NOVEL WEB Chapter 224: Infernal Affairs
"Akanon, you are out of line!" The Spider Mother clearly wasn't satisfied with the reply.
"Please calm down, Your Majesty, and hear me out," Akanon said.
"Then speak," the Spider Mother snapped as she flopped back down, glaring at Akanon.
Yet instead of speaking, he stood up, walked over to her, and reached out his hand to caress the Spider Mother's fair neck.
The Spider Mother instinctively wanted to pull away, but seeing that there was no trace of desecration in Akanon's eyes, she didn't dodge.
When Akanon's touch reached the Spider Mother's neck, a roar like that of a primal beast shook the very soul of the Spider Mother.
"This... this... this..." The Spider Mother was stunned, as the breath that had touched her soul belonged to her husband—the Hell Demon King—whom she longed for day and night!
"Is it really you?!" The Spider Mother, overcome with emotion, threw her arms around Akanon, and kissed him without a second thought, seeking the soul that had been lonely for eons and the desires buried in her heart.
However, Akanon decisively pushed her away; he couldn't afford any entanglements with the Spider Mother at the moment. Otherwise, it would be hard to avoid detection by those lurking in the shadows.
"Alesia, I cannot reveal myself just yet," Akanon said gravely. "I took this risk to tell you because I hope you will stay out of this matter. I do not wish to lose your company when I reclaim my throne."
"My King..." The Spider Mother was so moved she burst into tears.
It took a while before the Spider Mother regained her composure. "My King, how did you... how did you resurrect yourself and enter Akanon's body?"
"I never died," the Demon King replied calmly. "When Hell was defeated, and I was about to be killed by those two, it was Akanon who used his unique traits to swap my soul with his, thus taking my place and being nailed to the throne. And it is because my soul remains undying that the Heart of Hell did not change hands and has continued to lie dormant."
"Though Akanon traded our souls, the cost of resurrection was too great. Over the years, I've been recuperating in the depths of the Soul Lake. Little did I expect that Archimonde and Liesuotus would try to resurrect my body in order to seize the Heart of Hell. They really thought this through."
Obviously, the Hell Demon King was angry with their actions. Just as he'd analyzed earlier, these two had no good intentions in resurrecting him.
Therefore, he prepared to go with the flow, awaiting the moment these two would come into conflict, so he could reap the benefits.
"My Lord, how do you plan to deal with them?" Nestled in the Demon King's arms, the Spider Mother asked curiously.
But the Demon King did not answer. "That is not for you to ask. Listen well, do not get involved in any affairs, do not step out of your plane, and most importantly, do not expose my identity."
"I understand, I'll follow your command." In the presence of the Demon King, the Spider Mother was like a docile lamb.
After some more chatting, the Demon King stood up and left.
Only after confirming that the Demon King had left her plane did the sultry Spider Mother enter a secret chamber deep underground.
With the opening of a portal, Archimonde appeared inside the chamber.
"I heard Akanon came looking for you?"
The Spider Mother bit her lip lightly. "Yes."
Archimonde glanced at the Spider Mother, her cheeks still flushed, and snorted coldly before pulling her into his embrace. "What? Did he take advantage of you?"
"Why would I let that old fool do that? If you don't believe me... why don't you have a taste?"
Archimonde laughed heartily and then, tearing off his clothes, rolled into bed with the Spider Mother.
After a tumultuous round of passion, the contented Spider Mother lay on Archimonde's chest and finally said, "Akanon is the Demon King."
"What?!" This revelation truly stunned Archimonde. "Are you certain?!"
"He deliberately revealed his identity to me. I, too, did not expect that Akanon would sacrifice himself, swap souls with the Demon King, and replace him on the throne."
"If this is true..." Honestly, Archimonde was a bit panicked.
"If it's true, what do you plan to do?" The Spider Mother looked at Archimonde with a teasing gaze. "Will you surrender to the Demon King? Pledge your loyalty?"
Archimonde glanced at the Spider Mother. "Then I'll kill him!"
"Kill? How are you going to kill? I've seen his soul, and it is nearly restored to its original state, just a hair's breadth from its peak—not something your crippled self can handle."
Face to face with the contempt of the Spider Mother, Archimonde flipped her beneath him, "Really? Do you still want to try me?"
Feeling the searing heat of Archimonde, the Spider Mother fluttered her eyes seductively, cooed, "I would love to be taught a lesson~"
And then, more of that…
Meanwhile, after leaving the Spider Mother's dimension, the soul of Akanon inside the Demon King spoke, "Your Majesty, I feel it wasn't appropriate to reveal your identity before the Empress."
Deep within his soul, the Demon King offered no rebuke, instead sighing, "Akanon, I don't want to be too lonely…"
"But it seems the Spider Mother has already betrayed you, her soul is no longer pure."
"I can see that." The Demon King wasn't surprised, "I'm just giving Alesia a chance, if she doesn't cherish it, she can't blame me for being heartless."
"Your Majesty, after this meeting with the Empress, your identity might have been exposed. What are you going to do next?" Akanon was very worried; after all, when he had taken the Demon King's place to die on the throne, although he had left a sliver of his soul behind, whether he could truly become independent again and take control of the body depended on the Demon King. If the Demon King died, so would he—it was natural to be anxious.
"What to do? Simple, just go to a dimension they can never set foot in." The Demon King chuckled. He had the Heart of Hell at his command, and the vastness of the world meant he wasn't restricted to Hell; the Star Sea was wide open.
"Right now?"
"No, we haven't openly clashed yet, there is no rush at this moment." With that, the Demon King walked away, with a dark demon waiting at the intersection ahead.
As Akanon arrived, the dark demon bowed, "Greetings, Your Majesty, the Demon King."
The Demon King, looking at the dark demon, joked, "You really are like an old dog, licking whoever you see."
The dark demon wasn't the least bit upset by the Demon King's comment, instead, he laughed, "You're right, Your Majesty. I'm just a dog who loves to join in the fun, wagging my tail for anyone who throws me a bone."
The Demon King glanced at the dark demon, then asked in a stern voice, "How's the information gathering going?"
"The Underworld King is expected to break through and return to the world after Akanon's main soul is revived."
The Underworld King… The Demon King didn't fear this Primordial God, yet still considered him his greatest enemy.
Back when the War God and the Lionheart God joined forces and invaded Hell, had the Underworld King not aided them from the shadows, how could he have been defeated by them?
After speaking, the dark demon vanished as the Demon King waved his hand.
Having left Hell, Lu Hong aimlessly wandered the desolate Star Sea.
The once lively and vibrant dimensions now lay silent in death. All the remnants of the beast race's sin, or rather, the scars of war—wounds on the world that could never be healed.
Where to go?
Suddenly, Lu Hong thought of the three northern towns, where Eferot was stationed—perhaps through him, he could track down Anna, even if it was only her remains.
After a long journey, Lu Hong crossed thousands of dimensions in the Star Sea to reach the North.
There, Eferot was training his soldiers, conducting the same strict regimen he had set for himself, continuously enhancing his own strength.
Soundlessly, Lu Hong appeared behind Eferot, silently observing him complete a day's training.
"That's it for today, all troops dismissed!"
At Eferot's command, the beast race soldiers dispersed.
Turning around, Eferot was startled by Lu Hong's sudden appearance, "Who are you?!"
This question also attracted the attention of the surrounding soldiers, all looking towards Eferot. However, in their eyes, aside from Eferot, there was no one else, and they asked curiously, "Your Highness, what's the matter?"
"They can't see me." Lu Hong said, using Divine Power to block the weaker beastmen's senses; a mere trifle in his overpowering strength and not even a skill worth mentioning.
Hearing this, Eferot waved at his soldiers, "It's nothing, I just spaced out for a moment."