[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-evolution-from-little-devil-to-devil-empress":3,"chapter-evolution-from-little-devil-to-devil-empress-evolution-from-little-devil-to-devil-empress-chapter-8":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Evolution: From Little Devil to Devil Empress",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1079728,1395,"Chapter 8: Young Devil [5] - Life and Death Arena","evolution-from-little-devil-to-devil-empress-chapter-8",8,"\u003Cp>Liora didn’t know that the little imp became Eshara’s meal, but even if she were to find out, she would not be surprised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how innocent, naive, or harmless a Young Devil might look, they were still a member of a race built entirely on predation. The intelligence of Devils was not like that of humans, but a deceptive cunningness that they used to prey on their enemies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Eshara left, Liora didn’t continue to wander in the city. Instead, she searched for the closest inn and entered it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside, a towering creature with a dozen eyes and a bulging belly waited behind the counter. It grinned creepily as soon as it saw Liora and extended its clawed hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without saying a word, Liora tossed two souls onto the counter. In exchange, the grinning Devil slid a black key across the desk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling the coldness of the key in her palm, Liora cast a last glance at the grinning Devil, and following the number carved into the key, she found her room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She opened the door with the key and stepped inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The room was small and bare, just enough to house a single person, while its walls and floor were made out of rough black stone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had no bed, chair, or anything like that. Only a small pool of blood lay at its very center, as if it were a swimming pool.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I didn’t expect that Devils could be this considerate.\", Liora couldn’t help but sigh, taking her seat beside the blood pool.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Staring at her reflection on the red liquid, she fell into thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liora had long known that souls were a currency in the Crucible and could be exchanged for almost everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, even though she had already prepared some before entering the city, the rate at which she spent them far exceeded her expectations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having paid two souls to the grinning Devil, she only had three left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fortunately, with my current strength, obtaining a few souls won’t be difficult at all. After all, the Demon World is hardly short of Devils...\", she thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had heard from Eshara that fighting was not prohibited in the city, and that as long as one didn’t damage \"public\" property, the City Lord did not care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This meant that all she had to do was find some weak Devils and \"borrow\" some souls from them—their souls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But first, I have something else to do.\", Liora whispered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her focus shifted back to the crimson basin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaning a little closer, she stretched her right hand and submerged her index finger into the pool, the blood sticking to her skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, using that same finger as a brush and the blood as paint, she began drawing on the stone floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her finger moved astonishingly fast, yet each stroke was precise, slowly outlining intricate symbols one after another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even a brief glance at these symbols would cause the head of an ordinary person to burst, as if they contained inexplicable power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, this was true.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These symbols were Devil Runes and possessed the power to communicate with the Will of the Demon World.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Devil Runes that Liora used were not advanced, and following her inherited memories, she quickly inscribed the final one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next moment, the many Devil Runes on the floor flashed with a crimson brilliance and blended together, turning into a circular array.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Standing at its center and enveloped in its light, Liora felt her skin tingling. But this sensation didn’t last for long. A mere second later, she vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>--\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Liora regained her consciousness, she found herself standing in a massive arena that looked quite like a colosseum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It stretched for hundreds of meters, and many seats surrounded it, but at this time, these seats were empty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liora was not the only person in the arena.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the opposite side, there was a tall, muscular Devil facing her direction. He possessed two thick, forward-curving horns, while his body was clad in thick bone armor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His forearms and legs were bulky, covered in wriggling black veins, and seemingly contained boundless power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as her gaze landed on this Horned Devil, a string of information flashed in Liora’s field of vision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>--\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wins: 98. Draws: 3. Winning Streak: 32.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>--\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Similarly, the Horned Devil obtained her information too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>--\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wins: 0. Draws: 0. Winning Streak: 0.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>--\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately, his lips parted into a large grin, revealing the uneven, chipped teeth inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hahaha! I didn’t expect that I’d meet a rookie! It seems that my luck is good today!\", he laughed loudly, his rough voice reverberating throughout the arena and causing the air to tremble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Horned Devil’s eyes burned with cruelty and bloodlust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What kind of race are you? Some kind of succubus?\", he asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, without giving Liora any time to reply, he rushed forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Demonic energy surged through his legs and horns, propelling him forward at a terrifying speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having not lowered her guard, Liora reacted instantly. Yet, even so, she barely had time to respond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite what his massive, fearsome frame would suggest, the Horned Devil moved with surprising swiftness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a heartbeat, he had closed the distance of tens of meters and stopped right in front of her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Die!\", the Horned Devil shouted and swung his fist forward, using the momentum of his charge to further increase its power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The raging punch aimed straight at Liora’s head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A cruel smirk spread across the Horned Devil’s face; he could already imagine his opponent’s skull shattering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, he was wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment before the impact, Liora’s body dissolved into dark mist and reappeared behind him as if she had teleported.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shadows clung to her arms, forming sharp claws that slashed along his waist, targeting the gaps in between the bony plates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?\", the Horned Devil exclaimed, taken aback. But his reflexes were very sharp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He twisted his body and turned around, bringing his arms up to his chest to block the incoming strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A shrill screech rang out as the dark talons scraped against his armor, leaving only a faint, claw-shaped mark behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s it? Too weak!\", the Horned Devil smiled mockingly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this smile didn’t last long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind him, the dark mist that should have dissipated by now remained there—and it moved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A pair of claws, identical to Liora’s, formed on the phantom’s arms, and it struck forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its movements mirrored those of Liora, aiming for the Horned Devil’s waist, or to be more accurate, at the gaps in his armor located there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shock and fear flashed across his face as he braced himself to meet the strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The claws landed, but contrary to his expectations, they only left behind a small scratch, barely penetrating his skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hahaha! You can’t hurt me—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he could finish, pain assaulted his mind. He felt as if countless beasts were clawing at his soul, wanting to tear it apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His pupils shrank in terror, and he lowered his head, only to see a faint silver glow running across the dark claws behind him, illuminating the dim arena.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, he understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Soul attack—\", he muttered, but the words died in his throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His body crumbled to the ground, disintegrating into dust and becoming fertilizer for the arena.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even in his final moments, the Horned Devil couldn’t understand: how could a mere rookie wield such power?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With his death, the arena hummed with a sinister vitality, as if joyous. Then, a voice echoed directly in Liora’s mind:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Congratulations. You’ve emerged victorious from your first Life and Death Battle.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Record Updated.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Victories: 1. Draws: 0. Winning Streak: 1.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Liora had time to take in that information, the familiar sensation of teleportation washed over her.\u003C\u002Fp>",1286,"2026-06-03T10:39:03.667Z",1,"novelbin.me","f423b8e7feb7452de3b13870335de39a63505bdb6496cac95b9bc6f89606f207","evolution-from-little-devil-to-devil-empress-chapter-9","evolution-from-little-devil-to-devil-empress-chapter-7",482,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fevolution-from-little-devil-to-devil-empress-cover.jpg"]