I’ll Crush You!

“What…?” The light in the doll’s eyes dimmed as she stared in disbelief at the rapier protruding from her chest.

The two-finger-wide, silver-white blade was covered in blood-red demonic runes, and a fresh crimson stain bloomed from her chest.

“I said I’ve got you!” A husky, accented female voice echoed from behind her, while a dry, sharp male voice spoke from the front.

Schiiing! The blade was yanked out, and the doll, losing her strength, fell into a brief paralysis. The storm of blades swirling around her also came to a halt.

“A perfect opportunity!”

The Mindless Puppet in front seized that fleeting moment. Rolling, crimson sludge spread from its body, quickly enveloping the doll. In mere moments, a massive, transparent red crystal formed in mid-air, imprisoning the doll with her soul weapon.

“Ah ha ha ha! I’ve finally caught you!” Amidst a burst of frenzied laughter, the puppet elder’s eyes lost their luster, and its movements reverted to stiff and sluggish. Meanwhile, the figure previously hidden in the doll’s shadow stepped forward.

It was a tall woman, clad in a vibrant red gown, with waist-length silver hair and an alluring face. Yet, her otherwise flawless figure carried an unsettling disharmony beneath her dark-red eyes, which gleamed with malevolence and distortion.

“Hercules, go squat over there! Guard the door!”

After watching his puppet float unsteadily away from the rooftop, the evil god, who had seized the body of the Blood Clan Princess, gazed triumphantly at the human—no, the Demonkin—sealed within the Bloodline Crystal before him.

“What an idiot… did you truly believe my true form wouldn’t appear? Ever since I was ganged up on and killed last time, I learned a truth: it’s always better to have more people in a fight… though you truly did give me a scare.”

Through the crystal, the silver-haired woman watched the motionless black figure inside with a mocking smile.

“A Demonkin with the bloodline of a Demon Lord? I almost thought you were truly one of those devils left behind in this abandoned, desolate world after that war… But facts prove that the great, unique Star-Prowler has still perfectly won this war! I am truly magnificent!” Covering his face with one hand, the evil god, convinced of his victory, burst into laughter, gazing skyward.

His wild, gleeful laughter continued for a long time before gradually fading.

“Well then… welcome to your delightful future, my breeding ground!”

The Star-Prowler, this entity now draped in a layer of flesh, flashed a sinister, knowing grin at the doll trapped within the transparent crystal, malice radiating from him.

‘I wonder what expression you’ll make when you’re tied up and placed among hundreds of bloodthirsty demon wolves injected with stimulants…’

‘Still, warriors’ minds and bodies are always much more ‘amusing’ than those of mages…’

“Though it consumed most of that not-so-useful puppet’s power, it was ultimately a gain! A breeding ground carrying the bloodline of a Demon Archduke… a new plaything. Ah, I can almost see that my life won’t be boring anytime soon… This is truly wonderful! Hehehehehe…”

“Oh, right, speaking of playthings… Little Annelise, come out and see, this is the hero you were hoping for, you know~~”

He tapped his head, and the soul, shrouded in malice deep within, slowly surfaced. The Star-Prowler anticipated the despair that would follow hope.

‘The dessert before the main course must be delicious enough…’

A scarlet tongue licked equally scarlet lips.

Under the intrusion of malice, the dormant soul opened its eyes, somewhat bewildered.

The moment its eyes opened, a colossal white hand descended, seemingly splitting the sky. After a dizzying spin, it saw an boundless sea of white flowers, shrouded in mist.

“…Where is this?”

Still not fully awake, Annelise tilted her head in a dazed, adorable manner.

“How can this be?! You ridiculous flea! What have you done?!”

An unfathomable power surged, creating a gale that whipped through the space beneath the blood moon. Furious winds tore through the mists, the very space trembled, and the terrified roars of evil creatures, tainted by defiled divine power, rose in a continuous chorus.

Order was shaken. Negative energy, once bound by the evil god, scattered and drifted between heaven and earth. They sang, knelt, and chanted: A king has descended! Our King! Our Sovereign!

The whistling currents of negative energy brushed past his ears, and the evil god seemed to experience such a hallucination.

“When did you get the delusion that you had sealed me? Hmm?”

The shadowy figure, enveloped in black currents, scoffed. A slender, white finger, like a spring onion, lightly tapped the red crystal. The Bloodline Seal Stone, firm as bedrock, shattered instantly. A saber and a spear flew out, circling the black humanoid figure with a hum. The so-called ‘body’s’ color gradually faded, ultimately transforming into a humanoid shape composed of countless small white flowers.

A gentle breeze swept through, scattering the flowers into wisps of white mist, which were then absorbed by the figure wreathed in black energy.

“Could it be… that the one fighting me just now was merely your magical avatar? How is that possible?!”

The Star-Prowler suppressed the panic in his heart, roaring loudly in a moment of discomposure.

“Why impossible? The moment I detected someone using magic to spy, I switched identities…”

“Though I must also thank you for using the Blood Temple to conceal this barrier world for me, greatly shortening my preparation time.”

The black mist slowly receded, and the Star-Prowler finally saw what the entity truly looked like—the one who had, with a single move, extracted Annelise’s soul from his body.

Her appearance was almost unchanged from before, yet a more resolute and handsome face, the subtle yet palpable pressure of a high-tier life form radiating from her, and the light and space automatically distorting around her body, all unequivocally declared that the person had changed.

It was a transformation from a rather troublesome opponent to one capable of complete tier and ability suppression.

“Who exactly are you?! This plane absolutely cannot accommodate a high-tier being like you!!!”

The evil god’s voice was filled with incredulity. Even a Demon Archduke, he knew, was roughly on par with his own demigod tier. Yet, with his energy suppressed by at least a third within his body, this new opponent had to be a full tier above him!

He had heard from R’lyeh and other surviving comrades that ever since the great upheaval centuries ago, after the mana in this plane had withered, all high-tier beings had long since departed this world! How could there still be anyone left?!

“Well, you ask me, but who should I ask? I’m quite interested in some of the information in your words…”

Speaking again, the figure who had emerged from the black mist, clad in a loose robe, suddenly uttered two voices. One was a seemingly gentle and sunny male voice that, to the evil god’s perception, felt cold and ruthless. The other was the clear, indifferent female voice that had just been battling him. The two voices intertwined, waxing and waning, creating a peculiar sense of disharmony.

“I understand now! That woman was your mark left on this plane! You are an Incarnate Being!!”

The evil god’s dark-red, solid-colored eyes suddenly widened, and his tone, though panicked, also carried a hint of confusion at his shattered plans.

‘This arrogant, self-important evil god is actually feeling panic? And an Incarnate Being? It seems I’ll learn some very interesting traits about him shortly…’

“Since you know my identity, are you ready to be crushed by me?”

With an air of utter confidence, Sally smiled faintly at the distorted expression of the evil god opposite her. Her face was serene and gentle, yet her eyes held nothing but cold indifference toward her enemy.

“Wh-wh-what nonsense are you spouting!!! I’ve come so far to reach this point! An Incarnate Being isn’t that strong! As long as I eliminate your plane-mark before you stabilize! Ahhhahahah!!!!”

His muscles instantly began to swell and tear. Skin ripped, blood gushed, and cells forcibly divided and proliferated under the soul’s interference.

In a short while, his muscles and bones expanded at a visible rate: three meters, five meters, ten meters. A muscular beast, tens of meters tall, thus appeared before Sally.

Its body, a grotesque accumulation of tentacles and tumors, was covered in hundreds of salivating, sharp-toothed mouths that opened and closed, resembling a creature of flesh conjured almost carelessly, completely defying biological nature.

Its hundreds of mouths roared in unison as its body charged towards Sally.

“Roooaarrr!!! Incarnate Being! I’ll tear you to shreds and cut you to pieces!!!”

Looking up at the fleshy monster before her, whose consciousness was clearly faltering, Sally’s face broke into a smile.

“Witness your final moments, evil god.”