“Lady Bella, thanks the demon god you’re here!” one of her demon subordinates sighed in relief, rushing forward with a face full of exhaustion and relief.Several other demons also echoed, their tense expressions betraying their unease.
Suppressing her charm, Bella gracefully descended onto the hard stone wall, followed closely by Aengus, Vespera, and the rest of her servants. Her movements, naturally seductive and commanding, drew the attention of everyone present.
As she approached the group, her purple eyes shimmered with a subtle glow, a silent warning that she expected answers.
She raised an eyebrow, her tone both curious and authoritative as she asked,
“Why? What’s wrong?”
The demons exchanged nervous glances before the leader of the group spoke up, his voice strained with the weight of the situation.
“My Lady, there’s been unrest within our territory. Strange occurrences have been plaguing the vicinity of Dark forest. Several Lesser Demons have gone missing, and those who return are… different. Twisted, as if corrupted by something dark and malevolent. We’ve tried to contain it, but whatever it is, it’s spreading.”
Bella’s eyes narrowed, her gaze sharp as she processed the information. “And you waited until now to inform me?” Her voice was cold, laced with a hint of displeasure.
The demon bowed his head, trembling slightly under her gaze. “Forgive us, Lady Bella. We believed we could handle it ourselves, but the Barron of that place is not co-operative at all. He hindered us from investigating through force. He looked like he had gone out of control as well.
We could’t confront a Greater Demon like with our Lesser Demon power. And other Barrons are really far away to offer support. That’s why were anxious.”
“Oh..” Bella remained silent for a moment, her mind racing through possible scenarios. She knew that whatever was happening could pose a significant threat to her territory, and possibly to her future.
Aengus, standing a few steps behind her, watched the exchange intently, already formulating his own plan on how this turn of events could play into his hands. He was not afraid of any greater demons.
The power of ranks of demons were divided by 7 ranks:
– Imps (Rank, not species)
– Lesser Demons
– Greater Demons
– Elder demons
– Archdemons
– Demon Generals
– Demon Lords
—
Aengus had battled lesser demons before and he won, proving his strength. He knew that with his current abilities, defeating a greater demon was within reach—if he gave it everything he had.
But to do so, he needed to have more Nether energy to use his full power, and defeat it. And he can increase nether energy by eating demonic cores.
It might seem like a vile act to outsiders, akin to cannibalism, but in the demon world, it was simply a harsh reality of survival.
Demon cores was like a currency here, with different qualities.
Aengus would need a lot of demon core for his grand for raising a army using his [ Monster Breeding ] Skill, that was acquired from a dungeon.
MANAS had proposed a bold strategy to Aengus: if he could gather a large number of monsters, demons, or other creatures within his domain, he could level up his Monster Breeding skill significantly. However, this required subjugating these creatures first, which meant defeating and weakening them to bring them under his control.
Once subdued, Aengus could use his Synthesis ability to fuse these monsters and demons, making them more powerful and, more importantly, utterly loyal. They would never betray him. This was the cornerstone of his grand plan for conquest. It was just a matter of time.
But there was a problem: resources were scarce in this desolate territory. Gathering the necessary demon cores would take time. The scarcity of resources forced demons to resort to desperate measures, often consuming the flesh of their own kind to stave off hunger. Compared to that, consuming a demon core was a minor transgression.
Bella’s voice snapped Aengus from his thoughts. “Sweetheart, let’s go and see what’s happening there. It won’t take long,” she said with a charming smile, her eyelashes fluttering slightly.
Aengus met her gaze, his expression neutral as he nodded. “As you say, Mistress.”
Her subordinates exchanged surprised glances. They had never seen Bella act so intimately with anyone before. Many noble demon princes had tried to win her favor, only to be kept at a distance. Bella was like a thorny rose—beautiful and tempting but dangerous to touch. Her beauty and grace were admired and envied, but they were never to be claimed.
Bella then turned to Vespera. “Vespera, you too will come with me. The rest of you, return to your assigned posts,” she commanded, her tone leaving no room for argument.
The servants quickly dispersed, leaving Bella, Aengus, and Vespera to investigate the disturbance.
They soared through the sky, wings unfurled, racing towards their destination like a comet streaking across the night. Bella’s speed far outstripped Vespera’s, leaving her trailing behind as Bella and Aengus cut through the dimly lit sky together.
Aengus found himself once again in Bella’s arms, her enchanting purple eyes fixed on his face with a bemused expression. Her gaze was alluring, the kind that could make lesser men falter. But Aengus remained unbothered, his eyes cold and detached. He knew this woman had been trying to seduce him from the start, though her true intentions were unclear.
Was she aiming to make him a puppet, ensnaring him in a web of desire to bend him to her will?
“Hehe…” Bella’s lips curved into an imperceptible smile as she studied his expressionless face, her amusement growing. She enjoyed the challenge he presented, the resistance he offered.
Aengus, on the other hand, was fully aware of the game she was playing. But if she thought he would be an easy conquest, she was sorely mistaken.
They flew in silence, each lost in their own thoughts, yet fully aware of the undercurrent of tension between them. Bella’s smile widened slightly as she wondered just how long this boy could keep his guard up. But Aengus was already three steps ahead, determined not to fall prey to whatever scheme she had in mind.
