Lilith moved with a speed that those pathetic creatures were unable to comprehend. The first toad didn't even have time to release the potato from its paws before the succubus's fangs clamped down on its throat. A short, wet sound followed, and the dead monster plummeted into the mud.
Lilith didn't stop - she spiraled through the air like a dark dance of death, her talons slicing through membranous wings with surgical precision.
"My. Potatoes." she growled, picking up a dropped tuber and placing it reverently back onto the heap before immediately launching herself toward the next group of intruders.
Her eye twitched as she activated Analysis.
[Soldier-Toad-Bat]
Type: Summoned minion.
Description: A hybrid created for scouting. Possesses flight capability and advanced echolocation (ultrasound).
Status: Unit summoned by a nearby Demon King. Weak in direct combat, but nearly impossible to detect by standard sentries.
Lilith snorted with contempt as she read the description of these creatures.
For the next thirty minutes, the Giga Potato fields became a no-fly zone. Every toad that dared to approach the harvest ended as a bloody pulp. Lilith combed the territory three times, ensuring not a single green intruder remained.
She landed heavily on the ground, furrowing her brow. The analysis of the facts was simple: this wasn't an invasion, it was reconnaissance. This "colleague" must have sent his minions before the Obelisk of Hidden Mist was activated. Once the mist enveloped the valley, the toads lost their orientation and, instead of reaching the castle, got stuck at the farms, lured by the scent of food.
"Losses? Maybe three potatoes..." she muttered, looking at the carcasses. "But it's the principle of the thing."
Her irritation grew. If it were a Hero, she would simply process them into experience points. But a Demon King trying to pilfer her supplies?
That was an insult Lilith did not intend to let slide. She was not the type to turn the other cheek.
She rubbed her chin, her eyes shining with cunning. Suddenly, her gaze wandered toward the castle towers looming on the horizon, where her "collaborator" was being held.
"Since he sent his toads to peek into my kitchen..." a sweet, yet terrifying smile bloomed on her lips. "I'll send him someone who will make him regret he ever found out potatoes existed."
A plan had just crystallized in her head that would kill two birds with one stone: it would test Elina's loyalty and send a clear signal to the neighbor that the Valley of Eternal Darkness has very sharp teeth.
"Varg! Graaz!" she shouted, without turning her head. "I'm leaving you two to your chatter. I have more important things to do!"
***
Elina sat crouched in the middle of the ice cage, her arms wrapped around her knees. Her body trembled uncontrollably, and every breath turned into a small cloud of steam. Frost had settled on her blonde hair and the white tips of her ears, making her look like an ice sculpture.
Suddenly, the heavy door of the room creaked, and Lilith entered. Her aura, saturated with newly acquired strength, seemed to fill the entire room. Elina immediately raised her head, and in her eyes, alongside the terror, appeared defiance.
"I can't take this anymore..." she rasped, her teeth chattering. "I'd rather you kill me than keep me in this cursed ice! This isn't life, it's a slow death!"
Lilith stopped before the cage, looking down at her with unshakeable calm. "Don't get so worked up, little heroine. I didn't come here to listen to your complaints. I came so we could talk about cooperation."
Elina's eyes flashed with sudden hope, though she was still full of suspicion. "So... you agree? You really want to cooperate?"
Lilith laughed quietly, a sound devoid of warmth. "Let's face the facts: Heroes in this world are as common as cockroaches. I don't need to cooperate with you to survive. However, I can give you a certain chance. The only chance for you to prove you are worth more than a meal for my skeletons."
"What kind of chance?" Elina asked, straightening up slightly despite the piercing cold.
"Help me kill a Demon King."
Elina immediately deflated like a punctured balloon. Her shoulders slumped, and hope vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
"Are you insane? At best, I'm a Level 1 Hero. My race doesn't specialize in combat, and my stats are pathetic. I don't stand a chance even against the weakest Demon King, let alone someone who has survived in this forest."
"What are you so afraid of?" Lilith asked, stepping a pace closer. "I'm not sending you there empty-handed. I'll lend you an army. Your role in all this is dead simple: you'll use your detection ability as a Hero, locate the heart of his nest, and once my soldiers have him cornered, you deliver the killing blow."
Elina was completely stunned. Had she heard correctly? A Heroine was to help a Demon King kill another Demon King? It sounded like total abstraction, a denial of all the rules of this world.
The truth was that Lilith's plan was brilliantly pragmatic. She knew the system didn't reward Demon Kings for fratricide, just as Heroes gained nothing from killing each other. Lilith wanted to use Elina as her hidden blade.
Through this, she could kill several birds with one stone:
Hiding Strength: Other Demon Kings wouldn't find out how powerful she truly was, because officially, a "Hero" carried out the attack.
Reputation Protection: She didn't want to be known as the one who eliminates her own kind instead of fighting humans. Better to pass for a mysterious "farmer" while the competition vanishes at the hands of "stray heroes."
Profit Maximization: As a Heroine, Elina would receive gargantuan rewards from the system for destroying a Nest and killing a Demon King. Rewards that Lilith intended to simply confiscate.
For Elina, there was no choice. On one hand, certain death in an icy prison; on the other, a desperate mission that could give her a semblance of freedom and a chance at survival.
"Agreed..." Elina whispered, lowering her gaze. "I'll do it. I'd rather die in battle than turn into an icicle in this dungeon."
Lilith smiled radiantly, though there wasn't a grain of mercy in that smile. "Good girl."
***
Deep in a damp, foul-smelling cave near the Valley of Eternal Darkness, there was an unnatural movement. A small flock of Soldier-Toad-Bats circled above the cave entrance, their membranous wings making an unpleasant, wet fluttering sound. The last five surviving units flew inside, clutching stolen giga-potatoes in their paws.
In the heart of the cave, on a rise formed from dried mud and bones, was a Demon King Altar. Around it swarmed dozens of toad-like minions - from small tadpole-scouts to bloated, slime-dripping guardian frogs.
Atop the altar sat their ruler - Korgash, King of the Slimy Sky.
Korgash was a grotesque being, which is why he gave himself such a title, believing that if he couldn't look powerful, he should at least have a powerful title for others to call him by.
After all, his huge, flattened toad head dominated the rest of his body, and his large, bulging eyes with golden irises pulsed with irritation. Powerful bat wings grew from his back, twitching nervously and slapping against the sides of his bloated belly. When he saw the returning remnants, his wide mouth twisted furiously.
"For heaven's sake!" he screamed, the sound resembling a low, guttural croak that shook the cave ceiling. "I sent over fifty of you! Why did only five return?! Do you know how much gold it costs to summon each of you, you brainless tadpoles?!"
The units did not answer. They just stood there with vacant stares, dropping the potatoes at his feet. Korgash slumped onto the altar, massaging his broad forehead. The frustrated player couldn't believe his bad luck.
He had been doing quite well so far - though his units lacked physical strength, their ability to fly and use echolocation allowed him to avoid traps and precisely locate targets.
He had even managed to repel six Heroes who tried to invade his territory, but those victories were Pyrrhic. He had to sacrifice hundreds of minions to overwhelm the intruders by sheer numbers. As a result, Korgash was now practically broke. Every gold piece was worth its weight in gold to him, and the disappearance of almost an entire scouting party was a blow below the belt.
"Where were you?!" he growled, leaning his massive head over the survivors. "What happened there? Where did you get these gigantic vegetables, and why didn't the rest of your brothers return to explain it to me?"
He looked at them hoping for a report, but after a moment, he remembered with bitterness the greatest flaw of his race - his subordinates were as stupid as they looked. They could barely put simple sentences together.