Outside the Pagoda, the valley had been completely taken over by the demons.

Thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of demons, packed so densely that counting them was impossible, had surrounded the Pagoda and the walls of the valley from every direction.

Among them were B-rank, A-rank, and even S-rank demons; forces that, each on their own, were capable of turning an entire country into ashes.

Nearly a large portion of all the demons present in the Gulf of Sumer had gathered here, completely surrounding the entire valley.

If humans were to hear about something like this, they would not be able to believe it. What could possibly cause this many demons to gather in one place?

At the center of the encirclement, standing directly in front of the Pagoda, was the Demon Crown Prince.

Beside him stood Zalkareth, the Grand Strategist, along with the rest of the Demon King's children. No one spoke. The atmosphere was so heavy that even the weaker demons did not dare to breathe loudly.

Aside from its heaviness, the space was suffocating. No one dared to speak without the Crown Prince's permission, and many demons did not even know why they had been ordered to abandon their activities and come here.

More than two weeks had passed.

Two full weeks since that human had entered the Pagoda… and never come out.

One of the Demon King's children finally broke the silence.

"Is it… is it possible that that human died inside?" he asked hesitantly. They had been waiting for over two weeks, and nothing had happened.

Many of them had already reached the conclusion that the human was dead, but no one dared to say it out loud. Still, they were tired of waiting.

That single sentence was enough.

Several cold, angry gazes immediately locked onto him. The space around him froze.

"Impossible," Zalkareth said in a low but firm voice.

"If he had failed or died inside the Pagoda, its mechanism would have transferred his body outside," he continued.

His gaze slowly turned toward the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince's face was cold and emotionless, as always. But Zalkareth knew better than anyone what kind of deep rage was boiling beneath that expression.

They had even sacrificed that human's blood, blood born with divine energy. And yet, they still had not been able to enter the Pagoda.

This was not a simple failure. It was humiliation.

All of the Crown Prince's plans, all of his ambitions, had collapsed because of one unknown human.

Worst of all, news of Wargon's death had reached high-ranking officials and even the Demon King himself. Several of them were already on their way to personally investigate.

Wargon was not just a general. He was one of the Demon King's children. His death created waves, waves that could sweep many things away.

The problem was that, because of their constant presence around the Pagoda, they did not even have the chance to fabricate a scene. Evidence showing that Wargon had been killed by assassins sent by humans… had not yet been created.

Zalkareth took a deep breath and gathered his courage. He spoke to the Crown Prince.

"Perhaps it would be better to leave this place for now and deal with the matter of your brother's death. If anything happens here, we will be informed immediately."

The Crown Prince did not respond, and that only made the atmosphere colder.

After a few moments, he spoke in a calm but dangerous voice.

"These idiots have failed again and again to capture that human. I don't want the same mistake to happen once more."

The only option he had left was to capture that human. By capturing him, the issue of Wargon would be resolved… and he would also obtain the secrets of eternity.

But if he left now, even that opportunity might be lost.

His trust in these demons was gone. If that human had been able to defeat a legion of a thousand demons along with his brother, and then enter the Pagoda right under the eyes of these fools, it was clear that this force was not enough.

"Representatives of the Demon Supreme Council will arrive in a few hours. At the very least, we must go and receive them," Zalkareth said. He understood the Crown Prince's concerns.

Even so, those concerns were more justified and more important. They could not ignore the officials.

For the first time, the Crown Prince's expression changed. He frowned.

Even with his status, failing to receive those officials would be considered an insult. And insults had a cost. Still, he did not want to leave this place.

He remained silent for a few moments. Then he looked at his brothers and sisters.

"I'll leave for a while. But I'll return soon. Until then, guard this place," he said.

"If that human comes out… inform me immediately." His gaze turned cold.

At that moment, a spatial rift opened in front of him. The Crown Prince, along with Zalkareth, stepped into it and disappeared.

After they left, one of the Demon King's children let out a breath of relief.

"Bastard… kept us here for all this time for nothing," he muttered in a low, rough voice.

They were truly exhausted by this situation. They had been here for a full two weeks, and during those two weeks, that human had not come out even once.

What was worse was that the Crown Prince did not allow them to leave this place even for a moment, and out of fear, they did not dare to protest.

Even though he tried to hide it, the Crown Prince was so angry that he would probably punish them for the smallest reason.

"Hush. If he finds out what you said, you're finished," another said quickly.

He shrugged. "Doesn't matter."

"Do we even know if that human is alive? What if he's dead?"

Before anyone could answer—

BOOM.

A heavy, deep sound echoed through the valley.

All heads turned toward the Pagoda at the same time.

The massive doors of the Pagoda… slowly, but relentlessly, opened once more.

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