Episode 587
Zeke stared at Lilith, who had extended her hand toward him. Outwardly, she appeared to be a pitiful girl seeking help, but beneath that facade lay the essence of a powerful, high-ranking demon.
Zeke knew better than to let his guard down, so he hesitated to take her hand.
“The essence of the Arrogant Savior,” he mused.
It was true that Zeke had absorbed the soul of the Arrogant Savior and gained divine power, but he hadn’t fully assimilated all of the Savior’s memories. The Arrogant Savior was one of the first celestial beings, existing since the dawn of this world, and his memories spanned eons.
For Zeke, who was fundamentally human, to absorb all those memories would be overwhelming, potentially shattering his very soul. Thus, most of those memories lay dormant in his subconscious. However, as Zeke’s divine power grew, he found himself able to access more of the Savior’s memories.
Yet, as Lilith had pointed out, the core memories tied to the Savior’s essence remained locked away. To wield the Savior’s unique powers and domain fully, Zeke needed to understand this essence completely.
“If I can grasp the essence of the Arrogant Savior through Lilith, I could make his powers and domain my own.”
To stand against the celestial beings, Zeke needed the formidable power of the Arrogant Savior. After a moment of contemplation, he reached out to Lilith.
Her eyes flickered with a mix of emotions, as if she had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
Just as their hands were about to touch, Zeke paused. “I have one question,” he said, looking at her intently. “Who imprisoned you here?”
Lilith hesitated before finally speaking. “It was the Arrogant Savior himself.”
Zeke furrowed his brow, surprised by the revelation. He had assumed other demon lords had confined her. He pressed further, “Why would the first and most trusted servant of the Arrogant Savior be imprisoned by him?”
Lilith took a deep breath before answering. “Sir Zeke, I was once the Savior’s beloved.”
Zeke’s eyes widened in disbelief. The idea that the Arrogant Savior, a demon among demons, had taken one of his servants as a consort was hard to fathom.
“I loved him deeply once,” Lilith continued, “but when I discovered the truth hidden behind lies, that love turned to hatred.”
“The truth behind the lies… Is this about the essence of the Arrogant Savior?”
“Yes.”
Zeke nodded slowly, deciding to trust her words. “Alright, I’ll believe you.”
He took her hand, and a powerful wave of energy surged from their joined hands. The chains binding Lilith rattled violently, and her small frame shook with the force.
As Zeke’s eyes changed, he seemed on the verge of saying something, but then his consciousness faded, and he stood frozen.
Lilith’s eyes gleamed as her once platinum gaze turned a deep crimson. She smiled slyly at Zeke, who remained motionless, holding her hand.
The chains binding her transformed into serpents, coiling around her limbs and slithering up Zeke’s body, wrapping around him completely.
Lilith looked at Zeke with a seductive gaze. “The ‘Impartial Guide of Pain,’ you’re too naive to contain the soul of the Arrogant Savior. In the demon realm, they say to beware of children and the elderly. It seems you didn’t know that.”
As she rose from the bed, her form shifted from a fragile girl to a captivating woman.
Still holding Zeke’s hand, she smiled down at him. “Dream a deep, profound dream. Meanwhile, I’ll take what I need.”
She leaned in, and as she opened her mouth, the essence of Zeke’s soul began to flow into her. The divine power he had accumulated as a celestial being transferred to Lilith.
“Ahhh…” Lilith sighed, savoring the exquisite energy. “For a human to possess such power… It’s beyond imagination.”
With this power, she could easily break the seal that bound her. Watching from the side, the butler Shamos trembled, his expression one of despair as he witnessed Lilith drain Zeke’s energy.
Lilith mocked him. “Shamos, you seem upset. Did you think this man might become your new master and free you?”
Shamos clenched his jaw, bowing his head. “My only master is Lady Lilith.”
Lilith, the Arrogant Savior’s avatar, had gained divine power by sharing his soul. When the Savior ascended to the mortal realm and Babel fell, his followers had three choices: die gloriously like Asmodi, become another demon’s servant, or pledge themselves to Lilith.
Though not a full celestial, Lilith’s followers had no choice but to submit to her, unable to die or serve another demon. Yet, she was far from benevolent. Her celestial title, “The Corrupted Temptation of Twisted Allure,” reflected her penchant for dark schemes.
Even as Babel crumbled, Lilith bound the Savior’s followers to her with unjust pacts, a relationship that persisted to this day.
Shamos watched helplessly as Zeke’s divine power was drained, clenching his fists in frustration. He had hoped, even briefly, that Zeke might change their fate, trapped as they were in this limbo.
But Lilith, with her irresistible allure, had ensnared even the Arrogant Savior, who eventually realized her danger and imprisoned her in the castle.
When Babel fell, and the Savior was sealed in the mortal realm, Lilith tried to absorb his followers to break free, but the Savior’s power was too great.
Then Mephistopheles, the ruler of Pandemonium, offered her a contract: he would separate the castle into another dimension, ensuring their safety in exchange for using it as a meeting place for the demon lords.
Even Lilith couldn’t defy Mephistopheles, the demon of contracts. With no other choice, she accepted, and the once-symbolic “Marduk Castle” became an isolated prison.
“I’ve led the only hope of salvation into the fire with my own hands,” Shamos thought bitterly.
Bound by her pact with Lilith, Shamos had brought Zeke here, but he had desperately wanted to reveal the truth to him. Now, he could only watch in despair as Zeke’s power was siphoned away.
“Enough for now,” Lilith said, lifting her head, her voice filled with the ecstasy of newfound power. “With this strength, I could become a demon lord myself.”
Satisfied, she tried to release Zeke’s hand, but something was wrong. He still held her hand tightly.
Frowning, Lilith attempted to shake him off, but their hands seemed glued together. She twisted her body, trying to free herself, but then something unexpected happened.
A powerful vibration emanated from their joined hands, and an emblem began to emerge on the back of Lilith’s hand.
Lilith’s eyes widened in shock. “What… How is this possible?”
A demon’s emblem was a manifestation of their essence, a mark tied to their very soul, only revealed in critical moments. Yet, her emblem appeared on its own, and the security barriers she had set up began to deactivate.
“No! Stop this at once!”
As the geometric patterns from the seal began to dissolve, they transformed into characters containing crucial information.
Whoosh!
In an instant, the strings of text unfurled rapidly, filling the entire room.
Lilis felt utterly exposed, as if she were standing naked.
She screamed, trying to pull away from Zeke’s grasp, but nothing she did made any difference.
Amidst the swirling chaos of characters, a cluster of them gathered in front of Zeke.
Vroooom!
The letters aligned themselves into neat rows and columns, forming complete sentences.
At that moment, Zeke, who had been keeping his eyes shut, snapped them open.
A message appeared before him.
[Connection established with the incomplete deity <Corrupted Temptation’s Fall>.]
[Interpretation of the soul entity completed.]
[You have acquired the right to subjugate and enforce this soul entity through the power of Absolute Dominion.]
[Would you like to exercise your acquired rights?]
A cruel smile spread across Zeke’s face as he read the message.
Rumble!
Nigel and Nabu approached Storm Island in a small boat, battling the increasingly fierce waves.
As the sea grew more turbulent, Nabu opened a book he was holding.
“Ugh, this damned island!”
Desperately searching for a spell to calm the waves, Nabu shouted with all his might.
“Ah! Here it is! The towering waves crash before me! Yet, with steadfast resolve, I part the fierce waters, guiding us to a tranquil path!”
His words became an incantation, splitting the stormy waves in two.
As a path to the island emerged, Nigel turned to Manna, who was seated behind him.
“Now!”
Manna clasped her hands together, forming a protective barrier.
A spherical shield enveloped the entire boat, allowing it to glide through the parted waves.
Rumble!
Nabu fidgeted nervously, unsure when the waves might close in again.
“Manna! Faster! We need to move faster!”
Despite Nabu’s frantic urging, Manna remained calm, steering the boat steadily.
At the end of the parted waves, something began to shimmer.
Vroooom!
A portal to the inside of Storm Island had opened.
Nabu shouted excitedly upon seeing it.
“There it is! Let’s go through!”
Just then, the waves began to shift again.
The chaotic energies of the place meant that even powerful spells had only temporary effects.
Nabu gritted his teeth, shouting at the island.
“Why is this happening?! This is insane!”
Watching from the side, Nigel sighed softly, then drew her sword.
She moved to the back of the boat, focusing her energy into the blade.
Rumble!
Her sword glowed with intense power.
With a swift motion, she slashed at the sea.
A burst of energy propelled the boat forward at incredible speed.
Whoosh!
The waves collapsed in their wake as the boat shot forward.
“Whoa!”
With Nabu’s scream echoing, the boat narrowly escaped the collapsing waves and entered the portal.