I Was Called A Demon

In the end, it was deemed that it was best for Song Ming to keep those manuals after all, since they suited her.

Given that they were going to remain in this city for quite a while, they didn’t try to get through each and every subject that they had an interest in discussing, although Xue Yaling stuck around to chat a bit more with her old friend. Meanwhile, Bianca and Song Ming departed through a separate entrance from the front door in order to draw as little attention to themselves as possible, and they were simply told to take care of themselves and return to their current residence at any point prior to nightfall.

Thus, they were allowed to be on their own for a short while, and given the bustling streets had all kinds of people walking around, Bianca didn’t feel any hesitation in pulling her in close and grabbing her by the hips, keeping Song Ming close as they walked along.

“So, pet, how have you been? Did the naughty kitsune take you away to do anything you didn’t want to do?” she asked, leading them along the street with no particular direction in mind.

“N-No, it was nothing like that… she just showed me around, showed me how people live here and so on…” Song Ming replied, though she was visibly nervous as her eyes kept darting around, “It’s still strange to be in a place like this, and with so many people around, it feels like they’re all looking at me… It’s uncomfortable.”

“Then let them look. You’re gorgeous, so it’s no wonder you get attention – even if I’m pretty sure most of these people are just getting on with their day, and not paying any attention to you,” Bianca added, since she knew just how many people walking down these streets had far better things to do than look at pretty women, “It’s all fine as long as they don’t try to do anything. If they do, I’ll protect you… not that you need it, but still…”

The courage she had gained from her encounter with Han Rushu was slowly decaying, so she struggled to be quite as shameless as she was tempted to be, but it was enough to disregard the attention that they were getting. As much as she would’ve liked to be left alone, in a busy place such as the Dancer’s Abode, there were bound to be many people with too much time on their hands.

When they spotted two women – that were, from Bianca’s totally unbiased and definitely objective perspective, really hot together – being rather close, there was a number of reasons to keep looking. It was no big deal to them, after all, so why not appreciate the eye candy, or ponder what the two of them were going to do? Why not consider their clothing styles or ponder the nature of their relationship?

Bianca understood the temptation to people watch, since she had indulged in such things herself, but she couldn’t help but wonder where she might get a more private space for the two of them.

“I… I liked you doing that.”

“Hm? Grabbing you in the middle of the street?”

“N-No- well… I liked that as well, but I meant how… forward you were even with Yan Taijun around. Calling me a pet… I wasn’t sure you’d want to,” Song Ming answered, blushing as beautifully as ever, “But I’m glad you did.”

“Next you’ll tell me you’d like to be collared and paraded around on the streets so that everyone knew you were a loyal and obedient pet…” Bianca said, and could tell quite easily that Song Ming shuddered and grew more excited with every word, “You would, wouldn’t you? A collar around your neck, a leash that I can lead you around with, and more toys to show that you belong to me, and are for me to play with however I wish.”

“Y-Yes, Mistress!” Song Ming exhaled, her breath filled with steam and her pupils seeming to transform into hearts, “Please!”

“Alright, now that will definitely draw attention, so quieten down… for now,” Bianca chuckled, groping her ass and leaning in to quickly kiss Song Ming’s cheek, “But I appreciate your enthusiasm. It’s wonderful.”

“M-Mistress… you tease…” she pouted in reply, though she was clearly not upset, “Are you going to… to fill me up, Mistress?”

“Well, I was planning to stick with the normal parts for now. Why, is my cock that… appealing?” Bianca asked, feeling the confidence she’d built up teetering on the edge for a moment as she waited for her cutie’s reply. It wasn’t that she strictly disliked using it these days, but if she’d somehow made Song Ming lose all interest in her feminine parts, then… well, she’d be rather upset.

“It is… well, I mean… I like you the way you were, Mistress, I did from the moment I saw you, but after I got to feel your c-cock… it just did something to me. I can’t stop thinking about it, I can’t stop… wanting it inside me.”

“… Do you think it may be some consequence of the technique? It was called the ‘Commanding Rod’, after all…” Bianca frowned, “Tch, but I can’t exactly stop using it myself, so… Just try not to let that feeling overwhelm you. I’d prefer to be able to enjoy all parts of me, not just that thing… Anyway, I think I know the cure for it.”

“Oh?”

“We’re going to sleep together properly, without my dick getting involved, and I’m going to make you cum a hundred times before you’re ever seeing again… and no whining, cutie, I can tell you’re disappointed, but it’s what we have to do.”

“Alright… I’ll do whatever you wish, Mistress,” Song Ming said, leaning her head onto Bianca’s shoulder, “I… I love you either way.”

“… Thank you, sweetie. I’m sure I’ve said it before, but I’m so glad that I met you when I first woke up in the mountains. If it was someone else, I doubt I would’ve ever been able to get this far…”

Song Ming didn’t reply, though she could see a smile on the young woman’s face.

They continued on, but while she intended to enjoy the peace for a while, a strange feeling started to overcome her, and suddenly it felt as though she was surrounded by foes, threats all around her. It was a rather subtle, weak sensation at first, letting her disregard it as some oddity that came from her experiences earlier in the day, but as it strengthened, she finally saw something that made her believe that these feelings weren’t just something silly.

In the distance, at the end of the street, she managed to spot a number of figures in hoods, with cloaks and all kinds of other conspicuous aspects to their attire. They were close together, and around them was an aura that repelled Bianca instinctively. For once, she realised the full extent of what people might feel around her, why so many would treat her with such hostility despite her trying her best to do nothing wrong. Perhaps it was the killing intent people mentioned, perhaps it was some sort of demonic aura that she also had, but she felt it from that group distinctly and clearly.

“Song Ming… do you feel that too?” she asked, just in case the Demonic Tyrant was trying to mislead her.

The change in her tone was beyond obvious, so Song Ming forced herself to regain some lucidity and looked ahead, “Hm? Are you speaking about… something about them is wrong. And it feels like what… what your aura would feel if I hadn’t been able to get used to it.”

“Not my favourite comparison, but yeah, I felt like that as well… Wanna risk it and follow them, see what they’re up to?”

“I’ll follow you no matter what you do, Mistress,” Song Ming smiled at her, though it faded and her tone became more serious when she saw that Bianca wanted a more proper answer, “They seem to be in the second realm, and if I understand your skills correctly, your Abyssal Shield should be able to protect us both. With how many people are around here, if they attack us for any reason, we should be able to keep ourselves safe… And you’re more comfortable in a place like this, so it’s best for you to decide, Mistress.”

“Alright, then let’s see what they’re up to. If they’re trying to do something untoward… well, we’ll see,” Bianca decided, reaching for the knife that was, as always, somewhere on her whether she remembered to put it there or not.

Song Ming put her hand on the grip of her blade but didn’t draw it just yet. Together, they continued on, following those hooded figures through the streets, disregarding those that glanced at them or the ones they pursued. This was a big city with more than enough other things to worry about than whatever was happening between the two groups, and considering that weapons were being readied by one side, it meant that any bystanders could get injured if they’re not careful.

At least, that’s how Bianca understood it while she tried to keep quiet and not seem too conspicuous while she followed the… well, the rather conspicuous figures. Her hope was that they wouldn’t go too far, as that could well result in them wasting lots of time and getting lost out in the city, but she could hardly stop them and tell them to get on with whatever they were doing.

While they were following the, Bianca took the time to count them. In total, there seemed to be a total of seven, though their movements were somewhat erratic and… odd. Sometimes, it was as if they weren’t even travelling along the same road that she saw, evading obstacles that Bianca couldn’t see and some would nearly bump into those that she could see, even though they seemed sufficiently agile to not be so clumsy. It was a rather odd thing, almost making her ponder whether they were a bunch of drunkards, but they appeared far too fast and organised for that.

Some minutes passed, and then the figures ahead of them slowed, forcing them to slow as well. Naturally, both of them looked around, trying to figure out the reason for this – with Bianca, at least, definitely pondering whether they’d been spotted – when Song Ming suddenly gasped and pointed.

“B-Bianca, that… that’s Yu Juan! Are they here for her?” she just barely avoided yelling out to the people they were tailing, with her indication finally letting Bianca spot her as well.

Indeed, not far from where the hooded figures stopped, she could see Yu Juan going about her day, the blindfold covering her eyes as before. She was carrying a bag filled with something, though whatever it was likely didn’t prepare her for either set of people watching over her. Worse yet, the moment they slowed down and, presumably, confirmed her identity, they pulled out a number of weapons that each burned with the same aura that surrounded them.

Of course, it was far, far more prominent on the weapons, to the point of outright burning upon them.

“I don’t know, but… it sure looks like it, doesn’t it?” Bianca replied, though her attention was on the energy itself.

Like her own energy, crimson was the most prominent shade, and it even mimicked the sparking lightning that would manifest around her weapon whenever she used her Dominion’s Light, to the point that she had to wonder whether she and those people were somehow using the same skills.

It was unlikely, given that her powers originated from the Demonic Tyrant that, as far as she knew, was both unique in this world and unique to her, but the resemblance was rather striking. Thus, she was all the more interested in stopping them and somehow learning about it, and thus, the moment that they showed clear malicious intent towards Yu Juan, she couldn’t wait any longer and rushed out, Song Ming following after her.

Via Tormentor’s Strides, she skipped the distance between her and the hooded figures and swung towards the arm of one of them, hoping to disarm them – perhaps not literally – in one go.

However, they reacted too quickly, the figures immediately scattering from their rather tightly packed initial formation. Meanwhile, the one she targeted met her crimson energy with their staff, the centre managing to endure her strength before he – she? It wasn’t easy to tell with the baggy clothes, the hood, and the darkness that seemed to fill the space within – thrust the staff forward, pushing Bianca away, and lashing out with one end while aiming at her stomach, their movements fast and incredibly precise.

On instinct, she responded with her Abyssal Shield, focusing it right in front of the attacker’s staff. The smoke formed and was instantly dispersed into near nothingness upon the collision, giving her enough time to retaliate once more, unleashing a powerful crimson blast with a kick. Her foe evaded it, and by then the others must have realised that she wasn’t accompanied by a larger force, as they surrounded her and prepared to attack.

From a quick glance, she saw four on one side of her, meaning that three were at her back, a rather concerning prospect given that while Bianca’s skin was an absurdity in terms of toughness, she doubted that a deliberate strike aimed at some weapon point of hers would fail to do some significant harm.

“Get away from her!” Song Ming called out before they could strike, stomping her foot onto the ground and unleashing one of the skills she’d picked up today.

A wave of blue light surged out from her hands, quickly growing into a wall large enough to completely cover and block one side of this battle, where the four were. For a second, Bianca wondered why she decided to shout when the element of surprise would’ve probably done better – and given that she realised it, Song Ming should’ve as well – but when the wave came close to striking, she realised the answer.

On one hand, this call out would ensure that anyone else in the area could respond accordingly. Most would flee, anyone relevant might enter the fight and help her, and the commotion ought to attract the guards more quickly. It should also catch Yu Juan’s attention, though any sound should’ve already done so given how she had to rely on her hearing over just about any other sense other than smell… Bianca nearly got distracted, but forced herself to focus.

Finally, it would also serve excellently as a distraction, helping her enemies focus on something other than Bianca, at least for a single move.

Indeed, they faced her for a moment, but when they realised that the skill wasn’t one that would pose significant harm to them, they turned back towards her, heading straight in for a swing of whatever weapons they were holding. As before, energy crackled on their weaponry, except at the last moment, the wave passed through them, and that energy flickered and, for a moment, dispersed.

In that moment, Bianca delivered her own strike, taking care not to near the blue wave just in case it would be able to mess with her energy as well. With all the speed and all the fury she could unleash, the desire to harm these strange potential assassins coming easily to her, she threw out an incredible arc of energy that was among the strongest she’d been able to unleash using her own power – her own mind. Demon Queen Bianca was most certainly stronger, but unleashing her now would be undesirable for all involved.

It cut straight through the wave, managing to strike one of them directly, missing the axe in the figure’s hands, while the other three had their weapons in a place that let them take the brunt of the force. Of course, with how much power was infused into the strike, the arc couldn’t be broken by the weapons alone, leaving some of the energy to crash into their bodies and slice through their clothing, revealing the skin beneath.

One of the gashes was wide enough that Bianca could clearly make out the skin clearly not of a natural shade, looking almost burnt and marked with some kind of orange pattern, a glowing, orange set of cracks that looked… odd, to say the least.

The one she successfully struck had his stomach sliced open, blood spilling out of the wound and dyeing the ground a dark crimson, as though even the blood wasn’t normal. There were traces of other shades within, a bit like the rainbow sheen of oil, except the only colours were dark red and the slightly brighter orange.

More importantly, she still had three people behind her, so she couldn’t spend her time examining things like this. Instead, she turned and considered what to do about them when a third party finally entered the fight.

Bianca hadn’t been able to keep an eye on Yu Juan, but when the people behind her were suddenly enveloped in a strange distortion of light, as though enveloped by very sci-fi clouds, it was easy to guess that it wasn’t Song Ming’s doing. Furthermore, a set of shapes seemed to appear in the very corner of her vision, running about and drawing her attention even though she was likely not the intended target. After all, the three at her back suddenly started looking all around, blocking and jabbing towards foes that didn’t exist.

“Guards are on their way!” Yu Juan shouted, running over to them, “We just need to hold out for a little while!”

That got the attention of the attackers. They didn’t even share a glance before attempting to flee, employing an odd movement skill that turned them all translucent, with a mixture of orange and crimson light gathering around them.

‘Are the guards actually coming that quickly? Wait, no, if they escape-’ at that point, rational thought ceased and instinct took over.

She picked out the one she had injured earlier with ease, as the blood was still spilling from their body, and once more employed Tormentor’s Strides, closing the gap quickly thanks to the difference in their movement skills. Where their strange light helped them move quicker, her skill meant that she could move in a rapid burst of energy, appearing next to the figure within the blink of an eye, crimson sparks already blazing at the edge of her knife, which ended up awfully close to the figure’s neck.

At that point, her body didn’t hesitate in the slightest, and swung the blade horizontally, slicing right through.