Episode 524

Among the three princesses, Ekaterina was the most combative and loved the thrill of battle. Under her command were numerous battle units, all ready to charge at her command.

The demon warriors who had pledged their loyalty to Ekaterina roared in unison, preparing for the upcoming battle. But just then, a hobgoblin attendant rushed to her side.

“Master!”

Ekaterina glared at the attendant, her eyes sharp and piercing. “What is it at such a crucial moment?”

The hobgoblin, sweating nervously under her fierce gaze, stammered, “It’s… a message from Lady Elizaveta.”

At the mention of Elizaveta, Ekaterina’s temper flared even more. “Why on earth is that wretched woman contacting me?”

Though they were all adopted daughters of the same demon lord, the three princesses did not get along well. They weren’t blood-related, and ultimately, they were rivals.

Especially between Elizaveta, the first princess, and Ekaterina, the second, there was a fierce rivalry as they vied to expand their influence. In this delicate balance of power, absorbing the third princess Anastasia’s forces could tip the scales in one’s favor, which was why they had answered the call to the mortal realm.

So, the mere fact that her rival Elizaveta was reaching out was enough to irritate Ekaterina.

As she fumed, a screen suddenly appeared before her.

[Oh, Lina, I see you’re badmouthing your sister again.]

Ekaterina ground her teeth at the sight of Elizaveta’s face on the screen. “Damn it, I told you not to hack into my invasion fortress!”

Elizaveta shook her head, watching Ekaterina’s furious outburst. [Oh dear, I’m sorry, Lina. Your tiny, insignificant security system was just too tempting to resist.]

Ekaterina’s teeth ground even harder at Elizaveta’s taunting words. “Grr, your arrogance will end soon. Just wait, I’ll be the one to cut off your head.”

[Still as barbaric and ignorant as ever, I see.]

Elizaveta clicked her tongue and continued, [I’m afraid I’ve won this round too.]

Ekaterina’s eyes widened in surprise. “What? What do you mean?”

At that moment, a portal opened in the hall of Ekaterina’s invasion fortress.

Elizaveta, a master of magic, had breached Ekaterina’s fortress and forcibly created a teleportation gate. The demon warriors standing guard drew their weapons, ready to defend.

From the gate emerged Elizaveta, wearing a golden mask. Ekaterina let out a disbelieving laugh at the sight.

“Haha! You’ve lost your mind, haven’t you? Coming here on your own must mean you have a death wish!”

Even for Elizaveta, opening a gate that allowed high-ranking demons to pass into another princess’s territory was impossible. She had effectively walked into enemy territory alone.

Yet, Elizaveta waved nonchalantly at Ekaterina, who was glaring daggers at her. “Lina, it’s been a while, and you’re still as crude and brutish as ever.”

Ekaterina ground her teeth again. “Yes, it has been a while. Ever since you won the Demon War with your underhanded tricks.”

Every decade, Pandemonium held the Demon War to crown the most outstanding demon, with the demon lord bestowing treasures upon the victor. Elizaveta had won the most recent tournament, a result that still rankled Ekaterina.

Elizaveta covered her mouth, laughing at Ekaterina’s words. “It was a fair competition. You just got too worked up to see the bigger picture.”

Ekaterina, still seething at Elizaveta’s taunts, barked orders to her warriors. “Enough talk! Kill her!”

The fearless demon warriors advanced on Elizaveta, but just then, someone else stepped through the gate.

With a swift motion, black blades erupted from the ground, forcing the warriors to retreat. The newcomer was none other than Zeke.

But Zeke looked different. His ears had elongated, strange markings adorned his face, and his hair had turned a shade of violet.

Ekaterina was startled to see Zeke standing behind Elizaveta. “Zeke Draker?”

She recognized him immediately, knowing full well who Zeke Draker was. But what shocked her was something else entirely.

‘Why does a human have the aura of a demon?’

Zeke’s appearance and aura were unmistakably demonic.

Elizaveta turned to Ekaterina with a smug smile. “Lina, you’re always a step behind me.”

She snapped her fingers at Zeke, who nodded and extended his hand.

A summoning circle appeared on the floor, and something was summoned.

A loud meow echoed through the hall.

Standing on the summoning circle was Anastasia, now in the form of a cat. Zeke had formed a contract with Anastasia’s soul, allowing him to summon her at will.

Thus, Anastasia, who had been hiding deep within the Mikene Castle, was suddenly summoned to Ekaterina’s invasion fortress. Her fur bristled in alarm as she hissed at the unexpected situation.

[Zeke Draker! What is the meaning of this?]

She raised her voice at Zeke Draker, but then she sensed something amiss and recoiled in shock.

[A demon?]

She realized that Zeke had transformed into a demon.

Elizaveta approached Anastasia, who was still in shock. “It’s been a while, Asha.”

Anastasia arched her back and retreated, her tail raised defensively. [Elizaveta… what have you done?]

Elizaveta gestured silently to Zeke, who reached out toward Anastasia.

Bound by the contract, Anastasia’s soul was tethered to Zeke, leaving her unable to escape.

[Ugh!]

Elizaveta turned to Ekaterina, gesturing toward the immobilized Anastasia. “Lina, I have a proposal for you.”

She pointed at Anastasia. “I’ll give you Anastasia. In return, I need you to do me a favor.”

Ekaterina was taken aback by Elizaveta’s offer to hand over Anastasia.

‘What scheme is this fox up to now…?’

Elizaveta, seemingly reading Ekaterina’s thoughts, smiled behind her mask and spoke. “Help me establish a connection with Father, and I’ll hand over Anastasia to you.”

A direct communication with the demon lord, the pinnacle among the six rulers of the demon realm, was what Zeke had bargained for in his deal with Elizaveta.

Ekaterina eyed Elizaveta suspiciously. “You want me to help you connect with Father, and in return, you’ll give me Anastasia?”

It was an offer that seemed too good to be true, favoring Ekaterina heavily.

Anastasia was notorious in the demon realm, and her forces were formidable. Gaining control of her power would significantly expand Ekaterina’s influence. If Elizaveta’s words were true, she was giving up that opportunity.

Elizaveta, sensing Ekaterina’s skepticism, explained, “Frankly, Asha’s forces don’t appeal to me. Most of my subordinates are mages. Integrating lower-tier warriors into my ranks would take time.”

Ekaterina considered Elizaveta’s reasoning. It made sense. Unlike her own forces, which were composed mainly of warrior demons and combat-oriented species, Elizaveta’s subordinates were primarily mages.

Anastasia’s forces consisted mostly of ferocious beast-type lower-tier warriors and demons with bizarre abilities. To Elizaveta, who had a penchant for order, they would seem too unruly.

After pondering Elizaveta’s words, Ekaterina finally spoke. “Why do you want to connect with Father?”

The demon lord, the supreme being among the fallen stars, was an entity even the adopted daughters couldn’t approach lightly. To communicate with him properly, all three princesses needed to gather and use the power bestowed by the demon lord.

With Anastasia bound to Zeke, using her power was no issue, but without Ekaterina’s cooperation, contacting the demon lord was impossible.

Elizaveta answered Ekaterina’s question. “It’s part of my contract with Zeke Draker. He requires direct communication with Father to fulfill our agreement.”

Ekaterina mulled over Elizaveta’s words. ‘If I agree to this deal, I’ll gain Anastasia’s forces, and the fox will get Zeke Draker.’

She weighed the value of a demon princess against that of a human.

After a moment of contemplation, Ekaterina made her decision. She chose Anastasia.

Even if the subordinates weren’t to his liking, it was all about how well you could train them.

On the other hand, that man had already struck a deal with Elizaveta, making it clear that it would be difficult for her to intervene.

Yekaterina glanced at Anastasia, who had turned into a cat, and nodded.

“Alright, I accept the deal.”

At her words, Anastasia hissed again.

[You… you wretched…!]

Ignoring Anastasia’s curses, Elizaveta reached out to Yekaterina.

As the two clasped hands, a preliminary contract was formed.

The duchesses were avatars of the demon lord of contracts, bound by stricter rules than any other demons.

Once a contract was made, they couldn’t break it and had to fulfill it immediately.

Elizaveta gestured to Anastasia.

“Come here, Asha. Your form may have changed, but the power your father bestowed upon your soul remains.”

Anastasia tried to resist, but it was futile.

Zeke had commanded her to move.

[Zeke Draker! Are you breaking the contract of subservience? You promised to protect me, and now this!]

Elizaveta chuckled at her words.

“Zeke Draker kept his promise. Your safety is now my responsibility. Of course, you’ll remain in that adorable beast form forever.”

Anastasia let out a sharp cry at Elizaveta’s words.

Regardless, the three duchesses gathered in one place.

Elizaveta and Yekaterina placed their hands together, excluding Anastasia.

Light emanated from their joined hands.

The mark of the demon lord’s avatar, engraved by the demon lord himself.

A similar mark glowed on Anastasia’s forehead.

Zzzzz—

The three lights converged into one.

Zeke watched the rising light with a calm expression.

The lights formed a large circle, transforming into a massive mirror.

As the mirror took shape, Yekaterina and Elizaveta stood before it, bowing respectfully.

Crackle—

Sparks flew from the mirror, but they quickly subsided, and the inside of the mirror turned pitch black.

As the complete darkness filled the mirror, concentric circles began to ripple from the center.

Woooo—

A shape emerged on the mirror’s surface, resembling a face draped with cloth.

Yekaterina and Elizaveta knelt before it, while Anastasia curled up, trembling.

The face became more distinct, and an overwhelming presence emanated from the mirror.

Rumble!

The demons in the hall couldn’t withstand the pressure and fell to their knees.

Only Zeke remained standing.

At that moment, Elizaveta sensed something was amiss.

‘How can he stand?’

The contract had connected them to the demon lord, meaning the contract was complete.

This implied Zeke had become a full-fledged demon, yet no demon could withstand the demon lord’s presence.

But Zeke wasn’t just standing.

He slowly walked toward the mirror.

Step, step!

In a room where everyone else was kneeling, Zeke’s solitary approach to the mirror left the duchesses in disbelief, their heads bowed.

Then Zeke spoke.

“Demon Lord. Or should I say, the Master of Irrefutable Contracts.”

He continued, having invoked the demon lord’s celestial name.

“I want to make a deal with you.”