Returning to that endless black domain, the massive golden scale emerged once again beneath their feet.
Just as in the simulation, a silhouette of massive, bat-like wings slowly manifested deep within the darkness; the ancient demon, Zak-Eos, gazed coldly at the humans standing upon the scale.
"Lord Demon!" Samantha shouted impatiently the moment the demon appeared. "I have summoned you according to the ritual process; please help me complete the sacrificial ritual!"
Her tone was urgent, carrying a faint, imperceptible tremor.
After speaking, she nervously glanced at Ansu and Celia from time to time, as if waiting for a verdict.
Ansu, meanwhile, had been observing the massive golden scale.
Noticing that the scale this time was a true 'scale,' with only two trays—one beneath himself and one beneath Samantha...
His lips slowly curled into a triumphant smile.
Seeing this expression, Samantha's panic intensified; she felt as if she had overlooked something...
Something very important, something fatal...
"Lord Demon," Ansu said with a calm expression. "I have sacrificed Samantha's soul to you. Please fulfill the contract."
"I have been informed..." Zak-Eos's deep voice echoed through the void.
The next second, the golden scale emitted a hum, and the tray beneath Ansu's feet began to sink slowly.
"No! That's not right!" Realizing her soul was being pulled away, Samantha roared in terror, "Lord Demon! I also recited the incantation!"
Seeing the tray beneath her feet vibrating and rising continuously, Samantha was terrified to the extreme.
"Lord Demon! I know you always abide by contracts! If I die... what happens to my transaction? I am also an initiator of the sacrificial ritual!"
She pleaded incoherently, "I don't want to die... I don't want to die! As long as I can live, I'll give anything! I'm willing to pay any price!!"
However, the ancient demon, known for its greed, turned a deaf ear to her request.
The weightlessness and the pain of her soul being torn apart filled her heart with increasing despair; Samantha could feel her body growing colder and her consciousness becoming increasingly blurred...
The Soul Feast.
That demon was devouring and enjoying her soul...
"It's useless, Samantha." Ansu withdrew his smile and finally looked seriously at his greatest enemy.
"The current you has nothing left to trade." He looked at her pale face. "Your soul ceased to belong to you the moment my incantation was uttered."
"But...!" Samantha stared fixedly at the Celia standing hand-in-hand with Ansu. "Her! Why is she fine?"
Samantha's venomous gaze made Ansu see a malicious desire to drag someone down with her even in death.
He gave a mocking smile. "Samantha, you've really gone senile. Can you not even recognize your own student anymore?"
Samantha's pupils shook; she suddenly realized something.
Ansu's gaze slowly shifted to the 'Celia' beside him; her cheeks suddenly twisted and soon transformed into another face.
It was a face both Ansu and Samantha were familiar with—the head maid of Lawrence Manor, the puppet who had served Celia for a long time.
"How could it be her?" Samantha's eyes widened.
Ansu sneered. "Can you not even distinguish a magic disguise anymore?"
Just now, after Celia opened a teleportation circle, she had quickly brought the head maid over.
As an absolutely obedient puppet, the head maid naturally did whatever she was told; however, her task was simple—just stay silent and stand obediently by his side.
This was exactly why Ansu didn't waste words with Samantha and attacked directly; he couldn't give her a chance to react or think.
If it were before, Samantha certainly wouldn't have made such a mistake.
But now she was heavily injured and her mental state had completely collapsed, to the point that when she saw 'Celia' holding hands with him, she initiated the Soul Feast without a second thought.
Chapter 3, Article 58: If the sacrifice target is a non-sentient life form, it is considered a desecration of the contract; the ritual is void, and the initiator shall be punished.
The head maid didn't even have a soul, let alone any independent consciousness.
Samantha had sacrificed nothing.
And because the penalty was triggered, she even owed two lives...
At this point, having learned she had been deceived from start to finish, Samantha's heart was like cold ashes.
Perhaps because the sacrifice target was completely invalid, the head maid's figure began to be rejected by the black domain; her silhouette gradually blurred and vanished.
"I... lost..."
Watching all of this, Samantha pulled at the corners of her mouth, revealing a smile more wretched than crying.
Using her last ounce of strength, she stared fixedly at Ansu's face, her cloudy pupils burning with final malice. "I curse you..."
"Ansu... do you think that by eliminating me, you can be together in peace? No! Of course not!"
"Darkness and light... can never be combined."
"You are the Chosen One, and she... will forever be the greatest enemy of the Holy Light. Ansu! Do you still not understand? The Holy Light... and magic are fundamentally repulsive and cannot coexist... you two are destined mortal enemies!"
Samantha laughed manically. "You're still keeping it from her, aren't you! I'm so looking forward to it... if Celia finds out you are the Chosen One, a minion of a false god, and the enemy of magic! What kind of angry expression would she make..."
"That won't be necessary." Hearing this, Ansu burst out laughing. "Because she already knew I was the Chosen One, and she didn't look particularly angry back then."
"What!?"
Amidst Samantha's final moment of shock and incomprehension, the golden scale let out a final hum, and the black void instantly fell into a state of calm.
At the other end of the scale, only a stiff, soulless body remained.
"Samantha's husk is at your disposal," Zak-Eos's voice was calm. "How do you plan to deal with it?"
"What would I do with this old and ugly body?" Ansu shrugged with a look of disgust. "Lord Demon, since there's no need to replace a body, it should be fine if I destroy her directly, right?"
"Of course," Zak-Eos replied.
And so, under Ansu's watch.
On the other side of the scale, Samantha's body rapidly withered and rotted, then dissipated into the black void like dust.
Samantha was finally dead.
Having completely resolved this major threat, the tension in Ansu's heart loosened slightly.
He slowly raised his head, shifting his gaze to the ancient demon.
The demon's lava-like eyes had been watching him; this ancient being that fed on souls seemed very interested in him.
"Ansu, it has been a long time since we have... enjoyed a soul so thoroughly."
It scrutinized the human below, its tone actually revealing a hint of appreciation. "I suddenly feel that you, human, are quite clever and have a knack for deception..."
"You are well-suited to be a long-term supplier for me. Why don't we maintain cooperation..."
"In exchange, I will provide you with power that is even stronger, enough to stand at the apex of the world. How about it?"
The demon thought Ansu would be attracted by the conditions it offered; after all, what transcendent, like a mage, wouldn't want to become stronger?
Beguiling the old and frail to offer fresh souls in exchange for new bodies, tricking the weak into signing contracts with promises of transcendent power... making the poor rich, putting power into the hands of the humble...
Demons had always been the best at exploiting the weaknesses of human nature.
But Zak-Eos didn't expect this human to shake his head decisively, his face full of indifference.
"Thank you, but no."
...
Outside the black domain, on the rural dirt road outside Maplewood Town.
Over a dozen carriages galloped at high speed, their wheels grinding over the rugged road and kicking up clouds of dust.
Freya hid on the third floor of an unremarkable residence, quietly watching the carriages arriving at Maplewood Town.
Every carriage bore the emblem of the Church of Holy Light, and from other directions, even more reinforcements from the Church were arriving.
Her gaze swept over those fully armed clergymen and eventually landed on a middle-aged commander.
As if sensing a gaze, Seance suddenly frowned; he turned his head, his sharp eyes sweeping toward a certain direction.
Freya pressed herself tightly against the wall, her heart pounding wildly.
Mr. Seance... arrived too quickly!
Freya gently pulled out the communication device Ansu had given her; there had been no news of success from his side.
Lord Ansu... please, hurry!
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