Chapter 445: He broke Ozob!

Vergil kept his gaze fixed on the small figure floating with her hands on her hips and a furious expression on her face. The magical light around the fairy sparkled in shades of red, as if it were on the verge of exploding. Still, he showed not a hint of concern.

On the contrary, he raised an eyebrow, rested one hand on his hip, and commented in the most provocative tone he could muster:

“So… the fairy queen is the size of a ripe strawberry. Now that’s a kingdom that fits in a teacup.”

Titania paused for a second. Her wings stopped flapping, her body stagnated in the air. She stared at him, open-mouthed.

Vergil didn’t stop.

“And what exactly is a fairy doing in the Underworld? Aren’t you creatures of happy woods and flowery gardens? This is a demonic forest, infested with monsters, illusions, and things that try to eat your soul before lunch.”

Zuri just settled herself on Vergil’s shoulder, letting out a tired sigh.

“Vergil, don’t provoke her…”

Titania finally blinked and her mouth closed with an audible snap. Then she clenched her tiny fists. Her wings vibrated with such intensity that the air around her seemed to shimmer.

“YOU… YOU… VERMICULOSO!”

Vergil blinked.

“What was that? Is that a fairy offense?”

“No one! NO ONE has ever mocked the fairy queen Titania and lived to tell about it!”

Zuri pressed her body even closer to his neck.

“You really can’t keep your mouth shut for five minutes, can you?”

Before Vergil could respond, Titania pointed a tiny finger at him. A small red magic circle formed beneath her—and the forest, for a brief second, seemed to stop.

“To Hell you go, insolent mortal!”

A red flash exploded from the fairy’s fingertips. The magic was intense, concentrated like lightning, and struck Vergil in the chest before he could even raise a defense. The impact was so sudden and colossal that it created a shockwave, uprooting trees, shattering rocks, and leaving a trail of destruction for miles into the forest.

Vergil was launched like a comet, his body spinning in the air for seconds that felt like minutes. He crashed through thick tree trunks, leaving a trail of splinters, dust, and magical smoke. A herd of forest creatures ran in panic away from the impact zone.

Finally, he hit the ground with a thud that created a crater five meters deep and cracks that spread like veins across the ground. Silence. Dust in the air. Leaves falling slowly.

Zuri was thrown a few meters ahead, rolling across the moss until she came to a stop, groggy, her eyes blinking slowly.

“Ouch…” she muttered. “She really does have a little hand…”

Vergil was lying on his back, motionless.

Then he took a deep breath, sat up slowly, and cracked his neck from side to side.

“Well… that was personal.”

He got up with some difficulty, brushing the dust off his clothes and adjusting his torn jacket.

“She’s small, but… damn. She’s got a heavy little hand.”

Zuri, still recovering, crawled back to his shoulder with a sharp look of reproach.

“I warned you, idiot. She’s a real fairy, loaded with ancient magic. She’s not one of those silly little things that sparkle in children’s books. You provoked a bomb with wings!”

Vergil rubbed his arm with a cynical smile.

“Well, maybe I underestimated her temper. But seriously, did you see the size? She fits on a spoon!”

Suddenly, as if she had heard everything—and she had—an explosion of flaming petals cut through the sky above them. Titania descended with speed, hovering a few feet from Vergil’s face, her cheeks puffed out and her eyes sparkling like rubies.

“YOU!” she screamed, her tone now even higher and more offended. “Don’t call me small! DON’T MENTION SPOONS!”

Vergil raised his hands slowly, in theatrical surrender.

“All right, all right… no cutlery. But that reaction… just proves my point. You have the most fragile ego I’ve ever seen.”

Titania bared her teeth like a wild animal and raised both hands for another attack, but Zuri spoke first:

“Titania, stop. He’s… impulsive, but he’s not a threat to the forest. At least not directly.”

The fairy hesitated, her eyes darting between Zuri and Vergil. She crossed her arms, still floating, sulking like a spoiled child.

“Impulsive? He broke Ozob! My dear little defense golem!”

“Your golem tried to crush me three times,” Vergil retorted, putting his hands in his pockets with a bored look. “Not exactly a welcoming gesture.”

“You invaded sacred territory!”

“Invaded? There aren’t even any signs here! Besides, sacred territory my ass! This is the Underworld.”

Titania snorted so hard that a small spark shot out of her nose. Then she straightened her body, lifting her chin and pointing at him theatrically.

“Very well, insolent one! Since you refuse to show respect to my royalty, I command you: KNEEL. I am the sovereign of this part of the forest! Bow down to me, now!”

Vergil stared at her for a few seconds. Then he slowly lowered his body… and sat down on a nearby rock, relaxing his shoulders.

“There, there. I bowed. Satisfied?”

“That doesn’t count!”

“Of course it counts. I’m below your height. Technically, I bowed.”

Zuri cringed, seeming to already anticipate the next wave of magical destruction.

Titania moved even closer, inches from Vergil’s face.

“You’re unbearable!”

“You’re loud.”

“You’re a rude, clueless jerk!”

“You’re a magic grenade with wings.”

The two stared at each other for a moment, the silence broken only by the red embers still floating in the air. Then Titania sighed loudly, as if exhausted from shouting.

“Do you know what’s worse than hating you?”

Vergil raised an eyebrow.

“Having to admit that you like me?”

“Having to put up with you.”

She turned her back, crossed her arms, and began to float in circles above the crater.

Zuri slid closer to Vergil’s face and whispered:

“You need to learn how to deal with magical people without provoking them to blow up the continent.”

“But where’s the fun in that?”

“In surviving.”

Titania finally stopped, spinning in the air with sudden grace, as if regaining some of her royal composure. She sighed with theatrical regret, as if dealing with children.