Chapter 34: The Demon’s Game

The events unfolded with such abruptness that Bai Chen found himself utterly unable to react.

Libelle, who had materialized out of nowhere, had chased Saluk away, leaving Bai Chen to wonder if internal strife was common among demons.

While Saluk’s retreat offered Bai Chen a momentary reprieve, the instant his gaze locked with the stunning girl in the elaborate gown, a chill, as if from icy fingers, snaked its way up his spine.

Libelle’s presence exuded a danger no less potent than Saluk’s.

‘Move, quickly, move, or you’ll find yourself in dire straits.’

Gritting his teeth, Bai Chen forced his body to obey, rolling onto his hands and knees, the exertion leaving him drenched in cold sweat.

Though his strength had somewhat returned, a profound weariness still clung to him, his body feeling as numb and unresponsive as an unlubricated, ancient machine.

The mere act of shifting from a prone position to kneeling left Bai Chen gasping for air, the world before him blurring at the edges.

The indistinct sound of footsteps abruptly ceased, and into Bai Chen’s field of vision, a hue entirely distinct from the ground below emerged.

It was a pair of exquisite, dark brown leather ankle boots, their laces meticulously tied into an intricate yet charming bow.

A stark smudge of black mud on one toe, however, stood out conspicuously.

His gaze, drawn upward from the boots, traced a slender calf encased in black, an almost seductive invitation for his eyes to continue their ascent.

Alas, his upward journey was halted by a black skirt hem, edged with red embroidery, and then, the irritatingly smug smile on the girl’s face.

“Libelle, what do you want…”

At the sound of that name, Mo Qiu paused for a fleeting moment, before her smile blossomed even brighter. “You guess~”

‘Guess? How am I supposed to guess?’

Bai Chen’s eyes blazed with hostility; had he not been so utterly drained of strength, he would have long since punched that detestable face flat.

“You are too weak,” she declared, “so weak that I find no enjoyment in killing you.”

Mo Qiu strolled to his side, daintily pinching the hem of her skirt before unceremoniously plopping down onto his back.

The sudden, unexpected weight nearly sent Bai Chen sprawling face-first once more.

Far from enjoying the girl’s soft posterior, he was seething, baring his teeth in frustration.

Observing his arms, which trembled incessantly yet stubbornly refused to buckle, Mo Qiu playfully remarked:

“You’re quite stubborn, aren’t you? But how much longer can you possibly hold out?”

As she uttered the latter part of her sentence, she deliberately leaned in, exhaling a breath near Bai Chen’s ear that sent a peculiar, bone-softening sensation through him.

‘I truly can’t hold on much longer!’

The moment Bai Chen’s breath threatened to hitch, Mo Qiu abruptly dismounted from his back, her demeanor suggesting a sudden loss of interest.

His unwavering defiance, a stubbornness that refused to yield, had, in her estimation, just barely passed muster.

“Hmm?”

Catching a faint groan from not far off, Mo Qiu’s gaze drifted, her lips parting slightly.

It was Zhou Wanchen; he was surprisingly still alive.

‘He’s just an ordinary human… Saluk’s touch was clearly too gentle.’

‘To think I have to clean up that fellow’s mess.’

Mo Qiu advanced towards Zhou Wanchen, the mirror dagger in her hand glinting as it spun.

‘He cannot be allowed to live.

Whether he reveals information to the Demon Hunter Guild or the Imperial organization, it would only prove detrimental to me.’

‘The prudence honed in her previous life had instilled a habit: disposable pawns, once their utility expired, were best dealt with swiftly for her own peace of mind.’

Halting her steps, Mo Qiu gently nudged Zhou Wanchen’s shoulder with her foot.

The movement seemed to jar his wounds, causing Zhou Wanchen to wince, his lips emitting an indistinct groan as he instinctively reached out to the girl beside him for aid.

Mo Qiu’s face became utterly devoid of expression as she raised her dagger, her star-shaped pupils glowing with an unsettling coldness.

Just then, rapid footsteps pounded closer from behind, causing Mo Qiu to whirl around instantly.

The very instant a flash of electricity entered her vision, she leaped backward, her ankle boots splashing into a murky puddle.

“You—how are you still standing?” Mo Qiu’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Not only was Bai Chen standing, but in his hand, he wielded a longsword forged of pure lightning.

Though his face remained etched with exhaustion, the hand gripping the hilt was remarkably steady.

‘A valid question, one that surprised Bai Chen himself.’

He had struggled merely to stand moments ago, yet upon witnessing Mo Qiu draw near to the barely clinging-to-life Zhou Wanchen, Bai Chen’s mind instantly grasped the gravity of the situation.

‘I cannot let her kill Zhou Wanchen.

Even if the perpetrator of the serial murders stands before me, I cannot allow her to continue her wicked deeds.’

Bai Chen harbored no particular affection for Zhou Wanchen, but his disdain for demons who indiscriminately stole human lives was far greater.

‘Even if it’s just one person, I must save those who are imperiled.’

This powerful thought, bordering on an obsession, rendered Bai Chen’s mind utterly blank, and without a second’s hesitation, he launched an attack on Mo Qiu.

Only after he had come to his senses did he realize he was now standing protectively in front of her.

Yet, a profound exhaustion still plagued him; merely keeping his rubbery legs from buckling required immense effort.

Fortunately, his opponent did not seize the opportunity to attack.

Mo Qiu lifted her arm, her gaze falling upon the cuff of her sleeve, which had been torn asunder by the longsword.

Beneath the shredded fabric, a section of her arm, as fair and smooth as jade, was revealed.

Meeting Bai Chen’s eyes once more, she saw his entire body tense, the palm gripping his sword hilt slick with sweat.

“How utterly interesting,” Mo Qiu purred.

Her voice a soft, alluring laugh, Mo Qiu clasped her hands behind her back.

“If I were to simply kill you now, wouldn’t I be deprived of all future amusement?”

“What?” Bai Chen’s eye twitched involuntarily. “You’re treating me like a toy?”

“Do you have any idea how difficult it is to find a truly durable plaything?”

Mo Qiu tilted her head just so, her long, deep blue hair cascading forward to obscure one ear.

‘Truly, she is a demon,’ Bai Chen thought, finding himself surprisingly unsurprised by her brazen declaration.

Nevertheless, his fury remained difficult to quell, and he gritted his teeth tightly.

The longsword, in the girl’s eyes, seemed to dissolve, reforming into a longbow.

Bai Chen drew the string, and a sharp arrow, spontaneously generated, found its mark before whistling forth at an incredible speed.

The arrow pierced directly through Mo Qiu’s chest, and with a sound of shattering glass, her form dissolved into a shower of reflective fragments scattered across the ground.

“Tch!”

Unable to sustain himself any longer, Bai Chen collapsed to his knees, his fists slamming against the earth in a desperate release of his frustration and unbridled rage.

Had he possessed any remaining energy, a quick search of the vicinity would have unveiled a startling truth:

Mo Qiu had not, in fact, gone far at all.

She was merely separated from him by a single building, the girl now clutching her own face.

Through the gaps in her fingers, her eyes, with their constricted, violently trembling pupils, were visible.

The corners of her mouth, impossible to suppress, threatened to curve up to her ears, and sporadic giggles escaped her throat.

It took considerable effort for Mo Qiu to compose herself.

The instant her mask came off, however, mental shackles once again clamped down upon her inner turmoil.

All traces of excitement and agitation were ruthlessly suppressed, and she reverted to her doll-like demeanor, her mind clear and calm, utterly unswayed by emotion.

Yet, as she savored the memory of Bai Chen’s performance, a subtle thread of emotion still wove its way through the depths of her heart.

‘His performance today, it barely passed.’

‘While he didn’t utterly vanquish Saluk, the potential Bai Chen displayed was genuinely surprising.

To recover his stamina so swiftly after such profound exhaustion—surely even a demon would struggle with that?’

‘And the astonishing power that erupted when he faced Saluk, even if it was ultimately suppressed, meant that if there was a first time, there would certainly be a second, a third…’

Mo Qiu began to grasp the reason Bai Chen was destined to become a hero, a savior.

It wasn’t through reliance on external aid, but rather an innate potential that surged from within him.

‘So, what comes next…’

Instead of leaving the market entirely, Mo Qiu turned a corner, then circled back to re-enter from the same direction.

As expected, she soon spotted Bai Chen, who was in the midst of moving the injured.

The moment his eyes landed on the girl, his own widened in alarm, and he nearly dropped Su Wanghai, who was slung over his back.

After carefully settling the injured man, Bai Chen hurried over, his face etched with worry. “Why did you come back?”

“I was worried about you.”

Even without her mask of disguise, Mo Qiu lied without so much as a flicker in her eyes, betraying no hint of deceit.

Gazes at her impassive face, Bai Chen couldn’t help but sigh. “See? I’m perfectly fine, aren’t I?”

‘The girl nodded. ‘Indeed, he’s fine.

To think he’d be so lively after only a brief absence is quite remarkable.”

“What about you, though? I remember you were…”

“I’m fine,” she interrupted, “just a minor scratch.”

As she spoke, Mo Qiu showed him her thigh, where only a faint graze remained from Saluk’s descent.

“That’s good to hear,” Bai Chen genuinely smiled.

Bai Chen smiled, a genuine warmth radiating from him.

“Also, thank you.”

“Why are you thanking me?”

‘How should I explain?’

Bai Chen scratched his nose, finding the words somewhat difficult to articulate.

“If you hadn’t reminded me of yesterday’s words, I fear I might have lost control.”

“What?”

“In any case, you did me a great service, bringing me back to my senses.”

Seeing her brow furrow, Bai Chen hastily began to elaborate, hoping to dispel her confusion.

Yet, after listening to his explanation, Mo Qiu’s brow only furrowed more deeply.

Her gaze drifted to a spot not far off, where several lifeless tilapia lay on the ground.

‘Bai Chen refused power simply because he saw the fish I bought?!’

‘What kind of ridiculous reason is that?’

The sheer absurdity of the situation was too much even for Mo Qiu, and a faint crack appeared in her doll-like composure.

Seeing this, Bai Chen grew even more flustered.

“I’m telling the truth; I absolutely wouldn’t joke about something like this.”

“I believe you.”

Mo Qiu regained her composure, fully believing Bai Chen to be precisely the kind of fool who would do such a thing.

‘To think the flaw in my plan would stem from myself… No, ultimately, it’s Bai Chen’s excessive sentimentality.’

Watching his retreating back as he walked towards Su Wanghai, Mo Qiu pressed her crimson lips together, her fists trembling subtly.

‘Such tiresome emotions are truly an impediment; I must transform him into a ruthless individual devoid of sentiment.’

‘It seems my deception will have to continue for a long time.

Bai Chen, you will never escape my grasp.’

“Mo Qiu, could you go check on that person’s condition for me?”

“Of course.”

Mo Qiu turned, walking towards Zhou Wanchen, who lay on the other side.

“Ah, right, Mo Qiu…”

Remembering something, Bai Chen jogged towards her.

As the distance between them rapidly closed, Mo Qiu’s ears suddenly picked up a sound.

Her enhanced perception, a gift of her demonic power, screamed a warning: danger!

Suddenly, a burst of inky black flames, like a rampaging beast, slammed into the adjacent building.

Cracks spiderwebbed across its facade, and the entire structure began to collapse with a deafening roar towards their position.

The ground itself trembled, adding further devastation to the already dilapidated market.

“Hahahaha!”

From within the billowing dust and smoke, a massive figure emerged, wreathed in the same black flames.

“I understand everything now!”

Saluk, his lion-like face twisted into a grin that revealed his missing teeth, his crimson eyes dancing with fervent excitement.