Chaos shouted in the distance after recognizing Siegfried even while being chased. “I-Is that you?! Y-Your Majesty?!” “H-How did you end up here, sire?!” “Do you even have to ask?! I came to rescue Metatron!” “But what’s behind you?!” “Enemies! They are Baroque’s subordinates, sire! They are very dangerous!” Even while running for his life, Chaos seemed more worried about Siegfried than himself. “That punk.” Siegfried let out a chuckle. Then, he gripped his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp tightly and thought, ‘I wonder how it’s going to be?’ He was about to fight his first battle in the Demon Realm, and the thought of it made him slightly nervous. He knew that demons were far more powerful in their own realm, so it was only natural for him to be wary. ‘Well, I guess we will find out soon.’ Siegfried shrugged his concerns off. Siegfried and Hamchi charged toward Baroque’s subordinates. ‘Slow them down first...’ He immediately activated Embrace of Despair, inflicting a powerful, slow debuff on the demons. “W-What the heaven is this?!” Baroque’s subordinates struggled to move after getting caught by the debilitating slow debuff. ‘And lower their defenses.’ Without hesitation, Siegfried followed up with Eternal Flames, shredding the defenses of the demon warriors. With that battle cry, Siegfried unleashed a relentless barrage of attacks at Baroque’s subordinates. The +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp relentlessly smashed into the demons’ skulls. “Y-You son of a whore!” “How dare a mere human fight us in the Demon Realm?!” The demons did not suffer much damage from Siegfried’s attacks. More precisely, it was not that the damage he dealt was low, but rather, their health pools were simply massive. Not only that, their defenses were already so formidable that they were still quite tenacious even after getting debuffed. However, the biggest reason was that Siegfried was currently afflicted by Lethargy, which prevented him from exerting his full powers. ‘Yeah, this is the Demon Realm,’ Siegfried thought. He acknowledged the challenge and refused to give up. “Kyaaaah! Die! Die! Kyuuu!” Hamchi, too, had grown larger and used his massive front paws to pummel the demons mercilessly. Unfortunately, both Siegfried and Hamchi were struggling due to the penalties imposed upon them in the Demon Realm, making it difficult for them to eliminate their enemies swiftly. The same penalties were imposed on Michael and Shakiro, too. As a result, the battle turned into a brutal war of attrition. ‘Damn it...’ Siegfried cursed inwardly and gritted his teeth after realizing that fighting demons was even harder than expected. “The weak are destined to die,” Balag said before swinging his whip. The metal whip he wielded possessed a destructive force beyond imagination and instantly shifted the tide of battle. One of Baroque’s subordinates exploded into pieces on the spot upon getting hit by the whip. “I-It’s Balag! The War God, Balag, has appeared!” “Why is that old demon here?!” Baroque’s subordinates were struck with sheer terror after instantly recognizing Balag, and their reaction was a testament to Balag’s reputation. Once hailed as the stronger warrior of the Seventh Domain in the Demon Realm, Balag was rumored to equal the Demon Lord of Vengeance, Vernas, in his prime. There were also rumors that if Balag were an ambitious demon, then he would stage a coup against Vernas and claim the throne for himself. Thus, for Baroque’s subordinates, meeting Balag was the worst thing that could happen to them. “Not a single one of you is worthy of sparing. Begone, weaklings!” Balag roared and swung his whip mercilessly. With a final, agonized scream, the last remaining demon was split in two, marking the end of the battle. ‘W-Whoa... that was amazing...’ Siegfried couldn’t help but admire Balag. The precision in wielding his whip and his overwhelming power showed that the demon in front of him was truly a veteran warrior. “I never imagined someone could wield a whip so expertly...” Shakiro muttered. Balag’s skill with the whip was so amazing that even the Weapon Master couldn’t hide his astonishment. After obliterating every single one of Baroque’s subordinates, Balag turned to Siegfried and the others. “I believe we should move to a safer location first,” he said. “Agreed,” Siegfried replied with a nod. Thus, the party followed Balag. After moving to a different location... “What do you plan to do now?” Balag asked. “For now, my goal is to rescue Metatron and get out of here,” Siegfried replied. “Hah!” Balag scoffed in disbelief at his words. Then, he said, “A human, a demon, a Great Spirit, and now...” He trailed the end of his words as his gaze shifted to Michael. “A former archangel who was banished from the Celestial Realm?” “Well, yes. Somehow, this is the group we ended up forming. Haha... Hahaha...” Siegfried replied, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. “This might go down as the most absurd rescue operation in the history of the Demon Realm,” Balrog sneered. “It probably will...? Hahaha...” Siegfried replied with an awkward chuckle. Then, he asked, “But what about you, Lord Balrog? You were enjoying a quiet retirement, but what made you change your mind all of a sudden?” “I made a promise to the late Demon Lord Vernas.” “To protect Metatron.” “Lord Vernas was always worried about his lacking son. He feared that Baroque would one day kill Metatron.” “So when he was still alive, he asked me to watch over Metatron, to at least help him survive. It seems the time has come for me to fulfill that promise.” After listening to Balag, Siegfried was now sure that Vernas greatly loved his son just as filial Metatron was toward Vernas. They simply never had the chance to talk things out and confirm their feelings for each other. Unfortunately, that opportunity to resolve their lingering emotions would never come, as Vernas was already dead. ‘Sigh... Metatron...’ Siegfried sighed inwardly and pitied the demon. “I will help you,” Balag said firmly. Recalling his promise to Vernas, he decided to join the odd party in rescuing Metatron. This, of course, was an incredible development for Siegfried. Balag was a renowned warrior in the Seventh Domain of the Demon Realm, and his assistance would mean that the rescue would undoubtedly become easier. Siegfried’s current condition was far from ideal due to the debuff he suffered, so Balag joining them was like gaining an entire army. “Chaos,” Siegfried turned and called out. “Yes, Your Majesty,” Chaos replied with a bow. “Metatron... He’s still alive, right?” “How are you certain?” “It seems that Baroque intends to use Lord Metatron to acquire the Avenger.” “He will likely try to force Lord Metatron into a contract to take the Avenger.” “That makes sense, but do you think Metatron will submit to him?” “Not at all. Lord Metatron is not weak-willed. Especially not when Baroque is the one he is up against.” “True. He's lacking in some ways, but he’s not spineless.” “Anyway, do you know where he’s locked up?” “Most likely in the dungeons of the demon lord’s castle, sire.” “Hmm...” Siegfried furrowed his brow. Then, he grumbled, “This is like walking straight into the tiger’s den... If we’re not careful, we might all fall into a trap.” Siegfried had a point. Baroque could be lying in wait in the castle after setting up a trap. “This is getting troublesome...” Siegfried muttered. “Do we have any solution, Your Majesty?” Chaos asked with a desperate look. Then, he said, “Your Majesty, I will become your eternal slave if you save Lord Metatron.” “Hey, listen here. How exactly is you offering to become a slave going to help us right now?” Siegfried grumbled, glaring at the demon. “Just give me a moment. Let me think. There’s got to be a way.” “I know a secret passage into the castle,” Balag spoke up. “Yes. There’s a hidden passage leading directly to the underground prison. If we use it, we might be able to rescue Metatron.” “That sounds perfect! Then, let us take that route! I think that is our best option right now!” Siegfried exclaimed. “I’ll lead the way. I’m likely the only one who knows about it,” Balag said. “We will be counting on you, Lord Balag.” And so, Siegfried and his comrades began their journey to infiltrate the Demon Lord’s Castle, with Balag leading the way. Around three hours later... “What the... fuck is this...?” Siegfried muttered, looking completely dumbfounded. He was currently walking in the sewers. It turned out that the secret passage that Balag had mentioned was none other than the underground sewers of the Demon Lord’s Castle. Flies buzzed around Siegfried, pestering him nonstop. And the title "Reality Stinks" flashed above his head... As if sneaking in through the sewers in the human world was not enough, he was now sneaking in the sewers of the Demon Realm. At this point, it was safe to assume that Siegfried was born under the Sewer Star or something. ‘More importantly... If I kill Baroque and extract his heart... Then, that means I will gain one of the two final materials required to upgrade my weapon, right?’ Siegfried thought while walking through the sewers. However, Baroque had yet to become a true demon lord, as Avenger wasn't in his hands. In other words, he was a half-baked demon lord. ‘I guess I will find out after I kill him.’ Siegfried was planning to kill Baroque if the opportunity presented itself in order to obtain a demon lord’s Heart. Of course, he was not expecting it to be easy. While Siegfried was making his way through the hidden passage in the sewers, a chill shot down Chae Hyung-Seok’s spine, and he shuddered. Goosebumps broke out all over him, and his eyes snapped wide open. He was now highly sensitive to even the slightest sensation in his body, and this particular sensation was something he was very familiar with. ‘No way... Han Tae-Sung?!’ A surge of anxiety welled up inside of him. He recalled getting this eerie feeling whenever Siegfried was nearby, and there was no mistaking that the sensation he felt just now was indeed his body trying to tell him something. ‘Did he really... come all the way to the Demon Realm?!’ A demon soldier rushed over with a report. “The unit pursuing Chaos and his group was found dead in the Yellow Forest!” “Not a single one survived. They were completely wiped out.” “That’s ridiculous!” Chae Hyung-Seok roared, unable to comprehend the report. The demon warriors he had dispatched were more than capable of hunting down Chaos and his group, but all of them were killed? ‘Someone must’ve interfered... If they managed to annihilate an entire unit, then they can’t be an ordinary warrior. Could it really be...?’ Chae Hyung-Seok wondered, his mind kicking into overdrive as he analyzed the situation. “That bastard... Han Tae-Sung...!” Chae Hyung-Seok gnashed his teeth and growled under his breath. Then, he turned to the demon soldiers and commanded, “Declare a state of emergency! At once!” “Make sure every demon in the castle is on high alert! And increase all guards fivefold!” The mere thought of Siegfried invading the castle caused Chae Hyung-Seok to panic. Yes, he had become stronger after turning into a demon and obtaining tremendous power. But how many times had Siegfried utterly humiliated him in the past? If someone kept getting beaten down by the same opponent, then they would naturally start developing a trauma toward that opponent. No matter how much stronger they become, they would shudder at the mere mention of that person’s name. Chae Hyung-Seok was no exception. He trembled uncontrollably at the mere thought of meeting Siegfried again. This was an instinct burned into his very soul—a trauma that would haunt him forever. The moment he even suspected that Siegfried was in the Demon Realm, his body reacted even before his mind could catch up