胸大的后邻家少女

Chapter 136 We\'re understanding the origins of demon spirits?

(POV: Akashic Records)

Central District, Silva Citadel.

The recovery room was filled with a tense atmosphere as Lumiere, Serena, Isadora, Stellaria, and Fasit gathered around Lirien. Lumiere, his hair tied into a messy bun, wore a black shirt and jean overalls with one strap hanging down. His slippers completed his casual ensemble as he stood with one hand on his waist, his gaze fixed intently on Lirien.

Lirien sat on the bed, her body still weak from the traumatic incident she had endured.

She looked at Lumiere with disbelief.

"I can\'t believe you\'re alive," she murmured. "You shouldn\'t have survived with almost half of your body cut off?"

Lumiere\'s expression remained stoic, not giving any indication of the immense pain and suffering he\'d endured. He remained silent, his eyes piercing through Lirien as if searching for something within her. Isadora, standing beside Lirien, gazed blankly at her sister, unsure of what to make of the situation.

Greeting her sister with a simple "good morning," Lirien attempted to break the tension, but Isadora\'s response was curt, focused solely on Lumiere\'s inquiries. "My master wants to know everything concerning the attack on Zarbon city," Isadora stated plainly.

Lirien nodded understandingly, contemplating where to begin.

Lumiere\'s intense gaze never wavered, his eyes gradually turning a fiery shade of red. "If Lumiere wishes to know everything," Lirien began, her voice steady but tinged with a hint of caution, "then that means you want me to tell him everything."

"Yes," said Isadora.

As Lirien placed a hand on her chin, deep in thought, Lumiere\'s red eyes intensified, his voice taking on an almost menacing tone. "You\'ll speak the truth, Lirien," he stated firmly. "The truth, and nothing but the truth."

"...Sure, I\'ll tell you everything..." Lirien was inexpressive.

"Someone I care about deeply is at stake." The red glow in Lumiere\'s eyes dissipated, replaced by a more gentle gaze, filled with concern and love.

"Well.." she paused.

"..the" she paused again.

Lirien took a deep breath, her hands trembling slightly as she looked down at the bed.

Lumiere, sensing her hesitation, raised an eyebrow and gently asked, "Uh, what\'s wrong?"

Lirien looked up, her eyes filled with a mixture of fear and vulnerability.

"I... I can\'t... I can\'t say it with her here," Lirien stammered, her voice barely above a whisper.

Fasit, always composed, leaned forward and spoke calmly. "Who\'s her?" she asked, her voice soothing.

Lirien\'s gaze shifted towards Serena, who had been silently observing the situation.

Then, she pointed to Serena.

The room fell into stunned silence.

Everyone turned to look at Serena, who blinked in surprise. "Hm?" was all she managed to say before Lumiere spoke up.

However, just as Lumiere was about to reject Lirien\'s request, he noticed the way Lirien\'s hands vibrated with fear, her face filled with a look of mortification.

"( Honestly, I thought Serena just gave her a beat down... I didn\'t know it was something worse than that. On first thought no one would take Lirien as the type of person who\'d get scared... after all, she was too dull to give off much of any emotion. But if she\'s genuinely scared then... )"

Lumiere\'s expression softened as he walked over to Serena, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Serena, please... I think it would be best if you stepped out for a bit," Lumiere spoke with genuine concern.

Serena, knowing that she could never go against Lumiere\'s wishes, bowed her head and quietly replied, "If that is what my lord wishes."

With a final glance at Lirien, she stepped out of the room.

Stellaria, who\'d been sitting casually on one of the beds, crossed her legs and let out a melodious laugh. "Who knew my little sister could be so scary," she remarked, a prideful smile forming on her lips.

Lumiere turned his attention back to Lirien.

"Now, Lirien," Lumiere said, his voice firm yet gentle, "please speak up. Now that Serena\'s gone, you don\'t have anymore excuses."

Lirien nodded. "The one who sent us on this mission... it was Vyndariel. The newly elected Demon King of Abyssal Heights," she said, her voice laced with dullness.

Curious, Fasit leaned forward to listen better.

"Abyssal Heights? What do you mean?" Fasit asked, her voice steady but eager for more information.

Isadora, her red eyes wide with shock, spoke up. "It\'s... it\'s the fourth layer of hell," she spoke with dread.

Fasit\'s normally calm demeanor faltered for a moment. "Hell..." she muttered, her voice trailing off.

Lirien nodded, her voice steady as she continued. "Yes, Vyndariel wants the demon lord seed within Isadora. He plans to fuse its power with Valtara\'s destruction core and, most likely, evolve into a Demon Emperor or something likely stronger," she explained, the weight of the situation apparent in her words.

Lumiere let out a weary sigh, his hand coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"Honestly," he said, his voice filled with exhaustion. "Isadora carries the demon lord seed, and Serena holds the destruction core of Valtara... it\'s just a recipe for catastrophe."

He looked at Lirien. "But tell me, Lirien, why exactly is it so important for Vyndariel to become a Demon Emperor?"

Lirien hesitated for a moment, her gaze flickering to Stellaria, who lounged casually on one of the beds, seemingly unfazed by the gravity of the situation. Finally, Lirien cleared her throat and spoke up. "People like Vyndariel don\'t have reasons for gaining more power. They just want more power and influence amongst the demons," she answered.

Fasit leaned forward, a thoughtful expression on her face. "It does make sense," she murmured. "I\'ve only ever heard of one Demon Emperor, the ruler of the Demon Continent." Lumiere nodded as he added, "Yes, everyone knows about him. But no one knows his exact name, just that he holds dominion over the entire continent and has nine wives."

"But there\'s more. The Demon Emperor of the Demon Continent has four Demon Kings under his rule," Lirien interjected.

Lumiere\'s eyes widened in shock. "A Demon Emperor\'s that strong...?" his voice shook.

Lirien nodded emphatically. "Yes... a Demon King is already a Grade 1 threat on its own. You can imagine the power and influence that comes with being a Demon Emperor who commands four of them?"

"Who are these four Demon Kings then?" (Lumiere)

Before Lirien could respond, Stellaria, who had been lounging casually on one of the beds, chimed in with a mischievous grin. "Hold on now, aren\'t we getting off-topic here? We\'re here to discuss Vyndariel\'s plan, not the Demon Continent."

Lumiere scratched his head in frustration, conceding to Stellaria\'s point.

"Yeah, you\'re right."

Isadora\'s voice lowered, a sense of unease hanging in the air. "Vyndariel isn\'t just any ordinary demon lord who ascended to become a demon king," she revealed.

"What do you mean?" Lumiere asked.

"Do you remember what I told you before about the hierarchy of demon spirits, how there\'s a single demon lord at the apex," she reminded him.

Lumiere furrowed his brow, racking his memory for the details.

"Yeah, when Ophelia and I met you in the dungeon right?"

"Vyndariel... he was the one who created the demon spirits."

Fasit and Lumiere froze, their spines tingling with shock.

Stellaria raised an eyebrow and purred, "Interesting."

Lumiere\'s mind raced, connecting the dots.

"So, if the apex of the hierarchy is a demon lord, and Vyndariel created an entirely new race akin to what I did with my elemental spirits... it would mean Vyndariel evolved to become a Demon King." (Lumiere)

"Wait, how would that evolve him to Demon King?" (Fasit)

Lumiere held out a finger, his voice filled with certainty.

"Think about it, Fasit. Vyndariel was already a demon lord. When he created this new race, he elevated himself to the status of a Demon King."

Isadora and Lirien nodded at his words.

However...

The souls of potential demon spirits are processed in the Abyss, the 8th layer of Hell. Isadora and Lirien lacked information about the other six layers of Hell, but they were aware of the first four. The 4th layer is known as the Abyssal Heights, while the 8th layer is simply referred to as the Abyss. This suggests that Vyndariel must have had a connection to the ruler of the Abyss in order to create the demon spirits and facilitate his own evolution.