Entoma was of the Arachnoid race. She loved food rich in muscle, the kind with a satisfying chew that wouldn't make her gain weight.
As Blue Roses drew closer, Entoma caught the scent of humans in the air.
Her small hands stopped mid-command. Turning her head, she saw five humans standing at the entrance, dressed in different outfits.
No, not five. Four. One of them smelled different, somewhat similar to Shalltear-sama.
"Um… could you please step aside?"
"I need to leave now."
Scratching her head with a small hand, Entoma spoke in a sweet, syrupy tone. She had no desire to fight them.
If they had been insignificant foes she could crush at will, she would have left without wasting a single word.
The problem was that the strength of Blue Roses posed a certain level of threat to her, making her reluctant to act rashly.
Especially the masked girl among them. Entoma could sense danger from her. Through an insect's innate perception, she could tell that the girl's strength likely wasn't much lower than her own.
Entoma Level: 58
(With an endless supply of Platinum Dragon Lord meat and occasional feeding from Naohara, her strength had improved slightly.)
Entoma didn't want to fight, not because she feared for her safety, but because she didn't want to delay the Supreme Beings' mission.
"Sorry, we can't let you go."
"An unknown Demon God has appeared in the Kingdom. We must investigate this thoroughly."
Lakyus rejected her request without hesitation. There was no way she would allow the other party to leave.
She had heard of the power of Demon Gods. They were like walking bombs. Letting such a dangerous existence roam freely within the Kingdom was simply too risky.
"But I don't want to fight you~"
Entoma really didn't want to waste time here. She still had to complete the task given by the Supreme Beings. Unfortunately, Blue Roses had no intention of letting her leave so easily.
"Haha, then there's nothing more to say."
"I've never fought a Demon God in my life. Today's the perfect chance to see how strong one really is!"
Gagaran laughed loudly and charged forward. Raising her warhammer high, she brought it crashing down toward Entoma.
The force behind the blow was immense. Even Lakyus wouldn't dare take it head-on.
But with a sharp clang—
Entoma didn't budge.
A shield formed from swarming insects covered her small hand, easily blocking Gagaran's strike.
With a flick of that same hand, she redirected the force of the attack, sending the impact back and forcing Gagaran to stumble several steps before regaining her balance.
"See? This is a Demon God. Not something you can handle."
Evileye stepped to the front, teasing Gagaran.
"Hey, don't rub it in."
"But she's seriously strong. My full-power strike got blocked that easily."
The numb ache in her arm constantly reminded Gagaran just how terrifying the so-called Demon God's strength was.
"To defeat a Demon God, only I can do it in the entire Kingdom. Of course… that guy Naohara might manage it too."
Evileye was confident in her own strength. The Demon God before her was indeed powerful, even slightly stronger than the Demon God of Insects from two hundred years ago.
But she was still confident she could win.
"Hearing that from Evileye is reassuring. Then let us, Blue Roses, give it everything we have and defeat this terrifying Demon God!"
Lakyus stepped forward, her jet-black magic sword emitting a faint glow. She looked… unusually excited.
"Captain, don't get fired up for no reason!"
Evileye felt a headache coming on. Her captain was excellent in every way, except that sometimes she would suddenly get overly emotional without warning.
"Um… may I interrupt?"
Entoma raised her small hand, drawing Blue Roses' attention.
"You'd better leave now. Otherwise, you really won't be able to get away~"
"We're not leaving. Let's settle this here and now, Demon God!"
Gagaran shouted. Lakyus and the others stood firm, their eyes locked on Entoma, with no intention of retreating.
"That's such a pity."
Seeing there was no point in persuading them further, Entoma gave up.
She turned her head slightly and spoke in an easy tone.
"Shalltear-sama, I'll leave the rest to you."
Before the operation began, Yuri had already instructed them that if any unexpected situation arose, they were to immediately call Shalltear, who would remain on standby.
Now that Blue Roses refused to back down, Entoma did not hesitate. She contacted Shalltear at once.
She still had the Supreme Beings' task to complete. She couldn't afford to waste time here.
These humans could be handed over to Shalltear-sama.
The moment her words fell, a soft laugh drifted into the ears of Blue Roses.
Evileye's entire body trembled. A deep sense of foreboding surged within her.
Something was wrong. Very wrong.
She lowered her gaze to her own hands, and the sight felt absurd.
She was shaking.
The composure she had maintained moments ago vanished. Evileye abruptly turned toward Lakyus and the others.
"Run!"
There was no time to explain. Before Lakyus and the others could react, Evileye activated her flight magic, intending to carry them away.
This Demon God was not the real problem. There was something far more terrifying behind her. An enemy they absolutely could not handle.
"Leaving so soon after I've just arrived? That's rather impolite, don't you think~"
The voice behind her made Evileye feel as though her entire body had frozen solid. Her flight magic collapsed instantly.
This was suppression. Absolute bloodline suppression.
For Evileye, a vampire, to feel such pressure, the other party could only be a vampire of a higher order.
Half-kneeling on the ground, Evileye struggled to raise her head.
What came into view was a magnificent gown, pure white with faint golden trim.
The one who had appeared was Shalltear, now dressed differently. Not only her clothes, but even her hair had changed from white to a brilliant gold.
"Shalltear-sama."
Entoma stepped forward and spoke softly.
"Leave this to me. Go on and finish your task, Entoma."
Shalltear gave her a small nod.
After a brief exchange, Entoma departed. Only then did Shalltear turn her gaze toward Blue Roses.
The group stood tightly together, tense and unwilling to move rashly.
Shalltear's eyes fell on Evileye at the center. A delicate smile curved her lips.
"Now then, let me have some fun with you~"