Episode 586
The entire conference room froze at Zeke’s words.
The demon lords stared at him in silence.
These were once the most powerful and influential beings among the celestial constellations. They had resisted the primordial light that sought to destroy civilizations and perfect the world, only to fall and become demons. For them, the heavens were a homeland they could never return to.
Yet, it wasn’t as if they didn’t dream of ascending back to the heavens. But even for the mighty demon lords, returning was an impossibility.
It was Mephistopheles who broke the icy silence.
Crash!
The glass he held slipped from his hand, shattering on the floor, and the demon lords finally stirred as if time had resumed.
Mephistopheles conjured a new glass and addressed Zeke.
“That’s quite an intriguing statement, Zeke Draker. But you should know, it’s a sensitive topic for us, so you shouldn’t speak so carelessly.”
Mephistopheles, who had been somewhat amicable towards Zeke, now glared at him with hostility.
Zeke responded to Mephistopheles, “You’re nothing more than defeated dogs with your tails between your legs.”
A chilling light flickered in the eyes of Mephistopheles and the other demon lords.
With a voice laced with menace, Mephistopheles warned, “You’d better watch yourself. You might set a new record for the shortest tenure as a demon lord.”
The other demon lords, like Mephistopheles, directed their intense malice towards Zeke. A normal human would have gone mad under such pressure, but Zeke remained unfazed.
He activated his unique power, Absolute Dominion.
Rumble!
The aura of the Absolute Ruler surged from Zeke, crushing the malice of the demon lords.
In that moment, the demon lords sensed a familiar presence behind Zeke.
‘The Demon King?’
An absolute ruler who observed everything, even placing the arrogant constellations beneath his feet. They felt the majesty of the Demon King emanating from the human, Zeke.
With the aura of the Absolute Ruler overwhelming the demon lords, Zeke spoke.
“The Sun God, or should I say, the ‘Most Noble One Above.’”
At the mention of the constellation’s name, the demon lords’ eyes widened.
Rumble!
Simultaneously, the demon lords transformed. Baal became a complete demon, Agares a dragon, Asmodeus a chimera-like beast, and Beelzebub donned armor entwined with thorny vines, resembling a death knight.
Only Mephistopheles remained unchanged, maintaining his automaton form.
The mere mention of the Sun God elicited such a reaction, revealing the significance of this entity to them.
They glared at Zeke with murderous intent, but he remained calm.
“The arrogant savior claims that I am the only one who can shatter the wheel of fate held by the Sun God of the heavens.”
He rose slowly from his seat.
“I will defeat the Sun God and all the constellations, liberating the material world. Anyone who stands in my way will be obliterated as they ascend.”
He then looked each demon lord in the eye and continued.
“But if you choose to aid me, I’ll overthrow those wretched constellations and restore you to your rightful place. Consider carefully which choice benefits you more.”
Despite the audacity of his words, Zeke’s confidence was unwavering, and the demon lords’ eyes subtly shifted.
At that moment, Mephistopheles suddenly burst into laughter.
“Ha ha ha ha!”
Pointing at Zeke, he exclaimed, “Good! Very good! A new demon lord should have this much spirit.”
Laughing heartily, Mephistopheles turned to the other demon lords.
“The ‘Fair Guide of Pain.’ Don’t you think it’s a fitting title? You’d better brace yourselves. You might end up being devoured by him.”
At Mephistopheles’ words, the demon lords glared at Zeke before finally withdrawing their auras and returning to their original forms.
Zeke watched them and sat back down.
As the tension in the room eased, Mephistopheles stood and shouted, “No, no! We can’t let the mood drop on such a delightful day! Let’s have a party, a joyous party!”
With a flourish of his fan, Mephistopheles called for a celebration. With a snap of his fingers, the surroundings transformed, and the conference room became a banquet hall.
Tables were laden with delicacies and rare, hard-to-find wines.
Though the other demon lords still seemed reluctant, they began to enjoy the party Mephistopheles had prepared, knowing it was a rare chance to escape their domains.
Baal drank from a barrel, Agares devoured entire carcasses of unknown beasts, and Asmodeus sampled the delicacies, discarding the rest.
The overseer of the abyss quietly watched the colorful flames flicker in a brazier.
Mephistopheles, the party’s host, danced wildly to the music, surrounded by jesters who cheered him on.
Watching this bizarre gathering, Zeke couldn’t help but click his tongue.
‘They’re all such demons, doing whatever they please.’
Observing the demon lords indulging in their desires without interacting with one another, Zeke thought this must be the true nature of the constellations.
Just then, someone approached Zeke.
“My lord.”
It was Shamos, the head butler he had met upon arriving.
Seeing Shamos in his servant’s attire, Zeke once again marveled at the aura emanating from him.
‘In human terms, he’s at least a black knight. And yet, here he is, serving drinks.’
Shamos addressed Zeke, “What can I prepare for you, my lord? Here, anything you desire can be arranged. If you wish, I can even provide someone to… enjoy your pain.”
Zeke closed his eyes tightly at Shamos’ words. It seemed his new title had led to some significant misunderstandings.
Maintaining his composure, Zeke replied, “No need. I don’t require anything at the moment.”
Shamos looked surprised.
Demons lived by their desires. Each had a distinct desire that defined them. Especially in this castle, where the demon lords’ meetings took place, everything was prepared to allow them to indulge their desires more freely than usual.
Yet Zeke was different from the other demon lords.
“Understood, great lord. If you need anything, please call for me.”
Shamos bowed to Zeke and withdrew.
Zeke watched the other demon lords, who never tired of satisfying their desires, and clicked his tongue again.
As he pondered how to pass the time, a voice echoed in his mind.
—“Fair Guide of Pain, I humbly ask for a moment of your time.”
The other lords were still indulging their desires, oblivious to the voice that had reached him.
Zeke mentally responded to the voice.
‘Who are you?’
The voice replied.
—I was once a faithful servant of the arrogant savior.
Zeke remained cautious of the one who had secretly contacted him.
‘A faithful servant, you say. Then why do you hide and speak to me in secret?’
The voice continued.
—Forgive my rudeness. I am confined in this space and cannot greet the great lord in person.
The voice introduced itself.
—My name is Lilith. I am the first servant created by the arrogant savior and a vessel that attained divinity.
Leaving the party, Zeke followed Shamos through the castle’s corridors.
The dark halls were built in the style of the long-ruined Babel.
Zeke recalled that this was once the ancient castle where the arrogant savior’s throne had stood.
After being sealed in the material world, Babel was torn apart by other great demons, causing the Babel Tower to collapse.
Mephistopheles had taken the torn remnants of the arrogant savior’s castle and repurposed it as a space for the demon lords’ meetings.
The powerful servants of the arrogant savior, who had not chosen a new domain, seemed to have become the castle’s eternal caretakers.
Shamos led Zeke deep into the castle’s underground, where a massive door awaited them.
The door was engraved with the image of the arrogant savior, who had descended from the heavens and settled those who had perished in the lowest place.
As Shamos approached the door and extended his hand, the seal reacted, and the heavy door slowly opened.
Rumble!
Shamos guided Zeke inside.
As they entered, the sound of clinking chains echoed.
A delicate voice emerged from the darkness.
“Shamos, light the candles, please.”
At the voice’s command, Shamos lit the surrounding candles.
In the dim light, a bed shrouded in curtains was revealed.
A delicate voice drifted out from behind the curtain.
“Great Lord, please forgive my rudeness. In this secluded place, karma does not reach, so I must handle everything myself.”
The sound of chains clinking echoed again.
Zeke slowly approached the curtained-off bedroom.
In the dim candlelight, he saw something unexpected.
Sitting on the bed was a young girl, bound hand and foot by chains, exuding an aura of mystery.
Her long platinum hair cascaded down her slender frame, and she looked up at Zeke, her eyes meeting his.
She bowed her head slightly and spoke.
“Forgive me for not showing proper respect.”
Zeke nodded at her words and spoke.
“Are you Lilith?”
“Yes, Great Lord.”
“Cut it out with the flattery.”
She flinched at his words but then nodded.
“Understood. May I call you Sir Zeke, then?”
Zeke nodded again.
Soon, Shamos brought a chair for Zeke to sit on.
He sat down, bringing himself to eye level with Lilith.
Lilith looked at him and said, “You must be curious why I summoned you here, Sir Zeke.”
Zeke replied with a nonchalant expression, “Isn’t it obvious? You want me, the heir of the Arrogant Savior, to take you all in and end this confinement.”
Lilith remained silent for a moment, then shook her head and spoke.
“Sir Zeke, what I wish to ask is… to end our lives.”
Zeke’s eyes widened at her unexpected request.
“End your lives?”
The chains binding Lilith clinked again.
Heavy, cold chains that seemed ill-suited for her delicate limbs.
Though he felt a twinge of sympathy, Zeke reminded himself not to be swayed by appearances.
Lilith, a powerful demon capable of commanding someone like Shamos, was undoubtedly a being of celestial strength.
Her confinement here suggested that other great lords, like Arataso, feared her power and had sealed her away.
Zeke looked at Lilith and spoke.
“Not salvation, but an end. Have you no attachment to life anymore?”
Lilith gave a bitter smile that seemed out of place on her delicate features.
“We were always living a false life created by the Arrogant Savior. It’s laughable to cling to such a life.”
Zeke raised an eyebrow at her self-deprecating words.
“What do you mean by a false life?”
She looked at him and said, “Even as his heir, you haven’t seen the true nature of the Arrogant Savior.”
The chains clinked once more as Lilith extended her hand toward Zeke.
“Take my hand. Then you’ll understand the false life the Arrogant Savior bestowed upon us.”