Demon Lord: Erotic Adventure in Another World

A few moments later, the groups split into three, with Asmodeus remaining in the main hallway because he checked the blocked passage ahead of them.

"Paul, Simon and Baku, can you take the eastern path. Erunda, Arinea and Erika can you take the western path?"

"Hmmm, no problem, kid. I'll keep these old men safe."

"Sounds good to me, Ryuji. Be careful..." Paul grinned at Asmodeus with a smirk because he knew him well and understood that he wanted to explore the strange cave instead.

"Tsk... I don't take orders from—ugh!"

"We'll be fine. Take care of our princess, Demon King!" Arinea elbowed the huge Erunda in the stomach while grinning at the blushing Ciela, who rubbed her fingers together.

The princess and Arinea seemed to have a close relationship as the magus winked at her before taking Erunda's hand and dragging him to the western path.

"Be careful..." Ciela whispered as Erunda turned back, putting up his thumbs with a wide grin.

"Don't worry, Princess!"

The party waited a few moments before they spread out, switching supplies and ensuring everyone carried a runic flare created by Paul.

The flares would shoot into the air, creating a coloured smoke signal depending on the user's situation. The green flare meant a safe passage, the red for a blocked way and the black for danger or help.

"So this is where the dragon fell?" Paul whispered, looking at the deep crater—rather than a canyon, it looked like someone had smashed the earth with a gigantic foot.

"...According to the legends."

Ciela gazed around while peeking back at Asmodeus—her interest in the story of the Demon Queen and the Bronze Dragon seemed quite large.

"I wonder if there was a chance to save him..." Ciela muttered before showing a sorrowful smile.

Asmodeus didn't respond because his attention moved to the cavern ahead of them—in this canyon, the heat constantly smouldered and grew the longer they remained.

'I can feel something...'

The aura resembled the tingling that made his skin itch when first meeting Serena in her divine realm or when he faced Mephisto for the first time.

—Badump!

Every few seconds, the ground pulsated... like a heart beating. A powerful and heavy thud.

"I don't like this..."

"What's the matter Husband?"

Ciela and Levia remained with him because they both seemed the most affected by the heat, especially Levia, who had worn heavy black armour earlier.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

However, due to the heat, she transformed it into a smaller chain mail set that left her stomach and thighs exposed.

"Master, the heat... it's almost unbearable."

Levia flicked her wet bangs, fastening her black hair into a high ponytail, her face dripping with sweat.

'She's right...'

—Snap!

Asmodeus snapped his fingers, creating a flurry of ice that wrapped around the trio, helping cool them down almost instantly. In order to stop the ice from melting, his eyes shimmered, and he felt a sense of tightness in his chest as he constantly cast the spell.

"Let's take a quick break, the cave isn't too deep." Asmodeus gazed at the two women, who looked delighted at the change in temperature.

Meanwhile, he gazed to the east. Paul led the group, and Baku and Simon discussed ale, which they had discussed the previous night.

"I still prefer the refined and sweet rice wine, the beast empire makes." Baku snorted while they traced along the charred passage, the walls withered and dry, with blackened flowers and dead shrubs along the ground.

"No! Ale from the Kingdom is best cold, fizzy and refreshing!" Simon's eyes narrowed as he tapped his small canteen. "I've never lost my way with this here, Ale!"

"Haha... well, ale isn't so bad."

—Crumble!

Rocks toppled from above, twisting the canyon walls, which seemed to be slowly collapsing as the extreme heat met the cooler air above.

Although faintly, a roar sounded, but only Baku heard it, his ears flickering as he gazed to the skies.

"This place seems too dangerous... why did the elves allow it to become so degraded and dangerous?"

Paul's feet kicked the heavy rocks, his forehead shining from the heat, the uneven, shattered ground as if an earthquake happened, forcing the ground to climb over the small ledges. In the cracks deep within the darkness, the bubbling of magma could be heard.

The ground travelled for half an hour, noting major happening, until a roar resounded in the distance.

"There it is again..." Simon muttered to himself, grasping his swords tight. "Did you hear it, Paul?"

"Hmmm? I didn't know what happened."

"Be careful... an enemy comes!" Baku growled as the ground began to shudder.

They tried to gather and prepare for combat, but their bodies suddenly flung off the ground and fell as the earth quaked. Granite, rocks and dust flowed from above them as their bodies flicked around the canyon.

A few moments earlier, in the western passage, Erunda and Arinea walked with Erika, leading them.

"...So, what do you think of Ciela's partner?" Arinea walked with a slight skip, her hands behind her back rocking to the sides as she spoke to Erunda.

"Hmph! Just an arrogant demon, what can he do?"

Erika didn't like when people spoke badly of Asmodeus. At first, she just liked him for his looks and the way he could make her feel at ease when they were together. But now it was different—she looked up to him and found him to be a guiding beacon and inspiration.

"Really? I thought you always wanted the princess to have someone strong enough to protect her."

"Arinea... but he's a demon, you know what they did."

Erunda sounded prejudiced, but when Arinea gazed back at him, she could only smile bitterly, knowing that the demons had wiped out Erunda's entire family and clan.

Arinea herself lost her sister to the demon war... but somehow, she couldn't blame Asmodeus or the surrounding women. "I believe he's different... can you not give him a chance?" Her voice sounded sweet, nothing like the sharp and raspy voice she usually used.

While Erika bit her teeth together and looked visibly angry, the elf peeked back at her and waved.

Erunda didn't notice his lover's actions. Instead, he could only rub the back of his head and let out a loud sigh. "He's not bad... and protected her well, I will try to accept him, but won't promise."

"Good... otherwise the cute girl behind us might get upset."

"Ah..." Erunda seemed to realise they weren't alone for the first time and turned back, showing a complex expression. "Well... please don't be angry."

'After all, it wasn't intentional...' Erika shook her head before curling her frown into a small smile.

"No, I understand... it's okay—"

—SHUDDER!

Before Erika could finish her words, the ground cracked, and a loud rumble in the deep resounded before the roar of a monster sounded from above them.

"Erunda!" Arinea shouted, but the walls began to fall before they could grasp each other's hands and jump from the falling rocks and rubble.

Erika didn't hesitate, even in the face of such a situation.

Her body was wrapped in a beautiful aura, different from the past. Now refined and filled with a strong wind and earth element, it allowed her to knock the rocks and debris away with the dull sides of her curved elven blades.

"We need to pull back! There are Wyverns!"

ROAR!

The flying beasts soared into the sky.

The three wyverns were copper-coloured with hints of red and long, thick, spiked tails.

Their bodies were covered in scales and sharp spines running along their backs to the tips of their tails. Each wyvern's arms were bat-like, with wings spanning eight to ten metres long. Their heads resembled those of a dragon with long, spiny horns, but they were much smaller.

"Miss Erika, pull back! I'll protect our retreat!" Arinea's body began to glow a frigid blue. She levitated off the ground, her hair rising and dancing around her, and the runes etched onto her staff glowing brightly.

—BANG!

Erunda's enormous axe slammed into a massive chunk of earth before rushing towards the closest wyvern, who tried to snap at him.

"Come on, ya' stupid lizard!"

—Clang!

The wyvern's jaws were powerful enough to crack the stone and send vibrations throughout the area, but it recoiled the moment Erunda's axe crashed into its face.

A trail of blood sprayed out of its nostrils and across the earth as Erunda's axe slashed it from its nose to the top of its head.

"Damn it!" His body flung back from the wyvern's wings, flapping at him with brutal air pressure.

—WOOSH!

Arinea didn't miss the opportunity, freezing the wyvern in a thick layer of ice that trapped it.

Erika rushed forward, using the frozen debris to gain momentum before stabbing both her blades into the wyvern's skull. She pierced it, causing the ice to shatter and explode in all directions, covering her face in minor cuts from the sharp frost shards.

"Tsk... shallow!" She yanked out the sword and rolled off the beast's head, only to see the wyvern snarl and roar in pain and flick her body away with a brutal kick with its hind legs.

—THUD!

The impact caused her ribs to fracture and shudder from the force, slamming into the wall with a brutal crash.

"Gah!" Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she coughed up blood.

The other two wyverns circled the area, roaring in unison, before they lunged down like eagles hunting for their prey as Erunda held off the first one.