Chapter 451: Morgana Le Fay (II)
Ethan continued with watching Bella do her thing. He noticed her eyes suddenly darken as dark veins appeared beneath them, while a dark glossy lipstick appeared over her lips.
It was the indication that her other personality had taken over.
Then, without warning, Bella’s entire body collapsed into a pool of shadows which slipped across the floor and disappeared from the room.
Ethan stared in surprise, unsure of why that had just happened.
Elsewhere, within the Demon King’s throne room, a large mass of darkness suddenly spread across the floor, catching the faint red glow of the lanterns above.
From within the shadows, Isabella’s figure gradually emerged.
She stood before the curtain that concealed the Demon King who was still seated behind it, perfectly silent and still.
The throne room itself was completely empty. The Demon King preferred to remain alone, and as a result, the sudden arrival of an intruder went unnoticed by the guards stationed outside.
Alter-Bella then extended her right hand toward the curtain and made a small sweeping motion.
The darkness that had filled most of the room responded immediately, rising from the floor and wrapping around the curtains before pulling them aside.
The Demon King was revealed to Alter-Bella who gazed at him with an amused grin.
The Demon King stared back at her and for several seconds, neither of them spoke.
Then Alter-Bella broke the silence. "Have you grown so powerful that you believe you can look me in the eye, Morgana?"
The Demon King’s grin widened, revealing his jagged teeth.
Then his appearance began to change.
The enormous horns slowly receded, disappearing into his head as the monstrous proportions of his body gradually diminished. The transformation continued through his entire form, though his clothing remained largely unchanged.
What faced Alter-Bella was no longer the towering figure of the Demon King.
Instead, a pale-skinned woman had replaced him, wearing a mischievous smile. Long dark hair fell around her face, framing a pair of glowing green eyes and glossy dark lips.
Dark shades surrounded her eyes, giving her an unsettling yet strangely alluring appearance.
She looked at Alter-Bella with obvious amusement.
"Perhaps I would bow my head," Morgana said in a teasing tone. "But the Mistress I remember was never so feeble that I could smite her where she stood."
Alter-Bella’s expression brightened. "Oh? You think you can do that now?"
Her smile widened into what looked like an invitation to challenge as she added, "Then perhaps we should put that confidence to the test."
The atmosphere immediately grew tense.
They both held each other’s gazes, neither willing to back down.
For several seconds, the tension lingered until Morgana’s lips curled into a teasing smile.
She shook her head and stepped down from the raised platform, spreading both hands as she approached. "Oh, come on, Mistress. Surely you don’t intend to take me seriously." She laughed lightly. "Have you forgotten how much I enjoy teasing you?"
Bella looked at her for a moment before breaking into laughter. "Oh, you little brat."
She opened her arms, and the two women embraced, holding each other like old friends who had finally reunited after an impossibly long time apart.
They eventually pulled apart, and Morgana looked at her with a faintly amused expression. "But I must say, Mistress, you truly aren’t even a speck close to the one I remember." She shook her head. "I knew reincarnation happened, but this..."
She let the thought trail off, shaking her head again.
Bella raised a palm to her forehead and sighed. "How far I must have fallen for my own Blessed to remind me of my predicament?"
Morgana gave her an almost apologetic look. "Am I not allowed to worry about you?"
"I do not need your sympathy, Morgana," Alter-Bella replied.
In terms of strength and level of power between them both at this time, Morgana was significantly stronger.
"All right, all right. No harm done." Morgana smiled. "But please, come with me, Mistress. I shall host you somewhere more befitting."
She turned and glanced around the throne room.
"This place is only meant for my subjects."
She then gestured toward an adjoining section of the room and began walking.
Alter-Bella followed after her, and with that, they both entered a smaller adjoining room that was brighter and more comfortable.
It was a private chamber, arranged for Morgana’s personal use.
She then gestured toward some of the several seats positioned around the room, "Please, sit."
However, Bella’s eyes seemed to have settled on a larger, imposing chair with broad armrests. This was actually Morgana’s own seat and wasn’t among the chairs she had indicated for the Mistress to sit on.
But the Mistress walked over and sat in it anyway.
Morgana stared at her for a moment, her expression briefly showing her surprise before looked away and sighed. "Okay."
The Ruler of Demons hadn’t been disrespected like that in a thousand years, so seeing that display irked her differently.
She then turned toward a shelf along the wall, where several ceramic vases filled with wine were arranged.
Morgana traced her fingers through the air as she searched among them. After a moment, she stopped. "Aha."
She flicked her wrist and dark green aura gathered around her fingertips, simultaneously enveloping one of the ceramic vases.
The container then rose from the shelf and floated smoothly through the air toward her.
With another motion of her hand, two dark metal cups lifted from a nearby table and floated over.
Morgana extended one of the cups toward Bella. Afterwards, the ceramic vase tilted in midair, pouring wine into it, before turning toward Morgana and filling her own cup as well.
She then walked toward another seat positioned close to the larger chair and sat down.
Her expression tightened slightly as she settled into it, as though she found the seat somewhat lacking.
Well, she had no choice.
She raised her cup and looked toward Alter-Bella with a sudden smile that had formed over her discomfort.
"I suppose you decided to make your appearance because Izzgur came to you and told you of my command to him."
Alter-Bella looked puzzled.
It wasn’t because she didn’t know that Izzgur was Nathan. Ethan had already told Isabella about his history and his father’s past after reading Eduardo’s journal months ago.
Rather, the situation itself was what confused her.
"What command did you give him?" Bella asked.
Morgana’s eyes widened slightly as realization dawned on her. "Oh..."