Dimensional Keeper: All My Skills Are at Level 100

"Max, I think that devouring spirit must have sensed the power of True Origin Devil Blood, the demon kings, the corrupted crownbearer and the bloodlines of the four divine beasts. They are very delicious food to the devouring spirit." The void of Blob echoed in Max's mind. "It had come to this world because of them. Their energy was simply too much for a mortal world and this made the devouring spirit came to this world to devour it."

Hearing Blob Max felt that it made sense too. Otherwise why would a being as calamitous as a devouring spirit would come to a mortal world? Obviously there were many things that attracted it to this world.

"Why tell me all of this?" Max asked at last. His expression remained calm, yet his voice carried unmistakable skepticism.

The demons were not generous creatures. They would never reveal such ancient secrets for the sake of enlightening a human. If they had told him so much, they undoubtedly desired something from him. Knowing demons as he did, he expected that their intentions would not be simple or harmless.

Balthazar stepped forward and folded his arms as he answered, "Well, the crown is lost, and we need to find it. That is our purpose. And I believe humans are particularly good at searching for things that should not be found." His voice held a strange mix of confidence and condescension, as though he were stating a simple truth rather than making a request of the strongest human genius.

Max raised his eyebrows slightly. "You want to find that corrupted crown? For what reason?" he asked. "You failed to extract the True Origin Devil Blood from it when the corruption had barely begun. What makes you think you can do so now, after the blood has merged entirely with the crownbearer's system and reshaped him into something else?"

His tone remained steady, yet it carried clear disbelief. Even the demons had admitted that there had been no time to save the crown once the corruption set in. How could they expect success after centuries of fusion between the blood and Mark's being?

Balthazar smiled in a way that revealed more arrogance than confidence. "We have our ways," he replied, letting the words hang in the air as though the details no longer mattered. "The real question here is whether you are willing to find the crown or not."

Max shrugged lightly, the motion casual yet dismissive. "You demons have grown naïve," he said. "If you believe that telling me these secrets will turn me into your errand boy, then you have lost all sense."

His voice held a cold edge, and his eyes narrowed slightly as he observed their reactions. The demon kings tightened their stances, clearly displeased by his refusal to entertain their request.

The first demon king stepped forward. His ancient aura weighed heavily on the air as he said, "You will either listen to us, human boy, or you will die here. We are giving you an opportunity to live. Take it." His tone remained calm, but the threat beneath the surface was unmistakable. The surrounding demons tensed in anticipation, waiting for Max's decision.

Max met the demon king's gaze without flinching. Slowly, a sneer formed on his face, followed by a low, dangerous laugh.

"Do you think I fear you?" he asked with a calmness that carried absolute certainty. "Why do you think I came here at all? Why do you think I allowed the seven squads to accompany me this far?" His eyes darkened with killing intent as he continued, "I came here to kill every one of you. To eradicate the demon race from the face of our world."

"Human boy, I heard your conversation with Mark in the Lower Domain," the first demon king said, his tone calm yet edged with a certainty that left no space for denial. His ancient eyes locked onto Max with an unsettling sharpness. "From that exchange, we learned that you have already discovered the location of the corrupted crown. So tell us where it is." His words cut through the tension like a blade, stirring unease among the demons behind him and tightening the air around Max.

The demon king continued before Max could respond. "If we succeed in extracting the True Origin Devil Blood from the crown, then it may be possible to reverse the corruption entirely. Whatever happened to the crownbearer might be undone. He could return to the state he once held, the protector of this world rather than its destroyer. This is our offer. Bring us the crown, and we will attempt to restore him."

Max's brows furrowed immediately, and a deep silence grew around him as he considered the implications. A small part of him reacted instinctively to the possibility. If restoring Mark was truly possible, then the greatest threat to this world could be eliminated without a catastrophic battle. More importantly, the soul of the man who had once been the world's guardian might return.

Even after everything, Max was not someone who found pleasure in killing a fallen protector, especially one who had been corrupted by a force no mortal or divine being could have resisted. The idea of returning Mark to his original state carried a strange heaviness, something that pressed against Max's chest and made him hesitate for the first time.

Yet doubt rose just as quickly. Extracting the True Origin Devil Blood sounded impossible. The demons themselves had admitted they had failed in the past, back when the blood had only begun to corrupt the crown.

The blood had long since fused with Mark's system, becoming part of his being. Removing it now would be harder than removing one's soul from their own body. And even if the extraction were possible, could he trust the demons? Their motives were never pure. Their history was filled with schemes and manipulation.

They would benefit greatly from obtaining the crown, and restoring Mark might only be secondary to their true goals.

Max's mind raced through the possibilities. If extracting the blood truly worked, then Mark could return to his true self. A peaceful resolution would replace a fatal confrontation. But if it failed, then the crown would fall into the hands of the demon kings, and the consequences would be disastrous.

Their strength, combined with the corrupted crown, might produce something far worse than Mark himself. He could not afford to make a wrong decision here.

He inhaled slowly, feeling the weight of the choice that had suddenly been placed before him. The offer was tempting not because it promised power, but because it offered the possibility of redemption.

If he had the option to fight a fully powered, uncontrolled Mark or return him to the person he originally was, then the latter was undeniably the better path. It would bring closure to centuries of tragedy. It would free the world from its darkest shadow without the need to destroy the man who once died protecting it.

But was such a miracle truly possible?

Max's frown deepened. The battlefield remained silent as he stood suspended in the air, grappling with a choice that could shape the future of millions.