Chapter 393: Summoning [3]

[My Children, you've played your parts well.]

It was an odd choice of words. This was Eden's first thought when he heard them. But at the same time, he couldn't confidently claim to fathom the thought process of an old ancestor that had been dead for untold millennia.

""Your unworthy descendants greet you, Ancestor.""

The three Demon Kings fell to their knees instinctively upon feeling the terrifying pressure that accompanied that voice. Their blood boiled in excitement at their success.

[Mm. It has been too long since I've smelled the scent of the world. But the work has yet to be completed...]

Eden furrowed his brows. He could feel it. Something was wrong. Something was out of place about this whole situation.

In the first place, even with all their preparations, they had never expected the ritual to be a success so easily.

The essence of the ritual was simple. To sacrifice the blood and souls of those who had died within the Trial World to summon the soul of their Ancestor. It was a ritual that had been engraved in their minds since long ago.

But regardless of how many thousands had died, even if that number was in the tens or hundreds of thousands, could the blood of ten thousand mortals be compared to a single drop of a God's blood?

Eden didn't think so. After being confined by the Demon God, who was only a Demigod, for so long, he knew that the power of a True God would be something far beyond his imagination.

So why had the ritual been so successful? And why was their Ancestor so dismissive of their presence?

Eden could feel it. His life force had begun fading at a far more rapid pace after the voice from the formation fell onto his ears.

He knew that chances of survival after performing the ritual were rare, but when was he ever one to give up?

'My life above all things. Isn't this the principle I've lived by until this day? Isn't this the reason why I chose to be subjugated instead of killed? Why am I so eager to throw my life away now?'

As he continued thinking, he found that his mind was far more muddled than he knew. With every hint of clarity he achieved, he would find ten times more the amount of fog.

'The Ancestral Ritual...when did I learn it?'

The thought was sudden. Almost to the point where Eden doubted it came from his own mind.

'The thought of revenge, since when did I hold such desires?'

He was a logical man. Revenge against a Demigod? He would never even dream of it. Unless an even stronger being came into the picture, he would live content with what he had.

'What is happening to me?'

He couldn't understand it. His sudden contemplative state came out of nowhere as well. His Ancestor had just been summoned, so shouldn't he be speaking to him?

'Ancestor? Did our small Demon Race ever produce a God?'

Their Demon Race wasn't small in the past, sure, but it wasn't massive either. It was a regular-sized clan where only a single Demigod had ever been produced. They had never heard tales of a true Demon God born from their midst.

'Then, who was I trying to summon?'

Eden suddenly began doubting himself. He doubted the thoughts that had been in his head all this time. He doubted the reason why he chose his current course of action.

'Wait...'

He had a terrifying thought. He didn't dare to entertain such a thought, but was forced to face reality.

'Why does the Ancestor's voice...sound familiar?'

[You have always been a clever one, dear Eden.]

The voice from the formation spread once more, shocking Eden out of his thoughts. The contents of that voice's words, though, were even more shocking.

'He knew?!'

[Of course I knew. Why else did you decide to summon me? Think, for how long have you been planning such actions? How long have you been collecting the blood of those within the Trial World?]

Without a choice, Eden fell into thought again. How long had he been planning his actions? For close to the 10,000 years that he had been trapped here. It was the same for the second question.

[Think, when did you learn about the Ancestral Ritual.]

Well, that was an easier question. Of course...

'...Huh?'

When did he learn about the Ancestral Ritual? No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't find a clear time. In fact, he instinctually felt that he learned about it as a child, but for what reason would such a cruel and heartless ritual be taught to children?

Despite being a race of Demons, they were by no means heartless. Although they tended to be belligerent at times, they still cared for their young and wished to preserve their innocence for as long as possible.

'Don't tell me...'

Eden realized it. The fear he had been avoiding could very likely be the truth.

'It was all...meaningless.'

Eden's heart sank. His expression became dull. Everything he had worked for until this point was meaningless.

No, it had meaning. The problem was that it had no meaning to him.

This path, it wasn't chosen by his own hands.

[Kakaka! Eden, my child, you've always been a smart one. Those other two may have power, but they lack the decisiveness of a leader. That was something that only you and Lucius possessed. But Lucius, that fool, was too noble. Regardless of my power, I couldn't imprint a suggestion in his head without him noticing. And if he noticed, then what was the point?]

Eden's eyes widened.

'Lucius...'

Out of all the Demon Kings, Lucius was the only one Eden was envious of.

'You had a wife you loved and a daughter that symbolized that love. You had subordinates that followed you with loyalty born of respect and admiration. You had the drive to find a way to leave this wretched place. Those things...even if I didn't desire them, I was envious that you were able to have them.'

That was Lucius' "power". It was a power that Eden couldn't gain, no matter how hard he tried. It was because his temperament didn't allow for such things. He was too indifferent to value people in any way other than as tools.

He knew this. He didn't mind this aspect of himself. In fact, he found it preferable. But it blocked his path towards gaining some of the things he wanted to gain.

In the end, it was those aspects that Lucius held that allowed him to find a path of escape in the end, even if it took 10,000 years. Meanwhile, Eden was...

'I'm being used as a pawn. From the start, I was being used as a pawn. Everything I've done from the start, it was not of my own will, even if I thought it so.'

[So you've realized?]

The voice from the formation held a tinge of mockery as it spoke.

[That old fogey would have noticed immediately if I had acted more brazenly, so I was left with only this method. Besides, if I had been forceful, a smart child like you might have had thoughts of rebellion. And we can't have that, can we?]

He couldn't deny it anymore. Eden's dull eyes had lost any hope of living, but a flame sprouted in his heart. A true flame of vengeance that he had never felt before.

But it was meaningless. Even throughout the conversation, his life force had been draining at an incredible rate. He was already on the verge of death.

'No, that was the point of this conversation in the first place. He forced me to submerge myself in thought so that I couldn't deactivate the formation before it was too late.'

Eden looked up. The two other Demon Kings were already husks on the floor, their mana completely drained.

'Dead. Everyone except for me is dead.'

Eden closed his eyes. The life he has clung onto so desperately for all these years was vanishing in vain.

'Lucius...I hope you can avenge us.'

Eden's life force dwindled down to the last drop, and his life finally ended. In that final moment, there was only one thought in his head.

'Demon God, I pray you will one day feel my pain.'