System's POV

A powerful attack from the Artemian Commander slammed into the giant black snake. With a thunderous crash, Tiona plummeted to the ground, carving a crater into the earth.

Now that Nautilus' main cannons had been used up, Tiona was forced to defend her Master using everything in her arsenal.

But it was of no use.

Lucan was simply far too powerful for the current her to defeat.

"Surrender," Lucan said as he stepped onto the Black Snake's head, forcing it to the ground. "Or I will kill you!"

Lucan was still holding back, fearing he'd accidentally kill Zia if he wasn't careful.

He deliberately controlled his strength for that reason. Otherwise, Tiona would have died countless times already.

Tiona hissed angrily as she did a deathroll to throw off the Artemian Commander, who was stepping on her.

She succeeded in her plan, but the only reward she got was a kick that sent her crashing toward a nearby mountain, making her screech in pain.

The demons under her command had already perished after they did their best to mitigate the damage that Tiona had received from Lucan's relentless attacks.

They would need some time to recover before they could respawn once more.

The same could be said for Tiona.

Even if Lucan killed her, she would merely enter a state of hibernation and would be revived by the Banner of the Hundred Demons after a few days.

However, she refused to let that happen. Once she died, Zia would be left here and be captured by the Artemian Commander.

Nautilus had also refrained from firing its cannons because Lucan had used Tiona as a shield during one of its barrages, which made the black snake suffer serious injuries.

Jubei gritted his teeth. There was nothing more that they could do in the current situation.

One mistake, and he might accidentally kill not only Tiona but also Zia as well. If that really happened, he would not be able to forgive himself.

Athena was of the same mind, so she reluctantly relinquished control over Nautilus and used a different approach to help her Master.

Tiona was barely breathing as her transformation went undone.

When she returned to her original form, she was still holding Zia in her arms, making sure that she was safe.

Seeing that the black snake was no longer able to keep fighting, Lucan no longer hesitated and flew in their direction.

He was afraid that if he hesitated, something else would happen which would make Zia slip off from his grasp.

It had already happened so many times already, that Lucan was actually half-expecting something or someone to show up to get in his way.

Not wanting to waste more time, he used his telekinesis to forcefully pry off Zia from Tiona's hold, making the succubus princess fly into his arms.

Only after he finally caught Zia did Lucan laughed out loud. Finally, he had captured the prize he had long wished to possess.

Tiona gritted her teeth as she tried to prop her blood-veiled body.

She had already used up her strength, but after seeing her Master in the arms of the enemy, it prompted her to do everything in her power to move.

Unfortunately, she was truly a spent candle and could only look at her master with tears streaming down her eyes.

Lucan no longer bothered Tiona and flew away, so he could return to their underground headquarters.

He was feeling a little anxious because he believed that the Jinns may have noticed what was happening in the north.

Their scouts were always patrolling the area, so there was a high chance that they might have reported everything they saw back to Velmusa City.

The only silver lining was that it would take the main force of the Jinns at least two days to reach his location, giving him some time to escape and return to their headquarters.

Lucan looked at the beautiful young lady in his arms and felt that all the suffering he had gone through to get her was worth it.

"You're really a high-maintenance lady, Zia," Lucan said with a sigh. "The Jinns went to war because of you, and I lost Azoh'Karn and ten Rank 8 Azothralls just to get you back. I sure hope that my losses will be worth it after I gain your power."

Suddenly, Zia's body radiated a blinding flash of golden light, which forced Lucan to close his eyes.

When the light receded, Zia was no longer in his arms, making Lucan almost panic.

But just as he was about to look for her, he saw the young lady hovering dozens of meter away from him, her eyes glowing in a golden light.

The bloodline of the Chandrea Royal Family had finally awakened.

"Congratulations, princess, for awakening your bloodline power," Lucan said, overjoyed after feeling the same fluctuation of power that he felt from the body of the Chandrean Princess who had become their Queen.

Even being in her presence alone was making Lucan, who was several times stronger than Zia, feel a little anxious. He knew full well that the miraculous power of the Chandrean Royal Bloodline was not something to be underestimated.

"You hurt my people," Zia said softly. "Rocky and Tiona… You made them suffer."

"I apologize, Princess Zia, but I had no choice," Lucan replied, preparing to knock the princess unconscious to avoid any future problems.

"Unforgivable," Zia stated as her golden eyes regained a bit of their clarity. "I will not forgive you."

Lucan chuckled. "I don't need your forgiveness, Princess. I only need your bloodline and your body. That is all that I wanted ever since I laid my eyes on you."

"And you shall not have any of it," Zia replied coldly. "Because I will kill you."

Lucan sneered as he clenched his fist. "I'm sorry in advance, Princess. This might hurt a bit."

Without another word, Lucan disappeared from where he stood and teleported right in front of Zia, intending to give her jaw a light tap in order to knock her out.

But it never happened.

The Artemian Commander glanced in shock when he saw a golden chain binding his right wrist, preventing him from knocking the princess unconscious.

Just as he was thinking of breaking the chains by force, he felt something hit his left cheek.

A crisp resounding sound reached his ears, and the stinging pain that followed made him realize that Zia had just slapped him.

"That one is for kidnapping me," Zia said before slapping Lucan's right cheek. "That one is for getting encased in a cocoon."

Although the slap was loud, it didn't hurt him much, making him chuckle.

"Are you tickling me, princess?" Lucan asked in a teasing tone.

Zia didn't bother to reply before she clenched her fist and punched Lucan's chest, making the latter feel as if he had been hit by a truck, draining all the air in his lungs.

"That one is for Rocky," Zia's voice now held a tinge of killing intent. "And this one is for Tiona."

With another punch, the Artemian Commander crashed to the ground, creating a crater that was dozens of meters wide.

Lucan groaned in pain and in shock. Did that punch just truly hurt him?

He then stared wide-eyed at the succubus princess, who was looking down on him as if he were already dead meat.

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