Solenne blinked cluelessly, her voice trembling as she stuttered over her words. “W-What do you mean it's my call, Mister Rael? I... I have absolutely no right to dictate her fate. It was Mister Vhal’Zar who defeated her; he is the one who possesses the right to either spare or execute her.”
Beneath them, Vespera continued to weep, helplessly scratching at the dirt as she looked up at Rael like a stray animal pleading for a scrap of mercy.
Rael looked down at the sobbing Succubus Queen, letting out a soft, heavy sigh before looking back at Solenne. “I only mean that they came here with the explicit intent to take your life. Because of that, I feel it’s only fair that I’m ahem-I mean, that Mister Vhal’Zar defers the final judgment to you.”
In a blur of movement that defied the laws of physics, Vhal’Zar instantly materialized right behind Vespera. Completely ignoring the trembling demon at his boots, he immediately dropped into a flawless, respectful bow toward Rael. “Master, what is your decree regarding this creature's life?”
Rael gestured toward the Holy Maiden, giving Vhal'Zar a look. “See? He wants me to decide, but I still believe you are the one who should hold the scales of justice here, Saint.”
Vespera's tear-filled eyes darted in absolute terror between Vhal’Zar and Rael, and then back to Vhal’Zar. Her demonic instincts, honed through centuries of survival, instantly mapped out the terrifying hierarchy. The god of death followed the casual youth, but the youth cared about the Saint's input.
Scrambling on her knees toward the edge of the barrier, Vespera began to wail directly at Solenne. “Please! Oh, mighty Saint! Have mercy on me, spare me! A lowly, wretched creature like me was blind! I was entirely wrong!”
Watching the catastrophic Succubus Queen begging desperately on her knees felt like a surreal, impossible dream to Solenne. This was a legendary commander of the Demon King's vanguard a creature that should have been monologuing arrogantly or fighting to the bitter end. Yet here she was, stripped of every ounce of pride, weeping shamefully in the dirt.
Seeing the Saint hesitate, Rael, without realizing it, let a dark, ingrained thought slip past his lips. “If you're not fully satisfied with just keeping her alive, I can always have Vhal extract her soul. That way, you can easily play with her disembodied essence or-”
Rael froze, the words dying in his throat as a sudden wave of icy horror washed over his own mind. Wait... what the hell am I even saying right now?
“Never mind. Forget I said that,” Rael muttered quickly, rubbing his head.
Deep inside, Rael was suddenly terrified of himself. Why did I just suggest something so inherently monstrous and inhuman with such casual ease? Am I... am I changing into something else? No, my fundamental soul shouldn't be altering, so what is happening to me? Is it because of this avatar?
He stared blankly at his hands. My underlying race in the game system is a draconic max evolution zephyr. Is the biology of this world slowly overriding my human morals? Why didn't I feel a single shred of guilt or hesitation when suggesting soul torture? Hell, even when Vhal’Zar whipped out that apocalyptic, reality-shattering spell earlier, my only genuine worry was that the terrain couldn't automatically regenerate like a video game map... I didn't care at all about the potential loss of life around us.
A heavy, existential dread settled into Rael's chest. Has my basic humanity degraded since I reincarnated here? I don't know... but I desperately hope my humanity isn't completely gone.
As Rael stood there, completely stunned and paralyzed by his sudden psychological realization, Saint Solenne finally took a deep breath, her golden eyes hardening with renewed resolve. She looked directly at Rael. “Mister Rael.”
Rael snapped back to reality, blinking away his dark thoughts. “Huh? Ah, yes? What is it?”
Saint Solenne squared her shoulders, pointing a firm hand toward the weeping demon. “I have made my decision. I want to spare her life... but under one absolute condition.”
Vespera’s eyes lit up, and a wide, desperate smile split across her face. “Yes! Yes! Yes, Holy Saint! Anything! I will agree to absolutely anything!”
Solenne narrowed her eyes, her voice turning cold. “You must surrender every single piece of intelligence you possess. Everything regarding the Demon King's plans, his weaknesses, and his military forces.”
Watching from the side, Rael gave a slow nod of approval. Ah, good idea. Direct information from an insider is always valuable in a raid.
However, Vhal’Zar stepped forward, casting a skeptical glance at the weeping succubus. “Master, we already have the headless commander who surrendered first. Since he outranks this creature, I highly doubt we even need her. Besides, demons are notorious liars; she will likely feed us falsehoods.”
Hearing that she might lose her ticket to survival, Vespera frantically cut in, waving her arms in a panic. “No! No! No! You don't understand! Yes, the Dullahan is a tier above me in raw military rank, but that doesn't mean he's close to our supreme Lord! I am the one who is closest to the Demon King! I am the one who satisfies his deepest desires in his private chambers!”
She declared this last part with a strange, fleeting flash of demonic pride, completely oblivious to how pathetic she looked kneeling in a puddle of her own fear.
Rael rested his thumb against his chin, looking at her with a thoroughly deadpan expression. Ah, as expected of a succubus. Truly the natural enemy of all males. But honestly, hearing her brag about that is just irritating. It reminds me of the past...
Shaking off the annoyance, Rael glanced back at the Saint. “Okay. So, after hearing that... have you changed your mind yet, Solenne?”
Solenne remained completely resolute, her gaze fixed on the captive. “No. If she truly has access to the Demon King's inner circle, she will be an invaluable asset to the human Empire. We must keep her alive.”
“Fair enough,” Rael sighed, casually rolling his shoulders.
With a thought, he completely dispersed his mana, deactivating the invisible wall of the [Dimensional Partition] that had been shielding the carriage, the horses, and the guards.
Because Vespera had been leaning heavily against the invisible barrier while begging, the sudden disappearance of the wall caused her to lose her balance entirely. She fell face-first into the dirt with a muffled yelp.
As she scrambled back up, her sharp demonic instincts immediately warned her that the protective cage was gone. For a split second, the thought of taking the Saint hostage flashed through her mind, but she crushed the idea instantly. She knew that the monster knight standing behind her could snap her neck before she could even twitch a finger. Furthermore, the casual youth beside the Saint the one who had casually suggested extracting her soul for torture was far too terrifying to provoke.
Realizing her utter helplessness, Vespera quickly forced a warm, deeply submissive smile. However, with her face covered in dirt, smudged tears, and runny snot, it resulted in a hilariously grotesque expression.
Rael stared at her, his lips twitching as he desperately held back a loud burst of laughter. Pfft... look at that face. I need to keep my composure.
At that moment, the battered Dullahan crawled forward slowly. His heavy armor was severely warped and cracked from being exposed to the full force of Vespera’s chaotic [Abyssal Nova].
Vhal’Zar looked down at the broken undead, then turned around to deliver another profound bow to Rael. “Master, there is one more matter I must humbly ask of you.” He pointed a gauntleted finger toward the headless knight. “He wishes to pledge his eternal loyalty directly to me. What is your desire regarding his life?”
Rael rubbed his chin thoughtfully, looking at the broken skeleton. “Hmm... well, since he specifically wants to be loyal to you, I don't mind. Go ahead. But... if he ever steps out of line or makes me angry, well... you already know exactly what to do with him.”
Vhal’Zar’s eyes flared with dark delight. He bowed even lower. “As you wish, Master. He will be dealt with permanently if he falters.”
Turning back to the kneeling undead, Vhal’Zar threw his arms wide. “As you can see, I have received explicit permission from my Master. Do you truly wish to bind your eternal existence to me?”
Even though half of his physical bones were fractured or missing, the Dullahan forced his body into a rigid, reverent kneel. “Yes... my life and my eternal unlife belong entirely to you, my Lord.”
Vhal’Zar immediately began chanting an incantation. The words were spoken in a bizarre, ancient language that none of the locals could comprehend except for Rael. Even though in his past life he had never heard or spoken it, because of the knowledge surge when he arrived in this world, he understood it perfectly.
Thick, oppressive waves of dark mana gathered in the air, manifesting a floating, glowing black parchment covered in runic script directly in front of the Dullahan.
“Dullahan!” Vhal’Zar’s voice resonated like thunder. “Accept this covenant and swear your absolute loyalty to me and my Master! Should you ever dare to betray this contract, you will suffer a fate far more agonizing than the grave. Your very soul will be flayed and tortured until the end of time, long after all life in this universe perishes! Are you willing to accept these terms?!”
Infusing his own dying mana into the magical contract, the Dullahan answered without a single shred of hesitation. “Yes. I accept, my Lord.”
He lowered his headless torso to Vhal'Zar, before shifting his posture to deliver an identical, deeply respectful bow toward Rael. “And to you as well... Great Master.”
Vhal’Zar smirked, immensely satisfied with the undead’s submissive attitude. “Excellent. From this moment onward, you are my personal summon and my companion. You shall obey our every whim.”
The moment the words left his lips, the glowing contract dissolved into a violent vortex of shadows, wrapping the Dullahan's shattered body into a thick, pitch-black cocoon. A few meters away, the scattered bones of his fallen skeletal horse were drawn into the vortex, wrapped in an identical dark cocoon too.
Seeing the shadows begin to shift and transform the undead into something far greater, Rael smiled. “Hmm, you're lucky, Vhal. Because he really gave his heart to you, he's getting an upgrade.”
Vhal’Zar was delighted by his master's words. “Thank you, Master.” It was truly rare to trigger a contract summon evolution on the very first recruitment.
The black cocoon began to fracture slowly, bursting outward to reveal a terrifying entity that was exponentially more powerful than the commander from before. He emerged wearing a majestic, shimmering set of Phantasm Armor that seemed to absorb the light around it. His neck remained headless, billowing a thick, ominous black mist and glowing with piercing blue eyes. But the most striking difference was floating directly above his empty neck a regal, intimidating crown formed entirely from highly concentrated, swirling black mist.
[Evolution: Soul-Reaver Death Lord]
Simultaneously, a sharp neigh cut through the silence from a few yards away as the horse's cocoon completely shattered. The mount had been magnificently transformed. It was now a towering, massive warhorse clad in full, heavy gray-black steel barding. With every breath it took, bursts of violent blue flame erupted from its armored nostrils, its eyes flaring with a deep, mesmerizing black-blue light. Its heavy steel hooves didn't even touch the physical dirt; instead, the horse was literally walking on air, gliding forward majestically to approach its master.
Reaching the group, the legendary dread-steed lowered its armored head, bowing deeply alongside the Dullahan toward Vhal’Zar.
Vhal’Zar let out a booming, thoroughly satisfied laugh. “Muahahahaha! Brilliant! Now, return to the abyss and greet your seniors in that realm.”
The newly christened Death Lord gave a firm nod. With a casual wave of Vhal'Zar's hand, both the knight and his flying armored steed dissolved into wisps of black smoke, sinking quietly into Vhal’Zar’s shadow.
The entire area fell into a dead, suffocating silence.
Standing by the carriage, Saint Solenne and her remaining Royal Guards could only stare blankly at the empty space, their hearts pounding in synchronization. Their minds were entirely fractured by the cosmic display of power they had just witnessed.
Looking at the smiling Rael and his obedient, god-of-death servant Vhal'Zar, a terrifying, unanswerable question echoed inside the Saint's mind:
These two individuals... are they sent by the heavens to save us... or are they an unholy evil far worse than the Demon King himself?