Chapter 266: The Devil's Release

Chapter 266: The Devil's Release

"Pine, Floating World, Akihabara, Tokyo has so much to offer, yet you choose to bury your head in a book studying magic incantations."

In the hotel room, Xiaoyu leaned out the window, her eyes taking in the bustling neon lights, the lively crowds below, and the various snacks and sightseeing attractions that made her heart yearn for adventure.

After a moment of gazing, she pulled her head back in, her gaze falling on Lu Ke at the desk, her tone filled with dissatisfaction.

"I can't believe it. Dragon Uncle asked us to stay in the hotel, and you actually listened without a fuss. And to pass the time, you're reading a book!"

Thinking of the excitement from earlier and the current dull situation, Xiaoyu sat back on the bed, disappointed.

...

Not long ago, District Thirteen had tracked down a dragon-shaped monster, a lizardman, and several humans in Tokyo through satellite images. After following this lead, they informed Dragonfang.

With this clue, Dad consulted ancient texts and learned about the existence of the Dark Lord, also discovering that the Fire Devil Sovereign was the source of power for the Twelve Seals.

Most importantly, the Dark Lord's servant held a multi-sided Rubik's Cube, which seemed to be the legendary Pandora's Box.

On the Pandora's Box were engraved various trigram symbols. Once correctly assembled, one could locate the place where the devils were sealed and open the Hell Gate to release them.

The eight ancient devils were categorized based on these trigrams:

Mountain Devil (Bo Geng) - "Gen"

Wind Devil (Xiao Feng) - "Xun"

Thunder Devil (Zhong Su) - "Zhen"

Moon Devil (Zhou Lan) - "Dui"

Earth Devil (Di Kui) - "Kun"

Heaven Devil (Xi Mu) - "Qian"

Water Devil (Basha) - "Kan"

Fire Devil (Dark Lord) - "Li"

Each devil had a corresponding gate, and when the gate was opened, only one life form could pass through. However, when the gate was closed and sealed, multiple life forms could pass.

If someone were to be accidentally drawn into the sealing process, they would be forever trapped in Hell unless they managed to escape through one of the devils' gates.

"Once the old devils are defeated, new dark forces will emerge. The Dark Lord must be planning to free his devil brothers."

Dad accurately judged the situation based on his sensitivity to Dark Qi and the information in the book.

"We must stop them. Dragonfang, book tickets to Tokyo immediately."

"But Dad..."

Dragonfang, who had just escaped from prison, was perplexed. "Shouldn't we be looking for the remaining seals?"

Initially, Dad had clearly stated that if the Black Hand Gang obtained the twelve seals, it would bring great disaster to the world. Why the sudden change of plans?

"The seals are not important. What matters is the ancient devils about to be released!"

Dad furrowed his brows and tapped Dragonfang's head with his index and middle fingers.

But you said the seals were important before!

Dragonfang silently mocked him in his mind, but his body obediently went to book the tickets.

He had become accustomed to his laborious life, willingly serving as District Thirteen's tireless workhorse.

To be honest, he couldn't pinpoint when he had become so busy, perhaps ever since Xiaoyu's arrival?

His imprisonment also started around that time.

When could he finally put an end to all this and break free from District Thirteen, returning to his normal life as an archaeologist?

As a Saint Fighter and representative of Light Qi, Lu Ke naturally had to join the fight against the devils.

As for Xiaoyu, she had sneaked into the luggage, unnoticed.

Who knew how she managed to go undetected and pass security checks, but considering it was Xiaoyu, everything seemed to have an answer.

Perhaps she just walked up the stairs! Considering Xiaoyu's magical snake protection, her recent magic lessons with Saint Fighter Lore, and Lu Ke's assurance, Dragonfang reluctantly agreed to let her stay.

Exorcising devils was clearly a stealth operation, and they had to wait until midnight for the right moment to strike. So, Dad and Dragonfang went out to gather information, while Xiaoyu and Lu Ke stayed in the hotel to rest and prepare.

However, Xiaoyu couldn't sit still for long. Within half an hour, she started to get restless.

"Let's sneak out, Lu Ke. I've prepared disguise props. This is for you, and this is for me."

Xiaoyu rummaged through her suitcase, pulling out two hats and fake mustaches, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Sigh."

Lu Ke sighed. "Xiaoyu, children don't grow mustaches."

"You're right. We can just wear the hats."

"No, I want to study the sealing devil spell."

"Haven't you figured it out yet?"

"Maybe."

Lu Ke didn't give a clear answer, smiling as he closed the book.

The banishment spells for the eight devils were something he had focused on when he first learned magic, and he had mastered them thoroughly. Now, he was studying the advanced version, learning to reverse the sealing spells based on different trigrams.

His enemies were not the eight devils, whose powers had been weakened by endless years in Hell, but something even more formidable.

...

"There are too many people here. Dad can't stand this noisy environment. Let's find a place to rest!"

Dad and Dragonfang followed the satellite images to search for the Dark Lord, but they couldn't even find a trace of him, which was normal. After all, they were dealing with a cunning devil, not an ignorant beast.

After searching for a while, the two sat on a bench, Dragonfang massaging his sore legs. Suddenly, he noticed Dad fiddling with a brick-sized... smartphone?

"Dad, how do you use this thing?"

Dragonfang was surprised. The smartphone in Dad's hand had no buttons and seemed to be a recent model.

"He never used electronic devices before. He only knew how to make and receive calls on his phone, and could turn the TV on and off. He didn't even know how to use outdated things like telegrams."

"Can't he learn if he doesn't know how to use it? You should know, this is a gift from Lu Ke to Dad."

Dad stopped playing with his phone, "The latest smartphone model, not only can make calls, but also has functions like an alarm clock, calendar, fax machine, calculator, and more."

"It must be expensive. Why can a kid afford such a thing, and...why would he give you such an expensive gift?"

Dad pushed up his glasses, "It shows he saved up for a long time to give this gift to Dad. What about you, Dragonfang, have you ever thought of getting Dad something?"

"Um...so what were you doing just now, Dad?"

Dragonfang, with his meager salary, calculated the change in his pocket and awkwardly changed the subject. Forgive him, he really wasn't well-off.

"It's Lu Ke's request. He wants Dad to spread the news of the impending demon's arrival, so that White Aura Mages from various countries and factions will be more vigilant."

As a disciple of a renowned Grand Mage, Dad had connections with many White Aura Mages. He sighed as he operated the device, "He also asked for help from the followers of the Saint Fighters. Recently, he even plans to design a magic for communication. This kid is so thoughtful, befitting a Saint Fighter."

"Is this necessary? I think spreading the news of an ancient demon's arrival will cause panic."

Dragonfang scratched his head, feeling something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. It was just a gut feeling.

"Calming hearts is important, but prevention is even more crucial. Ignoring potential risks for the sake of stability is foolish. Dragonfang, you're not a child anymore, you should think more carefully."

Dad immediately sided with Lu Ke in the rebuttal.

"Okay, fine. You're right."

Dragonfang fell silent. Ever since he learned that Lu Ke was a Saint Fighter, he felt Dad was being partial, but in this matter, Dad didn't seem to be wrong.

Trusting his own experience and judgment as an adult, Dragonfang brushed off the subtle sense of dissonance and enjoyed a brief moment of peace.

"Hello."

A voice interrupted his relaxing moment.

Dragonfang looked up and saw a boy dressed like a pizza delivery guy, wearing a snapback hat that covered most of his face, standing in front of him with a large pizza in hand.

"Sir, we're having a grand opening promotion. If you can guess our riddle, you'll get a free pizza."

"Sounds good, but I'm not good at solving riddles."

Dragonfang scratched his head, and decided to give it a try.

"It runs but doesn't walk, it has a mouth but can't speak. Dad, do you know what this is...Ow!"

Dad closed his eyes and habitually smacked Dragonfang's head. He walked up to the pizza boy, glancing at the pizza while seemingly accidentally bumping into the boy.

"Dad can deal with Shadow Demons, but he's not good at guessing riddles. You should ask someone younger, like Xiaoyu or Lu Ke."

Dragonfang made a call, not expecting much, but he instantly got an answer.

"The answer is—a river. The river water flows but doesn't walk, it has a mouth at the river mouth but can't speak."

Dragonfang repeated Lu Ke's answer from the phone.

The pizza boy's eyebrows furrowed, "Sounds worth a try. Thanks for the answer."

He turned to leave, but Dragonfang grabbed him.

"Um, the pizza..."

"You mean this?"

The pizza boy held up the pizza, revealing a mischievous smile, "I'm sorry, but your answer is wrong. Even if you got it right, what could you do about it?"

He casually tossed the pizza aside and ran off, his voice filled with resentment.

"I hate it when people treat me like a pizza delivery boy!"

Thanks to his years of practice catching vases at Dad's Antique Shop, Dragonfang had quick reflexes and caught the pizza before it hit the ground. He watched the figure run away, his mouth twitching.

"But you are a pizza delivery guy..."

"Can't you see he's a demon's minion?" Dad squinted.

"What?!"

"Good thing Dad didn't miss the clue."

Dad took out a lizard specimen, and a fluorescent trace appeared, the mark he had left on the pizza boy when he bumped into him.

"The minion will lead us to the demon."

...

Midnight.

When the herds of cattle and horses finally finished their overtime and returned home, the neon lights in the city also went out. The remote Riverbed Gift Shop welcomed the last batch of customers.

The Dark Lord and his group arrived at the gift shop.

"This must be the place, but there's not even a ghost around...Wow!"

The pizza boy, holding Pandora's Box, felt the box uncontrollably escape his grip and fly towards the shop's signboard.

Click!

A groove appeared on the signboard, perfectly matching the trigram symbol on Pandora's Box.

Shadow Qi surged, and a massive Hell Gate opened. In the yellowish-brown vortex, an overly muscular demon arm rested on the doorframe.

The Dark Lord excitedly raised his hands, "I present to you, the Mountain Devil—Bogang! The ancient devil who governs mountains and rivers."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end