Ch 261: The dance of the shadow and the flame

"Good job, Ririko." smiled Asuka after they finished the last batch of monsters.

"Thank you." replied Ririko with a weak smile.

Ririko's trademark cheerful behavior was absent these days, and the reason was obvious for all to see. Although none of the comrades were crude enough to comment about it.

It had been days since that disastrous encounter with the Demon Lord Rin. Since that day when she had been 'gifted' that hateful collar.

After Demon Lord Rin's second attack, they had decided to hunt together in the highest-level areas they could manage, and were gaining levels steadily, if somewhat recklessly.

Of the 2A guild, Ririko and Asuka were the only remaining girls. With Izumi and Leonhart gone, the guys were also limited to Akira, Yamada, and Tahuya.

A Swordswoman, a Spearwoman, a Hero, and two Warriors. Without any Holy Warrior or Sorcerer among them anymore, they had lost a lot of flexibility, and the healing abilities they possessed were far weaker than those some of their kidnapped companions possessed.

"It's about time we return to the inn." suggested Yamada, and they nodded.

When they reached the inn, someone was waiting for them.

A young man with short black hair and eyes, dressed in black pants, shirt, and a black, open sleeveless jacket.

"Doumeguri-kun?" gasped Ririko.

"Yes. I'm so happy to see you guys." sighed Kakeru Doumeguri.

"It's good to see you." said Asuka. "Have anyone else come with you?"

"No, I… Everyone, I have come to warn you. You are all in danger!"

"What?" asked Tahuya.

"It's…" started Kakeru, hesitating as he looked at the door. "Do you think the others are going to come soon? I heard there were about a dozen of our classmates in guild 2A."

He looked like he was about to add something more when he noticed the gloomy faces.

"It's just us, Kakeru-kun." sighed Asuka. "Ichinon, Naru, Megu, Ageha, Uiko, Leonhart and Izumi have all been abducted by the Demon Lord Rin."

"W-What?" blurted Kakeru, incredulous and confused.

"Yeah, she's attacked us twice now." sighed Akira. "First, she took Naru and Ichinon. Later, she returned and took everyone else."

"D-Demon Lord Rin, you say? And it’s a woman?" asked Kakeru, completely shocked. "But that isn't possible. There should be no such character in Exodia Exodus."

"What are you talking about?" asked Yamada.

"This world, I know it. It's a game called Exodia Exodus, made by NNT's game division. Last year, I got a part-time job with NNT, and I was contributing to making this game. My job was to create the animations of some characters like the Demon King Hell Shaft, but it's the first time I hear about a character named Demon Lord Rin!"

"You did? Do you have any way to contact NNT?" asked Asuka.

"…No. I am stuck in this VR world just like everyone." sighed Kakeru.

"Okay. We can talk about this Demon Lord later. First, what do you mean, we're in danger?" insisted Asuka.

"It's the Orzelia Order. I was part of it, but I decided to defect to warn you guys. Their leader is Souma."

"Souma Akagami?" asked Akira.

"Yes. Souma was also working for NNT, but as a debugger." sighed "And he has found a way to exploit a bug that gives him control over any NPC. But he's gone completely insane. He thinks that we aren't trapped in a VR game, and that we instead have been transported to another world modeled after Exodius Exodia. He thinks that this world is a playground that god has given him as a reward."

"That's insane alright." nodded Asuka with a straight face. "And a reward for what exactly? Breathing?"

"Souma has created the Orzelia Order and recruited me, as well as Kuniaki, Shousetsu, Ikunosuke and Shouta. He plans to dominate the world by spreading his religion, and by turning key NPCs into his slaves."

"He can't use a bug to control us, right?" asked Yamada worriedly.

"He can't. And that is why Souma is planning to kill the members of the 2A guild. If he can't control you, and you don't join his side, you are a potential danger to him. And there is an item in this game, a sword called Ragna Bringer, that can supposedly kill anything permanently, by erasing their very existence. He hasn't found it yet, but he is searching for it."

Ririko's eyes twitched. She had long hoped to locate more of their classmates, maybe even gain reinforcements to fight Demon Lord Rin and her lackeys and free their comrades, and get her to remove that cursed collar.

But it looked like they were only getting more problems.

"Permanently kill us?" asked Tahuya. "Is that even possible?"

"I am not certain." sighed Kakeru. "But Souma believes it, and can we take the risk of him being right?"

"No, we can't." sighed Ririko.

"And the other four are going along with his crap? Are they lunatics too?" asked Asuka, frowning.

"They are too scared of Souma to oppose him." admitted Kakeru. "Even I am taking an enormous risk. I only did it because… Well, because I don't want you guys to die."

"Yes. Thank you for being a decent person." sighed Asuka.

"So, at the very least, we need to find that sword before he does." sighed Ririko.

"Yes. I do not know where it is." sighed Kakeru. "All I can tell you from the game's lore is that it was once used by the elves to deal with something called the 'Encroaching Darkness' that corrupted the land. I haven't told Souma about it, and he doesn't know, or he would already have gone to Arzheim."

"We'll need to go to the Elves, then." decided Ririko. "Maybe they can tell us where it is. And with that sword, maybe we can defeat Rin as well."

"To travel to the island where the Elves and Dark Elves are living, we will need to reach the city port of Laguna, which is also the Headquarters of the Order. He has already turned many of the NPCs over there into his slaves, including all the guards, and he has given them your descriptions. If you go, they will try to kill you."

"Are the Laguna guards the same level as those in Calvart?" asked Yamada.

"Yes, level 50." Nodded Kakeru.

"That's a problem." sighed Ririko. "With the number of guards in a city, if it's just the six of us, we'll need to spend several more weeks to level up enough to deal with the guards. And that's assuming Souma and the others do not join the fight..."

"I do not want to give Souma weeks to find the Ragnabringer." said Asuka. "Are there other ways to reach the island of the elves? Other city ports?"

"There isn't. sighed Kakeru. "Well, technically, there is another city port who possess a trade route toward Arzheim and Rowarlinna, the kingdoms of the Elves and Dark Elves, but that city is in Infermia."

"Oh." sighed Ririko, disappointed.

"A temporary alliance with Demon Lord Rin." declared Asuka. "That's what we need."

"What?" gasped Akira. "Have you gone crazy as well?"

"Think about it, Akira. Rin made it clear that she wanted us alive. She won't like Souma's plans to kill us. And if we get her to fight Laguna's guards for us, maybe we can exploit the situation to our advantage, slip in and get on a ship for Arzheim before they can do anything about it. And maybe we can talk some sense into Ichinon and Naru."

"What about Ichinon and Naru?" asked Kakeru.

"On the second encounter with the Demon Lord, Ichinon and Naru were there, dressed in villain's outfits, and they helped Rin capture our comrades." said Akira.

"Why would they do such a thing?" asked Kakeru, shocked.

"I don't know." sighed Ririko, feeling hurt once again by the betrayal. "Hey, Kakeru. Do you know anything about this collar, and how to remove it?" asked Ririko, both hopeful and embarrassed.

"I do not recognize it. What it is called?"

"It's the Collar of Eternal Enslavement." replied Ririko. "The description says it will only come off if I swear loyalty to the Demon Lord. She put that thing on me before she killed me during our last fight."

"… I am sorry, but I never heard about it. I assume you tried to unequip it with the interface?"

"I tried everything I could think of, even gone to a NPC priest to try to dispel it, but nothing worked." sighed Ririko.

"But what if Souma takes control of the Demon Lord?" objected Yamada.

"Then not much will change, the Demon Lord will still be our enemy. Do you have a better plan in mind?" shrugged Asuka.

"Yes, that we keep leveling until we grow strong enough to take on the Lacuna guards, then find our way to Arzheim."

"That's already assuming that Demon Lord Rin won't appear again before we're ready." objected Tahuya.

"I'm not suggesting that we go to Infermia right now to try to speak to them." shrugged Asuka. "I say we keep gaining levels like we usually do, and if the Demon Lord and her bunch come again, then we tell her about Souma’s intentions and try to negotiate something, instead of rushing headfirst like last time."

Ririko flinched, but she couldn't say anything back.

"I hate the idea of cooperating with the Demon Lord, even if it is only temporary." sighed Akira. "But if using her can help us stop Souma before any of us dies for real, that's an option we have to consider. And maybe she'll agree to let Ririko off the hook."

One by one, the others nodded, except Kakeru, who was still confused.

"Who is this Demon Lord Rin? What does she look like?"

"She wears a black crown and a veil, so we can't see her face clearly, but she is undoubtedly beautiful, with red eyes and shoulder-length white hair." replied Ririko. "She has a glamorous body wrapped in an elaborate black leather and metal outfit that clings to her tightly, and yields a black and red demonic sword. She can also turn her shadow into ribbons or sharp tentacles to capture or kill her opponents."

"I am certain I haven't seen such a character during my part-time job… wait, is she even a character? What if she's a real person?"

Ririko blinked, as she had never considered the possibility. Until now, she had simply assumed that the Demon Lord was part of the game world. But if she was an actual person…

"Could it be, the culprit who imprisoned us in this game world?" wondered Yamada.

"…I think we should stop speculating until we get any evidence, one way or another." shrugged Asuka. "At this point of time, we do not even know if the reason we're stuck here is malicious or the result of an accident."

"…Asuka is right. We should stick to what we know, or we may end up making mistakes due to prejudices." sighed Ririko. "I'll ask the innkeeper to deliver dinner for six. While we eat, Kakeru-kun, I hope you will tell us everything you know about the Orzelia Order."

"Yes, I will." nodded Kakeru.

…

After dinner, Ririko retired to her room, locking the door, and allowed herself to drop the mask she had maintained all day.

The collar was affecting her a lot more than she let on in front of her classmates, and with a frustrated sigh, she removed her clothes and lay on the bed.

The whole day, the feeling of her clothes shifting against her skin, coupled with the enhanced libido, had plunged her into a state of sexual haze.

She managed to forget about it when she was fighting, or when she was standing or sitting still for a while, but whenever she moved, the embers smoldering in her lower belly grew hotter.

Ririko sighed as her hands moved, as if they had a mind of their own.

After being collared, she had resisted the temptation for two days before giving in. Now she masturbated the morning before taking a shower, and after returning from their day.

She knew it was wrong, that she was doing what the Demon Lord wanted her to do, but she really needed the relief.

She still felt some shame over it, but it didn't stop her hands, and a lustful moan escaped her lips as she kept thinking about the Demon Lord Rin she hated so much, about her confident red eyes as she stared at Ririko like she was her prey, remembering the tight hold of the shadow tentacles on her body.

After just a few minutes of increasingly intense masturbation, Ririko experienced a strong orgasm.

…

"Rin-sama! Anna! Are you walking your pets?" asked Satanachia with a grin as she approached.

As she approached, she studied the two dogs in greater detail. Ageha and Megu were both dressed in black latex bodysuits, black leather ballet boots and corsets, and gag harnesses turned their protests into unintelligible moans and groans. They also had paddings on their knees, and their hands were stuck into leather paw-shaped mittens. Red collars adorned their necks in addition to their chest harness, tied to red leashes held in Sakura's and Medusa's hands. The two girls also had their butts filled with tail plugs, and they were vibrating, giving them unwanted pleasure.

Megu whined and lowered her head, as she didn't want anyone to witness her humiliation, while Ageha glared at the Demon Lord from above her shoulder.

Behind Sakura stood Uiko, also dressed in a black latex bodysuit with a black leather corset and ballet boots, but free of restraints aside from the slave harness. Sakura wanted her to get used to walking with such demanding footwear. For fun, she had also added a pill vibrator inside Uiko's pussy, its remote tied to her left thigh with a belt, vibrating at a low intensity.

Sakura didn't know if the pleasure or been seen in such attire were most responsible for the fiery blush coloring her face. But at least, she wasn’t showing any sign of being about to faint.

"Yes." replied Sakura. "Those two are more stubborn and stupid than Uiko. It will take some time to make them suitably obedient, but this Demon Lord is making steady progress."

"Of course, Rin-sama. I do not doubt you will succeed. I came to inform you that according to our latest information, the so-called Demon King Satan will enter the valley in four hours. Also, Adora would like to see you, Rin-sama, about one of the male heroes."

"Are they causing trouble?" frowned Sakura.

"No, Rin-sama. It is the one named Izumi. He obeys our orders well enough, but he is also refusing to do anything with the succubi. They are growing quite frustrated and have complained to Adora."

"I see. This Demon Lord will visit them now." nodded Sakura.

"As you wish, Rin-sama." nodded Satanachia. "Should I bring your pets back to their cells?"

"No, they're coming with us."

Megu and Ageha looked back at Sakura with wide eyes and loudly protested into their gags.

Sakura smiled as she shook her head, and took a black, hooded cape from her inventory and handed it to Uiko.

"Uiko, you can use this to hide your body from their view, but keep the hood down."

"Yes, Rin-sama. Thank you very much." said Uiko with a smile of gratitude, relief evident on her face.

"I take care of my pets, as long as they are obedient." smiled Sakura, and Uiko nodded.

Sakura turned her attention back to the two girls on all four, their eyes pleading. "No, This Demon Lord will let the two male heroes witness your shameful appearance. Consider this part of your punishment for rebelling against my orders."

The reason for the two girls' current predicament was their steadfast refusal to lick pussy, whether it was with Sakura or any of the other girls.

Has they been in the real world, Sakura would have solved that in short order with the special collars. But with them stuck in this VR game, her options were more limited, and she decided both girls needed to have their pride reduced by a series of particularly humiliating experiences, such as being walked around the castle like dogs.

And a good opportunity had just appeared.

Sakura, Anna and Uiko headed for the mansion, with Megu and Ageha following as if they were headed to their execution. Sakura and Anna had been forced to provide some encouragement, in the form of their palms impacting their buttocks, to get them moving.

Once, Uiko stumbled and started to fall, and Sakura caught her.

"Be careful, Uiko." said Sakura as she helped Uiko stand.

"Yes, Thank you, Rin-sama." nodded Uiko as her blush increased.

"Ah, Rin-sama, you're there already." said Adora as he jogged to them, coming form behind.

"Yes. Satanachia told me you were harassed by the Succubi." smiled Sakura.

"Harassed is a strong word, Rin-sama. And I am afraid their complaints aren't entirely unjustified. We promised them a bunch of human heroes, and they got… one and a half."

"A half?"

"Yes. Please follow me, Rin-sama, and you will understand."

Sakura nodded and followed Adora inside the mansion.

Leonhart was in the living room, sitting on a sofa with his personal succubus maid in his lap, and he gasped as he saw who entered. Remembering the rules he had been taught, he stood as soon as the succubus jumped off his lap. The maid made a deep curtsy, while Leonhard knelt, a knee on the ground and a closed hand over his heart.

"Rin-sama. I await your command." said Leonhart.

"Good. You can stand." nodded Sakura with a small smile, before turning her gaze to Megu and Ageha. "And you two, sit."

The two girls reluctantly sat on their haunches. Megu kept her gaze lowered, while Ageha glared daggers at Leonhart.

"Leonhart, you have been a good boy, so this Demon Lord will give you a rare opportunity to look at her pets while they are being trained. You can take a closer look, but you aren't allowed to touch them. Megu and Ageha are being punished for being disobedient, and being seen by you and Izumi is part of their punishment."

"I… I understand, thank you very much, Rin-sama." nodded Leonhard, staring at the two latex-clad, bound girls sitting on the floor. He walked closer but stopped two meters of them, not daring to go closer to Ageha, and proceeded to engrave their appearance into his mind, as well as take a few screenshots as memento. He took some of the Demon Lord as well.

Adora returned form upstairs with Izumi and the rest of the succubi. Izumi, dressed like the other succubi maids, looked depressed, and his eyes widened as he saw Megu and Ageha on the floor. He still made a curtsy at the same time the succubi did.

"It is like this, Rin-sama." Sighed Adora. "Izumi has not chosen to rebel and follows our orders properly, but the arrangement with the succubi doesn't work well with him. He is trying to avoid them rather than let them see to his needs."

Sakura nodded as she examined Izumi carefully.

"Izumi, This Demon Lord hears that you are unwilling to accept the rewards for your obedience. Why is this?"

Izumi looked at her, seeing conflict in his eyes, a something else that looked like shame.

"Rin-sama, I… I do not need them… I am grateful that you do not treat me badly, and I will follow your orders anyway…"

He fell silent, then looked down.

"Rin-sama, may I have a word?" asked Uiko.

Sakura nodded, and Uiko approached to whisper in her ear.

Sakura nodded again in understanding, and quickly opened the store in her interface to buy something. An expensive thing at 500k yen, but well worth it in this case.

"Izumi, this Demon Lord is wondering if maybe, the issue is that you are born as a man, and this isn't what you prefer. You comrades also often call you Alice. Is that correct?"

"I… Yes, Rin-sama. I do not want others to see my body…" Izumi winced and lowered his eyes again.

"This Demon Lord understands, Izumi. You have the soul of a maiden, trapped in the body of a man. And I can help you."

She opened her left hand, and a small blue pill was in her palm.

"In my previous travels before reaching Infermia, This Demon Lord acquired this rare medicine that can let people change their appearance, or even their gender. I am willing to give it to you, as a reward for your obedience so far."

Izumi's expression became hopeful.

"You… Such a miracle medicine exists, and you are willing to give it to me?"

"Yes, but there is a condition. If you use it to change your gender, you will live in the castle's tower, not in this mansion, and your service will not be limited to defending Infermia. You will become this Demon Lord's pet, and you will receive my training like the others."

Izumi hesitated, looking at Megu and Ageha.

"Those two are being punished for being disobedient. Uiko, on the other hand, has been a good girl from the start, so she doesn't have to suffer humiliation."

"It's okay, Alice." encouraged Uiko. "Rin-sama is a good person, and being her pet is… fun."

Izumi finally nodded, and bowed in front of Sakura.

"Please. I'll be your pet, Rin-sama."

"Good. Take the medicine and go to your room, Alice. Anna will wait here. When the transformation is over, she will bring you to a room near Uiko's. Your first training session will be tonight."

"Thank you, Rin-sama." smiled Izumi, taking the pill like it was a rare treasure, making another curtsy, and climbing up the stairs.

Sakura addressed the succubi next.

"I am aware of your frustration. This Demon Lord asks you to be patient for a few more days. After we deal with the fake Demon King Satan today, I will send Anna to scout more of the Heroes and prepare our next raid. We plan to return with three male heroes this time."

"That would be so great, Rin-sama! Thank you very much!" beamed the eldest of the succubi.

"This Demon Lord will return to her room with her pets, then. Adora, Satanachia, follow me."

Sakura pulled slightly on the leashes, and Megu and Ageha started moving, only too happy to get away from Leonhart's stare. Uiko and the two Hellzectors followed her.

Once she was out of the mansion, and as they walked toward the castle, Sakura looked at the Hellzectors.

"Adora, Satanachia, while I will be dealing with Satan, I want you both to guard the shrine in the basement. Only Shuuko, Anna or I will be allowed to come and tell you when you do not need to guard it anymore. If one of the Heroes come to the shrine… treat them as enemies and kill them immediately. Do not give them any opportunity to touch the Hell's Gate. With the slave harnesses, they will reappear in a cell."

"Rin-sama, do you think one of them will betray us?" asked Satanachia.

"…No, this Demon Lord does not think so." replied Sakura. "But I prefer not to take the chance."

"We understand, Rin-sama." nodded Adora. "We will defend the shrine and the Hell's Gate with our lives."

…

Hours later, Sakura, Anna, Grasha and Forneus were standing close to the ravine allowing passage in and out of the valley.

A vampire emerged from it at a run, and seeing Sakura, ran faster.

"Demon-Lord sama, Satan was about… to enter the ravine from the other side… when I left to warn Infermia. He should be here in about twenty minutes."

"Good job." nodded Sakura. "Return to Infermia now. You and the others who kept watch on Satan can expect a reward when we are done."

"Thank you very much, Rin-sama!" happily replied the vampire, leaving at a jog in the castle's direction.

The vampire's estimation turned out to be rather accurate, and eighteen minutes later, a three meters tall giant covered in golden armor appeared from behind the last curve of the ravine, walking ponderously.

Satan's armor was massive and covered his body to the point that he looked more like a mecha or a golem than someone wearing an armor.

As previously agreed, Anna, Forneus and Grasha stood still while Sakura walked forward, stopping after fifty meters.

She waited until Satan was fifteen meters from her.

"Welcome back to Hellandia, former Demon King Satan." said Sakura with a smile as she slowly drew her sword.

"Hou?" said Satan, stopping his steps for what was maybe the first time in a week. "I am the God Demon King Satan. You should address your master properly, succubus queen."

"Apologies, then." nodded Sakura. "Not that I acknowledge you as my Master, mind you. It seems my information was incorrect. Weren't you supposed to wear a red armor?"

"The human who disturbed my peaceful sleep offered me this one as apology and token of respect. An armor that nullifies all magics. A worthy vestment for this God Demon King."

"Indeed. I would like to thank that human for his thoughtfulness. Would you mind telling me his name? Oh, and I am the Demon Lord Rin, sorry for the late introduction."

"I didn't care to ask this insect his name, and he wore a bird mask." shrugged Satan. "Sparing his puny life was repayment enough for this vestment. Why are you not sheathing your sword? Are you not there to welcome the God Demon King Satan back in his homeland?"

"No, I have a different kind of welcome in mind." smiled Sakura. "God Demon King Satan, I will have you return to that peaceful sleep you should never have left."

"Ah! A challenger! Interesting!" laughed Satan. He lifted his right arm and pointed his open palm toward Sakura. "Try not to die too fast!"

A stream of red and yellow flames burst from his hand, spreading in a narrow cone.

Sakura evaded by jumping to her left, keeping her body close to the ground. Just before her feet were about to make contact with the group again, she kicked it with her right leg, increasing her speed and starting to angle her prolonged jump toward Satan.

Satan lifted his left hand, and three large fireballs appeared above his head. He sent them in quick succession, and they exploded when they came close to Sakura.

Sakura evaded the first two completely, but the explosion of the third one hit her, and she lost about five percent of her HP.

She didn't pay attention to it as she reached melee range, dove under Satan's right fist, and slashed twice with her sword, creating two scars into the golden armor, but the sword didn't penetrate it, and Satan's Health Bar didn't drop.

"You dare!" bellowed Satan, and the ground around him suddenly shone.

Sakura hurriedly jumped back, but was still caught in the blast, and lost another ten percents of her own health bar.

The ground under her feet shone again, and this time, as she jumped away, Sakura decided to use a trick she had recently come up with. She used her control over her own shadow to cover herself with it like an armor.

The shadow armor surrounding her absorbed the damage, but Sakura mana bar was reduced by four percent. She wouldn't be able to take hits indefinitely.

"You are good at scampering around! But you won't last in the face of absolute power!" laughed Satan, aiming his right hand at her again and unleashing his flame cone attack.

This time, however, Sakura didn't just jump to the side with her feet. She grew four thick shadow tentacles from her waist and used them to push on the ground, further increasing her mobility.

She also decided to sheath her sword for now, as she had something more effective in her inventory to deal with heavily armored targets, and the sword's curse apparently hadn't been applied to Satan.

She selected one of the weapons she had bought from the game's store, pressed Equip, and deep blue armored gauntlets appeared on her hands and forearms, with sharp spikes on her knuckles.

"Ogre's Grip: damage +75. On hit, reduces the durability of enemy armor by 10%. Kicks performed with the gauntlets equipped reduce the durability of enemy armor by 5%."

Using her new 'legs' more than her natural ones, Sakura charged Satan faster than before, surprising him. He tried to punch her with his left fist, but Sakura dove under, grabbed his arm, and rotated her body around it like a pole jumper around their pole, only to deliver a drop kick to Satan's face, stunning him for a second.

Sakura dropped to the ground on her hands, and immediately rotated her body like a capoeira dancer, trying to use one of her tentacles like a whip. The tentacle disintegrated immediately on contact with Satan's waist, to Sakura's slight disappointment, but she still had time to kick both of Satan's knees once before she had to use her three remaining tentacles to jump away and avoid another blast.

She had already replaced the missing shadow tentacle when Satan's attack ended, and Sakura dove in.

"You gnat!" shouted Satan, trying to grab her with both hands.

Sakura jumped over his flailing arms and reached his chest, striking him once with each of her gauntlets before jumping away again. She had removed the layer of shadow armor from her forearms and feet to avoid paying the cost of replacing them each time she touched Satan, but she couldn't afford for him to pin her down and rain fire spells on her. Her mana bar wouldn't survive long.

With her last two hits, the damage to Satan's armor had become significant, and cracks appeared on it.

Satan noticed, and became truly furious. He lifted both hands toward the sky.

"Let me show you the power of the ruler of Demons! Hellandia! Rise to the call of your Ruler! Kill Demon Lord Rin!"

"Heh? But… Forneus… doesn't want..."

Sakura frowned, as the name over Forneus's head fluctuated from green to red. Grasha's name almost immediately turned red.

"Anna! Incapacitate them!" shouted Sakura, and Medusa sprang into action. She used her Ethereal Chains skill on Forneus before her name could stabilize in red, wrapping her tightly in translucent chains. Grasha charged at her, both arms red and bigger than normal as he used his special skill, but Medusa easily avoided his punch, retaliated by a good counter into his stomach, and wrapped him in chains as well. She quickly took from her inventory two blindfolds and slipped them over the Hellzectors' eyes, who seemed to calm down now that they didn't have a target in sight. At least, Forneus didn't try to unleash a magic bombardment over her surroundings.

Satan was angrily watching, and seemed about to unleash a verbal barrage, or more probably a fire barrage, at the black knight daring to betray the legitimate ruler of Hellandia, when Sakura reminded him of the cost of being distracted in battle with a flurry of punches in his back.

By the time he turned to face her, his golden armor shattered to pieces, revealing another red armor underneath, and his health bar lost a few percent.

He tried to blast her away, but she had already left his range. Sakura also evaded another fire pillar erupting under her feet and a trio of fireballs, without taking any damage this time.

"A pattern of four fire attacks and one special more... Is that it? Disappointing, but then again, you were always just a placeholder." shrugged Sakura in a low voice. She dissipated most of her shadow armor, leaving only the belt around her waist with her four tentacles, and unequipped her gauntlets, drawing her sword again.

She avoided his fire attacks, now aware of their timing and area of effect, and stopped just short of his flailing arms' reach. She was out of his reach, but he wasn't out of her own, and she opened two gashes in his legs just above the knees. Black blood started to seep from them, and the Demon Lord lost over a tenth of his HP bar.

More importantly, the sword's curse took hold this time, reducing his speed, strength, and magic power by twenty percent.

"Damn you! You mongrel!" bellowed Satan.

Sakura's eyes twitched, and anger filled her heart as Satan's words reminded her of that other golden scum who had tried to kill her and Medusa, and had the gall to call it mercy.

With a growl, she went to town with the God Demon King, slashing away like she was a human blender named Okita.

Infermia, standing tall in the distance, was the last think Satan saw as his health bar was depleted, and he collapsed.

The names of Grasha and Forneus returned to green, and Anna released them, retrieving the blindfolds.

"Eh?" asked Grasha, as if he was only now understanding what had happened.

"Rin-sama! Forneus is sorry! Please forgive Forneus!" cried Forneus as she threw herself at Sakura's feet.

"Kneel, Forneus." smiled Sakura.

"Yes, Rin-sama!" instantly obeyed Forneus.

Sakura gently cupped her chin, looking into her teary eyes.

"Forneus, you failed to resist Satan's influence, and for this, I will punish you. A good spanking, I think. After the punishment is over, this Demon Lord will forgive you."

"Thank you, Rin-sama!" nodded Forneus.

"But you also made real efforts to resist it, and when you returned to your senses, you immediately sought forgiveness. For this, this Demon Lord will reward you."

"Thank you, Rin-sama!" beamed Forneus, her heart-shaped ahoge dancing around.

"Now stand, Forneus... Grasha, kneel."

Grasha fell to his knees, looking like a beaten dog.

"You fell into Satan's sway immediately. Clearly, your loyalty isn't enough. This Demon Lord is disappointed in you, Grasha."

"I am sorry, Rin-sama!" shouted Grasha, his voice heavy with regrets.

"Three hundred laps around Infermia with a heavy backpack, five hundred pushups, five hundred pullups, five hundred squats. You will do this every day for two weeks. After you are done, this Demon Lord will forgive you."

"Rin-sama, this isn't a punishment, this is training…" started Grasha, confused.

"Do you prefer a stay in the torture chamber?" cut in Sakura, and Grasha shivered.

"No! Thank you for the punishment, Rin-sama!"

"Good. Now, run to Infermia and get started. I want to see you running around when we arrive."

"Yes, Rin-sama!" shouted Grasha, standing and breaking into a run.

"Now let us return, Anna, Forneus. I have a punishment and a reward to give, and Alice's training to start. Anna, please inform Satanachia and Adora when we are back that they do not need to guard the shrine anymore. And when you are rested enough, I would like for you to scout the 2A guild again and contact Asuka. This time, we are taking them all."

"Of course, Rin-sama." smiled Medusa.