Adventure World Online (AWO)

"So you lot actually made it to my place, huh."

A voice called out from behind the sofa, causing everyone to whip around in unison. But there was no one there—not the way they had expected, at least. Maybe Lucifer was hiding behind the couch, ready to launch a surprise attack. Then again, considering his status as an Ancient Beast, he was more likely to make a grand, majestic entrance than to sneak around in ambush.

"Who are you?"

Devi-chan asked, in a dazed tone, despite not seeing the speaker.

"Hehehe. Who did you come here to find? I am that person,"

the voice replied, followed by a sharp sniffing sound, as if it were smelling the air.

"Hmm. That scent. It's Big Brother's scent! Big Brother has returned!"

The voice was filled with glee, which only left Chang Long's group more bewildered. Not only did the voice sound like that of a young child, but it also lacked any menace or intimidation. Before anyone could question it further, the mysterious speaker suddenly bolted out from behind the couch—racing straight into Chang Long's arms in a tight hug full of longing. But the hug did not last long; the child quickly recoiled in shock.

The moment everyone laid eyes on the figure, their expressions mirrored the child's surprise. Lucifer was a five-year-old child with a spoiled, petulant air. His skin was pitch black like obsidian, his large round eyes framed by long, thick lashes. He had curly black hair that hung in soft waves, and above his pointed ears were curled ram horns that spiraled like seashells, the tips jutting forward on either side of his head. His chest was bare, while his lower body, starting just below the chest, was covered in sleek black fur that extended all the way to his feet, which were cloven like a goat's. The fur also ran along his sides, over his shoulders, and down to his wrists. His hands were human-shaped, matching his dark skin, with long, glossy black claws. His mouth was lined with sharp fangs—proof that this child was far more dangerous than he appeared.

"Ancient Beast, Lucifer, Level 150, has appeared."

Everyone's eyes bulged when the system announced Lucifer's level. It was equivalent to a beast god—the highest evolutionary class in the game at present. Taking him on was not going to be fun and games, especially from the twins' perspective.

The strange little child stared intently at Chang Long, then suddenly blurted out:

"You're not Big Brother Azrael. Big Brother didn't have weird bumps on his chest like you. They weren't as big as hers, but you're still a girl, aren't you!"

The little Lucifer flailed his arms in frustration, pointing at Chang Long, then at Anya, his tantrum leaving the entire party momentarily stunned.

"W... Wait, master had breasts?!"

Killer turned to look at Murder, face frozen in shock.

"Probably. Like the kid said."

Murder replied uncertainly, while Devi-chan chuckled and added:

"You've got a lot to learn, kid. Our master—man or woman—is flawless. Gorgeous if female, dashing if male. Someone like you wouldn't understand the ways of us grown-ups."

"What?! No way! My Big Brother Azrael would never have boobs! Never!"

Little Lucifer exploded with rage, unleashing a violent gust of wind that blasted out around him. Chang Long and the others quickly leapt back to distance themselves from him, confused and a bit dumbfounded, if a Reaper King having boobs really that big of a deal. This had to be the most ridiculous Beast they had ever encountered.

But their impressions quickly changed again when Lucifer's body began to swell and morph into a monstrous bipedal goat-like beast. His jet-black eyes locked onto Chang Long with pure, murderous fury, as though he wanted to kill her a million times over.

"How dare you—how dare you deceive me. You may carry Azrael's scent, but you are not him. I know. Azrael is dead, isn't he? Then you, you can die with him!"

A hoarse, aged voice came from the mouth of the giant goat-beast. It raised one hoof high before slamming it down toward Chang Long's group. They barely managed to dive out of the way in time, but the attack did not stop there. Lucifer followed up with a giant palm strike aimed at Chang Long, who was still airborne and unguarded.

BOOMMM

"My Liege!"

Everyone shouted out in panic as Chang Long was smashed into the wall, the impact sending up a massive cloud of dust that obscured her from view.

Lucifer's entire focus seemed to lock onto Chang Long and her alone, completely ignoring everyone else. It lumbered toward where her body had landed, preparing to stomp her into paste. Devi-chan sprang forward, throwing himself between the beast and Chang Long.

Despite being fifty levels below Lucifer, there was no way he would let his heir die before his very eyes. Hisa-chan, realizing the danger, rushed in to help him intercept Lucifer's descending hoof.

The twins, Flatear, Kitsune, Anya, and Brownie launched attacks from every direction, trying to pull the beast's attention away from their master.

WHOOSH!

A massive pair of bat-like wings spread wide from Lucifer's back. With just a single flap, the shockwave sent all his attackers sprawling, coughing blood as they hit the ground. The beast soared high into the air, then dove with terrifying speed, aiming to crush them all in one fell swoop.

SLASH!

In a split second of carelessness, one of Lucifer's wings was severed. Losing balance, he crashed to the ground and looked up—only to see Chang Long hovering in the air with her own black wings spread wide. Her gray eyes bore into him with a furious intensity that sent chills through Lucifer's very core. How could someone so usually calm now look so utterly wrathful? Was it because he had hurt her companions?

More importantly, the blade that had sliced through his wing was razor sharp, leaving a wound that bled profusely—and from it rose flickering black flames, doubling his pain. Chang Long pointed her sword at him, voice icy cold:

"Surrender."

"Heh heh heh... Aaagh! Hahaha. That's it? And you think I'll surrender? Don't make me laugh. You're not even close to Azrael's level. Just wielding the Judgement Blade doesn't mean anything. Give that blade to a weakling, and it's just a trinket. You think a weakling like you can defeat me--keep dreaming, you lunatic!"

Lucifer let out a maniacal laugh. From the stump of his severed wing, a new one sprouted in an instant. The black flames still burned, but he did not seem to care.

Chang Long knew what he said was not wrong. She glanced at her teammates, many of whom were already recovering from the earlier onslaught, before turning back to face Lucifer's sneering expression.

"You're right. I'm not on Azrael's level. But taking down a spoiled, arrogant brat like you--that I can do."

"You little—!"

Lucifer lunged at her angrily, claws slashing forward at lightning speed. Chang Long flew aside, dodging the attack, and shouted to her allies for them to fall back from the combat zone—better yet, they should get beyond the wall. Protests rose instantly from the twins. They did not want to miss out on the chance to fight an Ancient Beast, even if they knew they did not stand a chance. Chang Long's companions felt the same—they would never let her face this alone.

"Do as I say. This isn't your time. Go—and wait for the signal!"

Chang Long shouted the command again, just as she had to raise her sword to block Lucifer's downward strike. The force of the blow sent her crashing to the ground. She quickly pushed herself up, just as Lucifer came diving down to finish her off.

"Bind!"

Lucifer's eyes widened in shock. Suddenly, his body froze mid-air, suspended as if caught in a web of invisible threads by the thousands. No matter how hard he struggled, he could not move a muscle. Desperately, he searched for the source of the anomaly—and found it. The enemy who carried the aura of the Reaper King was now standing firmly on the ground, one hand pointed skyward.

Beneath her feet, a massive circle of dark violet magic spread across nearly the entire chamber. It pulsed with light, brimming with dense, bound power. As their eyes locked, Chang Long spoke the words that unleashed it:

"Calamity Thunder."

She whipped her raised hand down with force. A deafening shriek of agony filled the room, mingling with the roar of thunder and the crackle of lightning. Everyone watched in horror as Lucifer's body twisted and contorted, struck by bolt after bolt of lightning—relentless, unending.

"D... Damn, that's brutal!"

Murder whispered under his breath, eyes fixed on the monstrous goat whose fate now seemed sealed.

.....

Meanwhile, Siegfried and his team stumbled out of the Werewolf Den dungeon, utterly exhausted. They had just survived a harrowing battle with the entire wolf den, captured several werewolf heirs of the Lycanth bloodline, and sealed them into the Book of Fifty. Looking around at one another, they were surprised—no one had died during the quest. Though their condition was nothing short of ruinous.

"Waaah~ My skin. My hair. Why do I look like a mess!"

Peach Blossom wailed tearfully as she pulled out a mirror and examined herself under the morning sun.

"Why are you even whining, Miss Peach Blossom? Just go back to town and hit the salon. You'll be stunning again in no time."

Kimhant sounded thoroughly annoyed. It was not like she was the only one looking like a wreck. Everyone was grimy and disheveled—except for Siegfried and Lycanth, who, despite having fought just as hard, still looked pristine as ever.

"You expect me to walk into town looking like this--no way. Let's set up a tent so we can wash and get dressed properly before heading in. Please, big bro. Everyone in town knows me. I can't let them see me like this—it'd be beyond humiliating."

Peach Blossom begged sweetly.

It seemed the group agreed with her. They had been on a quest in the wilderness for over a week. Everyone back home would assume they had completed some epic, near-impossible quest. A triumphant return looking like divine warriors would absolutely boost their guild's prestige among fellow players and members of Pendragon.

Showing up looking like ragged vagrants would just invite laughter and mockery. As top officers of the prestigious Pendragon Guild, it was only right to uphold their image.

Since the justification now involved guild reputation, Siegfried allowed everyone to wash and rest up once more before heading back. He found a comfortable spot to sit, then opened the Book of Fifty again, thinking about the moment he summoned Melenius—the first werewolf he had captured into the book—to help with the fight.

It did not feel like handling a typical pet. These creatures acted more like programmed machines, loyal only to the book's holder—him. They were cold, efficient killing tools. Each one was powerful, fierce, and utterly obedient. A perfect army, really.

Beep-beep. Beep-beep.

The ring of an incoming call pulled his attention away from the book. He glanced at the caller ID—briefly, his thoughts drifted to someone far away, Chang Long. She was in the middle of her own quest. He had no idea how far she had gotten. He just wanted to hear her voice. To know she was okay. Maybe, to know if she missed him, too. Siegfried shook his head to banish the wandering thoughts and picked up the call.

"Yo. What's up, Rafael?"

"Where the hell have you guys been? You vanished for over a week with no contact. Are you done with the quest or not?"

Rafael's annoyed voice barked through the line.

"Uh… yeah, sorry. The dungeon cut off communication. We just finished up. Heading back now."

Siegfried sounded sheepish. As guild leader, he was rarely around. It was Rafael who handled nearly all the actual management—practically acting as the guild leader himself. Friends often joked that Siegfried was just a nominee guild leader. But to him, Rafael, Draco, and himself were all co-leaders.

They were close friends who had founded Pendragon together, after all. Rafael was the strategist. Draco and Siegfried were the warriors. With Siegfried's charisma and popularity, the other two simply handed him the guild leadership—that was all.

"Good. Hurry back. We're about to have another clash with Doom Star Guild over those city-building materials."

Rafael's tone turned serious.

"What? Those guys again? Can't they ever chill out?"

Siegfried scowled in irritation.

"They're probably just bored. But the good news is—our city's almost done. When you get back, you're gonna be blown away. The guild halls are completely decorated. Only a few more sections of the city are left. We should be able to launch within the month, easy."

Rafael sounded proud.

"Seriously? That's awesome. That means I might finally get a chance to visit Chang Long... uh, I mean, that's great news. Don't worry, we'll head back ASAP."

Siegfried accidentally let his thoughts slip, making the person on the other end go dead silent. He quickly covered with another line, then hung up before Rafael could start scolding him.

"Hey, Sieg! Who were you talking to?"

Draco, freshly bathed and toweling off, stepped out and asked.

"Perfect timing. Seems like there's trouble back at the guild. We need to head back immediately."

Siegfried turned serious, trying to play it cool—though he was still mentally laughing at himself for the Chang Long slip-up, that shut Rafael up. Of course, he meant it. He was absolutely going to visit her—just as soon as he dealt with the guild's mess.

"Alright, go round up the others. This is urgent."

He gave the order with unusual firmness, leaving Draco slack-jawed. Siegfried almost never acted bossy with his friends. If he was being this serious now, something major had to really be happening. Draco nodded quickly and ran off to knock on Peach Blossom's tent first—since the girl took the longest showers in the entire world.