Boom~
Inside the inner world, the ground suddenly trembled, and several roots sprouted, wrapping around Katerea Leviathan before dragging her underground, leaving only her head exposed.
"What are you planning? Let me go..."
Before she could finish, Katerea suddenly felt weak, her magical power rapidly depleting.
In this world, magical power was paramount. Without it, one could do nothing, regardless of their status.
August watched Katerea before him with a smile. Now, she was just like he had been once.
The World Tree Sapling could absorb all forms of energy, power, and elements. With her Snake, Katerea was a perfect vessel for magical power. Although a Snake couldn't provide infinite magical power, it could greatly enhance recovery speed and magical capacity.
"Papa, thank you!"
"It's nothing. Just be a bit careful. Don't accidentally kill her."
"I understand."
Now, the World Tree Sapling could communicate rudimentarily.
At that moment, a maid hurried over. As August's maid, it was only natural for her to come and serve.
"Is this Lady Katerea?"
Seeing Katerea, she was startled. This was the direct descendant of the former Satan. How had she ended up here?
"From now on, your task is to feed her and give her water every day. If she weakens, replenish her life force and magical power. That's all you need to do. The only requirement is to ensure she doesn't die."
"But, My lord, Lady Katerea is a descendant of the former Satan Leviathan. Restraining her like this could lead to trouble."
"It's okay. This fool went to attack Sirzechs and has now been designated a terrorist. So, there's no problem."
"Assassinate Satan Lucifer?"
"Yes, precisely. Since this fool is a descendant of Satan but hasn't become one herself."
"I understand."
The maid nodded. This involved conflicting interests between the old satan faction and the current satan faction. Times had changed, and it wasn't surprising that Katerea sought to reclaim the throne.
The maid looked at Katerea, whose head was the only thing visible, sighing inwardly. This lady really couldn't see the situation clearly. The era of the old satan had passed, and now it was the era of the new satan.
At this moment, Katerea had no strength to lift her body. The roots entwined around her continuously absorbed her magical power, as well as her mental energy.
Not only was her magical power draining, but she also found her mental energy being constantly sapped. This led to not only a loss of magical power but also extreme fatigue. In this situation, she felt an overwhelming desire to close her eyes and sleep soundly.
After dealing with Katerea, August waved his hand, and countless bodies fell from the shadows.
These were all mage corpses collected by the shadowy figures. They were now a snack for the World Tree Sapling. Although these individuals were weak, there was strength in numbers.
Moreover, by directly consuming the bodies, they could gain not only magical power but also all forms of life force.
The ground rumbled as all the bodies were deeply buried underground. They would serve as nourishment for the World Tree Sapling, and the remaining remains would become part of the earth itself.
With a sense of curiosity, August ventured to the edge of the inner world and keenly observed that the world was expanding every moment.
However slow the expansion, it was undeniably happening.
Though it might not add much in a day or even ten days or half a month, over the course of a year, two years, or more, it would accumulate significantly.
This was the world itself evolving. With the World Tree taking root, not only were the spatial barriers strengthened to the extreme, but the world itself could also grow continuously with the assistance of the World Tree.
In the future, when the World Tree grew to its full stature, this world would birth a new realm, and August would truly become its ruler.
The process was indeed lengthy, even distant, but not unattainable.
After observing the changes in the inner world and finding nothing worth lingering for, August departed. There were matters outside that required attention.
Back at the Kuoh Academy, everything had settled. The time-freezing had been undone, and beside Rias, there was now a feminine vampire wearing a school uniform.
"Oh, you're back? Is everything resolved? What about Katerea?"
Azazel inquired as August returned.
"It's all taken care of. As for Katerea, I've buried her in the earth."
"You're quite impressive, handling even the descendant of Satan, who possesses Ophis's Snake, with ease. Young people these days are truly fearsome."
"Enough with the flattery."
August dismissed, turning his gaze to Vali.
Suddenly, the atmosphere became tense, and Vali smiled awkwardly.
"I've learned something interesting from Katerea. Vali, do you have anything to say?" August's words directed everyone's attention to Vali.
Even Azazel sighed helplessly, disappointment evident in his gaze as he looked at Vali.
"Indeed, Vali, the traitor, it's you!" Azazel's mood soured. It was akin to being stabbed in the back by his own foster daughter at such a crucial moment, a feeling of immense discomfort.
"Sorry, Azazel. My name is Vali Lucifer, the legitimate descendant of the original True Satan's bloodline."
"What? Lucifer?"
"The legitimate descendant of the true Satan? But he possesses the Divine Dividing. Could it be that, like August, he acquired a Sacred Gear?"
Both Sirzechs and Serafall looked at Vali in astonishment.
Many years ago, the descendant of Satan Lucifer, Rizevim, had left the Underworld. Even Grayfia had once served Rizevim for a time.
But during the war between the old satan faction and the new satan faction, he disappeared, and no one knew where he had gone.
Now, suddenly, there emerged a legitimate descendant of Satan Lucifer, which was surprising to say the least.
"I am a descendant of the old Satan, but my mother was human. Therefore, my veins carry half devil blood and half human blood. That's why I was chosen by the Divine Dividing. The word 'miracle' seems fitting to describe my existence."
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