The composition of the party had become utterly bizarre.
The members were:
The First Heavenly King, trapped in an elven female body, pretending to be the Elf Princess.
The Succubus Heavenly King pretending to be the Elf Princess.
A Vicious Dog full of knightly spirit.
Sovinia walked at the front expressionlessly, Moonlight Blade in hand, clutching that ill-fitting ugly helmet with her other hand, consciously taking on the reconnaissance duty.
Her long legs stepped with soldier-like precision, each step seeming to measure the distance to her own head.
Behind her came the sticky, teeth-gritting whispers.
Sovinia’s pointed ears twitched, catching every word of those sticky whispers.
“Lord Hero, you were so seriously injured. Does your arm still hurt?”
“It’s nothing. Miss Sovinia already treated my wound. She did a great job with field first aid and stitched up my wound.”
“Stitched a wound? That serious? Lord Hero, you’ve had wounds needing stitches these past few days?”
“All over my body, more than thirty.”
“You’re so strong. I’ve only heard of such indomitable warriors in legends…”
“Just lucky, blessed by the gods.”
The Vicious Dog’s voice was as always, stupid in just the right way, overflowing with the knightly spirit that could be bought for a copper coin after being swept away by beauty.
Sovinia didn’t even need to turn around to imagine the scene:
The Succubus Heavenly King was almost hanging her entire soft body on the Vicious Dog’s arm, looking up at him with those watery golden eyes, while the Vicious Dog puffed out his dented breastplate, trying his best to play the role of a reliable protector.
‘She really wanted to offer her head to the Blood God.’
A nameless fire burned in her chest, but she took a deep breath and suppressed her anger.
Anger is a sign of weakness.
She was not weak.
She was just a hunter executing a plan, and the two creatures behind her—one was a tool about to be scrapped, the other a walking golden treasure chest.
Yes, a treasure chest.
Ever since confirming Linalia’s true identity, that golden question mark card and treasure chest phantom had been hovering above her head, its radiance almost rivaling that above Wohard’s head.
This meant that killing her would not only yield a precious gold card but also a powerful relic—double the happiness.
Sovinia’s steps did not falter.
While listening to the reconnaissance, she continued to devise an assassination plan against her former “colleague.”
Why kill her?
This question didn’t even need thought.
The Succubus Heavenly King was one of the Queen of Demons’ many daughters.
Thinking back, the group of goblins they encountered earlier must have been instructed by the Succubus Heavenly King to cooperate with her in putting on a play.
Because the Succubus Heavenly King was the daughter of the Queen of Demons, she also had command authority.
Although the relationship between mother and daughter wasn’t exactly harmonious, often quarreling over trivial matters—like the Succubus Heavenly King seducing another enemy man, or the Queen of Demons burning her daughter’s revealing clothes—
But blood ties were unbreakable chains.
When it came to the critical moment, she would undoubtedly side with her mother.
She didn’t want to have to fight the Succubus Heavenly King while dealing with the Queen of Demons.
‘Actually… our relationship is pretty good.’
A thought surfaced in Sovinia’s mind, tinged with self-mockery.
In the Demon Castle, where everyone was in constant fear and strife, “good” was already a very high evaluation.
Although the Succubus Heavenly King was a willful bitch, she rarely took the initiative to ally with her mother to cause trouble for Sovinia.
After all, Kimi the Coldhearted’s status was above hers, and she was the Queen of Demons’ sharpest blade, often fighting abroad.
Occasionally, the Succubus Heavenly King would imitate human family structures, playing the role of a daughter, trying to seduce and build a relationship… saying things like, from now on, you’ll be my daddy.
But that didn’t change the fact that she was a huge problem.
The Succubus Heavenly King’s greatest hobby was “collecting stamps.”
Her lovers spanned the Demon World, the Human Realm, and even some gray zones of the God Realm.
She collected men and women, powerful warriors and handsome poets.
For her, this wasn’t mere lust release, but a hobby similar to a child collecting toys.
She enjoyed the process of conquest, seeing those arrogant strong ones grovel at her feet.
Among her “collection,” the one she was most proud of was the “Four Heavenly Kings” series.
Including herself, she was said to have used forbidden magic to create a perfect male clone and went at it for days on end, completing the set.
But this “Four Heavenly Kings” series was missing just one.
That was “Kimi the Coldhearted.”
He wasn’t physiologically or psychologically impotent, nor did he mind spending a night with the Succubus Heavenly King.
Unfortunately, the Succubus Heavenly King was quite ritualistic, insisting on going through the process called romance—demonic romance, during which one could interact with multiple opposite-sex partners.
Sovinia recalled that period of time with the Succubus Heavenly King, like recalling a war that lasted ten days and ten nights from eighteen years ago.
Exhausted, utterly exhausted.
Staying with her was like being followed by an insatiable energy vampire.
She was always demanding, always draining your energy.
She would burst in while you were handling official business, just because she made a new dress and needed your immediate evaluation.
She would snatch off your helmet while you were meditating to restore mana, complaining that you spent too little time with her.
She would even shake you awake at three in the morning, crying that she had a nightmare and needed a hug.
Every conversation with her felt like her soul was being pulled and torn by countless invisible little hands.
That feeling was more exhausting than facing an entire legion of Sanctuary knights.
She even gave an ultimatum.
“My dear Kimi, go to the Flesh and Blood Abyss, to the arena there.”
She was wearing a thin black gauze at the time, barefoot on the cold floor of Kimi’s bedchamber.
“Bring me a hundred heads of the God’s Chosen. I believe the one I admire is a great hero.”
Sovinia remembered that she only replied with one word:
“Get lost.”
From then on, the Succubus Heavenly King never set foot in his bedchamber again.
And Kimi thus became the only one among the Four Heavenly Kings to have successfully evaded her “stamp collecting.”
The memory ended there.
A cold smirk curved on Sovinia’s lips.
Yes, killing her—just thinking about it felt like waking up after a full eight hours of sleep, all fatigue gone.
But for now, the Succubus Heavenly King, who still didn’t know she had been exposed, brought more benefits than drawbacks.
As it turned out, the Succubus Heavenly King compensated for the lack of crowd-clearing ability in their two-person party.
Their path forward wasn’t smooth.
As they got closer to the male body’s head, encounters became more frequent.
The internal strife in the Demon Castle continued.
Demons of various factions turned every room into a bloody slaughterhouse over territory and resources.
The first wave of enemies they encountered was a pack of demon hounds driven mad by the scent of living beings.
These creatures had steel-like jaws and could spit corrosive saliva, quite troublesome in packs.
Fortunately, the Vicious Dog served as a meat shield, and the corridor was narrow.
As Wohard raised his longsword about to charge, Linalia shouted, “Move aside, Lord Hero!”
She raised her crooked gemstone staff, her voice clear and pleasant:
“Guardians of the forest, heed my call!”
The ground trembled slightly, and countless dark green vines erupted from the hard obsidian floor.
These vines, like living things covered with sharp thorns, swept up all the hounds that couldn’t dodge in time.
The hounds struggled frantically, letting out mournful howls, but the vines tightened, the thorns deeply piercing their flesh.
“Lord Hero, now!”
Linalia turned back, her face flushed as if from casting a spell, her golden eyes sparkling as if waiting for praise.
Wohard gave a heartfelt compliment:
“Amazing, Miss Linalia! Is this the natural magic of the elves?”
In the past, with only his powerful single-target slashes, he would have had to be beaten for a while before finishing them off.
“Just some insignificant tricks. Compared to your Holy Slash, yours is still better.”
Linalia smiled modestly, but her actions were anything but modest.
She elegantly pinched the edge of her tattered skirt with two fingers and lifted it, revealing her thigh.
Black stockings wrapped her plump and firm leg lines, the fabric glowing with an ambiguous softness in the dim light.
The delicate lace edge of the stocking was faintly visible at the top of her thigh, starkly contrasting with her fair and delicate skin.
Sovinia watched coldly.
Natural magic?
Ridiculous.
Those vines were enveloped in a faint charm aura, essentially a group mind control spell that made the hounds mistakenly believe they were physically bound, achieving control.
Sovinia had studied the abilities of the other three Heavenly Kings and knew them inside out.
But she said nothing.
The Vicious Dog tanked head-on, the Succubus Heavenly King controlled the field, and she only needed to finish the kills.
She was happy to see it.
But she didn’t like how the Succubus Heavenly King tried to reach her hand toward her Vicious Dog—even if that Vicious Dog tool was expected to be scrapped in at most another day.
The next few encounters were almost copies of this pattern.
When they encountered giant toads spitting acid, Linalia summoned a “fragrant rain of flowers.”
The seemingly harmless petals landed on the toads, driving them into a frenzy and making them attack each other.
When they encountered a squad of minotaurs wielding heavy axes, she chanted “Moonlight Requiem,” making those muscle-bound fools drowsy on the spot.
After each spell, she would immediately turn to Wohard, looking up at him with sparkling golden eyes, like a little girl waiting for praise.
The Vicious Dog would graciously praise her a few times, earning the Succubus Heavenly King’s thanks.
‘Look at this virgin boy, so easily played by the Succubus Heavenly King. When he assassinated the Queen of Demons, he was lucky I gave him the map and diverted some patrols. Otherwise, the hero party led by the Vicious Dog wouldn’t have progressed so fast. If the Queen of Demons had reacted and sent her daughter to sleep with him, the hero party would probably have had internal strife and given up halfway.’
Linalia’s methods didn’t stop there.
Besides expecting Wohard’s praise, she often made physical contact with him.
“Lord Hero, my staff is almost out of energy. Can you recharge it?”
“How can I help?”
“It’s simple. Hold it.”
She handed him the staff, let him hold it, then placed her hands over his, and when she let go, her fingers intentionally brushed his hand a few more times.
Other times, she would dramatically pat her heaving chest and say, “Lord Hero, that was close. My heart almost jumped out.”
And sometimes, she would cup her face and look at Wohard with the most adoring gaze, saying, “Lord Hero, you’re so reliable.”
Hmph, as if Wohard was no longer a fugitive with half his face burned off, but a god walking among men.
Wohard scratched his helmet awkwardly, modest in his words.
Sovinia sneered inwardly.
This Vicious Dog… it’s fine for now.
Enjoy it.
After a while, her demands will increase.
Right now, she’s just demanding attention, protection, praise, and emotional value, but she’s like an unfillable black hole, and it’s getting bigger.
But this “princess falls in love with hero” drama—Sovinia didn’t care.
At least she told herself she didn’t care.
She cared more about one thing: finishing moves.
After another easy defeat of a patrol of demon soldiers, Wohard, as usual, smashed the leader to the ground and said to Sovinia, “Leave it to you.”
Sovinia stepped forward, stabbed the enemy to death with one sword thrust, glanced at three random cards, found none suitable, shattered them, and turned them into energy for the Blazing Forgehammer.
“Wait a moment.”
Linalia’s voice suddenly rang out.
Sovinia wiped the blood from her sword without turning around.
Linalia walked over to Wohard, tugged at his arm, and asked in an innocent tone:
“Lord Hero, I’m a bit curious… why does the last hit in every battle go to Sovinia? Although she’s very strong, isn’t it too dangerous? Letting a girl like her face a dying enemy…”
Wohard smiled:
“This is a special ability of Miss Sovinia’s. She says it makes her stronger. I’m not sure of the specifics; you can ask her yourself.”
‘How close they are.’
Sovinia thought while wiping her Moonlight Blade.
‘I bet my Succubus colleague will collect the Vicious Dog tonight. Too bad I have to make my move tonight, so the Vicious Dog probably won’t lose his virginity tonight.’
Linalia let go, thanked him, and then stepped up to face Sovinia.
Her body was slightly shorter than Sovinia’s, but she knew how to use the terrain—she stood on a slightly elevated spot so she could look down at Sovinia, creating a condescending pressure.
Thus Linalia slightly lowered her head, looking down at Sovinia, creating a condescending pressure.
“Sovinia,” her voice soft as a feather, “can you tell me? What exactly is your ability? We’re a team now; we should trust each other and share our secrets.”
Sovinia kept wiping her Moonlight Blade expressionlessly.
She didn’t want to be recognized by her old colleague.
Linalia continued:
“That way we can cooperate better, right? If you keep hiding things, if there’s a misjudgment at a critical moment, it’ll be dangerous for all three of us.”
Sovinia still remained unmoved, thinking about whether to move the murder time to lunch instead.