Chapter 93: The Girl in the Blood-Red Dress
“It’s been five years.”
Under the gloomy, purplish-black sky, the gray hall was a place of oppressive silence.
The heart of the Abyssal Demon Realm was more desolate than ever. The crystal at the center of the hall was bound by dark-gold chains, but the figures around it were few.
Or rather, the current Abyss Council had only two members.
Queen Shaya, leader of the Vampires, and Elthorp, leader of the Evil Blade Demons.
Azakana had perished during the Imperial Festival, and Atwood, the council’s former head, had been one of the sixty-four demon commanders who had sacrificed themselves to reinforce the seal.
The Abyss Council had its rules. Even with a reduced membership, they wouldn’t rush to appoint new members.
And with the current situation, most demon commanders were avoiding the council like the plague.
They were content to guard their own territories; they had no desire for more responsibility.
“You’re in a good mood,” Elthorp said, his gaze falling on Queen Shaya, who was dressed in a stunning, blood-red gown.
“I haven’t seen you in that dress in a thousand years. Is today a special occasion?”
“Not particularly. I just felt like wearing it,” she said, her gloved hands resting on the windowsill, her gaze distant.
Her dark red hair was pulled back, her delicate features a mask of indifference, her small frame draped in a light gauze gown.
Anyone who had seen her before would have found it difficult to reconcile this image with the terrifying Queen Shaya of legend.
Her usual cold arrogance was gone.
Now, she was just… a beautiful young woman.
Though her beauty, compared to the terror she inspired, was insignificant.
“What are you looking at?” Elthorp asked, bored.
“There seems to be some activity at the Wild God Altar,” she said calmly.
“That little spider and her made-up god? What could they possibly be up to?” Elthorp sneered, shifting his position, leaning back against a pillar.
“…And something else,” she said, closing her eyes, a pink figure appearing in her mind’s eye.
A small, fluffy fox-eared girl, with several large, swaying tails…
“A Dream Fox? But why does she feel so familiar?”
She pressed a hand to her heart. Every time she thought of that image, her heart beat a little faster.
“What else could be in that godforsaken place? I didn’t even bother to conquer it during the war. It’s only good for breeding Evil Blades,” Elthorp said, his voice filled with disdain.
He was right. Of all the territories on Solor, the Savage Lands was the most inhospitable.
But the beastkin were used to it, just as the demons were used to the Abyss.
But to the demons, the Savage Lands were a useless piece of land.
Most demon commanders had no interest in it. Only the Evil Blade Legion, who needed blood and slaughter to temper their blades, had repeatedly attacked it.
“I left something there,” she said, her gaze fixed on the Tide of Madness.
“Although I don’t remember when… I’m certain I encountered a being of my own rank there.”
“Your own rank?”
Elthorp was no longer so nonchalant. Queen Shaya’s power was immense, the only one who had a chance of defeating the Abyssal Lord.
A being on her level was a rare, almost mythical, thing.
Even he, with all his arrogance, wouldn’t dare to claim to be her equal.
Of course, Isabelle was a special case… she was the only one in the Abyss Shaya couldn’t kill.
“I don’t remember the details, but I’m certain of this,” Shaya said, her brow furrowed. She had had to work hard to escape from that encounter.
“So, the ‘something else’ you mentioned… is it that being?” Elthorp asked, his expression serious.
“No,” Shaya shook her head. “I saw another… strange creature.”
She didn’t mention the Dream Fox. For some reason, she didn’t want the other demons to know there was still a living Dream Fox.
“So?” Elthorp leaned back against the pillar, his interest waning.
“I’m going to see her,” Shaya said softly.
“You’re leaving the Abyss?” Elthorp’s eyes widened. “You know the situation here…”
“But I have to go,” she said, turning to him.
“Why?”
“I have to see her,” she repeated. “The thing I left in the Savage Lands… she took it. I have to see.”
“What thing?” he asked, his voice low.
“A rune,” she said, closing her eyes, sensing its direction. “A very important rune.”
“More important than the Abyss? Queen Shaya, you are a demon commander. You know why we sealed the Abyss. And you’re still leaving?” Elthorp’s voice was serious, his usual arrogance gone.
“I have to see her,” she said, her scarlet eyes filled with a strange resolve. “I have a strong feeling… I have to see her. If I don’t, something terrible will happen.”
“…I can’t stop you,” Elthorp said after a long silence.
Shaya knew this. Her words hadn’t been for him.
They had been for herself.
To convince herself to make this difficult decision.
With the Abyssal Lord sealed, the Abyss was at its weakest.
If its strongest commander left now, it could be a fatal blow, a path to destruction, just like the Place of Divine Advent.
Last time, they had had the sacrifice of countless demon races, and the fall of the ancient empire, to sustain their war effort.
Now, there was no second ancient empire…
“Have you made your decision, Queen Shaya?” Elthorp asked, his voice cold.
“I have,” she said softly.
A crimson rune spread out at her feet, and her form began to fade.
A teleportation rune.
Destination: the Savage Lands, the Tide of Madness.
