VIP Chapter 508: The Thirteenth Time (3k)
“But you are wrong, thirteen times…”
A flicker of surprise flashed across Treya’s face.
She had fought the Undead Swordsman so many times, yet this was the first time she had heard her utter a meaningful sentence, rather than just “mmm” and “ahh.”
She was completely transformed, no longer the mindless Undead Swordsman who only attacked. Now, her white eyes gleamed with light.
A light focused on Treya.
The Undead Swordsman stood before Treya, extending a translucent hand to her chest.
“It was me, the first demon of Zero Demon City, who killed you thirteen times.”
Her sword blade cleaved Treya’s head, aiming to leave no possibility of survival.
Awakening.
Treya opened her eyes, finding herself once again standing on the balcony outside the Banquet Hall.
Inside the Banquet Hall, amidst the extinguished lights, the sounds of human activity were absent. Only the melancholic waltz, played on repeat, echoed in her ears.
A waltz with no dancers.
Upon seeing the dark Banquet Hall that Will was pointing at, she knew Will had drawn everyone in the Banquet Hall into the Dreamscape.
To buy her time…
But…
Treya gave a start and looked at her palm.
Everything about Zero Demon City, about the “contract” signed between the Entak Family and the demons two hundred years ago, connected in Treya’s mind.
Everyone who knew about it…
Believed it was a contract where the Entaks gained control of Zero Demon City, thus enabling them to continuously rule with the aid of Demon Power.
“…How could a demon willingly give away its own possessions? From the very beginning, Zero Demon City never belonged to… Entak.”
The Undead Swordsman’s words undoubtedly confirmed one thing for Treya…
“That demon is still alive… The Empress of the very first Zero Demon City is still alive…”
She had discovered it.
Among the demons she had killed, in the whispers she occasionally heard that sounded like they came from her predecessors, in the Exhibition Hall that housed all the Former Kings of Entak…
This “first demon” was conspicuously absent.
Then, Treya noticed something else…
Her palm was slowly losing its “blood color.” Although her skin was naturally fair, the color on her palm was gradually fading to black and white.
It was the same thing she had discovered earlier when she returned to her room.
She was being pulled into the world of Zero Demon City—and in a way she couldn’t control.
Finally, she raised her head.
Amidst the black and white, the Banquet Hall, the turning point of her entire life, opened its doors, its darkness beckoning her.
“The thirteenth death… a contract of self-sacrifice achieved?”
Treya spun the sword in her hand and, without hesitation, slowly walked towards the door of the Banquet Hall.
“As expected, the deeper you fall, the more inescapable it becomes. Of course, demon contracts are like that. When you think you’ve gained an advantage, you’re actually trapped.”
The Undead Swordsman.
No…
It was the most primal demon of the Dungeon, wearing the guise of an Undead Swordsman, standing in the very center of the entire Banquet Hall.
The items within the chaotic Banquet Hall were scattered haphazardly. Food and wine spilled across the floor, without any semblance of order.
There was no one else.
She no longer needed the Coliseum as a “disguise” to kill Treya; now, she could appear in her true form.
“This is the 333rd floor, the true BOSS room, my room!”
She spread her hands, simultaneously activating the sword array behind her, comprising three hundred and thirty-three swords under her command. Tilting her head, she smiled at Treya.
“What should I call you?”
“Oh?” Her sword array retracted, as if disappointed. “To this extent, and you still ask my name?”
“Demons, when signing a contract, it’s normal to exchange names, isn’t it?”
“Alright.” She chuckled. “Though you might find it unimportant if you understood the meaning of a Dungeon. But since you want a way to address me, you might as well call me…”
“Reyel—the name of this ‘monster’ I’ve borrowed.”
“You want to sign a contract with me… because, on that day four years ago, when you were manipulating me, I broke the contract. But… when I was the only one left of the Entak bloodline capable of being in the Royal Palace and inheriting Demon Power…”
Treya analyzed calmly. Even at this point, she showed no panic.
“To keep Zero Demon City alive, you had no choice but to make me the ‘Empress’ here, didn’t you?”
“Mmm… these questions of yours, could it be… you want to know how Zero Demon City operates? Indeed, as terms of the ‘contract,’ since you clicked ‘detailed explanation,’ as a responsible demon, I must tell you…”
Reyel’s thirteenth kill began, accompanied by her “terms and conditions.”
“However… you might have to live long enough to hear them all—”
Countless swords lunged at Treya, forcing her to roll towards a nearby table, knocking over a pile of drinks and cakes.
The table was sliced into many pieces, forcing Treya to seek new cover.
“Simply put, your ancestors conquered Zero Demon City—severely injuring me—and I made them sign a contract…”
The number of swords behind the Undead Swordsman, in a sense, determined the peak of her abilities.
“They could become the ‘Emperors’ of Zero Demon City, using its power to obtain what they desired in their world. And I… could maintain the existence of Zero Demon City and survive.”
And these three hundred and thirty-three swords…
Made her an impregnable fortress in a way.
“Unfortunately. They didn’t understand. The so-called Emperors could be split in countless ways. For example… having the ‘name’ but lacking the ‘real power.'”
Reyel waved her hand, and the swords retracted while attacking Treya.
“So, I exploited a loophole in the Dungeon, which is that your personalities could be incorporated into the Dungeon, becoming ‘new Emperors.’ However, all the functions of Zero Demon City, from beginning to end, remained in my hands, never seized by anyone—to use this function, personalities must be consumed by me, for my use.”
“I see…”
Treya ran around the walls of the familiar Banquet Hall.
She had Reyel’s swords slice through all the pillars along this perimeter, hoping to use the structural integrity of the Banquet Hall to make it collapse towards Reyel, burying her within…
But…
“Oh, right. Environmental construction is also part of my authority.”
It did not collapse.
Even though the pillars in this black and white Banquet Hall were shattered, the hall remained suspended, entirely unchanged.
“Of course, there were those, similar to you, who refused to sign a contract. But under the temptation of the Demon City’s power, they still offered themselves to me. After all, you humans are so greedy.”
Treya understood she had no retreat.
Reyel had no retreat either.
She was getting desperate.
Treya could sense it.
For Reyel, it was imperative to quickly turn Treya into the true “Empress” bound by the contract. Otherwise, after Treya’s death, the Entak bloodline would be severed, and Zero Demon City would collapse.
“Hmph… You seem very afraid of death…”
“In that, you and I are the same. Are there any beings in this world who do not fear death? I believe that even the Death Hall, with its Empress who relishes in consuming death, must surely fear death greatly…”
Reyel said playfully, her attacks slowing slightly.
“Speaking of which, I dislike her. She is almost identical to me, unable to achieve ‘eternal life,’ so she clings to existence through some form of substitution.”
Because…
She had discovered Treya was also using the “Illusion Magic” of the Demon Power she had obtained; all her recent attacks had missed.
“The 333rd floor. Zero Demon City has no Adventurers, yet you’ve reached this level. Why?”
Treya continued to question.
“Indeed. But… if you consider Zero Demon City as the Royal Family…”
Reyel smiled again and spread her hands.
“Every debate that occurs here concerning the Royal Family, every calculated maneuver of human hearts that takes place in Entak territory, every trade conducted openly and in secret, is it not also a form of… conquering Zero Demon City?”
Her smile was terrifying, as if her skeletal jaw had unhinged, opening wide.
“The Dungeon itself is nourished by your activities above. By extension, drawing nourishment from your power, why should it not be possible?”
Treya was startled by the smile but quickly recovered.
She tightened her grip on the Shadow Nightmare Sword.
“Alright, abandon your struggles. You yourself have always abandoned, always discarded unnecessary things, to reach this point—”
“Hm?!”
Reyel waved her hand, effortlessly dispelling the “Illusion Magic” on Treya.
“I told you, all the power you obtained from Zero Demon City was merely a gift from me.”
Dense sword shadows cast stark black silhouettes on the ground.
They aimed at Treya.
Specifically targeting Treya’s head, heart, and the beautiful abdomen hidden beneath her black gown.
“I can take it back whenever I wish. Give up, you have no fight left in this battle—”
“…”
Treya raised her head. Facing Reyel’s words, she did not lower the Shadow Nightmare Sword.
“Do you truly wish to taste ‘death’ like this again?”
“I’m thinking, you are truly a person who fears death greatly. If you could have easily signed a contract with me, you wouldn’t have resorted to tricks like killing me thirteen times.”
Treya gripped the sword in her hand tightly.
“Th-that’s because…”
Reyel couldn’t articulate a reason.
“If it were the previous me, I probably would have given up by now.”
Treya raised her head. Her entire body had been stained by the black and white Banquet Hall, but the only part not stained were her deep blue eyes.
Eyes that had not received power from demons.
But…
The deep blue eyes of the Half-elf Treya, eyes that Will often praised for their beauty.
“But I believed what he said. I should be greedy enough to not yield to you anymore, demon. Moreover, I made a promise with him, and he will wait for me.”
Her words were firm and powerful. She extended her hand, and the Shadow Nightmare Sword, seemingly bypassing the sword array, pointed at Reyel.
“You are insane. I’ve said everything already. If you just die once more, you definitely will…”
“Perhaps you’ve forgotten. From the moment I stepped here, from the moment you in Zero Demon City sent me to my position, I too am a demon.”
Treya directly interrupted Reyel.
“If one is a demon, who should one listen to, whose contract should one sign, and who is the one who refuses to concede in the end, isn’t that right?”
“Heh. Such big talk…”
Reyel let out a light laugh, and dense swords rained down on Treya.
“!?
Every sword aimed at vital points.
Every sword pierced her body.
Every sword penetrated her very being.
Blood pooled on the ground, spreading across the Banquet Hall.
Treya was impaled and pinned to the floor of the Banquet Hall.
