Lucas clutched the glowing purple crystal in his hand and slowly turned back toward the massive corpse of the E-rank spider. The creature's body was a mess of severed limbs and deep wounds, green blood still slowly leaking from its broken form.
He stared at it for a few seconds before letting out a low, amused chuckle.
"So… you wanted to evolve into a humanoid species, huh?"
His voice was quiet, almost conversational, as if he were speaking to an old acquaintance rather than a dead monster. He walked closer to the corpse, his boots sinking slightly into the thick webbing, and stopped right in front of its ruined head. Lucas looked down at it with a cold, unreadable expression.
He reached out and gently patted the top of its head twice.
"Rest now," he said softly.
For a moment, only the faint crackle of fading lightning and Riven's weak, labored breathing filled the chamber.
He finally pulled his hand away and looked down at the Arachne's Heart Crystal in his palm. The swirling purple liquid inside pulsed faintly, as if it were alive.
Lucas's blue eyes darkened slightly.
"Evolving into a higher species… How ironic. Even monsters dream of becoming something more."
He turned his head slightly, his gaze drifting toward Liora, who was still lying paralyzed on the ground a short distance away. Their eyes met for a brief moment. Liora's purple eyes were filled with fear and growing dread.
Lucas shrugged and let out a small chuckle.
"I'm really looking that scary?"
He turned away from Liora and walked toward Riven, who was still lying on the ground, clutching the bleeding wound on her waist. Unlike Liora, Riven's expression remained neutral. There was no fear in her eyes — only a quiet, simmering hatred as she watched him approach.
Lucas crouched down in front of her, resting his arms on his knees.
"So," he said calmly, "this crystal was worth dragging everyone here to die for?"
Riven glared at him, her breathing ragged.
"Are you here to gloat?" she spat. "Then do it properly and kill me already."
Lucas tilted his head slightly, a faint, cold smile tugging at his lips.
"Gloat?" he repeated. "There's nothing to gloat about. You were simply… useful."
Riven's eyes narrowed.
"Useful?"
"You weakened the spider," Lucas continued. "You tired yourselves out fighting each other. And now…" He glanced at Darius's corpse nearby. "There's one less person I have to deal with."
Riven let out a weak, bitter laugh that quickly turned into a pained cough.
"You really are a piece of shit."
Lucas didn't deny it. He simply stared at her for a moment before speaking again, his voice dropping lower.
"You're bleeding out," he said. "If I leave you like this, you'll be dead in thirty minutes. Maybe less."
Riven gritted her teeth.
"Then stop wasting time and finish it."
Lucas was quiet for a few seconds. Then he slowly stood up and looked down at her.
"I'm not going to kill you," he said.
Riven frowned, confusion flickering across her face.
"…What?"
Lucas turned his gaze toward Liora before looking back at Riven.
"Not yet," he added quietly. "Both of you might still have some value left."
Before Riven could respond, Lucas's voice dropped into a low whisper.
"[Throne of Chains]."
The air in the chamber instantly grew heavier.
A deep, rumbling sound echoed from beneath the webbed floor as black bone and molten chains erupted upward. The chains twisted and coiled together, forming a grotesque yet majestic throne. Black bones jutted out from its frame like jagged spikes, while veins of glowing orange lava pulsed between the cracks. The throne hovered slightly above the ground, radiating an oppressive, infernal aura.
Riven's eyes widened in shock.
Lucas stepped forward and sat down on the throne. The moment his body touched it, the molten chains moved on their own, wrapping around the armrests and coiling near his legs like loyal serpents. A faint pressure spread outward, pressing down on the entire chamber.
Lucas leaned back against the throne, one arm resting lazily on the armrest as he looked down at Riven.
"Much better," he said calmly.
Riven gritted her teeth, her body trembling from both blood loss and the mental strain of resisting the throne's pressure.
"What… the hell is this?" she forced out.
Lucas didn't answer. Instead, he slowly turned his head toward the deeper darkness of the chamber and spoke in a calm, commanding tone.
"Imp. Bring that thunder girl here."
From within the shadows, a small, pitch-black figure slowly emerged. Its silver eyes glowed faintly as it stepped into the dim crimson light. The creature was small — barely reaching up to Lucas's waist — with a thin, childlike frame and long, shadowy limbs.
Riven's heart sank.
How…? I couldn't sense it at all…
The Imp moved toward Liora's paralyzed body. With surprising strength, it grabbed her by the collar of her robe and dragged her across the ground until it dropped her right beside Riven.
Liora let out a weak gasp as she was released. Her purple eyes were filled with fear and frustration, but she still couldn't move.
Lucas looked down at the two girls from his throne. The molten chains around the armrests shifted slightly, reacting to his mood. His blue eyes were cold and devoid of mercy as he spoke.
"Now then," he said quietly. "I'll give you both two options."
He raised one finger.
"First — become my sacrifice for my summoning. I'll use your bodies and souls to call forth something from the abyss."
He raised a second finger.
"Second — pledge yourselves to me and live."
The chamber fell into a heavy silence, broken only by the faint crackling of the throne's molten chains.
Lucas leaned forward slightly, resting his elbow on his knee as he looked down at them with an indifferent expression.
"Choose," he said calmly. "You have until I use your friend's corpse for my offering."
Both girls stiffened.
Riven's eyes widened in shock before narrowing into a glare.
"You… bastard…" she hissed. "You're going to use Darius's body? He's not even cold yet, and you're already treating him like some offering?"
Liora, still paralyzed, could only stare at Lucas with pure hatred and fear in her eyes. The thought of Darius's corpse being desecrated made her stomach churn violently.
Seated upon the throne, Lucas raised a single hand. The molten chains coiled around its base suddenly came alive, slithering across the floor before wrapping tightly around Darius's body. With a violent jerk, they lifted him helplessly into the air. Without rising from his seat, Lucas pressed his palm against Darius's chest. His voice dropped into a low, resonant tone as he activated the skill.
"[Legion of the Bound King]."
A black abyssal gate tore open beneath Darius's corpse.
Burning black chains erupted from the swirling darkness, wrapping tightly around his body before dragging it down into the depths with a wet, sickening THUD.
Riven's face twisted in disgust.
"You fucking monster…!" she spat, her voice weakened by blood loss.
Liora could only stare in horror as Darius's corpse was desecrated before her eyes.
The abyssal energy surged.
Cracks spread across Darius's skin as the darkness seeped deeper into his body, devouring flesh and bone from within. His corpse began to break apart, dissolving into streams of pure black energy that spiraled downward into the Gate.
Within seconds, nothing remained.
The black abyssal gate shuddered once.
Then it vanished.
Silence settled over the room.
BOOM.
A heavy pressure erupted in the chamber. The ruined walls trembled. Webs snapped and fell. The ground itself began to quake as something massive forced its way into existence.
A colossal purple-veined claw slammed down first, cracking the stone floor. Then the rest of the beast followed.
Standing over five meters at the shoulder and weighing several dozen tons, the Nyxclaw Ursus emerged from the swirling darkness like a living mountain of abyssal power. Dense black-gray fur threaded with shimmering veins of violet energy covered its body.
Jagged obsidian crystals erupted naturally from its shoulders, spine, forearms, and hips—living organs that pulsed with infernal mana. Its eyes glowed with deep violet light, while faint golden fissures ran beneath its fur like molten inscriptions left by forgotten devils.
Every footstep left cracked earth infused with lingering abyssal corruption.
The Nyxclaw Ursus raised its massive head and roared.
The sheer force of the sound blasted Riven and Liora several paces backward. Riven's already wounded body slammed against a broken pillar, blood spraying from her mouth. Liora's paralyzed form slid across the webs, her eyes wide with pure terror.
Standing beside Lucas' throne, the Imp's panicked voice rang directly into his mind.
"Master! You need to put it in its place before it attacks me!"
Just as the Imp predicted, the Nyxclaw's glowing violet eyes snapped toward the small devil. Hunger flickered in those abyssal depths. The beast's nostrils flared as it caught the Imp's scent, and a low, rumbling growl vibrated through the chamber. Its massive claws flexed, digging deeper into the cracked stone.
The Nyxclaw took one heavy step forward. The ground shuddered. Its violet eyes locked onto the Imp with clear intent to devour.
Lucas slowly stood.
The Throne of Chains rose slightly higher behind him, chains coiling and tightening like living serpents. His blue eyes darkened, shifting toward a deep purple as he activated his authority.
[Abyssal Authority]
A wave of pure abyssal pressure exploded outward from Lucas's body. The smaller spiders still lingering in the chamber collapsed instantly, their bodies twitching before going still. Even the air itself seemed to thicken.
The Nyxclaw Ursus paused mid-step. Its massive head tilted slightly, as if sensing something familiar yet far more dangerous than the Imp it had been eyeing.
Lucas's voice cut through the chamber, cold and absolute.
"Kneel."
The single word carried the full weight of his class. The Throne of Chains behind him pulsed, molten links extending outward like grasping tendrils. The Nyxclaw's violet eyes narrowed.
For a moment, the two forces of abyssal power clashed in silence—one born of pure instinct and hunger, the other forged through will and dominion.
The beast's claws scraped against the stone. Its crystals flared brighter. A deep, guttural snarl escaped its throat.
The Throne of Chains pulsed behind Lucas. Molten links extended further, wrapping loosely around the beast's thick neck and front limbs. The full pressure of [Abyssal Authority] pressed down without mercy, forcing the creature's instincts to acknowledge a stronger will.
Lucas did not move. He simply stared the creature down, the pressure of his authority pressing harder with every passing second.
"I said," he repeated, voice lower, "kneel."
The Nyxclaw's abyssal crystals flared brightly for a moment, then dimmed. A deep, guttural snarl escaped its throat, but its front legs finally fully bent.
The massive beast lowered its head.
The moment its forehead nearly touched the cracked stone, the Throne of Chains reacted. The molten links tightened and sank into the Nyxclaw's body like living brands. Dark purple runes briefly flared across the beast's chest and shoulders before vanishing beneath its fur.
A system notification appeared in front of Lucas.
[Contract Established]
Summoned Entity: Nyxclaw Ursus
Rank: D (Mid- Tier)
Title: The Abyssal Mauler
Loyalty: 64%
Status: Temporary Bond Stabilized
Lucas exhaled slowly. The heavy pressure in the chamber eased slightly as the contract locked into place. The Nyxclaw remained kneeling, its violet eyes still fixed on him, but the open hostility was gone. In its place was a wary, begrudging acceptance.
The Imp let out a shaky breath of relief.
"Master… it submitted."
Lucas gave a small nod. He was about to open the full summon window to inspect the Nyxclaw's abilities when a sharp, piercing pain suddenly erupted from deep within his chest.
It felt as though an invisible black chain had tightened around his soul.
"—!"
His vision blurred for a moment. A cold sweat formed on his forehead. The pain was not physical — it came from his very soul being strained.
A new system window appeared in front of his eyes, glowing with urgent crimson light.
[Warning]
[Soul Capacity Limit Reached.]
Your current soul strength is insufficient to sustain additional higher-tier summons. Further attempts to summon or maintain entities beyond your current capacity may result in:
Severe damage to your soul
Permanent reduction in mana reserves
Loss of control over existing summons
Possible backlash or soul erosion
Recommended Actions:
Acquire a Compatible Bloodline: A strong bloodline can reinforce your soul and significantly increase your summoning capacity.
Raise Your Rank: Advancing your rank will naturally expand your soul's tolerance and allow you to maintain more powerful summons.
Current Limit: 2 Mid-Tier Devils (or equivalent: 1 Mid-Tier + 3 Low-Tier)
***
Hey everyone!
My new novel is finally here!
If you enjoy dark fantasy, overpowered protagonists, brutal battles, and a whole lot of forbidden content, give it a shot.
Asher McKenna's journey is just beginning, and trust me, things are going to get wild.
Give the new story a chance, and let me know what you think!
Thanks for all the support.