Right as Azure Monarch saw Ryuda walking into the ruined church, he quickly suppressed his aura and followed his teacher in.
He didn't want the fanatics from before to detect him and find this place, disturbing his teacher in the process.
When Azure Monarch reached the entrance, he saw that Ryuda was talking to a chained entity of some sort.
'Those are the Chains of Prometheus, an X ranked spell of the sealing magic category! And that sealing array! It's actually the SSS ranked Four Paths Sealing Array! Incredible! Just what sort of beast could make the Teacher use two divine spells to subdue it with?!'
Azure Monarch analyzed the seals placed around the church and revealed a shocked expression.
Just then, one of the charms he placed around the town started to ring in his mind. It was the fanatics again. They were closing in on the church and were sure to disturb his teacher if they did reach here.
Thinking so, Azure Monarch took one last look at Ryuda and the chained beast inside of the church.
He then bowed and slowly backed out of the crumbled church entrance before he took out his treasured weapon, the Azure Cloud Blade, and flew off into the direction of the incoming fanatics.
***
"Was that…Master Ao?" The demon Merlin who was silent this whole time finally lifted his head and asked, his eyes still fixed on the church entrance where the Azure Monarch once stood.
"Mhm, that was my disciple, Azure Monarch. I doubt he would remember you anymore though. Especially when you're in this state...I do hope his heart has moved on too." Without looking away, Ryuda replied in a cold tone.
CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!
The golden chains of Prometheus swung wildly as Merlin tried his best to break free.
"You piece of shit! I will tear you to pieces even if I were to perish right now!" Enraged, the demon swung his claws at the empty air and roared.
Every time the demon tried to extend his claws beyond a certain point, the Four Paths Sealing Array would discharge a wave of holy mana intertwined with one of the four directions godly beasts' aura and shock the demon with it.
And every time the demon gets hit with the array's sealing attack, Merlin would cry out in pain. Nonetheless, Merlin continued to struggle needlessly.
Just one scratch!
One scratch to wash away his hatred!
Alas, after 6 continuous strikes, Merlin the Demon slumped back down onto the cold wooden floor like an electrocuted chicken.
Merlin saw this but remained silent. He knew that he had accumulated too much negative karma to reach this point.
Whatever he did now could no longer shake his heart, and whatever pity he felt towards the prisoner would not reduce the severity of his past actions.
3 breaths later, the charred Merlin woke up.
"Ugh, I hate this place." The red haired demon shook his head a few times before he turned to look at Ryuda, the hate in his eyes still present. "What do you want to know? I want to refute any and all of your words, but I am at your mercy for now…"
"For now is an overestimation of your prowess…Anyways, I need your help. Camelot of Avalon is now facing a demon problem. Demonic activity has been increasing and the King of Camelot himself has stated that millions of villagers have been massacred and sacrificed in the past few months."
"Go fuck yourself." Merlin heard Ryuda's words and couldn't help but curse him the moment the demon opened his mouth.
"I've been trapped here for a good three hundred years or so already. Do you think I can pinpoint a demon species based on your description? This just may be a cult of demonic cultists fucking around for all I know!"
"Then, have you heard of the Black Dragons of Avalon?"
"Hmmm, they sound familiar…By memory, they were a group of necromancers practicing necromancy in the mountainous regions of the Avalonian Empire." Merlin cupped his chin and said.
Even the demon who was sealed in a church in the middle of nowhere had heard of the infamous group.
"Necromancers? Arthur didn't mention this."
"Well yeah, your so-called King of Camelot disciple has only been around for 40+ years. The Black Dragons of Avalon on the other hand have been around before the founding of the Avalonian Empire."
"You're oddly knowledgeable about this." Ryuda raised an eyebrow and commented. Even he wasn't aware of the group's existence back then, so he didn't think that Merlin would either.
It was only then did Merlin realized he must have been shocked silly that he was now answering his enemy's questions like an old friend.
Following this revelation, Merlin the Demon fell into silence again. But by then, Ryuda had already acquired a lot of information from the demon.
"You must've been a master manipulator in your last life, you actually managed to make me forget our enmity and yapped for so long. Impressive as always, you piece of shit." With one final look at the church entrance, Merlin shot Ryuda a middle finger and soon disappeared back into black smoke, seeping into the cracks of the dilapidated church again.
As for the teacher, Ryuda clasped his hands together and formed a series of hand seals while he chanted a mantra.
"May your soul return to the cycle of reincarnation and live a better life…"