They ran as fast as they could, but the beast was already on their heels, one more step and it would have devoured them in a single bite with its teeth. It was too late, because the wolf had made such a huge leap that it positioned itself in front of them, blocking their path.
"Your end has come, I am a creature of the underworld, do you really think you can defeat a celestial being like me?"
Kira stepped back and emitted a glow that enveloped her hands like rings.
"Bastard!"
She raised her hands and launched waves of energy at the wolf. However, her actions proved ineffective against its relentless strength.
"Is that all? Are you really that weak?"
The wolf advanced, drooling at the mouth, eager to enjoy its meal, two souls well served.
“Let's start with you!"
The wolf opened its mouth wide and headed straight for Arturo, in the act of eating him in a single bite. But it abruptly halted its paws.
"Eh?"
The soul devourer was so confused, he didn't understand. He kept sniffing, placing his snout on the ground. Then he sniffed Arturo, scanning him from every angle. Arturo looked at him incredulously. The beast stared at him again.
"You have my scent, you, who are you?"
Arturo was as confused as he was and wanted to understand more about what he had just said. The wolf began to tremble, its sense of smell was beyond normal.
"Your scent doesn't belong to this world..."
"I sense the scent of the underworld in you, could you be a deity?"
"Eh?"
"Yes, there's no doubt, you are a deity."
The wolf bowed its head and sat down like a little dog.
"I apologize, how can I make amends for my mistakes!"
Arturo looked around and saw a whole massacre of demons. Arturo stroked his chin and looked at the wolf from head to toe.
"Hmm..."
The wolf bowed its head even more as a sign of apology, looking like a beaten dog. Then Arturo spoke up, with a lightbulb going off in his head.
"You've killed my subjects, this is not how one behaves!"
"S...I'm sorry!"
"However, if you want to make it up to me, there is a way."
"Which one? Tell me?"
"Be my pet!"
The wolf tilted its head in disbelief, but facing a deity, it had to comply.
"Your pet? W-what does that mean?"
"You'll be my little buddy, we'll play together, you'll help me out on my adventures, and we'll become great friends."
The wolf's eyes sparkled, and then it began to wag its huge tails and open its mouth just like a dog.
"Alright!"
The wolf extended its paw,
Suddenly, the wolf began to glow, its body no longer visible, transforming into a pendant that rested around Arturo's neck.
YOU'VE UNLOCKED A NEW FAMILIAR.
TO SUMMON THE CREATURE OF THE UNKNOWN, YOU MUST REACH LEVEL 15.
It seemed too good to be true!
The fog had dissipated, and Kira was so weakened that she could barely stay upright, her trembling legs gave in.
"Kira!"
Kira fell to the ground.
Arturo rushed to her aid, shaking her repeatedly.
"She's passed out, must have used up too much mana."
He brought up the interface and clicked on "HOME." A vortex opened under their feet, sucking them in, and then they reappeared in the demon realm.
Arturo strode confidently along the arid, rocky path, carrying Kira on his shoulders.
Man, that was tough, I didn't expect hunting to be so exhausting!
The sky was consistently painted with the same hue, a blood-red that embraced the horizon.
Arturo slightly shifted his gaze towards Kira, leaning against his back, with a peaceful face like a little angel, nothing could wake her up at that moment, not even cannon shots.
She's so light... like a feather.
Along the path, the view of the castle suspended in the void began to emerge.
Arturo sighed in relief, feeling somewhat at home; the castle felt safe. Suddenly, Kira began to cling to Arturo's back.
Her fingers tickled his back, and naturally, Arturo reacted with slight embarrassment, having never experienced such direct contact with a girl.
"She's awake!"
As soon as Kira opened her eyes, she tried to focus. Arturo heard her moans from behind his back. Once the little cousin fluttered her eyelids disorientedly, she slid off Arturo's back and stumbled to the ground.
"What were you trying to do?!"
"You had fainted, I carried you to the castle."
Kira calmed down and understood.
"The monster?"
"I defeated it."
Afterward, he safely returned Kira to the castle and ordered the maids there to immediately take Kira to her room, without hesitation, the maids nodded.
Arturo smiled as he watched her go; after all, she wasn't such a bothersome presence.
The king returned to his room, stripped off everything, the cloak, the tunic, threw them into the wind, lay down on the bed, and closed his eyes, letting his body rest. He decided not to open his eyes until he woke up to a new life.
"Today was a good day. Saved a pretty girl, defeated some shadow creature or whatever it was called, and even leveled up. Not bad at all. And with that, goodnight!"
"Goodnight to you too!"
"Huh?"
Arturo felt a slight pressure and turned to see another presence occupying his bed.
"Mom?!"
With sensual fervor, Scarlet's lips parted as her naked body presented itself fully. Gracefully, she drew closer to the king, her delicate hands exploring Arturo's body before intertwining her fingers with his.
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"M...mom!"
"You won the hunt." Scarlet beamed and moved closer to Arturo's trembling lips, which tried in vain to resist.
"But deep down, I knew you'd make it!"
Suddenly, Arturo vanished from his mother's view as Scarlet spun around, flaunting herself in search of him.
His "shadow" ability allowed him to reappear directly behind her.
Scarlet turned, frowning.
"What are you doing?! I'm congratulating you!"
"Better from this distance."
Scarlet stood, glaring at Arturo as if he were a daring microbe to speak to her. Eventually, she gave in and sat on the edge of the bed, head bowed. Arturo slithered next to her and reemerged in physical form.
Scarlet's hands trembled so much that her nails tore through the sheet.
"You have no idea how much I suffered, seeing your lifeless body there on the ground!"
How to feel for her, she lost her son. By the way, I wonder what my mother is doing...
Scarlet wiped her tears and lifted her head.
"But now that we're reunited, we can be a family again!"
Well, not so reunited, uncle just died.
Tempted to stand, Scarlet paused at Arturo's gesture, crouching on her soft legs, almost drooling over them.
"Don't go. Sleep with me."
Scarlet ran her fingers through Arturo's curly hair.
I don't know why, but I feel affectionate towards her. It's been so long since I slept next to someone.
"Before falling in battle, your father carefully chose your name. Artoris symbolizes triumph. I've always had faith in you, you will dominate not only these lands but also the surface world. Goodnight, Artoris."
Arturo was already snoring as Scarlet gave him a long kiss on the lips, caressed him one last time, and left the room.
Unlike other demons, Arturo felt that Scarlet was the only one he could truly trust. Her words carried utmost sincerity.
After all, she was also a beautiful woman, and he didn't mind considering her as his new mother at all.
A few hours later, behind the mountain, the first rays of the sun were already visible. It illuminated the entire realm with its reddish glow. The two guards, watching the castle from the tower, ordered the entrance gate to be opened. As the gate swung open in all its grandeur,
the sun was now high in the sky, and the realm was lively and bright once more.
Artoris walked along the catacomb corridor, his cloak billowing, while the guards stood immobile on opposite sides, watching him impassively and nodding in greeting.
"Good morning, my lord!"
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"Today, I did well. Saved a pretty girl, took down some shadow creature, leveled up – not too shabby. And with that, goodnight!"
"Goodnight to you, too!"
"Huh?"
Arturo felt a slight pressure and turned to see another presence in his bed.
"Mom?!"
With sensual fervor, Scarlet's lips parted as she offered her naked form. She gracefully moved closer to the king, her delicate hands exploring Arturo's body before intertwining her fingers with his.
"M...mom!"
"You won the hunt." Scarlet beamed, moving closer to Arturo's trembling lips, which tried in vain to resist.
"But deep down, I knew you would make it!"
Suddenly, Arturo vanished from Scarlet's view as she spun around, flaunting herself in search of him.
His "shadow" ability allowed him to reappear directly behind her.
Scarlet turned, frowning.
"What are you doing?! I'm congratulating you!"
"From this distance, it's better."
Scarlet stood up, glaring at Arturo as if he were a daring microbe speaking to her. Eventually, she gave in and sat on the edge of the bed, her head bowed. Arturo slithered next to her and reemerged in physical form.
Scarlet's hands trembled so much that her nails tore through the sheet.
"You have no idea how much I suffered, seeing your lifeless body there on the ground!"
"How to feel for her, she lost her son. By the way, I wonder what my mother is doing..."
Scarlet wiped away her tears and lifted her head.
"But now that we are reunited, we can be a family again!"
"Well, not so reunited, uncle just died."
Tempted to stand up, Scarlet paused at Arturo's gesture, crouching on her soft legs, almost drooling over them.
"Don't leave. Sleep with me."
Scarlet ran her fingers through Arturo's curly hair.
"I don't know why, but I feel affectionate towards her. It's been so long since I slept next to someone."
"Before falling in battle, your father carefully chose your name. Artoris symbolizes triumph. I've always had faith in you; you will dominate not only these lands but also the surface world. Goodnight, Artoris."
Arturo was already snoring as Scarlet gave him a long kiss on the lips, caressed him one last time, and left the room.
Unlike other demons, Arturo felt Scarlet was the only one he could truly trust. Her words carried the utmost sincerity.
After all, she was also a beautiful woman, and considering her as his new mother didn't bother him at all.
A few hours later, behind the mountain, the first rays of the sun were already visible. It illuminated the entire realm with its reddish glow. The two guards, watching the castle from the tower, ordered the entrance gate to be opened. As the gate swung open in all its grandeur,
the sun was now high in the sky, and the realm was once again lively and bright.
Artoris walked along the catacomb corridor, his cloak billowing, while the guards stood immobile on opposite sides, watching him impassively and nodding in greeting.
"Good morning, my lord!"
Art didn't even bother to look at them; he was way too blissed out to care about anyone else. He climbed the stairs and made his way upstairs. Then he just crashed on the throne and didn't move a muscle. He wanted some alone time, just a moment of silence. The day had just started, and after the crazy hectic day before, he just wanted a bit of peace, even if it was just for a few moments.
"MY LORD!"
Art's train of thought got totally derailed, and he jumped up with a yelp, nearly tumbling headfirst off the throne.
Purply had dropped down from the ceiling, his legs stuck to the webs.
"My lord, I went up to the surface world last night and got you breakfast."
Purply lowered another web, a cocoon with a human arm sticking out of it.
"G-great! Thanks, Purply, but you really shouldn't have."
"No, my lord, I had to, 'cause you're the king."
"No, seriously, Purply, keep it away, I can't."
"Come on, eat up, my master!"
Purply pushed it closer until it was practically shoved into his mouth. Then he scurried back up to the surface out of sight.
Artoris spit it out and scratched his tongue, trying to pull off the web bits from his mouth.
Artoris coughed up a storm, even hurled a bit.
At the entrance, an air demon had swooped into the hall and bowed down low. The vibe got all tense, and just from the look of it, nothing good was coming.
"Sire, got an emergency to report!"
"Shoot."
"A bunch of our soldiers were found dead on the ground. Looks like it happened last night."
"What did you say?!"
"Yeah... all dead. I sniffed it out, and it all went down inside the castle."
"Well, what do you want from me? Find the perp and feed 'em to some beast."
"My lord, there's more to it, that's not the point."
"What now? Can't even handle something this simple? Pfff… get this wimp outta my sight; doesn't deserve to serve me!"
"I've sniffed out every one of our guys and…"
"And… what? Spit it out, dummy!"
"Looks like it's on all of us. Since it happened inside, means the killer might be someone who was already in the castle."
Artoris looked troubled by that, raised an eyebrow, and turned his gaze back to the servant.
"What?! You saying we got a traitor in the castle?!"
"Yes, my lord!"
"And you haven't figured out who it is yet?"
"No, my lord, but we're on their trail."
"And when you find 'em, do it fast, before they come for me!"
"We will, my lord!"
"Stop saying 'my lord'!"
"As you wish, my lord."
The follower vanished with his wings and flew out the door.
The sun was about to set, and night was coming on fast, not just any night, but the moment when everything would be swallowed by darkness. With demons' ability to see in the dark, no need for torches to light up the realm, except for some decorative chandeliers.
No matter how much Art tossed and turned in bed, he just couldn't sleep. The idea of a traitor in the castle was anything but comforting. He decided to get up and take a nice hot bath.
The water was boiling fiercely, and Art's muscles gradually relaxed, as if melting into the boil. The water was so hot it would've scalded a normal human, but demon skin was immune to damage from such intense heat. Not even a flame could hurt it.
From the window, he could make out the Moon, the only glow in a kingdom that had turned tomb-like.
"Funny, thought demons partied at night with feasts or sabbaths, but looks like they sleep just as peacefully as us humans."
Art rested his arms on the hot spring's edges, surrounded by blazing rocks.
Everyone bows before me, got nothing to fear, 'cause in this world, I'm the one in charge! Even if someone turned against me, my followers would die defending me, eh, eh!
Artoris lay back, submerging completely in the water.
"Haa! What a relief! The water's so warm, feels like my skin's gonna melt right off."
Suddenly, Art's eyes shot wide open, like they were about to pop.
"What the?!"
Automatically, his "sixth sense" skill popped up on the interface.
Artoris got up instantly.
"What's this pressure?"
That brief jolt told him more threats were coming, so he got dressed and headed for the bathroom door. He walked over to his room's entrance. He didn't open it, but he heard fast footsteps, rushing down the corridor. "Sixth sense" was still on, pressing down on Art's head even more, something was close by causing this pressure.
He immediately thought about the air demon's warning of a looming threat in the castle. Never thought it would show up that very night.
The guards had been killed, was the king next?
Artoris was sweating bullets, didn't have the guts to open the door, 'cause "sixth sense" was alerting him, knew well if he stepped out, his life would be at risk, he'd be killed, and no one would come to save him.