Chapter 209 You will be consumed...

Chapter 209 You will be consumed...

Tap... Tap...

Heavy footsteps of someone walking through an empty landscape echoed in the area.

Although the landscape was dull, filled with random ruins randomly spread across the massive grey desert, the weight of the being still made the sand crunch beneath their feet.

The creature's tall silhouette cast a Shadow that stretched out behind it, dancing as if it had a life of its own.

Two long horns were sprouting from the creature's head, curling gracefully and adding to its intimidating presence.

It also had a scale-covered tail that trailed behind it, leaving a faint trail in the sand as it moved and two bat-like wings that were folded neatly against its back.

It was a Demon.

And its Icy blue eyes glowed with unnatural intensity while walking through the unknown terrain.

"Where is 'him'..."

A low growl left the being's mouth as it surveyed the surrounding area.

However, it was understandable why the Demon was in a state of frustration.

For his entire life, he felt as if something was missing, however, he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

Only a few months back something strange happened that made the Demon feel fulfilled and balanced for the first time.

Shadows began to converse with him as if inviting him into their world.

While following these Eternal beings the Demon felt as if something big was coming.

All his life he felt almost like an outsider.

While his fellow Demons always had their goal to massacre as many humans as possible and spread chaos, he didn't.

Well... That would be a lie.

He did, however, it didn't feel right.

It was as if he wasn't killing them with his own two hands.

It might sound strange but ripping those pathetic creatures with hands felt unnatural, it didn't bring as much joy as it sometimes did.

He tried every way possible but causing chaos and massacre didn't feel the same.

However, now he was finally starting to understand why he felt incomplete all those years.

Following the Shadows he felt as if the joy was slowly returning.

He hoped that these eternal beings would bring or lead him somewhere, to something that would finally give him the purpose and satisfaction he had been longing for all along.

He wanted to kill, he liked it but there was no longer any pleasure in it.

"..."

While walking the creature's nostrils flared, picking up a faint scent of a human.

Instantly, its face lit up with a dark and eerie smile that didn't promise anything good.

The Demon was angry, enraged even.

He had been following shadows for quite some time, thinking that he would sooner or later reach his desired destination, but now it seemed like he had stumbled upon an opponent or rather a pest that needed to be eradicated.

A Human was also on this floor.

At first, the Demon didn't believe it but while traveling through the spire, on every floor, he didn't have to fight a single monster.

On every floor, he found ruins of previous structures and carcasses of different monsters killed by someone.

The scent of a human was everywhere, however, finally, on the fourth floor of the spire, it spiked.

The Human was here...

The Demon's smile was so wide it began to rip apart at the edges, revealing sharp, glimmering teeth.

Although he didn't enjoy fighting as much as he did before, the feeling of ripping his enemies apart was a familiar rush that still stirred something within him.

"Where are you~"

***

Thud...

The massive body of the Cerberus crashed onto the ground, black blood oozing from countless wounds across its body and pooling beneath its lifeless form.

"That was tough..."

I, on the other hand, was standing some distance away from the fallen Cerberus, panting heavily.

My Authority's hilt was still firmly grasped within my hand, however, my body was unharmed.

Although I had fought for more than half an hour, my body was unscathed.

Since the monster was so massive, its agility was lacking compared to mine.

I was able to dodge all of its attacks when combining my superior agility with Timekeeper's stopwatch.

However, my Mana was completely depleted.

Another battle of this magnitude would be dangerous without replenishing at least some of my Mana.

Luckily, it seemed that there were no monsters in the area, allowing me to take a moment to rest and recover my energy.

Walking up to the corpse of the massive Cerberus, I used my longsword to slice its chest open, retrieving its core and then proceeding to take a few steps backward.

After some time, a familiar breeze brushed through the area, devouring the Cerberus and leaving only ashes in its place.

Within the ashes, however, there glimmered a single purple fang that caught my attention.

Without hesitation, I grabbed the fang, feeling its cool, smooth surface against my fingertips.

"..."

While examining the item, I felt a smile appear on my face.

This fang was a consumable that could enhance one's mental strength upon consumption.

However, there was also a side effect to this consumption: temporary heightened aggression.

And, of course, I couldn't allow this to happen in my current state.

I was in the middle of a floor, surrounded by enemies and exhausted from the battle.

"Yeah, I'll save it for later..."

Muttering under my breath, I threw the item into my Spatial Ring and moved toward one of the ruins that was similar to a collapsed temple.

Climbing through its crumbled walls, I entered the eerie darkness of the ruins.

It didn't take long for me to find and eliminate all the weak monsters hiding within and I collapsed onto the floor, exhausted but relieved that the immediate threat was over.

"Now... it is time to rest."

Drawing a rune in front of my room's entrance, which would explode if someone tried to come inside, I slowly closed my eyes, allowing myself to relax.

I've been fighting for four days non-stop, without any sleep or proper rest.

I've deserved this.

"Just a few hours..."

I murmured while slipping into a deep, much-needed slumber.

***

Tick... Tick...

The sound of something ticking echoed through the darkness that seemed to stretch on forever.

It was like someone or something was scratching a metal wall with a sharp object, creating an unsettling and piercing sound.

"Oh, you are here..."

Slowly, I turned my head to the side.

Yep, I was now trapped in my own dream...

Great.

Anyways, turning my head to the side, I warily looked around the darkness or rather in the direction where the voice seemed to be coming from.

Soon, a figure emerged from the shadows, taking on a menacing and ethereal form.

It was a Demon, a Demon with bright glowing golden eyes. The being that took over my body in the ballroom.

"You look confused, why is that?"

It tilted its head to the side, overlooking my bewildered expression.

I didn't even have time to respond before it appeared before me in a sudden burst of movement, its presence imposing and overpowering.

"Anyways, we don't have enough time for me to explain everything..."

The Demon reached out toward my head and before I could react, its fingertip touched my forehead.

Whoosh...

Instantly, a massive amount of information flooded my brain.

It was quite similar to the feeling I felt when I reincarnated...

The level of pain was also the same.

"Aghhhh!"

It was so sudden that I almost crumbled to the ground but the Demon's other hand held me straight as it continued to transfer the knowledge.

After a minute or so of such pain, the process ceased and I was allowed to fall to the ground.

Gasping for breath, I sprawled on the floor, feeling a mix of confusion and enlightenment.

The new information I've just acquired was about the Dark Mana.

Specifically how to harness and manipulate its power.

Although I knew the basics from playing the game, this was above and beyond what I had ever imagined.

"..."

Biting my lips and trying to compose myself, I slowly rose to my feet, absorbing the weight of this newfound knowledge.

My eyes instantly went toward the Demon that stood just a few feet before, however, its expression remained unchanged, a trace of amusement still present in its golden eyes.

"This should be enough..."

Muttering something to itself, the creature suddenly lifted its hand that previously touched my forehead, frowning as he saw that it was gone, wiped out of existence.

It was as if it was erased from the shoulder down.

Click...

Clicking its tongue, the Demon shook its head and spoke in a low and almost whispering voice.

"Learn how to use it as fast as possible..."

It began to walk toward the darkness.

"If you don't... He will consume you the same as he did to me."

Disappearing into the Shadow clouds, the Demon left me standing there confused.

However, before I could even move the ticking sound came back into my awareness, grounding me in the present moment.

Tick... Tick...

The very next moment, I was jolted awake by an explosion, something invaded my resting chamber!