Warning: This chapter displays an extreme depiction of cruelty. If you are of a faint of heart or someone who does not want to be disturbed, please try to close off this chapter.

---

 

"Aah... aa... ahh!"

 

The monks stuttered in fear. Trembling, they looked at Feron Smithsteel with pleas. Some ran, while some prostrated to the demons before them, begging them spare their lives.

 

However, the demon did not listen to their plea. Instead, it was silently looking down on them with a cold gaze on its eyes.

 

"You could still stop this!" A monk tried to reason with Feron Smithsteel. The monk then pointed his hand to the demons and continued, "It's not too late to turn your back against these malignant creatures! Come back to god's side and together, we can seal and stop these creatures from destroying everything!"

 

In reply, Feron Smithsteel laughed.

 

God? What god?

 

The only god he knew of were the demons floating behind. The others are just imitations and false, pretentious gods begging to be worshiped yet giving none in return.

 

Can the monks' supposedly "God" create miracles and help Feron Smithsteel just like what he had been promised by the entities behind him?

 

Not at all.

 

"T-this wasn't in the deal, young man!" Another monk tried to argue with Feron Smithsteel. "You told us that you'll spare us if we did what you asked and now you're betraying that your own words?"

 

"Yes." Not wanting to reason and have a lengthy discussion about morality, Feron Smithsteel kept his answer simple. He then grabbed the monk by his hair and placed his sword on the monk's neck. Slowly, he proceeded to saw the monk's head off. The monk who was getting beheaded struggled for a bit before flopping off, blood splattering all over his neck.

 

The monks looked at him aghast. This person before them was a total lunatic. A lunatic who wouldn't give a damn about the world. A fool who only sought his selfish greed.

 

There was no use arguing with someone who's manipulated by the demons.

 

In a panic, they ran away from the scene as fast as possible. However, just as they were going to leave the place altogether, the exit was suddenly blocked off by a weird invisible wall and geometric lines, trapping them like rats awaiting the guillotine.

 

"What is this?!" A monk raged as he bashed the invisible wall with both his hands. Forcefully, he tried to leave the area using any means possible but to no avail. The wall was still there, motionless.

 

The monk wailed in despair. He did not want this. He was supposed to be a young, promising priest, not some bastard whose role in life is to be some sacrifice to the demons he utterly detested.

 

He did not want to die in this place. He wanted to live.

 

"You're noisy." Feron Smithsteel, who was finished decapitating a monk's head, turned his eyes to the despairing monk. "You're next." He continued, pointing his sword to the monk.

 

"Ahh!" The monk shouted in agony. However, what met him was a sword that instantly pierced his mouth, instantly killing him. As the sword was stuck to the invisible wall, his body was pinned alongside the sword, showcasing the monk's miserable, pathetic end with full glory to everyone nearby.

 

"Hmm... it's not fun..." Jun Euri, who was looking at the scene with a blank expression, mumbled. He snapped his hands as he thought of an idea and immediately announced it to everyone, stating, "Monkeys, if you don't want to die, maybe try killing that weakling in front of you instead of moaning and pissing for no reason? After all, he's outnumbered one to thirty, and he's weak at that."

 

Jun Euri shrugged. After all, it made sense. If you don't want to die, then survive. And the monks before him are clearly not using their brains to even survive.

 

Some monks who heard Jun Euri's words immediately channeled their skills. Light and explosive spells were immediately thrown at the unarmed Feron Smithsteel.

 

Instead of getting hit, Feron Smithsteel simply evaded their attacks, lunging at the monks who attacked him in reply.

 

"Giyu! Gi— krrr..." With their heads grabbed by Feron Smithsteel, they retaliated by getting his hands off them. However, just as soon they could do such a thing, their heads were crushed by his hands, turning their skull to fragments and their brain mushed.

 

As the aggressors' corpses fell, Feron Smithsteel walked towards his sword and pulled it, dropping the pinned monk's corpse to the ground.

 

"Please. You don't have to do this. Please." The monks begged for Feron Smithsteel to reconsider his actions. They bowed down and prostrated, with some kissing his boots to spare themselves.

 

But just like their god who didn't answer Feron Smithsteel's pleas, he looked down on them with an eerie silence. He clutched his sword and grabbed a nearby monk's neck, pulling him and presenting the struggling monk before the demons.

 

He started his cruel killings. One by one, he killed them cruelly in every way he could think of. Impaling the monks with stalactites, severing them in half, skinning a monk alive before killing them. Feron Smithsteel killed the monks mercilessly just like what the second demon ordered him.

 

As he killed the remaining monk by bashing his head against a stalactite, he walked before the demons and immediately knelt, putting his bloodied sword in front once more.

 

"I have finished killing them, my lord."

 

The second demon didn't answer. Instead of praise, it looked at Feron Smithsteel with scorn, unleashing an aura of fury towards him.

 

"Finished? Hah?! Are you telling us that this is only the amount of people you can kill?! Or are you looking down on us and subtly telling that we don't have the ability to count?!"

 

The second demon lashed at Feron Smithsteel, making him tremble as the demon's furious aura surrounded him like hellfire.

 

He was scared. No, he was both scared of losing his life and losing his ticket to revenge.

 

"I do not tolerate mistakes, weakling. Hunt them down and we will talk. Otherwise we will rethink our discussion." The second demon scoffed. "I will give you a timer of a single hour. If you cannot hunt the monkeys who fled, you can say goodbye to your desires."

 

"Yes, my lord!"

 

Feron Smithsteel immediately stood up and bowed. He hasted as he ran across the sanctuary. If he can't kill those cowards who chose to flee then all of his plans would crumble apart. He could not afford to spare any second, nor even time itself.

 

Madly, he scanned the area as he bolted his way, opening and crushing doors with his body. As the time ticked away, he hunted the monks one by one.

 

"Monster!" A monk screamed in fear as he was found by Feron Smithsteel. He was forcefully yanked from the wardrobe he was hiding and was immediately stabbed, killing him.

 

Feron Smithsteel remained silent and continued chasing after the monks. Within half an hour, he had murdered seven monks. This could not do. With the rate he's going at, he was guaranteed to fail. The demons would expunge their deal, no questions asked.

 

He sped himself up. He crushed anything on his way, be it walls or furniture. As his body was battered bloody by his reckless actions, he forcefully ignored the pain and pressed on, hunting and killing more monks in the process.

 

"I am Isada—" Just before a person could speak out his name, his head was sliced off by Feron Smithsteel's sword and leaving the man in two. He could not afford to waste time on such nonsense.

 

While dashing across the empty halls he silently recounted every monk he hunted. Was it around thirteen? Or was it above fifteen?

 

He forgot. Under such heavy stress, he was focused on scanning and killing people as fast as possible, making him unable to focus too much on everything else. He gritted his teeth as he realized his error. He was too hasty and too reckless beyond relief.

 

"Time's up."

 

He heard the demon's voice inside his head. Feron Smithsteel immediately stopped and panted, trying to catch his breath. Just mere moments of him chasing and hunting everyone alive within the sanctuary took a single hour to complete. Feron Smithsteel clicked his tongue at this weakness. He was too slow. He needed to keep up and be faster. He needed to match that bastard Orbis' capabilities.

 

If they were to fight one another with his current condition right now, Ren Orbis, alongside his innumerable allies and "legendary" items he crafted, would win against him one hundred to zero. No, even a single follower pet of his would win one-sided against Feron Smithsteel.

 

He was just too weak compared to the genius allies Ren Orbis had and conquered as puppet slaves.

 

As he caught his breath, he could see the two demons' spirit forms floating towards him. Feron Smithsteel keenly looked at the two demons to understand what they were thinking. The first demon had no expression on its red, scaly face while the second demon was gleefully floating its way to Feron Smithsteel as if it had seen something amusing.

 

"Human." The jovial second demon looked at Feron Smithsteel with a grin. "I must say, you exceeded my expectations. Clap clap." The demon clapped as its snake-like eyes squinted at him while smiling.

 

From what Feron Smithsteel sees, the demon was not congratulating him at all. It was mocking him, smiling and flattering him with nothing but contempt with praise as a coating.

 

"As for the amount you've killed, you killed twenty-three people compared to the seven monks who escaped. Truly wonderful. I am tearing up." The demon continued, its hands continuing to clap. "You have the qualifications to state your desire, mortal. Speak."

 

"Thank you, lord." Feron Smithsteel bowed and knelt in front of the second demon. "I wish to destroy the world, bring down the pretentious idols above the skies, and torture someone until the end of time."

 

He reaffirmed his choice as he stated his desire. The second demon in reply put its hand on its chin, thinking of something.

 

"That is quite a lot, human. Just like what I said earlier, you are weak and alone. You will only gain nothing but death if this is the case." The demon flatly spoke, bluntly putting a dent in Feron's Smithsteel's commitment. "And even with our help and teachings, it will end up the same, you dead and nothing changed."

 

The demon then snapped its fingers and a scroll appeared before Feron Smithsteel. Feron Smithsteel looked at the scroll and saw a circle filled with geometric shapes and weird runes all over it. The circle was dyed with the color red, signifying it was some scroll for a ritual of some sort.

 

"I will not take everything from you, human." The demon spoke as he looked at the kneeling Feron Smithsteel. "Instead, write that sacrificial circle down on some ground and bring a thousand souls on it, dead or alive. That way, I can summon myself in this world and spare your weak self. Deal?"

 

The demon smiled at Feron Smithsteel. He was now making a deal that will change his life and this world for better or worse. There was no backing out now.

 

Feron Smithsteel grabbed the floating scroll before him and spoke, saying, "I accept your wishes, my lord."

 

As the scroll Feron Smithsteel took burned itself to ashes, another demon appeared before him. Compared to the other two, the third demon was looking at Feron Smithsteel with deathly silence and surrounding him with an eerie aura compared to the other two demons' wrathful and furious ones.

 

He looked at the third demon. Aside from its floating, red figure, there was nothing else, including its face. It was space blank, with Feron Smithsteel left figuring on what the third demon was thinking.

 

"Sen!" The second demon spoke merrily. "You finally decided to appear! I thought you returned back and left me alone." The demon continued, its expression showing a sad emotion.

 

'Returned back?' Feron Smithsteel thought. Perhaps this third demon was aloof and lived a hermit life than the other two.

 

"I was touring the place." Sen, the third demon, replied. Its void-like head faced Feron Smithsteel and continued, "You two are finally done with this... mortal?"

 

"Somewhat." The second demon shrugged.

 

The first demon shook its head. "I have not formed a contract with this human yet."

 

The third demon Sen nodded. Feron Smithsteel immediately felt being observed thoroughly as the third demon faced him despite not having any face nor eyes. After several seconds of being observed, the third demon nodded as if it had an understanding of something.

 

"I have heard from my brothers that you are alone, human. Is that correct?"

 

Feron Smithsteel nodded.

 

"I am, my lord."

 

Feron Smithsteel didn't lie. Other than himself, all of his precious friends and allies have already departed from this world, either killed by the mobs or Ren Orbis and his allies.

 

"And you have nothing else, correct?"

 

He nodded once more. All of his savings were poured onto this trip. His gear, equipment, and skill were all that remained to him. His family's wealth, belongings, and items were taken by the thieves who disguised themselves as the royalties and Ren Orbis himself.

 

"I can help you." The third demon spoke, its thin hands stretching out to Feron Smithsteel. "I can get you back everything you had— no, gain more than what the world had ever seen."

 

Despite not having a face, Fern Smithsteel felt the third demon smiling. The demon was going to formulate a contract between it and Feron Smithsteel.

 

"As you have already guessed, it is a contract." The demon spoke, stating the obvious. "However, I will only take everything you've influenced, be it directly or indirectly. I will not take everything you've killed. That is a good deal, no?"

 

Not making any sense on what the third demon just said, Feron Smithsteel looked up and confronted the demon, asking, "My lord, please forgive this poor one for being impudent but may I ask what you meant by your words?"

 

"No worries." The demon coughed as it assured Feron Smithsteel. "What I mean is that, by the time the world ends, everything you've touched belongs to me. And by everything I meant everyone you've influenced, both directly and indirectly. Compared to what I would teach you afterwards once you accept this contract between us, that is quite the bargain I would say,"

 

Whilst not having any face to express its emotions, Feron Smithsteel knew the demon was grinning and staring at him intently. It was looking forward to his next course of action, waiting for him for what he was going to do next.

 

Feron Smithsteel instinctively knew.

 

No, ever since he saw the third demon, his gut already told him.

 

This third demon, despite being the most silent and aloof among the three, was the most dangerous. The demon's words of choice, alongside its nonchalant attitude, proved that this demon could and would keep its promise to the end.

 

"I accept, my lord Sen, demon of the end."

 

Feron Smithsteel agreed to the demon's deal, touching the demon's withered hands and shaking it, formulating a contract that would shift the world's gears straight to destruction.