Mammon did not care much about appearances.
Nor did he have any goodwill toward dimensional invaders.
But Mammon did not reject the idea of turning these monsters into demons.
After all, once they became demons, they could only serve as his loyal servants, couldn't they?
While there were indeed demons in the original story that escaped from Muzan Kibutsuji's control, there had only been one.
And that demon had only managed to break free after Muzan was cut down by Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
Mammon would never be as foolish as Muzan, provoking a boss he couldn't handle without understanding anything about them first...
Two figures landed swiftly in front of Mammon.
It was Mr. Dai and Chen Jun.
"My lord, the mission is complete."
Mr. Dai bowed respectfully.
Using his Blood Demon Art, he had easily turned all the nearby monsters into demons and sent them to entangle Li Qiancheng and the others.
By his estimate, it would take them at least another half hour to get here.
"Well done. Chen Jun, go to that location."
Mammon nodded and pointed toward the place where the treasure was hidden.
If there were no surprises, the treasure should be beneath that spot.
And then...
Mammon turned toward the Deadland Ravager and the Blackwater Python, his eyes flickering.
The two A-rank disasters were still bound by the Black Blood Thorns, their spirits exhausted.
Their injuries were simply too severe.
Even though monsters possessed tremendous vitality, they were now little more than half-dead.
"If I kill you directly, it would be a waste of resources."
Mammon slowly raised his right arm.
His arm rapidly transformed, becoming a massive and grotesque flesh creature that extended toward the Deadland Ravager's head.
Inside its gaping maw, sharp fangs gleamed menacingly.
"But resources should be used efficiently."
A chilling smile spread across Mammon's face.
The flesh creature suddenly opened its mouth wide and bit down on half of the Deadland Ravager's head.
"ROAR!"
The fangs pierced deeply into its skull.
The Deadland Ravager let out another scream of agony.
"Quiet down. It'll be over soon."
Mammon spoke calmly.
From within the flesh creature's mouth, a sharp tubular appendage shot directly into the Deadland Ravager's brain.
Clusters of material were extracted.
Life Essence.
The very source of these monsters, magical creatures, and insects.
Some took the form of cores.
Others appeared as crystals.
They were known by many names—magic cores, crystal cores, and more.
Collectively, however, they were all referred to as Life Essence.
It was the origin of a monster's life and the core of its power.
Even if the Deadland Ravager were in perfect condition, losing its insect core would cause its strength to plummet.
The magical power it was so proud of would instantly shrink by eighty percent.
And that wasn't even considering the other consequences.
At this moment, Mammon was extracting the energy contained within the insect core and using it to nourish himself.
"What abundant energy. It almost makes me want to drain you completely."
Feeling the magical energy continuously pouring into his body, the smile on Mammon's face deepened.
Deep enough to appear almost twisted.
He had always known that Life Essence would be an incredible tonic.
But this was his first time absorbing it directly.
The sensation was simply too pleasurable.
It was so enjoyable that he felt himself becoming addicted.
Far more comfortable than even Nakime's devoted service.
"Huff... huff..."
The Deadland Ravager had initially struggled desperately.
But as its Life Essence continued to drain away, it could now only lie on the ground and weakly wheeze.
It no longer even had the strength to roar loudly.
The Deadland Ravager was nearly drained dry.
"Next, it's your turn."
Only after the Deadland Ravager was on the verge of death did Mammon reluctantly release it and turn toward the Blackwater Python.
The python's cold eyes widened.
In an almost human manner, it lowered its head as if begging for mercy.
After all, dignity meant nothing before survival.
Death itself wasn't the problem.
Being drained alive of its Life Essence was unbearable.
Even if it survived afterward, losing nearly all of its magic crystal would leave it in a state worse than death.
The person before it was undoubtedly a great devil.
"Don't worry. You'll thank me later."
Mammon remained completely unmoved.
He repeated the process and began extracting the Blackwater Python's Life Essence.
Completely restrained by the Black Blood Thorns, the python had no ability to resist.
It could only continuously release cries of agony.
Before long, another giant corpse lay motionless on the ground.
Mammon withdrew his hand in satisfaction.
The majority of the Life Essence from two A-rank disasters had greatly increased his strength.
Unlike humans, who absorbed such energy gradually,
Mammon directly fused the life energy into his genes, achieving an even greater degree of evolution.
"You should thank me. Soon, you'll become entirely new creatures."
The two monsters stared at him with hatred and resentment.
Mammon paid them no mind.
The smile on his face was cold and cruel.
"However, if demonization succeeds, even missing body parts can regenerate. Their flesh should be utilized to the fullest extent as well."
Mammon had always believed himself to be someone who maximized benefits.
Meticulous.
Efficient.
The flesh of A-rank monsters contained energy far beyond anything that C-rank or B-rank creatures could compare to.
He intended to turn these two monsters into demons.
And demons could regenerate.
Under the monsters' despairing gazes, Mammon's arm transformed into a gigantic blade.
He chopped the Blackwater Python cleanly into two pieces.
As for the Deadland Ravager, nearly two-thirds of its body was severed.
If the demonization succeeded, they could simply regenerate new bodies.
And the severed flesh could be used as food.
Of course, if the giant insect and python failed to become demons and died during the transformation process...
Then that wouldn't be a waste either, would it?