Inner Destroyer

　Salt - Long ago, a man looked back at the city of sin and lust that had been destroyed by God's wrath. Because of his momentary lingering desire, he was turned into a pillar of salt.

　In Sodom, which was burned by fire from heaven, those who were full of evil and had deep evil desires would be turned into pillars of salt.

　They all saw the Demon King sitting lightly on a crimson throne, his body swaying against the backdrop of a black sun, a halo of light above his head. That dark ring looked more like thorns than light, magnificent and imposing, like an iron crown.

　Despite her childish appearance, her demeanor was immense. Her throne, perched high above, allowed the petite demon to gaze down upon them with unfettered dread, her golden eyes gleaming with an enchanting light. Her lovely figure, as if carved by the hands of an ancient master craftsman, was enveloped in a magnificent dress, resembling a childlike deity.

　Even those who knew how dangerous and terrifying she was could not help but stare at this dreamy scene in a trance.

　On the other hand, Samael's eyes shifted from Qi Xing to the magical girl with little interest, and then to Sister I.

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　Lian paused for a moment, then tilted her head and turned her interested gaze back to Qi Xing.

　Her gaze was so brief, barely a fleeting glance. But the magical girl and the nun caught in her gaze instantly felt the immense power and incredible weight that had brought the entire "Inner World"—this entire small world—to its knees, slamming down on their shoulders. It also silently pressed down on their necks, preventing them from standing.

　No matter how hard they strained, they remained motionless. As if held down by an invisible, terrifying hand, their bodies completely shattered, their bodies falling to their knees in a state of panic. This weight was immaterial, yet unshakable; it came from the gaze of an ancient, indescribably powerful power, beholding them. Every atom of their bodies was buried beneath its mighty power, rendering them unable to move.

　"Don't be so aggressive."

　Only Qi Xing was not affected by the pressure for some reason. He took a step forward and protected the two little girls behind him, blocking the evil god's gaze.

　"They didn't provoke you."

　"What are you saying? I didn't do anything to them."

　Samael smiled, as friendly and easygoing as if he was talking to a friend.

　"It's only because they saw my glory that they realized how insignificant they were. It's normal. I used to be afraid to look in the mirror because I was so dazzling."

　Wow.

　Qi Xing didn't know how to respond to this for a moment.

　"Come to think of it, I haven't thanked you yet. You promised to help me get back the stolen things, and you did it right away. Thank you—"

　A small, ancient silver coin twirled between her fingers, brightening Samael's mood. Qi Xing didn't recognize the coin, but it was clear it must be the source of energy the professor used to create and maintain the "Inner World," some powerful ancient artifact.

　Although still pressed to the ground, Elaine, who was standing next to her, couldn't help but tremble when she saw the silver coin.

　Ancient demon, silver coin artifact, two thousand years... Ugh...

　Qi Xing wasn't completely clueless. He had already vaguely guessed something.

　This loli demon king is probably not easy to deal with.

　"I came to this 'Venus' to finish off Professor Vanstra, but it looks like you've already done it."

　Qi Xing glanced at the professor's rock salt statue next to the throne and said,

　"The only problem now is the two thousand or so tourists and crew members trapped in the 'Inner Realm'. Since you thanked me for helping you recover your things, can you please spare their lives?"

　The actual controller of the "Inner World" has now become the Great Demon. If she doesn't agree, rescuing over 2,000 people from the "Inner World" safely is simply wishful thinking, and the possibility of forcibly destroying the core of the "Inner World" is relatively high.

　Qi Xing wasn't a lunatic who only cared about the thrill of battle. The loli demon king before him looked too formidable to provoke. He had no perverted interest in charging in and engaging in self-torture.

　"Sure. I don't like eating people anyway."

　The corner of Samael's mouth slightly raised, and then he asked a question that Qi Xing did not expect.

　"But I just lost one of my subordinates in the human world. He deserved it, a hopeless case, but it's still one less person. The loss caused by this loser needs a new one. So..."

　She kicked the professor who had turned into a salt statue, then slowly stretched out her hand and asked very friendly,

　"——Will you become my subordinate?"

　Before Qi Xing could say anything, he heard the two little girls who were pinned to the ground gasp.

　"If you're willing to serve me, I'll send everyone on this cruise ship back to Tokyo safely, healing all their mental and physical injuries. If you're particularly concerned about purity, I can also reverse their individual timelines, reorganize their physical bodies, and completely renovate them."

　"I'm not asking you to trade your soul for mine, I just want you to do something for me in the human world. Hero, deal?"

　hero.

　In the context of this conversation and conditions, it is a truly sarcastic name.

　Qi Xing was speechless for a moment, then shook his head: "I refuse."

　Taking hostages to coerce him into becoming a subordinate would not only disloyalty, but would definitely turn him into a traitor, or at the very least, a slacker. Qi Xing didn't think this loli demon king was so foolish as not to have considered this. If that was the case, was there another reason?

　However, it was too difficult to understand the plans of the gods and demons from a mortal's perspective. After all, there were so many unknowns. Qi Xing might as well just follow his own heart.

　"Today I'm trading myself for the lives of 2,000 people, and tomorrow I'm forced to kill 20,000. I've seen this kind of scenario too many times. Those who engage in this kind of deal usually end up paying it back with interest. I won't do it."

　Qi Xing shook his head firmly.

　"Oh, really?"

　However, Samael was not angry at this. Instead, like a lion seeing its prey resist, he only showed a gentle and interested smile. He even stood up from the throne, his eyes shining.

　"Since saving the life in front of you is not your true desire, what do you want in return for your willingness to bow down at my feet?"

　With that, she raised her hand and waved it—and in an instant, the surrounding temple and desert landscape completely changed! This place suddenly became the highest point on earth, the summit of the world's highest peak.

　The whole earth, all the nations of the world, and all the splendor of the world, all the power, wealth, women, and power over all mankind—all lay at Qi Xing's feet.

　She has the power to turn a loser like Professor Vanstra into a hypnotist uncle who can do whatever she wants. He messed up and had a mental breakdown, that's because he is not qualified.

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　Qi Xing could certainly do better than him, a million times better.

　He could possess everything others could only dream of. If he so desired, he could rule the world, kill anyone, and even punish anyone. He could do anything he pleased. He was no longer bound by common sense or social order. If he so desired, he could even push all of humanity in the same direction, toward the same goal, controlling and orchestrating all production and distribution, eradicating all evil, and becoming the ultimate philosopher-king.

　"I don't like sweet talk, so I'll just say it."

　Samael held out his hand to him,

　"Everything in this world belongs to me. As long as you acknowledge me as your God, I can give you all authority."

　"What's the first desire that comes to your mind in this situation? Tell me what you want, you're welcome!"

　The story of devils and heroes always starts with this question.

　015: Humph, tempt me?

　Humph, tempt me?

　I won't fall for her trick.

　A cute black Gothic lolita female devil is nothing new in the two-dimensional world.

　A beautiful woman with fair skin, boldness, avant-garde and charming charm is rare and extraordinary.

　"Come on, tell me what you wish for."

　"Any wish?"

　"Anything is fine, as many as you want—anything. Resurrection of the dead? Travel back in time? Love? All are fine."

　"I do not want you to be a minion, a servant, or a slave. I only want you to worship me as a god and bring my order and will to the mortal world. If I have any instructions for you, it is you who decides whether to carry them out, not me."

　But she is really generous. Very generous.

　So much so that Qi Xing couldn't even refuse for a moment.

　Her conditions were so generous that even Qi Xing felt they were absurd: "Let me ask you, if I agree to your conditions and then make a wish for you to love me forever, would you accept it?"

　"I can accept that."

　Samael chuckled, seeming to find this quite amusing.

　"But I will cherish you according to my own standards of love. You can't write a simple and perfect 'definition of love' in human language and make a wish for me. Because any concept described by human language is bound to have loopholes."

　This is true. Without a third-party definition of what "love" truly is, making a wish for love to Satan is simply courting death, and you could be manipulated into a state worse than death in a matter of minutes.

　"Even if I don't deliberately torment you and love you, over time you may start to doubt whether this "love" is real."

　At this point, Samael kicked the professor's salt statue again and said with a smile,

　"This loser used my power to hypnotize himself. After only four years, he started doubting himself. He said he wanted true love, but ended up having a mental breakdown. Ultimately, he wasn't even sure what true love was, yet he still dared to ask for it. This is a way to his own death."

　Qi Xing couldn't refute this.

　He wasn't a fool. After ten years of fighting in this buttery world, Qi Xing understood even more clearly. If he truly relied on supernatural wishes to secure love, he might end up having to make another wasted wish and go back to cancel it before he could figure out if it truly counted as love... He was probably lucky to have a solution like this.

　"A man who believes his sheep are more important than 2000 lives, yet also claims the root of his evil is his desire for true love, and decides to hijack a cruise ship for sacrifice to relieve the stress of sexual assault. His comedic talent is so strong that I think he'd be fine as a clown, but it would be too embarrassing for him to be my emissary on earth."

　When the Loli Evil God said this, he grinned.

　"I now want a more qualified agent in the mortal world to take over his power, so I chose you. You may think my conditions are too generous, but that's all."

　"What do you mean by qualifications?" Qi Xing frowned. "Because I've cultivated for ten years to become a semi-immortal and become 'the strongest man in the world'?"

　"Don't get annoyed when things go wrong, don't get impatient when encountering obstacles, never give up, and stay true to your goals. This character is talent."

　Samael replied calmly,

　"It's easy to change a country, but hard to change one's nature. For two thousand years, many have gained fragments of my power through fortuitous encounters, becoming kings and overlords for a time. But their personalities weren't worthy of their might, and they ultimately met a tragic end. Character determines fate. Don't you want to test your abilities?"

　Everyone woke up in silence.

　Oops.

　This is bad. She is so good.

　Although common sense suggests that making a deal with the devil is courting death; although everyone says that you will definitely be cheated if you make a deal with the devil...but the conditions proposed by this loli devil are so good that Qi Xing is really tempted and cannot refuse.

　Because, in fact, there has always been a terrible ambition gnawing at his heart.

　After crossing over, he accepted reality and accustomed himself to this buttery quagmire of a world, which took him almost a year. After that, Qi Xing devoted himself madly to cultivation and diligently studied, hunting down all the evil and lewd villains he encountered during these nine years.

　But in the haze, every time he looked back, Qi Xing couldn't help but feel that he was walking on a road with no end in sight and no boundaries.

　This isn't a rough mountain road. Though steep and difficult to climb, at least the twists and turns are inspiring. This isn't a narrow path through the fields. Though narrow and difficult to navigate, at least the fragrance of rice flowers wafts through the air, bringing a sense of peace and joy as we advance. This is a beach with pits at every step, a quagmire where even a single step is impossible to navigate, and a boundless wasteland.

　Looking far away, there is no trace of people. Looking back, even my own footprints on the beach are gone.

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　They were all washed away by the sea, leaving only deathly silence.

　Why all this hard work?

　Qi Xing has only one ambition, which is to change this crazy world marinated in butter.

　If Samael could really help him achieve his goal, would this girl be a god or Satan to him? He might lose his soul, but what would it matter?

　What else could he do? Kill everyone? Or start a revolution on this supernatural, perverted Earth, even worse than the real 21st century? It was impossible. This entire world was like an egg soaked in butter, the yellow color woven into its very code. This wasn't a problem that could be solved using the methodologies of another world.

　What a difficult and tiring road it was! Without the textbooks of our predecessors, we could only grope forward in the dark, believing that one day, a vast landscape would emerge ahead. But after ten years, Qi Xing still saw darkness before his eyes.

　When this mad, flawed world seemed so abominable, he naturally wondered—how about a faster, more efficient path? Seize the power of this incompetent professor and destroy the world. He could practically hear the devil whispering in his ear. For a moment, Qi Xing felt as if his heart was being captured.

　but,

　"Mr. Qi, please don't do anything stupid."

　Even though she has been overwhelmed by the power of the evil god, Elaine is still an elite among the exorcist nuns. No matter how difficult it is, she will struggle to raise her head from the ground. Even if she dies, she will make a sound from death, warning everyone to wake up.

　"I know you've always had unique ideals—but no matter how good your goals are, using evil as a tool will only lead to your own destruction. Once you make a wish to the devil, you're inevitably on the path of depravity!"

　There was no suspicion or vigilance about Qi Xing's possible fall in her sky-blue eyes; only deep concern and worry.

　Ugh.

　You can betray anyone, but you cannot betray the truth in your own heart.

　Qi Xing couldn't betray that look.

　"I'm sorry, but I won't betray my teammates."

　He sighed, his regret was sincere.

　"If I were walking here alone, I might be able to make a deal."

　"It's okay, it's cute and it lets me get to know you better."