Chapter 43: King of Demons (Part II)

I laughed with exaggerated force, but Solano only watched me with a flat expression.

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t remember. I will help you remember slowly.” He raised his hand, gripped my wrist, and turned to leave.

“Let go!” I grew annoyed, taking a step back and violently shaking off his hand.

Enough is enough. What kind of cosmic joke is this? Why does someone always jump out of nowhere to point at my nose and tell me who I am?

Shouldn't who I am be decided by me?

“Do not make me angry.” Looking at the hand I had just shaken off, Solano tilted his head slightly to look at me.

I instinctively took a step back and glared at him.

“Alright, let’s go home.” He curled his lips slightly, as if comforting a startled little animal.

“My. Name. Is. Aurora!” I spoke each word with deliberate emphasis while looking at him.

“I do not wish to harm you,” he told me very seriously.

I was stuck between laughing and crying.

In a flash, Solano moved with incredible speed and gripped my right wrist once again.

I was horrified.

“Let her go.” Just as I was about to struggle, my left hand suddenly tightened; Albus had appeared by my side.

The commotion immediately caught the attention of the surrounding demons, who began to swarm around us.

Alastor looked left and right, then reached a conclusion: “You’re stepping on three boats at once.”

“Huh?” I was utterly confused.

“May I pull on your leg?” Alastor asked with extreme politeness.

I still didn't understand why he was adding to the chaos.

“Let go,” Solano said, holding my right hand, his voice turning cold.

“You let go.” As a jade statue, Albus never lost in a contest of coldness. He gripped my left hand tightly, his voice as frigid as ice.

...I finally understood what Alastor meant. My eyebrows twitched, and I spoke through a grimace, “Don’t you dare join in on this mess.”

“It’s not fair...” Alastor grumbled. “He gets to pull your left hand, he gets to pull your right... and you won’t even give me a leg...”

Lines of black appeared on my forehead. Am I a snack? A piece for the east, a piece for the west?

The honest and reliable Little Mountain was much more practical. Seeing me in trouble, he came thumping over to my side, intending to use his massive stature to snatch me away.

It was the most tragic tug-of-war in history, accompanied by the constant ping-pong of magic. The most pitiful one was me, acting as the unlucky rope being yanked about.

“Everyone, let go!” My temper flared.

I had reached my limit.

“You, stop it! I am not Aurora!” I turned to the left and roared.

Albus froze slightly, his grip on my hand loosening. His usually icy eyes were suddenly tinged with desolation.

“And you, stop it too! I am not your wife, Lilith!” Feeling guilty, I avoided Albus’s eyes and turned to the right to continue shouting.

Solano’s psychological resilience was superior; he didn't budge an inch. He looked at me flatly and told me, “You are.”

I felt an unprecedented sense of powerlessness...

What kind of chaotic scene was this?

“Come with me, or I will kill them.” His indifferent eyes gradually turned abyssal black. Solano looked at me with impatience.

A long whip suddenly lashed out at Albus. Albus ducked to the side, and Solano instantly seized control, pulling me toward him.

Albus turned back to look at the attacker; it was actually Nazga, who had just been drinking with him. “Do you wish to die?” He pursed his lips slightly—a precursor to his rage.

“Trust me, do not provoke him.” Nazga’s voice carried an unprecedented note of fear.

“However, you have provoked me.” His eyes turning cold, Albus swept his hand, and a streak of white light mixed with ghost-blue flames lunged straight for Nazga.

The blue flames emitted a terrifying power that trapped Nazga, and for a moment, the hall was plunged into chaos.

Having dealt with Nazga, Albus turned back to look at me. Ghost-blue flickers seeped from his white robes like hellfire.

“It’s still not too late to leave.” I tugged at Solano’s sleeve. I had witnessed Albus’s terror firsthand. Since Solano had given me a job when I needed one, I didn't want him to lose his life here for no reason.

Solano’s eyes were already a void of darkness.

I gasped and covered my mouth, watching Solano’s body undergo a transformation.

His short, messy black hair grew inch by inch until it trailed on the ground. His height and physique also began to change...

The youth who had just been about my height grew an entire size larger in the blink of an eye!

An adult version of the gorgeous youth?

I looked at Albus, then at Solano, and then at Alastor, who seemed to want nothing more than to see the world burn...

Is this the ultimate boss showdown?

“Heavens! It’s Lord Samael!”

Suddenly, someone among the demons cried out in terror.

The hall, which had been noisy just moments ago, was about to fall into a deathly silence.

“No one leaves here alive.” The terrifying version of Solano spoke slowly.

It was a flat voice, yet it instantly struck terror into all the demons.

“Don’t be afraid, our noble Queen will protect us.” Orlando suddenly smiled. He fluttered his transparent wings and looked at me.

I really want to stay out of this...

You talkative little elf!

At this point, I could only brace myself and block the terrifying Solano. “Stop! They are my subjects. Where does that leave me?”

Did that sound impressive? I saw the fire of adoration burning in Little Mountain’s eyes.

But I was terrified... Was this terrifying Solano truly the legendary Satan?

“Do not think of escaping from me, otherwise...” Solano narrowed his dark eyes slightly. “I will clip your wings, though that is the last thing I wish to see.”

Wings?

Do I have wings? Confused, I glanced back at my own back. There was nothing there.

Beside me, Alastor cleared his throat. I quickly snapped back to reality. Uh... bluffing. I need to bluff!

“Boss, if I really am Lilith, why didn’t you tell me from the beginning?” I tried to reason with him.

“I was waiting for you to obtain your power. This was your wish. You once said that unless you gained power, you would not return to my side.”

“Then... if I really am your wife, why didn't you appear when I was in danger?” I tried to act piteous.

“Lilith never needed help. She considered it an insult.”

I was speechless.

“Fine. Even... even if I am Lilith, that was several lifetimes ago, right? I am Aurora now! If my husbands from my past life and the life before that all came to claim me, wouldn't I have to be chopped into pieces just to go around?” I tried to appeal to his emotions and logic.

“It doesn't matter. I’ll just chop everyone else into pieces and the problem will be solved.” The terrifying Solano spoke slowly.

I choked. Was he telling a dark joke?

Looking at his abyssal eyes, it didn't seem like he was joking...

I lowered my gaze slightly. My heart was already a desolate wasteland where nothing grew; why won't they let me go?

Why? Why me?

I clenched my fist and suddenly opened my fingers. A ball of black air struck out toward Solano with the speed of a thunderbolt.

He stepped aside to dodge it and looked at me expressionlessly. “Too weak.”

I was stunned. Just how strong was he? Gritting my teeth, I transformed the black air into sharp blades and attacked again.

Solano still dodged easily. “Still weak.”

I felt as if this were a game of cat and mouse, and I was clearly the mouse being toyed with by Solano.