Chapter 297: Who Asked You to Lick Her Feet?!

The next moment, it let out a hoarse roar as if trying to mask its own terror, attempting to drown out the increasingly close music.

The girl did not reply, only landing gracefully on the ground and walking slowly toward it.

The world's suppression continued to pour down relentlessly, yet the moment it made contact with the girl's surroundings, it was negated, dissolving into nothingness.

It was just that during this process, there seemed to be an identical afterimage behind the girl, leaning affectionately against her like inseparable twins.

The other party had never tried to hide it, but it was only now that it could recognize it.

"How is this possible?! How is this possible?!"

After a brief silence, the Pollution Demon howled again, its expression nearly deranged.

"Beings as great as you... beings as great as you!!"

"How could you already be awake at a time like this?! You should still be sleeping!!"

"No! Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!!"

The red-haired girl still said nothing, as if she simply couldn't be bothered to explain anything to it.

"Ha... hahahaha..."

The Pollution Demon suddenly let out a nearly broken, miserable laugh.

-- It had known from the very beginning that tonight would be a perfect stage.

It had originally thought it would be the protagonist of this stage, with Wu Nuo and the Sixth Division serving as nothing more than stepping stones.

But only now did it understand that it was merely a ridiculous clown, and the true protagonists were someone else entirely.

It had schemed countless conspiracies throughout the ages, going all-in with everything it had in this era for a massive gamble, all merely to secure a chance to glimpse the throne in the future.

Yet this pair of twins before it had long been seated upon that throne, looking down upon everything happening on the stage.

Their venerated name could perhaps be called...

[The King of Pride and Flame].

The girl did not answer, only stepping over rubble as she closed in step by step.

Those crisp footsteps were like a death knell's countdown, snapping the Pollution Demon out of its frenzy. Ignoring the fact that its armor was still sizzling under the flames, it desperately put on an expression of utmost humility.

It bent down and spoke with a fawning tone: "Great being, I did not know this was your territory. For that, I offer my deepest apologies."

"I have absolutely no intention of provoking you."

-- For a demon that represented contamination, pointless pride and a strong one's dignity were things it had no use for, let alone the fact that yielding to a superior was nothing to be ashamed of.

The Pollution Demon tried to lay out the stakes: "But you must surely understand that my plan is beneficial to you as well."

"As long as the ceiling of the mortal world is raised, your glory can be restored all the faster."

However, the girl acted as if she hadn't heard a word, continuing forward.

"..."

The next moment, the Pollution Demon's knees went weak with zero dignity, crashing heavily into the mud in a kowtow. It coughed up green blood flecked with sparks while speaking with desperate, sycophantic urgency.

"Great King! I am willing to offer up my soul, forge a contract, and become your loyal hound!"

Demons possessed souls, and offering up one's soul meant submitting to enslavement.

This was the most complete form of submission it could conceive.

After all... demons might indeed be nearly immortal in the eyes of ordinary people, but in their own eyes, that was far from the truth.

Even if the Pollution Demon were killed, the concept of contamination could not be erased within any observable future. A new Pollution Demon would surely be born on the other side of the world, but that would inevitably not be the current Pollution Demon--it would be an entirely new personality.

For the Pollution Demon, the current self would be dead forever.

It was the same principle as how, when a ability user was killed, the Cursed Fruit would be reborn elsewhere, yet the ability user could never come back to life.

This matter was also recorded in One Piece.

"Whatever you need me to do, I will do it!"

It begged: "I can kneel down and lick your feet!"

To a certain extent, taking it in as a dog might indeed be the better choice, after all, that would prevent a new Pollution Demon from being born.

However...

Upon hearing those words, the crimson magical girl furrowed her brow, revealing a look of disgust as if she were staring at trash.

That expression, under the approving gaze of the general director, was broadcast without any filter or beautification, projected clearly onto screens both large and small across Wind Capital through the crow flock's relay.

On the forum.

The discussion thread fell into a brief silence.

Then came an avalanche of screenshots and hastily taken photos of monitors being posted in the thread.

[My preferences have changed.]

[They even specifically used a low-angle shot...]

[I'm completely useless now, please look at me with those eyes you use for bugs!]

[Mom! (Hao Jing kneeling)]

The Pollution Demon begged desperately: "No... killing me is meaningless, part of the ritual has already taken effect... the world's ceiling has already begun to loosen, the passage is growing larger, and more demons and ancient sorcerers will awaken..."

"I'm telling the truth!"

The crimson girl was already about to step before it, her gaze utterly unchanged, as if the words just spoken had provoked no thought or hesitation whatsoever.

The Pollution Demon suddenly understood something.

She hadn't been listening at all.

Unlike the Wind Capital Sixth Division, the girl before it cared neither about whether the mystery was reviving nor whether what it said was true or false.

So what if it revived? So what if it didn't? None of that mattered.

She simply felt that her territory had been trespassed upon, and therefore it had to die.

How could the majesty of a king tolerate being lightly insulted by a stray dog by the roadside?

The next moment, the girl took a step forward and gently placed the sole of her shoe upon the Pollution Demon's head.

It tried to lift its head and say something more, only to realize that her slender right foot felt heavier than a mountain.

"..."

Despair and venom flickered through the Pollution Demon's eyes as it dropped all pretense and snarled: "Don't think you've won!!"

"You must have paid an unimaginable price to move about in this world with full awareness, your power is a fraction of what it was in your prime!"

"You must have paid an unimaginable price to move about in this world with clear awareness, your power is a fraction of what it was in your prime!"

"A new Pollution Demon will soon be born on the other side as well!"

"Just wait! You won't--"

Bang!

Its words were cut off mid-sentence.

Its hideous head burst apart in a spray of green blood mist, then was incinerated by the crimson flames until not a single drop remained.

...

"Despicable magical girl!"

On the television screen.

The Slime Demon King charged forward, attacking again and again, but the crimson girl's slender frame displayed dazzling agility, her heel tapping lightly upon the rubble like a butterfly, evading every strike with graceful, dance-like ease.

Meanwhile, the Slime Demon King, having overcommitted its strength, instantly lost its center of balance and stumbled forward, crashing to the ground.

"Perfect opportunity!"

A cute and triumphant voice rang out from the staff inlaid with rubies, like a narrator's commentary.

The crimson magical girl leaped high into the air as endless crimson particles converged toward her right leg like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, dyeing that red-and-white performance boot into a deep, rich crimson.

The camera angle suddenly pulled back, perfectly capturing the spectacular scene that followed.

"Mengmengxiang--Flying Kick!!"