NOVPUB
Chapter 104
“So, it’s for storage. Do you also know how to open it?”
Beru quickly nodded at Suho’s question. “A mere magical circle like this can be torn apart if one simply applies enough force.”
As he said this, the ant scurried toward the magical circle and slashed through the blue flames with his claws.
Swoosh.
The flames died down and the hidden space behind cracked open.
“It’s open.” Suho immediately assumed a combat stance, wielding the two Vulcan’s Horns in his hands. There was no way of knowing what might suddenly spring forth from within.
But anticlimactically, no enemy was lying in wait inside. In fact, it was quite the opposite.
[Item: “Essence of Demons” has been acquired.]
“‘Essence of Demons?’” Suho mumbled, picking up the fist-sized orb with a puzzled expression.
[Item: Essence of Demons]
[Acquisition Difficulty: ??
Type: Gem
It’s a sealed orb containing the souls of numerous demons. If broken, the demons inside will be released.]
While Suho checked the item description, the original Vulcan’s Horn vibrated with a low hum, as if lamenting that it was already too full.
Suho also smacked his lips in disappointment. “What a waste. If we had discovered this earlier, we could’ve enhanced Vulcan’s Horn much more easily.” With Vulcan’s quest over, demon souls no longer held any value to them.
“I should ask Esil about this.” With that, he stowed the Essence of Demons in his inventory.
More items awaited them in the storage space.
“Young Monarch, I believe I’ve discovered something important.” Beru, who had been busily rummaging around inside, emerged carrying something else.
[Item: “Tablet of Itarim” has been acquired.]
[Item: Tablet of Itarim]
[Acquisition Difficulty: ??
Type: Stone Tablet
A stone lithograph engraved with the language of Itarim. It’s bound with a special spell.]
The ant chimed in as Suho read the description, “I know of this spell! I’ve seen Itarim’s armies use it to communicate during war.”
“They communicate using tablets?”
“Yes. But they are generally utilized in pairs, and there seems to be only one here.”
“Someone else must have the other one. Maybe it’s whoever sent the Mad Blood Tyrant here.”
“A highly probable supposition.”
Suho stared intently at the stone tablet, pondering over how it might be used. He was unable to come to any good conclusion. “Let’s hold on to it for now. I’m sure we can put it to use eventually. They might even initiate contact first.”
He put the tablet in his inventory and looked around. “It seems like there’s nothing else here.” The Mad Blood Tyrant had likely been using this meteorite to store the souls of the demons he had collected, or possibly as a secret base to communicate with other followers.
With that, Suho commanded them to return.
***
“Where did this come from?!” Esil was shocked the moment Suho handed her the Essence of Demons.
“I found it while we were out. Is it something that you need?”
“There’s a tremendous number of demon souls housed within! Did this belong to the Mad Blood Tyrant?”
She was quick to catch on. Suho nodded. “It seems so. I was told that the souls would be released if we broke it. What happens if we release them?”
“It’s exactly as you would expect from hearing ‘release.’ Demons never truly die, even if all that remains of them is their spirit. They’ll float around and eventually possess some mindless creature or magical beast, then be reincarnated as new demons.”
“Can I level up by killing the spirits?”
“Is that all you can think about?” Esil shook her head in exasperation and sighed. “Newly restored demons would be too weak to help with your leveling. It’s much better to recruit them as citizens to help rebuild the realm.”
“Really? Let’s break it, then.”
Crash!
Suho immediately shattered the Essence of Demons.
A horde of demon spirits burst out like fireworks.
Swoosh!
Kehehehehe!
Screech!
They were accompanied by echoes of eerie laughter and howls.
Many of the spirits began to swirl around Suho and Esil, emitting a sinister aura. Drool dripped from their mouths. With menacing glares, they eyed the pair’s tasty flesh, ripe for possession.
“Kiiii...?”
But they were perceptive. The closest body belonged to Esil, a demon noble. They began to slink back, targeting seemingly easier prey. Suho was, after all, a mere human.
But the moment they set eyes on him, they realized he was no weaker. As spirits, their perception was even keener than usual. The human body they observed was merely a shell. A deep, vast abyss stretched out from his shadow like an unfathomable pit.
Shriek!
The spirits began to flee in panic, far more startled than they were by Esil’s form. They knew they would meet eternal rest if they were sucked in by the shadow. They were terrified of being devoured by that force.
“Why are they acting like that?” Suho asked.
“Don’t worry about it. They’ll naturally find more vulnerable creatures to possess.”
“I see. Is this how demons are usually born?”
“Yes. As long as our spirit remains after death, we can be reborn by possessing another body. That’s the essence of spirit possession.”
Even the objects that Esil had transferred her spirit into, such Suho’s sword, were a part of that ability.
“Demons never truly die. If they do, they are reborn. However, once they acquire a new body, most of their previous memories are lost. In that way, the process is akin to dying,” Esil murmured as she watched the souls disperse. “These were probably demons who resisted the Mad Blood Tyrant. The Tyrant must have found them valuable to seal them away. If they acquire bodies and are reborn as new demons, they will become a significant force that we can use to our advantage.”
Finally, it was a welcome piece of news.
***
Esil focused on gathering the demons in the land surrounding the coliseum. The slaves forced to mine for ore had been granted freedom, but the change of ruler didn’t significantly alter their daily lives.
“The Outer Gods are invading?”
“I heard the Mad Blood Tyrant was just one of their pawns.”
“I knew he was no ordinary demon.”
“So, what becomes of us?”
“What else? If enemies invade, we fight back.”
“Then we’ll need weapons.”
Without anyone ordering them to do so, the demons once again took up their pickaxes. They didn’t need to be whipped by the demon overseers to begin mining of their own volition.
None of it was because of Esil’s command. Demons did not fear battle. On the contrary, they enjoyed fighting strong opponents and never regretted it—even if they were bested and devoured as a result. This attitude was driven by the belief that even after death, their spirit could be reborn.
Yet, the Mad Blood Tyrant had terrified them. He could incinerate even the souls of demons with his blue flames and consume bodies entirely.
“We can’t be tormented by another tyrant like him again!”
“Heh, heh. So, it’s war! War!”
“We will prepare for war!”
“For Radiru!”
“For Esil Radiru!”
Pure blood. The noble demon had only come to them recently, but the demons started to rally around her. The existence of a demon of pure blood was of unparalleled significance to them.
Watching all this, Suho curiously asked Beru, “What about pure blood makes them so willing to obey? Is it what I think it is?”
The ant nodded. “Yes. Only those of pure blood are qualified to become Monarchs. They hope Esil will eventually become the new Monarch. Only then can the demon realm, as fragmented as it is at present, be unified.”
When Suho first met Esil, she was being chased by demons. Those demons had wanted to devour her and become nobles themselves. It was what they needed to become Monarch and rebuild the demon realm.
“All of this is thanks to you, Suho.” Esil expressed her gratitude. “I still haven’t regained my original strength. Even now, if these demons band together to attack me, I’d be helplessly devoured. But no one dares to even think about it, all thanks to you.”
The demons in the coliseum had witnessed Suho overpower the Mad Blood Tyrant at every turn, from the start of the battle to the Tyrant’s final defeat. With such an overwhelming presence protecting Esil Radiru, no demon dared to challenge the Radiru Clan.
But peace had not yet come. The demons were preparing for war out of fear that a new Mad Blood Tyrant might appear inside a meteorite at any time. And in order to prepare, there was another thing Esil needed.
“First, I need to regain my original strength.”
“By using bloodstones?”
“Yes. As the new owner of the land, I will gradually draw bloodstones from the lower demons. We call this ‘tribute.’”
Bloodstones had various uses, but a main one was providing demon nobles a means to maintain their power by continuously absorbing the blood of lower demons.
“But if I take in too much blood at once, my subordinates will die, and their numbers will decrease. I must sip it slowly. Like this.”
Esil spread her arms wide toward the demons following her.
Whoosh!
A small amount of blood flew from the demons. It formed tiny black beads.
Swoosh!
Hundreds of the tiny black beads flew toward Esil and were absorbed into her. It was quite a spectacle.
“Wow...” Suho gaped as Esil blissfully received the power. The energy radiating from her had grown slightly stronger.
“See? This is how it works. It’s only a matter of time before I regain my original strength. But I can’t draw bloodstones daily, so I don’t have much to do at the moment. You know?”
Even though she had become the ruler of the demons, petty matters were still left to her servants. Esil had even taken in the elder demon who had served Vulcan as her own, meaning her workload was diminished even more.
Realizing what Esil was getting at, Suho chuckled and extended his hand. “That’s great. Then you can put in work as a member of my guild for a while.”
“Yes, guild master. The pay is good, right? I might not look like much, but I’m a noble back home, you know. I’m worth quite a bit.” Esil laughed brightly and shook his hand. “Come, let’s return to Earth.”
