Because of her past life, Liora knew quite a few things about bamboo.

Besides their naturally high toughness and the astonishing speed at which they grew, bamboos possessed another extraordinary trait.

No matter how many clones of a single bamboo were created, and how far away from each other these clones were, once the lifespan of the original plant ran out, all of its clones would also die with it.

Originally, Liora believed that this was a useless tidbit of information that she would never use in her whole life.

However, perhaps out of a strange play of fate, she happened to become a witness to this phenomenon.

The moment the elderly Devil's true body shattered, the remaining threads in her field of vision trembled slightly before snapping like rubber bands.

Even the puppet she had captured in the "Holy" City was the same, soon taking his final breath.

Sensing this surreal scene and staring at the flashing text in her field of vision, Liora confirmed that the Unknown was truly dead.

"Crown Maiden. Slaughter Points: 17,225,181. 1st."

"Finally...", she couldn't help but exhale softly, and for the first time in a long time, her tense body was able to relax.

Although everything during the hunt for the elderly Devil had gone well and she had faced almost no obstacles, Liora had found it impossible to relax this whole time.

After all, not only was she facing against the Unknown, someone with unpredictable means and countless possible trump cards, but she had also done it not long after her battle against the second-ranked Devil—the Blasphemer.

Even though these battles looked easy and Liora had managed to emerge victorious in both instances, it was inevitable for her to feel a little tired.

After a few minutes of emptying her mind, Liora regained her senses.

Seeing that the lush grass around her had unknowingly disappeared and was replaced by the familiar barren land, Liora understood that everything was finally over.

Both the first and second-ranked Devils had been dealt with, and from that day on, no one could threaten her.

Realizing this, and thinking of how she would soon be able to leave the Crucible, become a Lesser Devil, and enter the real Demon World, even Liora found it hard to contain her excitement.

--

The way back to the City of Pain was far less eventful than her previous journey.

Yet, the moment Liora stepped into the city, she sensed that a large number of unfamiliar demonic auras had gathered.

These auras were quite strong, and it was abundantly clear that their owners were all very powerful.

Seeing this many powerful Devils in the city and gathered together, as if preparing to besiege her, Liora didn't panic.

With steady steps, she slowly walked towards the Gothic castle, the castle that once belonged to the Torturer.

The moment she arrived, she found that more than twenty Devils were standing outside the castle's gate, conversing with the always-aloof Alpha.

Although Alpha's attitude was cold and her strength was extremely weak, barely equal to that of a Little Devil, these otherwise powerful Devils showed no trace of being arrogant.

Despite the large difference in strength and status, the Devils showed no trace of complaint and talked to Alpha with a low, almost submissive attitude.

Surprisingly, the first person to notice Liora's arrival was not one of these powerful Devils, but Alpha, who immediately turned toward her direction before lowering her head in respect.

"Lord!", she called.

Although her voice was not very loud, it didn't escape the other Devils' ears.

After all, even the weakest one among them was still a ranked Devil, possessing extraordinary strength.

Following Alpha's salute, they instinctively turned their heads, their gaze shifting toward Liora.

Facing this large number of eyes, Liora didn't lose her composure. With her hands clasped behind her back, she slowly approached the castle's gate.

As she did, the ranked Devils couldn't help but flinch.

Noticing her overwhelming aura and recalling the rumors surrounding her name, they subconsciously followed Alpha's lead and lowered their heads, as if to show their respect.

Seconds seemed to have become hours, as time slowly passed.

It was only when Liora had walked straight past them and entered the castle that they finally gained the confidence to lift their heads.

But the moment they did, a cold, authoritative voice echoed in their ears:

"Come in."

--

Less than half an hour later, Liora sat silently on a throne in a familiar hall, watching the ranked Devils surrounding her with a calm expression.

The scene reminded her of what occurred not long ago, when, in this very hall, a dozen of ranked Devils, led by the Torturer, had besieged her.

However, although not much time had passed since then, the atmosphere in the hall was completely different.

"I congratulate you, Lady Crimson, for your rise to the top of the Crucible Ranking!"

"May you soon leave the Crucible and enter the real Demon World!"

Suddenly, a Devil broke the awkward silence, stepping forward and speaking loudly, with a sincere expression on his face, as if he was truly happy for Liora.

While a few of the ranked Devils cursed inwardly, most of the people gathered here were very smart and immediately began to echo his words.

"That's true! May Lady Crimson's glory be everlasting!"

"Sooner or later, I believe that the Lady's name will resound throughout the Demon World. No! Throughout the Heavens!"

Although Liora had long noticed that these Devils were very afraid of her and would never dare to oppose her, she had never known that Devils—a race born for war and slaughter—could actually be so shameless.

More importantly, she was shocked to discover that these people were surprisingly good at flattery.

If Liora didn't know any better and were to believe their words, she would have thought that she was about to ascend to the Divine Throne and reach the apex of the universe.

Still, she didn't rush to stop them, but let them continue for a while.

It was only when she felt that things were beginning to get out of control that she finally decided to put an end to it.

"With the Lady's extraordinary grace, I believe that the Heavens will soon tremble under your feet. They'll surely be joyous to bathe in your glory—"

"Okay. That's enough.", Liora suddenly waved her hand, interrupting the increasingly excited Devil's speech.

Although her voice was not particularly loud, her words seemed to carry an unfathomable power, as the moment she finished speaking, silence shrouded the entire room.

Seeing this, Liora nodded her head, satisfied, and continued.

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