The splendid throne shattered, and a terrible scream reverberated through the air.
Kyaaaaaaah!
The soul sealed within the throne was torn apart into thousands of fragments along with it.
Whoosh!
Guillotine drank in the freed soul as though it had been waiting for this very moment. This time, the Demon King of Sloth had no chance to preserve his essence.
"...Khrrrk." A faint groan escaped Caron's lips.
Simply absorbing the remnants of Sloth's energy made him feel as though his entire body were being ripped apart.
Yet Caron focused, forcing himself to accept the flood of energy. The vast, boundless ocean of 9-Star mana swallowed every last trace of Sloth's power.
Saaah...
The dark mana pouring from the throne streamed into Caron. At the same time, Guillotine's voice echoed in his mind, "You cannot absorb all the memories completely. Your brain would burn to ash. Instead... I will store some of them for you."
Guillotine moved swiftly, easing the burden on its owner.
New memories began to seep into Caron's mind. They were about the origin of the Demon Realm and the other Demon Kings.
Countless recollections that the Demon King of Sloth had hoarded over unfathomable ages unfolded before his eyes.
At the same time, Sloth's dark mana seeped into his core.
Kyaaaaah!
The dark mana, infused with Sloth's will, raged to seize control of Caron. But before the overwhelming ocean, it couldn't do anything. It was swallowed, battered, and broken by the relentless waves.
Caron poured his entire will into absorbing what Sloth had left behind. Halo only stood behind him, silent and steadfast, guarding him without a word.
How much time passed like that, none could say.
Saaah...
At last, Caron's raging ocean fell silent.
"Caron," Halo called softly.
Moments ago, Caron had radiated a suffocating darkness. But now, all that could be felt from him was the ocean itself.
At Halo's call, Caron opened his eyes slowly and turned his gaze toward him, saying, "I don't think I can take it all at once."
"What do you mean?" Halo asked.
"There's too much. I've stored the dark mana in my body for now. I'll purify it bit by bit with Azure Mana," Caron answered.
Normally, he would have had to rely on Guillotine alone. But reaching 9-Star had changed everything.
Now, even the boundless dark mana of Sloth could be stored within his core. Even a level of energy too vast to fathom couldn't fill it completely.
Caron flexed his fist, opening and closing it, and let out a quiet breath of wonder. He remarked, "So this is how you've felt all along? The 9-Star level... it's absurd."
To even call it a core felt misleading.
It was less about storing mana within his body and more about drawing infinite mana from the world around him, with his body as the center. It felt limitless and endless.
The thought that Halo had lived with such a feeling all this time filled him with sudden envy.
"And only now you realize it? How pathetic," Halo said with a crooked grin.
For some reason, he no longer seemed only a grandfather to Caron. A trace of the man he had once been shone through.
Caron stared back at him with a flat expression, then snapped, "If I'd lived fifty years longer, I'd be at 10-Star by now."
"What a lunatic. And where exactly do you think 10-Star exists?" Halo scoffed.
"I'll make it exist," Caron said.
It was half-joking, but also half-serious. Halo burst into laughter, then smacked Caron hard on the back and said, "To create a new realm of power? Hah! What a bold ambition. I'll acknowledge it, grandson."
"...Pick one—grandson or friend," Caron muttered.
"Even if you're the reincarnation of my friend, right now you're my grandson. Your blood comes from me," Halo said.
"That makes it sound disgusting. Wait... I think we should deal with them first. We've got company," Caron replied, then jerked his chin toward the entrance of the sanctum.
Two demons stood there, dark mana rolling off their bodies. One of them, Caron already knew.
Srrring .
Dragging his sword Gram across the ground, Halo eyed them with a slow, dangerous gaze. He muttered, "Have they come to die?"
But Caron chuckled and shook his head, saying, "No. They've come to swear loyalty."
One of them was Duke Judas, the fool who had failed to capture him last time. The other face surfaced from Sloth's fading memories.
"Duke Alrun," Caron said.
Sloth's left and right arms, the two dukes, now stood before him without a master. There was no hostility in them.
Caron strode toward them with Guillotine in hand, his lips curling in mockery. He wondered, "What should I do with you? Your master's head is already in my hands."
Even hearing his insult, the dukes did not resist.
Thud.
They dropped to their knees and bowed their heads low.
"...We greet our master," Judas said.
"Spare us, wretched servants that we are," Alrun added.
The dukes surrendered without a fight. Rebellion was impossible. The power of Sloth now resided within Caron, binding their souls.
Caron approached with unhurried steps, resting Guillotine lightly against Alrun's throat.
Slick.
A thin line of blood ran where the blade kissed skin. Even so, Alrun pressed his head lower and said, "Great One, my life is yours. I will devote everything to you. Please, accept this lowly servant."
"You don't care even if I kill you?" Caron asked.
"If that is your will, then I gladly give my life," Alrun replied.
"How boring," Caron said.
Srrring.
He sheathed Guillotine again and turned to Halo with a small smile. He said, "From here on, we'll be fighting on two fronts. The expedition alone can't handle both Havoc and Lust. Let's have these two deal with Lust's side."
The more troops and meat shields, the better. And Caron knew these two could never betray him. With Sloth's power absorbed, their souls were already in his grasp.
"Alrun and Judas," Caron called, his voice laced with ridicule.
Both dukes bowed deeply.
"Give us your orders," Judas said.
"With all our strength, we will obey," Alrun added.
The demons submitted without question.
"From this moment, this territory is mine," Caron declared. "And so, your first order is to bring me the head of the Demon Queen of Lust. You will not return until you do. Take the other nobles and march straight into Lust's domain."
The demons needed only to buy him time.
The two dukes prostrated themselves.
"We will bring the head of Lust without fail," Judas declared.
"O mighty king," Alrun said.
And thus, the Realm of Sloth became the Realm of Liberation.
In that moment, the balance of the Demon Realm twisted beyond recognition.
***
After the Realm of Sloth fell into Caron's hands, all battles raging across it came to an abrupt end.
The expedition faced no further resistance and entered the fortress of Sloth with ease.
Demons were creatures who bowed to authority and power. Since Caron had devoured Sloth himself, they no longer dared even think of resistance.
"You are no longer slaves," Caron declared. "If you cooperate with the expedition, I promise you a new life."
"All hail the Demon King of Liberation!"
"Praise the name of Liberation!"
The very first thing Caron did, as the Demon King of Liberation, was to abolish the slave class among the demons. Those freed slaves became the expedition's labor force and served faithfully, aiding them in every way.
With this, the expedition's first objective had been achieved, and their headquarters was immediately moved to Sloth's fortress.
"Supplies are flowing in smoothly!"
"Additional troops will arrive in two weeks—an entire fleet included!"
Having overcome the trial of the Demon King of Sloth, the expedition's morale soared to the heavens.
They had achieved a staggering victory against the demons, who until now had only ever been objects of terror. It was only natural that their spirits had risen.
This place, once the Demon King of Sloth's fortress, was now being called the Demon King of Liberation's fortress.
While freed demons and expedition soldiers sweated side by side, working to bridge their worlds, Caron was sharing drinks with Halo in the fortress dining hall.
"Don't you think this place looks even more splendid than the imperial palace?" Caron asked with a grin.
"The taste of this liquor feels oddly familiar," Halo replied.
"Ah, you caught me," Caron said. "I stole this from your office. Three years ago, I think? When you went scouting in the North Sea, I snuck in and swiped it."
"Are you insane?" Halo snapped.
"Stolen liquor from one's grandfather always tastes the best. The flavor of betrayal mixed in—it clings perfectly to the tongue," Caron said with a smirk.
Clink!
The two clashed their glasses together and downed the whiskey in a single gulp.
Caron refilled his glass and glanced slyly at Halo before saying, "Be honest. Did Kerra tell you?"
"As if," Halo scoffed. "Your acting was so awful, who else can you blame?"
"No matter how I think about it, it feels like you tortured Kerra for the truth," Caron said.
"He's not the kind of man to spill under torture," Halo retorted.
"That's true enough," Caron admitted.
Even though his identity had been exposed, he didn't feel all that upset. If anything, he felt more at ease.
What surprised him more was how drastically Halo's attitude had changed. Yesterday, he'd seemed like a stern grandfather. Now, he looked like the Halo from fifty years ago.
"I was always the better actor," Halo said with a smirk, filling his glass again.
Caron snorted and replied, "That's only because you spent every day running around the capital like some carefree rogue. The original troublemaker of the ducal family was you, wasn't it?"
"When you're young, you're supposed to live like that. You wouldn't understand—you never even tried. Just admit it, you're jealous. Aside from your sword, you weren't good at anything," Halo said.
"How childish," Caron muttered.
"And even with that swordsmanship, you lost in the end, didn't you?" Halo said.
"When did I ever lose?" Caron shot back.
"You lost—why else do you think you died back then, you idiot?" Halo replied.
Clink!
They clinked their glasses together once more and downed them.
Caron pulled jerky from his pouch of dimensional space, chewing thoughtfully before tossing a piece to Halo. He said flatly, "That was me letting you win."
"Of course, of course," Halo sneered. "Then how about we test that claim right now?"
"You're twice my age and want to win by seniority? Halo, if you're going to grow old, at least do it with dignity. Act your age," Caron said.
"There are laws in a household," Halo countered. "Should I call in Zerath? That would set things straight."
"...You petty bastard," Caron muttered.
Though Halo had uncovered his secret, he had no intention of revealing it to others. His bonds with them had been forged as Caron Leston, not as Cain Latorre.
Of course, there were exceptions, such as Seria. But at least when it came to Leo, Caron hoped he would never find out.
The reason for that was simple.
"Just imagining Leo speaking to me formally makes me want to vomit," Caron muttered.
"This family tree is beyond twisted," Halo laughed.
"Anyway, that's how it is. So cooperate with me. Imagine how shocked my father would be if he found out," Caron said.
"Fayle did follow you around when he was young..." Halo mused.
"That was Cain Latorre he followed. I'll just be a son and grandson. That's all anyone needs to know," Caron stated.
Family was something Caron had never had in his previous life. To him, they were treasures beyond price.
Halo studied Caron's face closely, thinking, He really means it.
Caron's expression was grave. Halo knew better than anyone how deeply he valued and loved his family.
Yes, the family tree was hopelessly tangled, but there was nothing that could be done. If Caron himself wanted it this way, then so be it.
"Heh," Halo chuckled as he looked at Caron.
"What's so funny?" Caron asked.
"It's just amusing," Halo replied.
"It is, I suppose," Caron admitted with a faint smile.
They shared a quiet laugh. Fools always found joy just by looking at each other.
Then Caron nodded and shifted the subject, "Among the memories I absorbed from Sloth, there was something about our family. Or rather... Rael Leston."
"The Founder?" Halo asked.
"Yes. And this isn't a story for sober minds. Wait a moment," Caron said as he filled his glass once more, took a deep drink, and exhaled heavily. "Listen carefully to what I'm about to say."
"I've been listening from the start," Halo said.
"...About my reincarnation. It seems this wasn't my first time," Caron began.
After steadying his breath, Caron revealed to Halo the secret he had gleaned from Sloth's memories.
A long silence followed.
"...Damn," Halo muttered at last.
"It's true," Caron said firmly.
"Don't make up crap, you lunatic," Halo cursed.
The once-dignified Halo let profanity spill from his mouth.