Baal was wondering why she decided to take on a small form. No demon will be fooled into believing she is harmless with her current look. The small size of her body and the small size of her maws doesn't make her look less threatening. She might look less threatening if her maws had lips to cover up the dangerous and grotesque-looking teeth and tongue.
Then again, he isn't the demon lord who managed to maintain her seat of power for over 15,000 long years so she must be doing something right. He must be missing it because he doesn't have the mad genius that makes a demon Lord tyrant.
A giggling sound reverberated through the area. Every demon duke that heard it flinched. The sound hurt their ears and grated on their minds. It didn't invoke the image of cheerful mirth. Instead, it provoked images of blood spraying from the decapitated neck of a victim or air bubbling from the guts of a disemboweled victim.
They can hear the sound of flesh being parted by claws and bones being crushed to a pulp. The giggling brought to mind evil and vile images. It is the sound that evil will make if it could giggle. Is the sound that those that enjoy doing evil will make when they're doing evil things and enjoying it. It is no wonder why the creator of the giggle looks so evil.
Demon lord Beelta spoke after giggling.
"I see that the Lord of chaos has sent his lackeys to soften me up. He is being predictable as always. But I must admit that he succeeded in fooling me about the plane he went to. He got lucky that one time."
Her words were full of confidence and bravado. It reminded Baal of the series of bluffs that he recently had to perform.
'Is she truly confident or is she just making a show of it?' He had to ask himself if her confidence is genuine or not.
"Come out and fight me Aeternus." She yelled to the skies through all her maws. Spittle made of acidic saliva flew out of her maws and dissolved everything they touched as she screamed. Her scream helped Baal to determine the authenticity of her confidence.
'No demon lord will shout to a demon king like that not unless they have a death wish or they don't know that the demon they are challenging is a demon king. It seems she is still ignorant of what truly occurred and her new unsafe position in the hierarchy.' Baal thought to himself.
Beelta continued when Aeternus didn't answer her call of challenge.
She sneered and said, "It is a good plan to throw his lackeys at me but it won't work with me. It is a pity for you guys though. You have been sent to your deaths. I am still hungry and I have never had demon dukes before." The large tongue within the largest gaping maw rolled around as she spoke. It appears that she can't wait to sample their flesh.
She is confident because she doesn't believe she has any reason to be scared. Aeternus might have fooled her, but it doesn't mean that the tides have changed. At most, he has acquired a lot of Accumulation and evolved to become a demon noble. It will give him the confidence to return and confront her. She believes that his confidence is misguided but she has to applaud him for testing the water with his subordinates first.
'If only she knew. Maybe she would have run for her life.' Baal shook his head in pity. 'Ignorance surely is not bliss.'
Her crusade to apprehend Aeternus ended in utter and total failure. She invited massive losses. She could only return with her soul because of her bond to the energy well of the plane. Then she had to recreate her body. That was easy due to the infinite energy she has. But the body she recreated was weak. She had to upgrade her weak body to the half-divine rank. She was able to reach the peak stage of 63 with her stash of divinity.
The only difference between her now and before is her lack of boost. She has an ability similar to that of Infernox. It boosts her the more she eats. It is why she had a large body more than 100 meters in diameter. She has lost that body now. She couldn't get that big on such short notice even after she ate all her subordinates that she left behind on the plane to acquire some boost and prepare for this eventuality. That is why there is virtually no one present in the central domain right now apart from the dukes and her.
Beelta believes that she has prepared as best as she can and she is confident in herself despite the fact that she has no subordinates. She is so confident that she was able to say her next words without shame.
She said to the demon duke, "I can spare you if you submit to me."
Baal began to laugh. He couldn't hold back his amusement. This whole thing is too much for him to bear. He expected a lot of things including this very scenario but it is still funny to see. If only she knew whose subordinates she is trying to poach. She will probably be on her knees begging for forgiveness if she knew.
He laughed as he began preparing his grimoire. Some of his trepidation about the upcoming battle has evaporated. He just can't take Beelta seriously right now. He is not the only one laughing though. Some other dukes are outright laughing while some are smiling.
They all know something that she doesn't know and they find it very funny. It is like an inside joke among them. They have never shared something like this among them. It is highly unusual for them to share a laugh like this when they can turn on each other in the next moment.
'This will be a memorable tale to everyone that survives today.' Baal thought to himself in mirth.