August examined the brand-new Murasame in his hand for a moment before putting it away.
This enhanced Murasame could absorb curses to amplify its own curse poison. In this world, August was aware of two particularly potent curses.
The first was the curse of the Juggernaut Drive, sealed by the Red Dragon Emperor and White Dragon Emperor, which was the source of their tragic fates over generations.
The second was from the legendary creature sealed in the depths of the Underworld, the Dragon Eater, Samael. This monster bore the world's most terrifying curse, left by the God of the Bible, which turned Samael into a half-dragon, half-fallen angel monstrosity.
Curses were countless across the multiverse. One day, Murasame might even evolve into the ultimate nemesis of curses.
Reflecting on the day's events, August stretched and returned to his room, collapsing into bed. He was exhausted, mostly because the mysterious seed had drained an immense amount of his demonic power. If not for his rapid demonic power recovery rate, he might have been completely depleted.
And so, time swiftly passed to the next day...
The following morning, August was still asleep, but a visitor arrived at his home.
"My lord, Azazel is here to see you."
Hilda opened the door and, seeing August still asleep, gently nudged him awake.
"Hmm? Who?"
"The Governor of the Fallen Angels, Azazel."
"Azazel? What's that rascal want? Just let me sleep a bit longer."
With that, August rolled over and went back to sleep, causing Hilda to frown. It was unusual for August to be so lethargic after sleeping for such a long time since the previous day.
"It seems he's encountered some trouble."
Azazel's voice came from the side. Hilda turned to see him standing there, unsure of when he had arrived. Her immediate reaction was to draw her umbrella sword and point it at Azazel.
August was still asleep, and Azazel's sudden appearance was both her dereliction of duty and a potential threat. If Azazel decided to attack, no one could stop an experienced Satan-class powerhouse.
"Don't be alarmed. I just followed out of curiosity. Your lord is clearly in trouble; his demonic power is continually leaking. That's quite strange."
"I will take care of My lord. He is not available now. Please leave, Azazel."
Despite facing the Governor of the Fallen Angels, Hilda showed no fear or hesitation. To her, August was above all else. With him in trouble, she wouldn't allow anyone near him.
"Calm down. I mean no harm."
"Lord Azazel, please leave."
"Ah, you're being difficult. This boy is clearly in a bad state."
Hilda didn't respond, but she didn't lower her umbrella sword either. A layer of unknown material covered the sword, turning it black.
Seeing Hilda's unwavering stance, Azazel sighed and left.
Only after ensuring Azazel had truly left and checking the surroundings did Hilda finally relax.
"Hilda, what's wrong with Lord August?"
Yolda also entered, looking worriedly at Hilda.
"Lord August is fine, but Azazel said his demonic power is continuously leaking, which is why he's still asleep."
"Continuously leaking?"
"Yes, I checked too. Something in Lord August's body is constantly absorbing his demonic power; otherwise, this wouldn't be happening."
"Something inside Lord August?"
Yolda approached, placing a hand on August to sense his demonic power. She confirmed what Hilda had said... August's demonic power was steadily draining. However, this wasn't harming him; it seemed to be designed specifically to avoid causing him damage.
"What should we do next?"
"I'm not sure."
"How about we call the princess from the House of Sitri? She's a prominent heiress from a distinguished family."
"Good idea. I'll bring Rias as well."
"I'll stay here with Lord August."
"Alright."
Hilda quickly left while Yolda stayed by August's side.
Within ten minutes, Rias and Sona arrived. Both of them had the coordinates for August's home, so getting there was easy.
"What's going on? How could his demonic power be leaking like this?"
Sona's anger was evident as she spoke. It hadn't even been a day since she last saw August in good health.
Rias, who came along, also looked worried, though she managed to remain slightly more composed than Sona.
"Lady Sona, Lord August went to bed early last night, but he hasn't woken up since. Just a while ago, Azazel, the Governor of the Fallen Angels, came by. I tried to wake Lord August, but he remained extremely drowsy. Azazel mentioned that August is in trouble and that his demonic power is continually leaking."
"Azazel?"
"Yes, he often visits Lord August."
"Alright, Sona, let's not worry about Azazel right now. The priority is August."
The three of them walked into the bedroom where August was still sleeping. At first glance, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
"Lord August~ Lord August~"
Yolda gently called out, waking August. He groggily opened his eyes.
Seeing Sona and Rias in the room, he was taken aback.
"What are you two doing here?"
August yawned and sat up lazily.
The way he looked confirmed the others' suspicions. This was unusual behavior for him. Even on nights when he had overexerted himself, he had never appeared this fatigued.
"I heard from Hilda that you were in trouble, so I came to check on you."
Sona said directly.
"I'm in trouble? No, I'm fine."
"I didn't believe it at first, but now I do. August, haven't you noticed? Something is very wrong with you."
"I…"
August froze at Sona's words. He suddenly realized that she was right. He felt inexplicably exhausted, lacking any energy.
This was highly unusual for August. Normally, such a condition was impossible for him, but now it was undeniably happening.
He then noticed his demonic power was continuously draining, not dissipating elsewhere but being drawn into the inner world within him.
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