Monster Girl Development Master

Page 7

Johnson dropped the hammer, grabbed Jim Leon's arm with one hand, and gripped his neck with the other.

"stop!!!"

A majestic roar came from afar, eliciting gasps of alarm, followed by a flurry of black raven feathers. But before they arrived, Johnson had already crushed Jem Leon's neck and ripped out his throat.

The glare faded, and the sun set.

Zhuang Sen looked at the man who appeared on the hillside and scratched his face with his hand stained with Jem Leon's blood: "Sorry, Father, I didn't hear you clearly."

He smiled at Ange Leon, who was standing next to Clos Leon.

Damn it, I should have known better than to wait for everyone to arrive.

The author says:

Author's Note: The battles of those with low-level bloodlines are just that simple and unadorned.

Chapter Fifteen: The Ending

Cross Leon, a direct vassal of the King, the current Minister of Intelligence of the Kingdom, and the ruler of the Leon Territory, is most importantly a Level 3 bloodline user who has completed three awakenings. Even without the power boost, he could probably kill everyone present by himself. And with the power boost, apart from Johnson and Dantalian, probably no one present would dare to fight him; they would only turn around and help him.

Besides, they weren't originally on Zhuang Sen's side.

So when he rode down the hillside, even the vengeful female warriors, who were always obedient to his orders, silently stopped chasing the private soldiers and gathered around Johnson and Dantalian.

Loris also came over, but she stood in front of Dantalian and Johnson, her tall body tense, looking like a cat with its fur standing on end but not daring to meow.

Zhuang Sen's eyes flickered. He really hadn't expected that Loris and the vengeful female warrior would dare to show such an attitude at this time.

Clos Leon hadn't expected this either. He reined in his horse and stopped a little ahead of Johnson, his gloomy gaze sweeping over the corpse beneath Johnson's horse—Jem Leon's eyes wide open in death. Then he looked at Johnson, who was still on his horse when he saw him arrive.

Count Leon's gaze seemed to freeze the air around them. The Leons, who had been intimidated by Zhuang Sen before, suddenly gained courage upon seeing this, hoping their father would help them get revenge. Loris also sensed something was wrong and mustered her courage to say something, but Zhuang Sen beat her to it: "Father, you should have seen it too, it was Jem who struck first."

Zhuang Sen's flippant, even frivolous, tone was completely out of place with the heavy atmosphere. It was as if a clown suddenly jumped out and danced a hula in a solemn kingdom council. Well, that's what Leon and the others thought. They felt that Zhuang Sen knew he was heading for his end and had gone completely mad.

Their heartfelt expectation was this, that this would make up for the mistake of so many of them being completely defeated by Zhuang Sen alone—in their eyes, they, as sons of an earl, were no different from Zhuang Sen.

Even if their abilities were far inferior to Zhuang Sen's.

But their hopeful gazes didn't even penetrate Kross's cloak; he simply stared at Zhuang Sen and said, "You launched the first surprise attack on Jem's team."

His tone was calm, but brooked no argument.

Zhuang Sen didn't bother to refute, because when Close Leon didn't immediately subdue him but instead chose to reason with him, his life was no longer in danger. He wasn't in any real danger anyway, since his mother's name was Lia Farau, not Lia Leon.

His adoptive mother and adoptive father had a cooperative relationship, not a subordinate one; it was a limited marriage between two nobles of equal bloodline, each contributing their precious bloodline. Theoretically, after Zhuang Sen awakened his divine bloodline, he also had a claim to the Farau family, but that would place him after the hundredth, making it completely unnecessary to consider.

Compared to the Leon family, the Falau family is slightly stronger because having a healer is powerful. No matter how good Shadow Raven is, you can't avoid getting injured for the rest of your life, and if you do get injured, don't look for a healer.

Moreover, with the Church of Revenge offering such clear and unwavering support, that's equivalent to the support of at least two level-three bloodline forces.

Therefore, as long as there is a plausible reason, Close Leon cannot simply kill Johnsen—after all, Johnsen is also his son.

In the end, all Johnson did was kill his brother; Cross, you old man, you've killed just as many.

Someone else might have said, "This child is like me."

Zhuang Sen is now like Li Zhi meeting Li Erfeng – self-righteous and confident!

He pointed to the shattered wagon fortress and the caravan guards, all of whom were wounded: "Jem attacked my men first. I was just here to rescue them. He also tried to steal my awakening potion, which was transported from the Falao family."

The shattered wagon fortress still bears the winged emblem of the Farau family, which is undeniable.

So, if we're being reasonable, then Johnson was a victim who fought back, while Jim Leon and his gang were perpetrators who robbed their brothers and then attempted to kill them to cover their tracks after their failure. They were both evil and stupid.

If this were taken to the Kingdom Court, Jim Leon and his team would have to pay Johnson compensation.

Clos Leon gripped the reins, his gaze sweeping over his other children present. The last rays of the setting sun cast a long shadow behind him, making his figure appear exceptionally tall, as if covering everyone present and completely swallowing the expectant light in the eyes of the other Leons.

Incidentally, the writhing shadow also swallowed all the crimson blood that stained Jem Leon's claws, without even turning over the few drops next to his corpse.

Cross Leon was very curious about how Johnson had survived the ritual. The intelligence clearly confirmed that he had used the ritual, yet he had awakened... However, what he awakened was the Divine Bloodline. Could it be because the ritual stripped him of the power of the Shadow Raven Bloodline?

Moreover, why is his blood so tempting?

Cross Leon stared at the faint wound on Zhuang Sen's face, his mind churning with thoughts only he knew. Zhuang Sen noticed the gaze, then raised his hand and cast [Heal]. Although his healing abilities weren't as good as Dantalian's, healing such a minor injury was no problem.

As the warm light shone, the shadows completely disappeared.

Cross Leon pulled on the reins and casually uttered, "Back to town."

The knights guarding the count caught up with him, and Ange Leon was among them. However, she looked at Zhuang Sen with a very complicated expression and felt extremely scared. This bastard didn't just want to capture her, but also wanted to kill her, did he?

Looking at Jem Leon's body, Ange Leon found it hard to convince herself that she was overthinking things.

Zhuang Sen is a madman...

The remnants of the army whispered among themselves as they gathered their forces, or perhaps they simply gave up and chased after Cross Leon. They only felt safe with their beloved father by their side; otherwise, who knew if Johnson would go mad and continue to hunt them down?

He even dared to talk back to his father!

In Leon's view, the fact that Johnson had argued with Close Leon while on horseback was already considered talking back, which showed how tyrannical Close Leon was.

But it didn't matter to Johnson. He wasn't the real Johnson Leon; he hadn't been tortured for over a decade, and besides, he had a cheat code.

So what if you're a level 3 bloodline user who's awakened three times? Give me time to develop, and I'll show you what a level 5 monster girl who's awakened five times really is!

Watching Cross Leon's group disappear, Johnson patted Dantalian, who was clinging to him, and said, "Dantalian, I'm alright now. It's time to go back."

Dantalian's tense body relaxed with Zhuang Sen's gentle pat, and her golden pupils returned to round: "Hmm, that's great, but, Lord Zhuang Sen, you really tricked us so badly."

Dantalian wasn't really angry, just a little annoyed, and was mostly using this method to relieve her tension. Zhuang Sen, seeing the large breasts still pressed against him, naturally didn't misunderstand and laughed, "Sorry, just in case... Anyway, let's clean up the mess first."

The armor, weapons, and supplies left behind by the defeated soldiers are all valuable spoils of war. Although neither the Temple of Aranta nor Johnson actually lacks them, there's no need to waste them.

Anyway, there's no rush now.

I doubt Leah Farrar will be too satisfied, and hopefully Cross won't stay here for too long.

Chapter Sixteen: Aftermath

News of the battle in Wuxing Valley could not be concealed after all, and it quickly spread throughout the entire Starry Night City, and was still spreading outwards.

After all, news of Zhuang Sen's impending awakening and Jem Leon's planned sabotage had spread widely. When Zhuang Sen returned with fewer than ten vengeful female warriors, and Jem Leon was reduced to a corpse, the news was inevitably impossible to conceal. Of course, this was also related to Cross Leon's silence; he neither punished Zhuang Sen nor the others, acting as if nothing had happened.

No one felt that Close Leon was powerless; they only felt that this was the calm before the storm.

Regardless, the people of Starry Night City had completely redefined their impression of the name Zhuang Sen Leon, and what he represented. Previously, they had only seen Zhuang Sen Leon as a low-key count's son, even somewhat cowardly, unlike the other Leon sons who were honorable and valiant. Now, however…

He really is the son of that old raven, Cloos Leon!

Although Johnson was not happy with this assessment, most people felt that his wicked schemes were very much in the style of Close, and even his previous pretense of being low-key and inconspicuous was just like Close before he rose to prominence.

Therefore, Zhuang Sen has recently received quite a few guests, but unfortunately none of them are worth mentioning. They might be able to have some fun when things are going well, but don't expect them to withstand the pressure when things are going badly. The Church of Revenge is still a better option.

Zhuang Sen put down the stack of gift lists in his hand and sighed in a very inhuman way.

"I think you're thinking about that nun."

A serene voice came from the side as Leah Farau sat opposite Johnson and elegantly picked up the black tea in front of her.

Zhuang Sen shrugged and readily admitted, "Sister Dantalian is indeed very good. She's gentle, has a great figure, and is exceptionally beautiful. Plus, she's so supportive of me..."

Leah Farau watched as Johnson began listing Dantalian's virtues, and felt a surge of annoyance. She interrupted him directly, saying, "Alright, we can talk about women later. Let's get down to business now."

It's clear she's very unhappy.

Zhuang Sen understood. After all, the last plan was so perfect, yet the ending was unexpected. Because of the unfortunate appearance of Klose Leon, only one Jem Leon was killed. Okay, he was indeed the prime suspect, but to be honest, there was no evidence to prove he was the murderer. Originally, if they had eliminated all twenty-two at once, Leah Farau would have been appeased, since that represented seventy percent of Leon's sons, most likely all of them harboring ill will towards Zhuang Sen, and the murderer would most likely be among them. But now there was only one Jem Leon, meaning the murderer was very likely still at large.

In any case, Leah Farau does not accept this result.

Zhuang Sen was also not entirely able to accept it. He could have wiped out his rivals in one fell swoop and waited happily for the new earl, but now not only had he failed to kill them all, he had become the target of everyone's hatred—sigh, he still had to keep killing.

"But Klose is still here, so we can't make a move now, can we?"

Taking action again would be underestimating the kingdom's intelligence minister too much; it could easily backfire. Zhuang Sen didn't consider himself a genius, just someone with a bit of imagination.

"Then we can investigate first and see if we can find any flaws in the killer's record."

Leah Farau still wouldn't give up, which made Johnson a little envious. Motherly love is truly great, but unfortunately, he never had a mother. Besides, Leah Farau was right; since there was nothing else to do, he might as well investigate.

But we can't just run around blindly like headless flies; we need to set a goal first. Zhuang Sen pondered for a moment, then offered a name: "Ange Leon?"

Okay, he admitted it was a personal grudge, and if this guy hadn't been Klose Leon's guide, he might have been able to end things perfectly.

But Leah Farau disagreed: "Ange is a typical businesswoman. She wouldn't do something where the risk and reward don't match. We should choose the one with the highest potential reward, or the one that is most emotional and has the biggest grudge against Johnson."

The one who best fits this criterion is Jem Leon, but since he's already a dead man at Johnson's hands, there's no need to consider that.

"Tim Leon?"

This is Leon, who is eleventh in the line of succession. Although he has no grudge against Zhuang Sen, if Zhuang Sen dies, he can enter the top ten. Incidentally, the line of succession also affects the resources that Leon and others receive. For example, the top ten receive one Shadow Raven Bloodline Awakening Potion every year, while the top twenty only receive one every two years.

This is separate and not included in the annual family awakening ceremony.

The same applies to other resources such as money and knowledge; there is a significant gap between the top three and the top ten, and also a significant gap between the top ten and the top twenty.

Zhuang Sen thought for a moment and shook his head in denial: "That guy's relationship with Zhuang Sen is almost like that of a stranger. Zhuang Sen probably won't believe him. Besides, he awakened his mother's second-level bloodline. Unless all the other third-level bloodlines die, it won't be his turn to take over."

Leah Farau didn't give up: "So, Jason Leon?"

He's fifth in the line of succession, and he also went with Jem Leon before. He's the guy who charged at Johnson and was then taken down by Dantalian—a typical reckless brute. His relationship with the previous Johnson was actually passable, though that's probably just the original owner's opinion, since the previous Johnson didn't hesitate at all when he made his move.

"It's possible, but does he have the brains and the ability?"

The original owner's death was peculiar; there were no visible injuries, and it looked like he was asleep, but in reality, all the blood in his body had been drained. The only unusual thing at the scene was the blood-red magic array that filled the room, but no one recognized it. Oh, not counting Zhuang Sen, who appeared suddenly. His appearance was also unusual, but at least it was unrelated to the original owner's death.

Leah Farau also felt that this was asking too much of Jason Leon, and hesitated for a moment.

Zhuang Sen stood up and stretched: "It seems there aren't any particularly suitable candidates right now. We'll just have to check them one by one. Well then, I'll head out now, Mother."

Leah Farau paused for a moment, then nodded slightly: "Be careful, Johnson."

Zhuang Sen waved his hand and left the room.

Go find Dantalian!

Inside the room, Lia Farau looked at Lydia, the loyal guardian knight who had killed many enemies in the previous battle. Unfortunately, not being a bloodline member, she did not have a particularly outstanding performance and did not attract Johnson's attention at all.

Perhaps she should take the initiative to talk to Zhuang Sen?

……

Inside Starry Night City, at the Earl's mansion.

Cross Leon entered the study, his shadow rising at his feet. He turned a vase beside the desk, and the wall, which had been standing quietly, suddenly caved in and then silently sank down, revealing a spiral staircase.

Cross Leon stepped into the darkness, his footsteps drowning out the sound of the walls rising again, growing more and more distant until a cluster of fire appeared in the darkness.

The bright red, blood-like patterns, illuminated by the firelight, intertwined to form an intricate magic circle on the smooth ground. A seemingly ancient stone table stood at the center of the magic circle, but it was piled high with exquisite utensils such as measuring cups and scales, which looked very incongruous.

Clos Leon approached the stone table, his shadow climbing onto it first, a few drops of bright red blood falling into the measuring cup, full of vitality.

The most celebrated ability of the Shadow Raven bloodline is: [Shadow Space].

Clos Leon skillfully completed the task he wanted quickly, and the result both satisfied and surprised him.

"It has absolutely no Shadow Raven bloodline, but it's more suitable than the Shadow Raven bloodline..."

In a whisper, Cross Leon raised his head, his head covered in jet-black feathers and sporting a hard beak: "Johnson..."

Chapter Seventeen: Trouble

Temple of Aranta.

When Johnson arrived, the sun was already high in the sky, and the melodious hymns guided him towards Dantalian. The Church of the Furies held prayers three times a day—morning, noon, and evening—though none of them were mandatory, the clergy usually prayed regularly, and some believers who had free time would also come.

However, it seems like the number of people has decreased.

As Zhuang Sen entered the main hall and observed the praying crowd, he sensed something was amiss. Logically, given the Vengeance Church's recent display of power, there was no reason for the number of believers to have decreased, let alone surged…

The midday prayer lasted only a short time, ending after one hymn.

"Zhuang Sen, why are you only arriving now?"

Having spotted Zhuang Sen earlier, Dantalian handed her work to Loris and quickly approached him. Her voluptuous body, encased in a simple nun's habit, rippled with each step, especially her breasts facing Zhuang Sen. Even the nun's habit, which could change size according to body shape, could not conceal these treasures, and they could only sway up and down with them. The deep valley seemed to swallow them, creating a folded triangle that only Zhuang Sen could see, forcibly outlining the blurry contours of her breasts.

Good afternoon, Priestess Dantalian.

Zhuang Sen gave an exaggerated bow to conceal his gaze.

Having awakened her bloodline, Dantalian naturally received a promotion and is now a priestess, just like Loris. The hierarchy of the Church of Vengeance is quite simple; ordinary people can only serve as nuns or senior nuns, while only those with the right bloodline can continue to become priests, bishops, and even patriarchs or popes.