Crimson’s unwavering tone reminded both Marvas and Agares just how fanatically devoted the First Upper Demon was whenever it came to carrying out orders from the Demon King, Agaroth.
As long as it was a direct command from him...
Crimson would march to the edge of the world itself if necessary.
Even so, both demons could clearly sense his growing impatience.
From time to time, his gaze unconsciously drifted toward the territories occupied by the other races...
And faint killing intent leaked from him.
As though he were barely restraining himself from charging into their domains and beginning a massacre.
"I’ll enter another door."
"As for the two of you, remain here and make sure none of the other races step foot into this territory."
"There’s a very high chance the correct door lies here at the center."
Crimson issued his orders while preparing to enter yet another door immediately after returning.
Leaving Marvas and Agares behind guaranteed that the other races wouldn’t approach their territory—
At least not without a battle.
After all, the Second and Fifth Ranked demons were terrifying forces when united.
One possessed monstrous durability and overwhelming defense.
The other wielded one of the deadliest offensive powers in existence—
The Spirit of Darkness.
The very same power the King himself frequently used alongside the shadows.
Both Marvas and Agares obeyed without protest.
Though Agares had long since reached his limit from sitting around doing nothing.
Holding his King-Slayer Spear, Crimson prepared to enter another door.
The same cycle repeated endlessly.
Enter another door.
Reach the same result.
Until now, no one had dared challenge the heart of the labyrinth directly.
The entire world understood exactly what the First Upper Demon was capable of.
But for the very first time...
That balance was about to change.
Crimson suddenly stopped walking.
Only a single step away from the door he had chosen.
This time, the First Upper Demon did not open the door.
Instead, he slowly turned around and raised his head toward the sky above.
Marvas and Agares did the same, their expressions darkening immediately.
Someone had finally dared step into their territory.
A face they had never seen before.
Dark gray hair.
Dead, empty eyes that barely resembled those of a living being.
Pale skin that made him seem more like a ghost than a man.
With both hands behind his back, he wore ancient clothing that looked as though it belonged to another era entirely.
His presence was strange.
Not crushingly heavy like Crimson’s...
Yet it possessed a unique weight of its own.
Crimson slowly turned away from the door, abandoning it completely as his priorities shifted instantly.
Beside him, Agares’ entire body tensed violently while a savage grin spread across his face, revealing just how desperately he wished to fight after remaining inactive for so long.
Yet Crimson raised his spear before Agares’ chest, stopping him without once taking his eyes off the newly arrived guest.
Agares was visibly startled by Crimson’s actions.
But in the end, he reluctantly obeyed.
He understood perfectly well that the First Upper Demon would never stop him without reason.
The atmosphere became suffocating.
As though a bomb were moments away from exploding.
"You..."
"I know your kind very well."
Crimson stepped forward slowly.
"I came to this place with the intention of killing creatures like you."
"You’re one of the Great Ones, aren’t you?"
"There’s no other explanation for this strange presence I sense from you."
The Great One’s eyes narrowed slightly upon hearing those words as he carefully evaluated the three demons standing below him.
"You understand quickly... Crimson of the Red Moon."
The Great One of Krat finally responded, confirming Crimson’s suspicions.
The instant his suspicions were confirmed, a demonic smile spread across Crimson’s face.
"So you know who I am..."
"And yet you still came here alone."
"The Great Ones truly are arrogant creatures."
"Or perhaps your race has grown scarce after the King slaughtered most of your kind?" he mocked coldly.
The Great One of Krat answered coldly, without the slightest visible reaction.
"There is no need for another Great One to be present."
"I alone am more than enough."
Slowly, the Great One of Krat raised his hand toward Crimson and the Upper Seats behind him.
"Exceptions may be made for the other races born into this world... but you demons are different."
"You were created by her."
"We cannot allow her to use you as weapons."
"She is more than capable of controlling the creatures she created herself."
The Great One of Krat spoke calmly, his words leaving Crimson visibly puzzled.
"What are you talking about?" he asked.
In response, the Great One’s palm began to glow.
"You do not need to understand."
"The only thing you need to do... is die."
The moment those emotionless words fell—
A colossal light erupted from nothingness.
The radiance swallowed Crimson and the other demons whole in a single instant.
First came the light.
Then came the explosion.
A catastrophic blast shook the labyrinth itself with violent earthquakes as every creature inside the maze witnessed the overwhelming pillar of light rising into the heavens.
A pillar that completely consumed the heart of the labyrinth where the demons had nested.
The destructive force unleashed by that attack was horrifying beyond measure.
Even those who merely sensed its power felt chills crawl across their skin...
Let alone those struck by it directly.
The demons had taken that attack head-on.
And were buried deep beneath the earth because of it.
Marvas unleashed vast quantities of Dark Flame to defend himself, while Agares relied entirely on his monstrous physical strength to endure.
Yet standing their ground and surviving...
Was the only thing either of them could manage against that overwhelming torrent of divine light.
Power like that could subdue almost any creature alive.
But Crimson...
Crimson was the exception.
In less than a single second, the Great One of Krat raised his head sharply, seriousness finally appearing on his face after realizing that the First Upper Demon had already broken through the sea of light and reached him effortlessly.
Crimson’s crimson eyes blazed violently.
A terrifying expression spread across his face as overwhelming killing intent crashed into the Great One before him.
The First Upper Demon thrust forward the King-Slayer Spear, aiming to impale the creature standing in his path.
The Great One of Krat crossed both arms before his chest, summoning an astonishing amount of aura for defense—
Only for his eyes to widen slightly upon seeing Crimson’s spear shatter through his defenses effortlessly under even greater aura pressure.
The spear collided against the Great One’s arms.
Yet instead of piercing through them...
It scraped against them as though they had been forged from indestructible metal.
The Great One endured the strike.
Even so, the momentum behind it blasted him backward an absurd distance, smashing through the ground and countless doors below.
And by the time he regained his balance...
A massive trench of destruction had already formed behind him.
Now he stood below.
While Crimson stood above.
Forcing the Great One of Krat to raise his head upward just to look at his opponent.
Inspecting his arms briefly, the Great One felt faint numbness spreading through them.
A realization dawned upon him.
’So this is... the power of the strongest creature created by the First Writer.’
Crimson.
The Red Moon.
He was not merely a demon.
Even the title of First Upper Demon failed to fully describe what he truly was.
The demons were foreign existences within the world of Earth of Survival—
Creatures created by the First Writer to exterminate all forms of life.
And among all demons...
Crimson was the greatest creation ever made.
The demon who was originally meant to become the Demon King himself.
No...
He was the true Demon King.
Not Agaroth.
The Great One of Krat—
Odin’s strongest subordinate.
Against the First Upper Demon—
The strongest creature ever created by the First Writer, Clea.
The clash between the two heralded the beginning of yet another catastrophe.