Chapter 729: No Matter Who

Moon Demon Territory, Central City.

Above this most prosperous city in the Demon Realm, a streak of light zipped across the sky at astonishing speed, catching the attention of many.

“They’re finally here?”

Several Demon Lords, as if sensing this, turned their heads towards the light, their reactions varying.

“Good, they’re safe.” Sara, on the top floor of the Supreme Castle, smiled upon seeing the light approaching from the horizon. This supreme being of the Demon Race had clearly received news of the attack on Shien and the others.

“Boom!” At the same time, behind Sara, a surge of evil aura erupted, and a small figure shot out like a ghost, heading towards the approaching light.

“That little girl is really impatient.”

Sara, as if having anticipated this, didn’t stop her, only sighing helplessly.

“Hmph!” Kamina, in a corner of Central City, also sensed the familiar evil aura, and snorted coldly as she watched it fly towards the sky.

“Hee hee.” Millu, with Lid, chuckled happily upon seeing this scene.

“It seems things are about to get lively,” Lid murmured, lying on Millu’s head, her tone a mix of helplessness and anticipation.

Naturally, Airi was also in Central City and saw this scene.

“They really are a bunch of troublemakers,” she sighed, her gaze fixed on the horizon, as if she could see the figure she had been longing for, a smile unconsciously appearing on her lips.

Beside Airi were three figures. Two of them were demon executives who accompanied her to the Dragon’s Lair before coming to Central City.

“Is that the Hero Master has been thinking about?” The horned dragon woman, holding a wine barrel, looked at the sky with a hint of fighting spirit in her eyes.

“I really don’t understand why Master wants to marry a human,” the haughty dragon woman said with a look of disgust.

Their attitudes towards the approaching Hero were clear.

Of course, the most intense reaction came from the figure closest to Airi. She looked at the light in the sky, a flicker of excitement in her eyes, her magic power surging, as if wanting to rush towards it. But seeing the figure covered in evil aura flying towards the sky, she stopped.

“Not going?” Airi noticed this and turned to the dragon girl beside her, a faint smile on her face, “Weren’t you eager to see him?”

“Since Lilith has already gone, I’ll let her have Master for now,” the dragon girl replied, her tone haughty, yet unable to hide her joy. Despite her haughty tone, her voice was sweet and childish, making her sound incredibly cute, especially with her delicate and beautiful face. Airi looked at her with unconcealed affection, like looking at a younger relative.

The two dragon executives, however, were displeased by the girl’s words.

“You still plan to see that human as your master?” the haughty dragon woman asked, frowning, “You’ve successfully transformed into a human, awakened your Unique Skill, become the strongest of the Dragon Race, even capable of rivaling the three Limit Level executives under the Moon Demon, practically the strongest below the Demon Lords, and yet you still serve a human?”

“I don’t understand either,” the horned dragon woman, holding her wine barrel, said in agreement, “Although I’m curious about how strong that Hero is, he can’t be stronger than Master. You rejected our Dragon King’s invitation, refusing to return to our Dragon Race, and instead chose to follow a human. Honestly, if he weren’t the Hero, I would have killed him to make you see reality.”

The two dragon executives were clearly dissatisfied with the path chosen by this promising junior, even somewhat disappointed.

From their perspective, even if he was the Hero, he was still just a human. The Dragon Race, the strongest in the Demon Realm, with their immense pride and bloodline, why should they lower themselves to serve a human? Not to mention a human Hero, even the Three Goddesses or the other Demon Lords couldn’t force a dragon to submit.

Unlike other races, the Dragon Race had a Transcendent Level Dragon King. The other Demon Lords might have many talented subordinates, and the Three Goddesses also had many followers, but only the Dragon Race were not just subordinates of the Dragon Demon, but also her kin.

Airi, the Dragon Demon, was the true Dragon King, the Dragon Lord, even the Dragon Mother, the progenitor of all dragons.

This relationship was fundamentally different from ordinary subordination.

Everyone knew that the Dragon Demon saw all dragons as her children, and all dragons saw her as their lord, even their mother. Their true allegiance was to the Dragon Demon, not a human Hero.

However…

“You don’t understand anything,” the dragon girl said, looking at her two seniors with disdain.

“You don’t understand how strong he is. If it weren’t for him, I would have become a pile of flesh and blood, or spent my entire life in Atlus Gorge, complacently guarding a medium-sized magic power source. Forget about becoming a Limit Level dragon, I wouldn’t even reach level ninety-five for who knows how long.”

Saying this, the dragon girl looked at the sky and, with respect and admiration, said in her sweet, childish voice,

“He’s the most incredible human I’ve ever seen. Even Sister Airi likes him so much, and you still look down on him? Do you think Sister Airi and I have poor judgment?”

Her disdainful words angered the two dragon executives.

“Do you want to fight?” the girl asked, even more disdainful, “Forget it, you’re no match for me.”

This wasn’t just disdain, but outright contempt.

And the two dragon women couldn’t refute her. In the Dragon’s Lair, they had challenged this girl, only to be soundly defeated, almost dying. A Limit Level dragon girl, with the [Dragon Transformation] Unique Skill, was terrifyingly powerful.

Her [Dragon Transformation] was especially frightening. All dragons who transformed into humans only awakened this one Unique Skill. And its effect was simple: to increase their power exponentially. It was basically the dragon version of [Samsara of Heaven’s Decree], without any side effects or limitations.

However, no two Unique Skills were exactly alike. Even if their effects were similar, their power varied depending on the individual.

Airi’s [Dragon Transformation] granted a tenfold increase in power, an unparalleled boost. Other dragons usually only received a three to fivefold increase, no one ever exceeding that. The two dragon women present, executives under Airi and among the strongest of the Dragon Race, one ranked first, the other second, could only achieve a fivefold increase.

But this dragon girl, who just emerged from the Dragon’s Lair and transformed into a human?

Her [Dragon Transformation] didn’t grant a three or fivefold increase, but a sevenfold!

Yes!

Sevenfold!

This was an unprecedented multiplier, breaking the previous record for dragons and approaching Airi’s tenfold increase!

Before [Dragon Transformation], the two dragon women combined could match this Limit Level dragon girl. But after transformation, the difference in power was immense, and they were easily defeated by this childish-voiced dragon girl.

Such astonishing strength both shocked and delighted them. It meant the Dragon Race was about to have an exceptional expert, possibly even the strongest below the Demon Lords. The Dragon Race, although known as the strongest in the Demon Realm, not having a Limit Level expert was always a regret. Until today, this regret was finally addressed.

Under such circumstances, the dragon girl, however, poured cold water on their excitement.

“I won’t stay here. I have my own master.” The commotion this caused in the Dragon Race was imaginable.

This was also why the two dragon women felt some hostility towards this unknown Hero. Moreover, this so-called Hero was about to marry their master. How could they, who saw Airi as a mother figure, like him? Now, being looked down upon by this girl, they were both angry and resentful, yet helpless.

Airi, however, said softly,

“He’s truly different.”

Then, her expression turned serious.

“It seems I’ll be busy.”

Sensing the hostility towards the approaching Hero from all corners of the city, Airi’s eyes flickered.

No matter who it is, don’t even think about bullying him.

No matter who…

“—!”

With a tremor in the atmosphere, the light from the sky landed heavily on a plaza in Central City, and figures emerged.

“We’ve arrived.”

Shafney stood among them, surrounded by her guards.

Shien, still carrying Gorud, looked at the scene before him. A vast plaza and a massive castle in the distance.

“That’s the Supreme Castle,” Shafney explained.

“Supreme Castle…” Shien murmured, nodding.

The Supreme Castle, as the name suggested, was the residence of the supreme being of the Demon Race. Located in the center of Central City, which was in the center of the Moon Demon Territory, which was in the center of the Demon Realm, the Supreme Castle was known as the castle at the center of the world, the most famous and revered place in the Demon Realm.

Here, not only did the supreme being of the Demon Race reside, but also the only three Limit Level experts of the Demon Race were stationed here year-round, with at least one always present.

Therefore, Central City was considered the safest and most prosperous place in the entire Demon Realm, attracting countless powerful demons, even tribes from other territories, making it the most diverse city in the Demon Realm.

There were even passages directly to the Human Realm and a gate connecting to the Divine Realm.

After all, Sara, the Moon Demon, as the supreme being of the Demon Race, frequently needed to discuss matters with the higher-ups of the God Race and the Human Race, and she was also in charge of all diplomatic affairs. Therefore, her castle had passages to the other two realms.

Of course, these passages only led to fixed locations and were only used for communication with the higher-ups of the other two realms for diplomatic purposes, not for ordinary travel.

Thanks to this, Sara could easily appear in the Human Realm and meet with Shien, while other Demon Lords used different passages.

Because of this, the Supreme Castle held a special status in the Demon Realm, practically the administrative center, the undisputed capital.

Shien, before landing, looked at Central City from above, finding it similar to a large human city, with residential, commercial, military, and administrative districts, its layout and planning similar to the Royal Capital or the Imperial Capital.

“Well, it feels like I’ve entered a civilized society,” he commented.

“What do you mean by that?” Shafney asked, narrowing her eyes and smiling, “Is my Succubus City some kind of barbaric wasteland?”

“I didn’t say that,” Shien shrugged, changing the subject, “Do you come here often?”

“Not often,” Shafney snorted, “Diplomatic affairs are usually handled by big sister. We five sisters are only responsible for managing our own territories. We rarely gather unless there’s a major event.”

“Really?” Shien turned to Shafney, surprised, “So you six sisters don’t see each other often?”

“That’s right,” Shafney said matter-of-factly, “Like Airi, sometimes she sleeps for hundreds of years. How could we see each other often?”

“Uh…” Shien was surprised, “I thought you six sisters had a good relationship.”

“We do have a good relationship,” Shafney looked at Shien strangely, then seemed to understand his meaning, saying with a hint of annoyance, “Do you think our relationship will fade just because we don’t see each other for a few hundred years? Don’t judge us based on your human perception of time, alright?”

Shien realized his mistake. These Demon Lords had existed for tens of thousands of years, even the youngest, Airi, was already ten thousand years old. And the Demon Realm had only existed for a thousand years. Before its creation, these Demon Lords led the Demon Race in wars against the God Race and the Human Race, living together for at least several thousand years. Compared to that, a thousand years in the Demon Realm wasn’t long at all. Under such circumstances, for the Demon Lords to meet every few years was already considered frequent.

Moreover, they now had their own territories and their own matters to attend to. They were like siblings who had already established their own families and naturally wouldn’t see each other as often as before. But not seeing each other often didn’t mean they were estranged.

Overall, the six Demon Lord sisters had a good relationship, at least united enough. Even if they had disagreements, they were minor. Sometimes, they even fought amongst themselves, their battles earth-shattering and terrifying to outsiders, but for them, it was just playful banter, not taken seriously.

Therefore, it wasn’t appropriate to judge their relationship based on ordinary standards.

“Recently, we six sisters have been meeting more often than before,” Shafney said, patting Shien’s shoulder with a smile, “And it’s all thanks to you, right?”

Shien curled his lip, understanding her meaning. She was implying that it was because of him that they were so busy.

The Hero’s appearance caused unrest in the Demon Realm, even affecting the Human Realm and the Divine Realm, ultimately leading to the three-race meeting. Naturally, the Six Demon Lords couldn’t ignore such a major event and had to meet frequently to discuss it.

“Not to mention the Old Demon Faction’s recent activities have also increased,” Shafney glanced at Gorud, whom Shien was still carrying, “Even the Original Demon, who usually doesn’t show themselves, has become bolder, even directly targeting me this time, sending a large group to act. This has never happened in the past thousand years.”

That’s why Airi needed to return to the Demon Realm with Lid and Millu to discuss this matter.

Who knew that before they could even begin their discussion, Shien’s matter arose.

“You’re quite lucky, you know,” Shafney said to Shien teasingly, “Demon Lords, whom ordinary people rarely even see, you’ll have the chance to meet all six of us. Don’t you feel honored?”

“Honored?” Shien chuckled.

It did seem like an honor.

However, he had already met almost all of the Six Demon Lords.

He had met Sara, the eldest, in the Human Realm.

He also encountered Lid and Millu, the Beast Demon and the Ghost Demon, in the Elven Homeland.

And Airi, not to mention, if not for this separation, they would still be together.

Plus Shafney beside him, he had already met five of the six.

The only one left was Kamina, the Poison Demon.

And that Demon Lord seemed to have a problem with him.

In other words, this trip to the Demon Realm wasn’t just an honor, but also a potential source of trouble.

How could he not chuckle?

“Don’t worry,” Shafney chuckled, covering her mouth, “Your sisters will protect you.”

“Really?” Shien asked instinctively.

“Of course,” Shafney said with a bright smile, “At least, we won’t let you be melted into a pile of bones by poison.”

Shien didn’t want to talk to her anymore.

“Oh, are you angry?” Shafney asked, reaching out and patting his head with a smile, “Good girl, I was just scaring you.”

Shien’s lips twitched, and he swatted her hand away. If not for being in public, he would have hit her.

“Hee hee.” Shafney seemed to enjoy seeing him like this, wanting to hit her but unable to, her laughter cheerful.

Unbeknownst to her, their interaction was being observed by the three others present.

Liel wanted to stop them, but didn’t dare disobey Shafney, only glaring at Shien with killing intent.

Hart was silent, his gaze towards Shien filled with complex emotions.

As for Gray, his fists were clenched, but his expression remained unchanged.

The three of them could only watch as Shien and Shafney interacted casually, their true thoughts hidden.

“—!” Suddenly, a wave of evil aura entered everyone’s senses, making their expressions change.

“This is…” Even Shafney’s eyes flickered, and magic power unconsciously seeped out from her. She sensed a powerful aura approaching, no weaker than her own, and it didn’t belong to any of her sisters.

“Could it be…?” She seemed to have guessed something and withdrew her magic power.

“Who…!?” Liel, Hart, and Gray, like startled birds, jumped in front of Shafney, protecting her. Clearly, after the previous attack by the Original Demon, they were on high alert. Failing to protect Shafney once was enough. If it happened again, forcing her to face the enemy alone, it would be unacceptable.

Only Shien, sensing the evil aura, felt an unparalleled sense of familiarity and closeness. He turned around abruptly, a look of surprise on his face.

In the next second, a terrifying evil aura, like a storm, surged from the sky. Its momentum was astonishing.