Amid Scurry's seemingly endless chattering, time quickly went by.
After Liora took her seat, more and more Devils arrived. By the time she was halfway through her drink, the hall was completely full.
Still, the gathering showed no signs of starting.
As a result, the voices of the Devils grew impatient, while the atmosphere turned heavy, like a barrel of gunpowder ready to explode.
"Let me tell you. You should not trust anyone here—"
Just as Scurry was speaking, a thunderous bang resounded throughout the hall, instantly silencing the crowd.
When everyone instinctively turned their head toward the source of the noise, they discovered that it was caused by a gigantic, humanoid creature.
It was a Devil, more than twice the size of most Devils, and was covered in thick, spiked armor engraved with intricate patterns.
His face was partly hidden behind a cracked helmet, revealing only a pair of glowing orange eyes and two rows of sharp teeth.
In his right hand, he held a massive stick of raw meat, which he slammed against the black floor while taking bites out of it.
At the same time, he opened his mouth and roared:
"What's going on?! Who are we waiting for? When is this damn gathering going to start?", he questioned in between his bites, his voice loud and booming with anger.
The conversations in the hall stopped abruptly.
Some of the Devils shrank back, fearful of the Armored Devil's reputation, while others watched with excitement, eager to see what he was going to do.
Among these Devils was Liora, who, although seeing this guy for the first time, was actually quite familiar with him.
This was because—
"Hey! See? I told you that this guy is crazy!", Scurry's squeaky whisper came from the side, as if he wanted to receive praise but was afraid of being overheard.
"Ay! Where's the Inn Keeper? Let's get this whole thing over with!", the Armored Devil's voice reverberated through the room as the banging continued.
Faint cracks began to form on the black floor, which, although infused with precious materials, was unable to withstand the damage.
Just as everyone was waiting for the Inn Keeper to arrive and say something, the bartender—who had been quietly serving drinks all this time—suddenly stood up.
With his iconic smile, he approached the Armored Devil and attempted to calm him down:
"Please wait, customer. After everyone arrives, the Inn Keeper will start the gathering."
In response to his polite words, the Armored Devil didn't calm down in the slightest. Instead, he let out a harsh, angry laugh.
"Wait?! Wait?! For how long are you going to waste our time?", he roared.
Without waiting for the bartender to respond, he lifted the massive meat club and brought it to his shoulder before slamming it down.
His aim was perfectly clear: the bartender's head.
Although his movements looked ordinary, everyone in the room could feel the surge of demonic energy within his gigantic body and understood the power behind this attack.
Some Devils hesitated, wondering whether to step forward and stop him in order to earn the Inn Keeper's gratitude.
However, before they could make up their minds, something surprising happened.
The bartender lightly tapped on the glass in his hand, and as if in response, the liquor within it surged.
Boundless, seemingly endless, liquor floated out of the glass and converged in the air before him, transforming into a massive flying dragon.
The dragon turned toward the Armored Devil and, following a thunderous roar, charged at him.
Like water pouring out from a burst dam, the liquor crashed onto the Armored Devil, engulfing him completely.
Continuous cracking and tearing sounds rang out as everyone's vision was obscured by the flood.
Only a few seconds later, when the bartender tapped on the glass again and the flying dragon collapsed into liquid and returned to it, did the Armored Devil reappear.
However, compared to just seconds ago, his appearance was quite embarrassing.
Countless scars covered every inch of his armor, while his aura fluctuated violently, as if he had been severely wounded.
He lifted his club tremblingly, then slowly put it down.
With a cold snort, he sat back, this time silent.
Seeing this, the bartender raised his head, his eyes meeting those of everyone in the hall.
"I ask everyone to be patient. The Inn Keeper is going to come out soon.", he said with a smile before returning to his work.
Immediately, the tense atmosphere in the hall vanished, and conversations began once again.
However, this time, the Devils' tone was no longer impatient.
Obviously, the bartender's display of strength had shocked them.
After all, although the Armored Devil was arrogant, everyone had to admit that his strength was superb.
Since the bartender could easily suppress him, he would have no issue dealing with the rest of them.
Only a few Devils remained calm, among whom was Liora.
She wasn't surprised by the bartender's sudden outburst.
Although she had never seen him fight before, her instincts had always warned her of the danger he posed.
"Did you see that?! Did you see that?!", Scurry's excited voice interrupted her thinking.
When she turned to look at him, she saw that his green eyes were shining with excitement, like a fan meeting their idol.
"If only I could possess such strength! No one would dare bully me!", he muttered in a low voice, as if he was stating his future dream.
Liora rolled her eyes.
Because of her Void Instinct, her senses were way sharper than those of other Devils.
Even though Scurry tried to hide it, she could feel the powerful aura hidden beneath his unassuming appearance.
In her opinion, even if this guy was weaker than the Armored Devil, the difference couldn't be that great.
In the entire City of Embers, who would dare "bully" him?
Liora had the urge to call him out on his lies, but in the end decided that it wasn't worth the effort.
While her thoughts wandered and Scurry continued his antics, time quickly went by.
Before long, the final guest entered the hall, and following behind them was the host—the Inn Keeper.
Silent as ever, he strode to the center of the room and stepped onto the slightly raised platform.
A moment later, he waved his claw, and the Devil Runes scattered all over the hall lit up, their glow signaling the start of the gathering.