Chapter 687- Enemies on a narrow path
Being made by two of the most powerful demons here, the barrier although got cracked, did not break and swiftly restored himself. Though the same couldn't be said for the Giga Minotaur who took the full brunt of its own powerful charge of death.
Its body trembled as it took a few steps back and fell down on the ground powerlessly. Even with its [Titanic Resilience], the injury that the beast suffered was just too much. The Giga Minotaurus was defeated.
SILENCE~ there was a deathly silence in the venue for a while before the audience erupted in a mixture of awe and disbelief.
For a long time, they couldn't believe what they had witnessed, the defeat of a formidable creature by the hands of a seemingly fragile girl seemed so unplausible that some of them even had to rub their eyes to clear the doubt.
Why would they not, after all, a powerful subordinate like the [A] rank Giga Minotaurus was defeated. However, what they were most shocked by was not the fact that it was an [A] rank subordinate, but that it was the subordinate of a Demon Duke.
In other words, Duke Arctaurus a powerful Demon Duke had lost. In comparison, the subordinate of the Demon Earl who was still standing, had won the Ritual of the Blades shocking all of the demons present.
"This can't be" Duke Arctaurus, his face etched with frustration and disappointment, could do nothing but watch as Maybell emerged victorious.
The realisation that he had miscalculated and the power of the little girl settled upon him like a heavyweight. He had underestimated her, and now he and his subordinate stood defeated.
"Oh, dear Duke Arctaurus, it seems you have underestimated the power of my friend here. Your loyal minion has fallen, defeated by the subordinate of a Demon Earl that you look down upon so much"
A voice full of delight, sounded out at this moment, it was Oswell's. Of course, the demon was there to add salt to the injury.
Arctaurus furrowed his brows in disbelief and demanded an explanation "How can that be? There must be a mistake. How can I lose from a mere Demon Earl? That's right, he must have cheated. That demon earl must have done something"
In his unwillingness to accept defeat, he even started blaming Simon.
"So you will fall as low as to even spout nonsense now that you have lost? How shameful Duke Arctaurus. We all have witnessed their fight with our own eyes, so there is no way the Demon Earl could cheat. Or are you saying that you are unwilling to accept the results of the ancient tradition of the Ritual of the Blades that you yourself demanded in the first place".
"No, this...".
After silencing the Duke, Oswell turned towards Belial and urged him to give his verdict. The latter composed himself and looked at the result of the battle with solemn eyes. Even for him, it was impossible to predict that the Giga Minotaurus would lose and that too from a subordinate of a mere Demon Earl.
As such, he didn't expect a turn of events like that. That said, he was still a demon Lord and as such, he quickly regained his wits back.
Now that Duke Arctaurus had lost the Ritual of the Bldes that he himself initiated, even if Belila wanted to, he couldn't help the other.
"Belial, listen to me" At this moment, his eyes surreptitiously glanced towards the place where his father, the Demon Archduke Gareth was seated as a mental transmission was shared between them.
"I have no intentions of interfering with your decision; however, I sense a peculiar power within the Demon Earl's subordinate. There is something unique about them. Follow your instincts, and do what you feel is right".
"But do remember that those stubborn fellows are watching. If you side too much with Arctaurus, you would be vandalising your own position and relationship with Oswell".
The mental transmission from Gareth carried a sense of concern and curiosity.
"I understand father, I will make a verdict befitting my position". Saying that, Belial glanced at the crowd, his regal aura bearing down on all the demons like a mountain.
"After careful consideration and evaluation, I hereby deliver my verdict." The hall fell into an expectant silence as all eyes fixed upon Belial, awaiting his decision.
The demon lord continued with an unwavering voice "The Ritual of the Blades has proven the might of the Demon Earl and his subordinate. It was an excellent battle between strength and agility and was an undeniable proof of their worthiness".
"As such, I decree that the Ghastly Winding Forest shall be recognized as the dominion of the Demon Earl Simon. Duke Arctaurus, Duke Gelford, I believe both of you have no qualms with my decision? If so then it is decided".
WOAHHH... With Belial's declaration, Whispers spread among the onlooking demons, their voices tinged with a mixture of admiration and disbelief.
The mighty subordinate of Duke Arctaurus whom nobody here thought would lose, lay defeated, knocked out by the subordinate of the Demon Earl they looked down upon. What's more, they even snatched the coveted territory of the Ghastly Winding Forest from the hands of the two dukes.
Something like this was unprecedented and shook the demons to their very core. The achievement of winning the Ritual of the Blades against an opponent like the Demon Duke, and proving his worthiness to protect his territory, marked Simon as one of the extraordinary demons in existence in the entire demon realm.
Now his name along with his territory, the Ghastly Winding forest was infamous to all the demons.
"Congratulations my friend, you achieved what you sought out to do" Oswell congratulated with a face full of smiles.
It was as he had said, winning the Ghastly winding Forest and spreading his name across the entire demon world, was what Simon had in his mind before coming to the Hexennacht.
"Although Belial decreed the forest as your territory, I doubt Duke Arctaurus and Duke Gelford who have been vying for this territory for centuries will give up so easily. They won't publicly show their opposition to the Demon Lord's verdict but they are sure to create troubles in your territory".
"That's how those two dukes are, especially Duke Arctaurus. To achieve his desires, that fellow will go to any lengths. And now, by defeating him in the Ritual of the Blades, you have completely earned his ire. I believe you know it already, but Belial's decree only holds true as long as you are alive. If you are out of the picture, the Ghastly Winding Forest will have no owner once again. So you have to be more careful in the future. "
Like a good friend, Oswell warned Simon of the upcoming trouble that he would have to face in the future.
Simon nodded his head making a wry smile. This was his first no second time socializing with the demon society. Yet every time, there would be some trouble or another latching onto him against his will.
This time though, it was entirely his own fault for throwing himself into trouble. He had deliberately and intentionally offended the two powerful dukes while fully knowing what would happen.
What Oswell said was just to be expected. That being said, Simon had no regrets, he did what he had to do. And if given another chance, he would still repeat this action of his and offend as many demons if it meant getting what he wanted.
The barrier was released and the adorable figure of Maybell quickly arrived before Simon.
"Master I completed what you asked me to" With a beaming smile, the former looked at the latter waiting to get praised. However, before Simon could commend his subordinate for her efforts, a complication occurred.
BAM... BAM... BAM... while shaking the entire venue with every step that it took, the Giga Minotaurus followed behind Maybell like a pet following its master.
"What are you doing Minos? Are you disobeying our contract?" And of course, following the appearance of the Giga Minotaurus, came the thundering voice of an angry Duke.
Duke Arctaurus whose face was writhing with fury and shame at the disobedience of his subordinate appeared before Simon and his group too.
The crowd which had settled down after watching an exciting show, started boiling up once again with the unfolding of a new drama.
"What is the meaning of this Earl Simon, why is Minos following behind that girl and rebelling against my orders?" Duke Arctaurus questioned glaring at Simon.
The latter sighed and observed the eyes of the Giga Minotaurus which had turned a peculiar blood red. Things proceeded just like he had feared, the Giga Minotaurus had become one of Maybell's familiars. The blood red pupils were the first stage of that process.
Simon glanced at Maybell who at this moment was avoiding his gaze. This little girl, despite his instructions went ahead and did what she wanted. That being said, he couldn't blame her because he When we get back home, I will summon some other subordinate for you, you can make them your familiar. How about it?" Simon was the one to program her behaviour like that in the first place.
As such, if Maybell were to be blamed, then he as her creator was equally responsible. That aside, this was not the time to blame anyone, instead he needed to find a way out of this.
"Maybell, undo the familiar covenant"
With a stern voice, Simon turned towards Maybell and asked her to release the covenant binding the Giga Minotaurus to her.
"But... " the little girl tried to protest; however... "No buts, just release the minotaurus. It is someone else's subordinate after all. When we get back home, I will summon some other subordinate for you, you can make them your familiar. How about it?" Simon directed her to release the Giga Minotaurus.
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