The Shadow Demon Duke led a leopard made of shadow and came quietly from the opposite side of the light. The low-level demons still wandering around got up to avoid it.
Duma's arrival had revealed important information, so they went straight to the details.
"I'm not a mercenary." Duke Shadow Demon said.
They were at both ends of a wide and sloping stone table. This was one of the large numbers of things that collapsed along with the flaming cliff, belonging to the majestic and gloomy stand at their feet.
Icha was sitting on a cracked stone chair, and Douma might be standing or sitting - it was impossible to see clearly.
"Of course. You can call it 'collaboration', 'mutual support' and 'win-win'. I don't have any preference."
Icha put his hands on the table. "We each use our own strengths to help each other. If you are willing to understand that... you can say whatever you want.
I need a helper who can travel freely between pandimensional planes, a mature helper. Especially if he can get into those hard-to-reach corners - that's your strength. "
"I know my strengths very well." Duma said sadly.
"Then come." Yi Cha took out the pair of shiny magic-binding ropes from his arms and pushed them over. "You can do whatever you want."
The Shadow Demon's shadow engulfed the manacles.
They looked at each other.
No one said "start". But the shadow suddenly swelled.
Yi Cha raised his left hand. Click. A shiny metal ring appeared where his left hand used to be.
He raised his right hand again. Another click. He pops up the law of connection and binds the light around himself.
The black leopard appeared behind him, and it went straight through the solid back of the chair and broke through the light. Yi Cha jumped up, and the leopard fell on the stone table, scattering into fine ash, which quickly condensed and jumped up to bite.
Meanwhile, Douma was waiting for him at that jumping height.
"Order: Capsize," Shadow Fiend hissed. His figure has been hidden in every small oversight of light. The wrinkles in clothes, the backside of dust, the blink of an eye.
A shadow ring blinked and expanded above Yi Cha's head, and a pair of big black hands stretched out from it, holding the magic-binding rope, and clasped it towards his neck. The leopard is also swooping upward.
Yi Cha rolled backwards slightly, straddling the leopard's waist, and folded his legs together, pinching it in half.
The clipped part turned into flying ashes, and Shadow Leopard's head was still like a continuous heavy hammer, following his chin.
After flicking the air between them, the small square space that was originally evenly distributed quickly rearranged according to his wishes and turned into a temporary prism.
The cheetah made of shadow passes through the prism and changes direction. It's like passing through a funnel with a crooked neck - it enters from the wide place, then turns and rushes out from the narrow opening, and is stretched and squashed.
This modified size is just right - just right for it to slip into the hungry trap of the Demon Binding Cord.
The magic-binding rope immediately turned red as if it had been tempered by the high temperature. It was red and deeply inserted into the leopard's neck. The cheetah made of shadow took on its true form, kicked its limbs wildly, and struggled.
Duma said coldly. Appear next to Shadow Leopard.
He folded his wings and opened the handcuffs. Shadow Leopard whimpered.
The heavy, ominous clouds hanging over their heads also dissipated.
Icha sat down again and put one hand on the table.
Duma stared at him with squinted eyes.
"Very respectable. Duke of Chaint."
Shadow Demon paused for a moment. "You have such skills, why do you still need me?"
Icha noticed his change of attitude.
Wrestling between demons is very common, especially for simple and crude demons like Shadow Demon - they should not have had time to evolve a new communication mode.
Since Duma agreed to come to discuss, he was naturally mentally prepared to face such a section.
The victory just now saved him from a lot of trouble with words - and a lot of troubles that words couldn't solve.
"To tell you the truth, I will leave within a few days."
Yicha nodded and smiled, "I am too busy, but I don't want Duke Aurellu to come into contact with Chinulus anymore. My friends also happen to be busy. The matter of soul energy still needs a persuasive and capable person. The big devil is watching over the entire process so that nothing too outrageous happens." He spread out the hand on the table.
The shadow slowly crawled along the table, and after receding, the magic-binding rope returned to Yi Cha's hand.
He glanced at the shimmering metal handcuffs and put them away.
"Is this a new additional condition?"
Duma stood as straight as a nail, motionless. Shadow Leopard also regained his composure, standing at his feet like a silhouette. "I thought you needed me to hunt across the metaplanes, find lost objects, and absorb small rifts... just like I said just now."
"Of course I need you to do this too. You are the Rift Hunter."
"I think it's better for each of us to use our strengths." Duma said calmly, "As you said, I am a rift hunter, and I can't help others."
"No. No no."
Yi Cha shook a finger and smiled, "Your real strengths are not here. Am I right?"
He pointed to the cheetah made of shadow.
Shadow Demon's eyes lit up red.
"I'm talking to you heart to heart, Duma," Icha said.
Shadow Demon shook his head slightly and calmly retreated to the other end of the long table.
Until this moment, Yi Cha knew that this cooperation was an initial success - the shadow cheetah that was left in place deformed, twisted, and grew - like the reflection of the broken water, it was reshaped.
Another Douma appeared where the Shadow Cheetah had been just now.
Two identical shadow demons stared at Yi Cha.
"That's right." Yi Cha clapped softly, "You can be responsible for the work of the rift hunter, and you can also supervise the soul energy all the time. All-weather. Meticulous. This is your strength."
"Now that you've seen it, I have nothing to say." Duma, who was closer, said, "That's fine. I don't hate smart and powerful guys."
He took two steps back and stood with another shadow demon. They were like two blades of a sword. "So, what can you bring me, Duke Ezhaint?"
"What do you want? What does a Shadow Demon Duke lack?"
"Things that most demons lack, strength, territory, a stronger body, more obedient and useful servants... I can go on and on with examples."
"Now what you want most, tell me one thing."
Duma paused.
"I can't say." He smiled miserably, "But I know that Duke Yizhaint is definitely capable of cooperating with me."
Yi Cha thought for a second. "I see."
"you understand?"
"I understand. And I can promise you. However, as long as you cooperate, I have no intention of taking the initiative."
"Of course."
Duma and him looked at each other and smiled. Neither smiled much.
Icha knew what he meant.
Among the topics just mentioned, the one that is urgently wanted but not easy to mention directly is naturally power and power. The center of hell is not a good place for conspiracy, and Douma certainly covered it up.
Duma ranks low among the Demon Dukes - judging from this guy's character, he definitely wants to improve this situation. Yi Cha was not very interested in this, but he was not disgusted either.
It doesn't matter who is the Grand Duke. Duma is not better than Ifomit, but it is not worse either.
