Summoned with an SSS-Rank Portal Skill

The prince left the room in a hurry, as if he no longer had time to waste on the interrogation. William got up from the chair and followed closely behind.

They walked through different parts of the temple—areas William didn't even know existed. Not that he had explored much of the temple in the first place. The only areas he'd seen were the entrance halls.

"There's a special area within this temple," Malakar explained as they walked. "There, I can get the truth from you. But only those with the demonic bloodline can enter, so I cannot use it to extract information from my enemies."

This special place was mainly used by the demons. It was one of the reasons there were no traitors among them. With it, Malakar could always interrogate others and uncover the truth.

William frowned.

"Why didn't we use this from the start, then?" he asked.

The prince knew William had the demonic bloodline, so why waste time in the interrogation room before visiting that special area? Well, there was a reason for it.

"You said you got your lineage from somewhere else, so I have no idea if you'll be allowed to enter the room or not."

"What happens if the room doesn't accept my bloodline?"

"You die."

Those were not the words William wanted to hear.

After walking for about five minutes, they finally reached the area Malakar had mentioned. It wasn't what William expected.

The image he had in mind was a closed room—a creepy one Malakar would use with his subordinates to determine if they were telling the truth or not. An unpleasant place, so to speak.

But that wasn't the case. This special place was a green area, a forest with a massive waterfall.

In the middle of the waterfall was a piece of land, like a tiny island. On it stood a statue—one William hadn't seen before.

"We'll sit in front of the statue and meditate. It will use its power to reveal whether you're telling the truth or not. Come with me."

Malakar was the first to jump onto the tiny island and sit before the statue in a meditative pose. William did the same. They were now facing each other.

"I'll use the statue's power now and ask you questions. You answer with the truth."

He touched the statue and activated its power. The stone statue glowed with a red light, similar to what happened when William used his second-stage demonic transformation.

Malakar then asked if the things William had said were true. To his surprise, they were. Or at least, that was what the statue was telling him.

"How is this even possible? What the fuck?"

Someone from the future. Someone who had seen the fall of the demonic civilization. That was who William was. Malakar was struggling to comprehend it. Anyone would go crazy talking to someone from the future.

"So you're saying we lost the battle? But you were here, and now we won. Is this just a mirage from the trial, or perhaps this is how it really happened, and you simply don't know it?"

Malakar's words sent William into deep thought. Elric's face came to mind.

When Elric passed by him after the battle ended, he said he would never forget his face—even if a thousand years passed.

Maybe he didn't forget my face, and that's why he kicked me out when he summoned me to this world!

Of course, that idea was far-fetched—something crazy with little chance of being true.

But William couldn't deny it: the possibility was there. However, if that was indeed the case, then how could he have had powers in the past when he fought against Elric and his army, only to be summoned in the future as a weak hero?

Not only that, but why did Elric decide to let him live? If he already knew him, then he certainly would have killed William right there.

Is he using me?

The only way to find out was to seek Elric and get answers from him. Lucas and Thompson had said Elric died, but William wasn't buying it. That old fox certainly faked his death. He was sure of it.

"What now?" William asked. "How can I pass the test? At first, I thought winning this battle would let me clear the first trial."

Malakar didn't answer. William's words didn't even reach him. He was too deep in thought.

"You said the city was destroyed and we lost the battle, but we won it, right? But what if that wasn't the only battle? What if that Elric guy comes back with his army again?"

Just as Malakar said that, the door to the chamber opened. The advisors were there.

"My lord, there's another army surrounding us... but this time, it's much worse. Please, come with us."

William and Malakar left the temple together. When they reached the temple doors, they saw it.

The temple was in the higher part of the city, close enough to the staircase that they could see the army surrounding them.

It wasn't like before. Elric was still there, obviously. The old fox stood right at the front, on the head of a massive flaming wolf.

But the army? They weren't human—they were beasts! Elric had summoned an army of magical beasts.

There were countless smaller ones that would act like human soldiers, but far more fierce and powerful. But the main problem was the massive magical beasts he had summoned.

They all had levels close to 100—far stronger than William and even the demon prince. Each beast wielded a different element of magic.

One was a flaming wolf, twenty meters tall. Another was an aquatic snake flying through the air—not with wings, but floating on water that surrounded its body.

Then there was a golem made of pure stone. That was the most impressive in size, standing nearly fifty meters tall. It was so high that William couldn't even see its face.

Malakar's hand trembled. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"W-We're all dead. You were right. The demon race has finally fallen."