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The special-grade curse spirit's eyes went wide in disbelief.
Impossible.
Just raw power? He'd shattered my domain with nothing but raw magic?
I'm a special-grade curse spirit. Ordinary demons could never hope to match me.
"No… you're no mere higher demon. At the very least, you're one of the supreme kind."
And yet—he hadn't even used a single spell.
The calm, almost indifferent look on Edgar's face only made the spirit's features twist more viciously.
"Fine then. You asked for this."
With a roar, he pulled out a blood-red stone and swallowed it in one gulp.
"Let me show you the true power of the Killing Stone!"
Boom!
A wave of raw malice erupted from his body, flooding the entire space in an instant. His aura and cursed energy spiked, swelling to several times what they had been just moments ago.
On the other side, Edgar's expression shifted slightly, as though something had just clicked.
Ah, so that strange energy I felt earlier—it was the Killing Stone.
Heh. This world really does have an appetite. What else are they stuffing into existence here?
"Demon," the curse spirit sneered, drunk on his newfound strength, "if you beg on your knees now, maybe I'll let you die a little faster."
But Edgar's reply was ice-cold.
"Is that so?"
The words echoed through the air as his figure flickered—vanishing and reappearing right in front of his opponent.
So fast!
The curse spirit's pupils contracted in terror. Twice as many tentacles lashed forward to block the strike.
Edgar raised his right hand. The Demon's Spear shimmered into existence, its tip glowing with a blinding light.
Pierce.
Pshhhk!
A searing beam ripped straight through the tentacles and the spirit's body, punching a hole clean through him.
He didn't even have time to scream before a boot filled his vision.
Bang!
The impact slammed him into the ground, his massive body shattering the earth beneath.
"Aaaaghhhh!"
Agonizing pain wracked him, tearing screams from his throat as he writhed helplessly.
Edgar only looked down from above, pressing his foot a little harder.
In the next heartbeat, the screams stopped. His skull burst like a watermelon underfoot, gore splattering across the ruined ground.
"Special-grade curse spirit or not, you really thought a trinket like the Killing Stone made you my equal?"
With a casual wave, the stone vanished into a glowing magic circle.
Rare item. Could come in handy later.
Not far away, Itsuki Shima trembled uncontrollably, terror flooding every inch of her body.
Thud!
Her legs gave out, dropping her to the ground.
"What's wrong? Not praying to your god anymore?"
Edgar crouched, lifting her chin with a mocking smile. Her face, beautiful and alluring even through her fear, filled his view.
He had to admit, people from the Underworld really did have a different… flavor. Even Leoné and the others couldn't compare to this kind of presence. She was easily on par with a near-legendary class.
But what caught his eye most was the glowing demon contract. His eyelid twitched.
Well, damn. An authentic one.
He'd been planning to kill her outright, but maybe it was time to change his mind.
"N-no, please don't kill me."Shima's voice trembled, pitiful and fragile.
"Relax. I won't kill you." Edgar pinched her cheek lightly. "A wicked beauty like you? I'd be more than happy to take you as one of my followers."
He had always valued his retainers. Unlike those fallen angels—who were disposable—he actually preferred to keep treasures like this close.
"Th-thank you…" she whispered, eyes brimming with desperation. "As long as you spare me, I'll give you anything."
Edgar didn't answer. Instead, he cast a cleansing spell.
In an instant, the blood and corpses littering the battlefield dissolved into nothing, as though they had never existed at all.
The grand hall gleamed once more, spotless as if nothing had ever happened.
"Yes... I can give you money. As much as you want—endless amounts."
Terror had hollowed out every corner of Shima's mind. She could no longer think, could only cling to the desperate hope that Edgar would accept her offer.
Edgar looked down at her from above, his gaze sharp and heavy.
"Money? I already have more than enough."
He tilted his head, a faint smile curving his lips. "Still, you should be glad. There is... something about you that interests me."
Smack.
The sound cracked against the silence.
"I think you know exactly what I mean."
Pain exploded across her cheek before she could even react. Shima's throat tightened, and she swallowed hard, mumbling under her breath,"No... I can't. My body, my soul—everything belongs to the gods."
"Oh? You mean that half-dead fool lying on the floor?" Edgar's smile sharpened. He seized the man by the neck and hauled him up with casual strength."If you miss him that much, I can always send you to join him."
The suffocating pressure squeezed tighter and tighter, drowning her in the taste of death.
Drip. Drip.
Warm liquid trickled down onto the polished floor.
Edgar's eyes glinted with amusement. "So much for your devotion. Doesn't look all that strong to me." He leaned closer. "To wet yourself from fear... how pitiful."
Shima's eyes rolled back as she forced words through clenched teeth."Please... please... I don't want to die..."
Edgar loosened his grip, and she collapsed to the floor, gasping greedily for air. A moment later she was on her hands and knees, groveling.
"Seems you've already made your choice."
He pressed a hand onto her head, fingers sliding through her soft black hair as though stroking a kitten.
"In that case... do what you're supposed to do."
At his words, she lifted her head. There was no choice left for her—no escape. No matter how degrading, she couldn't resist the monster before her.
Damn demon. How dare he treat a servant of the gods like this? Someday... someday she would make him pay.
Hatred flickered in her eyes, but her thoughts grew hazy. His overwhelming presence crushed her will until her mind went blank.
Edgar watched quietly and sighed."I told you. Whatever you do, you have to mean it. Or are you really nothing but a fraud—your faith as shallow as the rest of you?"
The cold words made her body tremble. Her belief, trampled again and again, flared for an instant, allowing her to fight through the fear. She forced her voice out:
"Shut up! I'm... I'm no fraud!"
But the moment she resisted, pain slammed into her skull, the world spinning violently.
Yes, she was a bishop of the church—but in the end, still just a human. Her body had some flexibility, but in terms of strength she was weaker than most.
Her spirit and flesh both broke under the strain, and she soon lay there sobbing in pain.
"Oh, right," Edgar muttered almost to himself. "I almost forgot the rebirth ritual."
He pricked his finger, letting drops of blood fall onto her skin.
Buzz.
Light blazed and vanished in a flash, leaving a glowing heart-shaped sigil etched into her flesh. Strange runes burned across it, branding her.
Her body convulsed, skin twisting.
With a sickening tear, a pair of sleek, black demon wings unfurled from her back. A tail tipped with a heart-shaped barb whipped restlessly through the air.
"You... what have you done to me?!"
Seeing the wings and tail, Shima broke into horrified screams.
And then the true agony came. Pain that reached down into her very soul and spread through every nerve until her whole body convulsed.
Expressionless, Edgar dragged her across the floor as though she weighed nothing.
Every time her eyes filled with hatred, the contract flared and punishment struck, forcing her to writhe in fresh waves of torment.
How many times it happened, she couldn't tell. Eventually, her gaze lost all defiance, leaving only raw terror—and, buried deep within, a twisted kind of longing.
"..."
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