Chapter 58
Atop a cliff overlooking the overgrown forest was a well-fortified camp full of demons. Usually, when thousands of demons gathered together, there were numerous fights and verbal disagreements, yet here they behaved similarly to that of a well-disciplined army.
At this moment, a group of demons with blue light in their eyes escorted five wounded demons toward the center of the camp. Whenever the wounded demons passed by a patrolling squad, they saw the blue light and grew increasingly horrified.
They all knew what it signified, as well as what was about to happen to them.
Subjugation.
Regardless of their attempts to escape, the wounded demons inevitably arrived before an open tent, where a young female demon sat on a stool, her legs crossed, with a blood-red spear nestled between her arms. Sporting sleek black hair and an angular face, she possessed unimaginable beauty.
Once known as Luminara, she was now Pride, one of the seven deadly sins.
When the wounded demons spotted her, they gnashed their teeth, shouting, “Pride, I curse you to a painful death!”
No matter how much they screamed, Pride remained indifferent.
She was used to it.
Every generation of Pride sought to enslave the minds of those they subjugated, and as a result, they were widely hated. Many Prides didn’t last longer than a year, hunted down by their kin. Knowing this, Luminara fled the Sin Dimension as soon as the System selected her as the next Pride.
She had previously been the most talented demon amongst the younger generation, making her incredibly arrogant. Had she known it would lead to her isolation, she wouldn’t have done some of the things she did.
It took her a month to come to terms with her new status.
Since then, she secretly subjugated the demons who spent their time in the wilderness. After a few years, she had conquered most of them, expanding her forces to over a hundred thousand strong.
Speaking of which, it was a slow and tiresome process.
To enslave the mind of another, she had to beat them in solo combat.
While she thought of how much work she put in over the last year, the constant shouting from the wounded demons eventually got on her nerves.
With a twirl of her spear, she stood up and took a stance. Pointing the tip of her weapon at the demons, she said, “Come at me. If you win, you’ll earn your freedom.”
At her promise, the demons gained a glimmer of hope.
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They knew very well how Pride’s skills worked – it was common knowledge.
Thinking they stood a chance, one of the wounded demons jumped to his feet.
Pride shook her head. “Not just one. All of you.”
The demon who got up first was stunned. “But… isn’t it supposed to be one on one?”
“Heh,” Pride smirked at his question. “Only for me.”
Although the demon felt humiliated, he rallied his companions, shouting, “This brat is asking for it!”
The other demons withdrew their weapons and swiftly surrounded Pride.
They constantly rotated around her, occasionally feigning attacks to apply pressure.
Pride remained composed, her speartip hanging low to the ground.
Just then, all six demons lunged forward.
At the same time, or perhaps a moment earlier, Pride took two steps to the left and thrust forward, her spear entering and leaving a demon’s neck in the time it took to blink.
WHOOSH!
A crossbow bolt arrived at lightning speed, yet Pride deflected it with a wave of her spear, her figure arriving at her next target. This time, the demon successfully parried her thrust, thought before they could rejoice, two holes appeared in their chest.
By now, the four demons left were aghast.
In the time it took for them to close the distance, Pride had already incapacitated two of their companions. Knowing they couldn’t hold back, they swung their weapons with unmatched ferocity, blocking off Pride’s retreat.
CLANG!
Pride fought them head-on – her attacks so swift her weapon blurred.
Even though they numbered more, the demons gained no advantage. Pride’s spear pushed them back repeatedly, either through masterful spearplay or pure force. In moments, blood covered the four demons from head to toe.
With one mighty cleave, Pride knocked the demons to the ground.
As they lay there, she rested her spear upon her shoulder and shouted, “Do you submit!?”
“In your dreams!” One of the demons struggled to his feet. “I’ll never-”
The demon’s voice cut off as his head rolled along the ground, a single swipe from Pride severing his life.
The remaining demons were shocked.
Unwilling to die, they pleaded, “I submit!”
At that moment, blue light appeared within their pupils, signifying that they had become Pride’s newest followers. At the same time, Pride felt a small increase in her stats. She gained tangible benefits with every subjugation.
“Go and recover from your injuries,” Pride dismissed them with a wave of her hand and sat back down on the stool, waiting for another round of demons to arrive. At the start, she had to personally go find demons to subjugate. Now, however, she had minions to do it for her.
It wouldn’t be much longer until she could return to the Sin Dimension with her head held high. With an army backing her up, she need not fear anyone. As for whether Wrath, Gluttony, and Greed would attack her, that was impossible. The Sin Dimension forbade Sins from killing one another.
Pride contemplated her plans for the future when a commotion in the distance caught her attention. A demon she recognized as Victor rushed up and knelt on one knee, his head lowered as he reported, “Master, we found a newly spawned celestial grade dungeon in the forest below.”
Pride was visibly surprised by the news. “How far?”
“An hour away,” Victor answered respectfully.
“Good!” Pride stood to her feet and raised her head to the sky, laughing boisterously.
After a moment, she waved her hand, shouting, “Gather the troops!”
Utilizing one of her unique skills, all the subjects under her command heard her order, no matter the distance. In ten minutes, fifty thousand demons had returned to the base, lined up in rows. The rest were still on their way.
Seeing all her minions, Pride felt a sense of accomplishment.
Who else could muster such a large force of completely loyal subordinates?
Only her!
Flying into the air to overlook her army, Pride commanded, “We march!”
As they set off, Pride decided she wouldn’t mind sacrificing all her minions to take control of the dungeon.
After all, the appearance of a celestial grade dungeon gave Pride the chance to skyrocket in power, all for one reason: she could order her subjects to give her the rewards they acquired from the dungeon, hoarding it all to herself.