******
At the slight arch of Venomspite’s massive brow, Xylen could sense a flicker of surprise — subtle, yet unmistakable. But Xylen no longer cares about his thoughts.
"If my guess is correct, the reason you claimed I don’t deserve to lead you is... because you think I’m just a frail little Demon who couldn’t lift a finger, talk more of fighting, am I right?" He asked, his voice calm, composed, and casual.
In the following second, however, the room plunged into silence, heavy like a shroud.
Venomspite remained silent, but his lack of response and casual expression was already an affirmative answer to Xylen’s question.
Since Xylen had already expected this, he wasn’t caught off guard.
What shocked him, however, was that Venomspite wasn’t the only one harboring this belief. The other seven Demons’ faces stiffed at the face of his question, their eyes betraying the same judgment.
They had shared this sentiment from the start. But, they hadn’t taken it that deeply.
Why?
They had assumed they’d be doing the real work while Xylen would merely lead them in name. This was why they hadn’t reacted like Venomspite—or at all.
But now that he had stated it outright without mincing his words, they were too slow to react, allowing both Xylen and Lilith to catch their expressions and immediately grasp their thoughts.
Lilith instantly clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white, suddenly fuming.
’How dare these bastards look down on my Lord?’
’They dared to assume he was a weakling?’
Her teeth ground against each other with ferocity, memories of the forest resurfacing — the image of Xylen effortlessly toying with the level six monster replaying in her mind.
Although she hadn’t voiced any of her thoughts, asked any questions, nor brought up the incident since they left the forest—acting as if she had completely forgotten it, she had been replaying the moment in her mind nonstop since then.
When they were walking back to the mansion.
When she was preparing Xylen’s bath.
When she was laying out his bed.
When she was bathing herself.
The thought had even surfaced when they were making their way here tonight, but she had forced it to the back of her mind to stay focused and alert.
The awe hadn’t faded, and she hadn’t been able to stop grinning foolishly to herself every time she recalled the overpowering display of Xylen that day. Yet now, these fools dared to underestimate and belittle him?
Lilith nearly lunged to strike them all into a stupor, forgetting that she had been in the Demon’s position earlier, also making the same grave mistake of assuming Xylen was a weakling.
Meanwhile, Xylen, reading through the group’s thoughts, he couldn’t help but blink at them, stunned for a second before his lips twitched.
’You guys too?’
He thought speechlessly before shaking his head, then, without any warning, a sudden mischievous smirk tugged at his lips — a cruel, playful curve that directly sent chills down the Demons’ spines.
Even Venomspite recoiled.
But before they could process this...
"Then watch this," Xylen announced expressionlessly, and in the following second:
Boom!
A sudden, suffocating, oppressive aura erupted from his body, dark and terrifying, causing the room to instantly tremble as though an earthquake had started.
It was his full level 5 aura, and experiencing it, the demons felt as if the weight of the world itself was crushing them.
Their hearts pounded in their chests, and their lungs fought for air, all of them suddenly gawking at Xylen, who now seemed like a completely different person.
His aura was not just terrifying—it was pure darkness. And his eyes, twin voids, currently bore into Venomspite, appearing as if trying to devour his very soul.
Venomspite’s entire body trembled, feeling so terrified he almost screamed, but before he could open his mouth—
"Is this enough?"
Xylen inquired, his voice abruptly dropping, so cold and void of any emotion.
However, not waiting for any response...
Corrupted Power!
He snapped in his mind, and the next second, the room buckled under an even heavier pressure—its intensity doubling.
The air itself seemed to shatter.
Unable to resist, the seven demons collapsed, their legs turning to jelly as sweat poured down their faces.
As for Venomspite, whom the pressure was primarily focused upon...
GRUHH!
He vomited blood and flew halfway across the room, slamming into the wall with a sickening thud.
His skin had turned deathly pale by this time, and his entire body was already drenched in a cold sweat, deep disbelief clouding his eyes.
Just then...
"Is this enough?" Xylen asked again, his voice sharp as a blade.
"Yes, my Lord!"
"It is enough, My Lord!"
"Mercy, please, my Lord!"
"My Lord, please forgive him! He didn’t know what he was doing!"
The other seven Demons scrambled to plead, their words frantic and desperate.
Hearing them, Xylen didn’t respond right away, instead, he simply stared down at Venomspite, who lay slumped against the wall, trembling.
"What do you think?" he asked, his voice cold and emotionless but seeming to be laced with a subtle, hidden threat.
Venomspite, hearing it, instantly swallowed hard and forced his body to move, his muscles screaming in protest as he raised his head to meet Xylen’s gaze.
At this moment, Xylen had already accepted that he had lost Venomspite’s loyalty.
The Demon’s Loyalty Scale had already hit rock bottom anyway, and now, Xylen had attacked him on top.
But he didn’t regret it.
As much as he would never go out of his way to attack and offend people unless necessary, he would also never let anyone belittle him.
That’s why Xylen unleashed his full strength without restraint, even at the cost of wasting his MP. But to him, it was worth it.
Call him petty if you want—he didn’t mind. He was satisfied, and this... it was all that mattered.
Thinking this, Xylen, not waiting for any response from Venomspite, waved his hand, and in the following moment, the crushing aura that had tightly enveloped the room vanished as though it had never been there.
The demons collapsed as the suffocating pressure vanished, and with this, they began to gasp for air. All of them lay sprawled on the floor, their chests heaving.
But none of them spoke. They just stared at Xylen, eyes wide with disbelief... especially Venomspite.
He stared at Xylen in terror, unable to believe what had just happened.
Such a terrifying pressure had never been released on him before.
But beyond his fear, he felt embarrassment because—when had he ever been humiliated like this?
He kept his gaze fixed on Xylen, filled with terror, yet surprisingly devoid of rage.
Instead, his eyes slowly began to light up, making Xylen frown in confusion.
’Has he hit his head against the floor?’ He couldn’t help but wonder in a daze.
Just as this thought crossed his mind, however...
[Venomspite’s loyalty scale to you has increased to 45%. He now has reluctant obedience toward you.]
Xylen blinked, caught off guard, completely caught off-guard, then...
’Wait, what?’ His breathing hitched, but in the next second—
[Venomspite’s loyalty scale to you has increased to 64%. He now has faithful devotion, trust, and respect toward you.]
Another notification echoed.
Xylen: "..."
He stared in a trance for a moment, and then his lips twitched, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.