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‘Hold on a second…since Ferti’nier actually bothered to tell me what the materials are, it meant I actually had the ability to acquire these materials, not merely some cat’s blood. Speaking of ability, wasn’t my ambition to conquer the entire Sable Radiance anyway? Why shouldn’t I just take this chance to clean up any rebel element lurking around?’

With that in mind, we were now back at square one. In order to conquer Sable Radiance, more soldiers were necessary. According to Lucifer’s clone, those of the Devil Overlord level wouldn’t interfere in my conquest, meaning that as long as that held true, all I had to worry about was the number of Eight-stars on the other side. As for my side, the only Eight-stars I could command was that Fallen Angel Golem hidden away in the Gem of Authority.

In other words, that golem was all I had against an unknown number of Eight-stars enemies… I fingered the gem on my necklace, unsure as to whether I should feel happy about owning the gem or not.

To be perfectly honest, even I did not know how strong the Fallen Angel Golem actually was. Neither had I ever seen an Eight-stars fight, so judging how terrifying their destructive ability could be wasn’t possible.

‘Still, if that clone only placed restrictions on Devil Overlords, I can safely assume that whatever I have on hand is enough to conquer Sable Radiance, right?! Logically speaking, the whole reason I’m even worrying about producing golems is to allow the plan after conquering Sable Radiance to proceed smoothly. To do that, I will need a repaired array. To repair that array, I need to gather materials. To gather those materials, I will need to interact with the other races, really, it’s just challenging them at this point…’

‘There’s no way they will ever quietly hand over the materials, especially not the Purgatory Warhorses with whom I had some unpleasant dealings with in the past. So fighting is the only logical option once they reject my request… those Nightmare Steeds are their leaders after all…’

Skipping a material or two wasn’t an option either. Like Gokuh collecting the Seven Dragon Spherical Objects, missing that single spherical object just wasn’t an option, otherwise it would be impossible to summon the Mystical Dragon of Wish Granting. Our array was basically the same, missing a material would spell failure immediately. Yet in spite of all that, Ferti’nier still told me about the materials…¹

‘Ferti’nier…Big Sis…do you really think that I have the ability to declare war on the Purgatory Warhorses as I am right now?’

“If it’s just those horses, there’s definitely no problem at all, none at all.” Unexpectedly, her reply was unambiguous, to say the least. “If you’re worried about the Nightmare Steeds and their horses, let me tell you that our forces completely counter theirs.”

‘Completely?’

“That’s right, completely!” Before that last bit even registered in my mind, Ferti’nier’s enthusiasm came bursting forth. “Just let your Big Sis handle those Nightmare whatevers!’

I was stunned…

‘But if I’m not mistaken, our dear Big Sis can’t even leave my body right now. And even if I let you take control of my body temporarily, you will just end up in another coma due to the mana expenditure…’

“Don’t be so sure. As long as preparations are made beforehand, preventing a Nightmare Steed from drawing you into a dream is all we need to do.” She then launched into a spirited explanation. “A Nightmare Steed’s attacks can be split into four types. The first is their psychic magicks which directly affects a person’s soul. Next, they have their darkness and fire elemental magicks. Lastly, they have their impressive physical prowess. Discounting their physical prowess for now, their strongest attack is their psychic magicks. Yet this strong suit of theirs is nothing before your sister, hee hee…”

Putting aside all her other nonsense, I could tell that she was highly dismissive of a Nightmare’s Steed psychic ability. Wasn’t a Lust Demon’s strong suit also in psychic, fire and darkness magicks? No matter how much Ferti’nier had fallen, she was still a Devil King of the Lust Demon branch…former anyway… With her in my soul, a Nightmare Steed’s strongest attack was basically nullified, so all that was left was…

“All that’s left is to let that golem hanging on our little brother’s neck handle the situation! Come, how about your dear sister let you in on another secret as well… that golem hanging around your neck right now… it has a dimensional gemstone in its chest. Anyone who has the Gem of Authority can simply take shelter inside that space during battle.”

‘Dimensional gemstone? Shelter?! Are you serious?’

‘Are you telling me what’s hiding in my Gem of Authority is not actually a Fallen Angel Golem, but rather an alternate universe’s Gundamn?’

‘Gold! I’ve struck gold! As long as I hide in that golem, I have this feeling that even if their entire race comes charging at me, I will still be safe. Even if I can’t win, I can just run away in the worst case scenario.’

‘So what’s the storage space like in the golem? If it’s big enough, maybe I can bring Mo Na along with me when I go material hunting. Honestly speaking, I’m not too comfortable with leaving Mo Na behind in the palace alone. Even if that’s the safest place, I just can’t settle down unless I have her in my sights. I guess that’s how all parents feel about their kids…’

“Don’t worry, the space inside is huge, you can even bring those two stupid dogs with you if you want, let alone your daughter.”

‘What do you mean “stupid dogs”? Sinmosa and Sasani are my precious comrades!’

“Hah, comrades. What kind of status do you think they even possess? Do they even have the qualifications to be treated as equals? They are just lowly Hellhounds -their bloodlines aren’t even on the same level as that half-breed white dog that used to follow you around all the time. Their daughter, however, isn’t that bad. Although close kin marriages tend to produce some oddities at times, there are also times when a child of purer bloodlines is produced. Simply put, that little puppy is worth grooming.”

With that said, she added one last comment. “Naturally, that fake daughter of yours isn’t bad either. Even though she’s not up to your level, she has a lot of potential.”

While the way Ferti’nier dismissed my friends simply because of their bloodlines left a bitter taste in my mouth, what caught my attention more was the word “potential”. Rather, what kind of potential was she even referring to? Sometimes, I really wondered how Ferti’nier viewed this daughter of mine…

Shameless Self-promotion

If you liked my work translating Devil’s Evolution Catalog, feel free to check out Song of Adolescence. Also, every comment is appreciated even though I might not reply. I do read them.

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‘Bah, arguing with Ferti’nier isn’t going to get me anywhere…’

In order to avoid any further embarrassment, I went straight to the question at hand. ‘Do you know how to trade with the creatures in the Prison of the Dead?’

“Little Brother, you need to watch your language.”

‘I… yes, yes, yes… Big Sis… is that fine now?’

“Mhm, showing remorse is a mark of a good child.”

‘So Big…Sis… do you know of any method we can use to exchange meat for souls with the Prison of the Dead?’

“Is our little brother referring to the exchange array he used in the Prison of the Dead?” Seeing that I was sincere, Ferti’nier , in all her benevolence and kindness, decided to share the answer with me. “That’s a piece of information only privy to Devil Overlords -as long as one has meat, he can gain access to an unending supply of souls, truly a convenient piece of magic.”

‘That’s right, that’s exactly what I want!’ Back during my days in the Prison of the Dead, I once relied on such an array to procure a large amount of meat. Had it not been for arrays like that, creatures who couldn’t absorb souls would have gone extinct in the prison. There would have been no way for me to pass through the trials and tribulations of the prison either.

With a completed safe zone, I could easily meet this meat demand. I just had to confirm the array worked from our end and I would be rich!

“That array, huh. If I’m not mistaken, the capital definitely has one, but whether or not it still exists… or even works…”

Ferti’nier’s answer wasn’t as straightforward as I had hoped; perhaps the time gap of eighty thousand years was simply too much for her to be certain. It only made sense that she would question the integrity of the array after such a long time.

‘If it’s broken, can we rebuild one?’

“Very difficult.” She immediately replied. “With our little brother’s current resources, it would be impossible. But if it’s just a matter of repairing, it should be possible.”

Now that our main questline was confirmed, I led our little band back to the capital as fast as possible. Because the expected meat volume would have been large in the past as well, it wouldn’t make sense for the magical array to be built at the peak of the capital where the palace was. Thus, it was likely located at the base, where it wouldn’t use up too much time or effort to move.

A vital installation like the array wouldn’t be kept in an insecure location either; that ruled out the outside of the capital city. Based on those deductions, the most suitable location would be between the city walls and the palace.

It had to be said that the condition of the palace and the rest of the capital differed vastly. While the palace was mostly pristine, the capital city itself was half ruined due to wars, meaning the array was most likely damaged as well.

Upon our return to the capital city, the one who welcomed us was Big 4.

With no time to spare, I interrupted his reporting and rushed off to the vicinity of the northern gate, guided by Ferti’nier.

What greeted us was a ruined palatial building that had mostly lost its former glory due to disrepair. Its entrance was even blocked off by black rubble.

Faced with such a broken building, my heart sunk a little. I had a bad feeling that what awaited us wouldn’t be good news. Still, I followed Ferti’nier’s suggestion and pressed on. I had the golems remove the rubble blocking the entrance. In the meantime, I listened to Big 4’s report. According to him, No.6 had sent over more Devils. However, as he said that, he had on a strange expression. Yet that bit of strangeness eluded me as I was too preoccupied by the array.

The golems were extremely efficient in their work, clearing out the impediments in barely any time at all. Thus, with a heavy heart, I entered the ruined building.

“It’s unusable.” In just one glance, Ferti’nier came to a conclusion that left me in despair. To be exact, disappointment was the more appropriate word.

The scene before entering the building left nothing to the imagination. As a magic dealing with dimensional space, the array would have been a highly precise piece of magical construction; even the slightest damage could spell disaster. So it wasn’t that much of a surprise that it wasn’t usable.

The array before us was a huge construct, belonging to the category of large-scale magic. It was carved onto a giant slab of rock, roughly half a meter thick and twenty meters long, with countless intricate and arcane red etchings weaving about into an array.

At least, that was what it was supposed to be. The battle eighty thousand years ago damaged the array severely. Removing a giant piece of rubble on the array, we found an array shattered into disjointed pieces.

Like how a person with a shattered femur couldn’t walk on his own, this array could no longer transport matter.

“Don’t worry, Little Brother, it’s just broken. As long as you repair it, it will function normally again.” Like an angelic light from the heavens, her voice illuminated the dark scene before me, lifting up my spirits when I needed it the most. “The repair itself might be a little difficult, but it is possible.”

‘As long as it’s repairable… but exactly what do we need to repair it?’

“The materials are a little complicated, but they are still within the range of possibility for you.” Having said that, Ferti’nier proceeded to recite what had to be the most painful shopping list of materials I had ever heard.

“First, you need the horn from a Nightmare Steed. Then you need a Shadowcat’s blood, an Eight-stars core from a Fire Elemental Core, and finally the heart of an Eight-stars Fire Devouring Fish. Only by getting these will you be able to repair the array.

‘Horn of a Nightmare Steed? Blood from a Shadowcat? And what else? Curses, I don’t even have a single one of them… and how do you even expect me to get these things? There’s just no way…’

The only material I could probably get would be the blood of a Shadowcat. Based on our relationship, a little bit of blood wouldn’t have been an issue. Except we needed a lot of it. A cat’s worth of blood to be exact… Don’t tell me I’m supposed to bleed Meisian dry? I don’t want to be hated by Anmi because of that, and I definitely don’t want to be hated by the Purgatory Shadowcats because of that…

Shameless Self-promotion

If you liked my work translating Devil’s Evolution Catalog, feel free to check out Song of Adolescence. Also, every comment is appreciated even though I might not reply. I do read them.

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Mo Na triumphantly pointed her bone club at the Devil pop idols, scaring them into silent submission once more. Most likely satisfied with what she saw, she did a sweeping motion with her club before proudly proclaiming, “All you weaklings, you don’t even fight back when you are hit. If you don’t even have the guts to do that, what makes you think you can win over Mama. Stupid. Mama belongs to Mo Na, it’s one thing if you don’t know that, but it’s another that you do not know how the word death is written. Based on the looks on your faces, I would guess not. How about Mo Na teach you illiterates how to write, huh?!”

The pop idols all had the word “wronged” plastered on their faces. I was sure that every one of them was thinking this: it was because we knew how to write the word death that we didn’t try to fight back… little missy, your parent is just standing right behind you…

Mo Na, on the other hand, couldn’t be prouder as she thumped her bone club against the floor like a practised hoodlum. Still, what the heck did she mean by win over Mama?

“Mo Na!”

“Coming.” My little baby turned around and quickly hid her bone club behind her back before tossing me an innocent smile. “You called, Mama?”

“That clubbing just now wasn’t bad.”

“Is that so? Mo Na thinks so as well.” She raised her head higher at that. “Next time, Mo Na will club an even better clubbing for Mama to see.”

“Alright, but that’s for another time.” I beckoned for Mo Na with a smile. “Come here, Daddy has some words to teach you.”

“Oh? If it’s Devil speak, Mo Na already knows them.” Though she said that, she still obediently cancelled her bone club and flew over into my embrace, pecking me on the face a few times for good measure. “So what is Mama going to teach Mo Na?”

I grabbed her waist with my left hand, and had her back face upwards. Right hand raised up high, I grinned, “ It’s called “overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer”.”

With that said, I gave her tiny butt a tight slap.

With my punishment of Mo Na done, the whole Devil matchmaking incident came to a close. As for those Devils who were beaten to a pulp…I let them stay in the end, for no other reason than to add more population to the capital.

The palace was a huge complex, but because there was hardly anyone living in it now, it was rather desolate. Adding on its rather unique backstory and goth-inspired decor, it almost felt haunted… even though being a Devil myself, there was no way I would ever be afraid of ghosts. Still, I’m not the kind of ruler who liked to be alone. After all, I was already past my middle school lone star phase.

I handed over the pop idols to Big 4 for allocation. Whether it was patrolling or just manual labor, I had no intention of letting them be idle. At the same time, I had Big 4 send a messenger to No.6. Its contents were simple, “Do your job properly.”

With everything settled, I led a troupe out of the capital once more. This time, our aim was to search the east, hopefully we would stumble upon another teleportation zone there.

As usual, I picked out ten Abyssal Winged Golems as bodyguards while bringing along Cinderel and Mo Na. We headed east 150 kilometers from the eastern citygate. There was not much worth writing home about along the way, barring the odd Black Blood Ant nest here and there.

That didn’t deter me however, as I widened our search range… to no avail, except for a few battered golem additions.

Since there were no signs of a teleportation zone nearby, our trip ended up being an exploratory one, with some ant hunting thrown in the mix. While their ant souls were all well and good, soul acquisition wasn’t the only problem we faced in golem production. Another key factor was the internal exoskeleton. No matter what, that required a large enough skeleton, and there clearly weren’t that many, and if at all any, giants in Sable Radiance. While Mo Na did mention that it was possible to create an internal exoskeleton by refining a large number of skeletons together, that required a massive amount of mana to accomplish.

That in itself posed another problem. If one didn’t possess the requisite amount of mana to finish the refining in one sitting, the only other option would be to consume souls as a mana replenishment source. Meaning our soul problem just got doubled…

Such a large amount of souls was nothing to sniff at, regardless of where we were, especially not when we were in a place like Sable Radiance…truly not the best place for souls. So what other method could we employ to replenish our mana? Other than souls, there really wasn’t another method we had on hand that could replenish such a huge amount of mana fast.

‘Souls… souls… my kingdom for souls… hold on, I think I got something interesting here… just not sure if it will work.’

‘Ferti’nier, Ferti’nier… I have something urgent I need to consult you about.’ I called out in my head several times but there was no response. At least, that was so till I used the magic words of Big Sis.

“My adorable little brother, how can your big sister help you today?”

‘Sigh… I just knew she wouldn’t let go of that matter so easily, at least not till she’s done chewing on the scraps of my bones. This she-devil here is definitely not someone I should ever marry, ever, otherwise I can kiss any hopes of being on top goodbye.’

“Hohohoho, when did our little brother start liking his big sis. What an unexpected surprise, your sister over here had no idea, even though she had always been in your soul all this while. All this sudden talk of marriage…your sister still isn’t ready yet.”

‘Hey, that’s enough out of you, blasted she-devil, as if anyone would be mad enough to propose to you!?’

“Huh? What was that just now then?” She continued teasing me. “Why were you thinking about being dominated by your sister for life then? Don’t tell me you plan on skipping town after all you’ve done? Who knew that our little brother was such an irresponsible Devil… so that was just a fling, nothing more? What about the word responsibility? And besides, I’m pretty sure our little brother doesn’t even have a pee pee to have a fling with!”

‘Curses…how did my pee pee get dragged into this again? Also, don’t tell me my pee pee is forever going to be my sore spot… let me tell you, if I ever grow it back, the first thing I’ll do is reform your body, then pounce on you, and bleep whatever SM bleep. No matter what, I’m going to be the one on top!’

Shameless Self-promotion

If you liked my work translating Devil’s Evolution Catalog, feel free to check out Song of Adolescence. Also, every comment is appreciated even though I might not reply. I do read them.

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On the road back to the capital, I tried out my flying once more, squeezing out every bit of practise whenever I could. This time around, I managed to pull off a full range of wing movements. Borrowing the seven meters of height a golem possessed, plus my own jumping ability, I managed to open up my wings mid-air, before landing safely on the ground.

Compared to the previous time where I simply nosedived to the ground, I had to say that massive improvement had been made. At the very least, I wasn’t like a penguin taking flight anymore…

My original plan of touring the safe zone was cancelled, thanks to my spoiled mood. That No.6 was definitely scheming something to protect his own position, like how a subject would try to be an Emperor’s right hand man by eliminating everyone else. However, I wasn’t in a position to allow such excess yet. If he was allowed to continue unchecked like that, the consequences would be dire. Thus, I made sure to nip this problem in the bud right away, though I couldn’t help but be a little annoyed anyway. Hopefully, he learnt his lesson, or else I would have to kill him.

With our uneventful return to the capital, Big 4 was back on patrol duty once more, while I brought the two scamps treasure hunting around the palace.

In truth, we had already gone through most of the structures in the palace, but this was mostly a leisurely stroll. There was no actual searching to be had. Perhaps there might still be some secret room or trapdoor somewhere, but at the very least I wasn’t aware of any.

Speaking of which, shouldn’t the capital’s treasure vault be located in the palace as well? But I just can’t seem to find it. Even when I asked Ferti’nier, all I got was disappointment.

“Do you honestly think that a Devil King won’t have a storage ring of his own? Anything of value would be kept in the ring’s dimensional space. Any so-called treasure vault would probably just be for decoration, and even if it contained something, it would most likely be a pile of trash.”

Having gotten that answer, I still wasn’t about to give up on locating the fabled treasure vault and having a look see for myself. In the end, I actually found it, and it was just like what Ferti’nier said: the so-called vault was just for decoration. With a storage ring of their own, anything valuable would undoubtedly be safer on their own person. And if they were dead, well, then those treasures would be useless anyway. Rather than letting them rot in some vault, it was simply smarter to carry them around and perhaps use them in some battle.

With that plan a failure, the manufacturing of golems had hit a snag once more. I basically had nothing to do now except practise flying. Which I did. Mo Na and Cinderel in tow, we practised in the palace’s garden. As for why bring Mo Na along, that was because I learnt faster with her guidance, although she often pranked me while doing so… sometimes I feel I am letting her mischievousness down by not giving a good whacking on the butt.

Unfortunately, the spanking never got to start before Big 4 suddenly ran into the garden to report that Sasani and Sinmosa were back. Both of them were currently waiting for me in the main hall, along with ten low level Devils.

Their return was something worth noting, thus I promptly led my two babies to the main hall.

The moment I stepped into the main hall, Cinderel immediately jumped out of my arms and right at her mother, her happy little Hellhound tail wagging furiously while she barked in a lethally adorable manner. Sasani happily went up to his daughter for a kiss, but all he got was the cold shoulder from Cinderel who simply hid her face in her mother’s embrace… Sasani had taken a lethal blow, his eyes clearly showing the despair in him…

Seeing that familiar scene again, I barely held back a chortle as I walked up to Sasani. Yet just as I was about to pat him on the shoulder, he gave me a decidedly unhappy glare. Even though he still couldn’t speak the language of the Devils, I could surprisingly tell what he wanted to say.

‘Exactly why does my daughter like you so much?! I’m her father, not you! Go kill yourself! A curse upon you!’

‘Alright, alright. Since you’re in grief right now, I won’t hold this against you.’

While daughter and mother were busy snuggling, the Devils behind them all exchanged a glance with each other. In what almost looked like a coordinated effort, they neatly lined up before me and bowed.

“Master…”

I eyed the group. Their average level wasn’t high, the strongest amongst them was just a Two-star, and the weakest was even a Small Imp. Yet for a Small Imp to appear here was a miracle in of itself. After all, whether it was the Blood Sea or the Prison of the Dead, neither were environments conducive to a Small Imp -unless that Small Imp possessed some kind of unique talent, or he was just the illegitimate child of lady luck.

Strictly speaking, it didn’t matter whether it was the former or the latter, the fact he even made it this far showed how unique his case was.

“Did No.6 send you all here?”

“Yes, it was Sir No.6 who sent us to service you, Master.”

‘Service?’ Hearing that, I couldn’t help but feel something was off with that word, but I just couldn’t figure out why. It was only until my daughter, still riding on my shoulders as always, suddenly spoke up in an odd voice. “Mama, all these Devils seem quite good looking, but Mo Na doesn’t like handsome Devils, Mo Na prefers Devils like Mama! Heheheh…”

‘Good looking?’ Because of her mentioning that word, I immediately felt that something was up. I gave their souls all a quick scan and found that every one of them, without any exception, were all male. Not only that, whether it was their soul scent or their appearance, they all looked like Korean pop idols who had undergone plastic surgery, at least it was so to a Devil…

Up till now, I had never gotten used to the habit of looking at someone through their soul. Decades of being human made this difficult to accomplish; I was still too used to looking at someone through my physical eyes. Yet a low level Devil possessed no outward gender defining feature, which meant my method of looking made it difficult to distinguish their gender…

Either way, low level Devils were more like animals to me -not really worth all that hassle of distinguishing them, like how one wouldn’t pay much attention to the minor differences between a pet’s fur and another’s. Since they were all the same, why even bother differentiating a male from a female.

‘So these ten can all be counted as good looking in the eyes of Devils? Blast it, what’s going on here? Exactly what was No.6 thinking? Is he trying to find a partner for me?’

In an instant, my face turned red with fury. With one withering gaze, the Devils were all left petrified in fear.

‘What’s the idea here? I’m a guy. That blasted No.6 must have a death wish or something, sending a bunch of guys here for matchmaking.’ The more I thought about it, the more angry I got. Sensing my growing anger, the mana within me took on the form of flames.

“Mama, you scared all those cowards half to death. Hahaha, how amusing…” Just as I was about to convert to the Original Sin of Wrath, I was awakened by my clapping daughter. The little scamp flew off my shoulders and onto the ground. With a wave of her hands, she summoned a bone club, which she immediately sent thwacking down on the kneeling devils. Whether it was their face or their head, the little scamp would happily laugh while she continued beating them. “That will teach you to try and steal Mo Na’s Mama. That will teach you…that will teach you…I’ll beat you all to death! Hahahaha!”

“Woof woof woof~.” Ever the loyal follower of Mo Na, Cinderel wanted to help her beat the Devils as well, but she was stopped by Sinmosa biting down on her nape. The little Hellhound flailed wildly in the air as she barked her discontent.

Unfortunately, Sinmosa wasn’t about to let go anytime soon, no matter how adorably she begged.

Having transformed into a violent loli, the kind that went straight for the face no less, the good looking Devils were in for a world of hurt. Yet no matter how much she pummelled them, none of them dared to dodge. They were all afraid that any movement would be seen by me as a transgression. Neither did they dare to act against Mo Na. In fact, that thought never even crossed their mind.

After all, she was clearly of a different status than them. Putting aside her obviously superior level, the fact that she could ride on my shoulders showed how much I favored her. If they were to injure her by accident, the consequences would be dire. That was why none of them moved.

While I was standing there in a daze for two minutes, the poor Devils all went through a round robin of beatings. Their faces were all green with bruises and one Large Imp even had his nose beaten crooked…truly pitiful…

“Baby, stop for now.”

In truth, these Devils were rather pitiful. Neither of them ever knew what was going on, but they ended up being sent here by No.6 to get beaten up. Speaking of which, Mo Na’s clubbing has improved by quite a fair bit. Even after all that savage clubbing, none of them are dead, not even unconscious. That vicious little loli…as expected of my Devil daughter…

Shameless Self-promotion

If you liked my work translating Devil’s Evolution Catalog, feel free to check out Song of Adolescence. Also, every comment is appreciated even though I might not reply. I do read them.