The Serpent sensed the deaths of the two Hammer of Heaven Elders, but he didn't care.
Their purpose was merely to generate fear—fear that could be transferred to him via the Serpent's Fang. But now, he had found a better method. Although it wasn't as intense in one go, it was continuous and sustainable.
As for that device, without the key, it couldn't be shut down. Forcefully destroying it wouldn't work either.
Dark Dimension.
"Demon King, have you absorbed enough energy?"A middle-aged man's face was shrouded in dark mist.
"Sorry, I only became a Demon King two years ago. My power is still a bit uncontrollable. Maybe I should leave first?"
Kino stood up awkwardly, clearly a little embarrassed.
"No, it's fine, really. I'm just worried your body won't be able to handle absorbing so much energy. Let's keep chatting."
"Hahaha, Old Duo, you're such a good guy. Seems like the outside world has really misunderstood you."
Kino was sitting inside a palace composed entirely of energy. Above them, a vortex of energy swirled endlessly, siphoning power from the realm.
Sitting across from him was a black-haired middle-aged man—Dormammu's incarnation.
"That's right, I'm actually a good person. But some people keep stopping me under the guise of 'protecting the world.'I'm not trying to destroy the world. I just want to rule it—turn humans into my slaves. Many humans are already slaves to others, so why not be mine too?"
As he spoke, Dormammu's face twisted with resentment.
"Hahaha, you're absolutely right. It's all their fault."
Kino nodded along enthusiastically, fully playing the role of an agreeable listener: "You're not wrong—the world is."
Dormammu felt both pleased and pained.
Pleased that a fellow powerful being was complimenting him.
Pained because this guy had absorbed an unbelievable amount of dark energy—and still wasn't satisfied.
But he couldn't kick him out now. The plan had already begun. Sending him away would mean all previous efforts were wasted.
Smiling on the surface, Kino was communicating with Venom internally.
[Venom, still can't find it?]
No. This guy's more hidden than Mephisto. He split the dimension core into countless pieces. Honestly, this entire Dark Dimension is his core.
[Forget it. Try to find a chance to return.]
You still want to stay here? Earth must be in chaos by now.
[It's fine. We have Lucifer, the Ancient One, and Pamela holding the fort. No matter how chaotic it gets, it won't collapse.This is also a test for the Demon Group. I want to see how they handle things without me.]
Why include Pamela? How strong is she now?
[I'm not entirely sure—but beating Odin shouldn't be a problem.]
That's insane...
"Demon King, are you sure you don't want to reconsider my offer? Your territory could expand infinitely."
Dormammu continued to tempt him.
Earth was situated at a critical cosmic nexus, connecting multiple dimensions and universes.Controlling Earth would give Dormammu a staging ground to expand into other realms—achieving his ambition of multiverse conquest.
"Ah, Old Duo, don't be fooled by how glorious I look ruling on Earth. I have my own hardships.
I was forced into this position. Sitting on the throne is like sitting on needles—I can't even casually kill humans. I have to act like their babysitter.
Let's just drink. I shouldn't drag you into this mess."
Kino put down his wine cup, face filled with sorrow.
Dormammu sensed an opportunity and quickly asked, "Tell me—who threatened you? I'll kill them for you."
"The Sorcerer Supreme."
Dormammu's face froze at the name.
"Two years ago, just after I became a Demon King, the Sorcerer Supreme caught me, threatened me, beat me—and didn't even give me food."
Kino covered his face, his body trembling as if holding back sobs.
"She made me sign a contract to protect Earth. A Demon King! If I couldn't enslave humans, fine—I'd leave. But to protect them? What kind of sick joke is that?"
He slammed the table in anger.
Boom!
The palace doors burst open.
A horde of muscular, monstrous creatures from the Dark Dimension stormed in, wielding weapons and glaring viciously at Kino.
"Old Duo, what's the meaning of this?"
Kino's aura erupted with demonic power as he stared at Dormammu with suspicion.
Dormammu quickly explained.
"They're my dance troupe! Since this is your first visit to the Dark Dimension, I thought we'd throw a party."
"Oh, I see. Then let the performance begin. I'd love to see your artistic taste, Old Duo."
Kino sat back down and looked at the hulking creatures.
The monsters looked at each other, confused. Dance? They only knew how to fight.They turned to Dormammu.
"What are you looking at? Start your performance!" Dormammu commanded.
With no choice, the monsters reluctantly began.
Swords clashed, fists flew—the so-called performance was nothing short of a brutal, blood-soaked battle.
Soon, the palace floor was drenched in blood.
Dormammu twitched.
"Old Duo, your art here in the Dark Dimension is a bit... extreme."
Kino added sarcastically.
"They're probably just overexcited because there's a guest. They're not usually like this."
Once most of the monsters had killed each other, Dormammu wiped away the corpses with energy.
Note to self: get smarter minions.
"Old Duo, watching that made my blood boil. Let's go find the Sorcerer Supreme now and cut her head off!Then we'll split the Earth, build an empire, and reach new heights together!"
Kino excitedly pulled at Dormammu's arm.
"Wait, wait—calm down. Let's just keep drinking."
Dormammu broke into a cold sweat and hurriedly pulled Kino back.
If you really go to Earth, the only thing getting split is you—by the Sorcerer Supreme.
"Sigh… fine. I won't make it hard for you. That woman really is terrifying. She even… sob…"
Kino suddenly covered his face in humiliation.
Venom's voice echoed in his mind.
You're really slandering the Ancient One like this? Aren't you afraid she'll come smack you down?
[Not afraid. I worked so hard on my homework. She gave Wanda a B—and gave me an E. And that's not even the worst part!She even told me to practice my handwriting. That's so humiliating!]
She's not wrong. You do need the practice.
[Is it really that bad?]
Put it this way: if I hadn't read your memories when I first bonded with you, I would've thought your writing was ancient script.
[...]
Quote of the Chapter:"A crown of shadows is still a crown of chains—freedom never comes by serving another's will, even under laughter."
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