Once we were back in-game, my clan mates and I, including Judas and Tesrif, sat around a newer, much sturdier table in the main clan hall. Emily told them about my idea regarding the PvP clan castle challenge thing and the others agreed that it sounded like an awesome idea. There were ideas freely being tossed around but no one seemed to have any that stuck out.

“Allie, how does that blood tithe thing you have work?”

I opened my character menu and swiped my hand so that Aeryn could see it. He briefly read the skill description and tapped his chin a few times with his finger.

“Hmm… that could work actually. What if instead of XP or gear we farmed other player’s deaths? Every death fuels a spell or some effect that gets stronger. I’m not sure to what end because I don’t know the limitations of it, but I feel like that would be a valuable resource. We could even make some sort of enchantment that allows players to die over and over again while in the castle without fear of dropping to level 1 or resetting. We don’t really need the gear or gold either, so we could also make it so they get to keep that as well. We need something to incentivise them to challenge us, but I think once we figure out what we could use the death magic for and what to use as incentive, we should definitely set this up.”

Murmurs of agreement sounded from the other clan members and we turned to Judas as he spoke.

“Death magic is powerful and can be used to fuel all sorts of enchantments and other magical effects. It can be used to strengthen the castle itself, add more rooms, or as top-tier enchantments on gear. Although we currently lack the means to do so, death magic is also used to smelt Hellforged metals. As for this enchantment that allows enemies to continually respawn, that would take immense Tier 5 or even World Tier magic. It is doable, it would just require a great deal of power, to say nothing of what it might require to actually locate the knowledge of how to cast such an enchantment. I doubt even the enchantress in the nearby town would have sufficient knowledge on the whereabouts of any kind of magic like that. Perhaps Dark Empress Infernos might again aid you, Lady Allexus.”

"That's an excellent idea, Judas. Why don't the rest of you try and figure out the best ideas for incentives and I'll go see Gehenna."

They agreed and just as I was about to exit the room I felt Emelia's icy grasp on my shoulder. I quickly spun in place and scooped her up using my demonic strength. She gave a little yelp of surprise but when I leaned her back and kissed her she eagerly accepted it. As I held her in my arms with her lips against mine, something my demon enchanter said before popped into my head. I laughed mentally as I thought about what I was going to say and then growled a bit as I spoke softly in her ear.

"You are my mate, Snow Demon Emelia. And soon to be the mother of my demon progeny. Stay safe, my love… I shall return shortly."

Emelia squeaked and her face momentarily blushed a bright crimson. She suddenly turned incorporeal and fell to the floor beneath me. I laughed quietly and exited the room without another word. I knew she'd likely have some choice words for me later, but it was totally worth it to see that expression on her face.

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I flew quickly towards the arena where I had originally met Gehenna. As I approached, I saw something I hadn't been expecting; angels. Lots of them. They were attacking the dozen or so guards that were present and quickly driving them back. My speed surged as I flew forward towards the battle with both of my swords drawn.

"[Summon Arcane Heavy Armor]. [Thorns of Corruption]."

I neared the battle and folded my wings, let gravity take over, and dropped rapidly towards the closest angel. As I descended I shifted in mid-air and angled my body so the second I made impact I would slam feet first into my target. Just before I crashed into the angel I was aiming for, I saw him turn towards me and let out a startled cry. Both of my feet struck his chest with a deafening crash of metal on metal and he toppled backwards and skidded along the stone tiles with me standing on top of him. I switched my grip on one of my swords and stabbed it down into the angel's face. Instead of pulling it out I stood up from the slightly crouched position I had landed in and looked at the enemies around me. One of the taller angels spoke loudly enough to be heard over the din of combat.

"Ignore the newcomer. Empress Infernos is the target."

My demonic temper flared up and for once I allowed it to run free.

"Ignore me?! You insignificant fucks are insects to be crushed beneath my boot. I am the Demon Overlord Allexus… And I will not be ignored! Power Limiter Release: 60%!"

I laughed cruelly as the orgasmic energy raced through my body. Instead of causing me to lose focus from the intense pleasure I allowed the feeling to envelop me as I spread my wings and flew upwards a few feet. All as one the angels turned towards me with conflicting looks on their faces. I raised my free hand and sneered at them.

"Now be good little Angelfilth and fucking die!"

"[Corrupting Fire]! [Blastburn]!"

Gehenna's guards jumped out of the way as my devastating attacks struck several of the angels. I felt every muscle in my body surge at once and flew forward with such speed it was as if I had blinked from the air to where I was standing now, holding a female angel in my grasp by the throat. I dropped my other sword which landed with a thunderous crash and placed that hand on the angel's face. I could feel her struggling in vain against my grip and I smiled at her, showing my fangs.

"[Coldfire]."

The hand on her skull ignited with white fire and she briefly screamed in agony before going limp and then freezing solid. I threw the frozen body at the closest angel and brought my hands together as if I was going to do a huge overhead swing with a two-handed weapon.

"[Summon Arcane Claymore]!"

In mid arc a weapon appeared in my hands and cleaved the shocked angel in two. I pivoted on my heel as one of the angels stabbed a large spear at my head and could feel the searing heat on my skin from the enchanted holy weapon wreathed in fire. I used my momentum to drive my shoulder into his chest, briefly pushing him back enough for me to do an upwards diagonal slash. He stepped back just far enough for his armor to catch most of the strike, but he let out a cry of pain as it cut him across the chest. He grinned at me because he thought my attack had left me unbalanced, but instead of following through all the way, I released my grip on my weapon and reached forward with both of my hands. I grabbed the collar of his breastplate and his belt and yanked him off his feet. I swung him in a wide arc at the next closest enemy. The female angel dodged the attack but I released my grip on the enemy I was holding and let him fly back into his ally. Just as the larger of the two impacted into the other I held up my hand.

"[Blastburn]."

The pair erupted in a fiery electric explosion and their screams of agony fueled my demonic bloodlust. I turned to face the next enemy with a growl and saw that it was one of the remaining guards. I briefly surveyed the carnage around me, retrieved both of my swords, before spreading my wings and flying towards the interior of the arena.

"[Eternal Damnation]!"

The space around me was suddenly filled with black fire and I cast my [Coldfire] spell and surrounded my body with the white flames. As I reached the open air of the colosseum I saw Gehenna fighting two four-winged archangels. One was very tall, even more heavily armored, and seemed to have an entire arsenal of weapons strapped to their back. The other was shrouded in a thin layer of flowy cloth that obscured their features. They had a staff in each hand and were unleashing a torrent of spells at Gehenna. I could clearly hear their androgynous voice speaking loudly as they were using Spoken Word.

"[Radiant Arrow]. [Chains of Radiance]."

This was the first time I had ever seen Gehenna on the defensive, and I loudly roared in fury as I saw them attacking my friend.

"Power Limiter Release: 90%! [*Overlord of Corruption*]!

The air thrummed with energy as the dark red forms of my corrupted legion coalesced around me.

"Kill the armored Angelfilth and protect Gehenna. I will take that mage and feed them their own heart."

My legion nodded in unison and took off towards the Dark Empress. I narrowly dodged out of the way as a white beam of holy energy lanced across the arena. I focused on my speed again and was only able to make it 50 feet or so when bright glowing chains shot up from the ground in an effort to bind me. I smiled at the archangel and flashed my fangs at them.

"[Demonic Chains]."

Black chains burst from the ground and wrapped themselves around the glowing white ones like snakes coiling around each other for dominance. After a couple of seconds all of the chains fell to the ground and then disappeared. I started flying forward again but was stopped this time by walls of golden energy. I realized that the angel was trying to keep me from approaching any closer and sighed softly through my nose. The walls of energy drew closer to me and I quickly formulated a plan.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"[Corrupting Fire]. [Coldfire]."

I enveloped my body with both of the spells and felt dueling rushes of hot and cold dance across my skin. I blasted forward and as I struck the wall of energy I felt searing pain through every nerve ending in my body. I grit my teeth and pushed through it until I had forced my way through and was rocketing across the arena towards the mage. They summoned several more walls of light and I pushed through every single one until I was less than 40 feet away from them. My skin was burned and blistered and it felt like I had taken a bath in molten lava.

"Power Limiter Release: 100%. [Corruption's Caress]."

As my healing spell took effect I tilted my head from side to side to pop my neck and then gave an exaggerated yawn.

"That was… Boring. I was hoping you would have provided me with at least a little entertainment… Oh well… may as well finish this thing."

"I don't know who-"

As they started to speak I moved with that insane speed like I had done before, and went from being 30 feet away to having my claws pressed into their jugular in the blink of an eye.

"I'd ask if you had any last words… But I don't fucking care."

I extended the claws on my free hand and jabbed it forward into their chest. I closed my fingers around their heart and tore it free from their body. Just before they died I forced their mouth open and shoved the slightly blackened organ in. I let their body fall and I turned in place right in time to see Gehenna impale the massive archangel through the chest with a huge two-handed sword made of swirling black fire. As he fell the ice encasing his legs shattered and he crashed into the ground. The dark red form of Emelia rushed over to support Gehenna as she nearly collapsed. The pair flew downwards and set down gently on the ground. I quickly joined them and released my World Tier spell. Gehenna looked up at me from her kneeling position and let out a long tired sigh.

"You are the most beautiful sight I have ever laid eyes on, Allexus. To think it wasn't so long ago that you fought me in this very arena… And now you're here saving me from what would have likely been a successful assassination. I would ask about the nature of your most timely arrival, but first… "

She held up a hand and a swirling black portal appeared.

"Let's go someplace other than this field of carnage. Can't have my guards see me like this… Can I?"

She grinned at me weakly and I knelt down and helped her to her feet. We both walked slowly through the portal and after we stepped through she held up her hand and it closed behind us. I looked around at where we were and was surprised to find myself in a very posh bedroom with a huge ornate canopy bed. Gehenna staggered over to a long wide set of drawers that had assorted jewelry boxes on top of it and steadied herself. She waved her hand and her armor and chainmail disappeared, leaving her standing naked in front of me. I blushed slightly and started to look away until Gehenna laughed softly.

“You’ve seen me naked before, Allexus. You didn’t seem to mind me rubbing up on you during the arena fight.”

“In my defense, at the time I didn’t know you were… you know… you. It’s a bit different now that I know who you are.”

She cocked her eyebrow and smirked at me before reaching up to her neck and pulling at the choker around her neck. As the clasp came undone I got a look at the gem that was set in the front. It looked the same as the one set within my Power Limiter except it was nearly cracked in two. This was the first time I had ever seen Gehenna without her Limiter in place and as I viewed her I wondered just how powerful she was.

“Gehenna, can I ask you a personal question?”

“I’m standing completely nude in front of you and I’ve already committed to bedding you and your betrothed… I feel you’re more than entitled to ask me a personal question.”

“What level are you?”

She cocked her head and gave me a confused look like she didn’t know what I was talking about for a second before nodding once in understanding.

“Once you reach the heights of power where you are able to be the Guardian of a Realmstone or two, you don’t really pay much attention to things like levels. If I had to put a number to it I think it would be between 600 and 700.”

My eyes went wide and my mouth opened in shock. I couldn’t tell which surprised me more, the fact that she was nearly 500 levels higher than me or that she didn’t even know for sure how high her level was. Gehenna laughed and smiled at me warmly. It was so unusual to see her like this. I had grown accustomed to viewing her as this ultimate being of power and darkness. But as she stood before me she looked remarkably… Normal.

"If you stare at me any harder, Allexus, I may spontaneously burst into hellfire. What are you thinking about?"

I laughed through my nose softly as I recalled Emily saying something similar. The more I looked at Gehenna, the more I realized just how beautiful she was. Instead of allowing myself to get lost in that thought, I blinked a couple times to clear my mind and moved across the room to sit on the edge of the huge bed. Gehenna's gaze followed me with curiosity and she raised her eyebrow and placed a hand on her hip. I gave her a wide grin and did my best to explain.

"Sometimes it seems like you're two different people: Dark Empress Infernos, Supreme Being of Evil Incarnate, and Gehenna the carefree blonde demoness. Don't get me wrong… I can relate entirely. There are times where I'm Allexus, Demon Overlord of Corruption… And other times when I'm just… Allie, human gamer striving to be the top player."

"Allie, huh? I like this abbreviated form of your name… But… I take your meaning. I have lived long enough and have taken on so many roles in that time that falling into the narrative of being a Dark Empress has become second nature. When I'm around you, however, I feel I don't have to maintain that pretense. Don't worry, Allexus, I'm not going to profess my love for you. I am at the stage in my life where I'm beyond such things, to say nothing of what your betrothed would do were I to do so."

We both laughed and as I thought of a fitting anachronism it made me laugh even harder.

"There's a saying where I'm from 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.' I find it especially ironic considering where we are at this given moment."

"A most apt description. And to steal another phrase from your world, Hell would literally freeze over before I came between her and you."

"Did you… Did you just make a joke?"

We both laughed and after she slipped a silky sheer nightgown over her head she sat on the bed next to me.

"I grow tired of having to constantly uphold that Dark Empress facade you mentioned. In truth, the reason I want you to surpass me is so that you can take control of my realms in my stead. I long for the days when I can travel freely without consequence or the fear that something disastrous will happen in my absence. I want to be this 'Gehenna the carefree blonde demoness' you spoke of. So my attraction to you is largely a selfish one."

"Wait. Wait. Go back. You want me to be the empress and control your… Realms… Plural?"

"I hold control of three realms. And yes, I do want you to be the empress. You'll do a far better job than I, given the company you keep."

My mind reeled and sat in stunned silence for a moment. The idea that I would not only be the leader of the most powerful clan in the game, but also the empress of multiple realms of Hell… It was beyond anything I had imagined. The more I pictured it, however, the more I grew to absolutely love the idea. A wide smile replete with ambition and thoughts of dominance filled my face.

"Judging from the expression on your face, you are quickly warming to the idea. But don't get ahead of yourself. You're still a whelp of a demon compared to me. Despite the supposed ease with which you dispatched that archangel mage, I could still see that doing so took more effort than you let on. The battle your summons assisted me with was the end of a long protracted fight that started with two dozen archangels and nearly twice as many angels and Angelspawn. The fact that you still consider levels to be an accurate judge of power tells me all I need to know. You aren't ready… Yet. Though, I feel the time you will be is not too far off. You've become so powerful in such a short amount of time that I know you'll be bedding me very soon."

She stood up suddenly and then spun on her heel.

"Now then, I'm sure you didn't arrive at the perfect time on purpose. As grateful as I am for your aid, I am still curious what the true nature of your visit is."

I explained the reason for coming in detail and she listened with keen interest. After I informed her about what we were searching for, her eyes lit up and she rushed across her large room to a huge iron bound chest in the corner. She opened it and retrieved several items and then walked back over to me.

"Your demonic retainer surprises me more and more. His suggestion of using death magic is a good one. As for the incentives you mentioned, perhaps these will be of use to you."

She handed the items to me and I added each one to my inventory and checked what they were. There were 200 Level Up! items, several sets of rare enchanted jewels, and four scrolls that would unlock a World Tier spell or skill.

"Holy fucking shit! That's… Thank you, Gehenna. This is so much. Why would you just give this stuff to me?"

She placed her hands on her hips, raised her eyebrow, and tapped her foot slightly in irritation. She glared at me until I understood her reasoning.

"You want me to use this as an opportunity to become even more powerful so that I can eventually replace you as empress."

She smiled and gave me a half-grin before turning back around and grabbing a small scrap of paper. Her hand glowed slightly red for a moment and words appeared on the paper she was holding. She moved across the room and handed it to me.

"These coordinates should help you obtain the necessary magics you spoke of. Words cannot express how thrilled I am at the initiative you've shown at organizing something like this. Would you be at all opposed if I were to visit your clan once everything has begun?"

I shook my head adamantly and stood up off the bed. I moved quickly across the room and before she could react I pulled Gehenna into a tight embrace. I pressed my lips to hers and pushed my tongue into her mouth. She returned the gesture eagerly and then pushed me back with a single strong shove. I could see the hunger for more in her eyes, but she grimaced and sighed softly.

"That was… Invigorating. If I wasn't committed to having your betrothed present when we consummate my allegiance to you, I would let you take me right now."

She waved her hand and a rapidly swirling black portal appeared next to her.

"This portal will take you back to your clan castle. I can't normally cast them across such great distances, but I'm using you as a focus. Notify me once your clan is ready to begin this challenge and I'll make the necessary arrangements to spread the word. Also, the time for the Realmshift rapidly approaches, so don't forget to let me know when you're ready for that."

As I stepped closer to the portal Gehenna leaned in and whispered softly in my ear.

"The next time you are in this room, Allexus, I will eagerly let you fuck me in every way imaginable."

As shivers raced up and down my body and arousal flooded my system, I felt two strong hands push me forward into the portal.