Seven Sins System Chapter 26. Bloody Magic Formation

I checked the altar stone. It shaped like a huge stone table that had been badly damaged. My eyes quickly caught a faint bloody magic summoning formation below the altar. I was pretty sure it was a magic formation to summon one of the seven lords of the sins but I didn't know which one since three-quarters of the formation had disappeared. But from the blood, I was sure it was new.

Besides my father--- the demon king, I--- the crown prince and the Lord of Wrath, and my sister, there were 6 other demon lords who represent the deadly sins. And mortals could summon us by drawing certain magic formations.

Of course, that didn't always work since our presence relied on the casters' grudge, negative emotions, and... Our mood. We were not mortal servants so it was up to us to answer their call or not. In fact, I hadn't answered mortal calls for almost 200 years. Whereas, previously, I and the other demon lords answered it just for fun, just to eat their souls to be precise. Although they were tasteless, their struggle and scream was another thing. It was an extraordinary sensation.

As for my sister, even though she could become a demon queen, only a male demon could become the lord. So the seven lords of deadly sins of the shadow realm were the opposite of the seven goddesses of virtues of the light realm. Also, although mortals could summon and make a contract with my sister, I was not sure she would answer them either since she was too busy with her incubi.

'Is any of them involved in this?' It was just a random guess since the one who summoned the lord was a mortal. Besides, we couldn't appear in the mortal realm without going through the gate. Even with the summoning formation, we couldn't manifest directly or show ourselves in flesh. We only could show our shadows and raise our voices. We also couldn't use our full power due to our incomplete form either.

Just like what Carl had done, summoning and contracting with a demon lord was an equivalent trade. We would grant the summoner's request or grant them the power to do so with their souls or bodies as the payment. The one who could make the request was only the owner of the blood. But in Carl's case, my dad asked for something else. Yeah, I would consider him the lucky one. He was the only one who paid his request at a cheap price.

I tried to draw a common thread between this magic formation and the previous monster attack. But I didn't get it. I meant, if someone asked another lord to kill the Clourmity Academy's students, instead of using the monsters, he should be killing them directly. Besides, the fact that the monsters turned against me and Julia indicated the monsters' target was not the students, but anyone near them.

On the other hand, if the request was to kill Julia or me, why couldn't I feel the other lord's presence? What had just happened was just another regular monster attack. The difference was that they were angry about something and I didn't know what.

Also, why did the caster summon the lords in a dangerous place like this? Or... Has mortal's intelligence gone down that much?

"Azrael, what happened?" A tap on my shoulder and Julia's voice dispersed my mind.

"Nothing. I have a lot of things in my head," I replied. I focused my gaze on the formation and used my skill.

'Scan.'

My eyes glinted in red as some detailed images entered my head.

[Evidence number 1 has been found. An altar in the cave.]

My eyes were back to normal.

"I hope you don't mind staying here a little longer." I decided to look for anything that could be my clue. Another tunnel, a path, or an altar for example. Even if the monsters or another demon lord had killed the caster, at least he/she needed a way to enter this place. So I thought to find where the caster came from.

"What are you looking for? Let me help you," said Julia.

"I don't know. I'm looking for anything that could be a clue to this abnormal attack. Something similar to that altar or another tunnel," I explained briefly.

"Okay," she replied, though her confusion was evident.

Julia and I spent another 15 minutes searching the entire cave. I also summoned my tentacles to do the same. But we didn't find anything other than the altar and the bloody formation, including another tunnel. Moreover, with the previous fierce battle, I bet that has destroyed other evidence.

As for where the caster came, my only guess was that he was using the same tunnel as the Antlions.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to swallow my curiosity and the questions running through my head.

"I think my only clue is the altar," I said in disappointment.

This was the first time I got a clue in months. But it led me to nowhere. I was not even sure this had anything to do with it either. It could be just a random summoning ritual.

"What could be a clue for you?" asked Julia curiously.

It was a difficult question since I didn't know either.

"I'll explain to you later. You still owe me dinner anyway." Without waiting for her answer, I hugged her waist.

"Let's get out of here." I decided to try my luck elsewhere.

Before I used my skill, another announcement appeared as I could feel Demonic Power from the surface.

[Anomaly power detected!]

[Estimated: demons]

That announcement shocked me. Especially since the announcement said the trespassers were from my realm.

A second later, my shock turned into a grin of excitement as curiosity about the idiot demons that broke the agreement, filled my head.

"At last... You showed yourself," I muttered.