Chapter 137: Contract Severing Ritual

The void tore open with a sharp, metallic screech as Klaus, Victor, and the captive Diana stepped onto the threshold of the God Realm. They had arrived directly within the heart of the Heavenly Demon Domain, a jagged expanse of dark stone, swirling crimson fog, and overwhelming malice.

Victor stood motionless, his expression utterly detached from the oppressive aura surrounding them. Within the quiet expanse of his shadow domain, he reached out to his bond.

"Astrion, how long would it take for you to complete your breakthrough?" Victor asked silently.

"Master, three more hours," Astrion replied, his deep voice resonating through their mental connection.

"How many Universal Supremes are present nearby?" Victor asked again, probing for tactical information.

"I can sense one at the deepest part of this domain, and another faint aura resting inside a coffin," Astrion reported smoothly. "The aura inside the coffin is significantly stronger, but its life force is currently being drained by something."

"Is that so? Then we will wait for three hours," Victor decided silently.

His decision was made. He would allow the demons their brief moment of triumph. Today, he would wipe the Heavenly Demon race out of existence, erasing them from history and seizing their vast reserves of ancient resources.

Klaus released Victor’s shoulder, stepping back with slow, deliberate precision to smooth the cuffs of his dark robes. The instant their feet settled on the stone, a dozen shadowy figures in spiked obsidian armor materialized around the transport platform. Their weapons were drawn in a heartbeat, their eyes glowing with crimson menace.

"Take the girl to the sealing pavilion," Klaus commanded, not bothering to turn his head. "Keep the curse active. As long as she remains in our hands, the boy will stay obedient."

Two armored guards stepped forward instantly, their gauntleted hands reaching for Diana’s limp, unconscious form.

"Touch her, and this platform becomes your tomb," Victor uttered in a cold tone.

His voice was entirely flat, completely devoid of warmth, anger, or panic. Yet the absolute coldness in his tone carried a weight that made the surrounding guards hesitate for a fraction of a second, their advance momentarily halted.

Yehan stepped directly into Victor’s line of sight, a condescending smirk playing across his sharp lips. "Still clinging to your pride, worm? You seem to forget your true position. You are not a guest here. You are merely a container holding a prize that belongs to our race. Once we sever your contract with the astral beast, your purpose ends."

Victor looked at Yehan, his expression shifting into a mocking, easy smile. "Why don’t you try touching her then?" he said lightly.

Victor knew the truth. Astrion was already strong enough to crush the Heavenly Demon race, holding the exalted status of Supreme Monarch within the Astral Realm. Slating two Universal Supremes of the same realm was a trivial matter for the beast. However, Victor preferred to handle his vengeance with absolute certainty. He needed every variable accounted for before the massacre began.

A sudden blur of motion disrupted the tension. Yehan drove a heavy fist straight into Victor’s gut. Though the demon controlled his overwhelming power to avoid killing his prisoner, it was still a strike delivered by a Universal Realm entity.

The impact echoed across the platform. Victor instantly coughed a spray of blood, his body folding in on itself as he collapsed hard onto the cold stone ground.

Seeing the strike land, a tiny flicker of life pierced through Diana’s emotionless, soulless eyes. For a fraction of a second, genuine distress surfaced on her pale face. But before the feeling could take root, the dark lines of the curse flared across her skin, violently suppressing her emotions once more and returning her to a blank state.

"You are nothing but a worm," Yehan said with deep disdain, looking down at the fallen human. "A pathetic creation we brought forth out of a mere whim. Do not think you are something special simply because you managed to ascend to the Eighth Astral Realm. Your astral beast is only a galactic overlord. If it refuses to cooperate, we will butcher it as well."

Victor slowly raised his blood-stained face. He stared up at Yehan with the exact same cold, unbothered eyes, looking as though the devastating blow had failed to register entirely. With red running down his chin, his composure made his face look even more terrifying.

"Take that girl away from here," Klaus ordered again, his patience wearing thin. He turned his gaze down to Victor. "We will be back shortly. Be ready to cut your contract with your beast. Otherwise, we will absorb the Heavenly Dao body of this girl along with her soul. You are intelligent enough to know what is more important."

Klaus then cast a cool glance at Yehan. "Put him inside the prison."

Yehan reached down and scooped up Victor’s limp body like a discarded insect. With a sweep of his arm, a tear in spatial energy ripped open, revealing a dark vortex. Without another word, Yehan tossed Victor into the void, sealing the rift behind him.

Victor tumbled out of the rift and crashed onto the stone floor of a pitch-black cell.

As the heavy spatial silence settled around him, a gentle, familiar voice vibrated through his consciousness.

"Victor, can you hear me?"

Victor blinked, slightly taken aback. "Master?"

"Victor, I can save you and send you somewhere safe until your astral beast becomes powerful enough to protect you," Cristofer’s sad voice echoed softly. "However, I will not be able to save your fiancee, my child."

A rare surge of warmth crossed Victor’s chest. This master of his had known him for only a short time, yet he was genuinely willing to risk his life and the ultimate fate of his entire faction to offer a lifeline.

Victor shook his head in the dark, his resolve unwavering. "Master, please do not worry. I have my own ways."

He chose not to elaborate further. Recognizing his disciple’s calm confidence, Cristofer fell silent, withdrawing his spiritual thread without another word.

Three hours passed in total stillness.

Suddenly, Victor felt a massive tremble ripple through his internal shadow realm where Astrion had been meditating. The cosmic energy within his soul space surged like an oceanic tide.

"Master, I have successfully broken through to the Immortal Realm, and my Law of Destruction has fully awakened," Astrion announced proudly.

"Good," Victor commanded coldly. "Now, scan the domain again. See if there is anything anomalous that we missed earlier."

Astrion went quiet for several moments as his expanded sensory net swept over every inch of the realm, piercing through spatial layers and ancient arrays.

"Master, there is indeed someone else hidden within the Heavenly Demon Domain," Astrion reported, his tone dropping several degrees. "It is an old man guarding the sacred library of the demons. He is a semi-immortal being who appears to have been stagnant in that realm for endless millennia."

Astrion paused before adding, "He is also the true caster of the curse placed upon my lady."

Victor heaved a quiet sigh of relief. It was fortunate that he had refrained from acting on pure impulse earlier. Had he launched an attack prematurely without locating the prime caster, the backlash on Diana could have been catastrophic. Now, the targets were clearly defined.

A brilliant beam of light suddenly broke through the gloom of the prison as the heavy door was forced open. Yehan stood in the entryway, flanked by several fully armed guards.

"Come with me," Yehan said coldly.

Two guards stepped into the cell, grabbing Victor by his binding chains and dragging him roughly out into the open air. Victor allowed himself to be pulled along without offering a shred of resistance. He was waiting for the curse caster to reveal himself or enter his range. That ancient entity needed to die the very second Diana was secured.

As they emerged from the prison complex, Victor looked up at the sky. It was a deep, unnatural crimson, illuminated by three blazing suns hanging side by side in the heavens.

Countless Heavenly Demons lined the wide thoroughfares, watching Victor as he was dragged like a defeated prize. Cruel laughter and taunts echoed off the tall obsidian structures as the crowd cheered the spectacle.

Soon, the guards brought Victor to the apex of a massive stone altar. Inscribed across the surface was a complex, glowing array. It resembled a classic summoning ritual, though several key runes had been altered to invert its function.

"Can this array truly terminate our contract?" Victor asked inwardly, examining the structure with genuine curiosity.

"It is only applicable to beasts of the Seventh Astral Realm and below," Astrion replied with a trace of amusement. "It has absolutely no effect on us, Master."

Victor let a subtle smile touch his lips as he stepped onto the center of the altar. "Then let us play along."

"As you wish master. Just order when you think the time is right. I haven’t done a massacre for a long time."