Chapter 3: The Red-Eyed Demoness and the First Demon Empress in History: Liliana Crimson!
"Oh? Has it finally made its appearance as well?"
Leon whispered and swiftly donned his half-face mask as the enemy he had been anticipating finally emerged.
True to his words, moments later, blood-red butterflies suddenly soared in unison, creating a distinctive and incomprehensible formation.
Continuing to fly in groups for a while, much to his astonishment, suddenly, an extraordinarily beautiful white-haired woman magically appeared behind the flying blood-red winged butterflies, as if she had teleported.
The arrival of this white-haired beauty instantly put Leon on high alert.
However, he refrained from immediately moving to attack or harm her.
"Whoosh!"
Instantly, all the blood-red winged butterflies transformed into a red light that slowly faded away, leaving only the beautiful white-haired woman standing calmly with her eyes closed.
Her appearance was exceptionally beautiful and flawless, with a smooth and beautiful face resembling a carefully carved sculpture and snow-white hair flowing down to her waist.
Furthermore, she wore a loose-fitting dark gown that failed to conceal her proud figure, as if she defiantly intended to emphasize her curves at the bust and hips.
Even Leon couldn't deny that the woman was truly extraordinary in her beauty and perfection.
She was in no way inferior to the most beautiful woman Leon had ever seen, a Holy Saint of the Holy Orthodox in human-race territory.
Unfortunately, despite her extraordinary beauty and an enchanting allure capable of captivating anyone, Leon sensed an overwhelming aura surrounding her.
Even the faint signs of the surrounding space being distorted revealed the terrifying power emanating from this woman.
'(She's incredibly powerful. I never knew the Demon race could have a Demon general of such strength.)' Leon muttered under his breath, a chill running down his spine.
Having frequently battled Demon Generals, Leon was well aware that, while they were formidable opponents, none of them posed a threat to him.
After all, he was already immensely strong.
Nevertheless, the mere presence of this woman sent shivers down Leon's spine, and her power suggested that she was not inferior but likely equal to him.
"Interesting... It's been a long time since I faced a formidable opponent like this." Despite his surprise, there was no trace of fear in his heart.
As the strongest of the three heroes of mankind, Leon often found himself bored, as there were few opponents capable of satisfying his strength.
Consequently, his curiosity was piqued by this woman.
Meanwhile, the white-haired beauty slowly opened her eyes, revealing a pair that gleamed as red as blood in Leon's sight.
"Are you one of the heroes of mankind who orchestrated this raid?" Her voice, though beautiful and melodious, carried a chilling coldness that could make anyone hearing it tremble in fear.
"Yes, I am the one who led the war on the human side, identified as one of the three heroes of mankind—the Hero of the Sword," Leon admitted promptly and without hesitation.
There was no fear evident on his face, only the usual calmness.
"Sword Hero? I see. You're the one who consistently defeats my Demon generals and inflicts losses upon the Demon race's army during wars, huh?" The white-haired, beautiful woman's expression immediately turned unusually cold upon learning that Leon was a sword hero.
Upon sensing the sudden coldness in her demeanor and a palpable killing intent directed at him, Leon immediately frowned and narrowed his eyes behind his mask.
The unexpectedly widespread fame he had garnered among the Demon Race for his achievements surprised him.
However, his eyebrows raised slightly upon hearing the words 'My Demon Generals,' giving him the feeling of gaining insight into her identity.
"May I inquire if you are the current Demon Emperor?" He asked lightly and casually, though his caution increased significantly.
A hint of surprise crossed the white-haired beauty's face upon hearing his question, and she responded with a small nod.
"You're remarkably intelligent for a human," she remarked with arrogance before proceeding to introduce herself.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Liliana Crimson, the 70th generation Demon Emperor, destined to bring glory and victory to the Demon race against your pitiful human race." Her tone exuded superiority, surprising Leon and prompting him to take a deep breath.
He did not expect that this woman would turn out to be the current Demon Emperor and that this Demon Emperor was still a remarkably beautiful woman!
It appeared that the intelligence from the Holy Empire of Mankind and the Holy Orthodox had never informed him that the current Demon Emperor was a woman.
Indeed, from the aura she exuded and her demeanor alone, she appeared vastly different from the demons he had faced before, almost as if she were the final boss in a game.
Nevertheless, being surprised was merely an emotion, and it did not instill fear in him.
Instead, it fueled a sense of excitement within him.
Immediately, he regulated his emotions and adorned his lips with a faint smile.
"I see, I didn't anticipate that my adversary this time wasn't just a Demon general but the Demon Emperor herself. This is truly an honor," he said playfully, prompting Liliana to raise one eyebrow.
"You're quite irritating for a lowly human, huh?" Liliana snorted coldly and waved her hand dismissively.
Suddenly, a sharp, red-colored crystal formed in the air and hurtled toward Leon at high speed.
"Whoosh!"
The speed was so fast that evading it would be nearly impossible for anyone.
Unfortunately, her opponent was Leon, and the title of the strongest hero was not merely a figment of the imagination.
"Boom!"
An invisible barrier materialized around him, deflecting the sharp red crystal and causing it to shatter into pieces.
"Oops! It seems your attack was too feeble, dear Demon Emperor," Leon remarked with feigned surprise, wearing a mocking smile.
Rather than anger, Liliana's response was a faint smile forming on her lips, adding to her allure.
"So, what about this?" She raised her right hand towards the front, and suddenly, hundreds of sharp red crystals materialized in the air, converging towards Leon as if poised to crush him.
Observing the scene, a small sigh escaped Leon as the corner of his mouth twitched.
"This is quite the quantity. Maybe hundreds?" His gaze fixed on the numerous crystals suspended in the air, silently speculating on their number.
"Whoosh!"
The hundreds of sharp red crystals lunged towards him recklessly, as if intent on tearing him apart and shattering upon crashing into the invisible barrier protecting him.
"Boom!"
The explosive sound of the piercing red crystals reverberated continuously, and Leon, observing this, remained unfazed.
After all, these attacks couldn't harm him.
However, to his surprise, as the last red crystal attack struck his barrier, it unexpectedly cracked.
"Crack!"
The crack spread rapidly, like a spider web, and shattered into pieces in an instant.
"Boom!"
Leon's face transformed into astonishment, and before he could articulate his surprise, he sensed a menacing attack from behind hurtling toward him.
"Shit! This isn't good!" Leon swiftly twisted his body to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack.
"Slash!" The covert sneak attack, unveiled as a concealed, sharp red crystal, was skillfully evaded.
However, despite successfully dodging it, the red crystal managed to scratch Leon's left mask, causing it to fall off his face instantly.
Immediately, his extraordinarily handsome face was exposed, and as Leon repositioned himself, he couldn't help but express his dismay at his broken half-mask.
"Hey~ My mask is ruined," he muttered in annoyance, casting a glance at his shattered half-face mask lying on the sand as he shook his head.
Then, he lifted his gaze towards Liliana and observed that her cold, beautiful expression was frozen in shock as she stared at his face.
Her reaction was akin to seeing a ghost, and this discomforted Leon.
True, he was so handsome, acknowledged by the world, but her expression was a bit too much, wasn't it?
Just as he was about to express his discomfort and ask her not to stare like that, Liliana promptly cut him off.
"Bastard!"
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone