Chapter 857: Dark Demon and the Second Demon King
This world was so vast that even when the gods existed, they couldn’t fully control it, let alone in this era where humans were the main characters.
As part of the world, we should have both the courage to reach for the sky and the humility of being human.
Overconfidence can only lead to destruction.
“Professor, could you tell me more about the events of the Night of Prophecy?”
After settling his mind, Dak spoke to Professor Metia.
Metia would naturally not refuse him. She gestured for Dak to sit beside her and recounted all she knew about the past Night of Prophecy.
Unbeknownst to them, someone else joined their conversation.
Eralganie, with a strong curiosity towards the unknown, sat attentively listening.
Metia did not stop; she began with the distant Night of Prophecy, gradually moving closer to the most recent ones.
Of these, the one before the full-scale war between humans and demons was particularly well-known in this era.
At that time, the Tower of Stars had already stood on the ground.
Countless seers climbed the tower, prophesying the end of the world.
Some diviners, after seeing the tragic and terrifying future, jumped off the tower due to unbearable mental pressure.
To them, death seemed like the only escape.
It was no exaggeration.
In fact, the thousand-year war brought greater sorrow and pain than what was prophesied.
After that Night of Prophecy, the Tower of Stars closed its doors but secretly influenced the course of the war.
When the Night of Prophecy was held again, it no longer focused on predicting disasters—disasters were always present, requiring no prophecy.
People wanted to hear only when the war would end and hope would come.
The most recent Night of Prophecy saw a seer correctly predict the end of the war and even the “sacrifice of the hero.”
But heroes became heroes because they knew the risks but still rushed to battle without hesitation.
The sacrifice prophecies from the Night of Prophecy did not shake any hero’s resolve.
Instead, the “foreseeable” victory strengthened their determination!
Afterward, the prophecy came true. The hero Bret Gold died in battle sealing the Demon King.
The war ended soon after.
Humans welcomed dawn.
…
Yet, the long night was endless, and dawn fleeting.
In just over a decade, darkness returned.
But whether the future would be good or bad remained uncertain.
Perhaps this was what the Night of Prophecy sought to understand.
Professor Metia suddenly stood up and said, “That’s enough. Now it’s your turn to show me the progress of the experiment preparation.”
Dak looked at Eralganie, who nodded, leading them to another laboratory.
…
Time passed swiftly, and it was already the last Wednesday evening of March.
When people strive for clear goals, time seems to fly by quickly.
After eight days and seven nights, the first round of the Mana Language course finally concluded.
Professor Heldred Bode did not organize any tests or similar activities at the end.
In these seven lessons, he had covered everything he wanted to teach.
Whether the students learned it or not was not his concern.
“The second round will be in April. Those wanting to drop out should tell me before then.”
With these words, Professor Heldred Bode dismissed the students from his office.
The seven people standing at the door looked at each other.
“Cough, come to my office first,” Dak suggested.
They then arrived at the office of the first-year math professor.
Since it was past midnight, Dak did not entertain them much. He let the students sit as they pleased and said, “These days have been tough. This started with me.”
“Why do you think it’s tough?” Sarah smiled and said, “This is a rare opportunity. We should thank you.”
“Right!” Heidi agreed.
Even Emma nodded slightly.
Dak looked around and said, “Now that the first round is over, Professor Bode’s teaching level is very high. But due to the compressed time, even I found it difficult. So before I fully digest the content of the first round, I suggest there’s no need to rush into the second round.”
Though no one was looking directly at him, Wit instinctively felt everyone’s eyes on him.
He was reluctant but faced reality: “Indeed, I’ll master the third-year content quickly and relearn Professor Bode’s fourth-year content.”
“I’m out too!” Diana immediately raised her hand.
Rose said, “I won’t continue either. For me, mastering the fourth-year Mana Language this semester would already be challenging enough.”
“Don’t look at me, I’m not dropping out!” Sarah declared immediately.
“If Sarah doesn’t drop out, neither will I,” Heidi said.
Emma: “…”
Thus, the decision was made.
If Wit, Rose, and Diana continued the second round, it would indeed be a waste of time.
In fact, Sarah, Heidi, and Emma were also struggling, but if they could digest as much as possible before the second round started, they might still learn something.
Any gains were worth it.
And Dak would share the notes he copied down.
Even if they couldn’t learn this semester, there was a long holiday ahead!
A three-month break would be enough for them to catch up.
If they could master fifth-year level Mana Language before starting third year, the grade gap wouldn’t limit their abilities anymore.
The current active duelists on the peak stage of the Mana Academy had already mastered Mana Language to the extreme.
For them, grade divisions had become insignificant.
From a professor’s perspective, Dak was very hopeful that these people would join him on the peak stage of dueling by third year.
…
After spending a whole day digesting the knowledge from the last lesson, Dak continued studying the related materials of “Fantasy Justice.”
During his research, his understanding of magic cards and Mana Language deepened further.
If not for his focus on the炼成 of the Second Demon King the next weekend, he would have certainly asked Eluria Clarissa to start the炼成 experiment of “Fantasy Justice.”
Speaking of the weekend, he received no challenge applications from other contestants nor did he challenge anyone else.
He only managed to get three matches through normal matchmaking.
But his luck was excellent.
None of his final three opponents were among the top sixteen.
He originally planned to schedule all three matches for the afternoon, but the Dueling Club kept the suspense by placing the matches affecting the final list on Saturday.
So he had two duels on Friday afternoon and the last one on Saturday.
His ranking had been caught up by Eluria Clarissa, falling from thirteenth to fourteenth.
Behind him, the player who was originally sixteenth caught up to fifteenth!
And the player who was originally fifteenth dropped to sixteenth, only two points behind seventeenth.
Those two points meant winning just one more match.
Moreover, Dak knew that the seventeenth-ranked player challenged the sixteenth-ranked player this week, and the sixteenth-ranked player surprisingly accepted.
Undoubtedly, this would be the most watched duel!
Another coincidence.
The ninth-ranked player challenged the eighth-ranked player.
Although eighth-ranked players didn’t have the initiative in the format, advancing to eighth could avoid being chosen by the top few.
In the main event of the Golden Cup, every step forward earned more credits and rewards.
Especially the huge difference between the rewards for the top eight and those who stopped at sixteenth.
Advancing to the top eight in the preliminary rounds naturally increased the chances of maintaining rankings.
Therefore, this duel garnered significant attention.
…
But all this had little to do with Dak.
Though he wanted to watch the duels involving the top sixteen from the spectator area, it was now the final stage of the experiment preparations, and he had to focus.
On Friday afternoon, he easily defeated an upperclassman in a duel.
On Saturday morning, his opponent was a senior girl aiming specifically to target the sixteenth spot.
After a fierce battle, he eventually secured a narrow victory.
Winning these three duels solidified his ranking.
The fifteenth-ranked player below him couldn’t surpass him even if they won all their matches.
The competition in the Golden Cup was indeed intense; losing a single match put one in a precarious position.
After his victory, Dak waved to the audience and quickly left the arena, heading straight for the hidden laboratory.
Until ten o’clock, he never left the lab.
Only after ten did he leave the lab and gather information about today’s matches from the golems.
In short, the former sixteenth-ranked player, since falling to thirteenth, had been on a downward spiral.
On the other hand, the former seventeenth-ranked player surged forward, securing a victory in the challenge and advancing to the top sixteen in the preliminary rounds!
—That was just a fourth-year student!
…
If this happened in the past, the fourth-year student’s advancement would have been stunning.
Unfortunately, he was born in the wrong era.
People gradually got used to the extraordinary performance of the second-year student, and ordinary geniuses could no longer satisfy them.
Still, he received enthusiastic applause.
After the fourth-year student advanced to the top sixteen, the top sixteen spots in the Golden Cup were set.
Additionally, the former ninth-ranked player successfully defeated the former eighth-ranked player, advancing to the top eight.
After returning to his dorm, Dak obtained the final ranking list from Deoxys.
Looking from bottom to top:
The sixteenth-ranked fourth-year student was Mars Kerry from the Knight Academy, a student who wasn’t particularly famous.
The fourteenth-ranked was the youngest among the top sixteen—Dark Demon from the second-year Noble Academy.
The thirteenth-ranked was the fifth-year Noble Academy’s Fairy Princess, Eluria
Clarissa.
Ranked twelfth is Matthew Billbrom, the [Forward] from the Sixth-Year Fool’s Academy.
Ranked tenth is Marshall Wayant, the Fourth-Year Knight Academy’s [Marshal].
Ranked eighth is a [Sports Club] member from the Fifth-Year Knight Academy.
Ranked seventh is Vini Scarlet, the [Winter Maiden] from the Fourth-Year Mana Academy.
Ranked sixth is Pandora Dragon, the [Silver Dragon Maiden] from the Fifth-Year Mana Academy.
Ranked fifth is the Deputy President of the [Astrology Club] from the Fourth-Year Fool’s Academy.
Ranked fourth is Luke Beck, the [Dragon Slayer] from the Sixth-Year Knight Academy!
…
Marshall Wayant’s number in the [Secretive Snake] is [90008].
Dark did not pay him much attention, only remembering his name.
The ones he paid more attention to, Vini and Pandora, barely made it into the top eight.
However, for a duelist like Senior Pandora, the ranking in the points race only depends on the number of times they participate.
It seems they both entered at the calculated timing.
The real showdown is in the main event!
…
“March has passed, and the main event of the Golden Cup starts on the first Friday of April.”
“Friday afternoon, first there will be the opening ceremony, followed by a single-elimination tournament with a total of eight matches.”
“Saturday… There probably won’t be any events this Saturday because Sunday is Easter.”
“So the quarterfinals of the main event will start on the second Friday… First, we need to figure out how to get past the first round of eliminations!”
Dark patted his face, put down the ranking list, then washed up.
“Pandora-senpai shouldn’t choose me, right?”
Suddenly, a terrifying thought flashed through Dark’s mind, causing him to pause.
“It shouldn’t.”
Thinking this, he submerged himself in the bathtub, enjoying a relaxing bath that relieved his mental fatigue.
Tomorrow he would begin the [Demon King Number Two]炼成 experiment, and he needed to adjust himself to his best state.
…
March 29th, Sunday, overcast weather.
Dark pushed open the window, looked up at the sky, and saw the gray clouds overhead, frowning.
“This isn’t a good omen…”
Heavenly timing, geographical advantage, and human harmony.
Today should have been everything ready except for the final push, but he encountered setbacks right from the start.
However, many of the experiments prepared yesterday cannot be delayed.
And the soul consciousness of [Demon King Number Two] must also be getting impatient.
Whether he retreats or advances, he has to make a decision.
After eating breakfast and tidying up, Dark took all necessary items and held the [Mana Book], stepping out of the door.
When he reached the common room, he saw Aurora reading a book in a corner: “Aurora, it’s time to go.”
“Alright.” Aurora inserted a bookmark into her book, closed it, and ran over.
The two left the tower together, and Aurora asked: “Are we finally starting?”
Dark nodded in agreement: “Yes, we can’t wait anymore.”
Aurora was absent yesterday but knew about the original plan.
“How are you prepared?” she asked.
Dark estimated: “Around seventy to eighty percent success rate. Considering the difficulty of demon king creation, this is already quite low.”
Aurora tightened her grip on the book and said: “Do you have preventive measures?”
Dark replied: “I set corresponding measures based on the experimental data of [Demon King Alastor], but don’t expect them to work effectively. I prefer to call them psychological insurance.”
Aurora pursed her lips: “What now?”
Dark said: “We can only rely on Eralganie. We must trust the Intelligence Deity.”
Aurora asked: “What about Wit? Is he no longer useful?”
Dark shook his head and said regretfully: “That was just a temporary solution. There’s no inherent connection between [Demon King Number Two] and Wit. If it works, it will depend on [Demon King Number One].”
Aurora curiously asked: “[Demon King Alastor]?”
Dark nodded: “[Demon King Alastor] can act as a radar for finding [Demon King Number Two], unless it immediately enters a [Hibernation State] upon rebirth. Even so, we can detect it as soon as it awakens. So there’s no need to worry too much.”
Aurora smiled slightly: “But it’s not me who needs to be nervous.”
Dark shook his head and laughed.
…
The two arrived quickly at the secret laboratory behind the teacher’s dormitory.
They waited outside the lab for a moment before seeing Professor Metia and others arriving one by one.
Seeing all the [Intelligence Serpent] members had gathered, Dark searched but did not find Professor Heldred Bode, knowing that Professor Bode had not yet broken into the core of the organization.
He brushed off the raindrops on Eralganie’s head and said: “It’s raining after all?”
Eralganie replied: “Spring rain nourishes like oil, a good omen.”
Dark couldn’t help but smile: “Indeed.”
No matter how it’s explained, it’s better than having dark clouds cover the sky.
Light spring rain disperses once it falls.
Once he started the experiment, perhaps it would clear up and a rainbow would appear.
Indeed, a good omen.
…
“Let’s start preparing.”
Dark changed into an experimental suit, put on gloves, attached a rune board to isolate soul fluctuations, walked through a purification array, and entered the final laboratory.
Professors Kazel and Harvey were already inside.
The physical body of [Demon King Number Two] was soaked in a jar, sealed with multiple layers.
Its soul consciousness was submerged in a magic construct connected to a [Nightmare Crystal], placed on the experimental table.
The preparations for the [Demon King Number Two] experiment were more complex and meticulous in every aspect compared to the creation of [Demon King Number One].
Naturally, the requirements for the capabilities of the experimental personnel were higher.
After absorbing the experience from the [Demon King Number One] creation experiment and repeatedly practicing and adjusting in the laboratory, Dark’s proficiency in handling the current experiment had significantly improved.
Thus, he felt confident in completing today’s creation experiment.
When Eralganie also changed into the experimental suit and entered, Dark and the others began the final preparations for the experiment.
The fish on the chopping board was already cut.
The side dishes and seasonings were ready.
The stove was lit, and the assistant was in place.
The chef in high hat raised the knife.
Dark Demon opened his eyes, activating the [Eye of Truth], with golden light flowing out.
The entire world began to change in his eyes.
Everything went smoothly.
Long-term research, adjustment, and practice bore fruit at this moment.
Dark’s feeling now was completely different from the first time he created [Demon King Number One], with a sense of composure.
He gradually grasped the rhythm of the experiment, no longer just being driven forward by the two professors.
An hour later.
Warm-up completed.
Two hours later.
The experiment progressed halfway.
Three hours later.
Dark crossed the most difficult step of melting the materials.
Four hours later.
The noon bell rang above the academy.
People walking in the castle subconsciously turned their heads toward the straight-standing Spiral Bell Tower.
A Second-Year student from the Noble Academy, located within the hidden laboratory, drew the most perfect first-level creation array directly above the mana card used for creation.
…
The tense observers, including Aurora, sighed softly.
The smooth progress of the experiment until now was beyond their expectations.
Four hours, reaching the most critical step of material melting!
As the experimenter, Dark did not dare to relax, taking the Advanced Thought Bottle handed by Eralganie.
The bottle contained pink liquid, liquefied [Paradise Bliss].
After nearly a month, [Paradise] had produced about a hundred units of [Paradise Bliss], combined with the thirty units previously stored, making it over a hundred twenty units!
Even if the difficulty of creating [Demon King Number Two] was twice that of [Demon King Number One], these hundred twenty units of [Paradise Bliss] were certainly enough.
Almost all possible contingencies were accounted for.
The possibility of failure was compressed to the limit.
This was a creation that could only succeed, not fail!
In a magician’s lifetime, they inevitably experience several similar creation experiments. Only through continuous breakthroughs can they reach the pinnacle.
Dark picked up the [Mana Dropper], extracted a drop of [Paradise Bliss] from the thought bottle, and carefully dripped it into the light array of the first creation array.
The pink light transformed into ripples, gently spreading outward.
The environment for melting was slowly adjusted to the most suitable level.
Then he began to add various pre-processed materials, one by one, into the array, refining them.
Compared to the materials used in the creation of [Demon King Number One], the materials for this experiment were more refined, using more complex materials.
This meant the difficulty of creation was increased.
But Dark’s understanding and use of these materials had also improved.
Even his own mana quantity and control ability had advanced significantly over the past month.
With the aid of mana potions to restore mana and concentrate, he steadily refined each rare material rarely seen in daily life.
The melting process lasted for a full two hours.
Later, Dark began drinking [Phoenix Blood Potion].
But he remained calm because even the consumption of this mana was calculated.
To ensure the melting environment, he continuously added [Paradise Bliss].
The entire creation process was markedly different from before.
“Again.”
He extended his hand, and Eralganie handed him the second bottle of [Phoenix Blood Potion].
He drank it in one gulp, throwing the core material—[Demon King Number Two]’s soul consciousness, along with the sealing construct, into the continuously glowing creation array.
Including this construct, everything was custom-made.
The construct acted like an insulating layer, preventing [Demon King Number Two] from being directly burned by the “high-temperature flames,” akin to a frog slowly cooked in warm water, leading to its end in the depths of its slumber.
This was to prevent [Demon King Number Two] from waking up as [Demon King Number One] did.
The construct indeed played a significant role.
The soul consciousness of [Demon King Number Two] only struggled and suddenly awakened when Dark poured over sixty units of [Paradise Bliss] into the creation array.
By then, the creation array had already been transformed into a unique arena resembling [Paradise] under the influence of those sixty units of [Paradise Bliss].
As the master of this arena, Dark had complete control over it.
Awakening [Demon King Number Two] was like jumping into Buddha’s Five-Finger Mountain, unable to escape no matter how much it struggled.
Moreover, it was extremely weak at this moment.
Deeply studying the [Soul Curse], Dark successfully suppressed its soul consciousness this time.
Then he sneered and poured all the [Paradise Bliss] from the remaining two thought bottles, stirring up a massive stir-fry!
Another sip of [Phoenix Blood Potion].
Under the suppression of a hundred twenty units of [Paradise Bliss],
The soul consciousness finally ceased, completely refined.
The professors, who had been watching tensely, suddenly relaxed.
At this point, with Dak’s abilities, it was impossible for any mistakes to occur anymore!
Compared to when he was refining 【Demon King One】.
This time, although the refining experiment took over six hours,
Dak made no mistakes throughout the entire process, completing it seamlessly, showcasing far greater control than the previous attempt!
This terrifying evolution speed could not have been achieved without the blessings of the Intelligence Deity, but it was also closely tied to his innate talent and hard work.
“Phew!”
In that instant, the light from the refining array suddenly burst forth, illuminating the entire laboratory in a dazzling white glow.
Then the light collapsed, abruptly converging.
On the tabletop, only a mana spirit card wrapped in a light cocoon remained.
Refining, complete!
…
…
[Last day for monthly tickets, please vote! sniff]
[I will write ten thousand more words today!]
…
Chapter 858
The sound in the laboratory instantly quieted down.
Only the light cocoon, which enveloped the mana spirit card, shimmered like breathing.
Dak quietly watched the halo of light, waiting for the outcome to be revealed.
Today’s refining went unexpectedly smoothly.
To the point where he couldn’t help but wonder if something unexpected might happen at the last moment—after all, it wasn’t uncommon for demon kings to perish during the final step of mana spirit card refinement.
Perhaps due to this consideration, others were also closely watching the cocoon, rather than celebrating prematurely.
After nearly twenty minutes, the cocoon gradually stopped flickering, maintaining only a faint white glow.
“It should be successful.”
Professor Kazel suddenly said.
As soon as he spoke, everyone in the lab suddenly became active again.
“He succeeded on the first try!”
Vit, who was observing from the side, couldn’t help but jump up.
His reaction was the most exaggerated, but no one found it annoying.
Everyone else who was watching also walked in, their faces lighting up with smiles.
But Dak didn’t immediately cut open the cocoon.
He held a mercury knife, still waiting.
A few minutes later, when others began guessing what kind of mana spirit would emerge, Dak finally picked up the small knife and carefully sliced open the cocoon.
A surge of mana burst out, instantly breaking the cocoon.
The foul liquid accumulated inside exploded, quickly flowing out.
Professor Harvey, who was waiting nearby, immediately fetched a container to collect the liquid.
Professor Kazel waved his wand, dispersing the toxins mixed in the air.
Mana spirit card refinement was fraught with dangers, especially when creating toxic mana spirits, where magi must prepare antidotes in advance.
Of course, the presence of toxins doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a toxic mana spirit.
Dak used the mercury knife to remove impurities from the mana spirit card, then used tweezers to pick it up and rinse it in the water basin.
Once he finished rinsing, Professor Harvey took a bottle of magic potion from beside him and poured it over the mana spirit card, saying, “Wash it again.”
Dak nodded and washed it once more.
Then he brought the mana spirit card closer, and everyone crowded around.
“Magus·Eldridge?” Professor Metia read out the name on the card.
“A star, two stars… twelve stars! This mana spirit is also a twelve-star!” Vit exclaimed loudly.
“Still a demon race, dark attribute?” Professor Shylph frowned.
“Meow?” Aurora suddenly called out, immediately realizing her mistake and covering her mouth, her cheeks turning red.
Dak looked at the surface of the mana spirit card, unable to hide his surprise.
Overall, the mana spirit card named 【Magus·Eldridge】 shared the same attributes, level, race, and name structure as 【Magus·Alastor】.
Considering the full name of the demon king—Alastair Eldridge—it was clear these two mana spirit cards could be seen as splitting the demon king into two parts.
If 【Magus·Eldridge】 and 【Magus·Alastor】 looked identical, it would make sense.
However, something unreasonable happened.
The demon race curled up inside the mana spirit card was not a towering and robust demon king, but… a black cat!
The coal-black cat curled up in the corner had only a pair of retractable blood-red bat wings on its back, with no other differences compared to a regular kitten.
Upon closer inspection, one could see it was a type of short-legged round-faced cat…
But before its face turned, one couldn’t definitively conclude.
Perhaps its face was a peach-shaped monkey face?
Isn’t that right, Eldridge?
Dak suppressed the urge to comment.
“This is good,” Professor Kazel suddenly said.
He floated in mid-air, crossing his arms.
Dak looked up and asked, “How so?”
Kazel smiled and replied, “Didn’t you always complain that 【Magus·Alastor】 would be recognized? Since this 【Magus·Eldridge】 doesn’t look like a demon king, it can be summoned outside.”
Dak hadn’t yet reacted when Professor Shylph immediately warned, “Absolutely forbidden in academy competitions!”
Dak couldn’t help but laugh, “Why? This isn’t a mana spirit I created alone; I won’t use it in academy competitions.”
But outside the academy, the sky’s the limit!
【Magus·Eldridge】, a twelve-star mana spirit card in the form of a black cat!
As long as the card name is changed, even if summoned in front of the Church of the Saints, none of the bishops or archbishops would recognize it… at most they’d suspect.
But what use is suspicion?
Who would believe a demon king could be turned into a mana spirit card?
That’s absurd!
Such a thing is impossible in this world!
So, feel free to use it boldly!
Dak’s smile grew brighter.
“I think,” Professor Harvey teased, “you can start thinking about giving it a name.”
Dak hurriedly said, “Not yet, we need to see if its memories are intact after being refined.”
Even though the final products in Dak’s limited number of soul refinements retained their pre-existing memories, there weren’t enough samples to draw a direct conclusion.
If this 【Magus·Eldridge】 also retained complete memories, the restrictions placed on it would need to be very thorough.
It would be even trickier than 【Magus·Alastor】.
“Before confirming the summon, let’s check its specific information,” Professor Kazel reminded.
Special skills of mana spirits often introduce variables, so judging after knowing the specifics is the wisest choice.
Dak nodded and walked to the lab table, preparing to record all the information as he did before.
First, the basic attribute list.
Dak infused mana, waiting for feedback.
[Card Name: Magus·Eldridge]
[Type: Elemental Card]
[Level: ★★★★★★★★★★★]
[Race: Demon Race]
[Attribute: Dark]
[Mana: 8000]
[Attack: 7500]
[Defense: 8000]
[Ultimate Skill: Demon King, Devourer, God-Eater Beast, Sin Fire]
“The standard full value for three attributes of a twelve-star mana spirit is seven thousand points.”
“This means every attribute of this 【Magus·Eldridge】 exceeds the standard full value.”
“In comparison with 【Magus·Alastor】, its mana is lower by one thousand points, but its defense is higher by one thousand points.”
“In most cases, the distribution of attributes for 【Magus·Eldridge】 is slightly advantageous.”
Dak quickly scanned the attributes and wrote them down.
Then he focused on the ultimate skill of 【Magus·Eldridge】.
—As a twelve-star mana spirit, 【Magus·Eldridge】 naturally has four ultimate skills.
The first ultimate skill is unsurprisingly a passive skill named 【Demon King】.
The effect of 【Demon King】 is simply adding 1000 points to both attack and defense, elevating the status of the mana spirit, granting immunity to change-type ultimate skills, and possessing the 【Demon King Aura】.
Based on experiments with 【Magus·Alastor】, the 【Demon King Aura】 also affects the demon king itself, increasing each of its attributes by 1500 points when stacked.
Theoretically, the 【Demon King Aura】 of 【Magus·Alastor】 and 【Magus·Eldridge】 cannot stack.
This would definitely be tested in future experiments.
“9500, 9000, 9500.”
Professor Kazel announced the final attributes.
Dak sighed, “9500 points of defense, it’s impossible to tell from its physical body.”
Professor Kazel said, “Perhaps it just looks young on the card but is actually a mountain-sized entity when summoned?”
Dak: “Possible.”
After saying this, he glanced at the little black cat on the card, seeing it still curled up in the corner with no reaction, wondering if it inherited the memories of 【Magus Two】.
He shook his head, then looked at the second ultimate skill of 【Magus·Eldridge】.
Just then, an idea suddenly struck him.
“Wait, does Magus·Eldridge count as a demon race?”
Professor Kazel asked in confusion, “Of course, it’s a demon king.”
Dak’s heart skipped a beat as he whispered, “Does that mean I already possess a fifth-tier demon race…”
His sudden statement caught everyone’s attention, and they quickly connected the dots.
Professor Kazel’s expression became slightly serious, “Using a fifth-tier demon race as a sacrifice can summon the 【Fusion Gospel lv5】, allowing for fusion summons up to the sixth tier.”
Vit, catching up later, suddenly said, “The 【Fusion Gospel】 of 【Magus·Alastor】?”
“Yes,” Ophelia Brad patted his shoulder gently.
Professor Metia smiled, “Since we have the 【Fusion Gospel lv5】, the only thing left for a sixth-tier mana spirit is high-level fusion materials, right?”
Professor Shylph frowned and said, “The 【Fusion Gospel】 doesn’t specify the race of the mana spirit after fusion summoning, but to summon a sixth-tier mana spirit through fusion, at least two fifth-tier mana spirit materials are required, minimum minimum, no less than fourth tier. Where do we find such materials?”
“It’s difficult, but not impossible,” Professor Metia said, “Now that the hardest-to-find fifth-tier demon race sacrifices are solved, suitable fusion materials will eventually be found. As long as we persist, there will be plenty of materials available for refining fifth-tier mana spirits.”
Professor Shylph gave her a stern look, “Careless talk.”
“Don’t worry,” Professor Metia laughed, “I’m predicting…
The families of Yan.
The professors were in heated debate, while Dak lowered his head in thought, pondering something entirely different from what the professors were discussing.
【Demon King·Eldridge】 is a fifth-tier demon race, naturally capable of replacing fourth-tier demons to summon the 【Fusion Tome lv4】!
With the 【Fusion Tome lv4】, one can fuse and summon the highest-ranked fifth-tier golem.
If Dak’s previous deductions were correct, the ultimate form of a digital monster is the fourth tier, and the ultimate form with a rank of +1 is the fifth tier.
Then, is the 【Demoness Beast】 and 【Celestial Beast】 fused and evolved into 【Motismon】 the fourth tier or the fifth tier?
According to Dak’s judgment, it is most likely the fifth tier!
But this isn’t important; what matters is that he already has a way to fuse and evolve the 【Demoness Beast】 and 【Celestial Beast】 into 【Motismon】!
Unlike the 【Demon King·Aldastor】 and 【Demon King·Eldridge】, 【Motismon】 was shaped by him personally.
If he could fuse and evolve it, the sense of achievement would be on a completely different level.
To be honest, if not for being surrounded by the professors, Dak would have been eager to summon the 【Imp Beast】 and 【Deoxys】!
But under the current circumstances, he could only temporarily suppress his inner excitement.
“Let’s get this done quickly!”
He thought, then immediately looked down.
…
After the 【Demon King】, the second ultimate skill of 【Demon King·Eldridge】 is the 【Devourer】.
【Devourer】—just from its name, it can be seen that this should have evolved from the racial talent of devouring demons, similar to how the 【Fusion Magic】 of the 【Demon King·Aldastor】 evolved.
However, its effect is clearly different.
【Devourer: Demon King·Eldridge is a notorious devourer, able to consume targets with residual life (mana) no higher than his devouring damage. While fully absorbing the target’s life force (mana), he randomly gains a special ultimate skill from the opponent. Eldridge can choose to selectively not gain the opponent’s ultimate skill effect. Moreover, the ultimate skills gained from devouring can be retained until the summon is canceled. [Devourer] has no cooldown but requires digesting the consumed target before it can be used again. Digestion speed is determined by the target’s defense and mana coefficients.]
“This ultimate skill…”
Dak wrote a very long sentence on paper.
Professor Kazel and others stopped their discussion after this and focused on this new information.
“The Devourer… How do you calculate the devouring power and digestion speed?”
Professor Kazel raised the question first.
Dak injected mana and continued analyzing, saying, “The devouring power is approximately 150% of the base attack. The base attack of 【Demon King·Eldridge】 is 7500+1000, which is 8500. 150% of that is 12750.”
“12750?” Professor Kazel said, “This isn’t particularly high among fifth-tier golems. However, from the description, it seems like an endgame move. It can consume the opponent’s mana to a certain degree before devouring them. If successful, it will first absorb the opponent’s mana, then gain one of their ultimate skills. If my understanding is correct, the rarer the ultimate skill, the higher the chance of gaining it. Therefore, this is actually a quite cost-effective skill.”
Dak nodded and continued, “As for digestion speed, it’s roughly the opponent’s remaining mana plus defense, about one second per 100 points. For lower-star golems, the digestion speed increases.”
Professor Kazel said, “Ten thousand points in a hundred seconds, not slow.”
Dak replied, “Compared to most ultimate skills, this cooldown isn’t particularly slow. Even at the maximum of 12750 points, which is 127.5 seconds, just over two minutes.”
Professor Kazel nodded, “It’s a perfect ultimate skill for an immortal Demon King. Unfortunately, the ultimate skills gained from devouring can only be retained until the summon is canceled.”
Dak said, “We shouldn’t ask for more.”
He then turned to look at the third ultimate skill of 【Demon King·Eldridge】—【God-Eater Beast】!
【God-Eater Beast】, or the beast that devours gods.
An ultimate skill that immediately draws attention just from its name!
Dak felt the professors’ gazes and immediately injected mana, delving deeper.
【God-Eater Beast: Demon King·Eldridge possesses a true form called the God-Eater Beast. When transforming into this true form, it gains a 100% increase in克制 against phantasmal divine beings and a 50% increase in克制 against objects with a god’s core, able to digest and absorb divine power. Overall attributes increase by 50%. If it can devour a god, it will gain permanent growth.]
“It turns out to be a genuine god-devouring beast!”
Dak quickly jotted down this information.
The professors looked surprised after reading it.
“Why are you looking at me?”
Suddenly, Eralganie said in an unhappy tone.
Dak turned his head and noticed Wit staring at Eralganie.
Seeing everyone turn their gaze, Wit hurriedly turned back and stammered, “No, it’s just that… devouring gods… I couldn’t help but take a glance!”
“Huh.” Dak looked at his embarrassed face and couldn’t help but laugh.
But the atmosphere became lively as a result.
Throughout history, most things with names like “god-slayer,” “god-exterminator,” or “god-butcher” were merely exaggerated metaphors describing their power.
However, the 【God-Eater Beast】 of the 【Demon King·Eldridge】 is genuinely a god-slayer.
Without a doubt, it is a weapon designed specifically for gods.
Moreover, the “permanent growth” mentioned in its ultimate skill description caught everyone’s attention.
However, the hard condition of needing to devour a god to gain growth is too difficult, and it may take some time to verify.
Even so, the passive effect of a 50% overall attribute increase possessed by the 【God-Eater Beast】 is already terrifying enough.
Up to this point, the 【Demon King·Eldridge】 finally showed some of the风采 of a fifth-tier golem.
“Let’s finish looking at the last ultimate skill.” Professor Kazel said.
Dak nodded and looked at the last ultimate skill—【Sinfire】!
【Sinfire: Each time Demon King·Eldridge kills, the soul of the deceased is transformed into a [Sin Seed]. Using the [Sin Seed] can ignite the [Sinfire], whose power depends on the deceased’s pain and fear. Eldridge can restore a certain amount of mana by consuming the [Sinfire].】
This time, the description of the ultimate skill was unexpectedly concise.
But the more concise it was, the more terrifying it became.
From this, it can be seen that both 【Demon King·Aldastor】 and 【Demon King·Eldridge】 lack direct offensive ultimate skills.
However, the appearance of this 【Sinfire】 perfectly makes up for this shortcoming of 【Demon King·Eldridge】.
Moreover, this 【Sinfire】 has no cooldown and does not seem to have any limits.
As long as 【Demon King·Eldridge】 continues to kill, it can continuously obtain 【Sinfire】.
This will make it a non-stop killing machine.
As for whether the 【Sinfire】 has other characteristics?
Dak cannot determine it for now.
He put down his pen, picked up the paper filled with notes, and handed it to Professor Kazel beside him.
He always had a feeling that the 【Demon King·Eldridge】 needs to kill real-life beings to truly accumulate 【Sinfire】.
If it were just killing golems, due to their poor perception of pain and fear, the 【Sinfire】 obtained might be insufficient in power.
And there might be no accumulation at all.
In other words, those 【Sinfires】 are temporary.
So, this is essentially a highly potential and very Demon King-style ultimate skill.
But for him, he wouldn’t rely on such an ultimate skill.
…
After receiving the notes, Professor Kazel passed them around for everyone to discuss.
Especially since it was only three in the afternoon, everyone seemed relaxed.
They each expressed their opinions, making the scene very lively.
Even Professor Harvey joined in enthusiastically after sorting out the experiment remains.
But Aurora quietly slipped away and prepared tea and snacks in another room.
Although no one noticed, in fact, none of them had eaten lunch yet.
When Aurora finished preparing the tea and snacks, she invited everyone over.
The smooth progress of the ritual experiment improved everyone’s mood.
They moved to continue their discussion.
Dak occasionally chimed in, spending most of his time silently eating.
His consumption was much greater than it appeared on the surface.
If someone else were in his position, they might have already collapsed.
After eating and drinking his fill.
Dak put down his teacup and said, “It’s about time. Let’s summon the 【Demon King Two】 and take a look.”
“Alright.” The professors nodded and got up one by one.
In fact, they were also waiting for Dak to rest and regain his energy.
After a while, they stepped out of the room and arrived outside the laboratory.
Dak stood in the snow-white space, drew an unintelligent 【Magical Beast: Ditto】 card, two two-star Mana Spirit Cards, and a 【Bliss IV】 card from his Mana Card Deck, and began the sacrificial summoning of 【Demon King: Eldridge】.
Soon after, a large sacrificial summoning array appeared in the sky.
The mana aura emanating from the summoning array quietly erupted.
Dak felt the mana rapidly depleting as he tightly watched the center of the sacrificial summoning array.
【Demon King·Eldridge】 suddenly descended in a beast form!
…
The 【God-Eater Beast】 is the true form of 【Demon King·Eldridge】, but before transforming into its true form… it still retains the form of a beast.
Once the summoning array disappeared, it fell from the sky, its limbs naturally extending, landing lightly.
Dak finally saw its front—indeed, it was a cat!
And this black-faced, short-legged cat, after landing and confirming its direction, immediately ran toward him.
Dak looked alert; halfway through, he suddenly pointed and said, “Stop!” like an acupuncture needle piercing through the air.
That soft little black cat instantly froze in place, then looked at him pitifully and meowed.
Dak hesitated for a moment, but his experience with 【Demon King One】 told him that at this moment, he absolutely could not trust a Demon King.
Mana Spirits that have entered the 【Divine Tier】 already possess the ability to resist magicians.
If not cautious, it would lead to regret.
Dak stubbornly ignored the cat’s pleading and recited the prepared prohibitions one by one, binding the mind and body of the 【Demon King·Eldridge】 with layers of shackles.
After ten minutes, he finally finished reciting all the rules, but the little black cat still tearfully looked at him.
This made him suspect whether the 【Demon King·Eldridge】 had really lost its memory.
“Want to know? Just ask directly?” Professor Kazel reminded.
Dak nodded and approached slightly, asking, “Eldridge?”
【Demon King·Eldridge】: “Meow~”
At least he used up a full 120 points of 【Paradise Version】.
[Music] The supportive golem elemental, even the soft meowing of the small black cat was so gentle that it made people feel their bones melt.
But of course, Dark Demon would not be captured so easily.
Moreover, having studied the Beast Speech Book, he could understand some of what this little cat was saying.
Thus, the conversation continued, with meowing sounds never ceasing.
Dark quickly determined that this small black cat indeed did not have the memories of Demon King Number Two.
However, since it was formed using the soul consciousness of Demon King Number Two, where did the memories of Demon King Number Two go?
Surely, they were not simply erased during the炼成process?
“Can be confirmed that before the炼成experiment began, its soul consciousness retained the memories,” Professor Harvey said.
Dark pondered, “Then is it possible that in that brief period when it woke and struggled, it autonomously erased its personal memories, or perhaps… it was just the aftereffect of a failed suicide attempt?”
“Both possibilities exist,” Professor Harvey replied. “Number Two already knows the fate of Number One. With its complete memory and as a Demon King, it would rather self-destruct than allow itself to be turned into a golem. Once it finds a loophole, it will do anything. But personally, I lean towards the latter.”
Dark stated, “If it’s the latter, then we almost failed at the end of the experiment, right?”
Professor Harvey solemnly replied, “That seems to be the case.”
Dark nodded, “This is indeed a possibility. However, to confirm it, a more detailed and comprehensive investigation is needed.”
Professor Kazel walked over and said, “It’s also possible that even before being炼成, it split its soul consciousness into two parts, hiding the part with memories. Just like… like what Wit experienced. In that case, even if you use an absolute command to ask its surface consciousness, it wouldn’t know about the second consciousness and thus couldn’t reveal the truth.”
Dark asked, “What’s the benefit of doing that?”
Professor Kazel replied, “It might make us relax our guard.”
Dark smiled, “Then just stay vigilant, right?”
Professor Kazel questioned, “That’s not easy to do.”
Dark calmly stated, “I can manage.”
He then approached the black cat, carefully picking it up.
The small black cat was soft and had round eyes, but from the outside, one couldn’t tell it was a golem elemental of twelve stars. Its claws were actually very strong, and its fur looked soft but was incredibly defensive.
However, it had a pair of drooping red bat wings, distinguishing it from a regular black cat.
Looking into the small black cat’s eyes, Dark had another thought: “Is it possible that the part of its soul consciousness with memories is on its true body?”
Professor Kazel’s heart stirred, “The true body of the Devourer God Beast?”
Dark nodded, “Yes.”
Professor Kazel said, “The possibility is quite high.”
Dark stated, “Then we need to be on alert. I’m going to try commanding it to transform into its true form.”
…
The professors immediately prepared themselves.
Professor Metia activated the barrier first.
Eralganie stood at the forefront, her long hair moving without wind.
Dark cautiously pulled the claws off the small black cat from his arm, placing it on the ground, then retreated to Professor Kazel’s side. He said solemnly, “Eldridge, transform into your true form!”
At the command, the small black cat’s gem-like eyes suddenly emitted intense black light.
Its body was enveloped by the black light and visibly grew larger.
Twice, ten times, a hundred times!
With each blink, the size of Demon King Eldridge increased.
After three blinks, it was as large as a mountain.
“Miao roar—”
Demon King Eldridge’s roar echoed through the barrier, no longer soft and weak.
Black ominous energy wrapped around its body, especially around its limbs, like dark clouds swirling, emitting a terrifying aura.
But upon closer inspection, apart from the enlarged wings, there was no change in its silhouette—it remained a cute, chubby, short-legged cat.
“This is the Devourer God Beast?”
Though Dark’s expression was odd, he didn’t let his guard down.
He wasn’t planning to wait for signs of the Devourer God Beast before acting; he immediately opened his mouth and gave it a forceful command.
“Down!”
The Devourer God Beast, originally clearly intending to attack, suddenly changed its posture and obediently lay on the ground.
“Alastair Eldridge.”
Dark stared into its eyes and slowly called out its name.
…
The moment Demon King Eldridge transformed into its true form, Dark felt its complete transformation.
Thanks to his prior judgment, he wasn’t caught off guard.
The part of Demon King Eldridge’s consciousness with memories indeed resided in its true form.
Only when it transformed into the Devourer God Beast could it awaken from its slumber.
In its non-true form, it was lost in dreams, just like when controlled by Mud Nightmare Crystals.
Without any emotion, Dark repeated the prohibition he had placed on the small black cat.
The true form of Demon King Eldridge had no time limit, but to sustain it for a long time, it required more mana as support.
After repeating the prohibition for fifteen minutes, Dark allowed Professor Kazel and Professor Harvey time to take samples and then restored the black cat’s appearance.
The black cat remained as clingy as ever.
Holding it in his arm, Dark rubbed the flesh between his chin and neck, sighing slightly, “Professor, is it possible to erase its memories?”
Professor Kazel shook his head, “That’s difficult. The process of erasing memories gives it a chance for self-destruction. And once turned into a golem elemental, it’s nearly impossible.”
“Is that so?” Dark pondered, “What if its willpower in its black cat form surpasses its true form? What would happen then?”
Professor Kazel spun his wand, “That’s a good idea. You can try.”
Dark smiled, “If I have time, I’ll give it a shot.”
In this situation, the safety of the Demon King Eldridge golem card was far higher than that of Demon King Alastair.
But to summon it externally, its name must first be erased and replaced with a new name that won’t be recognized.
When he brought this up again, others began brainstorming, especially Wit, who showed great interest.
“I think the name ‘Devourer God Beast’ is pretty good. What do you think?” he said proudly.
Although Wit looked annoying, the name he proposed was quite reasonable.
Yes, if the gods don’t return!
Once the gods returned, names like these would become obvious taboos.
Although Dark wasn’t afraid, he didn’t want to invite trouble unnecessarily.
“I have an idea,” Aurora raised her hand, “How about ‘Fairy Tale Animal·Little Kitten’? What do you think?”
Dark: “Good idea.”
Thus, the new name for Demon King Eldridge was decided.
Though it seemed a bit hasty, who could deny Dark’s preference?
As for Demon King Eldridge’s own opinion?
It had no say in the matter.
…
Survival of the fittest.
Dark wouldn’t speak of good or evil, cause and effect.
In this world, before absolute violence, there was no logic.
With the gods returning, things would only become more brutal.
Such an opportunity to turn a Demon King into power, he must seize.
…
“So long, finally some good news,” Professor Shylph said with a smile. “If nothing unexpected happens, the Demon King affair can be concluded. Prepare a celebration tonight. Also, congratulate Dark for entering the top sixteen of the Golden Cup.”
Although Dark wanted to leave immediately to conduct a fusion summon experiment with Mositi beast, he couldn’t spoil the mood as the night’s main event.
Moreover, he wanted to ask about Principal Altair’s information.
Of course, he was more concerned about [Scorpio] Chris leading the exploration team to the Mountain of Gods.
Professor Shylph didn’t hide this fact.
Chris led a team with a pair of twins capable of using Spirit Synergy techniques, sending daily updates to the Duke’s mansion.
Professor Shylph received information slightly later, often getting updates through Eve from the Duke’s mansion.
Overall, the exploration team faced few dangers.
They were very cautious, never venturing too far without certainty.
The real trouble came from the unexpected arrival of the Saint Church team.
Apart from the Saint Church, at least three other factions were watching the Mountain of Gods.
Under such circumstances, Chris’s team dared not take risks lightly.
They settled at the foot of the Mountain of Gods, enduring other factions while secretly investigating using the advantages of the Scorpio Palace Maids.
They uncovered the secrets of the factions but found no significant information about the Mountain of Gods.
Apart from the openly displayed Saint Church forces, the largest three factions included two from human nobles, one of whom was a hidden line from the royal family.
In other words, the royal family was also involved in hunting the Mountain of Gods.
Though not entirely unexpected, it still surprised Dark.
He whispered, “Professor, what about the other human faction?”
Professor Shylph glanced at him and said, “It’s the Northern Duke.”
Dark recalled carefully, gradually picturing a kind face.
The Mountain of Gods was located in the Northern Territory, so the Northern Duke’s involvement was logical.
“What about the last non-human faction?” Dark asked.
Professor Shylph expressionlessly replied, “It’s the Elemental Race.”
…
Although Professor Shylph was half-elf, she clearly had poor relations with the Elemental Race.
Dark didn’t continue asking about the Elemental Race but pondered, “Then what about Principal Altair? Hasn’t she appeared for such a long time?”
Professor Shylph shook her head, “She did appear, bringing gifts to the exploration team. Do you know what they were?”
Dark curiously asked, “What were they?”
Professor Shylph continued expressionlessly, “A stone, a piece of clothing, and a sword scabbard.”
Dark laughed, “These three things don’t seem to go together at all.”
Professor Shylph said, “They were packed together.”
Dark asked, “Did she leave any message?”
Professor Shylph said, “She said, ‘There are ears behind the wall.'”
Dark immediately understood, “Because there are other factions around?”
But Professor Shylph slowly shook her head, “No. She wouldn’t be heard by them anyway.”
Dark was speechless.
