The Divine Emissary's comrades, friends, and family desperately cried out to her, but none of their voices reached her ears. She had turned deaf and blind, and her blank eyes no longer seemed to reflect any light.
Out of everyone watching on in horror, no one was more shocked than Tesilid. And yet, he couldn't even call out her name as others did. He was completely stupefied, to the point that he forgot to fight back against the rules of the dungeon and granted the countless ghoulish hands that had appeared in the stands a chance to drag him into the landfill of the Demon Realm.
If he hadn't planted the holy sword into the ground to use as an anchor, they would've easily pulled him into the deep, dark swamp.
"Allie..."
Ailette had been corrupted. And it just had to happen right after Tesilid finally decided to help her save the world in her benevolent way. This was his god's standard operating procedure.
Tesilid clenched his teeth so his misery wouldn't ring out toward the sky and please his god. Libra trembled as it sympathized with the sentiments and impulses of its owner, who was trying his best not to despair.
Right then, Reed's menacing voice rang in everyone's ears simultaneously, as if it defied all rules of space and distance.
"Well? Show reverence for the new queen."
It wasn't necessary to add an explicit threat to the commandâit was clear Reed would kill anyone who defied him. This was, in fact, a declaration of war.
Saintess Muriel was the first among the allied forces to respond, shouting for everyone to hear, "I am Muriel Phylise, the Tier 8 saintess of the holy kingdom of Elfenheim, and the only delegate of God."
The troops listened in silence.
"We will now subjugate the enemy forces of the dark mage knight and Ailette Rodeline!"
No one answered her rallying call, but the name she mentioned made panic spread through the camp like wildfire. Despite her show of strength, the battle cry only made the enemy smile in glee. Reed brought his beautifully curved lips close to Ailette's ear.
"See? The whole world hates us," Reed whispered. "So let's annihilate them, Ailette."
She didn't respond. She only stared blankly into space and blinked her eyes slowly.
Muriel urged the troops once again. "My will as the saintess represents the will of the Strict Order and Goodness! To your battle stations! We must bring down Ailette, the Demon Lord!"
This time, the reminder of her title managed to convince some of the holy knights. One of them intentionally unsheathed his sword loudly to urge the others to follow suit.
"She is no longer our Divine Emissary! Prepare for battle!"
The familiar ring of the sword against its sheath triggered an instinctive response from the legion knights, making them either unsheathe their blades or clutch their swords, regardless of their intentions.
Grand Duke Heathfenrir bellowed in protest, "Saintess Muriel, that is your intention and yours alone!"
"No, this is the will of God."
"Saintess Muriel!" the Grand Duke exclaimed in disbelief.
"We might all die if we allow the Demon Lord to attack us first!" Muriel shouted and glanced over the powerful warriors around her.
Grand Duke Heathfenrir was never going to declare war against his granddaughter, so he was hardly of any use to her anymore. The other two aura users, Romina Lecandro and Fleagel Night, remained on guard but seemed hesitant to escalate things on their own. Muriel wanted to fire the first arrows of battle while the troops were still anxious and tense. The panic was dissipating by the second, so she had to scramble for her last option remaining.
"Chimera Researcher, Moriphys Marcellion."
"Yes? Why do you call my name?"
"I give you my word as the only saintess of the holy kingdom of Elfenheim that you will be given your freedom if you engage in battle this very moment. That is the will of God and the Vatican."
"R-really?"
The leash of obedience Ailette had placed around Moriphys' neck wasn't enough to tame a Tier 8 grand mage. And so, Moriphys decided to bite the hand that fed him. He promptly conjured a storm of mana over the area, causing those who were keen enough to notice the incoming trouble to tense up.
Muriel needed something big to mark the start of the battle, so she asked Moriphys to cast a fancy spell. Countless fireballs formed over the dark sky and started bombarding the pair standing in the center of the oval arena.
Boom!
An enormous explosion swallowed the Primordial Chaos and the newborn Demon Lord. But they soon reappeared, completely unscathed by the impact and the flames. The demonic energy emanating from Ailette had immediately absorbed the mana around her.
"My goodness..."
Muriel managed to achieve the opposite of what she had intended. The troops' morale plummeted once they saw the enemy emerge completely unharmed from the blast.
Reed laughed loudly at the attempt. He turned around to face Ailette once again and remarked, "Being hated isn't so bad when you have company. I never realized that before."
Again, she didn't answer.
"It's all thanks to you, Ailette." He gazed longingly at her as he said those words.
Ailette's system windows continued displaying information even though she no longer had any control over herself.
â¬Â«System» A stigma has been converted into a dark stigma. [Army of the Holy Spirit] is now [Army of Ghouls].â
â¬Â«System» [Full Moon Ritual] is now [Carnival of the New Moon].â
It wasn't clear whether she was still viewing this information or not.
The man whispered again, "Now, let's make them pay for it."
Reed was the only person Ailette could hear, but she didn't need him to egg her on. Her new instincts as a Demon Lord made her respond strongly against the hostilities shown by the humans. Ailette raised her arm into the air, which was more than enough to make the humans tremble in fear.
â¬Â«System» Ultimate Skill [Army of Ghouls] activated.â
â¬Â«System» Ultimate Skill [Carnival of the New Moon] activated.â
Ailette's silhouette behind her grew, slowly morphing into a gate that unleashed the forces of darkness onto the battlefield. Unsightly shadows of dark and evil creatures spilled out the gate and formed an army that gained power under the thin sliver of the new moon.
"Reed!" A voice boomed out from the stands in rage. Tesilid used the holy sword to prop himself up and glare at the younger version of himself. "Do your own dirty work! Don't put blood on her hands! That's on you!"
But his criticism only earned him a scornful laughter.
"You're a hypocrite," Reed remarked cynically. "You know you would've done the same."
No, that wasn't true at all. But the man from Loop One Hundred and Seventeen couldn't deny that it was his Loop One Hundred experiences that had fundamentally made him the person he was today. He froze for a second because he couldn't find a way to refute the claim against him.
Reed wasn't one to miss that opportunity. "By the way, we never got to finish that conversation back at the Mage Tower."
Tesilid waited for him to continue.
"I can't believe you ran away after provoking me like that." This was Reed's petty revenge for making him feel jealous back then. "At the time, you seemed so happy about winning her heart by looking pathetic. It's a shame it didn't last."
Tesilid watched in shock as Reed caressed Ailette's cheek and pulled her toward him, as if to flaunt what he could do. Despite the dominance the new demon queen exerted on everyone around her, she seemed completely passive to Reed's will.
Tesilid nearly choked as he watched them. But instead of taking a calming breath, he barked out, "Stop it, Reed."
His dark counterpart did not respond, as there was no chance he was going to grant that wish. Instead, he turned his gaze back to Ailette.
Tesilid had to try his luck with someone else.
"Allie, this isn't right."
But she didn't answer him either.
"I'm right here, Allie. Look at me."
His desperate plea went ignored.
"He's not the one you're looking for. I am."
Tesilid's efforts were futile. She was now a Demon Lord, and his voice couldn't reach her. Reed smiled broadly and closed his eyes, planning to savor this delightful moment. But the tone of Tesilid's voice changed everything.
"Turn around and look at me, Allie."
It was no longer a plea. It sounded more like a command. There was something about the voice he was using that unsettled and threatened anyone who heard it.
Is he using his provocation skill on her? Reed was wondering to himself when a sudden burst of sound made him quickly turn his head.
Ailette, who had stood loyally by his side just moments ago, suddenly jumped to her feet. She charged toward Tesilid with Liv Lily, projecting her utter fury and bloodlust as she ran. But Tesilid didn't seem at all surprised.
"That's right, Allie. Come to me."
Reed could see what he was doing.
Since Ailette was susceptible to the instincts of a Demon Lord, she was bound to respond to any provocation skills. And as the most hated man in this universe, Tesilid happened to be the world's leading authority when it came to provoking bosses. His unmatched talent for causing aggravation were furthered by Usurper's Prestige, the provocation skill he gained after killing Anaxia.
"Are you treating Ailette Rodeline as a demonic creature now?" Reed asked in surprise as Ailette's demonic scythe clashed against Tesilid's holy sword.
"Allie." Tesilid called out to her once again.
They were hardly an arm's length apart now as their blades scraped and screeched against each other. Tesilid's ocean-colored eyes widened longingly. His expression seemed to say that he would love her as she was, even as she faced him with her crimson gaze filled with murderous intent.
Right then, he did something that shocked his opponent. Tesilid unsummoned his holy sword, which made Ailette flinch, even in her unconsciousness. He then outstretched his hand toward her, pulling her close by grabbing the shaft of the scythe.
They were both holding onto Liv Lily now, which trembled as the balance of power slowly shifted. Tesilid was far too close and had no intention of backing away. Ailette's eyes flashed dangerously.
Liv Lily's vertical shaft then elongated itself, sending the sharp end of the Whip Sword slithering toward Tesilid's chest like a snake. The attack was meant to make him take his hands off her weapon in dodging the attack. But that's not what Tesilid had in mind.
Crack!
The sound of a rib cage shattering resounded in the air. A shadow, in the literal sense, fell across Ailette's face as the handsome man shifted forward to steal a kiss. Ailette froze for a second and parted her lips in shock, only to feel something roll into her mouth.
Having fulfilled his objective, Tesilid collapsed to the floor. Blood was pooling over his chest. He managed to mutter a few last words before he fell unconscious.
"Allie."
She watched him in shocked silence.
"Thank you. I'm glad you came to me..."