Episode 675

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

Asmodeus’s eyes, which had been glowing a fierce red, suddenly returned to their original state, as if a spell had been broken. He turned to Zeke and finally spoke.

“The fair guide of pain.”

Zeke met Asmodeus’s gaze, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes. “So, you finally decided to speak.”

Zeke had already realized that the power flowing from the battlefield had been channeled into Asmodeus by the legion commanders, restoring his strength and clearing his muddled mind.

He continued, “Did you plan to resurrect the demon king sealed here, now that you’ve descended to the mortal realm?”

Asmodeus was one of the great lords of the demon realm who had sought to revive the demon king. While he couldn’t directly break the seal in the demon realm, his presence in the mortal realm made it possible.

Asmodeus glared at Zeke and shook his head. “Fair guide of pain, you have no idea what you’ve done.”

Zeke furrowed his brow and retorted, “For a great lord dragged into the mortal realm by humans, you sure act high and mighty.”

He pressed on, “Enough with the nonsense. Tell me about your deal with Arthur Draker. It seems there’s something Mephistopheles doesn’t know, given that you were summoned here.”

Asmodeus fell silent, then shifted from his chimera form to that of a sensuous woman with horns, her yellow beast-like eyes fixed on Zeke. She knew that clashing with Zeke in her weakened state would be unwise.

Despite this, her voice was laced with hostility. “How do you plan to clean up the chaos you’ve caused?”

“Is it a demonic trait to ignore context and just say what you want?” Zeke shot back.

Asmodeus bit her lip before speaking slowly. “With Mephistopheles’s soul sealed, the demon realm is in turmoil.”

Mephistopheles, the master of Pandemonium, had subjugated Asmodeus to become the ruler of Gehenna and had also subdued Baal and Agares to become the new master of the Abyss. With him gone, chaos was inevitable.

“The collapse of the demon realm has begun.”

The great demons were the pillars holding the unstable realm together. Without them, the demon realm, crafted from the fragments of forgotten time, would vanish.

Asmodeus explained the situation, glaring at Zeke. “I may not like the actions of the ‘Master of Irresistible Contracts,’ but I can’t deny he’s a crucial pillar holding the demon realm together.”

Despite being bound by Mephistopheles’s cunning contracts, Asmodeus defended him.

Zeke pondered Asmodeus’s words. “I understand the demon realm is collapsing without Mephistopheles. But why not seize Pandemonium yourself?”

The demon lords had long vied for each other’s territories. With Mephistopheles’s soul sealed by Zeke, it was the perfect opportunity to claim his throne.

Asmodeus hesitated before responding. “He bound our souls with contracts that prevent us from invading his territory, even in his absence.”

Mephistopheles had ensured that the great lords he subdued couldn’t betray him.

Zeke nodded. “That sounds like him. But what about Beelzebub, the ruler of the Abyss? Surely he could target Pandemonium?”

Asmodeus bit her lip, and Zeke realized the state of the demon realm. “I see. You fled to the mortal realm to escape Beelzebub.”

Despite her excuses about the demon realm’s collapse, Asmodeus had fled to avoid Beelzebub, who sought to fill Mephistopheles’s void.

Zeke now understood why Asmodeus had come to the mortal realm, even at the cost of her power. She was avoiding Beelzebub, who could either annihilate her soul or enslave her forever.

“To escape Beelzebub, you accepted Arthur Draker’s offer without thinking it through.”

Unlike the combative Baal and Agares, Asmodeus was a schemer. She realized that with Mephistopheles sealed, Beelzebub would seize the chance to invade Pandemonium, Gehenna, and the Abyss.

Facing Beelzebub directly while bound to Mephistopheles was madness. Arthur Draker’s offer to descend to the mortal realm seemed like an opportunity.

Zeke addressed Asmodeus. “It’s hard to blame a demon for acting like a demon. I get it. You abandoned your realm and followers to save yourself.”

Asmodeus trembled with indignation. She hadn’t come to the mortal realm without a plan. She intended to reclaim her former commanders and soldiers to fight Beelzebub. But Zeke’s intervention had decimated her forces, making his taunts painfully accurate.

Finally, Asmodeus conceded. “Fair guide of pain, I have a proposal.”

Zeke looked unimpressed. “I’m not fond of demon deals.”

Undeterred, Asmodeus continued, “Absorb the soul of the ‘Master of Irresistible Contracts’ and become the demon lord. Take control of his territories.”

She preferred Zeke, a human, to rule Pandemonium, Gehenna, and the Abyss over Beelzebub.

Zeke remained indifferent. “I’m not sure why I should bother.”

Asmodeus’s eyes widened. “You’d pass up the chance to become the de facto ruler of the demon realm?”

“Ruling a barren, unstable realm doesn’t appeal to me. I’d just have demons like you plotting against me. You have your own agenda, don’t you?”

“You… you wretch…”

Asmodeus was at a loss for words. She had planned to use Zeke to regain her strength, steal the demon king’s soul, and return to the demon realm to challenge Beelzebub. If Zeke absorbed Mephistopheles’s soul, her contract would be void, freeing her.

But Zeke had seen through her plan. “Asmodeus, if I absorb Mephistopheles’s soul, you won’t be free. The contract will transfer to me, and you’ll be bound to me instead.”

Asmodeus’s face twisted in shock. “That damned human…”

She couldn’t return to the demon realm or stay in the mortal realm.

Then Zeke made an offer. “I’ll make you a deal since you’re desperate.”

Asmodeus looked up. “What kind of deal?”

“Help me stop the demon king’s resurrection. In return, I’ll take over your contract from Mephistopheles and free you from your bonds.”

Asmodeus’s eyes wavered. Mephistopheles’s contract was unbreakable, even for a great lord.

Zeke, who had sealed the soul, offered to release the binding contract, and Asmodeus couldn’t help but be intrigued.

“Is that true?”

“Unlike demons, I only speak the truth. Of course, there’s more to it than just that.”

Asmodeus gave Zeke a knowing look, as if he had expected as much.

“What other conditions are there?”

Zeke met his gaze and spoke slowly.

“Mobilize not just yourself, but all the forces of the demon realm you command to aid me.”

Asmodeus frowned at the demand.

“What nonsense is this? The only reason I could come here was because of Arthur Draker’s power of the Sun God. Without that power, it’s impossible for my other subordinates to come here.”

Zeke shook his head.

“To be precise, it’s not the power of the Sun God, but the power of twisted causality. It seems you didn’t even know how you managed to descend into the mortal realm.”

Zeke had discovered the true nature of this power in the temple of the Twisted Constellation. Even a grand duke like Asmodeus seemed unaware of this secret.

Zeke continued, “But that’s not what’s important. What will it be? Will you accept my proposal, or return to the demon realm to face Beelzebub?”

Asmodeus pondered Zeke’s words seriously.

It was unprecedented for a great demon to be cornered and swayed by a human’s proposal, and his pride was deeply wounded.

Yet, it was Asmodeus who was in need, not Zeke.

In the end, he had no choice but to accept Zeke’s terms.

“Fair guide of suffering, I accept your proposal.”

Zeke’s expression was one of satisfaction.

“Good. From now on, you will follow my orders, Asmodeus.”

Following Mephistopheles, Asmodeus, a grand duke, had now submitted to the human Zeke.

Suppressing his humiliation, he addressed Zeke.

“Understood, my lord. But… how do you plan to summon my legion from the demon realm?”

Just as he finished his question, a massive tremor resonated from beyond the coastline.

Simultaneously, a tower that hadn’t existed before appeared atop a ridge.

Asmodeus gaped at the sight.

“Is that an invasion fortress?”

It was the tower of Yekaterina, Mephistopheles’s dimensional engineer, properly summoned.

Only then did Asmodeus realize why Zeke was so confident about bringing his legion here.

‘This man has far surpassed the realm of humans.’

Zeke, observing Asmodeus’s continued astonishment, spoke.

“Asmodeus, prepare to move. That is now the new domain you must protect.”