Volume 9 Chapter 476: Demon King Confrontation Under the Moonlit Night and the Terrifying Trap Deep Inside the Woods
Translator: The Light
Edits by Lord Immortal
South of the Coristel Human Continent, within the borders of the Gabriel Empire, at the southern forest city of Brusk. It was currently midnight. Bella and the others, who were fleeing from Brande Hotel, encountered the army of an Ancient Demon King on the streets. The Demon King blocking their way was likely related to the mutation incident at Brusk City.
The Ancient Twelve Demon Kings consisted of six males and six females, a rather balanced number. Bella had already seen four other female Demon Kings, namely Dark Night Demon King Aggy, Death Demon King Melinaz, Ocean Demon King Victoria, and another loli Demon King she had attacked. However, Bella did not know her name. This was the fifth female Demon King she met.
The Demon King had long blonde hair, a color that Demon Kings generally did not possess. Other than Bella’s surrogate body Princess Felia, most Demon Kings would not have blonde hair. In Other World culture, it was basically a symbol of divinity, so most of the people with blonde hair were G.o.ddess-type.
The Demon King’s blonde hair was a light platinum, similar to the moonlight. She had delicate features, as if they were carefully polished, along with a pair of white demonic eyes that glimmered softly in the moonlight. Bella had the illusion that this Demon King could definitely pa.s.s for one of the Moon Elves if she had pointed ears.
“How come you’re fine? By the way, I am the Demon King of the Moon, Gonias. You don’t have to be scared. I won’t casually hurt girls.”
Moon Demon King Gonias, Dark Night Demon King Aggy’s little sister. She was rumored to be the one least like a Demon King out of the Ancient Twelve Demon Kings. After seeing her, Bella finally understood why Moon Demon King Gonias didn’t look like a Demon King. She couldn’t even feel a tinge of evil from her. She exuded a different feeling from the rest of the Demon Kings.
Gonias had the cla.s.sic look of a Moon Elf beauty. Other than the lack of pointed ears, she had an uncanny resemblance with the Moon Elf Tribe. Her figure was similar to Dark Night Demon King Aggy, and their busts were also almost the same size. If you tried to tell them apart from bust size alone, it would be hard to differentiate the sisters.
She was currently floating in the air above the Demon King’s army with a pair of s.h.i.+ning golden energy wings behind her. Gonias wore a similar outfit as her sister, Dark Night Demon King Aggy. The only difference was the color, with Dark Night Demon King Aggy choosing black and her preferring white.
Bella wasn’t afraid of her. She could even bully her older sister, Dark Night Demon King Aggy, so why not her? Gonias was just like her sister; she was also a Demon King who favored magic. Bella did not answer at first. She was thinking about how she was going to try and dissuade Demon King Gonias from carrying out her plan.
“You’re a Demon King, you say? I don’t believe it. You look just like an elf. Maybe you’re a half?”
“Hey, I really am a Demon King! You girls are really rude. Go and capture them! I want them alive. I have a bone to—”
Before Moon Demon King Gonias could finish her order, a red glow approached them, shooting straight towards the Demon King in the sky. Gonias was caught off guard. Just as she was raising her defenses, she was. .h.i.t by the red light. She almost fell down, her body wobbling like crazy.
After the blood-right light, a crimson phantom flew towards the area. From the rose-colored fiery red hair and blood-red feathers, along with its own rose petal sprinkling effect, Bella could tell who it was at first glance. It was Blood Demon King Eleanor, one of the Demon Kings on Bella’s side. Eleanor wore a crimson-colored Blood Demon King Armor. When she flew over, she had a mask on and pretended not to know Bella and the others.
The demons belonging to Moon Demon King Gonias’s side were all stunned by Blood Demon King Eleanor’s aura and didn’t dare to move for a moment. Blood Demon King Eleanor might not be their mistress, but she was still a Demon King. Her aura could still deter these demons from the Demon King’s army.
Moon Demon King Gonias was wounded by the “Blood Spear” thrown out by Blood Demon King Eleanor and could not fight for a short time. Seeing her peer with the blood-red Demon King’s armor, Gonias did not know what to say for a moment. The other side wasn’t hiding the fact that she was a Demon King at all and released her oppressive aura with no restraint.
“These women are my subordinates. Take your men away, or I won’t be polite with you.”
“Big Sister Red Demon King, I… I just wanted to talk to them about something. Don’t misunderstand!”
“They’re my subordinates. Had I not appeared, I’m afraid you would’ve… You’ll understand in the future. Just hurry and leave!”
Blood Demon King Eleanor telling Moon Demon King Gonias to leave was actually to save her. Bella had four Demon G.o.d-level existences inside that carriage. Including Bella and the Renegade, Kriss, they had many existences on their side that could abuse a Demon King. Gonias had the appearance of a young and beautiful girl, so based on Bella’s character, it was difficult to say who was going to capture who if she did not intervene.
Moon Demon Gonias helplessly glanced at Bella before disappearing into the night along with her troops. Since she left in a hurry, Bella didn’t have the time to ask whether she was the one who let the mutant virus loose. Under Blood Demon King Eleanor’s oppressive aura, the nearby zombies hid in the distance and did not disturb Bella and the girls.
“Bella, are you girls alright? I came too late. I found the zombies’ base camp on the way here and went to destroy it.”
“We’re fine; just our clothes are ruined. Right, you can continue hiding in the dark. I’ll summon you again if I need you.”
Bella didn’t tell Blood Demon King Eleanor to continue following them. She had only summoned her earlier to save them. Bella didn’t plan to reveal her ident.i.ty to Moon Demon King Gonias for now because that would make her wary of her. That way, it would be hard for her to take advantage of her.
Without the obstruction of the Demon King’s army, the girls soon left from Brusk City’s back entrance. After reaching the wilderness, Bella and Kriss returned to the carriage. The task of pulling the carriage fell upon a Dark Saber-Toothed Tiger and a h.e.l.l Iron-beaked Bird. Bella had summoned these two S+ ranked Demonic Beasts earlier, and they were just right for the job.
In the carriage, Grand Princess Kliveny and the other princesses were looking at Bella with fearful eyes. When she came over and reached out to them, they obediently moved their naked bodies over, allowing Bella to touch them as she wished. When they were peeking earlier, they saw that Bella could dispatch a Demon King to do her bidding at will. At first, they thought that she was only a Demon King, but now, it seemed Bella’s position was much higher for her to command a Demon King. Out of fear, Princess Kliveny and the others didn’t dare think about rebelling against her anymore.
“What’s wrong? Why are you girls so obedient now? Weren’t you very reluctant when I was giving you the injection before?”
“Bella, could you spare the empire in the future? We will be at your disposal.”
“Uh, Princess, I’m not the kind of Demon King who wants to destroy everything, alright! Let’s return to the capital first. If you listen to my arrangements in the future, I won’t do anything bad. What about this? Sign a contract with me and become mine. This way, you won’t have to worry about me destroying the empire.”
Finally, other than Kriss, the “Royal Five Swordmaidens” of the Gabriel Empire all signed master-servant contracts with Bella. As princesses of the royal family, this could be considered some sort of peace marriage. Bella also accepted their contract request without holding back. Most of the Manasvir Empire’s princesses she pushed down had also signed this kind of master-servant contract with her. It wasn’t anything strange to sign it with a few more swordmaiden princesses.
Kliveny and the three other princesses had Bella’s unique mark above their chests, which was proof of her owners.h.i.+p. In the future, they would become Bella’s property. Who knew if Emperor Alfred the Third would die of anger if he discovered that his princesses had already been marked by a certain Demon King before they even got married at the matchmaking conference.
The S-rank Demonic Beasts pulling the carriage did not dare complain about Bella’s arrangements and obediently did their job. Since they were S+ rank Demonic Beasts, they had a deterring effect on other Demonic Beasts of lower ranks. Thus, Bella and the girls didn’t encounter any Demonic Beasts along the way.
The mutated white fog did not invade the forest at Brusk City’s back, only wandering around the city itself. There were no zombie threats here. However, this still wasn’t a completely safe zone. On the road, Bella saw many decapitated bodies, all of which were the n.o.blemen who had fled Brusk City. They died together with their escorts while escaping from the city.
As their corpses did not undergo any transformations, it meant they weren’t attacked by the zombies. When those zombies reached a certain distance outside the back door, they would automatically turn back to the city, presumably because Moon Demon King Gonias had set up some sort of spell. After ruling out the attack of a biochemical zombie, Bella also quickly eliminated the possibility of a bandit attack.
The belongings of the n.o.bles were strewn all across the road. The many chests filled with gold coins had been left in their original state. If it was a bandit attack, why would their belongings be untouched and abandoned on the road like that?
“Bella, their heads seem to have been twisted off, similar to the caravans attacked by the Ogres. But there shouldn’t be any Ogres in these forests! If they appeared here, fierce Demonic Beasts wouldn’t survive around this area.”
“An excellent a.n.a.lysis, Kriss. So, what do you think attacked them? If it really was a Demonic Beast, then I have to say that your empire’s Demonic Beast resources really are rich to have such strong beasts available.”
Bella and Kriss were chatting in the carriage and did not pick up the strewn treasures. Out of instinct, she could feel that something was off on the road. The weeds on the ground were messy and had signs of movement, as if something had crawled out from underground. Since they were no longer under the threat of the white dog, the sword princesses in the carriage were finally able to change into white silk pajamas to cover their shame with Bella’s permission.
However, Bella’s nasty taste had yet to change. This time, she had the sword princesses stay utterly naked underneath the pajamas, just like maids always ready to receive their master’s doting. The unconscious Young Mistress Sarah was also changed into the same clothes with the help of Demon G.o.d Angel and the girls. Unless something big happened, these Demon and Evil G.o.d lolis would not easily make a move.
The two S+ rank Demonic Beasts remained vigilant in their surroundings and found someone secretly watching the carriage. Bella, sitting in the carriage, was currently changing into a set of black armor together with Kriss. She did not notice that the Demonic Beasts pulling the carriage had found something amiss.
“What’s going on? Isn’t this the forest?! This…”
A bizarre scene unfolded in front of Kriss and Bella. There stood an entrance to a desert in the depths of the forest, even though the lush greenery was still right there behind them. This difference was way too big. It felt like two worlds were divided by a line. It was daytime in the desert, so Bella’s carriage was now located at a day and night borderline, which was a peculiar sight.
“Big Sister Bella, this is a region from another world, and this phenomenon is caused by a s.p.a.ce-time dislocation. As for which world it is, I have no idea. If we want to close the door, it will take at least ten days.”
“Noesha, that place belongs to another dimension world? This really is a costly trip. The matchmaking activity will already have started in the capital in ten days! Aren’t they trying to keep us from the capital on purpose?!”
“Don’t worry, Big Sister Bella. I a.n.a.lyzed the world just now. It’s not a true pa.s.sage to another dimension world, just an illusion from a Demonic Beast. If we take out the Domain Demonic Beast responsible for this, we will be able to close this false dimensional entrance.”
Time s.p.a.ce Demon Noesha quickly revealed the truth of this dimensional world. It was an illusion from a certain Domain Demonic Beast, and all they had to do was kill it. The level of a special Demonic Beast that could control time and s.p.a.ce was immeasurable. It was clear that a demon with an ability similar to a Demon King could not be summoned, so an existence higher than a Demon King was involved in Brusk City’s events.
Bella and the girls split up. Kriss, Time s.p.a.ce Demon Noesha, and she would go and destroy the barrier of that Domain Demonic Beast, while Demon G.o.d Angel and the others would stay behind to protect the princesses. Noesha originally wanted to stay, but considering this loli’s level of eroticism, Bella was worried she would take advantage of her absence to bully the sword princesses. In the end, she could only pull her into their team.
After they entered the area, they found that this desert scene was fake. There was practically no heat at all. The desert had ruins similar to ancient buildings where they found Brusk City residents who had previously escaped with the n.o.bles. Many residents were able to escape the mutation. Most of the city’s inhabitants were made up of bounty hunters or mercenaries, so they would immediately flee once they sensed something wrong.
The real trap here was this fake desert of death. Twisted corpses were strewn all across the ruins. Other than the corpses, there were also piles of treasure, as well as a variety of Demonic Beast cores, many of them being of a high grade. This was meant to lure the greedy humans so that they would grab the treasures and fall into their trap.
The Demonic Cores of high-ranking Demonic Beasts were a fatal lure for humans. Even these n.o.bles could not endure the temptation. Bella found many cores belonging to dragons in the pile. No wonder even the n.o.bles were caught by the trap. A dragon’s Demonic Core was a rare treasure that was basically impossible to find in the human continent. Only the cores of sub-dragon type Demonic Beasts could be found, which was hardly comparable to a pure dragon’s Demonic Core.
The Demonic Cores in the trap were all the real deal and were left behind by the Demonic Beasts killed in this region. Whatever created this domain could even kill a dragon at will, so its terrifying power could be seen at a glance. Previously in the forest, it wanted to attack Bella’s carriage. The two S+ rank Demonic Beasts pulling the carriage were alerted and were ready to pull back at any time, making it so that the Domain Demonic Beast had no choice but to give up its intention of attacking them outside its domain.
Bella was immune to the allure of treasures, though. This Domain Demonic Beast’s collection simply had no attraction toward her. Only the few Dragon Demonic Cores were barely pa.s.sable in Bella’s eyes. However, she couldn’t ignore the prey of this guy. At the open s.p.a.ce near the altar ruins, Bella saw dozens of young n.o.blemen and n.o.blewomen lying on the ground and wailing in pain. All of them were young n.o.bles heading to the capital to partic.i.p.ate in the matchmaking event.
These n.o.bles were covered in fractures all over. G.o.d knew how they were able to breathe. Bella could see that their clothes had been dyed red with blood. It seemed they had been squeezed by an extremely heavy force, similar to being crushed by a rock. Young Mistress Sarah’s older sister, “Shadow Swordsman” Cathy, was also present, unconscious though.
At the center of those n.o.blemen was a guy with a human-like figure. This was one of the masterminds behind the scenes, one of the Domain Demonic Beast’s forms. No matter how she looked at it, this guy appeared to be some sort of sandman and was about two meters tall. It had no features on its face, but it had a pale skin mask affixed to it. Who knew which unlucky guy had his face peeled off, as residual blood could still be seen on it.
“To think you would actually not be tempted by the treasure. What rare adventurers. For the sake of your virtue, I will look away this time, so go! Go back the way you came and wait for a moment. Once the time is up, I will take this area with me and leave.”
“No, no, no, your bait is just too… About those, can I take them away with me?”
“Little girl, you actually want to negotiate with me? I have received orders from my master to keep these greedy humans, so forget about it. If you don’t leave now, you’ll end up just like them.”