Chapter 120: Twist
[Zethe-thoth] then mockingly said, "If you are so worried about the plant, then you could have said so."
Immediately, Alze-beus’s instincts screamed, but it was already too late.
[Void Battlefield]
As the skill activated, [Zethe-thoth] and Alze-beus disappeared from Earth and reappeared in a battlefield.
The surroundings were grayish in theme. The ground was gray in color, and there was no sky, only the void above.
Alze-beus narrowed his eyes. He could still feel his connection to the outside world, but when he tried leaving, he felt an invisible barrier block him.
[Zethe-thoth] smiled. "This is a separate space usually used by powerful beings in the Tower of Games to resolve conflicts."
Alze-beus didn’t know where this ’Tower of Games’ place was, but he understood one thing clearly: if he wanted to leave this place, the only way was to kill [Zethe-thoth].
He decided to go all out from the start, and his aura flared. Unlike on Earth, his aura here didn’t cause any disturbance in the surroundings. This only made him want to finish the fight as soon as possible.
His body changed and rapidly grew. As it happened, mouths and eyes opened everywhere on his expanding flesh.
10 meters. 20 meters. 40 meters. 80 meters. 150 meters... 500 meters.
He stopped himself from expanding any further. Compared to him, [Zethe-thoth] looked like an ant.
From afar, Alze-beus looked like a terrifying abomination as countless mouths laughed in unison, while thousands of eyes blinked with an eerie glow.
Unbothered by this, [Zethe-thoth] didn’t even bother lifting his hands, instead keeping them casually in his pockets. He didn’t look like someone about to fight an opponent an entire rank above him.
[Zethe-thoth]’s shadows twisted and rose behind him, becoming corporeal. The shadows shifted from pitch black to translucent white and morphed into massive tentacles. These tentacles rapidly expanded to match Alze-beus’s colossal size.
As if on cue, both monstrosities attacked at exactly the same time.
...
The Devil Empress was surprised by the sudden disappearance of the Devil Monarch and the terrifying monster.
She could sense that even though the monster wore human skin and was currently a rank below in strength, she was no match for it.
Anyway, it was better this way. She didn’t know when they would be back, but she needed to find a way to secure her own future right now.
She understood clearly that Alze-beus was merely playing with her. He had no intention of healing her or nurturing her, let alone resurrecting her if she fell in battle.
She looked back at the throne, the plant, and the black blade curiously. She wasn’t releasing her aura, so the blackish purple mist was already reappearing in the surroundings.
The thing that truly caught her attention was the plant. It was simple and small, with black, purple, and red leaves growing on black branches, stems and roots.
The more she looked at it, the more it felt like a living being rather than the inanimate treasure the Devil Monarch claimed it to be.
She could sense the plant possessed a fully sentient soul, just like any sentient race. But for some reason, right now, it was in limbo, stuck in a state of shock.
She then paid attention to the blackish purple mist that had rolled back in. It acted more like a physical body than some area of effect skill.
The Devil Empress was stunned when she realized the truth. This is the body of a being... and I am standing inside its body.
This was her first time encountering a creature like this.
Is the Devil Monarch trying to refine this monster? she guessed.
Maybe I should try to communicate with it? I don’t have much time... my foundation is burning fast.
Hiss. Hiss. Hiss.
Just then, she heard a sound. She looked around but couldn’t spot anything.
The Devil Empress was shocked that there was something capable of hiding from her heightened senses. Immediately, her red eyes glowed, and she finally saw it.
It was a white snake rushing around through the blackish purple mist. Stored inside the snake’s translucent body was the mutilated upper torso of a woman, alongside a small, fragile soul that looked identical to the body.
The Devil Empress focused her gaze and understood exactly what it was doing.
It was trying to collect the scattered soul fragments of that woman.
Curious.
The Devil Empress didn’t know what to do next, but she figured standing around and burning herself to death was not an ideal way to spend her time.
She closed her eyes, expanded her senses, and tuned them to be extremely subtle.
Slowly, the physical blackish purple mist faded from her perception as she tried to sense things that existed outside a normal person’s perception.
She immediately spotted the small, scattered fragments of the soul the snake was trying to collect. But she sensed a lot more of them than the snake did.
While the snake seemed to be able to sense the fragments easily, its perception was still lacking, causing it to miss a large portion of them.
Should I interfere? the Devil Empress thought.
She shook her head. I can only gamble on it. Even if this creature and the snake can just escape with my weakened body and take care of me later, it will be more than enough.
From what she could sense, returning to Hell was impossible for her now. She was being rejected by her home because of whatever the Devil Monarch had done to her.
Sighing, she raised her hand and opened her palm. Immediately, all the soul fragments left in the region were pulled toward her like a magnet.
The snake noticed her actions and immediately rushed over to stop her, but just as it reached her, she froze it in midair using telekinesis.
Slowly, all the scattered soul fragments gathered safely in her hand.
The snake grew increasingly anxious as it struggled to break free and stop her, but the difference in their strength was enormous.
Opening her eyes, she looked at the struggling creature. "Don’t worry. I will return them to you if you promise me one thing."
Immediately, the snake stopped struggling and looked at her cautiously. Its body shifted and dropped out of stealth, realizing the camouflage was useless against her anyway.
Hiss. Hiss. Hiss. The snake spoke.
What? The Devil Empress raised her eyebrows; she couldn’t understand a single thing.
It didn’t sound like a coherent sentence; it sounded more like the confused mumbling of a newborn child.
Hiss. Hiss. Hiss. The snake tried again.
The Devil Empress was dumbfounded. What is this stupid luck?
I don’t understand a thing. This was not a simple language barrier issue either, because she understood snake languages.
"Were you just born?" she asked, unable to hide her curiosity.
The snake nodded in defeat, realizing it had failed to communicate with the woman.
Suddenly, both of them turned when they sensed movement.
Dark portals opened, and from them stepped Lucy, Death, Lilith, Eve, Zero, and Sage.
Death took the lead.
She had understood what was happening the moment she saw the snake appear. From the snake’s body, she could sense Sara’s aura, and this newcomer also held several fragments of Sara’s soul in her hand.
"I don’t know who you are," Death said, "but if you are willing to help us, we will be eternally grateful." Death didn’t know how to scheme, so she stated what she felt and what she wanted directly.
Summons?
The Devil Empress looked at the group, then back at the snake, which nodded in confirmation.
She thought, Isn’t this exactly what I wanted?
As for trying to scheme against them? She didn’t have the time, nor the desire, if she wanted them to protect her after she was inevitably weakened.
She didn’t know whether they could be fully trusted, but it seemed her expertise was something they desperately needed right now.
She spoke up. "If you wish to gather the soul fragments of this woman, this alone is not enough."
Death tilted her head and asked, "Do you have a better method?" It was only when the snake had disabled its stealth that the summons knew what it was doing. They had rushed out immediately, wanting to help.
The Devil Empress nodded. "Yes. Tell your snake friend over here to spit out the soul and the body it has. I can help you guys not only collect the rest and reform it, but also stabilize it so she can be revived in the future."
Death understood the transaction and asked frankly, "What do you want in return?" Nothing was free in this world.
The Devil Empress answered hesitantly. "Protection. I will be crippled in a short amount of time, and I just want protection. It’s okay if you or your master cannot heal me or recover my strength."
"All I want is to be protected."
Death didn’t hesitate. This matter directly concerned Night, so she promised immediately. "Even if my master disagrees, if you help us now, I swear on my authority over Death that I will make sure you are protected."
As soon as she said that, a strange aura enveloped the surroundings. A tangible black line formed in the air, connecting the Devil Empress and Death.
The Devil Empress was shocked. She didn’t expect such a weak summon to possess means capable of binding the laws of reality.
Is this even a summon?
Also, did it just say ’even if its master disagrees’?
How rebellious...
She would have helped them even if it was just a verbal promise, but this binding oath made her feel genuinely reassured.
The Devil Empress smiled genuinely for the first time in a very long while.
"I feel your sincerity. Don’t worry, I won’t just help with this. I will help with anything else you guys need."
"Till I have the strength atleast...."