Busting my way into the room, all eyes fell on me. Inside, there were people dressed in hooded black cloaks, and the whole room was lit only by candles.
"Intruder!" one of them shrieked.
"Don't get distracted! Focus on the spell!" barked another who was likely their leader, his voice strained as he continued his incantation.
Then my eyes landed at the center of the enormous crimson-lit magic circle in front of them.
Seraphina lay there bound, her hands and feet tied and completely naked without even a single strand of clothing.
I felt furious as a chill ran down my spine. I didn't know what was happening, but my instincts screamed danger. Without hesitation, I shoved my way through the cloaked cultists.
But, they weren't about to let me through that easily.
"Guards!" someone bellowed. "Where the hell are the guards?!"
Chaos erupted. I conjured a powerful wind gale, throwing their bodies aside by surprise. It drained most of my PP, but it didn't matter.
Just then, the leader began laughing like a maniac. "I don't know who you are, brat, but it's too late! The ritual is completed! Hahaha"
Suddenly, a grotesque gigantic figure emerged from the ground within the magic circle. The figure's body almost looked human, yet not. It was gigantic with firm muscles and enormous curved horns that jutted from its skull. A sharp tail wiggled behind it, bit it's eyes were what made me tremble in my pants—deep red, and filled with unusual amusement.
"HELP! PLEASE, SOMEE! IT'S THE DEVIL!" Seraphina's terrified screams cut through the air, jolting me out of my sudden fear as l remembered my initial goal.
The cult leader laughed even more, a crazed, victorious cackle as he dropped to his knees.
"I did it...! I have summoned you, my lord!" He said as his finger gestured toward Seraphina, his voice trembling with both fear and reverence. "And this... this is the offering for you."
The demon's piercing gaze fell upon him first then drifted to Seraphina as a slow, smug grin spread across its monstrous face, touching his own chest with unmistakable pride.
"Ah... an exquisite offering indeed." Its deep, reverberating voice dripped with arrogance. Then, it threw its arms wide in dramatic flair.
"Gaze upon perfection, mortals! Behold the greatest of all demon lords—Draegonoth Umbraflame! The one true sovereign of this world! My beauty rivals the heavens, my power eclipses the gods, and my destiny is absolute! Kneel, for you stand before divinity itself!"
I wasnt expecting it to be that prideful. Although l was practically shaking in my pants, l let out a short, mocking chuckle, meeting its gaze. "Beauty, you say? Don't make me laugh, demon! And that girl—she's not an offering. She belongs to me!"
Draegonoth's smirk faltered as he slowly gazed at me, his eyes narrowing with disdain.
"Who's this wretched little brat?" He pointed at me with a long, black claw.
The cultist hesitated. "W-We don't know, my lord!"
The demon scoffed. Then, with a lazy flick of his wrist, he turned his attention back to the leader. "And what is your name, human?"
The man swallowed hard. "M-Malakar Rambrandt, my lord."
My heart nearly stopped.
Rambrandt?
That surname...isnt it also Ivy's surname. Could this man be her brother? Or perhaps a husband?
Draegonoth grinned, placing a massive hand on Malakar's head. "I hereby bestow upon you a fraction of my power, Malakar Rambrandt. And as per our contract, I shall take this holy maiden—" He licked his lips. "—and half of your soul. Do you accept?"
Malakar hesitated. Then, with a trembling breath, he nodded. "Yes, my lord."
The moment those words left his lips, a violent wave of energy engulfed the room.
Darkness—thick, suffocating, spiraled outward.
Seraphina let out a bloodcurdling scream as the abyssal energy coiled around her, sinking into her skin like jagged thorns.
I lunged forward to go and help her, but the demon's aura crashed down on me like an ocean, forcing me back. The pressure was unbearable, it felt like it was crushing my lungs, my bones, and my very soul.
"ARRGHHHH!" I roared, forcing my body forward, inch by inch, my vision blurring under the immense weight of the demon's presence.
Draegonoth let out a low, amused chuckle. "Hah. You've got some spine, kid. Impressive. Most humans crumble beneath my miasma."
With a lazy flick of his wrist, he pulled his hand away from Malakar, who collapsed to the floor, unconscious. The demon sighed.
"Tch. Looks like l made a contract with another weakling. What a shame. But he's a valuable pawn in my game. He'd wake up."
His gaze flickered back to Seraphina, a wicked smile creeping across his lips. "Well, no matter. Time to claim my prize."
Suddenly, the air itself thickened. The crushing force around me intensified and by that moment, I could barely breathe. My limbs screamed in agony as they were on the verge of snapping apart.
And then—
The miasma vanished. Instantly.
So did the demon.
And Seraphina.
My eyes widened in horror.
[...Analyzing teleportation circle]
[Teleporting you to the Demon Realm]
[Step into the circle. NOW.]
The system's command came too fast. I barely had time to think about what to do as my body moved on instinct. I jumped into the fading magic circle without hesitation.
And then...darkness swallowed me whole.
For a moment, I plummeted through a swirling void of beautiful, intricate colors. Then, as I fell deeper, the colors faded...
Until there was only black.
Then—
THUD!
I hit the ground hard as the portal behind me snapped shut.
And just like that—I was somewhere else.
Somewhere that wasn't my world.
The air here was thick and suffocating. Every breath felt like I was inhaling underwater.
Pain wracked my body, but I forced myself up, checking my PP.
My stomach dropped. Critically low. Nowhere near enough to heal myself.
[You are now in the Demon Realm.]
[Quest: Save the Priestess.]
A notification flickered into my vision. My hands clenched into fists.
Saving Seraphina meant fighting that demon lord...?
This was, without a doubt, the hardest quest the system had ever given me. And without Ivy here—where the hell was I supposed to get the pleasure points I needed to use magic?
That's when l heard footsteps echoeing in the distance.
I turned my head, and my body tensed. A figure was approaching.
My eyes traveled upward and saw horns.
A demon.
I stumbled back, afraid, until I actually got a good look at it.
My breath hitched.
It was a female demon, and despite the horns and the demonic aura rolling off her like an oppressive heatwave—she was gorgeous.
My gaze darted lower to her curves that could make a saint fall to sin.
Then lower still.
And that's when I saw the black shorts she wore—thin, clinging fabric that barely held together between her thighs, dipping just enough to leave that unmistakable, seductive allure.
I swallowed hard, my throat dry.
My MILF senses were tingling.