King of Avarice

As the dust settled, a slender figure emerged.

From her forehead protruded a single, spiraled horn with a metallic sheen. Deep blue hair, tied in twin tails that fell to her waist, framed green eyes that seemed to reflect the very essence of spring. Pointed, horizontal ears extended symmetrically from her head. She was clad in a form-fitting black mini-dress, its fluorescent green hem cut like a series of sharp blades. This, combined with over-the-knee white stockings, created a tantalizing sliver of exposed thigh. Simple, high-heeled boots were on her feet, a pair of dark dragon wings were unfurled from her back, and a metallic, chain-like tail tipped with a sharp arrowhead swayed behind her.

Huh? A chain for a tail? Was she born with that, or was it attached later? Liyahiss mused. No, this isn’t the time to be thinking about that. Although the dragon girl’s clothes are scorched, the negative effects of my attack vanished the moment it landed. She’s not down—in fact, she’s entered her second phase.

“It seems I underestimated you,” Belzebub remarked, her tone surprisingly flat. “To think you could force me to reveal my true form. I acknowledge your strength.”

A smirk twisted her lips as she raised her hands, gathering a terrifying power. In an instant, the weather turned. The once bright, clear sky became shrouded in dark clouds flickering with lightning. A raging wind began to spiral above her hands, growing larger and larger until even the storm clouds overhead swirled in its vortex.

Gale-force winds howled, thunder roared, and lightning flashed. Grass and stones were torn from the ground, painting a scene straight out of the apocalypse.

“Wahahaha! How’s this? The grass on the graves of those who’ve seen my true form is already taller than trees.”

This world-shaking display of magic… it could only be her Super-Tier spell—[Unending Hurricane Vortex], Liyahiss realized. She’s completely insane. Looks like I’ll have to pull out my trump card.

Having decided on a countermeasure, she immediately put it into action.

[King of Avarice]!

Her [Rampant Devour] ability activated. Liyahiss thrust her right hand forward in a grasping motion. The spiraling vortex above Belzebub’s head froze for a moment before it was rapidly devoured, shrinking with every passing second.

Belzebub’s jaw dropped, her eyes widening in disbelief. She quickly activated her own racial talent—

[King of Gluttony]!

The rapid consumption of the vortex slowed, reaching a near-perfect equilibrium between the two opposing forces.

So, her skill has the same effect as mine, they both thought simultaneously. If our skills are similar, then this is a battle of mental strength. If I focus all my power on this one skill, I can eventually win this tug-of-war.

But Liyahiss didn’t do that. Instead, she lightly snapped the fingers of her left hand.

[Spatial Imprisonment]!

The vortex, which Belzebub had been pulling back, instantly halted. With one side no longer resisting, the storm was naturally and completely devoured by Liyahiss.

But that wasn’t all.

After consuming the Super-Tier spell, the devouring effect continued, targeting the magical energy within Belzebub herself, intent on draining her completely dry. Belzebub hadn’t even processed why she was suddenly unable to move when she felt her magic being rapidly siphoned away. She wanted to fight back, but she had no way to resist, forced to watch helplessly as her strength faded.

The [Spatial Imprisonment] spell completely froze a designated area, preventing even a single molecule from moving. Not even the target within the spell’s range could interfere with it in the slightest, though the caster remained free to act.

Before long, Belzebub’s eyes fluttered shut, and she collapsed, unconscious.

At last, the turmoil had finally subsided.