Eternal Thief

The serenity of the Hollow Ring was still tranquil, as though nothing in the world could disturb it.

At this moment, black abyssal spirit Qi swirled lazily around the Evil Villa's crimson obsidian walls, the same slow rhythm it had maintained for countless years.

Time itself seemed to bow to this place, where dread and reverence coexisted in eerie silence. Yet, beneath this calm surface, the underground chambers stirred with hidden life.

Inside the subterranean floor, Eva stood in the center of a runic chamber. Before her floated a massive projection map, its three-dimensional contours etched in living shadow-light.

The map spanned the entirety of the Obsidian Myriad Kingdom and extended outward to its surrounding territories. Each city, fortress, valley, and border stronghold glimmered like ghostly embers across the shifting map.

Eva's gaze was locked on it, her expression unreadable beneath her veil. One pale, slender finger traced the shifting symbols in the air, pausing over several glowing runes as her eyes narrowed in thought. Every flicker of her lashes was sharp as a dagger, a rare sight of the usually playful devil.

Behind her, silent as shadows, stood her three thief acolytes—Livia, Riana, and Sofia. Each of them, once princesses, now bore the same abyssal aura and seductive beauty of the Abyssal Devil Race.

Yet at this moment, they looked less like royals and more like obedient maids. None dared speak. They knew their mistress well—whenever she was this deeply absorbed in her calculations, someone, somewhere, would suffer.

The silence stretched long until suddenly, Eva's eyes flickered. A rare ripple of astonishment broke her calm façade. Her posture straightened, and her voice came out grave, carrying the weight of command.

"Clean everything up. Master is coming."

The words struck the three women like thunder. For a heartbeat, they froze, wide-eyed. Then their expressions shifted, solemnity replacing all other emotions.

Without waiting for further instructions, they moved with practiced efficiency—sweeping away the projection, restoring the runic chamber to its pristine state, and returning swiftly to their assigned 'work' as if nothing unusual had occurred.

Eva herself vanished into shadow.

A moment later, she reappeared in the main hall of the Evil Villa. Now she was no longer the calculating mistress in shadowed silence, but a vision of infernal allure.

Draped in a crimson dress that traced every curve of her bewitching figure, she stood with veiled elegance, her peerless beauty shining through even the concealment of her face covering. Her mere presence exuded a charm potent enough to enthrall anyone who laid eyes upon her.

But no one dared to admire her. To look too long at the Evil Diva was to court death.

At this moment, the hall's abyssal Qi grew heavy, and the shadows themselves trembled. Thereafter, with a silence so profound it seemed to swallow breath, the Dread Duchess arrived.

Just as she had once appeared in the Duskmire Vault, she emerged now—her figure crystallizing from the abyssal mist as though the darkness itself had chosen to reveal her presence.

She was draped in ancient robes embroidered with the sigil of an abyssal bird, each thread shimmering like a captive night sky. Her form radiated majesty and lethal poise, a presence that bent the surrounding space.

If Eva was peerless, then her master was the abyss itself—boundless, imperious, absolute. Only her pale complexion, faintly touched with otherworldliness, set her apart.

Without hesitation, Eva crossed the hall with steps like fluttering petals and threw herself into her master's embrace. Gone was the Evil Diva's cold majesty. She was suddenly like a mischievous little girl, seeking the comfort of her mother.

For the first time, the Dread Duchess's cold, stern face softened. A rare, gentle smile bloomed on her lips as she wrapped her arms around Eva, stroking her thick, silky hair with tenderness that no outsider would ever believe she possessed.

"How have you been, little troublemaker?"

Eva, still playing her crafted persona, tilted her head upward and pouted beneath her veil, her voice sweet and aggrieved, "What did I do?! I have been very obedient!"

The Dread Duchess chuckled as she pinched Eva's nose softly and retorted, "If you're obedient, then the entire abyss will be a temple."

Eva playfully stuck her pink tongue out, causing the Dread Duchess to shake her head helplessly, but she wasn't angry at all. In fact, Dread Duchess liked Eva's 'personality' because she was the first one who dared to behave like this in front of her, and didn't seem afraid of her at all.

That's why she cherished and pampered her like a daughter that she never had, and gave in to almost all of her demands. If only she knew this was just a well-crafted persona of Eva after she analyzed Dread Duchess's personality and her hidden longing for the warmth of family.

Eva then wrapped her hand around Dread Duchess's arm and dragged her around for a stroll, just as the Dread Duchess liked, after all, the Evil Villa was once her home, and she wanted to reminisce. No one would've expected the cold, majestic Dread Duchess to be sentimental.

At this moment, Eva complained playfully, "Master didn't visit me for so many days, I thought master had already forgotten about your little disciple!"

Dread Duchess sighed helplessly before she meaningfully smiled, "And whose fault was that? Didn't you send that little guy to keep me busy?"

"I don't know what Master is talking about." She was feigning ignorance.

Eva naturally knew the 'little guy' her master was hinting at, and she couldn't help but blame Ace for not keeping a low profile and drawing so much attention to himself.

Nonetheless, Ace had already told her about the Ghost King's presence in his newly acquired treasure and how he planned to borrow the might of the Evernight Council to get rid of that hidden threat.

First, Eva wasn't sure if it would even work because it was simply too risky, but to her shock, Ace really pulled it off by convincing her master, and then managed to pull the wool over the eyes of the Evernight Council and the Evernight Devil King!

Although Eva was anxious, she still felt immense pride since Ace was her man, and now he had even acquired the Evernight Sanctuary Invitation within a few months after coming to the Abyss.

This made her hopeful for this mission, and she knew as long as Ace was here, nothing could go wrong with this mission, as she felt blessed and ecstatic.

Nonetheless, Dread Duchess were still very dangerous, and Ace was going to the headquarters of the Evernight Council, which was filled with experts and Abyssal Kings far more terrifying than Dread Duchess. So, this trip would be even more perilous.

Dread Duchess flickered Eva's head and smilingly stated, "I'm not blaming you, don't worry. In fact, I'm here to thank you for sending him to me. You have not only earned face for your master but also helped me reap tremendous benefits. So, I wanted to reward you as well, unless you think your master is heartless."

Eva was truly astounded this time as she asked with a hint of anticipation, "What reward?"

Dread Duchess smiled mysteriously and said with a hint of pride, "I've earned another Evernight Sanctuary Invitation for you, meaning, you are going with me back to the Evernight Sanctuary!"