177 THE REVEAL OF THE ROSE
"Arum… you knew about this?" Madam Chantrieri demanded, her voice quaking.
Arum hesitated but nodded. "Yes. I suspected Sakema all along wasn't your daughter. But you were so happy, I couldn't bear to say otherwise. Now it's clear—she's a demon. She'll destroy you and the family if we don't stop her."
"Mother, are you alright?" Petunia ran to support Madam Chantrieri, her expression torn between anger and concern.
"I've been such a fool," Madam Chantrieri whispered, tears streaming down her face.
"Take care of her," Leo said, stepping toward the stage. "This Rose Demon won't be easy to handle."
Sakema's eyes blazed with rage as she locked onto Leo. "Lilleo Gullee… You've ruined my plans time and time again. Why do you meddle in my affairs?"
"Arrest her now, before she grows stronger!" Leo ordered the guards.
"Never!" Sakema screamed, her voice echoing with demonic power.
Suddenly, massive thorn-like roots erupted from her body, snaking through the air with terrifying speed. Instead of targeting the guards, they plunged into the bodies of the Roses, eliciting screams of agony—and unsettling moans of ecstasy.
"You promised not to harm us!" Ebony cried, her voice filled with betrayal.
"I'm sorry!" Sakema wailed. "I have no choice. I need your blood to restore my powers!"
One by one, the Roses fell as Sakema drained them, their lifeless bodies crumpling to the ground.
"What the hell…?" Leo muttered, his eyes narrowing as Sakema's body began to change.
Her form grew grotesque, towering and bristling with thorns. The roots lashed out, skewering soldiers and guards, smashing them aside like ragdolls. Screams filled the air as blood painted the stage.
"You will all pay for foiling my plans," Sakema declared, her voice echoing with malice.
"And what are those plans?" Leo asked, his tone cold and sharp.
"To survive. To grow stronger. And to reclaim what is mine—my Rose Garden!"
"It doesn't belong to you," Leo said.
"Yes, it does!" Sakema roared. "It was mine long before Lusifar and that wretched impostor Madame La Rosa stole it from me. The Rose Garden is my dungeon!"
Sakema's thorned tentacles lashed out, sending guards flying. Only Leo remained standing before her, the sole force capable of confronting her power.
"Sakema's not a demon," Madam Chantrieri whimpered, clinging to denial.
"Yes, I am!" Sakema bellowed.
Her voice was cold and mocking. "And I'm not your pathetic daughter. She's probably been dead for years. I only found her pendant and played my part to fool you."
Madam Chantrieri fell to her knees, her heart shattering.
Leo didn't waste time on sympathy. Summoning his magic, he unleashed a barrage of energy missiles, aiming directly at Sakema.
But the Rose Demon was too fast. Her thorns whipped toward him, forcing Leo to ascend into the air carried by his faithful magical dragon avatar.
"Dragon Rakhshasa Body Transformation Sutra."
A radiant energy surrounded him as he transformed, his body merging with the power of his dragon, ready to face the monstrous foe.
Suddenly, Petunia rose into the air, her body surrounded by a shimmering aura as her dragon lifted her skyward.
"When did Petunia learn such a powerful body transformation magic?" Madam Chantrieri asked Arum, her voice tinged with awe and disbelief.
"Isn't it obvious? Your son-in-law taught her," Arum replied with a sly smile.
Together, Petunia and Leo faced the Rose Demon, their powers combining in a desperate bid to defeat the monstrous foe.
The Rose Demon was far stronger than either of them, her power was at the peak of Svad.
However, they held a critical advantage: their transformed bodies were impervious to physical harm, with only magic capable of piercing their defenses.
"Die you bitch."
Petunia darted through the air, her blade flashing as she slashed at the demon's thorned tentacles, severing some but not enough to halt the onslaught.
Leo, meanwhile, unleashed relentless bursts of magic missiles. Despite being a mid-tier Svad, his spells carried the potency of those from high-tier practitioners, each impact rocking Sakema's monstrous form.
But even with their combined strength, the Rose Demon was undeterred.
"You'll never stop me with your pitiful magic!" Sakema roared.
With a powerful swipe, Petunia was flung to the ground, her body slamming into the earth with a sickening thud. She groaned in pain, struggling to rise.
A meteor streaked through the sky, crashing into Sakema and slamming her into the ground. It was Leo's missile combo spell, a compounded version of his magic.
Yet, to his shock, the Rose Demon remained unfazed.
A glimmer of magic flickered before Sakema, and a glowing dice materialized in the air. It tumbled and rolled, clattering ominously.
"What the hell?" Leo muttered, his eyes narrowing.
The dice settled on a 'Five.' Without warning, Sakema vanished from her rocky prison, reappearing dangerously close to him.
"Dammit, you can teleport?" Leo growled, his mind racing.
Sakema's lips curled into a sinister smile. "Teleportation isn't my ability. It's my dice. You're the only one who's forced me to use this ancient Publisher in ages."
"The Publisher of Book and Dice?" Leo's voice betrayed his astonishment. "You're one of them?"
His mind flashed to Yun-Yun, the only other person he knew with such a System. They arrived in this world through strange means—through reading a role-playing game manual and rolling dices.
Before he could piece it all together, Sakema surged forward.
Leo countered with another barrage of missiles, but she darted through them with blinding speed. Her tentacle-like thorns lashed out, encircling him in a suffocating grip.
"Die, Lilleo Gullee!" she shrieked, her voice vibrating with demonic fury.
"No!" Petunia cried, stumbling forward, her hand outstretched in desperation.
But Leo's expression remained eerily calm. A smirk played on his lips. "Of all the ways you could try to kill me, you picked the one that puts me closest to you. Are you so eager for my hands on your chest?"
Sakema hesitated, her thorny grasp tightening as confusion momentarily froze her.
Before she could react, Leo's hands pressed firmly against her torso. A pulse of energy surged from his fingers. Her body stiffened, her movements halting.
With a gasp, she collapsed, paralyzed.