Chapter 17. Shadows of Lilith (2-END)

This...is so exhilarating!

Each cry of pain from these demon slaves... makes Lilith's heart race with excitement, urging her to continue extinguishing every life before her. Only one person remains. The final man, observing his deceased comrades in a pitiful state, swiftly hurled his sword at Lilith before making a futile attempt to escape.

From deep within herself, a strength emerged, enabling Lilith to swiftly catch up to the fleeing man and gleefully remark, "Why depart so soon? We have much more fun to have~"

"ARGGGGGGHHHHH!!!"

SLAAASSSHH

The man's agonizing scream thrilled Lilith. She sliced through the flesh of the recently deceased bodies, intending to devour them—until she suddenly detected approaching footsteps and heard the hoarse voice of an old woman, "Isn't that enough? If you do that, you won't be human anymore, you know,"

Furious beyond measure, Lilith immediately threw her sword towards the old woman, who effortlessly caught the flaming blade in her hand.

"Who are you, old woman?! Have you been here the whole time?! In that case... I must eliminate you as well!" Lilith shouted as she sprinted towards the old woman and delivered a powerful punch, only to be met with a forceful punch from the old woman that split the ground beneath them.

"ㅡgh!?"

Lilith was taken aback by the old woman's strength, which matched the power she had recently obtained from an unknown source. Despite her confusion, Lilith countered the old woman by unleashing a rapid barrage of punches, kicks, and various attacks in an attempt to overpower the woman who was becoming increasingly vexing to Lilith.

For over an hour, the old woman had deftly parried and thwarted all of Lilith's attacks. Growing weary, Lilith decided to halt her assault and stood motionless, keeping an eye on the sword that the old woman didn't seem inclined to use against her.

"Feeling tired, are we? Or maybe just bored?" the old woman inquired, her tone irritating Lilith as if she were taunting her.

"If that's so, what is it to you?" Lilith muttered, snatching some garments from a nearby man's body to cover herself, only just realizing she had been naked throughout the altercation. Despite the discomfort in her lower belly from the recent events that had unfolded—

"I apologize. I should have intervened sooner. They were a band of thieves who had just pillaged goods from my sanctuary. I never imagined they would stoop to such deeds..."

"..." Lilith unconsciously wept upon hearing the sincere apology from the old woman, whom she observed was dressed like a wealthy traveler.

"I'm sorry, you... must have been truly frightened," the old woman approached her, enveloping Lilith in a tight embrace until she felt herself drifting into slumber after shedding tears on the old woman's shoulder, finding solace in its warmth and comfort, soothing her troubled heart.

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Coming to from her swoon, Lilith awoke in a cozy room, resting on a plush bed.

Nevertheless, she remained vigilant, quickly leaping from beneath the covers to the room's edge, surveying her surroundings.

The small room contained only a single bed, a table, and a chair beside it, illuminated by a lantern with no one in sight. "Awake already? You've slept for too long," remarked the old woman who had appeared suddenly from behind the door. Lilith swiftly seized the lantern and made a move to throw it towards the old woman, who warned, "If you dare to damage my property, I will make minced meat out of you!"

Although the threat may have sounded like mere bluster, deep down, Lilith sensed the old woman's seriousness and knew she wouldn't hesitate to follow through.

As Lilith fell silent and returned the lantern to its place, the old woman grinned widely, her fangs oddly familiar to Lilith.

"Good. I can see you're the perfect successor for my gang."

"What?"

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Now, Lilith finally had a place to call home. The old woman revealed herself as the formidable and legendary leader of a gang that held sway over the Kingdom of Clover. Lilith had also heard a story about a formidable gang from her childhood days at the orphanage, where the children would share tales of people from the outside who came to help with shopping. In disbelief, Lilith couldn't fathom how she could suddenly be named the successor to a 70-year-old woman who had surprising news for her.

"How can this be? I'm just..."

"Once upon a time, in this Kingdom, there was a family that was a union between a human and a witch from the demon kingdom. This couple had a daughter, a daughter with a special ability that no ordinary human child could possess. When the war between humans and demons broke out, the family fled to the demon kingdom, but her human partner died on the journeyㅡ"

"What on earth is that, old woman? I don't want to hear bedtime stories!" Lilith interjected irritably. The old woman chuckled, "Well, it's not my fault if you don't know why you suddenly have such power. What's certain is that you will learn to control that power of yours until you are much stronger and take my place in managing this large gang. Let's go!"

Reluctantly, Lilith complied with the wishes of the old woman who called herself Grey, learning about her special abilities and delving into managing her vast gang. Under the guidance of this enigmatic woman, Lilith acquired a wealth of knowledge...until seven years slipped by, and the old woman passed away unexpectedly in her slumber.

Without hesitation, Lilith assumed control as dictated by the old woman, yet underneath it all, Lilith grieved silently for the woman who had taken on a maternal role in her life.

Concealing her profound emotions alongside the old woman's remains, Lilith carried on with her existence.

However, the tranquility was disrupted when her underlings urgently summoned her, revealing that a street urchin had uncovered a dangerous secretㅡthe child knew the gang's primary hiding place, information that could not fall into just anyone's hands.

Recalling the teachings of the old woman, who had urged her to always protect the gang, Lilith had initially intended to swiftly deal with the insolent street child, only to be proven wrong.

To her surprise, the child presented a recipe for a cake that could be sold at a high price, unprecedented in the kingdom, providing much-needed financial support to the gang. However, she remained vigilant regarding the appearance of the street child.

As it turned out, the child was...

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To Be Continue ?