"I just asked him about his mother’s health."
Slap!!
Lilith’s palm struck his face, the sharp sound echoing through the vast throne room. She did not use her full strength, holding herself back at the last moment, because tearing his head from his body would ruin everything.
Even so, the impact was heavy enough to turn his cheek red, and blood slowly seeped from the corner of his smiling mouth, sliding down his chin as silent proof of the damage.
"You have quite the guts to speak about someone’s mother. I think I finally understand why ’he’ hates you this much. You must have stepped right on ’his’ nerves."
Her voice was low and controlled, carrying disdain without needing to rise. Her eyes remained fixed on Ash, cold and sharp, as if she were measuring how much pain he could still endure.
She slapped him because she knew what demon prince mother meant to ’him’. Even in death, she was someone ’he’ cherished deeply.
If ’he’ ever learned that Lilith had done nothing after such words were spoken, she would be the one facing consequences. Inside the dungeon or not, she refused to take that risk.
Still, the result left her unsatisfied. The faint smile on Ash’s lips irritated her far more than his words. Seeing that expression, calm and unbroken, made her want to tear his heart out with her own hands just to watch it fade.
I need to control myself and not get carried away by my impulses...
Lilith closed her eyes briefly, steadying herself. When she opened them again, a smile appeared on her lips.
She wanted to wipe that smile off his face slowly, piece by piece.
"Do you know that while you are here, hanging helplessly in front of me, your dear Elysia is about to be abducted."
As the words left her mouth, understanding settled in her mind.
Now she knew why the demon prince had insisted on moving the plan forward. It was not just about efficiency or advantage.
He wanted to see despair on Ash’s face.
Even though she had met him only moments ago, She had already started to hate him deeply.
Just as she expected, the smile vanished from Ash’s face. In its place was a blank, unreadable expression. His eyes met hers without fear or hesitation. After a brief pause, he spoke in a cold, steady voice.
"Elaborate."
Veins bulged on Lilith’s forehead as anger surged through her.
What arrogance!!!!
The way he spoke felt wrong. It sounded as though a king were addressing a subject, not the other way around. That quiet authority in his tone stabbed at her pride.
-Slap!!!
Her hand struck him again, harder than before. Ash’s other cheek flushed red instantly, and blood flowed from his mouth and nose. This time, the force was brutal.
If she were not holding him suspended in the air and sealing his movements, his neck would not have survived the blow.
"You are quite arrogant to speak to me like that. Still, I will satisfy your curiosity. You offended someone you should never have offended. Now, you and the one you cherish the most will suffer."
Lilith laughed softly as she finished speaking, her voice carrying a cruel amusement, as if she were already enjoying the outcome.
Although she was angry, she controlled herself. She had to bring him back alive, she can’t kill him. yet.
Ash’s expression did not change, but his mind was in turmoil. Thoughts threatened to flood him, each one heavier than the last, yet he forced them down.
This was not the time or place to lose control.
I need to get out of here first....
That single thought anchored him.
Having made up his mind, he continued to look at Lilith, whose face now showed a faint frown mixed with disappointment. She had expected more, something rawer, something louder.
Seeing Ash remain unmoved surprised her slightly, but she did not dwell on it. Some people were born with faces that revealed nothing, no matter the situation.
But from inside they were always screaming and roaring.
She knew this well, because she had broken many like them before.
And now she was about to break another.
Her eyes glowed, and a faint pinkish hue appeared in Ash’s eyes as well, yet nothing happened.
...Hmmm..?
She increased the power of her gaze, pushing further, yet the result remained unchanged. Her expression twisted slightly, a hint of ugliness flashing across her beautiful face before she restrained it.
I don’t believe someone like him can resist my powers....
She raised her right index finger and pointed it toward Ash’s glabella. A pinkish authority surged forward, invasive and domineering, attempting to seep directly into his mind.
Ash watched her efforts calmly. Just as he had once forcefully restrained the Rune of Life from healing his cheeks, he now poured his will into weakening the barrier around his mind formed by the Rune of Knowledge.
For Lilith to lower her guard, this was the crucial step. In most of the failures he had replayed endlessly in his mind, everything collapsed here. This was the point where he failed to lower the defenses of his own mind.
Ash focused his mental power and will, trying to suppress the Rune of Knowledge temporarily. The process was far from easy, and her attempts continued to fail again and again.
He was already feeling the strain. Creating two anchors had consumed a noticeable portion of his will, and his reserves were not limitless.
After a brief calculation, he made a decision. He released the restraint on the Rune of Life and shifted his full focus to the Rune of Knowledge. His wounds began healing at a rapid pace, swelling of his cheeks healed before her eyes.
The sight startled her slightly, but she did not allow herself to be distracted from the task at hand.
There is still resistance, but it is decreasing at a rapid pace...
For someone this young to possess such a strong mentality... this is not normal at all.
Lilith became certain that there was a secret hidden within him. As long as she succeeded, that secret would eventually belong to her.
She increased her efforts steadily. The resistance weakened bit by bit, slow but undeniable. After nearly five minutes of an arduous, suffocating process, she finally succeeded in planting a seed of desire within his heart.
To conquer the heart, one must conquer the mind first!!
That was why she had targeted his mind before anything else.
Soon, Ash’s irises shifted slightly, taking on a faint pinkish hue.
I succeeded, but I have to hurry, otherwise soon the Rune’s effect will take over and her influence will be repelled by my defenses...
From this moment onward, everything would become a race against time.
Lilith studied Ash with a peculiar gaze. She had planted the seed and established control, yet the unease inside her had not disappeared. If anything, it had grown heavier.
After all it was the first time she has faced this much difficulty to control someone of lower rank.
"Why did you do something that made my king angry?" Lilith asked.
"The Unicorn Queen sacrificed her life to save his son and me, who happened to be in the way. I cut off his wrist during that incident, and he was angry because of it."
"Why is your mentality so strong?"
"I was born with a strong mentality and have lived my life facing the world alone. That may be the reason I am mentally stronger than others."
"Why did you hide inside the dungeon?"
"I did not hide. I ran to the only place that could keep me alive for a little longer. I was hoping someone would come and save me."
"What is your relationship with Unicorn Queen?"
...
"How did you wounds healed this fast?"
...
She continued asking questions, one after another, her pace relentless. Ash answered each one without hesitation. His voice was flat and mechanical, stripped of emotion. He could feel her desire for answers and the pressure she applied to his mind, forcing honesty.
Although her influence did not truly affect him, he could still sense her intentions clearly and responded accordingly. In deception, meeting expectations was more important than resisting them.
In the end, she was satisfied.
She convinced herself that everything was normal, that the unease she felt was nothing more than overthinking on her part.
With a dismissive motion, she sent him back to the ground beside the pseudo demons and released her hold on him.
Ash immediately knelt on the ground.
This was not an order.
He did it on his own.
He had to act as if he were devoted to her.
Otherwise, everything he had endured and calculated would be meaningless.
So what if he had to kneel and bow his head. Pride was worthless in the face of survival.
Why should he cling to pride at all.
There was nothing about it that could save his life.
Seeing his actions, Lilith finally dispelled the last shred of doubt she had toward him. Satisfied, she gestured casually, ordering another demon to bring the sword they have retrieved from Ash before.
It was the Earth Elemental Sword.
According to the demons’ testimony, the sword had been stored inside a space ring that contained only invisibility potions, scent erasing powders, and some other ordinary survival items. There was nothing else of value inside.
She had already questioned Ash about this matter earlier, asking if he possessed any other items or if he had concealed something. His reply had been simple and polite.
No.
As soon as the sword was brought near the throne, it began to tremble faintly before lifting itself into the air. Just like the other swords before it, the Earth Elemental Sword moved on its own, guided by an unseen force, and slid smoothly into the side of the throne.
Now, five swords of different colors protruded from the throne, arranged in a graceful arc, forming a perfect semicircle. Each blade resonated softly, as if responding to something ancient and long sealed.
-RUMBELL!!!!!!
A violent tremor shook the throne room. An intense light burst forth from the throne, flooding the space with overwhelming pressure. The entire dungeon quaked as if it were bowing before something far greater than itself.
Lilith was forced to descend from the stairs, landing firmly on the ground before the kneeling demons and Ash. Her expression grew serious, her instincts screaming a warning.
The aura erupting from the throne was terrifying.
Soon, something began to emerge from within the throne itself.
The aura it released was unmistakable.
Saint rank.
That alone was enough to make Lilith step down personally. She did not dare remain above it.
Ash already knew this moment would come. He had included it in his calculations from the very beginning. Still, he remained kneeling, unmoving, his head lowered, his breathing steady and controlled.
Slowly, the object revealed itself completely.
It was a mirror.
Its frame was forged of radiant gold, carved with intricate patterns that seemed to shift when observed for too long. The edges glowed with a sacred sheen, as if bathed in eternal sunlight.
The surface of the mirror was silver, impossibly smooth, reflecting not just appearances but something deeper.
It looked otherworldly, as though it did not belong to this era, or even this world.
Light poured out from it endlessly, filling the throne room with a brilliance that eclipsed everything else. The swords, the throne, even Lilith herself seemed diminished in its presence, reduced to supporting elements before its majesty.
And the moment that divine light touched Ash.
He moved.
***