Staring wide-eyed at the utterly fearless Ink Ash, Shir shook the scroll in his hand. Having always revered Archmages as supreme beings since childhood, he blurted out,

"You... you're not scared at all? This is a supreme fire magic—Blazing Sky Inferno!"

"Oh dear, I'm so scared!" Ink Ash shivered with an annoyingly smug expression. "Just cast it already. All this chatter is boring." The Great Demon King was clearly impatient. The consequences would be severe.

Feeling courage from the tightly gripped scroll, Shir mustered his spirit and shouted angrily,

"You... stop pushing me too far! This is your doing—the scroll, wasn't it just in my hand?"

"The scroll you mentioned..." Ink Ash waved the one he'd just taken. "Could it be this one?"

"Gulp!" Seeing his obvious eagerness, Shir guessed what was coming and warned anxiously,

"I warn you... don't mess with it. It's sealed with magic; without the right incantation, it won't open."

Easily crushing the seal, Ink Ash said nonchalantly,

"Won't open? Such a fragile thing, just pull it apart!"

"M-monster!" Shir murmured in disbelief. The scenes before him constantly shattered his worldview.

Feeling the increasingly restless magical fluctuations, the Great Demon King flashed his pearly white teeth.

"Yo, seems like you need a target within ten seconds?"

"Chatterbox, I'll give you a chance—run." His voice turned sharp. "If you escape the casting range in ten seconds, I'll spare your life."

"I'm not a chatterbox! I have my own—Blessing of Fire, Barrier of Earth, Guardian of Wood!"

Covered in the three elemental protections, Shir vanished instantly from the spot.

Surprised to see him disappear, Ink Ash sighed in frustration. "Sigh, wouldn't it be better to just wait for death peacefully?"

"Panting... that monster is no ordinary warrior..." Shir gritted his teeth, his magic chaotic as he barely escaped. "I need to find my mentor... go back to get my mentor to deal with him."

Just then, a leisurely voice drifted down from above.

"Ding-dong, only one point five seconds left. Is this cat-and-mouse game fun, young man?"

"You... how are you here?!" Shir looked up in shock, seeing the smiling figure. His face paled as he stammered, "I clearly escaped the range... you, you're not keeping your word!"

Smiling, the Great Demon King waved his hand and calmly retorted,

"How could that be? You ran too fast and didn't hear me finish... I never said I'd stand still!"

"You... who exactly are you?!" At death's door, Shir realized he'd been toyed with all along. His expression turned complex.

Clearing his throat, the solemn Great Demon King slowly said under Shir's expectant gaze,

"That's a good question. Remember this: the one who kills you is—won't tell you~!"

"You, un—"

"Boom!" Before Shir could condemn this shameless act, the peerless genius mage was engulfed by a dazzling pillar of fire. Burned to ashes without a trace.

"Not bad, I'd give this firework effect at least an eight..." Admiring the splendid display with surround sound, Ink Ash suddenly changed expression. He dashed down.

"Damn, with such power, won't that chatterbox's spatial ring melt?!" Returning empty-handed, his face dark, Ink Ash scowled. Why had he bothered watching the fireworks?

"Just cut him into a human log, threaten him for his wealth, then stomp on his head while he's relieved." He muttered to himself. "This is exactly how a big villain should operate—a perfect killing-and-robbing process!"

Carefully watching his solemn face, Lily asked worriedly, "M-master, are you okay?"

"Oh, just missed some extra cash, nothing big." Ink Ash quickly recovered and looked at her deeply. "Good apprentice, don't you have anything to say to your master?"

Anxiously lowering her head, biting her dry lips, Lily finally mumbled, "I... I accidentally dragged master into trouble. It's Lily's fault!"

"Idiot!" Ink Ash shouted, clearly dissatisfied. "After making you think so long, this is your answer? Are you trying to make me angry?!"

Timidly stepping back, Lily tried to explain further. Suddenly lifted, she exclaimed, "Lily... Lily promises not to next time—ah! Master, what are you doing?"

"An obvious thing—to punish the idiot apprentice." With one arm around her slender waist, Ink Ash tucked her under his arm and sat on a rock.

Laid across his lap, Lily innocently tilted her head. "Punishment? What is... punishment?"

"Easy to guess—the lesson every naughty kid gets!" With a flick of his fingers, he stripped off her tattered sailor dress. The Great Demon King smiled down at her pure white panties.

Her body tensed, feeling the sudden chill. Lily's face flushed red as she covered her butt, shyly pleading, "Punishment can't be... no, sniff, master, can we do it another way?"

"No." Ink Ash ruthlessly pulled her hands away. "I must give you a deep lesson."

Burying her flushed face in his thigh, Lily's heart pounded. "But... but Lily is so grown up. Getting spanked... it's so embarrassing!"

"In my eyes, you're still a child..." Affectionately stroking her hair, Master Ink Ash said calmly.

Unable to move, Lily was about to struggle when pain swept through her. "Even so, but—ah~!"

"Smack!" The crisp sound of palm on soft flesh mixed with her cry, echoing through the forest breeze.

"Looks small... but feels nice. No no!" Ink Ash quickly shook his head, his expression slightly lewd. "I'm teaching her a lesson. How can I indulge?" After a few smacks, he began to ask,

"Do you know where you went wrong?"