Chapter 54 : Chapter 54
Chapter 54 : Practice more if you're bad! Don't play if you can't handle losing!
"Hehe~ So even our noble and powerful Miss Angel can end up in such a pathetic state? Oh my, what’s with this sneaky satisfaction I’m feeling?"
"Hmph! You’re just trying to stir things up, aren’t you? Besides, haven’t you seen me in an even worse state before?"
"Uh… now that you mention it… ehehe?"
"You little… ugh!"
Faced with Iphilia’s smug teasing, Aimiya saw through her intentions with a single sentence.
In response, Iphilia playfully stuck out her tongue, trying to cut her way out of it.
Aimiya raised her hand, intending to pinch Iphilia’s soft cheeks as a lesson, but she overestimated her current condition.
The simple act of lifting her hand tore open a wound that had just begun to heal.
"How did you get hurt this badly!?"
Only then did Iphilia notice the gruesome wounds covering Aimiya’s body.
She crouched down, her heart aching, and carefully inspected Aimiya’s injuries.
Every subtle expression on her face was fully observed by Aimiya.
"…Why… are you suddenly so concerned about me?"
Something was off—very off.
Just this morning, Iphilia had acted like she wouldn’t care if Aimiya dropped dead.
Yet now, seeing her injuries, she was panicking like this…
"Eh!? W-Well, isn’t it obvious!? You’re my roommate, after all! I’m not some heartless, stone-cold demon. Of course I’d worry when I see you hurt!"
"Is that— so—"
Despite her severe injuries, Aimiya’s love for teasing Iphilia remained unchanged.
Having confronted her true feelings while on the brink of death, her tone when speaking to Iphilia now carried a hint of flirtation.
Of course, our Miss Demon wasn’t some seasoned player like Aimiya.
She was as pure and defenseless as a certain Bloodkin High Princess (well, not quite)! Naturally, she failed to pick up on the subtle shift in Aimiya’s tone.
"Damn it (*secret profanity*)! You two bastards! Don’t act like I’m already dead!!!"
Just as the atmosphere grew peculiar, a furious voice rang out from nearby.
Iphilia and Aimiya’s expressions darkened, and they turned in unison to glare at the shadowy black-robed man who had just clambered out of the rubble.
He clutched the eerie glowing blood-red orb, glaring viciously at Iphilia, who had arrived to save the day.
"You bastard! Do you have to ruin my plans every time I’m about to succeed!? Last time it was that angel, and now it’s you! I was going to let you live a few more days before coming for you! Since you’re so eager to die, I’ll grant your wish! [Corpse Bearers]! Tear her apart!"
With the black-robed man’s frenzied roar, the eyes of the Corpse Bearers, previously bound by tentacles, flared with blood-red light! Their once-dormant bodies began to thrash wildly, their severed limbs and flesh chunks writhing in a desperate attempt to break free from the tentacles’ grip.
Yet, minutes passed, and though their limbs and arms continued to struggle, the black-scaled tentacles remained immovable, firmly restraining the Corpse Bearers’ massive forms.
"This… this is impossible!? You cunning demon, what did you do!?"
"Uh… I didn’t do anything… just some ordinary summoning magic…"
Faced with the black-robed man’s enraged questioning, Iphilia awkwardly scratched her head.
She had merely used her go-to summoning magic to call forth a few tentacles to bind those hulking creatures.
If they couldn’t break free, that was their own weakness—how was that her fault?
By the way, the tentacles she summoned were actually a part of Uncle Berial, one of the Seven Demon Kings of Hell and the embodiment of the Sin of Sloth -specifically, a fragment of his true form, the legendary demonic pillar.
As for Uncle Berial’s strength and status… he was roughly on par with a six-winged angel from Heaven.
In mortal terms… aside from legendary holy swords or spears, there was likely nothing capable of cutting through those tentacles.
So, as they say: Practice more if you’re bad! Don’t play if you can’t handle losing!
"Heh… you really think binding my Corpse Bearers means you’ve won? Dream on! Next, I’ll show you the true blessing bestowed upon us by the great God!"
Oh? A trump card?
Iphilia looked at the black-robed man with interest.
His face was alight with fanaticism as he raised the blood-red orb above his head, muttering incantations.
The next moment, the Corpse Bearers, previously bound by tentacles, disintegrated instantly.
The fragments of corpses that made up their forms all surged toward the black-robed man—or rather, the blood-red orb in his hand.
What was this…
Countless corpse fragments crawled over the black-robed man’s body, but instead of fear, the fanaticism in his eyes only grew more intense.
Soon, a colossal Corpse Bearer, over twenty meters tall with the blood-red orb embedded in its chest, stood before Iphilia and Aimiya.
The black-robed man had replaced the Corpse Bearer’s original head, with only his upper body protruding.
The cloak that once hid his face was gone, revealing a twisted visage beneath.
Even more horrifying, his face was now covered in scarlet veins, with bulging blood vessels under his skin, making his already grotesque appearance utterly indescribable.
So ugly…
That was Iphilia’s first thought upon seeing it.
And why… did it feel like the absurd design of a classic villain from some tokusatsu show?
This thing wouldn’t turn out to be a sitting duck like the villains in that show, would it?
For some reason, Iphilia’s mind wandered to such a ridiculous thought.
"Hey! Iphilia-chan! If you can’t handle this, run! Get help from the Church or the Night Watch!"
At that moment, Aimiya, who had barely managed to stand, shouted anxiously to Iphilia. Hearing this, Iphilia froze, turning to Aimiya with a look of disbelief.
Run? From this ugly, smelly sitting duck? If she ran, where would she, the princess of Hell, put her pride?
Oh, right, Aimiya didn’t know her true identity. Never mind then…
"Don’t worry, Aimiya~ My physique might not be great, but I’ve got plenty of tricks up my sleeve~"
Iphilia gave a mysterious smile. In the palm of her hand, hidden behind her back, a crimson magic array suddenly flared to life.
In theory, the size, scale, and complexity of a magic array determined the power of the spell.
The summoning array in Iphilia’s palm, though smaller than her hand, was so intricately detailed that its complexity was utterly staggering…