"Can't you hear me telling you to back off?"
The Dark Mages of Narak were only flustered as they watched Titus insistently demand that they step aside.
One of them stepped forward and said to Titus.
"This... this is a controlled area. Even for you, Sir Titus, entering here is not permitted..."
Woooong!
Before he could finish speaking, a red Blood Eye appeared on Titus's forehead.
The Blood Radiance from the Blood Eye seeped into the mage's pupils.
"Urgh!"
The Narak mage who met the Blood Eye trembled, foamed at the mouth, and collapsed on the spot.
Seeing this, the other Dark Mages panicked and retreated.
Titus looked at them and said.
"The rules of lowly humans do not apply to the Third-Eye Clan. Step back."
With that, he pushed past the Narak mages without a care and entered the controlled area with Yulina.
At that moment, Yulina sent a telepathic message to Titus.
—Sir Titus, is this really okay...
—Don't call me Sir Titus. Call me brother. You too are now of the Sacred Blood.
—B-Brother.
Yulina called Titus "brother" with difficulty.
Zeke, who had fully mastered the power of the Blood King, had awakened Yulina's potential and opened her Blood Eye as well.
Surprisingly, Yulina had far greater latent power within her than Titus, so she could wield much stronger power with training.
Though he was inwardly pleased about this, Titus maintained his cold expression and said to Yulina.
—Good. Yulina, this is an order from the Blood King. We must carry it out flawlessly to show our loyalty.
Yulina nodded at Titus's words and thought of Zeke.
When she first met Zeke, the immense pressure emanating from his entire body made her legs give out, and she collapsed right there.
Despite committing such rudeness at their first meeting, the merciful king had bestowed grace upon her, even opening her Blood Eye.
Titus and Yulina steeled their resolve to complete the command given by Zeke, who was no different from their benefactor.
Zeke watched this from the shadows and smirked at the sight of the two.
'It seems Tantra doesn't teach infiltration techniques for enemy territory.'
They tried their best in their own way, but to Zeke's eyes, there were many amateurish aspects.
Fortunately, they managed crises well using the power of the Blood Eye.
As Zeke followed the siblings, he surveyed the building's structure in detail.
Then, he manipulated the Ghost Troopers wielding the Green Sword infused with Arataso and the Eastern Sword infused with Nebilos to check if there were similar buildings or caves elsewhere.
Upon confirmation, all three locations had nearly identical building layouts and arrangements, as if the Orks had built fortresses.
Having pinpointed the exact locations, Zeke ordered the Ghost Troopers to fall back and wait in the forest for now.
'The Narak mages can pierce the Ghost Troopers' stealth with their Evil Eye, so infiltrating further inside would be difficult.'
As he pondered how to proceed to the next phase, Zeke followed Titus and Yulina deeper into the cave and soon came upon an area under strict security, with access controlled.
It was guarded by Ork special forces and Narak Dark Mages.
And, surprisingly, behind them sat a demon in green armor, polishing his sword.
Zeke was startled upon seeing the demon.
'That guy... I sense an aura similar to Arataso's.'
Arataso, as a knight of the Demon Realm and vassal of "Clear Verdant Aspiration," could use Demonic Qi Art, the prototype of aura.
Demons who used Demonic Qi Art were the natural counters to human knights, as they could disrupt aura.
'Unlike Arataso, he has a human-like appearance with horns on his head, so he must be of the Tuma Tribe.'
Zeke sent a mental message to Arataso, with whom he was connected.
'Arataso, is there someone like this among the vassals of Clear Verdant Aspiration?' Zeke shared his vision with Arataso.
Soon, Arataso's agitated voice came through.
'No, that bastard. Isn't that Morgant?'
The immediate naming suggested he was indeed a vassal of Clear Verdant Aspiration.
'From the way he's talking, they don't seem to get along.'
'How could we? A knight in name only, with no honor whatsoever, always resorting to cowardly tricks.'
'I thought the vassals of Clear Verdant Aspiration were a cut above, but apparently not.'
'Well, they're demons, so expecting much is futile, but that one is particularly bad. He doesn't hesitate to do filthy things like those under the Harbinger of Blood and Madness.' 'How's his strength?'
At Zeke's question, Arataso ground his teeth and replied.
'He's a mid-rank demon too. But since he hasn't received a title, he doesn't have his own domain or army like I do.'
'I see. But you're mid-rank, so how do you have a title, domain, and army?'
'...You're hitting a sore spot. There's a complicated backstory to that.'
Sensing the explanation would be lengthy, Zeke decided to hear it later after handling the urgent matter and wrapped up the conversation.
Given that Arataso, a mid-rank demon of the Demon Realm, had produced power equivalent to a red knight or higher in the Phenomenal World, the demon knight named Morgant who guarded the door should possess similar strength.
'A demon knight without honor. I might be able to use him.'
Zeke thought for a moment, then sent telepathic instructions to Titus.
Titus approached Morgant's side as Zeke commanded.
The Orks initially tried to block him but flinched and stepped back upon realizing he was of the Third-Eye Clan.
Then, the Narak Dark Mages blocked Titus and said.
"How did you get in here? You must leave the controlled area immediately."
"I'm not here because of you lot. Move aside."
The Dark Mages panicked and floundered at Titus's reckless advance.
With his power currently controlling the monster legion, they couldn't treat him lightly.
Yet, they couldn't simply open this highest-tier controlled area.
As the front grew noisy, the demon knight polishing his sword turned his head toward Titus.
He stood up and approached.
"What's going on?"
The Dark Mages bowed their heads as Morgant approached.
Then, Titus looked at Morgant and said.
"It's an honor to meet you like this. Sir Morgant. My name is Titus. I am the one who will become king of the Third-Eye Clan."
Morgant regarded Titus, who boldly stated his name and purpose, with curious eyes.
"Hoo, the Third-Eye Clan. I heard you were here, but I didn't expect to see you in person." Ancient races with special powers were fascinating even to demons.
Most humans summoned demons to fulfill their desires. In contrast, ancient races who wielded mysteries sometimes summoned demons themselves, not just as vassals.
Morgant asked Titus.
"How do you know my name?"
"I heard from an apostle. Upon learning that a valiant demon knight was here, I came to meet you."
Titus spoke naturally, as Zeke prompted him.
Morgant, with his strong sense of honor and vanity, felt pleased at Titus's words and smiled contentedly.
"Not bad for a mortal of the Phenomenal World. So, what brings you seeking me?"
"I wish to form a contract with you, Sir Morgant."
Morgant paused momentarily at Titus's unexpected words.
He then licked his lips, sensing the power of the Blood Eye emanating from Titus and Yulina.
"A contract with me, you say. Do you know what that entails?"
"Of course. I understand it as a soul contract where we fulfill each other's desires."
The Dark Mages were shocked to hear Titus propose a contract with Morgant, who had been summoned to the surface through Narak's power.
"Sir Titus, that's..."
At the Dark Mages' reaction, Titus frowned and unleashed the power of his Blood Eye toward them.
"Urgh!"
The Dark Mages immediately groaned in agony and collapsed to the ground.
Titus looked down at the fallen Dark Mages and said.
"How dare lowly humans interrupt an important conversation." Morgant smiled in satisfaction at Titus's ruthless demeanor.
"Even more to my liking. A contract with me..."
"If my soul alone is insufficient, I offer my sister Yulina's soul as well." At those words, Yulina behind him flinched.
Seeing this, Morgant grinned and said.
"I am a vassal of the renowned Clear Verdant Aspiration in the Demon Realm. In the
Phenomenal World, I can grant whatever you desire." Titus looked at Morgant with earnest eyes and said. "What I desire is to become king of the Third-Eye Clan." Titus continued.
"The heirs of the other clans are already seeking out vassal races to prepare for kingship.
But all I have is my sister, who possesses only meager power." Morgant nodded at Titus's words.
"You want to become king of the Third-Eye Clan. You wish to surpass the other heirs." Titus's eyes gleamed as he looked at Morgant.
"To become king, I must capture Zeke Draker, who holds the power of the Blood King, and reclaim that power."
At the mention of Zeke Draker, Morgant's expression twisted slightly.
"Zeke Draker—the one who captured Arataso."
Titus, sensing Morgant's reaction, spoke with a hint of unease.
"Is capturing that descendant of the Dragon Slayers difficult?"
At those words, green eye-glow flashed in Morgant's eyes, and green flames rose from his armor.
Morgant glared at Titus with a savage voice.
"Insolent mortal of the Phenomenal World. Even as one of the Third-Eye Clan, to my demonic eyes, you're no more than an insect."
The mid-rank demon's pressure bore down on Titus and Yulina.
Yulina's face paled as she trembled, while Titus clenched his teeth, struggling to withstand Morgant's aura.
Morgant withdrew his pressure upon seeing Titus endure.
Titus, drenched in cold sweat from the brief moment, panted heavily.
Morgant slowly spoke.
"That insolent Dragon Slayer will die by my hand." Titus lifted his head again and said to Morgant.
"...If you do that, I gladly offer my soul and my sister's to you, Sir Morgant." Morgant smiled again, satisfied with Titus's spirited resolve.
"Very well. I shall contract with you."
Titus, relieved, spoke with a somewhat calmer expression.
"I know the traditional contract method of the Third-Eye Clan. We need a spacious area for the ritual. Is there a suitable place?"
Forming a contract between a being of the Phenomenal World and one of the Demon Realm was quite intricate.
Moreover, since Morgant had been summoned through Narak's ritual, failing to contract properly could invite sanctions from karma.
Though he didn't show it outwardly, he was quite excited at the prospect of obtaining the precious souls of the Third-Eye Clan.
Morgant glanced at the fallen Dark Mages and Orks in front of the door, then turned his head toward the door he was guarding.
"Inside there should be ample space for the ritual."
He instructed Titus to retrieve the key from one of the fallen Dark Mages and released the seal he had placed on the door.
Titus inserted the key he found from the Dark Mage into the unsealed door and turned it. Rumble rumble rumble—
The massive stone door split open to both sides.
Inside the door was an energy generation device supplying mana to the Gate.
Morgant spoke to Titus, who flinched at the sight.
"Don't mind that. Prepare the ritual for the contract over here."
Titus nodded, turning his gaze, and beckoned to Yulina. She began drawing a mandala on the floor.
Tantra's mandala differed from ordinary magic circles, so Morgant watched with interest.
Once the mandala was complete, Titus said.
"It's ready. Please stand inside with me."
Morgant slowly stepped into the mandala drawn by Yulina.
As he fully entered, Titus drew blood from his hand and dripped it onto the mandala.
Woooong—
The mandala reacted, and a bloody aura began to creep out.
Morgant gazed at the emerging auras, sensing the power of the Third-Eye Clan within them.
'The souls of an ancient race steeped in mystery. If I devour these souls, promotion to high-rank demon might be possible...'
At that moment, Morgant's senses detected something amiss.