"Demon Lord... What kind of role is that?!" Kiana Kaslana circled Shu, walking around him two or three times, her eyes seeming to try and dig something out of the two words floating above his head.
But they were just two simple words, bolded and black, practically radiating darkness. Kiana couldn't glean anything more from them.
"Demon Lord..." Raiden Mei murmured thoughtfully. In any story, the title [Demon Lord] was rarely assigned to a good person. They were usually villains who caused trouble, led forces of evil, and had a particular fondness for ruling the world, spreading darkness, and kidnapping princesses...
Wait, kidnapping the princess?
Mei's eyes widened instantly. She looked at the resigned Shu and the curious Kiana circling him.
If they were strictly adhering to their roles, a princess curiously circling a resigned demon lord... this scene... was indescribably bizarre!
Bronya Zaychik, the Homu series expert, stepped forward at this moment.
"If this world was indeed created based on Homu Brave Fights the Evil Dragon, then there is only one character who represents the Demon Lord," Bronya stated seriously, looking at Shu.
"Collapse..." Shu pondered. "A character who never appeared."
"What did he do?" the curious [Princess] asked inquisitively.
"He is a terrifyingly big villain! He commanded his subordinate, the evil dragon Homusilla, to kidnap the princess. He eats children's candy in their dreams, breaks the little flowers they've nurtured for ages, forces them to do endless homework and exams, and even gives them 0 points on their assignments and tests!"
Bronya's description was vivid and serious. The terror evoked by her account of Demon Lord Honkai's deeds made even the strong-willed Kiana and Mei shiver involuntarily.
That was... unexpectedly horrifying.
And as the perpetrator himself—the candy-stealer, flower-breaker, homework-assigner, exam-giver, and 0-point-marker Honkai—Shu's eye twitched, and he silently raised a hand to cover his face.
He didn't want to talk. He just wanted some quiet.
"Wait, that's not the issue right now," Shu suddenly remembered something important, quickly lowering his hand. "We need to leave this place immediately!"
"Oh, right!" Kiana finally recalled their current predicament. Sirin's sudden appearance meant they were well within the Herrscher's immediate vicinity.
At this distance, even Shu wasn't entirely confident he could get everyone out unharmed.
They needed to take advantage of Sirin being distracted by the Spring Festival and get out of here quickly...
Why did I forget something so important?
Even if I'm an airhead, I should still understand the urgency of the situation, right?
Kiana frowned instinctively, then quickly smoothed her brow.
"Let's hurry then! If we don't go now, it'll be too late!" Kiana said, turning to run towards the city gate.
However, after just two steps, Kiana felt a tight grip on her shoulder, and her running legs suddenly found themselves flailing in the air.
Kiana: "Huh?"
She looked down at her legs in confusion, then at the ground rapidly receding below her. Her already struggling brain instantly crashed, leaving her stunned.
Wha—I can fly!?
"Kiana!" Three cries of alarm came from the ground. Kiana looked up, straight into a pretty, but still youthful and developing face.
Streaks of purple mixed with grey hair, and a pair of unfolded dragon wings flapped behind her, carrying both the girl and Kiana upwards.
Noticing Kiana's bewildered gaze, the little girl looked down at the [Princess] she held captive, put on a "ferocious" expression, and let out a tiny, fierce "Rawr!" at Kiana.
Kiana: "..."
Being the closest, she clearly saw the words floating above the girl's head.
[Evil Dragon Homusilla]
So you're the evil dragon Shu ordered to kidnap me!
At this thought, a worried expression couldn't help but appear on Kiana's face. However, this worry wasn't for herself, but for the girl putting on such a convincing act before her.
Because...
A figure shot up like a cannonball, instantly reaching them from below, throwing the previously stable airflow into chaos.
The girl, who had been rapidly ascending, suddenly lost control of her flight path, causing both her and Kiana to wobble precariously in the sky.
"Waaah! We're gonna fall!" Kiana shrieked, while the little girl holding her frantically beat her wings, face flushed red, struggling to stabilize herself.
Slap— A large hand landed on the girl's shoulder, causing her flapping wings to freeze for an instant.
"I don't think you need to try so hard..." A chilling voice came from behind. Shu, his eyes filled with murderous intent, spoke flatly, devoid of emotion.
The girl swallowed hard in terror, turning to look at Shu behind her.
Mommy! What is that sword in your hand?!
Didn't Lady Sirin say the Homu Holy Sword that could harm me was still stuck in the ground back in Fairy Land?
Why does it feel like the sword this guy behind me is holding could defeat... no, kill me right now!!
"Give her back to me," Shu said coldly, tightening his grip on the Xuanyuan Sword.
"I... I won't! Even if you're the Demon Lord..." Two teardrops welled up in the grey-purple haired, dragon-winged girl's eyes as she refused, her voice trembling.
"I'll say it one more time..." Shu slowly lowered his eyelids, the light from the Xuanyuan Sword in his hand growing brighter.
This was the final ultimatum. If she refused again, even though she looked incredibly like Bella, this strike would sever her dragon wings, perhaps even...
"I... I..." Bella stammered twice, then her mouth crumpled decisively, and two streams of hot tears flowed freely from her eyes.
"Waaaah!"
The sudden outburst of tears startled both Shu and Kiana for a moment. The next second, Shu's patience reached its limit, and he reached out to snatch Kiana back from Bella's grasp.
But just then, a sparkling purple star shot from the distance, moving so fast that even though Shu detected its position from a kilometer away, he could only barely raise the Xuanyuan Sword to defend. His body was inevitably knocked away by the star's impact.
"Hmph— The storybooks never said the Demon Lord could take over the evil dragon's job and kidnap the princess himself," Sirin appeared before Shu, still clad in her ornate purple gown, wielding a staff brimming with magical girl flair.