Plugged In: I got Isekai'd into a Sexbot (Now I Must Save The World)-Chapter 75: The Price of Power

Vexena sighs, chin resting on her hand as she lounges across her obsidian throne. "Three days," she groans, voice echoing through the crimson-lit arena. "Three days of watching Eris break Maribelle in new and creative ways."

Beside her, Virelle bounces eagerly in her seat, her curled pink hair fluttering with each motion. "She’s gonna hit her today, Mama," she insists, pointing toward the arena below. "I can feel it in my tummy!"

Vexena gives her daughter a side-eye smirk. "That’s probably just all the candy you’ve been stealing from the pantry again."

Down in the arena, the air is hot and heavy. Maribelle tightens her gauntlets, her muscles bruised, her body battered, and yet her eyes burn with fire. Across from her, Eris leans casually on her floating scythe, yawning.

"You ready for round four, Champion?" Eris teases.

Maribelle lifts her chin, defiant. "Just try not to break my ribs again. A swift knockout would be lovely."

Eris chuckles. "No promises."

With a flash of lightning, Maribelle launches forward, a blur of motion. Her sword blazes with magic as she delivers a storm of strikes. Eris doesn’t even blink, her scythe whirls in the air, parrying every blow like a dance partner.

Eris moves once, flicking her arm out lazily, and her palm slams into Maribelle’s gut. The air leaves her lungs. She flips backwards through the air, adjusts mid-flight, and throws her sword. Lightning crashes down from the arena sky, striking the blade and enveloping Eris in a cloud of smoking energy.

"Finally," Maribelle mutters, landing in a low crouch.

But the dust clears, and Eris is already there, unscathed, holding Maribelle’s sword in one hand and her scythe in the other.

She flips the sword in the air, catches it by the blade, and bonks Maribelle on the head with the hilt. Maribelle slams into the dirt hard enough to crack the stone beneath her. The sword lands beside her, blade buried in the ground.

Snarling, Maribelle grabs the hilt and explodes upward. But Eris is already beside her.

"Try harder," she says.

Their weapons clash in a frenzy of blows, steel against steel, magic against magic. Maribelle channels her aura, lightning crackling through the air as her speed increases.

Eris startles for the first time. She actually moves to deflect, actually puts effort behind her scythe. Maribelle screams, her magic peaking, her blade glows with condensed energy as she delivers a full-power strike.

Eris catches it with her hand.

There’s a crack.

Maribelle’s sword crumbles to dust.

She pants, chest heaving, teeth clenched.

Then Eris opens her hand and shows her palm... there’s a tiny scratch.

A drop of blood.

"Cute," Eris grins.

"I’m not done."

Maribelle vanishes.

Eris’s eyes widen.

An afterimage remains where Maribelle once stood. And then—

CRACK!

A lightning-charged fist slams into Eris’s face. Her head snaps back, hair singed, a burn across her cheek. She’s launched across the arena like a cannonball, vanishes through a portal, reappears beside Maribelle, and grabs her throat.

Before she can speak, a slow clap cuts through the silence.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Vexena struts into the arena, crimson robes trailing behind her. Her obsidian horns glint in the arena light. "Well," she says, amused. "You survived three days with Eris, and now you’ve managed to land a punch. Impressive."

Eris drops Maribelle, rubbing her nose with a bemused grin. "She caught me off guard. But yeah... she earned that one."

Maribelle coughs, swaying on her feet. "...Thank you."

Virelle rushes in, clings to Maribelle’s leg and taps her wand to her side. Warm magic floods her body, healing torn muscles and cracked ribs.

Vexena tilts her head. "You might just be worth investing in, after all. No blood oath this time. Just hard-earned strength."

Maribelle drops to one knee. "Thank you, Your Majesty. I will not waste this opportunity."

Vexena snorts. "Don’t thank me yet. Work in the Demon Lands can get... messy."

A portal tears open in the air, violet flames swirling at the edges.

Kyrsil steps through and kneels. "Your Majesty. Lady Sylareth’s delegation has arrived."

Vexena’s expression hardens. She turns to Maribelle. "Then your work may begin sooner than you think."

-----

The Crimson Keep burns with regal magic, the hallways echoing with every click of Lady Sylareth’s blood-red heels. Her hips sway confidently as she moves, silken robes trailing behind her. Her long, obsidian hair bounces with each step, a cruel smile on her lips.

Behind her, her delegation follows in lockstep, elite demon mercenaries, heavily armored and grim. At her right, a slender, pale-skinned boy in black and violet robes keeps his eyes low. Her nephew.

They reach the throne room, and the guards step aside.

Sylareth doesn’t pause. She bursts in, lifts her chin high, and struts forward as if she owns the place. She stops before the throne, smiles sweetly, and bows deeply.

"Your Majesty. To what do I owe the honor of being summoned from my very busy schedule?"

Eris steps forward. "Watch your tongue, Sylareth. You stand before the Queen."

Sylareth doesn’t even glance at her. "I wonder if the Queen remembers her place."

The air shifts.

A wave of pressure slams into the room as Vexena rises. Her crimson eyes blaze with power. Her aura crushes the air, distorts the walls.

Sylareth’s smile twitches. A bead of sweat trickles down her temple.

She bows again, lower this time. "Forgive me, Your Majesty. I spoke out of turn."

A crimson smoke curls around her as she gestures. A thick tome appears, bound in scales and fire.

"I came to speak of the Laws."

Vexena remains silent. Her gaze is razor sharp.

Sylareth opens the book, flips to a specific page, and begins to read. "According to Demon Law, Volume VI, Section Twelve—"

"I know the law," Vexena cuts in, voice like steel. "I’ve studied that book since I was Virelle’s age. My ancestors wrote it. Spare me the dramatics."

Sylareth presses on. "Then you know the Law of the Hunt. Whoever strikes the prey first... may claim it."

Eris snarls, fists clenched.

Sylareth’s smirk returns. "I saw him first. I claimed him first. You know this to be true."

Maribelle’s fists curl. She shifts beside Eris.

Sylareth lifts her chin. "I don’t want war, Your Majesty. I want one thing. A construct. A golden one. The Prince of Pleasure... and I will have him."

Vexena scoffs. "You can try."

Sylareth’s eyes narrow. "The Law is on my side."

Vexena’s smile is predatory. "And no law says I must stand idly by while you try. Hunt your little toy. But know this... resistance will be... thorough."

Sylareth’s smirk fades slightly, then curls into a more dangerous grin. "Good. A hunt isn’t fun without a proper challenge."

The air thickens again, but Vexena sits back on her throne, gaze cool.

"You are dismissed, Sylareth. Be sure to watch where you tread."

The baroness bows deeply, turns, and walks out. Her heels strike the floor like war drums.

As she passes Maribelle, she offers a smile. "Your daughter travels with the Prince, doesn’t she?"

Maribelle glares. "Touch her, and I’ll feed you your own teeth."

Sylareth grins. "I do love a feisty mother."

She vanishes in smoke.

Eris mutters, "Charming, isn’t she?"

Maribelle watches the smoke fade. "She won’t stop."

"No," Vexena says, rising from her throne. "She won’t. But neither will we."

Vexena turns to Eris. "Keep Maribelle alive. She’s earned her place here."

Maribelle bows. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Vexena’s eyes narrow toward the distant wall, her voice low.

"The hunt begins."

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