I am the Archmage

Chapter 146 End

In the “Demon God Palace,” within an opulently decorated grand hall, a man sat sweating profusely at a large desk, frantically wielding two oversized stamps—one black, one white—while stamping away at the endless pile of documents before him. Towering stacks of paperwork surrounded him on all sides, reaching all the way to the ceiling, threatening to bury him completely.

This pitiful individual was none other than myself—Wu Lai, the Demon God King.

With the assistance of Lucifer and the God King, I successfully passed through the dimensional gate and returned to my original world. Naturally, I wasn’t alone; Yu Yi, Livia, and the rest of the lovely ladies accompanied me.

In my world, due to the absence of magical elements, no magic could be used. However, I was no longer a pure mage. With a single sweep of my divine-demonic wings, I could still soar through the skies. Many among my companions, such as Aya, were dual practitioners of magic and martial arts; even without magic, they could fly using “aura manipulation.” As for those like Yu Yi and Linsa, who had wings of their own, there was no need for concern.

We quickly made our way home. My family, who had long assumed I had vanished or died, were utterly dumbfounded upon seeing me alive. They looked as though they had seen a ghost in broad daylight.

It took tremendous effort to explain the events of the past few years. Though they were skeptical at first, the sight of Yu Yi and the other stunningly beautiful women, unparalleled in their charm, along with Emerald and Amber, who had reverted to their elven forms, left them no choice but to believe.

My parents were, of course, overjoyed at the thought of their son being surrounded by such extraordinary beauties. My two brothers, on the other hand, were green with envy, wishing fervently that it had been them struck by the “Lightning of the Otherworld” that day instead of me.

Yu Yi and the others made every effort to win my family’s favor, presenting carefully selected gifts. These included priceless jewels and rare medicinal herbs that extended life. Naturally, my parents and brothers were over the moon with happiness.

Unfortunately, due to the inability to use magic in this world, the dimensional gate could not be reopened from this side. Maintaining it required the combined effort of Lucifer and the God King from the other dimension. However, such a gate was incredibly taxing to sustain, and even these two mighty beings couldn’t keep it open for long. As a result, our time in this world was severely limited.

Reuniting only to face separation once more was the most painful experience. When I explained to my family that I would have to leave, my parents couldn’t hold back their tears, sobbing uncontrollably. My two brothers, too, were overcome with sorrow.

The sorrow of parting engulfed each of us. Yu Yi and the other women were all filled with melancholy and reluctance, but in the end, we had no choice but to leave.

After steeling myself and bidding farewell to my parents and brothers, I left with the women, tears streaming down our faces. Casting one last glance at the world where I had spent over a decade of my life, I resolutely stepped into the dimensional gate.

Goodbye forever, my family, my homeland…

Upon returning to the Demon Realm, I initially planned to travel the world with my beloved companions, roaming freely and living a carefree life. However, reality soon proved that this was nothing more than a pipe dream. Lucifer, that old fox who’s been scheming for millennia, wasn’t about to let me go so easily.

When I finished all my preparations for the trip and went to bid farewell to Lucifer and the God King, I discovered that this god-demon couple had vanished without a trace. There was no sign of them in Heaven, Hell, or even on the Holy Demon Continent.

Michael, the Flame Angel, delivered a letter they had left behind. After reading it, I was so furious I nearly exploded on the spot. I was seething with rage, my nose practically bent out of shape, because they had—unbelievably—run off and dumped two massive responsibilities squarely on my lap.

The gist of the letter was that they had gone off to tour other dimensions to make up for their millennia of separation. During their absence, I was to temporarily take over the roles of God King and Demon King. Of course, they added, I was free to refuse these positions, but if a leaderless situation caused Heaven and Hell to descend into war again, that would be my problem to handle. The choice was entirely mine.

What else could I do at that point? With no other option, I grudgingly shelved my plans for a romantic journey and reluctantly became the acting Demon King and God King. In my heart, I cursed that conniving god-demon couple countless times.

But my nightmare had only just begun. The affairs of Heaven and Hell were already exceedingly complex, and during the two years spent searching for me, Lucifer and the God King had left a mountain of unfinished business. The piles of documents alone were enough to almost completely fill the largest hall in the Demon God Palace.

With no other choice, I spent each day brandishing the God King and Demon King seals, slogging through the endless sea of paperwork. To prevent forgery, these seals were made of highly specialized materials and required immense amounts of light and dark energy to use. This only added to my workload, leaving me sore and exhausted by the end of each day.

What made me even more indignant was that Aya and the other women, despite seeing me toiling away in the document stacks day after day, never came to help. Instead, they spent their days playing matchmaker, bringing together countless god-demon couples.

It’s somewhat amusing to think about. After the reconciliation between Heaven and Hell, the adorable little beauty Chengcheng finally became Rowe’s bride as she had always dreamed. Rahalt, staying true to his word, moved to Heaven to live with his beloved wife, Dily. This sparked a massive wave of god-demon marriages. The fierce passion of demon warriors deeply attracted the gentle and holy angelic women—especially the Dark Dragon Riders, the finest of demon men, who each seemed to have a retinue of angelic admirers. This resulted in a significant “brain drain” of angelic women, leaving the angelic men unwilling to be outdone. Determined not to lose, they poured their efforts into courting the seductive demonesses, further fueling the frenzy of god-demon unions.

Of course, the long-standing grudges between gods and demons inevitably led to conflicts and tensions. Aya and the others became mediators, constantly busy resolving disputes and leaving me pitifully abandoned.

Sigh, being a man is tough.

Under the infusion of my magic, the divine and demonic seals emitted dazzling white holy light and deep black dark glow, darting across the mountainous stacks of documents with relentless vigor. Just then, a graceful and enchanting figure shot into the hall from the doorway and stopped in front of my desk. A crisp, crystalline voice like shattering ice followed shortly after:

“Master, you’re still working so hard here? Need some help?”

Lifting my head from the pile of documents, I saw the beauty standing in front of my desk—it was none other than Shannon. On her usually frosty, jade-like face was a rare hint of playful amusement, and her star-like eyes sparkled with mischief. It was clear she was trying hard to stifle her laughter.

I glared at her, clearly annoyed, and said, “I know I look pathetic right now. Go ahead and laugh if you want. I expected tricks from Aya, Bing Xue’er, and the others, but I never thought even you, my little Shannon, would team up with them. You see me swamped with work and still come here just to make fun of me. You’re supposed to be my most loyal personal bodyguard!”

Shannon smiled faintly, leaned in to offer me a sweet kiss, and said, “Little Shannon knows her mistake. That’s why I’ve come to apologize, haven’t I? Master, come with me. The princesses and the others are all waiting to make amends together.”

Is that so? That sounds amazing!

My heart leaped with joy, and I almost jumped up from my chair. But then I hesitated—wouldn’t forgiving them so easily make me lose face? Determined to maintain a cool demeanor, I kept my expression calm and said coldly, “Let them wait. I am the acting God King and Demon King now, burdened with official duties. Where would I find the time to waste on your nonsense?”

“Oh, really?”

Shannon chuckled softly, leaning closer to whisper in my ear, “The princesses and the others have set aside their pride and prepared for all the sisters to serve you tonight. I think they’re probably ready for everything by now. But since the master is too busy with work to spare the time, I’ll just go and let them know they don’t need to wait any longer.”

Her words conjured up a vivid image in my mind—Yu Yi, Ulanasha, Gurney, and the other breathtaking beauties shyly preparing to serve me together. I swallowed hard. Could a man’s fleeting vanity really compare to the profound love and devotion of these women? As for the work, it had already piled up for two years. Surely it could wait a bit longer, couldn’t it?

Springing to my feet, I scooped Shannon into my arms and dashed straight toward the bedchamber.

“My dear treasures, your husband is on his way!”

The towering stacks of documents toppled over in the wake of the gust I created with my rapid movement, scattering messily across the hall. But no one had the slightest interest in tending to them anymore.

The soft, serene light of the Demonic Black Sun shone gently over the entire Demon God Palace, making everything seem so perfect, didn’t it?