Lust...Lost...Last Survivor.

General Wu's voice cut through. "Stop spouting madness, you damn creature," he growled. "Enough of your games. What's the real plan here?"

The chained demon's grin widened, its hollow eyes gleaming with mischief. "Plan? Oh, General, you still think there's a plan? Have you ever had a plan? Has humanity ever had a plan? You're just gasping for survival—floating on straws. And yet here you are, on the cusp of the Enemy surrender, still questioning everything."

Wu's patience was wearing thin. "You think you're clever, don't you?" His voice was low, dangerous. "You think we'll fall for your tricks? I'll ask you one last time—what's your angle?"

The Gaunt demon chuckled, a deep, hollow sound. "My angle? I have no angle. My pact is sealed, I am loyal to my master, the Demon Keeper. I serve humanity's interests now, not demons, not the Dread Sovereign. My only role is to speak, and sometimes enjoy others' misery."

General Wu wasn't sure what to believe anymore. He glanced at the Demon Keeper, but the old man's blind eyes offered no answers. With no choice but to consider everything, Wu turned his gaze to the kneeling Dread Sovereign, still silent with his head bowed. "And him? What does he want?"

The chained demon's grin stretched even wider, making its grotesque face even more unsettling. " Why are you asking me? How should I know that? It was shocking for even My Master and even me that Dread Sovereign is offering surrender."

Wu squinted his eyes at the Chained Demon.

"What? Just because I'm a demon, you think I know everything about them and their tricks?" The chained demon's voice faltered, realizing how unconvincing it sounded. "Fine, I know what I said, but not what I meant." It paused, feeling trapped by its own words before glaring at its master. "Say something! I'm confusing myself here." 

General Wu's eyes narrowed. He felt this chained demon loves to talk and is a waste of breath. "Enough," Wu snapped. "You're wasting my time." 

Wu turned his attention once more to the kneeling Dread Sovereign. Wu took a breath and spoke, his voice steady but heavy with disbelief.

"Why?" Wu's question was sharp. "Why surrender now?"

For a long moment, the Dread Sovereign remained unmoving, head bowed low, as if the weight of ages rested on his shoulders. The silence grew oppressive, stretching out as if even the air itself held its breath. The soldiers, nervous and unsure, stood frozen, waiting for any sign.

Finally, the Dread Sovereign spoke. His voice was not what Wu expected. It was deep, ragged, barely more than a whisper. "Survival."

General Wu stared at the Dread Sovereign. "Survival?" he repeated, disbelief and bitterness in his voice. "That's why you're here, kneeling like this? After all the bloodshed, after all the victories you've piled up? You think surrender is the answer now?"

The Dread Sovereign didn't raise his head. His silence was invulnerable like his body, especially coming from the most feared ruler of the demon race, an evil known for his cruelty and ruthless conquests. His head remained bowed, his aura fading away, as though the pride that had once defined him had withered.

Wu paced, his boots grinding into the dirt. His heart told him this was wrong, that it couldn't be real. But his mind—it was screaming in confusion. They had come to die here, ready to sacrifice themselves to land one final blow on the demons, to give them a long lasting wound which will fester for generations. And yet, here they were—face-to-face with the most unimaginable sight: the Dread Sovereign offering surrender on the brink of his victory.

"This is madness," Wu muttered under his breath.

"What trick are you playing?" Wu demanded, turning back to the Dread Sovereign. "This… This isn't possible. You've brought humanity to its knees, and now you—" he paused, his frustration boiling over. "Now you bow to us? Why?! What game is this? I don't believe you at all."

The Dread Sovereign's head lifted ever so slightly, his face still in the shadows. He raised his hand and pointed to the pit, a pit of filth dug by the hatred of humans against his other six companions. 

"Sincerity…" Wu whispered, almost to himself. His own words echoed back, the very thing he had demanded earlier now staring him in the face.

But sincerity from a demon? From the Dread Sovereign himself? Wu shook his head, unable to make sense of it. His mind was spinning, desperate for answers that simply weren't there. In human terms this sincerity would have been more than enough against any other enemy but this is demons, he cannot accept anything at all when it comes to demons. How could he? Demons left no reason at all.

The Dread Sovereign's head dipped slightly in response, his silence louder than any words he could've spoken. There was no pride left in his gesture, only grim acceptance.

Wu's grip tightened around his sword hilt. "I don't trust this. Not one bit." His eyes blazed with frustration, his voice now filled with anger. "Commander Jin's methods may be depraved, but I understand them. I understand hatred. I understand wanting every last one of you dead. Not for revenge—no. For survival."

He stepped closer, glaring down at the kneeling Dread Sovereign. "We kill you to ensure there's nothing left to threaten us. To rid the world of your kind. Permanently."

For the first time, the Dread Sovereign's golden Iris eyes met Wu's. The faintest of smiles tugged at his lips—though not one of mockery, nor pride. It was something else entirely, something unreadable. "Yes," he whispered, his voice barely a rasp.

Wu paused. "Yes?" He tilted his head, confused by the Dread Sovereign's agreement. "You agree with me?"

"Survival." The Dread Sovereign repeated his earlier explanation of his surrender. His gaze shifted ever so slightly to the six demon lords, still buried in filth. "Survival."

Wu's brow furrowed as the tension between them thickened. "If that's true, then why surrender? Why not crush us and take it all? Why bow?"

The Dread Sovereign remained silent.

"Why not kill us?" Wu muttered, his voice finally betraying the confusion in his heart. "You have revealed that we cannot kill you then why not finish this war?"

The Dread Sovereign still remained silent.

Wu's frustration returned, but there was something unsettling about the demon's silence which means there is still a trick at play here. He could feel it, but he couldn't understand it. The Dread Sovereign wasn't lying—at least not in the way demons usually did. But that only made it worse. 

"If you think we'll let you walk away, you're wrong," Wu said, his tone hard, even though he could feel his resolve weakening. "If you're expecting me to spare your kind out of pity, I'll remind you I've lost more than most in this war."

The Dread Sovereign lowered his head again, accepting Wu's rage without resistance.

"I don't agree with Commander Jin's way of hatred," Wu continued. "But I'd rather see every demon dead than risk letting one of you live and breathe vengeance. You understand that, don't you?"

"Understand… fully," the Dread Sovereign replied softly.

"Then what's left?" Wu asked, his voice rising. "What do you want from us? From me?"

The Dread Sovereign's lips barely moved as he spoke again. "Eternal Servitude."