Why must the devil be Defeated?

For the suggestion Shane made, Chafne had somewhat anticipated it.

She knew that Shane would propose transferring the curse onto himself.

Chafne was hesitant to mention this method precisely because she suspected Shane would make such a suggestion.

And, Shane did not disappoint her.

"If it were me, even if I were cursed, I could use the Holy Sword to purge it," Shane said to Chafne, "so you don't have to worry about the curse causing me any trouble."

Chafne had just heard Shane's words and instinctively rejected them.

"But have you considered, before you purge the curse, you might be killed by it first?" Chafne looked straight at Shane and said, "This is a curse transmitted through a deep connection with the Ripple Heart Demon; even if you possess skills to resist negative statuses, it will bypass those."

That meant Shane's Inner Destiny would not ward off this curse; he would have to bear all the power of the curse himself, with no mitigation whatsoever.

"Even the protection of the Holy Sword will be bypassed by the Ripple Heart Demon. If you do this, you will have to endure centuries of a curse using your mere mortal body; are you sure you can withstand it?"

Chafne regarded Shane with a solemn gaze.

After all, Shane was still human, a mortal, not like the members of the Demon Clan who were inherently strong and robust, let alone comparable to a Demon.

And even Chafne, a Demon, was almost brought down by this curse; Shane, a mere mortal, might well die on the spot the moment he was cursed.

"I don't want Little Aiyi to hate me forever, nor do I want to owe you for a lifetime," Chafne said directly, staring at Shane, "I personally prefer not to use this second method."

This was indeed what Chafne thought.

Rather than accept such a big favor from Shane and let him take such a risk, Chafne would rather hide until help arrived and scare off the enemy.

But Shane did not make such a proposal lightly.

"Please, I'm not seeking my own death; since I am making this suggestion, I naturally have the confidence to withstand the curse."

Shane said this very calmly.

"Confidence?" Chafne was unconvinced and immediately asked, "What makes you so confident?

Faced with Chafne's aggressive questioning, this time, Shane found himself at a loss for words.

Chafne did not compromise, still staring straight at him.

Clearly, Chafne was exerting her full effort to read Shane's mind, hoping to see through his pretenses and not be deceived by his eloquent words or misled.

Unfortunately for her, Shane was serious.

"On what basis…?"

Shane closed his eyes briefly, then suddenly opened them and said,

"Simply because the blessing I received is the Supreme God's Blessing."

When these words echoed through the cave, the air turned abruptly still.

Chafne's expression changed drastically, prompting her to stand up sharply.

"What…what did you say?"

Shock and even horror filled Chafne's face.

But, it was true.

"The blessing I received is the Supreme God's Blessing, the highest level of blessing from the Divine Race, supreme above the world, encompassing the effects of all Goddess blessings, an external power unreachable even by Transcendent Level Existences."

Shane revealed this truth to Chafne.

"With this blessing, I am essentially under the care and protection of the world itself; in such a state, I cannot believe that a mere few centuries of a curse could kill me, a recipient of the Supreme God's Blessing."

This was the basis of Shane's confidence.

What if Inner Destiny is ineffective?

What if the protection of the Holy Sword is bypassed?

With the Supreme God's Blessing, the world's protection, Shane believed he was at least a very lucky person.

So, even if he could not immediately eliminate the curse, allowing himself more time within the curse to find a chance for purification, the Supreme God's Blessing should still provide that much effect, shouldn't it?

"If you don't believe me, you can read my mind," Shane said, spreading his arms and half-smiling, "I can let you conduct a lie test."

Chafne bit her lip, a wavering look in her eyes.

"The Supreme God's Blessing…"

What was going on?

Why would the Supreme God's Blessing appear on this Hero?

Wasn't the Supreme God supposed to have retired and entered an almost eternal slumber?

How could he still bestow blessings on others?

When did this happen?

What exactly was the situation?

Wasn't the receiver of the Supreme God's Blessing throughout history only the legendary First Generation Hero who was seen only by the Demon King and the Supreme God?

Why did it appear on Shane?

"Could it be that the Supreme God has awakened…?"

Chafne couldn't help but think of this possibility.

"Alright, stop overthinking," Shane cut off Chafne's thoughts and said straightforwardly, "The blessing on me is indeed given by the Supreme God, but I was not directly chosen by her. Rather, it happened because of another reason."

The Supreme God had added a mechanism in the Great Secret Rite of Hero Summoning, allowing the Divine Race, in times of disaster, to sacrifice the Hero Summoning ceremony to call upon the last Hero in this world.

Once activated, not only would the Hero Summoning be completely ruined, but the summoned Hero would also possess the Supreme God's Blessing, relying on the world's favor and protection to turn the tide.

Chafne was aware of this too.

As a Demon, the second to emerge, and the second-ranked member of the Demon Clan, she was naturally quite familiar with Hero Summoning.

Now, hearing Shane say this, Chafne could not help but run wild with her thoughts.

"Could it be that the reason he was summoned to this world was this?"

But that's not right.

When did the Divine Race face such a catastrophic disaster that they had to sacrifice by summoning the last Hero?

Also, since he received the Supreme God's Blessing, does that imply that the appearance of the Red Jade is related to this as well?

After all, that jewel was supposed to be in the hands of the Supreme God himself.

Chafne plunged into some confusion.

"Still puzzled?" Shane was speechless for a moment and then said, "Don't think too much about it, let's start. With the Blessing's protection, I'll withstand the curse's corrosion and use the Holy Sword to purify it in time."

Shane urged her to proceed.

"...Even so, what about the connection issue?" Chafne fell silent for a while, then said gravely, "Don't forget, you have not fallen for me like others to the extent that you would die for me. With this level of connection, the curse cannot be transferred."

"This..." Shane had no rebuttal.

He indeed could not argue with that.

Ultimately, although he and Chafne had shared some absurd and beautiful nights, that was all there was.

Apart from this exception, Shane had known Chafne for only about a week.

Furthermore, he was resisting Chafne's charms and not letting himself wholly fall for her, so in Shane's heart, Chafne's position wasn't very high.

At least, compared to Luoqi, Ai Yi, Tielle, and Merica, Chafne definitely fell short.

As such, the question of willingly dying for her was even less likely.

Shane didn't value Chafne to that extent — that was an indisputable fact.

If it came to a real moment of crisis, Shane believed that he could still stay behind to cover her retreat, sacrificing his life as a price for Chafne to escape and survive.

But this was based on their complicated relationship, not because Shane loved Chafne very much.

Normally, Shane wouldn't be so infatuated with Chafne to the point of life and death.

In conclusion, even if Shane was willing to endure the curse, the Ripple Heart Demon might not function effectively.

"Degree of connection..."

Shane muttered, then suddenly lifted his eyes, gazing at Chafne.

"What... what are you doing?"

Chafne's expression turned unnatural.

Because she saw too much that she shouldn't have seen in Shane's eyes.

There was fervor.

There were sinister thoughts.

There was infatuation.

That made Chafne understand instantly.

"Are you forcing yourself to fall in love with me...?"

Chafne's voice also became timid.

Shane didn't say anything but walked towards Chafne.

Chafne instinctively began to back away, her heart starting to tremble.

This was due to the power of the Ripple Heart Demon.

Perhaps sensing Shane's intentions, Chafne's Ripple Heart Demon started to take effect, meddling with Chafne's heart through her impressions of Shane.

Just two nights ago, Chafne had become unable to resist Shane because of this.

Now, Shane was clearly planning something, so naturally, the Ripple Heart Demon would make Chafne unable to resist, which was understandable.

Thus, Chafne felt panicked.

"You... you're not planning to do something to me here, are you?"

Chafne was panic-stricken like a typical girl.

That appearance, if seen by outsiders, would surely be shocking.

Shane, however, ignored it and cornered Chafne with nowhere to retreat, reaching out his hand to grasp her frail, delicate shoulders.

Chafne shuddered, her heartbeat accelerating.

In such a situation, Shane spoke seriously.

"Say."

Shane began in such a manner.

"Say...say what?"

Chafne was taken aback.

Shane spoke in an undeniable tone.

"Say you love me."

Shane's expression was utterly serious.

"Huh?"

Chafne's mouth dropped open.

For a moment, Chafne even thought Shane was joking.

But clearly, he was not.

"Flatter me, seduce me, make me fall for you."

Shane looked intently at Chafne, his lips curving up.

"Even if it's just temporary, make me obsessed with you."

"Come."

"Show me your capabilities as an Enchanting Demon."