Chapter 22: The Beguiling Demon Empress

Chapter 22: Chapter 22: The Beguiling Demon Empress

Lucifera’s smug expression froze solid as Michael tilted his head, genuine confusion written across his face.

"Lucifera? Who’s that?"

Silence.

Absolute, devastating silence.

The only sound that remained on the desolate peak was the occasional drip of water from the scattered pipes onto the shattered ground.

Lucifera’s cheeks puffed out. Her twin pigtails trembled. Both her small fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

Then—

"How DARE you not know who I am?!"

The shout exploded across the ruined peak, sending several loose stones tumbling down the shattered slopes.

She stomped one foot.

Then the other.

"Young people these days have no respect!"

Michael blinked as she pointed an accusing finger at him.

"I am the great Lucifera Harkness! The oldest Sovereign! The Hero of the Fourth Downpour! The woman whose name once made entire armies tremble!"

She paused.

Her face twisted into disbelief. "And you’re telling me you’ve never even heard of me?!"

Michael stared at her. "...No?"

Lucifera’s entire body visibly deflated.

She staggered backward like he had just delivered a mortal blow.

"No..."

Her hands slowly rose to clutch her chest.

"My reputation..."

She dropped to her knees.

"It’s dead..."

Seraphine pressed two fingers to her temple as she strode closer to them. "Luci, you’re creating noise pollution."

Lucifera whipped her head around. "THIS IS AN EMERGENCY!"

"No it isn’t."

"It is to me!"

Seraphine sighed, stopping at Michael’s side.

"Luci, you’re acting like it’s Michael’s fault he doesn’t know who you are," she said, her voice measured. "It’s already been over a hundred years since you’ve been active. Besides, back when you were active, he wasn’t even born yet."

Lucifera froze. "...Oh."

She blinked, looking back at Michael. "That actually makes sense."

She straightened her robes and cleared her throat as if the last thirty seconds had never happened.

"Ahem."

She lifted her chin.

"Regardless, you should still have heard of me."

Michael raised an eyebrow. "From where?"

Lucifera’s lips curved back up as she raised her chin in her usual smug arrogance. "From the Fourth Downpour. Where else?"

She looked down at him with her clear hazel eyes. "I doubt your big academy never taught you about the Witch of the Arctic."

Michael’s eyes went wide.

Although he didn’t know exactly who the little girl in front of him was, there was one person he did know who could be considered even more famous than the Dean—the Witch of the Arctic.

[The Fourth Downpour.]

One of the bloodiest events of the current century, known as the worst Downpour that had ever happened since the beginning of the era of domes and rifts.

Back then, rift and dungeon density had spiked across every dome simultaneously.

Entire cities vanished overnight.

The casualty lists still filled thick volumes in academy libraries. Even the so-called talented Dragons and Phoenixes couldn’t survive it.

Out of everyone who fought in that deadly war, only a handful of names carried on through history, and even among that handful, only three individuals truly stood out—the three who became Sovereigns during that war.

And one of those three was also known as the most beautiful woman under the heavens, a woman who could make even impotent men and brainless monsters become entranced by her.

The Beguiling Demon Empress.

Michael’s gaze snapped back to the tiny girl in lavender robes.

"No way, right? You’re... The Beguiling Demon Empress?"

Lucifera’s fury melted into pure, radiant smugness.

She lifted her chin and placed one hand on her hip.

"That is I!"

Michael stared at her.

For several seconds, he said nothing.

’This is... the Beguiling Demon Empress?’

He looked at her again.

Then again.

His eyes slowly traveled over her tiny frame before returning to her face.

’No. There’s no way, right?’

Michael narrowed his eyes, squinting slightly as he tried to make sure his vision wasn’t somehow messed up after everything that had happened in the Astral Space.

Yet no matter how long he stared, the girl standing in front of him remained the same.

Small.

Cute.

Almost doll-like.

And apparently one of the most infamous women in the history of the Fourth Downpour.

’This... really is the Beguiling Demon Empress?’

Back in hunter school, the Beguiling Empress had been one of the most talked-about topics among the boys.

There were even rumors that there was a cult whose sole purpose was finding her lost images, accessories, and even underwear to goon over.

And every one of those images—even the illustrations in textbooks and historical records—had described the Empress as the most flawless woman to ever exist.

An existence that ruined marriages and toppled cities with a single glance.

But the person standing in front of him, although undeniably cute, looked nothing like the legendary figure he had seen in those records.

Michael stared at her for another few seconds. ’How the hell does this even make sense?’

Seeing his conflicted expression, Seraphine answered the unspoken question with a small sigh.

"No need to rack your brain about it. This isn’t her true form. She just uses this body to grow stronger."

Michael blinked. "To grow stronger?"

Seraphine nodded. "Yes. One of her abilities functions like a bank. She deposits the majority of her power into it and receives a full hundred-percent return every two years—provided she never forces her original form. The longer she remains sealed, the denser the interest becomes."

Michael’s expression remained carefully neutral as the realization finally struck him. ’Oh, just like Beggar’s Vault...? Well, I guess it’s a lot worse than that, considering the limitations.’

Seraphine’s violet eyes narrowed at his lack of visible shock. "You don’t seem shocked at all," she said, tilting her head as she took in his expression. "Most people lose their minds when they hear an ability like that actually exists."

Michael quickly rearranged his face into wide-eyed wonder. "Wow. Such an ability exists?!"

Seraphine punched him in the upper arm hard enough to sting. "That was the fakest reaction I have ever seen."

Lucifera, who had been left out of the conversation for far too long, stamped one small foot.

"Why are you two talking as if I’m not here?! Back in my prime, men formed lines stretching across entire cities and paid fortunes just for a glimpse of my face! You should be on your knees in gratitude that you get to look at me this easily!"

Michael’s eyes went completely blank. Before he could even try controlling it, the words slipped out under his breath.

"The only thing I see here is a little brat."

Lucifera’s entire body jerked. "I HEARD THAT!"

She spun on her heel, her pigtails whipping through the air, and stormed several steps away before whirling back around. A vicious little smirk stretched across her flushed face.

"Just wait until my savings period ends. You’ll beg for the honor of kissing my feet. Maybe if you beg enough—" she giggled, the sound high and wicked, "—I’ll consider taking you as one of my male slaves."

She whipped her head around and stomped a few steps farther away before turning back again, her lips parting and closing like she wanted to say something. But instead, she let out a loud huff and shot into the sky, vanishing among the floating islands.

Michael watched the empty air for a moment before turning to Seraphine. "Is your friend... alright?"

Seraphine closed her eyes, her shoulders shaking with silent laughter she refused to release.

"It seems old age is making her lose her edge."

Michael’s lips curved into a smirk. "Nice rhyme."

Seraphine’s composure cracked. A bright little giggle escaped before she could catch it. The sound lingered between them, warm against the ruined landscape.

Michael’s gaze drifted over the collapsed mansion, the shattered stone, and the deep craters still smoking from the earlier fight.

"Since this place is gone, where exactly are we supposed to live?"

Seraphine followed his gaze before turning back, her expression suddenly changing completely.

"Oh right~"

She stared at the ruins blankly.

"I destroyed the house, didn’t I?"