Preview: Thinking about the Magma Rock Demons following them in their future battles, they couldn’t help but feel excited. Just the thought of hundreds of them marching would send any tiny demon to tears. And being able to control and command all of them!? That just makes things even more interesting.
The trio fell silent as they did not know what to do. They had to agree that although the titles given to them sounded quite inappropriate, they were indeed cool. Damn, these pebbles are actually f*cking bootlickers. Yhaele inwardly cursed the cowardly rocks but was in fact feeling happy inside.
“What do you think? Should we trust them and let them follow us?” He asked in precise words, waiting for the leader, Sunirae, to make the final decision.
“No, Master! These Bastards must be killed and culled off right away! And I’m sure they are plotting something! Like setting me up! Or setting us up!” Pendra was in disagreement as he felt his life being threatened. He knew that his master was prideful and being able to have a cooler title definitely feels good but not if he can’t enjoy it alive.
Yhaele took all of these in amusement while the rock demons stayed silent. Sunirae thought for around 3 seconds before coming to a decision.
“Yep! Let’s keep them!” Short and concise words. As expected of the silly sunflower. The reason was not for anything else but because she wanted to see herself leading an army of demons and conquering the realm.
Her roots brought her a meter away from the closest rock demon and “looked down” on it. Her cute and cheery voice echoed in everybody’s minds. “I declare! From now on! You are a subordinate of SPY! And your race shall be renamed into Magma Golems! You will follow us in our journey to conquer the darkness and flames of the Underworld and bring Hell to every living creature! ALL HAIL SPY!!”
Her enthusiasm boosted the morale of the originally despairing Magma Golems and they started cheering together with her “HURRAH!! ALL HAIL SPY!! WE WILL FOLLOW MASTERS AND TAKE OVER HELL! LET EVERY LIVING CREATURE’S MIND BE STRICKEN TO FEAR AND TERROR THE MOMENT THEY HEAR THE MENTION OF US!! BRING GLORY AND HONOR TO SPY!!”
Even though they didn’t know what SPY was, they could sense the ambition in her voice. Their low intellect made it easier for them to adapt and their natural admiration towards power made them yearn for the future depicted by Sunirae. They couldn’t wait to march and die for their leader in order to contribute towards the great cause. The Taking Over.
Yhaele and Pendra were shocked at the sudden enthusiasm. The enemy were just trembling in fear moments ago, begging for mercy and pledging allegiance. And now, they’re shouting so loudly that the entire volcano was slightly trembling.
I’m so dead. Pendra felt despair. He felt that this world is too gray and bleak. He feels as though he would die any moment now and he doesn’t have any thoughts or ideas on how to escape his predicament. His antennae twitched ever so slightly as he no longer had hope of getting through this alive.
Yhaele was greatly amused as he could guess what was going on with the stupid centipede’s mind at the moment. Staring at his twitching antennae, his lips couldn’t help but curve up. He wanted to laugh out loud but found it inappropriate for the current situation.
Burst of flames would occasionally find its way to the surface as Sunirae extended her roots and vines to 418 Magma Golems and his Lords-like comrades.
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Most of the Magma Golems were still in their kneeling and bowing state when they were suddenly transported to another place. It was a place where the soft ground of the underworld starts to melt as endless swamps of lava become the theme. The so-called Lava Swamp. The breeding ground of dangerous and fiery demons in the Second Level of Hell.
Sunirae got the information about this place from the souls she absorbed during the battle against the Magma Golems. Apparently, the leading demonic race in these swamps are called Ketus, which means twin-tailed. They are a type of humanoid alligators with two tails and fiery-red scales that can store heat in their skins and release them during battle to increase their damage output and immobilize their enemy through the high temperature steam drilling into the enemy’s pores.
Sunirae finally arrived at her destination after a couple of travels and commanded the Magma Golem “Your first task is here! Battle the Ketus and emerge victorious! You must bring me the blood of at least a hundred Ketus before the mission is considered a success!”
Her cute and cheery voice was contrasting with the cruel mission she gave to the 418 leftover members of the Magma Demons. Their numbers used to be in thousands and they couldn’t even annihilate the Ketus back then, much less now. But regardless, they knew they had to do this first mission well. They knew just how important they’re going to be if they manage to succeed. Plus, they were looking forward to becoming a part of the future manager of Hell.
“We obey the Lords.” They saluted and simultaneously stood up in unison. Their large flaming figures loomed in the lava-filled swamps and startled the demons inhabiting it. Many flocked from their homes and alerted the Ketus to check what was going on.
The reason why this was the kind of first mission Sunirae gave was because she tried feeding the Cockroach King’s Egg with the searing blood of Magma Golems earlier but it didn’t work. Perhaps it was due to their body structures being made of rocks rather than flesh and blood that prohibited the incubation of the egg. That is also why she asked for a hundred Ketus blood in order to confirm a theory first and plan out their next actions afterwards.
Yhaele came closer and inquired about their next move “What are we going to do next? Do we help the Magma Golems clear the Ketus?” He was curious as he knew that asking the Magma Golems to engage war with Ketus and emerging victorious is nigh impossible with their current numbers.
The only possible outcome would be them getting slaughtered one-sidedly and becoming the Ketus’ spoils of war. Pendra who was coiled around Sunirae was silently listening on the side. He was greatly relieved when he found out that his master had no intention of ending his life but he was still afraid if she changes her mind so he’s trying to behave as much as possible and lessen his sense of presence to everyone’s mind.
She seriously shakes her flower head - a strangely adorable action - as she replies “No, this is my test to them. To test their loyalty. It is also a test of their ability and to cull their numbers. I don’t need many of them right now. In the first place, they are enemies so it should be fine to let them fend off for themselves. Then, once their numbers dwindle, we can jump in and save them. They would undoubtedly be more indebted and allow themselves to be branded by my slaving technique willingly, greatly increasing my chances of succeeding.”
Her childish voice was laced with a chilly tone as she talked about the deaths of her subordinates in the most calm way. As though, they do not matter at all and only wish to do things that benefit her. This reminds Yhaele that although she’s ignorant, her mind is truly complex sometimes and he couldn’t outright read what’s inside. Just like now, who would’ve thought she’d have such deep considerations and insight?
I can't just use Slave Branding casually, the chances of succeeding is pretty low towards those resistant against it. Unlike Pendra who willingly surrendered and allowed me to brand and gain control of his soul, these golems’ loyalty are still questionable. It would just be a waste of my mental strength if I try enslaving them and I fail. I might also fall into a vulnerable state and get sneak attacked.
She inwardly thought as she cooked up plans involving the survivability of an entire race while observing the battle happening from the distance.
Yhaele wisely shut his mouth as he didn’t wish to have his soul branded by Sunirae and is currently grateful for their current status quo. I hope she won't get any sudden change of heart and decide to brand me in my sleep..
The battle between the twin-tailed humanoid alligators and boulder-like demons was getting intense. Due to the rock demon's constitution being made of literal rocks, they could be said to be the nemesis of Ketus’ ability to immobilize the enemy through the use of their steam that enters the pores. So, they had an advantage in the early part of the battle and suppressed the Ketus.
But once reinforcement arrived, the Magma Golems were slowly pushed back as the massive sea of Ketus drowned them. Biting large chunks of them every time they made a mistake and they could only repeatedly fall back as their numbers dwindled.
The trio watched all of this silently as though it was none of their businesses. Although they did look forward to marching and commanding an army of Magma Golems and conquering Hell someday, they also knew that Sunirae was right.
They couldn’t be careless at this stage as their lives are being threatened. They needed to hurry up and increase their strength in order to repay Artho and they also needed to find a way to hatch the young cockroach. There were too many things on their agenda as worry occupied each of their minds. Not even the usually cheerful Sunirae nor the two bickering appeared this time. They were engrossed with their own thoughts and anxiety as they worried about how they would get through this.