“This one’s scale should be Wang-Class, and the eruption will finish in a few hours—probably around midnight.” Luo Shuangyue observed the scene and immediately judged the situation.
A Wang-Class Demon—she remembered Anxing had said that Wang-Class Demons born from the Black Calamity were far more likely to be humanoid, like Xiaozi.
Which meant they were Anxing’s real recruitment targets.
Of course, the Demons being “recruited” likely had no idea what that meant; they were pure Demons, fresh from birth.
Their minds held only the urge to destroy everything—other thoughts would have to wait.
“So what’s your plan, Anxing? Wait here for our kin to appear, or go searching for others elsewhere?”
With several hours, Anxing could sweep the area if she wanted.
Glancing at the black mire where the eruption was still a ways off, Anxing decided she had time to check the surroundings.
“Go ahead. I’ll stay here and wait.” Luo Shuangyue found a large rock not yet covered by the black sludge, plopped herself down, and made it clear she wasn’t interested in running around.
She was going to slack off—ahem, rather, keep watch over the erupting Black Calamity.
Anxing wasn’t suspicious. Luo Shuangyue had basically earned her trust already, given how demonically she’d acted while eating Demons with Anxing’s support.
She even suspected Luo Shuangyue stayed behind just to sneak a bite while she was away.
Not that she suspected Luo Shuangyue of trying to run.
“No sneaking bites. There’s a good chance the one born here will be our kin.”
“Don’t worry, Sister Anxing! I’ve had professional training; I absolutely won’t sneak a bite of our kin’s tribute—unless I can’t help it.”
Staring with her big, silver-red eyes, Luo Shuangyue righteously promised: How could I sneak a bite? Even if I did, it’d only be a tiny taste.
I definitely wouldn’t affect our kin’s birth!
Looking at Luo Shuangyue’s earnest face, Anxing made up her mind in an instant—Luo Shuangyue would definitely sneak a bite.
“Just don’t eat too much.”
Fine, as long as it doesn’t interfere with their kin’s arrival, a little snacking is fine. Anxing wasn’t petty.
Luo Shuangyue was quite offended by Anxing’s lack of trust. I said I wouldn’t sneak a bite, yet you still doubt me—so mean!
Fine, I’ll just eat a little, and let’s see if you end up with a malnourished Demon King!
As soon as Anxing left, Luo Shuangyue immediately summoned Phantom Scythe, instructing her to absorb the black sludge beneath their feet.
The magic energy in the sludge was highly concentrated—an excellent meal for Demons.
Then, Luo Shuangyue hopped off the rock and made her way, bit by bit, to the heart of the Black Calamity eruption, planning to sneak some high-quality magic from the core.
According to the Magic Department’s research, the Demon birthing process could be forcefully interrupted.
If you disrupted the core energy cluster and prevented the Demon from absorbing enough magic, the newborn Demon would be in a malnourished, weakened state.
That’s why, in the later stages, Humans could easily deal with Demon Emperors.
After all, a Demon Emperor’s birth was such a huge event that the Magic Department could slap it down before it fully emerged.
A half-baked Demon Emperor, just born and immediately surrounded by Magical Girls, would face a predictably tragic end.
The scene would be quite brutal—not for the faint of heart.
Now, Luo Shuangyue wasn’t about to interrupt the birthing outright, but stealing a bit of magic so the newborn would be slightly weaker was definitely possible.
If you break the process completely, the Demon’s strength drops to 40 or 50 percent—anyone can see something’s wrong.
But if you just steal a little?
The Demon’s strength drops to eighty or ninety percent—a normal margin of error.
Not every Wang-Class Demon is overwhelmingly strong, right? If one comes out a bit weak, who would question it?
Tiny butterflies split off from Luo Shuangyue’s body, fluttering toward the distance.
They blended into the magical currents, siphoning off a portion of the magic for Luo Shuangyue.
“These things really are hard to use—not at all like being a Magical Girl…” Luo Shuangyue muttered, rubbing her forehead in mild frustration.
Unlike a Magical Girl, it was tough for a Demon to use splitting spells.
Each split part needed to be controlled, and the Original Magic Power’s command range was limited.
For example, Luo Shuangyue could only directly control butterfly clones within twenty meters. Any farther, and they were basically just robots.
That was fine in battle—after all, once you launched an attack, it would explode eventually.
But now, she needed her butterfly clones for delicate work, so she had to install some Original Magic Power in them.
It was a tiny loss for Luo Shuangyue, just enough for her clones to gain basic intelligence and follow her commands.
Still, splitting herself into countless pieces was unnerving for someone used to a singular existence.
Of course, it wasn’t just her—even other Demon Emperors found it unsettling.
Only Phantom Scythe, thanks to her unique nature, could split into several clones of equal strength without her consciousness being torn apart.
“Come to think of it, could I let Little Butterfly leave my body using the same method?” Luo Shuangyue tapped her own head, knowing Little Butterfly was listening.
She immediately sensed Little Butterfly’s contemptuous feelings.
Yes, Luo Shuangyue could split her consciousness, but Little Butterfly’s and Luo Shuangyue’s minds were so closely intertwined that separation was impossible.
Put simply, Luo Shuangyue and Little Butterfly were like two pilots in the same mecha.
The mecha could be split endlessly, but the two pilots couldn’t do that themselves.
“Tch, how did I end up with such a silly other half?” Smack!
Luo Xiangyue’s right hand slapped her own face, hard.
There, Little Butterfly had taken over for a second.
“Aren’t you really the silly one? Look at Xiaozi and Anxing, aren’t they both smarter than you?” Little Butterfly complained immediately.
If only you’d agreed to fuse with me, would I be like this?
I, the mighty Butterfly Monarch, born to stand atop all Demon Emperors, ended up like this because of you!
“Even if we’d fused, the resulting consciousness would still be based on you and me. I’d just provide the foundation, but I’d still be in control, wouldn’t I?” Luo Shuangyue stuffed a lump of magic into her mouth as she spoke.
Little Butterfly would provide the basic Demon personality, while her own memories and character would reshape it.
That was how the Butterfly Monarch’s true mind was supposed to be formed.
She wouldn’t be Little Butterfly, nor Luo Shuangyue, but a more powerful and ruthless being.
Luo Shuangyue had felt the endless destructive urge within Little Butterfly—it was not something she could confidently suppress.
That’s why she gave up on devouring Little Butterfly, refusing to become the sole master of her body.
“Ugh, sandy taste—disgusting.”
Sampling the ball of magic, Luo Shuangyue’s expression twisted. Why did it taste so different from fully-formed Demons?
Was she cooking it wrong?
Even Little Butterfly wanted nothing to do with this kind of magic. She’d eaten plenty of tasty stuff lately and her body was restored to a tolerable state, so her cravings had faded.
Back then, her desperation for food was mostly due to insecurity—she’d felt too weak and needed to get stronger quickly.
Now that she had power, she wasn’t as food-obsessed.
Of course, she’d still eat when the time came.
“Go a little further and it’s the Core Region. The Demon should be brewing there…” Luo Shuangyue stepped into the area where the darkness was thickest—the very heart of the Black Calamity.
Black magic fused with corrupted matter, forming a nauseating sludge beneath her feet that made Luo Shuangyue frown.
Even as a Demon Emperor, she found this place unbearable.
No wonder Demons born here were called enemies of the world.
“Only one form? But it’s definitely a humanoid Demon.” Watching the black mud taking on human shape, Luo Shuangyue sent several butterflies near the proto-Demon to sneak out a bit of magic.
Just a little, that’s all she needed.
The butterflies snuck over like little thieves, scooping up small spoonfuls of black mud and swallowing it down.
With such a small amount, they could digest it themselves.
When they returned to Luo Xiangyue, the magic they’d absorbed would come back too.
As for whether the owner of the magic would resist…well, still in the womb, not even conscious yet—what could it do about a shameless thief right beside it?
Still, a mishap occurred: in the second wave of butterflies, one was swallowed up by the mud’s automatic defenses.
Watching the poor little butterfly get dragged away by muddy tentacles, Luo Shuangyue wasn’t bothered.
These butterflies were under her direct control and held none of her Original Magic Power—getting eaten was no loss.
Besides, she’d already stolen plenty from the creature—returning the favor with a little food was only fair.
“Whew, at this rate, its final strength should be about eighty percent. Operation Sneaky Snack—complete success!”