Chapter 313 Contract Signing

A blinding flash of lightning tore through the dim underground nest, illuminating it as bright as day for a fleeting moment.

The bright blue light washed over the sweat-drenched faces of the Oathkeeper Blackwood Squad, making them look even paler.

Time was short; the group had no chance to communicate or share what they had noticed.

But as veteran Class Holders with years of adventuring under their belts, they possessed keen judgment.

Faced with the devil's combination of [Fear] and [Stinking Cloud], even Margaret, the squad's captain, could barely resist. Their entire formation scattered in an instant, forcing them to fight independently as they struggled to break free from the chained onslaught of mind control and corrosive acid mist.

Yet on the other side of the battlefield, the black-haired young man—whom they had initially mistaken for the devil's companion before realizing he wasn't on its side—handled both spells with obvious ease. Not only was he the first to pass the Saving Throw for [Fear], but when the toxic mist enveloped him, he effortlessly warded off the corrosion, seemingly relying on some special combat technique or enchanted equipment.

Given that comparison, it would be hasty and one-sided to assume his actual combat prowess was definitely higher than everyone else's in their squad.

But without a doubt, his overall caliber as an adventurer was not lacking; he was an elite-level veteran.

Moreover, judging by his attacks against the devil, they shared a fleeting common goal. They could even be considered temporary allies.

Under these circumstances, seeing the black-haired young man struck by that exaggeratedly powerful lightning beam—his life or death uncertain, seemingly forced out of the fight with heavy injuries—dealt a massive blow to the Blackwood Squad's morale.

Goldensand slashed his shadow-wreathed Short Dagger through the air, dispersing the last lingering wisp of viscous acid mist. His face incredibly gloomy, he asked Margaret, "Captain, are we retreating?"

"Retreating?" Gripping her longsword with both hands and panting heavily, the heroic woman—who commanded immense prestige within the team—looked just as awful.

She glanced back at the long, narrow tunnel they had come from, her gaze sweeping over Joshua, whose pained wails were gradually subsiding after the dwarf, Thordin, forcefully poured a Healing Potion down his throat.

"If we fall back now, we're just asking for death!" she snapped. "We can't leave anymore."

Margaret had considered this carefully.

If they retreated now, their only way out—since they were unfamiliar with the nest's layout—would be the complex, cramped, and lengthy tunnel they had used to get here.

In such incredibly narrow terrain, if the devil decided to pursue them after completing its contract signing, it wouldn't even need to engage in close combat. Just a few damaging spells like [Fireball] would leave them with absolutely nowhere to hide.

That would essentially mean staking the lives of the entire squad on the slim hope that the devil wouldn't chase them.

Given her personality, this was completely unacceptable.

Her mind raced, rapidly analyzing the battlefield in a split second before making a decision.

"You still have a Healing Potion on you, right?" Her tone left no room for debate. Without even waiting for Goldensand to answer, she continued, "Go check on Xia Nan. See if he can be saved. If a Healing Potion is enough to bring him back, give it to him—we need allies."

Goldensand obviously understood the situation. He might not have had a great first impression of the guy, but he was a professional and veteran adventurer with plenty of discipline.

The moment she finished speaking, he didn't hesitate. With a curt nod, he stepped into the shadows and dashed toward where Xia Nan had crashed.

At the same time, the dwarf, Thordin, having finished treating Joshua's injuries, rushed back up to the front.

Time was critical; there was no room for further explanations.

Margaret didn't even turn her head. Using the shortest, most resolute tone possible, she spat out a single word: "Charge!"

The normally reliable, burly man beside her didn't stop moving. He charged straight past her, gripping his iron shield and swinging his Faceted Hammer as he rushed at the devil.

Margaret followed close behind. As she sprinted, she shifted her longsword into a charged stance, a faint, sharp gleam vaguely brewing across the blade's surface.

The signing of an infernal contract was a process both simple and complex. It was simple because, from the signer's perspective, all they had to do was write their name or press a handprint at the bottom to complete it.

It was complex from the drafter's perspective.

The vast majority of the clauses were written in Infernal, yet the contracts themselves came in many different forms.

Some resembled the business agreements signed by merchants in the Material Plane—a scroll of uniquely tough parchment. Others relied on alien creatures like familiars to act as witnesses for verbally stated terms. A few even transcended the traditional definition of a "contract," sealing the deal by exchanging tokens.

These bizarre signing methods weren't just differences in format; they represented varying degrees of power exchange, the balance of status between the two parties, the amount of energy consumed in the process, and the devil's own personal preferences. Saloyan had gone through this countless times.

He had even prepared separate templates with specific clauses for every imaginable situation.

There was no need to draft them on the spot; he could simply apply the frameworks of past contracts.

Naturally, he had his own reasons for choosing this specific method.

By using a pathetic wretch who broke a contract as the physical medium for the new one, this signing format ensured that once the ritual was complete, the still-living humanoid would transform into a bizarre existence that required no air, food, or water to survive. It would even be virtually immune to most forms of damage.

However, if this humanoid creature were somehow killed, the contract clauses carved into its back would also become void.

This meant the conditions were extremely strict, so cautious devils would only use this type of contract under highly specific circumstances.

The current situation perfectly fit those conditions.

All Saloyan needed was to simply borrow Abi's body, seize control of his flesh and soul, and secure a conduit to channel his Purgatory powers.

Calling the boy a disposable consumable wouldn't be an exaggeration.

Once this battle ended and he withdrew his power, the body—already ruptured and left riddled with holes by the demonic energy—would essentially be on the brink of death.

Naturally, it wouldn't matter whether the contract was broken or not.

Blocking out external distractions, Saloyan split his attention. While holding back the adventurers outside, he guided Abi with a soft, affectionate voice. "Step forward. Yes, right there. Write your name, or press your thumbprint." He coaxed the boy into walking slowly forward and stepping into the dark, blood-red magic circle.

After days of manipulation, the pent-up emotions surged like a flood, washing away the final shred of sanity in Abi's mind.

Abi had completely lost the ability to think. Like a marionette on strings, the moment the magic circle took shape amidst the spreading dark fires of Purgatory, he charged into it with bloodshot eyes.

Ignoring the densely packed clauses on the "contract's" back, he raised a hand and bit through the skin of his thumb. He haphazardly smeared the blood across his face, ensuring his entire finger was soaked in crimson.

He was just about to press it onto the contract.

But right at that moment, a long, resonant wolf howl suddenly erupted beside him, echoing from far to near.

Xia Nan's reaction was incredibly fast. A physical constitution far surpassing Class Holders of the same level allowed him to halt and dodge to the side before the lightning beam even fired.

Because of this, despite the exaggerated casting speed of [Lightning Bolt], it failed to strike him dead on.

It merely grazed past his chest and half of his upper arm as it swept by his side.

[Plate-Chain Composite Armor] might be able to withstand ordinary physical attacks thanks to its thick material, but it possessed absolutely no magic resistance.

Facing the blistering, violent surge of lightning, it offered zero protection. The toughest steel plate on the chest was instantly melted and destroyed. The [Bronze Sinews and Iron Bones] Feat obtained from the Giant Serpent Secret Realm had granted Xia Nan a 10% reduction in physical damage—a trait that had been quietly working to keep him alive up until today.

[Gaze into the Abyss] had provided him with rare resistance to mind-control spells, even granting the ability to trigger counter-effects against his enemies.

However, his time since transmigrating was still short, leaving him with far less accumulation. Just like his Plate-Chain Composite Armor, he had no bonuses for magical damage resistance, causing Xia Nan to eat the full brunt of the spell.

First came a violent wave of numbness and aching that wracked his entire body.

His skin, muscles, and even the bones beneath felt as if countless ants were crawling over them. Even his consciousness descended into brief chaos.

Though he had lived in a modern, technologically advanced society filled with electrical appliances in his past life, he had never actually experienced an electric shock. The closest he ever got was an occasional static sting in autumn or winter, which made him slightly wary of metal railings and cashmere sweaters.

Now, however, he was getting the complete experience.

Following the brief paralysis of his body and mind from the surging currents, Xia Nan's consciousness finally returned. By then, the immense impact had already launched his body into the air, carrying him to the highest point of the nest—close enough that he could touch the rocky ceiling just by reaching out.

He began to fall.

Forcing his spirit to rally, he focused his attention and cast [Gravity Control], lessening the effects of gravity on his body.

Combined with the special [Tidal Stabilization] effect of "Halves fall damage (Passive/Rule)"...

...it greatly reduced the secondary damage Xia Nan would have suffered from falling. He floated down like a drifting leaf before collapsing onto the ground.

Then came the agonizing burning pain from his chest and shoulder. The front of his chest was covered by the molten Plate-Chain Composite Armor, making it impossible to see the exact severity of the wound. The sturdy material on the side of his shoulder had already been reduced to ash, revealing skin that was charred black like coal.

Thanks to a long period of grueling training, he had achieved absolute mastery over his own body.

Suppressing the agony, Xia Nan merely flexed the injured areas slightly to clearly gauge his current condition—heavy injuries.

The enemy was right in front of him. Suffering such a grievous wound before even clashing head-on meant he couldn't afford to just tough it out. Without a shred of hesitation, Xia Nan decisively unveiled another one of his trump cards.

[Tears of Spring Breath]—[Spring Pulse Cleansing Heal] triggered.

As the core effect of this Rare-grade blue necklace, it sat at a higher circle than the [Lightning Bolt] that had maimed him. This Fourth Circle healing spell, which carried a seven-day cooldown, took effect instantly.

"Hum..."

Accompanied by the high-frequency shrill ring of surging energy, an emerald-green light brimming with life force pulsed outward. Centered on the teardrop pendant hidden beneath the shirt below Xia Nan's collarbone, it rushed rapidly toward every part of his body.

It required no guidance; the life energy seemed to instinctively detect where Xia Nan was injured.

Four-fifths of it immediately split off, surging to cover the heaviest wounds on his chest and shoulder.

The remaining fifth transformed into a faint emerald glow that spread throughout his entire body. It healed hidden minor injuries, soothed muscular fatigue, and replenished his stamina.

From the corner of his eye, he saw his charred shoulder soaking in the green light. The agonizing pain shifted into a bone-deep itch as an inexplicable heat washed back and forth over the wound like hot spring water.

In just a few breaths, the blackened dead skin peeled off on its own, revealing the smooth, flawless new skin underneath.

Having finally regained his mobility from the excruciating pain and numbness of the blast, Xia Nan ignored the scalding heat that was faintly making the air steam. He reached out, grabbed the remaining half of the molten iron plate on his chest, ripped it off, and tossed it aside.

It revealed the skin underneath, which had also fully recovered under the effects of the life energy.

Losing a trump card before the battle had even officially begun—before he had even touched a corner of the enemy's clothes—made Xia Nan feel this was going to be a huge pain. Cursing under his breath, he pushed himself up from the ground.

Suddenly sensing something, his gaze snapped toward the depths of the nearby shadows.

He spotted a thin figure standing there panting, tightly gripping a Healing Potion that had just been uncorked.

Knowing this Rogue had intended to help him, Xia Nan gave a slight nod in gratitude. Without exchanging any further words, he instantly unleashed [Fang Hunt] and charged straight at Abi, who had already stepped into the magic circle.

?

Since it was only a consciousness projection, casting three 3rd-Circle spells in a row was practically Saloyan's limit.

Logically speaking, given the power levels of these adventurers, it should have been impossible for them to survive such an assault.

But right now, their tenacity had vastly exceeded the expectations of this devil baron from Purgatory.

Things had reached a point of no return. Within his perception, he could see the blood-soaked thumb of his possessed host, Abi, descending through the air to stamp the contract;

He could hear the hurried footsteps and roars of the dwarf and the swordswoman, the metal round shield reflecting the flames, and the sharp longsword gathering a cold gleam;

And he could hear the long, high-pitched howl of a Winter Wolf, spotting the swaying pitch-black mane and those cold, ruthless wolf eyes overflowing with killing intent.

Saloyan made his decision.

"Crack."

A crisp shattering sound rang out from Abi's chest.

The anchor for the devil's consciousness—the precious mirror fragment that was strong enough to host his projection and allow him to travel from Purgatory to the Material Plane—instantly crumbled to pieces.

Magic power surged.

Serving as a special casting material, the shattered glass negated the original mental strain and spell slot requirements, unleashing the final spell Saloyan could possibly cast in his current state.

—[3rd-Circle · Transmutation · Slow]!

In an instant, ripple-like fluctuations radiated outward, centered around the magic circle.

The high-raised Faceted Hammer, the sweeping longsword, and the piercing Wolf Fang suddenly turned sluggish, as if moving in slow motion.

Only that descending, blood-stained thumb maintained its original speed.

Before all of those attacks could land—

It pressed lightly onto the contract.

"BOOM!!!"