Round Ten: Each Gets What They Want

Stephanie wandered around under the succubus’s guidance, feeling dizzy and disoriented. The succubus seemed unnaturally familiar with the place, which made Stephanie uneasy. He didn’t dare let her roam freely as he had in that primitive camp—after all, she had even managed to seduce that Iron Man there. Who knew what might happen here?
Stephanie could practically be considered a veteran of bloody battles, so he had quite a collection of loot. He exchanged many unnecessary items for gems common in the lower realms—gems imbued with magical power, each of which would be invaluable if he could take them back to the Main Material Realm.
The succubus kept causing trouble around him; a mere glance from her could stir up minor chaos, which greatly annoyed Stephanie. He even thought about exchanging her here—those powerful beings would surely enjoy this little toy and might even help him escape the abyss… But whenever the succubus seemed to brush against him casually, that idea vanished instantly.
Suddenly, Stephanie felt as if something was watching him. This gaze was different from the succubus’s—it was extremely uncomfortable. Wherever it swept, it felt like slippery snakes were crawling over him. Even the protective spells he cast couldn’t ward off this sensation. Stephanie stopped and looked in the direction from which he sensed the gaze.
It was a dark alley, flanked by towering steel buildings that blocked most of the light. Someone seemed to be in the depths of the alley, sending out inviting signals.
The succubus recoiled in disgust, pulling at Stephanie’s robe to distract him.
“Stay here. If I can’t find you when I come back, you know what will happen.”
Stephanie shook off the succubus, cast another protective spell, and headed deeper into the alley.
The further down he went into the fortress’s lower levels, the more advanced demons he encountered. Semi-enclosed steel panels and structures divided the steel fortress into sections. Creatures with the ability to fly moved through them.
The Metal Man wandered aimlessly, descending deeper, feeling the temperature gradually rise. In this steel jungle, he sensed some very familiar and pleasant sensations.
Most lower-tier demons and mortals gave way to the Metal Man. Occasionally, temptress demons or hybrid soul-devouring demons that resembled apes and wild boars would cast curious glances at him.
“That’s him! That’s him! Lord Ba!”
Screeching noises came from not far away.
The Metal Man turned and saw Pippi leading a extremely muscular, bald demon from behind—his skin was pale, as if coated in oil over his thick muscles. Exquisite but ill-fitting leather armor strained tightly, seemingly offering little protection. A pair of rotting-looking wings protruded diagonally from above his shoulders, and his sharp claws at the end of his arms almost touched the ground. But the most striking feature was the third eye on the demon’s forehead, glowing red-hot.

Several humanoid creatures surrounded him, but upon closer inspection, their faces were distorted, their skin shriveled and lacking elasticity, their half-open mouths filled with sharp, spiky teeth. The armor and weapons they carried were disorganized, and their eyes revealed madness and savagery. They were already dead.

“You must be the Iron Warrior who’s searching for the hearts of Hellish creatures… I’m quite interested in your killing skills… if that little bastard Quase is telling the truth.”

Naba’s voice was muffled, as if coming from a swampful of mud accompanied by bubbles.

“Truth! Truth!” Pippi cried, flapping its wings.

“I have to test it first.” It seemed Naba still had something in his mouth. The metal man noticed that a space had opened up around them.

“I’m no longer so interested in the hearts of demons. How about a friendly match?”

These words made Naba’s three eyes focus on the metal man at once—one red, two yellow.

Yet the metal man seemed unaffected by Naba’s fervent gaze.

“No, it’s not me… Maybe my pet corpse demons can play with you?”

With Naba’s malicious laughter, the puppets around him rushed at the metal man.

Though quite agile, their movements were clearly mechanical and frenzied. Without even drawing swords, they swung their coldly glowing claws at the metal man—

The metal man stood there calmly, catching them, breaking their bones, and throwing them aside.

Clearly, he was being merciful, as he didn’t tear them to pieces, but those already distorted puppets still fearlessly got back up and charged at him again.

“Enough!” Naba intervened just in time, after the metal man began to crush the head of one corpse demon out of impatience.

“Very good, Iron Warrior! I officially invite you to join our combat force—” Naba clapped excitedly. “Come to our base to discuss it!”

In the gloomy alley, Stephanie watched warily the inviter across from her—a old witch.

The old witch’s blue-purple skin was covered in disgusting pustules and sores. Her eyes, protruding from her messy hair, stared at the mage as if trying to see through his thoughts.

“Stop your probing!” Stephanie said unhappily. Legends said these ugly extraterrestrial creatures could invade victims’ dreams and inflict terrible torments, with little way to stop them, which made her wary.

“Hehe…” The old witch laughed sinisterly, openly showing her desire for the mage’s flesh and soul. “Is it my appearance that makes you prejudice against me? I assure you, your succubus pet’s true form isn’t much better than mine…”

As she spoke, the old witch began to transform gradually—her hunched body straightened, her figure became fuller and more graceful, the sores and scars on her skin faded away, her ugly, aged face became younger, and her sharp claws shrank into delicate fingers. Soon, she turned into a charming elven woman with pale blue skin.

“Hehe…” Her laughter was as clear as a bell: “Well? Isn’t she any worse than your succubus?”
“I’m sorry, but I have limited time. Please get to the point!” Stephanie felt disgusted but managed to hide it.
“Don’t be nervous… I just hope you’ll join my team… A powerful mage like you is extremely valuable in a blood battle…”
“I’m not interested,” Stephanie said. “I’ve had enough of blood battles… If you can help me leave the Abyss, I’m willing to pay a high price.”
“Hehe… Including your succubus plaything? Portals out of the Abyss aren’t easy to find… I suggest you stay in the fortress for a while… If you perform well in blood battles, you’ll naturally be recognized, making it easier for you to achieve your desires… Demons aren’t stingy with rewards for those who serve them…”
“That’s exactly why I’m getting deeper and deeper into this…” Stephanie cursed, but there was nothing she could do.