Ch 176 - Betray
In the dimly lit depths of the castle, the air buzzed with unholy energy as Morris reveled in his twisted triumph.
"Hahahaha!! Yes! FLY, DEVILS! FLY AND DESTROY EVERYTHING YOU SEE!" He roared, his grin wide and grotesque. Standing in the middle of the sprawling magic circle, he basked in the hellish glow, watching as legions of devils poured through the gate, tearing into the human realm like ravenous beasts.
The air thrummed ominously as the massive stone gates shuddered. "The second gate is almost open!" Morris's voice cracked with maniacal excitement. "What marvels of hell shall I see next? What monstrous—"
His giddy thoughts screeched to a halt when the steady torrent of devils slowed unexpectedly.
Morris's grin faltered. He blinked, bewildered. "What in the—"
"Oh, Morris." A voice, calm yet dripping with mockery, sliced through the eerie silence.
Morris froze as Alex materialized as though birthed by the shadows themselves, standing within the very heart of his ritual like he owned it. A smirk played on his lips as he casually scanned the scene before him.
"So this is how far you've fallen—just another one of Lucifero's disposable toys." He tilted his head, his gaze filled with disdain. "Honestly, why does that idiot devil king keep picking up trash like you? First, there was that degenerate, Dante, who couldn't charm a tree if he tried. Now we've got you—a deranged puppet master with an unhealthy obsession with breaking children."
Alex's face darkened, his words laced with venom. "It's honestly revolting."
Morris's confidence wavered.
"A-Asta…?" He stammered.
"What are you doing here?" He asked with a fake smile. "Your ant-magic suddenly stopped. Did something go wrong?"
"Oh good, you remember me!" Alex spread his arms mockingly. "And here I thought you'd only been playing house with Lucifero this whole time."
He casually grabbed a struggling devil out of midair as if plucking an annoying insect. The unfortunate creature thrashed helplessly in his grip.
"I'll help you figure this out," Alex said, his tone amused.
"K-kaaahk!!" The devil clawed at Alex's hand, its life force snuffed as he crushed its neck with a sickening crunch.
Throwing the corpse at Morris's feet, Alex wiped his hands theatrically. "There's your answer. Oh, and a fresh one—should be right up your alley, scientist creep."
Morris's stomach twisted, his mind racing. His eyes darted to Alex, then to the devils slowing their descent, and his blood ran cold as realization dawned.
"You… betrayed us!" He choked out. "No… you were never on our side!"
"Ding, ding, ding!" Alex clapped his hands mockingly. "Give the cockroach a prize! Though, I have to say," his eyes burned with malice, "the fact that it took you this long to figure that out? Pathetic."
Before Morris could retort, the faint sound of laughter rumbled, growing into a monstrous cacophony. From the cursed marks on Morris's forehead, a voice thundered.
"YOUUU!!"
"Lucifero," Alex greeted casually, brushing off the corrupting mana flooding the room like it was a summer breeze.
"HOW DARE YOU SLOW MY ASCENSION!" the devil king bellowed, his voice shaking the very foundation of the castle.
"Slow it? Oh, Lucifero, honey," Alex's devilish grin widened, "I'm here to STOP it. Completely."
A faint hum filled the room as Alex placed a hand on the sealed coffin housing Yami. A brilliant glow erupted from beneath his fingertips as fractures webbed out across the surface.
"No! STOP HIM!" Lucifero roared, desperation bleeding into his tone.
As if a command had been issued, every devil in the chamber halted mid-flight. With a guttural roar, they turned to Alex, their hateful eyes glowing as they surged toward him.
But Alex didn't move an inch. Instead, he smirked, casting a languid glance at Morris and his devil hordes.
"Come out and play," He whispered.
BOOOOOMM!
The very shadows at Alex's feet erupted, expanding in a torrential flood of black so deep it seemed to devour the light. In an instant, the entire chamber was blanketed in a suffocating darkness.
From within the abyss, armor-clad figures emerged, their forms shimmering with otherworldly power. The very ground seemed to quake beneath their boots as one by one, Alex's shadow soldiers rose, hundreds strong, their weapons glinting with malice.
"Wh-what is this?" Morris shrieked, his voice trembling as he recoiled from the nightmarish scene.
An unknown fear crept up over him.
Shururuk…
The surface of the shadow wavered, and soldiers wearing jet-black armor rose up one by one.
'Sovereign's Territory!'
[All Stats of the Shadow Soldiers fighting over the Summoner's shadow will rise up by 50%.]
A thin smile spread on Alex's lips.
'Good.'
The shadow soldiers raised their weapons and pierced the incoming devils, slicing them into pieces.
Moris was very sensitive toward the magic energy. He could feel that the energy released from Alex was different, it was something dark and sinister, even more than devils.
'No, hang on. Is this even magic energy?'
'To think, this magical energy is even more ominous than what the King of Devils Lucifero is emitting…!!'
"You're terrified, aren't you?" Alex's voice cut through the chaos, loud and taunting. "You're used to being the one who pulls the strings. But now you're on the other side. It's... humbling, isn't it?"
Morris backed away, his legs trembling. "What kind of... power is this?! It's darker than Lucifero's!"
"Oh, Morris," Alex said, his voice oozing faux sweetness. "This? This is what real power looks like."
Raising his palm, Alex gathered a dense orb of crackling energy. Its hum grew deafening as he aimed it directly at Morris. "Time to take out the trash."
Morris had only seconds to react. Warping space, he narrowly avoided the searing blast, which consumed the chamber in a cataclysmic explosion.
BOOOOOOMMM!!!
The impact was apocalyptic. Entire sections of the castle disintegrated as the spell obliterated everything in its path. Even the roots of the Qliphoth burned, their magic destabilizing rapidly.
When the dust settled, Morris's agonized screams pierced the silence.
His right side was missing—flesh, bone, and all—his mangled body sprawled pathetically on the floor. Blood pooled beneath him as he writhed, a broken man clinging to life.
Alex approached, his shadow soldiers parting to make way for their master. Towering over Morris, he gazed down with an almost pitying expression.
"You know," Alex mused, crouching to meet Morris's fearful eyes. "It'd be merciful to kill you now…"
He trailed off, smirking. "…but where's the fun in that?"
--- ✦ ✦ ✦ ---
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