Chapter 24: Shock

Chapter 24: Astonishment

Beros was not pondering the possibility that Wen Ying might like him; rather, he was wondering if there was some hidden trick behind the doll, such as Aruda possessing a long-lost curse of borrowing objects.

It seemed suspicious.

Scarlet stood casually, his expression relaxed. "Should I go first or you? Why don't you go first? After my move, you probably won't have the strength to retaliate."

Wen Ying's eyes lit up. "Really?" He could save the SR skill [Impregnable Fortress] that could only be used on Scarlet for the next time.

"Of course."

Suddenly, Scarlet heard the other party say, "If I attack you and you can't get up to retaliate, who would be the winner?"

The surrounding demons had never seen such an arrogant Mirror Demon. They felt that their worldview had been refreshed. Could it be that in this Mirror Demon's rural hometown, there were no decent demons with good bloodlines? How remote must it be?

Scarlet had never encountered such a situation before. He slowly wiped the smile from his face and said coldly, "You'll be the winner."

It’s hopeless, Beros thought to himself.

Wen Ying's eyes lit up with a smile. "Shall we begin? Stand steady."

Scarlet crossed his arms and stood straight, completely unguarded. With his chin lifted, he dared Wen Ying to make the first move, even if it meant facing the same fiery spell he'd used in class – he was confident he could remain standing.

The surrounding demons watched intently, not wanting to miss a single detail.

Wen Ying didn't waste words. He placed the book aside and took out a card. Gazing at Scarlet, he tenderly kissed his beloved card, his silvery-white eyes shimmering with anticipation.

This was one of his first SR cards, the "Twisted Serpent" from Aruda.

"Putting on a show," Scarlet sneered, though he couldn't deny that those silver-white eyes were captivating – a purity he had never seen before. He thought to himself that Wen Ying was lucky, and considering the appealing quality of his eyes, he might take it easy on him later.

The card glowed, and its image was consumed by a radiant light, transforming into a multitude of sparkling dots. Within a second, these beautiful points of light coalesced into a mass of intertwined snakes. Upon closer inspection, they appeared to be vine-like creatures resembling serpents.

The illusion and reality interwove, causing the snake-like vines to flicker between existence and non-existence at the same spot. It was challenging to discern which was the actual attacker.

”Beros murmured, “Aruda’s innate magic…” He remembered it vividly, as it had thoroughly defeated him during their first encounter. Moreover… Beros’ pupils constricted. Could it be that Wen Ying’s strategy resembled Aruda’s?

Scarlet observed the overlapping illusions, narrowing his eyes slightly. He was intrigued but not overly concerned. The demon casting this magic was still not powerful enough; he could easily counter it with focus.

Those illusory entities lunged at his feet, attempting to topple him, but Scarlet casually waved his hand, dispelling some of the illusions. Standing firm like a mountain, he roared as his magical power transformed into a mighty dragon, devouring the serpents in one breath.

Scarlet beckoned to Wen Ying with a crooked finger, his lips curling into a smirk. "Your attack is so weak. You're bound to be my workhorse for three years."

Wen Ying clasped his hands together, his smile radiant. "I'm delighted to have been a free slave for three years."

Scarlet burst into laughter. "You're quite happy for me…" His expression softened slightly as he lowered his head in confusion. Had he not felt anything?

Indeed, Beros twitched his lips. Wen Ying had learned from Aruda and cunningly mixed the venomous potion into his previous spell.

Scarlet remained motionless, his expression somewhat peculiar. The surrounding demons grew puzzled and began whispering among themselves.

Wen Ying approached with light, brisk steps, his backview increasingly arrogant. By the time he reached Scarlet, the latter also knelt down, in a literal physical sense.

A collective gasp echoed around them.

"Why did Scarlet kneel before him?"

"Am I seeing things?!"

"Good heavens!"

"What's going on?"

Scarlet felt his legs go numb. The sensation had been imperceptible earlier, but now it was intensifying. His face twisted with confusion and alarm as he asked, "Poison?"

Wen Ying looked down at the towering demon kneeling before him. The handsome and rugged face was soon filled with disbelief and embarrassment. He reached out to pat Scarlet's cheek, then paused. The guy's skin was surprisingly smooth and elastic.

Scarlet's face darkened as he swatted away Wen Ying's hand. Only his legs were numb; his hands were fine.

Muershi, always eager for excitement, jumped in with gleaming eyes, making an unnecessarily provocative comment, "Did Wen Ying win the bet?"

Scarlet's chest tightened with anger. He blurted out the truth about the evil bird's wing, "Do you think you're just here to watch? The demons around us are all watching you. Get a mirror and check your wings."

The succubus Essence materialized a magic ice mirror beside Muershi, who eagerly extended his wings and turned to look into it. His flirtatious and rakish eyes widened in shock, as if they were about to pop out of their sockets.

"Holy sh*t! ?"

In disbelief, Muershi leaned closer to the ice mirror, examining his wings repeatedly. Convinced that there was indeed a bald spot, he yelled at Wen Ying without hesitation, "How could you pluck me bald? !"

"Hiss..."

Another round of sharp intakes of breath echoed around them. The Extreme Evil Bird was implying that its wings had been plucked bald by the Devil Mirror? Strange things happened every year, but this year seemed particularly bizarre.

Scarlet was also stunned, turning abruptly to Wen Ying with a sharp increase in volume, "You're the one who made Muershi lose his feathers?"

Wen Ying nodded, his arrogance from before fading away as he revealed a bashful and kind smile, "Grandma said she needed feathers, and Muershi offered to compensate me."

Muershi was furious, "I told you to pluck them, not to make me bald! I thought you only took a couple!"

Wait, Muershi rolled his eyes, scanning their surroundings. With so many devils present, he must have walked out of the classroom like this... So that's why those bastards were looking at him like that when he entered?

Scarlet, noticing Muershi's hostile gaze, retorted bravely, "You didn't even realize your own feathers were being plucked."

Muershi laughed in anger, putting on a warm and friendly grin towards Wen Ying, "Wen Ying, congratulations on acquiring a three-year slave."

The bald spots on his wings would grow downy feathers within a month, followed by a thick coat within another period of time – no more than four months. Scarlet would be his slave for three years!

Scarlet's face darkened like the bottom of a pot. Tai Lei, seeing his grim expression, immediately stepped forward, "Do you really want our young chief of the Dragon tribe to become a slave to a Devil Mirror? Don't..."

Scarlet swiftly swiped his tail, sending Tai Lei flying.

Muershi immediately clapped and laughed, "With so many watching, we're all referees. If the Young Patriarch of the Flood Dragon Clan goes back on his word, no one will believe him in the future."

Scarlet's face flushed with anger, then paled. He snorted, "At least it's better than being inexplicably plucked bald. Since Lord Aruda wants feathers, I can help pluck more."

Muershi walked to Wen Ying's side and placed his hand on Wen Ying's shoulder, leaning over with a playful smile. "Wen Ying, as they say in human terms, we've become acquainted through a fight. I've noticed your talent for mischief. Are you interested in playing together?"

Wen Ying gently removed Muershi’s hand and said seriously, “I’m afraid of getting hit.”

"Hey, mischief is fun, and getting hit once in a while won't hurt that much," the Wicked Bird eagerly promoted. "Look at how interesting Scarlet looks right now. Honestly, I plan on pranking Feng Luo tomorrow..."

Muershi rambled on, almost spitting out saliva, when a hand tapped his shoulder. He turned around, his smile freezing. Without a word, he darted away.

Feng Luo calmly extended his hand, using wind power to tug back the fleeing Muershi. As he did, he casually glanced around, causing the demons to scatter like birds and beasts, disappearing quickly.

Scarlet, gritting his teeth, grabbed hold of Wen Ying's leg, who also wanted to run. "Take... take me with you." His feet were still numb!