Standing in the middle of the gradually closing circle of dolls, Ah Li murmured to herself.
“I’ve always felt that the ending of the Dragon rebellion in Jiuzhou last year was unsatisfying. Especially that Mermaid Princess from the deep sea—Fu Ping. She really was such a pity. If she hadn’t dispersed her magic outside the main battlefield, perhaps the one who won wouldn’t have been Galio, but her.”
Then, Ah Li tilted her head up and smiled faintly.
“But this has nothing to do with you dead things anyway. Speaking of which, you’re all too stupid. How could you cause such a commotion and still not catch her?”
Hearing Ah Li’s description, Wei Yang’s suspicion that Ah Li was the mastermind grew even stronger. After all, those dolls didn’t attack her; instead, the closer they got to her, the slower their movements became.
Magical lifeforms born from bindings have no consciousness. Aside from their main target, they will indiscriminately attack any living being within range. The only person they will not attack is the caster.
*Buzz—*
Suddenly, a brilliant, iridescent sphere of light lit up in Ah Li’s palm.
‘What is this perverted nun trying to do?’
Wei Yang couldn’t help but wonder. At the same time, Ah Li made her next move.
The sphere in her palm began to spin continuously, refining the magic. Iridescent waves rippled outward circle by circle, twisting and expanding as they spread. Eventually, they merged into several intertwined ribbons that circled around her body.
Once the magic vortex was fully formed, all the magical dolls simultaneously twisted their soft bodies and lunged toward Wei Yang’s direction.
‘Oh no, have I been discovered!’
Wei Yang hurriedly channeled her Divine Power into her hands, preparing to launch a strike at Ah Li. At the very least, she had to break the nun’s concentration to stop the spell.
However—
Wei Yang realized something was wrong. Those dolls didn’t seem to be coming for her. It looked more like they were… running for their lives?
‘?’
Could creatures composed purely of magic also feel the emotion of fear?
Wei Yang’s guess was correct. Those dolls didn’t even look at the large trash can in the corner where she was hiding; they simply twisted their bodies and fled desperately.
While Wei Yang was still confused, Ah Li’s voice reached her ears again.
“A thousand years ago, a wave of demon hunting rose among the people. they believed that all magical creatures should be slaughtered to the last.”
Wei Yang knew this part of history. After all, the game had provided several pages of slides narrating the background of Shendu at the beginning. She had even complained back then that this part of the plot couldn’t be skipped.
One thousand years ago, magical creatures were like wild animals. Many small, docile magical creatures were even adopted and domesticated as pets by humans. Humans and magical creatures lived together in relative peace and harmony.
Everything changed when the king of that era demanded the “Elixir of Immortality” from the Grand Alchemist, Tan Yan. To refine the elixir of immortality, an extremely massive amount of magic was required. Thus, under the seductive lies of Tan Yan, the demon-hunting operation began.
Every target possessing magic was included. Countless magical creatures were slaughtered and drained of their magic, all to refine a single pill to present to the king.
The blood and hatred of the magical creatures seeped deep into the marrow of the earth, growing wildly and bearing fruit, eventually leading to the birth of that existence.
The most terrifying curse in history, known as the “Demon King.” The capital was reduced to a sea of fire, and the king perished within it. Tan Yan’s body, however, was never found; she vanished without a trace.
The curse-driven war between the Demon King and Shendu lasted for a thousand years. What people feared most was that even if she were killed, a new Demon King would be born again after a period of time.
The game’s story began four years after the fall of the previous Demon King. The person who had slain her was none other than Wei Yang’s number one general—
Li Mei of the Frozen Star.
Wei Yang snapped back to reality, seeing multiple strands of magic right before her eyes.
The dolls had already dissolved into dust. Their gold and white magic was being continuously pulled and drawn into the vortex surrounding Ah Li, looking like a brilliant galaxy. She spoke slowly.
“Four years ago, the Demon King was slain by Li Mei. Generally speaking, a new Demon King should have descended within two years. But even now, there is still no sign of her. That is why the Dragon race wanted to break free from Jiuzhou’s control and take its place, even going so far as to exterminate the Mermaid race. So, regarding the reincarnation of the Demon King, what exactly went wrong?”
Ah Li’s voice stopped.
Wei Yang remained carefully hidden behind the trash can. The magic in those dolls had been completely absorbed, not a single drop remaining.
Silence.
‘Has that perverted nun left?’
Wei Yang thought, slowly poking her head out—
Eyes.
A smile.
Warm breath.
And the magic vortex spinning continuously behind her.
Ah Li was staring at her.
Only inches away.
“Gah!!”
The horror of the scene made Wei Yang fall backward in shock, her mind filled with ‘Crap, crap, crap, crap!’
With her hands folded behind her back and her waist half-bent, Ah Li maintained her smile.
“Dear, why don’t you tell me? What do you think happened to the Demon King?”
Wei Yang was pale with fright.
“I—I’m not some Demon King, how should I know? Also, you’re really scary!”
Ah Li stood up and pressed her hands together, giving a gentle response.
“There’s no need for such a big reaction. I’m not scolding you. Besides, I don’t think you’re the Demon King either. I’m just asking a question. Everyone has their own thoughts, and I quite enjoy listening to the opinions and reflections of others.”
Calming herself down, Wei Yang knew she had to take the initiative; holding the lead was very important.
“Why are you here? Do these dolls have something to do with you?”
Ah Li tapped her cheek with her fingertip, looking interested.
“Is that what you think? I suppose so. From your perspective, I must look like the person who set this curse. Though from my perspective, you, appearing at the scene, are the suspicious one. Therefore, we need to have a ‘heart-to-heart’ exchange—”
Wei Yang observed her movements, ready to resist at any moment. Just looking at her stance, Wei Yang knew she was terrifyingly dangerous. She was definitely looking to stir up trouble!
Opposite her, Ah Li frowned slightly, appearing somewhat puzzled.
“Are you planning to make an enemy of me? Dear, relax. I like you so much, how could I hurt you?”
Wei Yang didn’t buy into her logic at all. She stood up, still watching her warily.
Ah Li’s frown deepened.
“While it’s good to be wary of others, are you really going to resist even if the opponent is much stronger than you? I don’t like disobedient children. Although Tamamo Bell was stolen by someone, I have plenty of methods to deal with you.”
Wei Yang understood. Ah Li was telling her to submit and be a good girl.
Unfortunately, “corruption” and “blonde guys” were Wei Yang’s eternal enemies. These were the only things she would never compromise on. Wei Yang raised her hand, and pinkish-purple magic began to gather at her fingertips.
“If you’re going to come at me, do it directly. I’m not anyone’s obedient little snow fox.”
Ah Li gave a soft hum, her smile making Wei Yang feel deathly afraid.
“This type of magic fluctuation… I see.”
An ominous premonition flashed through Wei Yang’s mind.
“You are an Angel of the Evil God—Heng’e, aren’t you?”
Wei Yang was stunned. Hadn’t she hidden her angelic halo? How did the woman figure it out?
And what did she mean by “Evil God”?
As soon as the words were spoken, Ah Li raised her hand. Wei Yang’s pinkish-purple Divine Power was immediately drawn and pulled toward her, about to be absorbed by Ah Li’s swirling magic rings.