"Stop playing."
Bai Yi's calm voice cut through the silence. He retracted the dark matter of hell and then placed the devil's corpse into the time-slowing zone of the demon dimension.
Eugene's body trembled violently. Countless emotions flickered in his eyes — confusion, fury, madness, despair — until at last, fear took hold completely.
He pressed his forehead to the ground, voice shaking as he spoke, "Under the Crown of Extreme Evil… please, don't kill me. I can give you anything."
Step. Step.
The faint sound of footsteps echoed through the chamber, each one landing squarely on the trembling heart of the once-proud devil. His body quivered uncontrollably.
Moments ago, a third-level legend had been slain in an instant before his eyes. There was no doubt in his mind — if he made a single wrong move, death would follow just as swiftly. Resistance was impossible.
"My friend," Sabo said with a grin, "I'm merely collecting a few materials. Devils are always wealthy, and their remains are quite useful for compensating my small losses."
He chuckled lightly. "Besides, we agreed to capture one. Now we have two. So, if you're planning to kill that woman, this one should belong to me."
Bai Yi paused mid-step and glanced at the trembling Eugene. His expression was thoughtful. "I have other uses for him."
Those words were like divine mercy to Eugene — the crushing weight in his chest eased. He wasn't going to die. Not yet.
"Of course, my dearest lord," Sabo said with an oily smile. "Your business is my business. Have I ever refused your command?"
He raised a hand, and a crimson scroll began to form in the air, glowing with sinister energy.
It was a contract — one notarized by the Abyss itself. Breaking it would invite punishment from the Abyss, a fate no being wished to test.
Sabo's crooked fingers traced symbols across the floating scroll. The scarlet glow pulsed with each stroke until finally, a dense contract covered in infernal script hung in the air.
"Mr. Eugene," Sabo called lazily.
Eugene lifted his head just in time to see the contract hover before him.
"Sign it," Sabo said, his grin widening. "And you may live."
Eugene scanned the contract quickly, his power of contract perception verifying each clause. The terms were almost too merciful — suspiciously so. He stared at Sabo, dumbfounded. "...Really?"
"Of course," Sabo replied smoothly. "Obey for one hundred years, and the contract will dissolve naturally. But…" his eyes gleamed, "you may find those hundred years… exhausting."
Eugene nodded rapidly. "No problem!"
He extended his hand, summoning the power of his contract. The abyssal scroll flared to life — and then shattered into countless red fragments, dissolving into nothingness.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Sabo applauded cheerfully, his twisted face curling with delight. A surge of filthy power spread from him, and a set of dark devil's garments materialized before Eugene.
"Wear this," Sabo said. "It has no defensive value, but it will allow me to contact you across worlds. I'll tell you what to do through it."
Eugene said nothing. Silently, he picked up the garments — identical to Sabo's own — and slipped them on.
Better to live than die. As long as he lived, there was hope.
"How did you do it?" he asked cautiously. He couldn't fathom how even the transmission network of Hell could be interfered with. Not even gods could easily tamper with such mechanisms.
Sabo merely laughed. The filthy energy around him churned, and before long, several black feathers drifted down. Eugene recognized them instantly — they had been plucked from his own wings.
Mixed among them were bloodstained daggers, shredded fabrics, and even a smoking green intestine that filled the air with the stench of rot.
Eugene shuddered.
"Who knows?" Sabo said casually, grabbing a handful of the disgusting items. "But that's not your concern, Mr. Eugene. Repeat the third clause of the contract."
"I cannot disobey your orders," Eugene said immediately.
"Very good. Then remember — don't ask questions you shouldn't ask."
"Yes, sir."
Once Sabo collected the materials, Bai Yi spoke. "It's getting late. Let him rest a bit more."
"Of course, as you wish."
Sabo retrieved a transparent crystal from his storage space and tossed it to Eugene. "Fill it with your magic."
Eugene accepted it wordlessly, channeling his power into the stone. His expression was complex — a faint glimmer of hope buried beneath despair.
Bai Yi ignored him, pulling out more tools and materials to begin his preparations.
Three months had passed since the Trailer incident. During that time, four Star Cores B07 had been installed along each wall. The other three border cities of the Federation had built eight apiece.
Further production orders from smaller cities had been… conveniently ignored.
Each Star Core B07 required one to two days to create, and Bai Yi refused to turn himself into an assembly line. Four per city was more than enough.
The weapon's test data was overwhelming. It had earned him the parliament's approval to take Diane away — no questions asked.
Meanwhile, the City Lord's mansion had been rebuilt, Bolton underwent a full upgrade, and even the once-devastated districts began to recover.
Three months of intense crafting had left Bai Yi drained. Half a month ago, Sabo had also made a breakthrough in exploring the Deep-Sea Abyss — though the situation there remained grim.
The Abyss's power was spreading, but the gods had left residual laws and barriers behind. True catastrophe wouldn't come for at least twenty years.
That meant the sea monsters' awakening would also take two decades at minimum.
Even if the enemy had grand plans, Bai Yi wasn't concerned. He preferred a simpler countermeasure — when in doubt, drop a Sun's Praise on them and watch their conspiracies dissolve in the fire.
That same mindset led to this ambush against Hell's envoys.
Bai Yi's earlier instant kill of a third-order legend wasn't because his dark form had reached such levels of dominance — it was because the preparation had been flawless.
His Extreme Ferocity reduced an enemy's full attributes by 10%, while the Evil Domain increased his own by 10%. Combined with Sabo's alchemy, poisons, curses, and weakening arrays, even a legendary devil stood no chance.
If he couldn't kill an opponent crippled by 80%, he'd have no right to call himself "Evil."
"It's done," Eugene finally said weakly, holding out the filled crystal.
Sabo smiled and accepted it. He then pulled out another identical stone. "Again."
Eugene's face paled. Each crystal absorbed an enormous amount of power — this one alone held forty percent of his magic. But he dared not protest.
"Continue," Sabo said simply.
"Sir… I need to rest," Eugene whispered.
"Continue."
Grinding his teeth, Eugene complied.
Nearby, Bai Yi worked steadily, mixing materials and potions. Dark flames — Hellfire from a Hellhound — burned in glass containers.
It was this very flame that had allowed him to subdue a Hellhound and turn it into a servant.
Whether for forging or alchemical enhancement, this infernal fire was an invaluable resource.
Low-level flames could be purified, and Bai Yi planned to do just that.
The reason for catching the devil was simple: Hell was planning something — and he intended to act first.
Originally, he had wanted to strike at the Abyss. But testing his methods on Hell first wasn't a bad idea.
Soon, the materials transformed into a variety of viscous liquids. Bai Yi glanced toward the dim dawn.
"It's good."
A faint, trembling voice broke the silence — Eugene again, pale as death. He raised another filled crystal weakly.
Sabo grinned. "Continue."
"Sir, I'll die…"
"No, no," Sabo said, amused. "I know your limits. Pretending won't help you."
"But I can only recover magic when I'm near death!"
"Then stay near death."
"But—"
"No buts. We have a contract. Rest for one more minute, or I'll help you rest permanently."
"...Yes, sir."
Bai Yi accepted the third crystal and waved dismissively.
"My friend, that's enough. Take him away and clean up the rest of his bindings. If I need you, I'll call."
"Of course."
Sabo grabbed the weakened devil, and both vanished in a swirl of filthy power.
Eugene's fate was sealed — a century of servitude, if he survived that long.
The contract method Sabo taught was layered and devious. Those bound by it rarely knew how deeply they were ensnared.
Later, depending on a servant's usefulness, Bai Yi would either extend their term, enforce silence, or enslave them outright.
After all, a hopeful slave worked harder than a broken one.
Bai Yi's spiritual power spread outward, and his eyes turned black and white. He began crafting advanced potions and materials, his concentration absolute.
[You have extracted Hell Shell Substance ×1. EXP +20,000. Skill Points +1. Additional EXP +20,000.]
[You have created Dark Source Liquid ×1. EXP +10,000. Additional EXP +10,000.]
Dozens of messages filled his vision as his alchemy progressed.
Then, from the demon dimension, Bai Yi retrieved Fei Yi's body. The time-slowing zone had preserved it perfectly — her skin still faintly warm.
He unbuttoned her garments carefully and injected a needle into her neck.
This transformation had several goals: to create a pure hell creature — one capable of immense growth, intelligence, and occasional obedience to its creator — without the instability of evil thoughts.
It would be a perfect being.
Bai Yi produced a black heart — the Heart of Divine Evil. He didn't plan to replace her heart entirely, only to extract its essence and infuse it into her demonic core.
Next came the Hell Shell Substance, drawn from a legendary devil's Hell Dark Matter.
This energy resembled that of the Abyss but carried a higher suppressive purity — semi-divine, semi-taboo, bordering on saintly.
Extracted from a legend, it contained fragments of their law itself. Few powers could compare.
The cost was great, but the reward would be greater. Once completed, the new transformation skill would appear on his panel — ready to be perfected with points and refined beyond madness or corruption.
Bai Yi's expression hardened. He began extracting power from the Heart of Divine Evil while reshaping Fei Yi's body.
As the Dark Source Liquid coursed through her veins, the last trace of mortality faded from her flesh.
A new creation was about to be born.
(End of Chapter)