Cucking The Demon King
Chapter 121: Ambush

Chapter 121: Ambush

Emerald took a subtle step forward, placing herself between him and the others.

"How did you get in here?" she asked, more firmly this time. Her voice held a quiet fury, and her mana began to crackle softly in the air.

The man didn’t answer.

He didn’t need to.

Their base wasn’t protected with ancient magic or divine seals, but it was hidden. Tucked far beneath the rocky foothills outside the capital’s northern reach—out of sight, out of detection range, and far from any known mana pathways. No one should have been able to find it, let alone enter without making a sound.

And yet... here he was.

No alarms.

No resistance.

No hint of broken seals.

The tunnel behind him was untouched. The carved sigils on the stone hadn’t been disturbed. Even the air in the chamber felt the same—stable, undisturbed, without the rippling distortions that came with spatial magic or phase-walking.

It was like he’d simply appeared.

Like he belonged there.

"Who are you?" Cynthia demanded, lowering her hand slightly but keeping her mana gathered. "Are you some kind of projection? Illusion?"

Still no response.

Then the man lifted his hand.

The shadows at his feet curled upward, slithering across his arm like smoke made flesh, gathering above his palm in a twisting spiral.

A small, black crystal floated there—perfectly spherical, no bigger than a coin.

No one said a word.

The orb pulsed faintly once, and then it crumbled into dust, dissolving into the air without a sound.

The man lowered his hand.

And then he finally spoke.

His voice was calm. Low. Almost tired. Like someone who had run out of patience.

"I never wanted to kill you," he said, each word slow and deliberate, echoing slightly against the stone walls. "But things have changed."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees.

Lela immediately stepped in beside Emerald.

"What’s that supposed to mean?" she asked sharply.

But the figure didn’t clarify.

He stood still, unmoving, shrouded in the same dancing darkness. Then, the shadows shifted once again—and for a brief moment, they caught a glimpse beneath the cloak.

A single glowing eye.

Crimson.

Cold.

Unblinking.

It stared directly at Emerald.

There was no hostility in that gaze. No anger. No rage.

Only inevitability.

Emerald’s hand twitched slightly. Her body tense, every muscle ready to strike.

"I’ll ask one more time," she said through gritted teeth. "Who are you?"

The man didn’t answer.

Then—he snapped his fingers.

A faint crack echoed through the hideout, sharp and clear.

From behind him, the shadows surged like a tidal wave, stretching out in all directions before rising upward and pooling into a massive swirling circle behind him.

From that darkness, five hooded figures stepped out one by one.

Their movements were graceful—unnaturally so—and with each step, the pressure in the room deepened. Their cloaks fluttered despite the still air, their faces half-hidden, but their twisted grins shone through clearly. Smirks full of malice, as if they were about to enjoy a particularly cruel game.

Each one of them radiated danger.

And they were all focused on the girls.

The shadowy man didn’t seem interested in the intimidation his companions caused. Instead, he turned his head slightly and looked at Emerald and the others with a quiet, tired amusement.

"Try to have a little fun," he said lazily to his subordinates. "These ones won’t be as easy to put down as those mindless dogs."

He chuckled faintly, then sighed like a parent watching over a group of misbehaving children.

Emerald’s heart skipped a beat, but she forced herself to stay calm.

She clenched her fists and stepped forward, shielding the others with her body as her mana surged like a blazing current, casting an emerald glow across the stone floor.

Her voice was firm, but there was a faint waver in it. "Get into formation. Stay calm and composed."

But it wasn’t working.

Elsa stood frozen, her eyes wide with disbelief as her hand trembled near the hilt of her dagger. Her lips were parted, but no words came out.

Lela had a defensive barrier half-formed around her fingertips, but it flickered and twitched like she couldn’t focus enough to keep it stable.

Even Cynthia, always sharp and snarky, stood still as stone. Her pupils were dilated, her shoulders tense, and a bead of sweat ran down her temple.

The pressure was too much.

This wasn’t a battle anymore.

It was a slaughter waiting to happen.

Emerald’s jaw clenched.

’This is too much...’ she thought bitterly, gnashing her teeth. ’For a bunch of students to handle. Is the Church trying to kill us off?’

The five hooded figures took another synchronized step forward.

The shadows behind them writhed, thickening with every heartbeat. The air grew heavier, the silence more suffocating.

Emerald pushed her mana higher, trying to suppress her own panic. Her instincts screamed at her to flee—but her pride wouldn’t allow it.

"We’re not going down without a fight," she hissed.

But even she wasn’t sure she believed that.

Emerald took a steady breath, her hands glowing as she summoned two small golden portals at either side of her.

Their radiant light flared for only a second—

CRACK!

—and then shattered like glass, fragments of golden energy scattering in the air before fading into nothingness.

Her eyes widened.

"What...?"

Emerald stood frozen, her gaze flickering between the spaces where the portals had just been. Confusion gripped her. She had executed the incantation perfectly. Her mana was stable. Her intent was clear.

Why...?

She bit her lip and tried again.

Golden light pulsed faintly at her fingertips—another portal began to form.

But just like before, it splintered before it could stabilize.

No distortion. No resistance. It was like her power was being suppressed from the source.

She turned her gaze sharply toward the shadowy figure.

He hadn’t moved an inch, but the grin on his face had only grown wider. He stared at her like a child watching a clueless animal stumble through a trap.

And then, he laughed.

It started as a low chuckle, but soon erupted into full-blown, mocking laughter that echoed loudly through the hideout walls.

Emerald’s expression tightened.

"You must really think we’re stupid," he finally said, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye as his laughter died down. "You thought you could just poof your way out of here?"

His eyes narrowed, that smirk never leaving his face.

"We already know what you’re capable of, little mage," he said. "That teleportation blessing of yours is a problem. A big one."

He spread his arms slightly, as if showing off the space around them.

"So we fixed that problem."

Emerald’s fists clenched.

"There’s an artifact bounding this entire space," he continued with smug satisfaction. "One that cancels out any blessing tied to teleportation. A little gift from our superiors. As long as it’s active... you’re stuck."

Her breath hitched.

She turned slightly, her eyes darting to the others.

They were already visibly shaken.

Lela had stepped back, her hands raised slightly as if preparing to defend herself—though her spell never took form.

Cynthia’s mouth was open, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak.

And Elsa...

Elsa swallowed hard, taking a step forward and gripping her dagger tightly in both hands. Her knuckles were white, but her feet were unsteady.

"I... I thought we had a way out," she whispered, more to herself than anyone else.

Her mind raced.

Everything they’d trained for, everything they’d learned—the strategy, the countermeasures, the escape plans—it was all unraveling before her eyes.

Emerald gritted her teeth.

She felt the same fear. The same doubt.

But she couldn’t afford to show it.

Not now.

Not when they were watching.

Not when her team was on the brink of breaking.

The five hooded figures hadn’t attacked yet, but the hunger in their eyes was unmistakable.

They were waiting. Watching.

Like lions circling their prey.

And now... the prey had nowhere to run.

One of the hooded heretics suddenly burst forward without warning.

There was no chant. No gesture.

Just an explosive whoosh as dark flames erupted violently from beneath his feet, launching him across the room like a bullet.

The air cracked in his wake.

He was fast—unnaturally fast.

Almost too fast to track.

"Look out!" Emerald shouted.

But even before the words fully left her lips, Elsa had already stepped forward on instinct, her eyes narrowing in panic.

Her hand shot out toward the oncoming figure.

A brilliant light surged through her palm as her blessing activated—faster than she could think.

Three radiant golden swords materialized in a circular formation around her hand, spinning slowly, their glow pulsing with divine energy.

Her breath caught in her throat, but her stance held firm.

The heretic came into range, his arms stretched back, claws of shadow forming around his hands, ready to rip through her.

Elsa didn’t hesitate.

With a scream, she thrust her hand forward.

The golden swords shot ahead with incredible speed, slicing through the air with a divine hum, aiming to intercept the attacker before he could reach them.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.