Li Wei had no idea when consciousness returned to him.
His restored senses clearly conveyed his current state: a body subtly stronger than before—as if brushed by the Demon Lord’s touch—yet hollowed out by profound exhaustion. He knew this was no dream.
An intoxicating fragrance filled his nostrils, the same sweetness that had saturated him last night, driving him to indulge without restraint until every shred of rationality was drained.
And its source now lay just nearby.
Li Wei suddenly craved a cigarette.
He’d never smoked in either life, past or present—but somehow, right now, it felt fitting.
This Undying Demon Lord had come for revenge, a day he’d long anticipated. Yet he never imagined her retribution would be not a swift death, but such humiliation.
No—perhaps not an end at all. Merely a beginning?
Eyes closed, Li Wei recalled Tsukika’s flushed face and whispered words.
Her revenge… was to make him fall in love with her?
He remembered their first accidental encounter. He never foresaw becoming entangled with the Demon Lord in such twisted fate.
But her goal was destined to fail.
He felt guilt toward Tsukika—yes—but love? Never.
He could never truly love a Demon Lord.
As Li Wei feigned sleep, pondering his plight, a soft breath brushed his ear.
*Huff~ ❤*
That tingling warmth seemed to bypass flesh entirely, piercing straight into his soul.
His mind jolted as if struck by lightning—a primal reaction no willpower could suppress.
Then, a warm, gentle touch traced his abdomen.
Li Wei’s eyes flew open. Instinctively, he seized a small, pale, delicate hand.
Following the wrist, he saw Tsukika seated beside him.
Her silver hair framed a face of artful coldness; crimson eyes gleamed with mockery and amusement, yanking him back to reality.
He silently looked away.
She wore only a gauzy veil, moonlight-thin. Beneath its whisper-soft folds, her petite figure remained barely concealed—hazy, alluring.
Refusing his gaze, Tsukika stood, circled to where he’d turned, and loomed over him.
As he tried to twist away again, she lifted a pink-tipped foot, tilted his chin up, and forced his eyes to meet hers. Arms crossed, a cold smirk playing on her lips, she spoke slowly:
“My strongest one—why wear the face of a bullied little girl so early?”
“Was my service last night unsatisfactory? Disappointing?”
“Yesterday, you were so overwhelmed you couldn’t speak—unable to lift your head in shame, yet quite capable otherwise… Heh. You offered your very soul to me.”
Li Wei pressed his lips, finally meeting her gaze with a soft sigh. “If you know I enjoyed it… why call this revenge?”
Tsukika laughed, unbothered. “Provoking me? Thinking I’d hesitate?”
“And isn’t this to make the Chosen Hero infatuated with my body… and thus fall deeper in love?”
“Infatuation and love are not the same.”
Li Wei scratched his head. Surviving was one thing—but like *this*? Absurd.
He almost asked if she misunderstood “revenge.” But he knew her obsessive nature.
“Even if you succeed… what use am I? You know my condition.”
“If you were truly useless, why resist helping me so fiercely? Don’t you know you still threaten humanity?”
Tsukika smiled.
Li Wei fell silent.
She crouched before him, fingers pinching his chin, crimson eyes pressing down.
“As long as you live, you’ll see me daily. I’ll never let you forget what you did—the Chosen Hero’s betrayal of kindness… Hehe.”
“Letting you suffer awake, haunted by conscience… that is my desire too.”
Her pink fingertip traced his cheek, paused at his nose, and gently pinched—like toying with a personal doll. Malice bloomed across her charming face.
She’d never looked more vibrant.
Compared to Li Wei’s frailty, she glowed—nourished, radiant, her childish features subdued beneath breathtaking allure.
Suddenly, she stood back, grinning mischievously.
“And I’m not the one losing here, my strongest. Haven’t you noticed… the changes on your body?”
She activated a recording stone before his eyes, openly showing the footage.
Li Wei’s placid expression shattered.
He stared, disbelieving.
The man on screen was bare.
A white stocking tied around his neck in a neat bow.
And not just one stocking. Not just one bow.
Li Wei yanked the two stockings off.
Tsukika clapped, delighted by his rare fluster.
Eyes twinkling, she watched him scramble to cover himself, then licked her glossy lips with a pink tongue.
“A memorable scene, isn’t it? My strongest not only conquered the pitiful Demon Lord but adorned himself with plundered trophies—brimming with morning vigor.”
“If you beg… I might spend time ‘assisting’ you again.”
Li Wei stayed silent. But while covering himself, he noticed faint, blood-like patterns hidden on his skin, flickering with movement.
A mere brush of awareness sent scorching energy surging beneath them—familiar, unmistakable.
*The Demon Lord’s power.*
“It seems you’ve finally noticed,” Tsukika murmured, pocketing the stone.
“This is my Primordial Blood’s power.”
“Seven years ago, after you overpowered me… you forcibly bound yourself to it.”
“For seven years, you abandoned me. Denied it nourishment. Stunted its growth.”
“Thankfully, fate smiled. I found my chance.”
“You, humanity’s former strongest… are now my vessel to nurture this blood.”
“This is what you owe me.”
She smiled faintly.
“The glory who slew Annihilation… will now become the Undying’s captive. A vessel to forge the ultimate Demon Lord.”
“Thrilling, isn’t it? Now you see—I lose nothing.”
Hands clasped behind her back, she beamed with innocent radiance. No one would link this girl to the Undying Demon Lord.
“So… this was your true aim all along,” Li Wei murmured.
Her earlier words about love had shaken him. But feeling the Primordial Blood’s mark within… brought strange relief.
*A Demon Lord acting on cold interest—that made sense.*
Then why did his chest ache? Was he pitying something?
“Mm-hmm.” Tsukika’s smile deepened. “A true aim? Perhaps.”
“I never hid the blood’s existence. I need your cooperation. Yesterday… you performed *diligently*.”
“Hearing this, Chosen Hero—does rejecting my temptation now feel sacred? Does saving the world call to you again?”
“But you can’t refuse.”
“Powerless as you are, resistance is futile. Though… if you struggle? I’d welcome it ❤~ A lifeless Chosen Hero would be dreadfully dull.”
Li Wei fell silent, recalling last night. If this repeated daily—mounted by the Demon Lord…
His heart churned. Then another thought surfaced. He looked up.
“But keeping me close… aren’t you afraid I’ll change my mind? Find a chance… and kill you?”
He *did* feel guilt toward Tsukika.
He *had* considered surrendering.
But watching her grow into humanity’s doom while he learned her weaknesses… could he truly stand idle when the end came?
Tsukika’s faint smile returned.
“How could I not fear it? Since you slew Annihilation, no Demon Lord underestimates the Chosen Hero—and none wary of you more than I.”
“If you devoted yourself to killing me… I’d have no doubt you’d succeed.”
“But confessing this so calmly… are you *that* eager to die?”
“I’m just… tired,” Li Wei whispered, shaking his head.
Her schemes had sparked fleeting resolve—but exhaustion drowned it.
How long would he drift in weariness and pain to reach such a future?
“I see.”
“What a pity,” she murmured. “It seems our daughter will never meet the father she’s been longing for.”
“How heartless of you, Chosen Hero,” she added with mock sorrow. “Finished serving humanity, and now too tired even for your own child?”
Tsukika let out a soft sigh.
*Whoosh.*
In one fluid motion, Li Wei sprang upright from the bed.
“‘Chosen Hero’,” Li Wei said evenly, “has no one ever told you it’s rather impolite to point a weapon at someone while speaking?”
Tsukika’s shadowed face remained impassive. She simply reached out and tapped the air.
Li Wei: “???”
A stifled groan escaped him as he stumbled back several steps. Yet his eyes trembled with disbelief, fixed on the silver-haired little girl before him.
As if she’d anticipated his shock all along, Tsukika had already been watching him—waiting. A teasing, mischievous smile curled her exquisite lips.
“Chosen Hero,” she purred, “still eager to prove how badly you want to die?”
Every rational thought had fled Li Wei’s mind. His throat tightened around a thick, bitter lump. “What… what did you mean,” he rasped, “about the daughter?”
Tsukika blinked in feigned realization. “Ah, this?” she chirped. “Have I really forgotten to mention it all this time?”
“My strongest,” she cooed, “your talents in every way are truly the pinnacle of humanity, you know.”
“That time seven years ago? You got me pregnant—clean and simple.”
“And now my belly’s full again. Without intervention… who knows? Another little one might be on the way.”
A malicious smile returned to her lips.
Her crimson eyes, gleaming with amusement and mockery, never left Li Wei’s face—watching shock melt into dazed confusion.
