Lustful Demon King: Summoned by the Demon Goddesses!-Chapter 39: Beginning the Investigation!

"Timely indeed my King. I guess you’re here to formally meet my Clan?" Lyla asked and all of the Dark Elves surrounding her took a deep breath, waiting for the Demon King’s response.

"I am indeed here for just that," Jax replied, hands resting casually at his sides, posture relaxed despite the weight of every gaze around him, "The Dark Elves are one of the pillars of the Demon Kingdom. It would’ve been negligent not to come in person."

A faint smile touched Lyla’s lips at that.

"But," Jax continued, his golden eyes hardening just slightly as he glanced toward the distant forest canopy, "someone decided to announce themselves first."

Hydra let out a low, dangerous rumble behind him, emerald poison rippling faintly along her scales.

"Alchemically fused monsters don’t wander into protected territory by accident," Jax said calmly. "Someone is either very brave... or very stupid."

Lyla exhaled through her nose, "Usually both."

Jax turned back to her. "The formalities can wait. Right now, this takes priority."

He lifted one hand slightly, palm open—not commanding, but certain.

"Prepare your Clan," he said, "I’ll be back here soon after I handle whoever that idiot is,"

Amaya glanced between them, eyes sharp despite her injuries, "You’re going out there yourself?"

"Yes, don’t you trust me?" Jax replied simply.

"I do, just curious," Amaya said hurried, waving her hands.

"Just be aware. Whoever is doing this is either affiliated with the Holy Church or a rogue Alchemist circle," Lyla warned.

"Good," Jax replied without hesitation. "That narrows it down."

There was no arrogance in his voice, only certainty.

He stepped closer to the edge of the platform, looking out over the endless forest, eyes tracing invisible threads of mana disturbance only he could see.

After that, Jax immediately turned back to Hydra, who lowered herself instinctively, one of her massive wings folding as she offered the Demon King her shoulder.

Jax stepped up smoothly, settling between the ridges of her scales as if he had done so a thousand times before, his presence fitting there with unsettling ease.

"I’ll return soon, don’t worry Lyla," he said over his shoulder, his voice carrying clearly across the platform using mana to make it echo across the entire environment, "And when I do, we’ll finish the introductions properly."

Lyla inclined her head again, composed despite the tension curling through the forest. "Be careful, my King," she replied calmly. "Whoever is doing this won’t be acting alone."

Jax’s lips curved faintly, "Then I’ll make an example. No-one threatens my people and get away with it,"

Hydra didn’t wait for further instruction. With a single powerful beat of her wings, she surged upward, emerald scales flashing as air roared around them.

Leaves, loose branches, and drifting mana scattered beneath her as she rose above the canopy, the Dark Elven settlement shrinking rapidly below until it became nothing more than glowing threads woven into endless green.

"East," Jax said quietly, one hand resting against Hydra’s neck as his eyes narrowed and he pointed towards the direction, "Toward the abandoned lake over there,"

Hydra hummed in acknowledgement, banking smoothly as she adjusted course. "That place has been dead for years," she said, "From what the books say, that lake has no natural mana flow and is rejected by the land,"

"Yeah, but I sense some alchemical aura over there. While it’s abandoned by mana, it’s now perfect for someone trying to hide their machinations in plain sight," Jax explained as Hydra flew.

~WHOOSH!~

The Beasts of Hydra’s wings shook the air as they flew for a while, the forest beneath them growing denser and darker.

The mana twisted and became darker, as though the land had been poisoned.

Jax’s senses stretched outward effortlessly, brushing against corrupted signatures that pulsed like infected wounds beneath the soil.

After a while, the sight of trees finally thinned, and they could see a vast basin opening beneath them, surrounded by cracked stones and the skeletal remains of once massive trees.

At its center lay the lake, or what remained of it, a sunken hollow filled with viscous, murky liquid that barely reflected the sky. The water shimmered with unnatural colors, alchemical residue bleeding through its surface in slow, oily ripples.

Hydra descended carefully, wings beating slower as she approached the fractured shoreline. The moment her claws touched the ground, the land reacted.

The earth shuddered.

~GROWL~ROARRR!~

From the tree-line and the cracked soil itself, various shapes began to emerge.

Dozens at first, then hundreds. Beasts twisted beyond recognition, flesh reinforced with metal plating, glowing sigils burned directly into their hides. Extra limbs dragged behind them, jaws split too wide, eyes shining with artificial awareness rather than instinct.

Hydra’s wings flared instinctively, poison rolling along her scales as she lifted her head and released a warning growl that shook the basin.

"They’re not natural," she said coldly, "Alchemical Beasts once again. There’s no fear or hesitation in their eyes despite your aura,"

Jax rose slowly to his feet atop her back, golden eyes sweeping over the swarm with detached interest, "Yeah," he agreed. "They’re tools."

~ROARRRRR!~

The first wave charged forward.

Monsters lunged from every direction, claws tearing into stone, alchemical engines screaming within their bodies as they hurled themselves forward.

Hydra moved instantly, her tail whipping around in a wide arc that shattered several beasts into broken parts, emerald poison dissolving metal and flesh alike.

Jax stepped forward as she fought, his presence expanding as killing intent poured from him like a physical force, pressing down on the corrupted creatures.

Several faltered mid-charge, bodies trembling as their artificial enhancements struggled against something far more powerful than they could handle.

"Under my protection," Jax said calmly, his voice carrying effortlessly across the battlefield, "you thought this land was fair game?"

He lifted one hand.

~BOOM~BOOM~BOOM!~

Various roots burst upward, spearing through monsters from below, while gravity twisted unnaturally, crushing others into the cracked stone.

~SPLAT!~

Blood and Guts of various beasts splattered all across various trees, all the while Hydra took to the skies again, her wings beating hard as she unleashed a torrent of emerald breath that washed across the basin, melting alchemical constructs into smoking slag.

Jax smiled as he saw that, "Good," he murmured. "That means whoever made you is close enough to feel this."

Golden light flared in his eyes as his senses pushed deeper, locking onto the faint, cowardly threads leading away from the lake. Somewhere nearby, hidden behind layers of wards and false confidence, someone was watching.

And Jax intended to make sure they regretted it.