Chapter 718: Black Flower

t some point, pink fog drifted in, filling the entire tower-top space, like a sea covered in red algae.

This was completely different from the pink fog Ariel had seen those succubi release before. It carried the same intoxicating, sweet fragrance, yet that scent was not beautiful at all. It was like some kind of bone-gnawing, flesh-boring little worm—starting from the inside and slowly corroding its way out, until even the soul felt cold and trembled.

Ariel gathered what little battle qi she had left and forced these knee-jerk-dangerous pink mists away, then painfully twisted her head and looked toward where the footsteps were coming from.

One of the Abyss’s rulers.

One of the demonfolk’s topmost powerhouses.

A devil with countless human lives’ blood on its hands.

And the succubus king who, by rumor, loved women and drained hundreds of girls dry every night...

One of the demonfolk’s eight Grand Dukes, the Enchantress Grand Duke—just those circulating titles alone were enough to make a person feel fear from the deepest part of their soul.

Let alone the fact that this time, it was no longer separated by a wall, and no longer a beast merely passing by while patrolling its territory.

The Enchantress Grand Duke coming here was like a king returning to her own castle—she would inevitably flay every rat that dared offend a king’s dignity.

But Ariel still “overstepped” and threw her gaze over.

Damn it—if I can’t get a look at the legendary succubus king’s real face, then even if I eat shit and die I won’t...

Ariel clenched her teeth. Ignoring that terrifying pressure, she forced her eyes wide.

And then...

"Hm?"

She froze.

"Miss Muse?"

In the pink fog, a gauzy dress swayed.

The pale-colored skirt wasn’t flamboyant, like a handful of pure moonlight, and the golden hair draped over her shoulders was like early spring’s warm sun—interweaving and reflecting with that moonlight.

At the meeting point of sun and moon, that face was flawless beyond words. When she curved her lips in a smile, every motion was like a dance on Ariel’s heart, shaking the very foundations of her crystal palace.

This was a beauty that would never disgrace the title “succubus king.” Even if your orientation wasn’t as rebellious as Ariel’s, you would still be drawn in without realizing it.

But the only problem was...

That face was exactly the same as Miss Muse’s!

"Miss Muse is the succubus king—the Enchantress Grand Duke?"

Ariel fell into a daze, but at the same time, she felt a little secretly delighted.

The succubus king...

If Miss Muse is the succubus king, then as long as I throw myself into the succubus king’s arms, doesn’t that mean I can hey-hey-hey with Miss Muse forever...

If I’ve got Miss Muse, what crystal palace am I even building...

No, wait!

I’m fucking bewitched!

Ariel suddenly slapped herself across the face. With that crisp sound, the sharp pain finally cleared her head a little.

The Delusion-Breaking Eye activated. The pink fog automatically parted, and she finally saw that equally gorgeous and bewitching, yet utterly unfamiliar face.

So this was the Enchantress Grand Duke’s true face?

Why does it feel... kind of weird?

Ariel urged the Delusion-Breaking Eye, trying to see even more clearly...

But suddenly.

Those gemlike scarlet eyes turned, cold and indifferent.

"Ugh!"

Before she could see anything clearly, in an instant, Ariel felt as if her eyes had ignited. Scorching heat devoured her nerves at terrifying speed. She clapped a hand over her eyes and couldn’t stop a pained, muffled groan.

"Letting your gaze casually fall on a pretty girl is very easy to invite backlash, you know. By your human common sense, isn’t that how it’s supposed to be?" The Enchantress Grand Duke covered her mouth and giggled, actually showing a kind of girlish innocence and coyness.

What kind of common sense is that? Some parallel world?

Ariel ground her teeth, cursing this old woman in her heart for being not cute at all.

But after drawing in a deep breath, she quickly steadied herself, then gripped the Skyfire greatsword again.

With just that brief face-to-face, she already understood how terrifying the gap between herself and this Enchantress Grand Duke was. No—this couldn’t even be called a “gap.” They existed on completely different levels. They weren’t even in the same lane. How could you compare them?

This was what it meant to be a Crowned One.

Her realm was only a tiny bit higher than Zagu’s, but the difference between a Crowned One and someone who wasn’t Crowned was bigger than the difference between a human and a dog.

In front of her, even Zagu could only count as a dog.

"I’ve suddenly realized the little beauty actually looks pretty decent."

The Enchantress Grand Duke rubbed her chin, seeing through the disguise Ariel had forced onto herself at a glance.

"Though it’s a shame about the chest, tasting a different flavor once in a while isn’t bad. So? Do you want to spend the night with me?"

"Peh."

Ariel spat and stuck her chest out. "Old hag, you’re the one with a chest problem. I’m an S right now!"

"..."

The space fell silent again.

But off to the side, Zagu couldn’t help tilting his head, puzzled whether this female human had always been this brave.

"Heh heh... little beauty, if you’re an S, then shouldn’t you be kneeling and talking to me right now?" After a moment of silence, the Enchantress finally understood what Ariel’s “S” meant. With both hands, she hooked up two enormous arcs.

"Huh? Is that so?"

Ariel froze, then looked down, equally confused.

This big and it still doesn’t count as S?

Come to think of it, she hadn’t exactly shopped much in ordinary lingerie stores. Usually, kid sizes had been enough, so she honestly didn’t really know how sizing worked these days.

"So you’ve already gone stupid, then?"

The Enchantress Grand Duke’s smile faded.

"Zagu. Even though you’re not very competent as a dog, can you please clean up your own mess? Don’t let it irritate me."

"Yes."

Zagu lifted a hand, and the spear returned to his grip.

And so the sound of wind and thunder rose again!

Ariel abruptly raised her hand, only to discover that the Enchantress’s glance earlier hadn’t merely damaged her Delusion-Breaking Eye—it had even severed the flow of battle qi inside her.

Battle qi and magic power roiled into chaos within her body, completely unable to gather into any effective technique. She could only force herself to lift Skyfire with raw bodily strength, eyes wide as she watched Zagu’s sure-kill strike come crashing in.

Boom!

At last, the tower-top space’s walls could no longer bear it and shattered completely.

A gale poured in, making Ariel’s hair float like seaweed in the deep sea, yet it couldn’t shake that hard armor in the slightest.

Her eyes ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ widened a little as she saw the boundless sky, with thick clouds that hung year-round.

"Die."

Zagu showed no mercy as he brought the spear down.

...

...

Zagu stood by the breach and looked downward.

The sky gradually dimmed. All of Gutongs Castle held not a single light, like an ancient ferocious beast lying in ambush within the night—making it look even more majestic and imposing.

He couldn’t see a trace of Ariel. He could only see the faint dust haze spreading at the base of the tower.

But...

"Taking my spear head-on with a human body, then falling from a thousand meters... even if that female little brat really was made of steel plates, she still couldn’t live... right..."

Zagu didn’t believe someone this hard to beat existed in the world. Fine—being more than a realm lower than him and still hard-clashing him that many times, sure. But if she took his completely unrestrained spear with flesh and blood and didn’t die, then he could really say he’d lived his life on a dog’s body...

"She’s not dead yet."

The Enchantress Grand Duke spoke suddenly.

She looked at An, who had been silent from the very beginning. A strange smile appeared on her alluring face.

"How strange. If you truly are the one Divine Will spoke of, you would actually step in to save a human?"

"Is it strange?"

In An’s eyes was reflected a handsome face she knew well, and dazzling gold.

But she knew it was fake. The Enchantress Grand Duke’s bewitchment was already powerful enough to make people unconsciously see her as the one they most wanted to meet. That was nothing more than an illusion the succubus king used to toy with others.

An lowered her lashes.

"After all, I invited Miss Ariel. I can’t let her die in your hands."

So that’s how it was?

Zagu looked at the spear in his hand with sudden realization. No wonder, in that instant earlier, he’d felt something was off about the spear’s feel...

What terrifying Divine Favor power—she could even affect his weapon.

"Divine Favor..."

The Enchantress Grand Duke sighed in admiration as well.

"I never imagined that we, who were abandoned by the gods—no, according to Divine Will’s words... we who abandoned the gods—would actually receive the gods’ favor."

"Not you. Me."

An’s voice was cold. "Don’t lump me in with you."

"Oh? But since you’ve come here, that means you’ve already remembered those things, doesn’t it?"

The Enchantress Grand Duke’s gaze slid to the horn on An’s head, heavy with implication.

"I haven’t remembered anything. I don’t know what you’re talking about."

An’s expression didn’t change.

Yet her hands, rarely hidden within her sleeves, were clenched so tightly that the veins on the backs of her hands were jumping.

"I don’t understand why you refuse to accept that fate. Supreme power and the highest authority are right in front of your eyes, yours for the taking..."

The Enchantress Grand Duke shook her head and sighed, truly unable to understand.

If An hadn’t remembered who she was, then all of this would make sense.

But looking at her, she had clearly awakened most of it. Otherwise, she couldn’t have come here to control that ancient relic that even the Enchantress herself couldn’t touch.

Power.

Authority.

Standing high above.

Whether human or demonfolk, everyone chased these things without end, and the bones left along that road could fill an ocean.

Yet she looked as if she were discarding it like worthless trash.

"But it’s a pity. Even if you worked this hard, I think that little human beauty still won’t survive."

The Enchantress Grand Duke covered her mouth and chuckled.

"You did indeed save her life for the moment, but don’t forget where this is."

This was Gutongs Castle.

The demonfolk’s main stronghold.

A human brat who was gravely wounded—who could even be said to be on her last breath—if she could still escape safely from here...

Forget Zagu living his life on a dog’s body. Even this demonfolk Grand Duke would have to seriously reflect on whether the last few hundred years of her life had been lived for nothing.

If it really came to that, she might as well go be that little brat’s dog.

"All right. Enough nonsense. It’s unlikely, but I’m not willing to end up like that idiot Zagu—ruined because I talk too much."

The Enchantress Grand Duke let out a coquettish laugh and walked forward.

"Looks like you’re not very willing. Do you need me to help you?"

"..."

An’s delicate body trembled slightly.

In fact, from the beginning, it wasn’t that she’d done nothing besides remotely controlling Zagu’s weapon. She had been struggling the whole time.

Yes—struggling.

From the moment Ariel’s countdown reached three, An had been seized by some powerful force. She couldn’t move, couldn’t even circulate the battle qi she’d trained over the past year.

She could only watch helplessly as the Enchantress Grand Duke drew closer, raising that jade hand and brushing An’s cheek.

Was there really no way?

Was she going to have to... submit to the fate she was meant to have?

No. I don’t want that.

An closed her eyes. As silence and cold gradually swallowed her, that face she had missed countless times still surfaced in her mind.

Young Master...

【My personal maid won’t give up over something like this.】

An’s eyes snapped open. The steel jungle roared again!

"Ridiculous."

The Enchantress Grand Duke chuckled softly. She ignored the incoming steel completely, still stroking An’s dignified, perfect face, as if admiring a work of art.

But...

Tch.

"Hm?"

The Enchantress tilted her head, faintly puzzled.

Because in that instant, she saw a bewitching black flower bloom at her fingertips.

That flower actually made her feel pain.

At the same time, a low, furious voice rang through the space—heavy with rage, yet to An, so wonderful it was like a hallucination.

"You fucking—get your filthy hands—off her!!"