The Demon King's First General
Chapter 177: Fight and Capture

Chapter 177: Fight and Capture

Uoiea’s mind stopped functioning for a few seconds as she stared at the demon walking away from the lake.

"Hey, is that the strongest of the eight?" She asked without averting her eyes from the creature.

’Why? Scared of it?’ The voice answered.

The princess gently shook her head in disagreement.

"No..." She paused and let out a soft chuckle before continuing. "It’s just if that demon is not even the strongest, I think we should just kill ourselves once the gate opens."

Upon hearing her comment, the old man couldn’t help but laugh.

’Actually, that Ultimate Creature of Destruction is the least hostile among the sovereigns. He’s just too smug to concern himself with those tedious tasks; just don’t hurt his pride, and maybe your body won’t end up as food for those seven mouths,’ he stated with a clever remark.

Uoiea smiled at the old man’s words, then her eyes roamed around the area.

"So where are the remaining four?" She asked, curiosity looming in her eyes.

However, the old man’s reply made her eyebrows furrow.

’I would like to apologize regarding that. Those demons would easily notice your presence when I move you to their locations, and it looks like she already noticed us,’ the old man explained, his voice laced with concern.

"It’s not your fault; don’t be too dishear—" Uoiea was in the middle of speaking when someone spoke behind her, interrupting her sentence.

"Uoiea? What a unique name you’ve got there," a voice so pleasant yet lacking any emotion commented.

This caused her to turn around in a hurry; her heart raced upon seeing a woman standing in the far distance. The beat on her chest felt like drums, rolling as it started to get louder with every second that passed.

’How did she know my name?’ She pondered while staring at the woman.

Afterward, the old man’s voice echoed inside her head.

’Run!’ It was just a word, but it was enough to make her worry about her safety.

Without hesitation, she heeded the old man’s advice, but the moment she stepped backward, her eyes widened in surprise as her body bumped into something.

As far as she remembered, she was near the lakeshore, and there was nothing supposed to block her path. She turned her head bit by bit only to see a round, circular face with its large mouth grinning at her. It had no eyes, ears, or nose, just its razor-sharp teeth.

"Don’t worry, I don’t intend any harm. Just a little curious about this little visitor of ours," the woman stated, but her expression remained blank.

As soon as Uoiea heard her words, she diverted her gaze in front. She looked straight at the woman’s eyes. Then, she smiled, trying to set aside her fear.

"Is that so? Then if you wouldn’t mind me asking, how could you see me and know who I was?" She replied with a question, doing her best not to stutter.

Afterward, she examined the woman’s appearance. Hourglass figure covered in a maroon-colored cocktail dress with glittering diamonds on its hem, silver hair braided like a waterfall, and tall black boots that greatly enhanced her height.

’Is she the Sovereign of Lust? She’s beautiful, but those...’ Uoiea thought, stunned by the woman’s dazzling appearance.

She considered her almost perfect if not for one thing, those dull and lifeless eyes. Then, while staring at the woman, she felt like she had already seen her somewhere, but her contemplation was disrupted when the old man’s voice rang inside her head.

’No Uoiea! Don’t interact! Just run away from her!’ He exclaimed.

’Can you just teleport me away from this place?’ Uoiea asked.

She was curious, but she still valued her life.

’I can’t. Her presence alone is preventing me from using my abilities,’ the old man answered.

Upon hearing this, Uoiea felt numb; she could sense the uneasiness from his voice.

’She—’ The old man was about to speak, but it disappeared all of a sudden.

Uoiea tried to call him out, but she received no response. Then her eyebrows furrowed as soon as she heard the woman’s words.

"At last, the stares are gone," she said while looking around.

Afterward, she focused her gaze on the princess and answered her previous question.

"That’s simple; I can see souls since the time I woke up to this world, and each of them has their names imprinted on it," she explained.

Then she tucked the disheveled hair from her left ear and spoke once again.

"I love collecting souls, but sometimes they end up as my meal," she added, her tone still blank.

Uoiea shivered, and her eyes squinted upon hearing her words.

"R-Really? Do they taste good?" She asked.

Then, several seconds later, she felt awkward upon realizing how absurd her own question was.

However, the woman just shrugged it off and heeded it no mind, answering. "The stronger the soul, the tastier they are."

Afterward she stepped forward and sauntered towards Uoiea’s direction.

"I believe it’s my turn to ask now," she said while walking.

With only half a meter away from Uoiea, she came to a halt. Then, she held the princess’ right arm and looked at the bracelet around her wrist.

"Do you like this thing?" She asked.

Her dull-looking eyes were staring at the dice dangling from the princess’ ornament.

Uoiea kept her silence; she didn’t know what to reply, but when their eyes met, she forced herself to answer.

"Actually, I find this pretty..." she said, her voice barely a whisper.

"Why? Do you like it?" She added, asking.

The woman shook her head and let go of the princess’ arm.

"I hate those things," the silver-haired demon conveyed; there was a hint of anger in her voice.

"I-Is that so?" Uoiea replied, stammering while hiding the bracelet with her other arm.

Silence crept into the desolate land as the woman didn’t speak any further. Uoiea calmed down a little, and curiosity about the demon invaded her thoughts.

So, she decided to open up another conversation. However, when she was about to speak, the ground started to shake, and a loud roar echoed across the horizon.

Uoiea did her best to stay on her feet while the monster behind her stepped forward and supported her, preventing her from falling. Then, she looked at the source of the tremor, and her eyes widened upon seeing the huge creature coming back to the lake.

’Would he be able to see me as well? What to do?’ Thoughts came flashing through her mind, and panic laced her eyes.

She swallowed hard and prepared herself if a fight would break out. Then, several seconds later, the Second Sovereign of Pride stood right in front of them.

Its seven heads leaned downward and stared at the monster and the silver-haired demon.

"What are you doing here? Are you here to embrace your death?" Not a single head opened its mouth, but a deep voice echoed in the place.

Uoiea was startled by the sudden question, but she chose to keep her silence and just watch for the scene to unfold.

"Not really, I’m just wondering what your flesh tastes like; maybe you can spare me even one head..."The woman paused for a second and then raised her right arm and continued. "I swear, I’ll give you some after I cook it so you can experience your own meat."

Uoiea’s jaw dropped upon hearing the silver-haired demon’s response.

’Are you for real?’ She exclaimed in her thoughts as she didn’t have the courage to say it out loud.

All of the demon creature’s eyes glared at the woman; however, he didn’t attack; instead, he stepped backward and moved towards the lake.

Then, as his whole body submerged underneath, the silver-haired demon turned her gaze back to the princess.

"Would you mind playing a game with me?" She asked.

Uoiea woke up from her contemplation upon hearing the woman’s voice. Then, she pondered for a moment before giving out an answer.

"I’m not that good at playing, though. What kind of game is it?" She asked, and for the very first time, she saw a smile flash from the demon’s lips.

"It’s simple; I called it Fight and Capture," she uttered.

Afterward, she reached for her left side pocket and pulled something outside. It was a deck of cards with white skulls forming a circle on its cover.

Then, she tossed the deck upward, making the cards scatter and hover in the air, but the next second, they all fell back to her palm.

"Give it a cut," the demon said as she extended her hand to the princess.

Uoiea did what she was told even though she had no idea what was about to happen. The next second, the woman shuffled the set of cards, and then she looked at the princess and pulled the uppermost card.

"Here! In this deck, there are cards like this one..." She paused and flipped the card for Uoiea to see. It was a card containing a spider drawn with a red tint.

"If you pull a card with a monster on it, you’ll need to fight and kill it for you to win; however..." She paused once again and drew another card before showing it to Uoiea.

This time it was a blank card, a pure white background without even a single dot.

"If you get this card, you’ll be captured and trapped inside for eternity," she stated with a smile.

Uoiea felt chills run down her spine, and the old man’s advice flashed in her mind.

’Don’t let the Eighth Sovereign capture your soul.’

Fear enveloped her body, which made her take a step backward, but the hideous red and black monster had already grabbed her arm.

Uoiea ignored it; her entire focus was on the woman in front of her.

"Are you perhaps the Eighth Sovereign?" She asked, her voice trembling.

The silver-haired demon didn’t answer right away. Instead, she shuffled the cards once again, then she placed her right foot behind the other and lifted the hem of her dress on both sides.

With the calm, bloody lake as the background and flashes of lightning lighting up the horizon, she bent down on her knees while lowering her head.

"Please forgive me for the late introduction; I am Zeny Alleah, the Eighth Sovereign of Apathy," she stated, her tone laced with boredom.

. . . . .