Chapter 118: Whatever it takes....
Just as [Zethe-thoth] moved, Alze-beus watched. Though the lust he felt for the plant was overwhelming, he still retained the ability to think rationally.
He already expected [Zethe-thoth] to know he had some schemes prepared, given the way the Void God had acted earlier.
Just as he expected, when [Zethe-thoth] moved, he moved slowly, taking his time with every step. It was understandable; unlike Alze-beus, the plant had far less appeal to an entity who was already a God.
[Zethe-thoth] was indeed baiting him, but that was not the full extent of the story.
For some reason, [Zethe-thoth] felt a sense of danger from the core, which was absurd considering how strong he was now.
But it was only a minuscule amount of danger; hence, he wasn’t worried and still chose to go for it. He could feel the core had a connection to the No. 1 Death Zone; The Nightmare Domain, where the delicious food was located.
He also knew Alze-beus was plotting something, and he was ready for it. Bored with playing with his food for so long, he had acquired a body. It was better to do things himself rather than just pull strings from afar, especially since he could feel things were moving fast. Having a native’s body was convenient.
Just as he reached out, Alze-beus, who had been quiet until now, finally lost his patience and attacked. The Devil, who was supposed to be a rank weaker than him according to the power system of this Cosmos, suddenly erupted with a might similar to his own.
Despite that, all [Zethe-thoth] did was turn his head back, twisting his neck at an unnatural angle, and gave a terrifying smile. His lips stretched unnaturally, exposing the bottom half of his face so all his teeth and gums could be seen.
[Zethe-thoth] looked like the dream patient of every ambitious dentist.
When Alze-beus saw that smile, he knew his opponent was already prepared. Still, he attacked as though he didn’t care if the core was destroyed, betting on the fact that [Zethe-thoth] would defend its "food."
[Yellow Calamity]
The surrounding blackish-purple mist receded, and the core region was bathed in a bright yellow light as a yellow lightning bolt struck in an instant.
[Reality Shift]
But before the strike could do any real damage, [Zethe-thoth]’s brown eyes changed and becamecolorful.
Within them, one could spot every color imaginable, and even colors that were beyond what a mortal mind should comprehend. The lightning bolt that should have destroyed the surroundings phased right through reality as if it didn’t exist.
Alze-beus’s pupils shrank. He felt the ease with which [Zethe-thoth] took care of his attack.
He decided to go all out from the very beginning. His aura surged as he cast [Devil Transformation] and [Devil Descent] upon himself.
...
Meanwhile, in Hell...
Alze-beus’s main body narrowed his eyes at the development, realizing he was still underestimating his opponent.
This time, his massive arms ripped a hole in the space of the Secret Realm. Multiple arms reached toward his Floor and pulled.
He was not choosy this time. He pulled in every Devil unfortunate enough to be nearby. He didn’t care if it was a Devil Prince, a Devil King, or even a Devil Emperor.
As he did, desperate screams filled the region.
"No! Noooo!"
"Lord, this Emperor is more useful alive! Noooooooooooo!"
"Mercy..."
"Spare my child!"
However one scream did draw his attention.
"Leave meeee! This Empress is willing to bear your babies, just let me live!"
"You! How can you do this to me?" cried another voice belonging to a being dragged right alongside the Empress.
"It’s either that or death," the Empress replied coldly.
"Hahaha! Then it’s good that we die together... at least I get to see your true face in the end..."
"Aaahh! Monarch, give this Empress a chance!" Still unwilling to give up, she tried one last plea before she was dragged into the Secret Realm.
Alze-beus looked at all of this coldly. But just when the desperate Empress was about to become fuel for the ritual, he stopped her, suddenly thinking of a problem.
Unlike the others, he didn’t drop her directly into the curse circle.
"Thank you, Lord! This Empress will definitely fulfill all your desires!"
"Noooo!" The other voice beside her was filled with disbelief. Truly, life is unfair, he cursed internally, right before he was immolated as fuel for the curse circle.
The Empress didn’t even look in his direction as she landed safely in the Secret Realm.
Immediately upon arriving, she didn’t even dare look up to see Alze-beus’s majestic body. She prostrated on the ground in total submission. "Lord, this Empress is untainted and is still a virgin. The ant from before was just a pest that kept bothering me. He was useful, so I kept him around."
"I am willing to be fully yours if you let me live."
Alze-beus looked down at the Devil Empress without a single change in expression.
The Empress had a petite figure with no special charm other than looking like a cute porcelain doll. But even if she had been the greatest beauty he had ever seen, he wouldn’t have been moved.
Compared to becoming a True Devil, everything else looked bland.
The real reason he let this Devil Empress live, even though she would have made excellent fuel, was because he had just thought of a serious problem: What if the Void God had allies?
With the ritual he was currently conducting, he was sure he could push his incarnation to reach the Devil Monarch rank in the outside world, even if only temporarily. But unleashing that much strength would definitely end up destroying the plant.
He was not willing to bet on luck that it might somehow survive the crossfire.
What if [Zethe-thoth] stopped caring and just destroyed it out of spite? Even if that didn’t happen, a fight on a Devil Monarch scale didn’t leave much room for holding back.
One careless attack could cause him to lose his opportunity to ascend forever.
Looking at the Devil Empress, an idea formed in his mind.
Though unwilling, he was going to use this Devil Empress to guard the core, and he would send her main body to do it.
Though it was risky and there was a chance she might run away, he already had a method prepared to ensure that didn’t happen.
"I have a mission for you," Alze-beus declared. "If you accomplish it, not only will I let you live, but I will also grant you safety and all the resources you need to advance further."
Alze-beus laid the bait out immediately. First, he didn’t have time to waste. Second, Devils were creatures who always fell for benefits.
The greater the benefits, the more devoted they became to fulfilling the task.
As expected, the Devil Empress’s breath hitched. Her body trembled with excitement, not expecting her fortunes to flip so quickly.
I almost tasted the eternal suffering of going to heaven just now, the Devil Empress thought to herself.
She hurriedly replied, "Your slave is willing!" She prostrated even further, if that was even physically possible. It was as if she wanted to merge with the ground.
"I am now going to send you to the Surface World," Alze-beus said. "There, you will defend a treasure for me."
The Devil Empress didn’t move, waiting for him to continue.
"The method I am about to use will severely damage your foundation," Alze-beus warned. "While it will grant you the strength of a Devil Monarch temporarily, it will ultimately cripple you. But after your role is fulfilled, I will personally make sure you regain everything, and much more."
"Yes, My Lord," she replied.
But the internal turmoil she felt couldn’t be easily put into words. After all the struggles she had gone through to cultivate her power, now someone was forcing her to give it all up on a vague promise.
Still, she chose to accept it, because the alternative was immediate death.
Alze-beus nodded in satisfaction.
This particular Devil Empress was not unknown to him; in fact, he knew quite a lot about her. He knew she possessed a huge secret, judging by the way she had progressed in ranks so quickly.
Her fast growth was unnatural. And as for her claim of being a virgin? He had no doubt she was telling the truth. It was incredibly rare for Devils to remain unscathed or untouched during their time as Devil Slaves.
One could only protect their sanctity with strength, and since every Devil started at the bottom as a Devil Slave, it was practically impossible to escape unscathed.
Previously, he had been waiting for the right time to eat her and make everything she had his own.
This situation gave him the perfect opportunity to do just that.
After she was crippled, why would he bother restoring her? Wasn’t it a lot easier to just eat her? Even if he became a True Devil, as [Zethe-thoth] said... why waste good food?
As soon as he thought that, he cringed, realizing the Void God’s had rubbed off on him the wrong way.
Unaware of the fact that she was already considered nothing more than a future meal, the Empress resolved herself.
Whatever happened, she must survive. Before she killed Aathan with her own two hands, she refused to die.
Her eyes shone with a resolve and a hatred so deep it was permanently engraved into her soul.
Whatever it takes...