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Chapter 285

“You should be able to understand; after all, you’re my old friend, Eleburs—”

“Don’t say nonsense!” Ash angrily yelled back. “What you’ve done is no different than killing your own child twice. Who would be able to understand?”

“An elf talking about fatherly love? Hahaha…. How funny.”

“Shut up!”

Berber’s eyes gleamed. “Elenburs, you must have a dream as well.”

“Don\'t give me that hogwash. Where the hell is the root of the World Tree?”

“A community that finally sees the light and learns to coexist with its fellow human beings again.”

Ash’s spewing rage was suddenly cut off.

“That\'s what you wanted, right?”

“What is the point of bringing that up?!”

“We are the same.”

“...!” Ash’s eyes widened a bit.

“You and I, aren’t we in the same position? Both damaged beyond repair by people\'s ridiculous ambition and now fed up.”

“....”

“Their lust degraded your people to merely objects to sate their lust, and their greed turned me into the monster that I am right now,” Berber spoke in a low voice.

“....”

“You know, I couldn’t help but think, why should I, a blameless innocent, be punished for their filthy lust?”

“That’s—”

“That’s because I wasn’t strong enough,” Berber snarled. “No talent, no status, and no power. I was just average. I didn’t have the power to defeat and crush them. I needed power that no one would dare underestimate me; become someone so powerful that they wouldn’t even dare to covet my power!”

“....”

“I asked myself how I could get the power that I needed. I wondered whether I should organize a coup d\'état and sit at the top of the human world. Or whether I should cross the Class 8 wall and beyond, which the mages only know as myth and legend.”

Berber shook his head slightly.

“All of it was too hard,” he quietly murmured. “Not only was it unlikely, but I didn’t know how long it would take. Then I thought of a faster and easier approach than that.”

“No way…” Ash’s mouth dropped as he guessed the rest.

“I realized there was a group of monsters that uses the desires of the people as a source of their power—the Demon Kings with the power of evil sins.”

“You—”

“Why? Isn’t this a reason to rejoice? Think of the pleasure that you would feel by using that desire to fuel your revenge!”

“You’re crazy. You really sold your soul to the devil, then?”

Theta, who was off to one side silently listening, seemed confused. If they were talking about the difficulties they faced, then both Berber and himself were in the same predicament. But, of course, it had never occurred to Theta to sign a contract with demons.

“An ordinary person would never be able to understand… But Elenbrs, you would—”

“What was the reason you turned your daughter into a lich?”

The soft tone of Ash’s speech made Berber grin slightly.

“Manpower is another kind of power. But I had no need for humans who regularly betray others. I needed an army that would listen to me and only me.”

“....”

“She also wanted that.”

Ash swallowed his rage before speaking. “Why did you take the World Tree’s source?”

“I needed riches.”

“Riches?” Ash was confused.

“Even if it’s me, there was no guarantee that the Demon King would show up or form a contract with me, so I needed to have a backup plan. I needed something that even a Demon King would covet”

“....”

“A dragon heart would have been ideal, but if I had the power to get that, then I wouldn’t have considered signing a contract with a Demon King in the first place.”

All of a sudden, Berber started to shake violently.

“I… I was… craving for… more than this… I need… kuh… keugh— Now… there’s not much left. If it’s him… my dream is possible… It could have come true.”

Berber had been speaking to Ash, but he turned a resentful gaze on Joshua.

“I will be there to see you burn, Joshua Sanders. You will never—”

He couldn’t complete his last words before he completely disintegrated.

Berber had been one of Joshua’s biggest enemies in his previous life, but now, Berber’s long, long life had finally reached its final chapter.

However, Joshua said nothing even after attaining one of his lifelong ambitions.

It wasn\'t any different with Ash.

It was because neither one of them could get rid of the unease they felt in a corner of their heart.

‘At this rate…’

Iceline watched the situation unfold right in front of her eyes. She was about to act when a voice from below interrupted her.

- What a waste. I lost a prized horse.

“Who…?”

Iceline’s wide eyes belied her surprise when an unidentified voice echoed through the floor. She glanced around, convinced that she must have misheard.

However, everyone else was reacting similarly to her.

In the meantime, the mysterious voice continued to speak.

- I put in quite a bit of effort in him… who knew I would lose him like this.

“Asmodeus…” Joshua’s voice slipped from between clenched teeth. The expressions of those around him morphed into looks of shock.

“A-Asmodeus?” Iceline gasped.

“The greatest of the demons?” Theta muttered in shock.

- But it doesn’t matter since you appeared. When you first showed up, I was happier than I’d ever been.

Who was the demon speaking to? No one was responding to him, yet he continued to speak.

- The current Demon Realm is the embodiment of chaos.

“....”

- Since the Demon God mysteriously vanished, an everlasting war has been raging between the Eight Demon Kings.

“....”

- I wanted to see someone upset the delicately managed equilibrium of forces, but I knew it would need an entity with at least the same level of strength as the Kings. And deep down, I wanted that to be me.

“...!”

- I wanted to regain the glory of the past. That was why I appeared in the middle earth, even with all the risks that came with it. Some of the forces here were appealing even to myself and worth consideration. But…

A sense of happiness crept into the low voice as it spoke.

- But in the middle of all that, you materialized in front of my eyes.

Iceline and Theta’s gazes were drawn inexorably to the same spot. Even though no one had told them, they had a strong feeling about who the “you” Asmodeus was talking about.

- If it is your power, it would not only upset the status quo, but it will also bring monumental change to the Demon Realm.

“....”

- Hehehe, how fun. The Demon Realm has been so dull for so long, and now a fresh breeze will blow in.

Joshua’s mouth slowly opened. “... Let me ask you something. What exactly are you here for?”

- What am I here for… As I stated before—

“What. Something like ‘regain the glory of the past’? That’s a load of bullshit. You’re Asmodeus, the greediest demon.”

There was an unsettling silence before Asmodeus burst into laughter.

- Hahahahaha… As I thought…

“Answer me.”

- Please don’t be too impatient.

Asmodeus\'s tone abruptly became respectful.

- I’ve waited for such a long time, I don’t even remember if it’s hundreds or thousands of years. Compared to that, this is just a fleeting moment. You should savor this moment.

“....”

- Besides, don\'t you have a lot of other things to do?

Asmodeus laughed softly when Joshua remained silent.

- Hahaha! Let’s take this a bit slower; take our time a bit. I will be patiently waiting for you on the top of the hill where the black moon rises. So, do whatever you must do, for you were once the most revered light and the ‘Sole Darkness.’

“Light… and Sole Darkness?” Iceline wondered.

At that moment, there was a surge of demonic power, making their eyes widen. The place was quickly engulfed in total darkness.

“What is this?”

- This is my last gift to you.

“...!”

- I will anxiously await our next encounter.

With those parting words, Asmodeus vanished entirely.

Ash, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke up.

“...The Seal of Contract” he whispered.

Theta and Iceline\'s eyes widened.

Out of the darkness, a pattern began to emerge on the floor. It was in the pattern of a crown, and its deep crimson color and sinister feel suggested it was painted with blood.

The Seal Contract, otherwise known as the demons’ seal.

“Step back,” Ash ordered.

Theta and Iceline stared at him, still as statues.

“HURRY!”

They scurried away, but a single person was walking towards the center.

Step.

“Wh-What are you doing?” Ash yelled when he noticed Joshua. “That pattern represents a deal with the demons, and no one can predict what type of creature would show up and take interest in you.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Joshua cut him off. “Even if the Eight Demon King with the power of Evil Sin comes out… It won’t be me that gets destroyed in the end”

Joshua\'s faint voice was the only thing that could be heard in the room. He took a few steps toward the pattern

Whooooooong!

It resonated through the floor as though something underneath had been waiting for it, and the symbol slowly started to float upwards.