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"This... this... Mammon\'s power! You... You are Mammon! Do you serve Daniel Emberweave?

You serve a homunculus!?" The leader\'s realization dawned with a mixture of shock and fear. The identity of the iguana was revealed — it was none other than Mammon, The Hell Lord of Greed!

"Homunculus, you say?" Mammon repeated, his voice tinged with disdain. It was evident that Mammon found the notion hard to believe.

"Yes! Mammon... No! Lord Mammon! You may not be aware, but Daniel Emberweave is merely a homunculus!" The leader responded quickly, hoping to sway Mammon\'s decision.

To both the mage and the inhabitants of the Curtained World, a homunculus was considered an artificial creation, not possessing true life yet not categorized as undead either. It served as a vessel for a soul, but natural homunculi lacked their own will. If not used as a soul vessel, the mage creating the homunculus had to program its will and personality.

This was exemplified in the case of the homunculus that Victor commissioned from the Alchemont clan, designed as his ideal lover using Koyuki\'s hair and blood. However, the soul within was artificial, born from magic rituals and inventions.

As a result, non-vessel homunculi, those not serving as soul vessels, were treated as property or, at best, second-rate population by mages and most of the Curtained World denizen. By revealing this information, the leader hoped that Mammon would either release them or, better yet, assist them in their current plight.

"Pft... hahaha HAHAHAHAHA!! Lord Emberweave a homunculus? That\'s the most ridiculous bullshit I\'ve ever heard in my life! HAHAHAHAHA!!" Mammon burst into laughter, his amusement echoing through the room. However, his laughter abruptly ceased upon hearing faint footsteps from the second floor.

"Oi... idiots, I\'ll tell you something good. Anyone can be a homunculus, but certainly not Lord Emberweave. That\'s all you need to know," Mammon remarked before exerting his power to transform the two mages into golden sculptures, ignoring the scream and the cry for mercy.

With a swift motion, Mammon turned the golden sculptures into fine gold dust and swallowed it all, acting as if nothing had transpired.

Within moments, little Sylvana descended from the second floor, moving sluggishly with her hand gripping the stair rail for support, still groggy from sleep. Upon reaching the first-floor living room, she scanned the area as if searching for something.

"Oh, there you are, Princess Aura! Come with me to the toilet... I\'m scared," little Sylvana addressed the yellow iguana. "Alright!" Mammon replied before leaping onto little Sylvana\'s head, providing her with encouragement as she ventured through the darkness towards the toilet.

— Meanwhile —

At the artificial prehistoric forest, Patrick engaged in a fierce battle with two mages of equal rank, both Grand Masters. The fight had dragged on for hours, resulting in many trees being burnt to a crisp as flames illuminated the forest with a fiery glow.

Walls of flame were erected to fend off the relentless onslaught of tree branches and vines that seemed to attack without pause. The clash of magic created broken pavements and craters as trees and fire collided, escalating the ferocity of the battle with each passing moment.

In truth, if it were a one-on-one fight, Patrick would have swiftly defeated them, as the battlefield favored him. However, the stalemate persisted due to one mage specializing in fire creation and manipulation, while the other excelled in seer magic, foreseeing the future with 98% accuracy several seconds ahead of time.

This allowed the fire mage to anticipate and counter Patrick\'s moves in advance. Despite Patrick\'s attempts to prioritize the seer mage, he faced fierce resistance from the fire specialist every time he tried.

As the stalemate wore on, Patrick felt his mana reserves dwindling. He could only hold out for about five more minutes at this rate. Glancing towards the mansion, he hoped that little Sylvana had escaped, as he would soon need to flee to avoid falling victim to the two mages.

Suddenly, a furious roar echoed through Lombard Street, capturing the attention of Patrick and the mages. Their gazes turned to the forest entrance, where a massive wolf-like fiery beast stood, its four legs charging towards them with wild determination.

"What in the world is that creature!?" one of the mages exclaimed in terror, conjuring a firewall in an attempt to block the beast. However, the fiery creature effortlessly broke through the firewall without hesitation.

It\'s important to note that mages specializing in fire spells could increase the temperature to melt steel or even stronger metals within seconds. Thus, it was inconceivable for a creature to charge through such intense flames unscathed, even if it was a fire beast. It should have sustained injuries given the extreme heat it faced.

The beast let out a fierce roar before swiftly biting off the fire mage\'s head, causing blood to gush from the neck stump as the lifeless body collapsed to the ground.

Meanwhile, the seer mage\'s attention was solely focused on predicting Patrick\'s attacks, leaving him unaware of the imminent danger from the forest\'s entrance. His entire magical capacity was dedicated to this prediction, assuming that any threat would come from Patrick\'s direction, given the larger team\'s focus on the Mansion.

However, the sudden appearance of the beast caught the seer mage off guard. He realized that if something had reached this point, the mission at the Mansion had likely failed. The thought sent shivers down his spine, prompting him to abandon his post and flee.

Using magic to enhance his physical abilities, the seer mage attempted to escape. But just as he dodged two vines, a third one pierced through his back and emerged from his chest, instantly ending his life as it destroyed his heart.

Witnessing this, the beast wasted no time and swiftly bit off the seer mage\'s head, ensuring his demise. It then proceeded to devour both the fire mage\'s and seer mage\'s corpses on the spot, consuming them completely.

Patrick, perched safely high up on a prehistoric tree, observed the unfolding chaos below with a chill running down his spine. He couldn\'t comprehend what had transpired, but one thing was certain – it\'s impossible to win against this beast No… it\'s no different than a suicidal attempt.

Despite his status as a Grand Master mage and the advantage of terrain, Patrick knew that defeating a Hell Lord or a creature with power equivalent to a Hell Lord required at least an Archmage or even an Archon rank mage like Golden Scale or Envy.

"Is that some new breed of Hellhound? Or the result of twisted magical experimentation?" Patrick muttered in confusion, watching the beast from his vantage point on a high branch. He dared not descend, aware of the danger lurking below.

Sniff. Sniff. Sniff.

The beast sniffed the air like a curious dog, following the scent trail that led it towards the tree where Patrick concealed himself.

"Sh*t..." Patrick muttered under his breath as he hastily cast an elven spell to cloak his presence, ensuring the beast remained unaware of his location.

The spell took effect, causing the fiery beast imbued with Hell Lord power to pause, its confusion evident as it sniffed around searching for the vanished scent.

Whimper?

The beast emitted a whimpering sound, akin to a puzzled dog, before turning towards Patrick\'s hiding spot. It seemed to sense that the sudden disappearance of the enticing scent was the work of its prey. Moreover, this particular prey has a more tantalizing aroma, promising a more delectable meal than the two it had just eaten earlier.

The beast unleashed a deafening roar, its fiery claws striking a nearby tree where Patrick was hiding at random. With a single stroke, it brought the tree crashing down and proceeded to incinerate it with a fiery breath that turned everything it touched to ash. The hellish flames erupted from the beast\'s mouth, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

"Oh no, no, no... This is bad," Patrick muttered in panic, his focus wavering under the intense pressure causing a lapse in his concentration .

The beast sniffed the air once more, its gaze locking onto Patrick\'s hiding spot. Now fully aware of Patrick\'s presence, it prepared to strike.

"Crap, I have to get out of here," Patrick cursed, frantically casting a spell. However, will the beast let its delicious looking prey escape? Impossible! The beast transformed its wings into fiery tentacles, lashing out toward Patrick like a fiery lasso. The blazing tendrils ensnared Patrick mid-cast, disrupting his spell and yanking him down from the tree.

"Ouch!" Patrick cried out as he landed heavily on the ground.