Chapter 57: Lesser Flame Demoness

Liam looked at the woman sitting on the throne.

She was an astonishingly beautiful demon, with a voluptuous humanoid figure and long crimson hair that flowed down her back. Her pale red skin was covered in faint, intricate patterns resembling flowing lava. Small streams of molten energy moved around her body, occasionally forming glowing lines across her arms and shoulders.

Two curved horns extended from either side of her head, giving her an unmistakably demonic appearance. Her mouth revealed a pair of sharp fangs whenever she smiled, while her eyes resembled pools of molten lava, with narrow black pupils at their centers.

She slowly crossed her legs and examined Liam with an amused expression.

"A Lesser Evil Eye? How interesting."

Her gaze lingered on his small body before a smile appeared on her face.

"You will make a fine servant."

She rose from her throne, and the flames surrounding her body grew stronger.

"My name is Barbara. Become my servant, and I will spare you unnecessary pain."

Liam stared at her for a moment.

’She took the words right out of my mouth.’

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"Become my servant, and I’ll spare you unnecessary pain."

Barbara’s expression changed.

For a moment, she simply stared at him, seemingly surprised by his response.

Then her beautiful face twisted with anger.

"How dare you!"

She raised one hand, and the temperature inside the chamber suddenly increased.

"Since you refuse to understand your position, I’ll teach you a lesson."

A large amount of fire energy gathered around her arm.

[Flame Slash]

She swung her hand.

A massive crescent-shaped wave of flames tore through the air, heading straight toward Liam. The attack was several times larger than his small body, and the intense heat caused the surrounding stone platforms to crack.

However, Liam didn’t even bother dodging.

He simply raised one hand.

A dark barrier appeared before him.

BOOM!

The flaming crescent collided with the barrier, producing a powerful explosion. Flames spread across the chamber, briefly illuminating the entire area.

When the explosion subsided, Liam remained completely unharmed.

The dark barrier slowly disappeared.

Barbara’s eyes widened.

"What?"

She had expected the attack to at least injure him. Yet the little Evil Eye hadn’t even moved from his original position.

Liam glanced at her.

’Not bad. At least she’s stronger than the guards.’

He casually lowered his hand.

"Is that all?"

Barbara’s expression darkened.

"You little monster!"

Flames erupted beneath her feet as she launched herself forward.

Liam’s small body disappeared from its position.

Before Barbara could reach him, a dark scythe appeared beside her.

Her instincts immediately warned her of danger.

She twisted her body and barely avoided the blade as it swept past her shoulder.

Liam reappeared several meters away.

’Interesting. Her reaction speed is decent.’

Barbara landed on a nearby stone platform, her molten eyes fixed on him.

For the first time, she no longer looked at him as an amusing little creature.

Instead, she recognized him as a genuine threat.

Liam smiled.

"Now, let’s see how long you can last."

Barbara stared at Liam, her expression growing increasingly cold.

"Don’t get too confident!"

The flames surrounding her body suddenly intensified.

A massive amount of fire energy gathered around her, spreading across the chamber like a rising tide. The lava beneath the platforms began bubbling violently, and several streams of molten rock rose into the air.

[Flame Manipulation]

Barbara raised both hands.

The surrounding flames responded immediately, gathering above her head and forming several enormous fireballs.

"Burn!"

With a wave of her hand, the fireballs shot toward Liam from different directions.

Liam calmly watched them approach.

[Dark Storm]

Dark clouds appeared above the chamber, rapidly spreading across the ceiling. Countless dark blades emerged from within them and descended toward the incoming fireballs.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The two attacks collided, producing a series of explosions.

Flames and dark energy spread throughout the chamber, but Liam remained untouched.

Barbara narrowed her eyes.

’He can control darkness?’

She had initially assumed that Liam possessed some kind of ordinary evil eye ability. However, his control over dark energy was far beyond what she had expected.

Before she could think further, several black threads suddenly emerged from beneath her feet.

[Black Crystal Silk Creation]

Barbara reacted quickly.

A layer of flames erupted around her body, burning through some of the threads before they could completely restrain her.

However, more threads continued emerging from the surrounding platforms.

She clicked her tongue and jumped backward.

"Annoying!"

Liam watched her movements with interest.

’She’s more experienced than the other demons. She can react to my skills, but her strength is still limited.’

Barbara extended her hand toward him.

[Flame Spear]

Several long spears made entirely of fire appeared around her.

They shot toward Liam simultaneously, covering every possible direction.

Liam didn’t move.

His Dark Scythe appeared beside him, and he swung it once.

A crescent of dark energy swept through the chamber, cutting apart every incoming spear before continuing toward Barbara.

Her expression changed.

She quickly crossed her arms before her chest.

[Flame Barrier]

A thick wall of flames formed in front of her.

BOOM!

The dark crescent struck the barrier, causing it to tremble violently.

Cracks appeared across its surface before the entire structure shattered.

Barbara was forced backward by the remaining force of the attack. Her feet scraped against the stone platform as she struggled to maintain her balance.

She looked at the broken barrier in disbelief.

’What kind of Evil Eye is this?’

Liam tilted his head slightly.

"You’re not bad, but you’re taking too long."

Barbara’s face turned red with anger.

"You little bastard! I’ll show you the true power of a Lesser Flame Demon!"

The lava beneath the platforms suddenly surged.

Several enormous pillars of molten rock rose into the air before rapidly gathering around her. The flames surrounding her body also changed, becoming brighter and more concentrated.

[Flame Domain]

The entire chamber trembled.

A powerful wave of heat spread in every direction, and the stone platforms began melting under the intense temperature.

Barbara stood at the center of the domain, her crimson hair flowing behind her.

"Now, burn!"

Countless streams of fire erupted from the surrounding lava and rushed toward Liam.

However, a faint purple-black mist had already begun spreading across the ground.

[Abyss Venom Domain]

The two domains collided.

Dark venomous energy spread through the chamber, mixing with the flames and weakening their intensity.

Barbara immediately sensed the change.

’What is this energy?’

Before she could understand what was happening, Liam raised his hand.

[Dark Scythe]

A massive dark scythe materialized above him.

Unlike the previous attacks, this one was considerably larger, with dark energy gathering around its blade.

Liam looked at Barbara.

"Let’s end this."

He swung his hand.

The enormous scythe descended.

Barbara’s eyes widened as she gathered every bit of fire energy she could control.

[Flame Fortress]

A massive barrier of concentrated flames surrounded her body.

BOOOOOOM!

The Dark Scythe struck the barrier.

The entire chamber shook violently as the two forces collided. Cracks spread across the flaming fortress, and within moments, the barrier began breaking apart.

Barbara gritted her teeth.

She poured more energy into her defense, but the pressure continued increasing.

Crack!

The barrier shattered.

Barbara barely managed to move aside as the dark blade passed through her shoulder, leaving behind a deep wound.

She stumbled backward, clutching her injured shoulder.

For the first time since Liam entered her chamber, fear appeared in her molten eyes.

Liam slowly approached her.

"Well? Do you still want me to become your servant?"

Barbara looked at him with a mixture of anger and disbelief.

"Y-You..."

Her words stopped when she noticed the dark energy gathering around Liam again.

She finally understood that the creature standing before her wasn’t an ordinary Lesser Evil Eye.

And the worst part was that he still hadn’t shown his full strength.

Liam stopped a few meters away from Barbara.

He examined her injured shoulder before shifting his gaze back to her face.

"Kneel."

Barbara froze.

"What?"

"You heard me. Kneel before me and submit."

Her expression twisted with anger.

"Do you think I’ll ever submit to an Evil Eye like you?"

Liam wasn’t surprised by her reaction.

After all, she was a demon who had ruled this underground settlement. Naturally, she wouldn’t willingly accept someone else as her master.

However, Liam wasn’t planning to kill her.

As a demon, Barbara could become a life-bound servant if she willingly submitted to him. Once the submission was accepted, their souls would be connected, making it impossible for her to betray him without suffering the consequences of their contract.

It was a useful ability, especially considering that he could potentially gain another powerful subordinate.

’It’s better to have more capable servants than simply kill every opponent I encounter.’

Liam had already collected several useful skills, but having someone familiar with fire magic could be valuable as well.

Moreover, Barbara was a Peak Tier 3 demon. Even if she wasn’t particularly strong compared to him, she could still be useful in other situations.

He could even leave her in his mother’s residence as a personal maid or bodyguard.

The thought amused him slightly.

’Having a demon like her serve my mother wouldn’t be bad.’

Liam looked at Barbara again.

"I’m giving you a choice. Submit to me, and I’ll spare your life. Refuse, and I’ll kill you."

Barbara clenched her teeth.

"You want me to become your servant?"

"That’s right."

She glanced at his small body before looking at the dark scythe floating beside him.

Although she hated the idea, she couldn’t deny the difference in their strength.

Her strongest attack had failed to defeat him, while his previous strike had nearly broken through her defenses completely.

Even worse, he seemed to have plenty of energy left.

"Why should I serve someone like you?"

Liam tilted his head.

"Because I’m stronger."

Barbara’s expression stiffened.

He continued in a casual tone.

"You’ve already lost. There’s no point pretending otherwise. If you submit, you can continue living. You might even find that serving me isn’t as unpleasant as you imagine."

Barbara remained silent.

Liam waited patiently.

He wasn’t particularly interested in forcing her to submit through endless torture. If she accepted willingly, the process would be much simpler.

After several moments, Barbara finally spoke.

"And what happens to my people?"

Liam glanced toward the entrance.

"They’re dead."

Her expression darkened.

He continued without changing his tone.

"You can rebuild your settlement later if you want. I don’t particularly care what you do with this place, as long as you don’t cause trouble for me."

Barbara lowered her gaze.

She had ruled this settlement for a long time. Although the creatures living here were mostly weak, they were still her subordinates.

Now, everything had been destroyed by a small Evil Eye who had appeared out of nowhere.

She looked at Liam again.

"What’s your name?"

"Liam."

Barbara remained silent for a while before slowly lowering herself onto one knee.

"I... submit."

A faint smile appeared on Liam’s face.

’Good. Another servant.’

A dark light emerged from his body and spread toward Barbara.

[Life-Bound Servant Contract]

[Target: Barbara]

[The target has willingly submitted.]

[Establishing Life-Bound Contract...]

A faint symbol appeared on Barbara’s forehead before disappearing into her skin.

[Contract Established Successfully.]

[Barbara has become your Life-Bound Servant.]

Liam examined the notification with satisfaction.

’Now that’s convenient.’

He looked at the demon kneeling before him.

"Stand up, Barbara."

She slowly rose to her feet.

"Yes, Master."

Liam nodded.

’I’ll have to decide what to do with her later.’

For now, he still had an advancement trial to complete.