Chapter 212: The Couple’s Con (Part 2)
The second soul fragment was in hand. Unfortunately, now wasn’t the time to examine it. Qin Chu hoped it wasn’t empty like the first one.
Lomond watched Horus’s expression. Although he appeared calm, Lomond could sense his satisfaction with the gift.
This was a win-win situation.
Ronald had made a small sacrifice, earning him a large sum of money and gaining the favor of the informant.
Lomond even felt a flicker of fondness for Ronald.
He no longer looked as disgusting as before.
Actually, Lomond had also wanted to participate in Ronald’s entertainment… but considering his massive size, he had decided against it, worried that Ronald might not be able to handle it.
It seemed that both parties were satisfied with this meeting.
But Lomond wanted more. Everyone was greedy, even Demon Beasts.
However, Lomond also knew that Horus had already provided a lot of valuable information, and he didn’t know how to ask for more… It might make him seem greedy.
For their first meeting, Lomond wanted to leave a good impression on Horus.
He scratched his head anxiously, then looked at Candice for help.
Candice sneered inwardly. This prince, wanting more but too embarrassed to ask, looked like a clown. But she knew that, as his subordinate, she had to step up.
She smiled sweetly and said in a seductive voice:
“Master Horus…”
She used this title with practiced ease.
“His Highness the Seventh Prince has shown such sincerity, giving you such a wonderful gift. Shouldn’t you offer something in return?”
Yes, yes, that’s right! Lomond thought, overjoyed. But he pretended to scold her, “Candice, don’t be so rude before our esteemed guest. This is just the reward for Master Horus providing the information about Benson and Ronald’s whereabouts. How can you ask for more?”
Poor Lomond didn’t know that, except for Dolgo hanging on the tree, the two people before him were both actors, working together to con him.
Horus glanced at Lomond, who immediately looked up at the sky. “The moon is beautiful tonight, isn’t it…?”
Beautiful, my ass… Qin Chu thought. Coming from your sister, maybe. But you…
Come to think of it, Demon King Nagath’s daughters were quite beautiful. At first glance, you might even mistake them for goddesses.
Horus lowered his head, seemingly thinking for a few seconds, then smiled. “Indeed.”
“I’m very satisfied with Your Highness’s… hospitality… towards Ronald. I should offer something in return.”
Lomond’s eyes lit up.
This guy’s thoughts were practically written all over his face… This was precisely why Qin Chu had chosen Lomond as his trading partner.
“This time, I’ll give you a special piece of information, plus a suggestion.”
“This information is not about humans, but about the Demon Beasts.”
Lomond’s face fell.
He wasn’t interested in the Demon Beasts’ affairs. He was more curious about the humans, especially the Hero Squad and other top experts. That would help him gain more achievements and elevate his status.
Horus looked at Lomond, his gaze distant, making Lomond feel an inexplicable fear. This feeling made him uncomfortable. He was the seventh son of Demon King Nagath, how could he be afraid of a mere human?
After a long while, Horus finally spoke, his voice tinged with a strange sadness:
“Your Highness, your vision is too narrow.”
“Hunting members of the Hero Squad can indeed greatly increase your power and prestige, but the gains are limited.”
Hearing Horus call him short-sighted, Lomond felt a flicker of annoyance. His eyes were large, and he could see very far.
“The Demon Beast world is even more realistic than the vast forests and grasslands. The law of the jungle is taken to the extreme among us. You know this better than I do.”
“Among Demon Beasts, in the end, it’s all about strength.”
“No matter how great your prestige or how large your forces, if you fail, everything you have will vanish.”
“You have many subordinates now, a large number of Demon Beasts under your command, and you seem to be in your prime, but it’s all temporary, understand?”
“If I told you that your elder brothers, the First and Second Princes, have already broken through level 90 and reached the level of the Four Heavenly Kings, would you still be so carefree?”
Lomond froze.
His ugly face was filled with shock and disbelief.
The gap between level 90 and 89 was like a chasm.
Whether Demon Beast or human, it was a major hurdle.
Lomond’s current level was 87. He had always thought that his two elder brothers were still stuck at level 89. Even if they were stronger than him, he was still confident in his ability to fight them.
But now, hearing from Qin Chu that their strength had already broken through to level 90, that was a level Lomond couldn’t possibly reach, even if he risked his life.
Just as Qin Chu had said, if he was defeated by his elder brothers, then the Demon Beasts currently flocking to him would scatter, and he would be left with nothing.
He knew how serious this was, his face grimmer than ever. “Master Horus, is this true?”
“Of course, there’s no benefit for me to deceive you,” Horus shrugged, “With your current strength, you’re no match for them.”
Candice chimed in at the right time, “Come to think of it, I also heard from some Demon Beast informants that the First and Second Princes seem to have broken through recently.”
Candice’s confirmation made Lomond anxious.
He wasn’t confident that he could reach level 90 in a short time. It was too difficult.
“Actually, it’s not completely impossible,” Horus frowned, sighing as if reluctant, “Well, since I’ve chosen you as my partner…”
“This was originally a secret of mine, and I wasn’t planning to reveal it, but I think you’re quite to my liking, Your Highness Lomond. I’m willing to maintain a good relationship with you, and I hope we can become close comrades.”
Lomond’s throat twitched, his eyes gleaming, “Master Horus, you can rest assured, if I ever become the Demon King, even if I raze the human world to the ground, you will be my most esteemed companion, your status second only to mine, and millions of Demon Beasts will worship you…”
“Whatever you desire, I will grant it… wealth, beautiful human women, Succubi… you can have anything you want.”
Candice scoffed inwardly. Second only to you?
Lomond, you overestimate yourself. In her eyes, he wasn’t even worthy of carrying Horus’s shoes.
He was just a small pawn in Lord Horus’s plan.
But her words were completely different, “Lord Horus, His Highness has already made such a promise, are you still not satisfied? His Highness is never stingy with his rewards. If you wish, you can even ask him to give me to you.”
Lomond nodded repeatedly. As long as Horus could help him increase his strength quickly, what was a mere Candice?
Horus seemed deeply moved and thought for a moment, “Alright, I believe Your Highness will keep your word.”
“I have a special ability that allows me to extract the power of others.”
Lomond’s eyes widened, a flicker of fear in them.
He wasn’t very intelligent, but his combat instincts were sharp, and he sensed how terrifying this ability was.
“There’s no need to look at me like that. The power I extract can’t be converted into my own. Otherwise, I wouldn’t need to cooperate with you, Your Highness. I could just keep finding suitable targets and absorbing their power, and I would soon become invincible.”
Lomond paused. That made sense.
If the absorbed power could be converted into his own, then Horus would be much stronger than he was now.
“However, I can transfer the absorbed energy to others, and they can directly absorb and refine it, converting it into their own power.”
This was indeed feasible, but Qin Chu had never used this method to increase Angelica’s strength.
It wasn’t that he was unwilling. It was because Qin Chu could digest this foreign energy, but Angelica couldn’t. Forcefully infusing it into her wouldn’t be beneficial. Although her strength would appear to increase dramatically in a short time, this foreign energy would become a huge problem in the future.
“Simply put, this damned ability is just making wedding clothes for others,” Horus muttered, seemingly annoyed.
Lomond looked at Horus with pity. It was normal for him to be annoyed. Such an amazing and powerful ability, yet he couldn’t use it himself. Anyone would be frustrated.
But for him, this was definitely a great opportunity. Lomond couldn’t wait to try it.
His ferocious gaze turned to Ronald… Unfortunately, this guy was practically useless now, his energy completely depleted. There was nothing to extract.
Then, his gaze shifted to Candice, his eyes glowing crimson.
But this killing intent didn’t last long. Candice’s strength was too weak.
Even if he absorbed all her power, it wouldn’t be much of an increase.
Moreover, Candice was the intermediary between him and Horus. She had Succubus blood and could be given to Horus as a reward in the future, a useful tool to control him. Killing her now might jeopardize their cooperation.
As for Horus, he would be killed after his usefulness was exhausted… Even though they were partners now, this special ability could allow Horus to create another powerful expert at any time, becoming his greatest enemy. This was something Lomond absolutely didn’t want to see.
Then, there was only one option left.
Lomond’s gaze fell on Dolgo, the half-Dire Wolf hybrid, hanging on the tree.
The Dire Wolf race was naturally powerful.
And Dolgo had both Dire Wolf and Succubus blood. He was considered talented among both races. But for some reason, he had left the Dire Wolves and pledged allegiance to him.
He had already reached level 80, equivalent to a Champion in human terms.
Although he was his most trusted subordinate, Lomond had never truly trusted Dolgo. After all, the Dire Wolves served his elder brother. Dolgo’s defection was suspicious.
His gaze became increasingly ferocious, increasingly greedy.
If he could absorb Dolgo’s power, it would definitely give him a huge boost, right?
Lomond’s ferocious gaze made Dolgo tremble. The intelligent Dire Wolf immediately understood what the Seventh Prince was thinking, his eyes widening, his body struggling desperately, “Your Highness… what… what are you doing…?”
Seeing Lomond’s massive hand reaching towards him, fear exploded within Dolgo, “No, no, Your Highness, you can’t do this…”
“I’ve followed you for many years, through life and death, I’ve shed blood for you, I’ve been injured for you…”
“You can’t do this to me, you can’t…”
Dolgo screamed frantically.
He hoped that the memories of their shared battles would make Lomond remember their bond and spare his life.
But clearly, these memories were worthless to Lomond. He felt no affection for him.
Lomond didn’t care about Dolgo’s fate, he only cared about whether his own strength would increase.
“Don’t be like this, Dolgo. Aren’t you loyal to me? Then turning your strength into mine is the greatest form of loyalty, isn’t it?”
“Don’t worry, I will always remember your kindness,” Lomond’s voice echoed through the night.
Dolgo’s eyes filled with resentment. He struggled to free himself from the spear, but the strange spear, with its dark red chains, held him firmly.
No matter how hard he struggled, it was useless.
Lomond’s massive fingers closed around his small body, and with a ripping sound, he tore Dolgo from the tree, his body breaking free from the chains.
His body was mangled, blood gushing from his wounds.
His abdomen, chest, shoulders… everywhere was torn flesh and bone.
Even with his strength, Dolgo couldn’t struggle much in this state.
With a thud, Lomond threw him to the ground.
A crater appeared where he landed.
Dolgo spat out a mouthful of blood, his face contorted, his once green eyes now blood red.
“Master Horus,” Lomond said in a muffled voice, “this guy attacked you before. As punishment, I’ll leave him to you to deal with.”
Weren’t you just saying he was a child and you wouldn’t hold it against him?
Dolgo’s eyes widened, and he screamed with his last bit of strength, “Lomond, you bastard! You were the one who told me to test him…!”
Perhaps knowing that he was doomed, Dolgo no longer cared, cursing Lomond viciously.
“Shut up! Even at this point, you still want to sow discord between me and Prince Lomond? Do you think I’ll fall for it?” Horus shouted sharply, interrupting him.
This was a Champion…
The next second, the Devourer transformed into countless tentacles, quickly covering Dolgo’s body.
Then, Dolgo’s body rapidly shriveled up, visible to the naked eye.
Lomond could clearly feel streams of energy being extracted from Dolgo’s body and flowing into Qin Chu’s, gathering in his chest.
This eerie scene even made Lomond’s hair stand on end.
Compared to him, this human, Horus, seemed more like a demon.
Even while devouring Dolgo’s power, Horus still had time to talk to Lomond, “Your Highness, there’s one more thing…”
“Although I can devour his power, there’s a slight…loss… during the transfer.”
Lomond nodded, indicating his understanding. This was normal.
Such a powerful ability, it would be strange if there wasn’t any loss.
Horus’s eyes flickered with excitement.
Opportunities to devour a Champion weren’t common. The last time was Benson, but that guy had been so thoroughly… entertained… by Lomond that there wasn’t much energy left in his body.
But now, although Dolgo’s physical injuries were severe, his energy was almost completely intact.
This was a true super experience pack.
The so-called “slight loss” that Qin Chu mentioned was frantically surging into his body, transforming into his own power. The two emerald green leaves also seemed very pleased with this abundant energy, swaying gently.
The silver hair on his wrist shone brighter and brighter.
Anthea and Shaye, bathed in pure energy, also looked very satisfied.
Qin Chu’s stats were skyrocketing.
The feeling of surging power filled him with an unprecedented pleasure.
His body trembled.
And in Lomond’s eyes, this seemed like Qin Chu was paying a terrible price for using this ability.
After an unknown amount of time, Dolgo’s body had completely shriveled up, his bones showing through his skin.
Crack…
Qin Chu seemed to hear a crisp sound from within his body.
A certain barrier… had been broken.
At this moment, Qin Chu finally returned to the Champion realm!
Leave a Reply