WorldCrafter - Building My Underground Kingdom-Chapter 260: Baal

BOOM.

A blinding light swallowed the city.

Ben braced for destruction, but instead everything around him went dark.

He recognized the place at once. "Apophis.

So you were close."

"Yes, I am," her voice echoed around him. "It seems we’re really compatible, Master.

But if you keep obsessing over me, it will not end well for either of us."

The darkness faded and turned into a dense forest.

Tall trees blocked most of the sky.

The air felt still and quiet.

Ben narrowed his eyes.

She teleported us?

He understood why he had not noticed it before.

The area had been full of space energy.

A small spatial ripple inside that chaos was easy to miss, like a single wave in the middle of the sea.

"Did Belial explode?" he asked.

Apophis smiled. "You do not need to worry.

I took care of him.

The city is fine.

The queen will not blame you.

Now that he is gone, you should return and win her support."

Ben did not answer.

He focused on the lingering energy in the air instead.

It felt denser and darker around her.

"You leveled up," he said. "You consumed Belial."

Her smile widened.

That small change made Ben frown.

So that was it.

Apophis had used him as an opportunity to feed and grow stronger.

"Just return," she said. "I am not lying.

Your companion is in danger."

"Danger?

I am not worried," Ben replied. "She knows what she is doing.

And it is not like we could avoid them forever.

We already made our preparations."

"You still underestimate them," Apophis said.

She shook her head slowly.

Ben’s expression tightened.

Something clicked in his mind.

He thought about how she had consumed Belial and how she kept insisting on staying here.

"So that is your plan," he said. "You want to devour the other Daemons to quickly recover your power."

"I should thank you for that," she said.

She stepped closer until only an inch remained between them.

Her presence felt cold and heavy.

"Being bound to you made me think," she went on. "If they want to devour us, does it not make sense for me to devour them first?"

She grinned. "You group us all as Daemons, but we are not the same.

I feel nothing when consuming them."

Ben weighed his options.

Forcing her to return was not possible.

Leaving her here alone was not safe either.

He had no idea what she would do next if he just walked away.

Until now, everything had pointed to her wanting to go back to her own world.

But he did not really believe that anymore.

"I have an offer," he said. "I will help you consume the other Daemons.

But after that, you help me."

Apophis’s eyes widened for a moment.

Then she leaned in and brought her lips close to his ear.

"Help you how?" she whispered.

Ben sighed. "Can you not do that?

Enough with the teasing.

You know what I want.

Share more of your power with me and help me bring them down." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

He stepped back and added, "The enemy of your enemy is your ally."

"So?" he asked. "Do you want to cooperate?

Like you said, we are running out of time."

"We?" Apophis echoed.

She raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," Ben said.

His voice turned firm. "Do you really think you will be fine here if Elvira loses?

The Templars’ goal is clear.

They are here because of my interference."

"So?" Apophis replied.

Her tone was flat.

This time, Ben stepped forward instead of retreating.

"Our souls are connected.

Did you forget that?" he said. "And I doubt I am their only target.

Maybe I pushed their plans forward, but their real goal is likely all of you, every Daemon."

Apophis burst out laughing.

"Hahaha!

You are funny, Ben.

You overestimate yourself if you think they came because of you.

Or even because of me."

She tilted her head slightly.

"Yes, I am powerful, a high-tier Daemon," she said. "But in the bigger picture, I am not that important."

Her expression changed.

Her eyes narrowed and her voice grew colder.

"Their true goal is Baal.

He is inside the seal, consolidating his power.

The queen thinks she succeeded in trapping him, but it is all part of Baal’s plan."

"Wait," Ben said slowly. "You are saying Baal is stronger and smarter than you, and now he is gathering strength?"

Apophis’s lips twitched.

"Exactly.

You are starting to get it," she said. "Do not jump to conclusions.

I have my own plans for Baal, but I am not trying to consume him.

I am betting on what he does next."

Ben paused.

A Daemon stronger and more cunning than Apophis would not just think about escape.

"So you expect Baal to bring the fight to the Templars?" he asked.

Apophis nodded.

"Baal was one of the first-generation Daemons the Templars summoned," she said. "He knows more than any of us.

If anyone has a real chance here, it is him."

Ben hesitated. "What about the Daemons that survived?

The ones not sealed?"

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

She frowned at him.

She does not know?

Ben remembered the stories he had heard, the rumors about Daemons that escaped the Templars at the end of the Third Epoch.

"Never mind," he said. "I just thought, if any Daemon escaped the sealing, they might be even stronger than Baal."

Apophis narrowed her eyes.

She clearly sensed he was hiding something, but after a moment she shook her head.

"Maybe," she said. "After all, there are a lot of Daemons out there."

Then she looked straight at him.

"So?

What do you want to do?" she asked. "If you want to help me, I will not stop you.

But that means wasting time and waiting for Baal to make his move."

Ben hesitated again.

That did not feel like a real option.

There was no way to know when this Baal would act.

Even if he trusted Elvira, staying away too long could cause everything to spiral out of control.

In the end, he had no choice.

"Fine," he said. "I will go for now, but share your power with me."

Apophis chuckled.

"Oh? Is my dear Master trying to dine and dash?" she asked. "You want my power, then leave me here on my own?"

Ben paused.

Put that way, it did sound bad.

Like someone begging their partner for money only to disappear right after.

"Shut up, Apophis," he said. "I should have known you learning my memories was not a good thing."

"Do not be like that," she said, pretending to be hurt. "Without those memories, I would not be this attached to you... Master~"

Her flirty tone made Ben shake his head.

She never changes, he thought.

Still, a small part of him felt relieved.

He had no idea how Elvira would react if she saw Apophis acting like this.

After seeing how Elvira had handled Draven, she might snap again.