The Duke's Passion



843 Don't make things worse

"Pride... you came.

Samael held his breath, gazing at the black creature hanging over the marble table before Zero and that other person. A huge shackle that was attached to the towering pillars was binding its wrist. It had a huge, inflated body. Its skin was smooth and shiny as if it was covered with oils. Samael didn't know whether it was alive or unconscious or just dead. Its thick lips were curled up, after all. However, it wasn't moving, nor did it seem like it was breathing,

'I could've sworn it wasn't here moments ago, was what crossed his mind, wide-eyed. 'What the hell...?'

"Ha... ha ha ha..."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Samael's irises went wider as he heard a wave of evil chuckles in his head. He glanced at Zero and the other person's figure, and much to his dismay, they were still conversing.

"What the hell?" he whispered, lifting his eyes to the demon again.

If there was anything that Samael hadn't included in his book of adventures was real demons or angels. Ile had met different people and creatures like the Kraken, talking bears, a pack of wolves, and such. Not that he needed to meet angels or demons.

In this world, the evilness of some was enough to make one wish not to meet a real demon. The same goes for those who were too kind as if they came straight from heaven. So meeting an actual demon exceeded Samael's imagination and expectations.

Still, one question hovered over his head.

What was this demon doing here?

"Samael Grimsbanne."

Samael's heart thudded as the deep and gnarly voice called his name. He stared at the demon, wide-eyed. The demon's blank and dark eyes seemed to pierce through his soul.

"I low..." he trailed off, eyes fixed on the demon. "... what do you want?"

A wave of suppressed evil laughter resonated in Samael's head, hinting the latter about the anger it was suppressing.

"Do you want power, Young Grimsbanne?" asked the demon in Samael's head. "I will grant you powers that are beyond your imagination!"

Samael didn't blink until his eyes slowly dimmed as if he was slowly being pulled into unconsciousness. His mind was blank - the voice suppressed even his own thoughts. All Samael could hear was the deep breaths of the demon as if it was right beside him, and all he could feel at the moment was this rage swelling in his chest.

"I will give you everything, Samael," the demon continued, hissing. "Just slaughter these fools who had disgraced our lineage!"

"What...?"

"These fools... slaughter them all!"

His heart thudded against his chest as if someone clenched it tightly. Samael kept his eyes on

the smiling demon before his gaze fell on Zero and the other woman. As he darted his cycs between Zero and the other person with blank cycs, Samael kept hearing the voice in his head that had a tone of pain and indescribable rage.

"They wouldn't stop until you slaughter each and every single one of them!" the rasped voice shook. "Kill them and stand in their carnage... Pride!"

"Catharsis..." Samael whispered, spreading his fingers to the side.

His weapon, which was nowhere in sight, slowly appeared, coming from the dark mist of his cross earring. Samael wasn't unconscious, nor was he unaware of what was going on. He knew exactly what was occurring and had control of his action.

However, for some reason, listening to the demon's voice just sounded right. He could feel the anger and the humiliation the demon had felt. Even though Samael didn't know what truly happened, his pride told him he should avenge him. Moreover, the demon was making a lot of

sense.

"They wouldn't stop until I slaughter them..." another whisper slipped past his lips, eyes glinting with murderous intent. "... while we're here... I should end then right here and now."

Another murderous glint flickered across his eyes, bending his knees. The aura emanating from his back grew thick and dark, gripping his weapon as he prepared to attack Zero and the woman in the cloak.

But just when Samael lurched forward, a figure came out of nowhere. Samael didn't even feel the other person's presence until a hand landed on the side of his head, pinning him down on the floor. The force was undeniably strong, creating a shallow hole where the side of Samael's head crashed.

"Ugh!" he clenched his teeth, moving his eyes to the person squatting on top of him. As soon as he caught the person's white, long hair falling to his side, his pupils dilated. "Tilly?"

"Don't listen to him, Samael." Tilly's voice was meek and small, keeping her hand on the side of his head. "We already messed with the past. Don't make it worse."

Tilly's feet were on Samael's side, her hand pressed on the side of Samael's weight. Despite her petite figure and frail appearance, Samael couldn't push her away. She felt ten times heavier than a boulder, but he knew Tilly was simply pulling an aura to him to keep him still.

It wasn't about the weight. It was more like Tilly was using the superiority of her blood to keep him down. This was the first time she had done such a thing, but it didn't surprise Samael. He knew Tilly might look frail, but she had a lot to offer and many things she was hiding.

"What is that?"

Suddenly, they heard Zero's voice. Samael tried his best to move his head slightly, only to catch Zero looking around.

"It's probably the demon," said the woman with him, keeping her gaze on the demon over the marble table. "He acts up from time to time, even though it was already dead. So be careful in approaching it."

"Ahh..." Zero rocked his head, staring at the shallow hole that just appeared out of nowhere. "Is he trying to kill us and missed?"

Zero chuckled and shook his head, peeling his eyes on the shallow hole, not knowing that

Samacl and Tilly were over it.

"Let's get out of here, Samael," said Tilly. "And come to where Law and I were. We found where they hid the demon."