Lust...Lost...Last Survivor.

The Dread Sovereign's reply was calm, unaffected by the threat in General Wu's question. "Then we will die for our master's wishes."

There was no hint of deception in his voice. General Wu could feel the strange, unyielding loyalty that came with every word.

Frustration overwhelmed him. He gripped his head in both hands, shaking it in disbelief. He didn't want this decision—he never asked for it. Desperately, he turned to look at his men, hoping for a sign, a reaction, anything. But they were frozen, locked in place, as if time had ceased to exist.

"What… what is going on?" Wu's voice trembled with confusion.

"This is heavenly intervention, the moment has slowed, stretched to a thousandth of its pace, until you make your choice," the Dread Sovereign explained, his voice steady and detached.

Wu's heart raced. Only the Chained Demon with its Demon Keeper Master, crouched nearby, and the unconscious Commander Jin remained unaffected by the strange slowing of time. It felt like a trap, a cage of cosmic magnitude, where his decision now held more weight than any battle ever could.

General Wu turned to look at the Demon Keeper, hoping for another shoulder to take his weight away, to make his decision clear to him.

"My master does not want anyone to suffer the pain he endured taming me," the gaunt demon spoke in its raspy voice, its chained body shifting slightly. "But that's because I was relentless and so every demon would be, that's what we are. The Dread Sovereign on the other hand is offering himself and the entire demonkind willingly. No more pain, a very fancy proposition. Still, I would not agree to this eternal servitude." It tilted its head, eyes hollow. "In my master's view—and mine—reject the proposal."

Wu blinked in disbelief. He had expected the Demon Keeper to side with the Sovereign without hesitation. But this… this was unexpected. He looked at the Chained Demon with suspicion.

"Are you lying?" Wu's voice was cold, his jaw tight.

The chained demon met his gaze calmly, then shifted its eyes toward its master as if discussing something. "Fine," it rasped. "I will stay silent for this."

Unexpectedly, the Demon Keeper, who had been silent for as long as Wu could remember, spoke up. "General," his voice was soft, almost too young for his scarred old hollowed appearance. "Reject this proposal. Even at the cost of annihilation."

Wu stared into the Demon Keeper's eyes, seeing the fierce determination there. This was no bluff, no trick. The Demon Keeper had sacrificed everything to become what he was—walking a path no one else dared tread. He was the only one who survived it, earning the title of Demon Keeper. But not everyone was like him. Not everyone could endure what he had.

Even he knew, in his heart, that survival was not guaranteed. Not even for him. So he cannot make this decision for everyone, this is not the decision of his own life and death but the entire human race. That's why he is a General and Demon Keeper is a demon keeper.

He needed another shoulder, he turned toward Commander Jin, who was still lying unconscious on the ground. General Wu, kneeling beside him, shook the man awake. After a few moments, Jin's eyes fluttered open, and Wu quickly explained the situation, every chilling detail.

Commander Jin's eyes widened, hatred flickering in his gaze. He stared at the Dread Sovereign, then up at the glowing heavens above. His breathing quickened, but his voice was steady. "General, I… I think you should accept the proposal."

"What?" Wu's voice rang with disbelief. "You, of all people, suggest we accept their servitude?" He could hardly believe it—Jin, the man who harbored the most hatred for demons, now advising accepting their submission? "Why?"

Jin's eyes, still burning with hatred, looked back at Wu. "Because, General, they'll be beneath us forever. They'll serve us, suffer under us. We can make them pay in ways we never imagined. Isn't that… what we fought for?"

General Wu stared at Commander Jin, his mind reeling. The man's words sounded like madness, yet there was a cold, twisted logic behind them. Jin's hatred ran deep, so deep that even the offer of peace seemed like another way to exact vengeance.

"Make them pay?" Wu repeated, still kneeling beside Jin. He looked up at the Dread Sovereign, who remained eerily calm under the divine light. The proposal was clear before them: eternal servitude. No more bloodshed, no more war, only domination. The demons would bow, and humanity would reign over them. It was the dream of every human warrior—yet, something about it felt... wrong.

Jin struggled to sit up, his leg still broken, his body weak but his voice strong. "Yes, General. We've spent our lives fighting for survival. Now they'll live under our boots. Isn't that the ultimate victory?"

Wu's brow furrowed, his hands trembling slightly as they rested on his knees. "Victory..." he muttered, tasting the word as if it had turned to ash in his mouth. "Is that truly what this is? Victory?"

The Dread Sovereign's eyes remained fixed on Wu. There was no malice there, no deceit, only a strange, silent patience.

"And what happens when the servitude ends?" Wu asked, his voice loud now, cutting through the unnatural stillness. "What happens when they've bowed for so long, they rise again? What happens when their hatred festers beneath this so-called peace?" He asked aloud.

"This is Eternal Servitude to humanity, as long as humanity is alive, we will stay loyal to humanity, to the last human, to the last survivor."

"Last Survivor!" General Wu's voice trembled with disbelief. "Last survivor? That's your promise?"

The Dread Sovereign nodded slowly. "To the last human, General. Our eternal servitude will remain. Our kind will serve, never rise again. This is our eternal vow."

Wu stood there, silent. The weight of the decision is still too heavy on him. His mind filled with the memories of all the lives lost, the cities burned, the constant struggle for survival against demonkind. And now, here was a chance to end it all—a chance to end the war. Yet it didn't feel like victory. It felt like a prison for both sides, shackled in the chains of vengeance and hatred.