Just as he had expected, Noah had come.

"What is it?" Noah asked indifferently.

"I, Kael, on behalf of the Velmora Dynasty and its hundreds of millions of people, thank you, great hero.

You destroyed the Demon Country, eliminated a long-standing threat, and restored peace to the land."

Kael spoke solemnly and bowed deeply.

Given his strength and status, there were very few people in the world who could make him lower his head like this.

But the man before him was Noah, someone who had single-handedly slain a Demon King and wiped out the entire Demon Country.

No one found it inappropriate. If anything, it felt completely justified.

The other two followed suit, bowing just as deeply.

"The Demon Country had existed for seventy years.

The three prefectures it occupied, along with tens of millions of people, were reduced to nothing but blood food for the demons.

For them... death had become a form of relief."

"Those who survived were subjected to endless torment, living in constant fear, worse off than livestock."

Kael’s voice trembled slightly, his eyes reddening.

"We of the Demon Suppression Division have failed the people of those three prefectures. We were powerless to save them.

Fortunately, a great hero has appeared... allowing them to see the light of day again."

As he spoke, memories of the Human Race’s suffering under the Demon Country seemed to weigh heavily on him. His face was filled with both guilt and deep gratitude toward Noah.

"Lord Kael, this isn’t the fault of the Demon Suppression Division. The Demon King was simply too powerful. We were helpless as well."

"That’s right. The Demon Suppression Division has guarded Thalrion City for seventy years. Even a Heavenly Rank Demon Executioner gave his life. Your contributions and sacrifices have not gone unnoticed."

The other two quickly tried to console him.

Hearing this, Noah felt a subtle shift in his thoughts.

He had only exchanged a few words with Kael back in Thalrion City.

He hadn’t expected him to be someone who truly cared about the people.

It made Noah see him in a different light.

"Is there something you need, waiting for me here?" Noah asked calmly.

"Slaying demons and eliminating evil is the duty of the Demon Suppression Division. During the years of the Demon Country, I, Kael, was unable to contribute. That has weighed heavily on me.

So this time, when dealing with the Demon King in Varkesh City, I ask the great hero to allow me to fight alongside you.

Even if I die in battle, I have no regrets."

Kael’s voice was firm and resolute.

"We came for the same reason," the other two added.

Noah didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he activated Insight and swept his gaze across the three of them.

Based on his deduction, the third Demon King would likely appear when the one in Varkseh City was dealt with. That meant these three were the most suspicious.

The two unfamiliar faces, Ronan Ashford and Tobias Grell, were both top experts from civilian forces. Their strength was on par with a Heavenly Rank Demon Executioner.

"Let me see your true forms."

Under Insight, nothing could remain hidden.

But what surprised Noah was that Ronan and Tobias were completely normal humans. There was nothing unusual about them.

Then his gaze shifted to Kael, who stood there with a passionate and determined expression.

And in that instant, Noah froze.

[Jade-Faced Demon Fox (Mid-rank Demon, Chieftain Level)]

[Rank: Fourth Rank]

[Attributes: Strength 1.56 million, Agility 1.78 million, Constitution 1.64 million, Spirit 1.92 million]

Noah: "..."

Noah fell silent.

Thinking back to how he had almost been moved by those righteous words, a trace of killing intent flickered in his eyes.

He had to admit, the demons in this instance were exceptionally skilled at disguise.

If not for his ability to see through everything, he might not have noticed anything wrong. Even Ronan and Tobias, both top-tier experts, hadn’t sensed a single flaw.

That meant only one thing.

Kael was already dead.

Demons couldn’t imitate someone out of thin air. To take on a person’s appearance, they had to devour them first. The fact that this Jade-Faced Demon Fox stood here in Kael’s form was proof enough.

Noah felt no personal attachment to Kael. Whether he lived or died didn’t matter to him. This was just an instance, not reality.

But the implication behind it...

That was different.

With Kael’s death, Zhou Li was now completely certain.

There was a serious problem within the Demon Suppression Division. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Otherwise, a Heavenly Rank Demon Executioner wouldn’t have been so easy to ambush. If it were, the Demon Suppression Division would have already been wiped out long ago.

Noah didn’t act immediately.

This Jade-Faced Demon Fox was only a mid-level demon, not a high-level one. Killing it would be effortless, but the moment he made a move, the third Demon King would likely flee.

And that opponent was extremely cunning.

The real difficulty of the main quest most likely lay with it.

Noah casually agreed to their request. Then his figure descended, disappearing into the dense white fog below.

Inside the fog, visibility was extremely poor. Shapes blurred, and even nearby figures were hard to make out.

As he walked forward, Noah spoke calmly.

"How much do you know about the Demon King in Varkesh City?"

These three were among the strongest of their respective factions. The information they held far exceeded what Rose and the others could gather.

Ronane replied, "From what we know, this Demon King is a Tree Demon. It appeared in Varkesh City a hundred years ago and was the first Demon King to emerge. No living creature, human or animal, escaped from the city. They all became its monster puppets.

"After that, this endless white fog began to spread, covering the entire city. Every year, it expands further. Now it spans over a hundred miles, and the rate of expansion is increasing. If this continues, the damage it causes may surpass that of the Demon Country."

The Jade-Faced Demon Fox, still disguised as Kael, added, "This Demon King isn’t very aggressive. As long as you don’t enter the white fog, it won’t attack. The monster puppets also cannot leave its range.

"Our Demon Suppression Division has sent people inside before... but none of them returned. Even a Heavenly Rank Demon Executioner was lost."