A Core Ship From The Start
Chapter 1498 - 1012: Invitation from the Devil World (Happy New Year to Everyone)

Chapter 1498: Chapter 1012: Invitation from the Devil World (Happy New Year to Everyone)

To be honest, Liliath was full of confidence in her own strength.

As the "Red-Haired Murder Princess," she had earned this widely recognized nickname in the Devil World, a testament to her power.

But now... for the first time, she tasted the bitter pain of defeat.

"Alright, that’s enough."

Duanmu Huai’s voice rang out as Mary put away her weapon and nodded to everyone present.

"My apologies."

".........."

Upon hearing Mary’s words, everyone fell silent. The reason was simple—this time, Liliath, Akeno Ushima, Tacheng Xiao Mao, Kiba Hiroto, Naruse Mio, and Banriya had teamed up against Mary, but the result was total annihilation.

Liliath, Akeno Ushima, and Naruse Mio launched a strong magical attack first, but Mary seemed to effortlessly see through their magic, evading the triple barrage as if strolling leisurely.

Next, Tacheng Xiao Mao and Banriya leaped toward Mary—these two combat-oriented lolis were highly confident in their skills. But unfortunately, the times had changed. Before they could even get close, Mary pulled out a strange hand cannon from her waist, pulled the trigger, and sent both flying out of the arena.

Using Tacheng Xiao Mao and Banriya’s distraction, Kiba Hiroto finally reached Mary. Just as he drew his sword to strike, Mary casually swung her hand—a frost-covered greatsword materialized out of thin air, sweeping across. Had Mary not held back, this single swing could have sliced Kiba Hiroto in half.

Then Mary gripped her magic wand in her left hand, gently tapping the ground. Countless starlight fell from nowhere, like a torrential rain enveloping Liliath, Akeno Ushima, and Naruse Mio. The three didn’t even have time to defend before being pummeled to the ground by the storm of falling light.

The entire battle lasted no more than five minutes.

Impressive.

Duanmu Huai, who had been observing from start to finish, was very satisfied with Mary’s performance. Mary’s greatest asset was her Golden Pupil, which could see through everything, leaving no secrets hidden. However, in the past, when Mary was still human, her reaction times were too slow to keep up with the Golden Pupil’s capabilities.

For instance, there were many instances where Mary could see openings, yet her human speed and reflexes couldn’t exploit them, wasting her potential.

Now that Mary had absorbed the "Queen" piece and became God’s Favor, all her attributes had drastically improved. If Mary’s status were calculated using Soul Card values, she would be rated as 8 Attack and 8 Defense—placing her at the very top tier among Duanmu Huai’s Soul Cards.

Furthermore, Mary had magic for long-range, the hand cannon for mid-range, and the Moonlight Greatsword for close combat—covering nearly every domain. Though she wouldn’t be considered invincible, she was undoubtedly strong.

What relieved Duanmu Huai was that despite Mary’s transformation into God’s Favor, she herself did not seem to have changed much. She hadn’t sprouted wings or a tail, which had initially made her nervous. After a careful inspection, Mary also seemed reassured.

Hmm, it appears my role as the God of Destruction is still aligned with humanity’s cause and hasn’t veered off into other realms.

As for the others...

"Honestly, just relying on a few of you isn’t nearly enough to pose a threat to Mary. You’ll need more pieces at least."

Looking at Liliath, Duanmu Huai shrugged. This was a special mentor training event Liliath proposed. After previous matches, she was set to participate in official ranking tournaments, so she wanted to strengthen her team’s collaborative skills beforehand.

Unfortunately, from Duanmu Huai’s perspective, the strength of Liliath and her followers wasn’t impressive. In Tribunal standards, they were likely on the same level as Bambi Kula Malilos and her little group.

Well, that is if they don’t get close enough. Otherwise, with one combo, who ends up dead would still be debatable.

"I didn’t expect Miss Mary to be this strong..."

Hearing Duanmu Huai’s evaluation, Liliath smiled wryly. Truthfully, Mary’s strength exceeded all of Liliath’s expectations. While she knew the Tribunal’s members wouldn’t be weak, Mary’s performance shocked her to her core.

Especially earlier, when the three of them joined forces to cast spells, only for Mary to evade them completely—Liliath could hardly believe her eyes.

Evading magic wasn’t too frightening by itself; with enough speed, one could dodge magical attacks. The problem was that Mary barely moved. She had gracefully taken a few steps, casually swaying like a model on a runway, and avoided the combined magic storm effortlessly.

Put simply, it was like a person charging into Normandy under gunfire, yet somehow emerging completely unharmed!

Who wouldn’t question reality at that point?

"But finding followers isn’t easy, and... don’t we already have the strongest helpers?"

Standing beside Liliath, Akeno Ushima smiled—that’s right. Like Duanmu Huai, Mary had signed a temporary contract under the "Soldier" piece with Liliath. Initially, Duanmu Huai was worried their pieces might conflict, but so far, there were no issues.

"That’s true. With Lord Duanmu and Lady Mary as our allies, we won’t lose to any family."

Banriya was brimming with confidence. If it was only Duanmu Huai, there might be concerns about his recklessness. But Mary’s versatile combat tactics and calm intellect were exactly what the team needed. With these two taking the lead, it seemed unlikely they would lose any ranking games unless something completely ridiculous occurred.

"Alright, that’s it for now... by the way, Naruse."

After concluding the training, Liliath turned to Naruse Mio.

"About your family matters..."

"Yes? Is there a problem?"

Hearing Liliath bring up the subject, Naruse Mio immediately grew tense. Seeing her reaction, Liliath waved her hands quickly.

"Don’t be so nervous. Actually, some members of the Wilbert family contacted us. They want to meet you."

"Want to... meet me?"

"Yes. The Wilbert family is currently ruled by your uncle, but you are the rightful heir. Because of this, their internal conflicts have never settled. Quite a few members hope you will inherit your father’s position and lead the Wilbert family. Once they learned you were under our Jimongli Family’s protection, they reached out and extended an invitation."

"I see..."

Hearing Liliath’s explanation, Naruse Mio looked conflicted.

"Anyway, I understand this might be troublesome, but this is your decision to make."

To Naruse Mio, Liliath’s news was far from comforting. For the rest of the day, until returning home, she wore a solemn expression and remained silent.

Duanmu Huai could guess Liliath’s reasoning: it was akin to a nation losing its Emperor and suddenly being told, "You’re the Emperor’s child, the rightful heir to the throne." Anyone would feel overwhelmed. Although Naruse Mio didn’t seem to have much affection for her biological father... well, who could predict such matters?

Later that night, Naruse Mio knocked on Duanmu Huai’s room door.

"Uncle, may I disturb you for a moment?"

"Of course."

Seeing Naruse Mio in her sleepwear, Duanmu Huai turned and nodded. Naruse Mio entered, closed the door, and obediently sat in the chair beside him.

"... Are you still troubled by that matter?"

"Yes... honestly, I have no idea what to do. Uncle, what do you think?"

"Hmm, if you want my opinion, I’d say don’t trust the people who support you too much, and don’t worry too much about those who oppose you either."

"Is that so?"

Hearing Duanmu Huai’s response, Naruse Mio widened her eyes in surprise, gazing at him intently.

"Exactly. Remember, sometimes the harshest people are those who outwardly support you but then stab you in the back. For instance, as Liliath mentioned, a portion of the Wilbert family supports you taking the Clan Leader position. But why? You’re not like Liliath, who grew up under Demon Clan education. Just months ago, you were an ordinary high school girl. Do you really believe you can manage a Superior Demon Family?"

".........."

Naruse Mio shook her head.

"See? What you understand, those demons definitely understand too. But precisely because you’re inexperienced and untrained, you’re easier to manipulate and turn into their puppet. For them, that makes you the ideal choice for Clan Leader. Their motives, however, are a different matter entirely."

"... Then, what should I do?"

"If it were Liliath, I imagine she might turn the tables on those fools. But I doubt you’re capable of that, right?"

"I definitely couldn’t... and honestly, after learning about the Demon Clan’s ways, I hesitate. After all, even Liliath faced such circumstances before..."

Naruse Mio referred to Liliath’s near-forced marriage to the Phoenix Family. Though she didn’t participate in the battle back then, she witnessed everything. If even Liliath narrowly escaped such a situation, Naruse Mio doubted she was stronger... what if her family demanded she marry an unfamiliar Pureblood Demon?

At this point, Naruse Mio paused briefly. Then, as if she had reached a decision, she placed her hand over her chest and lifted her gaze toward Duanmu Huai.

"Uncle, I’ve decided to go to the Devil World."

"Oh?"

"I’ve been running for too long, but I realize running won’t solve anything. Liliath must have told me this for the same reason. Plus, truthfully, I’m tired of hiding, of living uncertainly. Whether I inherit or not, I want to settle this once and for all. But..."

"But?"

"I have one small request."

At this point, Naruse Mio blushed. She lowered her head, fidgeting with her fingers, appearing slightly embarrassed.

"Could you... come with me, Uncle? If you’re by my side, I won’t be afraid..."

"What, is that all?"

Hearing Naruse Mio’s plea, Duanmu Huai chuckled and reached out to gently pat her head.

"Of course."