While the humans were preparing to form an alliance with the elves against the demons, the demons on the other hand were also pushing their plans forward at a frightening pace.

Inside a small hidden world, countless demons followed their daily training routines without rest. The environment of this hidden world was perfectly suited for them. The air was thick with demonic energy, dense enough to feel heavy with every breath, and the sky above was a dark, blood red expanse that never changed, casting an eternal crimson and dark hue over the land. Everything within this world existed to nurture their kind.

At the center of this small world stood a massive city, surrounded by numerous high ranking demons who guarded it day and night. Within the city rose a towering black castle, its silhouette visible from an immense distance, dominating the skyline like a symbol of absolute authority.

Orien sat upon his throne inside the castle, his posture relaxed yet oppressive, his cold eyes fixed on the subordinate kneeling before him and delivering the report.

"My prince, everything is progressing without any complications. With the presence of both the moon blessed and star blessed humans, the 'key' will be completed in just two more weeks. Other than that, we already possess a large number of living sacrifices from the dwarf continent. If you give the order, we can also capture humans, dragons, or even elves to further increase the success rate."

He paused briefly before continuing, careful with every word.

"All other preparations such as food, shelter, weapons, and supplies have already been taken care of. The army of five hundred thousand demons is ready to move at any moment, and all the necessary resources are secured. As long as you give the command, we can begin the plan after two weeks."

The demon army had not been this large in the beginning. As the space barrier weakened, the demons gradually managed to connect their home world with the world of Akumia, entering through dungeon breaches. However, the barrier was still not weak enough to form a stable connection capable of transporting another Overlord.

The first invasion had not been particularly difficult, but after that, resistance increased many times over. It was during that period that Orien and Lilith entered this world, accompanied by Azgorth, the strongest demon beneath the Demon King.

Orien did not respond to the report. Instead, he asked another question, his voice calm but heavy with pressure.

"What about the location of that human, Ash?"

The kneeling demon trembled slightly before forcing himself to regain composure.

Every demon in this hidden world knew that the human named Ash Burn had angered their prince. All of them had been ordered to report immediately if they learned anything about his whereabouts. And every time this question was asked, fear gripped them, because they knew Orien's temper was not something they could afford to test.

"N-No, my prince. We still have not obtained any information regarding him."

Silence filled the throne hall. The air itself seemed to freeze as Orien stared ahead, his expression unreadable. After a moment that felt far longer than it was, the demon was dismissed.

The demon released a breath he did not realize he had been holding, relief washing over him as he hurriedly left the hall, grateful that he was still alive.

Orien leaned back on his throne and slowly closed his eyes, trying to steady his thoughts.

But the moment darkness filled his vision, the scene of his mother's death resurfaced vividly before him, sharp and unforgiving, and his eyes shot open at once.

"Not again!!!"

He growled in anger, his voice low and heavy, yet there was nothing he could do to stop it. Ever since he had lost the last memento of his mother, he was seeing this image every time he closed his eyes.

The Spirit Devouring Crystal was gone, lost because of his own carelessness, and no amount of rage could change that fact.

He had been overconfident, and that arrogance had demanded its price.

I was truly foolish. I have personally experienced how far a mother can go to protect her child. Didn't my mother protected me too by sacrificing her life? How could I fail to consider that the Night Queen would carry the same resolve to protect her child…

It was only in hindsight that the mistake became obvious.

It was not as if the thought had never crossed his mind.

He had chased the Night Queen and her child relentlessly from dragon continent to the oceans and to the other continents, pushing them to the very edge, yet he had never tried to kill her outright. He knew there was a risk of serious injury if the Night Queen chose to forsake her own life.

As long as Eric remained with her, she would not take that gamble. That was why he intended to exhaust her completely, to drain every last bit of her strength before delivering the final blow.

But all those calculations were pushed aside the moment he was struck by the terrifying energy contained within Ash's body. The shock of that encounter, coupled with the severe injuries he suffered, shattered his focus.

Even now, a lingering fear surfaced whenever he thought about it.

Orien lowered his gaze to his hand. It had finally healed after an entire month of recovery. Although a faint discomfort still remained, he knew it would soon fade away.

What I did not expect was that he was insane enough to blow up the entire dungeon and summon a space storm…

It had taken several days for the space storm to finally settle. When it did, there was nothing left but desolation. The volcano that once stood there was gone, replaced by a massive crater, with molten lava still seeping from the shattered ground like an open wound.

Lilith was also directly hit by the blast, and then swallowed by the space storm. She still has not regained consciousness.

Within the storm, every demon caught inside had met a horrific death. Lilith had not escaped unscathed either. Luck alone had saved her, throwing her onto the Neutral Continent where she was discovered by a demon subordinate.

When she was found, she had been barely clinging to life. Had she been flung into the void or any other place instead, death would have been inevitable.

Even now, although her external injuries had healed, hidden damage still lingered deep within her body. Those wounds were healing slowly, and until they did, she remained unconscious.

Lilith was never particularly strong in defense. If she were, her injuries would not have been this severe…

Orien was no stranger to fear himself. The space storm terrified him as well, not out of weakness, but because even he could not survive without air if he were cast into the void.

There are still no signs of Ash. No one has seen him anywhere. According to the intelligence we gathered, if he were alive, he would have already come to rescue that moon blessed. The fact that he has not means he is either dead, or he was thrown into the void and perished there.

Even so, Orien refused to underestimate anyone ever again. He would rather overestimate his enemies and prepare excessively than be caught unready a second time.

I want to see his body if he is dead.

Until that happened, he knew he would never find peace. Worse still was the possibility that the Spirit Devouring Crystal had been completely lost into the void. If that were true, he did not know how far his anger would drive him.

He rose from his throne and began descending the steps slowly, his expression cold and unreadable, as the weight of unresolved fury followed him in silence.

After navigating the winding passages of his castle, Orien slowly arrived at the basement, a place where countless measures had been put in place to ensure that no one could escape, no matter their strength or skill.

Inside a prison cell, two girls were suspended from the ceiling, their hands bound tightly by chains, their feet barely touching the cold ground below. Their clothes were torn and soaked with dried blood, hanging loosely from their bodies, and their frames had grown thinner, as if they had not been given proper food for a long time. A metal gag was fixed firmly in each of their mouths, preventing even the faintest sound from escaping, and their eyes had grown dull, stripped of their former light by everything they had endured.

Every day, demons came to extract large amounts of their blood, using it to speed up the formation of the 'key'. Afterward, their bodies were healed internally, not out of mercy, but simply so that more blood could be harvested again later. It was a cycle designed to drain them endlessly without allowing them the relief of death.

Elysia, however, suffered far more than that. She was tortured daily, not for blood alone, but to uncover any information she might have regarding Ash and the places where he could possibly hide.

Physical pain, mental pressure, threats, and fear were all used against her, yet she truly knew nothing. No matter what they did, she could not give them answers she did not possess.

Even under hypnosis and mind reading, they failed to uncover anything useful. She had no knowledge of how Ash was so powerful, how he had obtained his strength, or what secrets lay behind him.

Inwardly, Elysia felt a strange sense of relief. She finally understood why Ash had never told her anything about what he did, how he did it, or why he did it.

Although the demons attempted to probe her memories, they were only able to access the surface. They lacked the attainment and precision of someone like the Whisperer, and the only demon who truly excelled in such techniques was still unconscious.

Because of that, extracting deeper information from her had become far more difficult than they expected.

Aurora, in comparison, was fortunate in an unfortunate situation. The demons did not torture her as harshly, simply because she knew nothing about Ash. She had no secrets to give and no answers to extract.

After everything she had experienced, whatever feelings she once held for Ash vanished completely, leaving behind only emptiness. The only thing she felt now was pity for Elysia, who had been forced to endure so much suffering.

If only she knew how much pain and torment Ash had inflicted upon himself just to save Elysia.

The demons tried repeatedly to poison Elysia's thoughts, whispering that Ash had abandoned her, that he chose not to come, that he had left her behind without a second thought. Yet she believed in him. No matter how often they tried to twist her heart, her faith did not waver.

If only she knew....

"Did you get any new information…?"

Orien's voice echoed through the chamber, cold and sudden. None of the demons present had noticed his arrival, and the sound of his voice startled everyone.

Elysia and Aurora slowly lifted their heads, their gazes falling upon him. A skinny demon hurried forward and dropped to his knees before Orien, his posture trembling with fear.

"Please punish this subordinate, my king. I still have not obtained any useful information. That human, Ash, never divulged anything about himself to her."

He continued to report everything he had done, including many unnecessary details, desperately trying to prove his effort and loyalty.

Although the demon was skilled in hypnosis and mind reading, his abilities were not sufficient to uncover deeper truths, such as Ash's previous life or the fact that he was a transmigrator like Elysia. Had Lilith not been unconscious, such information would have already fallen into the demons' hands.

Orien nodded after hearing the report. His gaze briefly met the eyes of both girls, cold and indifferent, before his figure vanished from the cell.

Nothing is going according to my expectations. It seems I will have to proceed with the plan without the Spirit Devouring Crystal…

The river of time continued to flow without pause. Soon, two weeks passed, and the moment arrived when the 'key' was finally completed.

***

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