In the Neutral Area of the Forest of Beast, there is a place known as Lilith Village, where every race gathers together under one banner. Ogres, Pixies, Harpies, and different races of daemons gathered in that place seeking to be held under the wings of the Holy Priestess.
The Holy Priestess, the title granted to the leading daemon, standing at the top of every race. A leader that exudes nothing but kindness to those under her and a big heart that accepts all.
But she was also strong and persistent, doing everything she can to preserve life and show her people she is always smiling despite turbulent times. It was said that when the war was over when she learned of her people's deaths, she went to a place where none could see her cry as to not worry anyone.
She will do everything for her people, even go to the front lines if need be. This attribute made the daemons willingly follow and gather around her. She stands at the peak with her zealous followers trailing closely behind, trying to catch up to her.
She is a leader with brains, power, kindness, and cuteness. Her name was Lilith Qurenara, the one who rules the Forest of Beast. And right now, two other daemon races wish to join her.
Lilith held a bowl of soup as she looked at twenty Dwarves and ten Persians kneeling before her.
The Dwarves was said to be tiny men with a bushy beard and muscular bodies. But seeing the Dwarves before her, Lilith could confidently say they were not little men. 'To hell with dwarfism; these guys are tall as fuck.'
Even when the Dwarves were kneeling on both knees, Lilith was still smaller than they were. If they stand up, they should be the same height as the Ogres. It was a sight to behold, and it honestly shocked Lilith to her core.
The Persians were not that surprising. They seemed to be humans with cat ears and tail.
'They're actually literal cat girls... how about that.'
Quite honestly, Lilith had searched for these kinds of daemons when she was an underworld boss. She wanted to raise one as a daughter of some sort.
Seeing them now, she felt rather proud that one of her goals was achieved.
Though her "business" was still being done in an isolated room with slimes eating the waste. Her dream of a toilet has yet to be realized. But this can substitute that desire to do number two in an excellent facility.
She took in a slurp of the soup and nodded her head in satisfaction. She finished the whole bowl and then had Sylva give her another.
"Here you are, boss head."
"Thank you…" holding the bowl with both hands, she resumed slurping the soup; she found the herbs the Persians delivered to be genuinely exceptional.
The Dwarves and the Persians all thought that this sight was not what they expected. Though Lilith was indeed cuddly, and they do want to throw her up the air and watch her laugh, but the pressure she exuded was not something to laugh up.
'She's not weak.'
[Dwarf LVL 125 (epic)]
[Persian LVL 122 (epic)]
"So…what do you want?" Lilith finished the bowl of soup and had Sylva once again give her a refill, 'Damn, this thing is good.' The Praeries had outdone themselves and this time around.
"We…seek asylum."
"We…seek asylum."
Lilith listened to them and waited for a couple of seconds before answering.
[Mission: save them…]
Reward: 100000SP
'There we go.'
"Okay, why not? The Dwarves brought a pot, and the Persians herbs needed to cook this soup, so I guess you contributed enough."
"Huh? It's that easy? A-are you not doubting us of our intentions?" The Dwarves were daemons who doubts easily because they were once enslaved and forced to make weapons. They have a trusting issue.
Though that didn't happen to these Dwarves specifically, the experience of their ancestors was imprinted in their souls. So, when they asked Lilith, they meant no harm they just couldn't believe she would accept them without any strings attached.
"What's the problem with taking you in? A couple of dozen daemons will not make any difference. Besides, I think with you guys here, we'll have a better future together. Lightening the load for one another for a better future, doesn't that sound good? Why? Do you not want to live with the other daemons?"
The Dwarves felt touched by her words, and they cried a little as they heard her words. They laughed as they had their foreheads touch the ground, announcing, "We shall follow and devote our skills to the Holy Priestess from now on."
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The Persians did the same, and Lilith laughed at this sight.
"Haha, that is enough, go and take some food and eat. Just make sure to talk with Aero and the Harpies; they have the right to dislike you after their pleas for help were ignored."
"We understand."
With that, Lilith's camp grew, and she smiled as she heard an announcement.
[Mission: Empress' Kingdom #1 (Completed)]
[Ÿ] You have encountered the Ogre Tribe. The Two Horns is of great importance to them as Two Horns are of direct descendants of the Pure-Bred beings closest to the Ancestral Ascent. In other words, Two Horns are revered as some kind of God-like figure.
[Ÿ] Mission Details (Mandatory): Use the Ogre Tribe as your stepping stone to creating the strongest Daemon Empire. Your story of Kingdom-Building will start now.
Requirements for Passing:
[Ÿ] Establish an Empire that encompasses the entirety of the Forest of Beasts (Complete).
[Ÿ] Pave the way for the children of the Gods to rule the entirety of Eastern Earth (Complete).
'It seems like an Empire is the residents, heh, your rules are too loose, Useless Goddess.'
Lilith laughed at the thought. She had heard that people are what consists of a force, not the infrastructure. It seems like that was right.
'Nyihihi, it seems like I'm Empress now. In a month, I will challenge Chief and beat the shit out of him to assert dominance. I'll solidify my position as Empress without fail.'
She was laughing as she began thinking of her next moves. Lilith was happily eating her food, all the while thinking how she'll be ruling over every daemon.
'So much to do, so little time... hmm? What's that?'
But then, she felt a sudden disturbance in the world's mana stream. It was weird as it was too subtle; she looked down at her soup, where she found a circular light enlarging every passing moment.
She raised her head, thinking it was too early for the sun to reach such heights; then, her eyes dilated as Lilith felt an enormous amount of concentrated Mana coming down to the Forest of Beast.
"FUCK!"
Thus, a destructive blinding light enveloped the entire Forest of Beast.
===
"The bird has landed, Sir, the Forest of Beast's destruction will now be assured."
Lorenz nodded as he watched the giant monitor from the Stronghold 3's Hunter Association Headquarters. He followed the orders of the Council and sent the orders to swiftly destroy the island and its inhabitants.
"Mm, that's good." Lorenz nodded in satisfaction, but then, he noticed a weird red dot showing on one side of the Forest of Beast, "What's that?"
"...we're not sure, Sir."
===
"PRIESTESS!"
"Shit, what the hell is this!?" While the other daemons were calling out to her, Lilith cursed as she carried the burden on her shoulders.
The blinding light enveloped the Forest of Beast; the daemons were in a state of worry as Lilith held off the light of pure mana. A dome formed from the Lilith dispersed as Lilith.
[Ogres: 15% (Dead and rising)]
[Praeries: 30% (Dead and rising)]
[Harpies: …]
'No... no... nonononono! Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it!'
Lilith could hear the Alpha's voice announcing the deaths of the daemons who ventured outside the village. The daemons hunting and foraging were all caught in this massive, dangerous mana downpour and died.
The concentrated mana was close to being a laser, and the only reason Lilith could live while tanking everything was that she was fighting it with her mana control and mana manipulation, dispersing the attack to all sides.
If the mana downpour had any form of elemental energy present in it, then Lilith would have long been fucked. Thankfully, there wasn't but, something else was her problem. Her mana was quickly being drained, 1% percent per second.
At that very moment, when her life was on the verge of getting taken, Lilith's mind runs every possible way she can live. There was no use praying. Letza cannot make a move. She'll end up destroying the world if she was to descend, and Lilith will perish along with it.
Lilith was left to think of a way to survive this predicament where she's cornered like a rat. Though Lilith gave up and just met death head-on, right now, she was trying to change her fate.
'How can I escape with the others? My skills are not useable; I can't take myself out of this place, much less anyone. Think, Lilith, Think.'
While she was thinking, ten seconds had already passed. Blood trickled down from her nose; she was overexerting her mana manipulation at this point.
Her skin began to crack; her veins and muscles were screaming, and blood spurted out as from her body.
[-2000 HP]
Her blood slowly trickled down, and those who felt Lilith's blood touching their faces had their expressions turned dark.
"Priestess!"
"Boss!"
"Boss Head!"
Lilith can now hear their cries. They were calling for her, worried about what may happen. They ignored the fact that if Lilith was to fail, they too would die. This caused Lilith to laugh at the idiots.
'Hehe, what stupid daemons.'
However, as she laughed, Lilith bought every Low-leveled potion to rejuvenate mana as much as she could.
"Hehe, this thing is trying to kill me and my forces? I'm not going to die here!"
Lilith bought something from the Store. A scroll appeared before her, and then using her mouth, ripped it apart by chewing it.
[High-Tier Teleportation Scroll…failed to activate]
"What!? Alpha, what the hell is going on here…AHHHH!"
Lilith's face crumpled as she felt the Mana Downpour getting heavier. The density of the downpour was now stronger than before. The mana it was eating up was now 5% per second.
While Lilith downed a Mana Restoration Potion, she listened to Alpha speak.
[The mana output in this place is being messed by the downpour. Space is being distorted; this amount of mana is enough to open a rift in the world! Wait for thirty seconds; I can't do anything better than that! Why!? You don't think you can live through this? I thought you're not going to die?]
"Hahaha! Don't worry; this flashlight is not going to kill me. Just make sure to teleport everyone I'm protecting."
[Sure will!]
Boom!
As Lilith and Alpha finished their conversation, the downpour became even more potent. It was as if the light is slowly being concentrated in her direction. And as the 5% per second turned 10% per second, Lilith used her remaining SP to buy MP potions.
Every now and then, Lilith would down a potion and replenish her MP so that she'd be able to support her mana usage.
As for HP potions, she also bought some and placed them all in her inventory. She does not know how long this thing will last, but she was prepared to outlast it.
4s
It won't go on forever. Lilith was sure that it will eventually stop. The tiny back of a child fought the weapons of humans. The two independent sides of her brain that meant to control an element joined hands to disperse the mana.
7s
She was doing the same with her HP; once her health reaches a certain threshold, she'll drink a potion and have her HP back on track. However, her determination didn't mean she didn't feel pain.
Quite the opposite.
It was raining blood; her body was collapsing, and her fatigue already reached 76%.
15s
She was becoming weaker and weaker, but that didn't matter, for her body has the system. She only needs to lower the fatigue with some spells, and she'll be all good.
Lilith was already drenched in her own blood; her kimono was already in tatters as she gradually weakens.
21s
Her fatigue could no longer go down past 67%. She had overworked her body far too much.
And it just kept skyrocketing, and the situation only worsens from then on. It got to a point where Lilith could no longer risk casting a spell to lessen her fatigue, or else her mana will be overused.
Soon enough, she was pushed back by the downpour. Her bloodshot eyes reflected the pain she was in.
Her every orifice began to bleed! She had long passed her limits, her fatigue eventually reached 153%.
"AAHHHH!"
A bright light emerged from Lilith, her screams reaching the hearts of the crying daemons below her. Lilith hanged on, she grabbed hold her of her sanity so she could live!
The system should have shut her mind down because what she was doing was beyond insane, but Lilith fought her desire to rest consciousness by letting the pain course through her body.
The only thing keeping her awake and sane was the pain! She was holding onto the pain and using it to keep her conscious.
29s
This was her second chance at life. Never would she die in this filthy manner!
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!"
30s
As the timer hits 30, Lilith's smile became broad. Her body cracked, and the rain of blood continued to flow. And she raised her hand, she smiled as she whispered.
"Times up! I... win... humans!"
Her bloodied figure and the rest of the daemons in the village disappeared from sight.
Sssssssssh! Boom!
And without anyone resisting, the entirety of the Forest of Beast was wiped from the face of the earth. The humans celebrated its destruction as they managed to avenge their people.
But somewhere, in the ocean, there was a gathering of daemons. They encircled a bloodied body of a child that is bordering life and death.
The war against the world has yet to start, but without the humans knowing, an Empire that resented and hated them survived. This Empire was nothing but a speck in the humans' eyes, but they will thrive so that one day, these daemons will rise and take revenge on the ones who hurt their Empress.
They desire Revenge.
Vol. 1 FIN