There weren’t that many zombies outside of the town of Sakerid’s Nasani inn, not only because of the fact that 【Machine Creator】 Andrea’s forces had already cleared much of the area, but also because of the fact that the power of a demon god had enveloped the area. The zombies that had managed to remain after Andrea’s forces had searched the area were eroded away by the demon god’s power.
On the empty and worn down streets, a young girl with dark hair was slowly walking. The girl’s silky black hair had strands of a dark purple mixed in, making her look all the more mysterious. The girl’s skin was unnaturally pale, nearing that of someone who has not seen the light in years. Under the light, her thin veins were vaguely visible beneath her snow white skin.
If she had a pair of fangs, she definitely would have been mistaken by Bella for a vampire princess from some of Earth’s movies. Even though her face was delicately crafted, it lacked any visible emotions, almost as if she was a porcelain doll.
The girl’s eyes were also of different colours, her left a vibrant red while the right eye was a pure blue. Only later would Bella find out that heterochromia was a feature that every single Worldbreaker possessed, having a special use when they summoned their true form.
Bella had spotted this girl from afar, it was hard not to notice that glimmering dark red armour of hers, her exclusive armour as a demon god. This was the first time that Bella had seen the equipment of a demon god, and even from a distance Bella was able to see the dark red light that wreathed the girl’s armour. It was like the armour of Earth’s MMORPG ‘whales’{1}, naturally bringing its own blinding aura.
Apart from the blinding set of armour, her feathered wings formed from black energy were also extremely eye-drawing, the occasional dropping black feather behind only added to the ‘casher’ look that her armour gave off already, but also added to her mysterious beauty. If this was in one of Earth’s MMORPGs, this girl would definitely be one of the top level whales, not only cashing for top-tier equipment, but also cashing for wings with such high aesthetics.
The beautiful girl bore some resemblance to Bella’s true form, and according to the information that 【Machine Creator】 Andrea had given Bella earlier, this girl should be the 【Tenebrous Demon God】, Bloomfield Elise, the first full power Worldbreaker that Bella had encountered so far. As Elise was from the same faction as Bella’s true form, Bella temporarily classified Elise as a ‘Co-worker’, only in her head of course, as it wasn’t time yet for Bella to expose her true form.
Beneath Elise’ feet was a dark purple magic formation of intricate design, Bella had only seen aura type abilities on her void monarchs so far, which was representative of their high-level existence within the ranks of the dark side. However, even the void monarchs’ aura only had a radius of around 100 meters, wasn’t the radius of this 【Tenebrous Demon God】’s aura way too big??
Even though the distance between them was still around 500 meters, Bella was still able to feel the presence of Elise’s aura around her, as if she had been thrust into the deepest and darkest parts of the underworld. While the effects of the aura were currently unknown, it didn’t cause any physical harm to Bella due to her unique nature of having the body of both a demon king and a demon god.
___
Elise forced herself to keep walking forward despite the intense pain in her chest, she had been forced to defeat the Betrayed again, under the assistance of 【Underworld Black Ant King】 Malthus and 【Death Flower Empress】Heklis, they had been able to reduce the Betrayed into a pile of scraps once more. The two void monarchs, however, had been heavily wounded and had to retreat back to the shadows to recuperate, temporarily unable to continue assisting Elise.
Even thinking back on it now made Elsie a little pissed, even though she was a demon god, but demon gods also had different areas that they excelled in, and Elise for example, was a demon god that did much better at a distance and wasn’t used to fighting up close. The Betrayed that she had fought earlier just happened to be one that excelled at up-front brawling, not knowing this at first, Elise was at a disadvantage from the very beginning of the fight.
Elise’s true form had not descended upon this world, which meant that she was unable to fight at her full power. As the 10th ranked demon god, 【Tenebrous Demon God】 Elise wouldn’t have been in such a miserable state after fighting that Betrayed had she used her true form.
Elise was much stronger than the 12th ranked 【Darkened Evil God】Mia and 14th ranked 【Underworld Demon God】 Angel who stayed by Bella’s side. As one of the top ten amongst the Worldbreakers’ ranks, Elise had much more freedom to do what she wanted than those demon gods and evil gods who weren’t part of the top ten, one such freedom was being able to invade whatever dimension that she wanted without needing to request permission from the chief of the Worldbreakers.
As for Noesha, who was part of the Troublemakers, a faction that looked only at one’s ability and not their achievements, so apart from their chieftain and four leaders, the rest of the Troublemakers didn’t have any physical ranking. Due to the difference in factions and specializations, it was hard to compare Noesha to Elise.
Even though this Betrayed was quite strong, it was probably only at the level of the the Worldbreakers around rank 30, it was quite understandable why Elise was a little pissed after sustaining such injuries at the hands of something that was only at the level of her much lower ranked peers. If this was in a certain game from Earth, it would have been as if a diamond ranked player had just gotten crushed by a bronze player, if not more frustrating.
Even though the Betrayed had been beaten back for now, but it would definitely come back again, and again, until someone who was truly able to take care of it, like the chief of the Worldbreakers, appeared. Even though Elise had gotten away from the Betrayed, but she had not yet completely danger.
Even though Elise had cleaned all the blood trails that she had left behind during the fight, but due to how heavy her injuries were, her entire body carried the scent of blood, faint, but completely enough for the Betrayed to track her with its acute sense of smell.
“Who goes there! Your equipment… are you one of this world’s holy knights… No, wait, I was almost fooled by your human appearance, your body has the faint mark of the 【Dark Creator】, are you one of Mystica’s subordinate demon kings?”
“Er, I’m just a knight that was passing by, I don’t know any 【Dark Creator】nor a Mystica, what a strange name that is. I’m afraid that you’ve gotten the wrong person, miss.”
“Hmph, there are no normal humans that can remain unaffected after entering so far into the radius of my aura 《Tenebrous Cloister》, those trash-tier zombies have already been absorbed by it. If you weren’t on the level of a demon king, you wouldn’t even have had a chance to see me.”
“So uh, I still have somethings that I need to attend to, please continue on with whatever you were doing before, just pretend that you never saw me!”
Bella hadn’t expected for 【Tenebrous Demon God】 Elise’s senses to be so accurate to see through Felia’s body as that of a demon king almost immediately. Bella feared that if she didn’t make a run for it now, Elise might be able to even find out that Felia wasn’t even her true form, maybe even that Bella’s true form was also a demon god.
There was an alluring undertone to Elise’s icy cold voice, Bella was even able to smell a strangely cold fragrance once she got closer to the demon god, but getting close to Elise was simply too dangerous and Bella would have to risk getting exposed.
“Stop! Aren’t you a demon king? Do you not know what to do after a demon god graces your presence!”
“Nope! Ehhh, you’re a demon god, miss? I couldn’t tell.”
“What kind of demon king are you, not even knowing what to do when you see a demon god! You seem to have had your title granted by Mystica herself, has she not taught you this kind of stuff?”
“Uhh, can I take my leave now, I have some REALLY urgent things that I need to attend to! I’ll catch you later…”
“You… stop right there! Do you not thirst for power? I can…”
“No, I thirst for oppai… I mean I thirst for returning home!”
Elise was at a loss for words as she looked at Bella, in all her years as a demon god, it was the first time that she had seen a demon king that was so ‘abnormal’. All the other demon kings that she had encountered would have done anything for Elise to grant them more power, some had even prostrated themselves before Elise for years!
Today, however, the demon king that was disguised as a holy knight in front of her didn’t seem to thirst for Elise’s power at all, in fact, it seemed like Bella wanted to get away from Elise as soon as possible! It shouldn’t be because Elise was hideous, she was confident of that because she had encountered countless male demon kings in various worlds that were both handsome and powerful, offering her large amounts of valuables and live sacrifices in hope of becoming one of Elise’s exclusive demon kings.
The relationship between demon kings and demon gods were actually quite complicated. Demon kings were able to further increase their own abilities using the power that they receive from demon gods, usually requiring the demon king to perform tasks for the demon god that granted them the power. As for the type of task, it depended on whichever demon god that they were working for. Some demon gods enjoyed killing and revelled in spilling blood, their subordinate demon kings would massacre entire worlds for them; some demon gods enjoyed destruction and some good old explosions, their subordinate demon kings for flatten entire worlds to the ground.
One thing that remained constant in the relationships between demon gods and demon kings were that demon kings were almost always the subordinates of demon gods. The only exception to this was to be the ‘exclusive subordinate’ of a demon god, which was just a cover for being the demon god’s lover. It was a way to keep their relationship more professional on the surface to maintain both the demon god’s and the demon king’s image and dignity in front of their other subordinates. Even if others knew about the true relationship, they wouldn’t dare to expose it anyways.
However, the only one inside of Elise’s heart was her older sister Samantha, so she could only say sorry to all those male demon kings. She could give them power, but becoming lovers was definitely out of the question. Of all the female demon gods that Elise knew, there wasn’t a single one that had accepted such type of requests, Elise also didn’t want to become the only ‘exception’.
Seeing that Elise no longer had the cold and distant look on her face, Bella was secretly a little happy. She had thought that this demon god was one of those girls that completely lacked emotion and expression, but evidently that wasn’t the case. It was a shame that Elise kept on such an expressionless face when she was so cute even while angry, it was a waste of her beautiful face.
As for the relationship between demon gods and demon kings, Bella had learned some of it from 【Dark Creator】 Mystica. Until now, there have been no recorded cases of a demon god killing a demon king, and Elise evidently did not know that Bella had recently given two of Elise’s subordinate void monarchs a beating, or else she probably wouldn’t be talking to Bella like this. If there was no motive, Elise would have no reason to do anything harmful to Bella, which was why Bella dared to act the way she did in front of Elise.
“Do you know who you’re talking to? I am the 10th ranked Worldbreaker, 【Tenebrous Demon God】 Elise, are you not thirsting for greater power!? I can give you…”
“Nope, hey uh, Elise-sama, can I go home yet? I have a wife… family waiting for me back at home, they won’t start eating without me and I don’t want to starve them!”
“You… how in the world were you chosen to become a demon king! Anyways, aren’t you a girl, why would you have a wife… lying to a demon god is something punishable by death, do you not know the preciousness of life?”
“But I’m not lying, I do have a… If Elise-sama doesn’t believe me, you can follow me back home, you can kill me then if I am truly lying!”
“You… You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you. Knowing that I’m… You sure are pissing me off, you miserable excuse for a demon king.”
Elise wasn’t about to let any more people find out her current state, for the sake of preserving her dignity as a demon god, so following Bella back home was out of the question. Elise also didn’t have enough reason to kill Bella, she would definitely be looked down upon and laughed at if she killed a demon king simply because that demon king had a wife.
Bella was no longer worried that Elise was going to hurt her, and now that she thought about it, Mia was an evil god and Angel was also a demon god, and weren’t that much lower ranked than this Elise in front of her. Bella had already ‘bedded’{2} those two back on the Alfred continent, and from then on in Bella’s heart, demon gods weren’t something terrifying and unapproachable.
Also, Bella also had the two Saviours, Lisha and Kriss on her side, which meant that she wasn’t completely alone if Elise decided to attack. Of course, that was only the worst possible outcome, and settling things peacefully would be the best as they were all from the same faction and it wouldn’t be good to have a bad relation with allies.
“What do you want? Tell me, every demon king has a price, I’m sure that there’s something in your heart that you desire!”
“Uhm, I only want… Can you tell me first why is it that you have to give me power? I want to know the reason, I don’t want to die so early, I still have a beautiful wife waiting for me at home…”
“Are you questioning a demon god’s honour? I won’t kill any demon kings from my faction. If it wasn’t for that bastard chasing after me and my injuries…I would… wait…. You aren’t as simple as I thought! Knowing how to bait out my words…”
Only now did Elise realize that not only had she exposed the secret that she was heavily wounded, but she had also unconsciously given Bella an unspoken promise that Elise wouldn’t kill her. This female demon king wasn’t as simple as she had thought, perhaps it was time to re-evaluate this demon king’s abilities.
“Elise-sama, I’m just a lowly demon king, you don’t have to think so much, I’m just a very inexperienced demon king.”
“You… You can just call me Elise, I believe that you meet the requirements to become my exclusive subordinate, so how about it? Do you want to sign a establish a contract with me and become my exclusive…”
“No… I don’t need power, I only need… Nevermind, you won’t be able to provide me with it anyways.”
Elise almost coughed out blood after hearing Bella’s words, her injuries becoming one stage heavier. Nothing seemed to work on this female demon king and now it seemed like she, a demon god, was begging a demon king to sign a contract with her, it was as if the roles had been completely reversed. She had even brought out the enticing offer of letting Bella become her exclusive subordinate, but she had remained unmoving even after that.
Being an exclusive subordinate wasn’t just to become the demon god’s lover, but it was also a type of ‘inheritance’ contract. After the contract has been signed, if the demon god dies for whatever reason, their power and position as demon god would be inherited by their exclusive demon king. This was the biggest dream of every single demon king out there, and one of the few ways to become a demon god, and the most straight-forward. The vast majority of demon kings die at the hands of Saviours and other enemies before they even have the chance to become a demon god.
If Bella was any other demon king, they definitely wouldn’t have turned down Elise’s offer. It was a shame that Elise had run into Bella, because Bella’s true form was also a demon god, so Elise’s tempting offer had absolute 0 attraction towards Bella.
Bella suspected that a part of the reason why Elise wanted to sign a contract with her was because one of the abilities of the contract was that the if one side was wounded the other wasn’t, the injured side could transfer a part, or most of her injuries to the uninjured side, to achieve the fastest recovery rate possible.
“Take this, I know what you want!”
“This is… ‘Treasure of the Dragons’? This is a treasure of those dimensional creator gods, why would you have…”
“You don’t need to ask so many questions, while ‘Treasure of the Dragons’ can’t heal your wounds, but it’ll mask your aura so that people can only sense a dragon when they’re around you. You can use it to avoid whoever it is that you’re trying to get away from and find somewhere hidden to recuperate.”
“This is something quite valuable… Are you sure…”
“Just take it, it’s a gift. This demon king nee-san is quite wealthy, I won’t miss that at all. I’ll be taking my leave now!”
“Stop stop stop! What’s your name, tell me it. I, the 【Tenebrous Demon God】 Elise have my own dignity as a demon god, I can’t simply accept a gift from a demon king that I hardly know!”
“My name is Bella, you can keep that piece of junk. Wait, you don’t need… this is…”
“Take it, I’m quite wealthy as well, heh. Bella, I suggest you find a place to hide as well, the bastard chasing me isn’t something that you can deal with. I have to quickly return and report to our chief.”
Elise turned around and took to the skies, quickly disappearing into the horizon, leaving behind a bewildered Bella. In Bella’s arms were the items that Elise had given her in return for ‘Treasure of Dragons’. A strange bottle, a strange seal, and a translucent black feather that seemed to have came from the energy wings on Elise’s back.
___
“Bella, I’ve remembered you! You’re the first demon king that dared to act like this to me. Hmph, next time I’ll definitely make you beg for me to give you my power, you just wait!”
Elise had left her exclusive demon god’s mark on all of the items that she had given Bella, with them she would be able to keep a track on the general location where Bella was in the future, so she wasn’t worried of Bella getting away from her. The marks that Elise left were only able to be erased by other Worldbreakers ranked in the top 30, but what Elise hadn’t expected was for two top 20 Worldbreakers to be at Bella’s side. Elise’s plan of tailing Bella was soon deemed a complete fail.
—TL NOTES—
{1} Whale: Someone that purchases in game goods and currency using real life funds
{2} She slept in the same bed as them, lol
—END—
