Taking the demon's medicine is akin to surrendering one's life to him (4)

Chapter 20: Taking the demon's medicine is akin to surrendering one's life to him (4)

After some time, Beelzebub joined the fray, spitting his green flames.

He joined his hands, held fire captive for some time, then let the restless fire beast free, bombarding ants with the element ants were afraid of. Having no escape in sight, all monsters used their toughest parts to defend themselves against the demon's might, only to ache and shriek for more.

Beelzebub's magic was unstoppable and absolute…

But the man himself perspired and breathed roughly as though he used his life force as well to unleash his magic. Bruno and the rest looked worriedly at David, who reassured them with a faint smile.

Beelzebub didn't miss a particular gaze from one of The ghosts, inwardly smirking.

"Let's continue… we're about to enter the second level. Things shall get more interesting here." Beelzebub urged his team to go forward, for he had been secretly guiding them to the treasure vault his soul slave had found.

The Ghosts marked the path and did his bidding, cautiously walking forth. They soon were in front of a slope, which was not too steep.

Fortunately, there was no need for a rope, and everyone could safely descend to the second level. There were more monsters and blue crystals here, as well as more threats, for the blue ants were now aware of someone invading their nest.

More forces of The Ant Queen roamed tunnels, their antennae sticking to the ground as though glued.

Though they could find Beelzebub and his people, they couldn't fight them head-on. And if tunnels had been smaller and more narrow, David had an inkling he alone would have been enough to fight.

Alas, that was not the case, and monsters could find a way to him if he weren't careful.

On the next level, the team's clearing speed was pretty arduous and limited, which significantly slowed them down. But the abundance of blue crystals to mine compensated for this, only giving more work to Bruno.

Full of enthusiasm, the young man never complained and worked really hard. His backpack was getting heavier and heavier with precious resources.

Soon, Beelzebub stopped everyone in their tracks.

"Yale, I need your help here." David pointed at a small boulder adjacent to the grayish wall. "Try to move it to the side. If you alone aren't enough, I hope your friends will help you."

Intrigued by this sudden request, Yale approached the boulder and put his hands on it. His muscles soon contracted and tensed, and the man groaned as he pressed his whole weight onto it. The rock trembled slightly and rumbled to the side, but not too much for a lone human to reveal what was behind it.

Yale called his friends, and all of them finished the task.

"How did you find this?" Yale threw a suspicious look at the demon while his friends and Bruno peeked inside a small cave with shining eyes.

Behind the rock was a den of blue crystals. There were so many of them that a little movement caused hundred of them to roll down blue mounds, which were hills of blue crystals. It was like a treasure vault had been hidden here, waiting for greedy humans to step inside.

One of those humans couldn't hide his excitement and stepped on the threshold, stuffing his head inside. His eyes turned into dollars, and his body heated with so much passion and dreams that the mercenary was swimming in the pools of blue crystals before he noticed.

Beelzebub followed the man's example and entered, and others followed his wake.

"Close the entrance with that boulder." David ordered before explaining what they crawled in. "My guess is that we are in The Ant Queen's secret chamber, which came to birth against her expectations. Such wonders happen regularly across the world, don't they? And as the queen, she must be aware that such a gift will tempt both her soldiers and humans. Hence, she hid it from everyone's eyes."

"The question is how you found it." Yale didn't want to give up on this question, pressing the demon to answer him.

Beelzebub faced him with his usual confidence. "I have good eyes."

Yale narrowed his eyes.

In the meantime, the rest of the team was charmed by the shining crystals. Three men were literally swimming in those crystals, ignoring scratches stacking on their bodies. Another group whispered to each other: their conversation reached no one else.

Bruno was the most innocent fellow. Rooted to the grayish ground by his elation, the young alchemist imagined whether he would be able to use all crystals stored here in his lifetime. Of course, there was no way he would be able to take everything with him.

He also had to share this vault with his teacher!

But then, out of nowhere, an immense pain spread across Bruno's temple. Someone knocked him down, and his body naturally toppled forward, loudly falling onto blue crystals.

At the same time, two men slithered their way behind Beelzebub, catching and pulling his arms behind. A strong hand landed on his head, drawing his vision down.

The demon was caught and strapped off his strength!

The rest stood stupefied in front of these unexpected actions!

Yale muttered in shock. "What are you guys doing?"

His friend, the man whose heart became the greediest, replied to him with a wide sneer. "Can't you see through this man's identity?! Boss! He's someone expelled from those grand cities! Remember how they treated us here! We were worse than trash in their eyes! We couldn't even enter the dungeon! But with this man under our command, we will get back at those bastards! Imagine what we can accomplish with the wealth this alchemist can bring to us!"

Another man weighed in, his expression sculpted by the thirst for revenge. "He must be a criminal, too. No one is around him to support him! He dared not even meet with the village head because he was aware of the risks! This is our chance to grow stronger! Just gotta put a slave collar on his neck!"

Yale and other mercenaries who had been unaware of this scheme exchanged looks.

The leader of The Ghosts saw the hopeful eyes of his friends. He saw that they wanted to try to extend their hands for more fame and strength and make the people who spat on them repent! All of them couldn't wipe off the shame the grand city had introduced them to.

Even Yale dreamt of taking revenge and growing stronger beyond the boundaries of the village. Like many mercenaries, he had caught a glimpse of that different world, dreaming of tasting glory on a wider scale, new skills, and women that only the strongest could hold to themselves.

He wanted to join guilds where the best of the best gathered and fought for what men loved to snatch from others!

"Boss! You understand us! And look, this man can't even use his magic now! He can't join his hands to unleash flames! And his mana must be on a low point, too! It's so easy!"

Yale was bothered by Beelzebub's silence, but even the eyes of the sanest and most experienced mercenary of the Williard Village soon became veiled in a fake glory.

He clenched his hands and nodded to his brothers. "It's a risk worth taking. We'll have to move south to get our hands on slave collar, though."

The mercenaries grinned, revealing their yellow teeth. "Taverns in the south are the best, boss! Haha!"

Yale curved his lips into a broad smile, agreeing with his buddies. "Tanned chicks and their pinkest pu-"

He swallowed his vulgar words, for Beelzebub's eyes met with his…

The dark abyss within those hues sparkled with green fire…

And the men holding Beelzebub's arms automatically let him go — their skin became dotted with burnt marks, and for a moment, their souls trembled, a feeling they had never felt before.

BANG!

[You have used Beelzebub's Cauldron(Legendary) on yourself.]

Green flames escaped Beelzebub's orifices, engulfing him in a mantle of soul fire and turning him into a demon from the depths of hell.

As David spoke, tongues of emerald flames escaped his lips. "I like your expression, Yale… I am so familiar with it…." The demon raised his ignited hand and pointed his slim finger at the mercenary's face. "An expression of an existence that has thoroughly fucked up. Fear and regret have contorted your face… let me top out that with my flames."

"Kill him!" Yale grasped the hilt of his sword and screamed to awaken his teammates from their stupor.

The Lord Of Souls sneered, his flames accentuating his evilness.

There was no room for kindness…

No, only Bruno deserved Beelzebub's kindness.

And the loyal maids waiting for him.

"The rest be damned." Beelzebub declared in his soft voice amidst the howling flames dancing around him, his voice coming out on top, for no one was more significant than the Lord Of Souls.

The mercenaries heard his judgment well.

And when they wanted to push forward to oppose the demon, something in their stomachs stirred, bringing acute pain to them.