The Adventures of an Overpowered Knight in Another World

Chapter 501: Chapter 501- Spirit Realm & The Fairy King Asterius (4)

Every scenario matched and reinforced the knight’s words, giving him all the credibility he needed. The hall started buzzing again; this time, though, no one came forth to doubt the Divine Paladin’s words.

"Who is your master? And how many of your kind hide within the capital?" Reinhardt continued with his questioning.

The demon looked hesitant. Just when it seemed like it would spill the answer, its body suddenly froze. Its breathing stopped and its pupils contracted.

"No... no... NOOO! Master, I wasn’t going to... DON’T KILL ME, PLEASE!"

The demon suddenly started screaming. It clawed desperately at its own skull, trying to hold itself together as its soul contract devoured it from the inside. It was in the blink of an eye; before anyone could intervene, a dark indigo flame manifested into existence.

It burst out of the demon, burning its soul and body until it was nothing more than a puddle of sludge. Gory and disturbing to look at. Seeing this scene, the nobles, ministers, and others felt their stomachs lurch.

Some choked; some covered their mouths so as not to puke.

Of course, not all of them were like this. None of the commanders reacted or found the scene unusual; they had seen such kind of execution method before. That said, if anything, it was the flames that caught their eyes.

"Soul Termination Flame."

"Yeah, it’s no doubt the power of the Ninth Heavenly King."

"Contract execution..."

They slowly muttered to themselves.

Among demons, rank was absolute, an ancient system where every demon, from the lowliest imp to the highest sovereign, was bound by a soul contract forged at birth. Their ’masters’ weren’t simply leaders; no, they were owners.

Demons had no concept of loyalty; they obeyed their superiors because disobedience meant death. If a High Ranking Demon wants to, they can easily kill a lower ranking demon no matter where or when.

And the method was mostly the same. Soul Contract Execution. A demonic technique where the master uses their power to destroy the contract.

In this case, the higher-ranking demon used the Soul Termination Flames.

Reinhardt and the commanders had seen this countless times on the battlefield. The indigo flame that now burst from the demon was unmistakable; the signature execution flame born from the ruling caste of demons... the Heavenly King, more specifically, it was the Ninth Heavenly King.

A colour that would make a mortal soul shudder. The indigo flames had no warmth; however, they silently burned away the soul. A terrifying power.

Everyone watched in horror. This was a gruesome reminder that demons were not individuals. They were pieces, disposable cogs serving something far darker. They did not think or act like humans. Judging them with their standards would be a grave mistake.

After the demon was completely burned and turned into nothing, Reinhardt placed his attention on Earl Malmond.

"This was the power you sought? The race that treats its own members like this?"

At this moment, the latter’s face was a sight to see. The man had watched the whole thing from only a few steps away.

And looking at its body turn into a puddle before leaving no trace, it finally understood the ruthlessness of the race he was trying to mix with. Had he also gotten a demon seed, had he also become a demon, then wouldn’t his fate be the same as that of the High Ranking Demon?

The fear of dying by those indigo flames caused Malmond’s legs to tremble uncontrollably. His eyes slowly left the place where the High Ranking Demon had been burned into nothingness and turned towards the Divine Paladin.

He now understood something very clearly. The demons who could kill their own without a thought like that... and yet they are afraid of Reinhardt to the point of using all kinds of schemes, direct or indirect.

It just showed how terrifying the knight was, even by the standards of the demons. If the latter wanted to, he could annihilate him without even blinking.

Sweat poured down Earl Malmond’s face like rain. He immediately prostrated on the ground and started begging for his life.

"I-I’ll talk! I’ll talk. Just don’t kill me! I’ll tell you everything... everything!"

"Spill."

And so, in front of the chamber full of nobles, knights, and every person who held some authority in the capital, the Earl started confessing everything. About his dealings with the demons. About the demon seed that they offered in exchange for key information.

How he and others sold out the kingdom to join the demon race. That was not all; he even began listing names... nobles, officials, Council members. All those who had dirtied their hands in the same way.

At that very instant, the hall exploded into chaos. If previously they were silenced by the ruthlessness of the demonkind, then right now they were buzzing like a flea market.

Accusations, denials, shouts of treason, all kinds of embarrassing words flew out. The assembly, which was a group of members of high society who took pride in their noble blood and elegance, had at this moment shed all forms of class and devolved into nothing but a shouting congress.

"Lies!"

"This is slander. Where is your proof?"

"We have nothing to do with this. Earl Malmond is simply trying to drag us all down!"

Among the lot, the ones who raised their volume the highest were the nobles who had been opposing the Divine Paladin at every step. Now with their own tails on fire, they couldn’t help but jump like monkeys.

The uproar grew sharper every moment. Accusations flew. Denials slammed back. Nobles pointed fingers at one another, shouting over their neighbours as panic rippled through the hall like wildfire. It was on the verge of a riot.

Just when it seemed like it would continue, the Queen’s single word silenced the assembly.

"Silence."

Cold, cutting, and absolute, her voice instantly ceased all quarrels, and the sound died instantly. Some form of order returned to the assembly once again.