gaze, the Devils were all left petrified in fear.


    ¡®What¡¯s the idea here? I¡¯m a guy. That blasted No.6 must have a death wish or something, sending a bunch of guys here for matchmaking.¡¯ The more I thought about it, the more angry I got. Sensing my growing anger, the mana within me took on the form of flames.


    ¡°Mama, you scared all those cowards half to death. Hahaha, how amusing¡­¡± Just as I was about to convert to the Original Sin of Wrath, I was awakened by my clapping daughter. The little scamp flew off my shoulders and onto the ground. With a wave of her hands, she summoned a bone club, which she immediately sent thwacking down on the kneeling devils. Whether it was their face or their head, the little scamp would happily laugh while she continued beating them. ¡°That will teach you to try and steal Mo Na¡¯s Mama. That will teach you¡­that will teach you¡­I¡¯ll beat you all to death! Hahahaha!¡±


    ¡°Woof woof woof~.¡± Ever the loyal follower of Mo Na, Cinderel wanted to help her beat the Devils as well, but she was stopped by Sinmosa biting down on her nape. The little Hellhound flailed wildly in the air as she barked her discontent.


    Unfortunately, Sinmosa wasn¡¯t about to let go anytime soon, no matter how adorably she begged.


    Having transformed into a violent loli, the kind that went straight for the face no less, the good looking Devils were in for a world of hurt. Yet no matter how much she pummelled them, none of them dared to dodge. They were all afraid that any movement would be seen by me as a transgression. Neither did they dare to act against Mo Na. In fact, that thought never even crossed their mind.


    After all, she was clearly of a different status than them. Putting aside her obviously superior level, the fact that she could ride on my shoulders showed how much I favored her. If they were to injure her by accident, the consequences would be dire. That was why none of them moved.


    While I was standing there in a daze for two minutes, the poor Devils all went through a round robin of beatings. Their faces were all green with bruises and one Large Imp even had his nose beaten crooked¡­truly pitiful¡­


    ¡°Baby, stop for now.¡±

 CHAPTER 341: CHEWING ON THE SCRAPS OF MY BONES

    Mo Na triumphantly pointed her bone club at the Devil pop idols, scaring them into silent submission once more. Most likely satisfied with what she saw, she did a sweeping motion with her club before proudly proclaiming, ¡°All you weaklings, you don¡¯t even fight back when you are hit. If you don¡¯t even have the guts to do that, what makes you think you can win over Mama. Stupid. Mama belongs to Mo Na, it¡¯s one thing if you don¡¯t know that, but it¡¯s another that you do not know how the word death is written. Based on the looks on your faces, I would guess not. How about Mo Na teach you illiterates how to write, huh?!¡±


    The pop idols all had the word ¡°wronged¡± plastered on their faces. I was sure that every one of them was thinking this: it was because we knew how to write the word death that we didn¡¯t try to fight back¡­ little missy, your parent is just standing right behind you¡­


    Mo Na, on the other hand, couldn¡¯t be prouder as she thumped her bone club against the floor like a practised hoodlum. Still, what the heck did she mean by win over Mama?


    ¡°Mo Na!¡±


    ¡°Coming.¡± My little baby turned around and quickly hid her bone club behind her back before tossing me an innocent smile. ¡°You called, Mama?¡±


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    ¡°That clubbing just now wasn¡¯t bad.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Mo Na thinks so as well.¡± She raised her head higher at that. ¡°Next time, Mo Na will club an even better clubbing for Mama to see.¡±


    ¡°Alright, but that¡¯s for another time.¡± I beckoned for Mo Na with a smile. ¡°Come here, Daddy has some words to teach you.¡±


    ¡°Oh? If it¡¯s Devil speak, Mo Na already knows them.¡± Though she said that, she still obediently cancelled her bone club and flew over into my embrace, pecking me on the face a few times for good measure. ¡°So what is Mama going to teach Mo Na?¡±


    I grabbed her waist with my left hand, and had her back face upwards. Right hand raised up high, I grinned, ¡° It¡¯s called ¡°overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer¡±.¡±


    With that said, I gave her tiny butt a tight slap.


    With my punishment of Mo Na done, the whole Devil matchmaking incident came to a close. As for those Devils who were beaten to a pulp¡­I let them stay in the end, for no other reason than to add more population to the capital.


    The palace was a huge complex, but because there was hardly anyone living in it now, it was rather desolate. Adding on its rather unique backstory and goth-inspired decor, it almost felt haunted¡­ even though being a Devil myself, there was no way I would ever be afraid of ghosts. Still, I¡¯m not the kind of ruler who liked to be alone. After all, I was already past my middle school lone star phase.


    With everything settled, I led a troupe out of the capital once more. This time, our aim was to search the east, hopefully we would stumble upon another teleportation zone there.


    As usual, I picked out ten Abyssal Winged Golems as bodyguards while bringing along Cinderel and Mo Na. We headed east 150 kilometers from the eastern citygate. There was not much worth writing home about along the way, barring the odd Black Blood Ant nest here and there.


    That didn¡¯t deter me however, as I widened our search range¡­ to no avail, except for a few battered golem additions.


    Since there were no signs of a teleportation zone nearby, our trip ended up being an exploratory one, with some ant hunting thrown in the mix. While their ant souls were all well and good, soul acquisition wasn¡¯t the only problem we faced in golem production. Another key factor was the internal exoskeleton. No matter what, that required a large enough skeleton, and there clearly weren¡¯t that many, and if at all any, giants in Sable Radiance. While Mo Na did mention that it was possible to create an internal exoskeleton by refining a large number of skeletons together, that required a massive amount of mana to accomplish.


    That in itself posed another problem. If one didn¡¯t possess the requisite amount of mana to finish the refining in one sitting, the only other option would be to consume souls as a mana replenishment source. Meaning our soul problem just got doubled¡­


    Such a large amount of souls was nothing to sniff at, regardless of where we were, especially not when we were in a place like Sable Radiance¡­truly not the best place for souls. So what other method could we employ to replenish our mana? Other than souls, there really wasn¡¯t another method we had on hand that could replenish such a huge amount of mana fast.


    ¡®Souls¡­ souls¡­ my kingdom for souls¡­ hold on, I think I got something interesting here¡­ just not sure if it will work.¡¯


    ¡®Ferti¡¯nier, Ferti¡¯nier¡­ I have something urgent I need to consult you about.¡¯ I called out in my head several times but there was no response. At least, that was so till I used the magic words of Big Sis.


    ¡°My adorable little brother, how can your big sister help you today?¡±


    ¡®Sigh¡­ I just knew she wouldn¡¯t let go of that matter so easily, at least not till she¡¯s done chewing on the scraps of my bones. This she-devil here is definitely not someone I should ever marry, ever, otherwise I can kiss any hopes of being on top goodbye.¡¯


    ¡°Hohohoho, when did our little brother start liking his big sis. What an unexpected surprise, your sister over here had no idea, even though she had always been in your soul all this while. All this sudden talk of marriage¡­your sister still isn¡¯t ready yet.¡±


    ¡®Hey, that¡¯s enough out of you, blasted she-devil, as if anyone would be mad enough to propose to you!?¡¯


    ¡°Huh? What was that just now then?¡± She continued teasing me. ¡°Why were you thinking about being dominated by your sister for life then? Don¡¯t tell me you plan on skipping town after all you¡¯ve done? Who knew that our little brother was such an irresponsible Devil¡­ so that was just a fling, nothing more? What about the word responsibility? And besides, I¡¯m pretty sure our little brother doesn¡¯t even have a pee pee to have a fling with!¡±

 CHAPTER 342: THE MAGICAL EXCHANGE ARRAY

    ¡®Bah, arguing with Ferti¡¯nier isn¡¯t going to get me anywhere¡­¡¯


    In order to avoid any further embarrassment, I went straight to the question at hand. ¡®Do you know how to trade with the creatures in the Prison of the Dead?¡¯


    ¡°Little Brother, you need to watch your language.¡±


    ¡®I¡­ yes, yes, yes¡­ Big Sis¡­ is that fine now?¡¯


    ¡°Mhm, showing remorse is a mark of a good child.¡±


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    ¡®So Big¡­Sis¡­ do you know of any method we can use to exchange meat for souls with the Prison of the Dead?¡¯


    ¡°Is our little brother referring to the exchange array he used in the Prison of the Dead?¡± Seeing that I was sincere, Ferti¡¯nier , in all her benevolence and kindness, decided to share the answer with me. ¡°That¡¯s a piece of information only privy to Devil Overlords -as long as one has meat, he can gain access to an unending supply of souls, truly a convenient piece of magic.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s right, that¡¯s exactly what I want!¡¯ Back during my days in the Prison of the Dead, I once relied on such an array to procure a large amount of meat. Had it not been for arrays like that, creatures who couldn¡¯t absorb souls would have gone extinct in the prison. There would have been no way for me to pass through the trials and tribulations of the prison either.


    With a completed safe zone, I could easily meet this meat demand. I just had to confirm the array worked from our end and I would be rich!


    ¡°That array, huh. If I¡¯m not mistaken, the capital definitely has one, but whether or not it still exists¡­ or even works¡­¡±


    Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s answer wasn¡¯t as straightforward as I had hoped; perhaps the time gap of eighty thousand years was simply too much for her to be certain. It only made sense that she would question the integrity of the array after such a long time.


    ¡®If it¡¯s broken, can we rebuild one?¡¯


    ¡°Very difficult.¡± She immediately replied. ¡°With our little brother¡¯s current resources, it would be impossible. But if it¡¯s just a matter of repairing, it should be possible.¡±


    Now that our main questline was confirmed, I led our little band back to the capital as fast as possible. Because the expected meat volume would have been large in the past as well, it wouldn¡¯t make sense for the magical array to be built at the peak of the capital where the palace was. Thus, it was likely located at the base, where it wouldn¡¯t use up too much time or effort to move.


    A vital installation like the array wouldn¡¯t be kept in an insecure location either; that ruled out the outside of the capital city. Based on those deductions, the most suitable location would be between the city walls and the palace.


    Upon our return to the capital city, the one who welcomed us was Big 4.


    With no time to spare, I interrupted his reporting and rushed off to the vicinity of the northern gate, guided by Ferti¡¯nier.


    What greeted us was a ruined palatial building that had mostly lost its former glory due to disrepair. Its entrance was even blocked off by black rubble.


    Faced with such a broken building, my heart sunk a little. I had a bad feeling that what awaited us wouldn¡¯t be good news. Still, I followed Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s suggestion and pressed on. I had the golems remove the rubble blocking the entrance. In the meantime, I listened to Big 4¡¯s report. According to him, No.6 had sent over more Devils. However, as he said that, he had on a strange expression. Yet that bit of strangeness eluded me as I was too preoccupied by the array.


    The golems were extremely efficient in their work, clearing out the impediments in barely any time at all. Thus, with a heavy heart, I entered the ruined building.


    ¡°It¡¯s unusable.¡± In just one glance, Ferti¡¯nier came to a conclusion that left me in despair. To be exact, disappointment was the more appropriate word.


    The scene before entering the building left nothing to the imagination. As a magic dealing with dimensional space, the array would have been a highly precise piece of magical construction; even the slightest damage could spell disaster. So it wasn¡¯t that much of a surprise that it wasn¡¯t usable.


    The array before us was a huge construct, belonging to the category of large-scale magic. It was carved onto a giant slab of rock, roughly half a meter thick and twenty meters long, with countless intricate and arcane red etchings weaving about into an array.


    At least, that was what it was supposed to be. The battle eighty thousand years ago damaged the array severely. Removing a giant piece of rubble on the array, we found an array shattered into disjointed pieces.


    Like how a person with a shattered femur couldn¡¯t walk on his own, this array could no longer transport matter.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Little Brother, it¡¯s just broken. As long as you repair it, it will function normally again.¡± Like an angelic light from the heavens, her voice illuminated the dark scene before me, lifting up my spirits when I needed it the most. ¡°The repair itself might be a little difficult, but it is possible.¡±


    ¡®As long as it¡¯s repairable¡­ but exactly what do we need to repair it?¡¯


    ¡°The materials are a little complicated, but they are still within the range of possibility for you.¡± Having said that, Ferti¡¯nier proceeded to recite what had to be the most painful shopping list of materials I had ever heard.


    ¡°First, you need the horn from a Nightmare Steed. Then you need a Shadowcat¡¯s blood, an Eight-stars core from a Fire Elemental Core, and finally the heart of an Eight-stars Fire Devouring Fish. Only by getting these will you be able to repair the array.


    ¡®Horn of a Nightmare Steed? Blood from a Shadowcat? And what else? Curses, I don¡¯t even have a single one of them¡­ and how do you even expect me to get these things? There¡¯s just no way¡­¡¯

 CHAPTER 343: THE OPENING PHASE OF CONQUES

    ¡®Hold on a second¡­since Ferti¡¯nier actually bothered to tell me what the materials are, it meant I actually had the ability to acquire these materials, not merely some cat¡¯s blood. Speaking of ability, wasn¡¯t my ambition to conquer the entire Sable Radiance anyway? Why shouldn¡¯t I just take this chance to clean up any rebel element lurking around?¡¯


    With that in mind, we were now back at square one. In order to conquer Sable Radiance, more soldiers were necessary. According to Lucifer¡¯s clone, those of the Devil Overlord level wouldn¡¯t interfere in my conquest, meaning that as long as that held true, all I had to worry about was the number of Eight-stars on the other side. As for my side, the only Eight-stars I could command was that Fallen Angel Golem hidden away in the Gem of Authority.


    In other words, that golem was all I had against an unknown number of Eight-stars enemies¡­ I fingered the gem on my necklace, unsure as to whether I should feel happy about owning the gem or not.


    To be perfectly honest, even I did not know how strong the Fallen Angel Golem actually was. Neither had I ever seen an Eight-stars fight, so judging how terrifying their destructive ability could be wasn¡¯t possible.


    ¡®Still, if that clone only placed restrictions on Devil Overlords, I can safely assume that whatever I have on hand is enough to conquer Sable Radiance, right?! Logically speaking, the whole reason I¡¯m even worrying about producing golems is to allow the plan after conquering Sable Radiance to proceed smoothly. To do that, I will need a repaired array. To repair that array, I need to gather materials. To gather those materials, I will need to interact with the other races, really, it¡¯s just challenging them at this point¡­¡¯


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    ¡®There¡¯s no way they will ever quietly hand over the materials, especially not the Purgatory Warhorses with whom I had some unpleasant dealings with in the past. So fighting is the only logical option once they reject my request¡­ those Nightmare Steeds are their leaders after all¡­¡¯


    Skipping a material or two wasn¡¯t an option either. Like Gokuh collecting the Seven Dragon Spherical Objects, missing that single spherical object just wasn¡¯t an option, otherwise it would be impossible to summon the Mystical Dragon of Wish Granting. Our array was basically the same, missing a material would spell failure immediately. Yet in spite of all that, Ferti¡¯nier still told me about the materials¡­1


    ¡®Ferti¡¯nier¡­Big Sis¡­do you really think that I have the ability to declare war on the Purgatory Warhorses as I am right now?¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s right, completely!¡± Before that last bit even registered in my mind, Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s enthusiasm came bursting forth. ¡°Just let your Big Sis handle those Nightmare whatevers!¡¯


    I was stunned¡­


    ¡®But if I¡¯m not mistaken, our dear Big Sis can¡¯t even leave my body right now. And even if I let you take control of my body temporarily, you will just end up in another coma due to the mana expenditure¡­¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so sure. As long as preparations are made beforehand, preventing a Nightmare Steed from drawing you into a dream is all we need to do.¡± She then launched into a spirited explanation. ¡°A Nightmare Steed¡¯s attacks can be split into four types. The first is their psychic magicks which directly affects a person¡¯s soul. Next, they have their darkness and fire elemental magicks. Lastly, they have their impressive physical prowess. Discounting their physical prowess for now, their strongest attack is their psychic magicks. Yet this strong suit of theirs is nothing before your sister, hee hee¡­¡±


    Putting aside all her other nonsense, I could tell that she was highly dismissive of a Nightmare¡¯s Steed psychic ability. Wasn¡¯t a Lust Demon¡¯s strong suit also in psychic, fire and darkness magicks? No matter how much Ferti¡¯nier had fallen, she was still a Devil King of the Lust Demon branch¡­former anyway¡­ With her in my soul, a Nightmare Steed¡¯s strongest attack was basically nullified, so all that was left was¡­


    ¡°All that¡¯s left is to let that golem hanging on our little brother¡¯s neck handle the situation! Come, how about your dear sister let you in on another secret as well¡­ that golem hanging around your neck right now¡­ it has a dimensional gemstone in its chest. Anyone who has the Gem of Authority can simply take shelter inside that space during battle.¡±


    ¡®Dimensional gemstone? Shelter?! Are you serious?¡¯


    ¡®Are you telling me what¡¯s hiding in my Gem of Authority is not actually a Fallen Angel Golem, but rather an alternate universe¡¯s Gundamn?¡¯


    ¡®Gold! I¡¯ve struck gold! As long as I hide in that golem, I have this feeling that even if their entire race comes charging at me, I will still be safe. Even if I can¡¯t win, I can just run away in the worst case scenario.¡¯


    ¡®So what¡¯s the storage space like in the golem? If it¡¯s big enough, maybe I can bring Mo Na along with me when I go material hunting. Honestly speaking, I¡¯m not too comfortable with leaving Mo Na behind in the palace alone. Even if that¡¯s the safest place, I just can¡¯t settle down unless I have her in my sights. I guess that¡¯s how all parents feel about their kids¡­¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the space inside is huge, you can even bring those two stupid dogs with you if you want, let alone your daughter.¡±


    ¡®What do you mean ¡°stupid dogs¡±? Sinmosa and Sasani are my precious comrades!¡¯


    ¡°Hah, comrades. What kind of status do you think they even possess? Do they even have the qualifications to be treated as equals? They are just lowly Hellhounds -their bloodlines aren¡¯t even on the same level as that half-breed white dog that used to follow you around all the time. Their daughter, however, isn¡¯t that bad. Although close kin marriages tend to produce some oddities at times, there are also times when a child of purer bloodlines is produced. Simply put, that little puppy is worth grooming.¡±


    With that said, she added one last comment. ¡°Naturally, that fake daughter of yours isn¡¯t bad either. Even though she¡¯s not up to your level, she has a lot of potential.¡±

 CHAPTER 344: THE PLANNING PHASE

    ¡°If nothing goes wrong, that Mo Na of yours should at least grow to be a Devil Overlord, perhaps even a Devil King. Oh right, I bet our little brother doesn¡¯t know this but, that grimoire that entered the little fellow is actually a semi-divine instrument.¡±


    ¡°And for that grimoire to be able to choose its own owner, that book will most likely evolve into a full divine instrument¡­¡±


    ¡®A divine instrument¡­holy¡­ peel my potatoes and call them raw vodka¡­ exactly what was it you just said that I lost?¡¯ Right there and then, there was a ten thousand strong herd of llamas prancing about in the grass plains of my head; the kind that kept prancing back and forth¡­


    ¡®Bah, forget it. Divine or not, it¡¯s my daughter¡¯s so it¡¯s fine. Either way, it has no choice but to call itself a Mo!¡¯


    My next thought was to ask about my own potential, but the moment I remembered that I still had a certain freeloader in me, an inexplicable sense of despair fell over me. As long as Ferti¡¯nier had residence in my body, I could kiss any hope of levelling fast goodbye, although it was also because of her that I was blessed with three Original Sins. Not to mention that her being in my body gave me a variety of abilities that others did not possess during their early stages of being a Devil. For example, that mesmerising ability which I had a love hate relationship with. Had it not been for Ferti¡¯nier, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to gather the Demonic Werewolves, the Harpies, the Lizardmen, and various other races to my side when I tried to break out of the Prison of the Dead.


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    Regardless of whatever complains I made of her, she was undoubtedly a boon to me. Just based on that, I owed her. If I had to give up my levelling speed for that, it was only reasonable.


    ¡°For our little brother to think that way of his sister¡­ our little brother has finally grown up.¡±


    ¡®Hey, don¡¯t use that mother talking down to her son kind of tone on me!¡¯


    ¡°What do you mean mother? Did our little brother forget about his sister already? The same sister he¡¯s sharing a body with?¡±


    ¡®That she-devil¡­¡¯


    After a short playful exchange with Ferti¡¯nier, I realised that I had no more time to waste so I bade her farewell and left her to her devices while I brought everyone back to the palace.


    The aim of this visit was to bolster my forces. Before this, I left all my golems in the underground weapons factory in the palace. I hadn¡¯t planned on using them till the crucial moment had arrived, but the war was just too soon coming.


    That¡¯s right¡­war¡­


    In order to accomplish my goals, I needed that exchange array, and that exchange array needed those special materials -this was a situation that couldn¡¯t be resolved unless I declared war early.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Their greetings came in a garbled, high pitched mess. Yet it wasn¡¯t their voices that made me uncomfortable. Rather¡­


    I waved my hands for them to rise, and without checking if they understood my meaning, I whipped around to face Big 4 who had been following me. ¡°What¡¯s going on with these Devils?¡±


    ¡°No.6 sent them over.¡± Perhaps he had noticed my worsening expression, he quickly added, ¡°They arrived not too long ago, all of them are here.¡±


    ¡°I know No.6 sent them over. I just want to know why they are all females?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Big 4 fell silent. Finally, after my withering gaze brought him nearly to tears, he explained, ¡°Master, you had me convey a message to No.6 about him needing to do a proper job¡­¡±


    ¡°Mhm, and¡­¡±


    ¡°And¡­then he sent those Devils over¡­¡±


    That basically summed it all up.


    That potato, No. 6, first sent over ten male Devils, but his attempt at bootlicking ended up with him licking way above the boots. Instead of being rewarded, he got a warning instead. In all likelihood, he took that warning as me saying that I disliked male Devils, and that I preferred females instead? Even though the scent of my soul gave off the impression of a female, it wasn¡¯t like a little female on female action wasn¡¯t plausible. And that was where the problem laid, I didn¡¯t like both the groups he sent over¡­male or female¡­


    ¡®No.6¡­I swear¡­¡¯


    ¡®So what should I do this time? Warn him again? I wonder who will he send over next time then? Maybe a Devil that¡¯s neither female or male? Fine, I give up.¡¯


    ¡°Tell No.6 to focus on the recruitment zone, stop sending over Devils for now. Once I¡¯m done assembling the golems, I plan to leave immediately. That array you saw has to be fixed right away, and that requires my personal attention. I need you to guard the capital, got it?¡±


    Hearing that he was about to be left behind again, Big 4 immediately gave me a wronged look. ¡°Master, you¡¯re leaving again? Without me?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no choice, I don¡¯t have enough people who I can depend on. Besides, No.3 isn¡¯t following me either. Both of you have an important task to complete. I don¡¯t feel safe leaving it to another Devil.¡±


    I knew Big 4 wouldn¡¯t be happy with my decision, but the current situation left little room for error. I didn¡¯t have enough time to familiarise myself with the new captive Devils. Even if I could ensure their loyalty with a soul pact, I couldn¡¯t be sure if they were actually capable enough for the job. And I couldn¡¯t hand over control of the golems to another either, even if we were bound by a soul pact.


    I dumped the female Devils onto Big 4 then stepped into the weapons factory with Mo Na and the Hellhound family.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­a lot of golems¡­¡±


    This was the first time Sinmosa saw my stored golems. All lined up in neat rows, the majestic sight must have been quite a shock for her doggy heart. Even Sasani was stunned by the awe inspiring sight.


    ¡°I remember you handed five hundred golems over No.3 and that newcomer No.6, and over here you have another¡­¡± Sinmosa briefly scanned the area. ¡°There can¡¯t be less than five hundred units here¡­¡±


    ¡°To be exact, there are over one thousand Abyssal Golems¡­¡±


    ¡°Over a thousand Six-stars?!¡±


    ¡°Is that a lot?¡± Thinking about the battle to come, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little insecure. I knew my forces were strong, but I didn¡¯t know how strong the other side was.


    The Art of War had a saying: know yourself, know your enemy, and you will win a hundred battles. Know yourself but not your enemy, you will lose a battle for every won. Know neither yourself nor your enemy, and you will lose every battle. If even a book knew how important intelligence was, there was no way I wouldn¡¯t. Yet the problem now was that I had no way of gaining intelligence about our enemy.


    For this conquest, my goal was to conquer Sable Radiance while collecting the materials required for the array, that was why our numbers must be sufficient. However, I wasn¡¯t going to empty out the capital either. Real life wasn¡¯t some kind of game after all. One couldn¡¯t just put all their eggs in one basket even if there was no imminent threat.


    ¡®Time for some quick math. Up till now, I have 1325 Abyssal golems, excluding those battered ones I just brought back. In terms of Winged Abyssal Golems, I have 127 units. Those will be my greatest tools in the upcoming war.¡¯


    ¡®I gave away 500 Abyssal Golems to No.3 and No. 6 for the safe zone and recruitment zone construction- I¡¯ll recall 100 of them from No.6. Both of them have ten of my Winged Abyssal Golems too, those I probably won¡¯t recall.¡¯


    ¡®Defending the capital should be relatively easy so I¡¯ll leave behind 15 Winged Abyssal Golems and 300 Abyssal Golems, including the ones from No.6. That should be enough for the war.¡¯


    Now that I had planned out the allocation, the amount of golems I could muster for my conquest was 102 Winged Abyssal golems and 625 Abyssal golems.


    ¡®Since war is basically guaranteed at this point, the best course to take would be to retrace our steps. Southwards from the capital is Warhorse territory first, from there I will say hi to Meisian and Anmi. The Fire Elementals can be found at the point where I teleported in. That leaves the heart of a Eight-stars Flame Devouring Fish¡­that one¡¯s gonna be troublesome¡­I can probably get the salamanders to help me with it so it shouldn¡¯t end up being a big problem.¡¯


    Strictly speaking, we were in the honeymoon period in terms of our relationship with the Demon Fire Salamanders. After all, the ones who would benefit the most from the construction of the safe zone would be them. I¡¯m sure they won¡¯t deny an ally¡¯s tiny request, right?

 CHAPTER 345: AN UNAVOIDABLE SITUATION

    There exist a large number of restrictions on the method by which Occultists summon Devils. Several examples include the amount of mana required, a sacrifice of some sort, and a medium, lacking which will result in a variance in the end result. Without the exact medium required for that particular Devil, it¡¯s not possible to perform a named summoning -the end result will display a large degree of randomness. Under normal circumstances, the strength of the summoned Devil is connected to the Occultist¡¯s own strength and the sacrifice offered. Simply put, the more powerful the Occultist is, and the more powerful the sacrifice is, the higher the level of the Devil summoned.


    ¡ª-From Those Who Summon Demons


    Our first encounter with the Warhorses came a lot earlier than I had expected. In fact, we found them not too far away from our doorstep, blocking the path forward with their large blackish red bodies. In that instant, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if the Warhorses somehow managed to get wind of my plans beforehand.


    Naturally, that wasn¡¯t possible¡­


    The exact location we encountered them was 250 km south of the capital. There were basically no patrolling golems here, but that wasn¡¯t the point. The point was that there was a large group of low level Devils huddling in fear between us and the Warhorses.


    I doubt there was even any doubt at this point that there was a teleportation point nearby.


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    Noticing our army looming ominously over the horizon, not only were those cowering Devils stunned, the over hundred strong herd of Warhorses were at a loss as well. Not knowing our intentions, they galloped into a defensive formation right away.


    Sandwiched between both our armies were roughly three hundred low level Devils. Roughly sweeping over their army, I found that the lowest level amongst them was a Large Imp, and the highest was just a Four-stars Flame Demon Child. Under the determined pursuit of the Warhorses, these low level Devils could only run. Unfortunately for them, there was no way their Devil legs could ever compare to that of a Warhorse¡­


    Encountering more Devils along with the Warhorses wasn¡¯t that much of a surprise to me -it was Warhorse territory after all. Besides, there were definitely more teleportation points in existence other than the ones I found in the capital. In all likelihood, there were a bunch of roving low level Devil bands roaming about Purgatory right now¡­


    What truly surprised me was that the one leading these Warhorses was actually a familiar per¡­horse¡­


    ¡°Mama, isn¡¯t that the Warsomething elder?¡±


    Mo Na preferred soul perception in general, being a Necromancer and all. With her heightened sense, she quickly realised that the Warhorse in charge was our old friend, Warwraith.


    ¡°Honorable Lord Fallen Angel, please save us¡­¡±


    Most likely because they sensed that I was a Devil like them, the low level Devils decided to take a gamble after a mere moment of hesitation. They unabashedly pleaded for help, and without even waiting for me to answer, came rushing to our side. Pushy though that was, I was planning to recruit them anyway.


    Better that they just come over on their own, saves me the trouble of convincing them¡­


    ¡°Let them come over.¡±


    Before the golems had the chance to flatten the incoming Devils, I gave the order for them to make way. The fastest amongst them swiftly dove into the protective zone created by the golems, ignoring the overwhelming aura the golems emitted. Based on how fast the first Devil came in, it wouldn¡¯t be long before the rest were safe.


    Thus from that moment on, they basically became my subordinates.


    With the Devils taking shelter with us, the Warhorses naturally had no intention of keeping quiet either. Perhaps it was because of my evolution into a Fallen Angel, the elder, Warwraith, didn¡¯t immediately recognize me as his ¡°old friend¡±. He was the first of the Warhorses to come charging at me. As he galloped, he made sure to yell out orders simultaneously. ¡°Catch them, don¡¯t let them escape!¡±


    By now, there was only about one hundred meters between us and the Warhorses. Yet such a distance was nothing to a Warhorse. If left to their devices, half of the escaping Devils would most likely end up dead. I had personally experienced their speed before so I knew that a mere hundred meters was nothing but a gallop away to these horses.


    I immediately gave the order for ten Winged Abyssal Golems and one hundred Abyssal Golems to halt the Warhorse charge.


    ¡°Stop them, but don¡¯t kill them.¡±


    Though the golems weren¡¯t the most agile of soldiers, they could still dash at a decent speed as long as they didn¡¯t have to change direction. By the time the first Warhorse caught up to a Devil, my golems had arrived as well.


    First of his herd to charge, Warwraith cloaked himself in a shroud of flames as he rammed into one of the Winged Abyssal Golems. Hard met with hard as the two elite warriors clashed headon in a battle of strength. The end result was, as I had fully expected, Warwraith being sent flying away¡­


    Seeing a horse the size of a mini truck being knocked into the air was a rather amusing one. Yet as long as my order held true, the golems would never inflict lethal damage. Naturally, if the Warhorse in question was just too weak then that was really just his fault.


    A mature Warhorse would at least reach the level of Four-stars. Under normal circumstances, Warhorses in their developmental Three-stars stage would follow a herd out on a practise hunt. And the herd led by Warwraith right now so happened to have a number of Three-stars. While these developing Warhorses still possessed an impressive level of physical strength, they were nothing before the might of my golems. Even their Six-starred elder was swatted away like a fly by my golem, let alone these Three-star babies.


    On the other hand, my forces were at least at the level of Six-stars. However, it had to be said that my golems, being inanimate objects, weren¡¯t too good at following orders. Even if I told them to go easy on the Warhorses, it wasn¡¯t entirely possible for them to judge how much force could be used.


    With such a huge disparity in strength, and a lack of control on one side, it was only a matter of time before an accident happened.


    Thus in our first clash with the Warhorses, the golems pummelled every single Warhorse, Warwraith included. Unfortunately, there were a few unlucky horses who would never stand up ever again¡­

 CHAPTER 346: AN OFFICIAL DECLARATION OF INTEN

    Even when holding back their power, a golem still had the strength of a Six-stars. It only stood to reason that a Three-stars Warhorse would come out short in a direct clash with a golem.


    The majority of the Warhorses only ended up with a bit of injuries, the worst off were two particular Three-star Warhorses who actually rammed head first into the fist of my golems. I won¡¯t describe that scene in detail¡­gory, to say the least¡­


    ¡°Hellhounds, a little Lust Demon, and a Fallen Angel?! Putting aside those Devils, when did a Fallen Angel appear in Sable Radiance¡­¡±


    Warwraith tumbled about on the ground for a good long while before finally springing back up. The moment he recovered, he smartly retreated a few paces, at the same time signalling to the other horses to follow his cue.


    ¡°Yo, Warwraith, it¡¯s been a while.¡±


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    His decision was logical as I had expected. I knew that he wouldn¡¯t be foolish enough to try and attack me simply because of appearances. From the first time I met, I knew that he was a horse who mostly put the interests of his race before anything else.


    Yet just because he was calm now, didn¡¯t mean he would be calm forever. The moment he laid eyes on those two Warhorses who had their brains turned into mush, his body burned with mana. Regardless of the reason, their charge just now had resulted in the death of two juniors.


    As a horse who treasured those of the younger generation, the loss of these two Warhorses instantly turned his eyes red with fury. However, even in his angered state, he knew clearly how wide the strength disparity was between the two of us. Thus, he smartly chose to control his anger.


    ¡°Fallen Angel, I don¡¯t remember us ever having met.¡±


    His eyes still held a hint of vengeance within them, but my vast strength made it such that he had no choice but to hide that boiling desire.


    ¡°Oh? Don¡¯t you find them all a little familiar?¡± I pointed towards Sinmosa and her family before unhooking Mo Na from my neck just as she was about to wrap her arms around me. I gave her a little tap on her forehead before turning back to the now visibly shocked Warwraith. ¡°How about that Grand Elder Shade of yours, is he doing well? If I¡¯m not mistaken, he should have mentioned not to mess with me.¡±


    ¡°You¡­it¡¯s you¡­ that Lust Demon?!¡± Warwraith wasn¡¯t old enough to be suffering from dementia yet; the moment I said that, he immediately recalled who I was. It was just that I had undergone such a huge change that he momentarily forgot who I was. The fact that someone was able to completely change his bloodline was news to him. ¡°How did you become a Fallen Angel? Weren¡¯t you a Lust Demon?!¡±


    ¡°I have no reason to tell you that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I still have someone else I can ask.¡±


    Warwraith was quick to refuse me. Upon realising that I wasn¡¯t going to kill them, he immediately said, ¡°We¡¯ll be off then. I will take it that this little argument never happened¡­¡±


    Having said that, he didn¡¯t leave immediately. Instead, he eyed me uncertainly. He knew very well that I called the shots here, not him. While I might not be able to stop all of them, they definitely won¡¯t be leaving here in one piece if I truly willed it.


    The golems were slow, but they weren¡¯t that slow that they couldn¡¯t grab a Warhorse or two.


    ¡°If you want to leave, you may do so. But there¡¯s something I wish to tell you¡­¡±


    Warwraith¡¯s ears twitched at that. He immediately took up a wary stance, ready for whatever I might have in mind.


    ¡°And what is that?¡±


    ¡°I want a horn from a Nightmare Steed.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Warwraith was merely stunned for a second before he burst out, ¡°Impossible!¡±


    ¡°Whether it¡¯s impossible or not isn¡¯t decided by you. Tell that Grand Elder of yours, if it¡¯s possible, I would prefer not to use force.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Warwraith glared daggers at me. If looks could kill, he would have chopped me into pieces a million times over.


    This pointless glaring continued for over ten seconds. To me, his furious staring was nothing more than the griping of a sore loser. Still, that didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t annoying. As punishment, I broke into a grin and said so in a taunting voice, ¡°3¡­2¡­¡±


    If he still dared to glare at me once I counted to 0, I would teach him a lesson. However, before I got the chance to do so, he cleverly chose to retreat from my taunting gaze.


    ¡°We¡¯re leaving¡­¡±


    ¡°Hold on.¡±


    ¡°What else do you want?¡± Warwraith whipped his head around, his eyes practically spewing fire as he yelled, ¡°Can¡¯t you just spit it all out in one sentence?!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get so worked up. I just wanted to remind you that you left something behind.¡± I pointed at the corpses of the two Warhorses before lightly smiling. ¡°If you just leave them there, their souls will probably start crying.¡±


    Because I still hadn¡¯t had time to sweep up the battlefield, those two corpses still had their souls attached. If Warwraith didn¡¯t bring them back, they would most likely end up as nourishment for my army.


    Sometimes, pure hatred wasn¡¯t all that was needed to forge a sharpened sword. Warwraith grinded his teeth mercilessly against each other. His chest heaved with each breath he took and the air he exhaled seemed to singe their very surroundings. Unfortunately, his display of anger meant nothing to me.


    ¡°Bring them along¡­we¡¯re leaving¡­¡±


    No matter how angry he was, Warwraith, as he was now, had no qualifications to stand up to me. He knew that better than anyone else. That was why retreat was his best option. His only option.


    A bunch of Warhorses trotted up to the two dead Warhorses. One of them bit down on the corpse and heaved it up onto his comrade¡¯s back. That¡¯s a rather interesting way to carry a corpse¡­I wonder if it will drop when they start galloping¡­


    Upon retrieving the last corpse, Warwraith turned around and eyed me one last time. I had to admit, those bloodshot eyes were rather scary. Still, I merely scoffed at him and mouthed the word sayonara.

 CHAPTER 347: PURSUI

    Lust Demons can be broken down into three categories: the carnal branch, the beguiling branch and the combat branch. In practical terms, the beguiling branch and the combat branch can basically be combined into one branch.


    Certain Lust Demons are blessed with exceptional talent, displaying traits of both the beguiling and the combat branch. These Lust Demons are particularly frightening. Their combat traits give them unthinkable close combat prowess while their beguiling traits allows them to entrance their opponents. Whatever they can¡¯t solve with strength, their charms can most likely handle, and vice versa. There is rarely anything these Devils can¡¯t handle, making them a truly unique existence amongst Devils.


    From My Kingdom for a Lust Demon


    I stared at the disappearing silhouettes of the Warhorses. The battle had ended, but my heart refused to calm down. There wasn¡¯t any danger to speak of in that encounter; even if Warwraith tried anything funny, my golems could easily smack him away. No. What really made my heart pound was that I had just declared war on the Warhorses.


    The horn of a Nightmare Steed was something I had to have. Yet the status of a Nightmare Steed within its race was anything but ordinary; every such Warhorse bore the rank of a Grand Elder. Furthermore, the horn of a Nightmare Steed had greater significance to a Nightmare Steed than a Devil and his horns. Should a Devil lose his horns, he would at most suffer restrictions on his abilities. Should a Nightmare Steed ever lose his horn¡­ he would ultimately die¡­


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    Naturally, a horn from a dead Nightmare Steed was fine too, I wasn¡¯t picky. However, with their supreme position within Warhorse society, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if such horns were treated as sacred objects. As a symbol of their strongest warriors, there was no way they would simply hand one over just because I asked. Without a doubt, they would fight to the death to protect such an object.


    The best case scenario would be if I managed to subjugate their race while obtaining the required horn. After all, I wasn¡¯t trying to conquer Sable Radiance just for the sake of becoming an overlord; I had deeper goals.


    In a fight between my golems and those Warhorses, the Warhorses clearly had the advantage in speed and agility. Should they choose to avoid a head on confrontation, instead choosing to employ guerilla tactics, I would have a headache inducing battle ahead. With that in mind, it was best for me to take things one step at a time. If need be, I could place the matter of the horn on the backburner first.


    For now, what had to be sorted out was this batch of Devils that I had just rescued.


    ¡°Mama, that Devil over there seems to want to talk to you.¡±


    ¡°Most esteemed one of the Fallen Angel bloodlines¡­ we are the servants of Mistress Jeerah. Right this very moment, Mistress Jeerah is being threatened by those Warhorses. We seek your aid in rescuing our mistress¡­O one of esteemed bloodlines, hear the pleas of your subjects¡­grant us aid¡­¡±


    The Flame Demon Child immediately knelt upon being brought over by Mo Na. It was a female Flame Demon Child who came before me; I had almost gotten used to the habit of viewing them through their souls now. Yet, I couldn¡¯t but feel that something was off about her. If I had to place a finger on it¡­


    I swept my eyes across the gathered Devils. Over three hundred low level Devils, mostly males and barely any females -less than ten percent even.


    That wasn¡¯t normal at all. While it was normal for there to be more male Devils than females, the disparity shouldn¡¯t be this big. Strictly speaking, there was no gender differential in terms of combat strength amongst low level Devils. In other words, gender had nothing to do with combat strength.


    Putting aside that gender disparity for now, I had another question that needed answering. ¡°Who is Jeerah?¡±


    ¡°Mistress Jeerah is our master.¡± The Flame Demon Child kept her head down while she continued to plead. ¡°We just came over from the Prison of the Dead, landing at the teleportation point not too far from here. We barely got our bearings when we were set upon by the Warhorses. They wanted to capture us for food but Mistress Jeerah strongly objected to that. However, our enemies were too strong. Thus, I led the greater portion of our forces away as a diversion while Mistress Jeerah retreated to safety¡­¡±


    If the Warhorses were just out hunting for food, it would make sense for them to chase after the side that had more Devils. However, based on what I knew of their speed and strength, they most likely would have split off a smaller force to chase after the other group.


    In other words, Jeerah wasn¡¯t safe right now.


    That was precisely why this Flame Demon Child was pleading for my aid. Still¡­ a Devil aiding another Devil¡­ sure, the entire Devil race was the creation of Lucifer. And as the head of the Seven Original Sins, the Original Sin of Pride could be counted as the head of all the other races, but¡­ why should I help them for nothing?


    ¡°Mama, that Jeerah Devil actually has a name!¡± Just as I was mulling over that issue, my daughter¡¯s surprised exclamation reminded me of something important.


    ¡®A name¡­she does have a name.¡¯


    A Devil normally wouldn¡¯t come up with a name for itself. Just like how human names were all given by the elders of that household, there was also no way for a newborn to name itself. That was a reason why the majority of my subordinates had no names, barring those with a position.


    ¡®A named Devil, regardless of whether it gave itself the name or someone else gave it that name, is still a fascinating occurrence. I guess I¡¯ll take a look at least. Who knows, I might just bump into Warwraith again¡­ the look on his face then¡­¡¯


    I smiled and ruffled Mo Na¡¯s hair. ¡°Lead on.¡±


    Hearing that I had agreed to her request, she immediately jumped to her feet, not forgetting to thank me before that. Following which, she sprinted off. ¡°Over here¡­before we split off, Mistress Jeerah retreated in this direction¡­¡±


    ¡°I never said that you would be leading us.¡±


    ¡°But¡­didn¡¯t your esteemed self just promise to help?¡±


    ¡°Sinmosa.¡±


    Faced with her accusatory glare, I merely rolled my eyes before turning towards Sinmosa. She grinned back at me. With a kick of her muscled limbs, she sped past the Flame Demon Child who was still in daze after being called out by me.


    Since Jeerah was a named Devil, and even knew how to split up to run, she must have possessed an above average level of intelligence. In that case, she most likely would have changed direction while escaping. Could a normal Devil ever compete with a Hellhound¡¯s nose? Obviously not. That was why leading the way should be left to the likes of Sinmosa and Sasani.


    ¡°Keep close!¡±


    I grabbed Cinderel and Mo Na as I flew up to one of the Winged Abyssal Golems, commanding it to follow Sinmosa in the process.


    Sinmosa had already gotten the scent she needed from the Flame Demon Child to track down our Devil. As she took off with her husband, the couple seemed to turn into a bolt of black lightning as they sped off into the distance. Behind this pair of siblings *** husband and wife, there was an army of golems and low level Devils. Yet strange as it might have seemed, none of these Devils fell behind. Even if it meant running to the point of exhaustion, everyone made sure to keep up with the golems.


    ¡°Mama, they aren¡¯t running away at all.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, strange indeed.¡±


    Normally, Devils could all be classified as selfish. Yet without me ever trying to stop them from running away, every single one of them actually stayed behind, instead choosing to go look for this Mistress Jeerah of theirs. Were they all morons? Or perhaps they were just cowed by my golems¡¯ might. Or perhaps there was another reason¡­


    When did Devils become so loyal? Lest one forgot, there was a couple of devious potatoes who betrayed me not too long ago, namely One-eye and Nine-finger.


    ¡°Mama, Mo Na thinks that this Jeerah is a Lust Demon.¡±


    ¡°A Lust Demon huh¡­¡± If we were dealing with a Lust Demon, it would be possible for her to entrance these Devils. Furthermore, the name Jeerah was decidedly feminine sounding, basically confirming that she was a female Devil.


    After dashing for about three minutes, Sinmosa found traces of blood and signs of a recent battle.


    The couple paused for a second to have a sniff, coming to a conclusion soon after.


    ¡°The corpses should have been brought away the Warhorses, the scent is quite muddled but it¡¯s still discernible¡­ a small portion of the Warhorses have split off from the hunting party -probably to clean up. There¡¯s also traces of Warhorse blood. There should be casualties amongst them.¡±


    ¡°Ignore the others for now, I want that Devil known as Jeerah.¡±


    ¡°That Devil should have gone that way¡­¡±


    Upon confirming my target, Sinmosa continued leading us.


    From that moment on, we would sporadically come upon traces of battle. Without even needing to guess, I could tell that this was the handiwork of a desperate Jeerah who had to leave behind some of her subordinates to fight with the Warhorses. Furthermore, according to the hoofprints and scent left behind, our dear friend was ahead as well¡­


    I had a feeling from the start that Warwraith would chase after Jeerah¡­ oh how I would love to see the look on his face right now when we catch up.


    We pressed onwards, soon stumbling upon a group of Warhorses fighting with some Devils.


    Most eye-catching amongst them was a particularly beautiful Lust Demon. She wore a tight, black leather suit. Her hair was neatly combed to the back of her head, past a set of C-shaped horns that curved back as well. Her skin was red, and her complexion radiant. Her pointed ears were dainty, cute even. Behind her, a pair of outwardly black but internally red Devil wings flapped.


    I had to admit, she was beautiful. Not only that, based on what I could see of her, she should be a Lust Demon of the beguiling branch.

 CHAPTER 348: PSYCHIC ENTHRALLMEN

    The Devils led by Jeerah were already surrounded by the Purgatory Warhorses. Though the numbers on both sides were roughly equal -about a hundred on each side-, their actual combat strength couldn¡¯t be any more different; the Warhorses were vastly more powerful than a bunch of low level Devils. Not to mention that these Warhorses still had a Six-star elder watching over them from the sidelines who I doubt was in the best of moods after being pummelled by me. In all likelihood, he had no intention of sparing even a single one of them.


    The battle going on before us right now was a pretty clear cut one. In order for the Warhorses to qualify for the hunting party, they had to at least be Three-stars. In comparison, the Devils who just came over from the Prison of the Dead were malnourished, and were mostly One-stars or Two-stars. There were barely any Three-stars, let alone Four-stars. With such a difference, it didn¡¯t come as a shock that they were getting trampled right now.


    Had it not been for Jeerah, the Devils probably would have lost in two minutes flat. You heard me right! Jeerah was like a messiah to them right now thanks to her decisive combat support.


    As a Lust Demon of the beguiling branch, she practically radiated beauty from top to toe. As long as it was a male, regardless of race, they would be affected by her.


    A Beguiling Lust Demon¡¯s strongest tactic was to enthrall an opposing male to fight for her. However, in order to reach this level of beguilement, that Lust Demon first had to ensure that there was a comfortable distance between her level and her target¡¯s.


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    Not only that, she had to ensure there was enough time to pull off the enthrallment. The requirements were rather complicated, but mostly because of individual differences.


    The ability to enthrall an enemy without any physical contact was a high level technique. Most Lust Demons could only enthrall an enemy by coming into contact with them. But if a Lust Demon was powerful enough, her enthrallment technique could take place from a distance through her words, scent, or even sight. At the pinnacle of this technique, Lust Demons were even able to alter a person¡¯s memory.


    These techniques which controlled one¡¯s psyche were all collectively known as Psychic Enthrallment.


    When one reached the master tier of Psychic Enthrallment, the brainwashing could take place simply through words, scent or even sight. Such a Lust Demon often only had to use her voice to control countless souls. This was the strongest power a Lust Demon could hope for!


    In truth, I was naturally endowed with Master Psychic Enthrallment thanks to Ferti¡¯nier. Furthermore, this enthrallment wasn¡¯t easy for me to control. That was why when I had just reincarnated, I would often encounter situations where Devils would inexplicably submit to me.


    Jeerah was performing just such a technique right now. As she stood atop a giant rock, she feverishly released her mana in the form of a pink fog that slowly travelled across the battlefield.


    It was a pink fog that somehow triggered certain memories within me¡­ didn¡¯t I give out this fog in the past as well?


    Upon inhaling this fog, the Devils immediately experienced an explosive burst of fighting spirit. Yelling ¡°FOR THE MISTRESS!¡± at the top of their lungs, they would fearlessly charge towards the Purgatory Warhorses like a bunch of brainwashed zealots.


    This fog wasn¡¯t only effective against the low level Devils either. Majority of the Warhorses who inhaled this fog experienced a momentary period of giddiness. And on a battlefield, such a momentary distraction often proved fatal, no matter how short that moment was.


    A Three-star Warhorse was the first to inhale this pink fog. His movement started to turn sluggish, and his strikes became weaker as well. In the beginning, he was able to defeat a Large Imp with one simple kick, but after ten seconds of inhaling that fog, his attacks not only became slower, but were now unable to even seriously injure a Large Imp.


    In stark contrast to that, the Large Imp he fought charged with the ferocity of a zealot who just received a divine revelation from his deity. His actions practically screamed that he would at least take a bite out of that accursed Warhorse, even if it meant his death. Other than frenzy, there was nothing to be found in his crimson eyes.


    But a Large Imp¡¯s body was nowhere as tall as a Warhorse. That meant that he had no choice but to jump in order to reach the Warhorse. As he did so, he accurately wrapped his arms around the neck of the Warhorse and began biting into his neck. Like a hound that found his prey, the Large Imp viciously tore into the neck of the dazed Warhorse, inflicting a serious injury in the process.


    Neck throbbing furiously, the Warhorse finally came to his senses. His injuries caused the blood within him to circulate even faster, countering the slowing effect of the pink fog in an instant with its own adrenaline-filled frenzy.


    The Warhorse neighed loudly in the air as if to announce what was coming next. Nostrils flaring and muscles taut, the Warhorse galloped furiously in a forward charge. No matter who he encountered, whether friend or foe, he simply rammed through them all.


    Yet the Large Imp held fast. He stubbornly bit into the neck of that Warhorse, the rocking of the Warhorse¡¯s charge merely adding to the speed at which his teeth tore.


    Purgatory Warhorses had no arms to speak of, so no matter how fast that horse charged, he really had no way of knocking off that Large Imp. His only hope now was to shroud his body in flames, hopefully burning that Imp to death before it could do more damage.


    Shrouded in flames, the Large Imp was immediately burnt by the wrapping flames. As this fire wasn¡¯t of his own making, the Imp¡¯s body was sure to be damaged. Yet no matter how much his body writhed in pain, he had no intention of ever letting go. Right now, he was the most devout follower of Jeerah; his heart only held the desire to protect her to his death.


    Even with his flame resistance, there was no way a Large Imp could completely ignore the effects of a Three-star¡¯s flame. Before long, the Large Imp was completely engulfed by the flames, yet that only served to fuel his ravenous biting. Finally, right before his body was reduced to ashes, his teeth made contact with each other¡­


    Fresh blood gushed out like a crimson hotspring. The moment that happened, the Warhorse lost all strength and began wobbling, knocking into two more Large Imps and one of its own at the speed of over 150 km per hour, carving a bloody road of death right before its own impending demise.


    At long last, the Warhorse collapsed to the ground leaving behind a smothering trail of fire in his wake, his head knocking into the rock Jeerah so happened to be on.


    The Warhorse used whatever energy it had left in its body to raise his head in hopes of looking at Jeerah one last time. Unfortunately, he failed. He could only let forth one last mournful neigh before dying together with that Large Imp who finally let go of his neck at that exact same moment.


    ¡®A One-star actually fought a Three-star to death¡­now that¡¯s a miracle right there!¡¯


    In truth, such an occurrence wasn¡¯t unusual at all. There were a few cases of something similar happening all around. The most frightening fact was that even a Five-stars wasn¡¯t completely immune to Jeerah¡¯s enthrallment. It could only be said that her technique had surpassed what a normal Adept Psychic Enthrallment should be able to accomplish.


    ¡°Little brother, that right there is the natural born power of the beguiling branch.¡± Jeerah¡¯s exceptional performance naturally attracted the attention of Ferti¡¯nier. Like the Devil queen that she was, I could hear her amused voice rattling in my head right now. ¡°Her technique is on the precipice of evolving into a Master Psychic Enthrallment. That pink fog of hers is actually an enthrallment that uses scent to affect her opponents.¡±


    ¡®So we got a genius on our hands¡­speaking of which, Devils with an Original Sin aren¡¯t even that common to begin with¡­¡¯


    ¡°Beguiling Lust Demons are actually a rarity amongst Lust Demons. That¡¯s because they have to maintain their chastity until they comprehend the secrets of Adept Psychic Enthrallment¡­ truly an ironic rule, I have to say. Even though they are the incarnations of Lust, they have to curb their desires¡­but should a Lust Demon be able to achieve such a feat, she would be a Lust Demon of the beguiling branch. She would no longer have to rely on her body to enthrall her opponents.¡±


    ¡®So once they lose their chastity, they lose the ability to evolve into the beguiling branch. But if they don¡¯t use their bodies as a weapon, these nightworking Lust Demons can¡¯t survive¡­ truly a conundrum¡­¡¯


    That exchange with Ferti¡¯nier didn¡¯t last too long, and we soon turned our attention back to the battlefield.


    Jeerah¡¯s enthrallment had brought forth an unexpected outcome in this battlefield, resulting in casualties amongst the Warhorses. However, such a fortuitous turn of events wouldn¡¯t last long. Warwraith wasn¡¯t one to allow his fellow horses die, thus he would never allow Jeerah to continue unchecked. And as I had predicted, Warwraith prepared to intervene.


    ¡®We mustn¡¯t let that Warwraith join the battlefield. If that blasted horse interferes now, he can take out all the Devils in an instant with just his Six-star might and capture Jeerah.¡¯


    ¡®That Jeerah was even able to earn praise from Ferti¡¯nier. That must mean her talent is the real deal.¡¯

 CHAPTER 349: PERSUADING AN ENEMY TO SURRENDER

    My command was as simple as it was direct. I wasn¡¯t too certain if the golems could understand the true meaning behind my words, but as the command was given, they charged forward as ordered. Their weight was frightening, to say the least. For every step they took, the earth itself would groan. Rocks would fly off like an explosion had gone off at the site of their footsteps. And as the cacophony of rubble and booming footsteps echoed across the battlefield, it wasn¡¯t long before every creature¡¯s attention was attracted over to us.


    ¡°Blast it! What are you doing here again!¡± Warwraith had a face with the words frustration and anger written all over. ¡°Why can¡¯t you just watch quietly from over there? Do you really think we Warhorses are afraid of you?!¡±


    Because of the booming footsteps of the golems, Warwraith had already sensed our presence the moment we arrived. Yet never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that we would be so shameless as to harass him so soon after the previous beating.


    With a horde of golems charging ever closer, Warwraith didn¡¯t dare to act rashly, merely holding position for now. He had definitely heard my command just now, so he knew that as long as he stood there, he wouldn¡¯t be attacked.


    He was right on that front. Not long after, the golems surrounded him but never attacked him. Based on this alone, I could at least take heart that their intelligence wasn¡¯t horrifically low.


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    ¡°If I were you right now, I wouldn¡¯t make any sudden moves.¡±


    Seeing him so obedient in his circle of golems, I couldn¡¯t but smile a little as I brought my forces forward. As we got closer, that old horse¡¯s already black face got even blacker. His furious shaking was no better proof of how angry he was right now. At the same time, it was a sign of his fear.


    ¡°What do you even want?!¡±


    Warwraith yelled at me. As he was right now, there was no way for him to express his disquiet other than shouting. Yet as the saying went, dogs who bite don¡¯t bark. His shouting merely showed that he was all bark and no bite.


    ¡°Nothing at all, really. So you better not do anything unnecessary either. Just watch quietly from there.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no benefit for both of us if they keep fighting like this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine with that. I¡¯ll just take it as I¡¯m watching a show.¡±


    ¡°¡­ b*stard!¡± In a war of words, there really was no way Warwraith would ever win -just look at how he lost after two sentences.


    Even though I didn¡¯t say it, he knew exactly what I wanted. After a brief pause, he finally swallowed this bitter pill through gritted teeth.


    Eyes still spewing hate, the old horse yelled in the direction of the battlefield, ¡°Stop fighting! I want all of you back here now!¡±


    If one was to take that Large Imp who fought a Warhorse to death as an example, while he might have won, he had to pay an unbearable price for that victory. Barring some form of main character plot armor, any similar victory would be a pyrrhic one as well.


    In just five short minutes, half the Devils were either dead or injured. In contrast, the Warhorses merely suffered a dozen over losses. These losses were mostly restricted to Three-stars as well. Should the battle continue, their defeat was inevitable even without Warwraith¡¯s participation.


    Warwraith knew of my true intentions. He also knew that even if they won, he wouldn¡¯t gain a single benefit -because my fist was bigger than his.


    Since he clearly had no way of winning, there wasn¡¯t much point to his resistance either. At the very least, this way there was a chance that they wouldn¡¯t be massacred.


    With Warwraith¡¯s shout, both sides slowly stopped fighting. The Devils retreated back to Jeerah¡¯s rock as per her orders, instinctively forming a layered defense ring around her.


    Warwraith glared at me then. He wanted to say something but he held it in; not like I couldn¡¯t tell what he was trying to say from his bulging eyes. He clearly wanted to curse at me.


    ¡®Ah¡­ the world is really such a strange place. I still remember the first time I met him too. Back then, he forced me to fight those Demonic Fire Igneous Giants¡­ Well, looks like the roles have been reversed now. As the saying goes, don¡¯t bully a kid just because he¡¯s poor. A river that flows east for thirty years, flows west the next.


    ¡°Pack up¡­ we¡¯re leaving¡­¡±


    When he said pack up, what he really meant was to gather the corpses of their fallen. As Warwraith silently watched Warhorse after Warhorse corpse got dragged before him, his mood sank further.


    ¡®Maybe I should just stay away from him for now. Judging by his foul mood, he might just snap and attack me if I provoke him more.¡¯


    In actuality, I wasn¡¯t the least bit afraid of him since my golems could easily teach him a lesson in how to be a proper horse. Yet what good would that do for me? None. In fact, it was detrimental to my cause.


    My end goal was to gather troops by conquering Sable Radiance. These horses were a force to be reckoned with, a force that I could easily turn into my cavalry unit. Thus, my plan had always been to subjugate not to decimate.


    There were a multitude of ways to declare war, ones that didn¡¯t require me killing off their important members. In other words, ways that didn¡¯t get in the way of me gathering more troops afterwards.


    Humiliating him but not killing him was certainly an option. But there was a possibility that I could cross his limits, turning him into a diehard rival even if their whole race surrendered. At the end of the day, one shouldn¡¯t be too extreme in his methods.


    But for me to say that¡­ should still be alright, right?


    I sent off Warwraith with a slight tinge of guilt in my heart. That horse even forgot to give me his customary glare before trotting off. In all likelihood, he was on the verge of mental collapse right now.


    Mo Na seemed to have picked up on this little fact as well. With a cheeky grin, and a loyal Hellhound at her side, she said, ¡°Mama, Mo Na feels that horse was really pitiful just now.¡±


    ¡°Woof woof.¡±

 CHAPTER 350: JEERAH’S SCEN

    Having sent away Warwraith, I was about to greet Jeerah when the Flame Demon Child I had just rescued unexpectedly knelt down and began grovelling to Jeerah.


    ¡°Mistress Jeerah, I brought reinforcements back¡­ are you alright?¡±


    The Flame Demon Child crawled her way towards Jeerah and reached out for her long, slender legs¡­ ¡®Is this the legendary greeting of shoe kissing?¡¯


    Yet my question barely lasted a second before Jeerah simply lifted up her feet and mercilessly stepped on the Flame Demon Child¡¯s head, pinning her face to the ground.


    With her subordinate still under her foot, Jeerah slightly tilted her head upwards in a queenly fashion, eyes scornfully peering down at the lowly Devil beneath her foot. One of her left fingers seductively caressed her lips as she asked, ¡°If you¡¯re that worried about me, why did you wait that long to come help me just now? You even hid over there till everything was over. Do you think I¡¯m blind?¡±


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    From then on, no matter how that Flame Demon Child tried to explain herself, Jeerah simply continued trampling on her till she finally realised that her savior, me, was still standing there¡­


    ¡°Oh, I had almost forgotten. You did bring some reinforcements, didn¡¯t you? I don¡¯t know where you found them but they do seem rather powerful.¡± Jeerah smiled thinly before actually stepping over that Flame Demon Child¡¯s back and onto the ground. But what really had me riled was that I actually found her sway rather elegant, almost beautiful¡­


    ¡°Be careful, little brother, that girl is about to activate her enthrallment, even though your sister can help you, she still hopes that you can break out of it by yourself.¡± Ferti¡¯nier reminded me kindly. Yet just as I was stunned by her sudden change of heart, her words regained their usual barbs. ¡°Oh right, your sister almost forgot to mention this but, creatures without a gender have a very strong resistance to enthrallment. So even if she doesn¡¯t do anything, our little brother should be fine.¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re the one without a gender! Your whole family has no gender!¡¯


    Like a pest constantly hiding out in my body, she always knew exactly what to do to anger me half to death.


    After that little fit, Ferti¡¯nier suddenly turned serious once more. ¡°That girl¡¯s enthrallment hasn¡¯t been refined yet, else that Flame Demon Child would have already rushed into battle just now, instead of holding back her subordinates and watching from the sidelines.¡±


    Psychic Enthrallment drew its strength from the strength of the caster and the tier of the enthrallment. Naturally, one had to factor in the target¡¯s own resistance.


    As an example, one merely had to look at the self-serving actions of that Flame Demon Child. Even though she still saw Jeerah as her master, and even brought reinforcements to help her, her actions at the battlefield proved that she wasn¡¯t truly loyal to Jeerah. If I had to explain why, it would probably be that the Flame Demon Child was only restricted by Jeerah¡¯s enthrallment, having no choice but to serve Jeerah¡¯s interests. Yet there always existed the possibility of that Flame Demon Child suddenly turning on Jeerah. After all, Devils were the very incarnation of chaos and betrayal. Even under enthrallment, they still held the seed of betrayal within them.


    Furthermore, this Flame Demon Child had a very simple reason as to why she was resistant -that¡¯s because she was a she¡­ And also, if she were to ever be lucky enough to evolve, she would most likely be awarded the Original Sin blessing of Lust.


    As I was mulling over the matter of that Flame Demon Child¡¯s betrayal, Jeerah began to slowly walk closer to me, along with a strong but pleasant smell that only grew stronger. It was the kind of scent that any male would find intoxicating. Even if I was in a genderless state right now, I was still a bonafide male in the end. Thus, I didn¡¯t have much resistance against that scent.


    ¡°Fallen Angel?¡± Jeerah carefully observed me. Her eyes had a hint of sneering pride in them while her mouth curved into a smile. Her voice drew me in with every syllable she enunciated, as if I was being slowly wrapped in a warm embrace.


    ¡°Hi¡­there¡­¡± Whether I realised it or not, my words started to stutter, as if I had just fallen in love for the first time ever. Let alone speak, I didn¡¯t even know where to keep my hands or feet. The signature brimstone scent of Purgatory started to smell refreshing. Even the scorching heat of the air began to seem like a cozy radiator, as if all the discomfort in this world was starting to leave me.


    I definitely felt that I was under her spell, but why would I ever give up on such a beautiful creature¡­perhaps I should even propose to her¡­if she didn¡¯t agree¡­perhaps I could just force her? Would she be hurt if I did that?


    ¡°Get away from my mama!¡± Mo Na almost immediately sensed my abnormality. She hurriedly flew in between me and Jeerah, arms spread wide open like a mother hen protecting her chick. ¡°You shameless tramp, get away from Mo Na¡¯s mama right this instant!¡±


    ¡°Mama?¡± Still in the midst of her enthrallment, Jeerah couldn¡¯t help but be stunned by that. She broke into a sneering grin soon after, fingers pointed directly at me as if I was the source of some joke she just heard. ¡°I actually can¡¯t tell if this esteemed Fallen Angel is a male or female.¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m a male.¡±


    If there was one thing I would never barge on, that was my gender.


    After that brief argument between Mo Na and Jeerah, I was awakened from her enthrallment. However, it had to be said that Psychic Enthrallment wasn¡¯t just something that could be used on males. If it was used well, even females would be mesmerised. After all, there existed certain creatures known as oysters, and they were made for slurping!


    Jeerah¡¯s enthrallment certainly was powerful, else it wouldn¡¯t have been able to cause the death of over ten Warhorses with the help of her low level Devils.


    Based on what I just saw, her medium of enthrallment was her scent. And while it wasn¡¯t at the level of Master Psychic Enthrallment, the fact that she could use her scent in such a way meant that it was only a matter of time before she reached that tier.


    ¡°Oh, you actually woke up so fast.¡±

 CHAPTER 351: THIS ISN’T A MELON COMPETITION, THANK YOU VERY MUCH

    ¡°Let¡¯s just leave the Psychic Enthrallment aside for now, shall we? In your current situation, I would say your best choice is to have a talk with us.¡± I paused for a second, looking straight into her eyes with a serious expression. ¡°I do not like using force.¡±


    Having just escaped from her psychic influence, I wasn¡¯t feeling particularly cross about what she did. Though she could influence me with her Psychic Enthrallment, her influence wasn¡¯t thorough. Should she try that again, I would only need an instant to break out of it.


    ¡°Alright, alright. What do you want to talk about, you genderless¡­ Fallen Angel? Devil?¡± Jeerah waved her in an offhand, annoyed fashion before smiling. ¡°Well, whoever you are, I should thank you first for saving me. If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll be off then.¡±


    Having said that, Jeerah turned around and barked at the Flame Demon Child she had just stepped on. ¡°Get up already and stop playing dead, it¡¯s time for us to leave.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Mistress Jeerah.¡±


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    The Flame Demon Child hastily climbed to her feet, not even bothering to pat off the dirt on her body before she ran off towards the golems. She stuck her into the golem ring holding the rest of the low level Devils and called out. ¡°Well, don¡¯t just stand there you potatoes. Mistress Jeerah wants us to leave right this instant. Get moving.¡±


    Yet the low level Devils didn¡¯t move according to her instructions. That was because the golems had swiftly cut off any avenue of escape for them in a few booming footsteps¡­ that included Jeerah and her Devils as well.


    ¡°Leave? Did Mo Na say you can leave? Did Mama ever say you can leave?!¡± Mo Na flapped her way up to my shoulders, plopping her butt down safely before peering down at a now hostile looking Jeerah. ¡°Go on, leave then. Mo Na wants to see you try and leave. That¡¯s if you can.¡±


    It turned out that as Jeerah and that Flame Demon Child were busy with their little skit, Mo Na had already given orders to the golems. She knew that I wouldn¡¯t let them off the hook so easily, thus she made the right choice in my stead.


    Should the golems make a move, they would undoubtedly attract the attention of Jeerah. In practise, Mo Na had no intention of hiding their actions anyway. As long as she was quick enough, the golems could easily trap them.


    ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡±


    Even though this was the first time Jeerah ever saw a golem, she could tell by their appearance that they were a formidable battle strength. If she was smart, she would choose prudence, avoiding any unnecessary conflict with us.


    At least, that was what logically would happen. But the expression Jeerah had on right now really worried me. I could see the veins on her temple popping as she tried to restrain her anger. ¡°You wish to finish us off then?¡±


    Lest one forgot, the golems were capable of stomping on those Warhorses; that wasn¡¯t a strength that Jeerah and her Devils could fight against. In a fight, the golems were also immune to any psychic attacks, meaning her Psychic Enthrallment was completely useless. Adding on the fact that each golem had at least the strength of Six-stars¡­only a single golem was enough to massacre Jeerah and her devils.


    Having finished hearing that explanation, Jeerah¡¯s entire face changed colors, going through a whole spectrum of colors that I couldn¡¯t help but find amusing.


    Honestly, she could have already guessed that I wasn¡¯t someone to mess with based on how I scared away Warwraith. It was just that I didn¡¯t show any sign of hostility at first, and even brought her Flame Demon Child to her. I was her savior, not that Flame Demon Child. Yet, I was immediately greeted with a terribly rude gift.


    She had probably done that out of habit, to disastrous effect. It wouldn¡¯t be a stretch to say that she had made a move against me first. In that case, it was only rightful that she be prepared for my counterattack.


    ¡°What are you trying to achieve here?¡± She asked in a last ditch attempt at negotiation. She knew that there was now no escape from the golems.


    ¡°Be my subordinates.¡±


    My terms were simple, I wanted her under my command, and I had every intention of employing her for important tasks. Naturally, all that was predicated on her truly swearing loyalty to me.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Without even thinking, she immediately agreed to my demands.


    ¡°cough¡­¡±


    Her straightforward acceptance threw me off-guard for a moment. I initially thought that she would hesitate for a while more. Still, since she was willing, she had to show me some sincerity. ¡°Give me a portion of your soul.¡±


    ¡°A soul pact?¡±


    This time, it was Jeerah¡¯s turn to be stunned. She probably never expected that I would ask for her soul in such a direct manner.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, a soul pact. Some consider it a slave pact as well. Call it what you want, my demand is simple, give me a portion of your soul.¡±


    ¡°Impossible!¡± Jeerah glared at me. Her face turned a further beet red, even with her already pinkish skin, as she yelled. ¡°I can become your subordinate, but I won¡¯t enter into a soul pact with you!¡±


    ¡°So you won¡¯t cooperate then? Have you considered what the consequences are for rejecting me?¡±


    ¡°No matter what, I will never give you a shard of my soul¡­¡±


    With regards to the soul pact, Jeerah seemed a lot more resistant than I had expected.


    I couldn¡¯t help but get a little curious. ¡°Why won¡¯t you sign the soul pact? Even though you might lose your freedom after signing it, you should know what would happen if you refuse me. Is there any point to your freedom if you¡¯re dead? Besides, I¡¯m not going to make you do anything overboard, I just want a guarantee of your loyalty.¡±


    ¡°Why should I?¡± Unconvinced by my persuasion, Jeerah puffed out her well-endowed chest and sneered. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, you¡¯re just a Four-stars. And I¡¯m a Five-stars. Why would I ever submit to a master weaker than me? I admit that your forces are strong, but in a one on one fight, there¡¯s no guarantee you will win either.¡±


    ¡®I think I¡¯ve just been belittled¡­¡¯

 CHAPTER 352: FIRST THE KID, NOW THE PARENTS…

    ¡®I¡­I swear, will it kill you to be a little serious?!¡¯ I glared at Mo Na. And without caring whether or not she knew that I was about to explode or not, I reached out with my left hand, grabbed her by the scruff of her neck, and lowered her down. ¡°Be good.¡± I flicked her on her forehead.


    ¡°Wu~ Mama¡¯s so bad¡­¡± Mo Na rubbed her little noggin, wings rapidly flapping to show her displeasure. Her eyes teared up a little as she glared back at me. ¡°Mo Na doesn¡¯t want Mama anymore!¡±


    Seeing that adorable but proud little pout on her face, I couldn¡¯t help but want to bully her more. However, now¡¯s not the best time for teasing my daughter; Jeerah was still standing there.


    I resisted the urge to pinch her cheeks and smiled politely back at Jeerah. ¡°So about serving me, have you reconsidered it?¡±


    Jeerah turned away from Mo Na and began evaluating me. As she did so, she would chime in with the odd praise or two. ¡°Wings of Pride, a face of Envy, a tail of Lust¡­ you actually have the blessing of three Original Sins. From a certain point of view, you really are a genius. It¡¯s just¡­¡±


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    ¡°Just what?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just too bad that you hold too much potential. Those Devil Overlords, perhaps even the Devil Kings, would never allow for your continued existence. If they learn about your existence¡­ there¡¯s no way they will ever let you live. Even the Devil King of Pride might not shelter you¡­¡± With utmost conviction, Jeerah exclaimed, ¡°A Devil like you is a threat, no matter who it is!¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you¡¯re right. Before I even get the chance to grow, those selfish curs would definitely do everything in their power to kill me. However, this zone we¡¯re in right now is no ordinary zone. This is a special zone known as the Demonic Kingdom of Sable Radiance. As for the reason why it¡¯s special, that¡¯s because it has been sealed up for tens of thousands of years. In this zone, I¡¯m the overlord!¡±


    Jeerah was right. But that didn¡¯t mean I was afraid either. With my current trump cards, any scheming b*stard had better be prepared for a nasty surprise! Of course, that was assuming none of those old Overlords tried to find trouble with me¡­


    ¡°What did you just say? You¡¯re the boss around here?¡± Her jaw practically fell apart as if she was looking at a clown. She even made the point to sneer with an extra wide grin, though she quickly retracted that having just remembered a certain golem. Her lips still quivering from forcing back a grin, she continued, ¡°Hmph, is this some kind of joke, a Four-star Fallen Angel actually claims to be a Devil Overlord¡­ And who do you think you are? The son of Lucifer himself?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®I¡¯ve gotta hand it to her, she really got me in an awkward spot. I am, in a sense, the son of Lucifer¡­¡¯


    With regards to this turn of events, Mo Na instinctively knew to retreat with her little puppy friend to a distant corner. That little scamp even threw a grin or two in our direction; whether it was directed at me or Jeerah, who knew? As for Cinderel, she merely blinked her eyes innocently -the little puppy was still too young to understand what had just gone on between me and Jeerah.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a stubborn one.¡± I smiled thinly. With just one sentence, I threw a wrench into this pointless discussion. And under her still quizzical eyes, I threw in a spanner to boot. ¡°Whether or not you believe me, my goal is to conquer this entire region, spread my will across the entirety of Sable Radiance, and finally become a real Devil Overlord. If anyone tries to stand in my way, I won¡¯t just make him suffer, I¡¯ll kill him!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no use. Even if you can scare away that Six-star Warhorse, what about their Seven-stars? Eight-stars? Perhaps even their Devil Overlords! Do you have the strength to fight with them? You¡¯re just some Devil with three Original Sins! I admit that you have talent, but that doesn¡¯t translate to power. Before you can ever grow into your own, someone stronger than you will just wander by and stomp you to death! Here¡¯s some advice, don¡¯t think that the world revolves around you!¡±


    Her resistance was as strong as ever, but it was only to be expected. A soul pact meant that one¡¯s life was no longer in their own hands. Who would want to toil on behalf of someone weaker than them? After all, the strength of one¡¯s master decided their future as well. Had Jeerah been some nobody Devil, she would have immediately submitted to me. For Devils without much potential, serving the strong was their way of survival. That was because they knew that without someone strong protecting them, their chances of dying in this cruel environment were high.


    In other words, with someone strong as their master, their livelihood could be secured just by relying on their master.


    In a lot of ways, Devil society mirrored human society of the past. A nobody scholar would forever be relegated to the fringes of the court unless he joined a faction of some sort. However, should he do that, he would forever be branded as one of their own. Live or die, his fate was now tied to theirs.


    However, if that scholar wasn¡¯t just some nobody but rather the top scorer of the imperial examinations, he wouldn¡¯t have to rely on a faction at all. That was because he would have the favor of the emperor to help him climb up the ranks.


    Jeerah basically saw herself as the top scorer in this situation. However, she had to understand one thing: overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer.


    ¡°You still don¡¯t know what situation you¡¯re in right now, do you? This is the Demonic Kingdom of Sable Radiance. Before I came here, there were no Devils at all.¡±


    ¡°No Devils? Don¡¯t kid yourself, if there were no Devils here, then how do you explain your presence?¡± Jeerah wasn¡¯t at all convinced by what I said.


    ¡°She¡¯s right. Before she came here, there were in fact no other Devils in Sable Radiance.¡±


    It was at that moment that a strange disembodied voice echoed from a distance away. It was a distant voice, yet it somehow sounded as if it was right by our ears.


    A moment later, two Warhorses, black of fur, red of mane and fiery red fur around their hooves, came galloping in as if they were riding on clouds. As they approached us, their gallop slowed to an elegant trot till they went past my golems. Peering down at us, I could easily see into their blood red eyes, eyes that seemed to draw whoever that looked into them into an eternal dream.


    ¡®Nightmare steeds¡­ two of them too. I can already feel the pressure emanating off them¡­¡¯


    ¡°Be careful, these two have the power of an Eight-star.¡± For once, Ferti¡¯nier didn¡¯t cut in with her usual playfulness, instead warning me to be careful. ¡°If anything goes wrong, just bring out that Fallen Angel Golem of yours. Your sister will handle the psychic attacks.¡±


    Two nightmare steeds had come knocking at our doorstep. Two unfriendly ones, to be exact. Even if their psychic attacks could be nullified, they still had their normal darkness and fire magicks, and their astonishing physical strength -clearly not opponents I could handle on my own.


    Jeerah was already shivering in silence from the aura they emanated. Before the might of these nightmare steeds, her blasted stubbornness and foul mouth were no use.


    I stepped forth to shield her from the pressure. In truth, their combined pressures had no effect on me at all. Perhaps it was because I had evolved into a Fallen Angel, but ever since the capital, none of my enemies could affect me with their aura, no matter how far apart we were in strength.


    I fearlessly stared back at them, not at all mincing my words as I asked, ¡°And how may I help you two Grand Elders?¡±


    ¡°I heard that our little Warwraith was in your care recently, we¡¯re here to return that favor.¡±


    ¡®Little Warwraith? Don¡¯t tell me these are his parents? So after beating up the kid, the parents come knocking¡­exactly what kind of third-rate storyline is this supposed to be?!¡¯


    ¡°May I know how are the two of you related to Warwraith?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t waste more time talking to her, let¡¯s just capture her and be done with it.¡± Obviously the more temperamental of the two, the other Nightmare Steed basically declared the start of the fight with one sentence.


    ¡®Blast it, what¡¯s with the she this and she that? Exactly how does my manly self look like a she? Are you two blind? Other than my lack of a pee pee, I¡¯m clearly a man!¡¯


    ¡°Hey now! It¡¯s not good to gang up on someone like that!¡±


    ¡°Enough talk. Die!¡±


    The temperamental Nightmare Steed zoomed off in a flash of black and red, body travelling at speeds that would leave most people in despair. However, that didn¡¯t mean I had no countermeasures of my own.

 CHAPTER 353: A TEMPERAMENTAL NIGHTMARE STEED

    At the same time that Nightmare Steed charged, I pulled Jeerah behind a golem to take shelter. With its combat strength at the level of a Seven-stars and its defensive capabilities nearly reaching that of an Eight-stars, blocking a blow or two from a Nightmare Steed should be fine.


    Boom


    The Nightmare Steed charged right into my Winged Abyssal Golem, but it failed to leave a dent on it, even with a Nightmare Steed¡¯s impressive strength. After all, my golems were built with insane defensive and physical capabilities in mind. In a competition of brute strength, my golem wasn¡¯t at all at a disadvantage against that Nightmare Steed. In a contest of agility however¡­


    The collision between golem and horse failed to produce a winner. My golem was unharmed, but so was the Nightmare Steed. Yet when was a fight ever so simple? Strength was one thing, but so was speed.


    Compared to my lumbering golem, that Nightmare Steed was a speedy cockroach riding on clouds of fire as it weaved around the air. Even the combined efforts of three of my Winged Abyssal Golems failed to hurt it. All it needed to do was to speed off at the last second and it could avoid any damage. Which it did.


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    ¡°Blasted insects!¡± The hot headed Nightmare Steed cursed loudly before diving downwards once more. He deftly avoided three swipes in a row. In her eyes, their fly-swatting movement might as well have stationary, hardly a threat at all.


    A split second later, the Nightmare Steed galloped up to us, its fiery red eyes barely meters away from us. Then, I heard the phrase that once left me shivering in despair..


    ¡°Dream¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± It felt like a hammer had come crashing down on my head. My surroundings went silent like time itself stood still. Yet unlike my previous encounter with Shade, I never entered a nightmare.


    ¡°Impossible! My dream didn¡¯t work on you?!¡± The Nightmare Steed was stunned by what it had just witnessed. But before it could even recover from that shock, a giant fist came crashing down from behind. Like a paddle to a ping pong ball, the Nightmare Steed was instantly sent flying away.


    Tumbling through the air, it was forced down towards the ground by the momentum of the golem¡¯s punch. Yet just when I was expecting a deafening crash, it actually managed to regain control of its body forcefully, straightening out its balance in the nick of time. It immediately flew back up into the air, eyes still wide with disbelief. ¡°That Shade¡­ what did he mean ¡°reincarnation of the Devil King¡±¡­ you¡¯re clearly just some Devil immune to psychic magic! He just bumped into a unique Devil, that¡¯s all. I should¡¯ve known that he would come up with some phony story about the reincarnation of a Devil King just to shirk responsibility.¡±


    ¡°Hah! Don¡¯t overestimate yourself. The seat of a Devil King isn¡¯t just something you can achieve by big words alone! Do you know how many Devil Overlords have tried and failed in the end¡­ let me tell you¡­ don¡¯t think so highly of yourself!¡± As she yelled, she came galloping towards me, barely taking a second to do so. ¡°I originally wanted to let you die in comfort, but I¡¯ve changed my mind¡­ I¡¯m going to make your last few seconds hurt!¡±


    ¡°Protect me.¡±


    I was already prepared for her attack this time around. With just a simple command, my Winged Abyssal Golems formed a tight ring around me. In fact, they barely left any breathing space for me at all. The only reason I could see the sky was because they had their arms raised!


    With the coordination of my golems, they easily blocked that hot headed Nightmare Steed with sheer brute force.


    ¡°Have a taste of my flames then!¡±


    Yet just as it looked like she was about to ram into my wall of golems, she suddenly stopped mid-air and breathed a cone of black flames at me.


    The black flames crashed into the golems like a tidal wave. So strong were these flames that they didn¡¯t need anything other than air to burn. Yet the flame resistance of the golems were simply too strong for it, reaching the point of complete immunity.


    The golems brushed off the flames on their bodies. The moment they did so however, the flames stuck to their hands. Even though the flames had no way of burning through the golems, they showed no signs of extinguishing either.


    ¡®There¡¯s something up with these flames¡­¡¯


    ¡°Curses!¡± Seeing that her flames were useless, the Nightmare Steed immediately switched tactics, choosing to try out her melee attacks once more. Unfortunately, there were a tad too many golems around me for her to break through. Finally, she had to give up after several tries. Even though my golems only had the combat strength of a Seven-stars, anyone would still feel the pain if one of them sent a giant slap flying their way. After all, even a Nightmare Steed¡¯s sturdy constitution didn¡¯t mean that it could completely ignore the titanic strength of my golems.


    Still, no permanent damage was done. Just like before, my golems were unable to hurt her.


    ¡°Hey¡­those two Nightmare Steeds are at least Eight-stars right¡­ there¡¯s no way you¡¯ll beat them¡­¡± Just as I was considering my next plan of action, Jeerah suddenly broke her silence. However, her eyes weren¡¯t on me at all. Instead, they were on those low level Devils of hers who had all but fled at this point. ¡°Those b*stards aren¡¯t reliable at all¡­all they ever do is suck up to me, but the moment the going gets tough¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just the nature of Devils, this is a fact that is hard to change. Besides, your Psychic Enthrallment isn¡¯t up to par yet. Unless you keep your eyes on them at all times, it¡¯s easy for them to break free.¡± I gently gave her a shove. ¡°Take shelter with the golems first. Their target is me so they probably won¡¯t try and attack you.¡±

 CHAPTER 354: PRECURSOR TO WAR

    Because I intended to employ my Fallen Angel golem against the Nightmare Steed, wherever the battle would end up taking place would undoubtedly be the most violent. Having Jeerah leave now would be best for her safety. However, a Devil¡¯s way of thinking always revolved around one thing, and one thing only: themself. Naturally, they saw others in the same self-serving light as well; this was ingrained in them, and not something that could be changed easily. Trying to gain the trust of a Devil would never be an easy task, because even they couldn¡¯t trust themselves.


    ¡°Oh my, looks like the lass doesn¡¯t trust you.¡± Right on time as always, Ferti¡¯nier came out to mess with me while I was mulling over Jeerah¡¯s infuriatingly uncooperative behavior. ¡°How about just tossing her out? Not only will she be a distraction for the Nightmare Steeds, it¡¯s also a good chance to mount a counter attack.¡±


    I knew exactly what she was trying to say. With their immense speed, there was no way my golems would ever land a hit on that Nightmare Steed unless something distracted it. Furthermore, even if they landed a hit on the Nightmare Steed, it would most likely end up accomplishing nothing as before. A decisive hit was needed¡­ and that required my Fallen Angel Golem.


    The temperamental Nightmare Steed wasn¡¯t able to break through the defenses of my golems at all. Thoroughly frustrated by now, she glared at me from mid-air before shouting out to her companion Nightmare Steed. ¡°Shadowfall! Don¡¯t just stand there looking stupid, come help me!¡±


    ¡°So you finally remember I exist.¡± The Nightmare Steed known as Shadowfall calmly galloped towards the temperamental Nightmare Steed before continuing in a dissatisfied manner. ¡°You¡¯re always such a hassle to look after, Warsight.¡±


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    ¡°You better watch that tone of yours, Shadowfall. I¡¯m not one of those juniors you always deal with!¡± Temperamental though she was, the Nightmare Steed known as Warsight hadn¡¯t lost her wits yet. Her squabble with her companion only lasted a second before she turned her attention back towards me. ¡°Tough¡­ and bothersome as well¡­ those big lugs aren¡¯t easy to deal with at all. Do you have any plans?¡±


    ¡°Those should be the Abyssal Golems of legends. There are no useful resources for us in the north, so we barely have any intel on this region at all. If I¡¯m not mistaken, those with wings should at least have the strength of a Seven-stars¡­ and so many too.¡± Shadowfall calmly assessed the situation. ¡°But they are very slow. Their agility can¡¯t even be compared to ours at all, and they can¡¯t fly¡­¡±


    ¡°I got it! Shadowfall, team up with me!¡±


    ¡°But I¡­ Hey¡­ you¡¯re not listening!¡±


    ¡°I said let¡¯s team up!¡± Without waiting for Shadowfall to finish, Warsight had already sped off in a burst of flames.


    With the entry of Shadowfall, there were now two Nightmare Steeds charging towards me. Unfortunately for them, the golems had no intention of leaving their posts at all. Based just on their numbers alone, the Winged Abyssal Golems didn¡¯t have to do much at all and those two Nightmare Steeds would have to focus their attention on them. Perhaps they could actually reach me, but that would mean that my golems would hit them as well.


    Based on how they didn¡¯t try such a risky move, I could tell that the previous slap Warsight got hit with was a lot worse than I had initially assumed.


    I could already sense their frustration just standing here. I was clearly some puny Four-star, but they just couldn¡¯t kill me, unless they wished to suffer potentially severe injuries in the process.


    The two Nightmare Steeds continued circling my golems, but my golems had no intention of striking back at all. They merely had to stand there, take the hits, and there would be no gaps in their defence.


    The psychic magic of the Nightmare Steeds had no effect on them. Their darkness and fire spells were basically an insect¡¯s bite to the golems. As for physical attacks¡­ that needed no explanation at all¡­ their strength might not even be as high as my Winged Abyssal Golems.


    Yet just as it looked like the Nightmare Steeds were left no options, the ground suddenly shook violently. A loud rumbling swept across the battlefield. Frightened by this sudden development, Jeerah instinctively grabbed onto my arms like a scared little girl. Because of her proximity, her intoxicating scent started to bombard my senses. Unfortunately, she was too scared right now to notice this change.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Why is the ground shaking?¡±


    I rolled my eyes at her and gently pushed her away. It was then that I could calmly answer, ¡°Haven¡¯t you seen it before?¡±


    ¡°Seen what?¡±


    ¡°The charge of ten thousand horses.¡±


    The charge of ten thousand horses¡­ If one connected the sudden rumbling of the earth, the departure of Warwraith, and these two Nightmare Steeds appearing before us, there really only was one explanation: the Warhorses were back for revenge.


    ¡°You need to be careful later. If you stand too far away from me, I can¡¯t guarantee your safety.¡±


    ¡°And why should I trust you?¡±


    ¡®Ugh¡­¡¯ Her attitude truly was a turn off right now. With that in mind, I coldly said to her, ¡°If you don¡¯t trust me, just stay away then.¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    She latched on even tighter. I was basically like a rescue buoy to her now. She knew how complicated the current situation was for her. If she were to leave now, she would most likely end up dead.


    ¡°If you want my protection, hand over your soul.¡±


    ¡°Never!¡±


    She only needed a second before rejecting me outright. She then proceeded to taunt me, as if to say, ¡°throw me out, I dare you.¡±


    ¡®Fine¡­ you win.¡¯


    Perhaps it was because of my leniency with her before, Jeerah had basically sussed out my personality in the short time we had known each other. She knew that I would never abandon her, thus she needn¡¯t hesitate at all before rejecting my offer of a soul pact.


    Still, the situation wasn¡¯t looking good right now. The helpless till now Nightmare Steeds had finally awaited the arrival of reinforcements. Turning around, Warsight was immediately greeted with the sight of a giant herd of Warhorses galloping over the horizon.


    ¡°Shade! What took you so long!¡±


    A Nightmare Steed I was familiar with, Shade was the first to come galloping on the clouds, stopping right beside his companions who had halted their attacks for now. He first greeted Shadowfall, before explaining to Warsight, ¡°They couldn¡¯t keep up with our speed¡­¡±


    ¡°Those Warhorses are rather slow.¡± Warsight nodded, completely ignoring that fact that she was once such a Warhorse as well. ¡°Must have been a pain too, looking after their various troubles.¡±

 CHAPTER 355: A CHAOTIC BATTLEFIELD

    ¡°Shade!¡±


    ¡°Devil, we meet again. If I hadn¡¯t heard it from Warwraith myself, I wouldn¡¯t have believed that you actually evolved into a Fallen Angel¡­¡± Shade eyed me with a hint of helplessness on his face. ¡°Truthfully, I don¡¯t want to fight you at all¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you stupid, Shade? That Devil isn¡¯t even some reincarnation of a Devil King, she¡¯s just immune to psychic attacks. ¡° The temperamental Nightmare Steed was the first to criticise Shade. ¡°Are you sure you didn¡¯t just exaggerate the facts to avoid being punished?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to believe me, I maintain my views either way.¡±


    ¡°Hah, so lying in order to shirk responsibility is part of your views as well?¡± Warsight pressed him further. ¡°Once this matter is over, you can be sure I¡¯ll report this matter to the clan leader. As for the outcome, heheheh¡­ let¡¯s see if you can still maintain that position of yours.¡±


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    ¡°You wish to threaten my position? With what? You?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, how about both of you just step back for a moment, now¡¯s not the time for argument. The most pressing issue is to deal with this Devil.¡± Shadowfall forcefully broke the two apart.


    ¡°Those are golems, aren¡¯t they? I saw them once long ago, but those were all in bad condition¡­¡± Shade rolled his eyes at Warsight before changing the topic. ¡°Their sturdiness is beyond what we can imagine, and we won¡¯t gain anything by smashing them either. Their forte lies in their immense strength and invincible defenses- but they are slow.¡±


    In order to prevent Warsight from stirring up more argument, Shadowfall immediately followed up with that conversation. ¡°Then let¡¯s combine our might and strike at the head.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Warsight neighed loudly before leading off with a charge. Shade rolled his eyes towards Shadowfall. The two immediately broke off in opposite directions, circling around the golem ring in a bid to find some kind of weakness.


    ¡°What do we do?¡± Jeerah gripped down on my arms harder, her eyes quivering with unease. ¡°There are three of them now¡­ and who knows how many Warhorses as well¡­ we¡¯ll be fine, right?¡±


    ¡°I say, can you stop standing so close to me? We¡¯re not even close with each other.¡±


    The two deadly weapons she carried on her chest were simply too much for me. The way they pressed even harder against me now truly left me flustered when I least needed it.


    ¡°No!¡± She immediately answered without a second thought. ¡°I don¡¯t feel safe if you¡¯re too far from me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but you don¡¯t have to stand so close either, it¡¯s unsettling.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re all girls here, what¡¯s there to be shy about?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a male!¡±


    Jeerah eyed me from top to toe. ¡°Are you sure your head is screwed on right?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go¡­ don¡¯t leave me behind¡­¡±


    In the end, she clung even tighter to me. At this point, her entire body was hugging me. Her intoxicating scent came at me like a hammer, and I reflexively inhaled it due to our proximity, causing me to almost become enthralled.


    Jeerah batted her eyes at me. Gone was that bewitching face of not too long ago. Instead, it was replaced by an endearing sort of weakness.


    ¡®That face¡­ wasn¡¯t she acting like some sort of queen just now? Now she¡¯s trying to act like a harmless bunny? I don¡¯t even know how to make fun of this turn of events.¡±


    ¡°In that case, just sign the soul pact with me. As long as you¡¯re my subordinate, I¡¯ll definitely protect you.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely no!¡± Jeerah vehemently objected.


    ¡°Then what if I just toss you away right now?¡± I pretended to threaten her.


    ¡°Like heck you would. You¡¯re too much of a nice Devil to hurt me.¡±


    She really got me there -she even knew me better than I did. What was worse was that, after rejecting my soul pact so completely, she basically friendzoned me for life¡­


    ¡®Fishcakes! Why did I have to get stuck with such a clingy Devil? And she seems to have seen through me as well¡­there¡¯s no way I would ever throw her out there to feed a bunch of horses¡­that would be a waste of a perfectly fine bedwar¡­ No, no. A subordinate. A perfectly legitimate relationship between a male superior and his female subordinate.¡¯


    ¡®So don¡¯t you dare call me a nice guy!¡¯


    ¡®Also, I can see you smirking over there¡­ at least be a little more professional in your acting!¡¯


    At the same time that those three Nightmare Steeds charged at me, the rest of the Warhorse herd had galloped to roughly five hundred meters in front of us. Based on their current speed, it would probably take them less than ten seconds to cover that distance and collide with my golems.


    This time, the number of Warhorses who came were a lot more. Because the Winged Abyssal Golems guarded me too closely, my vision was currently obstructed by their massive bodies. I could only make out a thousand or so Warhorses from my position.


    ¡®They actually gathered up such numbers in a short time¡­ the Warhorse clan cannot be underestimated.¡¯


    ¡°No. Now¡¯s not the time for dallying around. I need to¡­¡¯ Just as I was about to give the command for a counter offensive, my precious baby took the initiative to give the command instead. Even though now was clearly too late to set up any meaningful defense, it couldn¡¯t hurt to at least try.


    ¡°You guys guard that side, and you guys guard there. I want an encirclement prepared right away, don¡¯t let a single horse go¡­ Don¡¯t worry, Mama, Mo Na¡¯s got this covered!¡±


    Seeing as my precious daughter was so dependable, I decided to let her command then.


    ¡°Hah, as if you can even encircle us, don¡¯t get ahead of yourself, Devil!¡±


    Seeing that we were about to engage in our own battle preparations, Warsight suddenly gave up her offensive, instead turning her attention towards the Abyssal Golems. One of the golems took this opportunity to give her a forceful kick, and it fell over instead -all five meters of it!


    The size of a Nightmare Steed was roughly comparable to the horses humans used to ride into battle, while my Abyssal Golems were at least five meters tall. Yet even with such a difference in mass aiding its attack, my golem actually lost!


    Boom!


    The golem that was knocked over by Warsight fell onto another golem with a deafening crash. And like a domino knocking into another, the second golem proceeded to knock over another, and that one knocked over another, and another¡­truly like dominoes.


    ¡°Hmph, there are no holes to exploit at all. In that case, how about a direct attack?!¡±


    Never one for patience, Warsight had completely given up on an attrition battle with my Winged Abyssal Golems, instead choosing to focus on my Abyssal Golems. Who would have thought that temperamental Nightmare Steed would have such a flexible side to her¡­


    Seeing that her attacks were effective against the Abyssal Golems, Shade and Shadowfall both gave up on trying to break through my defensive ring of Winged Abyssal Golems, choosing to go after my Abyssal Golems instead. Even though there were also Winged Abyssal Golems amongst the golems I gave to Mo Na, most of them were tasked with protecting Mo Na. There were simply not enough Winged Abyssal Golems to deal with an agile Eight-stars.


    The three Nightmare Steeds proceeded to wreak havoc amongst my Abyssal Golems, weaving in and out between my scattered forces and throwing the odd attack or two. They had completely given up on their magicks, instead focusing entirely on brute strength. With their Eight-star strength, bullying a bunch of Six-star golems was basically child¡¯s play. While the Nightmare Steeds weren¡¯t exactly known for their brute strength amongst other Eight-stars, it didn¡¯t matter that much when there was a two level gap.


    ¡°Blast it all, these golems are just too tough¡­¡± Warsight had already knocked over a dozen or so golems with her hooves of steel. Yet no matter how hard she kicked, she only managed to leave a small crack on their outer surface; their inner exoskeletons were basically unharmed.


    ¡°I did say that these golems had really strong defenses.¡± Shade said as he nimbly avoided a swipe from a Winged Abyssal Golem. He then galloped on to the calf of an Abyssal Golem, causing it to lose its balance immediately and knock into a neighboring Abyssal Golem who started shaking from the impact.


    A flash of red and black later, that shaky golem came crashing down. As it fell forward, it so happened to knock into another golem that was just about to get up¡­


    ¡°Rather than complain, how about you two spend more time attacking instead?¡± Stomping down on the two golems, Shadowfall immediately stepped in to mediate between the two Nightmare Steeds, just in case they decided to start another argument. ¡°Take care of our enemies first, then we can talk about that dispute between the two of you.¡±

 CHAPTER 356: THERE’S NO TIME FOR EXPLANATIONS. HOP ON!

    With the aid of the three Nightmare Steeds, the rest of the Warhorses finally succeeded in breaking golems¡¯ formation. Still, while the battlefield might have seemed chaotic right now, my golems were all inanimate objects, meaning morale wasn¡¯t even an issue for them. As long as the command was given, they would never hesitate, even unto death. This was especially true for my Seven-stars who fearlessly charged at the Warhorses instead.


    The greatest weakness of the Warhorses laid in their disparate strengths. Those at the lead were Seven-stars who numbered a dozen or so. Then came the fifty or so Six-stars, of which included my old friend, Warwraith. Other than these core fighters, the rest were Five-stars and Four-stars, numbering roughly two thousand or so.


    Naturally, the Warhorses vastly outnumbered my golems. But my golems were magical constructs specifically made for one purpose only: defense. Not only that, their battle strength was leagues above that of a normal Warhorse. Even when faced with a Warhorse of the same level as them, they would at most come out of that engagement with a scratch. In short, there was no way a bunch of horses would ever even scratch my golems!


    Thus, in our first large-scale clash with the normal Warhorses, they lost completely!


    These horses were all much bigger than even a battle horse. For example, a Four-stars, when standing completely on two of its hooves, would measure up to over two meters in height. Yet even such an impressive stature was nothing before golems.


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    One of the opposing Five-star Warhorses tried leading a charge against one of my normal golems. The end result was that my golem simply smacked him away with a slap, like how a kid would when he wasn¡¯t happy with a toy


    This same scene repeated itself countless times. Unless the Warhorse involved was a Six-star or a Seven-star, else they were simply fodder for my golems.


    Even with the aid of three Nightmare Steeds, the difference in our strengths was too large.


    ¡°Blast! Why are these golems all so sturdy¡­¡± Warsight tried stomping down on a spot she had previously attacked. Finally, after several attempts, a crack was formed, though it was one so small that it was easy to miss unless one looked carefully.


    ¡°We should have the juniors retreat first¡­they aren¡¯t even able to break through their defenses¡­¡± Shade knocked over another Winged Abyssal Golem before suggesting that to Shadowfall beside him. ¡°The casualties are mounting¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, this has been a huge misstep on our part¡­ we should have determined their strength before launching this attack¡­¡± Shadowfall agreed without hesitation, turning his head soon after towards the raging battlefield. ¡°Retreat!¡±


    The situation now was that these horses were basically entangled within a giant army of my golems. But rather than fighting the golems, they were simply getting smacked around.


    Ever the smart one, Mo Na immediately discovered what the Warhorses were planning. She quickly gave the command to stop the horses, but they were just too quick for the lumbering golems. If they were to focus entirely on escaping, there was no way the golems could catch up with them.


    Naturally, that didn¡¯t mean that the Warhorses were completely unscated either. With so many golems and so many Warhorses involved, there were bound to be a few unlucky Warhorses who couldn¡¯t escape my golems. All that was needed was one good smack and these Warhorses were left incapacitated.


    The golems¡¯ renewed counterattack was a huge impediment to the Warhorse¡¯s retreat. Because of Mo Na¡¯s command, Shadowfall had finally noticed her existence.


    ¡°That little Lust Demon over there seems to be commanding the golems, I¡¯ll take care of her first, you two keep covering our retreat.¡±


    Just as that last word left his mouth, Shadowfall sped off without even giving the other two a chance to reply. His intention was clear: kill off my precious daughter as soon as possible.


    Seeing that mass of killing intent gallop towards her, Mo Na tried to scramble to safety from her perch atop a Winged Abyssal Golem. Yet, it was too late. Like a flaming comet, Shadowfall crashed into the golem, sending it toppling over with a deafening boom. One could only imagine how much force was put into that strike.


    However, Mo Na had still managed to hop behind another Winged Abyssal Golem thanks to her sharp eyes. All that attack accomplished was cause one of my golems to crash into another of my decidedly sturdy golems.


    ¡°Mama¡­¡±


    Mo Na stuck her head out from behind that golem to call out to me. Yet she only managed that single word before she had to duck once more because that Nightmare Steed had just breathed a jet of black flames at her.


    With just the merest of touches, that black flame immediately stuck to the golem. Although it caused no direct damage to the golem, it was able to stop Mo Na from using that golem as cover. After all, her flame resistance wasn¡¯t to the extent that she could ignore these strange flames.


    She was just a Four-star Primal Lust Demon. While her methods were many, none of them worked against an Eight-star Nightmare Steed. The only reason she was able to last up till now was because she was in the middle of a golem army -of course, her keen instincts also played a part in detecting danger early.


    All that changed when that Nightmare Steed attacked with his flames. With no cover to hide behind, it meant she was now open to his attacks¡­


    Sinmosa and Sasani noticed her predicament as well. They wanted to rush right over to help her, but they were merely Five-stars; they couldn¡¯t stand up to those black flames either. Thus, they were completely useless at this time. Even when little Cinderel kept yelping at their side, there was nothing they could do.


    ¡°Mama¡­ Mama¡­¡±


    My precious daughter had no choice but to constantly hop from golem to golem, her panicked crying stabbing into my heart each time she called out to me. It was as if there was a hand gripping my heart right now, clutching down on it with every syllable she spoke.


    ¡®B*stard!¡¯ All it took was an instant for me to lose my cool. Yet just as I was about to rush off to save my daughter, a pair of soft hands held me back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go¡­ those two Nightmare Steeds are still watching you¡­¡±


    The one who stopped me was Jeerah. This had to be the first time she had ever seen me angry as well. While I had no way of knowing how terrifying I must have looked, judging from the way she shrank back immediately, I could tell how bad it must have been.


    Still, her reminder had worked. My exploding temper began to slowly cool down.


    Like what she said, Warsight and Shade were still eyeing me from a corner of their eyes. Their target wasn¡¯t just Mo Na. It was me as well.


    ¡®I should¡¯ve expected nothing less from these Nightmare Steeds -they can even coordinate so well with each other without saying a word. They probably communicated their strategies through telepathy.¡¯


    Shadowfall¡¯s deliberate attack on Mo Na wasn¡¯t just to help the Warhorses. What he really wanted was to lure me away from my golems, else Mo Na would have been dead in that first attack already. A Eight-star ambushing a Four-star¡­ clearly, there was no way that Four-star could ever survive.


    However, there was still one thing I didn¡¯t understand -that black flame which even I wasn¡¯t confident about surviving against. If he could use that flame to force Mo Na to dodge around like that, why didn¡¯t he just do that from the beginning?


    That answer would soon become apparent.


    After spitting out a field¡¯s worth of black flames, his speed had noticeably dropped. Not only did his flame-spitting slow down, even his movement speed had decreased. When faced with my golems¡¯ attacks, he barely avoided them, even coming close to getting hit at times. Each time that happened, the bulky fingers of my golems would barely graze the once deft Nightmare Steed, painting a stark contrast to when he could nimbly weave in between multiple golems.


    ¡®So breathing those flames caused some sort of feedback onto them? That has to be it¡­ wait, if that was the case, it still wouldn¡¯t explain why they didn¡¯t just do that from the start against me. Why go through the trouble of chasing Mo Na around just to force my hand?¡¯


    ¡®Are they afraid of something else?¡¯


    ¡®Forget it. What¡¯s more important now is rescuing Mo Na.¡¯


    ¡°Alright, alright. I get it. I won¡¯t act rashly.¡± Having figured out the nuances, I turned my worried head towards Jeerah and nodded, completely ignoring the lost look she had on right now. I grabbed the Gem of Authority hanging around my neck with my right hand. With my left, I grabbed Jeerah¡¯s waist and drew her closer towards me. As her body came tumbling in, her strong scent only got stronger, leaving me lightly muddle headed in the process. My left hand instinctively grabbed her harder.


    ¡°Hey, what do you think you¡¯re doing!?¡±


    Her reaction was visibly agitated. She wanted to push me away but my strength was too much for her.


    ¡°Stop messing around, I¡¯m just trying to protect you.¡±


    ¡°Protect me? When did protecting me include hugging me? You said you were a male, right¡­ let go!¡±


    ¡®Was she always this pure¡­¡¯


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t forget you¡¯re still a Lust Demon. A little skinship won¡¯t kill you.¡±


    ¡°But you just said you are a male! Even though I don¡¯t see anything male about you¡­¡±


    ¡®Did you have to add in that last bit¡­ we could¡¯ve been friends¡­.¡¯


    However, I had no time for jibes right now. Explaining my actions would only waste more time, and time was something I didn¡¯t have right now. Thus, I turned my single arm hug into a double armed one. My left hand was still wrapped around her waist, but my right had gone around her neck before grabbing onto the Gem of Authority.


    ¡°There¡¯s no time for explanations. Hop on!¡±


    ¡°I just said not to hug me¡­ And what does hop on even mean?¡±


    ¡°Whatever the word means, of course.¡±

 CHAPTER 357: TRUMP CARD

    At the same time that Jeerah asked me that question, I called forth my Fallen Angel Golem, simultaneously teleporting both of us into the golem¡¯s dimensional space.


    This one of a kind golem, coming in at over twenty meters tall, shook the earth itself when it made its appearance, like a tiny mountain suddenly dropping down on our battle. With its titanic arrival, the battle had now entered the next phase.


    Ferti¡¯nier once told me that this golem had a special dimensional stone that allowed its owner to enter and take shelter within. But because I hadn¡¯t tried this before, my first thought was to grab Jeerah, hoping that our close proximity would mean both of us entered together.


    Till now, I was still under the lingering effects of that rough dimensional shift. Bearing with it, I gave my surroundings a quick scan: it was pitch black all over. Strangely, I could still see perfectly well, though I couldn¡¯t verify how large this space was.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Jeerah rubbed her head lightly while groaning softly from beside me.


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    ¡®So both of us made it in then?¡¯


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Where are we? And my head hurts¡­¡± Suddenly, her groaning stopped. ¡°Why are we so high up?! WHAT! Those Nightmare Steeds are tiny now!¡±


    This dimensional space was truly a miraculous zone. Even though we were clearly in pitch blackness, with no light being allowed in at all, we could still clearly see what was going on outside. Furthermore, what we saw was clearly from the perspective of the golem, including the field of vision extending right below its feet! It was a sensation akin to standing within a glass dome; one could see through every corner of the dome.


    Standing right in front of us were the two Nightmare Steeds, Shade and Warsight; both were eyeing us strangely. To be exact, they were eyeing the Fallen Angel Golem. Behind us was the Nightmare Steed currently chasing Mo Na around with his black flames. Because of how high up I was, his every action was within my sights.


    The danger my daughter found herself in right now meant that I had no time to enjoy this sudden increase in strength. Clutching down on the Gem of Authority, I gave out my most urgent command to date, ¡°Save my daughter.¡±


    As expected, the Fallen Angel Golem heard my command and began lumbering towards Shadowfall. Perhaps because it hadn¡¯t moved in centuries, its first step was stiff. The moment it lifted up its leg, it knocked over one of my Winged Abyssal Golems, which only came up to its thighs.


    Thankfully, my Winged Abyssal Golems were sturdy, and the Fallen Angel Golem was only trying to walk, not harm it. Then, under my disbelieving eyes, the golem continued onwards, stepping on that golem like it didn¡¯t even exist¡­


    Thankfully, the intelligence of these golems was still something I could depend on. Even though I didn¡¯t specify which golems had to move aside, those that were in its way knew to step away without being told.


    With any potential obstacle removed, the Fallen Angel Golem quickened its pace. Its twenty meters tall frame didn¡¯t just mean that it had a mass advantage, it also meant that its strides were large as well.


    ¡°Where are we now exactly? What a strange place. It actually moves. And I can even see the outside!¡±


    Ever since we entered the internal space of the Fallen Angel Golem, Jeerah had completely left her panicked state. Without any semblance of propriety that a guest ought to have, she began bombarding me with questions like how a country bumpkin would.


    To be honest, her bedazzled expression was rather amusing, but now wasn¡¯t the time for fun.


    ¡°Just stay quiet in that corner over there, I¡¯m going to fetch my daughter.¡±


    The Fallen Angel Golem had completely captured the attention of everyone present. Naturally, Shadowfall was included in this as well, seeing as it was him whom the Fallen Angel Golem was currently charging towards. Boom, boom, boom, went the lumbering Fallen Angel Golem, like Atlas himself on a rampage across the lands. Every step it took gave the impression of a mini earthquake happening nearby¡­ such an existence was clearly made for war.


    Perhaps its sheer size was such that even Shadowfall couldn¡¯t ignore it, but the moment the golem was set in action, he abandoned the chase for Mo Na, turning around to face my gigantic golem.


    ¡®Is he planning to face it head on?¡¯


    Regardless of what he was planning, his current course of action was exactly what I wanted. What I really wanted now was Mo Na¡¯s safety, then the defeat of these horses.


    Shadowfall came galloping towards us at a speed a normal person could never hope to perceive. The Fallen Angel Golem reacted with a swat, but its attack was just shy of being quick enough -like how a fly always seemed to evade a swat at the very last second.


    ¡°Ignore him, fetch my daughter first.¡± Ever since entering this dimensional space, I instinctively learnt the method of controlling this behemoth, as if I had been born with skill. Perhaps entering this dimensional space had caused my hereditary memories to unlock themselves? Either way, now wasn¡¯t the time for such questions.


    Just as that command was given, the Fallen Angel Golem abandoned any further attacks against Shadowfall, running straight for Mo Na who was now hiding behind another Winged Abyssal Golem. It bent down right away and extended its right arm forward. From that angle, I could clearly see the look of confusion on Mo Na¡¯s face. The little scamp was probably still in shock right now. After all, while it was obvious that this golem was on our side, I had never mentioned anything about it to her.


    ¡°Baby, just hop onto the golem¡¯s palm. Your papa¡¯s here to pick you up!¡±


    ¡°Mama!¡±


    Upon hearing my voice from the Fallen Angel Golem¡¯s mouth, my precious daughter flew into the golem¡¯s outstretched arm without any hesitation. Upon confirming her safety, I slowly lifted her up to its chest.


    ¡°Accept.¡±


    Just as I said that, a black hole-like object appeared in our space, closely followed by the adorable figure of Mo Na tunnelling out of it.


    ¡°Mama!¡± Mo Na nose dived right into my arm. Upon confirming that I was actually standing there and that she was now safe, the little scamp immediately broke down into tears. ¡°Sob, sob, sob¡­ Mama¡­that big black horsie was so scary¡­ Mo Na was so scared¡­sob¡­so scared¡­¡±


    ¡®Sigh¡­my little baby must have really suffered. It¡¯s only at times like this that she ever reverts back to her true age.¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry, baby. Papa will chase away those bad horsies for you.¡± I hurriedly hugged her back and began comforting her. The faint scent she emanated put my mind at ease tremendously. My daughter was safe, at long last.


    I gave her one last hug before proceeding to issue further instructions. Yet before I could give the command, a violent tremor shook the dimensional space. I hugged Mo Na even tighter to stop her from falling down. I could feel that something had struck my back, so I turned around, just in time to see Shadowfall launch a second attack¡­


    This time, the impact was stronger than the first. Thankfully, I had already prepared myself for this. I hurriedly stooped down and covered Mo Na in time to prevent any injuries. It was unfortunate that Jeerah wasn¡¯t included in this plan of mine. She was unceremoniously tossed about when she lost her balance, finally crashing right into me with that deadly figure of hers. Me, Mo Na, and Jeerah all had a grand old time tumbling about on¡­ ahem¡­ When we finally stopped crashing about, I found her hugging my thighs while her jugs were pointing squarely at me in a particularly delicious manner¡­


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing! Don¡¯t hug Mama¡¯s thighs! Get your dirty hands off her right now!¡± Before I could even say a word, my daughter leaped out of my arms like a startled cat. ¡°You shameless wench, you had better stay away from Mo Na¡¯s mama! Or else Mo Na will ask Mama to chase you away!¡±


    ¡°Hah, you don¡¯t even have any hair down there but you already know to protect your prey.¡± Realising that she was actually in a compromising position, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a little awkward herself. However, Mo Na¡¯s warning had rubbed her the wrong way. Not only did she not let go, she stuck her chest out even further, then stared at Mo Na as if she was judging Mo Na¡¯s flat chest. ¡°Brat, I think you still need a lot more soul nourishment.¡±


    ¡°You! Mo Na will grow bigger in the future too!¡± As she said that, she turned towards me, a little unsure herself. ¡°Mama¡­do you think Mo Na will grow bigger¡­ she will, right?¡±


    ¡®I say, can you two be a little serious right now? We¡¯re still in the middle of a battle here!¡¯

 CHAPTER 359: A SMARTER GOLEM

    ¡®Hmm. A powerful tool like the Fallen Angel Golem¡­ I wonder what¡¯s even its actual level?¡±


    ¡°Hard to say. Based on its current performance, I would say it¡¯s at the Demigod tier. But a real Demigod tier item should possess intelligence, like that Grimoire of the Dead hiding out in your little daughter¡¯s body. Perhaps that¡¯s because of the Gem of Authority? And as the owner of the gem, you¡¯re¡­ the tool¡¯s spirit.¡±


    ¡®So what you¡¯re saying is that this Devil King Idol is only complete when we¡¯re combined together?¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± She said in a solemn tone never before heard from her. ¡°But you had better be careful when using that idol, don¡¯t end up stuck in a pit of your own making.¡±


    Curious, I decided to ask her about this proverbial pit, but she didn¡¯t reply at all. ¡®Now that¡¯s a rarity, she actually left without making fun of me for once. Well, since she¡¯s gone, I guess it¡¯s my turn now.¡¯


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    Following Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s instructions, I clasped the Gem of Authority with my right hand and began communicating with it using my soul. Perhaps because I had already been recognised as its master beforehand, it quickly handed over control to me.


    ¡°Gem of Authority¡­ synchronization¡­ start.¡±


    I quietly mumbled the words Ferti¡¯nier taught me. The instant I did so, I felt my consciousness linking up with something, and by the time I realised I wasn¡¯t just imagining it, I found that I was now a twenty meter tall giant¡­ Rather, I should say that my consciousness had finished synchronising with the Devil King Idol.


    I tried moving my arm a little; the golem¡¯s arm immediately reacted as if it was an extension of myself. My next move was to reach out for the bait that was standing before me: Warsight. However, I ended up being too slow again.


    It was at that moment that I felt a rush of wind from behind me. Even without looking, I could tell what was going on: it was either Shadowfall or Shade trying to pull off another sneak attack.


    Calmly, I turned around and flapped one of my Abyssium wings just as that unknown assailant struck¡­


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    All I heard was a groan before I felt something get slapped away by my wing.


    ¡°Shadowfall, that moron, doesn¡¯t he even know how to ambush a person at the right time. Idiot.¡±


    Not at all concerned about Shadowfall being sent flying off into the distance, she continued cursing the poor horse under her breath while she circled me. Her speed was quick, as expected. Once more, I stretched out to swipe at her but failed miserably.


    ¡°That golem seems to be acting differently.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re so sure, how about a bet then?¡± Perhaps because she saw a chance to humiliate him, Warsight pressed him even further.


    ¡°What¡¯s the wager then?¡± While he wasn¡¯t all that interested in the bet, it was her attitude that truly irked him into action.


    ¡°How about we bet whether or not I¡¯m able to strike him? Well?¡± She asked in her signature taunting tone before giving Shade a look of utmost horsie contempt. ¡°If I manage to land a hit on it, you lose. But if the golem hits me instead, then I lose. So are you in or not?¡±


    ¡°And if both of you hit each other?¡±


    ¡°Then it will be my loss as well.¡± Warsight harrumphed. ¡°Enough stalling. Do you dare to take up this bet or not?¡±


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯m in. I¡¯ll even help you distract that golem, you just have to find an opportunity to strike. But if you lose, you¡¯d better stop getting in my way.¡±


    ¡°Alright, sounds good.¡± Warsight grinned a toothy smile. She was relaxed, as if the bet was already a done deal. ¡°If you win, I¡¯ll naturally stay out of your way. But if you lose, you¡¯re banned from ever touching my stuff! If there¡¯s something I want, I don¡¯t even want to see you looking at it!¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± He accepted the bet without any other argument. And before Warsight could even reply, he raced off to be the bait for this bet.


    ¡°What¡¯s up with you two? This isn¡¯t the time for gambling at all.¡± Just as the deal was struck, Shadowfall just so happened to land near them, having just been swatted here by the golem¡¯s wing. Still a little groggy, he regained his balance slowly, mouth still dripping blood at the corners. Clearly, that wing swat had left him with internal injuries.


    ¡°Hey. You¡¯re the careless one here. Not us. I never forced you to do anything.¡± Having left those strange words behind, Warsight raced off after Shade. Like a practised fighter, she carefully maintained a fixed striking distance from the golem. Her aim was its back, thus she always maintained a straight line to it .


    In the meantime, Shade dutifully acted as the bait, not at all slackening because a bet was involved. In all likelihood, this honesty was something Warsight had expected, given that they were both from the same race; it only stood to reason that she would be familiar with Shade¡¯s personality.


    However, that also implied that Shade¡¯s warning was most likely real as well¡­


    Still, the thought of winning this bet was simply too attractive for Warsight. Regardless of what strangeness was happening now, she had to win this bet. Thus, their battle began in earnest. Warsight kept her eyes trained on the Devil King Idol¡¯s every movement in hopes of finding some kind of opening for a charge, one that would also allow her to retreat unscathed.


    Having been in control of the golem in question, I naturally heard everything they said, and chuckled to myself. So who should I help?


    In the end, I decided to help neither. If Warsight really managed to get a strike in, I¡¯ll just hit back. As for whether or not my counter attack would work, well, that would be up to the heavens.


    Warsight had managed to maintain an uncharacteristic level of caution -the bet was probably having an effect on her actions. But my Devil King Idol was no longer the same sitting duck as before. As I piloted the golem, I continued pretending to be a brainless construct, chasing after the bait before me without any hesitation. While pursuing him brainlessly, my next step was to purposely reveal an opening for Warsight.


    Such a state continued on for a few minutes. Finally, Warsight¡¯s patience ran out. Taking advantage of the time when I was attacking Shade, she charged right at the very same spot on my back.


    The fact that she was still striking at that same spot meant that she probably didn¡¯t know the weak points of my golem. She clearly still had delusions that she would somehow be able to break my golem¡¯s outer shell just by charging at the same spot.


    Naturally, I had no intention of telling her how futile this was. Right now, I was like a cat slowly toying with its prey. Should the time come when they realise I was just toying with them, that meant their time was up as well.


    I continued pretending to be fully distracted by Shade, allowing my back to be completely exposed in the process.


    As I had expected, she fell for the bait. Her overconfidence led her to believe that she could simply gallop in and clinch a victory just as before. Unfortunately for her, I had no intention of letting her win.


    Warsight mustered up the greatest speed she ever achieved and rushed for the golem¡¯s back, viciously kicking it in the process. But I was prepared for her this time. I braced my golem for impact before whipping around to swat her with my wing. However, Warsight wasn¡¯t just all muscle and no brains. She had just seen Shadowfall fall to this exact same trick so she knew not to gloat just because she managed a strike in. In fact, she was even more tense than before she struck. After all, her bet was not just about striking my golem, but also about getting out unscathed. Should she fail in that latter half, she would end up losing.


    That was why she was so cautious, and it was this bit of caution that allowed her to react in time and dodge my wings. Yet, that wasn¡¯t the end either. Now that my wing was evaded, I whipped around with my arms to hit her: this was my follow up plan.


    Naturally, my arm wasn¡¯t as wide as my wing. With only a slight change in elevation, she managed to avoid both my arms.


    Now that both my attacks had failed, she finally let forth a sigh of relief. Based on her previous observations, she came to the conclusion that my golem only attacked with its arms, and perhaps its wing. This led her to believe that there were only two modes of attacks available to me. But¡­were things ever so simple?


    A Devil King Idol had two arms, but didn¡¯t it also have two wings?


    The fact that I had whipped around to swing at her also meant that it was about time that my other wing came swinging at her as well. Thus, she managed to avoid my first three attacks but failed to evade the last.


    A bang and a groan later, Warsight was sent flying away like a ping pong ball, right into my golem army¡­


    ¡°Warsight!¡± Seeing their comrade struck so heavily, whether it was Shadowfall or Shade, they were both aghast. Even though Shade¡¯s instincts told him that something was up, he wasn¡¯t sure exactly what.

 CHAPTER 358: DEVIL KING IDOL

    Mo Na pointed at Jeerah. ¡°Definitely more beautiful than some tramp, right!?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, my baby is the most beautiful of them all!¡± Really, was there anything else I could do but to agree and nod my head¡­


    ¡°You guys¡­¡±


    Just as Jeerah was about to defend herself, the Nightmare Steed, Shadowfall, launched a third charge against us. Once more, we ended up in a tangled up mess¡­ that was rather fragrant¡­


    ¡®Blast it! That¡¯s the third time already¡­ is he about done? Before my pee pee grows back, I definitely don¡¯t need more encounters of the close kind.¡¯


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    Fuming, I stopped hugging Mo Na and broke free from Jeerah¡¯s embrace. Having straightened myself, I pointed at Shadowfall and yelled, ¡°Attack!¡±


    At the same time that the Fallen Angel Golem stood up, it counter attacked. Unfortunately, the Nightmare Steed was too agile for its attacks. He easily avoided the golem¡¯s swat, and as a taunt of sorts, even gave the golem¡¯s swatting hand a light tap of his hoof.


    ¡°Attack! Get him!¡±


    The golem continued flailing about like a headless chicken. However, all its attacks failed to even land a scratch on the nimble Nightmare Steed. Lest one forgot, this same Nightmare Steed had just breathed out a whole field of black flames; even in such a weakened state, my golem still wasn¡¯t able to hit him. It was clear as day how slow the attacks must have been to the Nightmare Steed.


    Shadowfall dodged another swat of the golem¡¯s palms, then made a quick turn towards its back and launched a charging attack. His charges up till now had all been at the exact same spot. However, this golem¡¯s defenses were a lot better than my Winged Abyssal Golems¡¯; no matter how many charges he threw, it wouldn¡¯t matter one bit.


    On the other hand, this Fallen Angel golem of mine was too slow to even hit that blasted Nightmare Steed. Under such circumstances, both sides were forced to a stalemate that lasted a couple minutes before the other two Nightmare Steeds arrived as well.


    Their arrival could only mean one thing: the other Warhorses had successfully retreated. Although their casualty numbers ended up in the hundreds, the fact was that the majority of them had managed to escape from this battle. With their lightning fast speeds, my golems would never be able to catch up to them. That was bearing in mind their decent sprinting speed too. Even if my golems could match them in a straight line dash, the horses could easily make a quick turn and throw off their pursuit.


    Naturally, I had no intention of letting them chase after the Warhorses. Instead, I had them protect Sinmosa and her family, and those Devils that Jeerah had brought along¡­ might as well, I guess.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Mo Na and Jeerah gasped in unison before tumbling into a perfect embrace with each other.


    This dimensional space was a strange one. It had the effect of restricting flight, which meant that the two of them had no choice but to be thrown about. More annoyingly, this space had no walls either, so we had nothing to support ourselves with.


    ¡°Why won¡¯t you¡­ just stay still!¡±


    I commanded my golem to strike at Warsight but it failed miserably in the end. Furthermore, at the same time that my golem swung at Warsight, Shade, who hadn¡¯t joined in till now, took the opportunity to launch an attack at that very same spot again.


    The spot they had all agreed upon was the area where the wings of my golem met -an easily recognisable spot. It was also the most difficult spot to defend. Even a person with a normal level of agility had problems defending his back, let alone my lumbering golem.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t going to work at all. I need to find a way to counter attack. This golem seems a lot tougher than my other golems, but if I were to let them continue attacking like that, I can¡¯t guarantee what will happen¡­¡¯


    Yet just as I was about to go on a mulling spree, Ferti¡¯nier popped up, same as always, to remind me of her existence. ¡°Oh little brother, there¡¯s no need to worry that some horsies would ever break this golem of yours.¡±


    ¡®No need to worry? Aren¡¯t all the golems made of the same material?¡¯


    ¡°Sigh¡­ should I call you an idiot, or a moron?¡±


    ¡°Did you really think that a material worthy of being crafted into an idol of worship could ever be produced by some lowly Black Blood Ant? Especially not the way they do so¡­¡±


    I could tell she was rather disgusted by the thought. Still, her meaning was clear: the material used to craft this golem was exceptional!


    She then followed up with an explanation about what my golem was. According to her, this Fallen Angel Golem of mine was a Devil King Idol, a special tool that every Devil King who owned a territory would create.


    So how was it special? First off, one of the main materials used in their construction was a mineral known as Hellvite. This particular mineral was an extremely rare mineral that was usually used to craft Epic-grade weapons. Just by inserting a piece the size of a pinky finger, one could enhance a freshly forged weapon up to the grade of Epic. Putting it another way, a weapon enhanced with Hellvite would evolve in grade.


    Epic-grade weapons tended to have a consciousness of their own. In theory, such a wondrous weapon shouldn¡¯t be craftable by mortal craftsmen. Yet it wasn¡¯t so. If an Epic-grade weapon was simply a weapon that had a consciousness, wasn¡¯t it just a matter of adding in a consciousness then? A material capable of such a feat wasn¡¯t as rare as some would assume. This Hellvite was one of the many such examples.


    In my case, the Hellvite was the Gem of Authority hanging on my neck. As for the material used to craft this Devil King Idol, it was one of the secondary minerals that grew with Hellvite, the nigh impregnable Abyssium.


    An idol crafted of such a material would be beyond sturdy. Naturally, not something crafted out of ant excrement could ever compare to. Especially not when those ants couldn¡¯t even bite through Abyssium¡­ one could only imagine how strong it must have been.


    Given how valuable such a material was, it would make sense for an idol crafted out of it to have some sort of special power. The Devil King Idol was a drivable war vehicle, and its key was the Gem of Authority.


    All Abyssal Golems were crafted as replicas of the Devil King Idol. If the idol could be compared to a king, then these replicas were all its soldiers.


    As the king of golems, the Devil King Idol not only possessed the strength of an Eight-stars by itself, it functioned as an extension of its owner, meaning it was drivable like a robot or a tank.


    Once a person bearing the Gem of Authority enters the dimensional pocket of a Devil King Idol, his psyche would be synced with the idol. Upon receiving approval from the idol, that person would then be the official owner of the Devil King Idol.


    The idol¡¯s special ability was to enhance its owner¡¯s ability.


    For example, being a Four-star Fallen Angel now, if I were to gain the approval of the Devil King Idol, I would instantly power up to the level of an Eight-stars when I piloted the idol. Whatever techniques I had would be enacted through the idol, and their powers would be raised to Eight-star as well.


    Should an Eight-star person sync with the Devil King Idol, this person would gain the powers of a Nine-star, an Overlord¡¯s power. Should that person already be an Overlord, he would temporarily gain the powers of the Demigod tier.


    Simply put, the Devil King Idol was a power enhancement vessel, a vessel that had no drawbacks at all.


    Every Devil King that possessed its own territory had a Devil King Idol. Even though piloting this idol would have no noticeable effect for such a powerful being -in fact, it might even slow down the pilot- it was still a necessity for Devil Kings, especially if said Devil King intended to have any offspring that it wanted to groom as a prince of sorts¡­


    Anyone with the Gem of Authority could try and sync with the idol. Thus, for the offsprings of this Devil King, it could be treated as a hereditary national treasure of sorts. A Devil with this gem would essentially be a crown prince. Naturally, this princely authority would only extend within the Devil King¡¯s own territory.


    A Devil King Idol was not only able to protect a Devil King¡¯s most favored offspring, it could also function as a powerful tool of war -definitely a must for every Devil kingdom. It served this purpose by being a font through which the power of worship could be gathered. Thus every Devil King Idol differed depending on the type of Original Sin its owner was blessed with.


    For example, a Fallen Angel Devil King Idol would take on the form of a Fallen Angel while those of a Lust Demon¡¯s would take on the corresponding form¡­

 CHAPTER 360: RESTRICTIONS

    ¡°Blast it all¡­ strike together!¡±


    Although Warsight had just been swatted away by my wing, her injuries weren¡¯t too severe. Her ungraceful crash landing had definitely caused an impressive boom, but a wound of this degree merely required seconds for her to recover. With the flames of fury pushing her forward, Warsight rose to the skies once more. Her eyes held nothing of her comrades as she roared into the heavens before rushing right at the Devil King Idol -it was either her enemy died or she died.


    Shade and Shadowfall eyed each other uneasily. They could already see the desire to retreat in each other¡¯s eyes. More than a certain hotheaded Nightmare Steed, they could tell that it was highly unlikely that they would ever harm this golem.


    ¡°Should we leave?¡±


    Having just witnessed the golem¡¯s change not too long ago, Shade was in no state of mind to care about some frivolous bet he had with Warsight. With the strangeness it was exhibiting, clashing with it now wasn¡¯t a wise move at all.


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    ¡°Warsight is already fighting it, should we¡­¡± In the face of Shade¡¯s sensible suggestion, it had to be said that Shadowfall truly considered accepting it for a second there. The situation right now wasn¡¯t looking good for them at all. They had no way of harming the Devil King Idol, which meant that there was only retreat left as an option. The problem was that he simply couldn¡¯t bear to leave Warsight behind¡­


    As Warsight¡¯s galloping silhouette rapidly disappeared into the distance, he sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s at least bring her back.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Shade immediately agreed with that plan before rushing off towards the battlefield. ¡°I¡¯ll hold that golem back, you go in and grab her in the meantime.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Shadowfall nodded and rushed off as well.


    ¡®Hahaha, bring it on! Now that our roles are reversed, let me show what cruel really means!¡¯


    Under my control, the Devil King Idol was nimbler than before, though not noticeably so. After all, its physical construct already sealed its fate as a lumbering giant. Its turning speed was still horrendous -that was a matter of physics, not an issue of piloting.


    All I could do was to trick them, just as I did before, in order to get a decent hit in. However, now that they had a taste of my wing flap, they were a lot more alert to such antics. Even the furious Warsight wasn¡¯t so mad that she would charge in mindlessly. Instead, she took a meticulous approach, circling around my golem while cautiously pressing forward.


    I did my best to strike them, but it was all for naught. The golem was just too slow. After their previous lessons, they knew to keep their guard up even if my golem seemed slow. However, my defenses were also too tough for them to break. Try as they might, their attacks left no mark on my golem at all. With how tough my Eight-star golem was, an Overlord¡¯s strength would be needed to break its outer exoskeleton.


    As for how strong an Overlord¡¯s attack was, it had to be said that an Overlord wasn¡¯t just defined by its strength. Every Overlord had a mysterious power known as Territory. This was a power founded on the basis of laws, laws of the universe, to be exact. Human experts at this tier were known as Sword Saints or Hierophants. In order to reach this revered tier, one had to first comprehend what a Territory was. Yet to someone who didn¡¯t have a Territory, such powers were arcane, to say the least. After all, the laws of the universe weren¡¯t something just anybody could learn.


    My golem¡¯s defense was at the level of such a master. That was why these Nightmare Steeds stood no chance in hell of ever breaking my golem¡¯s outer exoskeleton.


    This stalemate continued on. Perhaps it was because of the awkwardness caused by losing the bet to Shade, Warsight had no intention of talking to that horse right now, neither did she have any intention of letting my golem go either. No matter how much Shadowfall tried to persuade her, she vehemently rejected his pleas and continued attacking in vain.


    At the same time, I was frustrated by my lack of progress against them. And not unexpectedly at all, this frustration ended up attracting the attention of a certain Devil.


    Just as I was struggling in the midst of trying to figure a way to hit these horses, Ferti¡¯nier came knocking on the door of my mind. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be sad, little brother. Didn¡¯t your sister already explain to you that this golem can use skills?¡±


    ¡®Skills¡­ that¡¯s right, this Devil King Idol can use skills. How could I forget something so important? In that case, time for my Shadow Guardian!¡¯


    Shadow Guardian!


    Yet just as I was getting all excited about summoning forth a giant Shadow Guardian, nothing happened. Instead, all I got for my efforts was a swift kick from Shadowfall. Although his kick really didn¡¯t do much against my golem, it still threw me off balance slightly.


    In other words, whatever damage the golem took was still reflected back to me. Should that damage cross a certain threshold, I would feel its pain as well.


    ¡®What the heck! Where¡¯s my Shadow Guardian?!¡¯


    I flailed about wildly in a bid to chase away those pesky Nightmare Steeds. At the same time, I continued peppering Ferti¡¯nier with questions.


    Faced with a barrage of questions, Ferti¡¯nier merely sneered. ¡°It¡¯s not like your sister ever said that all skills are usable. The Devil King Idol has some restrictions as well.


    ¡®Restrictions?¡¯


    ¡°Even though a pilot casts his skills through the Devil King Idol, there are still restrictions. There are special inherited skills privy only to the race of that Devil King Idol. Only by becoming a Devil King with his own kingdom will the god of Devils bestow this inheritance onto him. This inheritance is then passed on to the Devil King¡¯s successors. Unfortunately for you, little brother, you aren¡¯t the true successor of a Devil King, neither does this Devil King Idol belong to you.¡±


    ¡®So what you¡¯re saying is that I can¡¯t activate any skills?¡¯


    ¡°Well, not to that extent.¡± She knew I wasn¡¯t in the best of moods right now so she didn¡¯t beat around the bush either. ¡°Actually, barring the special skills passed down from a Devil King, a Devil King Idol also comes with a set of basic skills you can employ. If you use them well, they might even serve you better than those special skills. It¡¯s just that you will be lacking in variety during battle.¡±


    ¡®Then hurry up and tell me about those skills already! Is it so fun to watch me get beat up?¡¯


    ¡°¡±Yes, actually. It is rather fun to watch our little brother get beat up.¡± Having said that, she made sure to tack on this before I lost my temper, ¡°Your sister¡¯s old Devil King Idol was bestowed on her by the god of Lust Demons, the revered Asmodeus. So with regards to this Fallen Angel idol¡­¡±


    ¡®So you don¡¯t know as well then?¡¯


    ¡°Ohohoh~~~will you look at time. Your sister just remembered that she still has to shower. Good luck, little brother, your sister is rooting for you!¡±


    ¡®Hey! You¡¯re trying to run away, aren¡¯t you?! You¡¯re definitely trying to run away!¡¯


    ¡°Not at all, your sister is just trying to take a bath. But since little brother over here is in such a pitiful state, how about a little hint?¡±


    ¡°Even though our idols are different, and the resulting basic skills would be different as well, but all idols share the same activation method -instincts.¡±


    Having left behind those words, she ran away¡­


    ¡®Darn you, you don¡¯t even have a body, why do you need to take a bath!? In the first place, us high level Devils all have a self-cleaning system¡­ but don¡¯t think for a second that I don¡¯t want to take a bath either. There¡¯s just no water at all!¡¯


    ¡®Anyway, back to the question at hand. Skills, skills, exactly how am I going to activate these skills of mine¡­ and what the heck did she mean by instincts?¡¯


    I gave those three Nightmare Steeds another unhappy swat, but they refused to leave me alone, like flies drawn to candy. Every so often, they would charge in and give my golem a hefty kick before flying off. Even though they still weren¡¯t able to damage my golem, it was still frustrating; I really wanted to end this annoying charade right now.


    Unfortunately for me, this feeling of frustration ended up interfering with my golem. Not only did the Nightmare Steeds not suffer as a result of my anger, I ended up getting hit even more.


    ¡®Can¡¯t you three morons see that your attacks aren¡¯t doing anything?! How many kicks has it been already?! If you can¡¯t damage me, how about you three just scram!¡¯


    If curses ever had any effect, Shade and his companions would have most likely died a thousand times over already. Too bad for me, the situation never improved, and the beating merely got more frequent¡­


    Even so, there was really nothing I could do, and that vexed me. I had no means of hitting them¡­ unless I had some kind of long ranged ability.


    Speaking of which, wasn¡¯t there a certain game back on Earth where a certain humanoid robot attacked by firing out feather-like projectiles from its wings¡­

 CHAPTER 361: MANA FEATHERS

    ¡®Speaking of which, I do remember seeing a lot of anime characters who have wings use their feathers as weapons. And since this Devil King Idol has feathers, what if¡­ The feathers are all made from Abyssium, even if they all look shockingly realistic. Can they be detached¡­ how about a quick experiment?¡¯


    Even though my brain was telling me that this was impossible, that burning in my heart said otherwise. Do it, it said, but my brain clearly thought otherwise. Still, it wasn¡¯t like I had anything left to lose at least. And Ferti¡¯nier did say to act on instincts. So what was the harm in indulging that middle schooler in me once in a while?


    Having made up my mind, I willed the Devil King Idol to flap its wings. At the same time, I gave out the command to fire its feathers. Then, it happened. The feathers actually shot out. Rather, it wasn¡¯t just feathers that shot out, these were feathers made of mana!


    Feathers of at least a meter in length blanketed the sky like a hail of arrows as they whizzed straight for those three Nightmare Steeds. From the very beginning till now, they had never seen a golem in my army use anything other than a melee attack. Naturally, they came to the conclusion that this Devil King Idol had no long ranged attacks as well. Because of that, they were a lot more lax than they would normally be, seeing as all they really had to do was dodge some punches and wing flaps.


    Never in their wildest horse dreams did they expect the Devil King Idol to suddenly fire a hail of mana feathers!


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    Shade and Warsight were still in good condition, so they managed to react right away to the mana feathers. With a clop of their fiery hooves, they sped off into the distance, completely dodging the hail of feathers.


    In contrast, Shadowfall was definitely not so lucky. Because he had expanded too much energy on Mo Na, and then he got smacked by the Devil King Idol once, his condition wasn¡¯t good, to say the least. Despite his best efforts, he still ended up being hit on his upper left leg.


    These feathers were made entirely out of mana, funded mostly by the Devil King Idol itself. While this skill did draw some mana from me, it was miniscule, at least for my current level.


    The power of the feathers, however, were definitely at the level of an Eight-star. Even though it was only a single feather that struck Shadowfall, that feather immediately exploded upon impact. Once the dust settled, Shadowfall¡¯s silhouette was slowly revealed, collapsed on the floor and noticeably a leg short¡­


    These feathers had the power to kill in one hit. Had that been his head which was hit, Shadowfall most definitely would have died by now -truly monstrous.


    ¡°Shadowfall!¡±


    The other two Nightmare Steeds immediately rushed to his aid. Naturally, I wasn¡¯t going to let this golden opportunity pass by at all. I promptly fired a second volley of mana feathers at the three Nightmare Steeds.


    The feathers were fast. In just the blink of an eye, they came pressing down on the Nightmare Steeds. But their agility impressed me once more. Before the feathers could hit them, Shade and Warsight managed to pick up their three-legged comrade and speed off into the distance. Through sheer determination and cooperation, they managed to pull Shadowfall out from the jaws of death itself.


    With no targets to hit, the mana feathers all exploded on the ground, turning it swiftly into swiss chess.


    ¡®A dud, huh. Shame.¡¯


    Shadowfall on her back, Warsight hurriedly galloped away from the scene while Shade stayed behind to cover them.


    ¡®Hah, do you think I¡¯m stupid?! I know exactly who is the best target right now.¡¯


    I immediately gave the order to ignore the Nightmare Steed before me, chasing after Warsight who was undoubtedly slowed down by the injured Shadowfall.


    Shade initially tried to attract my attention by galloping around the idol, yet I wasn¡¯t about to fall for his plan. I continued running after the pair, waving my hands in the process to keep Shade at bay. Whether or not these managed to hit didn¡¯t matter to me at all. My eyes were fixed on that pair of Nightmare Steeds, Shadowfall and Warsight.


    Shade tried to launch an attack at me to halt my progress, but my defenses were just too strong. No matter how many times he attacked, my outer exoskeleton showed no signs of breaking; all he managed to do was slightly slow me down. Could he stop me from chasing them? Clearly not. After all, the difference in power between us was just too big -whether we were speaking in terms of mass or defenses¡­


    As my Devil King Idol continued lumbering forward, I discovered another basic skill built into the idol: Instant Acceleration.


    While running in a straight line, the Devil King Idol was capable of frightening speeds. However, it still suffered from the same problem as my other golems, and that was its clear inability to perform a turn well¡­


    In other words, this newfound skill, Instant Acceleration, could only be used in a straight line dash -completely useless against more agile opponents.


    If this was a battlefield, I could at least use this skill to perform a devastating charge against the enemy army. At that point, hitting someone wouldn¡¯t be a problem at all. Now however, it was a more complicated situation. Warsight was definitely slowed down by Shadowfall, but whenever I tried to attack them, they would simply make a hard turn, causing my attack to fall flat once more.


    In light of that, further pursuit was pointless. After all, there was nothing this lumbering idol could do if they were dead set on running away. But I still need that blasted horn! Even if I can¡¯t capture all three of them, I should at least try to get a horn fragment, or something!


    Unfortunately, even if force wasn¡¯t an option, neither was negotiation. In order for that to work, I would first have to cease hostilities. Yet there was no way they would stop running away. In fact, they would probably speed up even more, leaving me no better than if I didn¡¯t stop at all.

 CHAPTER 362: IF ONLY I WAS THE MAIN CHARACTER IN SOME NOVEL

    I didn¡¯t want to give up this chance to obtain a horn, but the moment I fired my tenth volley of Mana Feathers, the Devil King Idol issued a warning that its mana was about to run out.


    ¡®Darn it! Just a little more too!¡¯


    The Devil King Idol was powered completely by mana; without any mana, it would simply be a really sturdy statue, that much I knew well enough.


    After weighing the odds, I decided to give up on the chase, allowing those three beautiful horns to gallop away right before my very eyes.


    Still, the battle was over. Upon confirming that, I controlled the Devil King Idol to send all three of us out of its dimensional space.


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    The moment we touched down on solid ground, Mo Na came leaping up into my arms. ¡°Mama was so awesome, Mama sent those bad horsies flying away! Mo Na¡¯s mama is the greatest!¡±


    I gently ruffled her hair and hugged her for a good while. Finally, I said, ¡°Be a good girl, go call your Aunt Sinmosa. Tell her to clean up the battlefield for Daddy, he still has other matters to attend to.¡±


    Ever the understanding daughter, she climbed down from my body, smiled then kissed me goodbye. Before leaving however, she left behind this warning, which I had to admit, was quite awkward for me.


    ¡°That big-breasted tramp over there, I had better not see you trying to seduce my mama, got it?!¡± She snapped at a still confused Jeerah.


    ¡°Are you talking about me?¡± Jeerah immediately reverted to her queen-like character upon recovering from that confusion. She arrogantly lifted her head, stuck out her well-endowed rack, and threw out condescending look one would reserve for little kids. ¡°Children should stay out of adult matters.¡±


    ¡°Mo Na isn¡¯t small anymore, Mo Na is about to have children with mama!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! What a joke. If you really think that¡¯s possible, do it then!¡±


    ¡®Hey, there¡¯s no need for such provocative words here¡­¡¯ With regards to these two She-devils, I was basically at my wit¡¯s end. ¡°Alright, alright. How about you two both step back for a moment. Baby go get Sinmosa for me, have her tally our losses, captives and the Warhorses¡¯ casualties. Also, check up on those low level Devils.¡±


    Thanks to my placating, my precious baby finally calmed down a little and gave up on arguing with Jeerah. However, she couldn¡¯t help but leave behind this last bit of admonition, ¡°Mama, you¡¯d better not be seduced by that bad lady!¡±


    ¡®¡­what am I to do with this little girl of mine.¡¯


    ¡°What do little girls know? Go on, go finish your task.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. Mama¡¯s children can only be with Mo Na. Bad lady, you¡¯d better just give up on mama! And Mama, you¡¯d better control yourself!¡±


    Having said that, she sped off without ever giving me the chance to rebut.


    ¡°Your daughter sure seems lively.¡± Jeerah was the first to break me out of my dejected silence with a bit of idle chatter about my daughter. However, her face soon turned serious as the topic changed to the Nightmare Steeds.


    ¡°I can¡¯t deny that you¡¯re strong, and that you have the right to be my master. I¡¯m willing to serve as your subordinate, but I won¡¯t sign a soul pact, even if you really are the reincarnation of a Devil King¡­¡±


    ¡°If you won¡¯t sign the pact, I can¡¯t trust you completely.¡±


    Without the restrictions of a soul pact, trusting a capricious creature like a Devil was almost impossible for me. Not too long ago, I had placed my faith in One-eye and Nine-finger. Even when No.3 warned me that he was building his own faction, I never suspected that they would ever betray me. But sometimes, life was just that like that: never proceeding in the way you would expect.


    ¡°I¡¯ll swear loyalty to you, but I won¡¯t give up a part of my soul.¡±


    Jeerah bowed her head and offered that last bit of concession. If I were to accept her offer now, I would gain her loyalty at the very least. While I might not be able to test this so-called loyalty for the time being, I knew that she wouldn¡¯t betray me while I was still in Sable Radiance. The reason was simple: by possessing this Devil King Idol, I was basically at the apex of the food chain in this region. If she was smart, and if she wanted to live a good life, swearing loyalty to me was her only option.


    ¡°Fine then, once we get back, I¡¯ll have you manage our affairs in the palace. While there might not be much to do now, as more and more Devils teleport over, I believe it would get busy soon.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t know where this palace of yours is but, your subject is grateful for this opportunity, Master.¡± Having said that, she went down on one knee as a sign of fealty. She lifted her head slightly, then smiled at me before licking her lips seductively. ¡°And if Master so wishes, Jeerah is willing to offer up everything¡­¡±


    ¡°Except your soul.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Except my soul.¡±


    ¡®Bah. Since she¡¯s so stubborn and I have no intention or means of actually taking her soul forcefully¡­ Anyway, since she¡¯s already sworn her loyalty, she probably won¡¯t betray me as long as I keep an eye on her, probably¡­ I swear, I just can¡¯t seem to settle down about such matters after that betrayal by One-eye and Nine-finger. Still, she did say everything other than her soul¡­everything¡­meaning that as well¡­¡¯


    Putting aside the matter of Jeerah for the time being, I still hadn¡¯t forgotten that my main objective now was to gather the materials for that Exchange Array, not recruit more Devils. The list was long and complicated, but as long as I wanted to repair that array, I had to do it. Now, the greatest problem would be how to get a Nightmare Steed¡¯s horn¡­


    Those horses were simply too fast, and all I had to rely on were my golems, but they were too slow for them. In their eyes, my golems were probably no better than turtles.


    Giving up on the horn was impossible as long as I wanted to repair the array. But the only strategy I could think of right now was to follow their tracks back to their nest and siege it. This wasn¡¯t a very workable strategy at all. Unlike the human world, there were no seasons here. No rain, no disasters, no change in climate whatsoever. Creatures living in the human world needed a home in order to feel safe and secure because those uncertainties existed. Here in Purgatory, volcanoes basically dotted the lands; their fiery chasms kept the environment at a stable temperature and full of lava. Even if the Warhorses lost their current habitat, they could simply move to another location since everywhere was basically the same.


    ¡°Master, what are you mulling on about?¡±


    Seeing that I was frustrated by something, Jeerah leaned in closer. Her pungent scent immediately assaulted my senses with a comforting sensation. In a way, this was her special ability: she would spread her scent around and attract any unwitting lifeform to her side. Naturally, this scent wasn¡¯t strong enough to seduce me yet, it merely comforted me. To be honest, I was more worried that my own scent would end up enthralling her instead. That would truly be awkward.


    ¡°I need a horn from a Nightmare Steed but, as you can see, I only have these golems that can accomplish this task. They aren¡¯t a match for their speed at all. You have any suggestions?¡± There was no need to hide this information from her, so I took the chance to test her instead.


    ¡°If Master really wants that horn, we need to seal their agility, else their speed is simply too much for us to handle.¡± She paused in thought for a while. ¡°The Warhorses are still manageable, but those Nightmare Steeds¡­ they can fly¡­that¡¯s something we can¡¯t deal with right now unless¡­¡±


    She stopped at that point; she was probably worried that her following suggestion might end up upsetting.


    It had to be said that this problem of mobility had been a recurring problem since the very start. I needed someone that was strong enough and could fly at the same time. So where was I to fly someone like that? Clearly, not possible. It wasn¡¯t like I was some overpowered novel character; I didn¡¯t have some blessing on me that basically turned my every thought into reality.


    Sigh¡­

 CHAPTER 363: THE LONG AWAITED REINFORCEMENTS ARE CATS AND DOGS?

    After our previous discussion, my horizons had expanded significantly. Unfortunately, after another round of mulling, I realised that her suggestion wasn¡¯t workable either.


    After all, if the Warhorses didn¡¯t need a fixed habitat, then even if I surrounded their main base, they could just run away again! It wasn¡¯t like my golems could stop all of them, and if I sent them after the escapees, there was no way they would ever catch up.


    Just as I started brooding again, Mo Na came flying over with Cinderel in tow. Behind them, there were the two Hellhounds who I had tasked with tallying the aftermath, Sinmosa and Sasani.


    ¡°Other than some of the golems experiencing some chips in their outer exoskeletons, there were no casualties amongst the golems.¡± Sinmosa started reporting. ¡°We killed a total of 47 Warhorses and captured 67 live ones. They are all injured, some more than others.¡± Finally, she got to the biggest question at hand. ¡°So what should we do with the captives?¡±


    ¡°The captives, huh¡­¡±


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    ¡®Should I use them as hostages to force a Nightmare Steed Horn out of those Nightmare Steeds? 67 Warhorses isn¡¯t a small number, after all. But that would be pretty despicable of me¡­ Am I really going to be a person that I despise just to achieve my goals?¡¯


    ¡®But if I don¡¯t do it, what happens to the human realm? Lucifer¡¯s clone did say that he wanted to launch an invasion of the human realm, and my end goal is to gather enough strength to be able to protect myself. As for which side of the fence to be on, that¡¯s a question for later.¡¯


    ¡®So am I really going to give up on this golden opportunity just for some so-called principles?¡¯


    ¡®Blast it¡­I just can¡¯t do it¡­ and thinking back on it, there should be a better way of communicating what I really want to those Warhorses, one that better served my interests. At the end of the day, my goal is not only to get that horn, but also to get their whole clan to serve me. With an upcoming apocalyptic battle to prepare for, every bit of help counts. As long as there¡¯s a chance, I shouldn¡¯t give up on the opportunity for an amicable solution.¡¯


    ¡®I should just let these horses go; they can be proof of my goodwill, even though relations are already tense right now. Well, as long as I show enough sincerity and strength to back it up, I should have a good chance of recruiting these horses.¡¯


    ¡®So now the question is how am I going to force them into a corner? They are rather adept at running. Hmmm¡­ Bah. I¡¯ll just let the horses go first, subjugating their clan can come later.¡¯


    ¡°About those captives¡­ let them go.¡±


    ¡°Let them go?¡± Sinmosa was stunned. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    As for the fact that Jeerah and I had barely just met¡­ the details really didn¡¯t matter!


    ¡°I¡¯m sure of it.¡± I affirmed my prior statement, using my stern voice to show her that I was dead serious about this course of action. ¡°My goal is to subjugate them. An all-out war would be the worst case scenario right now. Definitely not something we should resort to unless there was no other choice. Definitely.¡±


    ¡°But those Warhorses are just too fast. Those golems of yours can¡¯t even catch up to them¡­¡± Sinmosa shook all three of her canine heads and pointed out the key problem in my plans. ¡°Even if you can summon that giant golem to defeat those three Nightmare Steeds, they¡¯re still too fast for your golems to catch up. They could always just run.¡±


    And there it was¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s why we need some way to restrain them.¡± I tapped my forehead in an annoyed fashion. ¡°I¡¯ll admit, there¡¯s a ton of problems with our current plans. Other than those golems, I really have nothing else to offer¡­¡±


    ¡°Mama, how about those kitties?¡± It was at that moment that Mo Na came flying onto my shoulders and plopped herself squarely down on my shoulders. ¡°Those black kitties are pretty good at fighting, and they¡¯re quick too. They shouldn¡¯t be that much slower than those big horsies.¡±


    Meisian should have complete authority over the Purgatory Shadowcats, now that she was their cat king. And I did help her a lot in her struggle for the crown. Her dear hubby, Anmi, was also sent to her only because of my trickery. No matter how one looked at it, she owed me a big favor.


    She should help if I asked.


    Still, that would mean that this was now a conflict between their races. Should I fail to subjugate the Warhorses and let them escape, the Warhorses might end up taking revenge against them in the future.


    Frankly speaking, the battle strength of those Purgatory Shadowcats¡­ it wasn¡¯t that I was being picky or anything, but were those erratic cats who probably couldn¡¯t even hold a proper thought for long even capable of fighting? What with their nonsensical civil wars¡­what the heck was the point of even having a fish eating contest? Those horses definitely wouldn¡¯t be interested in such childish games.


    ¡°Baby, are you sure those cats are even dependable?¡±


    Really, it wasn¡¯t my fault for doubting them; who told them to all be a bunch of loonies?


    ¡°Mama, there¡¯s still those big doggies if you don¡¯t want to ask the kitties.¡± As she said that, she wrapped her left hand around my head while pointing towards Sinmosa. ¡°We can just get both the big doggies and small kitties to help us beat up the horsies.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Cinderel is willing to help, right?¡±

 CHAPTER 364: MEETING MEISIAN AGAIN

    ¡°It hasn¡¯t been long since we last met, and you¡¯ve actually managed to change your race in the meantime? Truly, extraordinary!¡± The little black cat, Meisian, gave me a bemused look as she sat atop her Elemental Segregation Platform. ¡°Quick, tell me exactly what happened to your body?¡±


    Our current situation started when I brought Mo Na, Jeerah, and Sinmosa¡¯s family to the new cat king, Meisian¡¯s, castle. Even though I was already a well-known figure after helping Meisian secure her cat throne, the fact that I had a giant golem army with me still made the Purgatory Shadowcats wary. Just their massive size alone was enough to leave the cats feeling ill at ease. In order to show that I meant them no harm, I had the Abyssal Golems and Jeerah¡¯s little gang stay outside of the city walls while I led Jeerah and the rest of my entourage to meet Meisian.


    ¡°We can talk about myself later.¡± I smiled then turned towards that half-dead looking Purgatory Shadowcat beside Meisian. This poor cat was at least a whole Shadowcat skinnier than the rest of his fellow Purgatory Shadowcats. His once lustrous fur of black and red was now significantly duller while his face looked no better either. He almost seemed like a decrepit old cat about to breathe its last as he laid atop that platform. Even when he laid eyes on me, he barely had the energy to open his eyelids or even pay us any heed. That us included Meisian as well.


    ¡°Mama, is that Anmi?¡± As she sat on my shoulders as always, Mo Na pointed in the direction of that enfeebled cat. Then, in an unsure voice, she asked once more, ¡°That¡¯s Anmi, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Anmi¡­probably¡­ I think so¡­¡±


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    Honestly speaking, it hadn¡¯t been long since we last met and he had undergone a really drastic change; even I didn¡¯t dare say that he was the Anmi we knew. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that his soul seemed familiar, I really couldn¡¯t say for certain that this three paws in the grave cat was that lively rogue, Anmi.


    ¡°Meisian, what happened to Anmi?¡±


    Even though I already had some inkling as to why he was like this, I still felt it was more appropriate to ask it anyway.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just the aftereffects of being on the Elemental Segregation Platform.¡± Meisian waved her little paws at me, seemingly trying to explain to me the situation, yet also seemingly trying to placate Anmi. ¡°In order to give birth to a pureblooded Shadowcat, Anmi has to spend some time living on the platform. After all, the dual elemental nature of the Purgatory Shadowcats will affect the purity of our bloodlines.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s it. I remember now, Anmi did mention that in the past. And his current figure does suit¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like this can be helped. Our body sizes are just too different.¡± With a look of resignation, I just heard her say something that was borderline lewd. Having realised this herself, she quickly added, ¡°You heard nothing just now. I never said that our sizes do not match. Nothing at all. Just your imagination. Got it, you lot!?¡±


    ¡®Yes, yes. Our royal highness, Princess Meisian, is the most innocent cat ever. The number one winner of the Innocent Cat Awards. Their sizes are also a perfect fit, the best fitting cats in the world.¡¯


    ¡°Mama, what does it mean when your sizes do not match? In what way do their sizes differ?¡± Mo Na innocently scratched her head and asked.


    ¡°Woof woof~~!¡± Not only was Mo Na intrigued by this question, Cinderel seemed just as interested as well. She scampered up to me from her mother¡¯s side and patted my calves with her tiny paws, throwing me an inquisitive puppy look at the same time.


    ¡°Children shouldn¡¯t stick their noses into the affairs of adults.¡± I harshly snapped back. These two scamps were clearly too young for such a topic.


    Still, it was clearly out of our expectations that she would say something so provocative. Seeing us so stunned, she nonchalantly changed the topic. ¡°Dear, your old friends are here, aren¡¯t you going to say hi?¡±


    Hearing his name called, Anmi weakly lifted his head then stared deadly in our direction before slumping back down onto the platform, as if even that bit of movement expanded all his energy.


    ¡°What¡¯s up with Anmi? He can¡¯t speak anymore?¡± The look of deathly despair in his eyes truly was a shock for me. I couldn¡¯t help but ask out of concern, ¡°Is he alright? He wasn¡¯t like this in the past.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t mind him. Ever since you guys left, he¡¯s been like this.¡±


    At that, Anmi clearly rolled his eyes at her. Thankfully, Meisian wasn¡¯t all too bothered by this, instead choosing to magnanimously forgive him for his uncooperativeness.


    If you asked me, the reason why he was like this was probably entirely due to that Elemental Segregation Platform. Even though Anmi did like Meisian, he hated that platform even more. Back when he was still a little kitten, he had a close encounter with that platform that left him forever scarred. The problem was that, in order for them to have closer contact, Anmi had to get on that Elemental Segregation Platform. Due to Purgatory¡¯s unique environment, Meisian had no way of leaving that platform so Anmi¡¯s sacrifice was the only option.


    That was the whole story behind why he was so against being together with Meisian¡­ As for the person who forced him to get on that dreaded platform¡­ that was me¡­


    Naturally, Meisian understood the real reason why he was so lifeless as well. That was why she didn¡¯t lose her temper. Such a thoughtful wife. Anmi, you should be grateful.


    Having a girl like you could be said to be one of life¡¯s biggest blessings. One had to know, in China, there existed a huge disparity between the number of girls and boys that you would only expect after the end of the world. Whether it was humans or cats, having a girl like you was definitely a good thing. Was it so hard to sacrifice for a girl you liked? Anmi, you shouldn¡¯t squander the fortune you¡¯ve been handed. How many would bleed just for this opportunity you have right now.


    Wasn¡¯t it just a matter of losing weight? How was that hard?


    Truly, seeing him in such a spineless state made me want to lecture him for another day and night. It wasn¡¯t like I had any difficulty standing after all.


    But on to more serious matters. The real reason why Anmi had to stay on that platform was because he had to help the clan carry on their bloodlines. In order to prepare for this important duty, he had to undergo a little weight loss. That was also why he was so adamant about not marrying Meisian.


    Had it not been for me helping Meisian take the throne, he probably won¡¯t even be in such a sorry state. Still, it had to be said that the whole reason why I even supported Meisian was because of his flip flopping. If he hadn¡¯t flip flopped so much between these three siblings, I wouldn¡¯t have enacted such an unfortunate plan. At the end of the day, my relationship with Anmi was basically one where we took turns getting the other into trouble. It was just a matter of me getting the upper hand this time.


    In other words, I was innocent.


    ¡°We can put aside Anmi for now. We¡¯re actually here to ask for your help.¡± I immediately got down to business, explaining why we needed her help. ¡°In truth, we met the clone of Lucifer¡­¡±


    I briefly recounted our journey to Meisian, letting her know how deadly serious I was now. Ever since I had changed into a Fallen Angel, my life was no longer the same.


    ¡°So you¡¯re now the Devil Overlord?¡± Meisian threw me a shocked look. ¡°In name, at least.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Even though I might not have the required power right now, at least in terms of legitimacy, I am the Devil Overlord.¡± I looked her right in the eyes before asking, ¡°You have the power to walk in dreams. Don¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t been monitoring our movements?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not as simple you think. Dreamwalking is extremely complicated. When I walk in dreams, I am not part of the real world. Instead, I¡¯m a part of a pseudo-reality -you can call it the Dreamsoul.¡± She stopped at that point, clearly not intending to explain any further about Dreamsoul. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s hard for creatures who don¡¯t have that ability to understand that world¡­¡±


    Seeing as she had no desire to address this any further, it wasn¡¯t appropriate for me to continue pressing her on this question. ¡°The horn from a Nightmare Steed, the Elemental Core of an Eight-star Fire Elemental, the heart of an Eight-star Flame Devouring Fish, and finally the blood of a Shadowcat¡­ those are the four ingredients I need.¡±


    ¡°How much blood?¡±


    ¡°A whole cat¡¯s worth.¡±


    ¡°You absolutely have to have it?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± Meisian breathed in deeply. Her black kitty face immediately turned serious. She gently lifted up her dainty paw and then¡­


    ¡°Guards, get them out of here!¡± Just as I thought that she was going to give me her blood, she stuck her claw right in the direction of my face and yelled.


    ¡®Ah? She¡¯s chasing us away? No way, weren¡¯t we just having a pleasant conversation not too long ago? How did it end up with us being chased away?¡¯


    The moment that command was given, dozens of Purgatory Shadowcat soldiers came streaming in from the entrances to this hall, encircling us in mere moments.

 CHAPTER 365: SOMETIMES, THE SIMPLEST SOLUTIONS ARE BES

    ¡®Fishcakes!¡¯ The moment those words left his mouth, I swore I almost blew my top.


    ¡®I just knew you were still holding grudges the moment you gave us the cold shoulder. You¡¯re still mad I sold you off to Meisian.¡¯


    ¡®But who are you to say that I got my just desserts? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve already forgotten how many times you sold me off to those siblings? Did your heart not ache when you sold us out? If I had to say, you¡¯re the one who really got his just desserts. Hurts, doesn¡¯t ?!¡¯


    Still, it wasn¡¯t like all that mattered right now. What¡¯s important now was to calm Meisian down.


    ¡°Meisian, listen to me¡­ Sinmosa has already promised to lead me into the Hellhounds¡¯ territory. I¡¯ll find a way to persuade them to join our cause. After all, both of their clans have some bad blood between each other. I won¡¯t ask you to face those Warhorses alone, so let¡¯s calm down and talk¡­¡±


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    I think I had a rough idea of why she suddenly flipped on us: if it wasn¡¯t the matter of the Warhorses, it probably was the issue of Shadowcat blood. Having explained the former, I proceeded to explain my thoughts about the latter. ¡°I know I said I needed a whole Shadowcat¡¯s blood, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Enough! The honor of us Shadowcats is not something you can besmirch like that! You want our blood -not a chance in hell!¡± Her eyes were practically spewing fire at this point. ¡°Before I change my mind about letting you all go, leave! Else I¡¯ll help you leave.¡±


    ¡°Meisian, let me finish¡­¡± I still wanted to explain, but before I could finish, I spotted a black silhouette leaping in from the side. I hurriedly grabbed Mo Na and Cinderel and tumbled to the side, narrowly missing that sneak attack.


    ¡°GRRR!¡±


    Sinmosa growled menacingly at the Purgatory Shadowcat who leaped at us before knocking him away.


    Seeing that, I couldn¡¯t help but rub my temples as I turned towards a decidedly lively Anmi and a visibly furious Meisian. ¡°Even if you don¡¯t want to, must you really resort to this?¡±


    ¡®I swear these cats flip out faster than a blind man flipping through a book.¡¯


    ¡°Hey¡­why am I getting dragged into this?¡± Standing near us, Jeerah narrowly avoided another sneak attack by a Purgatory Shadowcat. Ducking behind Sinmosa, she scrambled to our side. ¡°Master! Don¡¯t just stand there, summon that giant golem of yours!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s still no need for that right now.¡± I flatly refused her. ¡°It¡¯s not time yet.¡±


    ¡°Then when is the right time?¡±


    I gripped down on the two little scamps and rushed over to Sinmosa and Sasani, then glared from the corner of my eyes at Anmi¡¯s lively cat face. ¡°We¡¯ll leave for now.¡± I muttered under my breath.


    Sasani knocked away another pouncing cat before breaking into a roaring charge towards the main hall¡¯s exit. It had to be said at this point that there were only four Five-star guardcats who constantly guarded Meisian at her side, the rest were all Four-stars.


    With these two Hellhounds guarding the front and rear, our retreat wasn¡¯t going to be a problem. I was just worried that more Purgatory Shadowcats might show up to hinder us, or perhaps some Six-stars or even their elders. We had best leave now, lest we really wore out our welcome.


    Raging Flame Charge!


    The strength of a Hellhound was without a doubt stronger than the Purgatory Shadowcats. Transforming into a fiery dog tank, Sasani blazed ahead, sending any cat in his path tumbling away in a meowing cat ball.


    Yet just when we thought that we were in the clear, three larger guardcats suddenly dashed into view. The three of them bunched up in a wall in an attempt to physically block Sasani.


    ¡°ROAAR!!¡±


    Faced with this feline wall, Sasani fearlessly pushed ahead. Then they clashed¡­


    Sasani¡¯s Raging Flame Charge boosted his speed to its absolute limit, but at the end of the day, he was just one Hellhound. Faced with three Five-stars banding together to block him, he was unable to make that final push.


    Like a traffic accident along a speeding highway, the three guardcat captains were sent tumbling out the door. Sasani¡¯s fate was the same, having lost his ability to charge any further as he tumbled backwards from the impact.


    Sasani¡¯s inability to break through the entrance was completely out of my expectations. I had never expected such resistance right at the very doorstep of the exit. Now that he was incapacitated, we definitely couldn¡¯t leave him behind and escape ourselves. However, the biggest problem now was that we were once again surrounded by cats.


    Another black silhouette flashed in from the corner. There was now a fourth guardcat captain blocking the exit. His figure was a lot larger than his three comrades. In all likelihood, he was about to evolve into the next tier.


    Sinmosa turned around to eye her fallen husband. He was down on the floor, but he was not unconscious, merely out of strength. She exchanged a couple words with him in their language then turned around to explain to me, ¡°He¡¯s spent, we need to hold our ground for a while.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If need be, I¡¯ll summon the Devil King Idol. It¡¯s just¡­¡±


    If I were to release my Devil King Idol, at least half of Meisian¡¯s castle would end up getting wrecked. And if that were to happen, the consequences would be quite spectacular¡­ That was why I had no intention of summoning it right now. Meisian wasn¡¯t really out to kill us or anything, she just wanted to chase us away. But based on their expressions right now, they probably wanted to teach us a lesson before that¡­


    ¡°MEOW!!!¡±


    ¡°GRRR!!¡±


    The remaining guardcat captain meowed tauntingly at Sinmosa. Not one to back down from a challenge, she growled back. Just like that, cat and dog entered into a state one could only describe as strangely destined. A second later, both of them launched a simultaneous attack, and a furious battle of cat and dog ensued.


    All three of Sinmosa¡¯s jaws opened wide, glistening teeth apparent for all to see as she lunged at the guardcat captain. With a body roughly the size of an adult wolf, the physically smaller Purgatory Shadowcat managed to dodge the incoming bites with ease, even managing to swipe at Sinmosa¡¯s back as he leaped away. Blood spurted out of the three claw marks. Her skin was ripped apart at the wound, black fur still clinging onto that cat¡¯s claws. Blood was drawn¡­ this was a deadly serious fight¡­


    Yet this wound merely spurred Sinmosa on. She pressed forward and continued lunging at the guardcat captain, swiping at him between bites. However, the guardcat captain was significantly more agile than her. He adopted a cautious stance, retreating right after he scored a hit instead of trying his luck for another. With a leap and tumble, he easily evaded her second wave of attacks.


    All that took place in mere moments, but that short exchange landed Sinmosa in a disadvantaged position. The cat¡¯s agility was just too much for her to handle. That saying, ¡°cats climb the wall, dogs crawl through the hole¡±, wasn¡¯t without merit.


    However, that wasn¡¯t to say that a Hellhound would automatically lose to a Purgatory Shadowcat of his own star level. After all, their endurance and strength were much higher. Furthermore, in terms of single strikes alone, there was no comparison between a Purgatory Shadowcat and a Hellhound. A Purgatory Shadowcat was definitely more agile than a Hellhound, but that advantage came with a disadvantage as well.


    The guardcat captain wasn¡¯t able to land a lethal strike on her, but that didn¡¯t mean Sinmosa wasn¡¯t able to land one on him. All she needed was one solid strike to knock out that pesky cat. This match was a fight to see who made a mistake first.


    ¡°Woof woof woof!~~¡±


    Seeing her mother hurt like that, the little puppy Cinderel immediately barked in her tender but worried voice. Her willingness to challenge her opponent now with her voice more than showed her bravery, but for her to actually try and charge into battle¡­


    I anxiously grabbed her by her nape and carried her in my arms. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± I softly comforted her. ¡°Your mama can handle this herself, right now we need to keep your daddy safe.¡±


    The moment I said ¡°daddy¡±, she instinctively turned to look at her exhausted to the point of collapsing father. She barked a couple of times in disgust, as if to say, ¡°How can that useless daddy ever be more important than mama?¡± That was probably why Sasani looked like his doggy face was about to cry.


    As Sinmosa and that guardcat captain continued duking it out, the remaining Four-star guardcats weren¡¯t slacking around either. They tightened their encirclement, maintaining a posture that was ready to strike at a moment¡¯s notice.


    ¡°Mama, those kitties seem like they are attacking¡­should we get the big golem to come out?¡±


    The situation definitely didn¡¯t favor us right now, and that frightened my precious daughter a little. Yet I still felt that now wasn¡¯t the time to do so. With its massive size, the main hall would probably be destroyed, and while the satisfaction from doing that would be sublime, the grudge of a destroyed house wasn¡¯t¡­


    The Devil King Idol could only be a last resort.


    ¡°Geez¡­if my master is not going to act, then I guess it¡¯s all up to me now.¡± Suddenly, in the midst of our perilous situation, Jeerah miraculously stood out. She grabbed her thin Devil tail ,and like waving a cat¡¯s toy, began shaking it back and forth in front of the guardcats. ¡°Look guys, there¡¯s something fun here!¡±


    ¡®Just because they have the word cat in their name, doesn¡¯t mean they are actually cats, you know¡­ I don¡¯t even know what to say to you¡­ Also, what the heck do you mean by your master is not going to act¡­I bet you wanted to say I¡¯m useless!¡¯


    ¡®Hmph, you were definitely going to say that. Fine, let¡¯s just watch you make a fool of yourself then. As if they would ever be distracted by your ta¡­. No way¡­ you¡¯re kidding me¡­ you stupid cats!¡¯

 CHAPTER 366: CAT PLAYS

    ¡°Meow~~¡± The dozen or so guardcats were instantly entranced by Jeerah¡¯s waving tail. With each sway, their eyes would slowly drift left and right in tandem with the tail; all was done under the direction of Jeerah¡¯s control.


    ¡®I guess her tail does resemble a cat¡¯s toy, but can this premise be any more shaky?!¡¯


    Still, it was an undeniable fact that she had them in the palm of her hands. No¡­it wasn¡¯t just her tail, her scent was a lot stronger than usual. In other words, at the same time that she began waving her tail, she activated her enthrallment, and from the looks of things, succeeded.


    These paragons of reliability were probably already under her spell. Like a swarm of bees to honey, their claws shot out in unison in a bid to grab her tail. Too bad for them, Jeerah¡¯s reaction was quicker. With a spin and a twist, she evaded their hungry claws. But the giant kitties persisted, chasing after her as she ran around the hall. With her Five-star strength, her speed definitely wasn¡¯t slower than the cats chasing. Each time they lunged, she always managed to pull her tail away at the last minute.


    I had to admit however, the fact that she was able to distract these cats was surprising, but at least it was a pleasant surprise that benefited us.


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    ¡°Hey! What the heck are you worthless cats doing, attack them! It¡¯s just a blasted tail, don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t have your own!¡± Meisian was probably the only lucid cat right now. Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t leave her Elemental Segregation Platform. All she could do was smack Anmi on the head for also being enthralled by Jeerah¡¯s tail, though that was most likely her venting her anger. And without checking to see if Anmi had awoken from the trance, she began railing. ¡°Wake up you morons!¡±


    That unfortunately did nothing to awaken them. The guardcats continued chasing Jeerah¡¯s tail as if she had never yelled at them.


    Her Psychic Enthrallment had bought us precious time. Time which I used to pour out souls from my Soul Ring and fed them to Sasani who gladly wolfed them down. These were the souls I had originally saved up as back up rations, but now was clearly not the time to care about such details.


    Thankfully, Hellhounds had the ability to absorb souls to recover from their wounds quickly. As long as Sasani recovered, leaving shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Assuming no other Purgatory Shadowcats popped up, of course. We also needed Sinmosa to settle that guardcat captain as soon as possible. Even if victory wasn¡¯t possible, she had to at least shake him off.


    Yet just when I thought our situation was improving, Meisian pulled out her trump card.


    ¡°Blast it, those accursed elders¡­don¡¯t tell me they are out playing cards again¡­¡±


    ¡®Playing cards¡­I know cats are naturally lazy, but still¡­ And these elders have the ability to Dreamwalk, so I¡¯m not surprised that they managed to learn a game or two from the human realm. But is now really the time for you guys to be playing cards?! Your cat king is still directing a battle here.¡¯


    ¡®Forget it, I¡¯ve already had enough experience to know that these cats are all crazy, and their inaction serves me well now.¡¯


    ¡°ROAARR!¡±


    In the time that Meisian tried to call for the elders, Sasani finally recovered his strength, having consumed a large amount of souls. While his clash with the three Purgatory Shadowcats had left them both injured, he at least came out on top, seeing as he was perfectly fine now. As for those three guardcat captains, they were still lying on the ground, though who could say if they were actually knocked out or just playing dead. After all, these cats could probably fool the Grim Reaper itself with their play dead skills.


    Still, while Sasani was finally well enough to fight, that didn¡¯t mean he was at peak condition either. At the very least however, he was able to help his wife fight against that guardcat captain. With their combined might, that cat was easily overwhelmed.


    It was true that the Purgatory Shadowcats were faster than the Hellhounds, but in a two versus one, the fight was basically over. Especially since there was no aid forthcoming from the Elders¡¯ Consortium. Speaking of which, were they really playing cards¡­


    With the guardcat captain no longer a problem, I grabbed Jeerah along with the two scamps and rushed for the exit.


    ¡°Keep up, Sinmosa!¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Realising that we had successfully evacuated, the Hellhound couple quickly exchanged a glance with each other, then launched a combination Raging Flame Charge at the poor guardcat captain who had nowhere to run. The guardcat captain was promptly sent flying away with a meow, after which the pair quickly followed us.


    Now that Jeerah had escaped, that meant her enthrallment wore off as well. Without her spell affecting their minds, the remaining guardcats quickly regained their senses.


    ¡°Meoooww!¡± They immediately pounced on us the moment they realised that we were escaping.


    Darkness Whip!


    I gathered my mana, and with a swing of my right hand, sent forth a whip made of pure shadow cracking right in front of those rushing guardcats. With how sudden this attack came, the guardcats only had time to dodge backwards, and that slowed down their pursuit enough to buy us a few precious seconds.


    ¡°Quick!¡± I continued running while hugging onto Mo Na and Cinderel.


    ¡°Mama, Mo Na can help too.¡± Ever one with a strong need to show her abilities, she swung around my neck to face the back. Then, with eyes focused ahead and arms flailing about in casting motion, she yelled. ¡°Vengeful Soul!¡±


    A pair of black mists sprouted from her hands and rapidly flew towards the relentless guardcats. The spell had gone off successfully, but I was still concerned. I turned around for a moment to check on the situation, and saw a sight that left me speechless¡­


    Upon seeing the black clouds rushing towards them, the guardcats immediately pounced on them with their claws, like how a cat would when it saw its prey. Unfortunately for them, the Vengeful Soul could fly, and with a pretty decent speed as well. Each time they almost clawed it, it would deftly fly away.

 CHAPTER 367: I DECLARE SINGLE!

    Taking advantage of their momentary distraction, our party successfully made it out of the castle. Even though Meisian was still hot on our tails riding her Elemental Segregation Platform, its speed wasn¡¯t comparable to ours at all. There were a few cats here and there who got in our way when they heard Meisian¡¯s calls, but they were all promptly smacked away by Sasani and Sinmosa.


    On average, the Purgatory Shadowcats were at the level of Two-stars to Three-stars. Four-stars was an elite, while five was a captain¡¯s level. Once they reached Six-stars, they became an elder. Spearheading our escape were two Five-star Cerberuses, barring any interference from their Elders¡¯ Consortium, nothing could really stand in our way.


    For the most part, that held true all the way till we made it to the city gates. It was at that point that we finally met with the advance party of the Elders¡¯ Consortium. There were two elders blocking our exit, along with seven other elders who surrounded us. These elders were roughly the size of a wolf dog, but based on the aura they emitted, those Five-stars we met before were nothing compared to them.


    Besides their sizes being roughly equal, there was also another similarity shared by these nine cats, and that was the hand of black cards floating beside each of them. These cards were all completely black, made of a material that seemed neither like wood nor like stone. Even though their material wasn¡¯t exactly clear, it was still obvious to the casual observer that they were hefty.


    In the meantime, those dozen or so guardcats who were previously distracted by the Vengeful Soul finally caught up to us under the guidance of that larger guardcat captain.


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    ¡°Esteemed Overlord, we¡¯re here¡­¡± They casually greeted Meisian but were immediately snapped at by a moody Meisian. ¡°What took you all so long?! Bunch of useless cats! What am I even feeding you all for?!¡±


    One of the guardcats quietly mumbled to himself, ¡°It¡¯s not like the Ashen Fur Mice we eat are raised by you. Our Meowberries aren¡¯t grown by you either¡­¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    Hearing as sharp as her pointy ears, Meisian picked up on that poor guardcat¡¯s griping. ¡°I dare you to say that again!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± With nowhere else to hide from her withering gaze, the guilty cat lowered his head and answered, ¡°We were just saying, your Highness, the great Cat King, is absolutely right, we are all just a bunch of good-for-nothings¡­¡±


    ¡®I completely understand if you look down on yourself, but why did you drag your companions down with you as well¡­¡¯


    The other guardcats immediately glared at him. ¡°I mean I¡¯m the good-for-nothing, I¡¯m the useless one. My colleagues have nothing to do with this¡­¡±


    ¡°I say, didn¡¯t I tell you not to disturb us unless there¡¯s something important, little Meisian?¡± As if he didn¡¯t hear that praise at all, one of the elders blocking the exit plopped himself on the ground and gave Meisian a rueful stare. Then with a nod of his head, he sent one of the black cards flying down onto the ground. ¡°A nine!¡±


    ¡°A nine right from the start! Do you even know how to play?¡± His companion rolled his eyes at him before eyeing his own cards. ¡°Pass.¡± He sighed.


    ¡°A nine from the start¡­that¡¯s definitely a bad hand¡­I¡¯ll pass as well.¡± One of the elders surrounding us five meters away said, equally as exasperated by that cat¡¯s opening move.


    ¡°Pass.¡±


    ¡°Pass.¡±


    The next two elders passed their turn as well.


    ¡°A one.¡± The elder who threw down the one card sneered at the cat who threw down a nine. ¡°Let¡¯s see you throw out that cat card to beat my one!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to wait for Masrow to throw out the card, I have a cat card that can beat you¡­ None of you plan on throwing out another card, right? In that case, I¡¯ll throw out a pair of threes, and if no one has a pair of fours¡­¡±


    ¡°Hold it.¡± The cat who threw out the nine at the start, also known as Masrow, interrupted his companion and said, ¡°I have three eights here.¡± As he said that, three of the cards above him immediately flew down onto the ground, revealing the number eight carved in Devil language on each of them.


    Having made sure the other cats had no moves to make, he threw out a straight of four, five and six. Then, with a happy wag of his tail, he declared, fully confident that victory was in paw, ¡°I declare single!¡±


    Declaring single meant that he only had one card left.


    ¡°Hey, whoever can answer that, better answer it now or the game¡¯s over.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. If you have a five six seven, you¡¯d better play it now. Even a triple is fine, just stop Masrow. I swear it¡¯s like he cheats every round, blast it.¡±


    ¡°He only has one card, if anyone can play right now, do it. There¡¯s no way he can make a move after.¡±


    With defeat so dangerously close to fur, the remaining elders erupted in debate, each calling for the other to play their cards right now and stop Masrow from winning.


    Unfortunately, while the logic was sound, reality had a way of disagreeing. The remaining elders had no cards to play against his straight. Thus, with no one else to stop him confirmed, Masrow played his final card.


    ¡°Hahaha. If you don¡¯t mind, gentlecats, I dare say that was an excellent game.¡± The moment that black card touched the ground, his victory was decided.


    ¡°Mama, are those big kitties alright in the head?¡±


    ¡°Daddy doesn¡¯t know as well, sweetie¡­Daddy doesn¡¯t know as well¡­¡±


    Even though these cats clearly had us surrounded, none of them had any intention of attacking, instead continuing on with their game of cards in what had to be the strangest sight ever. While Mo Na wasn¡¯t exactly very polite there, who even plays cards while surrounding an opponent?


    ¡°Elders, help us catch those Devils, quick!¡± The little cat, Meisian, used her dainty paw to point at us as she continued yelling, ¡°The card games can wait, help us catch them first!¡±


    Still lying listlessly on the platform, Anmi promptly chimed in as well, ¡°Elders, please catch them!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve already helped you surround them, just wait for us to finish another round first.¡± Without even batting an eyelid, Masrow proudly swept his eyes over the other elders. ¡°So who had the most cards just now? Go shuffle the cards, come on now. Also, you better remember how many times you¡¯ve lost to me. Don¡¯t even think about getting out of this debt!¡±


    ¡®Gamblers¡­these cats are all hardcore gamblers, I swear¡­¡¯


    ¡°Meisian, since your elders aren¡¯t in the mood to catch us, how about you let us go.¡± I diplomatically broached the subject once more. ¡°We did help out you in the past, is it really alright just to flip out on us like that?¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Meisian vehemently glared at me. ¡°I know you helped me out in the past, but you actually want my blood¡­there¡¯s no way I¡¯m giving that to you!¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s all he wants, just give it to him. He did help you, after all. Don¡¯t be so stingy.¡± Masrow chided her in a matter-of-fact tone, then loudly declared with a flourish, ¡°A pair of fives!¡±


    ¡®Why do I get the feeling that the only reason he thinks she is stingy is because she interrupted their game¡­no wonder people always say not to mess with gamblers.¡¯


    ¡°Grand Elder! If it¡¯s just a bit of blood, who wouldn¡¯t give it to him? But what he wants is all my blood¡­I¡¯ll be dead if I give it to him!¡±


    ¡°Yes, but you still shouldn¡¯t call us out for that. We¡¯re busy.¡± Masrow yelled back without lifting his head. ¡°A cat. If no one has a card to play, I¡¯ll play a one.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean busy? Are you saying that my safety isn¡¯t as important as your card game?!¡± Meisian was on the verge of exploding right now. Her eyes practically spat fire as she continued grilling Masrow. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t give two meowberries about her anger, instead fully directing his attention to his current game.


    ¡®Really, can these cats be any less unreliable? Even their Overlord can¡¯t control them, so what good are they? I swear, I¡¯m starting to feel a little sorry for Meisian myself¡­¡¯


    Though I thought that, wasn¡¯t I actually the pitiful one here? Being the one that was surrounded.


    I continued speaking. ¡°I never said I wanted all your blood. I just said I needed an entire Shadowcat¡¯s worth of blood-¡±


    ¡°And how is that any different?!¡±


    Finally, in what had to be my most exasperated voice ever, ¡°I don¡¯t have to draw it all at once, or I can just find your brothers for some blood.¡±


    ¡°Well, why didn¡¯t you just say so?¡±


    ¡°Because you never gave me the chance to do so¡­¡±


    ¡®I¡­if you won¡¯t give me the chance to say my piece, then don¡¯t blame me for being rough later.¡¯


    ¡°Meisian, this is the last time I¡¯m saying this, we only want to leave. If you will let us go, we can still have some amicable relationships in the future. But if you won¡¯t¡­ I just hope you won¡¯t regret it.¡±

 CHAPTER 368: IN THE END, WE STILL HAVE TO FIGHT…

    The Abyssal Golems were all stationed nearby and ready to strike at a moment¡¯s notice. With that card in hand, my position was a lot more hardline this time.


    ¡°Regret? Hmph. I don¡¯t even know how that word is spelt. How about you teach me then?¡± Before Meisian even had the chance to answer, Anmi had already answered for her. With another scoff, he continued, ¡°How about you take a second to look around? You¡¯re the one surrounded by the elders, not us! And you actually want to threaten us. How stupid can you be?¡±


    ¡®Ah¡­I was just scolded by a moron¡­a moron actually scolded me¡­I¡¯m such a disgrace to the Fallen Angels¡­still, if that silly couple won¡¯t see reason, I might have to use force.¡¯


    ¡®But if I were to use force, things will just end up more complicated. Honestly, as long as force is involved, there will always be one side being oppressed. If it¡¯s possible, I would rather recruit them willingly¡­without danger to myself, of course.¡¯


    ¡°You guys are the ones who won¡¯t believe me. In that case, I¡¯ll just have to apologise for any offense I might cause in the future.¡±


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    There was no guarantee that she would relent even when forced, but at the very least, my safety would be guaranteed this way. Time for the direct method¡­


    With no other choice available to me, I yelled in the direction of the city walls. ¡°All my golems, assemble!¡±


    As I said that, my still as a statue golems finally moved. The mere act of all seven hundred of my golems acting at once immediately caused the surroundings to quake. Still in the midst of their card game, the elder cats and their black cards started to tremble as well. Their eyes went wide as they finally awoke from their gambling stupor.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening? An earthquake? Or is the volcano erupting?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like it. There¡¯s no volcano near us that can erupt.¡±


    ¡°The shaking is so bad, I¡¯m getting a little giddy here¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care how giddy you are, I¡¯m about to win here and none of you better renege on the bet!¡±


    ¡°Bah, I¡¯m done playing. My head hurts¡­¡±


    ¡°Me too¡­ Masrow, how about we end this round¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this? Hey, why are you throwing away the cards? Pick them up and let¡¯s continue playing! I¡¯m about to win already¡­blast it all¡­you shameless cats¡­are you cats even gamblers?¡±


    ¡®¡­The question is are you cats even normal?.¡¯


    ¡°Elders! Now¡¯s not the time for games, the enemy is already at our gates!¡± Meisian couldn¡¯t help but yell at her elders who were still busy messing around despite the current situation. ¡°My castle is about to be destroyed. If that happens, you can forget about ever eating any Ashen Fur Mice or Meowberries!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t fall.¡± Masrow calmly eyed her, his face a picture of serenity. ¡°Even if you don¡¯t feed us, there¡¯s still Gaiuz and Weiderly. What¡¯s the worst that can happen? We just hop over to their camp and continue sponging off them.¡±


    ¡®Continue sponging¡­For some reason, I have this sudden realisation that these elders are actually pretty self-aware¡­they¡¯ve clearly resolved themselves to be leeches.¡¯


    ¡°Elders, please make your move now¡­¡± Meisian selectively ignored the latter half of Masrow¡¯s words. In a worried voice, she continued, ¡°There¡¯s a horde of strange monsters outside our city walls right now¡­I¡¯m afraid the walls can¡¯t handle them..¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t collapse, they are all built to last. Unless the enemy has the power of an Eight-star, there¡¯s basically no chance of them even getting dama-¡±


    Boom


    Before Masrow could even finish saying the word damaged, a portion of the wall came crashing down. The nearby Purgatory Shadowcats immediately meowed with shock and began scattering. A number of cats who were originally stationed on the walls began jumping off the walls in alarm¡­ so that¡¯s what the saying, when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter, mean.


    A burly arm, made entirely out of a reddish-black material, came piercing through a section of the wall. It tried grabbing around but to no avail. After a few seconds of doing so, it retracted back out of sight without its prize. Still, the fact was that the wall now had a gaping hole in it.


    The city wall of the Purgatory Shadowcats was roughly ten meters tall, half the height of the Devil King Idol. The Abyssal Golems were all five meters or so while my Winged Abyssal Golems were seven meters tall; there was no way these normal golems could step over the wall. Only by bashing through the wall could they hope to find passage within.


    While it was true that this wall of theirs could withstand up to an Eight-star¡¯s attacks, but my Winged Abyssal Golems had the physical strength approaching that of an Eight-star¡¯s. Not to mention that 102 of them were stationed outside right now¡­


    Now that the city wall had a hole in it, it was only a matter of time before it became a honeycomb of holes and collapsed.


    Boom, boom, boom, went the thunderous punches of seven hundred golems simultaneously bashing on a wall. The defenseless wall began to crack and expose its inhabitants within. From the looks of things, it was only a matter of seconds before it came crumbling down.


    ¡°Impossible¡­¡± The moment the first hole appeared, Masrow practically jumped out of his fur, eyes wide in shock. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me there¡¯s an Eight-star outside right now?¡±


    ¡°I told you there were monsters outside!¡± She furiously glared at him but still left the uglier parts of what she wanted to say unsaid.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go have a look myself.¡± Masrow leaped gracefully onto the city wall. As he stared ahead, his feline back stayed straight as an arrow, and his eyes sharp as one. It almost looked like he was ready to leap down and face off against the horde of golems arrayed before him.


    A mere second later, he actually jumped off the city wall. With an elegant curve of his feline body, he did a somersault in the air and landed softly beyond the walls. Then¡­he came charging through one of the holes created by the golems. All that talk of cats climbing walls and dogs crawling through holes was basically non-existent at this point. ¡°Why the heck are there so many¡­¡±


    So what was he referring to when he said so many? Naturally, it was my golems. Over seven hundred golems gathering in a single spot wasn¡¯t a sight one could simply laugh off. Did they think that being a savior was easy? If Masrow really dared to take even a step further, it would be the end of his cat life.


    ¡°I told you to apprehend them earlier¡­¡± When Meisian first received us, she already caught wind of my golems. Even though she didn¡¯t know how powerful they were then, one could easily guess that they were no pushovers based on their sheer size.


    ¡°Now isn¡¯t too late.¡± Masrow¡¯s fast thinking was truly a marvel. He immediately grasped what was needed to save his feline skin right now. That was to hold us as hostages.


    At the same time that I saw him charge through the hole, my left hand immediately grabbed the Gem of Authority hanging on my neck. My right hand grabbed my precious daughter. ¡°Everyone, keep close. I¡¯ll summon the Devil King Idol.¡±


    ¡°Get them!¡±


    Masrow and the other elder cats immediately pounced on his command. Unfortunately for them, they were a tad too late. I had already seen through their intentions from the start and summoned forth my Devil King Idol, teleporting all of us into the safety of its dimensional pocket. The elder cats leapt at what they saw was us but ended up banging into the leg of the Devil King Idol instead.


    In order to avoid maiming these cats, I had the idol stand perfectly still. It wasn¡¯t like they could harm it anyway. As long as I threatened them again, they should give up quietly.


    Only after banging my idol did those silly cats realise how sturdy this new golem was. Retreat immediately crept into their minds, but their pride didn¡¯t allow them to just give up like that.


    ¡°It¡¯s time we ended this farce.¡± My voice transmitted outwards through the idol. Without even waiting for those elders to react, I had my idol quickly stomp down on the ground with its right foot. This simple act was enough to send more tremors reverberating throughout the entire castle city, its strength nearly comparable to that of my seven hundred golems.


    Where the idol treads, the earth shakes.


    Being the closest to the idol, Masrow and his elders felt first hand how terrifying my idol¡¯s true strength was. At its level of destructiveness, that simple stomp could have killed at least of them if I so wished.


    ¡°Not good¡­it¡¯s an Eight-star¡­¡±


    With how quickly the situation spiralled out of their control, the grand elder Masrow promptly turned tail and ran, the rest of his elders quickly following in his cat steps in a bid to escape from this no man¡¯s land.


    ¡°Little Meisian¡­exactly who did you end up offending this time¡­we need to get out of here, quick! We can¡¯t win.¡±


    Masrow brought the elders to Meisian¡¯s platform. Their intention was to grab the tiny cat king and quickly escape. However, she would have none of that. Even if her husband, Anmi, was clearly frightened stiff beside her, she still showed no sign of relenting.

 CHAPTER 369: THE KEY TO WINNING IS NOT FIGHTING ON YOUR OWN PROPERTY

    ¡°I humbly beseech the great elders for their assistance!¡±


    Meisian loudly called for their clan¡¯s great elders to help, but I wasn¡¯t afraid one bit. That was because I knew that those of the Overlord tier didn¡¯t dare to act against me. An Eight-star had no chance against my Devil King Idol so I was basically unstoppable right now in Sable Radiance.


    As she said that, I could sense five surges of mana radiating strongly outwards from within the castle. These five presences all had the power of an Eight-star. Their speed was fast, as you would expect of a Purgatory Shadowcat at that level, covering several hundreds of meters within an instant.


    Without even saying a word, these five newcomer cats immediately pounced at me.


    I commanded the idol to stay perfectly still as they tried to no avail to claw and bite at its reddish-black exterior. Try as they might, their attacks failed to even leave a scratch on it. I gave the command to kick one of them as a test, but that big cat swiftly dodged it with an impossible twist of his body.


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    Their sense of perception and reaction speed were truly unfathomable. In contrast, my idol was just unimaginably slow; hitting them wasn¡¯t going to be an easy task at all. I tried giving another test kick but it was promptly dodged once more.


    Still, my idol was immune to most magicks, leaving only physical means open to them. However, their attacks couldn¡¯t even compare to that of the Nightmare Steeds. At the very most, their claws served as backscratchers for the idol.


    As those five Eight-star cats tangled with my idol, my seven hundred or so golems managed to bring down the entire wall. The earth quaked and the skies rained rubble. Faced with the might of my golem army, their vaunted wall stood no chance at all. At this very moment, what crumbled wasn¡¯t just their wall, but their confidence as well.


    Having done their job, the golems remained outside of the wall, quietly waiting for my new command. Seeing as their defenses could only be described as unfair, I saw no need to rush in giving out any new commands either.


    Masrow led the rest of the Elders¡¯ Consortium in an attack against the golems. With what had just transpired, there was only animosity between both parties right now. In all likelihood, they were hoping to force the golems back -too bad they were destined to be disappointed.


    ¡°It¡¯s so hard¡­ my claws¡­¡±


    ¡°Ow ow¡­ my fangs¡­they¡¯re breaking¡­.¡±


    ¡°My head¡­¡±


    While I had given the command for the golems not to attack, that didn¡¯t stop Masrow and the other elder cats from inflicting injuries on themselves¡­ With how sturdy these golems were, I was more than happy to let them attack the golems. After all, the ones getting hurt wouldn¡¯t be my golems, so why not?


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to talk about here, I¡¯ll never give you the blood!¡± Even when faced with a completely collapsed wall, Meisian had no intention of giving in at all. With a willful wave of her cat paws, she commanded her cats, her posture that of a commander ready to stand tall in the face of certain defeat, ¡°Get them, I want those black statues torn down this instant!¡±


    Either way, it wasn¡¯t like she was the one who had to charge into battle, and standing never really hurt any cat either.


    However, as inspiring as her aura was, the fact was that the other cats were all scared stiff after witnessing their wall collapse. None of them dared to advance step further, especially not when their elders already showed them what would happen if they tried, even if the golems weren¡¯t out to get them.


    ¡°If you won¡¯t talk, then don¡¯t blame me for what happens next.¡±


    The feathers on my Devil King Idol began to tremble. A rush of mana filled the air and countless Mana Feathers shot out a second later. The five great elders instantly dodged the projectiles with ease, but were they even the true targets? From the very start, I had no intention of harming them, instead I was merely aiming to destroy the castle city.


    The moment my Mana Feathers struck the city, they exploded in a brilliant display of mana and rubble. Whatever plant life, cat climbing shelves, fake hills, and etc. were all reduced to nothingness in an instant.


    ¡°You, you, you¡­are you here to fight or are you here to destroy my house?!¡± At the end of the day, fighting on someone else¡¯s property was never going to be a loss for me. After all, what was getting broken wasn¡¯t my stuff, so why should I care? In contrast, Meisian was looking a lot more concerned. ¡°Can¡¯t you aim a little better? Don¡¯t destroy my castle city!¡±


    ¡®Well, I want to aim a little better as well, but your great elders don¡¯t seem to want to get hit.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to have a civil discussion with you here, but since you won¡¯t listen to me, why should I listen to you?¡± I fired another volley of Mana Feathers. This time, I didn¡¯t even try to aim at the great elders. Instead, I had them all land roughly 100 meters away from the guest hall¡¯s entrance, sending a barrage of broken rubble flying everywhere and nearly causing her castle to collapse.


    ¡°Stop¡­no more fighting¡­my poor castle¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you have your talk, so stop breaking my castle!¡±


    ¡°Then about those terms¡­¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t give you the blood¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just have to continue then.¡± Having said that, I gave the command to wreck the castle once more.


    ¡°Blast it¡­you¡¯re asking for too much! I don¡¯t want to die yet!¡± She yelled in my direction, ¡°Other than my blood, can¡¯t you give some other terms?¡±


    ¡°You could always draw the blood from Gaiuz or Weiderly, couldn¡¯t you? I just need a whole Shadowcat¡¯s worth, you can just simply get half from each of them.¡±


    Faced with this new suggestion, Meisian immediately agreed to it. ¡°Masrow, send a message to Gaiuz, ask him to get here right away.¡±


    ¡®Just Gaiuz? Doesn¡¯t that mean that siscon who always cries about wanting to marry his little sister is in for a world of pain?¡¯


    ¡°And about those Warhorses¡­¡±


    ¡°I accept, I accept. Just don¡¯t touch my castle¡­¡± Before I could even finish asking, Meisian hurriedly accepted the terms. ¡°As long as it¡¯s not about my blood, everything else is fine.¡±


    ¡°But, little Meisian, the matter of the Warhorses isn¡¯t¡­¡±


    Masrow obviously wanted to stop her from agreeing to attack the Warhorse, but before Meisian could say anything, one of the great elders spoke up first. ¡°I agree with the Fallen Angel, but after we help you with the Warhorses, you must let us go¡­¡±

 CHAPTER 370: AN OVERLORD

    Regardless of what methods one employed, the end goal was always to achieve victory.


    Even though we wound up fighting, Meisian agreed to a temporary truce in the end. Speaking of which, I really had to thank Masrow and his Elders¡¯ Consortium for their contribution to the cause¡­


    Now that both parties had agreed to sit down and talk, the five Grand Elders all went their separate ways without another word, leaving the matter of negotiations entirely up to Meisian.


    Strictly speaking, I had the power to just subjugate these Purgatory Shadowcats by force right now, assuming if this was all the power they held. That latter part was why I decided now was the time for a quick test. If this worked as I hoped, I should be able to just subjugate Meisian and her cats right now.


    However, when I brought up this topic, Meisian flatly rejected it. In her words, she just wanted to be a carefree kitty. Masrow and his elders basically gave the same answer as well. They felt that if I was to become their master, they would end up being forced to do all manner of work, meaning they had no time for cards anymore. Putting aside the small details of why, both of them put up a strong united front against this idea.


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    Unfortunately, all it took was a few words to break apart this alliance.


    I stepped out of my Devil King Idol alone and stood before Meisian. ¡°If you won¡¯t be my subject, I¡¯ll get the golems to smash your castle.


    ¡°Hmph, if you think can, go ahead then. Don¡¯t think for a second that we¡¯re really afraid of you.¡± Meisian scoffed.


    ¡°Hey, let¡¯s not be hasty here. If you smash our houses, we won¡¯t have anywhere to play cards.¡± Masrow was the first of the elders to raise his complaints. ¡°Let¡¯s be civil here. Everything can be negotiated¡­¡±


    ¡°You spineless bunch of old cats!¡±


    Seeing her own elders cave in so quickly, Meisian immediately went off on another tirade. However, these old cats¡¯ had skins no less tougher than my golems. After a quick bit of embarrassment, they promptly returned back to their usual selves, even leaning in to whisper to Meisian. Who knew for certain what was uttered in that short instance, but the moment they were done, Meisian whipped her tail around disdainfully, then glared at me. ¡°Do you think a threat like that would work on us? Do you really think that us Shadowcats don¡¯t have an Overlord of our own? Just watch me¡­¡±


    Yet before she could even finish her words, a voice of indistinguishable gender boomed from the horizon. ¡°Little Meisian¡­ my apologies, I can¡¯t interfere this time¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Like a cat that just had her tail just stepped on, she began stomping down hard on her Elemental Segregation Platform, causing the listless Anmi beside her to suddenly jump up with a start.


    ¡°Because¡­I can¡¯t¡­¡±


    After that, no matter how much she called for that voice, no response was forthcoming.


    Still, that didn¡¯t stop her from yelling for a good long while before finally accepting the fact that their Overlord wasn¡¯t going to help. Naturally, she had no way of knowing that it wasn¡¯t that their clan¡¯s Overlord didn¡¯t want to help, rather it was that he didn¡¯t dare to help.


    As for me, that brief brush with an Overlord was more than enough to set me on edge. Just because an Eight-star wasn¡¯t able to pierce through the defenses of my Devil King Idol, it didn¡¯t mean that a Nine-star wasn¡¯t able to. Furthermore, that was the first time I felt the aura of a Nine-star. While Lucifer¡¯s clone gave me his word that they wouldn¡¯t interfere in my conquest, there was still a slim chance¡­


    ¡°Blast it¡­¡± Meisian turned her fuming eyes back towards me, then turned around to glare at a decidedly lost Masrow. ¡°Whatever, I won¡¯t give up my blood either way.¡±


    Having stated her position clearly, Meisian rode off in her platform. While she might have left Masrow behind like that, it didn¡¯t mean that the Purgatory Shadows were now my subjects either. She was still the leader of the Purgatory Shadowcats. Plus, Masrow was just the head of the Elders¡¯ Consortium, there were still multiple levels above him, like those Great Elders and that Overlord. Furthermore, the fact that the Overlord kitty even spoke up at all showed that he was against my plans to subjugate the Purgatory Shadowcats.


    Lucifer¡¯s clone might have given me his assurance that those of the Overlord tier wouldn¡¯t interfere, but that was predicated on the fact that the Overlord still valued his life. If that Overlord truly didn¡¯t care about his life or that of his race, there really was no chance of me living¡­


    Since Meisian expressed her disinterest in the following matters, Masrow and I got down to discussing the next course of action. First, we had to work out the logistics of drawing out the blood I needed. Next came our mutual cooperation. That¡¯s right. Cooperation. The terms had changed from serving to cooperating.


    I didn¡¯t have the power of an Overlord yet. And even if my golems were strong, I wasn¡¯t all that keen about angering an Overlord, especially not after what I had just witnessed. Ferti¡¯nier had even taken this opportunity to remind me that an Eight-star wasn¡¯t even worth mentioning when compared to a Nine-star.


    Nine-stars all had Territories of their own. What was a Territory? Well, it was like having the laws of the world aiding you. This power and authority was a bootleg version of a divinity¡¯s realm. In some ways, possessing a Territory meant that one could exert limited control over the world¡¯s laws, kind of like a Path, or Dao, in those cultivation novels.


    Naturally, this control was limited to simple operations, but this was still a major step up in power.


    Every Territory was unique. That was because each Territory was linked to one¡¯s own natural talents. So how strong was a Nine-star? Ferti¡¯nier had this to say¡­


    While it was true that an Overlord¡¯s power had its limits as well -it couldn¡¯t just very well destroy all seven hundred of my golems in an instant- it could still inflict heavy casualties on them. Having done that, the Overlord could just run away to recover their strength before coming back to finish the job. It wasn¡¯t like I had the means to actually stop an Overlord from escaping. Only someone of the same strength could do that.


    In short, if I were to meet a particularly suicidal Overlord, I was done for.


    For the time being, I had Sinmosa and her family stand guard outside with the golems while I brought Mo Na and Jeerah into the castle.


    By using Meisian¡¯s name to contact Gaiuz, I was sure that blasted siscon would fly over in an instant. Without Meisian¡¯s own cooperation, all the blood had to be drawn from Gaiuz.


    Next, came the matter of the Warhorses. Masrow requested that Meisian broach this subject with their Overlord, who pretty quickly accepted the matter. Naturally, this came with conditions: I had to swear that I wouldn¡¯t find trouble with them in the future.


    But should some Purgatory Shadowcats find working under me attractive, there was nothing stopping them from serving me either. Given their lackadaisical nature however, I really didn¡¯t dare to let them handle any matter alone. And even if I were to throw something on them, they would most likely mess it up.


    If I needed someone to mess things up for me, these kitties were definitely the first choice. As for the rest¡­ ha ha ha.


    In other words, all that talk about allowing me to recruit volunteers was basically a joke. In some sense, I wasn¡¯t even sure if I should get them to help in the war against the Warhorses. But if not them, who else?


    Either way, the matter with the Purgatory Shadowcats was basically at an end. All I needed to do was to wait for Gaiuz to give me his blood. After ensuring that this matter was set in stone, I could then proceed on to the Hellhounds. As long as I had the Hellhounds on my side, those horses were basically in the bag.


    ¡°Sister! I¡¯m here, your older brother is here to see you¡­¡± In less than two days, that blasted siscon was already here. Before even entering the guest hall, I could already hear his cat voice echoing in my ears. ¡°So our little sister already misses her big brother, huh. I just knew that Anmi fellow wasn¡¯t dependable. I bet he¡¯s already dead on the platform, or maybe he has already run away¡­you¡­what are you doing here?!¡±


    Still seated atop his Elemental Segregation Platform and blathering on to himself when he entered the hall, Gaiuz¡¯s cat face immediately darkened when he saw who it was seated in the guest hall -me.


    ¡°You¡­you traitor!¡±


    Gaiuz immediately tried to ram me with his platform. But before Mo Na and Jeerah could step in to help, Masrow and the other elders already had the platform surrounded. With no other choice left, he stopped the platform and began eyeing his surroundings. Realising that Meisian was nowhere to be found, he glared back at me, eyes practically spitting fire as he yelled. ¡°Don¡¯t get in my way! And where¡¯s my little sister? She said she wanted to see me, so why isn¡¯t she here to welcome me?¡±


    ¡°Brother, you big dumb cat, what makes you think I would ever say that?!¡± Unexpectedly, Gaiuz¡¯s yelling actually brought out Meisian. The little black cat¡¯s voice came echoing from above. I raised my head to have a look and found her and Anmi descending from the ceiling on a miniature Elemental Segregation Platform. Before she had even landed, she was already expressing her displeasure at having Gaiuz here, ¡°How stupid can you be? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve already lost the ability to distinguish between a lie and the truth?¡±


    ¡°Little sister! Oh, how I¡¯ve missed you¡­¡± Gaiuz had clearly missed the barbs in her words. Right now, all he had in his head was the adorable little cat figure of his little sister.

 CHAPTER 371: BLOODLETTING

    Even though I couldn¡¯t get a clear look at what it was that Meisian threw over, I could clearly see the joy on Gaiuz¡¯s face, like he was a pet that had just received a treat from his master. ¡°Is this a present?¡±


    ¡°You could say that¡­ it¡¯s actually used to¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you, little sister, I¡¯ll treasure it forever.¡± Without even waiting for Meisian to finish speaking, Gaiuz had already broken out in tears of joy. ¡°weep¡­ my little sister is just too good to me¡­ I¡¯m so touched¡­ weep¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m sure she is¡­she treats you so well that she wants to drain your blood¡­ for health reasons, of course.¡¯


    With regards to his overreaction, Meisian could only roll her eyes in exasperation. ¡°Idiot, at least have a look at what it is first.¡±


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    ¡°weep As long as it¡¯s from my little sister, I will always treasure it¡­¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m trying to tell you to have a look at it first. It¡¯s for you to use, not treasure!¡±


    Just by how shrill she sounded, I could tell that she was at wit¡¯s end.


    ¡°For using?¡±


    Gaiuz paused for a second, then turned his eyes towards the object that Meisian tossed over. It was a needle attached to a cylindrical instrument. Just based on that, he could roughly tell what his little sister had in mind when she threw that to him.


    Gaiuz scratched his head in confusion then asked, ¡°Little sister, this seems to be an instrument for bloodletting.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s to drain your blood.¡± Meisian rolled her eyes once more in disdain then turned over to Masrow. ¡°Well, what are you waiting for?!¡±


    ¡°Do it!¡± Masrow was the first one to act. Like an arrow, he rushed up to Gaiuz¡¯s Elemental Segregation Platform, then with a firm paw, held Gaiuz down.


    Gaiuz had brought over a number of his own guardcats for this trip. Other than a dozen or so Four-stars and Five-stars, he even had two Six-star elder cats with him. Unfortunately, there were just too many elders on Masrow¡¯s side. Under normal circumstances, there was no way they would ever stand a chance. In the blink of a cat¡¯s eye, his entourage was subdued.


    ¡°Little sister¡­ what¡¯s the meaning of this? Don¡¯t tell me you wish to force me to marry you?¡± Despite being restrained, Gaiuz¡¯s brain seemed to be just as lively as ever with its delusions. ¡°If my little sister wants to marry me, she just has to ask, I definitely won¡¯t resist¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut it!¡± Meisian leaped down onto Gaiuz¡¯s Elemental Segregation Platform. Then with a long wind up of her cat paws, she gave a resounding pair of slaps on his face. ¡°Is your brain even working right?¡±


    Either way, whether or not he loved her didn¡¯t change the fact that Gaiuz was both a moron and had a screw loose in his head. Siscons truly couldn¡¯t be treated as people.


    Not Sasani, of course¡­not Sasani.


    ¡°Little sister, just one more slap, don¡¯t show mercy because I¡¯m your older brother¡­¡±


    ¡°Die, you pervert!¡±


    Even though Gaiuz had poured his heart out to Meisian, the truth was that she was on the verge of exploding already. She couldn¡¯t even be bothered to give him another look, let alone smack him. With a flip of her tiny cat body, she leapt back onto her own platform then made it ascend back up. Before leaving, she left behind these words, ¡°Masrow, go drain his blood. As long as he doesn¡¯t die, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Masrow dutifully accepted the command, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that he happily accepted the command.


    Unfortunately, the same couldn¡¯t be said of the two elder cats accompanying Gaiuz. Their duty was to protect Gaiuz. Should they allow him to just be drained of blood right in front of them, they could forget about ever finding another job in this cat world.


    ¡°No¡­¡± With no choice but to watch as Meisian left him, and with a decidedly eager Masrow sharpening his needle, Gaiuz finally realised how much trouble he was in right now. He immediately started wailing like a newborn cat. ¡°I don¡¯t want to have my blood drained¡­ save me¡­ elders, save me¡­¡±


    Hearing Gaiuz cry out for them like that, the two elder cats he brought over vigorously tried to break free of Meisian¡¯s elders. However, was there any cat who understood an elder more than another elder? Upon realising that these two elder cats were about to try and mount a daring rescue of their master, he tossed a look at his other elders. Perhaps it was because of their long years together as card buddies, his elders immediately understood what he meant without saying a word. Out of nowhere, the elders under him took out a bunch of black cards and tossed them in front of Gaiuz¡¯s two elders.


    The moment those black cards hit the ground with a cling, all the cats in the hall were immediately drawn to the source of the clings, even Gaiuz who was just wailing about not wanting to have his blood drained.


    ¡°Cards¡­¡± Seeing the wobbling cards slowly fall flat on the ground, the color on Gaiuz¡¯s face drained out of him faster than his blood ever could. Clearly, he knew what was about to happen.


    ¡°We¡¯re just playing cards here. We don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening at all.¡± Masrow¡¯s elder cats were the first to break the silence with what seemed like an indirect attempt at persuading them to surrender. And¡­ it worked¡­


    ¡°Sure, sure. It has been more than a day already since we last played cards. I swear, any longer and I would kill myself.¡±


    ¡°Well, now that we have cards, you don¡¯t have to.¡±


    Just as expected, Gaiuz¡¯s two elder cats promptly expressed their intention to choose cards over cat. Where did their sudden burst of bravery go? For them to be bribed by just a deck of cards¡­could their loyalty be any cheaper? Really, was there even anything I could say at this point?


    ¡°Mama, these kitties are just the best.¡± At this point, all my little baby needed was popcorn and this little comedy would be complete.


    It turned out that Jeerah was just as entertained by this sight as Mo Na. As that thick needle slowly went past his thighs and up to a certain region, one thing became clear. This instrument wasn¡¯t just an instrument to drain blood -it was an instrument to drain blood rectally. Absolutely delicious¡­


    ¡°Blasted Masrow¡­ I swear once I get out of this, you¡¯re gonna get it¡­oww¡­ don¡¯t be so rough¡­¡±


    ¡°!&*(5! You¡¯re definitely doing this on purpose!¡±


    ¡°An accident¡­ nothing but an accident. Oops, so sorry there, I think I missed again¡­¡±

 CHAPTER 372: A REUNION OF ENEMIES

    Just based on the fact that we only had Gaiuz to draw blood from, and we had to do it in a way that won¡¯t harm him, the bloodletting was bound to take a long time. With that in mind, we left for Hellhound territory first to discuss the matter of our alliance.


    Ever since that brief encounter with the Purgatory Shadowcats¡¯ Overlord, I knew that it was basically impossible to try and subjugate a clan with an Overlord looking after it. At the very least, with my current power level, there was no way I could convince them to fall in line. The best I could hope for was to do what I did with the Shadowcats: have them cooperate with me. In truth however, both of us had our own reservations, though it had to be said that their cooperation was an indirect submission to me.


    What came next then was to find out where the Hellhounds stood in this matter. If they weren¡¯t willing to help me, I could only rely on force to convince them. Even though their Overlord was still a problem, as long as that promise held true, he wouldn¡¯t dare act rashly lest his entire clan paid the price with him. If it was just a battle of Eight-stars, my own safety shouldn¡¯t be an issue with my Devil King Idol.


    Because I had no interest in seeing them drain Gaiuz¡¯s blood, I temporarily said goodbye to a sullen Meisian who was still angry with me. With Mo Na, Jeerah and Sinmosa¡¯s family in tow, we left for Hellhound territory.


    With Sinmosa leading the way, we took a week or so to reach her clan¡¯s territory.


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    Although creatures of Purgatory all had their own clans, it wasn¡¯t like each member of the clan had to live in the same habitat. Just like humans had their towns, every member had their own area in which their families stayed in. The Purgatory Shadowcats¡¯ three largest factions belonged to Meisian, Gaiuz and Weiderly, and none of them lived in the same area.


    There were many reasons for this arrangement, but the majority had to do with food and perhaps power disputes. Even though the Hellhounds had split into multiple factions, there was still a leader that ruled over them: their one and only Overlord. It just so happened that this Overlord lived in Sinmosa¡¯s pack settlement.


    Unlike the Purgatory Shadowcats who lived in castle towns, the Hellhounds made their habitat out of dugout caves in the mountains. Rather than settlements, it would be more accurate to describe their living space as a nest of caves.


    Before we even came within sight of this nest, the Hellhound in charge of patrolling the vicinity had already spotted us. Although, to be fair, over seven hundred golems marching together wasn¡¯t really the hardest to spot either, what with the mini tremors they caused with each step.


    ¡°Sinmosa! What are you doing back here¡­¡±


    Unexpectedly, Sasani was actually the first to react to this newcomer. Before Neanderke even came face to face with our party, he had already rushed forward to block the obviously excited Cerberus from approaching Sinmosa any further.


    ¡®Is that really Neanderke?¡¯


    ¡®The world really is a small place, huh¡­ for the first person to spot us to be an acquaintance¡­ I mean first dog¡­¡¯


    ¡®If I¡¯m not mistaken, he¡¯s the son of their elder, Sidarth, and the older cousin of Sinmosa and Sasani, not to mention an ardent pursuer of Sinmosa who was ultimately foiled by Sasani and left hanging like dogmeat.¡¯


    ¡®Still¡­for Sasani to even lay his paws on his own sister¡­ now that¡¯s a winner¡­¡¯


    ¡®Also, I thought Neanderke couldn¡¯t speak Devil tongue at all? Was our short absence actually enough time for him to pick it up? Or did something happen recently that suddenly caused him to become smarter? If there was anything that could ever fit that criteria, it would have to be Sinmosa and Sasani getting together and even giving birth to Cinderel¡­¡¯


    ¡®Then we have Sasani¡­ that useless dog is still only able to go woof and bark¡­ Thankfully, Sinmosa isn¡¯t the type of dog to go around attracting attention, else our Sasani can only bid a tearful goodbye to her.¡¯


    ¡°Sasani!¡± Neanderke had already planned out in his head the touching reunion with Sinmosa, only to be interrupted by that annoying dog of a younger cousin.


    As the saying went, nothing quite stirs a person like meeting an enemy. The moment Sasani and Neanderke laid eyes on each other, they entered into a glaring match. Had it not been for Sinmosa being here, I had no doubt that they would have already started fighting. One could only imagine how fervently he must have pursued Sinmosa in the past. Unfortunately for him, sometimes that¡¯s just how the river flowed. Was there nothing that could stop the march of the siscons?


    Suddenly, I realised a serious problem we faced because of those two siblings. Sinmosa never hesitated about bringing us back to her clan territory, but lest one forgot, their elder, Sidarth, said that they were never to return to the clan in exchange for keeping their marriage a secret. Even beasts had taboos about close relation marriages.


    Although this taboo wasn¡¯t up to the level of humans, such a relationship was still frowned upon. Honestly, had it not been for Neanderke I would have forgotten about this matter since she was so willing to lead us to her clan.


    In fact, ever since I evolved into a Fallen Angel, Sinmosa¡¯s attitude towards me had become more submissive. That¡¯s right, submissive, as if she was a subordinate of mine. Perhaps it was just me overthinking things. She might have had her own considerations for returning, but she was undoubtedly going to be under heavy pressure in the near future. Sometimes, words were a lot deadlier than weapons.


    Still, the fact that she led here anyway meant that she had the resolve to face what was coming. As for me, the best way for me to help her now was to protect her and Cinderel to my utmost abilities. As for Sasani¡­well, even his daughter thought he was useless, so best of luck, pal.

 CHAPTER 373: MEETING SIDARTH ONCE MORE

    ¡°You¡¯ve been with Sinmosa for so long and you still haven¡¯t learned a word of Devil tongue yet?¡± Neanderke mockingly eyed Sasani. ¡°Sinmosa is clearly a genius so how can you be stupid, I swear¡­¡±


    ¡°Woof!¡± Sasani angrily barked before charging at Neanderke without any further warning. His words just now had definitely crossed a line, that was probably why Sasani simply couldn¡¯t swallow this indignity.


    ¡°Come at me then!¡± Neanderke fiercely roared with all three of his head before charging back at his rival, not at all intending to back down from this challenge. ¡°Today is the day I¡¯ll show Sinmosa who is the real dog worthy of being by her side!¡±


    ¡®A dog worthy of being by her side? Fine, that was mean of me to make fun of dogs¡­¡¯


    Faced with their near instant aggression towards each other, Sinmosa had no intention of stepping in to pull apart these dogs. She merely pulled her daughter to the side and quietly watched them.


    One of the Cerberuses who was patrolling with Neanderke turned around and galloped off in the direction of their nest. In all likelihood, he was off to call for help. As for the last remaining Cerberus, he stayed behind to watch this spectacle play out, barking his encouragement from time to time.


    Both Sasani¡¯s and Neanderke¡¯s strength were roughly equal. In a fair fight between the two of them, it would be difficult to tell who would triumph in the end. The deciding factor would be how they played their cards.


    Yet even in a fight between Cerberuses, their match played out as would one expect a dog fight to play out. A bite here. A scratch there. At the very most, the both of them threw out a couple of fire breaths here and there to spice things up. Because there were three heads on each side involved in this fight, one could say that their aggression was tripled as well. That also meant that their strikes were three times as ferocious.


    Neither side had any intention of showing mercy to the other, yet their first clash still ended in a tie. Neanderke braced himself from the resulting impact, and with a fierce swipe of his claws, managed to land a decent strike on Sasani who couldn¡¯t dodge in time. Immediately, three tear marks appeared on his hide.


    Being the first to be injured in this fight, Sasani promptly stepped his game. With a flashy spurt of fire, he engulfed Neanderke¡¯s vision in a wall of flame, covering his approach in the process. By the time the flames died down enough for Neanderke to see, Sasani had already charged up to him, and with a vicious snap of his three jaws, bit down hard on the unsuspecting dog!


    With how vicious each of their attacks were, it was clear neither of them even considered holding back. Even the smallest of attacks was intended to draw blood. How was this supposed to be an argument? This was clearly a fight to the death!


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we stop them?¡± I wasn¡¯t particularly worried that Sasani would end up losing, I simply didn¡¯t want those two to continue duking it out like this. No matter who died in the end, my plan would be adversely affected.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, they won¡¯t die.¡± Surprisingly, Sinmosa was a lot calmer than I had expected. She reached out and gently rubbed little Cinderel on her head, then in an educating tone, said, ¡°If our little Cinderel ever encounters a situation where she has many suitors and can¡¯t decide on one, just let them fight it out like this. Only the winner has the right to be a mate.¡±


    ¡®Wait, so you¡¯re saying that whoever wins this fight, you will follow them?¡¯ Naturally, I didn¡¯t voice out that thought.


    However, she still managed to guess my thoughts from my eyes. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking. Even if Neanderke wins, I won¡¯t follow him.¡±


    ¡°In that case¡­ what¡¯s the point of this fight?¡±


    ¡°If we don¡¯t let them fight it out like this, we will have a lot of problems in the future.¡±


    Yet before I could ask what she meant by a lot of problems, their fight came to a close.


    It was Sasani¡¯s victory. Neanderke laid there lying on the ground, chest heaving with each breath and face pressed to the ground by Sasani¡¯s right paw.


    Both parties were covered in injuries, their blood falling to the ground with an audible drip amidst a noticeably quieter battlefield.


    ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you two chummy, getting into a fight like that right away.¡± A sturdy as a bull Cereberus came trotting into view. Behind him were a group of Four-stars and Five-stars. He gazed at the fallen Neanderke, then turned towards me, eyes straight like he was evaluating me. ¡°Your scent¡­ you¡¯re that Lust Demon?¡±


    ¡°Uncle¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t reply, instead, it was Sinmosa who first broke the silence with this large Cerberus, though her eyes were downcast. Despite being victorious, Sasani didn¡¯t dare gloat at all. He merely lifted off his paw and quietly stood to the side.


    ¡°You disgrace of a dog, get out of the way!¡± Sidarth barked at Neanderke, then left him to devices. He turned around to Sinmosa, and in a voice completely different than he just had, said, ¡°Sinmosa, you¡¯re back.¡±


    ¡®This presence¡­ so it¡¯s that old dog, Sidarth.¡¯ Perhaps because we were now in the presence of his clan, Sidarth wasn¡¯t as flippant as he last was when we met. Instead, he had the bearing you would expect of an elder.


    ¡°Elder Sidarth, we meet again.¡± I pulled Mo Na to me then greeted him while Jeerah stood behind me quietly.


    ¡°Woof woof~¡± I still had no way of understanding their language, but based on Cinderel¡¯s expression, my guess was that she just said hello to Sidarth.


    ¡°My precious little grandniece, don¡¯t you know how much your granduncle has missed you?¡± The moment he laid eyes on Cinderel, his old dog eyes practically teared up with joy. From the looks of it, he was extremely fond of the little puppy.


    While on the topic of her daughter, Sinmosa had a brief chat with Sidarth before finally turning to the purpose of our visit. ¡°Uncle, we¡¯ve returned this time in order to¡­¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s better if I explained it.¡± I interrupted her then took a couple of steps forward. Sidarth had already seen the golems we brought with us but hadn¡¯t brought it up at all. I had no clue as to what he was thinking now, but I had no desire to guess either. Thus, I stated exactly what our goals were. ¡°I hope to gain the Hellhound¡¯s support. I wish to declare war against the Warhorses!¡±


    ¡°Declare war against the Warhorses?¡± Sidarth threw me a bemused but searching look. ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re saying right now? Even though I don¡¯t know what has happened to cause you to change from a Lust Demon to a Fallen Angel, you¡¯re still just a Four-stars. And you wish to declare war on the Warhorses? Are you sure about that?¡±


    ¡°Positive.¡±


    Sidarth chuckled. ¡°Based on what?¡±

 CHAPTER 374: AN INVITATION

    ¡°Them?¡± Sidarth nonchalantly swept his eyes across the golem army. ¡°They seem slow, are you sure they are even usable?¡± He narrowed his eyes as he emphasized that last point.


    ¡°Do you want to try them out then?¡±


    Faced with that obvious challenge, Sidarth had only one answer to give. He immediately charged at one of the Winged Abyssal Golems and fired off his Raging Flame Charge without any warning. Unlike Sinmosa¡¯s own version, his was several times stronger. As the flames roared around him, the air visibly warped from the sheer heat he generated.


    In what felt like an instant, Sidarth crossed a distance of one hundred meters and crashed into the Winged Abyssal Golem only to have a big load of nothing happen¡­ Other than Sidarth being tossed to the ground from the rebounding force of the collision, nothing else happened.


    ¡°Blast it.¡± The fact that an elder like him couldn¡¯t even damage the golem had definitely frustrated him.


    In fact, he wasted no time in launching another attack at the golem who had barely budged an inch till now. However, this time was no different from the first: failure.


    With its defenses comparable to an Eight-star, could a Six-star Cerberus like Sidarth even leave a scratch on it? Clearly, not. Like an ant trying to topple an elephant¡­


    Still, that didn¡¯t deter him from throwing whatever he had at the still unharmed golem. A wave of furious clawing and bites later, the golem¡¯s defenses still prevailed. His maniacal attacking might not have caused any damage to the golem, but it slowly began to change my opinion of him.


    ¡®What the potato?! I¡¯m still standing here. You actually dare to disrespect my golems right in front of my face?!¡¯


    Yet before I could give the command to teach this unruly dog a lesson, Mo Na had already taken the initiative. A clarion voice rang out from my side. ¡°What are you standing there for? Attack!¡±


    With Mo Na¡¯s command, the golem finally acted. It suddenly lifted its left leg and kicked the offending dog away. However, its speed was just too slow. Coupled with the fact that Sidarth still hadn¡¯t lost his senses, it didn¡¯t take much for him to detect the golem¡¯s hostility. With a twist of his body, he forcefully halted his charge and narrowly avoided the golem¡¯s foot.


    ¡°You dare fight back?!¡±


    At the same time that the golem¡¯s leg flew past him, Sidarth took the opportunity to claw at it. Unfortunately, this achieved nothing.


    ¡°Uncle!¡± Perhaps it was because she noticed my increasingly foul mood, Sinmosa used this brief window to shout from afar at her uncle. ¡°Come back, Uncle, those golems are far too tough, normal attacks won¡¯t do much against them.¡±


    ¡°Tough? How tough?¡±


    That lap was mainly to lord his speed superiority over the golem. When he approached the golem¡¯s range, it instinctively threw out a punch at him but only ended up hitting his aftershadow. It was a brilliant move on his part. At the very least, this act managed to salvage some of the face he lost after that beating.


    ¡°That winged golem¡¯s defenses are almost equal to an Eight-star¡¯s. I once saw a Nightmare Steed strike it and fail to leave a mark¡­¡±


    Sinmosa briefly recounted our fight with the Warhorses. When she finished, the old dog fell silent.


    ¡°So you¡¯ve even met a Nightmare Steed, how did you all survive then¡­¡±


    ¡°We did bump into three Nightmare Steeds, but they couldn¡¯t handle us. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that neither of us could¡­¡±


    Sidarth looked into her eyes for a long while. Finally, he said, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that I watched you grow up myself, I would¡¯ve thought that you were lying. Based on the strength you all have right now, it should be impossible to escape from three Nightmare Steeds, unless¡­¡±


    ¡°Sidarth, bring our guests to me.¡± Before Sidarth could finish his sentence, a wizened voice boomed from the direction of the Hellhounds¡¯ nest. The moment they heard this voice, all the Hellhounds present all prostrated themselves, as if they had just received a divine commandant.


    ¡°Understood, clan master.¡± Sidarth solemnly stood up then bowed in the direction of their nest. He then turned around and said, ¡°Follow me, our clan master wishes to speak to you.¡±


    ¡°Clan master?¡± If that was the clan master, then he had to be very old. Furthermore, based on the reverent behavior Sidarth displayed, that clan master might even be an Overlord.


    However, what made it even clearer that this clan master was an Overlord was the way it transmitted that message; it was similar to the Overlord of the Purgatory Shadowcats.


    Seeing that I wasn¡¯t responding, Sinmosa leaned into my ears and whispered, ¡°The clan master is a Nine-star Overlord¡­¡±


    ¡®So he is an Overlord¡­but what is he planning?¡¯


    Regardless of what he had in mind, I still had Lucifer¡¯s clone on my side. That meant that these Overlords didn¡¯t dare raise a finger against me. And since no Eight-star could break through the defenses of my Devil King Idol, I should be fine as long as I kept my guard up. However, just as a precaution, I decided to meet this clan master alone.


    ¡°Baby, Papa is going in for a while, he¡¯ll be back soon.¡± I ruffled her little noggin then kissed her on the forehead. ¡°Be good. Wait for Papa over here.¡±


    ¡°Mama, Mo Na wants to go as well.¡±


    Ever the headstrong one, she immediately voiced her desire to come along, but this trip was too dangerous; I didn¡¯t wish to put my little baby in danger so this was the decision I came to after long deliberation.


    ¡°Be good, Mo Na, Papa won¡¯t take too long.¡±


    ¡°But, Mama¡­ why must you go in alone?¡± She clung onto my thighs and looked up at me in confusion. ¡°If Mama wants to go in, why not bring everyone along as well?¡±


    ¡®Bring those golems into their nest? They will never allow it, and even if they did, that size of theirs¡­¡¯ It had to be said that the nest of the Hellhounds was just enough for a Winged Abyssal Golem to enter. Such a cramped space wasn¡¯t a good environment for battling at all.


    As for why I had to meet this Overlord, the reasons were simple. I needed their cooperation to defeat the Warhorses, grab a Nightmare Steed Horn, then subjugate them. Even though the Hellhounds and Warhorses always had some friction between them, this was different. Once they chose to help, it was officially war. Details had to be ironed out, lest they ended up being the ones who had to bear the brunt of the Warhorses alone.


    While I could just tell them that I had the strength to smash those blasted horses if not for their speed, this might lead them to think that I was just boasting. And even if I demonstrated my golems¡¯ might to them, they might still hold some doubts. In such a case, I might end up in the same situation as when I visited the Purgatory Shadowcats. That was definitely not what I wanted. I wasn¡¯t confident about taking on an Overlord, and there was the matter of Sinmosa¡¯s feelings to consider as well.


    ¡°Baby, just wait for Papa here.¡± I gently hugged her then whispered, ¡°Look after those golems.¡±


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    Even though my reminder wasn¡¯t particularly explicit, my clever little girl could probably guess my meaning. And she did. Upon hearing that reminder, her eyes lit up. She broke into a grin then kissed me. ¡°Got it, Mo Na will be good.¡±


    ¡®Seems like she got the message. If I don¡¯t come out after a long time, she will lead my golem army into their nest and cause a ruckus. Even without the Devil King Idol, my Seven-star Winged Abyssal Golems should be more than enough to give them a headache.¡¯


    ¡°Jeerah, you stay behind as well. Help me look after Mo Na.¡±


    ¡°Got it, master, you be careful as well.¡± Jeerah smiled gently in my direction, clearly in agreement with my decision. ¡°I¡¯ll wait here quietly for your return.¡±


    With that done, I nodded at Sinmosa then followed Sidarth towards the towering mountain ahead filled with a cave.

 CHAPTER 375: A GIANT DOG

    It had to be said that the Hellhounds were exceptional at digging holes. The entrance of the nest was well excavated with a height reaching up to ten or so meters. As one walked deeper in, the cave extended ever further and wider.


    Within the cave itself, the walls were dotted with stones that glowed intermittently with a red light. Even though Devils were born with night vision, the thought of having such rocks in the rock walls was still a welcome and intriguing one.


    Sidarth quietly led the way further into the cave, showing no intention of speaking at all as he did so. Up till now, I hadn¡¯t been able to gather much information on the Hellhound clan. All I knew was that their clan head was an Overlord, and a rather old one at that. Also, he wanted to see me. That was basically it.


    Thinking back on it now, my decision to just meet with an Overlord like this was probably a little haphazard, but this was also an opportunity I couldn¡¯t just give up on. I had to make contact with them.


    If everything went as planned, this first meeting should be all we needed to come to an understanding. Naturally, that wasn¡¯t a realistic goal, but it was the most beneficial outcome for the both of us.


    The nest was guarded by multiple Hellhounds hidden away in the dark. While they might have hid themselves well, I could still clearly sense their aura. In all likelihood, this was done on purpose. Perhaps as a sign of force? Or was there some other reason? It shouldn¡¯t be to ambush me, right?


    With that in mind, I instinctively reached out to the Gem of Authority hung around my neck and felt a wave of confidence wash over me. Even if they were to attack me all of a sudden, as long as I had the Devil King Idol on hand, I was safe.


    This nest was dug out of an entire mountain. Its interior was like a spiderweb of tunnels. Often, we would stumble upon a Hellhound hurriedly galloping out of a side tunnel, then after realising that Sidarth was present, bow before rushing off to the next tunnel. Each time this occurred, Sidarth made sure to put forth his best impression of a stern, respectable elder. The dog I saw before me right now was completely different from that flippant old dog I first met long ago. In fact, had it not been for the fact that his aura was completely identical to Sidarth, and that Sinmosa herself had confirmed his identity, I would have never thought that he was the same dog. After all, this dog actually seemed like an elder!


    Because the nest itself was a complex web of tunnels, it didn¡¯t take much for my head to start spinning from all the turns and curves we took while navigating, especially for a directionally handicapped person like me. It was against such a backdrop that Sidarth finally stopped, turned around, then signalled that we had arrived.


    That platform immediately grabbed attention, because there stood a Cerberus the size of an elephant and completely covered in black fur¡­ actually an elephant¡¯s size¡­


    Sidarth bowed at the gigantic Cerberus from a distance away, then said, ¡°Honored Clan Head, Sidarth has brought guests.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, you may excuse yourself for now.¡± It was merely a light response on the gigantic dog¡¯s part, but it came at me like a shockwave, ratting my ears like an explosion would.


    I immediately covered my ears tightly and bit down on my teeth. As I tried my best to withstand the resulting surge of pain from my ears, I was completely oblivious to the departure of Sidarth. By the time I noticed he was gone, there was only me and that gigantic Cerberus.


    ¡°My apologies for not controlling my power well.¡± The clan head sincerely apologized. Yet why did it feel like that was on purpose? Speaking of which, was there ever a need to control his power? Did he think he was the creator or something? If your voice was actually that powerful, you wouldn¡¯t even be here! You¡¯re just a single Hellhound, one who just so happens to be a Nine-star Overlord! In other words, he was clearly trying to embarrass me just now!


    Seeing that I was silent till now, the old dog merely chuckled. ¡°Now then, my adorable young friend, do you have time for a little chat?¡±


    ¡®Hmph, you¡¯re the one who called me here in the first place, and you¡¯re asking if I have time? Are you senile as well as loud?!¡¯


    ¡°Oh, where are my manners? I almost forgot that I was the one who called you here. Forgive this old dog, he¡¯s getting a little old so he can be a little slow at times.¡± Having said that, he gave me a cheeky wink with what had to be the fiercest three pairs of eyes ever. ¡°Sigh, when you¡¯re old you just can¡¯t compete with the youngins anymore. An old dog¡¯s life isn¡¯t easy, I hope you won¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡®As if I could¡­¡¯


    I quickly shook my head to show that I didn¡¯t mind at all. He could do whatever he wanted for all I cared.


    Perhaps it was because the expression I had on right now was truly amusing, but the moment he saw it, he chuckled once more. ¡°It¡¯s inconvenient to talk from such a distance, how about you come closer? Or should I head over instead? Hmm¡­I think I¡¯ll just head on over.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I think I¡¯ll go over to you instead¡­¡±


    ¡®You come over? There¡¯s at least thirty meters between us right now, how do you plan on coming over without wings? Jump? With that gigantic body of yours, you will probably end up flattening me if you do, or at least cause a mini earthquake. I think I better go over instead.¡¯


    Thankfully, my recent flight training had paid off. I was already able to maintain basic control of my flight path and balance. Still, the fact that I was flying so low to the ground meant that there was no way to avoid the heat emanating from the lava pool. I had to admit, being next to the lava pool and being on top of it were two different experiences entirely. No wonder we always cooked meat on top of a grill and not beside it¡­ Right now, my race was that of a Fallen Angel¡¯s. As a Fallen Angel, my greatest elemental weakness was fire.


    Thankfully, the distance between the clan head and land wasn¡¯t too large. It merely took ten seconds of flying to reach him.


    Bracing myself once more, I landed back on the ground, and after stabilizing myself, came face to face with a wall of black fur¡­ this dog was BIG¡­ There was that characteristic wild beast smell about him as well¡­ and those three frightening rows of teeth¡­


    ¡°So¡­ how about we get down to business¡­¡± I was a little skittish standing before such a behemoth, like how a normal person would feel when standing before a tiger.


    ¡°I felt it.¡± The gigantic dog replied with a completely irrelevant answer.


    ¡°Felt what?¡± I was surprised. ¡®What did you feel exactly? And what¡¯s with this pressure? I swear I¡¯ve grown shorter just standing next to you¡­¡¯

 CHAPTER 376: RESTRICTIONS

    The new world possesses little in the way of humans who are strong physically. For the time being, there has been no way of determining if Fighter¡¯s Aura exists in this world¡­ The laws of this world are unusual. There is no mana, but there is a strange energy that we aren¡¯t able to analyze for now¡­ Only the skeletons are able to make it through the dimensional rift right now, but they are weak and the humans of this world possess a weapon capable of wiping out large quantities of skeletons¡­ We¡¯re currently trying to bring zombies through the rift¡­ We beseech your Highness, please send more reinforcements while the rift is being widened for the zombies¡­


    ¡ªLog from an invader of the new world


    ¡°That cat?¡± The moment I said that, I realised how unnecessary my question was. For a Cerberus at his level, the only cat he would ever refer to had to be the Overlord of those kitties.


    The clan head gave me a bemused look. ¡°If I¡¯m not wrong, you should have just come from their territory. How was it? I hope that little cat didn¡¯t cause you too many problems.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, I still managed to get what I wanted in the end.¡± Speaking of my goals, I suddenly remembered what were my motives for coming here in the first place. His oppressive aura had caused me to lose the initiative but it was time for me to retake it.


    Lifting my head, I stared right into the eyes of the clan head¡¯s center head. I focused on him for a moment then finally spoke up. ¡°To be honest, I made this trip in the hopes that I could get your clan¡¯s assistance. I need a horn from a Nightmare Steed but I doubt they will hand it over easily. My golems are strong but their weakness is obvious¡­¡±


    ¡°So how do you want us to assist you?¡±


    ¡°My forces can handle the brunt of the fighting. What I need is for your clan to restrain them, preventing them from retreating and forcing them to fight me head-on.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re confident you can beat them head-on?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not confidence, I know for a fact that they won¡¯t be a problem¡­¡± Even though I wasn¡¯t just boasting, I still couldn¡¯t help but hesitate a little at that point as I gazed into his eyes. ¡°Assuming their Overlord doesn¡¯t come out to cause trouble.¡±


    ¡°I doubt their Overlord would dare.¡± To my slight surprise, he was the one to broach this topic first. ¡°An exalted personage made his presence known to us recently. His holiness forbade me from interfering, though he never told me why. Having seen you now, the reason has become clear to me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I did in fact receive the care of that exalted person. He gave me the mission of conquering Sable Radiance, and even said that the other Overlords won¡¯t interfere while I did so¡­¡±


    ¡°I remember Sidarth mentioning not long ago that he bumped into a rather interesting fellow. According to him, you were a Lust Demon back then. To think you¡¯ve actually changed into a Fallen Angel¡­ In all my long years, I¡¯ve never seen another Devil evolve into a Fallen Angel, not even in the records of my clan. Normally, most Devils would only evolve into one of the five Original Sins: Wrath, Lust, Envy, Gluttony and Greed. Normally, most Devils would also only possess one of the Five Original Sins. As for you¡­ I feel the presence of three Sins within you. Truly remarkable.¡±


    My first instinct was to deny my own uniqueness, but after careful consideration, I realised that there was no need to hide this fact either. There was no point to such petty trickery, and the fact of the matter was that an Overlord deserved this level of basic respect.


    ¡°My situation is rather special¡­¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Ever since you¡¯ve arrived, there has been a steady stream of other Devils appearing as well. I was just wondering if you had unlocked some kind of magical array? Or perhaps something else?¡± He gave me an inquisitive look, one that almost gave me the impression that I was under some sort of microscope as he swept his eyes over me.


    ¡°Their appearance does in fact have something to do with me. Long story short, I was born for this very¡­purpose¡­¡± Having said that, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a weighty sensation on me. Now that I thought about it, it felt like my entire life was entwined in some massive web, and that no matter what I tried, that web would always force me along the route it wanted.


    Lucifer was basically the creator of Devils, and in contrast, I was just a nobody. Yet even someone insignificant like me was now employed in his schemes¡­ Truly, one could never say what fate had in store for you.


    In fact, I was beginning to wonder if my reincarnation into this world was also part of some conspiracy. If it was, what could I use to resist their schemes? The same weapons which they themselves gave me? What a joke, I should just stick to my role, that would be a lot safer.


    ¡°Oh right, are there any Demigods in Sable Radiance?¡±


    It had to be said that this subject of who was the strongest in Sable Radiance was still of interest to me. If all the Overlords were restricted by Lucifer¡¯s words, then it would stand to reason that anyone above their tier would as well. Based on what I¡¯ve seen so far, there should have been a Devil King in the past. However, that was merely my conjecture, it was still more prudent to ask someone in the know.


    ¡°You mean a Devil King?¡± He immediately shook his heads. ¡°It¡¯s impossible for a Devil King to exist in Sable Radiance. At the very least, it¡¯s impossible now.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because this entire region had restrictions placed on it by that exalted presence.¡±


    ¡°Restrictions?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, restrictions. The laws of this place have been restricted.¡± At that, the clan head sighed. ¡°Before his exalted might, we are nothing but ants¡­¡±


    ¡°I do not understand¡­¡±

 CHAPTER 377: AN AGREEMENT REACHED

    Regardless of whether or not I understood the reasoning behind the restriction, what mattered was whether I could change the current situation.


    In the eyes of the Hellhounds¡¯ clan head, I was just such a person.


    ¡°Based on all the Devils streaming into Sable Radiance, the seal on this region should have been loosened. All this¡­because of you, if I¡¯m not mistaken.¡±


    Ever since I appeared, there had been a great deal of changes in Sable Radiance. For him to reach this answer was only to be expected. In some ways, he might have seen me as a Messiah.


    ¡°That was me.¡± There was no need to hide this from him. There was no reason to, nor was there any benefit either.


    ¡°So your main goal is to cause trouble for those Warhorses?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°And those insane cats agreed to help you?¡±


    ¡°They did say they will help me.¡± Even though I wasn¡¯t sure how reliable they were, they did actually promise to help me; I was even allowed to freely recruit any cat who wanted to join me. Their reliability was still an issue, but the fact that they allowed me to do so was a recognition of my status. Our relationship was technically one of cooperation: they helped me with the Warhorses while I promised to never harass them. Because there was no formal pact signed, this was more of a gentleman¡¯s agreement.


    ¡°In that case, you can count us in as well.¡± The clan head looked me in the eyes before stating his approval. ¡°To be honest with you, our clan has always had disagreements with the Warhorses, this might just be an opportune chance to tilt the scales in our favor permanently.¡±


    While he might have said, I could roughly tell that that wasn¡¯t his only reason for helping. It was the slim chance of perhaps being able to evolve.


    The clan head was well ahead in his years. Unless something was to change now, his lifespan would most likely expire soon. The only way to extend his life would be to evolve into a demigod. Before my arrival, there were no Devils of the demigod tier because Lucifer¡¯s clone, for some unfathomable reason, decided to restrict their evolution while in this region. The seal on Sable Radiance was basically a dead seal, at least till I arrived¡­


    The clan head might have not said so explicitly, but he probably thought of me as some bigshot¡¯s ******* son or something. He might have even thought that this entire Sable Radiance seal was prepared just for me¡­ Well, all that didn¡¯t matter. What mattered was that the situation worked in my favor.


    Having concluded our discussion, and having come to his own conclusion about my special situation, the clan head not only agreed to help, he also allowed me to recruit the Hellhounds as well. In fact, he even threw out one more casual proposition. ¡°My lady, have you ever considered finding a mate from our clan? Our males are famously loyal to their mates. In terms of family, they¡­¡±


    ¡°Then our females are also¡­¡±


    ¡°I have someone in mind already.¡±


    ¡°Devils have never been a stickler about having only one mate, so we don¡¯t mind as well¡­¡±


    ¡®Even if you don¡¯t mind, I do!¡±


    ¡°Sigh, such a pity¡­if only Sinmosa wasn¡¯t a pair with Sasani¡­¡±


    ¡®Wait! So you were planning to match me with Sinmosa?! Why the fur do I have to marry a black dog? And why me?!¡¯


    ¡°And even if I were to choose a dog, I would choose Violet Snow! They might both be dogs, but Violet Snow¡¯s habit of only eating souls suits me more¡­ Hold on, why am I even thinking about this?¡¯


    ¡®Be calm, be calm.¡¯


    I firmly refused his offer. Even if he was an Overlord, there was no way I would allow him to have a say in my future marriage. ¡®Hmph, you think you can stick your nose into my business just because you¡¯re an Overlord? Dream on!¡¯


    As part of our agreement, the clan head agreed to send a large force of Hellhound warriors to aid me in my conquest. Because I still had to coordinate with the Purgatory Shadowcats, we couldn¡¯t leave directly for the Warhorses. Instead, we agreed upon a future meeting point, then having done so, the clan head had Sidarth lead me out of the nest. It was still a head spinning mess of a journey, but for some reason, it felt significantly faster than before.


    By the time I returned to the entrance of their clan¡¯s nest, Sinmosa was still there, surrounded by a large bunch of male dogs. In front of her was a decidedly unamused Sasani who glared at any Hellhound who even dared take a step forward. Unfortunately, these dogs all had hides thicker than the other -his glare was basically useless.


    Standing a safe distance away, Mo Na was happily watching the scene unfold while hugging onto Cinderel, as if she was some kind of teenage girl watching a romance movie. Jeerah was basically in the same state as well. In short, none of them noticed when Sidarth and I approached them.


    ¡°Woof woof!¡± Sasani howled before forcefully shoving a few of the dogs who tried to approach his wife. Unfortunately, his opponents weren¡¯t exactly pushovers either. They howled just as menacingly back at him like a declaration of war.


    ¡°Fight. Fight. Whoever wins, gets the bride!¡±


    As expected of my little chaos incarnate, even with Cinderel snugly in her arms, she didn¡¯t forget to sow discord in this world. With a pump of her tiny fist and a yell of her taunting voice, she turned a simple disagreement into an all-out war for marriage.


    Jeerah was gleefully giggling at the side. Clearly, she was just as delighted by the drama as Mo Na. Sinmosa wanted to stop the fight, but for some reason, she chose not to act; perhaps there were some rules governing matters of mating.


    Only little Cinderel was left entirely out of the loop as she innocently watched her father argue with a bunch of dogs she didn¡¯t know. In all likelihood, she was probably wondering to herself why her father was even fighting with them.


    However, it wasn¡¯t just Mo Na who was egging on this fight. The rest of the Hellhounds were busy cheering on with their piercing howls as if they were just aching for a bloodbath to happen.


    ¡°You lot had better behave!¡± With a fight just about to break out, Sidarth hurriedly rushed forward to put a stop to the argument.


    Hearing that, Sasani and another Cerberus begrudgingly stepped away from each other. Before turning around however, they made sure to give each other one last death stare as if they were saying to each other: I dare you not to go home right away, we¡¯ll meet in the field at the back of the school!


    Naturally, now that Sidarth was here, there was no way they could ever fight, because there was something more important awaiting them. For example, fighting the Warhorses¡­


    ¡°Mama!¡± Mo Na came barrelling into my arms as if she hadn¡¯t seen me for an entire year. With a little flap of her wings, she brought herself up to my level and began rubbing against my face. ¡°What took you so long?!¡±


    I gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead then proceeded to ruffle Cinderel¡¯s furry little head. ¡°I¡¯ve only been away for a short while and you already miss your papa?¡±


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    ¡°Mo Na misses her Mama!¡± Mo Na stretched her neck to give me a return kiss then brought Cinderel up to my face. ¡°Cinderel says she wants a kiss too.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, Cinderel¡­ that¡¯s enough licking¡­ hahaha¡­¡±


    Having played with the two little scamps for a while longer, I then said farewell to Sidarth. ¡°I¡¯ll head on over to the Purgatory Shadowcats first to rally their army. You guys make your preparations as well, we¡¯ll meet in one month.¡±


    Our goal was to score a decisive victory against the Warhorses right away. To do that, we would need a lot of soldiers, and that meant that the preparation time was long as well.


    ¡°Got it.¡± Sidarth nodded non-commitantly, clearly in the mood to see us off.¡±


    ¡°Jeerah, Sinmosa, Sasani. It¡¯s time to go.¡±


    ¡°Uncle, we¡¯re off.¡±


    Having acknowledged my call, Sinmosa quietly walked up to her uncle and said her farewell. The old dog looked tenderly into her eyes, but seeing as the rest of the clan was present and he had an image to keep up, he merely told her to stay safe before scolding Sasani.


    Faced with this last round of scolding, Sasani had no choice but to keep his dog heads lowered, even as he spotted a grinning Neaderke watching from the sides. It wouldn¡¯t be an understatement to say that his doggy self was about to explode right now, but too bad for him, Sidarth was his elder, so he had to suck it up. Thus with tears in his eyes, Sasani bade farewell to Sidarth as well.


    ¡®I just hope that Sidarth doesn¡¯t get the wrong idea there¡­¡¯

 CHAPTER 378: A TILE TO DECIDE VICTORY

    By the time I returned to Meisian¡¯s castle, I found its owner decidedly still mad at me -I probably had Anmi¡¯s bedside talk to blame for that. Some time had passed since we started drawing blood from Gaiuz. Roughly a third of what was needed had been drawn, but because we wanted to avoid causing any permanent harm to him, we couldn¡¯t draw any faster than we already had.


    The Hellhounds still needed some time to gather their troops. This was a battle that would decide the future prosperity of their races, so a bit of caution was only to be expected. Thankfully, war between creatures of Purgatory was a lot simpler than human wars. There was no need for an orderly mobilisation, nor was there a need for supply lines.


    The army itself could supply itself as it travelled, so food wasn¡¯t our biggest constraint right now. What had me worried the most, on the other hand, was the relationship between the Hellhounds and the Purgatory Shadowcats. While it would entertain immensely to see a bunch of cats and dogs duke it out, they were now my allies in the upcoming war, allies who weren¡¯t on the best terms with each other.


    What was the old saying again? Cats climb the wall, Dogs crawl through the hole -that saying didn¡¯t just come out of nowhere. The bad blood between these two races was only to be expected, but that didn¡¯t mean that reconciliation wasn¡¯t necessary or possible. Upon reconvening with the cats of the Elders¡¯ Consortium, I took out my number one trump card: Mahjong!


    Mahjong was without a doubt the perennial pastime of the Chinese on Earth. How many sleepless nights were endured just for that one extra round of Mahjong? Truly an obsession.


    The moment I casually mentioned this game and casually demonstrated a round before these cats, their eyes lit up. No longer was I Passerby A, instead I had become an idol to them! That¡¯s right, I was now a Devil to be worshipped, because I had brought them a game to play!


    It was worth noting that whether it was cards or Mahjong, the cats of the Elders¡¯ Consortium always played with their signature black tiles. I had to say, the sound of those weighty black Mahjong tiles slamming down on the ground brought back fond memories¡­


    Because Mahjong was a four-person game while the Elders¡¯ Consortium was made up of nine cats, that meant only two groups could be formed at one time. The last remaining cat had to watch from the side till a loser was decided from one of the groups¡­ Watching a bunch of cats play Mahjong was surprisingly fun¡­


    ¡°Mama, why do those cats always play with the tiles floating in the air?¡±


    Mo Na had recently become addicted to Mahjong as well. She would often drag along Jeerah, Sinmosa and me to form a Mahjong table. Because we didn¡¯t have the ability to float our tiles, we could only play on said table.


    Surprisingly, the Mahjong-playing cats were more than happy to oblige. Masrow looked at her kindly, then patiently explained, ¡°This is one of the unique abilities of our clan. By using our mana as a medium, we can employ our psychic energies to control objects remotely, like how a paw would. We call this ability Formless Paw.¡±


    ¡°Formless Paw¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t help but perk my ears up at that revelation. ¡°But why haven¡¯t I seen other Purgatory Shadowcats use this Formless Paw ability?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you can only learn this ability after reaching Six-star.¡± Having said that, Masrow puffed out his chest and began explaining how exceptional their abilities truly were. That ultimately led to even his fellow cats getting a little impatient with him. ¡°Masrow, can you just throw out your tile already?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the big rush? I still haven¡¯t seen which was the previous tile thrown out¡­¡±


    ¡°It was a Nine Numbers.¡±


    ¡°Nine Numbers, huh¡­ Hold on, who threw out that One Coin?¡±


    ¡°Me. Why?¡± The player directly opposite of Masrow eyed him curiously. Upon realising that Masrow was intently eyeing that single tile, the rest of the cats reacted as well. Don¡¯t tell me you want to Pong?¡±


    ¡°Not Pong, I¡¯m about to win.¡± Masrow stretched out his paws to reach for the One Coin thrown out two turns ago. Unfortunately, he was immediately stopped by two other elders.


    The player before Masrow slapped away Masrow¡¯s paw and snapped, ¡°I already threw out a tile, that One Coin isn¡¯t legal!¡±


    ¡°Well then, take back your Nine Numbers. That One Coin is mine!¡±


    ¡°Masrow, you¡¯d better behave yourself. We even asked you if you wanted that tile and you ignored us! You have no one else to blame but yourself.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t hear it. Doesn¡¯t count!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as taking back the tile you threw out. What was that saying again? Something something gone?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s gone once it sees the light of day.¡± Mo Na eagerly reminded that elder, as if she was afraid she would miss the opportunity to cause more chaos. ¡°You can¡¯t take back a tile you threw out, once it¡¯s out, it¡¯s gone.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! It¡¯s gone!¡±


    Faced with three other angry players, Masrow had no choice but to back down. However, that didn¡¯t stop him from rudely glaring me at me. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder then, it¡¯s just a game, why hate me for it? Also, it was Mo Na who got in your way, not me¡­ Forget it, at least you¡¯re glaring at me and not my daughter.


    It was only later that I learnt an interesting fact: Masrow¡¯s combat strength was basically the worst amongst all of them. The only reason he was the Head Elder was because his card skills were amazing¡­ in other words, their ranking was decided by cards¡­ Well, that sure made things awkward for our upcoming battle of historical proportions. Assuming there was even a Devil who recorded history.


    Either way, I now had their elders in the bag so working together with the Hellhounds should be a lot smoother.


    Just like that, a span of one month passed by in an instant. During this period of preparation, we contacted the Hellhounds multiple times. Upon confirming the meeting point, I led my seven hundred over golems to the borderlands between the Hellhounds and the Warhorses. Along with us, marched one thousand five hundred Purgatory Shadowcats.


    Because she was still mad at me, Meisian chose to sit out this attack. But even with that slight disagreement between, she was still a little tempted at first. However, the moment she saw Anmi eagerly volunteer to fight, she knew something was up, thus she promptly chose to stay behind and perform some kitty procreation.

 CHAPTER 379: MEETING UP

    The Purgatory Shadowcats could be said to be polar opposites of the Hellhounds in how they lived. The Hellhounds lived as packs while a significant portion of Purgatory Shadowcats lived alone. That was why the Hellhounds tended to have greater numbers than their feline counterparts. Consequently, their territory tended to be larger as well. Yet that didn¡¯t mean that the Purgatory Shadowcats were weak in a fight either. While they might not have the numbers to invade others, they were more than adequate at defending their own territory. This could be said to be their clan¡¯s culture, just like how a cat¡¯s willfulness could be said to be ingrained in their nature.


    More importantly however, the Purgatory Shadowcats really had no time for invasions. They would much rather spend their time on daily tasks. Furthermore, they had grown accustomed to living in a cat-made environment. Asking them to camp outside was like asking a cat who had perfectly good home to live on the streets -stupid.


    The Eight-star grand elder cat didn¡¯t travel along with the rest of the army. With their esteemed position, they naturally wouldn¡¯t be playing cards with the likes of Masrow and the other ordinary elder cats either. In all likelihood, a cat like that would only appear once we got into a fight with the Nightmare Steeds. Strictly speaking, this cat was the main star of the upcoming battle.


    We didn¡¯t have to wait long before the entire army of the Hellhounds made its grand entrance. Casting a glance ahead, all I could see was a mass of giant black dogs marching forward in an orderly fashion. Each and every dog had three heads, a muscled body, and eyes that barely hid their thirst for battle. Just based on that last point alone, I could tell that these were battle hardened dogs.


    Their leader was a familiar old dog, Sidarth, as I had expected. Just like the Purgatory Shadowcats, there was no other Eight-star present in the army they led here.


    Other than the army of dogs, I spotted roughly a thousand or so Devils following behind them like listless zombies. Around them were a few Cerberuses who kept a watchful eye on their every move.


    Seeing that the Hellhound¡¯s army was here, Sinmosa galloped ahead to greet Sidarth. The pair trotted up to me, at which point Sidarth explained that those Devils were captives they procured as a gift to me. Apparently, these were only a portion of the Devils they found. As for the rest¡­ I doubt there was a need to ask further¡­


    To be honest, the fact that they ate Devils wasn¡¯t repulsive to me. The Purgatory Shadowcats and the Hellhounds were both a vital part of my plan to subdue the Warhorses. And subdue them I must. I had no doubt in my mind that these Warhorses probably thought of me as an existential threat by now.


    It was worth noting however that there were no signs of Devils in the territory of the Shadowcats. Perhaps it was because there was no teleportation zone here, or perhaps there was some other unknown reason.


    I had Jeerah handle these lifeless Devils for now. I had no hopes that they would be of any use in the upcoming battle, but at the very least, they could keep up with the main army. As for those who couldn¡¯t¡­good luck to them.


    The Warhorses were like the nomads on Earth. They never stayed in one place for long. They enjoyed their freedom, and were born with the ability to gallop innately. Such a clan wouldn¡¯t want to be constrained for long in a single location.


    Their territory was massive, filled with all sorts of strange floral lifeforms. Part of their dietary needs were met with these fruits and vegetables, but they also relied on food from the lava lakes like salamanders or worms. That was the past, of course. Now they had Imps to add to their menu,


    Unlike the cat-made environment of the Purgatory Shadowcats, the territory of the Warhorses was filled with more plants. Strictly speaking, the area they lived in could be considered a plains of sorts.


    As we marched further into their territory, we came upon several temporary habitats. Normally, there would be Warhorses living in these areas, but now there were none in sight. It stood to reason that they were expecting me, with no small amount of fear as well.


    Seven hundred golems, one thousand five hundred Purgatory Shadowcats and two thousand Cerberuses. Not to mention an unknown number of Eight-stars tailing us. Such a massive force was more than enough to trample over the Warhorses. In fact, my seven hundred golems alone would have been enough to do so. The Purgatory Shadowcats and the Hellhounds were merely there to stop them from escaping.


    ¡°Mama, it has been two days already. Where are the big horsies?¡± I was seated atop one of my Winged Abyssal Golems. As usual, Mo Na rode my shoulders, her legs swinging back and forth adorably as she continued pouting. ¡°It¡¯s so boring¡­ Mo Na wants to play some Mahjong.¡±


    ¡°Woof~¡± Cinderel nuzzled against my arms slightly to show her approval as well.


    ¡°Cinderel still can¡¯t speak though, can she even play?¡±


    ¡°Woof woof~~!!¡±


    ¡°If Cinderel can¡¯t speak, she can¡¯t play Mahjong.¡±


    ¡°Woof!¡± Cinderel continued arguing with Mo Na. In all likelihood, those woofs were her way of saying that she was fine. Just like that, the topic went from the lack of enemies to the lack of Mahjong.


    In truth, I was a little apprehensive about this whole endeavour. The Warhorses were a nomadic clan, after all. Our army was huge. Even without my golems, the combined size of the Purgatory Shadowcats and the Hellhounds stretched as far as the eye could see. It was only to be expected that any stray Warhorse would turn tail and run the moment they saw our army. But if that was the case, that made things a little¡­awkward¡­ we were here to fight a war, not play catch!


    The Warhorses were a lot faster than the golems. And I couldn¡¯t just ask the Purgatory Shadowcats and the Hellhounds to proceed alone either. That might cause me to be ambushed. Never underestimate an opponent. Overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer.


    As I hugged the two little scamps, I leaped off the golem and onto the ground. Having found Sidarth soon after, I talked to him about my concerns. His answer was simple.

 CHAPTER 380: BLOOD NETHERITE

    One question had always bothered me about this invasion: why couldn¡¯t the Warhorses just give up their territory since they were nomadic to begin with? The moment I laid eyes on their nest, I knew exactly why.


    That was because their nest was a flipping treasure trove!


    Growing right in the middle of their nest was a gigantic rhombohedral crystal that was somehow made even more eye-grabbing by its blood red hue. Around it were streaks of red that spread outwards in a spiderweb-like fashion. These streaks weren¡¯t lava; I could tell that from a distance because they were a grisly blood red instead of an orange hue. However, that was all I could make out right now due to the giant herd of Warhorses blocking my way.


    Countless Warhorses stood between me and that giant crystal. At the head of this herd were twenty or so Nightmare Steeds. Behind these Nightmare Steeds were dozens of Eight-star Warhorses. Finally, there were the rest of the Warhorses who formed a giant sea of horses¡­ Geebus, why are there so many Warhorses all of a sudden¡­I can¡¯t even give an estimate anymore¡­


    I promptly had the golems take up formation in the front while the Hellhounds and the Purgatory Shadowcats took up formation at the back. Yet when faced with a sea of Warhorses that stretched into the horizon, I still couldn¡¯t help but feel a little uneasy. Thankfully, that unease was quickly snuffed out when I remembered how overpowered my golems actually were. Still, there was still the matter of their hundred or so Eight-stars¡­ was the Devil King Idol going to be enough?


    Putting aside the problem of how many elites they had right now, the rest of the Warhorses were at the peak of their morale by having that giant red crystal behind them. Just like how the Soviets were when they said, Russia is big, but there is nowhere to retreat -Moscow is behind us, the Warhorses were most likely experiencing a similar surge of energy right now.


    A fight with one¡¯s back to the wall: you either pressed onwards or died.


    With the battle set against such a desperate backdrop, the air itself began to prickle with the undisguised killing intent floating about on both sides. Unknowingly, everyone¡¯s gaze sharpened. Even my mischievous baby flew off my shoulders and knowingly hid behind my back with Cinderel in her arms. Jeerah was right beside her as well. She knew not to argue with Mo Na right now. Instead, she quietly stood behind me and did her best to appear as air.


    She knew more than anyone else that her little enthrallment wasn¡¯t going to do much against a sea of Warhorses.


    Not to mention that there were tens of thousands of them¡­ tens of thousands¡­


    ¡°Devil, you¡¯ve come at last.¡± The Nightmare Steed pack parted way and one of their members stepped forward, one who had arguably the most experience dealing with me. He looked conflicted as he swept his gaze over me then over the Hellhounds and Purgatory Shadowcats. His voice hardened. ¡°Is there no other way?¡±


    ¡°At the start, all I wanted was just a Nightmare Steed¡¯s horn.¡±


    I stared right into his eyes. There was no need at all to be afraid of his dream abilities -I had Ferti¡¯nier inside of me who rendered me immune to psychic attacks. Besides, what I said was true. While my goal was to try and subjugate the various clans of Sable Radiance, failing that, my backup plan was to at least try and restore the exchange array. If I had gotten a Nightmare Steed during that incident with Jeerah, the situation wouldn¡¯t have escalated to this state.


    At the very least, I wouldn¡¯t have started any wars before finishing repairs on that array.


    ¡°What about now, what if we give the horn to you?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Once the sword was drawn, there was no sheathing it till blood was spilt.


    ¡®So now you know how to compromise¡­ why didn¡¯t you do so from the start?!¡¯


    ¡°I understand.¡± Warwraith bit down on his lip, then said, ¡°I just hope you¡¯re not biting off more than you can chew.¡±


    ¡°My teeth will be fine, at the very least, they won¡¯t be broken like yours soon.¡±


    Seeing that I wasn¡¯t going to change my mind, Warwraith could only shift his gaze towards the cat and dog standing beside me. ¡°An alliance of the Hellhounds, Purgatory Shadowcats and Devils¡­ are you two planning an all-out war with us then?¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t like running around either, but this campaign¡­ I have no say in this.¡± The representative of the Purgatory Shadowcats, Masrow, stated plainly, surprisingly not playing Mahjong with his other buddies for once. Masrow knew full well that he was a small fry and had no chance against an Eight-star Nightmare Steed, thus he made completely known his reluctance. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m just here for the popcorn¡­even though I don¡¯t know what popcorn is, but I¡¯m definitely just here to have some popcorn.¡±


    Sidarth, on the other hand, was a lot tougher in his response, ¡°What then? You thought both our clans are just here for fun?¡±


    With just one sentence, he ended the conversation in an instant. Now that was a manly dog right there¡­ a true hotblooded dog.


    ¡°Then fight we shall.¡±


    Warwraith turned around and returned to the other Nightmare Steeds. Making use of this brief window of peace, I asked Sidarth some questions. ¡°So what¡¯s up with that ten meter tall crystal?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean what¡¯s up? That¡¯s the Warhorse¡¯s clan treasure.¡± Sidarth answered in a heavy tone. ¡°That is a Blood Netherite crystal, it¡¯s said to be the Mana Core of a Felldrake. I do not know how it came to be here, but either way, it has existed here since the beginning of Purgatory, according to legends anyway.¡±


    ¡°Blood Netherite?¡±


    ¡®Now that¡¯s a fancy name, makes me want to have it.¡¯ I immediately asked about the Blood Netherite. ¡°So what is it used for?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not too sure. Our esteemed clan head once mentioned that it has something to do with their evolution into Nightmare Steeds.¡±


    ¡®A Mana Core of a Felldrake¡­¡¯ I knew what a Mana Core was. That was a crystal that most magical creatures held in their bodies. The size of the crystal was determined by the creature¡¯s size. Simply put, the bigger the creature was, the bigger the crystal would end up being. So if this piece of Blood Netherite was over ten meters, then how big was its previous owner¡­ just thinking about that gave me the chills.


    While I was busy daydreaming about a giant dragon, Warwraith had already returned to his clan, meaning the war was about to start.

 CHAPTER 381: AN UNAVOIDABLE FIGH

    Masrow more than happily turned around and left, clearly worried that I would suddenly change my mind and force him to stay.


    On the other hand, Sidarth was more worried as he stayed on looking at the hundred or so Eight-star Warhorses and Nightmare Steeds arrayed before us. ¡°They have too many Eight-stars, are you sure your golems will be fine?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡±


    Before arriving, it had never occurred to me that they would have Eight-stars numbering in the hundreds, though my golems, with their unbelievable defensive prowess, would probably still have a fighting chance¡­ probably. Despite how much I didn¡¯t want to admit it, those Nightmare Steeds were able to leave a crack on my Winged Abyssal Golems. In other words, this fight wasn¡¯t going to end smoothly.


    However, a bow that was drawn had to be fired. No matter what, this war had to be fought.


    As for those hundred or so Warhorses, I think I had an idea as to what was going on here.


    The Purgatory Warhorses were all nomadic. However, the location of their clan head¡¯s nest was fixed, which was where we were right now. The giant crystal ahead was their clan¡¯s treasure, and that clearly wasn¡¯t movable. These horses would never give up on such a treasure, especially if it had something to do with their evolution into a Nightmare Steed. In all likelihood, that fact was most likely a closely guarded secret of their clan. In order to protect such a treasure, it was only to be expected that so many Nightmare Steeds and Warhorses would join this fight.


    So all those empty settlements we encountered on the way here¡­ their inhabitants had all moved here¡­


    Warwraith had fought with my golems before. He knew how strong their defenses were, and that anyone below the level of Eight-star wouldn¡¯t even leave a hoofmark on these sturdy constructs. In order to beat an army of such monsters, the Warhorses had to produce a large quantity of Eight-stars themselves. It just so happened that our Winged Abyssal Golems numbered around a hundred as well.


    In a one one one fight, the Nightmare Steeds and the other Eight-stars couldn¡¯t possibly lose, even if they couldn¡¯t break my golems in the short term. Their Seven-stars could then restrain my remaining golems. As for what happens afterwards¡­ I think I came to the wrong battle¡­


    ¡®Is it too late to go home now? Fishcakes, I shouldn¡¯t have gotten so conceited when they came over to negotiate¡­I wonder if it¡¯s not too late if I go over and beg for forgiveness?¡¯


    ¡®Bah, no point embarrassing myself for something that won¡¯t happen. This battle can¡¯t be avoided now.¡¯


    After Masrow and Sidarth led their clans away, the Warhorses soon launched their first volley of attacks.


    ¡°Push them back.¡±


    With their lack of mobility, and faced with a head-on charge, all I could do was command my golems to advance. Having done that, I immediately summoned my Devil King Idol and brought Mo Na, Jeerah and Cinderel into its pocket dimension.


    Having piloted this behemoth twice already, I had mastered the basic controls of the idol. Even though its rigid construct meant that I couldn¡¯t move my limbs as I wished, this disadvantage also brought with it certain advantages. By sacrificing mobility, I now possessed the defensive prowess of a wall. In the upcoming battle, this would be my greatest guarantee of safety.


    The thundering dust wave raged onwards. Beneath me, the ground quaked from my steps. With no room for retreat now, there was only battle!


    The ground itself warped from the furious stomping of my Winged Abyssal Golems. These were the first of my golems to clash with the Warhorses and their Eight-stars. Both sides crashed into each other with no holds barred. The air shook for a second as a shockwave swept through the battlefield, sending rock and rubble flying everywhere. One of my Winged Abyssal Golem was thrown backwards a couple of paces and landed squarely on the ground, leaving a gigantic hole in its wake and sending more rock raining down on the battlefield like comets of the apocalypse itself.


    While my Winged Abyssal Golem looked to be in a bad shape, that Eight-star Warhorse was in no better condition either. The force of their impact was felt fully by both sides. At the same time as my golem was pushed back, that Warhorse was sent flying over ten meters over, having failed to withstand the resulting force from the clash.


    ¡®A tie? No¡­¡¯


    Things weren¡¯t as simple as I had hoped. That Warhorse recovered in no time at all. From how quick it stood up, it didn¡¯t seem to have suffered much damage. The Winged Abyssal Golem had taken this brief reprieve to stand up as well. Yet in this short clash with that Warhorse, a tiny crack had formed on its formidable outer exoskeleton¡­


    What did this mean? It meant that, with the same star level, a Purgatory Warhorse had greater physical strength than a Nightmare Steed! Lest one forgot, it previously took multiple hits from a Nightmare Steed to leave any damage on my Winged Abyssal golems. In contrast, it only took one strike from that Warhorse to damage it.


    The clashes against the Nightmare Steeds had fared relatively better. However, even that wasn¡¯t good news for me. Because my Winged Abyssal Golems were tightly packed together, a simple fall could easily lead to an accidental collision with the Winged Abyssal Golem behind it -such a domino effect was definitely not what I wanted to see.


    The Warhorses and Nightmare Steeds on the other hand had no such problems. They were a lot of nimbler and could easily dodge any of their comrades who were sent flying back.


    This was only the start of the battle, and a clear advantage was already being wrought. My Winged Abyssal Golems had the defensive strength of an Eight-star, but they weren¡¯t real Eight-stars at the end of the day.


    In that case, it was time for me to act.


    With earth-shattering might, I took my first few steps into the heat of the battle. One of the Eight-star Warhorses, who clearly needed to get its eyes checked, immediately tried to ram into my Devil King Idol¡¯s calves. It probably thought that it could throw me off-balance by doing so¡­ Well, it thought wrong.


    Standing at over twenty meters tall, my Devil King Idol logically should have been slower than my ordinary golems, yet my Devil King Idol had one vital difference that separated it from my other golems: me, its pilot.

 CHAPTER 382: A FURIOUS CHARGE

    That was why when I lifted up the Devil King Idol¡¯s leg, I made extra sure that it was basically dead.


    Another Eight-star Warhorse, who was clearly not afraid of death at all, took this opportunity to charge at me. This time, it didn¡¯t go after my legs, instead it went after my head.


    I willed my right hand up to block this assailant. But just as it looked like I was about to hit it, the Warhorse abruptly leaped in mid-air, miraculously dodging my hand.


    Yet that wasn¡¯t the end of it. The Warhorse landed squarely on top of my arm, and by using the momentum it gained from kicking off my arm, launched another attack in what had to be the textbook case of using your opponent¡¯s energy against him.


    However, a Devil King Idol had two arms, not one. I had already factored in the Warhorse¡¯s unbelievable agility when I made the decision to try and catch it with my right hand. With that bit of foresight aiding me, the Devil King Idol¡¯s left hand swiftly came swatting through the air, catching that Warhorse completely by surprise as it caught it.


    Not one to give my enemy a chance to escape, I immediately clapped my hands together before it could even struggle and mashed them together. A stream of thick, meaty blood came dripping down the cracks of my fingers like a rain of blood.


    Having squashed that giant bug of a Warhorse, I willed the Devil King Idol to toss the corpse into a nearby battle like a makeshift projectile. Like a bloody comet from the sky, it came crashing down onto an unsuspecting Warhorse, killing it in an equally grisly fashion.


    All that took place in the matter of mere seconds. Barring that Warhorse I killed with that horse projectile, I had already killed two of their Eight-stars. Such an impressive feat quickly attracted the attention of the rest of the stronger Warhorses.


    In what felt like an instant, over ten Purgatory Warhorses and Nightmare Steeds abandoned their opponents and came rushing at my Devil King Idol in hopes that their blitzkrieg-like attack would swiftly take it down. However, my Devil King Idol¡¯s defenses were basically unbreakable to those below the level of an Overlord. No matter how much these horses tried, they failed to leave even a scratch on its outer surface.


    Like swatting away a horde of flies, I began waving both my hands about to attack the incoming Warhorses. Yet no matter how much I flailed about, none of my attacks were connecting.


    At the same time, the area around my legs wasn¡¯t exactly peaceful either. The other Eight-star Warhorses who couldn¡¯t take to the skies were furiously ramming at my legs. With the combined interference of those airborne Warhorses, I had no way to focus my attention on those below.


    Despite this little setback however, I determined one thing in this fight: there was no need for me to worry about my defenses being broken. In that case, it was time for me to change targets. Besides, those Warhorses were just too agile for me to handle, especially after they had learnt their lesson from losing two of their Eight-stars. The Devil King Idol¡¯s greatest weakness was its speed. If its opponent was dead set on dodging it, there was no way it could ever land a hit.


    Putting aside the stalemate on my end, the rest of my golems weren¡¯t in the best of situations either.


    With the Winged Abyssal Golems restrained by their Eight-stars, there was no way for them to attack the lower starred Warhorses. My remaining golems were all suppressed by their Seven-stars so there wasn¡¯t much to report there either.


    What infuriated me the most was that my golems were slowly being chipped down by those Warhorses who were one whole star level above them. Even though it took repeated attacks to the same spot to deal damage to a golem, such a feat was easy when the Warhorses possessed such a massive numbers advantage.


    The only good news so far was that my side hadn¡¯t suffered any casualties yet. On the other hand, quite a number of Warhorses had been lost by now. Still, that didn¡¯t change the fact that I was at a distinct disadvantage in this battle. Something had to be done to turn the tides.


    With that in mind, I ordered the Devil King Idol to charge towards the battlefield where my ordinary golems were battling their higher starred Warhorses. With its massive body, I was able to launch an unstoppable straight line charge right at my target. Given how massive the Devil King Idol was, even its footsteps weren¡¯t something a Warhorse could withstand. Regardless of whether it was an Eight-star Warhorse or a Nightmare Steed, all cleared the way for my idol, lest they were sent flying away in the process.


    However, the same couldn¡¯t be said for the rest of the Warhorses who were still engaged in a battle with my golems. Unlike the Nightmare Steeds who all had the ability to fly, those landlocked Eight-star Warhorses weren¡¯t so fortunate as the bulldozer that was my Devil King Idol came ploughing through the mountains themselves.


    Thunderous booms echoed across the battlefield constantly, every boom a herald for the destruction that my Devil King Idol promised. Because of its invincible defenses, even if the Warhorses tried to attack me, the most they could achieve was divert my course slightly. It didn¡¯t take long before I reached my desired destination.


    In contrast, those Warhorses had bodies that were decidedly mortal. Those that were unfortunate enough to bear the brunt of my charge were either left crippled or dead.


    In a straight line charge, the speed and power of my golem was nothing to scoff at. Regardless of who I rammed into, all were sent flying away like ragdolls, or just simply stomped into the ground. Each time I lifted my feet, a pile of meat slurry could be found on the ground. Naturally, if it was a golem that I stepped on, they were perfectly fine and ready to battle a second later.


    The impact of my arrival was immediately felt across the battlefield. My ordinary golems were all inanimate objects so there was no morale to begin with, but those Warhorses were different: they were live creatures.

 CHAPTER 383: THE HELLHOUND IN THE CROWD

    That was merely the level of my ordinary golems. When it came to the Devil King Idol, this gigantic construct was more terrifying than a war elephant charging into a crowd of soldiers. In a straight line, its speed was nothing to scoff at. As for actually attacking the Warhorses, it didn¡¯t have to do much at all -it could just simply tumble around and they would be slaughtered.


    Naturally, I wasn¡¯t about to engage in such a shameful display. For the most part, the Warhorses who failed to escape in time were either swatted to death or flattened into a horsecake by my feet. At times, I would pick an unfortunate Warhorse to be a makeshift projectile. Sometimes, they became a weirdly shaped soccer ball¡­ it really depended on my mood, but it definitely wasn¡¯t a pleasant sight.


    Unfortunately for them, there was no way for them to stop my rampage unless their Overlord stepped in. But would their Overlord really step in? And if he did, would he suffer divine retribution?


    Of the ten or so Nightmare Steeds attacking the Devil King Idol right now, quite a number were old friends, like Warsight, Warwraith and Shadowfall. Just like before, Warsight was more than happy to show her irritable and impulsive side. It didn¡¯t take long for her to grow restless from their lack of progress. Thus, she came up with a drastic measure to fix this.


    ¡°Blast it! It¡¯s neither budging nor retreating¡­ this won¡¯t work at all, we need to think of something¡­ What about we drag the Purgatory Shadowcats and the Hellhounds into this battle as well. It¡¯s already chaotic enough as is, a couple more actors might even help us. If that blasted statue accidentally steps on a cat or dog, that might just stir up some internal turmoil.¡±


    Ever one for action, Warsight didn¡¯t even wait for her companions to respond before galloping off to enact what she thought was a brilliant plan.


    ¡°Warsight, wait¡­¡± Without much time to think of an excuse to restrain her, Shadowfall could only do his best to come up with a few practical reasons to persuade her. ¡°Neither of them have entered this battle yet, there¡¯s no need for us to attack them at all¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly why we should attack them. Besides, I haven¡¯t seen any traces of Eight-stars in either of their camps. As long as we attack them, we can easily herd them towards that invading statue!¡±


    Having said that, Warsight sped off without giving Shadowfall another chance to speak.


    ¡°Watch out for an ambush¡­¡±


    In truth, her plan might just succeed and drag them out from the jaws of defeat. This plan could be the turning point they were looking for in a progressively worsening battle. While it might have seemed like the Devil King Idol wasn¡¯t able to catch them, the fact was that they had already lost two Eight-stars since the start, plus one who got flattened because he wasn¡¯t looking. My Devil King Idol was still in perfect condition as well.


    These Warhorses were creatures with emotions. In contrast, my Devil King Idol was an unfeeling construct. This battle was basically a battle between living, feeling creatures and a mechanical monstrosity. Every Warhorse required time and effort to groom into the horse they were today. A construct was different -all you needed were the materials and the method. No matter how one looked at it, this wasn¡¯t a beneficial trade at all.


    The Warhorses must have felt this as well. They could tolerate trading lives with another clan, but they would never accept losing lives over a battle against machines.


    That was why when their casualties reached a certain threshold, their morale began to falter, especially when faced with an unstoppable Devil King Idol. It didn¡¯t take long before they began to lose the will to fight. Soon, their formation crumbled and there were signs of deserters.


    All these factors added together created the current situation where the Warhorses were slowly losing ground despite being numerically superior.


    So the question was how to break this stalemate? The answer was simple. Bring the Hellhounds and Shadowcats into this battle, creating a veil of chaos for the other Warhorses to retreat. In battle, accidents couldn¡¯t be avoided. If those two clans were to join in, there were sure to be accidental casualties.


    Since we were all allies, that meant I couldn¡¯t go on rampage like before. Should they achieve this goal, it would only be a matter of time before the tide of battle turned in their favor.


    ¡°Guess we can only try now.¡±


    Even though he often couldn¡¯t see eye to eye with Warsight, he could still tell what she was planning from her actions. He just didn¡¯t approve of this action. But since she had already galloped off, it meant that this plan was now in action. All he could pray for was that neither clan had any Eight-stars hidden away¡­ but was that even possible?


    ¡°Warsight shouldn¡¯t have acted so rashly. The Hellhounds and the Purgatory Shadowcats are sure to have some Eight-stars hidden away¡­ if we rush into their camps like this, we would surely come out short.¡± Shadowfall voiced his concerns


    ¡°We¡¯ll all have to head over then. I don¡¯t believe that they will have more Eight-stars than us.¡± Warwraith replied. ¡°I¡¯ll go inform Brother Warheaven. Hopefully, we can make it on time¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, that will have to do.¡±


    After that short exchange, Shadowfall led a herd of Eight-star Warhorses and Nightmare Steeds towards the direction of Warsight: the Hellhound camp.


    At the same time, Warwraith galloped away at the fastest speed possible to inform the Nightmare Steed known as Warheaven who had just knocked over one of the Abyssal Golems. Upon hearing the report, he immediately let forth a furious howl, then like a speeding comet, knocked over the golem that was just about to get up again. This time, he didn¡¯t stay to check if it stayed down, rushing off instead with Warwraith and the rest of the Eight-stars. Their direction: the Purgatory Shadowcats.


    ¡®They actually want to force my allies into battle¡­I swear¡­ they already said they were here for the popcorn, so why bother them? Not like my plans will change just because you bring them in.¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t all too concerned whether or not their braindead plan would work or not. Even though I guessed that the number might be small, I was in no doubt that were in fact Eight-stars guarding the camps of my allies.


    ¡°Halt.¡±


    Just when it looked like the Nightmare Steed Warsight would make it into the Hellhound¡¯s camp unopposed, an unassuming Cerberus suddenly stepped out of the pack. At the same time as that, his body grew massively. By the time his body stopped growing, he was almost as huge as a grown elephant. One could even feel the faint aura of an Eight-star off him. Even Warsight had to stop mid-air from the threat he posed.


    ¡°Zhandalar! What are you doing here?¡±


    That Cerberus was probably an old acquaintance of Warsight, else she wouldn¡¯t have recognised him right away.


    Zhandalar coldly eyed the airborne Nightmare Steed, then slowly said, ¡°Scram. Go back from whence you came.¡±


    ¡°Bah. You think you can stop me just by yourself?¡±


    Just as Warsight was about to attack, the voice of Shadowfall suddenly came from behind. ¡°Warsight! Don¡¯t act rashly, we¡¯re here to help!¡±


    With their ability to gallop on air, and the lack of any opposing air forces, these Eight-star Warhorses and Nightmare Steeds were easily able to throw off their mechanical enemies to catch up with Warsight.


    ¡°Just you? A single Eight-star?¡± With her reinforcements behind, Warsight was looking a lot more arrogant as she slightly lifted up her head to look down upon Zhandalar. ¡°If you don¡¯t get out new, you might just end up dead.¡±


    ¡°And who said I was alone?¡± Zhandalar¡¯s eyes remained glued onto Warsight. Without even turning around, he barked. ¡°Come on out. There¡¯s no need to hide anymore.¡±


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    As he said that, the Hellhound camp began to stir. Nearly fifty Eight-star Cerberuses stepped out from the ranks of the ordinary Hellhounds. With every step they took, their bodies began to grow until they reached their normal size by Zhandalar¡¯s side.

 CHAPTER 384: A CHAOTIC SHOWDOWN OF THREE CLANS

    Warsight bringing a herd of Warhorses to invade their camp was basically the equivalent of prodding a hornet¡¯s nest, except that instead of hornets, she stirred up several dozens of Eight-star Cerberuses. While none of them could fly like the Warhorses, they were adequate in dealing with Warsight, else she wouldn¡¯t have appeared so apprehensive about her prospects.


    ¡°This wasn¡¯t your business to begin with¡­¡± Shadowfall was about to continue but was promptly cut off by Zhandalar. ¡°Talk is pointless now. If it¡¯s a fight you want, it¡¯s a fight you¡¯ll get.¡±


    ¡°Like we¡¯re afraid of you?!¡± Ever the temperamental one, Warsight immediately opened up with a Dream the moment Zhandalar showed his resolve to fight.


    ¡°ROAARRR!¡±


    All three of Zhandalar¡¯s jaws opened in unison and roared. Every pair of his eyes bored right into the oncoming Warsight with a ferocity to match. A second later, his middle head closed its eyes and dropped downwards as if it was asleep. Barely ten meters away from him in the air was Warsight. Clearly, her Dream had successfully pulled one of Zhandalar¡¯s heads into a dreamlike state.


    Once one fell into the dream realm, they were prey for the Nightmare Steed, no exceptions. However, things didn¡¯t proceed as smoothly as Warsight hoped. Even from my Devil King Idol, I could see that Zhandalar had been affected by her. Honestly, I thought that would be the end of him then, but reality proved otherwise.


    His sleeping body suddenly jerked and launched into a sudden attack in the brief window of a second. In just the blink of an eye, his massive body came face to face with Warsight. His left and right head opened their massive jaws and bit down hard on her neck, fresh blood raining down from the air.


    With the momentum from his bodyweight and attack, he forcefully dragged her down to the ground!


    BANG!


    Having cast a Dream, the caster would immediately enter a dreamlike state as well. That was why Warsight wasn¡¯t prepared at all for the sudden attack. With no means to retaliate, her own mass became fuel for her deafening crash.


    Definitely not one to take a setback lying down, his middle head which had now awakened from its trance took the opportunity to spit out a rotating pillar of flames back at Warsight, promptly swallowing her up in a fiery display.


    ¡°Blast it¡­ that was even faster than before¡­¡±


    A Nightmare Steed¡¯s flame resistance was comparable to a Hellhound¡¯s. However, flames such as the ones they spat out weren¡¯t just ordinary flames, they had mana mixed in as well. Unless one was completely immune to fire, they would still take some damage from the attack. This short exchange of flames had left both sides with moderate burns.


    But that wasn¡¯t enough to deter Warsight as she immediately launched herself into another reckless charge with a forceful kick of her hooves. Yet just when it looked like Warsight was about to emerge from his pillar of flames, Zhandalar smartly chose to dodge aside, avoiding a direct confrontation with her while also allowing himself an opportunity to swipe at her back.


    Unfortunately, Warsight¡¯s black flames hadn¡¯t been extinguished yet. This simple attack not only did not help him, it instead caused his claws to catch on fire. It wasn¡¯t a serious injury, but it still hurts nonetheless.


    ¡°It has almost been fifty years since we last fought. Now, you¡¯re even able to break my Dream easily. I admit. You¡¯ve become strong.¡± Warsight¡¯s eyes lit up with fire. ¡°But you still can¡¯t beat me!¡±


    ¡°ROOARRR!¡±


    Zhandalar bellowed before charging at Warsight once more. Words weren¡¯t his weapon of choice in this fight, action was.


    Based on that short exchange just now, it could be surmised that each of his heads had their own consciousness, or perhaps he could control each head separately. Either way, their Dream was fully countered by this, halving Warsight¡¯s combat strength by at least half.


    The rest of the Eight-star Cerberuses were basically the same as well. There were some small variance between each of their fights, but the situation was largely similar as long as one was able to counter or break free from the Nightmare Steed¡¯s Dream.


    However, not all the Cerberuses were able to perfectly counter Dream. There were times when I saw a Cerberus stand completely still for a long period of time in the middle of battle. Had it not been for their companions helping to attack the Nightmare Steed who cast that Dream, those Cerberuses would have most likely met their maker by now.


    In contrast to the battles with the Nightmare Steeds, fights with a Purgatory Warhorse were a lot simpler. It boiled down to a physical brawl. A competition of pure strength, flames and speed.


    In a competition on land, the Cerberuses had never feared any opponent. That was what Sidarth said to me once -though that honestly felt like bragging to me.


    The fights involving a Purgatory Warhorse were a lot more violent when compared to that with a Nightmare Steed. A few Seven-stars tried to join in the fight against one such Eight-star Purgatory Warhorse, but they were swiftly sent flying with a kick of their hooves. And that was why you should just leave the fighting to the Eight-stars.


    As the battle raged on in the Hellhounds¡¯ camp, the same situation roughly played out in the camp of the Purgatory Shadowcats as well.


    Warwraith and Warheaven led their own herd to the camp of the Purgatory Shadowcats, only to find several dozens of Eight-stars lying in wait for them.


    Just like before, neither could come to an agreement and a fight soon broke out.


    ¡°Dream.¡±


    Warwraith opened with their signature move. Without three heads to counter Dream, this move ordinarily would have had a high rate of success. Unfortunately, he was soon proven wrong¡­


    Warwraith tried to pull one of the Purgatory Shadowcats into the dream realm with him, but it merely took a quick shake of his furry head before the ability was completely countered. A flash of black fur later, that Purgatory Shadowcat had already leapt into the air and was face to face with Warwraith, both claws bared in a flurry of furious swipes.


    ¡°MEOOOWW!¡±


    With the failure of his Dream, he was stunned for a brief second. That mere moment was enough for the Purgatory Shadowcat to land a solid swipe on his horse face, sending bits of flesh and blood flying about.


    Having been attacked, Warwraith immediately awakened. Biting down on his teeth, he endured the tearing pain in his psyche from the backlash and headbutted his opponent with his still bleeding face. Yet this attack ended in failure as well. That cat had no intention at all of fighting him after getting a swipe in, instead he promptly retreated having gained an advantage.


    ¡°How¡­¡± Because their two clans rarely met, plus the Purgatory Shadowcats acted like shut-ins most of the time, their clans had very little experience fighting with each other. Warwraith wasn¡¯t too informed about his opponent¡¯s abilities, but he was still surprised about how his Dream was so easily broken. ¡°How were you able to break free from my Dream so easily¡­¡±


    ¡°Meow!¡± The big cat proudly meowed, then burst forth in another attack. ¡°Don¡¯t look down on us Purgatory Shadowcats! Also, did you think I played all those years of cards for nothing?!¡±


    What did I just hear him say¡­something about not playing all those years of cards for nothing¡­


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    Madness. Exactly what did being immune to Dream have to do with playing cards?


    After giving it some thought later on, that cat actually made sense. After all, they had to control those heavy floating cards with their minds. In other words, while they were playing cards, they were also training themselves. And Dream was clearly a psychic attack.


    In that case, it only made sense that the Purgatory Shadowcats were immune to Dream. Right?


    Nope¡­ definitely not. Nothing in this world made sense! They were clearly just bored, that¡¯s why they played cards. That decision had nothing to do with being immune to psychic attacks.


    In reality, the Purgatory Shadowcats fared significantly better than the Hellhounds. In barely any time at all, their members were able to break out of the Dream ability and launch a counterattack.


    Cats were natural-born predators. Their cute but lazy demeanour was nothing but a front for their hunting instincts. The moment they saw that slim window of opportunity to attack, their instincts kicked in. Furthermore, all of them weren¡¯t over eager to attack either. Upon landing a solid hit, they would promptly retreat and wait for the next opportunity to attack. In fact, some even jumped onto the back of another Nightmare Steed to have a little fun ride¡­


    I had to admit, other than the fact that most of them were mental, they performed admirably in this fight. In fact, not only did they perform well against the Nightmare Steeds, their advantage was slowly being shown against the Purgatory Warhorses as well.


    These cats were all gifted with exceptional reflexes; that allowed them to easily jump onto small surfaces when scaling their castle walls. To them, a Warhorse¡¯s charge was nothing. If they couldn¡¯t dodge it, they could simply leap onto the Warhorse¡¯s back and start scratching. To them, these horses were even worse than those dogs.

 CHAPTER 385: OVERLORD

    I would feel sorry for them, but I still had a lot of things to do right now¡­ like stepping on some horses.


    If those Eight-stars were here, they might have at least been able to stall my Devil King Idol -they were of the same star level, after all, even if they weren¡¯t able to break through its defenses. Now, however, there was no one to stop me.


    With no commander to hold them together and a giant construct running rampant amongst them, the remaining Warhorses either fled or died. Resistance was futile.


    At this rate, their clan would definitely collapse. At least, that was how I thought it would end. Unfortunately for me, the battle came to an abrupt end before it could even reach that stage. A wave of pressure suddenly blanketed the entire battlefield. It was an Overlord.


    The difference between an Eight-star and an Overlord was the difference between the natural and the supernatural. Once one crossed that threshold, it could be said that they were reborn. Should one fail however, they were forever a mortal. That was because an Overlord had to have a Territory. That was also why an Overlord¡¯s pressure contained traces of the world¡¯s laws. It wasn¡¯t possible for any living creature below that threshold to resist that pressure, barring my golems, of course. They were dead.


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    A voice of indeterminate gender or age transmitted directly into my head through the Devil King Idol. Just hearing that alone was enough to cause my body to seize up. With just that single word, I could tell that he possessed an extraordinary level of psychic power.


    ¡®Definitely an Overlord¡­ that was definitely an Overlord¡­ an Overlord Nightmare Steed.¡¯


    ¡®Since even their strongest warrior has made their presence known, I had better show him the respect he is due.¡¯ With that in mind, I immediately ordered all the golems to stop attacking and remain in place.


    The rest of the Hellhounds and Purgatory Shadowcats all stopped their fighting as well. Lest one forgot, an Overlord was the equivalent of a walking nuclear bomb, if we were still back on Earth. As for a demi-god, best not think about it¡­


    A Nightmare Steed clad in flames as black as his fur stepped forth from the horizon. As he stood still above the battlefield peering down on us, it almost seemed like we were ants staring high up at him.


    ¡°Devil, leave our clan¡¯s territory at once, and I will spare your life.¡±


    Regardless of who it was, or what creature they were, respect was something everyone valued. The difference was how much they valued it. An Overlord was undoubtedly a proud existence in Sable Radiance. With the entire region sealed up, an Overlord was the strongest warrior around, the true ruler of this plane.


    Such a proud person would often value his dignity more than his life. An insult would bring about swift retribution, even if it meant death for himself.


    I could use the promise Lucifer¡¯s clone made to me to protect myself, but the question was whether I could even survive a single attack to begin with. Also, could I still revive if I died this time?


    That last part wasn¡¯t important now, so let¡¯s put it aside first. After all, I definitely didn¡¯t want to gamble on whether or not I would revive again. Naturally, I dared not gamble if this Overlord would attack in a fit of rage either.


    Now that an Overlord had entered the fray, the battlefield immediately quietened down. No one dared attack or even single an inch despite the fact that he hadn¡¯t done a thing yet. We were all cowed by his mere presence, worried about what he would do next.


    An Overlord¡¯s presence wasn¡¯t something so easily ignored.


    ¡°If I do not, are you sure you wish to attack me?¡±


    I finally squeezed out that question, albeit shakingly -I was just too weak when compared to him.


    ¡°Do you really think I won¡¯t kill you?!¡±


    That Overlord¡¯s sharp gaze immediately stabbed into my body. Even with the Devil King Idol protecting, I could feel my skin crawling from his bared intent.


    Terrifying. That was all I could say of him. For him to actually be able to affect me while I was inside the Devil King Idol was nothing short of a nightmare. Was this the power of an Overlord? Did an Overlord Nightmare Steed really possess the power to attack his opponents through space itself?


    ¡®And exactly what should I do against an Overlord¡¯s threats? There¡¯s no hope now¡­maybe I should just give up? That would be so shameful¡­ but then again¡­ who said a person¡¯s dignity is worth anything in the first place? Still, we¡¯ve come so far already, and I even got two other clans to join me in attacking the Warhorses¡­is giving up really okay? Hold on¡­ Hellhounds¡­ Purgatory Shadowcats¡­ both of them sent over a dozen Eight-stars to help me in this fight. That shows how important this fight was to both their clans. So wouldn¡¯t it mean that they had a backup plan as well?¡¯


    ¡®After all, this fight is going to determine the future landscape of Sable Radiance. In other words, both their Overlords were most likely lurking somewhere also. Because they know that the Warhorses have their own Overlord!¡¯


    ¡®So that Hellhound Overlord and the mysterious Purgatory Shadowcat Overlord who I haven¡¯t met yet are probably somewhere nearby. No. They are definitely here!¡¯


    With that in mind, my confidence immediately returned.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind leaving, but first you have to give me a Nightmare Steed¡¯s horn, and also¡­¡±


    ¡°Impossible.¡± The Overlord Nightmare Steed flatly refused me, cutting me off before I could finish stating my terms. ¡°You¡¯ll get nothing from us. If you don¡¯t leave now, you¡¯ll die.¡±


    ¡°Kill me then.¡±


    ¡°You really think I won¡¯t?!¡±


    His howling was definitely up to par, but he still hadn¡¯t acted yet. That was a sign. A sign that was highly beneficial to me. What I did just now was definitely a challenge to his authority, yet he still chose not to act! Even though he could simply snuff me out in an instant, he hesitated¡­ so he really did not dare to act then?


    My brain quickly processed that, after which I tested him again. ¡°I think you should give it a try. Go ahead, do it.¡±


    The Overlord Nightmare Steed¡¯s eyes went wide as if they wanted to swallow me whole. ¡°You¡¯re not afraid of death then?¡±


    If even that wasn¡¯t enough to make him attack me, then this test was over. This time, I said nothing at all. Instead, I had my Devil King Idol kick a nearby Seven-star Warhorse. Having suffered such a sudden attack, that poor horse was immediately sent flying away, loudly crashing into the blood red ground that was then made redder by him spitting out blood.


    My intention wasn¡¯t to kill that horse, just wound it seriously. This was my last test. I was gambling if he would attack me out of anger. I was also gambling whether or not the Hellhounds and Purgatory Shadowcats had their own Overlords nearby.


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    Risky though that was, I had no choice but to do so. If I didn¡¯t test his limits now, this operation was basically a failure. The aim of this war was simple: subjugate the Purgatory Warhorses. Failing that, we should at least destroy their base.


    At least, that was what I had hoped would happen¡­


    The strength of the Purgatory Warhorses weren¡¯t necessarily stronger than the two clans combined, but they were definitely stronger than them individually.


    ¡°Insolent cur!¡±


    Seeing me just attack without warning, that Overlord Nightmare Steed was thoroughly incensed. Yet just as he was about to attack me, another two waves of pressure swept across the field, startling everyone once more!


    ¡°Old friend, I see you¡¯re still well and alive.¡±


    Even though he hadn¡¯t appeared yet, I immediately recognised that that was the voice of the Hellhound¡¯s clan head.


    That Overlord Nightmare Steed promptly calmed down as well. Even if he hated me to the core right now, he had no choice but to stay his hooves first.


    ¡°You blasted old dog! You were here, after all! And where¡¯s that stupid cat?!¡± That Overlord Nightmare Steed brashly swore. ¡°Once I¡¯m done with that Devil, you can be sure I¡¯ll pay the both of you a visit!¡±


    ¡°Stop pretending. If you really have the guts to do it, attack her then.¡±


    That moment I heard that voice speak, I knew its owner wasn¡¯t reliable at all. In all likelihood, that was the Overlord of the Purgatory Shadowcats.


    ¡°You really believe that I won¡¯t¡­¡± The Nightmare Steed lifted up his hooves and the flames around him roared. Then¡­nothing happened. That¡¯s right, he didn¡¯t attack me in the end. He merely tried to.


    ¡°Why did you stop? Go on, I promise I won¡¯t stop you.¡± That unreliable voice continued taunting the Overlord Nightmare Steed, as if not doing so would leave him feeling bad for the entire day. ¡°Keep on acting tough, that¡¯s all you¡¯re good for anyway, stupid horse.¡±


    ¡°Curse you! You think I won¡¯t kill you right this second?!¡±


    I had to admit, for a cat whose morals were as cheap as chips, you couldn¡¯t deny that his taunting skills were top notch. With just a couple of words, he immediately redirected the hate towards himself.


    ¡°Hah, my paws were starting to feel a little itchy anyway.¡± The Purgatory Shadowcats¡¯ Overlord revealed himself, then pulled a face at his opponent before baring his claws in a taunting fashion. ¡°Come. I¡¯ll let you have the first move.¡±


    ¡°That Devil is definitely not someone I can attack¡­ but that restriction doesn¡¯t apply to you!¡±

 CHAPTER 386: YOU GUYS JUST KEEP TALKING OVER THERE, DON’T MIND ME…

    ¡®Wait¡­what do you mean you won¡¯t help him? Dog, you¡¯re supposed to be that cat¡¯s ally, why the fish should he do a one-on-one duel when he can do a two-on-one instead?!¡¯


    The Hellhound¡¯s clan head showed no signs that he had the self-awareness required to charge into battle, instead he seemed more than happy to watch this show play out.


    Yet just as that cat and horse duo was about to engage in all-out warfare, another wave of pressure stepped in and prevented the fight.


    ¡°So you¡¯ve come.¡±


    ¡°I see you finally decided to show up.¡± The Overlord Purgatory Shadowcat bared his teeth at the newcomer Overlord Nightmare Steed. It was a shadowy Nightmare Steed unlike the first. ¡°Enough playing around, my claws are itching for a fight.¡±


    ¡°This battle has lost its meaning, how about we have a talk instead?¡± Paying no attention at all to the cat¡¯s provocative words, the shadowy Overlord Nightmare Steed surprised me when he suddenly spoke in Devil. ¡°You all should know that, based on your current strength alone, it won¡¯t be enough to defeat us. If we wish to, we can still run.¡±


    ¡°Hah, I¡¯d like to see you try.¡± The Overlord Shadowcat was already sharpening his claws as he said that.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to try, you have no chance at all.¡± Having said that, he yelled into the distance before the cat could even respond. ¡°Come out!¡±


    ¡®Come out? Don¡¯t tell me there are more hiding somewhere?¡¯


    My suspicions didn¡¯t linger long as a mere second later, a flame blazed brightly over the horizon like it had just come alive, growing larger and larger by the second as it rapidly approached us. In barely the time it took to breath, it covered over a kilometer to reach us.


    It was a fiery red Purgatory Warhorse with a massive body the size of an elephant. As it stood hovering there, it cast a shadow as large as a miniature mountain. Its muscles twitched with sheer explosive power and supernatural presence.


    Whether it was its size or its presence, this was clearly a Nine-star that just entered the battlefield. In other words, the Purgatory Warhorses had three Overlords?!


    ¡°Who would have thought that you would actually make it this far¡­¡± Having not spoken up for a while now, the Hellhound clan head suddenly broke his silence upon the arrival of this newcomer. His eyes held a mixture of surprise and a tinge of resignation. ¡°If I remember correctly, you¡¯re only 173 years old this year.¡±


    ¡°174 now.¡± The giant Purgatory Warhorse sincerely looked the Hellhound in the eyes and said, ¡°I¡¯m grateful for the mercy you showed all those years ago.¡±


    ¡°174 and you¡¯re already at this stage¡­¡±


    That was why lying low for now was the best option. At least that was the plan. Unfortunately, this plan couldn¡¯t keep up with the speed of this changing situation. Just as I decided to keep my head down, the subject suddenly turned towards me.


    ¡°You may all leave, I promise I won¡¯t stop you.¡±


    It was the shadowy Nightmare Steed who said that, yet the Purgatory Shadowcat Overlord had another plan in mind. ¡°That big horse over there shouldn¡¯t have been a Nine-star for long, his Territory isn¡¯t even fully formed yet. At most, he¡¯s half an Overlord. In a real fight, he might not be useful as you claim.¡±


    ¡°So what? As long as we siblings hold you and that old dog back, Warpeace can just simply hunt down the rest of your clan members.¡± The other Nightmare Steed took this opportunity to glare at the cat. ¡°Let¡¯s see how many of your cats can survive an Overlord¡¯s pursuit.¡±


    ¡°You!¡±


    With that simple statement, the other Nightmare Steed tore apart any sort of civilness we had, instantly angering that Purgatory Shadowcat to no end. Such an act of bullying the weak was truly reprehensible. But the Overlord cat knew to hold his tongue for now. That horse was right. The best they could hope for was that they could hold back both of the older Nightmare Steeds in a one-on-one fight, but that would leave that newcomer Nine-star to run amok.


    Even with my Devil King Idol, there was no way I could fully stop that horse either.


    In other words, it was now the time to talk peace. And that was where the problem came in. Strictly speaking, the Hellhounds and Purgatory Shadowcats were just here to help me. The one who truly started this war was me¡­


    Both the Purgatory Shadowcat Overlord and the Hellhound Overlord knew that the Purgatory Warhorses had two Overlords. That was why they both came along secretly. They both wanted to destroy the Purgatory Warhorses, but as luck would have it, the Purgatory Warhorses were blessed with another Overlord!


    That Overlord might have been new, but he was still an Overlord. If an Overlord wanted to attack a bunch of small fries like us, there really wasn¡¯t much we could do.


    However, such a situation would only force the two Overlords on our side to fight even harder. At that point, both of our sides had to pay a steep price. An Overlord or two might even die in the process.


    In war, one could kill a thousand but you would lose eight hundred in the process. Unless the situation truly called for it, you wouldn¡¯t want a fight to the death.


    The corporal Nightmare Steed impatiently stomped on his hoof, then swept his blood-red eyes over us before finally resting on the Purgatory Shadowcat Overlord. ¡°State your terms. What would it take to make you all leave?¡±


    ¡°Hmph. Whether or not we fight is not up to me.¡± The Purgatory Shadowcat unhappily harrumphed.


    The Hellhound clan head shook his heads as well. ¡°I¡¯m not the main player in this either.¡±


    ¡°Not you two?¡± Seeing the two of them deny the role of the main actor, the shadowy Nightmare Steed was slightly taken aback. ¡°You two are only Overlords of your clans here. Unless the two of you were willing to, who else can force your hands?¡±


    The Purgatory Shadowcat sighed in resignation at that point. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say force our hands, it¡¯s just¡­¡±


    ¡°Just what?¡± The corporal Nightmare Steed asked.


    The Purgatory Shadowcat and the Cerberus both kept quiet at that point. Instead, they simultaneously turned towards me, or more accurately, to face the Devil King Idol¡­

 CHAPTER 387: HOLD ON A SECOND!

    The feeling of being stared at by five Overlords wasn¡¯t pleasant. Putting aside that taunting smirk the Overlord Purgatory Shadowcat had on right now, those three horses had on glares that could kill.


    ¡°What¡¯s the fun in hiding in that shell, come and out and play, why don¡¯t you?¡± That cat beckoned at me with his paws. ¡°Negotiations are always better face-to-face, are they not?¡±


    ¡®Who said I even wanted to talk to you guys at all. I just wanted to watch you guys from the sidelines and munch on some popcorn¡­¡¯


    ¡®Screw it, since he even went through the trouble of singling me out, I¡¯ll do him this favor. From the looks of things, a fight isn¡¯t likely anyway.¡¯


    With that in mind, I confidently stepped out of Devil King Idol¡¯s pocket dimensions, though I left Mo Na and the rest behind.


    The moment I jumped out of the massive golem, the eyes of every Purgatory creature present fell on me. It almost felt like the temperature around me rose a few degrees at that instant¡­ Actually, it wasn¡¯t a feeling at all; the temperature of Purgatory was supposed to be a few degrees higher than that of the Devil King Idol¡¯s pocket dimension.


    ¡°So about that¡­ Hi, everyone¡­¡± I awkwardly said. In the end, only the Hellhound¡¯s clan head gave me an obligatory nod while the four other Overlords ignored me entirely.


    Well, that wasn¡¯t entirely true either. The Overlord kitty did give me an intent look that made my hair stand while the Overlords horses all gave me a death stare.


    ¡®Hey, you guys were the one who called me out here¡­ how about showing some warm hospitality over here in Purgatory¡­ Fine. Fine. You can guys just keep on burning over there.¡¯


    This awkward silence continued for a few seconds before that shadowy Nightmare Steed spoke up. ¡°Devil, why have you invaded our territory?¡±


    ¡°Because I want the horn of a Nightmare Steed.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t really afraid of him, but a peaceful solution was always best. As everyone knew, I¡¯m a pacifist to the bone.


    ¡°Lies!¡± The corporeal Nightmare Steed vehemently denied my statement. ¡°Shade already stated at the beginning that he was willing to give you a horn and you still chose to fight!¡±


    ¡®Please, did you think it was easy gathering all these troops to come attack you? You really think a simple horn is enough to satisfy me? Do I look like a beggar to you?¡¯


    Naturally, I wasn¡¯t going to say that -that would be too direct. That was why I decided to use a more tactful approach. ¡°Actually, we were here for a holi-¡±


    While a new Overlord wasn¡¯t going to be as strong as them, he was more than enough to bully a bunch of lower-starred creatures.


    ¡°Curse you! You really think our clan is that weak?!¡±


    The corporeal Nightmare Steed would have already bitten that Overlord kitty if he could. Yet just when said cat had thoroughly earned the hatred of that Nightmare Steed, he unapologetically tossed that hot potato into my hands. ¡°No use staring at me like that, it¡¯s not like I was the one who started this whole war.¡±


    So who was the one who started war? Naturally, that would be yours truly¡­ Thus, I had no choice but to suffer three decidedly angry glares once more. If glares could kill a person, I would have died a million times over.


    ¡°I thought you guys called me here for a peace talk¡­¡±


    ¡®I give up. Being stared at like that by three sets of eyes who clearly wanted me dead yesterday was pressure enough, but that blasted cat just had to make things worse for me. From the very beginning, he kept stirring them up then just tossed it all on me¡­ if you¡¯re looking for death, you didn¡¯t have to find me, you know.¡¯


    ¡°There¡¯s no point staring at that Devil so hard. Not like your stares can kill.¡±


    The moment he said that, their gazes were immediately drawn back to him. Faced with their withering glares, he not did not feel any pressure at all. He even seemed to be enjoying it as he lazily stretched his back and brushed his fur. ¡°What? Not like I was lying or anything. No matter how much you stare at her, she isn¡¯t going to drop dead. Not unless you plan on biting her to death.¡±


    ¡®Cat brother, I was wrong¡­ Even though I don¡¯t know where I went wrong, but I was wrong. And aren¡¯t we on the same side, why are you even asking him to bite me? I never offended you, have I?¡¯


    ¡®And that big horsie over there, just calm down. You¡¯re scaring me over here. I should have just stayed in the Devil King Idol. I thought that warriors at your level would at least have some principles¡­ clearly, I was wrong. Principles aren¡¯t even worth the letters used to spell them. If only I had known¡­¡¯


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough bullying the kid for now.¡± As always, it was the Hellhound¡¯s clan head who came to the rescue. ¡°You are right, there¡¯s no need to fight now, so let¡¯s talk this out.¡±


    They were right, of course. There was no point continuing to fight. While the Purgatory Warhorses did have three Overlords, the other two Overlords weren¡¯t exactly pushovers either. In a desperate fight, the both of them combined could at least drag another Overlord down with them, or maybe even two. Barring those battle maniacs, the stronger a warrior was, the more he valued his life. After all, the stronger they got, the longer was their lifespan as well.


    Furthermore, the life of an Overlord was inextricably linked to the prosperity of a clan. Basically, unless one¡¯s clan had an Overlord, they were nothing more than meat for the picking. The strength of an Overlord was just that overwhelming. Even though neither side had made a move yet, a simple stop was enough to pause a fight that was only getting more intense by the second.


    Unless one forgot, other than my lifeless golems, every other combatant stopped fighting the moment that command was given, regardless of whether they were Hellhounds, Purgatory Shadowcats or Warhorses. Why? Because that was the authority an Overlord held inside a clan.


    The Hellhound¡¯s clan head interruption had brought our conversation back to the main point once more. The three enemy Overlords turned their gazes back to me at that very instant as well. Thankfully, I was now accustomed to their pressure partly due to that blasted cat¡¯s tomfoolery.


    Having given it some thought as well, I decided it was better to just speak the truth -I wasn¡¯t exactly a gifted liar, after all. Naturally, if there were certain matters that were inconvenient to bring up, I would just avoid them.

 CHAPTER 388: A DUEL? NO. THIS IS A FIGHT TO THE DEATH

    ¡°Who gave you that mission?¡± The shadowy Nightmare Steed pressed me anxiously.


    ¡°An esteemed personage¡­¡± I deliberately said so. Had I thrown out Lucifer¡¯s name directly, they would have probably doubted my words. Also, my instincts told me that I shouldn¡¯t. There was no real reason why I should feel this way, but I chose to trust them.


    None of the Overlords present asked me who was this esteemed person. Instead, they were staring intently at me, scrutinising me for any hints of deception.


    Naturally, I was telling the truth. It was just that the truth sounded laughably implausible, that¡¯s all. At least that was how I saw this whole matter. In reality¡­


    ¡°So it was true then¡­¡± As the Hellhounds¡¯ clan head left those words trailing, I could visibly feel the agitation in his voice. His body trembled slightly as he eyed me strangely. ¡°And what else did his Excellency say to you?¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    ¡®He actually believed that? No way¡­ are you sure you won¡¯t at least question me? Are you very sure?¡¯


    ¡®I know for sure that I spoke the truth, but as an Overlord, someone who had even comprehended a part of the world¡¯s laws, should you really believe such an outlandish claim at face value?!¡¯


    ¡°What do you mean ah? Just spit it out already. Other than conquering Sable Radiance, what else was said?¡± The Overlord cat impatiently snapped while licking the fur on his paws. He then wiped them on his face as if he was washing it. ¡°Like when can we leave this place?¡±


    ¡®Leave? I guess he must be talking about when the seal on Sable Radiance will be lifted.¡¯


    This was the key point of this discussion. Not only was the Hellhounds¡¯ clan head interested in my answer, the other three Warhorses were also eyeing me eagerly.


    ¡°His Excellency did not say when exactly, he just said that when the time was right, the seal would undo itself automatically.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ it¡¯s really because of your arrival then?¡± The shadowy Nightmare Steed suddenly asked this unrelated question.


    However, I understood his meaning perfectly. Had it not been for me coincidentally ending up in Purgatory, Sable Radiance would have still been in a completely sealed up state, unlike right now where there was an endless stream of Devils appearing. And there definitely won¡¯t be any talk of the barrier lifting.


    ¡°No matter how you look at it, the only plausible answer is me¡­¡±


    So who was it that brought about all this change? That was a question that didn¡¯t need answering. Every Overlord present already had an answer, and it was the same answer.


    That¡¯s right. Petty. If I were to say that he specifically intervened to help me conquer the whole of Purgatory, that would have made more sense. But if it was just to conquer Sable Radiance, then it could be said that his goals were too small for someone of his stature. While Sable Radiance was sizable in its own right, coming in at roughly the same surface area as Earth, it was still just a small portion of Purgatory.


    Just like how an emperor wouldn¡¯t personally intervene in some random subject¡¯s problems, an esteemed Devil like him wouldn¡¯t interfere for something as insignificant as Sable Radiance. That¡¯s right, the conquest of Sable Radiance was the equivalent of Peasant A¡¯s everyday problems. Even if someone of his stature were to really care, he would have sent a subordinate instead.


    ¡°Other than that, what other mission were you given?¡± Asked the shadowy Nightmare Steed once more. Of all the Overlords present, it had to be said that this Nightmare Steed was the calmest and sharpest; every question he asked so far had been to the point. In contrast, the Hellhounds¡¯ clan head was more like the old man of the lot. That Overlord cat clearly had a screw loose, while the corporeal Nightmare Steed was more on the rash side. As for that Purgatory Warhorse Overlord, he barely spoke at all.


    Going back to his question of whether or not I had another mission, that was obviously a yes. I was also given the mission to bring about the apocalypse, but I didn¡¯t want to divulge that.


    ¡°War is about to start.¡±


    Fine. That was a little cutesy of me to do that. In truth, there really wasn¡¯t much point in me hiding this mission from them. In order for me to gain all of their support, there were only two options. One: I beat them up all, but that clearly wasn¡¯t possible. More than likely I would be the one who ended up bruised and crying.


    That was why I chose option two: gain their recognition. As long as they recognised me, they would support me.


    The moment they heard those five words, their bodies shook.


    That Overlord cat was the first to react. His eyes lit up with a frenzied fire as he pressed me further, ¡°With who?¡±


    ¡°The Human Realm¡­ apocalypse¡­¡±


    ¡°MEEOOWWW! Finally! The seal is finally going to be broken! HAHAHAHA¡­¡± As he meowed into the skies, he started waving his paws about in an elated dance.


    If the objective was to war with the Human Realm, it naturally meant that the seal on Sable Radiance had to be lifted before the upcoming apocalypse. Since I was here preparing for the apocalypse, it meant that the time for the breaking of the seal wasn¡¯t far either.


    This seal on Sable Radiance had severely restricted an Eight-star¡¯s comprehension of the world¡¯s laws. If one wasn¡¯t able to comprehend the laws of the world, it meant that they couldn¡¯t form a territory. However, this seal wasn¡¯t airtight either; it was still possible to rise to Nine-stars. However, it had to be said that an Eight-star who managed to comprehend the laws of the world in such a state definitely had the potential to become a demigod. In other words, once the seal was undone, one of these five might just become a Ten-star!


    That was why my answer was definitely a welcome surprise for all of them. Not only did that Overlord cat rejoice, the remaining four Overlords were all visibly happy as well. It was just that they weren¡¯t as flippant as that cat in their expression. However, don¡¯t think for a second that you had me fooled¡­ I saw you four grinning away.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I need all your help.¡±


    Jokes aside, what had to be said still had to be said.


    The three Warhorses exchanged a look with each other then nodded in unison. In the end, it was the shadowy Nightmare Steed who spoke up once more. ¡°I understand your meaning, but you¡¯re still too weak. We will never bow to someone like you.¡±


    They were right. I was too weak right now. Had it not been for my Devil King Idol, I wouldn¡¯t even have the ability to fight these Warhorses head-on.


    Seeing as I was silent, the shadowy Nightmare Steed continued, ¡°Even if that mysterious person is behind you, our clan still won¡¯t bow to you. We only serve the strong.¡±


    ¡°I know that. But I¡¯ve already explained my situation to you, and I do need that horn direly.¡± I breathed in deep at that point. Now was the time for some oral fireworks. If this part went well, the following matters would proceed smoothly. ¡°I intend to repair a certain magical array. But the ingredients required are rather difficult to acquire. One of them is a horn from a Nightmare Steed.¡±


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    ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll give you the horn you need, seeing as it was his Excellency¡¯s will that you came here. But you must leave immediately after receiving it.¡± The shadowy Nightmare Steed firmly stated his terms.


    ¡°That won¡¯t do. I went through all that trouble to get here. Do you really think a single horn is enough to send me packing?¡±


    ¡°Then what do you want?¡± Before the shadowy Nightmare Steed could reply, the corporeal Nightmare Steed abruptly interrupted us, clearly irritated by my response.


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    The Corporeal Nightmare Steed¡¯s gaze turned sharp at that point. ¡°Are you not afraid of death?!¡±


    ¡®A threat? Hmph, you think I will cave in so easily? Either way I still have Lucifer¡¯s protection on my side. At the very worst, both of us die.¡¯


    With the guarantee that the Overlords were indeed restricted from acting, I was more than confident in standing my ground this time. ¡°What do you mean by that? Are you trying to start a fight?¡±


    ¡°Watch it. Don¡¯t push your luck or we can both find out who will die first!¡±


    To be honest, I still wasn¡¯t all that confident about going through with that bet entirely. Even though I knew that the probability was low, there was still that slim chance that this Nightmare Steed might just be mad enough to attack me. After all, there was no shortage of madness in this world, and one couldn¡¯t be too careful.


    ¡°Fight. Fight. Fight. Now I really want to know what would happen if you hit her.¡±


    At first, that corporeal Nightmare Steed and I were in a glaring match with each other. Yet after that Overlord cat opened his wretched mouth, whatever hostility lingered in the air instantly vanished. Sometimes, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if this was reverse psychology on his part or was he really hoping for us to fight.


    ¡°We will never serve you, not unless you have the strength to defeat us. However, we can allow you to recruit warriors from our clan.¡± Now that the hostility was gone, the shadowy Nightmare Steed used this opportunity to make his suggestion known. ¡°If you can triumph over the most talented warrior amongst our younger generation, I will allow you to freely recruit from our clan. They will be yours to command at that point.¡±


    ¡°You want me to duel with your younger generation?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a death match.¡± The shadowy Nightmare Steed corrected me immediately like a teacher scolding his pupil for his crass words.


    ¡®If it¡¯s just a fight, there¡¯s no reason for me to back down. I still have my Devil King Idol so as long as it¡¯s not against an Eight-star, I definitely won¡¯t lose.¡¯


    ¡°You mean those below Six-stars? If that¡¯s the case, I accept.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a Five-star. As long as you can defeat her, I will allow your recruitment.¡±


    ¡°A Five-star, huh? Alright, I accept.¡± I immediately accepted his terms.


    (Say no to content thief!)


    ¡°Are you sure you accept this fight?¡±


    ¡°Positive.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± The shadowy Nightmare Steed swept his eyes across the rest of the Overlords, finally stopping at the Overlord cat. ¡°If you all would so kindly be our witness.¡±


    The Overlord cat licked his paws once more then threw me a quick look. ¡°No problem. There¡¯s nothing I like more than to watch someone else fight.¡±

 CHAPTER 389: MO NING

    The moment I agreed to the deathmatch and the other two Overlords agreed to be witnesses, the shadowy Nightmare Steed called out that name.


    A moment later, a shapely Purgatory Warhorse trotted out from the pack. Each step she took was neither too wide nor too narrow -just an average step you would expect from a horse. Yet for some strange reason, they seemed elegant like a catwalk.


    This particular Warhorse had an alluring figure, one more beautiful than any other Warhorse I had seen so far. One that was slender yet bursting with strength. While I wasn¡¯t too sure why the word alluring popped into my head when describing her, it just felt fitting.


    Most Purgatory Warhorses had black fur with some odd streaks of red here and there. Yet this Mo Ning was fully red. With each step she took, it seemed like a blazing ball of fire was approaching me.


    ¡°Greetings, clan heads. As well as the two Overlords from outside the clan.¡± As she said that, she bowed towards the three Overlords from her clan then greeted the Overlord Purgatory Shadowcat and the Overlord Cerberus.


    From start to end, she never once turned to look at me¡­ was I unnecessary here? Still, that voice was definitely a female¡¯s.


    ¡°Mo Ning, we just came to an agreement. This will be your opponent.¡± The shadowy Nightmare Steed turned towards me then. ¡°Devil, she will be your opponent. Mo Ning.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a Five-star?¡± Normally, one could gauge a Purgatory creature¡¯s strength by their body size. This Mo Ning was definitely larger than an average Purgatory Warhorse, but only by a little. Her strength shouldn¡¯t be too high. Perhaps a Four-star instead?


    ¡°I know your real strength is only at the level of a Four-star, so we won¡¯t bully you either. Mo Ning here is a Five-star.¡± Having said that, the corporeal Nightmare Steed¡¯s mouth cracked open to reveal a toothy grin as if he was mocking me. ¡°If you can defeat her, we¡¯ll give you the right to freely recruit within our clan.¡±


    ¡®What do you mean you won¡¯t bully me¡­you already know I¡¯m a Four-star yet you still got a Five-star to come fight me. You horses are just as shameless as that blasted cat!¡¯


    Even so, I wasn¡¯t all too worried. I still had the Devil King Idol, after all. I just had to step on her.


    ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s begin then.¡±


    With that declaration, the curtain on this battle was raised. I turned around to try and enter my Devil King Idol. Yet just as I was about to do so, a black silhouette flashed before my eyes. There stood an upright, oversized cat Overlord blocking my way. Initially, I thought it would be the corporeal Nightmare Steed who would try and hinder me. I even prepared a whole speech about how a good horse doesn¡¯t get in the way. Thankfully, I stopped myself right in the nick of time.


    The Overlord cat didn¡¯t answer me directly. Instead, he asked an unexpected question, ¡°And where do you plan on going exactly?¡±


    ¡°To the Devil King Idol, of course.¡± I pointed at the twenty meter tall golem nearby. ¡°I still have a fight to win, after all. Since they are bringing out a Five-star, I have to bring out my trump cards as well.¡±


    At that point, the Overlord cat sighed and gave me that knowing smile as if he knew this would happen. ¡°You can¡¯t.¡±


    Seeing that, my heart froze. ¡°What do you mean I can¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Because that golem you call Devil King Idol is a machine of war.¡± The Hellhounds¡¯ clan head patiently explained. ¡°Deathmatches are sacred fights. You are only permitted to use whatever weapons or armors you possess, but not tools like machines of war. Also, you can¡¯t use consumables.¡±


    ¡°So you mean I can¡¯t use anything other than normal weaponry and armor?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± The Hellhounds¡¯ clan head and the Overlord cat both agreed at the same time.


    ¡®Fishcakes¡­you two traitors! Aren¡¯t we supposed to be on the same side? Those Warhorses over there didn¡¯t even make a sound when I walked towards the Devil King Idol, and you two actually¡­ I swear!¡¯


    Now, we had a problem. Without the Devil King Idol, could I even beat a Five-star Purgatory Warhorse? I was confident I could put up a fight, but I wasn¡¯t all that confident about winning. Strictly speaking, ever since I evolved into a Fallen Angel, I had only personally taken part in one battle -that fight with the Demonic Fire Sprite and that giant fish.


    However, because of that fight, I was able to discover several interesting battle tactics.


    Up till now, I had always wanted to fight a suitable opponent that wasn¡¯t too weak or too strong. Unfortunately, all the opponents I faced up till now fell into one of those two categories. Thanks to that, I either had no interest or dared not hold any interest in fighting them. This deathmatch could be said to be a test for my new self.


    Speaking of which, to think I was actually hindered by the experts I brought over myself¡­ such an embarrassment.


    As they said, a deathmatch was sacred. The moment both sides were confirmed, all the spectators would automatically back away and give them space to fight. The five Overlords were the same as well, backing all the way back three hundred meters in a circle. Mo Ning then stamped on the ground a couple of times then puffed out a cloud of black smoke. Even though she was clearly a creature of fire, the look she gave me now was ice cold.


    Then, like a pair of conjoined twins, the corporeal and incorporeal Nightmare Steeds rose into the air in a spiral and gazed down upon our makeshift battle arena. ¡°Let the battle of life and death commence!¡±


    ¡®Life and death? Shouldn¡¯t it be till one side loses? Hey, did you use the wrong words here?! What¡¯s the point of making us fight to the death in the first place?!¡¯


    Unlike me who was clearly overwhelmed by his first deathmatch, Mo Ning had already taken up a battle stance. The moment that declaration was made, she galloped towards me at full speed!


    Her charge was like a bolt of lightning. Before I could even react to her attacking, I already felt the wind being knocked out of my chest as I was sent flying away against my will.


    My first thought was pain. A strong urge to spit out blood overwhelmed me, but that soon passed. However, the sight of me sprawled on the ground was still rather embarrassing.


    ¡®Hmmm. My body seemed to seize up the moment I received serious damage. Luckily, my regeneration powers are a lot stronger now since I became a Fallen Angel.¡¯ It didn¡¯t take long at all before I was up on my feet and flying in the air with a beat of my purple wings.


    Shadow Demon Guardian!


    The moment I escaped from the ground¡¯s embrace, I activated my Shadow Demon Guardian. My shadow instantly transformed into a shadowy demon that flew off towards Mo Ning. Its arms stretched out into a couple of razor sharp scythes that mercilessly closed in on her.


    Purgatory Warhorses did not have the ability to fly. Neither did they have the ability to walk on air like the Nightmare Steeds so staying in the air was the safest bet. As long as I kept harassing her with my Shadow Demon Guardian¡¯s uniquely relentless style of attacking, my odds of winning were big.


    However, just as I thought I had a surefire, albeit shameless, way of winning, she mercilessly crushed my dreams with a simple step into the air. That¡¯s right, she was in the air!


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    Mo Ning ignored the Shadow Demon¡¯s attacks entirely with a leap upwards, and in a burst of flames and hooves, blasted herself up towards the heavens!


    ¡®Coach, I want to report a cheater! That horse over there clearly isn¡¯t respecting the rules!¡¯


    The sight of her taking to the air like that truly frightened me for a second. Thankfully, my heart was made of sterner stuff than that. I immediately recovered from the shock and furiously beat my wings to try and distance myself from her. As I did that, I fired a volley of mana feathers.


    Faced with a blanket of magical feathers flying straight for her, who would have ever thought that Mo Ning would display an even greater display of agility than on land. As a landbound creature, she seemed to have no respect for the air at all as she continued galloping upwards as if she was on solid ground, all the while dodging the feathers she could and spitting fire at those she couldn¡¯t.


    Still, while her display was truly impressive, a small percentage of the mana feathers managed to hit her. However, at the same time as those feathers struck her, a red shield appeared to block them.


    No wonder she was the strongest amongst the younger generation. And no wonder that Nightmare Steed dared to issue a deathmatch despite knowing that I had wings to fly. He already knew that I couldn¡¯t do much against Mo Ning.


    ¡®This won¡¯t do at all, I need to retake the initiative. Since you like flying so much, how about I take that away from you then.¡¯


    I placed both my hands above my chest, left and right palms facing each other as I locked my fingers together except for my thumbs. Mana began gathering in both of them, and as I pulled them apart, a corporeal black string could be seen forming. By the time my hands were at their furthest apart, a centimeter thick whip formed of the darkness had appeared in my left hand. As it wrapped around my wrist, the rest of its black body hung downwards a full twenty meters or more.


    The reason why it wasn¡¯t covered in Nether Flames was because I didn¡¯t want to kill her. In its current strengthened form, this darkness whip should be more than enough.


    Swish!


    The darkness whipped lashed out at Mo Ning but she swiftly dodged it in another burst of fiery hooves. Yet the darkness whip continued snaking after her relentlessly. Ever since I gained the ability to impart consciousness, my magical attacks had become more unpredictable. What I did just now was a simple lash, devoid of any method or technique. However, that whip didn¡¯t require any input from me at all as it automatically raced after Mo Ning.


    Like an animal in a circus, she was made to jump through the fiery hoop that was my lashing whip as she endlessly tried to shake it off. As that happened, I distanced myself from her, all the while peppering her with attacks in a bid to strike her back down onto the ground.

 CHAPTER 390: RESONANT EDGE

    If my hunch was correct, each time she launched herself off those fiery bursts, she had to use up her mana; it wouldn¡¯t make sense otherwise. In contrast, my ability to fly did use up some physical strength as well as mana, but those were miniscule compared to hers.


    In other words, I could just drag this fight out into a battle of endurance. While that might not be the most glorious of victories, it was still a win.


    As Mo Ning continued launching herself off those fiery bursts, she had to dodge an array of lashes from my Darkness Whip and my Mana Feathers. She tried multiple times to speed up, but I always maintained a decisive edge over her. Furthermore, my ranged attacks were more varied than hers -she only had those flame breaths to spit at me.


    Because I was afraid that she wouldn¡¯t be able to survive some of my deadlier spells, I hadn¡¯t used any Nether Flames yet. My new and improved Vengeful Soul which I learnt from Mo Na was out of the picture as well.


    Still, even without this auto-pursuit skill that was Vengeful Soul, I had other tricks up my sleeves, like my Bone Spears.


    Ever since we stepped into Purgatory, I hadn¡¯t used any of my Undead spells, because my talents in that field weren¡¯t up to par. Well, it was worse than Mo Na¡¯s anyway. Of course, there were other reasons as well¡­ like the fact that whenever I cast those spells, the effects were less than desirable¡­


    However, in this situation where I wasn¡¯t trying to injure my opponent, they were perfect for hindering Mo Ning.


    That was why when I lashed at her and fired off my Mana Feathers, I threw out my Bone Spears as well. My Bone Spears were considered both physical and magical spells at the same time, and her red shield seemed to only be effective against magical damage seeing as she made sure to dodge all of my spears.


    With my vast pool of mana, I could easily throw out a hail of such low level spells. Faced with such a massive force, even Mo Ning didn¡¯t dare face them head-on. Thanks to that, our distance was maintained at a comfortable twenty meters apart.


    Twenty meters was a distance that was neither too far apart, nor was it too close. In order for Mo Ning to cover this distance, she definitely needed more than one second.


    Just as a single Bone Spear was about to hit her, she suddenly boosted herself upwards in a fiery burst. She then used that Bone Spear as a launching pad to dodge even more Bone Spears. I would have never expected a horse to be capable of such¡­ deft maneuvers had I not seen this firsthand. From where I was flying, I could only watch as she steadily closed the gap using the Bone Spears which were supposed to hinder her.


    ¡®What the heck was that? Movement Skills, like those martial arts movies? Horse Taking Off Like Swallows? No¡­ more like Horse Steps On Spears¡­¡¯


    I was furiously backpedalling with my wings while maintaining a close eye on Mo Ning. Thanks to that, I could watch in excruciating detail as her silhouette got ever bigger by the second. I knew she wasn¡¯t happy about the fight so far, so a furious counterattack was about to happen next. Her mouth opened up slightly and turned in my direction. In all likelihood, she was gathering up mana for an attack.


    ¡®Flames? Well, even if she spits out more flames, it doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯m more agile than her and I have plenty of space to dodge in the air.¡¯


    ¡®But in that case, did she just go through all that trouble just to launch another plain old flame breath?¡¯


    A second later, I realised that I had underestimated her once more.


    Her throat began to tremble, and just as I thought another stream of flame was about to burst forth, she instead let forth a terrible screech. That sound was like countless fingernails scratching against a blackboard. Like a vengeful ghost repeatedly haunting one¡¯s head. Basically, it was a really, really uncomfortable sound.


    ¡®Just what is she planning? Screech and then what? Why is nothing happening? No flames. Nothing. Perhaps a mistake¡­¡¯


    That thought barely lasted a second before I felt my body being sliced apart by what felt like miniature knives. These weren¡¯t ordinary knives, however. They were formless knives that were both thin and sharp. My face ended up with countless cut marks and my hair wasn¡¯t spared either as strands after strands of purple hair fell from the air. At the same time, my wings had suffered serious injuries and nearly stopped flapping. My whole body froze up for a second, then plummeted.


    However, that only lasted a second before I performed a body flip and regained control. By the time I finished this maneuver, Mo Ning had just galloped past me, grazing my shoulders in the process¡­ and it wasn¡¯t just a light graze either¡­


    There was no time to celebrate, however. Managing to dodge that charge was pure luck; there was no telling I would be so lucky next time. Thankfully, she wasn¡¯t very agile in the air. Thanks to my good luck, her charge ended up missing its target and she couldn¡¯t change direction in time. In order for her to turn around, she needed time as well. Time that I could use to regain my posture.


    Once I managed to recover, I immediately distanced myself from her again.


    Even though I had suffered some cuts just now, my wounds weren¡¯t wide enough for the blood even to spurt out. The moment the cut was formed, it was already beginning to heal automatically. Not even a single drop of blood managed to fall to the ground in that short exchange.


    Self-regeneration was a trait of Devils, and this trait was taken to its utmost limits in my body.


    It was only until I managed to widen our gap to a comfortable distance that I finally had time to consider what had just happened. As I continued flying away, the scene of her opening her mouth to attack continually played out in my mind. She first opened her mouth then gathered some energy within it for some time before launching those knives. That attack had not only sliced my face apart, it had also wounded my neck, thighs, chest and waist. The self-made armor I had on was starting to look a lot less protective as well.


    ¡®So what the heck was that? It was most likely an attack that made use of sound waves¡­ Hold on, I remember now! Sinmosa once told me about a certain ability the Purgatory Warhorses had that was called Resonant Edge¡­ Resonant Edge¡­ I get it now. That was the Resonant Edge!

 CHAPTER 391: OPTICAL ILLUSION

    As for how many people ended up being cuckolded by that cur¡­ well, I won¡¯t comment on that, but suffice to say that I¡¯m not one of them!


    That is why I absolutely detest psychic spells. In fact, I like nothing more than for that guy to come back to life again so that I can burn him to death once more! Also, let me state for the record that he never laid eyes on my wife!


    ¡ª <>


    Note: This book has not been officially published yet, because the mage burned to death by the author was the son of the shadow owner of the publisher¡­


    ¡®I¡¯ll admit, I¡¯m weak. Extremely weak. So spare me these hotblooded encounters. All that nonsense about challenging those stronger than you is a load of horsepoop! Anyone who does that is a moron, and I¡¯m definitely not a moron!¡¯


    Mo Ning continued chasing after me in her fiery cloud form. No matter how many lashes I threw at her, or how many spells I tossed her way, that fact never changed. In that case, it was time for more underhanded tactics. Previously, I wanted to see how well my guerilla tactics would work out, so I had the Shadow Demon Guardian stay out while she chased me. The situation was different now. Barring the use of my Nether Flames, I had nothing left to throw at her. With that in mind, I summoned my Shadow Demon Guardian into this fight, no longer wishing to drag this fight any further.


    With a pair of shadowy wings on its back and its body made entirely out of the shadow element, it didn¡¯t take long for it to reach the back of Mo Ning.


    Just as it flew up to Mo Ning, it stretched out into a snake-like form and wrapped itself around Mo Ning. She immediately tried to break free of the shadowy binding by igniting her body with flames. Unfortunately, these flames didn¡¯t seem to affect the Shadow Demon Guardian much. After all, the Shadow Demon Guardian itself was a medium for my Nether Flames, and those flames were a lot higher level than her ordinary flames.


    Still, the flames she conjured had her mana infused into them so some degree of damage was still inflicted.


    Now that she was entangled by my Shadow Demon Guardian, she couldn¡¯t use her fiery clouds to propel herself. With no way to maintain her altitude, she began to fall from the sky. At the rate she was falling, it would probably take a few seconds before she came crashing to the ground, either dead or severely injured.


    Just as it looked like she was about to be defeated however, I ended up being disappointed. A frenzied roar later, a flurry of invisible blades shot out from her body and began slicing up the Shadow Demon Guardian¡­ so even her mane was a possible point from which she could launch that attack?


    A decidedly swiss cheese-like Shadow Demon Guardian had no choice but to let her go now that it could barely even maintain a solid shape, floating to the ground soon after like a leaf in the wind.


    With her freedom regained, she immediately launched herself off in a fiery burst! However¡­


    ¡®This distance should be enough.¡¯


    I roughly calculated the distance between me and Mo Ning: twenty or so meters. The Shadow Demon Guardian¡¯s failure was already factored in my plan so my intention was never to defeat her like that. As long as the Shadow Demon Guardian did its best to delay her, everything else was just icing on the cake. With this amount of distance between us, that plan was a resounding success.


    Rising Feathers!


    A second later, countless streams of purple light shot towards the airborne Mo Ning. With no time to even process this sudden change, she ended up being hit by the lights!


    In truth, the mana feathers I shot out just now was from a spell called Falling Feathers. It was a spell inspired by the Mana Feathers I shot out while inside the Devil King Idol; this was my first time using it in actual combat. Its effect was to launch countless Mana Feathers from my wings at my enemies. Should they miss their target, they would fall to the ground and lie in wait. Because I had the ability to impart consciousness on my spells, these feathers were able to respond to my command even after laying on the ground for a while. At that moment, these harmless looking feathers would suddenly spring to life and fire at my opponents once more.


    These two skills were a combination together. When timed well, they could definitely catch a person off guard.


    As the feathers threatened to pierce her flesh, they were suddenly obstructed by a red barrier that wrapped around her entirely, deflecting all of them in the process¡­


    ¡®Blast it¡­ they didn¡¯t break through¡­¡¯


    ¡®I guess ordinary attacks won¡¯t work on her¡­ she is a Five-star, and the most talented one amongst their younger generation too. In fact, she looks like she might even be able to challenge one of their Six-star elders¡­¡¯


    ¡°ROARR!!¡±


    Not one to be on the defensive, Mo Ning let forth a furious roar upon successfully deflecting all the feathers. The barrier around her promptly shattered in a brilliant display of red. Following that, the shards of red light suddenly rushed towards me like a barrage of rockets!


    ¡®What the?!¡¯


    I waved my hands and called forth a wall of Nether Flames mid-air to swallow the incoming shards of flame. Yet even after taking care of this sudden attack, I didn¡¯t let my Nether Flames dissipate immediately. Instead, I waved my hands once more and summoned a Vengeful Flamesoul to toss at Mo Ning.


    The Vengeful Flamesoul was a modified version of the Undead spell, Vengeful Soul. The traditional Vengeful Soul was more of a support spell with an extremely low attack power. Having been modified however, my Vengeful Flamesoul¡¯s damage could only be described as terrifying. If someone with a low flame resistance were to even touch it, they would immediately be reduced to cinders!


    (Author¡¯s Explanation: Mo Na¡¯s own version of Vengeful Soul had been modified as well, causing it to have an extremely high attack power. Even so, it was still a purely Undead spell. Mo Ke¡¯s spell, on the other hand, contained both his Nether Flames and his Consciousness Impartment, resulting in an entirely new version of the Vengeful Soul that was unique to him.)


    I continued summoning forth more Vengeful Flamesouls and tossed them at Mo Ning. On Mo Ning¡¯s part, she probably knew that these Nether Flames weren¡¯t something she could endure, so she never gave them the chance at all to get close to her. Using the fastest speed she could muster, she dodged the Vengeful Flamesouls. Unfortunately for her, these Vengeful Flamesouls had a second part to them: they could pursue their targets. Furthermore, as the number of Vengeful Flamesouls kept increasing, it was only a matter of time before she was mine.


    Nether Flames were a terrifying form of fire. Even I wasn¡¯t sure what would happen to Mo Ning if she were to get hit by them. However, I couldn¡¯t afford to lose this fight. If I had to choose between losing and killing Mo Ning, I would definitely not choose to lose. Naturally, if there was a way to win without killing her, that would be for the best.


    Yet just as I was worried about her getting burned to death by my Nether Flames, she actually charged towards me. She came galloping towards me in a burst of flames, behind her trailed an entire contingent of fiery red skulls¡­


    ¡®Hold on, something¡¯s wrong with this scene here¡­what are you doing coming this way?!¡¯


    That sight truly scared me for a second. I hurriedly summoned another wall of Nether Flames to block her charge, but she wasn¡¯t one to give up so easily. Even when faced with a wall of flames suddenly appearing before her, she forcefully changed directions and managed to leap over the wall in the nick of time¡­


    ¡®There¡¯s no avoiding this anymore¡­ she plans on finishing me off with this attack. If I were to run away now, she would definitely catch up to me and give me a lethal bump on the back¡­ no, this won¡¯t do at all. I mustn¡¯t face her head-on, but I can¡¯t run away either. Looks like there¡¯s only that spell left¡­¡¯


    Her blood red eyes were truly a terrifying sight to behold. As she charged unwaveringly towards me, her eyes never once drifted away from me. As long as I made a move, she would immediately react to it.


    Yet at the same time, her close watch of me was a chance. Up till now, I had always neglected my own combat prowess, because I had a bunch of subordinates to take care of that for me. Thanks to that, my own combat sense was lacking. Yet no matter how lacking it was, I wasn¡¯t about to forget about my own strengths.


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    I was a Devil with three Original Sins. Most of the time, I used my fire and darkness talents given to me by my Lust Demon side. After becoming a Fallen Angel, these two elements were strengthened further. However, that wasn¡¯t all I had¡­ Strictly speaking, Lust was something Ferti¡¯nier tacked onto me, just like how Pride was something I gained from Lucifer¡¯s clone. My first Original Sin was actually Envy.


    And illusions were the bread and butter for those blessed by Envy!


    Now¡­ how about having a look at my eyes¡­


    I focused all of my psychic energy and mana into my eyes. In just a single moment, Mo Ning fell into my trap, all thanks to that dogged eye contact she maintained with me.


    Mo Ning was a whole star higher than me. Her own psychic strength was high as well, meaning that whatever illusions I cast on her mind would most likely fail. And that was why I created an optical illusion instead. Keeping eye contact with her, I began to shift my position. Yet in her eyes, my simple movement created a trail of shadowy silhouettes in my wake. Because these silhouettes were both an illusion and also an actual optical phenomenon, she wasn¡¯t able to see through this deception right away.


    This clever bit of trickery paid off immensely. Because she wasn¡¯t able to discern which was actually me, she hesitated for a moment.


    As one of the most talented Warhorses in the younger generation, she was also the most likely to evolve into a Nightmare Steed. That meant that her psychic strength wasn¡¯t going to be lower than an Illusion Demon¡¯s. In other words, it was only a matter of time before she eventually broke out of this illusion. That was why I threw out even more Vengeful Flamesouls than before.


    By the time she was able to successfully break free from my optical illusion, she found herself surrounded by reddish black skills¡­


    ¡®Let¡¯s see you try and charge now. As long as you do that, you will definitely ram into one of them, but if you don¡¯t, that means you lose.¡¯


    This stalemate didn¡¯t last long however as my Shadow Demon Guardian took this opportunity to insert itself between us. More importantly, it was covered in Nether Flames!


    Seeing that, Mo Ning knew that this fight was over. She lowered her prideful head and finally admitted defeat.

 CHAPTER 392: I JUST GOT MYSELF A MOUN

    Mo Ning stopped releasing those fiery bursts and began falling to the ground. As she plummeted, those Vengeful Flamesouls and my Shadow Demon Guardian continued following downwards, maintaining that tight encirclement even as she landed.


    Even though she had never experienced the power of my Nether Flames before, her instincts told her that this wasn¡¯t something she could handle. That meant she had no way of breaking through the encirclement, especially not with that pesky Shadow Demon Guardian keeping a close watch on her.


    Yet she did not surrender right away. She merely stood there silently, as if she was pondering whether or not to embark on that last hurrah. As for me, I had no intention of recalling my Vengeful Flamesouls until I had confirmation that she had lost. Either way, this victory was mine, so even if she chose to persist, I could just slam those Vengeful Flamesouls right into her. In the worst case scenario, I could just recall my Vengeful Flamesouls right before she died. As for whether or not that would permanently cripple her¡­ well¡­ since one was one the battlefield, they should have the required self-awareness as well!


    This moment of hesitation only lasted two seconds before Mo Ning showed a change. Her gaze had hardened -seems like she wanted to fight it out then. Yet just as she was about to make her move, the voice of that shadowy Nightmare Steed boomed from above. ¡°That¡¯s enough. This battle is over.¡±


    ¡°She actually won¡­ now that¡¯s an interesting turn of events.¡± Crouched safely away from our battlefield, the Overlord cat licked his paws before tossing the Hellhounds¡¯ clan head a nonchalant look. ¡°That little fellow actually has three Original Sins.¡±


    ¡°I told you so. Even if I¡¯m old, I¡¯m not senile enough to make a mistake like that.¡± Having said that, the Hellhounds¡¯ clan head suddenly asked, ¡°So what¡¯s your plan?¡±


    The Overlord cat shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Even our clan¡¯s Cat King was helped up to the throne by her, what else can I do?¡±


    The Hellhounds¡¯ clan head knowingly nodded at that. ¡°Speaking of which, it seems like a couple of our younger generation Hellhounds are on good terms with her as well.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s just leave it at that for now.¡±


    ¡°True.¡±


    Because the shadowy Nightmare Steed willingly admitted defeat for their clan, Mo Ning had no reason to risk that encirclement any longer. Instead, she coldly lowered her head and muttered, ¡°I¡¯ve lost.¡±


    With the outcome decided, I finally recalled my Vengeful Flamesouls and my Shadow Demon Guardian. At the same time, the shadowy Nightmare Steed descended from the skies and landed between the both of us.


    ¡°With regards to recruiting your clan¡¯s warriors¡­ I have no need of that right now, but I will in the future. Should your clan ever encounter any new Devils in the future, I hope that you would do your best to capture them alive, then send them over to me.¡±


    To be perfectly honest, while I was only given the right to recruit their warriors right now, I could consider this as having conquered their clan. After all, allowing me to recruit their warriors was a form of recognition. For the time being however, I had no need for a massive army yet. I had no enemies in Sable Radiance, so the most pressing issue now was to repair the Exchange Array, and subdue more Devils.


    ¡°So you want them as captives.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Best don¡¯t harm them as well, they are going to be my important soldiers in the future.¡±


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll settle on this deal then.¡± Even though this was an oral agreement, I wasn¡¯t too worried. These horses seemed like a principled lot who wouldn¡¯t go back on their words easily. Besides, capturing some lone Devil and sending him my way wasn¡¯t all that difficult for them.


    Just as we finished ironing out that deal, the Overlord Warhorse came back with a foot long black horn in his mouth.


    I reached out and gingerly took it from him, cradling it in my arms like it was some precious jewel.


    ¡®So this is the horn of a Nightmare Steed, doesn¡¯t seem all that special to me though. Still, at least it means I finally have one of the items required for repairing the array¡­ Geez¡­ it felt like a really long journey just to get this blasted thing. I swear I¡¯ve aged a few years in the process.¡¯


    ¡°Because each and every Nightmare Steed Horn is able to aid a Purgatory Warhorse in his evolution towards a Nightmare Steed, they are all regarded as treasures in our clan¡­¡±


    ¡®Is he trying to tell me indirectly that he just did me a big favor? Please, I earned it fair and square, and you¡¯re not getting it back either.¡¯


    For the time being, that was all the business I had with the Purgatory Warhorses. It was time to resume my journey to find the rest of the ingredients. However, I still needed a representative from their clan to accompany me. And I would much rather Mo Ning.


    With that in mind, I openly broached this subject with the shadowy Nightmare Steed. ¡°I still have other matters to attend to right now so I¡¯ll be leaving. Before that, I hope your clan is able to spare a representative to accompany me. I just so happen to lack a mount as well.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll let you have your pick of some of our finests young horses.¡±


    Having said that, the shadowy Nightmare Steed was just about to go off and call the other Warhorses when I suddenly stopped him. I pointed at Mo Ning and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll just settle for Mo Ning.¡±


    The shadowy Nightmare Steed was stunned for a second. ¡°You choose Mo Ning?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, I think she¡¯s an excellent choice.¡±


    ¡°I object!¡± Having stayed silent for a long while, the corporeal Nightmare Steed finally spoke up.


    ¡®Oh? Now that¡¯s quite a big reaction from you there. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re still bitter about losing the bet? Well, too bad. I¡¯ve decided on Mo Ning, so I¡¯m definitely getting her.¡¯


    I deliberately put on a scornful expression then replied, ¡°Didn¡¯t you horses just say that I have the right to freely recruit within your clan? I haven¡¯t even left yet and you¡¯re about to go back on your word already?¡¯


    ¡°Your request violates our ancestral rules.¡¯ The corporeal Nightmare Steed vehemently countered.


    Seeing as that corporeal Nightmare Steed was dead set on objecting, I turned my gaze towards the shadowy Nightmare Steed. Faced with my silent question, he shook his head. ¡°It is inappropriate as he says.¡±


    ¡°It violates your ancestral rules?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡®Ancestral rules? But all I¡¯m trying to do is make her my steed. How is that a violation of your ancestral rules? Didn¡¯t he just say that he would call over their finest horses to let me choose?! I swear you horses change your mind faster than you change your saddles! How about having some principles for once?! How cheap are your principles anyway? Are they sold by the kilos? Are they cheaper than that blasted cat¡¯s?!¡¯


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    Just as I thought that we had entered a stalemate, Mo Ning suddenly stepped in, ¡°I agree to being your mount, let¡¯s sign the pact.¡±


    As she said that, the expression she had on looked rather strange -actually, I can¡¯t differentiate their expressions so what am I even saying? Even so, I could vaguely sense that she was a little sheepish as she said that. She even avoided direct eye contact with me¡­ What¡¯s going on here exactly? Do you feel insulted by my request or something?


    ¡°Mo Ning¡­ are you sure you wish to sign a pact?¡± The corporeal Nightmare Steed shot her an incredulous look. ¡°This Devil¡­ you¡¯re sure you choose her?¡±


    ¡°Positive.¡± Her answer was firm, as if she had just made a life-altering decision right then.


    ¡®Hey. What¡¯s with that look of righteous resolve on your face? Is becoming my mount really such a terrifying thing? Who are you acting all self-righteous for exactly? I¡¯m still the appointed successor of this region, don¡¯t cha know? Have you ever heard of any of those demons who became a mount for other immortals ever being beaten to death by Sun Wuk@ng in the J@urney to the West? Just go read about the other demons in that book, tell me how many of them had a good ending?¡¯


    ¡®You know what? I know you¡¯ve never read that book¡­ but I still hope that you will understand one thing: being my mount is an honor. Understood?¡¯


    The shadowy Nightmare Steed and the incorporeal Nightmare Steed exchanged a look with each other. Who knew what went on between the two of them then, but the next time I got a reply, it was the shadowy Nightmare Steed who spoke up. ¡°Since Mo Ning is willing, then we have no reason to object then¡­ I¡¯ll host the ceremony then.¡±


    After what was basically your typical villain trying to steal someone¡¯s bride scene, Mo Ning and I signed a non-binding pact under the auspices of that shadowy Nightmare Steed. And it really was a non-binding pact -except for the part that Mo Ning would now spend her life with me, till death do us part.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    The moment that pact was signed, the Overlord cat immediately began smacking his paws against the ground uncontrollably as he proceeded to fall over forwards in laughter. In fact, he tumbled on the ground a little, not at all caring that he¡¯s supposed to be an Overlord.


    Not only was that Overlord cat acting strange, even that normally stoic Overlord Cerberus seemed to be on the verge of laughter as he eyed me strangely, as if I had just done something incredulous.


    ¡®Wasn¡¯t that just a non-binding pact? It didn¡¯t even state what I had to fulfill on my end; it was completely all on Mo Ning. For example, if I were to die, Mo Ning would be seriously injured and even die¡­ so that was clearly me getting a better deal here. Why the heck are you two laughing your furry butts off here?! What¡¯s going on here?!¡¯


    ¡°Even though Mo Ning said that she was willing, since the both of you signed this pact, I hope you will treat Mo Ning well in the future as well, got it?¡±


    Now that the signing was done, the glare that corporeal Nightmare Steed gave me wasn¡¯t just his usual disdain, it had a hint of approval as well. How should I describe it? It was like if a dog was looking at you, but it saw you as its own kind.


    Strange though this whole chain of events was, I still solemnly answered, ¡°Since Mo Ning is now my mount, I¡¯ll definitely treat her well.¡±

 CHAPTER 393: A WOMAN AND HER HORSE

    ¡°Hahaha¡­ what are you talking about?¡±


    Before that Cerberus could even answer my question, the Overlord Cat butted in, all the while winking at me in a fashion that somehow made his already punchable cat face even more punchable. Assuming I could punch him, of course.


    ¡®What do you mean what am I talking about? What else could I be talking about?!¡¯


    ¡°Ahem. From now on, you have to make sure to provide her a good life.¡±


    The Hellhounds¡¯ clan head finally spoke up, but his words just seemed so foreign to me¡­ what the potato did he mean when he said I had to provide her a good life? Wasn¡¯t it just a simple pact about being my mount? It wasn¡¯t like we just got engaged, let alone married. So why did I have to provide for her¡­


    ¡®Shi¨C did I just fall into another trap?¡¯


    ¡°Judging by that look on your face, I think you¡¯ve guessed the reason as well.¡± The Overlord Cat gleefully reminded me. ¡°What you just signed was an engagement pact, don¡¯t cha know~~¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®I¡­ I¡­ I just wanted a mount¡­ why the potato did you guys do this to me?!¡¯


    ¡°Hahahaha¡­I can¡¯t take it anymore¡­ I¡¯m dying over here¡­ hahahaha¡­¡± Having been silent for a good long while now, Ferti¡¯nier finally couldn¡¯t contain herself from laughing uncontrollably in my head. I could even picture her shapely body jiggling right now as she laughed¡­


    ¡®You knew about this. You definitely knew about this, didn¡¯t you?!¡¯


    ¡°What¡­ that¡¯s just common knowledge.¡± Ferti¡¯nier giggled as she said that. ¡° Under normal circumstances, it is forbidden to ride on the backs of the warriors of the Purgatory Warhorse, unless they have the approval of that horse. However, it is only the males of this clan that can become another¡¯s mount. Females are normally barred from this role.¡±


    ¡®I know she¡¯s a female. That shadowy Nightmare Steed and that corporeal Nightmare Steed also mentioned something about this arrangement violating their ancestral rules, but didn¡¯t Mo Ning still go through with the signing anyway?¡¯


    ¡°And that¡¯s where the problem starts.¡± Ferti¡¯nier knowingly cleared her throat at that point, most likely to frustrate me even further. Upon confirming that I was in fact at my limits, she then proceeded to solve this mystery for me. ¡°Female Purgatory Warhorses can only be mounts for their partners, and when I say partner, I mean the kind you can ride in the day and in the night.¡±


    ¡®The kind you can ride at night¡­ fishcakes¡­ I¡¯ll admit, I¡¯m about to blow my top right now¡­ that answer was just¡­ I knew I was being played!¡¯


    ¡°Oh, you can if you want to. But once you do, my dear little brother, you will have to face the undying wrath of the Purgatory Warhorses.¡± Having said that, her tone changed from her usual mischievous teasing to a darker, more ominous tone. ¡°After all, who likes to be played like that, am I right?¡±


    ¡®So what you¡¯re saying is that no one likes to be played. So they decided to gang up on me instead? Why must living be so difficult?¡¯


    ¡°Nyaa~ Looks like Mo Ning has finally found herself a partner. What a joyous day this is.¡±


    The Overlord Cat¡¯s happy meowing brought me to reality. At this point, there really was nothing left to say. I had suddenly gained a fiancee¡­rest in pieces me¡­


    ¡°I¡¯ve long heard rumors that the most talented of the young horses actually neighs for the same side¡­ to think it was true.¡± The Overlord Cerberus clicked his tongue at that point then continued, ¡°I guess anything is possible in this wide world.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s right, anything is possible in this wide world, so why are you looking at me when you say that? I¡¯m a normal person, thank you very much. I have no interest in horses!¡¯


    ¡°Even though this goes against our ancestral rules, if Mo Ning likes it that way, it can¡¯t be helped.¡± The shadowy Nightmare Steed tossed her a fatherly look at that point then swept his eyes over to me. He then quietly whispered in the ears of the corporeal Nightmare Steed. ¡°They look quite fitting together.¡±


    ¡®Fitting, my foot! How do I look fitting with a horse?! Don¡¯t think I can¡¯t hear you just because you¡¯re whispering!¡¯


    The corporeal Nightmare Steed unmistakably harrumphed at that point. While he didn¡¯t express his stance on this subject, it was most likely approval for our relationship¡­ hold on, what relationship?


    ¡°If both parties are females, they should get on well with each other.¡±


    The shadowy Nightmare Steed seemed to be comforting that corporeal Nightmare Steed, but he still seemed displeased. ¡°All that talk about neighing for the same side¡­ I still think it goes against our ancestors¡¯ wishes¡­¡±


    ¡®So when you say it goes against your ancestral rules, it¡¯s not about females not being able to become a mount for another, it¡¯s that you see me in that light?!¡¯


    The shadowy Nightmare Steed continued comforting him, ¡°our children have their own lives, just let nature take its course.¡±


    The corporeal Nightmare Steed said no more, neither objecting or approving, clearly his anger was stuck fast in his chest right now.


    Now that my battle with Mo Ning was over, it also meant that this entire war was at its end as well, although its end was a lot more different that I had originally envisioned.


    I had gained a Nightmare Steed Horn so I had no reason to stay behind either. This outcome wasn¡¯t exactly perfect, but it was passable.


    ¡®Still¡­ wherever I go, Mo Ning goes as well¡­ should I let her have a taste of her own medicine then.¡¯


    It was at that moment that Mo Na, with Cinderel hugged snugly in her arms, came flying out of the Devil King Idol and flew right into my arms. With one arm still wrapped around Cinderel, she hugged my neck and wrapped her legs around my waist.


    ¡°Mama¡¯s the best!¡± Her eyes practically screamed with adulation as she pecked at my cheeks , covering them entirely in her saliva.


    ¡°Woof woof woof!~~¡± Cinderel took the opportunity to climb onto my shoulders and lick me as well. From the looks of things, these two were clearly excited at this new turn of events.


    Yet just as I was basking in the love of these two little scamps, an extremely displeasing voice cut in from behind me.


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    ¡°Devil, I will never approve of your inappropriate relationship with Mo Ning!¡±


    Without even turning around, I could already tell that it was Warwraith who said that. The same Six-star elder who had suffered multiple times at my hands. The fact that he would come over to cause trouble was well within my expectations.


    After placing the two little scamps back on the ground, I unhappily narrowed my eyes at Warwraith, then spat back, ¡°why don¡¯t you tell me what kind of relationship you hope the both of us will have then?¡±


    ¡°None at all!¡± Seeing me so defiant merely angered him further. At this point, his nostrils were practically flaring up with the heavy breathes of anger he was taking. ¡°Don¡¯t think that just because you¡¯ve signed that pact you can do as you please. Let me tell you straight up, I won¡¯t allow you to touch my daughter, and don¡¯t even think about trying to ride her, or else¡­¡±


    ¡°Godfather.¡± Before he could finish threatening me, Mo Ning abruptly stopped him. ¡°This is my decision.¡±


    ¡°But she¡¯s a female. There¡¯s no future in being with her.¡±


    ¡®Hold up. Exactly which of those two eyes of yours told you that I was a female?! You¡¯d better watch that horse tongue of yours, otherwise I¡¯ll sue you for libel.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I can accept it.¡± She firmly stated, clearly of the mind that gender wasn¡¯t going to be an issue for her.


    ¡°I can¡¯t accept it!¡± His voice nearly tore up at that point. Having voiced his disapproval, he then turned his barbed tongue to me. ¡°You¡¯d better not have any inappropriate thoughts about my daughter, otherwise I¡¯ll never let you off the hook.¡±


    ¡®Hmph, you dare to threaten me? Just you wait, I¡¯m going to sleep with your daughter tonight¡­ No, no no¡­ I was wrong, sorry. My tastes aren¡¯t that eclectic yet. I like girls, maybe even Devil girls¡­ but Mo Ning is one hundred percent a horse¡­I just can¡¯t¡­¡¯


    ¡®And that¡¯s why I completely agree with you, old horse. If you wish to object to this engagement on the basis of being her godfather, then I¡¯ll oblige in letting you take the blame for it.¡¯


    ¡°Since you¡¯re so against this arrangement, I guess it can¡¯t be helped then. I¡¯m willing to¡­¡±


    ¡°Dearest!¡± Just as I was about to agree with Warwraith¡¯s objection, Mo Ning unexpectedly barged in with what had to be the most sinister sounding dearest I had ever heard that bored right into my soul.


    ¡®I swear she¡¯s trying to scare me to death with those words of hers. What do you mean dearest¡­I swear even my goosebumps have goosebumps at this point.¡¯


    ¡°I say¡­I don¡¯t think our relationship has progressed to such a stage yet¡­so how about we skip on the names for now?¡±


    ¡°Since we are engaged, we are clearly now of one mind and one body.¡± Mo Ning smiled at me then -don¡¯t ask me how I could tell that a horse was smiling at me, but I just could. In fact, her smile was so sweet I swore she was trying to kill me right now. ¡°Is my dearest trying to renege on his words?¡±


    ¡®Sister¡­ is it alright if I call you sister¡­ exactly what do you see in me? I¡¯ll change, I swear.¡¯


    The pressure from her was just too great for me to bear at this point. I had no choice then but to turn my puppy dog eyes towards Warwraith, in hopes that he would help share this burden with me. Yet my pleading didn¡¯t move him in the slightest. Instead, his animosity seemed to have even grown further.


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    ¡°You blasted thing! Not only did you steal my daughter, you¡¯re even making fun of me now!¡±


    ¡®Exactly how was I making fun of you? I was trying to ask for your help, so how about lending a hand for once¡­ you useless horse of an ally¡­¡¯


    ¡°Godfather, please don¡¯t use such harsh words on my dearest.¡± Mo Ning shielded me right away from his gaze. ¡°Dearest had no intention whatsoever of mocking you.¡±


    ¡°You two haven¡¯t even gotten married yet!¡± He was practically hopping with fury right now, but there was nothing he could do against Mo Ning, except to pretend that this whole mess never existed in the first place. However, he still made sure to throw out one last statement of defiance.


    ¡°Either way, I object to the two of you being together!¡±

 CHAPTER 394: EPILOGUE 1

    As I galloped ahead with Mo Na and Cinderel in my arms, our destination this time was the habitat of the Fire Elementals. Following closely behind me was the Cerberus couple, Sasani and Sinmosa. Above me were Jeerah and the representative sent by the Purgatory Shadowcats to accompany me, Masrow.


    Our entourage was headed to the habitat of the Fire Elementals with the rest of the Abyssal Golems in tow in order to retrieve one of the required ingredients, a core of an Eight-star Fire Elemental, and also the heart of an Eight-star Fire Devouring Fish.


    The Fire Elementals were allies with another clan friendly to me, the Demon Fire Salamanders, because they had a common nemesis, the Fire Devouring Fishes. Of the two ingredients mentioned, that fish heart was probably going to be the most troublesome to get, even with the Fire Elementals¡¯ help. After all, I had only seen a Six-star fish up till now but nothing higher. However, I had a rough guess as to how to find an Eight-star, assuming it even existed.


    ¡°Relax, there will definitely be one.¡± Ferti¡¯nier suddenly popped up with that bit of revelation. Yet before I could even clarify this matter further, she actually went silent once more without any warning. Did I do something weird?


    If I had to describe the relationship between the Fire Elementals and the Fire Devouring Fishes, it would be that of a prey and its hunter. The Demon Fire Salamanders were on equally hostile terms with these fishes, making them perfect allies for each other. Because of that, there were probably no other clans who knew more about the Fire Devouring Fishes than the Demon Fire Salamanders and the Fire Elementals. That was why I decided to pay the Fire Elementals a visit, in hopes of getting an Eight-star core while also procuring some intelligence.


    ¡°Mama, are we going to visit those fire spitting people now?¡± She asked while tugging on my wrist and leaning in, her own arms still wrapped around Cinderel. She looked up at me and pouted. ¡°Mo Na doesn¡¯t like them, they are mean.¡±


    Our last encounter with them did start off rather unpleasantly because of their brash behaviour, or rather arrogance. However, that bit of arrogance only seemed like childishness to me, because they didn¡¯t have the strength to back up that arrogance.


    The Fire Elementals had an obvious weakness, and that was their absolute helplessness against the Fire Devouring Fishes. The last time we encountered them, we easily defeated them simply because we had equipment made from the bones of said fish¡­ Truly, it was the very definition of an epic fail.


    It seemed like another encounter was inevitable this time around. Hopefully, that fellow had learnt lesson or I would have to resort to brute force again.


    Because the Fire Elementals lived in a lava lake, that meant that my golems were basically dead weight since they couldn¡¯t swim. With my biggest trump card sealed off like that, that meant I had to resort to other methods, like those equipment I mentioned before, along with my new allies.


    The Purgatory Shadowcats, the Hellhounds and the Purgatory Warhorses could all be considered my allies now. Along with me were three representatives from their respective clans. With such a showing, they most likely wouldn¡¯t try to start any trouble with me, or perhaps I should say that I wouldn¡¯t have to bully them too much¡­


    ¡®Whether it was by force or by deception, what mattered was I got that core.¡¯


    ¡®If everything proceeded according to plan, I might even be able to get them to help me locate Nola, assuming that the elemental to greet us this time had a better temperament than Arca¡­¡¯


    ¡®It had been some time since we last saw Nola. Before leaving, she mentioned she was heading home, who knew if she actually made it back in the end, or was just wandering around right now.¡¯


    ¡®Those salamanders should have had more dealings with the Fire Devouring Fishes as well, so if there was anyone who had information on an Eight-star fish, it would be them.¡¯


    Just as I was mulling over how to procure those two ingredients, the silent up till now Mo Ning suddenly spoke up with an earth-shattering question. ¡°Dearest, is little Mo Na your daughter?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Please don¡¯t address me as dearest.¡±


    Mo Ning innocently batted her eyes at me. ¡°But we¡¯re already engaged.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t¡­I¡¯m about to cry.¡±


    ¡°Why are you about to cry, dearest?¡± Mo Ning threw me a concerned look. ¡°Little Mo Na is really adorable.¡±


    ¡®Me crying has nothing to do with Mo Na¡­ it¡¯s about you calling me dearest. Ahhhh¡­all that nonsense about being engaged is fine and dandy, as long as it¡¯s a cute girl we¡¯re talking about. Why is it I¡¯m engaged to a horse! What went wrong in my life!? Why must I suffer so¡­ what did I do to deserve this¡­¡¯


    Naturally, she had no way of knowing what I was thinking right now, but that didn¡¯t stop her aggravating me further whether on purpose or by sheer coincidence. As we continued riding on, she maintained eye contact with me even as we passed by an undulating stretch of road. For some strange reason, this ride was extremely smooth. I had no horse whip or saddle to control her galloping, but it still felt extremely smooth riding on her, perhaps even better than driving a car.


    ¡®You know. If you¡¯re willing to cancel that whole engagement thing, we can still be friends¡­¡¯


    After a few hours of being together, I gained a rough understanding of who Mo Ning was as a horse. During battle, she was icy cold. Silent. But once you got to know her, she slowly became a lively, warm horse.


    ¡°Actually¡­ Mo Na isn¡¯t my real daughter¡­¡± I knew Mo Na was well aware of this fact as well, but this was the first time I said it out loud. I could feel her shifting uncomfortably in my arms the moment I said that. Her body stiffened a little but this situation only lasted a few seconds before she quickly recovered into a more comfortable position.


    ¡°Mo Na¡¯s mother was an Imp. In order to save me, she ended up being captured by the enemies. By the time we saved her, she was already pregnant¡­¡± I gently patted Mo Na on the head then said softly. ¡°I bestowed the name Mo Ci on her.¡±


    Speaking of Mo Ci, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a pang in my heart. I rarely thought about those who died, because I was a person that easily lost himself in grief. Once I entered such a state, leaving was hard. Whether it was now or then, such an emotional state wasn¡¯t allowed. That was why I avoided thinking about those who died on our journey, though I would still think to myself sometimes how great it would be to have them back again.


    Unfortunately, that wasn¡¯t possible.


    The journey up till now had seen a great number who sacrificed themselves for me. I had never once forgotten about their sacrifice, I just did not want to recall those painful memories¡­ because I was now in a spot where I couldn¡¯t retreat nor show weakness. The apocalypse was coming soon, and the current me didn¡¯t even possess the right to take part in that battle. Other than thinking about ways to strengthen myself, I had no time for other matters.


    Perhaps it was because I had gone silent for a long while, or perhaps it was because of the undisguised grief I was displaying right now, Mo Ning couldn¡¯t help but interrupt my reminiscing. ¡°So what happened to little Mo Na¡¯s mother?¡±


    ¡°Dead.¡± I breathed in deeply at that point and hugged my little baby even tighter, taking in that comforting scent she gave off. ¡°While incubating, a Devil¡¯s egg requires a lot of mana¡­ she could have given up then, but that would mean that only she lived¡­ and that was she gave up¡­ gave up on her life¡­ in order to hatch her¡­¡±


    Mo Na¡¯s birth meant the death of Mo Ci. I was fighting outside at that point, but if I was by her side then, she wouldn¡¯t have died no matter what. I could have given her some of the souls I had harvested. Failing that, I could have even given her some of the Small Imps I had under me¡­ but¡­ but there were no buts in this world¡­


    ¡°So that¡¯s how you became Mo Na¡¯s mama?¡±


    ¡°Papa.¡± I strongly emphasized that point.


    Her eyes went wide. ¡°¡­ But you¡¯re clearly a female, so shouldn¡¯t it be mama?¡±


    ¡°An accident happened so my current body has no gender, but my soul is definitely a male¡¯s.¡± I simply left it at that, either way it wasn¡¯t like there were many who believed me.


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    ¡°Whatever you say then, as long as you¡¯re not a male.¡±


    ¡®Mo Ning seems to like females¡­ well, that¡¯s her life to live¡­ as long as it¡¯s not a male homosexual we¡¯re talking about¡­ otherwise I have to burn him.¡¯


    Putting aside that issue for now, I gently kissed Mo Na on her head and said, ¡°Baby, your papa will love you forever.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, Mo Na loves her mama too!¡± She leaned in and spun her head around a little before closing her eyes to sleep.


    ¡°You can sleep in papa¡¯s arms for now. Later¡­¡± Before I could finish that sentence however, something happened ahead. I could feel a torrent of mana gathering before a rift spanning two meters wide tore open the dimensional space ahead. The rift itself resembled a shattered mirror, and as I got closer, I could feel it beckoning to me. Within the voids of dimensional space, I could vaguely hear someone praying for me to descend.


    ¡®That¡¯s¡­¡¯


    ¡°A summoning. And it seems to be of the highest tier as well.¡± Ferti¡¯nier finally broke her silence to explain. ¡°I felt a disturbance just now -so it was to construct this Summoning Gate.¡±


    ¡®Summoning? So there is a caster somewhere summoning me? But shouldn¡¯t it pull me directly over there¡­ at least that was what happened with that deplorable Occultist.¡±

 CHAPTER 395: EPILOGUE 2

    Recently, the Master hasn¡¯t allowed me to follow her out. Even the most recent excursion was so: she just briefly mentioned that she was going out, then sent me off to do some construction work. Well, I¡¯m just a simple Devil, four limbs and one head, that¡¯s all. I guess I¡¯m just not cut out for politics¡­


    The Safety Zone grows larger by the day, and so does the number of worms within it. The Abyssal golems have been performing better than expected, whether it is fighting or digging.


    Even though this task that the Master has given me doesn¡¯t seem too important, I¡¯ll faithfully complete it. But these days without the Master have gone by like years.


    How I miss those days when I could always accompany the Master. Back then, there wasn¡¯t a time when I did not have access to the Master¡¯s alluring scent. That scent is just intoxicating. It seeps into my soul, and a day without sniffing it makes me uncomfortable¡­


    My master is just so beautiful, so exalted, so elegant, so strong, so smart and oh so brave¡­ Even if I were to use up all the words in this world to describe my love for the Master, it would only represent a fraction of what it truly was¡­ My love for the Master runs so deep¡­ I just want to compose a poem again to express my longing.


    Dear Master, I miss you.


    Dear Master, do you miss me?


    Dear Master, please let me stay by your side.


    I want to protect your beauty, your smile is the only goal I have in life.


    My lowly self, loves you more than life.


    My lowly self, goes giddy at the sight of you.


    My lowly self¡­


    Hmm. How should I end that part?


    I knocked myself on the noggin, but it was useless¡­ I have to face up to reality. I¡¯m just not cut out for poetry, but I still want to be a poet!


    A serious question has always bothered me: my master is clearly a female Lust Demon, so why does she keep emphasizing that she is a male? How confusing.


    There are a million Devils who love the Master, but of those there are only a few true competitors. Like Big 4 and the newcomer, No. 6.


    No.6 was just a Small Imp, skinny and lacking in strength. For a Five-star like me who had been blessed with the Original Sin of Wrath, I could easily take on ten of him. But in the battle for the Master¡¯s heart, combat strength wasn¡¯t all that was important. The Master didn¡¯t want us fighting with each other either. That was why I had to constantly control myself to not beat up No.6.


    I dare not hold any desires towards the Master, because she was exalted and I am lowly.


    The mission the Master had given me was to dig a canal that linked the large lava lakes near the capital. By doing so, we could raise more worms to feed our army.


    Recently, No.6 has been popping by once in a while to check on the work. From him, I¡¯ve gained quite a bit of news, like how there are countless Devils slowly streaming into Sable Radiance.


    Even though I don¡¯t like No.6, if he¡¯s able to help me return to the Master¡¯s side faster, I¡¯m willing to owe him a favour. I¡¯ll just make sure not to beat him up in the future.


    Since the Master was betrayed by One-eye a year ago, she has only had me and Big 4 to accompany her. That is why she has to leave me behind to handle this task. Right now, the Master is out searching for materials to repair the exchange array. Big 4 is back at the capital guarding it while No.6 is out inspecting.. And he so happens to be here right now.


    Seeing No.6 swaggering in with his lackeys really annoyed me to no end, and that made my tone just as hostile. ¡°What are you doing here again?¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t the last time I visited five days ago?¡± No.6 smirked at me. ¡°The Master has instructed me to patrol the area often, just in case something goes wrong at your end.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. My area is well managed, how can anything go wrong under my watch?¡±


    I hate this No.6 fellow. He oftens goes to leer at the Master. More importantly, the Master seems to favour him¡­ if it¡¯s possible, I should get rid of him.


    ¡°That look of yours seems rather dangerous.¡± Most likely because he sensed the killing intent emanating off me, No.6 began to back away a few steps, at which point the large Imps, Demon Childes, Flame Demons and what not all formed a protective circle around him.


    ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡±


    ¡°I have this feeling that you¡¯re planning to do something to me.¡± No.6¡¯s smirk only grew more annoying as he said that. ¡°Don¡¯t forget, I have a Soul Pact with the Master. If I die, the Master will definitely find out.¡±


    Hmph. You¡¯re not the only one with a pact with the Master!


    I¡¯ve always felt that he was looking down on me and Big 4 in the past. Like he¡¯s looking at a bunch of morons or something. In truth, I knew full well about his potential. He wasn¡¯t just some super fortunate Small Imp. Instead, he had one of the most mysterious Original Sins: the Sin of Sloth.


    Every Devil¡¯s inherited memories were different. The Master¡¯s own memories seemed chaotic so it was only natural that she didn¡¯t recognise that No.6 had gained the blessing of Sloth. Those blessed by Sloth were unique amongst Devils. For the most part, they appeared in the form of Small Imps or Large Imps. Even when they raised their star level, their appearance wouldn¡¯t change, because evolution was a form of hard work¡­


    If my hunch was correct, then that No.5 who was always stuck at the level of an Imp, and that Small Imp Mo En in the Prison of the Dead were all blessed by Sloth.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget, this place is under my care.¡± Before leaving, the Master had given me control of the golems, but No.6 was no fool either. Even if he wanted to have a falling out with me, it wouldn¡¯t be here. Even when faced with his lackeys, I had no intention of backing down, absolutely not.


    Perhaps he had seen the resolve in my eyes then, but No.6 suddenly shrugged his shoulders at that point and gestured for his subordinates to step aside.


    In truth, No.6 knew just as well as I did that the two of us would never get into a fight with each other; because the Master hated in-fighting.


    Other than that, we both signed a Soul Pact with the Master, so we could never ever betray her. This commonality was enough to stay our hands. No matter how much we hated each other, it would never come to the point of life and death.


    With his subordinates out of the way, No.6 boldly walked up to me and stared me right in the eyes. A full three seconds passed like that before he finally stated the purpose of his visit. ¡°I¡¯m here to inform you that the Master¡¯s recent trip south has led to the discovery of a number of Devils¡­ I feel that the both of us should cooperate with each other, so that we don¡¯t end up losing our rightful place with the Master.¡±


    ¡°I will always hold that spot in the Master¡¯s heart.¡±


    I was the Devil who had been with the Master the longest, and also the most loyal. Even Big 4 did not measure up to me in terms of loyalty. But I knew what he intended: he was probably worried that his own authority would diminish because of the huge influx of Devils.


    ¡°That was just a suggestion.¡± No.6 smiled at me then unexpectedly turned around to leave. ¡°Remember, I do not wish to be your enemy, ever.¡±


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 CHAPTER 396: EPILOGUE 3

    Abaddon of Sins: Hunter¡¯s Tribe


    The Demonic Werewolf Habona stood atop the corpses of countless Demonic Half-orcs, black fur bathed in fresh blood. The fur on her left hand was slightly singed while her right shoulder showed signs of corrosion. Her mouth hung slightly open as she stood there breathing heavily, her face caked with the blood of foes.


    ¡°Mistress Habona¡­ are you alright?¡± The battle had just ended not too long ago when the Lizardwoman Weslin came climbing up the mountain of corpses and gently asked. ¡°Those blasted Half-orcs are unforgivable -hurting Mistress Habona like that¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­ we are the invaders here.¡± Habona cut off her in a slightly curt tone.


    ¡°Even Mistress Habona¡¯s impatient face is¡­ so handsome!~¡± As she said that, Weslin squealed with both her arms squeezed together like a typical fangirl would, at least it would have been so if she were not a lizard¡­


    Roughly a year ago, Mo Ke and his gang successfully broke the eternal seal on the Prison of the Dead. Those who were in that party with him mostly ended up in Abaddon, except for Mo Ke and a few others who ended up in Purgatory because of an accident.


    The Three Hells were once a single world created by the Creator, but because the humans of ancient times committed a grave sin, the Creator destroyed the world with a massive flood. The land of that time was then split into the Three Hells, Purgatory, Abaddon and Gehenna. Of the three, Abaddon was the only untouched piece of land that wasn¡¯t flooded. Strictly speaking, all lifeforms native to Abaddon all claimed ancestry from those ancient times.


    Having never gone through the baptism of the apocalypse, the environment was anything but desolate. Nothing like the sulphurous lava lakes of Purgatory, nor like the biting cold winds of Gehenna.


    Abaddon was a land filled with countless lifeforms. When Numila and Habona first led the party over to Abaddon, they encountered numerous dangers in the form of the hostile native lifeforms. Even so, it had to be said that the resources in this land were bountiful. Correspondingly, so were the number of inhabitants. Thankfully, the area they first landed at didn¡¯t have too many strong lifeforms. Habona, having broken free of restraints of the Prison of the Dead, evolved rapidly, finally becoming a bonafide Seven-star.


    ¡°Tally our spoils and losses this time, we need to hurry back to the tribe.¡± Habona commanded thusly of Weslin, not at all fazed by the injuries on her body. ¡°Have a messenger send back the battle report as well. Also, where¡¯s Bacarel?¡±


    ¡°The messenger has been sent out. As for Bacarel¡­¡± Weslin shook her lizard tail a few times as she did her best to recall. ¡°He should have left to interrogate the captives.¡±


    Weslin, however, was of a different mind than Habona. ¡°Bring them back? We should just kill them now. These Half-orcs are all stubborn as a rock¡­¡±


    That suggestion swiftly earned her a disapproving glare from Habona. ¡°We are not strong enough yet. If we were to senselessly kill all our prisoners, that will just make them all afraid and we will never be able to recruit anyone.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Mistress Habona, you¡¯re so right.¡± A second. That was all it took for Weslin to forget her stand entirely as she reverently gazed up at the towering figure that was Habona, eyes strained so hard it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if they suddenly turned into red hearts.


    Habona didn¡¯t pay her smitten gaze any attention though. She instead tore off an arm from one of the fallen Demonic Half-orcs and began gnawing on it. As she chewed, she continued, ¡°Oh right, what route did we send the messenger off on?¡±


    ¡°The shortest one.¡±


    ¡°The shortest one¡­¡± Habona tossed away the arm, then disapprovingly eyed her fangirling subordinate once more. ¡°Why did you send her off on that route? That¡¯s Corvidae territory. I heard those crow men are on high alert recently¡­will our messenger¡­¡±


    ¡°She should be fine¡­¡± Having been admonished by her idol, her voice couldn¡¯t help but sound a little dejected as she explained further, ¡°Conceloes are able to fly faster than those Corvids. Besides, we need the report handed in as soon as possible while the Corvidae haven¡¯t detected us.¡±


    ¡°I understand your reasoning, but it¡¯s still too risky.¡± Habona paused at that point, then after some thought, came to a swift decision. ¡°Send someone out to check, ensure that the messenger doesn¡¯t come to harm.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    After an entire year¡¯s work, Numila had successfully banded the entire group into a new tribe.


    Their settlement was hollowed out from an entire mountain. The design for such a massive undertaking came from No.5 who had mysteriously gained a massive repository of knowledge recently. In actuality, No.5 wasn¡¯t all that keen on the project himself, at least not when he had to be the one supervising it. However, he was no match for Mo En¡­ so that was what he got stuck with.


    Because Mo Ke ended up in Purgatory, no one found it strange that their settlement was carved out of a mountain. In fact, the idea of staying in a house seemed weirder¡­ after all, only those Demonic Half-orcs stayed in houses, and they weren¡¯t exactly the most popular ones around. That was why everyone ended up being a caveman¡­


    Deep within the recesses of their mountain settlement, Numila was currently holding a meeting with the rest of the leaders of their tribe.


    The meeting room itself had no torchlights, but the walls were dotted with countless orange luminescent crystals. These crystals not only replaced the function of a torch, they were also an exotic accessory.


    Right in the center was a table and a set of chairs carved out of the mountain rock itself, meaning that they were connected directly to the ground. Out of everyone present in the room, Numila was the closest to Mo ke. Not only that, with Flametail boosting her combat prowess, she was on par with Habona. Because of those two reasons, she became the head of this newly formed tribe.


    ¡°The messenger has just returned. Habona has successfully ambushed the northeastern Demonic Half-orc tribe and achieved a resounding victory.¡±


    With the meeting in full swing, Numila was naturally the one who spoke up first. ¡°But the messenger almost ran into a Corvidae patrol on her way back. Based on that, we can judge that those Corvids are starting to become more wary of us.¡±


    ¡°A five thousand strong Demonic Half-orc tribe is nothing to sniff at -it¡¯s just too bad they underestimated Habona¡¯s destructive power too much.¡± Seated to the left of Numila, it was Eugenia who continued the report, ¡°Our next target should be those arrogant Corvids, but to do that¡­¡±


    Having said that, she turned her gaze towards Julia seated opposite of her.


    Julia, the Five-star Lust Demon wife of Mo En, nodded back at Eugenia then thought for a second before speaking up, ¡°In terms of combat preparations, we should be fine. We stumbled across a number of lone Lust Demons not too long ago -there were even two Five-stars amongst them. I¡¯ve already taught them the Dark Alchemy imparted to me by the Master. The results aren¡¯t perfect, but the weapons they produce are usable. Throwing spears shouldn¡¯t be an issue¡­¡±


    ¡°As long as we have those spears, it¡¯s enough.¡± Numila commended her on her progress. ¡°Throwing spears is just we need to fight those crowmen.¡±


    ¡°As of right now, our warehouse has twenty thousand throwing spears, that should be enough to take on their tribe in the upcoming war.¡±


    The meeting had been progressing smoothly up till now. High above the table, the Evil Eye, Evilin gently swished its feelers about. Using its psychic powers, it directly spoke into the minds of those present. ¡°If I humbly may ask of Mistress Numila, did the messenger mention how many Demonic Half-orcs were captured this time?¡±


    ¡°Roughly three thousand or so, but the majority are elderly or injured.¡± Her lips curled into a slight smile as she said, clearly satisfied by how it addressed her.


    ¡°You can leave the injured to me, I can use my psychic control on their brains and bring them back up to their peak performance.¡±


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    ¡°No!¡± It was Violet Snow, seated daintily atop the stone table, who raised her vehement objection. ¡°We still have a lot of tribes to conquer. There¡¯s no need for such harsh measures, just let them stay behind in the settlement to help out.¡±


    Since leaving Mo Ke¡¯s side, a whole year had passed yet Violet Snow was still that same tiny white dog. Because of her stature, she had to sit on the table itself in order for the others to see her¡­


    ¡°Worthless. No purpose. Deserves to die.¡± Seated to the left of Eugenia, Elena immediately voiced her opposition to Violet Snow.


    In just a few words, she fully expressed her cruel views on how such captives should be handled. Those who had value should be kept. Those who were useless should just be killed to reduce the burden on the tribe.


    Violet Snow immediately turned around to bark at Elena, ¡°those who have surrendered are now our people.¡±


    ¡°Worthless. Waste of resources.¡±


    ¡°Grrrr!!!~~¡±


    Seeing as both sides were about to erupt into battle, Numila hurriedly whipped out Flametail and flew in between them. A wave of scorching heat surged outwards between the two ice-natured creatures, instantly reminding them of the fact that they were still in a meeting.


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    The two of them turned their noses away in unison and harrumphed. Despite their differences, these two adorable creatures were surprisingly in sync when it came to displaying their displeasure.


    Still, their little argument had thrown the meeting off-course somewhat.


    It was at that point that the normally silent Lizardman head, Weslin, suddenly came to the rescue. ¡°Mistress Numila, since the Hunter¡¯s Tribe has been destroyed, does that mean that Mistress Habona and my sister can return? After all, that region is connected to Corvidae territory, I¡¯m afraid they¡­¡±


    ¡°They can¡¯t return yet, I need you to immediately lead the reinforcements to their location. If the Corvidae haven¡¯t discovered the destruction of that tribe, then you all need to find a way to ambush them. Naturally, I¡¯ll leave the details up to Sister Habona to decide. If it¡¯s really not possible, just return first.¡± Numila paused in thought for a second before continuing, ¡°Before leaving, go to the warehouse and grab some throwing spears from Julia. I¡¯ll have Elena and Eugenia lead the harpies to join the fight as well. Hopefully, this will be enough to deal them a lethal blow.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Weslin nodded.


    ¡°What about the captives?¡±


    ¡°If you all leave to attack the Corvidae Tribe, then how should the captives be handled? We can¡¯t just kill them all. Even Bacarel can¡¯t control three thousand Demonic Half-orcs by himself.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s about the captives, I can have that lazy Devil of mine help out.¡± As she said that, Julia eyed the decidedly empty seat to her right then rubbed her temples. ¡°Since he won¡¯t even come to the meeting, he should at least help out with this matter.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s decided then.¡±


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    The meeting was finally over. The various parties swiftly left the room to start their new tasks, leaving only Numila behind. As she stood there alone with only her Flametail to keep her accompany as it revolved around her like a planet, she couldn¡¯t help but reach out to grab the fiery weapon even if it was scorching hot.

 CHAPTER 397: EPILOGUE 4

    The Kingdom of Tarnia, the Western Human Realm.


    Demon Hunter Branch Division, Azure City.


    Nicole knocked and pushed open the door to Aques Lumen¡¯s office. Even when faced with a powerful figure like Aques Lumen, this teenager¡¯s face remained cold and expressionless. In truth, had it not been for that staff at the reception desk informing her right when she returned from her mission that Aques Lumen was looking for her, she would have already gone off to take on another mission.


    ¡°Teacher.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. The mission proceeded smoothly?¡± The man gave his favourite disciple a warm smile then eyed her up and down. Seeing that she was unharmed and immaculate, he nodded his head. ¡°You¡¯ve been completing your missions rather fast recently, how about a break every once in a while?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± She coldly spat out those words.


    ¡°Sigh. You¡¯re too uptight.¡± Aques Lumen sighed before continuing, ¡°Normal Demon Hunters require a month to complete each mission, but you¡¯ve at least completed three already¡­ I¡¯m afraid you will collapse¡­¡±


    ¡°Teacher.¡± She suddenly interrupted him, body just about ready to turn around and leave. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else you wish to talk about, I¡¯ll be off.¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you very sure that your younger brother was consumed by a Devil?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The information she gained from Chaik Village had nearly caused a mental collapse. The only way she could deal with that shock was to push herself to the point of mental abuse in order to cope. Whenever she had free time, she would be haunted by that same unending nightmare. Mo Ke¡¯s cries for help would resound thunderously in her eyes as he was chewed to pieces by a Devil. Then, he was gone¡­ and she was helpless to stop that. At that point, she would wake up in tears.


    Being the caring sister that she was, her first thought was that his departure was caused by her negligence.


    From the very beginning, Nicole and Roscar knew that Mo Ke was a child who was mature for his age. He knew more than he should have for a child, and the look he gave her was never one of a sibling¡¯s. Had it not been for me¡­ was what she always told herself as she wept. But there were no ifs in this world. Mo Ke wasn¡¯t coming back -he had been eaten by a Devil. Even more egregious was that the Devil who ate him actually thought of himself as her younger brother¡­ unforgivable!


    Aques Lumen¡¯s words made her whip her head around, eyes sharp as daggers as she stared at her teacher. Her rosy red lips were slightly ajar, but she chose not to say a word in the end.


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡±


    All that was sustaining her now was her need for vengeance. Yet such hatred only made a person¡¯s heart narrower. The more hate she had, the more painful it got, and the more lost as well. Once one fell into the endless void that was vengeance, there was no one coming out of that self-imposed imprisonment.


    ¡°Honestly, I still have my doubts. Your younger brother¡­ in other words, that Devil you met at your home¡­ might just be your¡­¡±


    ¡°Teacher!¡± Nicole interrupted the man once more. Her crystal-like eyes shone with a barely disguised anger that seemed directed at this handsome young man. ¡°Devils all deserve to die!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Aques Lumen immediately grimaced to himself. ¡°Alright then, that¡¯s enough therapy for now. However, I do in fact have an important matter for you. This time, I hope you won¡¯t interrupt me.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Having interrupted her teacher twice now, even she felt she was being a little rude to her teacher, thus that request went smoothly.


    ¡°The situation is like this: I need you to bring a newcomer¡­¡±


    ¡°I refuse¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Aques Lumen¡¯s handsome face almost fell apart at that point. ¡°I know you¡¯re really busy, but we already agreed just now, you will let me finish.¡±


    ¡°¡­please continue, teacher.¡±


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Aques Lumen cleared his throat before continuing, albeit a little more exasperated than before. ¡°Her talent with Fighter¡¯s Aura is top-rate, and she¡¯s even a few years younger than her classmates. But in terms of other matters, she¡¯s just a hot mess¡­ Even if her prowess are formidable for her age, I don¡¯t feel secure letting her out. That¡¯s why I hope you will help out with this matter.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Nicole nearly said to just let such an unreliable student fail, but before she could even finish, she was immediately interrupted.


    ¡°This is an order! It would be a shame to not let her graduate, and even if you wanted to reject this mission, you should at least see her first.¡±


    ¡°The outcome will still be the same.¡± She coldly replied.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so certain.¡± As he said that, Aques Lumen stood up and waved at Nicole. ¡°Come, we¡¯ll see that child now. I¡¯m sure you will agree once you see her.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Nicole really wanted to say no, but she gave up in the end and just followed him out of the office. The two of them ended up entering one of the training ground¡¯s sections. It was built with a spectator¡¯s stand surrounding a circular fighting arena. As one got higher up the stands, the more prestigious that seat was. It was basically a colosseum from Roman times.


    Behind the fences of this spectator stand were a bunch of seventeen to eighteen year old kids who were screaming at the top of their lungs, seemingly cheering for their classmate in the ring.


    ¡°This semester¡¯s Trainee Demon Hunters are all about to graduate. Once this final exam is over, those who pass it will have completed their training to become a Beginner Demon Hunter.¡± Their arrival was a nondescript one that escaped the radar of the cheering youngsters below, mostly because they were fully focused on the ring in the center. As they continued walking around the ring, Aque Lumen explained to her, ¡°every semester¡¯s final exam will have a Senior Demon Hunter leading one of the trainees on a mission. Even though you¡¯re just a Journeyman Demon Hunter, but just in terms of combat strength alone, you¡¯re already a top Senior Demon Hunter, so it¡¯s time for you to take on some responsibilities as well.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    No matter how Aque Lumen tried to persuade her, she remained as tight-lipped as before. Such a cold treatment by his favourite disciple was truly giving him a headache, but he still couldn¡¯t bring himself to scold her. In that case, he could only endure it for now. As the saying went, a daughter was her father¡¯s lover in the past life. And a teacher for a day, but a father for life. In some sense, he felt he was already half a father to her. Yet why did she never seem to reciprocate this affection?


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    I¡¯m such a failure, Aques Lumen sighed to himself. ¡°Alright then. I won¡¯t say anymore for now. How about you have a look at the match below first.¡±


    Hearing that, Nicole turned around to observe the young girl below who was about to engage in a fight in the ring. The moment she did that however, her icy cold expression cracked apart. All that happened in just one second.


    ¡°Neneth!¡± Nicole reflexively called out to the girl in the ring.


    The girl in the ring was thirteen to fourteen years of age, and had a blue head of long hair that reached up to her waist. She wore the simple leather armor given to her by the school while her hands wielded a gigantic sword that was even bigger than herself. With its massive width, it could even function as a door. With a slightly rounded face like an adorable cherub, it was Nicole¡¯s only friend from the academy, Neneth!


    ¡°Ah. Sister Nicole!¡±


    Hearing her name yelled out like that, Neneth reflexively turned her head around to find a shocked Nicole staring right back at her. Finally. After all this time, she was able to meet her favourite big sister! Right hand still gripping down on her giant sword, she raised her left arm and began waving at Nicole, completely oblivious to the fact that she was still in an exam¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s the Branch Leader!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the Frigid War Goddess?! Ah, what a day this is. No matter how many times I look at her, she¡¯s still that beautiful and moving¡­¡±


    Following the sound of her voice, the rest of the young Trainee Demon Hunters quickly locked onto where the pair were. A number of girls were already squealing at the handsome Branch Leader while the rest were just awed by the beauty that was Nicole. With how excited their screams were, the scene threatened to spill out of control.


    Thankfully, their teacher was nearby and, with a simple few words, brought them all back to reality. No matter how much they complained, the exam had already started.


    Down below in the combat ring, a slightly strange looking humanoid slowly walked out from the shadows of the stands towards Neneth¡­


    This strange humanoid was topless and wore a ragged set of trousers. From the looks of things, he was a human male. However, his skin was deathly pale, as if there was no blood flowing in his veins at all. Furthermore, this man seemed to be dragging his body along as he walked forward. His dirty black hair clung to his face, blocking out half of its features, leaving behind only a pair of red eyes that glowed with hunger. He seemed rather frail, but his nails were exceptionally long, and spit practically rained from his hanging mouth full of fangs. His ragged breath was a sure sign that he was about to pounce on the adorable girl in front of him.


    ¡°A Blood Ghoul.¡±


    As Nicole stared at the humanoid below, her eyes could barely contain the disgust she felt right now.


    Blood Ghouls were the slaves raised by Vampires, and were an existence that straddled the line between a Vampire and a human. Their main purpose was to provide blood for the Vampire. Because of how many times they had been bitten, their bodies had begun to mutate. Yet such a mutation didn¡¯t mean that they were no longer human. Because these Blood Ghouls had never received the Embrace, they weren¡¯t Vampires either.


    ¡°Your results were excellent in the past so you received some special treatment from me. Normal students, however, have to face such a graduation exam.


    Clearly overtaken by worry, Nicole immediately asked, ¡°and if they fail?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s usually an invigilator nearby so nothing usually happens.¡±


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    Even though he said that, this was still an actual fight. It couldn¡¯t be helped if accidents happened from time to time¡­

 CHAPTER 398: EPILOGUE FINAL

    Nearly all Blood Ghouls could be found amongst the various missing persons¡¯ list from every city. The value of a Blood Ghoul depended on an array of factors not limited to appearance, blood quality, health, purity and etc. Purity referred to whether the subject was a virgin or not.


    Under normal circumstances, a young man or woman with a healthy body would usually possess blood of a high quality, especially when they were virgins. Beautiful female virgins in particular were seen as a delicacy by the Vampires, even more so if they were strong as well. For those reasons above, the majority of Blood Ghouls tended to be relatively beautiful teenage girls.


    Blood Ghouls could be separated into three tiers. First, an Inferior Blood Ghoul meant that his blood quality was bad. Most of the time, such a Blood Ghoul would be left to die after his first offering. Even if such a Blood Ghoul somehow managed to survive the first offering, it would be difficult for them to survive the second because of recovery issues.


    B-grade Blood Ghouls fared slightly better. Their blood quality tended to be of a higher quality, which meant that they usually received some form of reward after their first offering. This reward mostly came in the form of recovery medicines that allowed them to replenish their blood and health in preparation for the next offering.


    Finally, there were the A-grade Blood Ghouls. Blood Ghouls of this tier boasted the highest quality blood and were usually picked from the most beautiful of boys or girls. Such Blood Ghouls were often treated as Vampires-to-be. If their master ever wanted an offspring, they would be the first candidates for such a position.


    ¡ª<>


    Looking at that disgusting Blood Ghoul preparing to charge at a still adorably oblivious Nenenth who was waving happily at her, was it any wonder that Nicole was practically on her toes right now with worry. Yet all she could do from here was yell loudly, ¡°Neneth, be careful!¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Nenenth paused for a second. Shouldn¡¯t her sister be happy to see her right now? Why was she asking her to be careful? This adorably dense girl wasn¡¯t like a normal person in how her brain worked. The moment her one-track mind realised that Nicole was here, she had completely forgotten about the fact that she was still in an exam¡­


    ¡°Look, sister Nicole, Neneth has become strong as well!~~¡± She still couldn¡¯t figure out why her sister told her to be careful, but that clearly wasn¡¯t going to stop her from being her adorably stupid self. She continued waving her left hand at Nicole, but with her right, she began spinning her door-sized sword around in a flourish. ¡°Look. Neneth is so strong now!~~¡±


    ¡°Hmmm? Did I hit something just now?¡± Neneth gave her right hand a confused look. Not noticing any apparent crack or scratch on it, her brows couldn¡¯t help but furrow in confusion. ¡°Perhaps Neneth was too overwhelmed by happiness and began hallucinating?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Faced with a level of denseness that had exceeded logic, even the frigid goddess that she was couldn¡¯t help but get a headache as she thought to herself, how old is this child even¡­


    Even Aques Lumen couldn¡¯t help but chuckle a little as he said, ¡°I told you so, didn¡¯t I? In terms of strength alone, she¡¯s definitely at the top of her class. As for her weaknesses¡­¡±


    ¡°They couldn¡¯t be any clearer.¡± Nicole rubbed her temples a little at that point. ¡°The only thing about her that can graduate is her strength. But if that¡¯s the case, she shouldn¡¯t be a Demon Hunter.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple. Yes, she might be strong. But that isn¡¯t enough for me to let her graduate¡­¡±


    He left his sentence hanging at that point because the fight below was still ongoing.


    Even though that Blood Ghoul had been accidentally smacked to death by her sword, that didn¡¯t mean that the test was over either.


    ¡°Sister Nicole. Neneth can finally meet you¡­ Neneth misses you so badly¡­¡±


    Neneth happily walked in the directions of Nicole, still oblivious to the fact that she was taking an exam right now. Yet she had barely taken a few steps when she kicked a mysterious object that almost caused her to trip. Thankfully, her reflexes were above average as well. With a quick grip of both hands on her giant sword and a stab, she halted her momentum right in the nick of time.


    But what did I just trip on just now? And what was that weird sensation when I stabbed my sword into the ground? Meh. Doesn¡¯t matter. Nothing¡¯s more important than sister Nicole!


    ¡°Tehee~~¡±


    Neneth broke into a silly grin then continued skipping along, giant sword resting above her head, its tip conspicuously dripping with an unknown black substance that she was somehow still oblivious to.


    ¡°See that?¡± Aques Lumen maintained a smile on his face as he turned towards Nicole.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Nicole nodded her head then answered in a soft voice, ¡°On her path was a Shadow Ghost lying in wait to ambush her. Because of its natural talent for hiding, most people wouldn¡¯t notice it. It was just about to deal her a lethal blow, but when it reached out to do so, she suddenly lost her balance and nearly fell¡­ resulting in her using her giant sword to prop herself up, piercing that Shadow Ghost¡¯s head in the process¡­¡±


    Having said that, even Nicole couldn¡¯t find the words to describe the situation any further. How much of a coincidence was this?!


    A moment of silence for the poor Shadow Ghost who lost his life due to bad luck.


    ¡°For a Demon Hunter, merely being strong isn¡¯t enough. Other than martial prowess, a Demon Hunter has to be proficient in other fields as well, because there are opponents that strength alone cannot handle. That is why we exclude students who are strong but aren¡¯t too bright from the beginning¡­ but Neneth is different. Yes, she¡¯s not too bright. Yes, her strength is her only redeeming point and shouldn¡¯t ordinarily qualify as a Demon Hunter. But she has a talent that the vast majority do not have!¡± Aques Lumen then paused and smiled knowingly at Nicole. ¡°The talent of dumb luck!¡±


    ¡°Dumb luck?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, dumb luck. There are those who would also consider her the favored child of Lady Luck¡­¡± As he said that, Aques Lumen pointed towards the approaching Neneth with a hint of envy in his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve seen it already but that Blood Ghoul and Shadow Ghost weren¡¯t even able to land a scratch on her. In fact, they weren¡¯t even worth her attention. Such an ability that allows you to turn misfortune into fortune is truly enviable¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Nicole was left speechless.


    ¡°If you have no objections, I¡¯ll leave this child in your care.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    Nicole wanted to object but Aques Lumen immediately cut her off with a reply that changed her mind immediately. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure that child won¡¯t be a burden to you. Besides, don¡¯t you want to have a taste of having your misfortune turned into fortune as well?¡±


    The ability to turn misfortune into fortune, huh¡­ Nicole thought to herself then came to a decision.


    ¡°¡­Understood.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª-Scene Change¡ª¡ª¨C


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    The Heavenly Gates of Sin, a floating island at the peak of Abaddon.


    Yi Yi stood defiantly before the entrance of the Heavenly Gates. Blocking her way was a young man who was handsome to the point where he left others in despair. He had a pair of luxurious looking purple wings unique to the Fallen Angels. His purple hair flowed down his back like a beautiful waterfall, cutting a stark contrast against his black robes embroidered with gold threads. Even if he had on a warm smile right now, that bit of warmth wasn¡¯t enough to cover up the sheer pride radiating from his very bones.


    ¡°Yi Yi, where do you think you¡¯re going?¡±


    ¡°Father, Yi Yi wishes to visit the Western Human Realms.¡±


    ¡°What for?¡±


    ¡°To find Mo Ke.¡± She coldly replied.


    ¡°¡­denied.¡±


    Just the thought that his precious daughter had, without his knowledge whatsoever, found herself a so-called fiancee was enough to leave Ancerl fuming for days on end. In fact, he nearly experienced a mental collapse the day he found out. The daughter I worked so hard to raise is gone, just like that?


    I can bear with that engagement of theirs. After all, I just have to wait for that brat to die and everything will be back to normal. It¡¯s not like our ancestor¡¯s mission is that easy to complete to begin with. But how the heck did that brat actually finish the mission¡­ Actually, isn¡¯t he kind of competent then¡­ but what about my plan to monopolise my daughter¡¯s love¡­ cough ahem¡­ I mean my 100% genuine love and concern for my daughter. No. There will be no marriage, reason or not, there will be no marriage.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re still young.¡±


    ¡°Yi Yi is already 78 years old.¡±


    ¡°An ordinary 78 year old human would already be dead now.¡±


    Even though she was right in saying that, in Fallen Angel years, 78 wasn¡¯t even an adult yet.


    ¡°You want to go out? Fine. But only once you¡¯re 100.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s too long.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just 22 years. It will pass by in the blink of an eye.¡±


    ¡°But Mo Ke has an additional engagement now, Yi Yi wants to know why.¡±


    (Say no to content thief!)


    ¡°Another engagement¡­¡± What the heck? It¡¯s one thing signing an engagement with my daughter, but that brat actually dares to cheat on her?! Twice! I swear I¡¯m going to kill him! Once he is dead, Yi Yi will be mine alone, hahahahah¡­ cough¡­ I mean I just love my daughter!


    With that in mind, Ancerl looked Yi Yi right in the eyes and said, ¡°How about your father kill him for you?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then stay in your home, and don¡¯t come out till you¡¯re 100.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Yi Yi thought about it for a second then complied with her father.

 CHAPTER 399: A PROPOSAL? I REFUSE!

    The darkness before me stretched upwards a good hundred meters or so into a rocky cave ceiling that somehow made me feel more claustrophobic due to the sheer eeriness it gave off. In front of me was a stalagmite structure that was embedded with purple crystals which emitted a soft glow in all directions. As the light slowly spread out throughout the cave, it just gave the area a more haunted feel than if it had just been pitch blackness.


    Right in front of me were a bunch of humanoids with red eyes, silvery white hair and skin as white as a ghost. Seeing their pointy ears and eyes filled with an ominous abundance of desire, I knew I had landed myself in a rather extraordinary situation¡­


    ¡°Purple wings!¡±


    Exclaimed a female seated on top of a distant bejewelled throne. She wore a revealing black long dress that barely covered her ample bosom. Her elegant features shone with a dainty whiteness that seemed to give her skin a translucent, almost ethereal quality to it. Her silvery hair was tied up behind her head, while her red eyes shone like the reddest of rubies. No matter how one looked, this icy beauty was no ordinary person.


    Her eyes were wide with obvious shock, but they also held an unmistakable passion within them, the kind of passion that threatened to swallow me within a second if I was not careful¡­


    ¡°Ummm¡­ if you don¡¯t mind me asking¡­where am I exactly? Who is my summoner?¡±


    Most of the time, a summoning ritual had a designated summoner, like that Occultist who summoned me forcefully roughly two years ago. Strangely, I couldn¡¯t feel who the current summoner was. Or perhaps there wasn¡¯t a designated summoner to begin with?


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my dear little brother, you¡¯re already at the level of an Overlord. Unless the person who summoned you is a Demigod, they can¡¯t force a summoning pact on you.¡±


    I had to say, it was at times like this that I really felt I could depend on Ferti¡¯nier. The moment that question popped into my head, she was already there with an answer waiting.


    ¡®Well, since you opened your mouth to tell me this, I assume you know who these ghostly pale humanoids are then.¡¯


    ¡°Little brother, have you heard of the Dark Elves?¡±


    ¡®Dark Elves¡­ that¡¯s right! I remember now. Roscar once told me that Dark Elves were of this character¡­ and here I was thinking that they all had charcoal black hair. But didn¡¯t he also say that they were all extremely evil, cruel, chaotic, vindictive, selfish¡­ essentially any negative adjective you could think of could be applied to them aptly.¡¯


    ¡®But how did I end up in Dark Elf territory and what should I do next? They won¡¯t just have their way with me and then kill me, right?¡¯


    Blast it¡­ she¡¯s back to popcorn mode again. I swear, can¡¯t she just be a little more reliable¡­looks like it¡¯s up to me again.


    ¡°Summoner? That would be me then.¡± The icy queen of a Dark Elf sauntered down from her throne and right up to me. With a gentle flick of her long, slender fingers, she hooked my lower chin upwards and brazenly appraised me. I could instantly see the coldness from her eyes fade in that moment. Instead, they burned with an intense fire that almost made me melt on the spot.


    ¡°It¡¯s you?¡± I titled my head away to avoid her burning gaze then shyly smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t feel any sort of pact between us¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I haven¡¯t signed a pact with you. Before that, however¡­¡±


    She seductively winked at me, then leaned in so close I could feel the heat of her breath on me¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we just met. Isn¡¯t it a little hasty for that¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­ you¡¯re so boring.¡±


    The Dark Elven beauty was not to be deterred by my words. She continued leaning in ever closer in a bid to enact what would surely bring a brilliant red blush to my cheeks. Seeing that the situation was only going to get worse by the second, I immediately slided backwards a decent distance away.


    ¡°How about we get down to proper business instead?¡± Having evaded her brazen embrace, I warily eyed her and maintained a safe distance from her. ¡°What did you summon me for?¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s to ask for your help with a certain matter.¡± She stuck her tongue out, licked her pale lips then sent me a flying kiss. ¡°But that¡¯s before I met you. Now that I have, I think we have something much more important to do first¡­¡±


    ¡°Something much more important?¡±


    Hearing that, my eyebrows instinctively twitched. She¡¯s clearly planning something inappropriate right now -just look at her acting like a harlot towards me! The problem is I don¡¯t want to have anything between us, not to mention that I can¡¯t right now¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I suddenly have this urge to get married¡­ and the target is you.¡± At that, she coyly blushed. ¡°It¡¯s all your fault for being so beautiful, even I can¡¯t help but be moved.¡±


    ¡°Marrrriaaggee¡­ cough¡­ I refuse!¡± I¡¯m not such a casual person at all, never ever. And all that talk about marriage? I think I¡¯ll pass, I¡¯m not so thirsty that I will just hump the first humanoid female I see.


    ¡°Why do you reject me¡­ this body of mine hasn¡¯t even experienced its first marriage yet¡­¡± Hearing me reject her so vehemently must have had an immense impact on her as the next moment I could see tears beginning to form in her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t you like me?¡±


    I looked at her once more, my head throbbing a little from the sheer irony of this situation. She was beautiful. So beautiful that any man would go soft in the legs upon seeing her. Too bad, I didn¡¯t go soft for her. And while I might not get hard for her¡­ No, no, no¡­ and while I might have any way to get hard for her right now¡­ I could still safely say that I would never choose a Dark Elf.


    I would rather marry a Devil than marry a Dark Elf. In terms of cunniness, the two were a match for each other. But at the very least, I was counted as a noble blood amongst the Devils, meaning they either submitted to me or tried to take me by force. Not that anyone had ever succeeded up till now. Those that tried were already dead.


    The Dark Elves were different. They were cruel and merciless. My bloodlines counted for nothing amongst them. What was loyalty even? Something edible?


    There was no way I would ever marry a Dark Elf. Especially that particular Dark Elf. I might as well carve the word stupid on my face if I were to do that. And not just the usual kind of stupid either.


    ¡°Lady, we just met, alright? Isn¡¯t it a little too fast for marriage or what not?! Besides, I¡¯m not interested in you, so if there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯m off.¡±


    ¡°You want to leave? That won¡¯t do, I¡¯ve already made up my mind about this.¡±


    Seeing her so dead set on me from the very beginning, a thought suddenly occurred to me. Something that I had completely taken for granted till now. ¡°About that¡­ what do you think my gender is?¡±


    ¡°Even though you¡¯re a girl, a very cute girl, but love is noble. Love can conquer everything: race, age and even gender! No one can stop love, not even you!:


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    ¡°¡­¡± I get it now, she¡¯s swinging for the same team as well.


    ¡°So let¡¯s get married, gorgeous.¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    Since words were clearly not going to work, that only left fighting as an option. Even though I still couldn¡¯t figure out how strong this lady was, I couldn¡¯t feel the pressure of an Overlord from her. There was the possibility that she was hiding her strength, but even so, she shouldn¡¯t be an Overlord. As long as I employed the Devil King Idol, I should still be able to carve a path out.


    ¡°You won¡¯t listen to reason, then don¡¯t blame me for being rough.¡± The beautiful Dark Elf didn¡¯t immediately launch herself at me after saying that. Instead, she returned to her throne then turned to the four female Dark Elves on her left and right. ¡°Be gentle with my baby.¡±


    ¡°Understood, clan leader.¡±


    The four still-as-a-statue Dark Elves immediately launched into action upon receiving the order. They acted in perfect unison and with alarming speed that only grew faster by the second till they finally reached me. They were armed with all manner of weaponry: daggers, long swords, shields, etc. But they chose not to use any of them; they were probably afraid of harming me if they did so.


    I had to admit though, these Dark Elves were all very beautiful. These four warriors were all blessed with the perfect curves for a female. Even their tight leather armors weren¡¯t enough to keep down the mountains that were their bosoms¡­ especially when they jiggled¡­blast it¡­ the physics is too strong for my eyes¡­


    Faced with the oppressive might of these four elites, I made the swift decision to take to the air immediately. As I did so, I did not forget to rain down a blanket of feathers at them. These mana feathers rained down on them like arrows, causing them to even panic a little, most likely because they had never faced such an all-encompassing attack before.


    Yet I didn¡¯t think that such an attack was enough to take care of all of them. Even if it left them startled for a second, these four elites were definitely at the top of their class for their Star level. In just the blink of an eye, they came up with the perfect way to counter this wide-area spell. The four of them came close to each other, back against the other, then extended their arms outwards forming a perfect half-dome that shielded them in an instant.


    This spell of mine was great for its overwhelming numbers, but if there was a weakness to be had, it would be that its strength wasn¡¯t high. Even a simple mana barrier could block a feather¡¯s attack. That was why the moment that dome was erected, my mana feathers were basically useless.

 CHAPTER 400: A GAME OF CAT AND MOUSE

    In order to be a One-star Warrior, not only does the person need to be trained in their chosen weapon, they need to have Aura Perception as well. Aura Perception is the internal ability to sense Fighter¡¯s Aura. Just by possessing Aura Perception, one¡¯s body is strengthened to some extent.


    In order to qualify as a Two-star Warrior, one has to be able to utilise their Aura Perception to activate the Fighter¡¯s Aura within themselves. By doing so, they are able to exhibit physical prowess surpassing that of a normal human being.


    A Three-star Warrior has to be able to temporarily manifest his Fighter¡¯s Aura in a simple layer around one¡¯s body. Such a manifestation increases the Warrior¡¯s defence temporarily to the point where anyone below the level of Three-star wouldn¡¯t be able to even harm this Warrior.


    A Four-star Warrior is not only able to manifest his Fighter¡¯s Aura, but to project it as an attack as well. Such an attack could reach up to several meters in range and is one of the main ways a Warrior can attack from a distance.


    A Five-star Warrior¡¯s signature ability is to wrap his weapon in Fighter¡¯s Aura, increasing its power in the process.


    A Six-star Warrior is one who is able to manifest his Fighter¡¯s Aura as a shield. When condensed into a shield, the Warrior¡¯s Fighter¡¯s Aura is able to provide an astonishing level of defensive power, even rivalling the heavy weaponry of the Dwarves.


    A Seven-star Warrior¡¯s defining characteristic is his Aura Protection. By focusing his will, a Seven-star Warrior is able to manifest his Fighter¡¯s Aura into an automatic defensive layer around his entire body. This layer is basically an upgraded version of the Aura Shield used by a Six-star. It is able to provide an all-around defense and is one of the strongest means a Seven-star can employ to defend himself.


    An Eight-star Warrior experiences what is known as Aura Awakening that enhances the Warrior with certain special properties. For example, they might be able to focus their Fighter¡¯s Aura into an Earth defensive ability known as Stoneskin. Or perhaps they can fire off Windblades with a swing of their weapons.


    Finally, in order to qualify as a Nine-star, one has to be able to activate a Territory. Such Warriors are also known as Saint-class, the equivalent of an Overlord amongst Devils.


    ¡ªThe Tiers of the Warrior Class and their Respective Abilities


    In the blink of an eye, my Mana Feathers trap was set. The four Dark Elves were completely surrounded by them but I dared not activate them for now. I lowered their mana signature to the lowest possible level and, having done that, I stopped firing off my Mana Feathers as well. Hopefully, they would mistake this as me running out of mana -that was my battle plan.


    Too bad, it¡¯s all just a ruse!


    The Dark Elves had no ability to fly so they could only toss throwing knives my way. I easily dodged these projectiles with a flap of my wings, nullifying the threat these eight throwing knives posed in an instant. Even so, there was still a lingering sense of danger at the back of my head.


    Hold on. What was that silvery light behind those throwing knives? A thread¡­ At the same time as those throwing knives flew past me, they brought a faint thread-like substance before me that vaguely resembled a spider¡¯s silk.


    Amazingly, those eight throwing knives all landed at the same spot, and upon clashing with each other, actually did a one-eighty to circle around me rapidly, binding me tight!


    With my wings bound up, I could no longer control my flight and began falling¡­


    ¡°Be careful, do not hurt her!¡± The Dark Elven clan leader anxiously called out to her four elite warriors, clearly worried by my uncontrolled freefall. These Warriors promptly took down their protective barrier -most likely because they no longer saw me as a threat- and rushed to catch me before I landed.


    Yet that was exactly what I wanted them to do. My Mana Feathers had been lying in wait all this while just for this exact moment!


    Rising Feathers!


    The multitude of dormant Mana Feathers immediately began to stir. Like a speeding bullet, they took to the air and rushed for the encircled Dark Elven Warriors, catching them right when they let their guard down¡­


    Because of the sheer speed of these projectiles, and because they were also preoccupied with saving me, they couldn¡¯t enact their protective spells even if they wanted to. When I activated these feathers, I made sure to show some mercy towards them. However, the sheer number would still be enough to render them helpless. I definitely wasn¡¯t planning to make an enemy out of these Dark Elves by killing four of their elite warriors right in their very nest -I would be the one to suffer if that were to happen.


    Unfortunately, this well-laid plan was doomed to failure, because I had underestimated these opponents of mine.


    My Mana Feathers continued bearing in on these female warriors, but they seemed to pay them no heed at all. The moment they crashed into their targets, they were immediately blocked by a strange barrier seemingly made of Aura. Just like that, the four of them made it to me unharmed, one of them even catching me in the process and raising me up into the air, like how one would show off a cat.


    Impossible¡­ I have the mana pool of a Six-star, and the damage of my Rising Feathers isn¡¯t something to be scoffed at either. I won¡¯t say that they can definitely kill a Six-star, but they should at least be able to severely injure a Five-star, especially when they weren¡¯t prepared for it. So why are they completely unharmed?!


    ¡°They are all Seven-star Magisters, an attack of that level isn¡¯t going to work on them.¡± The clan leader crossed her legs, stroked her chin and looked at me bemusedly. She then lightly smiled before continuing, ¡°after all, Seven-star Warriors have the ability to cast Aura Protection. Normal attacks wouldn¡¯t even harm them.¡±


    Aura Protection¡­so the Dark Elves I¡¯ve been fighting with were all Seven-star elites. No wonder they didn¡¯t even bother reacting to my Rising Feathers¡­ But that doesn¡¯t make any sense at all, didn¡¯t they just erect that mana dome just now? If those feathers can¡¯t hurt them, they shouldn¡¯t have to cast that dome either.


    Just as I thought that, the clan leader promptly answered, ¡°They didn¡¯t know how strong your feathers were previously. And you are a Fallen Angel, after all. We should at least show you some level of respect.¡± My thoughts must have been clearly written on my face¡­


    Respect¡­ Fine, you win this round. But don¡¯t think that I¡¯m giving up just yet.


    The clan leader received me gently from her subordinate but had no intention at all of loosening the thread binding. She plopped me down on her lap and began stroking my face like a plaything, eyes a little glazed over. ¡°Such a beautiful little thing, I just want to marry you, then¡­¡±


    ¡°Then what? To be honest, how about we just skip the marriage? I can¡¯t even bear a child with you¡­swinging for the same team is fine and dandy¡­ but we will never have a child, so how about you just let me go¡­¡±


    For the first time in my entire life, I was extremely thankful for my pee pee being on vacation. Rather than be captured by a bunch of Dark Elves, I would much rather die¡­ Hold on, didn¡¯t she just say that she hasn¡¯t gotten married yet? So could she still be a¡­


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about that.¡± The clan leader gently stroked my brows. ¡°Us Dark Elves have a secret art passed down to us by the goddess Lolthe that allows females to have a child with each other.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± What the potato? That¡¯s possible too? I know I¡¯m uninformed and all, but really¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± The clan leader eyed me from top to toe like a hunter eyeing her prey, then gently spat out what had to be the most bloodthirsty thing I had ever heard. ¡°As long as I devour you, I can use that secret art to bear your child.¡±


    !@##%#¡­is that even legal?


    Hearing her say that, I could literally feel the soul leaving my body right now.


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    Seeing as I was shaken by that revelation, the clan leader quickly said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I can¡¯t bear to eat you, at least not before I have my way with you.¡±


    ¡°¡­and when would that be?¡± At times like this, stalling would probably be for the best.


    However, she didn¡¯t answer me directly, instead continuing to play this game of cat-and-mouse with me. ¡°Who knows.¡±


    That¡¯s it! I¡¯ve had it with this woman!


    In order to break free from this evil lady, I immediately lit my body on fire with my Nether Flames. As expected, my Nether Flames was something even she couldn¡¯t handle directly. The moment she came into contact with a single mote of flame, she immediately pushed me away. Unfortunately for her, it was already too late. Her body had come into contact with my own.


    Not only did the Nether Flames start to burn that Dark Elf, the threads binding me began to burn as well. A second after she pushed me over, I flapped my wings to stabilise myself quickly, then quickly beat a hasty retreat before she could capture me again.


    ¡°Nether Flames?!¡± Not at all interested in my retreat, the clan leader looked down at the Nether Flames burning her body and paused in shock. She did not expect a Four-star like me to actually be able to handle such a fearsome power.


    Yet just when I thought that she was going to be burnt to a crisp, the clan leader casually waved her hands and the flames were instantly put out. In fact, it seemed like even her clothes were damaged by the flames¡­


    ¡°They are indeed Nether Flames, it¡¯s just too bad that your level is too low for them to show their true power.¡± She gave me an interested look. ¡°Dear, how about you just quietly come along, I promise I won¡¯t eat you.¡±


    ¡°How about you just shove it.¡±


    ¡°Shove it?¡± While she might not have understood what those words were supposed to mean together, but she had this strange feeling that she had just been insulted. Her face immediately darkened. ¡°If I can capture you once, I can capture you twice. Stop being so naughty and just come along quietly.¡±

 CHAPTER 401: HOW A DARK ELF REPRODUCES

    Without any hesitation whatsoever, I summoned the giant construct from the gem, commanding it to punch that Dark Elf at the same time. While she was momentarily distracted by that, I quickly ducked into the pocket dimension of the Devil King Idol.


    ¡°You¡­¡± The clan leader¡¯s eyes went wide at the sudden turn of events. All she could see right now was a gigantic fist barrelling straight towards her, growing dangerously larger by the second. Faced with such an overwhelming force descending from the heavens, she had no time at all to think of a countermeasure, only to dodge.


    A second later, a deafening boom filled the cave system as the Devil King Idol¡¯s fist came crashing down onto an empty throne. The bejewelled seat instantly exploded into a rain of jewels and rocks, bouncing off the surrounding walls from the resulting shockwaves¡­


    A miss, huh¡­ I knew that even a surprise attack wouldn¡¯t be enough to land on a hit on her -this Devil King Idol was just too slow. But that was already enough. That punch was merely to buy me some time.


    I hurriedly willed the Devil King Idol to retreat towards the cave exit.


    ¡°Stop her!¡± Yelled a dishevelled clan leader. She might have been able to avoid that punch, but that didn¡¯t mean she had done so easily either. Her focus was still off-kilter from the sudden movement, and her hair was a complete mess of silvery threads. However, that didn¡¯t stop her from commanding the other Dark Elves. ¡°Go, don¡¯t let her escape no matter what!¡±


    This time, it wasn¡¯t just those four elite Dark Elves who acted, even those stock-still guardsmen were all charging towards me with reckless abandon.


    The cave itself was massive. For some unknown reason, this entire room alone was hollowed out to over one hundred meters tall. The doorway was in the shape of a semicircle with a diameter of fifty meters. With such a massive allowance, my twenty meters tall Devil King Idol could easily exit without having to carve a new exit for itself.


    The massive construct lumbered thunderously towards the exit. The elite Dark Elves and the nearby guardsmen frantically tried to stop its progress but their attacks were simply too weak. Those four I had fought before were only Seven-stars while those guardsmen were even weaker. The stronger ones amongst them were at most Six-star while the weaker ones were as weak as a Three-star. At such a level, no amount of Dark Elves would change this outcome. Soon, the distance of a hundred meters was crossed and the exit was now within arm¡¯s length.


    Yet just as I thought that my escape was successful, a figure suddenly stepped in front of the exit.


    That figure was the very same Dark Elven clan leader who supposedly had never married another person in her entire life. What was she doing here? I asked myself. However, that question didn¡¯t go unanswered for long. As she quietly stood there, her ruby red eyes suddenly changed to a bloody red.


    Are you really planning to block my Devil King Idol with that tiny body of yours?


    I naturally had no kind words for this troublesome woman who created this situation I was in right now. If she really didn¡¯t care about her own safety, then I¡¯ll just happily run her over with my Devil King Idol. A stomp or two and even she wouldn¡¯t be in a good shape.


    At least, that was what I had originally thought. Just when I was about to lift up my leg and give her a good stomping, I realised that she wasn¡¯t there anymore. Beside that area was a strange figure, one that had a humanoid upper body and an arachnid lower half, complete with eight spidery legs¡­ She actually turned into a half-monster?! Hmm¡­ a monster waifu¡­


    I immediately had the Devil King Idol try and kick her, but the moment I did so, she began crawling her way up its leg like a snake would, finally reaching the upper body of the Devil King Idol. There was still no telling what she intended by doing so, but I wasn¡¯t planning to find out either. I hurriedly willed the Devil King Idol¡¯s arms to swat at the offending spider, but that was easily dodged. In fact, I ended up smacking myself more often than not¡­ I swear, this Devil King Idol is just too clumsy to actually be a threat.


    In just a couple seconds of crawling, she had already climbed up to the shoulders of the Devil King Idol. I tried to swat her off again, but it failed once more. By this time, she was already on my back.


    She started crawling circles around the Devil King Idol. At the same time as she did that, her rear end would spit out a white thread-like substance the width of a fist. By the time she felt she had accomplished her goal, she leaped off the Devil King Idol and sped off to a nearby stalagmite to tie the thread to it.


    She then crawled back up to my right eye and gave me an evil grin. ¡°Now, how about we have a talk?¡±


    Like heck we would! There¡¯s nothing to talk about now.


    I commanded the Devil King Idol to smack her away but she ended up just dodging it anyway, leaving me with a faceful of rocky palm¡­


    While the power of the Devil King Idol wasn¡¯t enough to break through its own defences, the resulting shockwave would still transmit inwards to the pocket dimension I resided in. Because of that, I experienced the equivalent of an earthquake each time I smacked myself¡­


    Having dodged the newest attack from the Devil King Idol, the spidery clan leader returned to the front once more and gave me a bemused look. ¡°Can we talk now?¡±


    No!


    Clearly still incensed, I willed the Devil King Idol to attack her once more. Naturally, the result ended up being the same. But that didn¡¯t stop me from trying once more¡­ and once more¡­ and once more¡­ Each time I failed, she would happily crawl up to my side and ask that same question¡­ Fecking potatoes¡­ I swear I haven¡¯t been so humiliated in my entire life¡­ but this really isn¡¯t going anywhere¡­ maybe I should just admit defeat for now and come back later?


    The Devil King Idol¡¯s power can easily break apart a mountain and its defenses are basically impenetrable. Since I can¡¯t win, there¡¯s nothing stopping me from running either. With that in mind, I commanded the Devil King Idol to head for the exit, ignoring that spidery clan leader on the right side of my eyes.


    ¡°Hahahaha. Trying to leave now? A little too late for that.¡±


    Hmph. I have the Devil King Idol on my side, why would I not be able to leave?


    Five seconds later¡­

 CHAPTER 402: A PROBLEM OF IDENTITY

    Big, black and thick¡­


    I¡¯m not even sure what to say to that, but I guess the problem now is how does she know about the Devil King Idol!


    Actually, it¡¯s not all that strange that she would know about the Devil King Idol, is it? It does represent the status of a Devil King¡¯s successor, after all. Kind of like a crown prince¡­ Wait, don¡¯t tell me she thinks I¡¯m some spawn of a Devil King¡­ if that¡¯s the case, maybe she¡¯s really sincere about talking.


    But can these Dark Elves really be trusted? In a competition of principles, those blasted cats would beat them hands down.


    ¡°Relax.¡± Said the clan leader, having clearly seen through my hesitation even through the Devil King Idol. ¡°I swear in the name of the Goddess Lolthe that I won¡¯t harm you.¡±


    Normally, an oath in the name of one¡¯s god would never be false, but this was Lolthe we were talking about. She was an evil goddess whose impression amongst the outside world varied between cruel, deceptive, treacherous and just plain evil. In other words, her followers couldn¡¯t be much better either. Can a bad person be trusted? Well, I don¡¯t how others feel, but I¡¯m definitely not trusting one.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already sworn an oath in the goddess¡¯s name, is that not enough?¡±


    As she said that, she began casting a simple hypnotic spell that would allow her words to affect anyone whose will wasn¡¯t strong enough.


    It was a strong spell, that was for sure, but unfortunately for her, I had the blessing of Envy. Thanks to that, I technically had the bloodlines of an Illusion Demon within me. Illusions were practically like breathing to such creatures, and they were certainly a lot stronger in this field than a bunch of Dark Elves.


    Even so, the fact that her spell was ineffective did nothing to change my current situation. I couldn¡¯t beat her and neither could I escape¡­ Just hiding out in this golem isn¡¯t going to work in the long term. I need to find some way out of this¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, since you have a Devil King Idol, that means you¡¯re a spawn of some Devil King. I¡¯m not daring enough to harm such a Devil. So how about you trust your big sister over here, she won¡¯t harm you at all.¡±


    As she said that, her alluring voice almost seemed to carry a fragrant quality to it, though that was clearly impossible. Her words made sense, yet I just couldn¡¯t bring myself to believe her. Even so, what she mentioned wasn¡¯t false -that was just basic common sense in the Three Hells.


    Clearly, such a Devil was the very child of Abaddon¡¯s King, the Devil King of Pride!


    I know I¡¯m not actually the child of the Devil King of Pride, but she doesn¡¯t know that! So what would she be planning by abducting a crown prince-like figure? Hmmm¡­ at the very least, those plans shouldn¡¯t include killing the crown prince.


    With that in mind, I suddenly felt that my situation wasn¡¯t as dangerous as I had thought.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know how much your big sister spent just to summon you over. And with your esteemed lineage, I wouldn¡¯t dare do anything to you.¡±


    That does make sense¡­ maybe I should just do as she says¡­ I mean I¡¯ll believe that she means me no harm¡­


    Just as I was wavering between whether or not to believe her, she finally said something that sealed the deal. ¡°I would never dare to harm you. After all, I can¡¯t bear the wrath of a Devil King.¡±


    That¡¯s right. Even if what she said before that was all lies, that last sentence was definitely true. The Fallen Angels were the strongest clan in the Three Hells, and they themselves saw their clan as being the strongest clan in all the Hells. Being the very incarnation of Pride, they would never suffer the humiliation of having someone seen as their crown prince be insulted by lowly Dark Elves.


    Of course, all that was based on the assumption that I was connected to the Fallen Angels -I wasn¡¯t. In fact, even that so-called fiancee of mine, Yi Yi, was pretty much a stranger to me seeing as I only met her once¡­ but they didn¡¯t know that! That bit of information of asymmetry clearly benefited me this time.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s talk then.¡± Even though I didn¡¯t think she would try and attack me, I still chose to remain in the Devil King Idol as a precaution. ¡°I¡¯m sure you already know about my background, so if you try anything weird, the consequences will be dire.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. A spawn of the Devil King of Pride, if I¡¯m not mistaken.¡±


    I knew it.


    I neither confirmed nor denied that allegation. Instead, I remained silent till she took it as my acceptance.


    ¡°We Dark Elves are strong, but even we know that we aren¡¯t a match for the Fallen Angels. As a sign of our sincerity, I¡¯ll offer a concession.¡± Having said that, she leapt off my Devil King Idol and back onto the ground before promptly undoing her transformation. ¡°Is that better?¡±


    ¡°I want you to swear an oath again. Swear that you won¡¯t attack me and will allow me to leave as I wish.¡± Even though she had turned back into her humanoid elven form, I didn¡¯t dare to let my guard down. I needed another guarantee in the form of that request. ¡°If you don¡¯t agree to this, I won¡¯t come out of the Devil King Idol. If you go back on your oath, you will suffer the punishment of the Spider Queen Lolthe.¡±

 CHAPTER 403: YOU SAY YOU HAVEN’T MARRIED YET?

    The spider lady¡¯s dripping-with-sincerity oath finally moved me. With such a vicious oath binding her, she shouldn¡¯t go back on her words, right? Even if she did, the wrath of the Fallen Angels isn¡¯t something she can handle either¡­ although such a thing doesn¡¯t actually exist, but she doesn¡¯t know that!


    The main point is that she sees me as the successor of the Devil King of Pride, a crown prince of sorts. No matter what, such a person shouldn¡¯t be sent to his death right away, right? As they say, every enemy is a wall, but every friend is an additional road.


    With that in mind, I chose to believe that the Dark Elven clan leader wouldn¡¯t betray me and stepped out of the Devil King Idol, only to be captured¡­


    Truly, I didn¡¯t even have the time to react before she suddenly wrapped her already spun silk around my limbs, leaving the end of that silk resting snugly in her hands¡­ as a side note, that silk came from within her dress¡­


    ¡°You¡­ you said you wouldn¡¯t do anything to me or Lolthe would tear you apart and send your soul down to Hell¡­¡± I was incensed right now. But no matter how much I struggled, the spider silk refused to budge and I could only use my words to express my intense displeasure. ¡°Are you not afraid of the Spider Queen¡¯s punishment?¡±


    ¡°Afraid? Of course I am.¡± The Dark Elven clan leader leaned over all of a sudden, stuck out her tongue then loudly slurped my face ridden with magical tattoos. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re not aware; the Goddess Lolthe is the goddess of lies and betrayal. If I were to obey that oath as you say, I would definitely end up in Hell.¡±


    The goddess of lies and betrayal¡­ well, there¡¯s nothing much to say to that then¡­ I want to cry¡­ Mama, the city is a scary place, I want to go home¡­


    ¡°Can you tell me why exactly you want to capture me?¡±


    Still bound up like a dumpling, my mouth was really all I could use right now. Truth be told however, I wasn¡¯t all that nervous despite being tied up, because I knew she wouldn¡¯t just kill me.


    ¡°I bet you still don¡¯t realise how much time and effort I had to expend just to prepare the sacrifices required to summon you.¡±


    ¡°¡­how do you Elves even have the medium to summon me?¡±


    ¡°Two years ago, my son and my daughter both ran away from home. However, roughly a year ago, the two of them came back by themselves because they managed to procure your medium. At the very beginning, I thought you were just an ordinary Devil, perhaps with a bit of talent thrown into the mix. Yet my daughter who was talented in the arts of the Occultist couldn¡¯t even summon you, and that made me curious. That was when you caught my interest. At the start, it was mostly just for fun but¡­¡± As she said that, she abruptly leaned in and licked me once more. ¡°My dear, you¡¯re just so fragrant.¡±


    Sister, can you be any less disgusting¡­ I¡¯m already plenty scared of you right now¡­ Also, can you just get to the point, don¡¯t just end it there! At least consider the feelings of those who were busy listening to your story, you dirty spider!


    ¡°Hehehe, my dear, are you angry?¡± She grinned from ear to ear then tugged on both my cheeks. ¡°You¡¯re just so adorable, I almost cannot bear to kill you.¡±


    Exasperated beyond belief at this point, I rolled my eyes and said, ¡°Can we get on with the story now¡­ about that summoning medium.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, how boring.¡± She pouted unhappily but still withdrew the hands on my face before continuing with the story. ¡°At first, I was just fooling around when I decided to summon you. I thought some normal offerings should be enough to break down the dimensional barriers and summon you over, but who would have thought that your status was too high for that. Normal offerings wouldn¡¯t do. Then came the Seven-star offerings, Eight-star, and finally Nine-star¡­ When I finally summoned you over, I was really curious as to why a Four-star would even require a Nine-star¡¯s offerings¡­¡±


    ¡°But, my dear, you actually turned out to be the spawn of the Devil King of Pride! In that case, it doesn¡¯t matter what your strength is. In terms of status alone, you are definitely on the same level as a Nine-star¡­¡±


    The same status as a Devil Overlord¡­ so I was such a bigshot? But why am I the last person to know of this? Hold on, now¡¯s not the time for this¡­


    ¡°I initially assumed that you would at least have the power of a Nine-star. That was why I kept this summoning a secret from the other families as I procured the offerings. Who would have thought that all that effort was¡­¡±


    As she said that, I swore I could hear her teeth gnashing. If I had to make a far-fetched guess, she was probably really mad at me right now. If she had really summoned a Nine-star as she envisioned, she would have gained a substantial boost in power right away. Instead, she got me, a Devil who was as important as a Devil Overlord, but was clearly weak as a potato¡­ that¡¯s a bad deal no matter how one looked at it¡­


    Well, I totally understand how she feels right now, but understanding doesn¡¯t mean accepting, especially not when I¡¯m the victim! So can you just tell me exactly why you summoned me already?!


    She probably realised my frustration as well as her anger quickly turned to amusement. She reached out and stroked my face before saying, ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter even if you¡¯re the Devil I summoned, I can still sacrifice you to the Goddess Lolthe. Other than sacrificing a demigod, I really can¡¯t think of any other offering of a higher grade than you. As long as I sacrifice you, her holiness would definitely send down her blessings. At that time¡­ hehehe¡­¡±


    ¡°So you intend to turn me into an offering?¡± Like heck I want to be one! I shivered involuntarily at that thought. ¡°Sister, oh my beautiful sister, how about we cut a deal here? You let me go and I give you some benefits in return? How about that?¡±


    I don¡¯t care if I look stupid now, I just don¡¯t want to become an offering!


    ¡°Oh my dear, you¡¯re just too cute! I swear I almost can¡¯t bear to sacrifice you.¡± She gently laughed at that point and pinched my cheeks. ¡°But I can¡¯t let you go either, so giving you to the goddess is still the best choice.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Ahhhh¡­ it¡¯s not working. She¡¯s just dead set on sacrificing me at this point¡­ Wait, I still have one card left to play. Doesn¡¯t she still think that I¡¯m the successor of the Devil King of Pride? If that¡¯s the case, she wouldn¡¯t kill me so easily, not unless she¡¯s not afraid of his wrath.


    ¡°You really think you¡¯ll be fine just by sacrificing me to your goddess? Have you ever considered what my background signifies?¡± Even though I clearly had no connection to this Devil King, that didn¡¯t stop me from loudly proclaiming as such. ¡°Are you not worried about the wrath of the Fallen Angels?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± She nonchalantly shrugged. ¡°There¡¯s a dimensional barrier between us and them anyway. They can¡¯t come over.¡±


    They can¡¯t come over¡­ fudge, why didn¡¯t I think of that¡­


    She¡¯s right. This dimensional barrier¡¯s biggest function is to prevent creatures from crossing between the worlds. The stronger the creature is, the harder it would be to breach that barrier¡­ fudgecakes¡­


    It was difficult for creatures to breach the dimensional barrier on their own, unless they were insignificant. Summoning was one way to circumvent this restriction. As long as one had the right offering and medium, the summoner could basically pull over anyone. During my first summoning, I was just a weak Imp so I ended up being forcefully brought over. Devils with a high status were an entirely different story. They had the option to reject a summoning, though very few could resist the temptation of a quick holiday in the Western Human Realms. In a sense, it was basically impossible for such creatures to cross the barrier without a summoner, barring those Devils with a strong affinity to dimensional magic¡­ but that¡¯s a whole different ball game.


    ¡°As the successor of the Devil King of Pride, you are innately born with a higher status than the other successors. In your blood flows the fabled bloodline of the Primal Devil God¡­ Barring those at the level of a demigod, there is no better offering than you in this world. I¡¯m sure her holiness would love you.¡±


    Essentially, after all that talking, the conclusion was that she wasn¡¯t in the least bit worried about sacrificing me. It wasn¡¯t like that dimensional barrier was coming down anytime soon, after all¡­


    In a sense, the whole reason why she even considered sacrificing me in the first place was because of my noble lineage¡­


    Fudgecakes, I really did a number on myself this time¡­


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    ¡°My dear, you mustn¡¯t blame your big sister for being so heartless. If you must blame someone, blame my daughter and son. If they hadn¡¯t run away from home, and if they hadn¡¯t brought your medium back with them, there would have been no way for me to summon you, am I right?¡±


    What a joke¡­ if there was ever a competition for pushing the blame to others, I wouldn¡¯t mind giving you full marks for that performance just now.


    You are clearly the one who wants to turn me into a sacrifice. What does your daughter and son even have to do with this?! Hold on¡­didn¡¯t this blasted Dark Elf just say that she had never married before, so how does she even have a daughter or son?


    ¡°¡­Didn¡¯t you say that you had never married before? How do you have children then? Don¡¯t tell me you adopted them!?¡±


    ¡°Oh hohoh, has my secret finally been found out?¡± The Dark Elven clan leader lowered her head and blushed. ¡°But I clearly hid it so well.¡±


    But you¡¯re the one who told me you had children in the first place! Not just once too! Do you think I¡¯m a moron?!


    ¡°My dear, are you jealous? Don¡¯t be, I¡¯ll give you a present.¡± Having said that, she caressed both my cheeks and slowly closed in¡­

 CHAPTER 404: ARE YOU SURE YOU’RE NOT ADOPTED??

    Failing to kiss me in the end, she playfully stroked my nose a little and said, ¡°Jealous? Relax, that was just a bit of foolishness during my younger days -ended giving birth to a couple more children than I had intended. Compared to the other clan heads, I¡¯m considered one of the more conservative ones.¡±


    This isn¡¯t even an issue about jealousy, I don¡¯t want to have any relationship with you, and can you please not come any closer -it¡¯s disgusting. Also, what do you mean you gave birth to a couple more children than you had intended?


    Naturally, I would never say something so rude to a lady, not unless I want a doggy collar on me.


    ¡°I really want to keep you for myself, but after giving it some thought, I think it¡¯s better if I don¡¯t¡­ after all, I need to hand you over to our holy mother.¡± Having given up on teasing me further, she turned to a Seven-star Warrior beside her and said, ¡°bring her to the dungeon near my room. Whatever she wants, give it to her. But do not loosen the spider silk binding her, and do not allow her to leave either.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± The Dark Elven Warrior replied and began leading me away.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my dear, we are only going to be away for a short while. I still have some work to do for the ceremony, but it won¡¯t be long. In the meantime, don¡¯t miss me too much.¡± Having said that, she gave me a flying kiss.


    Just like that, I was led out of the throne room. Body still bound up by that spider silk, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little gloomy as the voice of that clan leader slowly trailed behind me. By now, her words were extremely muddled, but I could still make out her praise of my Devil King Idol¡¯s defenses.


    Thankfully, the tunnels leading to the dungeon were a lot less gloomy than my heart. Every few meters or so, there would be those unknown crystals lighting the way with their purple glow. Thanks to that, the trip to the so-called dungeon was a rather uneventful one.


    I have to say though, using luminescent crystals instead of lights is really fantasy-esque¡­


    A while later, I was brought to a room with a large comfortable bed inside it. It had only one entrance that was blocked by the Seven-star Warrior who led me here in the first place. Other than that bed, there was just a basic table and a set of chairs. Seeing as there wasn¡¯t much else to do, I plopped myself down on the bed and sulked a little. It was uncomfortable¡­ even the bed¡¯s soft caresses were not enough to overcome the discomfort of being bound up.


    Because of how tightly I was bound up, there really wasn¡¯t much else I could move other than my legs and neck. My wings were completely folded into the spider silk and were the very definition of discomfort right now.


    The Dark Elven Warrior eyed me for a second then turned away to continue her silent vigil.


    Ugh. I rolled my eyes then hopped up to her and stared her right in her fish eyes. ¡°Your clan leader said to fulfill my every request.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The frosty Elf paused for a second before squatting down and reaching out to grab something behind the walls of the cell. By the time she was done, she had a black cup in her hands.


    What the heck? I thought there weren¡¯t any cups nearby, that¡¯s the whole reason why I even asked her for water. I was planning to find a way out while she was gone too¡­ Also, why the heck is the cup outside of the door and not in the room?!


    The female warrior walked up to my cell slowly and offered the cup to me, to which I merely shrugged; my arms were still bound up in silk. It was my way of telling her that I had no way to drink from the cup, and hopefully have her loosen my bindings somewhat. Unfortunately, not every creature in a foreign world was that stupid.


    The female warrior remained as expressionless as before but she directly pushed the cup up to my face this time. It was only when she banged into my nose that she finally stopped. While she might not have said anything, I knew exactly what she meant¡­ loosening your bindings is impossible, if you want a drink, you know what to do¡­


    Never eat the scraps of someone else¡¯s meal, and never drink from the leftovers of another¡¯s cup -that was a matter of principle. I turned away to show my displeasure. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m not thirsty anymore. I want to pee instead!¡±


    Seeing as drinking wasn¡¯t an option, I immediately tried another method of distraction. From a quick glance just now, I saw that there was no toilet in this cell. In other words, I had to leave this place in order to relieve myself, and as long as I had even the slightest opportunity¡­ heh heh heh¡­


    The female warrior glared at me silently. A second later, she reached down to that same corner and pulled out a portable toilet!? What the potato¡­ Why is there even a portable toilet there?!


    She pushed the toilet up to me and quietly stood there.


    ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there and look at me, I can¡¯t pee if there¡¯s so much pressure on me¡­¡±


    I flashed her a quick puppy-dog eyes. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t seem all that affected by my cuteness. Instead, she reached out and tried to pull down my pants¡­


    Is she trying to force herself on me? Noooo, I¡¯m still a virgin¡­ I struggled furiously to protect my pants.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it myself¡­ let me do it myself¡­ actually, I don¡¯t need to pee anymore¡­¡±


    Finally, my chastity was protected¡­ Blast it, can¡¯t you see that I¡¯m trying to get you to open the door! What¡¯s the idea behind pulling down my pants? Let me tell you, I have no interest in women like that!


    Since normal methods clearly weren¡¯t going to work on this ice cube, that only left more extraordinary methods -watch this: Karen no Jutsu!


    ¡°I want to see your clan leader¡¯s daughter.¡±


    Just when I thought that she would remain silent again, she coldly glared at me before suddenly saying, ¡°which one?¡±


    Which one? So you¡¯re saying your clan leader has a lot of them then? And she said she hadn¡¯t married before¡­ exactly how many times did she give birth outside of wedlock?


    Let¡¯s be clear here, I¡¯m not jealous, I¡¯m just questioning my views of this world¡­


    ¡°The one who ran away from home.¡± I looked her straight in the eyes and continued, ¡°the one who brought back my summoning medium.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The female warrior fell silent. In all likelihood, her silence was her way of saying that my request had fallen outside of her authority.


    ¡°Your clan leader said to fulfill my every request!¡± Well, even if I know what you¡¯re trying to say, it doesn¡¯t mean I have to show it.


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    ¡°Hold on a moment.¡± The female warrior walked away to the doorway and spoke into the darkness. ¡°The prisoner wishes to speak to Lady Jezsere, please inform the clan leader.¡±


    Having said that, the female warrior returned to my side while the darkness she spoke into showed no signs of movement.


    ¡°Hey. You¡¯re sure there was somebody there?¡±


    That question, unfortunately, went unanswered. Following this, no matter what I asked, she refused to speak another word. With my limbs mostly bound and no one to talk to, I could only sit on the bed and sulk.


    ¡®Ferti¡¯nier. Ferti¡¯nier! Get out this instant. I know you¡¯re there, get out here and start talking. Stop trying to treat this as some kind of comedy.¡¯


    No matter how much I screamed at her internally, she continued pretending to be absent. Adding on the fact that I was still a captive, I was truly at my limits now.


    Thankfully, this mental battle did not continue for long before a newcomer joined me. It was a young Dark Elf with the demeanour of a little bunny who was brought into my cell. Upon doing so, the Dark Elf¡¯s bodyguard left of her own accord.


    ¡°Greetings, Lady Jezsere.¡± My jailor bowed respectfully. ¡°The prisoner wishes to see you.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, thank you for the hard work.¡± The girl¡¯s voice had a soft quality to it, like morning dew dripping off a blade of grass onto the earth. After exchanging greetings with my jailor, she slowly walked up to me. I could see that she had on a conservative looking black long dress. Her steps were dainty, as one would expect of a lady. Her hair was silvery like that of her other clansmen, but each strand was even silkier than the silk that bound me right now. In fact, her hair was bound around her neck like a scarf right now, similar to how I was bound up, just a lot less tighter. Her eyes shone like precious rubies, and when combined with her cuddly demeanor, only made you want to protect her even more.


    Truly, this girl was a beauty to behold, and a rare one at that. Normally, one wouldn¡¯t expect a girl like Jezsere to appear amongst a bunch of Dark Elves¡­ because she was clearly just a fluffy white bunny!


    Ah¡­ I just want to cuddle her, kiss her, then lift her high up for the world to admire¡­ that was my impression of her.


    Is she even that clan leader¡¯s daughter? How can that disgusting spider give birth to such an adorable specimen of fluffiness. I bet she¡¯s adopted.


    Seemingly disconcerted by my intense staring, Jezsere shrunk back into herself. Then with a hint of water in her eyes, gingerly spoke to me like how a small bunny would act in front of the big bad wolf, ¡°Is¡­ is that you, master Mo Ke?¡±


    Well¡­ at least she didn¡¯t beg me not to eat her¡­


    ¡°Mhm. It¡¯s me.¡± I deliberately stuck out my chin and arrogantly peered down at her. ¡°I heard you were the one who brought back my summoning medium?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Why does she look like she¡¯s about to cry any moment now? Ahhh¡­ I just want to bully her right now!


    ¡°Speak, how did you obtain my medium?¡±


    Even though my heart was already melted by her adorableness, I still had to maintain the haughty appearance of a Fallen Angel.


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    ¡°Yyesss¡­¡± She hesitated for a second but finally caved in. ¡°It was sister Ancarin who gave it to me¡­ sob¡­ don¡¯t eat me¡­¡±

 CHAPTER 405: IS IT REALLY ALRIGHT FOR YOU TO BE SO CUTE?

    (There was a slight clash in the way Jezsere addressed Mo Ke so I changed it to Sir Mo Ke for now.)


    Seeing Jezsere on the verge of crying like that, the one most anxious right now somehow turned out to be me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry, I won¡¯t eat you, I promise.¡± I shrugged my shoulders a couple of times to show that I couldn¡¯t hurt her. ¡°Look, I can¡¯t even move right now. Even if I wanted to eat you, I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°So you still want to eat me then¡­¡±


    Girl, don¡¯t use those puppy dog eyes on me¡­I swear she¡¯s just so adorable, like a tiny white rabbit¡­I should keep on bullying her!


    However, it would be hard to communicate with her in such a state, so I decided to calm her down in the end. I furiously shook my head and said, ¡°no, no. I never wanted to eat you, I was just joking. That¡¯s right. Just joking¡­ ha ha ha¡­¡±


    Okay, that wasn¡¯t all that funny. Even though I still don¡¯t know how I startled her, I do know that I¡¯m the one responsible for her tears. Finally, after much placating, she realised that she was safe.


    Now that she knew I wasn¡¯t going to eat her, Jezsere gingerly peered up at me, at which point she froze for a second. Just as I was about to ask her why, her face suddenly blushed. Head lowered, both her hands gripped down nervously on her long black robes.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Sir Mo Ke¡­ you look really beautiful¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Sometimes, it¡¯s really hard communicating with someone from a different dimension¡­ let¡¯s just talk about something else for now.


    ¡°Alright, can you tell me now how you obtained my summoning medium from Ancarin?¡±


    ¡°Sister Ancarin?¡± The moment I mentioned her name, Jezsere lifted up her head, eyes practically glowing as she began recounting what happened to Regine and Ancarin.


    A year ago, Ancarain actually gave birth to a daughter -thank jeebus the two of them are safe, really¡­oh wait, I should be thanking Lucifer. Apparently, Elona ended up giving birth to a daughter for Dawson, the bandit. Because of that, she died due to the ensuing complications. It was Moranthal who sent her daughter to Ancarin. What was worth mentioning was that their daughter was born with wolf ears and a tail¡­ so I get to see a wolf loli soon?


    Finally, with no other option left, she went to her mother for help¡­ in other words, that spider who just scammed me. In actuality, the reason why she even ran away from home in the first place was because she couldn¡¯t contribute to her clan. By offering up my medium, she had essentially helped the clan summon a powerful Devil.


    At least that was how she saw me¡­ a powerful Devil.


    At first, her mother wasn¡¯t all that impressed by my medium. She haphazardly scraped together some offerings for me -naturally that failed. After failing twice, she began to have this sneaking suspicion that my power was beyond what she had initially expected. In the end, she spent an Overlord¡¯s worth of offerings to summon me successfully¡­


    Seeing her downcast face, the conclusion I came to was as such, ¡°So you¡¯re saying that you initially wanted to summon me over to boost your standing?¡±


    ¡°That¡­that¡­that¡¯s right¡­¡± Suddenly confronted by my question like that, she recoiled a little in surprise, her slender body shivering as she kept her head down. She breathed in deep, and after a minute she finally gathered the courage to look me in the eyes. ¡°Sir Mo Ke!¡±


    ¡°Mhm?¡±


    ¡°Please¡­please¡­¡± Unfortunately, the moment she opened her mouth, she deflated like a leaking balloon.


    What¡¯s going on with this girl? Why is she lowering her head again. Just as I was starting to wonder if she had a phobia of men, she suddenly lifted her head and used her ruby eyes to stare at me. She tightly gripped her hands to boost her courage, then with a clap like a prayer, she pleaded, ¡°Sir Mo Ke! Please sign a pact with me¡­¡±


    ¡°A pact?¡± I grinned evilly at her. ¡°You mean a master and servant pact?¡±


    She seemed to have been frightened by my evil grin once more. She quickly lowered her head to avoid my gaze. ¡°I¡­ I wouldn¡¯t dare¡­¡±


    I smiled gently. ¡°An equal pact then?¡±


    The moment I said that, her head jerked upwards with an expectant look. ¡°If¡­if that¡¯s possible¡­¡±


    I kept my gentle smile on. ¡°I think we should just sign a master and servant pact.¡±


    ¡°Rea¡­really?¡±


    ¡°Really.¡± Under her dazzling gaze, I broke into a beaming grin. ¡°It was all thanks to you that I managed to return to the Western Human Realms. Had it not been for you, I can¡¯t even begin to guess when I can ever return. This place has a deep connection to me, so if it¡¯s possible, I would like to remain here forever. So as an encouragement of sorts, I don¡¯t mind signing a master and servant pact with you.¡±


    Being thanked like that by me, she was both excited and bashful at the same time. Her eyes were filled with gratitude for me but she still kept her head down. ¡°But, but¡­ why would you be willing to enter into a master and servant pact with me?¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I? After signing the pact, I¡¯ll be your master, and you¡¯ll be my servant.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but take a closer look at her face then. That look of complete collapse was truly amusing and made me want to tease her even more. ¡°I get to have a beautiful girl slave for free. What¡¯s not to like?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What? You¡¯re not willing?¡±


    Seeing the displeasure on my face, she immediately prostrated herself on the ground with both her hands on her head¡­


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    ¡°Don¡¯t eat me¡­¡± She seemed really terrified of me then.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°When did I say that I was going to eat you?¡±


    Hearing me say that, she sneaked a look at me then quickly ducked back down under the cover of her hands. ¡°Big brother said that Devils love to eat little girls¡­¡±


    She doesn¡¯t even dare to look me in the eyes anymore¡­ how timid can she get.


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask you again: when did I ever say that I wanted to eat you?¡±


    ¡°Big brother said that Devils loved to eat little girls¡­ he said it¡­¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s your brother who said it, but I never said it, right?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I guess so.¡± Her slightly defective brain finally seemed to have realised something. Now that she was sure I wouldn¡¯t eat her, she dared lift her head once more. ¡°So Sir Mo Ke doesn¡¯t want to eat Jezsere. Jezsere was so frightened just now.¡±


    Can someone tell me exactly what the heck was that exchange¡­


    Putting aside the topic of eating for now, I continued pressuring her. ¡°So do you want to sign that pact or not?¡±


    ¡°No¡­no¡­¡±


    ¡°HMMM?!¡±


    Seeing that she was about to reject me, I deliberately raised my voice to scare her once more. Barely a second later, she was back to that hands-over-head posture on the ground.


    She¡¯s even faster this time around.


    ¡°Since you¡¯re not saying anything, I will take it as an acceptance then.¡±


    Jezsere bit down on her dainty lips but remained silent.


    ¡°How about calling me master now?¡±


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    Even though I was still tied up, I could still be considered as a person of authority. When I wanted to be fierce, I still had that air of authority about me. Even then, I did not expect that this adorable little bunny would comply so quickly.


    ¡°Mas¡­master.¡± She meekly called out.


    No way¡­just like that? Maybe I should call myself Prince Charming from now on. This has to be the first time in my life that I scored a girl so easily¡­


    Not only was I surprised by this turn of events, even that normally silent jailor of mine seemed to have been shocked by what had just happened. This was probably the first time she had ever seen her lady act so subserviently¡­ you have to admit she¡¯s got talent on this front.


    While I might have successfully bluffed my way into that, I still had some morals left in me. At the very least, I wasn¡¯t about to actually sign that master and servant pact with Jezsere. That was all just a joke.


    The problem was that while I might have seen it as a joke, this dainty little girl actually wasn¡¯t opposed to calling me master. In fact, she seemed to have gotten used to it now.


    ¡°Master, will you protect Jezsere from now on?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Assuming I¡¯m still alive.


    ¡°Then Master, are you a male or a female?¡±


    ¡°A male.¡±


    An instant answer.


    ¡°Master is lying. Master is clearly a girl just like Jezsere.¡±


    ¡°But I wasn¡¯t lying.¡±


    I dare you to say that again, watch me eat you up right away. And I mean ¡®eat¡¯.


    ¡°But Master, if you¡¯re a male, how can you be so beautiful?¡±


    ¡°¡­is your name Jezsere, or is it a million whys?¡±

 CHAPTER 406: HOW A DARK ELF REPRODUCES

    Jezsere was a timid girl. A very timid one, in fact. Especially when her brother, Reyage, wasn¡¯t with her.


    In the short time I¡¯ve spent with her in the cell, I¡¯ve come to see her as an innocent girl, and that was why I had to ask myself once more: she isn¡¯t adopted, right? She¡¯s more of a Nature Elf, rather than a Dark Elf!


    In actuality, from the moment she began addressing me as master, her personality seemed to have changed entirely. Her timidness had been replaced by assertiveness, and not the surface meaning of that word too¡­


    ¡°Master, master, why did you want to return to the Western Human Realms? You mentioned there were people you cared about here -is it sister Ancarin and the others?¡± She blinked at me curiously. Ever since she was sure that I wouldn¡¯t hurt her, she had only gotten bolder by the second.


    Hmm¡­ So why did I want to return to the Western Human Realms? To find Nicole, of course!


    Frankly speaking, I wasn¡¯t too overly concerned about my predicament right now because Ferti¡¯nier mentioned before I accepted the summoning that no one could force me to sign a pact now that I was at the level of an Overlord. Unless they were a demigod¡­ But she clearly wasn¡¯t a Demigod. In other words, the ball was still on my side of the court. If I really wanted to leave, I could do so any time without paying any heed to my summoner.


    And that¡¯s why you can lock me up all you want, see if I care!


    More importantly, I needed to find a way to locate Nicole. I had no intention of running back to the Three Hells without accomplishing that first -one mustn¡¯t be a cowardly Devil like that, am I right?


    ¡°By the way, how many children did your mother give birth to exactly?¡±


    Let¡¯s be clear here, I¡¯m not asking this because I care about the answer. I¡¯m just curious, that¡¯s all¡­ just curious¡­


    ¡°Oh, my mother, huh¡­¡± She thought about it for a second then began counting with her long slender fingers. ¡°With Jezsere and Reyage included, that should be seven.¡±


    Seven huh¡­ that¡¯s a number you can¡¯t count with one hand. You can¡¯t tell she¡¯s given birth to that many with that figure of hers¡­ now that¡¯s talent.


    But what was up with her claiming to have never married? I¡¯ve long heard that these Dark Elves live in a matriarchal society, does that mean that normal married life is actually abnormal for them?


    Now that I was captured, I really had not much else to do. Neither did I have much to worry about since that clan leader wasn¡¯t a Demigod. In other words, now was a good time to do some cultural studies.


    ¡°Do you Dark Elves have a custom of marriage?¡±


    Essentially, Dark Elves are the kind of race who can name their mother but not their father then?


    ¡°How does your race reproduce? I doubt your numbers are low, but since there aren¡¯t that many who get married, how exactly¡­ Don¡¯t tell me that two females can procreate as well?¡±


    Faced with that clearly academic question, Jezsere immediately blushed a beet red.


    ¡°Jezsere?¡±


    Seeing that she hadn¡¯t replied to me yet, I called out to her. However, she merely kept her head down like an adorable blushing bunny.


    ¡°Master¡­ must you really ask this question?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, I¡¯m really curious about this matter.¡± Hmph, you¡¯ll never get me to admit that bullying her is fun¡­ never!


    ¡°Then I think it would be better if she answered the question¡­¡± Her milky white fingers immediately pointed at the practically nonexistent Dark Elven Warrior still guarding my cell.


    ¡°Her¡­¡± That blasted woman hasn¡¯t said a word since. Why would she¡­


    ¡°If it¡¯s lady Jezsere¡¯s orders.¡±


    Rather than refuse to answer as I had expected, she generously obliged to do the explaining for us. After hearing that explanation however, I finally understood why Jezsere absolutely refused to say it herself. Their reproductive methods could basically be categorized as either being really R-rated, really violet, or really bloody.


    First off, was the most common method amongst all the races: you got married and had a kid with your partner -a natural birth.


    That method wasn¡¯t the most popular method amongst the Dark Elves for a very simple reason: whether we were talking about them or the Natural Elves, both races had a large gender disparity.


    The gender breakdown amongst Nature Elves was usually a four male to six females ratio, though that might sometimes escalate to a three-seven ratio. As for the Dark Elves, three-seven was the norm. There were even times when that ratio changed to two-eight.


    So what was it like to have one male to four females? A disaster, that¡¯s what! Unless the females of the Dark Elves searched outside their race for partners, male Dark Elves basically could not perform any other task except procreate.


    A normal nuclear family was impossible. And given that the Dark Elves were a matriarchal society, it wasn¡¯t possible for the males to have multiple wives either. Not that the Nature Elves were known for having multiple wives, but it was at least still possible.


    Since males were clearly in short supply, what was a healthy, mature female to do then? The answer had a lot to do with the traits they inherited from their goddess: deceptive, chaotic, violent and etc.


    Their second method of reproduction employed kidnapping.


    As a race, the Dark Elves had a variety of traits, and being bloodthirsty was one of them. Being territorial was another. They loved to attack foreign races who trespassed on their lands, like merchant caravans, adventuring parties or mercenary bands. As long as the target was of a foreign race, they were targets for attack.


    If there was an urge for more, they would then invade the realms of other races. As for what happened once they succeeded¡­ it was basically what you would expect of a Lolthe-worshipping race. They pillaged whatever they wanted from their targets, and if that included males, then that poor male would end up being used till they were rung dry.


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    Once a female became pregnant, they would return to their clan territory to give birth. The Dark Elves had a secret art that allowed them to remove the foreign half of this childbirth. That was why there were rarely any mixbloods in their race.


    Finally, there was the third method: selective breeding.


    The Dark Elves had a total of thirteen major clans. Every such clan had its own coliseum that was used for a variety of purposes: gladiatorial fights, creating life¡­ Yes, creating life.


    These coliseums held matches every hour of the day and these were almost always a match between a male and a female.


    The Dark Elves had a habit of raising slave gladiators. These slaves were often drawn from captives from other races, though there were also Dark Elves from other clans, or perhaps traitors. For non-Dark Elves, the moment they stepped into the ring, whether men or women, they were all slave gladiators. Their one task was to kill for the pleasure of their masters, in other words, the audience.


    Under normal circumstances, the matches in the coliseum could take on two formats. One was a free selection while the other had a female Dark Elf choose a slave of her liking. This chosen slave would then battle with the Dark Elf who chose him in a fair match.


    If the female Dark Elf won, she could choose to kill the slave or let him go. However, it was forbidden to have relations with this slave. Weak genes were taboo in Dark Elf society.


    If the slave won instead, he could choose to kill that Dark Elf or have a go at her. However, once the latter was chosen, he was forbidden from harming that same Dark Elf under the penalty of death.


    Killing in the ring was completely allowed and would even go unpunished. In fact, the stronger the slave, the more excited the female Dark Elves would get. They wanted to mate with stronger partners in order to produce even stronger offspring.


    This was one of the reasons why the Dark Elves haven¡¯t suffered a decline yet. Truly, these coliseums were the very definition of inhumanity.


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know what to say about your race anymore¡­¡±


    Hearing that story firsthand from that Dark Elven Warrior, I couldn¡¯t help but shiver involuntarily.


    ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that a lot of you Dark Elves don¡¯t know who your father is then?¡±

 CHAPTER 407: SO LET’S HAVE A CHAT ABOUT YOU RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME

    The Dark Elven Warrior lowered her head in silent thought for a second then shot me a deathly glare.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    That stare¡­ Why does it feel like I just got blamed for something I didn¡¯t do?


    ¡°I was born from a natural union between my father and mother!¡± As the female warrior said that, I could hear her teeth gnashing against each other.


    ¡°Gomen¡­ gomenasai¡­¡± I dryly laughed at the same time as I apologized, even though I knew she probably didn¡¯t understand Japanese. Just like that, the scene turned awkwardly silent.


    ¡°So how far is this place from where Ancarin and Regine are?¡± In order to break the awkwardness, I randomly threw out a question at a snickering Jezsere.


    ¡°Quite far. We would have to pass through two duchies before reaching them.¡± As she said that, she rested her chins on her palms while looking up at me -that was definitely on purpose¡­


    ¡°When my brother and I returned to the clan, it took roughly two months of travelling.¡±


    That¡¯s¡­ quite far, indeed.


    Hmmm¡­ I don¡¯t think they beelined for their clan though. During that two months, they must¡¯ve stopped every now and then, perhaps hid for a day or two, or maybe even pulled a couple of doublebacks. A straight course to their clan would have been dangerous.


    ¡°Oh right, I heard from your mother that the both of you ran away from home, then returned with my medium.¡± I looked right at her ruby-red eyes then, causing her cheeks to blush a little. ¡°Why did you run away from home? And what does it mean to contribute to the clan? I know you decided to return home because you obtained my medium¡­ simply put, I want to know the real reason you left home.¡±


    Jezsere had a really timid personality, at least that was how she acted in front of me. Even a little scare was enough to send her jumping; so why would such a timid girl ever choose to run away from home? Well, I clearly didn¡¯t believe that she would do so willingly. There had to be some secret behind her departure. What sort of depravity or inhumanity would force her to do so¡­ honestly, I was just interested in all matters related to a cute girl. Especially when that girl¡¯s personality was so at odds with her environment.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­ Master¡­ Jezsere is afraid¡­¡±


    Upon hearing my question, she seemed to have recalled a particularly traumatic experience that left her in tears and almost sent her running into my arms¡­


    Let¡¯s be clear here, that wasn¡¯t because I bullied her. All I did was ask a question, was there a need to cry over that? She could have just not answered if she didn¡¯t want to.


    Because both my arms were still bound up, I could only use my chin to gently ruffle her hair.


    ¡°sob¡­ Master¡­will you really protect Jezsere?¡±


    ¡°Of course, your master adores Jezsere, he will definitely protect Jezsere.¡±


    Finally, after much comforting, her tears began to stop. Even so, she still hugged me perhaps in a bid to find safety.


    A timid, adorable crybaby like her easily provoked a need to protect her amongst those who knew her, even I was no exception. Now I really wanted to know exactly what had caused her to react in such a manner.


    For a simple memory from two years ago to frighten her like this¡­ oh my poor little rabbit¡­ Actually, I hadn¡¯t noticed until now but¡­ she smells really nice. That frosty floral fragrance¡­ and those soft white arms wrapping around me¡­ahem, I¡¯m not trying to take advantage of her -I¡¯m just comforting her, that¡¯s all!


    Besides, I¡¯m still a prisoner here, without a pee pee¡­


    ¡°Do you know what¡¯s going on?¡± Ever since Jezsere entered the room, that jailor of mine had become more talkative. In light of that, she might just be the breakthrough point I was looking for. ¡°If you know what¡¯s going on, please tell me.¡±


    The Dark Elven Warrior hesitated for a while, but after seeing Jezsere hug me so tightly, her tears already managing to soak through the silk that bound me, she relented. Man, when she cries, she really cries¡­


    ¡°It was all because of our clan¡¯s rules¡­¡± She started explaining the whole situation. Upon hearing her explanation, I began to seriously consider whether or not the apocalypse was well deserved.


    The Dark Elves had always worshipped Lolthe. Because of that, they raised countless spider-related magical beasts. It was said that the strongest amongst these beasts even possessed the bloodlines of Lolthe herself. Whether or not this was true was still up for debate, but even if they had, it would be miniscule.


    The Dark Elves¡¯ devotion to Lolthe had reached a feverish level amongst all the clans, this coupled with their extreme materialism meant that those who had no value did not deserve to exist. It had to be said at this point that everyone had to contribute to the clan¡­ otherwise you would be made to contribute.


    Jezsere¡¯s clan had always worshipped martial prowess. Those who couldn¡¯t contribute to the clan were severely despised in such an environment. Because Jezsere was a timid girl, she was unable to contribute. Even getting her to summon a Small Imp ended in failure, let alone asking her to go rob someone. She once tried to summon a Small Imp, but that Small Imp ended up bullying her instead, even though she could have just thrown a simple spell to take care of that Devil¡­


    So why should the clan feed such a worthless trash? Voices similar to that began to appear amongst the other clan members, even if Jezsere was the youngest daughter of their clan leader.


    The question was how to make her contribute then? Turn her into a Spider Elf, that¡¯s how!


    The offsprings between a Dark Elf and a spider-related magical beast were all half spider, half humanoid, and were known as Spider Elves. Another name for them was Dryder.

 CHAPTER 408: IS THIS A ROMANCE FLICK?

No content

 CHAPTER 409: SOMETHING’S WRONG HERE

    It was her who changed his destiny. He had every reason to exact revenge on her. Even if he had let every Dark Elf before her go, he had a reason for doing so. But when it came to Paliseth, would Solar forgive her so easily?


    Unlikely¡­ now that matters had reached this point, whether it was being killed or being @#$#@, she had made her peace.


    Then¡­ Solar just left. Without even a single word, he left.


    Did he not recognise me? That was the first thought that sprung to mind for the Matriarch-candidate Paliseth. But his eyes clearly showed that he knew who I was¡­ so why? Why won¡¯t he exact his revenge? Why would he let me go?!


    No one knew why Solar would refuse to kill her then. Perhaps not even Solar himself knew the answer to that.


    What do you mean why? It¡¯s because of love! Pure, unadulterated love!


    Having heard the story up to this point, I was practically one of the audience members in that colosseum. The gossip connoisseur in me was on maximum overdrive right now. My heart truly raced with anxiety at what was to come next. Man, this is like watching the eight o¡¯clock soap opera all over again!


    The Dark Elven Warrior most likely heard my internal screaming as well as she threw me a scornful look at that point. Then, under the eyes of an overly-eager Jezsere once more, she continued¡­


    Having been defeated, the Matriarch-candidate Paliseth neither received any abuse, nor did she get killed. All because he turned his back on her, without any hesitation whatsoever.


    Has he forgiven me? Was her next thought, however that was quickly snuffed out by her own hands. In the face of hatred, everyone was equal. Whether it was the Dark Elves or the Wood Elves, none were spared.


    This was the fifth year Solar had spent as slave gladiator, and was also the first time in five years that he had encountered Paliseth after becoming a slave.


    The colosseum of the Dark Elves was governed by multiple rules. For example, a slave gladiator only had to fight one match a day unless he requested for another. If the loser of the match didn¡¯t get killed by the slave gladiator, they had to wait at least one year before being eligible to challenge him again. In other words, Paliseth couldn¡¯t challenge him again for one year.


    Unable to understand why Solar would let her go like that, she felt immensely humiliated and began training herself furiously for the match a year later.


    Yet a year later, she lost once more, by that same hair¡¯s breadth.


    From that year onwards, she would constantly challenge him whenever she could. Yet each time she would always fail by that same hair¡¯s breadth, as if that tiny difference was an uncrossable gully separating the two of them.


    Slowly, her days became consumed by the desire to become stronger. She wasn¡¯t at all concerned that Solar would die in the colosseum; because there was a rule that prevented warriors of a higher Star Level from challenging those below them.


    Simply put, a Five-star couldn¡¯t challenge a Three-star, but that Three-star could challenge a Five-star.


    It could be said that this special protection was enacted because the colosseums were not just a place of entertainment, but also an important source of breeding stock. One could just see how much value the Dark Elves placed on a strong male of a different race -they were practically a strategic resource.


    Back in those days, there was almost no female who didn¡¯t wish to lay with Solar, but none succeeded. There was no female Dark Elf who could triumph over him because he was practically invincible in his own Star Level. That was also why Paliseth wasn¡¯t worried about Solar dying.


    Just like that, Paliseth would challenge him every year and fail. This stalemate continued for a full fifty years¡­ that¡¯s right, fifty years¡­


    The moment I heard that number, my very core shook. Sir Solar is truly undefeatable, a grand sage in the making!


    But based on the mood of this story, how the heck did the two of them ever end up together?


    It turned out that on their fiftieth year, Paliseth finally ran out of patience and made the wisest decision of her life -at least it was so to her. If one was going to embark on an endeavour, then they should go the whole mile! With that in mind, she poisoned his food¡­ then that was that¡­


    For a not at all short period of time, Paliseth would play with him daily using every position she could feasibly think of -it wasn¡¯t like he could object seeing as he was drugged. It was only until she bore his first child that their unnatural relationship finally came to a close.


    Hold on¡­ so this story has nothing to do with love?! At least not the love I had in mind¡­ Actually, it clearly has nothing to do with love at all, no matter what definition you had of it!!! Curses, give me back my innocence. What happened to the story of pure love I was promised? How did this turn into a lousy R-rated fanfic?


    ¡°Master?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Honestly, I wasn¡¯t fine at all. However, I did not want Jezsere to become worried so I forced a smile for her.


    I only had this to say: the city¡¯s a scary place, I want to go home!!


    The story continued soon after. Their first child turned out to be a male who later came to be known as Reyage, Jezsere¡¯s older brother. Because of the Dark Elves¡¯ secret art, this child was a pure-blooded Dark Elf. In terms of appearance, Reyage had none of the defining features of a Wood Elf, but he did resemble Solar.


    Only to be expected¡­ seeing as they are parent and child.


    Wood Elves were fiercely loyal towards their partners. Even though Paliseth had already given birth to five children, it didn¡¯t change the fact that she was his first woman. Because of that, he could never bear to be fierce with her.


    Now that they had a child together, Solar could be considered an extended family of the Dark Elves. Even though the both of them had never held a wedding ceremony, Paliseth still brought Solar out of the colosseum, on account of their shared child. That was the start of their normal life together.


    So she does have feelings for him then. Honestly, I can¡¯t claim to know how deep those feelings run, neither can I claim to know how Solar felt¡­ but I guess this story can technically still be considered a love story.


    Jezsere, on the other hand, was more than happy to continue listening, love story or not. After all, this all happened before she was born.


    ¡°I have a question. Since Solar was so strong, how did he get caught in the first place?¡±


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    That¡¯s right. If your Sir Solar was invincible in his own Star Level and even defeated Paliseth fifty times in the colosseum, how did he get captured by her in the first place?


    Teacher, I would like to report a mistake.


    Faced with my plothole destroyer of a question, the Dark Elven Warrior used the look one would only reserve for an idiot to glare at me. ¡°When Solar was captured, he was only an unassuming Three-star guard.¡±


    ¡°So the OP monster Solar only came about because of your clan¡¯s colosseum?¡±


    ¡°OP monster?¡± The Dark Elven Warrior was stunned for a second -most likely because she had no idea what that term even meant- before using a gentle gaze to address Jezsere. ¡°Sir Solar is a genius, a true genius!¡±


    From her eyes alone, I saw a variety of emotions from respect and reverence to deference. Realising that something was up here, I knowingly asked, ¡°You have challenged him before?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± The Dark Elven Warrior didn¡¯t immediately respond to my question. Instead, she slowly shook her ponytailed head and said, ¡°If you ever get the chance in the future, you can ask those who qualified those years ago¡­ how many of us Shadowhunter clanswomen never thought about challenging Sir Solar¡­¡±


    That settles it then: she¡¯s a fan of Solar¡­ Now that¡¯s a winner in life. I bet if he really wanted to, he could set up a harem with just a snap of his fingers¡­my idol¡­ I don¡¯t know why but I just feel so emotional right now. I just knew setting up a harem was the very definition of romance for a man! Ah¡­ so emotional right now¡­


    Naturally, one couldn¡¯t be touched forever. I quickly recovered from my intoxicated state to push the Dark Elven Warrior for more juicy gossip.


    Four years after having Reyage, Solar and Paliseth had their second child, Jezsere. Skip forward ten years and Solar was somehow leading an escape with his two children to the home of the Wood Elves.


    The Dark Elven Warrior did not specify the reason for this departure but it was worth noting that the then Matriarch of the Shadowhunter Clan, Paliseth, did not dispatch anyone to track them down. After staying at the home of the Wood Elves for five years, they were sent back by Solar¡­


    Hold on¡­ something¡¯s wrong here¡­


    With that in mind, I quietly sneaked a look at Jezsere and found that she was upset -probably because she was reminiscing about the events of those five years.


    ¡°Jez, do you still remember why your father would take you two away from the clan?¡±

 CHAPTER 410: WHERE’S THE PROMISED LOLI?

    Having been posed such an abrupt question, Jezsere thought about it for a second before answering, ¡°I only remember that my father left because of Aunty Yavanna.¡±


    Yavanna? Now that¡¯s a new name.


    Once she said that, her brows furrowed together in thought. From the looks of things, she couldn¡¯t recall what happened too clearly, meaning I had no choice but to turn my eyes towards the Dark Elven Warrior once more.


    As expected, our big sister did not let us down. Her brows knitted together in disgust, as if she had just recalled a memory that upsetted her. Even so, she still continued, ¡°Yavanna was a Wood Elf¡­¡±


    Yavanna was a female Wood Elf and was the childhood friend of Solar. Even after she found out about Solar¡¯s disappearance, she steadfastly believed that he was alive somewhere. Because of that, she never stopped looking for him. But whether she knew it or not then, the forces she had to face were the Thirteen Great Clans of the Dark Elves. These Great Clans all had their own subterranean city under them while Yavanna was just a lone Elf. Coupled with the fact that the Dark Elves hated the Wood Elves, it took her sixty over years before she managed to find out that Solar was ambushed by the Shadowhunter Clan.


    Even though she knew that should just give up on finding Solar, her infatuated heart refused to give up, praying that some miracle would happen and that he was still alive.


    Most slaves who ended in the colosseum rarely lasted past five years, in fact, most just died after one year. If there was ever a person who could survive for sixty years in that hellish environment¡­ well, no one would believe that such a person could exist.


    Perhaps for Yavanna, she had already given up on Solar surviving, but it was this desire to find out the truth that drove her existence. This persistence finally culminated in her disguising herself to infiltrate the Shadowhunter Clan with the help of a magical tool.


    By that time, Solar had already begun to get accustomed to life with the Dark Elves due to his marriage with Paliseth. That was also why she mostly left him to his devices, meaning he was a free Wood Elf for the most part.


    It was under such a situation that Yavanna stumbled upon Solar¡­ From that point on, the story was pretty straightforward. Yavanna tried to make contact with Solar but was accidentally discovered by Paliseth and ended up being hunted down. In order to rescue Yavanna, Solar chose to defy Paliseth, in the process bringing along his two children as he escaped¡­


    He¡¯s basically a knight in shining armor at this point! Mister Solar, sir, can I have your autograph please?


    ¡°So Jez once lived with the Wood Elves?¡±


    With regards to this adorable little bunny, I was more than curious about her backstory. It turned out that she wasn¡¯t just a mixblood of a Dark Elf and a Wood Elf, she had even spent time with the Wood Elves during her childhood -no wonder she was so timid! I swear, those watery eyes just make me want to bully her even more. Of course, that¡¯s only for me. No one else can touch her.


    ¡°Master¡­¡±


    Seeing that I was planning to delve deeper into her past, Jezsere meekly called out to me, her lips quivering, her eyes watering.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    At first, I was puzzled as to why she would react so strongly to this subject; it was soon after that I learnt the reason why. All those years ago, Solar brought his two little deadweights along with him back to the home of the Wood Elves -that alone was proof that he loved them. And the fact that Paliseth chose not to hunt them down was proof that she let them go on purpose.


    If the story had progressed down this path, Jezsere should have spent the rest of her life with Solar, but based on what I just learned, it seemed like not only did Jezsere return, so did her brother. One could only imagine how complicated this whole situation must have been then¡­


    Firstly, there was the issue of why they would even want to leave¡­ Solar¡¯s character was definitely not in doubt so that meant it was Yavanna the stepmother character in this story?


    ¡°Jez, was it that Aunty Yavanna who bullied you guys?¡±


    ¡°No, Aunty Yavanna had always treated us well¡­¡±


    Jezsere bit down on her lips and said no more at that point. It was the Dark Elven Warrior who ended up finishing her sentence for her. ¡°Lady Jezsere and Sir Reyage are Dark Elves, as you know, our relationship with the Wood Elves have always been¡­¡±


    I get it. The two races have always been at loggerheads with each other. If two Dark Elven brats suddenly turned up on their doorstep, those Wood Elves probably won¡¯t take too well to them. Given Yavanna¡¯s relationship with Solar, she might not have abused them, but the other Wood Elven brats clearly didn¡¯t have this consideration to hold them back¡­ and let¡¯s be honest here: which race did not have its fair share of brats. I bet all you people went through your own middle schooler phase at one point in life¡­


    When it came to kids, was there any parent who wouldn¡¯t instinctively side with their own kids, especially when the other party was a bunch of dirty Dark Elves?


    In other words, Jezsere¡¯s timidness was in large part due to the environment she grew up in, and also because Solar failed to protect her sufficiently. Hmph, even a diehard fan like me can¡¯t defend Solar on this point.


    Now that I knew what kind of childhood she had, I couldn¡¯t help but want to treasure her even more now. Even with my body tied up like a spider dumpling, I still tried my best to comfort her with my chin. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you have your master to protect you from now on, I will never let anyone bully you again.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Jezsere meekly called out to me, then leaned in to give me a hug. Her distinctive fragrance immediately bombarded my senses¡­ it was the kind of soft mellowness that made you never want to let her go again. Furthermore, the way she sought comfort was just as intoxicating.


    Yet just as I was enjoying this tender moment with Jezsere, a decidedly unharmonious voice interrupted us. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be able to protect Lady Jezsere for long, because the clan leader is already making preparations for the ceremony.¡±


    ¡°Hah.¡± I eyed the unfriendly female warrior but said no more.


    Hmph, my Jezsere is still the best Dark Elf out there. That loli body is not only easy to push to the ground¡­ hold on, what am I forgetting here?


    If I¡¯m not mistaken, big sis storyteller over there mentioned that their father was captured over ninety years ago and was undefeated for fifty years. If I were to add in the rest of the years between that and Jezsere¡¯s birth, her age would work out to be¡­ over thirty?!


    I immediately turned to look at Jezsere -she looks to be only about fifteen¡­ Holy jeebus, why haven¡¯t I noticed all this while that my math teacher is actually my PE teacher¡­ this is just earth shattering¡­ where¡¯s my promised loli that I can easily push to the ground?


    Wait, that last part is still true at least.


    Either way, the gossip session was over. But since Ferti¡¯nier guaranteed that I had the ability to leave whenever I wanted, I wasn¡¯t all that worried either. It was at that moment that the cell¡¯s metal door opened up and a handsome looking Dark Elven male walked in.


    Silver hair and red eyes aside, this newcomer had the lean body of a model that every Elf was basically required to have at this point. Then there was that handsome face that left one in despair¡­ he might as well just walk around with a sign on his face that said winner¡­


    It wasn¡¯t just me who had noticed this newcomer either. Still hugging me mere moments ago, Jezsere immediately perked up and ran up to the handsome Dark Elf, clutching onto his left arm in the process.


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    ¡°Brother.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    The handsome Dark Elf nodded his head at the beaming Jezsere then reached out with his free arm to gently ruffle her head, earning himself a look of closed-eye joy from Jezsere.


    Is that the fabled Head Pat?!


    In truth, in order to pull off the legendary head pat, one had to consider their target as well. If the target liked you, they would wash their hair till it was sparkly clean for you to ruffle. If not¡­ ahem, it¡¯s not pretty.

 CHAPTER 411: I CURSE YOU TWO TO BE SIBLINGS FOREVER!

    Even though my tone was a little harsh when I said that, it wasn¡¯t because I was jealous -definitely not that¡­


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Still revelling in the bliss of the legendary head pat, she opened her eyes upon hearing my call then gingerly eyed the handsome Dark Elf. A second later, she came to a decision; she smiled apologetically at him then trotted over to sit by me.


    My eyebrows jumped a little and I barely managed to control the smirk on my face: a complete victory.


    It could be said that my presence was previously unknown until that very second. From the moment he stepped in, he only had eyes for Jezsere and no one else¡­ Truly unforgivable! If there¡¯s anyone I can¡¯t stand, it¡¯s these kinds of jock characters; they are basically the natural born enemy of us shut-ins. Now¡¯s the time to snuff out that blasted sense of superiority of his and teach him the meaning of respect!


    ¡°You are¡­¡±


    The handsome Dark Elf abruptly stopped talking right as he started. His eyes went wide and his normal icy expression was immediately replaced with an unmistakable sense of disbelief.


    Hmph, I bet you didn¡¯t expect that, did you? I¡¯m a noble Fallen Angel. I bet you haven¡¯t seen one, have you? Well, now you have, but there¡¯s no need to thank your big brother over here, he¡¯s just being his legendary self.


    Even though I managed to suppress that Dark Elf pretty boy for a second with my natural born aura of dominance, I still had to verify what sort of relationship he had with Jezsere. Why did she betray me for him? I thought we agreed to be together forever?!


    Hmph. I hope you two lovebirds end up as a pair of siblings. Assuming the both of you are even lovebirds¡­


    I straightened my face and addressed Jezsere, ¡°Who is this Dark Elf?¡±


    Clearly my cold expression had worked on her as she dared not answer for a good two seconds. ¡°¡­ he is Jezsere¡¯s older brother.¡±


    ¡°Older brother? By blood?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Jezsere nodded her head furiously. ¡°Master, do you not like Jezsere¡¯s brother?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± And here I was thinking where the heck did this pretty boy suddenly pop out from¡­ so he¡¯s just her brother¡­


    ¡°Brother, this my master, Mo Ke.¡± While I was still in the midst of being shell shocked, Jezsere began introducing us to each other. ¡°Master, this is Jezsere¡¯s older brother.¡±


    ¡°Master?¡± The moment he heard her say the word master, the handsome Dark Elf immediately furrowed his brows. ¡°Jez, what is all this master business about?¡±


    ¡°Master is master.¡± Because I was still bound up by spider silk, I could only sit there and allow Jezsere to hug me as she explained the situation. ¡°Master is the best, master promised Jezsere that master would protect her forever!¡±


    Normally, one would expect that handsome Dark Elf to be furious upon learning that Jezsere had suddenly become my property. In fact, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he even wanted to rip me to shreds right now. Yet when had reality ever followed my scenario? Upon hearing her say that, the handsome Dark Elf simply answered ¡®Oh¡¯, and that was it.


    Wait, is that how a brother should be acting? Your younger sister was just sold to me and she¡¯s even here counting that sum of money right now. That callousness towards your own sister¡­ you¡¯ll be single for your entire life! Also, don¡¯t ask me what the connection is between the two.


    In front of Reyage, Jezsere seemed to be a lot livelier. Just from that alone, one could see how much she relied on this older brother of hers -she even talked a lot more now.


    ¡°By the way, what are you doing here, brother?¡±


    ¡°I saw that you weren¡¯t in your room, so I came over to check.¡± While his words might have sounded cold, his eyes were anything but. The look he gave her right now practically radiated with warmth and tenderness. ¡°I had to go out for a little while. Next time, don¡¯t run about when I¡¯m not there.¡±


    Hearing him worry and scold her at the same time, Jezsere couldn¡¯t help but pout a little as she leaned in on my shoulders, ¡°But master wanted to see Jezsere.¡±


    Ah¡­ I just want to hug her and bring her home with me right now!


    Even though that was clearly an excuse on her part, Reyage still nodded his head and then posed a strange question, ¡°this Master Mo Ke¡­ is he the one?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Jezsere beamed from ear to ear. ¡°Master¡¯s the best, Master is going to protect Jezsere forever!¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s fine.¡± Reyage turned towards me then. Even if he didn¡¯t say it, I could see a maelstrom of emotions running through his crimson eyes right now. All that was left was how he planned on addressing this situation.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave my sister in your care, Sir Mo Ke.¡±


    Eh? Why does he sound like an uncle handing off his niece right now? Don¡¯t tell me I¡¯ve really become such a ladykiller in such a short while? Not only have I conquered a cute sister-like character, I even captured her brother as well.


    My confusion didn¡¯t last very long as a discordant voice suddenly broke this heartwarming scene. ¡°Lady Jezsere, Sir Reyage, I¡¯m afraid Sir Mo Ke might not be able to help you for long.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    As I had expected, with Reyage by her side, Jezsere had gotten a lot bolder, even to the extent of questioning that Dark Elven Warrior. Yet before the female warrior could even glare at her, she began to deflate by herself. ¡°Err¡­ I mean¡­ has Master gotten into some kind of trouble?¡±


    Of course, I have. And it¡¯s a big one too! Haven¡¯t you two realised that I¡¯m bound up right now?!


    Reyage immediately stared down that female warrior. Even though he hadn¡¯t said a word yet, it was clear he wanted an explanation too.


    The Dark Elven Warrior herself must have felt some pressure on her as she instead lowered her head slightly and began to explain. ¡°Lady Jezsere and Sir Reyage must have known by now that Sir Mo Ke was summoned over by the medium our lady brought back a year ago¡­ The clan leader has recognised Sir Mo Ke¡¯s strength¡­ so she intends to sacrifice Sir Mo Ke to the Spider Queen.¡±


    ¡°Sacrifice?!¡± Even the normally icy Reyage was stunned by this sudden revelation. ¡°Are you sure about that? Not every Devil is worthy of being offered up as a sacrifice.¡±


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    The Dark Elven Warrior looked right into the eyes of a vehement Reyage and confidently said, ¡°It is the will of the clan leader.¡±


    ¡°Our mother¡­¡±


    Hearing that it was the Matriarch¡¯s decision, Reyage fell silent.


    ¡°Why the Master?¡± Just because Reyage had been cowed didn¡¯t mean that Jezsere was going to automatically accept this. Upon hearing that I was in danger, this normally timid girl immediately bit back. ¡°My esteemed mother promised that she would hand Master over to me once the summoning is done! Otherwise¡­ otherwise Jezsere would have never¡­¡±


    The Dark Elven Warrior was startled for a second. This was probably the first she had ever seen Jezsere reacting so strongly, but she still chose not to explain why, instead repeating what she said just now. ¡°This is the will of the clan leader.¡±


    ¡°sob¡­ Master.¡±


    Jezsere¡¯s strong side promptly caved in, barely lasting a second before she broke down in tears again. Seeing her so upset, I couldn¡¯t help but get upset as well. This girl was just too cute, I really couldn¡¯t bear to see her cry.


    In truth, I had a way of escaping, but with my jailor just right beside me, I couldn¡¯t exactly tell her how either. With no other choice, I began comforting her again.


    ¡°Alright, alright. Your master will be fine so be good, Jezsere. Don¡¯t cry. Your master promises that everything will be alright!¡±


    Hearing that, Jezsere finally lifted up her teary eyes to stare at me, arms still wrapped around me as tightly as before. At this distance, I could even see her lips trembling right now. ¡°Master¡­ is that true?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± Seeing her so worried for me, I unknowingly reached out to give her a light peck on her forehead. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if I¡¯m lying, you can be the master instead.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Master¡¯s so mean, sneaking a kiss like that.¡±


    She immediately blushed upon saying that. With how much her rosy cheeks contrasted her white skin and how she suddenly jumped behind Reyage to seek shelter, I could have sworn that I was dealing with a tiny white rabbit here.


    Oopsie, I seemed to have gone overboard there¡­ not that it matters since they all see me as a female. Sometimes, this ambiguous gender of mine is rather useful, I should really make use of it more often.


    Suddenly, I was struck with a feeling that the body I was in right now wasn¡¯t all that bad after all.


    Of course, that was just a momentary thought. There was no way I was spending the rest of my life with my pee pee on vacation, absolutely not. No matter the cost, I am restoring my manhood!


    Just as I was busy daydreaming, my cell door was opened once more. The remaining three Dark Elven Warriors who were guarding Paliseth not too long ago took this opportunity to enter the room.


    ¡°The clan leader has ordered that the esteemed Fallen Angel be brought to the ceremony location right away.¡±


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 CHAPTER 412: PRISON BREAK?

    It was the storyteller lady warrior who spoke up first. Brows furrowed deeply, she immediately reminded him, ¡°This is the will of the clan leader, please don¡¯t make things difficult for us.¡±


    ¡°If I insist on protecting her?¡±


    ¡°Then you will have to excuse us.¡±


    The four Dark Elven Warriors exchanged a look with each other and immediately launched a simultaneous attack against Reyage with any hesitation.


    However, Reyage seemed to have expected this outcome already. A pair of daggers shot out of his sleeves and into his waiting arms, slicing at the oncoming female warriors in a vicious arc!


    The four of them were quick to react to his attack. The instant they saw that glint of steel from his sleeves, they knew something was up and swiftly did a turnabout, barely dodging his swing in the nick of time.


    Reyage tossed his two daggers immediately at the two retreating female warriors closest to the door, forcing them even further away from the exit. Without them there, the exit was now wide open.


    His first move had succeeded brilliantly, but he had no intention of letting them catch their breaths at all. With a flap of his sleeves, a fan of knives appeared instantly in his hands. Without even bothering to aim, he tossed the knives out in a wide arc, forcing the remaining two female warriors away.


    ¡°The two of you need to get out of here quick!¡±


    Jezsere tried to grab me and run then, but it was too late. Rather, we never had a chance of escaping to being with. The storyteller warrior had already seen through his intentions; when she dodged his knives, she took the opportunity to dodge beside us¡­


    By the time Reyage yelled to us, she had already appeared in front of us. Her pearly white arms shot out and pressed down on our respective shoulders¡­ it was all for naught.


    ¡°Brother¡­ I¡¯m so sorry¡­ sob I¡¯m so useless¡­ I can¡¯t even complete such a simple task¡­¡±


    How was that even simple? She had clearly seen through our moves already! If you could still take us away in spite of that, then you¡¯re really incredible.


    This failure really wasn¡¯t her fault, especially not when I never expected this haphazard escape plan to work in the first place. Let¡¯s just say that in the best of scenarios, Reyage, whose actual strength was still unknown to me, was somehow a Seven-star, he still had to face off against four Seven-star Magisters. Whether it was in terms of quantity or quality, we were at a distinct disadvantage, not to mention that he had to account for us deadweights.


    ¡°Alright, alright, there¡¯s no need to cry. It¡¯s not Jezsere¡¯s fault at all.¡± I used my chin to gently ruffle her hair once more, and under her still watering gaze, smiled at her. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Didn¡¯t master already say so, everything is going to be fine.¡±


    Seeing her so upset tore at my heart, but I wasn¡¯t in a position to comfort her properly right now. Also, she can really cry!


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say this but none of you are escaping today.¡± Now that we were both squarely in her hands, the storyteller warrior firmly declared her victory as such. ¡°Give up, Sir Reyage, you know the clan leader¡¯s orders have to be obeyed.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Reyage fell silent at that point, his thoughts a mystery to us all. Had he really given up, or was he plotting something else?


    The other three female Dark Elves must have thought it was the former as they promptly stepped forward to try and secure him. But just as the first one amongst them was about to reach him, he suddenly kicked out at her. On that foot was a conspicuously out of place metallic glint -a hidden knife!


    Faced with his sudden ambush, the Dark Elven female precisely caught the sides of his foot, stopping the knife before it could even reach her. At the same time, the other two female warriors crept up to him cautiously until he was finally in attacking range at which point they simultaneously did so. Because his leg was still mid-air, he had no choice but to use his hands to try and deflect their oncoming attacks. However, that was difficult even in the best of times, let alone when he was sandwiched by a bunch of Seven-stars. A second later, he was successfully subdued.


    Short though that altercation was, one could already see their excellence and coordination. With their wealth of experience and time working together, they had probably all guessed that Reyage was planning to attack when he fell silent. Even without talking, they were able to spread out and subdue all three of us efficiently.


    ¡°You three, send Sir Reyage and Lady Jezsere away, I¡¯ll handle the situation here.¡± Obviously the leader amongst the four, the Dark Elven storyteller lady loosened her grip on Jezsere¡¯s shoulder, and before the two siblings could even react, began escorting me out of the room.


    ¡°The clan leader¡¯s ceremony must not be delayed.¡±


    The other three then escorted the siblings out of the room. No matter how much Jezsere cried, it wasn¡¯t going to change the fact that we had to be separated for now.


    ¡°Master¡­ sob¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Ah. She¡¯s crying again. Sometimes, I really wonder if she¡¯s made of water. It¡¯s because she¡¯s so darned adorable that I just want to bully her. Of course, I¡¯m the only one who is allowed to do so.


    Before he left my sight, Reyage turned around to give me a firm look, as if he was trying to say, wait for me. Wait, don¡¯t tell me he hasn¡¯t given up yet?


    Speaking of which¡­ brother, is there even a need to risk your life like this for me? We aren¡¯t even related. And even if I¡¯m destined to be your brother-in-law, there¡¯s no need to break off ties with your own mother, is there¡­ What I¡¯m saying is this¡­ just give up for now¡­ Honestly, having an elder brother-in-law like you is already enough for me. Even though Jezsere and I haven¡¯t gotten to that stage yet, the moment I laid eyes on Jezsere, I was dead set on making you my brother-in-law.

 CHAPTER 413: A ONE-WAY TELEPORTATION

    Well, you can take this as me trying to be cute, but I¡¯m not moving no matter what¡­ The female Warrior curled her lips in annoyance and scoffed at me following which she bent down and wrapped both her arms around my waist.


    Hey! Hey! Hey, what¡¯s with the touching? Let¡¯s be clear here, even if you pull the seduction ploy here, I won¡¯t cave in! And why are you even hugging me from the back? I dare you to do it from the front!


    Yet the well-anticipated hug never happened. I felt a sense of weightlessness, and before I could even figure out why, I found myself lying on her shoulders¡­


    Lady, why does it feel like you¡¯re more than experienced with this? Are you some kind of human trafficker? Regardless of how many quips I had about her, it did nothing to change the fact that I was helpless right now.


    In truth, resisting now was pointless anyway. Now, at the very least, wasn¡¯t the best time to run away.


    What was more pressing was to confirm that I could even successfully escape later on. Truth be told, even with Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s assurance, I couldn¡¯t help but feel uneasy. This she-devil had gotten me into trouble more than once already. I was beginning to have this sneaking sensation that perhaps the entire situation had gotten out of my control. Just to be safe, I called out to her once more.


    ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry, my dear little brother. Our lives are tied together. Even if you don¡¯t want to live, I do.¡± Finally, after several attempts, she came scampering out. ¡°Your big sis over here would never fool around with her own life. If she says that she can open up the gate back home, she definitely can.¡±


    ¡®In that case, it¡¯s fine.¡¯ While Ferti¡¯nier might have been a lot of things, suicidal wasn¡¯t one of them. After all, her past time was just tormenting me, but not to the point where it affected her.


    The female warrior continued carrying me on her shoulders through the crystal-lit tunnels. I meekly gave up on fighting back while in actuality I was still plotting how to retake my Devil King Idol.


    ¡°That¡¯s an easy task. As long as our little brother over here touches the Devil King Idol with any part of his body, his big sis can recall it back.¡±


    Maybe this she-devil isn¡¯t so bad after all. At least at times like this, she was still dependable. Once I recalled my Devil King Idol, I could basically just leave right away. But the Devil King Idol is still stuck in that giant hall where we fought -I wonder if we are even heading there right now.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this is the road towards that giant hall. If your big sis remembers correctly, you should be able to see it very soon. At that time, all you need to do is reach out and your big sis will handle the rest.¡±


    ¡®Ferti¡¯nier, you¡¯re best! I just want to give you a million likes and subscribes right now!¡¯


    A while later, we finally arrived in familiar territory. I struggled to turn my head around to have a look at the surroundings: it was the cavernous hall we fought in earlier. My Devil King Idol was still in a not-too-distant corner, bound up in spider silk.


    Judging by the route this lady is taking, we should pass by the Devil King Idol on the way to our destination with a distance of five meters or so. No¡­ I need to think of something quick.


    Hmm¡­ a solution¡­ I got it! I¡¯m such a genius, I swear.


    As of right now, I was carried with my back facing upwards. In other words, her bony shoulders were pressing into my stomach. For most people, such a position would be highly uncomfortable, but I was a Devil; such minor discomforts were nothing to me. However, in order to enact my plan, I did my best to appear as if I was in pain and started struggling.


    All this while, I obediently laid on her shoulders so when it finally came time for me to make my attempt, I easily broke free of her grasp.


    I immediately fell from her shoulders and crashed into the cave floor. Though it took some considerable effort, I quickly got to my feet.


    In truth, I had never expected this plan to go so smoothly -she was a Seven-star, after all. I could have sworn that I barely nudged her before I came tumbling down.


    ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± Just as I was busy wondering if this was another scheme of some sort, Fert¡¯nier practically screamed in my head. ¡°She¡¯s only going to be paralyzed for three seconds!¡±


    Oh¡­ OH! I get it.


    So it was thanks to Ferti¡¯nier that this worked -no wonder her body felt a little stiff when I struggled. Now that the first step of the plan was complete, the next was to come into contact with the Devil King Idol.


    Yet just as I was about to celebrate my impending success, four shadows leapt out of the darkness of the hall, each dressed in the standard assassin¡¯s garb and all blocking my way to the Devil King Idol.


    Only four? And they didn¡¯t even bother waiting till the last minute to try and stop me too -nice.


    These four newcomers had all acted the moment they saw me break free from that female warrior. In the shadows, they lurked as if they were actually part of the darkness itself. But in the light, they moved as if they were a bolt of lightning. Without even communicating with each other, they swiftly sorted out who was to guard the Devil King Idol and who was to try and capture me. Two of them ended up charging at me, daggers bared like the fangs of a rabid beast.


    Even though there were only four of them standing between me and the Devil King Idols, these weren¡¯t your ordinary guardsmen either; each of them were either a Five-star or a Six-star.


    In truth though, their Star Level did not matter in the face of the Devil King Idol. In all likelihood, Paliseth had assumed that I was powerless without the Devil King Idol so she didn¡¯t bother to post stronger guards. It had never occurred to them that my Devil King Idol could still act autonomously. More importantly, it seemed like Paliseth herself wasn¡¯t here. In that case, this was basically a done deal.


    Faced with two armed Dark Elves above my Star Level, I wasn¡¯t the least bit worried at all. Because the previously silent as a statue Devil King Idol suddenly moved. While it was true that it was still bound to that stalagmite by the spider silk, it didn¡¯t change the fact that its strength was beyond comprehension. With just a simple stomp of its feet, the entire cavern began to shake, throwing those four Dark Elves off-balance for a moment.


    What followed next was a sweep of its leg, knocking away two of the four Dark Elves who had just regained their footing. Yet that wasn¡¯t the end of the story either. The two Dark Elves who were sent flying were actually careening towards the remaining two Dark Elves right this very second!


    Four Elves in one move? Was the Devil King Idol always so powerful?


    And you lot should be grateful that I never asked it to kill you.


    Ignoring those poor Dark Elves on the floor, I quickly sped up my pace.


    A few steps more¡­ Just when it looked like I was about to touch the Devil King Idol, a white thread suddenly flew in from the sides and stuck itself onto me. Before I could even react to it, I was immediately yanked to the side by a powerful force that sent me spinning away in cartwheels.


    ¡°My dear, hasn¡¯t anyone taught you that being naughty isn¡¯t good?¡±


    Without even looking, I already knew who it was speaking -the Matriarch Paliseth.


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    As of right now, I was squarely caught in between her arms, with my head pressed firmly into her voluminous mountains. I was immediately assaulted with an alluring scent that was only matched by the unparalleled springiness that cushioned my fall. In fact¡­ someone help me¡­ I can¡¯t breath¡­


    This blasted harlot isn¡¯t even fazed by the fact that I¡¯m buried in her chest right now¡­ I swear, this was probably all part of her plan. Even so, I wasn¡¯t the least bit happy about this unexpected melon party, because it was this blasted Dark Elf we were talking about; the only good thing about her was her looks.


    Just from the fact alone that she tried to send Jezsere into Arachne Cavern was enough for me to sentence her to death -as if I would ever fall for her charms! Even if I had my pee pee back!


    ¡°Really, it¡¯s such a shame to lose my dear like this, but I still think it¡¯s better if the goddess has you.¡±


    She peered deeply into my eyes at that point, ruby red eyes shining with a hint of greed in them. I couldn¡¯t tell what it was she truly desired, but I knew that she wasn¡¯t going to change her mind now. In the end, I was still going to be sacrificed to the Spider Queen.


    Having stated her decision, and without any time at all for me to process this turn of events, she carried me out of the cavern and into another cavern nearby. This new cavern was at least a football field large, and there was even a twenty meter wide magical array in the center.


    The array was painted entirely out of blood and took the shape of an intricate six-sided star. I had no knowledge regarding such arrays, but thankfully Ferti¡¯nier did.


    ¡°That¡¯s a one-way teleportation array. Once it¡¯s activated, it will send its passengers to a fixed location.¡± She explained even without me asking.


    ¡®A teleportation array? Are you saying the sacrificial altar isn¡¯t here? Well, I guess it¡¯s pretty empty for such an important ritual, minus the giant blood array, of course¡­¡¯


    ¡°Begin the teleportation.¡±


    Having received that command, the twelve black-robed female Dark Elves stationed around the array all lifted up their staves in unison to activate the array.


    Being summoned over was similar to being teleported in that they were both a form of dimensional travel. Yet there were still distinct differences between the two. There wasn¡¯t anything that stood out in particular about this sensation of being teleported. But I definitely felt that something was different. As for what it was, I had no way of knowing right now. In the blink of an eye, I was in an entirely different location.

 CHAPTER 414: ARACHNE CAVERN

    Bah, now¡¯s not the time to mind the small details. Even if the Devil King Idol¡¯s not with me, I should just pack my things and run. As long as I can make it back to Purgatory, I can always come retrieve later when I¡¯m stronger.


    ¡®If we get into danger, you¡¯d better open up that teleportation gate, got it?¡¯


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Just leave it to your big sis.¡±


    Ferti¡¯nier figuratively slapped her chest to show her confidence. Seeing her so serious for once, I calmed down significantly. After all, this was a matter of life and death; even she wouldn¡¯t fool around with her own life.


    Well, that¡¯s the benefits of having two souls¡­


    Having gone through that one-way teleportation, we found ourselves in front of a giant cavern. We were still in an underground environment, but there was at least a good one hundred meters between us and the cavern¡¯s pitch black ceiling. Even so, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little claustrophobic.


    The cavern¡¯s entrance wasn¡¯t particularly packed with people: only those twelve Dark Elves who took part in the ritual before and some warrior-looking guards. However, we were welcomed by an unexpected pair. It was Reyage, Jezsere¡¯s sister, still accompanied by one of the guards who escorted him out previously. From the looks of things, they had been waiting for our arrival.


    What is he doing here? I thought he got escorted away by those three Dark Elves. So how did he end up reaching here before me? Is this area somehow connected to another one-way teleportation array? Before I could clarify these burning questions however, our two parties met eyes and I knew that I would never get the chance to have them answered.


    ¡°Esteemed mother.¡± Realising that Paliseth was here with me, Reyage promptly paid his respects to her.


    ¡°You¡¯re here too I see.¡± Even though the pair looked more like a pair of brother and sister based on Paliseth¡¯s youthful appearance, they were most definitely mother and son. Having found a new toy to entertain her, she lowered me down on the floor and sauntered to Reyage, long, slender fingers caressing his face even before she stopped. ¡°Such a cute child you are, you grow more and more like your father each day.¡±


    ¡°Esteemed mother, are you really planning to sacrifice Sir Mo Ke to the goddess?¡± He continued, not at all affected by her actions. Clearly, this was a common occurrence and he was already a hardened veteran on this front.


    Paliseth continued caressing her son¡¯s face. Yet even if she might have seemed playful, her words were anything but. ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s a shame but this decision is final.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Reyage sighed softly before steeling his resolve. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for my impudence then, esteemed mother.¡±


    ¡°Oh? You¡­¡±


    I¡¯m sorry, mother.¡± Reyage slowly lowered his mother to the floor then immediately walked up to me. ¡°Sir Mo Ke, we need to leave this place now.¡±


    ¡°What about Jezsere?¡±


    I still had a lot of questions on mind, like what was he even doing here? And how did he just paralyze all of them? In fact, why was he even going against his own mother to help me? Where was Jezsere? There were just too many questions right and I wasn¡¯t sure which I should ask first. However, it was undeniable that the safety of my little white bunny was one of the top priorities right now.


    ¡°She¡¯s safe. We need to get out of here now¡­ Oh right, how is your body feeling?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Whatever he had used on Paliseth had clearly not worked on me. Perhaps it was because my bloodline was too noble and could even resist such adverse effects.


    ¡°As long as you¡¯re fine¡­ let me help you with those bindings.¡± A flick of his hand later, a dagger appeared in his palms and he began walking briskly towards me. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I got this all planned out.¡±


    As long as he managed to undo my bindings, escaping was basically guaranteed. Yet just when success was within our grasp, Paliseth suddenly got up from the ground. Because of how sudden all this was, I only managed to squeeze out a quick warning.


    ¡°Behind you!¡±


    Unfortunately, it was too late. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that her speed was too quick. The moment the first word had left my mouth, Paliseth was already behind Reyage, and with a quick flip over her shoulders, had him flung away like a ragdoll.


    With how strong a Matriarch like her was, Reyage was not only thrown several dozens of meters away, he even slammed into the cavern wall nearby with a deafening boom. After the dust had settled on his collision, Reyage could be found lying in a perfect mold of himself carved out of the cave wall.


    ¡°Silly child, I was the one who taught you how to use those paralytic herbs. Did you think I would have no countermeasure against them?¡±


    Having said that, she flung her arm across the room, covering the afflicted Dark Elves in a pink mist. A short while later, they were able to move once more.


    ¡°Our apologies, clan leader¡­¡±


    Having regained control of their bodies, their first act was to immediately beg for mercy from Paliseth. Despair and fear were clearly written on all of their faces. While I might not have seen the methods of the Dark Elves firsthand, I could already imagine how terrifying their punishment must have been. In fact, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she was capable of having all of them executed in a fit of anger.


    ¡°I have no time for you lot right now, get that unfortunate son of mine out of here first. We can settle this matter once the ritual is over.¡± Not at all bothered by the prostrating Dark Elves, she turned around and smiled sweetly at me. ¡°My dear, it¡¯s not good to keep the goddess waiting. Your big sister over here will happily lead you along now.¡±


    My face immediately darkened with despair, just like those prostrating Dark Elves. Also¡­ who the heck is a big sister? You¡¯re old enough to be my grandmother, you old hag¡­ Well, at least she¡¯s not suffocating me with her chest again¡­ not that I mind¡­


    ¡°Is Reyage going to be fine?¡±


    Regardless of how his plan worked out, he got injured trying to save me. At the very least, I should ask if he was fine, else I would feel very guilty¡­ In other words, now that I¡¯ve asked her about him, I don¡¯t have to feel guilty at all¡­ Truthfully, I couldn¡¯t even guarantee my own safety right now, let alone meddle in Reyage¡¯s. Considering his status, Reyage should be fine¡­ probably. Mostly.


    ¡°Hohohoho, are you worried, my dear?¡± Now that we were in the cavern, she continued with her usual teasing. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your big sister over here knows her son well. He won¡¯t die from something like that. Not now anyway.¡±


    Not now anyway¡­ you¡¯re a really caring mother, aren¡¯t you? And what do you mean by not now anyway? Are you planning to have him executed later?


    Given my current situation, I really had no way of making demands of her, even if I got down on my knees to beg her. I still couldn¡¯t understand why he would go to such lengths for me, but I was grateful nonetheless. Even though we were merely acquaintances, he still went against his mother¡¯s wishes to try and save me¡­ I¡¯ll remember this favor. If there¡¯s ever a chance in the future, I¡¯ll definitely repay you. It¡¯s just¡­ now it¡¯s a little difficult to do that. So, brother Reyage, I wish you all the best. Whether or not you can make it through this ordeal is all entirely up to you.


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    The cavern itself was a circular tunnel that extended straight ahead for nearly twenty meters. Scattered along its walls were spiders the size of a human head. At times, we would stumble upon some gooey spider eggs.


    ¡°Where are we?¡±


    Honestly, spiders didn¡¯t scare me, but they were disgusting. Especially when they clumped together¡­ thank god I don¡¯t have a phobia of such things else I would be shivering right now.


    ¡°This is our sacred ground, the Arachne Cavern.¡± Her sudden interjection caught me off guard and nearly made me jump in surprise. ¡°How about your big sister bring you around for a quick tour? There¡¯s all sorts of fascinating things here.¡±


    ¡°Arachne Cavern? You mean the area used to give birth to Dryders?¡±


    ¡°My dear, you know this place then? I bet it was Jezsere who told you; I heard you had a meeting with her just now.¡± Having said that, she suddenly licked my ear, causing my entire body to shiver and contort in the spider silk. Clearly aware of this anomaly, she merely chuckled.


    ¡°Hohohoho, you¡¯re too sensitive, my dear. Your big sister just gave you a little lick, that¡¯s all. You¡¯re even blushing now, how cute.¡±


    She then leaned in again for another lick.


    ¡°Let go of me!¡± I yelled as I withdrew my body subconsciously.


    ¡°I can let you go if you want. But if I do, I¡¯m not sure what those spiders beside you might do.¡±

 CHAPTER 415: IS THIS YOUR IDEA OF A GUARANTEE?

    These monsters were the Dryders I had heard about not too long. Being the monster that they were, they were naturally naked as well. Dryders had males and females, and no matter which gender they were, they were all above average in terms of appearance. Unfortunately, that only applied to their upper half¡­


    For the most part, Dryders had a humanoid upper half except for their arms which were covered in a sturdy exoskeleton. Their hands were covered in the same exoskeleton that tapered out into a sharp claw reminiscent of a demon¡¯s. Even in the relative darkness of the cave, I could see a dangerous glint off the tip of their claws, offering the glimpse of what fell fate would befall anyone unfortunate enough to cross their path.


    In general, Dryders came out to be roughly two to three meters in height with the majority of that being due to their arachnid lower half. They had a variety of attack options available on top of their usual spider silk. Depending on their individual genes, they might even have some unique attacks.


    For example, if the Dryder in question had the genes of a poisonous spider within him or her, any attack made would be laced with poison as well. Spiders with spiky carapaces would result in Dryders having the same characteristics as well. For these Dryders, the spikes would mostly manifest in their rear and came in at a shocking ten centimeters length and half a centimeter thickness.


    These spikes weren¡¯t particularly deadly on their own, but the sheer numbers available gave the Dryder a distinct advantage in battle. A Dryder activating this skill could easily cover an enemy¡¯s field of vision in spikes. However, such an attack had a short duration as the Dryder only had so many spikes.


    In essence, if such a Dryder suddenly turned his or her rear towards you, you could be sure that he was about to activate his ultimate weapon.


    Other than the aforementioned two strains of Dryders, there were countless others as well but Paliseth did not go into further details. Instead, she ended up carrying to a horrific section of the cavern. As for what made this particular section so horrific, it was those spine-chilling cries in the air generated by the coupling of a monster spider and a female Dark elf.


    As we got closer and closer to the source of this sound, the stench that assaulted my nose nearly left me retching in disgust. The scene itself was¡­ graphic, to say the least¡­ the kind that would forever haunt me in my dreams.


    Now that we had passed by that horrific breeding ground, the next area Paliseth carried me to could only be described as a cliff. Even though we were clearly in a giant cavernous system of tunnels, there was somehow a cliff-like formation that dropped off into a giant basin that contained nothing but a greyish mass of spider silk -disgusting.


    ¡°My dear, we¡¯ve arrived.¡± She lowered me down onto the ground then smiled knowingly at me. Her slightly cold hands reached out to grasp my face and turned it till I had no choice but to face her. Staring right into my eyes, she said so in a teasing voice, ¡°Such a beautiful little thing, if you weren¡¯t so perfect, your big sister would have kept you to herself already.¡±


    I curled my lips in annoyance. ¡°I¡¯d rather not. Compared to being your husband, I would much rather face a spider.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean husband? Your big sister is the husband in this relationship.¡±


    ¡°So does this count as Jezsere having contributed?¡± I said, ignoring her usual flirtatious teasing entirely.


    ¡°Are you worried that I would send her here?¡± At that point, she laughed heartily and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I would never bear to send her here. That was just to scare her a little, it¡¯s not my fault she¡¯s like that¡­¡±


    Naturally, I didn¡¯t believe a word she said. After all, she had already cheated my innocent feelings once. Even so, what she said made sense as well -a tiger didn¡¯t eat its own cubs. But these were the Dark Elves we were talking about¡­ one couldn¡¯t be too sure.


    ¡°My dear, I think you should be more worried about yourself.¡± Her voice turned icy cold at that point, following which I felt a shove on back and down I went. ¡°Well, not like it matters now. The best has to be left for our goddess after all.¡±


    The moment we reached cliffedge, I knew she was about to do something to me. The most likely scenario was that she pushed me off the cliff so that was what I prepared myself for. Honestly, even with my limbs and wings bound up, I still had a way to break free. At the same time that she pushed me off the cliff and I felt a sense of weightlessness, I wasn¡¯t worried at all. This was all within my calculations.


    Shadow Demon!


    My shadow began to twist and turn into its own separate entity. The Shadow Demon¡¯s first act was to transform its shadowy arm into a blade and slice apart the spider silk. Given that my Shadow Demon had merged with Shadowfang before, an Epic-grade weapon, it was only to be expected that it inherited that weapon¡¯s sharpness, a fact that I only recently discovered.


    No matter how strong Paliseth¡¯s silk was, there was no way it could stand up to the sharpness of an Epic weapon.


    Now that I had broken free of the silk, I immediately beat my wings to distance myself from Paliseth. Yet this escape plan of mine was doomed to failure from the start. She held absolute control over this situation, and without my Devil King Idol to protect me, I really wasn¡¯t much of a threat to her.


    ¡°My dear, you can¡¯t escape so you¡¯d better behave.¡± She licked her lips seductively like she was recalling a particularly delicious memory. ¡°If you¡¯re too naughty, you might just get spanked.¡±


    ¡°You would have to catch me first then.¡± Now that I was free, I was more than confident enough to talk back to her. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the Devil King Idol with you for now. I¡¯ll be back.¡±


    I was done messing around that harlot; I quickly called out to Ferti¡¯nier in my mind to summon the teleportation gate right now. Technically speaking, the point of me accepting the summons in the first place was to visit Nicole, Roscar and the others. But now wasn¡¯t the time for such matters. At this rate, I might just end up being a sacrifice to the Spider Queen.


    There¡¯s no helping it, I¡¯ll find another way to return. Ferti¡¯nier, I need you to open the teleportation gate now. Any later and I can¡¯t guarantee my safety.


    ¡°Alright, your big sis will get right to it.¡±


    Her unexpected efficiency surprised me. At the same time, it made me feel like I had finally won, assuming she didn¡¯t mess up at this point.


    However, two seconds passed without anything happening¡­ Why am I still staring at that spider lady¡¯s disgusting mug? Also, what the heck is that growing black hole? Exactly how long more before I can return to Purgatory?


    ¡°So you still have a card to play, such a pity.¡±


    Paliseth casually fired off a magical black orb at the slowly expanding black hole. A second later, a powerful shockwave blasted forth from the collision point, knocking me a good ten meters away and causing me to lose control of my body temporarily.


    Following that, the black hole and that black orb both disappeared.


    It¡¯s gone?


    ¡®Err¡­ Ferti¡¯nier, what¡¯s going on? What the heck was that black hole? Don¡¯t tell that was the teleportation gate back to Purgatory? Why was it just the size of a football?¡¯


    ¡°Drats¡­ it failed¡­ such a pain. I just knew it would get destroyed before it could form completely.¡± Even though she said she was annoyed, I could hear a hint of excitement in her voice. ¡°In that case, your big sis has to start over again.¡±


    ¡®Hey, what are you getting all excited for? And was that really the gate back to purgatory? Exactly how long does it need to form? Don¡¯t tell me it needs a year!¡¯


    ¡°Relax, relax. Your big sis has already left a marking point in Sable Radiance before leaving. Thanks to the whole summoning ritual, your big sis only needs ten seconds to form the gate -really quick, right?¡±


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    ¡®Now¡¯s not the time to play around! What do you mean you need ten seconds? Are you trying to get us killed here?!¡¯


    ¡°But setting up a gate to cross dimensions requires time. Did you think it would be easy to create such a powerful gate?¡±


    ¡®Blast it¡­ why are you even talking down to me right now? Also, why the heck didn¡¯t you tell me something so important from the start?!¡¯


    ¡°You never asked.¡± She happily replied before launching into an explanation. ¡°Let¡¯s be clear here, little brother, the only reason your big sis is able to create such a gate so quickly is because of the special circumstances created by a summoning. If our little brother wasn¡¯t a summoned Devil, one would normally need¡­¡±


    ¡®Enough, enough. I don¡¯t want to hear about any of that right now. All I want to know is what should we do now? There¡¯s no way Paliseth will ever give us ten seconds to create a gate. And this is her homeground too¡­ Can you stop fooling around already, my dear big sis? We¡¯re about to die here!¡¯


    ¡°But your big sis is already being serious.¡± Having said that, her tone began to take on its usual mischievous tone. ¡°You know, little brother, if you get into trouble, your big sis will suffer as well. That¡¯s why your big sis cannot be any more serious right now.¡±

 CHAPTER 416: THE RITUAL BEGINS?

    Hmph¡­ if we¡¯re talking about improving, Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s skill at annoying me seems to have grown as well. But even if she had always gotten me into trouble before, she had never done so when we were in a life or death situation.


    Well, with the situation as it is right now, there¡¯s no point thinking about the whys anymore. I had better find a way to buy her ten seconds of time. But how¡­


    Would Paliseth ever give me the time I needed? Clearly not. Blast it, If I had the Devil King Idol, I could at least hide inside while she created the gate.


    As expected, Paliseth didn¡¯t wait long before making her first move. She opened up her palm fully and a magical array appeared in front of it. Soon after, countless white strands started falling from the cavern ceiling.


    With how fast these strands were falling, it only took a blink of an eye before I felt something landing on my hand. I had initially thought to fly towards her, seeing as the safest place was usually where the caster was, but I was still too slow. Paliseth had already predicted that I was going to fly towards her. With a quick glance, she had even the cliff walls spitting out white strands at me.


    It was at that moment that I finally saw what those white strands were: those were made of the same material used to form spider webs! Speaking of which, they were already combining together to form a web!


    I didn¡¯t even have the time to react before a web came raining down on me from the ceiling while another came rushing for me from the cliff edge.


    Curses¡­ there¡¯s nowhere to run to¡­ Am I going to be caught again? That thought flashed through my mind in that instant, yet reality played out slightly differently than I had expected. The two webs combined together to form a cage around me instead.


    So she isn¡¯t going to bind me?


    I looked at the sea of spider webs that was barely an inch above me right now and knew that there was no possible escape¡­ as if!


    I rapidly dove towards the one direction where there wasn¡¯t any spider web. At the same time, I tossed a fireball upwards only to see it fizzle out before even causing a spark.


    Fire resistant? Then I will use my Nether Flames.


    Unfortunately, my Nether Flames had the same effect as well; fizzling out without causing any damage. In fact, the spider web didn¡¯t even budge an inch from the impact.


    Not even my Nether Flames?! What the heck, is this spider web trying to defy the laws of physics?!


    As soon as she said that, the color in those webs began to run off, leaving behind colorless, translucent strands. From her vantage point on the edge of the cliff, she could peer down at my helpless form, and with the change in the webs, I could clearly see the alluring grin on her lips. ¡°Do your best, my dear, I don¡¯t want to see you dead from falling later.¡±


    Eh? I thought I was going to be sacrificed so what is all this talk about me falling to my death?


    Even though I never got to voice that question out loud, my queries were answered a mere second later.


    A strange sound similar to waves yet also similar to countless insect legs creeping along the ground began to rapidly get louder in my ears. I couldn¡¯t wrap my head around what the heck could make such a sound but I knew that danger was coming.


    Where I was right now could be considered the bottom portion of the cliff. Beneath me was a ground covered in spider silk that could roughly be considered clean, however I had no intention of landing there. That was why I kept beating my wings furiously to keep myself afloat while I stared up at Paliseth.


    The path leading up to Paliseth had been sealed off by that strange translucent web. Even though it seemed so fragile like it could shatter with just the merest of touches, it managed to deflect all my spells, proving that it was unbelievably sturdy.


    Paliseth did say that a demigod¡¯s strength is required to break the webs, but like heck I¡¯m believing her words. I don¡¯t have a weapon at that tier, but how about an Epic weapon?!


    Even now, that strange sound was only growing louder by the second. No matter how stupid a person was, he would have understood by now that danger was fast approaching. I must not linger in this place any longer!


    Fert¡¯ni¡¯er¡¯s gate was clearly not a dependable option -ten seconds was just too long. And since she dared to throw me down this cliff, she probably had another method of stopping my gate anyway. In that case, there was nothing left but to give it my all.


    With a mere thought, I activated my Shadow Demon who promptly shot towards the web above. As it barrelled through the air, its right hand reached towards its chest and began pulling while gripping down. Soon, an ominous black blade could be seen rising from its chest!


    Wielding the entire two meters of Shadowfang in its hands, the Shadow Demon viciously hacked at the web. Yet just when I thought this attack was enough, the predicted snapping of threads never happened. Instead, I saw the blade being entangled in its translucent threads. No matter how the Shadow Demon tugged, the blade was going nowhere¡­


    How¡­ my Shadowfang is an Epic weapon with the sharp attribute. It¡¯s the sharpest weapon I¡¯ve ever seen. And even though I haven¡¯t seen all that many weapons, I know this to be true.


    Yet as fate would have it, reality was right there smacking me in the face with a translucent spider web.


    My Shadowfang isn¡¯t working! How!


    Unfortunately, no amount of mental screaming was going to work in this situation. That spine-chilling sound was almost by my ears at this point. I turned around to check and I was immediately frightened out of my skin¡­


    Because I was so preoccupied with that spider web above me, I had never noticed the giant hole beneath me. Or rather, I knew instinctively that the hole was trouble so I chose to filter it out from my consciousness. I had no intention of checking out this hole and would much rather face the threat of a Matriarch than do so. Now that the hole was right before me, my instincts were proven true.


    Countless head-sized spiders began swarming out from that hole like a tidal wave. The sheer number arrayed before me right now was enough to knock out any arachnophobic person before he could even spell the word.


    A portion of the spiders ended up crawling around the empty ground and soon filled up any potentially clean spot there was before. Another portion began scaling up the cliff walls, surpassing that translucent spider web in an instant.


    Honestly, I wasn¡¯t afraid of spiders at all, but there were just too many right now¡­


    The clicking sound produced by these spiders was enough to send chills down my spine. At the rate that these spiders were swarming out, it wouldn¡¯t take much longer before this factory-sized pit was soon filled by them, not to mention that they were also scaling the walls right now so there was no safety to be had in the air as well.


    ¡°You understand now? There¡¯s no escape, so just admit your fate and sacrifice your life to bring joy to the goddess.¡± Just as my soul was about to leave its husk, Paliseth¡¯s voice came echoing from above to deliver its cruel verdict. ¡°Do your best, try not to die too quickly.¡±


    Having said that, Shadowfang suddenly came loose from the web. The Shadow Demon quickly sheathed the blade and darted back into my shadow.


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    ¡®She said to bring joy to the goddess. Does that mean the ritual has already begun? Doesn¡¯t matter now. Ferti¡¯nier can you get that gate up, there¡¯s no time to lose.¡¯


    Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s unharried voice responded, ¡°There¡¯s no use. Putting aside whether or not that Dark Elf is still up there watching us, those spiders will interfere with any attempt I make. Little brother, I suggest you land quickly. You¡¯re not a spider after all. If that webbing ever touches you, you will definitely get stuck.¡±


    ¡®Blast! Have you forgotten that we share the same body? If I die, you die as well!¡¯


    Faced with my accusation, Ferti¡¯nier simply said, ¡°So being afraid of death is your reason then?¡±


    ¡®Ferti¡¯nier, what are you even talking about?¡¯


    ¡°How long has it been since you last fought a battle yourself?¡±


    ¡®Didn¡¯t I just have a match with Mo Ning?¡¯


    ¡°I mean a true fight with one¡¯s life on the line.¡±


    Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s voice had an unprecedented seriousness to it right now. Normally, she would always refer to herself as my big sis, but she was fully using the word ¡°I¡± right now. Just from that alone, I could tell that she wasn¡¯t kidding around this time.


    How long has it been since I last fought with my life on the line? Since I returned from the Western Human Realms perhaps? One-eye and Nine-fingers doesn¡¯t count.


    ¡°Realised where the issue is now?¡±


    ¡°In that case, do your best. Your big sis will never stop believing that you are the best!¡±

 CHAPTER 417: THE SPIDER HORDE

    ¡®All those trials and tribulations I¡¯ve endured till now, how many of them are the result of your handiwork¡­ makes me shiver just thinking about it¡­¡¯


    ¡®So this is the reason why the gate keeps failing?¡¯


    ¡°Oh my, have I finally been found out?¡± Her alluring voice dripping in feigned surprise echoed throughout my mind.


    ¡®So you do admit to it then -you¡¯ve been messing with me all this while! A dirty traitor trying to harm his royal highness! Typical¡­¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s right, your big sis just wants to mess with you. Do you know how boring it is otherwise? Your big sis doesn¡¯t have control of this body after all.¡±


    ¡®You even admitted it so openly! How bored are you?!¡¯


    ¡°Alright, alright. That¡¯s enough fun for now; you should look at what situation you¡¯re right now as well. Those spiders are already up to your neck.¡±


    Hearing that, I whipped my head around to look. She was right. The situation was dire and I had to come up with something quick. However, I still had that translucent web above me blocking the way.


    In that case, I have to find another opening to escape through: the hole those spiders are swarming out from!


    At the same time as I came to that conclusion, the number of spiders in this pit had reached its peak as well. The entire area was covered in the disgusting things and they were all about to launch an attack at the invader that was me.


    Countless spiders began airdropping from the web above me. Those on the ground began firing off whatever attack they had: spider web, poison, etc.


    Faced with such an all-encompassing attack, there was only one way out. While it was not the most efficient of spells, in fact this was probably the least efficient spell I had, I immediately wrapped my body in Nether Flames to burn off any incoming attack.


    The moment those airdropping spiders touched my flames, they were instantly reduced to cinders. The same situation played out with their projectile attacks. Whether it was their webbing or their toxins, everything was burnt to ashes in an instant. Seeing that, a surge of confidence welled inside of me. I¡¯ve already decided on a plan of action, I guess it¡¯s time to just take the leap then¡­


    Hopefully my mana will hold out till then¡­ Ever since I got thrown into this pit, there¡¯s been no turning back. But where does that hole even lead to? How long does it extend?


    A deluge of unknowns clouded my mind right now, like the ominous darkness of a haunted house. I could neither see what was ahead nor feel it. In fact, there might just be ghosts waiting for me ahead¡­ but I had no choice either way.


    The spiders were powerless to stop me as I dove as quickly as possible towards my goal. Every spider that tried was instantly reduced to cinders but that didn¡¯t stop these mindless beasts from throwing themselves at me anyway.


    The hole is just there¡­ a little more and I can make it¡­


    However, it was too late. A swarm of basin-sized red spiders began crawling out of the hole. Wherever there was a spot a person could stand, they were there slowly piling up in a tiny molehole of disgustingness.


    Other than the fact that they were stacked in a disturbingly dense way, there was also another annoying trait about them: fire resistance. In other words, I had to spend more mana to kill a single one of them¡­ and that¡¯s just not very neighbourly.


    The moment they saw me, they leapt at me like their smaller brethren. I waved my hands and called forth a wall of Nether Flames. Upon touching these flames, they burst into flames, but unlike their smaller brethren, they did not turn to ashes immediately. Rather, they were able to crawl another half a meter before finally dying.


    That sight worried me greatly. The fact that they didn¡¯t die right away meant that they had the opportunity to attack me. Thankfully, the wall that I erected was wide and had completely sealed off that hole. The Fire Spiders were completely halted in their tracks, but so was I¡­


    After a hundred or so of these spiders died, the remaining Fire Spiders all stopped their pointless charging and began spitting fire at the flame wall instead. What was frightening was that they were actually able to spit fire at a range of several meters¡­ too bad my Nether Flames wall was still in their way. The moment their fire collided with my wall, these two completely different manas began pushing against each other. In this showdown of mana, those Fire Spiders were clearly not a match for me, but there were just too many of them.


    The current situation was extremely unfavorable towards me. In just the short span of a few seconds, a sizable portion of my mana had been expended. At this rate, I wasn¡¯t even going to last a minute¡­


    Should I fly into the hole then? Well, that¡¯s a given, the question is how.


    Shadow Demon.


    The same time as I cancelled my flame wall, I summoned my Shadow Demon. By staying on the ground as a shadow, it successfully evaded the rain for spider flames and managed to rush into the spider swarm within an instant. Like a tiger amongst a pack of eight-legged gazelle, the Shadow Demon leaped out of its shadowy hiding spot and right into a furious attack.


    Wherever the Shadow Demon passed by, a slew of cleaved spider corpses would be left behind. Some of these red spiders were still alive despite having their limbs completely hacked off, while the more unfortunate ones amongst them were just bifurcated in half and died soon after.


    Thanks to Shadowfang giving it the attribute of sharpness, the Shadow Demon was even more effective against these spiders than my Nether Flames.


    For the time being, the Shadow Demon was in charge of my offense while I still maintained that cloak of Nether Flames around myself. Thanks to the Shadow Demon, I was now able to absorb a portion of the spider souls lingering around to replenish my mana. Finally, there was light at the end of this proverbial tunnel. Even so, their unending numbers were a concern. No matter how powerful my attacks were, I couldn¡¯t guarantee that I would be able to keep this up forever. Especially not when a new type of spider began crawling out of that hole right this very second.


    These newcomers were all about the size of a large basin and their rear ends were filled with metallic spikes -the Hedgehog Spiders.


    The walls were now filled with Hedgehog Spiders and Fire Spiders. These new spiders immediately took up position, aimed their rear ends at me, and with their two rear legs extended, began firing their spikes at me with a twerk. A rain of spikes bore down on me a mere moment later. Because of how many Hedgehog Spiders there were, I really had no chance at all of avoiding them. It was either deflect them or die trying.


    The Shadow Demon promptly repeated its previous sweeping action against the Hedgehog Spiders. While they might have been numerous, they were individually weak, coming in at Two-star at best.


    Because of how effective the Shadow Demon¡¯s first swathe of attacks were, the Hedgehog Spiders swiftly reacted by turning some of their attacks towards the Shadow Demon. Wave after wave of spikes were sent out with reckless abandon, but because these spikes couldn¡¯t pierce their own carapace, there was no need to worry about friendly casualties either.


    Unfortunately for them, those spikes weren¡¯t just ineffective against their own kin, they were ineffective against the Shadow Demon as well. The Shadow Demon was a pure elemental being, meaning that these spikes were basically useless against it and it didn¡¯t even need to consider defense when attacking.


    Yet just because part of the spiders¡¯ attacks had been diverted, that didn¡¯t mean I was out of the fire yet either. I still had to keep up my Nether Flames to avoid getting skewered.


    Compared to the Fire Spiders, these Hedgehog Spiders were ironically a much easier opponent to deal with. Their spikes couldn¡¯t penetrate my Nether Flames and they were also stronger than the Fire Spiders. That meant that when I killed them, the amount of mana I replenished from absorbing their soul was higher as well.


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    If I had to hazard a guess, this would be the very definition of a worthless ally.


    Still, while I was now able to keep up with my mana expenditure, I wasn¡¯t able to advance even an inch into the hole. And as more and more spiders swarmed out of the hole, the strength I had to face began to increase as well.


    Finally, after roughly ten minutes into this deadly stalemate, I heard a hair-raising scream echo forth from the hole ahead. As it swept over the pit, the constant clicking of spider mandibles finally stopped and the pit fell silent. For that brief couple of seconds, it felt like time had stopped. Even if my Shadow Demon was still furiously hacking away at the spiders, none of them made a sound.

 CHAPTER 418: DRYDERS

    With the backdrop of a million spiders frantically fleeing, these half-Elven, half-spider monstrosities swarmed out of the hole¡­


    Humanoid upper half, arachnid lower half, and carapace wrapped around their hands in the shape of claws: there¡¯s no mistaking it, these are the Dryders! Paliseth was right, this really is a breeding ground for these monsters.


    I swept my eyes over the horde of Dryders -several hundreds at the very least. These monsters had a mix of females and males, and because of their Dark Elven heritage, they all looked like your typical models. But once one looked down¡­ you would immediately question that previous statement.


    An adult Dryder came in at about two and a half meters and had the combat strength of a Three-star at least. Next to that, I was more like a dwarf than anything else, what with my 1.70 meters and Four-star strength.


    Even though this sense of being gazed down upon by a giant monstrosity was horrific enough, it was their disgusting lower half that really took the cake for me. If there was ever a World Ugliest Competition, it would basically be a competition amongst themselves¡­ not that they cared.


    ¡°Invader¡­ kill¡­¡± The male Dryder at the head opened up with a voice that was grating and unclear, following which the other hundred over Dryders behind him yelled, ¡°KILL!!!¡± Their mighty cries echoed throughout the confined spaces of the tunnel, ferocity only matched by their murderous intent.


    Even though there were several dozens of meters between me and them, I could still feel that palpable sense of danger, and smell that stomach-turning stench they emitted¡­ have these guys not heard of the word bath?


    Shadow Demon, kill them all!


    Having received my order, the Shadow Demon stretched itself out to the ceiling of the hole then immediately dropped itself on top of them. Its limbs turned into deadly blades and its figure was a whirlwind of death that descended from the heavens.


    These Dryders had no other innate defenses other than the carapace on their arms. Their upper half was basically that of a normal human¡¯s, meaning that wherever the Shadow Demon swung its limbs, a dead Dryder could be found lying there a second later. Because of how sudden this whole attack was, the Dryders were temporarily caught off-guard. In just the span of a second, five Dryders were already bifurcated along their humanoid halves. Yet regardless of whether they were beheaded or sliced apart, there was always that spine-chilling shriek as they flailed in pain.


    Hmm¡­ even if they are monsters, they shouldn¡¯t be alive after being split along their midsection, right?


    How?! That was basically an attack from an Epic weapon that had the sharpness attribute. Well, it¡¯s not exactly the same as Shadowfang itself, but it still shouldn¡¯t have failed like that¡­


    Just as I was still reeling from the shock, the previously silent Ferti¡¯nier suddenly interrupted me with her usual teasing, ¡°My dear little brother, I think you¡¯d better look carefully for a second. Do you see the difference between that Dryder¡¯s arms and the others.¡±


    Following her advice, I turned my attention towards that Dryder who blocked my Shadow Demon and found that his arms had a metallic sheen on it. Almost every Dryder showed signs of its elemental nature on its arms and arachnid lower half. For example, Dryders of the flame element had a black carapace that was infused with streaks of fiery red. Meanwhile, its lower half would be of a fiery red hue. In light of that, it was easy to tell a Dryder¡¯s nature by its outer appearance.


    ¡°A Metal Dryder. Because they love feeding on metals, their carapace has become extraordinarily sturdy as well, just like the metal they feed on. This sturdiness is extra apparent against slicing attacks.¡± As she explained that to me, I could sense a hint of mocking levity to her voice. ¡°These kinds of spiders are quite rare. Back in the days of your big sis, she once met a Nine-star spider. Back then, your big sis was still an Overlord so that opponent was a difficult one¡­¡±


    ¡®Difficult meaning that you still won in the end¡­ aren¡¯t you just praising yourself indirectly by promoting how tough of an opponent that spider was?¡¯


    Both the arms of the Shadow Demon were still stuck fast in that Dryder¡¯s arms. Because of how deep the cut was, it wasn¡¯t able to free itself quickly. Seeing that, the other Dryders immediately rushed forward to launch what was to be a sure-fire killing combination move of over ten Dryders. In just the blink of an eye, fire, poison, spike, ice, earth and all manner of elemental attacks flew throughout the tunnel. With its arms still stuck fast, it clearly couldn¡¯t dodge the attacks and was instantly torn to shreds¡­ along with that Dryder that was unfortunate enough to be holding it back. In fact, its death was even more miserable than the Shadow Demon.


    The instant the Shadow Demon died, I felt my heart stop for a second like something had suddenly gripped down on it. That momentary sense of death and its ensuing pain was just indescribable to the uninitiated. Thankfully, that sensation only lasted a couple of seconds before I re-summoned the Shadow Demon. The newly reformed Shadow Demon immediately turned its arms into blades once more and charged into the Dryder army like a machine of death.


    Blasted spiders! I swear I¡¯ll kill all of you for doing that to my clone.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s not happening. These Dryders aren¡¯t like those brainless spiders you fought before. They not only have an impressive reservoir of battle experience, they are able to coordinate attacks with each other as well. They can easily adapt their strategy to counter any opponent they meet.¡± At the same time as my second Shadow Demon appeared, Ferti¡¯nier promptly interjected by throwing a bucket of cold ice over my wishful thinking. ¡°If you don¡¯t change your tactics now, this new Shadow Demon will end up dying pretty soon as well.¡±


    ¡®Like heck it would, I¡¯ll have the Shadow Demon¡­¡¯


    Before I could even finish defending myself, that Shadow Demon got itself surrounded by two more Metal Dryders. With no time for words, I hurriedly had it transform into a shadow. Unless it physically tried to attack an opponent, there was no way it could ever get caught in this state.


    By maintaining its shadowy state, the Shadow Demon successfully avoided those two Metal Dryders and managed to sneak into the ranks of the relatively less defended Fire Dryders. By the time those two Metal Dryders managed to catch up to it, the Shadow Demon had already enacted a brutal massacre and turned into its shadowy state once more.


    This game of cat and mouse continued a couple more times until finally on its third attempt the two Metal Dryders gave up on trying to chase down the Shadow Demon. Instead, they turned around and started crawling towards me.


    Your typical go for the head maneuver then?


    Their intention was clear: I had to defend myself quickly. No time to lose at all, I hurriedly beat my wings to increase my elevation from the ground while steadily backing out of the tunnel.


    As for why I decided to give up on my hardwon progress into the hole, that was because I still had the wits about me to know that I couldn¡¯t fly through hundreds of Dryders stuffed in a cramped tunnel.


    Blast it, of all the times for these monsters to set their targets on me.


    Even though I was unhappy about this turn of events, I dared not linger a second longer. I completely abandoned any thoughts of escaping through the hole, at least not till these Dryders had all been killed.


    In order to block them from chasing me, I threw out my Nether Flames at the same time as I retreated. With how deadly these flames had proven so far, there was no doubt in my mind that these Three-stars were doomed. Yet just when it seemed like I was about to hit one of the Metal Dryders, a female Fire Dryder suddenly leapt into the path of the fireball and what was supposed to be a sure-hit spell ended up exploding on her instead¡­


    As the dust settled on the explosion, the female figure of that Fire Dryder slowly revealed itself. Its upper half was still burning in my Nether Flames. In just those few seconds alone, the Nether Flames had already spread throughout her entire upper half, and as it burned every inch of Elven flesh it touched, a charred stench filled the air and nearly made me vomit. She tried her best to control the searing pain that ran throughout her body with her screams but the flames refused to relent. Yet in spite of that, she channelled that pain into further determination to kill me. A second later, her burning self charged right at me with a speed that I could hardly believe.


    Her ghastly figure was merely twenty meters away from me at this moment. Left with not much room to think, my first instinct was to toss out another ball of Nether Flames at her, hopefully killing her for good this time. Unfortunately, with how determined and burnt she was, she had no intention of even dodging this new attack!


    The second fireball impacted her body and threatened to send her rolling away with its shockwave. Yet she resisted the momentum through sheer force of will, stopping her body from toppling over before re-engaging in that suicidal charge once more.


    Even two fireballs weren¡¯t enough? Is that how flame resistant these Fire Dryders are?


    While these Dryders might have been weak on their own because of their single elemental nature, their knowledge of tactics and coordination was more than enough to cover up for this weakness.


    When faced with the physically strong Shadow Demon, the Metal Dryders were there to stop it. When faced with my searing Nether Flames, the Flame Dryders were there to shield the others¡­


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 CHAPTER 419: SOMETIMES, YOU HANDLE THINGS YOURSELF

    Still trying to fly my way out of the tunnel, I focused my mana into my right arm and a second later a blackish rope of fire began coiling out from the base of my arm. A flick of my wrist and a long whip spanning at least ten meters lashed out at the dying Fire Dryder like a live snake. The female Fire Dryder was immediately rendered immobile by the fiery binding. This time, no amount of willpower was going to be enough to save her. With a quick tug, I severed her body with my whip like a hot knife through butter and tossed the two halves at her oncoming companions¡­ Finally, after two fireballs and a whip, she¡¯s dead!


    Because I aimed the halves along the path that the Dryders had to pass by, one of the Dryders, a greenish Poison Dryder, inadvertently stepped onto the still burning corpse and instantly burst into flames!


    ¡°Aooooo!¡±


    Its pained cries echoed throughout the cramped tunnel. It didn¡¯t even have the presence of mind at this point to figure out a plan of action; that was how overwhelming the flames were. Once a being was covered with even a single mote of Nether Flames, they would experience an unbearable burning that seemed to work from the inside out till that being was finally burnt to cinders. The quickest way to deal with these flames was to cut off the part that had touched the Nether Flames. Unfortunately, the Poison Dryder didn¡¯t have the judgement to make such a decision. Their ability to coordinate elements was something trained into them by the Dark Elves. On their own, their intelligence was nothing impressive.


    Long story short, that Dryder was a goner.


    Silly monsters, that¡¯s what you get for defying me. If you don¡¯t step back now, I¡¯ll use my Nether Flames to burn you all to a crisp. I¡¯ll¡­ Hey, at least let me finish my monologue first!


    Just as I was about to make a stirring declaration and raise my own spirits, even more Fire Dryders began rushing out from behind. They swiftly overtook their brethren and used their own bodies to block off every nook and cranny my Nether Flames could possibly use to try and harm their non-fire resistant brethren.


    Hah, you think that will be enough to save you all? You wish.


    Nether Flames Wall!


    A wall of blackish flames rose from the ground out of nothingness. Yet with so many Fire Dryders arrayed before me, even that wasn¡¯t enough to deter them. The gathered Fire Dryders immediately fired off a volley of fireballs at the wall. An explosion of mana later, I felt my mana pool immediately empty out by a significant percentage.


    Shashlik, this won¡¯t do at all. At this rate, my mana will be used up before they die out. Faced with such overwhelming numbers, I knew that I couldn¡¯t turn this into an endurance match. That was why I cancelled my Nether Flames Wall while I tried to find another spell to use against them.


    With no other choice open to me, I summoned my Shadow Demon back from the frontlines. Upon returning, the Shadow Demon immediately embarked on a massacre of the ten offending Fire Dryders while I took this opportunity to toss out more Nether Flames fireballs. Because of the chaos created, I was able to sneak a few shots at their non-fire resistant brethren, even turning one Metal Dryder into cinders in an instant.


    Good job, Shadow Demon. Not only is their formation messed up, they even lost one Metal Dryder -I call that a win. Metal Dryders are a rare strain after¡­ wait, why are there so many appearing all of a sudden?


    While my Shadow Demon wasn¡¯t completely immune to all attacks, this usually wasn¡¯t a problem as its agility and sheer deadliness often meant that defense wasn¡¯t a big concern. But these Metal Dryders had the ability to survive a full strike from the Shadow Demon, and in such a desperate fight, this ability was enough to fully counter the strengths of the Shadow Demon.


    This soon played out amongst the defensive formation of the Dryders. Just as my Shadow Demon was happily hacking through its sixth kill, its next swing was abruptly stopped by the carapace of a Dryder. Unbeknownst to me, a Metal Dryder had managed to sneak into the frontlines and grouped up with the remaining Fire Dryders.


    As an elemental creature, the Shadow Demon¡¯s defenses were basically zero against anything other than the element it was strong against. For example, a fire elemental being was basically a nightmare for fire mages, and free food for any other element¡­ this applied to the Shadow Demon as well.


    In the just blink of an eye, the Shadow Demon had suffered numerous injuries as it remained stuck in the carapace of that Metal Dryder. Not only were the Fire Dryders attacking it, so were the Poison Dryders and the Ice Dryders behind it¡­ it¡¯s dead, my second Shadow Demon has died¡­ balls.


    Having lost two Shadow Demon in no time at all, my body suffered a shock like none it had ever experienced before. This wasn¡¯t just a simple case of one plus one equals two, the blowback from this second loss reached even my mental state. I could feel a ripping pain in my very soul. For just the briefest of moments, it felt like I had lost all my senses¡­ Thankfully, this side-effect did not last long, else those Dryders would have been able to launch a sneak attack against me.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t your big sis tell you already? Just relying on the Shadow Demon isn¡¯t enough.¡± Seeing that I had recovered somewhat from the mental shock, Ferti¡¯nier took the opportunity to remind me of her existence once more. ¡°If you keep going down this path, how long do you think your body will last?¡±


    Blast¡­


    The damage caused by my Shadow Demon dying wasn¡¯t just a simple addition; they stacked. In short, that second death did not just deal me the damage of one death, but rather also that of the previous death as well. If this were to continue in quick succession, there would come a time when my body would simply cave in, and I would either die or be crippled. My Shadow Demon was basically worthless now in this situation.


    What to do¡­ If I can¡¯t use my Shadow Demon, who else can I call for help? Ferti¡¯nier, is it possible for me to summon over some of my subordinates from Purgatory?


    ¡°Of course, you can. If it¡¯s that new fiancee of yours¡­ but that requires time and an offering.¡±


    ¡®My new fiancee¡­ wait, are you talking about Mo Ning? What the heck do you mean by fiancee? She¡¯s a horse! And stop trying to lump me with some strange person who does it with whatever race they can lay their hands on¡­ Oops, I didn¡¯t mean to discriminate against you Dryders¡­ It¡¯s just I can¡¯t accept your way of life, I¡¯m sure you will understand¡­¡¯


    The answer Ferti¡¯nier gave me could be said to be the worst of the worst. While it might have sounded like good news on the surface, was there anything worse than knowing that there was a workable solution, but just not for you?


    ¡°Little brother, you better think of something quick. Your big sis doesn¡¯t want to die at the hands of some spiders yet.¡±


    ¡®Why are you even telling me this now? What¡¯s the point even? If you had just told me about that ten seconds nonsense from the start, would this have even happened?!¡¯


    ¡°What do you mean nonsense?¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t you start that with me!¡¯


    Even as I was sparring verbally with Ferti¡¯nier, the Dryders never ceased in their advance. Just like before, they maintained that mix of Fire Dryders and Metal Dryders as they cautiously approached me. Clearly, my Shadow Demon wasn¡¯t going to work against this formation.


    Well, if summoning a helper isn¡¯t going to work, I¡¯ll have to do this myself then.


    Shadow Demon!


    I summoned forth my Shadow Demon again. The moment it took shape, it immediately charged in the direction of Dryders just like before.


    Seeing that, the Dryders calmly encircled their shadowy enemy with the Fire Dryders taking the flanks while the Metal Dryders handled the center. This time however, the Shadow Demon did not engage with them. Instead, the second before they clashed, it suddenly did an about turn and retreated.


    Fully expecting an attack, the Dryders were stunned by the sudden reversal and couldn¡¯t react for a second. Their less-than-bright minds clearly hadn¡¯t been programmed with what to do in this situation.


    Naturally, they had no idea as to what was coming next either. After all, even I considered what I was about to do next crazy. As the Shadow Demon charged in, I followed closely in its wake. Once the Shadow Demon had gathered enough of their attention, I had it turn around while I reached out and grabbed its neck with my right hand. The moment we came into contact, the Shadow Demon suddenly changed form.


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    The area above its neck began to shift into a hilt while its lower half began to shift into a blade.


    Shadowfang: Inverse Cut!


    The moment I grabbed hold of a completely formed Shadowfang, I successfully pulled off the Inverse Cut, a technique which I wasn¡¯t able to use in the past. In the eyes of the Dryders, my body was retreating, yet a moment later, their bodies had been split in half. It was only then that they realised that my blade had struck them¡­


    Inverse Cut was the martial technique taught to me by Habona when she handed down the Shadowfang to me. In the past, I wasn¡¯t able to pull off this move no matter how much I tried. In fact, that even led to me creating the Revolution Slice. Who would have thought that this desperate situation ended up being the inspiration for me learning the Inverse Cut.


    Now, that¡¯s serendipitous.


    The Metal Dryders hidden amongst the Fire Dryders were the first to react to my attack. During the cooldown between my Inverse Cuts, they took the opportunity to rush towards me, carapaced arms stretched out while they spat their spider silk at me.


    Revolution Slice!

 CHAPTER 420: AN EBONY BEAUTY

    With those two Metal Dryders taken down, I took the opportunity to charge into their formation which had fallen into disarray by now and began slicing at anyone I saw. In my wake was a trail of destruction, wrought from the incomplete corpses of any Dryder unfortunate enough to stand in my way.


    Yet even with my Shadowfang brought to bear, it was still possible for my Shadow Demon to manifest itself. At the same time as I wielded Shadowfang, my Shadow Demon took the opportunity to return to its normal state, an ordinary Shadow Guardian. Should the need ever arise, I just had to call for it and it would respond immediately.


    A Dryder managed to climb up to the ceiling of the tunnel amidst the chaos, and with a forceful kick of its multiple limbs, launched a diving attack right for my brains.


    Because I only had Shadowfang to defend me right now, it only made sense that my defenses would be thinner than usual -occasional openings were only to be expected.


    It was this exact opening that the Dryder was aiming for. Yet just when he thought that success was in claws, my Shadow Demon sprung from the shadows like a snake, coiling around it and binding it in an instant. I quickly reacted by slicing it apart with a swing.


    Now that its job was done, the Shadow Demon returned back to dormant shadow state.


    Having lost so many of their brethren already, the remaining Dryders finally realised that the odds were stacked against them in a melee fight. Thus, they took up formation together and began firing at me from a distance. Countless projectiles flew towards me in a shower. From behind, I could vaguely make out the silhouette of their remaining nine Metal Dryders forming a defensive wall for the long-ranged attackers. Even though they knew that they weren¡¯t a match for my weapon, they still took up the charge without any hesitation.


    Facing down a rain of projectiles was nerve-wracking to say the least. My first instinct was to quickly erect a barrier of Nether Flames around my entire body, burning off the incoming projectiles just in the nick of time. However, that also meant that my mana had plummeted rapidly from this successful defense.


    I needed to fight back, just standing there and defending wasn¡¯t going to work at all. But no matter how I looked at this situation, there was no elegant solution in sight. Helpless, I knew there was no other way now.


    In just the short span of ten minutes, I swore I killed over a hundred Dryders. Even the ugly things knew to run away from me at first sight.


    Finally, the Dryders had been routed. Their weird cries filled the tunnels as they frantically retreated. But I would have none of that. I yelled at the top of my lungs in excitement as I chased down the survivors with my Shadowfang raised high into the air.


    Their souls had a rather peculiar taste to them. To be exact, every living being had a unique taste to their soul. Even human souls had varying tastes according to their physical differences. If I had to describe the taste of the Dryder souls, it would be a deep, penetrating, depravity -most likely because of the environment they grew up in.


    Barring everything else, the Dryders were honestly a good source of nourishment for me. Whatever I had expanded up till now had been topped up by the souls of those hundred Dryders.


    Furthermore, the death of those hundred over Dryders had fully instilled the fear of death into the survivors. Their uncontrollable fear only fuelled their speed further, to the point where even if I wanted to chase them I couldn¡¯t. Yet just when I thought all was over, they suddenly turned around and ran in my direction.


    What¡¯s happening?


    I reflexively summoned a wall of Nether Flames to block them. Yet who would¡¯ve thought that they would actually rush ahead anyway. In fact, their speed seems to have increased?!


    They ended up being burnt to cinders as I had expected, but their numbers were just too many. With how they seemed to be rushing at me like a swarm of angry bees even unto their death, to say that I was afraid was an understatement. It had gotten to the point where even my Nether Flames wall wasn¡¯t able to keep up and had stopped burning for a split second. Yet that split second was enough for the horde of Dryders to trample over the sputtering wall of flames and smother it with their sheer numbers¡­


    Even so, the wall collapsing didn¡¯t mean that the first twenty or so Dryders had managed to escape death either. Anything that touched my Nether Flames was doomed to a loud, painful death.


    Ironically, this rushing horde only served to stir my spirits¡­ Come at me then! Whether it be dogs, cats, chickens or Dryders, I¡¯m not budging an inch unless I die!


    I gripped down hard on Shadowfang then charged into the fray. Yet the anticipated battle to the death never happened. Instead, it somehow ended up being a strangely one-sided massacre¡­ Those Dryders seem to be ignoring my Shadowfang. In fact, they are avoiding me as well. Have I turned invisible or something?


    Seeing the horde just pass me by like that, even my rush of hot blood was instantly doused by this gap in reality. I didn¡¯t even feel like swinging my sword anymore.


    Such an occurrence had happened before; the last time this happened was with those spiders. Back then, they were just as desperate as these Dryders to escape.


    Perhaps there¡¯s another stronger monster about to appear?


    In truth, I didn¡¯t enjoy killing those who won¡¯t fight back, that was why I just ignored those Dryders that tried to flee while I stood there waiting for what was to come.


    Roughly thirty seconds of standing later, the long-awaited monster finally arrived. It was a familiar face. The same Dark Elven upper half and the same arachnid lower half, but this particular specimen was evidently stronger than those that fled. Just based on its height and on its aura I could tell.


    The new Dryders were all at least three meters tall and were oozing with murderous intent, which really wasn¡¯t a surprise, to be honest. These monsters only had four things in their minds: food, sleep, kill and the act of procreation. It was too bad they couldn¡¯t procreate on their own; a spider and a Dark Elf had to get together to achieve that.


    While these newcomers seemed stronger than the previous ones, I wasn¡¯t all that worried. I still had Shadowfang in hand after all.


    Ever since I mastered the Inverse Cut, while I still wouldn¡¯t consider myself invincible, I was pretty darn close. As long as I didn¡¯t bump into a creature like Lolthe, I had a fighting chance.


    The new Dryders all eyed me with those same blood red eyes, but strangely enough, none of them tried to rip me to pieces. Instead, they just stood there.


    A conspiracy?


    Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. As long as I have Shadowfang, I have nothing to fear from these mindless cretins!


    Just as I was about to charge into their ranks, a gigantic spider web suddenly dropped from above, wrapping me in an instant and not even giving me the chance to swing Shadowfang before turning me into a spider dumpling. I tried to activate my Nether Flames but nothing came out. I ordered my Shadow Demon next: nothing as well. The moment that web wrapped me up, my Shadow Demon had turned back into an ordinary shadow.


    What¡¯s going on? Why am I suddenly caught? What is this web? Why is my mana all gone?


    ¡°Oh right, your big sis almost forgot to mention this, but that spider web should have been blessed with sealing powers by the Spider Queen¡­¡± Ferti¡¯nier tried to remind me of her existence once more but was abruptly cut off by a black Dryder dropping down from the ceiling. Its eight spider legs daintily landed on the floor right next to me. Unlike the other Dryders who at least had a white Elven half, this Dryder was fully black from top to toe. Only her hair was white -yes, it was a she¡­


    She must have snuck up to the ceiling while I was distracted, then threw down that web to capture me. So those immobile Dryders were just a distraction? Drats, I should have just attacked from the very beginning instead of trying to look cool¡­


    The black Dryder stared into me with her cold, empty red eyes. Within those ruby red pupils, there was nothing to be gleamed. It was said that the eyes were the windows to the soul. Seeing as there was nothing to be found, did that mean that she had no emotions as well?


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    Oh sweet jeebus, is she going to just kill me right away? That¡¯s what people with no emotions always do, right?


    Yet just as I was about to run wild with my imagination, she suddenly pulled me into her arms then began walking in the direction from which I came in. As she crawled through the tunnel, the two weapons of mass destruction on her chest bounced precariously before my very eyes. Even through the decidedly thick dumpling wrapping that was the spider web, I could feel a very real sense of danger emanating in the air.


    Hey, hey, hey! What¡¯s the meaning of this princess hug?! But I guess it¡¯s still better than what I had imagined at first. At very least, I should be able to live for a while longer.


    I turned around to catch a glimpse of the black Dryder¡­ A little black, but still a girl, I guess. And with her Dark Elven base, there¡¯s no way her face is going to be anything but pretty. None of that strange Dryder nonsense on her upper half too. Hmm¡­ I¡¯ll give her a solid 85 out of 100 on account of her being an ebony beauty.


    @#$@, what the heck am I even doing now¡­ now¡¯s not the time to be looking at her¡­ and when did my standards drop so low anyway? A spider beauty? Nah¡­


    Blast it, I¡¯m off tangent again. I swear my mind seems to be extra active at times like this¡­ I should be more concerned about how to survive¡­


    ¡°Hey, where are you taking me?¡±

 CHAPTER 421: THE SPIDER QUEEN DESCENDS

    By now, the pit was not only full of spiders, the Dryders who had previously fled were all here as well.


    Upon arriving on the scene, I came upon the bloody scene of spiders against Dryders in an all-out bid to kill each other. Every attack thrown out was thrown with the intent to kill. Every second that passed there was a spider or a Dryder who fell somewhere.


    Seeing that, my brain basically short circuited. While I was busy being stunned, the signature sounds of Dryders crawling began echoing from behind us. The larger Dryders whom I had seen previously quickly passed by us and joined this unending slaughter.


    What the feck? Why are they killing each other?


    Yet even as I stood there in disbelief, the killing never stopped.


    Through the semi-transparent web above, I managed to spot Paliseth on the edge of the cliff, arms and feet prostrated in a prayer. I wanted to ask what was going on, but the deluge of happenings before me was just too much for me to process, causing my words to be stuck in my throat for a good long while.


    This unending slaughter continued for over an hour before the final pair of surviving Dryders pierced each other with their claws in mutual destruction. It was at that moment that the ebony beauty carrying me finally moved. She gently carried me towards the center of the carnage, stepping over the mountain of corpses beneath her without any hesitation. The stench of blood, burnt flesh and acrid toxins immediately assaulted my nose and almost knocked me out right there and then. Just standing on the outskirts was difficult enough, but now that we had stepped into the center of this blood storm, I almost couldn¡¯t breathe from the assault on my senses.


    Compared to the wide array of smells present, it was the sheer brutality of this scene that made me ill at ease. There were Dryders with half-dissolved brains lying on the ground¡­ half-burnt corpses of female Dryders¡­ and a whole bunch of stuff that wasn¡¯t even recognisable at this point¡­ limbs maybe?


    I couldn¡¯t figure out why they would do such a thing, and that made me even more frightened. While this maelstrom raged in my mind, the ebony beauty continued her silent pilgrimage up the mountain of corpses.


    ¡°AAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOO~~~~¡±


    A roar more ******* than one any beast could ever hope to produce echoed forth from her throat. Her head was tilted upwards as if she was yelling at something, or perhaps summoning something. High above, Paliseth seemed even more frantic in her prostrating now. Nearly every point on her body was pressed to the ground as if she was welcoming some entity into this world.


    She¡¯s calling for her goddess¡­ that¡¯s right, Paliseth said so many times that she was going to sacrifice me to their vile goddess, the Spider Queen Lolthe.


    As the ebony beauty¡¯s roar filled the pit, the entire battlefield lit up. No. Rather than lighting up, it was more accurate to say that the pit was illuminated by the mass of souls rushing out of the corpses below, as if some mysterious force above was calling them. Countless blood red Soul Flames streaked through the air until they finally congregated above into a massive face.


    That massive face was slightly blurred, but I could tell that it was a female¡¯s, and a very beautiful one at that!


    Because this face was made up of blood red Soul Flames, I couldn¡¯t say for certain what her skin color was, but it was probably a sickly pale like the other Dark Elves.


    Upon forming, this massive face quickly shrunk inwards until it was merely a bloody pearl that was the size of a thumb. The pearl then dove into the brows of the ebony beauty who still carried me even now. From what I could see, that pearl had easily penetrated the skull of the ebony beauty.


    A second later, that ebony beauty began emitting an aura that was definitely not her own. Darkness, chaos, murder, cruelty¡­ whatever manner of negative adjective or emotion you could think of was currently dancing about in my head. Then, a horrifying pressure surged forth from her body. Thankfully, this pressure only lasted a mere second else I would have really died there and then.


    ¡°Two thousand years¡­¡±


    The ebony beauty opened her mouth and an enchanting voice issued forth, one that was steeped in the mana of enthrallment. With just a few words, she made me think how wonderful it would have been to be able to die for that voice.


    However, such a thought only lasted for a second before it disappeared. After all, I was clearly the domineering side here, not the receiving side.


    ¡°Hi¡­¡±


    In order to relieve some of the pressure on me, I tried opening up with a greeting and a few bats of my lashes. Maybe she will munch on me a little softer if she finds me cute? Meh¡­


    I had already experienced that whole incident with Lucifer¡¯s clone so I knew that evil gods like them weren¡¯t even in the same world as us. But they still had the ability to peer into our world. After considering everything that led up to this point, even I wasn¡¯t stupid enough to think that the ebony beauty was still the same person who carried me here. She was a completely different person now. Rather, her soul had been switched.


    ¡®Ferti¡¯nier¡­ Big sis¡­ Momma¡­ Mummy? I¡¯m begging you here¡­ how about a little help?¡¯


    Unfortunately, no matter how much I called out to her, she remained steadfastly a shut-in.


    ¡°Little fellow¡­ those purple wings¡­¡± Upon hearing my voice, the ebony beauty turned to look at me. She smiled gently at me then shifted her gaze towards my wings for a good long while. Her face went through a range of emotions in an instant. First was confusion, then anger, before finally settling on excitement. ¡°You¡¯re one of Lucifer¡¯s descendents? No, your essence is even purer than that. Even more than those ******* spawns of Lilith¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the Spider Queen Lolthe?¡±


    Even without her answering, I already had an answer in my heart¡­ I don¡¯t know if I should cry or laugh at this point. Either way, I¡¯m screwed¡­ I bet my purple wings are just packed with nutrients¡­ I¡¯m so dead¡­ to think that even Lolthe herself is here¡­although this is probably just her projection, but a goddess is still a goddess..


    ¡°You are correct. But rather than Spider Queen, I would prefer that you refer to me as Aunty Lolthe.¡± Seeing that I was silent for a long while, she turned to face me before smiling gently.


    ¡°Aunty Lolthe?¡± My mind went blank. What the shashlik is that? What happened to all that talk about sacrifices? How did this turn into some kind of family reunion?


    ¡°Actually, I would much rather you call me mum.¡± Under my disbelieving eyes, Lolthe used an even gentler tone to address me. ¡°I know your origins, you¡¯re created from a portion of Lucifer¡¯s own body, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°How do you know?¡± My body was in fact created from a single feather of Lucifer¡¯s. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that I was his child, the kind that didn¡¯t have a mother no less. The fact that she wanted me to call her mum meant that she knew this fact as well. The fact that I was in a single parent household¡­


    Ahem, that¡¯s the closest term I can think of. Also, what do you mean you want me to call you mum? Aren¡¯t you just saying indirectly that you want to engage in a little something something with Lucifer?


    ¡°I knew it.¡± She licked her lips at that point then addressed me once more in that gentle tone. ¡°My dear child, it must have been so hard on you without a mother. But everything is different now. As long as you say so, I can be your mum.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    What do you even want me to say to that? I¡¯m still a principled youth, don¡¯t cha know. As a proud man who grew up under the star spangled red banner, I can¡¯t just recognise some random spider as my mum! At the very least, we should get to know each other first¡­


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    ¡°As long as you call me mum, I can fulfill one of your wishes.¡± Her projection leaned in and blew at my ears. ¡°As long as it¡¯s within my powers, any wish can be fulfilled.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Any wish? Then I had better consider this carefully. What am I going to wish for¡­ Hold on, she¡¯s the goddess of betrayal and treachery, can she even be trusted?


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. At the very least, when it comes to you, her words can be trusted.¡± Just as I was mulling over my next action, Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s voice suddenly appeared in my head like a ray of light on a pitch black night. At that very moment, I had completely forgotten about how many times she had gotten me into trouble and only had praises for her.


    ¡®I just knew my big sis can be trusted when push comes to shove. Your little brother loves you!¡¯


    ¡°The Spider Queen used to be a follower of his eminence, Lucifer. For his sake, she would go to any lengths. And you, little brother, because of some special circumstances, have become a purple winged Fallen Angel¡­ your body¡¯s heritage is not something you can hide from her eyes.¡±


    Ferti¡¯nier continued explaining in a solemn tone. ¡°Once you reach the level of a divinity, you can see through a person¡¯s body constitution in an instant. That was how she found out that your body is extremely closely related to Lucifer¡­¡±


    ¡®So that¡¯s how she mistook me as being Lucifer¡¯s child?¡¯


    ¡°No. She wasn¡¯t mistaken at all.¡± She decisively shot down that question. ¡°No matter how you look at it, you are definitely a child of Lucifer!¡±

 CHAPTER 422: HOW ABOUT YOU BE MY DAUGTHER?

    Hold on, she¡¯s a goddess, isn¡¯t she? She¡¯s an evil goddess, yes, but the last part is still true. That means she can control certain laws of this world! So the problem that has been plaguing me all this while can finally be resolved¡­


    ¡°Can you give me a gender then?¡± I asked gingerly, though rather than this being an exploratory question, it would be more accurate to call it a dearly held wish of mine, seeing as my eyes were practically sparkling at this point. For an evil goddess who had existed since time immemorial, such a task was probably easy.


    ¡°Of course.¡± She nodded her head without any hesitation. ¡°Your mum will make sure you become the most beautiful girl ever.¡±


    ¡°¡­why not a boy?¡±


    ¡°Because they are wretched things.¡± The moment Lolthe¡¯s projection said that, her face scrunched up like a person who had just stepped on a cockroach. Having said that, her eyes went wide for a second as if she had realised something as well. ¡°Naturally, your father is an exception.¡± She said with undisguised fervor. ¡°He¡¯s a god amongst men. Not like those other cockroaches!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± That¡¯s just not a fair comparison¡­


    ¡°A girl would be better. Pretty, fragrant, and when you eat them¡­ I mean, hug them, they are just so soft and comfy.¡±


    That was some R-rated stuff we almost got into right there. Also, when you say eat, do you mean eat or do you mean ¡®eat¡¯?


    ¡°But I don¡¯t want to be a girl!¡±


    ¡°Your father must have had his reasons for keeping you as an Origin Angel when he gave birth to you. As your mum, I can¡¯t just mess up his plans so haphazardly.¡±


    Well, aren¡¯t you getting all comfortable with calling yourself my mum? I haven¡¯t even acknowledged you yet!


    Looks like there is no choice. I have to use that.


    With a light cough and a twitching smile on my face, I turned towards the projection of Lolthe and said, ¡°if you can turn me into a boy, I¡¯ll call you mother dearest.¡±


    ¡°Mummy dearest!?¡± The moment I said that, I could see the unbridled greed flashing in her eyes, even through that projection of hers. I knew I had her then. Yet such a state only lasted a few seconds before her expression mellowed down.


    ¡°I still feel that your honorable father, Lucifer, must have had his own reasons for keeping you as an Origin Angel, so just mum is fine. There¡¯s no need for something so ostentatious as mother dearest.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Exactly how much of a die-hard fan are you?!


    ¡°But if you¡¯re willing to be a girl, I¡¯m more than happy to help you right this instant.¡±


    ¡°NO.¡± I didn¡¯t even need to consider before replying. Being a girl and all that¡­ sorry, but I¡¯ll pass!


    So you¡¯re saying, as long as it¡¯s a girl, it¡¯s fine¡­ exactly how much do you hate men? Don¡¯t you know that men and women are all equal? Gender discrimination is not cool!


    Naturally, all that talk about gender equality was all theoretical ¨C just philosophical musings ¨C nothing I would dare say out loud.


    Still, the question then became, what was the point of acknowledging her as my mum? Or perhaps it was more accurate to say, what were the advantages of doing so?


    That thought must have been written pretty clearly on my face at that point as the projection of Lolthe immediately said something that left me speechless after a quick glance in my direction. ¡°You want something else from your mum then?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ no¡­ I mean, never.¡±


    Phew. Almost admitted it there.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know? Kids mustn¡¯t be naughty, otherwise they have to be spanked.¡± Lolthe threw me a knowing smile and winked. ¡°The kind of spanking where you get hung up as well.¡±


    It was then that I remembered I was still a prisoner¡­


    ¡°Mo¨C Godmother!!!¡± I yelled with eyes closed. Mum was just too shameful for me to use so I settled on that compromise instead.


    The gate leading to the Western Human Realms had disappeared at this point. The two girls, Mo Na and Mo Ning, took this opportunity to exchange a silent glance with each other.


    Initially, both of them wanted to accompany Mo Ke across the gate but the gate only allowed for one person to cross it. Besides, Mo Ke had no way of knowing what motives the other party had so there was no way he would ever allow the two of them to cross the gate even if its capacity was higher. The Exchange Array still needed a lot of work before it could become functional so he decided to delegate the task of finding the remaining materials to Mo Na.


    As per his instructions, Mo Na would first seek out the Demon Fire Salamanders to procure the Eight-star heart of a Flame Devouring Fish. Then by making use of the salamanders¡¯ relationship with the Fire Elementals, she could then procure the last ingredient needed.


    However, while his plans might have seemed foolproof on the surface, his harem had another idea instead.


    Just seconds after Mo Ke left, Mo Ning, who suddenly came to the conclusion that she was now a stepmother, decided to break the ice with her new stepdaughter. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mo Na, while dearest is gone, I¡¯ll¡­¡±


    ¡°Mo Na doesn¡¯t like you!¡± The normally well-behaved and adorable Mo Na immediately interrupted her with a deathly glare. ¡°Mo Na hates you!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Completely ignorant to how she had offended this new stepdaughter of hers, Mo Ning couldn¡¯t help but feel a slight headache at that point. Wasn¡¯t she always a sweet little girl in front of Mo Ke? Was that all a front? Or perhaps she was really angry?


    ¡°Mo Na, is there some sort of misunderstanding between us?¡±


    ¡°Mama belongs to Mo Na, and no else!¡±


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    That was basically all she needed to hear.


    As she stared at the pouting girl with arms folded around her chest, Mo Ning couldn¡¯t help but wonder if perhaps her plans had been wrong from the start? However, that thought was swiftly stamped out.


    She liked females, that much was certain. And by her reckoning, it was almost a matter of time before the clan matched her up with some male steed of good pedigree. That was her fate for having a mutated bloodline and also being a female. Had she been a male, she probably would have been matched with multiple females instead. Either way, the plan was to spread the seed and produce multiple offsprings.


    That clearly didn¡¯t sit well with her at all. After all, how could you love the person when the gender wasn¡¯t right in the first place? This matter had grown to be a significant problem for Mo Ning. Thankfully, this problem didn¡¯t persist for long as a certain somebody suddenly came knocking on their clan¡¯s door, declaring his intent to conquer them. Pfft.


    Long story short, that somebody ended up with a mate who was a horse¡­ a horse.


    With regards to this new mate of hers, Mo Ning had nothing to complain about. Mo Ke¡¯s looks were top notch and a horse couldn¡¯t really ask for much more than that. That was why she treasured this relationship she had with Mo Ke and wanted to protect it. Unfortunately, their relationship always maintained a respectful distance. But as the saying went, even water can wear down rock given time. As long as she stuck to it, this summit that was Mo Ke would be conquered by her sooner or later.


    Even so, it didn¡¯t change the fact that Mo Ke was a tough nut to crack. That was when Mo Ning had the idea to try an indirect approach instead. If Mo Ke wasn¡¯t feasible, then how about those around him? Well, that seemed a good plan until Mo Na loudly declared her ownership of her mama.


    ¡°Now that¡¯s an interesting thing you said there.¡± Previously content with watching the show from the sidelines, Jeerah suddenly interrupted them before sashaying up to the two bickering females. She greeted Mo Ning with a mysterious smile then proceeded to address Mo Na. ¡°A flat-chested brat like you actually thinks she has a shot? Hah.¡±


    ¡°Who are you calling a flat-chested brat?¡±


    ¡°Clearly whoever answered.¡±


    ¡°Mo Na will grow bigger in the future, just you watch! Bigger than yours too!¡±


    ¡°We can talk about that when it happens.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    With no way to counter that, Mo Na dejectedly eyed her runway of a chest, then turned at Jeerah¡¯s own ample bosom. In all likelihood, catching up to her was going to take a while.


    As the saying went, it was never too late for a gentleman to have his revenge. Unfortunately, even a second was too long for a young girl like her.


    Finally, something snapped in her. She raised her dainty pink fingers and pointed at Jeerah. ¡°Get her, Cinderel!¡±


    ¡°Woof woof woof~~¡± Ever the loyal follower of Mo Na, Cinderel valiantly rushed to the rescue of her master. It was just too bad that this little puppy was still too young for that¡­ all her biting did was leave behind a rapidly fading bite mark on Jeerah.


    Seeing that, Jeerah couldn¡¯t help but want to laugh. She lifted up the fluffy little dog, and with a smile on her face, began swinging the dog back and forth until the poor little puppy¡¯s eyes were swimming with stars.


    (Say no to content thief!)


    ¡°That¡¯s enough playing for now.¡± Jeerah handed over the dizzy package in her hands to Mo Na then continued, ¡°are you trying to start something the moment my adorable master leaves? You¡¯d better be careful that I don¡¯t reveal your little act.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡± Mo Na looked down at the googly eyes dog in her hands, mind still plotting a way to get her revenge.

 CHAPTER 423: YOU MAY ADDRESS ME AS YOUR HOLINESS

    The location was the same cavernous hall I found myself in previously. Here I was, sitting atop the throne that was supposed to be Paliseth¡¯s while happily munching on the food offered up to me by Paliseth herself. The supposed master of the Shadowhunter clan was currently buttering me up while ten young, beautiful Dark Elves performed a sword dance.


    The Dark Elves had their own version of the sword dance that differed from the Wood Elves¡¯. A gamut of revisions had produced a sword dance that was decidedly more palatable. Especially because of those THICC white thighs¡­ and those bouncy bouncies¡­ Ahem. What I meant to say was that I had never seen the Wood Elves perform a sword dance myself, so I was more than shocked by the sheer audacity of their dressing¡­


    Not too long ago, I acknowledged the Spider Queen Lolthe as my godmother. Forced would have been a more appropriate term if I had my way¡­ but I digress.


    Upon formalising this new relationship, she gifted with me a mark then hastily left. After all, the last thing she wanted was to be found out by the other gods. One thing to note was that the Dryder she descended upon promptly kicked the spider bucket upon her departure¡­


    Having sent off my new godmother with a heavy heart, I soon discovered what the benefits of being her godson were.


    Maybe it¡¯s not bad being her son¡­ she is a world-famous evil goddess after all. Also, I¡¯m now the Holy Son of the Dark Elves!


    Such a grand title was something I wasn¡¯t accustomed to. But the feeling of being worshipped¡­ is spectacular! Mwhahahaha, bow before me, mortals!


    Pwah! I happily downed a cup of wine that was offered to me¡­ then choked on it. Cough¡­cough¡­ curses, shouldn¡¯t have drank it so fast¡­


    ¡°Your holiness¡­ are you alright?¡± Seeing me cough so violently, Paliseth immediately rushed to my side and began patting my back while she buried me in her chest. ¡°Is that better, your holiness?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± I stretched out my neck to get a better feel of her absurdly large puddings. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t get so much as a sniff in before I suddenly remembered that Paliseth was still the mom of the children of my idol, Solar-sama. I straightened out my bearing and gently pushed her away. ¡°Ahem. I think it would be better if we maintained an appropriate distance.¡±


    Being pushed away like that surprised Paliseth. Upon confirming that I really meant what I said, she gently said, ¡°Your holiness, do you dislike Paliseth?¡±


    Like I can even answer that question! Even if I could, it won¡¯t be the truth, am I right?


    In order to avoid more awkwardness, I kept quiet for a good two seconds before changing the topic. ¡°Where¡¯s Jezsere?¡±


    ¡°Older brother?¡± I raised my eyebrows. ¡°You mean Reyage?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    So she¡¯s with Reyage¡­ my worries were immediately alleviated by half. But only for a second. A moment later, I realised that meant that Reyage must have gotten into trouble.


    Not too long ago, Reyage had tried to rescue me from Arachne Cavern. And even though I still couldn¡¯t figure out why he went to such lengths to help me, I still remembered this favour¡­ Hmm. I bet she¡¯s still worried that I was angry at her for injuring Reyage so heavily when he tried to rescue me. I have to say though¡­ what an unfortunate child he is, to be slammed into the wall like that by his own mother. Simply unbearable.


    However, I had no intention of settling this score with Paliseth. After all, she technically wasn¡¯t wrong either -the best should be left for one¡¯s deity. She was merely fulfilling her duty. And now that we were all one big ¡®family¡¯, I shouldn¡¯t be too hard on her either.


    ¡°How is he doing?¡± Seeing as he had been on my side from the start, I should at least ask about his condition.


    Paliseth eyed me trepidatiously; she wasn¡¯t able to garner much from my reaction. Still, at least I was openly addressing this elephant in the room now. She knew this as well so she was completely forthright with me and summarised the current situation.


    ¡°He should be fine. I made sure to show some control when I hit him. He should be fine by tomorrow even if the wounds might have seemed really serious that day.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Have him rest first, I¡¯ll go find my own fun.¡± Hearing that he was alright was a relief. Since Jezsere was busy tending to him, she naturally had no time to accompany me either. Thus, I decided to have some fun by myself.


    I should ask Paliseth, I bet a Dark Elven city would have a ton of fun stuff to do.


    Hearing that I was off to find some fun, Paliseth¡¯s eyes first went wide then narrowed in on me. Finally, she cautiously asked, ¡°your holiness, are you looking for male company or female company?¡±


    Wait¡­ you don¡¯t even know what gender I am, do you?! Exactly how am I not a guy?! Why does everyone treat me like a girl wherever I go?! I dare you all to find a more manly man than me!


    The proverbial volcano had finally exploded. Thankfully, I was already used to such situations and swiftly calmed the raging fires within me. However, that didn¡¯t stop my previously smiling face from turning black in an instant. I shot a displeased look then stated in a low voice, ¡°I am a male, and I like females, got it?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­yes¡­ Paliseth understands completely.¡± She immediately lowered her eyes in subservience. Following that, she turned around to address the other Dark Elves in a sharp tone, ¡°The dancers stay behind. Everyone else, leave.¡±


    A short while later, the grand hall was emptied of any male Dark Elves, female guards and female servants. All that¡¯s left were those ten dancers who had stopped dancing by now and Paliseth.


    ¡°Well, what are you lot still standing there for?! His holiness requires your service!¡± Now that she was done giving out instructions, Paliseth stood up and prepared to leave. ¡°Your holiness, Paliseth won¡¯t get in the way of your fun then.¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­ hold on, don¡¯t leave¡­ Why are you even leaving? And why keep them here?¡±


    Seeing her try to leave, I hurriedly stopped her. Why? Because there were now ten beautiful dancers slowly closing in on me. Which wasn¡¯t the problem, actually. The problem was that they were also stripping at the same time!


    Given how sparsely clothed they were to begin with, it only took a few steps before they were completely exposed. Oh, those long legs¡­ fish! I didn¡¯t see anything. Nope. Nothing at all. My eyes are closed so you have to believe me¡­


    It wasn¡¯t like I hadn¡¯t seen a naked female before; there was that time with Nicole when she was still a child and Mo Na. The problem was that having these ten strip like that was just too titillating¡­ Really, why are they even stripping? They need to put something on quick or else I¡¯ll really see their naked selves.


    ¡°Can it be¡­¡± Seeing me so affected, Paliseth became a little troubled as well. ¡°Can it be that his holiness is interested in Paliseth? But Paliseth is no longer pure of body, she might taint his holiness¡¯s body¡­¡±


    Nark that¡­ I know I want to be free of my grand wizard status, but my pee pee is still on vacation here¡­ Oops¡­ I mean, there¡¯s no way I would ever do it with a bunch of women I had just met, even if they are Elves! Those thicc thighs won¡¯t sully my morals this day! Mhm.


    ¡°Quick, have them put on some clothes¡­ hold on¡­ why are you stripping as well? Put something on¡­¡±


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    Finally, after some significant persuasion, all the female Dark Elves present were fully dressed.


    Paliseth was seated back on her original seat with a knowing smile on her face as she gazed upon my crestfallen self. Clearly, she was up to no good once more.


    ¡°Your holiness, may I know what does fun refer to then?¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to have a look around¡­¡±


    Having gone through that whole fiasco with me just now, Paliseth had basically gotten accustomed to dealing with me. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if this centuries-old hag had completely seen through my personality at this point.


    Well, not like I care. My standing is miles above hers thanks to that cheap godmother I picked up on this little side trip. She doesn¡¯t have the guts to do anything to me.


    Hmph, if I¡¯m not happy with your service, you can be sure my godmother will hear about this!


    However, my displeasure only earned a thin smile from her -she had definitely seen through me! ¡°If your holiness wishes to have a tour around, my suggestion is the Arachne Cavern. That is our race¡¯s holy ground. Not only is that the place where we worship the goddess, it¡¯s also an important breeding ground for the Dryders. Normal Dark Elves do not even have the privilege of stepping into that area. But if it¡¯s your holiness, I¡¯m sure it wouldn¡¯t be a problem.


    Hearing those words again, I couldn¡¯t help but shudder involuntarily. ¡°Hahaha¡­ but we just came back from there¡­ that¡¯s not fun at all. How about somewhere else?¡±

 CHAPTER 424: EN ROUTE TO THE COLOSSEUM

    ¡°The colosseum? Sounds good, that was exactly what I had in mind.¡±


    Well, it¡¯s not like I have anything better to do right now. I might as well go visit this wide-acclaimed colosseum of theirs. It is, after all, the place where Solar-sama rose to fame. And as Solar-sama¡¯s diehard fan, it¡¯s only fitting that I make a pilgrimage to one of the holy sites


    where he worked his miracles.


    Yet who would have thought that the moment we decided on this plan, Jezsere¡¯s adorable little bunny head would suddenly show itself from around the corner ahead. As always, this timid little Dark Elf had her head down, lifting it up a little when she realised we were here. Her first reaction was to back away, most likely because our appearance startled her, or perhaps because Paliseth was a source of trauma for her. Either way, the moment she saw Paliseth, her body froze up, and a moment later, tried to turn around and flee.


    Unfortunately, she hadn¡¯t even gotten a step in before Paliseth called out to her.


    Seeing her own daughter act like a mouse trying to flee from a cat, even Paliseth was a little miffed. ¡°Jezsere, come greet his holiness.¡±


    ¡°Mast¡­master¡­¡± Caught like a bunny in a trap, Jezsere shuffled towards me uneasily first then glanced at her mother, though that only lasted a moment as she promptly lowered her head once more, ears beet red like she had been startled. ¡°Mother¡­ and master, how can Jezsere help you both?¡±


    ¡°What? We can¡¯t look for you without a reason now?¡±


    Unlike how she treated me, Paliseth was a stern matriarch to every other Dark Elf in her clan. With a simple glare, she could pressure any Dark Elf into submission. Jezsere could tell that her mother was displeased right now. Her body froze up once more and her face was a complete mess of confusion and terror. At this point, I would be surprised if she even remembered her name was Jezsere.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, don¡¯t bully her too much.¡± I sternly chided Paliseth then reached out to grab Jezsere¡¯s shivering hands. ¡°There, there. Don¡¯t be afraid, Jez, your master¡¯s here now. I would like to see who dares to bully you now.¡± I said in the gentlest tone possible to comfort her.


    Having said that, I quietly looked at Paliseth. If that old hag still had some wits about her, she would get what I was trying to say.


    As I expected, she knew what I wanted from that simple gesture. ¡°There, there. My little Jez, as long as you listen to his holiness, your mother promises to never scold you again.¡± She promptly switched her tone to match my own.


    Man, that old hag sure changes her tone faster than she changes her clothes¡­.


    Jezsere did not answer her right away. Instead, she shuffled closer to me to the point where even her scent was now stuck to my body.


    One way girls like Jezsere expressed their severe insecurity was through their excessive kindness. Unhealthy though that may be, it was this trait that often elicited the feeling of wanting to protect them from others¡­ Ahhh¡­ no wonder you¡¯re Solar-sama¡¯s daughter¡­ whether it¡¯s your looks or your personality, they are all numba one! And that¡¯s not just me saying so because I¡¯m a big fan, she really is a girl I couldn¡¯t bear to leave alone.


    As Paliseth led us towards the colosseum, I quietly leaned in on Jezsere and chatted with her. Before that however, I made use of my special privileges to order Paliseth not to bully timid girls like Jez and especially not force them to do things they did not want to do!


    ¡°Jez, weren¡¯t you looking after Reyage? What made you change your mind?¡± Because Paliseth had just mentioned that fact to me, I was more than surprised when we bumped into her along the hallway so soon. ¡°Oh, and how is Reyage doing? Is he alright?¡±


    ¡°Brother is resting right now, he¡¯s doing really well. By tomorrow, his wounds should be completely healed.¡± She answered while still grabbing onto my left arm. ¡°That¡¯s why I came out to find master¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, what for?¡±


    ¡°Nothing¡­¡± Jezsere shook her head before biting down on her lips. ¡°Jezsere just wanted to be by master¡¯s side¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Her current timidness was something I had to admit I liked. Naturally, if she were to be a little stronger, it wouldn¡¯t be a bad thing either. With that in mind, I smiled gently at her and pulled out my trump card: the legendary head pat.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, you can always lean on me when you need to.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Jezsere¡¯s eyes almost teared up at that moment. ¡°Jezsere loves her master!¡±


    Hearing her childishly confess her love to me, I couldn¡¯t help but kiss her gently on her head. Having done that, I turned around to face a Paliseth that was giving me a conflicted look right now. My eyes narrowed sharply as I addressed this old hag that still retained the looks of a teenage girl. ¡°Jez is mine, if you or anyone else tries to bully her¡­ believe me, you wouldn¡¯t want to deal with the consequences.¡±


    Now that I was the godson of the Spider Queen, the entire Dark Elf race basically belonged to me. In some sense, whatever I said could be interpreted as the will of the Spider Queen.


    Naturally, Paliseth wouldn¡¯t dare show any disrespect to such a person. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your holiness, I¡¯ll make sure to look after her from now on¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d better remember what you said today. Don¡¯t disappoint me.¡± I curled my lips to the corner. ¡°If I ever find out that you bullied her¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I won¡¯t disappoint you, your holiness.¡±


    Time flew by in an instant and it didn¡¯t take long before we found ourselves at the colosseum.


    The structure itself consisted of a gigantic empty ring with towering audience stands on all sides. In fact, if one were to look carefully, one could make out what looked like VIP booths in the distance. However, whether it was the audience stands, the VIP booths, the tunnels or the stairs that led up to them, they were all carved out of the cave wall.


    Honestly, I really had to hand it to these Elves. Putting aside all the rooms and halls I had passed by on the way here, this gigantic ring coming in at over one hundred meters must have taken considerable effort to dig out. Being as obsessed with beauty as one would expect any Elf to be, the VIP booths were also filled with all manner of intricately decorated furniture. Even the stairs that led to these stands were decorated with care. For example, on the back of every stone chair was a disturbingly lifelike spider carving while the tunnels were lined with dragons breathing fire. As for the stairways, they were lined with carvings depicting Dark Elven war history¡­ In short, everything had to be beautiful for these Elves.


    Under Paliseth¡¯s guidance, we were quickly brought to a neatly carved out booth. Not long after entering this booth, a bunch of Dark Elven maids bearing refreshments entered the room as well. One by one, they laid down their platters until the table was full.


    The food of the Dark Elves was a lot more varied than I had initially thought based on what they brought in. But this did not really surprise me much seeing as they often ambushed travelling caravans. The amount of loot they accumulated over the years was nothing to scoff at. In some sense, the region inhabited by the Dark Elves was akin to a Silk Road for the humans in the Western Human Realms. As long as the money was good, there would always be merchants daring enough to risk the journey.


    The Dark Elves knew of this fact as well. That was why they would sometimes let some caravans through unharmed. By doing so, they would give the false impression that certain caravans were more successful than others, and then¡­


    Honestly, everyone must have had that moment or two when they were young and thought that whatever they did was always right¡­ till they messed up badly anyway¡­


    Other than looting caravans, the Dark Elves also had their own farms and ranches. Amongst the races they kept captive, there was a lower-tiered race known as Duergars; they were the ones responsible for rearing the animals. The meats in the Underdepths were exactly what you would expect of a subterranean environment: dank. For example, one of the main sources of meat was the meat of the Rendworm, a creature similar to an extremely long earthworm but actually tasted great.


    In terms of agriculture, the Duergars had more to look after. Whatever melons, seeds, shrooms and plants that could survive underground were basically tended to by the Duergars.


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    The Duergars were outwardly frail looking and resembled a Gnome. However, what distinguished them from a Gnome was their hair. A Gnome was bald while Duergars naturally had a mohawk.


    The colosseums of the Dark Elves were open twenty four hours. Other than providing Dark Elves with an opponent of their choice to fight with, there were other forms of entertainment as well. At times, slave gladiators were pitted against starving magical beasts. Other times, they were set against other slave gladiators.


    Right now, there was a thirty or so year old human male old facing off against a wolf-type magical beast that had to at least be 1.5m meters tall when standing.


    This human was extremely muscular and wielded a gigantic hammer like a toy in the ring. With how fast he was swinging that weapon around, even water couldn¡¯t break through his defenses.


    His opponent was extremely quick, but it was no use. The wolf-like creature threw out multiple Windblades at the human but those were quickly smacked down by the spinning hammer. And with that gigantic hammer bearing ever closer to it, the wolf was slowly backed into the corner. Even so, it dared not risk that spinning hammer.

 CHAPTER 425: MUTUAL DESTRUCTION

    Now that his battle was over, the middle-aged male dragged his tired body towards the welcoming darkness of the exit tunnel. What awaited him at the end of this tunnel was rest that, while did not last all too long, was a guarantee that no other Dark Elf would come challenge him¡­


    Suddenly, two scantily clad female Dark Elves jumped off the audience stands and into the ring, landing almost at the same time.


    The two stopped the man in his tracks and seemed to be discussing some matter. After a short exchange, the human male nodded his head then retreated to the sides of the arena.


    Following that, the two Dark Elves slowly walked into the center of the ring, five meters apart in what looked like your pre-battle preparation. On one hand, a female dual wielding a pair of daggers. On the other, another female wielding a shield and a longsword. Neither side had any intention of backing out now and the tension in the air was nearly palpable. Both sides were ready to strike in an instant; all they needed now was a signal.


    Seeing that, the spectators immediately erupted in deafening cheers. Yet before I could even react to what was happening, Paliseth had begun explaining what had just happened. ¡°This is one of our customs. When a slave gladiator triumphs over a magical beast, any Dark Elf who takes a liking to him may jump into the ring¡­¡±


    So what she¡¯s saying is that those who jump down into the ring when a slave wins want to have a go at it in the bed with said slave. Of course, they can say no too, just like Solar-sama.


    At times like this, right after a slave¡¯s victory, there would often be multiple Dark Elves who jumped into the ring, and there came a problem. The Dark Elves were particularly voracious in bed. Not just anybody who could satisfy them, whether men or women. Because of that, often only one Dark Elf would ever receive approval, so what happened to the rest then? Seeing as that single male couldn¡¯t just be split into two, the only option left was to fight.


    Having just explained this, the fight below started.


    The dual-wielding female began circling her opponent slowly. On the flip side, the shield-bearing female adopted more of a wait-and-see stance. Wherever the dual-wielding female was, her shield would always be at the ready, one-meter tall body ready to take on any form of attack.


    The warrior-looking female wore a light set of armor that looked to be about 20 kilograms. It was made of a composite material consisting of some metal and bones. This armor covered the majority of her weak points, but the rest of the areas like the arms, the thighs and the stomach were all exposed.


    Based on that alone, one could tell that this female warrior was more of a balanced fighter; neither too agile nor too strong. While she might not have had the advantage in any field, her balanced style meant that she had no obvious weaknesses as well. It was such warriors who often proved to be a headache for assassins seeing as they relied on exploiting their opponent¡¯s weaknesses.


    Her rectangular shield meant that she held a distinct advantage against the assassin-class who usually did not have very strong head-on attacks. Plus her relatively light armor meant that she was able to maintain eye contact with the circling assassin. Her speed wouldn¡¯t lag behind the assassin by much either.


    Even with the assassin¡¯s faster circling, the female warrior still managed to keep her within her sights. For the assassin, this was the worst possible situation. A front assault was her weakest point. That was why she had no choice but to keep circling the warrior. At this rate, it wouldn¡¯t take long before this assassin began to show an opening due to fatigue. After all, it was a lot more taxing to circle an opponent than it was to just turn around. Not to mention the fact that warriors tended to have more endurance than an Assassin.


    Unfortunately, reality tended to play out in ways you would never expect: it was the female warrior who ended up showing an opening first. Because she was so busy maintaining eye contact with the female assassin, she failed to notice that her opponent had thrown a hidden weapon at her.


    The assassin¡¯s rapid circling meant that when she tossed out that knife at her opponent, the action was covered up by the blur of her running. This triangular knife darted towards its target like a typical kunai would in a ninja movie, yet it wasn¡¯t aimed at the female warrior at all. Instead, it was aimed at the patch of ground beside her.


    Because of this strange trajectory, the female warrior¡¯s instincts did not immediately react to the attack. Yet the instant that triangular knife hit the ground, it reflected off the ground like how a laser would, abruptly flying in a different direction that so happened to be the waist of the female warrior.


    By the time the female warrior felt the searing pain in her waist, her body had almost crumpled to the side. However, she forced her body up once more by using her massive shield as a support. With her right hand, she swung her longsword upwards, blocking the leaping attack of that assassin by sheer combat instincts.


    At this point, there was either victory or death. With a powerful kick of her feet, the female warrior launched herself off the ground using her shield. At the same time as that, she lifted her shield and kept it ahead to prevent any further sneak attacks by the assassin.


    While all that was happening, the female assassin was busy trying to finish off her opponent as well. Originally, she would have taken this opportunity to press her advantage, but that massive shield ended up foiling her two daggers once more. The moment that happened, the female warrior swung her shield with all the might she could summon, slamming it right into the belly of the assassin and pushing her into the ground. Then¡­ with a stab of her sword, it was over¡­


    A stab to end the battle¡­ right down the throat¡­


    ¡°WOOOOOOO!!!!¡±


    The stands erupted in cheers. Nearly everyone stood up in unison and began screaming at the top of their lungs. At the start, I thought they were all yelling at the warrior for being too vicious, but I soon discovered I was wrong. They were most definitely cheering. In some sense, this was what they were looking for, right? Blades against blades. A dance of life and death against a backdrop of blood¡­


    ¡°Ahh!¡± Just as the cheering reached its crescendo, Jezsere who had been beside me all this while practically jumped out of her seat in terror. She ducked into my arms once more and began shaking profusely, as if she was the one who got stabbed in the throat instead.


    I hurriedly wrapped my arms around her tightly and comforted her. However, even I had to admit that the scene just now was too much for my liking.


    Feeling a little parched all of a sudden, I swallowed down the saliva in my throat, but there was hardly any left to soothe my sore throat. I immediately grabbed one of the filled cups nearby and gulped it down. Unfortunately, no amount of honeyed drinks was going to wipe away the unpleasantness in my mouth right now. I furrowed my brows and sat there in silence for a good long while. Finally, I muttered in a low voice, ¡°She¡¯s dead¡­¡±


    The Elves always gave off that elegant, refined aura. Yes, even the chaotic Dark Elves. That was why I had assumed that the fights wouldn¡¯t end in death. They were of the same clan, after all. Yet¡­


    ¡°Your holiness¡­ did you not enjoy the festivities?¡± Paliseth gave me a confused look at that point. Perhaps in her mind, us Devils all loved watching people fight to the death for our sheer amusement.


    In truth, I wasn¡¯t all that against gladiatorial fights or deaths in general. After all, I had been through several fights myself so I knew what the world was really like. It was a Devil-eat Devil-world out there, and the weak were only good as prey. If you wanted to have a better life, someone had to suffer for it.


    Even amongst humans, there was a caste system. The only reason those in power were able to live in comfort was because of the slaves beneath them. Life wasn¡¯t fair like that. As a person of power, I was naturally the beneficiary of this unfairness as well, and I deserved every bit of retribution that came with it. All that talk about abolishing slavery and freedom¡­ that was too grand a stage for me. Of course, that didn¡¯t mean I was going to overlook every bit of cruelty that came my way. It was just that this reaction was mostly limited to feeling bad or shock for their unfortunate fate.


    All in all, my opinion towards gladiatorial fights were a nonstarter. Now, if there was a beautiful young girl somewhere that needed saving, I guess I could take the time to rescue her¡­ As for middle-aged men¡­ Oh, would you look at the time, I must be going now!


    But the moment it was about two beautiful Dark Elves girls fighting to the death in a gladiator ring which even resulted in one of them dying¡­ that was just such a waste.


    Why did they have to fight to the death? What manner of reasoning would push them to such extremes? It clearly wasn¡¯t for survival, nor was it for a better life. The only reason they even did that was because of a man. And this wasn¡¯t some noble love story either, it was just because they wanted to do it¡­ that¡¯s all.


    ¡°If I have to be perfectly honest, such deaths don¡¯t happen too often. They probably had some bad blood between them from the start.¡± Paliseth turned and smiled at me. ¡°Your holiness, are you not feeling well?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just feel it¡¯s kinda a shame¡­ after all, you Dark Elves have a long life ahead to live, plus¡­¡± At that point, I reached down and hugged Jezsere who up till now hadn¡¯t dared raise her head yet. I gently stroked her hair and said, ¡°you startled Jezsere.¡±

 CHAPTER 426: BRACKISHWATERS BRIDGE

    ¡°A subterranean river?¡±


    Paliseth nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right, the fishes from those waters are pretty good. The catfish that was served just now was fished from that very river.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s head out then.¡±


    It turned out that whether you were a human or an Elf, the first thing you looked for when constructing a city was a nearby source of water. This subterranean river was the very reason why the Shadowhunter clan decided to set root in this region. The river was an important source of fish for the city and was one of its main exports as well.


    Everyday, the Duergars would work hard to bring in all manner of fish for the city. At times, you would find the odd angler or two who just wanted to have a break and fish.


    The waters of this river weren¡¯t particularly fast and the river itself was at least ten meters wide. Its depth was said to be particularly deep, roughly coming in at over ten meters as well. That fact alone was enough to give me pause when looking at that river. After all, I did not know how to swim, and unlike Earth, there were river monsters in this world¡­


    Having noticed the hesitation in my eyes, Paliseth promptly pointed at a nearby fishing boat then warmly said as such, ¡°Your holiness, how about a quick boat ride to the other side? The area there is considered wilderness so we can do some hunting if you¡¯re not all that interested in fishing.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s fine.¡± I meekly rejected her suggestion. ¡°Rather than a boat, I would much rather trust my own wings.¡±


    The boat¡¯s fine¡­ but how about you guys take it, I¡¯ll just fly across.


    At that point, Paliseth uncharacteristically smiled tenderly at Jezsere and said, ¡°Jez, do you want to sit on the boat with your mother?¡± In all likelihood, this was her way of buttering up her daughter.


    Startled by this sudden change in behaviour, Jezsere subconsciously nodded her head but immediately shook it a second after once she realised what her mother was asking. She hesitated for a while more then meekly said, ¡°Jez¡­ Jez prefers to be with master¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­¡± She smiled a little sheepishly upon hearing that. Was that loneliness in her eyes? Or perhaps even that was a ruse. Either way, she quickly hid that smile and came over to comfort Jezsere who seemed to be on the verge of tears once more. ¡°In that case, Jezsere will be in your care then, your holiness.¡±


    ¡°My pleasure.¡±


    Grabbing onto her tender figure, I began ascending into the air with a flap of my wings. In order to protect her fragile psyche, I made sure to fly as slowly and as steadily as I could manage so as not to startle her.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­Jez is flying¡­ Jez is flying¡­ Master¡¯s so awesome¡­weee¡±


    Still seated on the fishing boat, Paliseth turned her head skywards when she heard her daughter¡¯s adorable laughter. Her lips curled into a soft smile at that. Right this very instant, she looked more like a loving mother than a stern matriarch who had just bullied her own daughter not too long ago. Whether or not that¡¯s true, who knew.


    To be perfectly honest, that answer was of no consequence either. As the godson of Lolthe, I was half a master to the entire Dark Elven race. While I might not have held any thought of uniting the clans, I definitely was more than open to using my position to protect Jezsere.


    Most likely because this was her first time flying, Jezsere happily stuck out her milky white arms like a pair of wings, lips still grinning from ear to ear. Right now, there were only the two of us flying across the river. And as I was still holding onto her tightly, I could distinctly smell the fragrance wafting off her nape. ¡°Jez, do you know how your mother sees you?¡±


    ¡°Mother¡­ Jez doesn¡¯t know at all¡­ but Jez is so useless¡­ she can¡¯t fight¡­ or get mad¡­ she can¡¯t even stand up to the Devil she summoned¡­¡±


    The moment I mentioned her mother, I could visibly see the joy drain from her eyes. She knew more than anyone else that she likely held no worth in her mother¡¯s eyes. If not, why would she even consider sending Jezsere to Arachne Cavern?


    However, the whole reason why this was even an issue was because she herself wasn¡¯t able to contribute, though her mother¡¯s own callousness had a huge part to play as well¡­


    Lest one forgot, the Dark Elves could be considered one of the evil races in a video game. Just like the neutrally-aligned humans or the good-natured Wood Elves, the Dark Elves had their own culture and way of living. As a warlike race, their whole culture revolved around might and using violence to get what they want.


    Whether it was the Duergars they enslaved or the merchant caravans they robbed, these were all precious resources they attained through blood and steel. Without this warlike attitude, the race itself would implode.


    Progress or death: that was the one constant the Dark Elves lived by. The higher up one was, the more they had to contribute.


    As the daughter of their clan¡¯s matriarch, the fact that she wasn¡¯t even at the level of an ordinary Dark Elf was in itself a threat to Paliseth¡¯s prestige. When one thought about it that way, it was only understandable that Paliseth did what she did. However, understanding was one thing, accepting it was another¡­


    Perhaps to Paliseth, Jezsere was nothing more than a deadweight. But to me, she was a kind, adorable girl that should be protected. Sigh¡­ sometimes, there were just some differences in opinions that couldn¡¯t be bridged. This was one of them.


    The fishing boat that Paliseth was on was three meters long and probably could only carry five others max. In that case, what about those dozen or so attendants following us? How long would it take to ferry them all across? Hold on¡­ what¡¯s that ahead¡­ is that a stone bridge I spy?


    I pointed at the distant bridge. ¡°Jez, what¡¯s a bridge doing here?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the Brackishwaters Bridge. At its widest, it can allow three Blood Drake Riders to cross it at the same time; it¡¯s the largest bridge in this region.¡± As she said that, there was a hint of pride in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that this bridge was built by our clan¡¯s ancestors. There are even fortifying arrays carved onto it so its physical and magical defenses are quite formidable. The bridge is also well-maintained so this is the bridge we usually use.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    So I¡¯ve been conned again? It has to be! No wonder it seemed so strange to me just now that there was no bridge for this river¡­


    A visibly refreshed Paliseth elegantly stepped off her boat at this point. She had originally intended to greet me again, but upon noticing the black expression on my face, she changed her mind. However, instead of being afraid, she used her hands to cover her mouth in what looked like an obvious attempt at stifling a laughter -her eyes were practically crescent moons at this point! ¡°Your holiness, what¡¯s the matter? Why do you seem so displeased?¡±


    ¡°Shut it, you know why I¡¯m angry.¡±


    ¡°Ohohoh¡­ your holiness is angry then? Then as penitence, Paliseth can only agree to be his holiness¡¯s bed warmer tonight. How about that?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I think I¡¯ll pass on that. Putting aside the fact that I have no pee pee now, I still wouldn¡¯t do it with her even if it was back. Besides, she¡¯s Solar-sama¡¯s wife and Jezsere¡¯s mother. A soft, timid girl would be better. That¡¯s right, I can just hug Jezsere to sleep tonight. I have no pee pee anyway, I can¡¯t even do anything to her even if I wanted to.


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    With that in mind, my mood improved considerably. However, the look I gave Jezsere right now turned a little strange. Realising that, Jezsere immediately blushed.


    ¡°Master¡­ if you look at Jezsere like that, she will be scared.¡±


    ¡°Of what? It¡¯s not like your master is going to eat you.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ but¡­¡±


    My little bunny quickly buried her head into my head and stayed silent. In contrast, I was chuckling happily like I had just secured a victory.


    While our little exchange went on, Paliseth watched silently with a faint smile on her lips. The fact that she hadn¡¯t interrupted us was just perfect. The last thing I wanted was for her to ruin the mood by bringing up bed warmers again¡­ Honestly, even I¡¯m a little scared that I might just cave in¡­ A milf is just¡­ cough, I mean I will never give up!


    Now that we had crossed the river, Brackishwaters, it was time for the hunt Paliseth had talked about. However, reality had another plan for us.


    Just as we were about to discuss the details of the hunt, the ground shook violently and a deafening boom rang in our ears. Ever one to be startled, Jezsere reflexively ducked into my arms once more.

 CHAPTER 427: ZURNALIN

    With the Brackishwaters River being so near the main city of the Shadowhunter clan, there was no way you could ever convince me that anyone could approach the city without being noticed. After all, the Dark Elves were not only expert assassins, they were expert trackers and scouts as well. In just those two fields alone, the Dark Elves were unmatched.


    Despite knowing that, I still couldn¡¯t help but furrow my brows as I asked, ¡°invaders, perhaps?¡±


    ¡°Impossible. No one can approach our territory without being detected.¡± Paliseth confidently refuted my concern. ¡°At this time¡­ perhaps it¡¯s the Blood Drake Riders returning from their field exercise?¡±


    ¡°Blood Drake Riders?¡±


    ¡°The Blood Drake Riders are the strongest mounted soldiers we Dark Elves possess. Every month, they would engage in a field combat exercise.¡± She smiled as she explained. ¡°That was five days ago so they should roughly be back by now.¡±


    Just as she finished explaining, the human-sized mushroom forest ahead of us was suddenly parted in half by a bunch of frightening, dark green monsters trampling over the mushrooms in front them.


    These monsters were almost three meters tall and had the typical dragon head but without horns. It stood on its two hindlegs while a pair of comparatively shrivelled up looking claws hung in front ¨C basically a Tyrannosaurus Rex with a dragon-looking head. However, that wasn¡¯t all there was to these monsters. Each of them wore a simple set of black armor that covered their head, chest, neck and thighs. On their backs was a saddle with a fully armored knight dressed in black.


    The armor on these knights wasn¡¯t of the heavy variant. Rather, they seemed heavier than your normal light armor but just not to the extent of a plate mail. Every one of them had on a fierce mask that resembled the hideous visage of a Devil. Their headdress even had a pair of bull horns that curved upwards like a Devil¡¯s. From far, they looked more like demons than Dark Elves.


    (Rumbling noises.)


    The Blood Drake Riders galloped onwards in a straight line towards the Brackishwaters Bridge, passing by us with several dozens of meters to spare. The lead rider seemed to have noticed our presence and ordered the riders to halt in the clearing. Then, with two other attendant riders, she rode towards us.


    ¡°Wait¡­ if those Undermarsh Murlocs can swim in water, and that Fluorescent Swamp you mentioned clearly is a swamp, then¡­¡±


    I was a little confused about what she just said so I had to pause for a second there out of sheer puzzlement. ¡°Those Blood Drake Riders don¡¯t really look like they can swim or even move about freely in a swamp¡­¡±


    Swamp, river, armor, dinosaur¡­ hmm¡­ no matter how you look at it, those armored riders don¡¯t seem very buoyant. In fact, can they even navigate a swamp?


    ¡°Blood Drakes can all swim. Plus, their original habitat is a swamp so there is no better choice than them to hunt these Murlocs.¡±


    The moment she said that, I swore my jaw fell right into the river. The fact that a tyrannous rex with a dragon head could actually navigate through a swamp with ease and was even proficient in swimming was just¡­ no wonder they say you can¡¯t judge a book by its cover, or a Dark Elf by her marital status. Even monsters aren¡¯t an exception anymore¡­ geez.


    While we were conversing, what seemed like the leader of the Blood Drake Riders came up to us with a pair of attendants. The three riders hopped off their mounts and half knelt towards Paliseth. The leader in the center of them even took off her headdress as she did so, revealing a flowing head of silvery hair that fell to her shoulders. The face beneath was an androgynous one that lingered between the boundaries of handsome and beautiful. However, while her beauty was a little ambiguous, the resolve in her eyes were anything but. She was a warrior. And a proud one at that.


    ¡°Interim Blood Drake Rider Corp Leader Zurnalin pays her respect to the Matriarch.¡±


    Zurnalin had a short hairstyle which only reached up to her mantle. She herself was a mature lady that could be considered both handsome or beautiful at the same time. Even as she knelt with her headdress under her arm in subservience, that did nothing to lessen the imposing aura she gave off as a battle-hardened warrior. While one could not tell if her respect was genuine based on that emotionless expression she had on, but there was no faulting her etiquette.


    The question then was this¡­ does that iceblock of a face ever thaw?


    ¡°Zurnalin, before paying your respects to me, I would first like to introduce his holiness to you.¡± Paliseth gestured towards me. ¡°Sir Mo Ke is the child of our great goddess, Lolthe. You may address him as his holiness. You must respect his holiness the same way you respect our goddess.¡±


    ¡°Your holiness.¡±


    Zurnalin addressed me with that same icy look she gave Paliseth. However, I could detect a distinct aloofness in her tone like how one would address a pet dog or cat someone shoved in your face.


    ¡°Hello¡­¡±


    Faced with an ice queen like her, even I wasn¡¯t sure how to interact with her at this point. Thankfully, Paliseth was already well accustomed to this corp leader. She first gave me a mysterious smile then pointed in my direction again.


    ¡°Zurnalin, his holiness is the goddess¡¯s representative in the mortal plane, the highest manifestation of the goddess¡¯s will. You have to show his holiness the same respect you show the goddess¡­¡±


    Suddenly, before Paliseth could even finish her sentence, Zurnalin¡¯s otherwise frigid face underwent a huge gamut of changes. From aloofness, to neutral, to joy, then finally to fervor¡­ she had basically cycled through the whole range of emotions a person could possibly show in a single second. Long story short, she¡¯s scary! What the heck is going on here¡­


    ¡°Your holiness! Please allow me to bear your holiness¡¯s seed!¡±


    Zurnalin was shaking profusely at this point. Gone was her previous iciness, replaced by a scorching passion that threatened to swallow me whole¡­ is this how a stud feels?


    Her sudden change really threw me off-kilter. Even now, I still couldn¡¯t figure out what caused this sudden change in her. The disparity she showed was even larger than my pee pee¡­ ahem¡­ I mean, her delayed reaction was really something¡­


    Hey! Don¡¯t grab my leg like that. Where¡¯s my icy queen? Where¡¯s my proud warrior?


    Finally, with the aid of Paliseth and Jezsere, I managed to pry myself from her clawing grip. Geez, why did I ever think that she was mature¡­ she clearly has a screw loose in her head.


    While it was true that I had my fair share of fervent fans -like those Devils in Purgatory or Abaddon ¨C none of them dared to grab my leg like that. Especially since their compatriots would have already clobbered them to death the moment they even thought about it. So, really, this was a new experience for me.


    After a long talk with Paliseth, the corp leader finally realised how inappropriate she was acting right now. Slowly, she released her grip on me, albeit unwillingly, then turned her attention to Paliseth.


    ¡°How was the fight with the Murlocs?¡±


    ¡°Excellent.¡±


    Now that she was back to addressing Paliseth, she reverted back to her icy self. Her words were curt but filled with vigor. Just based on that single word alone, one could tell that she was a tested warrior, a noble knight you could entrust your back to.


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    At least¡­ that was before that whole leg grabbing incident. Had it not been for that, I would have never pegged her as a nutcase.


    ¡°Elaborate further.¡±


    ¡°I had our troops seal off the tunnel connecting Fluorescent Swamp and the Brackishwaters River. Next, I led a hundred elite riders right into the swamp to raid their nest. We suffered no casualties but killed nearly a thousand Murlocs.¡±


    ¡°Very good. I¡¯m sure those dirty fishes won¡¯t dare invade our river for a good long while.¡± Paliseth nodded her head in satisfaction. ¡°How is the progress going with the hybrid Blood Drakes?¡±


    ¡°The rearing is proceeding smoothly but their personalities are too varied. They aren¡¯t very good mounts.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s alright. Their combat strength compared to the normal Blood Drakes more than makes up for it. As long as they listen to orders, it¡¯s fine¡­¡±

 CHAPTER 428: A BUNCH OF DIFFICULT WOMEN

    A Demoness refers to a female who worships and serves a Devil. Normally, such a privilege is only available to Devils that are Eight-star and above. However, the real way of defining a Demoness is a female who has attained the power of a Devil, and only Devil Overlords are able to bestow such a power on their supplicants.


    When a Demoness is bestowed powers by her Devil master, she awakens a number of abilities that are tied to her bloodlines and the Devil she worships.


    Some Demoness gain the ability to summon Devils while some gain the ability to shapeshift. Then there are also those who gain the ability to harvest souls. The number of abilities available to awaken are countless, but the one thing in common is that every Demoness is adept at hiding themselves. Unless a Demon Hunter has been specially trained in this field, even they wouldn¡¯t be able to differentiate a normal human from a Demoness.


    ¡ª- From |Demoness¡¯s Hammer|


    My plan was to have a tour around the outskirts of the city, however that was quickly disrupted when a Dark Elven messenger came looking for us. Upon opening that missive, Paliseth immediately recognised the urgency of the matter.


    ¡°Your holiness, I¡¯m afraid Paliseth is unable to accompany you for the time being.¡±


    Ever since opening that letter, Paliseth¡¯s expression could only be described by one word: black. Even as she apologized for her departure, I could faintly detect a hint of anger in her voice.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Have a look, your holiness.¡± She didn¡¯t answer me directly but instead handed over the missive.


    Upon looking at the letter in question, my eyes glazed over¡­ it was completely written in the encrypted language of the Dark Elves¡­ and I had no idea how to read it¡­


    The corners of my mouth twitched slightly as I handed the letter back to Paliseth. ¡°Maybe you should read it to me instead¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    At that point, she must have realised the problem as well. ¡°There¡¯s been a sighting of a Minotaur¡¯s Labyrinth roughly 50km south of our city, and it¡¯s currently inhabited by a horde of Minotaurs.¡±


    Simply put, the report mentioned that the Minotaurs in that labyrinth were suddenly acting up. In just a single night alone, they destroyed three sentry posts belonging to the Shadowhunter Clan.


    Had it not been for one of the sentries risking his or her life to bring this message back to a nearby military base, those minotaurs might already be knocking on the gates of Shadowhunter City.


    Fun fact: Minotaurs were said to have come from a union between a female human and a cow-type magical beast. Also, that female¡¯s husband was said to be a king of a country.


    Hearing Paliseth recount the events in the south, our resident proud knight, Zurnalin immediately made herself known to us. This proud warrior really was a mystery to me. In front me, she was your typical crazed idol-chaser. In front of everyone else, including Paliseth, she was a walking ice block.


    ¡°Matriarch, I humbly request to take part in this battle.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ it is true that only the Blood Drake Riders can guarantee a victory against the mighty Minotaurs.¡± Paliseth nodded her head without a second thought. ¡°Bring the hybrid Blood Drakes as well, we can use this battle as a test of their strength.


    With Paliseth¡¯s approval secured, Zurnalin turned around and bowed her head apologetically towards me. ¡°My apologies, your holiness, Zurnalin has a duty to fulfill and can¡¯t accompany you any further.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, you do you. I still have Jezsere to keep me company.¡± Finally presented with the chance to rid myself of this crazy lady, my smile couldn¡¯t have been any brighter as I wished her well. ¡°Be careful during the battle, your safety is important as well.¡±


    Naturally, that was just routine courtesy on my part, though I really was happy about sending her off. However, who would have thought that a simple statement would actually bring her to tears.


    ¡°His holiness actually cares about me¡­¡± She passionately pulled me into an embrace and even tried to kiss me. ¡°I just knew his holiness cared about me¡­ this is great¡­ Your holiness, please allow Zurnalin to leave your side temporarily. Once the southern battle is over, Zurnalin will immediately come back to fulfill her natural obligations!¡±


    Maybe you shouldn¡¯t come back at all¡­


    I hurriedly pushed her away, barely avoiding her luscious lips in the process. She wasn¡¯t all too happy about that but I did not have much choice. ¡°About that¡­ Zurnalin¡­ I hate to break it to you but it¡¯s impossible for the two of us¡­¡±


    ¡°Why? Does his holiness dislike Zurnalin?¡± The moment she heard me reject her, her tears flowed even more. ¡°Zurnalin has always maintained a pure body. She has never had any intimate contact with another man¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not accusing you of that¡­ your chastity is not in question at all¡­ it¡¯s just¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t continue any further at that point. After all, my pee pee was still on vacation and even if she was willing, I wasn¡¯t able to comply. Besides, I didn¡¯t feel any attachment to her at all. Somehow, unknowingly, I was now set on the path of the legendary harem¡­ I wonder what would happen if I ended up accepting too many girls into my harem, will there be a bloodbath¡­


    My words ended up being stuck in my throat. Seeing that there was no answer forthcoming even after a long while, Zurnalin was starting to get a little anxious. She desperately wanted to know why I rejected her but she dared not press the issue too much as well. Finally, Paliseth leaned in and whispered a few words in her eyes. It was then that she nodded her head, seemingly having realised something. However, the passion in her eyes did not wane in the slightest.


    ¡°Your holiness, there¡¯s no need to worry at all, even two females are able to have a child together. There¡¯s no need for a wretched male!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Hey, I¡¯m one of those wretched males as well. I think there¡¯s been a fundamental misunderstanding here: I¡¯m not a female at all. I just don¡¯t have a pee pee right now. There¡¯s a big difference between not having a pee pee and being a girl, don¡¯t just lump the two together because they both don¡¯t have a pee pee!


    ¡°Jezsere wants to have a child with the master too¡­¡± Jezsere shyly blurted out. However, the moment she said that, her face blushed a furious red to the point where I was beginning to wonder if blood was about to come out.


    Even Jezsere has fallen, I see¡­


    ¡°Spare me, Jezsere, I¡¯m about to faint already¡­¡±


    At the side, Paliseth could barely hold back her laughter as she watched her subordinate and daughter push me to the brink. Finally, she stepped in to save the day. ¡°Alright, alright. Zurnalin, we need to return to the city right now. We still have a lot of work to do.¡±


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    ¡°Understood, Matriarch.¡±


    Now that that whole farce was over, Paliseth and Zurnalin both left for Shadowhunter City while Jezsere and I stayed behind to continue our riverside tour. Before leaving, Zurnalin had her two Six-star attendants guard us while we continued on.


    First on the list was fishing. However, we didn¡¯t get to do this for long before Jezsere finally ran out of patience and threw aside her fishing pole. She promptly grabbed onto my arms and looked me straight in the eyes. ¡°Master, let¡¯s go for a boat ride.¡±


    Hearing that, I was immediately reminded of that tiny boat parked by the banks and the obvious redundancy of it. ¡°Let¡¯s not.¡± I sternly refused. ¡°How about we hike through the mushroom forest instead?¡±


    The mushroom forest was one the specialties of underground life. The forest itself was made up of countless giant mushrooms and reached up to heights I would have never expected to see back on Earth. Honestly, the first time I saw the mushroom forest, I had this feeling of stepping into a fairy tale.


    ¡°No¡­¡± She meekly objected. From the look of disgust in her eyes, it was obvious she wasn¡¯t very happy about the idea. Finally, after much prodding, she came clean. ¡°It¡¯s because the forest is full of bugs¡­ Jezsere doesn¡¯t like bugs.¡±


    So she¡¯s afraid of bugs¡­ I guess that¡¯s only to be expected. Heck, I hate them too. After all, they are troublesome creatures. Stupid, dim, oh and stupid too, did I say that yet? In fact, if you put them under a magnifying glass, they are basically miniature monsters.


    Since the mushroom forest was out of the question, we continued our fishing while chatting. Suddenly, the silent up till now attendants abruptly reached for their waists. With a flick of their wrists, a bunch of flying daggers launched out towards the Brackishwaters River. An intruder?!


    Before I could even figure out the situation however, the answer came lurking out of the river surface.


    A blackish half-fish humanoid poked its head out of the river, finally reaching up to 1.6 meters when fully erect. It wielded a two meter long stone spear that ominously preceded its arrival. Unfortunately, before it could even make a move, it was already face to face with the flying daggers the attendants tossed out. A flash of red later, the Murloc was left with a gaping hole in its head. Behind it, the flying dagger was still flying strong into the river. Just like that, its life ended before it even knew what had happened.


    Yet at the same time its body collapsed into the river, countless bubbles began rising to the surface. That lone Murloc was just the beginning. Even if one of them died, there were plenty more to come. In the blink of an eye, over a dozen Murlocs reared their ugly heads and walked up to land. Behind them, I spotted even more silhouettes approaching the river bank.


    ¡°Intruders! Protect his holiness!¡±


    The attendant who scored first blood immediately called for her companions to take up formation with her. In less than a second, I was surrounded by ten Six-star Dark Elves. Of the ten, five of them were already engaging with the Murloc horde. The rest slowly backed away while escorting me and Jezsere to safety.


    ¡°Master¡­¡±

 CHAPTER 429: ATTACK OF THE MURLOCS

    How to determine if a female is a Demoness:


    Throw the suspected Demoness into a confinement facility where they hold heresy trials. If the suspect is afraid, then she must be a Demoness. If she isn¡¯t, that¡¯s still no guarantee that she isn¡¯t a Demoness. After all, her Devil patron might have given her the ability to resist sacred mana.


    Whip the suspected Demoness. If she feels pain, then she must be a Demoness. But if she doesn¡¯t feel pain, that¡¯s still no guarantee that she isn¡¯t a Demoness. After all, her Devil Patron might have given her the ability to resist the sacred whip.


    Have the suspected Demoness hug a heated iron for a minute. Check the wounds after three days. If there are burn marks, then she must be a Demoness. But if there aren¡¯t any burn marks, that¡¯s still no guarantee that she isn¡¯t a Demoness. After all, her Devil Patron might have given her the ability to resist flames.


    Tie up the suspected Demoness and toss her into a large body of water. If she floats, then she must be a Demoness. But even if she sinks, that¡¯s still no guarantee that she isn¡¯t a Demoness. After all, her Devil Patron might have given her the ability to sink.


    Use a needle to prick the suspected Demoness¡¯s hand. If she experiences pain and starts to bleed, then she is innocent. If she doesn¡¯t feel pain or bleed, then she must be a Demoness. But even if she bleeds and feels pains, that¡¯s still no guarantee that she is innocent. After all, her Devil Patron might have given her the ability to bleed and scream in pain.


    ¡ª From |Demoness¡¯s Hammer|


    Note to future readers: Because the methods listed in |Demoness¡¯s Hammer| have been proven dubious at best, the book has been declared as obsolete for a long time now. While there have been cases of certain kingdoms running out of females due to adherence to this book, these cases are merely the result of the natural course of history, definitely not the fault of religion.


    The Murlocs who suddenly attacked us were all pitch black from top to toe. Each of them had a pair of human hands and legs. However, there was a membrane between each appendage that connected every finger or toe in the fashion of a duck¡¯s feet.


    These black Murlocs all wielded stone spears, though there was always that oddball or two who wanted to be different and wielded a stone blade instead.


    By the dozens, these fishy humanoids rushed up the river banks right at us. With just a quick glance, I counted at least a hundred Murlocs on land right now. In a mere moment, they had already surrounded the five attendants trying to cover our retreat. Yet even then their numbers did not stop increasing.


    ¡°Mgrrrllllll!¡±


    ¡°Leave quickly! The two of you must protect his holiness no matter the cost!¡±


    One of the three attendants yelled out without even turning around to face her companions. Following that, a Murloc stone spear rammed right into her shield and she no longer had the time to monitor our situation. Her shield held fast, and she took this opportunity to stab the unfortunate Murloc right through its brains with her longsword.


    With barely any resistance at all, she quickly withdrew her bloody sword and slammed her shield into another incoming Murloc. A flash of steel later, that foolish Murloc¡¯s stone spear was split in half!


    Yet this attendant wasn¡¯t the only one performing admirably right now. Her two other companions had racked up an impressive kill score in the few seconds of engagement. No matter who it was, those that tried to bypass them were slain without remorse!


    Just what you¡¯d expect of a Dark Elven Six-star, they really don¡¯t fool around when it comes to killing, do they? I doubt those fishies have any warrior that can stand up to their steel wall.


    Unfortunately, my optimism was quickly disproved by the sheer numbers the Murlocs brought to bear this time. In just the blink of an eye, another hundred black Murlocs came waddling up onto land. Even though these were mostly all One-stars, there were still some Two-star, Three-star elites mixed in with the horde. At times, there was even the odd Murloc Warleader or two who possessed the strength of a Four-star.


    Individually, these Murlocs were clearly not a match for the attendants. However, their sheer numbers meant that it was only a time before the attendants were all buried by their warriors.


    Because of that, there soon appeared several dozens of Murlocs who managed to break through the defensive lines created by the eight attendants.


    ¡°Your holiness, please make your escape without us, we¡¯ll hold them back here.¡±


    Faced with an ever-growing horde of Murlocs, the last two attendants made the difficult decision to stay behind. Through their sacrifice, they planned to buy Jezsere and I the time we needed to escape. Without any hesitation whatsoever, the two of them took up the same formation their sisters used previously. By now, the Murlocs were already within smelling distance of us. The two Dark Elves raised their shield to block the incoming barrage of spears, then slammed down on the nearest Murloc, stunning him for a quick sword kill.


    Thanks to their combination of sword and shield, they were able to rotate smoothly between defense and offense, not at all like an assassin¡¯s dual wielding style which left one open at times. In a chaotic battle like this, their balanced style was proving highly effective, especially since their shields served as a means to stun their opponents as well. Because the stone spears weren¡¯t able to pierce their shields, that meant that they didn¡¯t have to dodge any projectiles either.


    These Six-star Dark Elves were not only accomplished warriors, they were mages as well. In other words, they were Magisters. While they might not have been able to blast off huge spells instantly like the mages, they could still cast defensive and small-scale spells instantly. Yet it was this difference in spellcasting ability that proved decisive in this battle of attrition. Without the ability to fire off huge area-of-effect spells instantly, it meant that they had no chance to fire off any such spells at all. Without any huge area-of-effect spells to deal with this horde, the Dark Elves were doomed to failure.


    At this rate, it was only a matter of time before all ten of them fell, assuming of course, that I didn¡¯t intervene.


    No matter what the reason was, it was a fact that these attendants were risking their lives in order to protect me and Jezsere. No matter what, I wasn¡¯t about to let a beautiful lady just die like that, especially not ten of them. Grabbing my adorable little white bunny, I began beating my purple wings and fired off a rain of feathers at the incoming Murlocs.


    Normally, my Mana Feathers weren¡¯t all that deadly against opponents of my level. However, what if they were all lower starred? Against these Murlocs, my Mana Feathers were basically a one shot one kill skill. In fact, I was practically bullying them now.


    ¡°Mgwwwrrrrr!¡±


    Countless Murlocs were turned into hedgehogs in an instant by my Mana Feathers. While not all of them might have died, that wasn¡¯t a problem either. After all, my Mana Feathers were all imbued with my consciousness. And recently, I developed a new add-on skill on top of Rising Feathers: Feather Explosion!


    Because these Mana Feather did not contain all that much mana within them to begin with, the resulting explosion was a small one as well. Even so, it was enough to blow a tiny but bloody hole into any Murloc unfortunate enough to be pricked. Those who fell victim to my new skill immediately fell to the ground gurgling in pain. The sheer pain contained within each gurgle was enough to affect those who weren¡¯t even injured.


    Perhaps it was because this resulting scene was just too bloody, or perhaps the thought of being blown up was too terrifying, but the remaining Murlocs finally halted their relentless charge and began to retreat.


    However, that didn¡¯t mean this battle was over either. A real battlefield was always as fluid as water. Even when you thought that the opponent was routed, there was always that sliver of chance that they recovered. While my Mana Feathers were able to cause severe injuries, that didn¡¯t mean that everyone affected was dead either. Some of the stronger willed Murlocs began to rise to their feet, albeit shakily. Despite that, these wounded warriors still charged fearlessly at the attendants, hoping to at least drag down one of them in a last hurrah. Seeing that, even the retreating Murlocs were inspired to action once more.


    The horde began reforming for another wave of attack at the Dark Elves who had just gained a brief moment of respite.


    In a lot of ways, such relentless attacks were the very antithesis of Dark Elven tactics. Dark Elves, and Elves in general, all favored agile tactics, and not brute force. If one had to attach a number to the strength of these Elves, then their strength would be 0.8 times that of a normal human¡¯s. Just based on that fact alone, Elves weren¡¯t suited for battles of attrition.


    Blast it, I think my Mana Feathers ended up spurring them on instead. At this rate, even me and Jezsere might be in trouble.

 CHAPTER 430: THE MURLOC SHAMAN

    Jezsere was already on the verge of tears at this point. The timid girl that she was clearly wasn¡¯t prepared for a sudden attack. However, because she was worried that her crying might affect me, she forcefully held back any further crying. Even so, her shivering hands grasping on my arms was more than enough of a signal to me that she was very afraid. With how close she was to me now, her fragrance was constantly wafting into my nose, but I wasn¡¯t in any position to bask in its glory for the time being.


    Curse you, look what you fish heads did! My lucky charm is all scared now. You¡¯d better watch out, else I¡¯ll get my Devil King Idol to make fish paste out of all of you.


    Yet just when I was about to call forth my Devil King Idol to flatten them, a spinning stone spear came screeching towards me from a distance away. Just from how furiously it was rotating, I could already tell it was going to be at least a few times stronger than an ordinary stone spear. Naturally, I had no intention of testing my luck against such an attack. I grabbed Jezsere by the waist and tumbled to the floor, narrowly dodging the spear.


    You¡¯re all dead! Who was that that threw the spear? I¡¯ll teach you to try and ambush me like that!


    I gazed in the direction of the spear and so happened to come upon a weaponless Murloc still standing in a daze¡­ that¡¯s the one! It has to be him!


    My eyes narrowed in on the soon-to-be dead fish, and with a flap of my wings, sent a volley of Mana Feathers right at him. This time, I didn¡¯t just fire them out as usual. Thanks to the inspiration from that spinning spear, I had the brilliant idea to add a high-speed rotation to my Mana Feathers as well.


    Thanks to that, my Mana Feathers seemed more like drills than feathers as they sped towards the dazed Murloc¡­


    An instant later, the Mana Feathers had closed the gap between us thanks to its newfound speed, piercing right through the eyes of that Murloc without any difficulty whatsoever!


    However, that wasn¡¯t the end either. After killing the first Murloc, my Mana Feathers continued onwards without any signs of slowing down at all. It was only until it collided with the third Murloc that it finally exploded, leaving that poor Murloc with horrendous injuries.


    The sheer power demonstrated in just the short span of a few seconds was so shocking, it even startled me. Never would I have expected that just adding a spin to these Mana Feathers would lead to such a massive increase in penetration power. Not only did that one single volley kill off two Murlocs, it even maimed a third when it no longer had the power to pierce it. Now, that just wasn¡¯t fair!


    Barely a second later, I was already focusing my mana into a volley of my new and improved Mana Feathers. A couple of flaps later, I had easily slain over a dozen Murlocs.


    Seeing how I was able to massacre their brethren so easily with one spell, even their renewed morale wasn¡¯t enough to prevent the survivors from routing. With a nonsensical but fear-filled gurgle, the survivors all scrambled towards the safety of the river. As they stumbled head over tail to escape, everyone of them was cursing their parents right now for not giving them a longer pair of legs.


    ¡°Brrrrggwwwlll¡­¡±


    Their desperate escape did not go unnoticed by the other Murlocs either. Even those who were engaged with the Dark Elves were starting to rout thanks to the franticness they displayed. While these Murlocs might have put on a heroic front when faced with a foe weaker than them, but when push came to shove, they were all more than happy to turn tail and run. Simply put, they were all bullies.


    The rest of the Dark Elven attendants were immediately inspired by the sudden reversal in fortunes. One after the other, they pulled out every move they knew to try and take down as many Murlocs as possible. At the same time, they took the opportunity to slowly reform into one group. With their skillful sword and shield tactics, they managed to achieve this in mere seconds.


    Now that they were together once more, all that was left was to finish off the Murlocs and secure this victory.


    Phew¡­ that¡¯s the end of this battle at least. Blasted fish.


    However, that optimism only lasted a few seconds before the routed Murlocs suddenly turned around to attack us once more¡­


    ¡°Brrrrrr~~~~¡±


    That was the sound of a shellhorn blowing. The moment I heard those notes, my head began pounding with a fury that was only matched by the shaking I felt in my arms. I looked down and found Jezsere in an even worse shape than me right now. Both her hands were covering her pointy Elf ears while her body continued shaking uncontrollably.


    ¡°Master¡­ the sound.. It hurts¡­¡±


    With no time to lose, I hurriedly hugged her tighter, then with a hefty flap of my wings, retreated a good dozen meters back. Thankfully, this booming horn sound only lasted a short while before it stopped. It was then that Jezsere recovered some semblance of control as well. Her adorable little head was still swaying about in a daze while she hyperventilated slightly.


    ¡°Jez, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Jez is¡­ fine..¡± Even though she said that, she was still limp in my arms.


    Concerned, I reached out to message her temples while gazing cautiously in the direction of the river banks. ¡°Do you know what that was just now?¡±


    As of this moment, the Murlocs were all charging at us with a speed that put their previous escape to shame. Gurgles abound, they rammed into the ten Dark Elves and easily surrounded them in a few seconds.


    It was then that I spotted a relatively weaker Murloc jumping onto land. This Murloc wasn¡¯t wielding a stone weapon like the others. Instead, it held a magical staff that seemed to be made out of wood. The head of the staff was carved into the shape of a spiral with a tiny fist-sized pearl in its center.


    What was also worth mentioning was that this diminutive Murloc had a horn the size of a child¡¯s head by its waist. From the looks of things, this was the culprit behind that horn call.


    ¡°Master¡­ those should be the Undermarsh Murlocs, that staff wielder should be their shaman¡­¡± Our resident lucky charm began explaining, having recovered somewhat by now. ¡°A Murloc Shaman has the strength of a Five-star. That horn call just now is their battle hymn.¡±


    Battle hymn? So it¡¯s a skill to stir their battle spirits. Seems like it also has the side effect of suppressing their opponent¡¯s morale. No wonder they started charging at us like drugged-up attack hounds.


    With my wings, I could have left long ago with Jezsere if I wasn¡¯t concerned about those ten Dark Elf attendants. In fact, that thought did cross my mind a few times. However, I couldn¡¯t be sure if they would have been able to make it out on their own given how our enemy¡¯s numbers were still unknown. Besides, I still had the Devil King Idol as a backup plan. That was why I was able to calmly stay behind and watch even now¡­ Hmmm¡­ but the Undermarsh Murlocs huh¡­ I thought Zurnalin had already taken care of them? What are those dumb fishies doing here then? Aren¡¯t they afraid of being defeated by the Blood Drake Riders again?


    Still, their numbers are really something to reckon with. There has to be at least a thousand of them on shore right now¡­I can still fly away, but the attendants have already been surrounded. Looks like capturing that shaman is the only out now.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind me and Jezsere, get that Murloc Shaman, quick!¡±


    As the saying went, cut off the head and the body will die. The moment that shaman stepped onto land, I immediately realised that it was the key to this battle ending.


    ¡°Understood, your holiness.¡±


    Having received my orders, the attendants immediately sprang into action, rushing in a beeline towards the shaman. With their powerful swords and shield, they cleaved a bloody road all the way through the Murloc horde. At this point, there was only ten meters separating them from victory.


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    ¡°Mwwwrrgggllll!¡±


    Realising that he was in danger, the Murloc Shaman gurgled in that signature nonsensical language of the Murlocs while waving his staff. An icy arrow quickly formed above the staff and shot out towards one of the attendants. However, that was easily deflected by a defensive spell of that Dark Elf. A crack later, the arrow had completely shattered into the ground without ever threatening that Dark Elf.


    The ten Dark Elf attendants rushed forward like hungry wolves, eager for their prey. Whoever stood in their way were quickly slammed aside or skewered by their deadly longswords. Now that they had pulled out all the stocks, there was no way a bunch of Murlocs who were at most Four-star could ever hope to stop them.


    By now, that Murloc Shaman was beginning to realise that if he didn¡¯t flee now, he was doomed. Behind him was the Brackishwaters River, his safe haven away from the impending doom in front of him. All it would take was one leap from him and he was safe.


    However, there was no way I would ever let it go at this point. The moment it showed signs of escaping, I flew up into the air and activated my Shadow Guardian. It immediately stretched itself out as a shadow on the ground and rushed right towards the shaman. And before I could even say mmmrrrggglll, the fleeing Murloc Shaman was captured.


    The Murloc Shaman tried desperately to break free of the shadowy binding, but the moment it did so, it was confronted by a couple of scythe-like weapons. The Shadow Guardian stabbed its bladed arms right into the shoulders of the Murloc Shaman without any hesitation, nailing it to the ground.


    ¡°MMMMMRRRRRRGGWWWLL!¡±


    The Murloc Shaman screamed at the top of its lungs, face even more ugly than it already was before.

 CHAPTER 431: THE MURLOC CLANLEADER

    The Murloc Shaman was captured, meaning the battle was over for now. The Murlocs around us dared not move a centimeter forward in this situation and could only gaze trepidatiously in our direction.


    The Undermarsh Murlocs had always lived under the command of their Clanleader, following that, their shaman. Given that the former wasn¡¯t here, and the latter was a captive, their entire chain of command had collapsed in an instant. No matter how much they racked their fish brains, they couldn¡¯t figure out a way to break out of this impasse.


    ¡°Bring the Murloc Shaman over here. If they dare make any moves, cut it.¡±


    Because we didn¡¯t know fish talk, we had no way of communicating with the Murlocs. In that case, the simple brute force method was our weapon of choice. Better to have them know who was in charge earlier than later.


    However, it turned out that it was only I who thought we couldn¡¯t communicate.


    ¡°Wait¡­ please wait¡­ esteemed Fallen Angel, I wish to speak.¡± The voice had a sharp quality to it, and its accent was strange as well. At the very least however, it got its message across. I turned around in the direction of the voice and found, to my surprise, that it was the captive Murloc Shaman.


    Previously, I had my Shadow Demon pierce both its shoulders, yet to my amazement, those injuries had already stopped bleeding. Even though it still reeled in pain each time it spoke, the pain was bearable and it knew to keep its head down as it spoke.


    Just from that fact alone, I could tell this Murloc wasn¡¯t dim like the others.


    ¡°Have them back off first.¡±


    Naturally, the Murloc Shaman knew who ¡®them¡¯ referred to even if I didn¡¯t explicitly say so. Bearing with the pain of having two gaping holes in its shoulders, it gurgled in that strange Murloc call of theirs and the remaining Murlocs began to back off slowly.


    ¡°Bring him over here quickly.¡±


    The Shadow Demon pulled out both of its hands from its shoulders but maintained its binding on the Murloc Shaman itself. Without any Murlocs to block their way now, the attendants quickly had two of their companions carry the bound up shaman to my side. In the meantime, the remaining eight kept a wary eye on the Murlocs.


    However, it seemed like the Murlocs had no intention of trying their luck now that the Murloc Shaman had spoken. That Murloc turned out to be a pretty good hostage, after all. In that case, there was no need to escape so hastily either. There was time for a quick interrogation.


    I had the Shadow Demon keep the Murloc Shaman tightly bound up on the floor while I gazed down loftily at him from above. With a flap of my purple wings, I exuded my mana like a blanket of pressure, keeping this captive constantly under duress.


    The Murloc began to shiver uncontrollably under my withering pressure, to my delight. ¡°Why did you attack us?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re here for revenge¡­¡± With my mana still pressuring him, the Murloc Shaman dared not even look me in the eyes. He turned his head to the side and continued in a meek voice, ¡°There was an army of Blood Drake Riders who assaulted our settlement recently¡­ we just so happened to be outside hunting when that happened¡­¡±


    So what he¡¯s saying is that Zurnalin stumbled upon an undefended Murloc settlement which was why she had such an easy time. The Murlocs returned home to find it destroyed and were out for blood. That¡¯s when they so happened to stumble upon me¡­


    Truthfully, the Murloc Shaman had been here since the beginning of the attack. He was merely hiding out in the waters of the river. Had it not been for my interference causing too much of a stir and forcing him to use a battle hymn, he would have probably stayed hidden throughout. Unfortunately for him, this decision led to him being captured by my Shadow Demon.


    Upon hearing the Murloc Shaman¡¯s explanation, I couldn¡¯t help but smile sinisterly at it. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know, my lucky charm over here suffered quite a fright because of you.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The Murloc Shaman was stunned. If there was someone who should have been frightened, it was him not her.


    I gently reached out and ruffled Jezsere¡¯s silvery hair, not at all concerned by the shock on the Murloc Shaman¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯ll make it simple for you. Do you want to live, or do you want to die?¡±


    ¡°Live¡­ live¡­¡± Perhaps it was the sudden agitation in his voice that ended up opening his wounds again, but the moment he rushed to utter that first word, his voice faltered a little.


    ¡°You wish to live? Be my slave then.¡± My sinister grin grew even wider at that point. ¡°Have your Murlocs throw down their weapons.¡±


    ¡°But¡­owww¡­ don¡¯t¡­ I¡¯ll do it¡­¡±


    The Murloc Shaman clearly wasn¡¯t too willing to have them disarm like that. After all, as long as the other Murlocs were still a threat to us, his value as a hostage was guaranteed. However, the pain in his shoulders had another plan entirely.


    This Murloc Shaman was a shrewd one, I¡¯ll admit. He knew what it was that was keeping him alive right now. However, I was in no mood right now to play with him. With a mere thought, I had the Shadow Demon stab both his shoulders once more. This time, I only had it stab a few inches in, barely leaving any distance at all between its shadowy blades and his bones. If he dared try anything funny, I would be more than happy to send him off to the big fish pond in the sky.


    ¡°See. You should have listened from the very start. I wouldn¡¯t have had to resort to forcing you at all then.¡±


    Being scolded by me like that, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised at all if this poor Murloc had the mind to cry just there and then.


    ¡°Put down your weapons¡­ all of you put down your weapons now!¡±


    Well, that was a quick change of heart. He acts all obedient in front of me, but he sure is quick to turn around and boss his own Murlocs around.


    A small portion of the Murlocs who were directly under his command immediately threw down their weapons. The rest, however, were more hesitant to do so. They gazed at each other in confusion, unsure as to how to react. After all, throwing down their weapons was an act of surrender, and that was something a brave Murloc would never do.


    Naturally, running away wasn¡¯t a form of surrender¡­ that was just postponing the battle.


    ¡°Are you all deaf?! I said throw down your weapons.¡± Seeing so many still hold onto their weapons, the Murloc Shaman¡¯s first worry was that I would have my Shadow Demon stab him once more. That was why he immediately yelled at them. His heightened mental state caused by the wounds in his shoulders meant that he was more than furious right now. Too bad for him, he couldn¡¯t direct that anger at the culprit, me. In that case, that only left the surviving Murlocs. ¡°Are you all trying to get me killed or something?! Throw down your weapons now!¡±


    This time, his enraged yelling seemed to have taken effect. However, before the murlocs could carry out his orders, a massive black silhouette emerged from the Brackishwaters River. It was a massive black Murloc, roughly two meters tall and with the typical brawny stature of a Murloc warrior. Unlike an ordinary warrior however, it had a much larger stone spear and even wore a horn by its left waist. In comparison, this horn was several times larger than the shaman¡¯s horn, coming in at roughly a football¡¯s size.


    ¡°Mrrrggrwwwllll!¡±


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    The giant Murloc gurgled sonorously. While I might not have understood Murloc, I could roughly guess what it was saying. After all, the moment that giant Murloc spoke, the remaining Murlocs immediately tightened their grips on their weapons. Even those Murlocs who threw down their weapons had already picked them back up.


    The Murloc Shaman¡¯s eyes went wide the moment that giant Murloc appeared. Even his words were starting to sound a little garbled, to the point where he forgot to gurgle. ¡°Clan¡­Clanleader¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the leader of your clan?¡± Seeing that newcomer suddenly wrest control of the situation away from me like that, my face immediately sank. I gave the captive Murloc Shaman a swift kick and said, ¡°help me translate. Tell him to surrender immediately or I¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for translation, I can understand you.¡±


    The Undermarsh Murloc Clanleader menacingly waved his stone spear at that point, then flashed me a scornful smile. ¡°Kill him if you want, it¡¯s not like our settlement is lacking shamans.¡±


    The moment he said that, the Murloc Shaman promptly panicked ¡°Big brother¡­ save me¡­ I¡¯m your own little brother¡­¡±


    So they are siblings? A brawny fish like him and what looks more like a fish finger¡­ exactly how are they siblings? Exactly whose genes is the recessive one here?


    ¡°Idiot! Why can¡¯t you keep your mouth shut!?¡± The giant Murloc glared at his little brother as he said that. However, now that their relationship was exposed, the Murloc Clanleader had no choice but to change his tact. ¡°Devil, do not harm my little brother, else I¡¯ll never let you all go.¡±


    ¡°So you two really are siblings then. Pretty close too, by the looks of it.¡±


    I swept my eyes over the Murlocs at that point. There had to be over a thousand right now.

 CHAPTER 432: ORGANIZED WARFARE

    Compound Magic is magic cast with the help of at least ten mages working together. The defining traits of such magic are their immense mana requirements, and equally immense power. The preparation time required for the casting is only matched by the complexity of the spellcraft itself.


    Because these spells are most used for war, they are often referred to as War Magic or Tactical Magic.


    The basis for Compound Magic is the very simple principle of, if one person isn¡¯t enough, how about ten? In a lot of ways, this out-of-the-box creativity of humans can be said to be one of the Creator¡¯s finest works. To a certain degree, this creativity is a legacy of the Creator¡¯s own sense of creation.


    The application of Compound Magic is one of the most complex tasks a mage could ever attempt. First off, an immense amount of time has to be spent training the coordination between the participating mages. Next, the varying mana reserves and habits have to be smoothed out to ensure an even casting. Finally, at least a Seven-star mage is required to conduct the actual casting. Once all that is settled, there is still the issue of Compound Magic¡¯s inherently high rate of failure. After all, even if preparations have been done, it is still impossible to completely harmonize the mana of so many mages. Mutual rejection is only to be expected.


    Yet in spite of all that, the power of Compound Magic cannot be denied. In terms of raw firepower alone, the only magic that could possibly top it is Forbidden Magic. A single successful casting will more than likely decide the outcome of a war!


    ¡ª From |Compound Magic: The Key to Winning a War|


    Escaping into the wilderness wasn¡¯t an option at all. This was the Underdepths, not the Western Human Realms; danger was lurking in every corner of its forest, the only difference was whether it was a plant or an animal.


    The stubbornness of the Undermarsh Murlocs had truly placed me in a bind. I couldn¡¯t be sure if they were bluffing or they really had more reinforcements waiting in the river. Either way, it was also an undeniable fact that with just these ten attendants alone, fighting off a thousand Murlocs was close to impossible.


    So it¡¯s time for the Devil King Idol? Or perhaps I should let them know that I¡¯m the Holy Son? Sigh¡­ if only these fishes worshipped my godmother as well¡­ like why would I ever risk my own life when I can just pull the parents card?!


    However, the fact that these Murlocs were at war with the Dark Elves meant that they clearly had no respect for my godmother. So it¡¯s stomping time then?


    Yet before I could come to a decision about whether or not to employ the Devil King Idol against them, fate had already made the decision for me¡­


    The ground around us began to visibly shake. From across the river, there came the thunderous sounds of an army riding ever closer to our position.


    A company of roughly two hundred Blood Drake Riders were galloping at full speed towards us right this instant. Their blurred figures reminded me of a sprinting leopard I once saw on television -that was how fast they were riding right now. Unfortunately, with how much distance they had to cover, it was highly unlikely that they would reach us in time.


    However, the moment I thought they would never make it in time, the riders all made their move. They reached for the nearly two meters long spears on their backs and took up a throwing stance akin to an olympic javelineer.


    Dragon spears: launch!


    The Blood Drake Riders launched a volley of attacks against the Undermarsh Murlocs. With the speed of their mounts and their powerful arms propelling the spear forward, the spears easily crossed the distance between them and the Murlocs in an instant. Across the air, one could see dozens of spears flying towards the Murlocs in a perfect arc, reminiscent of dragons riding the clouds. This first rain of spears alone took out over a hundred Murlocs easily.


    The fact that half of these spears were able to hit their targets from such a long distance away was testament to the extraordinary skill of these Blood Drake Riders. No wonder they were considered the trump card of the Shadowhunter clan! Lest one forgot, these Murlocs weren¡¯t just target dummies standing there to be shot. They were living, breathing, and more importantly, moving creatures. Such a success was an unexpected surprise for me, though it probably also had to do with the sheer density of their formation.


    ¡°Brggwwllll!¡±


    The Murloc Clanleader gurgled out more orders in response to the sudden attack. Following that, the otherwise unending stream of Murlocs swam back into the river, in all likelihood to stall the incoming reinforcement. Perhaps in his mind, he had the situation here completely in his control.


    Unfortunately for him, this was a huge mistake. It wasn¡¯t just the Blood Drake Riders who came to our rescue -the mages were here as well!


    Close behind the Blood Drake Riders, the sounds of mages chanting in unison slowly became clearer amidst the din of the rumbling Drakes.


    By the time the Murloc Clanleader discovered what was going on, it was too late!


    It turned out that not only were the Blood Drakes carrying their usual riders, they were carrying a mage on each of their backs as well¡­


    The uniform chanting only meant one single thing: Compound Magic! Magic like that required a prerequisite number of mages chanting at the same time, along with a well-honed coordination. Not only did it require a long time to cast, there had to be at least a Seven-star mage leading the whole ritual.


    By now, the chanting sound had already begun to overwhelm the rumbling of the Blood Drakes. It almost seemed like the whole world was silent except for that strange, arcane chanting. Soon, the air itself began to turn cold like a blizzard was raging in the middle of summer. Or maybe we were teleported to the North Pole¡­


    In just the blink of an eye, the surface of the Brackishwaters River turned to ice. And I meant ICE. Rather than the onset of winter slowly freezing the river, it was more like the Ice Age itself had arrived and caught everyone by surprise. Any lifeform who wasn¡¯t able to jump out in time was now encased in ice. Even the odd limb or two that somehow made it to the surface had frozen over like an ice sculpture.


    If I had to describe the current scene, it was like looking into a popsicle. The entire river had frozen into a transparent popsicle and those Murlocs trapped within were the fruit chunks¡­


    The Blood Drake Riders took this opportunity to charge across the newly created surface and scatter the Murlocs. Thanks to the chaos created by the Compound Magic, it barely took any effort at all before the Murlocs were routed and their formation broken. Zurnalin was the one leading the charge of these fearsome riders. Her mighty dragon spear went straight for the Murloc Clanleader, hoisting him up high while her Blood Drake bit down on the dangling lower half and began thrashing about.


    Their leader was captured, and this battle had been decided.


    Try as they might, whether by spear or by claw, no amount of struggling was going to overturn this battle now. The Murlocs had completely lost their advantage, and even if they had the numerical advantage still, that wasn¡¯t enough to salvage this situation.


    Without any leader to direct their army, the Murlocs weren¡¯t able to mount an effective defense at all. They were the very definition of a headless snake, struggling in vain during its last few seconds.


    ¡°Your holiness, please forgive Paliseth for her lateness.¡± Paliseth practically leapt off Zurnalin¡¯s mount at that point, hugging me tightly the moment she landed. ¡° Nothing fills Paliseth with greater joy than to see your holiness safe and sound. Paliseth honestly thought that she had to commit ritual suicide as penitence to the goddess¡­¡±


    That¡¯s fine and all, but you can not point those things in my chest¡­ I¡¯m suffocating here¡­


    ¡°Cough¡­ we can talk about all that later¡­ First, I need you to let me go¡­¡±


    Although it took a bit of struggling, I finally managed to escape from her diabolical clutches. However, I was immediately buried in darkness once more as I bumped into a new pair of bouncy mountains¡­


    ¡°Your holiness, you¡¯re alright! Thank the goddess. Once this battle is over, how about we get married¡­¡±


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    Zurnalin¡­ sister¡­ I really need some oxygen right now¡­


    Just as I was about to pass out from oxygen deprivation, my ears picked up the anxious but still timid voice of Jezsere. ¡°Master¡­ he looks like he can¡¯t breathe¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah! Your holiness, what¡¯s the matter? Don¡¯t frighten me like that¡­¡±


    ¡°So Paliseth really has to commit ritual suicide?¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ master¡­¡±


    A minute later¡­


    BREATH¡­ I¡¯m alive again¡­


    The next time you two want to use those weapons of mass destruction, how about giving me a warning first?! Breath¡­ also, Zurnalin¡¯s aren¡¯t half bad, they can give Paliseth a run for her money.


    Well¡­ bouncy bouncies are nice and all, but I still have some matters to attend to. Like that half-bitten Murloc Clanleader¡­


    ¡°So¡­ how do we deal with this fella?¡± I pointed at Murloc Clanleader who had finally been freed from the jaws of that Blood Drake but was still breathing out more than he was breathing in. At his side was the Murloc Shaman who was frantically casting healing spells on him.


    ¡°Finish the job?¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ I beg of you, don¡¯t kill us¡­¡± The moment that I wanted to kill them, the Murloc Shaman immediately dragged himself to my feet and began grovelling, his healing spells clearly thrown to the wind at this point.


    ¡°Hey¡­ I think your big brother is not going to make it at this rate¡­¡±


    Ordinarily, the Murloc Clanleader should have been at his death throes by now. But thanks to the healing spells, he was beginning to recover somewhat, at least until his little brother completely forgot about them¡­

 CHAPTER 433: WHY DO I FEEL LIKE MY INTELLIGENCE IS LACKING

    Who the heck is Lily? And are you two brothers fighting over a potential mate? A family dispute then? Sometimes¡­ having an unreliable brother is really such a pain¡­ for both sides too¡­


    Still, I doubt he¡¯s getting up anytime soon with those injuries. There¡¯s no point saying that to him.


    At least, that was what I thought.


    ¡°Really¡­ you mean it?¡± Thanks to the unrelenting efforts of the Murloc Shaman, the Murloc Clanleader was finally able to open up his eyes slightly. His weak, shivering hand grabbed onto the shaman¡¯s wrist, and in an extremely soft voice, asked, ¡°you will really give up on her?¡±


    Woah, how touching! For his brother¡¯s swift recovery, the Murloc Shaman is even willing to give up on the mate he¡¯s courting. What¡¯s even more amazing is that the Murloc Clanleader actually responded to his moving words! Such a noble tale of brotherly love!


    ¡°Big brother, you¡¯re awake¡­ that¡¯s amazing!¡±


    Upon realising that his big brother was finally awake, the Murloc Shaman finally broke into a relieved smile. While his face might have been ugly already, that smile somehow managed to make it even uglier than before¡­


    ¡°Answer me¡­¡± The Murloc Clanleader narrowed his eyes. ¡°You said you will give up on Lily as long as I wake up, right?¡±


    The Murloc Shaman raised his head and looked elsewhere. ¡°Errr¡­ did I say that?¡±


    ¡°You did!¡±


    ¡°Big brother, I think you¡¯re still recovering from the trauma of your injuries, that¡¯s why you are even hallucinating¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to lie to me, I¡¯m more than lucid right now.¡±


    ¡°Ahahaha¡­ Big brother, you know I have that¡­ that¡­ thing¡­¡± Knowing that his ruse had failed spectacularly, he uneasily looked around for an out before finally saying, ¡°I have intermittent amnesia. So whatever I said just now, I don¡¯t remember at all. In that case, it doesn¡¯t count, right?¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­¡± The Murloc Clanleader slumped back down onto the ground and weakly said, ¡°I¡¯m dying¡­¡±


    At this point, based on the Murloc Shaman¡¯s closeness with his brother, I expected him to immediately panic again. However, I was soon to be proven wrong. ¡°Oh. Okay then. At least there won¡¯t be anyone to fight with me over Lily once you¡¯re dead.¡±


    What the fish? I want a refund on my tears!


    ¡°Then how about I remind you of what you said!¡± To no one¡¯s surprise, in the face of this betrayal that even the Buddha would get mad at, the Murloc Clanleader snapped. In the blink of an eye, he dragged his battered body up and grabbed onto the Murloc Shaman¡¯s head and began shaking it profusely. ¡°You. Need. To. Remember. The. Words. You. Said.¡±


    ¡°Stop shaking me, big brother¡­ if you keep shaking me, I have to fight back!¡±


    ¡°Go on then! Fight back!¡±


    ¡°Big brother, have you forgotten about your current state?!¡± The Murloc Shaman was about to snap from the shaking at this point. ¡°If you really want to die, I don¡¯t mind sending you on your way!¡±


    ¡°You stupid fish, you¡¯re willing throw away your own sibling for a female?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one that started it! And what do you mean a female? Lily isn¡¯t just a female! I¡¯m going to tell her about you, then she¡¯ll see your true colors!¡±


    ¡°How dare you! Lily is your sister-in-law. How can you covet your own sister-in-law like that?! You disloyal brother, I¡¯ll teach you a lesson!¡±


    ¡°Spare me, big brother, you haven¡¯t even gotten together with her yet!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s your future sister-in-law!¡±


    ¡°You said it yourself: future. And haven¡¯t you heard of the saying: there¡¯s nothing better than a good fish, and nothing more fun than a sister-in-law.¡±


    ¡°Brrrgggwwlll¡­ you rotten fish bait, how dare you covet your own sister-in-law?! I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    At the same time as they were scolding each other, the two Murloc brothers were busy wrestling with each other. With the Murloc Clanleader¡¯s massive stature, the Murloc Shaman would have ordinarily lost by now. However, his serious injuries meant that not only did he not have the upper hand, those same wounds were now reopened and spilling blood. As time passed by, the Murloc Clanleader got ever weaker, to the point where the Murloc Shaman was starting to win.


    While the brothers continued tumbling about on the ground, the rest of us were happily watching the comedy play out before our eyes. Jezsere was even blushing from that whole nonsense about playing with your sister-in-law.


    That¡¯s right, a left hook. A left hook! That¡¯s right, hit his face!


    Yet just as I was getting into the mood of things, Zurnalin¡¯s dragon spear suddenly dove in the from the side, forcefully splitting the two fishheads apart. Having been ambushed so abruptly, the two brothers only had time to jump away before throwing us a pair of strange looks.


    What the fish? The fight was just getting good, why did you stop them?


    I never got to ask her that however. The gallant but expressionless Zurnalin coolly waved her hands, and following that, a couple of her Blood Drake Riders promptly jumped off their mounts. The pair swiftly marched up to the separated brothers and mercilessly tied them up with a rope. Naturally, the both of them tried to resist, but one of them was severely injured while the other was just a weakling. Resistance was futile.


    It was at that point that I realised why Zurnalin threw out her spear.


    It turned out that as we were happily watching them wrestle, they had unknowingly come close to the river banks. While the river itself was still frozen over because of the Compound Magic, the fact they went through so much trouble to edge towards it meant that the ice wasn¡¯t going to be a problem for the both of them.


    Sly¡­ who would have thought that the whole clown act was actually a ruse for them to escape. If it wasn¡¯t for Zurnalin¡¯s sharp senses, they might have really gotten away with it too.


    Man¡­ who would have thought that a couple of ugly fishheads would be capable of such cunning. I swear¡­ these fantasy world types sure seem a lot smarter than ordinary earthlings¡­ and I think I¡¯m included in that as well¡­ blast¡­


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    ¡°You two¡­¡± Once the two were secured, I finally walked up to them, teeth grinding from sheer annoyance, and fist pounding on my palm. ¡°Was it fun making fun of me like that? I don¡¯t even care who Lily is anymore, I just want to ask you two this. Do you wish to die or do you wish to live?¡±


    ¡°Hah, I would rather die than beg for mercy!¡± The Murloc Clanleader spat in my direction. ¡°There¡¯s no way I would ever beg for mercy from such an ugly female!¡±


    I quickly stepped to the side to dodge the projectile then threw him a disgusted look. ¡°Ugly female? Let¡¯s get something straight here. I¡¯m no female. Also, how am I ugly?¡±


    At this point, my eyes were practically bulging with anger. Putting aside his stubbornness, the fact that he called me ugly meant that he really wanted to die right now.


    ¡°You have no scales, your head is too small, your skin is too white, your fangs aren¡¯t sharp enough¡­¡±


    The Murloc Clanleader began listing out the points in earnest¡­ Upon hearing that, I almost wanted to slap myself at that point. Of course their sense of beauty is different from mine, how stupid can I be? But why isn¡¯t my Lust Demon bloodline working on him?


    ¡°Curses! I want him beaten up right this instant!¡±


    I turned around and eyed one of the Blood Drake Riders. The lady nodded in response and began kicking the Murloc Clanleader¡¯s wounds.


    ¡°Ahh¡­ curse you¡­ you ugly females¡­ I will never surrender!¡±


    The Murloc Clanleader yelled even louder to express his outrage while I continued gesturing at that Blood Drake Rider to proceed. After several more kicks, the Murloc Clanleader finally fell silent. He was severely injured, after all. The Murloc Shaman might have casted a few healing spells on him, but those weren¡¯t enough to completely heal wounds of this severity.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hit him¡­ don¡¯t hit my brother¡­ hit me instead¡­¡±


    I¡¯ll admit you two fishheads have some backbone. Even a scrawny shaman has the guts to make a request like that. Fine, I¡¯ll grant you your wish then. You can be beaten up along with your brother!


    ¡°Itching for a beating then? Good, since you¡¯re such a good brother, the two of you can share the same fate.¡±


    ¡°Understood, your holiness.¡± The Blood Drake Riders in charge of guarding the two brothers began kicking and punching the two bound up Murlocs -and not in the way those two fishheads were wrestling with each other either.


    ¡°Ahh¡­ oww¡­ don¡¯t hit me¡­ please¡­¡± Before we had even gotten more than two hits in, the Murloc Shaman had begun begging for mercy.


    The silent up till now Murloc Clanleader couldn¡¯t help but glare at his spineless little brother at that point. ¡°You rotten fish, a Murloc warrior¡¯s dignity is not to be insulted like this. We would rather die standing than live begging!¡±


    ¡°But big brother¡­ I¡¯m a shaman¡­ not a warrior¡­¡±


    He¡¯s right there¡­ very right, in fact. I can¡¯t even say a word to refute that. Even the Murloc Clanleader had nothing to say to that. Even though the both of us knew that that was just a lame excuse, but it kinda made sense.


    (Say no to content thief!)


    In that case, a change of tact was required. ¡°If you have any shame at all, hit me instead! Don¡¯t hit my little brother.¡±


    ¡°Big brother¡­ don¡¯t be so stubborn¡­ we should just give in¡­¡±


    ¡°Never!¡±


    While the Murloc Clanleader might have sounded very heroic right now, in actuality, it only took a few more hits before he fainted entirely. What was worth noting however was that he really was about to die at this point.


    ¡°Heal him.¡± I curtly commanded the Murloc Shaman. ¡°Untie him as well, I doubt he has the guts to try anything at this point.¡±


    ¡°Thank you¡­ thank you¡­ oh mighty Fallen Angel¡­¡± The Murloc Shaman fervently kowtowed to me in a show of unprecedented subservience. After doing that, he immediately rushed to begin healing his brother.

 CHAPTER 434: RECRUITING THE UNDERMARSH MURLOCS

    At the same time that the Murloc Shaman was healing his brother, I turned around to look at Paliseth who seemed amused by that very act. ¡°Your reinforcement came a lot faster than I had expected.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s because there¡¯s nothing more important than your holiness.¡± Paliseth withdrew her gaze at this point then smiled at me. ¡°Seeing your holiness safe and sound fills me with a great sense of relief.¡±


    ¡°Like those fishes had any chance of ever hurting me.¡± With the Devil King Idol at my beck and call, their assault was never really going to be a real problem. Having said that, I smiled back at Paliseth. ¡°So how should we deal with them?¡±


    ¡°Does your holiness despise them? We can just kill them all if your holiness desires it so.¡± She said with a smile on her face, though I couldn¡¯t see a shred of levity in her eyes then. ¡°If your holiness does not wish to dirty his hands, Paliseth is more than happy to do the deed.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ no¡­ don¡¯t kill us¡­¡± The Murloc Shaman hastily chimed in, having overheard us talking while he was busy healing his brother. He waved his hands about in utter terror, any thoughts of healing completely forgotten at this point. ¡°I beg of you, please do not kill us¡­ we are very, very dirty¡­ no matter who kills us, they will definitely dirty their hands¡­¡±


    ¡°But us Dark Elves don¡¯t mind getting our hands dirty¡­¡± Paliseth tilted her head and said with a smile. ¡°Other than dying, how else do you expect trash to show their worth?¡±


    ¡°¡­nooo¡­ we are very useful, absolutely useful¡­¡± The Murloc Shaman was practically weeping at this point as he said that. He was clearly frightened out of his fishy scales, having gone so far as to kowtow and beg for his life. ¡°I beg of you, spare us¡­ we are really useful¡­¡±


    Without even finishing his sentence, the Murloc Shaman started crawling over to hug my legs. Unfortunately, he was swiftly kicked away by a sharp-eyed Zurnalin.


    ¡°Disgusting fool, stay away from his holiness.¡± Zurnalin unsheathed her sword and waved it menacingly at the shaman. ¡°The next time I see you approach his holiness without permission, that will be your last!¡±


    ¡° cries¡­ but I don¡¯t want to die¡­¡± From his makeshift fishball shape, the Murloc Shaman finally came to a tumbling halt a few meters away. This time, he cried. He was really crying hard too. Droplet after large droplet started falling from his otherwise vicious looking large eyes. The sound he was producing right now could only be described as horrific. Whatever definition the word horrific held, it needed to at least be doubled in order to fully describe the grating noises he was producing right now.


    Seeing him try so hard to justify his own worth, I suddenly had this urge to laugh at him. I gently reached out to ruffle Jezsere¡¯s silver hair and said, ¡°Oh? Go on and tell us then.¡±


    The Murloc Shaman paused in thought for a second then suddenly lifted his head up. ¡°We can gather resources for you. There¡¯s no one more familiar with swamps than us. As long as it¡¯s something that can be found within the Fluorescent Marsh, we will get it.¡±


    ¡°We have the Duergars as slaves. They don¡¯t fare much worse than your race in the swamps. And they are completely obedient to us as well.¡± Paliseth gave the shaman a bemused look as she eyed him up and down. ¡°Compared to your race, I would much rather trust the Duergars.¡±


    The Duergars as a race were weaker than the Murlocs, and much more obedient. After generations of slavery, they had already become accustomed to serving the Dark Elves. For low-skilled labor, the only thing better than a Duergar were the undead who didn¡¯t require rest or food. After all, these Duergars were the kind of slaves that you only needed to feed once a day. Even if you starved them to death, they would never try to fight back. They were climate resistant, sickness resistant, and had a high efficiency to food ratio. More importantly, they would never protest their treatment. Was there anything more a slave owner could ask for?


    Raising Duergar slaves could be said to be a zero risk, high profit venture. Once they¡¯ve been trained, they could basically be left to their own devices and they will just keep on working. The Murlocs were different. Not only were they hard to train, they were warlike and not easy to manage. More importantly, they couldn¡¯t leave the waters for long. A Murloc that did not receive any water replenishment for a long time would die of dehydration. They weren¡¯t actually a terrestrial race after all. It was impossible to keep them on land for long without them falling sick as well. But if they were to be set free in the water¡­ that was just returning a tiger to its den ¨C a really bad idea.


    ¡°We can rear fish as well!¡± The Murloc Shaman raised his neck a little as he said that, as if he was really proud of that fact¡­ He must have been really confident in his own race¡¯s ability to rear fish. I bet he thinks he¡¯s some bigshot now that he pulled out the fish rearing card.


    Unfortunately for him, Paliseth was more than ready to burst his bubble with her needle of a rebuttal. ¡°You mean your fish rearing technique that can¡¯t even meet your own clan¡¯s needs?¡±


    ¡°We¡­ we can reproduce really fast! We can even give birth twice in a year!¡± The Murloc Shaman was clearly scraping the bottom of his fish barrel at this point, given that he even tried to turn reproducing fast into a benefit. Unfortunately for him, Paliseth would never accept this as a reason to keep them. Rather, it would be more accurate to say that this high reproductive rate was the main drawback of their race. The Murloc Shaman was still oblivious to this fact and continued bragging about this. ¡°As long as you give us time, we can raise a thousand, no, ten thousand Murloc warriors!¡±


    He¡¯s basically on cloud nine right now, isn¡¯t he? Why the heck would we want you to reproduce so fast for? Just to create another problem for ourselves?! Give it a few years and the streets of the city would be filled with your fishy smell, now that would be unpleasant¡­


    Paliseth clearly knew of this problem as well, that was why she came to such a swift decision. ¡°Why do we even need you to reproduce so much for? So you can start a rebellion within our own city? I think I¡¯ll just kill you all now.¡±


    ¡°Noooo¡­ don¡¯t kill us¡­ we¡¯ll do whatever you say¡­¡±


    Paliseth blinked her eyes. ¡°Anything?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, anything. Even if you want me to¡­ want me to¡­¡± The Murloc Shaman raised his head at that point and looked right at Paliseth, then recoiled in disgust. ¡°Even if you want me to be your mate, I won¡¯t resist¡­¡±


    The moment I heard the word mate, my lips immediately curled to the side. Dang it, why are you even acting all reluctant for? We should be the ones who¡­ wait, I guess it only makes sense that you would be reluctant¡­ Hold on, so those Dark Elves are actually mad enough to do it with a fish? Actually, scrap that. They¡¯ve already done it with a magical beast after all.


    Paliseth wasn¡¯t angered at all by his reluctance. Instead, she began contemplating the possibilities of his suggestion. ¡°I wonder if a Murloc¡¯s bloodline can produce an offspring who can breath underwater¡­


    What the fish¡­ so you¡¯re really considering his offer then¡­ I ¡­ I¡­


    ¡°Hmm¡­ with regards to mating, there¡¯s no need for you to worry about that front at all. We were planning to do so anyway.¡±


    So you¡¯re telling him to just lie down and enjoy the ride then¡­ how is that any different from surprise procreation? You Dark Elves¡­


    Even though Paliseth held the bearing of an upper-class lady, the reality was that she spoke like a typical underworld mob boss. The way she so nonchalantly talked about mating not only shocked me but also the Murloc Shaman as well.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to force yourselves on me?¡± The fishhead that he was immediately covered up his crotch as he said that. However, he was powerless to stop it and could only resort to a last futile attempt at resistance. ¡°You may have my fish body, but you will never have my fish heart. I¡­ I¡­ will never surrender¡­¡±


    Those Dark Elves are all top class beauties and you actually don¡¯t want to¡­ what the fish is going on here?! Just let me do it, I promise I¡¯ll be more than happy to oblige.


    Just like that, our little comedy skit continued for a good long while until the Murloc Clanleader was once again revived. By that time, the Undermarsh Murlocs were officially servants of the Shadowhunter Clan, my slaves in short. Naturally, that wasn¡¯t to say that I was planning to stay here for long. In other words, Paliseth was the actual owner of these new slaves.


    In actuality, there was a logic behind this fishy madness. The Shadowhunter Clan was now facing immense pressure because of war. The Minotaurs and the Harpies were running amok just 50 km south of their city. Even though the Shadowhunter Clan clearly didn¡¯t fear the combined armies of those two races, the fact was that wars would result in casualties. Enemy casualties weren¡¯t an issue at all, the problem was that they had to die as well.


    More importantly, why were the Minotaurs suddenly acting up, even going so far as to ally with the Harpies? Lest one forgot, the Harpies had a horrible reputation even in the Underdepths.


    The Harpies had no males so they had to rely on capturing males from other races in order to procreate. This manner of forced procreation wasn¡¯t a short term matter either. While the victim still had some time to rest in between sessions, the fact was that the majority of their time would now be spent procreating¡­ even a Dragon would collapse under that kind of pressure.


    Naturally, this arrangement would continue till the victim finally died from exhaustion.


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    To be honest, I was really against this custom. I once talked to Ellena about this matter. It was my hope that they would come up with another alternative instead. And if that wasn¡¯t possible, they could at least only target enemies, and not their allies.

 CHAPTER 435: A PRIVATE TREASURE ROOM

    While the Murloc Clanleader was still vehemently against this entire idea when he woke up, I managed to convince him otherwise with one simple sentence.


    ¡°If you die, Lily will end up marrying your brother.¡±


    Upon hearing that, the Murloc Clanleader began to seriously consider his decision. Finally, he decided that he would rather ruin his brother¡¯s future instead.


    ¡°Your holiness is absolutely a lucky star for Paliseth; Paliseth has never received such a huge gift with such ease before.¡± Now that the Undermarsh Murlocs were well and truly settled, Paliseth hooked her arms around my own and edged in closer. Her growing fragrance rushed into my nose, overwhelming my senses in an instant and threatened to get the better of me. Or at least it would have¡­ if I had my pee pee. What was even more infuriating was that this lady even blew into my ear and tried to flirt with me. ¡°Paliseth has nothing to offer in return, but perhaps tonight we can¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I would rather spend time with your daughter instead.¡± I swiftly pulled my arm free from her embrace and then hugged a still-confused Jezsere tightly.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Jezsere stared up into my eyes then sneaked a glance back at her mother, clearly at a loss as to how to react to this sudden turn of events.


    To be honest, I could tell that Paliseth wasn¡¯t actually interested in going through with what she said. Because she still had feelings for Solar-sama. That was why when I showed Jezsere my affection, and Jezsere reciprocated this affection, she chose to quietly back out.


    If it was Zurnalin who was here instead, she would have definitely tried to contest this affection. Fortunately, Zurnalin had been sent out not too long ago on another mission. She was in charge of recovering those Murloc warriors who had escaped with the help of that Murloc Shaman. At the same time, she was tasked with finding the other Murloc settlement living in the Fluorescent Marsh.


    What was worth noting at this point was that Lily wasn¡¯t from the Undermarsh Murlocs at all. She was the clan leader of another tribe known as the Darkscale Murlocs.


    The Darkscales and the Undermarshes often intermarried but a hiccup had recently formed between the two. And this hiccup started with Lily. Rather, it wasn¡¯t about who she was marrying -either brother would have been fine. It was that these two brothers often came to blows over this issue. Lily herself didn¡¯t care who she married and no one really knew who she preferred as well. Did she like the younger brother? The older brother? Or maybe none of them at all.


    Hopefully that shaman does well on this mission, otherwise I will have to encourage him with some of his big brother¡¯s body parts.


    In the meantime, the Murloc Clanleader was escorted back to Shadowhunter City. Paliseth mentioned that she wanted to thank me so she offered to bring us to their clan¡¯s treasure room¡­ Technically, that treasure room belongs to me though¡­ and with how devoted they are to Lolthe, I¡¯m sure they wouldn¡¯t object to me taking whatever I wanted. But I have principles, I would never do something as crass as emptying someone¡¯s treasure room.


    So I¡¯ll just take half of it! That way, both of us can share in its glory equally. I¡¯m such a kind soul!


    Paliseth first brought us to her bedroom where in a certain hidden corner of her bed, she pressed a button to a resounding click. Right in front of our very eyes, the sturdy stone wall of her bedroom opened up to reveal a descending stairway¡­


    ¡°Follow me closely, your holiness.¡± She winked at me out of pure habit then beckoned to me with a wave. ¡°This is the entrance to Paliseth¡¯s own treasure room. Most of the items inside are part of Paliseth¡¯s own collection. If there¡¯s anything that catches your holiness¡¯s fancy, just help yourself. Of course, Jezsere as well.¡±


    ¡°Jezsere¡­ as well?¡± Jezsere gingerly asked, her hands clutching onto my sleeves for support as she eyed her surroundings nervously.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Paliseth smiled sweetly back at her.


    The moment she heard that, a surge of adrenaline and joy rushed up to her, threatening to overwhelm her right there and then. Thankfully, I spotted her lightheadedness and caught her in the nick of time. Seeing her swoon so badly in my arms, I knew I was going to have to carry her down the stairs. Not that I minded at all, she was really comfortable to hug.


    Really though, did she have to react so strongly to a simple smile? All Paliseth did was smile at her then she just fainted¡­


    The journey into her private treasure room did not take all too long. The passage leading downwards was a wide one, being able to accommodate five people walking side by side. Its walls were dotted with purple luminescent crystals that provided a permanent source of light for the tunnel.


    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±


    Paliseth reminded us before pulling me forward a couple steps. Thanks to that, I only had time to grab hold of Jezsere tighter before my feet took me right into the glowing purple wall ahead of me¡­ there was no pain. In fact, I felt a strange sensation of having passed through a wall of liquid into another world. From the never-ending stairs of a second ago, I was suddenly brought into a new world, one that almost seemed like a dream to me.


    Bar after bar of gold were stacked neatly atop each other until they reached the rough height of a human being. And that was just one column too, there were so many others that I didn¡¯t even know where to start counting! Holy jeebus! It¡¯s gold! The whole world has turned to gold and is trying to blind me with its wealth right now!


    That had to be the first time I had ever seen so much gold in one spot. However, this treasure room wasn¡¯t just a repository for gold. At the side, there were racks numbering in the hundreds holding all manners of plate armors, robes and leather armors. Every plate armor was paired with some manner of heavy weaponry like a spear or a greatsword. The leather armors were matched with daggers or crossbows. As for the robes, they were matched with intricately carved staves as you would expect. Furthermore, these armor sets were all arranged to the various classes they served, all ready to be worn at the drop of the hat¡­


    That wasn¡¯t the end of it as well. This treasure room also had a jewellery section, a potions section, an ingredients section and finally an assorted section where everything else that did not fit were stuffed into.


    ¡°Master? Where are we? Ahh¡­my eyes¡­¡± A short while after entering the treasure room, Jezsere had finally gotten over her dizziness, only to be stunned and nearly blinded by the dazzling display in front of her.


    ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it soon.¡± I hurriedly pulled her into my chest then rubbed her temples.


    ¡°That¡¯s where the completed armor sets are stored. On the other side, you have the armors and weapons which do not fit together into a set. Either way, both sides contain top quality goods only and have been arranged according to the various classes. Here we have the potions section. Most of them are healing potions and beneficial potions. For example, this vial over here is a revival potion that can pull anyone back from the brink of death. Over there¡¯s a frenzy potion that massively raises your power for fifteen minutes. The only problem is its side effects¡­¡± Paliseth started explaining to the shell shocked Jezsere with a smile. ¡°Then we have the ingredients section. If there¡¯s anything your holiness needs constructed, this section should have the materials.¡±


    Construction?


    Suddenly, the image of an Eight-star Fire Elemental Core popped into my mind, followed by an Eight-star Flame Devouring Fish¡¯s heart.


    The latter was merely a fantasy on my part. The Flame Devouring Fishes were a specialty of Purgatory that might have been possible to find in the Western Human Realms, but definitely not here. The Elemental Core, on the other hand, was something worth searching for. After all, this section was huge!


    ¡°Little Brother, I remember you saying that you had something to do in the Western Human Realms.¡± Just as I was about to go on a massive treasure hunt, Ferti¡¯nier suddenly interrupted me with a question. ¡°Has that changed?¡±


    ¡®Ferti¡¯nier¡­ you she-devil, you actually dare show your face after that whole episode?! Bah, that¡¯s not important now. It¡¯s not like I actually suffered because of that -I even gained a godmother too. But don¡¯t you worry, I remember this favor of yours. We¡¯ll settle this next time.¡¯


    ¡°Hohohohoho, our little brother sure has grown bold! Must be because of his new godmother!¡± Ferti¡¯nier chuckled in her usual teasing voice.


    ¡®Hmph, like you¡¯re one to talk. All that wouldn¡¯t have happened if you hadn¡¯t screwed me over so badly.¡¯


    The moment I said that however, Ferti¡¯nier immediately changed her tone. ¡°But you did retrieve the Devil King Idol, right?¡±


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    ¡®Yes, I did. No matter what happens, I will definitely take it back.¡¯ In fact, even if I knew about Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s famous ten second gateways beforehand, I would have still taken the risk and tried to sneak back into the hallway to grab the Devil King Idol.


    ¡°Good, good. As long as you get it back, it¡¯s all good. And your big sis knows exactly what you want, some compensation, right?¡± Ferti¡¯nier impatiently pointed at a certain area of the ingredients section. ¡°Over there. There are some Fire Elemental Cores. At least three Eight-star cores, and even a Nine-star Crystal Core of a magical beast. Not bad, not bad at all.¡±

 CHAPTER 436: A LAST WILL?

    ¡®All of it?! Are you sure it¡¯s okay¡­ it is her own treasure room after all¡­¡¯


    Unlike my reticence however, Ferti¡¯nier was even more assertive than ever as she immediately cut me off, ¡°you¡¯re the godson of Lolthe, their entire race¡¯s master. If there¡¯s anything you want, you can just take it, none of them would dare say a word.¡±


    So what she¡¯s saying is that it¡¯s their honor to be robbed by me then¡­


    ¡®Well, you do make sense and all¡­ but¡­ how about this, taking it all sounds a little crass, I¡¯ll just take half of it¡­¡¯


    My conversation with Ferti¡¯nier was completely shut off from the outside world. Naturally, that also meant that Paliseth had no way of knowing that we were currently discussing how to rob her blind. Yet just as I was mulling over how much to rob her of, Paliseth suddenly said something that I would have never expected to come out of her mouth, at least not in that order anyway. ¡°Jez, if there¡¯s anything you want, you can just take it. Once you take over the Shadowhunter Clan, it¡¯s all going to be yours anyway.¡±


    Is this her way of leaving a will behind? But wait¡­ according to their Dark Elf lifespan, she should still be in her prime.


    So those words were meant for me then¡­


    Paliseth¡¯s casual appointment of her successor came as an even greater shock to Jezsere who was hungrily eyeing a particularly elegant mage robe. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect her mother, Paliseth, to ever say that to her. After all, her personality wasn¡¯t suited to Dark Elf society, let alone leadership. By handing over the reins to someone timid like her, Paliseth was basically pushing their entire clan down the proverbial spider cliff.


    ¡°Err? Ummm? Huh?¡±


    Besides this news was too much of a shock for the poor girl, her brain short circuited itself to protect her from any further harm. No matter how much she tried to express herself, anything that came out right now was a garbled mess. Her recently recovered legs promptly slumped to the floor as well, and back into my embrace once more¡­ I guess she can¡¯t even speak anymore. Hold on, she¡¯s fainted?! Did the excitement of becoming Matriarch get to her? Or maybe she¡¯s just scared¡­


    ¡°I think she¡¯s out cold?¡±


    Just like that, Jezsere was knocked out for the time being. Honestly, I could totally understand her anxiety, given how timid she usually was. At this point, I didn¡¯t even have any words left for that timidness of hers. Yet it was that very personality that made me want to protect her even more.


    For an Occultist that gets bullied even by the Imps she summons to suddenly become the head of the Shadowhunter Clan¡­ now that¡¯s just wrong¡­


    ¡°Sigh¡­ Jezsere¡¯s personality is just too¡­¡± Paliseth¡¯s eyes had a mix of affection and disappointment as she stared at her unconscious daughter. However, this bit of tenderness would be forever lost on the poor girl.


    I could tell that the affection in her eyes wasn¡¯t false. As a Devil, deception was like second nature to us, that meant trying to deceive us was basically impossible as well. Especially when the other party wasn¡¯t guarding against me.


    ¡°You seem to love her, but I also heard that you wanted to send her off to Arachne Cavern as well¡­¡± I pulled up a nearby treasure chest to sit on then laid Jezsere on my lap in a more comfortable position. ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t get you.¡±


    Rather than saying that Paliseth really loved her, I was more inclined to believe that she changed her attitude because of the affection I showed towards Jezsere first. The love she showed right now was probably real, but it was also laced with a tinge of materialism.


    At least¡­ that was how I interpreted the situation.


    ¡°Your holiness, I see my children enjoy a good relationship with your esteemed self. I¡¯m sure your holiness would know of my past then¡­¡± Paliseth first nodded at me then proceeded to explain.


    ¡°I had always intended to transfer the seat of Matriarch to Jezsere. Reyage and her are the two children I love the most after all. But I also know that Jezsere¡¯s personality isn¡¯t suited to living in Dark Elf Society. Reyage isn¡¯t a bad choice, but customs dictate that a male can¡¯t take over the position of clan leader. In that case, there¡¯s only Jezsere left since she¡¯s¡­¡±


    She cut off at that point. I could see the maelstrom of emotions swirling about in her eyes right now. There was that pure love you would expect from a young girl experiencing her first love, but that uncharacteristic emotion quickly faded. For most part, there was only hatred and resentment swirling about now.


    She smiled, but it wasn¡¯t the usual alluring smile she had on. Instead, it was a serene smile that wouldn¡¯t feel out of place at all within a barren white room with nothing but a table and a glass of water inside it. It was a desolate but unforgettable sight.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you have in mind, but have you thought about the consequences once she takes up that position?¡±


    Even I didn¡¯t dare consider that scenario right now. The Dark Elves were a cruel race that would much rather grind up your bones and feed the mushrooms than let any part of your corpse go to waste. Letting Jezsere take up leadership of such a clan was akin to throwing a little white bunny into a den of starving wolves.


    A timid girl like her would immediately get torn to shreds¡­ even before she could summon up an Imp to bully her¡­ exactly what was she even capable of on her own? A girl like her was more suited to lying in my protective embrace. All that nonsense about being clan leader was unnecessary. Unless, of course, we were talking about being the clan leader of the Wood Elves. That might be possible.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure where you got this idea from but I need to remind you of something, she isn¡¯t suited for it. I¡¯m even considering whether or not to take her away.¡± When it came to her safety, I spared no effort at all. ¡°It¡¯s just too dangerous for her to stay here.¡±


    Even though Paliseth was still her mother, but when had this mother of hers ever done anything good for her? For her sake, I had to stop this madness.


    ¡°Your holiness, please let me explain¡­¡± Paliseth had seen the determination in my eyes and was anxious to explain her decision. ¡°I am serious about letting her succeed me ¨C this isn¡¯t a joke or an attempt at harming her¡­¡±


    ¡°Then explain the Arachne Cavern¡­¡± A mother who was callous enough to throw her own daughter into that depravity definitely didn¡¯t sound like a person who knew the meaning of motherly love.


    Hmph, I still think you have some ulterior motives here.


    ¡°I was just trying to scare her a little¡­¡± Paliseth sighed and gave me a resigned look as if the entire world didn¡¯t understand her brand of concern at all. ¡°Why would I ever truly consider throwing my own daughter into Arachne Cavern¡­ I had them spread that rumor on purpose.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Where¡¯s your proof? What¡¯s your motive?¡± To be honest, there was a part of me that really believed what she was saying, but there was always that possibility that she was just buttering me up.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you already know what kind of personality Jezsere has. In order to fix that, I had the other Dark Elves spread the rumor that she was going to be thrown into Arachne Cavern. At the same time as that, I had already prepared a trial for her to complete. It was a really simple trial that even she could complete. Unfortunately, that plan never came to fruition¡­¡±


    ¡°You mean when she ended up running away from home because of your rumors?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It wasn¡¯t just her who ran away as well. My son, Reyage, did as well¡­¡± Having said that, I saw her smile slightly. ¡°Jezsere¡¯s decision came as a surprise to me. That was a level of initiative I had never seen in her before¡­¡±


    You have to be the first mom in the world who would feel happy about her children running away from her¡­ I swear, this world is abnormal. However, I guess this series of actions really suited her personality. For a timid to the extreme girl like her, she was more likely to run away when pushed to her limits than try and resist. I bet Reyage had a lot to do with her making this decision as well.


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    ¡°Hmm¡­ but that doesn¡¯t sound like Jezsere at all. Are you sure it wasn¡¯t her brother who made her do this?¡±


    ¡°No. Reyage definitely wanted to take her away, but it was Jezsere who first brought up this idea.¡± At that point, she gave me the ¡®I know my own daughter better than you¡¯ look.


    ¡°When Reyage went to find her, he never even got the chance to speak before she suddenly asked him to help her escape. When I heard that, I was truly shocked. I had never seen this assertive side of her before¡­ I still remember every word of that exchange till this day.¡±

 CHAPTER 437: WHEN YOUR MUM WANTS TO START A HAREM FOR YOU…

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that you were there with them from start to finish¡­¡±


    Paliseth merely nodded to that, and I couldn¡¯t help but answer with my own silence as well.


    I had to admit, her way of thinking was borderline stalker, and she even succeeded too¡­


    ¡°Wait, so why didn¡¯t you stop them then?¡±


    ¡°Why should I stop them? Letting Jezsere out into the world might even cause her to mature.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± I just want to say: that¡¯s awfully big-hearted of you. But I guess she did come back in the end, I can¡¯t deny that. In that case, she¡¯s kind of right¡­


    ¡°I also dispatched some of my elite spies to tail them. They were equipped with magical tools to help disguise themselves when they infiltrated the Western Human Realms so the surveillance wasn¡¯t an issue at all. I even told them to pretend to be pursuers and periodically leak out rumors of their pursuit. All to simulate a sense of urgency. They even faked a few fights to reinforce this point too. Later on, I learnt that the two of them came to a rest at a human village. That was when I had the spies halt their antics for a moment, seeing as they seemed to have taken a liking to that place.¡±


    I¡­ I¡­ Those spies you keep talking about¡­ aren¡¯t they assassins? The world famous Dark Elven assassins that were rumored to be able to kill anyone below the level of a Demigod? So you sent a bunch of world-class assassins to stalk your kids¡­


    Naturally, saying that the assassins groomed by the Dark Elves could kill anyone below the level of a Demigod was slightly exaggerating. Killing an Overlord level target was still an extremely difficult task. If an assassin was tenacious and proficient enough, there was bound to be a time when even an Overlord would let his guard down. However, that didn¡¯t mean they would want to do that either. The fact of the matter was that Overlords were extremely powerful beings. If the Dark Elves routinely hunt down such beings, it would easily earn them the collective ire of every other Overlord.


    ¡°My little son, Reyage, is definitely a genius, but he still isn¡¯t strong enough to stand up against an Eight-star assassin, and certainly not a whole squad of them.¡±


    That remark was to remind me that if she really wanted to hunt them down, there was no way they would ever survive for over a year like that.


    Now that I had grasped the basic facts of their journey in the Western Human Realms, it was time to answer another burning question of mine.


    ¡°There¡¯s another matter I would like to ask about as well.¡± I looked Paliseth right in the eyes and said, ¡°why wasn¡¯t Jezsere the one conducting my summoning ritual?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I might have gathered some information about your holiness¡¯s strangeness amongst Devils, but I still wasn¡¯t too comfortable with letting her take this risk¡­¡± She smiled apologetically at that point. ¡°My intentions were to first subjugate whatever Devil it was that came out, then hand it over to Jezsere. I ended up summoning your holiness in the end and the rest is as your holiness knows¡­¡±


    ¡®The rest¡¯ referred to me being turned into a sacrifice for Lolthe and somehow ending up as her godson¡­ no wonder there¡¯s a saying: nothing is certain in life. Anyway, even if the story isn¡¯t exactly as she says, there¡¯s no way for me to tell at this point. So there¡¯s no point wracking my brain over this matter. But how exactly is Jezsere going to deal with being a Matriarch? Putting aside the question of the Clan¡¯s future development, there was a more basic question of whether or not she is even safe in that position.


    ¡°I know what your holiness is worried about, but Paliseth has actually made plans before coming to this decision.¡± While I might not have said anything yet, she could tell from a glance what my next question was. ¡°In actuality, I had already planned for Reyage to do the actual management once Jezsere takes up power. To that end, I¡¯ve groomed a number of trusted subordinates that can support Reyage.¡±


    Support Reyage? Don¡¯t you mean Jezsere? I get it now, so your plan is actually to have Reyage be the true clan leader!


    ¡°So you want Jezsere to be the leader on the surface while Reyage is actually the one who holds the power.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s basically it. Because of our customs and all that¡­¡±


    The customs of the Dark Elves¡­


    The Dark Elves had always been a matriarchal society. Males were technically not slaves, but they weren¡¯t exactly the most respected either -truly an awkward position to be in.


    Unlike the humans, it was the females who held the power, both literally and figuratively. Dark Elven females tended to be more talented than their male counterparts and also formed the bulk of the population. I found that last point to be particularly interesting. Back on Earth, under the star-spangled red banner, this gender disparity was reversed and had led to females enjoying more leeway than they otherwise would have -what¡¯s the saying again? The monks are many but the porridge scarce, if you snooze, you lose.


    The opposite was true for the Dark Elves. Their females did not have to necessarily mate with their males, a humanoid shape was the only requirement¡­ and sometimes that wasn¡¯t even a requirement. Since they were weaker and not necessary as well, the males in Dark Elven society truly had an awkward position even at the best of times.


    ¡°But if you Dark Elves are against a male leading the clan, how can you be sure that those trusted subordinates of yours will even be loyal to Reyage?¡± To be honest, having a bunch of treacherous-by-nature female Dark Elves serve a male whom they looked down upon just didn¡¯t sound like a feasible plan. The fact was that males were despised in their society.


    At that point, Paliseth¡¯s expression became a little stiff. There was that same expression of longing and resentment I had seen in her not too long ago.


    ¡°To be frank¡­ those trusted subordinates were all chosen because of one commonality¡­ they had all seen my husband¡¯s colosseum matches¡­ some had even fought with him in the ring¡­¡±


    ¡°Your husband?¡±


    ¡°Solar.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Alright, that¡¯s reason enough for me then. I totally get it. This is Solar-sama we are talking about. Of course, he can easily handle a bunch of Dark Elf females. In fact, why did I even question this plan? Solar-sama is a god amongst men! The manliest of the Chads! I should start taking notes on this. Maybe it might come out in the next exam.


    ¡°So you¡¯re pushing the idea of Reyage being his father¡¯s replacement?¡±


    ¡°The both of them look very similar¡­ except for their hair colors¡­¡± Paliseth lowered her head and left those words hanging. In all likelihood, she was beginning to miss her husband again.


    At the very least, the whole story made sense now. Jezsere was to only be a figurehead while the true target of this convoluted plan was Reyage.


    Her plan was to make use of the fact that Solar once mesmerized the Dark Elves to push Reyage¡¯s leadership as a pseudo-replacement for his father¡¯s presence. This plan which wouldn¡¯t have been out of place in a harem novel was to continue until he had solidified his position, at which point Jezsere could just step down for her talented older brother.


    Ah Solar-sama¡­ saving the day without even being here¡­


    ¡°In short, you¡¯re trying to create a Dark Elven King?¡±

 CHAPTER 438: SO YOU KNEW AND SAID NOTHING?!

    Learning Transformation Magic is a highly complex endeavour, and when someone other than a Lust Demon tries it, the transformation often has flaws. For example, there are cases of the caster¡¯s body reverting back to its original form when touched. Some of the original body¡¯s unique traits might not mesh well with intended target transformation as well. A person¡¯s presence, smell and personality were all characteristics that couldn¡¯t be falsified. That is why Transformation Magic isn¡¯t all too practical for ordinary mages.


    Now, a Lust¡¯s Demon¡¯s transformation was an entirely different matter. They are able to completely cover up their Devilish nature and this has resulted in quite a few Lust Demons running off to human kingdoms to be a favored consort of some king. Once they have achieved this status, the Lust Demon would often exploit the kingdom¡¯s resources to strengthen herself. Because of their ability to feast on souls, the king of said kingdom often did not meet a good end either¡­


    The number of kingdoms that have fallen to the seduction of a Lust Demon are numerous. Yet despite that, there has been no foolproof way to determine if one is actually a human or a Lust Demon that has transformed herself.


    This is also why books like the Demoness¡¯s Hammer have been able to gain such traction.


    ¡ª- From |Lust Demon and Transformation Magic|


    I had to admit, this outlandish plan of hers might just work. Putting aside the matter of Solar-sama¡¯s fans, if Reyage were to become the clan leader and had the results to justify this, all those men who had been suppressed up till now would definitely not give up this chance to raise their status.


    ¡°That¡¯a bold plan.¡± Now that I had roughly sussed out the details, I couldn¡¯t help but marvel at her daringness. In a strongly matriarchal society like the Dark Elves¡¯, the fact that she was trying to overturn the notion of female superiority was unbelievable, especially considering the fact that she was a female herself¡­ now that¡¯s some 4D chess moves right there.


    ¡°But Paliseth has found an even better plan now.¡± Having said that, she smiled knowingly at me. ¡°With your holiness¡¯s approval, Jez¡¯s safety is basically guaranteed. And with how much your holiness adores her, I¡¯m sure that approval is a done deal, am I right?¡±


    Naturally, I could just shove Reyage into the clan leader¡¯s throne right away. But such a brute force method had its drawbacks. Unless I was planning to stay here for good, the moment I left, Reyage would undoubtedly come under fire right away. That was why the best plan was still to go along with Paliseth. First, give the position to Jezsere in order to pave the way for Reyage. It was a slow but steady method. And given how long lived these Elves were, slow wasn¡¯t really an issue. Now, if it was the humans we were talking about¡­ but that¡¯s a story for another day¡­


    ¡°Sounds interesting.¡±


    Having Reyage succeed Solar-sama¡¯s harem? Now that¡¯s a new way to look at the old saying of children paying off their parents¡¯ debts. Either way, I¡¯m in.


    She gave me a ¡®I knew it¡¯ look at that point. ¡°So I have your holiness¡¯s approval then?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, but I won¡¯t stay for long in the city, so that approval of mine¡­ is most likely in name only.¡±


    Do you know how hard it was for me to return to the Western Human Realms?! This time, I¡¯m not wasting any time at all in finding Nicole, and I have no intention of failing again. Once we reunite, it¡¯s time for a little¡­ ahem, nothing strange to see here, nothing at all!


    ¡°As long as I have your holiness on the record approving.¡± I could tell that she was pleased by my swift approval of her plan. While she might have said that I could help myself to anything, this time, she really meant it. She generously waved her hand in the direction of the treasure room then stepped back to let me have a better look. ¡°In that case, your holiness, please be sure to help yourself to whatever your holiness may want.¡±


    But I want everything¡­ or at least, half. But if Jezsere¡¯s going to inherit all these¡­ I shouldn¡¯t really bully her¡­


    ¡°Oh? Our little brother sure is a gentleman.¡±


    There it was. That grating nonchalance of hers. This freeloader truly was the textbook definition of an unwelcome guest. Not only did she not help out at all, she even made sure to throw in a couple of snide remarks.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t you know that talking about someone behind their backs will earn you retribution? Especially when that person can hear exactly what you are thinking.¡±


    ¡®This she-devil¡­¡¯


    ¡°Alright, alright. Your big sis gets it, she will pay her rent. Hmph, as if your big sis has ever skipped out on paying before.¡± Having said that, she began directing me to where the Eight-star Elemental Core was in the treasure room. Next was the Nine-star core of a fire magical beast.


    ¡®I know I need the Elemental Core, but what am I to do with this Nine-star core? I¡¯m not an Alchemist.¡±


    ¡°Relax, your big sis did say that she was going to pay her rent, right?¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re trying to tell me that this Nine-star core is your payment? Let¡¯s be clear here, that core doesn¡¯t even belong to you in the first place! If you are really serious about paying your rent, at least use your own goods!¡¯


    ¡°But this Nine-star core can be used to create a rather interesting tool.¡± Ferti¡¯nier left that tantalizing idea hanging there for a second then continued. ¡°Little brother, you said you wanted to visit the human territories, right? I¡¯m sure it will be inconvenient to do that as a Devil. Well, your big sis just so happen to have a remedy for that.¡±


    ¡®You have a way to disguise me? The last time I tried barging into human territory, I ended up in a whole load of trouble thanks to me being a Devil. If you really have a way for me to disguise myself, then it will be a lot easier for me when I try to locate Nicole.¡¯


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Wait¡­ if she had such a method, then¡­ that she-devil! Why didn¡¯t she say anything before?!


    ¡°Oh my¡­ look¡¯s like the jig is up.¡± Ferti¡¯nier broke into a mischievous grin. ¡°That was because your big sis found the situation to be very amusing so she kept quiet. And your big sis wasn¡¯t that familiar with you at that time too¡­ she was afraid you would cheat her feelings.¡±


    ¡®Cheat your feelings? Amusing? Are you trying to get me killed?!!¡¯


    ¡°But you aren¡¯t dead, right?¡±


    I¡­ I swear, she¡¯s out to jinx me. Is my suffering her only joy in life?!


    ¡°So, does our little brother want to know how?¡±


    ¡®Of course!¡¯


    ¡°Alright, then your big sis will help you raise your powers first. After all, the transformation will severely weaken you after it¡¯s done¡­¡± Her tone became serious at that point. ¡°Before that, you need to know the method.¡±


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    ¡®Of transformation?¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Ferti¡¯nier started explaining how to unlock this new power. ¡°First off, this brand of magic was invented by us Lust Demons as a means of making up for our poor combat strength¡­¡±


    According to her, this Transformation Magic was a natural talent of the Lust Demons, though the other races could learn it too. The idea behind this transformation was to cover up their devilish nature. Lust Demons who were talented were said to even be able to mask their aura in front of Priests. With this trump card, the Lust Demons were able to run amok amongst the humans.


    As time passed by, the humans started to have a saying whenever a kingdom fell that a Devil¡¯s work was at play¡­ that Devil was actually a Lust Demon. In a lot of ways, these Lust Demons caused more damage to the humans than any Devil who had high combat strength ever could.


    That was one of the reasons why Lust Demons were particularly notorious in human kingdoms. Although, there were still quite a few human Occultists who wished they had a Lust Demon. Naturally, whether or not they could summon one successfully was a different matter entirely.


    Having explained all that, Ferti¡¯nier then transmitted a set of instructions into my head. Perhaps it was because of my Lust Demon heritage, but it didn¡¯t take long for me to comprehend these instructions. After all, this was a natural talent of the Lust Demons. As long as a Lust Demon knew the rough theory behind the magic, she could easily fill in the gaps herself.


    Still, what did Ferti¡¯nier mean when she said she was going to raise my power?

 CHAPTER 439: TOOL CONSTRUCTION

    In that case, I had to find other ways of boosting my combat strength. Clearly, Ferti¡¯nier had something in mind on this front.


    ¡°Your big sis is planning to create a summoning tool that you only need to infuse your mana into and you can summon a helper to your side. Little brother, all you have to do then is announce yourself as a summoner mage. If it¡¯s just this extent of mana usage, you won¡¯t expose your true nature.¡±


    I have to admit, she really thought this through this time; even such minor details were considered. Having such a big sis looking out for my back is truly a blessing¡­ like heck it is! I¡¯ll be more than happy if this she-devil doesn¡¯t end up causing more trouble for me!


    ¡°Ohohoho, is our little brother scolding her big sis again?¡±


    ¡®Nope, not at all! Why would I ever do that? If only there was some way I could express my adoration further, but thank god¡­ I mean, alas¡­¡¯


    ¡°Hmph, don¡¯t think that just because you didn¡¯t intend to say it, your big sis can¡¯t hear it. We both share this body so our thoughts are linked as well.¡±


    ¡®Oops¡­ big sis¡­ I mean momma¡­ Can I call you momma? I¡¯m in the wrong here¡­ please be merciful¡­ your son will forever be grateful¡­¡¯


    Now that we had finished our daily banter, the Devil King inside me made her somewhat displeased question known. ¡°So how long do you plan on hugging her for?¡±


    ¡®Hmm?¡¯


    ¡°Your big sis is talking about that little girl in your arms. Isn¡¯t it about time you let go now?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®My bad, it felt so right that I almost forgot I had her in my arms.¡¯ I had to admit, a soft Elven girl like her was really nice to hug. She was light, and she even gave off a faint scent that just sets off all the right signals ¨C there really was no better pleasure than hugging a girl like her. But now wasn¡¯t the time for this. I had bigger fish to fry so I would have to have her draw the short end of the stick for now¡­ Don¡¯t worry, your master will be back to hug you as soon as he¡¯s done.


    I tossed a look at Paliseth who was still standing besides me, then lightly tapped on Jezsere¡¯s head with my chin. Paliseth immediately understood what I meant and began walking towards us, a smile never once leaving her lips.


    It was at that point that Jezsere finally woke up, despite having been asleep in my arms while I was gallivanting through the entire ingredients section. Perhaps it was the sudden movements around her that had set her off, but the instant Paliseth tried to receive her from my arms, she seemed to react.


    ¡°Mmm? Master?¡±


    ¡°Hey there, you¡¯re awake, I see.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡± She blushed furiously. Even though she had just awoken, she quickly realised what kind of embarrassing situation she was in right now. She recoiled her neck back into her shoulders, her pointy long ears practically the color of a tomato at this point. If television was anything to go by, she would have probably been emitting steam from her ears right now. ¡°Mas¡­ Master¡­ please put me down¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± I gently lowered her down onto the ground, but the moment I did so, I saw her slender legs start to cave in slightly. I quickly caught her arms. ¡°Be careful.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­it¡¯s fine¡­¡± Jezsere quickly wiggled her way out of my embrace. This timid girl had always been quite close to me, but it was also a fact that being too intimate left her more than embarrassed. Even so, it was this sort of shyness that made me like her that much more¡­ and want to bully her as well¡­


    Now that our resident timid girl was settled, Ferti¡¯nier addressed in a stern voice. ¡°I need you to empty your mind now and hand over control of your body to me.¡±


    ¡®Hand over control to you?¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I need control of your body for now. Is there a problem with that?¡±


    ¡®No, but I¡¯m warning you here, I¡¯d better not see you pull any funny business.¡¯


    ¡°Hmph, does your big sis seem like a person to do that?¡±


    ¡®What do you mean ¡®seem¡¯? You clearly are such a Devil! In fact, you¡¯re the only Devil King that is so bored as to torment me just for fun!¡¯


    This time, I was sure she had no way to refute my words. However, the satisfaction of this victory was short-lived. ¡°Alright, then you can create the summoning tool yourself.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Big sis¡­ momma¡­ Can I call you momma? I was wrong, really wrong¡­ please forgive your insolent son. Just one more time¡­alright?¡¯


    ¡°Hmph, that¡¯s more like it. Now, stop resisting.¡±


    Sigh¡­ why do I even bother trying to win? I began emptying my mind as she had instructed, then handed over control of my body to her.


    The moment I felt her soul take over, my external body began to experience a cataclysmic change. If my gender was in any doubt before this -being a genderless Devil that was slightly masculine and all- there was no doubt now. At that very instant, my aura fully became that of a Lust Demon¡¯s, through and through.


    ¡°How fragrant¡­¡± Jezsere began swooning in my direction as if she had suddenly fallen under an enthrallment spell. As she staggered in a daze towards me, she would mumble to no one in particular. ¡°Master¡­ you smell so nice¡­ and you¡¯re so pretty as well¡­ like an angel from the heavens¡­¡±


    ¡°Jezsere!¡± Paliseth yelled. This Dark Elven Matriarch had nearly fallen under my enthrallment as well. However, because she was still a bonafide Overlord-tier being, her iron will quickly resisted the effects in an instant. This enthrallment was actually a side-effect of Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s aura that she subconsciously released. As long as it was a living creature that approached her, it would take effect immediately. Gender had nothing to do with this enthrallment, only how strong that being¡¯s will was.


    Oh Jez¡­ you have to forgive your master here. He can¡¯t control his body right now so he can only let that blasted she-devil have her way with you¡­ Be strong, once your master becomes stronger, he will avenge you. At that time, he will give that she-devil a good spanking until she begs for mercy.


    Having assumed control of my body, Ferti¡¯nier first turned around to face Paliseth who was still struggling to find out what was happening and smiled. She then began the construction of the summoning tool, not at all concerned with explaining herself or making sure that Paliseth had fully secured Jezsere.


    The main ingredient of this alchemical construction was the Nine-star core of a fire magical beast, but there were plenty other ingredients required as well. For example, a piece of highly conductive mithril was required. Next, we needed a whole grocery list of rare metals as well as three Eight-star Fire Elemental Cores and two dozen magical beast cores that were either red or black.


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    The Nine-star core itself was roughly the size of the Gem of Authority hanging on my chest ¨C the perfect size for gripping. Unlike the gem¡¯s tetrahedral shape, the core was a perfect sphere.


    By controlling my mana reserves, Ferti¡¯nier first summoned a ball of Nether Flames in the middle of the air then threw everything into that fire except for those two dozen cores. Naturally, those three Eight-star Fire Elemental Cores were thrown into the fire as well.


    Far be it from me to say, but isn¡¯t it dangerous to toss a bunch of cores into fire like that? Are you sure they won¡¯t just explode in my face? A cold sweat ran down my back just from watching her work her magic. In fact, I wasn¡¯t the only one who was frightened either. Paliseth and Jezsere were both equally pale as they watched trepidatiously from the sidelines. The last thing all of us wanted right now was for that Nine-star core to go kaboom. After all, that was a Nine-star core! If it exploded, this whole treasure room would be toast!


    With my left hand, Ferti¡¯nier began emitting a controlled stream of mana to feed the burning Nether Flames.


    Speaking of Nether Flames, it was a good thing that I was able to wield such magic. Ordinary flames would have been no match at all for something sturdy like Mithril. It was this bit of serendipity that ultimately allowed me to barely meet the threshold of transmuting mithril.


    As time wore on, I could feel my mana reserves drain by at least half. At the current rate that she was expending my mana, I would at most last a couple more minutes before I was wrung dry. If that were to happen, then this transmutation would be a complete failure. As for those ingredients which were tossed into the Nether Flames¡­ well, at least they didn¡¯t explode, am I right?


    In my current state, I was unable to affect the outside world at all. However, I didn¡¯t dare to distract Ferti¡¯nier either. The last thing I needed was to cause an accident because she lost concentration.


    Thankfully, the experienced Devil King that she was did not need any reminder from me at all. Without even looking, she reached out with my right hand and popped one of the red cores into my mouth.


    Crunch. Hmmm¡­ doesn¡¯t taste like chicken. Kinda like fried tofu actually, pretty nice to crunch on¡­ Having finished chewing up the red core, Ferti¡¯nier next tossed one of the black cores into my mouth. As she did that, I began to feel my mana reserve recover, going so far as to match the rate of my expenditure.


    Hold on¡­ are we treating magical beast cores as tofu now?! Just because this body isn¡¯t yours doesn¡¯t mean you can just mess around like that! What if I get food poisoning, or what if I can¡¯t digest it? Even worse, what if I choke to death? I¡¯m practically an explosive barrel right now, one that¡¯s about to explode! What if¡­ bah¡­ we can talk about this later¡­ I wouldn¡¯t want to mess up this whole transmutation because of some small objections¡­


    Even though I thought that, I was still extremely worried about what was going on with my body right now. I really did not want to die because of some silly indigestion, especially not while I was still a virgin.


    Having just recovered from Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s earlier actions, the mother and daughter pair were soon treated to the equally shocking act of her munching on a bunch of magical beast cores. Just like me however, they knew that now wasn¡¯t a good time to distract her. Any sort of interruption would be deadly at this point, that was why they merely kept a silent but worried vigil from the side. Naturally, Jezsere was already shaking at this point.


    Time passed by neither slowly nor quickly in that manner. While I had come close to wanting to wrestle back control from Ferti¡¯nier several times, I resisted this urge in the end.


    However, just because I put up with her eating those magical beast cores didn¡¯t mean I liked it either¡­ Hey, haven¡¯t you heard of not eating raw foods? What are we, cavemen?!

 CHAPTER 440: AN UNFAMILIAR CEILING

    As the fiery wisps of the Nether Flames dissipated, a silvery white necklace gently floated down. Ferti¡¯nier reached out and grabbed it with my left hand then had it on full display on my palm. Both of us were inspecting this newly forged accessory, the difference was that while she was inspecting the attributes of the necklace itself, I was just admiring its beauty.


    Mithril was a sturdy magical metal that also had a high tensile strength, making it one of the most highly-valued magical ingredients there was in this world. While it wasn¡¯t at the level of a divine instrument, the vast majority of semi-divine tools were forged from mithril.


    The necklace was fashioned like an ornate web. Within its webbings were four red gemstones, one large and three comparatively smaller ones. The three smaller stones were roughly the size of a pinky¡¯s fingernail and were lined in a triangular formation. In the center of this triangle was the last stone, one that was the size of a thumb¡¯s fingernail.


    It was a stunning piece of work, to be sure, but I couldn¡¯t help but find it a little strange. Normally, such adornments would be found on the chain yet Ferti¡¯nier had instead filled up the inner circle of the necklace itself with these stones¡­ Alzehemier¡¯s perhaps? She is rather old¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re the one that¡¯s old, your whole family is old!¡± Ferti¡¯nier immediately reacted to my comment though her voice did sound rather tired. At the same time as she said that, she returned control of my body to me.


    Oh? She¡¯s not going to take this opportunity to stir up some trouble? Now that¡¯s just not like her at all.


    This time, Ferti¡¯nier chose not to respond to my jibes. Now that her work was done and the necklace was safely in my hands, she impatiently stated as such. ¡°Alright, your big sis is about to take a nap now, she¡¯s tired. Remember to grab some souls for her to snack on in the meantime, else it might be a time long before you see her again¡­ Oh, right, little brother, you¡¯re about to level up again¡­ also, your big sis didn¡¯t scam you this time, did she?¡±


    ¡®What do you mean you didn¡¯t? Those magical beast cores aren¡¯t candies you just pop into my mouth like that! What if I get food poisoning?!¡¯


    ¡°Food poisoning?¡± Ferti¡¯nier paused for a second, clearly amused by the thought of that actually happening. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯re a Fallen Angel and one of the direct descendents of the great Lucifer himself. Let alone a few magical cores, you would be fine even if you swallowed down an entire zombie.¡±


    ¡®What the heck, you¡¯re thinking of feeding me zombies now? You¡¯re just doing this because this isn¡¯t your body!¡¯


    ¡°Now why would I do that? Don¡¯t you know how dirty zombies are? Your big sis would never think of even eating one.¡±


    ¡°Heheh¡­¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t think you have me fooled with that smile of yours! I know exactly what you are planning in that black heart of yours¡­ you she-devil! There¡¯s nothing in this world that¡¯s blacker than your heart, not even coal£¡¡®


    ¡°Oh don¡¯t be so angry, those magical beast cores are what caused your power to rise in the first place. I thought you desperately wanted to become stronger? Of course, those magical beast cores have to be of the right elemental nature as well. Also¡­¡± She paused for dramatic effect at that point. Finally, she continued, ¡°There might be some side effects, but they aren¡¯t that severe. They should be no problem at all for our little brother¡­ Well then, your big sis is really tired now, so she¡¯s off to get some beauty sleep¡­ remember to grab some souls~¡±


    Just like that, she was gone.


    Ahhhhhh¡­ that she-devil¡­ she¡¯s too much!


    ¡°Master?¡±


    Jezsere timidly tried to call out to me while I was mentally screaming in my head. It was then that I realised how strange I must have been acting right now. In order not to frighten our resident timid girl any further, and also for the sake of my own image, I decided to stop the mental screaming for now and turn to face her with the most normal looking expression I could muster. ¡°Jez? Your master¡¯s fine, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Having said that, I spread my arms wide open and hugged her. Had it been the past, Jezsere would have already come running into my arms, albeit shyly. Unfortunately, this time was a little different. She not only did not try to come close to me, she even backed away a little¡­


    ¡°Master¡­ you just¡­ ate those¡­¡±


    There was no need for her to explain any further at that point. The moment I heard her say the word eat, my face froze up. I tried to explain myself, but the moment I did so, a surge of mana started gushing upwards from my abdominal region and immediately spread out towards my extremities¡­ fishcakes¡­ I knew those magical beast cores were going to give me food poisoning¡­


    An unfamiliar ceiling¡­ like heck I would say something that stupid.


    But what am I doing on this bed? I thought I was just in Paliseth¡¯s treasure room¡­ did I faint? Blast, I should have emptied out that treasure room first¡­ hold on, why do my limbs feel so limp?


    I clearly have enough mana, or maybe too much of it¡­ is this the side effect of eating of magical beast cores? I knew she would end up causing trouble! Also, why does my left hand feel a little weird?


    I turned towards my left palm and found a strange bracelet tied around my wrist. On top of wrapping itself around my wrists, one end was coiled around my middle finger and ring finger as well. And on the back of my hand were the four red stones I had seen in that ¡®necklace¡¯ Ferti¡¯nier crafted. The three smaller red stones were arranged in a triangle that took up the majority of my hand while the larger red stone took up the center point as before¡­ isn¡¯t that the summoning tool Ferti¡¯nier forged?!


    So it wasn¡¯t a necklace, but a bracelet instead. No wonder it looked a little weird to begin with. I have to say though, it¡¯s rather nice, just a little bit girly for me¡­


    Yet just as I was considering whether or not to take off this clearly female bracelet, Jezsere came walking in to greet me.


    ¡°Master, you¡¯re awake!¡± Seeing that I had awakened, our resident timid girl immediately ran up to the bed, having clearly forgotten about the magical beast cores at this point. Well, that saved me a whole load of trouble at least¡­


    ¡°How long have I been asleep?¡± My body felt a little weak, but my mind was clearer than it had ever been. I peered around and saw an unfamiliar room, just like that ceiling above me. The room itself was austerely decorated, but based on the faint fragrance lingering in this room, I could tell it was an inhabited room. And its inhabitant was definitely a girl.


    Don¡¯t tell me¡­ is this Jezsere¡¯s room? It kinda smells like her!


    ¡°Master, you¡¯ve been asleep for an entire day.¡± Jezsere tilted her head as she peered in my direction. She seemed to have noticed that something was wrong with my body so she graciously came in closer to have a look.


    ¡°Master, how are you feeling now?¡±


    I took in a deep breath and furrowed my brows in concentration a little. ¡°For some reason, my body feels a lot weaker than before even though my mana has never been stronger. I think I¡¯m even weaker than a human right now¡­¡±


    ¡°Perhaps¡­ perhaps it¡¯s those magical beast cores that master ate? Mother and I were really frightened by that¡­¡±


    ¡°Probably¡­ no, it¡¯s definitely because of that!¡±


    Ahhhhhh! Ferti¡¯nier, you she-devil, why did you stuff all those cores into my body, even though that ended up raising my power and ended up pushing me to the peak of Four-stars¡­ actually, doesn¡¯t that make her my benefactor then? Should I really be badmouthing her? She did spend a lot of energy forging that bracelet, and those cores were needed to finish the forging or everything would have been for naught. I guess she can be forgiven then.


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    With that in mind, my mood improved considerably. Yet I couldn¡¯t help but feel that something was off here.


    I gave my head a quick shake then turned back to address Jezsere. ¡°I was busy forging a tool back then. The resulting mana expenditure was too high so I had to rely on those cores to replenish my mana¡­ mhm, that¡¯s basically it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is that so.¡± Jezsere nodded her head obediently though she still seemed a little confused. ¡°But Master, if you just needed to replenish your mana, the potions section has plenty of potions that can help with that, with no side effects too.¡±


    Potions¡­ that¡¯s right¡­ if it¡¯s just replenishing my mana, potions would have been fine as well, why did she even force feed me those coses¡­ curse you, Ferti¡¯nier! I knew you were scamming me again! I¡¯ll remember this! Once I get my body back, I¡¯ll make sure to screw you over just as hard!


    I just knew that she-devil was hiding something from me, and I even fell for her tricks again! I need to jot down her name in my little booklet¡­


    While it was said that magical beasts who devoured the cores of a similar nature could raise their power, the fact was that I wasn¡¯t a magical beast. Such an extreme method came with its fair share of risks because of that. In actuality, raising one¡¯s level wasn¡¯t just a simple matter of munching down on some cores. Such a brute force method often caused a host of problems like an unstable foundation, a lack of mana control, so on and so forth.


    Appropriate consumption would definitely result in speedy levelling, but overly relying on those methods was a shortsighted move as well.

 CHAPTER 441: A +11 EPIC?!

    ¡°Your holiness, are you alright?¡±


    Paliseth barely stepped into the room before she immediately leapt in my direction. Ignoring the visibly at a loss Jezsere near me, she reached out and pulled me towards her, right into a rubbing embrace.


    I say, how about you stop showing off those mountains of yours for once¡­ I¡¯ll admit, they are big, but they are also suffocating me right now. Also, I¡¯m still a bonafide man here! Why are you acting so brazenly in front of me? I might just¡­ just¡­ fine. At least my soul is that of a man¡¯s!


    If it wasn¡¯t for your kids and Solar-sama, I would have already¡­ muffled sounds I¡­ I swear! Just because my pee pee isn¡¯t here doesn¡¯t mean you can just bully me¡­


    ¡°Master¡­ master¡¯s body is convulsing¡­¡±


    ¡°Mother¡­ cease and desist¡­¡± I could vaguely make out Reyage¡¯s panicked pleading from within the depths of bouncy hell. ¡°You¡¯re hugging his holiness too tightly, he can¡¯t breath¡­¡±


    After a fair bit of flailing later, I was finally allowed to breath once more. The first thing I did then was to distance myself from Paliseth, scampering all the way to the safety of Jezsere¡¯s back.


    ¡°Back off, don¡¯t come a step closer!¡± I even threw her a ¡®scram¡¯ look to make my point even clearer. ¡°That¡¯s right, just like that, stay the right heck away from me. Also, I forbid you from pointing those deadly weapons in my face again¡­ I still want to live for a long time¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Paliseth cheekily smiled as she said that. Clearly my warning had no effect on her.


    However, there was nothing I could do about this nonchalance of hers. This centuries old hag definitely knew that I didn¡¯t truly dislike her chest rubbing, that¡¯s why she always opened up with that move. Speaking of moves¡­ that bounciness only gets better the more she does it, like an acquired taste¡­ but I definitely do not want to suffer death by bouncy suffocation! At least give me some warning before you do that.


    Putting aside the slightly smug Paliseth for now, I turned my attention towards Reyage. ¡°How¡¯s your injuries, Reyage?¡±


    ¡°They are fine now, Reyage is grateful for your holiness¡¯s concern.¡± Reyage lowered his head as he said that. His face looked a little tense, just like his unusually polite words, as if he didn¡¯t dare look me in the eyes.


    I guess this is what an emperor felt like in the past when his subjects addressed him¡­ for him to change so much overnight¡­ Without a doubt, my status in Dark Elven society had reached the level of an emperor of old.


    ¡°As long as you¡¯re fine.¡± I nodded lightly in his direction but made no mention of why he was even injured to begin with. Reyage smartly chose not to bring up his failure in Arachne Caverns as well.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, just some minor side effects, that¡¯s all.¡± Having said that, I raised my left hand to show them my new accessory. ¡°This is my¡­ +11 Epic Purple Mithril Triple-threat Fire Elemental Guarding a Inferno Lion Summoning Tool¡­¡±


    Don¡¯t ask me why the name is so long, because I am shocked as well. Why the heck did I think of that name the moment I saw that bracelet?! I know why, it must be Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s fault! That she-devil, why did she have to come with such a weird name!? And I thought that¡¯s just a name you only see in games?


    Has she been flipping through my memories? Or did I leak out some information from my previous life? Either way, she seems to have found out some stuff about my previous life¡­I just hope this won¡¯t come back to bite me in the butt.


    ¡°Master¡­ the name is a bit much for Jezsere¡­¡± She groggily shook her head, clearly shocked by the majesty that was my bracelet.


    ¡°Your holiness sure has a unique sense of¡­ naming¡­¡± She tried to think of a more polite way to describe my majestic bracelet but finally settled on a dry laugh instead. ¡°Really unique¡­¡±


    Reyage: ¡­


    Hey, don¡¯t give me that ¡®I¡¯m looking at a moron¡¯ look¡­ it¡¯s really not my naming, it¡¯s Ferti¡¯nier! Also¡­ also¡­ you know what, there¡¯s no point in denying it at all. To the uninitiated, I was the one who created this majestically-named bracelet. In that case, the one who came up with the name had to be me as well¡­


    ¡°Alright, alright¡­ it¡¯s real name is Inferno Lion¡¯s Splendor. As for that really long and convoluted name¡­¡± I cleared a throat a couple of times and smiled. ¡°That was just a joke. The atmosphere was getting a bit bleak so I thought I should liven up the mood. How was it? Funny, right?¡±


    Reyage: ¡­


    ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s what it was.¡± Paliseth smiled obligingly, but I could tell that it was a very forced one. ¡°Your holiness is such a kidder.¡±


    ¡°Master?¡± Jezsere looked at me quizzically. ¡°So that name wasn¡¯t real?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± I nodded. ¡°It¡¯s real.¡±


    ¡°Ehhh?!¡±


    Her mind exploded at that point¡­ hey, hey ,hey, don¡¯t go collapsing now¡­


    My current state could only be described as frail. Even walking was difficult for me now, so when Jezsere started to faint because of my teasing, I was unceremoniously pushed down onto the bed by her¡­


    Oops¡­ seems I went a little overboard with the joke¡­


    Inferno Lion¡¯s Splendor was an Epic level piece of equipment, one that had already reached Epic-grade without any further enhancement.


    One of the traits of such equipment were that they had their own will and could choose their own master. Furthermore, at their full strength, an Epic-grade equipment could allow an Eight-star to go up against a Nine-star.


    However, being an equipment with its own will, not everyone would be able to tame it. Normally, there were two ways of gaining the equipment¡¯s approval: suppressing it by force, or just be liked by it. Naturally, there was an even better third option of being liked by it and suppressing it by force.


    Of course, that wasn¡¯t to say that a person automatically had the power of a Nine-star just by owning such an equipment. After all, the tool was a dead thing. The wielder had to be the one to bring out its full potential.


    Just like how a Gundamn piloted by a Newtypeh was stronger than one piloted by a normal person, a weapon was only as strong as its wielder.


    Going back to the Inferno Lion¡¯s Splendor, a name which was infinitely easier to remember than what it originally was, this tool had the ability to automatically absorb the fire elements in the environment in order to replenish itself. At the end of the day, a whole Nine-star¡¯s core and three Eight-star cores were used up just to make this tool. From Six-star onwards, such magical beast cores had the ability to absorb the elements from the air, just like a self-charging solar battery. In fact, I could use them as a battery right now, although it would be quite an extravagant battery.


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    Ferti¡¯nier had already carved a summoning array onto this bracelet. As long as I infused some of my own mana into it, I could instantly summon three Fire Elementals or an Inferno Lion. Either could be summoned separately or together at the same time. As for the actual strength of the summons¡­ well, let¡¯s just say that it was directly linked to how much mana I put in.


    For the time being, I was only able to summon a Fire Elemental. I tried summoning an Inferno Lion, but the proud creature that it was wouldn¡¯t submit to me, even in its weakened state. In all likelihood, I had to wait a while longer before I was strong enough to summon it.


    Other than summoning, the bracelet also had the ability to control fire to some degree. It was entirely possible to treat it as a mage¡¯s staff.


    That meant that I could still use some fire spells without having to expose my identity. However, rather than calling these spells, they were more like an ability at this point. Also, this fire was only limited to ordinary fire. Nether Flames were flames originating from Hell. If I dared to use that in a human kingdom, that would pretty much expose my identity.


    Speaking of Nether Flames, the Inferno Lion¡¯s Splendor had two different modes to it. The first was where it enhanced ordinary flames while the second was where it enhanced Nether Flames.

 CHAPTER 442: THE COLOSSEUM ONCE MORE

    To a Devil, there is no better delicacy than a soul that was filled to the brim with desires or one that was of irreproachable character.


    This taste for souls is one of the reasons why Devils have such a foul name outside of Hell. Devils have been known to form pacts with mortals through which they lend a portion of their strength to the mortal temporarily. Once the pact has been completed, the Devil may come to reap the soul at his or her pleasure.


    A pact like this can be counted as a high level pact, one that caused both parties to be bound by the laws of the world. Until the pact has been completed, the Devil is restrained by the power of the pact. Once the other party has completed the pact however, they will no longer be able to resist the whims of the Devil.


    Because the power of the signee stems from the Devil, there is no way for the signee to ever overpower the Devil by himself. However, the pact signee who is somehow able to kill the Devil he signed the pact with would be able to free himself from the pact and avoid being reaped. As for what method should be employed¡­ The most effective method was to have someone else do the dirty work for them. Assuming, of course, the Demon Hunters or the Church were still willing to help someone who had sold his soul to the Devil¡­


    From | A Devil¡¯s Pact |


    Before I could go hunting for Nicole in the human realms, I had to remedy this weakness in my body.


    According to Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s parting advice, this weakness was probably the side effect of eating all those magical beast cores. Such a condition was something I had never dealt with before, but she did leave another advice behind as well, and that was to eat more souls¡­ perhaps that is the way to remedy my current situation?


    Either way, any possible avenue had to be explored, that was if I wanted to return to the human realms anytime soon. It¡¯s all for Nicole¡­ in that case, let¡¯s get to it.


    The question then became: where the heck am I going to find a large amount of souls in Shadowhunter City? The Duergars? That probably wasn¡¯t a good idea¡­ after all, I have no quarrel with them, and they are one of the servant slaves of the Dark Elves. While I might have been their holy son, the fact was that even I couldn¡¯t just slaughter a bunch of Duergars without reason. They were valuable labour, and whether it was from a practical or emotional standpoint, I shouldn¡¯t raise my blade against them.


    Hmmm¡­ if quantity isn¡¯t going to work, perhaps quality then¡­ There are those Dark Elves and Dryders I saw earlier¡­ actually, scratch that. I don¡¯t want to be scolded by the godmother I just acknowledged¡­ I need a more reliable method.


    The colosseum again? The last time we went there, I was left speechless, and not in a good way too. All those wasted Dark Elven lives¡­ as a member of the Waifus for Laifu Club, my heart aches¡­ nay, tears at the thought of more bloodshed amongst females!


    ¡°Your holiness doesn¡¯t wish to visit the colosseum then?¡± Paliseth asked, seeing as I hadn¡¯t responded yet. ¡°If not the colosseum¡­ perhaps some sightseeing then?¡±


    ¡°No, let¡¯s go to the colosseum, right now in fact.¡±


    Given that I couldn¡¯t directly slaughter some Duergars, Dark Elves or Dryders, the colosseum might have just been the method I was looking for. As the name suggested, the colosseum was where countless matches took place every day. It wouldn¡¯t surprise me if over a hundred people died in that ring on a daily basis, else it would be a shame to its namesake. Not only that, the colosseum had the chance of showcasing some high level fights, perhaps some Five-stars or maybe even Seven-star experts. Such souls, while not very plentiful, were still more than a match for a bunch of weaker souls.


    Under Paliseth¡¯s and Jezsere¡¯s gentle guidance and help, we finally reached the colosseum stands after much effort. This colosseum was one of the most popular spots in the whole of Shadowhunter City. At every point in the day, the stands would be packed with countless Dark Elves screaming at the top of their lungs.


    Our seat was situated at the highest location in the colosseum so our arrival did not cause much of a stir. Especially not when there was a particularly fierce match going on right now.


    Down below, a male Dwarf dressed in rags was currently fighting a Dark Elven female dressed in your typical assassin¡¯s garb.


    Before we arrived, these two had engaged in multiple exploratory clashes. Based on those short clashes, it seemed like neither side was stronger than the other.


    The Dwarf fight was your typical Dwarf who prided himself on his beard and had an old uncle¡¯s face paired with a large nose. He wielded a double-handed iron hammer that was constantly flailing about in the air. The head of this hammer was a large rectangle, and its body was a long rod made entirely out of metal. If it was resting on the ground, its height would most likely tower over its wielder¡­ Speaking of which, that fellow down is probably a whole head shorter than me. I have heard that Dwarves tended to be around the 150 cm range.


    Because this Dwarf took part in the match as a slave gladiator, he had no armor provided at all. All he could rely on for defense was his gigantic hammer. Without any armor whatsoever, that also meant that he couldn¡¯t afford to trade blows as every hit from his enemy was a bonafide injury.


    Assassin were known for their one-hit kills. For an assassin, there was no better target than a warrior who did not have his armor on. Assuming, of course, that this assassin was able to land a hit on said warrior.


    Unfortunately, the Dark Elven assassin below seemed to have been injured before this match and was moving oddly. Her waving daggers seemed slower than expected which led to her being hesitant about facing the Dwarf¡¯s swinging hammer. Without a way to approach the Dwarf, she naturally had no way to land a strike either.


    In contrast, the Dwarf was still fiercely waving his hammer about. The Dark Elven assassin had tried multiple times to break through this defense but failed. Without any other choice left, she had to duck about while she waited for an opportunity to strike.


    Yet the Dwarves were a race known for their hardy constitution, and the Dwarf below was no exception either. Even after ten minutes of wild swinging, he showed barely any signs of tiring at all. In fact, he seemed to be getting faster by the second, forcing that Dark Elven assassin to leap away multiple times in order to avoid a hit.


    Well, isn¡¯t he an energetic Dwarf? I¡¯m guessing they have been feeding their slave gladiators well in the colosseum. Also, rather than calling this place the colosseum, how about calling it a speed dating agency instead?


    As long as the slave gladiator triumphed over his Dark Elven challenger, he had the option to have a go at her¡­ really, is there even any other form of dating that is faster than this? Perhaps a brothel¡­ but I guess the employees of a brothel relied more on their charms rather than their brawns.


    Also, as a testing ground for potential breeding stock, it wouldn¡¯t make much sense to starve the gladiators, else any form of contest would be pointless.


    Honestly speaking, up till now, this match hadn¡¯t been the most exciting of matches. Rather than cheering for the match itself, the audience were probably just excited by the bulging muscles of that Dwarf. According to the rules, the winner gets to have his way with the loser, and it was said that big noses tend to come paired with a big weiner¡­ ahem.


    Before the Dwarf tired out, the Dark Elven assassin likely wasn¡¯t going to make her move. Such a fight of endurance was, putting it bluntly, boring. I turned to look at a visibly excited Paliseth and asked in a concerned voice, ¡°I remember there were reports of Minotaurs and Harpies causing trouble at the south side. Are you sure it¡¯s alright for you to be here with me now?¡±


    ¡°Your holiness¡¯s matters are more important. Besides, the war on the south side is a small matter to begin with, don¡¯t worry. Paliseth has already sent more reinforcements their way, and Zurnalin has full control of matters over there.¡± Realising that my mind wasn¡¯t on the match below, she smiled and asked, ¡°Does this match not entertain your holiness?¡±


    ¡°Well, I was never the type to get excited by such hotblooded stuff. Besides, I have another motive for being here.¡±


    To be honest, I was here just for the souls.


    ¡°Another motive?¡± Paliseth merely nodded her head after giving this matter some thought. Without asking what that motive was at all, she called for one of the attendants and whispered something in her ear. With that done, she turned her attention back to the ring.


    ¡°Master, if you¡¯re feeling bored¡­ how about telling Jezsere some stories from your past?¡± Jezsere leaned in at that point, eyes practically shining with curiosity and expectation. ¡°Jezsere still doesn¡¯t know much about master.¡±


    ¡°You really are an adorable one, aren¡¯t you.¡± I gently flicked her on her nose then under her slightly dissatisfied gaze, began recounting in earnest. ¡°Honestly, there¡¯s really nothing much to say about my past. Before becoming a Devil, I was just an ordinary human who ended up dying to save a young Fallen Angel girl. After dying, that Fallen Angel sent my soul to Hell where I was reborn as a Devil¡­¡±

 CHAPTER 443: OF SAUSAGES AND THEIR BUNS

    I won¡¯t go into the details here, but suffice to say, it was an arduous journey¡­ from me hatching from an egg into a foreign environment, to me recruiting a bunch of subordinates, all the way up to the portal to Purgatory. And not just any old section of Purgatory either, this was a section sealed up by Lucifer himself¡­ Really, does anyone have a tougher life than me?


    Thinking back on it however, I was able to scrounge up a whole bunch of benefits because of that. Chief amongst them had to be the identity granted to me by Lucifer. Because of that, I was able to run amok in Purgatory, all the while protected by Lucifer¡¯s words. The strongest opponents I could possibly have were all Overlords, and they didn¡¯t dare lift a finger against me.


    Hmm¡­ actually, my luck is pretty good isn¡¯t it¡­ now, if only I can turn back into a male¡­


    ¡°No wonder your holiness required an Overlord¡¯s level of offerings in order to summon, and not just an ordinary Overlord at that. That explains it¡­¡± Paliseth exclaimed, having solved one of mysteries surrounding me at last.


    Initially, her idea was to offer me up to the not-yet-my-godmother godmother because I was supposedly a successor of the Devil King of Pride. Bluntly speaking, this Devil King was merely a demigod, not at all comparable to an entity like Lolthe.


    Basically, it was a ¡®not like you can do anything about it¡¯ kind of attitude that drove her to make this decision. After all, the stronger the entity was trying to cross dimensions, the harder it was for that entity to succeed.


    Naturally, while I spent relatively more time recounting my Devil experiences than I did with my human experiences, it was still a summarized version, one which took a few minutes to fully tell.


    My voice might have been calm while I was recounting these events, but those memories were more than just events in a history book. They were actual experiences, and not easy ones as well. Many things could have gone wrong like, what if Yi Yi didn¡¯t help me reincarnate? What if I wasn¡¯t able to reincarnate anymore? Or what if I reincarnated into a non-humanoid, like a beast or maybe even an insect.


    Makes my head hurt just thinking about it¡­ blast, I¡¯ve gone off tangent again.


    ¡°Master? Are you alright?¡± Seeing my brows knit together in frustration, Jezsere anxiously leaned in on me. ¡°Master¡­ it¡¯s alright now¡­ everything is over¡­¡±


    By the time I came back to my senses, I found myself in the embrace of Jezsere, an ironic reversal to be sure. It had always been me comforting this timid little girl, yet now it was her comforting me instead. That same fragrance wafted into my nose and those same perky hills pressed into my arms like before¡­ is this the legendary secret x-rated scene I¡¯ve long heard about¡­ sheet¡­


    What is she up to now? That searching look is now a thoughtful look¡­ she¡¯s definitely up to something!


    It was at that point that the match below ended. The Dwarf had won. His defeated opponent was currently lying on her side on the floor, gazing at him while she slowly lifted up her slender legs. Her shapely legs were in full view right now, and one could even see that black lace-like material she wore on her thighs. Next, she used her right hand to prop her chest up, just enough that the Dwarf could see her bountiful chest and curvy waist. Her left hand then caressed her lower abdominal region, barely an inch away from her groin.


    Yet that wasn¡¯t the end of it either, her lips formed into a seductive smile that threatened to suck the soul of anyone who stared at them for too long. In the first place, this Dark Elven assassin was definitely above average in the looks department. With her obvious efforts at seduction, her natural beauty was even more pronounced.


    Honestly speaking, any man would have been moved by this scene. Of course, this did not include me, because Jezsere was way more beautiful than some assassin. My timid little bunny is perfect in every way except for her timidness and clinginess. Not at all like that used good down there.


    Going back to the colosseum, these matches were actually just a way for Dark Elven females to cherry pick the best DNA for their child. After the match, the rare breeding stock that were these gladiators would bring the defeated Dark Elven female to the inner chambers of the colosseum where they performed some sausage polishing¡­ as for the details¡­ there was a sausage and a bun, nothing else needed to be said.


    Naturally, there was no denying that there were also those weird ones who wanted to do it right there and then in front of the audience¡­ Either way, the Dark Elf had to obey the victor.


    At least, that was how this whole scene was supposed to have proceeded. The long-awaited catharsis never happened. The Dwarf never even spared his defeated opponent a single look, instead throwing down these words before leaving, ¡°you¡¯re too skinny.¡±


    You¡¯re too skinny¡­ too skinny¡­ skinny¡­


    What the fish?! What do you mean she¡¯s too skinny? Look at her! She even fainted because of your harsh words. I swear¡­ this place is just full of uncivilized barbarians who do not understand the sacred waifu. Just imagine for a second, what if all the Dark Elven females were all like your Dwarven females¡­ oh jebus¡­ urrrggh¡­ better destroy this world just to be safe!


    No, that Dwarf is just being prudent. He knew that his ugly mug wasn¡¯t worthy of that Dark Elf. That¡¯s right, that¡¯s why he left like that¡­ It¡¯s just a pity that the lady had to suffer because of that¡­


    The moment that Dwarf walked off, the audience stands erupted in thunderous booing. There were even some who questioned if her sausage polisher was even functioning. Then there was talk if this sausage was actually a bun, not a sausage at all! All manner of slander was tossed about to explain this strange sight, and it was mostly the females who were slandering too. The scene was even worse than a fish market right now.


    As for me, I was devastated by this whole turn of events. Yes, I did not hope to see a beautiful girl like that assassin die if possible, but the same could be said for an innocent like that Dwarf as well. But the fact was that I needed souls. Also, where is my promised soul?


    At this rate, when will I even get my healthy body back? My face progressively became blacker at that point.


    ¡°Your holiness, do not mind that Dwarf, their race has a different sense of beauty from ours.¡± Paliseth shook her head lightly and smiled. ¡°Paliseth knows that your holiness wishes to relax so she had someone prepare for a more exciting match later. I¡¯m sure your holiness will be surprised as well.¡±


    ¡°Surprised?¡± I turned to find a confident Paliseth smiling back at me. ¡°What kind of ¡®surprised¡¯ are we talking about here?¡±


    ¡°Your holiness will see soon enough.¡± Having said that, Paliseth turned her attention back to the colosseum.


    Well, since you put it that way, I guess I will just have to see then.


    The crestfallen assassin had already left the ring and the new challengers had been chosen. Not too long after, a man and woman walked out from opposing sides of the colosseum.


    Because we were seated at the highest point in the colosseum, and also because of my heightened Devil senses, I was able to clearly see what was going on down there as if I was actually there. I was even able to see the slight change in both the challengers¡¯ faces.


    The two challengers had fully stepped into the ring at this point. The man was a tall, lanky and handsome Dark Elf. The woman was a human warrior wielding a sword and shield and was roughly twenty-seven years old.


    The man wore a set of leather armor that allowed for easy movement. The leather armor itself was adorned with intricate weavings that were only matched by the pair of engraved longswords he wielded. Longsword held in a reverse grip in one hand, the Dark Elf arrogantly turned his nose up at the female and even snorted.


    Oh boy, there¡¯s your typical arrogant rich kid attitude.


    The woman looked decently pretty had it not been for that awful hemp clothes she had on now. Her golden flowing hair reached up to her shoulders. Her peach-shaped face and high-nose matched well with her golden eyes to give her an almost heroic look. Somehow¡­ she seemed even more arrogant than that rich Dark Elf over there. Of course, that could just be her trying to protect the last shreds of her dignity. Or she could have just been born with that kind of face¡­

 CHAPTER 444: A SWORD DANCER AND HIS PARTNER

    In contrast, an ordinary Elf¡¯s lifespan is a lot longer. A healthy Elf could expect to live past 500, with stronger members of their clan enjoying an even longer lifespan.


    In terms of a normal human¡¯s lifespan, an average human spends a significant portion of his life growing up, taking at least sixteen years to mature from infanthood to adulthood. Most children have their marriage arranged before their sixteenth birthday so as not to waste any time at all.


    The Elves, being a long-lived race, actually did not require as long of a development phase as one would think. Up to twelve years of age, an Elf develops at the same age as a normal human being. It is from twelve onwards that an Elf experiences significantly reduced development.


    A normal human could be considered mature at sixteen, while an Elf would only be considered matured at forty.


    This disparity in development speeds has a major impact on each race¡¯s development as a whole.


    Using the same comparison of a human versus an Elf, a human at the age of sixteen could already be a fully fledged member of the army. The Elf, on the other hand, would have barely started puberty. The Elf¡¯s mental age would roughly be that of a twelve year old¡¯s as well. Such a slow development could be considered a fatal weakness in their race.


    Perhaps that is why an Elf¡¯s development speed is much faster at the start; in order to adapt to the lifespans of the other short lived races in this world.


    Assuming, of course, that Elves really took as long as I hypothesised to mature.


    ¡ª- From | Elves and Humans: Their Developmental Stages |


    Once a pair of gladiators were put into the ring, they were like crickets put into a box, neither was allowed to leave until a winner was decided.


    There were many, many more variations and combinations, but there was a certain specialised occupation unique to the Elves, these were the dual sword wielding Warriors known as Sword Dancers.


    Sword Dancer as an occupation had existed since the ancient times. Given that, it wasn¡¯t at all surprising that the Dark Elves still preserved this occupation after the schism that created the Wood Elves and the Dark Elves. If there had to be a difference between the two factions of Elves, it was that Dark Elven Sword Dancers were mostly beautiful females. Sword Dancers mostly took on non-combat roles, only performing their sword dance during special occasions to please the gods. It was believed that the gods above would bestow their blessings if they found the dance to their liking. Because of this, Sword Dancers had traditionally been considered a non-combat occupation.


    In light of all that, it was strange to ever see a male Sword Dancer, especially in a matriarchal society like the Dark Elves¡­ Perhaps that Dark Elf down there is from a special background?


    Yet even as my mind began to consider all the possible explanations for this phenomenon, the fight had started.


    It was the human female who made the first move. She raised her shield to her front and pointed her longsword forward: the typical starting stance of a sword and shield fighter.


    Being a very balanced style of fighting, this combination of shield and sword was also the style of choice for a lot of fighters thanks to the lack of an obvious weakness.


    In contrast, the Sword Dancer¡¯s dual sword style was a highly aggressive, highly mobile style. Its defences were lacking, but that was made up for by its swift sword strikes.


    Unless there was an obvious gap in power between the two, the Sword Dancer should be the one who had the advantage.


    Yet a Sword Dancer¡¯s attacks had to be flashy and intricate, seeing as their main purpose was to please the gods. Their combat strength might have been high, but they were also restricted by their occupational need to be flashy.


    The male Sword Dancer below started circling the female human at blinding speeds. Each strike he threw out was executed with an unpredictable, even unusual set of footwork that allowed him to reposition himself easily. Sometimes, he would stab at the warrior¡¯s left flank, and upon being blocked by the warrior¡¯s shield, he would suddenly slide to her back for a slash.


    Right off the bat, the female warrior had fallen for the Sword Dancer¡¯s unending chain of attacks, completely unable to counter attack at all.


    Such an oppressive style of attacks was what the Sword Dancer specialised in. With two swords in hand, a Sword Dancer could easily overwhelm another melee occupation, the exception being the heavily armored Shieldbearers. At higher tiers, a Shieldbearer¡¯s shield could easily weigh over fifty kilograms and bestowed an almost impenetrable level of defense to its wielder.


    In a melee fight, there were only two ways to overcome a Sword Dancer. One: possess a level of defense that allowed you to ignore the Sword Dancer¡¯s attacks. Two: possess a speed that was even greater than the Sword Dancer¡¯s. Unfortunately, the female warrior below satisfied neither of these categories. Her speed wasn¡¯t as fast as the Sword Dancer¡¯s and her buckler clearly wasn¡¯t a fifty kilograms tower shield.


    As time wore on, the Sword Dancer¡¯s attacks only grew faster and faster. Her balanced style of combat which ordinarily would have allowed her to stand a chance against any other occupation was now her undoing. The Sword Dancer¡¯s extreme style of fighting had countered her completely. By now, her left shoulder was covered in cuts while the right side of her face was a spider web of thin slices.


    The Sword Dancer¡¯s every attack was always followed up by a swift repositioning at an awkward angle for her. With her tiny buckler, she was barely even able to turn around in time to block, let alone strike back.


    However, just defending wasn¡¯t going to get her anywhere. Standing in this ring, there were only two acceptable outcomes: defeat or victory. The victor earned the right to mate with the loser while the loser either accepted their fate or killed themselves.


    In truth, the appearance of a female slave gladiator was a surprise to me. According to my previous evaluation of the colosseums, this was supposed to be a breeding stock selection ground for females, not really for males. After all, while males might not have enjoyed a very high status in Dark Elf society, the fact of the matter was that there were too many females compared to males. With their overall openness to procreation-related activities, males shouldn¡¯t have a lack of mates.


    Long story short, they shouldn¡¯t have to come to the colosseum at all, at most as an audience member if they really wanted to. Therefore, it stood to reason that he shouldn¡¯t have any requests to make of a non-Dark Elf female. In that case, why was he here? In fact, why was the colosseum even keeping female slave gladiators then?


    Having asked myself that question, I realised another issue as well.


    Compared to the long-lived Dark Elves, your typical human had a very short lifespan. The sense of time between these two races couldn¡¯t be any more different in that regard.


    Perhaps the humans were being kept as livestock then? Well, something akin to livestock anyway. Just like how humans reared animals that were comparatively short-lived, the Dark Elves probably had the same idea as well. In the time it took for one Dark Elf to mature, a human could have already sired a mature second generation and was on the way to a third.


    So if the colosseum was rearing its own stock of slave gladiators, and these new generation slaves had all grown up in Dark Elf society¡­ didn¡¯t that mean they all grew up being indoctrinated with the idea that Dark Elves were their masters? The moment I realised that, a chill ran down my spine.


    Are they trying to raise a human army of slaves that are completely loyal to them?


    ¡°Your holiness?¡± Realising that my gaze had changed somewhat, Paliseth turned away from the match and faced me with a smile. ¡°Is there any matter that Paliseth can assist with?¡±


    ¡°No, not for now.¡± I shook my head then looked at the match below. ¡°Let¡¯s continue watching the match.¡±


    Back down below, this was the umpteenth time that the female human had narrowly escaped with her life. She was beginning to realise that wearing her opponent down through defense wasn¡¯t viable at all. If she wanted to win now, she had to risk it all. Unfortunately, this bit of resolve was more like a prey¡¯s last struggle in the eyes of that Sword Dancer.


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 CHAPTER 445: FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!

    The moment the Sword Dancer felt the buckler collide with his left hand, he immediately felt a hair-raising sense of danger close in on him. It was a glint of steel that came slicing through the air with a sharpness that threatened to tear him apart from a distance away.


    It was at this moment that the Sword Dancer¡¯s honed instincts took over. He nimbly twisted his body to the side, leaving behind an afterimage just from the sheer speed at which he avoided being sliced at the last minute.


    Yet this slicing attack was only a ruse ¨C the real attack was yet to come!


    The moment the female human saw that her attack had been dodged, she activated her strongest attack possible. She took to the air in a burst of power, and her Fighter¡¯s Aura began gathering around her longsword an instant later, like a cannon that was just about to fire its load!


    Roscar had told me of this move before. It was a famous killing move known as Skyfall.


    This move was a powerful one, and fast too. However, because it only acted in a straight line, an agile opponent could easily avoid it if he was prepared. Because of that, Skyfall required a certain degree of setup if its user wanted to guarantee a hit. And setup she did!


    However, just when she thought her killing move was going to work, it missed. When the Sword Dancer twisted away to avoid the first attack, and was faced with her Skyfall, I could clearly see him smirking.


    With its extreme speed, Skyfall often misled its slower targets into believing they were hit by light instead. Under normal circumstances, the female human¡¯s two tiered attack should have ensured that the agile Sword Dancer was no longer able to dodge Skyfall. However, it still missed in the end. That was because at the instant that it was about to hit, the Sword Dancer suddenly turned into a cloud of black mist¡­


    Skyfall immediately blew up the ground in front. The female human then came to a half kneeling land in the half meter deep pit she dug, face as devastated as the ground¡­


    Impossible! How did that Sword Dancer even do that?!


    From our VIP box, I could clearly see what had happened in that instant.


    Thankfully for her, this gamble paid off. The Sword Dancer habitually came to strike at the female human¡¯s weak spot, and that made him predictable. Yet even when faced with an unexpected chain of attacks, the Sword Dancer reacted with terrifying agility. In the span of a breath, he blocked the projectile and even blocked the next attack without his vision aiding him.


    While it might have seemed like fortuitous happenstance that the buckler so happened to block his eyes, this was all planned by the female human. She had used a special throwing technique with that buckler. It made whatever she threw twist upwards right after being launched. Then, as part of the next step, she launched a crescent-shaped wave of Sword Aura at the Sword Dancer.


    Aura Projection¡­ that¡¯s a Four-star Warrior ability.


    With his vision blocked, the Sword Dancer had no way to see the Sword Aura attack. However, his wealth of battle experience and insane reflexes still allowed him to dodge the attack.


    Then came the final step of the female human¡¯s plan: Skyfall. With no doubt in her mind, the female human launched what she thought was the deciding move. In what had to be the fastest Skyfall she had ever launched in her life, her final move raced towards the Sword Dancer like a bolt of lightning. She clearly intended for this move to kill that Dark Elf as well. However, her speed wasn¡¯t what surprised me, instead it was the golden aura that surrounded her longsword as she prepared to attack!


    As a quick refresher, only Five-star Warriors were able to imbue their weapons with their aura in order to increase its strength. That meant this female human was a Five-star!


    Unfortunately, despite all her planning, she wasn¡¯t able to anticipate that her opponent would have such a strange technique up his sleeve¡­ he actually flew away in the nick of time as a cloud of black mist!


    Yet this new form did not last very long either. With a speed that a normal human could never hope to match, the black mist flew to the back of the female human, dual longswords floating within it.


    A second later, the black mist began to take up a physical form. The tall, lanky frame of that Sword Dancer materialised before the entire colosseum once more. And in that instant, the colosseum exploded, like water into a pot of boiling oil.


    The audience members screamed at the top of their voices, yelling out whatever nonsense they could think of, as if this was the only way they could show their unbridled excitement.


    ¡°Wooooowww!!!!¡±


    I had to admit, that transformation move was a stroke of genius, and was a perfect example of why these matches could be so invigorating.


    However, just because her killing move had failed, did that mean that the female human had given up? No, that look of devastation on her face was all faked. She had never once given up on victory!


    The moment she felt a stir in the air from that Sword Dancer materialising, she swung her longsword behind her without any hesitation. That same golden aura that imbued her longsword also made it suddenly elongate by a whole inch at this point.


    Yet even this sudden change wasn¡¯t able to faze the Sword Dancer. He merely smirked at her coldly and transformed back into a black mist, reappearing behind her once more.


    This time, his transformation was even faster than before, leaving the female human with no time at all to react. Once he had materialised, he immediately followed up with a swift stab to her heart!


    But just as that attack was launched, he suddenly changed the direction of his attack, forcefully diverting it towards her legs instead. Then with a twist of his body, he sent a fierce kick flying towards the female human¡¯s back. That kick had nothing held back at all and sent the female human immediately flying away over a dozen meters¡­


    The female human flew through the air like a deflated balloon, finally coming to a tumbling stop some time later. By the time she stopped sliding backwards, her body was covered from head to toe in blood and dirt.


    Thanks to her Fighter¡¯s Aura guarding her, she didn¡¯t just die from that kick. But her condition wasn¡¯t good either. As she laid there on the ground coughing out blood, her golden hair flowed to the ground, mixing in with the blood and dirt that covered the ground. Yet even in her ragged state, her eyes held nothing but hatred for the Sword Dancer¡­ seems like there¡¯s a backstory between these two¡­ too bad that glare of hers can¡¯t kill anyone, at least hers isn¡¯t anyway.


    The Sword Dancer slowly strolled up to her. In response, the female human tried to get up on her feet. However, her attempt was doomed to failure as the Sword Dancer immediately kicked her on her shoulders. This time, it wasn¡¯t a heavy kick like before. It was more of a warning, telling her to stay down.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you just in a terrible state right now?¡± The Sword Dancer haughtily gazed down at the female human. ¡°You weren¡¯t even much to look at to begin with, now you look worse. I still don¡¯t get what Lewell sees in you.¡±


    ¡°Sarkath!¡±


    The female human spat out his name in response. Her voice shook with a fury that was reflected in her eyes as well.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say my name.¡± Faced with her all-consuming rage, the Sword Dancer merely furrowed his brows in disgust. ¡°Hearing my name uttered by your lips is an insult. Don¡¯t test my patience.¡±


    ¡°Sarkath!!!¡±


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    ¡°I told you not to say my name!:


    ¡°Sarkath! Why won¡¯t you just die!¡±


    As if yelling her hated foe¡¯s name had granted her strength, the female human suddenly struggled to her feet at that point and punched the Sword Dancer known as Sarkath. Her flying fist carried with it all her hatred and her aura combined into one deadly strike that wished for nothing more than Sarkath¡¯s death!


    Faced with this powerful punch, the Sword Dancer Sarkath smartly chose not to face it head on. He used that strange movements of his to nimbly swerve to her back before giving her left leg a swift kick.

 CHAPTER 446: A TALE OF HATRED AND COCKROACHES

    Sarkath the Sword Dancer slowly walked up to the still shell-shocked female warrior. She was in a terrible condition right now and probably wouldn¡¯t be able to get up in the short term. Because of her prone state, her body was filthy, a mix of fresh blood and dirt.


    ¡°I swear, I just can¡¯t stand a dirty creature like you.¡± Sarkath arrogantly declared before swinging his sword in her direction.


    A glint of steel flashed across her back, yet his sword did not hurt her as one would expect, instead, her dirtied hemp clothes were completely sliced apart.


    What¡¯s going on here? I thought you hated her, so why are you undressing her instead? At this point, the female human¡¯s snowy white back was bare for the entire colosseum to see¡­


    ¡°WOOOOOOO!!!¡± The stands erupted in cheers once more, intoxicated by the deadly cocktail that was violence and procreation. Even under normal circumstances, such a combination always stirred the imaginations of those watching, let alone in a depraved society like the Dark Elf¡¯s.


    Are they going to have a go then? I thought to myself, still shocked by what was about to happen as I turned to face Paliseth.


    In return, Paliseth flashed me a wide, long smile, as if to say that the true show was only beginning.


    The colosseum was not just a place where blood was shed. Often, there would be public displays of procreation, perpetrated by the more open members of their society. In fact, it was basically a part of the daily show at this point; it wasn¡¯t strange at all to see a few such cases in a day. Even some of the slave gladiators were a part of this live performance, choosing to have a go right after their victory instead of waiting till they were in the backrooms.


    What was more shocking however, was that such acts of perversion were actually popular with the crowd¡­ Naturally, all that was assuming such people survived the fight.


    Reyage kept his cool for the most part, even when faced with a potentially exciting situation down below. He was every bit an old, wizened monk right now: expressionless and unaffected. As for his sister¡­ her face was already buried in my chest.


    Her hands were completely cupping her ears and her body was shivering just like it would when she was frightened. That was how timid of a girl she was. Even though the sword didn¡¯t harm the human in the end, the mere thought of that grisly scene was enough to frighten her.


    Feeling her clothes slip off her back, the female human immediately grabbed onto whatever scraps of cloth that were left covering her chest. Then she turned around to face the Sword Dancer so as not to let him see her exposed back. This time, there was panic written all over her face. Real, visceral panic. Her body instinctively pulled itself away from Sarkath, crawling desperately away in a bid to put some distance between her and him.


    Unfortunately, there was no way her crawling was ever going to save her. The perfectly unharmed Sword Dancer had on a sinister sneer as he looked at the female human, as if she was nothing more than a dirty Duergar. ¡°Hmph, you should consider it an honor for lowly creatures like yourself to serve me. Do you honestly think I would covet that body of yours? That body which you might see as perfect but is actually no better than a filthy Duergar¡¯s.¡±


    His barbed words cut into her like a sword, but she never responded to him in the slightest. She merely continued crawling away, all the while clutching on that dangling piece of hemp on her chest.


    Sarkath maintained a calm pace as he walked up to her. His face held none of the lust you would expect, instead it held that paradoxical look of disgust you would see on a person who was about to swallow something he knew was revolting but chose to do it anyway.


    It was as if the unspeakable acts he was about to inflict on her were actually an insult to his noble self¡­ like how one wouldn¡¯t cavort in bed with a dog.


    That self-aggrandising attitude of his only made me want to ask him this: so why are you doing this then¡­ Suddenly, I remembered Paliseth¡¯s mysterious smile. Nothing needed to be explained from that point onwards.


    Before his dastardly deed was about to be perpetrated, I finally spoke up.


    ¡°Stop.¡± I said with furrowed brows, voice amplified significantly by my own magic.


    Had this been a willing transaction, I would have never interfered like this -just like how I never said a word after that previous match with the Dwarf and the Dark Elf. In fact, I was even a little excited back then by how the Dwarf would react to the Dark Elf¡¯s solicitation¡­ aren¡¯t all men like that? At least, I am.


    This time was clearly different. The female human was clearly forced into such an act by the male Dark Elf. And the male Dark Elf didn¡¯t even seem willing to go through with it in the first place. It was clear that he must have had a reason for doing this, and this reason most likely had nothing to do with his will, and all to do with a certain Matriarch who was still excitedly watching the scene unfold.


    Unfortunately, my objection was easily drowned out by the frantic cheering from the audience. No one had heard what I said, and even if they did, it was a question whether or not they would even care.


    While all that was happening, Sarkath continued approaching the female human with the expression of someone who was about to swallow a cockroach. Yet even if the audience did not hear my objection, there was someone who certainly did.


    Paliseth, upon noticing my obvious disapproval of what the Dark Elf below was about to do, tried to intervene right away. Unfortunately, her attempts were a little too late¡­


    Upon hitting the walls of the ring with her back, the female human knew that she was doomed. Her thirst for vengeance might have clouded her mind, but even she could see what was about to happen to her. Sarkath might have looked unwilling, but the fact that he hadn¡¯t tried to kill her yet meant that something unspeakable was about to happen to her¡­


    Without waiting for the Dark Elf to come any closer, her right hand darted to her back, coming out a second later to toss a dagger at Sarkath. However, if she wasn¡¯t even able to hurt him under normal circumstances, she certainly wasn¡¯t going to be able to do so in this state. Sarkath did not even bother dodging this attack. He instead swatted it away with his engraved longswords like a fly.


    But seeing her still try to struggle even at the eleventh hour, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a surge of anger rising in his chest that swiftly reached his head. An instant later, he dove forward with swords aimed right at her throat!


    This sudden change in heart was naturally just an attempt to frighten her into submission. He had never intended to kill her, and was planning to stop a hair¡¯s breadth away from her throat. Unfortunately, he had miscalculated. She wasn¡¯t cowed by the impending threat of death at all -she welcomed it! A gush of blood later¡­ the female human had her throat pierced by the Sword Dancer¡¯s engraved swords.


    She didn¡¯t die immediately however. Her throat continued to move, as if she was trying to say something to the Dark Elf. I couldn¡¯t hear what she was saying from where I was, but I could clearly feel her words in my soul.


    ¡°I curse you.¡±


    Just like that, she died with her eyes wide open.


    Yet Sarkath clearly wasn¡¯t one to care for whatever she had to say. He impatiently pulled out his stained swords, and even kicked her on the face to dislodge them even faster. The blood splatters on his otherwise beautiful swords displeased him greatly. He gave them a quick flick to clean them, then turned around to leave, not even bothering to spare the woman he had just slain a second more of his time.


    While I could not know what he was thinking right now, my guess would have been something like this¡­


    ¡®Wretched thing¡­ even in death, you have to inconvenience me.¡¯


    This guy¡­ even if you look down upon her, there has to be limits, right? You just killed her and you¡¯re already humiliating her right away¡­ isn¡¯t that just going overboard?


    ¡°Who is that?¡±


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    I did not specify who I was referring to, but Paliseth implicitly knew who I was asking about. Seeing that I was even more displeased now, she immediately wiped that smile off her face and answered me in earnest.


    ¡°Does your holiness dislike that Sword Dancer?¡±


    ¡°I do. I hate him so much that I would wish him dead.¡±


    Honestly speaking, the Elves did possess a more noble bloodline than the humans, what with their immensely long lifespans. But humans had their strengths as well. They were able to learn quickly and had the potential to reach the same heights as Elves. While the Elves had the right to look down on others because of their long lives, it was also a fact that they developed at a much slower right than humans, not to mention the obvious superiority the humans had in numbers. In fact, if we were just talking about high level warriors and mages, the humans had more.

 CHAPTER 447: AN UNEXPECTED BIT OF UNEXPECTEDNESS

    In all seriousness however, it was a fact that the humans commanded a territory dozens of times larger than the Wood Elves. As for the Dark Elves, the ones who chased them underground were the Wood Elves. Just based on that fact, it was safe to say the humans as a race were stronger. After all, only the strong could hold such large swathes of territory.


    That was why that Sword Dancer¡¯s attitude rubbed me in all the wrong ways, especially since I was previously a human!


    ¡°Since your holiness dislikes him so much, then there¡¯s no need for him to continue existing.¡± Having said that, Paliseth turned and waved in the direction of Sarkath, and nothing else. A glint of resolve flashed past her eyes and she lowered her head to whisper in my ears, ¡°Paliseth will give your holiness a satisfactory answer.¡±


    ¡°Who is that Sarkath anyway?¡± Now that I had made my displeasure known, I became a little curious about this Sword Dancer¡¯s background.


    However, Paliseth remained silent and it was Jezsere who raised her head up from my chest and explained, ¡°Master, that¡¯s Jezsere¡¯s older brother¡­¡±


    ¡°Older brother?¡±


    I was stunned. If that Sword Dancer was Jezsere¡¯s older brother, then didn¡¯t that make him Paliseth¡¯s son?


    I gave it some thought for a second before deciding to rescind my order to kill him. ¡°Since he¡¯s your son, how about we¡­¡±


    Yet, it was too late. There was no need for me to say anything further, because Sarkath¡¯s head just slid off his neck¡­ Just moments ago, he was on his way out of the colosseum, then he was beheaded. In fact, his body even took a few steps forward, as if it hadn¡¯t caught up with the fact that it was dead¡­


    How?! Why is his head gone?


    I stared at Sarkath¡¯s headless body in shock, hoping to gleam some sort of clue as to how he died.


    There was nothing that stood out at all. The cut on his neck was extremely even, as if something razor thin had sliced its way across it. But there was no such object to be found in the arena at all. There weren¡¯t even any signs of someone else having entered the arena. The only clue I had was Paliseth waving her hand before stating that she would give me a satisfactory answer¡­ don¡¯t tell me¡­


    Hold on! I see it now! It¡¯s a spider silk, lying almost invisibly across his neck. Where did that even sprout out from? And how was it so strong that it could silently slice off a person¡¯s neck like that?!


    I gasped to myself in disbelief. However, no matter how hard to believe this sight was, it was also a fact that he was now dead.


    With that in mind, I turned my wide eyes towards Paliseth. She still had her head lowered as before, standing there quietly like a beautiful statue. Had it not been for Lolthe¡¯s blessing, perhaps I might not have even seen that spider silk hanging just above the area where Sarkath¡¯s head used to be¡­


    Even so, those five other children were her own flesh and blood as well! Yet she killed him, just like that! Even a tiger did not feed on its own spawn, let alone an intelligent race like the Dark Elves. It truly felt like I had just seen a new side to the cruelty of the Dark Elves. As long as it benefitted themselves, they were capable of anything.


    Honestly speaking, I couldn¡¯t even be sure what it was that triggered such decisive action from her. Was it when she asked me if I hated that Sword Dancer? Or perhaps it was when she said she would give me a satisfactory answer. Or perhaps she was afraid I would blame her for my foul mood?


    Going back to that match I had just witnessed. It was clear now that the Sword Dancer was vastly superior to that female human, especially with his ability to transform into mist. That Sword Dancer had clearly wanted to kill that female human as well, but he chose to humiliate her instead. Because of that, he even ranted on about some nonsense for a good long while. Yet if one were to consider it from another way, he didn¡¯t have to participate in this fight at all. In all likelihood, it was Paliseth who arranged for this match to be as such. She then commanded him to humiliate that female human in public.


    Putting it another way, that female human¡¯s unfortunate demise was caused by Paliseth as well. But Paliseth was calm enough to realise that if she killed Sarkath, she could prevent my mood from being soured further. It was her way of showing subservience to me, as if to say that even her son wasn¡¯t exempt from punishment as long as it pleased me.


    Naturally, by killing her son, she was also hinting me to not to pursue this matter any further, seeing as she had even sacrificed a son in penitence. At the end of the day, this whole fight was her bright idea, and she clearly had some responsibility to bear. That was why she decisively sliced off his head.


    Either way, whatever her true motive, it was a fact that I really couldn¡¯t pursue this matter any further seeing as she had already done so much.


    In some sense, that female human died because of me. Because Paliseth wanted to entertain me, that female human was brought out to die. While that might have sounded a lot like self-aggrandizing pity, I couldn¡¯t help but feel guilty seeing as this was the first human I had seen in a long time. Having been stuck with Devils for so long, I couldn¡¯t help but have an attachment to the first human I had seen in a long time.


    Now, if it was a male that had died¡­ well, the colosseum is a cruel place¡­


    Either way, the deed was done, and I had no reason to pursue this matter further. However, there was still the matter of that little drama between those two. I clearly saw a deep-seated sense of hatred in that female human¡¯s eyes. If not for that, she wouldn¡¯t have fought so desperately in the first place.


    The colosseum had a rule that once the victor laid claim on the loser¡¯s body, he or she was forbidden from harming the loser, else no matter who they were they would be thrown to Arachne Cavern.


    It was said that Arachne Cavern had a certain species of arachnid magical beast that could lay its eggs into a living creature like a parasite. Once hatched, the spawn from these eggs would then feed themselves using the flesh of the host¡­ That was a fate worse than death.


    With such a cruel threat of punishment looming over his shoulders, the female human would have definitely survived as long as she listened to Sarkath. So why did she do it? Clearly, it wasn¡¯t because of her treatment as a slave gladiator. If it was, she wouldn¡¯t have tried to curse him even in death.


    ¡°Do the two of them know each other?¡± I asked. ¡°There was some mention of a Lewell as well, who is that?¡±


    ¡°Lewell is also Jezsere¡¯s older brother¡­¡± With two deaths happening before her very eyes in such a short span of time, Jezsere¡¯s already pale face was even paler now. She leaned into my shoulders and timidly said, ¡°Before Jezsere ran away from home, brother Sarkath had killed brother Lewell¡­¡±


    Sarkath killed Lewell? Then what relation did Lewell have with that female human? From the looks of things, it wasn¡¯t just a simple relationship too.

 CHAPTER 448: AWKWARD

    ¡ª¨C A report from the invasion of the new world


    So what she¡¯s saying is that, Lewell, who is also Jezsere¡¯s older brother, was killed by Sarkath, another older brother of Jezsere¡­ With that in mind, I turned towards Paliseth and gave her a strange look.


    One of your sons killed another one of your sons¡­ don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know about this. Are you so hands-off that you won¡¯t even meddle when it comes to your children killing each other? What kind of mother are you even? Actually¡­probably the kind that just killed her own son. Maybe he was just an accident, maybe even the dad is unknown.


    Maybe I¡¯m the one that¡¯s being too demanding here?


    ¡°Sarkath and Lewell were both fighting over the position of Sword Dancer at the time.¡± Reyage suddenly broke his silence to explain. ¡°It was a fair fight that only ended when Lewell made a mistake and died. But Sarkath ended up seriously injured as well.¡±


    A fight over the position of Sword Dancer? Is that position really that rare? I know it¡¯s an occupation that performs for the gods, but is it so coveted that you would kill someone else over it?


    ¡°Are Sword Dancers rare?¡±


    Hearing that, Reyage suddenly gave me an awkward look and fell silent for a good long while. ¡°They aren¡¯t, actually. It¡¯s just male Sword Dancers are rare¡­¡±


    The moment he said the word male, I understood immediately.


    So Sword Dancer¡¯s aren¡¯t the panda bears of Dark Elf society¡­ it¡¯s just the discrimination against males is so bad that male Sword Dancers can be considered rare. I mean, why would their goddess even want a wretched male performing for her, am I right? If you¡¯re going to worship your deity, you obviously have to use the best. That¡¯s just common sense.


    Speaking of deities, isn¡¯t it my godmother they are worshipping?


    With regards to the position of Sword Dancer, it was only natural that the competition amongst males was fierce. This was an occupation that performed sword dances for the goddess herself. In some sense, they were servants of the goddess.


    It was for that reason that the position of Sword Dancer would be so highly contested, and highly respected. The position itself had steep requirements for its holders. They had to be of good lineage, excellent looks, top-notch talent, and unquestionable faith.


    The question then became: what were the benefits of the goddess¡¯s favor?


    The answer was laughably obvious¡­ just look at Sarkath and his ability to transform into a black mist.


    Strictly speaking however, not every Sword Dancer would be selected to perform for the goddess either. They had to first go through a rigorous selection before even being considered for the performance.


    Either way, I finally understood why it seemed like male Sword Dancers were rare and why Sarkath even killed his brother for this position -to climb the corporate ladder!


    What kind of man doesn¡¯t yearn for higher office? A waste of space, that¡¯s who! No, they aren¡¯t even men at that point, they are just fish, salted fish to be exact.


    ¡°So what was the relationship between Lewell and that female human?¡± Now that one part of the mystery was solved, it was time to address the other.


    ¡°She should be considered Jezsere¡¯s sister-in-law.¡± Jezsere answered in an unsure voice. Having said that, she threw a timid glance in the direction of her mother, as if she was afraid she would get punished for even saying that.


    Sister-in-law?


    I was stunned. Even though this possibility did occur to me, it was another matter entirely hearing it from her mouth. After all, the Dark Elves were extremely long-lived compared to humans. Assuming that Five-star female human did not advance any further, her lifespan would at most be a hundred or so. That¡¯s not even a third of a normal Elf¡¯s lifespan. Just based on that alone, it was hard for me to imagine how those two would ever fall in love. To borrow the words of a certain Sword Dancer, humans were wretched.


    ¡°You are sure Lewell married that human?¡±


    ¡°Even though their marriage wasn¡¯t officiated, it was still a fact that Lewell had moved to the colosseum for her.¡± It was Reyage who answered in his sister¡¯s place this time. ¡°Mother might not agree with them getting married, but she did not directly oppose it either. Slave gladiators were forbidden from leaving the colosseum, so Lewell could only move there instead. They even had a daughter together¡­¡±


    Having mentioned the child, Reyage¡¯s lips couldn¡¯t help but twitch a little.


    ¡°A half-Elven daughter?¡± That last part caught my attention there. ¡°I remember the Dark Elves had a way to alter a child¡¯s lineage, that¡¯s how your race ensures that only pure-blooded Dark Elves are born no matter what nonsense of a mate they have. So how did they even have a half-Elven daughter?¡±


    Reyage hesitated for a second, but finally answered. ¡°The problem is that the person giving birth is a human¡­¡±


    So that method only works on female Dark Elves? Or maybe they aren¡¯t too happy about a lowly human giving birth to a pure Dark Elf?


    Well, those are the only two possible explanations I can think of.


    ¡°Take care of her body, let¡¯s go see this half-Elf daughter in the meantime.¡± Now that I had all the answers I wanted, I began giving command to Paliseth and the other attendants. Paliseth gave the attendants a look, to which they nodded and left swiftly. Seeing that was taken care of, I then turned my attention back to the cold, lifeless body of the female human, a hint of guilt flashing through my eyes in that instant.


    I can¡¯t do anything about your death, but I can at least take care of your daughter for you¡­ No matter what the circumstances were, it was fact that I had something to do with her death. Therefore, be it out of curiosity or guilt, I decided to pay that half-Elf a visit. ¡°Oh right, how old is she now? Where is she?¡±


    ¡°She shouldn¡¯t be more than twenty this year¡­¡± Reyage answered in an uncertain voice, then thought about it for a second before giving me another more certain answer. ¡°She is in the residential section of the colosseum.¡±


    ¡°Alright, bring me to her.¡± I signalled for our resident timid girl to help me along the way. She hurriedly rushed up to my weakened form before nodding to Reyage. ¡°Lead the way.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Just like that, we departed from the VIP booth, Reyage in the lead while Jezsere helped me along. As for Paliseth¡­ she quietly accompanied us from behind. Given her recent error, she probably wasn¡¯t looking to stand out right now, lest I decided to make her take responsibility.


    Following the stairs downwards, we quickly entered the inner sections of the colosseum. For the most part, the corridors in the colosseum were roughly five meters wide and five meters tall. For a party like ours, this spacing was just the right size, or it would have been, had I been more accustomed to underground life.


    (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.)


    The outside of the colosseum definitely wasn¡¯t an issue for me, seeing that the ceiling of the cavern itself had to be at least over a hundred meters tall. Now, when it came to the insides however, there was no denying that looming sense of claustrophobia right now.


    As we continued onwards, I suddenly realised a serious issue that I hadn¡¯t thought of till now: what was that female human¡¯s name even? And what was her daughter¡¯s name too? If I didn¡¯t even know that, how was I to greet her?


    ¡°Errr¡­ so who here knows the name of that female human?¡±


    That question broke the awkward silence we had till now while also simultaneously creating a new awkward silence. Reyage couldn¡¯t help but pause a second, unsure whether or not to proceed onwards. He clearly didn¡¯t know what was the name of that deceased female human, let alone her daughter¡­


    Just like her older brother, Jezsere was equally stumped by this question¡­


    What the heck, aren¡¯t you two her aunty and uncle? Are you telling me none of you even knows her name?


    I then glared at a visibly stumped Reyage. If you don¡¯t even know her name, how are you supposed to lead us in the first place?

 CHAPTER 449: A GIANT PI

    Thankfully, someone soon broke the strange mood in the air. And that someone was Paliseth, a lady who had been decidedly silent up till now. ¡°That girl is called Aisha, and her daughter is Aishael.¡±


    In that very instant, there was nothing that could describe my shock. Even Jezsere and Reyage didn¡¯t know about this niece of theirs and she did? Was she spying on Lewell¡¯s family as well? But if that was the case, why did she have Aisha fight against Sarkath?


    ¡°The name was given to me by Elder Lanbael, the supervisor of the colosseum. To be honest, I had no idea who was to be sent out until the match started.¡±


    Now that she had mentioned that, I suddenly realised there was another female Dark Elf standing beside her right now. This lanky Dark Elf looked to be very young, and had on an elegant black dress, giving her the appearance of a beautiful high-society lady. In all likelihood, this was Elder Lanbael.


    ¡°Greetings, your holiness.¡± She quickly answered. Being the keen-eyed Dark Elf that she was, she quickly picked up on my foul mood right now. While it was true that Paliseth¡¯s actions had cooled me down somewhat, the fact was that I was still unhappy about this whole situation.


    So why was she panicking? The answer was obvious: out of all the Dark Elves present, she was the most likely person to be blamed by the active volcano that was my mood. Clearly, I couldn¡¯t take my anger out on Paliseth, given what she had just done. Reyage and Jezsere were out of the question, especially Jezsere whom I absolutely adored. That left only her to be the sacrificial offering.


    However, I wasn¡¯t that unreasonable that I would take my anger out on someone just for that reason. In the first place, Lanbael was acting under the orders of Paliseth¡­ I¡¯ll let her off the hook this time¡­


    I threw her a quick look, eliciting a bout of cold sweat from her in the process. While I might not have looked like much now, the fact was that I had my godmother to back me up. Every action I took, every word I said¡­ they all represented the will of Lolthe.


    What was a mere elder in the face of that? Nothing. Send me thirteen of them, and I would send them packing just the same. Just you wait, I will find twelve more elders and let them know the power of my godmother -mwhahahaha!


    I turned my attention away from the slightly pale elder and glared at Reyage. ¡°Lead on.¡±


    Behind me, I could vaguely hear someone sighing in relief. Paliseth didn¡¯t have much to say to her subordinate being spared, but that subordinate herself was definitely relieved to be out of the crosshairs right now.


    Right at the bottom of this pit, I could vaguely make out a transparent dome that was most likely made out of mana. Beneath that dome, there were rows after rows of houses packed together like a labyrinth. This was most likely the residential area for the slave gladiators.


    On the outside of the pit, there was a winding stairway built into the walls that led into the buildings. With how wide the pit was, it would have taken an inordinate amount of time to create such a large structure. What was worth noting about these stairs was they had no guardrails. One false step and poof¡­


    Right this very instant, there were dozens of scantily-clad slaves being led down the stairs by twelve or so Dark Elves. Most of these Dark Elves were males, and from the looks of things, their job seemed to be watching these slaves and escorting them between the colosseum ring and the residential area.


    The group made their way to the side of the dome, at which point the female Dark Elf leading them took off her necklace and drew a circle with it on the dome itself. A second later, the transparent, almost water-like dome parted to reveal a five meter semi-circular hole.


    With the way open, the group continued onwards without a word. However, it wasn¡¯t long before they discovered our own party. They quickly suppressed the slave gladiators and brought them over to greet us.


    ¡°Greetings, Matriarch.¡± The Dark Elves bowed. As for the slave gladiators, they were clearly not in the mood to greet us. The majority of these slaves were males, roughly ninety percent at a glance. There were humans, Beastmen, Dwarves and even a particularly handsome Wood Elf¡­ Hold on, that¡¯s not a Wood Elf, that¡¯s a Dark Elf teenager, isn¡¯t it? But something is off about him. Because of his shabby dressing, I had almost mistaken him for the other slaves as well.


    The Dark Elf had long ears, similar in length to my own. His hair was silvery white like what would you expect of a typical Dark Elf. However, it was his ears that drew my attention. They were long, but not to the extent a normal Elf¡¯s ear would be.


    Paliseth nodded coldly in the direction of the group but did not introduce me to them before leaving. In all likelihood, she probably thought them unworthy of knowing such matters.


    Either way, I withdrew my gaze from that strange teenager and began considering the strangeness in him. He was most likely a half-Elf. His appearance was basically that of a Dark Elf¡¯s except for his slightly shorter ears. That was basically the only way I could tell them apart right now.


    ¡°The Half-Elves live down there? And what¡¯s up with this magical dome?¡±


    As I now stood at the edge of the dome itself, that strange sensation of being drawn downwards increased further. It made me want to jump down right this very second. Was it because of my weakened body? Or perhaps there was something strange about this place?


    ¡°Your holiness, all the Half-Elves in the Shadowhunter Clan lives down there.¡± Seeing a chance to earn my favour, Lanbael promptly answered my question while walking up to me. ¡°As for the dome¡­ it¡¯s more of a warning system. Because of how large the Slave Chasm is, it¡¯s impossible for us to guard every corner at the same time. That¡¯s why we have this warning system installed instead. As long as someone not guided tries to pass through the dome, an alarm will immediately sound and the soldiers below will rush to seal off the exits.¡±


    So it¡¯s a warning system¡­ I thought it was a protective barrier. But I guess if it was really a barrier of this size, the mana expenditure would be massive.


    Also, I guess this giant hole is called the Slave Chasm then? Fitting. I¡¯m sure to the slaves this abyss is every bit as ominous as its name.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ let¡¯s continue on.¡± By now, I was starting to get bored of these stairs. With my wings, I really had no need to take these stairs at all. It was more of a novelty than a necessity for me. But in my current weakened state, I really wasn¡¯t looking forward to walking down these endless flights of stairs. ¡°Are we really walking down all these stairs? Seems like it would take forever.¡±


    ¡°Please be at ease, your holiness, there are better alternatives. Follow me.¡± Having realised I wasn¡¯t in the walking mood right now, Lanbael hurriedly led us away for another ten meters or so to a metallic looking platform. ¡°We can use this elevator to descend, it will be much faster.¡±


    The platform in question was at least ten times the size of a normal elevator; definitely enough for a party of our size. As we stepped onto it, the platform began descending in a steady fashion. However, there were no supports or mechanisms to be found at all. It was almost as if we were riding [email protected]¡¯s magic carpet down into a whole new world.

 CHAPTER 450: THE HALF-ELVES

    Lanbael quickly introduced the contraption to us while she led us onto it. As she said, the elevator descended in a remarkably stable fashion. Out of sheer curiosity, I reached out of the confines of the elevator but soon bumped into a transparent wall¡­ so that¡¯s what they use to prevent the passengers from falling off?


    ¡°The hidden barrier is to protect those inside while also allowing them to inspect the surroundings as they descend.¡± Lanbael was quick to answer, eyes open wide for any opportunity to serve me. ¡°Your holiness has wings so falling off should not be an issue, but for us Dark Elves, descending into Slave Chasm is a much more laborious endeavour that requires such magical contraptions.¡±


    Well, that was a really roundabout way to lick my boots. Is this how the high society people do it? Not at all like the usual bootlickers I get it; even makes me a little unsure about how to react¡­ Now, those useless potatoes of mine in Purgatory¡­ bah¡­ let¡¯s not talk about them.


    Slave Chasm was a rather unique part of the colosseum. While it was still considered a part of the colosseum itself, there was quite a bit of distance between the two.


    The pit itself had to at least be a kilometer deep. And based on how that squad of slaves and guards were moving about, this elevator was probably not meant for everyone to use either, not even those moving cargo. How did I know that last part? Because I just saw the method they used to send goods down.


    As the name suggested, the Slave Chasm was a pit that the slaves lived in. Naturally, such a place would not have the means to sustain itself. If those living below wanted to feed themselves, they had to rely on the supplies from the surface¡­ or just revolt.


    This pit was still a part of the colosseum, and according to Lanbael, this area was directly below the colosseum above. With its depth of over a thousand meters and a winding stairway leading downwards, those who wanted to travel to the bottom definitely had to travel more than a kilometer. That required a lot of time, even more so if one was transporting goods. Plus, the lack of guardrails meant that the goods had a very real chance of just falling off the side.


    In other words, taking the stairs wasn¡¯t a safe viable option. The elevator was forbidden to those sending goods as well; this contraption was only reserved for VIPs. So what was a transporter to do in this situation? Toss the stuff down of course!


    According to estimates, there were at least five thousand residents in the pit. That required a lot of supplies daily in order to upkeep. But given the difficulty of reaching these residents, the most logical and cost-effective solution would be to just throw the goods down.


    Woah¡­ those crates have levitation magic cast on them? What the fish! How extravagant can you be?! I know the Dark Elves have more mages than the humans, but to waste them on this?


    I¡¯m speechless¡­


    Despite its almost hellish name, Slave Chasm wasn¡¯t a fiery pit where slaves were burnt alive. In fact, the environment was rather cold. The houses themselves were well-built, stone structures; the kind you would find in a village. However, the area we were in right now was not the residential district for the slaves. Instead, this was the headquarters of the Half-Elves.


    While the Half-Elves and the slaves were both situated in Slave Chasm, there was still a separation between the two groups. Yet even so, the two groups had something in common: they were both dressed shabbily. The Half-Elves were all dressed in tattered clothing, the kind you would expect to have been passed down through generations. From the looks of things, their living conditions were a lot worse than I had expected.


    These Half-Elves were tasked with guarding the slaves in Slave Chasm, but because of their mixed blood, their standing was barely any better than the people they guarded.


    The elevator we were riding just made landfall when the nearby Half-Elven guardsmen hurriedly rushed over to greet Lanbael. Each of them had on a shabby leather armor that was full of holes while their weapons looked like ones from the reject shelf of the blacksmith. Even their form of greeting seemed, no, was definitely more demeaning than usual. Rather than greeting, they were completely prostrated on the ground.


    Based on how they were reacting to Lanbael, it was clear none of these Half-Elves had even seen the Matriarch before. Or perhaps it would have been more accurate to say that she had never stepped foot in this area before.


    As one constantly on the lookout for ways to curry my favor, Lanbael immediately snapped at the Half-Elves, ¡°What are you kneeling down to me for? Do you not see his holi¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, we are here to see Aishael, is she here?¡± I swept my eyes over the prostrating Half-Elves as I said that and found that even their condition didn¡¯t seem to be the best.


    So they really are not much better than a slave huh?


    One of the prostrated female Half-Elves answering hesitantly, ¡°Lady Aishael is in the training grounds¡­¡±


    ¡°Lady Aishael?¡± Lanbael coldly harrumphed. ¡°A mixed blood dares to address herself as a lady?¡±


    The moment she said that, all the prostrated Half-Elves fell silent. Not a single one dared to move a muscle or even breath, lest they drew the attention of Lanbael.


    Yet even that wasn¡¯t enough for Lanbael who seemed on the verge of exploding once more. Seeing that, I made the decision to cut her off first. ¡°Bring us to Aishael.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± The female Half-Elf remained silent, turning to look at Lanbael as if she wasn¡¯t sure what to do.


    ¡°What are you looking at me for? His excellency wants you to lead the way, so do it.¡± Lanbael had already guessed that I did not want to reveal my identity so she quickly glossed over this part. ¡°The rest of you can leave. And don¡¯t appear before me without cause¡­ filthy mongrels.¡±


    That last bit was whispered to herself, but I could clearly hear the disdain within the words.


    Honestly, that struck me as really odd. Even the slaves did not receive this level of disdain from the other Dark Elves. Most of the time, the females even seemed excited about the prospect of picking their slave gladiator.


    It therefore stood to reason that their standing in Dark Elven society must have really been awkward. This most likely had to do with their impure bloodlines, born from the union of an outsider female and a male Dark Elf. In my reckoning, they probably felt that their noble Dark Elven lineage had been tainted by this other half.


    Either way, the fact that they were fully prostrated was more than enough proof that their daily life here was horrendous, and most likely worse than that of a gladiator¡¯s.


    With that in mind, I turned to look at Paliseth who seemed completely expressionless at the moment¡­ Lady, we are about to visit your grandniece, could you at least show some emotion? Sigh¡­ Unfortunately, her head was lowered so I couldn¡¯t really gleam much from her at the moment.


    Under the guidance of that fearful female Half-Elf, we quickly arrived at a circular structure, the so-called training grounds. It was actually an empty plot of land that was surrounded by mud walls. The building itself was austere, only bearing a line of clearly defective weapons lined up in an orderly fashion against the wall. There were roughly fifty Half-Elves sweating away right now, each busy with their own form of training. Some were engaged in two-on-twos, while some were busy whacking the training dummies. Then there were those who were mediating, so on and so forth.


    By my estimates, this large area was at least one hundred meters across. At the corner of this training ground, there was a little girl who looked to be about elementary school aged whacking a training dummy, shortsword and buckler in hands.


    Unlike the usual training dummies which only had a couple of wooden rods sticking out as targets, this training dummy she was whacking had at least ten over rods sticking out. What was even more impressive about this dummy was that it even spun about when you hit it!

 CHAPTER 451: A TONGUE MADE OF ACID

    The little girl in front of us had very defined yet delicate features, not at all like the tattered, grey training wear she had on right now. Still, there was no denying her natural beauty, rags or no rags. Just by looking at her, I could already tell that she was going to grow up to be a well-endowed beauty.


    If there was one thing that was a shame about her, it would be her frigid demeanour. Even when she hit the wooden dummy, there was no visible change on her face, like she herself was made of wood.


    Each time she whacked the wooden dummy, the rods would turn in the direction of the force. Meaning that when she whacked one of the rods, another nine or so would come spinning about to hit her. With how furiously she was whacking the dummy, the dummy itself was rotating at blazing speeds. Left for a second, and right another. The dummy spun around at a dizzyingly fast pace, never stopping for a second.


    Most people, when practising on the dummy, would let forth an audible gasp, like a ¡°HAH!¡± or an ¡°AH!¡±. But not this little girl. She remained steadfastly silent, never making a sound as she continued hitting the dummy. Even her chest remained unnaturally still while her hands only got faster and faster by the minute.


    As time passed, her increasing speed began to take a visible toll on her body. Her breathing began to get ragged and her muscles seemed to be shivering from the harsh trial they were being put through. Even so, she never stopped attacking. In fact, her eyes seemed to light up with fire.


    Thwack, thwack, thwack, went the wooden dummy. Everyone¡¯s eyes were now glued to the girl. Even the silently mediating Half-Elves were now watching her subconsciously.


    ¡°Who is she?¡±


    I had this feeling, call it a premonition, that this elementary schoolgirl was the girl we were looking for.


    ¡°She¡¯s La¡­ Aishael.¡± As expected, she was the Half-Elven girl we were searching for. However, because of Lanbael¡¯s presence, the Half-Elven female leading us did not dare utter the word lady. Yet that did not stop Lanbael from glaring at her, as if to say that calling her a lady would be an insult to their noble Dark Elven blood.


    ¡°Mongrel!¡± Was what she was probably thinking right now. I had no doubt that if I wasn¡¯t here she would have already gone off on a tirade.


    Still, just based on what we had seen so far, Aishael¡¯s standing amongst the Half-Elves seemed to be quite high¡­ because of her relationship to Lewell, perhaps? Too bad her granny doesn¡¯t seem to be all that enamored with her¡­


    Running completely contrary to my expectations, this silent till now lady seemed visibly heartbroken and excited at the sight of her granddaughter. If I had to describe the scene right now, imagine a grandmother who had just been reunited with her long-lost granddaughter and felt guilty about not fulfilling her duty for so long. Then before she knew it, the granddaughter was all grown-up¡­


    Yet no matter how real her guilt might have seemed, I knew that old hag was just acting. If she could even kill her own son without blinking an eye, why would I ever believe that she would feel any heart pain about her mix-blood granddaughter?


    Still, whether she was acting or not, I couldn¡¯t bear to expose this farce. Not to a little girl who had just lost her father and now even her mother¡­As long as she didn¡¯t know that Paliseth¡¯s love was false, then that love could still provide her with some warmth.


    At least¡­ that was what I thought.


    As Paliseth kept calling out for Aishael, she would take a few steps forward, arms thrown wide open to welcome her. Finally, under Aishael¡¯s icy cold gaze, she hugged the little girl gently, like a mother hen protecting her baby chick.


    Then as Paliseth was busy engaging in frivolous small talk with Aishael, all the while mulling over how to break the death of her mother to her, the little girl slowly lifted up her head. In a soft voice, she said as such, ¡°Who are you even?¡±


    Faced with such an unceremonious questioning, even the old hag that she was couldn¡¯t help but be stunned. ¡°Me? I¡¯m your granny, of course.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a granny?¡± She slipped free from Paliseth¡¯s frozen embrace and then finished her off with one last quip. ¡° I¡¯m sorry, but why haven¡¯t I heard of such a thing?¡±


    Yeah¡­ what¡¯s a granny? I haven¡¯t heard of one too¡­ maybe it¡¯s edible?


    While her words were clearly phrased as a question, I would consider that question more rhetorical than anything else. She probably did this on purpose, as if to spurn her grandmother who couldn¡¯t be bothered to even visit her till now.


    If I had to hazard a guess, she probably understood that she was related to that old hag. But her only interaction with this fabled grandmother of hers was through the words of others. Her calmness now was an indictment of her grandmother, her way of expressing displeasure.


    Putting aside the horrid mistreatment of the Half-Elves in general, the fact that her father was murdered by another one of Paliseth¡¯s sons, meaning he was her uncle, was more than enough reason to be angry at Palisth.


    However, even with such good cause, being told off by your own granddaughter so openly was sure to tick off anyone. Paliseth was visibly heaving at this point. She was angry, but she didn¡¯t dare show that.


    Now that¡¯s skill¡­ your tongue doesn¡¯t get so acidic with just a bit of practise. That was like what? Two years of practise, at least. I bet if she were to go all out, she might just be able to anger her to death.


    ¡°The audacity¡­ I won¡¯t stand for a mongrel like you insulting our Matriarch! Kneel and apologize right this instant.¡±


    Ever one to curry favor, Lanbael was quick to defend her boss¡¯s honor. If only she didn¡¯t have that intolerable arrogance on her face as she did that. But it was only in front of these Half-Elves that she could act so arrogantly. After all, the elder of the colosseum wasn¡¯t exactly the most prestigious of positions to hold.


    Even in Dark Elf society, a person¡¯s job was one of the best indicators of his or her prestige. She might have been an elder, but there was clearly a big difference between being in charge of some slaves and being in charge of assassins or soldiers. That wasn¡¯t to say that she held a lowly job, it was just her job wasn¡¯t all that prestigious in her current company.


    Aishael turned to glare at Lanbael for a second, then turned away once more without saying a word, as if Lanbael wasn¡¯t even there.


    ¡°You dare to ignore me?! You uncivilised mongrel!¡±


    Lanbael was on the verge of exploding at this point. However, before she could go crazy on the little girl, Paliseth swiftly stepped in to save the day. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Aishael is still my granddaughter. Be mindful of what you say.¡±


    ¡°¡­ understood.¡± Just like that, Lanbael was beaten back into normal form.


    ¡°Shael¡­¡± Paliseth immediately went back to fawning over the little girl after chiding her subordinate. Unfortunately, Aishael only had the cold shoulder for her. She briskly walked up to us then turned her ruby-red eyes towards Reyage first. ¡°You, I¡¯ve seen you before.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Reyage, your father¡¯s brother.¡± He answered in an equally cold voice. ¡°I¡¯ve met you a few years back.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s why you seem familiar.¡± She then turned her head towards Jezsere. ¡°And you are?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m Jezsere¡­¡±


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    Ah¡­ there she is. Our resident timid girl. That shyness just makes me want to pinch her cheeks so badly. But as a Dark Elf, is it really alright for you to be so timid? Especially when Paliseth wants you to be the Matriarch. I guess that¡¯s why she chose you though¡­


    ¡°Jezsere¡­¡± She paused for a couple of seconds then said without any doubt whatsoever, ¡°I know you. You¡¯re that famous daughter of the Matriarch. The clan¡¯s number one useless girl.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Jezsere was taken aback by this sudden turn of events. She was fully expecting another round of ¡°I¡¯ve seen you before¡±, at which point she would try and get closer to the girl by introducing herself as Reyage¡¯s sister. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect the subject to turn towards her being useless.


    However, that wasn¡¯t the end of Aishael¡¯s lashing either. ¡°I heard that you are a very talented Occultist. But because of your useless personality, your summonings always end up backfiring. That¡¯s why you had to run away from home, because you are useless to the clan¡­ I also heard that you returned not too long ago. So you¡¯re that Jezsere?¡±

 CHAPTER 452: AN ICE COLD AISHAEL

    I gotta hand it to our little acid-tongue¡­ not just anybody can dig out a person¡¯s black history and lay it out so bare for everyone¡­not anybody at all¡­


    ¡°Weep¡­¡±


    Ah¡­ she¡¯s crying. She¡¯s burying her head in my chest and bawling her eyes out now¡­ my poor baby.


    Just look at what you did, little girl, you made our resident timid girl cry. You went too far.


    Seeing her so affected by that verbal lashing, even I panicked a little. I quickly gave her a head pat, then gently comforted her. ¡°Don¡¯t cry¡­ even if you¡¯re useless, your master will never abandon you.¡±


    ¡°Wahh¡­ even master is bullying me now¡­¡±


    Wait. Why is she crying even harder now? Did I say something wrong?


    Upon hearing the word master being uttered from Jezsere¡¯s lips, Aishael¡¯s brows immediately jumped, clearly amazed by the implications of that simple word. No matter how useless Jezsere was, she was still a daughter of Paliseth. Yet here she was addressing me as her master while her mother seemed to have no problem with that at all. This was the stronghold of the Shadowhunters, exactly who had the power to enslave their Matriarch¡¯s daughter here?!


    Just like that, there was now a hint of seriousness in that little girl¡¯s eyes. She no longer held that arrogance in her tone as she addressed me. ¡°May I know your name?¡±


    ¡°Me? I¡¯m just a bystander.¡±


    Honestly, I was more intrigued than angry at this little acid tongue. Even though she made Jezsere cry, the sight of a little girl bullying another girl to tears had its own¡­ charms as well.


    ¡°A bystander?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, a bystander.¡± I winked at her. ¡°I have to leave sooner or later after all.¡±


    ¡°Then what is your identity?¡± Being denied the direct answer she wished for, she furrowed her brows even more. ¡°I mean your identity in this place.¡±


    ¡°That really has no meaning now, it is whatever everyone else wants it to be.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let me ask something else. Are you an Angel?¡±


    ¡°I guess so.¡± I shrugged. ¡°A fallen one though. So no matter how much you pray to me, it¡¯s not going to work.¡±


    ¡°Why would I even pray in a world where there¡¯s no god.¡± She was still as cold as before while she said that. But there wasn¡¯t that stinging quality to her words; perhaps it was because she still wasn¡¯t sure how to interact with me.


    ¡°Shael, that¡¯s his holiness.¡± Seeing the two of us in a miniature cold war, Paliseth took the initiative to break the ice for us, summarizing my position in the clan in a few words. ¡°Sir Mo Ke is the child of the goddess, Lolthe.¡±


    She then gave me a fervent look, one which I couldn¡¯t be sure if it was even real. However, that simple bit of explanation was a like revelation for the little acid tongue, as if she had unlocked the very secrets of my existence.


    The child of Lolthe! It was only then that the others living here understood how revered my position was in the clan. I was basically the master of the entire clan. As long as I willed it, I could command anyone to die with a single word.


    Even Aishael was a little affected by the gravity of the situation now, but she still maintained that frigid coolness. ¡°Your holiness¡­ what is an important figure like yourself doing here?¡±


    As expected, the truth of my identity did affect her treatment of me. She treated me with the utmost respect. Even if her face was still that same ice block, it was a fact that she hadn¡¯t whipped out the acid yet. Furthermore, I could see that sense of deliberation behind her words, like she wanted to make sure her words weren¡¯t going to offend me.


    Even so, I had a feeling that there was a different reason why she was so affected by my identity.


    ¡°Because I wanted to.¡±


    Now that we were on the topic of my visit, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little guilty about this whole situation. At the end of the day, Aisha¡¯s death had a lot to do with me. At least that was how I genuinely felt.


    I wasn¡¯t hiding it or anything, but humans enjoyed a wide berth of leeway from me. In all likelihood, because I was once one of them. That was also why I still couldn¡¯t sign on fully to the whole Apocalypse and end of the world setting. I did not want to invade the Western Human Realms. But if I didn¡¯t, I would be the one to be killed instead¡­ and my safety came first. Having secured that, I would find some way to spare the humans. My only concern at that time would be if I suddenly forgot my principles in the heat of the moment.


    Either way¡­ if saving the world wasn¡¯t possible, I could still save people, right?


    That was the burden I bore right now. And that was the lens through which I saw Aisha and her daughter. The burden of the Apocalypse was the proverbial sword of damocles over my throat. It weighed on my heart and I couldn¡¯t tell anyone about it either, so when I saw Aisha just die like that during my first return to the Western Human Realms, it was no longer a simple death. It was a herald of what was to come. What were if the Three Hells won? Would the humans all end up like Aisha? What about Nicole? And Roscar?


    These were all questions I did not have to ask myself back when I was in Purgatory. Everyone there was a creature of Purgatory so they naturally wouldn¡¯t understand how I felt. In fact, I could easily numb myself to the nagging voice in my head while there. Now that I was here however¡­ everything came swarming to the forefront with that one single death.


    This suffocating pressure was mine to bear alone, but I needed some way to cope as well. That was why I had this frivolous attitude right now; it was how I pushed aside all the uncomfortable questions I had piled up.


    The fate of an entire race really shouldn¡¯t be decided by the hands of just one Devil¡­ at least not me anyway.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a reason.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is¡­¡± I wasn¡¯t sure how to explain away the attitude I had now, so I quickly tossed a look at Paliseth. Given how observant that old hag was, she probably already saw my predicament.


    As expected, she quickly picked up on the hint and came up with a cover-up. ¡°Shael. Actually we came here because¡­¡±


    ¡°Because of my mother?¡± Aishael interrupted her before she could fully explain herself. ¡°Other than my mother, I can¡¯t think of any other reason as to why such a strange group would come before me.¡±


    I had to say, this little acid tongue had some wits about her.


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    Seeing us fall silent, she continued with her deductions. ¡°My mother left for the colosseum two days ago, so according to the rules, she has to stay there for at least seven days. Of course, there¡¯s always that off-chance that a male Dark Elf would come challenge her, but what are the odds¡­¡±


    Because of the increasing number of slave gladiators in the colosseum, the Dark Elves came up with the Slave Chasm to accommodate them. At the same time, they had the Half-Elves sent off to this new area to guard the slaves. A classical case of killing two birds with one stone. After all, if you couldn¡¯t see those mongrels, did they actually exist?


    The colosseum had its own share of rooms used to accommodate the slave gladiators that were up for selection. When it was the slave¡¯s turn to be sent to the colosseum, they would be placed in these single rooms. For one week, they would be available for challenge. After that, the next round of slaves would replace them.


    In actuality, there were also slaves who were permanently stationed in these rooms, but these slaves were the exceptions. Solar-sama used to be such a slave¡­ probably because every Elf wanted a piece of that action¡­


    The size of a clan¡¯s slave stock was actually a show of strength as well. A very important one, in fact. The thirteen clans would sometimes have a slave exchange. Strong slaves were basically breeding stock to be exchanged, barring slaves like Solar-sama, of course -that kind¡­ you kept locked up like your prized possession.


    ¡°Is she¡­ dead?¡± Came Aishael¡¯s cold voice.


    ¡°¡­¡± How should I answer that¡­ directly or perhaps in a roundabout fashion.


    ¡°Shael, I need you to be calm¡­¡±


    ¡°I am very calm.¡± Aishael narrowed her eyes at Paliseth. Like she said, she was the picture of calmness right now, or rather, coldness. ¡°So she¡¯s dead then.¡±


    From the look on our faces and our deafening silence, there was no doubt that she was dead. That was why she did not bother waiting for us to answer before asking, ¡°and the body?¡±


    The body!


    I paused for a second then quickly looked at Paliseth. ¡°The body?¡±


    ¡°It has been retrieved¡­ it can be laid to rest at any time¡­¡± Paliseth nodded towards me awkwardly then turned back to face Aishael. ¡°I intend to have your mother buried beside Lewell¡­ your father¡­ do you wish to pay her your last respects?¡±


    ¡°Who was it?¡±


    Who? I guess she means who killed her mother.


    ¡°It was Sarkath¡­ don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s dead by my hands.¡±


    The moment Paliseth said Sarkath, I swore I could see an aura of iciness burst out from her little body. But that was quickly snuffed out when Paliseth mentioned how he died.


    This display actually wasn¡¯t my imagination at all. It was a typical sign that a Magister had lost control of his or her emotions. That aura was a mix of uncontrolled mana and Fighter¡¯s Aura combined. That bone-chilling coldness was the result of the two energies colliding with each other, and was also a sign that she was of the ice element.

 CHAPTER 453: WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS, THERE IS ALWAYS BREAD!

    Given how Aishael was able to lower the temperature of her surroundings in an instant, she had to at least be a Five-star Magister.


    Since she found out that her foe was dead, she was back to being the same frigid little girl she was. If I didn¡¯t know any better, I would have thought that she did not care about her mother¡¯s death. However, I knew that it wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t care, rather it was that she was already prepared for her mother¡¯s death from the beginning.


    A slave gladiator either won, died or was humiliated. Those were the only options available to them.


    Because of Aishael¡¯s little episode, the mood was rather awkward again.


    So far, out of all the people she had spoken to, only Reyage had gotten off unscathed. Everyone else was basically a victim of her acidic lashing. You could almost say that this little girl had talent in this field. Even Paliseth ended up with the short end of the stick after their exchange.


    Naturally, that wasn¡¯t to say that Paliseth wasn¡¯t any less talented either. It wasn¡¯t that she truly lost, she just knew my stance on this matter, and that stance was definitely in favour of Aishael. If the two of them were to ever get into an argument, I would clearly stand on Aishael¡¯s side. This little girl was just too pitiful for me to consider otherwise. Not only were her parents all dead, she now had an uncaring granny to deal with as well.


    Being the cunning old hag that she was, Paliseth smartly chose not to dwell on this matter, even if Aishael had angered her. In fact, she even put on a benevolent smile like an elder looking at her favourite grandchild.


    All this was a result of Paliseth¡¯s determined efforts at currying my favour. Whether it was the death of a son or swallowing her pride, nothing was off the table.


    Because of the awkwardness of our current situation, some of the surrounding Half-Elves began to congregate around us. Slowly, they began to walk up to us, surrounding us in the process. And unlike those Half-Elves we saw at the elevator, these Half-Elves were unabashedly hostile towards Lanbael. Not that they were showing it openly, but they weren¡¯t really hiding it either.


    Seems like this Lanbael hasn¡¯t been treating them well normally.


    ¡°Hey! What do you mongrels think you are doing?! Have you grown tired of living?!¡± Realising their intent, Lanbael swiftly yelled at the daring Half-Elves, every bit the practised tyrant of this little domain. ¡°How dare a bunch of mongrels act so disrespectfully in front of his holiness! Treasonous, the lot of you!¡±


    However, just as she had a smug smirk on her face, the Half-Elves rallied together once more and pushed forward a couple of steps.


    ¡°You¡­ fine! Since you lot want to die that much, I¡¯ll happily oblige!¡±


    Having said that, Lanbael promptly took up a combat stance while the other Half-Elves prepared for a last desperate charge as well.


    However, the impending clash never came to be. With just a simple sentence from Aishael, the entire situation was defused. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Stay back for now, I wish to talk to that old hag over there who claims to be my grandmother.¡±


    Claims to be?


    Even with Paliseth¡¯s jadedness, that last bit rattled her quite a bit¡­ Man, would it kill you to not provoke her?!


    I hurriedly coughed to draw their attention towards me, then¡­ nothing. Everyone was staring at me right now, but I had clearly not figured out what my next step was¡­ awkward¡­


    ¡°So¡­ what do you Half-Elves usually do?¡±


    It was just casual chatter on my part, yet Aishael seemed to have been considering this question quite seriously. She paused for a good long while then looked me right in the eyes. ¡°Guard the slave gladiators¡­ and fight.¡±


    Oh? So they take part in fighting as well then? But the equipment they are training with is really bad. Even those Half-Elves guarding the slaves seemed to be poorly equipped as well. And that was me being polite.


    ¡°And what do you guys eat on a daily basis?¡±


    Still out of a topic to talk about, I asked the next thing that came to mind.


    ¡°Eat?¡± Aishael was stumped once more. This time however, she waved towards a mature-looking Half-Elf and beckoned for her. The lady took out a small sack from her waist and threw it at Aishael who couldn¡¯t even be bothered to open it as she simply shoved it in my direction and said, ¡°this.¡±


    ¡°This?¡± I took the sack from her and gave its contents a feel. Before I even opened it, my nose was immediately assaulted with a foul odor. It was an acrid smell, the kind you would expect from rotting food.


    My brows furrowed subconsciously as I prepared to open the dreaded sack. At the side, Lanbael anxiously whispered in my ears. ¡°Your holiness, there¡¯s no way these lowly Half-Elves would ever have anything good to eat. If your holiness is hungry, I can prepare¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. What I eat is different from you all anyway. I¡¯m just curious. I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t mind right, Elder Lanbael?¡±


    ¡°Not at all¡­ not at all¡­ why would I ever¡­¡±


    Faced with my smile that didn¡¯t seem like a smile at all, Lanbael couldn¡¯t help but break out into a cold sweat. One could almost describe her expression as being slightly twisted right now. She probably already knew that I liked Aishael. Furthermore, while this little girl might have been really rude towards most here, she hadn¡¯t done much to anger me yet. The fact that Lanbael seemed so apprehensive only made me even surer that there was something in this sack that I had to see.


    As expected, the moment I opened up the sack, I was greeted by a translucent bottle of white, slightly viscous liquid. Next to it was a black piece of bread that looked more like a stone and probably hit like one as well.


    Because the bottle wasn¡¯t sealed up, it gave off a sour, fermented smell. As for what the liquid was, I just knew it was dangerous and definitely expired. The rock-like bread itself was probably every dentist¡¯s nightmare, or perhaps wet dream -depends on how you look at it. You could tell from a glance that someone didn¡¯t even bother milling the wheat before baking it into bread.


    No way¡­ is that mold I see growing on the bread? So it¡¯s not just a blunt weapon, it¡¯s a chemical weapon as well¡­ What the fish, is that even edible anymore!? A pig wouldn¡¯t eat that¡­


    Naturally, the bread wasn¡¯t actually as hard as a rock, but it wasn¡¯t that far off either. At very least, it would hurt if I tossed it at someone.


    ¡°Is this what you eat normally?¡± I picked up the black weapon with a pinch, lips twisted in a curl. ¡°And is this really bread?¡±


    Aishael didn¡¯t respond immediately. She instead took the bread from me and then took a bite out of it. She did not take a forceful bite of the bread but instead chewed on it slowly. Finally, after a good long while, she managed to bite off a small chunk of the bread. She kept it sloshing about in her mouth first, allowing the stale bread to soak in her saliva and soften before swallowing it.


    Madness¡­ rather than eating a piece of bread, that¡¯s more like fine dining!


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    Under my disbelieving eyes, the now moistened bread travelled visibly down her throat, at which point she said, ¡°we get two pieces of bread instead during wartime.¡±


    ¡°Two pieces of bread?¡± I was stunned. My finger reflexively shot up to point at the bread. ¡°You eat this even during times of war?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    I know I¡¯ve asked this before but¡­ is that even edible? Are you sure they didn¡¯t give you that extra piece of bread to use as a backup weapon? Your normal weapons do look pretty bad in comparison after all¡­


    I practically snatched the bread from her at this point. I couldn¡¯t bear to watch a little girl munch on a black rock any further. Bread in hand, I pinched it with my other hand to test its hardness. I felt the moistness from the point where she bit down¡­ should I try it out? Hmmm¡­ maybe not. I¡¯ll just give it a sniff instead.


    The bread itself did not stink. However, I just couldn¡¯t shake off the feeling that it was giving off some strange odor¡­ my imagination, perhaps? Either way, I did not want to keep it any further. I tried to toss it away, but the moment I did so, Aishael suddenly reached out to stop me.


    I gave her a confused look. The next thing I saw was her placing her own hand on top of mine then guiding it towards her. First, her body then her face began to come closer as well.


    Is she trying to seduce? Hey, let¡¯s be clear here. I know I might seem like I have a preference for little girls, but that¡¯s not true at all. It just so happens that all the girls I like are little. Besides, this little acid tongue is probably older than Nicole.


    By the way, how should I even react to her advances? Maybe close my eyes and take the plunge? Who knows. Someone tell me please.

 CHAPTER 454: THE ART OF APPRECIATING ARTISANAL BREAD

    Amidst my wild delusions, Aishael came up and kissed me on the hand. To be exact, she was lapping up the bits of the bread still left on my right hand. Because of their proximity to my fingers, she ended up kissing my finger inadvertently¡­ it was kinda cold and nice¡­ but it wasn¡¯t because I liked little girls! The girls I like just happen to be little!


    So she wasn¡¯t trying to seduce me¡­


    Now that the breadcrumbs were gone, she released my hand and went back to her position.


    Just like that, the scene descended into awkward silence once more. In just the span of ten minutes, this awkwardness had happened multiple times. Just based on that fact alone, I had to hand it to this little ice princess, her ability to end conversations was something else.


    ¡°You mustn¡¯t waste food.¡± She looked me right in the eyes with utmost seriousness, to the point where I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little ashamed¡­ I actually got lectured by an elementary school kid. I mean, she¡¯s not wrong. It¡¯s still food, even if it¡¯s hard as a rock. But I still stand by what I said before, that bread isn¡¯t meant for eating!


    In a lot of ways, you could judge a person by the way he or she treated food. At least¡­ that was what everyone else said -I can¡¯t attest to its accuracy. Either way, the way she treated food so dearly was very telling.


    First off, such an obsession with not wasting food had to be learned, or had to be caused by severe shortage. Based on how naturally she lapped up a rock masquerading as a bread, she must have had this stuff for a long time now. Given how little resources were actually allocated to these Half-Elves, it would be safe to say that she wouldn¡¯t have had too many of these to eat as well. In light of that, it was only natural for her to value such a piece of edible weaponry so highly.


    Unlike the worryless world I had left behind on Earth, food wasn¡¯t something you could just pick up from a supermarket. Even more so for these Half-Elves. The Dark Elves despised them with a passion and even confined them to the same area they kept slaves. Their rations were not only little but of a low quality. In such conditions, feeling full was basically impossible. Was it any wonder that she would lick up those breadcrumbs? Of course, it could all just be an act¡­ either way, she was trying to use her actions to tell me that the Half-Elves had it really bad.


    A normal Dark Elf had the normal lifespan of at least five hundred years. A human, on the other hand, was merely a hundred or so if he wasn¡¯t powerful. Objectively speaking, their genes were inferior to Dark Elves.


    The four hundred year gap also meant that any form of romance was an uphill battle. If one could not even accompany you to the end of your days, what right did that person have to claim your heart at all? Barring some special circumstances, the idea of marrying such a race was just absurd, like marrying a dog! Their offspring would be objectively inferior and so would their future offspring. All inferior products of a failed coupling.


    This was why the Half-Elf population was strictly monitored and even kept with the slaves. The more extreme Dark Elves would even come to Slave Chasm to find Half-Elves to kill. They would first apply for a duel with the Half-Elf of their choice then duke it out in the colosseum.


    During such matches, ties were forbidden. You either killed your opponent or you died. A tie meant death for both sides. And yes¡­ there were those who saw killing Half-Elves as a sport.


    Under such circumstances, their living conditions could be said to be worse than slaves.


    ¡°Elder Lanbael.¡±


    ¡°Yes, your holiness.¡± She replied with utmost deference. In fact, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she suddenly dropped to her knees right now and started licking my boots.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one in charge of this place, correct?¡±


    She sneaked a glance at my suspiciously calm face and hesitated for a second before answering, ¡°yes, this place is managed by me.¡±


    ¡°Well. These¡­ things are inedible. I want them changed for something fresher.¡± I tossed the rock-like bread towards Lanbael who was at a loss as she caught it. Then, under her confused eyes, I smiled thinly and said, ¡°since we shouldn¡¯t waste food at all, how about you finish it.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± She gripped down hard on the black bread to no avail. Her face, on the other hand, was decidedly twisted.


    ¡°I guess all that talk of holiness was just an act then.¡± As I said that, I turned towards Paliseth and gave her a deprecating smile.


    ¡°Elder Lanbael!¡±


    The moment Lanbale saw that stern glare from Paliseth, she knew there was no escaping now. She either ate the bread¡­ or she died. Should she go out with a bang or accept the bread?


    Naturally, that wasn¡¯t even a choice at all. She stuffed that bread into her mouth along with her shame and began chewing¡­ and failed.


    The art of eating such a¡­ delicacy was clearly lost on her, seeing as this was the first time she had even touched the darn thing. For someone in such a lofty position as hers, eating the same food as a slave was just unthinkable. The mere act of doing so brought a tear to her eyes. Just from that alone, one could tell how much of a mental collapse she was going through now.


    However, that only made me want to rub more salt in her wounds. ¡°Don¡¯t you like it?¡±


    ¡°I do¡­¡±


    That¡¯s right¡­ absolutely delicious¡­


    Now that the bread had found its proper home, I turned to look at Aishael. ¡°Are you happy now?¡±


    ¡°Why did you help me?¡± Aishael asked with that same icy look on her face.


    ¡°I had a feeling that there was some enmity between the two of you. And I feel somewhat responsible for what happened to Aisha.¡±


    ¡°Mother¡­ her fate was inevitable.¡± Just like before, her face was the picture of coolness, like her mother¡¯s death was just another page in the book of her life. However, I knew her heart was wrenching from the pain right now.


    To be perfectly honest, Aisha did not have to die at all. If I was only a little more decisive, I could have stopped the fight before that fateful stab to the throat happened. Yet who would have expected Aisha to choose death like that¡­ all just to avoid being humiliated.


    Just based on this short interaction with the Half-Elves, I was able to glean a fair amount of information. First, the Half-Elves were no better than slaves in the eyes of the Dark Elves. Aishael held a lofty position amongst these Elves. Next, Lanbael¡¯s relationship with these Half-Elves couldn¡¯t be any worse. It wouldn¡¯t surprise me at all if this animosity boiled over soon.


    If I had to hazard a guess as to why these Half-Elves treated Aishael so specially, it would be because she was the granddaughter of the Matriarch. Even if Paliseth herself did not know of this granddaughter, the same couldn¡¯t be said of the others in the clan. She could be the key to changing their treatment as long as they played their cards right.


    Because of her position as their de-facto leader, Aishael would naturally look out for the interests of the Half-Elves. That immediately put her at odds with Lanbael who placed a heavy emphasis on blood purity. Normally, Lanbael could have just done away with such opposition, but given that this was the Matriarch¡¯s granddaughter she was dealing with, even she had to think twice before acting.


    The fact of the matter was that the blood of Paliseth flowed in Aishael. While Paliseth herself might have killed her own children on a whim, that didn¡¯t mean Lanbael enjoyed that privilege as well. And even if Paliseth did not know of Aishael before, who was to say Paliseth wouldn¡¯t just suddenly remember that she had a granddaughter? Like what was happening today¡­

 CHAPTER 455: DIGNITY AND CHOICE

    As the saying went, before hitting a dog, look at its master. Just because Paliseth did not care about this mixed blood granddaughter of hers, there was no guarantee that in the future she wouldn¡¯t suddenly take an interest in her. What then? Lanbael clearly couldn¡¯t just conjure up another granddaughter. That why was Aishael had been safe up till now.


    Just because Paliseth could abuse her own children, didn¡¯t mean that others were allowed to.


    Besides, if Lanbael were to really kill off Aishael, she might just start a rebellion amongst the Half-Elves. Naturally, the Half-Elves weren¡¯t a threat on their own. The problem was if they allied with the slaves -now that would be trouble.


    However, just because she couldn¡¯t kill Aishael, that didn¡¯t mean she couldn¡¯t make life difficult for her. By using her position as the elder of the colosseum, and the opportunity provided by Paliseth when she wanted to butter me up, she arranged for Aishael¡¯s mother to be the slave sent out to fight¡­


    As for Sarkath, there was no doubt that Paliseth had given him a mission beforehand. Yet he had no way of knowing who he was about to fight, especially not when Paliseth had completely forgotten about this non-Dark Elven daughter-in-law of hers. Not that he would have minded either way, being the pure-blooded snob that he was.


    I¡¯m sure the two of them would have gotten along famously¡­


    Essentially, that was the gist of the situation leading up to Aisha¡¯s untimely death. A cruel and disheartening set of circumstances that made one question the value of being an intelligent species, if all that was achieved was more excuses to kill each other.


    Naturally, all that philosophical talk was irrelevant right now. All that mattered now was Aishael and the heavy burden that was laid on her as a result. She was a smart little girl, but the weight on her shoulders was already beginning to suffocate her.


    It was at that point that Lanbael suddenly brought up an interesting question. ¡°Matriarch, I¡¯ve heard news of stirrings in the south.¡±


    ¡°Yes. The Harpies and the Minotaurs have banded together to cause trouble for some reason.¡± Paliseth gave her subordinate a thoughtful look as if she had already seen through her intentions. ¡°You have something to say about this?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare. But I do have a suggestion I would like to make.¡± Lanbael eyed me trepidatiously at that point. Seeing that I had no intention of stopping her, she continued. ¡°I suspect something is amiss in the south. I would like for the Half-Elven army to be deployed.¡±


    ¡°The Half-Elven army¡­¡±


    ¡°I gave full authority of this war to Zurnalin. She should have been busy gathering up the Murlocs, meaning she should be done by about now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure her Blood Drake Riders are more than capable of handling such a matter, but with the Half-Elves aiding them, their job would only get easier.¡± At this point, Lanbael was almost certain that her plan to have them sent out would pass through. With that in mind, she pressed the point further. ¡°Those harpies are airborne creatures. While the Blood Drake Riders are powerful in a charge, they would be exposed against such creatures. But if the Half-Elves were there to back them up with their bows and magicks, the casualties would undoubtedly be lower.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm. A fair point.¡±


    Paliseth nodded her head in agreement. Even though this was probably Lanbael trying to take revenge on the Half-Elves, there was no denying that she had a point.


    While in a cavalry charge, it would be nearly impossible to pay attention to the skies so some form of backup was definitely needed. And as long as they could focus solely on the Minotaurs, this entire battle would be a walk in the park.


    However, that raised another question as well. Couldn¡¯t the normal Dark Elven armies perform the same job as well? Clearly, Lanbael was pushing them out on purpose.


    After giving it some thought, Paliseth came to the decision that this was a workable solution. But because I was still here, she decided to seek my opinion as well. ¡°Your holiness, what are your views on this matter?¡±


    ¡°Are you willing to go to war?¡± I asked Aishael, skipping over Paliseth¡¯s question entirely.


    Seeing as her mother had just passed away, I wanted to give this little girl some time to recover first.


    Yet that was just my own opinion. Aishael, on the other hand, did not hesitate at all before rejecting my good will. She looked Lanbael right in the eyes, ice cold fury barely disguised. ¡°We are not afraid of a challenge.¡±


    Having done that, she turned to the Half-Elves beside her and exclaimed, ¡°You hear that?! War has come! Even though this witch is just trying to use us as fodder, this is still a chance to prove ourselves with the blood of our enemies! If we fight, we fight for our dignity!¡±


    ¡°We fight for our dignity!¡± The Half-Elves present pumped their fists into the air as they chanted, every one of them burning with hot-blooded passion. Such was their passion that even I was beginning to feel a surge of blood in me as well.


    In their eyes I could see Elves who had long put aside the notion of life and death. They were battle-hardened warriors, wrought from the corpses of their enemies, and thirsty for another battle.


    Faced with such a rousing scene, Lanbael frowned. This wasn¡¯t the reaction she had hoped for, and neither was this a reaction she understood. But all that didn¡¯t matter. What mattered was that they now had an army to send to war. In war, some of these Half-Elves were bound to die, and if lady luck favored her, this despicable Aishael would be amongst the dead.


    Just like that, I had gained further insight into the relationship between Aishael and the Half-Elves¡­ for dignity huh¡­


    There was no doubt now that there were two factions amongst the Half-Elves. One, the Half-Elves who guarded the elevator and would immediately prostrate themselves before Lanbael -the faction that most would consider spineless. Then there was Aishael and her Half-Elves. They did not kneel before Lanbael and even tried to argue with her -the faction who claimed to be fighting for their dignity.


    Broadly speaking, these two factions were the Peaceful Faction and the Hawkish Faction.


    The leader of the Hawkish Faction was clearly Aishael. She was a natural choice for this position given that she was a powerful Magister, and more importantly, she was of Paliseth¡¯s bloodline. Even if Paliseth did not care about her before, there was no doubt that if anyone could change their current awkward situation, it would be her.


    While that might have sounded like an arbitrary reason to elect someone as leader, the world was just that: arbitrary. Whether on Earth or in a fantasy world, some people were just born with a better start than others. This was a plain and simple fact, not something you could wash away because it offended your notion of fairness. What could be changed however, was how one faced such an arbitrary world.


    The choice was what was important. And it was this choice that defined the Half-Elves before me today. Rather than just simply existing, they chose to live with dignity.


    Aishael knew she had to put on a strong front now. If she were to act like the Peaceful Faction in front of Lanbael, how would she lead her people then? This was a road of thorns she was travelling, but one she had to take as their leader.


    Their current situation was such that they were no better than slaves. They had to take part in pointless wars, and were basically no better than dogs to the Dark Elves. Perhaps by bending the knee like the Peaceful Faction members, they might have been spared some of the mistreatment, but that was a tiring way to live.


    To the Half-Elves screaming for dignity today, those Half-Elves were a disgrace to their race. They would rather die standing than live kneeling. But were those Half-Elves really so wrong for submitting to Lanbael? Yes, and no. After all, who didn¡¯t want to live a better life for themselves?

 CHAPTER 456: SUMMONING A STEED

    Being a highly intelligent species, it was only understandable to want more than just food and shelter. Yet to the Hawkish Faction of the Half-Elves, the idea that their comrades would side with Lanbael simply because they could not take the hardship was abhorrent to them. It was nothing short of a betrayal.


    Being the leader of such a prideful faction, Aishael had to put on a resilient front. No matter who it was that came at her, she would meet them head on, never showing any signs of weakness lest those beneath get disheartened as well.


    As the saying went, a lion leading a pack of sheep is stronger than a sheep leading a pack of lions. The importance of a leader could not be understated.


    Even though she was still a young Half-Elven girl, Aishael had a strong sense of responsibility and duty to her people. On her dainty shoulders was the pride of her entire faction, and on her back were the eyes of every downtrodden Half-Elf. Those of the Hawkish Faction looked to her for hope while those who sided with Lanbael were merely waiting for the time when their cowardice would be vindicated by her failure.


    For so much to rest on such a young girl might have sounded ludicrous, but that was the reality of the situation -sometimes, reality was even harder to believe than fiction. Should I find this laughable or just sad?


    With the onset of war, those of the Hawkish Faction had to organise themselves into an army. It was a patchwork army, one that answered the call to war wherever they were needed. Yet despite their long history of service, each and every one of them came off as scrawny looking, like a single gust of wind could blow them away.


    In contrast, the slave gladiators were a lot sturdier built, most likely a result of their normal diet. After all, these gladiators were not just entertainment, they were potential breeding stock as well. They had to maintain sufficient strength to fight both in the arena and out of it.


    It could be said that the Hawkish Faction led by Aishael took a fevered approach to battle. They craved it, because that was how they would show their worth to the world. Or perhaps, that was how they garnered some measure of dignity for themselves -through a warrior¡¯s death.


    Without further ado, Aishael led her comrades out of the training ground. The cold and efficient girl that she was, I had no doubt that it wouldn¡¯t take long before an army was formed.


    ¡°Who¡¯s the one in charge of supplying the Half-Elves? Is it Lanbael?¡±


    ¡°Their equipment is their own. As for everything else, that¡¯s handled by another elder.¡± Paliseth shook her head as she explained.


    ¡°Understood.¡± She answered but gave me a deep, long look in the process. As for the aforementioned Lanbael, she was practically shaking in her boots with regret right now.


    I bet you didn¡¯t expect me to favor that little acid tongue so much, did you? Honestly, I didn¡¯t as well¡­ I know she made my little bunny cry, but I don¡¯t hate her for that. I pity her, and wish to help her. She shouldn¡¯t be made to bear such a heavy burden at such a young age. At the very least, I can help her bear part of it.


    To think that all this started because I wanted to munch on a few souls in the colosseum¡­


    To be honest, these Half-Elves deserve our pity, at least in my books. As a proud member of the Waifu for Laifu Club, my motto has always been: what matters is what¡¯s on the outside. Aishael was a very pretty girl, and that was reason enough for me to help her. Now, if she could just fix that acidic tongue of hers¡­


    Either way, since the colosseum wasn¡¯t going to work, it¡¯s time to head off to the battlefield.


    There should be souls for me to feed on there¡­ right?


    ¡°That¡¯s right. There¡¯s no better place to harvest souls than a battlefield.¡± Just as I came to that decision, someone who I had long thought gone suddenly joined the conversation. Ferti¡¯nier, who last said that she had some beauty sleep to catch up on, was more than happy to send me off to that battlefield. That meant something was up.


    ¡®Weren¡¯t you just saying that you were tired?¡¯


    ¡°Ha ha ha.¡± She laught dryly. ¡°Your big sis is no longer tired.¡±


    ¡®Liar.¡¯


    ¡°Your big sis is not a liar. She just awakened because of that Sword Dancer¡¯s soul.¡±


    Sword Dancer? Don¡¯t tell me she means Sarkath? But I don¡¯t remember absorbing any such soul¡­ she didn¡¯t¡­


    ¡®Our little brother was busy being angry so he probably didn¡¯t notice at all.¡¯


    ¡®All I have to say is, I hope you get a stomachache.¡¯


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Don¡¯t forget, your big sis still has no body so if anything were to happen, it would happen to our little brother.¡±


    ¡°Jokes aside, your current condition isn¡¯t suitable for war, but your big sis has something fun in mind.¡±


    ¡®Hey. This isn¡¯t some fieldtrip, I¡¯m going there to harvest souls. And you¡¯re the reason why I¡¯m in this trouble in the first place.¡¯


    ¡°Oh ho? So our little brother doesn¡¯t want that bracelet then?¡±


    ¡®Scram! That¡¯s mine now! Speaking of which, why is it so girly¡­ couldn¡¯t you have made it manlier to suit me?¡¯


    ¡°But your big sis is a girl. It¡¯s only natural that she would like pretty things.¡±


    ¡®Girl? A girl that is tens of thousands of years old?¡¯


    ¡°You want your big sis to smack you?¡± She teased. ¡°Your big sis has a way to summon your mount for you. With a specialised mount by your side, riding into battle should be a lot safer.¡±


    ¡®A mount? That¡¯s true. Right now, I can¡¯t really move about as I would like. A mount would make things more convenient as well. But when you say my mount, you don¡¯t mean¡­¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Mo Ning.¡±


    ¡®Mo Ning!? That same Mo Ning who swings a certain way and calls me dearest?¡¯


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    ¡®No! I refuse! All I wanted was just a mount and somehow I got myself a fiancee?! Absolutely, not. Never.¡¯


    ¡°But have you ever considered that when you step into the Western Human Realms, having a Purgatory Warhorse would mean that no one can ever catch up to you?¡±


    ¡®Still, no! It¡¯s precisely because of a Purgatory Warhorse that I¡¯m in this weird situation! And do you think those Demon Hunters are blind? Purgatory Warhorses are a bonafide creature of Hell, there¡¯s no way they would side with a human! I might as well wear a sign that says I¡¯m a Devil.¡¯


    ¡°Not at all, little brother. All you have to do is claim that you are a Summoner. It¡¯s not like there aren¡¯t humans who have a Purgatory Warhorse steed. Also, you have to transform once you step into the Western Human Realms. When that happens, your combat powers will be limited. Having her by your side would save you a lot of trouble.¡±


    ¡®But¡­ but¡­ dearest¡­¡¯


    Seeing that I was still against the idea, Ferti¡¯nier finally decided to pull out her trump card. ¡°So to you, which is more important? Finding Nicole? Or not getting harassed by Mo Ning?¡±


    ¡®Hmm¡­ that¡¯s not really a choice, is it? Of course, it¡¯s Nicole! For her sake, I¡¯m willing to climb the highest mountain.¡¯


    ¡®Fine. Tell me how to summon her.¡¯


    Two hours later, with the assistance of Jezsere, a summoning circle was drawn with the blood of a fire magical beast. The materials required for the summoning were all prepared by Paliseth, of which there were at least one thousand Soulstones¡­


    Soulstones could be said to be a must-have tool for Occultists and Necromancers. They were magical tools used to seal a soul, something which was always required in large amounts whenever a summoning was required by an Occultist. Necromancers required souls in their spells as well. Clearly, such stones were something every Occultist or Necromancer had to have¡­ except for Jezsere.


    Because of her timid personality, all the Soulstones in her possession were all empty. Thankfully, the Shadowhunter Clan, while not a Devil-summoning clan, still had some in reserve for the smattering of Occultists and Necromancers within their ranks.


    In truth, these Soulstones could have been used to feed me as well, but¡­ what¡¯s the point of saying that now?! Mo Ning¡¯s summoning has already begun!


    Ahhhh¡­ why am I so stupid?! I could have just told Paliseth about my condition! I¡¯m sure she can scrounge up some Soulstones from her clan members for me.


    Unfortunately, it was all too late. By the time I came to this realization, Paliseth had already gathered all the materials before me.


    As the saying went, there was no taking back an arrow that was fired. And even if I was restored to my former condition, Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s suggestion still had its merits. With her by my side, escaping would not be a problem at all.


    With that in mind, I began summoning as per her instructions.


    Because of our engagement pact, we were able to sense each other, even through dimensional barriers.


    ¡°The fires of the Apocalypse descend upon the wastelands¡­ the skies foretell of the day the stars weep¡­ O ancient pact¡­ curse of the Apocalypse¡­ master of the sleeping world¡­¡±


    (Say no to content thief!)


    As I read those lines filled with only the hammiest of hams, I could feel my very skin tingle, like something had possessed me. Thankfully, the whole incantation wasn¡¯t too long so the awkwardness was really just an instant.


    Being one with me, Ferti¡¯nier naturally knew of my feelings as well. A fact which she made abundantly clear when she snickered. ¡°Actually, all those lines weren¡¯t necessary at all. Your big sis just thought that they added to the atmosphere so she decided to incorporate them.¡±


    [email protected]$%*!!!111¡­ whatever¡­ I¡¯m used to it now¡­

 CHAPTER 457: ATTACK OF MO NING

    As the last of the chant filled the air, the bloody array swiftly burst into crimson flames, heating up the giant hall that once summoned me. Despite being in a cave, the flames danced about as if blown by a gust of wind. Yet this strangeness did not last long as the flames suddenly parted to reveal a black rift from which a blackened hoof emerged¡­


    Unlike a normal horse¡¯s hoof, the area above was covered in a tuft of reddish fur that seemed more like fire than fur. Next was to emerge was a black horse head. On the head itself was a bloody red mane that flowed majestically as it emerged from the darkness of the rift. Finally, the entire horse emerged. Red fur and the size of a normal horse¡­ These were characteristics of a Nightmare Steed!


    I had fought with a Nightmare Steed multiple times before so I knew full well how to identify one. But wasn¡¯t I trying to summon Mo Ning?! She was a Purgatory Warhorse the last time I checked¡­did she die? How else was there a Nightmare Steed standing before me right now?


    I really did not know if I should be happy or sad if my hunch was proved true. However, that conundrum didn¡¯t last too long as I realised I was overthinking matters once again. If she were really dead, I would have sensed it through our pact. In other words¡­ She evolved?!


    Hold on¡­ hasn¡¯t it just been a week since I came to the Shadowhunter Clan¡­ how is she already a Nightmare Steed?


    ¡°Dearest!¡±


    The moment that black horse stepped out of the rift and laid eyes on me, she galloped towards me in a fit of excitement, calling out to me with that dreaded word.


    Scram! I¡¯m not your dearest! Blasted horse, I don¡¯t want you anywhere near me!


    Unfortunately, I needed her right now so I did not say that out loud. Blast¡­ better keep a smile on¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me dearest!¡±


    Or not¡­


    ¡°But¡­ we already signed a pact¡­¡± She said with the downcast eyes of someone who had been wronged.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bring up that pact too¡­¡± What are you looking all wronged for? Dang it, I should be the one who feels wronged.


    Faced with such obedience however, it wouldn¡¯t be right of me to stay angry, but I really wanted to¡­ such a conundrum. In the end, I decided to turn the subject to something else before she had the chance to bring up any further talk of that pact.


    ¡°How has Mo Na been while I was gone these few days?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s doing well, but she doesn¡¯t seem to like me too much.¡± As she said that, her tone seemed a little odd, as if she wanted to say something but couldn¡¯t find the words to say it with.


    ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to the pact I signed with dearest!¡±


    The moment the subject was about her evolution, her eyes practically lit up as she went on and on about the whole process. Honestly, the whole reason was because of my noble lineage and that high level pact we signed. Thanks to that, she ended up receiving some unintentional benefits. Said benefits included the strengthening of the weaker party¡¯s bloodlines. However, this strengthening had strict conditions attached to it. The bloodlines of both parties must have differed by at least three tiers before one side could be strengthened. Furthermore, the party being strengthened must have had a higher evolution available as well.


    In Mo Ning¡¯s case, the Nightmare Steed was the next evolution of a Purgatory Warhorse, so she naturally evolved into that form when her bloodline was strengthened. Now, if she were a Nightmare Steed to begin with¡­ the strengthening might not have happened at all.


    Naturally, that wasn¡¯t to say that the Nightmare Steed was the peak of Mo Ning¡¯s evolution either. That only applied to ordinary Purgatory Warhorses.


    So I¡¯m basically a walking miracle elixir then? Just one taste and you will see the effects right away? Horse breeders hate him! But this horse has never looked stronger since using this one little trick! Not like it matters though¡­ you¡¯re still a horse. Let¡¯s see you try and turn into a human instead! If you can do that, I swear on my bottle of chili oil that I will engage in the act of fornication with you right away!


    Naturally, I was not one to voice out something so hurtful to a horse¡­


    ¡°Master¡­ master¡­¡± Came a timid little voice from behind me. Clearly, our resident timid bunny was startled by the sudden appearance of a black horse.


    ¡°There there¡­ no need to cry. Mo Ning is my steed, she won¡¯t hurt you.¡±


    Being the timid girl that she was, her first instinct upon seeing a Nightmare Steed was to duck behind my back for cover. Her little head shrunk into her neck as she began shivering uncontrollably. If there was ever anything more pitiful looking than her, it hadn¡¯t been invented yet. But that was what made her so endearing to me.


    After a short session of comforting, along with Mo Ning standing harmlessly beside me, Jezsere finally conquered the fear in her heart and stuck her neck out. ¡°Hell¡­ hello. I¡¯m Jezsere, the master¡¯s¡­ servant¡­¡±


    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Mo Ning. I have an engagement pact with dearest over here.¡± Mo Ning nodded in Jezsere¡¯s direction. ¡°Are you one of Dearest¡¯s new servants? So you¡¯re my servant as well then? Is there a lava lake nearby? I would like it prepared later¡­¡±


    Seeing as her requests were only getting weirder by the second, I quickly interrupted her while hugging Jezsere in the process. ¡°Jezsere is my own personal servant, not yours.¡±


    ¡°But dearest¡­¡±


    ¡°No buts!¡±


    Hmph. How dare you try and touch my harem, you must be looking for death!


    Once again, she had on that look of a bullied wife. Even so, she didn¡¯t seem to show any signs of wanting to object.


    To be honest, her personality was really likable, but I just had no feelings towards a horse¡­ not even if that horse could take on a human form in my dreams and perform the acts of fornication¡­ ahem¡­As everyone knows by now, I am a person of virtue. I have walked the path of a sage and have now set my sights on the title of Grand Sage. And that¡¯s why, I will have to pass on doing it with a Nightmare Steed¡­just let me be a quiet little monk¡­ minding his own business¡­ cultivating his days away¡­


    Now that Mo Ning was here, I took the opportunity to introduce her around. First, there was Paliseth, Reyage and Jezsere. These three were the closest to me right now. Paliseth seemed intrigued by this newcomer, and because of Paliseth¡¯s own strength, Mo Ning showed her a great deal of deference.


    Yet since finding out about the rather complicated relationship between Mo Ning and I, the look Paliseth gave the both of us changed, and in the strange direction no less¡­ Either way, this horse and Dark Elf combo chatted for a while then left together, hand in hoof.


    Because this whole exchange happened through a private channel, I had no way of knowing what went down exactly. At times, I saw Mo Ning shaking her head as if she was objecting to something. But whenever that happened, Paliseth would slap her bountiful chest as if to say, leave it to me. At that point, Mo Ning would hesitate and look in my direction. Finally, she seemed to nod her head in acquiescence¡­ what the potato were those two even talking about? Some new way of scamming me, I bet.


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    I swear I¡¯ve gotten PTSD ever since Ferti¡¯nier scammed me so many times¡­ maybe they have a medieval shrink somewhere¡­


    Before leaving however, that old hag elegantly walked up to me and said, ¡°Your Holiness, Paliseth intends to bring her new younger sister over here around the city, would your holiness like to come along?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s fine. May your trip be a fruitful one.¡±


    Hah. Like a Grand Sage would ever accompany a female on a shopping trip. You know what, I hope those two have a blast together, that way all that nonsense with Mo Ning is settled as well.


    Even though it was a guarantee that I had to travel with Mo Ning within the Western Human Realms¡­but this isn¡¯t the Western Human Realms, is it? There¡¯s no need to rush now¡­ early bird avoids the horse and all that¡­ I just can¡¯t stand having that kind of relationship with a horse¡­


    Still, looking at the way Mo Ning turned her head back to look at me every step, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if going to the battlefield now was a good idea.


    Before this, my plan was to head to the battlefield myself to harvest some souls, but now that I had absorbed the souls from the Soulstones, my body was perfectly fine¡­ Really, why didn¡¯t I think of this sooner?


    With that in mind, I turned to look at the timid girl in my embrace¡­ Sigh¡­ if there¡¯s one fault to be had about her, it¡¯s that she is unreliable¡­ I mean how does an Occultist not even have a filled Soulstone?! Geez!


    Maybe she¡¯s just born into the wrong environment, or job.


    ¡°Master?¡± Feeling my gaze on her, Jezsere blinked her eyes adorably then poked her own face gently. ¡°Does Jezsere¡¯s face have something on it?¡±


    ¡°No, no. I just wanted to look at you, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Jezsere blushed in an instant. ¡°Oh¡­ master can keep on looking then.¡±


    ¡°Oh you¡­¡±


    Really¡­ what am I to do with her¡­ just smile lovingly, I guess.

 CHAPTER 458: A SPOUSAL DISPUTE?

    What was supposed to be a simple shopping trip between two ladies around the city ended up taking up the whole day instead. There wasn¡¯t even a trace of either Paliseth or Mo Ning during this time. Had it not been for the fact that Mo Ning preferred females, I would have honestly thought that she was kidnapped by some weird male Dark Elf.


    What a boree¡­ I really need to find something to do. Maybe I should ask Lanbael to do some soil sampling¡­ or maybe just bread sampling, that works too. She seemed rather happy with the previous bread sampling, what with how elegantly she gobbled down the entire bread without even me saying. Not like she had a choice¡­ unless she wanted to do some soil sampling¡­


    I ended up spending the night over at Jezsere¡¯s room in a very comfortable embrace throughout. Now, if only my pee pee was back from its holiday¡­ In the morning, we ran into a decidedly excited Zurnalin who so happened to be out on a stroll. I could tell that she was excited by how she leapt at me with arms wide open¡­


    ¡°Your holiness! I¡¯m back!¡±


    ¡°Welcome back.¡± I said while deftly dodging her embrace and pushing Jezsere between us. ¡°Now, is there anything I can help you with, as long as it¡¯s not a hug.¡±


    Seeing how I pushed Jezsere out to block her advances, Zurnalin couldn¡¯t help but pout in dissatisfaction. ¡°Hmph. Not even a hug¡­ at this rate, having children together is going to be difficult.¡±


    ¡°Who said I was planning to have children with you?!¡±


    If there was a word that could describe the character that was Zurnalin, it would be heroic. Whether it was her words or her bearing, they all perfectly fit the mould of a female hero. Yet from what I¡¯ve heard about her, she was still single, the kind who had no experience with another man no less. Perhaps, rather than saying that she did not wish to have a romantic relationship with the opposing sex, it would be more accurate to say that she abhorred the opposing sex.


    The question of whether or not she liked females instead had crossed my mind before, but while she might not have hated females as well, she had no intimate relationships with them either. And I would bet my bottle of chili oil that she was still a functioning female. As for why I was so sure¡­ let¡¯s just say that I could see it.


    Honestly, I was sure of all that because of the state of her soul. When a male and female mated, it wasn¡¯t just simple physical contact, each side would leave a mark on the other¡¯s soul as well. Zurnalin¡¯s soul was impeccably clean, pristine even.


    ¡°Yes. The two biggest Murloc Tribes have been integrated.¡± Having said that, she turned towards me with tears in her eyes. ¡°Your holiness, I¡¯m about to head off to battle, if I do not make it back this time¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re joking¡­ I know the Minotaurs and the Harpies aren¡¯t weak, but your Blood Drake Riders are clearly stronger. You even have the Murlocs and Half-Elves to aid you. There shouldn¡¯t be any problem at all.¡±


    ¡°But what if¡­¡±


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s true as well. The battlefield is a capricious mistress, no one can say for certain what might happen next.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why¡­¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why?¡±


    She turned her puppy dog eyes to me once more. ¡°As a precaution, please bestow unto me the honor of bearing your child! Even if something were to happen to me on the battlefield, I would at least have a descendant¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you saying you can give birth to a child within a day?! Do you think they are bread or something?!¡±


    I swear¡­ is she insulting my intelligence?


    ¡°I can¡¯t even have a child to begin with!¡± I practically yelled at this point.


    Someone please take this indecent woman away right now¡­ My pee pee is not even back yet. If it was, we wouldn¡¯t even be talking right now! We would be in bed!


    ¡°That¡¯s enough horsing around now. I¡¯m going to be a part of the battle as well.¡±


    ¡°Your holiness is taking to the battlefield?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I am.¡±


    The moment she heard that, her once jovial expression was immediately tempered by a tinge of worry. ¡°But the battlefield is a dangerous place to be, and those monsters do not know the holiness of your person. They might even frighten you¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry about that. I may look like this, but I got to where I am by climbing a mountain of corpses.¡±


    That was true too. Literally. I climbed a mountain of corpses in the Blood Sea. Whether it was the Blood Sea or the Prison of the Dead, when was my journey ever easy? Even if my experience up to Sable Radiance might not have raised my Star-level much, it had at least hardened my heart to the toils of war. At the very least, I wasn¡¯t about to be scared by some battlefield.


    ¡°Is your holiness sure about that?¡± She tried once more to persuade me. ¡°The battlefield has dangers lurking in every corner¡­¡±


    ¡°My mind is set.¡± I firmly said.


    Seeing that her persuasion had failed, she finally gave up as well, steering the conversation to another topic in the process. ¡°Then at least allow Zurnalin to bear your holiness into battle. Zurnalins swears on her life that your holiness will be safe!¡±


    Her words were as firm as I had been just a while ago. Her eyes peered right at me and I could see the genuine worry reflected within them. It touched me. But I still turned down her offer in the end.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not.¡±


    Having been rejected multiple times already, Zurnalin was starting to break down a little. I could see her eyes begin to water up as she asked, ¡°Why must your holiness reject me so?¡±


    ¡°Because dearest already has me.¡±


    A set of steady hoofsteps echoed sonorously from behind me, out came a fiery redhead girl that had to at least be two meters tall judging by the shadow she cast. Her face was beautiful and had a wildness to it, like a proud, untamable stallion. As she got closer, she smiled in my direction, a thick waft of scent blowing in my direction. It was an unfamiliar scent to me, but I knew that any normal man would immediately fall to her charms from just a whiff of it. The redhead girl gently wrapped her arms around me then lifted me up onto her back in a manner you would expect of a pillion rider on a bicycle.


    All that was fine and all¡­ but how should I say this¡­ she¡¯s a half person, half horse¡­ and I was now sitting atop what looked like her skirt¡­


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    ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re¡­ Mo Ning?¡± The moment I recovered from the shock, I hurriedly slid off her back and looked at this smiling but unfamiliar face with a heart that was about to implode right about now.


    The Mo Ning standing before me right now was no longer a black horse but rather had a humanoid upper half!


    Her lower half was covered in a wide, white skirt that practically covered up the rest of her horse bits, leaving only her beautiful hooves visible from underneath. Her torso was dressed in the typical garb of the Dark Elf, similar to Jezsere¡¯s own. If there was one thing different, it would be those mountains barely hidden behind her garb¡­clearly a facsimile of Paliseth¡¯s¡­


    Ever since her makeover, Mo Ning¡¯s smile had a wild charm to it. Her skin was milky white and she had the typical pointy ears of an Elf. Her ruby red eyes seemed to draw you in as much as her smile did while her fiery red hair flowed freely behind her, spoiled only by a couple of cow licks sticking proudly upwards¡­


    Her current appearance was a conundrum for me. She was definitely beautiful¡­ but there was still the matter of the horsey bits¡­


    Honestly speaking, I was a strict adherent of the ¡°what¡¯s outside is what matters¡± philosophy. Despite being a member-for-life of the Waifu for Laifu club, my tastes were still rather normal so monster girls were a little out of my strikezone. As the old adage went, 2D is fine¡­3D? Maybe not.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, dearest, how do I look?¡± Mo Ning smiled bashfully in my direction. ¡°I know dearest is put off by my non-humanoid form, but look, I have the same body as dearest now, so¡­¡±


    Mo Ning immediately latched onto me and refused to loosen her grip, barely giving me any chance at all to breathe.


    Realising my harried state, a sense of duty suddenly swelled from within Zurnalin¡¯s heart. She immediately stood forth, separating Mo Ning from me. ¡°Who are you? Can¡¯t you see that his holiness is uncomfortable around you?¡±


    ¡°Who am I?¡± Mo Ning immediately felt a spark of hostility with this obviously aggressive Dark Elf. ¡°Dearest and I have an engagement pact together.¡± She sneered. ¡°What about you? Who are you? What is your relationship with my dearest?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Zurnalin confidently flashed her a grin. ¡°I¡¯m the one to bear his holiness¡¯s child in the future!¡±


    ¡°Hah! You wish to have a child with my dearest? Have you sought my permission?¡± Mo Ning said, words dripping with scorn for the foolish confidence that this Dark Elf displayed. ¡°I bet you don¡¯t know that dearest and I already have a child.¡±


    ¡°What?! Impossible!¡± That simple revelation was like a bolt of lightning to a now visibly distraught Zurnalin. The blood quickly drained from her face as she stammered with disbelief, ¡°But you¡¯re clearly that¡­ either way, there¡¯s no way you can bear his child!¡±


    ¡°Hmph, our child¡¯s name is Mo Na and she¡¯s very cute.¡± Having said that, the confidence in Mo Ning¡¯s voice only grew surer, as if the existence of this mythical daughter ensured her a spot in posterity.


    Come to think of it, is the relationship between Mo Na and her actually that good? Did something happen in the few days that I was gone that made them such close friends?


    Hold on¡­ that¡¯s not the issue here! When did Mo Na become mine and Mo Ning¡¯s child?! She¡¯s clearly Mo Ci¡¯s child!


    Just as I realised that something was amiss here, Zurnalin recovered from the colossal shock that was Mo Ning¡¯s revelation as well. ¡°As if. You know better than I do that you don¡¯t have a child. Hmph, trying to act all experienced in front of a Dark Elf -laughable.¡±


    ¡°At least she¡¯s my stepdaughter.¡± Mo Ning gave her a lofty stare as she said that. ¡°What about you? I bet you don¡¯t even know who Mo Na is.¡±


    (Say no to content thief!)


    ¡°His holiness might not have told me who Mo Na is, but I dare say that your relationship with this Mo Na isn¡¯t all that good to begin with.¡±

 CHAPTER 459: AN UNLIKE ALLIANCE IS FORMED

    ¡°How do you know that?!¡± The moment those words left her mouth, Mo Ning realised she had been tricked. She quickly came up with a weak excuse to try and rescue her folly. ¡°Hmph, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°Is that real ignorance or are you feigning it? I¡¯m sure you know better than I do.¡± Zurnalin sneered in return.


    With that said, both sides fell into silence, their ruby red eyes glaring at each other while the atmosphere around them got noticeably tenser by the second.


    Maybe I should step in?


    I felt a tug at that point. I turned around to find Jezsere looking up to me with a scared expression. ¡°Master¡­ are those two going to fight?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they will¡­¡± Yet even I did not know if that was true based on how they were facing off against each other.


    Then, it happened¡­


    The one to strike first was Mo Ning. The rules of Purgatory were simple: if you didn¡¯t agree, then you fight, winner takes all. To some extent this was true for the whole world, but even more so for Purgatory which was relatively backwards.


    Mo Ning raised her lengthy body up high, rear hooves bursting with muscle as they propped up her upper half. Her white skirt was no longer able to hide her horse bits, revealing two menacing front hooves that were about to stamp down hard on Zurnalin.


    Yet Zurnalin easily evaded those oncoming hooves, and with a quick grab, she reached for the sword at her waist and stabbed at Mo Ning¡¯s abdominal area with its sheath still attached¡­


    Zurnalin knew for certain that Mo Ning was related to me. That was why she tried not to hurt the half horse lady. But Mo Ning wasn¡¯t one to be so easily caught as well. Before the sheathed sword could land a hit, she had already jumped backwards, and with the fastest speed possible, leapt forward in a charge.


    In a direct competition of strength, Zurnalin was definitely no march for Mo Ning. As a knight, the lack of her steed also left her at a great disadvantage. She knew that Mo Ning had the strength to severely injure her, thus she wisely chose to play it safe.


    If there was something to be thankful for in this crazy turn of events, it was that both sides weren¡¯t trying to kill the other, merely teach the other a lesson. Because of that, the fight had only been restricted to simple physical strikes.


    Still, the fact that they were fighting so brazenly in front of me was just disrespectful! What would people think of me if I couldn¡¯t stop two ladies who were madly in love with me from causing a bloodbath?!


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Never a big fan of fights to begin with, Jezsere was already shaking from the hostility both sides showed in front of her. It wasn¡¯t a true fight per say, but that didn¡¯t stop our resident timid girl from ducking behind me.


    ¡°There, there. The fighting is over now.¡± I comforted her, slightly exasperated by that timid personality of hers. I then turned over to face the two ladies, face black as the ground I was standing on. ¡°What are you two even thinking? Starting a fight like that in front of me?¡±


    ¡°Dearest, she started it!¡±


    ¡°Your holiness, that woman was the one who clearly struck first!¡±


    I naturally knew that Mo Ning was the one who struck first, but it was Zurnalin who started this whole argument in the first place¡­


    Yet that didn¡¯t stop Zurnalin from being angered by Mo Ning¡¯s accusation. ¡°But you¡¯re the one who hit me first!:


    ¡°Hmph, that¡¯s because you had already caused me psychological damage before that.¡±


    ¡­ psychological damage? What the potato is that?!


    ¡°Dearest, who are you planning to help here?¡±


    ¡°Your holiness, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re interested in this odd-looking horse?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean odd-looking? I¡¯m beautiful!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re neither a proper horse nor a proper humanoid¡­ and you think yourself beautiful?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, I still have an engagement with my dearest.¡±


    ¡°What engagement? I haven¡¯t heard of it.¡± She flipped her eyes in scorn. ¡°Besides, so what if you have an engagement? Engagements can always be broken, especially when you look so strange.¡±


    As I watched the scene descend further and further into chaos, my head began to ache as well. I wasn¡¯t used to such confrontations and if they forced me to make a choice, would this result in another fight¡­ but I don¡¯t even like either of them¡­


    ¡°Dearest, you will side with me, right?¡±


    ¡°Your holiness, don¡¯t tell me you really like horses?¡±


    The two ladies tugged on each of my arms as they said that, causing my headache to only worsen by the second.


    ¡°Master¡­¡±


    With so much vying for my attention, I was about to blow my top at any second. Thankfully, just before I lost my cool again, a slightly lackadaisical voice cut in from behind.


    ¡°If I am to be fair here, it is only to be expected that someone as noble as his holiness would be highly fought over. But at the rate you two are going at it, his holiness would undoubtedly be displeased. I have a solution that can settle this problem right now. First, I need both of you to let go of his holiness, because you two are causing him discomfort. If neither of you wish to be disliked by his holiness, listen.¡± Paliseth elegantly walked up to me as she said that. She then freed my right hand from Mo Ning then sent a warning glare towards Zurnalin to have her release the other.


    Now that I was free, she continued with her explanation. ¡°I can tell that both of you wish to claim his holiness as her own, but his holiness not only possesses a supremely noble bloodline, he also possesses a charm like no other. His future partners will definitely number greater than the two of you, so monopolising him is impossible. That¡¯s why I suggest that both of you form an alliance. I won¡¯t say that the both of you can prevent all the strays from gaining his attention like this, but at the very least, neither of you won¡¯t find yourselves isolated in his future harem.¡±


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    Mhm, that¡¯s right, absolutely convincing¡­ like hell it is! How am I going to start a harem when my pee pee is still on vacation!? Someone teach me please!


    Yet while her explanation might not have worked for me, it clearly worked on those two warring ladies. At the very least, both sides stopped glaring at each other and instead turned to me with an incredulous look in their eyes. The two then nodded in unison, as if they had just come to a mutual understanding of some sort¡­


    Fudge¡­why does it feel like the days ahead are going to be stormy¡­


    The situation at the south of Shadowhunter city was complicated, to say the least. The Harpies and Minotaurs would never ally with each other under normal circumstances, unless some absolute force was pushing them together.


    Naturally, identifying the reason for this impossibility wasn¡¯t our priority right now. The first issue that had to be tackled was the combined armies of said races marching towards the city. They had to be dispersed and destroyed if possible.


    The one leading the army this time around was Zurnalin, the interim leader of the Blood Drake Riders, and a Dark Elf whose power was at least Seven-star. The Blood Drake Riders were the main fighting force of the Shadowhunter Clan. They had 2000 riders but only 1000 were deployed for this army.


    As part of the supporting army, 200 Assassins were deployed as scouts. Then, there was the composite Dark Elven army of 5000 and the Half-Elven army of 2000.


    For the most part, the army itself was organised according to occupations. Those of the same occupations -Archers, Knights, Shieldbearers, etc. ¨C were put into the same contingent. A composite army meant that the occupations were mixed up in order to form a unit that could respond to any situation.


    Each unit within the composite army had its own share of Archers, Shieldbearers and Spearmen. These were the basic building blocks of each unit. Those units with more backing might have even had a few Knights in the mix. Such an arrangement clearly had an advantage over the traditional army composition since it was more well-rounded. But it also had the disadvantage of being harder to organise in a large-scale battle.


    Because of that, the Dark Elves mostly employed such tactics in small to medium scale skirmishes of under 50000.


    The 2000 strong Half-Elven army basically encompassed the whole Half-Elven population within the city. The Half-Elves themselves had their own composite units. With the exception of Knights, they possessed all the occupations you would expect in other armies. Even though these Half-Elves were significantly better equipped this time around thanks to my care, the fact was that these Half-Elves looked uncoordinated from a distance, like they were just a ragtag bunch of soldiers thrown together at the last minute.


    However, that didn¡¯t stop the morale of the Half-Elves from being high. After all, this was the first time they were receiving the same treatment as the Dark Elven army.


    The fact that 2000 Half-Elves were deployed meant that basically every Half-Elf who could pick up a weapon was in attendance. To the Half-Elves, this was a form of forced conscription. Whether it was the Hawkish Faction or the Peaceful Faction, both factions had to take part. Naturally, the one leading this entire army was Aishael.


    Half-Elves matured at the age of thirty, that meant that despite Aishael¡¯s immature appearance, she was very close to the age of maturity, given that she was already twenty. At her age, a normal human would already be able to go out hunting for his own bottle of chili oil.


    Being the Matriarch of the Shadowhunter Clan, Paliseth naturally wasn¡¯t going to lead this war. She had a lot of matters to attend to herself. As for why I was here¡­ honestly, I would love to put it off to just wanting souls, but that clearly wasn¡¯t a good reason, seeing as I could have just gotten the Occultists in the city to give me some souls.


    The real reason I was here was because of Aishael¡­

 CHAPTER 460: SHAMELESS FISH

    Those who did not know our little acid tongue might not understand the reason for her prickliness. They might not even like her, especially seeing how hostile she was with everyone. But I knew the reason why she acted in such a way. Why she bit at anyone she encountered like a rabid dog¡­


    Even after learning of her mother¡¯s death, Aishael did not show much emotions. In fact, she did not even attend her mother¡¯s burial. Clearly, this wasn¡¯t because she had no idea that a burial was being held in the first place. Thanks to the care I showed her, Paliseth made sure Aisha¡¯s burial was a grand one. Being the meticulous old hag that she was, Paliseth would have definitely sent a messenger to inform Aishael, but that was met with silence.


    The last two days had been insanely busy for the little girl. Yet this still wasn¡¯t the reason why she missed her own mother¡¯s burial. The reason was because she wanted to suffer.


    There were those in the world who would forgive whatever transgressions they suffered, as long as their survival was ensured. No matter what atrocity was committed against them, as long as they could live, they would choose to forgive their aggressor. It was a very practical yet weak attitude. Then there were those who met aggression head-on. The harder the opposition was, the harder they would resist. Aishael was just such a girl.


    That was why she wanted herself to suffer. She wanted to carve this hatred into her heart, and by using those negative emotions, she would grow stronger! Naturally, this wasn¡¯t good for her psyche, but she did it anyway.


    Regardless of what her motives were, I wanted to help this poor girl, to be her shield. The last thing I wanted was for the darkness in her heart to irrevocably take root.


    There was a saying that appearances were deceiving. There was no better example than Aishael herself. She had the appearance of a little girl, but she was already twenty. At such an age, most humans would already be getting married. But amongst the Half-Elves, she was just a slightly older elementary student. Yet that didn¡¯t stop her from being beautiful¡­


    What I was trying to say was this¡­ the reason why I helped her was simple: I¡¯m a member of the Waifu for Laifu club! As the saying goes, anything can be forgiven as long as you¡¯re beautiful.


    Right this very instant, I was galloping furiously ahead on Mo Ning, Jezsere hugged securely in my embrace. With Zurnalin at the lead, we had already travelled over ten kilometers when we came upon a strange sight of a bunch of Murlocs frolicking by the underground river.


    However, this mermaid wasn¡¯t like the mermaids in the fairy tales. While she might have had a human face, her upper torso was that of a human¡¯s but covered in scales¡­


    What would have ordinarily been a beautiful female upper body was now covered in dense scales. Her hair grew out behind her like brackish seaweed that gave off a strangely horrific look. If I had to describe the look, it was like a beautiful girl suddenly turned her head a full 180 degrees around to stare at you.


    Naturally, if one were to cover up the rest of her body, she was still a sight to behold.


    ¡°Your holiness¡­ you¡¯re here¡­ nothing feels me with greater joy than to see you present in person¡­¡±


    The moment the Murloc Shaman saw me, he leapt towards me like a son who had just found his long lost father. Unfortunately for him, I was still riding on Mo Ning with a very timid girl in my arms, a girl who immediately screamed when she saw a fishy face jumping right towards her. Upon hearing that high-pitched scream, Mo Ning looked around as well, only to find a rather strange looking creature crawling out of the river and jumping towards them. That strange creature not only had sharp fangs, but he was ugly as well. That was why she sent him flying away with a kick of her hooves.


    Because Mo Ning did not use too much force with her kick, the Murloc Shaman merely tumbled a little before getting to his feet once more. Upon doing so, he swiftly prostrated himself before slowly crawling towards me. He smiled and said, ¡°Hahaha, even your holiness¡¯s steed is impressive¡­¡±


    ¡­ are you even a man, or maybe your heart is just that big that you would immediately come and curry my favor after getting kicked aside like that¡­


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± That was the only response I could come with when faced with his shameless bootlicking.


    ¡°Absolutely. Absolutely. Definitely fine!¡± He repeated with fervor. ¡°It¡¯s my honor to be kicked aside by his holiness¡¯s steed!¡±


    Even though this Murloc Shaman had always struck me as shameless before, the span of three days had somehow made him even more hateable. No longer able to stand his wretched behavior, I quietly signalled towards Mo Ning who stamped on the Murloc¡¯s head. Yet instead of crying out in pain, he seemed to be enjoying it.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ even your holiness¡¯s kick feels so good¡­ as long as it doesn¡¯t kill me, please do not hold back¡­¡±


    ¡­ I want to punch his shameless face¡­ ah¡­ Mo Ning already did it¡­


    This time, Mo Ning did not even require any hint from me before she sent him flying away once more. Finally, the world was peaceful once more, except for a fishy scream in the background.


    ¡°Come here.¡± I gestured towards an unhappy Murloc Clanleader in the distance. The more prideful of the two brothers, the Murloc Clanleader wasn¡¯t too happy about being summoned over like that, but because of Zurnalin¡¯s death stares, he had no choice but to comply. Unlike his spineless brother, the Murloc Clanleader was more than happy to glare right back at me.


    ¡°Alright, what¡¯s going on with that brother of yours. How did he get so much more annoying in just a few days?¡±


    Hearing that, the Murloc Clanleader couldn¡¯t help but be exasperated as he said, ¡°Zurnalin told us about you so¡­¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡±


    ¡°So he thought that by garnering your favor, he can legitimately replace me, or maybe even control the entire Fluorescent Marsh.¡± At that point, I could detect a hint of resignation in his voice. ¡°You are the holy son of the Dark Elves, after all¡­:¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Even though the Murloc Clanleader did not say much, I could already guess the gist of the situation. Zurnalin had told them about me when she was out subjugating the Fluorescent Marsh. Because of that, all the Murlocs knew that the severity of the situation, seeing as attacking a holy son of another religion would often lead to a massacre. Because of that, that shameless potato also had the idea that he could use me to gain more power.


    At the same time that she mentioned my identity, Zurnalin also talked about the war that was happening in the south and how they needed fodder for this war. The Murloc Clanleader wasn¡¯t all that happy about this arrangement at the start, but because they couldn¡¯t defeat her Blood Drake Riders, he had no choice but to go along anyway.


    Being the smart potato that he was, the Murloc Shaman saw this an opportunity and happily obliged unlike his brother. By showing subservience towards Zurnalin, he was hoping to show his own loyalty towards me as well. To Zurnalin, whatever reason he had was irrelevant, she just wanted the Murlocs¡¯ allegiance.


    Originally, the plan was to introduce me to the Murlocs again when the war was over. Yet before it had even started, I ended up appearing before him. That was why he practically leapt at me like a mental fish in order to grasp this opportunity.


    In actuality, the Fluorescent Marsh was a massive territory that held more than just those two Murloc tribes. There were all manner of strange creatures living in the marsh and the Murlocs merely formed a small portion of the entire region. But with the help of the Dark Elves, the Undermarsh Murlocs might just be able to conquer the entire Fluorescent Marsh.


    Assuming that I gave the word¡­


    Naturally, power wasn¡¯t just the only reason why that Murloc Shaman was trying his hardest to butter me up. He was wooing the affections of a potential mate as well. That potential mate was Lily.


    Lily was a mutated mermaid, an offspring of a mermaid and a snake magical beast. Because of her strange looks, she was often despised by the other mermaids. No longer able to endure this mistreatment, she left in search of her father. In the end, she somehow landed up in Fluorescent Marsh.


    (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.)


    Is her father here then? Actually, that¡¯s not even important right now. What¡¯s important is to end this battle quickly, then find Nicole after settling the issue with the Half-Elves.


    The Murlocs who came to participate numbered close to 5000. Even though this was an impressive showing, the Murlocs themselves weren¡¯t as strong as the Dark Elves or the Half-Elves. Still, a cannon fodder was still a cannon fodder no matter how weak he was.


    Lily wasn¡¯t all that impressed by my presence so she merely bowed in my direction before leaving to settle her own matters. She led her own band of Murlocs as well thanks to her strong magicks and the fact that her bloodline was more noble than that of the Murlocs.


    (TL: I¡¯m assuming the author is referring to Lily here. Otherwise, her name is Mary¡­)

 CHAPTER 461: BATTLEFIELD SURPRISES

    Ever since I reincarnated as a Devil, I never had a day of respite. Not when I was fighting for my life through the Blood Sea, not when I was chased by a horde of Zombies¡­ anyway, it was a hard journey. But ever since I came to the Shadowhunter Clan, my fortunes had taken a significant turn for the better. Not only had I gained a godmother, I was now half the owner of the entire Dark Elf race. That was why I had been acting rather arrogant recently. But was I really to blame here? I was, after all, at one point a sacrifice waiting to be offered before I suddenly became an object of worship instead -quite a drastic change in attitudes.


    But everything in life had its ebbs and flows. Just because I was suddenly thrust into such a lofty position didn¡¯t mean that this fortune would last forever. Just as I was entertaining thoughts about starting a biography about the heroic adventures of a certain Fallen Angel, life would teach me a lesson along the lines of ¡®the only constant in life is change¡¯.


    Other than the thousand or so Blood Drake Riders led by Zurnalin, the rest of the army were foot soldiers. Naturally, they wouldn¡¯t be able to travel at the same rate as us. Furthermore, the Murlocs weren¡¯t able to leave the water for too long so we had to plot a route that was nearby water. At times, we had to take an otherwise unnecessary detour, resulting in a belated arrival at the battleground.


    Even so, our location was only ten kilometers away from the forward post. Zurnalin had already sent out the Assassins ahead of us to scout the situation. By all accounts, they should be back soon.


    Unfortunately, it was now two hours and ten minutes since they left. Their scouting trip was supposed to have taken at most two hours. While this was only a ten minutes delay, every minute and second mattered in war. Being the professional Assassins that those two were, they would have at least sent a letter back if they weren¡¯t able to return in time.


    Lest one forgot, these were Dark Elven Assassins of the Shadowhunter Clan, not just any old Assassin you would find elsewhere. If they were late, there was only one possibility: something had happened to them.


    By this point, the entire army had marched a staggering 40 kilometers without rest so everyone was tired, especially those Murlocs lying on the floor right now like a bunch of infuriating dead fishes.


    These fishes were the very definition of lazy. Even before the first kilometer was finished, there were already Murlocs complaining. Had it not been for my decidedly black face being discovered by the Murloc Shaman, leading to him punishing those who dared complain, we might have already had our first wave of fishy deserters.


    As the saying went, you are only as strong as your weakest link. Had it not been for the Murlocs holding us back, we would have already reached our destination. Even so, there was no reason to give up free cannon fodder just because of that. Especially since we weren¡¯t the first batch of reinforcements to arrive. Prior to us, another army had gone to reinforce the forward post a day earlier. Their numbers might not have been as many our own, but it should at least guarantee that the lines will hold before we arrive.


    Finally, Zurnalin gave the orders to assemble and march onwards. The situation with those two Assassins were a concern, but we still had to proceed in the end.


    However, before the entire army could assemble, an incident happened. A signal flare burst into a blinding glare ahead, bathing the otherwise darkened caverns in white.


    Beneath its searing illumination, the vague silhouette of a horde of Minotaurs could be seen roughly two and a half kilometers ahead in the mushroom forest. With their brutish force, they pushed aside the obstructing mushrooms with a beastial howl and charged in our direction. These Minotaurs were all roughly three meters in height. Each wielded a heavy weapon that looked to be about 180 kg each. Some wielded a giant warhammer, a giant axe, a giant mace¡­ essentially, they were all gigantic. Despite that, their speeds were alarmingly fast, covering a kilometer in a mere minute.


    High above, a flock of Harpies began to break over the horizon. Each Harpy had a wingspan of around three to four meters, and in the typical fashion of their race, they had a rather fetching human face but an eagle body that was anything but.


    Where did that signal flare come from? And why are they here instead of fighting the forward post? Has the forward post fallen already?


    Fudgecakes, looks like things have gotten complicated¡­


    ¡°My riders, hear my command! Assemble! We are under attack!¡±


    The moment those monsters appeared in our vision, Zurnalin hastily yelled out that warning to the rest of the army. Thanks to her quick reactions, the rest of the units began to quickly form up as well. The Blood Drake Riders all hopped onto their Blood Drakes, spear in hand, and formed up around Zurnalin.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Unlike Zurnalin, Jezsere was already frightened to death by the sudden appearance of these enemies. She tried to duck into my arms for cover but I placed her on Mo Ning¡¯s back instead. I then instructed Mo Ning to look after her.


    Mo Ning herself did not mind our resident timid girl all that much. She nodded her head and quickly went about her work.


    I started channeling mana into the summoning bracelet on my left hand, the Lion¡¯s Majesty. Immediately, the three Fire Elemental Cores lit up with a fiery glow as the first hints of mana began to flow into them. I had invested over half of my mana into those three cores, only to receive a weak response from the bracelet. Still, that was all I needed. ¡°In my name, come forth and scorch the lands! Emissary of flames!¡±


    As I spoke the summoning words, three three meter tall Fire Elementals materialised out of thin air before me. Each of them had a vaguely humanoid shape that shimmered from the flames they gave out. Even from where I was standing, I couldn¡¯t make out the definite features on their bodies or faces. Based on their aura however, I could sense that these were bonafide Seven-stars.


    It was at that point that I realised why Ferti¡¯nier had this summoning bracelet made for me in the first place. Because my mana had the unique ability to impart consciousness, the three Fire Elementals summoned through the bracelet would benefit from this trait as well. Simply put, these Fire Elementals weren¡¯t just your normal puppets that required controlling, they were able to function independently like my Shadow Demon!


    I pointed at the charging Minotaurs. ¡°Stop them, don¡¯t let them get any closer!¡±


    Upon receiving my command, the three Fire Elementals exchanged a look with each other then nodded wordlessly before sprinting towards the Minotaurs. With their help, we should be able to buy a significant amount of time. As for the Harpies above¡­ Well, that¡¯s a problem for the Archers and Mages. I wonder if it will help if I tell them that I have a Harpy Witch as a fiancee¡­


    On Aishael¡¯s part, her reaction wasn¡¯t much slower than Zurnalin herself. Even though she was still a young girl, she was deathly calm right now. ¡°Half-Elves, I want Archers and Mages on those Harpies right away. Second division will provide cover. First division, gather on me!¡±


    These two thousand Half-Elves might have seemed like a ragtag army at first, but it was an undeniable fact that each and every one of them had gone through life and death situations together. In terms of experience alone, they had probably gone to war more often than the Dark Elven army. They knew what a battlefield was like and what the battlefield required. Even when resting, all of them kept their weapons at the ready in case of an ambush.


    Thanks to the timely orders by Aishael, the Half-Elves were able to form up their long-range units quickly. Volley after volley of spells and arrows rained down on the incoming Harpies, never giving them an inch without first taking a mile from them.


    Using the time bought by the Archers and Mages, the second division of the Half-Elves formed up a basic defensive position around them. As long as any Harpy tried to come close, they not only had to contend with projectiles flying their way, they had to guard against the weapons of these warriors as well.


    At the same time, the first division of the Half-Elves had formed up around Aishael. Their mission was to hold off the unstoppable charge of the Minotaurs. It was at that time that a few Harpies noticed this new division that didn¡¯t seem to have any long-range units guarding them. Realising that this might be an easier target, they swooped down in hopes of perhaps procuring a new toy for their nest.


    (TL: 40km isn¡¯t that far¡­)

 CHAPTER 462: CHAOS

    Those poor Harpies were immediately brought down from the ceiling, crashing unceremoniously into the ground with a bang, still alive but no longer a threat. Unfortunately for them, the former wasn¡¯t going to be true for long as well. A couple of eagle-eyed Half-Elves promptly seized upon this opportunity to score a couple of kills for themselves, turning both the Harpies into pin cushions in the process¡­ that will you teach birds a lesson!


    The 5000 strong Composite Dark Elven Army was led by Reyage. Because Jezsere decided to follow me, he ended up being roped into the reinforcements as well. Given his background, he wasn¡¯t suitable to be a lowly soldier, especially not when Paliseth had plans for him to be the leader of the clan in the future. In light of that, this war was a good opportunity to rack up some merit for himself. Even though it wasn¡¯t a large war, it was still an opportunity that held no disadvantages.


    Reyage himself was an Assassin, but unlike the others, he was trained by Paliseth personally. Because of that, he was stronger than most elites of other clans.


    As such, the sudden ambush by the Minotaurs and Harpies did not throw him into disarray. Under his calm leadership, the Dark Elves quickly regained their footing and formed into a defensive position under his orders. Shieldbearers at the front and long-range attackers at the back, they prepared for the oncoming onslaught of the Minotaurs and Harpies.


    While the Half-Elves were already engaging with the airborne Harpies, their numbers were too many for the Half-Elves to handle alone. From just a glance alone, I counted at least 7000 Harpies. Faced with such overwhelming numbers, the best the Half-Elves could do was ensure that their ranks did not fall to the harassment of the Harpies. Yet despite their best efforts, it was only a matter of time before these Harpies broke free with their obvious airborne advantage. The Harpies, having felt the sting of the Half-Elven army, decided to turn their sights on Reyage¡¯s army.


    Unfortunately for these Harpies, if they thought the Half-Elves were bad, the Dark Elves were only going to be worse. This was a properly maintained and trained army that was organised for the purpose for handling battles such as this. Furthermore, this was Paliseth¡¯s own son leading the battle, the soldiers were all the best of the best. This very army held the honorable title of the Blood Brigade.


    Dozens of Harpies swooped down with the intent of grabbing a member of the Blood Brigade. But this was the worst possible target they could have ever chosen. The Archers and Mages of the Brigade were already ready and waiting. Not only that, this particular army had an occupation unique to them, the Javalineers. Armed with short spears, these Javalineers might not have had the longest of ranges when compared to the Archers or Mages, but as long as the target was within their effective range, their accuracy rate was well over 90%.


    Furthermore, a short spear was a lot stronger than a mere arrow. One hit was all it took to skewer a Harpy. In contrast, an arrow probably had to hit a weak point like the head or heart in order to take down the target.


    Now¡­ the Elves were all a force to be reckoned with, but when it came to the Murlocs¡­


    5000 Murlocs was definitely a staggering figure, but their lack of training meant that they were in complete disarray when faced with such an ambush. In fact, quite a number of Murlocs had already thrown aside their weapons and jumped into the river.


    The Murloc Shaman and Clanleader tried whatever they could, scolding, beating, cursing, but nothing could stem the tide of deserters. Something worth noting at this point was that these Minotaurs had clashed with the Murlocs before. The result was that the Murlocs were thoroughly trounced. As for the Harpies¡­ in their own words, they hated those flying birds¡­


    In the proverbial food chain of the Underdepths, the Minotaurs and Harpies were well above the Murlocs, like how a cat was to a mouse. The Murlocs weren¡¯t willing conscripts to begin with, so even if the Murloc Shaman and Clanleader were here to control them, there was no way they could overcome the innate fear in their hearts. That was how much higher up in the food chain the Minotaurs and Harpies were. At the same Star-level, a Murloc had no chance of ever winning against a Minotaur or Harpy.


    Murlocs? Hah, how about you guys call yourselves salted fish instead.


    Out of the 5000 or so Murlocs that marched with us, not all had managed to escape in the chaos, roughly half of their numbers rallied back under the Murloc Shaman and Clanleader. Of those that fled, some chose the river while some chose to run in the unfortunate direction of the Blood Brigade.


    Amidst the chaos of the fleeing Murlocs, the Bridgade¡¯s well laid out formation was nearly destroyed in the process. Thankfully, this army also had an Assassin unit of nearly 200. Training such Assassins were the forte of the Shadowhunter Clan so any Assassin who had successfully graduated were all top-notch. The moment they noticed the disruption caused by the Murlocs, they promptly struck from the shadows. Reyage had already instructed these Assassins beforehand to look after the perimeters for this very reason.


    An unusual reason, to be certain, but he was proven right this time. Without even needing any further instructions, any Murloc who even got a webbed foot close to the Brigade was immediately met with a blade from the shadows.


    It was only after a hundred over Murlocs had died that these poor fishes finally realised they were fleeing in the wrong direction. Not only did they end up dying despite not having met an opponent, they died at the hands of their own allies¡­ truly a tragic fate.


    The cold-bloodedness of this display had the effect of bringing the Murlocs back under control. By using this momentary fear and shock, the Murloc Shaman and Clanleader had successfully reorganised these Murlocs back into the main force.


    The head of these Assassins was a veiled female Dark Elf who could be seen signalling to another Assassin to restrain these two brothers. The plan was to herd the remaining Murlocs towards the charging Minotaurs. Naturally, the two brothers weren¡¯t too happy about this treatment, but they both had a dagger to their necks right now. Clearly, a dagger was a lot sharper than their scales.


    As expected, rather than losing their fishy self, they would much rather lose a fishy brother. The two brothers expressed their willingness to obey orders and began leading the charge themselves.


    Yet not long after they did so, they sneaked a glance at each other. The path they were taking so happened to lie near the river. Clearly, they were plotting something right now. Too bad for them, there were four Assassins already dispatched to follow them. As long as they dared make a move, their fishy lives were over!


    At that point, a maelstrom of emotions flowed within their eyes, none of them positive. But what were to do in this damned if they do, damned if they don¡¯t situation? Charge, that¡¯s what.


    At the same time that the Murlocs arrived on scene, my three Fire Elementals had made contact with the Minotaurs. With their bodies covered completely in flames, every strike they threw out scorched the air around them. Some of the weaker Minotaurs were even affected by the sheer heat of their presence and began to lose consciousness. Axes began to fall, followed closely by the sonorous thuds of collapsing Minotaurs.


    At the level of a Seven-star, the flames of a Fire Elemental had to at least be a thousand degrees celsius. Naturally, these Fire Elementals knew to control their flames outside of battle. During combat however, their mighty flames were fully brought to bear. Lower starred Minotaurs, while stronger than a bull, were still at the level of a normal mortal -certainly not a match for the scorching flames of the Fire Elementals.


    In actuality, this burning environment was confined to a circle around each Fire Elemental. This was a skill of theirs in which they could instantly raise the heat around them to a certain degree in order to deal with weaker foes. Right this very instant, wherever the Fire Elementals were, a circular no man¡¯s land was formed around them.


    Being summoned, however, they had a fatal flaw of endurance. While they might have had great effect on the Minotaurs, it was still a fact that this wasn¡¯t Purgatory; they couldn¡¯t replenish their fire element easily. Each time they inflicted severe injuries on the Minotaurs, they expanded a great deal of their energies as well. As their reserves slowly drained, their size began to shrink. Even the glow around them had grown noticeably dimmer by now.


    The Minotaurs had noticed this point too, which was why they furiously charged at the Fire Elementals. Even if their heavy weaponry were unable to damage the Fire Elementals, they were still useful in expanding their energies.


    This obviously wasn¡¯t the most efficient of methods to handle the Minotaurs, but what choice did they have but to overwhelm these mighty creatures with their sheer numbers? While that was happening, the remaining Minotaurs routed around their comrades and continued charging towards us.


    When I summoned those three Fire Elementals, I knew full well that the line wouldn¡¯t hold forever. My only hope was that those three would be able to buy us some time, which they did magnificently. At this point, all the armies had already taken up formations and the Murlocs were even herded in the right direction.


    ¡°MOOOOOO!!!¡±


    Just like that, a bunch of three meters tall Minotaurs, armed with gigantic maces, axes and hammers clashed with a bunch of Murlocs, coming in at 1.6 meters at most and armed with bone clubs and broken spears. The outcome was clear for all to see¡­ a complete massacre¡­

 CHAPTER 463: ORGANISED WARFARE

    Unfortunately for them, fate was a cruel mistress. In their blind desire to flee, they ended up fleeing in the direction of Aishael¡¯s Half-Elven army. There was no warning given, but before any Murloc could realise the error of their decision, they were mercilessly hacked to pieces by the advancing Half-Elves.


    The Half-Elven army advanced in a direction completely opposite to the fleeing Murlocs, neither too slowly nor too quickly. Like a machine of death, they mowed down any who stood in their way, ally or otherwise; there was no retreat to be had in this battle. In the first place, these Murlocs were dispatched here to be cannon fodders so we didn¡¯t have high hopes for them to begin with. The moment they got in the way of our armies, they were the ones at fault.


    And what better solution was there than just simple violence? Under the relentless reaping of the advancing Half-Elven army, the Murlocs had no choice but to turn around. Some ran towards the nearby river while those who were not as clear-headed chose to face off against the Minotaurs who were now fighting the Blood Drake Riders¡­


    While it was often assumed that a cavalry unit was at its strongest during a charge, this might not always hold true in this world. There were cavalry units that were just as strong even without charging; the Blood Drake Riders were just such a unit. Amongst the Dark Elves, these riders were counted as the most elite combat unit, not just because of their riders, but also because the Blood Drakes themselves were powerful magical beasts. In a one-on-one with a Minotaur of the same Star-level, they were more than a match, and that was not even counting the powerful rider on their back!


    At the forefront of these powerful riders was Zurnalin, riding ahead of the others like a deadly spear into the enemy. With her three meter long Dragon Spear, she easily skewered a Minotaur before it even had the time to realise what had happened. Then with a swing of her spear, she threw the offending corpse right into another unfortunate Minotaur¡­


    The Blood Drake she rode was significantly stronger than her subordinates. When it opened its horrific jaws, a deafening roar boomed forth like a crack of lightning. A couple of Minotaurs who were just about to swing their axes at it were immediately stunned in place, eyes filled with shock and dread. That was the power of her steed!


    Having incapacitated the two of them temporarily, Zurnalin¡¯s Blood Drake swiftly whipped its scaly tail towards them, smashing into each of their chests with a bang that was more like a sonic boom and sending them flying in the process.


    ¡°Kill them all!!!¡±


    ¡°Fear the Blood Drake Riders!¡±


    The moment the battle started, every rider bellowed at the top of their lungs, eyes red from their bloodthirst. Wherever there was a Minotaur to be had, their furious spear thrusts would soon follow. Whether it was a sword slash, a stab of their Dragon Spear, or a whip from their steeds, whatever weapon they could employ was employed.


    Faced with such a frenzied attack, a weak-hearted opponent would have fled already. With just over 3000 Minotaurs present, they were beginning to feel the pressure from the might the riders showed. Bit by bit, cracks were beginning to form in their morale.


    A short while after the Blood Drake Riders, the Half-Elves¡¯ first division charged into battle as well under the leadership of Aishael.


    Spotting these newcomers, several hundreds of Minotaurs immediately tried to circle around the Blood Drake Riders in a bid to cut off the riders while also attacking the target that was clearly under-equipped even to their simplistic minds.


    With a fearless roar, the first of the Minotaurs rammed into a Half-Elven Shieldbearer, intent on showing this skinny weakling whose strength was greater here.


    Aishael frowned upon seeing it. An enraged Minotaur clearly wasn¡¯t a good match for their scrawny Shieldbearers, but she couldn¡¯t back down either. These Shieldbearers were their only line of defense. If they couldn¡¯t hold the line now, then the casualties would be great within their ranks.


    It was an unfortunate fact that their current numbers were too little, coming in at just 1000. Out of these 1000, there were Archers and Mages, leaving only just 700 to actually hold off the Minotaurs who were each at least hundreds of kilogrammes. When these monstrosities charged, their body weight would only be multiplied against the Half-Elves.


    Armed with the bare minimum of gears and fed with what was clearly not even bread, could such an army ever hope to stand against the frenzied charge of a Minotaur? The answer was a definite no. Even so, Aishael didn¡¯t give the order to retreat. Instead, she had 400 Shieldbearers huddle up against each to form a sturdy shield wall.


    She then stood behind these shields, knuckles white from gripping her plain sword and shield, eyes steely as she gazed ahead. Her entire attention was now focused on channelling the mana of the soldiers around her. Thankfully, their honed teamwork made such a mammoth task easy even in the midst of a chaotic battle. A couple of seconds later, a six-sided star array began to take shape beneath her feet and rapidly expanded outwards in seconds.


    ¡°Composite Magic: Earthen Bulwark!¡±


    As the last of her words trailed off, a clay-colored silhouette of a mountain measuring in at over 100 meters appeared in front of every Shieldbearer!


    Just like their pure-blooded cousins, the Half-Elves were all Magisters in their own right. Furthermore, just like the Elves, they possessed a magical talent that was far superior to an ordinary human¡¯s.


    Yet the Minotaurs weren¡¯t one to care about what stood in their way. Be it a shield or a mountain, there was nothing they didn¡¯t dare to ram into! As the Minotaurs collided with the spell, the silhouette of the mountain began to wobble. But just like ramming into a physical mountain, the Minotaurs found themselves unable to penetrate the silhouette. Unfortunately for the Shieldbearers, while the spell might have held, the Minotaurs still managed to force them back a little, even if the spell was practically holding them rooted to the floor.


    ¡°AHHHH!!!!¡±


    At the same time as their line faltered, the Half-Elves bellowed into the air, determined to take on the Minotaurs to the death.


    There were 300 Minotaurs attacking the Half-Elves right now. In their cow heads, they had assumed that these stick-like Half-Elves would fall just like those scrawny fishes before them. However, when was the world ever so simple? The Murlocs were routed easily because they had no real reason to fight to the death. These Half-Elves were different. They were determined to obtain victory even at the cost of their lives. Furthermore, they had something the Murlocs did not have -magic!


    Yet even the sturdiest of defense would fall one day. Aishael was still able to maintain the Composite Spell with the help of 700 soldiers, but the strength of these Minotaurs was nothing to scoff at either. The act of defending alone took up all her focus, leaving her no avenue to organise a counter-attack. Given the strength of the Minotaurs, there was no way she could keep this up till they gave up. Should that happen, the backlash of the magic would be felt on all 700 of them.


    They had to fight back, but they couldn¡¯t¡­ Yet just when it seemed like she was entering a death spiral, dozens of spears rained down upon the Minotaurs, following which dozens of Minotaurs died and their ranks fell into disarray. This sudden disarray instantly reversed the fortunes of both sides, giving the Half-Elves a much needed reprieve.


    These spears came flying in from the side. Aishael turned in the direction of the spears, coming upon the sight of Reyage and the Blood Brigade slowly marching towards them while firing off at the Harpies with bows and magic. As for the spears, they were all aimed at the Minotaurs engaging with her army. With their astonishing strength, the Javalineers could easily toss a spear over hundreds of meters, a feat that was easy in a world of magic and Fighter¡¯s Aura.


    Even so, these Javanlineers were still impressive in their own right. Despite throwing their spears from a fair distance away, not a single spear hit a friendly target.


    The Harpies had been suppressed by the Archers and Mages of the Blood Brigade; the Minotaurs, normally unaffected by arrows, had to now contend with spears being thrown at them with deadly force. At this rate, both of them would lose without ever causing us much damage.


    So why did they even try to attack us in the first place? Based on what I just saw, they did not have the numbers required to overwhelm us.


    Perhaps they had another card to play? No. They definitely had another card to play!


    ¡°ROARR!!!¡±


    Suddenly, a thunderous roared blanketed the entire battlefield. A figure, measuring over five meters tall, loomed ominously over the horizon, towering over the rest of the Minotaurs easily. The new Minotaur wielded a giant blade in one hand and an axe in the other. With each step he took, the earth itself cried from the force of his stomps¡­

 CHAPTER 464: A FALSE CHILD OF THE GODDESS

    The gigantic Minotaur had a running speed leagues above its smaller brethren. In the moment it took to breath, it had already reached the three surrounded Seven-star Fire Elementals, and with a swing of both its mighty weapons, a pitch black wave of energy slashed outwards, splitting two of the Fire Elementals in half along their waist. At the same time as that, its mighty axe came swinging down on the last Fire Elemental, splitting it in half lengthwise.


    Yet Fire Elementals, being made up of elements, did not have a fixed weak spot. Unless you destroyed their Elemental Core or expanded their mana, they would never die. Furthermore, unlike ordinary Fire Elementals, the Elemental Core of my Fire Elementals were in the bracelet on my left hand. The ordinary Minotaurs naturally wouldn¡¯t be able to reach their cores, neither were they able to expand all of their mana. That was the reason why my Fire Elementals lasted as long as they did.


    Having been severely damaged, the three Fire Elementals began to reform their husks. But before they could do so, the giant Minotaur smashed his two weapons violently together, causing an explosion of mana that sent shockwaves ripping through the battlefield and even disrupting dimensional space for the briefest of moments.


    Battered by the shockwave and the disruption in space itself, the three Fire Elementals exploded in a shower of fiery motes¡­


    Eight-star! That giant Minotaur had to be at the peak of Eight-star!


    With an unstoppable force, the giant Minotaur then lumbered towards us. Each step it took caused the ground itself to groan from the weight of its massive five-meters tall body, crowned by a thick pair of horns that were only outmatched by its thighs that seemed more like pillars than anything else -the very definition of brute strength. Its bovine nose started spitting out white fumes and sparks could be seen soon after¡­ is it going to breath fire?!


    ¡°Blood Drake Riders! Charge!¡± Zurnalin raised her Dragon Spear up high for a second then brought it swishing down, pointing right at the giant Minotaur. ¡°To victory!¡±


    ¡°To victory!¡±


    The other Blood Drake Riders cheered in response. A portion of the Blood Drake Riders that managed to free themselves from their opponents started to charge at the giant Minotaur with suicidal abandon.


    ¡°Your holiness, there¡¯s been a sudden change in the battle. For your safety, I request that your holiness leave immediately.¡± Instead of charging ahead like before, Zurnalin hurriedly turned around to address me. ¡°The Alpha Minotaur ahead might be of the Overlord-tier. I cannot guarantee our victory at this point!¡±


    Faced with what were obviously feeble attempts at stopping it, the giant Minotaur merely revealed a humanlike sneer then swung its gigantic axe behind itself. That simple swing easily sent the Blood Drake Riders flying over a dozen meters away, finally stopping when they collided with a Minotaur. Naturally, that unfortunate Minotaur wasn¡¯t getting up at that point, but neither were the Blood Drake Riders¡­


    As more Blood Drake Riders charged in, they were all met with the same fate as their brethren. A simple axe swing and they were sent flying away like flies.


    Seeing how cruelly strong the giant Minotaur was, Zurnalin tried once more to persuade me. ¡°Your holiness, please leave immediately!¡±


    ¡°Leave? I haven¡¯t encountered a battle that I have to flee from yet.¡± As I said that, I gently fingered the Gem of Authority hanging on my neck. I coolly looked her in the eyes and said, ¡°The battle is only just beginning.¡±


    I was already preparing to summon the Devil King Idol at this point. The tides of war weren¡¯t favouring us at all, and while I still did not know exactly how strong Zurnalin was, I didn¡¯t harbor any illusion of her being able to defeat that monstrosity tearing through the Blood Drake Riders right now. No matter whether they were Five-star, Six-star or Seven-star, all were swatted aside by an axe swing of that monster. To that giant Minotaurs, they weren¡¯t even targets to begin with.


    Too strong¡­ that¡¯s not even flesh and blood anymore! That¡¯s a fudging Gundamn!


    ¡°Mo Ning, Jezsere, help me convince her holiness!¡± Realising that she alone wouldn¡¯t be able to change my mind, Zurnalin tried to rope in those beside me as well.


    However, Mo Ning knew about how strong my Devil King Idol was so she had never considered retreating in the first place. Jezsere, on the other hand, was more than terrified and was very willing to leave right this instant. However, her own older brother was still leading the fight against the Minotaurs, so no matter how timid she was, she wasn¡¯t going to abandon this fight either.


    In the end, Mo Ning merely smiled at Zurnalin to show she wasn¡¯t going to help her while a pale Jezsere gently shook her head, lips still quivering and eyes almost watering. ¡°Jezsere¡­ Jezsere is going to stay with master and her big brother¡­¡±


    What was supposed to gain her allies ended up gaining her betrayal instead. With no other choice left, she could only try to force out another attempt at persuasion. ¡°Your holiness! You need to leave now, it¡¯s too dangerous¡­¡±


    At this point, she had already seen through the fact that I wasn¡¯t planning to retreat. On the contrary, I was even planning to participate myself. This time, she did not try to persuade me any further but was already about to snatch me herself. Unfortunately¡­ it was too late.


    ¡°Holiness? When did the Shadowhunter Clan change their faith?¡±


    Amidst the chaotic battle, a disembodied voice came echoing from above, coming closer to us by the second. While there were clearly more pressing matters to attend to right now, the scorn in that voice quickly drew my attention. I looked upwards in time to see a dozen Dark Elves jumping down from the ceiling, dressed in the typical garb of an Assassin.


    ¡°Your holiness, watch out!¡± Zurnalin¡¯s reaction was a lot quicker than my own. While I was pondering why there were Assassins above me right now, Zurnalin had already ridden her Blood Drake in front of me. Having never been more focused, she raised her Dragon Spear up high and practically bellowed out a chant, ¡°Barrier!¡±


    However, there wasn¡¯t enough time for her to project a sturdy barrier. All she could manage was create a flimsy, transparent dome above us.


    ¡°Pointless!¡± The Assassin leader grandly announced her arrival in your typical villain style. The leader of the Assassins then took up a plunging stance with both her daggers, her swift descent enhancing those already deadly daggers of hers as she viciously stabbed into the magical barrier. A second later¡­ the barrier had completely shattered into sparkling fragments and began to dissipate.


    ¡°Your holiness!¡± Zurnalin desperately wanted to save me, but she was easily blocked by the Assassin leader who had just made her landing after breaking the barrier.


    Seeing Zurnalin so distraught, the Assassin leader couldn¡¯t help but taunt her foe. ¡°Has the Shadowhunter Clan fallen so far? To actually address a Fallen Angel as the child of their goddess. Have you all forsaken the goddess Lolthe for the Devils?¡±


    With a dagger that was most likely dripping with poison pointed right at my neck, Zurnalin¡¯s voice was already hoarse with anxiety as she half-yelled, ¡°We would never forsake the goddess. You all had better let go of her holiness right now, before the goddess bestows her wrath upon you!¡±


    Hearing that, I felt the dagger pressed against me quiver for the briefest of moments. Clearly, Zurnalin¡¯s words were having an effect on the Assassin leader.


    I say, lady, I suggest you listen to Zurnalin, and can you hold that dagger a little firmer? You know what, take it away¡­ just don¡¯t shake it about like that when it¡¯s so close to my neck¡­


    With how sharp the ends of her daggers were, I had no doubt in mind what would happen if she were to even scratch me with them.


    ¡°You can¡¯t fool me, why haven¡¯t I ever heard of the goddess ever having an offspring?¡± At this point, the Assassin leader was beginning to sense the doubt in her army. She quickly tried to calm them down once more. ¡°How many years has it been now? I have never heard of the goddess ever having a child. To impersonate the child of the goddess is blasphemy!¡±


    Hey, hey hey¡­ you¡¯re free to come up with whatever theories you want, but how about you calm down first¡­ and get those pointy daggers away from me¡­ and stop shaking¡­


    Dagger stuck to her neck, Jezsere mumbled with tears in her eyes, ¡°Master¡­¡±


    ¡°Dearest¡­¡± Mo Ning had a dagger stuck to her throat as well.


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    Whether Elf or horse, both were now subdued by the Assassins. The Dark Elves were famous for their poisons in the entire Western Human Realms. There was no one more proficient in poisons than them -they were like those rogues in RPGs who maxed out their poison skill for obviously nefarious reasons. In other words, if any of us even dared move, we might just die a second later¡­


    At this point, Zurnalin¡¯s eyes had already turned red with the sheer effort it took to restrain herself in front of these Assassin who still did not fully believe that I was the child of the Lolthe. ¡°She is truly the daughter of Lolthe. The goddess has only recently recognized her as her goddaughter!¡±


    ¡°Lies. If you truly care about her that much, let¡¯s see you surrender then. I will give you ten seconds to consider. Once the time is over, I will start killing.¡± Having said that, the Assassin leader threw Zurnalin a scornful look as if to say, let¡¯s see you try and bluff your way out of this now. You either surrender right away or this false holiness of yours is going to kick the bucket.


    ¡°Stop! Everyone stop at once!¡±


    Under the disbelieving eyes of the Assassin leader, Zurnalin immediately gave the order to surrender without even waiting for a second to be over.


    With her mana boosting her voice, Zurnalin¡¯s voice easily spread across the entirety of the battlefield. Those who were familiar with her voice immediately broke away from their opponents. However, the Minotaurs weren¡¯t ones to just stop because their opponents said so. Rather than stop, they began to chase after their fleeing opponents with renewed vigor.

 CHAPTER 465: IT’S TIME FOR ME TO ACT!

    Realising that their opponents weren¡¯t stopping as they had expected, Zurnalin glared right at the Assassin leader, ¡°We¡¯ve already stopped fighting, why aren¡¯t you stopping?!¡±


    The Assassin leader, on the other hand, was still completely in shock because they actually stopped fighting back.


    Yet even though the order was given not to fight back, the Dark Elves weren¡¯t going to let themselves be slaughtered like that either. Faced with the relentless assault of their enemies, some finally lost their cool and began a counterattack. With how fierce the fighting now was, it was hard to see who would win in the end.


    Immediately, I felt the Assassin leader¡¯s hand grip down hard on the dagger pointed at my neck, its tip edging ever so slightly closer as if she was about to stab me at a moment¡¯s notice. ¡°Get them to stop, or your holiness over is going to suffer.¡±


    ¡°Blast¡­¡± Zurnalin cursed before half-yelling out, ¡°I¡¯ve already told them to stop, but your Minotaurs keep attacking us.¡±


    ¡°So what?¡± The Assassin leader raised her brows. ¡°Let¡¯s be clear here, this dagger of mine is laced with poison. One little nick and that¡¯s it¡­¡±


    Her words couldn¡¯t be any clearer at this point. She wanted to use my life to threaten Zurnalin. If I was really the child of the goddess as Zurnalin claimed, they would immediately surrender. If I wasn¡¯t, it wouldn¡¯t matter if I died.


    With no choice left, Zurnalin could only give out the order to stop. ¡°Everyone, halt your attacks immediately. Take up defensive positions!¡±


    Yet while the Dark Elves might have listened at the start, they were now too far gone to listen to her words, at least that was till she said the magic words.


    ¡°Her holiness is in their hands.¡± The moment those words left her mouth, the other Dark Elves immediately calmed down and began to retreat fully. This time, no one tried to fight back even if Minotaurs continued chasing after them.


    Unfortunately, this only had the effect of emboldening the Minotaurs further. Mooing gutturally into the air, they began ramming with abandon at the shields of the Dark Elves. Each time they struck, one could see the visceral shaking of the retreating shieldwall.


    ¡°You actually stopped.¡± The Assassin leader sneered at Zurnalin who was on the verge of exploding at this point. ¡°Remember, I still have your so-called holiness in my hands. One false move, and she¡¯s gone, Fallen Angel or not.¡±


    ¡°You! Aren¡¯t you afraid of the goddess¡¯s wrath?!¡±


    ¡°Wrath?¡± What a joke, how do I even know if you¡¯re lying to me here? Besides, who would pass up on such a good opportunity.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Unless you¡¯re all dead, I will never believe you.¡± The Assassin leader arrogantly stuck her nose up at Zurnalin as she said that. ¡°Let me see firsthand your loyalty to this Fallen Angel. As long as you are all dead, I promise I won¡¯t hurt this Fallen Angel, because at that point, I would have believed your words¡­ probably¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Zurnalin¡¯s body was shaking uncontrollably at this point. If she had her way, she would have tore into this Assassin by now. However, as long as I was still in her hands, she didn¡¯t dare make a move.


    ¡°Hahahaha¡­ kill! Kill them all!¡± Seeing Zurnalin so helpless right now, the Assassin leader couldn¡¯t help but laugh maniacally.


    Well¡­ she¡¯s really an unlikable woman, isn¡¯t she? Once I break free, you can be sure I¡¯ll show you some hospitality as well!


    In actuality, I did not really blame this Assassin leader for not believing Zurnalin¡¯s words. After all, Lolthe had only recently recognized me as her goddaughter¡­ godson¡­ ahem¡­ She probably did not even have the time to announce this fact before I was suddenly captured. Thanks to that, there was now this awkward situation where only one out of the thirteen clans knew about the fact that I was her goddaughter¡­ I mean, godson.


    Because Zurnalin had shown so much concern to me mere moments ago, the Assassin leader had marked me as an important hostage. Now that I was in her hands and the battle had swung in her favour, she clearly wasn¡¯t going to give up on this advantage just because her opponent claimed some random Fallen Angel was the child of Lolthe. Obviously, that was more likely a ploy than anything else.


    The fact that Zurnalin actually gave the command to stop was a surprise to the Assassin leader, but that only meant that she shouldn¡¯t let go of me at all. After all, that meant her opponents couldn¡¯t fight back.


    Ironically, the Dark Elves¡¯ reputation for being unscrupulous ended up working against me in a most unexpected way this time. With how far these crazed Elves were willing to go to achieve their goals, it wouldn¡¯t surprise the Assassin leader at all if Zurnalin actually gave the order for her troops to stop in order to reinforce this potential lie about me being the child of Lolthe. Honestly, Arachne Cavern was sure proof that these Dark Elves were unscrupulous to an almost fanatical extent. If they were the number two in unscrupulousness, no one would dare take the title of number one.


    Now¡­ the reason why I had even bothered explaining all this crap in the first place was because I had already thought of a way out of this deadlock. As long as I could prove that Zurnalin wasn¡¯t lying and I was really the godson of Lolthe, everything would be hunky-dory¡­ seems like a silly plan, but it was what it was¡­


    Alright, time to fire up the old cakehole and warm up the armchair -let me show you what an armchair warrior of the star-spangled red banner can do!


    Ahem!


    Yet just as I was finally going to make my entrance, an unknown object began descending from the ceiling¡­


    Countless Dryders began rappelling down from the ceiling. From a quick estimate, there had to at least be seventy or eighty of them. For the most part, these Dryders looked about the same as those I saw with the Shadowhunter Clan -Elven upper torso and arachnid lower half. Upon breaking off their spider silk and landing, the horde of Dryders quickly assembled together, and in the short span of ten seconds, had us all surrounded. That¡¯s right, the Assassin leader was included as well.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± The Dryders¡¯ strange movements had clearly caught the attention of the Assassin leader and she demanded an explanation, albeit with a hint of anxiety in her quivering tone. ¡°Why are you surrounding as well? Blast! Don¡¯t pretend, I know you all can understand me!¡±


    Unfortunately, the only reply she got was a wad of spider silk spat out by the female Dryder leading the horde. Like a frog¡¯s tongue lashing out at a fly, the two-finger thick strand of spider silk swiftly wrapped itself around the Assassin leader, binding her in an instant, even snatching away that potentially deadly dagger from her hands.


    ¡°You¡­ you¡¯ve betrayed us¡­ how can you betray your own clan?!¡± Even in her bound-up, or rather especially because of her bound-up state, the Assassin leader couldn¡¯t figure out why these Dryders would suddenly betray her at this crucial stage.


    ¡°How pitiful. Even now you do not understand the situation you are in.¡± I looked at the Assassin leader as if I was looking at a dead person. I then turned to look at the other Assassins who were holding Jezsere and Mo Ning hostage and stated coldly, ¡°If you let them go now, I might just spare your lives.¡±


    There was no need for them to even consider at this point. Upon hearing my words, the other Assassins quickly released the two of them. From the point that Zurnalin issued the order to stop attacking entirely, these Assassin were basically convinced of her words. The Dryders stepping in to help us was the nail in the coffin of their leader.


    It was true that the Dryders were a dim lot, but it was precisely this reason that their loyalties to the clan that raised them were absolute. If there was ever a reason that could explain their betrayal¡­ well, there¡¯s really no need to say it, is there?


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Jezsere wept as she dove into my arms. Even though she was now free, her body was still shaking profusely from her ordeal.


    ¡°There, there¡­ it¡¯s alright now.¡±


    ¡°Dearest¡­¡± Mo Ning wanted a hug from me as well, but seeing as Jezsere had gotten here first, I could only give her an apologetic smile.


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    ¡°Help me look after her.¡± I placed Jezsere on top of Mo Ning and turned towards the battlefield immediately.


    Now wasn¡¯t the time for comforting them. Now was the time to act.


    While the Dryders might have rescued us from our predicament, the army of the Shadowhunter Clan was still in trouble. Under the leadership of that giant Minotaur, they had suffered heavy losses. Their defensive lines were breached and the Blood Drake Riders were in disarray¡­


    Had it not been for the Eight-star warrior Paliseth had specially sent out to guard Reyage, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to hold back that giant Minotaur at all and the losses would have been even heavier.


    It was at that point that the Dryders just finished restraining the rest of the Assassins. Like a court official of old, these Dryders immediately prostrated themselves before me. At the side, the Assassin leader¡¯s last vestiges of hope had collapsed as well. Gone was her arrogance as she slumped to the ground in a dejected bound-up heap. Her eyes went blank as she turned to me and muttered, ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­ she really is¡­¡±


    Naturally, I couldn¡¯t care less about her mental state. I only had one thing to say to her. ¡°I want those blasted cows to stop attacking right this instant!¡±


    ¡°But I¡­ they won¡¯t listen to me¡­ they aren¡¯t under our control at all¡­ we are just using each other to achieve our goals¡­¡± The dejected Assassin leader finally managed to squeeze out an answer after ages. Essentially, it was out of her hands now.

 CHAPTER 466: A SCHEME BEHIND A SCHEME

    I angrily stomped on the Assassin leader¡¯s veiled face, causing her to fall over right away like a punching bag. Yet that wasn¡¯t enough to satisfy the anger I felt towards this woman who had threatened my life just moments ago. All that talk about not letting me go until everyone was dead -I hadn¡¯t forgotten about that.


    Oh, how the tables have turned. Go on, let¡¯s see if I care about you letting me go now. Go on! Hmph, and you even dared to bully our resident timid girl, don¡¯t you know how timid she is?!


    Even though I desperately wanted to execute this darned wretch, I knew better than to do that now. Instead, I turned around to face the Dryders who were still worshipping me and exclaimed, ¡°I want those Minotaurs dead!¡±


    ¡°Ssshhhhhh.¡±


    The Dryders immediately charged into battle upon receiving the order, their hisses echoing behind them in a cloud of dust.


    It had to be said at this point that these weren¡¯t your run-of-the-mill Dryders. Amongst those present, there were at least ten Eight-stars and three at the peak of Eight-star.


    With their aid, the battle quickly turned in our favor. Unlike the Murlocs, these were bonafide elite monsters that wouldn¡¯t lose to a Minotaur at the same Star level. Furthermore, their methods were varied and their speeds blinding. With their unpredictability, it would be hard for an ordinary Minotaur to win against them in a fair fight. Especially not when the Dryders who came this time were all exceptionally powerful. Even the weakest amongst them was a Six-star; definitely more than a match for the Minotaurs. The Harpies, on the other hand, were still a little troublesome¡­


    ¡°Your holiness, with your leave, I will head over to the battlefield right now. Ending this battle is of utmost priority.¡± Zurnalin hastily told me before rushing off herself. Even though the speed at which the situation changed was a little dizzying for her. She quickly recovered and upon making sure that I was safe, left to fight.


    ¡°Mhm. You may go, and be careful.¡± As I said that, Zurnalin turned around to give me a passionate gaze but I wasn¡¯t paying attention to her right now. My focus was entirely directed to the dejected Assassin leader on the ground. I unhappily kicked her a couple of times before asking, ¡°So, who are you? Which clan do you come from?¡±


    ¡°The Ghostface¡­Clan¡­ I¡¯m the¡­ daughter¡­ of the Matriarch¡­Lersina¡­¡± She took a good long while to stammer out a reply amidst her coughing.


    ¡°Lersina, huh?¡± I nodded before asking, ¡°So what¡¯s up with those Harpies?¡±


    ¡°The Harpies?¡± She stared blankly for a moment as if processing the name in her head. She then looked up at the circling Harpies before lifelessly answering, ¡°We captured their leader not too long ago¡­ and had her secretly executed¡­ We lied to them¡­ telling them to cooperate if they wanted her back¡­¡±


    I turned my attention to the Minotaur army on the verge of collapse. ¡°And the Minotaurs? What are your motives for invading the territory of the Shadowhunter Clan?¡±


    Now that the interrogation was in full swing, Lersina herself was already accustomed to answering my questions. ¡°Our territories have always been plagued by Minotaurs. In order to gain a greater share of the resources, we have been fighting with them for ages. Not too long ago, my mother and the head of the Minotaurs came to an agreement: the Minotaurs would help us attack the Shadowhunter Clan and we promised to give them more territory once the fight was over¡­¡±


    Give them land after the war is over? Are those Minotaurs stupid? You can¡¯t trust anything coming out of the mouth of a Dark Elf.


    ¡°A lie?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Lersina shook head. ¡°We meant it.¡±


    You guys meant it? I guess even you guys are self-aware of the duplicity of the Dark Elves¡­ but for their promise to actually be true¡­ Holy fudgecakes, are pigs going to fly now? I guess it might be possible, but these nutjobs aren¡¯t even the kind to keep a promise made to my godmother! There¡¯s no way they would just hand over a territory after this whole farce is over!


    ¡°Where¡¯s the territory in question?¡±


    ¡°Here¡­¡± She looked at her feet at that point.


    In that instant, everything made sense in my head.


    First, they fed the Harpies lies to make them cannon fodder for this war. Next, they came to an agreement with the Minotaurs because the Minotaurs were too powerful to be kept in check through trickery. By using their need for more living space, the Dark Elves had the Minotaurs invade the lands of the Shadowhunter Clan.


    As for why they were giving away this plot of land, that was because they didn¡¯t want to enter into an all-out war with the Shadowhunter Clan.


    Being one of the thirteen great clans of the Dark Elves, the Shadowhunter Clan wasn¡¯t just something the Ghostface Clan could swallow on a whim. In other words, this was a war to weaken the clan. And this was just the first step of a convoluted plan to destroy their foes!


    By using the otherwise impossible alliance of the Harpies and Minotaurs, the Ghostface Clan knew that the Shadowhunter Clan would end up sending their most elite forces to reinforce the territory due to the absurdity of this alliance.


    At that point, Lersina¡¯s mission would be to ambush these reinforcements along with the Dryders. The idea was to massacre the troops, or at least cause enough losses to anger the Shadowhunter Clan.


    Once their mission was completed, they would disappear without a trace, leaving an open plot of land for the Minotaurs and the Harpies to occupy. The Minotaurs would naturally choose to stay behind and defend their hard-won territory. As for the Harpies, they would most likely be forced to stay behind if they wanted their leader back.


    Yet with their reinforcements wiped out and their lands occupied by monsters, the Shadowhunter Clan wouldn¡¯t take such a slight lying down. An army would no doubt be sent out shortly to try and retake the lands from the Minotuars. In order to defend their new lands, the Minotaurs would have to dispatch a new army as well. Just like that, a new feud would be created, one that would leave both sides sorely battered. At that point, the Ghostface Clan would appear to reap the rewards¡­


    It was a brilliant plan, I had to admit. Even if the Ghostface Clan¡¯s involvement was revealed, the fact of the matter was that the Minotaurs were the ones holding the territory. The Shadowhunter Clan would have to first deal with these Minotaurs before they could consider taking on the Ghostface Clan.


    A scheme that didn¡¯t require any form of obfuscation¡­ one you couldn¡¯t escape from no matter what.


    Unfortunately, all that talk was made without considering my existence, and we all know how that ended. Heh heh heh¡­ I bet you guys never expected the Dryders to betray you, did you?


    Honestly, I never expected much as well. All my godmother gave me was a mark on my soul¡­ a passive ability of sorts. But thanks to this deceptively underwhelming ability, arachnids would never oppose me, because they could sense Lolthe¡¯s aura in me. As for why the Dryders did not initially rush to my aid, there was a very simple reason for that: the distance.


    Now¡­ how to deal with those Harpies. Their leader is gone, but they do not know that yet. Perhaps I can make use of my connection to Numila to convince them? I have an engagement pact with Numila so her mark should be on me as well. If I were to get close enough, they should be able to sense the aura of a Harpy Witch on me¡­


    I flapped my purple wings and fearlessly took to the sky, releasing my aura in every direction as I did so. Seeing someone invade their territory so, the Harpies promptly flew over as a flock to meet me. They circled around me for a moment then squawked in their Harpy tongue. While I might not have understood what they were saying, I could tell that they had recognised my right to lead them. A fact which surprised me, to be perfectly honest.


    I had never expected to settle the Harpy problem so easily, but upon reflecting back on what happened with Numila, it was only to be expected. It was precisely because of my connection to Numila that Eugenia and Elena were willing to be my allies as well. In a lot of ways, I was half a Harpy Witch, not to mention the fact that I actually had wings now.


    At the same time that I dealt with the Harpies, the battle below had ended as well. With the addition of the Dryders, the fight had turned into a one-sided massacre. The strongest amongst them, the Alpha Minotaur, wasn¡¯t even an Overlord yet. Naturally, he wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against three peak Eight-stars. With no way to run and no way to beat them, he ended up as a captive¡­


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    With their strongest fighter captured, the morale of the entire Minotaur army crumbled as well. Those who could, fled. Those who couldn¡¯t either died or were captured.


    Just like that, what was ordinarily supposed to be a sure victory for the Ghostface Clan ended up being foiled by little old me¡­

 CHAPTER 467: ONE MUST BE HUMBLE AT ALL TIMES

    Of the two thousand Blood Drake Riders, at least three hundred died today. The Half-Elven army ended up losing six hundred soldiers and many more were injured. It was a hard-won battle. As for the Murlocs, Mary the Mermaid had the foresight to leave right from the very beginning. The two Murloc brothers had taken advantage of the chaos to slip away as well¡­


    (TL: Apparently, the author has settled on Mary, so it¡¯s Mary from now on. Maybe Lily exists as well¡­)


    Those brothers are morons, I swear! Don¡¯t they know that I was just about to show off my awesomeness?! Morons.


    We ended up capturing five hundred Minotaurs, including that giant Minotaur as well. Other than the initial wave of Harpies who were shot down, the rest basically hung at the back of battle and did not involve themselves too much in the battle. Because of that, their losses were relatively small.


    It was a glorious victory, but the losses on our side were just a tad much for my liking¡­ however that was just me nitpicking. The inner gamer in me wanted a clean victory with no losses at all.


    Either way, the hard part was over and our journey back with the captives proceeded without a hitch. By the time we arrived at the city, two days had passed. Paliseth had gathered up countless Dark Elves to celebrate our victorious return, lining the streets with cheering onlookers, every one more fanatical than the other.


    Faced with such a grand welcome, even Zurnalin was stunned. In fact, Lersina, our captive, was stunned as well.


    Ever since she learnt of my identity, this Dark Elven Assassin appeared to be a little out of it. If I were a normal male, I would have probably rushed to comfort her, given how beautiful she was. Unfortunately, my pee pee was still on vacation so it did not matter even if she was as beautiful as Zurnalin.


    However, the shock she showed was only the beginning. The moment she saw her own mother beside Paliseth, her eyes went wide. In actuality, it wasn¡¯t just her mother who was present today; the other Matriarchs were here as well. In other words, the Matriarchs of all the great clans were here, every one of them the very definition of a posh, upper class lady. Their immaculate figures radiated an almost holy aura that was completely at odds with their blackened hearts¡­


    ¡°How¡­ how are all the Matriarchs here¡­¡± Even the usually stoic Zurnalin couldn¡¯t help exclaim as she rode up to me. ¡°How did they reach the city before us?¡±


    Naturally, I knew why they were all here, but I still wanted to confirm something. ¡°You are sure all thirteen of them are here today?¡±


    ¡°A Demigod tier Black Dragon?¡± That part certainly piqued my interest. ¡°So where is it now?¡±


    ¡°We do not know.¡± Zurnalin shrugged her shoulders before casually continuing. ¡°Either way, only matters that involved the survival of our entire race could force the Matriarchs to gather together.¡±


    ¡°And here I thought I wasn¡¯t liked at all¡­¡± Clearly, I was now an existence that held as much importance as the survival of their entire race.


    ¡°Do not speak ill of yourself like that, your holiness. Our loyalty to your holiness is unwavering.¡±


    I merely smiled wryly at her words. Seeing as the other Matriarchs were about to reach us, I signalled to Zurnalin that the time for idle chatter was over.


    Hugging onto Jezsere while still riding Mo Ning, we cantered forward while dragging along the captive Lersina. As we did that, Zurnalin kept a close eye on the Assassin, ready to strike at a moment¡¯s notice should she even move a muscle.


    When our poor captive first saw her mother up close, a glimmer of hope flashed past her eyes, as if her savior had just appeared before her. Unfortunately for her, this savior did not even spare her a look. And even if she did, I had no intention of letting Lersina go without making an example first.


    ¡°Our respects to his holiness. May tales of his glorious victory today be sung well into the ages!¡± Paliseth led the other Matriarchs in prostrating before me.


    The moment they did so, the rest of the Dark Elves got down on their knees as well, nearly shaking the earth itself with their coordinated moves. ¡°Our respects to his holiness. May tales of his glorious victory today be sung well into the ages!¡±


    Seeing that, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a surge of feelings in my heart. Tens of thousands of Dark Elves were kneeling before me right now, celebrating my deeds. At the very least, I had never experienced such a grand scene before in my entire life.


    Still snug within my embrace, Jezsere was immediately startled by the deafening salutation. Her first instinct was to back away but I thankfully caught her just in time before she fell off Mo Ning.


    ¡°Master¡­ Jezsere¡­ Jezsere¡­¡± She bashfully stammered.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, be still. You have the right to be here.¡± I hugged her tighter then whispered in her ears.


    She was clearly overwhelmed by the sight of so many Dark Elves bowing before her. But to me, this was merely a trifling issue.


    ¡°Dearest, look at how many of them are bowing before you right now!¡± Mo Ning practically yelled at me as she turned around to face me, her fiery red hair dancing in the air as if they were even more excited about this celebration than me. ¡°I think I¡¯ve fallen in love with you all over again, dearest!¡±


    ¡°Ahem¡­ well, it¡¯s nothing. You¡¯ll get used to it¡­ you¡¯ll get used to it.¡± Seeing her fangirl over me like I was some kind of superstar, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of pride well over me. However, I had to restrain myself from showing this¡­ one must be humble and not brag about their deeds, mhm.


    As a well-brought up university student of the star-spangled red banner, it would be unbecoming of me to act so arrogantly. I am a person of virtues, after all! But, of course, sometimes you had to throw your weight around in order to get things done, like now¡­


    I tightened my embrace around her, and before the eyes of every Dark Elf present, gave her a gentle kiss on her silvery hair. Paying no attention how she bashfully squirmed about because of that, I then amplified my voice with mana. ¡°This girl in my arms right now, her name is Jezsere, and she belongs to me. Whoever bullies her in the future should be prepared to face my wrath. Do I make myself clear?¡±


    ¡°Yes, your holiness!¡±


    The gathered Dark Elves replied in unison, the Matriarchs included. Regardless of what they thought of this matter, Jezsere was now under my care.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, the warriors need a break and the captives need to be processed. Oh right, I want an area set aside for the Harpies to rest. Without my orders, they won¡¯t harm anyone.¡± Having said that, we rode off into the city, never paying Lersina any attention at all as we did that.


    As we proceeded onwards into the city, every Dark Elf that we met would immediately prostrate themselves before me and wish me well as before. It was an intoxicating feeling, to be honest¡­ like I owned this entire world¡­


    It took roughly an hour before we reached the great hall of the Shadowhunter Clan. Behind us were the thirteen Matriarchs with Paliseth at the head. As I sat down on the throne in the center, all thirteen of them arrayed themselves before me in a straight line.


    Jezsere and Mo Ning had already been sent off. The guards were also dismissed, leaving only the fourteen of us left in the hall.


    To be honest, it still surprised me that the other Matriarchs were able to get here so quickly. But the moment I remembered that the Dark Elves were a race famous for their Assassins, it wasn¡¯t as surprising anymore. It shouldn¡¯t be an issue for the spies of the individual clans to get hold of such news. And it wasn¡¯t a big deal to set up a teleportation array for a small party.


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    A Devil that made the Dryders betray their clan and so happened to be known as his holiness? It didn¡¯t take a genius to piece the two together and figure out my identity from there. Not unless they wanted to have a taste of my godmother¡¯s wrath!


    Seeing them so quiet, I knew that they were waiting for my judgement, and I wasn¡¯t planning to disappoint them on that front.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure all of you know who I am.¡±


    The moment I said that, one of the Matriarchs immediately knelt down and pleaded for mercy¡°I beg for your forgiveness, your holiness¡­¡± Her forehead resoundingly thudded against the crimson rug as she continued, ¡°My foolish daughter has committed the gravest of sins in a moment of foolishness, but our clan is innocent¡­ I beg of you, your holiness¡­¡±


    ¡°So you are the Matriarch of the Ghostface Clan?¡± I unceremoniously cut her off while looking down at her from my lofty throne.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, your holiness, I am the Matriarch of the Ghostface Clan. I am¡­¡±

 CHAPTER 468: EPILOGUE 1

    ¡°Brain capacity?¡± Paliseth curiously recited this unknown term, clearly intrigued but confused by my last sentence.


    In contrast, the Ghostface Matriarch was in no mood for such minor details at all. The blood drained out from her face faster than I could say the word ¡®enough¡¯. The moment she heard that I wasn¡¯t even interested in her name, she knew she was done for.


    However, that didn¡¯t stop her from trying one last time. ¡°Your holiness, your servant knows that she has sinned greatly. That is why your servant humbly offers up this artifact as penitence in hopes of gaining your forgiveness.¡± Having said that, she got down to her knees, pulled out a silvery white ring and reverently offered it up to me with both hands, as if it wasn¡¯t just a ring that was resting in her pale hands right now, but the most precious treasure in the world.


    A ring? As if that¡¯s enough to satisfy my anger¡­ but then¡­ a ring of a Matriarch couldn¡¯t just be any old ring right?


    ¡°Your holiness, this ring is a Dimensional Storage Ring. It can store up to ten cubic meters of items and freeze their time at the same time. It can¡¯t, however, store live goods.¡± Having said that, she looked up to find that I was shocked by her offering, and the blood immediately returned to her face. She promptly seized on this opportunity to push her ring further. ¡°Your servant has already filled it with treasures, may your holiness find them to your liking.¡±


    I reached out and put it daintily on my right hand -it was a snug fit. ¡°Mhm, your offering has been well-received.¡± I nodded at her as I said it. ¡°Seeing as you¡¯re sincere about repenting, I¡¯ll forgive your daughter¡¯s transgressions against me.¡±


    ¡°Your holiness is most kind.¡± She replied happily before quickly getting up to her feet. However, that bit of happiness wasn¡¯t going to last long.


    ¡°Did I say you could get up?¡±


    Her heart immediately sank into an abyss of terror and confusion. ¡°Your holiness? How else may your servant serve you?¡±


    ¡°I can ignore the slight against me. But there¡¯s still the matter of how your daughter bullied my servant. I want justice for the suffering my servant has suffered at the hands of your daughter.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± She became even more confused at that point. ¡°My apologies, your holiness, but how has my daughter bullied your servant?¡±


    ¡°In that previous battle with the Minotaurs, she made my precious little bunny cry.¡±


    ¡°Cry?¡± The Ghostface Matriarch naturally had no way of knowing how badly affected Jezsere was at the time, but just by looking at the crying expression she had just now, the Ghostface Matriarch knew that this was a serious matter. ¡°Your servant will prepare another offering right away¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡­ mercy¡­ your holiness¡­ your servant is willing to offer up the entire wealth of the Ghostface Clan as penitence. All your humble servant asks is your forgiveness¡­ my daughter¡­ your holiness may have her as well¡­ all your servant asks for is your forgiveness¡­¡±


    ¡°The entire wealth of the Ghostface Clan?¡± I waved my finger in front of her. ¡°That¡¯s where you are wrong. You mean the entirety of my wealth kept at the Ghostface Clan. Get the picture?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ your servant understands¡­ it all belongs to your holiness¡­everything¡­¡±


    ¡°So. Are you sure it¡¯s a good idea to offer up my possessions as penitence?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­. ¡°


    Hmph, I told you I¡¯m a master orator!


    At this point, the Ghostface Matriarch was at a complete loss for words. If she had her way, she would have admonished me for that blatant show of shamelessness, but she clearly couldn¡¯t.


    I looked her right in her eyes and sneered coldly one last time. ¡°The Dark Elves have thirteen great clans. If you count in the lesser clans, there should be over a hundred clans in total. That sounds a little excessive to me¡­ you know what¡­ I don¡¯t think we need the Ghostface Clan anymore¡­¡±


    ¡°You!¡±


    Now that I had made it known that I was going to make an example of her, the Ghostface Matriarch finally started to fight back. However, the moment she leapt to her feet, the other twelve Matriarchs had already begun channeling their mana. A moment later, spider silk formed of mana simultaneously fired out of their palms and bound her¡­


    ¡°You can¡¯t treat me like this¡­ your holiness¡­ mercy¡­¡±


    The Ghostface Matriarch half-yelled, half-pleaded for mercy as three of the Matriarchs led her away. In the meantime, the remaining Matriarchs exchanged a quick glance with each other before Paliseth led the group by asking, ¡°Your holiness, should we clean up the rest of her clan?¡±


    I merely shook my head and smiled in response. ¡°Clean them up? There¡¯s no need for such pointless slaughter.¡±


    ¡°What does your holiness wish instead?¡± She asked while stifling the need to roll her eyes at the one who started this mess in the first place.


    ¡°My wishes, huh.¡± I paused for a couple of seconds before clapping my hands together. ¡°The current family leading the Ghostface Clan must all die, as for the rest¡­ well¡­ They are my godmother¡¯s faithful servants, so I¡¯ll let them off the hook this time. Speaking of the Ghostface Clan, their treasury is now mine. I want all the pure-blooded Dark Elves moved out of that clan as well. The rest can stay.¡±


    ¡°Understood¡­¡± The moment that last bit of instructions came out, the remaining Matriarchs immediately broke into a grin. By saying that I wanted all the Pure-blooded Dark Elves out of that clan, I was implying that they could divvy up the defeated Dark Elves. Even though the treasury was now mine, gaining some population for their clan was an unexpected bit of surprise for them.


    Just like that, the curtains drew to close on the Ghostface Clan.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s move on to other matters.¡± I turned towards Paliseth. ¡°I need you to fetch Aishael for me, and go visit Jezsere at the same time. I had her prepare some stuff beforehand so you can grab them off her.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Paliseth nodded then promptly left the great hall. Now that she was gone, the great hall immediately fell into silence. To be honest, the remaining Matriarchs were all perfectly capable hosts, but none of them even dared make a sound in my presence. At this point, their mental image of me was of a capricious lord who could wipe out their clan on a whim.


    Just the fact alone that I had the Ghostface Clan punished, not because they offended me, but because they offended my servant was more than proof enough of that. Too bad, they couldn¡¯t do anything about it either.


    Not long after, Paliseth came in with an ornate looking giftbox and Aishael in tow.


    Just from a glance, I could tell that Aishael had tidied up immediately after returning to her quarters. Her silvery hair had been bound up into a simple but tidy ponytail that complemented her straightlaced personality and elegant dress. Honestly, I liked this girl. She had a unique charm about her beauty. Now¡­ if she could just fix that resting b1tch face of hers, she would be even more perfect.


    Her aggressive demeanour and fearless attitude was nothing but a front for the stress and trauma she was trying to hide. That much I knew. Had she truly been as strong as she would like to portray herself as being, she would have been more confident in herself. Just like how a tiger was at times an adorable giant kitty, and at times a monstrous killing machine that could tear apart anyone who dared to ruffle its fur. The strong did not have to show off that they were strong.


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    ¡°Come, come.¡± I gave no explanation as to why I summoned her, instead flashing her a gentle smile as I stood up and beckoned for here. ¡°Over here.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± She cautiously eyed me but came up to me in the end.


    ¡°Have a seat.¡± I gently pressed down on her shoulders to make her sit on the throne ordinarily reserved for Paliseth. Then, under her confused eyes, I undid her ponytail.


    ¡°Your holiness¡­¡± My strange actions left her at a loss for words as she stared into my eyes. She wanted to say something but chose not to in the end.


    ¡°That ponytail of yours doesn¡¯t suit you. Here. Let me fix it for you.¡± I reached out for the gift box that had already been opened up by a keen-eyed Paliseth. I took out the pink hairbands within and bound up her hair into a more adorable twin ponytails hairstyle.


    Lest one forgot, I was the one who used to tie up Nicole¡¯s hair; twin ponytails were one of my forte.


    However, while Aishael¡¯s hair might have resembled Nicole, her personality was a far cry from the cheerful, smiling girl from my childhood. That perpetually radiant smile on her lips were the reason for my existence. I truly missed her¡­ but I had no way of leaving right now. I had to first create a safe space for Aishael and her Half-elves -that was I had decided.


    ¡°I¡¯ll now make an announcement. The capital city of the Ghostface Clan will officially be known as Halfmoon City. All Half-elves are to migrate to Halfmoon City. As for its leader¡­¡± I gently ruffled Aishael¡¯s hair at that point, then under her slightly disapproving stare, declared, ¡°Will be this child here.¡±

 CHAPTER 469: EPILOGUE 2

    Papa has gone off to the Western Human Realms. Without me. Hmph.


    Speaking of Papa, I know I always call him Mama, but it¡¯s no secret that he really wants me to call Papa¡­ but I don¡¯t plan on changing to that anytime soon. It¡¯s a habit now.


    Honestly, Papa is the best. He dotes on me all the time, but he gets so easily seduced by bad women.


    Hmph. Those bad women¡­ There¡¯s always some strange pest buzzing around Papa, ready to feed on his blood if the opportunity arises. But I¡¯ll never let them win. Who am I? I¡¯m Mo Na, the one and only future owner of Papa!


    Three days ago, that horse known as Mo Ning was summoned away by Papa¡­ I was so angry¡­ but that¡¯s what I have No.6 for.


    Why No.6, you might ask? Because that rascal has been loitering around that pesky Jeerah recently, and that makes me angry!


    What¡¯s so great about that pesky woman anyway? So what if her breasts are a little bigger than mine? Big deal! Papa doesn¡¯t just go for big breasts! He clearly prefers younger girls! Like Mo Na! Papa said so himself, younger girls have three virtues: easy on the hands, easy to push down, and easy on the waist! Mo Na is just such a girl -her body is smaller than anyone else¡¯s!


    So what if Jeerah has bigger breasts, a bigger butt, and more ladylike¡­ hmmm¡­ why does it seem like I¡¯m losing even more¡­ bah! I hate that old hag!


    Huff¡­ this won¡¯t do at all, I need to show that No.6 exactly what I think of Jeerah.


    Also, No.3 and No.6 seem to hate each other. Maybe I should get No.3 to help me as well?


    ¡­¡­¡­


    Ever since Papa was summoned away, my mission of finding the ingredients had hit a snag.


    I ended up bringing the entire squad back to the palace in a bid to try and reconstruct an Abyssal Golem. However, I soon found out that the core of an Abyssal Golem required an enormous amount of Souls to create. Because our methods were lacking on this front, this plan had to be put on hold temporarily.


    Speaking of put on hold, Papa had grown increasingly anxious ever since he became a Fallen Angel- he¡¯s definitely hiding something from me. Even though I knew that something called the Apocalypse was looming in the near future, Papa hadn¡¯t given me much details about it¡­ maybe Papa has some role to play in that too? He is rather fascinated with the human realms, and that girl, what¡¯s her name again? Nicole! Pesky fly!


    Ever since No.6 constructed that recruitment center for Devils, the number of lower-starred Devils joining us had been on the rise. Up till now, we had already gathered over ten thousand such Devils, and counting. At this rate, it wouldn¡¯t be long before we became the number one power in Sable Radiance.


    With that in mind, the first plan would have to be getting rid of any potential pests. Speaking of pests¡­ there¡¯s one coming right now.


    Even though I was clearly busy with planning my future, a certain big-breasted pest suddenly decided to interrupt me.


    ¡°How are you doing, milady?¡± Still making her way across the black grass of the garden, Jeerah greeted me hollowly. Rather than greeting me, she seemed like she was just here to disrupt my plans¡­ Blasted pest. So what if your breasts are big? Hmph!


    ¡°What are you even here for?¡±


    Naturally, I wasn¡¯t in the mood for pleasantries, especially when it came to this thick-skinned pest who couldn¡¯t take a hint.


    In response to that, she tossed my undeveloped chest a scornful gaze before sneering, ¡°I thought I should inform our lady that Princess Meisian is here with her husband, Anmi, to find you.¡±


    ¡°Watch where your eyes are looking! So what if Mo Na is still underdeveloped? Just wait, her breasts will grow to be even bigger than yours!¡± There was nothing that made me more sensitive than the way she always lingered hatefully on my chest.


    ¡°Hmph. You can say that when you¡¯re older.¡± She condescendingly waved her finger before continuing, ¡°However¡­ By that time, master might have already¡­ huhuhuhu.¡±


    ¡°As if! Mama will definitely wait for Mo Na to grow up!¡±


    ¡°Mama? Hahahaha. You know, even till now, I still haven¡¯t figured out if master is a male or female¡­¡± Jeerah chuckled to herself for a good long while before shrugging in my direction. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter though. Male or female, master cannot escape from the palm of my hands.¡±


    ¡°You wish!¡±


    ¡°Hah, like I said, you can say that once you get older.¡± Having said that, Jeerah left with a swish of her long Devil tail. However, she made sure to eye my chest one last time¡­


    I myself lowered my gaze to stare at my yet-to-develop chest¡­ Why does it feel like I¡¯ve already lost half the battle?


    No. I need to focus! What¡¯s so good about a couple of meat jugs in the first place?! Flat is justice! If Papa dares to like Jeerah, I will just have to¡­ hmph, why am I even considering such a scenario? There¡¯s no way Papa would ever like an old hag like Jeerah.


    I should go meet that little kitty first. There¡¯s still a whole bunch of things I need to do even if Papa isn¡¯t here, like visiting the Hellhounds and Warhorse¡­ speaking of Hellhounds, I haven¡¯t seen Cinderel for a while now. I wonder if she has been eating well with her father? Sigh. I¡¯m such a failure of a friend. I should show her more concern. If I can¡¯t treat her well when she¡¯s young, who will bite my enemies for me in the future?


    A dog¡¯s growth period is shorter than my own as well. Maybe she will even be taller than me the next time we meet.


    Meh¡­ Meisian first, and Anmi too¡­ maybe I should get him a bone as a gift? Cats and dogs like bones right? Probably.


    The time: Paliseth had just led Mo Ning away to the city not long after being summoned by Mo Ke¡­


    Having just learnt that Mo Ke had become the goddaughter/godson of Lolthe, Mo Ning, thanks to the direction of Paliseth, had obtained a rather interesting piece of news: she could obtain a humanoid form earlier if she made a wish to Lolthe.


    In actuality, whether it was the creatures of Purgatory or magical beasts in general, they could all attain a humanoid form once they hit Nine-star. However, Mo Ning had just reached Six-star, and based on her current speed of advancement, it would take several centuries before she could reach Nine-star.


    It had to be said then that this was only because Mo Ning had the talent required to become an Overlord. If she didn¡¯t, then it would be impossible to begin with.


    So why would such a talented Nightmare Steed want to take on a humanoid form all of a sudden? That was because Mo Ke would never accept her horse form and several centuries was just too long for her.


    However, all those weren¡¯t the main reasons why she did it. She just liked Mo Ke.


    Ever since Mo Ke defeated her and signed that engagement pact with her, she had only grown fonder of him by the day.


    That was why as she trotted up to the altar with Paliseth, she would constantly ask of Paliseth, ¡°Are you sure I can assume a humanoid form prematurely?¡±


    ¡°Definitely. With the all-mighty divine power of the goddess, crafting a humanoid form for you is easy.¡± Paliseth answered in the softest, most soothing voice possible. For one reason or another, she had decided to help Mo Ning solve this nagging problem.


    Perhaps it was because she wanted to curry favour with Mo Ke? Or perhaps she wanted to indirectly ingratiate herself into Mo Ke¡¯s circle by working through Mo Ning? Either way, no one could say for sure what a Dark Elf was planning deep down.


    Unlike the previous ceremony where she tried to sacrifice Mo Ke, Paliseth had brought Mo Ning around the city before finally leading her to a secret passageway that soon opened up to a room before she even realized it.


    At the center of this secret room was a small altar, roughly five meters by five meters. It had three tiers to it, and other than the four permanently lit fires around its corners, this altar was the only object within the room.


    Mo Ning was a bold horse. She did not fear that Paliseth would try to harm her. However, that strange altar was still a little unsettling for her, especially how those fires mysteriously stayed aflame with any outside input.


    ¡°This is?¡±


    ¡°This is an altar by which we may directly contact the goddess.¡± Paliseth proceeded to explain the details. ¡°In actuality, such an honor would have ordinarily never been made available to us, the Shadowhunter Clan. It was only because of her holiness that the goddess bestowed this honor upon us.¡±


    At this point, Mo Ning was still a Nightmare Steed, meaning that she was a blackish looking horse. She curiously but slowly trotted around the altar, fully taking in the eerie coldness of the construct, despite the burning flames that surrounded it.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that I may contact your deity by using this altar?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. As long as it is a matter related to her holiness, we may use this altar to connect to the goddess.¡± Paliseth nodded at Mo Ning before continuing. ¡°Give me a moment, I¡¯ll make an offering to the goddess.¡±


    Before Mo Ning could even respond to that, Paliseth had already fished out the white offering plate required and placed it atop the altar. Curiosity getting the better of her, Mo Ning peeked over the shoulders of Paliseth to look at the offering. The white jade-like plate held a still-beating heart that was leaking blood even now. From the sheer size of it, it most likely came from a large magical beast.


    Having done that, Paliseth knelt down and began the ceremony. She chanted in the language of the Dark Elves, a language that Mo Ning did not understand, not that it mattered, seeing it would most likely be words of praise of Lolthe anyway.


    A minute flew by like a second and a black rift began forming just a couple feet above the altar, through which the beating heart automatically flew in.


    Now that the heart of unknown origins was swallowed up, the rift grew even bigger and even gave out a bloody red glow that quickly coalesced into multiple red eyes. Yet in spite of that haunting display, Paliseth remained dead calm; in all likelihood, this wasn¡¯t the first time she had experienced such a phenomenon. Mo Ning, on the other hand, was shocked by that. But being a Nightmare Steed, one of the higher-tiered creatures of Purgatory, it didn¡¯t take long for her to realise that this rift wasn¡¯t going to harm her. This was merely the precursor to an evil god descending, and those eyes were so creepy simply because this was an evil god we were talking about.


    It was only through such ceremonies and rifts that divinities of the higher realms could send down their wills. In honesty however, there were many ways for the mortal realm to make a connection with the higher realms. This was just the simplest.


    ¡°Paliseth¡­¡± Came the benevolent sounding voice of Lolthe. Had it not been for the fact that Lolthe was a famously evil god, a person could have been fooled by the sheer gentleness of her tone.


    ¡°Goddess, your servant Paliseth humbly requests for your presence.¡± Paliseth lowered her head onto the ground and continued speaking in this state. ¡°Behind your servant is Lady Mo Ning, someone who had signed an engagement pact with her holiness. She has a wish to make.¡±


    ¡°Mo Ning¡­ so you have a pact with my child¡­ yes¡­ I can feel it. It¡¯s a very important pact as well.¡± Lolthe¡¯s voice drifted out of the rift like a gentle spring breeze. At that very instant, she was every bit a loving, benevolent goddess, as long as one ignored the decidedly sinister manner in which she descended,


    ¡°Greetings o divine one, I am Mo Ning, one who has signed a pact with your child.¡± Mo Ning woodenly introduced herself once more, clearly anxious from having to address a higher being for the first time in her life. Even though Lolthe was Mo Ke¡¯s godmother, there was still no denying that she was slightly afraid right now.


    Having realised that as well, Lolthe did not reproach her, and instead comforted her. ¡°There¡¯s no need to fear me, since you have signed that pact with my child, you are related to me as well. Paliseth mentioned you have a wish to make of me, what is it?¡±


    Seeing Lolthe react in such a friendly manner, Mo Ning decided to take a leap of faith. ¡°Any kind of wish is alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes. As long as it¡¯s possible for me, I will do my best to fulfill it.¡± Lolthe patiently replied.


    ¡°I wish¡­ I wish to have a humanoid form¡­¡± Finally, Mo Ning couldn¡¯t resist the temptation and blurted out what she truly felt. ¡°Even though we¡¯ve already signed an engagement pact, Mo Ke, your child, still seems resistant to the arrangement. I know she resents the fact that I¡¯m a horse, so if I were to take on a humanoid form, she would definitely come around. On my own, this would take too long¡­ would you help me?¡±


    Mo Ning gazed longingly at the black rift now filled with a myriad of bloody red eyes, her heart beating with a courage that did not exist mere moments ago. She realised that, even more than being afraid of the haunting eyes in the rift, she desperately wanted to make Mo Ke like her.


    Her prayer did not go unanswered for long as Lolthe quickly answered, ¡°It is possible, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But what?¡± Now that hope was literally right in front of her eyes, Mo Ning couldn¡¯t help but interrupt Lolthe out of pure anxiety. She quickly realised how rude this was and lowered her head in apology. ¡°I apologise¡­ I did not mean to interrupt you on purpose¡­¡±


    ¡°It is fine. Now listen closely¡­ It is possible for you to take on a humanoid shape now, but you must know that once you do, you will never be able to alter your form again, not unless you become a demigod. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine! All I need is just one chance.¡± Mo Ning was practically beside herself with joy right now.


    ¡°Alright then. What form do you wish to take? I have a variety of options you can choose from.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for anything ostentatious, just my future form will work. But I hope that my lower half will remain that of a horse¡¯s while my upper half becomes a human.¡± Mo Ning quickly replied with the answer she had prepared long ago.


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    ¡°You wish to become a Centaur then?¡± Lolthe asked after a brief pause.


    ¡°Centaur? I¡¯ve heard that term before from my elders. That should be what I¡¯m looking for.¡± Mo Ning firmly stated.


    However, Lolthe was a little puzzled as to why she would want this. ¡°Not a complete humanoid form instead?¡±


    ¡°No. Mo Ke signed the pact with me because she wanted a mount to ride on. Even though this reason is not what I was hoping for, it is still a fact that she needs a mount.¡± As Mo Ning said that, her eyes never wavered, though there was a tinge of sadness within them. ¡°In short, this pact was signed because I could bear her around. If I were to fully become a human, that would no longer be possible¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that so? I am able to bestow upon you the power to switch forms at will, it would just be a little troublesome for you¡­¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s okay. I think I will maintain a partial horse form¡­ that would be a lot easier for me as well.¡± Mo Ning sighed dejectedly at that point. ¡°I am truly not used to a human form¡­ but she¡­¡±


    ¡°Sigh¡­ emotions huh¡­¡± Lolthe sighed then looked at a downcast Mo Ning and said, ¡°In that case, close your eyes¡­¡±


    ¡°Hold on.¡± Mo Ning¡¯s eyes immediately lit up with gratitude now that her wish was about to be granted. Instead of being a symbol of fear, those eyes were now like a ray of salvation for her heart. ¡°I know that you are an all-mighty goddess, but I still wish to know if there¡¯s any way I may repay this favour.¡±


    ¡°What are you willing to do for me?


    ¡°As long as it doesn¡¯t harm Mo Ke, I¡¯m willing to do anything!¡± Mo Ning firmly answered.


    ¡°I naturally would never want to harm my own child.¡± Lolthe warmly smiled at her words of concern. ¡°In that case, I would just need you to remember that you owe me this favour.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, I will bear it close to heart.¡± Mo Ning smiled as she closed her eyes. ¡°Please proceed.¡±


    ¡°As you wish¡­¡±


    An unknown location within Gehenna¡­


    A black skeletal figure, clad completely in bone armor, sat alone atop a skeletal throne that seemed as eternal as itself. There was an eerie silence about the air, like the figure hadn¡¯t changed in the slightest for eons, whether it was its loneliness or its unmoving stature.


    Suddenly, a blue magical array formed in front of the skeletal throne. From within, a mote of light the size of a human head emerged. The light weightlessly floated above the blue array, slowly spun around and began releasing the signature mana of necromantic magicks.


    The skeletal king atop its throne lifted its head to reveal a pair of burning eyes. It stared into white mote of light and said as such in a tone that was neither friendly nor hostile. ¡°You¡¯ve come.¡±


    An ancient voice came forth from the light, ¡°The dimensional barriers of the new world regenerates too quickly. Even we of the Demigod-tier wouldn¡¯t be able to open it within this century¡­¡±


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    ¡°Hades will not interfere in this matter.¡± The skeletal king replied coldly. ¡°We will wait then.¡±


    ¡°As undying creatures, our time is endless¡­ but I¡¯m afraid that certain evil gods would get impatient.¡±


    ¡°An evil god¡­¡± The skeletal king fell silent for a moment. ¡°The barrier is a matter to be concerned with, but if some foolish evil god wishes to mess up the plan at this stage, Hades would naturally act as well.¡±


    ¡°But the issue still stands that the barrier regenerates too quickly. The help of an evil god would be necessary.¡±


    ¡°That will never happen. All the evil gods in the higher realms are being watched by their good counterparts. They would never risk a divine war just to break open some barrier. But their patience has a limit as well; we need to produce some results soon.¡± Having said that, the skeletal king paused for a second before continuing. ¡°So, Demilich, what do you suggest?¡±


    ¡°There is a way, but¡­ it will be troublesome.¡±


    ¡°Speak. It shouldn¡¯t be worse than a war amongst gods.¡±


    ¡°Bah. I just knew this task would be a bothersome one.¡± The mote of light twitched a little, as if displeased. ¡°Not too long ago, I sent some apprentice Necromancers across the dimensional barrier into the new world. But they ended up performing worse than the skeletons. They actually died from breathing in the air upon entering the new world. There is something in the air that is infecting them.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Blast¡­ this matter has me infuriated as well. Because these apprentices have not been turned into undead, it is still possible for them to die from sickness¡­ but the lower tiered undead Necromancers have no way to make it across the barrier¡­¡±


    ¡°A strong constitution is required in order to resist this new malaise¡­¡±


    ¡°The Devils wouldn¡¯t be affected by the sickness as well, they are known for being world invaders.¡±


    ¡°Lucifer would interfere with that plan.¡± The skeletal king shook his head.


    ¡°I never said to bring the Devils in, but this new method of mine does involve them¡­¡±

 CHAPTER 470: RETURN TO PLATEAU VILLAGE

    For the most part, Aishael fulfilled her role admirably as the leader of this new city, or at the very least, she wasn¡¯t at a disadvantage in any negotiations with the Matriarchs. To begin with, the Half-Elves weren¡¯t exactly an entirely new race in the Underdepths, they had merely gained their independence, that¡¯s all.


    More importantly, the matter with the Half-Elves was finally settled. It was now time for me to journey into the Western Human Realms and find Nicole.


    While Paliseth might have strongly objected to this, I wasn¡¯t about to let some old hag get in the way of me finding Nicole. Yet it was also a fact that I was no longer the same Devil as I was before. I was now the Holy Child of the Dark Elves, and as such, it would be unbecoming of me not to bring a suitable entourage. And that¡¯s why¡­ we brought along an entire army¡¯s worth¡­


    It went without saying that Jezsere and Reyage would accompany me. Zurnalin stuck herself fast to me while Mo Ning changed back to her black horse form in order to accompany me discreetly. Finally, just as a precaution, the other Matriarchs prepared a contingent of five thousand Blood Drake Riders, three thousand elite Assassins and twenty thousand seasoned soldiers to guard me.


    I thought I said I was just going to find Nicole, not start a war. Why the fudgecakes did those old hags send an entire army along to guard me? I know they mean well, but wouldn¡¯t an army just make things worse? How the heck do they want me to hide a whole army of Dark Elves amongst Humans? I can already imagine the panic that will cause when one of the most infamous races in this realm starts popping up in the tens of thousands -a war will start, that¡¯s what!


    However, there was no way they would allow me to go into the Western Human Realms without an escort either. Finally, after much discussion, I picked out a hundred of the most elite Assassins to follow me. Each of these Assassins were at least Seven-star with some being Eight-star. There were, however, no Nine-stars as that would cause a panic if they were to ever step onto the surface world¡­


    Such a bother, I swear¡­ I know they are just concerned for my safety, but still¡­ I guess I will just have to endure the mountains of gifts they force on me as well. Why am I such a saint?


    It was worth mentioning at this point that the various Matriarchs had also gifted me with Soulstones, raising my power up to Five-star before we set off on this journey.


    This time, my power up did not bring with it any new abilities, the reason being due to my Consciousness Impartment. As an ability, Consciousness Impartment was considered a divine-class ability. In other words, only divinities were supposed to possess such an ability. But that was only to be expected, seeing as it was an ability I had gained after absorbing Lucifer¡¯s feather. At this point, I was basically a son of Lucifer thanks to that feather remolding my being. Thanks to the unnaturally high level of this ability, every other bloodline or power within me had been completely suppressed to nothingness¡­


    What a scam¡­


    Strictly speaking, the transformation magic of a Lust Demon could take on two basic forms. The first was where you simply became more humanlike. The other was where you would transform into a mold of your choice.


    Naturally, I chose the first, seeing as I was already devastatingly handsome! Clearly not because I had already forgotten what my previous self looked like!


    As expected, my new human form was gorgeous¡­ I mean, handsome!


    By using a teleportation array, it only took an instant for us to reach a human territory. Being a race of Assassins, it wasn¡¯t a surprise to me at all that these Dark Elves had hidden teleportation arrays scattered throughout the Western Human Realms. When Reyage and Jezsere fled their home, they did not dare take such a teleportation array so their escape ended up taking longer than necessary. Their return was the same as well; they did not know their clan¡¯s attitude towards them so they dared not use the array.


    Under the guidance of the Dark Elves, we quickly emerged from the underground teleportation array to the surface, coming out right in the middle of an unknown forest.


    Being the first time in ages since I was above surface, the sun¡¯s glaring rays immediately hit me like a truck. Thankfully, everyone present had come prepared with eye protection already.


    The hundred-strong Assassin company¡¯s main mission was to ensure my safety. Upon acclimatizing themselves to the surroundings, they quickly disappeared into the shadows, never to be seen by normal beings. In actuality, it wouldn¡¯t have mattered at all even if they were found out. They had already employed magical transformation tools to mask their distinctive racial features. Their otherwise pointy ears had turned rounded but their skins remained mostly the same. If there was one thing bad I had to say about these transformations, it would be that they all ended up with black hair and black eyes. In that very instant, it felt like I returned to the land of the star-spangled red banner once more¡­ but in ancient times¡­


    ¡°Master! This is the forest near Old Plateau Village, Jezsere has been here before.¡± Seeing a familiar setting around her, Jezsere couldn¡¯t help but get a little excited as she pointed ahead. ¡°Roughly ten kilometers ahead is the village!¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ that was unexpectedly smooth sailing¡­¡± To be honest, I was genuinely surprised by how well everything was proceeding. Unbelievable, even! As a perennial stepson of RNGesus, my luck can only be considered deadly.


    ¡°Did you say something, master?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± I quickly answered then turned around to wave at Reyage and Zurnalin. I then patted the mane of Mo Ning who had turned into a black horse. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry, it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen Ancarin and Regine.¡±


    It really has been a while, hasn¡¯t it¡­ three years, if I¡¯m not mistaken. Also, wasn¡¯t Ancarin pregnant when I last left her, thanks to that scum of a human, Duran. She even said she would kill her child if it was a boy¡­ I guess we should all be thankful that the child is born a girl then.


    Then there¡¯s that wife of a bandit, the former wife of that poor sucker, Moranthal. She gave birth to a daughter that had wolf-like features. Based on what Jezsere told me, that daughter was delivered to Ancarin by Moranthal himself¡­ I wonder if she even has enough juice for two little rascals¡­


    Ah¡­ a reunion, at last.


    For the most part, we remained silent throughout the short journey to Old Plateau Village. Under Reyage¡¯s guidance, it took only half a day before we reached our destination. By now, the village had undergone massive changes, the three disparate villages had combined into a single new county.


    In actuality, Old Plateau Village wasn¡¯t an impoverished region at all. Its hills contained an array of local specialties that could be easily sold. It was only held back by the threat of bandits, but now that they were gone, the village had started to receive new merchants. Because of that, the villagers had experienced an increase in living standards as well.


    Even before we had reached the village, we could already spot a bunch of boys running about and having fun. The adults happily watched them from the side while chatting idly with each other -every bit the idyllic village.


    However, something had struck me as odd right away¡­ why were they all boys?


    What happened to all the girls? Where are all my adorable little girls hiding? Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s because they¡¯ve gotten wind of my coming?


    Because the Assassins were all hidden from plain sight, it was easy for me to come up with identities for those around me. Reyage was my butler. Jezsere was my maid and Zurnalin was my bodyguard. Mo Ning¡­ was clearly just a horse. Our current grouping was that of an adventurous nobleman and his servants.


    All the world¡¯s a stage, and all the men and women merely players, am I right?


    I would have loved to say hi to some of my old acquaintances in the village, but for some reason or another, we never met a single one even after passing through the entire village. Not Moranthal, not Dioh, not Io, and not even the likes of Eddison. Man¡­ where has the old gang gone off to?


    I honestly didn¡¯t mind much, seeing as my face wasn¡¯t even the same anymore. They were just acquaintances too. And just like that, we made our way straight to the Demoness Abode.


    Because the Demoness Abode had been constantly taking in fleeing women, the Abode had now grown considerably into a miniature village.


    Rows after row of well-built wooden houses lined the clearing before us neatly. Perhaps it was because only women lived in this clearing, but I could have sworn that I could smell a faint fragrance in the air as I stepped in.


    ¡°It has only been two years since I¡¯ve visited, this place has really changed a lot.¡± Jezsere gazed about in wonder at the dozens of children running about in the grass. Seeing so many young girls frolicking about, she couldn¡¯t help but have an urge to hug them. ¡°Look at all the cute children. Oh¡­ how adorable¡­¡±


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    ¡°Give it a few decades and they will all be old hags.¡± In contrast to Jezsere, Zurnalin was a lot more callous about the children, happily pouring cold water on our resident timid girl. ¡°That¡¯s the problem with humans: their lifespan is just too short.¡±


    Hearing that, our resident timid girl first thought was to try and refute that, but even with her naivety, she knew that Zurnalin was speaking the truth. Because of that, she could only swallow her unhappiness and pout.


    I had originally planned to comfort her, but it was at that point that Mo Ning suddenly licked her lips and gave off a strange look. ¡°Their souls look rather tasty.¡±


    ¡°Hey! No eating them, they are my faithful!¡± Hearing what she said, I almost exploded on the spot. But seeing as Mo Ning was a creature of Purgatory, it was only second nature for her to pursue delicious souls. Yet that only served to worry me even further. As a precaution, I made sure to warn her once more. ¡°I do not want you eating anyone¡¯s soul without my permission! Otherwise I will send you right back to Purgatory, got it?¡±


    ¡°Okay dearest, I¡¯ll listen to you.¡± Faced with my stern warning, Mo Ning surprisingly did not argue at all.

 CHAPTER 471: AN EMBRACE OF REUNION

    A mature but beautiful lady of roughly thirty years of age put down her dustpan upon seeing us and approached us. She first respectfully bowed in our direction then asked, ¡°Milady. May I ask who you are looking for? Or perhaps it¡¯s for another matter?¡±


    ¡°Lady? Me?¡± I was a little taken aback by being so suddenly mistaken as a lady by another lady¡­ Do I look like a lady now? No way! Just look at how dashingly handsome I am, how am I a lady? Please, lady, how about opening up those eyes of yours and have a better look? Can¡¯t you see that my chest is as flat as a plateau? Yours are practically the Mount Everest of breasts in comparison!


    ¡°Based on your dignified bearing, I guessed that you were a lady of nobility.¡± Seeing me so shocked, the lady probably assumed that she had just seen through some clever disguise of mine and thus couldn¡¯t help but giggle. ¡°A beautiful, dignified girl like yourself is rare in these parts, I knew right away.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Kill me please¡­


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Jezsere anxiously ran up and hugged me, having noticed my crestfallen experience. ¡°Are you alright, master? Even if you¡¯re a girl, Jezsere will still like you!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Why doesn¡¯t anyone believe me when I say I¡¯m a guy¡­ I just want to go cry in a corner now¡­


    ¡°Hmm? Did I say something wrong?¡± The mature lady ran over as well to check up on us. Yet just as she was contemplating where she had gone wrong, she suddenly spotted Reyage standing behind us.


    ¡°Mister Reyage? Is that Mister Reyage?¡± The lady practically screamed in a fashion reminiscent of a fangirl meeting her idol. And before Reyage could even respond, she had already weaved through Zurnalin and us to grab Reyage¡¯s hands. ¡°Your heartless man, how can you just toy with me and just leave without even cleaning up your mess¡­¡±


    What the fudge?! You mean Reyage actually pulled a quickie and just left? But this is the Demoness Abode, and these are all my women¡­ I mean, faithful. How dare he leave without paying his bills¡­ I mean, how dare he leave without taking responsibility¡­ The audacity! I demand satisfaction!


    Yet before I could even question Reyage, our resident timid girl had already done so herself. ¡°Big brother, you were playing games with this big sister over here? What kind of games?¡±


    ¡­ That was¡­ a very pure way of thinking¡­ reminds me of the innocence I never had¡­


    ¡°Siri, watch what you¡¯re saying, I don¡¯t have any such relationship with you.¡± A normally stoic Reyage was now on the verge of exploding as he sternly rebuked the mature lady fluttering her eyelashes at him. ¡°My younger sister is still here so you had better watch your tongue.¡±


    ¡°Oops, I must have forgotten to say that it happened in my dreams. Hehe.¡±


    Still¡­ feels bad to be Reyage right now.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Even up till now, Jezsere couldn¡¯t figure what the two of them were saying. Wasn¡¯t it just games they were talking about? ¡°Why is everyone looking so strange?¡±


    ¡°Jezsere, it has been a while.¡± The lady known as Siri winked at Jezsere.


    ¡°Huh? Big sister, do you know Jezsere?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Everyone immediately fell silent. Judging by how sincere she seemed, Jezsere really did not know this lady, or perhaps she just did not remember her. In all likelihood, it was the latter.


    ¡°Oh. That¡¯s right.¡± Siri quickly stepped in to break the awkward silence and take the heat off Jezsere. ¡°We haven¡¯t formally met yet, but I¡¯m Siri, your future sister-in-law.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± At that, our favourite timid girl nodded politely. ¡°Hello, sis.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Sometimes¡­ I really wonder if I should open up her head and see what¡¯s stuffed inside. Why would you believe something a random lady said?


    ¡°Siri, let¡¯s get this straight here, we have no relationship whatsoever.¡± A visibly shaken Reyage first eyed me anxiously, and upon discovering the surprise on my face, quickly pulled Jezsere to himself.


    Ever the airheaded one, Jezsere was still grinning like a silly rabbit as she congratulated her brother. ¡°Big brother, when did you get married? Jezsere never knew.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t! And that lady isn¡¯t your sister-in-law! She even said so herself: future¡­ no, not even future.¡± Reyage said in sheer exasperation, though he quickly realised the error of his words. Reyage quickly threw me a look at that point¡­ Don¡¯t worry, brother, I¡¯ve got your back.


    ¡°Jezsere, come here for a second, you can leave your brother to handle his own affairs.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Okay.¡± Jezsere, ever the obedient girl, scooted right over in an instant, leaving an unhappy Reyage to deal with Siri.


    The two stared silently at each other. Right this very second, the expressions on their faces couldn¡¯t be any more different than the other. Reyage¡¯s face was as black as it could get while Siri was practically beaming with joy.


    Faced with an unpredictable lady like her, even our cool as a cucumber Reyage couldn¡¯t help but vent his frustrations. ¡°I said so many times already, stop harassing me.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re the one who came back of your own accord. I¡¯m not the one who forced you to come back.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ Fine, I¡¯ll go.¡±


    ¡°Alright, off you go then.¡± Said Siri with a devilish smile as she waved at him. Yet Reyage never left in the end, and that only emboldened her. ¡°Heheh. Well, why are you still here?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Reyage turned his handsome face to the side and had to grip down hard on his knuckles in order to stop himself from leaving right this instant.


    Hmm¡­ who is this Siri woman? She has some serious skills, being able to infuriate our little cool guy like that¡­ there must be something going on between the two of them.


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    Based on what I¡¯ve seen so far, he just can¡¯t deal with this lady. Maybe I should call for help?


    It was at that point that a cold voice rang out from behind Siri. ¡°Reyage¡­ Jezsere¡­¡±


    That voice¡­ it¡¯s Regine!


    ¡°Vice-leader¡­¡± Siri quickly greeted the newcomer, head bowed down and not a word more. Unlike the flippant behavior she displayed with Reyage, she was more like a mouse that was cowering before a cat.


    However, Regine did not even glance in her direction as she walked up to the lady, dressed in black tights, and quietly gazed at the brother and sister pair.


    Regine then swept her eyes over my ¡°bodyguard¡± Zurnalin and the ¡°black horse¡± Mo Ning whom I had ordered to keep quiet before entering. Finally, her eyes came to rest on me. At that moment, I could see them quiver slightly, as if they had noticed something but weren¡¯t too sure about it.


    After a good long while, she finally broke the silence, albeit in a slightly shaking voice. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    In actuality, being a Demoness in my service, Regine should have already sensed me the moment we came close to Plateau Village. Unfortunately, I was now transformed into a human form by my transformation magicks. My own scent was also blocked out by a high-grade magical cloak that also functioned as a temperature moderator and a defensive tool. Back when I rescued the both of them, I was still a red-skinned Devil; it was only to be expected that she wouldn¡¯t recognise me in this form.


    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±


    Having basically confirmed that Regine recognised who I was, I spread my arms wide open to welcome her. This was our long-awaited embrace of reunion.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Now that she had confirmed my identity, her frosty demeanour immediately crumbled, revealing a stunning smile in its place¡­ I just knew that she would recognise me, no matter how I looked like.


    It¡¯s been so many years since we¡¯ve last met¡­ I bet Regine has a ton of grievances to air. Don¡¯t worry, you can cry in your master¡¯s arms. Your master will forever be that light in the dark for the both of you!


    Faced with my open-armed invitation, Regine was so touched she couldn¡¯t help but shed tears of joy. Yet¡­ the expected hug never came¡­ she instead turned around and ran away without saying a word.


    Errr¡­ what? Did I do something wrong? Maybe, deep down, she hates me? Maybe those weren¡¯t tears of joy at all? But not even a hug? Man¡­ someone give me a hug¡­ I just want to cry right now¡­


    ¡°Vice-leader?¡± Seeing Regine run away crying like that, Siri was just as shocked as well and began running after the girl.


    You too, Siri? You too?


    Just as I was about to descend into an abyss of depression, Zurnalin gently circled to the front of me and cupped my cheeks with her pearly white hands. Her beautiful face slowly closed in on my own, and just as it looked like our lips were about to make contact, I finally came to my senses and hurriedly pushed her away.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


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    Geez, that was close. I almost closed my eyes there¡­ Hold on¡­ why am I the one closing the eyes first? I¡¯m the guy here, she should be the one closing hers first!


    Zurnalin still held my face in her hands and she was visibly confused as she said, ¡°Master has such a beautiful face, definitely not terrifying at all, so why did those Humans run away crying like that?¡±

 CHAPTER 472: ANCARIN

    Don¡¯t tell me she was scared off by me? But she clearly¡­she clearly recognized who I am so why won¡¯t she at least give me a hug¡­ sob¡­ I¡¯m sure a poor Devil¡­ even my own Demoness doesn¡¯t like me¡­ As a Devil, can I be any more useless, I should just kill myself¡­


    Actually¡­ dying isn¡¯t all that simple either¡­ Let¡¯s skip that instead.


    ¡°Master? Is master back?¡±


    Not long after Regine left, Ancarin came running over in a hurry. Ever since giving birth to a child, Ancarin¡¯s body seemed to have become more and more like a lady¡¯s. Her waist was just as narrow as before, but her breasts had even more physics installed into them as she ran towards me¡­ I don¡¯t remember them being so big!


    ¡°Ancarin, it¡¯s good to see you again.¡± Because of that previous trauma with Regine, I didn¡¯t try to welcome her with a hug this time. Instead, I stood there stoically and waved at her, after which I was hugged/tackled by an excited Ancarin.


    ¡°Master¡­ it¡¯s really you¡­ I¡¯m not dreaming, after all¡­¡± Ancarin buried her head in my chest as she sobbed. Unlike Regine, Ancarin immediately let forth all the fears and insecurities she had kept buried in her chest upon seeing me. ¡°We were so worried when master was forced to leave all of a sudden under such perilous circumstances. Everyone in the Demoness Abode has been praying to you ever since¡­ that¡¯s the only way Regine and I can feel master¡¯s presence¡­ but now that master is back¡­¡±


    And here I was worried that Ancarin would just run off like Regine¡­ pfft. Still, she¡¯s really emotional today¡­ and those mountains¡­ they¡¯ve been growing¡­ sigh¡­ three years really is a long time¡­ even she has grown up and has a child now¡­ speaking of which¡­


    ¡°So I¡¯ve heard you gave birth to a daughter, Ancarin?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, a very cute one too. She takes after me.¡± The moment the topic drifted to her child, her eyes immediately radiated the aura of a loving mother. Seeing that, I couldn¡¯t help but think to myself, whoever marries her is a fortunate one. However¡­


    ¡°Thankfully, she came out as a girl.¡± Ancarin added on, words as strange as the expression she had on while saying them.


    Hold on, was I just hallucinating? I could have sworn I saw something really dangerous just now. There¡¯s no way my Ancarin would ever show such an expression. I must be hallucinating!


    ¡°Sister Ancarin, it¡¯s good to see you after so long.¡± Seeing as my little reunion with Ancarin was finally over, Jezsere politely stepped forth to chat with Ancarin. Yet as they continued to chat, her eyes started to shine with a strange sense of anticipation. ¡°How is little Nari? Is she still choking while drinking milk? And what about little Hayley? Jezsere just loves her little wagging tail!¡±


    Little Nari was Ancarin¡¯s daughter while Hayley was clearly Moranthal¡¯s daughter, given her wolf-like features.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good too.¡±


    With my approval, Ancarin began the task of leading us to her home, though her arms were wrapped around my own like a squid¡¯s, as if she was afraid of being separated from me for even a second. Seeing her so reliant on me, I couldn¡¯t help but get a little happy myself. Even though there was that little misunderstanding with Regine, at least Ancarin¡¯s feelings towards me hadn¡¯t changed.


    Upon stepping into the village, the first thing we noticed was that there were only women here, of all types and personalities. There was the mature, steady kind. There was the lively, mischievous type. And there was the type that was still learning to speak. At this point, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if even the mosquitoes in this village were female.


    A while later, we arrived back at Ancarin¡¯s home, at which point she turned to address one of the women passing by. ¡°Send word to the kitchen, have them prepare the best food, and quickly. Also, I want everyone assembled in the great hall within an hour. Tell them I have something important to announce.¡±


    Ancarin¡¯s home, as it turned out, was the first building constructed in the village, one that was modelled after a church. This was the true Demoness Abode, the starting point of this village of only women.


    ¡°Please hold on a moment, master, the food will be ready shortly.¡± She led me up to the second floor of this church-like building and into a small room where we had a seat.


    Up till now, her warm welcome truly made me feel blessed. Yet that only made it that much sadder when I recalled how Regine acted¡­


    After mulling over it for a while, I finally decided to ask about this. ¡°Err¡­ so does Regine hate me, or something?¡±


    To which Ancarin gave me a quizzical look and asked, ¡°Why would Regine hate master?¡±


    ¡°Because¡­ she ran away the moment she recognised me¡­¡± To be honest, I still couldn¡¯t believe that Regine would ever hate me, but the fact of the matter was that she did. So what caused this drastic change of heart?


    ¡°Hahahaha. Master, I think you are mistaken. Regine has probably gone off to take a shower.¡± She laughed heartily before suddenly becoming solemn. ¡°Because of what happened last time, Regine has always been a little self-conscious¡­¡±


    ¡°Regine¡­¡± That¡¯s right¡­ she would never hate me¡­ she was always just a little self-conscious¡­


    Now that Ancarin had brought up this matter, I suddenly recalled what it was like in the past when the three of us travelled together. Every night, she would always take a bath before sleeping. And if she didn¡¯t, she would never sleep near me.


    That¡¯s right¡­


    ¡°It was Regine who informed me of your return. That¡¯s how I found out.¡± Ancarin smiled at me with crescent eyes. ¡°I would have never expected master to become so beautiful in just three years¡­ I am nothing when compared to the master¡¯s beauty.¡±


    Hearing her praise my beauty, I was actually rather pleased, except¡­ I swear, I¡¯ve had enough now¡­ what¡¯s all this talk about beauty? I¡¯m clearly a dashingly handsome lad, not some lady. Let¡¯s get that straight here.


    ¡°Master, Mo Ning has been settled in as well.¡± In the midst of our conversation, Zurnalin stepped in through the door. As she promised me before, Mo Ning had maintained her horse form all the while as we were in the Western Human Realms. She was one of the trump cards I had in the search for Nicole, and as long as she kept her disguise up, no one would be the wiser of her identity. After all, the disguise of a Nightmare Steed that could freely navigate the dream realm was not one to be taken lightly.


    ¡°Good, you guys can have a seat first, the food should be sent up soon.¡±


    Knowing that I hadn¡¯t seen Ancarin in years, Zurnalin and the two siblings kindly kept silent as Ancarin and I continued chatting about how Demoness Abode was built up.


    At the very beginning, setting up Demoness Abode was Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s plan. Even though this village was built to worship me, I had never once received a single drop of Faith Power. That was because they were sucked dry by that dastardly Ferti¡¯nier.


    But that¡¯s besides the point; before I had turned into a Fallen Angel, I did not even have the ability to absorb said power. Now, however, things were different. Unfortunately, it still didn¡¯t change the fact that Ferti¡¯nier was sucking this reservoir dry¡­


    Hmph. There¡¯s no helping all the Faith Power I lost to Fertinier, but now that I¡¯m back, she¡¯s getting them for free any longer.


    ¡°Little brother, you¡¯re being too distant. It¡¯s just a little Faith Power. Once your big sis has gathered enough Faith Power, she can reform her body and leave. At that point, your big sis might have even recovered her power as a Demigod. Whoever our little brother wants beaten up, his big sis would be more than happy to oblige.¡±


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    The moment I contemplated reclaiming my Faith Power from the Demoness Abode, Ferti¡¯nier unshockingly came out to object. Yet while I might have not liked the idea, I couldn¡¯t deny the logic behind her words. Our current shared body situation was undoubtedly awkward for me. And even though I had control of the body, the fact of the matter was that I had a soul of the opposite gender inside me. Furthermore, if she were to ever recover her Demigod powers, I would be a lot safer during the Apocalypse.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Don¡¯t forget that our little brother¡¯s pee pee is still on vacation because his big sis is here.¡± Being one with my thoughts, Ferti¡¯nier immediately latched onto my weak point. ¡°Once your big sis has enough power to reform her body and leave, our little brother¡¯s pee pee will naturally come home as well. After all, our little brother¡¯s soul is a male¡¯s, and one¡¯s physical appearance is directly linked to one¡¯s soul.¡±


    Makes sense¡­ I have nothing to say to that at all¡­ but why does it still feel like something is off?


    Bah¡­ that¡¯s not important now. What¡¯s important is that the reason I¡¯m still not a man is because she is subconsciously fighting over my body with me.


    However, as time ticked by, I began to realise what was off about this whole scenario. As a Demigod and someone sent to protect me, there was really no need for her to fight over my body, was there? So all that nonsense about me being genderless was because she willed it?

 CHAPTER 473: YOUNG AND YOUNGER

    ¡°Little brother, you can shove whatever you want down your throat, but you can¡¯t spew whatever you want out of it.¡± Just when I thought I had latched onto the crux of the problem, Ferti¡¯nier suddenly interrupted me. ¡°Your big sis won¡¯t try to harm you, believe her.¡±


    She¡¯s not wrong there. We are two souls in one body; if I die, she dies as well. But isn¡¯t her hobby messing with me as well? Turning my body into one that is neither male nor female, and laughing at the whole situation from the sidelines, isn¡¯t that just the perfect setup for her?


    So it is her fault!


    ¡°Your big sis has already said it¡¯s not her fault, she¡¯s innocent.¡± Realising that her words weren¡¯t having the effect she¡¯d hope for, she rushed out to explain herself once more. ¡°When Yi Yi decided to throw you into the Blood Sea, she had no mana at all. It was all thanks to your big sis that the dimensional barriers were even broken. Your big sis was originally an incomplete soul to begin with, she could only exist within the confines of the Chaos Crystal¡­ you have no idea how hard your big sis tried in order to transport you to the Blood Sea. She could only fall into a dormant state after expanding all that mana¡­¡±


    She does make a fair point¡­ And if she were to really deny it all the way, there¡¯s nothing I can do as well. Fine¡­ I¡¯ll let her off the hook this time.


    ¡°And the Faith Power?¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s yours. It¡¯s all yours, happy now?¡¯


    ¡°Heheh, our little brother is the best. Once your big sis over here gets her body back, she will definitely find a way to return our little brother¡¯s manhood.¡±


    ¡®Alright, alright. It¡¯s not like my body won¡¯t automatically regain its manhood once you leave. If you really want to repay my generosity, you need to find another way instead.¡¯


    ¡°Deal. Your big sis is a Devil of her word.¡±


    As my little banter with Ferti¡¯nier came to a close, several young ladies came in bearing platters of food. For the most part, they held steaks, a variety of poultry and fish, and finally some pastries -your typical western meal.


    To be honest, I did not dislike this style of food, I just wished there were also more oriental options.


    Since its inception, the Demoness Abode had always made it its mission to provide refuge for homeless women, girls, abandoned infants and those forced into servitude.


    As of right now, the members of Demoness Abode had already crossed the three hundred mark. All the gold we had salvaged from that scumbag Duran had all been invested into the infrastructure of the Demoness Abode. Naturally, the Abode couldn¡¯t just survive on brick and mortar, so Ancarin began brewing potions to trade with Plateau Village.


    Ancarin had kept all of Duran¡¯s books, from which she combined her medical knowledge and those of alchemy to create some basic potions to treat ailments. These potions were then traded to the outside world via Plateau Village, gaining her huge sums of money in the process.


    In a lot of ways, Plateau Village was able to prosper so quickly because of her unique potions.


    While Ancarin was busy brewing potions, Regine wasn¡¯t idle either. She had entered an Assassin¡¯s guild and was often travelling the world. As she embarked on missions, she would always keep an eye out for those who needed help and bring the women and children back to Plateau Village.


    Thanks to her efforts, the amount of street urchins in the cities had decreased noticeably. The boys whom she rescued would be left in Plateau Village where they would train to become Warriors. The girls would be sent to Demoness Abode where they would be groomed into my Demonesses.


    Because I wasn¡¯t fully aware of the existence of the Demoness Abode, plus I did not have the attention to spare towards it anyway, Ancarin and Regine were the only true Demonesses in this place. The rest of the rescued women and girls were all just normal people who worshipped me.


    Being Demonesses under my patronage, Ancarin and Regine did not receive much benefits initially. But ever since I evolved into a Fallen Angel, my noble bloodline had borne fruits for them. Both of their combat strengths had soared as a result, making them both Six-star¡­ while I was still a measly Five-star¡­ cough¡­


    What I needed to do right now was to formally establish my worship in the Demoness Abode; I needed to let them know who it was they were worshipping. Following which, I would bless them with greater strength and our relationship would be formalised. The next step would then be to erect a statue of myself for the future residents to pray to.


    As long as they were sincere in their worship, these newcomer Demonesses would be recognized by the statue and become a fully-fledged Demoness.


    Before I arrived in the Demoness Abode, the women and children only had my broken horn to pray to. Even though it was possible to treat that as a medium to channel Faith Power, it wasn¡¯t a likeness of me. Without a concrete image to worship, the resulting Faith Power would often get obstructed; a statue was absolutely necessary.


    ¡°Oh right. Mo Ning, my steed, requires food as well, have you sent her some?¡±


    In the midst of our meal, I suddenly remembered that Mo Ning hadn¡¯t eaten as well.


    ¡°We have. The best beans we could find.¡± Ancarin smiled as she answered. ¡°I¡¯m sure our master¡¯s steed is no ordinary horse either.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, she¡¯s one of my hidden trump cards.¡± Without a doubt, a Nightmare Steed was clearly a powerful weapon of mine. But given that Mo Ning had only fed on meat and souls in the past, would beans even be able to satisfy her? After giving it some thought, I decided to at least make sure she enjoyed some benefits as well. ¡°How about this, she will eat whatever we eat from now on, and some eggs as well.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll see to it that¡¯s done right away.¡±


    Roughly half an hour later, the door to the Abode opened up to reveal Regine, dressed in a cute blue dress and hair still slightly wet from her bath. She immediately spotted me and Ancarin chatting idly, at which point her lips broke into a smile and her eyes started to water.


    Ever a frosty beauty, a smile from Regine was both a rarity and a sight to behold. At the side, the girls waiting on us couldn¡¯t help but stare at her for a moment. Even though none of them said it, they were all probably shocked their Vice-leader could even smile. Perhaps the world was ending soon?


    ¡°Master¡­¡±


    A slight fragrance wafting in the wind behind her, Regine swiftly plopped herself down onto my lap and snugly settled herself in. At this distance, the scent of her body, mixed with the freshness of a recent bath, creeped into my nose. I subconsciously wrapped my arms around her then gently whispered, ¡°I¡¯m home, Regine.¡±


    ¡°Welcome¡­ home¡­ master¡­¡±


    I just knew Regine would never hate me. Who was the one who said I scared off Regine? Stand up right now and I promise I won¡¯t hit you!


    ¡°Master seems very welcome here.¡± Jezsere commented as she nibbled on a small piece of bread while seated between Reyage and Zurnalin. Her eyes had never once strayed from Regine and I, watching our every move with interest, but not with jealousy -as if our resident timid girl was even capable of such negative emotions to begin with!


    ¡°Blast¡­ there¡¯s another one now¡­¡± Zurnalin had to forcefully suppress her desire to come in between Regine and me right this very instant. Being my bodyguard, she could only channel her inner jealousy into rage. A rage that she took out on the steak laying before her which she now named Regine¡­


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    Our cool boy, Reyage, merely furrowed his brows a little but said nothing.


    While I was busy catching up with Regine, Ancarin left the room for a brief moment, finally returning with a couple of kids in her arms.


    ¡°Master, these are my children. This is Nari and Hayley.¡± Ancarin took this opportunity to introduce the two girls of three and four years of age. She then gently told them, ¡°This here is our master, you have to address him as master from now on as well.¡±


    ¡°Master.¡± The wolf-eared and wolf-tailed Hayley greeted me first with a clarion voice. Looking at the serious look on her face as she said that, I was immediately reminded of a miniature Regine¡­ What¡¯s the term for this again? A kid that keeps trying to act like an adult¡­ gap moe!


    ¡°Mastahh~~¡± Next to greet me was a slightly nasally voice that wasn¡¯t as clear as Hayley¡¯s. However, the way Nari waved at me while saying that was the very definition of adorable¡­


    ¡°Mhm, hello to you two too¡­¡± Is that all I have to say to these two fine specimens¡­


    Nari wiggled about in Ancarin¡¯s arms for a second then flashed me a smile that must have descended from the heavens themselves. ¡°Mastah, I¡¯m Nari, the big sister.¡±


    At that, I immediately saw Hayley wiggle her tail and ears in dissatisfaction. She began waving her hands about then sternly said, ¡°Wrong. I¡¯m the big sister!¡±


    ¡°Nari is the big sister here. She¡¯s older than Hayley by one minute.¡±


    ¡°But Hayley is the one who came out first!¡±


    ¡°Mastah, it¡¯s Nari who came out first, right?¡±


    ¡°Master, I¡¯m the older one here, I¡¯m the big sister!¡±


    Hmm? How did I get dragged into this mess¡­ still¡­ they are just too adorable!


    I know I said I like them young in the past, but you know what, I like them furry too!


    ¡°Mastah, mastah, since Nari is the bigger sister here, then Nari just has to let her younger sister have the honor of marrying you.¡± Nari batted her eyes at me then. ¡°Mastah is okay with that, right?¡±


    ¡°Why am I the only one marrying?¡± Hayley immediately voiced her objection. ¡°I thought we said we would both marry together.¡±

 CHAPTER 474: A ROUND OF APPLAUSE PLEASE

    Nari stuck out her little pink tongue and smiled at Hayley, ¡°Oh, then let¡¯s get married together.¡±


    What the heck¡­kids these days are scary¡­ isn¡¯t it a bit early for a three year old to be talking about marriage? Although¡­ if I were to say yes now, wouldn¡¯t that mean I instantly gain two more fiancees? I wonder if anyone will call me a scumbag if I do so? No way¡­ my pee pee is still on vacation so any relationship between us can only be a pure one!


    The more I considered the possibilities, the more I realised that this wasn¡¯t a good idea at all. I threw Ancarin a flustered look as she continued chuckling at me from the sidelines. ¡°Ancarin¡­ aren¡¯t the two of them rather mature for their age?¡±


    She first nodded apologetically in my direction then explained, ¡°Master¡­ Lady Ferti¡¯nier actually gave us a gift when she guided us to becoming your Demonesses. While you were asleep, Ferti¡¯nier carved a dream array onto a Dreameater¡¯s core. That array allows its owner to enter a dream simulation of life¡­¡±


    ¡°It simulates life?¡± Don¡¯t tell me¡­


    ¡°That Dreameater¡¯s core was originally meant for me and Regine, but roughly half a year ago, those two scamps suddenly barged into my arms while I was using it and¡­ well, the three of us were¡­¡±


    Let me guess¡­ those two probably spent a fair amount of time in the dream¡­ Blasted Ferti¡¯nier, this is all your fault!


    ¡°Hey, your big sis is innocent. She only wanted her little brother¡¯s Demonesses to be more prepared for their future advancements.¡± Ferti¡¯nier immediately popped up to defend herself. ¡°Who knew that it would end up like this¡­¡±


    Sigh¡­ I know it¡¯s not her fault¡­ but what have I inadvertently gotten myself into¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, you two.¡± Said Regine in her usual icy voice. The moment she noticed the predicament I was in, she quickly stepped in to intervene. ¡°Can¡¯t you see that master is feeling troubled?¡±


    ¡°But aunty Regine¡­ Nari isn¡¯t troubling mastah at all!¡±


    ¡°Me too, teacher¡­¡±


    The two of them reacted differently to Regine¡¯s admonishment. Nari seemed a lot closer to Regine, while Hayley seemed almost a little afraid of her. And while I hadn¡¯t explicitly asked Ancarin yet, I could tell that she hadn¡¯t told Hayley the truth about her origins.


    Hayley¡¯s greyish hair and matching tail and ears were the epitome of furry cuteness. But this furriness was also a grim reminder of the close battle I had with that bandit leader who also happened to be a Werewolf.


    Either way, with Regine¡¯s intervention, the two scamps finally quietened down while the rest were also done with their meals as well. Jezsere, Reyage and Zurnalin were all led down to their rooms by Ancarin in order to get some rest while I stayed behind to settle some matters.


    Even though she did not say it, I could tell from her sparkling eyes that she was full of excitement for this long-awaited introduction.


    Before we started our meal, Ancarin had sent word for the other women of Demoness Abode to gather in the great hall. By all accounts, they should be ready by now. In order to formalise their worship, it was important that everyone had a clear mental image of my being. In that case, I had better perform well.


    ¡°Off we go then.¡±


    Under the guidance of Ancarin and Regine, I slowly climbed down the stairs. With every step down the Abode¡¯s wooden stairs, I could feel the number of eyes on me grow. There had to at least be four hundred of them gathered down there right now, and as I became increasingly visible to them, my body began to change as well.


    The blue magical tattoos on the left of my face became clearer; the golden horn on my forehead started to appear; my purple hair started to dance in the air, following which my cloak started to rise up, revealing a set of resplendent purple wings beneath¡­


    By the time I was at the podium in the great hall, my transformation had been completed. Before I had stepped into the Western Human Realms, I had already considered what would happen if I had to transform all of a sudden. The clothes that I was wearing right now were magical tools that had the ability to automatically alter themselves to fit me. It was because of this that my wings did not end up tearing apart my clothes.


    Thanks to the grandeur of my little performance, I could hear the deafening silence of their bated breaths.


    Very good. Exactly the reaction I was looking for.


    I deliberately stayed silent for a while longer, then under the suspense-filled eyes of those present, I started with as much pomp as I could muster, ¡°I am the master of this Abode, serving me is your honor. Do well and I will bestow unto you¡­¡±


    Perhaps it was because of my awe-inspiring opening, those present were all shocked into silence. Suddenly, in the middle of my speech, a boy¡¯s voice interrupted me, ¡°Lady Mo Ke, is that really you?¡±


    Who is that?! Who dares interrupt my opening speech?!


    Turning in the direction of the voice, I found a red haired, moderately charming youth sporting a buzzcut standing at the door. The moment that youth laid eyes on me, his eyes went unbelievably wide. Most likely because of the drastic changes my body had undergone since I last returned, he hesitated for a moment before recognising me. Overwhelmed by excitement, he threw his arms wide open and hugged me tightly.


    ¡°Lady Mo Ke, you¡¯re finally back¡­ do you know how much I¡¯ve missed you¡­¡±


    ¡°Who the heck are you?¡± I said as I casually waved my hands, summoning forth a short bone wall to separate myself from the buzzcut youth. As expected, he ended up tripping because of the wall and fell face first onto the ground. By the time he got back up to his feet, his previously dashing face was a bloodied mess.


    A critical hit!


    Now that he had come back to his senses, and also partly because of the shock of my actions, the youth anxiously explained himself to me with tears in his eyes, ¡°It¡¯s me, Dioh¡­ don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve already forgotten about me, lady Mo Ke?¡±


    ¡°I say, you¡¯re still a man and all, so can you not give that forlorn look?!¡± For some inexplicable reason, I really wanted to punch this kid right now. ¡°And let¡¯s get something straight here, I¡¯m a man!¡±


    ¡°Claiming to be a man like that¡­ it has to be lady Mo Ke!¡± Even though I had just rejected him so callously, the buzzcut youth did not seem to be affected at all. In fact, he seemed even more excited now that he confirmed my identity. ¡°But why doesn¡¯t lady Mo Ke remember me? It¡¯s me, Dioh!¡±


    Having said that, he immediately pointed at his bloody nose which only had just stopped bleeding. Faced with such a comical act, even my unexplained fury died out in an instant, replaced by a bemused smile on my lips.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Dioh. Sorry about that, I didn¡¯t recognise you there. It¡¯s been so long after all, and we¡¯ve all changed a fair bit as well. You know I have problems with faces¡­¡±


    ¡°So lady Mo Ke does remember me¡­ that¡¯s great! I heard the Demoness Abode was receiving a guest so I thought it might be you. That¡¯s why I ran all the way here¡­ it¡¯s been three whole years¡­ you¡¯ve become even more beautiful¡­¡± As he said that, Dioh gazed smittenly at me.


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    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s been three years and you still look as dumb as before.¡±


    Honestly speaking, the way he looked at me was a little off-putting. Naturally, I had no kind words for a person like that. I coldly harrumphed and continued, ¡°It¡¯s been three years and you still can¡¯t even figure out that I¡¯m a man!¡±


    However, Dioh didn¡¯t seem at all angered by my barbed words. He instead smiled back at me with a silly grin plastered on his lips. ¡°Lady Mo Ke is always such a kidder. How can there be such a beautiful man in this world? If there is, wouldn¡¯t all the girls have to commit suicide in despair?¡±


    ¡­ How is it my fault that I¡¯m so beautiful?!


    At this point, I was about done with this airhead so I decided to change the topic. ¡°That¡¯s enough out of you. Can¡¯t you see that I¡¯m busy showing of¨C I mean, we are having an important discussion right now.¡±


    ¡°Oh. My apologies, I was just too excited so I did not see you talking just now. I¡¯ll get out of your way then.¡± Thankfully, Dioh, while a complete airhead, still had the courtesy to know that he had interrupted something important so he quickly stepped to the side.


    Alright, that¡¯s that guy settled. Now, back to the show¡­ Hold on, why is everyone giving me such a strange look all of a sudden? And what¡¯s with that horrible attempt at holding back a laugh? Weren¡¯t they all awed by me?!


    I swept my eyes across the room to where that silly potato Dioh was and found the crux of the problem¡­ That brat¡­ he turned my grand introduction into a blasted comedy skit¡­ Fudge! Do you think I¡¯m a lousy late night comedian or something? I¡¯m the man who will one day become the Devil King!


    Unfortunately, whatever atmosphere I had built up with my entrance was all completely ruined by Dioh¡¯s interruption. Everyone present only had a strange look to give me as they waited for me to continue.


    ¡°Lady Mo Ke, didn¡¯t you have something to say?¡± Realising that the atmosphere was rather awkward as well, Dioh promptly stepped in to remind me of his annoying existence. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, everyone is listening. Please, let¡¯s have a round of applause for Lady Mo Ke. Woooo!¡±


    Clap¡­ clap¡­ clap¡­ A wave of clapping started to fill the air under the guidance of Dioh. However, those clapping only had a bemused look on their faces while I had the face of someone who was out for blood¡­ truly¡­

 CHAPTER 475: JACQUELIN AND JILL?

    Despite Dioh¡¯s unintentional bungling, the women of Demoness Abode already knew that I was the master they were serving. That was an undeniable fact, even if they only had strange looks to give me right now!


    And that was why I decided to have Dioh lynched right this instant!


    I threw Dioh a glare before arrogantly asking, ¡°Do you have some time to spare? I¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but my little brother isn¡¯t free right now.¡± A voice interrupted me. It was a man who looked like a grown up version of Dioh. He had the same red buzzcut as Dioh but he was burlier and wore a set of grey leather armor of varying condition.


    ¡°George?¡±


    I knew this man. He was that man who did not take to me very much but still proved reliable in a pinch. Because of Dioh¡¯s barely disguised courtship, George ended up disliking me as a result.


    ¡°So it¡¯s you after all.¡± George narrowed his eyes as he said that. ¡°I heard that the Demoness Abode was suddenly receiving some guests despite not doing so before. Even if you weren¡¯t amongst these guests, they had to be connected to you in some way.¡±


    ¡°Big brother, what are you doing here?¡± The moment Dioh noticed his brother¡¯s arrival, his face immediately paled. He subconsciously stepped back a little and even began to shake, most likely a trauma from his past encounters with his brother.


    ¡°Just in time. Can you please take your little brother away with you, and don¡¯t let him cause more trouble in the future.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I had in mind.¡± Said George, after which he promptly picked up the boy by his collar and carried him off. ¡°Come on, stop embarrassing yourself any further.¡±


    ¡°Let go of me¡­ Big brother¡­ there¡¯s still so much I have to say to lady Mo Ke¡­¡± Dioh flailed his arms about desperately but to no avail. In the end, he could do nothing but allow himself to be taken away.


    Yet before they left the building, George abruptly stopped, back still faced towards me, and said something unexpected, ¡°How long are you planning to stay?¡±


    ¡°A day, perhaps?¡± I paused for a good long while before answering. What¡­ so he does care¡­ but I think I will have to pass on a male tsundere hitting on me¡­ a cute girl is one thing, but a grown man¡­


    ¡°Then you¡¯d better be quick about it. I¡¯ve heard that Moranthal and the others will be back in a couple day¡¯s time.¡± Having said that, George dragged his still flailing brother back home.


    Having left the great hall not long after to head to Ancarin¡¯s room, I returned to my human form, but not before plucking off a feather and handing it to Ancarin.


    ¡°Ancarin, what I¡¯m about to tell you is of utmost importance. When you create a stature of me, remember to place this feather within it as well. From now, you all merely have to pray to the stature and I will bless you through it. Naturally, what you receive has to do with your own potential, but faith and sincerity has a large part to play as well.¡±


    ¡°Understood, master. I will personally oversee the construction of the stature.¡± Said Ancarin as she reverently received the feather from me.


    ¡°Little brother, don¡¯t forget that you promised to hand the Faith Power over to me.¡±


    Relax¡­ I still want to return to my male form, and that requires my body to be rid of you. That¡¯s why, before your soul is able to exist on its own independently, I won¡¯t do anything to break this promise.


    ¡°That¡¯s good then. On my end, I will do my best to return to my original power so that our little brother can become a man a day sooner.¡±


    By the way, would you happen to have a way to return to Abaddon?


    ¡°Abaddon, huh¡­not for now.¡± She answered evasively. ¡°It¡¯s a real hassle to go there unless you have some special medium or teleportation array that can transport you there. I do not suggest it.¡±


    Hmm. If I can make it to Abaddon and find Yi Yi, she can definitely help to separate Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s soul from my own. But based on how she answered, she doesn¡¯t seem too happy about this prospect. Perhaps she has some ulterior motive for not wanting me to go there?


    ¡°You¡¯re reading too much into this. Your big sis really has no way to send you there. If your big sis was still at her peak and had the Chaos Crystal, she would naturally be able to do so. However, your big sis is just a fragmented soul right now with no body of her own. She can¡¯t open up a dimensional tunnel¡­¡± Having explained her own side of the story, she quickly reassured me. ¡°But don¡¯t worry! Once your big sis gets her body back, she will definitely help her little brother accomplish whatever wish he has. Even starting a harem won¡¯t be a problem at that time!¡±


    Alright then. I will take your word for it. When I want to start a harem in the future, I had better see you helping out.


    ¡°Of course, of course. Your big is a Devil of her own words.¡± At that, she smiled confidently. ¡°She is your big sis, after all.¡±


    Like what I said to George, I did not end up staying in the Demoness Abode for too long; Nicole was still waiting to be found in the Western Human Realms.


    A day of rest later, I led Zurnalin, Reyage, Jezsere, Mo Ning and Regine onto the road towards Azure City.


    So why was I in such a hurry to leave? Hmm¡­ because Dioh was annoying? That was true, but there was also another very important reason called Moranthal, a man who equally had me at wit¡¯s end. Now if I were to allow those two to meet in my presence¡­ oh Jeebus, thank the heavens he was out when I visited the Demoness Abode. (Moranthal was another man who fell in love with Mo Ke and pursued him endlessly.)


    Ancarin initially wanted to abandon everything and follow us, but the Demoness Abode was no longer just a one-woman show. Through three years of combined effort between Ancarin and Regine, the Demoness Abode had grown into a shelter for troubled women. There were now over four hundred poor souls taking refuge in the Abode, not to mention the members actively searching for those in need. These women needed a rallying figure. They needed Ancarin.


    The reason why I chose to bring along Regine instead of Ancarin was because she often wandered the lands; she was perfect for locating Nicole.


    Since the time I last met her, Regine had actually transferred from the Thieves¡¯ Guild to the Assassin¡¯s Guild. While both guilds lived in the dark underbelly of society, there were some very fundamental differences between the two.


    The Thieves¡¯ Guild mainly operated in the realm of information peddling, fencing stolen goods, and the procurement of said stolen goods. Members had to live by the guild¡¯s tenet of not killing under any circumstances, not even by mistake. Should anyone be found breaking this tenet, a light punishment would be to cripple this member and then kick him out. A heavier punishment would be death.


    Naturally, this only applied to when they were carrying out missions.


    The Assassin¡¯s Guild, on the other hand, did not have such a restriction. After all, their whole existence was to kill the target in exchange for a monetary reward. Anyone who got in the way of this mission was expandable. However, members weren¡¯t allowed to steal on the job. While they were off the job, they weren¡¯t allowed to kill without reason either.


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    As for the possessions of the killed target¡­ that was called looting, not stealing.


    Not too long ago, Regine met one of her juniors from her Thieves¡¯ Guild days, a female Thief known as Jill. Apparently, Jill used to be a noble of Tarnia. Because her family was destroyed by a political rival, she ended up being the only survivor of her family.


    Being her senior, Regine was highly respected by Jill. Because our objective, Nicole, was last seen in Azure City, a city of Tarnia, Regine decided after some deliberation that we should first make contact with Jill. After all, who knew what kind of repercussions my inadvertent encounter with the Demon Hunters had -it would be safer to find a familiar contact first, instead of rushing into the city unprepared.


    By using a magical tool, Regine was able to inform Jill ahead of our arrival. She quickly replied with a location we could meet first. It was set in the wilderness. Our contact Jill was a blonde, short-haired young girl that wore a black, form-fitting leather armor. Whenever she spoke, she would always have a smirk on her face.


    Upon our arrival at the meeting point, Jill made her entrance by leaping off a tree branch ahead of us. She landed nimbly and leaned back on the tree trunk like a dashing rogue. ¡°Regine.¡± She waved as she greeted her senior. ¡°It has been a while, what business do you have with me today?¡±


    Regine did not answer her question directly however. ¡°This here is my master.¡± She then stepped back a little to make space for me. ¡°Master needs your help.¡±


    ¡°Oh? When did you gain a master? Why haven¡¯t I been informed of that?¡± Said Jill as she folded both hands behind her back and peered intently at me. ¡°Hello there, master of my senior, Regine.¡±


    Now that¡¯s a strange way to address me.


    However, being a man of culture, I wasn¡¯t about to be impolite after the courtesy she showed me. ¡°Hello to you too. You may address me as just Mo Ke.¡±


    ¡°All right. Lady Mo Ke.¡± She happily grinned back at me. ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought that my senior¡¯s master would be such a beautiful lady. I¡¯m a little jealous right now.¡±


    ¡°Errr¡­ about that¡­ I¡¯m actually a man.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m a man¡¯ is basically my catchphrase at this point¡­


    ¡°Pfft¡­ you¡¯re a man? Hahahahaha¡­ no way¡­ please, you¡¯re killing me here, sister. How are you a man? What a joke¡­ hahahaha¡­¡±


    I¡­ sigh¡­ what can I even say to such a cute girl. It¡¯s not like I never expected this. You know what, I give up.

 CHAPTER 476: A BLOODBATH?

    ¡°Hmm? What are you talking about?¡± Jill innocently blinked at us. ¡°I don¡¯t get what you¡¯re asking.¡±


    Regine wasn¡¯t buying that act however. She coldly eyed the girl before saying, ¡°I¡¯m talking about those smoke bombs, you can keep them now.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ there¡¯s no need to be so distant, Regine. I never intended to use them against my senior.¡± Having said that, Jill pulled out the two arms she kept behind her back and opened up her palms. ¡°See, nothing at all!¡±


    Naturally, I didn¡¯t buy that either. Between Regine and a girl that I had just met, I was clearly going to trust Regine more. But the fact that she could so effortlessly hide her tracks like that was proof that she wasn¡¯t just your run-of-the-mill Thief either.


    ¡°I¡¯m not here to cause trouble. There¡¯s something I need done and I wanted you to help.¡± Said Regine, candid to a fault as always. Yet at the rate this conversation was falling apart, it was only a matter of time before this whole meeting went sour.


    I quickly intervened with a more palatable subject. ¡°Money is not an issue, as long as you¡¯re able to do the job.¡±


    ¡°Woo~ a rich sister then. But my fees aren¡¯t cheap, I¡¯ll have you know.¡± Jill winked at me at that point. ¡°But if it¡¯s for our dear senior¡¯s master, I will be sure the job is done well, assuming the money is sufficient, of course.¡±


    ¡°All right, I won¡¯t beat about the bush then. I need you to find someone for me.¡± I began recounting what I knew of Nicole. ¡°She¡¯s called Nicole, she should look like a sixteen or seventeen year old, long red hair, and a warm, gentle personality. Her hometown is Chaik Village but she went to Azure City roughly three years ago to attend the Warrior Academy¡­ I¡¯m not sure if she¡¯s still there, but that¡¯s where you come in.¡±


    ¡°Nicole¡­ red hair¡­ Now that you mention it, I have heard about someone matching this description from a fellow colleague.¡± She paused in thought for a second then continued in an unsure voice. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if her personality is as warm as you say, but I was told she rarely speaks and has a cold attitude to anyone she meets -kind of like senior Regine. The red hair is a match though.¡±


    ¡°Location¡¯s a match; name¡¯s a match; hair¡¯s a match¡­ that should be her, it has to be!¡± I excitedly concluded. This was the first true clue I had to her whereabouts and I couldn¡¯t help but lose control of myself for a moment. I profusely shook Jill about in hopes of getting more out of her, ¡°Bring me to her¡­ quickly!¡±


    ¡°I get it, I get it. Just stop shaking me, I¡¯m about to faint¡­¡± Her eyes began to swim as she said that, and it was then that I realised how inappropriate I was being.


    ¡°I apologise, it wasn¡¯t on purpose¡­¡± I quickly let go of her then slowly took a couple steps back. ¡°I was just too excited¡­¡±


    ¡°You can?!¡±


    ¡°Of course. However¡­¡± She then rubbed her fingers together in a surprisingly universal sign of money. ¡°It won¡¯t be cheap.¡±


    ¡°Like I said before, just state your price, I will pay it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take your words for it then.¡± She deliberately paused for a second, as if in thought, before saying ,¡±I can help you find this Nicole of yours, but it will cost you a hundred gold coins.¡±


    ¡°Done.¡± I swiftly pulled out a coin sack from the dimensional ring on my right hand and tossed it to her. ¡°Here¡¯s the deposit. There will be more once you complete the job.¡±


    ¡°Woah! A dimensional ring!¡± Jill exclaimed in surprise as she caught the sack by reflex. She then glanced at me from top to toe before saying, ¡°I never thought that our sister Mo Ke is so rich as well. There has to be at least a hundred coins in this sack!¡±


    ¡°I want you to find Nicole as soon as possible. Once you locate her, I will have more to give.¡±


    Money naturally wasn¡¯t a problem for me anymore, given my identity as the holy child of Lolthe. Prior to leaving, I was given a dimensional ring by the Matriarchs along with some spending money. In fact, even Jezsere was given a dimensional ring as a sign of goodwill.


    If it¡¯s a problem that can be solved by money, then it¡¯s not a problem at all! Basically, that was my current situation.


    Having had a taste of the money to be made, Jill flew off at blinding speeds to complete her task. Whenever we passed by a settled location on our way to Azure City, she would be up before dawn, checking out the local Thieves¡¯s Guild to get more information about Nicole. Such a routine continued every day for a whole week before she finally came back with good news.


    We were in the midst of having a meal in the tavern when she arrived, dashing through the door yelling, ¡°Sister Mo Ke, I got the news!¡±


    ¡°You do?!¡± That had to be the best news I had heard in a long while. ¡°Tell me, quick, where is she?¡±


    ¡°I just got word from the other guild members that Nicole accepted a Demon Hunter mission not too long ago. And the location of the mission just so happens to be a nearby village.¡± Jill reported in a voice that was as excited as my own. ¡°In other words, we do not even need to seek her out. We merely have to wait for her along a route that she has to take.¡±


    ¡°But how can you be sure that she accepted this mission?¡± Having spent seven days with Jill, I had learnt from her that Nicole joined the Demon Hunters stationed in Azure City, and had even been accepted as the disciple of Aques Lumen. However, such tasks were usually confidential, so how did they learn about it?


    ¡°Hah, don¡¯t look down on the Thieves¡¯ Guild. Have you forgotten? One of our main businesses is the sale of information.¡± She then made the universal sign of money once more. ¡°As long as you have the gold, nothing¡¯s impossible.¡±


    I¡¯m guessing some of her fellow Demon Hunters sold her out¡­ despicable humans¡­


    ¡°Master, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Ever the adorable ditz, Jezsere was still in the dark about the implications of what Jill said. She cut up a piece of steak then waved it in front of my eyes. ¡°Master, do you need Jez to feed you? It¡¯s really good~¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Thanks to her sweet little offer, I was brought back to my senses, opening up my mouth for her to feed me. However, that only served to anger Zurnalin who quickly stabbed a fruit with her fork and brought it to my mouth. In that same flirtatious voice, she asked, ¡°Master, I don¡¯t really like this fruit, can you help me finish it?¡±


    ¡°Be serious.¡± I immediately threw her a stern glare, though I still ate the fruit anyway when I saw that she was about to cry.


    Seeing that, Zurnalin took the fork I ate the fruit with and licked it seductively. ¡°Hehe, I just knew that master liked me the best.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh~~~¡±


    This time, it was Regine¡¯s chicken fillet.


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    Now that the three girls had fed me their food, Reyage started to realise something as well. However, I quickly gave him a murderous stare, stopping him before he got any weird ideas¡­ He sent the steak to Jezsere¡¯s mouth instead.


    ¡°Brother!¡± She exclaimed while shaking her head.


    With no one to feed it to, Reyage dejectedly finished the steak himself.


    Yet that wasn¡¯t the end of the incident either. The atmosphere between Zurnalin and Regine had grown tenser since that brief food showdown. There was a spark in the air, one that threatened to ignite a full-blown fight in an instant.


    ¡°Our sister Mo Ke sure is a lucky lady, being able to enjoy such a large harem by herself.¡± Jill cheekily interjected while slapping her thighs. ¡°Not just the men, but the women too. Thank the heavens I¡¯m not sitting there right now or I might just end up like that steak.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± So you¡¯re saying I might end up like that steak¡­


    However, just when I thought that the two were about to act up, a surprised shout filled the tavern. I turned around instinctively towards the doorway and found a large, black horse blocking the door¡­


    Wait¡­ what is Mo Ning doing here? I thought I left her at the stables before we started eating?


    She brazenly trotted through the door, still in her horse form. Being a tavern for humans, the room clearly wasn¡¯t arranged with a horse in mind. However, that wasn¡¯t about to stop her as she forcefully shoved a couple of tables aside before coming up to me. As promised, she did not say a word, but the look that she gave me now said enough.


    Looks like another one is here to assert her dominance¡­ I get it¡­ I get it¡­


    I quietly brought the plate of fruits up to her, at which point she threw me a look that basically said, at least you know what to do. She then lowered her head and began eating the fruits. Upon finishing them, she was now satisfied and quietly trotted out of the tavern.


    But having gone through her little tantrum, the entire tavern only had strange looks to give me¡­


    ¡°Now I¡¯ve really seen everything. That¡¯s the true meaning of charm right there!¡± First to recover from the shock of having a horse invade the tavern, Jill practically leapt off her chair as she exclaimed, ¡°Not just humans anymore, now we have a horse too! Woooo~!:


    ¡°Eh?¡± Ever the airhead, Jezsere tilted her head to the side in confusion and asked, ¡°Why is sister Mo Ning leaving so quickly? Doesn¡¯t she want to have a meal with us?¡±


    No. No. No. If she really did that, the tavern would explode¡­


    The tavern practically burst into life at this point. The guests who were pushed aside by Mo Ning tried to approach us for compensation but were rebuffed by the deathly glares of Regine and Zurnalin.


    Bah¡­ our meal¡¯s about done anyway, let¡¯s just leave.


    I stood up, reached into my dimensional ring and tossed a gold coin to a still shocked waiter. ¡°I apologise for my steed¡¯s behavior just now. As compensation, their meal is on me.¡±

 CHAPTER 477: EVEN A GOOD-NATURED PERSON LIKE ME WILL GET ANGRY

    Her mission was in the small mountain village of Lyon, located roughly 25km from where we were. It was said that people often went missing in this village, only to be found later as a corpse drained of its blood.


    Normally, such a case would be attributed to Vampires, but Vampires were often more discreet in their dealings, given their obvious weakness to sunlight and fire. Because of this weakness, their normal methods were to raise Blood Ghouls as a source of blood and as protection during the day.


    (TL: I¡¯m assuming the author meant to say that the vampires didn¡¯t usually kill their victims or leave them lying around. The original text was quite disjointed.)


    Lyon was a large village of over a thousand villagers. Had it not been for the remoteness of the village restricting merchant trade, such a village would have already evolved into a town.


    By convention, only settlements that were at least a town could apply to the headquarters of the Demon Hunters to have a branch office set up in their settlement. In other words, Lyon did not qualify for a Demon Hunter branch and could only rely on outside help to solve their troubles. Which would not have been a problem, if the Humans were more proficient in dimensional magic like the Elves. Basically speaking, there weren¡¯t many teleportation arrays in the Human kingdoms, and those that existed were all in the hands of the elite or required exorbitant amounts of gold to use.


    For the villagers of Lyon to issue a request for help, a large amount of time was required. By the time help arrived, a portion of the villagers had already begun migrating away. However, a large majority still chose to stay behind because moving away wasn¡¯t a good option either. The living conditions in the Western Human Realms weren¡¯t high in general, so even if they moved away, they did not stand a good chance of surviving. Rather than starve to death in the wilderness, it would make more sense to take a chance in one¡¯s home.


    Under the leadership of Jill, we quickly reached the outskirts of Lyon, about ten kilometers away from the entrance. As luck would have it, we encountered a band of bandits on the road. They were roughly one hundred strong, decked out in patchwork leather armor and armed to the teeth with a hodgepodge of weapons.


    Unfortunately for the man, his otherwise impressive opening was quickly blotted out by his underlings. ¡°A robbery! This is a robbery! Hand over your coins right now!¡±


    I just knew that bandits were all cut off the same cloth, no matter what world we are talking about¡­


    ¡°Master¡­ they are¡­¡± As always, our resident timid girl was ready and waiting in my arms, shivering away in fright. In contrast, Mo Ning was more annoyed than scared as she stomped on the grounds a couple of times in irritation.


    Being at the head of the pack, Reyage and the remaining guards all hopped off their horses while Zurnalin, who was riding beside me just now, got off and shielded me from the front.


    It was then that Jill rode up to me and whispered, ¡°Lady Mo Ke, I think that bandit leader is at least Four-star, how about we¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, just leave this to Zurnalin and Reyage.¡±


    ¡°But their numbers¡­ and we have horses on our side. There¡¯s no chance at all that they can catch up to us. We can always regroup and attack them later.¡± Still unfamiliar with our strength, it was only understandable that she was worried right now.


    However, her words were picked up by the leader who immediately said, ¡°Hah! You think you can get away just because you have horses?!¡± At that point, he waved his hand and a couple dozen bandits stepped out of the crowd, each wielding a hunting bow, nocked and aimed right at us. ¡°We only want your coins, not your bodies. As long as you hand over the toll, we will let you pass unharmed. Otherwise¡­ our arrows are more than ready to make your acquaintance.¡±


    A few seconds and nothing happened. Seeing that we weren¡¯t reacting at all, the bandit leader tried to intimidate us once more. Yet just as he was planning to do so, his eyes came to rest upon me. His lips curled into a smirk and his eyes ogled me for a good long while before, finally, he said, ¡°Hey, you there, the smug-looking woman. You and your maid had better surrender right now or else. In fact, if you do not wish to suffer a fate worse than death, you had better serve me well.¡±


    Am I hearing things right? A soon-to-be-dead bandit is trying to perform the act of unsanctioned fornication on me?! I see now. Just because I don¡¯t lose my temper often, a bunch of small fries think they can step on me!


    I gently ruffled Jezsere¡¯s hair then sneered at them. ¡°A fate worse than death? What exactly do you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°That will depend on you. If you serve me well, then that¡¯s it. Otherwise, I will have to have you practise with my underlings as well.¡± The bandit leader then broke out into a boisterous laugh. ¡°Hahaha. Make your choice: me or them?¡±


    ¡°Of course she¡¯s going to choose us, boss. Just look at her, she¡¯s not going to be satisfied with just you.¡±


    ¡°Boss. Boss. Don¡¯t forget about us once you¡¯ve had your fun! This is one¡¯s a looker, she is. My body is just aching thinking about how I¡¯m going to feel her up and down. Too bad about that chest though. But I guess flatness has its advantages too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Boss, remember to let us have the leftovers once you¡¯re down. I don¡¯t being giving up a year of my life for her!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give up ten!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m willing to die if you let me have her first!¡±


    Man¡­ never would I have dreamt that I would one day be harassed by a bunch of hoodlums¡­


    ¡°Hahahaha¡­ fools.¡± I coldly laughed, my anger barely hidden under my frosty tone.


    ¡°Boss, I think that woman has gone insane from fright.¡±


    ¡°Maybe she¡¯s just too excited about spending time with our meat clubs?¡±


    ¡°You dogs, don¡¯t go scaring our little flower before we even start!¡± The bandit leader exclaimed while wringing his hands. He stared lavisciously at me before finally giving the order, ¡°Grab her, she¡¯s mine now! Well, what are you lot waiting for? Get to it!¡±


    ¡°Got it, boss!¡±


    Bit by bit, the bandits began to stir, like a pack of wolves that had just spotted a choice cut of meat¡­ Oh you foolish potatoes, you have no idea what¡¯s coming to you¡­


    ¡°Hmph, everyone has to be responsible for their own actions.¡± I raised my eyebrows then said to Reyage and Zurnalin, ¡°If someone¡¯s dead set on seeking death, it¡¯s not our place to stop them. Especially not when they are a bunch of bandits; their deaths would only serve to make the world a cleaner place. Kill them, but leave a few behind.


    ¡°Understood, master.¡± The two of them promptly replied, both already incensed beyond belief by the bandits¡¯ actions.


    A second later, Reyage disappeared from their very eyes. The next time he appeared, he was already behind the bandit leader. He struck first with his left fist and sent the man¡¯s head spinning to the side before he even realised he was struck. Then with the momentum of his initial strike, he sent a spinning kick to another bandit who was still stunned from the sudden turn of events. Finally, he threw out a pair of black daggers, landing squarely in the forehead of an unsuspecting bandit¡­


    Had it not been for the fact that Reyage held back with his punch, that bandit leader would have been dead already.


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    Yet this was nothing compared to Zurnalin whose strength was above Reyage¡¯s. Normally, she would be found riding atop a Blood Drake. However, that did not mean that she wasn¡¯t strong on foot. In order to qualify as a Blood Drake Rider, one had to be a powerful warrior both mounted and on foot. This was even more so for Zurnalin who was their interim leader.


    Zurnalin opened up with a vicious slash to the waists of a dozen bandits in front of her, bifurcating them in a gory display of blood and organs. The pungent smell of raw flesh scattered about the ground was a scene straight out of hell.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± Jezsere almost fainted right there and then. I quickly caught her and started patting her on the back to comfort her. As I did that, I also threw a look at Zurnalin. ¡°Don¡¯t cause such a ruckus. Also, those bandits are noisy.¡±


    Being split in half along the waist did not immediately kill off the bandits. Thanks to that, there were a bunch of them writhing about in pain and screaming in a manner that could only be described as unholy.


    Zurnalin wasn¡¯t all too happy about the fact that I was hugging Jezsere, but she did not show it right now. Instead, she directed her anger back towards the poor bandits. The next time she swung her sword, those writhing bandits were all silenced forever, at which point she charged towards the bandits fighting with Reyage¡­


    The leader of these bandits was at most a Four-star. In contrast, his stronger bandits were One-stars or Two-stars, with only a few being Three-star. Over half of them were normal people without much power. Under the combined attacks of Zurnalin and Reyage, the bandits were quickly routed in seconds. Faced with two bloodthirsty grim reapers, the bandits could only turn tail and run. Unfortunately, their previous words had not only angered me but Zurnalin and Reyage as well.

 CHAPTER 478: HELP ME ACT OUT A SHOW

    All in all, it didn¡¯t take long for them to finish off a bunch of bandits that were as well-equipped as refugees ¨C roughly two minutes. Out of the hundred or so bandits, less than ten were completely unharmed. The rest were a mangled mess on the floor.


    Reyage and Zurnalin had especially left the bandit leader alive. His transgressions were the worst of the entire lot and one could only imagine what kind of sordid fate awaited him once all this was said and done.


    However, his fate was of no concern to me. All I wanted to do now was find a nice picnic spot while waiting for Regine to return with news of Nicole.


    But because of the sheer amount of freshly dead in the vicinity, the environment was a horrific mess. Out of concern for our resident timid girl, I decided to have Mo Ning bring us to somewhere more palatable. While Jill was no stranger to violence herself, the sight of nearly a hundred corpses didn¡¯t sit well with her either so she left with us.


    ¡°Bring the living over, I have questions for them.¡±


    Just like that, the remaining eight bandits were herded towards me. Yet before I could even interrogate them, Regine returned from her reconnaissance mission.


    She stepped over the mountain of corpses without even batting an eye and said calmly, ¡°Master, we¡¯ve found the target.¡±


    A couple of days ago, we managed to procure a portrait of Nicole and Neneth, her companion Demon Hunter. The Nicole depicted within was older. More beautiful, and also more mature. However, she had a frosty demeanour that not only pushed everyone away from her, it also made my heart ache. I had known her since her childhood days: she was a bright, gentle girl, yet here she was, an ice queen. Never would I have imagined that the act of me leaving home would cause such an impact on her¡­ but it was too late for regrets now¡­


    As for the girl, Neneth, she seemed familiar¡­ Haven¡¯t I seen her before in my previous trip to the human realms? Yeah¡­ she¡¯s that girl I tried to tail back in Azure City. I remember being found by the Demon Hunters not long after¡­ seems like she has become a proper Demon Hunter as well¡­ maybe it wasn¡¯t a coincidence that I was discovered all those years ago?


    Doesn¡¯t matter now, as long as I can meet Nicole, it¡¯s all fine. As for that Neneth¡­ I need to be careful of her.


    ¡°That fast? Where is she?¡±


    ¡°I never expected her to arrive so soon either. I had expected to wait for another day or two.¡±


    That¡¯s great, I can finally meet Nicole¡­ hold on¡­ I don¡¯t even look the same anymore. If I were to say that I¡¯m Mo Ke, there¡¯s no way she would believe me. And there¡¯s the matter of those corpses as well. While they may have deserved to die, I definitely don¡¯t want Nicole to see me as a bloodthirsty boy. Perhaps I should pretend to bump into her then¡­ maybe create a coincidence?


    How to go about that¡­ hmm¡­.


    As I pondered that question, my eyes started to drift towards the thoroughly frightened survivors of the bandit troupe¡­ Don¡¯t I have a ready stock of actors over here already?


    My following plan was a simple one. I would first pretend to be a noble scion that had been separated from his guards and was being chased by bandits. These survivors would chase me from the back while I ran towards Nicole. Being the kind-hearted angel that I knew she was, Nicole would definitely step in to save a person in need.


    Then I would take this opportunity to infiltrate her little band. As for Zurnalin and the rest¡­ they would be the guards who finally caught up to me after a terrible battle with the bandit troupe¡­


    That way, the mountain of corpses could be easily explained away while also creating a chance to join Nicole.


    Naisu. I¡¯m such a genius! Truly a plan for the ages! At the very least, I can¡¯t see anything wrong with this plan. Assuming those bandits don¡¯t sell me out at the crucial moment. I guess I have to take some extreme actions on that front. Don¡¯t blame me, blame yourselves for being so unfortunate¡­


    I reached into my dimensional ring and pulled out a black bottle the size of a cup. I opened it and poured out eight pearly white balls the size of my thumbnail.


    ¡°Reyage, feed these to them. One person, one ball.¡±


    Reyage received the pills and swiftly force-fed the ball down their throat.


    ¡°Cough¡­ cough¡­ what did you feed us?¡± Having just been forced to swallow an unknown object, the bandit leader desperately tried to puke it out by shoving his fingers down his throat. However, that ball was now safely down in his stomach, no amount of gagging was going to get it up now.


    ¡°You really want to know?¡± I flashed him a sinister smile. ¡°While I honestly think that knowing the truth would just make you wet your pants, being the kind soul that I am, I will tell you anyway.¡±


    I poured out another white ball from the bottle and channelled a little of mana into it. As the mana slowly infused itself into the ball, it miraculously sprouted out eight legs¡­


    In actuality, that black bottle was used to hold the eggs of a parasitic spider. These parasites would latch onto living hosts then feed on them from the inside. They would then lay more eggs within their hosts which would hatch and repeat the entire cycle until the host was nothing but bones. The black bottle was a necessary tool to store these eggs as the dimensional ring did not have a breathable atmosphere; the bottle itself would store them in a dormant state.


    ¡°See this, this lovely little creature is inside you all right now. If any of you dare defy me, I will have them munch on all of you from the inside. Little by little. Until there¡¯s nothing left!¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you devil!¡± The bandit leader yelled as he pointed a shaking finger at me. His voice had cracked from trying to hold back his tears, while his other underlings had broken down completely, some even falling unconscious from the terror.


    ¡°I¡¯m a devil? Hah. Well, I won¡¯t deny that.¡± I coldy sneered at the human scum lying before me. ¡°What about you lot then? If I was an ordinary helpless girl, what would happen to me?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡±


    It was true that my actions were self-serving and inhumane, but that was how the world was, wasn¡¯t it? The only difference between me and him was how quickly the tables had turned on his perfect plan to add me to his harem. Just because he was now the victim, I had turned into a devil in his eyes, regardless of what he had tried to do to me before.


    Yet if one was going to kill, one should also be prepared to be killed!


    ¡°That¡¯s enough idle chatter for now. My time is limited. You will follow me now, and when necessary, you will follow my instructions completely, or else¡­


    ¡°So you¡¯ll let us go if we do as you say?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about letting you go, but as long as the job is done well, I will give you a chance at living.¡±


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    ¡°I¡­ what do you want us to do?¡± He quickly asked, anxious to grasp onto this ray of hope before I changed my mind.


    ¡°Very simple.¡± I smiled even wider at that point. ¡°I need you to pursue me¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright if you do not understand why now, in time you will. Regine will lead us to the spot, I will explain on the way.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ some of our companions are still unconscious from the shock.¡±


    ¡°Unconscious from the shock? I guess I won¡¯t need them then. Kill them.¡±


    The moment I said that, the bandits who were supposed to be unconscious immediately sprang to their feet and threw themselves at my feet begging, ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ I¡¯m not unconscious¡­ don¡¯t kill me¡­ I don¡¯t want to die yet¡­¡±


    Hmph, I just knew those potatoes were lying.


    Through my telescope, I was able to spot the distant figures of Nicole and Neneth riding atop their white horses as they approached Lyon.


    Nicole really has grown up, hasn¡¯t she¡­ I still remember when she was still a flat-chested little girl; her development isn¡¯t half bad. She¡¯s prettier now, but her face seems as heartbreakingly cold as Regine¡­


    As for Neneth¡­ why is she even munching on bread while riding a horse? Doesn¡¯t she know that she might bite her tongue like that?


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s ready, I assume. Later, I will run out and call for help while you guys chase after me from behind. Remember to put some effort into the acting, otherwise I will feed your hearts to the spiders.¡± I coldly instructed the eight nervous bandits around me as we hid out in a nearby forest. ¡°Remember, it won¡¯t just be one of you who dies, it will be all of you. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Understood¡­¡± The bandits answered shakingly as they threw me one last look. Yet the moment they realised that they met eyes with me, they instinctively recoiled back and turned away.


    Seems like I have become the literal devil to them. No matter, I¡¯m a Devil to begin with. As long as they do well for me, I¡¯m not opposed to giving them a chance to turn over a new leaf.


    ¡°If the plan turns out well, I will remove the spiders within every one of you. Who knows, you guys might even make some change in the process.¡± Having said that, I fetched out a gold coin from my dimensional ring and threw it at the feet of the bandits. As the golden coin spun through the air, their eyes immediately darted to it.


    The typical carrot and stick. Now that the bandits were not only motivated by fear, but also by gold, they were a lot more receptive to my instructions. The eight of them nodded their heads in unison confidently while saying, ¡°We will do our best, milady. You are most generous to us¡­¡±


    With that last bit settled, I turned around to Regine who had been silently waiting at my side. ¡°Regine, I need you to watch them from behind. If anyone tries anything funny, kill them.¡±


    ¡°Understood, master.¡±

 CHAPTER 479: EVEN LAST MINUTE ACTORS NEED TO PULL THEIR WEIGH

    I yelled frantically as I ran across the field like an F-list actor trying to steal the show. Yet I really could not be blamed here; the supposedly villainous bandits who were supposed to be viciously pursuing me seemed even more out of character than me.


    ¡°Hey, can¡¯t you guys act any better?!¡± I finally stopped in my tracks and glared at them. ¡°How are you guys even bandits? Is this how you plan on robbing me? Can you not embarrass your profession any further?¡±


    ¡°But milady¡­ we¡­¡±


    ¡°What milady? How am I a lady?¡± I pointed right at the bandit leader¡¯s nose and yelled. ¡°I¡¯m a man. A bonafide, 100% pure man. Got it?¡±


    ¡°But milady¡­¡± The bandit leader immediately blurted out without even considering. ¡°No matter how I look at you, you are a lady.¡±


    ¡°Then would you like a new pair of eyes?¡±


    ¡°No, no, no¡­ You are clearly a man, sire¡­ but¡­¡± The bandit leader meekly lowered his head in defeat and said, ¡°We¡¯re no longer bandits¡­ and we don¡¯t dare to rob you in the first place¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh? So you¡¯re saying you would rather die than help me act out this scene?¡± Having said that, I coldly laughed.


    Seeing my mood sour right away, the bandit leader immediately knew what I wanted to say. He promptly barked a response, ¡°I¡¯m willing! I¡¯m willing to do anything!¡±


    ¡°Very good. The two of them are about to arrive so I have no more time for you guys to rehearse. Remember to act fiercer, and I don¡¯t mean the parent scolding a kid kind either.¡± The bandit leader nodded obediently at my words, earning him a look of approval right away. ¡°Alright. Just remember, act like how you usually do when you¡¯re robbing someone and you will do fine.¡±


    ¡°Like how we usually do¡­¡± The bandit leader mumbled to himself before saying, ¡°But¡­ we just started this occupation¡­¡±


    ¡°What the heck, you¡¯re not fooling anyone at this point. Let me tell you, what I see right now is a complete scumbag of a bandit!¡± I had to hand it to that bandit leader, even at this stage of the game, he¡¯s still trying to weasel his way out of punishment. As if I was ever going to believe him after that practised show of attempted unsanctioned fornication!


    I swear¡­ some people¡­


    Realising that I was displeased again, the bandit leader promptly lowered his head and said no more.


    ¡°Fine, if you can¡¯t do the job right, I will just have to finish you off right now.¡± I deliberately channelled my mana slowly in front of him. ¡°Actually, I¡¯ll just let you suffer a fate worse than death.¡±


    ¡°Sire¡­ I was wrong, I¡¯ll get right to robbing you immediately¡­ I will make sure those louts are properly trained and ready for their roles as bandits!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Boss, what should we do?¡± One of the bandits who had been acting unconscious not too long ago ran up to the bandit leader and asked quietly.


    ¡°What do you mean what should we do? Chase him, of course!¡± The bandit leader slapped the head of that silly bandit then ,under the stunned eyes of his subordinates, yelled. ¡°Girl, you¡¯re not going anywhere! You¡¯re coming home with daddy today! Hahahaha¡­¡±


    Yet while he might have been shouting at the top of his lungs, his feet weren¡¯t going anywhere at all¡­


    Confused by his actions, one of the bandits asked, ¡°Boss, why aren¡¯t you chasing him?¡±


    ¡°I should ask you lot that question too! Who¡¯s the boss here?! Don¡¯t tell me you expect your leader to lead the charge?¡± Another swift slap to the head of the bandit, then without giving it more thought, he kicked a few of the bandits. ¡°Go on, be quick about it!¡±


    Finally, the bandits began chasing after me, though they were all still deathly afraid of me.


    ¡°Stop running¡­ you had better stop right now or else¡­¡± The bandits yelled in a tone that was obviously more bark than bite.


    Initially, the bandits had assumed that this bit of shoddy work would be enough to get the job done, but someone else clearly had something to say to that. A cold shiver immediately ran down the spines of the bandits. The bandit leader, being a decent fighter at Four-star, could tell right away where this killing intent was coming from. He turned his head in the direction of the forest and came face to face with a Regine whose face was even scarier than the aura she emanated¡­


    It was at that point that the bandit leader knew this was no time for fooling around. At this rate, someone was really going to die. With that in mind, he turned towards the lackluster actors that were his subordinates and bellowed, ¡°You lot. I want to hear more oomph ub your shouts, show some of that bandit spirit!¡±


    To which the bandits couldn¡¯t help but give their leader a wronged look. Even so, the bandit leader could only sigh before reprimanding them once more, ¡°What¡¯s with that lack of energy?! Are you guys sick of living? Don¡¯t forget that there¡¯s still something crawling in our bellies!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± It was at that point that the bandits finally realised how desperate their current situation was. They finally gathered up their spirits and chased after me in earnest. ¡°Capture that harlot! She¡¯s mine tonight!¡±


    Now that¡¯s more like it! That¡¯s how a bandit should act. But don¡¯t think I¡¯ve forgotten how you guys tried to sabotage me just now. Once I¡¯ve infiltrated Nicole¡¯s little band, you guys are next.


    Seeing as the actors were finally all in place, I ran towards the direction of Nicole¡¯s arrival as planned. As I did so, I cried for help just like before.


    Slowly trotting ahead on their horses, it didn¡¯t take long before Nicole and Neneth spotted me. Nicole¡¯s expression was as frigid as the rumors would have me believe. In contrast, Neneth was more intrigued by the whole scene and had even stopped to watch while munching on her bread.


    ¡°Save me please¡­ there¡¯s some bandits chasing me¡­¡± I pretended to plead for Nicole¡¯s aid, doing my best to act like a desperate noble as per the plan.


    Even though I was beside myself with excitement right now at having met Nicole after so many years, I knew that she wouldn¡¯t recognise me even if I said anything right now. If I were to reveal my identity as Mo Ke now, she might even treat me as a Devil and just slice me up. Even after all this time, I still hadn¡¯t forgotten that time when the Demon Hunters had me cornered in my own home. The fact that Nicole had become a Demon Hunter must have had something to do with that¡­


    ¡°That blasted wench can really run!¡± Seeing that I had hid myself behind Nicole¡¯s white horse, the bandit leader finally arrived on the scene, panting along with his other subordinates. They slowly formed a circle around us. ¡°There¡¯s two more pretty girls now. Good, I want them all rounded up. Meat¡¯s back on the menu again, boys!¡±


    ¡°Woooo!!¡± The bandits cheered rapturously.


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    Seeing my last-minute hires pull their weight for once, I was at last relieved¡­ But why are those potatoes just standing there? Go on. Charge at them so they have no time to think!


    I winked at the bandit leader from the safety behind Nicole¡¯s horse. Threatened, the bandit leader had no choice but to take the next step.


    ¡°Ahem.¡± The bandit leader cleared his throat in response to my wink, at which point the other bandits promptly shut up. The bandit leader nodded his head in satisfaction then swung his blade in the same manner he did when we first met. ¡°You know what, all I want is that woman hiding behind you two. Stay out of this matter or someone¡¯s going to get hurt!¡±


    Finally, under the threat of the bandit leader, Nicole spoke for the first time ever, her voice cold and mature at the same time. ¡°You want her?¡±


    Ah¡­ I still remember when she used to be a little girl. Now look at her. All grown up and beautiful¡­ my Nicole¡¯s the best!


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We only want her. If you know what¡¯s good for you, you will immediately turn around and leave.¡±


    Kukuku. Like my gentle, kind-hearted Nicole would ever abandon me to a bunch of bandits. All I need to do now is wait for her to step forward, defeat the bandits, and save me from those dastardly villains!


    Unfortunately, I was soon to be proven disappointed. She did not help me as I had expected. Instead, she turned around to address Neneth who was still munching on her bread, ¡°Neneth, we¡¯re leaving.¡±


    ¡°Ehh? Aren¡¯t we saving her?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± She said then got ready to ride without even waiting for Neneth to respond.


    Me on the verge of mental collapse: ¡­


    The bandits on the verge of mental collapse but for different reasons: ¡­


    Wait. What happened to the kind-hearted girl savior I was promised? There¡¯s no way my Nicole would ever be so cold-hearted.


    Even the bandits were shocked by this turn of events at this point, let alone Neneth.


    I quickly winked at the bandit leader once more, signalling for him to try and rescue this scene. If I couldn¡¯t join their party now, those fools only had one fate waiting for them: death.


    Noticing the blame in my eyes, the bandit leader broke out into cold sweat but managed to stammer out a question, ¡°You¡­ aren¡¯t you going to stop us?¡±


    Nicole eyed the man for a second then coldly said, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Just because we look all fierce and tough doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯re strong. Actually, we¡¯re really weak¡­¡±


    (Say no to content thief!)


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Look at that girl behind you, she¡¯s so pretty. If we capture her, she¡¯s in for a world of pain¡­ we¡­¡± The bandit leader was practically crying at this point under my withering gaze. ¡°If we get our hands on her, we will make her do this¡­ and this¡­ don¡¯t you want to prevent another tragedy from happening in this world?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, sister Nicole. Neneth finds that beautiful sister over there really pitiful as well.¡± Neneth stopped munching on her bread to unhappily pout in my direction. ¡°Isn¡¯t it a pity for such a beautiful lady to be made to do that¡­ and that¡­¡±

 CHAPTER 480: IT’S ALL UP TO ME NOW

    At this point, the bandit leader was on the verge of collapsing on his knees. If Nicole wasn¡¯t going to play along with this script, he was done for; there was no doubt in his mind that I would turn him into spider food.


    What the heck¡­when did my Nicole become such an unlikable girl?! This ain¡¯t natural!


    ¡°Since Sister Nicole doesn¡¯t want to, then Neneth will stay out as well.¡± Neneth said before gobbling up the last of her bread. With a clap of her little white hands, she said to the bandits, ¡°Neneth will be off then.¡±


    I¡­ blast. What to do now? If I let her go now, I¡­


    I could barely hold myself back any longer. An undisguised wave of murderous aura slowly leaked out of my body towards the bandits. If Nicole wasn¡¯t to help and neither was Neneth, I could only settle matters myself in order to push this scene onwards.


    ¡°I thank you both for helping me stall for time. I¡¯ll be the one to handle these curs!¡± I grasped my left wrist at that point, then with a flourish, revealed Lion¡¯s Majesty for all to see. ¡°By my name, burn! O emissary of flame!¡±


    As the last of my chant finished, a towering silhouette made entirely out of flames began to take the shape of a humanoid between the bandits and Nicole.


    By controlling the output of my mana, I was able to ensure that this Fire Elemental was only at the level of a Five-star. Yet even at this level, its appearance was enough to have the already hot air around us burn even further. Plus, with its current strength, it was more than enough to bully the bandits in a feigned fight.


    ¡°We surrender¡­ please don¡¯t kill us¡­¡± But before I could even give the command to attack, the bandit leader had already thrown aside his massive blade and led the pack by offering his surrender.


    ¡­


    I know you guys are just last-minute hires, but can you at least put in some effort? What¡¯s the idea behind surrendering without even trying?


    The bandit leader deliberately turned his head away at that point to avoid my hateful gaze. ¡°That flame monster is terrifying¡­ there¡¯s no way we can win¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. That¡¯s right. Fire is our greatest weakness. My mom even told me when I was young not to play with fire, you will end up wetting the bed if you do¡­¡± One of the other bandits immediately interjected to support his boss.


    ¡°I miss my mom too¡­¡±


    ¡°What a coincidence, me too¡­¡±


    One after another, the bandits joined in the chorus of reminiscing about their moms, ruining the otherwise tense atmosphere in an instant.


    I swear! What can I even do with a bunch of pig allies like them?!


    Neneth, on the other hand, was confused as she eyed the kneeling bandits. ¡°Eh? Aren¡¯t you guys going to catch her?¡±


    ¡°You have my sincerest thanks for stalling these dastardly villains. Had it not been for that, I would never have had enough time to summon help.¡± I addressed Neneth this time instead. While nothing would have made me happier than to address Nicole directly, knowing her cold attitude, that was doomed to fail.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome. As long as you¡¯re fine, pretty sister.¡± Still riding atop her white horse, Neneth reached into her backpack and rummaged about for a second before pulling out a paper-wrapped piece of bread. ¡°Neneth was so worried just now. But don¡¯t worry, pretty sister, Neneth would have stepped in if those dirty bandits actually tried anything.¡±


    ¡°Oh, then you have my thanks once again.¡±


    While I might have said that, deep down, I was practically beside myself. Had she really intervened, I would be chatting with Nicole right now. But¡­ looks like a change of plans is in order.


    ¡°So¡­ Neneth? May I know where you two are heading to?¡±


    Hearing me call her by her name, the blue-haired, bread-munching girl nearly dropped her bread in surprise. ¡°Eh? How do you know my name is Neneth, pretty sister? Neneth never mentioned that her name is Neneth!¡±


    But you did mention it¡­ many times, in fact¡­ Oh boy, looks like we have another sharp one here¡­


    ¡°And will you stop addressing me as pretty sister, I¡¯m actually a man.¡±


    Even though Neneth was admittedly a cute girl, there were some mistakes that couldn¡¯t be overlooked. Especially when it came to my gender.


    ¡°Huh? So it¡¯s pretty brother then?¡± Neneth hopped off her horse, bread safely cupped in both her hands. She then leaned in and gave me a sniff before breaking out in a smile, ¡°Oh, sister is such a kidder. There¡¯s no way a boy would ever be so fragrant.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± But I¡¯m really a man¡­ why does no one believe me¡­


    Yet just as I was busy being tormented by the question of my gender, Nicole who hadn¡¯t spoken up till now suddenly asked, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Mo¡­¡± I barely managed to catch my tongue in time. Thankfully, I was able to stop myself when I noticed Nicole¡¯s eyes sharpening when I said Mo. I swallowed by reflex and said, ¡°I¡¯m Mo Na.¡±


    Good daughter of mine, I hope you won¡¯t mind that I borrow your name for a while. I promise I will return it right away once I¡¯m done. So be good and don¡¯t cause trouble. I swear, I¡¯m at wit¡¯s end here¡­


    ¡°Mo Na¡­¡± Nicole softly repeated the name of my daughter, eyes never blinking as she stared at me. My heart couldn¡¯t help but race as I worried whether or not my cover had been blown.


    ¡°Greetings, Sister Mo Na, I¡¯m Neneth.¡± Said Neneth while she happily waved at me. She then introduced Nicole as well, ¡°This here is my sister, Nicole.¡±


    ¡°Greetings as well. I plan to travel to the nearby Lyon, what about you two?¡±


    Now was the time to take the initiative by stating my objective before Nicole. This way, even if she felt that this was too much of a coincidence, she shouldn¡¯t be all that suspicious. After all, her intelligence shouldn¡¯t have any report about me being here.


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    ¡°What a coincidence. We¡¯re heading there too.¡± As she said that, she waved her obviously bitten bread and smiled happily. ¡°Well, since we¡¯re both heading there, how about Sister Mo Na join us!¡±


    ¡°Alright, I was thinking the same thing as well.¡± I quickly threw her an approving look. Even though this girl seemed callous at first, she actually wasn¡¯t such a bad person after all. However, when my eyes swept over the kneeling bandits, I realised another problem. How was I going to find an excuse to let them go? After all, with that spider in their bodies, there was no way they would ever dare defy me. Leaving them alive could prove useful in the future.


    ¡°So what should we do with these fellows?¡± I casually asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who captured them, this has nothing to do with me.¡± Nicole impatiently snapped.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Sister Nicole, how you handle them is up to you.¡±


    Their attitudes towards this matter were crystal clear: they didn¡¯t care. Yet I clearly couldn¡¯t let them off the hook so easily either. In that case, there was no choice but to have them suffer a little and fake their deaths.


    With that in mind, I declared, ¡°A trial is unnecessary then. Bandits are all bad people, leaving them alive would only bring tragedy in the future. In that case¡­¡±


    ¡°No! Please, we¡¯re actually just villagers from Lyon. We had no choice but to become bandits¡­ please let us go, brave heroines¡­ Didn¡¯t you say that you were heading to Lyon, we can guide you all to the village!¡± Having completely missed my point, the bandit leader honestly thought that I was about to kill them all so he immediately jumped to his feet and yelled. ¡°I know you. You must be from the Demon Hunters. I recognise the insignia on your clothes. We really had no choice but to become bandits¡­ it¡¯s all that Vampire¡¯s fault¡­¡±


    The bandit leader then began his woeful recount of how a Vampire brought ruin to their village. As he spoke, I could clearly hear the resentment and resignation in his voice.


    So they really were forced into becoming bandits¡­and not the professional kind.


    The village of Lyon was a highly populated settlement. But because of the village¡¯s inherent bad geography, the majority of the villagers were impoverished. Unlike my previous world, this world wasn¡¯t a kind one to the ordinary folk. Even if they were suffering, the leader of the territory would never spend a dime on bettering their lives.


    It was under such a backdrop that the situation of the villagers got increasingly worse. Leaving the village carried a very real risk of starving to death or just being captured as slaves. Yet staying behind was certain death as well.


    Faced with such a disaster, those that had the ability to leave had already left. Those who could not weren¡¯t going to quietly wait for their deaths either.


    In actuality, the villagers of Lyon had not only requested aid from the Demon Hunters, they had also made the same request of several mercenary troupes. Because of a Vampire¡¯s obvious weakness to sunlight, even ordinary troops stood a chance at victory as long as they were crafty. Unfortunately, the Vampire in question was just too strong. They had hired three mercenary troupes in the shortest time possible, each more powerful than the other. Unfortunately, every one of them had been met with failure. In fact, some of the mercenaries had even turned into slaves for the Vampire. The fact that their efforts did not weaken the Vampire but ended up strengthening it instead was just sad¡­


    It was also because of this that this mission was stuck in limbo for a good long while in the Demon Hunters. The constantly rising difficulty of the mission meant that the Demon Hunters could not figure out who to send to rescue the villagers. After all, Lyon wasn¡¯t the only village they had to look after. They couldn¡¯t waste unnecessary manpower on a task if it did not warrant such effort. When facing a Vampire, sending more than necessary might even backfire¡­

 CHAPTER 481: ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE, SOMETHING SOMETHING ACTORS

    The village of Lyon ended up being in a worse state than we had anticipated. The lord of this region was a veritable bloodsucker to the commoners, concerned only with taxing them but not with administering them. In a lot of ways, he was similar to the Vampire plaguing the village, the only difference being that his tithe wasn¡¯t blood.


    Because of that, the village had no way of hiring a proper mercenary troupe that was powerful enough to defeat the Vampire. The lord of the region had no intention of sending his troops either. And while all that was happening, the Demon Hunter Guild administering this region was still trying to determine what the actual difficulty level of this request was.


    Naturally, that didn¡¯t mean the village was just going to lie down and await their demise either. The able-bodied youth of the village decided to take matters into their own hands by forming a bandit troupe to raid passing merchants¡­ at least, that was till they bumped into me¡­


    ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that your initial aim was to gather enough money in order to hire a more powerful mercenary troupe?¡± I guess that¡¯s an option too. Some of the more powerful mercenaries are just as effective as slaying demons as the Demon Hunters.


    ¡°Not necessarily¡­¡± The bandit leader paused for a second before continuing, ¡°If we aren¡¯t able to procure enough gold to hire a mercenary troupe, the next plan was to find a way to move the villagers away¡­¡±


    So they had a backup plan as well¡­ huh¡­ I never expected this bandit leader to be capable of such meticulous planning.


    However, I could clearly see his eyes shifting as he said that. In all likelihood, the safety of the village wasn¡¯t his only concern either. Perhaps, that might just be an excuse for his banditry. After all, it would be a lot easier for him to flee by himself versus dragging along an entire village. Between selfishness and self-sacrifice, I was more inclined to believe that Humans chose the former.


    Even so, now wasn¡¯t the time to nitpick on the motives for his banditry. With the bandit leader¡¯s brief account, I now had a rough idea of the situation.


    Having understood the danger of the village as well, Neneth couldn¡¯t help but throw me a curious look. ¡°Oh right. Sister Mo Na, Neneth and Sister Nicole are both here to slay that creature of darkness, but what are you here for?¡±


    For Nicole, of course. Does it look like I¡¯m here to visit family instead?


    Hear! Hear! Now that was some good speech delivering right there! Just listen to how noble, how determined I was just now. The men would cheer while the women would weep tears of joy! I¡¯m such a genius. Even I¡¯m moved by my rousing performance and selfless spirit¡­


    ¡°Wah~~Such nobility, Sister Mo Na!¡± Clearly, Neneth agreed with my assessment as well. The next time she looked at me, there was an undisguised fervour in her eyes. ¡°Not only is our Sister Mo Na beautiful, she¡¯s so compassionate as well¡­ Sister Mo Na¡¯s the best, Neneth likes you even more now!¡±


    Hahaha. Just look at my wonderful oratory skills. Dealing with some naive brat is no challenge at all. Now that I¡¯ve successfully persuaded Nicole¡¯s little follower, how long more before I take the prize herself?


    Unfortunately, the speech itself did not seem to impact the rest as much as Neneth. The bandits obviously weren¡¯t going to buy it, seeing as they had a grudge with me. But why was Nicole so unmoved as well? My speech was flawless, my acting skills sublime¡­ I doubt there¡¯s anyone in the Western Human Realms who can act better than me! And if there is, step forth right now. I¡¯ll use my actions to prove who is the actor with the bigger sword!


    However, I knew better than anyone that overconfidence was a slow and insidious killer. That was why I quickly reined in my conceited thoughts¡­ I mean, my attempts at bravely challenging the competition¡­ As long as you can convince yourself, you can convince anyone!


    Seeing that Neneth had completely bought into my story, Nicole raised an eyebrow before coldly asking, ¡°Just by yourself?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, I just got separated from my companions.¡± I pointed at the pleading bandits. ¡°There were others with me. We just got separated during the chaos of the bandit encounter. They got tangled up with his lackeys while I tried to summon my Fire Elemental. But because of my inexperience, and a momentary panic, I ended up¡­¡±


    As I said that, I lowered my head as if in remorse.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be sad, Sister Mo Na, Neneth thinks you did a fine job.¡± Neneth quickly tried to change the topic upon noticing my dejected look. ¡°But Sister Mo Na, you mentioned there were others with you? Where are they now? Do they need our help?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay. They are all accomplished warriors, there were just too many bandits at the time, and we were ambushed as well. Oh, that¡¯s right.¡± I pointed at the bandit leader. ¡°This guy should be their leader, he was the one that had them try to capture me¡­ Even if my companions are still fighting, the battle should be over once we show them that their leader has been captured.¡±


    ¡°In that case, let¡¯s hurry.¡± Neneth turned to Nicole as she said that. ¡°Sister Nicole, let¡¯s go save them, all right?¡±


    ¡°¡­fine.¡± Nicole spat out coldly. Yet as soon as she said that, she drew her sword at one of the large trees roughly ten meters away. ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡±


    A crescent-shaped, white wave of sword energy swiftly split that half-meter thick tree trunk, causing it to slowly slide downwards and revealing its behind. A slender black figure immediately jumped out from the shadows.


    The figure darted to the side of Nicole, and in the time it took to blink, drew out a dagger and stabbed at Nicole¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°Clink!¡±


    Still seated on her white horse, Nicole spun about and deflected the incoming dagger with her sword. At the same time, the black figure, defying all the known laws of physics, managed to launch herself at Nicole in mid-air, despite having nowhere to kick off from. Even so, Nicole remained as calm as before. Her left hand swiftly struck out at the oncoming leg, meeting force with force.


    All that happened within the span of a few seconds. Upon exchanging these few blows, the figure landed nimbly back on the ground, choosing not to harass the girl any further.


    Naturally, this newcomer was Regine. In order to prevent any potential mishap -such as those bandits suddenly deciding to commit suicide by attacking me- she had been tailing us from the beginning. Yet who would have thought that Nicole¡¯s senses would be so sharp that she could actually see through Nicole¡¯s stealth¡­


    Speaking of which, Nicole is now a Demon Hunter and Regine is my Demoness¡­ things might get a little troublesome¡­


    Even though Ancarin and Regine were Demonesses, as long as they did not go all out, the chances of them being exposed were low. Even so, Nicole was a Demon Hunter, a profession dedicated to slaying just such beings. Plus, she was also the disciple of one of their branch heads. I couldn¡¯t say for certain whether or not she might have some special method of seeing through Regine¡¯s identity. If she had, then it wouldn¡¯t just be Regine¡¯s identity which would be exposed, mine would as well.


    ¡°Master.¡±


    Regine continued facing off against Nicole as she said that, both girls strikingly similar in how frigid they were. If there had to be a difference between the two, Regine¡¯s coldness was a result of what she had suffered previously, so while her eyes were cold, they were not empty. As for Nicole, her suffering had a lot to do with me and was most likely ongoing¡­


    ¡°Hahahaha. A misunderstanding, this is all a misunderstanding.¡± I quickly dragged Regine behind me then stepped forward to explain the situation. ¡°Regine is one of my bodyguards. She was probably worried for my safety so she came chasing over.¡±


    ¡°So she¡¯s an ally then¡­¡± Neneth happily clapped her hands together. ¡°That¡¯s great, we have another pretty sister to accompany us!¡±


    Without waiting for Nicole to say anything, I immediately greeted Regine happily and asked, ¡°Regine, how is everyone doing?¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± She curtly answered, face as expressionless as before. ¡°No one has suffered any injuries.¡±


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    ¡°That¡¯s great! Let¡¯s go meet up with Jezsere and the others then!¡± I then turned to look at the bandits who were still kneeling before me. ¡°Regine, I need you to look after them. If anyone dares to make a move, kill them. Well, maybe not kill, but at least teach them a lesson.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Master.¡±


    Strangely enough, I couldn¡¯t detect any animosity between Nicole and Regine right now. Perhaps it was because they had both fought each other to a draw, or perhaps they had developed some sort of kinship, seeing as they were both ice queens.


    Either way, it was good news that Regine¡¯s identity hadn¡¯t been exposed. In actuality, it was difficult for a Demoness to be exposed, not unless she used the abilities given to her by her Devil patron. Normally, a Demoness really wasn¡¯t all that different from a normal person. That was the reason why there were all sorts of strange books about how to identify a Demoness, though those books had already been declared forbidden by the Church due to the damage they caused. What was worth noting was that they were the ones who wrote it in the first place¡­

 CHAPTER 482: WHERE’S THE VILLAGE CHIEF

    ¡°Master~~¡±


    Having spotted me from a distance away, Jezsere came galloping towards me while excitedly waving her hands. The moment she caught up to us, she leaped off Mo Ning and right into my arms, like a dog that had just found its long-lost owner.


    Ahh¡­ my adorable Jezsere is with me again and everything is right in the world¡­ but¡­ Mo Ning¡­ can you not stick your horse face in mine¡­ you¡¯re blocking my heartwarming reunion with our resident timid girl. Also, don¡¯t lick my face.


    Now that we had ticked off the reunion with the servants event, our next mission was to safely reach the village of Lyon.


    As for why safely¡­ well¡­ certain unfortunate accidents might happen if we were to bump into that massive crime scene nearby¡­


    While bandits were undoubtedly the scum of the earth, Nicole was still a kind girl deep down, of that I was sure. I was worried that my methods would leave a bitter taste in her mouth. And all that talk about not caring about me¡­ that was all a test¡­ Yes¡­ a test. She wanted to test if I was a bad person.


    My Nicole is a kind girl! She would never knowingly leave me to die!


    Since this was the first time we were all meeting, I decided to have a short round of introductions. Naturally, I was going to introduce myself as Mo Na, and definitely not Mo Ke.


    ¡°This girl here is Nicole, and her companion is Neneth. They are both Demon Hunters from the guild. They have the same goal as us: to take down that Vampire in Lyon. Oh right, Nicole, you may just address me as Mo Na.¡± Having said that, I then pointed at those gathered around me. ¡°I¡¯m sure you already know Regine. This here is my bodyguard, Zurnalin. The cute girl is Jezsere, my maid. And that¡¯s Reyage, Jezsere¡¯s elder brother and also my most trusted officer. That beautiful girl over that is the guide we hired, Jill.¡±


    And that was all the introductions. Or at least it should have been, had it not been for Mo Ning neighing unhappily in my direction. Seeing that, I could only pat her horse head gently before adding on, ¡°This is my steed, Mo Ning. Don¡¯t let her looks fool you, she¡¯s a very smart horse with the blood of a magical beast mixed into her bloodlines.¡±


    Upon hearing that last bit, Nenenth¡¯s eyes practically lit with admiration. As for Nicole¡­ she was as unaffected as before.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll get to it immediately¡­¡± Said the bandit leader as he turned around to leave.


    ¡°Hold on.¡±


    The bandit leader turned around and looked at me confused.


    ¡°Take the shortest route instead.¡±


    At that, the bandit leader almost fell over as he immediately did a complete one eighty to the opposite direction. ¡°Right. Right. I know just such a shortcut. Over here¡­ but it might be a little¡­ unsuitable for horses¡­¡±


    ¡°Just lead the way.¡±


    ¡°All right¡­¡±


    Short that exchange might have been, but I knew that Nicole would get a little suspicious of me because of that. That was why I decided to nip that problem in the bud with an excuse I prepared well beforehand.


    ¡°It¡¯s getting late now and we still have some ways to go before we reach Lyon. If we can arrive at the village before nightfall, we might even be able to set up some preparations against the Vampire.¡±


    At that, Nicole curtly nodded her head; clearly she was in agreement with my idea.


    As for Neneth¡­ she was all excited and clapping. ¡°That¡¯s brilliant, Sister Mo Na. You even thought so far ahead¡­ not at all like Neneth¡­ she¡¯s so stupid in comparison¡­¡±


    Now that the conversation was suddenly about her, Neneth couldn¡¯t help but lower her head a little, as if to say, pat me now.


    Seeing this cute side of her, I couldn¡¯t help but smile a little as I gently comforted her till she finally smiled back.


    Our current location was roughly ten kilometers away from Lyon. Because the bandits did not have any horses, we ended up taking longer than necessary. However, that bandit leader ended up finding us a shortcut as he promised. It was a hidden route, and not at all suited for horses as he warned us. Even so, we still managed to reach the village before nightfall.


    On the surface, Lyon didn¡¯t seem all that different from an ordinary village. However, there was a palpable sense of gloom cast over the entire village. The villagers were all hidden in their homes and only whispers could be heard throughout the village. Had this been an ordinary village, we would have already seen children running about the streets, playing without a care in the world. Yet everyone was now locked up tight in their homes, as if they wanted nothing more than to permanently seal the windows and doors.


    ¡°The sky is turning dark, if there is no other instruction, we¡¯ll be off then¡­¡±


    Having completed his mission of leading us here, the bandit leader quickly glanced at his companions before throwing out the quickest excuse he could come up with to bid farewell.


    Unfortunately for him, there was no chance in heck I was letting him go. His lackeys could leave, but the leader that he was had to stay behind.


    ¡°The rest can go, but not you.¡± I waved my hands to dismiss the other seven lackeys. Finally, I pointed at the bandit leader, ¡°I need you to bring us somewhere.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± His face almost fell apart.


    ¡°To the village chief first.¡± It was then that Nicole spoke up. Having done that, she glared at the bandit leader. Even if the others were gone, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem tracking them down as long as we had their leader in our hands.


    With tears in his eyes, the bandit leader brought us to a relatively large building with two stories on the eastern side. He opened the lock on the door with practised ease and walked in naturally as if this was his home.


    Wait¡­ don¡¯t tell me he¡¯s the village chief? No way, he looks like someone with muscles for brains.


    ¡°Reyage, Zurnalin, go set up some defenses; it¡¯s getting dark soon. I don¡¯t expect the defenses to be able to defeat the Vampire, but they should at least warn us of its coming.¡± I instructed the two of them upon entering the house.


    The two of them left immediately without saying another word.


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    Upon stepping into the building, the bandit leader dug out some chairs from the somewhat messy living room before pulling one for himself in the corner.


    Seeing that, I was quickly reminded of how odd this whole situation was. ¡°Who are you exactly?¡±


    ¡°The previous village chief is my father¡­¡± The bandit leader immediately opened up with a shocking bit of news, but that was only the precursor of what was to come. ¡°During our third attempt at organizing mercenaries against that Vampire, he was slain by Blood Ghouls. I¡¯m now the¡­ interim village chief.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    What the heck? Why are you even a bandit then? You have a perfectly bright future ahead of you! Do you actually think banditry is better than what you got?


    ¡°I know what you must be thinking right now¡­ why would I even choose to be a bandit¡­¡± The bandit leader *** interim village chief sighed at that point. ¡°I¡¯m sure you all have already noticed what¡¯s wrong upon entering the village. This village is barely alive. That Vampire will at least capture one villager a day. His favourite prey includes beautiful virgins, strong men and children¡­ But with no money to hire more mercenaries, an uncaring lord, and an unresponsive Demon Hunters Guild¡­ we can do nothing about that. The villagers spend every day in terror.¡±


    ¡°Our village isn¡¯t rich. Most of us have no kin outside of the village. Leaving now would only delay our deaths a little. What¡¯s worse is that a slaver party got wind of our plight and even set up shop nearby to capture those who flee¡­¡±


    A slaver party?! Right outside of the village too? Doesn¡¯t that mean that the Vampire also has some connection to those slavers? But even if they don¡¯t, those slavers have reached a new low. Even a firing squad would be too kind for these monsters.


    Speaking of which, the village is already at such a desperate stage and yet the lord hasn¡¯t intervened yet?


    Clearly, I wasn¡¯t the only one to share this surprise as well. ¡°EHHHH?!!¡± Neneth exclaimed loudly. ¡°Is the lord of this region not going to step in even now? The slavers are already openly capturing his subjects.¡±


    ¡°The lord¡­ hmph¡­ didn¡¯t you just mention one of his most profitable schemes just then?¡± The bandit leader coldly harrumphed.


    ¡°You don¡¯t mean¡­¡±


    ¡°All you noblemen and ladies will never understand the suffering of us common folk.¡± The more he spoke, the more the agitation in his voice grew, any thought of that spider in his belly long gone by now. He waved his thick arms about in rage as he yelled. ¡°You all are born with a silver spoon in your mouths, never worrying about how to fill your bellies -but we aren¡¯t that fortunate! We wake up everyday to crippling hunger. When you open your eyes, you see a feast spread out before you, while we only have despair on the dinner table if the crops do not meet the winter needs. While we endure the harshness of the cold within our very own homes, you sit by the fireside and make merry¡­ You even have servants to drive you around on carriages while we¡­¡±


    The bandit leader was on a roll at this point. Unfortunately, his otherwise moving rant was immediately cut short by me.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re misunderstanding something here.¡± I stared right into the eyes of that livid bandit leader and said, ¡°Your misfortune is not justification for robbing innocents. Besides, I was of common birth as well¡­¡±


    ¡°Impossible!¡± The bandit leader eyed me from top to toe, not at all convinced by what I said. ¡°There¡¯s no way you are of common birth. Just look at those serving you right now, their auras are nobler than the last. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they were all born noble. And as their master, you have the gall to claim you are of common birth? What a joke! Our plight is already miserable enough without your jokes!¡±


    Unfortunately, I was telling the truth here. My family in the past had all been commoners, even if it seemed like I was doing a right fine job for myself right now. However, the world was like this sometimes: a convenient lie might earn you the trust of bystanders while telling the truth might just earn you scorn instead.

 CHAPTER 483: PREPARATIONS FOR NIGHTFALL

    The eyes were the window to one¡¯s soul, at least that was how the saying went. Even if the bandit leader *** interim village chief did not believe me at first, when he looked deep into my eyes, he could tell I wasn¡¯t lying at all. Naturally, of course. I wasn¡¯t lying, I merely left out the part about me becoming a Devil and what not. However, even if that was true, it was still a fact that one had no choice but to work hard if they weren¡¯t born into fortune.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go see if there are any refreshments in the kitchen¡­¡± The bandit leader stood up somewhat in a fluster then left, ¡°It has been a while since I came home, I wonder if the food is still edible¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, we brought our own food.¡± I quickly replied, then without waiting for him to even say anything, I glanced towards Jezsere who promptly took out some bread and fruits from her dimensional ring.


    Seeing us take out our own food, and especially from a dimensional ring, a hint of resentment flashed across his eyes, though he quickly suppressed it. His expression stiffened up significantly at this point, having realised that we were still wary of him.


    ¡°Then¡­ I will make some for myself¡­¡±


    I did not pay much attention to his words. Instead, I waved warmly at Nicole and Neneth, ¡°Nicole, Neneth, how about joining us for some food.¡±


    ¡°Wah!! Sister Maid actually has a dimensional ring! I heard those things are expensive -you must be rich!¡± Neneth animatedly gushed about the rareness of the ring. Yet it didn¡¯t take long before her attention was immediately captured by the food on the table.


    ¡°Wooo~ that fruit salad looks really fresh, the bread is really cute looking too!¡± Saliva was practically dripping from the corners of her mouth at this point. Poison be damned, what was risking one¡¯s life to a little glutton when compared to inhumanity of starving oneself?


    Nicole, on the other hand, was more composed about the whole situation. She did not make a scene about the dimensional ring, nor did she show any outward reaction to Neneth accepting our offer. It was only after I took a bite first out of the food that Nicole was finally reassured enough to eat as well.


    I picked up an apple and handed it over to Regine beside me, ¡°This is for you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Master.¡± Regine gingerly took the apple from me, doing her best to avoid any bodily contact.


    I gently ruffled Jezsere¡¯s soft hair then smiled, ¡°I¡¯m a little worried about the defenses, you guys go ahead first. I¡¯ll go have a look with Jill. Jezsere, Regine, you guys have fun with Nicole and Neneth in the meantime¡±


    ¡°Eh? Jezsere is staying behind?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Aren¡¯t Regine, Neneth and Nicole here to keep you company as well?¡± I chuckled then flicked her lightly on her forehead. ¡°Be good, your master will be back soon. While I¡¯m gone, I¡¯ll leave my maid in your care, Lady Nicole, Neneth.¡±


    Regine stayed silent, showing her consent for this arrangement.


    ¡°No problem. Neneth will take good care of Sister Maid!¡± Neneth happily answered before taking a huge bite out of the bread. Yet she didn¡¯t seem all that satisfied by it, saying, ¡°If only there was some meat¡­¡±


    ¡°Meat?¡± Jezsere considered for a second then reached into her dimensional ring once more. ¡°Here¡¯s some of the roasted meat we bought this morning. It¡¯s a little cold. Should I heat it up in the kitchen?¡±


    ¡°Wooo~ there¡¯s actually meat now! Sister Maid is the best¡­ is there anything you do not have in that dimensional ring?!¡±


    When it came to gluttons like her, whoever fed her was a friend. That was the law of the land, nothing could change it.


    Upon leaving the bandit leader *** interim village chief¡¯s house, we walked down a deserted alleyway. By now, the sun had already set. If everything went according to plan, our Vampire should be making its appearance soon to pick up a snack.


    As she walked shoulder to shoulder with me, Jill unabashedly said, ¡°I¡¯ve found the person you wanted, now about that gold¡­¡±


    ¡°For you. As promised.¡±


    I tossed a sack of gold coins at her; within was a hundred gold coins. She quickly caught it in one hand, and without even opening, counted the amount through sheer feeling.


    ¡°It¡¯s rare to see a forthright employer like you.¡± She happily slapped me on the shoulders as she kept the sack of coins. ¡°If there¡¯s anything else you need of me, I¡¯ll happily give you a discount.¡±


    ¡°Not for the moment. But if there¡¯s any matter I need in the future, I will find you.¡±


    While this girl was a stickler about money, I had to admit that she was very professional. As long as you gave her the gold, she would deliver the goods as promised, not a cent less. The only reason we were able to locate Nicole so quickly was because Jill had taken the effort to scour the Thieves¡¯ Guild for leads. Simply put, she put her best foot forward for this sack of gold.


    Now that the question of money was settled, we temporarily ran out of topics to talk about. We continued walking onwards for a moment before Jill suddenly said, ¡°Oh right, there¡¯s something I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you.¡±


    ¡°And what is that?¡±


    ¡°Are you Mo Ke or are you Mo Na?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± I did not expect her to ask that question. To be safe, I decided not to answer her directly. ¡°You do not need to pry too deeply into my¡­ matters. All you need to know is that by working for me, you will be well-rewarded.¡±


    ¡°You wish to buy my silence?¡± Having said that, Jill rubbed her fingers together and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m really expensive.¡±


    I took out another sack of coins and threw it her way. ¡°Is this enough?¡±


    ¡°Oh, most definitely,¡± Jill kept the coins without even counting, a smug smirk on her lips. ¡°But the amount you gave me just now was more than the fee of my silence, that¡¯s why I¡¯ve decided to work for you for a while.¡±


    So all that talk about silence was just an excuse. She just wanted a reason to stay behind. I guess that makes sense, Regine¡¯s the one who introduced us to her. That means their relationship should have been close, in the past at least¡­


    ¡°By the way, Senior Regine has been missing for the past few years, would you happen to know what happened to her?¡±


    ¡°Regine, huh¡­ I think it¡¯s better if you don¡¯t know.¡± Thinking back on what she had suffered, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a pang in my heart. ¡°I don¡¯t think you should ask her as well. Unless she brings it up by myself, don¡¯t ask her.¡±


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    ¡°In that case, I won¡¯t ask. But her current state¡­¡± Even though she said she wouldn¡¯t ask, I could tell she was still dying to know why.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It might not seem like it, but she has already recovered a fair bit.¡± It was then that our conversation came to an abrupt end; Reyage and Zurnalin were now in sight. ¡°That¡¯s them, let¡¯s head over.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡±


    At the same time that we spotted Reyage and Zurnalin, they spotted us as well. Both of them greeted me with a bow first, ¡°Master.¡±


    I nodded back. ¡°How are the preparations going?¡±


    Reyage turned around to eye the nearby shrubbery. ¡°The traps have been set. We¡¯ve also set up more magical traps around the perimeter of the village. As long as that Vampire dares step a foot into the village, we will be the first to know.¡±


    ¡°Already?! With just the two of you?¡± Jill was more than a little shocked as she looked at them. ¡°Lyon is at the very least a village of a thousand¡­ and you¡¯ve set up traps throughout the entire village in just thirty minutes? Magical traps too!¡±


    Naturally, it was impossible for just two people to accomplish such a feat. However, I had a hundred Dark Elven Assassins accompanying me. These were all the elite of the elites within their own clans. Whether it was magic or martial arts, they were all top of their class. Just a single one of them could give the best assassins in the human realm a run for their money. Setting up traps was a cakewalk for them.


    ¡°That¡¯s our secret.¡± I curtly answered, then without caring if she had more to say, I turned towards Reyage and Zurnalin. ¡°Let¡¯s go back for now, to the home of that bandit leader. Oh right, did you guys know that the bandit leader is also the interim village chief¡­¡±


    The night was deathly silent, but that only brought more terror into the hearts of the villagers. With a hundred Dark Elven Assassins guarding the perimeter, I could safely go to bed with Jezsere on the second floor¡­


    Honestly, this bandit leader has a pretty big house. It¡¯s a little cramped, but it can fit all of us in it. And being a little cramped isn¡¯t all that bad¡­


    ¡°Your holiness, I¡¯m here~~¡± The door to the room swung open with a bang, revealing a very proactive Zurnalin with a pillow in her arms. Clearly, closing the door was pointless.


    Even so, I wasn¡¯t the least bit surprised, only a little miffed. ¡°Zurnalin¡­ it¡¯s late, what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid of the dark¡­ can I sleep with you, your holiness?¡± As she said that, she squeezed the pillow and pouted.


    ¡°Stop fooling around, there¡¯s no way you¡¯re afraid of the dark! Also¡­¡± I almost facepalmed myself at that point. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one in charge of guard duty today?¡±

 CHAPTER 484: NIGHT BATTLE

    Average Werewolves have a fatal weakness to their strength, and that was they couldn¡¯t transform during the day like the Elite Werewolves. They could only do so in the light of the moon, meaning they were just as weak as an ordinary person during the day.


    Some Werewolves ended up succumbing to the wiles of the Vampires in order to conquer this weakness. These Werewolves were now Blood Ghouls, blessed with the ability to transform at will thanks to the secret arts passed down by the first Vampire. Upon swearing allegiance to the Vampires, these Werewolves were no longer called Werewolves, instead they called themselves Lycans.


    From [I am the Greatest Demon Hunter] (Number One Bestselling Novel of the Western Human Realms)


    ¡°Guard duty?¡± Zurnalin shook her head. ¡°Lack of sleep is a woman¡¯s number one mortal enemy. Something like guard duty should be left to Reyage instead.¡± Zurnalin explained with such conviction that I nearly believed her for a second.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Jezsere said as she scratched her head. ¡°Isn¡¯t the Vampire still at loose? Is it really all right for us to be sleeping like this?¡±


    ¡°Why not? The warning has already been set up and Reyage is out patrolling as well. If there¡¯s any problem, he should be able to hold the line for a while.¡± I waved my hand as I said that, telling her not to worry too much. ¡°Besides, even the Vampire has days where it wants to just laze around.¡±


    ¡°But big brother¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, he¡¯s your big brother, isn¡¯t he? He should get more practise too, if he wishes to protect you.¡± I briskly brushed off her concern with another wave of my hand.


    It was at that point that Zurnalin brazenly tossed her pillow onto the bed and said, ¡°And that¡¯s why I should sleep together with your holiness as well.¡±


    However, the bed we were sleeping was rather old. Had it just been me and Jezsere, it would have still been enough. But the moment Zurnalin tried to climb onboard, it started to sway and give out a decidedly worrying creak¡­ crap¡­


    ¡°Ahh¡­ there¡¯s nothing more comfortable than being with your holiness!¡± Zurnalin leaned over and hugged me like how you hug a bolster. In fact, this shameless woman was even lightly rubbing against me with her face. ¡°Your holiness is so fragrant as well¡­ I almost want to take a bite¡­¡±


    ¡°Mhm, mhm. Master¡¯s fragrance is the best, Jezsere likes it too!¡± Jezsere happily chimed in, not at all bothered by her actions.


    ¡°Jezsere is such a good girl. In that case, it¡¯s decided then. The three of us will sleep together tonight.¡± Zurnalin boldly made the decision for all.


    ¡°But Sister Regine hasn¡¯t returned yet¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Sister Regine said she was going to take a shower, but it has already been over an hour.¡± Jezsere adorably put a finger to her lip while thinking to her. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t she be back by now?¡±


    ¡°Who cares if she¡¯s back or not. The bed¡¯s only this big, there¡¯s no room for her even if she makes it back now.¡± Having said that, she wrapped her legs around my waist. ¡°Your holiness, let¡¯s have a pleasant time tonight.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not!¡± was what I had wanted to say, had it not been for the fact that Regine had already yelled that for me.


    Dressed in a white pyjamas, Regine rushed in through the door, hair still dripping from the shower. She swiftly grabbed hold of Zurnalin and tried to drag her off the bed. ¡°That is my spot!¡±


    ¡°Hah. Just because you say it¡¯s yours, doesn¡¯t make it so. I don¡¯t see your name on it!¡± Zurnalin slapped aside Regine¡¯s arms then sneered at the girl. ¡°If you say it¡¯s yours, why don¡¯t you try calling out to it then? See if it responds.¡± Zurnalin gave the bed a quick pat at that point.


    Shameless! As if a bed could talk.


    Regine had always been a girl of action; if it could be solved with force, one could be sure that she would. At the same time that Zurnalin threw out that downright shameless argument, she was already guarding against Regine. Sure enough, a fist came flying towards her, which she blocked with a hasty guard. She frowned and said, ¡°Damn brat, you actually dare to attack, I think it¡¯s high time someone teaches you a lesson¡­¡±


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    Suddenly, an explosion interrupted their confrontation. Our eyes were immediately drawn towards the windows. From the bed, we could only see that, roughly a kilometer away or so, a battle of some sort was taking place.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid our Vampire is here.¡± Zurnalin promptly leaped off the bed and ran towards the window to have a closer look. ¡°That attack shouldn¡¯t be Reyage¡¯s. He¡¯s an Assassin so his tactics are rarely so flashy. If it¡¯s not the Vampire, it should be those two humans your holiness is concerned about.¡±


    ¡°Nicole¡­¡±


    Blast! I should have thought of it sooner. As a Demon Hunter, Nicole¡¯s number one priority should be slaying that Vampire. Even if I have already told her that someone¡¯s out patrolling tonight, I forgot that I have yet to tell her who I am. There¡¯s no way she would ever trust the word of a stranger she just met¡­ in other words, that boom must have been from her!


    ¡°Zurnalin, Jezsere, stay behind. I¡¯ll go have a look with Regine.¡±


    Without waiting for Zurnalin or Jezsere to object, I immediately jumped out of the window. Regine had put on her equipment at breakneck speeds as well, having fully suited up and jumped out at roughly the same time as I did.


    ¡°Snort~~¡± It was then that Mo Ning trotted up to us from her stables and signalled for us to hop on. Without wasting any further words, I climbed onto her back and helped Regine up as well. Before leaving, I looked towards the window and yelled, ¡°look after Jezsere for me¡±, then rode off with Mo Ning.


    As a Nightmare Steed, Mo Ning¡¯s eyesight at night was only going to be better, not worse. As she galloped along the deserted roads of the village, the sounds of metal clashing and explosions kept bombarding us. Based on that, there should at least be ten people fighting right now.


    By all accounts, there should only be one Vampire terrorizing the village, but there were also the Vampire¡¯s Blood Ghouls to contend with¡­


    Mo Ning¡¯s speed could only be compared to a bolt of lightning. In barely any time at all, she had brought us to the scene of the battle.


    Nicole, Neneth and Reyage were currently surrounded by ten assailants, some Werewolves and some normal Humans. Not only that, there was a youth, dressed in an extravagant-looking robe that was black on the outside and red on the inside. As he smiled mockingly in their direction, there were no traces of blood to be seen on his pale face, not even in his red eyes. From time to time, he would lick his lips, as if he was looking at a feast in the making.


    ¡°Master, that Werewolf serving at the side of that Vampire is no ordinary Werewolf. It¡¯s one of their favourite types of Blood Ghouls, a Lycan.¡± Regine leaned in and whispered in my ears. ¡°They are stronger than their normal counterparts and can transform at will thanks to the secret arts of the Vampires.¡±


    ¡°Lycan?¡± I coldly harrumphed. ¡°Nothing but mongrels who have abandoned their clans for power. As if just changing their names will change their fates¡­¡±


    Perhaps it was because of Shadowfang resting inside my Shadow Demon, but I couldn¡¯t help feeling a little turned off by the idea of a Werewolf betraying his clan for power.


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    ¡°It¡¯s time to fight, I want those Blood Ghouls taken care of first.¡± Because Nicole and Neneth were present, I couldn¡¯t command the Dark Elves to strike. In that case, I could only handle this myself. ¡°By my name, burn! O emissary of flame!¡±


    In the shortest time possible, I had summoned three Five-star Fire Elementals to join in the fight. I could have just summoned a Seven-star variant, but I did not want to reveal too much of my power in front of Nicole. After all, it wasn¡¯t that long ago that I was supposedly chased about by a bunch of bandits. If I were to suddenly summon three Seven-stars right now¡­ that cover story would have seemed really suspicious.


    ¡°Master, I¡¯ll be off then.¡±


    ¡°Be careful. Your safety takes priority.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    Regine jumped off Mo Ning¡¯s back, and in an instant, blended completely into the darkness. At the same time as the darkness wrapped around her, her scent and aura vanished in an instant. If anyone were to look in her direction right now, no one would be able to notice her presence.


    The battle was only heating up by the second. Nicole¡¯s style of fighting was brutal but efficient. Wielding her weapon that seemed both like a sword and a blade, she rarely acted, but when she did, her opponents would be left with a myriad of cuts.


    Beneath her, there was already a fallen Lycan and a Human warrior lying motionlessly on the ground. Even so, there were still a number of opponents to contend with. As of right now, there were three Lycans surrounding her. Their attacks were cautious; in all likelihood, they wanted to wear her out in a prolonged fight.


    Neneth was fighting against a pair of Lycans at the same time as Nicole. Unlike Nicole, her style was more brash, swinging her door-sized blade wildly in a dance. Anyone who dared approach her would be smacked aside mercilessly.


    On the surface, Neneth seemed to be at the level of a Four-star, but based on her style, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if her destructive power was that of a Five-star¡¯s.


    Wherever the door-sized blade struck, an explosion would resound across the battlefield, leaving a gaping hole in the ground soon after¡­ seems like I¡¯ve found the source of those explosions¡­


    Out of everyone present, Reyage¡¯s job was probably the easiest. He only had to deal with five Humans and two Lycans. Even though he had more opponents to deal with, he was the most experienced present. An assassin might not have specialised in group battles, but his ability to use magic and martial arts meant that he easily suppressed his opponents.

 CHAPTER 485: LION’S MAJESTY

    ¡°Yes! Sister Mo Na is here!¡± My arrival was a much needed boost of morale for our side. Neneth, who was in a desperate situation just moments ago, suddenly swung her blade in a wide arc, pushing back the two Lycans surrounding her, giving her an opportunity to rendezvous with the three Fire Elementals.


    On the other side, the servants of the Vampire were all shocked by the arrival of these three strange looking elemental creatures. They probably did not have much experience fighting with creatures of this nature and were surprised by their unusual appearance.


    Nicole and Reyage were both able to manage their opponents well, unlike Neneth whose strength was comparatively weaker. That was why I sent my Fire Elementals to her as well. Even without me stating that explicitly, Neneth understood my intentions for doing so, that was why she moved to meet up with the Fire Elementals.


    The Blood Ghouls present weren¡¯t particularly weak. The two Lycans surrounding Neneth were both Five-stars, just like the ones fighting with Nicole right now. Reyage had seven Blood Ghouls to contend, and one even seemed like a Six-star. Thankfully, Reyage was a veteran combatant and he himself was a Six-star. That was how he managed to slightly suppress his opponents even in the face of overwhelming odds.


    While Reyage might not have specialised in group battles, given his Assassin training. It was also a fact that his training made him a slippery target to lock down. Thanks to that, he managed to maintain a decisive advantage over his foes.


    Nicole¡¯s strength was most likely that of a Five-star Peak, the kind that could break through at any moment. However, the weapon in her hands was probably an Epic-grade weapon. That was how she managed to slay a few of her opponents before I had arrived. But her enemies weren¡¯t fools either. Upon realising how strong she was, they decided to turn this into a battle of endurance instead.


    Having to face off against three targets by herself, even the seasoned Demon Hunter that she was had limits to her attention. No matter how worried she was for Neneth, she couldn¡¯t find the time to help her.


    That was where my Fire Elementals came in. These summoned creatures had no weaknesses to speak of. Unless they were directly extinguished by an overwhelming force, else they would never dissipate till my mana ran out.


    A second later, the acrid smell of burnt flesh and fur wafted over the entire battlefield. As the burning Lycan flailed about the area, the stench only further enveloped the scene. In a lot of ways, being burnt alive like this was the cruelest way to die possible. The victim wouldn¡¯t die immediately from the heat, so he could only struggle in vain while he suffered a fate worse than death.


    Realising that his companion was set ablaze, the other Lycan immediately rushed over to save him; the two should have been quite close in life. Unfortunately, Neneth wasn¡¯t about to let that happen, not that it would have mattered actually. With a swing of her massive blade, she blocked off the pathway to his companion.


    At this point, this flame-grilled Lycan was about to be a well-done Lycan.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look down on Neneth!¡± She heroically held her giant blade before her and exclaimed, ¡°Neneth will never let you through!¡±


    The Lycan tried multiple times to break through her defensive line but to no avail. While Neneth might have struggled against the two of them, there was no way she would ever lose to a single one of them.


    Neneth might have only been a Four-star, but she had a power level completely at odds with her slender figure. Simply put, she was what was known in the industry as a power loli¡­ Her weapon might have only been a High-grade magical weapon, but it seemed to have the effect of increasing her momentum and force. In other words, whenever she waved her blade around, the force of her swings would be multiplied.


    Time continued to tick by. A minute later, the burning Lycan was finally reduced to a pile of ashes by the Fire Elementals. They immediately leapt towards the remaining Lycan. Should they succeed this time as well, all that awaited that Lycan was a painful death.


    ¡°Master, save me!¡±


    With no time to spare in the face of a fiery death, the Lycan turned tail and ran, all the while screaming for help from the Vampire.


    ¡°Useless.¡± The Vampire grimaced in disapproval. A second later, he finally acted, but not towards the Lycan who pleaded for his help. Instead, he came rushing towards me in a flash of blood red.


    Seeing that, Mo Ning¡¯s first instinct was to try and help. However, I quickly stopped her -now wasn¡¯t the time to reveal her strength yet. This was the best time to show off to Nicole, and I wasn¡¯t about to pass on it.


    Other than being a summoning tool, Lion¡¯s Majesty also granted its wearer the ability to control flames. As long as I had enough mana and will, I could even pass off as a natural-born flame wielder. A great boon, especially given how I wasn¡¯t able to use my full strength, lest I wanted to be exposed as a Devil. In light of that, I really had to hand it to Ferti¡¯nier this time -she really put in a lot of thought when she made this tool for me.


    Now¡­ it¡¯s time to show Nicole what I¡¯m capable of!


    Swirling Flame Barrier!


    With Lion Majesty acting as a medium, I began channeling my mana and will into a vortex from which flames began to form into a barrier. Just in time as well. The moment my flames coalesced into a barrier, the Vampire appeared before me in a flash of red, crashing right into the barrier¡­


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    Vampires were deathly afraid of flames and light. Water that had been enhanced with purification was deadly to them as well. This barrier that I had just summoned was definitely a hard counter to this Vampire, especially when my mana was basically at the level of a Seven-star Mage despite being a Five-star.


    While I might not have been able to see through the barrier itself, I was sure that he definitely felt the pain when he slammed into my barrier. Not one to let such a golden opportunity go, I quickly pushed forward with my right arm, ramming the Swirling Flame Barrier forward in a charge.


    ¡°Blasted woman¡­ I¡¯ll remember this! My name is Umbra¡­ and I will be back¡­¡±


    Realising that there was no time to dodge this attack, the Vampire hurriedly transformed into a burst of bats, scattering to the winds before the barrier could strike him once more. While the barrier might have burnt half of the resulting bats in the process, he at least managed to escape successfully.


    Unexpectedly, the main villain of this battle was now defeated. Even I did not expect such a swift turn of events¡­


    Having left behind the classic villain farewell, the Vampire finally disappeared into the darkness of night.


    Now that their master was gone, the Blood Ghouls naturally had no reason to stay behind either. Unfortunately, not every one of them would be able to escape tonight.


    The last of the two Lycans fighting Neneth was now incapacitated by Neneth¡¯s powerful swing, only to be roasted mere seconds later amidst a glaring display of flames and horrific wails.


    Reyage and Nicole both took the opportunity to capture a target respectively. But for the most part, now that the opponents were in full retreat, she did not try to pursue them. Instead, she anxiously grabbed Neneth by her hands. ¡°Neneth, are you alright? Did you get hurt?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Sister Nicole.¡± Neneth answered with a smile but still allowed Nicole to continue inspecting her. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to Sister Mo Na¡¯s help.¡±


    ¡°You have my thanks for helping Neneth just now.¡± Because I had just saved Neneth, her eyes were noticeably warmer now as she addressed me. ¡°However, there¡¯s still the matter of¡­ you know what, we can talk about that later.¡±


    Hmm? Oh crap¡­ I went overboard just now¡­


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    In order to show off to Nicole, I had completely forgotten the setting of my own character. Previously, I was supposed to be a helpless summoner. But now I had just defeated a Vampire with a single flame spell¡­ definitely not the usual definition of helpless¡­


    Thankfully, she chose not to pursue this matter in light of how I had just saved Neneth¡­ I guess that means I¡¯m safe?


    Ahhh¡­ but what was the point of me even bothering up to put up that show with the bandits in the first place? I could have just told her how we easily wiped out those bandits, it¡¯s not like Nicole would take issue with me cleaning up the world¡­


    Sigh¡­ I really need to plan these things out better in the future.


    Unlike me, Neneth did not have that many reservations about the fight we had just won. Still basking in the victory, she confidently asked, ¡°Should we chase them?¡±


    ¡°No need. I¡¯ve already sent Regine to follow them. We should go back to the village for a rest first. I¡¯m sure Regine will be back shortly with news of the Vampire¡¯s nest.¡± I persuaded the eager girl. However, I was still a little worried about sending Regine off alone.


    ¡°Reyage, I need you to go after Regine, just as a precaution. I¡¯m sure she would have left behind some markers for you to follow.¡± I said to Reyage who was busy finishing off anyone left behind.


    ¡°Understood, Master.¡± Having finished checking all the corpses, he swiftly left to chase after Regine.

 CHAPTER 486: THE HUNT FOR THE VAMPIRE

    The Vampire Umbra¡¯s nest was located in a cave roughly fifteen kilometers from the village. It was a cave they had dug out themselves in the fashion of a secret lair. In order not to raise any suspicions, Reyage and Regine chose not to explore too far in. Instead, once they had confirmed that this was the lair of the Vampire, they promptly retreated.


    Normally, such risks wouldn¡¯t have been necessary. In the earlier battle, Reyage and Nicole had intended to leave a couple of Blood Ghouls alive. Unfortunately, all of the Vampire¡¯s servants had been cursed with a spell that was activated soon upon their capture by the Vampire. Our two captives immediately died on the spot.


    Such triggered curses were a common tactic of the Vampires, being that they ensured their Blood Ghouls were extremely obedient. However, there was also a weakness to this curse. Should the distance between the spellcaster and the victim grow too large, there was a very high chance of the curse failing.


    Thankfully, Reyage and Regine¡¯s tracking efforts had been very successful. The fleeing Vampire and his Blood Ghouls were never the wiser about the two trackers on their tails. Now, that was the hard part taken care of. What remained was a lot simpler in comparison: just raid that Vampire¡¯s lair in the day, burn the coffin he slept in, and that¡¯s one under-siege village sorted.


    For the most part, the rest of us weren¡¯t in the mood to sleep after the battle had ended. Even Jill, who was one of the last to be notified of the battle, came to accompany us while we waited for Reyage and Regine¡¯s return. With both of their safe returns, everyone got together for a quick meeting where we decided to make the fateful strike the next morning. In the meantime, the plan was to get whatever little rest we could before the main event at six in the morning sharp.


    When morning came, our entire entourage, including Jezsere, all got on our horses and neatly rode out of the village. Knowing that we were all out to vanquish the Vampire, the villagers of Lyon all came out of their houses to get a glimpse of us from the streets. Perhaps it was because they had witnessed such a scene multiple times already, there was none of the fanfare you would expect. They merely saw us off quietly, eyes more conflicted than the other.


    If there was ever something more frightening than despair, it would be gaining a glimmer of hope, only to be thrown back into the darkness right after. The villagers had already seen off three expeditions in the past, with them went their hopes as well. They could no longer suffer a forth.


    As always, I was hugging onto Jezsere as I rode on Mo Ning. Regine was ahead on horseback, leading us to the nest she scouted. Because Vampires couldn¡¯t act in the sunlight, their Blood Ghouls had to guard them during these vulnerable hours. That was why we weren¡¯t worried about the village getting attacked even if no one was left behind to guard them.


    Our party steadily progressed forward, reaching the entrance of that Vampire in slightly over an hour.


    Reyage was the first to enter, checking the surroundings of the lair for any potential dangers. Having barely taken a few steps into the cave, the sounds of fighting suddenly erupted from within. However, the fighting only took a couple of seconds, at which point Reyage came striding out, hand beckoning for us to enter.


    Nicole led us into the cave. By the side, we could see the aftermath of Reyage having taken apart both physical and magical traps. We quickly came upon the corpse of a human dressed in black leather laid lifelessly against the cave wall. In the center of his chest was an obvious stab wound that pierced through his heart.


    The deceased was a middle-aged Human. Burly, buzzcut, and ordinary in terms of looks.


    Reyage reached out to grab the deceased¡¯s neck, and with a twist of his wrist, laid the neck bare for us to see. And there it was¡­ the signature twin puncture wounds of a Blood Ghoul.


    Furthermore, these puncture wounds were clearly fresh. Meaning he had suffered these wounds recently. To be exact, just last night¡­


    Seeing as there was a Blood Ghoul guarding this entrance, there was no doubt that this was the lair we were looking for.


    ¡°My apologies, Master¡­ Our infiltration has failed.¡± Upon letting us confirm its Blood Ghoul status, Reyage lowered his head in apology. ¡°I had underestimated him; I never expected him to be a Lycan¡­¡±


    Reyage was a Six-star Assassin. Under normal circumstances, it was impossible for an ordinary Human to notice him. Yet these weren¡¯t normal circumstances. The entrance of a lair was bound to be riddled with traps and alarms. Given that this was day, there would also be a guard stationed at the entrance. It would be hard for Reyage to function at full strength given these conditions. Not to mention the fact that Lycans could transform at will, and even when they were in their human forms, they would still retain some of the traits of their Werewolf form.


    For example, a keen sense of smell and hearing¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind it too much, we never planned on making a stealthy entrance anyway.¡±


    Whenever a Vampire planned to sleep, it would enter its coffin. During such a time, it was difficult to wake up said Vampire, especially when the Vampire was severely injured. Under such circumstances, it was nearly impossible for the Vampire to suddenly get up and run. Unless, of course, someone picked up the coffin and absconded with it. That was why we had to act swiftly and kill him here and now.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go in first. I¡¯m sure that fighting just now has alerted some of the guards. I¡¯m afraid we can only fight our way in at this point.¡± Said Nicole.


    Having entered her Demon Hunter state of mind, she was even colder than usual. Previously, Jill had told us that Nicole had a reputation as an ice queen in Azure City¡¯s Demon Hunter Branch. In all likelihood, this was what they had in mind.


    Closely following behind, Neneth came striding in with an oversized blade the size of a door and completely at odds with the cute girl image she gave off. The power loli. Speaking of which¡­ power and loli is really a great combination, isn¡¯t it?


    Behind her, I marched with Jezsere closely by my side, hand pressed against her own. Then came Regine, Jill, Zurnalin and Reyage. As for Mo Ning¡­ I gestured in her direction, reminding her of her current disguise as a normal horse.


    The insides of the Vampire¡¯s lair was pitch black. The Dark Elves and I clearly had the ability to see in the dark, but so did Regine as well. Being a Demoness, she had inherited some abilities from my patronage, and Darkvision was one such ability.


    Unlike us, Nicole and Neneth were both ordinary Humans. Their eyes could not see much in such an environment. That was why both of them reached for their pockets soon after entering the cave and fished out a pair of sunglasses-looking objects to wear. These were probably tools to allow them to fight at night, imparting some degree of vision in darkness for normal Humans.


    ¡°Eh? Sister Mo Na, don¡¯t you need to put on your Darkvision Goggles?¡± Asked Neneth, having turned around to look at us after putting on her own goggles. ¡°You might bang into the wall if you don¡¯t put them on.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Our martial arts is a little peculiar, it gives some degree of Darkvision.¡± I smiled at Neneth before continuing, ¡°quickly now. We can¡¯t be sure if those Blood Ghouls are busy evacuating the Vampire¡¯s coffin right this instant.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. Neneth and Sister Nicole will lead the charge!¡±


    Our following journey deeper into the Vampire¡¯s lair proceeded smoothly from that point on, unusually so even. While there might have been a few Lycans ambushing us along the way, they were swiftly taken out by our forces. Unlike the village battle, our whole might was brought to bear upon this lair. With Zurnalin, an Eight-star expert, holding down the proverbial fort, there was no way a bunch of Five-stars and Six-stars could ever hope to win.


    Just like that, we advanced easily until we came upon the Vampire¡¯s black coffin. It was located in a separate secret room. Around it were four transformed Lycans trying to move away said coffin. Unfortunately for them, moving the coffin wasn¡¯t an easy task. There was a grisly-looking red magical array carved into the ground beneath that was constantly supplying the coffin with mana. It was meant to aid in the Vampire¡¯s healing, but that also meant that the coffin was now rooted to the ground, unmovable even with the combined efforts of four transformed Lycans.


    I guess that¡¯s what it means to smash one¡¯s foot while trying to pick up a rock.


    Upon noticing our arrival, the four Lycans immediately howled into the air before charging fearlessly right at us. Ever since they had become Blood Ghouls, their lives had become bound to the Vampire as well. Should the Vampire they serve die, the curse placed on them would kill them as well. That was why they had no choice but to defend like their lives depended on it.


    Nicole swiftly lowered her body and took up a quickdraw stance with her sword. An instant later, her sword flashed out of its scabbard, sending forth a glaring wave of energy that tore apart the darkness of the lair. In no time at all, a Lycan laid dead on the floor, split along its waist! Neneth hoisted up her gigantic blade at the same time and began swinging it about in a dance. And just like that, one of the charging Lycans was sent flying backwards like a baseball¡­


    Reyage had taken the opportunity to strike as well. Before that poor Lycan even knew what had happened, Reyage appeared next to the flying Lycan and perforated its forehead with his left dagger. With his right, he held out another razor-sharp dagger that easily sliced through another Lycan that was still in the midst of leaping towards Neneth. A second later, the Lycan had finally reached his target. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t do anything as the upper half of his head was now missing¡­


    Yet Zurnalin had to have been the most violent of the lot here. By focusing her mana into a shield, this disguised Dark Elf beauty slammed her mana shield into an oncoming Lycan. Then with a powerful thrust of her sword, she nailed the flying Lycan onto the wall.


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    Now that the Lycans were taken care of, Nicole walked up to the coffin and took up position. Having found the right spot, she gripped down hard on her sword then sent it thrusting down into the black material.


    The Epic-grade weapon that it was easily penetrated the coffin, following which a horrific wail filled the room¡­ so there was a person inside it¡­ I mean, Vampire.


    The abruptness of the wail sent Jezsere jumping into my arms both out of surprise and terror. Our resident timid girl immediately pressed herself against my body in a bid to seek out some measure of comfort while I patted her head like I would a puppy. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, your master is here.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. Master¡¯s here, Jezsere isn¡¯t scared.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. Taking advantage of the situation like that just because she¡¯s timid¡­¡± Seeing no avenue to step in between us, Zurnalin couldn¡¯t help but pout at that point while muttering to herself, ¡°when will Master ever accept me¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡± Regine coldly harrumphed at her then.


    At the side, Jill could barely stifle a laughter as she watched my mini-harem duke it out. ¡°Seems like my dear employer has set up a rather large harem. But I wonder how long before the pruning starts¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Reyage silently stood watching. I won¡¯t say anything, but I will watch.


    ¡°This Vampire¡¯s bloodlines should be very pure. It would be best if we bring the coffin out to the sun to bake for a while.¡± Not at all affected by our little display, Nicole took this opportunity to stow her sword, only to be stumped soon after by the sheer weight of the coffin.


    ¡°Neneth can push the coffin to the outside, but Neneth can¡¯t destroy the magical array.¡±


    ¡°Leave that to me.¡± Nicole stepped forth with her Epic-grade weapon drawn, then sliced apart the array on the ground. Without its magical bindings to hold it down, the coffin was now nothing but an ordinary coffin. With that done, she suddenly had the mind to stab the coffin again¡­


    ¡°ARRGHHH!¡± The Vampire wailed once more. Unlike the previous time however, Nicole did not draw out her sword but left it stabbed into the coffin as if she was trying to nail him down.


    ¡°Now it¡¯s Neneth¡¯s turn!¡± With all the preparations taken care of, Neneth first kept her gigantic blade behind her then stepped up to the coffin to begin pushing. As expected, even the coffin¡¯s heavy structure couldn¡¯t stand up to the power loli that she was, though it protested to ear-piercing effect¡­


    ¡°Are you sure Neneth will be alright by herself? Should we help her?¡± While I knew of her power, that coffin had to be at least a few hundred kilograms. Her slender arms weren¡¯t exactly a very reassuring show of confidence.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine! Neneth is a capable girl!¡± She said with a big grin then stuck her tongue out at me. Having done that, she devoted her entire attention back to the coffin. ¡°Neneth MK I, activate!¡±


    Like an asian aunty during a flash supermarket sale, the shopping cart that was the coffin sped ahead as if it was on oil¡­


    Finally, thanks to the hard work of Neneth, the coffin was brought outside of the cave.


    Nicole took out the sword she drove into the coffin, but not before giving it one last twist, causing another wail from within.


    (Say no to content thief!)


    Having done that, she took up defensive positions in case the Vampire decided to launch a last, desperate strike. ¡°Open it.¡± She calmly said to Neneth.


    ¡°Kay!!~~¡±


    Neneth answered with a heave as her milky white hand shoved the lid of the coffin off, sending it tumbling away.


    The time was now nine in the morning; it was the warmest time before afternoon. But to the Vampire lying within, even the gentleness of the morning sun was a deadly poison. Without the shelter of his coffin, the Vampire was now fully exposed.


    White smoke immediately billowed from his body. The Vampire¡¯s face had immediately begun to corrode like it had acid thrown on it. Right before our very eyes, flesh was falling off his face, but not before letting forth a sickening goopy sound. Gone was his pale but dashing appearance of last night, replaced with a visage that was even more horrific than monster¡¯s.


    ¡°AHHHH¡­ I curse you all¡­ I curse you all to an everlasting life in darkness¡­ the Apocalypse will come soon¡­ and all Humans will bath in its fiery brimstones¡­ Hahaha¡­ I might be gone now¡­ but I¡¯ll be waiting for you all in Hell¡­ waiting for the end of this world¡­ and coming of the Devil God¡¯s wrath¡­¡±


    Faced with the Vampire¡¯s pain-induced insanity and ravings, our resident timid girl was once again scared out of her wits.


    By now, the Vampire had been completely reduced to ashes. Nicole took out a bottle of holy water from her backpack and poured it over the ashes¡­ is this the Vampire version of having your corpse flogged even after death?


    I¡¯m guessing we won¡¯t be seeing Umbra rise from the dead again at this point. With the purification powers in that water, I doubt a creature of darkness can still revive itself from such a state. Good riddance.


    Still¡­ it feels kind of strange to have a bunch of people staring at an empty coffin.


    In the spirit of thematic aptness, I decided to set the coffin alight with my flames. To which the coffin happily cooperated with by slowly being consumed. Now that the job was done, I happily clapped my hands and nodded my head. ¡°Job¡¯s done.¡±


    Nicole tossed her empty bottle of holy water into the coffin pyre then swept her eyes over me. A second later, she turned around, with cape-swishing-in-the-air levels of dashingness, and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    As if set on wings, news of victory quickly spread throughout the village. In no time at all, the silence of the village was broken as crying villagers rushed out of their houses to greet us with cheers and smiles. They exchanged hugs with each other, not at all like the jaded statues they were before¡­


    Joyful cries of children filled the village once more as everyone revelled in the afterglow of having escaped sure death.


    ¡°Tonight, we will have a celebration!¡± Formerly the bandit leader and now the interim village chief, Leeder, threw down those words then led a bunch of the village¡¯s youth away on a no-holds-barred shopping spree for food.


    (TL: That name wasn¡¯t planned. I don¡¯t remember his name being mentioned previously as well¡­)


    Nicole had initially tried to reject the offer as she had to rush back to report to the Demon Hunter¡¯s Guild. But the gratitude the villagers held towards us right now couldn¡¯t simply be described by words, nor could be it dispersed by words either. Faced with the insistent pleas of the village¡¯s elderly, even the ice queen that she now was couldn¡¯t help but cave in to the idea of a three-day long celebration.


    In fact, there was talk of having this day memorialised as a day of salvation where our deeds would be committed to the annals of their history for their descendants to learn from.


    Now¡­ I might be the paragon of humbleness and all, but if you guys really insist on treating me like an idol, I guess I will just have to oblige.


    In that case, let¡¯s have some fun, everyone(minna)!


    (TL: Had to google that¡­)

 CHAPTER 487: CELEBRATIONS

    The shopping team that left with Leeder only returned at nighttime, roughly the time for dinner. Because of that, dinner had to be delayed and the affair ended up being a bonfire celebration as well.


    Lyon just so happened to have an open area available which they often used to hang dry their clothes. Carts after carts of firewood were brought in and soon a three meter tall stack of wood was erected in the center.


    By now, the sun had set and the moon was just visible. The winds tonight were warm, and in a large open area like this, even a thousand villagers could hustle and bustle about without feeling cramped. While erecting this wooden structure wasn¡¯t an easy task, no one seemed to mind at all. Everyone who worked on this project, whether it was the chopping, the moving or the stacking, all acted with a beaming smile on their faces.


    With the structure done, Leeder reverently handed me a lit torch to me. ¡°Sir, the first light goes to you.¡±


    I took the lit torch from his hands but did not set fire to the structure. Instead, I handed it over to Nicole who suspiciously eyed me. ¡°I think you should do it instead.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Nicole hesitated to receive the torch. Finally, it was only because Neneth was constantly nagging about how hungry she was that she took the torch, slowly walked up to the structure, and threw the torch.


    ¡°Woah!!~~¡±


    The torch curved in a perfect arc as it flew above the structure and landed right in the middle. A second later, the first ray of light broke through the night sky to rapturious cheers. Following that, a group of young men and women stepped forth before all of us who took part in the slaying, lit torches in hand. Were they telling us to have a go as well?


    It was Neneth who grabbed the torch first from one of the young ladies, then casually tossed it at the wooden structure. In preparation for tonight¡¯s feast, Neneth hadn¡¯t eaten at all upon returning to the village. Now, with the prospect of a feast so close to her, she wasn¡¯t about to waste anymore time lighting some old fire.


    Having done her part, she practically glared at us who hadn¡¯t taken the torch yet, as if to say, hurry up, Neneth is starving here¡­


    I guess there¡¯s really no reason to hesitate, is there?


    All of us received the torches and tossed it at the wooden structure, after which Leeder formally announced the start of the feast.


    Unlike what you would expect of such a scene, the village did not have a custom of dancing around bonfires, so upon Leeder¡¯s announcement, everyone started grabbing their own food.


    As the food lover of the group, Neneth brought her third stomach today as she began ravaging the table of anything she could grab her hands on. Nicole, in contrast, serenely sat at the side, helping to stack vegetables onto Neneth¡¯s plate.


    In order to prepare this feast, Leeder used up more than half of the village¡¯s stockpile. When the shopping team returned, they had eight full carts of food with them.


    Perhaps it was because of Leeder¡¯s instructions, but our table only had people from our party. While the other villagers were a little curious about us, none of them joined us in the end. Perhaps they thought they weren¡¯t worthy?


    Seated beside Neneth, Nicole¡¯s expression seemed a lot serener than usual, a side effect of watching Neneth eat?


    Zurnalin and Jezsere each took up a spot by my side. Because there was no time for a shower, Regine sat a seat away from me, with Jezsere separating the two of us. Next to her was Jill and finally Reyage. The table itself was rather large so we had plenty of leg space each.


    A little thirsty now, Neneth randomly opened up a bottle and downed its content. Yet the moment the first gush of liquid reached her throat, she immediately spat it out.


    ¡°This wine¡­ it¡¯s too spicy¡­ Neneth doesn¡¯t like it.¡±


    Good. Kids should be drinking milk instead, not wine. Drinking milk makes you thicc. Drinking wine makes you flat.


    Zurnalin and Jezsere were both feeding me food, which I had to admit, wouldn¡¯t be a big issue most of the time. However, Nicole was with us right now, a little modesty would be for the best. Furthermore -call me crazy but- I had this feeling that Mo Ning might just pop up in a fit of horsy rage if I were to let them continue any further.


    And this wasn¡¯t just me being self-absorbed either -she was definitely spying at us from somewhere in the darkness¡­ else I would have busted out the moves already¡­


    While we were eating, Leeder suddenly came up to us with a well-dressed middle aged man. The man had a canvas hanging by his left leg while his left hand held onto a sack. His right held onto a wooden frame. I immediately found that frame familiar¡­ an easel?


    ¡°Sirs and ladies, if you will forgive my intrusion¡­¡± Leeder made way for the middle aged man, a smile plastered all over his face. ¡°It¡¯s like this. I had specially arranged for the village¡¯s best artist to capture the scene of sirs and ladies having dinner. Our humble village does not have much to offer as reward, but we will forever hang up this painting and have our descendants pay their respects.¡±


    Ugh¡­ that was a little cringy¡­


    While I wasn¡¯t all too taken with the idea, Neneth seemed a lot more receptive. She immediately stopped eating upon hearing that someone wanted to paint her. Then, with a slurry of fruit still in her mouth, she mumbled, ¡°Nafnaf¡­wants a copy¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, we will have the painting replicated so that everyone has a copy.¡±


    Seeing as Neneth had given her approval, none of us objected. Leeder stepped to the side and signalled for the artist to start, who promptly obliged.


    Now that there was an outsider watching us, Zurnalin and Jezsere were a lot more reserved with their feeding. The meal itself proceeded for another two more hours, and by the time we were done eating, the painting was about finished as well. The finishing touches did not require us to be at the table so we all left first for a stroll.


    At a nearby patch of grass further away from the bonfire, we found a perfect spot where the fireflies danced about in a display of eye-catching luminescence. Having stuffed herself completely, Neneth¡¯s attention was completely captured by these sparkling jewels, gleefully chasing after their brightness like a child.


    However, running right after a meal wasn¡¯t a good idea either. I initially wanted to stop her from doing so, but upon noticing how Nicole was faintly smiling at her, I immediately changed my mind¡­ I guess I can let her have her fun for now. When her tummy starts to ache, I can scold her then.


    With Neneth preoccupied by the fireflies, I signalled for Jezsere and rest to find a quiet spot elsewhere so that Nicole and I could have a little alone time. Even though Zurnalin wasn¡¯t too happy about that, she still left without much objection. Since the person most likely to object was now gone, the rest had no reason to stay behind either.


    Finally, I was now alone with Nicole. As I gazed into her beautiful face, I couldn¡¯t help but get a little intoxicated. How many years had it been since we last met? I had left her during the most important years of her development. Because of that, her personality ended up being warped. She was once a cheerful girl that loved nothing more than to smile and yet now¡­ Is she still searching for me? Or has she already decided that I was dead?


    I had to try my hardest to resist the urge to hug her right now, to chase away her worries with a warm embrace. I couldn¡¯t reveal my identity; she was a Demon Hunter, and I was a Devil. More importantly, I did not know how to make her believe me. All this time, I had a burning desire in my heart to just come completely clean. But whenever that urge got the better of me, I would be immediately reminded of that time when I was surrounded in my own home. Those Demon Hunters did not even try to believe my words, instead claiming that my own soul had been devoured¡­ what a joke, I am Mo Ke. The one and only Mo Ke! There¡¯s no way I could ever¡­


    There were a million things I wanted to say, but what I truly wanted to say to her was this: I¡¯m home.


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    Time flew by as I mulled over a variety of matters. Finally, after an unknown amount of time had passed, I was brought back to reality by Nicole¡¯s cold voice. ¡°Are you done yet?¡±


    Because she still thought of me as a girl, I had to begrudgingly admit how advantageous this was to me right now. Faced with her abrupt questioning, I was a little taken aback but soon recovered with a smile and what would have probably been a cringy pick up line if I was a guy, ¡°Not yet, I think I can stare at your face for a lifetime more.¡±


    Honestly, that was a line I had picked up from one of those soap operas on television. I still remembered how much I cringed at it and thought that I would never use it. Apparently, I was saving it for this new life of mine¡­


    It was only after experiencing the scene for myself that I finally understood the emotions that went into that line. I truly felt that I wanted to spend a lifetime with her.


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible between women,¡± was the placid reply she gave me. Out of all the possible answers she could have given me, I would have to rate this as one of the less likely. I had honestly expected her to find my advances off putting.


    Even so, I still wanted to be with her. If possible, forever, even if she did not realise who I was. Giving someone your company was the truest form of a confession¡­ as long as I knew who she was¡­ that was enough¡­

 CHAPTER 488: I WANT TO BE YOUR SHADOW

    Impossible because two women can¡¯t have children together? Now where have I heard that before?


    ¡°Who says it¡¯s impossible? You just haven¡¯t seen someone make it work, that¡¯s all.¡± Hah. I just so happen to know a certain race where two women can have children together. And my godmother so happens to the literal deity of that race. Impossible is not an issue for me¡­


    Hold on. I¡¯m a guy here. Why do I care whether or not two women can have a child together? Crap, my intelligence must be getting muddled by my proximity to Nicole. That must be it!


    Maybe she¡¯s secretly a psychic leech who drains intelligence? And her decade-long secret has been uncovered by me. Or maybe it¡¯s just me¡­


    ¡°If¡­ and this is just an if¡­¡± I looked into Nicole¡¯s red eyes and almost blurted out the secret which I had desperately tried to keep hidden. ¡°What if I were a man? Would you believe me if I were to say that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not really a matter of belief, is it? You either are or aren¡¯t.¡± Nicole glared coldly at me. ¡°So what are you trying to say here? You¡¯ve even sent away your companions for this.¡±


    ¡°Not- nothing. I just wanted to talk to you alone, that¡¯s all.¡± I flashed her a brilliant smile. ¡°You know, because I see you frowning all the time. Is something bothering you?¡±


    ¡°Bothering¡­¡± At that, Nicole suddenly turned around to look at Neneth who was still chasing the fireflies, her eyes strangely dark now. ¡°I¡¯m looking for someone¡­ he¡¯s probably dead, or maybe not¡­ I don¡¯t know where he is now, but I intend to spend the rest of my life finding him.¡±


    Hearing that confession, I immediately felt a pang of guilt in my heart. At the same time, I was excited. Excited because she treated locating me as the most important thing in her life, though that also made me guilty because of the trauma on her. If only I could just appear before her¡­


    Even though I knew she was obviously looking for me, I had no choice but to ask, ¡°Who is it you are looking for? Your lover?¡±


    ¡°He is my little brother¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh. I thought you were going to say he¡¯s your boyfriend, hah.¡± As I said that, I had to practically force my lips into a smile. After all, I was just a little brother to her all this time. We were still kids when we met so I couldn¡¯t be sure if she ever had any other thoughts about our relationship¡­


    ¡°I have no lover. I never had one, and never will¡­ He doesn¡¯t like any other man near me. Unfortunately, I realised that too late¡­ as long as he will just return to my side¡­¡± Nicole raised her head slowly to look at the crescent moon in the sky, then as if she was still talking to me, said, ¡°but I don¡¯t know where he is or if he¡¯s even alive¡­¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m sure he¡¯s alive!¡± I confidently declared.


    ¡°Ke? Is that your little brother¡¯s name?¡±


    ¡°Mhm. His full name is Mo Ke, he¡¯s a child of my father¡¯s dearest friend¡­ he was adopted by us because of some circumstances. I heard from my father that he kept saying, Mo Ke, Mo Ke, when he shouldn¡¯t even be able to talk. That was why his parents gave him the name Mo Ke¡­¡± She then began recounting her experience with Mo Ke, arms hugged around her knees as she sat on the grass patch.


    From her words alone, I could tell that she remembered every little adventure we had together. Like how we always fell off the tree while climbing it¡­ how I liked to fake a cry till she kissed me¡­ how I always liked to cause trouble for Sares¡­ and even things which I had forgotten about, she still remembered. As long as it pertained to me, she kept those memories close to heart¡­ just like how I would do for her.


    Just looking at that sincere smile on her face as she said that, a sudden urge to come clean came over me.


    However, I resisted that urge in the end with gritted teeth. Until I had a sure way to make her completely believe me, I wasn¡¯t going to let her know my identity¡­ After all, I was a Devil now, and she would never trust the words of a Devil.


    A real Devil¡­ was full of lies¡­ and if even they were telling the truth, no one would believe them¡­


    ¡°Ke was a really good singer.¡±


    ¡°Singer? What a coincidence, so am I. If the chance arises, I would love for you to hear me to sing.¡±


    ¡°Mmh.¡± She nodded noncommittally to my suggestion. For the time being, I had no intentions of singing for her as well, since I couldn¡¯t be sure that I wouldn¡¯t just blurt out the fact that I was Mo Ke and get a sword through my heart¡­


    For the next two days, the village of Lyon was in celebration. Everyone had forgotten about the frustrations of the past, the fears of the future, they were all celebrating earnestly. Whether it was with an endless supply of meat or wine, they would never stop the merry-making. Some even took the opportunity to get married.


    These few days were like being born anew for these villagers. While the Vampire might not have been a particularly hungry one, his presence had caused the population to fall by at least half. During its heyday, the village had at least two thousand villagers living within it¡­ now there were less than one thousand.


    However, as long as the village was still alive, such losses were recoverable. A number of households had taken this opportunity to matchmake their kids together, if they were not already attached to another. And if a wedding was needed, they would even hold a communal one. In that sense, the people of this world were a lot more open about their love.


    On just the second day alone, I witnessed thirty two couples tie the knot. And on the third and last day of the celebration, that number ballooned to nearly a hundred. At these communal weddings, we were not only there to give our blessing, but as witnesses as well. Throughout the ceremony, the children would skip around, singing songs about love and family.


    Ah¡­ how I wish this wedding was for me and Nicole as well¡­ No matter, I¡¯m back by her side now, and sooner or later, she will recognise me. But until then, I have to be like her shadow.


    All in all, everyone had a merry time during those three days. Even Nicole had noticeably less wrinkles coming out.


    However, all good things had to come to an end one day. After today, we would leave Lyon. While Nicole might not realise that I was Mo Ke, I had resolved myself to follow her. It wasn¡¯t like that would be a difficult task for me anyway. My disguise did not use up much mana, and my identity was basically unbreachable while the spell held up. Not only that, I had a bunch of Dark Elves guarding me from the shadows ¨C what could possibly go wrong?


    Upon learning of my decision to leave, Leeder brought the remaining seven members of the bandit troupe to see me.


    When they found me, I just so happened to be feeding Mo Ning alone.


    Ever since we had entered the Western Human Realms, Mo Ning never had a chance to have a meal with us. Every day, she could only watch as Zurnalin, Jezsere and Regine eat with me, all the while feeling left out. That was why I decided to feed her myself today. Only by doing so could I placate her and her growing jealousy.


    Thankfully, Mo Ning was rather agreeable. As long as I placated her, she wouldn¡¯t act up, though there was nothing stopping her from being jealous. Ever since Mo Ning had turned into a monster beauty, I had to admit that my aversion to her had lessened significantly. Circumstances aside, at least half of her was now humanoid¡­ Now, I¡¯m not saying I¡¯m into monster girls¡­ all that is just 2D talk. I don¡¯t want them coming into my 3D world¡­


    Sensing their arrival, I did not stop right away, instead reaching out for a bag of beans and placing it before Mo Ning. As for Mo Ning, she did not even waste the effort to look at the bandits, instead lowering her head to munch on the beans like a horse would. From time to time , however, she would sneak in a lick or two of my hand.


    Hmph, I see how it is¡­ those beans aren¡¯t enough for you¡­ you are trying to take advantage of me as well¡­ I swear¡­ At the very beginning, my intention was to feed her from a bowl. But she insisted strongly that I used my hand instead.


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    Glancing around for a second, Leeder finally greeted me cautiously when he realised no one was around. ¡°Sir, feeding your horse?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± I harrumphed without even looking back at him.


    With regards to this bandit leader turned interim village chief, I really could not bring myself to like him. Even though he claimed he had the village¡¯s interests at heart when he turned to bandity, I just couldn¡¯t trust him completely. Especially now when we still had a grudge with each other.


    ¡°Sir¡­ since you are leaving today and all¡­ about that thing in our bodies¡­ could you remove it?¡±


    ¡°You mean the spider? I guess it should be removed.¡±


    ¡°Many thanks, sir, many thanks¡­¡± Hearing me agree so easily, not only was Leeder moved, the other seven almost broke down in tears as well.


    Honestly, even if they did not bring it up now, I would have still removed the spider from their bodies before leaving. At the end of the day, they were still villagers of Lyon. Even though they had committed some wrongs in the past, enough lives had been lost in this village already. Plus, it was highly unlikely they would go back to banditry after what they experienced this time.


    ¡°Open your mouths.¡± I instructed them before using my mana to guide the spiders within them to crawl out.


    ¡°Blegh¡­¡± Perhaps it was because the sensation of having a spider crawl up your throat was disgusting, or more likely because they were disgusted by the spider either way, the former bandits couldn¡¯t help but retch in unison, though the spiders came out smoothly in the end.


    Without a host, the spiders started to struggle about on the ground, dying soon after belly up. I could have retrieved those spiders, but the thought of retrieving an insect that had just crawled out of someone was¡­ disgusting. It was also safer to just kill them as well. The last thing I wanted was for one to accidentally get loose and infect the entire village.


    ¡°Many thanks for your magnanimity and forgiveness¡­¡± Having vomited out the spider, Leeder went down on his knees and began kowtowing as a sign of his gratitude.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll be gone soon anyway. I just hope you will keep your mouth where it belongs.¡± I deliberately glared at the eight of them and said, ¡°don¡¯t be too happy so soon. Even though I¡¯ve removed the spiders, they¡¯ve already laid their eggs within you. That means I can still use my mana to activate them, spider or no spider. At that point¡­ I¡¯m sure nothing needs to be said.¡±


    ¡°Please¡­ I beg of you, sir¡­ remove those eggs from us¡­¡± The eight of them immediately went down on their knees again, each crying and kowtowing harder than the other in an absolutely sorry state.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. As long as you lot do not try anything funny, I promise the eggs will never hatch.¡±


    ¡°But, sir, if you do not remove the spiders, we can never be at ease¡­¡±


    ¡°At ease?¡± I coldly laughed. ¡°I should be the one worried instead¡­ don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve forgotten what you¡¯ve done.¡±


    At that, they fell silent. They obviously wanted to say some more but they realised it was no point, and they couldn¡¯t really force this matter either. At the very least, they had my guarantee that the eggs wouldn¡¯t hatch.


    ¡°We promise to never say a word of this, sir¡­¡±


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    ¡°Good, then be off with you. I don¡¯t want my day to be spoilt further.¡±


    ¡°Got it¡­ we¡¯ll be gone right this instant¡­¡± Having said that, all eight of them crawled away as fast as they could. The area was now nice and quiet again, except for those dead spiders on the ground¡­


    I channelled my mana into flames and burned those corpses before returning to feeding Mo Ning.


    Even so, my mind was a little distracted, and Mo Ning could tell from the feeding. ¡°Dearest, are you really going to leave those eggs in their bodies?¡±


    Hearing her talk, I frowned and muttered, ¡°don¡¯t talk while we are in human lands.¡±


    ¡°What are you afraid of? It¡¯s just us.¡± Mo Ning lowered her voice. ¡°So are you going to leave those eggs in them? I promise I will keep quiet once you tell me.¡±


    ¡°No. That was just a lie.¡± I picked up a bean and brought it to Mo Ning¡¯s mouth. ¡°I¡¯ve let them go for now, but I still can¡¯t trust someone who was once a bandit¡­¡±


    A cold gust of wind blew past us at that point, else the evening remained relatively quiet.

 CHAPTER 489: A TRAP

    Leeder watched with a heavy heart as Mo Ke and the others rode off into the distance. Yet he wasn¡¯t the only one that day that had a heavy heart, the villagers watching with him did as well. In actuality, there were a lot of unusual points about the Vampire¡¯s incursion. Perhaps the other villagers might not have noticed, but as the interim village chief, he had to be more observant than the ordinary villagers.


    For example: why did the Vampire even attack them to begin with? Lyon wasn¡¯t the only village within a fifteen kilometer radius, there were at least two others with a population of several hundreds. Logically speaking, the resistance he would face in these villages would be a lot less than what he faced in a large village like theirs. So why did the Vampire even attack them to begin with?


    It was a strange choice, to be sure. Furthermore, since the two months he started attacking this village, he hadn¡¯t targeted any of the other villages. And he only took one victim with him, no more, no less.


    The Vampire¡¯s motives clearly weren¡¯t just about hunting prey or raising livestock. If he wanted to capture livestock for himself, there was no way he would ever allow the villagers to get wind of his activities. After all, Lyon had sent three expeditions to slay him because they had managed to get word of his activities. Rather than filling his belly with blood, it would make more sense to say that his actions were aimed at terrorizing the village.


    Before Mo Ke, the previous village chief had sent out three waves of mercenaries, even losing his life in the last wave. After each wave, the Vampire would change the location of his nest, so Leeder did not know the exact location of the nest. Initially, he planned to mobilise the villagers to help track down the nest of the Vampire, in a bid to curry some favour with Mo Ke. Yet who would have thought that before he could even make the suggestion, Regine and Reyage had already brought back news of the Vampire¡¯s exact location.


    With that plan now dashed against the rocks, Leeder was more than a little concerned about his well-being. After all, Mo Ke was a monster who could easily order the slaughter of ninety people without batting an eye -ninety lives!


    Even though he was a bandit, the amount of people he had killed wasn¡¯t many. Certainly not ninety in one go; he was after their money, not their lives. Other than killing off some of their more persistent targets and harassing some beautiful women, Leeder felt his crimes weren¡¯t that bad at all. For the most part, he saw his actions as means of survival.


    At the start, his plan was to just run away to the city and settle down after his first robbery. Unfortunately, the members of his bandit troupe still had family members they were concerned about in Lyon so that plan didn¡¯t pan out in the end. Plus, he himself had a father to avenge. That was what led to them staying behind. None of them expected then that this fateful decision would lead them to the disaster known as Mo Ke.


    However, all that wasn¡¯t important now. Mo Ke was now off to find trouble with the Vampire. Whether he succeeded in slaying that Vampire or whether he ended up being killed by that Vampire, he was happy either way. To some degree, he was trying to comfort himself: perhaps if Mo Ke died, his parasite spiders would die along with him as well. And if they didn¡¯t, hopefully Mo Ke would be able to slay that Vampire.


    By now, Mo Ke¡¯s entourage had disappeared into the horizon. Leeder chased away the gloomy thoughts in his head with a shake. Yet, somehow, he felt tired. Even though he had just woken up, he wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep.


    But just as he was about to reach his home, an old wizened voice called out to him.


    ¡°Leeder, come here for a moment.¡±


    ¡°Granny Adele?¡± Leeder turned in the direction of the voice to find a hunchback old lady standing in front of her home, waving in his direction. She wore a relatively clean, set of black robes that obscured her hair with its hood. The only parts of her that were visible were her wrinkled face and shrivelled hands that resembled a chicken¡¯s feet.


    ¡°Good lad. Come over here quickly, and have a seat with your granny.


    Leeder was quite familiar with this old lady. She was a kind lady that often gave sweets to the children of the village. When he was young, he himself was given some of her handmade treats; till now, he still couldn¡¯t forget how delicious they were.


    Having entered her home, Leeder found himself an available seat and sat down, back faced against the wall. ¡°Granny, you were looking for me?¡±


    Granny Adele poured some hot water into a cup then handed it to him. ¡°They have gone to slay the Vampire?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Leeder absentmindedly answered the question, following which he gulped down a mouthful of the liquid. It was piping hot, as you would expect. The drink itself was bitter at first but left a sweet aftertaste in the mouth. It was tea made from the Sorrel Herb. The poor weren¡¯t able to afford coffee beans so they often used this herb to serve their guests instead.


    Upon drinking the tea, Leeder¡¯s anxiety finally calmed down.


    ¡°Do you think they will succeed this time?¡± Granny Adele smiled at him from the side.


    ¡°I think so¡­¡± As he said that, Leeder couldn¡¯t help but remember the frightening display of prowess brought to bear against his bandits. The more he thought about that almost miraculous monster summoned out of pure flames, the more he felt sure that the Vampire was doomed and that salvation had come to his village.


    ¡°They will definitely succeed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, they will definitely succeed.¡±


    Regardless of whether or not he had a parasitic spider in his belly right now, the Vampire was a problem that had to be solved sooner or later. Even if the villagers were strong of will, it was only a matter of time before they collapsed mentally from living under the thumb of that Vampire. Not to mention the fact that the villagers already had their hopes dashed thrice. If Leeder who was a Four-star was already about to give up, those ordinary villagers weren¡¯t going to fare any better.


    ¡°What about Ludean and the others who left with you?¡± Perhaps Granny Adele had sensed the unease in his voice, but she suddenly changed the topic. ¡°In the past, everyone who left with you would return together, so why do I only see the eight of you this time?¡±


    ¡°Ludean and the rest¡­ are busy outside. They won¡¯t be returning anytime soon¡­¡±


    Ludean was one of the bandits slain by Mo Ke. Being reminded of him all of a sudden also brought up memories of how he was force fed a spider, bringing a bout of cold sweat to him.


    Noticing this as well, Granny Adele continued asking, ¡°Busy? Shouldn¡¯t they return with you? And isn¡¯t it too much of a coincidence that all ninety one of them suddenly became busy together?¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­ that¡¯s just how it is sometimes with coincidences¡­ I can¡¯t help it as well. We struck a really good deal this time, once they all return, we will all be rich¡­ the village as well¡­ we can rebuild the village and everyone will have a better life¡­¡±


    Leeder didn¡¯t dare reveal the death of Ludean yet, so he had no choice but to come up with a random story to explain their absence.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Granny Adele smiled knowingly at him. ¡°They¡¯ve gone to settle a business deal then? Here I was thinking that they were all dead.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± The moment the word dead left her mouth, his already anxious expression practically collapsed. ¡°Granny¡­ they really are just out doing business¡­¡±


    ¡°Fine, we will leave it at that for now. But how do you explain that insect in your body right now?¡± Her lips cracked into a smirk at that point. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you swallowed it by accident?¡±


    ¡°Granny¡­ you¡­ how did you know¡­¡± Leeder stared in shock at the granny whom he had always passed off as being kind and affable. Suddenly, a terrifying realisation dawned upon him, one that sent a shiver down his spine just thinking about it. He was afraid. Extremely afraid of the implications of his guess.


    ¡°Good children do not tell lies.¡± Granny Adele reached with her chicken claw-like hands and ruffled his hair. ¡°Be good now. Tell your granny what you went through in the past two days.¡±


    Leeder instinctively tried to back away from her hands but found, to his horror, that he couldn¡¯t move at all. Other than speaking, there was nothing he could now, as if he had lost control of his body entirely. He could only sit there woodenly on the chair, stiff as a corpse.


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    ¡°Relax, you¡¯re one of the children granny watched growing up, she will never hurt you.¡± Having said that, Granny Adele went back to her seat. However, the words she said next were anything but harmless. ¡°O silly me, I almost forgot¡­ That tea I served you just now had something inside it¡­ but what was it¡­ your granny must be getting old herself¡­ but you shouldn¡¯t die from it¡­¡±


    As Leeder stared at this familiar yet foreign old lady before him, his heart was strangely devoid of any fear now. More accurately, it was dead. If even this kind old granny who had watched him grow up couldn¡¯t be trusted, who else could be trusted?


    Leeder really did not want to die¡­ even though the past two days were a living hell for him¡­ perhaps this was his retribution for being a bandit? It was at that moment that Leeder suddenly had this thought that perhaps dying to Mo Ke that day would have been more merciful.


    However, that thought only lasted for a split second. He wasn¡¯t one to give up so easily. At the very least, he wanted to struggle to the bitter end. He bit down on his teeth and asked, ¡°Who are you exactly?¡±


    ¡°Who am I isn¡¯t important right now. What¡¯s important is whether you wish to die or not?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± He bit down on his teeth once more then answered with a firm shake of his head, ¡°do not.¡±


    ¡°Then listen to your granny, she will protect you.¡± She broke into a grin that somehow seemed even more eerie than everything she had done before. ¡°After all, you¡¯re the child that granny watched growing up.¡±


    Following that, Granny Adele began explaining what her plan was, no longer harping on the issue of what happened to Ludean. ¡°I had initially thought that only the Demon Hunters would be coming. Umbra would have easily killed them if that was the case. Too bad that strange bunch appeared instead¡­ Oh, right. Umbra is that Vampire who caused you all this misery -a very handsome lad. Their expedition to slay him is bound to succeed. Once they return, you need to help your granny delay them¡­¡±


    The more Leeder heard about this plan, the more the dread in his heart grew. Finally, he couldn¡¯t help but interrupt her. ¡°But granny, my body still has that insect left by that woman. I¡¯m afraid¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve seen that child. She might be spiteful, but she¡¯s not coldhearted. As long as you treat them well, and then plead with her on the night of their departure, she would definitely take out the insect.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ granny¡­ they are still the saviors of the village¡­ if we were to do this¡­ wouldn¡¯t that be¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh? So you¡¯re saying you want to die then?¡± Granny Adele flashed him a hair-raising smile at that point.


    Once more, Leeder was reminded that the old lady in front of him wasn¡¯t the kind, old granny he thought she was. Instead, she was a vicious old hag. From her wrinkled smile alone, he could sense a firmness that wouldn¡¯t hesitate in the slightest to kill him. In that case, he could only find some excuse to explain his words. ¡°No, no. I was trying to say what if she doesn¡¯t remove the insect?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you have your granny for? If some young girl can stick an insect inside you, there¡¯s no way your granny wouldn¡¯t be able to remove it, is there?¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Be good now. Just based on age alone, your granny here definitely has more experience torturing people than that young girl. You wish to try it out?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Good. Then fetch your other seven friends.¡± Granny Adele went back to being a kind grandma once more. ¡°Granny has plenty of tea and treats waiting for them. In fact, it has been a while since you guys visited granny, hasn¡¯t it?¡±


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    In the end, Leeder agreed to Granny Adele¡¯s plan. Even if he tried to refuse, those friends of his would probably still accept Granny Adele¡¯s invitation since they were none the wiser. The difference was that if Granny Adele had to invite them herself, he would become obsolete¡­


    Not daring to waste any time, he immediately set out to find his seven friends, all the while apologising to them in his heart in a bid to somehow lessen his guilt¡­


    Watching Leeder¡¯s figure disappear through the door, Granny Adele smiled to herself. ¡°So that¡¯s the famous ice queen, huh¡­ Seems like we caught a big fish this time¡­ Let¡¯s just hope that lord can hold his own in front of Aques Lumen¡­ 100,000 gold coins isn¡¯t easy to come by after all¡­¡±

 CHAPTER 490: THEY WILL BE HERE IN FIFTEEN MINUTES

    This period had been especially rough on Mo Ning. While her original form was a horse as well, but that was the form of a Nightmare Steed, a rare, bonafide creature of Purgatory. Her intelligence was equal to a Human¡¯s, perhaps even higher. Despite all that, she now had to live in an ordinary stable¡­ definitely not the most pleasant smelling place ever. However, she chose to bear with such adversity, all just so she could spend time with me¡­ Perhaps¡­ just perhaps¡­ have I been mistreating her a little too much?


    I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little guilty then, but I still patted her on the head and said, ¡°Alright, it¡¯s about time for me to turn in as well.¡±


    Her eyes quivered a little upon hearing that, clearly reluctant to let me go. However, she still abided by our agreement and kept quiet.


    Counting the time, Regine should be about done with her shower as well. Our resident timid girl should already be waiting on the bed for me while Zurnalin¡­ Hmm, I guess with Regine nearby, she should still be dressed in something at least¡­


    Having said my farewell, I was just about to turn in for the night when a black figure suddenly jumped in front of me, knees in a half kneel. ¡°Your Holiness, please leave this area immediately. We¡¯ve detected a horde of at least ten thousand monsters en route to our location, they should arrive in roughly fifteen minutes¡­¡±


    ¡°Monsters? What¡¯s going on? I need more details.¡±


    When she mentioned monsters, that Dark Elf was referring to creatures like that Vampire, Werewolves, Undead and other evil lifeforms. They all fell under the umbrella of creatures of darkness. Devils and what not could be counted inside as well.


    The figure who suddenly appeared before me was one of the Dark Elven Assassins assigned to guard me. Normally, she would have complied with my request immediately, but the situation being what it was, she instead stood up and tried to lead me towards Mo Ning. ¡°There¡¯s no time¡­ My apologies for being rude, your holiness, but¡­ Lady Mo Ning please evacuate her holiness from this area immediately¡­ there¡¯s no time for questions!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving by myself!¡± I did not mount onto Mo Ning as she wanted. Instead, I forcefully broke free from her grip while Mo Ning watched silently from the side. This standoff lasted for a full ten seconds before I finally said, ¡°inform Zurnalin and the rest to make preparations for departure. There¡¯s someone I have to inform as well.¡±


    ¡°But there¡¯s no time¡­¡±


    ¡°Do it!¡± I knew there was no time to dawdle about now, but I wasn¡¯t going to leave without ensuring Nicole¡¯s safety first.


    What¡¯s going on here? Why is Lyon under attack again? And exactly how many creatures are we facing? There¡¯s a number of Eight-stars with us this time, but a hundred thousand is technically more than ten thousand as well¡­


    Blast it, what is that damned lord doing anyway? This is the second time his territory has been invaded by these monsters already. That Vampire is one thing, but over ten thousand of them?! Are his troops all blind or something? What¡¯s the point of even having a lord like that? You might as well put a farmer in his place!


    Curses. I need to get to Nicole!


    The two of them were currently resting inside of their room. By the time I rushed to their doorstep, I could vaguely make out the two of them chatting about something through the door. Unfortunately, the situation did not allow me to wait for them to finish. ¡°Lady Nicole, Neneth, are you both in there?¡± I anxiously knocked on the door.


    ¡°Sister Mo Na?¡± Neneth called out in a surprised but delighted voice. ¡°Sister Mo Na, are you here to sleep with Neneth as well?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re here. It¡¯s late, what business do you have with us?¡± Nicole¡¯s response, on the other hand, was more orthodox.


    I stopped knocking and quickly stated my purpose. ¡°You need to get dressed and pack up your luggage, quickly. I¡¯ve just received word that there are at least ten thousand creatures of darkness heading our way. If we delay any further, we might not make it out in time¡­¡±


    ¡°Creatures of darkness?¡± A while later, Nicole opened up the door, all dressed up, to let me in. ¡°Tell me more.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no time. We need to leave now!¡±


    From within, I could see that the both of them were already dressed up and had their weapons at the ready. However, Nicole did not seem to agree with my plans as she walked towards the door. ¡°I¡¯m staying here, you guys can leave first.¡±


    Stay?! You must be joking -that¡¯s just suicidal!


    ¡°Absolutely not! Both of you have to leave with me right this instant!¡± I yelled, finally unable to restrain my emotions when I heard what she was planning. ¡°There¡¯s too many of them, there¡¯s no way we can hold them off¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that your reason for abandoning the villagers?¡± Nicole paid no heed to my warning at all, stepping around me to leave the room. ¡°A Demon Hunter¡¯s job is to slay evil and protect the common folk. Unlike mercenaries, we do not do this for gold¡­ We stand up so that others can live in a safer world, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°And Neneth?¡± I pointed shakingly at a confused Neneth. ¡°If you don¡¯t leave, what about her?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Neneth is going to accompany Nicole, of course.¡± She turned to look at me first then turned to look at Nicole. She cocked her head to the side and said, ¡°there¡¯s no question about it, Neneth is going to follow Nicole.¡±


    ¡°No! Neneth, you need to leave with Mo Na!¡±


    ¡°Wha- no way¡­ Neneth doesn¡¯t want to be away from Sister Nicole¡­¡± As she said that, her eyes started to water up. ¡°Sister Nicole is such a bully¡­¡±


    Now that even the waterworks had been turned on, there was no going back; even Nicole wouldn¡¯t be able to change her mind at this point.


    Yet time wasn¡¯t going to wait for us either. From the time I received that news till now, at least five minutes had passed. That meant that we only had ten minutes to evacuate. After that, the village would face utter destruction. Had this been any other situation, I would have tried to come up with a plan to save the village. But Nicole was here¡­ for her sake, I didn¡¯t dare to take that gamble¡­


    However, Nicole wasn¡¯t about to budge either¡­ looks like I can only force her at this point. Just as I was about to drag her away, a set of anxious footsteps echoed through the corridors, followed by Regine¡¯s cold voice, ¡°Master, we¡¯ve been surrounded.¡±


    Already?! What happened to that fifteen minutes I was promised?


    I turned to look at the still expressionless Regine. ¡°Why are they here already?¡±


    ¡°They probably picked up their pace.¡± Said Regine as she tried to pull me to leave. Having just taken a bath not too long ago, she wasn¡¯t averse to touching me. ¡°Master, we can still escape from the east, the guard there is weaker.¡±


    ¡°They haven¡¯t launched an attack after surrounding us?¡±


    ¡°Not yet.¡± Regine shook her head. ¡°They¡¯ve only surrounded us.¡±


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    ¡°Let¡¯s go, I want to see what¡¯s happening outside.¡± If the entire village was really encircled as she said, that meant we had to force our way out¡­ I turned to look at Nicole, face as expressionless as she was silent. I had no way of knowing what she was thinking at the moment.


    Bah. We will just have to take things one step at a time.


    By the time we climbed down the stairs, everyone had already gathered. Even Mo Ning had left her stables and was here. Their eyes all fell on me in unison, their intentions clear: I was to decide what to do next.


    Yet if I could really have my way now, I would immediately drag Nicole away from this village. The problem was that she did not want to leave. In my honest opinion, our current firepower was more than enough to ensure a safe withdrawal. The biggest problem was whether or not Nicole would cooperate.


    The creatures had only encircled the village in secret and hadn¡¯t shown themselves to the villagers yet.


    Strangely enough, the village wasn¡¯t the only thing being encircled right now either; we were as well. Despite being the dead of night, the villagers weren¡¯t sleeping at all. Instead, all of them were now gathered around us.


    ¡°Sirs and ladies, may I know where you are rushing off to?¡± The one at the head of this group was Leeder, that former bandit leeder. He cautiously approached me, stopping just five meters away. His voice was quivering as if he was afraid I would suddenly take his life without warning.


    However, even I was a little unsure as to how to react in such a situation. That was why I threw the question back to him instead. ¡°What are you guys doing up in the middle of the night?¡±


    ¡°We got word that the village has been surrounded by monsters so we came out to check¡­¡± Under my withering gaze, Leeder subconsciously shrunk into himself before weakly explaining. ¡°I¡¯m not sure who said it first, but just as a precaution, I had some of the villagers go out to check¡­ that¡¯s when we met you¡­¡±

 CHAPTER 491: DIFFERENCES

    That¡¯s right, I was planning to run away. If I had to choose between helping some Human villagers and protecting Nicole, I would definitely choose the latter. Even if those monsters were all One-stars, their sheer numbers were nothing to scoff at.


    In a head-on fight, my hundred Assassins were clearly stronger than a horde of One-stars, but were they all One-stars?


    I did not wish to see any casualties amongst my Assassins. Not only that, I wanted to protect Nicole as well. And I meant perfectly to protect her; not a single scratch!


    ¡°There are, in fact, monsters heading here, but I do not know how many. Even so, I would need everyone to return to their homes first while we engage with them.¡± Just as I was mulling over how to take Nicole away with me, she suddenly interrupted our conversation then swept her eyes over the uneasy masses. Finally, she declared in a voice with unprecedented conviction, ¡°as long as I¡¯m alive, I vow to fight to the death!¡±


    ¡°But there are too many of them, how will you all stop them¡­¡± Hearing that someone was willing to shoulder this burden with him, Leeder smiled gratefully at his newfound savior. However, this smile only lasted a few seconds before he realised a key problem. ¡°We just vanquished that Vampire¡­ do you think they are here for revenge?¡±


    Well. I don¡¯t know about that last part. What I do know is that if we don¡¯t leave now, we are screwed. While I still have some doubts as to how these villagers even knew about the invasion, but now¡¯s not the time for such questions.


    With no time to lose, and seeing as she¡¯s dead set on fighting to the death with those monsters, I quickly reached out to her neck, in hopes of knocking her out. Unfortunately, she was already on guard for my hand chop. Her back turned around at the last second to reveal a sharp glare, ¡°what do you think you are doing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to take you away.¡± I stared right back at her. ¡°You staying behind will achieve nothing but your own death. I can¡¯t just stand here and watch you die!¡±


    ¡°But if we all leave, what will these villagers do?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you can change anything by staying behind!¡±


    ¡°Neneth is staying behind to accompany Sister Nicole as well!¡± Just as I was arguing with Nicole, Neneth suddenly interjected herself into our heated debate, walking up to her side at the same time. ¡°Neneth will be here with Sister Nicole!¡±


    ¡°Neneth, stop messing around like Nicole!¡± I reached out to grab Neneth in hopes of bringing her to my side. However, she vehemently resisted, and thanks to that monstrous strength of hers, I couldn¡¯t make her budge no matter how much I pulled. In fact, she almost dragged me to her side in the process¡­ awkward¡­


    Since we were already at this stage, there was no point holding back anymore. ¡°Zurnalin, help me take Nicole away.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Zurnalin immediately reached out to grab Nicole. Being an Eight-star, she was immensely strong, even without her Blood Drake with her.


    Yet my plan was doomed to fail as the screams of the villagers soon filled the air, ¡°Save us!! Zombies¡­ there are so many zombies¡­ Save us!!¡±


    The sudden turn of events meant that Zurnalin was no longer able to capture Nicole. That was because the moment the screaming began, an uncontrolled stampede of Humans followed soon after.


    ¡°Ahh¡­ mama¡­¡± Amidst the chaos, a small girl, roughly nine years of age, was mercilessly pushed to the ground by the mob, several adults stepping on her in the process. But being as young as she was, she couldn¡¯t pull herself to her feet and could only cry helplessly on the ground.


    Seeing such a cruel scene play out before my very eyes, I couldn¡¯t stand idly by any longer. With a resigned sigh, I rushed into the crowd, shoving aside the panicking mob, then scooped up the child. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Weep¡­ Ann is okay now¡­ thank you, big sister¡­¡± While she claimed to be fine, her weeping countenance said otherwise. Thankfully, she was only stepped on a couple of times so she did not suffer much injuries. Or maybe children in a fantasy world were just made out of stronger stuff?


    I gently ruffled her long, green hair and asked, ¡°where are you parents?¡±


    ¡°Ann¡¯s father hasn¡¯t returned for days. Ann¡¯s mama¡­ was eaten by the Vampire¡­ weep¡­¡±


    At that point, she wept even louder.


    So she says her name is Ann¡­ her mom¡¯s dead and her father is missing¡­ If I¡¯m not mistaken, then her father should be one of the bandits I killed¡­


    ¡°Is there anyone looking after you while your father isn¡¯t home?¡±


    Ann rubbed away the tears in her eyes and replied, ¡°Auntie looks after Ann most of the time, but she¡¯s gone now¡­ no one wants Ann¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared¡­ big brother here¡­ big sister will protect you.¡±


    Sigh¡­ I guess I¡¯m just weak to helpless little girls¡­ I sighed to myself, but I still came to a decision in the end. ¡°Jezsere, look after Ann for me. Also, I might not be able to look out after the both of you in the coming fight.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. Jezsere will do her best.¡± Jezsere stepped forward to receive Ann. ¡°Do your best too, Master. I¡¯m sure we will be fine.¡±


    Standing there in the dead of night, I yelled into the empty void towards the north. ¡°Assassins, I command you to hold off the incoming monsters.¡±


    Silence ensued. Yet even without them replying, I knew that they had gone off to fight the Undead. With them on our side, we should be able to hold off the horde for a while longer.


    I swept my eyes across those gathered with me. I sighed once more. ¡°Let¡¯s head over as well.¡±


    Right now, I was more concerned about how Nicole would respond to the hundred Assassins who suddenly turned up to help us. I hadn¡¯t told her about them before so I could only pray that she wouldn¡¯t get too suspicious of me once they joined the battle.


    Thankfully, the dread interrogation never came. She merely looked me right in the eyes before heading off the north as well.


    ¡°Sister Nicole, wait for Neneth¡­¡± Off went Nicole¡¯s little sidekick as well.


    ¡°Master?¡± Regine looked at me quizzically. I had no doubt that she supported my decision to abandon these villagers, but as the situation stood right now¡­ Nicole wasn¡¯t willing to leave with us and I couldn¡¯t bear to leave that little girl alone¡­


    ¡°Say no more. Besides, it¡¯s not like we can¡¯t win this fight. Come on, let¡¯s have a look at this monster horde.¡±


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    I loaded Jezsere onto Mo Ning first, followed by Ann, after which I instructed Mo Ning to look after the two of them.


    While I still had no idea what was attacking us, those Assassins alone won¡¯t be enough to hold off a horde of that size. I had to think of a plan soon.


    Speaking of plans¡­ Aren¡¯t I an Overlord of Purgatory? Ferti¡¯nier, do you think I can summon some Devils over?


    ¡°Of course, you can. You just need to gather up some offerings first. Just get that little timid girl to help you create a summoning circle later. All that you need to do then is summon an army of Devils using your name.¡±


    At times like this, Ferti¡¯nier was always there to save the day. As long as I needed something from her, she would have a solution ready. However, the moment she said that, she continued in an unsure tone, ¡°but that Nicole girl you¡¯re trying to protect¡­ She¡¯s a Demon Hunter. Are you sure¡­¡±


    At this point, we have no other option. Those Assassins alone won¡¯t be enough. Even if they are all One-stars, there will surely be casualties amongst them. That, I do not wish to see.


    ¡°All right. Be careful yourself. Don¡¯t end up with a sword through your heart because of that girl.¡±


    Nicole? Stabbing me? No way¡­ you¡¯re thinking too much over there, big sis. Still, thank you for always helping me at these times.


    ¡°That goes without saying. Your big sis will always be by your side.¡±


    Following in Nicole¡¯s footsteps, we reached the northern section of the village. Because most of the villagers were frightened back into hiding, the journey was a smooth one.


    The horde was predominantly an Undead horde. A massive amount of Skeletons formed the vanguard of this army, charging fearlessly into the village. According to Leeder, he had sent out a few villagers to scout out the situation. That was how he even got the warning to begin with.


    However, Humans had always been a selfish bunch. Upon getting word of the invasion, the villagers had all fled without a trace¡­ Blast it all, if I knew this was going to happen, I wouldn¡¯t have killed those bandits. They weren¡¯t strong, but at least they can be fodder. Besides¡­


    I turned towards Mo Ning, where Jezsere sat atop her with Ann snugly in her arms, and felt a pang of guilt in my heart. Even though those bandits were guilty, they had only done so to protect their family¡­ Perhaps I was too extreme in dealing with bandits¡­ but it¡¯s too late for regrets now¡­


    I will make up for it, I swear¡­ at the very least, I will save the village¡­


    The first wave of Undead was merely a test of our strength. A thousand fully armed Skeletons and Zombies were now gathered before the entrance of the village. On the other side, Nicole, Neneth and my hundred Assassins were already tearing into their ranks. Even though these Undead were all armed, their equipment was barely better than junk. The armor on the Skeletons was about as bare as they were while the Zombies had on rusty armor that looked just about ready to fall apart¡­

 CHAPTER 492: GAINING TRUS

    Nicole and Neneth were naturally a part of this effort as well. By the time the rest of us arrived on scene, the thousand-strong vanguard of the Undead was basically exterminated, and it merely took us a minute to reach the village entrance as well¡­


    It went without saying that those Assassins, each either at Seven-star or Eight-star, were unbeatable amongst an army of lower-starred Undead. However, no matter how strong they were, they would eventually tire in the face of unending numbers. Even so, something still struck me as odd: why did they send this vanguard out to die?


    But that wasn¡¯t an important matter right now. Regardless if they had something planned or were just merely stupid, what I had to do now remained the same. We had to strengthen our forces, and failing that, I would have to pull out my trump card¡­ At that, I subconsciously fingered the Gem of Authority hanging around my neck.


    ¡°I want those Soul Flames harvested right now while the Undead are still regrouping for a second attack.¡± Having arrived on scene, I began commanding the Assassins, divvying out their duties in an orderly fashion. ¡°I want that area guarded too. Send a few. If there¡¯s any movement, I want to be informed right away.¡±


    Amongst the Assassins here, there were several who carried with them Soulstones. Upon hearing my command, they immediately handed over the Soul Flames they had gathered mid-battle. Six Assassins separated themselves from the squad and left in the direction I pointed at to act as scouts.


    To be perfectly honest, I was still a little puzzled as to why the enemy did not just swarm us with their entire army right away. Especially now that I was at the frontlines, I could clearly see the sheer sea of Undead gathered around us. That Assassin who brought us the news merely said that they numbered more than ten thousand, but taking into account that they had the whole village encircled, that estimate was too conversative. They had to at least be a hundred thousand strong¡­


    Despite that, this was still a winnable battle. As long as they were all below Four-stars, our victory assured, albeit with some casualties. That was something I did not wish to see, and exactly why I had to think of another plan quickly.


    ¡°Jezsere, come over here for a second, I need you to create a summoning array.¡±


    There were a multitude of summoning arrays that could be employed, but all that mattered was that it ultimately linked with the world in question. As for the materials required as an offering, blood, corpses, heads, etc. were all acceptable when summoning Devils. Rather easy-going, I must say.


    The first wave of fodder were all Undead, meaning there was no blood to speak of. There were also no substitutes nearby so Jezsere decided to take a gamble by commanding the Assassins to gather the skulls of those Undead as offerings instead.


    In actuality, our resident timid girl was a very talented Occultist; but she was timid. Yet if the summoning did not require her touching those gory bits, creating a summoning array was an easy task for her.


    As the outer circle of the summoning array took shape from the skulls of the Undead, Neneth did not react much to it. Even Nicole, a rising star amongst the Demon Hunters, did not recognise what the array was for at first. However, the moment she saw the inner drawings of the circle, she began to suspect something.


    ¡°What are you all up to?¡±


    Faced with her questioning, I knew there was no hiding the fact at this point. ¡°We are drawing a summoning array to summon Devils.¡±


    ¡°Summon Devils?!¡± Her eyes went wide and her hands immediately grabbed her sword. Seeing that, Zurnalin and Regine both prepared to attack as well.


    ¡°Everyone, calm down. Right now we are all stuck on the same boat. If there are any issues, let¡¯s settle them with words instead.¡± Still in the dark about what was happening, Jill anxiously stepped out to try and soothe the tensions. ¡°We need to be level-headed and work together now if we want to make it out of this battle alive.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Nicole¡¯s lips twitched a little but she kept quiet in the end. But that did not stop her from glaring daggers in my direction, clearly demanding an explanation from me.


    ¡°Actually¡­ I¡¯m an Occultist.¡±


    As I said that, I stared right into the depths of her eyes. I desperately wanted to tell her the truth but her stance towards creatures of darkness had me hesitating. If I were to say that I was Mo Ke now, she would definitely doubt me, then swing her sword right in my face. After all, my experiences had been anything but logical at this point, anyone with a semblance of sanity would never believe such absurdity. Too bad it actually happened to me¡­


    ¡°Devil¡­¡± Nicole instinctively drew out her sword but stowed it halfway.


    Phew¡­ seems like she trusts me a little at least¡­ that was the whole point of staying behind and openly telling her in the first place.


    Striking while the iron was hot, I continued to explain while she still hadn¡¯t had time to sort out her thoughts. ¡°The enemy is too many, our only chance now is to summon more reinforcements. I¡­ I know a Devil Overlord, I can borrow a large amount of lower-starred Devil fodder, but I will need some offerings¡­ Regardless, overcoming this battle takes precedence!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Nicole was silent once more, most likely pondering whether or not I should be trusted.


    ¡°Sister Mo Na is a good person, Sister Nicole!¡± Amidst Nicole¡¯s mullings, Neneth finally broke her silence and made her opinion known. Not a second too late as well¡­ good job, Neneth! All that feeding I did wasn¡¯t for naught!


    Yet Neneth vaguely siding with me only made Nicole furrow her brows deeper. Was she perhaps suspecting that I had somehow enthralled Neneth?


    ¡°You said you wanted to protect the villagers, that¡¯s why I stayed behind to help you. But you¡¯ve seen those forces for yourself as well, with just our numbers, there¡¯s no way we can hold them off. What else are we to do but call for help? I¡¯m an Occultist, that¡¯s right, but I dare say that those I¡¯ve killed all deserved to die! Also, you mentioned you wanted to find your younger brother? If you die now, what happens to your younger brother?¡±


    I saw her eyes waver at that point, and I knew that now was the time to strike the final nail in the coffin. ¡°Your younger brother has been missing for so many years, have you ever considered how he must have suffered?! An immature, talentless boy surviving in a harsh world? Perhaps the reason you haven¡¯t found him is because he is now a slave. Perhaps someone has turned him into a cripple and is forcing him to beg on the streets¡­ If that¡¯s true, the only one who can save him from this fate is you!¡±


    As I passionately rattled on about the potential misfortunes of this hypothetical boy, I subconsciously started to shake her by her shoulders. The longer I went on, the more conflicted she looked. At the very end, there was a very real murderous intent oozing from her entire being. She shoved my hands away and turned away from the summoning array entirely.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Right now, what¡¯s more important is to protect the villagers and live.¡± Having said that, she paused for a second before softly saying, ¡°thank you for staying behind.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome¡­¡± Her tsundere expression right now was a feast for the eyes, but as she said, now¡¯s not the time for such frivolities. That summoning array had to be completed, and soon.


    Yet just as we were in the midst of finishing it, someone, whom I had never expected to appear, suddenly stepped out from the horde of Undead. He wore the typical black and red suit of a Vampire and had a handsome but sickly pale face. More importantly, that face belonged to the same Vampire who we had taken out to roast in the sunlight just a few days ago!


    ¡°Surprised to see me?¡± Umbra asked us mockingly as he led a couple of transformed Lycans to face us. He arrogantly smiled in our direction and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I will have to apologise for not dying.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ why aren¡¯t you dead?!¡± Neneth yelled while pointing at the handsome Vampire. ¡°Did you resurrect yourself? Impossible! Neneth was sure she saw Sister Nicole pour a vial of pure holy water on you¡­¡±


    ¡°Gee, I wonder why too¡­ hahaha¡­ Well, that¡¯s because the one you killed was just a stand-in for me.¡±


    A substitute, huh¡­ blast. Why do all the villains have to be so smart¡­ or maybe we were just too naive?


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    What we need now is some time. But someone who is able to stall for time and is able to negotiate¡­ that would have to be Jill, wouldn¡¯t it?


    I threw a glance at Jill, after which she took a few steps forward. ¡°So you¡¯re here for revenge then?¡±


    ¡°Revenge? I¡¯m not that bored yet.¡± The Vampire swept his blood-red eyes over Jill then onto the Assassins working frantically to arrange the summoning array. ¡°Let me try and guess what you¡¯re doing right now¡­ Don¡¯t tell me¡­ are you trying to summon Devils?¡±


    Curses¡­ how does he know? Now that he has seen through our plan, if he were to attack us, the entire plan would have to be delayed indefinitely. I need to do something quick.


    Jill understood the urgency of the summoning array as well. Putting aside whether or not we could summon enough helpers to match the Undead, at the very least the summoning array would alleviate the situation we faced. Yet before Jill could even say anything further, the Vampire said something that was borderline inane.


    ¡°Go on then. I¡¯ll allow you all to continue setting up that array. I promise I won¡¯t interfere.¡± True to his word, the Vampire did not dispatch his minions to harass us. Instead, he confidently watched us from the sidelines, arms folded around his chest.


    Maybe¡­ he¡¯s not as smart I thought?

 CHAPTER 493: HOSTAGES

    The skulls of the Skeletons and Zombies we collected were arranged in a simple pentagram, after which I immediately stood before the array and began channelling my mana as Ferti¡¯nier instructed.


    ¡°Direct your mana towards the array, your big sis will help you connect to Purgatory; the coordinates will be Sable Radiance. Your big sis will then send your aura across, and those who sense it should respond to the summons. However¡­ the most you are able to summon are Four-stars¡­¡± Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s voice turned solemn at that point. ¡°The offerings aren¡¯t enough¡­ so the amount won¡¯t be many as well¡­ and that¡¯s factoring in your status as the Overlord of those coordinates¡­¡±


    We have offerings, we just need to harvest them first. We can sustain our battles with more battles that way. As long as our lines do not collapse right away, I¡¯m sure we will be able to overcome this trial. And if all else fails, I¡¯ll pull out the Devil King Idol.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suggest you do that.¡± For the first time ever, Ferti¡¯nier unequivocally expressed her disapproval of my plan. ¡°The Devil King Idol represents the status of a Devil King¡¯s successor. At the same time, it also means that as long as you do not die, little brother, you will one day become a Devil King. To the Humans, you are an existence that must be exterminated as soon as possible.¡±


    I¡­ I¡¯m trying to help them here! You¡¯re saying I might end up being hunted down instead? Then what do you suggest I do?!


    Sensing my frustration, Ferti¡¯nier sternly cut me off, ¡°don¡¯t think too much about it now. Just focus on the summoning.¡±


    Fine. This was my decision to begin with, it¡¯s just time for me to take responsibility for it.


    As more and more mana flowed into the array, the skulls making up the array started to glow red in their eye sockets, giving the entire pentagram a hellish look.


    ¡°By my name as the Overlord of Purgatory¡­ heed my call¡­ pass through the dimensions and arise¡­ emissaries of the Apocalypse!¡±


    As I continued chanting, Jezsere quickly released the souls we stuffed in a couple of Soulstones beforehand. Like a giant firefly, the Soul Flames swarmed out in a glaring blob. It tried to pull away from the summoning array at first, but it was promptly latched onto by the sinister aura spewing out from the array. Without any protection of their own, the Soul Flames were dragged into the flames, finally turning into the offerings needed to break down the barriers between dimensions.


    ¡°Sister Nicole¡­¡±


    Sensing her unease, Neneth first thought was to try and comfort her, but the airhead that she was couldn¡¯t find the words to do so.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Nicole answered with a sigh that released her bottled up frustrations at the same time. At the end of the day, she wasn¡¯t a willful girl; she knew that in times of need, power wasn¡¯t something that discriminated between right and wrong.


    True to his words, Umbra did not try to interrupt us in the slightest as we summoned the Devils. He merely watched us with a bemused expression from a hundred meters away.


    As more time passed by, a black dimensional rift, measuring up to three meters tall, opened up, allowing the first Devil to make its way out of the summoning array. It was a Large Imp that first appeared. Following that, more and more Devils began to spew forth, the majority being One-star, with a few Two-star Head Imps coming forth from time to time. It was only a few minutes later that the array finally began to dim. The rift sputtered in a last ditch attempt to stay open. A crimson Devil clad in flames stepped forth, barely squeezing itself through the closing rift -a Four-star Flame Demon Child!


    With those thousand odd One-star Soul Flames, we managed to summon about 350 Devils¡­ not bad. One Four-star, thirteen Three-stars while the rest are One-stars or Two-stars¡­


    ¡°Not bad indeed, but that¡¯s only to be expected of our little brother. Being able to summon so many with just those low level offerings is something to be proud of.¡±


    To that, I could only shake my head and smile grimly. After all, even this amount of Devils wasn¡¯t going to be enough to hold off the Undead horde.


    Thankfully, my gloominess was quickly dispelled by Ferti¡¯nier. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your big sis has already fixed the coordinates for Sable Radiance. You just have to feed the array more offerings and you will have an unending supply of Devils.¡±


    You know¡­ having Ferti¡¯nier around really isn¡¯t that bad. Now¡­ if only she could stop stealing my food so I can level up faster¡­


    ¡°Heck no, your big sis has to work hard as well!¡±


    I paid no attention to her objections, instead turning to that smug Vampire. ¡°So, how about you tell us what you are here for?¡±


    ¡°Well aren¡¯t you confident now?¡± Umbra smirked back at me. ¡°Unfortunately, that¡¯s nothing compared to my Undead army.¡±


    ¡°Oh? How about we try it out then?¡±


    ¡°No need, my goals are soon to be met?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    I did not know what he meant by those words, but the moment I tried to ask, something happened¡­


    Signal flares from the remaining three entrances of the village lit up the night sky simultaneously. They had all been attacked at the same time.


    Blast, we don¡¯t even have the manpower to take care of those three areas.


    Soon after that, the six Assassins whom I had dispatched as scouts all came running back to report. However, I stopped them in their tracks with a quick glare; there was no need to report something so obvious at this point.


    Umbra wasn¡¯t likely to outright slaughter the villagers immediately. However, there was a high chance that he would use them as hostages to force us to comply. If he tried that, I would have to forcefully take Nicole away with me. As long as I had my hundred Assassins to cover us, there¡¯s no way he could ever hope to stop us.


    However, that wasn¡¯t even the worst case scenario right now¡­


    ¡°There¡¯s quite a number of villagers here, I see. Not bad at all.¡± Said Umbra as he looked intently behind us¡­ The villagers who were previously hiding out in their homes were now slowly walking up to us. However, they didn¡¯t do so willingly, but were forced to.


    Three young looking Lycans each led a team of Undead towards us, herding the villages in our direction in the process. Every one of them had on a look of abject terror, with the children all wailing as they marched onwards. One of the older folk amongst them even fell to the ground because he wasn¡¯t able to keep with their pace. He looked to be over seventy; definitely old in a setting like the Western Human Realms.


    Being as scared as they were, none of the villagers tried to help him up at all. The bony whites of the Skeletons and their eerie green flames were an effective deterrent against anyone who even dared look in their direction. Just like that, the old man was trampled to death by the Undead¡­


    Watching a shrivelled old man cry for help while his flesh splattered about had to be one of the most gruesome sights in this world. I had initially wanted to save him, but the moment I saw that first Undead step on him, I knew his fate was sealed.


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    I couldn¡¯t bear to look at his wide, bloodshot eyes any longer. I turned to Umbra and yelled, ¡°what are you trying to accomplish here?!¡±


    Unlike me, Nicole was a lot more direct. She wasted no words at all, instead electing to draw her sword at the Vampire. However, the Vampire merely smiled in her direction and said, ¡°if you dare to draw that sword, I dare to kill those villagers.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Her teeth had practically ground themselves to dust at this point. Unfortunately, it was a fact that they now had the entire village as their hostage and we couldn¡¯t do anything about that.


    I gently patted her on the shoulders, signalling for her not to act rashly. On my part, I shielded her eyes from the Vampire, standing between the two of them. ¡°Why have you captured these innocent villagers? If it¡¯s a fight you¡¯re looking for, I am more than happy to oblige.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. How amusing. Truly. Such an amusing sight to see an Occultist teaming up with Demon Hunters.¡± He sneered in our direction. ¡°O how have you fallen.¡±


    Naturally, he was referring to both Nicole and I, two diametrically opposed occupations somehow working together right now. Ironic, actually.


    There were legally registered Occultists in the Western Human Realms. However, these Occultists often had the backing of the royal family or some major aristocratic family. The majority of those that did not had to endure strict surveillance and discrimination on a daily basis. What was even more egregious had to be that any punishment meted on them would be double that of an ordinary person¡¯s. Thanks to that, most Occultists weren¡¯t openly registered. And I was pleased to announce that I was one of them now¡­ meaning anyone who took my head could turn it in for a reward.

 CHAPTER 494: I’M NOT GOING TO ARGUE WITH AN AUNTY

    But even if that was true, I wasn¡¯t one to take an insult lying down just because the both of us were enemies of Demon Hunters. ¡°You were a Human yourself in the past. Don¡¯t you feel disgusted drinking another Human¡¯s blood all the time?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, don¡¯t compare me to some lowly Human, I¡¯m a noble Bloodkin.¡± Umbra sneered back at me while eyeing me from top to toe. ¡°Humans are merely food, but you know¡­ you¡¯re not that bad, how about becoming my mate? I promise your embrace will be gentle. Just one kiss and we can enjoy an eternity of blood together!¡±


    ¡­ He¡­ he actually hit on me¡­ Also, his eyes don¡¯t seem to be functioning too well¡­ but you know what¡­ I just want to flatten him into a meat biscuit right now.


    ¡°Killing a beauty like you would be such a waste. You should reconsider squandering your life like this.¡±


    He threw me a lewd look then waved his hands. The Undead herding the villagers towards us promptly backed away¡­ Again¡­ What is he up to?


    I wasn¡¯t the only one wondering that right now, everyone who wasn¡¯t that Vampire was probably wondering as well. He clearly had the advantage with all those hostages in his hands and he simply let them go?! As long as he pressured us now, it would only be a matter of time before we caved in. It seemed like he was only surrounding the village in order to prevent us from escaping¡­


    Blast it, I could have escaped already, hostages or no hostages. If only¡­ Bah, now¡¯s not the time for such matters.


    By now, the Lycans had led away their respective Undead hordes out of the vicinity of the village, much to the confusion of the villagers, though that confusion did not last long.


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Umbra cleared his throat a couple of times. Upon confirming that he had all of our attention, he smirked sinisterly. ¡°I¡¯m sure every one of you is aware by now, but I had the power to kill everyone present, yet I didn¡¯t do so. Wasting so much food is a headache for me as well, not to mention I¡¯m just here for revenge. That¡¯s why I¡¯ll give you all a chance now. I will wait 24 hours. As long as those who attacked my lair three days ago leave this village, I¡¯ll be magnanimous and forgive this village¡¯s transgressions. But if they don¡¯t¡­ I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to kill you all.¡±


    That underhanded fiend¡­


    Having successfully sown discord, the Vampire nonchalantly shrugged at me then left under the escort of his Lycans.


    An awkward silence fell over the village. The Vampire had left as he said, but the Undead horde was still on the outskirts waiting for our move.


    That Vampire¡¯s motives were a head scratcher too. He clearly had the means to defeat us there and then yet he still gave the village 24 hours to consider¡­ what was he up to?


    With the Undead out of the picture for now, the villagers couldn¡¯t let their guards down yet, because there was still that matter of the three hundred Devils I had summoned¡­


    ¡°Papa, what are those red-skinned creatures?¡±


    ¡°Those are Devils¡­ Be careful, they are no different than the Undead¡­ they eat people as well¡­¡±


    ¡°Mama, I¡¯m scared¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, sweetie, Mama is here¡­¡±


    A slew of whispering ensued amongst the villagers, revealing the disquiet within their ranks. The more cowardly amongst them had already fallen to their knees to beg for mercy. It was only then that I realised what had happened: the target of their fears had shifted from the Undead to the Devils.


    I quickly rushed forward to explain. ¡°Be at ease, everyone, these are the Devils I summoned to protect the village.¡±


    ¡°Big sister.¡± A small boy barely a meter tall pointed at one of the Large Imps and asked, ¡°will these monsters eat us?¡±


    ¡°No, they won¡¯t. I¡¯m controlling them.¡±


    ¡°But they are so ugly.¡±


    ¡°Yes, they are. But they are also obedient.¡±


    Big sister, huh¡­ blast it. But now¡¯s not the time for that. These villagers have already been spooked enough and those words that Vampire left behind are a concern as well. I need to placate the villagers fast before a riot breaks out.


    In order to prove that point, I originally wanted to have the Devils perform a series of harmless actions. However, I had underestimated the severity of their reputation amongst Humans. In all likelihood, even that performance would not have been enough to placate the villagers¡­


    ¡°Do not believe her! Those Devils were all summoned by her. Anyone who can summon Devils has to be in cahoots with them as well¡­ Do not believe her!¡± The one who spoke up was a middle-aged woman with eyes that bled hostility as she stared at me. ¡°I knew there was something up with that she-witch! My husband has been thinking about her all day and night, if she¡¯s not a witch, how else is she able to enthrall a person? Thank the heavens, the truth is now out and everyone can see for themselves who this shameless she-witch truly is!¡±


    ¡­ Aunty, is it alright if I call you aunty? Or maybe just Karen? Why are you staring at me like that? Don¡¯t give me that I¡¯m looking at an adulteress look¡­ I¡¯m a man, a man with some bodily problems, but still a man! And that husband of yours¡­ yuck¡­ gross¡­ What is he doing ******* after a man like me?! I don¡¯t swing that way, thank you very much!


    With that middle-aged woman taking the lead, a number of other middle-aged women began to speak up about their experiences as well. Something about how I was constantly flirting with their husbands and what not¡­ essentially, if it¡¯s a problem they could pin on me, they did¡­ What the heck, I don¡¯t even remember offending these aunties¡­ is it a crime to be beautiful? I mean handsome. Is it a crime to be handsome?


    No wonder they say a couple of aunties together is like a gaggle of quacking ducks. What if there¡¯s a whole bunch of them though? There has to at least be two mahjong tables worth of them here¡­ all yapping away like they own the place. Maybe they think I don¡¯t have a blade long enough to slice them all up?


    Naturally, that did not matter as the Dark Elven Assassins had already taken the initiative to hold a dagger to each of their throats, scaring all of them in an instant.


    Or at least it should have¡­


    ¡°Now¡¯s not time for your troublemaking antics, I¡­¡± I tried to divert the conversation back to the main topic.


    Yet just when I thought that the threat of death was enough to shut them up for a while, that aunty who first criticised me actually yelled at me, ¡°don¡¯t think you¡¯re all that just because you can summon some Devils and seduce some men. I dare you to kill all of us, you shameless harlot!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Lady. Even a normal person has his limits, let alone me who you¡¯ve falsely accused time and time again. Since you have nothing constructive to add, then there¡¯s no point keeping you alive either. I glared at the aunty. ¡°So you wish to die then? Fine, then I¡¯ll send you on your way¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡± Before the Assassin could even give the finishing blow, Nicole suddenly stepped in, knocking away the dagger with her long sword. ¡°Enough bickering. What we have to focus on now is the enemy before us, not start a civil war with each other!¡±


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    The Assassin knew how important Nicole was to me, so even when she stepped in, she dared not fight back, instead throwing me a glance. Upon seeing me shake my head, she stowed her dagger and stepped away. The rest of the assassins who had their daggers out also stepped back to their original positions.


    Having had a dance with death itself, that big-mouthed aunty finally knew to rein herself in. She clearly wasn¡¯t as fearless as she claimed. Her temper had just gotten the better of her, though that did not change the fact that she viewed me as an enemy¡­


    ¡°Lady Nicole¡­ but she can summon Devils¡­ are you sure we can trust them?¡± Unlike how she treated me, that aunty only had the kindest of words for Nicole who had just saved her.


    ¡°Even though I do not wish to team up with Devils as well, but we have no other choice right now.¡± Nicole pointed her sword in the direction of the Undead horde. ¡°If we do not trust them, then there¡¯s only the Undead left. Either way, it¡¯s death, so why not trust them?¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡± That aunty finally fell silent. The rest of the villagers hung their heads low in contemplation as well. None of them could come to a decision right now, thanks to the horrid reputation Devils had. However, with the threat of death looming over their heads, I had no doubt that they would make the right decision.


    ¡°I do not think that trusting those Devils is a good idea.¡± While everyone was still wrecking their heads over this issue, an old lady suddenly stepped out from the crowd. She was hunchbacked and dressed in a set of black, long robes. Her hood and robes covered the majority of her features, only revealing a wrinkled face and an equally wrinkled set of hands. She had to at least be eighty years old, based on her time-weathered appearance.

 CHAPTER 495: CONSENSUS

    A number of villagers gasped in surprise when the old lady walked out of the crowd. Given her age, it was a miracle in of itself that she had survived during the Undead horde¡¯s initial push. Yet here she was, standing before them in a time of indecision.


    Based on how she was acting, this granny clearly wasn¡¯t here to help either. Even though Nicole wasn¡¯t too happy about siding with Devils, there was no other choice right now. That was why she sided with me for now. ¡°Granny, what¡¯s your opinion on this matter?¡±


    The old lady known as Granny Adele revealed an almost toothless grin and said, ¡°Granny doesn¡¯t have too many opinions left to share, but she just doesn¡¯t know if those Devils can be trusted.¡±


    Her intent was clear at this point. She was here to stir up trouble and that meant I needn¡¯t hold back either.


    ¡°Ever since I¡¯ve come to this village, I have never harmed a single villager. In fact, I have even helped to slay that Vampire. It might have been a failure, but I have never asked for any form of compensation despite our efforts. Is that still not enough to prove my sincerity?¡±


    Having said that, a number of villagers fell silent as well. Everything I had said so far was true. Had it not been for Umbra¡¯s Undead, we would have already left the village. In other words, while I might have been an Occultist, I hadn¡¯t harmed them yet and had even saved them¡­ at least that would have been so if the Vampire we slayed wasn¡¯t Umbra¡¯s substitute. Either way, these were all beneficial acts to the village and anyone with eyes could see that, barring that aunty.


    ¡°Little missy, I know you haven¡¯t harmed the village, that¡¯s why I¡¯m also willing to believe you. But¡­ those Undeads outside our village have to be dealt with¡­ there¡¯s no choice in this matter.¡±


    While she might not have said so directly, her meaning couldn¡¯t be any clearer. For the sake of the village, she wanted us to leave the village. In other words, she would rather believe that Vampire¡¯s promise of forgiving the village¡¯s transgressions.


    What the heck, she would rather trust that bloodsucker than me?


    In actuality, her actions weren¡¯t as absurd as they seemed. A Vampire was a lot easier to believe than a Devil. A Vampire was basically a stronger human except that it had to drink blood to survive. It only had to drink blood from a single person each day, not like a Devil who ate the entire Human whole. Furthermore, Vampires were afraid of sunlight¡­


    Sunlight! That¡¯s right! That Vampire gave us 24 hours to decide, meaning we could just flee with the villagers during the day.


    But is the solution really so simple? There¡¯s no way that Vampire doesn¡¯t know of his own weakness, not unless he¡¯s a moron, and he clearly isn¡¯t. If he dared to propose such a timeframe, he probably has some form of countermeasure as well.


    ¡°Everyone, listen to me!¡± While Granny Adele¡¯s words might have caused a stir amongst the villagers, I was fortunately able to suppress their murmurings by magnifying my voice with mana. ¡°Listen to me for a second. I¡¯m sure everyone knows by now that Vampires are afraid of sunlight. What I¡¯m proposing is this: if that Vampire breaks his word and tries to attack us before daylight, all of us will leave without argument. But if that Vampire doesn¡¯t attack us, we can just flee the village together during the day!¡±


    Having heard the entirety of the plan, Granny Adele nodded her head first, a sign that she recognised the feasibility of this idea. However, she soon shook her head and said, ¡°but little missy, Vampires might be afraid of sunlight, but those Undead can still fight in the day. With so many villagers to evacuate, that plan might not work out too well.¡±


    ¡°The Undead might be able to fight during the day, but their strength will still be weakened. Furthermore, our numbers might be low, but everyone of us is a fighting force to be reckoned with. Escorting everyone shouldn¡¯t be an issue.¡± If I had to be perfectly honest, those words were like an encouragement for me as well. Could I honestly be blamed for that? My original intentions were to leave with Nicole, and Ann as well. While this might not be too fair for the villagers, the only people I really cared about barring those following me were Nicole and Neneth. For the sake of Nicole, I was more than willing to set aside my conscience. Unfortunately, Nicole was adamant on saving the villagers, so here I was risking my life as well.


    Because that Vampire had offered to forgive the village if we left, there was now an invisible rift between us and the villagers. They had naively chosen to believe that Vampire without realising that the whole reason for their despair was that Vampire in the first place!


    I swear. The way they treat their saviors is just¡­ I¡¯ve really had it with them!


    But what was really concerning now was that the blasted thing did not even react when I amplified my voice just now. Given how much mana I had put into the spell, there was no way he didn¡¯t hear me. Yet he hadn¡¯t shown any signs of acting yet. Was he really not afraid of the sunlight? Or did he have some sort of trump card left to play? I had no way of answering these questions, and probably wouldn¡¯t be able to until daybreak.


    Naturally, I wasn¡¯t foolish enough to reveal my inner thoughts right now. But it had to be said that them chasing us out honestly worked better for me. I could just drag Nicole along with me now, but there was no telling how Nicole would react. That was the only reason why I was even bothering to argue with these villagers.


    Still, my words were beginning to show effect. At the end of the day, the whole reason why we were even in this mess was because we wanted to save the village, and not everyone in the village was an ungrateful cur. Upon realising that this daytime plan was feasible, a large portion of them calmed down somewhat. Even Granny Adele was lightly nodding her head.


    Seeing that everything was going according to plan, I decided to strike while the iron was hot. ¡°Besides, we shouldn¡¯t forget that that Vampire is still a creature of darkness. Without us to protect the village, Lyon would have to live under his shadow, and everyday a single villager would end up being taken away to feed him. Given time, everyone will end up as fodder for his fangs.¡±


    Because the Devil I summoned did not go on a rampage, and also because I hadn¡¯t harmed any villagers yet, the majority of the villagers came to believe in me. Upon hearing my analysis of the situation, more and more of them began to consider the scenario I laid out.


    Under the leadership of Granny Adele, the villagers continued discussing the idea until the decision was made to wait till day.


    Right now, there were still a few hours left to dawn. It was summer right now and the nights weren¡¯t as bitterly cold as winter. However, who would choose to spend the night outdoors when they had a comfy home to return to? Even though the villagers were still worried that Umbra might suddenly launch an attack on them, spending the night outside wasn¡¯t feasible either. The adults could still cope with the weather, but the young and elderly could easily fall sick in such conditions. With the plan set out, the villagers left for their homes to wait for sunlight.


    As for those who died when the Undead were herding them, there were only whispers of short condolences and the crying of their loved ones to mark their passing. After all, the village was still in a state of emergency. No one had time for funerals or grieving in such a situation -they could very well be the next one to join the deceased¡­


    ¡°Phew¡­¡± I let out a long sigh of relief¡­ Gone, at last.


    My mind was set at this point. In all likelihood, that Vampire had some plan to stop us from fleeing. But to me, whether or not he did was irrelevant. A hundred Seven-stars and Eight-stars could easily cleave a path through the Undead. At that point, I could just simply whisk Nicole away with me. As for those villagers¡­ I¡¯ll try to protect them, but that¡¯s all you guys are getting I¡¯m afraid. If it¡¯s any consolation, I will at least put forth my best, though I will still abandon you guys for Nicole¡­


    There was still some time till dawn. After a round of discussion, we decided to return to our rooms to rest. Guard duty would be handled by the Assassins.


    Yet the more quiet the night was, the more uneasy I was. Umbra¡¯s confidence couldn¡¯t have just been overconfidence. Just based on how he immediately prepared a substitute for himself upon returning to his base, it was clear that this Vampire was a cautious one.


    On the other hand, that also meant he really wasn¡¯t going to attack us for the next 24 hours¡­ Blast, what is he even thinking? Why is he even trying to get the villagers to chase us away? Isn¡¯t it faster to just roll in his army and overwhelm us? And who even trusts a Vampire anyway?!


    I continued griping to myself all the way till I reached the second floor of Leeder¡¯s home. I shook my head at Nicole who was still waiting for an explanation, telling her that now really wasn¡¯t the time for such matters. To my surprise, she accepted my refusal and left with Neneth.


    Just like that, I entered my own room under the escort of Jezsere and Zurnalin. As for Regine¡­ she had worked up a decent sweat so she was off to take a shower¡­

 CHAPTER 496: THE CORRECT METHOD OF USING A VOICE RECORDER

    The night sky was overcast and dreary, just like my heart. From within my dimensional ring, I pulled out a ruby-red crystal the size of a small apple and began channeling my mana into it. A while later, I sang into it and it started glowing in response. Having done that, I channelled a little more mana into it, causing it to shake, after which it began playing the exact same song I sang¡­


    ¡°I have a pen, I have an apple, ah apple pen. I have a pen, I have pineapple, ah pineapple pen¡­¡±


    (TL: original lyrics were taken from a Vietnamese song/cover? called Th¨ºm M?t L?n ?au. That¡¯s out of my expertise so Pineapple Pen is all you¡¯re getting.)


    Oh crap! This recording crystal actually works! A fantasy world version of a voice recorder¡­ I¡¯m leaving it a five-star review! Still¡­ it seems rather rare, given that I only had this single crystal inside. Also¡­ how do I erase that part¡­ someone, tell me quick!


    A time of crisis and yet Ferti¡¯nier is nowhere to be found¡­ guess it¡¯s all up to me then¡­


    Without my knowledge, half an hour had passed and I still had no idea how to erase a previous record in the crystal. It was then that Regine popped up, thin nightwear clinging to her toned, beautiful body, golden hair dripping with water¡­


    ¡°Master.¡±


    ¡°Regine¡­ it¡¯s late, don¡¯t you want to get some sleep?¡±


    ¡°I want to accompany Master.¡±


    Regine gently slid herself beside me, her distinct fragrance wafting into my nose, mixed with the refreshing smell of a recent bath.


    ¡°Oh, in that case, just give me a second while I settle this¡­¡± I continued fiddling with the recording crystal. Unfortunately, no matter how I tugged, scratched, bit or knocked, I couldn¡¯t figure out how to use the crystal.


    Seeing me struggle a good while without result, Regine leaned in with both her hands wrapped around my own and whispered, ¡°Master, is that a voice recorder?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± I gave the crystal a quick spin before saying, ¡°I know what it is, but I just can¡¯t figure out how to work it and it¡¯s giving me a headache.¡±


    ¡°Master, you need to infuse your mana into it.¡±


    ¡°I know, I¡¯ve already tried it.¡± She seemed to have misunderstood my question, so I decided to infuse my mana into the crystal once more to show her. ¡°I vaguely know how to record, but¡­¡±


    A second later, I began to regret my choice of actions¡­


    ¡°I have a pen, I have an apple, ah apple pen¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Awkward¡­


    Finally, after an excruciating few seconds, Regine broke the silence. ¡°Mas-ter, I¡¯m assuming you wish to erase that recording?¡±


    I nodded woodenly. ¡°Mhm.¡±


    Hmmm¡­ sounds simple enough. Extract and infuse again.


    In a lot of ways, the magical tools in this world were rather simple to operate, they just required Mages to do so. That was one of the main reasons why magical technology wasn¡¯t able to prosper. Take this recording crystal, in order to erase the recording, it not only required a Mage to do so, but that Mage had to have a fine degree of control as well. In other words, not every Mage could afford to use it if they wished to reuse it.


    Either way, I was able to erase the song within the crystal under Regine¡¯s guidance. From now on, there would be no talk of pineapples or pens¡­


    ¡°Master, you wish to sing with this?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I know. How about I let you hear it first?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Here goes nothing then¡­¡±


    Today¡¯s sun came earlier than it had ever before. With the Undead horde surrounding the village, the villagers were barely able to get any sleep at all, each more tired than the other as they dragged themselves out of their homes, dark rings around their eyes.


    When the first ray of sunlight hit me, I gently shook the blonde girl resting by me. Her sleeping face was a sight to behold. The way her mouth was slightly ajar as she breathed in and out was especially alluring. Her faint fragrance was a feast for my senses as I hugged her to sleep last night. And perhaps it was because I was with her, but she seemed to have rested well too. In fact, her frosty demeanour threatened to fall apart as she woke up with a smile on her lips. Seeing that, I couldn¡¯t help but want her to rest a little longer. But the sun had risen, and it was now time to fight.


    With the village completely surrounded, there was no avenue of retreat to be had. If the Vampire did not have anything else up his sleeves¡­ No. He had to have something!


    Regardless, there was no escaping without a fight now. All I needed now was an excuse to take Nicole away without her hating me.


    Under the leadership of Leeder, the villagers had gathered up all the horses and carriages they could find. These were meant to transport the young and elderly in the village. Bandwagons weren¡¯t exactly the most suited for our purposes, but thanks to the hard work of the carpenters, external defenses had been bolted onto the wagons in the form of metal boards and planks. It was a difficult task, but it was all for the children and elderly.


    The young men of the village had gathered with simple weapons, some dressed in leather armor. Those who weren¡¯t armored wore more layers of clothes than usual. Even though a layer or two of hemp clothing wasn¡¯t going to change much in the battle, it at least gave them some degree of comfort.


    So¡­ the question now was¡­ should I leap off the roof while hugging Regine?


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    As I seriously pondered this question, Regine began to stir, rubbing her eyes gently as she murmured, ¡°mmm¡­ Master? Is it dawn?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    Judging by the sun, it was probably five to six in the morning now. The villagers below were all hustling and bustling about like a bunch of worker ants. As the men prepared themselves for battle, the women helped to pack up all the valuables.


    To be honest, Leeder was an admirable leader. Under his leadership, the villagers had gone about their work efficiently. If only¡­ Bah. I¡¯ll just head down to say hi first.


    I leapt off the roof with Regine in my arms then slowly approached the man. Upon spotting me, he stiffened a little, which was only to be expected, seeing as I slaughtered dozens of his comrades not too long ago. Even now, I still did not know how I was going to explain that to the family of the deceased.


    Leeder promptly lowered his head. ¡°Good morning, sir, what are your orders?¡±


    ¡°Nothing in particular, I just wanted to have a look.¡± I swept my eyes across the busy villagers, spotting a number of unaccompanied children on carriages. I couldn¡¯t help but feel a pang of guilt in my heart then. ¡°Those children¡­¡±


    Leeder immediately knew what I was referring to. He solemnly nodded his head and answered, ¡°are all the children of my brothers¡­ Even¡­ if they are no longer here, I cannot just leave their offspring to die in the village¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I let out a long sigh, my heart a maelstrom of emotions right now. If I hadn¡¯t killed those bandits, they would have gone on to rob more innocents. At the same time, those bandits that I killed had their own families as well¡­ Sigh¡­


    Seeing me silent for a while, Leeder first looked around before boldly asking, ¡°Sir, do you think our escape will work?¡±


    ¡°It will!:


    Of course, it would work. It was just a matter of whether those villagers would be with us when we escaped. I couldn¡¯t be sure how many of them would escape successfully, but I couldn¡¯t show the slightest hint of hesitation in front of them. That was the only way I could get them to agree to my plans. At that point, their opinion on this matter wouldn¡¯t matter.


    As I spent more time in this world, I was beginning to understand how much being powerless was a curse and a sin at the same time¡­


    Still, Leeder was visibly comforted by my confidence, revealing a smile of his own in the process. ¡°Sir, once we¡¯ve successfully escaped, where should we go to live? After all, our village is¡­¡±


    ¡°Where is not an issue as long as we have money.¡±


    I knew how bad their financial situation was at the moment. That was why when he asked that question, I generously pulled out a wooden chest from my dimensional ring to back my words. The chest wasn¡¯t locked so its lid came off when the chest banged against the ground. At the same time, it spat out a bunch of gold coins¡­


    Without wasting anymore words, I kicked open the lid, revealing an almost blinding pile of gold.


    ¡°Gold¡­ so much gold¡­¡±


    (Say no to content thief!)


    Having been presented with a miraculously large pile of gold, the villagers, including Leeder, all had on a blank-faced stare as if they were under some sort of spell.


    To the villagers of Lyon who hadn¡¯t been out of their village much, such a pile of gold was even more shocking than the Vampire¡¯s invasion. A number of them rubbed their eyes and smacked themselves, just in case this was a dream of some sort. In fact, there were even those who were drooling¡­

 CHAPTER 497: BREAKING THROUGH

    There were at least a few thousand gold coins in this chest, from a quick count. Based on what I knew of a gold coin¡¯s purchasing power, that was probably a few hundred thousand dollars worth of money right there. But even if our escape was a success, there would be casualties¡­


    So¡­ if more people died, the more gold coins each person gets¡­ Meaning that even if someone were to die along the way, those alive could at least take solace in the fact that their share of gold would increase¡­ maybe some of the more extreme amongst them might wish that more died¡­


    Yup. Sounds about right. Anyway, as long as those villagers do their best to break through the siege of the Undead, I¡¯m sure even Nicole will have no reason to object. It¡¯s just a matter of how many of them survive in the end¡­ probably not a lot?


    Naturally, all that was prerequisite on the Vampire not having a means of immobilizing us. Vampires were afraid of sunlight, and even if his Lycans could act in daylight, it¡¯s not like they would be at full power like they would have been at night.


    Speaking of sunlight, why does it feel like today¡¯s sun is missing something? Missing something¡­ what the heck am I even saying¡­ probably just my imagination¡­


    With the prospect of gold on the horizon, the villagers of Lyon were noticeably more motivated as they went about their work. In just a short span of three hours, the majority of the preparations had been completed, not that there was much to carry with them in the first place. The children and elderly had all boarded their wagons and carriages while the men took up guard on the flanks. The defenseless housewives followed closely behind the wagons. Hopefully with those wagons as a front, they shouldn¡¯t meet too much trouble. If there had to be an issue now, it would be my confidence¡­ this is going to work, I think¡­


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Jezsere¡¯s uneasy voice came echoing from a distance away as she ran towards me, most likely startled when she woke up to find me missing from her side.


    With her arrival, came Jill, holding onto our newest addition, Ann, then Zurnalin, Reyage, Nicole and Neneth.


    ¡°There, there. Did you sleep well last night?¡±


    I smiled and spread my arms wide open to receive her. ¡°Master is a big liar¡­¡±


    ¡°No way. I just had some matters to take care of, that¡¯s all.¡± Even though it was kind of mean to just leave her alone like that, Regine needed my company more. Sorry, my little white rabbit¡­


    ¡°Master, the preparations are done.¡± Regine called out while leading Mo Ning along with her from the stables.


    Upon seeing me, Mo Ning broke away from Regine, trotted up to me, then nuzzled against me and gave me a couple of licks on the face. However, I quickly pushed her away. ¡°All right, all right. We need to settle the matter at hand first.¡±


    Being the reasonable horse that she was, she was still level-headed enough to know that now really wasn¡¯t the time for being affectionate. Thus, she backed away a couple of steps and took up position behind me.


    ¡°Ahem.¡± I amplified my voice before clearing my throat to grab their attention. As expected, the villagers all turned their heads towards me in unison. By now, our preparations were mostly sorted out and breakfast was about half an hour ago. Everyone was nervous as you would expect. Most people reacted with anxiety when faced with such uncertainty, though there were those who were more distracted by the gold. Thankfully, I already had the Assassins scour the ground for any stray gold coins, lest a riot suddenly broke out.


    Taking into account the direction in which the Vampire left and that he would probably be asleep right now, we decided to break through the north side of the village. And if we were lucky, we might stumble upon his coffin along the way. Hopefully¡­ we can roast him to a nice doneness this time.


    With everyone ready, it was now time to break through the siege.


    For the most part, the plan was pretty self-explanatory. My hundred Assassins would act as the spearhead while my summoned Devils would protect the villagers. Until these Devils all died out, the men protecting the carts wouldn¡¯t act.


    Naturally, there was nothing more motivational than good old cash. That was why I decided to speak to them one last time before setting off. ¡°Even though the future ahead after breaking through the Undead is unknown, staying behind is certain death. I vow to protect everyone here to the best of my abilities. And as long as we succeed, I will divide up that chest of gold equally to everyone. Mark my words!¡±


    ¡°Wooaahhh!¡±


    It was said that gold clouded the mind, but were these villagers truly so simple? In actuality, that wasn¡¯t true. It was just that I had infused my little speech with some psychic magic to persuade some of the less strong-willed amongst them.


    Ever since I found out that I won¡¯t gain any more abilities from evolving, I started to seek out Ferti¡¯nier for lessons. Thus began my journey of self-learning. Honestly, with my three Original Sins and Lucifer¡¯s own bloodline, I was pretty much a genius at this point. My learning speed was quite impressive, and if it wasn¡¯t for Ferti¡¯nier always siphoning away a large amount of my souls, I would have been a Seven-star by now.


    My own mana reserves were nothing to scoff off. Even with a small amount of psychic magic infused into my words, that was enough to send the villagers into an excited frenzy.


    Unlike the villagers, however, Nicole had noticed me using psychic magic. But she knew that I was just trying to raise their morale and stimulate their desire to live. In the end, she kept quiet about my little display of underhandedness because it was all for the greater good¡­ Well, that¡¯s a good start, at least¡­


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you guys a lively bunch? So what¡¯s the occasion? A feast of some sort?¡± A decidedly out-of-place voice abruptly cut into the cheering with its annoying yet strangely familiar tone¡­


    Hold on¡­ that voice¡­ I whipped my head around to check. There stood five humanoids, with the most prominent amongst them dressed in the typical garb of a Vampire. He was a blonde-headed youth with a pale countenance, devoid of any blood whatsoever. When he smiled, he revealed a pair of fangs that glittered in the sun¡­ Umbra¡­ that¡¯s Umbra!


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I silently lifted my head to look at the sky. It was still there¡­ So what is that guy doing here? What the heck?


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother, even I¡¯m amazed as well.¡± Umbra arrogantly smiled back at me. ¡°No matter how many times I look up, I¡¯m always taken aback by how the sun feels on my skin. It¡¯s like I¡¯ve been reborn.¡±


    Reborn, huh? So you do know you used to be a human.


    But when he said no matter how many times¡­ this isn¡¯t his first time then? No way. This may be my first time encountering a Vampire in the Western Human Realms, but according to the lore on Earth, Vampires face certain death under the sun. Not unless they sparkled, of course¡­ Maybe Umbra is the sparkling kind of Vampire?


    With regards to Vampire lore, there was no one present more proficient than Nicole, a professional Demon Hunter. With that in mind, I turned towards Nicole but found her just as stunned as I was. In other words, they were supposed to die in the sunlight!


    So why was this Vampire immune then? Was I missing something¡­missing something¡­ Wait¡­ didn¡¯t the sun feel like it was missing something¡­


    ¡°What did you do to the sunlight? No, what kind of magical tool are you using?!¡±


    ¡°As expected of the girl I chose, your mind reacts quickly.¡± Umbra flashed me a lewd grin, proof that I was at least on the right track even if it wasn¡¯t the whole truth. He then began to explain his methods calmly, as if to lord his superiority over us.


    ¡°An Anti-light Barrier. It blocks out the portion of the sunlight that is harmful to us Bloodkin. It¡¯s a barrier we developed after tens of thousands of years of research. You should feel honored; this is the first time we¡¯ve employed it. How is it? Stunning, right? Now that the noble Bloodkin possess a means to bask in the sunlight, there¡¯s no one who can stop us now! Humans, you are all our food!¡±


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    Back on Earth, I had once watched a film that said Vampires were afraid of ultraviolet light. If that was the case here, then that barrier was an anti-radiation spell.


    Looking around, I found that the Undead were not affected by the sun as well, meaning its radius most likely covered the entire battlefield.


    But how big was it, actually? Depending on the size, it might even be enough to cover an entire city. If that was true¡­ a Vampire could really function in the day as well. Given time, they might even discover a method of miniaturization that was portable¡­ Humankind would face the same fate as cattle then¡­

 CHAPTER 498: CHAOS

    We had banked on the Undead being weakened and the Vampire being absent. Both of these were now false. That Vampire was standing in front of us without a care in the world and had even taken out a barrier to block the sunlight. Truly, the tides had turned against us.


    ¡°Did you really think my brains had turned to mush? If I already knew about our weakness in the day, why would I still give you 24 hours to consider? I¡¯m sure you know the answer to that question now.¡± The Vampire smugly proclaimed while basking in the shocked looks of the villagers. ¡°But it¡¯s not too late yet. My earlier proposal still stands. If you all want to live, you, you, you¡­ and you, have to leave the village. Only then will I forgive these innocent villagers.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    That Vampire¡¯s motive couldn¡¯t have been as simple as chasing us out of the village. If it was, he could have done that by force rather than persuade us¡­ Was he trying to get the villagers to chase us out then? But we were going to leave anyway¡­ Either way, we will know soon enough what his plans are.


    I wasn¡¯t going to let this Vampire get his way regardless of what he had in mind. Even though I did not specialise in psychic magic, fooling a bunch of ordinary villagers was no problem at all. After all, Lust Demons and Illusion Demons were both the strongest psychic users amongst the Seven Original Sins. With both of them in my bloodline, psychic magic was a walk in the park.


    ¡°Everyone, you mustn¡¯t believe his words. Vampires have only seen Humans as cattle. He might not kill you right now, but he will turn your village into a blood farm. Just like before. One villager at a time. Till everyone is dead!¡±


    My psychic suggestion proved effective once more. Just a few seconds ago, their hearts were beginning to waver but they were now back on my side.


    ¡°Haha. It¡¯s true we Bloodkin feed on lowly animals like Humans. But what about you, Occultist? Of everyone here, you have the least qualification to criticise me.¡± Just when I thought that I finally stabilised the situation, the Vampire suddenly broke out in boisterous laughter before dealing the final nail in the coffin.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Nasus left with Leeder as well. But when he returned, there were only Arsen and a few others. I tried to ask around but Leeder refused to say¡­¡±


    ¡°Leeder! Where is my son, Harvey? Tell me the truth¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. My husband used to return with you as well, but I haven¡¯t seen any signs of him at all. Don¡¯t try to brush it off as some business deal, I want the truth!¡±


    ¡°Uncle¡­ where is daddy?¡±


    ¡°Leeder, I only have that one son. If someone were to happen to him, how do you want this old bag of bones to live¡­¡±


    Umbra¡¯s word had set off a chain reaction of unease amongst the villagers. Their already tense emotions were amplified to the point where they broke free of my psychic magic and began bombarding Leeder with questions.


    While I still did not know how he found out about those bandits I killed, his motives couldn¡¯t be any clearer. He wanted to see us tear each other apart. And it worked. Leeder and the remaining seven bandit/villagers were no longer able to keep this secret under wraps. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that I had lied to them before about the spiders being in their bellies, they would have probably spilled the beans to this angry mob.


    ¡°Hahahaha. Foolish Humans. Do you still not understand? The one who killed your loved ones is standing before you right now.¡± Having said that, he pointed in my direction, smiling sinisterly. ¡°See that beautiful lady over there? She¡¯s an Occultist, with abnormal power as well. It was her who killed the other villagers. Not only that, in order to control the survivors, she left a parasite in each of them to seal their mouths. You can ask those survivors if you do not believe me.¡±


    ¡°Leeder! Is this true?¡±


    ¡°Leeder! Answer us!¡±


    ¡°Arsen¡­ is there really a monster in your body?¡±


    ¡°Leeder!¡±


    ¡°Leeder¡­¡±


    Countless villagers began calling out Leeder¡¯s name in hopes of getting an explanation, especially those who had family members amongst the deceased. Had it not been for the more sane amongst them holding the mob back, he would have probably been torn apart by now.


    Even so, Leeder had his neck fully retracted and his head lowered to its maximum.


    Yet he wasn¡¯t the only one nervous right now. I was too. Even though killing those bandits was to prevent them from harming anyone else, there was no point saying that now.


    If Nicole were to¡­


    I was at wit¡¯s end, but I still put on a brave front to prevent anyone from seeing my weakness.


    Leeder still believed they had those spider eggs in their bodies so they dared not say a word. There were no leftover spider eggs to begin with, but the problem was that they did not know this. Honestly, that worked in my favour now since they wouldn¡¯t rat me out.


    ¡°There¡¯s no point trying to force him.¡± Umbra stepped in once more to toss more oil into this raging inferno. ¡°Their lives are in the hands of someone else. Of course, they wouldn¡¯t say anything. Silence is the only reason they are still alive at this point.¡±


    Hearing that, the anger in the villagers was stoked once more. Even though I was the one trying to save them here, and that Vampire was the one who caused them to be in this situation in the first place, the situation had somehow turned against me. At this point, a riot was only a matter of time.


    To the villagers, their hero had now turned into an evil Occultist. That same Occultist had also slain their family members without their knowledge. Yes, they were bandits, but to the villagers of Lyon, they had only done so to survive. They should be forgiven.


    The ironic truth was that I was actually the one trying to save them, the Occultist and probably murderer in their eyes¡­


    Crap, what to do now? Tell them that their loved ones deserved to die? That will only make them angrier. Blast¡­ I actually wanted to save them at one point too¡­ Now I¡¯m their hated enemy¡­


    ¡°Master¡­ they are scary¡­¡± Ever the timid one, Jezsere was overwhelmed by the angry stares thrown our way. Their insults and shouting had scared her into seeking refuge in my embrace.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right, your master will protect you.¡± I tenderly comforted her, in spite of the fact that I needed comforting just as much. I couldn¡¯t think of a way out of this situation. I wanted to ask Ferti¡¯nier for help, but that she-devil was dead set on ignoring me right now.


    ¡°Do not worry, Master. If need be, I can kill them all right now.¡± Zurnalin suggested with seething anger. She took a couple of steps forward to shield Jezsere and I from the crowd. ¡°Not just those villagers, that Vampire as well. I can kill them as long as you give the order!¡±


    From the get go, Dark Elves had always been a selfish race. Had it not been for me insisting on protecting Nicole, Zurnalin and the others wouldn¡¯t have even considered helping the villagers. In fact, not killing them was probably a miracle in and of itself. But I had already promised to protect them along with providing them some assistance in restarting their lives. Even so, what did I get in return? Betrayal. Betrayal at the drop of a hat. Betrayal because of an enemy who we should have been facing together¡­ The situation was now completely out of my control¡­

 CHAPTER 499: A TRAITOR AMONG US

    In recent times, Witches have gained independence as an occupation, no longer serving their Devil patrons or believing in them. Because of that, most Witches can no longer be considered Demonesses. While they might have lost the abilities granted by Devil worship, they have also gained an equal degree of freedom.


    Strictly speaking, Witches that have broken free from their Devil patrons do not necessarily have to be a threat to humanity. A recently trending small-scale healing potion and mana recovery potions are both products of Witches.


    ¡ª¨C The Modern Witch and Understanding Them


    The situation was dire, but not in the way most would imagine. The opinions of the villagers weren¡¯t even on my mind right now. Instead, what truly concerned me was how Nicole viewed this mess.


    The moment Umbra uttered those fateful words, she immediately threw me a look. I couldn¡¯t tell what she was thinking when she did that, but in order to avoid any misunderstandings, I started explaining myself to her with utmost trepidation. ¡°Back then they were trying to rob me and also¡­ Well, I won¡¯t go into the details of what else they wanted¡­ That¡¯s why I killed them in a fit of anger. I¡¯ll admit I did place parasitic spiders inside Leeder and those other bandits, but I¡¯ve already removed them last night. In other words, they aren¡¯t even under my control now¡­¡±


    Hearing that, her expression softened a little. Her brows were still knitted together but she remained silent for the most part.


    Does this mean she believes me then? Even with all those holes in my story?


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Just as I was mulling over how to regain Nicole¡¯s trust, I heard several pained cries from the direction of the villagers. Those were soon followed by panicked screaming¡­


    ¡°Leeder¡­ what¡¯s going on with you all¡­¡±


    ¡°Arsen! Are you all right, Arsen¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop scaring me, Dolan!¡±


    I hurriedly turned to look in their direction, only to witness a sight that drained the blood from my face.


    I had clearly removed the spiders from their bodies, and any talk of spider eggs within them was all fake. Yet what was happening right now could be said to be the straw that broke the proverbial camel¡¯s back for the villagers.


    With barely any life left in him, Leeder managed to get the closest to me, seeing as he was a Four-star unlike the rest. With his dying breath he tried to reach for me and said, ¡°Sirs¡­ why¡­ we didn¡¯t even¡­¡±


    And just like that, he expanded the last bit of his life without ever expressing the regret and anger in himself. His eyes were wide open as they admonished me even in death, his body no longer able to enunciate the maelstrom of emotions they stored up at that single moment.


    By now, not only Leeder had died, the remaining seven of them all died in a similar fashion to him -reduced to a dried up corpse.


    Impossible¡­ I know I removed the spiders from their bodies¡­ and those spiders don¡¯t kill their host by draining their blood¡­


    Not long after they died, countless finger-thick, blackish-red worms started crawling out of their orifices in a horrifically disgusting display.


    ¡°Master¡­ those are Vampiric Leeches¡­¡± Jezsere was quick to say. While she might have been timid, she was still a well-read Mage. From the moment the first leech crawled out of Leeder¡¯s body, she had already recognised it. ¡°They are a common tactic amongst Witches¡­ but they have a troublesome stipulation that their eggs have to be ingested orally¡­¡±


    Orally? So they just ate something bad then?! And what¡¯s a Witch? Crap, now¡¯s not the time for explanations as well¡­ those villagers are starting to act up¡­


    ¡°They are the ones¡­ Murderers¡­¡±


    ¡°Devil¡­ get out of our village!¡±


    ¡°Vengeance! Vengeance for our kin!¡±


    ¡°Chase them out of the village!¡±


    Now that Leeder and the others were all leech bait. The situation with the villagers deteriorated rapidly. They first backed away from his body, and upon confirming that they themselves weren¡¯t in danger, they somehow mustered the courage to try and condemn me.


    Without a doubt, they all believed that Vampire¡¯s words about me implanting creatures in Leeder¡¯s body. While it was true that I did implant a parasite in each of them, that Vampire conveniently left out what it was that I implanted in them. That was why they ended up laying the blame on me¡­


    In all honesty, this situation couldn¡¯t be any worse. How was I to explain myself at this point? Telling them that I had already removed those spiders last night was basically an admission of guilt. Furthermore, if I could implant spiders in them, who was to say that I couldn¡¯t implant leeches in them as well. Either way, whether it was the spiders or leeches, none of them mattered at this point. The death of those bandits outside of the village had caused their minds to be clouded by hate¡­


    Curses. We¡¯re practically dancing in the palm of his hands¡­ did he already predict this when we first came into contact with Leeder? Last night, I even made sure there were no other parasites in Leeder¡¯s body too. Those spiders will never allow another parasite to live in their host¡¯s body to begin with¡­ So the leeches were planted afterwards? But the Assassins were all on high alert last night so that Vampire couldn¡¯t have snuck in and implanted those leeches. Furthermore, those leeches have to be ingested orally and Leeder himself didn¡¯t seem to know of their existence¡­ so there¡¯s a traitor amongst us then¡­ someone that is close to Leeder as well, otherwise Leeder would have never eaten their parasite-laced food.


    The villagers could basically be split into two camps at this point. One that called for vengeance and another that called for me to get out. Either way, they were completely opposed to me.


    From the sidelines, the Vampire watched the scene unfold with a barely disguised smirk on his face -how I wanted to punch him there and then. This whole charade, while not directed by him alone, surely had his involvement.


    Regardless, those villagers were starting to get on my nerves at this point. Not to mention that special trait of Humans that was starting to reveal itself. When enough Humans gathered together, they often acted in ways they otherwise would not have..


    Their yelling had only grown fiercer by the minute. Being timid as she was, Jezsere was already shivering in my arms from the fright. The outpouring of negative emotions was also starting to give me a headache.


    If I wanted to find out who planted those leeches, all I really had to do was ask the Assassins who Leeder came into contact with last night. However, those Villagers would most likely doubt my words, assuming they even gave me a chance to explain myself at this point.


    Perhaps it was because I hadn¡¯t said a word so far, but a number of villagers were starting to get ahead of themselves¡­


    It all started with a boy tossing a rock at me -something about how his mum was killed by that Vampire and how his dad was killed by me and how he was now an orphan¡­


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    ¡°Give me back my daddy!¡± He yelled as he threw the rock. Zurnalin immediately reacted by swatting down the offending object despite the fact it could have never harmed me to begin with. However, Zurnalin looked unusually angry right now. Not only Zurnalin, the rest of the Assassins were furious as well.


    Zurnalin even tried to thrust her sword at the brat who threw the rock but was stopped by me.


    ¡°Zurnalin! Calm down.¡± I stepped in to stop her. He was just a child, at the end of the day. It was also a fact that I killed his father; it was only understandable that he would do that.


    Even so¡­ hatred truly was a terrifying thing¡­

 CHAPTER 500: REVENGE OF THE AUNTY

    Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t even manage to get a single word in before the villagers, having been emboldened by my inaction, started tossing more rocks in my directions. As they furiously reached for whatever throwables they could get their hands on, they continued admonishing us as if we were punching bags that couldn¡¯t fight back.


    ¡°Protect the master!¡± Zurnalin and Reyage were the first to react by standing in front of me, magical barriers raised, followed closely by the Dark Elven Assassins forming a protective ring around me. Because I had given the order not to harm anyone, none of the Dark Elves dared to retaliate against the villagers, merely deflecting any incoming projectiles with gritted teeth.


    Regine and Jill both took up positions around Ann who was still riding on Mo Ning. As of right now, only Neneth and Nicole were both exposed to the villager¡¯s wrath. However, the both of them were strong in their own right and shouldn¡¯t¡­ or so I thought¡­


    Neneth sent the majority of the rocks flying away with a swat of her door-like sword. However, even a blind chicken could find the corn if you threw enough of it. Finally, a stray rock managed to lightly land on Nicole¡¯s shoulders. Simply because she had no intention of avoiding the rocks or even moving away.


    Seeing her endure their unjust anger mutely like that, I finally lost it. My head began to go blank as an overwhelming surge of murderous intent washed over me. The sight of that single rock grazing Nicole continued playing over and over again in my collapsing psyche, as the word destroy started creeping in from the back of my head.


    ¡°Kill them.¡± Angered to the point I started to smile, I pointed at the foolishly daring villagers and yelled, ¡°don¡¯t leave a single one of them alive!¡±


    ¡°As you command, your holiness!¡± The Dark Elven Assassins acknowledged the command with a nod of their heads. Their soon-to-be bloody knives were now fully directed at the unsuspecting villagers.


    With nothing to restrain them, the killing intent of a hundred ruthless, battle-hardened Assassins were laid bare for all to see. Against such a spine-chilling display, a weak-willed person would have fled already. While these villagers were still blinded by their hatred, it wasn¡¯t like all of them had lost their wits completely. The moment that wave of killing intent crashed into them, they immediately stopped their provocative actions and fell to the ground in a terrified heap, having clearly understood what was soon to happen to them. As for those who were just senseless husks of hatred, they were still blissfully throwing their rocks.


    Don¡¯t worry¡­ there¡¯s no need to be afraid anymore¡­because that¡¯s only for the living!


    The Dark Elves all knew how much importance I placed on Nicole. When she yelled for us to stop, the Assassins promptly halted their attacks and turned towards me in unison. Had they even hesitated for a second back then, a villager would have died already. Perhaps we might have even had a falling out with Nicole because of that, something which I definitely did not want¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Even so, the moment I saw her in front of me, I felt something in me snap. The clawing feeling of being wronged yet unable to express it both chilled my heart and set it ablaze at the same time. ¡°Anyone who dares to harm you all have to die!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Upon hearing that, Nicole was startled for a second. But she soon returned to calmly staring at me, shaking her head. ¡°They have reason to hate us.¡±


    A reason to hate us¡­ That¡¯s right. All because I killed almost a hundred of them. Regardless of why I did it, it was a fact that I gave the order. They did have a reason to hate me. I doubt I can absolve myself of Leeder and his companions¡¯ deaths at this point¡­


    ¡°Tell me. What is going on with them?¡± Asked Nicole as she pointed at the dried up corpses of Leeder and the other survivors. ¡°Did you do that?¡±


    My expression grew solemn. Regardless of what others thought of me, at the very least, I did not want Nicole to misunderstand me.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I did plant a parasite in them, but those were spiders, not Vampiric Leeches.¡±


    She did not react to my explanation. Instead, she asked another question, ¡°you¡¯re a Dark Elf?¡±


    I hesitated for a second, but finally decided to come clean in the end. ¡°¡­I¡¯m not a Dark Elf¡­ but I do have some relations with them.¡±


    Seems like Nicole has picked up on the fact that those black-haired Assassins are Dark Elves¡­ Makes sense. After all, Dark Elves who had their appearance changed by a magical tool all end up with jet-black hair. A very distinct trait, especially given how all 103 of my companions have black hair. Then there¡¯s that male-female ratio imbalance¡­


    ¡°I see.¡± She coldly nodded her head.


    Everyone knew that the Dark Elves worshipped the Spider Queen Lolthe. Even though I never told her that Lolthe was my godmother, just based on how I was interacting with these Dark Elves, she could tell I wasn¡¯t lying. That was because the Witches of the Dark Elves all chose the spider as their parasite of choice, for obvious reasons¡­


    Seeing as Nicole was dead set against me killing off the villagers, I could only swallow my indignation and try to explain myself to the villagers.


    ¡°I have already taken out the parasitic spiders living in Leeder last night. As for those Vampiric Leeches¡­ they should have been placed in them after I removed the spiders. My spiders will instinctively seek out any other parasites within their host bodies so I¡¯m sure there has to be a traitor amongst your ranks who planted the leeches afterwards¡­¡±


    ¡°And who is to say you can¡¯t plant leeches as well?¡±


    ¡°Our village has a traitor?! You¡¯re just trying to shirk your responsibility!¡±


    ¡°A bloodthirsty Devil like yourself has already slain dozens before coming to our villager, what more Leeder and the others?¡±


    ¡°Justice! Justice!¡±


    ¡°Get out of our village, Devil!¡±


    ¡°Go to hell, you murderer!¡±


    I didn¡¯t even get to finish explaining before those villagers quickly forgot how they almost died a few seconds back¡­ Do they really think I won¡¯t kill them? Have they never heard of the phrase, do not seek Death, lest he comes knocking on your door?


    In all honesty, I was beginning to wonder if I had been too hasty back then. At the very least, maybe I shouldn¡¯t have killed those bandits. However, the moment these villagers started acting up again, any shred of guilt within me disappeared. Instead, there was now a growing part of me that felt that they weren¡¯t even worth saving.


    In a lot ways, my current situation was similar to what I encountered in Plateau Villager, the difference being that I was now facing Undead instead of bandits.


    Is it really impossible to get along with Humans? But I truly wish to be Human¡­


    ¡°Enough!¡± Neneth finally broke her silence with a yell. She slammed her sword loudly against the floor, and as the dust settled on that mini-explosion, a sizable hole was left in its wake. A number of rocks ended up flying towards the villagers, striking those at the forefront.


    ¡°Neneth believes that Sister Mo Na is a good person!¡±


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    Neneth¡­ oh my sweet, innocent Neneth¡­ innocent to the point of almost being stupid¡­ well, I guess that¡¯s why she¡¯s cute¡­ Who would have thought that the first person to stand up for me in this spiralling mess would be the girl whom I had always written off as being naive¡­ I¡¯m really touched, to be honest¡­


    ¡°Little lady, do you think murdering someone can be forgiven so easily?¡± Perhaps it was because she had confirmed we won¡¯t kill her, that aunty who labelled me a harlot not too long ago was now up to no good again. Her giant flatbread of a face first sneered at Neneth. ¡°The person you¡¯re trying to protect is a murderer. She killed a hundred of our villagers, and based on how she¡¯s acting, she¡¯s probably used to killing as well. Who knows how many have died at her hands. Perhaps thousands? Are you sure you want to cover for such a fiend?¡±


    Neneth was at a loss for words. In the first place, she wasn¡¯t a proficient orator to begin with. Up against a battle-hardened aunty like flatbread face, it was only natural that she would lose spectacularly. She could only repeat that same assertion that her sister Mo Na was a good person. However, such words meant nothing to the villagers.


    Cornered, her opponent sought to finish her off right there and then. Seeing that, I wished for nothing more than to throw a giant fireball at that aunty¡¯s face. But I was too late, a wave of sword energy swept across her feet, missing her toes by a mere centimeter!


    ¡°To think we have to protect people like you¡­ How sad¡­¡±


    Nicole glared icily at that aunty, then having left those words behind, turned around and walked out of the village.


    Who was Nicole feeling sad for? In all likelihood, for herself¡­


    ¡°Wait for me, sister Nicole!¡±


    On the verge of tears not too long ago, the innocent and pure girl that she was quickly recovered and chased after Nicole the moment she realised Nicole was off to face Umbra.


    Nicole¡­ so this is the decision you¡¯ve come to¡­ for a bunch of people like them¡­


    ¡°Nicole!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Hearing me call out to her, Nicole stopped for a moment. Her back remained faced towards me, but her long hair was currently blowing behind her in the wind. Even after all these years, she was still that beautiful, back faced to me or not¡­


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to care about these people. Come with me instead.¡±


    I tried to persuade her once more. However, her hesitation barely lasted a second before she shook her head and continued forward¡­ do you really have to go that far for them¡­

 CHAPTER 501: TENETS OF THE DEMON HUNTERS

    Man¡­ I never knew Nicole had such a willful side to her as well¡­


    With Neneth in tow, Nicole slowly approached the Vampire, Umbra, who had been watching us from a short distance away. Contrary to my expectations, he wasn¡¯t sneering at us anymore. In fact, his expression looked a little strained, as if the situation was spiralling out of his control.


    ¡°Master¡­ we should¡­¡± Zurnalin was about to suggest something but she paused mid-sentence. In all likelihood, she wanted me to leave this area at once but stopped herself midway because she knew I would never abandon Nicole.


    ¡°All these Undead have over us is their numbers. Our side has the better soldiers. As long as we decide on escaping, there¡¯s no way they can stop us.¡±


    ¡°Master wishes to save them then?¡± Said Zurnalin with a look of disgust on her face. To which I shook my head.


    ¡°No. We just need to protect Nicole.¡±


    ¡°But her goal seems to be to protect these wretched beings¡­¡±


    I coldly shook my head once more. ¡°I want her safety guaranteed. As for the others¡­ they can die, for all I care.¡±


    ¡°Will she mind if we do that?¡±


    ¡°Well, that Vampire did give his word that he will let the villagers go as long as we leave. Even though I do not think his words can be trusted, it is a fact that fresh food is always better than stale.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    While Zurnalin was clearly jealous of the place Nicole held in my heart, that did not stop her from placing my safety as her number one priority. Petty enmities weren¡¯t enough to cloud her judgement yet.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. We need to keep up with them. As for Ann¡­¡± I turned around and waved at Ann. ¡°Do you want to follow us or stay in the village?¡±


    Ann¡¯s father was most likely one of the bandits I killed, a weight which I had to now bear. Even though I had done so to prevent any harm from befalling their future victims, it was also a fact that the bandits only decided to become bandits due to that Vampire. There was no absolute right or wrong to be had in such a lawless world. Killing the bad guys meant that no one else would have to suffer for their misdeeds, but at the same time, sometimes those same bad guys had their own circumstances and loved ones who cared about them.


    Ann uneasily clenched down on her little white hands. Her teeth grinded against each other as her petite body shook. Finally, after much effort, she came to a decision. ¡°Ann¡­ Ann wishes to follow SIster Mo Na¡­¡±


    ¡°Follow us, huh¡­¡±


    While Ann might have been young, she was self-aware enough to understand who it was that killed her father. Did she choose to follow us simply because no one in the village would look after her? Perhaps. Either way, I couldn¡¯t let a young girl like her face the world alone¡­ if that¡¯s what she wants, so be it.


    ¡°All right, let¡¯s go together then.¡± I gently patted her on her hands then lifted Jezsere up onto Mo Ning¡¯s back. ¡°Jez, look after Ann for me.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Jezsere will be sure to look after Ann. Don¡¯t worry, Master.¡± Jezsere reached from behind to hug the little girl.


    I¡¯ll be happy if you can look after yourself¡­ maybe I¡¯ve just given her an impossible mission?


    I turned towards Jill, who was looking quite bored at the moment. ¡°Jill, when the battle begins, I do not need you to join the fight. Just stay with Mo Ning.¡±


    Hearing that, she couldn¡¯t help but facepalm. ¡°My employer this time¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you regret it?¡± Strictly speaking, my relationship with her wasn¡¯t deep. Getting her into such a mess was inappropriate on my part, so I wouldn¡¯t blame her if she was dissatisfied.


    ¡°Regret? No!¡± She turned behind to face Regine. ¡°I¡¯ve got to meet my senior, Regine, again, and even met such an interesting employer like yourself. I dare say this mission has been exciting for me as well!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but smile at her response. ¡°As long as you¡¯re happy then.¡±


    Exciting, huh¡­ you haven¡¯t seen the half of it yet.


    ¡°Listen up, everyone. We will move to leave this village right away. Once the battle starts, I want everyone to be careful of their safety.¡± I turned to look at Reyage. ¡°You do not need to fight as well. Just look after Jezsere.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Reyage nodded.


    ¡°In that case¡­ let¡¯s move.¡± I led the charge with the rest of the Assassins. Because the Devils I summoned weren¡¯t many and were weak to begin with, I left them at the rear to guard the outskirts of the village. Naturally, that wasn¡¯t meant to scare those foolish villagers, not at all!


    Now that we were leaving as they had wanted, the villagers all heaved a sigh of relief, though some of them had on a conflicted look. Lest one forgot, had we left just but a day earlier, we would have been sent off with bouquets of flowers instead of insults. Yet to the villagers now, they would much rather believe the Vampire who harmed them than the Occultist who saved them¡­ how ironic¡­


    Also, if we were to attack that Vampire now, what would happen to the village? Would Umbra go back on his words and attack them? Perhaps.


    As I arrived close behind Nicole and Neneth, the former did not react much to my presence. In contrast, Neneth was practically beside herself with joy.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­ I just knew Sister Mo Na would come!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t that Vampire say that he would leave the villager alone as long as we leave? Well then, let¡¯s see how true those words ring now.¡± I gently rubbed Neneth¡¯s head for a second, then in the most solemn voice I could muster, said, ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to protect you and Neneth. As for the rest¡­ they¡¯re on their own.¡±


    Nicole nodded at me. ¡°Just make sure Neneth is safe.¡±


    From that point on, we didn¡¯t speak at all till we were less than fifty meters from Umbra.


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    ¡°Why?¡± Umbra was the first to speak up. Furthermore, his question was a rather strange one. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel indignant at all, being chased away by a bunch of cattle?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Nicole curtly answered before launching herself at the Vampire, sword drawn. Her Epic weapon lit up in flames that somehow radiated a bone-chilling cold at the same time as it swung towards Umbra.


    ¡°Blast¡­ if that¡¯s the case, why must you rush to your death so?¡± Umbra deftly dodged backwards to avoid her quickdraw. A pair of transformed Lycans rushed to flank her but she had no problem fending them off at the same time.


    ¡°You are clearly a cut above these lowly peasants, why must you go so far for their sake? If you do not like how they are treating you, just unleash your anger!¡±


    Hm? Was his aim to try and get Nicole to kill those villagers? Speaking of which, those villagers really are a disagreeable lot. Or maybe that¡¯s just how Humans are, negative emotions amplified to its extremes.


    Yet in the face of Umbra¡¯s provocations, Nicole did not waver in the least. She evaded a leap from one of the Lycans and coolly counterattacked with a slash to its left leg. Unable to maintain its balance, it started to fall forwards but not before Nicole sent another slash to its head. The first of the Lycans was down. Nicole pointed at the other and declared proudly, ¡°Demon Hunter Tenet One: never bow to evil.¡±


    Upon hearing her response, Umbra almost tore out his hair on the spot. ¡°Blast¡­ why are all the Demon Hunters worth poaching like this¡­¡±


    All the Demon Hunters worth poaching? What is that supposed to mean? Does he have some other motive for being here?


    ¡°Demon Hunter Tenet Two: never swing your sword at those who need protection.¡±


    Nicole sent a flying slash of fiery sword energy at the other Lycan. It quickly ducked down to avoid, then launched itself at Nicole like a flying arrow. Nicole swiftly drew her sword back and pointed it towards the Lycan, however that Lycan was merely feinting. It was waiting for the brief moment of cooldown between her attacks to launch its own¡­


    Yet just when it thought it had succeeded, Nicole¡¯s sword suddenly grew a few inches, icy blade stabbing right through the Lycan¡¯s abdomen. Because of the speed at which the Lycan was already turning about, the sword easily split open its abdomen, spilling its guts onto the floor before it itself had crumpled to the ground.


    ¡°Demon Hunter Tenet Three: steel your faith.


    Nicole spun her body about and gave the finishing slash to the Lycan¡¯s neck!


    At the same time that the second Lycan died, a black wispy mass swooped in on her back, its razor sharp claws raised high in the sky¡­


    Nicole could sense the impending danger behind her, but she had no way of reacting right now. Yet I wasn¡¯t in the least bit worried at all. The moment that black mass launched its attack, Neneth made her move as well. She leapt into the air and brought her massive blade crashing down onto the third Lycan!


    Boom¡­


    That foolish Lycan was smashed into the ground. At the same time that her feet touched down, the Lycan¡¯s head finally gave way to the unstoppable force of her blade. She pumped her dainty fist into the air. ¡°Demon Hunter Tenet Four: believe in your comrades!¡±


    Neneth bumped her giant blade lightly against Nicole¡¯s ice and fire sword. The two exchanged a glance with each other, then charged towards Umbra, yelling in unison, ¡°Demon Hunter Tenet Five: never break faith!¡±

 CHAPTER 502: THE LAST BOSS?

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, as long as both of them aren¡¯t in danger, we can just watch from the sidelines. Still, some preparations have to be made¡­¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­ I got it¡­¡±


    Zurnalin immediately realised what I had in mind. She promptly signalled to the Assassins in secret, after which several of them disappeared into the shadows.


    Up till now, the Vampire hadn¡¯t shown any high-level minions yet. But there was no guarantee he only had lower-starred minions, so I decided to play it conservative for the moment. At the very least, there was no need for me to show my hand while Nicole and Neneth were showing off their heroic side.


    ¡°Curses¡­ just you wait!¡± Yelled the distraught Vampire; perhaps he wasn¡¯t too proficient at close-quarter combat? The Lycans he had brought over were all dead thanks to Nicole and Neneth. Other than using some Blood Magic, Umbra did not seem to have much else to show. After all, he wasn¡¯t a Vampire Overlord, who were known to have the power to control the blood within their opponents. Soon after, Umbra finally relented to the two girls¡¯ relentless attacks and tried to flee in a cloud of bats.


    However, that was exactly what I was waiting for. My lips curled into a smile. ¡°Now!¡±


    With the command given, ten or so Assassins suddenly emerged from the shadows, every one of them so happened to be stationed around Nicole¡¯s battlefield. Umbra¡¯s bats were completely surrounded. From every one of their fingers, a thread of white, translucent webbing shot out into the air, forming a gigantic spider web across the horizon¡­


    ¡°Bring it in.¡± On my signal, the spider web made entirely of mana descended from the skies, easily snagging all the fleeing bats.


    As the mass of bats slowly congregated into a struggling mass, Umbra emerged once more, looking a lot more haggard than before.


    ¡°Blasted Dark Elves¡­ why are you interfering in my business with the Humans¡­¡±


    As of right now, his body was entangled within the half-translucent web. It was conjured with the aid of ten Dark Elves who were all at least Seven-star; based on his strength alone, there was no way he could escape.


    ¡°Interfering? If you had just let us go from the start, would all this have happened? Bet you never thought you would get caught, did you?¡± I sneered at him. ¡°Why would I not have a backup plan after knowing that you can transform into bats to escape?¡±


    Umbra¡¯s actions till now had been very contradictory in my eyes. What was he even up to? The only thing I managed to discern was that he wanted a rift to form between Nicole and those villagers, and if possible, have her murder them. But so what if she killed them? Based on his words, this wasn¡¯t the first time they had tried this tactic on a Demon Hunter. Why then?


    At this point, I was quite sure I had hit the mark in some way. But I still needed someone to definitively prove this conjecture. I glared at the immobile Vampire writhing before me. ¡°Speak. What are your real goals? Who is the evil Witch hiding amongst the villagers?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Umbra remained silent.


    Seeing him so uncharacteristically silent for once, I couldn¡¯t help but raise an eyebrow. Something was up, and it made me uneasy. ¡°Not just your goals, I¡¯m curious about that barrier that allows you to walk in sunlight. Since you¡¯ve recognised the Dark Elves under me, I¡¯m sure you are familiar with their reputation as well. They have many ways to make a person talk, even in death. It¡¯s fine if you do not wish to answer, I just thought I should spare you the unnecessary struggling.¡±


    ¡°Goals? Hah. You think I would tell you? Since I¡¯ve been caught, that means I¡¯m no longer of use¡­¡± As he said that, his voice couldn¡¯t be any firmer. In all likelihood, he was already prepared to die, or perhaps he was afraid of what the Dark Elves would do to him. A second later, he did something which surprised even me.


    He reached into the pockets in his shirt and seemed to be grabbing onto something. ¡°I¡¯ll admit that I was careless. But don¡¯t think you¡¯ve won just yet. This ordeal will soon engulf the entire Western Human Realms. All those lowly Humans are done for, though it seems we need to add in the Dark Elves as well. I¡¯m just the beginning¡­ doom is sure to come to your world. The Devil gods will rain fire upon you all¡­ Cry, scream, struggle, all that awaits you is death and despair. When that time comes¡­ I¡¯ll be waiting for you all in hell¡­ hahahaha¡­¡±


    He gripped down on that mystery object in his shirt. A few seconds later, I felt the sunlight return to normal, or rather, the barrier blocking the sunlight had disappeared¡­


    The Vampire immediately burst into flames, his body no longer shielded from the scorching caress of day. Smoke began spewing from his body as the flames grew stronger by the minute. Even so, he continued laughing as if numb to the flames. Finally, after ten seconds of maniacal laughing, he was silenced forever in a pile of ashes¡­


    He¡¯s dead? Just like that? And here I thought he was supposed to be some kind of scary boss monster. What a cheap death!


    It wasn¡¯t just me who found this abrupt ending unacceptable as well. Everyone present had on a what the heck expression right now¡­


    Umbra probably thought that he stood no chance against the Dark Elves¡¯ interrogation, so he decided that killing himself would be the best way to guard his secrets. Even so, his conviction surprised me. I had wanted to find out more about the barrier, but he had chosen death, even destroying his soul in the process¡­


    What a bother¡­


    While Umbra¡¯s death meant that we couldn¡¯t get anymore information, he had at least confirmed that this series of actions was linked to the upcoming Apocalypse.


    Should I tell Nicole about that? After all, she might just end up in the frontlines of that battle. I should at least let the Humans have some time to prepare.

 CHAPTER 503: EVENT HORIZON

    However, events would soon prove even more troublesome than I had initially thought.


    I assumed that Umbra¡¯s death would lighten our load significantly, but something happened that exceeded my expectations¡­ the village was now destroyed.


    Not long after Umbra died, the ground began to quake. The ground in the center of the village began to crack apart first, from which a sickly green draconic head suddenly emerged. Its emergence sent the rocks and even the buildings above it flying into the air and towards the villagers.


    ¡°Save us¡­ ahhh¡­.¡±


    A number of the more unfortunate villagers yelled before they were unceremoniously squashed by a landing debris.


    The giant draconic creature opened up its gaping maws, and spat out an eerie green mist that slowly rose into the air, blotting out the sun soon after. The sheer thickness of the green mist prevented any sunlight from reaching the village beneath. In other words, the Undead were no longer weakened in day.


    As the giant draconic creature continued spewing forth fumes, the village of Lyon was slowly engulfed in that strange green mist. Those villagers fortunate enough to be alive were horrified at what they saw, scrambling head over tail to evacuate from the village. Even a fool could tell that a giant dragon-looking creature and his mystery green smoke was not a good sign.


    Unfortunately, they were but ordinary people. They had neither Fighter¡¯s Aura, nor mana. Furthermore, the sheer size of that creature meant that the damage to the ground had spread quite far. Cracks and rifts abound, the villagers could barely get a steady footing, let alone run. The proximity of the creature also meant that a significant portion had been exposed to large quantities of the fumes. Soon, they began to exhibit worrying symptoms. Vomiting; Breathing problems; Weakness in the limbs; Lightheadedness; and etc¡­


    ¡°Not good, the mist is toxic! Everyone, get on your air filtration tools!¡± A natural-born commander, Zurnalin quickly realised what was up with the fumes before even the villagers.


    Assassins often had to embark on difficult missions that sometimes required one to traverse through toxic environments. Naturally, given that the Dark Elf soldiers I brought with me were all Assassins, they each had a tool to filter the air on them. Its appearance resembled that of a gas mask back on Earth. The difference being that this gas mask operated on a magical array to filter the air, one that was powered by a mana crystal contained within.


    ¡°Master, that mist is called the Veil of the Dead, an area spell Necromancers use to block out the sunlight. Not only are Undead not affected by the sun while under it, they are even strengthened by the spell itself. The level of strengthening has to do with the thickness of the mist.¡± Jezsere explained as she retrieved two gas masks from her dimensional ring, and put it on herself and Ann.


    Having done that, she continued on by explaining the origin of that draconic creature. ¡°That creature is a Dracolich, a gigantic, Undead, landbound Dragon. They are created from an amalgamation of Undead magic and Witchcraft. Based on the thickness of that mist and its sheer size, it should be at the peak of Eight-star¡­¡±


    An Eight-star Peak Dracolich?! Curses. Why is such a monster hiding underneath this tiny village? And for it to be right under our feet as well¡­ why haven¡¯t I noticed it till now?! When it did infiltrate the village? How did it even burrow under the ground without causing a stir¡­ Unless! It was already beneath the village to begin with!


    As of right now, the village of Lyon was in ruins. The remaining villagers were all slowly dying, collapsing to the ground weakly, not even able to make a sound at this point.


    ¡°Master¡­ that mist has the ability to turn living creatures and corpses into Undead. I¡¯m afraid those villagers are going to die soon¡­¡±


    Having just said that, a portion of the nearly lifeless villagers started to cough violently. Shortly after, they puked out a mouthful of black blood.


    Seems like the village is really done for. That means, barring Ann who is with us, the only person who should be alive right now is the traitor. Maybe it was that traitor who summoned that damned Dracolich!


    ¡°Nicole, we need to leave this area right now!¡± As I said that, I steeled my voice. Now wasn¡¯t the time for Nicole¡¯s willfulness. She was coming with us, even if I had to use force to achieve that.


    ¡°All right.¡± Perhaps it was because she herself had confirmed the demise of the village, but she was surprisingly agreeable this time. ¡°Let¡¯s find a point we can break through. I wish to contact my teacher as soon as possible. Hopefully he can remove this threat before it spreads to the other regions.¡±


    ¡°Everyone, we¡¯re breaking through the west!¡±


    The fact that we were finally in agreement was perfect. I immediately gave the order to our forces. The strongest of the Assassins promptly took up positions in the front to clear the way for the rest of us. Quick like the wind, they covered the distance of a hundred meters in a blink of an eye. Their dancing daggers, enhanced with magic, easily sliced a path through the Undead horde.


    While the Undead were indeed strengthened by the mist, that did not save them from the fate of being destroyed by a bunch of Eight-stars.


    It¡¯s working. We will definitely break their siege and leave this godforsaken village!

 CHAPTER 504: ESCAPE

    These Dracolich experiments drew their inspiration from a more ancient variant known as Bone Dragons, who once ruled the battlefields in ancient times.


    When the ancient battles drew to a close, the majority of the pure Dragons left the Western Human Realms, leaving behind a small portion who stayed for unknown reasons. The power of a fully matured Dragon was immense, and not something that could be overcome with just strength of numbers.


    Thankfully, these prideful creatures found it beneath their status to harass those weaker than themselves. For the most part, they lived reclusive lives.


    In the contemporary age, Necromancers found themselves starving for materials, but still sought the sheer destructive power of a Bone Dragon. The pure-blooded Dragons still lived in seclusion, but even if the Necromancers found them, they couldn¡¯t win. Thus, they began experimenting on Ground Dragons instead, hoping that their draconic bloodline would serve as a usable substitute. However, their mixed blood meant that they were destined to never meet the exacting standards of the Necromancers.


    Not willing to give up on chasing this dream of supremacy, they began refining the blood of Ground Dragons, in hopes of one day reviving their glory days.


    Unfortunately, the draconic blood within Ground Dragons were too thin, so even refinement couldn¡¯t produce the desired results. That was when the Necromancers started working with the Witches in order to improve the combat strength of their Undead Ground Dragons. Finally, the Dracolich was born.


    A Dracolich wasn¡¯t a living creature, yet it wasn¡¯t a solely Undead creature either. At its core, it¡¯s a host of souls stuffed into a vessel.


    ¡ª-From: Evil Strikes! Necromancers and Witches!


    Because the lower-starred Undead were unable to stop us, we easily cut a hundred meter deep swathe into their ranks. But our blinding speeds meant that the Devils I summoned over couldn¡¯t keep up either. At this rate, they would have to be abandoned.


    The bodies of these Devils were different from Humans. Before dying, they were practically immune to the effects of the Veil of the Dead. Yet that didn¡¯t stop their corpses from turning into Undead once they died.


    If I had to be perfectly honest, the only idea I had in mind when I summoned them was to use them as fodder. Since they were just fodder, I wasn¡¯t going to spend too much effort on them either. Besides, abandoning them would serve the exact purpose they summoned for: stalling the Undead.


    ¡°Boom. Boom. Boom.¡±


    With each step the Dracolich took, the ground groaned from its massive limbs. It wasn¡¯t particularly fast, but its sheer size meant that it covered a great distance with each stride. In contrast, we were like sprinting ants next to it. No matter how fast we ran, it was easily made up with one stride of the Dracolich.


    The Dracolich outwardly resembled a lizard. Its head was cone-shaped and spotted a pair of large black horns that poked straight up ¨C the typical trait of a dragon. Clearly. Because lizards did not have horns.


    The Dracolich was now running towards us at top speed. A staggering explosion would blanket the battlefield each time it kicked its feet off the ground. On top of breaking the rock beneath it, it also decimated whatever was unfortunate enough to be near it at the time.


    A number of the villagers who were in the process from being zombified were instantly squashed into meat cakes. In some sense, this was a stroke of good fortune amidst a decidedly disastrous day. At the very least, they were released from their suffering before they could be trapped in a mindless, Undead husk.


    Yet it wasn¡¯t just the villagers who were affected by the Dracolich. The Devils whom I summoned weren¡¯t able to escape this untimely fate as well.


    Normally, Ground Dragons rarely grew up to twenty meters. This Dracolich had clearly received a horrifying boost in strength from the inhumane experiments performed on it.


    A beast like that would normally roar into the heavens, declaring its intent to fight. But this Dracolich had been completely silent till now. Even so, I couldn¡¯t be sure it was completely an Undead. While it might have had Soul Flames for eyes, its eyes also had the red of blood within it. A completely illogical pairing.


    A half-Undead, perhaps? Its consciousness should still be intact even if its body has been zombified¡­ must be painful¡­


    Perhaps it was this pain that afforded it limitless power. In barely any time at all, it had caught up to us!


    Yet just when it looked like it would reach us, eight of the Assassins covering our backline suddenly broke off from the pack to stall it. Using their Arcane magic, they launched a barrage of attacks at it, but to no avail¡­


    They began waving their hands about, summoning forth a giant magical array in front of them that spat out hundreds of blue Arcane orbs at the Dracolich.


    These Arcane projectiles first came into contact with the Veil of the Dead. It was then that I learnt that this strange mist not only was a dangerous biological weapon, it also suppressed magic. Hundreds of Arcane orbs slammed into the Dracolich, causing an unending torrent of explosions to shake the air. Yet when the dust settled, not even a single scale had been knocked down¡­


    Dragons were born with a natural resistance against magic. This creature born of Witches and Necromancers fully inherited this trait as well. With the Veil of the Dead aiding it, it would be hard for magic under the level of an Overlord to harm it. In that case, there was only melee combat!

 CHAPTER 505: A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE

    In less than three seconds, a multitude of translucent magical webbing spun out of their fingertips. Not only that, the webbing they spun somehow formed into a gigantic spider web!


    They¡¯re using the same tactic they used on Umbra to capture that Dracolich? Now. I don¡¯t want to be mean or anything by crushing our own morale, but the two targets are quite different in scale. They might as well be spiders trying to take down the tree they hang on.


    As I had expected, the Dracolich easily ignored the magical web. It rammed into the webbing, head first, then continued onwards without a care, still bearing that webbing and its eight casters as it sprinted forward.


    Dragged along like ragdolls, the Assassins had no choice but to cut off the webbing in order to avoid more harm. Thankfully, they were all Eight-stars, so their bodies were strong enough to withstand the initial impact and drag. Even when the Dracolich started dragging them along, they were able to make use of their first-class abilities to perform an emergency tumble before cutting off the webbing, and recover quickly to their feet. Unharmed for the most part, they sprinted after the Dracolich right away.


    ¡°Cover Her Holiness¡¯s retreat!¡± One of the Eight-star Assassins yelled to her comrades riding with her, then increased her speed, ran up to the flank of the charging Dracolich, and jumped onto it without any hesitation. The rest of the seven Eight-stars quickly followed in suit as well, successfully landing on the Dracolich¡¯s back.


    They immediately unsheathed their daggers and plunged them into the Dracolich¡¯s scaly back, easily penetrating its draconic scales. However, the Dracolich was a zombified monster, so such attacks did not inflict any pain on it. Even the strongest attacks they employed did not cause the Dracolich to flinch in the slightest. And that was all thanks to its abnormal regeneration rate. Furthermore, the Assassins had to set aside some of their mana in order to block off the harmful effects of the Veil of the Dead.


    For those Assassins who were right in the epicenter of the Veil, moving about was like swimming in the ocean. They had to ensure they did not breathe in the harmful particles in the Veil, all the while being obstructed in their movements as well. Fighting in the Veil had, in effect, lowered their Star Level by half a star!


    The fact that they were Assassins, and did not have many techniques to deal with large creatures, did not help them in the slightest right now.


    Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately for us, this half-Undead monster lacked a Territory, else it wouldn¡¯t have just been an Eight-star.


    In a lot of ways, this Dracolich was like boss monsters in RPGs; their levels might be the same as yours, but their basic stats were leaps and bounds above yours.


    The eight of them weren¡¯t able to slow the Dracolich in the slightest. It wasn¡¯t a problem of numbers at this point, it was just that large.


    The Veil of the Dead was also helping to repair any injuries that appeared on the Dracolich, further worsening the gap between the weakened Assassins and the Dracolich.


    We were done for, at this rate. The Dracolich was faster than us, and we still had that annoying Undead horde to contend with as well. Even though the horde itself was lower-starred and probably couldn¡¯t hurt us, they were a hindrance to our escape. By my estimates, that Dracolich should reach us in less than a minute¡­ that¡¯s when we were really done for¡­


    ¡°All the Eight-stars, stay behind with me! We will face that monster and buy some time for Her Holiness!¡± Zurnalin yelled as she suddenly stopped in her tracks. Then without waiting for me to even respond, she charged at the Dracolich.


    ¡°Zurnalin! Stop! I forbid you from going! Get back here immediately!¡±


    I called out to her in hopes of calming her down. However, she had already resolved herself, even if it meant disobeying my orders.


    ¡°Divine Blade!¡± Zurnalin slashed the air with her long sword, sending a massive crescent of sword energy flying at the Dracolich. That was probably the ability Zurnalin awakened when she became an Eight-star. This nearly ten meter wide wave was truly a sight to behold. Yet before it could even hit the Dracolich, the Veil of the Dead had already reduced its damage. With every inch the energy wave took, the Veil only got thicker and thicker. By the time it struck the Dracolich, it was merely a fraction of its original length.


    The wave exploded upon impact with its right shoulder, blasting the scales apart and sending a spurt of black blood scattering about. The wound was a grisly mess, but it wasn¡¯t as deep as we had hoped¡­


    ¡°Still too weak¡­ then I¡¯ll just have to get closer.¡± Zurnaline muttered to herself as she sped up her charge. ¡°Even if it means that I have to give up my life for Her Holiness, you shall not take a step further, monster!¡±


    By this time, the rest of the dozen or so Eight-stars had caught up with Zurnalin. In the blink of an eye, they launched a combined attack against the Dracolich. With magic out of the question, they only had their melee weapons to rely on. Yet to the mammoth that was the Dracolich, they were merely slightly stronger ants.


    Zurnalin was the first to make contact with the Dracolich, but she had overestimated her own strength. She was immediately sent flying away by the collision. Its size wasn¡¯t something you could take on with brute force alone.


    Fortunately, her collision wasn¡¯t for naught; she now knew what she had to do in order to make up for their size difference. She began channelling vast quantities of Fighter¡¯s Aura, blasting off wave after wave of sword energy at the Dracolich, not to kill it, but to delay it somewhat.


    I swear¡­ everyone of them¡­ disobeying my orders like that¡­ so what if I make it out of this? That means nothing if I have to sacrifice everyone in order to do so.


    I wanted to rescue Zurnalin right this instant, but the two Seven-star Assassins she left behind stopped me from moving at all.


    ¡°Your Holiness, please do not waste her lady¡¯s sacrifice.¡±


    ¡°Let go of me!¡± I tried to break free from their grip, but I was nothing but a Five-star weakling to them.


    ¡°Your Holiness, our deaths do not matter as long as your esteemed personage is unharmed. Please flee from this area immediately.¡±


    ¡°I said, let go of me!¡± As I yelled, the silhouette of a spider appeared in both my eyes. This was one of the abilities given to me by my godmother. As long as a creature faithful to her looked into my eyes, they would not be able to resist my commands. While I might not have used this often, but the situation being what it was, this was the only way I could break free.


    ¡°Since I¡¯m the one who brought you all out with me, then I have the responsibility to make sure every single of you makes it back alive as well.¡± Thanks to my previous command, the Assassins had already loosened their grip on me. I turned around and said to Jezsere and Ann, who were beside themselves with worry at this point, ¡°I want the two of you to follow the rest of them and leave this place as soon as possible¡­ I¡¯m afraid I might not be able to look after you two from this point on¡­¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Jezsere seemed to have understood that I was up to something. She glanced at me worriedly, hands shaking with fear as she hugged our new addition, Ann. She reached out as if to grab me, ¡°Master¡­ be careful¡­¡±


    She wanted to dissuade me from my rash actions, but the moment the words reached her lips, they transformed into a silent resignation instead.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be fine.¡± I then turned to address Reyage and Regine. ¡°I need the two of you to look after Jezsere and Jill, try to distance yourselves from this area too.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Reyage nodded.


    While Regine was just as worried as Jezsere was, she did not have much to say to me. She merely nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll keep them safe.¡±


    ¡°Geez, I can take good care of myself, I¡¯ll have you know.¡± Jill pridefully stuck her hands to her hips. ¡°You¡¯re the one who should be careful instead.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t plan on dying so easily. And even if I do, I¡¯ll just pull myself back up from Hell again.¡±


    (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.)


    With them out of the way, it was time for Neneth and Nicole. ¡°The two of you should go with the rest of the team as well. I¡¯ll stay behind to cover our retreat¡­ No. I will stay behind to clean up the mess!¡±


    ¡°Ehh? Sister Mo Na wants to stay behind and handle those monsters by herself?¡± Neneth¡¯s first reaction was to point at the Dracolich and the Undead in shock. ¡°But look how scary that big fellow is¡­¡±


    Nicole, on the other hand, merely looked at me in silence.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have a trump card to play.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ but that¡¯s not enough, is it? Look at how big that thing is¡­ it¡¯s definitely much stronger than Neneth¡­¡±


    Hearing her say that in an honest attempt of dissuading me, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder to myself, so her way of determining whether a person was strong or not was based on how they compared to her brute strength?


    I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle and ruffle her head gently. She closed her eyes a little, as if enjoying the head pat, bringing a warm smile to my lips in the process. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not that easy to kill¡­ and no matter what happens, I will protect the both of you!¡±


    Having taken care of those loose ends, I marched towards the battlefield where Zurnalin and that Dracolich fought, left hand gripping onto the Gem of Authority.


    The Veil of the Dead was a spell that only affected living creatures. Since the Devil King Idol was considered an inanimate object, it was completely immune to the debilitating effects of the Veil of the Dead. Furthermore, it itself was a weapon of war that boasted the power of a Demigod. Even though the weakling that I was could only bring out up to an Eight-star¡¯s worth of power, its defenses were still a bonafide Demigod¡¯s level. There was no way that Dracolich would ever be able to damage its exoskeleton. In short, I was perfectly safe as long as I stayed in its dimensional pocket.


    If there was something that concerned me right now, it would be that I lacked any killing spells while in the Devil King Idol. Unless I could deal it a decisive blow, this fight with the Dracolich might end up being a drawn out one. In that case, mana supply was an issue as well¡­


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry on that front, little brother. Your big sis over here can teach you a few tricks. But you need to understand that exposing yourself now before that little beauty over there isn¡¯t a good idea. If she were to recognise the Devil King Idol for what it is, the consequences would be¡­dire.¡±


    Whenever I was faced with a life-or-death decision, Ferti¡¯nier was sure to make herself known. This time was no exception either.


    I just knew you would pop up. But there¡¯s no time to worry about exposing myself now. There¡¯s no way I can stand by and watch them all die. Zurnalin might be a pain in the rear to deal with, but I¡¯m a man with feelings as well. Being cared for by someone is something I appreciate greatly¡­ no matter what happens, I will never abandon them and run away on my own. Besides, it¡¯s not like she can hold that Dracolich off for long even if I did nothing.


    As I said, Zurnalin was on the losing end right now in the fight with that Dracolich. Should all the Dark Elves fall, it wouldn¡¯t take too long to catch up with me, based on its speed. At that point, I would have to pull out my Devil King Idol anyway.


    If the outcome was going to be me pulling out my Devil King Idol, there was no reason not to do it now, was there?


    ¡°All right, since your mind is set.¡± Ferti¡¯nier didn¡¯t try to dissuade me any further. She knew that there was no changing my mind now. ¡°In that case, your big sis just has to teach you more skills. Let¡¯s hope our little brother¡¯s soul can hold out¡­ Actually, that shouldn¡¯t even be a problem now. You should be grateful that your big sis took the trouble to craft that lovely bracelet for you¡­¡±


    Lion¡¯s Majesty? You mean it has a spell that can be used with the Devil King Idol?


    There was no way she would lie to me about such things now, therefore I was even more at ease than before. I gripped down on the Gem of Authority once more, and steeled my gaze in the direction of the gruelling battlefield ahead¡­ Just hold on for a while longer. I¡¯ll be there soon¡­


    (Say no to content thief!)


    From this point on, it¡¯s my battlefield! Devil King Idol, activate!

 CHAPTER 506: SUMMON: BLAZING LION

    The Veil of the Dead immediately rushed to fill its innards, but the golem wasn¡¯t even a living creature so it had no weakening effect whatsoever.


    Even so, I could feel a distinct hindrance as I piloted the Devil King Idol from within. While the Veil of the Dead wasn¡¯t able to weaken the Devil King Idol, its sheer thickness meant that even its surroundings were changed. Trying to maneuver through the fog right now was like swimming in a pool of water¡­ poison water, to be exact!


    ¡°Zurnalin and the rest of you, fall back for now. Leave the rest to me!¡±


    ¡°Your Holiness?¡± A little battered, Zurnalin was confused when she heard my voice but did not see me. Thankfully, the Devil King Idol was obviously modelled after a Fallen Angel so she quickly grasped the gist of the situation. ¡°Many thanks, Your Holiness.¡±


    ¡°Now¡¯s not the time for idle chatter. I need all of you to fall back first.¡± In order to avoid the situation where I accidentally hurt the Dark Elves below I chose not to clash with the Dracolich right away. ¡°The coming battle isn¡¯t one where you all can participate; I do not wish for any of you to be hurt in the crossfire¡­¡±


    However, before I could even finish my words, the Dracolich came colliding into the Devil King Idol. I hurriedly stuck out my hands to try and hold it back, each hand grabbing onto one horn. Yet the force of its charge was truly terrifying. Even though the Devil King Idol managed to hold up in the end, the landscape beneath had been changed. A ten meter long trench was dug beneath us, finally ending in a giant pile of earth at where both my feet were¡­


    This clash of titans ended up being a tie on the surface. But in actuality, it was the Dracolich who came out short. After all, my Devil King Idol was stationary when it received that blow, while that Dracolich had running momentum behind it. Anyone could tell who was the real winner here.


    The resulting collision had caused a massive shockwave to blanket the entire area. The Assassins who were still trying to land a strike in on the Dracolich ended up being blown away, without exception. The sheer size difference between them and the Dracolich had decided their fate long ago.


    Even now, the Dracolich was trying to ram its horn at me. In all likelihood, its zombification had left it without much intelligence. Other than ramming and casting its Veil of the Dead, it did not have many tactics left to employ. It was still strong, no doubt. But its lack of variety doomed it to mediocrity.


    As of right now, I was like a matador and his bull, except that I had the strength to match said bull. In such a match, there was no way I would lose!


    ¡°Hold it steady like that, Your Holiness. We will take care of the rest!¡± Seeing an opportunity to attack, Zurnalin confidently rushed into battle, Fighter¡¯s Aura in full burst. ¡°Divine¡­ ah¡­¡±


    She tried to activate her ability once more. It was a powerful ability she had employed before that honestly would have been able to damage the Dracolich, had it not been for the Veil of the Dead. However, the moment she tried to swing her sword, a five-meter tall solid skull, formed entirely out of the Veil of the Dead, charged at Zurnalin, and before she could unleash her attack, exploded in front of her¡­


    ¡°Boom¡­¡±


    The explosion sent her flying away immediately, halting her ability mid process.


    However, that was only the beginning. All around the Devil King Idol, skull after skull began to coalesce out of thin air. Then came the explosions. Powerful explosions. Ones that endlessly rocked the battlefield around us.


    Yet such tactics were meaningless to my Devil King Idol. Even if I couldn¡¯t activate its full strength, an Overlord would still find it difficult to leave a dent on my Devil King Idol, let alone this Dracolich.


    Paying no heed to the exploding skulls beneath, I commanded the Devil King Idol to reach out and grab one of the Dracolich¡¯s horns with its left hand. With its right, I formed a fist and punched down hard on the monster¡¯s head. To those watching, the scene must have looked like an adventurer bullying a little monster.


    The Dracolich¡¯s own defenses weren¡¯t bad as well, but my Devil King Idol¡¯s strength was nothing to scoff at either. After several full-strength punches, its head finally caved in a little, fracturing and spurting out black blood from the wound.


    Down below, the skull¡¯s explosion wasn¡¯t strong enough to harm Zurnalin. She was covered in a green layer, but otherwise fine as she climbed to her feet and tried to rejoin the battle once more. Seeing the stubbornness in her eyes, I anxiously tried to stop her. ¡°Zurnalin, I need you to leave this area first. I¡¯ll meet up with you all once it¡¯s dead.¡±


    ¡°But Your Holiness¡­¡±


    ¡°No buts! You¡¯ve seen it as well. I have no problems beating up this Dracolich. You being here would only serve to distract me.¡±


    The battlefield was definitely in our favour right now. Even the advent of those exploding skulls did nothing to change that fact.


    ¡°I¡­ Understood¡­¡± Zurnalin was somewhat depressed, but she knew now wasn¡¯t the time for hesitation. She promptly called out to the rest of the Eight-stars, ¡°Sisters, leave the battlefield for now. Do not get in the way of Her Holiness.¡±


    Ever the efficient soldiers, these female Assassins easily broke free from the Dracolich, even with the Veil hindering their movements. After all, so what if it could create exploding skulls? Not like it could conjure up hands as well to bind those Assassins. Especially since they were Eight-stars.


    All right. It¡¯s just two of us now. Let¡¯s dance.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get overconfident now, little brother. You should summon your flames while you can.¡± Ferti¡¯nier helpfully came out to knock some sense into me. ¡°Lion¡¯s Majesty will heed your calls even in the Devil King Idol, we just have to alter the incantation somewhat. After all, we are trying to summon the Blazing Lion this time. Now, repeat after me¡­¡±


    ¡°By my name¡­ bestow life upon the flames¡­ heed my summons¡­ burn down those who stand before me¡­ Lion¡¯s Majesty!¡±


    As I yelled a string of words that only the finest of middle schoolers could have come up with, I couldn¡¯t help but get a little red in the ears, even inside the pocket dimension. Yet the moment I was done chanting, I felt an overwhelming surge of energy gush forth from my bracelet.


    What¡¯s going? Why is my mana rushing out of my body? No. Not just my mana. The Devil King Idol¡¯s mana reserves are depleting as well, flowing in the direction of Lion¡¯s Majesty¡­ Don¡¯t tell me that was the chant for summoning that Overlord-class creature in Lion¡¯s Majesty?


    ¡°That¡¯s right, little brother. That incantation just now was to summon that same lion. Don¡¯t forget, Lion¡¯s Majesty was made from the core of an Overlord-class fire lion. It should definitely be able to summon an Eight-star Peak Blazing Lion. However, our little brother¡¯s mana is too little for so your big sis over here decided to tap into the Devil King Idol as well¡­¡±


    Hah. Never knew that it could do that as well.


    As more and more mana was siphoned out of the Devil King Idol, a fire vortex began forming between me and the Dracolich. At the start, this vortex was merely the size of a person¡¯s fist, something us giants could easily snuff out with a blow. Yet a second later, that fiery vortex began to rapidly expand, all the way till it was ten meters wide.


    This sudden emergence led to the Dracolich seemingly regaining some of its wits as well. It gave up on its pointless wrestling match with my Devil King Idol. It broke free and took a few steps back, all the while eyeing that fiery vortex cautiously.


    As the vortex continued coalescing, it inadvertently sucked in a huge amount of the Veil of the Dead. The moment its sickly green mist came into contact with the inferno that was that vortex, it was instantly purified by the heat. Since time immemorial, Fire and Light had always been the bane of Undead, because of their innate purifying qualities. Fire as an element was more explosive with its purification, while Light was more gradual. Either way, both were powerful purifying elements.


    ¡°Roar!!!¡±


    The fiery vortex opened up like a dimensional door to space. From within rushed out an eight meter tall lion, composed entirely out of scorching flames. Yet its features were so defined, you wouldn¡¯t be faulted for mistaking it for a real lion.


    (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.)


    Every bit as bold as its name, it fearlessly charged right at the Dracolich despite being several times smaller than it was.


    At the same time that the two of them collided, a giant shockwave was sent out that also destabilised the both of them. It was only after tumbling about a few times that they finally got back up to their feet. The Blazing Lion was more nimble in that aspect, managing to recover with only a couple of tumbles. It immediately launched another attack at the Dracolich that was still trying to regain its balance. What was worth mentioning at this point was that wherever that lion touched, flames would be left behind. That Dracolich¡¯s body was no exception as well!


    Now that the Blazing Lion had been summoned, the fiery vortex began to shrink, finally disappearing into the void a while later. Yet when I finally got a good look at the lion I summoned, I realised something earth shattering¡­


    Why? Why does that lion not have a mane?! I¡¯m not blind, am I?! There¡¯s no mane on that lion! No mane!


    Some things were important enough that it warranted three repetitions. So why did it not have a mane?


    Ferti¡¯nier¡­ what¡¯s going on here? That¡¯s clearly a lioness!


    ¡°Ahahaha¡­ don¡¯t sweat the small stuff, little brother.¡±


    You aren¡¯t getting away that easily! You clearly said Blazing LION. So why is it now a lioness¡­ don¡¯t you have any shame at all?


    ¡°But your big sis remembered it was a male as well, why is it a female now? Wait¡­¡± While I might not have been able to see the expression on her face, I could tell that she was looking at me strangely right now. ¡°Maybe the problem has to do with our little brother?¡±


    ¡­


    My problem? What am I? The king of scapegoats? Don¡¯t try and dump this on me! Let¡¯s be clear here: we are two souls in one. If it¡¯s my problem, it¡¯s yours as well!


    ¡°Oh. That¡¯s true.¡± I could feel her snap her fingers at that point. Then, as if she had just come to a realization, she said, ¡°Your big sis almost forgot but¡­ we really are in the same body, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    Bah¡­ now¡¯s not the time to talk about its gender. Lion or not, as long as it can get the job done, it¡¯s a good lion in my books.


    ¡°Hehe, that¡¯s that then.¡±


    So it was on purpose! If there was a table in my head right now, I would flip it. I would flip an unending domino chain of tea-laden tables if I could.


    ¡°All right. All right. Simmer down. As compensation, how about your big sis teach you a couple of new tricks?¡±


    Hmph!


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. Come on, give us a little shake.¡±


    (Say no to content thief!)


    I¡¯ll shake your stinking bottom¡­


    I meant every word of that. I really wanted to give her a good spanking right now, but the Dracolich took precedence.


    ¡°Anyway, your mana has stabilised, hasn¡¯t it? It¡¯s time for fighting then! Like a cruel angel, go forth, young girl, become a legend!¡±


    Hey! That¡¯s copyright material right there! Also, it¡¯s young boy, not young girl! Curse you!


    The Blazing Lion and the Dracolich were both creatures at the peak of Eight-star. However, my Blazing Lion was more akin to a bug. It was a purely elemental creature, meaning it wouldn¡¯t die until all its energies had been expanded. Furthermore, it was leagues above the Dracolich, in terms of speed. By the time I had recovered from the enormous mana usage of summoning it, the Blazing Lion had already dominated the battle.

 CHAPTER 507: BLAZING SPEAR

    It leapt at the Dracolich before pulling back to prepare for the next strike. Each time it did so, it prioritised making contact with the Dracolich instead, leaving a wound wherever it could, whether by claw or fang, or simply just bumping into the Dracolich. Being a creature of pure fire, even simple contact would leave burn wounds on its targets. Furthermore, flames left by a powerful being such as itself would burn for a significant period of time before being extinguished. If the next strike were to hit that exact same spot, the flames would spread even further and re-ignite. Thanks to that, the Dracolich was quickly covered in horrific burn wounds. Had it not been for the Veil of the Dead and its own regenerative abilities, it probably would have been destroyed already.


    The battle was definitely in our favour at this point. Strong though that Dracolich might be, its zombified state dulled its senses to the point where it was half as reactive as a normal creature. My Blazing Lion could easily toy around with such a dull construct, though it couldn¡¯t finish the job thanks to the Dracolich¡¯s immensely sturdy body.


    Hmm¡­ now¡¯s about the time¡­


    Ferti¡¯nier, do you have any method of taking out the Dracolich quickly?


    ¡°I sure do. If our little brother wants to learn it, his big sis would be more than happy to teach him.¡± Unlike her usual flippantness, she cut right into teaching me the spell right away. ¡°Focus your mana into your left hand, then by using Lion¡¯s Majesty as a medium, start pulling and twisting the mana as if in a whirlpool¡­¡±


    I followed her words and soon a mass of flames burst to life, startling me in the process. Fortunately, I quickly recovered from the shock when I realised that this flame wouldn¡¯t hurt, and began twisting the mana once again.


    As time ticked by, my left hand became wrapped in a whirlpool of flames. This same phenomena was reflected on the Devil King Idol¡¯s left hand as well. Faster and faster it spun till, finally, a sharp tip began to emerge out of the whirlpool, like the pointed end of a tornado. On the outside, the much larger flame whirlpool had stretched out into a spinning, drill-like, appendage!


    The rapid rotation on this flame gave my Golem a much higher level of armor penetration than it ordinarily would have.


    ¡°Go then, let that brute over there have a taste of your Blazing Spear!¡±


    Can you stop coming up with middle school names already?


    ¡°Should I call it the Hyper Giga Drill Break then?¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Or maybe the Flaming Drill That Will Pierce the Heavens Drill?¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Or¡­¡±


    ¡°Huhuhu, it¡¯s your big sis¡¯s victory then! Now. Go forth, and tear my enemies asunder, my faithful hound!¡±


    Who are you calling a faithful hound?!


    Even though I did not want to do as she said thanks to that bit of tomfoolery, now wasn¡¯t the time for willfulness. The Blazing Lion couldn¡¯t finish off the Dracolich itself, and letting that monster roam free for long was just inviting further trouble.


    Blasted Ferti¡¯nier¡­ I¡¯ll remember this!


    Having to deal with the Blazing Lion was enough of a headache for the Dracolich already. It did not even have the mind to try and avoid me. When I stabbed my Blazing Spear in its direction, it met my attack head on, jaws opened wide, spurting out a water jet-like stream of its pesky green mist. Because of the abruptness of its attack, I wasn¡¯t able to dodge the stream. I could only use the Blazing Spear as I would an actual drill, and try to drill apart the oncoming Veil of the Dead¡­


    Hah. You¡¯re still trying to struggle even at this juncture? Pointless. I¡¯ve already foreseen your defeat, now die, monster!


    Strangely excited by the sight of two giants duking it out with each other, our resident she-Devil, Ferti¡¯nier seemed to have gotten into the mood as well. ¡°Gou(dog), gou(dog), gou(dog)! Slam it right in the front, don¡¯t be afraid!¡±


    Gou, gou, gou? You mean ¡®go, go, go¡¯! How is your English even worse than mine? Geez!


    (TL: Something inside of me died when I typed that out. Google Docs autocorrected me four times when I tried to type gou out.)


    Flames being the bane of all Undead, the moment the Veil of the Dead touched the tip of my Blazing Spear, it instantly evaporated. Like a hot knife through Undead butter, I easily broke through the enemy¡¯s high-density stream of particles, viciously stabbing into the Dracolich¡¯s undefended chest. As the Blazing Spear sank in, it broke off from the Devil King Idol, continuing to drill itself further downwards till it finally disappeared from sight. All that remained from it was the red hot glare seeping through the ever-extending tunnel,reminiscent of a blacksmith¡¯s furnace.


    Severely injured for the first time ever, the Blazing Lion immediately pounced on its prey, sinking its teeth into the Dracolich¡¯s neck¡­


    It was at that moment that I realised something was wrong¡­ Why does it feel like my Blazing Spear is starting to lose control¡­ don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s going to blow up?


    With that in mind, I quickly retreated. And not a moment too soon as well. The Dracolich suddenly exploded after I had taken a couple steps backwards. Yet it wasn¡¯t just my spear that exploded, the Blazing Lion had also exploded at the same time.


    ¡°Boom! Boom!¡±


    The explosions ended up not causing much damage to the Devil King Idol. The Dracolich, on the other hand, was torn apart. A wave of black blood and rotten flesh flew straight for the Devil King Idol, bringing along with it a horrific stench.


    Crap. That stuff is going to be a pain to remove if I let the Devil King Idol get stained by it¡­ I hurriedly set up a barrier in front of the Devil King Idol. It didn¡¯t have to be a particularly sturdy barrier, it just had to block that wave of gunk.


    And now¡­ to walk away from the explosion like an action hero!


    With the Dracolich taken care of, I unsummoned the Devil King Idol, and returned to the rest of the Assassins. The remaining Undead were all low-starred and weren¡¯t even worth mentioning. We easily broke through their encirclement without losing a single person.


    However, now that we were in the clear, I had a whole host of problems to consider. For one thing, should I try and harvest those Undead souls by ourselves or just go get help.


    It wasn¡¯t that we couldn¡¯t wipe the floor with them, it was just a bother. Furthermore, the villagers were now all dead, so there really wasn¡¯t an urgent need to clear the Undead either. As long as we contained them within the village, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem.


    ¡°Sister Mo Na!¡± Neneth immediately came flying into my arms, a wide grin on her lips. She tried to rub her face in my chest a little but stopped after a couple of spins. ¡°Sister Mo Na, your chest is really hard!¡±


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    Don¡¯t give me that look¡­ What¡¯s wrong with my chest being hard? Isn¡¯t that the norm?!


    Even though I desperately wanted to poke fun at her words, I still had an image to uphold in front of Nicole. Having no proper answer to her question, I brushed it off with a quick ¡°haha¡±.


    ¡°Sister Mo Na, that big fellow was awesome! Is your summon as well? Neneth wants to learn some magic too!¡± Neneth kept tugging on me as she prattled on and on. Suddenly, she stopped. She rubbed her belly a little then looked at me with a sad face. ¡°But Neneth doesn¡¯t have any talent with magic, and she¡¯s hungry¡­¡±


    Why did you even lump the two together? That¡¯s a really huge leap in logic there¡­


    Next, I slowly carried Jezsere and a visibly shell shocked Ann off Mo Ning. The two of them were still traumatised by the destruction of the village by that Dracolich, even after its death.


    Honestly speaking, I wasn¡¯t sure myself how to react to the village¡¯s destruction. Even though they were more than happy to lob insults our way, just watching them get wiped out like that was¡­ upsetting.


    While we might have escaped as planned, everyone was in low spirits. Something that had to be remedied fast. We just needed an outlet of some sort.


    Another point of note was that the Dracolich¡¯s death meant the Veil of the Dead would soon dissipate. Once that happened, the Undead would be weakened by the sun once more. Though that would also stimulate their thirst for blood and flesh.


    ¡°Those Undead will soon start wandering around, now that they¡¯ve lost their leader. We need to prevent that before more casualties appear.¡±


    The Devil King Idol was thoroughly exhausted after that fight, and shouldn¡¯t be operable in the short term. My only trump card left was the hundred or so Assassin assigned under me.


    ¡°Everyone, get some rest first. Assassins, once you¡¯re done resting, I need you all to track the Undead and their movements. Try not to come into contact with them, but make sure they do not bother the neighbouring settlements either.¡± I took this opportunity to leave a better impression on Nicole.

 CHAPTER 508: ALONE TIME

    As expected, Nicole came up to me to express her thanks when I gave the command to protect the other villages. A shred of liveliness seemed to seep into her eyes as well. Her change in attitude was especially a relief for me given her opinion of me had worsened thanks to that little incident of Devil summoning. Truly a close call there¡­


    Seeing as we had time to spare for once, I found a random empty patch of grass to sit down on, took out some of the dry rations I had stored in my dimensional ring, and invited everyone for a quick snack. A brief moment later, the creases on everyone¡¯s eyebrows lessened noticeably.


    However, the way Neneth vacuumed down the food I gave her was a little worrying. At this point, I wasn¡¯t even sure if I should be worrying about our dry rations running out, or her bursting at the seams first¡­


    ¡°Sister Mo Na, why are you looking at Neneth like that for?¡±


    ¡°I was just thinking to myself, how can such an adorable girl have such a big appetite, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Faced with that potentially sensitive question, Neneth merely laughed and proudly smacked her chest. ¡°That¡¯s because Neneth is strong, that¡¯s why she needs more food!¡±


    You eat more because you are strong¡­ I can¡¯t even refute that¡­


    Now that our meal was over, it was time for serious business.


    We still had no way of confirming whether or not the mastermind behind this whole incident was watching us from the shadows. The steps we took next would likely be crucial.


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    As of right now, there were two choices facing us. First, all of us could head to the nearby towns to notify their local leaders for aid. However, the fact that there was an Undead horde running amok unchecked, there was a high likelihood that the local nobility had been compromised. Perhaps the lord of the land had been bribed, or perhaps he was one of the evildoers to begin with. There was a chance that the lord wanted us dead as well. Even so, given Nicole¡¯s unique status, all we had to do was report the situation to a nearby Demon Hunter branch. The lord would surely be indicted then, though there was still the possibility of the nobility acting to silence us.


    The second choice would be to send a small detachment to the neighbouring towns to report the situation while most of us stayed behind to contain the situation. This way, the nobility would find it harder to kill us all, since they would have two groups to deal with. This method would allow us to gain the aid we wanted as well. However, there was a glaring risk in that if another Dracolich were to pop up¡­ well¡­ we would be done for then¡­


    Both choices had their own strong points, and were valid in this situation.


    Huh? She did that? Everyone was equally surprised as they turned to look at her. The ¡®I didn¡¯t even see you doing that¡¯ look was clearly plastered on everyone¡¯s face.


    ¡°I used it last night. When I returned to our room.¡±


    So that¡¯s why. Still, that teacher she¡¯s talking about should be the branch leader of the Demon Hunters¡¯ Guild. A bigwig of the Demon Hunters. If someone like that were to come over, then there¡¯s no need to worry. All we gotta do now is hold the line for the reinforcements.


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    However, I couldn¡¯t help but notice the awkwardness of my situation right now. After all, the Demon Hunters were an association dedicated to slaying Devils. And, this wasn¡¯t me bragging or anything, but I was the proverbial wild p0kemon to their eager trainers.


    Even so, the fact that I assisted Nicole so much should work highly in my favor. If I was lucky, I might even get in her teacher¡¯s good graces. That would allow me to accompany Nicole long term. I still had my transformation magic to cover up my Devil scent, at the end of the day. I just needed legal status for my Occultist practise.


    What followed next was a lull period where we really did not have much to do. Nicole mentioned her teacher would arrive soon, but she did not tell us how quickly. Minutes? Hours? Perhaps tonight?


    Truthfully, there were still a bunch of questions left unanswered regarding the village saga. Who released that Dracolich? What was Umbra even after? And that barrier too¡­


    I had next to nothing on the identity of the mastermind. Actually, I had nothing at all. I had no way of investigating either. As for Umbra¡¯s goal, the signs were pointing to him trying to get Nicole to kill those villagers. Was that perhaps how they would seduce her to join the dark side? Probably. Next was that Anti-light Barrier. Umbra mentioned that this was the first time they had used it in such a public manner. Were there many Anti-light Barriers deployed in secret then? That would be a pretty logical deduction.


    However, there was an even scarier implication if that was true. That Anti-light Barrier basically allowed a Vampire to walk around in the sunlight like a normal person would. That meant they could be that handsome villager next door and no one would realise. That barrier most likely blocked out the ultraviolet rays in the sunlight. In that case, normal people wouldn¡¯t notice the difference even if the barrier was deployed in, let¡¯s say, a town.


    Since ancient times, the fastest way to differentiate a normal Human from a Vampire was to roast him in the sun. But if the barrier rendered this method useless, then that begged the question: how many Vampires are hiding out in, or even controlling, the various Human settlements?


    Of course, Umbra could be telling the whole truth as well. And it could just be that this was really the first time they took it out to use. However, I was more likely to favor my earlier theory.


    Vampires were creatures that relied on Humans for sustenance. They would want to have some Humans living near their nests. What better way to ensure a constant supply of blood then to control the Humans like sheep?


    If that was the case, this Undead horde made sense. The nobility was under their control, or maybe they were the Vampires¡­


    Crap. It just gets more scary the more I think about it¡­


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    It was at that moment that one of the Dark Elven Assassin came up to me and handed me a tiny bottle of white powder. I gave the bottle a quick look then gestured for everyone to have a break first. Having done that, I threw a look at Nicole, signalling for her to follow me to the forest.


    Having understood my intentions, she stood up to follow me. Neneth initially wanted to come along as well, but was stopped by Regine.


    Regine shook her head at Neneth who pouted in response but sat down in the end.


    As we walked towards the forest, I turned around and asked Nicole, ¡°what are your opinions on the Lord¡¯s inaction this time around?¡±


    ¡°Suspicious.¡± A straight to the point answer.


    ¡°Yes. I suspect that the nobles of this territory have some sort of underground dealings with the creatures of darkness. Perhaps the lord himself might be one of them.¡± We continued onwards.


    ¡°That Anti-light barrier intrigues me as well. That¡¯s why I had my subordinates take a sample of it. They found unusual traces within a five kilometer radius of the village. According to them, there were a lot of traces left behind, so you can just get your Demon Hunters to retrieve them as well. But for even the lord of the land to be a suspect¡­¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Nicole coldly cut me off.


    ¡°Here¡¯s a sample I just received.¡± I took out the bottle I just received for her to see. ¡°You can use this as a future reference.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


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    ¡°There¡¯s no need to thank me, because¡­¡±


    I stopped talking at that point. Rather, I couldn¡¯t. Because I was no longer the person I was before. None of us were. Nicole was now a Demon Hunter, while I was a Devil. Two entities doomed to be at odds with each other. Even though I had faith that she would still accept me even after knowing of my identity, now wasn¡¯t the time to tell her. I could tell she held a deeply seated hatred for Devils. Until I gained enough trust, I mustn¡¯t reveal my identity.


    ¡°How about we talk about you instead? I¡¯m quite interested in what you have to say.¡± She suddenly threw me a curveball after a deathly long period of silence between us.


    ¡°I¡­ guess I¡¯m an Occultist who wants to be a productive member of society?¡± Awkward silence once more¡­ I couldn¡¯t figure out what else to say to her question, thanks to how different Nicole was from before. In the past, I could fairly accurately predict how she would react to my words; I was just that familiar with her. Now, however¡­ I did not understand her at all. The only thing I knew about her was that she was searching for ¡®Mo Ke¡¯.


    ¡°Productive member of society?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I nodded my head. ¡°We might not be able to choose how we were born, but I firmly believe that we can choose how we live our lives. I wish to be someone useful, and I think I¡¯ve accomplished that today.¡±


    Having said that, I turned to find Nicole looking at me, a little misty eyed as she muttered, ¡°So similar¡­¡±


    ¡°Similar?¡±


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    ¡°Similar to what my younger brother said in the past.¡±


    I began to sweat a little. Did she find out already? ¡°Which part?¡±


    ¡°The part about choosing how we lived our lives.¡± She then mimicked the voice I had when I was young. As she did that, a smile crept onto her lips. ¡°Just like that.¡±


    I dryly laughed. ¡°¡­A coincidence, I¡¯m sure. Just like being struck by lightning, a pure coincidence¡­¡±


    ¡°He used to say that too.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Why am I even bothering at this point? Talking to her is tiring¡­


    Thankfully, this atmosphere did not continue for long.


    ¡°They address you as Her Holiness. Those Dark Elves all seem to be experts in their own right. If I were to go up against them, I don¡¯t think I can win in a one on one.¡± She suddenly stopped walking and looked me right in the eyes with an empty expression. Finally, in no uncertain words, she said, ¡°You¡¯re some kind of big shot, aren¡¯t you?¡±

 CHAPTER 509: A RISKY CHOICE

    Blast¡­ why do I have to pretend to be a girl in front of Nicole? Is this what they mean when they say, to cover up a lie, you end up telling a hundred more?


    ¡°Was there any special reason for that?¡± Nicole asked, slightly intrigued by the story.


    ¡°A special reason, huh¡­¡± If I were to say there wasn¡¯t one now, she wouldn¡¯t believe me at all. In that case, I¡¯ll just try to fudge my way through.


    With that in mind, I looked skyward without any explanation, head tilted up a perfect 45 degrees, and eyes pensive like a depressed emo kid. ¡°Because of origins¡­ Sorry. But I do not wish to talk about it¡­¡±


    (TL: I did not choose that comparison btw. I¡¯m innocent if anyone is offended.)


    Nicole stared at me in shock, her eyes slightly glazed over.


    ¡°Nicole? What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Nicole shook her head as if she was trying to get something out of her head. ¡°So are you a Human or an Elf?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ am a Human.¡±


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    Honestly, I wanted to say that I was a Devil with a Human heart¡­ but there was no way I was going to say that. Perhaps. Perhaps if I had just a little more time to get her trust¡­ I would come clean with her then.


    ¡°A Human¡­¡± Nicole lowered her head in thought, then, as if having come to a realisation, she suddenly glared at me judgingly. ¡°You know. I¡¯m fairly certain we haven¡¯t met before, but you seem unusually concerned with me¡­ Rather, extremely concerned. The circumstances behind our first meeting was strange as well. You clearly aren¡¯t weak, but those bandits were chasing you -I¡¯m sure any one of those Dark Elven Assassins hiding in the shadows could have wiped them all out. What are your motives for approaching me?¡±


    ¡°I just¡­¡± I paused to sigh at that point. And not by choice as well. The way she suddenly cornered me like that made me realise that things were about to spiral out of control. I knew I had to do something quick to salvage this situation, but that thought alone gave me a headache.


    ¡°I heard rumors that Lyon was facing difficulties. My intention was to check it out and perhaps rid them of the problem. However, the moment I arrived, I bumped into those bandits. They started harassing us more than usual because the majority of our entourage was female. That was when I lost my temper and killed most of them -the scumbags. They¡­ I don¡¯t care what reason motivated them to banditry, but it¡¯s a fact that they harmed innocents, and should be punished!¡±


    (TL: When? Why? Fishcakes, I can¡¯t believe I wasted time looking again.)


    ¡°I see. He¡¯s absolutely correct.¡± Naturally, I wasn¡¯t going to let go of this chance to explain away the bandit problem. ¡°After killing those bandits, my companions informed me that there were people approaching. Based on the path you were taking, I was sure we would eventually bump into each other. And soon too. Even though we had the ability to hide all the corpses before your arrival, there was no way I could erase the traces of battle in time. That was why I had Leeder change your course¡­ I was just afraid that you and Neneth would mistake me for a murderer¡­ after all, I¡¯m a¨C¡±


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    I didn¡¯t have to continue as she unceremoniously cut me off.


    ¡°Well. Regardless. There¡¯s nothing wrong with defending yourself when you are under threat. However¡­¡± A glint of coldness flashed past her eyes then.


    ¡°I could tell right from the start that those bandits were extremely afraid of you. Yet they still had to pretend to rob you. I was suspicious of that, and thought you were with the creatures of darkness as well. That was why I agreed to you accompanying us: in order to watch you better. It wouldn¡¯t be late to kill you after we found out what you were up to. Leeder also revealed himself when he immediately surrendered after seeing your Fire Elementals. He was the weak point in your little act.¡±


    Demon Hunters often had to take on missions where they had to expose the hidden spy amongst the masses. Because of that, they were trained not to take things at face value. Being one of their brightest recruits, Nicole easily spotted the strangeness right away.


    ¡°I had no way of knowing that those bandits were actually the villagers of Lyon. If I had known, I wouldn¡¯t have killed them¡­¡±


    ¡°I believe you on that point. But do you deny the fact that you tried to control Leeder with your evil arts?¡±


    ¡°Because I was afraid he would suddenly turn on me; that¡¯s the only reason why I planted that spider in him. But I definitely removed the spider the night before the Undead attacked. As for that leech¡­ it has to be that spy hiding in the village¡­¡± While we might not have found the spy yet, the events leading up till now had given me much insight. Insight, which I was eager to share in hopes of proving my innocence.


    ¡°Leeder and the rest must have met that spy after I removed the spider from them¡­¡± I proceeded to tell her my conjecture about how the leeches were probably implanted after my spiders. I then told her about my deduction that the Dracolich had to have been left there early on by a Witch.


    ¡°¡­ Also. Remember how Leeder got us to stay for that feast? That feast that lasted a whole three days. Was that really just to thank us? Clearly, he was in cahoots with that Witch. He just didn¡¯t realise how disposable he actually was.¡±


    (TL: Altered the text a little here. Original text was ¡°Clearly, he was already controlled by that Witch¡±. I don¡¯t think that would make sense since he just said the leech was put in after the removal of the spiders. The removal was after the celebrations so that timeline would be off.)


    ¡°You feel it¡¯s an evil Witch hiding in the village?¡±


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    ¡°That¡¯s right. Evil witches are proficient in body modifications and rearing cursed parasites.¡±


    ¡°I see. I¡¯ll be sure to report what you just told me.¡±


    (TL: original text was ¡°marvelous/wonderful/brilliant¡± in the context of a performance. I just thought ¡°I see¡± fits her character more. Also, marvelous wouldn¡¯t make sense given what she said next and what she said before.)


    ¡°Better to be careful than sorry. Those creatures of darkness are plotting something. I¡¯m afraid turbulent times are ahead.¡±


    An urge to tell her about the Apocalypse came over me at that point. However, I resisted it. Until I told her about my identity, talking about the Apocalypse wasn¡¯t an option. She wouldn¡¯t believe me if I had said so.


    After all, there were doomsayers in every world, fantasy or not. Yet the world was still standing, wasn¡¯t it? That was what most people would think.


    ¡°You have some news regarding that?¡±


    ¡°Nothing concrete. They have just been more active recently; quite worrying.¡±


    ¡°I agree. It seems like they are planning something big. But that¡¯s all in the future. Right now, I¡¯m more interested in you¡­¡±


    ¡°You give me a very nostalgic feel. We¡¯ve only just met, but for some reason, I feel like I know you well enough to predict your behavior¡­ just like¡­ just like¡­¡±


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    Your younger brother? I guess it¡¯s time to show my hands then¡­ I never expected her to be as familiar with me as I was with her¡­ a miscalculation on my part¡­ but it¡¯s only to be expected, seeing as she was the big sister who helped raise me¡­


    ¡°Ke¡­ Ke, is that you?¡±


    Nicole reached out to touch my cheeks all of a sudden. I did not know how to react to that, so I merely closed my eyes while I leaned slightly back against the tree behind me.


    My heart was in turmoil right now. Since meeting her, I realised how bad her mental state was currently. There was an unhealthy level of aggressiveness in her. Her hate for Devils was so apparent, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it could slice up a rock. Other than me running away from home, I really could not think of another reason why she would end up like this¡­


    It¡¯s all my fault¡­ If I hadn¡¯t done that¡­ But I wouldn¡¯t have rescued Yi Yi otherwise¡­ I wouldn¡¯t be the person I was now¡­ I would just be that worthless piece of trash living under the protection of Roscar and Nicole¡­


    An urge to come clean came over me all of a sudden. She had basically guessed who I was by now. If I didn¡¯t tell her now, another opportunity might never appear again. With that in mind, I opened my eyes and smiled in the way I often did. ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s me. Ke. I¡¯ve come back.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I just told her about my identity. But she did not come running into my arms, as I had expected. Neither did she try to hit me or scold me. She merely stayed quiet. Expressionless as always. Suddenly, I felt a surge of killing intent directed at me from her ruby-red eyes, one that almost made me choke.


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    Hold on¡­ what¡¯s going on here? Director, I would like to report an error in the script¡­


    She looked me right in the eyes before asking as such, every word painstakingly emphasized. ¡°What. Happened.¡±


    ¡°I was jealous of Sares so I decided to run away from home. After that, I ran into a girl called Yi Yi, a Fallen Angel in trouble. I rescued her, but I died doing so. In order to repay me, she sent my soul to hell¡­ I clawed my way up from there¡­ just to see you¡­¡±


    I briefly explained what happened after I ran away. Because of how absurd the whole story was, I did not wish to go into all the details. Yet as I was recounting my tale, tears began to roll down her cheeks.


    ¡°So are you a Human now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m a Fallen Angel¡­ probably. I have the Original Sin of Lust in me as well. My current appearance is due to the transformation magic I used¡­¡±


    ¡°Please believe me. I might be a Devil now, but my heart remains the same as before!¡±

 CHAPTER 510: EPILOGUE 1

    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me¡­¡± Nicole pleaded as she looked at Mo Ke¡¯s eyes, meeting his sincerity with her desperate tears.


    Seeing her react so strongly to his words, he was immediately overcome with a sense of helplessness and sadness. However, he still swallowed his grief and said, ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°Just stop¡­¡± Nicole was not to be deterred, pleading with him once more.


    ¡°I am really your little Ke. I¡¯m not lying to you!¡±


    In order to emphasize this point, Mo Ke even called out her nickname for him. It was a special nickname the two of them shared alone. Because of how similar their names sounded in this world, Roscar would often just refer to them as his son or daughter in order to avoid making a mistake. Only the two of them would ever use little Ke.


    (TL: not going to bother checking. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.)


    The moment that name left his lips, Nicole weeped even harder than before. Yet amidst her tears and tumultuous emotions, there was a glint of coldness in her eyes.


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡± As she said that, she returned back to her usual unfeeling self. Her eyes were still red from crying, but they now only held hatred within them.


    ¡°Nicole¡­ what are you thanking me for?¡± Mo Ke asked while smiling quiveringly. He simply couldn¡¯t fathom why she was looking at him with such a foreign look. He had never intended to open up to her so soon, but she had forced his hand early. In light of that, it was wiser to come clean sooner rather than later.


    He had originally thought that his admission would be met with a passionate hug from her. After all, their relationship was a special one. If he was being bold, he would even say that they were familiar enough to kiss. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t seem to share this vision.


    Yet while Mo Ke might not have understood what was happening to Nicole, that didn¡¯t mean the she-Devil hiding within him did not. After all, she was a Devil King that had almost realised her divinity. A teenage girl¡¯s heart was but a trifling matter to see through. She could tell that the coldness in the girl¡¯s eyes was because she had come to a terrifying decision. Even so, she also felt that an Overlord-class was rushing towards them right now with a bunch of other experts. In all likelihood, those were the Demon Hunters Nicole mentioned.


    Suddenly, she couldn¡¯t help but be struck with how helpless she was right now. Both her and Mo Ke had completely lost the initiative at this point, but she had no way of regaining it. After all, she couldn¡¯t control Mo Ke¡¯s body while he was still fully against that.


    (TL: what the heck does ¡°she felt like a medicine pill¡± even mean? I know what the author is trying to express, but who even uses that expression?)


    ¡°Little brother, there¡¯s an Overlord-class and a bunch of experts heading this way. They should be that girl¡¯s ¡ª DUCK!¡±


    Yet before he could even process what was happening, he felt a searing pain in his chest, in a location dangerously close to his heart. Purple blood began to ooze out from his chest, drenching his clothes in an instant.


    I was stabbed?! By Nicole?! Mo Ke realised too late.


    The shock of what had happened was too much for Mo Ke to bear. The sword to his chest not only pierced his flesh, but he felt a strange mix of elements rushing into his body as well. It was as if his body had been torn in half. One half felt like it was being burned on a stake while the other felt like it had been thrown into a freezing hell¡­ That was the Fire and Ice combination of Nicole¡¯s Epic-grade weapon!


    Yet in spite of the pain, Mo Ke still smiled woodenly, dumbfounded as blood started leaking from the corners of his mouth. All he could do was smile wryly at the girl stabbing him right now.


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    Nicole¡¯s eyes were consumed with hatred right now. Hatred for the person standing before her. It was this person who ate her younger brother¡¯s soul, and ended up mixing its own identity with his.


    Even though the person in front of her didn¡¯t exactly match the description the Demon Hunters¡¯ Guild gave her, everything else fit; from the way she searched for her to the way she claimed to be Mo Ke. Not only that, she even resembled the way her younger brother acted¡­ No. She was practically a carbon-copy of him! All that only served to convince her that this was the Devil who ate her younger brother and took over his identity.


    ¡°Cough¡­ Why¡­ Why would you¡­ Cough¡­ I¡¯m Mo Ke¡­¡±


    With every cough of blood, his body relived the searing pain of that sword stabbing into him.


    ¡°Still struggling?¡± She twisted the sword in her hands, further worsening the wound in his chest and eliciting a pained grunt from him. Seeing that Devil deny her crimes even at this stage, she couldn¡¯t hold her temper in anymore.


    ¡°You said you had the Original Sin of Lust, didn¡¯t you? That¡¯s why you can use transformation magic. As far as I know, transformation magic works in two ways. You either transformed into a different race but retained most aspects of your soul¡¯s appearance. The other requires a model to work¡­ Isn¡¯t that so-called model a soul of another living being? If you are really my younger brother, why don¡¯t you transform into his form? That reason needs no explanation. It¡¯s because you never had his soul to begin with! Because you ate it!¡±


    No longer able to restrain her anger, she viciously shoved her sword further in, skewering him while driving him into the tree behind.


    ¡°Argh¡­ But I¡¯m really¡­ your little Ke¡­¡± Mo Ke barely got the words out through the haze of pain. At this point, his body was barely holding together while his psyche was at its breaking point. His body shook from the sheer effort of trying to cry with his shut eyes. There was no one who could understand the pain he felt right now. How he loved her, cherished her, admired her¡­ how he risked his life just to reunite with her¡­ only to be stabbed by her. Why did it turn out like this? Why couldn¡¯t he do as she said and just transform back into that familiar form?


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    Exactly whose fault was it that things turned out so horribly?


    His body was at its limits by now. He could barely even feel anything, yet he could still feel the pain in his soul. That tearing sensation, as if a saw was slowly cutting through him.


    As a soul residing in Mo Ke¡¯s body, Ferti¡¯nier knew where the problem laid, and she sighed deeply at that.


    Being stuck in the same body as him, she was naturally able to peer into his thoughts. That was why she knew better than anyone else the origins of Mo Ke¡¯s real body. She knew that he had come from another unknown world, one that was completely foreign to her and the Western Human Realms.


    There was no magic in the world he lived in. But he had spent 35 years living there nonetheless. Thanks to that, his soul¡¯s form had already been fixed. Even if he transmigrated into the Western Human Realms, his soul still retained its old shape.


    While it was true that his soul would eventually alter to fit his new form in the Western Human Realms, that still required at least seven years of acclimatization. As of right now, his soul was a deformed amalgamation of his young, handsome, transmigrated self, and his middle-aged self.


    When Ferti¡¯nier guarded him during his reincarnation in hell, he ended up being infected with the Sin of Lust, turning him into a Lust Demon. At the same time, he took on her appearance. In other words, the way he looked now was a reflection of Ferti¡¯nier. If Mo Ke could come face to face with Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s soul, he would come to the startling realization that she looked exactly like him, but with a bigger chest¡­


    Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s effect on his soul was why he couldn¡¯t transform into his Western Human Realms self.


    ¡°How painful it must be for you right now. I bet Ke felt just as much pain when you ate him.¡± She cruelly said to him. She then fished out a black, rhombohedral stone and waved it in front of him. ¡°This is a tool made especially to seal a Devil¡¯s soul. I¡¯m not going to let you off the hook so easily. I will extract your soul, then separate the memories that belong to Ke! No matter what, I will revive him. As for you¡­¡±


    Nicole did not continue at that point. She had discovered that the Devil¡¯s eyes were now blank. Even if she said anything, the Devil wouldn¡¯t hear it.


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    ¡°Little brother, that Overlord is nearly here. I need your mana quick. We need to get out of this place right now!¡± Ferti¡¯nier tried to awaken Mo Ke from his stupor, but the damage he suffered rendered him completely comatose. No matter how much she tried, he wouldn¡¯t respond. Furthermore, that Overlord was getting closer by the second.


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    Had this been before when Mo Ke revealed his identity, Ferti¡¯nier probably wouldn¡¯t have been so anxious. But based on the current situation, that Overlord was most likely here to capture him. Nicole must have said something else to her teacher when she sent out that rescue signal. Else why would they suddenly turn up only when she was about to stab him.


    With Nicole on the verge of sucking out Mo Ke¡¯s soul, Ferti¡¯nier had no choice but to quickly push his soul to the deepest depths of his psyche. As a result of that, she was now the owner of Mo Ke¡¯s body!


    ¡°Geez. You always drop the ball at the crucial moments¡­ has cleaning up after your mess become my purpose in life?¡±


    Now that she had complete control of Mo Ke¡¯s body, Ferti¡¯nier immediately sent forth a powerful surge of mana. The energy violently exploded, pushing away Nicole and her sealing stone. Not only was she pushed away, even the surrounding trees and grass were completely uprooted and sent flying away¡­

 CHAPTER 511: EPILOGUE 2

    ¡°You wish to oppose me too? Hmph.¡± Ferti¡¯nier gripped down hard on the sword, then pulled it out anyway. She gave the sword a couple of casual yet dazzling flourishes before finally turning to face Nicole. Her lips curled into an evil grin as she eyed the haggard and emotionally unstable Demon Hunter.


    ¡°Girl, you¡¯ve really blundered this time. That person just now was really your younger brother. Not that it matters now, since you stabbed him into hiding. At least your sister over here got to take control of his body thanks to that¡­ I guess I should be thanking you even.¡±


    Nicole¡¯s eyes went wide upon hearing that. Faced with a Devil that seemed starkly different than before, having gone from writhing in pain to devastatingly bewitching, a myriad of explanations suddenly occurred to her, all bolstered by those taunting words Ferti¡¯nier said to her. For example¡­ what if she did in fact stab her own brother. He had, for some reason or another, turned into a Devil that also sealed another Devil¡¯s soul within it¡­


    ¡°Devil!¡±


    Her eyes went red at the thought that she really could have done that awful deed. Anger immediately overwhelmed her rationality. She did not even care that the Devil standing before her now was impossibly more powerful than her. She only had one thing in her mind, and she planned on enacting it. Reaching for her waist, she swiftly pulled out a pair of daggers and tossed them at Ferti¡¯nier before they had even left their sheaths for a second.


    However, those were easily parried by Ferti¡¯nier who still wielded that fire and ice sword. Nicole promptly reached for a third dagger, in hopes of catching Ferti¡¯nier off guard while she recovered from that move. Yet before she even got the chance, a hand grabbed onto her wrist and twisted it violently. In immense pain, she reflexively released the dagger, but she still had the presence of mind to strike behind her with her remaining hand. Unfortunately, that was quickly subdued as well.


    She did her best to turn around to see her attacker, only to find a strange black shadow standing before her. It was the Shadow Guardian, which had been deployed stealthily at the start by Ferti¡¯nier. Even though it wasn¡¯t a very strong summon, it was enough to temporarily restrain Nicole.


    The same ability in the hands of someone else often produced vastly different results. Mo Ke was a newborn Devil. While he might have possessed limitless potential, he was still too young in terms of his current reincarnation. He might have been able to beat anyone at his level thanks to his Epic-grade weapon and wide repertoire of spells, but he still lacked the experience of a longer-lived Devil. His life still had a long way to go.


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    The same couldn¡¯t be said for Ferti¡¯nier at all. She had lived immensely longer and had a wealth of experience. Even stuck in a Five-star body, she still possessed power far above her host body. After all, what was being used now was her very own, Demigod-tier abilities!


    ¡°How about you have a taste of being stabbed in the chest as well?¡±


    Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s lips curled into a smile. She raised the fire and ice sword high then stabbed it downwards without any hesitation. However, with barely an inch from her target¡¯s chest, she found that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn¡¯t stab Nicole. Mo Ke¡¯s body was resisting her. Even after being mortally wounded into a comatose state, he still wouldn¡¯t allow Nicole to come to any harm at all¡­


    ¡°Sigh¡­ If you¡¯re going to go into hiding, then don¡¯t be such a busybody¡­ such a stubborn and troublesome little brother¡­¡± While she might have said that, Ferti¡¯nier couldn¡¯t help but smile warmly. ¡°Forget it. If you¡¯re going to be so insistent¡­¡±


    Whoosh!


    Still in control of Mo Ke¡¯s body, she willed his Fallen Angel wings to appear from his back. With a flap of those wings, she took to the air, but still hovered above Nicole to stare at her dishevelled form.


    ¡°By all accounts, I should be showing my gratitude to you right now for allowing me to take control of this body. But I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t have any more time to waste on you. Things have gotten a little messy, so I need to hurry as well. I¡¯ll just take this sword of yours as a parting gift for my little brother¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh right. I should tell you that Mo Na isn¡¯t some made up name either. That¡¯s the name of this body¡¯s daughter. And here¡¯s something from that little brother of mine. He even gave up sleeping to finish it in time.¡±


    With that, Ferti¡¯nier flew off. At the same time, the Shadow Guardian holding Nicole down disappeared. No longer bound, she slumped lifelessly to ground, eyes locked to skies, and brain a complete void. Even now, she couldn¡¯t come to a decision as to who it was she really stabbed. Her brain desperately screamed for her to not trust that Devil, and that all Devils were liars. However, it was also a fact that the Devil¡¯s personality did a complete 180 after that. Was that really her little Ke?


    Nicole dared not contemplate that possibility any further. She merely stared blankly at Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s disappearing silhouette, in hopes of somehow willing her to come back. Yet at the same time, she was afraid of what would happen then. Her eyes began to glaze over as the last of her energy finally left her.


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    Suddenly, a red crystal the size of an apple slowly dropped from the skies. She instinctively reached out with both hands to catch it. She woodenly looked down to see what it was she caught¡­ A red crystal? No. That¡¯s a voice-recording crystal. Teacher Mille Nix(Thousand Snow Crystal) used to have one as well.


    (TL: going to use Mille Nix from now on, instead of Thousand Snow Crystal. Sounds cooler.)


    For no reason in particular, she decided to activate the crystal, causing it to tremble slightly before a beautiful song started playing¡­


    If you are the fireworks above the ocean


    I am the bubbles on the waves


    At some point in time, your light shines on me


    If you are a distant galaxy


    So dazzling that you make people want to cry


    I am the pair of eyes chasing you


    Whenever I am lonely, I search the skies


    I can follow behind you


    Like a shadow chasing light, sleepwalking


    I can wait at this crossing


    Doesn¡¯t matter if you pass by or not


    Whenever I lift my head because of you


    Even tears feel like free (freedom)


    Some types of love fall like sunlight


    On the one hand, you possess it, on the other hand, you lose it


    (TL: song lyrics taken from ×·¹âÕß by á¯Äþ¶ù. Translation taken from singchinesesongsinenglish(dot)com. I don¡¯t want the link to react weirdly when I transfer the text to the website¡­)


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    ¡°Ke¡­¡±


    Zurnalin was the strongest Eight-star Magister present, she could sniff out a battle a mile away; her reputation as the beautiful leader of the Blood Drake Riders wasn¡¯t for naught, after all. She sensed that fight between Ferti¡¯nier and Nicole the moment it started. After all, Mo Ke had only brought Nicole away for a stroll, so they weren¡¯t too far from her current location. As she looked in the direction that Mo Ke left in, she so happened to see Mo Ke, now Ferti¡¯nier, flying in the sky.


    ¡°Your Holiness?!¡±


    Her cry startled those around her, then a violent gust of wind blew through the clearing, after which a slender figure descended.


    ¡°I want everyone here to evacuate right this instant. Inform those watching the Undead as well to retreat.¡± Ferti¡¯nier commanded Zurnalin and the others as naturally as Mo Ke would have. At the end of the day, she was the one who was closest to Mo Ke, and had spent the most time with him.


    ¡°Under¨Cstood.¡± Zurnalin answered uncertainly. She could tell that this holy daughter of theirs had undergone some change, but she couldn¡¯t put a finger as to where. Even so, she must have had her own reasons, so Zurnalin dared not tarry a second longer, rushing off to fulfill that command loyally.


    ¡°We are just going to leave those Undead there?¡± Asked Neneth, munching on a slice of bread as always. Still in the dark about what had happened in the forest, she asked in her usual adorable tone, ¡°Sister Mo Na, why isn¡¯t Sister Nicole with you? Also, why do you have a pair of purple wings growing out of your back? They are really pretty¡­ can Neneth get a pair too?¡±


    Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s impression of the little girl had always been good. She smiled sweetly at her as a sudden urge to tease her emerged. ¡°That¡¯s where you are wrong, Neneth. It¡¯s not ¡®we¡¯, it¡¯s everyone, excluding you, is going to leave those Undead there.¡±


    ¡°Ehhh? Why is that, Sister Mo Na?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because your reinforcements from the Demon Hunters¡¯ Guild are about to arrive.¡± Ferti¡¯nier patted the girl on her head. ¡°That Sister Nicole of yours was throwing a little tantrum in the forest just now, you should go check up on her.¡±


    (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.)


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    ¡°Oh?¡± Neneth was a little puzzled that Nicole would do that, but it had never crossed her mind to doubt Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s words. She absentmindedly walked towards the direction Ferti¡¯nier pointed at.


    ¡°Ah¡­ so gullible.¡± Ferti¡¯nier sighed while watching that familiar giant sword-bearing silhouette disappear into the forest. Yet after a quick smile to herself, she turned her attention back to the situation once more. ¡°There¡¯s no time to waste, have those scattered about leave first. The rest of you here, form up and evacuate south.¡±


    By now, Zurnalin had returned from dispatching the signal of retreat. She looked at Ferti¡¯nier with confused eyes and asked, ¡°Your Holiness, you are not coming with us?¡±


    ¡°An Overlord from the Humans has arrived. I need to stall him while you all make your escape.¡± Having said that, she curled her lips in annoyance.


    ¡°What a bother. Must be that teacher that girl was talking about¡­ I think our little brother would hate me for life if I were to kill someone like that. Bah¡­ I¡¯ll just take it as payment for letting me stay in his body¡­¡± She muttered to herself.


    ¡°Your Holiness, why is the Human Overlord out to get us? Furthermore, it¡¯s not appropriate for Your Holiness to be the one staying behind. If someone has to stall for time, it should be me!¡± Zurnalin was even more confused, now that she had heard Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s explanation. Weren¡¯t the Humans their allies? Temporarily, maybe, but still allies. And even if that wasn¡¯t true, their roles seemed to have been reversed.

 CHAPTER 512: EPILOGUE 3

    ¡°¡­Your Holiness¡­ what are you¡­¡± Zurnalin instantly turned red.


    In the past, it was her that was always badgering Mo Ke to have a kid with her. This time, it was Mo Ke, piloted by Ferti¡¯nier, who was on the offensive. How the tables have turned¡­


    ¡°They are here¡­¡± Ferti¡¯nier suddenly announced. She had planned to¡­ introduce herself to Jezsere next, but time wasn¡¯t on her side this time. With a spread of her wings, she took the air and yelled, ¡°you guys leave first! I¡¯ll hold them back!¡±


    Having said that, she flew off without waiting for a reply.


    ¡°Your Holiness¡­¡± Zurnalin watched the figure of Ferti¡¯nier disappear into the distance, helpless to stop her from leaving. It was then that she finally realised how strange this whole situation was. Half muttering to herself in confusion, ¡°why does Her Holiness seem like such a different person after a short stroll?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Mistress Ferti¡¯nier.¡± Regine, who had previously been silent, suddenly interjected herself into the conversation.


    ¡°Mistress Ferti¡¯nier?¡±


    Clearly, no one here knew about this new mistress.


    However, Regine wasn¡¯t fazed at all as she coolly explained, ¡°Master¡¯s circumstances are unique. His body holds two souls within it. Ferti¡¯nier is Master¡¯s big sister, the other soul living in Master¡¯s body.¡±


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    ¡°So this Mistress Ferti¡¯nier shares control of Master¡¯s body as well?¡± Jezsere asked out of curiosity.


    Regine shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ But Mistress Ferti¡¯nier is a very powerful figure, her judgement shouldn¡¯t be wrong.¡±


    ¡°Then we will retreat for now.¡± Even though she wasn¡¯t willing to admit it, Zurnalin knew what was the right move to take now. If Ferti¡¯nier was as powerful as Regine claimed, she must have had her reasons for telling them to retreat.


    Jezsere climbed onto Mo Ning once more with the aid of Jill, arms still hugging Ann who was still in a shell-shocked state. She could still feel the little girl shivering in her arms, and she wanted to lean in and comfort her. However, the ground suddenly quaked and a shockwave blasted towards them, shaking the surrounding foliage in the process¡­


    ¡°They¡¯ve seemed to have started fighting¡­ Such a strong attack¡­ Her Holiness actually hid such a strong power within herself?¡± That shockwave might have only lasted a split second, but Zurnalin knew better than anyone else that she couldn¡¯t produce such force. How strong was that opponent facing off against Ferti¡¯nier? Perhaps now wasn¡¯t the time to be asking such questions. Retreating took priority.


    Zurnalin shook her head before firmly declaring, ¡°let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­¡± Ann did her best to stifle her tears before nodding. She instinctively leaned in closer to Jezsere and started snuggling against her chest. Every bit like an abandoned kitten, Jezsere couldn¡¯t help but want to hug her even tighter at that point.


    However, outside of Ann, there was no present who knew why Ann was so scared; just before leaving, Ferti¡¯nier looked at her directly one last time, flashing her a knowing smile¡­


    Back where Ferti¡¯nier was¡­


    A Swordsman, roughly thirty years of age and dressed in blue and white, stood upright on the ground, eyes glued to Ferti¡¯nier. His black hair was braided neatly into a single ponytail and his aura made it clear that he wasn¡¯t just any old fighter. His face lacked any expression on the surface, but if one were to look closely, a smile could be spotted hiding underneath that cool demeanor. A rather approachable-looking fellow. This was Nicole¡¯s teacher, the branch leader of Azure¡¯s Demon Hunters¡¯ Guild, Aques Lumen.


    ¡°Nicole¡¯s sword¡­¡± He placed his hand on his sheath immediately, eyes sharp as a hawk, as if he was secretly honing his sword energy. ¡°Where¡¯s my student?¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry. She¡¯s fine.¡± Ferti¡¯nier looked down upon the man from her lofty heights, lips curled into a mischievous smile. ¡°Rather, let¡¯s talk about you. You seem to be her teacher, that something something branch leader. What a joke. A Demon Hunter using the power of a Devil¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Aques Lumen¡¯s eyes went wide. Clearly, he hadn¡¯t expected his little secret to be revealed right away. However, just because he lost some face, he wasn¡¯t about to panic either. In the first place, he wasn¡¯t such a fastidious person. ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as good or evil when it comes to power. The person is the one who is evil, not the power.¡±


    ¡°Hah. That¡¯s an interesting answer. I¡¯m sure my little brother would agree with that.¡± Ferti¡¯nier cracked her neck a little, her eyes sparkling as if she was raring to go. ¡°How about we have some fun together? It has been a while since I had some fresh air, after all.¡±


    ¡°I had the same idea myself!¡±


    The fact that Ferti¡¯nier had Nicole¡¯s sword with her was deeply unsettling. There wasn¡¯t much to say at this point, he merely drew his sword and sent a wave of sword energy slicing towards Ferti¡¯nier.


    Unfazed, she swung her fire and ice sword, sending a wave of sword energy crashing into the oncoming attack. Both waves were of equal power and ended up cancelling each other. No one got the better of the other, but it was clear Ferti¡¯nier was the stronger one. After all, her sword wave was sent out later than his. Not only that, she had to calculate the attack¡¯s trajectory and rough strength in order to achieve such a perfect cancellation. While it might have sounded simple, it was anything but in reality. In fact, it was nearly impossible, like a bullet colliding into another bullet that was fired earlier.


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    Having blocked that attack, Ferti¡¯nier immediately swung the fire and ice sword once more. Under her precise control, she fired a massive ball of flames that promptly exploded into a shower of fire that covered a vast, hundred meter radius!


    Mirror Waters Sword Arts: Sword Draw!


    Aques Lumen entered a typical sword drawing stance for a second before unsheathing his sword at lightspeed, firing off a gigantic wave of sword energy right at the center point of that fiery rain. In that one move, he not only cleared the sky, he even forced Ferti¡¯nier to dodge out of the way.


    Yet while he might have successfully defended himself, the resulting sparks still landed on the foliage around him. It wasn¡¯t long before his surroundings were engulfed in flames that voraciously spread to surrounding areas as well.


    Right this very instant, Aques Lumen found himself in a sea of fire before he could even react!


    Even with Mo Ke¡¯s lacking Star-tier, Ferti¡¯nier was still a Devil King. Against an Aques Lumen that wasn¡¯t even being serious, crossing a couple of blows wasn¡¯t a problem at all.


    A wave of her left hand later, the surrounding flames miraculously started flying towards Ferti¡¯nier. They began coalescing into a humanoid form, creating a Peak Seven-star Fire Elemental in no time at all!


    Naturally, Ferti¡¯nier could have skipped all that hassle and just summoned a Fire Elemental using her mana, but she was still hampered by Mo Ke¡¯s strength. Trying to summon a Seven-star with his body would expend a significant portion of his mana. Therefore she chose to use his mana conservatively, seeing as she still hadn¡¯t had enough fun yet. By firing off a fire attack, she knew that her opponent would inadvertently help her spread it when he tried to defend himself. And with so many plants around him, the spread would be rapid.


    With so much natural fire energy to use, she merely required a core for the fire to coalesce around.


    ¡°Go.¡± She commanded curtly. Being linked to her will, the Fire Elemental could instinctively understand her will. It descended from the skies like a blazing sun, opening up first with a powerful punch to Aques Lumen!


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    Mirror Waters Sword Arts: Ice Lotus!


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    Aques Lumen stowed his sword quickly, then drew it an instant later towards the Fire Elemental. As his sword flashed upwards, a crystalline lotus bloomed outwards, covering the sky in an instant!


    The moment the icy lotus touched the Fire Elemental, its limbs began to seize up. The flames around it immediately froze into a block of ice, without ever giving off any steam. The Fire Elemental had now turned into an ice sculpture!


    At the same time as he fired off that ability, he leapt backwards, avoiding that ice sculpture as it came crashing into the ground with a deafening explosion. So strong was the shockwave that even Zurnalin heard the impact from where she was¡­


    ¡°Interesting. Seems like I have to get a little serious myself.¡± Seeing her Fire Elemental defeated so easily, Ferti¡¯nier wasn¡¯t affected in the least bit. On the contrary, she still smiled in that same teasing manner. ¡°Come then, let¡¯s see what else you have hiding!¡±


    Having said that, she started flapping her wings. A shadow burst forth from its feathery ends, blanketing the skies and the earth at the same time. In just the blink of an eye, a hundred meter radius around Ferti¡¯nier had undergone a drastic change. Yet this change wasn¡¯t something that affected the physical surroundings directly. Instead, it was the laws of the world that seemed to change within this region.


    As long as it was within this hundred meter area, Ferti¡¯nier could now affect the laws of the world itself! This was what was known as an Overlord¡¯s Territory.


    ¡°A Territory?!¡± Aques Lumen already knew that his opponent wasn¡¯t an easy one. Yet he would have never expected her to be able to extend such a large Territory. Normal Overlords had a Territory of around twenty meters. Stronger ones had fifty. Aques Lumen himself was a new Overlord, having just entered this tier due to some special circumstances. At this point, the gap in their strengths was so wide, there wasn¡¯t even a point in fighting any longer. Ferti¡¯nier could just stomp all over him with her Territory!

 CHAPTER 513: EPILOGUE 4

    All he could do now was try and preserve his life, in hopes that his opponent wasn¡¯t out to get his blood. Yet what happened next came as a complete surprise to him. Not only did she not attack him, she instead launched an attack towards another target.


    With a casual wave of her hand, Ferti¡¯nier fired off a black sphere of lightning towards a tree, merely twenty meters behind Aques Lumen. As its mighty trunk came tumbling down with an ear-splitting creak, a silhouette took the opportunity to zip behind Aques Lumen, claws ferociously tearing into the Demon Hunter¡¯s back.


    Aques Lumen had already noticed that something was going on behind him. Now that his opponent had clearly shown his hostility, he spun around and stabbed at his foe rather than defend. A hit! An unexpected outcome to the Demon Hunter, but it had merely pierced the left hand of the new opponent. More importantly, that opponent seemed to have no intention of letting that sword slip from his grasp¡­


    His foe was a whirlwind of blows. Upon sealing off Aques Lumen¡¯s weapon, he never stopped attacking for even a second. Finally, his razor sharp claws managed to find an opening and tore at Aques Lumen¡¯s heart. This time, it seemed like it could really deal a decisive blow¡­ even with Aques Lumen¡¯s abilities, his body was still that of a normal Human¡¯s. Should his heart get pierced, he was done for.


    The situation was looking dire for him. Aques Lumen did not have much choice but to dodge backwards, hopefully outranging his opponent¡¯s reach. Slim as that possibility might be, all he could do now was leave his fate up to the heavens¡­


    Yet just when he thought he was done for, a black shadow suddenly erupted from the ground and deflected that attack!


    The claw tore right through the shadowy figure, but it did not even react in the slightest. After all, shadows could not speak.


    While shadows ordinarily weren¡¯t physical objects, this shadow summoned by Ferti¡¯nier Territory was unique. It had the properties of a physical object, and slowed the claw attack down by a second as it passed through. With this tiny sliver of opportunity, Aques Lumen immediately channelled all his Fighter¡¯s Aura into his sword, blasting a bloody hole into his opponent¡¯s other claw. His sword was now free to act once more.


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    ¡°A Werewolf?!¡± Pulling himself away from his opponent, Aques Lumen managed to grab a proper look at his opponent for the first time. It was a nearly four meter tall, grey-furred Werewolf. An unexpected opponent to meet here, but his confusion merely lasted a second before he came to a rough conclusion. ¡°I see even the fearless Werewolves have now fallen so low as to work with their hated enemies, the Vampires.¡±


    ¡°ROARRRR!!¡± The grey-furred Werewolf howled at Aques Lumen as it struggled to break free from the serpentine binding put on him. Unfortunately, his efforts bore no fruit in the end. With no choice left, assuming he wanted to get out any time soon, he could only pull out what looked to be his ultimate move. His body began to emit an eerie white light that quickly engulfed a fifteen meter radius. Three hulking white spirit wolves appeared out of thin air and rushed at the serpentine binding, clawing and biting furiously.


    Territory: Nether Wolves!


    Now that he was free from the pesky shadow, he wasted no time at all in leaping at Aques Lumen, fangs glistening in the light!


    Naturally, Aques Lumen wasn¡¯t one to underestimate his opponent. The fact that he had deployed a Territory meant that he was dealing with an Overlord Werewolf. The Werewolves were one of the well-known combat races amongst the denizens of darkness. Their race was blessed with an impressive regenerative ability; as long as the damage wasn¡¯t fatal, they could slowly heal back up. That was why Werewolves often attacked with no regard for their lives. As long as their wounds were able to trade for another, it was their firm belief that their regenerative abilities would take care of the rest.


    And there was no better proof of this than the fact that the gaping hole in that Werewolf¡¯s hand was already starting to close up, even as he was furiously swinging at Aques Lumen.


    Unlike his opponent, Aques Lumen couldn¡¯t risk getting hit at all, even with the power of a Devil flowing within him. After all, he was just a normal Human with no superhuman regeneration to save him.


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    In the meantime, Ferti¡¯nier continued floating in the air, arms folded and every bit a passive spectator.


    Aques Lumen knew he had to deploy his Territory quickly. However, his Territory had the unique weakness of requiring a whole second of activation. Yet with the Werewolf¡¯s ferocious clawing, there was no way he would ever find a second of free time to focus. Especially not when his movement suddenly felt sluggish -most likely an effect of being in the Werewolf¡¯s Territory. Then there was the issue of that Devil still watching from the sidelines. He wasn¡¯t in danger for the time being, but it was only a matter of time before he was dealt a lethal blow.


    The Werewolf continued hammering the Demon Hunter, forcing him to be fully occupied with defending, until, finally, he managed to force the man against a three meter tall boulder. The moment Aques Lumen unwittingly came close to that boulder, a swarm of red bats, numbering at least in the thousands, flew straight at him. Now, with a bunch of Spirit Wolves and a Werewolf attacking him from the front, and a horde of bats from the back, he had nowhere to escape to¡­


    Yet just when it looked like he was about to meet his maker, a bunch of shadowy silhouettes rose from the ground and began rending the red bats asunder, turning all the red bats into a pile of red liquid in an instant. Ferti¡¯nier had acted to save him once more! For reasons known only to her, she summoned forth those seven shadows with a curl of her finger and sent them to block the attack.


    As more and more red liquid fell on the floor, they began to coalesce towards a spot until a figure started to rise from the gruesome-looking pool of red. Finally, in its place stood a handsome man, dressed in a typical noble¡¯s garb, that was dyed red on the inside and black on the outside¡­


    With Ferti¡¯nier helping to block off the red bats, Aques Lumen was able to precisely time his dodge at the last second. The three Spirit Wolves were unable to react before colliding head-first into the shadowy figures summoned by Ferti¡¯nier, entangling themselves into one giant mess.


    ¡°A Vampire Overlord¡­¡± The identity of those bats couldn¡¯t be any clearer to Aques Lumen now. His eyes narrowed as subconsciously gripped down on his sword.


    ¡°You¡¯ve really teamed up¡­¡± He spat out angrily. ¡°Let me guess¡­ those Undead Nicole told me about¡­ that means there should be an Undead Overlord somewhere as well.¡±


    ¡°Haha, you can guess all you want.¡± The Vampire Overlord licked his lips as he sneered. ¡°Ahh¡­ I can¡¯t wait to taste the blood of an Overlord. It must be sweeter than a virgin¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Aques Lumen was never one for wasting words with his opponents. If there was something he desperately wanted to figure out now, it would be the stance of that Devil floating about. She did not seem to be on his side. But if she was an enemy, she had already saved him twice. Truly, a head-scratcher.


    However, thinking too deeply into this matter was pointless now. He had to face these two newcomers with all his might. As for the Devil floating above, at the very least, she wasn¡¯t out to kill him, or he would be dead many times over by now.


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    Having come to that decision, he decided to try and deploy his Territory once more. Yet just as he was about to do so, his instincts immediately screamed of danger to him. A veteran of countless battles, he knew to trust his instincts at such crucial times. He swiftly launched himself out of the way with a quick kick off, tumbling roughly ten meters to the side.


    Barely a second later, the area where he last stood was overwhelmed by dozens of bone hands. Because he had managed to dodge their grasps, they merely dissipated into the air after failing.


    ¡°The Branch Leader of Azure¡¯s Demon Hunters¡¯ Guild, Aques Lumen. Publicly, his strength is only announced as Eight-star, but he is actually at the level of an Overlord. His Territory is special, having some connection to Devils. In all likelihood, only the top brass of the Demon Hunters¡¯ Guild know about this. Am I right so far, Mr. Branch Leader?¡± A skeletal Mage, dressed in black robes and wielding a skeletal staff, walked out from the shadows of a tree nearly two hundred meters away.


    ¡°Did you really think we went through all this trouble just to capture your student?¡± As the black-robed skeleton spoke, his jaws clacked together to produce an almost mechanical voice.


    ¡°An Overlord Lich¡­¡± Even though the skeletal Mage hadn¡¯t deployed his Territory yet, Aques Lumen could already tell from his oppressive aura that he was dealing with an Overlord. Never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined that he would be facing off against three Overlords in this backwater village. Furthermore, the way they acted suggested that they were laying in wait here just to ambush someone like him!


    Overlord-tier experts were never easy to kill. Without an absolute advantage in strength, one could only rely on overwhelming numbers to kill off an Overlord. If an Overlord was dead set on escaping, you would need at least two other Overlords to have a chance at killing him.


    Clearly, this whole setup was created to ensnare a Human Overlord.

 CHAPTER 514: EPILOGUE 5

    To deploy a Territory, one must first have an understanding of the world. Next is to ingrain that understanding within your soul. Finally, the Overlord uses his will and energy to change the laws of the world within that radius of influence and time frame.


    Territories can generally be placed into these categories: Summoning, Elemental, Unique, and Composite.


    Summoning refers to Territories which are able to summon aid for the caster, for example, summoning spirits or Elementals, without material restriction. As long as one had the mana, he could even summon an unlimited amount of Undead. However, the greatest weakness of these summons is that they can¡¯t leave the Territory itself. When the Territory is deactivated, they will dissipate as well.


    Elemental Territories allow one to freely wield an element of nature within the designated radius. For example, the cast could summon a sea of fire, a mountain of ice, an earthquake, and etc.


    Unique Territories are a more complex lot. This category holds everything that can¡¯t fit into the other three categories. Because of the heterogeneous nature of this category, it isn¡¯t difficult to find Territories of all sorts within. Gravity, Blood, Curses, Ultrasound, Illusions, Transformations, Equipment summoning, and etc.


    Yet if there had to be a ranking amongst Territories, the strongest and rarest category of Territories would undoubtedly be the Composite category. That was because Territories of this category had to be formed from the combination of at least two Territories, creating a brand new kind of Territory in the process.


    One of the strongest known Composite Territory belonged to a certain Overlord, King Sindarm, founder of the Tarnia Kingdom three thousand years ago. King Sindarm¡¯s Territory was a composite of all three categories of Territories. Within his Territory, he could summon spirits while controlling fire and gravity.


    From: Territories: the Difference Between the Ordinary and the Extraordinary.


    While Aques Lumen was busy being caught in an ambush by three Overlords, the Overlord Lich suddenly turned his attention to Ferti¡¯nier, still floating above the battlefield nonchalantly. ¡°The Fallen Angel in the air, I don¡¯t remember inviting you to our party.¡±


    ¡°In that case, can I count on you not interfering from now on?¡± The Overlord Lich politely asked. Yet while it might have seemed like he was simply trying to persuade Ferti¡¯nier not to interfere, he was also indirectly warning her to stay away, lest she found herself in hotter waters than she would like. Naturally, he wasn¡¯t about to threaten her so overtly.


    However, that merely earned him the scorn of Ferti¡¯nier, who sneered at the Lich below. ¡°How amusing. I still remember, not long ago, how one of your subordinates even suggested that he would capture me to be his bed warmer. Guess what happened when he bit off more than he could chew? And now¡­ you three wish for me to pull out of this amusing game? Do you think you are a Demigod?¡±


    ¡°I guess there¡¯s no way we are settling this peacefully then?¡± The Overlord Lich asked, slightly annoyed.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Ferti¡¯nier cocked her head to the side.


    ¡°I¡¯ll admit: a hundred-meter radius Territory is quite terrifying. But your Territory does not extend to me. As long as I keep out of range of it, there¡¯s nothing you can do either.¡± Even though the Overlord Lich was clearly inferior to Ferti¡¯nier, he wasn¡¯t about to cave in either. Ferti¡¯nier might be able to move her Territory with her, but he was confident that he could avoid her too. After all, they were both Overlords, and there was still a one hundred meters between him and the edge of her Territory.


    Unfortunately for him, his optimism wasn¡¯t in line with reality. Perhaps his valuation of abilities was just too high, or perhaps he had severely underestimated Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s own. While Ferti¡¯nier might not have her old body right now, her understanding of Territory remained; as long as her soul was intact, this wouldn¡¯t change and would even persist partially through death.


    Not to mention the fact that Mo Ke¡¯s own body was leagues above Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s to begin with. Three Original Sins, and even Lucifer¡¯s own bloodline: had Mo Ke been an Overlord, Ferti¡¯nier might have even regained her Demigod status¡­


    ¡°Since you¡¯re that confident, I say we have some fun, then.¡± Her lips curled into a devilish smile. ¡°I¡¯m going to rip out every single bone of your body, then break it oh so slowly!¡±


    Territory: Wraith of Purgatory!


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    Contrary to what the Overlord Lich expected, Ferti¡¯nier did not try to chase him into her Territory. Instead, she further expanded her Territory, up to its utmost limits. In a split second, her hundred-meter Territory doubled to two hundred, encapsulating that Overlord Lich even from where he was standing!


    Soon after, countless flames roared to life with Ferti¡¯nier as their center. The Overlord Lich had noticed the change in environment, but it was already too late to act. Before he could retreat out of Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s Territory, a wave of scorching heat blanketed him, threatening to turn his bones to ashes.


    At the same time, the edges of Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s Territory burst into flames, forming gigantic walls that blocked off any escape. Should the Overlord Lich try to forcefully break through this fiery barrier, only death awaited him.


    ¡°Curses¡­ for her to be this strong¡­¡± The Overlord Lich was fully regretting his choices now. He had assumed that one hundred meters was Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s limit, but even that was an underestimation of her abilities. With her previous status as a Demigod, she was able to fully realise the latent potential in Mo Ke¡¯s body, temporarily raising its rank to that of a Peak Overlord¡¯s. Not yet a Demigod, but definitely not far either!

 CHAPTER 515: EPILOGUE 6

    Territory: Wail of the Dead!


    An instant later, countless wraiths swarmed out of his body, wailing horrifically in a fifty meter radius. Barring exceptions, this Overlord Lich was most likely more powerful than that Overlord Vampire and Overlord Werewolf. If only the opponent he was facing wasn¡¯t Ferti¡¯nier, a former Devil King who could easily crush him within seconds, had it not been for her playfulness.


    Territories operated with the caster¡¯s body as a focal point. Laws could be changed within the radius, but in a situation where multiple Territories overlapped, the stronger Territory took precedence, though not completely.


    Over ten thousand wraiths had swarmed out of the Overlord Lich at this point. These summons, however, could only operate outside that fifty meter radius without dissipating. Yet even with this restriction, they were still a formidable killing force. These wraiths were innately immune to physical attacks, but had a negative resistance to magical ones.


    The Overlord Lich knew he wasn¡¯t a match for Ferti¡¯nier to begin with. At the time as he summoned those wraiths, he struck his bone staff into the ground, causing the ground to split apart in a violent explosion. A black figure clawed its way out of the crevice and leapt straight for Ferti¡¯nier!


    Swift like lightning, it appeared behind Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s back within an instant. But just as it was about to swing its giant sword down on the interfering Fallen Angel, she suddenly smiled, back still faced towards it.


    ¡°Flames.¡±


    Before the words even left her mouth, a towering shield of Nether Flames roared to life, blocking off the giant sword. Thanks to the sheer momentum behind that swing, the black figure wasn¡¯t able to pull back and could only collide head-first into the shield. Like a fly diving into a pool of lava, the giant sword instantly melted upon contact with the shield!


    However, those who dared to pull a sneak attack on Ferti¡¯nier couldn¡¯t be weak themselves. At the very least, this black figure was an Overlord. Sword half-melted, it managed to break away and land on the ground.


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    But Ferti¡¯nier was never a magnanimous Devil to begin with. In fact, she was very spiteful. If someone dared to attack her from the back, that person had better be prepared for retribution.


    Before the black figure could even touch down, a five meter wide pit of flames sprouted right beneath his feet¡­


    This was Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s vengeance. But this black figure was no slouch either. He quickly threw his giant sword down into the pit. As it spun through the air, it began to morph into a six meter wide round shield, blocking off the pit Ferti¡¯nier summoned¡­


    Now back on the ground once more, the identity of this black figure was finally revealed. It was a Death Knight clad in black, heavy armor. His Territory was a Unique Territory that could summon equipment.


    Safely away from the fire now, he still did not dare to retrieve his shield, instead cancelling it with a wave of his hand before summoning another.


    Territory: Soul Armory!


    The Death Knight reached forth with his right hand and seemingly gripped down on thin air. Suddenly, a wolf¡¯s howl could be heard echoing throughout his Territory. The air itself began to split asunder in multiple areas as countless vengeful souls came streaming out and into the Overlord Death Knight¡¯s right hand¡­ he was forging a weapon from souls!


    Yet for Ferti¡¯nier, who was more amused than threatened as she stood at that same exact spot from the very beginning, she merely snapped her fingers nonchalantly. The fiery pit below instantly disappeared, replaced by over a hundred humanoid shadows rushing at the Overlord Death Knight.


    However, the Overlord Death Knight wasn¡¯t fazed by the sudden attack. He continued focusing on his forging while the Overlord Lich took this opportunity to send aid from his own Territory. His wraiths and Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s own shadows quickly clashed with each other. Being both denizens of the dark and incorporeal, there was suddenly this strange sense of competitiveness between the minions.


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    In truth, however, Ferti¡¯nier could have summoned more shadows if she wanted to. But it had been so long since she got to play. Naturally, she wasn¡¯t going to let her opponents get defeated by her so easily. Her opponents, even now, did not realise that she was still going easy on them, especially with how they seemed to be able to trade blows evenly.


    Lest one forgot, Ferti¡¯nier was not only dealing with the Overlord Lich and the Overlord Death Knight, the shadows she had summoned some time ago were still delaying the spirit wolves summoned by the Overlord Werewolf. In spite of that, she showed no signs of struggling at all.


    Yet as Aques Lumen peered at the multi-front battle going on between them, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder to himself. Whose side was she really on? Was she an ally? But she clearly attacked him just now. An enemy, then? But she¡¯s clearly helping him now. The truth was that the answer did not matter. At the very least, three of the four Overlords had been delayed by her. There was just that Overlord Vampire to deal with. Time to get serious.


    Amidst all that, he still had to worry about the other Demon Hunters he brought along with him. Thanks to Nicole¡¯s signal, he knew that they would be dealing with a lot of enemies. That was why he not only brought the elites of the Demon Hunters, he also recruited some mercenaries as well. He was afraid for Nicole¡¯s safety, so he rushed to the battlefield first. It shouldn¡¯t be long before the experts he brought along arrived.


    The problem was that these experts were just Eight-star at best. In the eyes of an Overlord, they weren¡¯t even a threat. Naturally, that wasn¡¯t to say that a single Overlord could take on a hundred Eight-stars. But an ordinary Overlord was still able to easily fend off eight, or even nine Eight-stars.


    In order to avoid any casualties amongst his reinforcements, Aques Lumen knew he mustn¡¯t hesitate any longer. Thus he gripped down hard on his sheath sword and rapidly retreated¡­


    Opponent seemingly on the run, the Overlord Vampire clearly wasn¡¯t going to allow that to happen. However, the moment he tried to catch up with the Demon Hunter in order to prevent him from deploying his Territory, a serpentine shadow creeped up from behind him and bound him. Unable to react in time, the Overlord Vampire was stuck fast. Yet that was about the extent of Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s interference. After all, it wasn¡¯t her plan to deal with this Vampire, else he would be dead already.


    Unfortunately, the Overlord Vampire had no way of knowing this. His first thought, upon seeing this lone serpentine shadow, was that his other three allies were pressuring Ferti¡¯nier hard.


    A foolish thought, to be sure. Why would she even interfere in this fight if she was truly in dire straits?


    ¡°Even now you wish to protect this Human? Just you wait. Once I¡¯m done with him, I¡¯m going to drain you of all your blood. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve had a Fallen Angel¡¯s blood yet¡­¡± The Overlord Vampire promptly shattered the serpentine shadow upon declaring so. He then rushed at Aques Lumen. At the same time, he cut his own wrists and scattered the blood in front of him.


    ¡°Face your baptism of blood, mortal!¡±


    Territory: Blood River!


    Previously, the amount of blood scattered in front of him was at most a liter. Yet the moment he deployed his Territory, the blood expanded several times over. Rather, it multiplied, to be exact. With the scattered blood as its core, the blood began to coalesce into a blood pool!

 CHAPTER 516: EPILOGUE 7

    ¡°Katherina, seems like I have to borrow your power once again¡­ I guess it¡¯s our power now¡­¡± As he watched the pool of blood fly ominously towards him, Aques Lumen didn¡¯t seem worried in the slightest, muttering to himself in a daze as if this whole matter did not concern him.


    He reached into his clothes with his right hand. There hung a silvery pendant in the shape of a sword, which he took off and stabbed into his forehead without any hesitation¡­


    An instant later, a wound opened up on his forehead, leaking a trail of blood. However, this blood wasn¡¯t flowing as it normally would. It was a lot slower than one would expect. In fact, they were forming into scales, lining up the entirety of his face in an orderly fashion!


    All it took was a second for his otherwise handsome face to be covered up. Yet from that instant forth, Aques Lumen was no longer a Human. Or rather, he wasn¡¯t a pure Human. His body started to give off the distinctive aura of a Devil; his face started to have Devilish features as well.


    A set of strange blue tattoos started to streak across his face. The kind normally found on Mo Ke¡¯s left face. However, Aques Lumen¡¯s tattoos extended down into his body as well, from the wound on his forehead down to to his toes!


    As for that pendant, it was now fully embedded in his flesh like an accessory¡­


    Territory: Phantasm of Love!


    Just as his transformation finished, the Overlord Vampire reached his position. However, Aques Lumen did not show the slightest bit of anxiety. He neither drew his sword or even lifted a finger. He merely eyed the Overlord Vampire, crimson pupils glowing with a strange light.


    ¡°Phantasm!¡±


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    An odd change came over the Overlord Vampire at that point. He was but a breath away from the Demon Hunter, yet all of a sudden, he flew past Aques Lumen and charged right at the Overlord Were who was still fighting with those shadows¡­


    He rammed head first into the Overlord Werewolf, catching an unfortunate spirit wolf in his blood pool. The poor spirit only had time to whimper once before it was instantly reduced to bubbles in the blood pool like it had been dissolved by acid.


    ¡°Blasted Vampire, are you betraying us now?!¡± The Overlord Were was furious at having suddenly lost a major portion of his fighting force. He swiped at the oddly-behaving Vampire with the full force of an Overlord. With this level of power, even a simple claw swipe could interfere with the laws of the world. That was why when it came into contact with the blood pool, it did not dissolve like the spirit wolf. Yet at the same time, the Overlord Vampire wasn¡¯t really affected either.


    ¡°Hmph! Can you be any less moronic?¡± The Overlord Werewolf chided the Vampire, miffed but clearly accepting of his reason. After all, they had formally joined forces to achieve their shared goals. Not to mention the fact that there was still a third force consisting of that Death Knight and that Lich. The battle was still going favorably as well; there was no reason for the Vampire to turn on them now. His reason was honestly the only reason that made sense in this context.


    ¡°Mongrel! You dare insult the noble Bloodkin?!¡± Ever the haughty race in general, the Overlord Vampire couldn¡¯t help but fall back into the trope of his race¡¯s insufferable arrogance, even if he was the one at fault to begin with. The Vampires had always seen themselves as being nobler than every other race in this world, and that included the boorish Werewolves. The fact that their ancestor was even able to trick a bunch of Werewolves into serving them as Lycans just proved their point further.


    ¡°Hah. A scrawny coward like you wants to challenge the mighty Werewolves?¡±


    ¡°Stop standing so close to me already, foolish dog. It¡¯s an insult just breathing in the same air as you. And could you do something about that awful odor coming off your fur?¡± Having said that, the Overlord Vampire retrieved a white handkerchief and covered his nose.


    ¡°You¡¯re really asking for it, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    The Overlord Werewolf raised his claws as if ready to strike once more. The Overlord Vampire took up a combat stance as well. In the blink of an eye, the Overlord Werewolf and Overlord Vampire were suddenly at each other¡¯s throats, both glaring at each other as if they were only waiting for a reason to rip each other apart.


    Aques Lumen couldn¡¯t help but chuckle quietly to himself. This was the exact result he was looking for when sent that Vampire flying into the Werewolf. Given that both parties were so willing to cooperate with his machinations, he was more than happy to stand aside and reap the benefits after.


    At the same time as the two rivals were threatening to have a go at each other, the Death Knight¡¯s new weapon had just taken shape. It was a nearly two meter long, double-edged halberd. His first move was to ram straight at the shadows duking it out with the spirit wolves. With a mighty swing, he passed through the Werewolf¡¯s spirit wolves and hacked the strange shadows summoned by Ferti¡¯nier, hitting all of them in an arc!


    Cleaved, the shadows immediately disintegrated into a pile of black goo that ultimately flowed back into Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s Territory. As for what the identity of this goo was, it was a mote of pure Darkness element¡­ In other words, the Death Knight¡¯s halberd had not only the ability to harm elemental constructs, but also had the frightening ability to pass through allies without causing harm!


    Every Territory had its own quirk; there was no better proof of this than that Death Knight¡¯s Unique Territory. His Territory was able to forge weapons on demand, but at the end of the day, this forging was also related to summoning. He bent the laws of the world to summon countless souls to power his actual forging, so one could say his Territory also exhibited traits of a Summoning Territory. A walking, tailor-made, armory of equipment ¨C a perfect fit for a Death Knight like him!


    Even so, the fact that both the Lich and the Death Knight were premier Overlords of the fifty meter tier, together, they still couldn¡¯t hold a candle to Ferti¡¯nier. Even those defeated shadows were defeated only with her permission. She allowed them to meld back into her Territory, simply because she was intrigued by Aques Lumen¡¯s Territory. Naturally, this was seen by her enemies as a sign of weakness that she was finally cracking under the pressure of the Lich and Death Knight.


    ¡°Will you two stop arguing, we still have a battle to fight!¡± The Overlord Lich yelled in an annoyed voice. The fact that they were supposedly winning and yet those two loggerheads were trying to ruin it by fighting each other was incomprehensible to him. ¡°Settle your opponent first, and if you are alive then, you can settle this feud after.¡±


    The Lich was speaking the truth, though some of his assumptions were a little suspect. It did not make sense to tear at each other¡¯s¡¯ throats while there was still an enemy lurking about. Besides, the Lich was stronger than the both of them combined, so if even his words did not make sense, they had to comply.


    ¡°Together now, we will finish him off right this instant!¡± The Overlord Vampire roared triumphantly, clearly under the same mistaken assumption that Ferti¡¯nier was somehow on the verge of breaking. Like the Lich said, they could settle their feud later¡­


    ¡°AWOOO!¡± Ever the forthright one, the Overlord Werewolf immediately leapt into battle the moment that Vampire suggested they work together.


    Still half-submerged in his blood pool, the Overlord Vampire kept close distance with his companion, firing off blood daggers at Aques Lumen at the same time. Just like the blood pool, these daggers had a powerful corrosive effect that could easily dissolve anyone under Five-star. Even Overlord would not get off unscathed should these land a hit.


    However, Aques Lumen merely maintained his cool, erecting a barrier to block off the daggers. With that plan to distract him foiled, the Overlord Vampire sped up further, in hopes of getting rid of this pesky Demon Hunter who had the gall to embarrass him.

 CHAPTER 517: EPILOGUE 8

    At roughly the same time, the Overlord Vampire flew past the addled Werewolf in his usual pool of blood form.


    Suddenly, an inexplicable sense of rage consumed the Werewolf. Images of how the Vampires had always looked down upon and feuded with them streamed into his head. It was at that moment that the Overlord Vampire entered his vision. Without even hesitating for a second, the Overlord Werewolf swiped at the pool of blood. At the same time, two of his Spirit Wolves even turned around to target the pool of blood¡­


    The two Spirit Wolves immediately fired off a barrage of mana spheres at the pool of blood, causing the blood to explode upon impact. At the same time, the Overlord Werewolf¡¯s mana-enhanced claw came swinging in. A projectile of light, shaped roughly like claw marks, collided into the pool of blood and almost tore a hole right to the Vampire¡¯s body¡­


    Naturally, the Overlord Vampire had already noticed who the source of this disturbance was. He swiftly halted his charge and faced down the enraged Overlord Werewolf. ¡°You stupid dog¡­ What are you doing attacking me for?!¡±


    ¡°AAWWWOOOO!¡± All he was met with was a howl from the Werewolf. Even the two Spirit Wolves were now lined up against him, fangs bared and growling.


    Seeing the Overlord Werewolf in such an unresponsive state, it finally dawned on the Overlord Vampire why his former ally suddenly attacked him like that¡­ it was all Aques Lumen¡¯s fault!


    Exasperated, he finally realised what kind of opponent he was dealing with. He tried to awaken the mesmerized Werewolf, with the same method used on him when he had been controlled as well. The Werewolf had attacked him then, so the same method should work in breaking the spell. However, the Werewolf would prove to be a lot harder to awaken.


    The Overlord Vampire planned on striking his ally to awaken him, but he dared not use too much force. He merely scattered a bunch of his corrosive blood towards the Werewolf. The idea being, even if that Werewolf was quick, but with so many droplets flying his way, one of them had to hit, right?


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    Danger averted, the Overlord Werewolf leapt onto the Spirit Wolves and spring-boarded off them into a ferocious swipe at the Vampire!


    Never in his wildest dreams did the Overlord Vampire expect his ally to come lunging at him like that¡­ Lest one forgot, he still had a corrosive barrier surrounding him, in the form of that blood pool. Even an Overlord would dissolve in seconds if they were to dive in completely. With the sheer strength of that Werewolf¡¯s legs, leaping at him was easy, but there really was no going back at that point¡­ it wasn¡¯t like he had purple wings to fly with¡­


    Naturally, the next few moments proceeded as one would expect. With no way to stop his momentum, the Werewolf plunged into the corrosive blood pool. The pain from having half his body corroded immediately woke up the Werewolf. Bearing with the scorching pain, he swiped at the Vampire while yelling in both surprise and anger. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why am I in your blood pool?!¡±


    The Vampire hastily erected a blood barrier to block the Werewolf¡¯s attack, before snapping back, ¡°you moron! Why did you even look at his eyes after knowing that he has such tricks up his sleeves! All you dogs are the same: stupid!¡±


    ¡°Rotten bat! Just hurry up and cancel your Territory already!¡± The Overlord Werewolf finally realised his mistake as well. But he would rather die than openly admit his mistake in front of that blasted Vampire.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to tell me that!¡± Now that he had confirmed that the Overlord Werewolf was back to his normal self, he cancelled part of his blood pool to allow the Werewolf to land back on the ground. However, the moment he did so, the damage that corrosive blood did was plain to see: his grey fur was now pitch black¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at his eyes this time. We will attack him from the flanks together.¡± Uncharacteristically cooperative, the Overlord Vampire decided it would be better if they worked together for once, rather than risk his brash ally falling prey to that Territory again.


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    ¡°Alright.¡± Replied the Overlord Werewolf, looking significantly better at this point. Once again, the Werewolf¡¯s regenerative abilities proved its astonishing worth. Most of the acid burns on his flesh had healed up, even the blackened fur was starting to turn grey from the freshly grown strands.


    Yet his healed wounds did not stop him from recognising how powerful Aques Lumen was. Should he fail to take his opponent seriously at this point, that would be a stain on his honor as a Werewolf. Having been at each other¡¯s throats for years now, the two did not even have to look at each other before they launched a simultaneous attack on Aques Lumen, one on the right, and one on the left.


    Faced with a coordinated attack, Aques Lumen remained his usual calm, collected self. After all, his Territory was a highly unique one. Thanks to certain circumstances, his Territory ended up being a Composite Territory. It not only was made for battle, it also had the illusory aspects you would associate with an Illusion Demon. On top of that, there were still abilities yet to be revealed. And it was a forty meter Territory as well!


    He smiled coldly in the face of two approaching opponents, then turned to look at the Overlord Werewolf, who was the fastest of the two. The Overlord Werewolf immediately leapt to the side when he noticed that. That ended up slowing down his charge.


    Having had his fun with the Overlord Werewolf, it was now time for the Vampire¡¯s turn. Realising what his opponent was up to, the Overlord Vampire immediately averted his gaze away. Yet without even looking at his opponent, how was he to fight?


    Either way, Aques Lumen had accomplished his goals. His body blurred for an instant before suddenly spawning ten other clones of himself to attack both sides. Each of these clones acted in unison with each other. Whether it was the way they gripped their sheath with their left hand, or the way they kept their right hands above their sword grip in a standard sword-drawing stance, their actions were one and the same.


    Because they both had their gazes averted prior, both the Overlord Vampire and the Overlord Werewolf did not manage to get a glimpse as to which of the clones was the actual Aques Lumen. Furthermore, neither of them had the ability to dispel illusions.


    Mirror Waters Ultimate Sword Arts: Icy Slumber!


    Amidst their confusion, the clones got ready to draw their swords. Yet at the end of the day, a fake was still a fake. Only one of the images would actually be able to deal damage. And the unfortunate Overlord to be granted this honor was¡­ the Vampire!


    Aques Lumen swung his sword out, sending forth a wave of icy winds that struck the unsuspecting Vampire. In an instant, both his blood pool and his body were both frozen into ice¡­


    Mirror Waters Ultimate Sword Arts: Sword Hurricane!


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    Barely any time after his first skill, Aques Lumen activated another ultimate sword art, blasting out countless sword energy projectiles at the frozen Vampire. A second later, the frozen Vampire who did not even have the chance to fall to the ground yet was hacked into miniscule pieces that shattered upon impact, blown to the winds soon after without a trace¡­


    After two consecutive ultimate sword arts, the first of the Overlords was defeated!


    ¡°Im-impossible!¡±


    Just like that, the once-proud Overlord Vampire was vanquished. A fact that was hard to reconcile for the Overlord Werewolf who had feuded with him for his entire life. There was no one who understood that bat¡¯s power more than himself, given they had fought for centuries now. They were both on equal terms. If Aques Lumen could really kill that Vampire in seconds, that meant he could kill him as well!


    The Overlord Werewolf slowly backed away, eyes wide with disbelief. He would have never guessed that on his first mission working together with his hated but equal foe, they would be met with such a resounding defeat¡­


    Aques Lumen was now walking towards him. He hastily retreated a few steps back and resummoned a new batch of Spirit Wolves. Along with those two who had been burned, he commanded to attack the Demon Hunter.


    While he might still be furious about how things turned out, he knew there was nothing to be done in the front of such overwhelming strength. He immediately thought to seek help from the Lich and the Death Knight. All he needed was for his Spirit Wolves to delay Aques Lumen for a while longer.


    Unfortunately, those Spirit Wolves barely lasted a second and had no effect in delaying the Demon Hunter. Aques Lumen maintained his same calm, collected gait. Let alone lift a finger, he never even looked in their direction before the Spirit Wolves were suddenly hacked to pieces, dissipating into the wind¡­

 CHAPTER 518: EPILOGUE 9

    The Sword Winds Stance was one of the earlier skills for the Sword Hurricane. It was a skill that distributed one¡¯s sword energies around himself, then hides it as a sneak attack. As an offensive stance, it was highly lethal, and silent. Furthermore, the duration could be extended by feeding it more energy. Even so, every skill had its weaknesses, and this skill was no exception either. The stance did not allow for rapid movements when deploying, else the skill would just fail entirely.


    Having dealt with those Spirit Wolves, Aques Lumen wasted no time at all in charging towards the Overlord Werewolf. The Overlord Werewolf, on the other hand, only had thoughts of escaping right now. He had just witnessed his Spirit Wolves torn to shreds by some move that was too quick for even his eyes to catch -there was no way he could ever beat that. However, this fear ended up costing him when he accidentally met eyes with Aques Lumen while running away¡­


    Because he had suffered its effects before, it would stand to reason that he would be on guard against a second attack. Normally, that would be true, and Aques Lumen wouldn¡¯t have been able to gain complete control of him. However, his frightened state had lowered his psychic defenses to the point where Aques Lumen easily broke through them.


    He began replaying that scene of that Overlord Vampire being sliced to bits, over and over again, till the Overlord Werewolf was completely overwhelmed by his fear.


    By the time the Werewolf recovered, all he saw was his sight spinning around and a strange sense of weightlessness. What was even stranger was that he could clearly see his body lying there in front of him. And it was headless!


    ¡°Oh? Done already? I guess I need to stop playing around as well then.¡± Ferti¡¯nier was a little surprised as well by the strength Aques Lumen exhibited after deploying his Territory. She knew he was hiding his strength, but she never expected it to be that much. However, no matter how strong he had become now, he wasn¡¯t a threat to her at all. It just so happened that she was getting bored.


    From the beginning, Ferti¡¯nier had always been floating in the air. Her Territory, Wraith of Purgatory, did most of the work by constantly summoning shadows to attack the Overlord Lich and the Overlord Death Knight. The two Overlords worked with such coordination that it almost seemed like their wraiths and axe was a match for Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s. But all that was about to change now. She was done playing, and this delicately balanced battlefield was about to tilt, rather topple, in her favor. Some of the shades were now covered in reddish-black flames¡­ Nether Flames!


    The Overlord Lich wasn¡¯t spared this treatment either. Countless flame-clad shadows started swarming the Lich. Those that stood in their way were promptly reduced to nothingness in seconds. Unlike normal flames, Nether Flames could harm everything except souls. Had these been normal wraiths, their burnt husks would have left behind souls for any nearby Devil to feast on. Unfortunately, these were all creatures summoned by the Lich bending the laws of the world. They had no souls to speak of, thus they left nothing behind as well.


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    Soon after, having been deprived of their weapons and means of defense, the two Overlords were burnt to ashes as well.


    It was over. From the moment Aques Lumen revealed all his hidden cards, the battle had been decided. The two Overlords did not even get a chance to share a last word with each other before they were summarily killed by Ferti¡¯nier. Having done that, she deactivated her Territory, and devoured the four souls of those Overlords.


    ¡°All right.¡± She returned back to smiling at Aques Lumen from her usual loftiness. ¡°Now, there¡¯s no need to be so tense. Did you think you would still be standing there if I didn¡¯t will it so?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    That was a fact. Cold and harsh, but definitely true. Aques Lumen knew better than anyone else how wide the gap was between their strengths. That was why when she explicitly said she wasn¡¯t trying to harm him, he undid his Territory, Phantasm of Love. The blue tattoos on his body began to recede while the sword-shaped pendant on his forehead returned to just being a pendant hung around his neck. His Devilish features rapidly dissipated as well.


    However, now that the danger had passed, he had a boat load of questions to ask that Fallen Angel floating in the air. First off was what happened to his student, to which she replied thusly.


    ¡°That girl? I remember her. That ill-tempered little shrew. I don¡¯t know what my little brother sees in her. The way he¡¯s head over heels for him and yet she just goes and stabs him in the chest with her sword, even after he explained the situation to her¡­ look at this¡­¡± She pointed to the wound on her left chest before shrugging her shoulders. ¡°At least I have her to thank for this opportunity to move about. Had it not been for her sending my little brother into the depths of the abyss, I probably would not have had a chance to take control of this body. I¡¯ll be sure to thank her later by telling her exactly how she stabbed the very same brother she had been looking for all these years.¡±


    Laced with mischief as always, her words at least imparted the information required for Aques Lumen to fill in the gaps himself. Being the sharp man that he was, he could already guess what happened next, and that only made him want to shake his head from the headache he would soon have to face¡­


    Knowing how much Nicole cared about her younger brother, that last bit of thanks was anything but. He would have doubted her words, but upon careful consideration, was there a need for her to do so? Probably¡­ maybe¡­ probably not¡­ After all, if Nicole were to ever find out that she really stabbed her own younger brother, the damage would be immeasurable. That alone gave her words credence.


    The expression he had on right now could only be described as amusing, but Ferti¡¯nier did not have all the time in the world either. This was her rare chance at freedom while Mo Ke was busy hiding from reality. From the looks of things, he wasn¡¯t about to come out of his shell either. In that case, it would be remiss of her not to stir up a storm while she was out and about!


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    However, certain events would soon prove to be just as good of a distraction to hold Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s interest¡­


    ¡°Oh look. That Anti-light Barrier seems to be up and running again. Much larger, too.¡± Ferti¡¯nier mumbled audibly to herself. ¡°Let¡¯s have a gander then. Nothing beats a new toy to dissect.¡± Having said that, she flew off towards one of the barrier¡¯s focal points without waiting for Aques Lumen¡¯s response.


    (TL: I¡¯m assuming the Anti-light Barrier was activated at this point of time. Not when that Vampire appeared. The way I see it, the timeline goes like this, based on what I¡¯ve reread from 508 to 513:


    Initial Battle (Day) ¡ª End of Battle (Meal time and break) ¡ª Alone Time (Probably night time/evening) ¡ª Anti-light Barrier (Daybreak after all the fighting so they deployed the barrier now.)


    That¡¯s my own conclusion, I don¡¯t think the author made any explicit statement for or against this conclusion. Of course, that Vampire could just be immune to sunlight. Who knows.)


    ¡°Hey¡­ I¡¯m not done asking you questions yet¡­¡± His voice trailed after her in a resigned fashion. Despite having defeated two Overlord-tier denizens of the dark, he couldn¡¯t relax yet. Based on all the information he had gathered thus far, he now had a rough idea as to what they were planning. In all likelihood, his enemies had gathered a huge army, with the intention of wiping out the Humans. In that case, the reinforcements he had brought over were in danger as well¡­


    Not daring to waste a second more, he rushed off in the direction he came from. Hopefully, he could still make it in time¡­


    Back at Zurnalin¡¯s side, Zurnalin and her companions were in the midst of a frantic escape. Unbeknownst to everyone, a large horde of Undead had surrounded the entire region beforehand. The reinforcements Aques Lumen brought over were in the midst of battling these creatures while the Assassins had all gathered together with Zurnalin in a bid to effect an escape.


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    Even though none of them could figure out when their holy daughter had become so strong, they knew that they weren¡¯t needed at her side right now. In that case, their next logical purpose would be to guard those that Her Holiness treasured the most: Jezsere and Regine.


    ¡°Hahahaha! Just watch me slaughter these weaklings!¡±


    Having had to rein herself in for so long, it was now time for Mo Ning to cut loose. She had Jezsere and Ann riding another horse while she turned back to her usual half-horse form, shield and spear dancing about as she gracefully took to the air on clouds of fire. She charged fearlessly into the swarm of bats flying in the sky. These bats were known as Vampire Bats, creatures raised by that Vampire that could operate in the day as well. Individually, they were weak, but their numbers more than made up for that.


    As they fluttered about in direct sunlight, they blanketed the battlefield in a wave of piercing shrieks.


    Within their current lineup, Mo Ning was the only who could fly reliably. Being a Nightmare Steed, she not only had powerful psychic magicks, she also had a strong affinity for fire -a perfect match for these lowly bats.


    She expertly commanded her flames to circulate around her body, forming a barrier that easily scorched any bat foolish enough to approach her. These bats weren¡¯t even a threat to her right now. Perhaps she herself had known this, but just a mere second later, she tossed her shield out at the bats. The spider-crested shield swiftly cut a circle around Mo Ning, slicing apart any bats in its way with its rapid spinning. Bat after bat fell dead to the ground in a gruesome rain of blood and gore¡­

 CHAPTER 519: EPILOGUE 10

    Clone is a forbidden spell that splits one¡¯s soul into multiple pieces. As for why it was forbidden, that was because it had massive side effects for its user.


    The soul and the body are actually part of the same system. By losing one¡¯s soul, you would also lose control of part of your body. In other words, spells that dealt with the soul had a high chance of causing a loss of control of the body, partial or not.


    Damage to the soul is not to be taken lightly. While the damage may not manifest physically on the body, a loss of mobility is serious enough by itself. An example, perhaps, could be a grown man who suddenly lost the ability to get erect. Highly inappropriate as an example, but definitely evocative.


    The Clone spell was first invented by a mad genius. He combined Alchemy and magic to create a clone body, in which he placed half of his soul. The idea was that he could then complete two times the amount of research. Unfortunately, he ended up becoming an invalid¡­ twice¡­


    The dangers of forbidden spells should be evident by now. The act of labelling them forbidden is, in essence, a protection for researchers as mad as that genius.


    From: The Dangers of the Forbidden


    Disclaimer: due to the dangerous nature of the work within, the book, The Dangers of the Forbidden, has been recalled once and edited.


    The spider-crested shield continued revolving around Mo Ning, all the while, her flames kept burning, in case a bat or two managed to slip by the shield.


    For the most part, the bats were just wasting their time. They had no Vampire to command them, so their attacks were frantic but uncoordinated. To Mo Ning who had her flame barrier and spinning shield, their numbers meant nothing.


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    The Undead on the ground were of a higher level than those attacking the villagers. But that did not really matter when their targets were mostly Eight-stars and Seven-stars. Their encirclement was easily broken!


    Amongst the Undead blocking the way, the majority were actual Zombies and Skeletons. However, there were also denizens of the dark like Vampires and Werewolves. Not that it mattered, since their opponents were too strong.


    Just like that, Zurnalin made it out of the Undead encirclement without a single casualty¡­


    At the same time elsewhere, Ferti¡¯nier was currently toying around with a palm-sized, white crystalline pyramid. This was one of the focal points for the Anti-light Barrier. By placing them at the desired locations, a barrier that blocked out light would be erected. As a point of interest, Ferti¡¯nier had collected eight such pyramids.


    Amusing, was Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s judgement of the crystal pyramid.


    But even though she finally got her hands on a new toy, she did not have the time to research it further. She had other matters to attend to, like finding the culprit behind that Dracolich in Lyon. She was almost certain it was that old granny, Adele, who did that. She might have hidden her machinations well, but she was clearly out to get Mo Ke and the rest¡­ Being the spiteful big sis that she was, there was no way that old hag was getting away so easy.


    Ferti¡¯nier had already memorised Adele¡¯s aura so it merely took a few minutes before she caught up to the old lady in the midst of fleeing the wreckage that was Lyon.


    Right this very instant, she was lugging along a small knapsack, struggling to climb over the debris. Her body was frail and old to the point of collapsing. Even with her Witch powers, she still wasn¡¯t able to stand against the effects of time.


    ¡°Oh? Is that Granny Adele I spy over there? What¡¯s an old woman like you doing in a run-down place like this? Old people should be resting in their backyards, drinking tea under a nice, cozy tree.¡± Said Ferti¡¯nier as she came to a stop right in the path of Granny Adele, still floating in mid-air as before.


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    ¡°¡­¡± Granny Adele strained her head upwards to look at Ferti¡¯nier, her face every bit as strained as her aching neck. However, she still did her best to maintain a smile on her face. ¡°Lady Mo Na¡­ I¡¯m sure there¡¯s no need for someone of your stature to bully a little old lady, is there?:


    ¡°That would depend on whether I like what you say then.¡± Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s lips curled into a devious smile. ¡°How about we play a game? I ask the questions, you answer.¡±


    The moment Ferti¡¯nier said that, Granny Adele looked almost relieved. The fact that she wanted information meant that she wasn¡¯t going to be killed right away. ¡°Lady Mo Na, as you can see, I¡¯m just an old lady that¡¯s halfway to her grave at this point. Even looking up is a terrible burden on my old neck.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. One mustn¡¯t strain their neck at your age. How about this? I¡¯ll help you relieve your shoulders of that neck. That way, you won¡¯t have to worry about any neck pains ever again.¡± Ferti¡¯nier practically beamed at the old lady.


    ¡°¡­¡± A cold shiver went down Granny Adele¡¯s spine. She could tell right away that Ferti¡¯nier meant every word she said. Should she try her luck any further, she might just meet her maker. Old as she might be, she still wanted to live, even if for a short while more. ¡°Since Lady Mo Na insists, old Adele over here will happily oblige. How may this old granny service you, milady?¡±


    ¡°Actually. You know what. I don¡¯t have to ask you, do I? It might be a little troublesome, but it¡¯s always good to be independent.¡±


    Hearing her change her tune all of a sudden, Granny Adele immediately paled. ¡°That would be terrible, troubling you like that. If there¡¯s any question that needs answering, old granny over here will answer it, no problem.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but¡­ I might dislike trouble, but I¡¯m actually quite fond of taking care of troubles.¡±


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    ¡°¡­milady, there¡¯s really no need to waste your time so. Let this old bag of bones solve them for you.¡±


    And that¡¯s why you should never argue with a she-Devil like Ferti¡¯nier¡­


    Following that¡­


    ¡°I see, I see. So you did use a scent hated by those parasitic spiders to drive them away from eating those Vampiric Leech Eggs. Those fellas were already under your control before the festival¡­ My. My. Impressive, I must say. Not just anyone would infiltrate a village for seventy whole years.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which, what happened to your husband¡­¡±


    Further explanation¡­


    ¡°What?! You actually used your husband¡¯s soul as an offering. Now, that¡¯s just wrong. And you even pretended to grief for him¡­ so how many men have you seduced so far¡­ children can be used in such a manner as well? Must be nice to have a human doll collection¡­ What? They¡¯ve rotted away? Such a pity, you should preserve them better¡­Yes, I know they are a pain to upkeep¡­¡±


    ¡°So what was the method you used to grow that Dracolich to such a size¡­ Oh my, you¡¯re saying you improved over ten species of parasites just for that, all by yourself? Really impressive, you have a bright future ahead of you¡­¡±


    ¡°Speaking of futures, that body of yours doesn¡¯t look like it will last for much longer. Have you considered becoming one of us? I can even create a nice, sprightly body for you. I¡¯m sure you can¡¯t even harvest energy from men anymore with that decrepit body of yours.¡±


    ¡°Is that true¡­ is that really possible?¡± Granny Adele nearly tripped over herself in excitement, like an old shelter dog who suddenly found someone willing to take her in. ¡°Lady Mo Na, are you really willing to take me in? And prepare a new body for me?¡±

 CHAPTER 520: EPILOGUE 11

    The moment Ferti¡¯nier uttered those words, a shadowy arm pierced through Granny Adele¡¯s chest. Behind her, a shadowy figure slowly withdrew its arm¡­


    ¡°Why¡­¡± Granny Adele collapsed to the ground, coughing as she gasped for air. Her blackish-red blood spilled onto the ground, painting a bloody rose where it splattered. As she laid on the ground, she strained her neck upwards to gaze Ferti¡¯nier, still floating in the air as always. She could tell from their previous conversation that Ferti¡¯nier truly admired her talent. That was why she never suspected her when she made that offer. Yet why was she now lying on her side with a hole in her chest? Incomprehensible¡­


    Once the puppet master of this village, she now laid there, dying, confused and aggrieved. ¡°But we hit it off so well¡­ why¡­¡±


    ¡°That we did¡­ If it was just me, I wouldn¡¯t mind what you did at all. As long as you¡¯re useful, that¡¯s all that matters. It¡¯s just too bad. You see, this body belongs to my little brother. While he might be a useless shut-in, always crying for help when he gets into trouble, and also running away to hide at the drop of a needle. In fact, he¡¯s basically lower than a worm, by Devil standards. Even so, his stupidity and overall idiocy doesn¡¯t change the fact that he¡¯s my idiotic brother.¡±


    ¡°Also, this body belongs to him. I¡¯m just looking after it for him. And he so happens to despise actions like yours. He has a strong sense of justice, you see. Not at all like his noble Devil lineage. An utter failure, disgrace, outcast, and pariah of the Devil world even. But he¡¯s still my useless brother.¡±


    ¡°What I¡¯m saying is this: he doesn¡¯t like you. So as his big sis, I¡¯m not taking the risk of angering him just to shelter you -it would be better if you die. Speaking of which, why aren¡¯t you dead yet? But I guess you¡¯re still alive, so you might as well listen up: you seem to have forgotten to tell me something. Something extremely important.¡±


    Granny Adele was stunned for a second, as if she had suddenly recalled what it was Ferti¡¯nier was referring to. She scrambled to provide an answer but found herself coughing up instead.


    ¡°Wai-wait¡­ cough¡­ cough¡­¡±


    Snap.


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    Ferti¡¯nier snapped her fingers, causing that wound to burst into blackish-red flames. The wound created by the Shadow Demon had some residual mana leftover when it attacked. While the mana would eventually dissipate, as long as even a trace remained behind, Ferti¡¯nier could activate it to inflict a fatal wound.


    Under the scorching tendrils of Nether Flames, another foe was vanquished from the world once more.


    In other words, something had happened at their homebase, and he needed to get back right this instant.


    Normally, it would be Mo Ke who received this message, but he was still hiding in the abyss of his soul, so it fell onto Ferti¡¯nier to respond to the message. Ferti¡¯nier was actually quite fond of this adoptive daughter of Mo Ke¡¯s. She found her personality very similar to her own. Furthermore, some of Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s aura ended up being imparted onto Mo Na when Mo Ke incubated her egg, else Mo Na would not have been born such a high level Lust Demon. Naturally, Mo Ci, her actual mother did impart the same Original Sin onto her, but without Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s help, she would still be an Imp¡­


    Since her little daughter was in trouble, she had better rush home and check up on her. As for Jezsere¡­


    Ferti¡¯nier promptly activated her secret arts to contact Regine. Upon confirming that they had safely broken out of the encirclement, she had Regine inform the others to return to their own territories first. She then hastily erected a dimensional portal back to Sable Radiance. To be exact, she did so almost instantly¡­ all that talk about needing time to cast a gate was rubbish¡­


    At the same time when Ferti¡¯nier returned to Sable Radiance, Ann, who was still in Jezsere¡¯s arms, suddenly fainted without any warning. Worried, Jezsere fussed over the little girl for a good while before finally stopping when Reyage confirmed that she was okay.


    ¡°She was probably too nervous just now. Now that she¡¯s out of danger, that tension suddenly went away, resulting in her fainting. She will be fine after a quick nap.¡±


    ¡°Oh. As long as she¡¯s fine.¡± Jezsere hugged the girl harder. This little girl was specifically singled out by her master, thus it fell on her to ensure her safety till her master got back. Although¡­ she would still have to take care of her even if her master returned.


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    ¡°Mistress Ferti¡¯nier has returned to Purgatory, she said there is an emergency over there.¡± Riding atop a horse, Regine came galloping in as she announced the departure of Ferti¡¯nier abruptly. ¡°She said to go our own ways for now.¡±


    ¡°In that case, once everyone is safe, we can return to our respective territories first.¡± Since Mo Ke left, the strongest amongst the group, Zurnalin, automatically became the decision-maker. Even though she was a little saddened that she couldn¡¯t say goodbye to Mo Ke, she took the news well. It wasn¡¯t that she did not miss Mo Ke. Rather, it was because she finally could take out her treasure!


    Having made that declaration, she suddenly reached into her breastplate and fished around¡­ A while later, she took out a purple, thread-like material from within and bound around her left hand.


    That thread-like material was Mo Ke¡¯s hair!


    Having done that, she brought the hair bracelet up to her nose and took a deep whiff. Eyes closed in ecstasy and voice quivering, she half muttered to herself, ¡°ahh¡­ Her Holiness¡¯s scent¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Jill leaned in slightly to have a look and immediately recognised where that hair came from. Suspicious, she asked, ¡°isn¡¯t that Lady Mo Na¡¯s hair? When did you get your hands on it?¡±


    Purple hair was one of Mo Ke¡¯s distinctive traits. The moment Regine and Mo Ning noticed that strand of hair on Zurnalin¡¯s hand, their faces immediately blackened. How they wanted to do that too¡­


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    Like a gust of wind, Regine rushed for the hair bracelet without a second thought. However, Zurnalin was already a step ahead of her. Her right hand shot out and easily caught the girl¡¯s head, giving it a slight slap and forcing her to the ground¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget about me!¡± At the same time that Regine attacked, Mo Ning had cleverly snuck behind Zurnalin for a sneak attack. However, Zurnalin was just too strong for the two girls. With a twist of her body, she caught Mo Ning¡¯s shoulders and did the same action to her. Yet instead of falling to the ground, she instead sent her flying back¡­ In order to protect Her Holiness¡¯s sacred relic, she wasn¡¯t going to hold back at all!


    ¡°Naturally, while Her Holiness is asleep.¡± Having just taken care of two opponents, she triumphantly raised her head up high, lips curled to their highest corners. ¡°I knew Her Holiness wouldn¡¯t be with us forever, that¡¯s why I smartly procured a sample of Her Holiness while she was asleep. From now on, Her Holiness will always be by my side!¡±


    A measly hair -what are you doing bragging about that for?! Regine yelled in her head. However, her actions were completely at odds with her thoughts. She had already gotten to her feet in another attempt to try and steal the hair for herself. Unfortunately, the strength gap was too huge and she could only resign herself to having her back stepped on by Zurnalin.


    Seeing that, Mo Ning, who had just gotten to her feet, gave up as well. She was too strong!


    Denied of their treasure, the two girls silently glared at Zurnalin. While their mouths might not have said it, they were clearly thinking, I knew you were a stalker and a pervert!


    Ever since Ferti¡¯nier disrupted the Anti-light Barrier, the scales of victory were beginning to tip in favor of the non-Undead. Furthermore, with Aques Lumen¡¯s participation, the tides of battle were completely overturned. While he might not have deployed his Territory, he was still an Overlord-tier fighter. With no Overlord of their own, the Undead were easily routed by the Humans.


    As one would expect of an elite army, the elite Demon Hunters and the elite mercenaries were able to secure a resounding victory. Their casualties might not be little, but those were far outweighed by their kills!


    With the battle over, Aques Lumen found his disciple in a worn-out, blank state, sitting next to Neneth. Around the two girls was a massive ring of slain Undead, all killed by Neneth¡¯s giant sword¡­

 CHAPTER 521: EPILOGUE 12

    He had once travelled the various countries, wherein he came upon, then fell in love with, an illusion demon. According to records, the two were forced to separate when the parents of the young illusion demon objected to their relationship. What happened in between is a mystery to all but himself.


    After splitting up with the illusion demon, he rescued an elite demon hunter in the middle of a devil subjugation. That was the spark for him joining the guild. Current actual strength is that of an overlord, but that is confidential.


    His motives for joining the guild remains unclear. His earlier relationship with an Illusion Demon requires careful monitoring. Any sign of potential threat should be reported immediately.


    Actions to be taken: surveillance


    From a highly classified internal report of the Demon Hunters¡¯ Guild


    As Aques Lumen approached his student, an enchanting song slowly drifted into his ears. It was vaguely enthralling and originated from the recording crystal Nicole was holding.


    For no reason in particular, she decided to activate the crystal, causing it to tremble slightly before a beautiful song started playing¡­


    If you are the fireworks above the ocean


    I am the bubbles on the waves


    At some point in time, your light shines on me


    If you are a distant galaxy


    So dazzling that you make people want to cry


    I am the pair of eyes chasing you


    Whenever I am lonely, I search the skies


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    I can follow behind you


    Like a shadow chasing light, sleepwalking


    I can wait at this crossing


    Doesn¡¯t matter if you pass by or not


    Whenever I lift my head because of you


    Even tears feel like freedom


    Some types of love fall like sunlight


    On the one hand, you possess it, on the other hand, you lose it


    (TL: He listed more lines from the same song, but I¡¯m not sure I want to include even more material of a song. Sounds like future trouble to me. Doesn¡¯t add much to the story anyway.)


    The song kept playing while zombie after zombie dragged itself out of the nearby foliage, seemingly drawn to the song itself. In all likelihood, the song had somehow enthralled these dead creatures. As the zombies mindlessly stumbled towards Nicole, they didn¡¯t seem threatening as you would expect from a horrific dead creature. Instead, they just seemed a little silly¡­


    Faced with approaching zombies, Neneth definitely wasn¡¯t about to sit idly by either. Even in her worn out state, she still forced herself to her feet for another mighty swing of her giant sword. Sword wobbling a little, she barely managed to bifurcate the incoming zombies.


    ¡°Phew¡­ I¡¯m tired¡­ I just want some meat right now¡­¡±


    With Nicole out of the picture, the fact that Neneth was able to hold out for so long was remarkable. Being tired was only to be expected. Aques Lumen knew he mustn¡¯t waste any further time. As he got closer, Neneth noticed his presence as well. She hastily raised her head to see who it was approaching them, and found it was an ally.


    She wiped the sweat off her forehead before giving a little jump of joy. ¡°Teacher! We¡¯re here! Neneth¡¯s here!¡±


    Ever the energetic child, she always put forth her best. Whether it was battle, protecting her comrades, or even calling for help, she would always be the center of attention¡­


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    ¡°What happened to Nicole?¡± Even though he already knew the gist of what happened, he still felt the need to hear the story from Neneth herself, seeing as asking Nicole was out of the question.


    ¡°Neneth doesn¡¯t know as well¡­¡± The joy on her face immediately disappeared. ¡°She was already like that when Neneth found her¡­¡±


    There wasn¡¯t much information to be gleaned from her words. Even so, that further reinforced his opinion that Ferti¡¯nier was telling the truth¡­


    She must have injured the younger brother she had been looking for all this while¡­ even though that younger brother is no longer the same¡­


    Aques Lumen motioned for her to stay still for now, then walked up to Nicole. He first reached out for the recording crystal, in hopes of discovering the truth of that enchanting voice and the enthralled undead.


    Yet the moment he got close to the crystal, Nicole, who was basically no different from a zombie till now, finally moved. She instinctively huddled into herself, pressing her head into the recording crystal, burying it out of sight.


    Even if she hadn¡¯t said a word yet, her actions rang clear. She was still there, but her heart was mostly dead at this point.


    Aques Lumen knew then how deeply wounded his favored student was. One wrong move might even end up turning her into an invalid¡­ not that she wasn¡¯t one already¡­


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    At this point, the amount of surviving undead was still high. Even though their victory was secured, the stragglers of the horde was an annoying matter that still had to be solved. Now, he had a traumatised student to deal with as well -truly a headache.


    ¡°Look after Nicole, Neneth. We need to get out of this area first.¡± Then without waiting for her response, Aques Lumen took off. He had already scouted the area with his senses: the undead were all but gone. As long as they followed in his footsteps, there shouldn¡¯t be any enemies.


    Still, Nicole¡¯s complicated situation and the fact that a horde of undead suddenly appeared to destroy a village weighed heavily on Aques Lumen. That horde wasn¡¯t just a couple thousand strong, it was in the hundreds of thousands! Such a horde appearing in a human kingdom without warning was in no small part due to the lord of the land¡¯s negligence.


    The more he thought about this, the angrier he got. He gazed icily in the direction of the ruined village, temper at its breaking point. ¡°The nobility just gets more corrupt by the year¡­ seems like someone must really pay the price before they learn their lesson!¡±


    A leaf fell off its branch at that point, carried by the winds of death¡­ a storm was about to approach the humans¡­

 CHAPTER 522: RETURN

    Suddenly, a tear in the sky opened up to reveal a beautiful figure, floating in mid-air like she was standing on clouds. Her silky, long, purple hair flowed between a pair of elegant, purple wings. A thin smile graced her flawless face- a face so beautiful, a single glance would render you her slave for life. Her very being exuded an aura that could only be described as enthralling.


    ¡°Mama!~¡± At the same time she appeared, a little girl with matching purple hair flew up to her, beating her bat-like devil wings. She plunged into the figure¡¯s arms, blissfully rubbing her face against her chest. ¡°Mama, Mo Na misses you so much!!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, my precious little Mo Na. I¡¯m not your mama. Strictly speaking, I¡¯m your aunty.¡± The figure gently picked up the girl and gave her a little peck on the cheeks. ¡°My little Mo Na is the cutest, your aunty just wants to eat you up.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not mama!¡± Mo Na bolted out from her embrace, doing her best to put at least two meters between them. She gazed at the figure from top to toe, her eyes furrowed. ¡°Your body smells like mama¡­ No, that is mama¡¯s body. But you¡¯re not mama! Speak, who are you exactly? Where is Mo Na¡¯s mama?¡±


    ¡°Not bad, you catch on quick.¡± Ferti¡¯nier smiled at Mo Na then beckoned to her. ¡°If you want an answer, just call out that little thing living inside of you to explain.¡±


    A second after she beckoned, a tome made out of an unknown material emerged out of Mo Na¡¯s chest as if it was a surface of water. It was the Grimoire of the Dead, a book that had taught Mo Ke a great deal in the past. Mo Ke¡¯s dark alchemy was in large part due to the knowledge contained within.


    The Grimoire floated between the two of them, and while it wasn¡¯t able to speak directly, the spirit within could communicate with Ferti¡¯nier through her soul. It only took a few seconds before the two of them completed their initial contact.


    Ferti¡¯nier; The Grimoire of the Dead; Mo Na; these three all were responsible, at one point or another, for Mo Ke evolving so slowly. This was the first time all three of them came together face to face. There must be a ton for them to discuss. At least it would be so for Ferti¡¯nier¡­


    However, that wasn¡¯t the main story of the day. Instead, it was the massive changes that had happened since the seal of Sable Radiance was broken.


    The chances of breaking through that tier were slim, but it was a risk Hades was willing to pay for. That was how an agreement was struck between Lucifer and Hades. As part of the agreement, Hades would provide troops in Lucifer¡¯s invasion of the Western Human Realms once his own invasion of the new world was done.


    Because of interference from the Goddess of Light and the other Gods of Order, Lucifer and his Gods of Chaos were unable to directly destroy the Western Human Realms with their divine powers. This fight had to be settled by those below the rank of a deity. In other words, the upcoming apocalypse was at most able to accommodate a demigod.


    Yet humans weren¡¯t the only race living in the Western Human Realms, despite what the name would suggest. Should the apocalypse break out, the rest of the races, like the elves, the dwarves, the beastmen, and even the rarely seen sea races would be forced to make their presence known as well. After all, Lucifer¡¯s plan wasn¡¯t to wipe out the humans, it was to wipe out the entire Western Human Realms.


    Furthermore, for the devils to be able to occupy the Western Human Realms, they had to terraform the environment of the Western Human Realms. For the majority of devils, a fiery environment was indispensable.


    Should the humans gather up a lot of mages to cast a composite ice spell on the area where the devils breached, that would be a disaster for the fire-loving creatures.


    All in all, there were a host of problems facing the devils if they wanted to invade the Western Human Realms. But if they were to gain the aid of the undead, the ensuing battle would be one-sided.


    Yet an entirely new world was an enticing prize, even with that agreement between the two gods. Just because Lucifer agreed not to vie for it, didn¡¯t mean he had to offer it up either. He had hidden one crucial fact from Hades: Sable Radiance had a dimensional link with the new world!


    However, this link wasn¡¯t stable and could only be used once. That vastly limited its use as an invasion point. But should an overlord, versed in the arts of dimensional magic, be sent across using this link, he could then coordinate with the main forces trying to break down the main barrier.


    Without that, the undead would have to expend an enormous amount of forces to set up a new link.


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    Yet a secret couldn¡¯t remain a secret forever, especially not at the level of gods. Lucifer knew of this as well, and that was why Sable Radiance had now turned into a contentious point between the two gods. Lucifer wanted to extract more concessions from Hades, in exchange for this link. But he wasn¡¯t planning on bringing this matter up to Hades, especially not when the other side knew of it and said nothing. After all, the first one to show his cards in a negotiation would lose his initiative.


    On the other hand, Hades did not want to pay even more than he had initially agreed with Lucifer. And if he were to suddenly bring up the link now, he would end up looking desperate as well -that was just bad negotiating right there. Thus, the two gods pretended not to know of the link. Even Hades, who came to learn of the link¡¯s existence after the initial negotiations.


    Just like that, the dimensional link was kept an open secret between the two, sealed within Sable Radiance for eighty thousand years, till Mo Ke came along¡­


    The situation was no longer the same. The forces of Hades had failed multiple times at breaking through the dimensional barrier, leading to the conclusion that the only way they could do so was with massive sacrifices. With that determination, and the fact that the seal was undone on Sable Radiance, that strange stalemate over Sable Radiance was no longer tenable. Even if it could only be used once, Hades needed it.


    He finally told the demigods under him about the dimensional link in Sable Radiance, along with a method to invade the region¡­


    Thus, the undead arrived, army in tow.


    (TL: I made some interpretations with regards to the last ten paragraphs.)

 CHAPTER 523: A COUNTER PLAN

    At the end of the day, this was a territory under Lucifer¡¯s jurisdiction. Their invasion was against the rules to begin with; but if they were to limit the majority of their troops to that of an overlord or less, Lucifer should not interfere either. Even so, there were already over ten overlords assaulting Sable Radiance right now, and that was only the strength they had shown on the surface.


    Because of the seal on Sable Radiance, the residents of the region found it hard to raise their level to that of the Overlord tier. The Demigod tier was a foregone dream. Thanks to that, there was barely any resistance from the various clans in Sable Radiance. Especially not with the large showing the Undead brought to bare; that dimensional link was something they had to obtain.


    Dressed in the typical black robes of a skeletal mage, Karlston was the commander of this invasion force. In this expeditionary force, there was no higher authority than him. Yet that wasn¡¯t just because the majority of the troops he commanded were mindless or close to mindless. Undead above a certain tier possessed an intelligence not inferior to a human¡¯s. As for what tier that was, that really was a question of the species.


    Karlston¡¯s forces easily swept through the lands of Sable Radiance, scaring away any clan who was unfortunate enough to be in their path. When the enemy was an undead, surrender wasn¡¯t even an option; they would rather you were dead, after all.


    In barely a week, Karlston¡¯s army had turned into the main villain of Sable Radiance. No one dared raise any opposition, choosing instead to flee if they even got word of the approaching army.


    The clans of Sable Radiance had no interaction so far with the undead army. Rather, the undead army itself had no intention of coming into an agreement with the clans of Sable Radiance. They didn¡¯t need to. Why solve matters through negotiation when you could do it through your fists instead? That was how most combat races thought; the Undead were no different.


    Since stepping into Sable Radiance, Karlston had been using the magical tool given to him by the Skeleton King to search for the dimensional link. Unfortunately, he hadn¡¯t had any luck so far, despite his best efforts.


    While time wasn¡¯t a problem for the Undead, the whole point of Karlston even leading an army here was precisely because they were looking for a quicker solution!


    Yet instead of making progress with his main objective, he ended up only riling up the local natives and perhaps converting some of them into undead. This seemingly wanton destruction spree forced the poor natives of Sable Radiance to band together into a temporary alliance.


    In order to mediate these differences, the highest powers amongst each clan, the various overlords, came together for a meeting, only to end in failure as well. No one wanted to compromise with the other and a fight nearly broke out in the end.


    Thankfully, the fight was averted by the more level-headed amongst them. It was only then that it dawned on them: they had no one powerful enough and also trustworthy enough to lead the pack.


    After all, would anyone willingly give up absolute authority to an enemy? The invasion was a priority, but what if the leadership was handed over to a bitter rival, only to have that rival send their entire clan off on a suicidal mission?


    At this rate, Sable Radiance was doomed¡­


    Amidst the head-wrecking, an overlord of the Purgatory warhorses suddenly remembered Mo Ke and made the suggestion to elect him as the temporary commander.


    This suggestion was easily approved by those who knew him.


    First off, he was actually the Overlord of Sable Radiance. He was the ruler of the region, appointed by Lucifer¡¯s clone himself, his authority couldn¡¯t be questioned on this front.


    Secondly, while his own strength might not be much to look at, he had a Devil King idol. That construct¡¯s defences were known to be impervious to any tier below Demigod. Plus, it could even exhibit the power of one, should its driver be capable.


    Finally, Mo Ke owned an army of Abyssal golems! This was the strongest reason out of the three. Each golem was at least six-star, with some reaching seven-star. Like his Devil King idol, these golems were famously difficult to damage for creatures of the same tier. Furthermore, as long as they had the materials to craft these constructs, they would have an endless supply of troops to throw at the undead army. Even losing a golem wouldn¡¯t be a problem, seeing as they were mindless constructs anyway. At least that was so for the people thinking of making Mo Ke fight for them¡­

 CHAPTER 524: THE RETURN THAT WASN’T AS EXPECTED

    ¡°Weep¡­ Mama¡­¡± She cried her heart out in earnest. Even a devil king like Ferti¡¯nier couldn¡¯t help but feel bad for the little girl. However, there wasn¡¯t much she could do at this point. Not only did she have to deal with Mo Ke who was hiding somewhere in the abyss of his soul, she still had to help hold the fort down while he was gone. At times, she wondered to herself, perhaps she had gone overboard with her little prank this time?


    She wanted Mo Ke to learn once and for all that humans and devils weren¡¯t meant to co-exist together. To be exact, she just wanted him to know how wide the gap was between him and Nicole.


    However, she ended up overplaying her cards, and Mo Ke ended up in the abyss of his soul¡­


    She genuinely did not expect this outcome. Previously, no matter how much she fooled around, Mo Ke mostly brushed off her mischief, leading her to believe that she was a rather sturdy playmate.


    Unfortunately, she had completely forgotten why he even ran away from home in the first place. Why he was so dead set on returning to the Western Human Realms even after turning into a devil. It was all for Nicole, no one else. Although, to be fair, Mo Ke himself probably could not distinguish if he was actually in love with Nicole, or just simply using her as a crutch. His journey from the Blood Sea had been fraught with danger. Barring some sort of plot armor or cheat, he needed a reason to justify his struggles, whether real or not.


    Yet the severe degree to which he relied on her only made it that much more devastating when she hurt him. Now that his very reason for living had turned on him, how was he to live?


    It was a difficult question to answer. But until he found a way, it could be said that his turn at the driver seat was over; it was now Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s turn to have some fun. While it was true that she would eventually grow sick of this as well¡­ At least till the day Mo Ke was willing to step out of his shell, this body would be hers to control. At the end of the day, however, this body was still Mo Ke¡¯s. His body might not be rejecting her soul much while he himself was hiding, but this wasn¡¯t a permanent arrangement.


    Some solutions did exist to remedy this, but one had to first understand what the spirit in a tool actually was. The Grimoire of the Dead belonged to the Demigod-tier. As a magical tool of that tier, the spirit within could communicate with Ferti¡¯nier and Mo Na. Strictly speaking, Ferti¡¯nier could be considered a spirit of a tool as well. The Chaos Crystal was a Demigod-tier magical tool, and Ferti¡¯nier was its spirit. The crystal itself was a dimensional tool; that was how it could safely transport Mo Ke into Purgatory.


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    She could have just allowed Mo Ke to become the spirit while she reincarnated herself in Purgatory, but she would have had various considerations to take care of in that case. Besides, her agreement with Yi Yi would have ultimately resulted in her getting reincarnated anyway.


    In truth, there were two ways to avoid the tragic fate of being jailed which she could attempt. One was to break the bindings of the Demigod-tier magical tool, then reincarnate from being a spirit of the tool. A difficult method; one that required very steep conditions. Yet the other method would probably be even worse¡­ That was to evolve that Demigod-tier magical tool into an actual god-level magical tool, a Deity-tier magical tool¡­ Spirits residing in such tools had the ability to reconstruct their own body¡­


    Now that the Grimoire of the Dead was done conversing with them and was back in her body, Ferti¡¯nier reached out to comfort the little girl. She had always liked the girl, because she reminded her so much of herself. She was like a daughter to Ferti¡¯nier -even though she had never had a boyfriend. Back in her heyday, this female Devil King was a lofty figure who easily stepped on any male suitor she encountered. None of them interested her, and with her awful personality, really, there weren¡¯t any who she would truly love anyway. Barring herself, of course.


    Since she found herself stuck in Mo Ke¡¯s body, her life had been that of an observer, almost like a player guiding the characters in a game. Even if Mo Ke was an actual sentient being, she treated him like you would a favourite character in an RPG. Naturally, being her favourite character¡¯s daughter also meant that Mo Na had her favour. It also helped that Mo Na was adorable and as delightfully black-hearted as her.


    While the two black-hearted she-devils continued hugging, Jeerah just so happened to return from the direction of the city¡¯s gates. The first thing she saw was the sight of this father¡­ mother and her daughter hugging.


    ¡°Master?¡± Even if she could only see the back of Ferti¡¯nier from where she was standing, she could feel the trembling in her soul right now. Yet when the person she thought was her master turned around, she shook to her very core. Her legs began to go soft as an urge to prostrate herself took over her.


    ¡°Oh? Is that Jeerah? It¡¯s been a while, little girl.¡± She smiled while giving Jeerah a mischievous look. ¡°Now about that soul of yours¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Master¡­ whatever you desire¡­¡± Jeerah muttered, her otherwise sparkling eyes clouded over as if she was in a trance. She slowly knelt before Ferti¡¯nier and shuffled herself before Ferti¡¯nier, bringing her forehead within easy reach.


    ¡°Such a good child.¡± Ferti¡¯nier gently reached out with her right hand and pulled out a shard of Jeerah¡¯s soul from her forehead. It was a soul pact, one between a master and her slave, to be exact.


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    ¡°Huh¡­ what¡¯s going on¡­ my soul¡­¡±


    The moment the pact was signed, Jeerah automatically broke free from Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s psychic control. She felt her soul weaken, as if it wasn¡¯t whole any longer¡­ In fact, it actually was missing a piece!


    ¡°All right, all right. Don¡¯t mind the small details.¡± Ferti¡¯nier casually waved her hand then patted her on her head. ¡°Just go take a nap, everything will be fine after a sleep.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ ok¡­¡± Jeerah answered woodenly and left, having fallen to her psychic control once more.


    Mo Na watched the entire scene unfold with shock in her eyes. Jeerah had always been at odds with her since the beginning. After all, Jeerah secretly harbored thoughts of being Mo Na¡¯s step mother, the abusive kind as well¡­

 CHAPTER 525: CALL FOR AID

    Not too long ago, the Purgatory Shadowcats came seeking Mo Ke. He was still out gallivanting about the Western Human Realms at that time, so they left without result. It was from that point onwards that Mo Na, who had made it her life goal to capture Mo Ke¡¯s heart, started paying attention to the invasion of the undead army.


    She discovered that the Undead was searching for something, and worried that they would one day attack the capital as well. That was the point when she decided to send an SOS to Mo Ke. Naturally, she also missed her papa.


    The nightmare steed, Mournwraith, was the Overlord of the Purgatory Warhorses. The one who had made the decision to seek out Mo Ke to begin with were the Purgatory Warhorses. Because of his relationship with Mo Ning, he was in a way related to the Purgatory Warhorses¡­ putting aside the question of his gender for the moment. Of the clans in Purgatory, they were objectively the closest to Mo Ke.


    Yet even before this whole invasion nonsense, the Purgatory Warhorses were actually quite comfortable to have Mo Ning accompany Mo Ke. As the mate of Mo Ning, he not only had potential, he had a powerful figure looking out for him as well. He himself had three Original Sins blessing him. Strictly speaking, he only required a large amount of souls to reach the Demigod-tier. Emphasis on the word, large.


    When Mournwraith first laid eyes on Ferti¡¯nier, he immediately realised that something had changed in the Fallen Angel. As for what it was, he couldn¡¯t be sure. She just seemed more bewitching than usual. Even with his innate resistance to psychic magic, he still lost himself for a second there.


    ¡°Overlord Mo Ke?¡± Mournwraith tactfully asked. ¡°Is that Overlord Mo Ke?¡±


    ¡°Hm? That¡¯s me.¡± Ferti¡¯nier quickly caught herself. She quietly accepted the Mo Ke label, having no intention of revealing her identity to outsiders. She proudly lifted her head up high and peered down at Mournwraith, lips curled into a mysterious smirk. Such was her beauty that, despite her obvious disdain, the nightmare steed couldn¡¯t help but feel attracted to her.


    ¡°It has only been a while but the change in you has been¡­¡± Mournwraith had seen the original Mo Ke before, back when he invaded the Purgatory Warhorses. He was a little feminine then, certainly not to the extent he was now.


    The fact that Mournwraith was here seeking help from Mo Ke showed that he held authority within his clan. In fact, he wasn¡¯t just any old overlord nightmare steed. His shadow was actually created from another overlord nightmare steed. In other words, he was the equivalent of two overlords!


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    ¡°Let¡¯s just cut to the chase, what do you want from me?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ before that, may I know if Mo Ning has returned with you?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Mo Ning¡­¡± She stroked her chin in thought for a moment, then shook her head nonchalantly. ¡°She should still be in the Western Human Realms. I¡¯m sure she will come home when she wants to.¡±


    That being said, Mo Ning was summoned there by Mo Ke. So unless Mo Ke performed the reverse summoning, Mo Ning basically had no way of returning to Sable Radiance. Unless she was sealed for some reason or another¡­


    Mournwraith stayed silent. Somehow, he got the feeling that if he pressed this issue further, an accident of some sort might happen¡­


    Throughout all that, Mournwraith deliberately averted his gaze from her. His instincts told him that if he were to linger on her eyes for long, his mind might fall into an abyss.


    With Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s overwhelming power, even a bug would fall in love with her.


    At the end of the day, Ferti¡¯nier and Mo Ke were two entirely different devils. Mo Ke insisted to the bitter end that he was a male, so no matter how feminine his body actually was, he objected to the feminine side of himself. Ferti¡¯nier was a different story entirely. She was the Devil King of Lust. Her ability to bewitch was beyond words. Genderless or not, her very being was enough to enhance Mo Ke¡¯s feminine guilles to its utmost limits. Furthermore, Mo Ke¡¯s body was made in the image of Ferti¡¯nier to begin with, barring his non-existent mounds¡­


    In a lot of ways, this form of subconscious enthrallment was the most troublesome to deal with. Back in the days, Mo Ke was able to make use of this enthrallment to subjugate countless devils. The amount of devils who threw themselves into the fire just for a smile from him numbered in the thousands. Unfortunately, his innate opposition to being treated as such hampered his charms from being fully utilised. If not, there wouldn¡¯t be many in Purgatory who weren¡¯t already kneeling at his knees.


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    ¡°In truth, I am here because of the Undead invading¡­¡± Mournwraith began to briefly explain the situation, including the fact that over ten overlords from the Undead army had shown up. Initially, he was intending to hide this fact, or at least downplay it somewhat so Mo Ke did not just back out right away. However, he ended up spilling the beans anyway¡­ all thanks to a single wink from Ferti¡¯nier.


    For the most part, what Mournwraith came to tell her was in line with what Mo Na had already told her, except his report was more detailed.


    With the information he told her, along with the conversation Mo Ke had with Lucifer¡¯s clone, and her own confidential information, she roughly came to a conclusion about what the Undead army were doing here. They were looking for something. She couldn¡¯t be sure what it was they were looking for -a relic; a creature; a coordinate; or maybe even a rock- but she wasn¡¯t about to let them get their way.


    Regardless of why Lucifer sealed up this place to begin with, the fact of the matter that this was now her territory! How dare those Undead mess up her backyard like that?!


    Mournwraith clearly had his own ulterior motives for seeking her out now, but she did not care. With Mo Ke¡¯s body, she was now at the peak of the Overlord tier. Adding in that Gem of Authority hanging around Mo Ke¡¯s neck, she could even take on an Undead demigod if she wanted.


    ¡°Come, let¡¯s have a look see for ourselves.¡± Grabbing onto a puzzled Mo Na, Ferti¡¯nier flapped her wings with a grand flourish and flew past the capital¡¯s walls.


    Mournwraith stared blankly at the distancing figure. His plan was to have Ferti¡¯nier bring along some of the Abyssal golems, but the other party did not even allow him time to make this request before speeding off.


    ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there, we need to keep up with them.¡± Mournwraith¡¯s shadow suddenly spoke up.


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    ¡°Mhm.¡± Mournwraith quickly replied then galloped off into the air as well. As he chased after Ferti¡¯nier, he muttered to his shadow, ¡°Brother, have you noticed that Overlord Mo Ke has been acting strangely?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s strange about her?¡± His shadow snorted at his face. ¡°What could be strange about our beautiful lady Mo Ke?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say to keep up with them?! Hurry up!¡± He anxiously chided his corporeal counterpart. ¡°Look! Her silhouette is getting smaller by the second¡­ hurry up! If you don¡¯t hurry up, I will take over the flying myself!¡±


    ¡°Right. Right. I¡¯m going already¡­¡± Mournwraith nearly sighed in exasperation. ¡°But, brother, are you sure you¡¯re feeling fine right now? Any strange sensations in your head?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one with strange sensations in your head. In fact, your whole family has¡­ I mean¡­ In our whole family, you¡¯re the only one that¡¯s strange in the head! Just look at how generous and elegant lady Mo Ke is. How can you even stand to be apart from her for a second? So hurry up already!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Ferti¡¯nier ended up flying for a good few hours with Mo Na in her arms before finally reaching the gathering point for the various clans. Based on the distance travelled, she most likely would have taken several days if she had brought along the golems.


    The various overlords of the clans were all gathered beneath a volcano. It could be said that the strongest denizens of Sable Radiance were all gathered here right this very second: the Fire Elementals, the Purgatory Warhorses, the Demonic Fire Sprites, the Demon Fire Salamanders, the Purgatory Shadowcats, and even a Demonic Fire Igneous Giant that was taller than the Devil King idol¡­


    Demonic Fire Igneous Giants were entirely made up of blackish-red igneous rocks. They could be said to be of the magma element, but their current form was because of their fusion with the flames of Purgatory. This fusion ended up being a beneficial one, boosting their prowess to new heights.

 CHAPTER 526: CHARGE OF THE DEAD

    The overlords raised their heads blankly at Ferti¡¯nier as she descended from the sky, Mo Na safely in her arms. The sheer beauty of her figure rendered them speechless. Let alone speak, they did not even wish to waste a single second breathing, lest they missed out on catching a glimpse of her.


    ¡°Ahem¡­ this is Overlord Mo Ke¡­¡± Mournwraith tried to announce her arrival, but found himself stuck for words when he saw their reactions. Furthermore, his shadow was still whispering to him, ¡°Stop talking, I¡¯m trying to focus on lady Mo Ke!¡±


    But I¡¯m the one talking, not you¡­ Mournwraith griped to himself. Yet was there anything more annoying than someone talking over their idol?


    Seeing as the overlords on the ground were too busy gawking at Ferti¡¯nier for the time being, she was more than happy to take the initiative in this negotiation.


    ¡°Excuse me but, I¡¯m rather busy.¡± She unabashedly said, not even bothering to land on the ground as she addressed them from twenty meters in the air. She swept her eyes over the overlords awed by her presence, then continued, ¡°I see that you¡¯ve saved me the trouble of gathering you all up. In that case, let¡¯s go meet the Undead army and be done with it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Silence ensued for a merely second before, strangely enough, everyone started shuffling off like a bunch of a minions, a fact that couldn¡¯t help but strike Mournwraith as odd¡­


    ¡°Brother, have you not been listening to lady Mo Ke? Hurry up and gather the youngins already. We need to get rid of those Undead right this instant. I can¡¯t believe we had to trouble her ladyship to fly all the way here -what if her beauty were to get marred because of that?!¡± Mournwraith¡¯s shadow anxiously pushed his counterpart. However, he seemed to have noticed that something was up with him. ¡°Brother? Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s fine¡­¡± Mournwraith thought about it for a second but brushed off his concerns in the end. Reassured and a little touched, he could at least see that this brother of his hadn¡¯t suddenly forgotten about their bond just because of Ferti¡¯nier. However¡­


    ¡°Well. Since you¡¯re fine, what are you doing dawdling about for?!¡±


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    ¡°¡­¡± Mournwraith almost wanted to kick himself at that point for even thinking his shadow cared about him¡­ that Fallen Angel was just too scary¡­


    ¡°Aunty¡­ they seem to be really obedient towards you¡­¡± Mo Na¡¯s eyes sparkled as she looked up at Ferti¡¯nier with puppy dog eyes. Furthermore, it wasn¡¯t just her eyes that were extra sweet, that ¡®aunty¡¯ was as well; even Ferti¡¯nier couldn¡¯t help but feel a warmth in her heart.


    To that, Ferti¡¯nier smiled and nodded her head lightly: this little devil was quick on the uptake.


    In the end, the various overlords took a mere half an hour to gather all the fighters of note in their clans. In this hodgepodge army, the lowest starred combatant was at least Five-star. Even so, the total amount still numbered in the tens of thousands!


    Amongst the troops, the largest contributors had to be the Demon Fire Salamanders. Of the lower-starred warriors, they accounted for a third in total.


    The Demon Fire Salamanders, out of all the clans in Purgatory, definitely numbered the greatest thanks to the number of Demon Fire Worms swimming throughout the lava pools. There was just no competition there.


    Naturally, Ferti¡¯nier had no interest in those beneath her. Plus, the Undead so happened to appear just when their troops had finished assembling.


    Faced with a coalition army of the various clans, even Karlston had to take the battle seriously for once. Their army might have been able to run rampant throughout the individual territories, but a combined front was a different story entirely -unity is strength, and all that jazz.


    The newly formed coalition army had ten or so overlords themselves. Adding on their numerous troops, even if the Undead army could emerge victorious, it would undoubtedly be a pyrrhic one.


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    In order to avoid any unnecessary losses, Karlston had especially rushed over to intercept the various clans. Unfortunately, Ferti¡¯nier had acted a lot quicker than he had expected. That and the fact that her charms instantly silenced and controlled the overlords probably made the job of assembling a lot easier than anyone could ever expect. Just like that, the coalition army finished preparing just in the nick of time to welcome the Undead army -truly a bit of serendipitous coincidence.


    Karlston had brought over three thousand Eight-stars, eight thousand Seven-stars, and finally a combined eighty thousand Four-stars to Six-stars, all of varying races.


    Such a showing of strength was why the overlords only arranged for those above Five-star to join the coalition army. At the end of the day, their troops were flesh and blood, meaning every loss required a newborn to replace years later. Furthermore, the newborn might not even match the soldier they were supposed to replace. In comparison, the Undead were just corpses, and corpses weren¡¯t exactly hard to replace¡­


    The unfortunate truth of the matter was that the Undead held absolute advantage here, whether in numbers or quality. Had it not been for Ferti¡¯nier forcing them to prepare right away, the sudden attack by the Undead would have most likely dealt the unprepared clans a serious blow by now.


    At the head of the Undead army was a unit of death knights, dressed in a sinister-looking set of platemail, riding skeletal horses. Of the Undead, the death knights had to be the strongest cavalry unit they had. They specialised in charging their enemy lines, scattering apart their defenses while creating opportunities for the foot soldiers behind them. On their own, they possessed immense power, with gale winds-level of speeds afforded to them by their horrific steeds.


    The leader of the death knights had initially wanted to open up with a thundering charge down into the devils. However, his hopes were dashed when his plan to reap some souls was met with a decidedly calm and collected coalition army. In fact, it almost seemed like their enemies had somehow gotten wind of their sneak attack, and were setting up in wait for their arrival -was there a traitor amongst the brass? Naturally, that was impossible. Why would the dead ever defect to the living? Just like how they did not accept living troops, the living did not accept the dead amongst their ranks as well.


    A coincidence? That would have to be a really convenient one then. As facts would have it, this really was a coincidence¡­ seeing as even Ferti¡¯nier did not expect the Undead to turn up where they were assembling¡­


    However, once an arrow was fired, there was no retrieving it. The death knights had preemptively started off with a cavalry charge before the coalition had even entered their sights. And once a cavalry charge was started, there was no stopping it halfway, especially not in front of the enemies. No longer in the position to care about the details any further, the overlord death knight focused his attention entirely on leading his thousand strong unit into the gathered Purgatory army. No matter what, they weren¡¯t returning empty-handed!


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    At least¡­ that was what he had hoped would happen.


    The overlord death knight¡¯s charge was awe-inspiring, for sure. It had even terrified a number of the creatures below. The Purgatory clans had a cavalry unit of their own as well: the Hellhounds. The job of meeting these riders would naturally fall unto them. In a head-on collision between a thousand death knights and the Hellhounds, the result would be devastating. At least a thousand Hellhounds would have to die in just the first moment!


    An overlord would find himself hard-pressed to fight off such a cavalry charge, let alone their subordinates. And that was why their plan was to send off said subordinates in the first wave. Plainly speaking, they hoped to waste the enemy¡¯s first strike on their weaker members, like how one would bait out another player¡¯s stronger skill before striking.


    A cruel decision. But it was one that the overlords unanimously agreed upon.


    However, that did not include Ferti¡¯nier. She was late to the party, and also the only one who could prevent such a tragedy from happening.


    With a calm wave of her hand, a wall of nether flames, spanning a hundred meter long, rose up from the ground with a roar, coincidentally appearing right in between the furiously charging death knights and the Hellhounds. It went without saying that they collided into the nether flames!


    The sheer burning power of the nether flames was such that even the overlord amongst them would find it hard to survive, let alone the other weaker death knights who also did not have a means of resisting fire¡­

 CHAPTER 527: BATTLE OF TITANS

    Territory: Realm of the Abyss!


    A circle of fifty meters burst to life, not only protecting its caster, but also the death knights near it.


    With a barrier to protect him, the overlord death knight took the lead in charging into the wall, passing through it unharmed in an instant. The death knights under his protection managed to pass through without incident as well. Unfortunately, the same couldn¡¯t be said for those who weren¡¯t protected. The moment they came into contact with the wall, they turned into walking torches.


    Yet even when faced with such a sudden turn of events, the death knights proved their mettle as elite riders. Having barely lost a hundred knights, those at the back managed to rein in their skeletal horses, in spite of their powerful momentum.


    However, it was also a fact that their charge had been stopped. The wall only managed to kill off a fraction of their numbers, but its main purpose had been fulfilled. Chaos had been averted so far, and precious time was bought. Had it not been for the fact that these death knights were all unfeeling Undead, their morale would have also been affected.


    ¡°A Territory that can nullify magical harm?¡± Seeing that Territory counteract her fires so cleanly, even Ferti¡¯nier was a little surprised. Such a degree of immunity was easily a disaster for a spellcaster due to their lack of physical capabilities. However, Ferti¡¯nier was different. She had no such shortcomings, physical or otherwise.


    But there was no need for Ferti¡¯nier to dirty her hands this time. There were a pile of overlords clamoring by her side for a chance to prove their worth to her. For example, that shadow of the overlord nightmare steed who was already pressing his brother to join the battle.


    However, there was already another quicker than those brothers. A giant, to be exact.


    The skies suddenly darkened as a stifling pressure descended over the battlefield. Then, like a meteor falling from the sky, a black, gigantic figure slammed into the ground. The earth itself cried at his descent, warping as if it was a trampoline for the giant.


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    A statue-like colossus stood before the overlord death knight. Standing at over twenty meters tall, this hulking titan was the source of that earth-rending impact. As he moved, countless little rocks tumbled off his blackish-red body. So tall was he that even the horizon seemed small to those before him. Despair was the only way to describe his sheer size.


    Yet his slap failed to accomplish what he had set out to do. Even though the overlord death knight¡¯s Territory did not have the ability to defend against physical attacks, that did not mean he was out of means either. The backhand might have easily smacked aside a few of the eight-star death knights who weren¡¯t able to dodge in time, but the overlord death knight¡¯s skeletal horse was able to nimbly leap onto the gigantic hand swinging its way. With a swing of his body, the overlord death knight leaned off to the right and slashed his sword down onto the giant¡¯s arm as his steed continued running up the giant¡¯s arm!


    Compared to the lumbering elephant that was the Demonic Fire Igneous Giant, the overlord death knight was like an agile mouse, easily navigating its way around the behemoth¡¯s body.


    Clearly no one enjoyed having a pest scampering up their arm, and the overlord giant was no slouch either when angered. If his physical strike wasn¡¯t going to work, then it was time for his abilities. The blackish-red veins throughout the giant¡¯s body began to stir. A second later, lava erupted from hundreds of geysers throughout!


    Faced with an all-around attack, escape was no longer possible for the overlord death knight. However, there was no need for the Undead knight to evade at all. After all, his Territory was able to nullify a certain degree of magical damage. What was magical damage? Basically, harm caused by energetic attacks like that giant¡¯s ability. His Territory was even able to block a wall of nether flames from Ferti¡¯nier, let alone lava that wasn¡¯t at the level of a Territory attack.


    Just like that, the spectacular fireworks display of lava fizzled out the moment it appeared, nullified by the Territory of the overlord death knight.


    ¡°ROARRR!!¡±


    His fists had failed; now his lava ability had easily been thwarted as well. Not only that, the pest on his arm was still running amok on his own body¡­ was there any bigger disgrace than this? In order to regain some modicum of respect in front of Ferti¡¯nier, he finally deployed his vaunted Territory.


    Territory: Lava Hellscape!


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    The instant his Territory was deployed, a seventy meter radius around the overlord giant began to rumble. A series of rocky stalagmites pierced through the earth, bringing along with it a geyser of lava. Even though the lava wasn¡¯t going to do much against the overlord death knight, the rocky stalagmites were a physical form of magic and could harm him. As time ticked by, the stalagmites continued rising up from beneath the ground, forming a veritable stone forest as they tried to skewer the overlord death knight. This indiscriminate style of attack was finally able to force the death knight into a corner. On the flip side, being pierced by rock was barely a scratch for the overlord giant.

 CHAPTER 528: START OF THE BATTLE

    In order to avoid being skewered, the overlord death had no choice but to evacuate from the giant¡¯s arm. However, the moment he tried to take a single jump forward, the spikes immediately dived at him, cutting him off. Still mid-air, he had no choice but to make the difficult sacrifice of abandoning his steed to protect himself. Using the skeletal horse as a springboard and shield, he leaped off its back, finally pulling himself away from the giant.


    Unfortunately, his horse wasn¡¯t so lucky. Not even given the chance to neigh, it was summarily turned to dust by the numerous spikes¡­


    Yet just because he had avoided the wave of ground spikes, his troubles weren¡¯t over either. Immediately after the ground spikes ended, the next attack came crashing down from the heavens!


    The skies turned dark above him, but by the time he noticed this, his fate was sealed. With no way to maneuver mid-air, there was no avoiding the massive palm flying down on him¡­


    ¡°Boom¡­¡±


    Every action the Demonic Fire Igneous Giant took elicited a deafening groan from the earth. As the giant palm slammed down on the overlord death knight, both the skies and the earth shook from the massive shockwave. The surrounding lower-starred Purgatory creatures were all thrown off balance as well.


    By the time the giant lifted up his palm, the overlord death knight beneath was an unrecognisable mess¡­


    ¡°ROOARR!!¡±


    Victorious, the giant howled into the heavens. Around him, the other Purgatory creatures joined him in his howling, morale boosted by the easy defeat of one of the enemy¡¯s generals.


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    With their leader dead, the death knight unit was like a toothless tiger. The overlord giant boldly strode forward, closing the gap between himself and the knights in a few steps. Like an elephant running rampant on the battlefield, wherever the giant went, a death knight would be found flattened beneath its feet¡­


    As of right now, the remaining death knights numbered in the hundreds. Members of this elite cavalry unit were at least Seven-star, meaning that if the various clan leaders wanted to reduce their casualties, they had to at least send out Eight-stars. In just the span of a few seconds, a plethora of dazzling long-ranged attacks were thrown their way, swiftly backing the death knights into a corner to be harvested.


    This entire opening phase barely lasted half an hour. Barring the scant survivors who managed to escape during the chaos, the vanguard of the Undead were completely wiped out.


    Naturally, she wasn¡¯t one to stand on ceremony. She gulped down the majority of the souls in one go, leaving a small portion leftover sealed up in a soulstone. She then quietly stuffed it into Mo Na¡¯s little backpack while she was still concentrating on mastering that new technique.


    Ferti¡¯nier required a massive amount of souls to upkeep herself due to the lack of her own body. Yet no matter how much she ate, she would never rise to the level of Demigod. As long as she stayed within Mo Ke¡¯s body, the best she could achieve was the peak of the Overlord tier. A step might have separated the two levels, but that step was the difference between heaven and earth. When one entered the Demigod tier, they had transcended the mortal realm, they were truly in the realm of the divine at that point.


    The most practical benefit of such an evolution was the lifespan of such individuals. A human overlord, even at its peak, only had a lifespan of five hundred to eight hundred years. Human demigods, however, could live over two thousand years!


    Right this very instant, Karlston¡¯s main army was about fifty kilometers away from the frontlines. The survivors from the death knight unit had just reported in, bringing with them news of their utter defeat. The sheer anger of learning about their disgrace was enough to send the soul flames in his eye sockets blazing. The news had also stirred up a wave of debate amongst the rest of the overlords gathered. Normally, the Undead would never consider matters such as morale, making them perfect soldiers of war. However, that was only for the mindless ones. Once an Undead gained intelligence, things weren¡¯t so simple any longer.


    For this expedition, Karlston had brought around twenty overlords with him, every one of them a proficient fighter with at least thirty meters to their Territories. Yet the moment they heard that their opponent was a massive giant with a seventy meter Territory, they were spooked.


    A giant with a Territory of seventy meters¡­ that was undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with -there was no need to look any further for an example than how he squashed the overlord death knight, who had fifty meters to his Territory. The fact that he was so massive also meant that he held an inherent advantage against those of his class¡­


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    Then there was still the issue of the Fallen Angel who the Demonic Fire Igneous Giant willingly submitted himself to¡­ Just because they had already died once did not mean they were more willing to die again this time¡­


    Finally, Karlston snapped.


    ¡°Enough! I will give you all two choices: advance, or die right now!¡± Karlston yelled as best as a skeleton could. A moment later, he lifted up his skeletal staff and fired a dark green beam at an overlord zombie. The moment the overlord was hit by the beam, his flesh immediately started to fume and bubble as if hit by a potent acid. He fell to the ground groaning in pain, begging for forgiveness as he tumbled about.


    Unfortunately, there was no mercy to be had for him. Out of those dissenting overlords just now, his fear was the most apparent. There was nothing Karlston hated more than cowardice, so who better than him to make an example out of?


    Ten seconds later, the overlord zombie was reduced to a pool of black liquid. His exposed soul flew into Karlston¡¯s hand upon a hand wave¡­


    Gulp. He unceremoniously swallowed the soul of his former ally, his soul flame eyes burning ever so brighter. ¡°Now, does anyone else have any objections?¡±


    The gathered overlords fell silent. They had come to realise one thing: while they might have had a powerful enemy ahead, they also had an existence next to them who could slaughter them as well¡­


    Not too long after the battlefield was swept clean of souls, the main army of the Undead arrived, led by the black-robed skeletal mage, Karlston. A sea of Undead, stretching off as far as the eye could see, filled the battlefield. While the Undead weren¡¯t suited to the fiery environment of Purgatory, the Undead gathered here had been specifically chosen for their heat resistance. Tougher Undead like death knights, zombies, and skeletons made up the bulk of the army. There were also various zombified or skeletal versions of magical beasts. What there weren¡¯t were wraiths and the like. They might be immune to physical attacks, but they were also famously vulnerable to the elements.


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    Even from a kilometer away, their sinister aura was made abundantly clear before Ferti¡¯nier.


    As always, she had her arms folded around her chest while she floated mid-air. Her charms held no sway over the Undead below. That wasn¡¯t to say that she had those Purgatory overlords completely under her control either. A key factor to the charm she cast over them was that they already enjoyed a close relation to her in the form of being allies. Her charms were powerful, but they only had the effect of increasing their opinion of her to their utmost limits. Such a hold was tenuous at best. Other forms of emotions might have arisen as a result of this, but should she cross their interests, her charms would most likely fail.


    Naturally, such tactics were viable because of how long Sable Radiance had been sealed. Their strongest forces weren¡¯t even at the level of Demigod.


    The two leaders of the armies exchanged a silent glance with each other. Neither spoke a word as a deafening silence fell over the battlefield. No one dared move a muscle or breath.


    A strong foe! The two parties came to that conclusion at the same time. In order to avoid injuring Mo Na, who had just awoken from having that skill imparted to her, she placed the little devil onto Mournwraith¡¯s back. She then muttered in his ears to take care of the little devil. This upcoming battle was one she had to take seriously. At that point, watching out for Mo Na was impossible. In that case, the wise move would be to have the girl leave the scene from the start.


    At the same time as she handed over Mo Na to Mournwraith, Karlston coolly waved his skeletal hand: the Undead army was on the march!

 CHAPTER 529: BONEMELTING TOXIN

    However, their obsession with the overlord giant was, in of itself, an error. The strongest enemy here was actually Ferti¡¯nier.


    The she-devil flew right into the densest gathering of Undead overlords, and upon entering within two hundred meters of them, she deployed her trusty ultimate technique¡­


    Territory: Wraith of Purgatory!


    Raging black flames burst to life, sealing off any avenue of escape for her enemies. Countless shadows, clad in nether flames, lunged at the unsuspecting overlords, each of them resolved to take down their enemies in a suicidal explosion¡­


    Just like that, over ten overlords were taken down in mere seconds. Such was the power of her Territory, Wraith of Purgatory. As the name suggested, it burned like the flames of Purgatory, and was as stealthy and unpredictable as a wraith. Her Territory, in essence, was capable of summoning assassins to kill those unfortunate enough to be caught in her Territory.


    At the end of the day, Ferti¡¯nier used to be a demigod herself. Her powers might have dropped a tier, but the destruction she could bring wasn¡¯t something a mere overlord could comprehend!


    Immediately, the tables had turned on the Undead.


    It was only when the souls of those overlords flew into the waiting palm of Ferti¡¯nier that Karlston finally understood how powerful his enemy was¡­ From the very beginning, she was the one who held the keys to this battle.


    (TL: To be honest, I¡¯m a little tilted by this author¡¯s use of over ten blah blah blah. Over twenty blah blah blah. It reeks of poor planning. Sometimes, I do not know if he really means 10, 11-19, or 11-infinity, so I¡¯m left guessing based on the next few paragraphs. There have been a few times where over ten just meant ten. This time, apparently, he meant anything under the sun that is above ten.)


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    Territory: Bone-melting Demise!


    At the same time as he charged at Ferti¡¯nier, he deployed his own Territory, a two hundred meter diameter Territory of sickly green fog. Anything that came into contact with the fumes were progressively dissolved, whether Undead or living. The speed of dissolution wasn¡¯t particularly quick, but if one did not depart immediately, even an overlord would be reduced to a puddle of black goo within a minute!


    With a wave of his skeletal staff, Karlston fired off the first volley at Ferti¡¯nier. From the very beginning, Ferti¡¯nier knew this black-robed mage was no simple overlord -who would have thought that he was at the peak of the Overlord tier as well. Warriors at this state were just a hair¡¯s breadth away from being a demigod.


    If an overlord¡¯s defining trait was his understanding of the world¡¯s laws, and the formation of a Territory, then a demigod could face the laws of the world itself with his physical body. The Demigod tier was about forging a divine body. The degree to which a demigod could withstand the laws of the world depended on the completeness of this divine body.


    At the peak of the Demigod tier, the demigod would have the ability to match a lower-ranked deity. The difference between the two was that the former lacked a proper divinity. A deity¡¯s divinity was like the keys to the system. An overlord only had the ability to temporarily rewrite the laws of the world, but even that was being generous; a more accurate description would be to influence. Those with divinity had the ability to rewrite the laws of the world on a long-term basis.


    Even so, the world and its laws were set down by the Creator. Like where there was light, there would always be dark. Like how water extinguished fire, and how the earth nourished the plants. These were fundamental tenets of the world. Even if a deity were to evolve into a prime deity, he still couldn¡¯t change such fundamental laws permanently. However, he could still change the laws for a long term, and at a large scale. He would just have to pay the corresponding price.


    The moment that green beam was fired, Ferti¡¯nier instincts told her that she must not allow that to hit her. Yet just when she was about to dodge, a gigantic figure suddenly stepped in front of her and blocked the beam for her ¨C it was the Demonic Fire Igneous Giant!


    With his impregnable defenses, he reached forth and blocked the beam with his right arm. He had thought it would burn him at most. However, the moment he blocked the beam, his entire right arm started to drip to the ground as black goo¡­ The corrosive ability of the beam was just too strong. Not only had it dissolved his right arm, it was now trying to invade the other parts of his body as well!


    There was hardly a match to be found anywhere for this overlord giant¡¯s defenses under the tier of Demigod. Even the mighty pure-blooded blood drakes, known for their unstoppable physical strength, might not be able to break his defenses. But that only showed how truly deadly Karlston¡¯s beam was. If this corrosion was allowed to continue, he would most likely lose half his body in the process, crippling him in the best scenario.


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    Before the corrosive beam could spread past the giant¡¯s right arm, Ferti¡¯nier suddenly flew towards the giant, and upon reaching the area joining his shoulder to his arms, she pulled out Shadowfang and gave a decisive chop, severing what remained of his arm which fell to the ground with a deafening boom¡­


    While Shadowfang might just be an Epic-grade weapon, it was forged from the fang of the first werewolf. As the former divine steed of the Moon Goddess, the first werewolf, Nightblade, was a divine beast himself. A fang from such a being was never going to lose to a mere overlord.


    ¡°That skeleton isn¡¯t someone you can handle. I need you to take care of the other overlords instead.¡± Said Ferti¡¯nier as she floated above the severed stump of the overlord giant, eyes glued to Karlston as he approached them. Without waiting for the giant to reply, she sped off in Karlston¡¯s direction with a powerful kick off.


    Met with such a fierce response, Karlston fired off a second beam at his opponent. Unfortunately, in her flying state, Ferti¡¯nier was a lot nimbler: she easily avoided the beam with a twirl. In order to fire these beams, he had to concentrate the fumes from his territory, meaning that with each beam, the toxic fumes in his territory got thinner. Mighty as his attack was, even that had its own limitations.

 CHAPTER 530: DESPERATE ESCAPE

    The two combatants, Ferti¡¯nier and Karlston, charged at each other without exchanging a word. Countless shadow figures burst forth and launched themselves at Karlston, yet the skeletal mage could control the density of the toxic fumes within his Territory.


    He swiftly focused his fumes into an almost viscous state, dissolving any flame-clad shadow that leapt his way. As a result, his own Territory had shrunk significantly. What was once a two hundred meter diameter Territory was now merely ten meters wide.


    This battle had only just started, but both sides roughly had an understanding of the other now. Simply put, Karlston¡¯s Territory was a direct foil to Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s own.


    Naturally, Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s real Territory was stronger than Karlston¡¯s, but this wasn¡¯t her body she was using. It was a temporary one handed over to her when Mo Ke fled to the abyss of his soul. That also meant that this body would eventually start to reject her.


    While she had only been in control for a short duration, she was already starting to feel the strain on her control. Since taking over, she had been fighting non-stop. And even with all the souls she had devoured thus far, the fierce opposition Karlston put up had upped the rejection from this body a level.


    At this rate, this wasn¡¯t going to work, was what she quickly realised. However, Karlston¡¯s Territory was too powerful for her to end the battle quickly. Situations like this where two Territories directly countered each other actually weren¡¯t that rare. While there might be an endless variety of Territories in the world, there were still broad similarities that had counters to them.


    Karlston was a skeletal mage that specialised in long range magic. Ferti¡¯nier, on the other hand, performed well in both melee and long range. But because Karlston had strengthened his own Territory¡¯s corrosive strength by tenfold when he shrunk it, even Ferti¡¯nier wasn¡¯t able to gain an advantage over him in close range. At the same time, her long range attacks were hampered by her current body.


    Territory countered; magic restricted; Ferti¡¯nier was beginning to find herself at a disadvantage.


    Karlston, on the other hand, was very confident in his own strengths, especially in his condensed toxic Territory -even an ordinary demigod wouldn¡¯t be able to get out of that unscathed, let alone this Fallen Angel who only had her strong Territory going for her. With his enemy¡¯s weakness firmly in his grasp, he pressed ever forward, peppering her with his spells till she did not even have the chance to mount a counter-offensive.


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    (TL: I¡¯ve decided. I¡¯m capitalising Territory. Would make it easier to read, especially when I actually use the word territory to describe land¡­)


    There was no time for hesitation anymore. With her priorities sorted out, Ferti¡¯nier summoned the Devil King Idol.


    At the same time, Karlston fired off his third beam of toxic fumes, only to find that the skies above him had darkened all of the sudden. A gigantic golem was descending from the skies, and its target seemed to be him¡­


    Thanks to Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s timely decision, the green beam ended up fizzling harmlessly against the Devil King Idol. Finally operated by an overlord, the Devil King Idol¡¯s defenses had risen to that of a proper demigod. The greenish beam that had terrorised those before her now seemed more like a child¡¯s water gun -harmless and ineffective.


    Failing his special attack, Karlston hurriedly evaded the Devil King Idol¡¯s attack. A deafening boom rocked the area. Just as the Devil King Idol touched down, it immediately leapt off the ground, causing a mini-earthquake.


    While Karlston might have avoided being turned into a pancake, Ferti¡¯nier had no intention of letting such a powerful foe off the hook so easily either. Driving the Devil King Idol relentlessly forward, she quickly sent another stomp his way. Caught off guard, the skeletal mage could only scramble once more to evade the attack.


    Now that his strongest attack was ineffective, he was truly out of cards to play¡­


    In order to live, he had no choice but to turn tail and run. As he did so, he cursed incoherently to himself. Ordinarily, this invasion of Sable Radiance should have been a done deal. The fact that someone as powerful as Ferti¡¯nier even existed in such a backwater was a miracle in of itself. In fact, never in his wildest dreams would he have expected to bump into a Devil King Idol here, where the laws of the world weren¡¯t even complete¡­


    In order to speed up his escape, he extended his Territory to its fullest. Bearing no heed to the costs, he charged ahead in a straight line, all the while dissolving any creature in his way, Undead or otherwise.


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    Ferti¡¯nier continued hounding the fleeing mage. Now that she was the one in the driver seat, the Devil King Idol was at full power, countless purple arcane markings crawled across its otherwise pitch black exterior.


    The appearance of these arcane markings immediately turned the otherwise lumbering golem into an agile killing machine. Compared to that third-rate trash when Mo Ke piloted it, this Devil King Idol was practically an olympic gold medalist!


    Boom. Boom. Boom.


    The Devil King Idol sprinted at full speed, each step accompanied by a thunderous boom. Wherever it stepped, the ground would rend asunder, massive rocks were strewn in all directions, crushing any unfortunate low level Undead it came into contact with¡­ and these were just unintentional attacks!


    With the Devil King Idol¡¯s unexpected appearance and Karlston¡¯s subsequent fleeing, the battlefield was up for grabs once more. While Karlston¡¯s interference had caused quite a stir initially, look at him now¡­ forced to flee like a whipped dog.


    Whether by sheer coincidence or divine providence, Mo Ke was stabbed by Nicole right before this crucial fight. Had it not been for that traumatic event causing him to flee into the depths of his mind, this battle would not have proceeded so smoothly. Had this been Mo Ke who was fighting Karlston right now, he would have probably died already. Even if he had handed off control of his body to Ferti¡¯nier, his conscious state would have caused a high level of rejection for Ferti¡¯nier.


    In other words, the fact that Karlston had to flee like a mouse from a cat, that was all thanks to Mo Ke being a shut-in!


    Pressured to the utmost, Karlston did not even have the presence of mind to choose a direction to flee in. He merely ran forward, as far away as he could from Ferti¡¯nier. With his mind dead set on escape, his speed was nothing to scoff at. Even with Ferti¡¯nier piloting the golem at full speed, it was unlikely she would catch him in the short term¡­


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    Each time she tried to attack him, he would nimbly dip out of the way as if he was the mole in the whack-a-mole machine.


    Just like that, the game of cat-and-mouse continued till, finally, the Devil King Idol expanded over half of its energy, at which point a turning point occurred¡­


    In his single-minded desire to escape, he had unknowingly fled to an artificially depressed, circular clearing. Just from the surroundings, one could tell that there used to be a volcano here, it was just flattened for some reason or another.


    However, all that wasn¡¯t important to Karlston. All he knew was that if he did not run faster, that giant monster behind him would flatten him into a pancake. Yet when he stepped into the clearing, he felt a certain object in his robe react. The more he got closer to the center of this clearing, the more the object in his robes heated up, even rumbling at the end.


    Fully occupied with fleeing for his life, he had no time to spare for such nonsense right now. Still, the constant stirring might prove to be a hindrance in the future¡­ Not wasting any time at all, he reached into his pocket and retrieved a white orb the size of a baby¡¯s fist. He immediately thought of tossing the annoying object, but the moment that thought crossed his mind, he remembered the mission given to him¡­


    When this orb heated up, that meant that the dimensional link was near¡­ those were the instructions given to him by a certain personage. Once the rumbling got to the point where it was at its highest, all he had to do was toss the orb at the center of the dimensional link, following which the orb would automatically explode, opening up a rift in the dimensions for a minute¡­


    However, by the time he recalled the full instructions given to him, it was too late. He was now at the center of the dimensional link, orb still clutched in his bony-white fingers. A blinding light flooded the surrounding area. Soon after, a massive pillar of fire pierced the heavens from where Karlston stood. Naturally, he was reduced to cinders in the high heat¡­


    Ferti¡¯nier was still chasing Karlston at this point. This enemy of hers had proven a formidable one, and there was no way this she-devil would allow him to recover, now that she had him on the run. She was starting to feel the rejection from Mo Ke¡¯s body grow stronger by the second. At this point, even she couldn¡¯t tell how long she would be able to stay in charge. All she hoped was that she could sweep away all the obstacles before Mo Ke awakened. The other Undead overlords did not matter -only Karlston had to die now!


    Yet at the same time when that fiery pillar burnt Karlston to cinders, it also affected Ferti¡¯nier who was in the vicinity. Constantly battered by the resulting dimensional energies, even the Devil King Idol, with its Demigod-tier defenses, was starting to overheat. Not only that, there was now what looked like a black hole standing before her¡­

 CHAPTER 531: DESCEN

    A sky that was sunny just moments ago suddenly turned black as night. A frightening power enveloped the entire planet as a black vortex poured downwards from the sky, its tail floating above like a reversed funnel.


    From within the black vortex, a gigantic statue descended. It was beyond battered, lacking limbs, wings and even half of its head. As its black, stony body fell down, countless fragments rained down upon the earth. Judging by its velocity and mass, its impact would most likely rival that of an asteroid hitting the planet. At that point, the statue would be lucky if even a piece of it was still recognisable. Yet a moment later¡­ it vanished. In its place was a purple-haired young girl, wearing a red gemstone that rested comfortably on her decidedly flat chest¡­ though with that flatness, it was debatable if she was actually a girl¡­


    Having been thrown abruptly into a different world, the Devil King Idol found itself¡­ significantly lighter upon travelling through the unstable dimensional gate. Thankfully, its sturdy construct meant that Ferti¡¯nier was still able to reach this new world, albeit barely. Naturally, it wouldn¡¯t survive a crash landing. Thus, she unsummoned the golem, and slowly descended with the help of her wings.


    At the same time, but in a different, more picturesque mountainscape, another girl, dressed in a short skirt and long socks, sporting a head of long, green hair, watched the descending Ferti¡¯nier from her mountaintop, eyes wide in shock.


    ¡°Is that a human? Or a monster? Don¡¯t tell me those genetic experiments actually worked? It can¡¯t be¡­ those were already abandoned¡­ so aliens?¡± The girl muttered to herself, head a right mess of questions.


    Because of the giant vortex above, the entire world had fallen into darkness. The electronic implant on the back of her hand suddenly chose this time to stop working as well¡­ For the inhabitants of this planet, this sudden period of darkness had to be their most vulnerable time yet -all their technological tools had gone offline¡­


    ¡°The mana in this world is strange¡­ I can¡¯t absorb it at all¡­ No¡­ It is possible to absorb it, it¡¯s just not a good idea long term¡­¡± Amidst her gentle descent to the earth, Ferti¡¯nier took the opportunity to scout out this foreign world. Her first thought was to try and replenish herself with this world¡¯s mana, but soon found that the mana itself, while still absorbable, was harmful in large quantities, and this was only possible because Mo Ke¡¯s body was powerful enough to allow absorption in the first place.


    Not only was the mana in this world different, Ferti¡¯nier quickly realised that there was no one in this world with divinity. The laws of this world were stable, but there were no administrators in sight.


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    Gaia did not have an evolution system like the Western Human Realms. One did not train to gain new abilities, instead, this was a world of science. Thanks to the different laws of this world, this world was a lot more advanced than the Western Human Realms.


    Even so, the humans of this new world hadn¡¯t yet been able to crack the mystery of cloning, or anything related to genetics, for that matter.


    To Ferti¡¯nier, this unusual path was an aberration -in all fairness, her world would have seemed like an aberration to the humans of this world as well.


    In spite of that view however, there was one thing this world had that the other could not compare with: this world had no divinities yet. Ferti¡¯nier, at her prime, was at the peak of what a devil king could achieve. The only reason she wasn¡¯t able to cross that final step into the Deity tier was because she couldn¡¯t achieve divinity. It wasn¡¯t that she was lacking¡­ she was hampered¡­


    But there were no divinities in this world, that meant she had all the time to slowly comprehend the laws of this world, accumulate power, then achieve divinity!


    However, such research required an inordinate amount of time, and this body was already protesting against her control. She needed somewhere to recuperate, and quick. With that in mind, she turned to the confused girl on that mountain top.


    Sensing Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s gaze upon her, and that sinister smile on her lips, the green-haired girl panicked. She wanted to hide, but there really weren¡¯t many options when the other party could fly. Furthermore, the language she spoke was completely foreign to Ferti¡¯nier, even with her impressive repertoire of languages. In other words, they couldn¡¯t communicate with each other.


    ¡°An unknown language, a strange form of mana, and a world with no divinity¡­ Intriguing¡­¡± Ferti¡¯nier appeared before the girl in a flash. She reached out and tapped the girl on her forehead before she could even react. The girl¡¯s eyes immediately darkened while her body stood there woodenly like a puppet ready to be manipulated.


    Through her arcane arts, Ferti¡¯nier quickly learnt all that the girl knew, including the language of this world and a variety of useful information.


    ¡°Science, huh? Another intriguing subject there¡­ Not magic, but still recognised by this world all the same¡­ Duanmu Bitong¡­ Last name: Duanmu¡­ Even the names are different in this world¡­ A genius hacker? So she¡¯s good with an axe?¡± Ferti¡¯nier eyed the girl from top to toe. Her skin was white as a baby¡¯s, and probably just as soft ¨C she¡¯s supposed to have been a proficient axe wielder? Maybe a butcher?


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    Thankfully, her off-mark guesses did not have to go on for long as she soon found out that a hacker was basically a miscreant on the internet¡­ which then brought up the question of what was an ¡®internet¡¯?


    Burdened with a million questions like a child, she voraciously absorbed whatever knowledge she could.


    Ten minutes later, she had gone through the entirety of the girl¡¯s memories. She had a rough understanding of the world, and Mo Ke¡¯s body had stepped up its resistance once more. There was no mana in this world. There was spiritual energy instead. Spiritual energy was a form of energy unique to this world. To humans, this energy contained significant side effects. Should Ferti¡¯nier try to absorb this energy, the body of Mo Ke would reject her even further.


    She now had a difficult situation to handle. On one hand, she needed a lot of time to research the laws of this world. On the other, this body was about to kick her out. Yet Mo Ke was still hiding out in the depths of his soul. Should she just leave the body be, it would end up in a vegetative state.


    With no other choice, Ferti¡¯nier chose a decidedly inefficient plan.


    Her smile broadened. She first started by altering Duanmu Bitong¡¯s memories, then she dove straight into the abyss of Mo Ke¡¯s soul and wrenched him out of it. Unfortunately, he was still a mess, and no matter what she said, nothing seemed to work. She peered into his soul, and found that he was still reliving that same moment when Nicole stabbed him, over and over again. He still had that bitter smile on his lips¡­ Oh, how she wanted to tease him a million times over!


    Such an unfortunate child, but he should really learn to be considerate of his big sis!


    Seeing him unable to pull himself out of his miserable state, Ferti¡¯nier finally lost her cool. She forcefully took him¡­ in a non-suggestive manner¡­ and sealed his memories away. Along with that, she sealed up his abilities so that he could pass off as an ordinary human. Having done all that, she was considerate enough to impart his amnesiac soul some knowledge of the world¡­ though that was only limited to the language.


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    Just like that, Mo Ke was born with nothing but the words he couldn¡¯t explain how he knew¡­ Or it would have been¡­ had Ferti¡¯nier not given him a pee pee as well¡­


    That¡¯s right¡­ the fabled pee pee. Mo Ke had once asked Ferti¡¯nier how he may obtain such a legendary artifact. Her answer then was that she had to first leave his body, after which he had to evolve one more time¡­ That answer wasn¡¯t false, it just wasn¡¯t the only solution.


    There was an even quicker method. If Ferti¡¯nier was willing to, she could have just given him back his male body. In other words, this was all her fault! Why? Because she found his ambiguous gender rather amusing¡­


    Yet even though Ferti¡¯nier finally found it in her heart of hearts to give him back his pee pee, she wasn¡¯t actually a male to begin with. She had no experience with another male, and certainly did not know how it actually functioned as well. She had merely seen it before¡­ and that was why her finished work was rather¡­ small¡­


    It¡¯s not like he actually said he wanted his pee pee to be fully functional, right?!


    With her mission complete, she was now able to retire into the shadows, her great work never to be known to the world.


    A couple of minutes later, Duanmu Bitong woke up from her coma, and found a purple-haired girl, or perhaps it was a boy, lying beside her¡­ He seems rather familiar¡­ she thought to herself. Wait. Isn¡¯t that my long-lost childhood friend and younger brother?! This is great news!


    Ever since Mo Ke went missing, Bitong had never stopped looking for him. Who would have thought that they would end up being reunited here. Duanmu Bitong tightly hugged the comatose boy before checking his state. Unfortunately, the electronic implant on her hand was still offline¡­


    Seems like I will have to wait for that strange phenomena in the sky to disappear before I can check his health, and call for a hover car. While Mo Ke might not be very heavy, she wasn¡¯t exactly an axe-wielding warrior either.


    Still gently hugging him, she bent down and took a sniff of that nostalgic scent, her heart filled with elation at having found him once more. From that moment on, she swore that she would never leave him again¡­

 CHAPTER 532: AWAKENING

    ¡ªMo Ke


    From within the endless void of darkness, I opened my eyes to find myself lying on a large and comfortable bed.


    It was a soft bed, with a faint fragrance wafting off its caressing folds. The room¡¯s interior itself was quite austere: a bed, a bedside table and a wooden dresser. Directly opposite of the bed was a window. It had a mini coffee table under it with a couple of chairs placed around it. The windowsill had a number of plants growing on it, juxtaposing the concrete jungle of skyscrapers behind them.


    Who am I¡­I¡¯m Mo Ke¡­or at least that¡¯s what my name should be¡­ but where am I? I can¡¯t tell, but I know my head is really dizzy right now. Did someone hit me? Strange, I can feel an inexplicable aching in my chest, but I don¡¯t know why.


    Putting on a nearby set of pyjamas, I climbed up from the bed and opened up the door to leave for the living room. At least that was what I intended till my instincts sent me towards the bathroom instead. A white toilet¡­that¡¯s what it¡¯s called, right? Hmm¡­ why does it feel like I have something hanging down there? A miniature elephant trunk¡­ why do I get the feeling that I never had this in the past?


    (watery noises)


    After relieving myself, I instinctively reached out to flush the toilet¡­ but there was nothing there. Suddenly, the toilet lid snapped shut by itself, followed closely by the sound of swirling water¡­ an auto toilet?


    What time is it now anyway? What time? What does that even mean? Hold on¡­why do I even know that that is a toilet? Or a bathroom, for that matter.


    Looking out the window, I was immediately greeted with a spectacular view, at least it was for me anyway. Towering structures with floors so numerous I got dizzy from trying to count them stretched all the way into the heavens. Yet despite all that, the gentle rays of the sun still managed to find their way to the depths below. I guess that means this district is really well-planned. Huh.


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    Well, since I¡¯m out of bed, I should go brush my teeth then¡­brush my teeth? What does that mean?


    Just as I was busy sorting myself out of this confusing situation I found myself in, my body instinctively dragged me back to the bathroom once more. Right beside the door was a countertop with a sink installed. On the counter itself were two cups, each holding a strange tube-like apparatus.


    Where¡¯s the brush?


    I picked up the strange object and brought it up to my eyes to inspect -nothing. I discovered nothing new except that it had a bunch of small holes.


    Oh. There¡¯s a button in the middle of the tube.


    I brought it up to my eyes to inspect once more.


    Should I press it? Screw it, I pressed it already.


    The moment I pushed down on the button, countless streams of water shot out of the holes right into my inspecting face and eyes¡­


    I placed the broken tube back into the cup then stuck my head into the sink¡¯s basin. Water shot out of the spout mere seconds later right into my waiting face.


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    Well¡­ that¡¯s my face washed.


    I reached out blindly to grab a towel and dried my face, then hung it back onto its rack. Then, just as confused as I was before I entered the bathroom again, I left the bathroom which confused me just as much as my current situation.


    Just as I stepped out, I came face to face with a black capped man in a black suit who had his back stuck fast to the wall in what looked like an attempt at infiltration. The moment he saw me, his eyes went wide. A second later, he reached into pocket like he was trying to pull out something.


    I was equally stunned by this man¡¯s appearance and actions. For some reason, his actions seemed to remind me of something, and a sense of dread soon descended upon me. My muscles exploded forth in a burst of speed, fists bearing down on the man¡¯s chest with utmost urgency. The man hadn¡¯t had time to draw out the object yet, and I could see the undisguised shock in his eyes as my fist slowly drew closer. He definitely did not expect me to be this quick -quicker than even him drawing that object out!


    A clean hit!


    At least that was what I thought had happened¡­ However, my fist ended up passing through the man, striking the decidedly solid wall behind him and leaving a sizable dent in it. Unfortunately, my fist was in no better shape either as it began to bend at an odd angle.


    Why the heck did my fist just pass through him, that¡¯s just not scientific! What does scientific mean anyway?


    What followed next left me speechless. The man completely ignored the fact that I just passed through him and did a backflip as if he was trying to dodge something. It was at that moment that a blue laser shot me in the back¡­nothing happened¡­no damage at all¡­


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    What the heck?!


    I turned around to find a uniformed man wielding a pistol and firing it at the black clothed man¡­


    You know what, I¡¯ll admit, I don¡¯t know what the heck is going on now. Why did I just pass through that man? And why did that man¡¯s laser do nothing to me?! What state am I even in? Am I a ghost?


    Just as my confusion was about to send me spiralling off into a frenzied fit of head scratching, a clarion voice rang out from me. ¡°Hahahaha¡­ Ke, you¡¯re too adorable. Can¡¯t you tell that you¡¯re standing in a holographic movie?


    ¡°¡­¡± says a completely dumbstruck me.


    I immediately turned my head in the direction of that young girl¡¯s voice. It was an extremely cute teenage girl, with long green hair and bright eyes that only seemed to energise her appearance further. She wore a white casual one-piece dress which was in a terrible state right now from her vigorous chortling. She¡¯s clearly in pain right now¡­ but as the target of her chortling, shouldn¡¯t I be in more pain?!


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Feeling no enmity from her, I lowered my guard and asked her as such. That immediately earned me a lock of shock, shortly followed by her running up to me and grabbing me. I swiftly evaded her hands, then glared at her, ¡°who are you exactly?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me. It¡¯s your sister Bitong. What the heck? Don¡¯t you recognise me anymore?¡±


    Seeing that her hug failed miserably, she anxiously began to explain herself. Judging by the genuine unease on her face, it seemed like she was telling the truth.


    Sister Bitong? That name doesn¡¯t ring any bells with me. But she doesn¡¯t seem to be lying either. Maybe she really does have some connection with me?


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    As a test, I asked, ¡°You know me? Then what¡¯s my name?¡±


    ¡°Of course I know you! I know you better than anyone else!¡± The teenage girl claiming to be my sister Bitong answered, ¡°your name is Mo Ke.¡±


    Mo Ke? That does sound like my name.


    ¡°No way¡­ don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve even forgotten who you are?!¡±


    Seeing me fall silent like that, she was starting to understand what situation I found myself in right now. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve really gotten amnesia¡­ are we in some kind of B-rated novel?¡±

 CHAPTER 533: DUANMU BITONG

    ¡ªDuanmu Bitong


    Well, I don¡¯t know if I believe in a nonsense setting such as amnesia, but if she can give me a valid reason to do so, I don¡¯t mind humoring her once.


    Still, this feeling of having nothing in your head really blows. Other than my name, I have nothing else that can verify my identity. And why do I only have a single-word name? Meh, I guess it¡¯s something, at least.


    ¡°Ke, how about you sit down first, we can slowly talk about this then.¡± Seeing that I wasn¡¯t in the right state of mind right now, my self-proclaimed sister walked up to the wall at which point a flowery pattern lit up on the back of her left hand. A second later, the wall reacted in a way I definitely had not expected: a bunch of boards, some big and some small, popped out from the otherwise flat wall and self-assembled into a set of two chairs and a table for us to sit down at. Rather than a table, it would probably be more accurate to call it a board that had clearly been inset into the wall previously. Same with the chairs -they were L-shaped boards. Even so, the fact that a bunch of furniture just popped into existence was an eye-opener for me. No wonder this living room seemed so empty¡­ and here I thought a robbery had just taken place¡­


    ¡°Have a seat first, Ke, I¡¯ll go get some coffee then we can have a chat.¡± Having led me to my seat, the girl then reached out for the wall once more. A drawer automatically popped out from the wall, from which the girl drew out a couple of teacups, saucers and an assortment of jars. A shake and a tap later, the girl held out a cup full of black powder before the drawer. A tube extended from the wall at that point and boiling hot water began to accurately pour out onto the cup in the girl¡¯s hand.


    After stirring its contents a little, she then placed the cup on the saucer before me. ¡°I remember Ke used to like drinking unsweetened coffee, that¡¯s why I always leave out the sugar, just like now.¡±


    Before I could even say anything otherwise, she was done and was even signalling for me to drink. I was a little taken aback by this. This coffee she was talking about was definitely black, but it honestly didn¡¯t smell that bad. With that in mind, I took out the stirrer and licked it¡­ Bitter! I swear my body is quaking from the bitterness. I¡¯ve never drank anything so bitter in my life. Neither have I eaten anything so bitter either¡­


    ¡°Bitter¡­cough¡­¡± Not only was my tongue reeling from the bitterness, even my entire throat seemed to be revolting. Even though this substance known as coffee was fragrant, the moment I drank of it, my senses were immediately overwhelmed. So bitter¡­ My face immediately scrunched together. Had it not been for the fact that I couldn¡¯t feel anything wrong with my body, I would have honestly thought that she was trying to poison me right now¡­


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    It hasn¡¯t? Wait, didn¡¯t you just say that I love it?! Why are you changing your tone now?! No wonder they say that beautiful girls can¡¯t be trusted¡­ even though I don¡¯t remember where I heard that from.


    I hate being played¡­


    ¡°Hehe, even Ke¡¯s angry face is so adorable. I bet you¡¯re already going off about how you hate being played.¡±


    ¡°How do you know?!¡±


    Is she telepathic or something?


    Seeing the shock on my face, the girl continued laughing while mixing a cup of coffee for herself, with two spoons of sugar and a dash of milk. As her dainty hands continued stirring, her eyes never once left my own. ¡°Because Ke used to always say this.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I almost said it out loud too¡­


    My exasperated expression naturally didn¡¯t escape her notice either; she quietly giggled to herself. Still, she knew when not to take a joke too far. Before I got even angrier, she added a couple spoonfuls of sugar into my cup and began stirring for me. ¡°Ke always drinks the same coffee as me -two spoonfuls of sugar. Have a taste, it¡¯s completely different now.¡±


    Having said that, she pulled out her spoon and brought it to my lips.


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    I was still a little hesitant. It wasn¡¯t that I was hesitant to use a spoon that she had used, rather it was about the taste¡­ and this so-called sugar¡­ it shouldn¡¯t be that bitter, right? Speaking of which, hasn¡¯t she been teasing me up till now? Should I even trust her?


    Seeing me not drink for so long, she knew that I was still suspicious of her and thus began a second wave of attack in the form of a pout. ¡°Go on, your big sister isn¡¯t lying to you this time~~.¡±


    So cute¡­ Fine, I¡¯ll believe her one more time. With that in mind, I closed my eyes and put that spoon inside of my mouth. In all honesty, I was already mentally prepared for another trap yet¡­ this taste¡­ it¡¯s not that bad at all¡­


    ¡°How was it? Not bad, right?¡± She then scooped another spoonful of coffee to my lips. Seeing her slightly blushing face full of expectation, I suddenly had a thought: she wasn¡¯t as bad as I thought after all. It was at that moment that I felt a voice within me counter back, don¡¯t forgive her just because she¡¯s cute!


    Even so, cute was justice. Even my empty-headed self knew that!


    ¡°Mhm, I¡¯ll help myself then.¡± The coffee was good with sugar, but I still couldn¡¯t help but find this coffee substance strange. Either way, I had a spoon myself, so I could drink myself even without her help. If she was up to no good, she would definitely want to keep feeding me this strange liquid.


    Best I do it myself.


    I casually began feeding myself the coffee. Yet while I did so, that girl wasn¡¯t just idling about either. Her eyes practically shone as she kept watching me, as if I had something growing on me.


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    ¡°Since Ke doesn¡¯t remember anything, I guess Ke doesn¡¯t remember what happened when he went missing either. We¡¯ll leave Uncle Mo aside for now, today your big sister will just talk about your past.¡± Without any hesitation whatsoever, she used the spoon that I had stuck into my mouth to drink her coffee as well. ¡°My name is Duanmu Bitong, Ke¡¯s neighbor. I¡¯m older than you by a month so I¡¯m your big sister~~~ We¡¯ve been playing together since we were young¡­¡±


    It turned out that I lost my mother when I was young, and my father was the kind of artist who liked traveling about to find some inspiration. That was why I ended up being raised at this Duanmu Bitong¡¯s house. As for why I was dumped on this neighbor of mine¡­ that¡¯s because our two families had an engagement, the kind that was signed even before we were born.


    Just like our household, the Duanmu household only had one parent as well. According to reliable sources, Aunty Duanmu used to have a little something something with my old man¡­it¡¯s just that they broke up in the end for some unknown reason and found their respective future partners¡­


    Both of us were raised by Aunty Duanmu, but because of work, she ended up leaving us when we were fourteen. With no way to look after us and because both of us didn¡¯t want to leave Phoenix County either, Aunty Duanmu had no choice but to leave us behind while she went off to work. Thankfully, Duanmu Bitong was mature for her age so she was able to look after my daily needs; our living conditions weren¡¯t too bad because of that. Before leaving, Aunty Duanma even joked as such, since you two are already engaged, I¡¯m sure you two will get along just fine. Also, no children before twenty! That¡¯s a rule, got it? But if you really want to have one, don¡¯t worry, just tell Mama. Mama actually really wants to have a grandchild to hug~~


    Teasing us must have been Aunty Duanmu¡¯s pastime¡­


    Unfortunately, that forever-absent father of mine suddenly turned up to whisk me away when I was fourteen and a half, leaving Duanmu Bitong alone at home. I didn¡¯t know what happened after that point, I had amnesia, after all. All I knew was that we¡¯re both sixteen and Duanmu Bitong was now a freshman highschooler.


    Still¡­ What the heck is up with this tragic setting? What kind of trashy novel is this? And why must my so-called fiancee enjoy bullying me as well? Are you telling me I have to spend my entire life dominated by her then?! Oh holy potato, where should I even start?!


    ¡°And that¡¯s why, Ke, even if you¡¯ve lost your memory, it doesn¡¯t matter. It doesn¡¯t matter at all. What matters is that you¡¯re back with your sister.¡± Duanmu Bitong looked me right in the eyes at that point. Her cheeks flushed red and her eyes drooped a little. ¡°What¡¯s important is that we create more memories for ourselves, and not get upset about our past¡­ that¡¯s why¡­ that¡¯s why¡­¡±


    Why what? Why is it that I still don¡¯t get what she is trying to say after all this time?


    ¡°That¡¯s why¡­ we should get married!¡±


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    Having dropped that bomb on me, she promptly turned away, neck turning red something fierce.


    ¡°Marr¡­iage?¡±


    Hearing me hesitate like that, I clearly saw her shoulders droop a little. Even though her head was still faced away, I could tell that she was very nervous right now. My answer was of great importance to her, like a single word from me could alter her very life.


    ¡°About that¡­¡±


    ¡°Mhm, I¡¯m listening.¡±


    Even my heart was beating terribly fast at this point from her nervousness. This girl¡­ she¡¯s too cute!!


    Her constant teasing of me is certaining annoying¡­ but all that is nothing before her cuteness! Still, some things had to be said.


    ¡°About that¡­ what does marriage mean?¡±


    ¡°Huh??¡± Hearing that, she practically whipped her head around to face me, eyes staring daggers while an ominous black aura slowly seeped from her being¡­ How should I say this¡­she seems really dangerous right now¡­ super duper dangerous¡­ galactic level dangerous¡­


    To be honest, her reaction was truly scary, but I really didn¡¯t know what marriage even meant. That was why I asked her again, ¡°Can you tell me what is a marriage?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Just like that, both of us fell silent for a long time.

 CHAPTER 534: FORCED MARRIAGE

    ¡ªMo Ke


    For an amnesiac person like me, something like marriage was just too difficult to comprehend. Rather, my mind didn¡¯t even have the concept of marriage stored. Just knowing what was a toilet, a table, a cup, etc. was good enough. Overly complicated terms were still foreign to me¡­ Also, can someone tell me what¡¯s a term?


    ¡°Seems like you really don¡¯t remember anything other than your name¡­ not only did you not recognise a holographic movie, you don¡¯t even remember that you hate sugarless coffee¡­¡± She stared right into my eyes for a good long while, then sighed just as I was about to panic. ¡°Marriage¡­marriage, huh¡­ Marriage means that you will spend the rest of your entire life with the other party.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Is that so?¡± I remember her blushing furiously and panicking when she mentioned marriage just now. She even turned away, as if there was something fascinating about that wall. But didn¡¯t she also say that we¡¯ve been together since we were young? And that Aunty Duanmu had been living with us till two years ago when she had to move away for work¡­ So was everything she said true?


    An immensely serious question suddenly occurred to me. ¡°If marriage is really about two people living together, and you said that we had been together previously, doesn¡¯t that mean that we are already married?¡±


    ¡°Mamama¡­rrriied? She then kyaa~ed and covered her blushing face with both hands for a moment before burying herself in her chest. Then in a voice that I couldn¡¯t tell was happy or shy said, ¡°if it¡¯s marriage, it has to be officially registered¡­ we haven¡¯t done that yet¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh. So we have to register.¡± While I didn¡¯t understand what that word meant, I could roughly guess what she meant. Honestly, this girl is just so strange. I can tell that she isn¡¯t telling the entire truth. Despite having no memories, the first person I met so happened to be a beautiful girl who was supposed to be my childhood friend as well? That just seemed strange.


    But she does seem rather sure about what she is saying, not at all like someone who is lying. Having realised that, I began to trust her words a little more. Besides, I had nothing worth scamming for, and wasn¡¯t it good enough that someone was willing to take me in?


    ¡°Ke!¡±


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    ¡°Mhm?¡±


    As if she had just realised something herself, Duanmu Bitong slowly stood up then gently leaned over until her adorable face was just centimeters away from me. The signature smell of a teenage girl immediately assaulted my senses. Realising that this situation wasn¡¯t good, I instinctively tried to back away but was immediately caught by both her hands. My strength was definitely above hers, but I didn¡¯t want to harm her either, so I let her hold me down in the end.


    ¡°Ke!¡± She excitedly exclaimed. ¡°Let¡¯s register our marriage!¡±


    ¡°Huh?!¡±


    My jaw fell wide open: where the heck did that come from? I swear, I can¡¯t keep up with the speed of her mind!!


    Seeing the disbelief in my eyes, Duanmu Bitong immediately pressed the issue. ¡°Marriage, Ke, marriage. Didn¡¯t we already have an engagement when we were young?¡±


    ¡°We did?¡± asked an amnesiac and unsure me.


    ¡°Definitely. Even though it was just an oral agreement, I definitely remember it happening! I will never forget it!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


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    ¡°Ke, are you trying to renege on this promise?¡± Having said that, her smile suddenly turned a little creepy, and that strange black aura seemed to be leaking out of her once more. Somehow, it felt like her current self was just about ready to pull out a knife and cut me into pieces¡­.


    I immediately shuddered at that thought. I quickly tried to back away, but the chair I was sitting on had a back rest. And with both of my arms caught, I really had nowhere to go¡­ Terrifying¡­ this girl is just too terrifying¡­ Mama¡­ save me¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    An awkward silence descended upon us. Finally, after a mere minute had passed, a minute which felt more like years to me, she said, ¡°fine. I understand now.¡±


    The sparkle in her eyes began to slowly fade away, only to be replaced by a darkness that was blacker than a moonless night -even though her eyes were clearly still jade-green!


    Having said that, she decisively let go of my arms then left the room by herself without saying a word. Should I leave while she¡¯s gone? But I still don¡¯t have any memories¡­ In the end, I chose to stay.


    Not long after that, Duanmu Bitong came back with a knife in hand¡­


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    ¡°You forced me to do this, Ke¡­ I have no choice¡­ we loved each other so much¡­ but in just a year and a half¡­ Ke has already forgotten about me¡­ that¡¯s just unacceptable¡­ Ke¡­¡±


    Still spouting off that senseless string of words, she began walking towards me like a soulless puppet. Step by step, she came menacingly closer to me. Even though those feet of her were clearly stepping on solid ground, it felt like it was my heart that was being stepped on right now. At the end of the day, losing one¡¯s memory didn¡¯t mean losing one¡¯s sense of danger. That was a sense innate to every living being¡­ that¡¯s a fecking knife she has, geez! The kind that can kill a person!


    ¡°Hey¡­ that¡¯s really dangerous¡­don¡¯t come any closer¡­¡± I stammered, clearly thrown off by this sudden but dangerous turn of events. With no time to think of a better option, I tried to persuade her to no avail. She kept coming closer, and that knife just kept glittering ever brighter with each step.


    Completely bathed in black aura now, Duanmu Bitong coldly pointed that knife at me, then in a chillingly bland voice, said, ¡°But Ke and I have an agreement: we are getting married once we grow up. Mr. Pointy doesn¡¯t like people who lie~~~¡±


    I thought they just had their plants for hire?!


    Hold on¡­ what the heck am I even doing?!! I should be running away right now!


    Fishcakes. I can¡¯t¡­ There¡¯s a wall behind me and I¡¯m surrounded by furniture. Then there¡¯s that girl in front of me who wants to express her love for me with a knife¡­ how did she even become so scary all of a sudden¡­I bet even if I still had memories, I would¡¯ve chosen to run away anyway!

 CHAPTER 535: MR POINTY

    ¡ªMo Ke


    As the ominously spewing black aura Duanma Bitong slowly closed in on me, I could literally hear my death date nearing¡­ Noooo¡­ I just woke up barely an hour ago¡­ I still haven¡¯t got to get a good look at this world¡­ Quick. I must think quickly¡­ Some way of escaping from this danger¡­


    Argghhh! I can¡¯t think of anything, my head is still an empty mess of a potato!!!


    Duanmu Bitong raised her knife up high, edge glistening in the light of the overhead lamps as she aimed it towards me.


    ¡°Since Ke would rather have a taste of Mr. Pointy than marry me¡­ then¡­ then¡­ I will feel sorry about losing Ke but¡­ Ke, it¡¯s time to say hello to Mr. Pointy!¡±


    Seeing that soulless look in her eyes and a decidedly pointy knife in her hand, I finally understood the meaning of mortal danger¡­I have to fight back. If that knife stabs me, I¡¯m done for, so I have to fight back!


    The knife came swinging down an instant, it¡¯s target: my throat¡­ you¡¯re actually trying to make me eat it?!


    With no time left to hesitate, I reached out and grabbed her wrist, gently twisting it before disarming her of that knife. However, the moment I took the knife from her¡­ Strange¡­ Why does it smell so sweet?


    ¡°This is?¡±


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    The situation being as extraordinary as it was left no room for guessing at all. I leaned over to get a good sniff of Mr. Pointy -it was really fragrant!


    ¡°That¡¯s a Mala-flavoured chocolate replica, I bought it off the internet when Ke was still unconscious, tehee~~¡± Having lost Mr. Pointy, Duanmu Bitong finally deactivated her blackened state and reverted back to that jovial but slightly dense girl who loved to tease me. ¡°Your sister Bitong could never bear to hurt her Ke. Ke still doesn¡¯t have any memories yet so he can¡¯t fulfill that childhood promise, but a promise is a promise¡­ so, Ke, have a taste of Mr. Pointy.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    What the heck is a Mala-flavoured chocolate replica? That mouthful needs to be dissected for a second. Mala and chocolate, both have to be thoroughly analyzed.


    (Munch)


    That taste¡­ maybe I should let her stab me with a real knife instead¡­ Yeah, that would be a whole lot better!!


    Seeing me struggle with the chocolate as I would if it were a knife, she couldn¡¯t help but giggle a little. Then, with a sigh, she grabbed the chocolate knife from my hands and viciously took a bite of the chocolate from where I last bit it¡­ her face scrunched up immediately. Clearly, even she wasn¡¯t a match for Mr. Pointy. However, she bravely swallowed it down then said, ¡°I know Ke hates this kind of flavor, so just leave the rest to me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I¡¯m sorry that I¡¯ve forgotten about you. Even though I still don¡¯t get what marriage means, but as long as you¡¯re willing to try, I¡¯m willing to give our life together a shot¡­


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    ¡°How about I finish the rest instead.¡± I took the half-eaten chocolate back from her, and under her disbelieving eyes, shoved the remaining chocolate into my mouth. Bearing with that chokingly strange taste slowly filling my mouth, I managed to say, ¡°didn¡¯t you say so yourself? A promise is a promise. Even if I¡¯ve forgotten about it already, I¡¯ll still eat it if that¡¯s what you want.¡±


    ¡°Ke¡­¡± In that instant, I could see her eyes begin to water up. She covered her mouth with her hands, as if she was about to cry, but I knew that she was probably trying to stifle a laugh.


    I ignored her and continued forcing down that strange food.


    ¡°Ke¡­ that¡¯s where I ate it from¡­¡±


    Oh? And what¡¯s wrong with that? It¡¯s going to taste disgusting anyway, and if I eat it, she doesn¡¯t have to suffer it.


    Seeing that I had no reaction to that, Duanmu Bitong gave me a shy thump on the chest then lowered her blushing face.


    Now that the chocolate was dealt with, the both of us returned to the table for more coffee. I still hated that chocolate though. How should I describe it? Well. Either way, I hated that sort of sweet yet spicy flavor.


    I gulped down the coffee, barely washing down that displeasting taste in my mouth, while Duanmu Bitong just sat quietly opposite me, stirring her coffee, neither drinking nor speaking.


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    What a strange fellow¡­ I don¡¯t remember her being so affected even when she was feeding me coffee. Anyway, I should just change the topic for now, otherwise this will just get more awkward by the minute.


    ¡°About that¡­ so why¡­¡±


    ¡°Because of that anime we watched when we were young.¡± Maybe we really had some kind of telepathic link, but before I even finished my question, she had already guessed what I was thinking. She stopped stirring her coffee then put on that same old cheeky grin that she had before. ¡°Back when we were young, we watched an anime called Brother Cheng Died Really Young. The main character in that story was a playboy, who because of his constant flirting, ended up being stabbed to death by the female lead with a knife, and then had his head chopped off.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I just knew Mr. Pointy was dangerous¡­ but that explains the whole promise just now¡­ probably¡­


    ¡°How about we talk about something else instead¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay. I know Ke has forgotten a lot of things about his past, but does he remember anything at all? Like the beautiful girl next door, the beautiful junior from his school, or the well-endowed service staff at the convenience store, or the cute waitress at the nearby coffee shop, or that female character from the game he used to play, or that female lead in that anime¡­¡±


    While she blasted off that string of questions, her expression remained largely unchanged, but I could tell that she was waiting for a certain answer. I had no way of guessing what that answer was exactly, but after giving it some thought, I decided to give her the truth.


    ¡°Other than my name, I really can¡¯t remember anything else.¡±


    I really only had my name left. Basic terms like toilet, holographic movie and what not were all foreign to me. I was a complete blank slate.


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    ¡°Is that so.¡± Duanmu Bitong breathed a sigh of relief and immediately smiled for reasons unknown.


    Really, there¡¯s just something off about that smile of hers. Just as I thought that however, Duanmu Bitong suddenly got excited again. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, how about I go dig up that anime, Brother Cheng Died Really Young, we can watch it again.¡±


    Seeing her smile so devilishly, I was immediately startled out of my ruminations. ¡°No. Why do I have to watch an anime about a playboy getting his head chopped off! And what¡¯s an anime?¡±


    ¡°But Ke used to love watching that. We used to watch it multiple times together, and whenever we get to the climax of him getting his head chopped off, you would always say to me, if I were to ever go back on my promise, I want you to chop off my head.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Exactly how suicidal was I in the past?!


    Ignoring the dumbfounded look on my face right now, Duanmu Bitong looked at the pink flower etched on the back of her left hand and said, ¡°project.¡±


    Project? Yet before I could even begin to ask her what she meant, that pink flower began to shine. A moment later, a string of light in the shape of flowers began to project outwards, startling me to no end. My first thought was that they were hidden weapons, yet before I could try to dodge them, the light had already come to a stop between me and Duanmu Bitong. A holographic rectangle was floating in the air, on it were a bunch of words and strange pictures which I did not understand¡­ Actually, they do seem rather familiar, but when they are stringed together like that, I have no clue¡­


    ¡°Oh, my bad. Ke, what you¡¯re seeing right now is the inverse of the projection¡­ Give me a second, I will change its position.¡± Realising that the words were reversed on my side, Duanmu Bitong flashed me an obviously unapologetic smile then flipped the screen to the side. However, it was still uncomfortable for me to look at the screen, seeing as I now had to tilt my neck to look at the screen. She had this exact same problem as well, thus she promptly had her own chair shifted to face the projection directly.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem too comfortable for you, thankfully the chairs can be moved. Just like this.¡±


    I followed her actions and the chair I sat on immediately changed position to face the projection.


    Seeing as the preparations were done, she nodded in approval and smiled. ¡°Search: Brother Cheng Died Really Young¡­ begin projection.¡±


    Now that she had chosen the show to play, the projected screen began to shift as well. A second later, a uniformed male high schooler popped into view. Beneath him was a female high schooler whose hair and clothes were in a thorough mess right now. Because of the angle this scene was shot at, most of the important parts were blocked out. Even so¡­ it was still rather¡­ that¡­ you know¡­ that¡­ Either way, my face instantly turned red. Not just my face, my ears turned red as well.


    ¡°Wrrrrooonggg version¡­ this is the 16 and above version of it¡­ we used to watch the all-ages version¡­.¡± Duanmu Bitong hurriedly covered my eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t look! You¡¯re not allowed to look at other girls!¡±


    ¡°Oh okay.¡± Even though I was a little confused by the whole situation, I still did as she told me, lest she took out Mr. Pointy again¡­ that taste was¡­ blegrhhh!


    ¡°Ke¡­ how about we watch something else instead¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, as long you¡¯re happy.¡±


    ¡°KE!¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    (Say no to content thief!)


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    ¡°Did you want to look at that girl¡¯s body just now?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I just knew it¡­ Ke is such a pervert!¡±


    ¡°What does pervert mean?¡± I couldn¡¯t wrap my head around why she suddenly got so miffed, but it was at times like these that one should have the habit of clarifying matters. ¡°Can¡¯t I look at another person¡¯s body?¡±


    (Slap)


    Duanmu Bitong swiftly slapped her hands together with a ferocity that was only matched by the frightening sound it produced. I reflexively blinked¡­ so she wasn¡¯t going to slap me¡­


    As if she had read my mind, that ominous black aura began to slowly seep out from her soulless eyes once more. ¡°Ke isn¡¯t allowed to look at another girl¡¯s body¡­absolutely not allowed to, okay?¡±


    It¡¯s that black miasma again¡­ jeebus¡­ this girl¡­ I definitely cannot get married to her in the future¡­ if we end up living together¡­ that¡¯s the end of me¡­


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    With nowhere else to retreat to, I gulped down audibly and said, ¡°Let¡¯s say¡­ I do happen to see one¡­ what happens then?¡±


    ¡°Then you will have to take responsibility~~~¡± As she said that, I couldn¡¯t find a shred of emotion in her eyes, but her lips were clearly smiling. ¡°But Ke has already promised to be responsible for me. That¡¯s why¡­ if there¡¯s anyone who dares to lay their hands on Ke, man or woman, they all have to say hello to Mr. Pointy~~~¡±


    Mr. Pointy? You mean that disgusting chocolate? Recalling that replica knife, I couldn¡¯t help but relax a little. Phew, if it¡¯s just eating that horrible knife again, I should still be fine.


    ¡°Oh. Well, it¡¯s a little unpleasant but it¡¯s still bearable.¡±


    Duanmu Bitong leaned over the table and looked down at me from above, her lips so close I could vaguely smell her body¡¯s fragrance. ¡°I¡¯m talking about the real Mr. Pointy. The one that enters all shiny, and leaves all bloody~~~¡±


    So it¡¯s the deadly Mr. Pointy then¡­ and she seems to have turned black again¡­ I need to placate her quickly.


    ¡°Sister Bitong¡­ you need to calm down for a second! I haven¡¯t seen it yet¡­ and that girl isn¡¯t even here with us, so I can¡¯t take responsibility in the first place¡­ I just can¡¯t look at another girl¡¯s body¡­ Yours is fine, right?¡±


    ¡°Look at mine¡­¡± Duanmu Bitong was immediately awakened by that question. She plopped back down onto her seat and curled up into a ball. That ominous black aura was starting to recede as well, replaced by the shy and adorable Bitong. ¡°If¡­ if Ke really wants to¡­ then even if we can¡¯t register before twenty¡­ but¡­but¡­ Mama did say she really wants a grandchild¡­ oh¡­ what am I even saying¡­¡±


    She¡¯s back¡­ sheesh¡­


    So you can¡¯t register before twenty; I should still be 16 right now, I think. That¡¯s four more years¡­ still, should I just stay away from her for my own safety? At the rate she changes between those two modes, who knows when I might just suddenly die¡­ especially when she likes those kinds of films where the male lead gets his head chopped off by the female lead¡­


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    ¡°Ahem, so have you calmed down?¡± Seeing her silent for so long, I decided to break the silence first. ¡°I still have a ton of things to ask you since I just woke up and have no memories.¡±


    Being questioned like that, she immediately regained her spirits. ¡°Leave it to your sister Bitong, she¡¯ll make all your wishes come true!¡±

 CHAPTER 536 TO 539: SUMMARY

    Ke¡¯s Journal Entry #536


    I¡¯ve learnt quite a few things from this supposed big sister of mine.


    First off, she really wants to have my child¡­


    Second: apparently my strength is similar to that of a Four-star Superhuman. A Superhuman is a human modified by the Federation Research Lab to be more powerful than an ordinary human being. The Newtype Project, she mentioned it was called. Apparently, this has been going on for a hundred years already without any new breakthrough. Fun fact: the scientists have several theories to explain this lack of progress. Something about the Creator placing limits on humans, or perhaps the air has somehow limited our evolution.


    Another fun fact: I have no idea what all that is about. But she said I shouldn¡¯t be a Superhuman, based on the test Qiri ran on me; Qiri¡¯s her AI butler. Her first suspicion was that I had been kidnapped for this Newtype Project, but she found no traces of the Superhuman drug within me.


    Till now, she has no idea why I disappeared for half a year. Still¡­ it feels nice to have someone put in so much effort for me. Seeing her so troubled makes me feel a little guilty.


    She also ordered a new electronic implant for me. Apparently, that¡¯s how people perform basic functions like storing money, monitoring my health, messaging, shopping, playing, etc. It also serves as an identification method. Without it, I can¡¯t really go anywhere or do anything.


    Apparently, my lack of an electronic implant was why she initially thought I had been kidnapped by some mystery organization -the Newtype Project isn¡¯t just limited to government organizations. Private and underworld companies were interested as well.


    Also, she bought me some clothes. I seemed to have liked long-sleeved shirts in the past so she bought some of those as well. However, the first piece she took out was a one-piece dress. Expensive, according to her. I should wear it, but why does it feel like I¡¯m sacrificing something really important by doing so?


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    ¡­


    I¡¯m sure it¡¯s nothing. After all, she¡¯s my childhood friend, and I¡¯ve already lost my memories, what else can I lose at this point?


    End of Entry #536


    Ke¡¯s Journal Entry #537


    Ahem¡­ I know I wrote my previous entry not too long ago, but I¡¯ve been learning a whole lot of things since I started.


    For example, my big sister, Duanmu Bitong, really likes the dress I have on. But if I¡¯m supposed to have worn this in the past, why does the breezy feeling between my legs feel so weird?


    Anyway, I had my electronic implant imprinted into my skin today. Apparently, the shape and color can be altered, something which she told I should do later on.


    I still remember her saying:


    ¡°What do you mean there¡¯s no such person?! Ke has been living with me since he was born. From kindergarten to elementary school to middle school¡­ how can he not exist?! It must those blasted Federation bigwigs who wiped out Ke¡¯s personal data¡­ blast! Don¡¯t let me find you people¡­ or else¡­¡±


    She wasn¡¯t very happy. That was why I had her teach me about the electronic implant to distract her. According to her, the shelf-life of this implant is over one thousand years and it recharges itself. Unfortunately, I can¡¯t use it since my personal data is gone.


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    The act of operating the user interface for the electronic implant felt rather familiar. Stuff like closing the windows or pressing buttons felt natural to me. Seems like even memory loss can¡¯t wipe some things. Even so, tapping on the air feels strangely new.


    End of Entry #537


    Journal Entry #538


    Another interesting discovery I made today: apparently, this big sister of mine has a doppelganger! That doppelganger looks slightly older than her, and her name seems to be ¡®Mama¡¯, according to what I overheard. I have no recollection of ever seeing her, but that¡¯s nothing new at this point.


    Based on what little I managed to glimpse, this ¡®Mama¡¯ seems to be in some kind of mechanical research lab. Mostly idle banter between the two, but Duanmu Bitong said she wanted to help fill me in my personal data near the end of the call. ¡®Mama¡¯ seemed okay with it, but she was quite in a hurry when she said that. Also, she¡¯s coming to visit in a few days.


    Turns out Mama isn¡¯t just her name as well, she¡¯s actually Duanmu Bitong¡¯s mother!


    Naturally, I wasn¡¯t just being a busybody while all that happened. I made sure to choose a design for my electronic implant. I ended up picking a purple feather in the end. The process, however, was quite strange. I felt strangely drawn to a black feather design, but the color felt off, so Duanmu Bitong suggested I change it. According to her, this feather signifies a Fallen Angel. I chose purple because it just felt right. Also, that¡¯s my hair color.


    My personal data was filled out, but there were issues. According to the perpetrator, this is what happened¡­


    ¡°Hmm? Ke¡¯s personal information? That¡¯s easy. Don¡¯t forget, we grew up together. Your blood type and weight have already been measured by Qiri. Your photo was taken as well. As for schooling, we went to the same kindergarten, the same elementary school, the same middle school. Same class as well. I just have to make some minor changes and fill in Ke¡¯s name.¡±


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    That was all fine and dandy -I¡¯ll forgive her lazy copy-pasta job- till I realised that she forgot one very important parameter: gender!


    ¡°Whoopsie¡­ I think I forgot to change that¡­ tehee¡±


    Nutsacks¡­ she can¡¯t change it till a year later too¡­


    Well, at least she gave me some pocket money to buy stuff. Apparently, it was left to her by my father. I¡¯ll forgive her for now at least¡­


    End of Entry #538


    Journal Entry #539


    Dear diary, today I¡¯ve come to an important realization. The most important one yet! I want to save all the beautiful girls in the world! Adorable ones too. I will save them all from the vast ocean that is loneliness!


    Why? Well, it all started with the games my big sister bought for me. A shoujo game, to be exact. She gave me some centuries-old antique game where you select conversation options from a text box, with the goal of conquering a girl. Simple. Or so I thought.


    For the past few days, I was busy playing all manners of games. From the antique text game above, ancient RPG games, to even Holographic games. Apparently, these were ancestors of the VR games we have now. They used an AI to project an interactive environment around me. VR games required a game capsule, which I did not have. Duanmu Bitong wouldn¡¯t allow me to use hers, but she ordered one for me. I think she just doesn¡¯t want me touching her games¡­


    Anyway, back to the shoujo game. Out of all the games I played in the past few days, this one impacted me the most. Those girls¡­ how pitiful! The moment I saw them, I knew I wanted to¡­ Nay. It was my duty to save them all! For that reason, I had Lingling, my new AI, search up an old walkthrough to help me.


    Ah¡­ that moment when I got the perfect harem ending and the CG rolled¡­ absolute perfection! My life is complete! Weeps.


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    Now. I won¡¯t say I dislike the holographic games ¨C they make the girls pop up, after all. But nothing beats finding that hidden ending!


    Naturally, I went to share my joy with Duanmu Bitong. To which she said¡­


    ¡°I thought I told you to only pursue the Senna route?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but what¡¯s wrong with a harem?¡±


    ¡°That ending is a selfish ending. A harem where only Ke benefits. A scumbag Ke like that¡­ should just die!¡±


    I did not expect that reaction. Isn¡¯t it sad that only one of the girls gets the main character in the end? Don¡¯t they have to marry as well? Are you really fine with letting them grow old alone?! I am trying to save lives here!


    Duanmu Bitong is just too narrow-minded!


    Speaking of her, I¡¯ve been wearing the dresses and skirts she¡¯s been giving me these past few days. But all the male characters in those games all had pants while only the females wore skirts¡­ Have I been scammed?


    Anyway, after all some arguing, and some talk of Brother Cheng dying, it all ended well.


    ¡°Not at all. I wasn¡¯t trying to make my Sister Bitong unhappy! I just want everyone else to have a good ending as well! But if Sister Bitong doesn¡¯t want that, I won¡¯t insist then¡­ because¡­ because¡­ Sister Bitong is all I have in my life now!!!¡±


    Thinking back on that declaration¡­ how embarrassing¡­ but I really meant it. Saving the world can wait, I guess. There¡¯s no point if Sister Bitong becomes unhappy because of that.

 CHAPTER 579: EPILOGUE 1

    End of remarks.)


    Western Human Realms: Azure city, Guild of Demon Hunters, branch office.


    Half a month had passed since Nicole stabbed Mo Ke in the chest. Within this half month, Nicole barely ate or drank. All she did was stare blankly at Mo Ke¡¯s recording crystal, which she kept close to herself at all times.


    Just like it did on that fateful day, it continued playing that song without pause as Nicole mutely listened.


    Even if it was possible to nourish her body through alchemical potions, these two weeks of unnatural eating, or lack thereof, caused her to thin significantly.


    Her robust and lean figure was now skinny to the point of seeing bone. Yet had it not been for Neneth forcefully opening her mouth, even those potions would have been rejected.


    As Aques Lumen stood before her door, paused in deep thought, he finally decided to take that fateful step.


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    Knock, knock, knock, went the door, Neneth¡¯s feeding just about done.


    Upon hearing the rapping, she whipped her head around and smiled when she saw who it was. However, the moment she remembered what state Nicole was still in, her smile immediately darkened by half.


    Even the bright and cheerful girl that she was couldn¡¯t find a reason to smile in this situation.


    ¡°Branch Leader¡­¡±


    ¡°Neneth. Get some rest for now, there¡¯s something I need to talk to your sister Nicole. Alone.¡± Aques Lumen greeted her curtly then expressed for her to leave.


    ¡°Kay.¡± Innocent as she was, it had never crossed her mind that Aques Lumen would try to harm Nicole, thus she left without question.


    With Neneth out of the room, Aques Lumen walked up to the dazed girl, and peered right into her dead eyes while he patiently and silently stood there.


    Nicole wasn¡¯t interested at all in what the man had to say to her. She merely curled up in her bed, red crystal tightly clutched to her heart.


    ¡°Nicole, my student.¡± He opened up in a heavy tone. In his heart, he had resolved to tell his devil-hating student his greatest secret to date. ¡°I am actually not a pure human at all. The power of a devil flows in my body as well.¡±


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    Faced with that explosive revelation, Nicole showed no signs of reaction at all, to which even Aques Lumen couldn¡¯t help but twitch his eyebrows a little and smile crookedly.


    He had honestly thought that Nicole would jump off the bed right there and then, and perhaps even draw her sword at him. After all, she was never one to suffer a devil waltzing around in front of her.


    Unfortunately, she did not even react. As if she hadn¡¯t heard him at all, she continued curling up on her bed.


    ¡°In the past, I met an illusion demon.¡± He continued, not caring if Nicole actually heard him or not. ¡°Even though I¡¯m sure in the eyes of a human, devils must have seemed monstrous, but she looked beautiful to me¡­¡±


    According to him, he had a chance encounter with a female illusion demon when he was but a teenager. Then, through some strange twist of fate, the two hit it off.


    Since time immemorial, love has always had the ability to make one forget their rationality. This time was no different as well. It didn¡¯t take much for the fires of their romance to overcome the hatred their species held for each other.


    However, this arrangement wasn¡¯t fated to be a long one. The parents of this illusion demon soon sent their subordinates through a dimensional gate to wrest the two away from each other forcefully.


    With no other choice, the female illusion demon used her secret arts to transfer her soul into Aques Lumen¡¯s body. From that moment on, Aques Lumen gained a portion of an illusion demon¡¯s power. In exchange, that illusion demon¡¯s soul was sent into a coma.


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    The only way to restore her consciousness would be to recreate a body for her. However, that illusion demon was of noble blood, making it a lot harder to find a suitable vessel in a place like the Western Human Realms.


    In honesty, his initial goal of joining the Guild of Demon Hunters was to find a method of entering Abaddon. That was the hell that the illusion demon¡¯s parents lived in. If it was them, they would have a way of reviving their offspring.


    Unfortunately, Abaddon was a place of mystery for the humans. At the very least, there hadn¡¯t been a reported case of someone being sent there ever making it back alive.


    The brass of the guild actually knew of this matter as well. However, they had never once tried to burn him on the stake for that.


    At the heart, the guild was just an organisation to hunt down the denizens of the dark; they weren¡¯t the Church, and had even left it long ago. The guild as it was now only looked at strength for what it was. If it could be used for their sake, they weren¡¯t going to turn it away.


    Now that Aques Lumen¡¯s recounting was over, Nicole still looked as comatose as before.


    ¡°Nicole, my student. As your teacher, I must tell you this.¡± He paused for a second. Every debt had its debtor, thus he decided to lay out his deduction.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already asked Neneth; that person known as Mo Na should be your younger brother, Mo Ke.¡±


    Nicole looked up with a start, her eyes blazing with hope never seen before.


    ¡°I¡¯ve made contact with that person as well. According to my experience, he, or them should be more accurate, are two souls in one body. Normally, one of the souls will control the body while the other only comes out under special circumstances.¡± Seeing her finally react to his words, even he got a little excited as elaborated, ¡°I have looked through the books myself recently, such a condition does in fact exist¡­¡±


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    The book he read talked of a boy who unwittingly released the seal on a tool meant to seal devils. The soul of the sealed devil invaded the boy¡¯s body, in a bid to claim it for his own. However, a body would always reject foreign intrusions, so the devil could only live in the boy as a parasite, coming out to make some noise from time to time.


    As for what happened to that boy afterwards, the book did not mention. Perhaps, he was dissected in a lab somewhere¡­.


    Finally, Aques Lumen ended with this conclusion, ¡°Your younger brother isn¡¯t dead.¡±


    This explanation was the proverbial light in the darkness for Nicole right now.


    The whole reason why she was so upset was because she had acknowledged that the person she stabbed was her beloved younger brother.


    Even now, the memories of Ferti¡¯nier assuming control of Mo Ke¡¯s body continued to haunt her. She thought she had killed Mo Ke, with her very own hands, hence her desire to punish herself by starvation. Only by doing so could she feel alive.


    ¡°Teacher¡­ is Ke really still alive?¡± Nicole asked with a river of tears flowing down her eyes. She desperately clung onto the recording crystal as her tears slowly soaked the reddish crystal.


    ¡°Mhm. I¡¯m sure of it.¡± Aques Lumen nodded his head. ¡°I had talked to that devil a few times. She addressed the owner of that body as her little brother, so I¡¯m sure their relationship shouldn¡¯t be an adversarial one.¡±


    Hearing that, Nicole immediately recalled another clue she had buried. ¡°Ke told me he encountered a Fallen Angel in distress. He died trying to save her from goblins. So it was true then, that Fallen Angel really sent him into the Blood Sea to reincarnate?!¡±


    ¡°That devil controlling your younger brother¡¯s body was very strong. She could have easily killed us all there and then, so I doubt she had a reason to lie to us¡­¡±


    ¡°What have I¡­ done¡­¡± She looked down at her bony hands, recalling that exact moment when she first stabbed him: how the joy in eyes turned to confusion¡­ No matter how much she cried, the guilt in her heart did not lessen in the slightest.


    Seeing her so devastated, Aques Lumen couldn¡¯t help but reach out to her again, ¡°I¡¯m sure he will forgive you. In fact, he probably doesn¡¯t even blame you.¡±


    ¡°You really think so¡­ teacher?¡± Even though that was a question she asked, her eyes more than made clear that it was an affirmative she was seeking.


    She was deathly afraid of losing him, and never before had she hated herself more than these past two weeks.


    Aques Lumen knew that the danger was finally over.


    He smiled gently and nodded. ¡°He has visited the Western Human Realms twice already. The last time, he rushed back home to find you, even in his devil form. You can see how much he misses you. I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t blame you, besides¡­¡±


    ¡°Besides?¡±


    ¡°Just like your younger brother, I have the same attitude towards the girl I love.¡± He remarked cheekily. However, his voice soon turned solemn. ¡°The first time your younger brother visited Azure City, he sang a voice. I had once received a prophecy stating that the person singing this song would bring about the Apocalypse¡­¡±


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    ¡°Ke would never!¡±


    This was the first time Nicole had ever forcefully interrupted her teacher like that. Her eyes bulged out as she glared at the man.


    ¡°Regardless, I hope that you are made aware of that prophecy.¡± He calmly ignored her hostility and continued explaining. ¡°If that prophecy is true, then we need to do our best to stop it from happening. And if there¡¯s anyone who can stop that prophecy, stop your younger brother from destroying the world, that would be you.¡±


    ¡°Teacher¡­¡±


    Not even in a single word did she detect an ounce of hostility in her teacher. She had initially thought that Aques Lumen would kill Mo Ke in order to prevent the prophecy, yet not only was he trying to help her, he was trying his best to settle this prophecy in the most gentle way possible.


    ¡°I understand that this will be a difficult mission. But should we really get to that stage¡­ our hopes will lie with you.¡± Having said that, a deep sense of helplessness seeped into his heart. Even so, what had to be said, must be said. ¡°Remember: for your younger brother, his feelings for you will be the sturdiest restraints.

 CHAPTER 580: EPILOGUE 2

    End of remarks.)


    Western Human Realms, Plateau Village, Demoness Abode.


    Regine, Jill, and now back in her horse form Mo Ning were on their way back to the village.


    Ancarin had managed to get news of their return before that, thus she had specially brought along a certain rambunctious pair to wait for Regine at the front entrance.


    As a demoness serving Mo Ke, she naturally sensed when Mo Ke left the Western Human Realms. She just did not know why -that required an explanation from Regine. However, upon their meeting, the two sisters did not immediately speak to each other, merely exchanging a tacit glance with each other.


    Seeing their teacher return, the little wolf girl, Hayley, stopped fighting with her equally little friend, Nari, and obediently walked up to Regine¡¯s side.


    With regards to this little student of hers, Regine held nothing but fondness for her. However, her personality was a little too much on the lively side. Without some temperance, it would be hard for her to tread the assassin¡¯s path due to her lack of control over her emotions.


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    ¡°Welcome back.¡± Ancarin said with a warm smile. ¡°Master has already left the Western Human Realms?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Regine curtly nodded her head. Her expression was just as outwardly cold as always, but Ancarin had gone through thick and thin with the girl countless times and naturally knew the warmth hidden within that gaze.


    Still in her horse form, Mo Ning unhappily griped from the side, ¡°Dearest is just too much, leaving me behind like that. Don¡¯t tell me he has already forgotten about me¡­¡± Normally, Mo Ke would not have wanted her to speak, but there were only trustworthy people here, thus there was no need for her to hide.


    ¡°Lady Mo Ning.¡± Regine couldn¡¯t help but step in when she heard the horse gripe, even though she knew that she did not mean anything by her words. ¡°The one in control at that time was mistress Ferti¡¯nier.¡±


    ¡°In that case, would lady Mo Ning like for us to gather some fire crystals or magical cores?¡± Ancarin suggested with a smile as she rubbed little Nari on the head.


    She knew very well that while Mo Ke rode Mo Ning as a steed, the two of them actually shared an engagement pact, thus the two girls treated the horse with a respectful attitude.


    ¡°Magic crystals and cores?¡± Mo Ning gave the suggestion some thought. ¡°That could work, but a better solution would be to create a volcanic environment.¡±


    ¡°Lady Mo Ning, I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s impossible¡­ that would cause too much of a stir and attract unwanted attention from the other humans¡­ we are normally shunned by the world after all¡­¡± Ancarin anxiously explained when she heard that Mo Ning wanted to terraform the village.


    ¡°Oh. What a bother.¡± Never a persistent one, Mo Ning answered as such, ¡°In that case, it¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s just follow your suggestion then.¡±


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    ¡°Alright.¡± Ancarin quietly breathed a sigh of relief, having just placated one of her master¡¯s future wives. ¡°I¡¯ll get to work on it shortly. Regine, we need to gather more intelligence as soon as possible. Even though the master was only here for a short while, I¡¯m worried that even that might have repercussions. We also need to make preparations for the master¡¯s next descent.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s intelligence gathering and procurement, I¡¯m more than able to handle that.¡± Previously silent, Jill suddenly interjected herself into the conversation. She batted her big eyes at Ancarin as she confidently declared, ¡°I¡¯m the best thief around, just leave it to me.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you want in return?¡± Ancarin turned around to face the confident girl. Based on what she knew from Regine, Jill was as capable as she claimed, and since she had followed them back to their home, that would mean she was willing to be a part of them now.


    Everyone in the Abode was here for reasons that basically amounted to survival or revenge. Being such a competent thief, the former was most likely out of the question. So what were her motives?


    Revenge, perhaps? Power? Eternal youth? Or was she a spy sent here from one of the other factions?


    There was no definite answer to that question, but since Regine was willing to bring her back, it was worth trusting the girl once.


    So what was it she wanted in return for her current services?


    To that question, Jill answered decisively, ¡°Power. I wish to gain power.¡±


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    ¡°In that case, it¡¯s a simple matter. Become a servant of the master, then you too will gain his blessing.¡±


    ¡°No. I wish to gain the power to destroy a kingdom.¡± As she said that, Jill¡¯s eyes looked a little crestfallen. ¡°Based on my own strength alone, that would be insufficient. Besides, if I were to become a demoness, I would have the scent of a devil on me, that would hinder my movements in human society.¡±


    There were merits to what she had just raised. While Regine did travel about in the cities often, she had to avoid anyone with the ability to detect a devil¡¯s aura. While such an aura wasn¡¯t readily apparent, a more formidable opponent would still be able to detect it. If Jill was truly serious about joining the Demoness Abode, allowing her to retain her identity as a normal human would greatly benefit their operations. Assuming, of course, that she was trustworthy.


    ¡°But how can we trust you?¡±


    Ancarin laid out her concerns explicitly. Yet the fact that she had done so meant that she was open to negotiations. Else she would have already killed the girl.


    Suddenly, Regine stepped in and said, ¡°I believe her. I know enough about her backstory, I¡¯m sure she would never betray us.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Ancarin threw her sister a confused look.


    ¡°Because, in some sense, we share a common enemy.¡±


    Underdepths: Halfmoon City


    Little acid tongue, Aishael, was in the middle of supervising the half-elves daily training. Even though her role as the citymaster meant that she had plenty to do, she always made sure to maintain a tight control over the military.


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    She knew very well that the Holy Daughter made her citymaster for a reason. What then could the half-elves offer to such a personage? Nothing but their unwavering loyalty and strength!


    Ever since Mo Ke gathered all the half-elves into Halfmoon City, in the process turning into a guardian deity of sorts for them, these half-blood dark elves had formed an independent clan of their own. With their numbers, they had the power to stand up to a major dark elven clan.


    By Mo Ke¡¯s order, their city was given enough supplies by each clan to last them for a decade. Since it was Mo Ke who saved the dark elven half-blood, he was the one revered by them, not Lolthe. From the very beginning, her lofty gaze had never once graced them.


    Suddenly, a dark elven half-blood descended from the ceiling atop a giant bat. ¡°Lady citymaster, lady Jezsere, sir Reyage, along with lady Zurnalin have arrived.¡±


    ¡°What are the three of them doing here?¡± Aishael raised an eyebrow. ¡°Have them enter the guesthall.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Armed with orders, the messenger half-elf immediately departed.


    These three dark elves were the same ones who accompanied Mo Ke to the Western Human Realms. Yet there was no mention of Mo Ke by the messenger. In other words, he wasn¡¯t with them at all.


    ¡°Perhaps their visit has something to do with her holiness?¡± She quickly thought of that possibility, her heart immediately aflame with anxiety. If she had her way, she would grow wings and fly before them this instant¡­

 CHAPTER 581: EPILOGUE 3

    End of remarks.)


    Purgatory. In the ruined kingdom of Sable Radiance¡­


    ¡°Lady Mo Na, may we inquire as to the whereabouts of your venerable mother?¡±


    Having slaughtered all the invading Undead, the various overlords were gathered once more in the same area. In their main camp built at the base of a mountain, they surrounded the little devil and waited with bated breath. Rather, they were watching her every move. Every one of them wanted to know where Mo Ke, who was actually Ferti¡¯nier, went.


    Such was the power of her charms that even once she was gone, they were still held in her grip.


    However, Mo Na did not know the whereabouts of Mo Ke either, but she did know that he was alive, just not in this world at the moment¡­ Were there even other worlds? Unfortunately, no matter how much she asked the Grimoire of the Dead about that possibility, she never got an answer from the big sister inside.


    Either way, her job now was to reassure everyone that Mo Ke was alive and would return. That was it. Before that however¡­ she had to do a little something as well¡­


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    She glanced to the side and conjured up a bony stool for herself to sit on. Then with her both hands on her little chin, she smiled innocently and said out of the blue, ¡°So¡­ who wants to be Mo Na¡¯s daddy?¡±


    Now¡­ if there was anyone who would doubt the pureness of such a request from an innocent-looking girl like that¡­ clearly, they were the ones that were indecent, not her deceptively suggestive words¡­


    ¡°Me! Me!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll look after Lady Mo Ke and Sister Mo Na as well!¡±


    ¡°Little Mo Na, as long as you call me daddy, I¡¯ll immediately give you a nine-star magical core.¡±


    ¡°Little Mo Na, have this nine-star magical crystal for yourself. I don¡¯t need you to call me daddy at all. I just hope that you will put in a good word when Lady Mo Ke gets back. I can even get you a better one!¡±


    One after another, Ferti¡¯nier¡¯s diehard fans rushed to appeal themselves to her little sister-like companion. If there was anyone, not including themselves, of course, who knew how cool these overlords acted normally, they would be shocked at the scene today¡­


    ¡°Hehehe, don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s no one mama loves more than Mo Na. If you all want to be Mo Na¡¯s daddy, you¡¯d better work hard.¡±


    Just like that, Sable Radiance had a new mistress¡­


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    Abaddon. The city of Mo Ke¡¯s Trail¡­ (TL: Original name was supposed to be Xunmo city. The xun means to search. )


    Mo Ke¡¯s Trail was the city set up by Numilia and the others; the meaning was naturally to search for Mo Ke.


    At the moment, Mo Ke¡¯s Trail was still in its construction stage. The only finished sections were the outer walls and the main tower in the center.


    The city itself was made out of a mishmash of local materials, hewn and stacked. The outer walls were made out of squarish, black rocks that were layered neatly into a fifty meter wall. From a distance, it almost looked like it was part of a mountain range.


    As for the rest of the structures in the city, they used whatever rocky material they could find. From time to time, one could even spot a house or two made out of wood or bone.


    The fort of this city was a gigantic black tower that was several hundreds of meters high. Its outer walls were adorned with countless red vines that snaked across its craggy surface.


    In order to fend off invasions which were common in this region, the defense of the city was already pre-planned. The four corners would host an encampment that would constantly be stationed with troops and strong warriors, including commanders.


    The city was a veritable fortress city, impregnable to normal means. Naturally, normal did not include warriors above the realm of Overlord¡­


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    Because of Mo Ke¡¯s stumbling into Purgatory, the faction he had forged through blood nearly crumbled in his absence. Had it not been for Numilia obtaining Flametail, boosting her own prowess significantly, she definitely would not have been able to suppress the mighty Habona to become the leader.


    Should that happen, this faction today would not have existed at all. After all, this faction was centered around Mo Ke to begin with, something which Habona, who wasn¡¯t Mo Ke¡¯s fiancee, might not have agreed with.


    As a leader, Numilia was an aggressive expansionist. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that all creatures of hell were just aggressive in general. Their faction made swift work of the nearby clans within a fifty kilometer radius of themselves. While they were doing so, they even had to fend off two clans that were headed by overlords.


    From the west, the demonic half-ors often launched raids against Mo Ke¡¯s Trail. From the north, there was the Dark Frogfolk, a clan which had suddenly risen to prominence and had intentions of expanding southward through Mo Ke¡¯s Trail.


    Fortunately, while both clans had their own overlords, their resources weren¡¯t vast enough to afford them epic-grade weapons, resulting in them being unable to suppress Mo Ke¡¯s Trail.


    Armed with an epic-grade fire tool, plus the fact that she was finally unrestrained by the chains placed on her by the Prison of the Dead, she quickly rose to the Seven-star tier. If it was just a matter of holding off an overlord, she could easily manage. However, that was only limited to holding off the overlord, she still couldn¡¯t defeat them, being just a seven-star and all.


    At this very moment, Numilia and the others were holding a meeting of the top brass. In attendance were the three Harpy sisters, Numilia, Elena and Eugenia, the little white puppy, Violet Snow, the Demonic Werewolf, Habona, Evilin the evil eye, and finally Julia, Mo En¡¯s wife.


    It was worth noting now that everyone present was seated on chairs around a stony conference table, with the exception of Violet Snow, who sat atop the table itself because sitting on a chair would render her invisible to others¡­

 CHAPTER 582: EPILOGUE 4

    Numilia swept her eyes over the familiar faces gathered here, then coldly glanced at Evilin.


    The evil eye nodded in response, his blubbery head jiggling a little, after which a telepathic message was sent to everyone.


    ¡°What? Lord Mo Ke is missing?!¡± Eugenia was the first to react to the transmitted message, her seat nearly toppling over when she stood up anxiously.


    Elena lowered her head in silence.


    Habona was equally quiet, though she tapped the table with her claws a few times, leaving a noticeable scratch on the otherwise black surface.


    Violet Snow, on the other hand, tilted her adorable little head to the side and muttered, ¡°I wonder where he¡¯s off to this time.¡±


    Julia, however, was chewing her lip in anxiety. ¡°I¡¯m sure Lord Mo Ke will be fine¡­¡±


    ¡°Everyone, I know you are all unsettled by this news, but Evilin is still alive. That¡¯s proof that my beloved is alive and well, we just don¡¯t know where he has gone off to.¡±


    Numilia was the most composed of the attendants, mostly because she was the first one to be informed of this fact. As a citymaster, she had learnt to rein in her temper as well.


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    ¡°That¡¯s right, there¡¯s no point worrying about that devil now. We should be more concerned about ourselves right now.¡± Violet Snow was the first to break the icy atmosphere with a pat of her little paws. ¡°The Dark Frogfolk are quiet for now, but those Demonic Half-orcs seem to be busy of late. I think we should be discussing that next, lest a problem crops up in the future.¡±


    ¡°The Demonic Half-orcs are being handled by the Demonic Werewolves and the Lizardmen. I¡¯m sure Sister Habona won¡¯t let us down on that front.¡±


    Numilia looked towards the werewolf and found that she wasn¡¯t objecting, instead nodding in agreement. ¡°As long as their overlord doesn¡¯t join the battlefield, I should be fine holding that front.¡±


    Even with her genius-like combat expertise, and her perchance for defeating those above her star-level, an overlord was still a warrior that had a foot into the supernatural.


    Some time had gone by since they had established this city. Numilia had grown accustomed to her role as leader by now, and was only getting more proficient at the job. That was why Habona found no reason to object to the harpy at all. After all, she was a better leader than she probably would have been.


    Numilia turned to look at Violet Snow. ¡°Regarding those roaming Hellhound packs in the east, I¡¯m hoping you can persuade them soon.¡±


    ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll head over tomorrow.¡±


    With Violet Snow¡¯s acquiescence, Numilia continued on. ¡°The scouts have also reported sightings of Harpy clans in the south. Eugenia, Elena, I¡¯ll leave that to the two of you. If the reports are true, they must be persuaded to join us.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Eugenia nodded her head solemnly. ¡°If they have a Harpy witch on their side, and that witch refuses?¡±


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    Numilia considered for a couple of seconds then, with furrowed brows, answered, ¡°It would be preferable for us to peacefully deal with them, but if that¡¯s not possible¡­¡±


    ¡°Understood, I will kill their leader if it comes to that..¡± Elena coldly answered, having clearly felt Numilia¡¯s decisiveness even after considering their common kinship with those Harpies.


    ¡°All right. Once you¡¯ve done that, try your best to persuade the survivors.¡± Numilia sighed a little having said that. Sometimes, in the pursuit of their interests, such decisions were unavoidable. Even if Harpy witches were a rarity, her mercy did not extend to when they stood on the opposing side.


    With a concrete plan laid out, the two Harpies nodded. ¡°Understood.¡±


    Numilia turned to Evilin next. ¡°How are the Corvids we captured recently? Have they been causing trouble?¡±


    ¡°None, so far.¡± Evilin replied telepathically. ¡°Ever since we killed their more vocal members, they have mostly been behaving themselves. Same with the Dogmen and the Abaddon Ratmen. Especially the Dogmen, they have been exceptionally obedient and hardworking. Strangely loyal, even.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Numilia paused in a thought for a moment. ¡°Serving the strong is the nature of all living creatures¡­ Since the Dogmen are so cooperative, then we will raise the status of their leaders. They can supervise some of the other clans in their work as well. I need the city walls fortified immediately, and I want the other buildings to be done on schedule as well. But do not go overboard either¡­ My beloved always likes to talk about carrots and sticks.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll be prudent.¡± Being once the shadow leader of an Abaddon Ratman clan, this telepathic monster was extremely experienced in matters such as control.


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    It was now Julia¡¯s turn to be addressed. ¡°Last is logistics. Julia, we need more weapons ready for our growing army.¡±


    ¡°But our department doesn¡¯t have enough manpower already¡­¡± Julia answered with a grimace. ¡°Our sisters have been giving their all, but the long work hours have stifled our evolutions as well. If we can¡¯t raise our star-level, our work will be affected as well. If only Lord Mo Ke was here right now, I¡¯m sure our levels would raise a lot quicker with him by our side.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m aware of the struggles the Logistics department is facing. For now, it¡¯s fine if your evolutions is delayed a little, but the weapons must be of the highest standards.¡± Numilia swept her eyes over those gathered once more. ¡°Everyone, I need the surrounding areas scoured, and any possible recruits recruited, especially the Lust Demons, we need them all.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then that¡¯s all for now, you may all return to your posts.¡± Numilia ended the meeting in a booming manner, fitting of the queen-like leader that she was.


    Abaddon: The Heavenly Gates of Sin


    Yi Yi was in the midst of teatime with her father, Ancerl Lucifer. At the side were two female Fallen Angel attendants with black wings.


    As she sipped her tea elegantly and looked over the garden filled with purple flora, her eyes seemed a little downcast.


    Seeing his daughter in a daze, Ancerl, also the current Devil King of Pride, couldn¡¯t help but get a little jealous. ¡°My lovely daughter, haven¡¯t I told you already? That brat is no longer in this world.¡±


    ¡°But Mo Ke is still alive.¡±


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    The moment she uttered Mo Ke¡¯s name, Ancerl reflexively crinkled his brows in disgust. ¡°I still don¡¯t understand what you see in that brat.¡±

 CHAPTER 583: EPILOGUE 5

    ¡°¡­¡±


    There really wasn¡¯t much for him to say to that, was there?


    Yi Yi had always been a stickler for facts. Since she had acknowledged Mo Ke as her fiance, then she was dead set on him for life. Even if he were to actually kick the bucket, she still wouldn¡¯t find another person to marry.


    The two might have only met each other briefly, but the sight of him, a frail and weak human, protecting her to the death was something she had never experienced before and would never forget.


    Ancerl knew what his daughter¡¯s temperament was like, so he did not try to press the issue further, instead changing the topic, ¡°There¡¯s been some reports recently of an interesting bunch of little things, they seem to have some connection to that brat.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. Yi Yi has sensed them as well.¡±


    ¡°Should daddy take care of them for you?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need¡­¡± Yi Yi shook her head. ¡°Just leave it all up to fate.¡±


    As if on cue, a gust of wind gently blew past the girl, carrying with it a petal from the purple flowers nearby into the distance¡­


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    Planet Gaia: Southern Plains City


    The city of Southern Plains was a tourist city modelled after the ancient times. Most of the buildings in the city were built in the style of a thousand years ago, similar to what you would see if you were in ancient China.


    Amidst all that, a strikingly white soul silently drifted across the night sky, finally stopping just behind a middle-aged man in the middle of a suburban district. The wandering soul channeled whatever scant energy it had left in itself into its arm, then forcefully choked the man from behind.


    The man immediately started to struggle violently. Unfortunately, the strength of that wandering soul was too much.


    A moment later, the wandering soul¡¯s body began to transform into a liquid-like state, gently flowing into the exposed orifices of the man. Slowly but surely, the struggling died down, until finally, the man collapsed to the floor as if dead.


    A few hours had passed uneventfully till the man suddenly stirred from his torpor. He stood up as if nothing had even happened, then wordlessly got into his car and drove back to the city. Finally, he entered a towering office building which was labelled in bold letters as ¡®Life Unbound Biotech Private Limited¡¯


    Somewhere in Gehenna¡­


    The Skeleton King and the Lich King met once more, in that same icy cavern with a skeletal throne in the center. As he sat atop his throne, the Skeleton King quietly watched the scenes unfold before him in a floating sphere of light.


    After a long while, he finally spoke. ¡°Are you certain that Karlston has successfully entered the new world?¡±


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    ¡°You are sure your formula works then?¡±


    ¡°As long as the target is alive, it will work.¡± The Lich King answered without any hesitation. ¡°But I¡¯ve heard that the new world does not contain mana, it might be¡­ difficult for that formula to take its full effect.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, I just knew you couldn¡¯t be relied on.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s why Karlston is over there, isn¡¯t he? He used to be an excellent necromancer in life.¡±


    ¡°Fine, that will have to do for now.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you won¡¯t be disappointed.¡±


    Planet Gaia: Phoenix City


    ¡°Ke, there¡¯s something I need to talk to you about. It¡¯s about school¡­¡±


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    Duanmu Bitong, dressed in pink pyjamas, walked up to Mo Ke while rubbing dry her hair with an equally pink towel.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with school, Sister Bitong?¡± Seated in the middle of the room, Mo Ke turned his head around with a start to look at the girl.


    ¡°The school was blown up.¡± She stated in a matter-of-fact tone.


    ¡°YES!¡± Mo Ke immediately stood up and did a banzai.


    Seeing the boy so excited, Duanmu Bitong couldn¡¯t help but chuckle a little before saying with a smirk, ¡°Naturally, that was just a joke.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°But I was just thinking to myself in the bath, if Ke really does not want to go to school, it¡¯s alright as well.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Really. However¡­¡± Duanmu Bitong deliberately paused at that point. ¡°I need Ke to promise me something.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


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    ¡°You mustn¡¯t dress like a boy!¡± She declared with all the seriousness in the world.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If Ke doesn¡¯t want to go to school, he has to stay in drag.¡±


    ¡°Never!¡±


    ¡°Then go to school.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Mo Ke fell silent, a thousand indignations bottled up in his chest.


    Seeing her little brother so visibly torn over the fact that he had to choose between wearing drag and going to school, she realised that she had gone overboard with this joke of hers.


    Remorseful, she sighed before finally offering as such, ¡°How about this? At least while you¡¯re at home, you have to stay in drag. And Ke can only go work at aunty Qiao¡¯s, nowhere else.¡±


    ¡°Oh, fine¡­¡± Even though he was still a little unhappy with the terms, he knew this was the biggest concession he was going to get from her.¡±


    Having settled Mo Ke, Duanmu Bitong left for her own room where she started a video call with her mom, Duanmu Xinqing.


    About to head to sleep herself, Duanmu Xinqing quickly picked up the call in her bedroom when she saw that it was her precious daughter. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, miss your mummy already?¡±


    ¡°Mum, there¡¯s something I need to talk to you about¡­¡±


    From the beginning, she was never one to call her mother for idle chat. She had grievances to air, and she dove right into them. For example, how aunty Qiao Yin was mean to her, or how aunty Qiao Yin was trying to introduce her daughter to Mo Ke.


    The moment Xinqing heard that her dear sister was trying to snatch her future son-in-law from her, she quickly hung up and called her.


    Right this very instant, Qiao Yin was talking to a black-haired girl that looked to be about eleven years old. The moment Duanmu Xinqing¡¯s call went through, the three of them ended up being in the same video call.


    ¡°Hello aunty Xinqing.¡± The little girl politely greeted the projection of Duanmu Xinqing. ¡°It has been a while, have your experiments been going well?¡±


    ¡°They are proceeding at a decent pace.¡± She answered without much thought before smiling warmly at the little girl, any thought of admonishing the girl completely driven out of her head. ¡°So Jiaojiao was having a chat with your mum? I hope your aunty Xinqing wasn¡¯t interrupting anything.¡±


    ¡°Not at all, mum was just talking to Jiaojiao about aunty Xinqing and sister Bitong.¡± Qiao Yin shook her and smiled as adorably as before. ¡°Aunty Xinqing, I¡¯ve heard that sister Bitong is staying with another big brother?¡±


    (Say no to content thief!)


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    ¡°What do you mean, another big brother? That¡¯s your big brother Mo Ke.¡± Qian Yin suddenly interjected herself with a light admonishment before Xinqing could even respond. ¡°Your big brother Mo Ke and sister Bitong grew up together.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. That¡¯s right. Your big brother Mo Ke went missing two years ago, and he was found only recently.¡± Duanmu Xinqing nodded her head. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve already forgotten about your big brother?¡±


    Seeing her own mother and her aunty suddenly affirm the existence of this Mo Ke, Qiao Jiaojiao was suddenly left at a loss for words. Perhaps she was the one that was actually amnesiac? She thought to herself.


    ¡°Huh? So there really is such a person?


    ¡°Of course, there is!¡± The two ladies answered in unison. And he¡¯s super adorable too. The two added on silently.