Chapter 374: King of the Crossroads
"I have always remembered your teachings. I would never dare forget," Abeni replied, his voice trembling.
"And yet you remember… so what exactly was that just now?" Crowley asked calmly.
"We were merely discussing the details of the transaction," Abeni said, cold sweat pouring down his face as he struggled to justify himself.
"Really?" Crowley tilted his head slightly. "Because from where I'm sitting, it looked more like you were forcing him into a deal."
"You do remember what happens to those who break my rules, don't you?"
"My words and actions may have been excessive," Abeni hurriedly said, "but I had no intention of defying your will, great King of the Crossroads."
"My lord, I've always worked diligently to collect souls. My performance surpasses others by more than tenfold. Even if I have no merit, I have at least endured hardship—please forgive this moment of recklessness. It was only because… I have some history with him."
"History?" Crowley let out a soft chuckle. "More like a grudge."
"I…" Abeni hesitated, searching for words.
"I know you were dragged back to Hell not long ago," Crowley continued, his gaze briefly sweeping over Frank. "Because of him, wasn't it?"
Frank, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly felt every hair on his body stand on end.
Crowley barely spared him a glance, completely unconcerned that he was listening.
"Your performance is impressive," Crowley went on. "Good enough to be called excellent."
"My lord…" Abeni's face lit up, relief flashing across it—he thought he might have escaped punishment.
"Your last contractor… Joseph, was it?" Crowley said suddenly.
"Yes," Abeni replied, his heart tightening.
"It seems his soul is missing from your submitted records," Crowley said, a file suddenly appearing in his hand as he casually flipped through it.
"I had a… good relationship with him," Abeni explained quickly. "The deal went smoothly, so I chose to keep his soul, intending to turn him into a demon."
"I see." Crowley nodded.
"For someone who helped you achieve such results, that's understandable. In fact… he sounds more like a proper demon than you."
Abeni froze.
His entire body tensed, the red glow in his eyes flickering violently.
"You think I don't know what you've been doing behind my back?" Crowley said lightly.
"Joseph helped you harvest quite a number of souls over the years, didn't he? And you kept them all for yourself."
"How much did you actually turn in? One percent? One thousandth?"
"With that many souls under your belt… you could practically call yourself a minor lord already, couldn't you?"
"Lord Abeni."
"!!"
Without warning, Abeni exploded into motion, launching an attack at Crowley.
Snap.
Crowley flicked his fingers.
Abeni was sent flying backward—faster than he had lunged forward—slamming hard against the wall.
But he didn't fall.
His body was pinned there, pressed flat as if by an invisible force, grinding him against the surface like a specimen on display.
"How dangerous… I'm truly terrified," Crowley said lazily from the sofa, leaning slightly to the side, resting his chin on one hand as he watched with interest.
"You violated the rules I set in a rather serious way during your dealings with Joseph," he continued. "Now… how should I punish you?"
"Spare me your damn rules!" Abeni spat, fury overtaking fear. "Everything I did—you've done it yourself! Now that you've climbed to the top, you won't let the rest of us follow the same path—"
"Correct," Crowley interrupted calmly. "Everything you've done, I've done before."
"And that's exactly why I'm sitting where I am now."
"And precisely because I've done it… I don't allow you to."
He smiled faintly.
"Is there a problem with that?"
Abeni's eyes burned. "You bastard…"
"In truth, your little tricks?" Crowley continued, almost amused. "They're outdated. Things I was doing centuries ago. I've told you before—read more, keep up with the times."
Abeni glared at him, mind racing for a way out.
"I am curious, though," Crowley added. "You've been under me for quite a while. You know exactly what kind of person I am."
"And yet… you still dared to pull something like this behind my back."
His gaze sharpened.
"So tell me… who gave you the courage?"
With a slight movement of his finger—
"AHHH!!"
The possessed nurse's body showed no visible injury, yet Abeni's screams tore through the room, raw and agonizing.
It went on for a long time before finally stopping.
"Who gave you the courage?" Crowley asked again.
Abeni spat in response.
"I do appreciate stubborn ones like you," Crowley said, smiling in a way that made Frank's skin crawl.
"AHHH!!"
The screams began again.
"My master will kill you!" Abeni howled through the pain.
Time inside the room felt distorted—completely out of sync with the outside world.
Crowley tortured Abeni for what felt like hours, producing instruments and methods beyond imagination. If time had flowed normally, dawn would have come and gone already.
"I was wrong—I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!" Abeni finally broke.
"You don't need to," Crowley said casually. "I already know."
"It's that old schemer Mephisto, isn't it? He's always meddling in my affairs."
"What did he promise you?" Crowley mused, flicking his whip with each sentence. "Let me guess… he said he'd back you. That once I'm out of the way, you'd take my place as the King of the Crossroads—controlling every deal made there?"
The whip struck again and again.
Strangely, the human body showed no damage—not even a tear in the clothes.
But the demon within screamed in unbearable agony.
"I was wrong, Lord Crowley! I shouldn't have listened to Mephisto! Just kill me—please, kill me!" Abeni begged.
Because death itself wasn't the worst fate.
There were things far more terrifying—
like suffering endlessly, unable even to die.
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