CHAPTER 183: EXERCISE YOUR RIGHT

Dreknar’s massive form cast a shadow that seemed to swallow the throne room’s light.

Those green flames in his eyes burned with an intensity that made the air shimmer, and when he spoke, his voice carried the weight of divine authority.

"For your third task," the demon god said, each word sounded heavy, "I want you to exercise your position as Soul Warden."

Jack’s yellow eyes narrowed slightly. "What do you mean?"

"You carry a title that most beings don’t understand the significance of," Dreknar continued, settling back into his bone throne. The structure creaked beneath his weight. "Soul Warden. Not warrior. Not hunter. Warden." His grin widened. "You have the power to bind souls, little lamb. To claim them as your own. To add them to your collection like a master collects tools."

He leaned forward, those burning green eyes fixed on Jack.

"There is a demon on floor 24.. Pho. A Deathfrost Demon who thinks himself clever." Dreknar’s tone carried a note of disdain. "He manipulated two clans into war. He mined a dying titan for profit. He’s caused enough chaos that even I’ve noticed his existence." The demon god’s smile became sharp. "For your third task, I want you to kill him and bind his soul to your army."

Jack felt something shift in his chest.

Not surprise, he’d already planned to kill Pho. The Deathfrost Demon had orchestrated too much death, caused too much suffering, all for personal gain. Jack had promised both Seryth and Nyx’ira that Pho would die, and he meant it.

But binding his soul? That was something else entirely.

’Another powerful creature for my army,’ Jack thought, his mind already calculating the benefits. ’Pho is Disaster-class. Maybe even stronger than that if he managed to move a titan from Floor 100. Having that kind of power under my control...’

The tactical advantages were obvious. Kyren was strong, but he was just one reanimated demon.

Adding Pho to his collection would give Jack a genuine powerhouse, someone who could fight alongside him against threats that even Jack’s current strength couldn’t handle alone.

And more than that, it would send a message. To every demon in this tower that Jack wasn’t just killing his enemies. He was claiming them. Making them serve even in death.

’Perfect,’ Jack thought, meeting Dreknar’s gaze without hesitation.

"I accept," Jack said simply.

No questions about how to bind a soul. No concerns about whether he could actually defeat Pho. No moral deliberation about enslaving someone’s essence for eternity. Just acceptance, swift and absolute.

Dreknar’s grin widened, approval evident in his expression.

"No hesitation again," the demon god observed, his voice carrying satisfaction. "You truly are committed to this path, aren’t you, little lamb?" He laughed, the sound booming through the throne room.

"Good. I’d be disappointed if you started developing a conscience now."

[DING!]

[New Quest: Dreknar’s Favor Part 3]

[Objective: Kill Pho and bind his soul to your army]

[Reward: +750 Skill Points]

[Time Limit: 1 year]

[Accept Quest?]

’Yes,’ Jack thought without pause.

[Quest Accepted!]

The notification faded, and Jack looked up at Dreknar. The demon god was studying him with those burning green eyes, that predatory smile never leaving his face.

"Two more tasks after this one," Dreknar said, his tone shifting to something almost conversational.

The throne room began to dissolve around Jack. The black stone walls faded like smoke. The bone throne blurred. Dreknar’s massive form became translucent, his green eyes the last thing to disappear, watching Jack with that knowing smile.

Then Jack was falling again, but this time the descent was brief. He hit solid ground within seconds, stumbling slightly as his boots slammed the ground.

He was back in the temple. The circular chamber with the altar and the tree. The female demon priestess who’d guided him here stood exactly where she’d been before, as if no time had passed at all.

"The communion is complete," she said, her voice carrying that odd harmony. "May the Black Flame guide your path, Soul Warden."

Jack didn’t respond. He simply walked past her, his mind already shifting to what mattered.

His demonic essence pulsed with anticipation, as if it recognized that more power was coming soon.

The doors opened with that grinding-bone sound, and Jack stepped out into the light.

The streets of the Aurion city were quiet now.

Evening had fallen while he’d been inside the temple, and most demons had retreated to their homes. A few still watched from windows and doorways, their luminescent forms casting soft glows in the darkness.

"Master," Kyren’s voice echoed softly. "The communion was successful?"

"It was," Jack confirmed, reaching the bottom step. "We’re returning to S. There’s work to do."

They began walking through the city streets, heading toward the valley’s edge where S had set up camp.

The journey would take an hour at least, maybe more depending on how many demons they encountered along the way.

But Jack didn’t mind the walk. It gave him time to think, to process everything that had happened in Dreknar’s throne room.

Two tasks complete. One more assigned. Two still waiting to be revealed.

Each step was getting harder and harder. What would his next task be after killing a Disaster Class Demon?

’And then I’ll have control,’ Jack thought, his hand unconsciously moving to touch his chest where his demonic essence pulsed.

They cleared the city’s edge as the last light faded from the sky.

The valley stretched before them, dark and quiet now that the war had ended. Somewhere out there, Pho waited in his castle of black ice, probably planning his own response to Jack’s actions.

The campsite came into view after an hour of walking. The contract demon was, predictably, eating a tangerine.

But as Jack approached, he noticed something else. A shape perched on the tent’s peak.

Jack’s eyes widened slightly.

"Corvin?"

The raven let out a caw that sounded almost like a greeting. Its black feathers caught the firelight, revealing purple tips that seemed to shimmer.

The bird launched itself from the tent, wings spreading as it glided down toward Jack.

Corvin landed on Jack’s shoulder with practiced ease, immediately rubbing its head against Jack’s cheek.

The gesture was affectionate, almost desperate, as if the bird had been waiting weeks for its master’s return.

’I’d almost forgotten about him with everything that’s happened.’

The raven made a soft cooing sound, its sharp beak nuzzling against Jack’s neck.

"He’s been waiting for you," S said, his voice carrying amusement as he watched the reunion. "Showed up about three weeks ago. He kept circling the camp and making noise until I figured out he was looking for you." The contract demon popped another segment of tangerine into his mouth. "Very loyal. Very annoying."

Corvin cawed at S, the sound indignant.

Jack allowed himself a small smile. A rare expression these days. He scratched behind Corvin’s head, earning another pleased coo from the bird.

"Good to see you too," Jack said quietly.

Kyren stood a few paces away, his hollow eyes watching the interaction with that characteristic lack of expression. If the reanimated demon had any thoughts about Corvin’s return, he kept them to himself.

Jack walked closer to the fire, Corvin still perched on his shoulder. S looked up at him, those red eyes gleaming in the firelight.

"So," S said, setting aside his tangerine. "I assume the communion was good?"

"Yes, it’s proceeding well," Jack confirmed, settling down on a log near the fire. The warmth felt good after the temple’s cold temperature.

"And the third task?" S asked, though his tone suggested he already had a good idea.

"Kill Pho. Bind his soul to my army."

S nodded slowly, as if that answer confirmed something he’d been thinking. "Dreknar wants you to eliminate a problem while also demonstrating your Soul Warden abilities." He pulled out another tangerine. "Very fitting."

Corvin shifted on Jack’s shoulder, settling in more comfortably. The bird’s weight was negligible, but its presence was grounding in a way Jack hadn’t expected to appreciate.

"How long until we reach Pho’s castle?" Jack asked, getting straight to business. He’d been unconscious for weeks while recovering from the titan’s attack. Time had been lost. He needed to make up for it.

S looked up at the night sky, as if calculating something only he could see. When his red eyes returned to Jack, they carried that knowing expression that suggested the contract demon was about to say something Jack wouldn’t like.

"At our current pace?" S said, his voice casual despite the weight of his words. "About three hundred twenty-four days."

Jack nodded, expecting something like that. Pho’s castle was at the valley’s edge, according to the information he’d gathered.

"I suppose we’ll need to stop somewhere for me to test some things." Jack said with a grin.