Chapter 259: Making Demons Great Again!

Chapter 259: Making Demons Great Again!

In an unknown location in China, within the Tower of the Dark Aura Mage.

Dragon Blade, the Dark Lord, and Devil Dragon gathered around a map, intently focusing on a specific point.

"This is an ancient temple in Tibet, where Pandora's Box is hidden within," Dragon Blade explained.

"Father, what is Pandora's Box?" Devil Dragon asked curiously. He had been confined to a cage since birth, and his knowledge was limited to what he had gained from the Dark Lord's bloodline, leaving him with fragmented and incomplete information.

The Dark Lord's eyes flashed with a menacing red light as he recalled an unpleasant past.

"In ancient times, eight immortal gods banished me and my seven siblings to hell. They crafted Pandora's Box to seal the Gate of Hell, making it difficult for demons to escape," he said.

"Once we find Pandora's Box and open the Gate of Hell, I can release our demon brothers and sisters, and bring the world back under our control."

It was well-known that the Dark Lord always kept his promises.

He had vowed to release his siblings upon his escape, and he would make it happen!

What? It's been over a thousand years?

Whether it's late or not, he will keep his word! The demons never specified a time for their release, so he wasn't breaking any promises.

Moreover, he had been sealed by Saint Fighter Lore at the time, and his power was insufficient.

"I heard there's an incredibly powerful item called the Chrono Tome, which can directly alter history. Father, why don't you use it?" Devil Dragon asked.

"Fool!" The Dark Lord snapped at his foolish son, causing him to shudder.

"Those who attempt to manipulate history will ultimately be manipulated by it. While the Chrono Tome can indeed alter everything, those who use it never fare well. It's only when there's no hope of a comeback that one should dare to try."

"Pandora's Box is our only chance for a comeback."

Dragon Blade hesitated, considering the powerful Saint Fighter and his sidekick, he chose not to object. However, he reiterated his point.

"I have no objections to releasing the Dark Aura brothers, but don't forget about the Charm you promised."

"Of course, my brother. You are the most powerful Dark Aura Sorcerer of this era, and you should stand alongside the ancient demons as an equal. You will join us and become the ninth ruler of this world!" The Dark Lord's tone softened as he painted a grand picture, flattering Dragon Blade.

Dragon Blade felt a surge of pride and excitement. "Me... I can stand alongside the ancient demons?"

Dragon Blade was both proud and thrilled.

"My brother, don't underestimate yourself. You are more powerful than you realize."

After reassuring his tool, Dragon Blade, the Dark Lord pointed at the map with renewed vigor, ready to embark on their journey.

Humans had ruled this land for far too long.

He was determined to make the ancient demons great again!

...

"This skeleton is a display piece, mostly artificial with only a few fossils."

In a suite within a commercial building, Lu Ke accurately recited the information from his computer, transmitting it to the other end where Evil Face was located.

This was the communication magic he had developed, as the connection between the two was strong enough to allow for easy communication.

Witnessing this, Chen Xiaoyu felt deeply hurt, her heart aching.

She covered her face and let out a heavy sigh, "I never imagined the truth behind those memories would be like this..."

"Do you think I'm smart and like me even more now?" Lu Ke shifted his gaze from the computer to Chen Xiaoyu, wearing a mischievous smile appropriate for his current physical age.

"No, I'm almost unable to like you anymore," Chen Xiaoyu replied, rubbing her face, feeling an urge to slap Lu Ke.

Who would have thought that the reliable, handsome, and gentle childhood friend from her memories would ask if she had come to crush him upon seeing her adult self for the first time?

And on the other hand, the rival-like friend who had cheated during that memorable museum visit seemed to know everything about astronomy and geography.

Chen Xiaoyu's childhood memories shattered, and she felt the weight of life's hardships.

After resolving the issue Evil Face had requested, Lu Ke shut down the computer and turned his attention to Chen Xiaoyu.

"So, what is your true purpose for coming to the past?"

"I did follow Devil Dragon here, but this task was assigned to me by you in the future," Chen Xiaoyu replied after a moment's pause, carefully choosing her words to avoid revealing more than she should. She pointed at the "L-13" insignia on her chest.

"You can probably guess that the person who will dominate the world in the future is you. It will be the L Era, named after the capital letter of your name. District Thirteen is just one part of the forces under your command."

"Hmm... the ruler of the world, an experience I've never had," Lu Ke mused, not overly surprised. Even if his plan failed, as long as the other Lu Kes increased their strength, he believed he could eventually break through the gods' residence and return to the present. Perhaps he could even turn Dark Energy and Light Qi into RBQ.

Of course, escaping earlier would be the best choice. However, it felt awkward to rely on "himself" to achieve this, even though he could openly declare it to others. It was a matter he preferred to keep within the group of Lu Kes.

"Apart from capturing Devil Dragon, what else did the future me ask you to do?"

"Nothing at all," Xiaoyu shook her head.

"In fact, he didn't even communicate much with me."

Luke was shocked and looked at the now grown-up Xiaoyu, who had become even more attractive with her slender waist and long legs. "Are you sure there was no communication?"

Xiaoyu pouted, sensing the hidden meaning in his words, and seemed a bit frustrated. "Don't even think about it. My future self didn't touch you, and we're still just friends."

"Really? So, the complete me is actually so loyal..."

Luke was even more surprised. The current good-natured Luke didn't seem to care much, but the complete Luke would be the type to avoid messy relationships.

Fortunately, he saw Xiaoyu rolling her eyes with all her might, which dispelled his previous guess, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Indeed, he hadn't mistreated his brother, and had even found him several sets of warm and comfortable houses to live in.

"I think I understand the situation. Your arrival here itself signifies that the future me has already achieved what he wanted."

After a moment of thought, Luke's expression turned to one of realization.

He likened the world to a balance scale, with Dark Energy and Light Qi as weights on either side, and the characters as weights on the pans. When a character is introduced, they are placed on the pans, and the forces of both sides strive for balance.

Normally, when the balance is disrupted, Dark Energy and Light Qi would increase or decrease the weights, either by introducing new characters or enhancing existing ones, or by killing or sealing the powers of old characters to restore equilibrium.

After the interference of the two Lukes, the method of reducing weights was blocked, leaving Dark Energy and Light Qi with no choice but to introduce new weights to try and balance the scale.

But Luke wouldn't sit and wait for the balance to happen; they would seek new forces to join and disrupt the balance again, forcing Dark Energy and Light Qi to either strengthen old characters or introduce new ones.

As time passed, the weights on both sides would increase.

This would continue until the combined weight exceeded the power of the gods, at which point the current good-natured Luke would suddenly betray and join the Dark Energy side, causing it to thrive and the Light Qi to weaken.

In this situation, the balance would be severely imbalanced, leaving Light Qi with no choice but to release characters from the Divine Realm to resolve the crisis.

That would be the time for the main body to escape! Xiaoyu, who had grown up and possessed considerable strength while following orders, was likely the future self's carefully selected "weight." She had traveled back in time under the pretext of "capturing the Devil Dragon" to increase the weight and accelerate the process.

Thinking about it, it was likely that the Devil Dragon's escape was also intentionally orchestrated by the future self, as in the original work, the Devil Dragon's arrival marked the beginning of the Dark Energy chapter, allowing the Dark Energy of the Eight Demons to resurface.

"It seems you'll be staying in this era for a while. Have you decided where you want to stay?"

After figuring it out, Luke began to consider Xiaoyu's accommodation.

"Of course, I want to stay in District Thirteen or Papa's Antique Shop, but it's probably not possible."

Xiaoyu's tone was filled with regret. Returning to the past yet unable to relive childhood dreams was as uninteresting as playing a visual novel without watching the CGs.

However, as a future person with secrets, it wasn't convenient for her to have too much contact with the past.

Luke suggested, "How about the apartment I used to live in? I can clean it up for you."

Xiaoyu didn't refuse. "That's fine, but it feels like I'm being kept as your mistress."

Luke's face turned red, and he lowered his voice to whisper, "Xiaoyu, I can freely adjust my physical age."

Xiaoyu glanced at him. "What are you trying to say?"

"I can adjust my body to an adult form, or if you prefer, I can adjust it to just meet the legal age..."

Luke was submissive to the younger Xiaoyu, but he was ready to strike when it came to the grown-up Xiaoyu.

"That's well said. If you say a few more words, my liking for you will be worn down."

Xiaoyu's mood wasn't very pleasant, and she looked up. If she wasn't mistaken, there was still a sneaky snake sleeping at the top of the Business Tower.

Taking a deep breath, Xiaoyu calmed herself down and barely suppressed the urge to punch the young man in front of her, who was somewhere between a teenager and a young adult.

At that moment, the two of them, who had been joking around, simultaneously turned their gazes towards the direction of the museum.

There, a powerful surge of Dark Energy erupted.

...

Papa's Antique Shop.

Papa, who was reading a book in his armchair, suddenly shivered. He quickly stood up and took out the lizard specimen.

"Oh my~ A powerful Dark Energy demon has appeared."

Papa picked up the phone to call Jackie Chan for help.

"Jackie Chan, quickly go to the museum. Papa has discovered traces of Dark Energy."

"Hello, sir. Jackie Chan is at our police station and cannot take your call."

"What happened to him?"

"He publicly stole an item from a charity auction and didn't show a good attitude of admitting his mistake. He insists that he was just borrowing it."

"He's setting a bad example for Xiaoyu again!"

With theft and robbery, his nephew had fallen.

"This world needs a Saint Fighter."

Papa hung up the phone, wanting to call Luke to handle the situation, but then remembered that Luke had just gone out to catch a thief.

What a coincidence, what a coincidence.

Papa pushed up his glasses and sighed, stepping out of the shop.

Everything outside seemed normal, except for a dark aura surrounding the museum in the distance. Thick, dark clouds loomed like ink stains on a white paper, and a fierce storm raged over the area.

He walked out with his hands behind his back and hailed a taxi.

"Hello, sir, where are you headed?"

The driver asked politely.

"Papa is going to the museum to deal with the Shadow Demon," he replied.

Ignoring the strange words of the customer, the driver checked the destination and hesitated, "Sir, the weather there doesn't seem very good... Ow!"

Suddenly, the driver was struck.

"Do you expect the Shadow Demon to stop on its own?" Papa asked sternly.

Papa got into the car forcefully and raised a finger, "There's one more thing, Papa just remembered. Xiao Yu said she wanted to go to the museum to play, and she's in danger."

"But..."

"Just drive, I'll figure it out!"

...

As the Shadow Troops advanced, Xiao Yu was puzzled and shouted at Lu Xie in the air.

"Hey! Big Guy, if you want to take it back, why did you do that to me just now?"

Lu Xie ignored her, as the leader of the Dark Aura, it was against his character to willingly revive a Saint Fighter. But if the charm lost to Xiao Yu due to 'improper use', then letting her use it wouldn't be a problem.

After all, the protagonist group using charms to overcome challenges was a common plot point.

It would also let Xiao Zhu, the kid who liked to contradict Xiao Yu at school, know that she wasn't lying. Although it was likely he would join Xiao Yu's 'dream team', at least there would be one more person who believed her.

Xiao Yu couldn't have only Lu Ke as a friend, her social life would be too pitiful.

Crack!

The glass windows shattered one by one, and the shards were swept up by the raging wind, becoming sharp blades with considerable killing power. The entire museum was filled with an ominous dark aura.

In this critical moment, the Magic Snake returned to its original form. A giant snake, dozens of meters long, coiled around Xiao Yu in the center, protecting her. It hissed at the approaching Shadow Troops and lashed out with its thick tail, smashing the Ninja Soldiers into clumps of dark energy.

"Well done, Sneaky!"

Xiao Yu cheered, but her joy was short-lived as more Ninja Soldiers appeared, crawling onto Sneaky's body. The kunai in their hands sparked against the snake's scales.

Hiss! Sneaky painfully spat out its tongue, not yet broken but clearly in pain and unable to hold on for long.

Xiao Yu grew anxious and tried to do something. She looked at the Rat Charm in her hand, "Stillness gives way to movement, granting life force to objects..."

She turned her gaze to the largest and most imposing dinosaur skeleton in the museum, only to find it more fragile than she imagined. It had already been blown over by the raging wind and broken into segments.

Papa's words from earlier echoed in her mind.

"This is Saint Fighter Lore, the details in the records are unclear, but he is said to be a powerful mage who once liberated an enslaved people from an evil force."

Xiao Yu looked at the statue of Lore, "I feel like Big Guy is trying to guide me, but the owner of this statue couldn't be some evil villain, right?"

Shake!

The snake protecting her suddenly trembled, and Sneaky's head was grabbed by dozens of Ninja Soldiers and dragged to the ground with a dull thud.

"Hey! Don't treat my Sneaky like that!"

Xiao Yu gritted her teeth and made a decision, "Sneaky, clear the way for me!"

The giant snake struggled, shaking off the Shadow Troops on its head. Its body writhed, sweeping away the troops in front, and Xiao Yu seized the opportunity to rush forward, clutching the Rat Charm tightly.

One Shadow Troop dodged the giant snake's attack and grabbed Xiao Yu's ankle, causing her to fall to the ground. The Rat Charm fell a few meters away, and several Shadow Troops blocked her path to the Lore statue.

The Ninja Soldier who had grabbed Xiao Yu drew his kunai, intending to sever her ankle, but a cold chill descended from above, freezing him in place. Fear filled his heart, and he trembled, loosening his grip.

Xiao Yu kicked the Ninja Soldier's face, freeing herself, and retrieved the Rat Charm. However, the Shadow Troops ahead had blocked the path completely.

"You idiot, I don't need to do it myself."

Xiao Yu hummed embarrassedly, "I never miss when I throw something!"

She exerted force on the Rat Charm and threw it decisively.

The charm, imbued with mana, pierced through the bodies of the Shadow Troops and the grasping hands, hitting the Lore statue. In that instant, a brilliant light shone.

The ceramic statue was imbued with color, and the Rat Charm granted it life. The Saint Fighter from a thousand years ago slowly opened his eyes, his sharp gaze fixed on Lu Xie in the air, wearing the Demon Mask.

"Just as an eagle can see a mouse running on the ground, I see you, leader of the Dark Aura!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end