Asmodeus stood at the edge of the grey city''s battlements, his lips pressed firm, gazing across the silent battlefield of yesterday. A low, eerie howl spread through the distant field from the wind like a pack of wolves hungrily searching for a corpse.

    "The land is barren and filled with death."

    He muttered to himself—the soil of this land was dry, lacking the needed minerals and nutrients to flourish. Serena once spoke about the beautiful demon capital, filled with vibrant colours and races, before his mother Lilith perished.

    ''Now, a rotten land where only forsaken souls roam and twisted gods enjoy playing games.''

    "Riel..."

    His gaze drifted towards the northeast. Somehow, he could sense it after exchanging bodies with Sariel. From the moment Riel took control, the link between the two succubi faded, with Riel giving the younger half all the emotions needed.

    "But if you do that, what will happen to you?"

    He clenched his fist, feeling frustrated. The peaceful pace he had taken before was gone, and now Asmodeus needed to keep up with the changes.

    [Do not worry alone; we are here to support you.]

    ''I know, but I cannot become soft at this last moment. To set Alan free and conquer the north is something I must do.''

    [But you cannot push yourself too far, without you... what would our child do?]

    Asmodeus turned his head to the side, his lips curving into a bitter smile, knowing he couldn''t win against Serena when she brought up their children. He might be a demon emperor, but the idea of family was something sacred to him.

    ''This is something mother wished to do, not to destroy them but guide them... can I do it?''

    [You''ve come this far, no?]

    ''Isn''t that different, a fool swinging his sword and magic, stumbling to this position.''

    [Fufu~ your opinion is so strange and twisted. You''ve saved entire nations, protected a royal lineage from a curse that strangled them... and even won the heart and body of a goddess!]

    His lips curled into a brighter smile, almost a wolfish grin.

    ''Well, seducing that goddess was effortless.''

    Crackle!

    The distant skies rumbled with a dark cloud of thunder and lightning.

    [Asmodeus! I will smite you down if you don''t take that back!]

    Asmodeus leaned back, the cold stone wall of Grimholt touching his spine, as he gazed into the sky. He slowly blinked several times before touching his lips with his palm and throwing it towards the heavens.

    ''Forgive me, oh beautiful and lovely goddess Serena. This lowly mortal demon has fallen for your whimsical charms and innocent beauty!''

    [Asmodeus...]

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    "Ahem, see?"

    Crackle!

    The thunderclouds and lightning vanished, but Asmodeus felt a strange sensation coming from the goddess. He continued to grin as he turned around, placing his hands on top of Grimholt''s stone wall.

    "I don''t have much time to play around, do I?"

    [...]

    Serena didn''t answer because they both understood that the existence which defeated Alan reached a new enlightenment and evolved after her contact with Asmodeus.

    He didn''t understand why her form and intelligence changed—maybe it was the fate of the universe, but even her methods changed from the moment he killed that Abomination.

    "I wonder what awaits me in that dark land..."

    Asmodeus reached out, grasping towards the distant demon capital, a land covered in darkness. Above, the skies were dark and constantly pouring lightning down upon the land.

    "Why do you resist my influence?"

    The torturer continued to ask in an eerie voice, lacking emotions, even anger or rage. Yet, the prisoner''s smile only grew brighter as the light in her eyes slowly died.

    "Because I am his."

    "Then I will kill him and everything he loves."

    The torturer''s voice was cold, devoid of any humanity; for the first time, the prisoner''s face cracked, a small hairline crack, but it cracked as she gasped.

    "No! Don''t... not him."

    It seemed to be the woman''s first time torturing someone. The moment she noticed the weakness, the black eyes shone.

    "Submit to me, and I will leave him alone."

    "No... you will kill him..."

    "Submit to me, and I will give him to you."

    "..."

    "Submit, and he will not leave your side."

    After thousands of years trapped in darkness, the sweet words seeped into the hairline crack like sweet honey, flowing into the heart of the Demon Empress.

    "Yes.... I submit... so please, please! Do not harm him."

    "Good, good, now sleep, and when you awaken, you will be his, and he will be yours."

    More than a month of torture finally broke the woman''s mind after she embraced a fleeting moment of peace.

    Slash!

    A blade cut across the woman''s throat, and her head fell forward. The torturer walked forward, her small hand grasping the demon queen''s chin.

    She lifted her as if weighing her in the palm of her hands, the black eyes narrowing.

    The next moment, a strange sigil started glowing, and the woman''s hands sank into the demon''s body as the sky shook and the ground quaked.

    Little did the demoness know that calling her mine meant that soon, the pair would become one, a single existence designed to both slay and love the demon emperor.

    As the Demon Empress''s body began to fade, turning to dust, her lips moved as a single word flowed out of her mouth. This word was the same word that the torturer spoke of, the same word the demoness longed for.

    "So his name is Asmodeus~ nice to meet you..."

    Her body cracked, deforming as she transformed. The features of the succubus fusing with the demon queen were beautiful feathered wings, two curled horns, tanned brown skin like caramel, and golden eyes with small pentagram-shaped pupils in the centre.

    Taller, more enticing, yet with the same eerie atmosphere, she stood above the bloody spot where the chains now dangled, and the demon who tried so hard to resist vanished.

    "I see, so he will soon come to see me? Hehe, I cannot wait."

    Different from the path, the new existence didn''t consume the demon but completely fused it; both conscious beings fused to create a strange yet unique being.

    "I hope Sariel is okay."

    "Hmmm? Who is that?"

    The two sides of the empty monster are now adjusting to see which one would become the dominant persona.

    "Since he is coming, we should prepare... I will call back all those insects and have them greet my master well."

    "Master?"

    Her lips curled into a distorted smile as she tilted her head. Although the thoughts weren''t hers, somehow the monster didn''t mind.

    Instead, she enjoyed these vivid and positive emotions that now flooded her soul.