Arthur looked toward the cards in his hands, their surfaces shimmering faintly with unspent power.

The system’s voice came inside his head.

[ Host, what are you planning to do with them? Each of them is very precious and can make you even stronger, no matter if it’s a skill or something else. ]

Arthur spoke aloud, his tone thoughtful.

"Upgrading a high-ranking skill is no good if I can’t use it for long in a lengthy fight. They take too much of a toll on the body because of their power, and they also consume too much mana."

He paused, his eyes narrowing as he considered his options.

"What I’m planning to do is a little bit risky. But if it works, we’ll have a very powerfull tool in our hands."

He looked toward the slave seal on his hand—a mark on the back of his left hand, an intricate black sigil shaped like an eight-pointed star. Its lines were thin and elegant, almost like calligraphy. At the center of the star sat a tiny circle, like a chained sun, pulsing faintly with dark energy.

"I’ll use both of these cards on it," he said.

The system was surprised for a moment.

[ Are you sure about this, Host? It’s gonna be dangerous—like playing with fire. ]

Arthur nodded confidently.

"I know. But my instincts are telling me it will work."

He held both upgrade cards over the mark on his hand.

They began to glow brighter, trembling with power, then dissolved into streams of light that sank into his skin.

The mark on his hand flared.

A burning sensation spread across his palm and up his wrist, but Arthur didn’t flinch. He watched as the sigil transformed—its lines thickened, its edges sharper, and the central circle began to spin slowly like a wheel.

A system notification appeared.

[ Upgrade Complete ]

[ Slave Seal has been upgraded to (SS-Rank). ]

[ New Effect: Host may now enslave enemies up to SS-Rank after making them submit. ]

[ Binding Efficiency increased by 300%. ]

[ Resistance to rebellion attempts improved by 300%. ]

[ Additional Effect: Host may now impose absolute commands on enslaved targets. Disobedience will result in severe mental and physical backlash. ]

The mark on Arthur’s hand glowed brighter, its lines now sharper and more menacing, radiating an oppressive aura.

Arthur smiled.

"Good. Very good."

He looked toward the containment ring holding Elizabeth, the faint crimson glow pulsing from within it like a heartbeat.

"System, we’re going inside that thing to see our beloved prisoner. And to ask if she liked the feast I sent her two days ago."

The system’s voice came again, cautious and hesitant.

[ You really are insane, Host. You do know she wants to kill you more than anything, right? ]

Arthur shrugged casually.

"Don’t worry. Inside that ring, she cannot do anything. I’m the master there."

The system hesitated.

[ But still... think one more time— ]

Arthur cut it off sharply.

"But nothing. We’re doing it."

The system sighed in resignation.

[ As you wish, you crazy Host... ]

Arthur slipped the containment ring onto his finger.

In the next instant, his body dissolved into particles of light.

The world around him blurred and twisted.

When his vision cleared, he found himself standing in a different world entirely.

Arthur found himself inside the containment ring.

The world around him felt like a broken fragment of reality.

The sky above was a dark crimson void, cracked like shattered glass barely glued together. Thin fissures of light spread across it, but they weren’t comforting—they looked like wounds in the world itself, bleeding faint traces of dim red glow.

The ground beneath him was cold and black, its surface subtly shifting, as if something alive was crawling just beneath it. Every step he took made the ground ripple slightly, like walking on the surface of dark water.

There was no wind.

No true light.

Only oppressive silence and the faint hum of something unnatural.

Arthur looked around, taking it all in. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Wow. It’s truly a horrible place to live," he said.

He looked behind and said with a smile, "Don’t you agree, Elizabeth?"

Just as Arthur said that, a killing intent so thick it pressed everywhere like an invisible weight filled the air.

Arthur turned around.

Elizabeth was on her knees on the ground.

Black chains were binding her from everywhere—her arms, her legs, and even her neck. The chains glowed faintly with dark energy, pulsing like veins.

Arthur took in how she looked.

Dark circles hung beneath her eyes. Her clothes were dirty and torn. Her once-proud posture was gone, replaced by a hunched, miserable form.

The dominating presence he had expected from her was not there.

He thought, ’Did she break too easily?’

Arthur walked toward her slowly, a smile on his face, even as he felt pure hatred radiating from her like heat from a flame.

Elizabeth finally looked up.

Red met red.

Both of them locked eyes.

Elizabeth yelled.

"You... you son of a bitch! I’ll kill you, you fucking monster you killed them all even children!"

She tried to lunge at Arthur.

But black lightning immediately erupted from the chains.

It ran all over her body, crackling and burning.

Elizabeth screamed—an inhuman scream of pain.

Arthur raised his hand.

"Stop it," he said calmly.

The lightning stopped instantly.

Elizabeth collapsed forward, gasping for air, her body trembling as she tried to steady her breathing.

Arthur looked down at her.

"Looks like you’re not happy to see me," he said. "Not like I am to see you."

Elizabeth glared at him with pure hatred.

Arthur shook his head, feigning hurt.

"I even sent you food here," he said.

He looked toward another direction, where the corpse of a chained man lay.

His body was pitch black, shriveled and hollow, as if someone had drained every single drop of blood from his body.

And it was true.

The man was demon lord Astaroth, and Elizabeth was the reason he was lying there dead.

Elizabeth glared at Arthur.

Arthur sighed.

"I’m not here to waste time, okay? I’m just here to free you."

The moment Elizabeth heard that, her eyes lit up—just for a fraction of a second—even though her expression didn’t change.

Arthur noticed it and smiled.

"But as you know," he continued, "freedom comes at a price."

He crouched down to meet her at eye level.

"There was a time when, to get my freedom from you, I had to fight for my life. And now it’s your turn. But not to fight."

He paused.

"The condition is simple. Serve me like a loyal dog who doesn’t bite its own master. What do you say?"

Elizabeth’s eyes widened in disbelief.

She stared at him, her mouth slightly open, as if she couldn’t believe what she’d just heard just now.

Arthur waited for her answer, his smile never fading.