Chapter 203 – Grand Demon Duke Agares (3)
[You have understood a lot of the Devil’s Blessing.]
After Yeon-woo finished forging traces in the battlefield, he nimbly ripped up the thin book in his hand.
It was De Roy’s studies, his reward after annihilating the Ceratopsian Dinosaur.
[You have destroyed ‘De Roy’s Studies (Part Two)’. Additional use of the artifact is impossible.]
[The hidden piece is being revealed!]
On the outside, De Roy’s studies looked just like an old diary. Its real appearance only showed when you ripped it apart.
The frail paper was quickly absorbed into Yeon-woo’s right hand.
As he did, a black insignia appeared on his right palm. The insignia was a mountain sheep with two horns.
[The skill ‘Demon Studies’ has been created.]
[Demon Studies]
Rank: D+
Proficiency: 0.0%
Summary: A study that the adventurer De Roy recorded by observing demons his entire life. You can borrow the power of a demon on the 98th floor using black magic. As your proficiency increases, you can make contracts with stronger demons.
Currently, the rank is low as parts of the study are missing, but it will increase as the other parts are found.
*Devil’s Incantation
After paying a price, you can create the demonic energy needed for black magic. There is a condition that you have to find a skill book to use black magic.
*Devil Poison
You can create the pure poison that only Demonic species and demons use. The amount you can create depends on your dark property or your understanding of the Devil’s Blessing.
Because he only had one part of the Demon Studies, the rank was low. The only magic he could use was incantations and Devil Poison.
But after you earned the skill, it became easier because black magic was extremely common at auctions. Since most people couldn’t easily use it, the supply was much higher than the demand.
‘Of course, I’m planning on giving most of it to Boo. Since the Devil’s Incantation and Devil Poison are big accomplishments.’
All he needed was the hearts of the Ceratopsian Dinosaur and the purple Devil Flowers to increase the Devil’s Blessing that he had.
The amount of demonic energy and the Devil Poison he had learned would be of great help to him, not just for the Monster Army but also for various skills. There were already a couple that he was thinking about.
However, he had to use Demon Studies carefully. Dealing deeply with demonic energy meant that you would become that much closer to demons.
There was nothing good about being close to demons. Yeon-woo just needed power.
“Hyung-nim, where should I put this?”
Then, Phante and Edora brought the hearts that they got out. Yeon-woo opened Intrenian and had them put the hearts inside.
“For now, keep them in there. After they are refined, I’ll give it to you.”
“Heeheehee. The strength of demons. I wonder if it’ll go well with this horn.”
Phante had been warned several times that it was dangerous to touch Demon Studies, but he was just happy that he could become stronger.
Yeon-woo grinned and shook his head, like there was nothing he could do. The guy was always the same.
“Whew! Anyway, the fight was rough! Who did you fight with that it became…..!”
Phante was about to say something looking around but he suddenly widened his eyes. At the same time, his body turned the opposite way. Edora and Yeon-woo turned their heads in the same direction.
A tremendous shock came from where Brahm’s Illusionary World was, and a tornado began to shoot up in the sky.
‘Boo!’
Yeon-woo quickly called Boo in his shadow and surrounded himself and the Phante siblings with a defense barrier. Thinking that it might not be enough, he brought Aegis out as well.
But even though they were far away, the strong winds of the tornado repetitively shook their defense barrier.
Phante and Edora focused on protecting themselves within Yeon-woo’s barrier with their scrolls, flicking away the occasional rock or Demon Tree that came their way.
Just what was happening? Yeon-woo’s gaze didn’t move from the tornado. Brahm’s Illusionary World should definitely have been enough to block the Elohim. Was there an unknown variable that got in their way?
But Yeon-woo’s shock didn’t end there.
After the tornado stopped like it was only a lie, a heavy darkness and pure magic energy drifted towards him in the wind and caused him to shiver.
It was a power that instinctively stimulated the senses of a dragon. It was the demonic energy of a demon. Since Yeon-woo knew the purpose of the transmutation circle and the sealing circle already, he wasn’t too surprised about it.
However, what surprised him was the fact that the demonic energy was so familiar to him.
It was a type that irritated one’s senses.
It was the guy that had lent his power to Yeon-woo’s brother and tried to tempt him into a contract, but left empty-handed. Why was someone who wasn’t interested in things like this on the lower floors?
‘Why is Agares…..?’
He felt anxious for some reason. Yeon-woo spread his wings of fire to dart in that direction.
He could hear Phante and Edora frantically shouting at him, but he didn’t listen.
***
-You will eventually become mine.
Around the time his brother was slowly dying, fighting off the poison in his body, Agares had appeared in his brother’s dream through their connection and said this.
His brother just replied with a smile.
-Agares. Sorry, but I can’t be with you.
-Ha! A guy who’s dying, acting arrogant until the end.
-Even if I die, there are things I have to uphold.
Agares’s obsession with his brother was extreme. At first, he had just wanted to bind one of the only dragon’s successors to him.
His brother had tried to learn the magic of demons through Demon Studies, and the being who had replied to his desires was Agares.
Because he was the Grand Duke of Solomon’s 72 Demons, his brother and Vieira Dune, who had helped him, had been completely shocked.
Thinking back to it now, this was when Vieira Dune had started to be envious of his brother.
After Agares taught Jeong-woo his magic, he had suggested that he become bound to him, and he would share his power if he did so.
He said that if Jeong-woo didn’t want to be his dependent, he could also be his disciple. He had promised that the greatest path would be waiting for him, and even after death, he would receive a high position.
But each time, his brother had firmly refused without any hesitation.
It was because he knew that what Agares wanted was his Dragon’s Blessing and his Ten Thousand Immunity.
Those rejections made Agares furious.
A halfblood that wasn’t even a dragon had kicked away his generosity. On the other hand, Agares was a being that was as strong as the high gods.
Also, at the time, Agares didn’t have any interest on the lower floors.
There was a goal he was trying to achieve, so he had spent thousands of years on it. How anxious would he have been when he couldn’t have something that he actually wanted after all this time?
So Agares continued to offer even more tempting suggestions, but as his brother rejected them every time, he cut off ties with his brother.
His brother considered it a shame that he couldn’t learn from Agares anymore.
But by that time, he had already learned the black magic he needed, and he was able to awaken up to the 5th step, so he didn’t regret it.
Also, at this time, their enmity with the Eight Great Clans became worse, and this was when the problems arose.
When Agares restored his connection, it was several years later, when his brother was dying alone in the clan house.
Agares tossed his last suggestion here.
To grab his hand.
If he did, he could heal the illness that was eating at his brother’s body and soul, and he could lend power for his brother’s revenge.
He had also said the unbelievable condition that he would take care of all the limits of the principles of casuality on the contract.
The limits of the principles of causality.
This was the principle that forced the gods and demons to stay on the 98th floor so they couldn’t do anything.
To take care of it all by himself meant that he would bear the huge damage to his level. It was an incredible offer that Agares had never given in the entirety of the Tower’s time.
Also, because of the dog-eat-dog nature demons’ society, an offer like this wasn’t made commonly.
Agares had put down the last of his pride. And on one side, he also felt anxious. If his brother died just like that, for the first time in a thousand years, Agares would never be able to get what he wanted.
However, his brother just rejected him with a smile, and Agares left, furious, saying the same words as he did when he arrived.
-You will eventually become mine.
***
‘Was it because of me?’
While Yeon-woo was dashing by the forest that couldn’t even be called a forest anymore, he continued to think of the same thing.
That maybe Agares had recognized him.
It wasn’t weird if that was the case.
When he first understood the concept of Cores in the village of the One-horned tribe, multiple gods and demons had started to take an interest in him.
Since the beings who couldn’t move on the 98th floor couldn’t do anything but watch.
And to pick the next apostle, one who could demonstrate their power in their stead, they didn’t easily take their eyes off of someone they were interested in.
So everything about Yeon-woo was watched, and some had definitely seen him take off his mask. As much as his brother received Agares’s love, he was someone who received the attention of the other gods and demons.
It wasn’t completely out of the ordinary for Agares to realize who he was, and it was likely he considered Yeon-woo as Jeong-woo’s replacement.
Everything else aside, Yeon-woo had seen a similar message multiple times.
‘A message related to demons. They always had a discussion after someone’s suggestion.’
According to the preference of the gods, opinions of Yeon-woo were split.
However, they had just shown interest, and not done anything else.
He just knew that because of a ‘mysterious demon,’ they were having a discussion about him.
But he couldn’t know more than that.
One thing he could figure out, however, was that for it to be a demon who could gather all the demons, it had to be a demon in a very high position.
And if that was Agares?
If Agares had come through the temporary connection that Brahm made with the 98th floor, it definitely made sense.
However,
‘No. No way.’
Yeon-woo shook his head.
It was a hypothesis that made sense, but there was no reason for Agares to show himself.
It would’ve been fine if he just sent a servant of his, or a lower demon in his stead.
He didn’t have to lift a single finger.
Furthermore, even if Yeon-woo was his brother’s twin, they were two completely different people. A demon who could see the soul itself wouldn’t be interested in him, even though he looked like his brother.
Also, if his hypothesis was right, Agares wouldn’t have been scuffling with Brahm right now. He would’ve tried to look for Yeon-woo right away.
The 23rd stage was already in Agares’s control. If he wanted to, he could catch him easily.
Then why did he choose to manifest here?
No matter how much he thought about it, there was no logical explanation.
[What explanation? Demons are always like that. Evil, cunning. Right?]
[As much as we don’t know what he’s planning, we should prepare for all kinds of scenarios.]
‘Alright.’
Listening to Shanon and Hanryeong speak, he became closer to Brahm’s Illusionary World.
Yeon-woo attempted to awaken his Dragon’s Body. He felt the scales growing on his skin and activated his Magic Equip several times to raise his power to the max.
Even in this condition, he wouldn’t be as much as Agares’s toenail, but then again, he couldn’t just do nothing.
And he also had this thought.
If he secretly ran away from the 23rd floor and came back, Agares’s manifestation would’ve ended. He was surprised at himself for running into the fight without looking back.
Then.
He saw black clouds floating around in the air. Inside, he could see something vanish and disappear. He saw Brahm and Kindred fighting violently.
There were pieces of the Illusionary World. It seemed like after the barrier was forcefully taken apart, some still remained.
The pieces were becoming fainter, like they would soon disappear.
Yeon-woo started to expand the range of his Extrasensory Perception to attack each piece.
There would be an intense vestige left in them from the Illusionary World. He wanted to see what happened while he was gone.
The entire time he was running, multiple scenes flashed through his head.
‘The Devil Army was behind Aether? And Kindred, at that?’
Yeon-woo frowned. He didn’t understand.
Aether and his family had been excommunicated from the Elohim and his species because of his father’s mistake, right when Aether was about to be king. He had worked hard to overcome it. He was a Superior species, and he was more proud than anyone of the fact that he had godly blood.
To think that a guy like that had become the servant of a player that wasn’t even a demon yet was impossible.
But his curiosity didn’t matter. Aether had already sacrificed his twin sister and called Kindred in, along with two other bishops. And they had messed everything up.
It was also a mistake on Yeon-woo’s part for only coming up with a plan to catch the Elohim.
However, the greatest problem was right after that.
-I called for those like Belial or Dantalion….but why are you here?
-I don’t know. Why do you think?
Brahm, who was shouting with intensity, and Agares, who was jeering at him.
And Brahm’s voice had been mixed with surprise and anxiousness. The piece of the barrier with Brahm in it was shaking as well.
He seemed desperate, hoping that what he was thinking wasn’t true.
-What are you talking about, Brahm. Do you think I don’t know?
But Agares had just smirked.
-I’ll take the Dragon Human. Although it’s nothing more than a lump of trash. If it’s Heaven Wing’s child, isn’t that enough for me to take it?!
He didn’t hear anything else.
Just one phrase swirled around his Yeon-woo’s head.
Heaven Wing’s child…..
Heaven Wing’s child…..
If it was Heaven Wing’s child!
‘Jeong-woo…..had a child?’