"Come on! Come on again! Come on!!!"

Schurke chuckled with amusement.

His hands were enveloped in a peculiar darkness, seemingly in constant motion.

The fingers transformed into sharp claws, relentlessly attacking all three Knights of the Far Lands.

Schurke was facing off against all three alone.

The attacks were not beyond the control of Alex and the others, but they definitely exerted pressure and... discomfort.

This was certainly not his full strength!

He was truly holding back to the maximum, as if playing around.

For the strong in this world, receiving such disdain was more demoralizing than being defeated directly.

"You bastard!!!"

Alex, furious, shoved Schurke aside, then in an instant conjured a radiant purple spear of light.

It was smaller than the previous attack, but its power was likely not much less.

Even if this attack will surely drain him down.

He want to beat that arrogant face !

Thunder roars.

Lightning flashes.

【The Mauve Thunder Roars The End Of Divinity】

Crackle crackle crackle.

Electricity shot out in all directions, propelling the spear straight at Schurke's head.

Right at the eye.

Schurke simply tilted his head, completely dodging the terrifying spear.

The square exploded once more, creating a massive commotion.

"Come on! Come on!"Hahahaha!!!"

Schurke continuously attacked Alex with his bizarre black claws.

He gave them no room to breathe.

Liv kept restoring the vitality of all three.

Aldo had been looking for an opening to cast a spell but found almost none in their confrontation with him.

Every time Aldo even had a thought, Schurke turned to attack him.

The three Knights of the Far Lands, with their top-tier combat skills in the First World, now seemed like mere playthings for Schurke.

At this moment, Lucas was kneeling, panting heavily.

"Hey, are you alright?"

Nightingale jumped down beside him, asking with concern.

"Still alive." Lucas closed his eyes to recuperate, his body utterly exhausted.

"What exactly did that bastard's deal take from you?" Giovanni also jumped down to join them.

"Ugh...!!"

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Lucas coughed up a large mouthful of dark blood.

"A demon's bargain is no joke."

He slowly stood up.

"What it took was the most precious thing from that person."

Nightingale was startled.

The most precious thing to Count Lucas...?

He grinned widely.

"Tricking a demon is no easy feat."

Lucas forced himself to stand up.

He pulled an orb out of nowhere.

Giovanni took one look and recognized it immediately.

【Mind Gem】

This was a rare item with unique effects.

It temporarily stores the user's mind.

"What it took was my desire to surpass the gods."

"The most precious thing to me."

Giovanni laughed.

What an old fox."So you stored your mind in the Mind Gem before making a pact with Schurke?"

Lucas understood that if the most precious thing were taken, it would likely be his desire to surpass the gods. So he backed up his mind into the Mind Gem. This way, when he made the pact, that desire was still stored there.

"But, you've lost that desire, so how can you decide to use this to reclaim it?"

In theory, Lucas no longer had that desire. There was no reason for him to use the Mind Gem.

"It's simple. I currently don't know why I even had that desire anymore," Lucas explained before swallowing the Mind Gem whole. "But I absolutely hate losing something that belongs to me."

"Ugh...!" Once again, Lucas coughed up blood. The mind stored in the Mind Gem began integrating into his body.

"Making a free pact with a demon, only you would dare to do such a thing." The old Giovanni laughed raspily.

At that moment, Nightingale turned her gaze toward Unholda Kaiser's flames. She was startled.

"This isn't good! Unholda Kaiser's life force is dropping!?"

Lucas and Giovanni involuntarily looked over. It was true. Unholda Kaiser was dying in those flames; his outer armor had started to melt.

"How can this be...!? The Demon King's Blessing should still exist on his body, shouldn't it?"

Lucas seemed to realize something. He gritted his teeth and ran towards the flames.

"Lucas! What do we do now !?" Nightingale called out in panic.

Unholda Kaiser was not moving; pulling the sword's hilt was only being done by his subconscious.

His soul was being consumed by the Blue Flame.

He... Wasn't the Demon King?

Then what was he?

Unholda Kaiser felt as if he were wandering in a fog. He didn't understand who he was or why he existed.

The only thing he had ever known was the creation of the Demonic Path.

Any Demon King who reached this level would be torn apart by their inner demons until this was the only thing they could comprehend.

He used to think he was the same.

All he wanted was to achieve his goal at any cost.

But why? Now, he no longer wanted that.

He didn't even know who he really was.

Were these memories his?

Or someone else's?What exactly was he?

...

...

"Arrgghh...!!!"

As Lucas reached into the flame, he was instantly burned to ashes.

The Sea of Flames was impassable.

Nightingale and Giovanni had just rushed over to his side.

"Lucas! What's happening?" Giovanni was incredibly anxious.

"He's not him."

"What?!"

"He's not the Demon King!!!"

...

...

Who am I...?

Who am I...?

Who am I...?

Suddenly, something enveloped Unholda Kaiser's body within his own illusion.

"The most crucial piece of my game."

What?

...

...

Fragments of memory reappeared.

Unholda Kaiser saw himself in a royal chamber.

He was kneeling before the Hero, Geogre."Sir, what is this...?"

A servant following Geogre bowed respectfully and asked.

"It's the most important piece of my strategy."

Geogre smiled.

"Tell me, Charlie."

"How does one become Emperor of King's Mark?"

Charlie, still bowing respectfully, began to speak.

"Sir, King's Mark is a nation that values talent and strength. The strong are revered. To become Emperor, one must first be the strongest."

"Exactly." Geogre smiled.

"A Hero like me possesses unparalleled power as long as the Demon King exists."

"However, once the Demon King dies, a Hero's power will plummet rapidly."

Geogre placed his hand on the helmet of Unholda Kaiser.

"Even if I ascend the throne as Emperor when still a Hero, the moment the Demon King dies, I will immediately become significantly weaker."

"That position will not last long."

"You mean..." Charlie seemed to understand something and swallowed.

Geogre nodded.

"As long as the Demon King is alive, my power will remain."

"Why should I heed the will of the heavens and give up my own power?"

"I will become the eternal Emperor of this world, not just of King's Mark."

At this moment, Geogre's smile no longer deserved to be seen as heroic.

...

...

In the next fragment of memory, Unholda Kaiser and Geogre faced a demon.

Its body was even larger than Unholda Kaiser's.

It had four pairs of horns on its head.

Its eyes glowed with a blood-red light.

Its body was covered in rough scales.Both hands bore sharp claws.

"Hero Geogre...! The moment has arrived..."

"Our destined battle has begun."

In this memory, Unholda Kaiser drew a giant sword, as large as his body, and slung it over his shoulder.

Geogre was holding a sacred sword adorned with gems, with a mysterious purple gem at its center standing out the most.

"The suffering for you is just beginning, Demon King."

Unholda Kaiser was stunned.

What was in front of him, could it truly be the Demon King?