Your Majesty's money, why don't you engrave my name on it?

She turned her gaze away from a certain direction and nodded apologetically to Dubler: "I'm sorry, I can't promise you anything. But war, violence, and killing will not bring good results, especially when it comes with the power of the abyss. Raslaufer, you've faced many demons, are you willing to become like that? Follow your heart, you..."

"His true nature is the very demon you despise, ha." Rose's mockery appeared and disappeared without mercy.

“If…” Adas, the petite embodiment of the goddess, gritted her teeth, “If you are willing to give up all of this, Raslaufer, join me, join the embrace of nature. You have already come a long way on this path. Keep going, and my kingdom will open to every creature that seeks peace and tranquility. Perhaps it is not vast enough, but it is still far beyond the abyss. You can become my chosen one, and I think I can at least offer this promise.”

A chosen one of a god, with a long lifespan, immense power, and even eternal peace and protection after death, and the ability to return to earth to obey His will if the god so desires—this is indeed an extraordinary temptation. Not to mention, the inviter is Idas, not some other god.

At least not Lolth; becoming one of the Spider Queen's chosen ones might not be a good thing. And among Idas's followers, the most outstanding ones can even visit the goddess's divine realm while still alive.

“But if you ask me, you’ve given up far too much,” Philna, or rather, Barbasabalon, where she was currently residing, shook her head, looking disapproving. “Promises, promises, and more promises. What’s the point of making so many verbal promises? Leslaufer, don’t think that only evil people deceive you; even benevolent gods do the same.”

"Of course, their excuses will be more high-sounding: 'no other choice,' 'too many things to do,' oh right, don't forget that, 'justice delayed,' the so-called. You can give up everything you have right now to throw yourself into their arms, but what then? Can you expect to still be sitting at the table after giving up your chips?"

“They will abandon you, without a doubt. Rather than that, you might as well stand on my side. Don’t forget, the Nine Hells are bound by a contract, in black and white, one thing at a time.”

"And you must understand, we are at the forefront of the fight against the Abyss. Your joining and this plane is far more important to us than to these high and mighty gods. If you obey them, they will only have another little pet. If you join us, you will be a lion, a bear, or any beast you can imagine."

“‘Pay honest men for their money, not cakes for their icing,’ Grand Duchess Reislaufer quoted a proverb of unknown origin, but the meaning was clear: ‘As an old acquaintance, I would rather you do the icing—even if it is obviously much more noble.’”

The devil fell silent. Faced with the allure of the two goddesses, she was insignificant. But sometimes, importance doesn't tell the whole story.

Leslaufer looked at the sorrowful treant avatar, and after a moment, he cleared his throat: "I'm very sorry, but I'm afraid I don't yet understand what this means to me. But in any case, I don't think I can make a decision right now."

“You don’t have that much time, mortal,” Rose scoffed. “You should know that if you refuse my invitation, you will face—”

“I will wait for your answer,” Adas interrupted the threat. “I believe you will figure out where the world is headed and where your path should ultimately lead.”

“No, no, I think you’ve misunderstood,” Raslaufer waved his hand. “What I mean is, I can’t promise myself to anyone right now because I have obligations to fulfill, Avernus. I still have a long military service to complete.”

The beings present were all momentarily stunned. Philna was the first to react; the demon immediately produced a projection of a contract:

“That’s right. This obligation is related to fighting against the invasion of the Abyss. As an elite soldier in the blood war, Raslaufer should fulfill his obligation before he can think about his life afterward. Let me see... it’s not too long, only three thousand years.”

Philna spoke casually, but she cautiously withdrew most of her will, remaining vigilant against Lolth's potential sudden attack. As a powerful deity residing in the abyss, Lolth might not be interested in the blood war and demonic invasion itself, but no one could guarantee that "what if" wouldn't occur.

Rose naturally saw through this little trick, but her response was just a cold snort—just as the devil didn't want to provoke her, the Spider Queen didn't want to have too much trouble with the Lord of the Nine Hells for no reason—she already had enough enemies.

“I have no objection,” Adas replied lightly, her tangible form then dissipating into a wisp of breeze. “I think this time is enough for you, Raslaufer, to consider.”

“Since there is a written contract guaranteeing this, I have nothing more to say,” the Spider Queen’s tentacles gradually withdrew from this plane. “However, Philna, if you are planning to do something under the witness of the two gods… you will not want to see my kin on the battlefield.”

Barbasabalon swayed his body awkwardly, feigning elegance as he bowed to the air. After a moment, Philna finally let out a long sigh of relief.

"If I could, I really wouldn't want to face them. It was like Lord Asmodeus being interrogated on Mount Paradise! But thankfully, I managed to get away with it. You've got guts, Raslaufer."

“Now…” she looked at Otu, who was almost dumbfounded, “if you ‘eat’ him, he should become even smarter, right?”

Chapter 750 Only Leslaufer

Following her words, Raslaufer looked at the demon and immediately walked over.

Otto watched helplessly as Raslaufer approached. All his preparations were for the purpose of taking Raslaufer, but with that plan thwarted, Otto knew very well that he could never be a match for Raslaufer, even if there were other means—not to mention the devilish Grand Duke who had betrayed him.

Now that everyone has already fallen out, there's no way to expect her to stand idly by.

“It seems all your long-winded speeches have been for naught,” Leslaufer said, lifting Otu by the neck with one hand and looking at him coldly. “Any last words?”

"Don't waste your breath on him, Master!" Montgomery, inside the jar, became agitated. The massive but weakened Balrog shook its cage violently, trying to attract Reslaufer's attention. "That bastard is incredibly cunning; don't let him fool you!"

“I am the one who has the memories of the previous demon lord,” Otto said with a gloomy look at the Balrog. “From this perspective, I am closer to your master.”

"Look!" Montgomery burst into laughter, "That's his trick! You absolutely can't let him live!"

Reslaufer looked over: "It seems you'd like to offer your opinion? Why don't you tell me how to deal with him?"

"Release me, lock him up here!" The Balrog's face was contorted in agony. "I want him to taste what it's like to be imprisoned here, to suffer a fate worse than death!"

"This guy is just looking to settle a personal score."

Philna flew to Raslaufer's ear and whispered, "I suggest you absorb him. After all, he was originally a part of you. It's much easier for you to absorb memories with your physical body than the other way around."

Raslaufer held Otto with his head bowed, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty. Philna made no attempt to hide it from him.

“Alright,” the gaunt old man suddenly spoke, “Leslaufer, you win. Savagery and chaos have ultimately triumphed over civilization and order. I have to admit my defeat. If we cannot ultimately create a lawful paradise in the abyss, perhaps at least we can be united again.”

"After all the futile efforts, we return to the starting point. Perhaps this is one of the underlying characteristics of chaos... You can reclaim your power, all your magic, all your knowledge. When the savage body and the wise mind are mixed together again, what can stop us? Not to mention, you have already established a firm foothold in the material world, and no one will doubt it... Come on, what are you waiting for? Let's do it!"

"I'm already tired of this body, I'm getting rid of it!"

At the end of his monologue, Otto was almost roaring at Reslaufer. However, he, along with the Balrog and the Great Demon, saw Reslaufer slowly shake his head.

“I don’t want to be stuck with a lousy old man,” Dople’s iron-like fingers slowly tightened, and after making up his mind, he began to squeeze Otu’s breathing space. “I don’t want your so-called ‘power’ either.”

Otu was stunned: "W-why? Are you crazy? This was yours to begin with!"

“That belongs to that demon lord,” Raslaufer grinned. “Montgomery is right, you’re lying to me the moment you open your mouth, aren’t you? You’re confusing the issue.”

Reslaufer is Reslaufer, Otto is Otto, and Reslaufer Otto is the demon lord who has long since vanished from all universes and worlds. When its body and consciousness were separated and each was given a completely new kind of wholeness, the original Reslaufer ceased to exist.

Doppler didn't understand the specific principles, but he did have knowledgeable companions around him, Anne and Daisy. Raslaufer remembered them talking about something similar, something about... boats and planks.

Raslauver no longer remembers the outcome of that debate, but he naturally has his own opinion on it: if he really did fight Otto again, he would most likely get nothing—the last person might be Otto, might be the old or the new demon lord, but it was definitely not him, Raslauver, a dubler from Eastern Inathas.

How could he maintain his will during the fusion? Leslaufer couldn't figure out the answer, so Otto's fate was obvious, and only one path remained.

That was death, taking everything with him.

“You… madman…” The old man’s weak fingers dug into the flesh of Raslaufer’s wrist, but he could not stop his life from slipping away. When his two legs, which had been curled up to the extreme, straightened up at the same time, Raslaufer heard a soft “crack” sound.

A wisp of spirit numbly returned to his side, but it did not resemble the body it once was. Instead, it was a robust humanoid creature that looked almost identical to a human, except that it was slightly transparent compared to other spirits, as if it were missing something.

“Look at its size,” Philna stared at the spirit, “it’s incredible that you actually resisted—you resisted the chance to ascend directly to the top and become the Lord of the Abyss?”

“Because I know you must have your own plans,” Leslaufer scoffed. “You’re a great devil, and if I could really devour him unscathed, I would be the Lord of the Abyss, on par with you? Do you really want that outcome?”

"Barbasa Balon" stared at Leslaufer for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "Why not? Of course I'd like a powerful ally. You're overthinking it, tsk tsk, you've really missed an opportunity to rule the abyss."

"Just one dimension."

Raslaufer casually tossed aside the Otu corpse, its bones crushed to pieces, picked up his greatsword, and walked to the control panel beside him. It had hundreds upon hundreds of buttons, so numerous and confusing that he couldn't tell which one he needed. But one simple and direct method always worked:

All you need to do is cut those power cables.

Lightning and sparks flashed across Raslaufer's eyes, and moments later, accompanied by a rumbling noise, the cage imprisoning Montgomery was opened again due to its malfunction. Inside, the Balrog, missing limbs and dripping wet, collapsed to the ground, his body still soaked in the liquid, and he was extremely weak, utterly incapable of regeneration.

Even under these circumstances, he managed to prop himself up as quickly as possible and, before Leslaufer could speak, offered his greeting to this "mortal."

"Commander Montgomery swears allegiance to you, the eternal ruler, the great Raslaufer!"

Raslaufer looked at the Balrog, raised his sword, and placed it flat on Montgomery's mangled shoulder: "I accept your allegiance. If you are loyal, I will be like the gentle breeze of the Bright Moon of Inathas; if you betray me, Inathas will also have a desperate winter."

The demons of the abyss had never heard a similar response before, but when the Balrog raised his head, he felt the same oppressive aura as his former superior.

That didn't stem from the strength of their power. Long before the demon lord ruled the plane and before he was the Balrog, their relationship was already like this.

Leslaufer tossed a gold coin at the Balrog, and while the Balrog was still stunned, he sheathed his sword, turned around, and looked at Philna, who was still amazed at how docile the Balrog had become:

“It’s just one plane,” Doble repeated. “Only Raslaufer can do it too.”

Chapter 751 Return to Forge City

Otu is dead, and all his previous arrangements have come to naught. Although being in the abyss and moving freely is still not easy, at least it is now possible.

"Master?"

Barbasabalon shook its head, as if it had just woken up from a long dream. When it saw Leslaufer in front of it, and then looked at the tall and strong Balrog behind him, it was almost scared to death: "Where are we? Barbasabalon has no memory of this!"

“Remembering too much isn’t necessarily a good thing,” Raslaw glanced at the corpse on the ground. “Montgomery, you’re in charge of disposing of his body. Is that alright?”

"Don't worry! I'll hang him in the plaza and let him suffer the scorn of the entire plane!" The Flame Demon still hadn't fully recovered his strength, but at the several wounds on his body, as the liquid dried, flesh was slowly growing back. "However, he's controlled all your former subordinates with a device. What do you intend to do..."

What do you think should be done?

Balrog hadn't expected Raslaufer to ask him, and scratched his head. "Well... although Otto is no good, his device is said to have been learned from Sigil City, so it's not unusable. It's just that I'm afraid I can't get my hands on it."

“Then destroy it and restore it to normal,” Raslaw waved his hand. “For the next period of time, you will be in charge of this place, and everything will naturally be done the way you are most used to.”

Montgomery was truly bewildered this time: "I don't understand! Master, do you mean—"

“I don’t have the patience to clean up this mess,” Leslaufer said. “You’re just going to get everything sorted out so I can use it whenever I need it. What, you don’t think I’m going to just hand this over to you unloaded?”

"No, I wouldn't dare..."

The Balrog trembled and lowered his head. What a joke! He was supposed to replace Raslaufer? He had seen everything that had just happened!

As long as Raslaufer is still here, Rose is willing to wait for another thirty centuries. But if Raslaufer is no longer prepared to be the nominal master of this place, I'm afraid that terrifying god will come knocking on our door at any moment!

He, a Balrog, how did he deal with Rose?

In comparison, managing subordinates and reforming this abyss is a relatively easy task.

“Alright, then I’ll leave this to you,” Leslaufer grabbed Barbasabalon, flipped over and mounted Nightmare. “Here’s a suggestion: you should first assemble a usable squad. Although things here are over, my business isn’t. If we can’t fend off the covetous eyes of other demons, Rose would probably be happy to see a new trading partner.”

Just how attractive was Raslaufer to her? Dople already knew the answer in his heart. For a god who had lived for countless years, what Rose longed for more was the abyss ruled by him, or rather, by the former demon lord Raslaufer Otto.

In contrast, the goddess Adas is more focused on him personally, but her strength is clearly no match for Rose's, and the bargaining chips she can offer are extremely limited. Even so, if Raslaufer truly grows weary of killing and war in the future, converting to her side might not be a bad thing.

As for the demons in the Nine Hells...

Although their contract was in black and white, and they didn't even try to hide any clauses in the text when dealing with Raslaufer, Raslaufer still didn't understand what they really wanted: a veteran warrior of a former demon lord? Or a layer of the abyss that could be used as an inside agent?

Or perhaps both, or even more?

Raslaufer couldn't understand it, but perhaps the devils would eventually reveal their true claws. Raslaufer decided to be more cautious, especially in the next three thousand years.

However, this also brought another benefit: with the two goddesses and Grand Duchess Philna as witnesses, Raslaufer is no longer a deserter, and the pursuit that was originally just a formality has naturally stopped, as long as he is willing to go back to serve.

Even if he refused, there was nothing he could do. Leslaufer guessed that even if he lived to be a hundred or two hundred years old in his mortal body, his soul would probably be dragged directly to hell after his body decayed. At that time, even if it was impossible, it would be acceptable.

“Thinking about these things now is too far off,” Raslaufer muttered, his figure gradually disappearing from the spot with the nightmare. “I’m not some demon lord, and a century is not a short time for me.”

Montgomery humbly watched Raslaufer leave. A moment later, after confirming that his only remaining master could no longer hear him, the Balrog suddenly stood up, shook his enormous head, and instantly restored the wounds and defects on it to their original state.

“The boss wasn’t exactly mentally sound to begin with,” Balrog sighed, picking up Otu’s already beyond saving body from the ground with two fingers. “It got even worse after it split into two. This one keeps saying he’s not a demon, and the one who just left actually claims to be a mortal.”

"Tsk, let me see how I'm going to put the stake in from under this body and out from above? My fingers seem a bit too thick..."

Raslaufer, of course, had no idea what had happened in the abyss. As Nightmare stepped onto the material plane once more, he looked around and found himself still at the gates of Forge City. Only now, there was no one in sight.

"They've left?" Raslaufer raised an eyebrow and glanced up to spot where Vondar and the others might have gone—in the center of the last city of the ancient dwarves, there was an unusually large furnace and forging hammer hanging from the dome to the ground, like the tools used by Moradin.

In that direction, Leslaufer heard a clanging and knocking sound.

What's going on here?

Raslaufer waved for Nightmare to leave first and walked towards the city center, where a circular plaza surrounded the central forge, much like how Angelita and others guarded the central Von Dahl, allowing the dwarf to fully dedicate himself to his work even in such a perilous environment.

"Ah, look who's back!" Daisy was the first to spot Raslaufer, presumably Zhengling had informed him. The poet immediately exclaimed, "Hurry up! Old Raslaufer, if you wait another ten or eight years to come back, Vondahl will have already built Gundam!"

“You said it was a Star Destroyer yesterday,” Mary rolled her eyes at her, then turned to look at Reslaufer, who was approaching. “Mr. Reslaufer, you’d better wait a moment before you go over. Mr. Vondahl’s work may be at a critical stage…”

“It’s alright, old Lei!” Vondar’s voice came through the whooshing of the bellows, the hot lava illuminating his face. “Come and take a look, I need some advice from you!”

Chapter 752 The Golden Dragon on the Sword

"My suggestion?"

Leslaufer was puzzled, but he still went over.

"Although you've forged a lot of equipment for me, I still keep losing it. I'm afraid I still know nothing about forging."

“Oh come on, didn’t I already forge you those gloves? Don’t tell me you’ve lost them too!” Vondar had to raise his voice to drown out the increasingly noisy lava. “I have to ask you, what are you going to name this two-handed greatsword? It was made for you!”

Raslaufer climbed the five- or six-meter-high steps and saw that on the shelf next to Vondar, a new set of Broken Halberd heavy armor had been forged, and what the dwarf was currently perfecting was the prototype of a greatsword.

It was larger and heavier than any two-handed greatsword Raslauver had ever used. Even as a mere metal ingot, it would have been incredibly powerful on the battlefield, let alone now, adorned with a majestic golden dragon relief coiled across its entire surface. The serpentine dragon's body coiled around the blade, its sharp spine naturally transforming into a flame-shaped blade. Sail-like wings extended from its tail to its shoulders, serving as the greatsword's branches, while its neck and dragon head formed the hilt.

“Bella suggested that I should use the green dragon from the Golin Otto Mountains as the base, but I think a golden dragon would be more suitable,” the dwarf said with satisfaction as he looked at the work that was gradually taking shape in his hands. “I’m going to call it the Scourge of Tiamat to show that you once defeated its incarnation, but that may not be enough to describe your experience. Besides, I’m not sure how a golden dragon would treat Tiamat.”

“A golden dragon?” Leslaufer examined the weapon and the artwork. “How do you know they look like this, based on the appearance of that green dragon?”

"Part of it, while you were away, we searched most of the city and found a large number of books in a library, including descriptions of the Golden Dragon at that time and, more importantly, the forging techniques that we had lost—I used them on your new equipment."

Feng Dahl laughed heartily: "You really should have come back later! I've never worked so happily before. No wonder more than half of the songs passed down from our ancestors were sung during forging! If I could, I would want to keep them all for myself!"

Unfortunately, he couldn't do that; it would be extremely selfish. The dwarf could only hope that Raslauver would return later—after all, he was Raslauver—so that he would have an excuse to continue using the ancient yet new technology and forge that was both old and new to him.

“It sounds like I should wait eight or ten years before showing up again, to see if you’re still complaining like you are now,” Leslaufer laughed. “Why don’t we just call this sword by the name they call me? Anyway, I’ll probably be carrying it all the time, so it makes no difference.”

"The Kingmaker?" the dwarf pondered, throwing his sword into the cold water. A massive cloud of steam immediately enveloped him and Raslaufer. "Not bad. Anyway, it was your idea, and it's your sword. You decide what to do."

He will no longer compete with Leslaufer for the naming rights.