The Six Demon Kings under the Great Demon King all had things they were good at. Aside from the First Demon King, Egrette, who was nearly omnipotent, the Second Demon King, Kurimu, was in charge of war, and the Third Demon King specialized in intelligence gathering, and manipulation.
As for the Fourth Demon King, Sonio, his specialty was “Domination.” This was quite different from the other Demon Kings, standing out just like a programmer who had stumbled into a group of art students.
If one only knew that much, they would likely assume Sonio was a top-tier ruler with incredible leadership talent, an imperial demeanor, and the ability to bring everyone within his territory under his complete control.
However, Egrette knew that it was all thanks to his racial abilities.
“Putting everyone into a sleep state — that is definitely the handiwork of a Dream Demon.”
Egrette glanced at the people who had fallen into a deep sleep, and then she looked toward Sonio.
“Just as the Blood Race feeds on blood and controls it, and the Flame Demon feeds on fire and controls it, the Dream Demon race feeds on dreams. They can manipulate dreams and even force others to fall asleep. You are using that dream manipulation to exercise indirect Domination, aren’t you?”
“You really do know a lot about me. If there weren’t no such thing as police to punish us, I would almost want to sue you for invasion of privacy — “
Every move Sonio made was accompanied by enchanting gestures and an alluring tone. Seeing this made Egrette involuntarily clench her fists, wishing she could just rush forward and tear him apart.
However, she was not a mindless brute. She took a deep breath and quickly regained her composure.
“Stop acting like that in front of me. That low-tier version of Charm is just disgusting to me.”
“Low-tier version… that is true. A Dream Demon’s abilities are basically the dream world’s equivalent of a Succubus.”
The Demon Race did indeed have various branches, but they were all part of the Demon Race at their core. There were bound to be similarities between them, and the Dream Demon and the Succubus were one of the most similar pairs.
While they could not quite match a Succubus, a Dream Demon still possessed considerable beauty. They could lure others into slumber and control their dreams, perhaps inducing sleepwalking or planting suggestions into the subconscious. Through these methods, they achieved a form of mental control similar to Charm.
“But you know, when it comes to normal combat, a Dream Demon isn’t necessarily weaker than a Succubus.”
Of course, if their mental control was a weakened version, it meant that the Dream Demon possessed other abilities that were superior to or entirely different from those of a Succubus.
“Oh? Are you saying you want to start a fight with me right now?”
Facing Egrette’s provocative words, Sonio simply nodded calmly, expressing his silent agreement.
Seeing this, Egrette no longer suppressed her own Magic Power.
In the next instant, violent Magic Power, as thick as actual blood, flooded the entire battlefield in a flash.
A few seconds later, the Magic Power vanished, and the surrounding scenery underwent a world-shaking transformation.
The original forest and the Demon King Castle had disappeared. In their place was a night sky where a red moon hung high and a vast, boundless ocean made of blood.
“A Domain-type Skill? At our level of strength, using a Domain is indeed a good choice.”
Even after being trapped in an enemy’s Domain, Sonio remained composed and unhurried.
A so-called Domain-type Skill was, simply put, a skill obtained by reaching a certain level of strength and fulfilling specific conditions. It would change depending on the situation, creating a unique space that was advantageous to the user. Within the Domain, the user would receive various buffs while the enemy was weakened. Furthermore, because a Domain was a space isolated from the outside world, any destruction caused within it could be kept to a minimum.
Otherwise, what would be the point if a high-level Player could level an entire country or sink a continent with a single strike?
While Players were already adjusted by the system to suppress environmental damage as much as possible, the natives of this world had no such thing. They had to rely on their own self-restraint.
“The effects of the Domain are — hmm, a night environment favorable to the Blood Race and a space made of blood… No, it seems a Blood Race member of the Queen Class has reached the point of fusing blood and Magic Power?”
As a Demon King, Sonio’s experience was not inferior to Egrette’s. He saw through the entirety of the Domain with a single glance.
“Enough talk.”
Egrette did not say much. She simply stomped her foot, and a Dark Red Scythe floated up in front of her.
She reached out and grabbed the handle, then pulled it forward with force. That movement alone kicked up a massive wave on the sea of blood, turning into a giant blood-colored blade of energy that swept toward Sonio.
Looking at the blood blade that seemed to tower into the clouds, Sonio remained calm.
“Aren’t you even a little curious as to why I dared to come here alone?”
As he spoke, he raised his hand and lightly *Snapped* his fingers.
It sounded like an ordinary finger snap, and compared to the massive blade of blood, it was not even as significant as a light breeze. However, even Egrette, who was a considerable distance away, could hear it clearly, as if the sound had resonated directly inside her mind.
The moment the sound rang out, the supposedly unstoppable blade of blood shattered inexplicably, turning into ordinary blood that fell back into the sea.
“A Domain is the manifestation of the powerful spirit of a mighty individual. It is a special space created by one’s inner heart forcibly eroding reality. In other words, it is equivalent to a mental world. And what exactly do you think a dream is?”
“Tch!”
Egrette could not help but click her tongue.
She knew that Dream Demons were skilled in mental-type abilities, and she was well aware that a Domain was equivalent to a mental world. However, she had not expected that Sonio had reached a level where he could actually influence someone else’s Domain.
“Mental abilities really are a pain!”
“Oh my, I won’t be happy even if you praise me like that — “
“Nonsense. I obviously wasn’t talking about you.”
“…Hmm?”
Hearing Egrette’s reply, Sonio felt a slight sense of confusion.
Under these circumstances, wouldn’t the normal response be ‘I wasn’t praising you’? Why did she say she wasn’t ‘talking’ about him?
As if in response to his confusion, the tide of blood receded, revealing the true face hidden beneath.
Vibrant, blood-red flowers that looked as if they grew by absorbing blood spread to the very edge of his vision. Blood-colored butterflies and petals danced in the air, creating a seductive Blood-colored Garden under the bright, silver moon.
“I have dealt with mental abilities long ago, so of course I have prepared countermeasures. Furthermore…”
Egrette looked up and gave the startled Sonio a contemptuous smile, looking exactly like a Queen sitting upon her throne and looking down on him.
“Compared to her, your tricks are nothing more than amateur displays.”
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