Golden holy swords fell like a fine rain, brilliant light pouring down to fill the entire Demon Cavern, illuminating it as brightly as day.
Players and adventurers who had been fleeing moments earlier all came to a halt, stunned, turning back toward the center of the battlefield. Yet the radiance was far too dazzling—so blinding that none of them could make out what was actually happening within.
Suddenly, a striking system notification appeared in their field of vision.
[The Demon Cavern Core has been destroyed!]
"???"
The players looked at one another, faces filled with confusion. None of them could comprehend what, exactly, had just happened in that split second.
Lu Bo and the others, however, had witnessed the entire scene firsthand, their expressions a mix of shock and bewilderment.
They were awed by the sheer splendor of the holy light magic—yet utterly baffled as to why the two bosses had suddenly turned on each other.
They had even heard the word "betrayal."
Don't tell me…Kurose Akira actually turned the boss's wife against him?
As time passed, the golden radiance gradually faded.
The remains of the Undead Lord and Madina vanished completely, leaving behind only scattered armor and broken fragments.
With the Undead Lord's life extinguished, the undead warriors under his command collapsed one after another, dissolving into wisps of smoke that dispersed into the air.
At that moment, a series of notifications appeared before Kurose Akira's eyes.
[Undead Lord Norland defeated. EXP +10,000! Contribution Points +100!][Madina defeated. EXP +10,000! Contribution Points +100!][Demon Cavern Core destroyed ×2. Contribution Points +600!][Skeleton Knight defeated ×1. Contribution Points +5!][…]
A cascade of rewards flooded his vision. Combined with his earlier gains, this single battle had earned Kurose Akira a total of 1,262 Contribution Points.
"Wait… where is Lady Madina?"Kurose Akira suddenly realized that Madina was nowhere to be seen.
"Over here~"
A faint voice drifted through the air—Madina's voice—letting him know she was still alive.
Kurose Akira immediately followed the sound and arrived at the spot where Madina's gravestone had once stood.
Peering through cracks in the ground, he saw Madina's soul hiding in a shadowed corner beneath the earth.
"Come down here."
Madina extended her tentacles toward him, gently hooking them in invitation.
With a light movement, Kurose Akira descended to her side. The moment his feet touched the ground, the gravestone seemed almost sentient—broken earth around them instantly stitched itself together, forming a concealed underground chamber.
…?
Kurose Akira was puzzled.What exactly did Madina want to say to him?
So secretive…
At that moment, Madina drifted toward him like a soft breeze. Warm tentacles gently adhered to his cheek as she smiled and spoke softly.
"You truly exceeded my expectations. To think you really helped me break free from Norland's control… you're incredible, little brother~"
Yet seeing Madina's current condition, Kurose Akira couldn't help but feel worried.
"Lady Madina… your state right now…"
Her soul flickered unsteadily, as though it might dissipate into the air at any moment.
"Yes. My soul is far too weak—I probably won't be able to maintain this form for long," Madina replied helplessly.
"If you don't mind," Kurose Akira offered, "you could enter my Soul Orb?"
"No need, little brother~" Madina smiled and shook her head. "Your kindness is enough for me. Now that I've gained my freedom, I want to use what little time I have left to search for Mother."
"…Mother?" Kurose Akira frowned in confusion.
"Yes," Madina explained. "According to legend, Mother is the being who gave birth to all demons. Yet no one has ever truly seen Her. I want to spend my remaining time searching for Her existence. Only She can allow me to be reborn."
"I see."After hearing her explanation, Kurose Akira respected and accepted her decision.
Still, curiosity stirred within him.
A being that gave birth to all demons?
But demons were divided into countless races, weren't they?
Succubi, Nightmares, Ghouls, Flame Demons… According to the game's lore, even vampires were classified as a branch of demonkind.
"Demon" was merely a collective term. Together with undead, banshees, and similar beings, they were broadly referred to as the Demon Race.
So what kind of existence could possibly give birth to all demons?
The Demon Progenitor?
As Kurose Akira pondered this, Madina silently drifted closer.
Her tentacles gently coiled around his limbs. She lifted his chin and whispered softly,
"But before that, little brother… would you let big sister experience your strength?"
As she spoke, tentacles tipped with suction cups slowly slipped in through his collar, inching downward.
The suction cups adhered to his skin, sending strange, intoxicating sensations through him. Even though she existed only as a soul—greatly reducing physical contact—it was still almost impossible to resist.
It was hard to imagine how devastating it would be if Lady Madina possessed a physical body… especially for someone with sensitive skin.
Particularly when her soul's breath brushed against him at the same time, the suction cups moving in rhythm—fast, then slow, tightening, then—
Slurp… slurp…
The overwhelming sensation left Kurose Akira dazed, as if he were about to plunge straight into the abyss.
And in that delicate moment, Madina's tentacles quietly reached a forbidden place.
Her eyes brimmed with curiosity.
As the Undead Lord's wife, she had never once seen a normal man. She had been imprisoned within the undead castle, her daily meals delivered by maids straight to her room.
As for the Undead Lord himself—utter nonsense. How could there ever have been any "contact" to speak of?
From the very beginning, the Undead Lord had married her with the intention of refining her corpse into a demonic undead. After ten years in the undead castle, she had been buried alive, eventually becoming what she was now.
In other words—this was her first time.
"Little brother~ Big sister is about to—"
Madina, full of anticipation, shed her restraint and prepared to indulge… when suddenly, dazzling holy light burst forth before her eyes without warning.
"Th-This!? What is this!?"
The sacred radiance left Madina utterly stunned. She had never imagined witnessing such a scene. The blazing, brilliant holy light shook her soul to its core!
It felt as though, in the next instant, her tainted soul would be completely purified by that radiance!
But—
"…This might be my only chance."
Madina gathered her courage and extended her tentacles toward the holy light…
"Ah~ I'm being purified~"
(What follows is a demon purification storyline. The next hundred thousand words are omitted…)
...
Ten minutes later, Kurose Akira emerged from beneath the ground.
Lady Madina had already departed, setting off on her journey to seek the illusory "Mother." She held no certainty in her heart—but it was her only hope of rebirth.
Before leaving, she gifted Kurose Akira a fragment.
A pitch-black shard engraved with strange runes. Through his player privileges, Kurose Akira was able to discern part of the hidden information within.
[Corner of the Demon Tablet (?): Records Her story. (1/5)]
"Her story…?"Kurose Akira murmured, a trace of doubt crossing his face.
She… really exists?