"When did you start mingling among us?!" Laiya was no longer his usual lazy self; he held a long katana and questioned the figure ahead with a cold and serious demeanor.
Ronnie, who had walked down the steps to the base of the Shadow Palace, did not reply. He had his back to everyone, his shadow long and deep.
After placing the magic stone in his hand at the center of the magic circle on the base, he bent down and suddenly turned his head to look at the three people behind him, a grin spreading across his face: "I didn't expect there to be smart guys among the Elves."
"But it's too late."
"That thing that should have been mine, I finally got it today!" As he spoke, the smile on Ronnie's face became increasingly sinister, the upward curve of his lips something no human expression could achieve.
A black, blood-like liquid seeped from his open mouth.
It was very disgusting.
He spoke incessantly, his low voice echoing through the space: "Only by using the magic stone's spell in the Shadow King's Palace can the true me be summoned from the Underworld. So, celebrate my return!"
"The Underworld, it's… a demon?" Laiya muttered. The next second, he swung his katana, and a dark, elongated cross-shaped slash flew out!
"Bartoli, stop him quickly! Don't let him descend into this world!"
Bartoli, who had been instructed, was somewhat bewildered, but seeing the strange scene before him, he chose to obey Laiya's words. In an instant, dozens of light swords erupted from his hand.
The dark magic slash and the light magic swords were blocked by a dim curtain just as they were about to touch Ronnie.
"This is a defensive spell to protect the ritual after activating the magic stone's magic. This is bad," Laiya said coldly. Then he looked at Yuno beside him, "Hey, kid, the situation has changed. Let's form a temporary alliance. We need to deal with this guy first."
"Mr. Laiya, what exactly is going on? Ronnie, he…"
"That guy isn't Ronnie, but… a demon!"
"A demon?"
"They are monsters from the Underworld, a group of disgusting creatures full of endless malice."
Listening to Laiya's words, Bartoli looked at the base of the Shadow Palace. Dark and cold Mana emanated from it, black Mana lines writhing like a swarm of snakes, and a closed coffin emerged from the serpent-like mass.
The coffin suddenly shifted, black wings spread, and a monster with two horns on its head and a long tail behind it appeared before the three.
It flew in the air, laughing as it looked down.
While the three were still looking up, the demon vanished from its spot with a flap of its wings. The next second, hot blood splattered on Bartoli's face. Bartoli turned his head and saw that the demon's hand had already torn through Laiya's chest.
With wide eyes, the demon pulled out his hand.
Laiya fell to the ground, his blood beginning to stain the brown earth.
"You… you bastard, what have you done?!" Bartoli was enraged. Someone had once again harmed a comrade in front of him. Unforgivable, absolutely unforgivable!
A golden long whip appeared in his hand. "Light Creation Magic: Whip of Judgment."
"Die!"
The long whip created light and shadow, and with the force of its body, it swung forward. The ground touched by the light whip all cracked intogravel.
The demon maintained his laughing expression, looking at the enraged Bartoli, his slightly playful gaze like he was watching a powerless, furious clown. He slowly spoke: "Vanish!"
As his voice rang out, the light whip, which was about to touch him, instantly shattered into countless light particles.
Bartoli looked at his empty hands, somewhat bewildered, "Where's my light whip?"
Before he could react further, the demon acted, sending Bartoli flying with a palm strike. He tumbled several times on the ground, and before he could stop, the demon floated and stepped on him.
Blood splattered from Bartoli's mouth.
"A little warm-up. My own body is indeed better, tsk tsk… An Elf with a four-leaf clover grimoire, I will make you taste the ultimate despair, just like Licht that day."
The demon pressed down on Bartoli with force, his pale face, filled with countless blood-red threads, showing a malicious smile.
"That day, it was I who tricked humans into destroying the Elf Tribe."
"You…" Bartoli endured the pain, attempting to stand, but under the immense power difference, it was futile. He slightly opened his mouth and questioned, "What are you talking about?"
"…Still don't understand? You're really quite stupid."
"The craving for Mana easily drives humans to act… You also desperately, under my deception, systematically carried out your revenge, hahaha, you are all so foolish!"
Bartoli's expression changed slightly. He gripped the demon's ankle, "What kind of joke is this?! Mr. Licht, in order to entrust us with the last hope, did not hesitate to dirty his hands by touching forbidden magic. Everything we are doing now is for revenge against humanity!"
"No, no~ You never understood your true enemy."
The demon spread his hands, "Let me explain it more clearly, shall I? It was I who caused your Elf reincarnation, and it was also I who incited humans to wipe you out that night. From beginning to end… your enemy was only me."
"What Elf revival, what long-cherished wish for revenge, these were all arranged by me for you. The Elf Tribe leader never wanted to exterminate humanity. You have always been walking on the path arranged by me, the murderer."
"…How pathetic!"
"It was all in vain all along."
"However…" the demon revealed his sharp teeth, "As a chess piece arranged by me, you've done really well. You've worked hard all this time."
"Hahahaha… it's truly laughable. Whether it's the Elf Tribe or humans, it's so much fun to toy with your dreams and desires. You're simply the best toys."
"Impossible!"
Bartoli, under the demon's foot, recalled everything he had done up to that point. His body twitched uncontrollably. He muttered disjointedly, "Impossible… absolutely impossible… You're… lying to me!"
"You must be lying to me?!"
He was so close to completing his revenge against humanity, he was so close to reviving his Elf comrades… yet you tell me that all of it was fake, all of it was pre-arranged.
Bartoli cried out, but what awaited him… was only the demon's cold, mocking laughter.
Bartoli's four-leaf clover grimoire suddenly grew another leaf, becoming a five-leaf clover grimoire. The demon reached out and touched it, and the golden grimoire instantly turned black.
"Mana Zone, Mental Storm · Double!"
Yuno, who had rushed all the way from Hage Village, had slightly recovered his Mana. After roughly understanding the situation from the demon's words, he launched an attack on the demon…