Chapter 157 Veronica's disappointment

Azaroth clenched his fists tightly, producing an audible crack. His body trembled visibly, and his eyes darted around like a kid caught stealing chocolate from a store. Almost immediately, he lost his composure, transforming from a mighty warrior into an ordinary boy who had made a mistake and knew his parents would scold him. But...

"Azaroth..." Veronica's voice cut through the air with icy precision.

"!!!"

...Veronica would be the one to scold him. And that could be considered a synonym for "death."

Completely by chance, Azazel turned his bald head towards his older brother, Azaroth, and... he froze. Goosebumps ran down Azazel's entire body, while his heart began to beat rapidly. His own older brother, who had been quite arrogant just a minute ago, now lay on the ground, oozing black blood that slowly filled and tainted the scent of the throne room. Wait, the throne room?!

"When..." Azazel thought in shock, realizing he was standing five meters away from where the center of the throne room used to be. He stood there, trembling, while his older brother struggled to breathe and bled.

Veronica remained indifferent, her gaze devoid of any emotion, her face hidden behind a curtain. Azaroth stayed silent, not even emitting a groan, although he was alive. Azazel was stupefied by shock, and his heart froze with fear. historical

In the throne room, absolute silence prevailed, and the atmosphere was worse than ever. In this moment of silence, which felt like hours to the two brothers, their mother suddenly spoke about the woman who had granted them status and the opportunity to rise, bearing the names of their noble lineage.

"Azazel... Azaroth..." She began to speak, and as soon as she mentioned her sons' names, they both trembled. It seemed that Azaroth's body had reacted strangely, and his blood started flowing inward, as if someone had recorded a video and played it in reverse: "I have ignored your animosity towards my son for far too long, thinking it was just a typical sibling rivalry. But how wrong I was to assume that your bond could compare to that of brothers! I am damn disappointed, you bastards!"

BOOM!

There was a loud explosion, and suddenly, both brothers were subjected to tremendous pressure, causing them to fall to the ground again, their posture resembling that of lizards. Bones cracked audibly, and then Azazel's face contorted in pain, but not a single sound escaped his lips as if he feared angering his mother even more. Azaroth, on the other hand, bore the pressure much more easily, but it wouldn't be accurate to say he emerged unscathed. On the contrary, his facial expression distorted at one point, and his body swelled as if it had been filled with air.

"UGH," he emitted a muffled sound as his body continued to inflate more and more.

It got to the point where he turned into a three-meter-wide balloon, with black veins appearing on his face. Gradually, Azaroth's body began to hint at an impending explosion, but neither Veronica nor Azazel reacted appropriately. Veronica remained indifferent, while Azazel was so terrified that all six of his senses were dulled, and he felt nothing, consumed by fear.

However, at one point, when Azaroth was about to explode, a clicking sound echoed. Veronica had snapped her fingers, resulting in Azaroth's body slowly returning to its normal form. After a few minutes, he was back to being the familiar Azaroth.

"Ha-a... ha-a-a..." he breathed heavily, his face pale, and his clothes soaked in blood. His condition was worse than ever, enough to terrify even the calmest and most composed individuals. He raised his head with difficulty and looked at the spot where his mother had been. A groan and the words, "W-why?..." escaped his mouth.

To an ordinary person, it would have been difficult to hear his words, as they were so quiet that even up close, they would be hard to make out. However, Veronica heard every syllable and every groan. A smile appeared on her face, slowly turning into a maniacal grin, so wide that the phrase "grinning from ear to ear" would have been an understatement.

"Why? Why do you ask?" she retorted and chuckled. The room's temperature noticeably increased. "You see, Azaroth, I had high hopes for you, even when I stripped you of the heir title. But instead of getting better, you became worse. And do you know why?"

"P..." Azaroth began to say.

"You don't even need to ask. That was a rhetorical question," Veronica continued, smirking. "You envied your younger brother... Adam. He was blessed by Satan and had great talent, which is why I granted him the title of heir. However, I still had hopes that you, you idiot, could overcome this small obstacle and become stronger, which, overall, you did, but..."

Veronica crossed her legs and waved her hand. Azazel emitted a soft groan, "Huh?" and...

BOOM!

"Wh-wh-wha.." Azaroth stammered in shock.

Before his eyes, his own younger brother exploded. His blood, flesh, and everything else coalesced into a single sphere and began to dissolve gradually, taking the form of a mark. The mark resembled a goat's head, with yellow glowing pupils. It was the emblem of the ancient demon family, Azazel.

"Pitiful sight," Veronica muttered, opening her hand. "The sole descendant of the Azazel family died without achieving anything good. Pitiful sight. I'm so angry."

The mark shrank to the size of a tennis ball and flew into Veronica's hand, melding into her skin and disappearing into her veins. She sighed, disappointment evident on her face as she looked at Azaroth.

"Azaroth... you had so many chances. Why didn't you use them? Your younger brother, Adam, possessed such a strong talent that he could share his power with others. But you didn't appreciate it, and that's truly disappointing. Don't you want an ally in the heir of Satan?"

"..."

Azaroth didn't reply; he didn't even make a sound. He just stared ahead with a lifeless gaze, as if his world had lost all meaning. Veronica, at the sight of this, grew even more furious.

"How pitiful... a pitiful sight indeed. Simply horrifying! How angry and disappointed I am! So many chances, so much investment, and I got nothing! Fucking nothing, you know?! You treated Azazel as a workforce. Do you think I'm unaware of your thoughts? You used your younger brother as a scapegoat. Now I'm even baffled if it's Azazel's curse," Veronica exclaimed angrily.

"Mom..." Azaroth croaked, seemingly regaining his voice. "Did... didn't I become stronger? Didn't I become powerful? I trained every damn day and reached an incredible level of development, but even so..."

"True, Azaroth. You did become stronger, and I can commend you for that," Veronica replied in a cold tone, which conveyed sincerity but was tinged with sarcasm. "But you can't consider yourself strong. That's for me to decide. The standards of the new demons couldn't be worse; you're like a pack of wild wolves without a shred of intelligence. You don't use magic, you neglect ancient magical spells, and you disregard the heritage of the past."

Her head hung down, obscuring her facial expression.

"Generations of disappointment. That's what I call today's demons. You've grown sharp fangs, but you've forgotten what it's like to inspire fear, complemented by respect," she whispered with evident disappointment in her voice. "You don't value family bonds. To you, your brothers are nothing more than tools. I call such relationships trash, not worth a shred of attention or mercy. Azaroth, answer me this: when was the last time you sincerely helped your brothers?"

"I... I..." Azaroth mumbled in response, clearly unable to find an answer to her question. He clenched his teeth, and a creaking sound could be heard, noticed by Veronica. She sighed in disappointment and slapped her forehead – smack.

"You can't answer, can you? You can't even remember a day when you treated them as equals. All you cared about was how you'd gain power, not how, through teamwork, you could reach greater heights. That disappoints me," Veronica continued, looking at Azaroth with irritation. "You even tried to deceive the one who accepted you and lifted you from your knees. When I asked you where your brother had gone, you said you were searching. Am I right?"

"Y-yes," Azaroth hoarsely replied.

"Yes? Yes?? YES?!" Veronica yelled, smacking the armrest of her throne. The curtain covering her face burned to ashes, revealing her irritated expression. "I wanted to believe that you were truly searching, but after three days of silence, I decided to take matters into my own hands. And you know what I found out?"

"..."

Azaroth didn't answer, but he shrunk to the floor in fear, clearly anticipating the next words that would seal his fate.

"You remain silent, don't you? How pitiful... then I'll answer my question since you're not courageous enough to confess your sins," Veronica continued in a hoarse voice, filled with irritation and anger. "You and Azazel put him to sleep, destroyed the source of magic, and sent him to the elves, who have hated demons since ancient times. And you did this while I was in meditation."

"..."

"And when I found out that it was you who did this, I was deeply disappointed. I had hoped I was wrong, but it seemed I was too confident. I guess I couldn't convey the meaning of the bond between brothers," she muttered and tapped the armrest of the throne. Suddenly, a crunching sound was heard, and Azaroth's body began to be covered in ice.

"!!!"

The man panicked, feeling the horrifying cold. He looked desperately at his adoptive mother, but all he met was her cold, anger-filled, and disappointed face.

"You and the new generation of demons don't value your kin. That's your main weakness and stupidity. And for now... suffer in the Eternal Ice imprisonment for the rest of your days, worm."

To be continued...