Cucking The Demon King
Chapter 81: He really is a high demon…

Chapter 81: He really is a high demon...

Eva shivered, weakly trying to pry Liam’s hand off her neck.

But no matter how hard she tried, her strength wasn’t even enough to budge him.

Her mana had already been sapped away by Liam, leaving her body feeling sluggish and powerless. Yet, even if she had been at her full strength, she doubted it would have made much difference.

Liam’s grip was firm—not too tight, not too loose—but just enough to make her realize how powerless she was in his grasp.

Her breathing was shaky, but she wasn’t choking.

She could still inhale, still exhale, but the weight of his hand on her neck was a constant reminder of how easily he could snap it if he wanted to.

And that thought terrified her.

Her heart pounded against her ribcage, her entire body screaming at her to do something—to fight back, to break free, to run. But she couldn’t.

Her limbs felt heavy, as if she were submerged in water, her strength slipping away with every second that passed.

Then, without warning, Liam’s other hand moved.

With a flick of his fingers, he knocked her hat away.

The hat flew into the air, twisting as it arced over her head before finally landing on the floor behind her with a soft thud.

Eva’s eyes widened.

No.

Her instincts screamed at her to turn away, to shield her face from his gaze. But she couldn’t. His hand around her neck kept her still, forcing her to remain in place as his glowing red eyes scanned her features.

Her breath hitched, her chest tightening.

It wasn’t that she had anything particularly special to hide, but the way he looked at her—the way his eyes slowly moved across her face—made her feel unbearably exposed.

And that feeling made her furious.

How dare he?

How dare he strip her of her composure so easily?

Her teeth clenched, and for a brief moment, she thought about lashing out—about doing something to wipe that expression off his face.

But then he spoke.

"For someone with an ugly heart, you sure are beautiful."

Eva’s breath caught in her throat.

What?

Her cheeks immediately flushed red, heat rushing to her face before she could even comprehend what was happening.

"W-what...?" she stammered, her voice coming out weaker than she intended.

She was caught off guard. Completely.

Her mind scrambled to make sense of his words, but nothing about this situation made sense.

Why would he say something like that?

Why now, of all times?

She didn’t know how to respond.

And for some reason, that only made her more frustrated.

She felt like the ground should just open up and swallow her.

She wanted to glare at him, to snap back with something sharp and cutting, but her body betrayed her.

Her face continued to burn, her thoughts spiraling out of control.

Liam, however, didn’t seem amused anymore.

His smirk disappeared, his expression darkening as his gaze bore into her.

"Now... let’s try this again."

His voice was lower now, quieter, but no less commanding.

"What exactly are you doing here, Eva?"

Eva swallowed hard, trying to steady herself.

She had to regain control. She couldn’t let him shake her like this.

But the pressure radiating from him was suffocating, pressing down on her like an unseen force.

She hesitated for a second too long.

Liam’s fingers twitched slightly against her skin, and she tensed.

"It was an order from above," she finally muttered. "I didn’t have a choice."

Liam’s eyes narrowed.

"What order?"

His voice was sharp, cutting through the space between them like a blade.

Eva gritted her teeth, feeling her frustration boil over.

Why did he care?

Why was he questioning her like this?

Was he trying to judge her?

Or was he just playing with her?

She clenched her fists, trying to push down the bitter emotions rising in her chest.

She didn’t want to answer.

But in the face of his overwhelming presence, she didn’t have a choice.

"Didn’t you hear me" Liam said, suddenly releasing his trip on her neck.

Eva dropped to the ground on her butt, gasping for breath.

’How embarrassing...’ She mumbled inwardly, her face squeezing into a frown.

She placed a hand on her neck, gently rubbing it, glad she could finally breathe freely.

’What a strange guy, or a strange demon. ’She thought, taking another look at Liam.

Before she could speak, however, something caught her attention.

A movement.

A slight shift in the air.

Her gaze flickered to the side, and that was when she saw it.

A thin black tendril, slowly wriggling beside her.

Her entire body stiffened.

’What... is that?’ She thought, subconsciously shifting away from it.

The tendril twisted and coiled like a living thing, pulsating with dark energy.

But that wasn’t the only one.

Now that she was paying attention, she saw many of them.

Countless dark strands were slithering across the tavern floor, weaving together like an intricate web.

They were silent. Almost eerily so.

They moved without making a single sound, writhing and shifting, their presence barely perceptible.

A chill ran down her spine.

Her breath hitched, her instincts screaming at her to be on guard.

"W-what...?" she mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper.

She slowly lifted her head, her eyes widening in horror.

One of those tendrils—one that had stretched further than the others—was connected to Liam’s left hand.

It pulsed, extending from his palm like an extension of his body, its dark form flickering against the dim light.

Her blood ran cold.

She hadn’t seen him summon it.

She hadn’t felt the shift in mana.

As a skilled heretic, she had trained herself to always be aware of the flow of mana around her.

It was one of the ways to survive and avoid being assassinated in the world she lived in.

No matter how small the mana fluctuation in her surrounding was, she should have noticed it.

And yet... she hadn’t sensed anything.

She hadn’t even noticed the moment he had activated his blessing.

That was impossible.

Absolutely impossible.

Her breathing became uneven as a terrifying realization settled in.

This wasn’t normal.

This shouldn’t be possible.

Liam wasn’t just strong.

He wasn’t just powerful.

He was something far more dangerous.

Something that defied everything she knew.

Her fingers trembled at her sides, her heartbeat pounding against her ribs like a war drum.

She was still on the floor, still weak from the mana drain, still completely at his mercy.

’He truly is a... high demon...’ She mumbled inwardly, feeling stupid at her earlier thought.

She couldn’t believe how much she had underestimated him, even thinking his strength was similar to hers.

"Hey, hurry up." Liam said, snapping his gaze back at her.

"Y-yes... I’ll get to it now." Eva replied, sweat rolling down her face.

She clasped her hands together, fingers trembling slightly as she focused her remaining energy.

A faint glow pulsed between her palms, spreading through the ground.

The moment she activated her blessing, she felt it.

A violent pull.

Her mana drained at an alarming rate, as if something had punctured a hole in her reserves and let everything leak out at once.

She gritted her teeth, her muscles tensing from the sheer strain.

But she didn’t dare make a sound.

Even as her body screamed in protest.

Even as her vision wavered.

Even as she felt herself slowly growing weaker.

She couldn’t stop.

She wouldn’t stop.

Because if she did, she knew what awaited her.

Liam’s glowing red eyes watched her in silence, his presence looming over her like an immovable force.

She had no choice.

Dark thorns suddenly erupted from the ground beneath her.

They spread rapidly, slithering up the wooden walls like living creatures, twisting and curling as they expanded throughout the entire building.

The thorns stretched toward the ceiling, weaving through the cracks, turning the once ordinary structure into something eerie and unnatural.

She bit the inside of her cheek, trying to suppress the dizziness washing over her.

’Damn it... This is taking more than I expected...’ She mumbled inwardly, closing hee eyes shut.

Her heartbeat pounded in her ears.

A sharp, stinging pain pricked at her skull, growing stronger with every second that passed.

Blood trickled from her nose, warm and thick, trailing down her lips before dripping onto her trembling hands.

Her vision blurred.

The world around her swayed.

Her fingers twitched.

But she couldn’t stop.

She wouldn’t stop.

Not when she could still feel Liam’s eyes locked onto her.

Not when she knew what would happen if she failed.

She forced her mana to flow, pushing it past her limits, forcing the illusion to solidify.

The empty hall rapidly transformed, tables and chairs appearing all over the place.

Drinks also appeared on the table, along with cups and jugs, each one filled with wine.

Before long, images of people started appearing, laughing and talking to themselves.

Even the dead body of Ratna was perfectly blended into the ground, along with all the blood stains.

The thorns crawling around the place seemed to vanish, and what replaced them was a bustling, huge tavern.

As all of these went on, Eva’s pale face twisted into a grimace as the energy within her rapidly depleted.

Her breathing grew shallow, her body struggling to keep up with the sheer demand of her ability.

She was reaching her limit.

And yet, she had no choice but to keep going.

Meanwhile, Liam stood there, watching her in amusement.

He didn’t move.

He didn’t speak.

He simply observed.

And the longer he watched, the more entertained he seemed.

His lips curled into a wry smirk as he noticed the blood staining her face, the way her shoulders trembled, the way her legs wobbled beneath her.

’Perhaps I drained too much of her mana...’

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