Two figures flew through the sky some distance away from the City of Embers, one pursuing the other.
The figure in the back was the Two-Headed Devil that Liora and everyone in the city had seen earlier, with its two heads alternating their attacks.
The beautiful female head opened its mouth, letting out terrifying shrieks that unleashed sonic attacks, while the ugly male head whispered in a low, rasping voice.
Unlike the female head's shrieks, the whispers didn't seem to cause any visible damage. But in reality, they directly targeted one's soul.
Even the faintest trace of the whisperings was enough to stun most people.
If they were to listen to them for long, their soul would end up corrupted, lingering between sanity and insanity.
With one physical and one soul-based attack, the Two-Headed Devil held an absolute advantage in the ranked Devils' battle, as evidenced by the current situation.
"Embers! You lowly bug! Don't hide if you dare!", the Two-Headed Devil communicated directly with the City Lord using its ability, trying to provoke them into taking action.
Clearly, despite its terrifying appearance, the Two-Headed Devil was still very rational.
In response to its taunts, though, Lord Embers didn't stop. Instead, their speed increased even further.
--
Back in the City of Embers, the mindless massacre neared its end.
Only a few powerful Devils remained alive, who—having signed a Devil Contract forbidding them from attacking each other—had their hands tied.
With the death of nearly the entire Devil population, Liora could accurately pinpoint the remaining Devils' exact locations, as well as discern their identities.
"Armored Devil, elderly Devil, the cruel Lady...", she quickly recognized most of them, having met them during the Devil gathering.
However, Liora immediately noticed that there were a few people missing.
Scurry was the most obvious one, but apart from him, a pair of Devils that she was quite familiar with was also nowhere to be seen.
"Sure enough...", Liora muttered, having guessed something. Or rather, having confirmed her previous guess.
She didn't stay in thought for long, though, but raised her head and looked toward the horizon.
There, two unidentified figures streaked across the crimson sky at extreme speed.
Loud sonic booms and surging demonic energy accompanied the two figures, evidence of their power.
Just when everyone thought that they would pass through the city and disappear into the distance, the trajectory of the figure at the front came to an abrupt stop.
Lowering its altitude, the figure rushed toward the ground and, with a thunderous bang, slammed down like a meteor.
The Two-Headed Devil, pursuing the City Lord, seemed to be caught off guard, its movements pausing as it hovered in the air for a brief moment.
But that moment was enough for the powerful Devils in the city to react and to rush to the city's walls.
"It's you!", a voice suddenly spread throughout the city, filled with fury, embarrassment, and a barely hidden fear.
The person who spoke was none other than the Armored Devil, whose entire body trembled beneath the armor, burning with undisguised anger.
Unlike what one would expect, though, his gaze was not directed at the Two-Headed Devil, but at the City Lord.
Just like him, the other Devils also stared at the City Lord with their mouths open, unable to conceal their astonishment.
Only Liora managed to remain composed, narrowing her eyes and looking at the City Lord's figure.
This person's identity should have caught her off guard, but surprisingly, it didn't.
Staring at their almost human appearance, their elegant manners, and that iconic, smug smile, she couldn't help but whisper:
"It's indeed you. Bartender..."
On the other hand, the bartender—now revealed to be the City Lord, Lord Embers—didn't shy away from everyone's eyes.
With a smile on his face, he bowed elegantly and greeted politely:
"Greetings, everyone.", he said cordially, like a person meeting their long-lost friends.
But his warm words only served to make the Devils feel even more eerie.
In the sky, the Two-Headed Devil didn't lower itself nor did it launch any attack, unknown if it simply wanted to see the scene unfold or if it was intimidated by Lord Ember's sudden change of attitude.
"Cough... cough..."
Amid the awkward silence, the elderly Devil—the object of many Devils' admiration—stepped forward.
"Bartender—no, I should call you Lord Embers—what's the point of plotting against us?", the elderly Devil asked, posing the question in everyone's minds.
By now, even the stupidest, least intelligent Devils like the Armored Devil had understood that there was something wrong.
"Do you want us to help you fend off this Two-Headed Sir? If so, you should have requested our assistance rather than resorting to such tricks."
"After all, with the Devil Contract's binding power, neither of us can do anything to each other.", the elderly Devil stated, the latter part of his speech being the source of his current confidence.
With the Devil Contract, even if Lord Embers held malicious intentions, he could never harm them.
Unfortunately, things went beyond his expectations.
Lord Embers didn't become angry when faced with the elderly Devil's accusations, but calmly reached into his clothes and took out a yellow parchment.
The Devils immediately recognized it—it was the Devil Contract binding them.
Lord Embers carefully held it in his hands, and with a smile, he lightly shook his head.
"I'm afraid that you're mistaken. What does the Devil Contract you guys signed have to do with me?", he asked rhetorically.
"The Devil Contract indeed stipulates that participants can not harm each other. But did I ever become a participant? No."
Before anyone could react to these words, Lord Embers clicked his fingers. The next moment, the weathered parchment shone with a crimson light and, from within it, many drops of blood flew out.
Clasping these drops of blood, the demonic energy of Lord Embers surged even further, while his canine teeth elongated, turning into sharp fangs.
His skin turned pale, as if he had not seen the sun for months, while the flesh on his back squirmed, transforming into a pair of crimson wings.
His appearance was horrifying, but the aura he exuded was neither violent nor brutal, but filled with nobility, like a member of the royal family.
Staring at the blood in his palm, Lord Embers clutched his fist and whispered in a low, almost inaudible voice:
"Blood Curse!"
The next moment, the drops of blood escaped his palm and shot into the air, taking all shapes and forms. Some of them turned into weapons, some into eerie figures, while others turned into tentacled monsters.
No matter what they transformed into, though, the drops of blood soon shot toward their original owner, an eternal curse accompanying them.