The land was deep in darkness.

Midnight found Theron and Seris descending into the Dungeon of Malice’s depths, their mystical signatures carefully suppressed to avoid alerting their target.

They moved with professional efficiency, bypassing the Tier 8 and Tier 7 entities that would challenge normal Searchers but posed no threat to their combined capabilities.

The ambient Chaos Energy intensified as they approached the coordinates where Seris had detected the corruption source during the investigation.

"Environmental corruption exceeds previous measurements," Seris observed, her holy detection techniques operating at maximum sensitivity. "The source has strengthened in the past twelve hours."

"Can you identify the classification?" Theron asked.

"Still analyzing..." Seris paused, her expression shifting to shock. "That’s... that’s not possible."

"What?"

"The mystical signature. It’s not a corrupt entity’s evolution. It’s—"

They rounded a corner and stopped.

Before them, collapsed against the dungeon wall in a pool of dark blood, was a Devil.

The being’s appearance showed catastrophic damage—wings torn and bleeding, formal attire shredded to reveal wounds that would have killed normal practitioners instantly, mystical pressure diminished to perhaps one-tenth of normal Devil capability.

But unmistakably Devil classification based on physical characteristics and residual power.

This was... terrifying!

Truly shocking!

"By the Five Gods," Theron whispered. "How did a Devil get into Aether territory?"

The injured Devil’s eyes opened, recognition dawning as it detected their presence.

"Aether... practitioners..." It managed weakly. "Finally... found me..."

Seris raised her sword immediately.

"Don’t move. Explain your presence in this dungeon. Now."

The Devil tried to laugh, the sound wet and pained.

"Investigating... triggered arrangement... I... Devil Valdris Morgath... sent to... Labyrinth of Darkness..."

Theron’s mind raced.

"The Labyrinth connects to this dungeon? There’s a passage between Nether and Aether territories?"

"Yes..." the Devil confirmed. "Ancient... connection. I was... investigating when... attacked. Barely... escaped..."

"What attacked you?" Seris demanded.

The Devil’s expression twisted with remembered horror. "Something... ancient. Powerful. It... almost destroyed me. I only... survived because..."

Its mystical pressure spiked suddenly—not recovery, but final desperate assault.

"You... won’t take me alive...!"

Then it moved.

Not toward Theron and Seris, but inward—self-destructive technique that would prevent capture and interrogation.

"It’s going to explode!" Seris shouted. "Defensive formation—now!"

They activated maximum protection simultaneously as the Devil’s remaining power detonated in catastrophic release.

The explosion devastated everything within fifty meters, stone vaporizing under mystical forces operating beyond normal dungeon tolerance.

Theron and Seris survived through their superior capabilities and prepared defenses, but both sustained significant injuries from the blast.

When the destruction settled, the Devil was completely gone—not even a residual mystical signature remained.

"Damn it," Theron gasped, blood running from multiple wounds.

"We needed that information!"

Seris forced herself upright despite obvious pain. "We got enough. Devils investigating triggered arrangements. Passage between territories. Something powerful enough to nearly kill a Devil-tier opponent."

She looked at Theron with grim determination.

"This changes everything. We need to find that passage and seal it before more threats cross over."

***

Meanwhile, Rey lay in his modest residence, staring at the ceiling with a satisfied smile.

"The bait has been discovered," the Prince of Darkness’s voice rumbled within his consciousness. "Your trap proceeded exactly as calculated."

Rey’s smile widened.

"Of course it did. Every element was orchestrated for this specific outcome."

He sat up, reviewing the plan’s execution with cold satisfaction.

"The Devil puppet you created from Valdris’s residual essence performed perfectly," the Prince observed. "Weak enough to be defeated, injured enough to appear legitimate, programmed with just enough information to misdirect investigation."

"One-tenth of original Devil power," Rey confirmed. "Strong enough to register as a Tier 5 corruption source, weak enough that Guild Master and Paladin could handle it together. The self-destruction protocol ensured no detailed examination that might reveal the manipulation."

The Prince’s consciousness stirred with what might have been approval.

"And the strategic implications?"

Rey stood, walking to his window overlooking Salimoor’s nighttime streets.

"Theron and Seris will recover from their injuries," he stated. "They’ll report Devil incursion into Aether territory through previously unknown passages. The Church will investigate, discover the connection between Labyrinth of Darkness and Dungeon of Malice, and seal it to prevent future crossings."

"But the damage is done," the Prince concluded.

"Exactly," Rey agreed. "Aether authorities now know Nether forces can access their territory. They’ll increase security, suspect infiltration, and question whether other passages exist. Paranoia breeds investigation, investigation reveals connections."

He turned from the window, his expression carrying a cold calculation.

"And in the Nether Realm, they’re already investigating the Labyrinth after Valdris’s disappearance. They’ll discover evidence of Aether involvement—specifically corroborating it with the Sunlit Order’s sponsorship of attacks on the Desgarron Family, one of the Nether nobility. This will lead to a fabricated connection between surface conflicts and dungeon activities."

"Creating mutual suspicion," the Prince observed.

"More than suspicion," Rey corrected. "Both sides already distrust each other. The Desgarron massacre involved Aether sponsors supporting Nether rebels. Now a Devil dies in Aether territory under mysterious circumstances. Each side has legitimate grievances, incomplete information, and reasons to suspect the other’s hostile intentions."

The Prince was silent for a moment. "You’re engineering conflict between territories."

"I’m exploiting existing tensions," Rey corrected. "Aether and Nether have maintained uneasy peace for centuries. But peace requires trust, and trust is fragile. A few strategic provocations, some convenient discoveries, occasional mysterious deaths—"

"And war becomes inevitable."

Rey smiled without warmth. "War provides chaos. Chaos creates opportunities. Opportunities allow someone to be patient and ruthless enough to position themselves advantageously."

"So what will you do now? When will you strike?" the Prince asked.

"Right now, I’m Eru—grateful Nephilim Searcher who survived the investigation without suspicion," Rey replied. "Guild Master and Paladin found exactly what I wanted them to find. My backstory is established, my capabilities demonstrated, my trustworthiness proven through professional conduct under scrutiny."

He returned to his bed, lying down with a satisfied expression.

"Tomorrow, they’ll announce the Devil threat has been eliminated. I’ll express appropriate concern about territorial security while privately celebrating that suspicion has shifted away from me and toward international complications."

"And long-term objectives?"

Rey’s expression hardened. "Grow stronger. Acquire resources. Position myself to exploit the coming conflict. Eventually, achieve sufficient power to challenge the Ancient Chaos God and Archdukes who destroyed H’Trae."

He didn’t have any grudge against the Five Ancient Holy Gods at the moment. But if they got in his way... he would kill them too.

It was that simple.

The Prince settled back into dormancy within Rey’s soul. "A patient game..."

"I have time," Rey stated simply. "And I have no constraints of conscience or morality that might limit my methods. Whatever it takes. However long it requires."

Right now, the most important thing was finding methods to properly increase his strength, but this was a challenge on its own.

The most effective route would be to join the church.

Becoming strong without such backing was practically impossible. And if he, a Neplhlim, became too powerful with the right affiliations, it could lead to some trouble finding him.

’Still... that is a problem for later.’

Rey closed his eyes, allowing sleep to claim him.

If only his new allies could see the person they had just laughed with. They would all be horrified by Eru’s true nature!