Gass Island, New Sorn City.
The Unshadowed Desmond suddenly received a notification from the Lord of Evil Desires. He hurriedly gave his subordinates a few instructions, then immediately ran into the woods outside the city.
Desmond was a Saint of the Sun pathway whom Raphael had only recently nurtured. Raphael had made it very clear to him that he was helping him advance to Sainthood specifically to sign a Life-and-Death Pact and prepare his advancement ritual.
Moreover, this ritual would be dangerous for Desmond. Some of the pain Raphael endured during his advancement would very likely be transferred to him.
Still, Desmond had agreed without hesitation. He was grateful to Raphael for bringing them out of the Forsaken Land of the Gods, and he wanted to do something for him.
The key to this ritual was actually the process of signing the pact. There were only two ways to do this. The first was to trick a Beyonder of the Sun pathway into signing it, which truly demonstrated the core abilities of a Demon.
However, accomplishing this was difficult, because the potions of these two pathways dictated that Unshadowed and Demons stood in opposition.
The second method was to nurture an Unshadowed oneself, as Raphael had done. However, Demons were Sequence 4, and so were Unshadowed. If an ordinary Demon truly managed to nurture an Unshadowed, that Unshadowed would most likely flee immediately.
Raphael's circumstances were rather unusual. He had spoken frankly, and that very frankness had actually made Desmond all the more devoted to him.
Crucially, even if Desmond had any ideas of his own, Raphael, as a Sequence 3, would always have ways to keep him under control.
Thus, Raphael had chosen the second method without hesitation.
According to their previously agreed plan, upon receiving the Lord of