Chapter 101: An anomaly...

In the Fallen Realm, where everything was shrouded in a thick, oppressive mist, a familiar figure entered a massive castle.

It was the same tall man who had ordered the two Demon Servants to investigate Slar’s death and determine exactly what had happened.

Drak’s expression was dark and furious as he strode toward the throne at the center of the castle’s largest hall. He wore nothing but a pair of dark trousers, leaving his muscular upper body completely exposed. Surrounding the throne were countless exquisite objects and treasures collected from various worlds, but Drak paid none of them any attention. The moment he reached the throne, he swept his arm across a nearby table, sending everything on it crashing violently to the floor.

A dark, bloody whip mark stretched across his back, still bleeding as pulses of sinister energy traveled through the wound.

"Damn it!"

His roar echoed throughout the castle.

As his anger surged, his human-like appearance began to fade. Two black horns emerged from his head, while a pair of massive, bat-like wings spread from his back, revealing his true demonic form.

"Slar, that damn idiot, died somewhere in a human realm, and now the Demon Lord is blaming me!"

Drak snarled, his blood-red eyes burning with fury.

"And why the hell did those two bastards have to come to me with the news? Couldn’t they have gone to another Demon General? They just think I’m the weakest, so they dump every troublesome job on me!"

The slits in his eyes glowed ominously as his anger continued to build.

Unable to calm himself, Drak called for several slaves to come and serve him. Perhaps having something to occupy his attention would help settle his nerves.

However, just as the group of trembling slaves entered the throne hall, a loud cry suddenly echoed from outside the castle.

Drak’s expression darkened.

"Who the hell is shouting near my territory now? Does that person have a death wish?"

He kicked the nearest slave aside and stormed out of the castle.

A Demon Servant was rushing toward him from the distance, its face pale with terror.

Drak raised one hand, bringing the Demon Servant to an abrupt stop.

"What is it now?"

He growled.

"Those two fools who came a while back already gave me enough of a headache."

The Demon Servant trembled violently and immediately lowered its head.

"Demon General Drak!"

"Speak."

"The two Demon Servants you sent to the human realm to investigate Slar’s death..."

The Demon Servant swallowed hard.

"They’re dead!"

Drak’s expression froze.

The servant hesitated before continuing.

"Their Life Plates shattered just moments ago. Just like Slar’s."

For several seconds, complete silence descended over the area.

"What... did you say?"

The moment those words left Drak’s mouth, an overwhelming pressure erupted from his body.

The Demon Servant was slammed violently into the ground. Blood spilled from its mouth as it struggled beneath the crushing pressure, eventually forcing itself back onto its knees.

"My lord..."

It gasped, keeping its head lowered.

"The two Demon Servants you sent to the human realm are dead. Their Life Plates shattered just like Slar’s."

Drak’s eyes darkened until they were almost black.

Three Demon Servants.

All dead.

And all in the same human realm.

His expression twisted with fury.

"How is that possible?"

He suddenly turned and swung his leg toward the castle.

BOOM!

A massive section of the castle wall exploded beneath the impact, sending chunks of stone flying through the air.

"Fuck!"

Drak roared.

"What the hell is going on? First Slar, and now those two! Who killed them?"

His fists clenched tightly.

He couldn’t understand it.

That was merely a human realm—a place where beings of their level should have been almost impossible to threaten. Yet three Demon Servants had now died there.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

"An anomaly..."

Drak muttered, his breathing heavy.

"That human realm is an anomaly. There’s definitely something wrong going on there!"

His anger was quickly turning into unease.

The wound across his back still throbbed from the Demon Lord’s earlier punishment, but Drak barely noticed the pain anymore.

He had to report this.

Immediately.

The Demon Lord was powerful, but that wasn’t what frightened Drak the most.

The Demon Lord was a coward.

He served someone whose identity was unknown to everyone—a powerful, supreme existence that seemed to be orchestrating everything from behind the scenes. Because of that, the Demon Lord hated it whenever things failed to go according to the grand plan.

Any unexpected problem—especially one that could potentially put him in danger—was enough to make him nervous. That was why the Demon Lord had absolutely no patience for incompetence or failure. He feared being held responsible whenever something went wrong, and he would go to great lengths to avoid angering the one he served.

Drak had witnessed it before.

A Demon General had once hidden the truth about the strongest dragon of the dragon race escaping after a battle they had won. Hoping to avoid punishment, the Demon General deliberately concealed the information, believing that no one would discover his failure.

But the moment he stood before the Demon Lord, the truth was exposed.

It was as if the Demon Lord could see straight through him—through every lie, every hidden thought, and every excuse.

That Demon General had been killed on the spot.

Drak had no intention of suffering the same fate.

Even if reporting this meant admitting that something—or someone—in a weak human realm had killed three of their Demon Servants, he would rather face the Demon Lord’s anger now than risk hiding the truth.

Gritting his teeth, Drak turned away and left without sparing another glance at the trembling Demon Servant.

Whatever was happening in that human realm, it had already become dangerous.

And if he was right about the existence of an anomaly...

Then they needed to know about it before it became an even greater problem.

***

Meanwhile, in the Second Disaster-Level Dungeon, Zephyr sneezed as he came out of the burrow, followed closely by Lucien.

Lucien had changed into the simple tunic Zephyr had given him, along with a clean pair of brown-colored pants. The two now wore similar outfits, differing only in color.

Zephyr rubbed his nose and frowned, wondering who was thinking about him.

The sun hanging above them was still exactly as they remembered it from when they had entered the underground chamber.

Yet, despite the familiar surroundings, the two of them were no longer the same as when they had first gone inside.

That was especially obvious from the storage ring Zephyr had taken from the Demon Servants. The ring was now worn on Lucien’s finger rather than Zephyr’s.

Lucien had asked for it when Zephyr gave him the clothes, and Zephyr had handed the ring over without the slightest hesitation.

Onicus, who had already been suspicious of Lucien, was deeply displeased. Even now, the dragon was complaining from his shoulder.

"You really are too accommodating!"

The storage ring itself wasn’t particularly impressive compared to the countless treasures Onicus had possessed in the past, but it was still a valuable item with plenty of useful things stored inside.

And Zephyr had simply given it away.

Just like that.

Onicus couldn’t understand him.

Of course, Zephyr completely ignored the dragon’s complaints. Instead, he reached out and clasped Lucien’s hand without hesitation. Then he leaned slightly toward him and, almost as if by accident, brushed his lips against Lucien’s cheek, amusement flickering in his eyes when he felt him go still.

"Where should we go now?"