Illimitable Until Death

Chapter 963: IUD-Chapter 958 The Devil Who Manipulates Causality

This was a hidden underground chamber beneath a noble’s estate in the Royal Capital.

The space was utterly devoid of natural light, dim and suffocating.

Only a single flickering lantern burned weakly, casting a feeble glow that barely allowed one to make out their surroundings.

And at the center of this chamber, lying flat on the cold ground, was a young man.

He had a handsome face, but not a single hint of emotion was present.

His expression was blank, like that of a puppet, cold and unchanging.

Though the young man’s face showed no emotion, his eyes revealed an overwhelming sense of laziness and fatigue, as if he had no desire to do anything at all, wanting only to lie there and sleep.

He was yawning as though bored with the world.

But in the very next moment, hurried footsteps echoed through the chamber, followed by the sound of someone shouting in distress.

“Max!

Max!” Calling out this name, the door to the basement burst open with a bang.

The one who stormed in from outside was none other than Alderp.

He was gasping for breath, face pale, as if he were moments away from catching fire from sheer panic, rushing down into the chamber.

“Eeek…!”

The young man called Max seemed startled, turning his head toward the door.

But upon seeing who it was, he appeared to relax and casually greeted Alderp.

“Hey there, Alderp.

I don’t know why, but your body is radiating a delicious amount of negative emotion.

Did you come down here specifically to feed me?” Even as he spoke, Max’s face remained blank, his tone childlike and innocent, like an overgrown child, pure and harmless on the surface.

But staring at this seemingly naive young man, Alderp’s rage flared uncontrollably.

“How can you be so relaxed at a time like this, you useless low-class Devil!”

“–『Devil』.”

A race that dwells in Hell, feeding on human negative emotions, skilled in trickery and deception, extracting human worth through contracts and deals, regarded by the gods as a sinful existence.

Previously, during the Demon King army’s attack on the Royal Capital, Fang Li had instantly slain one such Devil, and not just any Devil, but a High-Class Devil with strength second only to the Demon King’s own generals.

This made it clear, within Hell, even the Devils have ranks.

High-Class Devils, such as Bagra, possess immense power second only to the Demon King’s top officers, and can command the Demon King’s forces.

Regular adventurers wouldn’t stand a chance.

Low-Class Devils, as Alderp had just called Max, could generally be dealt with by any adventurer around Level 20, as long as they weren’t complete novices.

It was said that in Hell, there also existed the legendary Seven Dukes of Hell, powerful Arch-Devils who ruled over all Devils below them.

Each of those Seven Arch-Devils were ancient beings who once contended with the gods for control of the world.

In terms of raw power, some might even surpass the Demon King himself.

But here, Alderp furiously referred to the young man before him as nothing more than a Low-Class Devil.

He stormed up and began kicking Max viciously and repeatedly.

“Get up!

Get up, damn you!

Do you realize how bad things are?!

What the hell are you doing lying around at a time like this?!”

“Eek!

Eek!

Stop kicking me!

I don’t know anything, I swear!”

Beaten and curled up on the floor, Max wrapped his arms around his head and let out shrill cries.

But this only made Alderp more furious, he kicked even harder.

“It’s all your fault, you useless Low-Class Devil!

I told you to use your powers to manipulate Princess Iris and the others into accepting the Artifact!

So why couldn’t you even influence a rookie Adventurer from a beginner village?!

If I’d known you were this useless, I would’ve never summoned you in the first place!”

Summoning Max from Hell, which had already happened a long time ago.

Though Devils are residents of Hell, that doesn’t mean they can’t come to the surface.

As long as the summoning ritual is performed, people can call forth a Devil, form a contract, and have the Devil help them fulfill their desires.

Of course, since the other party is a Devil, there must be a price.

That price could be one’s life, one’s soul, or even eternal servitude by one’s descendants; it depends on the magnitude of the wish.

As for why Alderp was able to summon Max, it wasn’t through any formal summoning ceremony.

In fact, given Alderp’s limited ability, he wouldn’t have been able to summon a Devil under normal circumstances at all.

He was only able to summon Max through a stroke of luck.

In truth, Alderp possessed more than just one Artifact.

Besides the Artifact that allowed him to exchange bodies, he also had another Artifact capable of summoning monsters.

However, the summoning was completely random.

It was through the use of this random summoning Artifact that Alderp managed to summon Max and bind him through a contract.

It was precisely because of Max’s power that Alderp had risen to his current position, and committed so many crimes without ever being punished.

Otherwise, someone as lowly and despicable as him would never have become a noble in the first place.

The reason Aqua could sense the evil power, fixate on it so stubbornly, and yet remain unaffected, was precisely because that power came from a Devil.

Alderp had been abusing the power of a Devil all this time, remaining outside the bounds of law.

“If it weren’t for the fact that you can manipulate causality and twist reality, I would’ve discarded you long ago!”

Alderp furiously continued kicking the Devil before him.

“Now, hurry up and use your power again!

Erase today’s suspicions from the memories of Princess Iris and the others!

If you don’t, then don’t expect me to pay the price for your service!”

Naturally, using a Devil’s power to fulfill a wish comes at a price.

But Alderp had never paid that price even once; he simply kept exploiting Max’s ability.

That was because Max’s memory was like that of a fish or a snake; he forgot things easily.

Alderp had taken full advantage of that and to this day had never fulfilled his end of the deal.

This man was not only pathetic but utterly vile.

To never pay the price, and still abuse the Devil, helping him realize his ambitions.

Even if the other party was a Devil, his actions clearly showed what kind of person he was.

“Eeek!

Eek!”

Max could only curl up, shielding his head, squealing in pain as Alderp savagely kicked him.

While howling, he managed to squeeze out a reply:

“B-But… there’s a really strong light where you want me to use my power… Even if I try, it’ll be repelled, and–”

Before he could finish his sentence, a voice suddenly echoed from outside the door.

“And… you won’t be getting another chance to use that power ever again.”

The moment those words were spoken, the air in the room changed.

It grew heavy, suffocating.

“—!”

Alderp’s entire body froze stiff.

From outside the door, an icy, blade-like killing aura, sharp and piercing, swept in like a chilling wind, instantly engulfing the entire space.

A moment later, a figure slowly appeared, stepping into the room from beyond the doorway.

His mystic eyes, glowing an icy blue, shone with a light as terrifying as subzero frost.