The video that showed the advent of the great demon was broadcasted during a time when most people were not free to watch. Even so, the viewership rating of this video far exceeded that of the video of Vormon’s hunt. The advent of Great Demon Verus was both a source of terror and shock. Most conversations, no matter where in the world, that talked about this event started with ‘Why?’.

[Why did he appear? Maybe Verus also does not want to see the creation of a new kingdom? Or maybe the operators manipulated him to do so?]

At first, the opinion of the masses was leaning on this side. But not long after, someone said that this opinion was completely ‘unreasonable’.

[Athenae Management has never changed a scenario that they have made, not even once. It’s clear that Great Demon Verus descended on his own. Also, what do you mean by ‘Verus not wanting to see the creation of a new kingdom’? That’s no different from saying that my Poppy just looked at the sausage that she passed by.]

That was right. It was completely nonsensical. So, they all went back and asked the question again. ‘Why?’.

[Lesser Demon Diablo. He’s a demon but he’s serving a human? There’s no way Verus would just sit back and watch that.]

This anonymous person was very sharp. Lesser Demon Diablo was the Zero Ranked Monster, he fought with a single sword and triumphed against countless demons. His existence in the Demon World was like a myth. Any player that was knowledgeable about the Demon World has encountered at least one story about Diablo.

[Come to think of it, Diablo has always pointed his sword against the demons then swore his eternal allegiance to a human. It’s only natural that Great Demon Verus will be in rage. It’s very likely that Verus descended to take Diablo back.]

[Agree. This is it.]

[This is a fact.]

[Wow. You’re very sharp! Hey, who are you?]

And with this person’s words, the people could tell.

[Then, Diablo only needs to go with Verus?]

[There must be a reason why Great Demon Verus was not able to descend as he pleased. He must have forced his descent. Which means that he would want to avoid a lot of damage. So, if they hand Diablo over, Let’s Eat Sect will be able to avoid a huge disaster.]

Everyone nodded in agreement. Let’s Eat Sect was already on the verge of creating a kingdom. If they did not do that then Great Demon Verus would take them all down, including Valhalla and Atlas, which would spell the end for Let’s Eat Sect and their future.

In the video, Diablo, or Elpis, took a step towards Verus.

***

Step—

Hell on earth. Pandemonium. That was literally what was happening right now. Plenty of people were vomiting blood or bleeding through their ears and eyes. Some even peed in their pants, while some lost focus in their eyes and even foamed at the mouth. Great Demon Verus’ descent had incapacitated countless soldiers in the field. He only made his appearance, but this simple appearance brought everyone down to their knees.

Elpis turned around and saw another large number of troops coming their way. It was the troops consisting of Lauvredo and the Talmor believers as well as Best Selling Author Aruvel’s fans. They numbered around 6,000 and were coming with fierce momentum. However, the moment they arrived on the battlefield, they were all forced to kneel and submit.

“Uuuuuugh!”

“Euaaaaaaack!”

They were quite pitiful. They came only after the war ended and were immediately forced to kneel and scream the moment they saw Great Demon Verus. Elpis, who finally took a step forward, looked around him. The situation was no different for the Elf King, Elf Prince, Dragon King, the spearmen, the members of Let’s Eat Sect, and the other NPCs.

‘I… have to… go…’

If he did not go, then everyone here would die. He took one step and another towards the Great Demon Verus. The great demon spread his arms wide as he welcomed Elpis.

“Don’t go!!! Elpis!!!” But then, a woman’s voice rang loudly. This voice was none other than Vice Guild Master Genie’s voice. She screamed loudly despite being on her knees. She wanted to get out of this terrible restriction, but she could not do so.

Elpis turned to look at her. Not long after, Centurion Park, who was clutching his chest, shouted, “Please don’t go!!! We will fight! Even if we die, we will fight to protect you!!!”

Even Ghost Spear Ben, who was bleeding through his eyes, shouted, “Elpis!!! Are you going to abandon our lord just like that?! Our lord still hasn't given you his orders!!! You swore your eternal allegiance to him, did you not?!!!”

Best Selling Author Aruvel also shouted, “You promised that you will let me write a story about the woman that will fall in love with you in the future! Are you going to go just like that, huh?!!!”

Elpis’ indifferent steps stopped. Even the soldiers that were about to collapse and fall used their final strength to shout:

“Lord Shield!!! Please don’t go!!!”

“We will fight!!!”

“We will fight for you!!!”

Elpis felt his heart sting. He had only spent little time with them. In fact, it was even them that approached him first.

‘Hehe. Boy, do you want to taste a cup of my luwak coffee too?’ Ghost Spear Ben had asked him with a grandfatherly smile on his face.

‘You and your future lover’s story! I can already tell that it’s going to be a masterpiece!’ Aruvel shouted, inspiration blooming as he visited him every day.

Even Genie and the guild members…

‘Elpis, you’re really reliable!’

‘Elpis, you can’t kill me just because I’m ugly, you know?’

‘Elpis, who gave you that MP3?’

‘Elpis!’

‘Elpis~’

‘Elpis!!!’

‘Oiiiiiiink!’

Elpis was very grateful to everyone. They truly cared for him, a child born to poverty, who was forcibly taken by the demons to become the vessel for their demonic energy and transformed into a lesser demon.

And Great Demon Verus… of course there was no way that he would sit still to watch this heartwarming scene.

[Come to me. If not, then…]

He raised his gigantic hand and flicked his finger.

Thump—

At that moment, a huge fire made of demonic energy burst out in Lauvredo and Best Selling Author Aruvel’s fans’ ranks.

Baaaaaaaaang—

The fire made of demonic energy burned down more than 400 people in one go. It was just a flick of his finger, but it eradicated that many of their allies. It was like he was telling them about how much of an absolute being he was.

Step—

Elpis took a step once again. But then, a man, someone other than Elpis, stood silently while looking at him. The man asked, “Are you going?”

[…?!]

Great Demon Verus was in shock. One of the humans that he had restricted stood up in good condition and even dared to look up at him.

Elpis turned to look at the man as the man said, “I won’t stop you. This is your choice, boy. But, let me remind you, our lord still hasn’t given us his orders.”

The man was calm as he judged their situation. He knew that they would be facing a huge risk if they fought against Great Demon Verus here. This might be cruel, but this was the reality. Besides, the lord of Let’s Eat Sect had yet to give them any orders. He had to wait and know if they would keep Elpis, or save Let’s Eat Sect. Right now, the one that was making the wisest judgement was Brod.

Hearing his words, Elpis took another step forward. However, Brod said, “I want you to think about the things that we, you, me and the lord, talked about not too long ago.”

“…”

But Elpis still continued to walk forward. Not long after, he stood in front of Great Demon Verus.

[Brat. Swear your eternal allegiance to me.]

His grating whispers were like a scratching record in the ears of those that listened. Then, a bloody parchment suddenly appeared on his stretched out hand.

[That, that parchment!!! That’s the Subordination Parchment!]

[The Subordination Parchment is a contract that will make anyone that sign it a ‘slave’ forever.]

[According to the terms written on that contract, the person that signs this contract must fulfill the orders of the person that they swore allegiance to with all their body, spirit and everything. This literally means that Lesser Demon Diablo, the one that fought against the demons, will become a demon completely under the hands of Verus.]

The bloody parchment floated in front of Elpis.

[Swear your eternal allegiance to me on your knees.]

When Elpis knelt down, everyone was convinced that despair was upon them. Meanwhile, Elpis was recalling the conversation that he and Minhyuk had before.

***

Elpis felt afraid. He feared that the days of living this happy and peaceful life in this territory, a place that allowed him to smile every day, would someday disappear. He knew for a fact that Great Demon Verus was enraged at what he did. He also knew that the demon would not let him go so easily.

Knowing this, he went to the lord’s office. When he arrived, he saw that Brod was already having a conversation with Minhyuk. Even though Brod was there, he said, “I think… it’s better… for me… to… leave…”

“Why?” Minhyuk looked at him in doubt. So, Elpis explained the entire story to them.

“I already understand.”

Minhyuk was also aware that Elpis was not meant to be here. Great Demon Verus might not really care about the method as long as he could bring Elpis back. But then, he said, “But Elpis, why are you so worried about that?”

“…”

Minhyuk smiled when Elpis looked at him in confusion. So, he said, “You’re both my friend and vassal. I will protect you so you don’t have to worry about those things.”

However, Minhyuk thought that those words weren’t enough to dissuade Elpis from leaving. So, he pondered for a moment before continuing, “Even if that happens, don’t judge the situation by yourself. Think about how I will judge the situation. So, what if someone would judge your choice? Think about yourself. You should be a bit more selfish. And…”

Minhyuk stood up and approached Elpis. He patted him on his shoulders and said, “Remember the meaning of your name.”

Brod laughed happily when he heard Minhyuk’s words. He also gave his two cents, “Hoho. Elpis. Boy, you’re worrying too much. I’m also a part of this territory, so you shouldn’t worry too much.”

Elpis looked at the pair with an awkward smile on his face.

‘This is the man that I serve. Ah, what a wonderful person. I want to stay with this person forever.’

***

Elpis, who was on his knees, began to say, “I pledge with my life.”

Screams rang loudly.

“Elpiiiiiiiiiis! Don’t do it! Don’t!!!”

“Elpis! I will forever hate you if you continue to recite that pledge!!!”

“Minhyuk hasn’t said anything yet, so why are you making your own decision?!”

All of them screamed. Even the viewers from all over the world lamented these results.

[This shows that us, players, are still infinitely weaker than the great demons.]

[Diablo, the vassal that Player Minhyuk obtained with much difficulty, will be taken away.]

[It’s a pity. But it leaves a more bitter taste in the mouth knowing that this is the only path for Let’s Eat Sect.]

[Even if they lose Diablo, they will be able to establish a kingdom.]

The man at the center of their attention, Elpis, kept on reciting the pledge, “I, Elpis, swear that I will use my body, my spirit, my everything to carry ‘his’ every command forever.”

“Shit! Shit!”

“Sir Brod! Stop him! Why aren’t you stopping him?!”

Despite everyone’s desperate screams, Brod remained silent. He only looked at Elpis. With each and every line that Elpis recited, Verus' smile deepened, while the members of Let’s Eat sect fell deeper into despair. What brought them more despair was…

‘Can we really fight to protect him if we’re not bound?’

‘Are we going to fight for Elpis without waiting for Minhyuk’s decision?’

No matter what they felt, the fact that they would risk everything they had built falling apart, if they were to fight against Great Demon Verus right now, would remain unchanged. It was more correct to say that they did not ‘dare’ to decide what to do. And they knew that Elpis felt the same. That was why they felt even more bitter. They told him not to go, but they did not know if it was the right decision.

[Keuhahahahahahaha!]

Great Demon Verus’ terrifying laughter rang loudly in the area.

“Whether it’s ten years, a hundred years, or an eternity, as long as I am breathing and living, I will live for him and him alone.”

Verus felt delighted. Lesser Demon Diablo, the unruly demon, was completely in his hands now. This was all thanks to the eternal contract, ‘Book of Permanence’! With this, Verus would be able to completely exploit him forever. And he would have no other choice but to follow him. After all, this contract would be for life! Verus would erase him from the memories of the members of Let’s Eat Sect and would use him to erase the Let’s Eat Sect’s existence.

[Fufufufufufufufu!]

Verus’ laugh resonated loudly and plunged everyone into the depths of despair. Diablo only needed to recite a few lines and everything would be over.

“I will be his sword, his shield, his vassal. And he will be my king, my heaven, my world. I, Elpis, am signing this life-long contract with...”

Amidst Verus’ delight and Let’s Eat Sect’s despair, Elpis took out his dagger and cut his finger. A bright red glow flashed from the parchment as a drop of his blood fell down on the ‘Book of Permanence’. Then, Elpis uttered the name of his contractor, “Minhyuk.”

The Book of Permanence turned into blood and entered Elpis’ body. Just like that, the contract has been signed.

Grasp—

Elpis. His name meant hope. He stood up and held his sword to cut down the demon in front of him. Then, a notification rang for all of the members of Let’s Eat Sect.

[Guild Master Minhyuk has logged in.]