Chapter 719: The Confrontation in the Shadows

Meanwhile, on a mountain at the border of the Moon Demon Territory, a demon man with four cloaked figures stood, looking down at the scenery below, a gentle and refined smile on his face.

A cold voice came from behind him.

“What are you doing here?”

The speaker was a woman who had approached silently. She had a cold and beautiful face, but her aura was gentle, like a fairy descending from the moon, only her eyes held a chilling glint, a hint of danger around her.

The demon man’s smile didn’t change, but as he turned around, it became a feigned surprise.

“You’re here too?” he asked, as if surprised.

The woman ignored his pretense, her expression remaining cold.

“The leader has given the order to send out Apostles and Envoys to find the Hero and the Succubus before the Demon Race’s reinforcements arrive. Why are you wasting time here instead of carrying out your mission?”

Her tone was filled with suspicion and questioning, her aggressive demeanor making the demon man raise his hands in surrender.

“Don’t scare me like that. I can’t handle the intimidation of a Limit Level expert like you,” he said helplessly, “I’ve already sent my Apostles and Envoys to search for them.”

“And you? Just staying here to watch the show?” The woman didn’t let him off, pressing further, “Are you disobeying the leader’s orders again?”

“That’s a false accusation!” the demon man said dramatically, “When have I ever disobeyed the leader’s orders?”

These words made the woman’s aura fluctuate.

“Do you think you can hide it from me?” she asked, staring at him, “Whether it’s establishing the Mirage faction of the Old Demon Faction on your own, releasing Lilith, the Evil God, or even recommending that unknown Imperial Consort, suggesting she become the fourth Apostle, these actions have nothing to do with the leader’s ultimate goal, right?”

The demon man—Danas—smiled faintly and readily admitted,

“Indeed, these were my own decisions, unrelated to my father’s… no, the leader’s plans. So what? Did my actions hinder the organization?”

“…Then what about Sun’s matter?” the woman asked, staring at Danas coldly, “Since you had dealings with that Mara, why didn’t you tell us that the Hero who killed her possessed Transcendent Level power?”

Her aura became dangerous.

“If you hadn’t concealed this information, the leader’s plan wouldn’t have failed, the Succubus wouldn’t have escaped, and Sun wouldn’t have died so unjustly. How will you bear this responsibility?”

The woman’s magic power seeped out, as if she was ready to attack Danas.

Danas smiled wryly.

“I truly didn’t know Shien Buztout was that strong,” he said with a bitter expression, “Mara didn’t tell me what she did in the Imperial Capital, and I didn’t know she was killed by a Hero with Transcendent Level power. I thought she was just a Limit Level expert. Wouldn’t it be normal for her to be killed by a Legendary-level Hero?”

Although only Legendary Level, enhanced by the Holy Sword, a Hero could indeed kill a Limit Level expert.

“I truly didn’t know the Hero already possessed Transcendent Level power,” Danas sighed, looking up at the sky.

The woman’s eyes flickered as she looked at him.

After a while, she spoke.

“You really didn’t know anything?” she asked coldly, “Including what Mara did in the Imperial Capital, what happened there that day, and the celestial phenomena that darkened the sky and turned the earth crimson? You didn’t know the reason behind any of this?”

“Yes,” Danas said sincerely, meeting her cold gaze, “I only thought Mara was a powerful asset who could strengthen our Original Demon, so I contacted her and invited her to join us. Who knew she was secretly plotting something without my knowledge?”

Danas’s tone was sincere and filled with disappointment and indignation.

“If I had known she had ulterior motives, I would never have lent her the twelve Legendary Demon Lord Larvae. Now, not only is she dead, but I’ve also lost so many excellent sacrifices because of her. I don’t even know how to apologize to the leader.”

Hearing this, the woman finally fell silent.

After a long while, she snorted coldly.

“I’ll believe you for now,” she said, “You better not have any tricks up your sleeve, otherwise…”

She extended a slender hand and touched a nearby rock.

In the next second, the rock was enveloped in a soft, moonlight-like glow, instantly crumbling and turning into sand.

“Otherwise, this will be your fate.”

Leaving these words, the woman’s body also shimmered with moonlight, turning into sand and disappearing.

Only Danas remained, looking at the sand on the ground, the indignation and disappointment on his face vanishing without a trace.

“What a terrifying woman,” he said, patting his chest, still feeling a lingering fear, “Compared to that brainless Parion, who only has ambition, this woman is much more troublesome.”

A young girl’s voice echoed in his ears.

“She is quite formidable. Even among Limit Level experts, few could withstand that move, right?”

“More or less,” Danas agreed, “At least, I personally believe she’s the strongest among Limit Level beings.”

“I wonder how you managed to find such a talent,” the girl said with a sigh, “Limit Level beings are already rare. The Demon Race only has three, the God Race also three, and the Human Race none at all. They’re even rarer than Transcendent Level beings, and yet an Old Demon Faction established for only a thousand years has two. It seems your father is quite capable.”

“That’s because you don’t know the price we paid for these two Limit Level beings,” Danas said disdainfully, “Parion is just a dreamer. He only reached Limit Level because he followed my father the longest and received the help of many treasures. If it weren’t for his somewhat useful [Crimson Sun Hell] Unique Skill, he wouldn’t be valued so much.”

“That woman reached this level through her own efforts, but if it weren’t for her birth, the incredibly valuable ‘Demon King Prototype’ wouldn’t have been abandoned.”

“It can be said that these two Limit Level beings came at a great cost, a great sacrifice.”

Danas’s words were met with the girl’s chuckle.

“So that’s why you secretly established several Demonic Refining Ritual sites, using the Original Demon’s resources to cultivate Limit Level Demonized Beings, then using them as materials to create Limit Level Magic Fighters who obey you completely?”

The girl revealed his secret.

“There’s no helping it. I can’t reach Limit Level myself, so I can only use magical beings,” Danas chuckled, “My father created two Limit Level Apostles. As his son, how can I not create a few Limit Level Magic Fighters?”

“Aren’t you afraid of being exposed and punished by your father?” the girl teased, “Several Limit Level sacrifices would be greatly beneficial to completing the Seventh Demon Lord. You even told my maid that you had your father’s permission. Now it seems that was a blatant lie.”

“But who would know?” Danas said, not ashamed at all, “Where do you think those Demon Lord Larvae I lent to your maid, who has now disappeared, are?”

Hearing this, the girl immediately understood.

“So you switched those Demon Lord Larvae with the ones in your ritual facilities, using them as substitutes to deceive your father’s spies?”

“After all, no one knows that the Demon Lord Larvae I cultivated have already reached Limit Level,” Danas said meaningfully, “As long as I put them there, who would know that those Legendary-level larvae weren’t painstakingly cultivated by me using the organization’s resources?”

“You clever little thing,” the girl chuckled, “Unfortunately, Limit Level beings created like this only have power, they can’t awaken a Unique Skill. Against a true Limit Level expert, they’re no match.”

“Then I’ll use numbers,” Danas said nonchalantly, “If one isn’t enough, then two, if two aren’t enough, then four. I can always rival a true Limit Level expert with numbers.”

“But don’t forget,” the girl reminded him, “Your ultimate goal isn’t just Limit Level.”

“I know,” Danas chuckled, “That’s why I can’t let my father succeed in devouring the Succubus.”

“Then have you figured out how to deal with your father?” the girl asked, “Losing a capable Apostle he cultivated for so long, and his centuries-long plan failing, he must be furious and suspicious of you, just like that little girl from Moon.”

“Don’t worry,” Danas narrowed his eyes and smiled, “I’ll tell him about Shien Buztout and Shafney at the right time, making a contribution and temporarily dispelling his suspicions.”

Seeing Danas’s confident smile, his plans already in place, the girl chuckled softly and didn’t say anything more.

Danas looked ahead.

“The chance of Transcendence in this world is incredibly slim.”

“But I want that chance, so I can only apologize to you.”

“My poor father…”

The Old Demon Faction members were dedicated. Although hiding in the shadows, they still thoroughly searched all the places where Shien and Shafney might be.

Shien and Shafney hid in a cave in the forest, using the superb concealment of [Inner Awareness of Heaven’s Decree] to avoid their magic detection. However, several search parties came close, even entering the cave. If not for the powerful effect of [Inner Awareness of Heaven’s Decree], they would have been discovered.

Of course, even if discovered, Shien could teleport them both to another hiding place. With his teleportation, the Original Demon’s barriers were useless.

However, the curse on Shafney was causing problems. It would occasionally flare up, not fatally, but painfully. Shafney’s face paled several times, her body swaying, and if not for Shien using [Celestial Breathe] to stabilize the curse, she might have collapsed. Moreover, each flare-up emitted a unique negative fluctuation, attracting more and more Old Demon Faction members to the forest, despite Shien and Shafney remaining undetected.

This only meant one thing.

𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

“Are we about to be surrounded?” Shien realized.

“It seems they’ve roughly pinpointed our location based on the fluctuations of the curse on me,” Shafney said, her expression grim.

Seeing the pale and fragile-looking Succubus, Shien couldn’t help but feel a pang of heartache.

This made Shafney raise an eyebrow and smile.

“Not bad, you finally know how to care for your older sister,” she said, her smile as cheerful as ever, as if unconcerned about the curse.

“At a time like this, you’re still teasing me?” Shien said helplessly, “If we don’t find a solution, I’ll really have to charge out and fight our way through.”

Even if he teleported away with Shafney, they would be quickly tracked based on the curse’s aura. Therefore, he would rather leave her here, fight his way through the enemy lines, and then create an opportunity to escape. Since fighting and escaping were inevitable, he preferred to fight first.

Shafney seemed to see through his plan, and after a moment of thought, she said,

“There are solutions.”

These words made Shien’s spirits lift.

“What solutions?” he asked, straightening up.

“The first is to wait for rescue,” Shafney replied seriously.

“…” Shien was speechless.

“Don’t look at me like that, I’m serious,” Shafney chuckled, “My [Ripple Heart Demon] can connect with others. As long as I ask Liel or my sisters for help, they’ll receive the message and come immediately.”

“Really?” Shien asked, puzzled, “Then why didn’t you do that?”

“Do you think I don’t want to?” Shafney rolled her eyes, “But that guy is also here. Even if Liel and the others come, it would be useless, just sending them to their deaths. My sisters are too far away. By the time they arrive, he would have already escaped with his people.”

Shien thought for a moment and agreed. Since they planned to curse Shafney using [Ripple Heart Demon], they would naturally anticipate her using it to call for help. That’s why they were searching secretly, to avoid alerting them and to retreat before reinforcements arrived. They were buying time, seeing if they could find Shien and Shafney before that. If they couldn’t, they would give up.

This was what Shafney meant by “waiting for rescue.” Even without calling for help, if they thought she had and that reinforcements were coming, they would retreat.

Then, they would be safe.

But…

“Since you said this is the first solution, then there’s a second one, right?” Shien asked.

“Indeed,” Shafney’s eyes flickered, “The second solution is much simpler: completely dispel the curse on me.”

Hearing this, Shien was stunned, then realized something.

“You mean you have a way to completely dispel the curse?”

He understood the hidden meaning. If the curse was dispelled, they wouldn’t have to worry and could fight their way out.

Unfortunately, the curse on Shafney had accumulated for hundreds of years and was inflicted through the connection of [Ripple Heart Demon], bypassing even a Demon Lord’s resistance.

Yet, Shafney mentioned dispelling the curse as a second solution. This meant it was possible to dispel it now.

Shafney pursed her lips.

“What?” Shien asked, seeing her reaction, “Is it difficult to do?”

“…It’s not difficult,” she said softly after a moment of silence, “It depends on whether I’m willing to do it.”

“What do you mean?” Shien didn’t understand.

Shafney blinked and finally revealed her method.

“If there’s someone with a deep connection to me, or someone with a very close relationship with me, I can transfer the curse to them using [Ripple Heart Demon].”

Shien’s eyes widened.

“Your [Ripple Heart Demon] can do that?” He was astonished.

“Why not?” Shafney smiled mischievously, “My [Ripple Heart Demon] uses the mind as a medium, its power determined by the depth of their memories, trust, vulnerabilities, even their submission and devotion towards me. If the connection is strong enough, I can even steal their abilities and strength. Then why can’t I transfer my injuries and curses to them, making them bear the burden?”

Shien felt a chill. [Ripple Heart Demon] could even do this?

Could she even make someone die in her place?

“It’s not that simple,” Shafney’s smile disappeared, and she glanced at Shien, as if seeing through his thoughts, “To even transfer death, the other person must be willing to die for me. Without that level of devotion, [Ripple Heart Demon] can’t do it.”

This was the limitation of [Ripple Heart Demon]. To extract more value from the connected person, a deeper connection was needed, requiring a sufficient amount of memories, trust, vulnerabilities, and devotion from them.

Otherwise, the most versatile Unique Skill wouldn’t be Millu’s [Ghost Seed].

The reason [Ripple Heart Demon]’s versatility was inferior to [Ghost Seed] was because of its limitations and requirements.

Thinking of this, Shien said,

“Then, in your case, there should be many who are willing to bear the curse for you, right?”

Not to mention, Shafney’s executives would definitely be willing to sacrifice their lives for her. Even Gray might do so without hesitation. With the Succubus’s charm, the men willing to die for her could probably form a line from the Succubus Territory to the Moon Demon Territory.

Of course, as mentioned before, it depended on whether Shafney was willing.

“Although I’m not interested in those insignificant people, I wouldn’t want them to die for me for no reason,” Shafney said without hesitation.

“I don’t need their sacrifices, nor their lives.” She wouldn’t deny her indifference towards them. Since she wasn’t interested in them, there was no reason for them to sacrifice so much for her. She couldn’t bear such a debt.

“You’re quite clear-headed,” Shien said, understanding her thoughts.

Like those so-called goddesses in his previous life, who, despite having no interest in their admirers, wouldn’t hesitate to use and discard them, even keeping them as backups. That was truly despicable.

Shafney, with her terrifying [Ripple Heart Demon] and her unparalleled charm, could easily exploit countless people, yet she refused to abuse this ability.

“If I truly used this ability without any restraint, then I wouldn’t even have to fear big sister at night, and I could even fight against the Goddess of Fate one-on-one,” she said seriously.

“But if I did that, my own heart would be riddled with holes, filled with weaknesses.”

As mentioned before, [Ripple Heart Demon] was a double-edged sword. If she used it to harm others’ hearts, her own heart would eventually be pierced as well.

Shafney firmly believed this and thus had her own principles.

Therefore…

“I don’t want to use this method,” she said.

Shien didn’t object.

But he also didn’t agree.

Because…

“How about transferring the curse to me?” he suddenly asked.

“…”

Shafney was speechless.