At Zeke's words, the entire conference hall fell into a chill silence.
The Grand Lords stared at Zeke without a word.
They had originally been among the strongest constellations in the Celestial Realm, wielding immense power and influence. After resisting the Primordial Light—which endlessly destroyed civilizations in its quest for a perfect world—they had fallen and become demons. The Celestial Realm was like a homeland they could never return to.
They had dreamed of ascending back to the Celestial Realm, of course.
But even for the powerful Grand Lords of the Demon Realm, returning to the Celestial Realm was impossible.
It was Demon Archlord Mephistopheles who broke the frozen atmosphere.
Clang!
As he dropped the wine glass he was holding to the floor, the frozen moment seemed to resume, and the Grand Lords finally stirred.
Mephistopheles conjured a new wine glass and looked at Zeke.
"That's quite an intriguing statement, Zeke Draker. But you see, it's a rather sensitive topic for us, so you shouldn't speak so carelessly."
Mephistopheles, who had shown a favorable attitude toward Zeke until now, unleashed considerable hostility as he snapped at him.
Zeke then said to Mephistopheles,
"You lot are nothing more than defeated dogs that tucked your tails and fled."
At Zeke's words, a chilling light flickered in the eyes of the five Grand Lords, including Mephistopheles.
Mephistopheles spoke to Zeke in a voice laced with killing intent.
"You'd better watch yourself. One wrong move, and you might set the record for the shortest tenure as a Grand Lord."
The other Grand Lords were also pouring intense killing intent toward Zeke, just like Mephistopheles.
A normal human would have gone mad just from enduring the malice of the archdemons, but Zeke took it in stride.
At the same time, he activated his unique authority, Absolute Dominion.
Rumble!
An aura of absolute dominion surged from Zeke's body, crushing the archdemons' killing intent.
In that moment, the Grand Lords sensed a familiar presence behind Zeke.
'The Demon King?'
The absolute ruler who had overseen everything, placing even arrogant constellations beneath his feet.
They felt the majesty of the Demon King emanating from the human Zeke.
Overwhelming the archdemons with the aura of absolute dominion, Zeke opened his mouth.
"Not the Sun God—should I call it instead?"
At the constellation title he uttered, the Grand Lords' eyes widened.
Rumble!
Simultaneously, the archdemons' forms changed.
Baal transformed into a full Tuma tribesman, Agares into a demon-dragonkin, Asmodeus into a chimeric beast, and Beelzebub into a death knight clad in armor entwined with thornvines.
Only Mephistopheles remained unchanged, maintaining his automaton form.
The fact that the archdemons reacted with such hypersensitivity just from the mention of the title revealed what the Sun God meant to them.
They glared at Zeke with murderous intent, unleashing their malice.
But Zeke, still composed, continued.
"The Arrogant Savior told me that I am the only one who can destroy the Wheel of Fate held by the Sun God of the Celestial Realm." He slowly rose from his seat.
"I will eliminate the Sun God of the Celestial Realm and all the constellations, liberating the Phenomenal World. Anyone who interferes will be annihilated the moment they ascend to the Phenomenal World."
He then carefully regarded each of the archdemons and said,
"But if you aid me, I'll push out those damned Celestial Realm constellations and put you back in their places. Think carefully about which choice benefits you more."
Despite the utterly mad declaration, the archdemons' gazes, filled with killing intent, subtly shifted at Zeke's confident demeanor.
At that moment, Mephistopheles, who had been listening, suddenly burst into laughter, clutching his stomach.
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Pointing at Zeke, he said,
"Good! Very good! A new Grand Lord needs this kind of spirit."
Still roaring with laughter, Mephistopheles looked at the other Grand Lords.
". Doesn't that suit you perfectly? You all should brace yourselves. One slip, and you might get devoured by him."
At Mephistopheles' words, the Grand Lords glared at Zeke before gradually reining in their auras and reverting to their original forms.
Zeke sat back down, observing them.
As the atmosphere in the conference hall settled, Mephistopheles stood and shouted,
"No, this won't do! On such a joyous day, the mood can't sink like this! Let's have a party —a fun party!"
Mephistopheles flapped open his fan and made a fuss about starting a party.
With a snap of his fingers, the surroundings shifted; the conference hall vanished, replaced by a banquet hall.
The tables were laden not only with exquisite delicacies from land and sea but also with rare liquors hard to obtain nowadays.
The other Grand Lords still looked displeased, but since it was rare for them to step away from their domains otherwise, they reluctantly joined the party Mephistopheles had prepared.
Baal hauled over a barrel and guzzled, Agares chewed through whole carcasses of unidentified magical beasts, and Asmodeus tasted one bite of each delicacy before discarding the rest.
The Lord of the Abyss sat quietly in one corner, motionless, gazing at the colorful flames rising from a brazier.
Mephistopheles, the party's host, danced freely to the music, while jesters around him cheered and danced in his direction.
Watching this bizarre party of Grand Lords, Zeke unwittingly clicked his tongue.
'As expected of demons—they're completely self-indulgent.'
Observing the Grand Lords enjoying the party each in their own way, driven by their desires without mingling, Zeke thought this might be the true nature of constellations.
Just then, someone approached Zeke.
"My lord."
It was Shamos, the head butler he had seen upon first arriving.
Seeing Shamos in servant attire, Zeke was once again impressed by the aura emanating from him.
'By human standards, at least black knight level. To think such a powerhouse is serving drinks.'
Shamos looked at Zeke and said,
"What would you like prepared? Here, anything my lord desires can be arranged. If needed, I can even prepare a subject for pleasurable torment..." Zeke closed his eyes tightly at Shamos's words.
It seemed a major misunderstanding had arisen due to his new constellation title.
Maintaining his composure, Zeke said to Shamos,
"It's fine. I don't need anything right now." Shamos looked surprised at his response.
Demons lived by their desires.
Though the types varied, each had a defining desire symbolizing themselves.
Especially in this castle where the Grand Lords' council convened, everything was prepared to let them indulge those desires more freely than usual, so the Grand Lords would casually order and enjoy what they wanted.
But Zeke was showing a starkly different demeanor from the other Grand Lords.
"Understood, great lord. Call upon me anytime if you need something." Shamos bowed to Zeke and withdrew.
Zeke shook his head at the other Grand Lords, who were eagerly fulfilling their desires without restraint.
As he pondered whether he had to just kill time like this, a voice echoed in his mind.
—O , I take the liberty of addressing you. Could you spare a moment?
Glancing at the other lords, they were still absorbed in their indulgences as before. The voice had been transmitted covertly, evading their eyes.
Zeke asked the voice in his mind,
'Who are you?'
The response came again.
—I am a faithful servant who once served the Arrogant Savior.
Zeke grew wary of the one sending him this secret message.
'A faithful servant, you say. Then why speak from hiding without revealing yourself?' The voice returned.
—Forgive my rudeness. Confined to this space, I cannot greet the great lord in person.
The voice continued.
—My name is Lilith. I am the first vassal created by the Arrogant Savior and the avatar who attained divinity.
*
Leaving the party hall, Zeke followed the head butler Shamos through the castle corridors.
The dim corridors were built in the style of the long-collapsed Babel.
Zeke recalled that this place was the old castle where the Arrogant Savior's throne once stood.
After he was sealed in the Phenomenal World, Babel was torn apart by other archdemons, causing the Babel Tower to crumble as well.
Mephistopheles had separated that torn fragment of the Arrogant Savior's castle to use as the venue for the Grand Lords' council.
The powerful vassals of the Arrogant Savior, who hadn't chosen a new domain, had become the castle's hired guardians, seemingly confined eternally.
Shamos led Zeke to the deepest underground level of the castle, where a massive door appeared before him.
Engraved on the door was the image of the Arrogant Savior, who had descended from the Celestial Realm and resettled the annihilated in the lowest place.
As Shamos approached and extended his hand, the seal reacted, and the thick door slowly opened.
Rumble!
Shamos guided Zeke inside.
As he entered, the sound of chains rattling echoed from within.
At the same time, a frail voice emerged from the darkness.
"Shamos, light the candles."
At the voice's command, Shamos illuminated the surrounding candles.
Then, from the darkness, a bed shrouded in curtains emerged.
The frail voice came from behind the curtains.
"Great lord, forgive my rudeness. Since karma doesn't reach my confined domain, I must handle everything personally, which is quite bothersome." The chains rattled again with a clink.
Zeke slowly approached the curtained bedchamber.
He gazed inside, illuminated by the faint candlelight.
Surprisingly, atop the bed sat a delicate young girl with a mystical aura, her hands and feet bound by iron chains.
The slender girl, with platinum blonde hair long enough to cover her entire body, looked up at Zeke while restrained by the cold chains.
She bowed her head toward Zeke and said, "Forgive my lack of proper courtesy."
Zeke nodded at the girl's words and spoke.
"You are Lilith."
"Yes, great lord."
"Cut the flattery."
She flinched briefly at Zeke's words but soon nodded.
"Understood. Then may I call you Sir Zeke?" Zeke nodded.
Soon, Shamos brought a chair from behind for Zeke to sit in.
He sat, matching eye level with Lilith.
Lilith then looked at Zeke and said,
"You must be wondering why I summoned you here, Sir Zeke."
With a nonchalant expression, Zeke replied to Lilith,
"It's obvious. As the successor to the Arrogant Savior, you're asking me to take you in and end this confinement."
Lilith fell silent at Zeke's blunt words, then shook her head and spoke.
"Sir Zeke, what I wish to request is... to end our lives." Zeke's eyes widened at Lilith's unexpected words.
'End our lives?' Clink!
The chains binding Lilith rattled again.
They were heavy, cold chains ill-suited to her delicate limbs.
Though her status as a vassal of the Arrogant Savior tugged at his sympathy, Zeke resolved not to be swayed by appearances.
As a demon strong enough to command the head butler Shamos, Lilith was undoubtedly a vassal with constellation-level or greater power.
Her confinement here suggested that, like Arataso, the other Grand Lords had sealed her power out of wariness.
Zeke looked at Lilith and said,
"Not salvation, but termination. You have no lingering attachment to life anymore." At his words, Lilith gave a bitter smile that didn't suit her delicate appearance.
She looked at Zeke and said,
"We were beings living false lives created by the Arrogant Savior from the start. It's laughable to cling to such a life."
Zeke voiced his doubt at Lilith's self-deprecating words.
"What do you mean by false lives?"
She looked at Zeke and said,
"Even as the successor to the Arrogant Savior, you haven't truly seen his essence." Clink!
Lilith extended her hand toward Zeke.
"Take my hand. Then you will understand what false life the Arrogant Savior gave us."