CHAPTER 9

“But I am still fearing the worst…” said Yuna

Well I can’t blame her…this comes as a shock to me too…he lives…I don’t have a single clue on how I am supposed to feel at the moment…it’s been almost a year…and now we are already in our second year…I can only remember few things about him but still…I never forgot the times he saved me from that man nor had I forgotten his assistance to us in the fairy forest…but I honestly thought that it was all an act…

Perhaps he really is still possessed…no he can’t be…he might actually be human…but honestly speaking…if he is as strong as Yuna described him to be…then a monster would be the best depicting word to him…

“However even if you sent guards to wait for him at the crucible…don’t you think that he don’t have enough time…considering how much it took you just to clear the fifty floors and even if he is as strong as you said…would he be able to clear the seventy fifth floor in less than…one month?”

“…” Yuna remained silent making me understand that she honestly did worry about him…

“This is what is frightening me…the tower will disappear…and if he doesn’t leave before so…he will remain there for a long time…if he survives that is…”

“He will leave…I am sure of it…”

***

The newborn devil stood.

Although I was inside his body I was unable to do anything.

The curved sword was next to it and once the devil grabbed it. It changed, it became the exact same replica of the devourer.

Then he walked away leaving the palace alone.

It seems that the one on the throne had asked him to do something.

He kept on walking until He left the castle, which by the way, was very huge and was fully made with dark stones.

Once he made it to a clearing he was met with other devils. These devils however didn’t look friends. As they grabbed their weapons and spoke something

Without waiting for a reply the devil I was inside, charged at them slashing left and right against the greater devils in front of him while they could barely manage the attacks. He broke them, Killed them instantly…and then…devoured them. He used his sword to eat away at their bodies as it transformed into a shape similar to a fanged mouth that tore away with lavishness at the bodies at hand.

Once he did so his body throbbed with power and thus he chased more devils.

I don’t know why but it seems that it was driven by instinct no longer thinking only wanting to feast. He chased any devil he met fought and killed it then devoured it.

Gaining more power each time he consumed a victim however he was being followed by the hulking devil lord. The devil lord only walked behind the newborn never minding what he did…he only watched as he devoured his brethren left and right without batting an eye. He did so for god knows how long and I was stuck there watching all of it happening…

Days and nights passed while it continued to eat more and more devils…however every time it eat a devil not only did it gain its power it also gained one of his traits…be it magic or swordsmanship, knowledge even the other demon’s abilities…the ability to turn to stone to change shapes to become untiring and more much, much more. The devil would eat always becoming stronger until one day…the devil was feared by all. None of the demons dared to stand in his way…none of the other demons dared to cross him.

Only the giant devil lord remained by his side.

They then faced each other.

“Are you now satisfied?”

Said the devil lord and for the first time I managed to hear someone speaking.

I then spoke or at least the one using this body.

“I will never be satisfied…this never ending hunger is killing me. I want to feast to eat and to devour…perhaps you might satiate me”

“Your ability is your curse…you can eat and use the abilities of every demon you eat…I know not why our Overlord had asked me to let you do as you please…but he said that if one day you were to cross one of the devil lords…I would personally have to deal with you and that day came…too quickly however.”

Once the words were said the devils crossed weapons tearing at each other

Not giving leeway to another

The unstoppable juggernaut and the uprising wanabe devil. They were at each other’s throats not giving a single chance to the other. Fighting without stop, fighting for hours, for days, for months...unfatigued untiring and mostly unyielding.

A strike after strike, they were fighting, day and night, until it became known in the entire realm of devils. The two fought on without stop without rest…until a day came where the devil lord slipped, and had his horn broken by the might of the newborn devil, who by now became much, much stronger…he became the only greater devil that could fight on par with a devil lord… an anomaly.

At that moment, everyone that was present saw how the devil lord that was said to never have lose a match loses his first.

A flash of light soon engulfed me and I was once again in front of the so called Overlord.

I was not kneeling this time. But was standing side to side with the other devil lords.

“You became strong…”

The one in control of the body then replied.

“Not strong enough.”

“In only ten years…you managed to transform yourself from the feeblest of devils to something that is as strong as a devil lord”

So the last time skip was ten years…what happened in all that time…

I then spoke.

“Yet the hunger never stops…always, always asking for more…” but once I said so I began to release killing intent…why is this person trying to do so?

Yet without warning I charged at the Overlord startling him and instantly driving the devourer deep within his chest.

“YOU DARE!” roared every devil lord in the hall releasing huge amounts of energy and oppressive presence but I cared not…I wanted to feast and this Overlord looked very delicious…

“YOU DARED ATTACK OUR OVERLORD!” Said the hulking devil but with a single moment he struck at my side separating me from my blade. A moment late the chains from the smaller devil lord surrounded me and the scythe of the other one pierced my heart. While the other ones had the look of utter disgust and hatred toward me.

“After all he had done for you! You still attacked our overlord! He gave you a new life! A new body and a new chance!” said the hulking devil while I was pinned down bleeding from the wound on my chest and even though the pain I still made a bloodied smirked saying

“I can’t stop the hunger…he created me…so he must pay.”

The hulking devil lord then held his axe high up and decided to finish me at the spot. But he was then stopped by a word

“Stop!” said the Overlord.

“I need his body…he has the blood of Ashurians...don’t kill him but bring him to Me.” said the devil overlord who was grabbing at his side with one of his hands…

“It was my fault that I gave you a will of your own.” Said the Overlord and once he finished his words

The devils pulled me and placed me in front of the throne forcing me to kneel while one of them tugged at my head as if presenting it to the Overlord.

The overlord then placed his hand on my forehead saying a chant and with it everything turned dark.

“Challenger!”

I was back at the crucible…it felt like years had passed

“How much time was I there…I said”

“Time is irrelevant. Challenger…your last challenge is nigh”

“Why are you showing me this? I said”

“You shall know soon enough…”

Another blinding light shone and I was once again transported into the same body. Unable to do anything I only watched.

The devil that I was currently inside began to move he however was not alone…

Surrounding him were thousands upon thousands of devils…and in front of us was the same cliff I saw before the same giant cliff I thought was familiar when I first came to this place…

In front of us was an army…

An army of humans against an army of devils…

I was leading a platoon of thousands of devils while at the same time felt the presence of the same devil lords near me. They each were leaders of their own army…

We advanced forward without halt and met the human made army.

I began to thrash inside the body trying to stop this devil from killing anyone but was unable to do anything. He kept on ravaging them one by one sucking away at their lives.

He had managed to activate the eyes of the wise sending hundreds upon hundreds of spells toward the human army taking numerous lives in the process. He then sucked at the energies of the world to charge himself and in doing so he did more damage. To the humans.

His powers were unimaginable but he moved like a machine unstopping and unperturbed he eat away at the very life of any that were in front of him. Striking with his blade and using death magic to twist the very souls of any that were unfortunate to cross him.

Until a knight wearing an armor that looked exactly like the one I wore that time…that black armor…

This knight however had a gigantic hammer.

Unperturbed by my oppressing presence and the power within this body he still charged at it.

The devil and the knight crossed blades. Sending relentlessly attacking each other without pause or reflect they fought on. The devils and humans surrounded and fought next to them but still kept their way.

The devil used death spells that were blocked by this knight’s soul barrier.

A warrior art user…

Unyielding and unbending they both fought on. However the knight was wavering…I hoped that this knight would force this devil to his knees but it would take more than this…

The knight began using more powerful buffs channeling their own life into the buffs making them far stronger.

The knight then charged at the devil lord while this time this knight’s war hammer shimmered in energy and glowed with divine power…this is similar to the glow that white knight used that day…

The crossing of the blade filled with death magic and the Warhammer caused a shockwave to erupt throughout the battlefield while the devil stumbled back from the attack the knight lost his helmet as it shattered…

The knight was a woman…and this woman I knew very well…

They both stood facing each other…the red devil and the knight…

“RETREAT NOW!!!!” roared one of the devil lords in the distance…

Why should they retreat? They were winning this war…

But a moment after I thought of this the devil looked up. Seeing in the far away sky, above the royal castle that was on top of the cliff a gigantic black Mahojin.

The devils began to run away but it was too late.

They eyes I had on me let me clearly understand what it was…

An attack was shot from the black Mahojin. It was a concentrated ray of death that would rip out the very soul of anything that it touches and would shred it into nothingness.

God damn it...I am useless this is where everyone will die…the little girl will die here and for nothing…this damn challenge is ridiculous why send me here to only have me watch these things unable to do anything…

I roared inside while I tried to move the devil or tried to take over it but was unable to do anything…I was helpless…

The attack was coming and the impact was but a moment away…

This is it…

The world stopped then. And I heard a voice this time from the overseer.

“Challenger…against these odds…where your allies abandoned you. Where your life is at and end in but a moment. What would you do if given the chance? Would you run? Or would you die?”

I responded

“None of that! If I was given a chance! I would fight!”

“HAHAHAHAHA!” the overseer laughed “THEN SO BE IT! FIGHT ASHURIAN! FIGHT!”

The moment he said the words the time resumed only this time I was in full control over my body.

A body that brimmed with limitless power and energy.

The attack was almost here and if it lands it will not only tear away at me and the fleeting army behind it will also destroy a huge amount of the human army soldiers…and the little girl with it too.

I used Shunpo this time appearing behind the startled girl who froze the moment she saw the attack…

I placed both my hands forward

“BLACK SHIELD!”

Forcing both the eyes to work on overdrive I absorbed all the pure mana within the world around me.

Creating a gigantic shield made of magic clad.

The shield was enough to protect both me and the little girl behind me from the incoming attack.

However the attack weighed heavily. This was death magic and for something to be at this scale it would require tremendous amount of sacrifices to conjure such power.

The death ray wash pushing me steadily while I roared fighting back against the oppressive pressure.

Like hell if I would let the little girl die!

Blood began to seep out of my nostrils mouth and ears from the amount of pressure and needed energy to block but the portion of the ray that was coming toward me. As for the rest of the attack it already burnt through half the fields and killed thousands of lives…devils and humans alike.

It was only few seconds but felt like eons to me but finally the attack had stopped leaving the barely conscious me standing.

I turned around trying to check up on the little girl.

She was in front of me once I turned…and with it I felt a coldness through my chest…the coldness of a blade.

Looking down I saw her piercing my chest with a sword and in that moment I began to feel that my body was losing its strength.

A déjà vu…huh.

The sword on my hand tugged away at me for a second then I dropped it.

My body began to change back to what it was before I became a devil.

The horns the skin and the wings everything disappeared leaving but an old man with a deadly wound to his chest.

The girl began to shake she looked enraged.

“Why are you taking that form devil!” threateningly said the girl

I however laid on my back barely able to say a word as the pain I was feeling was real…

“Little girl…” I said

And with that the girl dropped the bloodied sword on her hand and supported my head.

“It can’t be!” said the girl “How is it that you still live master?”

I said

“Who told you I was your master…I could be the same devil only changing my form you know.” I said jokingly

“Only master calls me little girl…you never got my name right you never said it not even once…you always called me little girl…only you ever did…” cried the girl…

“Then tell me…one last time…what is your name little girl?”

The girl then sniffed. And said

“Alsa.”