YM778.TV Chapter 80: Bet EVERYTHING
The man entertained himself in the room, surrounded by several other figures—demons, or rather, the Arcontes.
"Lord A-Astaroth..." Raphaeline stammered, visibly shaken as she faced the powerful beings before her.
"It does sound quite amusing," a woman remarked, luxuriously crossing her legs while staring at Raphaeline, who seemed lost in thought. "I wonder what Asmodeus would say if he saw something like this."
"Your mouth is as big as ever, Paimon," Sapphire replied, casting a critical glance at the woman, who had white, curved horns and a seductive smile that could captivate any man.
"Asmodeus died because of you, Sapphire," Astaroth added with a malicious grin. "Well, he dared to challenge you. But it was nice to have more of the original demons around, you know?"
"Tch, don\'t talk to me about that. He had the audacity to look at me with hungry eyes," Sapphire responded, folding her arms, ignoring the other Arcontes—except...
"So, what will you offer me for this Armageddon? You didn\'t think I\'d let this slide, did you?" The Arconte Phenex interjected, his voice slicing through the tension, as this situation directly involved his own agenda.
"Huh? Since when do I owe you anything?" Sapphire responded with a defiant smile. "I recall fulfilling a contract for you three thousand years ago."
The atmosphere in the room shifted dramatically, thickening with palpable tension.
Arconte Phenex fixed his gaze on Sapphire, his eyes burning with barely contained frustration.
"So, you think it\'s that easy?" he questioned, his voice laced with disdain. "Betting on something, and now a Blood Armageddon involving my son, and we don\'t even know who his opponent is? Your jokes have certainly evolved, Sapphire Agares," he said, nearly clapping in sarcastic applause, his acidic tone resonating throughout the room.
The other Arcontes remained silent, fully aware that the conversation had taken a dangerous turn.
Raphaeline felt a chill run down her spine as the confrontation between the two powerful demons intensified. The laughter that once filled the room had now dissipated, replaced by an air of suspense.
Sapphire, however, remained unshaken. She crossed her arms and raised her chin, defiant. "Oh, Phenex, don\'t be so dramatic. If we don\'t take risks, we\'ll never know how far we can go, will we? Blaze Phenex," she challenged the Arconte, but...
"But if you\'re so eager for something, come on, make your proposal. Either way, I won\'t lose with my dear son-in-law." As those words left her lips, the entire room turned, wide-eyed, towards Sapphire.
"Huh?" she questioned. "Oh, don\'t worry, he\'s her son-in-law here too," she added, pointing at Raphaeline, who was already sweating bullets.
The power gap between Sapphire and Raphaeline was monumental, and the weight of the situation bore down on the young woman. She felt the gazes of the Arcontes upon her, each one assessing her capacity to handle the revelation. The murmurs that had filled the room transformed into a storm of speculation, and Raphaeline found herself at the center of a discussion she never imagined she\'d be part of.
"HAHAHAHAHA!" Paimon couldn\'t contain a loud, booming laugh that echoed through the luxurious meeting hall. "You? You\'re a mother-in-law? HAHAHAHA, I didn\'t see that coming! Katharina got married? HAHAHA! This man must be very interesting!" Paimon continued in her hysterical fit, while everyone else watched her with serious expressions.
"I really didn\'t expect this either," Blaze said, his eyes glinting with a certain curiosity.
"This is truly interesting." The eyes of the more reserved man finally opened as he looked at Sapphire.
The most powerful demon in Hell at the moment, the Archon Amon.
"Oh, the old man woke up, hello," Sapphire said, waving at him as though he were just emerging from a two-million-year slumber.
"Silence." His command instantly froze Sapphire, her body stiffening as if all her movements were forcibly halted.
\'Damn! He\'s still way too strong!!\' She screamed internally, but soon her own power flared to match the overwhelming aura he emitted.
"Oh? Impressive... you\'ve gotten stronger?" Amon questioned with a mischievous smile.
"Come on, Amon, I\'m not like you, who stopped training," Sapphire replied, holding her firm stance. "And now I even have a disciple." Sapphire chuckled softly and added, "What do you think, Phenex? Afraid? My disciple was human six months ago."
"The rules are clear, Sapphire," Phenex said with a grin, now that Amon\'s full attention was on the scene. "You\'re trying to break an external agreement by interfering. Come on, offer me something of value, and we\'ll negotiate."
"And what do you want, swindler?" Sapphire asked, fully convinced she would win regardless.
Phenex leaned forward, his eyes burning with an intensity that reflected his resolve. "What do I want?" he repeated, his voice carrying a calculated tone. "Simple. If your \'disciple\' wins, I\'ll bow to his victory and honor the outcome. But if he loses..." Phenex paused deliberately, his smile slowly growing as he studied Sapphire.
"You will completely withdraw from all alliances and ties you have in Hell\'s political sphere. No more influence, no more disciples, no more involvement in power affairs. You\'ll become nothing but a spectator, with no voice, no control."
The room fell into a deathly silence. Every Archon present felt the weight of Phenex\'s proposal, a gamble as bold as it was brutal. To remove Sapphire from the board would be a devastating blow, but the risk was equally immense. Raphaeline\'s gaze darted between Sapphire and Phenex, unable to believe the level of stakes being wagered.
\'HAHAHAHAH THIS IDIOT HAHAHAHAHAHA WHAT AN IDIOT HAHAHAHAHAHA THE BIGGEST IDIOT IN THE WHOLE WORLD!!!!HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA FUCK THIS SHITTY DEMONIC WORLD! HAHAHAHAHA THIS RETARD THINK I CARE ABOUT POLITICAL POWER? HAHAHAHAHAHA I AM THE ONE WHO MAKES MY NAME!\' She roared internally seeing how imbecile Phenex looked, but still, she had to restrain herself a lot.
Sapphire maintained her composure, although inside she was almost about to break down and let out a heart-wrenching laugh within the room. But her smile remained unwavering, maintaining her posture so as not to destroy the scene. "You are underestimating my disciple, Phenex. A newly transformed human? Perhaps. But what he is now... will surprise you."
Amon, who had been silent until now, let out a low chuckle, clearly enjoying the direction the conversation was heading. "Oh, this will be fun to watch. Sapphire against all of Hell, with everything riding on a simple human... transformed." He emphasized the last word, his eyes gleaming with interest.
Phenex, bolstered by Amon\'s tacit support, didn\'t back down. "Then it\'s settled. A Blood Armageddon to decide the fate. Let the countdown begin."
As the imposing palace doors closed behind them, Sapphire and Raphaeline found themselves outside, away from the watchful eyes of the Archons. The tension that had filled the palace began to dissipate, but instead of relief, it was Raphaeline\'s frustration that erupted. She came to an abrupt halt, spinning on her heels to face Sapphire, her face flushed with anger, her eyes sparking with a mix of disbelief and fury.
"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" Raphaeline shouted, her voice echoing through the empty courtyard. "You wagered EVERYTHING! And what\'s this about \'son-in-law\'?! Why drag me into this?! As if the situation wasn\'t dangerous enough already! Wait! And my sword?!" Her breath was coming in quick bursts, her body trembling with anxiety.
Sapphire, with her usual impenetrable calm, merely sighed and continued walking toward the exit, momentarily ignoring Raphaeline\'s outburst. Naturally, this only made the young woman angrier.
"Hey! I\'m talking to you, Sapphire!" Raphaeline ran to stand in front of her, blocking her path. "You threw me into the middle of that Archon mess like it was a game! I almost got devoured alive by that tension in there! Do you even realize what you just did?!"
Sapphire stopped, her gaze on Raphaeline a mix of amusement and exasperation. "You think I don\'t know what I\'m doing, Raphaeline? I always know. Those idiots inside won\'t lift a finger against me — they can only bark, and you need to understand that."
Raphaeline huffed, frustrated. "You\'re risking too much! This Blood Armageddon... Do you really trust your disciple that much? He doesn\'t even have six months of experience, Sapphire! And what was that about a \'son-in-law\'? You\'ve put us in an impossible situation!"
Sapphire raised an eyebrow, a mischievous smile curling on her lips. "I trust him enough. And about the \'son-in-law\'... Well, it\'s true. Or do you think your daughter cares enough about you to abandon him? Poor thing would throw you into the fires of Hell just to keep Vergil for herself. She\'s probably throwing herself at him right now, desperate to be claimed. You\'re so naive. And if you can\'t handle that, how will you survive in Hell? Pathetic. You were trembling in front of PHENEX? Good god, go get help. That man has a green hat on each ear."
Raphaeline felt a knot of fury tighten in her chest at Sapphire\'s venomous words. Her face flushed red with anger, her fists clenching so tightly that her nails almost pierced her skin. "You\'re completely wrong about Ada!" she shouted, her voice strained with emotion. "She would never do something like that, and I would never let that happen!"
Sapphire laughed in disdain, tilting her head to the side, her eyes gleaming with a mix of arrogance and amusement. "You really believe that, don\'t you? You think you still have any control over your daughter... How adorable." She paused, stepping closer to Raphaeline, who instinctively backed away.
"But the truth, Raphaeline, is that you\'re just an obstacle to her. A piece on the verge of being discarded. After all, her dear mother was too busy worshipping blades instead of loving her own daughter."
Sapphire\'s words were like knives, each one cutting deep into Raphaeline\'s mind, feeding her insecurities. She tried to stand firm, but the reality Sapphire painted was too frightening to ignore.
"I\'m not weak..." Raphaeline murmured, as if trying to convince herself.
"You\'re not weak?" Sapphire mocked, laughing out loud. "Keep telling yourself that, and soon enough, I\'ll see you dressed as a maid, saying \'Lord Vergil, would you like anything else?\'" Sapphire imitated the demon queen, now nothing more than a defenseless child.