5: Chapter 4.1: It’s Over; I’ve Lost Everything I’ve Had for a Lifetime.
5: Chapter 4.1: It’s Over; I’ve Lost Everything I’ve Had for a Lifetime.
Another full ten millennia.
The silent depths of Hell were once again shrouded in the calamity known as the Extermination.
The holy light of Heaven tore through the dark red sky of the Pride Ring, and the silhouettes of Exorcists descended upon this land of sin like cold blades.
Amidst the chaos, Spade’s toy factory continued to run at a fever pitch, its business booming to an unbelievable degree.
The war dolls he crafted were practically perfect weapons, custom-made for the major powers of Hell.
They didn’t need to eat, drink, or rest.
They felt no pain and knew no fear.
They wouldn’t desert like gang thugs or bicker over credit.
With a simple order, they would charge into the fray without a single distracting thought—loyal to the extreme and powerful to an absurd degree.
Because of this, the moment a demonstration video of the “toys” was posted to the weapon shops in Carmilla’s territory, gang leaders would go into a frenzy to buy them, even coming to blows over the stock.
A continuous stream of trucks rolled one after another from Spade’s factory toward Carmilla’s lands, bypassing countless troubles and filling his coffers to the brim.
The Spade of today no longer needed to labor personally.
He only had to sit in his spacious, comfortable office, slowly counting his mountain of wealth.
When he grew bored, he would occasionally step out for a stroll.
He would either go to Carmilla’s to tease her two daughters or visit his old friend Zestial in his ancient, eerie lair to share a cup of tea and chat about the same old stories that never changed in ten thousand years.
Life was thriving—stable and cozy.
However, every time the decamillennial Extermination arrived, Spade would quietly perform a bit of “private work” that no one knew about.
He would take advantage of the chaos and the cover of night to secretly hunt down stray Exorcists.
This was something he did with the utmost secrecy, never revealing it to a soul.
After all, he was a transmigrator.
The fact that Angelic Steel could counter angels was a top-tier secret that absolutely could not be exposed to the sinners of Hell.
He was always careful and cautious, only picking off one or two stray angels at a time.
He never over-hunted.
Killing too many would surely attract Heaven’s attention, leading to unpredictable trouble.
Spade didn’t want to ruin the stable life he had worked so hard for just for a moment’s thrill.
And those Exorcists he quietly dealt with would eventually be brought back to the factory to become his exclusive, secret “snacks.” It was a special meat: tender, savory but not greasy, and flavorful to the absolute extreme.
In Hell, this was not something one could just eat whenever they liked.
Odette and Clara, however, were particularly fond of it.
Speaking of which, this had been exposed by accident.
During a sudden outbreak of the Extermination, Carmilla’s toy stock hit a critical low.
Odette and Clara were ordered to personally come to the factory to collect goods.
Unfortunately, just as they arrived, Heaven’s cleaning range expanded to cover the entire area.
The exit routes were temporarily sealed, and they were forced to stay at the factory until the Extermination ended.
Spade, naturally, did not neglect them.
He arranged a comfortable resting area for the two ladies.
After a few instructions, he turned to handle his “private business”—hunting a stray angel and preparing his secret meat.
The cooking time wasn’t long.
But that aroma, so rich it was intoxicating, had barely drifted out of the kitchen before it was caught by the terrifyingly sharp noses of Odette and Clara.
The two practically followed the scent, jogging all the way to the kitchen door.
After so many visits, they were intimately familiar with Spade’s factory.
In the entire facility, they were the only two besides Spade who dared to wander around so freely.
At the kitchen door.
Odette pushed the round glasses on her nose, her white lab coat still spotless.
Usually the calm, rational, academic type, her nose was now twitching slightly.
Her eyes were shining with an alarming brightness, and she was unable to stop herself from salivating.
She was usually restrained, but faced with this aroma, she simply couldn’t hold it together.
Beside her, Clara looked completely different.
Dressed in her bold and sexy outfit, with her wild, slightly spicy temperament, she was standing on her tiptoes trying to peek into the kitchen.
Her eyes were glued to the pieces of tempting meat on the tray.
Drool was nearly hitting the floor; “I want to eat” was written all over her.
One was quiet and steady, the other wild and active—the contrast was stark.
Spade stood at the stove, still wearing the iconic clown mask of Subject 1006.
Ten millennia had passed, and he had never taken this mask off, nor had its appearance ever changed.
It remained that eerie, calm smile that betrayed no emotion.
Only in his mind was he frantically complaining: [Tch, these two brats have noses that are too good…
I should have closed the kitchen door tighter and added three layers of scent-blocking barriers.] [This is my treasure that I’ve hoarded for tens of thousands of years.
Now that they’ve smelled it, I’m going to have to pay a heavy price today.] “Mr.
Spade!” Clara was the first to give in, her voice filled with impatient hunger.
“W-what meat is this?
It smells way too good!” Odette followed with a slight nod, pushing her glasses up.
Her tone was restrained but couldn’t hide her curiosity.
“Yes…
the texture doesn’t smell like any demon in Hell.
It’s very special.” Spade turned around calmly.
Beneath the mask, his voice was steady and flat.
“It’s nothing.
Just some rare game from outside.
You children don’t need to know so much.” Of course, he wouldn’t tell the truth.
Angel meat?
Who would believe that?
And even if they did, the trouble would reach the sky.
After making up a random excuse to brush them off, Spade divided the freshly prepared meat into two portions and handed them to the two girls, who were watching him with wide, expectant eyes.
Odette took hers, still trying to maintain her ladylike manners as she took small bites.
But the more she ate, the brighter her eyes became.
Her usual calm demeanor completely shattered as she ate with gusto.
Clara, on the other hand, let go of all restraint.
She gnawed on the meat in large bites, her face becoming greasy and full of satisfaction.
Even her usual spiciness turned into a soft sense of bliss.
Spade leaned against the table, watching them devour the food.
Beneath the mask, he gave a silent, bitter smile.
[Millennium after millennium, this dump of a Hell…
only these little bits of fun are interesting…
even if the price is a bit high.] Outside the window, the light of Heaven began to recede.
The Extermination had finally ended.
The two sisters finished eating, rubbing their full bellies with expressions of pure happiness.
The demons responsible for loading the doll soldiers had finished counting the goods and packed them onto the trucks.
They were just waiting for the two of them to depart for Carmilla’s territory.
Clara’s eyes lit up, and she immediately looked at Spade, her tone tinged with a plea.
“Mr.
Spade, can we take the leftover meat with us?
Please!” Although Odette was embarrassed to speak up, she also nodded slightly, her eyes behind the round glasses full of expectation.
She was usually dignified, but before this ultimate delicacy, she couldn’t stay composed.
Spade looked at the two faces full of longing and sighed silently behind his mask.
[Fine, fine…
if I give it, I give it.
I’ve already lost this much; a bit more won’t hurt.] [Besides, these are Carmilla’s precious daughters.
If I actually upset them, my arms business might not go so smoothly in the future.] “Take it.
Pack it up and take it with you.
Be careful on the road.” Spade waved his hand, signaling they could pack whatever they wanted.
The two sisters immediately cheered.
They deftly packed the remaining angel meat into exquisite preservation bags, cradling them in their arms like they were the most precious treasures in the world.
“Thank you, Mr.
Spade!” “You’re the best, Mr.
Spade!
We’ll be back next time!” Spade: “…” [Don’t come back!
Please don’t come back!
If you come again, my entire stash is going to be emptied!] On the surface, he remained unmoved, silently following the sisters and seeing them all the way to the factory gates.
Since this was a formal setting, the two sisters behaved with poise, showing no lack of decorum.
It wasn’t until the transport convoy slowly started and disappeared around the bend of Hell’s winding streets that Spade finally dropped all pretenses.
He stood in place, silent for three seconds.
Then he let out a sudden, sharp curse, his voice filled with the agony of a massive loss and utter helplessness.