Eleanor looks at the centipedes coming at her, then at the injured horse.

“Dammit! Nothing is ever simple in this stupid life.”

She quickly dissolves herself into goo and approaches the horse. Her liquid body wraps over the beast, mending its wounds and creeping into its muscle fibers. Her long tendrils even dig beneath the horse’s skull.

Within seconds, she wrestles control of the body away from the poor horse and stands up on four legs.

What the fuck? She can do that now?

She can do that now.

Isn’t that kind of an ass-pull power?

Uh … I supposed it’s kinda similar to that time the Devil swallowed up the princess’s guard and took his form.

Wasn’t he already dead, though?

I dunno. Ask her.

Yo, Devil! Give us a heads-up next time you’re going to pull a new ability out of your ass!

I don’t have to do jack shit!

The Devil is resting on a lounge sofa while Lady Tessa Tate is fanning her on the side. Nearby, Knight Carter Cage and Dan Declan are quietly discussing something.

Seeing the four individuals treating the defendant stand like their living room makes the people on the anti-Devil side twitch their eyes.

Dammit! Even Knight Carter turns out to be a fraud. Is there no one willing to stand up for what’s right? For justice?!

Yeah, think of all the sins the Devil had committed! All the lives she ruined! You can’t hand wave all that away with: It was all a misunderstanding. LOL. I was actually the good guy all along.

But what can we do when Adrian Acker has two Elders, two Sword Saints, and even the judge in his pocket? This hearing was a sham from the start!

Be patient, my Western friends. Help is coming soon.

What do you mean, old man?

You Westerners are soft like pig skin. People of the islands and the eastern world, however … will never let this disgrace go unpunished. So have fate, and be patient.

Back in the memory, the devil horse grabs the shocked Donna Day with her teeth and places Donna on her back with impossible flexibility.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Wh … What is … How did you …”

“Grab on, cowgirl. We’re going to haul it.”

“Eep!”

Donna screams as the horse speeds forward with incredible athleticism. The Devil has strengthened the horse’s natural armor with her, er, devil magic, and crashes through the centipedes like a runaway carriage.

Four mighty hooves stomp against the hard ground as the horse leaps from side to side and even bounces from the cliff side. The muscles in the horse’s body are strained past their breaking point, but the Devil mends the muscle fibers together as soon as they are torn and they keep moving forward no matter what.

“Don’t just sit there—shoot!”

“Ms. Eleanor? Is … is that you?”

“I said shoot, you dumb bitch!”

“B-but the gun chambers are still empty.”

“Tsk! Do I have to do everything myself?”

Two black tendrils sprout out of the horse’s back and reload the gun, before handing it back to the wide-eyed Donna Day.

“Now shoot!”

“Yes!”

Donna shoots at the centipedes, and the one girl and one devil horse continue to break through the monster’s formation.

They run and run through the valley. Eleanor is burning through her hatred reserve to keep going. Her amethyst eyes narrow as she feels the dangerous presence ahead, getting closer and closer.

As they venture forth, the cliff sides become steeper and narrower, and the walls become more polished. Strange runic symbols are etched into the walls, and there are even giant, manmade columns standing in rows along the walls.

When Donna looks back, she sees the army of centipedes halting at where the columns began.

“Wait, Ms. Eleanor. There’s something wrong with this place.”

“That’s the idea, freckles. You better reload.”

The horse slows down to a trot. They move cautiously, their eyes peering at the alien architecture around them.

The walls become steeper until the path is barely wide enough for a horsecart. The dark walls loom high above, blocking most of the sky until it becomes a narrow red line.

Donna gulps and grabs hold of the horse.

Finally, the path widens and suddenly opens into a large circular area. The ground and walls are pitch black, and shine like gemstones under the red sky. At the center of the open area stands a gigantic pyramid structure.

A small purple crack is floating at the tip of the pyramid, glowing faintly like starlight.

At the base of the structure coiled a giant red serpent whose body is as big as a tower and whose burning yellow eyes are glaring at the two intruders.

“Alright, freckles. From here on out, the kid gloves are off. If you fall, I’m not coming back for you.”

“Fall?”

The horse’s body heats up as she injects power into every cell. Her armor is now shining with a metallic gleam, and two silver wings sprout from her side.

The horse has now transformed into a majestic pegasus. Her amethyst eyes look back at Donna, whose wide-eyed eyes have turned into goose eggs.

“Grab on, cowgirl.”

With a flap of her mighty wings, the silver pegasus soars into the sky.