Chapter 687: The Source of Her Power

A while later, Shien left Shafney’s room and descended from the top floor of the Succubus Fortress.

Upon reaching the lower level, Shien turned his head and looked to the side.

There, a pair of eyes glared at him fiercely.

“…Are you looking for another fight, Clan Chief Liel?” Shien asked, exasperated.

“Hmph,” Liel snorted coldly, having waited there for who knows how long, “Not today. I’ll find you tomorrow.”

These words made Shien seriously consider leaving the Succubus Fortress overnight. This place was too dangerous.

But where could he go after leaving?

He still had to go to Central City in three days to meet Airi and Lilith.

If he ran away now, even if Shafney didn’t come looking for him, she would definitely make him suffer when he returned in three days.

“Sigh…” Shien sighed, feeling his situation was truly difficult.

With this thought in mind, he ignored Liel and walked outside.

However, unexpectedly, Liel followed him.

“Why are you following me?” Shien asked, annoyed.

“Do you think I want to?” Liel said with a displeased expression, “If Master Shafney hadn’t ordered me to, I wouldn’t bother following you.”

“She asked you to follow me?” Shien was slightly startled, “Why?”

“Because some idiots might cause trouble,” Liel said coldly, “Didn’t you just encounter two of them?”

She was naturally referring to Gray and Hart.

“The news of your presence here has spread. There will definitely be more coming for you, like those two,” Liel said impassively, “And not everyone is as sensible as them.”

Although Gray and Hart came for Shien, their attitudes weren’t hostile. They were more here to test him, curious about his identity as the Hero and his relationship with Shafney.

If Shien’s performance just now wasn’t satisfactory, they wouldn’t have hesitated to drive him away.

But Shien displayed enough power to make them wary, so they acknowledged his right to stay and didn’t cause further trouble.

However, not everyone was as sensible and cautious as Gray and Hart.

Generally speaking, demons were arrogant and haughty.

They respected strength and looked down on humans and even gods. Even if they guessed Shien was the Hero, without personally experiencing his strength, most demons wouldn’t be easily intimidated by his title.

Even those who were, upon learning that Shafney favored Shien, would become impulsive and wouldn’t be able to sit still.

A beauty causing trouble wasn’t just a saying.

When it came to the Succubus, countless demons would do anything for her.

Shien would definitely encounter more people like Gray and Hart, even powerful and renowned Legendary figures among them.

“Women truly are a source of trouble, especially beautiful women,” Shien sighed, feeling even more helpless.

“Afraid now?” Liel said proudly, “This is the price of getting close to Master Shafney. Since you have earned such enviable treatment, you should naturally bear the consequences.”

“Heh,” Shien said dismissively, “Do you really think I’m afraid?”

As he said before, Shien was only afraid of trouble, not of confrontation.

If trouble was unavoidable, he would simply use his strength to suppress those who dared to challenge him.

He had already done this in the Royal Capital.

This time, if they truly angered him, he wouldn’t hesitate to show these demons that even if he was special, he was still the Hero.

Liel also knew this.

She had fought Shien over a hundred times in the past two days, always ending in defeat. How could she not know how strong this Hero was?

Although she hadn’t used the power of her “eyes” yet, as it was too dangerous, Shien also hadn’t used his Holy Sword, only some kind of power-enhancing skill that seemed to be his Unique Skill.

This already told Liel that if they fought seriously, she wouldn’t be a match for this Hero.

And if she, the strongest in the Succubus Territory, wasn’t his match, then others definitely weren’t either.

But there was always a chance.

No one said they could only fight him one-on-one.

What if he was besieged?

What if they used some underhanded tricks?

If something happened to Shien, Liel wouldn’t care, but it would be difficult to explain to her master.

After all, this Hero was the Dragon Demon’s fiancé, practically the Succubus’s future brother-in-law. If something happened to him, the relationship between the Demon Lords would be strained.

Moreover, this Hero was now involved in the matter of peace between the three races.

Because of this, there had been some concerning movements within Succubus City recently.

Both logically and emotionally, this Hero couldn’t be harmed.

Therefore, before leaving, Shafney ordered Liel to watch over Shien and ensure his safety.

Otherwise, why would Liel want to follow him?

Of course, Liel didn’t bother explaining.

“Anyway, I’ll be watching you while you’re in Succubus City,” she said, turning her head, “Unless you obediently return to your room, I’ll follow you wherever you go.”

Liel’s declaration didn’t faze Shien much.

“Follow me if you want,” he said, then looked at Liel suspiciously, “But you shouldn’t have any admirers who would suddenly attack me just because you’re always with me, right?”

Shien was truly a little afraid.

Liel sneered.

“Don’t worry, in Succubus City, everyone, regardless of gender, is only an admirer of Master Shafney.”

Liel said this matter-of-factly, even with a hint of pride, leaving Shien speechless.

He wanted to remind Liel that this wasn’t something to be proud of.

He also questioned this Succubus City.

Everyone in the city, regardless of gender, was only an admirer of Shafney?

Then…

Didn’t they need to worry about the continuation and reproduction of their races?

With this deep question in mind, Shien left the Succubus Fortress.

“Where are you going?” Liel immediately asked.

Shien didn’t hide it, replying directly,

“To meet with some acquaintances who came to Succubus City with me.”

Saying this, he remembered the question he asked Shafney but didn’t receive an answer to.

“Do you know what your Succubus’s Unique Skill is?” Shien asked Liel.

“Unique Skill?” Liel frowned, “You don’t know?”

“If I knew, would I ask you?” Shien rolled his eyes, “That Succubus seems to like keeping secrets. I asked her, but she wouldn’t tell me.”

“Even if Master Shafney didn’t tell you, it shouldn’t be difficult to find out,” Liel said, “The Unique Skills of the Six Demon Lords have long been analyzed by the God Race and the Human Race. It’s no longer a secret.”

“That being said…” Shien scratched his head, “But in the various legends and stories about the Six Demon Lords, descriptions of the Succubus’s Unique Skill are the rarest and vaguest. Not just me, but many humans aren’t very clear about it either.”

Many books described the terror of beings like the Moon Demon, Beast Demon, Poison Demon, Ghost Demon, and Dragon Demon, and from those descriptions, one could more or less deduce their Unique Skills’ effects.

But when it came to Shafney, the Succubus, people only talked about her beauty and how others were driven mad by her, rarely mentioning her combat abilities.

Even after coming to the Demon Realm, Shien only heard about these things, not about Shafney’s actual performance in battle.

Therefore, Shien was naturally confused.

“Could her Unique Skill be charm-related?”

Shien strongly suspected this. After all, her charm was so powerful that it made one wonder if it was the effect of a Unique Skill. Otherwise, why would she be called the Succubus? The other Demon Lords’ titles were related to their abilities. Perhaps Shafney’s Unique Skill was charm-related.

However, Shafney herself denied this.

No, not just Shafney.

“What do you know?” Liel said disdainfully, “Master Shafney’s charm is innate, she doesn’t need a Unique Skill to captivate others.”

Unlike other Demon Lords who gained their titles through their abilities, Shafney was called the Succubus because of her innate beauty and charm, more impactful than her power.

Therefore, her Unique Skill wasn’t directly related to her title.

“Rather, Master Shafney’s charm itself is the source of her Unique Skill’s power,” Liel said, “You’ll understand later.”

Hearing this, Shien nodded nonchalantly.

As for what he truly thought, only he knew.

Soon, Shien left the Succubus Fortress.

This was his first time venturing out in Succubus City. He had spent two days in the fortress waiting for Airi, only to learn from Shafney that she had been put off and wouldn’t be coming. Therefore, there was no need for him to stay. He had three days left, so he might as well explore.

Of course, his appearance caused a stir in Succubus City.

As he walked down the street, Shien noticed many eyes on him, both open and hidden, as if they had been watching him for a long time. Some gazes sharpened, some disappeared. Shien knew they were reporting to someone. There were too many eyes for it to be just random passersby; many were spies from the powerful tribes in Succubus City.

So, conversations like these occurred in various settlements:

“That human finally appeared.”

“Should we go and meet him?”

“No, that Stone Woman is with him.”

“Is she his guard, assigned by the Succubus?”

“It seems the Succubus values him highly.”

“Having her as a guard, that treatment is comparable to other Demon Lords visiting.”

“We can’t touch him then.”

“Not openly, at least.”

“Keep watching. There will be an opportunity.”

“I want to see what makes that human so special.”

Such conversations created undercurrents in Succubus City.

Naturally, there were always some idiots who didn’t think things through.

Thanks to this, Shien encountered several challengers on the street.

Like now…

“Bang!” With a muffled sound, a large and burly Higher Demon was sent flying by a kick, crashing into a pile of debris and disappearing beneath it.

“Bastard!” Several other demons charged towards Shien, their magic power surging, their auras powerful, all seemingly Higher Demons above level seventy.

Unfortunately…

“Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!” …

With a series of thuds, these imposing Higher Demons were kicked away like balls, sprawling on the ground, groaning and wailing.

“How many waves is this?” Shien asked Liel, standing amidst the fallen demons, his face filled with annoyance, while the surrounding demons watched.

“The fourth,” Liel replied indifferently, watching from the side.

“The fourth…” Shien was speechless, sighing and questioning his life.

Other protagonists in another world were either admired by thousands or dominated the world with their power, enjoying cheers and applause, the epitome of transmigrator awesomeness.

He, however, seemed to attract only hatred, no beautiful women throwing themselves at him, no opportunities to show off, only waves of tough guys attacking him relentlessly.

Was this treatment a bit excessive?

Shien once again questioned his protagonist status.

The villains’ lines, however, remained unchanged.

“You… you’re finished…” A Higher Demon near Shien pointed at him with a trembling hand.

“You’ve offended our Snake Eye Clan. You’ll suffer a terrible fate. My brother or my father will avenge me…”

Such cliché lines.

“You handle it,” Shien said, waving his hand dismissively and continuing forward, too tired to even speak.

Liel then stepped forward.

“Snake Eye Clan?” she said, looking coldly at the demons on the ground, “Did that idiot Rick send you here to embarrass yourselves?”

“You… you are…!?” The Higher Demon’s eyes widened, as if just noticing Liel.

Liel’s expression was ice-cold.

“Fighting is forbidden in Succubus City. Your Snake Eye Clan knowingly violated this rule. Go back and tell Rick to come to the Succubus Fortress and receive his punishment.”

Liel’s words made the faces of the fallen demons change drastically.

“We… we…” They wanted to say something, but Liel didn’t give them a chance.

“Scram!” A dangerous glint flashed in her eyes.

The demons immediately scrambled away. Even the surrounding onlookers dispersed, not daring to stay.

Liel then caught up to Shien, her expression unchanged, as if she had just handled a trivial matter.

Only Shien continued to sigh.

“Is there no way to avoid this?” he asked, exasperated.

“No,” Liel replied bluntly, “I’ve already said, everyone in Succubus City, male or female, is an admirer of Master Shafney. Since you’re favored by her, you have to bear the consequences.”

“You’re all truly amazing,” Shien said with a forced smile, “Honestly, this is the first time I’ve ever wanted to destroy a city.”

“You can try,” Liel said, unfazed, glancing at him, “But don’t say I didn’t warn you, Succubus City isn’t like your human cities. There are at least twenty Legendary-level experts here. Don’t think you can destroy it as easily as you did the Imperial Capital of the Ragna Empire.”

Liel had clearly investigated Shien’s past actions.

However, she didn’t know that the person who “easily” destroyed the Imperial Capital wasn’t just some nobody, but someone who had briefly reached Transcendence.

If she knew this, she wouldn’t have said that.

(I wonder how many people know about Mara’s incident.)

The incident Mara caused in the Imperial Capital was undoubtedly a major event. A being who briefly achieved Transcendence, if exposed, would definitely cause chaos among the three races.

But it seemed that Mara’s actions hadn’t attracted much attention.

First, in many people’s eyes, it was just a coup in a human nation, not a major event on a global scale.

Second, the news of the Hero’s appearance overshadowed the Mara incident, shifting everyone’s attention to Shien and the three races’ stances.

For those at the apex of the world, the matter of the Hero was definitely more important than a mere coup by an Imperial Consort, right?

Moreover, since few knew about the Branch of Rejuvenation and the Great Undead Sacrificial Activation Magic Circle, and the Ragna Empire, in order to quell the unrest, attributed all the strange phenomena to “the Imperial Consort using an evil ritual magic for unknown purposes,” few knew about Mara’s astonishing feat.

Now, people only cared about the Hero’s appearance and the peace between the three races, who would care about a coup in the Ragna Empire and an Imperial Consort’s actions?

If it weren’t for the near destruction of the Imperial Capital and the large-scale commotion caused by Mara’s ritual magic circle, this matter might have been completely ignored.

(After my situation calms down, the incident in the Imperial Capital will definitely attract the attention of those in power again, right?) Shien thought.

He just didn’t know how many would discover the truth behind it.

Shien himself was also preoccupied with the sudden events, almost forgetting about Mara’s incident. Thinking about it now, he realized there were still several unanswered questions.

For example, where did the Branch of Rejuvenation, awakened by Mara before her death, go?

And why did that little girl named Leni suddenly disappear without a trace?

Moreover, what was with the [Symbiosis] skill on Mara?

Shien had a feeling there was a bigger secret hidden within.

He sighed again.

“Why are you sighing all day?” Liel asked, dissatisfied, “You’re the Hero, can’t you have some backbone and cheer up a bit?”

“Do you think I want this?” Shien said plaintively, “A pitiful person like you, whose only goal is to pursue forbidden love with another woman, wouldn’t understand the feeling of wanting to solve a mystery, only to have more and more mysteries appear.”

“I don’t understand,” Liel frowned, “But I can tell you’re mocking me, right?”

Shien didn’t answer, only giving her an innocent smile.

Liel was silent, then punched him without hesitation.

“Swoosh!” Shien teleported, dodging her attack.

“Come back here!” Liel shouted angrily, startling the passing demons.

“Just go back, violent woman,” Shien’s voice reached her ears.

“It’s more convenient for me to act alone.”

Leaving these words, Shien vanished without a trace.

“Damn him!” Liel gritted her teeth, but didn’t dare to delay, quickly contacting her clansmen and searching for Shien.

Little did she know that in the darkness, some malicious intent was also stirring.