Chapter 406: Chapter 406

Many things happened in a brief moment.

The ritual chamber was Sodian’s domain, her workshop, a space completely under her control.

Every hidden mechanism, every trap, every spell… it was all imbued with her will.

And so, linked to her main body, she could react instantly to any unexpected threat.

Countless roots erupted from the floor, formi ng a barrier that enveloped the entire basement, twisting and distorting the space within.

Chains shot outwards, binding the intruder, and a powerful curse was unleashed.

Magical barriers materialized, blocking the monster’s path, and a complex magic circle, its components rotating like gears, activated, unleashing a barrage of dark magic spells.

A display of power worthy of a high-ranking demon, a master of magic who had walked the Path of Sorcery for thousands of years, her skills far surpassing those of ordinary transcendent mages.

But unfortunately for Sodian,

…her opponent wasn’t… ordinary.

The curse was devoured whole.

The barriers that blocked his path were torn apart by sharp fangs, and the binding chains, straining against his monstrous strength, began to crack and break.

The dark magic spells, imbued with sinister energy, barely scratched his monstrous hide.

“Ugh! Ken, how dare you…!”

A monster, in the truest sense of the word.

He didn’t care about the obstacles in his path.

He simply charged forward, his gaze fixed on his target, Sodian.

“Elimination! This is my domain! Do you think you can defeat me?!”

Sodian fought back, her anger and frustration fueling her power… but it wouldn’t last.

She was barely holding on, her defenses reinforced by the environment… but against his relentless assault, her resistance was crumbling.

‘…He’s… strong. I knew Davidson was powerful, but I didn’t expect him to be this monstrous.’

Ken, watching the scene from a safe distance, closed his eyes, a strange… excitement… in his heart.

Davidson, rampaging like a wild animal, his three heads snapping and biting, the entire ritual chamber being torn apart by his sheer power…

It reminded him of his beagle back on Earth, its boundless energy and its tendency to… redecorate the house whenever it was bored.

‘…I don’t need to interfere. I’ll just leave it to him and focus on my own task.’

He took a deep breath, calming his mind, and turned away.

He had been planning to join the fight if necessary… but it seemed like Davidson could handle it on his own.

The formations, weakened by Davidson’s rampage, weren’t difficult to bypass.

And besides… he just had to follow the strange… pull, the same feeling that had led him here before.

He glanced at the massive Balrog, the Fighting Demon Duke Karakul, still bound and restrained, and then continued walking, his gaze fixed on the door behind the pillar.

He would deal with the Duke later.

His priority was the room behind that door.

His heart pounded in his chest as he approached the door, his excitement growing, a sense of anticipation… and a hint of… nervousness.

He reached for the doorknob, his hand crackling with demonic energy, ignoring the resistance, and then pushed the door open.

A vast space, far larger than he had imagined, a massive hall, its walls and pillars a pristine white.

Statues, intricate carvings, and a grand mural on the high ceiling…

And strange symbols, an unknown language written in gold, adorned the walls and pillars.

Judging by the atmosphere, they were probably some kind of… scriptures.

He frowned, examining the symbols, then shook his head.

‘…A temple? Here? And it doesn’t seem like a temple dedicated to the Demon God… What is the Dragon Marquis thinking?’

He walked through the open door, his footsteps leading him in a specific direction, his movements so natural and instinctive that he didn’t even realize it until he was already halfway there.

But he didn't stop. He continued walking, his gaze sweeping across the temple’s grand hall.

He was planning to search the entire place anyway. It didn’t matter where he started.

He reached a room filled with… beds?

“Is this… where they offer sacrifices?”

No, wait. They weren’t beds, but… small altars.

Well, it didn’t make much of a difference, considering that there were people lying on them.

The sacrifices varied in age, gender, and race.

The only thing they had in common was that they were all adults, and they were all… emaciated, their bodies still and lifeless, as if they were… dead.

‘…It’s actually surprising that some of them are still alive.’

Some were still breathing weakly, thanks to some kind of… life-sustaining magic… but most were clearly beyond saving, their bodies withered and decayed.

Some were even… skeletal remains.

‘…It’s not a hospital, it’s a… morgue.’

Ken, the Japanese settler, the Earl-level demon…

…finally understood what had been drawing him here.

He looked down, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief.

One of the dozens of small altars, lined up neatly in rows.

And on it, lying motionless, his body emaciated, his breath shallow and weak…

…a man with a familiar face.

A face that… resembled his own, from his human life.

“You’re back already? You could have stayed longer.”

Heinz the Second, sitting in his office, his expression cold and impassive, tilted his head slightly.

His gaze was fixed on a teenage boy, sitting on the sofa across from him, his hands clasped behind his head, his gaze fixed on the ceiling, as if he was… bored.

But he couldn't just ignore his new master.

He sighed softly and sat up straight, his hands on his knees, and spoke respectfully.

“We don’t have much time, Your Highness. There’s a lot to do, and the presidential election is just around the corner. Your mother must be very busy.”

Temiran McCleary, his lips pouting slightly, asked again.

He averted his gaze and mumbled,

“…It’s a bit… awkward. I’m a grown man now, I can’t just… stay with my mother forever. But she still treats me like a child…”

So he had come here, using work as an excuse.

Heinz chuckled softly.

Who would look at him and think he was a ‘grown man’?

He looked like… a teenager going through puberty.

‘…Well, he was imprisoned and brainwashed until recently, so it’s understandable.’

People didn't mature just by getting older.

What truly mattered was experience, interaction with others, learning and growing.

Just like a child raised in the internet age was more… worldly than an elderly person who had lived in a remote village their entire life, Temiran was just now… starting to live a normal life.

‘…I’ve done enough for him. He’s not a child anymore.’

He was a former apostle, a veteran of the shadows, and now, a high-ranking vampire, a member of Heterosis.

The only one who would treat him like a child was his mother, Kayla McCleary.

“Then let’s talk business. Tell me more about the Demon World.”

“Yes. I heard the general outline, but I might have missed something.”

Temiran, standing at attention, his expression serious, bowed slightly and spoke.

“As I said before, I was only involved in the… cleanup. Most of it was already over by the time I… arrived. So, I don’t know much.”

The Revolutionary had died before he could properly… hand over his duties, and Temiran had been sent out prematurely, an incomplete apostle.

Naturally, his knowledge was limited…

…but he still knew something.

He had to, to carry out his mission.

“They kidnapped otherworlders and sent them to the Demon World…?”

One of those… projects was the kidnapping of Earthling Awakened, which had been carried out secretly until a few years ago.

“To use them as… catalysts, of course. I’ve only heard about it, but apparently, it’s much easier to bypass the laws of the world by utilizing an otherworlder’s unique traits. The possibilities are endless.”

It had been going on since shortly after Earthlings began arriving in Auterica, until just a few years ago.

It had been a covert operation, so it hadn’t been a widespread phenomenon… but considering the duration, the number of victims couldn't be insignificant.

‘…A lot of Earthlings must have been… sacrificed.’

And that was probably one of the reasons why Auterica’s existence had been discovered so late.

It was a relatively new dimension, so there weren’t many Earthlings there to begin with… and those who did arrive were quickly kidnapped and… disposed of.

‘…Perhaps I… and Hans… would have suffered the same fate if we had been transported to a different location.’

After all, they were Earthlings, and they possessed unique items from their world. They would have stood out.

He thought of Ken, the demon he had recently met.

He had clearly been one of the victims.

Then why had he become a demon, a settler?

“What? Demonification? What are you talking about?”

His question was met with another question.

“And… completely erasing their unique traits…? Wouldn’t that decrease their value as sacrifices? I’ve never heard of a way to completely extract an otherworlder’s traits. Not even the Revolutionary knew how to do that.”

So, it was true that Ken had been sent to the Demon World… but the rest was… unrelated.

‘…Hmm, what’s going on? Did he lie?’

After all, their relationship had been… superficial. They were just fellow Earthlings who had happened to meet.

He had used 「Analysis」 to verify his claims, but the difference in their levels had been significant, so it wasn't entirely reliable.

‘…No, I confirmed it later with Hella. And there was no reason for him to lie, not after revealing that we were both Earthlings…’

Heinz frowned, his thoughts a chaotic mess, then shook his head.

He was overthinking it.

He had to… simplify things.

…Harley, who always acted before thinking.

‘…The Demon World was more fun than I expected.’

Harley, currently enjoying his monstrous life as Davidson, was… living his best life.

He had always been impulsive, but after replacing his entire body, including his brain, with demonic traits, his… eccentricities had become even more pronounced.

‘…The battle’s over, so I should get moving.’

He hadn’t noticed anything unusual while they were together, but he might find something if he observed him closely.

And if that didn't work, there were other methods.

‘…A high-ranking demon can regenerate a finger, right?’

A chilling smile appeared on Heinz’s lips.

Temiran, sensing the change in his mood, cautiously moved away.

Perhaps it was better to just… stay home and relax.

A large tree, its trunk severed, lay on the ground.

Davidson, sitting on the fallen tree, his three heads munching on its branches, turned his head.

He stretched, his movements surprisingly graceful for his size, and then trotted towards the door Ken had entered.

Leaving behind the devastated ritual chamber and the shattered remains of Gui Mok, the former host of Sodian, the Marquis-level demon.

But he didn’t enter the room right away.

He stopped before the door,

…his gaze fixed on the massive, bound figure of Karakul, the Fighting Demon Duke.

His three pairs of eyes stared at the barely breathing demon, their gaze devoid of awe or pity.

Saliva dripped from his three maws.

He had been forced to… eat vegetables earlier, and he was starving.

And now, a rare delicacy, a feast for the senses, was right before him. How could he possibly resist?

It would be an insult to 「Gourmand」!

‘…Right, I have to hurry, so just… one bite.’

Or rather, one bite each.

It wasn’t a big difference.

His three heads swelled in size, their jaws unhinging.

Unlike before, when he had been controlling his size for combat efficiency,

…he now focused all his transformation energy on maximizing his size.

Crunch! Crack! Munch—

And just to be clear,

…Harley never left any leftovers.