Chapter 560: Defiance in the Abyss (2)
Snow, misinterpreting the gesture, thought Aegon meant to fight and raised his guard—
but the prince simply flexed his hand, which Frey had nearly crushed to bone.
"Easy there, Frey. Not all of us are monsters like you," Aegon laughed lightly, waving his injured arm. At last, he addressed their accusations.
"To be honest, your conclusion is correct... but also wrong. Let’s say you’ve got fifty percent of it right."
Frey stayed silent, his eyes locked onto the prince, while Snow scowled.
"What are you saying, Aegon? Don’t deny that filth on your arm is a demonic contract!"
"I’m not denying it. I’m saying you’ve only uncovered part of the truth. If I were truly a demonic contractor, Frey would have already struck me down."
Snow realized the point.
Frey hadn’t attacked. Not yet.
The prince quickly pressed on, aware of how precarious his position had become.
"With your enhanced senses, Frey, I’d wager you’ve recognized this lightning before. Maybe you’ve even suspected the truth. Let me confirm it for you."
His smile widened.
"Your suspicions are correct."
Frey’s voice cut the air.
"Dragoth—the Human Demon."
"That’s right!" Aegon exclaimed, almost gleeful.
Snow’s confusion deepened, but Frey explained grimly.
"I fought him once. Killed him with my own hands. Dragoth... a warrior who stood at the pinnacle of SS+, wielding a unique lightning. Black lightning, tinged with crimson."
As soon as he said it, Snow understood.
"Tell me, Aegon... how do you have the same power as Dragoth?" Frey’s tone carried the weight of a threat. "Your answer will decide how I deal with you."
Aegon instinctively stepped back—but his composure never cracked.
He had expected this moment. Revealing that lightning hadn’t been careless. It had been inevitable, once Frey’s senses came into play.
"To put it simply... let’s say I am contracted. But I am not bound to a demon. I’ve made no pact with any devil."
Dark sparks slithered across his arm, black lightning alive with a crimson edge.
Lightning pulsed with an aura as overwhelming and majestic as the one Dragoth himself had once wielded.
"I am not a demonic contractor... because the one I forged a contract with—was Dragoth himself."
At those words, Frey raised an eyebrow, while Snow immediately denied it.
"That’s impossible! Contracts only work with demons!" Snow protested.
Aegon nodded calmly.
"That’s true. But Dragoth was no ordinary human. He was the first to shatter his demonic contract, freeing himself from that bondage. But to reach such strength, he descended into madness—drinking demon blood in excess, even devouring their flesh.
"At some point, Dragoth ceased to resemble a man at all. He became something in between—a being that stood halfway between human and demon. That’s why forging a contract with him was possible. That’s what I call a Fourth-Generation Contract."
He spoke with feverish excitement.
The first generation of contracts was weak—merely transferring aura from demon to human.
The second generation, more infamous, injected demon blood directly into humans. This was the common type, and countless humans in Ultras perished from it. Men like Gavid Lindemann were prime examples.
The third generation was the most grotesque ..breeding between humans and demons, spawning half-breeds like Mergoth. Success was rare, as most humans simply couldn’t withstand it.
"What sets humanity apart," Aegon continued, his tone darkly reverent, "is adaptability. That is our species’ true strength. We started at the bottom, and through adaptation, climbed higher. That’s why demons favor humans as test subjects. Even when most die, a few survive—evolving into something monstrous."
His lips curled into a sadistic grin.
"And Dragoth was the best of them. He broke free of a demon’s leash, fashioned himself into a monster nearly equal to them. That’s when the idea struck me.
"Fourth-Generation Contracts. A pact between human and human. You borrow the power of one infinitely stronger than yourself. Madness, isn’t it?" He chuckled. "But it worked. And I am living proof."
For a moment, neither Frey nor Snow knew how to respond. Aegon’s words were riddled with gaps and contradictions.
Snow pounced on one immediately.
"That doesn’t make sense. You’re saying you dealt with Dragoth in secret? Contracts enslave the recipient to the stronger party. Doesn’t that mean you should be Dragoth’s thrall? A pawn of the Ultras?"
Aegon simply nodded.
"That’s correct. And yet... it never happened."
"What are you talking about?" Snow pressed, baffled.
Frey’s voice cut in, cold as steel.
"Dragoth vanished after losing to my father. For years, everyone thought him dead. He only resurfaced right before this war began. Are you saying you had a hand in that, Aegon?"
The prince shook his head.
"Not at first. When Dragoth lost to Abraham, I was just an infant. Despite his defeat, the Human Demon didn’t die. The Empire seized his body, held him captive in secret when they failed to kill him outright."
He revealed truths few in the world had ever heard.
"For years, some of the great names of House Valerion experimented on him, tried to twist him further. It was so secretive that even my father, Maekar, knew nothing. But once I gained influence in the Empire, finding him was only a matter of time."
His eyes gleamed with cruel pride.
"In the end, I found them. Killed them all. Then exposed the secret to my father and the other great houses, leading to the creation of four seals to bind him for eternity.
"But before I handed Dragoth over... I had already played with him."
What Aegon had done could hardly be put into words.
Upon discovering Dragoth, he tortured him day and night, breaking him in the vilest ways imaginable. When Dragoth was later freed, he was a shattered lunatic. Even after regaining his senses, the trauma was so deep he couldn’t remember what had been done to him.
"Yes, I signed a demonic contract with Dragoth. But he cannot command me. The bond of master and slave no longer applies."
The truth was chilling.
Aegon had broken him—piece by piece—until the great Human Demon was nothing but a broken puppet in his hands.
In other words, Aegon had become a free contractor. No leash, no chains. He would never accept servitude—not to human nor to demon.
"I would have preferred a true demon," Aegon admitted with a cold laugh, "but Dragoth was all I had."
He clenched his hand, arcs of crimson-black lightning sparking violently.
"I drew power from Dragoth. But it was incomplete. To seize full control, someone had to kill him. End him so completely he could never regenerate. That’s why—"
"You helped release him," Frey realized at last.
"Exactly," Aegon grinned.
"I couldn’t kill him myself. I needed someone stronger. Someone who could obliterate him beyond return. I failed. Abraham failed. Even my grandfather failed.
"But you, Frey... you succeeded. You killed him."
"And thanks to you... my plan is finally complete."
The black lightning flared violently, growing thicker, wilder, power surging far beyond Aegon’s supposed level.
The prince standing before them had deceived the Ultras, manipulated the Empire, and twisted Dragoth into his pawn. And when he was finished... he let him loose only to die, gaining both the power he craved and the favor of his enemies.
With such a deal, Aegon had lost nothing—in fact, he had gained everything.
A long-term plan, built over years... executed with meticulous care. No errors. No flaws. To the extent that even Frey himself had unknowingly become part of it.
"You’re the one who freed Dragoth—the SS+ class monster," Snow said, unable to conceal his shock.
"That’s right," Aegon replied lightly. "But as you can see, Dragoth cannot defy me. I’ve been his master from afar all this time. And thanks to him, I now know most of what the Ultras are planning. In other words... this war is nothing more than a giant chess game. Victory belongs to the one who plays his pieces better."
"Freeing Dragoth led to the death of thousands!" Snow roared.
"They would have died anyway—because they were weak," Aegon answered coldly. "Compared to what I’ve gained, their lives were nothing more than a cheap price."
At last, Aegon revealed one of his cards... one of the secrets he had hidden so carefully until now.
Both Frey and Snow looked at him in a new light.
The prince was a beast capable of devising schemes that spanned years, manipulating both sides, and twisting everything to serve his own ends.
There was only one conclusion they could reach.
Dangerous.
The prince was far too dangerous—a threat beyond prediction.
A monster of their caliber, perhaps even worse.
At that moment, Frey’s expression darkened as killing intent poured from him in torrents.
The young man before him... Prince Aegon Valerion.
It was too dangerous to let him live. Against a beast like that, killing him on the spot was the only option.
Such thoughts consumed Frey’s mind as he took the first step toward the prince standing before him.
The tense atmosphere surged higher, spiraling toward the unknown...