[Upper World - Back To Matilda]
"What is happening in there?" Jabez asked, his voice tight with worry as he stared into the churning, fiery formation.
"Sothing serious," Faye said with a mischievous giggle, her eyes twinkling.
"This isn’t a laughing matter!" Jabez hissed, his gaze cold as it bore into her.
Faye’s smirk only widened. "To , it is. You brought the Blood Queen’s Host right to one of her oldest, worst enemies. What did you expect? A pleasant tea party?" Her tone was laced with sarcasm.
Jabez sighed, the sound heavy with resignation. He knew the truth of her words. The Blood Queen, and the Third, were always at each other’s throats. Their rivalry was a force of nature, held in check only by the supre authority of their master. But with Matilda, the Blood Queen’s vessel, trapped in this unstable formation, all bets were off.
He looked at the flas again, a knot of dread tightening in his stomach. If Matilda’s vessel was destroyed, the Queen would be lost forever.
___
[In the formation]
The air crackled with hostility, and tension.
"Just because you are at your full strength doesn’t give you the right to speak to like that, Madeleine," the Blood Queen, speaking through Matilda’s body, said, her hands clenched into fists.
"I have every right," Madeleine retorted, taking a slow, deliberate step forward. She began to circle Matilda, her movents as fluid and predatory as a snake.
"You are nothing now. You aren’t the Queen anymore. And you certainly aren’t our master’s favorite. You have nothing."
"...?!"
"Tell , Matilda," Madeleine’s voice was a soft purr. "If I help you, what is my gain?"
"Can’t you help without asking for sothing in return?" Matilda blurted out.
Madeleine paused, a flicker of genuine surprise on her face before it settled back into a sly smile:
"Calm down, dear. You know . I’m always after gain. Why would I use my power without getting anything in return?" She stopped directly in front of Matilda.
"Fine," the Blood Queen conceded.
"I will help you explore the God-rank secret realms in the Great World."
Madeleine’s eyes widened. "Oh!" She held her jaw, lost in thought.
"You aren’t even at the God rank yet, let alone a true powerhouse. How long will I have to wait?" She looked up, her gaze scrutinizing.
"If I give you back your soul, I’ll have to wait before laying my hands on those treasures. Do you think I can wait that long?"
"Then help ," the Blood Queen pressed, taking a step forward to close the distance between them.
"Help my host get stronger. When I take complete control and my cultivation is restored, I will help you. I never go back on my word... You know that." Her gaze, a piercing red, t Madeleine’s.
Madeleine bit her lower lip, considering the offer. The secret realm was legendary, a trove of power stronger than any other in the Great World. Even she, a being ranked among the top ten strongest in the four worlds, wouldn’t dare face it alone. She sighed softly:
"Fine. You must keep your word, Matilda. If not, I will kill all of your followers and turn them into my undead soldiers."
"Soldiers... Is that why you’re taking so many lives as offerings? And from the wendigos?" Matilda’s voice, filled with disgust, asked.
Madeleine’s expression hardened. "Don’t you dare look at with such eyes. We three have our missions. You failed yours, but we completed ours. The wendigos are under the master’s protection now. They need to provide offerings for it. I told you, I don’t do anything without sothing to gain."
She turned away, putting distance between them.
"Wait, she also completed her mission? Does that an..." Matilda’s confusion was palpable.
"Yep," Madeleine looked over her shoulder at Matilda:
"The elves are also under the master. I don’t know what offerings they’re providing to the second, but you’re the only one who failed. If you had succeeded, the whole Upper World would have been under the master’s control."
"But... you two can easily take it over," Matilda said, her mind reeling. "Why haven’t you?"
"The humans are here for food, little one. We can’t waste food," Madeleine answered with a chillingly casual tone.
Just then, a voice, ancient and overwhelming, thundered through the formation, instantly drowning out the crackle of magic.
"What a surprise reunion!"
Madeleine and Matilda went pale. Instinctively, they both dropped to their knees, their heads bowed low in absolute deference.
"Greetings, Master!" they chorused, the word laced with respect.
___
[Outside the formation]
BAM!!!
The sound of an explosion from within the formation sent a shockwave through the temple.
Mitsuhashi’s gaze moved from the flas to the ancient statues of creatures standing guard, a look of horror spreading across her face as cracks spiderwebbed across their stone bodies. The statues shattered, and a terrifying sight t their eyes: the creatures were coming to life, their bodies ford of living rock and their eyes glowing a malevolent green. They stood in a circle, a silent, nacing guard.
"The Supre Lord is here!"
Mitsubishi whispered, and without a mont’s hesitation, everyone dropped to their knees, their foreheads pressed to the ground in a show of absolute submission. Faye, her earlier cheerfulness gone, followed suit.
____
[In the formation]
Madeleine and Matilda slowly raised their heads, their gazes fixed on two imnse green eyes hovering above them, a presence that filled the entire space.
"Master... Why are you here?" Madeleine asked, her voice cautious.
"What are you doing, my love? Get up," the voice, smooth and commanding, replied.
Madeleine nodded, a small, triumphant smile playing on her lips as she slowly stood, her eyes locking on Matilda.
"And you." The green eyes turned to Matilda, who was trembling.
"Master, I accept any punishnt. I failed you, and it is my fault!" the Blood Queen cried out, her fear raw and unconcealed.
Silence....
The air grew impossibly still. Madeleine took a step back, bracing herself for the inevitable punishnt. But what ca next stunned both of them.
"Hahahaha! My first bride, you are still so straightforward! Seeing your current body and beauty, I am pleased with that slave. He did good." The voice resonated with a booming laugh.
"Matilda... I am angry you failed your mission and let those two mice escape! Do you want to redeem yourself?"
"Yes!" Matilda answered without hesitation.
"Good. The other two factions are after those mice. You are the only one who knows the world they’re hiding in. I won’t ask or assist you because this is how you will redeem yourself: Conquer the whole lower world and create a gateway big enough for to pass through. Then, I will forgive this failure."
The Blood Queen quickly nodded. "Thank you, Master..."
She hesitated for a mont, her voice lowering. "There is a rising power in the lower world. He is known as God Wolf. He will try his best to stop . With my current strength, I won’t be able to destroy him. What should I do?"
A few monts of silence followed:
"God Wolf... Hmm. Take this, then. Swallow it and alter your celestial energy into spirit energy. With spirit energy, you will be the strongest in the Lower World."
A glowing green gem materialized before them, settling onto Matilda’s open palm.
"Don’t fail again!"
The voice faded, the eyes vanished, and the imnse pressure that had held them in thrall lifted. Matilda, with the strange gem in her hand, felt the weight of a new and terrifying mission settle upon her.
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