"As you know, I have lived for quite a long time. Not nearly as long as you... but long enough to witness many things. Especially thanks to this eye I received from the King."
He gestured toward the King’s Eye that protruded from his forehead.
Maskith narrowed his eyes slightly at the sight.
The current Wesker was far stronger than he had once been.
He now carried two of the King’s world-breaking abilities, and he was the only one who possessed more than one—aside from the First High Demon, Crimson.
He had managed to achieve something like this with an incomplete and imperfect ability, which gave a glimpse of just how terrifying the power he had created truly was.
Wesker was cunning.
It was nearly impossible to hide anything from him.
In a heavier tone, he continued:
"Long ago, I learned that the Great King Agaroth had once been interested in a secret project—one deliberately hidden from the rest of us. Only a handful of individuals even knew it existed."
Wesker slowly circled around Maskith as he spoke.
"I believe it was called... the Cloning Project, if I’m not mistaken?"
Upon hearing that name, Maskith smiled.
"You truly are audacious," he said with a soft laugh. "To speak of that in front of me."
"You realize I have every right to kill you right now... don’t you?"
Wesker nodded faintly in response, though the smile never left his face.
"I am perfectly aware of that. But I prefer to believe you will not do so... and the fact that I am still alive is proof enough."
"Arrogant and bold," Maskith replied with amusement. "But that is fine. The King enjoys creatures like you... and who am I to erase such an entertaining source of amusement?"
Maskith laughed loudly before responding to Wesker’s earlier statement.
"Yes, such a project did exist."
"But it failed—spectacularly."
"It did not serve its intended purpose."
Wesker nodded slowly.
"I am aware of that."
"And I believe the result of that failure stands among us even now... does it not?"
His voice deepened slightly.
"The result... was the current Eleventh High Demon—Amon."
At that moment, one of the deepest secrets was revealed.
Maskith’s thoughts drifted back to the past.
To that time when he had used his mastery over life and death to carry out a secret project—one born from an agreement between himself and Agaroth.
The Cloning Project.
The operation aimed to create vessels—true living beings—through a process of imitation.
Maskith used his power to replicate living creatures, producing imperfect copies of them as part of his experiments.
At first, he cloned weaker beings.
Gradually, he progressed—attempting to replicate stronger and stronger creatures.
The ultimate goal of the project was to create a new vessel, powerful enough to withstand the power of the Demon King himself.
Through such a vessel, Agaroth would be able to escape the seal placed upon him by Nameless, which prevented him from leaving Helmond.
The Demon King had not been particularly interested at first.
But since Maskith was the one who proposed the idea, Agaroth accepted the offer on a whim and participated in the process.
In the end, however, Maskith failed to replicate Agaroth.
The Demon King was far too complex—too twisted a being for anything to imitate, even with the combined might of Agaroth’s infinite power and Maskith’s mastery of life and death.
Yet despite their failure to recreate Agaroth...
Maskith managed to produce an extraordinarily powerful imitation of the demon who stood just below him in power.
The First High Demon—Crimson.
And that moment...
Was when Amon was born.
"Amon is not a true demon," Maskith said calmly.
"He is a demon created in a laboratory."
Amon was the greatest result Maskith had ever achieved.
A complete living being possessing immense power and terrifying potential.
He had been created as an imitation of Crimson, the Red Moon, which was why his appearance bore such a striking resemblance.
Even his abilities reflected that origin.
Amon’s Transparent World was merely a lesser version of Crimson’s Red Domain.
Both abilities manifested fields across the battlefield, producing various effects.
Amon had been designed to serve as a potential vessel for Agaroth.
But despite his strength and resilience, he ultimately proved incapable of becoming a suitable body for the Demon King.
When he attempted to receive the King’s full power—
He nearly died from the process.
And so, the project ended in failure.
Yet even in failure, Amon had gained something extraordinary.
After absorbing a portion of the Demon King’s power, he awakened a terrifying world-breaking ability.
A devastating power that was immediately classified as forbidden within Helmond.
No one was allowed to even know of its existence.
Only three beings were aware of it.
Agaroth himself.
Crimson.
And Maskith.
Naturally, Maskith revealed none of this to Wesker.
He merely admitted that Amon was an imitation of Crimson.
"That is astonishing," Wesker said, clearly intrigued.
"I cannot believe your manipulation of life and death allowed you to reach such a level."
"Would the Demon Seed Project be considered an extension of that work?"
Maskith nodded.
"The Demon Seed was merely a secondary experiment."
"It aimed to transfer the consciousness of a powerful creature into the body of a weaker one—creating a controllable replica."
Upon hearing that, Wesker’s hand clenched unconsciously.
He realized just how dangerous the being before him truly was.
He can create copies of a monster like Crimson...
And he was the one who invented that horrifying Demon Seed...
’Maskith... what exactly are you?’
The thought filled him with dread.
Maskith was said to be ancient beyond comprehension, a creature who had lived even before Agaroth and Manus.
Confirming his origin was impossible.
He was an existence that could neither be manipulated nor trifled with.
So Wesker abandoned the thought before it could even fully form.
"I have a deal I would like to offer you... if you are willing," Wesker said with a smile.
Maskith raised an eyebrow.
"What kind of deal?"
"A deal..."
"To create a new imitation—one far stronger than Amon."
The former Fourth-Rank Demon’s smile widened as he began presenting his proposal to Maskith, continuing his pursuit of ever-greater schemes.
What they discussed next remained shrouded in darkness ...
Hidden from the eyes of all other beings.