Chapter 174 Making A Deal With The Devil... Literally

>VWOOOOOOOSSSSSHHHH<

The wind parted as Valefor swiftly navigated his way though the tunnel.

'There's nothing here... and there...' The Demon Lord noticed as he went down the floors.

None of them had any other precious materials left.

They were all gone.

Of course, that didn't trouble him the slightest.

'I'm not after the trash! Just the main thing!'

He passed all the floors and broke through the Boss Room.

>BOOOOOOMMM!<

A crazed smile played on Valefor's face as he landed in the massive cave-like structure—eager to obtain his prize.

"Hahaha! Finally, I—!"

His smile suddenly froze the moment he took a single look around him.

Valefor could feel the color of his face growing pale and his expression becoming frozen solid

He was livid, to say the least.

'No...'

It was probably stating the obvious, but, Valefor didn't find what he was expecting.

'Where are they?'

With quivering lips and bloodshot eyes, Valefor's heart raced and his innermost blood boiled.

"My spoils..."

Veins appeared all over his face and his clenched jaws sharply opened.

He simply couldn't take it anymore.

"... WHERE ARE THEYYY!!!

>BOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!<

The entire cave-like structure trembled as a result of the Demon Lord's rage. The ceiling collapsed, and the central figure was too immersed in his confused rage to care.

Even when he first arrived on the battlefield, and when he fought against the human who put up a fight, Valefor had occasionally used his Magic to see through a Divining Orb in order to confirm the presence of his resources.

He wasn't stupid.

It was possible that the very humans who had put up such an unexpected resistance could have hidden his treasures. Killing all the citizens of Dulum would ensure he never got his resources if they had moved the resources somewhere else.

'But I saw them. They were right here!' The Demon Lord growled.

Miasma leaked from his body in excess, and veins appeared on multiple parts of his body. To say he was annoyed would be an understatement.

How could the resources he confirmed to be present not too long ago be gone? What could have caused it?

Valefor was still pondering on this maddening issues when he felt something above him.

Something... incredibly ominous.

'W-what... is this...?!'

Valefor was sensing the most unusual element to find in a place like this. It was not only surprising, but it was incredibly intimidating.

'Miasma... and a lot of it?!'

The Level of Miasma he was sensing far exceeded even what he could produce. Valefor's bloodshot eyes widened even further as his kind was spread too thin—reaching the limit of cognition.

First, the disappearance of his resources, and now the emergence of ominously dense Miasma.

'C-could it be—?!' As his thoughts rang, Valefor couldn't contain the anger and frustration that climbed within his very being.

'Another Demon? Is it a Demon Lord? But this power...' Valefor didn't know of any Demon Lord with this kind of Miasma.

It was enough to make him break a sweat.

Regardless, he could think of no other possibility!

Only Demons wielded Miasma. They were the special beings of this world. And Maisma this powerful could only be generated by an extremely powerful Demon Lord.

'Is it Paimon? Is he messing with me?!' Valefor growled.

He had done the best in his capacity to make sure he would be the first to gain access to the resources buried here. He did all the hard work.

Why would Paimon, a Demon Lord of the same rank, break the Demon Treaty by stealing from his spoils?

'Besides, this power can't be his. It couldn't be the Demon King, could it?'

No—no, it couldn't be him too.

Valefor knew enough about the absolute ruler of their supreme Race that he was certain the Demon King could never lower himself to something as mundane as stealing.

'Besides, the resources are valuable... but not that much. Compared to his wealth, they're not that impressive.'

This left him in the ultimate dilemma, and by the time his body was finally able to get over his initial shock, Valefor knew the only thing he could do.

'I'll have to confront them—whoever they are!'

>BOOOOOOOMMMMM<

In a brilliant blur, and also an explosion of the immediate vicinity, Valefor swiftly ascended above the Labyrinth.

The floors collapsed upon themselves, sending debris around as the structure broke apart to pave way for the enraged Demon Lord.

Valefor's rage and caution caused nothing beyond confusing, but he remained determined to see the culprit.

And so—

>BOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!<

—As soon as he emerged from the shattered ground that directly linked the base of the Great Helios Labyrinth to the city of Dulum, Valefor finally feasted eyes on his supposed enemy.

It was a young boy... a human.

"Y-you...?!"

The human stood at the center of a dark red Magic Circle. Dark red and black sparks of energy flashed at every given moment, and the concentration of Miasma emerging from it was beyond natural.

It was sublime.

And that was one of the very justifiable reasons why the Demon Lord was frozen in shock as soon as he witnessed what he did.

'How is he still alive? I killed him!'

The courageous and surprisingly powerful human who stood against him—whom he killed—was not only alive, but was actively using Magic.

'He's utilizing Miasma? And at this scale? No... no way! Not possible!'

The Magic Circle underneath the boy was something Valefor could hardly decipher. He could only transcribe a bit from it—an amazing feat, given the current state of his mind.

"WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE... YOU INFERIOR HUMAAAANNNN!!!"

Valefor's roar did not alter the expression made by the human—just like his destructive appearance didn't faze him at all.

The young man simply gave an undaunted stare, placing both hands in the pockets of his newly acquired jeans as his black jacket and blue shirt fluttered with the wind.

"Demon Lord Valefor..." The human whispered, enough so that the wind did not prevent his voice from reaching the recipient's ears.

Valefor felt a chill crawl up his spine, but there was no way he could show even an ounce of fear to a mere human.

It was absolutely inconceivable!

"... It's over now."

'W-what is he—??!'

>VWUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSHHHHH<

The Magic Circle began humming ominously, revealing more of its twisted nature.

Red glows that resembled the allure of blood.

Black flashes that personified darkness itself.

Valefor's body would have shivered if not for the extreme heat that was now proceeding from the Magic Circle.

Flame-like Miasma ignored the outlines of the runic inscriptions, and it seemed like reality itself was breaking apart.

This was...!!!

'S-summoning? But... this sheer amount of power—!' Valefor could not comprehend it.

Well, not until it was too late.

"The offerings have been made. The scenery is to thine twisted desires. The stage has been set. Now, then creature of the darkness, accept my offer. Emerge and manifest your malevolence."

>VWWWWWWUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMM!!!<

The ground parted, and what seemed like a doorway to hell manifested. Dark flames of absolute calamity tore through the ground, and amid the tear in the fabric of space itself, a hand emerged.

The hand was pale and stricken with emaciation. It looked beggarly and frail. Slowly, more parts of the body emerged, and the being that appeared from the murky depths made its appearance.

A black hooded cloak like the shade of darkness itself. Misty red energy that hinted the feel of blood and death. Pale skin that appeared to drain all life from itself.

And finally... the horse it rode that personified the very color that it had—pale all through.

"One of the four horsemen. Death itself. ArchDemon from the realm of the Demon God, and Celestial among the 12 Great Ones of eternal damnation."

The human chanted words he should not have known, singing praises and undulation toward the emerging personification that defied logic.

A literal divine being that transcended the current plane of existence.

'N-no...!'

The being called death, seated atop its steed, took a glance around—its face covered with the hood of darkness.

It witnessed the numerous deaths and chaos that surrounded it—both within the dome and outside of it.

The setting was fitting.

That alone was enough to cause the grim reaper itself to leak out a smile.

"Human..." The pale rider spoke—its voice husky, yet akin to an echoed sound from the depth of a deep well.

Despite hearing a tone that would normally make a person tremble to the core of their bones, the young man remained upright.

It might have been due to a special Skill or Title of his... or perhaps sheer willpower.

"... This is the first time a human has ever summoned any Great One. You possess the proper etiquette. You have welcomed me well with this precious scenery, and the precious resources given as sacrifices are well recieved."

Valefor's brain rang the moment he heard the last line. So, the prizes he had been looking forward to we're already exhausted as sacrifices?

The gates to hell never returned what was given to it, thus the Demon Lord had to admit that his treasures were long gone.

"Now, tell me, human..." The grim reaper spoke with an amused tone.

The very balance between sanity and utter chaos hung on a thread.

"... What is your request?"