Chapter 346: Never Mistake Silence for Surrender

Soon, Yuuta’s group came to a stop at the entrance to the main ritual grounds.

The human prisoners continued moving ahead without them. Demon soldiers began separating the chained crowd, pulling men and women away one at a time and leading them toward the hundreds of smaller circles Yuuta had noticed earlier. Even children were separated from the groups and placed within individual formations, despite their crying and desperate attempts to cling to the adults beside them.

"Please! Let my daughter stay with me!"

"Mommy! Mommy!"

"Shut up and move!"

A demon guard pulled a crying child away from her mother, ignoring the woman’s desperate attempts to reach her. The surrounding prisoners watched helplessly as the soldiers continued separating them, dragging those who resisted toward the waiting formations.

Yuuta stood silently, his eyes following the child until she disappeared among the crowd.

His fingers slowly curled into fists.

These bastards...

He wanted to move. He wanted to grab the nearest demon and force him to release the child. But the moment he looked around, he was reminded of the countless guards surrounding him and the restraints locked around his wrists.

Acting recklessly would accomplish nothing.

He could barely protect himself in his current situation.

Yuuta forced his hands to relax and continued watching.

Each formation received a single human prisoner.

Beside every prisoner stood one of the enormous demons carrying a massive hammer.

Within minutes, the previously empty circles surrounding the Black Eclipse formation were occupied. Hundreds of terrified humans now stood or knelt within them, each trapped beside a towering demon waiting with its weapon. Some prisoners screamed for help, others prayed, while several appeared too frightened to do anything except stare at the hammer beside them.

Then the priests began bringing something else forward.

Long, dark tubes were attached to the edges of the smaller formations. Yuuta watched as the demons connected them one after another, creating an enormous network that stretched across the ceremonial grounds. Every tube originating from the smaller circles eventually joined larger channels leading toward the Black Eclipse Circle.

Yuuta followed one of them with his eyes.

From the prisoner’s circle.

Through the tube.

Across the ritual grounds.

Straight toward the main formation.

His crimson eyes widened.

No...

He looked back toward the giant demon standing beside the prisoner, then toward the enormous hammer resting in its hands.

The purpose of those weapons was becoming horrifyingly clear.

The demons weren’t merely there to guard the prisoners. When the ritual began, those hammers would be used on the sacrifices, and the blood collected from the smaller formations would travel through the tubes toward the Black Eclipse Circle.

Yuuta felt sick.

He had seen people die before. He had fought monsters, witnessed massacres, and endured situations that no ordinary person should ever have experienced. But watching hundreds of helpless people being arranged like ingredients for some enormous ritual was something else entirely.

And the worst part was that the demons appeared completely accustomed to it.

Priests checked the formations while soldiers secured the prisoners, discussing their preparations as casually as workers arranging equipment for a festival.

They’re really going to kill everyone here...

For a moment, the screams surrounding him seemed louder than before. Yuuta could hear people begging for their families, promising anything in exchange for their lives, and praying to gods who offered no answer.

He swallowed.

Don’t panic.

He forced himself to keep looking around.

There’s still time. As long as the ritual hasn’t started, there’s still an opportunity.

His eyes moved constantly, searching for anything useful. An unguarded passage. A distracted soldier. One of the transportation tiles he had been hoping to find. Anything that could give him even the smallest chance of escaping.

Unfortunately, he found nothing.

Demons occupied practically every section of the sanctum. Armed soldiers guarded the entrances, priests moved between the formations, and the strange stone guardians remained stationed along the surrounding bridges. Beyond them were enormous gaps between platforms, with bottomless darkness waiting below.

Yuuta’s escort remained at the entrance until the warden finally received permission from one of the demons stationed within the main formation.

"We may proceed, Lord Valthor."

Valthor’s entire expression brightened.

"Finally! Then let us go."

The group moved forward.

Yuuta crossed the boundary of the Black Eclipse Circle with them, and only then did he truly understand its size. From outside, the formation had already appeared enormous. Standing within it was different. Ancient inscriptions stretched across the ground in every direction, intersecting with smaller symbols and channels before disappearing beneath raised platforms.

The crimson illumination was stronger here as well. It seeped through the carvings beneath Yuuta’s feet, making it seem as though something beneath the stone itself was glowing.

But Yuuta barely paid attention to it.

His gaze had risen toward the far end of the formation.

The colossal statue of the God of Shadow towered above everything, its hooded head overlooking the entire ritual ground. Those pale, star-shaped eyes remained visible within the darkness, bringing back memories Yuuta desperately didn’t have time to think about.

And directly beneath the statue stood the altar.

Yuuta stopped for half a second.

He didn’t need Valthor to explain what it was for.

Hundreds of smaller circles surrounded this place, but every tube, inscription, and pathway ultimately converged toward the central formation. The altar beneath the God of Shadow stood at the heart of it all.

That’s where they’re taking me.

A cold sensation spread through his chest.

Until now, some part of him had continued hoping that the demons were exaggerating their intentions. That perhaps they needed him alive for something else, or that he would somehow find an opportunity before reaching the ceremonial grounds.

But standing here, surrounded by the preparations for the Black Eclipse, he could no longer ignore the truth.

They’re really going to kill me.

Yuuta forced his legs to keep moving.

I have to do something before we reach that altar.

But what?

He looked toward his left.

Demons.

His right.

More demons.

The entrances were guarded, the bridges were watched, and the strange stone guardians stood beyond them. Even if Yuuta somehow broke his restraints and ran, he had no idea where the transportation tiles were located. Worse, he still didn’t know the ancient words required to activate one.

His gaze briefly shifted upward toward a massive observation platform overlooking the Black Eclipse Circle.

Yuuta clicked his tongue.

What he had mistaken for another section of the structure was packed with demons. Rows upon rows of soldiers occupied the elevated platforms, while even more were stationed along the walls, stairways, bridges, and entrances surrounding the ritual grounds.

There had to be thousands of them spread throughout the Abyssal Sanctum.

Shit.

Yuuta clenched his bound hands.

Running blindly was impossible. Even if he somehow slipped away from his immediate guards, he wouldn’t make it far before someone noticed him. Thousands of demons surrounded the Black Eclipse Circle, and every visible exit was heavily guarded.

He needed another way.

Yuuta lowered his gaze, trying to control his breathing as he considered his options. His eyes briefly moved toward the soldiers standing nearby, then toward the elevated structures and passages surrounding the formation.

Maybe...

An idea slowly formed in his mind.

It was risky, and there were far too many things he couldn’t predict. He didn’t even know whether it would work. But the longer he remained here, the closer he came to being dragged onto that altar.

I guess there’s no other choice.

Whatever he intended to do, he needed something that would at least give him a chance to fight back when an opportunity appeared.

Then his eyes dropped toward the shackles around his wrists.

Wait...

He remembered what had happened inside the Tower of No Return.

The moment he tried releasing his aura, the restraints had reacted immediately, tightening around his wrists until he was forced to stop. He had assumed they were designed to suppress his power completely.

But perhaps that wasn’t entirely true.

Back then, I tried to release my aura outside my body.

Yuuta lowered his gaze toward his hands.

What if I keep it inside instead?

He remembered the strange strength he had experienced during his battle with Zeri. At certain moments, his aura hadn’t simply surrounded his body. It had seemed to flow through him, strengthening his muscles and allowing him to move with power he hadn’t known he possessed.

He still didn’t understand that sensation.

But if he could reproduce it, perhaps he wouldn’t need to release his aura outward at all.

It’s worth trying.

Yuuta lowered his head slightly and concentrated.

A tiny amount of aura stirred within his body.

CREAK.

The shackles reacted immediately.

Yuuta’s eyes widened as the metal contracted around his wrists, tightening until it dug painfully into his skin. The restraints had detected his attempt just as they had inside the Tower of No Return, and the pressure continued increasing as though warning him against using any more.

Damn it...

He clenched his teeth.

Pain shot through both wrists, but he refused to make a sound. The guards were close enough to notice even the slightest unusual movement, and he couldn’t afford to attract their attention before understanding whether his idea would work.

Yuuta carefully adjusted the flow of his aura.

Instead of allowing it to spread beyond his skin, he began guiding it deeper into his arms, concentrating on the muscles and bones beneath the surface.

At first, nothing changed.

The shackles continued squeezing his wrists, and the pain made it difficult to maintain his concentration.

Come on...

He remembered the sensation from his fight with Zeri.

Not aura surrounding his body.

Not power gathering around his fists.

Strength coming from within.

Yuuta slowly drew the aura inward again.

This time, something changed.

The faint energy that would normally spread around his body began circulating through his arms, reinforcing his muscles instead of escaping into the surroundings.

His hands trembled.

The pressure from the shackles was still there, but the strength gathering inside his arms was gradually increasing.

That’s it...

Yuuta continued concentrating.

The restraints had been designed to react to aura being released. But the power he was now gathering wasn’t spreading outward for them to suppress. It remained within his body, strengthening his muscles and bones while the shackles continued holding his wrists in place.

They could restrain his hands.

But they couldn’t prevent the physical strength building inside them.

Yuuta felt his breathing grow heavier.

I can do this.

He resisted the urge to test his strength immediately.

Breaking the shackles now would draw the attention of every guard around him. He needed to gather enough power to destroy them in a single movement, without giving the demons a chance to stop him halfway.

For now, he continued circulating his aura.

A short distance away, Yuuta’s escort had temporarily stopped while Valthor and several black-robed priests moved ahead to prepare whatever was required before the final sacrifice could be brought farther into the formation.

The warden remained behind with Yuuta and the guards.

His gaze swept across the Abyssal Sanctum with satisfaction. The Black Eclipse Circle alone was larger than a football field, and practically every section surrounding it had been secured. Experienced demon soldiers stood along the walls and entrances, while additional forces occupied the bridges and elevated structures overlooking the formation.

There was nowhere for a prisoner to run.

The warden glanced toward Yuuta.

The human stood with his head lowered and his eyes closed, seemingly exhausted after their long journey.

So you’ve finally settled down.

The warden remained suspicious of him, but with so many soldiers surrounding the formation, he couldn’t imagine the prisoner attempting anything foolish now.

Far above the ritual grounds, however, the most important observers had already begun gathering.

Several of the Demonic Kingdom’s most powerful demons sat upon an elevated viewing platform overlooking the Black Eclipse Circle. From there, they had an unobstructed view of the hundreds of sacrificial formations below and of the single black-haired human standing under unusually heavy guard.

The Jester Demon leaned forward slightly.

"So that’s him?"

He lifted one hand and pointed toward Yuuta.

"The final sacrifice. The Child of Chaos."

The Salesman Demon followed his gesture. His usual smile remained as his eyes carefully studied Yuuta from the distance.

"How unexpected. After reading the description in the Black Testament, I imagined something far more... monstrous."

He tilted his head.

"Something neither human nor demon, perhaps something that couldn’t even be classified as an ordinary living being."

Ragnar Graves gave a dismissive grunt.

The enormous demon leaned forward, his massive frame making even the seat beneath him appear small.

"He looks weak."

His eyes narrowed at Yuuta.

"Are we certain His Majesty didn’t mistake some ordinary human for this Child of Chaos?"

Mae-hwa’s reaction was considerably different.

She opened her fan and rested it lightly beneath her lips as she examined Yuuta from head to toe. A delighted smile gradually appeared across her face.

"Aww... but he’s so handsome."

Her pink eyes lingered on him with obvious interest.

"What a perfectly beautiful little piece of art. It’s almost a shame we’re sacrificing him."

Her smile deepened behind the fan.

"I wouldn’t mind having a taste first."

Ragnar glanced toward her with visible disgust, while the Salesman Demon merely chuckled.

Yet one person didn’t join their amusement.

Akuryu Zanki sat silently among them.

His transformed eyes remained fixed on Yuuta below.

He had been watching from the moment the human entered the Black Eclipse Circle, and the longer he observed him, the stronger an uncomfortable feeling became.

Something wasn’t right.

Zanki couldn’t yet explain what bothered him. But while the others saw a weak human surrounded by thousands of demons with nowhere to escape, he found himself unable to dismiss the uneasiness growing within him.

Then something seemed to click.

"Oh... I see."

Ragnar Graves leaned forward in his seat as well. His attention settled on Yuuta, who had closed his eyes several moments ago. Ragnar had expected him to struggle, look for an opening, or at least show some fear now that he stood at the center of the ritual grounds.

Instead, Yuuta wasn’t doing anything.

"Hmm?" Ragnar narrowed his eyes. "What’s he doing?"

From above, Yuuta appeared strangely calm. His eyes remained closed, his shoulders had gradually relaxed, and even his breathing had settled into a slow, steady rhythm. There was no visible resistance despite the thousands of demons surrounding him.

One of the nearby demons chuckled.

"Perhaps he’s finally accepted his fate."

Ragnar didn’t answer immediately.

Zanki did.

"He’s not surrendering."

Several of the demons turned toward him.

"What?"

Zanki rested his chin against one hand, never taking his eyes away from Yuuta.

"That human or whatever that thing truly is. He’s different from the others."

A nearby demon frowned.

"Different? What exactly makes him different?"

Zanki remained silent for a moment.

His gaze shifted toward the hundreds of other sacrifices scattered throughout the smaller circles. Most were crying, screaming, praying, or desperately pulling against their restraints. Their fear was obvious because they knew what awaited them.

Yuuta knew too.

Yet he had closed his eyes.

"You should learn something," Zanki finally said. "Certain individuals are far more terrifying to keep as prisoners than they are to face on a battlefield."

Ragnar glanced toward him.

"And why is that?"

Zanki gave a faint smile.

"Because when you corner someone who has a reason they cannot afford to lose, you should never mistake their silence for surrender."

Far below them, Yuuta slowly exhaled.

Just a little more...

The aura within his body had grown considerably stronger. He could feel it circulating through his arms, reinforcing his muscles and bones while remaining entirely beneath his skin.

The shackles were still locked around his wrists.

But they were no longer suppressing his strength.

Yuuta slowly tightened his fists.

Now...

He pulled.

CREAK!

The metal strained.

Yuuta’s eyes remained closed as he continued increasing the force within his arms. The shackles trembled, their reinforced surfaces beginning to deform beneath the pressure.

Come on...

A thin crack appeared along one of the restraints.

Yuuta clenched his teeth.

BREAK!

CRACK!

The sound rang through the ceremonial grounds.

Both shackles shattered.

Fragments of metal scattered across the black stone as Yuuta’s hands finally came free.

For a brief moment, the nearby guards stared at him, unable to understand what had just happened.

Far above them, Zanki slowly leaned forward.

His eyes narrowed as he watched the broken restraints fall around Yuuta’s feet.

Then a faint smile appeared on his face.

"...Interesting."

To be continued...