Seeing that the old demon, Rugal, was cooperative, Arthur was satisfied and asked, "What's your name...?"

After this first question, Arthur noticed that Rugal hesitated, so he continued, "I'm not asking for your real demon name."

Relieved, the old dom replied, You can call me Rugal!"

"Okay, Rugal!" Arthur nodded and pointed to the altar and magic circle. "What's happening here? Is this altar and magic circle a teleportation device? Who built it?"

"This is the Abyssal Gateway!" Rugal explained. "You probably weren't summoned before, right? We've been using this portal for generations. As for who built it, I don't know. These Abyssal Gates have existed for thousands of years, possibly crafted by the demon kings deep in the abyss."

Even an old demon like Rugal didn't know who built the altar, so Arthur decided to focus on another question. He asked, "Where does the Abyssal Gateway lead to? Is it other worlds, or are they connected to this one?"

“It's connected to numerous worlds" Rugal replied. "I've been summoned eight times, and each time it was a different world. The Abyssal Gateway is said to connect all worlds, as long as someone knows how to harness magic power, they can link to it."

"Magic, you say?" Arthur became intrigued. "So, do you know magic?"

Rugal shook his massive head and explained, "No, we lower demons can't use magic. Our bloodlines are too dirty, preventing us from channelling magic. Only when we become middle demons can we refine our blood and unlock the ability to use magic..."

Rugal then gave Arthur a strange look and said, "These are memories passed down from the demon eggshell during hatching. Why don't you know this, and why are you asking me?"

Arthur was perplexed. Memories in an eggshell? Why wasn't he aware of this?

"It seems I'm missing some memories," Arthur admitted. "Tell me, how can one achieve this promotion?"

Rugal didn't answer directly but instead looked at the demon wings on Arthur's back with a peculiar smile. It wasn't a friendly expression; it seemed more like gloating. Arthur sternly said, "You can choose not to answer, but I can end you and seek answers from other lower demons."

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"Promotion doesn't have a fixed method," Rugal replied. "It involves hunting and stealing souls, but most lower demons never achieve it in their lifetimes. So, I can't tell you how to do it."

Arthur felt like he was hitting a dead end. If Rugal, an old demon, didn't know, it must be incredibly challenging.

"Fine, let's change the question," Arthur said. "What have you encountered during past summonings? How did things turn out like this?"

As Rugal heard this question, fear crossed his face, and he said, "I was betrayed! I was summoned by a demon sorcerer who brought me here to fight a powerful paladin. He left me to face the paladin alone and escaped. I fought the paladin for a while, but in the end, I was defeated."

"Defeated?" Arthur glanced at the gaping wound in Rugal's abdomen and asked, "But you're not dead. How did you survive?"

Rugal angrily claimed, "The Ouroboros mark protects me. Demons summoned to other worlds under its protection are immortal; even if they appear to die, they return with some injuries."

Arthur grasped that this explained why summoned demons always came back, even when severely harmed. This might be because the Paladin who fought Rugal didn't know his demon's real name. If they did, Rugal might not escape death, even with the Ouroboros mark.

Relieved by this knowledge, Arthur knew he was summoned to a dangerous world, where he might encounter enemies like Paladins and Exorcists. However, as long as his own demon's name remained secret, there was no real death.

Rugal, struggling to stand, said, "Are you done with your questions? I'm leaving." He needed time to recover from his injuries, wary of Arthur's cunning.

Standing again, Rugal grew confident, shifting his tone to a tougher stance. Arthur asked about the sacrifice Rugal had devoured – a higher soul. Rugal sneered, saying he had consumed it, as no devil could resist such a delicacy.

Although Arthur expected this, he still felt a bit sorry for missing out on the first high soul he encountered. He decided to let Rugal go and said, "Is that true? Forget it, then just leave your soul!"

Startled, Rugal couldn't react in time as Arthur launched an attack. Arthur flew up, targeting Rugal's throat. With a powerful swipe, he broke through Rugal's scale armour, causing blood to gush from Rugal's throat.

Rugal roared and reached for Arthur, but Arthur evaded and headed for Rugal's head. He landed on Rugal's forehead, and in the next moment, Arthur's tail pierced Rugal's right eye socket.

Blood spurted out as Arthur yanked Rugal's eyeball before Rugal could counterattack. Rugal fell in pain and disorientation, missing Arthur. Weakened and losing blood, Rugal collapsed to the ground.

Arthur watched Rugal twitch on the ground, staying alert in case Rugal pretended to be dead. Only when he saw Rugal's soul light confirm Rugal's death did Arthur land and hold Rugal's damaged soul, realizing it was incomplete. Arthur had no intention of sparing Rugal.