Caught off guard, Li Xi found himself enveloped in Duan Zhen’s embrace, his familiar minty scent calming him down. He lifted his head and planted a light kiss on Duan Zhen’s lips, whispering, “Don’t worry, I’m fine.”
Then he looked past Duan Zhen’s shoulder, his gaze landing on the twins. His vividly colored eyes were now filled with icy coldness.
Hest’s mouth opened slightly. “Wow, you really held back.”
His lips twitched, as if he couldn’t stand it anymore, and he burst into laughter. “This is too amusing.”
Moduna also smiled, but only his lips curved upward without any sound.
He then pulled Hest aside and said to Li Xi, “We won’t bother you this time.”
His tone was full of meaning. “Take care of yourself.”
The two vanished into black mist.
Li Xi wanted to raise his hand but hesitated, held in Duan Zhen’s arms, and then lowered it again.
Fighting now wouldn’t be beneficial for him. The people around were too fragile, and the twins might target them during the battle.
The priority was still to complete this world.
With the two demon lords gone, Shen Su seemed to finally piece everything together, his voice was urgent. “What’s going on? Why did he suddenly grow up? And isn’t he Duan Zhen’s boyfriend? Why is he a demon lord?”
Li Xi turned his head to scrutinize him, his expression dark.
He suspected Shen Su had something to hide, but he lacked evidence for now. Of course, he could search Shen Su’s memories, but that seemed inhumane.
So, Li Xi decided to do it when Duan Zhen and the others weren’t paying attention.
“Since the troublemakers are gone, let’s move on to the next step.” He looked at Duan Zhen, his eyes curving into a smile. “You all will defeat me to free the spirits haunting the castle.”
Sun Le had just learned about this but noticed that, except for Shen Su, he seemed to be the last to know. He had his suspicions but found them too outlandish to voice.
He remained calm, exchanging a glance with Xia Qirong, who had quietly moved closer.
“Did you know about this?” Xia Qirong whispered.
“No,” Sun Le shook his head.
They exchanged another silent look. Xia Qirong’s voice dropped even lower. “But it seems Duan Zhen and Dan Zuo knew. Why didn’t they tell us?”
Before Sun Le could respond, Xia Qirong added, “Were they worried we’d spill the beans?”
“More like we were concerned about your brain capacity,” Dan Zuo said coolly, having approached unnoticed.
“My brain is about to explode from figuring this out on my own!” Xia Qirong fumed. “If you knew I have a small brain, couldn’t you have told me earlier so I could prepare?”
Sun Le subtly shifted away from Xia Qirong, who had just admitted to having a small brain.
Duan Zhen must have had his reasons for keeping Li Xi’s identity a secret. After so much time fighting side by side, Sun Le trusted Duan Zhen’s decisions and felt no offense.
Besides…
Sun Le looked at the pair speaking softly in the distance.
At Li Xi’s current age, he was nearly six feet tall. When he looked at Duan Zhen, his eyes seemed to sparkle with stars. His lips, as delicate as rose petals, always turned upward, and his sharp features softened with his smile.
Duan Zhen was the same. He wasn’t one to smile often, but he always had a smile on his lips when talking to Li Xi. Standing together, they had an undeniable harmony, an unspoken bond that no one could intrude upon.
So what if Li Xi was a demon lord? His love for Duan Zhen was genuine, and evident to everyone.
“Stop chatting. Let’s get this over with,” Li Xi said, approaching. He glanced at Shen Su, who stood stiffly, then turned to the others. “To avoid suspicion, we need to make it look real. Attack me, and I’ll go easy on you. Once the castle is completely destroyed, your mission will be complete.”
He looked at Dan Zuo. “Prepare to figure out the system’s position.”
Dan Zuo nodded.
Li Xi stepped back to give them some space, then said, “Start.”
“Xia Qirong, you attack the castle. Make a big show of it, but don’t destroy it too quickly,” Duan Zhen ordered. “Sun Le, hold the front line. Dan Zuo, stay at the back and protect the device. Shen Su, attack as much as you can.”
He drew his gun and fired at Li Xi.
It was the same bullet he had used against Moduna. The bullet exploded mid-air like fireworks but didn’t harm Li Xi.
Li Xi pointed a finger, and a pillar of wind rushed toward Duan Zhen.
The wind carved deep scars into the ground and didn’t stop even when dodged, continuing straight until it smashed through a wall without pause.
Xia Qirong, holding a bomb, changed direction silently.
He thought to himself that he would need a lot of bombs to match Li Xi’s casual attack, and hadn’t Li Xi said he would go easy? This was going easy?
Grumbling internally, he flung various high-powered explosives around like a flower girl scattering petals. The explosions sent dust and debris flying, and with Li Xi also attacking the walls under the guise of battle, the scene was grand and chaotic.
In the end, Li Xi symbolically knocked Xia Qirong and the others down, then fell into Duan Zhen’s arms, planting a weak kiss on his lips. Resting his chin on Duan Zhen’s shoulder, he whispered, “You won. Now I belong to you.”
The castle collapsed with a roar, but a transparent barrier centered around Li Xi protected everyone, letting no harm come to them.
Countless spirits escaped the ruins, reaching for the sunlight before gradually dissolving.
“Congratulations on completing the tenth level of Senafel Hest Moduna. Would you like to remain anonymous?”
Duan Zhen, still holding Li Xi, felt the other’s lips brush teasingly against his neck. He pursed his lips and replied, “No.”
“Congratulations to Duan Zhen, Dan Zuo, Sun Le, Xia Qirong, and Shen Su for completing the tenth level of Senafel Hest Moduna. Victory is near; keep up the good work.”
Before the system could capture his image, Li Xi stood up straight from Duan Zhen’s embrace, adopting a serious expression to maintain his dignity as a demon lord.
Unexpectedly, Duan Zhen leaned in and kissed his cheek.
If not for Li Xi’s control, the entire game world would have seen him blush.
The system’s image capture lasted only a few seconds but perfectly included the cheek kiss. After it ended, Li Xi looked at Duan Zhen in disbelief. “What are you doing?”
“Announcing our relationship to the world,” Duan Zhen said.
“Do you know what problems this could cause?” Li Xi continued, shocked. “Your abilities will be questioned. They’ll think you colluded with a demon lord. Even if you return to your original world, you might not be trusted again.”
“I know,” Duan Zhen looked at him seriously. “I can also choose not to go back.”
Li Xi’s breath caught. “But you…”
With Duan Zhen’s sense of duty, how could he choose to abandon his world?
“Or you could come to my world. My image is already exposed, so you don’t need to worry about affecting me anymore.” Duan Zhen continued, gently stroking Li Xi’s shoulder. “No matter which you choose, I’ll be with you.”
I’ll share with you the author’s note for this chapter which was very relatable in my opinion lol:
Author’s Note:
Every night at ten, I start writing.
Me: I can write three thousand words!
Also Me: Chatting and gaming.
MY GOSH THEY ARE FCKING SWEET lol ;-;
Thank you for reading