Episode 525

The Master of the Unbreakable Contract.

As the name of the demon lord slipped from Zeke’s lips, Elizabeta’s eyes widened in shock.

“How does he know my father’s name?”

Something was terribly wrong, she could feel it. But pinpointing exactly what was amiss eluded her.

Even with her genius mind, well-versed in all the magic of the demon realm, she couldn’t fathom what Zeke had done. She realized she had to restrain Zeke, even if it meant being disrespectful in front of the demon lord.

Elizabeta tried to rise, fighting against the oppressive aura that weighed her down. For demons, obeying their sworn master was as natural as breathing. Yet, she forced herself to defy that instinct.

But then, Zeke’s quiet command cut through the air.

“Sit.”

With that single word, a massive pressure crushed down on Elizabeta.

Rumble!

As Zeke unleashed the Elemental Sword, the pressure in the hall multiplied. Even the demons standing at a distance had to grit their teeth to withstand it.

Elizabeta, and even Yekaterina, who prided herself on her strength, struggled to stay upright.

Zeke stepped forward, addressing the demon lord’s visage in the mirror.

“Demon Lord, I asked if you’d consider making a deal with me.”

A message appeared before Zeke’s eyes.

[The Fallen Constellation, Master of the Unbreakable Contract, gazes upon the Immortal.]

[The Fallen Constellation, Master of the Unbreakable Contract, finds the faint divinity emanating from the Immortal intriguing.]

Simultaneously, sparks flew from Zeke’s body.

Crackle!

The polymorph spell that disguised him as a demon unraveled, revealing his human form once more.

Elizabeta, who had been struggling to keep her head up, was stunned to see Zeke’s true form.

“How is this possible?”

Zeke had deceived Elizabeta with Belial’s trickery, using polymorph to transform into a demon of the same race as Arzidum, whom he had captured earlier.

Unaware of the deception, Elizabeta had made a deal with Yekaterina to use her power to open a communication channel with the demon lord, believing Zeke to be under her command.

Realizing she had been duped, Elizabeta clenched her teeth in frustration.

“Zeke Draker, how dare you…”

Her pride couldn’t accept that a mere human had outwitted her, and she trembled with rage.

At that moment, the face in the mirror surged forward.

Groan—

The grotesque voice echoed as the face approached Zeke, shaking its head.

Another message appeared.

[The Fallen Constellation, Master of the Unbreakable Contract, is intrigued by the Immortal’s proposal.]

[The Fallen Constellation, Master of the Unbreakable Contract, inquires about the nature of the deal.]

Zeke addressed the figure in the mirror.

“Ensure that your demons do not respond to the summoning contracts with the Abyss.”

He held out Solomon’s Ring.

“If you accept my proposal, I’ll release the souls of the constellations sealed within this ring.”

Zeke unlocked the power of the souls trapped in Solomon’s Ring.

Hum!

The Ever-Hungry One, Mammon.

The Black Serpent of the Mouth, Belial.

The Rider of Blood and Madness, Wirinum.

These were the souls of the constellations sealed within Solomon’s Ring.

The fallen constellations devour each other’s souls to increase their power. Zeke believed that the Master of the Unbreakable Contract, a demon lord, would covet the powerful souls of Mammon, Belial, and Wirinum.

The figure in the mirror leaned closer to Solomon’s Ring.

Groan—

It seemed to be trying to get a better look at the ring.

[The Fallen Constellation, Master of the Unbreakable Contract, is intrigued by the Immortal’s proposal.]

[The souls are from the Gehenna domain, and the ruler of that realm, the Unyielding Flame, may target the Immortal, it warns.]

Zeke responded to the demon lord’s warning.

“It doesn’t matter. If they come, I’ll just kill them.”

Groan—

The face in the mirror shook its head at Zeke’s bold reply.

[The Fallen Constellation, Master of the Unbreakable Contract, is pleased with the Immortal’s demeanor.]

[The Fallen Constellation, Master of the Unbreakable Contract, has another proposal for the Immortal.]

Zeke frowned at the new message.

“Another proposal?”

He suspected there might be a trap in any offer from a demon of contracts.

Just then, a massive vibration emanated from the mirror.

Hum!

The princesses, kneeling, were startled by the tremor.

Elizabeta, barely holding her head up, looked incredulous.

“Is… is Father manifesting?”

For the demon lord, ruler of Pandemonium, to manifest in the physical realm required an enormous amount of karma to neutralize the restrictions of karma. The vibration signified such a consumption of karma.

Soon, a metallic conduit, like liquid mercury, extended from the mirror.

It pierced the nape of Anastasia, who was trembling.

Meow!

In her cat form, Anastasia let out a long wail.

Moments later, a bright light shone from her eyes.

Suspended in the air, Anastasia’s body radiated an aura, exuding a presence that far surpassed the physical realm.

“Ah, can you hear me well?”

A voice, incarnated through Anastasia’s body, spoke with a transcendent authority.

Zeke found himself breaking into a cold sweat.

The demon lord had manifested through his avatar, Anastasia, transforming her surroundings into a divine domain.

This was a unique space, unlike the chaotic barrier once created by the evil god.

‘The difference in power between the malevolent Azitahaka and the chaotic god is incomparable.’

As a transcendent being with divine power, Zeke could fully sense the magnitude of the demon lord’s strength.

Compared to the demon lord’s presence, the souls of Belial or Mammon felt like mere fireflies before the sun.

The demon lord, speaking through Anastasia, continued.

“Zeke Draker. It’s a pleasure to meet you in person. I must say, I’m quite a fan of yours.”

The demon lord’s voice was friendly, yet it carried the full weight of a ruler of the demon realm.

He introduced himself again.

“Let me introduce myself. I bear the long and tedious constellation name of ‘Master of the Unbreakable Contract.’ I wish it were shorter, but we don’t get to choose these things. Since you’re special, I’ll allow you to call me ‘Mephistopheles.’”

Zeke was taken aback by the revelation of the demon lord’s true name.

Demons are wary of revealing their true names, as these names hold the power to define their existence.

For summoners, discovering and correctly invoking a spirit’s true name is half the battle.

Yet, Mephistopheles had revealed his true name without hesitation, a testament to his confidence.

Zeke addressed him.

“Mephistopheles. Are you truly the demon lord and ruler of Pandemonium?”

Mephistopheles, in the form of a cat, nodded at Zeke’s question.

“You are indeed cautious. That’s good. It’s important to be thorough. I swear on my soul, I am the demon lord and ruler of Pandemonium.”

Zeke couldn’t quite grasp why Mephistopheles was showing him such favor.

Sensing his thoughts, Mephistopheles chuckled and continued.

“You’re quite popular among us. The affairs of the demon realm are thrilling, but they grow dull over time. Watching the events of the physical realm, even at a high price, is more dynamic and entertaining.”

Through Mephistopheles’ words, Zeke realized that the fallen constellations had been observing the happenings of the physical realm.

‘Even those not directly involved have been watching the events unfold.’

Mephistopheles glanced at Anastasia’s cat form and smirked.

“This child, though lacking compared to others with many talents, became my foster daughter because our wavelengths align well. Your transformation of her into a cat made it easier for me to manifest.”

Zeke, observing the ever-composed Mephistopheles, spoke.

“There must be a significant reason for you to appear here at such a cost.”

“You’re quite direct. I like that. I also prefer getting straight to the point.”

He clapped his cat paws together.

A screen appeared, displaying the divided territories of the demon realm.

It was the same view Elizabeta had shown him.

“This is what Beta already showed you. In truth, her proposal to you was genuine. If Zeke Draker were to join our side, we would have set aside the card of the Demon King’s descent.”

Zeke frowned at Mephistopheles’ words.

“I’ve always heard that the goal of all demons is to summon the Demon King. It’s hard to believe that someone of your rank would abandon that.”

Mephistopheles nodded in understanding.

“I can see why you’d think that.”

With a clap of his hands, the scene shifted.

The screen now displayed a panoramic view of the city of Pandemonium.

“Zeke Draker, take a look. Even in this unstable dimension, we’ve managed to cultivate a thriving civilization.”

Unlike other demonic realms, Pandemonium resembled a city from the human world, perhaps even more advanced. Various demon species coexisted, forming a complex society.

It was a stark contrast to the typical image of demons as beings who lived for violence and war.

“It took a long time to get here. It was my experiment—to see if civilization could flourish even in the harsh boundaries of the demon realm.”

He continued slowly.

“In truth, demons are not so different from humans. Left unchecked, humans also fall into conflict and strife. I studied the differences between demons and humans closely and discovered one key distinction: the concept of ‘contracts.’”

Zeke spoke up.

“So, you used contracts to suppress the demons’ destructive instincts?”

Mephistopheles smiled and nodded.

“Exactly. Human societies are built on the power of contracts. I applied that to demons, but with much stricter enforcement. At first, I failed many times. Too lenient, and no one honored the contracts; too strict, and they couldn’t be upheld. It took thousands of years to find the right balance.”

Mephistopheles looked at the civilization he had painstakingly built in Pandemonium and smiled with satisfaction.

Then he turned back to Zeke.

“Zeke Draker, I’ve set a new goal: to expand this experiment across the entire demon realm.”

“Including Abyss, Abaddon, and Gehenna?”

“Yes, though each place will require a different approach due to their unique environments. But I believe civilization can take root there as well.”

Zeke finally understood Mephistopheles’ plan.

“If that’s possible, then there’s no need to summon the Demon King and forcefully invade the human world.”

Mephistopheles nodded.

“Precisely. In fact, a stable human world would be more beneficial to us. To sustain the unstable society of the demon realm, we need the karma generated by the human world. The more it prospers, the more karma there will be.”

Mephistopheles descended from the air, moving closer to Zeke.

“That’s why I want to propose a new contract to you.”

Zeke silently met Mephistopheles’ gaze as he spoke slowly.

“How would you like to become the ruler of the sixth demon realm?”