Chapter 137: Question the Demon King, understand the Demon King, become the Demon King.

“How dare you desecrate the Lord.”

She feigned anger.

‘Is she serious?’

She poked her head out, staring at Maive in shock, her small mouth hanging open in an exaggerated “O” shape.

Upon hearing Maive’s cold, provocative voice, Zyra shuddered violently.

For some reason, an extremely complex emotion surged within her heart.

It wasn’t worry, but a mixture of pity—’How tragic, you’re about to be beaten by the Hero too’—and schadenfreude—’Wonderful, you’re about to be beaten by the Hero too’—blending into a strange sense of anticipation.

Suddenly, Zyra felt something and looked toward the “fake Demon Lord.”

She saw an expectant expression on the other’s face that was seventy to eighty percent identical to her own.

‘They look so alike. So very alike.’

‘Is this girl really Demon King Lia?’

‘I feel like she’s also been persecuted by the Hero, just like me.’

‘Wait, if she really is Demon King Lia, doesn’t that mean she’s so miserable she’s not even male anymore? She turned into a pitiful female… *pupu*?’

A sudden sense of “refreshment” rushed to Zyra’s head.

“It turns out someone is unluckier than me,” “I guess I’m not the most unfortunate one”… many strange, dark thoughts caused the Zyra-blob to hop twice in excitement.

She even felt like cheering for the Hero.

‘Go for it! One more! One more!’

The members of the Hero’s Victims Club were desperately longing for a new member to join.

“Die, heretic!”

Under the gaze of three pairs of eyes, Maive spread her arms.

All the Shadow Magic circles previously etched around the massive crater suddenly glowed, and a blinding purple light shot into the sky.

Countless black Shadow Crows flew out from beneath her robes, blotting out the sun.

Their shrill cries seemed to pierce through eardrums and strike the soul directly.

“Behold my Forbidden Spell — Ten Thousand Crows Soul-Devouring Array!”

She screamed shrilly.

The sky full of crows turned into a black torrent, lunging straight for Liya behind Joen!

“Holy crap! What does this have to do with me?!”

Liya’s hair stood on end from the scare.

This woman wasn’t playing fair; she couldn’t beat the big one, so she was bullying the little one!

“Don’t be afraid, Lily,” Joen comforted her softly.

Almost instinctively, he stepped to the side, completely shielding Liya behind his back.

The magic patterns on his National Protection Army armor suddenly lit up.

He didn’t use any fancy moves, simply gathering his Magic Power, preparing to use a wide-range Sacred Slash to shatter all the crows.

However —

The moment Joen struck, the overwhelming swarm of black crows suddenly “collapsed” in mid-air.

They weren’t defeated.

Instead, they actively disintegrated, turning into countless wisps of black smoke that lacked any offensive power and only served to obscure the senses.

At the same time, the complex arrays on the ground that seemed designed for attack suddenly reversed their flow of Magic Power.

They didn’t contract inward for an explosion; instead, they moved outward — teleporting.

“Excuse me! Goodbye!”

Maive’s figure flashed and vanished within the black smoke.

Her voice carried a hint of cunning and pride: “My friend! I have no intention of becoming your enemy! We Shadow Demons are a peace-loving race! Don’t hit me! I’ll come back another day with a great reward!”

The next moment —

The black smoke exploded into countless tiny shadows, fleeing frantically in all directions.

This wasn’t some Shadow-type offensive Forbidden Spell at all.

It was the “Shadow Clone Great Escape,” an original move Maive had invented after observing Demon King Lia’s defeat.

As long as a single shadow escaped, she could use it to be reborn.

Moreover, having learned the lesson of Demon King Lia—who escaped but was severely weakened—the shadows she split into were far more than 1,700.

There were 3,800.

‘Doubt the Demon Lord, understand the Demon Lord, become the Demon Lord.’

Maive couldn’t help but sigh with emotion.

Fortunately, she had researched this move in advance and integrated it into her own Shadow Magic system; otherwise, she would have definitely died today.

‘Sorry, Demon King Lia, you really are the authority on this!’

‘I’ll burn some paper offerings for you another day.’

Nearly 4,000 shadows fled in all directions.

After reaching a certain distance, each used magic to teleport away.

Naturally, Joen couldn’t stop them, and he didn’t try to.

“Huh…?”

The wind from his punch dispersed the black mist in front of him.

The chaotic scene revealed behind the mist left him slightly dazed.

“She ran?”

Joen stood rooted to the spot, failing to react for a moment.

One second, she was aggressively claiming to uphold justice for God; the next, she exploded like a firework and bolted?

Why were they all just like Demon King Lia?

This was so… unbecoming.

Liya poked her head out from behind Joen, watching the black shadows scattered across the sky, her mouth twitching.

‘Seriously, sister! This move looks a bit familiar, doesn’t it?’

‘Remember to pay the copyright fees in the future!’

She looked down at the Zyra-blob by her feet.

The Shadow Demon Zyra was staring at the sky with a dazed expression.

Her original look of schadenfreude was frozen on her face, appearing somewhat comical.

‘She ran?’

‘Lady Maive… You just left me here and ran away by yourself?’

‘Whatever, as long as she’s alive. As long as she’s alive, waah—’

Liya naturally didn’t know what the creature was thinking.

She simply extended a finger and poked the top of the blob’s head repeatedly.

“Friend~ Friend~ What is this thing~?”

She asked curiously.

It looked like a Pupu but not quite.

It was pitch black and had a somewhat ethereal texture.

“Huh???”

Liya was startled and tossed the blob away.

“It’s Lord Zyra, halfway through her demonic ascension.”

At that moment, the Shadow Demon Zyra knew she couldn’t escape.

She braced herself and shifted from her spherical form back into a human shape.

Her instinct was to walk over and seduce the Hero, but she was intimidated by Liya’s reaction.

“…Brave One, I was wrong,” she said, pleading with a stiff heart.

“I repent, I apologize.

I shouldn’t have opposed you, nor should I have sacrificed the Nobles and Doom Victims.

I… I’m willing to do anything…”

As she spoke, she gave Joen a bashful smile and a flirtatious wink.

“Can you farm?” Joen asked instead.

“Uh, no.”

“Can you make crops grow faster?” Joen asked again.

“You’d need a plant-based mage for that.”

“Useless.”

Joen shook his head in disappointment.

“Let’s kill her,” Liya suggested with a smile.

“Friend~ Lily thinks this Lord is crafty and fickle, caring only for profit. Keeping her alive will only lead to trouble!”

Seeing Joen nodding in agreement, the Shadow Demon Zyra frantically jumped over and explained, trembling with fear, “No need for that! No need! I won’t betray you! The gem that controls me is in your hands!”

“A gem?” Liya was curious.

Joen fished a pitch-black gem out from his armor and tossed it to Liya, letting her study it herself.

“You decide,” he said casually.

“If she’s useful, keep her. If not, let me know and I’ll bury her for you.”

“Oho~”

Liya’s crimson eyes narrowed slightly.

A God-chosen Shadow Demon who was halfway through demonic ascension and could be controlled at her will.

The effects and costs of the “Immortal Mark” were still unclear and required cautious research.

The “protection fees” and ransom she intended to demand from those Nobles had yet to be collected.

Right now, this might be her greatest harvest of this trip.