Accompanied by the continuous crack-crack of breaking bones, blood incessantly sprayed from the member of the Blood Race bound to the cross, as if the supply were infinite.
Even though the regeneration abilities of the Blood Race allowed them to be reborn from a single drop of blood, pain was unavoidable.
Splat!
As if the torture had paused for a moment, the vampire finally managed to spit out the mouthful of blood clogging her windpipe, greedily gasping for air.
“Ha… ha… Are you satisfied now… Demon King Egrette?”
As she spoke, the vampire stared intently at the silver-haired girl before her, her eyes filled with loathing.
“You provoked other Demon Kings to their faces. Whether for public or private reasons, I must punish you.”
Egrette sat on a chair not far from the vampire with her legs crossed. Her long, slender legs were clad in sheer black over-the-knee socks and high heels. Combined with her dignified aura and enchanting blood-red eyes, she looked exactly like a sadistic queen.
“Bah! First, you forced me to say those things, then you arrested me for the crime of offending the Demon Kings, and now you’re torturing me to satisfy your own twisted, sadistic heart. As expected, you Demon Kings are all…”
“… A bunch of self-indulgent people who are unfit to lead the Demon Race?”
“!”
As if she could read minds, Egrette repeated the internal thoughts of the vampire nailed to the cross word for word.
“Sadistic? I suppose I am a little, but that mindset is reserved for a very specific group of people. And those people are traitors like you.”
The moment she finished speaking, the nails used to pin the vampire in place sprouted sharp thorns. They continued to spread until they filled every part of her body, leaving only the parts used for speaking barely under her control.
But it was only barely.
“Ah…!”
Halfway through her scream, Egrette used the blood thorns to stifle her voice. Now, all she could do was endure the intense agony spreading through her body while unable to control her own form.
“Did you think I didn’t know? As the Blood Queen, I can sense even the slightest moment of dissatisfaction from any of you. I usually ignore it, considering that living beings cannot fully control their emotions, but did that make you think I was unaware?”
Under the shocked gaze of the vampire woman, Egrette pulled out a stack of communication logs that had been intercepted and transcribed.
“‘Liberate the Demon Race from the high-handed rule of the incompetent Demon Kings.’ That is the goal of the organization you contacted. How truly interesting!”
Egrette scoffed at the goal mentioned in the records.
High-handed rule? Although the Demon Kings were all somewhat willful in their own ways, the Demon Race would never have been able to develop to its current extent without their protection against the hostility of other races. Even the weakest monsters like Goblins and Slimes, who didn’t even have proper racial names, could live normal lives in the Demon Realm. Where was this supposed high-handedness?
Even without thinking, Egrette knew exactly whose masterpiece this inversion of the truth was.
“To dare lay hands on my race and challenge our status… it seems someone is tired of living…”
“Heh… heheh.”
Just then, the vampire woman, whose vocal cords should have been suppressed, let out a strange laugh.
“Hahaha! Ridiculous! You actually think you can oppose that person? Or is it because you’ve spent so long under someone else that even your heart has surrendered? You even went so far as to off—”
Before she could finish, Egrette grabbed the vampire woman’s mouth—which was laughing so hard her lower jaw almost detached—and simultaneously activated the Blood Queen’s suppression ability over lower-ranking members of the Blood Race.
Yet, even so, she could not control the woman.
“Hahaha! Continue your useless efforts! After all, everyone’s end is the same!”
After saying those words, the vampire woman’s life vanished rapidly, like sand scattering in the wind.
This eerie method of death was different from simple physical or magical destruction, and it was distinct from a death sentence carried out by the Blood Queen’s absolute command. It was a completely different, third way.
It was as if… the soul had been drained, leaving behind only a lifeless corpse.
“Tch! This method, and the ability to forcibly override my Domination… it really is that person.”
Egrette ordered her subordinates to clean up the corpse and walked out of the torture chamber. She then pulled a small piece of paper from her bosom.
To be precise, it was a photograph—the same one from the document she had previously crumpled. However, unlike the document, the photo had been well-preserved without a single wrinkle.
“The preparations are almost complete. It’s time to start moving.”
Whispering to herself, Egrette looked at the photo with a gaze that seemed to hold deep meaning.
***
Achoo!
Ai Yue let out a sneeze that wasn’t particularly loud. Unlike last time, she finally managed to get it out.
Satisfying.
“Master Ai Yue! Have you caught a cold!?”
In contrast to the relaxed Ai Yue, Bululu grew so nervous upon hearing her sneeze that she was ready to call for the Royal Priest.
One must understand that for a powerhouse at the Demon King level, diseases were fundamentally ineffective. Ordinary pathogens couldn’t survive for even 1 second under such high-density Magic Power. Conversely, if even the Great Demon King Ai Yue, whose strength surpassed the Demon Kings, could fall ill, it would mean that this plague had no means of resistance and could easily wipe out every living thing on this earth.
“I’m fine, I didn’t catch a cold. Someone is probably just talking about me.”
Ai Yue had seen many stories where a character would suddenly sneeze for no reason because others were discussing them. This happened regardless of the distance, the situation, or even if they were in a place completely cut off from the outside world.
This wasn’t just a simple sneeze anymore; it was practically a real-world projection of Quantum Entanglement!
“I think I’ve heard of that. The old man who often comes to guide my work said something like that too.”
Kurimu added, having overheard the conversation between Ai Yue and Bululu.
Although Ai Yue hadn’t given an immediate answer yesterday, Kurimu was powerful enough and still a child, making it hard to predict what she might do. Therefore, Ai Yue had no choice but to let her stay.
The result was Ai Yue leading two even smaller girls. She felt like she was becoming a mother.
Even though she looked like a little girl herself.
“Stop talking about that! Didn’t we say we were going out to play? Hurry up!”
Kurimu urged them on while pulling them both toward the exit of the Demon King Castle.