Chapter 733: Problems and Reconciliation
The forest behind Asgard was known for its ancient vastness, towering trees, and an almost perpetual mist that shimred with golden particles as it reflected the sunlight. For centuries, that region had been considered harmless—just too wild territory for cultivation, but not dangerous.
That changed three days ago.
And now, Kali walked alone through the depths of that forest, each step facing an invisible resistance, heavy, dense as liquid lead.
The air, once warm and vibrant, had beco suffocating. A dry, oppressive heat that burned not the skin—but the soul.
The aura emanating from that place was so intense that any human soldier would have fallen unconscious before even reaching the first point of corruption. They were strong, disciplined, trained… but nothing on known earth could have prepared them for this.
Kali knew. That’s why she sent them back.
She herself wasn’t sure if she could endure it.
The Demonic Dragoness walked with slow, precise steps, her reptilian eyes narrowed as the heavy wind blew the leaves in strange rotations. Sothing was wrong—not a common mistake, not a natural anomaly, but a deep, ancient, living corruption.
Her entire body throbbed as if every cell were being pulled in opposite directions.
The demonic energy that saturated the ground was so brutal that even she—a creature born of darkness, shaped by a hell that few would comprehend—felt her throat burn and her chest ache.
“What the hell…?” she murmured to herself, placing her hand on her chest, as if trying to stabilize her own internal flow of power.
Kali would never admit weakness before anyone.
But there, alone, she recognized the truth:
This was not natural. It was not common.
It was not sothing that should exist.
A few ters ahead, the forest transford.
The once-living trees were charred, their bark gray and cracked as if they had suffered internal combustion. The branches were twisted, like arms trying to escape sothing invisible.
So leaves hung, only half-burned—and the fire that had destroyed them was not ordinary. There was no sll of burning, no soot in the air. Just… emptiness. As if life itself had been sucked away.
The ground had red cracks, like exposed veins. And from them, a sinister heat emanated, almost pulsing.
Kali knelt and touched the ground.
Her finger cracked.
It didn’t burn her skin—it burned her mana.
The demonic energy reacted as if it had consciousness, drawing its power to itself.
She recoiled imdiately.
“…this is not ordinary corruption,” she whispered.
The wind blew once more, bringing a strong sll of iron and sulfur. The demonic presence was so dense it seed to lt the air, distort the light, affect even the way sounds traveled.
Everything was too silent.
No birds.
No insects.
No breaths other than her own.
The Dragoness raised her head and observed the sky.
Red clouds ford above the treetops—but only over that part of the forest. The rest of the territory behind Asgard remained illuminated, clear, natural.
The affected area was shaped like a perfect circle.
Too perfect.
Kali narrowed her eyes.
“…soone did this.”
She walked further ahead.
Each step brought her closer to sothing her instinct scread to avoid. Sothing that seed to watch. Sothing that pulsed, breathed, yearned.
After a few eternal minutes, she finally arrived at the place.
The cave.
If it could even be called a cave.
The entrance was a gigantic fissure in the earth, as if sothing colossal had erged from within. Molten rocks accumulated at the edges, petrified into twisted shapes, full of imaginary claws that stretched into the air.
Two large stone columns—resembling horns—flanked the opening. Between them, broken chains hung, as if sothing had been released from within.
The heat was brutal.
The air shimred.
And from within escaped sothing like a deep, continuous lant, vibrating in her bones.
Kali approached, swallowing hard.
“This is… impossible.” Her eyes widened, gleaming with a mixture of fascination and horror. “It’s pure demonic energy. No… it’s more than that.”
She touched the edge of the opening.
A wave of force struck her like a slap.
She took a step back, growling.
“That almost ripped my mana out…”
Even she—who was literally built on demonic energy—had never felt anything so overwhelming. So hungry. So ancient.
Her gaze drifted to the ground around the hole.
Bodies.
Not of people—but of animals, local monsters, birds, giant insects.
But they weren’t dead naturally.
They were dried-out carcasses, as if all vitality had been drained until only shells remained.
Even the nearby water—a small mountain stream—was black, thick, utterly corrupted by the energy leaking from the fissure.
Kali took a deep breath. “Damn it, more problems…”
…
The room was silent, except for the rhythmic sound of the icy wind hitting the window.
Scarlet stood before the table where the egg rested on a thick blanket, radiating its characteristic bluish light.
She crossed her arms, staring at the shell as if looking at a true rival.
“Alright,” she said finally, with a deep sigh. “Let’s settle this once and for all.”
The egg lit up slightly—as if it had raised its head to listen.
Scarlet raised an eyebrow.
“Don’t look at like that. I know you hate . Or at least you tolerate very poorly.”
She approached and gave two light taps on the icy surface.
The shell vibrated in response, but not in a hostile way… more like a grumble.
“Great. So we’re on the sa level.”
Another glow.
Scarlet took a deep breath, straightening her posture like a queen about to give a speech.
“Listen… you’re going to be born soon. And I don’t want Strax to be torn between and you—because he’s already an emotional disaster sotis, and I’m not going to make his life any harder.”
The egg pulsed harder, as if in agreent.
Scarlet continued:
“So we need… I refuse to call it friendship… but at least a truce.”
The egg tilted slightly forward, as if… listening.
She rolled her eyes.
“Yes, yes. I know you want to be close to him too. But you have to understand one thing right now: I was here first. Strax and I are a duo. A team. A couple.”
She crossed her arms.
“You can be… I don’t know… a mascot. A son. A little dragon. Whatever. But you’re not going to take my place.”
The shell trembled, but not in protest—it seed more… embarrassed?
Scarlet tilted her head.
“What is it now? Do you want to say sothing?”
The egg vibrated again, but softly, almost timidly.
The blue light spread through the room like a silent plea.
Scarlet narrowed her eyes.
“Oh no… you want to apologize, is that it?”
The egg’s glow intensified. Clearly, that was it.
Scarlet gave a short laugh.
“No way.”
The egg trembled indignantly.
“No way,” she repeated, stamping her foot. “I’m not going to apologize for… doing what I did… IN FRONT OF YOU.”
The egg glowed even brighter—now completely reddish-blue, a mixture of confusion and pure indignation.
Scarlet raised her hand, signaling calm.
“I admit I might have overreacted a little that day.”
The egg trembled as if to say: “A LITTLE???”
Scarlet corrected:
“Okay, I overreacted. But it was your fault too, you cocky little rock! If you hadn’t started shaking and screaming like a needy spirit, I wouldn’t have needed to… um… assert territory the way I did.”
The egg gave a pulse of light that looked like a silent scream.
“Yeah,” she said, pointing a finger. “I know what you an. But it doesn’t matter. I’m not going to apologize. Accept it.”
The egg was quiet.
Very quiet.
Scarlet raised an eyebrow.
“…You didn’t like it?”
The shell glowed faintly. An almost… defeated glow.
Scarlet huffed, throwing her hands up.
“Oh, great. Now you’re going to be emotionally blackmailing like Strax.”
The egg swayed to the side—as if offended.
Scarlet approached and placed her hand on the shell.
A soft light enveloped her—no hostility, no aggression.
Warm.
Gentle.
“Look…” she said in her lowest voice, reluctantly sincere. “I don’t like you. But I don’t want to hurt you either.”
The egg made a soft sound—an internal noise, almost a cold purr.
“You’ll be born soon,” she continued, resting her other hand on the table. “And when you are born, you’ll be strong. You’ll be part of our family. Our ss. Our chaos.”
The egg vibrated at a low frequency, as if agreeing, though it was still sulking.
Scarlet sighed, looking at it with an expression that was pure resignation—mixed with a touch of affection she refused to admit.
“But know this from now on: Strax is mine. No matter how many tis you try to kick out, shake , shine, or struggle.”
The egg responded with a steady glow, as if to say, “I know.”
Scarlet crossed her arms and smiled slightly.
“Good. Now you’re starting to understand.”
She turned to leave… but the egg emitted a faint glow, drawing her attention.
Scarlet stopped.
“…What? Want a hug, now?”
The egg vibrated, as if to say, “Maybe.”
Scarlet’s eyes widened.
“I—I’m—not—going—to—hug—an—egg.”
The egg glowed brighter, insistently.
Scarlet turned her face away, annoyed, but the corner of her mouth betrayed a tiny smile.
“…Okay. Just a touch.”
She rested her forehead against the shell—a minimal, reluctant gesture.
The egg cald down completely.
Scarlet closed her eyes for a second.
“Satisfied?”
The egg glowed in response.
Scarlet huffed and turned to the door.
“Great. Now stay there, quiet. And don’t tell Strax anything about this.”
The egg pulsed.
As if it had just kept a precious secret.
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