In the Life and Death Arena, Liora faced a four-limbed, wolf-like Devil, weaving through its attacks with precise dodges and sidesteps.
Suddenly, her mind moved, and she stretched out her hand.
Following a black light, a whip materialized in her palm, which she lashed toward her opponent.
The whip, like a living vine, wrapped around one of the Devil's front limbs and, with a sharp tug, pulled the creature toward her.
Staring at the massive figure, Liora didn't panic but calmly raised her legs and kicked its exposed abdomen.
Following a loud, painful cry, the Wolf Devil was knocked back, its body sent flying through the arena.
Liora didn't even blink as her figure vanished, blending into her shadow and flashing behind her.
The whip in her hand dissolved, transforming into a short dagger.
Clutching its handle, she aimed Wolf Devil's head.
Its strong defense was easily pierced; the dagger drove into its skull and sank into its brain.
Moments later, the creature's body shuddered and collapsed to the ground.
A translucent window flashed before Liora.
"Victories: 179. Draws: 0. Winning Streak: 179."
At the same time, loud—both happy and angry—voices reached her ears.
"Well done! Well done!"
"Idiot! How could you lose to this woman?"
Raising her head, Liora saw that the shouts were coming from the audience.
Having won so many consecutive battles, her matches now drew a decent amount of spectators, who were eager to see her win—or die.
Although their number was way less than those who had watched the fight between the Canine Devil and the Ink Devil, it was still substantial.
Taking a deep look at the audience members, especially those who cursed her loudly, Liora didn't continue fighting. She was done for the day.
With a move of her mind, she communicated with the Demon World, and the next instant, her figure vanished.
--
With a crimson light, Liora's figure reappeared in the mansion's garden.
Compared to when she had left, her armor and skin were now covered in faint streaks of blood, while she subconsciously radiated a murderous aura, making the air around her feel oppressive.
Seeing the familiar garden and the beautiful flowers, Liora suppressed the murderous aura, blending into the serene scene.
Only the blood and scratches stood out, silent witnesses of her previous battles.
"I can roughly estimate my current strength now.", Liora whispered as she fell into thought.
Over the past few hours, she had entered the Life and Death Arena multiple times and had faced a variety of different opponents.
By now, she was familiar with her new ability—Dusk Armament—and could accurately gauge her combat power.
"With the defense provided by the Myriad Devils Armor and the offensive power and versatility of Dusk Armament, I should now be stronger than the Soul Devil at her peak."
Liora estimated that if the Soul Devil were to use every trick in her arsenal—including Arrays and Soul Slaves—she could have obtained an eight-hundred winning streak.
Liora had surpassed that.
She couldn't say with absolute certainty that she'd be able to get nine hundred consecutive victories, but at the very least, she was fairly close.
"I wonder if I can enter the Crucible Ranking with my current strength.", she pondered.
From what she knew, all the Devils ranked in the Crucible Ranking possessed strength of at least nine hundred consecutive victories, and had almost no weaknesses.
At the same time, strength was not the only quality they possessed. Intelligence, cunning, and perhaps even luck, were as important, if not even more.
Thinking of this, Liora couldn't help but raise her head and look into the distance—at the towering black tower at the center of the City of Embers.
It was many stories high, built of gray rock and Hellstone, and looked elegant yet imposing. It was the residence of the City of Embers' Lord, the Devil ranked 76th in the Crucible Ranking.
Their race, name, and even gender were unknown to most Devils, who mostly referred to them as City Lord, or simply Lord Embers.
Liora's crimson eyes flickered as she gazed at the tower, her thoughts and intentions unreadable.
Just as she was thinking, she suddenly turned her head, having sensed something.
A heartbeat later, a figure appeared at the edge of the garden and moved swiftly toward her.
It was a young woman who looked to be in her early twenties, dressed in a black-and white maid's uniform. She had long black hair that matched her outfit, while her eyes gleamed with an elegant amber light.
The moment she saw Liora, she stopped and bowed her head respectfully.
"Lord, you've returned.", a cold female voice came out of her, but surprisingly, her lips didn't part. It was as if the voice didn't belong to her.
Liora didn't react. She had grown accustomed to this strange sight.
She knew very well that this woman was not a real Devil, but a mechanical creation she had purchased in the city not long ago.
She was created through a fusion of Devil Runes, alchemy knowledge, precious materials, and, most importantly, unique Devil abilities.
A Devil soul had been imbued into her during her creation, granting her intelligence comparable to that of an ordinary Devil.
Yet, no matter what, she still functioned differently from a real person.
Seeing that she didn't speak, the maid, whom Liora had casually named Alpha, remained expressionless.
Her eyes were blank, devoid of any human emotion, as she approached Liora, stopping only half a meter away.
Carefully, she placed a water basin on the ground and took out a white towel. Dipping it into the water, she raised it slowly, stretching her hand and bringing it close to Liora.
Using the towel, she began tracing Liora's body, cleaning the fresh blood and signs of battle off her.
Her movements were gentle yet methodical, and throughout this whole process, she showed no emotion at all, like a doll that was faithfully completing its tasks.
Watching her actions and feeling the cold touch on her skin, Liora didn't interrupt but sat on the ground, letting the maid continue.
At the same time, she took the opportunity to ask:
"Alpha, has anyone visited while I was gone?"
The maid's hands paused briefly before she replied.
"No, Lord. However, I have been monitoring the movements of nearby Devils, as instructed. Over the past few days, more have been wandering near the mansion, seemingly collecting information."
"I believe that they may be targeting you."
Though her words sounded concerned, Alpha's cold voice and detached tone made it difficult to notice.
"Is that so? Perhaps they think that I'm easy to bully.", Liora said with a faint smile, having expected this to happen.
As someone who had just arrived at the city's center, she was bound to attract the attention and tests of other Devils.
If she were to show any weakness, her neighbors wouldn't hesitate to tear her apart.
"Anything else?"
"Lord, the number of Devils in the city has risen recently. Not by much, but it's still apparent."
Liora narrowed her eyes. She could feel that the demonic energy in the city had indeed surged, while the cries and battle sounds had intensified.
She had already noticed it before and had a few suspicions. Alpha's words only served to confirm them.