Both Demon Counts had to use their full power to walk beneath the crushing enhanced gravity.
When the duo was within ten meters of Ezequiel, the latter stopped his training and focused on them.
Nizer and Kuru felt their instincts warning them about the immense threat in front of them. The physical effort made their hearts beat very fast and with tremendous strength, creating thunderous sounds.
The Demon Lords' heartbeat was impressive, but it could not compare with that of the Neo-Demon.
A silent battle started between the trio.
Ezequiel's heartbeat was calm despite the physical stress and fatigue, but every pulsation was like an explosion.
The rhythm of the Neo-Demon's heartbeat began to affect that of the Demon Lords. Before a minute passed, Kuru's face became pale, and a trail of blood appeared in the corner of his mouth.
Nizer saw Kuru's condition and was about to talk, but Ezequiel went ahead of him.
"Go straight to the point. I need to return to my training and have no time for courtesies."
The Demon Lord felt angry due to the Neo-Demon's remarks but could calm down and keep a cold head.
"Demon Lord Evil. Duke Luzerne has sent us here since your contract needs some modifications. From now on, you will need to send sixty-five percent of the resources obtained from your incursions."
After Nizer finished speaking, Kuru took out a parchment from his space ring.
Usually, a Demon Lord should have to bestow fifty percent of the wealth he obtains from his invasion to the Demon Duke above them. Evil presenting sixty percent was incredibly generous, but Luzerne wanted even more.
The duo knew that their master's actions could be considered excessive bullying. They feared the monster's response, but instead of getting angry, Evil smiled.
'Duke Luzerne knows how I manage to go into so many invasions without angering the other Demon Dukes. He wants to leave me with only five percent of what I obtain after those life and death battles. I am under someone with immense greed.' Although they sounded like complaints, the Neo-Demon's smile grew wider as those thoughts appeared in his mind.
The Demon Lords found Evil's behavior extremely strange. It was like if Duke Luzerne's greed made him happy.
Ezequiel stared at the parchment, and after some thinking, he spoke.
"I will give Duke Luzerne the percentage of wealth he desires from my invasions. However, I need to have his backing for ten new incursions this year and a slot for the Blood Ponds. Tell him my conditions and come back with his answer."
The Demon Lords looked at each other after hearing Evil's words. They could not just leave this place and tell Duke Luzerne that they failed in their task.
Kuru let his wildness fill his heart to suppress the fear and spoke with an overbearing tone.
"You cannot dictate conditions in the contract. This order comes directly from Duke Luzerne, and if you...." Kuru could not finish his sentence since his entire body froze when Ezequiel's cold eyes focused on him.
The Neo-Demon channel Abyss' World Strength and an extraordinarily malignant and evil aura overflowed his body and spread all over the throne room.
The next second, the chaotic will, slaughter principle, and destruction origin in Ezequiel's aura erupted, and a dark domain that covered the entire Evil City emerged.
All the lesser demons in the city fell unconscious while immense terror assaulted the Rank 4 Demons, which greatly hindered their power.
The dark field that was covering the city was a unique way of applying Abyss' World Strength. It was named Evil Force Field, and it permitted Ezequiel to ignore the amount of Rank 4 life form on the enemy's side.
Demon Lords were supreme killing machines, but Nizer and Kuru could not stop the dread that invaded their hearts.
The force field's effect was lesser in the Demon Lords than in Rank 4 Demons, but it still reduced the duo's battle power between five to ten percent.
The Demon Lords had just begun to mobilize their energy when Ezequiel flashed to the demonic werewolf, grabbed his head, and slammed it into the ground.
Nizer was surprised by Evil incredible speed. He was going to help Kuru when the monster stared at him with a sinister smile and white eyes that seem to identify every single one of his flaws.
"If you two think that your positions as Great Messengers from Duke Luzerne would stop me from killing you, then you are trully stupid." Ezequiel began to exert more strength in his hands as he spoke, and Nizer could hear how Kuru's skull was starting to crack.
"We understand. We will relay your conditions to Duke Luzerne and come back with an answer." The Demon Lord did not dare to attack and sought a peaceful resolution. He would not hesitate to run away and leave Kuru behind if an actual fight started.
Ezequiel deactivated the Evil Force Field and threw the demonic werewolf to Nizer.
"Leave now. I don't want to waste more time."
Nizer took Kuru, and they immediately left the throne room before flying away. Both Demon Lords were furious, but the most potent emotion in their hearts right now was fear.
Pilo, who was at the room's entrance this entire time, saw the whole thing and began to worry. If Ezequiel's words offended the Demon Duke, he would not be the only one to die.
"My Lord, should not we..." The giant Rank 4 Demon had just started to speak when an invisible hand pushed him to the ground and began to crush his body.
Pilo felt that his body would explode at any moment and screamed.
"PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR SPEAKING OUT OF TURN, MY LORD." It was only after begging for mercy that the invisible hand vanished. Pilo slowly stood up and timidly looked at Ezequiel, who stared at him with empty eyes.
"Remember, you are a pawn that can be replaced at any moment. I don't need your advice or questions. The only thing you need to do is follow my orders."
Ezequiel's words were cruel and tyrannical. It suited his role as a Demon Lord, but it was not an act.
The Neo-Demon disliked the filthy and chaotic nature of Abyss. He preferred the City of the Sun's atmosphere. There he could pass the time with his lover, watch over the newborn Neo-Demons, and calmly improve his abilities as a Magic Creator.
If it weren't for his obsession with growing stronger, he would have just left an Avatar in the Blood Rift and only appear with his true body for an invasion.
He noticed the fear and anxiety in the Rank 4 Demon. There was no empathy in his heart for this type of creature who fed on children for fun, but he could not leave him like that.
"I only tell you this since I know you will be too distracted to do your job if I don't. Duke Luzerne is an extremely greedy individual. The permits for the ten invasions are something that will benefit him more than me. I formulate them as an exigence, so he can think he is magnanimous and put him in a good mood when he accepts them. The slot for the Blood Ponds is an actual request, but he will give it to me since the price is not worth killing me."
Ezequiel's behavior with the Demon Lords may have seemed chaotic, but everything was part of a scheme.
