Hope looked at Jellal, who was shrouded in deathly energy and had a numb expression, and couldn't help but sigh softly in his heart.
He saw at a glance that Jellal was being controlled by Keis's 'Deathly Curse'.
Jellal should have died in the explosion of the Tower of Paradise, but now he had become this half-human, half-ghost creature. Perhaps this was the karmic retribution for deceiving and enslaving the victims of the Tower of Paradise back then.
However, the middle-aged man who suddenly appeared made Hope frown slightly. He sensed the same Curse Power control on the man as Jellal, as well as the aura of Ice Demon Slayer Magic.
He was also a living corpse controlled by the 'Deathly Curse', and he was an Ice Demon Slayer Mage.
It seemed that the fellow who took Jellal away from Jura and Ichiya during the battle against Oración Seis must have been him.
To be able to easily snatch away Jellal, who was heavily injured by Fairy Law, right in front of one of the Ten Wizard Saints—this man was truly extraordinary. It was just a pity he had fallen into being a puppet for demons.
Hope subconsciously took a few more looks at the middle-aged man. It didn't seem like much at first, but upon closer inspection... why did this man look a bit like Gray?
Could he be some relative of Gray's, or perhaps a family member who 'died' at Deliora's hands ten years ago? After all, with a destruction demon killing in the front and a necromancer demon collecting bodies in the back, this 'one-stop service' sounded quite logical.
If it were true, he wondered if Gray would still be able to cry after seeing Ur.
"Silver! Jellal!"
"Kill this human for me!"
Just as Hope was lost in thought, Keis issued an order to the two of them.
Hope's gaze toward the middle-aged man held a hint of surprise. When he had shown off his skills earlier, he had also briefly read the minds of a few demons and learned who the members of the Nine Demon Gates were.
Besides the six present, the other three were Franmalth the Armored, Ryougeten Seilah, and Silver the Absolute Zero.
He hadn't expected Silver to be a human.
Hope reached out and grabbed the nearest Jackal, unceremoniously checking his memories. His brain was scrambled by magic power, and this brutal operation caused Jackal to bleed from his seven facial orifices on the spot, his eyes rolling back as he passed out.
But Hope got what he wanted.
He had originally thought all the Nine Demon Gates were demons. After all, Tartaros was a demon guild. Who would have thought that a controlled living corpse would be promoted to the high ranks by the Underworld King?
Silver really did have a connection to Gray, and it was close enough for Gray to call him 'Father'.
Ten years ago, Deliora attacked Silver's village. At that time, he was just an ordinary person living a quiet life, powerless against the demon's slaughter. Fortunately, his son Gray escaped Deliora's clutches.
After Silver died, his body was taken by the necromancer demon Keis to replenish the army of the dead.
But surprisingly, because of his obsessive hatred for demons, Silver's body was not corrupted by the necromancy. Instead, he retained his consciousness from when he was alive, becoming a living corpse.
During an operation near Crobat Great Canyon, Silver accidentally stumbled upon the former headquarters of the Demon Slayers organization and took the inheritance of 'Ice Demon Slayer' magic.
He wanted revenge—revenge against all demons.
As the controller, the necromancer demon Keis naturally sensed Silver's intentions. He originally wanted to completely destroy this living corpse that had developed a second mind, but he was stopped by the Underworld King.
The Underworld King not only promoted Silver, who had successfully mastered Demon Slayer Magic, to a guild executive, but he even knew about Silver's private actions of secretly eliminating demons.
To a cruel and heartless fellow like the Underworld King, Silver, controlled by the 'Deathly Curse', was just a powerful tool that could help him intimidate or deal with disobedient demons.
Tossing aside the now-corpse-like Jackal, Hope looked at Silver.
A minute had passed since Keis issued the attack order, but let alone Silver, even Jellal showed no intention of moving.
"I see. A powerful soul can break free from the control of the 'Deathly Curse' to a certain extent."
Hope, who instantly understood the reason, couldn't help but feel a bit of admiration for Silver. He then pointed at Keis, who was already trying to sneak away nearby. "Hello, Uncle. I'm Gray's companion. Do you need me to help you take that guy out?"
Silver was very surprised. He hadn't said a word; how did this young man know what he was thinking?
Because of their hearts filled with anger and revenge, both Silver and Jellal had already broken free from Keis's control.
Although they could move freely, given that the 'Deathly Curse' was the core maintaining their existence as living corpses, and considering the Underworld King's terrifying power that surpassed the Nine Demon Gates, they knew the time wasn't right and could only accumulate strength while waiting for a variable.
And the variable came very quickly.
The two were originally sent to fight on Tenrou Island, but since they retained their human hearts, they naturally couldn't actually help demons slaughter their own kind. So, they found a place to slack off secretly.
Unexpectedly, Silver suddenly sensed through the 'Deathly Curse' linked to his body that Keis seemed to have died once.
With the idea of striking while the enemy was down, he convinced Jellal to try and seize Tartaros's base of operations, Underworld Island.
Who would have thought that before they even got close, Underworld Island would be razed by a magic mechanical giant.
Once the commotion died down, they sneakily boarded the island, only to see the scene of Hope using 'Ice Demon Slayer Magic' to easily suppress the six great demons alone.
Despite using the same magic, he, an ordinary person, had practiced hard for several years only to be a match for a slightly weaker great demon, while that young man could fight six at once.
Silver felt a bit discouraged. Wasn't he supposed to be a genius? If Silver knew that Hope's Ice Demon Slayer Magic was reverse-engineered from 'Light Demon Slayer Magic' just seven days ago, he would probably doubt himself even more.
Seeing that Silver remained silent, the previously quiet Jellal spoke up first: "Hope, our existence needs the 'Deathly Curse' to be maintained. Senior Silver still has unfulfilled wishes, and I still have many sins to atone for. Can you help us control Keis..."
Hope waved his hand. He didn't care at all about Jellal's redemption; after all, he was the one who had forced Jellal to use Self-Destruct back then.
However, he still intended to help Silver.
Since he hadn't been able to see Gray cry in front of Ur with his own eyes, he couldn't miss out on this part with his father.
Hope reached out toward the distance with a forceful grip. The necromancer demon Keis, who had already run out of sight, was instantly enveloped by a powerful suction and brought into Hope's hand.
Hope crushed Keis's skull with a palm strike. At the instant his soul was about to be drawn away by the hells core, 'Take Over' magic immediately suppressed it.
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