A week had passed, and the demons had yet to comply with Rae's demands. She sighed inwardly. It had been worth a shot—avoiding bloodshed would have been ideal if they had only accepted her ultimatum. But now, she had no choice but to decimate their forces. Perhaps not entirely, but she couldn't let their defiance go unchecked.
Eleanor and Ivy were burning with vengeance, and Rae needed to identify the hex-wielding witch—or whatever she was—and bring her back to them. Additionally, she had to uncover the identity of the labyrinth overseer and convince them to grant her access to the final floor of the labyrinth. The Devil Queen had spoken of a secret power hidden there, one Rae intended to claim.
Rose's warning echoed in her mind: keep a low profile and refrain from flaunting her powers to avoid further escalating the political tension in this country. Rae begrudgingly agreed, though she couldn't shake the feeling that Rose was using her in some elaborate political scheme. As her adoptive daughter, Rae suspected she was little more than a pawn to assert Rose's dominance over the noble factions. But how had Rose learned about her past? It had to be Harold. He was a loyal servant of Rose, after all, and likely couldn't refuse her. Rae sighed again. It wasn't as if she had explicitly asked Harold to keep her past a secret. She just hoped she wouldn't have to deal with Rose for a while.
So far, Rae managed to master a rudimentary form of illusion magic. By manipulating the refractive index of the air around her, she could render herself invisible. While this technique worked well, she discovered that creating a magic barrier and adjusting its refractive index produced even better results—it was also more efficient in terms of mana consumption. This spell would prove invaluable for the plan she was about to set in motion.
Rae had anticipated the demons would refuse her demands. It would be humiliating for them to admit their army was defeated by a single girl. Such a blow to their reputation was unthinkable. From their calculated strategies, Rae deduced they had a skilled tactician on their side—someone who would likely devise a plan to counter the political fallout of her presence on the battlefield.
"They'll probably try to wear me down with cannon fodder," Rae mused. "Then, when they think I'm weakened, they'll deploy all five generals to take me out."
The exact way they'd deploy their forces was the key question. Two scenarios stood out to Rae. If the Demon King was a shrewd leader, he would send hordes of monsters to attack her while preserving his soldiers as much as possible. He might even use human hostages as a diversion—either placing them in harm's way or compelling them to fight. It was a cruel tactic but strategically sound.
On the other hand, if the Demon King was a tyrant, he might recklessly use both his soldiers and human hostages as meat shields, sacrificing them to achieve his goals. Rae found the latter scenario even more distasteful. Hypocritical as it might be, she hated the thought of such cruelty.
Either way, Rae was prepared. She planned to infiltrate their camp using the ethereal realm and her invisibility spell, locate the Demon King, and challenge him to a duel. The demonic tongue, while archaic, still held power, and Rae was confident she could invoke the rite properly. Once challenged, the king would have no choice but to accept—demon tradition demanded it.
Rae's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of movement in the demon camp. It was time to act. She turned to Riley, her loyal companion.
"Riley, would you do the honors?"
"Right away, Master," Riley replied with a respectful nod.
The camp seemed to be filled with low-level demons, their dark signatures faint and unimpressive. Yet they were heavily armed. Rae frowned. Something didn't add up. Amidst the throng of weaklings, six powerful signatures stood out, their presence masked but unmistakable. One of them was unlike anything Rae had felt before—closer to the creatures of the dungeons than to demons. That must be the overseer.
"Riley, take me closer to that one," Rae ordered.
The signature grew stronger as they approached, nearly overwhelming. Rae hesitated. This signature was leagues above the others. If she confronted the overseer now, her element of surprise would be lost. No, she decided. She would focus on the second-strongest signature.
To her surprise, the second-strongest presence was in the same location as the first, along with two others of significant power. That made sense—the Demon King would naturally have some of his generals with him. Rae's plan was falling into place.
As she approached the heart of the camp, Rae felt an unsettling sensation. A spider-like woman with piercing eyes seemed to be following her movements, her gaze unnervingly accurate. Rae's invisibility spell had been flawless so far, but this woman could clearly see through it. She had to be the overseer.
"Focus," Rae muttered to herself. She couldn't afford distractions. Her goal was the Demon King. He was there, seated on a pseudo-throne, flanked by his generals. Rae smirked. "Time to have a chat."
She dropped from her dragon and stepped forward, her voice clear and commanding. "Hello, Demon King. How are we doing today? I invoke—"
Before she could finish, confusion erupted among the Demon King's generals.
"What is that?" one of them demanded.
"It's the demonic tongue," another whispered, disbelief written across their face. "She's issuing a duel. The Demon King has been challenged! Sound the horns."
Amid the chaos, the Demon King's expression darkened. "This is outrageous! Why should I fight just because this girl says so?"
"It's tradition," Venus replied gravely. "As demons, we are bound to this rite. Once a duel is issued, it cannot be refused."
Rae stepped closer, her eyes narrowing, unshaken by the murmurs around her by the crowds forming. "Reveal your true face, Demon King. We both know you're wearing someone else's body."
The air stilled. Gurei stammered, "Lies… She's lying, right?"
But the Demon King's silence was damning. "Since the jig is up," he muttered, "I might as well show you."
Slowly, his form began to shift, revealing a young woman—barely more than a teenager.
"Who... who is that?" Gurei stammered, his voice trembling. "What did you do to our Demon King? Answer me!"
Rae's eyes flicked over the girl in front of her, her expression cold and calculating. "Wow. You're just a teenage girl. I never thought you were this young."
The Demon King, his form now fully revealed, let out a bitter laugh. "So a duel, huh?" she said, her voice dark. "Since we're dueling anyway, I'm challenging you for the position of Vampire Queen."
The generals were struck dumb. "She's a vampire too?" Venus whispered in disbelief.
"Unbelievable," Gurei muttered. "I've been serving a deceiver all this time."
Rae's smile never wavered. "You're a vampire of royal blood? Fine with me. Let's do this. I'll teach you and your Celestial family a lesson."