“Boss!” “Boss!” The surviving pirates shouted in excitement upon seeing Molly appear, as if they’d finally found their backbone.
Of course! Now that things had come to this, with the boss here, any enemy could be dealt with easily!
“Though it’s been five years since we parted, Molly hasn’t forgotten you two, Prince Arthur, Lord Ryumion.”
Molly ignored the pirates. With her hands in the pockets of her coat, she strode step by step toward Ryumion, calling out the princes’ names, yet those bestial vertical pupils of hers reflected only the figure of Wheel of Samsara Tenki, never straying from her for an instant.
“Five years ago, after that damned revolution ended, many slave girls of Amidale went missing or died. You were among them—I never expected you to be alive. Why didn’t you return to Amidale? Instead, you’ve pulled such a reckless stunt. These people call you boss—was it you who led them to attack this ship?”
At the mention of the “Abyssal Evil Dragon Emperor,” Ryumion felt a surge of dread, his expression turning grim. He planned to probe Molly for information first.
This could be considered a gesture of weakness, but Ryumion felt the enemy was worth such caution—he knew all too well what she was capable of, that terrifying racial talent of hers.
“Wait, you traitor! Audacious servant! Your crimes have stained Amidale’s pride—no amount of three thousand cuts could wash them away! Surrender at once! Pay the price for your foolish insolence! This is your rightful place!”
Although Ryumion’s plan was to steady Molly’s emotions and glean valuable information, not everyone agreed. Arthur, with his own brand of pride, could not tolerate a slave girl’s betrayal. To him, Molly Singia deserved a thousand deaths, unworthy of any forgiveness—a lowly, vile thing!
He would never show Molly the slightest weakness. A master was a master, a slave was a slave—identity, position, circumstance—none of it could ever change!
“Kill her!” Arthur folded his arms across his chest and barked out the command coldly.
At Arthur’s command, Shadow Spider, still coughing up blood, struggled to rise from the ground. Blood poured from her chest wound, making her sway on her feet. She staggered forward a few steps before collapsing again, her consciousness slipping away.
The panting Curse Doll dragged her exhausted body to Shadow Spider’s side, then looked up at Arthur, her eyes pleading for instruction. All she saw was a merciless order—attack.
“Father, is that it? Don’t save her? I-I understand!”
Curse Doll hesitated no more. Stepping forward, she reached out with both hands, summoning a battered ragdoll. At the same time, slender flames coiled around to tie her hair into twin tails, and burning crimson runes appeared on her cute cheeks and neck—like some special tribal script.
“M-my ‘Hellfire Soul Bind’! I-I will never betray Father’s expectations!”
She cried out with her eyes squeezed shut, clutching the doll tightly. The ragdoll’s wooden eyes followed Molly’s every move, and its mouth split to reveal rows of jagged fangs, looking like a demon ready to claim a soul.
“Designation 066: Curse Doll. No name, orphan, slave girl of the Curse Fiend race. Racial talent: ‘Calamity of Soul Shatter’. One developed ability, ‘Hellfire Soul Bind’.”
Molly turned her gaze on the Curse Doll, who was about to attack. Suddenly, she let out a laugh, further unsettling the already panicking Curse Doll.
After all, this was the enemy who’d just taken down Shadow Spider in an instant! Even if Shadow Spider wasn’t Father’s strongest servant, there was no guarantee of victory for her, either!
So scary! I want to run! But I can’t—Father is still watching!
“Die!”
Fighting back the urge to cry from terror, Curse Doll activated her spell as soon as she felt it lock onto Molly. In an instant, searing heat filled the air as a towering inferno erupted!
The blazing firestorm forced Arthur to narrow his eyes, his expression still severe, betraying no ease.
At the very instant Curse Doll launched her attack, Molly dashed forward, kicking a corpse at her feet and sending it flying in a certain direction.
The next moment, the corpse, spinning through the air, was engulfed in violent flames. Curse Doll’s attack had missed Molly. Damn! She dodged it!
Did it work? Curse Doll cracked open one eye to peek. All she saw in her field of vision was a charred, burning body. She almost rejoiced—until she realized it wasn’t Molly’s shape at all, but a man’s!
As the corpse burned away and the flames faded—
Where’s Molly?! The thought made Curse Doll’s heart nearly stop.
“That’s quite an ability. Once marked, it’s hard to escape unscathed. Such a soul-based play is truly nothing to take lightly.”
Molly’s voice sounded behind Curse Doll, sending a chill like a demon’s breath past her ear. Reflexively, Curse Doll turned, only to be met with a horrifying sight.
Molly stood, one foot planted on Shadow Spider’s back, using her as a step, her face expressionless as she gazed down at her.
She’d appeared behind Curse Doll like a ghost—silent, unseen.
“No—!” Faced with imminent doom, Curse Doll’s mind snapped, completely overwhelmed.
“Keh keh keh keh keh keh keh!” The doll in her hands split its mouth in an eerie grin, its entire body spiderwebbed with glowing cracks like magma flowing through it.
In the next instant, the doll swelled like a balloon and exploded. The flames inside burst outward in all directions, like a dragon of fire about to consume everything!
This was Curse Doll’s self-preservation move—a devastating power, but with the side effect that her racial talent would be unusable for at least half a day. In other words, it was her last trump card. If she failed to kill the enemy, she’d be utterly at their mercy.
Whiteya once lost to this very move. If only she’d understood the true nature of Curse Doll’s power, things might have turned out differently.
But Molly understood Curse Doll’s abilities perfectly.
Before the sea of flames could engulf everyone present, a petite figure stepped forward, water swirling around her left foot. In this critical moment, she conquered her primal fear, faced the roaring blaze, and, twisting her waist, spun nimbly and kicked out high—her foot stopping less than an inch from Curse Doll’s nose.
“Time for Molly to put you to sleep for a while.”
A howling gale erupted! Dense steam exploded from Molly, becoming a giant dragon and tsunami that slammed into the raging inferno, utterly obliterating it in an instant!
The flames died out before they could rampage, and steaming hot rain began to fall inside. As Molly lowered her foot, Curse Doll’s eyes rolled back and she collapsed in a faint, convinced she’d just died from the attack.
Molly didn’t spare Curse Doll a glance, continuing on toward her true target.
“Prince Arthur, you’re still as hot-headed as ever. Charging in when you know you shouldn’t. You didn’t bring that one with you on this trip, did you? What a pity. With only these little ones by your side, there’s no way you can block Molly’s path.”
As Molly passed Arthur, she deliberately paused, a bright smile curling her lips as she whispered in his ear.
Arthur, however, stayed silent, listening as Molly’s footsteps grew more distant—ignoring him completely. His lips moved slightly.
Do it.
“The one truly worthy of being Molly’s opponent is you—No. 004. Molly knows you. [Life and Death Sovereign] Wheel of Samsara Tenki.”
Molly halted, her eyes now ignoring Ryumion, focusing only on the black-haired girl with half her face ruined.
The greatest threat—the key to this assault—and the most precious treasure.
“Protecting Lord Ryumion is my mission.” Wheel of Samsara Tenki stepped in front of Ryumion, her eyes as cold as a corpse, staring down at the shorter Molly.
“Both [Shadow Spider] and [Curse Doll] are just childish slave girls, still unaware of the deeper, crueler truths. But you’re different, Wheel of Samsara Tenki. Do you remember how many slave girls’ ‘hearts’ you’ve eaten?”
Molly tilted her head, her innocent smile returning. She caught the flicker of murderous intent in Tenki’s eyes.
“But, you’re still the same as five years ago. Your aura hasn’t changed much, and your racial talent’s still at the clan’s sacred artifact level. Doesn’t that mean Molly might have a chance at victory?”
“I don’t know winning or losing, only life and death. I’ve seen your death.”
A transparent aura began to clash violently between Molly and Wheel of Samsara Tenki—their hostility rising ever higher.
“Wait, Molly Singia.” Ryumion now stepped out from behind Wheel of Samsara Tenki, ordering her to stand down. Alone, he faced Molly. “Are you really going to make yourself Amidale’s enemy? Do you have the strength to defy us? You’re a pirate now, but even Pirate King Yanshao obeys Amidale. Surely your backer isn’t ‘the Academy’?”
“Yes~ Just as Lord Ryumion says, if Molly opposes Amidale—if she goes against that man, she’ll die. Absolutely die. It would be a truly foolish act.” Molly replied with an innocent, harmless smile.
“I don’t know what’s happened to you these five years, but it hardly matters. It seems you’ve found your own path. Then walk it. Amidale won’t shackle you. Let’s make a deal—your freedom, in exchange for backing down today.”
Finishing, Ryumion watched Molly press her finger to her lips in thought, his own expression unreadable as he took a deep breath to steady his nerves and await her answer.
“Freedom? Right, Molly’s still Amidale’s slave. Sounds nice. Molly’s a little tempted. Seems Molly’s threat is worth quite a bit—how delightful. But will master agree?” Molly feigned keen interest, her hands still in her coat pockets, her face a touch uneasy as she asked.
“I’ll persuade Father. He’ll give you a perfect answer.” Ryumion said, resolute.
“Eh? Oh? You think you can sway that man’s will? Impossible, Ryumion. No one can. Because he is the Demon King.”
“Yes, that’s right—the Demon King. Humanity’s Demon King. Wicked beyond redemption. Merciless beyond compare. The Demon King who abandoned all feeling. Molly’s Demon King.”
Suddenly, Molly leaned in close, her bloodshot crimson pupils boring into Ryumion’s eyes.
“Don’t make me laugh, you little brat.
‘Persuade him? He’ll kill you!’