Episode 274: The Devil’s Followers (3)
Gwangmyeong employed a variety of methods to torture the apostle.
Even Damian, who had witnessed countless dark sorcerers during his time as a Death Knight, was impressed by the creativity of the torture techniques.
“Wow, you really are tight-lipped, just like a dog who’s been in bed with a demon,” Gwangmyeong remarked, wiping the black blood from his face.
In a short span of time, the apostle had been reduced to a mere shadow of his former self.
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t uncover the demon’s identity,” he admitted.
It seemed the demon had taken precautions, erasing any trace of its identity. But not all was lost.
“According to what they said, the summoning circle is structured like this,” Gwangmyeong explained, sketching a diagram on the ground with a stick.
The main summoning circle was surrounded by four auxiliary circles.
“The auxiliary circles not only support the main one but also serve as entry points for sacrifices,” he continued.
The followers captured humans and offered them as sacrifices at these auxiliary circles. The souls of the sacrificed flowed into the main circle.
“Damian, I think we should destroy the auxiliary circles first,” Gwangmyeong suggested.
“To weaken the demon?” Damian asked.
The demon summoned this time was no ordinary being. It had withstood Gwangmyeong’s powers, even with just a few followers merging their strength.
Despite having two of the Five Saints and Damian, they couldn’t afford to be complacent.
“That, and… I want to save the people,” Gwangmyeong confessed.
The auxiliary circles held the citizens of the Tart Kingdom, captured to be offered as sacrifices. They trembled in fear, awaiting their turn.
Damian looked at Gwangmyeong with a newfound curiosity. The Gwangmyeong he remembered was a zealot who would set himself ablaze to kill dark sorcerers. Hearing him express a desire to save people was unexpected.
“Are you thinking something rude?” Gwangmyeong asked, sensing Damian’s surprise.
“Not at all,” Damian replied, feigning innocence. Gwangmyeong eyed him suspiciously.
“I agree with your plan, but if we’re not careful, we might just buy the demon more time,” Damian cautioned.
“That’s why we’ll split up,” Gwangmyeong decided, pointing to the farthest auxiliary circle.
“Green Wind, with your speed, you can handle two of them. The rest of us will divide and attack the others,” he instructed.
“Isn’t it risky to split up with a demon already summoned?” someone asked.
“A newly summoned demon can’t leave the circle. We won’t be picked off one by one,” Gwangmyeong assured them.
“Pandemonium might send reinforcements,” another warned.
“Let them come. What’s there to fear?” Gwangmyeong replied confidently.
It was a natural confidence. After all, they had two of the Five Saints and Damian Haxen on their side.
“What should I do?” Agnes asked Gwangmyeong.
Since parting ways with Damian, Agnes had worked hard to reach the level of a high-class warrior. But even that wasn’t enough to stop demons.
“Support Sir Damian. If things get dangerous, retreat,” Gwangmyeong instructed.
“Understood,” Agnes nodded.
“Sir Damian, any other thoughts?” Gwangmyeong asked.
Damian shook his head, indicating he had none.
“Alright, let’s move out. Time to judge these filthy heretics,” Gwangmyeong declared.
“Wow, they took down the fusion and the apostle so quickly,” a man remarked from atop a tower, sounding impressed.
“Even with their near-immortal vitality, they couldn’t buy much time. Truly remarkable, don’t you think, Dorgo?” he asked, turning to a displeased-looking skeleton.
“Of course. With two of the Five Saints over there, mere followers can’t hold them back,” Dorgo replied.
“Two of the Five Saints? Impressive. But the other one didn’t use holy power. Who is he…?” the man mused.
“Focus on your work instead of idle chatter,” Dorgo snapped, pointing to the sky.
Above the man’s head, a black sphere hovered, absorbing the surrounding magic. It was a dangerous sight.
“Don’t rush me. Creating Jinryeok on the surface isn’t easy, especially when it contains a demon’s power,” the man explained.
Jinryeok was known as the power wielded by demons, but it was more than that. It was the very substance that composed demons.
By imbuing Jinryeok with power, anyone could use it to wield abilities. Depending on how it was processed, it could be consumed as a potion or reforged into a weapon.
In essence, Dorgo wasn’t after Jinryeok itself but the ability to freely use a demon’s power.
“You should’ve kept the Weapon Master safe. With him, we wouldn’t need to take this roundabout way,” the man teased.
“Don’t talk nonsense,” Dorgo retorted.
“Oh, someone’s angry. I’ll keep quiet then,” the man shrugged, causing Dorgo’s expression to sour.
“Hmm?” the man’s expression suddenly changed.
He lowered his hands, and the darkness stopped expanding.
“Why are you stopping?” Dorgo asked.
“The intruders are moving towards the auxiliary circles,” the man replied, smiling.
Dorgo’s expression turned serious.
“Damn, they’re targeting those first,” he cursed.
“At this rate, they’ll reach the auxiliary circles soon. What will you do?” the man asked, grinning.
“What’s so amusing? If we leave them be, they’ll reverse summon us back to hell,” Dorgo grumbled.
“Well, then there’s nothing we can do,” the man replied nonchalantly, showing no sense of responsibility for the contract.
But Dorgo was the one at a disadvantage. He spoke into the air.
“Iota.”
-Yes, Mother, you called?
A creature with bat wings descended from the sky.
The man looked at Iota with great interest.
“Splitting your soul to create an artificial one… fascinating. Truly intriguing,” he commented.
“I don’t need your praise,” Dorgo replied curtly, giving Iota an order.
“Iota, open the gate.”
Iota grasped the air with both hands. As he pulled them apart, the air tore open, revealing a kaleidoscope of colors. From within, three men and women emerged.
As they appeared, a chilling dark energy spread around them, indicating their formidable power.
“Dorgo, you called for us,” they said, kneeling before him.
“The Holy Order’s saints are trying to ruin our plans. Go and stop those hypocrites,” Dorgo commanded.
“Understood,” they replied, standing up.
The man then addressed them.
“Do you really think those three can stop the saints?” he asked, causing their expressions to twist.
Most dark sorcerers and dark knights didn’t like demons. These three were loyal only to Dorgo, so being insulted by a demon was infuriating.
“I’m not sending them to stop them, just to buy time,” Dorgo clarified.
“Even buying time will be difficult,” the man remarked.
“Seems you have a lot of complaints about my choices,” Dorgo noted.
“Well, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t. So, let me help,” the man offered.
He gestured for the three to come closer.
“Come here, you three,” he beckoned.
The three approached, and the man clapped his hands in satisfaction.
“Weak as they are, they’re perfect as offerings,” he said.
Confusion spread across their faces, and in the next moment, blood spurted from their chests.
“What?”
“Huh?”
They looked down in bewilderment at the gaping holes where their hearts should have been.
Their eyes lost their light, and they collapsed like dominos.
“Now, let’s give our friends a tour of the surface,” the man said, pulling a key from his pocket.
The key was peculiar, split perfectly in half.
He inserted it into the air and turned it, creating a small hole from which a dark red energy began to flow, entering the bodies of the three.
The holes in their chests filled with flesh, and soon their eyes regained life.
“Wow! It’s really the surface!”
“I’ve never been here before!”
“Your Excellency! You really kept your promise!”
The three exclaimed, jumping with joy.
“You… how did you…?” Dorgo stammered.
To summon or possess a demon on the surface required a sacrifice. Yet, the man had bypassed this rule entirely.
The secret lay in the half-key he possessed.
“How did you get that key…?” Dorgo asked.
“Reconstructed it? I put in some effort. It was quite the ordeal,” the man replied, smiling at the demons.
“Go and stop them. Kill them if you must. But bring the man to me,” he instructed.
“Looks like the auxiliary circle is inside there,” Agnes said, pointing to a castle backed by a forest.
Once a noble’s residence, it had been overtaken by the demon followers.
“Mom! Mommy!”
“Please, I beg you, spare my daughter! Please!”
Screams echoed from inside.
With the fortress walls half-destroyed, the horrific scene unfolding within was laid bare for all to see.
In the center of the castle, a massive summoning circle was drawn. Cultists were relentlessly throwing people into it.
“Save me… Aaaah!”
The humans tossed into the circle were crushed alive.
The summoning circle absorbed them, like insects pressed into a palm, likely sending them to the main summoning site.
”…This is horrific,” Agnes murmured softly. Damien nodded silently in agreement.
Just watching it made his skin crawl, and for Damien, it dredged up memories he’d rather forget.
“Agnes, stay here. I’ll go and—”
“What do you think you can do alone?”
A sudden, unfamiliar voice made Damien snap his head up.
A middle-aged man was emerging from a rift in the air, his upper body visible.
“Well, well… Just as he said, you’re not an easy one.”
Damien’s eyes widened at the sight of the man.
“A demon?”
The man’s lips stretched into a wide grin.
“Correct.”
He leapt from the rift, slamming his hand down as he did.
With a shockwave, the entire forest was obliterated.
“Ha ha ha ha!” The man laughed loudly amidst the ruins.
“To be able to destroy so freely the moment I surface! This is the most fun I’ve had in centuries…”
“Strange.”
The demon’s laughter abruptly stopped at the unexpected voice.
A short distance away, Damien Haxen stood unscathed.
“A human? How are you still alive? I intended to kill you.”
The demon asked, genuinely curious. But it was Damien who found the situation truly puzzling.
“How did a demon possess a human body so easily?”
Damien knew well how difficult demonic possession was.
“A demon summoned by Dorgo… That can’t be right. They wouldn’t go to such lengths just to summon a mere count-level demon.”
Damien drew his sword, Dawn.
“It seems I have a lot of questions for you.”