“Ah?”
Dolores’s words yanked Xuefei straight out of her sea of deep contemplation.
Under the gaze of the Light Envoy, she suddenly felt deeply uncomfortable, every inch of her body prickling.
No, it wasn’t the Light Envoy…
It was Super Tier Layer 3.
Dolores was the War God, the most ancient of the Main Gods. Even after years of imprisonment had dulled her edge, she remained one of the elite at that level of power.
If Dolores decided she wanted Xuefei dead right now…
Well…
Thud.
But in stark contrast to Xuefei’s apprehensions, Dolores dropped to one knee, placed a hand over her chest in salute, then lifted her head and said, “Lady Xuefei, what’s our next move?”
“Don’t make it sound like I’ve got some grand plan or anything! And seriously, where’s this weird Re:Zero déjà vu coming from?”
“…Are you angry?”
“No.”
Xuefei let out a sigh, shifting her crossed leg farther away. She cracked open one eye, watching Dolores warily as if afraid the woman might harbor designs on her body—like those greedy maids, or Leia, who every day seemed eager to drain her dry… or rather, into dragon jerky.
“I don’t have any plans, really. My scheme wrapped up a while ago, and the fact that it even succeeded is already a blessing from the heavens.”
“You seem pleased.”
“Of course…”
Xuefei’s voice trailed off to a whisper. She picked up a small pebble from beside her, tilted her head back, and traced the smooth rock strata upward until her eyes settled on the moon, now restored to its pristine glow.
This time, she had saved everyone.
Nina. Dolores. All of them…
If there was any real difference from before—beyond the victory itself—this was it: the greatest progress imaginable. There could be no better outcome than defeating one’s enemies while protecting one’s allies.
“Xuefei.”
Dolores rose to her feet, her expression grave. Were it not for the woman grasping her hand, Xuefei might have suspected she intended to bind her up and deliver her to the Divine Realm. But this god clearly had nothing left to give.
“You want to know about the Demon God King?”
“Yeah, but can it wait? I’m exhausted. I just want to cuddle the dragon egg and sleep…”
“May I see your dragon egg, Xuefei? Did you lay it yourself?”
Dolores’s eyes lit up with anticipation. Her gaze swiftly zeroed in on the glowing agate nestled against Xuefei’s chest. The sheer acuity of her senses sent a shiver racing down Xuefei’s spine.
She shook her head. “No! Absolutely not! Well… sort of, I guess!”
“Mmm~ Mmm~~ Demon God King, you’ve found your happiness at last. That’s wonderful~”
“…”
Dolores gazed at her like a doting mother, a gentle smile curving her lips as she admired Xuefei’s pure, unblemished face. Under the moonlight, those restless pupils of hers sparkled like the finest gems. Suddenly realizing her golden wings were still unfurled—the likely source of Xuefei’s wariness—she retracted them in a flash. She closed her eyes for a brief moment of thought, then knelt once more, heedless of the sheer incongruity of an “angel” bowing before a “Demon.”
“Demon God King, War God Dolores congratulates you on your awakening.”
Xuefei’s expression soured with a hint of disdain, though helplessness won out in the end.
“I told you, I’m not the Demon God King. If I really were her…”
“You’re gentle. Powerful. As beautiful as the Demon God King herself. You trust others just as she did, captivate just as she did. The moment I laid eyes on you, I knew it was you. No doubt about it.”
“For ten thousand years, my old friends, my family, my teachers, my students… they all left me one by one. You’re the only one I can still recognize.”
Xuefei opened her mouth, but the words caught in her throat. She said nothing.
She didn’t care for the title of Demon God King.
She’d rather stay true to herself than become someone else. There was nothing wrong with being Xuefei that required filling the void with some “Demon God King.”
But Dolores… she must be so lonely, right?
If admitting it could give her a sense of belonging—for Dolores’s sake—would that palace she’d just called “home,” that lair of the Evil Dragon, finally feel like one?
So, objectively speaking, was she truly that Demon God King? Or could it be possible…
“Wait,” Xuefei said suddenly, eyes widening as a thought struck her. “Dolores, you said ‘she’? She was beautiful?”
“Mhm.”
“The Demon God King… was a woman?!”
“Mhm.”
“She was… a woman…”
Xuefei went utterly speechless, frozen in place like a statue carved from stone.
Wasn’t the Demon God King supposed to be the cool, badass hunk from her imagination—the kind who could wipe out an entire continent with a single spell? Reality not only refused to follow the script Xuefei had dreamed up in her heart; it slapped her across the face instead, informing her that the Demon God King was actually a woman?
If those words had come out of Laer’s mouth, Xuefei could have dismissed it as a misjudgment on her part or just Laer messing with her.
But… but…
That expression on her face didn’t look like a lie at all!
Dolores wasn’t done yet, either. She twisted the knife a little deeper. “Your appearance and the Demon God King’s are also…”
“Also…?” Xuefei’s face twisted in deeper despair, though she already knew exactly what was coming.
“Nearly identical.”
“Impossible! Absolutely impossible! I’m not a girl—you’ve got the wrong person. Dolores, I’m sorry, but I really am not her!”
Xuefei had once been your classic sunny, upbeat boy.
Sure, fortunes had reversed—not only had she gotten pregnant with a dragon egg and given birth to it, but these days she even incubated it contentedly every single day. Still, Xuefei was absolutely convinced that in her next life, she’d be a man again! There was no way some bizarre “convergence” had turned her into a girl; she must have always been one deep down… right? No weird settings like that existed!
If there was a Goddess of Fate out there, Xuefei would march right up to her and demand to know if she was just toying with an innocent soul like hers!
But as long as she wasn’t the Demon God King—or her reincarnation—that made things a whole lot simpler.
“So… you haven’t recovered your memories yet, Lady Xuefei. You only emerged with the seal still intact. I thought you were gathering the keys to break it sooner.”
“Impossible… impossible…” Xuefei shook her head furiously, plunging into full denial. Her tail lashed out wildly at the hapless ice beneath her, her turbulent emotions pouring out in a frenzy of physical outbursts.
“Anyway,” she added, “you’ve called me the Demon God King this whole time—why are you still using Xuefei?”
“Because…”
Dolores clutched her chest as a flood of cherished memories washed over her.
Being around Xuefei felt so comforting. That soul-deep attraction radiated from her constantly, mending Dolores’s wounded heart bit by bit.
It was the first time Xuefei had ever seen her smile like that—so purely happy.
“Demon God King,” Dolores said, “because that’s what you instructed me to do.”
