It turned out that, as a demon, Via’s physical resilience was indeed quite high.
“The blood magic the Demon King just used included Forced Blood Boil and Blood Poison Curse. Of course, these aren’t exactly high-profile spells to me. My body can suppress both for a short time. What truly knocked me unconscious just now was the crucial ‘Blood Manipulation’—of course, that’s a name I gave it myself.”
Via spoke casually as she channeled her magic, continuously cleansing and restoring the abnormalities within her body.
She still didn’t look quite coordinated.
Cecilia could only watch helplessly from the side.
“This kind of spell is the deadliest. It causes the blood inside a person to flow backwards or to rush chaotically in abnormal directions… For humans, it’s fatal; for demons like me, at least it causes unconsciousness.”
“If it only manipulated part of the body’s blood flow, it would be bearable, but she usually controls the entire blood circulation system incorrectly… See, this is the result of abnormal blood flow in the brain.”
Via pointed to the left side of her body, which visibly twitched—the clear sign that her brain had been affected.
“…Is this kind of punishment common among demons?”
“Sort of. But demon bodies are pretty tough, especially at my level. As long as they’re not trying to kill me, I basically can’t die from it,” Via said lightly.
“Don’t I occasionally chop off someone’s arm as punishment myself?”
Cecilia began to worry about Viya’s basic ethical values.
Revenge was one thing, but at this rate, would she become the kind of psycho who casually chopped off limbs?
“It’s just that even though my body is still demon flesh, it’s still very uncomfortable.”
Via lifted her head, her tone turning cold.
“One day, everything I’ve experienced, I’ll make her taste it all.”
Her recovery complete, the twitching side of her body returned to normal.
It was obvious Via was extremely accustomed to missing parts of her body or having chaotic blood flow; this time, her handling was completely routine.
Among the demons, there was a rumor that Demon Lord Via was the one least afraid of the Demon King.
She never gave the Demon King any respect in any setting.
The rumor was true—but it didn’t mention that every time she made the Demon King angry, she endured some common demon punishment.
Via knew the Demon King wouldn’t kill her, nor use overwhelming force to make her fully comply with the succubus nature—the guy had resurrected her mainly for his own amusement.
But as Viya’s power within the demon clan grew, the Demon King couldn’t resist having a subordinate who understood humans inside and out and was powerful enough.
As long as I don’t die, I’ll mess with them as much as I can.
I’m not here working for you voluntarily; if I help you, it’s because I’m feeling generous.
Why on earth should I give you face?
“Lady Via, here are fresh clothes.”
Qin appeared before Via, holding a neatly folded stack of clothes.
Cecilia stared at Qin. She knew Qin was Via’s personal guard—or rather, her little follower.
Theoretically, Qin should protect Via, yet just now, she hadn’t lifted a finger to defend her mistress.
“Qin is a demon, and her rank isn’t that high. She can’t resist the Demon King,” Via spoke up, reading Cecilia’s thoughts to defend Qin.
The pitch-black Qin lowered her head without a word.
Cecilia couldn’t see her face but vaguely felt that Qin seemed genuinely guilty.
“Senior, are you really happy here?”
“No, I’m a demon now, and I can’t deny that,” Via forced a smile.
“I never even thought about continuing to live… After the Demon King resurrected me, revenge became my only goal.”
“Senior…”
Cecilia wanted to say something, but the words caught in her throat.
“All right, let’s not dwell on such heavy topics. From now on, I can finally act freely.”
Via patted her shoulder.
“Thank you for your help, Ceci.”
She stood and walked into her office.
Cecilia watched her back and sighed deeply.
When she turned around, she was surprised to see Qin still by her side.
Come to think of it, she couldn’t see Qin’s face—shadow demons usually stayed hidden in the shadows, rarely revealing their true form.
But from the silhouette, she could roughly tell Qin was a beauty.
And most likely a perfectly shaped mature woman.
Yet, this mature woman seemed to be cautiously studying her, then spoke in a very timid, awkward tone:
“…Please don’t hate me.”
The tone was so soft that Cecilia felt a pang of guilt for how she had just looked at Qin—with an expression full of accusation, no wonder Qin thought she was disliked.
“That’s not what I mean, and it’s not your fault.”
She comforted her a little. Seeing Qin’s state improve, Cecilia finally felt at ease.
After Qin said goodbye and vanished back into the shadows, Cecilia looked toward Viya’s office.
Obedience to the Demon King among demons…
She lowered her head to look at herself.
She never believed Via truly accepted her demon identity.
Of course, she knew Via’s hatred for many in the Church was real. And now, it seemed…
Her senior really needed someone by her side.
***
Church Square.
The entire square was packed with pilgrims from various countries.
Every year at this time, a vast number of devotees came to the Church Square of Saint John City to attend the annual mass.
The opening ceremony was to pay respects to the statues of the saints surrounding the square.
Saint John City was founded by humanity’s first saint, John.
Legend said that the Holy Lord first bestowed the first holy city, then Saint John followed the divine will to build the second—the first holy city constructed by humans themselves.
Saint statues were placed in the Church Square of Saint John City.
Rumor had it that the statues still carried the saints’ noble wills.
When you confessed and prayed before them, the saints granted you utmost forgiveness and blessings.
Thus, at this time every year, countless people came to pray before the saint statues.
Among them, the statue of Saint Via attracted the most worshippers.
After all, compared to other saints recorded with somewhat miraculous tales, Saint Via was closest to the people now, truly real, and many elderly had even seen him in person.
His story was the most shocking and romantic.
“…What a strange sight. They have no idea the one they’re praying to is now a complete demon, right?”
Before the statue, a young man looked up and muttered quietly.