High above the battlefield...
Four demons slowly descended.
Each carried a terrifying presence.
Three of them were ancient demons.
Though they possessed youthful appearances rather than elderly ones, every feature about them radiated the weight of countless ages.
The fourth...
Was a masked demon Frey had already crossed paths with more than once.
"So you were here all along, Amon."
A faint smile crossed Frey’s lips.
"Hiding behind the backs of these old monsters."
"No wonder I couldn’t sense your presence."
Amon simply turned his head aside.
He said nothing.
Remaining quietly behind the three ancient demons before him.
For a brief moment, Frey ignored them altogether.
Despite the overwhelming aura each one radiated...
Every last one of them stood at the absolute pinnacle of the SSS Rank.
"The true Duchy of Hell..."
Maskith slowly stroked his beard, his aged eyes narrowing.
"The demons who ruled Hellmond in the distant past, long before Agaroth ever arrived."
A faint look of recognition crossed his face.
"I never imagined they’d reveal themselves so easily."
Likewise, the three ancient demons looked back at him with the same expression.
One that had long since taken root in deep hatred.
"Maskith... so you’ve truly abandoned your old master for a new one. You were never worthy of bearing the title of Duke."
One of them sneered.
Before Maskith could respond, Frey cut him off, his patience already exhausted.
"Enough talking."
He slowly raised his sword.
"Let’s begin."
His violet eyes swept across the three ancient rulers.
"The Demon Triad."
Sovereignty of Shadows pointed toward them, ready for battle.
Yet the ancient Demon Triad made no move to attack.
Instead, they deliberately maintained their distance, showing no intention of fighting.
The eldest—and clearly the strongest among them—stood at the center.
He descended slightly, approaching with visible caution.
"Easy now, Lord of the Shadow Sect."
His tone remained calm.
"We did not come here to fight you."
Resting his sword across his shoulder, Frey raised an eyebrow.
"So you came here to die willingly instead?"
"To negotiate."
The leader of the Triad answered without hesitation, revealing their true purpose.
The declaration instantly ignited outrage among the Upper Demons.
Even Izalith struggled to speak.
Frey silenced her with a single kick before another word could leave her mouth.
"You claim you came to negotiate..."
His gaze drifted toward the enormous crater beneath their feet.
"...yet your actions say otherwise."
"Our apologies."
The Triad’s leader slowly opened his pitch-black eyes.
"We had to test you first."
"We needed to know how far your strength had truly reached."
"And whether you were truly the same Nameless who appeared thousands of years ago."
The leader of the Triad possessed the appearance of a primordial demon.
Massive black wings stretched behind his back.
His skin was ash gray.
Long white hair flowed down his shoulders, crowned by curved horns, while his completely black eyes contained not the slightest trace of light.
The other two looked remarkably similar.
Together, they had once ruled demonkind itself.
They were the original rulers of Hellmond...
The true Duchy of Hell.
Only Gael had broken away from them long ago.
"You may not realize it..."
The Triad leader continued evenly.
"But the attack we launched moments ago was one of our strongest weapons."
"It was created by combining the power of all three of us."
"And yet..."
"...you walked away without the slightest effort."
A quiet laugh escaped Frey’s lips.
His eyes briefly wandered toward the Zenith of Night Armor covering his body.
"No wonder it required enough force to make my armor react for the first time since arriving in Hellmond."
He smiled faintly.
"As I said before..."
"It was indeed a powerful attack."
The Triad leader’s fingers tightened ever so slightly.
He sensed the mockery hidden beneath Frey’s praise.
Even so, he showed no hostility.
Instead, he spoke plainly.
"From what we’ve witnessed..."
"...your strength stands on the same level as that despicable being."
"Agaroth."
The hatred in his voice became unmistakable the moment he uttered the former Demon King’s name.
"That is why..."
"...we wish to form an alliance with you."
He paused only briefly.
"We wish to join you."
"We wish to become part of the Shadow Sect."
Unlike everyone else, whose faces filled with shock upon hearing the ancient Demon Triad willingly offer submission...
Frey could barely suppress the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"You wish to join me..."
"And fight beneath my banner."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"That’s quite unexpected."
Then he asked the only question that truly mattered.
"You called this a negotiation."
"Which means..."
"...there’s something you want in return."
He was correct.
The Triad’s leader revealed their demand without delay.
"Kill Agaroth."
"And the First Upper Demon."
"Crimson."
The instant those words were spoken...
Frey laughed.
It was exactly the answer he had expected.
"How pitiful."
His voice carried naked ridicule.
"After losing to Agaroth..."
"And then losing again to the First Upper Demon, Crimson..."
"...you now want me to eliminate both of them for you."
"So that you may once again reclaim your throne as the true rulers of demonkind."
The terms were simple.
If the agreement succeeded, the demons would willingly join the Shadow Sect.
However...
The Triad had no intention of allowing the demons’ loyalty to remain with Frey.
Once Agaroth was gone, they intended to reclaim authority over their race themselves.
Which also meant breaking the Great Earth’s manipulation.
In exchange...
They promised the complete military support of the remaining Duchy of Hell.
Amon included.
Every surviving member would fight beneath the Shadow Sect’s banner.
Maskith and the Great Earth silently watched Frey.
Both waited for his decision with quiet curiosity.
Yet both shared the exact same thought.
’The Demon Triad...’
’They cannot be trusted.’
’The moment an opportunity presents itself... they’ll betray us.’
Nothing prevented them from using both Frey and Agaroth against one another...
Allowing the two greatest monsters alive to destroy each other.
All they truly desired...
Was to rule demonkind once again after centuries spent beneath Agaroth’s oppression.
Frey already understood every bit of that.
Even so...
He nodded with surprising warmth.
"You have my agreement."
His answer came so effortlessly that even the members of the Triad were visibly caught off guard.
They had expected negotiations.
Perhaps even refusal.
Not immediate acceptance.
"I’ll return rulership to you."
"And I’ll remove my influence over your race."
His smile remained unchanged.
"But only after the war is over."
"Not before."
"In return..."
"...you’ll fight at my side."
"You’ll wage every one of my wars."
Just like that...
Frey welcomed yet more powerful warriors into the Shadow Sect.
Across from him, the Great Earth’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
At last...
He understood what Frey had meant all those months ago.