I am the Demon King of the Dungeon!

A flash of white light.

Arthas appeared at the entrance to the twentieth floor.

Before me stretched a vast desert, with countless sand dunes rising and falling, extending to the horizon.

The sun blazed high, baking the sand until it was scorching hot, and the air distorted slightly in the heat. There was no wind, no sound, only a suffocating silence.

The twentieth floor, "Infinite Sand Dunes".

The first true line of defense in Dark Hemkas is drastically different in difficulty from the nineteenth floor.

Although the terrain is not complicated, it is a dangerous hunting ground.

There are hidden traps everywhere in the sand.

Arthas stepped lightly onto the sand, his boots sinking half an inch into the sand, the grains as fine as powder, shimmering with a faint golden luster in the sunlight.

These are not ordinary sands.

Each grain is a part of Pilian's body, and the entire desert is within its perception range. Any intruder who steps into the sea of ​​sand will be instantly locked on.

"Lord Demon King~!"

A soft, sweet voice came from behind.

Arthas turned around.

Pirian stood on a sand dune ten steps away, her long pink hair braided into two plaits, her white dress fluttering slightly in the heat. She was barefoot on the sand, with a string of silver bells tied around her ankles.

"You've come to see Pirion!" Pirion skipped over, his bells jingling.

Arthas looked down at the tiny girl who barely reached his waist and asked, "How are the preparations going?"

"Everything's been prepared for ages!" Pilian puffed out his chest, his two braids swaying behind his head. "Pilian has completely rearranged the desert! The quicksand zone has been expanded by 30%, the sandworm nests have increased from five to eight, and the largest sandworm queen has been moved directly below the entrance. Any adventurers who dare to step in will step right into the sandworm queen's mouth!"

As soon as it finished speaking, it tapped the sand with its toes.

Suddenly, the sand began to flow, rippling like the surface of water, and a huge head slowly emerged from beneath the sand layer—the Sandworm Queen.

Its mouthparts consist of petal-shaped carapaces that can swallow an entire carriage when opened. The edges of the carapaces are covered with fine serrations that gleam pale in the sunlight.

"Gurgle! Lulu!"

The sandworm queen let out a deep cry, the sound coming from deep within the sand, causing the surrounding sand grains to tremble.

Arthas nodded.

"That's right, but the Oracle Squad's druids might be able to fly, and sandworms pose no threat to aerial targets."

"I know!" Pirian stood on tiptoe and pointed to the tallest sand dune in the distance. "So Pirian buried twelve Sand Scorpion Kings under that dune. Their stingers can shoot up to fifty meters high; even flying in the sky wouldn't be able to dodge them!"

Arthas looked into Pirien's bright eyes. This seemingly harmless little girl had nothing but ideas about how to swallow the intruders into the sand.

The anthropomorphic form of sandworms is essentially a sophisticated hunting strategy; the cuter and more harmless their appearance, the more they can lower the guard of their prey.

Perion was the first monster Arthas recruited. Originally just a small sandworm, it showed an impressive "other side" in battle and had extremely high growth potential, growing from a mid-to-high-level monster to a unique-class monster in just a few decades.

"Remember, never let your guard down."

"Hehe, Demon Lord, you can rest assured!" Pilian spun around on the spot, and crimson armor instantly covered its body. "I've even brought my 'Noble Phantasm'."

Noble Phantasms are unique to the continent of Ashu and are divided into three levels of strength: Divine Artifact, Legendary, and World-class. They may be equipment, items, accessories, etc.

Pilian possesses a divine artifact-level Noble Phantasm called "Crimson War God," which comes with matching armor and spear.

The deep red full-body armor clung tightly to her slender figure, with flowing dark gold patterns on its surface, like solidified magma slowly flowing between the seams.

The shoulder guards are shaped like the mouthparts of a sandworm, with two carapaces extending forward and the edges covered with fine serrations. A dark red gem is inlaid in the center of the breastplate, and a liquid-like light is constantly surging inside the gem, like a sealed miniature sun.

Her right hand was loosely clenched, and grains of sand gathered from all directions, coalescing into a long spear in her palm.

The gun barrel is crimson red, covered with scale patterns, and the tip is formed by two asymmetrical shells intersecting. A long silver chain hangs from the end of the gun.

Pirian slammed his spear onto the sand.

"boom!"

Centered on the butt of the gun, the surrounding sand grains were flung away by an invisible force, forming a circular crater several meters in diameter. The sand grains hung in mid-air for a moment before falling back to the ground like raindrops, making a dense, fine sound.

Pirien's amber eyes lit up, and something was awakening deep within his pupils—not the fervor of battle, but a more primal predator's instinct.

"My Lord Demon King." It was no longer a soft, pleading voice, but a cold, metallic tone, like a blade scraping against a whetstone. "If I accidentally break an adventurer, will you be angry?"

Arthas looked at Pienri.

That's enough for you.

"Eh—" Pilian drawled, drawing circles on the sand with the tip of his gun, his tone full of disappointment, "But Pilian hasn't played with living people in a long time. The last few who came were swallowed by sandworms as soon as they entered the desert, without even struggling. How boring."

"This group of adventurers should be able to keep you company for a long time."

Pierre's eyes lit up for a moment.

"real?"

"real."

"Then Pilian can rest assured." Pilian slung the spear over his shoulder, tilted his head, and gave a smile so sweet it sent chills down one's spine. "Pilian will cherish it, little by little, slowly—"

She didn't finish her sentence.

But Arthas read the second half of the sentence in his eyes.

A white light shone at Arthas's feet.

"Have fun, but don't overdo it."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The sound of bells jingled behind me.

Arthas's figure disappeared in the white light.

The desert returned to silence.

Pilian stood alone on the sand dune, her crimson armor gleaming darkly in the blazing sun. She lowered her spear from her shoulder, the tip resting on the sand, and gazed toward the entrance to the twentieth floor, where no one was.

But she knew the adventurers would arrive soon.

Five living, breathing human beings.

Five prey to play with.

Pirian licked his lips.

"I'm really looking forward to it..."

At the same time, the Sandworm Queen poked her head out from the sand beneath Pirian's feet, her petal-shaped mouthparts slightly open, and let out a low whimper.

"Are you looking forward to it too?" Pirian reached out and touched the sandworm queen's rough carapace, a look of rapture on his face. "Don't rush, the show will start soon."