Chapter 205: Reinvasion (2)
Chapter 205: Reinvasion (2)
Deborah’s idea was a simple yet daunting proposition.
The demons of Mammon created Ego Artifacts by extracting a demon's soul and sealing it within an item. Her proposal was to create these not with Mammon’s demons, but with those of Asmodeus.
Because demons were naturally sensitive about other factions interfering with their own forces, such a plan was usually only imagined in secret. Deborah was the first to actually voice it and propose making it a reality.
When Sitri was in command of Asmodeus’s forces, she certainly would have rejected the idea, viewing it as a sacrifice of her subordinates that would gnaw away at her own power base. This wasn't unique to Sitri; every other Demon Duke, excluding the proposing Deborah, felt the same way.
Consequently, only Mammon’s demons had been turned into Ego Artifacts until now. Even then, it was a high-risk endeavor performed only after promising great rewards upon success, but the process had stagnated following recent failures.
While their greed for artifacts on Earth remained as strong as ever, there were no more volunteers, as it was obvious they would be hunted down relentlessly. Herod lacked the justification to force them into it given the previous failures, leaving the situation at a standstill.
In the midst of this, Deborah’s proposal was surprising to Herod, but his primary emotion was one of welcome.
Demons possessed different abilities depending on the Evil God they served. Among them, the demons of Asmodeus excelled at charming and alluring other beings. In contrast, Mammon’s demons specialized in dark magic that manipulated living organisms to strengthen their physical bodies, which was how they had been able to mass-produce Demonic Humans so quickly.
From the perspective of the demons currently trapped in Nippur, they needed collaborators on Earth—Demonic Humans—to find a breakthrough.
Although the invasion of London had ended in failure, the Black Spire had been operational for several hours, and the Dimensional Barrier had undoubtedly been weakened.
Therefore, Deborah’s suggestion to create Ego Artifacts that could more effectively charm and allure Earth’s Awakeners to create Demonic Humans was relayed to the other demons through Herod. Everyone nodded, considering it highly feasible, and responded positively.
Through this meeting, Deborah earned the recognition of the other Demon Dukes. Her idea was bold, and the fact that she was clearly looking out for her own interests in the process made them evaluate her highly.
At first glance, turning her own subordinates—the demons of Asmodeus—into Ego Artifacts seemed like a move that could shrink her power base. Why, then, did they give her such a high evaluation?
It was because the demons of Asmodeus she intended to turn into Ego Artifacts were the very rivals who had fought her for power until the end.
Deborah had marched under the banner of unifying and strengthening the demons of Asmodeus, branding these rivals as traitors. However, she couldn't kill them immediately. Having emphasized that this was an internal matter for Asmodeus’s demons and advocating for the unity of their kind, it was difficult for her to carry out a hasty purge.
Her rivals had surrendered once the tide of battle turned, hoping to exploit this very dilemma. But Deborah had immediately disarmed and detained them before presenting her plan to Herod.
Those who received the news reacted with violent protest.
“What? You’re telling us to go die!”
“That slut has gone mad!”
The black chains wrapped tightly around their arms restricted their dark mana; their thrashing only resulted in a frantic clinking of metal. Those reacting so violently soon saw a woman with dark green hair and pale skin enter the prison where they were held.
“You bitch! What is the meaning of this?!”
“Don’t you know your own power will weaken once you kill us?”
“Ptui! You filthy wench!”
Even as her rivals spat and hurled insults, Deborah’s expression didn't change in the slightest. To her, these were merely people who had been lucky enough to hold a rank similar to hers, but whom she had always considered beneath her.
“No, we’ll be fine without you. There are plenty of talented individuals to fill your spots. You aren't that special,” Deborah said with cold finality.
As those who were about to glare and argue heard her words, they saw their former subordinates walking in behind her. Their eyes widened in shock.
Even without an explanation, it was clear these subordinates had been recruited by Deborah. Considering what she had just said, it was obvious they had been promised the positions of their former masters.
Having been trapped in Nippur for so long, there had been no way to achieve merit, and thus their ranks had remained stagnant. Everyone present shared the same intense desire to rise higher. Furthermore, they knew that Deborah was right—they weren't exceptionally or uniquely powerful.
In a way, they had simply been lucky, just as she said.
Their subordinates had also believed deep down that they were no worse than their masters, and Deborah had perceived that perfectly. While those currently in leadership roles were technically superior for now... everyone knew the difference wasn't vast. The violent reactions died down in an instant.
They had remained defiant even while detained because they believed the forces of Asmodeus would be significantly weakened without them, making it impossible for Deborah to dispose of them easily. But now that they were expendable, they faced the very real possibility of a dog's death in this cell.
Seeing their silenced reaction, Deborah smiled with satisfaction.
“I’m glad everyone understands. I am being merciful. I’m giving you an opportunity. Become Ego Artifacts, go to Earth, and achieve great things. If you do, I will cleanly forget that you defied me and treat you fairly. Just like Sitri did.”
“....”
“We’ll accept...”
There was no other choice. As Deborah said, their only option was to become Ego Artifacts and contribute to opening a path to Nippur from Earth. It was a choice fraught with immense risk, but Deborah had forced them onto this path.
The high-ranking demons of Asmodeus, who until recently had been her rivals, accepted their fate of being turned into Ego Artifacts and sent to Earth.
“Keep your promise...” one demon growled lowly, his resentment still lingering.
Deborah turned to leave and replied, “Of course. Didn't you hear me say I would do as Sitri did?”
Sitri had been fair in distributing rewards based on merit, so Deborah’s words meant she would keep her promise and treat them well if they succeeded.
As Deborah stepped out of the prison, she was flanked by two of her direct subordinates. Soon, they boarded a magical device capable of spatial movement and entered the office used by the Dukes of Asmodeus—the room that had previously belonged to Sitri.
Once they were alone and away from prying eyes, a large male demon acting as her escort bowed his head.
“Your Grace. If things go well, do you truly intend to let them live? They will surely become a source of future trouble.”
“For now, yes.”
The faces of the subordinates worrying for her darkened slightly. Bars, the male demon who had asked the question, tried to smooth his furrowed brow, but it wasn't easy.
“Perhaps you should reconsider...” Meloniak, a female demon with a hood covering her mouth, spoke up cautiously.
In their opinion, the best course of action was to discard them once their usefulness was exhausted.
“However...” Deborah continued.
“Sitri died like a fool. There is no reason for a clever person like me to keep the word of a fool.”
“Indeed.”
The subordinates felt relieved as Deborah signaled that she had no intention of keeping her promise to them.
“Hope is what makes them struggle so hard. Give them the best support possible. Regardless, we must get to Earth.”
“Yes, Your Grace!”
The plan, a collaboration between Deborah and Herod, proceeded rapidly. The technology for creating Ego Artifacts was already perfected, and since it was designed for beings who used dark mana, it could be applied to demons serving other Evil Gods without issue.
The demons who, until recently, had stood on equal footing with Deborah, vying for the vacuum left by Sitri, lost their physical bodies and were infused into necklaces, watches, circlets, and bracelets.
For Herod’s part, he had previously only sent one Count-class demon from Mammon’s faction as an Ego Artifact. This was the first time they were sending such a large number, and considering the unique abilities of Asmodeus’s demons, he couldn't help but think the probability of success was quite high.
Furthermore, they had established lines of communication with the remaining Demonic Humans on Earth to exchange information.
‘This time will be different.’
Having finished the preparations for transmission, Herod watched the status of the portals with great anticipation. Beside him stood Deborah, her expression cold and unreadable.