A Red Illuminance!

It held a special significance—one that only a handful of humans had ever witnessed.

There was no ordinary reason behind it; a red illuminance signified that a contract was being offered by the beings most despised by the gods. These were the beings that dwelled in the lowest depths of Hell—Demons!

Unlike contracts with the gods, demon contracts always came with conditions—often demanding the human soul in exchange.

At this moment, a similar event was unfolding deep in the wilderness, within a labyrinth where Levi, barely clinging to life, found himself bathed in the ominous red light.

[A soul forsaken by the Gods and a body on the verge of death—The Darklord of the Endless Abyss has noticed your existence and offers you a contract. Will you accept?]

Barely conscious, with his vision blurring and his eyelids growing heavy, Levi heard the voice he had longed for. Though something else appeared below the message, Levi was in no state to read it. Instinctively, he thought, Yes.

[The Darklord of the Endless Abyss is satisfied with your answer.]

The illuminance flared briefly, then vanished without a trace.

[A contract has been successfully made with the Darklord of the Endless Abyss.]

[The Darklord of the Endless Abyss pities your state and has granted you a bonus reward.]

Suddenly, Levi felt as if something foreign had entered his body—no, it felt more like something long dormant within him had awakened.

He couldn't fully comprehend it, but he could feel it… whatever it was, it was terrifying.

[You have awakened your trait—Demonic Soul.]

Suddenly, the demonic essence crystal Levi had taken from the dead goblin began to shine, its essence flowing into him.

Not long after, Levi's wounds began to heal at an astonishing rate, but he was in no condition to notice—he had already lost consciousness.

For a moment, silence reigned, before the voice of Providence spoke once more.

[The Darklord of the Endless Abyss frowns upon you, wondering if you are dead.]

[The Darklord of the Endless Abyss sighs heavily, observing your state.]

[The Darklord of the Endless Abyss grumbles that you should be grateful, as a significant amount of power was used to transport you.]

That was the last message from Providence before Levi's body disappeared from the maze, leaving behind only the silent labyrinth and the growling monsters within.

****

In the stronghold of the Faithful Abundance Sanctuary, where Levi and the others had ventured to forge contracts with the gods, a blue-haired girl sat among those who had been fortunate enough to make a contract with the gods. They were all waiting to return to Earth.

At the front, Seraphine sat with her eyes closed, deep in thought of something.

As everyone awaited the Bliss Portal to be activated, they noticed another golden light descending from the sky, far into the wilderness, much farther than any of them had ventured.

Seraphine's eyes snapped open, and she turned toward the middle-aged man, Garret, who stood nearby.

Garret nodded and began manipulating his mechanical watch, initiating the procedure to retrieve the youngster who had made contract with the god.

The pillar of light was distant from the participants, suggesting it might be one of those rare cases where a god teleports the chosen individuals for further testing. Nonetheless, Garret quickly took the necessary steps, and a team of followers departed in a spherical vehicle to retrieve the youngster who had been blessed.

But just as everything seemed to be proceeding smoothly, a red pillar of light appeared in the same direction as the divine light.

"This…"

Seraphine stood abruptly, her expression troubled. Garret was equally caught off guard, his shock evident.

Without wasting any time, they left the other followers in charge of the youngsters' departure and moved out.

A demonic follower had appeared, and they had to kill him before he could return to Earth.

Yet, in the midst of the chaos, no one noticed the twisted expression of the blue-haired girl—her face burning with anger.

***

After what felt like an eternity, Levi slowly regained consciousness.

"...Ahhh…"

His eyes fluttered open, revealing a white ceiling above him. Confused and disoriented, Levi attempted to sit up but immediately regretted his decision!

He was overwhelmed by a searing pain that tore through his mind.

"Arghh!!"

He cried out in agony, collapsing back onto the soft bed beneath him. Moments later, a familiar voice reached his ears.

"I wouldn't try moving if I were you."

Levi turned his head toward the source of the voice, and there she was—the female soldier he had met before entering the Bliss Portal.

He looked at her for a movement. She was just as beautiful as he remembered, but he couldn't understand what was happening. He struggled to piece together the fragmented memories of what he remembered.

The last thing he recalled was the voice of Providence, speaking of a contract... and then, nothing. Everything after that was a blank. Before he could voice his thoughts, the female soldier spoke again.

"Seems like you made a contract with a pretty decent god. I haven't heard of any god going so far as to teleport their followers to save them."

'Huh?'

Levi was dumbfounded by her words. A contract with a god? That couldn't be right. Not after the insulting words that he had spat out! There was no way any god would extend a contract to him. The mere thought was laughable.

Yet, a chilling realization began to creep into his mind.

'Don't tell me…'

An ominous premonition took hold of him, but he fought to keep his expression neutral, choosing to lay back down instead of reacting.

"It's a miracle that you are even alive. Anyway, just rest. The healers have patched you up well, but you still need time to recover," the female soldier advised, moving forward as she noticed Levi's relative calm.

But beneath his outward composure, Levi's mind was in turmoil. He had to know the truth.

'Status.'

He silently called out, and within seconds, deep red runes materialized in front of his eyes.

Name: [Levias Drake]

Rank: Demonic Follower

Levi didn't need to read any further. The first two lines told him everything he needed to know. His heart sank as the reality of the situation hit him like a hammer.

'I've made a contract with a Demon.'

—-***---