A few hours later, Anxing returned to this birthplace, which had now become a complete black mire, right before the Demon was about to emerge.
Then she saw Xiaozi lying on the ground, digging up the black mire with her little hands and eating it.
With every mouthful of black mire, she’d also get a mouthful of sand and dirt—it looked especially pitiful.
Luo Shuangyue, on the other hand, was sitting carelessly on the other side.
The small butterflies flitting around her kept flying back and forth between her and the black mire, delivering the energy from the mire into her body.
“I’m just eating the outermost demonic energy here, so it won’t affect what’s inside, okay? Don’t get the wrong idea.” The moment she saw Anxing return, Luo Shuangyue immediately explained herself before Anxing could speak.
I’m not interfering with the Demon’s arrival inside. I’m just eating some leftovers from the outside.
It won’t affect the birth of that cute little one inside at all!
Anxing actually understood this reasoning. She just thought that Luo Shuangyue was a bit much, still gobbling up demonic energy at a time like this.
Isn’t that a little too gluttonous? Too fond of eating, maybe?
“Even if you clean out all this demonic energy, it doesn’t matter,” Anxing shook her head, tacitly allowing Luo Shuangyue’s actions.
As long as the same-kind inside could emerge safely, that’s all that mattered.
The demonic energy in the outermost layer of this black mire wasn’t much different from the flowers in the Sea of Flowers where they’d been before.
It was edible, but its nutritional value definitely couldn’t compare to a real meal—barely worth the trouble.
And what made it even less appealing, no doubt, was the taste.
Luo Shuangyue, who had other ways to absorb magic, was okay, but look at Xiaozi, who was eating a mouthful and spitting out a mouthful—could this black mire taste good?
Of course, actually, Xiaozi didn’t have to spit out every bite she ate, but, well… it looked better to eat and spit out each mouthful,
Than to eat from the top and spit from the bottom.
To protect her own eyes—and to preserve the stereotype that beautiful girls wouldn’t do such things—Luo Shuangyue had ordered Xiaozi to use the “eat a mouthful, spit a mouthful” method.
“She’s about to be born. Do you think she’ll attack us right away?” Luo Shuangyue propped her chin on her hand, gazing at the distant mass of black sludge and muttered quietly.
“Most likely, yes.” Anxing shrugged in a rather human-like way.
A newborn Demon doesn’t have much in her head—other than destroying everything in sight, even if it’s her own kind.
Back when Anxing did her kidnapping jobs, the same-kind she met usually greeted her with a punch. Only after knocking the other party flat could she actually have a proper conversation.
It’s only rare ones like Luo Shuangyue who can have a proper conversation right from the start.
“But she can’t beat me, and I have the ability to persuade her,” she continued.
Recruiting others to the Demon’s side is simple; no need for grand ideals or compatible personalities. Just overpower them with strength.
And in this, Anxing was outstanding.
Although Luo Shuangyue had never seen her fight at full power, she was certain that this Demon Emperor’s strength was at least not inferior to any Demon Emperor she’d seen.
She definitely couldn’t compare with a “giant eyeball” Demon Emperor who’d developed to the extreme—one that could take on twenty Full Bloom-Class Magical Girls at once.
But compared to Demon Emperors like Phantom Thorn and Phantom Scythe, who could be beaten up by three or four Magical Girls at a time, she was certainly stronger.
With such a Demon Emperor lowering herself to fight a just-born little Demon King, there’s no way she could lose, right?
“How about you just scare her, and then let me drain her with a single bite?” Luo Shuangyue kept up her persona.
Sigh, always so gluttonous—even now, thinking about getting a good bite.
She even had a legitimate reason: if you beat her down, and she doesn’t submit, won’t you just have to keep hitting her? What if you accidentally kill her?
So let me do it! One bite from me, and no matter how tough this newborn is, she’ll end up soft on the ground, at our mercy.
Isn’t that much more efficient than getting into a direct fight?
“There are plenty of ways to make someone submit—beating them into submission is just too crude and inefficient. That won’t do.” Luo Shuangyue put on a knowing look, as if she was quite experienced in this area.
As she spoke, she pulled over her number one little lackey, Xiaozi. “Look at Xiaozi, so obedient and well-behaved now, right?”
Xiaozi looked at Luo Shuangyue in confusion, tilting her head in puzzlement.
Their relationship was indeed master and servant, but thanks to Luo Shuangyue’s ingenious magical energy control techniques, Xiaozi’s original consciousness was preserved.
So, the current Xiaozi wasn’t much different from the old one.
The only real difference was that Xiaozi now wouldn’t bite anything Luo Shuangyue told her not to.
Anxing looked at Xiaozi and was silent for several seconds.
She could see the lively light in Xiaozi’s eyes, but she also knew that this child now belonged entirely to Luo Shuangyue.
The “persuasion methods” Luo Shuangyue talked about were probably even scarier than her own physical persuasion.
“I agree with the first half of your plan. Let’s talk about the rest later.” In the end, Anxing chose not to let Luo Shuangyue play mind control directly.
It’s enough to drain our poor little same-kind dry; let’s not brainwash her.
We should use warmth to move her and let her join our great cause willingly.
All Luo Shuangyue could say was, if you’re happy, then so be it.
We’re all Demons now, why bother with these empty gestures? If it were her, she’d directly brainwash these King-class underlings into an army, ready to sacrifice at a word.
That’s the most efficient, and the most in line with a Demon’s nature.
But Anxing’s decision was, in Luo Shuangyue’s eyes, not Demon-like at all.
She even had a strange feeling that this Demon Emperor, Anxing, seemed to possess something called “humanity.”
She showed extraordinary tolerance and concern for her same-kind; she could let Xia Mo and Taya go for Luo Shuangyue’s sake; and for some little thoughts in her heart, she would refuse plans that suited the Demon’s nature better.
Anxing’s refusal wasn’t because she didn’t want to see Luo Shuangyue expanding her power with Anxing’s help, but because she didn’t want the newborn same-kind to be brainwashed by Luo Shuangyue.
“Anxing, you’re really strange.”
“Strange?” Anxing looked puzzled at Luo Shuangyue’s words.
“The other same-kind I’ve met are all incredibly selfish. They wish they were the only Demon Emperor in the world. When facing an injured same-kind, they never think of lending a hand; instead, they kill them without mercy and take their power for themselves.”
Luo Shuangyue recounted her experiences with Demon Emperors.
She’d only met three herself, but she’d also brushed up on Magic Department records, so she wasn’t lacking in knowledge.
“In their territories, there are never same-kind out of their control. No—those can’t even be called same-kind, just a bunch of puppets.”
Anxing fell silent for a long while at these words.
Looking at the bright gleam in Luo Shuangyue’s eyes, she could tell Luo Shuangyue wasn’t lying, but what she said was almost unbelievable.
Are Demons in our world really like that? I’ve never heard of such same-kind…
“You don’t have that here—it might be unique to our side.” Luo Shuangyue hugged her knees and swung her feet nonchalantly.
“I like it here better than over there.”
She made no attempt to hide that she was from another world, and Anxing could sense the underlying meaning.
This same-kind’s origins didn’t seem simple.
“So, since you said that, I promise I won’t lay a hand on that child, because I want to see if you can truly move these children, whose natures are like this.”
Calling it “moving” them might be a bit much; rather, could Anxing suppress a Demon’s nature and make them listen to orders?
“Mm, thank you.”
With that, Anxing strode toward the center of the Black Calamity, preparing to communicate with her same-kind as soon as she appeared.
If communication was possible, so much the better. If not, then just go with Luo Shuangyue’s plan from earlier.
Seize and drain in one go—first cut off all physical resistance, then talk.
Seeing Anxing walk away, Luo Shuangyue quickly stood and followed, curious to see if a humanoid Demon’s birth would be different from the others.
Inside the core of the black mire, Luo Shuangyue immediately spotted the black mire that had already fully taken on a human form.
Compared to the slime monster she’d seen when sneaking in before, the humanoid black mire looked much cuter now.
Her facial features had become clear, her body had stabilized, and only her legs were still slowly solidifying.
Once her entire body stabilized, the Black Calamity would end, and her true birth would be complete.
And that wouldn’t take much longer.
“So, the one born this time is an eighteen-year-old girl?” Judging by the developed parts of the body, Luo Shuangyue made a rough guess.
Unlike Xiaozi, who was always a bit childish-looking, this Demon King seemed like a textbook youthful maiden, and among her peers, her figure would definitely be top-notch.
Hmm, Luo Shuangyue thought maybe she should cover her eyes for now. Once the new one is fully born, she probably won’t be wearing any clothes.
It would feel a little like betraying Xia Mo to sneak a peek.
Anxing ignored Luo Shuangyue’s muttering.
The concept of “eighteen-year-old girl” was completely foreign to her.
Eighteen? Maiden? What are those?
No clue.
Her eyes were fixed on the black mire monster ahead, watching the sludge gradually solidify, watching the congealing mud peel away from the maiden’s body and drop to the ground, where it reassembled into a skirt of a rather familiar style.
Anxing subconsciously glanced at Luo Shuangyue. The skirt on this girl—doesn’t it look a bit like the one you’re wearing?
“Huh? What’s going on?” Luo Shuangyue was dumbfounded. That can’t be right, can it?
This Demon actually comes with her own equipment to cover herself up from birth?
No, no, wait—did she just steal my clothes to wear?
While the two of them were still stunned, the newborn Demon King had completed the formation of her body.
The twisted black energy in the sky was sucked into her body, and a powerful wave of energy burst from within her, heralding the descent of a Demon King upon the land.
This Demon King born from the Black Calamity had the usual features of a Demon Maiden: jet-black long hair and pitch-black eyes.
As soon as she opened her eyes, her gaze locked tightly onto Luo Shuangyue.
“Thief!” Her black lips parted, and a chilling voice came out.
She wasn’t overwhelmed by the urge to destroy like other Demons. Instead, her first move was to glare at Luo Shuangyue and call her a thief.
Whoa, now that was unexpected for Luo Shuangyue.
“Don’t slander me! I’m not a thief!” Luo Shuangyue loudly retorted.
At this moment, Anxing watched Luo Shuangyue and the new Demon with a strange look. She felt like there was a story here.
Maybe it was this story that allowed this newborn same-kind to possess a different kind of rationality than the others.
“I recognize your scent. When my consciousness was still in chaos, I felt my power being taken by you, and I also absorbed a trace of your power,” the maiden said, lowering her head to look at the skirt that resembled Luo Shuangyue’s, her tone completely flat.
Luo Shuangyue was dumbstruck.
You had a sense of self even back then? If I’d known, I wouldn’t have come in to steal a bite.
But the maiden wasn’t finished. “Your power extinguished the raging flames of vengeance in my mind and also… gave me something strange.”
Originally, she should have been like Xiaozi or any other Demon, controlled by the urge to destroy within the demonic energy, indiscriminately wrecking everything around her.
“I think… this is pretty nice.” The maiden looked down at her hand, and at last, a hint of emotion crept into her voice.
She had experienced that terrifying desire and knew that, if she were consumed by it, she’d cease to be herself.
It was Luo Shuangyue’s wisp of magic that saved her, extinguishing that dreadful urge to slaughter.
Luo Shuangyue was indeed a thief, but also her benefactor.
“Haha… it was nothing, really.” Luo Shuangyue couldn’t say anything else. This was just an accident, sister.
Still, she could sense a trace of her own demonic energy lingering within the girl.
So she crooked her finger, and a strand of ink-black demonic energy seeped from the maiden’s nostril, transforming into a butterfly that fluttered to Luo Shuangyue’s side.
This butterfly was incredibly hideous, its inky black body covered in blood-red markings—anyone could tell at a glance that it was nothing good.
“Anxing-jie, could you please help me deal with this butterfly?” Luo Shuangyue turned to Anxing.
There was no way she’d absorb such obviously dangerous energy.
Her instincts told her the best thing to do was to erase the butterfly from this world completely.
Naturally, Anxing had no reason to refuse. She drew her Star Spear and smashed the butterfly with a single blow.
Bang!
The butterfly was shattered by the Star Spear, but the shards of black and crimson didn’t disappear.
Instead, they clung to the Star Spear, beginning to erode Anxing’s magic bit by bit.
“No, let go! There’s something wrong with that thing!” Luo Shuangyue shouted loudly.
Anxing immediately let go of her spear.
Strangely enough, even without her grip, the spear continued to float steadily in midair.