29 Fiend Association

"What urgent news warrants you to disturb our meeting? Wasn't it clear that no one should disturb us, no matter what reasons you may have? We can't let this happen again, having our subordinates ignore our orders. Shouldn't we set an example to show that this isn't acceptable?" A blue-haired man squinted his eyes and suggested.

His aura intensified, pressing down on Shadow as if to show his authority.

The moment the pressure hit Shadow, she was forced to her knees. She knew that it was impossible to resist such a powerful existence. She felt an immense force on her body, as if she were being crushed by an insurmountable mountain. She could not move or breathe, feeling paralysis and suffocation.

Among the leaders before her, Jun was hated the most by the members under the other rulers for his behavior and how he acted. But he was still one of their rulers. As one of the rulers, he was contracted to one of the primordial demon gods of sin, the God of Wrath.

Even though she was a half-demon, just like the seven rulers were, her strength was no different from being nothing before them. It was simply because her contractor was inferior to the primordial demons. The stronger the demon they contracted, the greater the authority they had over their abilities and those of other demons.

This was the reason why no one dared even think about attacking the seven rulers. They all knew that they were absolutely powerless under the suppression. It would only lead them to their deaths.

The pressure grew way beyond Shadow's limits, creating cracks in the ground under her. She could feel as if her bones were being crushed under the pressure. It became certain that she wouldn't last for much longer.

"You were given the name Shadow, right? Now, Shadow, how should I punish you? I think you deserve the right to at least tell me how I'll punish you. Of course that means if you're unable to speak, that'll leave me with no choice but to choose for you."

"…" Blood trickled down her lips as she tried to force her body to stand. If only she were one of the seven rulers. She wouldn't have to bow her head down to anyone, let alone Jun, whom she hated.

She could only glare at Jun. If glares alone could kill, she would've killed Jun's over a thousand times already.

However, before the pressure could kill her, her lord released his own aura, blocking Jun's. Even though her lord would rather stay out of trouble with the other rulers, he couldn't let him kill his subordinate directly in front of him. She also appeared to have come with important news, and he wanted to hear what news was so important to go against their orders.

"Since she's come here with urgent news, killing her would be pointless." Azen, Shadow's lord, the third strongest, and the contractee of the God of Sloth spoke. "Shouldn't we at least hear what she has to say?"

"Azen's right. We should at least hear what she has to say. And Jun, you should try to control that temper of yours. Maybe someday it will end up killing you. Who knows if you offend a person you shouldn't have?" Reia, the weakest of the seven and the contractee of the Primordial Goddess of Lust, chimed in.

"Are you threatening me, bitch?" Jun growled, glaring at Reia in anger. Jun clearly didn't consider this woman to be strong or worthy of her authority. She was physically weak, resorting to seduction through her biological mastery and soul attacks.

"Do you think I won't kill you just because we're leaders? You should feel grateful that I haven't had the chance to end your life yet. Do you think there's a way for a slut to reach the same level of strength without using their body? I'm not a fool; you might've tricked the others, but your seduction has no effect on me."

"Slut? Can't you even try to say an insult that doesn't compliment others?" Reia smiled in response, "It looks more like you're blind. What you're saying sounds more like saying just how ignorant your thick-headed brain is and how incompetent you truly are. You can't even look at a beauty when they are in front of you."

"You can continue your quarrels another time. Stop now." The strongest of the seven, the contractor of the Primordial God of Pride, finally spoke after hearing their endless insults. He hadn't asked for a meeting for them to come here to insult each other.

He had asked them to come to hear about the changes in their own region and what should be changed to succeed in their future plans, but after Shadow's intrusion, a quarrel started. He wanted to hear what Shadow had to say, and letting them fight hindered that. He was forced to intervene, something that happened at almost every meeting.

"Do know that we are here for a reason and not to fight over such petty things. Should I remind you we aren't children?" He turned to Shadow, his expression not changing in the slightest. "Tell us what news you have. I'm sure you're already aware of the consequences if it isn't satisfactory for disturbing our meeting."

Shadow nodded, aware of the implications that would happen if her information didn't satisfy them. She was likely to be killed, and her body would be discarded into the wilderness, where the demons would devour her until her body was nothing more than bones.

"You can begin."

After taking a deep breath, she started telling them of her urgent news. "A few days ago, our scouts noticed a change in movement in the top guilds."

"What kind of change? There are many changes that happen over time. What's different this time?" Jun asked, slightly annoyed that the girl was raising the topic. He wanted to leave, and having her explain something that wasn't relevant angered him. He couldn't understand what she was attempting to get at other than trying to piss him off.

"They weren't separate movements. All of them appeared to have sent out some powerhouses to a desolate city. The strongest person in this city is only a B-ranked hunter, who once was a renowned genius only to fall short after settling in this city."

She continued, "Normally, the top guilds that had a dozen, if not hundreds, of B-ranked hunters far stronger than the strongest in the city would never set their sights on this city. My best guess is that they found someone with great talent in the city of Narc."

"Since they've come out looking for someone, shouldn't we attack them? I haven't had the chance to stretch and use my strength for so long. Killing them would be fun, seeing them scream in fear while they burn to death." Jun rose to his feet, pounding his fists together as a devilish grin was painted across his face. He felt excited to finally get the opportunity to vent his anger and slaughter the powerhouses of the top guilds.

"Did I permit you to leave?" Novius asked without even looking at Jun. It was as if Jun was nothing in his eyes. "You should know that no one is allowed to leave without my permission. Tell me a reason."

"Didn't I speak clearly? I'll be taking this mission instead of you all." He turned around and was about to leave. However, before he could take a step, he felt the feeling of losing his legs as he fell to the ground, landing on his knees, which should've been severed. The reason for this was Novius; he used his power on him: illusion mastery.

"You'll remain there until we're done. Don't even try to move unless you want to experience what death feels like." Novius returned his attention to Shadow. "With this information, what do you think our best course of action is? We could attack, but we aren't sure if they have other ulterior motives. Who do you think we should send?"

"Hmm?" Shadow looked at Novius in surprise. She hadn't expected that the leader of the Demon Association himself would ask for her opinion.

Moreover, a leader who didn't show much of a reaction at all. As a subordinate, she wouldn't easily be given the opportunity to speak with the leaders. Sharing her opinion with them was simply out of the question.

She kept her calm and replied, "I think it would be best to send Lord Azen. He is specialized in tactics and is adaptable to change. We aren't sure if they have ulterior motives in this sudden movement, but with Lord Azen, I'm sure there wouldn't be problems if they did. He is among the most level-headed members here and is the most suitable for this."

"It seems you really cherish Azen, but you're right, he is the most fit person for this mission." Novius's agreed. "Since you've chosen him, he will be the first leader in command, while you'll be the second leader in command. Remember, failure is not an option."

Since Novius had given Azen and Shadow the mission, there was no more room for discussion. There was only one among them who was still unconvinced, since a subordinate had chosen.

She wasn't wrong when she said that Azen was the most suitable, but he still felt anger that he wasn't selected. He had lost his opportunity to vent his anger, but he wasn't as completely out of luck as he thought.

"Now, Jun, I've got another mission that's more suited for you. You'll have the freedom to go all out."