Six-Armed Serpent Demon

Page 54

It's just a little different from the devil.

Demons do not have the ability to break through the backdoor of the world's rules to steal power. The principle behind the "bait" they make is to lure the fish that have taken the bait to directly absorb the essence of the bottomless abyss, gradually transforming the creatures that obtain the "system panel" into demons.

In contrast to "bait", they are called "jewels".

Moreover, regardless of which demon lord's orb takes effect, once a creature corrupted into a demon sacrifices itself to the world, the entire Abyss will sense it.

The ownership of the sacrificed world will then become a problem, and many demon lords will fight each other over it. Whoever wins will merge the sacrificed world into the abyss region under their rule.

Just like it is now.

Olive-green six-armed serpent demon, a telepathic reborn being: [This world was transformed from the orb created by the "Demon Lord," and the fruits rightfully belong to the "Dark Lord." We fight for the "Dark Lord" and crush the shameless invaders.]

The reborn were completely confused.

You mean, the "Demon Lord" is the same as the "Dark Lord"?

【How come you don't understand anything!】

Olive Green was enraged, covering its nose as it roared at the reborn: ["The Demon Lord" is Demogorgon, the ruler of the "Demon Stomach," the first level of the Abyss! We, however, are loyal to Lord Graz't, the "Lord of Darkness," whose realm spans three levels of the Abyss! Remember, everything belongs to the Most Expansive! All other forces are invaders!]

The reborn understood.

Therefore, although this world with the Santana is a world transformed by Demogorgon, it still belongs to the "Lord of Darkness." Is Demogorgon the real invader?

You've finally figured it out, you pathetic low-IQ wretch.

Although he didn't understand what "Santana" meant, the olive-green man nodded with satisfaction as the reborn creature gradually turned into black mist and disappeared.

The time for the summoning has come.

Before her consciousness returned to her home in Fireport, the reborn six-armed serpent demon heard Olive Green say to her: "Though your intelligence is low, your combat strength is considerable. I will summon your kind again in the future, those who wield vile holy weapons. It's been a pleasure cooperating with you."

Author's note: I don't plan to take the route of traveling through multiple worlds. The main storyline has always been in the world of Abel-Toril. In the future, I will take the route of magic ships, wandering inside and outside the crystal wall universe of the Forgotten Realms.

Chapter 64 Spell Backlash

The reborn six-armed serpent demon unveiled the "Meditation Scroll" that had been covering his face.

The summoning ended, and now she was once again "Miss Ivy Beatrice" lying in bed.

Two owl bear cubs had somehow climbed onto the soft bed. One hugged her left leg, and the other hugged her right foot, curling up into two big fur balls and sleeping soundly.

She sat up, stretched out her arms and picked up one of them, not caring whether it was a teddy bear or a bear cub, and hugged it to her chest, absentmindedly stroking it.

She hadn't been summoned to fight much this time, so she hadn't absorbed much demonic essence and didn't feel any changes in her body.

This made her somewhat depressed.

—But it wasn't without any gains.

The owl bear cub in my arms was still half-asleep, barely opening one eye. It struggled clumsily, waving its four short, chubby legs, while letting out soft, babyish squeals to express its dissatisfaction to its owner.

The six-armed serpent demon reborn is currently preoccupied with his pet's little mood.

The wonderfully soft, furry texture gradually calms a restless mind.

The reborn man's mind was filled with the rusty metal shell he had just seen in the ruined city and the circular metal mark on its front.

It was a Santana sedan.

She could see it clearly; it was the Santana logo, there was no mistake.

The car had been parked there for an unknown amount of time; all four wheels were gone, leaving only the rusty metal shell and axles. Through the broken windshield, one could see that the seats inside were nothing but rusted, reddish-brown metal frames. The seat cushions and everything else were missing.

A skeleton sits on the metal frame of the driver's seat.

She saw that the skeleton was wearing a leather coat whose original color was indistinguishable, and was holding something that would be unlikely to be privately owned by someone in her previous homeland.

So, is that Earth?

Olive Green once said that it was a world of spoils.

The native creatures, deceived by the evil spirits and believing themselves to be the "chosen ones of the plane," swallowed "bait" or "jewels" disguised as "system game panels," and continuously absorbed demonic essence, thinking they had gained extraordinary power.

That was one of the countless worlds that those demonic creatures ultimately sacrificed to the bottomless abyss in their pursuit of immortality and similar goals.

She felt cold all over.

—Was Earth sacrificed to the bottomless abyss by some idiot?

She remembered that there were some small pieces of printed material scattered on the passenger seat next to the skull; they seemed to be business cards or something similar. Despite the wind and rain, and even the car body being rusted, those little cards remained intact.

Although she was stunned by the Santana badge and her mind went blank at the time, she could still recall it if she tried. The text printed on the document was not in Chinese.

Back in university, to access more cutting-edge medical knowledge, she had to independently read foreign journals and the latest medical product or drug instructions. Therefore, she not only studied English and Japanese, but also German. While not fluent in French and Latin, she had some knowledge of them.

The reborn woman dares to guarantee that the words on the small card are not any language she knew in her previous life.

There aren't even Arabic numerals on it.

At this moment, the owl bear cub in my arms fussed a bit, then changed to a more comfortable position and fell asleep again.

The six-armed snake demon freed his right hand and took out a nearly one-meter-long double-barreled iron pipe from his dimensional bag.

She used "telekinesis" to grab this item from the skeleton just as the summoning was about to end. The attempt succeeded. It returned to the Prime Material Plane along with her projection.

It was originally covered in rust, but as with any weapon she picked up, the chaotic and evil alignment energy immediately permeated every part of it.

At that moment, with a thought, the rust on the iron pipe fell away, revealing a purplish-red color.

This is undoubtedly a weapon similar to that of Earth's civilization.

Unfortunately, she knew nothing about firearms and could only tell that the shotgun was out of bullets—the last time it was used might have been because the skull was broken—and now it could only be used as a stick.

She looked at it again and again, then finally gave up and put it back into her dimensional bag.

—I hope that world, merged with the abyss and filled with negative energy, isn't Earth, but some other world with a civilization highly similar to Earth's past life. Even if it is Earth, I hope it's some Earth from a different dimension…

This made her, who was living in another world, feel very uncomfortable.

The six-armed serpent demon struggled to recall the details of his experiences in that ruined city after being summoned, trying to find more clues. However, for some reason, those olive-green words suddenly resurfaced in his mind:

— "Demon Lord" Demogorgon, ruler of the Demon Stomach of the first layer of the Abyss.

This statement seems to contain some kind of inspiration or hint, but upon closer examination, it remains elusive.

"Capture her alive."

From Countess Lana Boto's communication crystal ball came the calm yet suppressed joyful voice of the Archmage of Zaire: "I want him alive."

Lana hesitated for a few seconds.

The person on the other side of the crystal ball noticed her hesitation almost immediately: "Is there a problem?"

"No," Lana quickly denied, "it's just that you're not coming in person?"

“I have more important things to do, things that concern Samarach’s future.”

At this very moment, Lana and her group had already arrived in the bottom city without anyone noticing.

They were in a hotel room near Fireport. This hotel was the one Patrick had found while tracking Gidelorine through his occult eye; Gidelorine had originally lived in the hotel's barn.

Lana heard the Supreme Illusion say a few words to someone beside it, seemingly absentmindedly, and then the voice coming from the crystal ball became clear again.

"I'm leaving this entirely in your hands. Can I trust your abilities, Lana van Otvi Boto?"

“No problem,” Lana said quickly.

The communication has ended.

“Damn it,” Lana complained to Patrick, “that’s a very dangerous demon…why are you all so obsessed with capturing her alive?”

Patrick touched his nose.

“I’ve noticed that since you became a sorcerer, you’ve only cast one spell, on the day of your inauguration,” he said. “Why?”

Lana rolled her eyes at him.

“I know the answer, but I almost died,” she said, still shaken. “In that instant, I felt as if my soul was being torn apart and was dissipating from my body.”

"So, that's it."

Patrick said, "Magic comes at a price; it's not a skill that ordinary people can master. That's the rule of the world."

Lana stared in shock.

"But you cast spells very smoothly to me."

"Not only me, but the priests and paladins of the Bronze Dragonflight also have no problem casting spells. This is because although the beings we worship are different, they can all protect our souls in essence. Druids and rangers who worship nature also have no problem, because nature magic is the gentlest, and is essentially an alternative manifestation of life force."

Patrick said calmly.

"However, arcane magic is quite different. Wizards or sorcerers are still mortals and mortal souls in essence. Without the protection of faith or the obstruction of the magic network, their mortal souls are directly exposed to the backlash of the laws of magic. Every spell they cast is almost like gambling with their lives. The higher the level of magic, the greater the possibility of the separation of the soul and the body."

Lana was stunned.

“But,” she said, “Samarach is a land of wizards. With so many wizards and sorcerers in the country, surely not all of them could have survived by sheer luck?”

"That's because wizards and sorcerers can bear the consequences of backlash in other ways."

Patrick said, "You know about Familiars, right?"

Lana nodded.

"When I was in the lineage of a demon slayer, I could summon a little devil or imp as my magical companion. But they are too dangerous, so I didn't summon any magical companions."

Patrick sighed.

"That's why you've been putting yourself through so much pain... Wizards and sorcerers can use summoned creatures to transfer the backlash of magic. But summoned creatures have their limits; excessive spellcasting in a short period can also lead to their death. Only extraordinary beings like demons or devils, whose bodies and souls are completely intertwined and inseparable, can cast spells without being bound by these limitations. You have no idea why the Demonbinder's legacy is so coveted; it's because only the Demonbinder's legacy can easily summon a spellcasting summoned creature without bearing any burden of backlash!"

Author's Note: Sorry, I just finished dealing with some family matters. I was supposed to add an extra chapter today, but I couldn't, so I'll have to postpone it until tomorrow.

Chapter 65 Driven by Greed and Unscrupulousness

Patrick watched with amusement as Lana's face flushed and paled with alternating shock and regret, greedily absorbing her negative emotions from her facial expressions as if drawing nourishment.

“My dear Countess, it turns out there are many things you haven’t figured out. In the realm of mystery, you’re nothing more than a budding rookie, just like your title.”

He spoke calmly yet with a sense of satisfaction.

"The vast majority of wizards and sorcerers cannot command demons and devils as their pets, not because they lack the ability, but because they lack the opportunity to communicate with those otherworldly creatures. No demon or devil is willing to accept the dominion of a mortal; only your newly appointed demon-binding lineage can do so."

Lana's lips trembled: "Why?"

“Because this inheritance is essentially a contract with certain beings in the lower planes,” Patrick said with a half-smile. “Whoever succeeds in inheriting the Demonbinder’s title, the lower planes will automatically receive a teleportation signal from the Demonbinder, and otherworldly creatures of the corresponding faction will be attracted to form a magical pet contract with him… But you actually gave up, and it will be difficult to actively communicate with him again.”

Lana screamed in exasperation, "Why didn't you say so sooner?!"

Patrick shrugged.

“I thought you knew,” he said with a smile. “Don’t be angry, this is not irreparable.”

Lana stared at him fiercely, but her eyes gradually turned to fear, and the color drained from her face.

"Take the precious pearl?"

"It is Heaven."

Patrick smiled. "Don't be nervous, darling. It's fine if you resist the power of the orb; I won't force you. But you should know that there must be a one-day interval between the summoning ritual and the repatriation of the summoned creature. After one year and one day, you can summon another demonic creature."

"Given your timid nature of following the rules and reporting everything to Zaire, I think the Little Devil might be a better fit for you than the Little Imp."

Lana's expression softened considerably when she heard there was still a chance to summon a demonic pet, but she ignored him after hearing his last sentence.

The two sat on the hotel bed, each checking their belongings.

As for the totem demon-slaying warrior Tusu, he wasn't in the room. Lana needed to communicate with Archmage Zaire, and the Sanrachi native warriors had been sent by Patrick early that morning to scout the terrain near the Fire Harbor docks. Having consumed the "Orb" again, Tusu's power had increased dramatically once more. He now regarded Patrick as a god. Whatever Patrick said, he would unconditionally obey without thinking.

Lana thought that even if Patrick made the big, simple-minded native commit suicide, Tusu would not hesitate to slit his own throat.

Lana carefully examined the scroll bag, took out the wand for "dispelling magic" and placed it beside her, and then took out six thumb-sized, bright yellow metal beads from her backpack and lined them up on the bed.

Patrick asked from the side, "What is this?"

"Demon trap".

Lana said, "Each brass bead is engraved with a demon-binding emblem. The emblem combines a magic circle and a dimensional anchor, which is equivalent to a summoning array for binding demons, as well as a teleportation trap. Once activated, any free otherworldly creature within a foot will be automatically teleported to the demon-binding emblem, absorbed and bound by it, losing all movement and attack capabilities."

"nice one."

Patrick whistled.

He took a ring off his finger and tossed it to Lana: "Try this."

Lana took it and looked at it, then couldn't help but gasp softly.

This was clearly a mind-controlled ring, worth tens of thousands of gold coins in Samarach.