Corrosion Was Spreading

Corrosion Was Spreading

Silverpine Town Militia Barracks.

The local lord, Victor Baron Guss, hurried over from his manor in a carriage.

Seeing Sheriff A De Lai, who had just returned from the labyrinth, he immediately raised his whip and lashed the man across the shoulder, unleashing a torrent of abuse.

"Idiot! Madman! Who gave you permission to gather my people?! Eight hundred lives! Do you know what that means?! Are you going to farm my fields next year?!"

Silverpine Town had a permanent population of barely over ten thousand. Losing eight hundred able-bodied men was an enormous blow; it would likely take years to recover!

A De Lai dropped to one knee and lowered his head deeply.

"Sorry, my lord... The recruitment and assembly of troops was an order from the Public Security Headquarters. We must constantly monitor the labyrinth's activity to prevent monster invasions—"

"Shut up!" Baron Guss cut him off furiously, roaring, "The Demon Lord is already dead! The labyrinth will collapse on its own soon enough! Tell me, where would a monster invasion come from in a labyrinth without a Demon Lord?!"

A De Lai said, "But—"

"I didn't tell you to speak!" Baron Guss glared at him murderously and ground his teeth. "And gathering the militia was one thing, but who told you to go down into the labyrinth?!"

"..."

"Cat got your tongue?"

"No... You just told me to shut up."

Ah.

What a pain in the ass.

An evil thought suddenly rose in A De Lai's heart. If he killed this man here and had Lord Demon Lord revive him as a ghoul, wouldn't he no longer have to look at that disgusting face?

But the thought only flashed through his mind for an instant before he dismissed it.

The cost of killing a noble was completely different from killing an ordinary person, much less replacing one with a ghoul.

Not only had these people been blessed by Saint Siss from birth, but they also had deeply intertwined family connections.

Unlike clergy who had sworn lifelong vows, whose entire network of connections was within the church and who were unlikely to be exposed.

"Damn it..."

Seeing this insignificant sheriff defy him again and again, Baron Guss raised his whip, ready to teach him a painful lesson, when a deep, hoarse voice suddenly came from nearby.

"I told him to do it."

Baron Guss shuddered and quickly turned around. Priest Matt, dressed in a priest's robe, stood at the entrance to the barracks.

He had changed into a clean, neat priest's robe, with a holy cross hanging from his chest.

For some reason.

Guss felt that Matt seemed somewhat lifeless today, but when he remembered that the old priest had just returned from the labyrinth, he was immediately relieved.

Everyone who finished reciting the spell looked like this. Even Saint Siss's servants were no exception.

"Priest Matt? You?" Guss opened his mouth and asked in astonishment, "But why?"

"The Demon God is Saint Siss's enemy. Guarding against Hell's activities is the sacred duty of us servants of God," Matt said with a straight face, repeating the explanation Sheriff A De Lai had taught him earlier. "What, do you have doubts about this holy undertaking?"

That stiff, inflexible demeanor truly was old Matt's usual style.

Caught off guard, Baron Guss broke into a cold sweat and stammered.

"No... But..."

Without pushing him too hard, Matt took the initiative to step back and presented the explanation they had prepared beforehand.

"The church will compensate you and those farmers for your losses. In addition, I will write to your lord and explain the situation, telling Earl that Silverpine Town's loss of conscripts was caused by monster attacks and was not your responsibility..."

Compensation.

And exemption from responsibility.

With both demands met, Baron Guss finally showed a relieved expression.

"Thank you..."

He was only puzzled by one thing: why had this stingy miser suddenly become so generous today? Matt watched him and spoke expressionlessly.

"Any other questions?"

Baron Guss hurriedly shook his head.

"No."

As long as the money was there, everything could be discussed.

The nobles of the Ryan Kingdom had always been easy to reason with.

Matt nodded.

"Then that will be all, respected lord. I still need to handle the aftermath of this operation against the monster invasion, so I will not take up any more of your precious time."

Against the monster invasion...

Baron Guss sneered inwardly. These clergy really could lie without even drafting a script.

Ah...

Saint Siss above, I absolutely mean no disrespect to you. It was simply that you truly needed to discipline your servants properly.

After privately criticizing Priest Matt, Baron Guss looked at A De Lai again, doing Silverpine Town's priest a favor.

"A De Lai, thank Priest Matt. Otherwise, even if Thunder City's Public Security Headquarters spared you, I certainly would not."

Municipal officials were not worth currying favor with, but priests who held religious authority were different. It was worth maintaining a good relationship with them.

After all, there would come a day when he needed holy water.

"Yes..." A De Lai lowered his head, hiding a sneer in his heart.

Baron Guss devoutly drew a cross over his chest, then waved his whip and swaggered away with his two servants.

He did not want to remain in this godforsaken place for even a moment.

In just those few seconds, even his expensive silk formalwear had picked up the smell of dirt...

Only after Baron Guss had left did Sheriff A De Lai finally breathe a sigh of relief and raise his lowered head.

Looking at the expressionless Priest Matt, he forced a friendly smile onto his face.

"Well done..."

Priest Matt nodded without any reaction.

"Your Majesty Demon Lord told me to cooperate with you, so naturally I will cooperate... What next?"

Sheriff A De Lai stroked his chin and pondered for a long time before speaking.

"Next... Let me think. First, we need to inventory the church's assets, then spend some money to dismiss those troublesome old nuns and replace them with new people."

"Also, we need to pick a few more orphans and train them as your apprentices. During services, have them recite the scriptures while you stand nearby and put on a show."

They had even fooled the local lord. They had successfully passed the hardest hurdle.

As for those mud-legged peasants who came to the church to pray every day, they could simply be dealt with casually... After all, they might never leave this town in their entire lives, and their understanding of Saint Siss's teachings depended entirely on what the town's priest told them.

Even if they slipped in a little private agenda, as long as it was not too outrageous, no one would ever notice.

After all, the entire town's "judgment" was in their hands!

A De Lai was surprised to discover that he had an unexpected talent for this sort of shady business.

"This is bad... Maybe I was a demon in my previous life."

"Not very likely," Matt shook his head. He seemed to have already settled into the role of a religious charlatan and said solemnly, "But there should be no problem in your next life. As long as you are loyal enough to Lord Demon Lord, Lord Demon Lord will arrange your next life properly."

Meanwhile, on the second floor of the labyrinth.

The Little Devils, their wings fluttering, returned to their nest—the altar known as Nightmare Country.

"Damn it, Boss!!"

"Damn it, something terrible has happened!"

"The Demon Lord! A new Demon Lord!"

"He's back!"

They shouted loudly as they flew.

Their cries, impossible to tell whether they were sinister laughter or shrieks, echoed through the jagged cavern, causing countless Little Devils to poke their heads out before ducking back down.

At the center of the distant altar, reclining against the towering Obsidian Rock Throne, sat an imposing and sinister monarch.

She was less than a meter tall, yet her legs made up half her body. Her exquisite, seductive features radiated an evil aura, while her crimson eyes and lips looked like freshly gushing blood.

Beyond that, the most eye-catching feature was the pair of slightly protruding horns on her forehead. A pair of long bat wings were folded behind her, and the tail hooked to one side resembled a venomous snake waiting to strike.

Because the throne was far too enormous, she looked like a doll sitting upon it.

However.

Even though this monarch looked like a doll, not a single Little Devil present dared defy her.

Before her, these scheming little creatures were as docile as lambs.

"A Demon Lord?"

Xi Xi, reclining on the throne, narrowed her eyes. Her cheek rested lazily against the back of her hand, while the fang at the corner of her mouth lightly scraped against her little fingernail.

"What is that guy's background? Did you get a clear look?"

The two Little Devils flying in the air rushed to answer.

"A Succubus! He seemed to be a Succubus! He's incredibly good at draining humans dry! All the humans in the labyrinth were drained dry by him!"

"Wrong! He was obviously a vampire! He sucked those human things dry in one bite!"

"Succubus!"

"Vampire!!"

"Succubus!!!"

The two Little Devils began fighting in midair, baring their teeth at each other.

Seeing their leaders start fighting, Little Devil heads immediately popped out from behind the bizarrely shaped rocks, cheering for the left one one moment and waving flags for the right one the next.

"Bite off her ears!"

"Rip apart her mouth!"

"Her wings! Pull off her wings!"

These creatures would start fighting if they let their guard down for even a moment. Xi Xi, sitting on the throne, had long grown used to it.

She yawned and scolded them in an indifferent tone.

"Enough."

Hearing the boss's rebuke, the two Little Devils grappling in midair shuddered and sprang apart as if electrocuted.

"I sent you to investigate the first floor, yet you did not even figure out who he was. I truly want to gouge out your eyes and stuff them into your mouths."

The two Little Devils trembled in terror, quietly landed on the ground, and lowered their heads without daring to speak.

Xi Xi did not continue making things difficult for them and went on lazily.

"What about those Lizardmen? What happened to them?"

Hearing their boss's question, the two Little Devils immediately raised their heads and began chattering again.

"Dead! They're all dead!"

"Those four-legged snakes were no match for him at all!"

"They were all chopped into eight pieces!"

"Damn it, it was terrifying!"

"Damn it, the one who came might be another Diamond-level demon!"

Listening to their chaotic report, Xi Xi raised a finger to rub her brow, roughly sorting out the situation.

Simply put, the new Demon Lord had not only wiped out the Lizardmen troops, but had also casually dealt with the humans who came to join the commotion... That was probably what happened? That earlier explosion was likely some Silver-level magic.

Anyone who dared use such overwhelming power in the labyrinth must have absolute confidence in their own strength... She would not be surprised even if he were Gold-rank or Platinum Grade.

Of course.

That was only her guess.

After all, strength was not written on someone's face. You could not determine it just by looking, especially since she herself was only Silver-level.

Looking at her helpless subordinates, Xi Xi spoke lazily.

"Tsk... Those ingrates betrayed us and threw themselves into the Dragon God's embrace, so it is perfectly normal for the Demon Lord to chop them into eight pieces."

She felt no sympathy whatsoever for those four-legged snakes. In fact, she almost wanted to laugh at their misfortune.

But even so, if all those Lizardmen died, Nightmare Country would be in danger...

Clearly, she was not the only one who had thought of that. The two Little Devils crouching on the ground were equally cunning.

"Boss, what should we do?!"

"Fight Lord Demon Lord? Or should we... pretend to submit to that guy first?"

Xi Xi glanced at them, pondered for a moment, and spoke slowly.

"No rush. Those four-legged snakes will keep them busy for a while. We can observe first. You Xi, go to the four-legged snakes' tribe and gather intelligence in the name of forming an alliance. Mi Xi, go take a look at the Demon Lord's side, also in the name of forming an alliance... As for whom we will actually ally with, I will decide after thinking it over."

If the Demon Lord was stronger, then she would sell out the Lizardmen. If the Demon Lord was actually weak, or was not a Demon Lord at all, she would not mind helping those four-legged reptiles crush the threat before it could grow.

Understanding her boss's meaning, You Xi's eyes immediately lit up.

"As expected of Boss! How cunning and devious!"

In contrast, Mi Xi's face revealed panic and fear.

"Ah?! M-Me, go to the Demon Lord's side?"

With her right leg crossed over her knee, Xi Xi impatiently glanced at the timid Little Devil.

"You have objections?"

"N-No, I don't..."

Mi Xi shrank her neck in fright and hurriedly shook her head like a windmill. How could she dare say yes?

"Then go."

Xi Xi waved her hand in a dismissive gesture.

"Yes..."

After saluting Queen, Mi Xi took off with a mournful expression, fluttering her wings into the air and withdrawing with the gleeful You Xi.

At the same time, beside the ruins on the first floor of the labyrinth, Leon, riding on Arakdo's back, was taking stock of his spoils.

One thousand elite Lizardmen and eight hundred human soldiers... along with their equipment.

Quinn had really hit the jackpot this time!

With an unconcealable smile on his face, Leon happily gave the order.

"You You, add two more options to the reincarnation feature—

zombies and Lizardmen zombies. Require Black Iron-level for class transfer!"

"As for the Contribution Points needed for reincarnation and revival, you decide. Just follow the previous rules."

You You answered eagerly.

"Received!"