The Devil’s Cage

At sunset, Bloody Mary got up from the soft mat with a heavy heart. It carefully folded the mat, including the sheets underneath, and arranged it neatly at the side of the bed.

Shegal came over right away but didn’t say anything, watching Bloody Mary tidy up the bed.

This young man had never seen an emissary of God perform such a mundane chore.

Even though Bloody Mary was the only emissary that he had met before, according to legends and transcripts, every one of the mentioned emissaries bore a domineering manner, as though they were above all.

Making his own bed? What a joke.

Even the most extravagant life couldn’t satisfy the other emissaries.

What about the emissary of the Mist?

All Shegal saw was a love towards life. He saw the lord emissary tidy up the bed sheets neatly and arrange them in an orderly fashion.

Other than the love towards life, what would be more appropriate to describe him?

Shegal took a light breath and bore the moment in his heart.

He then told everyone else about what he saw.

He thought this little practice should be widely spread and learned.

“I should get going. I’ll leave the rest in your hands,” Bloody Mary said after it turned around from touching its bed one last time.

“Yes, my lord. I wish you a safe return,” Shegal bowed respectfully.

The other believers bowed together, including those believers from the outskirts of Sicar who came in a hurry just to seek shelter. They’d heard about the stories of this lord emissary and after the little scene, more respect came from the bottom of their hearts.

With an emissary who loved life very much, the God he served shouldn’t be a Demon God!

It’s blasphemy!

It was a violation from the other disrespectful bastards towards our God!

We must believe in our lord! Anyone who dared to violate or defile our god anymore will be met with punishment!

Unknowingly, the belief of the believers was strengthened further by the blooming thoughts.

Bloody Mary looked at the believers and said in a warm tone, “I will, I have things that I simply cannot leave behind.”

The warm tone caused a misunderstanding among the believers, they thought Bloody Mary was referring to them.

“Please take care,” Shegal said while choking up, doing his best to hold back his tears.

“Let’s go.”

Without further explanation, Bloody Mary tapped the young man’s shoulder and the young man sent Bloody Mary off the secret hideout again. Bloody Mary then headed straight to the mansion of the viscount.

However, before Bloody Mary could walk any further, it was stopped by someone.

An old man with a withered look and ragged clothes.

“Dear sir, can you please hold up for a moment?” Standing in front of Bloody Mary, the old man asked.

“Of course. May I know what’s the matter?”

Bloody Mary replied with a bright warm smile.

“I am a believer of His Majesty Holy Water. I hope to reach a deal with you, His Majesty Mist’s emissary. It would be a win-win situation for us both.”

Right away, the old man stated where he came from, the name Holy Water actually how the believers of Decaying Water addressed their ‘God’.

The old man then subtly pointed at the direction of the viscount’s mansion behind him.

“Do tell,” Bloody Mary replied without showing any extra emotions.

“There is an emissary of God of War in there. Withering Branch and Resting Deer had their own hidden agendas, so His Majesty Holy Water hoped that we could team up with you, the great Mist, and take them all out. His Majesty Holy Water only wishes for a chance to descend, the others will be yours to keep. Perhaps taking all three of them out is nothing for the great Mist, but doesn’t the great Mist hope to approach this in an easier way?” The old man bowed.

Bloody Mary purposely jolted and paused, as if it was asking its lord.

As a matter of fact, Kieran already gave Bloody Mary permission to take care of everything.

In short, as long as the final outcome remained the same, Bloody Mary could be creative with the process.

Two seconds later, Bloody Mary nodded.

“Very well,” replied Bloody Mary.

“Well then, when you appear in the mansion tonight, I will do my best to assist you—I will go after the viscount first. He is the emissary of God of War after all. If he is able to use all his power, unwanted troubles might occur.” said the old man.

He then walked aside and made way for the Superior Demon.

Bloody Mary didn’t look at the man anymore, continuing towards its destination.

After going through two more streets, Bloody Mary already saw the structure of the mansion in its sight.

The location of the mansion was slightly lower than the War God Temple.

It occupied quite the space, but it looked like a military camp from the outside.

While Bloody Mary was examining the viscount’s mansion, a voice came from the wall beside it.

“Kin of the Mist, we meet again. Don’t be afraid, please maintain your posture and position. I don’t want others to know that I am talking to you privately.”

Withering Branch’s voice clearly entered Bloody Mary’s ears.

“It’s nice to meet you again.”

Bloody Mary pretended to enjoy the scenery as it walked to the other side, not staying long at the spot.

The way Bloody Mary reacted made Withering Branch happy.

“Smart guy, I like working with smart people. Let’s kill the others and make Sicar yours and mine, what’d you say? Don’t worry, I will only occupy one third of the land, the other two third will be the Mist’s and he can choose first!” said Withering Branch.

“Not enough, what my lord sought after isn’t just land. Even if we seek a collaboration, we’d seek out a competent candidate. What about you?” Bloody Mary didn’t elaborate further, but the meaning was self-explanatory.

“Do you think what I presented is my everything? Besides, I represent not only myself. I am also here on behalf of Resting deer. If both of us joined the Mist, do you think I won’t be qualified then?” Withering Branch returned its question.

“I can’t make the decision, I have to ask my lord,” said Bloody Mary.

“Of course, you are just the messenger,” said Withering Branch without much concern.

Bloody Mary pretended to contact Kieran with a pause again before it continued, “Okay, my lord has agreed, but my lord requested three fourths of the entire Sicar and you and Resting Deer must deal with that Viscount Sicar first,” said Bloody Mary.

“Not a problem.” said Withering Branch before it disappeared without a trace.

Bloody Mary stayed on the spot for a few seconds, and after it heard nothing more from Withering Branch, it continued on its journey.

“Hold on right there!”

Before it truly got close to the viscount’s mansion, it was stopped by the soldiers.

“Good evening, I am the emissary of Mist, I come here by invitation,” said Bloody Mary with a smile.

The soldiers seemed to be informed beforehand about the emissary’s arrival, one of them quickly saying, “Sir, please follow me.”

The soldier then guided Bloody Mary into the viscount’s mansion.

Bloody Mary traveled without obstacles along the way and reached the hall of the mansion.

The owner, in name, of Sicar was waiting there patiently for its arrival.

“Good evening, Lord Viscount,” Bloody Mary bowed and greeted politely.

Its smile and manners were flawless. If the viscount didn’t know Bloody Mary was an emissary of a Demon God, he would take it as a noble from some well-known family.

However, the more polite Bloody Mary was, the more cautious the viscount became.

He knew the Mist was unlike the other Demon Gods he approached in the past.

There was no blood shed or slaughtering innocent lives from the Mist. It even maintained a systematic form, which was of a cylinder.

With the newly received news, the viscount’s heart grew anxious by the minute.

‘His Majesty already has an enemy to deal with, he doesn’t need another enemy to distract him!’

After the thought, the viscount spoke, “Let’s work together.”

The viscount sided up to Bloody Mary as he said this, yet there was no extra expression on its face.

With its warm and bright smile, Bloody Mary nodded slightly and said, “Of course.”

…..

After the sunset glory sunk below the horizon, the city of Sicar quickly quieted down.

The night curfew was carried out as ordered, many groups of soldiers patrolled the quiet streets.

Even inns and hotels killed the lights earlier than usual.

The only light source were the streetlamps on both sides of the streets and the braziers in the city walls.

Of course, those were just what the civilians saw.

Behind the viscount’s mansion, in his backyard, was another independent building and it was lit up brightly, the guards and servants looking at the bright scene with a weird gaze.

Viscount Sicar was a strict person and a law-abiding ruler.

After the order for curfew was issued, he was the first to follow it, but not this time.

The viscount didn’t just disregard the order he issued, he even went out of character and told every guard and servant to stay in the front yard, everyone forbidden from entering the backyard.

The guards and servants felt strange about the order but they dare not disobey. All they could do was look with curiosity.

The backyard was where the viscount truly lived.

Unlike the extravagant lifestyle that happened after Edatine IV, the place maintained the minimalism of the nobility of Edatine, with a military style. The majority of the decorations there weren’t tapestries or paintings, but weapons, shields, and suits of armor.

The thin viscount with white hair was standing in front of a suit of armor, his face looking stern as he slowly put on the armor.

Beside him was the priest of Decaying Water, standing straight with his hands down, not uttering a single word.

Withering Branch and Resting Deer were exchanging gazes as communication.

“Pretentious.”

Resting Deer checked the armor meticulously before this, and other than the emblem of the God of War, there was nothing special about it and for that, the deer showed disdain.

Before it arrived at the mansion, it was expecting to spend a great deal to persuade the viscount. Who knew he’d agree with a single word from Withering Branch.

Based on the viscount’s attitude, even if they didn’t come forth, he would go to them sooner or later, for the sake of the God of War!

Hmph!

Resting Deer coldly grunted when it thought about the God of War.

The God of War was just a ruthless hypocrite, like the viscount.

Like God, like believer.

Yet it had to work with the viscount that it deemed a hypocrite.

As the thought came, Resting Deer felt a little uneasy, but soon, with a comforting gaze from Withering Branch, the deer put away the uneasy feelings.

Withering Branch heaved a breath of relief when it saw the calmed deer.

It knew why its partner hated the God of War so much: the deer’s child was killed by soldiers, who were believers of the God of War.

As a matter of fact, the branch hated the God of War too, hoping the bastard would just drop dead, but that didn’t stop the branch from seeking a collaboration with the viscount for the sake of a bigger gain.

These thoughts weren’t from the dead mother, who was weak. The branch used the mother’s intellect and slowly learned all of this.

It was very effective though!

Of course, what it learned the most was how to be cautious against anything.

It subtly glanced over the priest of Decaying Water and chuckled coldly in its heart.

It knew what the priest was up to, it must be similar to itself.

Descension! To become a true God!

Unfortunately, there would only be one who could achieve descension, and it would be the branch itself!

Nothing changed, even if there was an extra offering, which was the Mist.

The extra Mist would only make it stronger and perform the descension smoothly. The branch might not be of match with the God of War or Lady Calamity in the end but it definitely surpassed its peers.

The thought alone made Withering Branch unusually excited and anxious, though it kept the feelings down quite well.

It was calm on the outside and didn’t show a bit of anxiety.

It watched the viscount slowly put on his armor.

The viscount skipped the helmet, holding it with his left arm, clipping it under his armpit. He then looked at the two pagans and the priest.

“Fellow comrades, I think we have reached an accord: move against the Mist together. Well then… I wish everyone well in this collaboration.”

The viscount sounded a little hoarse but very powerful.

“This is exactly what I want, Lord Viscount,” the priest of Decaying Water bowed.

“I have no problem,” said, Withering Branch controlling the floating head. Resting Deer didn’t say anything, nodding instead.

The viscount wasn’t unhappy about the reaction.

He wasn’t a simple-minded noble anymore, he was willing to walk with the pagans as a Dark Walker for the sake of the God he believed in. Any kind of insult and unwillingness would be transformed into his thrusting force and power!

He felt the suppressed raging power in his body getting riled up, taking a deep breath and turning to his ride.

Resting Deer’s eyes shimmered maliciously at the viscount’s back.

It really wanted to stab the viscount in the back, but it ultimately gave up.

The deer put away its gaze on the viscount and noticed the priest of Decaying Water was looking at it.

“What are you looking at?” the deer scolded angrily.

“I don’t mean any disrespect to Lord Resting, but… what do you think of yourself?” The priest asked with a smile.

“What do I think?” asked the deer.

“Of course it’s about the descension. Do you really think you can achieve it?” asked the priest with a smile.

The deer smiled too.

Sowing dissension so directly?

It might not like to use its brain but it didn’t mean it was an idiot.

It knew what the priest was trying to say and it had no reason to be concerned about it.

It trusted Withering Branch.

In fact, the very next moment after the question, a branch from Withering Branch extended out and seized the priest by the neck. The branch was as sharp as a sword unsheathed, striking chills down the priest’s spine.

“Mortal, keep your little thoughts to yourself,” warned Withering Branch.

“I’m just simply saying, please do not mind my words,” the priest awkwardly laughed and slightly slapped himself as apology, behaving like a clown in front of them.

After that, clear footsteps sounded.

Bloody Mary, the Superior Demon, came with its long, white robe.