Chapter 18: This... You'll Believe Me Now, Right?
Underground 8th Floor · White Labyrinth
"Mmph! Mmm-mmm!"
Under the bright, almost blinding white light, Lilith was curled up on the ground like a wounded shrimp.
Her body was twisted into a ball, her wings twitched slightly, the toes of her feet in black stockings were scrunched together, and both hands were clutching her forehead, her eyes welling with tears from the pain.
As for that face—so cute it made one want to steal a kiss—her eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and her pink lips were bitten hard, though she could only let out unwilling whimpers.
"Mmm-mmm!"
Although it hurt like hell and physiological tears were swirling in her eyes, she stubbornly refused to let out a single cry.
That aggrieved yet stubborn look, wanting to cry but desperately holding it back, could practically trigger the protective instinct of any male creature! Unfortunately, no one was there to see this scene.
"Wh... why is there still a wall?"
After recovering slightly, Lilith raised her head with teary eyes and looked around.
All she saw were massive walls made of glowing white bricks and stones, not some vast sky or wide-open grassland.
[What's the deal with this?!]
Lilith blinked in terror.
These white stones had their own light source, illuminating the entire space as bright as day.
Moreover, the ceiling of this floor was much higher than the dark and oppressive ninth floor—at least several dozen meters—which had given Lilith the illusion that she could "fly out." Having just come up from the pitch-black stairs, her eyes hadn't adjusted to the light, and combined with her desperate urge to escape, she had slammed directly into a wall in her excitement.
[I... I'm still in the labyrinth?!]
Realizing this belatedly, Lilith was dumbfounded, feeling her mental state beginning to crumble.
Just then, a gust of wind sounded, and Asmodeus landed beside her with a dark expression.
"What's wrong with you?"
The Demon Lord's tone held a hint of reproach.
But seeing Lilith's pathetic state as she curled on the ground, the fire in his eyes instantly turned into a mix of helplessness and concern.
He reached out, pulled Lilith up from the ground, and then naturally pulled her into his arms, gently rubbing her reddened forehead while smoothing her messy, snow-white hair.
"Ugh..."
Lilith sniffled and asked with a sob in her voice:
"Wh... why is it still a labyrinth... didn't we leave...?"
"What nonsense are you talking?"
Asmodeus looked at her like she was an idiot:
"Did I not say it before? This is the deepest part of the Abyss Labyrinth. We were previously on the ninth floor; having broken the seal and come up, this is naturally the eighth floor. We are still within the seal; how could it be so easy to leave?"
"..."
[Damn it—!]
A bolt of lightning seemed to strike Lilith's inner world!
At this moment, she felt the world go dark, her life devoid of hope!
[I was too excited just now, I forgot there were eight more floors!]
[But there are actually... actually this many floors? Is this a Russian nesting doll? Don't tell me every floor is harder than the last!]
[I don't want to stay with this innocent pervert for this long!]
Learning this terrible news, Lilith was both despairing and furious.
She bit her lower lip hard, her small face flushing red. But due to the Demon Lord's overwhelming power, she didn't dare vent her anger, and she felt it would be losing face to cry. So she could only sniffle and glare at Asmodeus:
[It's all his fault...]
[It's all the fault of this hateful Demon Lord!]
[No, I can't submit to this guy anymore! I'm a man who stands tall! I will fight!]
[For dignity! Even if I die, it must be in battle! I will never obey his orders again. Kill him, kill him, kill him!]
Currently, all she could do was mutter curses at Asmodeus in her heart.
However, just as her mind was collapsing and she was cursing Asmodeus up and down... Asmodeus tilted his head slightly, as if remembering something.
The stroking motion of his hand paused, and his gaze suddenly became sharp.
"Wait..."
Asmodeus narrowed his eyes, staring at Lilith in his arms, and asked in a low voice:
"Just now... you weren't trying to run away, were you?"
"Eeek!"
Even though she had been thinking about fighting the Demon Lord to the death just a second ago;
Hearing those words, Lilith's entire body stiffened, and her heart nearly stopped:
"Ah! H-How could that be! Not at all!"
She waved her hands frantically, her eyes that were burning with rage a moment ago instantly turning into submissive and cute crescents as she forced a strained smile:
"I... I was just so excited to finally leave the ninth floor! I wanted to scout the way for the Demon Lord... Yes! That's it!"
"Scout the way?"
Asmodeus clearly didn't believe her.
He reached out and pinched Lilith's soft cheek, applying just enough pressure to force her expression into a pout.
"You didn't need to fly that fast to scout, did you? And you deliberately pointed elsewhere before you left to distract me... You were clearly trying to run away!"
"I... I didn't!"
For some reason, Lilith felt a chill run up her spine. Her legs instantly went weak and she began to tremble; it felt as if she couldn't muster even a shred of strength to resist him.
But Asmodeus wasn't listening; instead, he brought his face even closer:
"As the servant I summoned, and as my fiancée, you actually dared to attempt to abandon your master..."
At this point, Asmodeus's tone became freezing cold, his gaze dangerously sharp!
"I hate deception above all else! It seems I must punish you properly!"
"Wh-?!"
Looking at that handsome face so close to her own and hearing those threatening words! As a Succubus, she was like a pathetic little animal encountering its natural predator; her body was already shaking uncontrollably!
Lilith knew that if she didn't do something fast, she might really be finished!
[I... I don't want to die!]
Fear and unwillingness flooded her heart; Lilith didn't want to be killed right after being reincarnated!
Steeling her heart, she gritted her teeth.
Lilith suddenly stood on her tiptoes, threw her arms around Asmodeus's neck, closed her eyes, and kissed him hard!
"?!"
Asmodeus didn't seem to react in time either.
And so, their soft lips pressed together.
One second... three seconds... five seconds... [Ding! Congratulations on achieving: Forbidden Kiss]
[Reward distributed: 500 system coins]
A notification from the achievement system popped up on the mobile phone. The reason it hadn't triggered last time was likely because Lilith hadn't been the one to initiate it.
But obviously, Lilith was in no mood to care about that right now.
She could only clumsily kiss the Demon Lord, trying to use this method to shut his mouth and silence his suspicions.
Ten seconds later.
Lilith finally pulled away from Asmodeus, her entire face as red as a cooked shrimp.
She buried her head in the Demon Lord's chest and said in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz, tinged with shame, resentment, and a hint of tears:
"This... you'll believe me now, right..."