?


    Returning his gaze to Land, Toraquin''s eyes widened in horror as Land spread his wings. It was at this moment that they felt Land''s true prowess. It reminded them of that time their Liege briefly showcased his power to destroy a Dwarf city because of their unwillingness to cooperate. Itsted no more than ten seconds but everything disappeared by the end of it. Before such power, they could only hope for the best to survive.


    "People react interestingly to Dragon Intent," Land spoke sagely. "Some do their best to resist it whereas some lower their heads and get crushed. Given your reaction, I assume you have been exposed to Dragon Intent before."


    "I haven''t…" Toraquin answered at the same time the Generals on his sides threw up a mouthful of blood.


    "Ah, an honest one. How rare," Land remarked. "Then, you should be exposed now."


    Toraquin''s heart clenched when the Dragon Intent which had been focused on the other Generals hit him. His viscera twisted as if forcing their way out of his mouth. His nose bled as he kept the Dragon Intent from crushing his soul. He was faring better than his fellow Generals, but he could do nothing nheless.


    With sheer determination, he fought the urge to roll his eyes to the back of his head and looked at Land. His heart almost exploded when noticed Land was already in front of him. He desperately used his Origin on Land to no effect. Land''s power didn''t even waver in the slightest. His Origin which many Demons hade to abhor was useless before Land.


    "Someone with your Origin should have possessed good fighting skills. I fail to see that in you, so I presume you use others to defeat your opponent for you…or maybe luck," Land remarked in fascination. "How could you get stronger?"


    Against his better judgment, Toraquin answered the question. "Power… after… defeating… opponent."


    "Ah, so you gain a portion of their power after you defeat them. That is interesting. Can the effect be shared?"


    Toraquin didn''t answer, but Land knew the answer was a no. He might act like he could defy Land''s will, but his eyes didn''t lie. Land extended his hands, pushing Toraquin away and pulling the four Generals closer with his Mana. Toraquin was spared from Land''s soul-crushing Dragon Intent but didn''t dare do anything to help his fellow Generals. He remained there and watched as Land whispered something in Dragon Language.


    The four Generals went still and stopped spewing blood. Land waved his hand dismissively and they immediately disappeared from view. They didn''t nce at Toraquin. It was as if they didn''t register his presence.


    Toraquin stilled when Rexorem flew into Land''s hand. The blood covering it was quickly absorbed, leaving it spotless in the blink of an eye. Toraquin nced down and found the blood spikes melting. Blood pooled on the ground for a brief moment before it was frozen by the low temperature covering the area.


    The air hummed, causing Toraquin to snap his eyes back at Land. The Draconic Demon was weighing Rexorem out, causing the air to tremble every time it moved up and down.


    "It has be quite heavy. I like it," Land remarked with a tinge of mirth in his tone. Appearing before Toraquin, he said, "Lead me to Winerva."


    Toraquin only nodded his head and flew in the direction of theboratory, leading the Demon who was five times his size. The thought of leading Land to an ambush shed in his mind, but it disappeared just as fast as it came. He didn''t know where the four Generals had gone to and he didn''t want to think about it.


    Once they were close to theboratory which was within the castleplex, Toraquin nced at Land. This was the moment when he noticed that Land was carrying Helia in his arms. She was wide awake but immobile. There was a deep bruise on her cheek and it didn''t show any signs of healing. Given how she was not emitting even the slightest hint of Mana, the bruise wouldn''t heal at any time.


    Toraquin shivered as he looked at the needles piercing through Helia''s joints and torso. Dragon Spells had an unrivalled prowess. They needed to enhance their Spells with a huge amount of Mana to make up for the power disparity between their Spells and the Dragon Spells. The only Spells in history that were said to rival Dragon Spells were Ancient Demonic Spells. Then again, those Spells were more effective on Gods, so they might not hurt Dragons much.


    "This is the ce…" Toraquin said respectfully as soon as they were standing before theboratory''s door.


    Land who had shrunken his form so he fit perfectly in the building gestured at the door with his chin. Toraquin nodded and opened the door for him. An unpleasant smell assaulted his nose, but it was not one that he was familiar with. Upon entering, his eyes were nted on the nine full-body skins disyed on the wall. He didn''t need to smell them to know to whom they belonged.


    Boom!


    "Gahak!"


    In the blink of an eye, Toraquin''s head was nted in the wall. Across the room, Helia''s body sttered against the wall.


    "What the fuck did you do to her? Where is she!?"


    It was the first time Land had raised his voice. It was also his first time almost losing his cool ever since bing a Warrior. Toraquin gurgled, unable to provide an answer. His head was crushed along with his windpipe. The wall was made out of a reinforced Magic stone that was strong enough to withstand a Demon King''s General''s Mana Pool explosion. Land had crushed it with his head, so such a result was expected.


    Letting go of his hold on the crushed head of the helpless Demon King''s General, Land went to the sttered Helia. Her blue blood was furiously trickling down the wall. She almost looked like a paste, but she was still alive. Even if her power was sealed, her body was sturdy enough to withstand a head-first free fall from the sky. The throw Land had done was more dangerous than that, but she withstood it regardless.


    Just as he was about to ask the writhing Helia, he heard a sniffle from the side. He was surprised but not rmed. Whatever it was didn''t have the power to scratch his skin. He still reprimanded himself, though, for not noticing the presence earlier no matter how weak it was. Turning to the side, he was met with a familiar face. His red eyes burned even brighter as dark thoughts overwhelmed his mind.


    His killing intent made the figure scream in horror before throwing up a mouthful of blood. The smell of ammonia hit his nose, pushing the dark thoughts away. He couldn''t kill the blonde no matter how much he wanted to. He had to make sure whether she knew something that he didn''t. He would end her in the most painful way possibleter.


    "I can smell Winerva''s scent on you, bitch. What did you do to her?" he asked spitefully.


    The blonde raised her head weakly, staring into her ex-boyfriend in horror. "I- I tried my best to help, b- but she didn''t let me." She pointed a trembling finger at Helia. "She kept telling me she needed to cut Winerva open and torture her, so her regeneration rate could increase."


    "Stop beating around the bush. What did you do to her?" Land repeated coldly.


    "I- I didn''t do more than hitting—"


    Bam!


    The blonde got kicked in the head and thrown to the wall. It was nothing more than a yful kick for Land, but it managed to split her head open. Land extended his hand, lifting the motionless blonde from the ground with his Mana. Grasping her neck, he injected his Mana into her veins. Her split head quickly reattached. Her consciousness returned when her head was fully healed.


    "You have be somewhat of a Demon," Land remarked when the blonde opened her eyes. "What deal did you make with Rusceus? I doubt he cured the curse Maxine had cast because he fancied a cum dump like you."


    The blonde cried hysterically and wet herself. "Please, don''t make me go through that pain again. Just kill me. I don''t want to suffer any more pain." She choked on her breath. "End my life already. Please, Land. I hate this world. I don''t want to live this life anymore. Waah!" She wailed pitifully, pouring everything out of her heart.


    "Ah, you shouldn''t have cried, Brianna. I get off with torturing such a pitiful girl like you," Land replied mirthfully.


    Brianna cried louder at Land''s lie. She fully believed him considering what he had done to her. Land wasn''t so twisted to revel in such a despicable act. He only relished inflicting pain on his enemy. Even so, more often than not, he ended his enemy as quickly as he could. No matter how fun the activity was, he still thought it was a waste of time.


    "Why don''t you tell me where Winerva is?"


    "I will tell you, but please kill me quickly," Brianna pleaded, eyes puffy from the crying.


    "I will let Winerva decide your fate."


    Land''s reply made her eyes light up. Land noted in amusement how eager she was to be tortured by anyone but him.


    "A sh of light engulfed her when that earthquake shook this ce. My Mana was sealed at the same time, so I believe she is with Rusceus right now."


    "I see…"


    Just as his indignation was about to settle, Land had to restrain himself from destroying everything in his surroundings again. Once he calmed down, he cleaned Brianna up with Magic and then undone one of Helia''s seals to let her regenerate. Putting them on the shoulders, he exited the building.


    Once outside, he spotted Millonia and Aurelia in the sky, overlooking the kingdom tensely. He flew to them and met their wry gaze. They seemed a little bit shocked by the chaos he had caused. Their shock was amplified when he summoned the four Demon King''s Generals he had brainwashed. Their shoulders tensed upon noticing one of them holding the head of a child Demon.


    "Blow yourself up and turn the castle to dust," Land ordered coldly. Dismissing the four Demons with a wave, he spoke to the two women, "Bring these bitches to Verniculos and lock them up. I am going to the Demon Kings Summit and collect some heads."


    Aurelia wordlessly received Helia and Brianna and watched as Land left. A blinding explosion shook the earth, but the two women''s gaze was still focused on Land''s broad back.