Leave a comment

Born in an unfortunate family. An early death of both parents. An undiscovered talent. A destiny of vengeance. In the pursuit of hope, he fell into despair. He was then blessed with a delightful encounter with an impressive old man who helped him reach new heights.

Lilith could not help but hold her forehead and sigh softly as she wondered if such a clichéd plot could only happen to an insignificant villain. Then again, this villain… really paid quite a heavy price…

Lilith scrutinized the doll named Lacey. He, who had already shed his human identity, involuntarily trembled just from Lilith’s gaze. If he had pores, his skin would probably be covered with goosebumps by now.

“W-What…do you want?”

“Don’t be afraid, the interrogation is over.” Lilith patted Lacey’s head and smiled. “I won’t harm you, as long as you’ve told me everything you should.”

“I’ve said everything I need to say. I don’t know anything else.” Lacey shook his head frantically. He was either desperately trying to convince Lilith or trying to free his head from her demonic clutch.

“You still haven’t told me the identity of your master, and the purpose of your organization though.”

Lilith’s smile grew wider. It was as warm and inviting as the smile of a beautiful big sister from next door would wear when speaking to her neighbor beneath the starry sky on a summer night.

The more inviting Lilith’s smile was, the more it reminded Lacey of the pain he had just experienced.

“I don’t know about it. He just bestowed upon me power and ordered me to attack you. Aside from that, I know nothing.”

Lilith frowned and cast a glance at Cornelia, who had been staring at Lacey while sucking on her thumb. Cornelia shifted her gaze to Lilith and shook her head.

So, Lacey was neither lying nor under the influence of some external force…?

Had they wasted all that time interrogating him for nothing?

Lilith’s eyes turned unkind as she stared at Lacey. After working for so long and getting nothing, Lilith wanted to release her pent-up frustration. Fortunately, there was no need for her to find an outlet…

She had the perfect punching bag right here.

“I’m stuffed with cotton, not sand!”

Lacey could immediately guess what Lilith was up to from her expression alone. His survival instinct immediately kicked in and a flash of inspiration hit him.

“Ahh, yes! Now I remember! The number! He gave me a number!”

Under the astonished gazes of the others around them, Lacey popped off the two buttons that had been acting as his eyes. He brought them together as if performing a mysterious ritual.

“I’m Number Eight! Eight!”

Lacey put the two round buttons next to each other so that they formed a figure resembling the number “8”.

He then held them high above his head, as if they were some sort of sacred artifact and declared loudly to everyone, “Behold, this is the undeniable proof!”

The corner of Lilith’s mouth twitched at the absurdity of it all. “Is this how you’re going to convince us?”

The “8” Lacey showed them was really too abstract. Lilith even wondered if he would be alright after gouging out his own eyes like that.

Meanwhile, Cornelia was staring at Lacey with her sparkly eyes. She seemed to be fascinated by Lacey’s physical structure.

Lacey, in his doll body, shuddered as he sensed Cornelia’s intense gaze. Compared to the blonde archdevil, he would much rather be in the hands of this adorable little devil.

At least with Cornelia, he would not constantly find his life in danger. Although Cornelia was scary, Lacey knew that she would always ensure his safety. Being with her was like riding on a roller coaster. It was only nerve-wracking, but not life-threatening.

The thought of this immediately reminded Lacey of how heavenly it was being held close to Cornelia’s tiny chest… He felt tears welling up in his eyes… even though his eyes were incapable of shedding tears.

“Fine, at least we have some useful information now.”

Lilith seemed satisfied, but her newfound knowledge quickly made her feel concerned again.

Based on the information Lacey shared, their respective numbers could really be found on their faces. It was the same for “Nine” too.

This revelation meant that… There were at least seven more people like them!

Lilith could not help but think about the strange abilities both Eight and Nine possessed.

Maybe the other numbers were waiting for her at the Great Celestial Rite!

“Tsk…”

Lilith turned her head to look at Diana. “Miss President, can I trouble you to look for Lesiah and the others first?”

“Huh? I thought you needed my assistance for the registration?” Diana gave her a perplexed look.
“I’ve changed my mind. Neither Lesiah nor you can participate in the Great Celestial Rite.”
“But you…”
“Save your breath,” Lilith interrupted Diana. Murderous intent filled Lilith’s eyes as she licked her lips and continued, “This time… We’re going to do something big.”

The terrifying declaration caused Diana to involuntarily take a few steps back in fear. This blonde loli in front of her considered troubles as mere trifles. If she proclaimed that she had a grand plan in mind, then it was probably going to be something utterly outrageous, like punching a hole in the sky.

Diana raised her head and looked at the ceiling. She could tell that things were about to get rowdy in the Holy Dragon Empire.

“You’ll still need to participate in the Great Celestial Rite in a group of five. What are you going to do about that?”
“Well…”

Lilith found herself facing an unexpected challenge. The first criteria for selecting members who could join her in the Great Celestial Rite must be very resilient. Even if they weren’t resilient, they would at least have to be people that Lilith wouldn’t feel saddened by their accidental deaths. Furthermore, it was crucial that these members would not draw excessive attention to themselves, as it could potentially alert her enemies.

Lilith’s eyes roamed around the room.

Hmm… she already had four members. Where could she find the fifth member…?

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

“Candied fruit skewers, sweet and crunchy candied fruit on skewers…!”
“Get your fortune told! Luck, marriage, I can read them all! You don’t have to pay if the readings aren’t accurate! Hey there, what fortune would you like to be told?”
“Keys for sale! You can find all sorts of keys here! We have all the keys for any door locks! Hey there, do you need a key?”

The morning sun shone on Jeorgetown City, bringing forth its liveliest time. People from all parts of the continent flocked to this majestic city.

A large crowd was already gathering at the city gates. Even the tall gates struggled to accommodate everyone. The guards, unable to thoroughly interrogate each person, quickly glanced at their identity tokens or documents before granting them entry into the city. This obligatory procedure served as a reminder that this place had zero tolerance for any unsavory activities.

As travelers walked through the city gates, they were immediately greeted by the sight of a bustling bazaar filled with all sorts of noises and loud sales pitches.

Despite their exhaustion, these people pushed through the crowded streets without sparing a moment to take in the sights around them. They rushed toward their intended destination with fierce determination glinting in their eyes.

Today was the registration day of the Great Celestial Rite.

As the most renowned festival of the Holy Dragon Empire, the imperial family had widely distributed invitations across the continent. Those qualified enough to receive an invitation had already settled into the imperial residences specially prepared for them.

In addition to the invitations allocated to the major forces, the Holy Dragon Empire also intentionally released some invitations to the general public. Their identity, religion, appearance, age, or how they obtained the invitation, none of them mattered. As long as they were below the Saint Realm and possessed an invitation letter with a golden seal, they could add five names to the participant list and compete for the incredibly generous prize.

“Hey, why do you refuse to let us register? I thought anyone is allowed to participate!”

Someone stood on tiptoes and slapped an invitation letter with a golden seal on the registration table. She pointed to the registration requirements stated on the side, and angrily exclaimed, “What the hell is wrong with you all? Are you deliberately making things difficult for us outsiders?”

The beautiful staff lady wiped the sweat off her forehead, her eyes scanning the peculiar individuals in front of her. Their faces were covered with black veils, revealing only a pair of large, dark eyes.

The staff lady trembled as she explained, “Well… It’s true that anyone with the invitation letter is allowed to participate, but you will have to at least provide us your real names for record purposes.”

The leader of the group struggled to remain on her tiptoes, determined to overpower the staff member with her presence. She placed one hand on her waist and smacked the wooden table violently. “Which part of our names doesn’t sound real to you?!”