The World Is Mine For The Taking

Chapter 1488: Chapter 211 - The Seven Deadly Sins (4)

Leona’s POV

The Seven Deadly Sin of Wrath.

A being known across the world as the Great Empress of the Demon Continent.

She wasn’t particularly tall. In fact, she looked almost absurdly small compared to the terrifying reputation attached to her name. A petite figure, a pair of horns protruding from her head, and a wild grin that looked like it belonged to someone who considered destruction a fun weekend hobby. Just looking at her was enough to tell me exactly what kind of person she was.

Or at least, what kind of monster.

She sat comfortably atop one of her undead servants as though she were riding a throne into battle.

The thing beneath her was enormous. Its head was covered by a rough sack, hiding whatever face it once had. Thick chains were wrapped around its neck like a leash, and Satania held those chains casually in one hand. The contrast was honestly ridiculous. She looked like a tiny girl sitting on top of a nightmare capable of flattening a city.

Then again, appearances had never meant much when it came to monsters.

And Satania was one of the worst.

She was Wrath itself.

Among the Seven Deadly Sins, she was considered the strongest. Countless stories followed her wherever she went. Cities reduced to rubble. Armies burned to ash. Entire regions erased from maps because she happened to be in a bad mood.

Some of those stories were probably exaggerated.

The problem was that nobody could tell which ones.

Personally, I believed she had been the one who delivered the final strike against Lilith. The attack that shattered Lilith apart and scattered fragments of her existence throughout the world.

One of those fragments became me.

So in a strange and somewhat annoying way, I could blame part of my existence on the woman currently strolling into the Imperial Palace like she owned the place.

She entered through the gates without the slightest hesitation.

The Emperor wasted no time greeting her.

"A lovely day to you, Great Empress of the Demon World," he said with a polite smile. "I must admit, I wasn’t expecting your arrival early today. Had I known in advance, I could have arranged a proper banquet to welcome you."

"Spare us the pleasantries," Satania replied immediately. "We don’t have time for all that."

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"We are more interested in discussing the deal you’re trying to make."

Straight to business.

At least she wasn’t pretending otherwise.

"In the wars you’ve got planned," she continued, "if we provide enough undead for your campaigns, every soul belongs to us. That’s the agreement, right?"

The Emperor didn’t seem bothered by her bluntness.

"If you allow me control over a portion of those undead, then yes. I can provide as many souls as you desire."

He folded his hands behind his back.

"The situation is rather complicated. Certain groups have begun uniting against me. They’ve made sure any direct action would come at a significant cost."

His expression darkened slightly.

"They’ve hidden themselves behind the Great Forest."

I remained silent while listening.

The Great Forest wasn’t merely a forest anymore.

It had become a nation.

"The region is rich with resources and population," the Emperor continued. "Ordinarily, conquering it would not be particularly difficult. Unfortunately, the races within have begun cooperating with one another. Their unity has created a problem."

A very big problem.

Historically speaking, getting different races to agree on anything was already impressive.

Getting them to work together was practically a miracle.

"My military strength is no longer sufficient for a clean campaign," he said. "Especially while a republic backed by armies of metal continues to pressure my borders."

Armies of metal.

Machines.

Constructs.

Whatever they wanted to call them, they were dangerous.

"As such, I require assistance. In exchange, every soul that falls during the conflict can be yours. My soldiers. Their soldiers. Anyone who dies."

A simple offer.

A horrifying offer.

And probably one Satania would find very appealing.

Everyone knew she was conducting experiments involving the undead.

Nobody knew exactly what she was preparing for.

That was honestly the most worrying part.

If someone like Satania felt the need to keep building stronger armies, then whatever she was expecting had to be bad.

Really bad.

The problem was that souls weren’t exactly unlimited.

Even for someone like her.

To increase the strength of her undead forces, she needed stronger individuals. An undead soldier was only as impressive as the person it used to be.

If she wanted powerful undead, she needed powerful corpses.

That simple.

Which was exactly why this proposal interested her.

A massive war meant powerful people would die.

And every one of them could become another soldier under her command.

"Although..." Satania said slowly.

A grin spread across her face.

"Wouldn’t it be easier if we just killed everyone here instead?"

The room instantly became tense.

The atmosphere changed so quickly it almost felt physical.

Hands moved toward weapons.

Guards straightened.

Several nobles looked like they were deciding whether diving out a window was a viable survival strategy.

Honestly, some of them looked one bad sentence away from fainting.

The worst part was that nobody could dismiss the possibility.

Satania wasn’t bluffing.

If she wanted everyone in the castle dead, there wasn’t much anyone present could do about it.

Including me.

That was simply reality.

For several seconds, nobody spoke.

Then she laughed.

"Kukuku."

The sound echoed through the hall.

"You people are hilarious."

Her shoulders shook slightly as she laughed.

"You should’ve seen your faces."

A few people didn’t seem amused.

Satania appeared to enjoy that even more.

"Relax. At least for now."

She waved her hand dismissively.

"We have no intention of destroying something that could end up being useful to us."

Her smile widened.

"So your modest little country gets to survive another day."

What a comforting statement.

The implication that tomorrow was apparently negotiable didn’t help.

Still, nobody was foolish enough to point that out.

Satania leaned forward slightly atop her undead mount.

"Although..."

The grin on her face became sharper.

"That doesn’t mean we won’t kill someone if they happen to catch our interest."

A cold silence settled over the room.

She tugged lightly on the chain wrapped around the creature beneath her.

The giant undead shifted obediently.

"And if we do," she continued casually, "they’re joining our army."

She said it so casually that it almost sounded like she was discussing recruitment.