Chapter 10

Belial was ready to snap the neck of the elven woman who was in his "embrace." No, he wouldn't actually break her neck; he was merely attempting to intimidate a beautiful elven woman in front of him, likely a queen among the elves.

"Yes, it can be seen from the crown on her head."

Belial smiled as he observed everyone in front of him. About 100 people, a mix of humans and elves, stood silently not far from where Belial stood. Perhaps if Belial were to fight them all, he would be slightly overwhelmed with his current power.

"Please don't do that!" Queen Dotorea, sensing the seriousness of the young man's intentions, panicked and shouted, trying to stop him.

"And then? If I stop, what can you offer me? I can't even leave this damn forest, let alone receive something that would satisfy me." His tone was contemptuous and demeaning towards the queen.

Belial didn't care whether she was a queen or any other important person; he wouldn't show respect unless that person had any usefulness or benefit to him.

"Ugh..." The queen felt a headache from the confusion of this deadlock situation. However, she tried to follow the conversation of the young man. "I can actually get you out of this forest... But, it can only be done five days from now." She still attempted to negotiate with him.

"Five days? I've been in this damn forest for over a week, and now you're trying to extend my precious time by staying here for more days?" Belial's tone turned cold again as he began moving his hands.

"Please wait! I am not trying to hold you back or anything. It is already the arrangement made by the barrier of this forest, so please consider it first!" Queen Dotorea panicked once again. Despite being known for her sharp tongue, she was still powerless against this young man.

"Hm..." Belial sank into his thoughts. 'What arrangement is this native woman talking about? Could it be that anyone who enters this damn forest can only leave after five days? But it doesn't make sense because I've been in this forest for over a week and still can't get out.'

No, it wasn't as Belial had thought. This guardian could actually open and close it at will using the queen's Mythical Item, but it seemed that there were certain limitations to its usage. If likened to a video game, it could be called a cooldown period.

Indeed, if an important person wants to enter this forest, they must be prepared to stay inside for several days due to the limitations of using the Mythical Item.

Yes, Queen Dotorea had already used it once, and the Item seemed to be on cooldown and could only be used again after five days, as Queen Dotorea had told Belial.

"Sigh, fine. But this woman... She must stay with me during those five days." Belial finally decided to stay here a little longer, although he was slightly annoyed by the choice.

"B-but..." Queen Dotorea wanted to say something but was immediately interrupted by the young man.

"But what? Don't even think about it. If you refuse, I will snap her neck right now, and perhaps... I will kill all of you." As he spoke, a reddish-black aura suddenly filled the place they were in.

The aura was dense, and it carried a strong intention to kill.

The terrifying aura immediately pressed down on everyone present. They all fell to their knees under the tremendous pressure emanating from the man... No, he no longer looked like a human before them; he now appeared like a demon, not a demon from the demon continent, but a demon descended from Hell itself.

Thud!

"Ugh! P-please stop this! We won't do anything you're thinking of! So, please, dispel your aura and killing intent!" Queen Dotorea, who was currently kneeling on the ground, pleaded with the young man, sweat beginning to dampen her beautiful face.

Not only the queen knelt, but everyone present also knelt, whether it be the Orichalcum Adventurers, the Knights of the Glorieux Kingdom, or the Magic Casters from the Tower of Spirit Magic. They couldn't withstand the pressure coming from the man before them.

"Who is this terrifying human, really?"

That question arose in everyone's minds. They didn't know that the human before them would be so horrifying now. If they had known, especially the Orichalcum Adventurers, they would never have accepted this dangerous mission.

However, they immediately felt relieved after the terrifying pressure vanished when Queen Dotorea calmed the young man:

Fwiiishh...

"Sigh... You're all like idiots now. Earlier, you tried to attack me, but as soon as I showed half of my power, you immediately obeyed... Yes, truly idiots." There was mockery in Belial's tone.

"Ugghh... F-forgive us..." They all, upon hearing the young man's words, felt regretful, still sweating profusely.

On the other hand, Queen Dotorea tried to calm herself after experiencing the power and dreadfulness of the young man:

"Haah... Haah..." Her breath was still ragged.

"Y-Your Majesty, do not make that human your enemy. I'm afraid... I'm afraid that if you do, the Elf race will be in danger!" An assassin hidden in a tree not far from them suddenly sent a telepathic message to the queen.

"Yes... I know that. So calm yourself." Queen Dotorea, who had regained her composure, replied to her assassin while trying to soothe her as she heard her trembling voice.

"V-very well, Your Majesty."

Queen Dotorea then looked at the young man in front of her. She knew it well, she understood that if she treated the young man before her as an enemy, it would be very dangerous for the Elf race and her kingdom. She took two steps forward and then said:

"S-so, Sir... Wh-what do you want now?" She tried to appease the young man because earlier, she had acted recklessly by directly ordering her group to attack him.

"Hm... I want you~" Belial observed the Elf Queen. She was incredibly beautiful, and he longed to see such beauty after millions of years of seeing repulsive female demons in Gehenna. So he took advantage of the Queen's words.

"W-what... What do you mean?" Queen Dotorea shuddered upon hearing the young man's statement, but she tried to confirm it.

"You asked me earlier what I wanted, right? Well, my desire is to have you~" Belial smiled, revealing his handsome face with his glowing red eyes.

Silence...

Everyone stared at the young man, speechless upon hearing what came out of his mouth.

'What is this person...'

But before they could think further about the young man...

"Sigh... I was just joking, you know?" He chuckled softly, then looked at the bewildered Queen. "Hey, tell your people to leave." His tone was cold, and his gaze sharp.

"W-what do you mean?" Queen Dotorea tried to evade. 'Does he realize it?' she panicked in her thoughts.

"Sigh, you think I don't know?" He released one hand that was embracing Celestia, then he directed his palm towards one of the trees that was quite far from him.

"Fire Arrow."

With his murmuring, a reddish-orange magical circle appeared in front of his palm, and from that magical circle, a blazing fire in the shape of an arrow shot towards the tree.

Piuh...

Boom!

"Uaahhh!!!"

"Direct hit." Right after Belial said this, someone who screamed emerged from the dense foliage of the tree. He fell to the ground, and his scream was loud for a man.

"See? You thought I didn't notice?" Belial lowered his hand, then looked back at the Queen, who at that moment had a single bead of sweat appearing on her forehead.

"I apologize! That person was only tasked with observing the surroundings, there was no ill intention!" Queen Dotorea quickly apologized after her assassin was exposed.

Fortunately, Belial didn't use a powerful spell. If he had used a spell stronger than Fire Arrow, it could be certain that even though the Elf man was a trained assassin, he wouldn't be able to evade Belial's magic and would undoubtedly die from such powerful magic.

Assassins in this world, although highly skilled in killing, have relatively weak resistance to magic. And even though they move swiftly in the shadows, when facing Belial as their opponent, it is certain that they cannot escape death when confronting the former Demon King of Gluttony.

"Sigh..." Belial, still holding the unconscious Celestia, walked towards the assassin.

Although the young man seemed to have many vulnerabilities, everyone present here was reluctant to attack him because they had already felt the power disparity between them and the young man earlier.

Queen Dotorea was no exception. She had briefly considered attacking the young man using her magic, Tier 3 Magic: Root Spear, but she didn't dare to do so. Besides the potential impact on Celestia, she was also afraid of the young man's power.

Not only that, they were also amazed to see the young man using magic without an incantation. Normally, magic as powerful as the one used by the young man would require a lengthy incantation, but the young man simply directed his hand and muttered something they couldn't hear.

"This is becoming more and more incomprehensible!" they thought, growing more terrified of the young man.

Belial continued to approach the assassin, his intentions towards the Elf man unknown. Who knew, perhaps Belial intended to kill him.