Dungeon of Pride, Laplace

975  Chapter 975- Battle of Mount Gorgor

That's right, it was not an explosion of power, nor a visible display of force. Instead, it was an ancient, primal resonance that seemed to pulse from Simon's very veins.

The sensation wasn't just oppressive; it was invasive, seeping into the very marrow of those present, touching their instincts and awakening a buried, ancestral fear.

"You feel it, don't you? The vast gulf between us" Simon's voice cut through the silence, his tone was mocking but it carried an unshakable certainty. "This isn't something that you can resist just because you want to". n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The invisible pressure that was weighing down on their soul, intensified like a primal command that they were unable to resist.

Now face to face with the clear reality, Melkan's delusion finally shattered. His head snapped downward and his knees finally gave way. The pride he was trying to hold onto, was ruthlessly stomped down.

He couldn't stand before the weight of that blood, a bloodline so pure and potent that it could strip away the will of those who dared defy it.

There was no mistaking it, Melkan instinctively understood what the being standing in front of him was— Demon Marquess.

Behind him, his henchmen had already collapsed to the ground, their foreheads pressed to the dirt, their bodies trembling uncontrollably. They didn't even dare to look up, their instincts screaming at them to bow, to submit, to acknowledge the presence before them as something far beyond their station.

Finally, after a while Melkan gathered his courage and spoke in a weak voice.

"P-please..." stammering, he continued "Please spare us. We didn't know... We didn't mean to offend. We beg your forgiveness."

Simon continued to remain still, watching them with an expression of detached satisfaction. The pressure coming off of him continued to weigh down on them.

"I was wrong, I had eyes but failed to see your majesty. Please just forgive me once"…

At this, Simon's lips finally opened and he uttered. "Forgiveness? Forgiveness comes with a price, Melkan."

"What... what do you want from us?" The Demon Earl's body quaked, forced himself to look up while still kneeling on the ground.

Simon flashed a wide grin, revealing his fangs "Your loyalty, swear it to me, and I will spare your lives. Refuse, and this place will become your grave."

At the end of his sentence, his heterochromatic eyes glimmered with a murderous glow. The demo camp although has strict rules and regulations, can be unexpectedly primitive.

Here committing murder to establish one's domination was not out of the ordinary. Even if Simon killed Melkan here, the high ranking demons and beings would not bat an eye.

Plus he was already aware that the Demon earl didn't have much of a standing or backing in the Demon camp.

Melkan didn't have to look up to know that the other party was completely serious, his instincts were already warning him, telling him that a single mistake here would cost him his life.

And thus, to preserve his life he made his decision.

"I... I swear it. My loyalty is yours, Lord Simon."

Behind him, his henchmen echoed his pledge, their voices trembling as they prostrated themselves fully.

At least he is self aware, Simon drew a glyph in the air with a single motion of his finger. The thing drawn resembled a serpent devouring its own tail.

The eyes of the serpent glowed crimson and on Simon's command, latched onto Melkan and his entourage. The next second, a glowing sigil appeared above all of their hearts, something that was only visible to them and the invoker Simon.

Melkan understood what the sigil represented; however, he didn't raise any resistance and simply accepted his fate.

The sigil above his; no, above all of their hearts was a brand, constraints that tied him and his followers irrevocably to the one in front of him.

Invisible to the eye but ever-present, if under this brand Melkan and his subordinates ever tried to betray him or even have the slightest ill intent towards him, the sigil would transform into a snake that would dig into their hearts, crippling their strength and drain away at their strength.

Exclusive to the demon race, it was known as one of the most cruel and absolute forms of loyalty or otherwise known as the Demon Contract.

"There, it's all done" Simon pointed with his finger "You are all now bound by the oath of the serpent, so you all better discard your thoughts about betraying me"…

 "We will never.." Melkan tried to speak up but was stopped by Simon.

"I know you won't, that's why I made sure of it. Now then, since you have all become my loyal subordinates, it is time for your first mission"…

.

.

 Inside a vast and imposing room, supported by columns carved with demonic murals, several square platforms could be seen rising towards the ceiling in a circular fashion.

Each platform bore the sigil of a Demon Noble, grand and imposing. The platforms circled a large platform in the middle where a single being stood.

Each of the platforms was currently occupied by demon nobles and generals, as well as formidable entities from other races. However, all of them had their auras restrained in front of the being in the central pedestal, the reason being— the one in the middle bore the sigil that represented the peak of power and authority, the Sigil of the Demon Lord of Envy.

 "Reports have confirmed that the humans have regrouped at the abandoned fortress of Mount Gorgor. It appears they've fortified their position and are gathering forces."

The being spoke. He had a large frame that could be compared to an ogre and had three menacing eyes. His hair jutted upward like jagged spikes of obsidian, matching his obsidian like body.

He was Garvex, one of the five most powerful subordinates of the Demon Lord of Envy and a being from the fearsome Mak'thar race, an [S]-rank species renowned for their raw power and unsettling unique powers.

However, the world knew him by a different name, the Triumphant Eye. This title alone was enough to send shivers through both ally and foe alike.