The trembling demon looked at the group in front of him, his eyes wide and unfocused.

"This… this can't be real," he stammered. "You're not humans. Humans can't be this strong."

His gaze jumped from Garion to Dahlia, then to Eliza, and finally to Arden and Dion.

"How can humans grow wings and claws?" he shouted weakly. "How can a human crush demons like this?"

Dahlia tilted her head and smiled brightly. "You talk too much for someone who's about to answer questions."

Garion stepped forward, his voice calm and flat. "I'll ask once."

He looked straight into the demon's eyes. "Where is the Demon Gate?"

The demon swallowed hard. "I… I don't know."

Dion frowned. "You don't know?"

The demon shook his head quickly. "We're just rogue demons. We don't belong to any lord or city."

Garion narrowed his eyes. "Then you must have heard something."

The demon hesitated, then nodded fast.

"There are cities. Deep inside this world. That's all I know. We heard rumours that the gate appeared near the borderlands."

He looked hopeful. "I told you everything. So now… please let me go."

Garion stared at him for a second, then nodded once. "Of course."

The demon's shoulders slumped in relief.

Eliza stepped forward silently and loosened her grip.

The demon let out a shaky breath. "Th-thank you."

He was about to smile.

Then he noticed something was wrong.

Dahlia's hand was still on his shoulder.

"…Why am I still being held?" he asked, panic creeping into his voice.

Dahlia leaned closer, her tone gentle and cheerful. "Oh, we are releasing you."

The demon looked confused. "Then why..."

Eliza was suddenly in front of him.

He didn't even see her move.

Her hand turned faint and transparent, passing through the air like mist.

The demon's eyes widened. "W-wait!"

Dahlia smiled softly. "From your misery."

Eliza's hand entered his head.

There was no scream.

The demon's body went limp instantly.

Eliza stepped back quietly, her hand returning to normal.

Dion let out a breath. "…That was fast."

Arden nodded slowly. "Clean."

Garion looked down at the body and then at the others. "Gather them."

Dahlia grabbed the other corpses without complaint. "Good materials, right?"

Garion nodded. "Very."

He opened his storage space and the demon bodies vanished one by one.

"Cadaver materials secured," he said calmly.

He then looked deeper into the demon world, eyes steady.

"So," Garion said, "cities exist."

Dion grimaced. "That means stronger demons."

Dahlia cracked her knuckles. "Sounds fun."

Eliza said nothing, but her gaze sharpened.

Garion stepped forward. "Let's move. If the Demon Gate isn't here, it's closer to those cities."

The group followed without hesitation, their shadows stretching across the cracked ground as they walked deeper into enemy territory.

---

Deep inside the demon world, far beyond the cracked plains and ruined lands, stood a massive demon city.

The city walls were black and jagged, carved from stone soaked in demonic mana.

Towers rose unevenly, some leaning, some broken, yet all of them pulsing faintly with dark energy.

At the side of the city stood something no demon dared to approach.

A huge Demon Gate.

It towered over the surrounding buildings, its surface swirling with thick black and red energy.

The air around it twisted unnaturally, and even the ground nearby was warped and cracked.

But no demons dare to linger or even enter the demon gate.

Then heavy footsteps echoed across the stone.

A massive demon walked forward.

His body was tall and broad, covered in thick armor-like skin.

Two curved horns rose from his head, and his eyes burnt with deep red light.

Every step he took made the ground tremble slightly.

He stopped in front of the gate and looked up.

A slow, satisfied grin spread across his face.

"So it's finally happening," he said, his voice deep and rough.

"The Demon Gate that stayed half-closed for decades has finally opened completely."

The swirling energy surged stronger, as if responding to his words.

He turned his head to the side.

Several demons stood behind him, keeping a respectful distance.

"Gather the lowly ones," the big demon ordered. "Send them inside first."

One of the demons hesitated and stepped forward carefully. "My lord… why not send elites first?"

The big demon snorted. "You've never entered one before, have you?"

The smaller demon shook his head quickly. "No, my lord."

The big demon crossed his arms. "Then listen carefully."

"When we enter the Demon Gate," he continued, "we don't appear right next to it on the other side."

The demon frowned. "You mean…?"

"We get thrown somewhere far away," the big demon said calmly.

"Sometimes alone. Sometimes in groups. Sometimes separated even if we enter together."

The smaller demon's eyes widened. "Random teleportation?"

The big demon nodded. "Exactly."

He looked back at the gate. "And the other side is another world."

"We don't know how strong the humans there are," he went on. "We don't know who is waiting."

He turned back, eyes sharp. "So we send disposable demons first."

The smaller demon swallowed. "To test the waters."

The big demon grinned. "Now you understand."

He raised one clawed hand. "If the lowly ones survive, good. If they die, we learn."

The smaller demon leaned forward slightly. "I see…"

He straightened and bowed his head. "Then I'll go gather them first."

The big demon waved him off. "Go. And do it fast."

The smaller demon nodded and hurried away, his footsteps echoing as he disappeared into the deeper parts of the city.

Left alone, the big demon turned his gaze back to the towering Demon Gate.

The swirling energy inside it pulsed steadily, stronger than it had ever been in decades.

"…Still," he muttered, narrowing his eyes, "why did it suddenly open completely?"

He crossed his arms and watched the gate for a long moment.

"This gate has been sealed and unstable for years," he said to himself. "Yet now it opens so cleanly."

His expression darkened slightly.

"Something must have changed on the other side."

After a brief pause, he snorted. "Tch. Doesn't matter."

He turned away from the gate. "Whether it's humans, beasts, or something else entirely…"

A cruel smile spread across his face.

"They'll learn soon enough what it means to invite demons into their world."

Behind him, the Demon Gate pulsed again, silently agreeing.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.