172 TOUCH OF CONSUMMATION
Agathae's eyes darted nervously. "What Lord?" he asked, confusion and panic mixing in his voice.
Argun pointed a clawed finger directly at him. "You are the reincarnation of our Lord Bael!" he declared, his tone fervent and unyielding.
The rest of the demons fell to their knees and broke into a unified chant, their voices rising in eerie harmony.
"Hail Bael!" "Hail! The Skeleton King is reborn!"
------
Suddenly, Vanessa materialized before Leo with a sly smile. "Congratulations, you've acquired your third fatal enemy—you're getting closer to your path of villainy," she said, her tone dripping with mock praise.
"Great, who is it this time?" Leo groaned, clearly irritated.
"Agathae Deghad," Vanessa replied.
"Him? I already killed him," Leo snapped, frustration mounting. "Don't tell me the System resurrected him again just to mess with me?"
Vanessa tilted her head. "It's not the System's doing, but yes, he was resurrected."
Leo let out a long sigh. "What kind of reward are you offering me now?"
Vanessa pondered for a moment, her expression turning thoughtful. "Well, you've nearly got everything you need. More potions, perhaps? Or something else?"
A sudden thought crossed Leo's mind. "Can you change my sacrifice spell? It's too demonic, and I'll expose myself every time I use it."
Vanessa raised an eyebrow. "There is a way. I can confine your shadow demons to a single touch. The Touch of Consummation."
"What's that?" Leo asked, intrigued despite himself.
Vanessa's smile grew. "Similar to your Touch of Immobility, but with this, you can absorb the magic and blood of anyone you touch. It's still demonic magic, but much subtler. To the untrained eye, it would look like nothing more than a simple touch."
Leo mulled it over, nodding slowly. "Fine, I'll take that."
Vanessa's eyes glinted. "Touch of Consummation."
With a flick of her wrist, the magic settled into Leo's being, making the spell his own. His Black Cock spell cast tab's icon was transformed into a shadowy palm.
"What about this whole villain thing?" Leo asked, raising an eyebrow.
Vanessa smirked. "Well, you're officially a probationary villain now. If you accumulate more fatal enemies targeting you, you'll transform into a full-fledged Boss of the realm. Isn't that cool?"
Leo cursed under his breath. "That's good or bad news?"
Suddenly, Leo felt a strange sensation, as if something inside him was shifting.
"What the hell is happening to me now?" Leo asked, alarmed.
Vanessa watched him closely, her tone matter-of-fact. "Your body is aligning with your dungeon. Every villain has his own dungeon, and it works in tandem with you. It's a refuge, a sanctuary, and a source of power."
"What does that even mean?" Leo pressed, still confused.
"It means," Vanessa explained, "that you can now draw magic from your dungeon, and your dungeon can tap into your powers. You'll have an exchange of energy between the two. How it works exactly, well, that's something you'll need to figure out for yourself."
"Yes, it seems my Lust counters are increasing when I'm not doing anything", Leo said after observing.
"Your dungeon is feeding you with lust now", she said. "As long as you are not too far away from it."
----
Suddenly, Yun-Yun approached Leo with a concerned expression. "Something's happening to your dungeon," she said, her voice tinged with curiosity.
Leo nodded, a hint of frustration in his tone. "Yeah, it seems I've become a villain. The dungeon's power is now interchangeable with mine."
Yun-Yun's eyes widened. "No wonder there's a new source of power in your jade throne."
Leo raised an eyebrow. "What power?"
"It's a kind of energy that can consume... like sacrifice," Yun-Yun explained.
Leo sighed. "It's the Touch of Consummation. Vanessa turned my demon sacrifice ability into something more practical. Now, I can consume blood and magic from anyone I touch."
Yun-Yun's expression darkened with understanding. "No wonder the jade throne almost tried to steal my magic when I was working with it."
"What? My jade throne can steal your magic?" Leo asked shockingly.
"It seems so," Yun-Yun replied, nodding.
Leo's mind began to race. "What if I capture some victims and lock them in the dungeon? Will their magic be taken by the dungeon?"
Yun-Yun thought for a moment before answering. "In theory if the dungeon can use your powers. That's something worth testing. Try it with something small first."
Leo nodded and quickly brought out several jars. Inside them were the severed heads of mages he had killed in the Sodom ruins. The heads had been preserved, so their magical energy remained intact. He tossed the jars into the jade throne.
To their surprise, the heads merged with the throne, their magical energy swirling and feeding into it.
"This is interesting," Yun-Yun said suddenly, her eyes narrowing in concentration. "The severed heads are generating magic even without a Cakra Core."
"Really?" Leo asked, intrigued. "And the magic is flowing to me?"
"Yes," Yun-Yun confirmed.
"Damn," Leo muttered, a grin forming on his face. "With enough heads, I could power this dungeon indefinitely with their magic alone."
Yun-Yun shook her head. "It's not enough with just the heads. An intact Cakra Core would be far more effective. But this is definitely worth experimenting with."
Without another word, Yun-Yun set to work, eager to explore the potential of the discovery.
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[In Court La Mood]
Sakema moved slowly and gracefully toward a chamber where a group of girls stood, each presenting themselves to be chosen by their mistress and joined them. Their nervous anticipation filled the air as they awaited their fate.
This was the moment of their selection.
Moments later, several women entered the chamber. Their presence commanded respect and admiration.
"These are the new maids," Madam Butterfly announced, her voice smooth and authoritative. "You may choose the one you prefer."
The women were courtesans of Court La Mood, each a Rose—a rare and special race of women whose unique constitution made them ideal sacrifices for demons. Their beauty and allure were unmatched, yet their lives carried an undertone of tragedy.
Among them, Rose da Ebony stepped forward.