Chapter 10 Opening Ceremony (1) Everything is done according to my principles...
Xia Ying didn't want to recall what happened next; it was a complete disaster.
A terrible conflict erupted between Cerberus, who was driven mad by rage, and Fenrir, who was unwilling to be outdone.
Just as they were about to destroy the house, Xia Ying suddenly realized that she was completely unharmed. She then remembered that Ker had said that a powerful spell was cast in the house that would affect its owner.
Xia Ying's will triggered the field magic in the apartment. The invisible magical power separated the two who were locked in combat, but it could not stop them from throwing skills at each other. A fireball hit the sofa and quickly burned it to ashes.
"Enough already!" Xia Ying roared. "Turn into little dogs, all of you!"
Upon receiving the order, the demonic element swept up the firehound and the frost wolf, and a moment later, the two fur balls, one black and one white, rolled to the ground with a "plop".
Mao Tuan got up, his fighting spirit still undiminished, and immediately pounced on the enemy again. Just as they were about to wrestle again, Xia Ying stepped forward, punched each of them once, and then separated them by picking them up with one hand each.
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"Yes, yes, there was a slight accident, as for the extent of the damage..."
While talking on her phone to the goblin managing the apartment, Xia Ying nervously glanced at the surrounding ruins.
"I think it's about 60%... no, 70%. Okay, thank you."
She hung up the phone and looked at the two puppies in front of her: "The repair cost is 70% of the rent. Do you have anything to say?"
Still furious, Cerberus turned its back to Xia Ying, its short, furry tail tapping the ground impatiently, ignoring her words.
On the other side, Fenrir strolled over to Xia Ying, raised its forelegs, patted her arm with its paw pads, and made a soft whimpering sound.
Xia Ying thought to herself: Oh my god, so cute, this is bad.
Sure enough, the black furball was immediately enraged by the other party's behavior. It turned around and ran like lightning, baring its tiny teeth like grains of rice as it lunged to bite.
Xia Ying quickly pulled Cerberus into her arms: "Don't always get angry, let me explain first!"
"I forgot puppies can't talk," Xia Ying said. "I'll turn you back, but you absolutely can't hit me, okay?"
Black fluffy ball: "Woof."
Black fluffy ball: "Woof."
Xia Ying: "Do you want to play this again?"
Black fluffy ball: "Woof woof."
Kernel was transformed back into human form. This time, he didn't immediately erupt in anger, but instead reluctantly sat down, glaring at the calm, silver-haired man.
“Let’s sort this out,” Xia Ying said. “Ker went out at night, right? And he didn’t tell me.”
"..." Cerberus's arrogance diminished somewhat, and he began to pretend to look elsewhere.
“Then I woke up for a while and saw a dog outside the window. I thought it was Kernel coming back, so I opened the window.” Xia Ying turned to Fenrir. “It’s your turn now. Why were you outside then?”
Fenrir tilted his head slightly: "Because I can smell your scent."
"Are you looking for me? Is it for revenge?"
Fenrir thought for a moment: "No."
Why is that?
He shook his head: "I don't know."
"In short, you didn't intend to hurt me," Xia Ying said. "In that case, I don't think you did anything wrong..."
"You smell like another dog!" Cerberus jumped up, barking indignantly, "Didn't we agree you wouldn't look at other dogs?!"
...This kind of thing seems to have happened before.
Xia Ying was lost in her memories.
Once, I secretly went to a dog cafe behind Kerber's back and had a good time petting the staff there. Although I took a shower and changed my clothes before going home, Kerber still found out.
What happened later was something Xia Ying also didn't want to recall.
"It was my fault." Xia Ying pulled Cerberus into her arms, pinched the dog's paw, and began to recite lines from soap opera scumbags with great emotion, "I forgot that Cerberus is a dog afraid of being alone, and I didn't consider Cerberus's feelings. Please give me another chance, okay?"
The simple-minded abyssal creature, unable to resist human sweet talk, turned its face away: "...This time, you have to keep your word."
However, calming Cerberus did not seem to mean the problem was solved. Fenrir, who had been sitting obediently, also stood up and looked coldly at Cerberus, with signs of frost crystals gathering around him.
No way!
Just as Xia Ying began to break out in a cold sweat over this situation where one problem was solved only to have another arise, the notification sound rang out just in time:
"Beep! [Opening Ceremony] is about to begin. All new students, please enter the auditorium on time. Teleportation countdown begins... Three, two..."
"Wait, could you let me change my clothes first?"
Perhaps teleportation separated them; Cerberus and Fenrir, who were just together, were no longer by their side.
Standing among a group of unfamiliar, noisy, and strangely shaped abyssal creatures, Xia Ying suddenly felt that she, wearing pajamas, was not so conspicuous. So she rubbed her head and decided to look up to observe the new scene she had entered.
This is the auditorium used for the Cocytus [opening ceremony].
Like other buildings in Cocytus, this auditorium belonging to the monsters was exceptionally magnificent. The interior of the auditorium was hexagonal and spacious enough to accommodate a guard of honor composed of a hundred large abyssal creatures. Numerous ornaments made of gold, silver and gemstones adorned the hall, making it magnificent. However, what first caught Xia Ying's eye was the huge relief sculpture that was integrated into the wall.
Xia Ying looked up at the wall closest to her. Against the backdrop of raging waves, the carvings depicted a battle between a dragon and a Kraken. The Kraken's tentacles and the dragon's claws were intertwined, and even the splashing water droplets were clearly visible.
Just as Xia Ying was marveling at how lifelike the relief was, the dragon's eyes suddenly twitched.
The entire relief came to life in that instant. The dragon flapped its wings with all its might, and the gale stirred up huge waves on the sea. The Kraken, which was downwind, dived into the water and fled to another wall. The surging waves crashed against the rocks, causing the sirens who were singing on the island's shore to let out dissatisfied screams and jump into the whirlpool.
The victorious dragon soared high into the sky, circling triumphantly between the ceiling and the scattered stained glass windows. But perhaps Xia Ying was too engrossed in watching, for the dragon's yellow eyes suddenly met her gaze.
The enormous abyssal creature in the painting suddenly let out a long howl and swooped down towards her.
First came its nostrils, spewing fire, then the bone spurs on its jaws and the two horns behind its forehead. The giant dragon had broken free of the wall's constraints, its enormous head probing into the hall. With a sudden burst of strength from its front claws, it finally tore an opening in the canvas, crashing into Xia Ying on the ground.
The scene was so real and clear that Xia Ying’s ears were filled with the air currents stirred up by the dragon wings and her nostrils were filled with the scorching and burnt breath of the dragon fire. When the huge shadow pressed down, she almost couldn’t help but take a step back, but suddenly a black scepter pressed against her back.
“In the abyss, retreat means submission.” The black scepter cut off her path of retreat, and a gloved hand landed on her shoulder. “Xia Ying, look directly at this dragon.”
Xia Ying took a deep breath, her body swayed slightly, and then she stood firmly in place, struggling to support her stiff spine.
The dragon's roar drew ever closer, until it was within reach, leaving no room for escape. Xia Ying's eyes were wide open, almost touching the dragon's clear yellow eyes. The dragon's forelegs sank into Xia Ying's chest, but did not tear her body apart.
It passed through Xia Ying's body, embedded itself in the wall once again, and became part of the relief sculpture again.
"Look, it's just projection magic."
The Demon Lord walked past Xia Ying, to her right front, and elegantly snapped his fingers.
Suddenly, a platinum throne rose from the center of the hall, with a deep red carpet spreading out from the base of the throne all the way to Tartarus's feet.
"All matters shall be judged according to my principles. This is Cocytus' first rule."
The Demon Lord stepped onto the crimson carpet, and with the sound of his scepter, all the abyssal creatures in the hall were instantly transformed, donned with various kinds of formal attire.
Xia Ying lowered her head and realized that she had changed into a pearl white dress at some point. Her messy long hair was also neatly styled in an instant and tied up with a hair accessory of the same color.
She turned her head and glanced at a somewhat familiar black bear-like abyssal creature that had been suddenly stuffed into her tuxedo. The creature was fumbling with the red bow tie around its neck in shock with its thick, furry paws: "This coat is so tight!"
Xia Ying chuckled and quickly turned her head away before being discovered.
As the commotion in the auditorium grew increasingly intense, the Demon Lord spoke again:
"Maintain the necessary deference and order in the auditorium and classrooms. This is Cocytus' second rule."
The scepter struck a second time, instantly silencing the clamor in the hall. As if trapped in a small space where no medium of communication was allowed, Xia Ying touched her neck, opened her mouth, but could not utter a sound.
In the stillness, only the rustling footsteps of the Demon Lord on the carpet were clearly audible.
Tartarus took his seat under the watchful eyes of the crowd and struck his scepter for the third time.
"You are not allowed to leave your seat before the [opening ceremony] moves on to the next agenda item."
Countless chains, like serpents, suddenly emerged from the ground, binding the necks of every abyssal creature. Then, the candles in the hall were lit one by one, and the throne rose into the sky in the bright light, like a new moon.
Xia Ying frowned and looked up at the Demon Lord, who sat on the platinum throne and held a black scepter.
The Demon Lord, shrouded in crimson moonlight, also looked down upon his prisoners and subjects, just as distant bells rang out.
As the final chime reverberated throughout Cocytus, becoming a faint aftershock in the air, the voice of the Demon Lord shattered the empty silence of the hall.
"Therefore, I hereby declare that the [opening ceremony] is now beginning."
A note from the author:
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Happy Qixi Festival (the day after tomorrow), my darlings!
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