Asmodeus watched the sky, standing atop the elven wall, with a faint smile. The distant white pillar from the world tree remained, while a message from the dark forest came two days after the battle ended, signifying that the dark elves wished to communicate with their distant brethren.

    "Aristella, I wonder if you are happier now that everyone will meet."

    Her voice stopped after he completed the task, though Asmodeus knew she would be busy after regaining her true power.

    [How adorable. Do you miss her already?]

    A nostalgic voice that he was dying to hear again.

    ''Serena, where did you go?''

    His hands grasped the black wall, almost crushing the stone with his grasp.

    A rush of exhilaration, and uncontrollable yearning.

    This wasn''t good, but it was something Asmodeus couldn''t help it. He longed for Serena more than he revealed, and when she vanished, his world became dull. Only thanks to his other women and the task he was given helped him remain focused.

    [Oh my, did you miss me?]@@@@

    Asmodeus''s mouth twitched into a smile; her teasing tone felt nostalgic. She often teased him like this. When they were alone together at night, or in her realm, during the fleeting time they spent together, or even when they lay naked.

    ''You say that as if you didn''t miss me, fool.''

    [Aha! You''ve matured a little, I am a little jealous. What did you say to Aristella?]

    ''That''s something between us.''

    [Ah?]

    ''I do not care what you believe or don''t. Now, return to my arms, and finish where we left off.''

    Asmodeus couldn''t help but smirk, noticing her sulking tone and Serena''s gasp when he teased her. His face became serious, and he leaned against the wall as an ethereal figure appeared beside him, with countless fluffy white tails, long silvery white hair and an aura that couldn''t be human.

    Serena descended.

    "This reminds me of the beast empire." He mused, stretching his hand to stroke her soft cheek.

    "Well, you worked hard this time. I''m sorry, when Aristella helped you finally bury those feelings about your mother, I became jealous and ignored your call."

    "Are you truly sorry?"

    Serena couldn''t help but chuckle at his straightforwardness and hugged Asmodeus, pushing herself against him, noticing how tall he was compared to when she first met him.

    "I am because you are too charming."

    She lifted on her toes and kissed him on the cheek. The soft warmth of her lips spread across his cheek, calming him down.

    "Don''t leave me again."

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    His hands held Serena, almost wrapping around her body entirely.

    "I promise, soon we can be together without parting."

    They remained silent for a while, enjoying each other''s company. Asmodeus stroked her stomach, noticing the slight bump, and finding her slightly red face when he did adorable.

    "You can take as long as you need, Serena. I cannot be the priority when you''re carrying our future."

    "Curse you all!" Er''Gladia''s hoarse voice was like scratches coming from her throat.

    "I wish death upon you!"

    It came from an old elf who was missing limbs, with hollow eyes, lifeless and almost dead already—a ghastly sight.

    "It''s time."

    The empress had Ciela execute the traitor, but she couldn''t help but look at her daughter, worried it might cause a deep scar, but she couldn''t stop it now.

    Asmodeus watched all this while sitting at the top of the wall, a place where nobody would expect him to be, examining what was happening below.

    His attention focused entirely on the unfolding events, without fail. Every detail mattered greatly because even minor changes may mean big consequences later if mishandled or disregarded altogether.

    His gaze fell upon Er''Gladia whose head rolled off the wooden platform into a basket underneath—a pool of blood forming beneath her corpse as the crowd broke into cheering and delight. Some cried while others drank, but most celebrated death itself like there won''t ever again come another opportunity for such a joyous occasion like this one.

    To them, it meant freedom from oppression under someone else''s rule—from being controlled by another party which wanted nothing more than personal gain rather than the actual welfare of the people.

    "The witch and her bloodline are dead!"

    "Vengeance! Vengeance has been served!"

    "Long live the Ar Clan!"

    Cheers erupted throughout the city square, filled with joy and celebration—this scene continued well into nightfall.

    Meanwhile, Asmodeus and his beloved women were absent from this celebration. It was a moment for the elves, and he would rather not steal their spotlight.

    This journey was to help Ciela conquer the shadow in her heart. Thus, he could relax while she spent the night with her two sisters, hoping that she could bury their former grudges and become closer.

    "Is this the right choice?" He wondered, while Serena remained beside him, and Sariel sat beside him.

    They watched as the elves enjoyed the festive air, drinking wine and eating happily—a merry atmosphere prevailed over everything around them.

    Even though Asmodeus knew this wasn''t perfect, everyone seemed satisfied with the outcome of events today.

    No matter how bitter or hopeless, some individuals still felt inside their hearts or minds about the death of the former concubine and the betrayal of the Er clan. And that was fine enough, given that such feelings will subside with time.

    It provided sufficient space and understanding between those affected by recent occurrences and those who did not lose loved ones during those incidents involving treason against state officials, including the empress herself.

    "Asmodeus, you look thrilled right now."

    "True, darlings smile is so soft and happy."

    "Really? I just thought that Ciela''s smile looked lovely right now." He then pointed to the dark elf who sat drinking alcohol with her two sisters, giggling and playfully arguing.

    "It makes me realise coming here wasn''t a mistake."

    Suddenly, his face twisted, a voice like a scream echoing in his mind, madness, and fury... the voice nothing like any language on the planet.

    The pain it caused was like blades gouging his brain.

    Asmodeus gritted his teeth, as blood dripped from his nose and the extremely high-pitched shrill voice faded into silence.

    ''What the fuck was that?''

    He pondered while wiping away the blood staining his face.

    His expression became grim once more after hearing that terrible sound ringing through his head moments earlier—an unknown language spoken by someone unknown entity trying to communicate with him directly somehow despite physical barriers separating both parties.

    However, his hunch was that the voice came from his future enemy, the demon queen created to kill his mother, Lilith.