Brain bloom

But so what? It will devour the entire village, then sweep away all living things along its path. Next, it will plunder that seemingly sweet, independent city-state.

Among the crowd that came to try to stop it was a strange magician. She looked like an ordinary little girl from a fishing village, probably not even ten years old. She only wore an apprentice's robe and an oak staff, but there were strong demonic marks on her body.

The Evil Mist is very sensitive to this evil power.

Even stranger, she seemed to have received some kind of blessing, possessing a very deep understanding of magic. The Mist of Calamity gave up trying to understand, for instinct urged it to devour everyone as quickly as possible.

The inept mage tried casting a few low-level spells, but the elemental damage was no match for the Evil Mist. It was busy devouring others, and the puppets weren't powerful enough, so their progress was slow.

In that brief moment—after realizing her powerlessness—the little girl hid deep inside, gritted her teeth, and pulled out a copper coin stained with mud and blood.

She held back her tears and summoned the devil.

The devil who arrived here was exceptionally handsome, belonging to the level below the nobility, and had some strength, but now he looked helpless.

Being summoned here is a common occurrence.

"What trouble have you run into this time? Why do you insist on coming to me... Even though you're the child Princess Dawn saved, don't use that as an excuse to ask me to teach you magic and chat with you every day. Tell me, what trouble have you run into this time?"

"Evil Mist!" The girl clutched the devil's cloak and pleaded with the only powerful person she knew, "Please, help me."

He left the girl's hiding place and glanced at the rampaging enemy—a malevolent mist of considerable evil, but manageable. However, he was a devil, bound by his own code of conduct.

"What price are you planning to pay me? Forget about my soul, yours is too pure."

"Then... when I become a great magician, I won't put on airs with you anymore. Instead, I'll protect you forever..."

Volume 1 #232 The Devil's Dignity

The devil felt terrible... Although the sounds of the villagers fighting outside the door annoyed him, they weren't as bad as this.

This price is too naive and impossible to achieve.

She was just an ordinary human being, and even with the favor bestowed upon her by the Princess of Dawn, she was not qualified to become a great magician. This was merely a little girl's innocent, childish transaction.

Therefore, the end result is that everyone will die here, and the Evil Mist will continue to advance and kill.

Even if he were given the souls of an entire village, it wouldn't be enough to help him. Souls depreciate—especially before a predetermined death.

"This price... although I haven't applied for the power of the devil to confirm it, I can be sure it's not enough."

"Then... then let's add one more thing! I won't bother you so often in the future." She seemed very sad, and it took a lot of courage to say this price.

It felt sorrow and silently borrowed the power bestowed upon all demons by the ancient Demon King to measure the equivalence of this deal. Its purpose was to leave this place as soon as possible and rid itself of these burdens that troubled it.

However—this was a premium deal.

It's not that the price is insufficient, but rather that the buyer has paid too much. He must compensate with something else, or charge less.

He stood there blankly for a few seconds before a somewhat relieved smile appeared on his face. It seemed he could be of some help. Contrary to the world's slander, although the devil was included among the evil, that was only because those who made the deal always asked the devil to do dirty and evil things.

He quite enjoys helping humans... unfortunately, such transactions are rare.

But at least for now, this is what it is—

He slowly stood up and walked outside, preparing to face the ever-increasing ominous fog. But before that, he offered up his last bargaining chip to balance the deal—

"It seems you can bother me anytime from now on."

"Thanks……"

"Go and thank Princess Fuxiao."

He resolutely stepped onto the battlefield, the deal was struck, and he could unleash his power.

However, a few minutes later, he was driven back to his hiding place by the Evil Mist, looking disheveled but still retaining his devilish aura.

The little girl witnessed the entire battle; it was fierce. Several of Evil Mist's puppets were defeated, but his main body was also severely damaged and is now slowly recovering. But he fared even worse, nearly losing his life.

"I may not be able to pay the price... after all, I'm going to die here." The little girl sighed, "Let me protect you in the next life."

"Hmm...it's nothing..." he replied with a sigh, because he was powerless to make the deal happen.

"Ugh, I still feel wronged. Aren't you devils capable of doing anything?"

He was also annoyed.

That thing was far more powerful than he had imagined. This ominous mist seemed to have been accumulating for hundreds of years, making it far more terrifying and ferocious than ordinary mists... They were severely injured now, but once they recovered in a minute, it would be their death.

But—it's not time to despair yet, he still has a way.

"The Devil's Dignity".

This was a special rule first established by the ancient Demon King to prevent embarrassment from failing to complete a deal while traveling. Therefore, whenever the situation exceeds expectations, the demon can summon stronger demon companions to help at a low cost.

This is also used by humans to scare children, saying things like, "Once you summon a demon, more demons will come to devour your soul! How terrifying!"

Enforcing this rule preserves the dignity of the entire demon realm. However, once back in the demon's domain, a demon who uses this rule will be ridiculed for a long time, implying a lack of ability.

But we can't worry about that now. It would be shameful if we couldn't protect this girl.

"By obeying the covenant made by the ruler of the demon realm, the great ancient demon king. You powerful and idle brethren, descend here and, with your just and mighty strength, defend our unique and enduring glory..."

While reciting the ritual words, he took the copper coin from the little girl's hand.

Then, he dripped his own blood onto it.

Fortunately, he had suffered many injuries during the battle with the Evil Mist, and demonic red blood was flowing everywhere. He simply couldn't bring himself to cut his own finger with a knife.

He recited the words quickly, praying he wouldn't mispronounce any. He needed to complete this complex ritual before the rapidly recovering Evil Mist attacked.

We also have to pray that the demon noble summoned isn't the particularly annoying type. Because these guys are usually quite idle, and once they have this kind of fun, they might just gather any demons that happen to be together and send them over as a group.

Just to see who was so weak as to use this rule, and then to give them a good laugh...

"The ominous fog has gathered again."

"Quickly...quickly respond to the summons."

But the air was deathly still.

The ominous mist twisted and contorted, venting its pain. The powerful puppets it had painstakingly acquired had all been purified... and now it had to start all over again! But the fishermen and villagers around had all fled because of the battle.

They must have gone to gather powerful figures and deliver the message.

This is a problem for Evil Fog, because its success often relies on a silent, surprise attack, which then slowly grows to an unstoppable force.

Since that's the case, let's capture a powerful puppet. This annoying demon is good, and the humans around him are also good, at least they can throw a few spells.

Its speed increased instantly, and it pierced straight through.

"Which bastard is it that hasn't come out yet after being summoned..." Both the devil and the little girl looked desperate and were ready to fight to the death.

"—Hmm, I was just thinking." Time seemed to freeze as a figure appeared between them. "Thinking...why did this summons come to me?"

"Uh... the ancient, ancient Demon King..."

"And you'll pay a heavy price for calling me a bastard." The raptor's eyes widened, completely ignoring the frozen Evil Mist, only angry at being insulted.

The devil wanted to explain, but cold sweat was pouring down his body. The sweat soaked his wounds, and the pain made him want to scream, but fear overwhelmed him.

This is... the ancient king of demons...

"Um...you spent so much time just to call out a talking owl?" the little girl complained, both annoyed and amused.

These extremely rude words caused the demon to tremble for a moment, his fear unable to mount any further. However, the ancient demon king remained relatively calm, merely staring at the little girl for a short while.

"Oh, so you had some kind of connection with this human cub... I see, that's why it ended up on me." It saw what Yuan had left behind.

"You are great..."

"Alright, stop being so weak. I'd like to see what trivial matter has summoned me here... Hmm? Where's the enemy? Or did you just call me out for some fun?"

"...Uh, it was just here a moment ago."

They'd been talking for so long, and the Mist wouldn't let the opportunity slip by; it was bound to try and escape.

Volume 1, Chapter 233: Encounter at Sea

In this world, crossing the ocean is never an easy task.

Even if you board a ship in Silvermoon City and get on one of the world's best passenger ships, it will still take a considerable amount of time to reach the nearest cities on the other side, Boundless City and Silver Ring City.

And—unavoidable risks.

A civilian dock sees hundreds of ships coming and going at sea every day. But at least one of them will meet its demise.

Sometimes, it's the waves brought by the capricious whims of the sea god; sometimes, it's sea monsters, ominous mists, pirates, or small fishing boats from the Peda Empire—but sometimes, it's something else... inexplicable.

But on this dangerous sea, there is a lone woman crossing the ocean.

The sea at her feet could only pretend to be calm and still.

Guardian of the Blade of Chaos—this is the title bestowed upon this man who crossed the sea.

This stemmed from her personality, perhaps a habit formed from childhood; she found it difficult to tolerate a state of "neatness" and would always mess up everything around her. She was mortal enemies with the diligent maids in the church who suffered from "cleanliness obsession."

So, because these maids talked about her behind her back every day, she acquired this sensational and world-famous title.

She abandoned her real name and adopted the holy letter of the true God, becoming known as B.

She was upset today.

The chaotic waves of the sea were an environment she liked, but she had no time to appreciate or enjoy them.

Because Silvermoon City had conjured up that damned Evil Mist, which was now heading towards her homeland. Although she had great confidence in the Holy Coffin Kingdom's border defenses, she couldn't underestimate the Evil Mist.

The key point is... there are innocent cities along the way.

Silver Ring City, a prosperous mountain city that has always been known for its skilled craftsmen and abundant gemstone mines. Losing this friendly city is certainly regrettable, but what is even more alarming is the potential threat if its hundreds of thousands of inhabitants were to become puppets of the Evil Mist.

Thinking of this, B couldn't help but increase his leg strength.

B's entire body was bathed in the light of burning holy power. It was an elegant radiance emanating from faith and piety, which greatly enhanced her physical strength.

Before plunging into the sea, her feet created huge waves, propelling her body forward.

Behind her, the sea seemed to have been split in two by her.

They would soon be ashore—she calmed herself, comparing the terrain map in her mind. Over there… it should be a cluster of several fishing villages.

Now, she faces two choices: either go to Silver Ring City to provide support, or abandon it altogether and return to the border of the Holy Coffin Kingdom to organize a defensive force—but both options are troublesome…

If only she could catch up with the Mist, she couldn't help but think, but unfortunately, that was just an impossible fantasy.