The alley fell into a suffocating silence.

Blood still clung to the walls. The air reeked of iron and rot.

Astaroth’s broken body twitched weakly at Arthur’s feet—barely conscious.

Arthur stepped forward.

"It’s time for you to di—"

Ding.

The world seemed to pause.

A faint distortion rippled through the crimson haze of the Blood Domain, as if reality itself had been interrupted.

A translucent panel materialized before Arthur’s eyes.

---

[ Absolute Choice System – Activated ]

A deeper, more imposing voice echoed in his mind—calm, mechanical, yet carrying an undeniable weight.

[ Two mutually exclusive choices have been generated according to the condition the host is in. ]

---

[ Choice A: Risk Taker ]

[ Do NOT kill Demon Lord Astaroth with your own hands. ]

→ Reward:

- Slave Mark (A-Rank): Grants the ability to enslave any target up to A-Rank, binding them under absolute obedience.

→ Penalty:

- Skill Sealed: Blood Domain will be sealed for 1 month.

---

[ Choice B: Kind Soul ]

[ Allow Demon Lord Astaroth to live and escape. ]

→ Reward:

- S-Rank Weapon

- S-Rank Artifact

→ Penalty:

- Curse of Paralysis: Host’s body will be completely paralyzed for 7 days.

---

[ Time Limit: 1 minute ]

[ Failure to choose will result in forced random selection. ]

---

Arthur’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"...You’ve got to be kidding me."

At his feet, Astaroth coughed violently, black blood spilling from his mouth. His fading eyes flickered—not with pride this time, but with raw desperation to survive.

Arthur stared down at him, unmoving.

Inside his mind, thoughts spun quickly.

His main system spoke up.

[ Host, what should we do? If we go for the best reward, leaving him alive will only create further problems. He will definitely come back for revenge. ]

[ We could let the Queen handle his execution... but the reward for Choice A, the Slave Mark, will be useful to us in the long term. ]

Arthur exhaled slowly.

"Those damn gods are definitely testing me," he muttered.

Then he chose.

[ Choice A selected. ]

A faint chime confirmed his decision.

Arthur’s gaze hardened.

"System, tell me something," he said inwardly.

[ Yes, Host. Ask away. ]

"We still have Elizabeth trapped inside the containment ring, right?"

[ Yes. ]

"She must be hungry too, right?"

[ Of course she would be. After all, she is a vam— ]

The system paused.

[ ...Oh. Now I get what you are saying. You really are evil, Host. (¬‿¬) ]

A devilish smile formed on Arthur’s face.

"Let’s send him inside the containment ring too," he said. "I can only hope Elizabeth’s mood gets better... while she enjoys a demonic feast."

[ As you command. ]

In the next second, Arthur’s upgraded inventory opened.

He reached in and pulled out the containment ring.

It was pitch-black, forged from a metal that looked like solidified shadow. Crimson lines crawled along its surface in intricate patterns, occasionally pulsing with a faint glow like veins carrying liquid light. At its center sat a small, clear gem that reflected none of its surroundings—only a dull, internal gleam.

Arthur rolled it between his fingers, then held it up.

Astaroth, barely conscious, didn’t fully register what was happening at first.

But the moment his eyes landed on the ring—and the dangerous aura leaking from it—his instincts screamed at him to run.

He couldn’t move.

Arthur smiled.

"Demon Lord Astaroth," he said softly.

The gem on the ring flashed.

A vortex of dark light burst outward, lashing across the alley and wrapping around Astaroth’s body like chains woven from void and blood.

"NO—"

His scream echoed through the narrow space as his form began to distort, compressing and twisting. Flesh, bone, and demonic energy were pulled inward, dragged toward the tiny gem at the center of the ring.

The sound cut off.

In the next moment, his entire body was gone. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Sealed inside the ring.

The oppressive black aura vanished with him, leaving only the smell of blood and the faint pulse of the ring in Arthur’s hand.

-------

Inside the containment ring.

Astaroth opened his eyes.

For a moment, he thought he had been thrown into some forgotten corner of the Demon Realm. But then he realized—no. This was something else.

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.

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 it ripple slightly, like he was standing on the back of some gigantic beast.

There was no wind.

No true light.

Just a heavy, unnatural stillness that pressed on his chest.

At the very edges of this strange world, reality distorted. Warped, blurry scenes flickered in and out—like distant glimpses of the outside world—but every time he focused on them, they twisted away, never letting anything pass through.

Astaroth clenched his jaw.

"Where has that monstrous boy trapped me?" he snarled.

A low growl answered him from the darkness.

Then another.

The sound made the back of his neck prickle.

"Who’s there?!" he shouted. "Show yourself!"

The darkness in front of him shifted.

A figure became visible.

Elizabeth Crimson—the Vampire Queen.

Her body was wrapped in heavy chains that glowed faintly with runes, each link seeming to dig into her pale skin. Her eyes glowed bright, feral red, pupils thin like a beast’s.

Drool slipped from the corner of her mouth, trailing down her chin.

She didn’t look sane.

Pure killing intent poured out of her, filling the world like a suffocating fog.

You couldn’t starve a vampire for too long and expect them to stay rational.

Elizabeth was living proof.

Astaroth actually exhaled in relief at the sight of the chains.

"It’s a good thing she’s bound," he muttered. "If those seals weren’t there—"

Clink.

A crack appeared along one of the chains.

Astaroth’s smile froze.

Like a bad omen, more cracks spread across the bindings like spiderwebs, light flickering erratically.

"Stay away from me," he growled, taking an unsteady step back.

Another chain snapped.

Elizabeth’s head tilted.

Her gaze focused on him fully now—on the Demon Lord—like he was nothing more than a bleeding animal.

"Stay away from me!" Astaroth shouted, voice rising. "Do you hear me?!"

The last chain broke.

Elizabeth moved.

She didn’t lunge so much as vanish and reappear in front of him. Astaroth tried to crawl away, using his one remaining arm to push himself back, heels digging into the shifting ground.

"N-no, don’t touch me—!"

His words turned into a scream.

The only sounds that followed were wet, tearing noises and choked cries.

"STOP—!"

"IT HURTS—!"

"STAY AWAY—!"

His screams echoed across the crimson sky, growing weaker and more ragged until they faded into hoarse gurgles, then silence.

The feast had begun.

With a Demon Lord on the menu.

A level of cruelty that could instill fear in any demon in existence.

—

Outside.

System notifications flickered across Arthur’s vision.

[ Quest complete: Choice A – Risk Taker. ]

[ Reward granted: Slave Mark (A-Rank). ]

A mark formed on the back of his left hand—an intricate black sigil shaped like an eight-pointed star, its lines thin and elegant. At the center of the star sat a tiny circle, like a chained sun, and faint silver lines ran between each point, giving it the feel of a refined magic crest.

[ Slave Mark (A-Rank) – Description:

Can be used to place an absolute obedience seal on any target up to A-Rank.

Condition: The target must willingly submit to the Host at the moment of activation.

Cannot be used by force on unwilling targets. ]

Arthur studied the star-shaped seal and flexed his fingers.

"I do have a use for this," he said quietly.

The Blood Domain around the alley shattered like glass a moment later.

Crimson haze dissolved, returning the world to its normal color.

Arthur sucked in a deep breath.

As the domain vanished, all the strength that had been forcibly maintained in his body dropped at once, drained at rapid speed.

"Fuck," he muttered. "That damn skill takes too much of a toll on me every time..."

His legs gave out.

He dropped to his knees on the bloody pavement, hands hitting the ground to keep himself from collapsing completely.

The hunger slammed into him again.

Stronger.

His throat felt like it was burning from the inside, dry and aching. His senses sharpened beyond comfort—he could hear every heartbeat within range, smell distant traces of blood even through the city’s smoke and dust.

He clenched his teeth as his fangs throbbed.

’I need... to get back’

The urge was growing at a frightening speed.

Just as he was fighting to keep his sanity, a familiar voice came from the entrance of the alley.

"So that’s where you were, huh."

Arthur’s head snapped toward the source of the sound.

He stared hungrily at the approaching figure, red eyes glowing in the dim light.