When he opened his eyes again, Thrax found himself lying on the ground outside, covered in dirt and stone. Standing up, he dusted dirt off his cloak. Much of it had been scorched by the explosion. He couldn’t see far in front of him, because his vision was obscured by plumes of black smoke.

The trap had worked as planned. Before his ‘guests’ had entered the great hall, he had inscribed magic circles all over the floor. They were set to detonate in response to his spell [Activate Trap]. Each one had enough explosive power to level an entire building. The damage from the explosions had been dramatically amplified, because they occurred simultaneously in an enclosed space. Even [Triple Magic Shield] wouldn’t have saved him from the blast, if he hadn’t buffed his defenses with spells beforehand.

It wasn’t long before the smoke cleared enough for Thrax to see his surroundings. Glancing around, he saw that his entire manor had been reduced to rubble. The charred remains of hundreds of werewolves were scattered everywhere. Three figures stood at a distance from him.

As expected, Kreed was one of them. He’d expected Kreed to survive, but he was surprised that Deo and Koga were alive as well.

Much of Kreed's armor had been blown off by the explosion. The remaining armor on his body was blackened and bloodied.

Deo looked completely unharmed. The red garments he was wearing were in pristine condition. There wasn’t even a speck of dirt on them. He was still holding the black orb in his hand.

Is Deo even more powerful than the werewolf lord? I've never seen him in battle, but I can't believe that a human mage can be this powerful.

Koga uttered a hoarse cry. “I’m going to kill you!"

Half his face was blown off. Both his arms were missing and most of his muscles were exposed.

When he stepped forward, his face twisted in horror. "Huh?"

His leg, too damaged to support the weight of his body, snapped off, and he fell facedown.

Deo spoke in a perfectly calm voice, as if he was commenting about the weather. "This is an unforeseen development."

Thrax tightened his grip around his staff. "How can you be unharmed, after taking that blast head-on?"

"I’m only alive because Lord Belial willed it. Defending against an attack of that level is but a trifling matter for him."

Kreed took out his hammer. "I've underestimated you. But it won't happen again. I'm going to crush every bone in your body."

Thrax was fully aware of the vast difference in their powers. Earlier, he had used up most of his mana to set up the trap. In his current mana-depleted state, his fighting ability was significantly reduced. He was like a warrior without a weapon.

I’m not going down without a fight!

He removed a small bottle from his waist and gulped down its contents. It contained the same concoction that he had given to Dugu. The concoction energized him, restoring his vitality and mana. He only had a few minutes before the benefits wore off.

Kreed dashed toward Thrax at an incredible speed.

Thrax didn’t have time to cast a spell. However, spells were not the only tools he used in combat. He grabbed another small bottle from his waist and threw it at the ground beneath him. It shattered, releasing a black cloud of dust.

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Kreed swung his hammer at the location where Thrax had stood, but he hit nothing but dust.

“Smash!” He slammed his hammer into the ground, causing the ground to crack and quake violently.

The impact produced a shockwave that blasted away the dust. However, the dust had already done its job. It concealed Thrax long enough for him to reach Deo. His goal all along had been to destroy the black orb in Deo's hands. He knew that he could never defeat Kreed, but he might be able to do something about the black orb.

While Kreed was distracted by the dust, Thrax had inscribed a magic circle on his own body. He planned to use all the mana he had left to greatly enhance its explosive power. If he exploded himself at point blank range, he might be able to destroy the black orb.

“Activate Tra-" Before Thrax could finish casting his spell, dozens of black, pointed chains burst forth from the black orb and pierced his body. “Ugh!”

He felt a flash of intense pain as the chains dug into his flesh. All the energy in his body seemed to disappear.

Are the chains sucking out my mana?

"Activate Trap!" Nothing happened.

He no longer had enough mana to cast the spell.

The black chains lifted him into the air.

A demonic voice radiated from the black orb. "You actually thought you could touch me? How utterly foolish. I saw you coming from a mile away."

Is that Belial’s voice?

Kreed knelt next to the black orb. "My apologies, Lord Belial. If I had more time -"

"Had I waited any longer, his body would’ve been destroyed. Have you already forgotten that I need it intact?"

"I'm so sorry, please forgive me!”

"Apology not accepted."

"No, please!" Kreed screamed and clutched his chest.

He writhed in agony.

"Engrave this lesson into your heart - fail me and only suffering awaits you."

Kreed stopped writhing, released his hands from his chest, and gasped for air. "Thank you, Lord Belial."

"Deo, put me down."

"As you wish." Deo lowered the black orb to the ground.

Its chains were still holding Thrax in the air.

"Kreed, take Deo and get away from this city. I'm going to activate the Body Transference spell."

"Of course." Kreed flung Deo over his shoulder.

He glanced at Thrax. Their eyes met for a moment.

In that moment, Thrax saw only sadness in Kreed’s eyes.

There is still hope for him, after all.

Kreed soon disappeared from view.

Thrax didn’t even have the strength to struggle as he dangled in the air.

But he still had the strength to speak. “What do you intend to do with the werewolves once you’re free?"

The voice from the black orb responded. "Since you're going to die soon anyway, I'll tell you. I'll use them as sacrifices to summon my demon army into this world."

"What about your promise?”

The black orb’s voice laughed in the most sinister way imaginable. "Why would I want mutts, when I can have demons?”

As I thought, we mean nothing to him. I may not be able to move, but I can still fight with words.

Thrax chuckled. "To an ancient demon like you, I may not have lived long in this world. But I've read about its long history. There was one indisputable fact that I've learned from my readings - there has always been, and will always be, balance in the world. Even if you manage to escape from your prison, someone will rise up to stop you."

The chains impaling Thrax brought him closer to the black orb.

"I will unleash a hell upon this world, unlike anything you've read about in your pointless historical studies. No mortal will be able to stop me."

"I assume you didn't seal yourself away in that orb. That means someone in the past was able to stop you."

"The one who sealed me away is long gone."

"That may be so, but there will always be someone else who can stop you."

"I do not need to listen to your nonsense any longer. Your death will signal the beginning of the end. Body Transference!"

The red aura around the black orb expanded in all directions. It grew until it swallowed the entire city of Elderan. People looked out from their homes, wondering why everything in sight was suddenly bathed in red light. Soon, their curiosity was replaced by terror. Screams filled the city as they watched each other collapse, one after another. The soul from every living creature inside the city was sucked into the black orb. Those living near the city’s front gates tried to escape, but their souls were ripped from their bodies before they could leave.

Thrax's consciousness faded away. Horns sprouted from his head. His body exploded in size, ripping apart his garments.

The chains lowered him to the ground. They pulled out of his body and retracted into the black orb.

“Rise, my demon general.”

The creature pushed himself off the ground. Steam sizzled from his body.

He raised his head, revealing glowing red eyes and razor-sharp fangs. “Direct my wrath.”