Dungeon of Pride, Laplace

Chapter 942- The Shadow Lurks (5)

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Although Gelford managed to keep the news under wraps for now, how long until the news blows out?

A Demon Duke's information network cannot be underestimated. In fact, Gelford believed that some of the few ancient ones were already aware of it.

Since this was the case, he couldn't afford to let this go, not when his position as a Demon Duke depended on the strength of his image.

The Blood Moon faction, his faction, would be mocked if the murder of Gelgar went unpunished. It would make him look weak and vulnerable—a target for other ambitious demons looking to make a name for themselves.

One of the Great Demon Duke Gelford's sons got killed by a mere Demon Earl. What kind of news would that make?

He can't have that now, can he? No, Gelford couldn't allow that narrative to take hold. The Demon Earl needed to be destroyed if only to preserve his own name and reputation.

This was about power, and power was everything in the demon world. He had built his dungeon, his influence and on the perception of strength over a vast period of time.

To let an insignificant ant like that Demon Earl trample all that and walk away after killing one of his own was an unforgivable affront. No, this cannot stand, Gelford thought, his crimson eyes narrowing.

"Hehe, I'm on the two duke's side on this matter," Avrox said, his voice oozing with twisted delight. Grin widened and his eyes gleamed with malice.

He could sense the hatred and rage simmering within both Arctaurus and Gelford, and that emotion, that fire of vengeance, brought a wicked satisfaction to him. He chose this moment to strike when the iron was hot.

"That Demon Earl cannot be allowed to live. If he really has gotten his hands on the treasure of the Ghastly Winding Forest, then I assure you, he will become a threat far beyond what any of us can handle in the future."

Arctaurus' fingers twitched slightly, his face stone-cold. He had listened to this Demon Earl in the last Hexehnnacht and look what it brought him.

Gelford on the other hand, remained silent, still processing Avrox's words. The latter had spoken the very thing that they were already thinking but had yet to vocalize.

That said, why did Avrox care about that Demon Earl so much to the point of antagonising the other party in every opportunity that presented itself?

Gelford calculatied in his mind his eyes narrowed slightly as he observed Avrox. He and that other demon were both of the same rank—both Demon Earls. What did Avrox stand to gain?

"I know what you're thinking, Duke Gelford. Why should I, a fellow Demon Earl, be so intent on eliminating him?" Avrox's eyes gleamed with malice as he spoke.

"It's because I've dealt with him before. Time and time again, I've tried to snuff out that flame of his before it could grow into an inferno. And each time, I've failed."

The demon world was a brutal hierarchy, a place where survival depended on one's ability to climb over others, often using their corpses as stepping stones. Rank was everything.

The title of "Demon Earl" meant power, authority, and the recognition of one's lineage and strength. Just because the other party was also a fellow Demon Earl, it didn't mean that the both of them had to be allies.

In fact, the very nature of the demon world was defined by treachery and ambition. Self-interest always came first, and Avrox embodied that reality.

And as for Avrox, he seemed to believe that the Demon Earl who was only a low level Demon Viscount when he first met him was a much bigger foe than what everybody thought of him.

From the first time they crossed paths, Simon had been a mere Demon Viscount, barely worthy of mention in the vast tapestry of the demon hierarchy. Yet there was something off about him, something that set him apart from the others.

He still remembered how he got out of the trap he laid in the capital of the Ellesmere kingdom. Yet, at the last moment, a powerful entity—one far beyond the Demon Earl's standing—had appeared to save him.

That pattern had repeated itself at the Hexennacht. Whenever the Demon Earl found himself on the brink of defeat, someone or something powerful stepped in to shield him.

The intervention of such ancient beings was something that Avrox, despite his many years of experience, found impossible to explain.

Time and time again he seemed to get bailed by these powerful entities who would otherwise never take sides. It was almost as if the demon possessed some kind of strange ability that made others into his ally.

In the demon world, where alliances were fickle and trust was non-existent, the Demon Earl's ability to forge bonds with such beings made him dangerous.

It was not only that, even the rate at which the demon was growing was absurd. Hardly if there was any precedence of Demon Viscount climbing up to the ranks of Demon Earl.

No, Rising from the rank of Viscount to Earl in such a short span of time was virtually unheard of. In the demon world, power and rank were intrinsically tied to one's bloodline, a factor that was nearly impossible to overcome.

Bloodline limitations acted as barriers, defining a demon's ceiling of potential. Only the rarest of demons, those with pure and ancient bloodlines, could hope to ascend through the ranks of power.

Most demons are born with a certain amount of power, dictated by their lineage, and that's as far as they go. You would never think a common Demon Viscount can just ascend to an Earl.

The very fact that Demon Viscount could ascend to a Demon Earl and in such a short period of time, made him a much bigger threat than what the two Dukes were taking him for.

 "Here's what I suggest," Avrox said, his tone lowering "We launch an attack against the Demon Earl, but not as individuals. No, that would be too risky and play into his hands. Instead, we orchestrate a Fate Game." 

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