The timeline returns to one day earlier—after Diego set out for Flamme's ruins, a shadowy demonic figure arrived quietly.
"So now we begin—digging up Diego Brando's mother's grave."
In the long-silent forest, a light and cheerful voice rang out.
The one who appeared was a girl dressed in a simple long skirt and cardigan. Her smooth long hair cascaded down, and her compassionate face gave the impression of someone utterly harmless, incapable of harming a living thing.
Yet the two small horns sprouting from her head, along with the sinful act she spoke of, unmistakably revealed her as a demon.
Rustle rustle...
"Long time no see, Solitär." At the same time, Guillotine Aura appeared behind her, one hand on her hip, the other holding the Scales of Obedience. "What did you call me here for?"
Solitär clasped her hands before her chest, brows relaxed, lips curved in a gentle smile. "Long time no see, Aura. It's probably been several hundred years."
"…You're not just here to catch up, are you?" Aura frowned.
"Of course not. Though you probably won't be interested, before we get to the main business, may I share something amusing?" Solitär shook her head slightly, still smiling, and began speaking with evident interest. "Four years ago, a memory appeared in the minds of us demons. The content was simple: a scene of a human devouring a demon."
"It's that human child named Diego Brando. Being able to attack an archdemon alone at just six years old is certainly noteworthy." Aura nodded in agreement, not particularly concerned, and offered her own view. "But it's nothing major. In a fair fight, he's no match for any archdemon. All his tactics are built on ambush."
Solitär mentally drew a large X. She did not agree with Aura's opinion.
It was too shallow—and far too arrogant. Unfortunately, this was the mainstream view among demons regarding that memory.
"Predators are always arrogant and conceited. This fatal flaw has killed countless demons. Even after being hunted to this extent, demons still haven't realized they can become prey themselves." Solitär thought silently.
For the sake of the important matter ahead, Solitär gave a soft sigh, turned her head, and continued explaining:
"That's right—that was the memory of Little Tot, an archdemon known to humans as the Saint of the End. Following the omniscient Schlacht's arrangements, I personally participated in the rescue operation for Little Tot and investigated the scene afterward."
"While I made many interesting discoveries, the most surprising to me was that Diego Brando never actually left back then. From a place we couldn't see, he silently watched our every move."
"How intriguing. Was he protecting something? This differs slightly from the future Schlacht spoke of."
Aura furrowed her brows and couldn't help speaking up: "Unbelievable. That's the future Schlacht foresaw. Are you saying Diego Brando's actions deviated from the predicted future path, and Schlacht's magic was wrong?"
"No, it shouldn't be. Schlacht's control over the future has never been mistaken—that's an indisputable fact."
Solitär stood with lowered eyes, her expression calm and serene: "I think it's merely a matter of expression. Like a simple sentence that becomes distorted after many layers of transmission. Regardless, he is an existence who has witnessed the future tens of millions, billions of times. We cannot comprehend his exalted thoughts."
"Getting to the point: I hope you can help me dig up Diego Brando's mother's grave and attempt to dominate her remains with obedience magic."
"..."
A period of silence passed.
After a long while, Aura asked with puzzlement: "What is a 'mother'? What is a 'grave'?"
Like magical beasts, demons have no custom of raising offspring. After being born, their children spend the vast majority of their time in solitude.
Demons regard loneliness as natural. The very concept of family does not exist for them, so they cannot understand what a mother is.
"I'm not sure either. Most humans seem to find a woman they call 'mother' and revere her the way we revere the Demon King. But one thing is certain—we demons do not have such a thing." Solitär stepped in front of Aura, extended her hand, and spoke again. "As for graves, it seems to be a special human ritual. They bury the dead in the earth and place food on fixed days each year, praying for good weather and harvests in the coming year."
Similarly, when demons die, they dissolve into magical particles, so they have no custom of burying their own kind.
Aura met Solitär's gaze. Their emotionless eyes resonated. She stepped forward, took Solitär's outstretched hand, and her lips parted slightly.
"Humans are such boring food, always doing things we can't comprehend." The corner of Aura's mouth curved subtly, a faint trace of amusement flickering through.
"We can't understand them. Can you imagine what feelings a flying insect in the sky might have?" Solitär smiled along with her.
Aura lowered her eyes. Magical power surged from her palm, obliterating the surrounding thorns and undergrowth.
"Solitär, what exactly is my role here?" Aura's voice was soft.
Boom boom boom...
Dozens of flying swords orbited Solitär's body, blades hanging inverted in the sky. A chilling sword intent manifested, and the chaotic sword dance began systematically clearing the surrounding forest, providing the two with an open field of view.
Solitär stood motionless at the center of the sword rain, her posture steady as a pine, her words clashing sharply with her gentle face:
"I'm deeply interested in studying humans and very curious about their bodies. Four years ago, five archdemons' magical perception failed to detect his presence. Even I only vaguely sensed a human watching."
"So I hope you can use Diego Brando's mother's corpse to lure him out, then the three of us can join forces to kill him completely."
"Don't go overboard." Aura didn't look up, silently continuing the excavation.
"I understand. Everything is for the Demon King, right?"
A full day passed quietly.
The entire forest had been utterly transformed—riddled with massive pits and mounds of excavated soil.
"So, only the area beneath that cliff wall remains. That's where Diego Brando's mother is buried." Prolonged magical expenditure left Aura panting, her face weary.
"Yes. I truly hope we can meet him soon, so he can tell me how he feels seeing this." Solitär clasped her hands together, wearing a smile so pitiable it evoked sympathy.
Aura looked at Solitär, brows slightly furrowed. "Speaking of which, while my obedience magic can control corpses, still..."
Bam!!!
In Aura's incredulous gaze—
Amid flying debris, the Solitär before her was seized by the throat by a dinosaur claw and sent flying, leaving a terrifying gouge in the ground.
Bam!!!
Another massive crash. The earth shook violently. Solitär was embedded in the cliff wall. Diego lunged forward with gaping jaws, as if to bite clean through her neck.
Crack crack crack...
!!!
The unstoppable dinosaur fangs halted completely.
The dust cleared. Blood trickled from Solitär's head as she appeared before Diego, hands folded lightly over her collar, eyes lowered, voice gentle.
"Hello, little brother. No need to be so wary of me. I don't want to fight you—I just want to understand you. Could you chat with me for a little while?"
Hearing this, Diego's dinosaur pupils contracted. He instantly leaped backward, putting dozens of meters between them, spat out Ugly Treasure, and let it climb onto his shoulder. His heart sank heavily.
That texture—it was a copper-and-iron wall built from ultra-high-density magical power. It didn't even require a formula to maintain such precise and solid magical control.
Just like Serie back in the empire.
Damn Serie—even if what fought me was only a clone, she held back way too much. Just how much water did she let flow back then?! The entire ocean around the continent was her mercy?!
"Right—when meeting someone for the first time, one should introduce oneself." Solitär maintained her posture, speaking politely. "I am the archdemon Solitär. Pleased to meet you."
...Never heard of her.
That meant every human who had ever seen this one was already dead.
Just as expected—this one was far more dangerous than Aura, one of the Seven Sages of Destruction standing beside her!
Diego's gaze darkened. He drew the Inverted Spear of Heaven from Ugly Treasure's mouth and locked onto the two demons' movements.
"It seems you misunderstand me. I've simply lived quietly and out of sight since long ago. I've never killed anyone." Solitär slowly approached, one hand resting on the necklace at her chest, the other extended in invitation. "Don't worry—nothing will happen. Come, chat with big sister for a bit."
At this moment, Solitär truly resembled a gentle, understanding older sister.
Sniff sniff... sniff sniff...
Diego's nose twitched. A powerful stench nearly made him vomit.
The reek of corpses—like dead herring fermented with durian in a sewer for ten years. Just how many people had this woman killed?
"Don't move!"
Seeing Diego's reaction, Solitär truly stopped. A faint, almost imperceptible smile curved her lips—but it felt profoundly unsettling.
Aura tilted her head, her voice carrying a hint of dissatisfaction: "Stop playing around, Solitär. Just kill him and study him slowly."
With that, Aura raised the Scales of Obedience in her hand. Magical power surged. Her finger lifted slightly, about to activate obedience magic—when...
Squelch!!!
A knife-wielding hand grew larger as it approached from afar. The Inverted Spear of Heaven pierced through the magical barrier and stabbed straight into the center of Aura's forehead. Blood sprayed.
Like a rampaging beast, Diego bared his fangs before Aura and exhaled a puff of white breath: "I said—don't move..."
"So impressive. No hesitation at all. Outstanding combat instincts. Did you teach yourself?" Solitär's eyes brightened. Her clear voice spilled out. "It seems you truly are an excellent warrior. Thank you for letting me learn this. Now I'm even more interested in you. Could you tell me how you trained?"
Beneath Solitär's hypocritical smile lurked surging flying swords, hanging high above Diego's head.
"Where is your hometown? It seems you're from the empire side. What mindset did you have when you ate a demon back then? That silver cross pendant is so cute—who gave it to you? That sword in your hand looks impressive too—easily piercing an archdemon's magical barrier. I think I've seen Zenin clansmen use it on the battlefield. Are you from that family? And that magical construct on your shoulder—it's Reflardi's, right? Did you kill him?"
Facing Solitär's Gatling-like barrage of questions, Diego turned a deaf ear. He seized the Scales of Obedience, brought it close for inspection, and casually shook it a few times.
Diego was not as calm as he appeared. Rage surged through his entire chest, yet he understood even more clearly that he must stay calm in this moment.
"Can't let Solitär's words get to me. This one understands humans extremely well—she knows exactly what words will provoke the most." Holding this thought, Diego forced himself to calm down.
"—Sorry. It's been a long time since I last spoke with a human." Solitär clasped her hands apologetically, ever considerate. "Being asked so many questions at once must be hard to answer. One by one, slowly is fine..."
For a moment—aside from Aura with the Inverted Spear of Heaven still embedded in her head—the scene was unexpectedly harmonious.
Both sides knew clearly: this was a psychological battle. Whoever lost composure first would fall into a disadvantage.
A single strike had failed. The precise, stable magical defense proved Solitär's excellence as a mage. Diego feared Solitär's unknown capabilities—against a skilled mage, the greatest taboo was rashly attacking without knowing their specialty.
[The magical systems of demons and humans are worlds apart. When facing a highly accomplished demon, even the most seasoned mage will marvel at magic that seems straight out of fairy tales.]
Solitär, meanwhile, feared Diego's terrifying physical strength. Her years of accumulated experimental experience studying humans made her keenly aware how frighteningly fast such monsters could grow. If she misjudged Diego's limit speed and acted rashly, the one who would suffer would be herself.
The distant Aura—bound by a dinosaur tail and hovering between life and death—was the best example.
Tap...